Today we celebrate two ¹ birthdays: Singapore’s 61st, Are.na’s 15th.

---

I was born in, grew up in, and stayed in Singapore for all my life. Most of my friends and all of my family is there. But I'm not there now.

I don’t miss the heat but I do miss how clean and orderly everything is. Sticking to the status quo is so awesome growing up because everything is mostly figured out for you; you just have to put in the work. But after a while it grates on you. It's not about having big ambitions, it's simply about trying to do things differently.

I never realized this until after I left for the US, but it somehow rears itself every time I come back to visit. I don't want to attribute this issue to Singapore alone; I'm sure it's more nuanced than that ². I'm just saying that no country is perfect.

Still, I love Singapore and owe much of where I am now to it. I hope it continues to prosper and flourish beyond what is now. It is my home after all.

---

I first signed up for Are.na in early 2018 while I was preparing for my final year fine arts exhibition in high school. I don't remember how I stumbled upon it. I was always the kind to sign up for and try out new online services though.

Unfortunately I just created it and sat on my account until 2021, when I actually used it to collect material for some typography class during my first semester of college.

I've been using it way more regularly since, and have also used it as a springboard to develop my programming skills by working on projects using its generous API.

I've made lots of new friends through Are.na; its community is one I feel most at home at compared to other places on the internet. I hope it both remains welcoming and stays that way forever.

---