Why Would I Write

  • Gig #115

    Gig #115

    Keeping up with my once a month performances since my (triumphant lul) return to gigging this year, I’ll be performing again at the KL Journal hotel this week. I’ve finally finished one of the songs that was half-complete the last time I performed it so, I’m pretty stoked about it. Hopefully I don’t forget the words. Anyway, hope to see some of you guys there this time around! It’s a real chill place with great atmosphere. Do drop by for some chill tunes and chill beer.

    Poolside Open Mic #65 ft. Kirsten Long [Facebook Event Page]

    Time: 8 PM – 10:30 PM
    Date: 22nd November 2018
    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…

    ***KIRSTEN LONG***

    A classical pianist and jazz vocalist who loves folk and rock.

    Classically trained on the piano since the age of five, Kirsten Long graduated with First Class Honours from University of Malaya with a Bachelor’s Degree in Performing Arts (Music), majoring in Jazz Piano.

    Over the years, Kirsten has performed at multiple venues and events such as the Butterworth Fringe Festival, No Black Tie, Medini Live, MPO Unplugged and the Taipa Houses-Museum in Macau, sharing the stage with musicians, namely Az Samad, Kevin Theseira, Joe Pruessner, Julian Chan and Zalila Lee. Currently, she teaches classical and contemporary (jazz and pop) piano as well as vocals (jazz, broadway, pop).

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

    ***OPEN MIC***

    #1 JamesNakason
    #2 Mr. Tim
    #3 2storeyheart
    #4 Ian Steven Ong
    #5 Jay Ivanez
    #6 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.

  • 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.