**originally posted on [mgx.me](https://mgx.me/feeling-this-pull-toward-absolute-simplicity)**

This urge has been with me forever - the constant need to strip things down.

Here's how it goes: I'll be working on my website, getting excited about adding something fancy, then suddenly hitting this boiling point where I look at it all and think, "Nah, I don't need any of this." This has happened countless times. I'll start adding what I think are cool features and playing with designs, but by the end of the day, I'm obsessing over performance metrics.

This is totally a me thing. When I'm collaborating with others, I keep these urges to myself. Not everyone gets this obsession with optimization, and that's fine. Some developers out there optimize their work in production far better than I can imagine - and they're in a different league entirely.

The ironic part? I like JavaScript.

I love creating interactive, fun experiences. My personal site should be a playground for experiments and creativity. And it is, sometimes. But there's always this voice in the back of my head pushing me to reduce, reduce, reduce.

I'm not trying to preach minimalism here.

Honestly, I don't even know much about minimalism as a philosophy or design approach. I haven't read the books or studied the principles. This is just something I've picked up from various blogs and lifestyles I've observed over the years.

It's a weird contradiction I've learned to live with - wanting to create rich, interactive experiences while simultaneously feeling this pull toward absolute simplicity.

feeling this pull toward absolute simplicity

```cv
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```

I was recently taken aback by a suggestion from a “connection” regarding how I should spend my time living in China.

The guy, a Chinese product specialist, suggested I start making videos. He also suggested that I should “sell some shit,” try to gain followers and become an influencer or “KOL” (key opinion leader).

My initial reaction was just, “Hmm, okay.” I didn’t engage much with his words because I wasn’t interested in that path. Reflecting on it more now, I feel it’s worth sharing my perspective to push back on the mentality.

While becoming an online personality is a valid career path for some, his casual, even pushy manner in advising this course of action struck me as rather audacious. What troubled me was the blatant assumption that my main priority should be self-promotion and commercial gain.

He spoke as if the sole purpose of living abroad is to monetize one’s existence and brand oneself as an influencer. There was no consideration for what truly motivates and inspires me. His pitch also implied that the level of “success” is measured by the number of followers and going “viral.”

Some of the most meaningful [contributors](https://www.justcharlie.com?ref=mighil) to [expat communities](https://www.chengduliving.com?ref=mighil) have built respect over the years through quality engagement and leadership, not fleeting internet fame. The lasting impact is about serving others, not self-aggrandizement.

While new technologies bring opportunities, not everyone aims to become an “influencer.”

> cover image: remix of a flork of cows comic panel.

`originally published on mgx.me`

blunt proposal to become an influencer

```cv
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```

I lead growth ops of a few products, and a big part of my job involves experimenting with new tactics and strategies. Whether it's A/B testing ad copy, launching new campaigns, or optimizing the website for conversions, I'm constantly trying new things to boost the numbers.

However, what comes with that growth-focused mindset is dealing with the less savory elements of certain online spaces. As someone **who has to** spend a lot of time on social media observing trends and competitors, I'm regularly inundated with toxicity. From belittling or offensive posts made solely for attention to the constant hustle-focused messaging, it's enough to challenge even the most resilient person's mental well-being.

Navigating growth experimentation at work and this often toxic online world can feel like a delicate balancing act. Here are a few things I've found that help me stay focused on progress without losing my chill:

* Set boundaries for my online time. Mindless scrolling often leads to frustration. Knowing when to log off helps avoid burnout.

* Take regular breaks from screens. Even a short reading session (paperbacks ftw) or a conversation with someone helps clear my head between stretches of computer work.

* Share balance, community, and positivity messages on my website or blog to counter overly toxic content.

* Focus on helping others through my work. When giving back versus obsessively chasing goals, enduring setbacks feels more purposeful.

Adjustments like these ensure I can keep strategizing growth solutions without losing sight of my humanity or sanity.

Brb - my back hurts.

`Originally published on mgx.me`

a growth marketer's strategies for self-care

```cv
gallery
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```

**This isn't about hackers who build for fun; \
it discusses people who build for the general public and profit.**

Entrepreneurs and indie hackers easily get caught up in their enthusiasm for their ideas and products. Late nights spent researching, networking with like-minded peers, and consuming inspiration from podcasts and books - it's no wonder they become completely invested in their visions.

However, there is a danger when that enthusiasm crosses into selective listening. I recall interacting with an indie hacker eager to build a new product. Excited to get feedback, they asked for my perspective. 

However, when I shared some factual, evidence-based critiques and areas for improvement, the response was cold.

Rather than taking the feedback objectively, they dismissed it as "negative" and "pessimistic."

It's understandable to want validation from others as an entrepreneur.

Ideas are personal, and critiques can feel like a rejection.

But true product-market fit requires looking beyond their selective bubbles of support. They need feedback from people outside their circle to gain a broader perspective.

Data should inform their thinking more than anecdotes alone.

They must be careful and not fall into the trap of only listening to opinions confirming their biases. If they want to build products for the general public, they must be receptive to thoughtful feedback - even if it conflicts with their preconceptions.

The world isn't divided neatly into optimists and pessimists.

**True success requires being open to hard truths**, incorporating diverse viewpoints, and letting data - not just optimism - guide their decisions.

brb - omw to "AdD VaLuE"

`Originally published on mgx.me`

beyond selective bubbles

hej andy, mehdi, and shen.

the writing tab is nice. very nice.

i'd like to provide some suggestions to further improve the user (and search) experience. ignore if you've already seen similar feedback on discord.

✅ better support for markdown would be useful when formatting content. 

✅ adding a description field for each page could be helpful. this text could then be used as the meta description for search engines. right now, it's "by user." no need to render the description on the published page.

✅ support for entering a canonical url would be helpful for users who want to republish content across different domains. sometimes, the same content may be hosted on the author's site and read.cv/user/writing. the canonical tag helps search engines understand the original and authoritative source of the content.

thanks.

suggestions to further improve the writing tab

Generalist

Life in Chengdu as an Expat

An up-to-date overview of living in Chengdu as an expat.

Insight > Opinion

The word insight has become a cliched term in our modern vernacular. From entrepreneurs to marketing gurus, everyone seems to seek and share “insights” these days.

Critique of Pure Reason (An Abstract)

My thoughts on Kant' seminal work, “Critique of Pure Reason.”

do you really need a notion template to unlock your brain?

Why PHP Is My Go-To Language for Fast Development

As a hobbyist developer with digital marketing background, PHP has been my go-to language for fast and sometimes hacky development since 2012.

My Thoughts on Edgar Allan Poe

A homage to the dark and macabre world of Edgar Allan Poe, one of the masters of horror literature.

Being and Nothingness

My thoughts on Jean-Paul Sartre’s “Being and Nothingness.”

Bing Ads Accredited Professional

Inbound Certification

Google AdWords Search Advertising Certification

BULATS

Google Analytics Certification

Mobile Sites Certification

Google AdWords Video Certification

Monthly Playlist: October – Part 2

html.earth is a tiny site generator that converts Markdown input to HTML pages. It comes with a front matter editor, custom styling field, and import & export options. It previews content as you type. The tool also saves content directly in the browser (localStorage). It is useful for bloggers, technical writers, and those who prefer writing in Markdown format but need HTML for publishing.

html.earth

Music Projects

[Orma.zip](https://orma.zip) is a personal project powered by Python (Telegram bot), MySQL (small db), and PHP (query and render). I set up a simple User ID checker so the bot only responds to me. I can send plain text or Markdown-formatted messages to the bot as status updates. The bot then saves the message content to my database. It also lets me add photos and edit or delete the entries via Telegram.

orma.zip

Mishka is an AI chatbot made for [Telegram](https://go.mishka.contact/bot) & [Discord](https://go.mishka.contact/discord). It is connected to the internet and other live data sources. Before answering questions, Mishka checks real-time information to ensure it provides the most up-to-date responses possible.

Mishka (Retired)

bear.css.observer takes any subdomain from subdomain.bearblog.dev and splits the screen into two panels. On the left is a live preview of the blog content. On the right is an editor where you can tweak the CSS in real-time. As you type, the changes are instantly applied to the preview panel on the left.

bear.css.observer

Abstraktr

A Twitter and Tumblr bot that posts a random object from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Met Museum Bot

Redesigned and managed the chengduliving.com as a developer, and I’m the social media curator of CL since 2018. We’ve shut down the forum platform in 2020.

Web Manager

An unofficial JSON REST API for BugGuide.net that lets you access the data-set of 40511 insects.

Bugs API

wr8 lets you create a website in Notion with better SEO. It is a customized version of nextjs-notion-starter-kit, based on NotionX

wr8.in

Made an unofficial ai chatbot based on [read.cv](https://read.cv) help center knowledge. It's currently active on read.cv's Discord server

read.cv help bot (retired)

I initiated the technical SEO, local SEO, and inbound marketing strategy for Trycle, an e-learning platform in Kerala bootstrapped by Arun Chandran and the team.

Digital Marketing Consultant

SEO and Social Media Executive

Improved the overall organic traffic of the company website, dealt with several clients, put them on top for high-value keywords, and managed the company blog.

SEO Analyst

Optimized their website and implemented several on-page changes to boost the CRO.

Consultant

I was responsible for setting up dedicated servers, enabling cron jobs, and managing WordPress website migrations for North Route. I’ve optimized, migrated, and maintained sites such as citilinks-group.com, experiencetibet.org, dagen.ee, RelevantChinaJobs.com, aboutasia.nl, etc., on behalf of North Route.

Web Consultant

BaaS Products ugChain\
Highlights: Translation, copywriting, collaborations, strategic partnerships, social media marketing, whitepaper publications.

Overseas Operations & Digital Marketing Manager

Created the company website using WordPress and WooCommerce and developed several WordPress plugins. I also led the social media team and maintained the website content.

Web Technician

Currently working on an AI project. \
Our previous project, folio.la, was recently acquired.\
\
Highlights: 60K customers, strategic partnerships, high-converting copywriting, social media management, AI prompting for product development, implementation of visualizations for marketing analysis and reporting, assisting product team with quick fixes and patches.

Director of Content & Growth

I’m an ongoing technical contractor for an NYC-based multi-disciplinary design studio.

Contractor

Backed by China’s tech giant Alibaba, Labex is a MOOC platform that provides hands-on coding lessons. I improved their user acquisition rate by 10000x in a short period. Also maintained their website, social media accounts, and communities and managed influencer outreach campaigns.

SaaS Products: EarlyBird (Ex co-founder), TinySnap, HeyForm\
\
Highlights: Set up marketing strategy from scratch, improved copy for all the projects, strategic link building, customer support, conversion rate optimization, oversaw SEO and SMO team members, and collaborated in product decisions.

Partner / Full-stack Marketer

In-House SEO Analyst

Web Developer Trainee

SaaS Products iobit.com/en/products.php\
Highlights: Improved organic traffic, maintained an official blog, managed SEO and SMO team, and assisted in product research and collaborations.

Mighil

2024

2023