Interview With Lainie

Here is my first Interview piece. [I mentioned them the other day]. I was a bit scared I might get a bad reaction to the idea, but it looks like people have been kind enough to reply. w00t! :-) I've also found both interviews I've received back to be really good to read, so it was well worth the effort, and thanks to both Lainie and Suanie for getting back to me! *BIG HUGS OF APPRECIATION* Lainie got back to me first, so I'm going to post hers up today. Suanie's I'll post up tomorrow. Reasons I read Lainie's blog consist of the fact that she's original [actually, I think that reason stands for ALL the blogs I read], as well as her interest in many of the things I am interested in. [Art, Writing, Music, Women etc] She's one of these bloggers, similar to myself, who is on the verbose side [ie writes a lot], but I've always found her posts are well worth the effort. Even if the post is just about her sleeping, or eating or something else! :-)

[This is my David Letterman Type Set, complete with Brooklyn Bridge Skyline!] :-)

My first guest tonight is an heddonist extrodinaire, artist, blogger, writer. She is very much involved in art and can be seen at events in the art scene in Malaysia, whether she's going to a photo exhibition, a poetry reading, or a gig. Please, put your hands together for Lainie Yeoh. :-) *APPLAUSE* 1. Do you perceive your on-line personality to be different from your off-line personality? If so, how are they different. Not much difference, I reckon? Maybe sometimes, the expression of anger is different. I am so lazy I dislike saying everything I think, so my sarcasm and anger aren't so readily expressed verbally - I find typing more effortless. Face to face, you get to see how pissed off I look, but I might not give an explanation. 2. Have your friends perceived your on-line and off-line personalities to be different? If so, how? Nope. Most friends say I sound *exactly* the same. But, people who have only met me once or twice, briefly, tend to think I'm a lot more polite face to face. Can't help that, the vestige of my mother's years of social training still remains. 3. Which other bloggers have inspired you in the blogsphere? Uh. Wow this is not gonna come off very nice, but I'm not the sort to be inspired by other bloggers, not consciously anyway. I enjoy how they write, but I don't think I've ever picked up anyone else's style, nor would I want to. I'm very comfy with how I blog. 4. Have any other people outside of the blogsphere been influential in your life, and if so how? I'll have to be typical here and gloat about my wonderful friends. I suppose, one thing that struck me about my friends was how bold they could be. They've sometimes gone against convention and attracted a fair bit of backlash for the things they do, not for the sake of simplistic rebellion, but because they thought it was right, and damn if they were gonna hide it. I dig that, I don't want to stockpile skeletons in my closet, and I happen to believe I only have one life to live. So yes, I am blaming others for doing what I damn well want to! Go me! 5. Do you have any advice for young (or newbie) writers who are thinking of starting their own blog? Just start it lah. Mind the privacy of others, not everyone will appreciate their lives being written about in your blog for other people to read. Have fun. Stop looking for advice, use your head. And get a good password for your blog. 6. What do you perceive to be the best thing about the blogsphere? The people I meet. Met fantastic peeps, got job offers, learned bout current events (I hate reading the news so I gotta get the info somewhere man), found new music. Seriously, the people the people the people. I'm really shy, see, so many people would not be bothered about me without the voice I have on my blog cause I'd never pipe up (ouchies, but true). 7. What do you perceive to be the worst thing about the blogsphere? Censorship - self, or otherwise. Oh, and some of my lecturers know about my blog, so I can't skive cause then they'll know why. And dammit, i tend to shoot my mouth off about people, because i can't be bothered to keep track bout what I'm typing about, and sometimes they find my blog (or some kind soul *coughdammitzedecksiewanddanlimcough* will forward it to them), and if I do eventually meet them, they tell me they read what I said and there's this long silent "eeek" moment before I disappear to the other end of the room. 8. When writing a blog post, do you normally plan what you are going to write in advance, or do you just write and let the subject carry you? Ah. I think you know I never plan. I just yak yak yak and abuse my readers with whatever comes out. 9. Your readers (I mean your loyal ones who keep coming back) obviously relate in some form to your writing, what do you think keeps them coming back for more? Oh. Man. No one's ever told me so I have noooooo frickin idea *why*. I know some use my site as a notice board for gigs / art events, and others like that there's some 'prominent voice of LGBT society', or some intimidating eeekness label like that. Maybe cause I don't take myself so seriously? I don't know why anyone bothers, really - there are entire blog posts centered around how much I sleep, what I ate for lunch, and what my assignments are about. 10. If you could have ANY dream job in the world, what would it be? It wouldnt be a job, I'd just lie around being horribly hedonistic and rich, throwing money in the direction of whatever stuff I like that needs financial support :-) But if I had to get ANY job, for real....I have this daydream of a daydream: I'd be paid heaps to daydream, and there's this machine connected to my head, and it'll generate prints of abstract composite images of my visuals, and I can sell them as art. If I weren't so lazy, I guess that means I'd be a painter. 11. What do you look for in the blogs you read? [About how many do you read each day?] Personality, and choice of words. I've noticed my top 5 favourite blogs all have extremely different approaches to writing styles, and even if they don't explicitly blog about day-to-day events, you can see A LOT of their personality in their expressions. Oh, and they're usually kinda snarky. I read too many blogs. I scare people I meet sometimes by saying I've read their blogs before. 12. Is it better for a blogger to write on social issues, or to write on personal issues? I think it's good to mix. Mostly because if a blogger tells me about her (his) opinion on something, I'd rather like to know have a rough idea on who this person is, stead of some faceless voice of moral authority. 13. What is your favourite hobby/past-time? Bumming around with my friends. But if I'm alone, I like to make some art stuff or disappear into my head (daydreaming / talking to self). 14. How important is your own invidiuality in your art work? Ahhhh. I hate it when I notice that my work is derivative in some manner, but at the same time, heck, I can deal. I'm still learning, messin about with materials, platforms, concepts, so I suppose it's not unusual to have someone else's ideas bastardised for my own use, but on a bad day it just makes me insecure if I feel terribly unoriginal. I've never attempted to fully express myself, artistically, unless it's a collaboration - think the idea intimidates me that I might fall short of some expectations I'm not aware I have. So far, everything I've done is either out of boredom, or because I want to learn a new technique. It occasionally pisses me off that I don't have a certain style, because I'm still busy adapting everything I *can* make, as opposed to everything I *want* to make. I forgot the question. 15. What do you plan to achieve as an artist once you finish college? Oh you dear, I don't plan. Lainie, thanks for appearing on my blog. It's been a pleasure. Audience, once more put your hands together and thank Lainie Yeoh! :-) *APPLAUSE*