Why Would I Write

  • Two Bottles Left

    It’s been five months since I started my Minoxidil journey, and I’m down to my last two bottles (I ordered a pack of six). Unfortunately, my beard growth hasn’t been as spectacular as I had hoped. In fact, it’s been miserable – it feels like the chemicals didn’t make a difference. I just don’t have any extra hair follicles where I want my beard to grow. However, it’s supposed to take at least six months for it to happen – so I’ve got at least one more month of applying that chemical on my face before I can officially conclude that this experiment was a failure, and I wasted money purchasing the six bottles of Minoxidil.

    Other side effects I’ve noticed from using it – I now have a flaky chin – which is essentially dandruff on the opposite side of your head (LUL). I’ve been using moisturizing cream and washing my face with a moisturizing wash to alleviate the problem, but I guess it’s not going to go away until I stop using Minoxidil. I think my face also gets bloated when I use it, which gives me sleepy looking eyes and a fat face for the first few hours of the day and night (I apply 1 ml of it on my face twice a day). I also feel extra tired in the mornings, but I’m not sure if it’s due to the drug or my lack of sleep.

    Fortunately I haven’t had anything serious like chest pains or difficulty breathing. My heartbeat is pretty fast – but it’s only something I noticed when I started wearing a smart watch. I’m not sure if it’s always been that high, and if it is – I don’t know if it’s because of the coffee or cigarettes I consume. Maybe it’s a combination of all three. Haha.

    I have also gained some weight over the past few months, though I think it’s likely due to my eating habits more than anything else. I have been trying out a lot of new places over the past few months.

    I wish I had good news to report to everyone but unfortunately I don’t. Then again, maybe it’s going to take one more month. I’ll be using up the remaining two bottles before I come to a definite conclusion. Fingers crossed for some magic to happen!

  • Gig #112 & #113

    I’m officially ending my brief hiatus this week! It’s actually been 8 months since my last gig. Not much to say other than I’ve got some new tunes prepared – hope to see you guys at the shows! <3

    The Grind 22 Open Mic #42 [Facebook Event Page]
    Date: 19th September 2018
    Time: 8-10pm
    Venue: Grind 22, Bangsar [Google Maps]

    It’s a long road when you’re on your own – thankfully, rough tides are made smoother when we’re together at Grind 22. (That first bit was a Rambo reference.) 💪🏻

    Join us for coffee, music, poetry and whatever else comes your way. It’s an unexpected treat every time. ☕️💬🎶⚡️🎙

    We start at 8PM and end at 10PM on the dot. Sign up by dropping us a line at us@openmicmalaysia.org!

    1 • Zariq Syafiq
    2 • Uncle Cocco
    3 • Zhana + Syazman
    4 • Hee Ian
    5 • 2storeyheart
    6 • Fathee

    ~

    Open Mic Malaysia is the brainchild of Shaneil Devaser, frontman of The Endleaves. Established in 2012 and currently operating in Sabah, the Klang Valley and Penang, 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 Ian Tai of The Propositions, Jaime Gunter of Volatile and Boy Sunny of Meteor Crates, Open Mic Malaysia aims to… Make Malaysia Great (for indie music) Again.

    The Poolside Open Mic #56 ft. Kien Lim [Facebook Event Page]
    Date: 20th September 2018
    Time: 8-10.30pm
    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…

    ***KIEN LIM***

    Kien Lim is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter, born in Brighton, United Kingdom, and residing in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. He likes words, loud guitars, and big drums.He released an EP entitled “The Red Room” in 2015 and gigs either as a solo artist or as a duo featuring electric guitar, drums, and voice.

    Follow him: https://www.instagram.com/kienlimmusic/

    ***OPEN MIC***

    #1 Zhana
    #2 2storeyheart
    #3 Hongman
    #4 Ariff Jazzmi
    #5 Helloluqman
    #6 Hafizul & Yaaziq

    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 Sabah, the Klang Valley and Penang, 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 Ian Tai of The Propositions, Jaime Gunter of Volatile and Boy Sunny of Meteor Crates, Open Mic Malaysia aims to… Make Malaysia Great (for indie music) Again.

  • Destination: Gwangju

    It’s been a while since I’ve traveled for work. It has been almost a year since I’ve stopped doing back-to-back traveling. This change of pace is welcome. Anyway, today’s flight was good. Didn’t end up landing five-years later, like the TV show Manifest. Am here to attend the Gwangju ACE Fair which begins tomorrow morning. In case you’re wondering, I’m not in Seoul – nowhere near, in fact. Not that it really matters since I won’t have much time to do touristy stuff. Also, I’ve never been to South Korea before, so I have nothing to compare this place with anyway. For what it’s worth, we seem to be in a very seedy/happening part of town. Tons of massage parlors, gambling dens and motels in the vicinity. On the plus side, there are tons of bars and restaurants around as well.

    I didn’t manage to sleep for long on the plane today, so I watched a few movies. It didn’t help that the lady next to me kept flicking her long dreadlocks on my arm and went past the arm rest, invading my personal space. Also, she kept looking at photos of herself on her tablet. I have no idea why. Upon loading the movie selection list, I realized how much I took MAS for granted. Korea Air has such a limited selection of movies. Also, their captains make way too many announcements. I managed to watch: The Commuter (I was let down by the middle-end 5/10), Life of the Party (couldn’t even finish the film, 2/10), Fahrenheit 451 (interesting concept, though I thought it could have been executed better, 6/10 – will probably have to read the book or wiki it), Dude’s Manual (honestly, it’s not a very good film, but the actresses were gorgeous so I kept watching 4/10). Maybe on the flight back I’ll spend it sleeping instead.

    I had a terrible omelet on the plane for breakfast but that was made up by the delicious spicy beef soup meal I had after landing. Had spicy pork for dinner and that was good too. Looking forward to more meals in Korea! Coffee wasn’t impressive – it’s very light and watered down compared to how I like it. The weather today was pretty good – neither hot nor cold. Just the way I like it. According to the forecast, it’s going to be raining over the next few days, so I’m not looking forward to that.

    Anyway, I’ve only spent half a day here, so I haven’t got much else to say for now. If you’re interested in the random photos I take, you can follow me on Instagram. Oh, this post was written on my Tokyo 60 – Box Navy switches are so damn loud, but man, they feel so good. This is definitely a board I won’t be bringing to work unless I replace the switches.