Freshly Pressed

From Childhood Memories to Tennis Rallies (No Score Needed)

by Arianne May 30, 2025 Comments0

This was so random but so special.

I came to celebrate Tita D’s birthday, knowing a few childhood friends would be there… but I honestly didn’t expect to see Angelica, my closest back then. We used to hang out and play as kids (and teens), but we hadn’t seen each other in maybe 10 years? We caught up, and then came the surprise: she used to play tennis!

If you’ve read this previous blog post, you know I just found out that my dad did as well. There was always a tennis racket hanging in our house, but I never asked about it until recently. Turns out, my dad also used to play with Angelica’s dad back in the day! I guess I was too busy staying in my room to notice what was going on in the world. Haha! It’s like all these little connections were sitting there quietly all this time.

So we decided to hit the court together! She hadn’t played in a decade, and I’m still a beginner (currently doing coaching sessions), but I’ve been squeezing in practice time whenever I can, with friends who play too.

If you made it this far, you owe me a kudos :p

Here’s a little video highlights from our game… just a fun, laid-back rally with my childhood friend. You’ll even catch me doing a few slice shots*… I’ve been watching way too many Federer matches lately eh

We didn’t keep score or anything. It was just for fun. A relaxed rally, lots of laughs…. and misses! Hahahaha. We played in the shade. So yeah, no sunburns, baby!

It’s such a nice feeling to realize I have one more person I can play tennis with now. Even better that it’s someone from way back in my childhood. Life has a funny way of reconnecting people when you least expect it.

Filed under All Posts Wellness Era

22 Years of WordPress, 16 Years With Me

by Arianne May 27, 2025 Comments0

Dear WordPress,

There are very few things in life I get absolutely hooked on, and you’re one of them.

Blogging was such a big part of my life growing up, and you were there for most of it.

Sixteen years ago, I stumbled into your world. Back then, social media was barely a thing and blogging was the OG way to share thoughts online.

My very first platform was Multiply. But when it shut down, I found you. I also explored Blogger (aka Blogspot) and bounced between the two for a while. My posts are kind of scattered because of that. I liked Blogspot too, but you felt like home. I loved how I could customize and tinker with the backend even when there were no tutorials, no YouTube walkthroughs, and no one guiding me. I wasn’t a custom coder or anything, but it felt like discovering this hidden creative playground. Every tweak felt like a little win, and I just kept following my curiosity.

In 2012, my then-boyfriend (now husband) TJ gifted me my very first domain. It’s not active anymore, but it’s something I’ll always be grateful for. I couldn’t think of a good blog name at the time even though I had always wanted one. So I stuck with it for a few years and even handwrote the name to upload as a logo. DIY forever!

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Filed under All Posts From the Digital Desk of Arianne