It has been just over a year since I started rambling, and I must admit that it has gone much better than I had ever imagined!
I started to blog because I was proud of this argument I had made regarding AirBnB’s growing problems, but I didn’t have an audience to hear my insights. Re-reading the article, I am shocked at how incoherent my writing was; despite the points I make being valid even today, the poor writing was detracting from my argument.
This revelation of the power of succinct and eloquent writing has been one of the biggest consequences of my blogging. I used to think that the only thing that mattered was what I said, rather than how I said it, but I am now (thankfully) wiser. As I say in my ‘About Ross Garlick’ page, today RossRambles is “the most prominent and personal digital representation of the real-world Ross Garlick”, and I would like to give a good account of myself to anyone in cyberspace who cares to notice!
Looking back and looking forward
I had no idea what I was going to write about when I first started to blog, but it is clear that I have developed a few topics that I am passionate enough about to document and share.
Anyone who has read my blog knows I have a serious interest in Tech & Entrepreneurship, and that is evident in the 13 posts I have written on the topic. Expect that trend to continue as I delve further into the startup world which is now flourishing in both New York and London. My favourite posts on Entrepreneurship include this post on creativity featuring Kid President and John Cleese, and my post arguing in favor of Facebook’s $100 billion IPO price which has since been vindicated by the bullish run Facebook has staged this year.
Travel has been a theme throughout my life, and I am lucky to have visited an extraordinary array of destinations. Now that I am old enough to explore cities and meet the citizens who reside within their borders, I have the eye-opening experience of witnessing different cultures first-hand. Documenting the various nuances which help give a city its character has been one of the most rewarding elements of blogging, and gives me a chance to remember my experiences indefinitely rather than having the memories blur and fade. My 2 day trip to Edinburgh in January 2013 came just as I was developing my thoughts on the power of cities for good, which resulted in one of my favourite posts to date. Similarly, my Spring Break trip to Santiago left a lasting impression. With a Spring Break 2014 trip planned to Beijing, I am certain there will be more travel posts to come. Fingers crossed I can get a trip to the West Coast of the USA planned before I (hopefully) intern next summer, and then I could incorporate my love of Tech into my travel!
A theme that I see evolving in the coming year for RossRambles is that of politics. My own personal ideology is constantly evolving as my experience in the US differs from my experiences in the UK; my opinions on the role of government, the responsibilities of individual citizens and policies for enacting social change are slowly being formulated and justified in my mind. Recently I have wrote about Civic Duty and Education Reform, and I expect more posts to come!
Finally, my most popular post of the year was this post describing my love for Fordham’s campus. The post has been viewed by many people who have simply Googled “Fordham Rose Hill Campus”, who I assume to be prospective students, and I am very happy if my post helped sway anybody to accept an offer at Fordham, because I love my college and I have nothing but praise for Fordham.
Why keep blogging?
OK, time for a small dose of existentialism. I often get concerned with how much I consume from society and others, without contributing anything in return. I have taken countless labor hours and resources from people around the world, from the teachers who dedicates their lives to transferring their knowledge to me to the farmers who labor to produce the food that I nonchalantly devour daily. What have I given back in return? I have volunteered a few hours here and there, contributed to projects during my internships and paid some taxes. I would add to that the value I (hopefully) add to the lives of my friends and family, but even so I fall up short in my net life consumption.
While I am aware that my most productive years are still to come, I’d like to think that this blog is a small but material contribution back to the world I live in. Not only do I help disseminate my insights for others, but blogging helps me to solidify ideas within my own mind that will hopefully make me a better and more productive citizen in years to come.
Happy birthday, RossRambles! Here’s to many more!
Until next time!
Ross Garlick
Rambler-in-Chief
Ross Rambles 