an introduction to the classroom.

I just checked: my last entry on my previous blog was on January 21, 2011. Wow. I cannot believe that it’s been pretty much a year since I posted anything. So you may ask: why am I blogging again, if I was already struggling to frequently update my old one? And it’s a good question – and I will seek to answer it in entry no. 1 here. My brief introduction to this new blog, I suppose.

No, it’s not a new year resolution of any sort – it really is pure coincidence that I am writing again at the start of 2012. The real reason is that I needed a blank slate to start all over again. It’s a clichéd response, but hear me out.

The thing about  holding on to something that’s been there for years is that you tend to become to comfortable and afraid, even, to write new things in  fresh ways that contradicts the style that your readers – but most importantly, you – have gotten used to.

Over the years, my blog had slowly morphed into a mere mouthpiece for my opinions – some of which I’m no longer entirely sure are even legitimate or reasonable. Age and experience has certainly taught me some philosophies and principles about how to lead my life, but opinions – opinions are something else altogether.

Opinions, once uttered, have a stubborn nature about them; they have an enormous reluctance in backing down, and they can be restrictive to our own thought process and indeed, to our ability to be honest with ourselves -which sometimes, is ironically the most crucial ingredient in creating ideas that are truly great.

Meet the Honesty Bean and Mr Ego - more on these classroom characters soon.

There were days when I felt like I wanted to write something, or just express a fleeting thought, but I felt as though I was being held back by things that I had already said. It’s strange. I’m not sure if you even understand what I’m getting at, but the point is this: this new blog serves to detach myself from that familiarity which has become restrictive.

Instead, what I wish to express in this blog will be very different. On some days, it may be a sudden stroke of inspiration; on others, it might be just an inconclusive and incomplete piece of artwork or a stand-alone musical riff. And I don’t think I’ve had that for awhile – an outlet to, quite simply, express what I’m feeling. So simple, yet so powerful.

And writing has always been so for me – a great force in my never-ending road to self-discovery. I believe you learn so much more about yourself when you are able to put your thoughts down, because that allows you to reflect upon your past experiences, and derive meaning from the ideas and emotions that they evoked.

And that’s what this blog is about: not another opinion-based blog, not another afatpenguin (where I write snippets of my personal values and philosophies), but a place for me to learn about myself, about life and my place in the world. It is a personal collection of my thoughts, lessons and revelations.

Welcome, dear reader, to the School of Zhi.

Credits to Wai Shan for coming up with the name for this blog!