Ginko in "Mushi-Shi"

Ginko in "Mushi-Shi"

Yup, IBM. If the proposed acquisition (announced on March 22nd) closes by the end of the month as planned, then I will officially become an “IBMer”. Not bad. Intimidating? Yeah. Terrifying? Sure. But it’s a tremendous opportunity as well. To explore the bright blue bubble.

What does this mean for my readers?

Sadly, while I may not be fully closing the lid on my anime-oriented Toybox blog (launched in November 2006), I feel it’s time to move onto the next phase of my extracurricular life in April 2011. To think that IBM will be celebrating 100 years (in June 2011) is not only mind-boggling, but the timing in my life feels significant. Another sign of change. Don’t worry, I won’t stop watching anime (“Mushi-Shi” is my current series), but I’m also aiming to “travel lightly”, experiment and explore territories beyond anime. (Almost like the travelling Ginko in “Mushi-Shi”, hehe.)

What do I mean by “travel lightly”?

Haha, if you’ve ever survived a barrage from one of my Toybox mega-posts, you’ll know what I mean. Not only did the gathering of 100-plus images consume endless hours, but also the composition of the prose and the construction of the code. While presenting the final masterpiece was rewarding, I no longer have the blocks of time and energy to spend. The days of pulling a heavy wagon have drawn to a close. And the days of carrying a simple backpack have begun. In other words:

Why diversify?

By freeing myself from a heavily-centralized self-hosted “wagon” of computer files and folders, I can leap lightly from site to site with a simple but liberating “backpack” of ideas and expressions. Free to pursue and explore exotic new territories along my technical path. At least, that’s the theory.

We’ll see what the bright blue bubble offers…