Hello world! This blog is liveee :)))
Let me first kick things off with a classic introductory post (that, let’s be honest, no one probably asked for :P) to explain why I started this blog:
At the top of my 2025 Random Side Quests list is designing as many landing pages and websites as possible—mostly for fun. (Old friends might remember my blogskin obsession during the Blogspot days—hopefully not my embarrassing posts…) But beyond nostalgia, it is a personal challenge to refine my design skills and pick up new ones along the way. And since my Hostinger plan allows unlimited websites, why not build one for myself?
Unlike my other projects, this website won’t be as design-focused. Instead, it’ll serve as a dedicated space to collect my thoughts and learnings—rather than letting them drift aimlessly in my mind, only to resurface in late-night bursts of restless thinking (a.k.a. zoomies before bed). Right now, even when I do write things down, they tend to be scattered across half-written Telegram messages to myself, random iPhone notes, and scribbles on loose sheets of paper.
Having a proper space to document everything will help me organize my thinking, improve my writing, and better articulate myself—all skills I want to develop. But for that to happen, I need to approach reading and learning with more intentionality and actively engaging with what I consume rather than passively absorbing information. This shift in mindset was partly inspired by Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, one of my favourite reads from last year.
The book follows Joshua Foer’s journey from an everyday guy with an average memory to winning the U.S. Memory Championship in just a year. While Moonwalking with Einstein primarily explores the art of memory—how anyone can train their brain using techniques from ancient Greeks and modern-day memory champions—it also touches on how our consumption habits affect our ability to retain and build upon information, albeit briefly.
Foer noted that our reading habits have shifted from intensive to extensive. In the past, when books were rare and less accessible, people tended to reread them, allowing time to reflect and fully absorb what they had learned. This process helped strengthen memory, as revisiting and engaging deeply with ideas reinforced retention.
Today, with an endless stream of content at our fingertips, we’re constantly racing to keep up with the latest book, article, or trend—consuming without pausing to process. Before we’ve had a chance to apply what we’ve read, we’re already onto the next thing. And then the next. And the next (definitely guilty of this oops).
By prioritizing breadth over depth, we risk letting ideas pass through us without truly retaining or integrating them, weakening our ability to recall and build upon what we learn. So that raises the question—if we don’t engage meaningfully with what we read and simply forget it, what is the point of reading?
Reading, whether fiction or non-fiction, serves a purpose beyond mere information intake. The value lies not just in consuming words but in how we engage with them. Without reflection, ideas slip through our minds without leaving a mark.
Non-fiction often requires deep engagement, as its ideas, perspectives, and knowledge take root only when actively processed and applied. Fiction, on the other hand, may seem more passive—after all, stories are meant to be enjoyed, not studied. But beneath the surface, fiction exercises our imagination, deepens our understanding of human emotions, and allows us to step into experiences beyond our own. Even when we don’t consciously analyze a novel, its themes, emotions, and narratives subtly shape our thinking in ways we may not immediately recognize.
Whether through the structured insights of non-fiction or the immersive narratives of fiction, meaningful reading isn’t just about absorbing information—it’s about questioning, challenging, and integrating it. This level of engagement demands patience and focus, pushing us to confront new perspectives, rethink assumptions, and refine our understanding of the world.
Beyond shaping our thinking, deep engagement fuels creativity. Foer describes creativity as “the ability to form similar connections between disparate images and create something new and hurl it into the future.” In this sense, creativity is future memory—our ability to draw from what we’ve learned, reimagine it, and build something original. But this process relies on a rich foundation of ideas and experiences, formed through meaningful engagement with what we read and with life.
New ideas don’t emerge from a vacuum; they arise from the “alchemical blending of old ideas.” To gain new insights, we must actively connect new learnings to what we’ve previously learnt, rethink assumptions, and challenge perspectives. Our ideas, and with them our memory, form an interconnected web, capturing new information more effectively when we pause to reflect and question. Without this process, ideas slip through without taking root, limiting our ability to create something truly meaningful.
And that’s what this page is for – a space to slow down, reflect, and truly engage with the ideas that excite me. Instead of letting thoughts slip away, I’ll try to make sense of them and see where they lead. If nothing else, at least my half-formed ideas will finally have a home!