4/30/2019 ‒
Hyperpartisan

There are less than two weeks to the election. I guess it's time I admit something: I haven't been paying attention.

Well, this time I can use the "I've been busy" reason. Even when I drop something that's been a surprising source of fulfillment for the past few years, I can never seem to have enough time - and when I do have a few snatches of idleness I end up going, "why am I being lazy?" It's a weird thing, burnout, or being eternally on the edge of it: you know you should rest, but you're not happy when you are, because you're so used to being worked to death.

But then - and this will disappoint some of you - I really just don't see the point of devoting so much of my time to figuring out who I should vote for. And I'm not saying this because we're voting for legislators rather than a president. It's just, well, what is the point, really?

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4/26/2019 ‒
Soft piano

Another private member's club, but this time, in the morning, and not a social event, but a business meeting, arguably. Still, the attire remains the same: my trusty coat jacket from Muji, my similarly trusty long-sleeved green shirt, bought on the same day as the coat jacket, from the same place; my also similarly trusty green pants, because nothing beats blending into the scenery.

When I realized I'd be attending a lot more of these things I finally decided to get myself a better complement of outfits you'd call "business casual". Or, wait, is that the right term? Anyway, I don't bother with neckties anymore. I just see what's available and I throw things together - a really minor privilege of being male, I guess.

For me, it also frees up time to somewhat, well, blend into the scenery. More or less. I'm a loud guy and I can get really animated. But at least if I dress the right clothes, I'll look a little more acceptable.

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4/25/2019 ‒
Intolerance is intolerance

Maybe, just maybe, we're really just racist.

I don't know. What do I know? But it's one thing to feel a little uneasy when billboards written exclusively in Chinese characters start popping up in the places you frequent. There was one on the pedestrian walkway. There was one above the toll booth. There are several at the lobby of the building where my flat is. It's an electronic billboard. It cycles.

It feels uneasy because you're not used to it. It's the sort of thing that you see in foreign countries, but not here. And, I don't know, maybe Chinese characters just feel more threatening? You certainly don't feel this way when you're in, say, Kuala Lumpur, where the signs are all in a different language, but in letters that you can read. That, on the other had, that definitely feels like you're being taken over by an unknown entity.

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4/22/2019 ‒
Dispatches from an earthquake

There is a new flat. It's up at the 19th floor, but considering that there's four parking floors between what they call the ground floor and the first floor, technically, it's up at the 23rd floor. It's a pain in the ass, just thinking about how you'll bring up all the things you need to bring up. Considering you don't immediately buy new things for your new flat, because you won't immediately have the money for it, it's a pain that you'll have to deal with for years, possibly.

There are some things up here now. Shalla's settled in while I go by from time to time. Next month we're looking to finally have an Internet connection set-up, then I can work here. Finally, I can say I live twenty minutes away from work. And that's on foot.

I spent the night here so I could go to work the next day, and also to have a few things checked. She found the bathroom tiles have cracked. One on the floor, it's obvious. Two on the wall, less so. I think a fourth tile will fall victim, too. The building maintenance guys had a check earlier. When was the unit turned over? Last year, I think. It's past the three-month warranty. You'll have to shoulder everything now. Another pain in the ass. More permits.

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4/15/2019 ‒
Some things did go

"Hey," Jeany texted me. "How's being free from blogging?"

Well, first off, I have not quit blogging entirely. I did say this blog will continue to be a running concern, if only because I don't have to update it every day, but just at least four times a month. Oh, yes, I did not mention it here the whole time, right. I closed the other blog. I closed it last week.

Yes, for one, having to update regularly is incredibly time-intensive. And I'm doing more at work. And that can be more exciting sometimes. Most of the time. More stressful, but still somehow more exciting. The blog's been a chore for the past couple of years, which is why I can't quite believe it when people profess how it's influenced a lot of things - saying it has myself doesn't quite feel as convincing.

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