2026 Thus Far

 How's things going so far?

Well, as you can tell, I've retreated from blogging, partly because as one ages, life becomes a lot more repetitive and monotonous and there just isn't plenty of new and exciting stuff to share anymore.

I try to take care of my health now, since I'm in my 30s - so that being, boring food, boring life, boring routine that I do to take care of my own health and not for enjoymment, unless you consider suffering one. 

Half a year is almost gone. I would say thus far it has been interesting and meaningful, but the second half of this yearr might probably be even better.

Things have taken a turn and I'm letting it. Considering what I've put myself through, I think it's time I embrace some fun.

Anyway, El Nino is expected to come and it is expected to come with a furor that makes scientists shit. It's going to push the temperature up a few notches and almost eliminates rain to the extent that haze might return after so long. I don't like this. I'm afraid of heat (yeah, being in a tropical country sucks and that doesn't help), and I sweat freaking easily. This is a problem for me.

Let's see how things will go.

As of now, well, life's been fine.

Scary Movie 6

 Man, you've no idea how much this hypes me up.

The world is finally showing a slight sign of healing.

Freida McFadden

Freida McFadden has been a reputable name amongst book readers with a propensity for psychological thriller. Her books occupied half the shelves at the bookstores back in 2022, but back then I hadn't been interested in reading new books. Now that there is one novel from her being adapted and starring Amanda Seyfried, I thought I must give it a try. I bought a movie poster edition from Popular Bras Basah - The Housemaid, and started reading it.

Holy shit. It was good!

I ended up went to the cinema to watch the movie edition. The movie was fairly loyal to the book, with only very minor differences. The movie also was quite a hit last I checked - it had grossed $300 million box office worldwide. That's considered a success.

So I started looking for her other works but I am not keen to fork out money for a book that I believe I'll finish in a few days. (Yes, yes, I should support the author financially but if there are other means to enjoy it without hurting my wallet, why not?). I signed up for PassionCard earlier, realising only later that I also enjoy a complimentary free NLB membership that I would have otherwise needed to pay $10.60 to get.

So I searched the NLB catalogue. The Perfect Son ebook was available, via Libby. I loaned it. Finished it within a week. The book suspense was as solid, but the twist was quite a stretch. 

Never mind, I'm off to another one to try.

The Teacher is next.

Stranger Things

 All good things must come to an end.

I started watching Stranger Things in 2020/2021, when Covid hit and I started piggy-backing my sister's Netflix account during the lockdown. I was sceptical about the show. How good can a kids show about the 1980s be? But critics review had been near universally positive and the pitch was insane, so I thought I should give it a try. After all, I'm into mystery. So I gave it a try.

Boy, did I not regret my decision.

Season 1 itself was already a solid show. The kids searched around for their friend who vanished one night and never returned and evidence pointed towards the presence of another dimension where the answer held. And there's a mysterious girl who materialised out of nowhere with unimaginable powers that unlock secrets upon secrets that eventually are traced back to a government's programme.

Then Will was found.

But season 2 descended into a darker tone with Will playing a bigger role. And we now had a better glimpse of what Will had been led into.

Then season 3 came and we had a much sinister evil with a more malicious intent. 

Oh, and the kids grew up. That's quick.

Then it hit a hiatus for about 3 years before Season 4 came. I was already hooked and very excited for season 4.

Boy, what a good season it was.

We now know the evil behind everything - Vecna/One/Henry. Season 4 was different in the sense that it was a lot darker, a lot more mature, and a lot more....graphic, and gory. But when the evil has risen a notch, I guess it makes sense that the expectations should tilt the same direction.

Season 4 came in two batches. But the finale was a little....underwhelming. If you ask me.

And since then I've waited for so long for season 5.

And finally, december 2025, season 5 has arrived.

Boy.

It came in 3 volumes. I hated Netflix for doing this.

Volume 1 was slow but good. 

Volume 2 was okay.

Volume 3, the finale, was the high point.

I won't drone on the summary but I would say it was a good finale.

Plenty of criticisms online about the underwhelming end of the show centres on their expectations of Avengers level battle. It's a kids show. You won't see the kids battling the demogorgons and the Mind Flayers with superpowers like how Thor summons the lightning. But it does strike me as odd that not a single demogorgon was shown in the finale.

Anyway, every character contributes a little to the demise of Vecna. Naturally, Eleven played the biggest role, but so does Will. The rest of the kids crippled the Mind Flayer, Max and Kali helped rescued the kids.

And perhaps the most satisfying for me, is the fact that Joyce was the one to blow the final kill.

She. Deserved. To. Wield. Every. Single. Swing. Of. That. F8cking. Axe.

For what Vecna has done for all of them.

And when she wielded the axe, we had a playback of how every character was hurt by him. I think it was also worth mentioning that we did not see a flashback of what Steve and Robin went through - because they had never been a victim of Vecna. They stayed and helped to fight because they loved the kids.

The series had ended. It does feel like a void has formed.

Just like how it feels when Supernatural ended for me after 15 years.

But Stranger Things had been a hell of a ride, and every episodes had been a massive entertainment.

We'll never have a second Stranger Things, and that's okay.

I will miss the show. For its suspense. For its action. For all the actor's breathtaking performance.

And most of all, for having being with me for so many years.

Yes, Steve, including you. You were a jerk but like many people, I grew dear to you, for being a big brother to everyone.

And Joyce, for being such a loving mother. 

Till next time.

2025

 How ya'll doing?

I haven't been updating, I know. Don't feel like doing so anymore.

This blog represents a huge chunk of my life. But now I've found a different purpose. Technically I am still who I am, but I'm shifting away from the digital life.

I still go online - but for Netflix and Disney+, both of which I'm a subscriber, and I'll be on social media less. A lot less. That includes blogger.

But this is where memories stay. I'll keep it alive, but likely dormant for a while.

Lady Gaga - Vanish Into You

This song is just powerful and great.

See you in May, Lady Gaga. Still can't believe I got a ticket.

Lady Gaga - Zombieboy

 After five years, I was really looking forward to Mayhem. I've always been a Little Monster. I remembered the moment Chromatica was released. In the midst of a pandemic and when everybody was confined to the walls of our home (or room), Chromatica gave me warm and solace that I didn't even realise I needed. Chromatica was an awesome album, I listened to the songs at midnight on Spotify, immediately when it was released. I love the album. A few songs were so good, I can't fathom why they didn't become a single (Replay, for example).

So when Lady Gaga announced that she is releasing a new album, I was hooked. I've listened to her songs enough to know that I wouldn't like her song on first hear. I'm not sure why. I've tried listening to many of her songs and I almost never really like any of her songs on the first listening. It took me a while to like a few songs I absolutely love right now (Do What U Want - but screw R. Kelly, Stupid Love, or even Disease). 

But Zombieboy was different. It clicked immediately when I first heard it. I thought it would be something dark, but it turned out to be a charismatic, lively song with a hint of sadness, which turns out to be because it was written and sung in tribute to an actual model nicknamed Zombie Boy that Lady Gaga collaborated before and committed suicide a few years ago.

My inner empath is right - I often detect subtle emotions accurately.

At the moment I'm still more fond of Chromatica. A few songs in Mayhem is great but I probably need some time to grow some liking.

Speaking of Lady Gaga, she's coming to Singapore for a 4-day concert. I've never attended one and have never wanted to go to one, but you can bet that I will try with every fibre of my being to snatch a ticket!

Lady Gaga - Abracadabra

As a Gaga fan, I must said, I'm extremely thrilled for Mayhem!

Lady Gaga never disappoints. After 15 years, she's back to her root.

2024 End

It feels surreal that, in two hours, as I am typing this, we'll enter 2025. A new year.

Plenty has happened in 2024.

I've had a tough period at my job. But I've felt loved and appreciated, so it's a good thing.

I'm currently living in a place I enjoy. With friends. That's great.

I've travelled too much this year.....to attend weddings, not for leisure. It's getting very tiring.

I've just travelled to KL after many years. The public transport isn't great but is good enough for me to travel around. Quite a nice place to visit, but definitely not a desirable place to settle down.

Plus, I got sick on the last day. Quite miserable.

I visited Seletar Airport for the first time, took the ATR-72 flight for the first time. Not very comfortable, but tolerable and is alright. Can repeat in future.

I've visited Kuching after leaving that place since 2018. Many has changed. Food stalls have changed. Renovations were made. It has become an unfamiliar familiar place.

I travelled back to Penang a lot less frequently. Feel bad for my parents, but then I didn't do much even if I go back either.

2025, I hope is better. I pray for that every year, but it seldom transpires.

A new year, new hope? Maybe.

New reality? We shall see.

Lady Gaga - Disease

Lady Gaga has had an awesome year.

Joker 2 gave her a starring role. I wanted to watch it, but I didn't watch the first and rumour swirl (and later confirms) that the movie is a disappointment, so I forewent it.

But she dropped Die With A Smile with Bruno Mars, which I found to be kind of a random collaboration (btw, a great year for Bruno Mars it seems). I didn't quite enjoy it.

Some of her songs for Joker 2 were good though. Happy Mistake was a critically successful song that truly showcased her vocals.

Then she dropped the news that she'd be releasing Disease, a new single on 25th of Oct, at noon. It was a Friday, and it was a working hour.

OMG

I have been a Lady Gaga fan (but not a diehard one) since she released Bad Romance. She has truly influenced my life.

Needless to say, I immediately listened to it once it was released. Thank God for Spotify and internet.

Like all her usual songs, it didn't click on first hearing. But after giving it a few more tries, I must admit, it's one hell of a song.

Can't wait for her full album!

ROSÉ & Bruno Mars - APT. (Official Music Video)

I never expected to like this song, nor did I expect this to become an ear worm.

Just as someone commented, this is a collaboration between two singers we never knew we needed and wanted, but which now everybody loves.

There might be a latent Gen-Z in me after all, it seems.

July 2024

Oh wow time flies, doesn't it?

I've generally become less active here, as you probably can tell. I'm providing less updates and at the moment it doesn't seem like I'll reverse this course, partly because, well, life changes, and I do not find it necessary to keep updating this blog. But I do not want it to die - after all, this is something I created a very long time ago, and had been a very important part of my life, and had been, and still is, an important part of my life. I won't let it die, but I'm diverting my energy away to something else at the moment.

Well, July 2024. Half a year has passed.

I'm one year now in the new company, and I love it. Surely, wherever I go, there are flaws. But currently the company I'm working at is perfect for what I need at the moment. Things might change down the road, but at the moment I'm content here.

I have to relearn many things I have long forgotten, and do things I had never done before. I love the challenge, but I am getting a bit 'old' to tire myself for things like this. Many people of my age have slowly abandoned the pursue and settled with what they are good at (or lack thereof) already, but I am thinking, I'm still young, I can afford to work hard a few more years. I'm sure it'll bear fruit eventually. Hopefully.

I've got an exam in September 2024. I'm a little panicky now, because I'm woefully underprepared.

Hopefully things will work out for me, as it always has. 

Usually...

AHS: Apocalypse

 I know I've been away and I'll try to provide some updates as I can, but allow me the opportunity me to share just how mind-blowingly good a series was.

I just finished American Horror Story: Apocalypse, and boy......my mind was blown, reconstructed, and blown, and reconstructed, and blown, repetitively in a seemingly infinite loop.

It started off a little unassumingly. The first episode kicked off rather....meh. So the world is crumbling and living beings are being slowly faded into nothingness, and a group of people were held together in a bunker as the 'survivors' to allegedly propagat
e mankind when things are over.

It sounded. Meh. Okay. Not very impressive, but at least it was original, and it looked at least a tad promising, so let's give it a try. AHS had never disappointed me once after finishing all 7 seasons thus far. Even Cult and Hotel were good, though the online consensus was that these two were rather inferior (and I was sad Jessica Lange no longer acted in the show, real sad).

But by the end of second season when Cordelia emerged and the way the episode ended......I knew the good ones are coming.

Apocalypse attempted what AHS never attempted, and I guess this path was never visualised when Murder House and Coven were produced. Apocalypse is about the AntiChrist from the Murder House rising and threatening the Coven's legacy and the world's being by ultimately bringing the Armageddon to the world, and the witches trying to stop Michael Langdon from gaining his goal.

It is a surprisingly brilliant crossover that had not at any point disappointed me at all. 

It was brilliant. And Jessica Lange returned for two episodes and was featured prominently for one episode! And seeing every character return was just somehow....an Endgame moment for AHS fan I might say.

I might want to nitpick a little though. The way Michael died at the end was just a little anticlimatic. It seemed such an easy death for such a powerful figure. 

But otherwise, solid season. Solid plot. Solid show.

I'll continue to sob that Jessica Lange will not return anymore, and I've just learnt Kathy Bates also did not return to another season, and Evan Peters and Sarah Paulson would begin to reduce their features from here thereon. But I'll continue to have faith that AHS will not disappoint.

Lady Gaga - Hold My Hand (Acoustic)

I'm a Gaga fan. I have been since secondary school, when I first heard Bad Romance. Lady Gaga was a very controversial figure and celebrity, and her fashion sense was asinine. But I like her for her music and her talent. Not many singers back in the late 2000s (or even now) could deliver a performance as powerful as she can. Taylor Swift can't, despite her fame. There's just no comparison between these two.

But Lady Gaga has slowly retreated from the music industry and has ventured into its entertainment counterpart. She has since appeared in several films and series - including American Horror Stories, which I absolutely enjoy - and will soon appear in Joker 2.

Her last album was in 2020 - 4 years ago. I really wish she makes more, but perhaps a pause is appropriate, so that her creativity could be maximised. Chromatica was also released 4 years after its predecessor and it was marvellous - Stupid Love was catchy. Sour Candy was a unique collaboration that would have even been more wonderful had Covid not hindered a music video production, and Replay was extremely emotional. I didn't like 911 although it was ok.

But in 2022 she released a song for the movie Top Gun: Maverick. Hold My Hands was not an album, but it was the theme of the movie. And man, it was very Gaga. Mature, soulful, emotional, and like the movie, it moves every listener with its raw soul.

This acoustic version is the work of an amateur, but it somehow highlights her vocal by a vast magnitude and amplifies the emotions a few notch. This is awesome, and I wish more songs like this can be featured online. Magnificent.

April 2024

How's life ya'll?

I haven't been active here for a long time, because for a long time there hasn't been anything interesting to update.

So I thought I just randomly insert a topic as a record, to keep the liveability of my blog.

I love Netflix. I'm sure many of you know. And I favour watching TV dramas over movies.

But I have a pet peeve. After watching a few American drama, I had a tendency and urge to find a British/Australian drama to indulge in instead, because a change in taste is always welcoming and refreshing. Believe it or not, there are many subtle differences between productions of different countries, and these minor ones make quite a huge difference.

That is when I stumbled upon Wentworth. I did not think the show would be to my liking, seeing it's about all female cast in a prison. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sexist - it's just that I usually like crime drama, not soap operas, and Wentworth strikes me as one.

But the show received critical acclaim, so I thought, why not give it a try?

And I did.

And holy mother f*cking God. The show was awesome.

Granted I've finished only season 1 and am in the middle of season 2. But honestly speaking, I thought season 1 itself was mind-blowing, but season 2 proved me wrong - it blew my already blown mind. I am afraid to say, I do not know whether I'll receive season 3 as well, or better, or worse.

The hard work put in to produce such a stellar show was amazing. I do not understand how I did not learn to appreciate this and let it slide for so long.

For those of you who like crime dramas, trust me, Wentworth is absolutely worth watching. 

Giveon - Heartbreak Anniversary

I've developed a rather nasty habit recently, one that I vowed never to pick up - I love scrolling reels in Instagram.

It's just a lot more meaningful than scrolling Facebook. Facebook has become a junk place - full of gossips, unwarranted accusations (politically, economically, socially, whatever), and negativities.

Instagram, on the other hand, contains people's diaries - they share what they see, what they think and, most importantly, what they appreciate. This contrasts with TikTok, where people literally just do stuff for entertainment. Not my type.

Anyway, I chanced upon this. I've never known Giveon, but damn, his emotion is real and raw, his voice is gold, and this song delivers hard.

What an amazing piece of art!

Jan

 And there goes a month in 2024.

January 2024 has been very eventful and meaningful.

Well, I've hit 30. That's a big milestone.

Thankfully people say I still look very young, so that's a plus.

But I'm getting a bit tired to be updating my blog.

I'll come back later with some updates, at the moment, I probably just need a lot more rest than I used to need.

2024

 Happy 2024 guys!!

I haven't been updating lately, because I'm just getting lazier. Well, I'll try to rid myself of this laziness.

Anyway, 2024 did not start well for me - I got Covid-19, since 29th Dec! 

The moment I woke up, I knew down to my bones that something was not right - I felt tired. Weird kind of tired, and I had chills. It felt like the first time I had Covid-19.

I did a quick test, and as suspected, a very faint line popped up in the kit.

The fatigue was real, powerful, crippling. I went to sleep.

I woke up hours later, brought myself to buy lunch. Brought lunch home, took about half, but felt too tired, I ended up went to sleep.

I woke up 2 hours later, with my lunch still unfinished.

It was a Friday, and since the GP wouldn't be open for the next 3 days, I pulled myself to the clinic - where I was checked to have a degree of 39. 

Anyway, the doctor gave me very generic medicines. Still, my main point was to get them for free - I'm covered by my company insurance, else I needed to fork out my own money to buy them from NTUC and I didn't want to.

I had Covid-19 for five days. On the third day, the T line was literally black. I mean, black, not dark purple. Imagine the toxins I was harbouring.

Anyway, 2024 was not off to a good start. But hopefully it gets better.

Happy 2024!

Sick, Part 2

 Following up with my previous post......I'm just going to slightly elaborate more.

Technically it likely is just a normal respiratory bacterial infection for me. Unfortunately, for me, doctors tend to consistently give me the wrong diagnosis - they often prescribe me Amoxicillin, and if I don't recover, many doctors automatically assume it is my sinus or asthma acting up, and proceed to give me medicines that do not cure my underlying illnesses - untreated bacterial infection.

I went back to the clinic six times over the course of two weeks, and saw four different doctors. The first was nonchalant and dismissive, and practically shrugged me off as normal infection and sent me home after giving me something I suspect to be a 'standard' medicinal pack.

The second was a little more reassuring but unfortunately did not identify the problem.

The third was better but again didn't tackle the root cause.

I was coughing my lungs out during the visits and over the three weeks. I was given few bottles of cough syrups that did not help much. And I consistently repeated and emphasised that the cough syrups I were given were not helpful, yet all of them sent me home with the same or more cough syrups. 

The fourth doctor.....he was the angel. I wished I caught his name.

He took a peek into my throat via his torch yet he reached the contrary conclusions from the other three doctors, even though all the other three did the same thing - he noticed my throat was still red after three weeks of coughing, and he saw that I was prescribed Amoxicillin. He immediately knew the antibiotics I had failed to neutralise the bacteria in me and gave me a stronger antibiotics and corticosteroids to relieve my throat inflammation which was giving me coughs that were building my abs.

I recovered rather rapidly over the next few days.

Old doctors are very, very much better than young doctors nowadays.

That being said, I'll avoid going back to the clinic from now on. The sad thing is it's the nearest to my place of residence.

Sick

 I know I haven't been updating for a while, but for good reasons.

I'm currently sick. Old recurring asthma-related disease. Doctor said it was a 'small issue', but it didn't feel like it for me.

I shall update more, when I feel better at doing it.