I’ve been having headaches quite frequently since the last month or two. And i usually get by just ignoring it and enduring the pain. Sometimes, I take pain relievers and they work fast, although I had to sleep to actually feel better, otherwise the medication would take longer before it can actually relieve my headache. Every time this happens, I get so annoyed and irritated. But not because of the pain. It’s actually because of the fact that it slows me down — physically, mentally, emotionally. When my head hurts, I’m compelled to stop and rest. And that irritates me. Funny how stopping and resting has become to uncommon these days that people hate it. Not because they don’t want to stop or rest. It’s because they can’t afford it. These days, more and more are expected from all of us. Whether you’re a bank president, a street vendor, a mother — even in equipment..computers, cellphones, cars, washing machines..we expect more and more. Why can’t a cellphone be just what it is — a cellphone. Why do we need to pressure this device to bring us the internet news or entertain us with music or take our pictures and videos? Why must we require everything to be more and more advanced? Why must we demand great expectations from our employees? Headaches.They do feel bad and irritating. But sometimes, just sometimes..maybe that’s what we need. Maybe it’s for our own good that we get headaches, so that we can stop for a while and think. So that we can slow down and realize certain things we may have ignored for a long time. Maybe all we need is a little break, a little headache.
● About Me
I’m RJ Marmol — writer, musician, and independent creator based in Manila.
I write songs, essays, and books about the messy overlap between money, overwhelm, creativity, identity, and rebuilding. Much of my work circles around what happens when life stops feeling manageable — and how we try to think clearly, make decisions, and keep moving anyway.
I’m also the author of Rebuilding Under Debt: Thinking Clearly When Everything Is a Blur, a nonfiction book published under Steady Hand Press. The paperback edition is listed under my full publishing name, Cecilia Regina Aquino Blanquera.
On the music side, I release work as HeyRJ. On the writing side, this site is where I gather my books, essays, notes, and whatever I’m building next.
Music
HeyRJ is my sonic soul project. I create raw, minimalist-style and deeply personal music interpretations that feel like a late-night conversation with your truest self.
By blending lo-fi acoustic textures with poetic honesty, my work explores love, loss, grief, healing, and the quiet in-betweens of life. Each song is a letter — a journal entry — a gentle companion for when the world feels too loud or too quiet.
While my catalogue began with intimate cover renditions, my work is increasingly being shaped by original writing, drawing from years of poems, lived questions, and emotional survival.
“Stuck Home Syndrome” released on March 20, 2026 is my first original 20-track album written during a period when time felt compressed and days began to blur into each other. The songs came from sitting with thoughts that had nowhere else to go — unfiltered, repetitive, and sometimes uncomfortable. It’s a concept album that isn’t built around singles or polish. It’s closer to a continuous inner monologue, recorded with minimal production and very little ornamentation and meant to be listened to as one cohesive body of work. The goal wasn’t to resolve anything, only to document how it felt while it was happening.
On May 29, 2026 I released new original singles – “Rapturous”, “Uh Huh”, “Look At You”, “All That” and “Blew Print”. I continue to release both original and cover songs and intend to so for as long as I can so check back every once in a while — you might. just find something you’ll like.
For business inquiries relating to music, email me at: heyrjmusic[at]gmail[dot]com or my personal email at: rjmarmol[at]gmail[dot]com.
Books
Rebuilding Under Debt: Thinking Clearly When Everything Is a Blur
A nonfiction book about what debt does to the mind — and how to begin functioning again when financial stress has made everything feel blurred, urgent, and overwhelming.
Rather than treating debt only as a financial math problem, the book explores the emotional and cognitive realities of financial distress: shame, decision fatigue, avoidance, panic, relationship strain, and the difficulty of making sound decisions while mentally depleted.
Published under Steady Hand Press. It’s available worldwide in ebook and paperback formats on Amazon. Bookstores and libraries can also be order it wholesale via Ingram.
Contact
For book-related inquiries, media requests, bookstore questions, or discussion-group invitations, you can reach me through the contact page on this site or send me an email to rjmarmol[at]gmail[dot]com or hello[at]steadyhandpress.com
RJMarmol.com - Since 2008. 
2 responses to “When Your Head Hurts”
[…] (not that I’m really productive when I don’t have a headache). Which reminds me of a post I’ve written a few months back, that was last year, actually — when I didn’t blog too often. This has been quite a […]
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[…] having an annoying headache yet again — similar to what I’ve blogged about before, and before that. And well, yes, I am hoping this doesn’t mean I’d die soon, because, you know, dying a […]
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