Justin Li

Journaling and Blogging

2007-10-10

Some people may ask (like "frequently asked questions"... no one ever asks) why I keep a blog as well as a personal journal. They both serve the same purpose of recording one's life, thoughts, and other events.

I don't know about other people, but for me there is a fairly big difference between what I write in this blog and what I write in my journal. The topics of this blog are much more mundane. That doesn't mean they're not important, but that they are not personal. The most personal thing I will write here is a surface description of an event, like a GSW session or an NUOC trip. I don't write about feelings or emotions, at least not the ones that matter.

This blog does however serve a purpose. I wouldn't write about Doodle in my journal, because it's insignificant to my life as a whole. I won't talk about micro-blogging, or theremins, or how to use Javascript to cheat free hosting servers. These all belong here. They form the smaller details in my life, things that make me happy on a minute to minute basis. I may forget them soon, but by putting them here I hope other people will discover something about life that they didn't know before, and in so spread the joy in finding something new.

In my journal I may keep detailed analysis of people, doubts about my life, about the future. Those may be pages long, with references to previous journal entries, filled with juicy details about other people's lives (, and long lists like this one). These thoughts and feelings are too personal to share, and so I don't post them up. In fact, I'm sure a lot of people will be angry at me if I posted my entire journal. There are too many secrets and internal judgments.

Having said that, I still hope you dear readers will enjoy this blog. If you find something interesting, leave a comment! I would love to know what ideas interest other people, to "make that secret connection that's nothing more than finding out that someone else is wandering through this world with the same hopes and uncertainties as you." - XKCD.com