The inevitable change...

Change. It's a very subjective topic for most people. The way you deal with change says a lot about you in terms of character.

Some are more comfortable with embracing it like an old friend... They are the ones who constantly seek adventures.

Some are a bit more reluctant. They are more than happy to just stay within their cosy little nook. Who can blame them? We are constantly seeking comfort. From food, from friends, from the atmosphere as well...

It is even more daunting when this period of change occurs during your teens and early adulthood. The physical changes are one thing, the emotional changes are on in a different time stream all together.

Change is inevitable. It is a fact. It will be dropped on you like a piano, regardless of whether you ask for it or not.

It is with this premise that I am about to make another big change...

I am moving back home for good.

There are various reasons for this and as much as it pains me to leave this wonderful city behind, perhaps it is about time.

I believe that everything happens for a reason. I can't quite pinpoint the reason right now but who knows what awaits me. The scary unknown is something that even as kids that we have dealt with and entering this phase of my life is to be expected. I am as freaked out as I can be but I will deal with this.

Change is inevitable. And for those of you who are having just as hard a time as me at dealing with it, tell yourself this.

"There is a reason why this is happening. This is not scary. This is exciting. This is the feeling of possibilities."

Love,
Geek with a pencil.

P.s. I would like to thank everyone in Melbourne who have made my time a fantastic one. You all have made this an incredible experience and I truly feel blessed for having had this opportunity <3.

Why do people hate hipsters?

"Oh my god, you're such a hipster." 

This is an all too familiar phrase these days. I feel it necessary to first point out that I may seem like a hipster of sorts (according to the music I listen to and the way I dress apparently) but more than anything else, if I truly HAD to classify myself, I would be a geek. Geekster is the way I like to go.

I'm sure most of us would have some kind of an idea as to what a hipster is. The clothes, the music, the rejection of basically many things, if not all, mainstream. These are some of the ways that you would be able to pick out these beings in a crowd.

The word hipster itself seems to instigate various sorts of emotions from many individuals. The most common emotion though is annoyance and dislike for people from this particular subculture. But why is that so?

Is it the way hipsters talk?

Perhaps. A likely case is that people get annoyed at how hipsters seem to think so highly of themselves and their choices.

"You should totally check out (insert band name), they're amazing. Oh but they're prob not your sort of thing though."

Wait a second... That's it! It's the pretentiousness that they exude. There's nothing more annoying than someone waving their intelligence flag in your face, right? Although if you think about it, there are plenty of pretentious people out there who aren't hipsters....

Maybe it's the way they dress?

Oh yes, definitely has to be it. Those black frames, the skinny jeans, the scarves and such... It's not like punks and goths wear those sort of things too right? 

It could be all that coffee that they drink. Maybe it's the caffeine. Somehow, It accumulates inside their system with all the other hipster related things and gives off a certain aura.

Well, considering a lot of things, maybe I'll leave this one to science. Or is science too mainstream?

Love,
Geek With A Pencil.

A girl in love

I am a girl in love
In love with colour
The brightness that each hue screams out
The evocation of such still tenderness
That lets lady emotion run

I am a girl in love
In love with fiction
The fantasy that swallows me whole and spits my skin out
The possibilities of grander adventures
That has made me an addict

I am a girl in love
In love with ideas
The clanking of swords and the rush of adrenaline between them
The dynamites that explode on whims of randomness
That end with me talking to myself

I am girl in love
In love with life
Its constant inconsistency
Its memories of nothing

I love it 
Even when it does not love me.

Dreams vs Reality

Dreams... 

I have always been fascinated by them. Whether they are the sort of dreams that happens in REM state or the sort that a constant helping of Disney movies have made me believe in.

They say that dreams are a way for your subconscious to work things in real life that you find complicated. Things you maybe can't solve in reality. If you are a close friend of mine then you would be fully aware that my dreams are anything BUT ordinary. That only makes it even more fascinating though. 

I have had dreams of aliens attacking earth. I have had dreams of jumping from a waterfall higher than any building I've ever seen before. I have had dreams of being chased by a Mob Boss.

Okay, so more often than not, these dreams usually have a good looking male in there somewhere but that's only because dream me has such good taste and consideration.

Regardless of the dreams I've had, they've all made me think a little bit about my current state of mind at that moment. Made me take a step back and try to remember how I was feeling when I was in that place.

Then there also exists the sort of dreams that you want to see turned into reality. You know those dreams that I'm talking about... The ones you've always held close to your heart as a little kid. 

Dreams of going to outer space... Dreams of meeting the love your life... Dreams of travelling the world.

Mine is still to write a great book and get it published some day. I'm still working out the ideas in my head but it will most likely be a young adult novel or a children's book. And maybe I'll even open a little cafe at some point. Wouldn't that be lovely?

Both dreams are only imagination based though but they do make an excellent point. That thinking about them gives a deeper sense of self reflection that not many of us choose to acknowledge.

As time passes by and we continue to age, we have this habit of not listening to these dreams any longer. We become focused on the harsh realities of life. Worries seem to plague us constantly, even as we lay in the most comfortable of beds. Words like DEBT, COMMITMENTS and RESPONSIBILITY happen to coincide in a game of pong in our minds.

Growing up sucks. This isn't going to change anytime soon. Don't let your bitterness consume you. I feel it even more these days as I try to find my place in the world.

Keep on dreaming and don't just dream but turn it into reality. Words that are easily uttered but if other people have managed to make it somehow, why can't we regular folks right?

Love,
Geek with a pencil.

Play that geeky music...

Music is an essential part of our everyday lives. Whether it's turning on the radio in the car on the way to work or putting on some music as you clean up your room, a little bit of music helps.

For geeks like me, sometimes we need a little different sort of inspirational music to help us cope with certain things. I now present to you some tunes of that variety...

LeetStreet BoysLeetStreet Boys regard themselves as an Otaku band and basically, that's what they are. With songs called "Yuri The Only One" and "Hikikomori", it's hard not to immediately associate them with Japanese culture. Even more so, with lyrics that reference anime characters like Sasuke and Light Yagami. (If you have read all of that and did not get one single reference, you are NOT an otaku) It's just catchy, fun, pop music with an otaku twist. This one's for the crazy fan girls out there. KYA!

Kirby Krackle

A nerd-rock band hailing from Seattle, Kirby Krackle takes the stuff you like in comic books and popular culture and puts it into song. Ranging from geeky love songs about a Super Powered Girlfriend and even a song called "On and On" which explains the feelings of Wolverine himself in a way that makes you feel for him. Oh and they even have a parody of 'Candy Shop' called Comic Shop. Also I would totally do all the things that have been stated in this next song... Probably.

Adam Warrock

Mixing hip hop and pop culture together is a pretty exciting thing and this guy does it pretty darn well, doing it independently and with a great amount of passion. He's released a few different eps dealing with different shows from 'Parks and Rec' to 'X-Men'. A particular favourite of mine is his work called "Paperman", sampling the music to the disney short of the same title. It's a poignant piece that nicely sums up the short. However, since 'Man Of Steel' is coming out soon, I'll leave you with this little number...

So... do you know any other bands or artists of this variety that I should check out? I'd love to hear about them, comment below!

Love,
Geek with a pencil.

The usual spiral

The moon is the prison
My imagination its unwilling victim

It feeds me consistently with cups of thoughts

One cup after another

I'm not that greedy!

Let me be

It is too late

Slumber is no longer an option

My eyes are shut

My mind and soul are as wide as they can be

Guilt echoes on surround sound

My fingers twitch

These lips start to itch

But no sound escapes

All the noise

All the doubts, the worries, the contemplations

They become an unbeatable level... For now.

The Malaysian Reader...

That's right. The Malaysian Reader is not merely some magical creature akin to a unicorn. We exist. We are a very sparse species but generally, you will find us lurking in the book shops and flea markets.

Yesterday, I was a speaker at Buku Jalanan Melbourne and although there was a bit of a run in with mother nature, we sat down for post event drinks and just had a flowing conversation around random things like romantic comedies as well as important things like the state of reading in Malaysia.

It's exciting enough meeting someone else who reads but meeting another Malaysian who reads? It's like unlocking the bonus level in a video game.

Finding someone young who reads and enjoys it is also another achievement that gets unlocked.

So the question is... Why do more people not read? 

For some, it is the time. True, reading does require a certain amount of concentration and effort but isn't it worth it for a wider perspective? For whatever reason, work, school and just the general drama that is Life takes priority. An understandable thing. Still, even if you nourish other parts of yourself, there becomes a very apparent lack of a nourishment of the soul and mind.

For others, it is a question of money. Books in Malaysia especially cost quite a bit and if you want to read the more popular ones, it's even worse. Second hand book stores are an option but they might not always have the titles that you want.

I can't really say why more people do not read. Truth of the matter is it is not my place to say.

Still, one cannot deny the joy and delight that the act of reading is capable of sparking in the core of our existence. Reading is not for everyone but an endless imagination is.

The medium, the message and the procrastination...

Once again, I will endeavour to blog. 

Blogging and I are quite complicated in our relationship. I pay attention to him. He broadcasts my thoughts. And then at some point, like with most of my hobbies sadly, I slowly lose interest AND become lazy.

This time, it will be different. This time, I will stick by him. For personal reasons. For professional reasons. For reasons that I have yet to discover perhaps.

If you please, you are more than welcome to tag along while I explore my thoughts and imagination. It will most probably look like an 80's music video mind you. If you don't, well then... Why are you still reading?

Love,
Geek with a pencil.