In a a few hours I will no longer be part of Living in China or known as LIC.
I started Glutter for myself, because I wanted to write and develop the ideas of what I want to say. I never wanted to participate in any community, in fact I never read another blog in my life before I started this. I simply read a software review and thought it was a good idea.
Somewhere along the line I repeatedly kept getting roped into some form of China or Hong Kong or LIC community. Whether in the form of links, discussions, competitions, drinks etc. All of which I have turned down. I have no idea who any of those people are, some have been incredibly rude to me. I just simply couldn’t care less with their ideas of what I should write about or whatever. Glutter stands on its own. I write for myself. If I meet cool people along the way (I have, just check out the huge links section) that is cool, if not we go our separate ways.
I have decided the aggravation caused and the requests to participate in policy discussions of a project I don’t really understand with people’s whose views I am at odds with completely tiring. So I am pulling out of the project completely, forever more. I shall no longer be on the aggregator, so my content will not be fed into that site. Glutter is just an independent blog that happens to live in HK, but still lends her name to Bust and Salon.
It’s not really that big a deal, but I think the cumulative stress of that whole thing makes me want to write this. There I am walking down the street and people keep grabbing you and engaging you for no reason but because they perceive you to being on their street or something.
More importantly as a celebration that Glut is once again just on her own, doing her thang with people she genuinely likes, I bought myself the URL:
http://www.glutter.ORG
Will start working within 24 hours
Yan Sham-Shackleton Online 
“The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration.”
-Pearl S. Buck
“It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Shit. What a load of shit. Sorry.
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BTW, You’re another China blogger I do not know. Have no idea who, never been to your blog who feels they have something important to say about how I should lead my life. Please don’t bother. I find far too many of you annoying at best, ridiculous in the median, dispicable at worse. Who do you think you are? Because whatever it is, that’s not how I view you.
Yan
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im not chinese and im not a blogger.
As a human being I suggest you need a hug.
If you dont want people saying things about how you lead your life i suggest you dont write a public personal website with a comments section.
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Yan-
When I read this:
“There I am walking down the street and people keep grabbing you and engaging you for no reason but because they perceive you to being on their street or something.”
I thought “wow, that’s exactly what it is like to be a waiguoren in my neighborhood.” There is a guy who follows me around and shakes my hand and speaks English everytime he “runs into me”–sometimes twice in an hour. I’ve taken to avoiding his street.
I don’t what this all means, I just thought it was interesting.
i am afraid i learned a lesson today about what dingwenyue said–opening yourself up to criticism. I got an email from my dad today, who was deeply disappointed with the foul language i used on my blog and with my continual disparaging of the US and the President. Despite the fact that i think he is brainwashed by US conservatives, i still felt sad to let him down. but then i stepped back and realized that i was right, and i had always been, and i wasn’t going to be guilted or platituded into shutting up.
So I have to agree with you. Though I like Emerson, but hate Buck, quoting out of context is just another way to avoid an actual criticism–something else my dad is good at.
It’s like trying to fit a non-sequitor peg into an a propos hole.
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I do feel dingwenyue is right, to a degree, about solitude. If you live in your own world, then it’s easy to have strong opinions. But if you open yourself up to opposing forces, then it encourages you to think and/or strengthen your claims and your beliefs.
Like how I visit some sites to better understand their hypocrisy, to better put them in their place in future thoughts and beliefs. (Not referring to your site).
Although, I do think in your case, you are disassociating with LIC for your own valid reasons and I commend that. However, for many of these people, “living in china” is very much “that” which you don’t like and have a problem with, and not much else. Unfortunately.
Just my two cents worth.
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I can’t say I agree with dingwenyue because I don’t think the comparison is an apt one. Certainly not the Buck quote – Yan’s not shrinking away from the crowd, just stating a preference about which crowd. Glutter is still open to public reading and links to alot of blogs. Buck’s quote didn’t mean you had to hang out with everybody no matter how much you dislike them. LiC is like a club or a bar, and it’s not the only one in town.
And dingwenyue, I think there’s a difference between commenting about “how someone leads their life” and how someone writes their blog. Even as naked as the Laowai Monologues are, it’s still a text – I don’t know the guy for real and most likely never will. There’s life, and there’s life at 56K (to paraphrase Truffaut). Don’t presume to know about Yan’s life.
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I was probably a far too harsh on Ding, because it’s not him who really bugs me. So I apologise for my words. Although a gentler sentiment still holds. However, it’s a continual battle to be not attacked by the losers of the China blogging community for saying what I say.
I don’t think solitude is a bad thing. I think far too many people spend time NOT being by themselves and thinking.
It’s not like I don’t have readers in the context of Glutter, or in the case of real life, friends.
Actually as time has gone on, I although I was very cynical about Internet “friendships” I think I have gone to see most of the commenters on this blog as some form of friends. I don’t know if any of them will ever translate into “real” life, but at least they are people who exist in my mind with valid things to say. I suppose if someone I knew, who has commented on it, then I will listen, but those who know the circumstances would not say that because as Eshin said. “Valid Reasons.”
Yan
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In regards to parents. My mother called me and said, Can you please stop “fucking this and fucking that?” and I said, “Okay, mom” and then went onto to write the “Korn” Review.
She then called and said she found it Halarious because she could just see all these little boys running around screaming “fuck this and fuck that.”
Ha Ha.
I think it’s a matter of taking time and getting to understand what you are writing. Although I have pulled back on my over liberal use of the F word and only use it when I do feel it’s in place.
As for conservative fathers. My step dad is a conservative (Well he’s been mellowing out a lot) and he feels that what I write is “Extreme but interesting.”
I don’t think he agrees with most of my politics either, in fact he probably in a different time will called me a left wing whacko, but in the end, he’s my dad I am his daughter he has to love me, and even if he disagrees he has to respect that.
Now.. to me that’s how it should be. If my dad can handle disagreements with politics and what he feels is extreme and let me live my life. Why can’t all those other conservatives A-holes do the same? Like I would listen to them over my dad. Then again, maybe 24 years of aquaintance has made him realize on certain issues like my believes I don’t listen to him either. 🙂
Yan
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‘Acceptance: We do not all agree and we don’t have to. Please do not expect others to say you are right, because there are plenty of people all the time who think you might not be.
Do not criticize the owner of this blog’
I think that’s quite funny.
– but fair enough! your blog your rules.
pff… ill add a bit more because im bored and i want to communicate, however ineptly.
‘ A personal attack is classified as a comment made to the person themselves rather than what they said’
You cant draw a line between criticising what you say and criticising you. Everything on here is what you say. I cant launch a personal attack. If i say ‘you are stupid’ it would mean i think what you wrote is stupid. I cant criticise your physical appearance so..
I wonder if most blog hostility isnt just a symptom of bordom. Im going to leave my computer and go for a walk.
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You can’t really tell the difference between the two? Man. I really don’t want YOU or your opinions here. Okay? 🙂
Yan
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BTW. I could simple disagree with you and say “there is a difference” and explain it or I can call you a LOSER. (Taking props from Chrissie Hynde.) Now since you can’t tell the difference I will stick with the personal attack.
dingwenyue YOU ARE A LOSER.
No one really cares what you think because none of us know you. You have not proved yourself as anyone with any intelligence or worthy words except that you can go into “Wisdom Quotes” and pick out something you percieve might give you some borrowed glory of being smart because you found it.
I bet you don’t even know who Buck and Emerson is, unlike some people who come on this site.
Why tell us you are going for a walk? Like anyone here gives a shit about what you do in your life. You can drown in a pond and all I can say is, “Oh, yeah, that guy came in the blog once and left a comment or two. He kinda seemed like a loser. How sad.”
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You’re right i dont know Buck and Emerson, i just liked the quotation. Are they American writers? I guess you could say im still near the start of my book reading career.
Im sorry if ive upset you, but if im a looser i assure you its the teenage angst kind rather than the evil bald gweilo kind. You assume im a guy, but my teacher told me Ding WenYue was a girl’s name? hmpf, maybe its unisex.
I enjoy reading your website and i hope you wont ban me. But ill cancel that invitation to do a reading at my funeral.
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