The Angry Soloist

As a fervent couch potato, I keep most of my existentialism at bay by watching series or episodic shows that keep me coming back for more, for better or for worse.

While webisodes are not something I would usually binge on, I stumble upon a series produced by our neighbour down south that really caught my attention during a deep-dive on past posts of a now defunct subreddit.

Dubbed People Like Us, the series is a slice of life on the often turbulent take of your everyday Southeast Asian gays produced by gayhealth.sg, a community based organisation that aims to help improve the sexual health and services within the gay/bi/msm community through advocacy and empowerment.

Fair warning, if you are about to watch this, it may contain suggestive elements so be aware of your surrounding before you start!

Of Sexual Identity and the Scene

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In the first episode of the series, we are introduced to four men and how their distinct experience and lives intertwined with the scene. We have the hopeless romantic Joel who is out and about to seek a meaningful connection; then there is Rai, who has an equally hard time in the dating game; the jaded Ridzwan, who looks to underground promiscuity as a way to cope with the duality of his life, and the adventurous Isaac, who literally is new to the scene after coming with terms of his sexual identity.

Throughout the first season, we see each of them tackle with issues that many gay men are all too familiar with such as cruising in bathhouses (sauna), the casual hookup culture, living with one’s faith, tradition and societal expectations while juggling with their sexual identity, and the tribulation of intimacy within the gay/bi/msm community.

Different Countries, Same Struggles

Right now you might be thinking, those are not isolated issues and that the gay/bi/msm community around the world faces in a whole, so what makes this series a lot more relatable to us folks here in Malaysia?

The localised portrayal in the series really hits close to home

As a country that was formerly part of Malaya, Singapore shares many things that resonate with Malaysians such as the ethnicity of the characters. They too represent the majority population of Malaysians which are the Chinese, the Indians and the Malays. It goes without saying that there are dialogues from the cast which are not just in English, but with a touch of Malay and Singlish (and to a certain extent, Manglish). While not entirely represented colloquially, it still draws parallel to a narrative that we as Malaysians can picture ourselves in when compared to other western-based gay-centric narratives.

In spite of this similarity, there are still a lack of narratives that better reflect the state of the LGBT community in Malaysia itself.

But why?

Gay Malaysian Short Films, Where Art Thou?

As Malaysians, we find ourselves at a loss in terms of proper representation in media simply because there are plenty of regulations as well as censorship dictated by LPF (Film Censorship Board of Malaysia). So why not take it to a platform that is not governed by them, you ask?

The answer is fear.

Fear of prosecution. The fear for all who are involved would suffer from unwarranted witch hunt.

There is not a lack of creative content producers in our country let alone the means of producing them. Only the lack of implements to ensure that they can be portrayed in media without resorting to unneeded censorship or facing dire repercussions.

While it may not do us justice in portraying the pain points and struggles of our own gay/bi/msm community, People Like Us is as close as it gets.

One Thing I Would Like to See If There is a Season 3

Should this series continue to be in production (fingers crossed), I would love to see them touch on a specific issue that may not be talked about a lot outside of our own community.

At face value from the two seasons so far, all of the main characters portrayed are cisgendered males and that there has yet to be other parts within the gay/bi/msm community itself that has been represented. Perhaps they could add a character who is a FTM with his orientation to either be gay or bi and how the current character(s) would interact with him.

Originally written for Anything Lah, I decided to replicate an entry for my blog.

We’ve all been there. We’re all trying to find an escape from the routine and mundane. For some, cracking a cold one with friends would do the trick. While others, pigging out on comfort food. Or a retail therapy session is all that’s needed. As for me, it’ll be gaming.

The first video game I played was Super Mario on the Micro Genius, a knock-off version of Nintendo. I was barely nine when my dad got the gaming system. I had one of those many-games-in-one cartridges, and played many of the classics such as Dig Dug, Elevator Action and Space Invaders. Just like any other kid out there, I loved every second of it.

A game about defeating monsters by inflating them? Yes please!

I remembered having to strike bargains with my dad. I would do extra chores to even pretending to look the part of a studious child just to reunite with my love, a.k.a. Micro Genius. Back then, it was all about beating a high score, or the game as a whole. The sense of having bested the game, that accomplishment was a high akin to a kid on sugar rush. It was pure ecstasy. But still, it was only a part of the many facets of my life. The severity of it being a device of escapism was low at best.

Then came adulthood.

It’s been years since I’ve left college, yet here I am still prioritising video games over almost… anything. I’d still hang out with friends and attend social mixers though my nerd tendencies left my mind to wander off, longing to battle bloodthirsty Deathclaws while venturing the post-apocalyptic Mojave. Or watch that RIP-Tire decimating the entire opposing team, turning the tide of the match to our favour. Truth be told, I would rather opt out of any social obligations, or from this reality for that matter; where the progression or regression of one’s life is linear and permanent.

I mean, why wouldn’t any gamer wish their life was more like a video game? Took the wrong course while you were at college? Reload the last saved file or checkpoint and reselect your course. Didn’t hit it off on a promising date? Reload the last saved file or checkpoint and apply those winning moves and woo the pants off of them. Killed a person that would ultimately hold the answers to the secrets of life? No worries! There’s always the last checkpoint for a do over.

But in real life, you don’t always get a do over. The outcome is preordained. Mistakes and consequences that may cause devastating ripples that trickle into every aspect of your life remains a stain in your memories. The troubled past that haunts us with every waking moment of our lives that may not always be rectified. Reality.

We find meaning From nothing

We find clarity From ignorance

We find freedom In insanity

We find melancholy In pain

But there is to relish In chaos

An uncanny respite From conformity

And should you heed The voice within

Dear Future Partner,

If you are reading this, it would mean my promise has been realised, and that you will always be that reason which makes me feel like the luckiest guy alive.

I know that I have not been the easiest person to love. I came into your life broken. I came into your life as a person that has been weathered by the realities of life. I thought I was incapable of loving. I thought that I would never be able to understand the intricacy, but also the beauty that is love. But you changed all that. You had reignited that dim spark that was thought to be gone, or never have existed.

And who could forget all the times I had serenaded you with music. This I promise you, is something I would never stop doing. Because you gave me a reason to exercise my affections. A reason to love unconditionally. You mean the world to me. You empower me to be better than I could ever think of. To help me be the light in this world that may sometimes seem bleak and gloomy.

If you are reading this, it would mean that we had begun a new chapter in our lives together, and had been keeping the momentum going. I am glad we decided to give this a shot, and no amount of gratitude could ever sum up how I feel about this. I hope you feel the same way too, and know how much you mean to me.

I know that we have our own demons to battle. I know that we have struggles that we face from time-to-time, and they just keep coming. I know the baggages we each have to deal with on our own. I know what it feels like to be conflicted by every aspect of our lives. And yet, we still find the time to nurture what we have. Finding the time to make sense of what this world has in store for us.

I am grateful that we could shoulder each other's burdens, and help out any way we could to solve them. I am grateful for the immense amount of care you have placed in me. I am truly grateful I have found someone who makes me feel safe, even in the times when I feel most vulnerable. I am beyond grateful that I had found someone who always makes me see the bright side of life; that encourages me to be the most positive person I could ever be. I am grateful that you are now one of the pillars of my life. I am grateful, no, blessed beyond all that you are here with me.

Your mere presence is enough to brighten up my day. You do not even need to say a thing. You never fail to see the goodness within me, and as do I in you. What most would see as a flaw, I see them as your subtle charms. And the ones you work on improving, those are perks that only made you an even better person. You are truly a blessing. You are truly extraordinary.

Among other things, I am thankful for the little things that I have shared with you, and hope to share more of. To call them little things is by far an understatement. They meant more than anything that I could describe. I enjoy the days when we stayed home and catch up on series, or revisit the ones we love. I enjoy playing and learning video games that you love (even though I know I suck at it), and sharing my favourites with you. I enjoy the conversations that went off tangent, only to result in silly laughters, which in the process have led me to acquaint with the different facets of your life. I enjoy listening to the things that happen in your day, even when you think they are mundane. I enjoy the lazy afternoons just cuddling up, as we exchange glances in this meaningful yet perfect silence. I enjoy learning about the different interests outside of what we already have shared. I enjoy learning more about you, and your family too. I enjoy knowing that you too share in the interest you have for my family and of our wellbeing. I enjoy every moment spent with you, and nothing would ever replace them. And I know, I would enjoy every moment with you from here on out.

I know that these alone are not enough to describe what we have, to show you how much you have complemented my life, but I am glad I never gave up on us. I am glad that you too never gave up on me. I am glad that you took the plunge and turn this into something so beautiful. I am glad that are the reason for me to live to the fullest once more. I am glad that you made me a better person, and by extension, to further extend the kindness to others. I am glad that you have made me feel again. I am glad that you have shown me what it is to love unconditionally, a feeling I never thought I was capable of. I am glad you made me finally realise what true happiness is. I am glad for having you in my life. I am glad you want me to be a part of yours. I am glad to call you my best friend, the bestest (yes, I used that word) friend for life. I am glad, that it is you.

To my Future Partner,

As I took out my phone to catch up on the tons of chat groups I'm in, I thought about sharing something with a group of friends I would consider close with. Perhaps they were busy, or that my text was irrelevant to an ongoing discussion, but it was looked over. This was not the first time it has happened. Like a jukebox playing the same record over and over again, some of my text remain playing in the background, seemingly unnoticed.

While this may not be the case every single time, but in almost every group I'm in, my little whimpering cries for help (*cough* attention) would get swept under the rug, never to be heard from again.

But that's okay.

If anything, I would like to thank them. They reminded me on why humans have always been so resilient. They reminded me on how far we can challenge our boundaries. They reminded me that we have the power to keep the momentum going even when all we have are the clothes on our back and the shoes on our feet. They reminded me of who I was, and the person I had forgotten along the way when I grew up. Persistence. Perseverance. Kindness. Selflessness. They all exist within ourselves.

As I sit back and enjoy the company of my own, I share parts of my empathy with my friends should they need them. Consoling them whenever I can. Offering a listening ear, or a shoulder to cry on. Even if that is all they would ever need from me, or if they would never recipocrate them, I would still keep going and help them regardless. For I need nothing in return. Having known that I have done something good was enough to justify my undertaking. This was who I was born and raised to be. And I'm glad there was a sense of epiphany that had brought me back to whence I came.

Hello there tumblr. It's been awhile since I last blogged something. How have you been?

I know, I should've been back sooner. I should've at least came back and update something. Anything. No matter how inane the things that had happened. Because you have always been there for me. You gave me the canvas to express myself without prejudice. I should've given you more of my time. I'm sorry.

It was not till about 2 to 3 years back when Social Media took off as another channel for brands to explore in Malaysia. Take to the streets and ask any brands out there if they have a Facebook page. Sure enough, the majority would say they do and it's fast becoming a place where they make quick announcements on offers or upcoming events to attract the spending consumers.

Any brand can easily take to Facebook and brand themselves further, at zero to minimal cost

Let's face it. Facebook allows the brand to brand themselves in a way that helps cut cost and in a way contribute to the longevity of Mother Earth. Less paper, less cost, more revenue!

So what exactly makes or breaks a brand, aside from the quality of the core products or services that they provide? If you answered public relations or customer engagement, bingo! This has been an area that has either been taken lightly or what most brands that aren't as established as Nike, or Coca-Cola would consider to be the least of their worries when marketing themselves. Think again.

We all remembered the social media meltdown that Paradigm Mall's Facebook Page faced last year which left a lasting, if not devastating impression on the mall for the weeks that followed, and even till today. It was by no means the first overreaction by a local brand, but it sure wasn't the last.

Not too long ago, another social media blunder happened on a locally managed French pastry page, the Les Deux Garcons. The post that started it all.

The apology

The aftermath

Here are a few things to take note when it comes to managing brand pages:

Two Wrongs Don't Make One Right

Feedback and complains are vital to shape your brand and forge a strong bond between you and your customers. Regardless of how big or small your brand is, you should never attempt to belittle your customers. If customers should provide feedback, no matter how snide or spiteful it can be, you should never return in kind. Oftentimes, the backlash is even more severe than you would expect it to be.

Wit and Courtesy Makes For A Better Respond

You can be funny without sounding condescending when replying to your customers, just remember to word it accordingly. The best thing about this is, it keeps the integrity of your brand and further boosts its appeal to not only your targeted audience, but in the eyes of future prospectors as well. It's a win-win situation.

If It Happens, Make the Best of It

No amount of preparation will get you prepared for a slip-up once in awhile. Upon the delivery of an apology, you could still salvage this by poking fun at it. Come up with a campaign or offer that benefits the customers, but at the same time showing off your brand's capability at accepting criticism and addressing the fault. A sense of humor and humble at the same time? It's possible.

Okay, so I have not been posting regularly on my blog. I sincerely and humbly apologize for my inactivity as I was celebrating the Lunar New Year, on top of a lot of other things.

As a way of showing my sincerest apology, here's a picture from Bleach 527 [SPOILER AHEAD!]:

Image courtesy of mangapanda

NOTE: This is a work in progress (WIP) post and will constantly be updated with new findings.

Among the legendary gears you've found over the course of play, I'm sure you come across stuff that seem a little ... out of place. These legendaries are considered miscellaneous gears that are Blizzard's way of injecting some peculiar into your gameplay, should you find the endless grinding be it for gear or Paragon levels to be a tad dry.

These legendaries does not appear on their directory but can be found nonetheless (by clicking on the link). So, here they are:

Daggers

The Horadric HamburgerKnown to drop at Whimsyshire (all difficulties)

Swords

SpectrumKnown to drop at Whimsyshire (all difficulties)

While these are found on the page, they hide a more interesting reference to pop culture or other games:

Amulets

The MurlocketThe amphibious race from Warcraft

Belts

String of EarsFor those who have played Diablo II's PVP

Chest Armors

Beckon SailCape Beckon Sail (pretty straightforward)

Fists

Logan's ClawMust be made of Adamantium ...

Gloves

Tasker and TheoA tribute to a British soldier and his dog

Helms

Andariel's VisageA reference to the final Act I boss of Diablo II

Rings

Justice LanternIn brightest day, in blackest night ...Obsidian Ring of the ZodiacThe most sought after ring in Diablo IStone of JordanAnother famous ring makes its cameo from Diablo II

Shoulder Pads

Barter Town PadsCould be a reference to Mad Max

Oh yeah! The show I have been waiting for the last quarter of 2012 and I was able to catch it not too long since its debut in Malaysian cinemas, score! Anyway, it was to be expected that the movie was going to be great, and it is!

I guess we can all relate to Ralph at some point in time when appreciation is all that is missing from your daily dose of mediocre routine. Ralph, voiced by John C. Reily decided that he had enough of being treated like dirt, so he begins his journey on a search for recognition. I mean hey, even the bad guys should be given credit for who they are, no? Without villains, there will not be any heroes. Along his adventure, he meets a rather spunky girl by the name of Vanellope, which he soon discovers that she too have something in common.

If you're like me and have recently been seeing tons of news feed like this on Facebook, you're not alone.

Though this has been going on for awhile, the recent hype with the launch of iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy Note II has led to many, and need I stress, many more of these posts being shared by the countless victims who fall for such acts of deception.

It has come to my attention that people who usually participate in this sham falls under 1 of 2 different categories - they're desperate and would go through any lengths to get themselves a free device or they're just plain gullible, to put it bluntly. Whatever the reason is, it will only earn them a jester's crown instead.

Read Between the Lines

Whether you're tired of seeing these posts and want to minimize these posts flocking your news feed or just to validate the integrity of the giveaway because you're itching at an attempt to win it, then here are a few things you should consider.

For the Hopefuls

Always read the name of the Facebook Pages carefully and thoroughly. Giveaways are usually associated to a business, shop or any other actual or established company. If you happen to stop by their page, be sure to read the About section. Take this for example:

Nothing tells you more about a lie than the very lie itself

The about section is usually a message that describes the industry or service it provides and not solely on the campaign itself. While the tone and feel for these descriptions are debatable, for some industries may be lenient when compared with others but one thing still remains the same, it is basically a summary of what the industry does.

For the Annoyed

Before you choose to hide posts from the page that has plagued your news feed, here is something that you could do that not only helps with the eyesore, but reduce the spam for others too:

Just click on 'Report Page', then pick 'It's spam' option and let Facebook handle the rest

Report Page has been a function for as long as Facebook Pages have existed, so why not make full use of it and rid the social media site of scams and spams?

With that said, I hope this will reduce the number of posts and minimize the number of these plague-bearing pages on Facebook.

So yes, you have a sudden surge of inspiration that you could use to write something based off a comic you were reading, a movie you've just watched or a book you have dived deeply into because you felt like doing justice to the somewhat unfinished storyline, or you're just bored.

Don't get me wrong, I love writing fanfic myself but there are just a few things that separates a good fanfic from a bad one, and here are a few general pointers you might want to consider before starting out on this journey.

Grammar Hammer

I guess this is a prerequisite for any form of writing. It is always a good practice to read through your work, at least twice to make sure you are free from any grammatical, or to a certain extent, logical errors and mistakes. Always write at the level of your own comprehension because someone out there who is more proficient in the language will be able to spot the things that just don't fit together, like the use of a superfluous word to enhance your work when in fact it's used incorrectly or unnecessarily. It is okay to write in simple English or the language of your choosing, so long as it makes sense and does not contain any grammatical error - especially in the spelling department.

All Rivers Flow

Another great practice that you should do, if not an essential part in writing is to craft the plot of your story. Sure enough, you can pluck anything out of the air to put into your work, but would it make any sense? A good story should have a start, its progression and a definitive ending which moves smoothly from one part to the other. The flow of your work, your story should effectively communicate with your audience and readers.

Pardon My Lore

If you wrote a world based on a Count Dracula lore, make sure your vampire sticks to the tradition of bursting into flames when exposed to the sun, fears the almighty wooden stake to the heart and aren't sparkly while basking in the rays of the sunlight. Well, not saying you can't, after all, the work of fiction is susceptible to your own imagination but it's always best to keep within context or your story will become too ambitious. As a friend who had mentioned earlier, a bullet composed entirely of silver is just close to impossible, if not expensive to be made into an ammo at your disposable.

Paint the Target, Draw the Bead

Just as there are so many styles and temperaments of writing, so does the reader. If you are commissioned to write something, always seek out your target audience to see what captivates and instills their fondness in reading on. For example, if you are writing a story about Bleach, you would most likely be targeting kids to teens with knowledge in Japanese lore, or Otakus. What that means is your writing should be simple and catered to the kids and teens, in terms of the reading experience.

Pitch Perfect premiered on the 15th of November in Malaysia and boy, was the wait worth it!

"Organized nerd singing? This is great!"

- Jesse, The Treblemakers

The movie, as most would have realized is based on an all-female a capella group knowned as The Bellas with their competitive rival, The Treblemakers, consisting of an all-male group who coincidentally happen to be from the same campus, Barden University.

In search of new blood, The Bellas stumbled across a few new candidates which included Beca (Anna Kendrick) and Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), in the hopes to find more to fill in the space of those who have left due to an abysmal mishap that happened in the previous attempt at finals at their collegiate competition.

The rebellious Beca, whom at first was reluctant to join them, decides to help spice things up and give The Bellas a new rhythm and beat later when she had to participate in a club in the campus. Jesse (Skylar Astin), who presents interest in Beca and loves singing, is keen in joining the Treblemakers.

Throughout the journey of rediscovering and redefining The Bellas, Beca soon finds herself in the romantic-filled company of her now-rival friend, Jesse.

The story fares out great, with enough development from start to finish, but I was hoping there were more insight and development poured into the relationship between Beca and Jesse. Overall, the humor was there and played out pretty well.

Just decided to tinker around with one of my older BMS Notecharts, I decided to convert it to OJN. Feel free to add this into your server list (if you so wish it), and thanks! Get the OJN here.

Details of the song:

Song ID:9001 Song Name:The Catalyst Song Artist:Linkin Park Notecharter:Hak.O2SE Song Level: - / - / 31 Difficulty Available: - / - / Hard Notes: - / - / 3108