Happy Monday to y’all! It was my birthday last Saturday, which means I’m another decade older 😳 It was a quiet day spent doing some of the things I love most: listening to music, making art, and drinking coffee, lol! I headed to one of my favorite coffee spots, Reinne’s Place, on Retro Row in Long Beach. It’s a local favorite, especially within the Filipino community. The owner experienced a profound loss, and the coffee shop was born from that grief. Seriously, some of the best coffee in LB. And right next door is San & Wolves Bakeshop, a Filipino bakery that makes a variety of irresistible treats. They were down in Orange County at a huge festival, Daisy Chain, so I’ll have to wait until they reopen tomorrow to grab my bakery fix!

I visited my daughter in Hollywood on Sunday, and she baked me a homemade pot pie. Delish! It was altogether a quiet birthday, as my birthdays have been for the past couple of years.

I also facilitated my first sound bath, a Sturgeon Full Moon Sound Journey, on Friday night. There were eight attendees, including a good friend and former coworker, as well as a former student. I was thrilled to see them both! It was hot, unfortunately, but other than that, I think it went pretty well. Sound therapy is still very new to my skill set, so there’s obviously room for improvement. I’m learning with each experience and will keep honing my skills along the way.

I think the highlight of my weekend was listening to Turnstile. A guy I knew a couple of years ago introduced me to them, and I’ve been hooked ever since. They’ve been redefining the boundaries of modern heavy music, successfully bridging the gap between traditional punk and mainstream alternative rock. Seriously, if you don’t get up and groove when listening to their music, there’s something amiss! 😂

The songs currently on repeat are Seeing Stars, Birds, and Slowdive from Never Enough: Versions (Disc 2).

Turnstile is currently on tour, and they’ll be making their way to Southern California in October and November, playing a couple of different festivals. One is at the Observatory Festival Grounds in Orange County, and the other is Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. I’m seriously considering going to the Orange County show. Tickets are already almost sold out! I’ll be in Taiwan visiting my birth family in November, so October may be my window. I’d be perfectly okay going solo, as none of my friends are really into hardcore punk, but we’ll see 😎

In the meantime, here’s a live performance so you can get a taste of what I’ve been listening to. Fair warning: you may find yourself getting up to groove 😉 I know I do!

What music are you listening to these days? Leave a comment and let me know! 🎶

Blackout and Birds performed live at Lowlands 2026