一年回顧 / A Year in Review

In the evening of June 8, 2006, I was at home sipping tea and surfing the Net when I happened to come across San Wen Ji's 散文集. What caught my immediate attention was the way the author characterized the blog: 『散落在文字裡情感的收集，為之“散文集”』.It conveyed a sense of being frank and open, of sharing thoughts, and of capturing fleeting sentiments that otherwise would have been forgotten with the passage of time. There were also snippets of thoughts on work issues that reflected the author's workplace experience. San Wen Ji's blog rekindled my desire to write (outside of work), something that had been buried over the years for various reasons. I have always been a creative person - not that I am a professional artist - and that side of me yearns to find an avenue to express myself. As well, I had the desire to retool my Chinese language skill, having used only English and French in Canada for many years.

My blogging started two months later and my first post entitled "Lotus and Cedar: Site under construction" on September 14, 2006 depicted a ruin site in Rome with the caption "This is going to take a while ....." The posting reflected my belief in personal rebirth, revitalization, and reacquainting with the past. The pen-name “微豆∕Haricot”was chosen to signify that I am one of the beans in a pod that in turn is one in a field of millions in the country and, of course, "Haricot" represents the European liaison and French connection.

Looking back, here are some observations and thoughts:
* I find blogging satisfying but also time consuming if I want to go beyond just chitchatting.
* Wikipedia's information are "relatively" more reliable compared to other blog-based sources. I have to remind myself that there is no institutionalized quality assurance/control of public info on the web.
* It's always a challenge to pass judgement on the nature and type of info to be posted. Once in the public domain, personal data, statements, and multi-media materials (video, pictures, etc) become non retrievable and can be used by anyone in any way, shape or form, with or without the author's permission.
* I greatly appreciate the thoughtful comments from my blog friends and readers who are always polite and respectful of other people's opinions.
* I am surprised by how much my writing style and choice of subjects have expanded over the short 12 months. To me, a web-based "second life" (and I don't mean Second Life) is one way to complement but not to replace my life in the real-world. In that sense, there is no difference in between blogging and creative writing, painting for fun, watching a movie, reading a novel, or talking to people.

In closing, I have learnt a lot since the first blog appeared a year ago. I enjoy sharing my thoughts and reflections with my friends/readers on the web, without imposing on anyone. I intend to follow my original "Blog Statement" that says:
"My bilingual blog (English and Chinese) offers a wide variety of topics, including: my daily thoughts; romance/love; traveling pictures of Venice, Rome and other cities; memories of my youth in Hong Kong; running marathons; and other aspects of life in Canada."

It's getting late. So, I will say to my global friends/readers: See you / 就此擱筆 / Alors, à la prochaine / Grazie, ciao !!!

微豆∕Haricot
(September 14, 2007)

References:

San Wen Ji - First visit

Lotus and Cedar: Site under construction