journal
journal
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
JOURNAL
Life

Have you ever been invited to a wrong party?

You know, the kind of party that the foods taste like shit and everyone is speaking in a foreign language. The damn music is too freaking loud too. Oh, here comes the host! But then, off he goes in 15 seconds to attend other guests...


So, what should you do? Should you tell them to:


a. Speak in your language?
b. Turn off the stupid music?
c. Replace the crap with a healthier menu?



That’s how I usually feel when I try to give feedback to other people’s writing. I sound like an unimaginable jerk, but my intention wasn’t pure evil from the start.


I was trying because I believe the positive power of feedback is real. It is life-changing. I’ve never received such high-quality feedback on my writing (and on my identity) until recently. So, having received the amazing feedback from my peers, I naturally wanted to pass on the goodwill by doing my part too.


However, there surfaced a challenge.


Reading other people’s writings exhausted me. I felt bad for feeling bored. I suppose I should’ve told them that they are boring. But then, I was diplomatically-handicapped to say, “Yo bro, your writing sucks.”


Besides, if they don’t trust me or respect me to start out with, why would they care what I say? Yes, I could’ve told them nicely, “This sentence confuses me because I have no idea what these words mean.” But most writers write toward their own group with their own set of codes. My feedback would’ve been completely irrelevant.


Then, at the end of the reading, my impossible questions drained me out completely.

How can I convince him to write without so many jargons?

How can I convince her to skip the BS and speak with her own voice?

Why does he come off as so moralistic and how could I even suggest to question his moral value?


So, we are back to the terrible party situation I talked about at the start.


What should I do to improve the party?


How can I help them change their food, music, and language?


It took me a whole week to figure this out. The answer is simple.


D. Fire up Uber app and take off.


Being an intruder, after all, sucks for everyone. I shouldn’t pretend to belong in a community where I feel uncomfortable because I can only accept them the way they are. It’s about time that I learn the lesson: People hate people who try to change them.


Luckily, the internet is big enough for all of us. From now on, I will offer my time and feedback only to those who actually care to speak to me in my language. That way, people from a different tribe don’t have to waste their time reading my pointless comments.


In short, I need to find my people scattered around the globe by creating my content.


Okay, I am now ready to write my next article!

portrait of hipster donkey

How to place an element within a grid to exactly where you want it to be

How to place an element within a grid to exactly where you want it to be

Development
read more

How to work as a team within a same Webflow account without signing up for a team account

How to work as a team within a same Webflow account without signing up for a team account

Business
read more

How can I brag responsibly?

How can I brag responsibly?

Is imposter syndrome a real medical condition like having some weird virus in my body? Or is that just a new PC way of bragging? If bragging doesn’t sound right

A Masked Reminder: Kill Me, I Beg You

A Masked Reminder: Kill Me, I Beg You

I admit that I was careless. Maybe because I was too happy and relaxed that the recent project was well received by the client. It was supposed to finish in 4 weeks

Business
read more

Are you ready to turn back?

Are you ready to turn back?

Sorry, but it just seems so f***ing "loco." That’s what I always thought. But I came to empathize more with them last week. That’s when I realized that I, too, was doing my own

Pick Your Pain

Pick Your Pain

I need to learn this stuff. Fast. I can’t keep asking dumb questions. What should I do? Should I join a community of smart people? My engineer friend told me to join online forums

Driving While Eyes Closed

Driving While Eyes Closed

I’ve decided to start driving with my eyes closed. Oops. I don’t even have a real driver’s license. You’d better get out of my way before I step on it.

I’m a “racist” designer.

I’m a “racist” designer.

And my job is to help you steal two seconds from a person of your choice. How do you pick a bottle of wine? By price? Year? Vineyard? Occasion?

Business
read more

My “No-Brainer” Brain = Muscle Experiment

My “No-Brainer” Brain = Muscle Experiment

I’m no physician, so I’m not sure if a brain is a muscle (probably not) but I’m getting increasingly more suspicious of its true identity.

Webflow: The Bespoke Website for the 1%

Webflow: The Bespoke Website for the 1%

Most people don’t need a website. But let’s say that you do want one. Then, where should you start? There are so many options. There are so many explainer videos and paid articles

Business
read more