Did I Just Start a Blog?

Ever wondered why someone decides to start sharing their thoughts with the world?

Well, if you knew me at 11 (insert meme - Ariana, what are you doing here?), you might remember my first web development project was a blog. Even then, for some reason I believed I had opinions worth sharing. Fast forward 11 years, and it turns out, the desire to create long-form content still hasn't faded. So, I've decided to give in to that urge and start sharing some of my random musings with the world.

So…why now?

There are a few reasons why I've finally decided to start this now. One major reason is that I've stopped caring so much about seeming lame or uncool. As a teenager, doing anything slightly different felt like a direct ticket to being judged or side-eyed. But I've grown to understand that the people whose opinions really matter to me wouldn't BOMBASTICALLY side-eye at someone for stepping out and trying something new.

Another big push comes from diving deeper into the world of startups and tech as a first-time founder. It's become clear to me that most people I respect and admire make it a point to share their thoughts publicly and regularly—whether through blogs, videos, or tweets. They're not just sharing; they're sharing consistently. It's incredibly cool to see their perspectives and writings from different stages in their lives, especially before they became prominent and successful.

I've always admired those who keep journals or blogs as a way to reflect on their younger selves' thoughts and experiences. While I may not have documented the first 22 years of my life in this way, starting now feels like a step in the right direction. After all, better late than never, right?

One of the biggest reasons I've decided to start this blog—aside from a nudge from some responses to my tweet about it—is the incredibly exciting phase of life I'm currently navigating. I feel like I'm learning and growing so much. I've started doing things the younger me would have never believed—like taking two months out to travel Southeast Asia, founding a startup, and moving halfway across the world to the States for three months to participate in one of the best accelerator programs in the world.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm finally at a point in my life where I'm having exciting and unique experiences and learnings that other people might actually find kinda interesting.

I could probably rattle off a bunch more reasons why I'm kicking off this blog now, but let's cap it here to avoid turning this first blog into a never-ending scroll.

What kind of blogs should you expect?

The short answer - whatever pops into my head on any given day.

The slightly longer version? You'll mostly find me chatting about software engineering, productivity, the startup world, random life lessons, and my less-than-successful attempts at getting philosophical.

Then there's another flavour of content you'll probably run into. Every now and then, I get utterly consumed by a random topic that grabs my interest and turns into my latest short-term hyper-fixation, leading to what my friends have lovingly termed as my "info dump" sessions.

Except now, instead of just bombarding them, I'll be sharing these deep dives with all of you. Some of my most recent topics of interest include exploring the history and impacts of the slave trade on Muslim identity in the US, dissecting the complex reasons behind the high rates of sexual violence in South Africa and analysing the craziness that is Nancy Pelosi's stonks game.

So that's what to expect. If you're into hearing about tech or startups, or just wanna see what weird stuff I'm obsessing over now, stick around. Who knows? You might find some of it kinda cool, or at least, entertaining.

What do I want to take-away from writing a blog?

So far, I've shared the whys behind starting this blog and what you can expect to find here. But what about the gains I want on my end? Well, I'm hoping to use this for a sort of outlet. Writing has always had this way of clearing my head and sorting through the messier parts of my life. There's something about putting thoughts to paper (or screen, in this case) that makes everything feel a bit more tangible, a bit more manageable.

I'm also aiming to sharpen my writing skills. Practice, as they say, makes perfect, and I'm under no illusion that my writing couldn't use a bit of polishing. The very act of knowing others might read my words pushes me to structure my thoughts more coherently and less like the chaotic "stream of thought" writing I employ when journalling.

The final thing I want to take-away is getting into some interesting chats with people over whatever I end up writing about. Whether it's some random life lesson I've learned or my latest obsession. It's a chance for me to see things from a different angle, learn something new, and just expand my understanding of the world. Plus, hearing what you all think about these topics could open up a whole new perspective for me. So yeah, sparking up conversations based on my posts? That'd be sick.

Originally published on Substack, now hosted on my own site.