Why Would I Write

  • Breaking a Streak/Gig #118

    Breaking a Streak/Gig #118

    No, this blog isn’t dead. Just been busy doing writing for work so I haven’t been keen on writing recently. But this is the first time in a while I haven’t done a weekly blog post.

    Last week I wrote a post about how to bring a dog overseas, but I’ll only publish that when I’ve successfully completed it. Yes, I am going to be bringing Snuggles with me to the US – or at least, I’ll be attempting to. Now I’m just waiting for the documentation process to be completed. Once I get them, everything should be smooth sailing. Hopefully.

    Not that I want to get rid of my dog. I’ll miss her dearly. But I think she’d have a better life in the US with my sister. Provided everything goes smoothly, and that she copes with the flight. I think there should be an option for pet owners to fly in the cargo section of the plane so they can keep them company throughout the long journey. I wonder why airlines haven’t implemented that yet. I’m pretty sure many passengers would choose that option if it was possible.

    One thing I had to do during the whole ordeal of finding out how to get Snuggles to the US was make a lot of phone calls. Which brings me to the topic of hotlines. I’ve had something stuck at Malaysian customs since last Thursday, and was told to get in touch with them about clearing the item. So I did – or at least I tried to. I called many times, no answer, left a message, nobody called me back, sent multiple emails – no reply except for a generic message this morning that requested for the same exact information that I had already sent to them in my initial emails. Do they have bots working at the offices? I’m not sure. My previous dealing with the customs office was straightforward and quick. This time has been terrible. It feels like I’ve been cursed to make stupid phone calls in 2019. Anyway, don’t want to rant anymore about it, onto something more positive:

    I’m playing a show at a new venue this week, should be real fun. Come drop by for some cool tunes and beer. I’ll be playing a long ass set (30 mins) compared to my usual 3-song sets at open mics. Details below:

    Open Mic by Lockerroom [Facebook Page]

    Time: 8 PM – 10:30 PM
    Date: 31st January 2019
    Venue: Lockerroom, DC Mall [Google Maps]

    The lineup hasn’t been finalized yet but I’ll be playing at 9pm. Hope to see you guys there!

  • Not giving up on ortho just yet

    Not giving up on ortho just yet

    When I got my Planck late last year, I ended up putting it aside most of the time due to my difficulty with using the ortholinear layout. I felt kinda bad about neglecting it so over the past two weeks I’ve been forcing myself to use the keyboard exclusively when working outside, and what a difference it’s been. I can actually type at decent speeds right now, and even though the bottom row is still a challenge to me, I think I can actually get used to it (I’m up to 76wpm now). Good thing humans are adaptable creatures.

    The main issue I face with this board was with QMK. I’m happy that the people working on it have been keeping it updated, and they’ve been very responsive on reddit and discord. Big shout out to them. For people who want to stick with the default layout, this won’t be an issue since you don’t need to mess around with keymaps and setting up build environments.

    In terms of build quality, you get what you pay for. I do have two screws that seem to unscrew themselves from time to time, I’m not sure why, but I’ll have to implement a fix in the future.

    For my layout, I haven’t changed much since my initial setup but yesterday I remapped it to be closer to my other 40% keyboards because I find myself going to the same hotkeys on this board, so I’ve got another retraining step to do. Having an arrow cluster is quite useful – when paired with the function key, I get a very intuitive page up/down, home/end key cluster.

    I have also replaced my BOX Royals with Gateron Greens because I find them more enjoyable to type on. BOX Royals do sound real nice in this case though. I’m still using the KBDFans XDA set I designed. May or may not replace them in the future, depending on how much I want to invest in the Planck. I’ll probably be on the lookout for a nicer case.

    Maybe I need a few more months with it, but I honestly don’t feel the benefits this keyboard has over my other 40% keyboards. 40% keyboards are already tiny, I have no issues hitting every key from the home row regardless of the stagger – the ortholinear layout only confuses my muscle memory. The best thing about the keyboard is its portability. It’s the lightest keyboard I currently own and I really enjoy traveling with it in my backpack.

  • Happy New Year, Gig #117

    Happy New Year, Gig #117

    One year ago, I started the journey to clean my room, and one year later – I’m not done. But that’s okay. It’s something I’ll have to eventually get around to, if not my room will turn into a location for a new season of Hoarders. What makes cleaning up your room such a difficult thing to do? I guess I’m just lazy. And I don’t feel like it’s worth enough of my time. I’d rather spend it doing fun stuff and goofing around. Crazy huh?

    Writing about it now makes me feel like I need to change my attitude towards having a clutter-free room. There are many cases for having a clean room, and nothing against it. There is no reason why you should have a messy room. I guess it’s more the part of me who likes to hold on to old, useless trash instead of giving it up.

    I’ve got tons of stuff in boxes, untouched since the day I moved in to my current home. I haven’t looked at them for the past 10(?) years – there’s no reason to think that I would look at them in the next 10 years. Time for them to go. Stuff for other people to make use of, or even the trash. There’s really no reason for me to hold onto so many things.

    Clean room means a healthier environment, which is great. Less stress – since you don’t come home to a messy room, you won’t have to worry about having to pick things up. It also means more storage for me to keep other things in the future. Having a clean room is a benefit, so I shall keep that in mind as I continue clearing out stuff this week.

    Happy New Year to everybody, maybe I’ll spend more time updating this blog this year. Once a week feels a bit too little. We’ll see.

    In other news, I’ve got my first gig of the year happening this Thursday – at where else, but the KL Journal Poolside Open Mic? Feel free to drop by for some cool tunes and cool beer.

    Poolside Open Mic #71 ft. Ash [Facebook Event Page]

    Time: 8 PM – 10:30 PM
    Date: 10th January 2019
    Venue: KL Journal Hotel [Google Maps]

    The Poolside Open Mic is our 3rd longest running open mic night which happens every Thursday evening right on TOP of The KL Journal! Each installation features one of our finest musicians, with this one featuring…

    ***ASH***

    Armed with just a guitar and her soothing voice, and her eclectic blend of soul, RnB and bossa nova, Ash is a KL-based singer-songwriter who has just begun her journey into the performing arts. Often spotted at indie haunts such as The Bee, The KL Journal, Merdekarya and PLOY, she uses the stage to sing stories of her personal experiences with a subtle mix of melancholy and sensuality complimented with her delicate guitar playing style. With a decent repertoire of originals and covers under her belt so far, expect to see more of her in the near future as her journey has just begun.

    Follow her: https://www.instagram.com/ashneese/

    ***OPEN MIC***

    #1 2storeyheart
    #2 Sia Nicholas
    #3 Wasif Hyder
    #4 Raymond
    #5 Adz King
    #6 Juan
    #7 Nero
    #8 Amr Mohsen

    To sign up for the open mic, email us@openmicmalaysia.org 😀

    ~

    Open Mic Malaysia is the brainchild of Shaneil Devaser, frontman of The Endleaves. Established in 2012 and currently operating in the Klang Valley, Kota Kinabalu and Johor Bahru, Open Mic Malaysia aims to create sustainable avenues for bedroom musicians, singer-songwriters and professional musicians to share their music and experiences with each other and the public, over evenings of wholesome indie goodness. In partnership with other like-minded musicians from across the country, Open Mic Malaysia aims to… Make Malaysia Great (for indie music) Again.