Why Would I Write

  • New clothes for the new year

    I’ve never been one to do any Chinese New Year shopping because I honestly don’t think that just because it’s a new year, you need new clothes. You only need new clothes when your old clothes become unwearable, there’s no other reason. If you want new clothes, that’s another story, but you never need them.

    Anyway, I haven’t been shopping for new clothes in a while, so I took advantage of the CNY sales going on to do some shopping today. I managed to get myself a couple of T-shirts and shirts for reasonable prices at a warehouse sale. One thing I’ve learned about purchasing clothes is that while something might look nice hanging from the rack, it might not look good on you. I discovered this a while ago while going through photographs of myself.

    I used to have a bright orange shirt that I enjoyed wearing but I don’t anymore – I think I gave it away. The problem with that shirt was, while I thought it looked good, it clashed with my skin tone. I think I’m too tan to pull off a bright orange shirt look. However, I only realized it after wearing it for a few years. Since then, I have never bought another bright orange shirt.

    Today I discovered a new color that looked good on me – mint. Prior to this, I didn’t own any mint-colored shirts, so I was pleasantly surprised by how it looked in the fitting room mirror. I picked up a red T-shirt as well, because everybody needs a red shirt for Chinese New Year, and two smart shirts because why not?

    While writing this post I came to a realization that I’m no good with words when describing clothes. I guess that’s why I haven’t spent a lot of time describing them in my stories. I tend to write from first person anyway, so it’s not a big deal. But I guess I could do a better job of describing what characters wear. Definitely something for me to work on.

    I still need to get a pair of new sandals but that should be an easier task than picking out tops. Later this year I’ll probably also need to update my jeans selection. I might give blue jeans another go.

    Also, why do people tuck in their T-shirts? Honestly, I have no idea, but I see it all the time, especially by older people. Unless the T-shirt you have on is over-sized, I see literally no reason to tuck it in. It’s like, people who tuck in their T-shirts are actively trying to make themselves look worse because as far as I know, your T-shirts don’t tuck themselves in automatically. Maybe it’s a fashion statement. Or some trend I’m missing. I probably should work on my own dressing before I comment on what other people do. Fashion is confusing. Regardless, it’s almost as bad as popping your collar. Brr.

    Also, catch me wearing these someday:


    Seen on Reddit

    To those of you who have yet to do your CNY shopping, have fun!

  • Special


    Downtime by SeerLight

    The night is my escape. The cool breeze and moonlight my companions. Distant chatter, feet on pavement, wheels on roads – a soothing soundtrack to accompany the scene of my favorite movie, one I try to watch every night.

    I sit on this ledge. It is dangerous but it is also where I feel the most safe. Away from everybody out there. I enjoy this solitude. I don’t have to talk to anybody, and nobody has to talk to me. It is bliss.

    There is no reason to leave. Up here, I don’t have to worry about a thing. Nobody can see me. Nobody can reach me. Just a fly on a wall, watching the world go by. I like it very much.

    The funny thing is, this isn’t even my apartment. I don’t belong here. Maybe one day when I make enough money, I’ll buy this place. Then I can stay here all night long. However, a part of me thinks that if I could come here all the time, it wouldn’t be so special anymore. I wouldn’t treasure every moment out here. Are things special only because we can’t have them all the time?

    Oh dear, I’m starting to doubt the eminence of this place. That isn’t good. I thought I’d never find a lookout point better than this one. Now I’m starting to have second thoughts. What is wrong with me? I thought I was free from all those problems. I clear my thoughts and take a deep breath. I focus on the view again. I take it all in one more time.

    The night is my escape. I make my way down the fire escape and wander off into the darkness. It’s time to return to the world. It’s time to head back home.

    Writing Prompt from Reddit: Downtime

  • Teething Problems

    Teething Problems

    There are many things we take for granted each day. And it’s only because we’ve been doing them our whole lives without having to change a thing. For example, walking, dribbling a ball, cycling, driving a car, and swimming. We can do all these things because we’ve been doing them for years. Muscle memory, they call it.

    One of the activities that fall under this category is typing. For my whole life until recently, I’ve been typing on regular keyboards. Though they have been in different sizes, they all maintained the standard 60% layout (number row on the top, QWERTY staggered layout, and modifiers accessible with both hands). I’m a touch typist, so for me to type, I rely heavily on muscle memory. However, that has changed recently with my acquisition of the Vortex Core – a 40% keyboard. For reference, here’s a picture of it:

    Ever since I started touch typing, I have been resting my fingers on the home row (ASDFGHJKL) – two rows below the number row on a keyboard. On regular keyboards, my method for finding the home row is touching the edge of the number row, and going down two rows. On the Core, this number row is missing, so I have to consciously make an effort to only move my hands down one row from the edge of the keyboard. Fortunately, typing letters on this keyboard is the least of my concerns. Without having to punctuate my texts, I can still hit my average of 70 words per minute.

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