The Silent Room

---

Small Talk:
Oh man, the trip to Singapore was SO worth it. Too bad I can’t really tell you all about it. Classified info, baby. So eh, Imma dump in more random pictures!

---

“It’s getting difficult to have fun these days. What’s there to do that’s fun?”

So said a bro when I was out at the mamak one night. We were chilling in the cool night air, just four of us in a crowd of strangers. I sat with my chin rested on a palm, sipping at my very sweet Milo Panas Kurang Manis while I distracted myself watching a poorly subtitled, pirated copy of Ip Man that was playing on the mamak projector.

“I feel old already,” said another bro. Motherfucker, you’re not even 25!

I listened to them as they went on and on about how so many things just don’t seem very exciting anymore. Clubbing isn’t fun anymore. Playing games isn’t fun anymore. Sports is too much of a hassle. Travelling costs too much money. Getting laid, well… let’s save that topic for another day.

Anyway.

I listened to them, and I found myself amused. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me. Despite the daily turbulence I live through (consequences of my own actions, of course), I don’t have any difficulty to keep myself entertained. It’s extremely easy for me to have fun, and at minimal cost, too. Allow me to explain.

Anime

I can watch anime (or movies) and have fun. New series, old series, I can just pick one out of my archives, fix a hot drink and have a good time. Of course, when you have a 24″ monitor, 5.1 speakers and HD-capable PC, it makes a difference. Well, you get my point.

Photography

I can walk around my neighbourhood, or any random town with my camera and have fun. I’ll shoot the streets, shoot strangers, shoot shabby stalls, shoot clear skies, shoot fiery sunsets. I’ve been doing this even when I only had a Canon compact digicam, so not owning a dSLR is not an issue.

Reading

I can easily lose myself in a big bookstore and have fun. I love books, I always have. I grew up on Ladybird Books, Enid Blyton and Alfred Hitchcock. Between PMR and the first year of my FCM degree, I completely lost interest in books, but I have since rediscovered them. When I’m free and bored, I can spend an hour, perhaps two at a McDonalds or Sushi King with a good book. Free refills, mah.

Writing

I can write short essays like this and have fun. I’ve been blogging for over five years now – not very long by modern blogging standards but still, I’ve written quite a bit and I enjoyed typing every single word. Blogging gave me a new sense of freedom and joy that few other things could match.

Gaming

I can play old video games and have fun. I’m still playing Warcraft 3 melee games against Advanced AI, and I still play Melty Blood. All the same, I try to take time and try out new games like Modern Warfare 2, and less newer games like Dead Space. I play games, and I finish them.

And there you have it.

Simple pleasures, no? Sure, I appreciate having fun with friends, hanging out, doing senseless things once in a while (like going to Vietnam, wtf?) but I really have no difficulty spending time with myself and still be entertained. So while I think of all this, mentally listing out the things I do for fun, I still hear my bros lamenting about how their lives lack any excitement.

“We need to find something that’s new and fun to do, man. Our lives are boring!”

Pfft, yeah. Speak for yourself, man. I just shook my head, took another diabetic sip and watched as Donnie Yen mercilessly snapped the elbows and legs of nameless Japanese karate goons. That particular mamak had a really shitty set of speakers, but the sound effects were clear as crystal – everyone at the mamak flinched at every crack of bones, and yet you can barely hear any dialogue or background music. Oh mamaks, how half-assed can you be? Sigh.

I love my bros, really. I’ve known them for almost 9 years now, I wouldn’t give them up for anything in the world. It still doesn’t change the fact that they can be a little weird sometimes, but I guess I’m a little weird to them, too. Well, not that it matters.

At least, I’m having fun.