The Stratagem’s Archive

Tag: blogging

  • I Have a New Appreciation For Music Now

    Learning to Play the Guitar Isn’t For the Faint Hearted

    I grew up around musicians in my family; aunties and uncles who could either play: ukulele, bass, bass guitar, acoustic guitar—a lot of stringed instruments for sure—and sing.

    My grandpa played his uke more often, I didn’t even know he had an acoustic guitar until a year after he passed away.

    He sang a lot.

    His family often played during family get togethers or after someone said grace to bless the food before eating, and he was friends with a lot of the old school local artists.

    I only remember Uncle Darren Benitez, he was funny, but I’m not gonna talk about famous local artists.

    The point is that music was a big part of my life as it was for my grandpa.

    I’m only now learning to play because I have the opportunity and the means to learn.

    Gramps wasn’t very patient when it came to teaching, so, I never learned to play and I wasn’t forced to.

    Now that I’m strumming his Islander brand guitar, I have a new appreciation for music now.

    I Absolutely HATE Learning to Play the Guitar

    I just started my guitar journey literally this past Friday and my left index, middle, and ring fingers hurt.

    Youcisian taught me how to tune my guitar strings from listening to it and the app tells me to either tune up—twist the knob up—or tune down—twist the knob down—to make sure the guitar is properly set to be played.

    Then, I’ve only started learning to strums the open string—you strum the string as it is—the first to third frets—if you look at the neck of the guitar with the lines running across the wood, each divider is called a fret.

    Frets pretty much changes the sound of the string compared to its open string counterpart.

    After that, I learned how to play riffs.

    Riffs are the familiar melodies of the song people can recognize to tell which song apart strumming the thicker strings—which are labeled as strings 6, 5, and 4.

    I’ve only put in less than 2 hours across 2 days of practicing different songs from the Yousician app; I love learning things at my own pace.

    However, I had no idea how difficult it must have been for musicians to create the end product of all of my favorite songs into what they are today.

    It took me out of being just a listener to the one practicing.

    • Zombie by The Cranberries
    • Stressed Out by Twenty-One Pilots
    • I See Fire By Ed Sheeran
    • She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5
    • Knocking on Heaven’s Door by Bob Dylan (I assumed this was a Guns N’ Roses song)
    • Something in the Way by Nirvana

    These were the songs that I was learning to play with Youcisian and, while I like most of these songs, I started hating them while learning to play myself.

    I keep missing enough notes to get a score where, instead of seeing next to continue my lessons, I see play again on my screen.

    How Hard Could Learning Be?

    If you have friends or family who are musicians, it might look easy to you because you don’t see how much time they put into practicing.

    Maybe you hear it, but trying it out yourself will make you see that it’s not easy.

    When following along to the song on my screen, I kept plucking the wrong string, my fingers got confused with where I had to place them on the frets, I kept missing so many cues.

    I never been so stressed out just by merely listening to Stressed Out by Twenty-One Pilots as much as I had when learning to strum the frets and riffs in time to the musical cues.

    Even going at 80% speed, or full speed, and my fingers on the frets and at the base of the guitar are not cooperating together at all.

    I can write with both hands.

    I can carry things in both hands.

    I can catch and throw things with both hands.

    Hell, I taught myself how to use chopsticks with both of my hands!

    Yet, trying to strum, listen, watch, and repeat was a nightmare!

    So far, after 3 days and less than 2 hours of play and practice time, the only thing I can confidently strum is the Happy Birthday jingle.

    I’m definitely not gonna have my own guitar solo any time soon and thats okay.

    Am I Gonna Make This a New Hobby?

    Maybe.

    That’s all I can say.

    I wanted to see what it was like to be the one playing an instrument than just be a listener.

    Sadly, I finally got curious enough after my grandpa passed, but that’s kind how life goes, no?

    Curiosity comes after a lot of things and mine happened after a funeral.

    I’m not trying to start a band, I’m not trying to become a famous musician.

    I just wanted to know how it felt to play and produce music like gramps did when he was alive because Yousician and music lessons in general aren’t cheap.

    I’ll see how long it’ll take me to learn to play songs I like and I’ll see how far I get in the next year with Yousician’s yearly subscription. It’s temporary for sure.

    Even if I never become good at playing, I’ll never listen to music the same way again.

    If You Made It to the End

    Thanks for reading this personal spiel about music.

    Yousician and learning to play the guitar definitely took me out of my comfort zone and gave me something new to experience.

    I’ll see how long I last with my self teaching lessons through an app.

    Otherwise, if I don’t post, I probably got cracked upside the head for breaking something that wasn’t mine to begin with—I’m only borrowing my gramps’s guitar, so I better be careful with it—and I had my family whoop my ass.

    If you’re curious to other articles that took me out of my comfort zone, I have a few down below.

    Feel free to explore the archives and I’ll see you all in the archives later.

    More From The Archives

  • Going Tech Free For An Hour: A Personal Experiment

    What Would Happen If Technology Was Put On The Side?

    I started getting headaches from staring at a small screen and doomscrolling through YouTube for the umpteenth time today.

    Nothing was interesting, nothing caught my attention, yet I kept trying to find something to watch.

    All the while, I then glanced out my window, and I realized how much of the day had gone by.

    I had barely eaten anything, scarcely had any water, and my apartment was still a mess.

    All because I was getting distracted by the thing in my hand.

    My phone.

    The thing that dominated my day, dictated how I would spend my time, and consumed my attention was the thing I depended on.

    Without my phone, I’m practically nothing. I use my phone to:

    • Listen to music and silence the thoughts in my head.
    • GPS my way around the island that I’ve never been to and through before.
    • I get to read books online because my back protests when I’m carrying a 20 pound backpack with nothing BUT books.
    • And other little functions I stopped thinking about.

    So, I asked myself, “what if I put my phone, and all of my other technological vices, aside for 1 hour?”

    No music.

    No video games.

    No background noises.

    Not even checking the time.

    Just an alarm set for an hour and three minutes later.

    An Hour and Three Minutes Later.

    Exactly as promised, I had put my phone aside, in plain view, and got to work.

    I started folding 3 weeks worth of clean clothes, I started cleaning through my clothes drawers, took the time to drink water periodically and snack on cookies, and felt interesting.

    Not strange; going without my phone or not jumping on my IPad for a while isn’t new to me. It’s just been a while since I had last felt more aware of everything.

    The kind of awareness where you don’t even realize how much you got done until you look around and think,

    “Wow, this got done faster than this seemed…”

    I wasn’t counting down time like I do at work when things are dragging molasses—my brain screams when 1 minute drags and felt like hours passed—then I felt my thoughts were a little quieter, and I made connections to idea that I never thought to write about before.

    Thus, this article had been born.

    Would I recommend every person I know to take an hour off from their phones, music, and habits?

    Not initially.

    I started this experiment for myself; I made this choice, and I would bring it up if someone was interested in trying it out.

    However, this was a personal experiment because I was getting myself sick—my eyes have been burning, even with blue light glasses and taking regular breaks—and, I figured, that I needed to reduce the amount of exposure for a little while.

    I wasn’t doing this experiment to be morally superior. I know I disengage from Life and all of its complexities. I just went after the very thing I know that’s contributed to my “feeling sick.”

    Solitude Makes This Challenge Easier; Real Engagement Takes Effort

    I felt better because I did this experiment when I was alone and at home.

    I didn’t have to spend a lot of mental bandwidth, but the real challenge comes from being out in public and with family.

    My parents and I have a typical modern rhythm where we would talk to each other for the first 5-10 minutes, suggest watching a movie, then my parents would be scrolling through social media.

    I get irritated because I’m trying to watch and their background noise makes it hard to pay attention.

    But I’m just as bad.

    When I visit my grandma, who is on her computer and talking stories with me, I’m not always engaged to what she’s saying half of the time.

    I’m scrolling through WebToons on my phone or typing away on ChatGPT, casually asking questions on the last thing I heard her say, without really listening.

    I’m a horrible granddaughter…

    In Conclusion

    I know that an hour a day is a lot to ask of myself—it’s easier at work because I don’t need my phone—when I’m at home.

    At work, it gets left in my locker.

    At home, family could be calling and texting and I need to respond. otherwise, my family might think I got into an accident or I’m mad at them, when I always leave my ringer on silent and never feel my phone vibrate.

    So, since every day is very likely gonna be different, I figured that I could simply set a low bar of entry:

    5 minutes.

    If I can go 5 minutes without my phone or jumping onto anything that normally distracts me, then I’m golden! (Yes, I enjoy K-Pop Demon Hunters, but we’re not talking about that!)

    Anything after 5 minutes is a bonus.

    Even though I’m not completely off-grid, I’m not saying technology is bad—a lot of jobs requires the use of our screens anyhow—I just think we need a break from it.

    Surprisingly, even if I’m just laying in bed and staring at the ceiling and listening to my fans run, it feels pretty good not listening to anything or anyone else for a few minutes.

    If You Made It To The End

    Thanks for checking this article out. It’s been months since I last wrote and, let me tell you, it’s been a struggle trying to find something to write about.

    There’s plenty to write about, though I’ve found that a lot of thoughts aren’t meant for sharing, but this one felt like it could help give someone a chance to think,

    “I might need to put this screen down for a second.”

    If you liked this kind of experiment, check out the other things found in the archives.

    Otherwise, I’ll see you in the next post.

    Archived Recommendations

  • Being a Life Long Learner Doesn’t Always Mean Learning New Skills

    Life Taught Me More Than Any Course Did

    When people talk about being a lifelong learner, they usually mean taking courses, earning certifications, attending seminars, reading business books, or learning a new skill.

    Did I do any of that this year?

    No.

    Did I suddenly become an expert in investing, business, or marketing?

    Also no.

    So, what exactly have I been learning?

    Simple.

    I’ve been learning more life because of life.

    2026 has probably taught me more than any other year I’ve been alive—not because I enrolled in school again, but because adulthood kept handing me situations where no one else was going to solve the problem for me.

    This year I:

    • Gained weight and spent the past year getting used to moving around in a body that looked no different from the one I’d known for years, but is different.
    • Interviewed for a job in an industry I had no experience in. Surprisingly, it felt more like a pleasant conversation than an interrogation.
    • Called the police for a non-emergency situation for the first time.
    • Spent months talking to different towing companies because people kept parking in resident stalls they weren’t supposed to use.
    • Continued following up with my apartment’s leasing office after my air conditioner stayed broken for over two months, because nobody was going to ask those questions for me.
    • Went to the courthouse to get a copy of my driving history and somehow managed to forget to put my paid parking receipt on the dashboard.

    None of these experiences made me wealthier.

    None of them taught me how to grow a business.

    None of them added another certification to my résumé.

    What they did teach me was something much less glamorous.

    How to deal with things I’ve never had to deal with before.

    Nobody sits you down and teaches you how to navigate apartment maintenance that drags on for months.

    Nobody gives you a class on calling the police over a non-emergency issue.

    Nobody hands you a checklist for dealing with towing companies, government paperwork, interviews in unfamiliar industries, or all the other little problems that quietly show up once you’re responsible for your own life.

    You just… do it.

    Usually because nobody else is going to.

    That’s the kind of learning I don’t hear people talk about very often.

    Being a lifelong learner isn’t always about becoming more productive or more successful.

    Sometimes it’s simply becoming more experienced.

    Life keeps presenting unfamiliar situations, and little by little, you become the kind of person who knows how to handle them—not because you studied for them, but because you had to.

    Adulting is still tough.

    The problems don’t magically disappear.

    I just find that each time life throws something new at me, I’m a little less intimidated than I was the last time.

    I may not have learned a new business strategy this year.

    But I did learn a little more about being alive.

    Sometimes, that’s the lesson life had planned all along.

    If You Made It To The End

    I welcome you here, in The Stratagem’s Archive. Do you think that being life long learners can exist outside of the classroom and overly pricy seminar?

    Leave a share, or a like, to let me know you’ve made it this far to the end.

    Check out my other articles if you’re curious about what else I have in the archives:

    This was something I started noticing lately and figured I could write about it since I haven’t written anything in months.

    Anyways, thanks for reading this little rant of mine and I’ll see you all in an official Archives worthy post later.

  • Primal Queen 6-Month Review: Honest Results (Inconsistent Use, Real Lessons)

    Here’s The Thing

    I’ve been taking Primal Queen for 6 months to see whether it could actually live up to its claims—and whether I’d fall into the 9/10 success group or the 1/10 that doesn’t see much change.

    So, what are you supposed to expect at the 6-month mark?

    • Enhanced mental clarity
    • Better muscle function
    • Improved recovery from physical activity

    My Results After 6 Months

    Here’s the honest answer:

    My results were inconclusive.

    And that’s not because the supplement “didn’t work”—it’s because I didn’t use it consistently enough to give it a fair test.

    Where Things Started Slipping

    Like I mentioned in my 4-month update, I became increasingly inconsistent with taking Primal Queen.

    And that matters.

    Because supplements are supposed to:

    fill in the gaps of your nutrition, sleep, and training—not replace them.

    They’re not a silver bullet.

    What Actually Changed (More Than the Supplement Itself)

    Here’s where things got interesting.

    Because I saw early benefits—especially with:

    • cycle regulation
    • fatigue
    • pain management (better than relying on NSAIDs like Tylenol)

    …I realized something:

    If this helped a little, what happens if I fix everything else?

    So I started making changes:

    • Cooking real meals (curries, rice dishes) instead of eating spicy noodles 5 days a week
    • Adding smoothies and bananas for easier nutrition
    • Foam rolling and using Tiger Balm for recovery
    • Letting myself sleep when I’m tired instead of forcing productivity

    Even though my sleep is still fragmented (waking up every ~2 hours), I stopped fighting it as much.

    Did Primal Queen Live Up to Its Claims?

    Not fully—but not in a way that makes it a failure.

    It helped in specific areas early on, but:

    my inconsistency + improved habits made it hard to isolate what was doing what

    Over time, it felt like both:

    • my results plateaued
    • and my reliance on the supplement decreased

    Would I Recommend Primal Queen?

    Here’s my honest take:

    • If I know you personally, I’d share my unopened bags with you to try
    • If not, I’d say:

    “Try it if you have the extra money—but don’t rely on it.”

    This isn’t a must-have supplement.

    It’s a:

    “test it and see how you respond” situation

    Will I Continue to 1 Year?

    Personally, no.

    I’ll still take it occasionally (about once a week), but I’m more interested in exploring:

    • other supplements with longer track records
    • stronger research backing

    Not chasing a miracle—just being more intentional.

    The Real Lesson From This Experiment

    This wasn’t a failure.

    If anything, it forced me to:

    • take my nutrition more seriously
    • improve recovery habits
    • stop relying on convenience foods
    • and think long-term about my health

    Ironically:

    my inconsistency with the supplement led to better consistency in everything else

    Final Thoughts

    If you’re expecting a supplement to fix everything, this probably won’t.

    If you’re already working on:

    • your nutrition
    • your recovery
    • your training

    …it might help fill in some gaps.

    Just don’t expect it to carry the load for you.

    Final CTA

    If anything I wrote resonated with you—even a little—or if you’ve been through your own wellness experiment that didn’t give you clean answers either, you’re not alone in that.

    If you’d like to support The Stratagems Archive, you can do so by liking, sharing, subscribing, or clicking the Tiny Wave button, which takes you to my Ko-fi.

    And even just visiting means something. It tells me there are other people out there on their own path, figuring things out in real time, not just reading about perfect outcomes.

    Tiny Wave 👋

    My Primal Queen Article Series

    Explore More of The Archives

  • Take Control When Adults Don’t Listen: Lessons from the Rage Room

    When Adults Forget the Rules

    Working in a rage room is unpredictable.

    People come in to let off steam, but sometimes they forget that rules still apply.

    That night, a group of adults ignored my instructions entirely. I had told them their time was up. I made eye contact, warned them, and walked away.

    They slammed their weapons against the metal anyway.

    It was infuriating—but it taught me a critical lesson: how to handle adults who can act like overgrown children.

    And when this happens, you need a method to reclaim control.

    Using Controlled Force

    In a noisy environment like the rage room, yelling doesn’t always work. So I used controlled force: I firmly pounded my fist against the door to reinforce my presence, signaling they needed to pay attention, then entered the room.

    When I asked them again if they were done, and they said yes, I moved them out of the room.

    Simple, firm, non-negotiable.

    It wasn’t aggression, not in a visceral sense—it was clarity, presence, and boundaries in action.

    If you’re like me and are learning to set boundaries and be firm as an adult, then know it will feel uncomfortable at first, but it is a necessary muscle that needs exercising.

    Lessons You Can Apply

    • Be clear with your instructions: People often ignore rules because they think someone else will enforce them.
    • Use presence over physical force: You don’t need to tap anyone’s shoulder to be taken seriously. Body position, gestures, and a calm, firm voice go a long way.
    • Assert your boundaries: You don’t need to explain, apologize, or justify. Enforcement is the signal people respond to.
    • Learn from one-off experiences: That night was a one-off, but they are bound to repeat. Learning now equips you for similar situations.

    These are skills I practiced in real time—calm authority, controlled force, and follow-through—and they can apply anywhere you face disregard.

    Take Action Today

    Next time someone ignores your instructions or crosses boundaries, try controlled presence:

    • Stand in a visible position.
    • Use deliberate gestures to signal attention.
    • Speak clearly and firmly.
    • Follow through without apologizing or overexplaining.

    This works in high-stress jobs, meetings, or even day-to-day interactions where people try to push you around.

    Apply This Now

    Have you ever had to assert control when someone ignored the rules?

    Try using controlled force method, share your story in the comments below. If you found this post helpful, feel free to like it, share it, or hit the wave button to support the archives!

    Tiny Wave 👋

    Want To Explore More Rage Room Takes?

    Below you can explore with me how rage rooms can be an essential tool to our mental health and how they become a place where people leave their mark in plain sight.

    Become a Fellow Archivist

    Overthinking isn’t a problem here—it’s fuel.

    The Stratagem’s Archive is where restless minds turn curiosity into action. Subscribers—our Fellow Archivists—get access to:

    • Practical guides and experiments: From fitness flows to financial planning, video game strategy to online safety, try exercises and tools that work in real life.
    • Insights you won’t find elsewhere: Lessons from life, games, and experiments distilled so you can learn without getting stuck in endless thinking.
    • A space to explore, not perform: No pressure. No judgment. Just a living archive for discovery.

    If you’ve ever felt like you’re spinning your wheels, this is your chance to turn your energy into something worth exploring.

    Join the Archive today—become a Fellow Archivist and start experimenting with your curiosity.

    Not Convinced? Start Here

  • Staying Safe in Extreme Weather: When Work Keeps Calling

    When Work Won’t Close For Your Safety

    Have you ever been trapped in a storm, sitting in your car, gripping the wheel so tight it feels like your knuckles might explode, thinking, “I could be anywhere else right now—safely”?

    That was me at 4:30 a.m., driving through torrential rain, lightning flashing 18 times since I parked, and wind so strong it felt like it might push me off the road.

    Heavy rain, high winds, and floods had been battering our island for over a week. Sure, we need the rain to keep the greenery alive—but Mother Nature was working overtime.

    I work in a warehouse, and part of my job means hauling freight from the yard into the building. In ideal conditions, that’s fine. But today? Not so much.

    By the ninth lightning flash, one of them was so bright I felt momentarily blinded. Luckily, the road was straight and empty—but it made me think: why do jobs expect us to risk ourselves in conditions like this?

    Why Am I Working During a Storm?

    Simple question. Complicated answer.

    I can’t afford to look for another job right now.

    Life throws curveballs—rising rent, bills, fractured sleep, and jobs that expect you to treat your safety like an optional bonus. My assets are already set to go to my parents if something happens. Because nothing says “good morning” like questioning your mortality at 4:30 a.m., right?

    I’d love to work from home, write, or do something dry and safe. But my current job literally pays me to work out—just not under these conditions.

    So the goal for today? Survive. And maybe, just maybe, make it home in one piece.

    The Reality of Hazard Pay—or the Lack Thereof

    A little extra compensation in extreme weather would be nice. Even if it only happened once in a while, it would show management that they value our safety. But wishful thinking aside, the storm doesn’t care about your paycheck—it’s just going to keep raining. And we just keep working.

    If You Made It to the End

    Thanks for reading my work rant.

    Most of us have had days when we’d rather be anywhere else than at work—especially in extreme weather.

    And while this is my personal experience, the underlying reality touches many: jobs sometimes expect us to treat ourselves as invincible.

    If this story resonates, feel free to like, comment, subscribe, or share with someone else questioning why they’re out in the storm.

    What’s the worst weather you’ve had to work through?

    Explore The Archives

    I write about more than just questioning my life choices at 4 a.m.

    You’ll find posts on:

    Feel free to explore the archives or check out some of my other posts.

    Otherwise, I’ll see you all after I survive Mother Nature—and my job’s decision to stay open, rain or shine.

    Wish me luck.

    Update: Mother Nature is Off The Clock

    Never mind. I woke up earlier this morning, the rain had settled, the clouds were slowly dispersing, the sun was slowly peaking through the haze, and now it is hot!

    Like clothes sticking to your skin uncomfortably hot.

    At least I don’t have to worry about getting struck by lightning or drenched to the bone in the torrential rain anymore.

  • Coke vs. 9-Month-Old Calcium Deposits — And I’m Feeling Hopeful

    When Baking Soda and Vinegar Just Aren’t Enough

    If you read Part 1 of my cleaning misadventures with my toilet, then you know my 9-month-old toilet calcium build-up laughed in my face while I tried baking soda and vinegar.

    For weeks, I sprinkled, poured, scrubbed, waited, and scrubbed some more.

    Spoiler alert: nothing changed.

    The white chalky ring mocked me like it had tenure.

    Being cheap, living alone, and already battling the tiny apartment smell cave I call my studio, I didn’t want to risk harsh chemicals. I don’t want the smell of bleach or acid lingering in my bedding for days like when I cleaned the bathtub with Fabuloso. So, I went old-school with good old fashioned Coca-Cola.

    Coca-Cola to the Rescue?

    Here’s what I did:

    • First soak: Poured 3–4 8 oz cups of Coke into the bowl, let it sit for 25 minutes, scrubbed for 5 minutes.
    • Second soak: Reapplied Coke, let it sit 15 minutes, scrubbed for 5. Then… I kept going. Another 5 minutes. And again. And again.

    I lost count of how many 5-minute sets I did, but my arms and shoulders felt it. Honestly, I added 5 sets of 5 minutes to my exercise log—so technically, cleaning a stubborn toilet can be considered exercising too.

    My iPhone timer went off so many times that I felt like I was trapped in some sadistic cleaning version of Groundhog Day.

    Progress You Can Actually See Under The Calcium Deposits

    After multiple rounds of soaking and scrubbing: The chalky calcium was finally coming off.

    The stubborn deposits felt grainy under the brush, but the porcelain underneath was smooth again. Most of the ring was gone.

    Not 100%, but enough that I can finally see light at the end of this toilet nightmare tunnel.

    Finishing Touches

    Once I flushed away the Coke (no bug metropolis on my watch), I added Fabuloso for a clean finish. Smelled nice. Felt nice. And most importantly, my toilet finally felt like it belonged in a clean home, not a chemistry experiment gone rogue.

    The Verdict

    Coke gave me hope. Baking soda and vinegar? Not even a little. If you’re like me—cheap, living alone, not about to inhale harsh chemicals in your tiny studio—this might actually work for you.

    The calcium isn’t completely gone yet, but I think I can finally hit the 1-year mark of living on my own with a clean toilet. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll stop feeling personally attacked by my own plumbing.

    If I feel up to it, then I might as well go hunting for lemon juice, or buy lemons, next week to see if citrus might help finish what the Coke started wearing down. Otherwise, I’ll just update things here.

    If You’re in the Same Boat

    I know I’m not the only one who’s stared at a toilet like it’s judging them. If you’re frustrated by stubborn calcium, hate harsh chemicals, and don’t want to spend a fortune on “miracle cleaners,” give this method a shot.

    Like, subscribe, or share this with someone who’s fed up with vinegar and baking soda being the only solutions outside of harsh chemicals.

    You can even click this little button here so I can know a person visited and found this bathroom ordeal as stupid as I did.

    Found This Helpful (or Hilarious?)

    • Leave a thumbs up 👍 (I dare you!)
    • Leave a hey in the comments below
    • Or click on the tiny wave button below.
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    You can even click this little button so I can know a person visited and found this bathroom ordeal as stupid as I did.

    Thank You For Spending Time With The Archives

    If you made it all the way to the end of this post, then feel free to check out my other DIY projects I tackled so far. You could even read more on part one where I bash on baking soda and vinegar being the “miracle cleaner” that doesn’t work below.

    I also write about other topics—personal fitness, using video game logic IRL, personal finances, and AI with online safety—that might pique your curiosity.

    I also have 7 free downloadable PDFs you can check out the full list below if life feels crushing, but you’re still moving regardless.

    Thank you again. I hope to see you all in the next DIY project that comes my way. Until next time, The Archives will now be closing.

    Explore The Stratagem’s Archives

  • Why Baking Soda and Vinegar Didn’t Remove My Toilet Calcium Stains — My 9-Month Struggle To a Clean Toilet

    I moved into my first ever studio apartment nearly 9 months ago. For the first 6 months, I didn’t clean my toilet at all. I only focused on cleaning my shower and sink.

    My toilet? Shit out of luck.

    However, by the time I actually looked at it, the white above the waterline had started turning grey. Weird, ugly, and stubborn — just the way I like my problems to test my patience.

    Turns out, that ugly grey stains are called calcium deposits.

    They remind me of plaque, but for toilets—stubborn and brushing isn’t enough to get your teeth clean. We need to floss, mouthwash, rinse and repeat this process somehow.

    Because calcium deposits are ugly, can damage my toilet, and cost me way more financially than a very upset stomach after eating Taco Bell’s.

    THEY. NEED. TO. GO!

    So, I tried the obvious solution: baking soda and vinegar. Thankfully, I already had these on hand.

    Spoiler alert: it didn’t work…

    The Baking Soda + Vinegar Saga

    I’ve been scrubbing this toilet like it personally offended me, every week, for the last 5–6 weeks.

    I sprinkled baking soda, poured vinegar over it, let it sit 20–30 minutes, and then scrubbed for 5–10 minutes, iPhone timer in hand.

    Guess what? Nothing. Nothing changed. The calcium deposits were still there, looking the same, mocking me with every scrub of my very firm bristled toilet scrubber.

    I even tried just baking soda on its own last week. Covered the entire bowl, left it for more than an hour because I got distracted, then scrubbed for 5–10 minutes… and it still looked the same.

    Like, what the fuck? My eyes aren’t broken — the calcium is just a stubborn little bastard that refuses to quit.

    Guess what? So am I—stubborn as hell and refusing to quit.

    Why This Method Doesn’t Work (For Long-Standing Buildup)

    Here’s the deal: baking soda + vinegar only works if you’re an OCD-level clean freak who never lets deposits form in the first place.

    I’m not.

    My toilet has been living its best 9-month uncleaned life, and now it’s punishing me. The consequences of my own actions are haunting me.

    Also, harsh chemicals are out of the question for me. My bed is literally in front of my bathroom. I don’t want to sleep in chemical fumes for days like I did when I cleaned the bathtub with Tropical Spring Fabuloso.

    Nice smell, yes, but still too strong for my tiny space.

    What I’m Going to Try Next

    Since baking soda and vinegar failed miserably, even after repeated failures but apparently I’m insane, my next experiments are going to use a few liter bottles of Coke and lemon juice. That’s right — I’m not giving up yet.

    I’m stubborn, pissed off, and determined to figure this out without resorting to harsh chemicals.

    Consider this Part 1 of my saga. Part 2 will cover the results of these experiments: which method finally gets this calcium out, and whether any of it is worth trying for your own toilet nightmares.

    If You’re Fed Up Too

    I know I can’t be the only one who’s stared at a toilet like it’s mocking them. If you’re just as tired of half-assed advice, if baking soda + vinegar isn’t cutting it for you either, you’re not alone. This is a space to vent, experiment, and maybe even finally get results.

    Leave a comment, like, or share this around if you’ve had your own calcium showdown or know someone going through the same frustrations.

    I want to hear how furious, stubborn, or creative you’ve gotten trying to deal with it, and what finally got through your own toilet demons.

    You can even do it anonymously, without a WordPress account, or even a thumbs up emoji to say, “I’m fed up with the consequences of my own actions, but got through them anyways.”

    Or if this made you let out a short, “heh,” at the ridiculousness of the situation or because my frustration made you not think about your problems for a second, that thumbs-up emoji can be used for that too.

    Call to Action

    If you’re fed up with stubborn calcium like I am and want to support me testing weird home remedies (Coke, lemon juice, and whatever else), you can drop a dollar by clicking this tiny wave button of encouragement below. Every bit helps me keep testing these ridiculous toilet demons so you don’t have to!

    Tiny Wave 👋

    Stay tuned for Part 2: the experiments with Coke and lemon juice, because I’m not letting this calcium win. And if you’ve got a method that works, I want to hear it. Let’s finally beat our bathroom nightmares together.

    Explore The Archives For More DIY Issues I’ve Tackled So Far

  • 2013 Dodge Dart Front Turn Signal Not Working? Here’s How I Fixed Mine

    Quick Summary: Dodge Dart Turn Signal Fix

    If your 2013 Dodge Dart front turn signal is blinking rapidly, it usually means 1 of 3 things:

    • A bulb is burnt out
    • The bulb is loose
    • There is corrosion on the socket

    Quick Fix Steps

    • Open the hood
    • Locate the turn signal housing
    • Twist the bulb counterclockwise
    • Check for corrosion
    • Confirm you have the correct double-filament bulb
    • Clean the socket if needed
    • Reinstall and test

    If that doesn’t work, you may need a replacement bulb or require professional help to fix this issue.

    When You’ve Been Putting Off Repairs, You Start DIYing Things Yourself

    So, I have a 2013 Dodge Dart, a car that’s been discontinued for years, and I had been putting off fixing my car’s front left turn signal blinker light.

    Whenever I would signal that I was turning, I would hear an annoying rapid clicking sound.

    My rear blinker light still worked. However, my front left blinker was the problem; people wouldn’t know if I was turning if we were facing each other until I was turning.

    It’s not safe playing chicken with oncoming traffic like that.

    I didn’t have enough money to pay for professional help or the time to go to a mechanic shop, and I figured that I could treat this problem like an oil change—change it myself.

    It’s a small light, but driving without it made me feel unsafe and frustrated every time I hit the blinker.

    I knew I could pay a mechanic when I had the money, but I wanted to try fixing it myself—and maybe save some cash and time in the process.

    Disclaimer: I Am Not A Mechanic

    I am not a mechanic and I’m not formally trained to diagnose automobile issues.

    I didn’t go to a shop because I didn’t have the time or money, so I troubleshot the problem myself and figured it out along the way.

    Here’s what I learned by fixing my own blinker light.

    Tools To Have On Hand to Change Your Blinker Light

    Before I tackled my blinker light on my own, I made sure that I had a few things on hand:

    • My phone (for YouTube guidance)
    • Spare gloves (keeps my hands clean)
    • A multi-tool (for leverage or prying)
    • A flashlight (for hard to reach spots)
    • And spare blinker bulbs (ESSENTIAL!!!)

    The gloves helped to keep my hands clean from directly touching whatever I would find under my hood.

    My multi-tool would be handy just in case I needed leverage.

    A flashlight to see better where broad daylight might not shine in the right spots.

    And you can’t change your blinkers without spare bulbs.

    My Step-By-Step Process to Avoid Spending 2 Hours on a 5 Minute Problem

    We have our tools.

    We know what problem needs fixing.

    Now we can get started.

    First thing you need to do is pop open the hood. The blinkers are accessible underneath the hood of the car, not from the blinkers themselves in the front.

    Next step is to open YouTube to troubleshoot the problem. I watched a YouTube video from Electrical Car Repair LIVE, called, “DODGE DART FRONT TURN SIGNAL LIGHT BULB REPLACEMENT AND SIZE.”

    I followed the video, found where the blinkers are housed, then I pulled the blinkers bulb out by twisting counterclockwise and out of its housing.

    My bulb wasn’t burnt out, but I found white residue along the base of the bulb and on the socket. That’s corrosion and oxidation of the metal. It’s supposed to be normal, but take my word with a large sack of salt.

    With my glove and multi-tool, I had spent more than 10 minutes trying to pry my blinker bulb out without cracking the bulb or damaging the socket.

    I had used a dull knife from my multi-tool to gently scrap the corrosion off of the bulb and the socket, pulling and jiggling it, to loosen.

    When the bulb came free, I kept it just in case. I had 2 replacement bulbs in my car, so it should have been an easy fix, right?

    Not for me.

    I had spent 2 hours fighting with my replacement bulbs because they wouldn’t set into the socket. It would go in half-way, then it would fall out.

    Let me show you what happened to one of my replacement bulbs.

    My 2013 Dodge Dart’s front headlight with the ill-fitted replacement bulb sitting in the crevices and not in the socket. it fell out because I wasn’t paying attention.

    The reason why I had spent 2 hours fighting with my replacement bulbs was, not because of the corrosion or that my bulb socket was damaged, because my replacement bulbs were single prong filaments.

    My Dodge used double prong filament bulbs.

    I even called my dad—not for answers, just to talk—and he asked, “Did you check the bulb?” I hadn’t. That simple question saved me hours if I had thought of it earlier.

    Since I didn’t have the correct replacements, and my original bulb wasn’t burnt out and it was covered in corrosion, I used my gloves and the dull knife to scrape off the white substance to ensure conductivity was possible again.

    Thankfully, it worked out.

    Once the corrosive matter was cleaned from the bulb and the socket, I fit my existing bulb back into its socket, turned my car on, and turned my blinker on.

    No rapid clicking!

    My blinker was safely working again.

    Now, I don’t have to play chicken with oncoming traffic anymore.

    What is The Moral of this Story?

    The moral of the story is to make sure you pay attention; had I noticed such small, but significant, detail sooner, I wouldn’t have a stuck bulb in my headlights.

    Most bulbs look very similar when you don’t have prior knowledge and have numbers on them; each car takes a different bulb, like how certain things take certain battery types. I was forcing a D-battery into a C-port.

    The next time my front turn signal is in need of a new bulb, now I know which I would need to grab instead of grabbing anything and hoping for the best.

    Final Thoughts

    Fixing my turn signal took me about two hours, mostly because I didn’t realize my replacement bulbs were the wrong type. If I had checked the bulb type first, this probably would have been a five-minute job.

    Still, I’m glad I tried fixing it myself.

    I saved money, learned something about my car, and now I know exactly what kind of bulb my Dodge Dart needs the next time this happens.

    Sometimes small problems look bigger than they really are. With a little patience, a flashlight, and a YouTube video or two, you might be able to solve them yourself.

    And if not, at least you’ll understand the problem better before taking it to a mechanic.

    If This Helped You

    If this post helped you fix your turn signal—or at least helped you troubleshoot the problem—feel free to share it with someone else who might be dealing with the same issue.

    I also write about DIY fixes, personal training over 280 weeks, personal finances on a $40K salary, and figuring things out through trial and error and a hint of stubbornness.

    So if that’s your kind of thing, you can explore more posts here on The Stratagem’s Archive.

    If you enjoy posts like this and want to help fund future experiments, troubleshooting guides, and DIY attempts, you can tap the little wave button below to visit my Ko-fi page.

    Tiny Wave 👋

    I currently support the blog myself, but outside support is always appreciated.

    Plus, it helps me to see if people dropped by and visited the archives, instead of bots doing their jobs and indexing.

    Either way, thanks for reading—and drive safe.

    One Last Thing

    Have you ever tried fixing something on your car that should have taken five minutes… but ended up taking two hours?

    Or have you run into the same issue with the wrong type of bulb?

    Feel free to share what happened in the comments or share anonymously by clicking on the Tiny Wave button above. I’d be curious to hear how other people solved it.

    Explore More DIY Articles Below

    Explore The Stratagems Archive Here

  • Introducing “The Quiet Archives”: A Reflection PDF

    Introducing “The Quiet Archives”: A Reflection PDF

    A Way to Say “Hi” Without Saying It

    Some days, I wonder how to say hi without anyone having to say it back. How to share a quiet moment with someone, even if it’s just in passing.

    That’s what led me to create The Quiet Archives, a small PDF of reflections and thoughts I’ve been gathering across my other PDFs.

    It’s not a manifesto, not a guide, not advice — just me putting words down and offering them quietly to anyone who might resonate.

    It’s six pages long, hand-crafted in tone and pacing, meant to be read slowly, like leaving a note for someone who might stumble upon it.

    Inside, I share reflections on endurance, self-kindness, grief, and the tiny steps I’ve tried taking to care for myself in the midst of everything life keeps throwing.

    If you’re curious, you can find The Quiet Archives here and it is yours to read.

    There’s no obligation; it’s just a way to share a quiet space with anyone who might want it.

    Sometimes, a simple hello doesn’t need a direct response. This is just my version of saying hi without having to say it.

    If anything inside The Quiet Archives, and previous PDFs, resonated with you, gave you something to think about, or allowed you to see things from a different perspective, click the Tiny Wave button below.

    I support this work myself. If you found value in it and want to help keep it available, optional support is here 🌊.

    Tiny Wave 👋