Into the Unknown

📝 Journal 4: The anomaly somewhere between dreams & drifts.

Jul 31, 2025

Welcome back, folks. Surprisingly, this journal series still lives on!

This entry originally started out as a 5k+ words monster! I tried cramming it all into one post, but clearly it wasn’t practical. Which says a lot how wild my brain gets sometimes.

Since this journal is closely tied to my previous post, I decided to split them into a pair: you’ve probably read my recent hobby updates from Echoes Through Space, & now comes this second companion piece — Into the Unknown.

As the title suggests, at this point in my life, I’m drifting in orbit charting a course into the unknown. It feels like piloting through a deep space with fuel running low. No matter which option, it will push me into survival mode. No clear signal, no beacon to guide, just humming from the ship that might lead to somewhere~

🚀 Alien Observation.

From the hobby-cave, I observed some cool folks who’ve just been hanging around & vibing together.

There are three stories to this:

`👾 FIRST STORY: Statistic`

Someone recently asked me a surprisingly very good question:

“Do you know the split fandom of people who followed you? Your followers are very diverse!”

Short answer: I don’t.

Long answer? I’ve honestly never thought about it. For the most part, the hobby-cave has always been like a personal nerd diary where I just throw in whatever catches my interest. I actually never cared much about numbers. It’s fine if people unfollowed too. It’s never been about that for me from the start, even though I do hope sometimes I could meet the right kind of nerds.

I think a lot of people out there are chasing attention or validation. But when you’re just being yourself, doing what you love in your own space, you’ll be perfectly fine on your own & the right tribe will stick with you. Real connection & authenticity always win.

If I really need to drill in, I’ve always assumed majority of folks there came either from the gaming community or Star Wars fanbase, since there’s a history to this.

Things also shift every year depending on my mood. I mostly share about games, niche sort of genres & fandoms, though more book-lovers have found their way into the cave too, probably because I read a lot as well.

But here’s the thing: most of the people I know or connect with, aren’t even there anymore. And with how things have gone sideways in my life, I’m not even sure if I’ll stick around much longer either.

It wasn’t that I’m trying to gatekeep or build walls or anything like that. I’m open to new, or rather, genuine connections. Online strangers can turn into creative collaborators, real friends, or even more.

If you’ve read my earlier journals, you probably understand why I keep a bit of distance. Who knows, maybe with time, effort & patience, something rare & promising could happen :)

`👾 SECOND STORY: Admiration`

This ties to above. I’ve admired many people, learned a lot from some brilliant minds in the hobby-cave. But when someone else told me they admired me, it really took me by surprise.

I didn’t quite know how to respond, but it made me pause & reflect on how we often don’t realize the kind of impact we leave behind.

While I truly appreciate this, I also want to say it very clearly: I’m honestly nobody special & definitely far from perfect.

This is also one of the reasons I write these journals — to share some realistic behind-the-scenes moments, because I’ve struggled a lot too.
I don’t want to be like most online creators who only show the polished, perfectly curated moments, the Pinterest-aesthetic kind of life. Because when we start comparing ourselves to those shiny images, it’s easy to fall into a dark spiral. I’ve been there.

I’m also aware that some people in the cave are quite young & honestly, I admire them too especially for being curious & respectful.

At times, I do aim to set an example, but I never want to give off a false impression or create some kind of illusion from the start. I just try to keep it real.

Hope that makes sense :)

`👾 THIRD STORY: Social Media`

This last story ties into both above & also connects to my Journal 2.

Someone I know from my hobby-cave has been off from social media for a while now, but we still keep in touch elsewhere. So I went & asked him:

“How’s life been treating you so far without social media? Is it calmer on the other side?”

Without changing anything, here’s what he replied.. (sorry man, if you’re reading this, I totally copy-pasta’d your words because it was already perfect haha!)

“Yeah, I've found it calmer on the other side. Most of the time I don't miss it at all. The odd time I do feel like I'm missing out, I remind myself how much time I spent on it. And that I'm in contact with the people I want to be! Feels more deliberate!”

That’s amazing, because you’re doing something with intention. Then I asked how he filled in the gaps. He said mostly through his hobbies — games, books, things like that. He also mentioned getting a bit sidetracked by YouTube, which I found kind of funny & cheatingggg, but honestly? It made me feel normal. A little less guilty.

(Edit: he told me he read & made him laughed haha!)

I’ve loved Instagram as a platform (before Meta acquired them) & have been using it since 2011 across different accounts before this. What frustrates me most now is how Meta has wrecked the whole experience. I don’t even remember ‘doomscrolling’ being a thing back then.

Genuine interactions are few & far between. What’s left feels like ghost-stalkers or people obsess over influencers who barely acknowledge them. From what I’ve observed, the platform has shifted into a one-sided, & I just don’t see the point in showing up as much, the way I used to.

`👾 BONUS STORY: Alien!`

Adding a lighter side-story. Lately, there’s been a strange string of alien coincidences orbiting my hobby-life. 👽🛸

But after I published my space-themed stuff, the next day, I saw someone said: “aliens hurt him”. What?! Then, the day after that, I picked up a book & bamm! — there it was again: passage about aliens!

Oh, I also discovered this underrated band recently. They’ve earned a spot as one of my favorites & I’ve been looping their entire album, particularly this great song.

But spot the band name & track title. Even the meaning & lyrics. Kinda alien-coded too, isn’t it? Come on… don’t tell me this is all just a coincidence! 😒

🚀 Cosmic Curiosity.

Okay, wrapping up this companion post.

Happy 55th Birthday to my favorite humanoid! **Life**… help me **feel** that.

Sharing the same number 5 with Sir Christopher Nolan, August 2025 actually marks the 5th Birthday of my hobby Instagram! 🐉

Aug 2020: The first post that started it all.

If it weren’t for that beginning 5 years ago, this blog wouldn’t exist. We wouldn’t know each other, you wouldn’t be reading this & none of these would’ve found their way into the world!

Strange how one small decision back then, can echo so far…

What’s even more surprising is some folks told me they look forward to my next posts. Some even went back & read everything from the beginning. So no, this isn’t just in my head. And maybe, just maybe, it’s not a completely self-indulgent spiral after all.

That says, I don’t regret any of this because it also gives me more room to exchange & reflect. Having a bunch of you reading & tagging along? That’s a lovely bonus!

Still, I’m genuinely curious about where all of this is heading & why this chapter found its way into my life. I always like to believe things happen for a reason. I guess I’ll just try to keep going until that day comes, when I can look back & say:
“Ah… this is why I started that hobby Instagram & blog! Because…”
Because some stories don’t make sense until much later. Or maybe I needed a space to be myself even if I didn’t know it then. Or somehow, this small act of sharing became part of something bigger… it can be.

Thanks again for reading & hitchhiking across my twin-galaxy entries: Echoes Through Space & Into the Unknown. 👽🚀