Thursday, March 01, 2007

5 Reasons For Blogging.

A couple of months back, blogging was a privilege to me. A liability of some sort. A place where I spend most of my (free) time, typing about anything and everything that comes to mind and sharing whatever sort of media to the blogosphere. Yeah, those were the good times when I definitely didn't need to think twice about clicking on the "Create Post" button or even blog-hop, for that matter. Nowadays, my blogging activity has been reduced to merely just a hobby when I can (seriously) only spend my free time( if there was any for the week to speak off!) blogging . Sadly it has become a weekly affair compared to a couple of months before where it was practically a daily business, as unnecessary the contents of the day might be. Especially now since after the Chinese New Year holidays - I'm clumsily struggling to keep my head above water the unreasonably huge amount of homework thrown on me (including procrastinated work, of course!), desperately gasping for air and kicking my legs in frustration. It only takes time before I drown. Really.

Come to think of it, I've reduced blogging really a lot since the beginning of the new year and school term. You don't suppose me being buried in stacks of books have anything to do with me being in the final year of school (the assignments and homeworks!) and the pure fact that I'm gonna have to sit for the much dreaded governmental examinations by the end of the year, do you? I think too much. Either way, as much as I want thing to be the way it was a couple of months back, I can't possibly find the time to. Don't even try to tell me that I should manage my time better. Well, it's complicated. Could barely find the time to even edit and upload pictures from the recent Chinese New Year hiatus of mine. Now, instead of blogging, I'm spending most nights drawing up ideas from thin air to be written for numerous Malay essays or making ends meet with Accountancy. Mind you, I'm not the kind of person who burns the midnight oil for studies (hell no!). I just try to finish them off in between lessons, hoping that I'll not get caught by teachers of other subjects, to make it in time for the deadlines. Easy isn't it?

Somehow, with the upcoming monthly tests next week, I still don't feel the urge to plough through my Economics notes . None whatsoever. Apparently, I'm still in the holiday mood. Anyway, the only reason why I'm here is because I'm spared free for the night of delayed Debit Notes or Dysfunctional Graphs that comes along with weird frustrating equations. Also, I have just found out (shame on me!) that 5Xmom tagged me on the 5 Reasons Why I Blog (which undeniably, seems to be circulating widely around the attendees of the Penang Bloggers' Meet!). Well, Here's my top 5 reasons of blogging.

1. Destiny.
The truth is, I started blogging at the beginning of 2004 when I was in my 2nd year at school (a few people might've remember). No one that I know then, had any idea what blogging was, I assume. I came to know of it through the person whom I was sitting next to in class then when he told me about his brother's blog. He didn't even know what as it when he told me it was a website. Of course, I thought of it as a personal website too, at first. I checked the blog out and was thrilled by the way he had pictures and the way he got to write his own stuff on his "website" as his brother was studying in Singapore then. The "website" baffled me completely back then. I seemed to have difficulty in navigating through the long list of archives, silently trying to make out which posts came first.

Being the adventurous online little git I was back then, I signed up for an account for Blogger straight away. When I first started, the blog was mainly filled with little jottings of musings of a little boy (posted hourly!) and pictures from the mobile phone. There was a point when I got bored of it and dumped the blog and I even saw it as a burden to keep it updated. Of course, that was a way different blog then. It wasn't until late two years ago (2005) when blogging became the new black, that I began to explore out of the confines of my own blog, into others' blogs as well and my, what revelations it held for me. It turned from rants and babbles of daily nonsense and events to writing. Yes, it turned into writing from the angst-filled posts by a swearing teenager after I got sick of those uncapitalized posts and cutesy texts. I realize the potential it had to become something respectable and different from the other blogs out there. And that is how I decided to keep blogging as it is.

2. Remaining Infamous Unpopular While Not Being Anonymous.
Another reason that's been keeping me blogging is because I don't get a lot of people visiting my blog. As hard as it is to believe, I'm not lying. Of course, all the other less-known bloggers out there, including me, do fancy the compliment or acknowledgement from close friends or new people once in a while on the contents of the blog but too much of it for me would make me nonetheless uncomfortable. Knowing me, I'm neither the kind of person who constantly gets good stuff to write about in a blog nor do I have the ability to talk about anything and make it sound funny and interesting all the while. Imagine me being Matthew Sia poking fun at a Marie France Bodyline ad while posing in it? Or maybe the next KinkyBlueHobbit, entertaining the world with such a blog worthy life! Ain't gonna happen. As absurd as it may sound, I don't actually fancy the idea of people reading my writings, especially when it comes to families (there goes my one stop shop for gossip!).

If you haven't already notice, the blog consists of three main elements which are family, school and my life in general. Three simple elements that remains close to the heart. Last year especially, was a reasonably good year for me, where I managed to blog about almost all the important events. This year, though, I'm doubtful if I even have the time to blog about important occasions. I have my fingers crossed. So I'm guessing that it's probably due to my blog contents that aren't really newsworthy or blog worthy (so to speak) that I still maintain a low profile blog that not many people know off and where comments come by pretty rarely. This explains why I don't really favor giving my blog out (promoting) to everyone I meet or posting it as chat programs nickname.
Which is a good thing in my way. Then again, the preference for an infamous blog may have derived from the fact that maybe it's not generally blogging I want to be famous for. In fact, it's something else that I would like to be acknowledged for through blogging and photography is just one of them!

3. Growth.
The idea of growth - or wanting to grow - came right after I started writing on the blog. Blogging, as everyone may have noticed, is a very intriguing way to keep track of the growth of a blogger, whether it's emotionally, physically or anything really! Of course, I haven't seen a blog that was specially set up to keep track of the blogger's own height, waist size, vocal range or length of hair, just yet but keeping a blog itself is already enough to keep track of your personal development. Honestly, it really leaves me amazed, confused, embarrassed and some of the time, proud at myself during the rare times when I browse through my monthly archive. It's a thoroughly good way to reflect on the past and be a good judge over a certain matter and then improving from there. The archive works as an online memory to certain details that one might've forgotten over the months (or years!).

My idea of growth includes me growing creatively. English, for instance. Now, I know my English isn't exactly perfect (with the occasional "grammer" mistakes!) but I also know it ain't too shabby either! Having the authority to be writing on anything that matters to me here is a very good way for someone like me to expand. You know, to experiment with different kinds of writing styles, vocabulary, expressing all sorts of emotions that an average adult couldn't possibly have the time to and the likes, rather than the stereotype teen who unnecessarily punctuates widely and splashes colors on their bold written words like a blank canvas needing the artist to throw paint on it! Seriously. People will read if their interested! If they don't, then they're not. Also, to grow in certain skills like photography, HTML and what not.

4. Something To Call My Own.
I admit, the blog sure does come in handy when it's frustration or anger that I'm trying to vent out. Ironic, yes, I know but having the knowledge that I still have something personal at home that I can turn to at the end of the day do sounds a little comforting. It's like having a pet or a mate to come home to. After all, keeping a blog certainly comes across as a responsibility to me. A commitment. A motivation to keep me going on the rough days. Ever since I fell into relapse a few months after blogging, actually cursing the damn thing and feeling liberated thereafter that I need not blog anymore, I figured I wasn't ready for any kind of commitment and I was troubling myself through blogging, thinking that it was actually compulsory to post everything - from farting to burping. Thank God, I've seen that blogging needn't be treated as a written CCTV. And now, being able to still keep it going (for as long as I can) is and achievement itself, to me that is. It's a sign of me being able to commit myself into (at least) one thing. Trust me, there are times when I feel like deleting the blog but it has become a part of my life, albeit a tiny little portion of that life.

Am I taking blogging a little too seriously here? Hope not.

5. To Share.
I may be reluctant to open up to people, but I suppose a that tiny little portion in me still does feel like sharing at least a little bit of me to the world. I'm not exactly sure if there's anyone out there to share it with but I'm just putting myself out there. The thought of actually exchanging cultures with a foreign kid has always been at the back of my head. The foreign kid, frequently asking about the celebration, tradition and heritage and vice versa besides exchanging ideas has never failed to put me light at heart. A pen pal of some sort. Call it a dream never come true as the prospects of meeting foreign 17 year olds that still have interest at the world outside their own is seemingly growing thinner. 12 or 13 year olds, maybe but 17 year olds without iPods who still take time off to be with the family, hardly. Fret not, though. I do have a couple of avid readers whom I sometimes really keep the blog updated for. Namely, my 21 year old sister, studying at KL. She does, check back every now and then to see what's going on with the family as I give a pretty good insight of the happenings I must say. Funny though, she doesn't leave trails of her visit. Wonder why.

Wait a minute. There goes my chance of bitching about her once more! Dammit.

So there's my top 5 reasons for blogging (or still keeping it going). What about yours?

1. Adelyn.
2. Nicholas.
3. teMMe.
4. Christal.
5. Hui Wen.

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