Ryu2.mind

"Do not call to mind the former things,
Or ponder things of the past.

"Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?...

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NASB)

While I'm waiting for a full rebuild of my project to finish, I'd thought I'd say hi to everyone out there -- jack.html folks, co-workers, GrX, Wellspring, random folks I know around the world, and all you unknown stalkers too.

So... why (another) new blog?

First, it sort of fits in with the general themes that I've been experiencing in the last few months: a new job, a new church, and all in all, a renewed outlook for the future. I realize too that my last blog wasn't all that interesting, even for me personally -- specifically, it wasn't too focused. With a few noteable exceptions, it was just really switching back and forth between quick snippets or observations on random things, without going too deep.

While I still believe that ultimately, a blog should be driven by the author, and not by the audience, I think that just as I want to break out of my traditional social mold and explore some new paths in the real world, so it is with my online persona as well. At this point, I really think that the stuff people write in entries, comments, and whatnot comprise almost a second universe in a way -- no substitute for the real world of course, but an alternate world nevertheless, and so I want to grow here as well in my own expression, and be a part of that "community".

To this end, it's really better just to start anew from a clean slate, for had I kept with the old format, I would have definitely felt an inertia just to maintain some continuity, which basically meant I wouldn't have really changed. On the other hand, this new blog provides perfect context for abrupt change, since there's already such in place.

Having said that, all the old crud is still there, conveniently linked from the sidebar -- I don't believe in censorship or revisionism, which is what deleting the old entries basically amount to, and reading old stuff is a good way to see how you've changed and grown. I had thought about importing all the old entries into Moveable Type, but decided against it for the reasons above, so this is sort of a compromise.

Finally, from a technical perspective, the software that I had been using before was really more suited for a news/community site such as Slashdot, rather than a personal blog. Moveable Type, on the other hand, is fairly lightweight, a nicer API for tweaking and mods, and has a leaner and easier UI as well. I can quickly add entries without going through the convoluted steps I needed with the previous software, or even more tedious, editing everything by hand.

Anyhow, interesting times ahead definitely. So, to readers old and new... welcome again. And why not leave a comment while you're at it? :)

I really liked Jim's latest entry a lot -- possibly one of the shortest, yet best entries I've read in a while. I worked with him on a daily basis for several years, I've seen him around church now and then, I even competed against him in science competitions in high school. He's a nice guy of course, but to actually read about his feelings after what he did to that guy really encouraged me and gave me a renewed sense of appreciation.

And with that, a realization about something I've been long pondering about just hit me -- I've always wondered what makes a good blog entry? For all the pontification that I and other have done on this subject, to me, it is simply this -- an entry that sheds light about an aspect of someone that wouldn't have been readily apparent otherwise to most. These types of entries are not the same as self-glorification or bragging, which I rarely find to be memorable (and abhorrent at worst).

I think that's this is what I really never did much of previously -- examine and discern my own self -- my personality with its passions and fears. And it's what's driving my renewed blogging -- my sense to explain myself somehow, where I'm coming from, and where I'm going to a larger -- albeit vaguer -- audience. A desire to communicate in writing, a form of communication that suits me and my extremely non-linear thinking much more than the spoken word. A desire to shed the veil of secrecy and mystery that I have built upon myself, and a way to cause me to look inwardly where I wouldn't otherwise have.