Things I Learned Growing Up: Recent Episodes
Kazandra Pangilinan
A blog dedicated to the fragility of time, nestled somewhere between nostalgia for the past, a deep yearning for the future, and the unshakeable longing to live boldly in the present. Here, we celebrate the people who move us, the moments that inspire us, and all the fears, desires, hopes, and doubts that make us human.
The walls in my bedroom used to be painted lime green. Now the walls are white but I still have a great love for green rooms thanks to plants. Probably you do too.
Read it as a blog post here: http://thingsilearnedgrowingup.ca/2022/06/14/green-rooms/
Thank you for listening/reading/sharing/being you.
Happy birthday to ME. I turned thirty at the start of June and didn't hate it. These are my thoughts!
You can also read it as a blog post here: http://thingsilearnedgrowingup.ca/2022/06/07/thirty/
Share with your mom, your dad, or someone you know who's turning thirty, maybe?
Thank you. Bye bye.
Fall is awesome and I bet you're probably awesome too.
This post is an ode to one of my favourite seasons, the most wistful season of them all.
Read it as a blog post here: http://thingsilearnedgrowingup.ca/2021/10/08/wistful-weather/
Thank you for listening and reading!
January evening walks are cold, clear, and wintery. I find myself thinking about time - how endless it sometimes seems at times and how limited it seems at others.
You can read it here: http://thingsilearnedgrowingup.ca/2022/01/19/january-walk/
Thank you for your support!
To me, chimney smoke is one of the most comforting smells and sights. It's one of the best things about cold weather.
Read it as a blog post here: http://thingsilearnedgrowingup.ca/2021/10/27/chimney-smoke/
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPPORT.
These streets were made for walking! This post was inspired by all the people who have walked through Edinburgh with me and showed me that we all experience the same street in different ways.
Read it as a blog post here: http://thingsilearnedgrowingup.ca/2022/01/14/the-streets-we-walk/
Thank you for listening and reading!
A SPOOKY episode (not really).
This post explores the idea of who we actually our. I personally feel like it's Halloween every day and we're always pretending to be somebody else. What do you think!?
Read it as a blog post here: http://thingsilearnedgrowingup.ca/2021/10/30/on-pretending-to-be-somebody-else/
Thank you for listening/reading!
Winter is dark. Lots of things in life are dark. This post is about creating our own light and finding ways to shine anyway.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://thingsilearnedgrowingup.ca/2022/01/12/the-light-we-create%ef%bf%bc/
Thank you for your support :)
Grey November. Maybe listen to this one with a cup of tea and a cozy blanket.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://thingsilearnedgrowingup.ca/2021/11/03/november/
Thank you for listening and reading :)
I'm obsessed with the moon. Whenever I got outside, I find myself looking for it.
Anyway, this post is about feelings, and people, and of course, the moon.
You can read it as a blog post here: http://thingsilearnedgrowingup.ca/2022/01/10/were-all-looking-at-the-same-moon/
Thanks for listening and/or reading. I appreciate YOU!
In the words of Demi Lovato, and probably some other people, 'what's wrong with being confident?'
I've tried to be confident my whole life, confusing being confident with being brave. I used to associate being confident with making things happen...but maybe it's also believing in yourself enough to know that the right people and the right things will find you? Maybe???
Anyway, confident is my word of the year so hopefully I'll learn some things about it in 2022.
Read it as a blog post here: http://thingsilearnedgrowingup.ca/2022/01/07/confident%ef%bf%bc/
Thank you ALL!
This episode is about the sad sight of dead Christmas trees but it's also about how often we throw things away without a second thought when they've served their purpose. It's also about shining brightly again and again and again, no matter how many times you're the dead Christmas tree <3
Read it as a blog post here: http://thingsilearnedgrowingup.ca/2022/01/05/dead-christmas-trees/
Thank you for listening!
So many people write about sunsets...and now I'm one of them!
This post is about sunsets (duh) but also about endings, and finding beauty in ugly spaces, and appreciating the world for its glimmers of gold, no matter how fleeting, on dreary days.
You can read it as a blog post here: http://thingsilearnedgrowingup.ca/2022/01/03/sunsets/
As always, thank you for your support :)
Remembering the good ol'days aka pre-Covid days.
You can read it as a blog post here.
Thanks for your support!
This title should be read to the tune of 'Staying Alive' by the Bee Gees, obviously.
A little post about the world waking up and coming back to life. Here we go!
Read it as a blog post here.
Bloom, baby, bloom!
If cherry blossoms can bloom every spring, there's no reason why humans can't too!
If you prefer, read it as a blog post here. Oh, and feel free to share with your friends and family.
Thanks for the support!
Does 9pm light make you feel like you should be outside, making the most of it? Because same.
Read it here, folks.
Thank you for reading, listening, sharing, supporting! :)
There's a song in Les Mis about looking down but this post is about looking up. I suppose both are equally important.
You can read it here.
Don't forget to share with a friend or someone. Thanks!
This post is titled 'On the Road' but guess what? It has nothing to do with the Jack Kerouac novel!
Rather, it's about feeling like you're being pulled towards the past and pushed towards the future at the same time.
Read it as a blog post here.
Thank you for listening and all that jazz. Bye!
Dreaming about 'someday'.
Read the original blog post here.
Merci beaucoup for your support.
Basically, this post is about me being a master eavesdropper. Even better than Samwise Gamgee, since he got caught.
You can read the post here.
Thanks for listening!
Ah, change and time. Two things that have haunted me as much as the Jigsaw Killer in Saw haunted me in my dreams. Scary stuff!
You can read this episode as a blog post here.
Let me know what you think, even if you hate it. Thanks for listening!
This post is an old journal entry written July 10, 2014. It's about drifting. Apparently, drifting is a driving technnique but I don't mean that in this case. I mean when life drifts along, as it sometimes does.
You can read it as a blog post here.
Thank you for your support!
Here's to looking at all the little moments that make up the big picture!
Read it as a blog post here.
Thanks for listening, reading, lurking etc etc etc.
In the words of Loonette from The Big Comfy Couch, "WHO MADE THIS BIG MESS?"
It's not always fun or easy to clean up a mess you made, but sometimes you still have to do it, right?
If you'd rather read as a blog post, you can do so here.
Share with a friend, or your cat, or someone. Thank you!!
This post is about napping and I certainly hope it doesn't bore you to sleep. But if it does, that's okay because naps are okay.
Read it here.
Okay, I'm going to take a nap now. Sweet dreams!
Even dead daffodils have the power to make me believe in bright things which I think is very endearing.
Read the post here.
Thanks for the support. Buy yourself from fresh flowers today. You deserve it!
Wild horses are cool creatures. I would like to be a wild horse. Virginia Woolf said there is a wild horse in all of us and I hope she's right.
I really love the music in this one but if you don't, you can read it as a blog post here.
Don't forget to tell a friend or two or three.
Thanks for the support!
I've always wanted to the type of person who drinks whisky without making a face and maybe now I am. Who knows.
PS: The title of this should definitely be read like the John Mayer song.
Read it as a blog post here.
Thanks for listening, reading, supporting!
I think a lot about change and so I decided to write about it.
Read it instead here.
Share with your sister, your brother, your father, your mother, or anyone you want.
Thanks! :)
My ice cream cone brings all the mem'ries to the yard!
Read the post here.
Thanks for your support!
I miss dinner parties. Maybe you do too?
If you want to read this as a blog post, you can do so here.
Don't forget to share this with the people you want to invite to your own dinner party! The more the merrier!!
CHEERS.
This post is about jobs and happiness. Hopefully those things go together like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong!
Read it as a blog post here.
If you liked this post, feel free to share it with a friend or perhaps a man you see painting a sign.
THANK YOU.
Do you ever think about yourself as a character in a book? Because I do!
Read it as a blog post here.
Thanks for your support!
Spoiler alert: the music in the background is pretty melancholy. I didn't know if that fit the mood or not, but then I decided that this post is about grieving the person you used to be and letting go of who you think you're supposed to be. So really, it's a post about loss and feeling lost. Which, for some (aka me) can be a very melancholic thing to experience.
You can read it with or without the sad (or cheerful) music of your choice here.
Thank you for listening! If you liked it, please share with a friend, real or imaginary. Thanks!
When you're alone in your kitchen and absolutely no one is watching, I wonder if you are as weird as I am.
You can read it as a blog post here.
Thank you, forever and always, for your support!
This post isn't about me. It isn't about you either. It's about other people. Remember them?
If you're anything like me, you probably get annoyed with other people at least once a day. But still, it's nice to be reminded that they're there and that they exist.
Read it on the blog here.
Thank you for listening, reading, sharing, supporting! I appreciate you!
A celebration of ordinary things!
You can read the post here.
If you enjoyed this post, don't be shy - share it with a friend, a stranger, or anyone you want really.
Thank you!
I used to feel really young compared to other people. Now there are times when I feel incredibly old.
And probably when I return to this post sometime in the future, I'll decide that I was actually very young and I won't even remember what that felt like.
Feel free to read it here. Maybe with some champagne because that what I had while I was writing it - just a suggestion!
Thanks for the support!
I've got the flower! And I've got the flour!
This post in an ode to every day life, and little things, and living a life you once used to dream about.
If you don't like the funky music or the sound of my voice, it's available as a blog post here.
Don't forget to share with a friend. Or not.
Do you pick a word of the year? I do!
This post is about calm things. I hope you like it.
Read it as a blog post here.
Thanks for listening!
Why is the sky so smart? I don't know, but it is!
Read the post here.
Don't forget to share with your friend, your enemy, your grandma, and the person who drops off your online shopping delivery. Thanks!
Sometimes a lecture drags on and on and on...and sometimes Janurary does too.
But while a never-ending lecture can be boring and annoying, I've decided there is actually something comforting how slow and steady Janurary feels.
Read the post here.
Thanks for your support!
This is less a post about classical music and more about how seemingly simple things can be surprising complex. Also, how they force you to look more closely at things you may have been avoiding or running from. Maybe.
Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know!
You can read the post here.
Thank you for listening, reading, supporting, sharing!
Lots of people have written about memories. Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of them. Maroon 5 is another. And now I have too.
If you'd rather read it, you can find it on my blog here.
That's it for now, folks. Thanks for listening, reading, supporting in general. If you liked the post, why not share with a friend? After all, sharing is caring.
Sometimes you don't realize how dark it has been until it's sunny again.
Here's a short and sweet little post to brighten your day (I hope).
If you want to read the post instead, you can do so here.
If you liked this post, please share it with a friend, or a foe, or anyone you want. Thanks!
Christmas is not the only time life is wonderful, am I right!?
This is a post about going with the flow and letting things happen. You probably already know these things, but sometimes we need to be reminded (at least, I do).
Read it here.
If you liked this post, take Eminem's advice and tell a friend. I'd appreciate it!
Thank you for your support!
I used to dread Mondays and routine and schedules. But now I find myself appreciating the calmness that Monday provides and this life that I have created for myself.
Anyway, I wrote this post on a Monday...but feel free to listen to it any day of the week, obviously.
You can read it here.
Thank you for listening, reading, supporting, sharing!
Let me know your thoughts :)
Snow and windows; windows and snow.
The snow never fails to draw me to the window. Maybe it draws you to the window, too?
This episode is also available as a blog post.
Thank you for listening, reading, sharing, supporting!!
This post was inspired by the beautiful line in 'Beeswing' by Richard Thompson.
It's about feeling easily breakable, and frail, and tender. Sadness feels like that, but happiness can feel like that too.
Read it as a blog post here.
Thanks for your support.
Feelings, feelings, feelings...why are they so weird, and complicated, and strange? I don't know - but I think the best way to simplify the heart is simply to honour our emotions, whatever they are.
This post is about being human so I hope you can relate. Unless you're a dog...or cat...or something else?
If you don't feel like listening, you can read it as a blog post here.
Thank you for reading, and listening, and supporting. Let me know what you think!
Confession time: I don't like museums!
For some reason, I've always felt like museums were one of those things I SHOULD like and so I tried very hard to. But I don't and this post is my confession.
Read it here.
Thank you for sharing, reading, listening, supporting!
Are you a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker?
I am trying to be a baker - though it's a lot harder than other people make it seem. (A lot of things in life are like that).
If you'd rather read the post, you can do so here.
If you liked this post, it would be nice if you shared with your mom, your friend, the person you used to work with two years ago. Share it with anyone you want, really.
THANK YOU!
Thoughts on an 'almost the end of February' kind of night. A night where many things are the same, but many things are different too.
Read it here.
Thank you 1000x for listening, reading, supporting, sharing!
Remember how people used to tell you what they were going to make for dinner while you waited for the elevator to arrive? I miss that.
This post is about missing pointless things which, as it turns out, were actually pretty precious.
Read it here if you prefer.
Let me know what you think. Thanks for the support!
Sometimes, I find myself thinking about how things are 'supposed' to feel instead of just honouring whatever it is I'm feeling. Maybe you catch yourself doing that too?
If you hate the music or the sound of my voice, you can read the post here.
Let me know what you think and thanks for your support!
This post is for anyone who has ever been hurt. So basically, this post is for everyone.
I'm sorry that you were hurt. I hope you know you didn't deserve to be. I also hope you know that whatever pain you're feeling, you're strong enough to get through.
If you'd rather read the post (I recommend with a cup of tea or maybe a glass of wine), you can do so here.
Thanks for listening, reading, supporting!
Just because you can't open a jar of salsa on your own, doesn't mean you can't do other hard things on your own!
This post is about believing in yourself and trusting yourself. I hope you do both!!
If you'd rather read the post, you can do so here.
Thanks for your support! And if you have any tips on opening a jar of salsa when you lack the arm strength, send them my way. In the meantime, I'll be over here lifting weights and doing push ups. Okay, bye!
This post was inspired by a walk in the park on the 1st day of March. I saw many families, and many flowers, and I thought to myself, 'wow, the world really needs spring. ' Or maybe I just need spring.
Anyway, I'm really happy that days are slowly getting longer, and warmer, and I hope you are too.
As always, if you don't like the sound of my voice (or the music!), this episode is also available as a blog post.
Let me know what you think and thank you for listening!
A post about long bus rides, and thinking about home, and searching for things.
If you don't like the sound of my voice, you can read the blog post here.
Also, I highly recommend listening to Carole King whenever you're feeling wistful. She's great and I love her.
Okay, thank you for listening!