Who is Tinlala?

Loyal readers would know the answer to this question, but for everyone else, ‘Tinlala’ was the pen name I initially used for my blog http://tinlala.wordpress.com.

It was my way of combining my English and Chinese nicknames, to reflect my shared Euro-Asian cultural heritage. So “Tinlala” became my printed and online alias since 1996 and surprisingly has left its mark in both realspace and cyberspace.

Back in my high school and university days, this was seen as ‘cute’ and ‘meaningful’. It sparked up a nice conversation whenever I gave my email address to someone. Now, I just raised eyebrows and sometimes a “I won’t ask” comment.

Yet I continue to use it. It’s a good reminder of the different identities we assume and more importantly, the different markers of identity we get attached to (or try to rid). It reminds me that ‘Tina Ng’ is no different that ‘Tinlala’ nor any different from the other names I get called (like ‘Tin’ which is an affectionate nickname given to me by my friends because ‘Tin-a’ is just too long).

About the Tinlala Blog

On 22 March 2007, I posted my very first blog post. Since then, I have had over 79,500 views of my 222 posts and 64 pages, and attracted 634 comments on this site. When I first started blogging in 2007, I didn’t realise that my words could attract so much attention. That site has launched me into a variety of opportunities: offers to publish my work, requests for me to commission projects, and not to forget, the invaluable opportunity for me to share my stories and experiences online to an international audience.

One opportunity that has arisen is to begin to turn my random blogging into writing that (hopefully) serves a purpose to my audience besides just entertainment. After considering the problems that prevail in modern life, I’ve decided to create this current website, tailored to exploring how to find peace and contentment within the hustle and bustle of the rat race. With that thought, I created, ‘Little Piece of Calm’.

All this wouldn’t be possible without my dear readers. They encouraged me to pick up my pen and encouraged me to take a different perspective on how I see life so as to share it with as many people as possible. For that, I am forever thankful.