Blogiversary and Blog Identity
It has been almost a year since the first entry was written on this blip in cyberspace. What was once merely a pensieve for random thoughts and ideas appears to have evolved into a slightly more public creature, a creature that no doubt betrays the nature of its propagator, the internet.
Over the months, some of my friends have been approached with requests to disclose my identity in "real life". To those enquirers,lu si bei boh liao ah I seek your understanding in my wish to remain anonymous.
No harm is meant in keeping both identities distinct and I do not intend to hide behind the blog identity nor be less responsible in publishing the contents of this blog because of it.
In fact, I didn't quite set out to keep my identity a mystery. This has been my sysop nick since those BBS days way back in the late 80's and early '90s.
However, time has shown that one of the advantages of maintaining a completely separate blog identity is how helpful it is in removing at least one temptation to self-centredness. Many blogs become showcases for their owners: demonstrating how cool, how sophisticated, how talented or how godly they are and at times become the proverbial shops where bloggers display their wares and advertise their attractiveness to all. I do not wish for these temptations to self-centredness and hypocrisy in addition to those that already exist in daily life.
This blog also remains primarily a pensieve for my thoughts and ideas, a storehouse readily accessible anywhere in the world with an internet connection, less likely to be lost or stolen like a physical notebook and retrievable if ever hijacked. The disadvantage of the disparate jottings found in notebooks is that the motley collection cannot and do not aim to reflect the writer accurately. So it is with this blog. This opens me up to much misunderstanding, especially with people who first come to know me through this blog. Misunderstandings might be staved or lessened by "cleaning up after myself" with pagefuls of qualifications and limitations and footnotes of evidential facts and citations. But I have no wish to live in and through a blog and spend a large portion of my time and energy thus - time and energy which would be much more profitably employed otherwise.
For those how know me in "real life". It's pretty obvious to them who I am and where I am coming from. This blog keeps them updated and they keep me accountable and our fellowship is enhanced.
PS: To those who asked about the Comments section, it was accidentally deleted while I was fiddling with the HTML. Will put it back during the next template change. [Update: ok. Comments back in.]
PPS: To protect the reputation of the ARPC youth pastor: no, I am not Ronnie Hoh. Really.
Over the months, some of my friends have been approached with requests to disclose my identity in "real life". To those enquirers,
No harm is meant in keeping both identities distinct and I do not intend to hide behind the blog identity nor be less responsible in publishing the contents of this blog because of it.
In fact, I didn't quite set out to keep my identity a mystery. This has been my sysop nick since those BBS days way back in the late 80's and early '90s.
However, time has shown that one of the advantages of maintaining a completely separate blog identity is how helpful it is in removing at least one temptation to self-centredness. Many blogs become showcases for their owners: demonstrating how cool, how sophisticated, how talented or how godly they are and at times become the proverbial shops where bloggers display their wares and advertise their attractiveness to all. I do not wish for these temptations to self-centredness and hypocrisy in addition to those that already exist in daily life.
This blog also remains primarily a pensieve for my thoughts and ideas, a storehouse readily accessible anywhere in the world with an internet connection, less likely to be lost or stolen like a physical notebook and retrievable if ever hijacked. The disadvantage of the disparate jottings found in notebooks is that the motley collection cannot and do not aim to reflect the writer accurately. So it is with this blog. This opens me up to much misunderstanding, especially with people who first come to know me through this blog. Misunderstandings might be staved or lessened by "cleaning up after myself" with pagefuls of qualifications and limitations and footnotes of evidential facts and citations. But I have no wish to live in and through a blog and spend a large portion of my time and energy thus - time and energy which would be much more profitably employed otherwise.
For those how know me in "real life". It's pretty obvious to them who I am and where I am coming from. This blog keeps them updated and they keep me accountable and our fellowship is enhanced.
PS: To those who asked about the Comments section, it was accidentally deleted while I was fiddling with the HTML. Will put it back during the next template change. [Update: ok. Comments back in.]
PPS: To protect the reputation of the ARPC youth pastor: no, I am not Ronnie Hoh. Really.
Labels: Blogging
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