Why Would I Write

Category: Random

  • 7 months and done

    Last Sunday was a momentous date for me because of two things: I finally understood the feeling of rooting for a team and watching them win a tournament (all the other times I’ve felt like I’ve always cursed the team I supported by watching them). Virtus fucking Pro won the KL Major and I couldn’t be happier for them. FIrst Valve-sanctioned major of the season, and my favorite team ever since they put on a hero pool clinic at The Summit 7. That tournament turned me into a fan of the team. Anyway, I don’t want to bore anyone with the specifics, but they put on a great show and I hope to see them continue winning in the coming months. The best part about the event was probably walking around in a Virtus Pro hoodie because everyone at the venue seemed to be a Secret fan (there was a Malaysian player in their squad) – I enjoyed those salty tears.

    Secondly – I’ve finally finished my Minoxidil course. All six bottles. It took me seven months, but I’m finally done with having to apply liquid on my face twice a day. Feels good not to be burdened by a regiment anymore. On the downside, I see no significant improvement to the state of my beard. I guess you just can’t make hair grow when there were no hair follicles to begin with. Where do I go from here? Well, at least I know Minoxidil doesn’t work for me and my next course of action would be hair transplants so… yeah, I’m not that bothered or desperate enough – looks like I’ll just have to live my life with a patchy, unimpressive beard. Oh well. On the bright side, it is more facial hair than some of my friends can grow.

    Seven months ago, I also purchased my first Topre keyboard. The HHKB Pro 2 is still one of my favorite boards to type on. The sound, tactility, and layout – all amazing. I have yet to come across a better typing experience. Recently there have been rumors about an upcoming HHKB Pro 3, so I’m looking forward to that. Assuming there are significant changes to warranty an upgrade. My wish list? MX-compatible stems, built-in programmability. They could keep everything else the way it is and I’d be happy. I know people would like stuff like USB C (I’m not looking forward to having to buy more cables to replace the ones I currently own), heavier domes (an option would be nice, I’m not sure if I’d enjoy something heavier but I would definitely try them out), metal casing (I am honestly a fan of the keyboard’s plastic case – its sound signature and weight would be very different if it wasn’t made from plastic), and Bluetooth (a fine option as long as it’s optional).

    In recent keyboard news, my Planck has finally arrived (after a long-ass wait) and I’m personally not the biggest fan of it. I’ll definitely have to spend more time typing on it. I know it’s not a popular opinion but at the moment, I feel that learning to type using an ortholinear board seems way more trouble than it’s worth. It seems very likely that I’ll be turning it into a giant macropad or selling it off. Will give it a thorough chance before I do that.

  • Senior Dog

    When you hear ‘seven years’, you think that’s ages away. It’s not so soon. I have plenty of time until then. But earlier this week, I realized that seven years can fly by so quickly.

    Earlier this week, my mom noticed that our dog was limping when she ran. One of her legs was raised and bent, like she was doing some sort of weird hop. Something I had never noticed her doing in the past, so it was news to me. Straightaway, I assumed that she was injured and brought her to the vet. The vet asked me – how old is she? while he examined the leg she didn’t run properly with.

    I told him, over seven years.
    He nodded, my answer confirming his suspicion.
    She was considered an old dog, and joint issues are a common thing for dogs her age. It was something that never occurred to me – that my dog would be old one day.

    The vet recommended I start giving her some glucosamine, which will hopefully alleviate the limping. Old people dog problems.

    The label on the bottle of pills I bought for her said – for senior dogs – aged seven and above. It’s as though they knew.

    I still remember the first day we brought her home. Snuggles was a feisty puppy, biting my finger before she got into the car. She was so tiny back then, I could easily carry her with one hand. She used to sleep in a laundry basket that we lined with a blanket.

    She was a very quiet puppy. Hardly anything would make her bark back then. Now that she’s older, she barks a lot more – which is something I found out after doing a Google search – some dogs do bark more when they’re older. They also have trouble controlling their bladders.

    All this just made me realize how old Snuggles is. While she still has many more years to live, I’m afraid it’ll all just pass by in the blink of an eye.

    I should stop googling so much. It’s making me more upset 🙁

  • Dark Blue

    Dark Blue

    It’s been a while since I’ve listened to a brand new podcast on a topic I’m unfamiliar with and today, I decided to check out a podcast called Dark Blue – by one of my all-time favorite vocalists, Geoff Rickly of Thursday. Coincidentally, I was wearing a Thursday T-shirt (also, today is a Thursday ). It’s a podcast series that covers a topic I don’t come across often – the struggles of being an artist and how to deal with it.

    While I consider myself a part-time artist, in the sense that I write, draw, and make music in my spare time, I’ve never really thought about the lives of musicians who aren’t on the radar. Sure, I may listen to their music but whatever goes on in their personal lives – I don’t really know or even care enough to find out. Turns out, despite us seeing them “living the dream” a lot of them struggle with their personal lives.

    One of the reasons cited in the podcast is that there is no guide-book on how to be an artist. Sure, in school you can learn all the skills you need to be one but what happens when you become one? Nobody teaches you how to deal with the struggles of being an artist – let alone be a successful one. Then again, speaking as an unsuccessful artist – it doesn’t seem like it would be hard to deal with. Just go get a regular job to pay the bills.

    I’m not suddenly an expert on how to deal with the struggles of being an artist, so I won’t be giving out any advice here – I’m probably the last person you want to ask for life advice. However, I am really glad I started listening to Dark Blue as it has opened my eyes (or ears) to a world I’m unfamiliar with. I never thought I would find a podcast about such dark issues so compelling. I guess it helps that I’m a fan of some of the artists on the show, including the host.

    Anyway, if you are interested in learning about how to deal with psychological issues as an artist, or you’re dealing with such issues yourself, I would highly recommend you check out Dark Blue. It should be available on all your favorite podcast apps or you can listen to it online.