Re:

I think here goes the mandatory I-don't-know-what-to-write-or-how-to-start-writing-a-blog.

It's funny because I started writing blogs when I was 16ish, and since then I have blogged on numerous sites from Blogspot to WordPress to Wix. So starting to write in my 30's should be easy. I have a lot of things going on in life, which equals to having a lot of things to talk about, but ironically most of them aren't things that are deemed socially acceptable to share, openly. I did not know that classes, grades, exams, teachers, friends, family outings etc. were the easiest things to write about (no wonder they keep giving family, school, or holiday themed essay questions, 'cus those are easy stuff. You don't have think about them!).

But, hold on. Now that I think of it, I still do have those things going on in my life, uhuh, in my thirties... I still attend training and courses, some are more serious than some other, I still have exams (coming up in September!), and another exam to renew my Microsoft Power BI certification, and I happily still have close friends who stay so far away (I'm not being dramatic but I think every friend who is not a short drive away is a distant close friend, iygwim), and obviously I have a family that has a lot of fun dramas too lol. I don't know, maybe being an adult, working in a professional setting, realising how the world works, it makes you doubt everything you plan to share with the world (yes, you my readers are the world). I think our society has become so complex that your every move has to be calculated. It's a dangerous world, admittedly, but it's also about protecting the privacy of your loved ones and respecting the organisations you work for and the people you work with. So yeah, it takes a lot of thinking before you hit the keyboard to, like, ramble about a colleague or whatever.

I fully believe in the dichotomy of personal and professional lives, unless you are a person whose professional business is built on personal branding. Having said that, I also believe that there are professional stories that can get personal (no, not the my-boss-scolded-me-and-I-took-it-personally kinda personal). I don't feel like it's a place to explain what I mean; maybe you can stick around and explore my blogs to see how I think it works.

My plan for this blog was to make it a place where I can write about my professional journey, but with personal touches, with genuine reflection, not like I'm writing for LinkedIn. Don't get me wrong, I'm still genuine when I am on LinkedIn... All I'm saying is, you know the usual overly exaggerated stuff you see on LinkedIn? Yeah, I don't want that here. I hope that by writing on this website, those who are interested in collaborating or working with me would get a glimpse of who I am. I think people can judge people by the way they write and what they write about. I can't speak for everyone but to me, personality is a huge factor. All right, all right... You know what, I reaaaally can't stop having multiple voices in my head that keep countering each other... Just a few seconds ago, I had this other voice telling me, "Huh, you're SO confident you have a personality that would attract (insert smirk emoji)." But I'm gonna ignore that voice now.

I will just keep blogging because I want to showcase how much of a multidimensional and multiskilled I am as an individual. Hear me out, let me spill a secret. I am so done getting stereotyped as a typical language nerd who knows nothing about maths, tech, politics, arts, etc.. I'm not trying to brag, but lemme tell you my maths is perfect, I am the most tech savvy person I have met in this world (minus those former colleagues at Google), I discuss real politics on a regular basis, I have a good taste in design (please tell me my website is nice), I teach people how to write, how to pivot/unpivot tables, how to use spreadsheet formulas; I built, own, and manage this website alone, I resolve technical issues at work, I do data analysis as a hobby, I plan family travels all the time because I'm very much of a thorough manager who everyone can trust, and I am a nerdy who studies the places she's visiting because she's a big history and culture enthusiast, and there are just so many things I enjoy doing and am kinda good at. So yes, I just want to undo all the stereotypes I have experienced, all my adult life. Seriously, I have so much to offer and I think people stop reading my profile or resume at "linguist", as if I had nothing else to offer. So please allow me to reintroduce myself and let's get to know each other!