1) Every career decision I had made stemmed from my innate passion to help people. I’ve had to reflect on why that is. Is it saviour complex, or is it my upbringing? That mystery is still unresolved. But it doesn’t matter. I want to help people. What a cliché!  

2) I like translating thoughts into words, whether they are mine or someone else’s. There is an art to it. It requires active listening, observing, and asking the right question, in the right tone, at the right time. That was what I enjoyed in the process of drafting the opinion pieces I published on LinkedIn.

I(i) had pursued a career in Law and fostered my family’s farm driven by my passion to help people. I moved to the UK in 2022. My first pit stop was Durham. I(i) had the time of my life there. I(i) was exposed not only to the culture in the UK but also to a diverse community, thanks to my college (Ustinov - ‘Strength in Diversity’). I then moved to London and back to the North.

It was during my time as a proofreader at a publishing house in Newcastle that I refined my self-reflection. Some of the manuscripts I read gave me insights into topics I never would have explored before. It satisfied my hunger for knowledge.  

The more I kept reading, the more i was journaling about the events that led me here. i started spending time reflecting on my upbringing in Oman, the decade I(i) lived in Sri Lanka, my motherland, and my journey here in the UK. One of the toughest events to reflect on was the Easter Attacks that took place on the 21st of April, 2019 in Sri Lanka.

I was a volunteer at Verbum TV, a television channel launched as an attempt to provide a place for the country’s minorities to find peace through faith. Verbum TV was a possible target that day. Easter now means something different for us Sri Lankans.

The more I journaled, the clearer my path forward became.  

I realised that words, when used diligently, hold the power to heal. They create a check and balance for the person who truly holds power over me—myself. They keep me accountable by simply presenting facts and challenging the narrative my mind presents.  

This led me to create my blog, Next on the Horizon: A Quest for Resilience, One Cliché at a Time. I had been working on it for months before launching it. This is my baby.

What is the purpose of this blog?  

My personal definition of resilience is ‘the courage to have hope’. My H(h)ope is that this blog serves as a platform, providing a beacon of hope to those, much like me, are still on a quest to find it.

Some called me a ‘keyboard warrior’; it wasn’t meant as a compliment. But it’s true, I am just a woman behind a screen and a keyboard, driven by the need to be heard— for myself, for the ones staying silent, and for the ones in hiding. i hear them, i see them. I didn’t forget.

I was given sound advice on how I can monetise a blog. From years of listening in on my father’s conversations, i learnt that some missions cannot be monetised— it defeats their purpose. I’m adding this to my portfolio anyway; that is more than what i have been looking for.

While my time here in the UK, and in this life, is numbered, I plan on making the most out of it. That is my life’s purpose. i choose to do it through my words, in any capacity, however small or big.

I(i) am still floating, watching the horizon. The sun is rising and i can’t help but smile. There is hope.

Until next time,  
Minoli Christeen