Why Would I Write

  • Macroblogging and Dead Links

    Every now and then, I read through some old posts on my blog and go through the comments section. Commenting on blogs used to be a thing. I remember. That’s how I made some friends on the internet. These days, people just comment on the Facebook post about the link instead. If not comments, you just get likes or some reactions.

    I guess it’s just how things have evolved. Back then there was no such thing as microblogging. The only way you could update people about your life was through MSN nickname statuses or blogs. I remember, almost everybody had a blog back then. It was the normal thing to do. Now I think having a blog is probably out of fashion. But that’s okay, it’s my way of practicing writing and putting out whatever is in my head.

    Anyway, back then when people commented on my blog, they would leave links to their own blog so I could check them out. That was one way of meeting new people online. I could check out their writing and if I found it interesting, I’d leave a comment and link their page if I liked it enough. Friendships would live and grow in the comments sections of posts.

    I guess all the long breaks I took in between blogging kinda killed off the steam and interest people had in visiting this page. Blogging is kinda like the YouTube of the past. If content creators don’t constantly churn out new content, they’d be forgotten. It was even worse for blogs because unless you had an RSS reader or subscribed to email updates, you wouldn’t have any way of telling whether the blog had new posts short of manually checking it out yourself. At least with YouTube you get emails or notifications on the site itself telling you about new videos on channels you subscribed to.

    But then again, who has time to read these days? I’m blogging for an audience of less than ten people daily (haha) but that’s okay. It feels good to write anyway. And I might as well make up for all the times I didn’t blog in the past. I mean, keep throwing shit against the wall until something sticks right?

    I don’t even read many blogs these days. I do read a lot of posts on Facebook though. It’s the modern version of blogging. And I don’t have to exit Facebook to read them. I guess that was the Zuck’s plan all along – keep everybody on the site so they don’t have to leave.

    Anyway I was prompted to write this post when I was clicking on links left by people who used to comment on my blog and realized that they were all dead links. IMO blogging died when everybody started doing advertorials instead of content about their lives. Shout out to Albert for keeping it real!

  • dreamingtosleep

    I enjoy dreaming. It’s a hobby though it’s not something I can control. If I had my way, I’d dream every night. It’s like combining two of my favorite pastimes into one – watching movies and sleeping. The best part is, I don’t miss anything (unlike falling asleep in the cinema),

    I’ve always been curious about the significance of dreams. Most of the time they don’t mean anything. But there have been times where I have acted on my dreams for no good reason. I mean, they’re just dreams right? No need to kick up a fuss about them. That’s what I did anyway. I remember I had a dream that (after looking it up online) signified I was looking for a change in my life, and I decided to take it to heart – so I quit my job. Granted, I was already thinking about it before the dream, but the dream somehow prompted me to finalize my decision.

    But looking back, it was confirmation bias – I was looking out for some sort of sign to justify the idea. I mean, it wasn’t like I quit my job to start the next Facebook or go on to be a successful entrepreneur. I didn’t have to act on it immediately, but I did it anyway. I did the same thing in my first relationship too. I asked god to give me a sign, and when she asked to end the relationship, I agreed because I thought that was a sign from god. Again, I was young and dumb (now older, still dumb) and it makes no sense to me now. But that’s just how life goes.

    So anyway, I’ve had some pretty vivid dreams over the past few weeks, some outrageous (like meeting a person who turned out to be a ghost), and some realistic (ever dreamed about going to work before? I have). Last night, I dreamed that someone I knew was a mechanical keyboard fan (that person probably has no idea what a mechanical keyboard even is) and showed me their collection of keyboards. It sounds stupid, I know – dreams usually do, but I find it fascinating that your brain can stitch together your thoughts into a somewhat cohesive (at the time of dreaming) story line.

    Sometimes you have no idea if it’s a dream, sometimes you do. Sometimes you’re in control, sometimes you’re not. It’s like going to the movies without knowing the title or genre of the film. You’re in for a treat every time (I’ve probably had some boring dreams before, I just don’t remember them since they were unmemorable). One thing I’ve noticed from all my years dreaming – if you don’t record down what you dreamed about the moment you wake up, details become increasingly harder to recall with each passing second.

    I’m still looking forward to the day where we have the tools to record our dreams. I wonder if they’ll be as interesting as we seem to think they are, or just random nonsense. Which reminds me of those apps that record your speech in your sleep. I’ve always been curious to know if I’m a sleep talker. However, I’m also afraid that I might record some shit I don’t want to hear (i.e. me saying creepy shit, or voices other than mine in the room in the middle of the night).

    “Dreams should just stay fading away” – Jason Chan, 2017.

  • The Morning Show

    “It’s time.”

    I nodded and stood up from my chair. I looked one more time in the mirror and found my made up face with perfect hair looking back at me.

    “It’s for the cameras,” the stylist had told me. “We don’t want you to have a shiny face on TV. There are going to be a lot of lights on you.”

    My hair looked terrible. Maybe I just wasn’t used to how I looked. After all, I hardly did my hair when I went out. It was only for formal occasions. Other than that, I usually had it in place with a headband or under a beanie. Fortunately they didn’t change my clothes. I liked my worn out Thursday tee. I had to represent the bands I admired after all.

    I picked up my guitar by its neck carefully, so I wouldn’t displace the wireless pickup they had installed for me. It was looking pretty shiny, they must have cleaned it up for me as well. I made a mental note that I should clean my guitar more frequently in the future. I put the guitar strap on my shoulder and followed one of the crew. I took a few deep breaths.

    I had never performed in front of a camera before – at least not cameras in a studio. Besides random videos that people would record of me on their cellphones, and me playing for my webcam in my room, this would be the first time I performed in front of a professional setup. It was kinda exciting and nerve-wrecking at the same time.

    I had won the opportunity to perform a set of songs for a morning live broadcast. Never mind the fact that nobody was going to be up at this hour to watch me, TV exposure was better than no exposure. It was my shot at gaining publicity. Maybe some big-shot producer would tune in, and I’d be signed in no time!

    I reached the waiting area. “You’ll be on in one minute,” the stage crew man told me.

    I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. Fuck, I hope the pick won’t slip later. I looked around nervously. Besides the brightly lit stage where the announcer was talking, it was hard to see anything else. It wasn’t long until I heard him talk about me and call my name. I was nudged forward to take my position.

    It was time.

    Writing Prompt from Reddit: You get your fifteen minutes of fame.