Hello and Merry Christmas! It's Wen Loong here.

Hi, STEEM-ians!

Wherever you may be, here’s wishing you, your family and all those around you a very Merry Christmas! I hosted a small Christmas party earlier and it was a jolly good time. Hope today's been the same for you. Before moving on, here’s a little Boomerang of the occasion. Hopefully it works or I'll have to make some edits later on.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who becomes more reflective as the year comes to a close and I thought that there might not be a better time than this to post an “introduceyourself”. It’s with some some anxiousness that I write this, because I have not blogged for some 8 years and life has changed so much since, but here goes.

My name is Wen Loong (文龍 in Chinese) and my name translated to English quite literally means "cultured dragon". Or, as a friend in church said, "book wyrm", although that's a little less literal. Talk about a strong name and great aspirations my mother's grand-aunt (I think) had for me when she named me, huh.

Anyhow, I’m from the very sunny (and small) island city-state called Singapore, which I love very much. I’ve lived and grown up here for all my life, save for a year I spent in Perth when I was five. The humidity here can be quite overwhelming at times, we are a little overworked and it might be nice to have the four seasons, but all said and done, I'm glad I live here.

My interests are quite varied, so I shall just list a few.

Photography

The above photo was taken in Gold Coast about 2 years ago. As the above photo might hint at, regardless of which genre—street, portrait, fine art, architecture, etc—the one consistent type of photograph I enjoy is black and white photography. Maybe I'm just an old soul, but somehow, it manages to convey such depth of emotion.

I currently use a Sony RX-100IV, which is small and handy. One day, though, I hope I’ll get to own and shoot a Leica. They are such an iconic brand and their lenses are really buttery-smooth. Which model, you ask? Given my penchant for black and white photos, perhaps something from their Monochrome series paired with a Noctilux. I think they stand to create a monochrome that doesn't feature an LCD screen. Only they would have the chutzpah to try such a thing. Meanwhile, since that’s really out of budget right now (come on, crypto, please moon!), I'll happy with the RX-100IV and I look forward to playing around with Yaschica Y35 when it arrives.

Sports/Physical activities
No, no. That's not me doing the burpees over the bar bell in the photo. That's a photo I took at a charity event called Operation Guardian Angel by CrossFit Singapore last October. Personally, I used to run for school and I think I fared quite alright. I was also a part of the Naval Diving Unit during my close-to-two-years of National Service (we have conscription here in Singapore). Although I’m nowhere near as fit as before, I still enjoy working out. Perhaps I’ll take up CrossFit if I manage to find the time.

Reading, Writing, Self-educating

That's a photo of the bookshelves I share with my brother. The right shelf is mine, while the left is his.

I'm a firm believer that we should continually learn. I also find the whole idea of liberal arts education quite fascinating and hope to one day complete the entire syllabus available at Roman Roads Media. I think there's a fount of knowledge to enjoy right there. After all, the classics are called as such for a reason.

That nicely segues into the topic of reading, which, in my opinion, is a great way to learn things. It takes you to other places for a small cost and helps you experience things as others have. I’m really glad my parents encouraged me to read when I younger. I read a whole gamut of things, from personal improvement (artofmanliness.com, anyone?) to philosophy/theology. Yes, I even read on how to read better (How to Read A Book!). I'm now considering getting an Onyx Boox Max Pro 2 to read on when it's released, even though I enjoy the tactility of a physical book, just because it's so much more convenient. It even doubles as a second screen, but I digress.

As for writing, all the way until Junior College (High School/Year 12 for many of you), essay writing and English classes were a constant enjoyment for me. I always tried to reimagine things and explore different ways of telling stories. I enjoyed writing so much that I wished I could keep my examination scripts. I rediscovered the joy of writing when I took a module on Creative Writing in university and I intend to post some of my pieces here. Hopefully you guys will enjoy reading them at least as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Investing/trading (speculating?)

A more recent interest is trying to grow what little money I have. Where it was a previously just a thought in my head, now it is a real consideration given I've entered the working world. Right now, the attempt to grow my little money includes a bit of smart (hopefully) speculating in the world of cryptocurrency. That’s how I even found about Steemit in the first place.

I wouldn’t call myself a “techie” by any means, but I do have an interest in technology and also seeing projects come to fruition. That probably explains why I was often found trawling Kickstarter before this cryptocurrency madness caught my attention. It also explains my curiosity to see where the world will be with regards to this area in the next half a decade.

Of course, while I start off in this space because I think there are some capital gains to be made, I do hope to learn more about investing and trading per se as well. Value investing seems an attractive proposition in this regard. I mean, look at Warren Buffet, Charlie Munger or Benjamin Graham. Yes, perhaps they are somewhat old school, but I think they were onto something. Additionally, the values (pun intended) imparted in such a style of investing do seem to have other applications in life too.

Jesus

Last but not least, and perhaps this is cheating a little, I’m interested in Jesus—a man born in Israel some 2000 years ago and who died and came back to life. I know that sounds strange (perhaps because it is quite unusual), but I think of the growing friendship with him as the best thing I have and that’s ever happened to me. So I remain interested in his life and ministry, because my hermeneutic is built upon him. I'm learning to make him the foundation stone of my life, just as the above photo taken in St. Peter's Square in Rome symbolises.

Hopefully my interactions around this place will show how I carry his spirit. I apologise in advance if anything I write upsets anyone. If it does, hopefully it is a matter of simple disagreement. I certainly don’t intend to publish anything personally targeted at anyone. Having said that, I hope any discussions we might have are fruitful.

If you made it here, wow. Thanks a lot for reading through that! Do say hello and feel free to strike up a conversation. After all, who knows where it’ll lead? (:

I hope you'll indulge me by letting me end with a poem I was inspired to write some two and a half years ago. I think it’s apt given it’s Christmas and I was recently reminded to find my identity in Christ.

Once again, Merry Christmas, STEEM-ians! Thanks for reading!

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Confession of faith

I am of the I AM
Beloved of the Beloved
Filled because I have the Bread of Life
Satiated for I drink of Living Water
Brother of Jesus, follower and friend
Co-heir of the Heavens and Earth to come
Given all this by grace alone
Called to testify to the Bridegroom's coming
You have given Your Word
It will not return to You unfulfilled and empty
Built upon the Cornerstone that stumbles Greek and Jew alike
I am safe within Your ramparts
When the stream breaks and fire rains down
It will speak of Your goodness
You are for me, what can stand against


I am of the I AM
Wild before, now grafted in
Member of the Vine, part of the elect
Servant of the Sovereign Master
Allowed entry into the inner courts
Provided light to see in darkness
Bestowed gifts to edify
Unearned and grateful
You search hearts and none is worthy
It is with trembling that we should be slow to speak
Forgive me, for I know not otherwise what I do


I am of the I AM
Joined unto joy, partaker of peace
Awaiting fulfilment of Hope
The cloud descends and fire stays
You are in our midst
First of my harvest and all that remains
You have passed over


I am of the I AM
Subject of Truth
With the objective of Light
The Way as my guide, rejecting all others


I am of the I AM
Slightly above the angels I will one day judge
Made in the image of God

(March 2015)