p a t c h r i s

I haven't used a phone with a handset for a long time because the mobile phone has been my main telecommunication device for phone calls for years. Gone are the days when I could slam the phone down in frustration when I had a bad call (or day). Not that I did it often, but it was sort of therapeutic if one could do so. It's good to bear in mind that one should be "gentle" when ending a call, as opposed to abruptly hanging up, so as not to send the wrong signals to the other person (unless you're sure you're sending the right signal by doing so). Wait a couple of seconds and disconnect the call. If you have a handset, set it down gently on the receiver. Easy, right?

I've watched a lot less football over the past 5 years since I moved to my current home. Unsubscribed to Astro because the only main reason to have it is to watch football. So I get my weekend nights back, plus a couple of hours of sleep during the midweek. Some people can be so passionate and worked up over matters they have very little influence over and regardless of how they may jump, scream and cross their fingers and toes, the results would be unaffected. It does put some things into perspective. I've had the privilege of observing and enjoying the reign of Arsene Wenger as manager of Arsenal Football Club for about 20 years and it was indeed a glorious era. I'll always be a gooner and as I focus on other pursuits, it's always good to hear when Arsenal wins.

I think I am happiest when I am singing and maybe performing. Sometimes I love the sound of my own voice and I enjoy expressing myself in song. I sing mostly Christian songs and I want the singing to be for the Lord. I pray that my worship will be acceptable to Him, and also that my faith and love for Him will increase. May I be a good witness for Him as He continues to work in me. May I be obedient to His will. My singing days are limited. The voice will give way, little by little every day. One day, I might not be able to carry a tune properly and I might just sound unpleasant. That's the day I want to look back and be pleased to know that I have sung while I could, and to be sure that I didn't waste many opportunities to do that.

After more than a month away from video editing on Shotcut, I forget how to add text for my lyric video. Referred to YouTube and found some new content to remind me. Add video track. Add/Open Other, select transparent colour. So that becomes the canvas for the text to be placed on. Use the simple text filter to add text. Might try the rich text filter another day. ShotCut is not as user friendly as Kapwing and it takes some time to learn how to use it because it's not as intuitive. Still, it has many advantages including better reliability, privacy and control over the videos produced. Happy to schedule one song to be published at the regular time in the morning at 7am. That way, when I wake up in the morning I can send out a "Good morning!" broadcast via WhatsApp/Telegram with the YouTube link. Side note: glad to be supposedly certified Google Educator Level 1 just yesterday. The exam turned out to be shorter and simpler than expected.

It was a public holiday yesterday and I took some time to work on my personal website patrickyeoh.xyz It's still a work in progress and it doesn't look pretty. Still it's something I can work on for fun and to make me happy. It looks like I'll be shooting more pictures and videos in the near future. It's okay to start lousy than not to start at all. Once we take the first step, the subsequent ones add to the momentum. Once I have something worth sharing, I'll make it known to others.

I started a new job on the 1st of July. I guess it's not so common to do that in the middle of a pandemic. I should get my personal web site done up. Maybe there will be a plug in that updates the website blog from blogger.