This is my first proper post so I guess it’s useful to do some sort of mapping before I jump in. Where my last blog traced the last 5 or so years of my life, I see this one lasting for a while longer. I’m entering the definitive young adult part of my life, where I’m thinking about topics of career, purpose, and justice in a more mature and nuanced light. I’m making a concerted effort to choose the people I want to keep in touch with and am selecting projects to be a part of based on a larger vision.

It’s really quite exciting, but I would be lying if I told you that I’m not any more nervous. The safety nets are being taken away and I’m going to have to take some huge risks to follow what I believe in.  There will be some structure to this blog, but there also will be chaos. I’m learning to become a fan of that: structure in chaos and chaos in structure.

I want to do more reviews – I want to read books, listen to podcasts, watch documentaries and make my own analysis of all of them. I want to build a thought product that is synthesized from the accumulation of experiences past and my own journey thus far.

I also want to do more reflections on major moments in my life. My friends and followers have reached out to me, mentioning the connection they feel to my posts and perspectives. I’m not delusional – I know I cultivate a rather privileged lifestyle but the truth is that a lot of this lifestyle is new to me and it feeds on itself. My character, principles, and values have been consistent though, and you’ll see that in every post I put up. My contexts may change, and boy do they do, but I fight to make my own place in this world and I fight that others may have theirs. That’s my narrative, and that narrative connects a lot to multiple parts of my identity. As Singaporeans, we fight to have a sovereign place in this world. As an immigrant, I still craft my own place as a Singaporean within this country. My introspection has not been self-indulgent but instead ironically outward-looking, trying to connect myself with a wider way of life.

And that brings me to the name of this blog. The Magic in the Space Between. A while ago, I told a good friend about my favorite movie series – the Before Trilogy. In my explanation, I discovered that a lot of what I loved about the movie was the balance between words said and words unsaid. In the attempt to understand, we discover the secrets in themselves that ask us to keep them hidden. And so, as I continue to make my place in this world, and continue to fight bullies that stop others from making their place in this world, I hope to derive a connection to the cosmos and life that allows me to understand the magic that exists. I will write about these attempts and I will trace how they shape my life.

I’ve thought about how these blogs will play a role in my future. I do want to play a larger role in my society and I am conscious that someday if not random people then at least my family will find these posts and gain insight into my development as a person. I’ve been truthful in all that I write, sometimes even making controversial claims, but one must understand that development and growth are not without error or exploration. I don’t trust anyone who believes in absolute truth because then they have never left their own area of comfort. We can only live a life true to ourselves, every day, every moment.

Here we are, I do think we’re ready to begin. And oh, I’m so excited….

make a difference.