Coming clean for 2013

Technorati tags: Walski69, Identity, Revelation, Pseudonymous

In a few hours' time we'll be ushering in a new year. To say the least, it's been an interesting 12 months.

On a personal level, 2012 has been challenging for many reasons. High on the list would be his change of vocation, from the world of process automation and safety to the world of art. The circumstances of this change aren't important. Rather, what's more pertinent is the fact that as we traverse through life, change is the only constant.

As cliche as that may sound, it's a truism that we cannot escape from. Whether we like it or not, the world around us changes every waking (and sleeping) moment. And the truth is, either we embrace and adapt to change, or have our paradigms shifted for us - without a clutch. 

And driver's of manual transmission automobiles know very well how painful shifting gears without a clutch is. Trust Walski on this one - having your paradigms shifted for you, against your will, can be as painful, if not more.

As usual, Walski digresses.

What he really intended to do when he first started writing this post was to do a quick summary of the good, the bad, and the ugly that was the year 2012.

But he's since changed his mind.

Instead, Walski felt that it was time to come clean about something, that may serve as the answer to many a reader's question. Perhaps. In any case, it's a question that deserves to be answered before the clock strikes 2013.

Who IS Walski69? 
(the real Walski69, and more, in the full post)

My real name is S. Jamal Al-Idrus (via Facebook), or just plain Jamal to friends. In short, I'm nobody - certainly not a celebrity of any kind, or anyone whose name you should know, unless you have actually met me in person.

And yes, this will be one of the few times I write something for this blog not in the third person, as Walski usually does.

I came to this decision to reveal my identity after a conversation with a close friend of mine, who IS someone well-known. A journalist, in fact, who has managed to remain true to his craft, reporting with integrity and fairness. 

That conversation was the last check mark in the consideration mental checklist of whether or not to reveal the person behind Walski69. The realization came to me that since I never really hid my identity - anyone could connect the dots if they wanted to - there really was no point in not coming clean.

And just who am I?

Well, as I mentioned earlier, in the bigger scheme of things, I am a nobody. I am merely a very concerned citizen of Malaysia who thinks that this country is going in a direction that's less than healthy. I am very concerned with the growing influence of religionists who aim to turn Malaysian into a theocratic fascist state.

I am a concerned citizen who despises the tacit movement to make personal sins a crime in the eyes of the law. I am a citizen who thinks that it's time to reclaim the civil liberties of citizenhood that have been trampled upon.

I am also a citizen who hates the fact that we, as Malaysians, are continually being dumbed down and forced to believe that freedom is a bad thing, and that faith is something in need of legislation.

I am what I am, and every characteristic you know of Walski is a facet of who I really am. To list down every single facet would be just repeating what you already know about me.

So there, done. Just in time for 2013.

But henceforth, don't expect posts written in the first person. I choose to continue blogging as Walski69, third person and all, because I rather like the pseudonym, and have no wish to put it to pasture anytime soon.

Writing in the third person, in my personal opinion, defocuses attention to the writer, and puts due emphasis on what's more important - the content and message that's being communicated. You are, of course, free to disagree. But that's the style I think best communicates what needs to be communicated.

For the record, I don't have any formal political affiliations with any party, as some may think. Yes, I do write things that are critical of BN, but that's only because time and time again they have proven to not be a political coalition that can take us forward without doing more damage to the nation in the process.

In a few hours, it will be 2013. As much as 2012 was interesting and eventful, I expect the coming year to be an even more exciting one.

And in the coming months, this blog shall continue to report my thoughts as I see them, as much as I can, when I can. Not anonymously, but pseudonymously, as Walski69...

Happy New Year 2013 to one and all...