Nov 11 2014

You never know

Geographically, this is what my current readership looks like.

I’m not a power blogger, I don’t have many followers, but that’s ok. World

The ones who have been following this blog for a while I’ve come to have a relationship with. There are artists, students, mothers, writers, photographers, poets, nurses, travellers, chefs, scientists, comedians. There are those writing to present a viewpoint, through pain, to figure something out, to document events, for justice, to hone their literary skills, out of necessity.

I can’t emphasise enough how you’ve inspired me. A photograph that speaks volumes. An encouraging post that came at a time of trouble. An experience so like my own that I’ve never been able to articulate. An idea that challenges my established opinion. Every moment like that is extraordinary.

We’ve not met each other. We come from very different places. It’s likely I’ve never visited your country and you may be the first in your culture I’ve ever encountered. The blog is our commonality and the first point of contact. You teach me things about your world that I may otherwise not know about.

What I learn is sometimes raw and personal. Someone is making themselves vulnerable by sharing an intimate experience. Sometimes the context is scientific and clinical. I’ve just been informed about history, a procedure, an observation. Whatever it is, I feel a little wiser. You’ve just helped me better understand the human condition.

So thanks for sharing. The world is a huge place. But connections are made every day, and we’re helping each other understand our world. Keep inspiring. Continue truth seeking. You never know who you will reach. You never know when your words comfort someone in need.

*Greenland, is anybody there?

Related posts:

Sample of blogs that inspire:

What do you get out of blogging? Why do you blog?

90 comments on “You never know”

      • Thank you, Pixie.
        Oh … about the November exams. I’m barely breathing now. But heavens! The semester is about to be over.
        I hope the Christmas season will give me more time in writing the novel. 🙂 I’m surprised that you are reading it!

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        • Good luck! I’m not too worried, you’re a smart cookie. Just remember to eat and drink when you study.
          I haven’t read the whole thing – I know you’ve published many parts to it on your blog already and will get to it at some point 🙂

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  2. I’m flattered, heh. 🙂
    Well, exams don’t kill me that much. The requirements, like term papers, are those that really torture me. Thanks for the advice … because I find myself not eating quite in time already. 😥

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    • Have healthy snacks! Celery sticks, carrots, hummus, tomatoes, cheese, dried mango. Avoid overly sugary foods as those, while they give you the initial kick, also deplete your energy fast. Haha though I’m sure you’re a veteran, and probably have your own stash of snacks and tips 🙂

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    • And thank you Stephanie. You’re the comedienne and the one who makes me laugh aloud. Whenever I need a little kick in life I know I can count on your writing. So clever too! When’s your next book coming out?

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  4. OHO thanks the the mention Pixie, I’m truly honoured 🙂 As an artist I always hope to inspire others in some way to see things in different ways.
    What’s with the blogging? Well before starting up on wordpress, I’ve never given much thought to writing so I would just post art and run. Actually, I used to do technical writing before so that kind of skewed my perception of it too…
    After trying out blogging101/201 my view had changed from just maintaining an art portfolio with a blog on the side to making a real effort into writing and engagement with the community. Honest expression is powerful regardless of the form and here is a place where I can find passionate people from all different walks of life – expressing themselves in their blogs either directly via opinionated posts or indirectly via visual or literary art forms. In turn, this inspires me as well so I guess it just goes on and on until we become parodies of ourselves…
    Also, I’ve never had a visitor from Greenland either lol

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    • You’re welcome SV, well deserved. Knowing that you don’t receive awards or lobsters, the least I can do is mention you in a link, right? Post art and run – that method works too, like flash fiction, but flash art? LOL. What kind of technical writing was it? Still art related or for something completely irrelevant like BMW manuals…?
      “Honest expression is powerful regardless of the form” – how very true. That’s why I like a vast array of blogs – be it yours that presents your creative art, or one that explains how the universe came to be through the laws of physics. I suspect that’s partially why OM’s blog is so popular (I think we both read him) – he’s offensive, but also vulnerable and honest. He’s not a one sided coin and there are many layers to his online persona.
      Did you know Greenland has a population of 56,370? For the longest time, I thought it had the mere hundreds. I had to wiki this. Only shows how ignorant I am of that part of town. But it’s also sovereign to Denmark, so would it show up as a “Denmark” hit or “Greenland”? Mystery mystery. Let me know when you get a hit!
      And thanks for flexing your writing here 🙂

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      • Well, it has nothing to do with art more like software manuals and IT business documentation… basically I got away with doing a bunch of screen shots because people don’t really read these things anyways 😛
        Yep I follow OM too and for the same reasons you noted. He’s transparent in his methods and I think it’s very generous of him to share them with us along with his unique personal story. Although it is truly his story, there are some parts of it we can all connect with on some level.
        Greenland has long been shrouded in mystery but it’s going to be pretty popular now that this giant oil reserve has been found nearby – naturally everyone nearby is trying to claim it! Maybe they would show up as Greenland as they have their own flag and government?
        Always a pleasure, keep blogging! 🙂

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        • Hey, the smart worker is the one who does the job with the least resources. Screen shots are legit. We as a world produce too much ‘stuff’ that never gets read anyway. I’m thinking Offering Memorandums, flyers and anything legalese.
          Agree with everything you say about OM. It’s quite something to aim at offending everyone yet be so loved. While I don’t completely agree with some of the anti-feminist (though often tongue in cheek) posts, I think he is well intentioned overall.
          Good points about Greenland. Now that I remember Walter Mitty in the movie travelled to Greenland. How could I forget? It’s a very interesting place that I’d love to learn more about.
          Sending positive vibes your way – good luck with the art!

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  5. Such a heart-warming post that I wish to know the writer more ahem ahem
    Hi there all the way from Mumbai, India but really not that far because once you make a connection, the distances shrink anyway 🙂 Pleasure to read you!
    Love, Veena

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    • Thank you Veena! I love reading about India because there’s just so much to it. It’s like small countries within a country. People speak multiple languages and there are so many different religions. I’m amazed how people manage to navigate it all, and find their place amid the complexity. Maybe many countries are like that, but India especially so to me.
      I’d love to bare my soul and tell everyone everything there is. Strangely, that interferes with my writing. Perhaps I’m still getting to know myself, finding my place in my own society and paranoid about being ‘discovered’. We’re a terribly small and crowded city. Everyone knows each other and I believe the degree of separation is at most three. I wouldn’t be able to write with the prying eye and judgement of people I know. Or it could be just me being weird.
      Hoping to read more of your work too! That’s a beautiful photo of you. Thanks for stopping by!

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      • India is intense. I can unfortunately say even I don;t know all there is to about my own country. My mum and dad are from two ends of the country, north and south, like literally, and it is really like they are different nationalities altogether so I agree to what you’re saying!
        Your response made my day and thank you so much for stopping by. I am looking forward to sharing so much more with you 🙂 Have a great day!

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  8. “You never know who you will reach. You never know when your words comfort someone in need.” Such haunting words, love them. I’ve only been following your blog for a while, Pixie. But I really like what you post about everyday life in Hong Kong. You blog with such honesty, and you are very, very gracious when it comes to responding to comments and interacting with all of us here.

    Like you, I blog to share. To speak out for Asian Australians and multiculturalism. To learn from everybody here and hear what they have to say. Blogging has taken me places I’ve never been before – “physically” and emotionally.

    Greenland? Earlier this year I connected with a blogger from that place: thefourthcontinent.com/

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    • Thank you Mabel. Once again, you have surprised me with your wisdom and resource! I checked out the Greenland blog and the first post I looked up was “How to piss off a Greenlander”. (While I was smiling amid the tongue in cheek style I also whispered to myself:) Whoops…I may have already said something that did. It’s probably one of those blogs that I will quietly read before having the confidence to comment. It’s my fear of the unknown, and therefore offending without knowing. I think we touched upon this on your post on racism. Just the images alone were intriguing and stunning.
      I love reading your blog, and when it comes to honesty and grace you come very very high up on the list. It’s not every day that you come across a blog that takes multiculturalism so seriously. All of us can benefit from a bit more international understanding 🙂

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      • I hope you find that Greenland blog exciting. It certainly is for me. I’m not much of a blog lurker. If I see a post I like, I will comment right away. If the writing or photos captivate me, I’m inclined to follow their blog. I’m also inclined to check out people’s blog if they regularly comment on mine. Spreading the love around 🙂

        Wisdom? Thanks, Pixie. I’m still young, have a lot to learn. Thank you for the nice words. This year I feel like I’ve strayed from writing-blogging about the hard-hitting side of multiculturalism. But posts about this side of culture are in the pipeline, the racism one was just the start 🙂

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        • Can’t wait, looking forward to your multiculturalism posts. That’s a good reminder – spreading the love. Though I may lurk around bit I do leave a comment once I feel there’s a connection 🙂

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    • Thank you for the kind words trb. I’m very glad to get your perspective on faith and church. I think you’re part of a rich and diverse church community despite the drama that goes on! Indeed, the reader is addictive.

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  10. Reblogged this on The Reluctant Baptist and commented:
    Pixie is one of the first people I met in Bloggerville. We became acquainted through her interesting and insightful comments. She is a very skilled conversationalist.

    In her post today, she nailed what makes blogging so wonderful, and what makes my reader so addictive. Plus, she mentioned me, so I love her.

    I could not have said it nearly as well, so, what she said:

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  12. Thank you! For not only calling out those who inspire you l, but also acknowledging that posting can be hard even for those brave enough to post something personal. It means a lot to know who read your stuff in return. 😊

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    • Very true taja, posting about very personal experiences takes much courage. Although we live in a world of over-the-top self promotion – reality TV, Facebook, even blogging to some extent – stories of real struggles and human resilience often gets drowned in the chatter. It’s encouraging to see that blogging helps those who are trying to find themselves, or working to break free of something that’s held them down. Overall I think this is a supportive and helpful community.

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  14. Write your blogs like how a tree flowers… It never expects anything, just keeps giving…. All profound things in life are free for all without expectations…. The sun, moon, sky, wind…. They give not because they wish to help or get help, but because it is their nature to give. Never count who is following and how many are following. Some one likes your blog, is following you, then very good… If there are no likes, still good… Enjoy the space and silence. You are the best blogger and you are also the best reader of your blog. Others are just additions. In between, just for your info, you have a follower from India :))

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    • Wow, a very different point of view Vidhya! That’s a philosophical way of thinking about blogging: even if we are blogging on our own, without recognition, we should still keep going. Another blog posted a similar thought a while back – that those who keep writing even in times of ‘fallow’ are to be commended. I think while it’s human to desire and need recognition and interaction, it’s also important to keep going even if there is none. In that past, that’s how writers finished great works.
      Honoured to know someone from India!

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  16. A wonderful post, and I can tell that following you will certainly be my pleasure. The fact that you mentioned at least two other Blogs that I follow confirms for me your good taste, and I was hooked on your writing skills after the first paragraph. Nice to meet you.

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    • Hi Patricia! How amazing to meet you here! Traveling at 71 – I can only hope that when I reach that age I can do what you do as well. I’m sure you have much wisdom to share with us 🙂 Looking forward to your stories!

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  22. Lovely! You made everyone feel so connected even without ever meeting 🙂 Word press is a great place indeed. Glad to have read this 🙂 reading more now
    Cheers,
    Yogini

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  28. Awwwh Pixieeeee you are the sweetest !!! Isn’t this what blogging world is about? to inspire and be inspired? I’m honored to be a part of your world and humbled that you are a part of mine ❤

    Hope our this WP friendship continues and we get to learn a lot from each other. Lots of love dear ❤

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  30. Thank-you Pixie, I battle with PTSD and the list of personal, up-close, in-my-face friends I have can be counted on the fingers of one hand. I Blog because the Blogosphere is my buffer zone, and with it in place, I can relate to hundreds, and even thousands of people that my natural fear of people would otherwise keep me from communicating with. Slowly, I am getting a little more comfortable in real-life situations, and so the Blogging is helping to chip away at the safety mechanisms gone wild that have fed this disorder for almost 50 years, and my counselors and I hope that someday, with the help of my blogging friends, we will overcome this problem, and I will be able to socialize more like a regular person. It’s a long, slow process, but there is light at the end of the tunnel thanks to many people just like you. Thanks a lot.

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    • While I don’t have much experience with PTSD, I’ve read about it and understand at a layman’s level the debilitating effect it has on a person’s life. Good for you for reaching out and making use of the blogosphere as a resource to heal. I’m happy to hear you found this post helpful and I’m hoping you continue to find and strengthen connections that have been made. Thank you for sharing your story, dbp49.

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    • I love the internet and particularly blogging as well 🙂 I know, it’s a very cool feature, that little map – it’s testament to the power of the pen. It doesn’t matter if you have 5, 500, 50000 followers – it means your writing and ideas are being spread, challenged. You’re moulding someone’s thoughts and they are moulding yours. Thank you for stopping by!

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