Ordinary Gweilo

One thing I don’t quite understand is why any sane adult would write in great detail (on a blog) about their personal life (unless they make it available to only a very limited audience of family and friends).  Ah yes, you say, but you can be anonymous.  Except that by publishing a blog you are drawing attention to yourself, and there are usually clues that will help your friends and acquaintances to identify you. 

For example, Conrad (from the Gweilo Diaries) couldn’t resist dropping hints about his his life history and his work for a large legal firm (jetting around Asia, sorting out other people’s mistakes -or at least that was the way he saw it).  He obviously hoped to remain anonymous, but in fact his real identity was common knowledge amongst Hong Kong bloggers (and it surely couldn’t have been that difficult for his colleagues and friends to work out who he was).

I suppose the same must be true of Spike, who has been recounting his life in far more detail than can really be considered wise, though the big difference is that whereas Conrad came across as extremely arrogant, Spike appears to be a nice guy.  Nevertheless, he must have a few enemies (or at least a boss or girlfriend somewhere who might not be impressed). 

Now, finally, he has decided that enough is enough.  He explains his thinking here, but he has decided to carry with the blog in a different form.  Whether he will stick to his resolution and remain discrete about his personal life is another matter.  Here’s hoping…