Hi! I’m back again with something new 🙂
As we step into the new year, I thought I’d share some fresh perspectives.
Just recently, I was reading back some of my old posts and found them kinda cute for lack of a better word…? On reflection, I noticed the overarching theme is about uncertainty, especially in our 20s when we start navigating big life changes.
Honestly, I can’t say I’ve been more certain since then, but at least I can better accept it’s fine the way it is now.
Two things I’m very certain though:
- I’ve grown older
- I’m still alive in one piece, thankfully
Last month, I travelled a few places on my own, with friends and also with family. And I often found myself in the middle of a couple of misadventures. As unfortunate as I was, I consider myself lucky to be able to share with you the moments and lessons that stuck.
Taking risks
From hiking mountains, to riding past valleys and surfing waves, I wandered high and low and through thick and thin. But you know things don’t always go as planned.
Crazy me took the risk of riding a ~600km loop around Chiang Mai on a motorbike in four days.
And on the very first day, I crashed… when I ran over an unsuspecting road bump after a steep hairpin loop. Thankfully I was fully covered and escaped with a few abrasions and a torn pants.
The feeling of crashing sucked so bad though. Looking back, I’m glad I crashed early. It made me aware that I had mediocre bike control even though I was licensed. I was an inexperienced rider who underestimated the roads in Thailand.
The whole ~600km ride was hell of a ride really. Thrilling and freeing it was, I was most of all humbled the hard way. I definitely rode more cautiously and gained greater bike confidence. Proud to say I didn’t crash again for the remaining days!
That was not the only mishap, sadly 🙁
Another thing I discovered was I’m not the luckiest person when it came to hiking mountains. I still can’t believe I broke a new shoe I bought two days before hiking Mount Kinabalu. It was such a nightmare walking over slippery rocks with your soles flapping all over. Luckily, I managed to get them stitched together at the resthouse.
Yes, I had a few more misfortunes here and there, but I’m just too embarrassed to disclose too much 🤐
Besides the pain, misery and laughs, if there’s one thing I took away — it’s taking risks. I won’t deny I felt daunted after getting into incidents repeatedly. But I’ll say the aftermath was not something irreparable or irreversible. If there’s something I’m truly grateful for was receiving help from a great bunch of friends and surprisingly strangers along the way.
I believe sometimes the biggest risk is not taking any risks at all. While the fear of failure is so real and the unknowns of life can be so intimidating, it’s usually where the most rewarding experiences lie. Often, the reward of growth far outweighs the fears that one has.
Of course, taking risk is different from being reckless. I would convince myself the risks I took were justified hehehe… It was definitely worth the ups and downs, all for the views, friends, animals and… insects??? I think if there is sufficient commitment, competence and “computation” (for rhyme’s sake), all’s good! The margin of eating dirt is low 😉
Social media
During a family trip to Bali, I realised most of our lives are increasingly online nowadays. Ok, not doxxing anybody — I came to this realisation when I noticed my (???) was spending lots of time scrolling, taking photos and editing videos for the gram, at the expense of being present and having meaningful conversations.
Of course, (???) is way more active and far better than me at the numbers game on social media.
Before I go on rambling, disclaimer first: some may not agree with my stance on social media, and it’s ok. What matters is you do whatever you deem is healthy and comfortable, for you.
Now back to the crux of the matter.
Our trip to Bali made me re-evaluate my relationship with social media, which was more complicated than I thought. I began questioning where do we draw the boundaries between our digital and personal lives? Or is there any privacy of our own left at all?
At least within my circles, I am aware of friends who are actively posting and friends who avoid the app altogether. Then there’s also a few who disappeared from social media for their reasons.
So, I was inspired to research about social media and its links to well-being, and I chanced upon this article which I found particularly insightful for its balanced take.
I agree with the writer that social media can be a double-edged sword. Whether it benefits us boils down to our mindset when using social media. Are we using social media or is social media using us? With AI algorithms becoming more clever in drawing our attention, are we still in control of our social media usage?
I believe we can truly gain from social media when we are intentional about our own use. That could be sharing awesome content that you fancy, connecting with friends/professionals from everywhere or promoting a business.
I think the danger lies when we let social media distort our own reality. It’s easy to fall prey to information bias, leading to a misrepresented view of the world and our place in it. Social media platforms are after all driven by recommendation algorithms that persuades us to sink into “rabbit holes” of the similar kind of content, albeit more intense.
It’s also very human to make social comparisons when we see others having it all online. The fear of missing out (FOMO) kicks in and we start feeling envious or inadequate.
But all we’re really doing is viewing someone through rose-tinted glasses. What others share online is often a carefully curated version of their lives, far from the full picture. Life is rarely as it’s portrayed on social media — because, let’s face it, some days life is just straight up sh*t.
Unless it’s really problematic, I don’t think it’s necessary to remove all forms of social media entirely. I believe the key here is to be mindful of our digital habits, the content we consume online and understand that not everything should be trusted online. It’s up to us to play the game right or be played by the game.
Being present
In the same train of thought, my travel experiences made me appreciate the art of just being present. For most of my memorable events, I was really forced to be fully engaged in the moment. There was no way I could afford to be distracted when a big wave is approaching or when I’m climbing down rock faces ~4000m above sea level…
I think being present is also about learning to disconnect. Fun fact: did you know brain rot is named Oxford Word of the Year 2024?
It’s good news that we as netizens are noticing the negative impacts of excessively doomscrolling “low-quality” online content. This means we should all the more disconnect before we are brain dead HAHA. On a more serious note, if you feel like you are getting played by the online world, it might be time to step back and take a break.
Lastly, being present to me is putting the experience first before anything else. Noticing our emotions and responses in the moment without judgement and appreciating that we can be content with small, simple things.
I’m all for sharing awesome moments and capturing nice photos. But I’ve come to appreciate being fully present in those fleeting experiences matters far more than obsessing over the perfect shot for likes and comments.
In the end, it’s the personal meaning we attach to these moments that holds intangible value, and not the external validation we might receive.
That’s all folks!
Happy New Year guys! Thanks for reading through my shenanigans and “intellectual” yappings. Hopefully I provided something you can take away for 2025.
I’ll also like to hear from you: What’s your stance on social media?
P.S. Oh yes, I’m looking forward to more culinary adventures again! See you soon 😀
Further reading
Is social media making you unhappy? The answer is not so simple
The Psychology of Why We Fall Down Internet Rabbit Holes | The Swaddle
‘Brain rot’ named Oxford Word of the Year 2024 – Oxford University Press