About
Hello! I’m Wong Li Jie and thank you for taking the time to visit my humble abode on the internet! There is much more that I’d like to welcome you with besides my blog (perhaps the likes of a photo album, soothing music and some hot chocolate or chilled water if it’s a warm day..) but am not able to do so at this stage so we’ll have to bear with it.
I grew up in Singapore with English, even though Mandarin was classified as my mother tongue language in school. I believe that these are one of the most exciting times to be living in. Budget airlines, the internet, and such has accelerated the rate of growth globally and allowed for easier cross-pollination of ideas and cultures.
In 2005 I had the privilege of commencing my undergraduate studies at the Australian National University. I decided to pursue a degree in IT as it came naturally to me and I started programming when I was 11. What an adventure these 4 years would turn out to be! In December 2006, I had my first opportunity to go to Cambodia. It was a mission trip organised by my mum’s church, and prior to that I never considered going there. Over the years, I ended up going to Cambodia 7 times, comprising 5 mission trips and once to attend a Cambodian friend’s wedding! Speaking of which, I find Cambodian dancing quite addictive and always look forward to Cambodian parties!
After graduating at the end of 2008, I thought it wise to brush up on my Mandarin in the rise of China’s prominence on the global stage. Beyond that, it is a part of my heritage and it is in my heart to possibly settle down in China. I arrived in Shanghai in February 2009 and began Mandarin studies for foreigners at East China Normal University. One of my most memorable experiences in this time was a trip that I did during the semester break to Xi’an with my father, Beijing, and Wenzhou. I am always tickled when I get to travel in China, especially with my dad!
In 2010 I went to Vietnam to help my brother with some work. I later spent 3 months working at Cua Dong restaurant as a waiter. Without worrying about food or housing when growing up, serving as a waiter really put some perspective into life. I recommend everyone to work in the service industry for some time if you’ve never done that. In February 2011, I started working for Greengar Studios to find more stable hosting solutions for their multiple web applications. I found out first hand how painful migrations can be, especially when one does not have a comprehensive list of all the components involved and is working with limited systems.
Since then I had the opportunity to go on a proper family holiday to Dalat, visit my country Malaysia, and explore more of the middle kingdom, China. As I had previously spent a large amount of time in Shanghai, I opted for places that I’ve never been to, including Xiamen, Huangshan, Chengdu, and Chongqing.
I look forward to what the future beholds in the “big somewhere out there” :)
If you’d like to get in touch, you can email me at lijie at this domain or use the contact form below: