Why Would I Write

  • Wedding Dates

    Over the past few years a lot of people I know have been getting married, with a few more later this year. Anyway, a number of them went to visit mediums to find the perfect date to have the wedding, which got me thinking. Would two different mediums give you different dates for your marriage? I mean, if their calculations/faith etc worked – they would give you the same dates, right? Are you allowed to cross check? Do they get offended if you question or choose not to follow their suggestion?

    I thought about it and maybe there’s something more behind the scenes. I’m probably talking out of my ass here but hear me out: what if wedding planners, restaurants and hotels are working together with these mediums? It’s nothing complicated or nefarious – venue owners will shave some sort of schedule showing which days they have been booked for weddings. This information is passed on to their network of mediums who keep those dates in mind. When people come to them for a date suggestion, they give them these dates where the venues are available to host weddings.

    It works out for everybody. The couples get a place, the mediums get paid for their advice, and probably a fee or cut from the booking, the venue gets business. It’s like using booking.com to find a place to stay, instead you’re consulting a religious person to help you decide when to get married. Doesn’t seem too far-fetched, and it is a lot more reasonable than believing in signs, the zodiac or calculations of dates.

  • The End of a Season

    As my holiday draws to an end, I thought I’d sit down and reflect on the past few months of my life. I can summarize them in one word: great. It’s been amazing not having to worry about anything work-related. I didn’t do anything productive, as is the case with most holidays, but I did have a good time. They were probably the best months of 2017.

    A short list of things I did:
    – woke up late
    – go to bed late
    – drink lots of coffee
    – visit Cameron Highlands
    – played a couple of gigs in Penang, as a bassist for The Propositions
    – recorded a few demo tracks
    – resumed reading
    – wrote a novel
    – resumed blogging
    – watched a lot of movies
    – watched a lot of TV series
    – partied a few times
    – caught up with friends
    – got myself hooked on mechanical keyboards
    – started the design document for my first game (it’s been like 3 years, I know)
    – got my first plant (LUL)
    – got a new bed
    – got a haircut
    – played a game of basketball

    Anyway, the main thing I learned about my season-long holiday is that a break from work does wonders. I’m feeling refreshed, re-energized, and re-centered. I’m ready to get back into the daily grind – in fact I’m looking forward to it. I’ll probably try to utilize my leaves as often as possible to give myself these brief respites to keep myself happy. I’m not getting any younger after all. 2018 is going to be great, I can feel it in my bones.

    What I intend to do this year:
    – finish my first game
    – record songs that incorporate keyboards in some way
    – play more sports
    – learn to play a Dance Gavin Dance song

  • Rain, rain, go away

    Jimmy’s head was a mess – his hair flat and stuck to his forehead, dripping with rain. A far cry from how it looked at the hair salon an hour ago. His buttoned white shirt was now extra fitting, his nipples showing through the wet fabric. His grey pants looked like he had pissed himself – which was an accurate representation of how he was feeling right now.

    His girlfriend had invited him over to her house for a family dinner and this would be the first time he would meet her parents. He thought he’d make a good impression by dressing up, but the weather decided to throw a wrench in his plans.

    So now he stood, outside the front door of her house, waiting for his clothes to miraculously dry in time for dinner. Despite the traffic, he had managed to arrive earlier than expected. He figured he’d wait a bit before he announced his arrival, there was still time. He sat down on the driest spot of the bench outside the front door and unlaced his wet shoes. He had drenched his socks running from the car to the front porch.

    “Shit,” he cursed to himself.

    Taking off his socks was the last thing he wanted to do, but he couldn’t see an alternative. For as long as he could remember, he had always kept his socks on when visiting his friends’ houses. It was the reason he never wore sandals (despite some of his friends telling him how trendy they were when matched with socks). Growing up, he was bullied for having extra toes on his feet – so whenever he left the house he made sure he was wearing socks and shoes.

    When word spread, he was constantly reminded by his peers that he was a freak and would never be accepted. So when his family relocated and he got into a new school, he made sure that he never left the house without shoes and socks on. But thanks to the rain, it seemed like he would have to face his insecurities again.

    He got up to his feet and started pacing around, hoping that walking around would help him dry his socks. All he did was wet the floor of the front porch. As if the rain wasn’t doing a good enough job. He sat down on the bench again and sighed. He looked at his watch again, it was now dinner time.

    “Maybe they won’t notice”, he thought to himself.

    “The trail of water you leave behind or your twelve toes?” his other voice replied.

    Suddenly, the front door swung open and he saw a familiar face.

    “Jimmy! You’re here!”

    “Babe!” he replied, surprised.

    “I knew you’d be on time, how come you didn’t ring the door bell? Come on in!”

    “I was waiting to dry off a bit before going in.”

    “Don’t be silly, I’ve got a towel for you to dry yourself off.”

    His socks squished audibly as he got up.

    “Urm, babe, you should take your socks off. Mom wouldn’t like it if you made a mess all over her carpet.”

    “Oh, yes, I forgot,” he replied.

    Jimmy sat back down on the bench and started to gingerly remove his socks. He decided to draw her attention away from his feet and started some small talk.

    “So, what’s for dinner? It smells good from here!”

    Jenny beamed with excitement, “you’re in for a treat! My mom’s famous pork in ginger sauce and I’ve also prepared some lovely – what the fuck, Jimmy, your feet!”

    Writing Prompt from Reddit: His socks were wet but he waited patiently.