I must confess. I have discovered what it means to have writer’s block. It’s been a while since my last blog post. When I struggle with something, especially something new, I believe its extremely important to know the purpose. Why? … Why blog?

Blah Blah Blog. Isn’t it amazing? Starting with a blank page and writing whatever comes to your mind. It’s almost like going for a jog to clear your head. (Unfortunately it burns less calories.) But hey, it’s more. These thoughts need structure. Thoughts needs to become ideas, and that’s the challenge. (Aha, maybe that burns more calories!)

Some friends get quite surprised when they hear that I’ve started a blog. To be honest, I can’t say I’d have reacted any differently if I was in their shoes a couple of months ago.

Personally, I’ve started this for several reasons. First and foremost, it is in order to push me out of a comfort zone I am guilty of falling into. I love to try new experiences. Lately, this passion has driven me towards spending a large chunk of time on pushing my boundaries from a physical aspect. My life started feeling a bit out of balance, and I needed something to challenge me mentally. Hence, Fahad Lee is here. Why call it Fahad Lee? (I’m getting there!)

I’m truly blessed to have ended up living in Beijing. It’s a unique experience, and I’m learning so much by being here. I’ve learnt something new from almost every person I know. Through sharing some of my experiences with you, I hope to be able to do the same for you. Since China’s rapid development, people have become a lot more curious about this part of the world, and I hope to shed light on that too.

One more reason. It’s difficult to give China credit for all is has to offer. During a vacation, my father and I were on a trip together, and we bumped into one of his dear friends at the airport. “Wow, you study in China!”, he exclaimed enthusiastically, “What it like?!”. I’m sorry to say, for some reason, I effortlessly gave him a very vague and uninformative answer, “It’s very different. I’m really enjoying it there.” (Hah, no s**t it’s different, what was I thinking?! and I’m pretty sure he wasn’t interested in how much fun I was having.)

It was a really poor answer. I can’t go back and change what I said, but I’ll try to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Even having this experience first-hand, sometimes it’s difficult to recall certain details, and express them eloquently in a brief conversation. Having a blog is helping already! It’s a great way to remember events and mindsets too. Writing is a form of expression. It indicates how a writer thinks and feels at a particular point in time.

Certain sounds used in Arabic and English can’t be expressed using Mandarin Chinese. As a result, most Chinese people can’t pronounce foreign names. To immerse oneself in such a rich culture, it all starts with a local name: 李飞 (Lee Fei). Therefore: Fahad Lee.

Surely, a blog isn’t for everyone. Get out of your comfort zone. What’s your version of a blog? And what’s blogging you from achieving it? (I meant blocking!)
Blogging. Blog, blup, blog bL0G. I think this is getting more comfortable.