Who am I
I’m a second-generation East Asian, living in England near London. My parents moved to the UK before I was born. We used to own a restaurant; I remember going downstairs and hearing the crackle of the woks, seeing the bustle from the kitchen staff, and the door that would flap open every 30 seconds as dishes would be moving across the cold metal kitchen tops into the waiters’ hands, who would promptly dash out the same door to the customers.
I had a pretty typical East Asian upbringing. My parents were busy managing the business, and I was told that I needed to get good grades so that I could go to university, graduate, and get a well-paying job.
I never liked the idea. I was lucky enough to be taken on quite a few family trips abroad when I was young. I loved seeing people from all walks of life, and I connected more with the local aunties running small family bakeries than I did with people working in corporate environments.
Since my dad was Chinese and my mother was Thai, I mostly travelled to both Hong Kong and Thailand. I remember sitting under the blazing sun, drinking Pocari Sweat or Vita. We were doing well financially at the time (enough to go on these trips abroad, at least), but the places I stayed were considered rural.
Back in Thailand, we would herd chickens and pigs or go to the rice fields to harvest grains. When we were in Hong Kong, I would cycle around the area, play in the local park, and get overly invested in Bakugan, Gundam, or Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Even though life was considered simple, those were some of my happiest memories.
As I got older, studies became more serious and my parents got busier, and I suddenly had to decide what kind of life I wanted to lead. I often sat there contemplating the question in my room — I wanted to reclaim that feeling of a simple life, not only that, but since I was quite isolated and shy as a kid, I wanted to become someone I could look up to.
I had no interest in studying or going to university. I knew the cards I had available to me, and I knew the hand I wanted to play. I started going to the gym when I was 14, worked on my fashion sense, my confidence, pursued hobbies, and got into a relationship with my partner at 16.
There were hurdles along the way, but the vision I set for myself was achieved. I managed to sort out a career, got married to my high-school sweetheart, and recently purchased a small flat with her. We spend time discussing what piece of furniture we need to purchase next, she would often cook and we would rate the dish out of 10, and we argue about what show to put on our TV.
What now? The Defining Decade
Some people call the 20s a ‘defining period’. I’ve recently turned 24, and it’s an odd feeling. To have set what seemed like a far-off target and having reached it in my mid-twenties. Having met my ‘winning conditions’ that I set for myself, I’ve had a lot of time to think about where I want to take my life next.
Am I done? Do I just coast and enjoy my time? Do I do something radically different? Do I focus on hobbies? Do I travel? I’ve found my 20s to have been an odd period where everyone is going in different directions and speeds.
Instead of pondering in my bedroom back in the restaurant, I now ask myself the same question in my newly furnished office at the flat.
What now?
Sacrifice and Potential
I thought about my parents. Their journey and mine — how they had to drop out of school at an early age to work, whether that was farm labour or carrying buckets of water/produce on their backs. How hard they worked to eventually move into the UK and give me this privileged life.
My parents were often busy working, so we didn’t spend too much time together, or they would be strict. At the time, we didn’t often see eye to eye, however, I’ve come to appreciate their efforts.
My fortune was built on their success. I might not be rich or live lavishly, but they still provided me with the opportunity to lead the life that I wanted to.
I feel that it would be a disservice to my family line, my history, to not do everything I can to make sure that I live up to my potential.
What does that mean?
I feel satisfied with how I’ve lived, however, whatever I’ve done so far has just been the prologue. I’ve finally stopped playing the finite game and moved into the second part of my life.
There is no longer a ‘winning condition’ I need to meet, but I need to maintain the drive to do better.
I work as an IT technician at a local MSP, I spend a lot of time with friends and family, and I really enjoy boxing. These are the main things I focus on. Having felt like I never properly prioritized studying, I decided to pick up coding and document my journey.
This isn’t particularly just a ‘tech blog’ or a ‘fitness blog’. It’s more about my general life. A long time ago, I was speaking to a good friend; it was 2-3 AM, and we both happened to be online. We often spoke about life like some sort of game — “oh meta this,” “oh meta that.” After a while, we coined the name ‘MetaHeads’.
I’ll learn and pursue what I find interesting, whatever I determine is meta. I feel that life is too vast, with too many things to explore, and I don’t want to pigeonhole my life experience.
Welcome to the ride; I hope that both you and I lead the life we want.