Why Would I Write

  • Transitioning: Tablet Life

    Transitioning: Tablet Life

    I’m amazed at how far technology has come. I remember when I first got my iPad, I was struggling to do anything remotely productive on it. Sure, I was trying to type on the on-screen keyboard, but the fact that I couldn’t have multiple windows open, use decent copy/paste functions and cloud storage made it such a hassle to use. This was back in a time when transferring documents meant connecting my iPad to a computer and dragging files out from it. I decided not to ever use it for productivity and it turned into my gaming/video streaming device.

    Fast forward about 8 years now, and I find myself using a tablet to do my work and holy shit, the experience is amazing. So much has changed since then. “Why am I not working on a laptop?” you ask. My laptop is currently at a service center for repairs (one of the USB ports isn’t functioning properly) so I needed another computer to work with (for when I’m outside or in the office). I decided to pick up an Android tablet (Galaxy Tab A10.5) as my backup computer – since I could use it to replace my dying Android tablet at home anyway. After spending the past 24 hours with it as my working machine – I think it could replace my work laptop instead.

    I don’t want to spend paragraphs gushing about the device, so I’ll just summarize my thoughts on the device. The kind of work I do doesn’t require a very powerful device: a lot of word processing, the occasional spreadsheet or presentation, checking and responding to emails and research on the internet.

    Why the tablet works for me:

    • Having multiple windows open on the tablet’s display is a breeze to do (you can have split screen apps and/or floating windows), with no noticeable slowdown or lag. I can easily have multiple documents open to work with at the same time.
    • I can easily plug in any of my keyboards to the tablet (via a USB A to USB C converter) to use with the tablet, and a lot of shortcut keys remain. Even better if your keyboard has mouse move commands as that lets you have an onscreen mouse so you never have to touch the tablet display if you don’t want to.
    • Long battery life – according to what I read, I think it should last 15 hours – which is plenty of time. Longer than a regular work day for me which means I don’t have to worry about charging it as long as I charge it to full before I leave the house.
    • Because Android/Google is awesome, I have all my Drive files easily accessible to me without having to do any additional settings. I just log in to Google and I’ve got everything I need.
    • The 10.5” display is more than sufficient for my tasks, and when I’m not working, it doubles up as a great video player.
    • All the apps that I use run smoothly on this machine. Don’t think I’ll be gaming with it anytime soon, but I doubt it’ll be a problem if I ever decide to game on it in the future.
    • It’s friggin light. Having to carry it around in my backpack feels wonderful compared to the laptop I was lugging around previously.

    What sucks:

    • WhatsApp for some reason doesn’t allow you to run the app on multiple devices with the same phone number. I have to resort to using WhatsApp web on the tablet. It’s not the end of the world, but I don’t see why I need to rely on such workarounds – it’s 2018, everyone has multiple devices. Please implement support for it. Then again, this isn’t the tablet’s fault but I thought I’d bring it up anyway since I use WhatsApp a lot for work.
    • The screen is a fingerprint magnet – but it is only noticeable when it is off, so not really a big deal.

    That ended up being longer than I thought. I’ve only spent 24 hours with this tablet, so this piece is only a first impression, I’m sure I’ll find additional things to say about it in the future. If anyone has any experience with the transition or has recommendations about must-have apps or tricks I need to know, feel free to chime in!

  • 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.