Redesigned: A new theme for 2015

For those of you who frequent my blog enough to remember the old theme I’ve used on this blog since the turn of decade, thank you for being such a loyal reader. I’m honoured that you availed yourself of what little my sparse and callow writing has to offer.

I’m a nostalgic person. That much is evident from the collection of thoughts I have penned down over the years. So the old theme (pictured below), darker and more sombre, was a reflection of that wellspring of sadness within me. At every turn of my head, something reminded me of what was gone for good. I saw little children laughing at the playground and was reminded of a carefree childhood that would never return. At a family reunion I was shocked by how different my favourite cousins looked, but then I remembered that I myself mirrored their grown-up look and was left pining for the moments of innocent fun we once shared. I recalled a time when holidays meant we were left to our own devices and truly free, instead of being a life-saving breather to catch up with schoolwork.

Old theme from before

But then I finally took the most drastic step of all. I left the cocoon that had nested me for all two decades of my life. I left home.

Now that I’m studying abroad, things around me are unprecedentedly unfamiliar. There is little to remind me of what I have left behind, but ironically that makes me miss home now more than ever. Standing in the middle of Times Square, surrounded by an endless stream of faceless people jostling past you, can be immensely lonely.

But months of living abroad alone also gave me a fresh perspective. There is something empowering about walking down a busy street entirely foreign to you and yet be able to hold your own. Sans the familiarity of home, I started out hesitant, but my footsteps soon settled into a firm, rhythmic clop-clop-clop as I strode down the world-famous Broadway in New York City. And then I realised that I had finally grown up — not just in mannerisms and appearance, but emotionally as well. I was ready to step into the world without relying on family to catch me if I fall.

So today I finally paid less heed to my nostalgia. I steeled myself to abandon the old theme for this brighter and cheerier one you see now, with significantly more modern design elements. But the site title and tagline “Under the starry night sky | Open plains and the cool November breeze”, I left unchanged.

After all some things — like home — are worth holding on to. Hope you like the new look!