Why Would I Write

  • Adblock is a good idea

    This is gonna be a shitty post, feel free to ignore it. You have been warned.

    I’ve written about adblocking before, so this isn’t a completely new topic. But I came across this thread on Reddit today and after reading it, I noticed there were some interesting points being raised in the comments. Most of the comments were in support for adblockers, with uBlock Origin being the most recommended one (I use it too).

    Anyway, there were arguments about how advertisements shouldn’t be a thing at all, and if sites want money to continue running, they can charge their readers. After all, if a reader thinks something is worth reading, he/she would fork out money for it.

    I thought that was a valid viewpoint – however, it will only work for sites that have content of similar quality unavailable elsewhere. I mean, we all know how cheap human beings usually are – if there’s a free alternative, they’ll usually take it unless its quality is sub-par.

    But I was just thinking to myself – internet access isn’t free. At least not for me. I pay almost RM200 a month for my internet connection. Shouldn’t I deserve access to content online? Of course, I do. I think?

    Then I thought harder, and realized it was a stupid idea.

    Conclusion? Sites can remain the same in terms of displaying adverts. They’ll still make money off the people who don’t use adblock, which is supposedly the majority of people on the internet. People like me can choose to use adblock if I want an ad-free experience. Everybody wins. I think.

    Until using adblock becomes illegal like vaping in some countries because the government needs to make money off cigarette sales. Wait, what am I saying?

    Anyway, while we’ve eliminated a lot of ads via adblock, some ads can’t be blocked (at least for now). These include: sponsored posts on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram – ads which appear as ‘normal’ posts to adblockers, so you can’t really filter them. We still can’t block ads on radio or TV, good thing I don’t bother wasting time with those mediums. kek.

  • Year One

    Just like everything in life, not everything goes according to plan.

    We almost didn’t meet. You had to cancel Saturday but we both happened to be free on Friday, so we met a day earlier instead. Boy, we were both glad we did.

    You surprised me with your cheery attitude. Right off the bat, you started our first date with a nice, big hug. You had this smile that somehow made me smile along with you. It was something I found myself looking forward to.

    Conversation was great. You were chatty, I had a penchant for listening. I liked the sound of your voice. And your hilarious fake accents. We both spoke about ourselves, our previous experiences using ‘light’ and work.

    At the end of the night, I walked you to your car, you dropped me off at mine.

    And like our eyes did to begin the night, our lips met to end the night.

    I think I said ‘I’ll see you around.’

    Just like everything in life, not everything goes according to plan. Sometimes things turn out for the better.

    Here’s to our first year.

    Writing Prompt from Reddit: Write a modern day love letter without using the words love, kiss, or any pet names.

  • Paused Thoughts/Gig #91

    It’s been about three months since I started blogging on a daily basis (well more like 5 posts a week) and I usually have no issues putting my thoughts down into words. Today is the first time I’m having trouble thinking of what to write about.

    So I decided to write a post about not having anything to write about. I wonder why that happens. It’s not like your mind ever goes blank. There are infinite things to think about. There is no way you can ever finish thinking. Even when you die, you don’t finish thinking about things – you just stop. Maybe if you’re brain damaged, you might have reduced capacity to think of things. But even then, it’s unlikely you’ll finish thinking about every single thing.

    But then why do we encounter writer’s block? If it’s because writing is hard and requires physical effort? What about having nothing to say when out on a date or trying to mingle at a party? It’s not that hard to think of things to say.

    Sometimes we don’t say things because it won’t be appropriate it. Other people might find it offensive. Or weird. Or stupid. And then you wish that you hadn’t said anything at all. Maybe that’s why we keep quiet. Or refuse to put words down onto a page. Because we’re afraid of what other people think.

    Or maybe I’ve just been writing way too much and need to take a break.

    I’ll think about it.

    Also, I wanna announce that I’ll be performing at Grind 22 in Bangsar again this Sunday. It’s going to be an afternoon gig (4-7pm) so do drop by if you have the time! Other performers include: Brendan, Fikri, Hilmi, and Endee. See you guys there <3.