Origins.

Welcome to my website and I hope you will enjoy my at times unintelligible ramblings. If you are reading this, you are either one of my OGs or someone who is very interested to know more about me. Either way, you are most welcome, whether old or new faces. This is officially my first post on my website and I will outline the objectives of this blog as follows.

1.) Establish a brand.

With social media platforms having existed for nigh over a decade and having matured from infancy, it would appear I am rather late to the social (media) milieu. Indeed I believe that I am but such barriers have never deterred me. Establishing a brand shall assist me in forming my identity, both virtual and physical. I am often teasingly criticised by friends for not sharing the highlights of my life. Or at least they think my life is interesting when I think the opposite. Oversharing and obsession with social media is highly damaging to the soul yet, the democratisation of communications and photography with social media and camera phones respectively still contains many silver linings.

I had a thought to start this website during 2020’s COVID-19 lockdowns and during which, I struggled with extreme depression, anxiety and freshly diagnosed adult ADHD. This was not alleviated by the commencement of my law degree alongside long-distance with my girlfriend at the time. Consequently, I seldom expressed gratitude and struggled to see the small things in life that did bring me immense happiness. Establishing a brand through this blog will record my highlights and I can provide myself with a tangible journal of sorts to reminisce fondly back upon. Yet I intend to remain honest to myself and my audience, to open express lowlights of my life when I desire to share them, in order to mitigate social media’s critiques. Those critiques are ones of FOMO and status anxiety from witnessing another’s highlights without experiencing any personally. Fear not dear reader for this blog intends to act as a motivational guide for you while still remaining grounded to remain relevant and humanist.

2.) As a hobby.

Establishing a brand is not about monetisation; I seek to work on my brand as a passion and side hobby.

Hobby is the keyword here.

A hobby is commonly defined as an activity done so in one’s leisure time and done so regularly. This blog therefore aims to be one of a leisurely pastime and not as a chore. The last thing I need in my life is to do add another unwanted responsibility to my life. A realistic goal that I have outlined for myself is to post once a week. This blog’s fun comes from not just my ramblings but also from designing the actual website itself. My friends in UI/UX design alongside computer engineering have related to me the beauty of virtual design that can transcend the parameters of the physical realm. I enjoy hobbies that teach me a new skill and learning to code and do graphic designs are useful tools to add to my repertoire, and significantly different to my current humanities focussed skillset. Becoming a diverse person is highly important to me.

3.) Because I want to be proud of my name.

My name is fairly common. Or so I am told. I have yet to meet another with the same name as me but whenever a complete strangers’ requests to add me on social media, numerous Jason Xus pop up before mine does. Hence, jasonxu.com would appear to be a valuable asset in determining myself not merely as a Jason Xu but the Jason Xu. I have to come to enjoy my name as one derived from many cultures. Jason is of Greek origin with its current pronunciation derived from English. Xu is a traditional Chinese last name derived from the Shanghai area and is also the surname of Marvel’s Shang-Chi. I may be viewed as narcissistic but so be it, so long as I can be personally proud of my good intentions. With my name, I want to cement a legacy I can be proud of. The meaning of life is to find our own meanings in what makes us happy and fulfilled. For myself, that entails having my name remembered for elevating humanity and my fellow human beings intellectually, spiritually, romantically, artistically, emotionally, and last but not least, physically.

With all that said and done, I look forward to presenting you my dear reader with carefully curated interests from my life. Look forward to seeing topics such as food, philosophical musings, lifestyle showcases, and my absurdist opinions on current affairs. Here’s to the future of jasonxu.com!