I haven’t been blogging for awhile, and here’s why – I’ve had a go at living a normal life. I checked my twitter messages a lot less, unsubscribed to Wired’s Top Stories and a whole bunch of other popular feeds, and instead I just… “did stuff”. I spent a bit more time cooking at home, dining out at different places around London, devoting more focused time to my day job, getting through my large stash of ebooks and audiobooks and listening to more music through some really amazing earphones I bought a few weeks ago.
Good life, slower life
I’m quite happy about the progress. Comparatively, there’s a lot more junk on the internet, and being able to consume quality experiences in a much longer duration (preparing a meal, reading a book, going out for dinner with my wife) has been more satisfying to say the least.
One thing that bugs me is the sheer amount of experiences out there I feel I ought to try. And it’s a bit scary – because it feels a bit unsafe, a bit edgy… something that demands a bit more commitment and resources than clicking buttons all day. Because I know I can read the best tutorial about designing a chair and it won’t come close to what it’s really like to build a chair (just as an example).
Today I attempted to cook fried rice again – a dish I’ve cooked countless times, but have never perfected. And although it tasted a little better, it wasn’t good enough. And, it seems I could spend more time perfecting a good fried rice, or I could go learn to cook something else… but again that’s like another lesson all over again.
More risks, more planning
The thing is – I’m at the point in my life where I am calculating more than I am taking risks. I don’t want each attempt to be wasted. Not all risks that are taken will lead to learning and success. Idiots do exist, and I don’t want to end up being one.
I’m shifting my focus away from the younger generation, a generation I learnt a lot from in previous years. Some things in life don’t change, and there’s a reason why history repeats itself. In a single lifetime, I believe it is possible to learn from our past, and make a difference a day at a time towards a better future – my future.
In a sense, I’m going to stop looking to the future in order to fix my past.