Five things that are making me happy right now

If you read Must we consume everything?, you’d know that I’m trying to be mindful about my participation in fandom, particularly in an idol/music fandom I’m in where information seems to rush at you every hour. (Someone in the fandom once said that you can step out for a few minutes and be so confused once you get back because there’s so much happening.) I’m trying to manage my time in one fandom and giving more time to my other interests. Doing so has been rather helpful.

In that spirit, I thought I’d share five things I’ve been enjoying especially over the past week. 😁

1. Hell’s Kitchen Season 23. I have a couple of shows on my rotation that people might be surprised to find are still on. Hell’s Kitchen is one of them. (Survivor is another one that surprises my friends and acquaintances. “What do you mean, season 40?” I enjoyed watching Season 47 and was rooting for the eventual winner. What a fun watch.) Hell’s Kitchen is on Netflix where I live, so I’ve been watching the latest season.
   
   For the first time, Gordon Ramsay has decided to cast a season of only head chefs, and the first two episodes do a good job highlighting his heightened expectations. I buy in around the time they do the signature dish challenge, which is a Hell’s Kitchen staple where the contestants cook and showcase their dishes, an exercise intended to serve as an introduction for both the Michelin-starred chef and the audience. I’m around 10 episodes in and there are definitely people I’m rooting for at this point (Egypt and Hannah; Egypt gets the shaft from his teammates in a way that has me scratching my head because his biggest crime seems to be being vocal in a busy kitchen) as well as villains who I’m curious about (if only to figure out how and when their journey ends).
   
   While other seasons have more clear-cut villains that you are just happy to root against, the magic of this season is that the contestants are more or less on an even playing field (they’re all senior professionals at their jobs), so the fun is watching who realizes their ego is in the way (and corrects it) and who doesn’t, who challenges themselves while in the competition, and who surprises themselves in the process.
    

2. New PPop music. I’ve fallen in love with Philippine pop music (PPop) over the past year, especially with music coming from idol groups. The Philippines has a relatively young idol scene within a more established music scene, and while I have my favorite group, being introduced to BINI also allowed me to discover other artists and groups within the scene. The first quarter of 2025 has been eventful for PPop fans, as a number of groups released new tracks, which includes the anthems DAM from SB19, Pa-Pa-Pa-Palaban from G22, the city pop meets R&B sleeper hit Secrets from BINI, a pop meets angsty retort track from VXON called Tabi Tabi, and the upbeat yearner that is Dedma from AJAA. There’s also EPs from girl groups RAYA and Calista, full of more pop goodness.

   My current faves include Secrets from BINI (I do love a good city pop and R&B-influenced track, this particular release feels like it was made for me), Pa-Pa-Pa-Palaban from G22 (an anthem that I know will be a Women’s Month go-to from this point forward), Alas Dose (an underrated pop release from early this year that I know will be on my 2025 favorites list because that flute and the choreo are so catchy—if it’s an instrument you’d include in an orchestra, I want to see it in pop music), and Dedma (a fun bop from a male bubblegum pop group that has been in my head these past few days).
   

3. Finishing Drawing on Courage. This is a book I’ve been reading and pausing since January. I finally finished it this week after recommitting to my habit of reading at least five pages a day (a habit that I think might become at least 10 pages a day) and I can safely say I’m out of my reading slump.
   
   This is part of the Stanford d.school’s series of books around change, creation, design, and agency. I started at the right time, reading Drawing on Courage to support me with my goals for this year. It’s a nice, light read and I do think this book and some of the other books in the series are worth a read.
   

4. Watching The Crown. Every so often, I find myself revisiting TV shows that I enjoyed or didn’t get to finish, and I’m back to watching The Crown. The first two seasons are a masterpiece and the next two are also compelling, but I have yet to finish the rest of it because I do feel weird about watching historical fiction from a point in history when I was also alive. I feel like there’s not enough distance yet from some of these events and they feel too close for comfort, for me. That said, I have been rewatching episodes randomly (Marionettes and Vergangenheit remain standout episodes for me, as is Scientia Potentia Est) and I have to say that this remains one of the better shows of the 2010s.
   

5. The way the Lakers have been playing recently. I’ve been a fan of the Lakers since 2000 (I jumped ship when Phil Jackson did) and this has to be one of the best times to watch them play in recent years. After their 2020 championship—famously won under a lockdown situation known as the Bubble because the league did create a nearly 200 million dollar bubble within a Disney property to ensure that the season could go on—the Lakers’ momentum has felt like a series of fits and starts instead of an actual journey, beset by injuries, incompatible talent on the roster and on the coaching staff, and just bad luck.
   
   This season has felt like such a relief, because the front office has made trades that have improved the roster (including the shock Luka Dončić trade that every basketball fan and pundit thought was a joke, a cyberattack, or a mix of both) and the players we have drafted have been making good enough strides that it’s reflecting in their play on the court. I haven’t been so entertained by a roster in a while, and the ball movement has made them a much more fluid, dynamic team, making them so fun to watch. It also helps that they’re coached by ex-player, podcast, and possible basketball madman JJ Redick. (He has a series called Mind the Game which I want to dive into if only because watching people great at what they do nerd out is something I do enjoy watching.)
   
   I’ve included a video essay I’ve enjoyed on the Lakers so non-basketball fans can appreciate the turnaround they’ve had within a season.

What have you been enjoying lately? I’d love to hear from you folks, especially if you have recommendations that you’re happy to share.

Happy Friday!