Tagged: Why Do I Blog?

I'm supposed to be working on some pending projects here at home, but my mind is wandering somewhere else. I just can't focus. Argh. I guess I need a break from working on the same old stuff for weeks. So for the meantime, while I refresh my mind, I'll answer this tag from Neil, a co-forumer from SkyscraperCity.

How long have you been blogging?

My blogging experience has been intermittent at best. I first had something that resembled a blog back in late 2004 via the old Blogger. It's dead now. Hehe. I simply wasn't able to maintain it and it died of neglect. Between '04 and '06, I made several attempts to start blogging again but somehow I just couldn't keep it going.

In 2006 I had an anonymous blog at WordPress - I opted for anonymity because I had some quite personal stuff going on there. But that blog is dead too. Hehe. I guess I'm not really at ease having too personal blog posts for everyone to feast on. The current incarnation of my blog is doing well, I think. I started posting stuff two years ago and It's still alive. Hehe.

What inspired you to start a blog and who are your mentors?

A lot of things inspired me (and continue to inspire me) to blog, or generally, to write. Maybe the most important reasons that motivate me to write is the yearning for self-expression and creativity. For the past few years, writing has become my life - because it is my job and it pays the bills. But writing out of necessity is never as fulfilling as writing to express one's thoughts and to explore and share things that are interesting for me. Thus, I blog.

I don't remember having any blogging mentors.

Are you trying to make money online, or just doing it for fun?

It is tempting to monetize a blog, but this is still first and foremost a personal blog. I simply love writing stuff and sharing them to anyone who cares to read.

Cheesy as it may sound, I do get a sense of fulfillment in the simple joy of having people read and relate with my posts. It feels great when people leave a comment or two. I'm happy when my blog gets good traffic or when one of my posts appear on top of search engine results. Even though I have been a part of the SEO industry for more than four years now as a web copywriter, I'm still basically a newbie blogger, and all of this fascinates me. I still have a lot to learn.

For the meantime, I'll stick only with AdSense on this blog and skip the other revenue-generating stuff. If I get clicks on my ads, that's great. If I don't, that's fine with me too.

Tell me three things you love about being online.

1. I have access to a vast wealth of information and news. For someone who used to pore over encyclopedias, the internet is nirvana.
   
2. I get to interact with and learn from interesting people through forums and other blogs.
3. I get to download stuff. (Hey, don't give me that look, LOL)

Tell me three things you struggle within the online world.

1. Hmm, I 'struggle' with updating my blog regularly too.
2. I'm struggling.... to answer this last question.
3. I'm struggling to keep my eyes open.

Guess it's time to hit the sack. But before I do, I ask Homar, Phoebe, Cristel, Richard, and Abby to continue this tag/meme. Just ignore if you've done this before. Good Night.

Tagged

Ok, so I've been tagged by Steffi. Not really the first time, since I've been tagged a few times before, though I didn't bother responding. Haha. Maybe I was either too busy or too lazy to answer the previous tags. This one looks easy (translation: I'm bored) so I'll give it a go.

Here’s how it works: Use the first letter of your name to answer each question. Must be places or names…Nothing made up. Can’t use own name for boy/girl’s name question. If can’t answer, skip to next one.

1. Famous Singer: Diana Krall (thought of Dashboard Confessional first, but that's a band)
2. Four Letter Word: d-a-r-n, d-i-c-k, d-a-m-n.
3. Street: Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard
4. Colour: Dark Blue
5. Gifts/Present: Diesel shoes
6. Vehicle: Dodge Durango
7. Things in Souvenir Shop: Door Mats
8. Boy Name: Dylan
9. Girl Name: Denise (my niece)
10. Movie title: Dead Poet's Society
11. Drink: Dark Beer (courtesy of Booze Mail, hehe)
12. Occupation: Doctor
13. Celebrity: Donald Duck
14. Magazine: Details (tricky, I had to consult Wikipedia)
15. City: Dublin, Ireland
16. Sports: Decathlon
17. Fruit: Durian
18. Reason for Being Late to work: Drunk the night before
19. Something you throw away: debris
20. Something you shout: D*p*ut*! Also, 'damn'

In turn, I'm tagging: Yona, Rhyz, Normand, Mina, Dorkzter

Where have I been?

Traveling is right on the very top of my i-want-to-but-some-circumstances-doesn't-allow-me-to list. I haven't even been to some of the best destinations here in Bicol. So it isn't a surprise that I got a D in this popular Lakbayan test which I think everyone in the Pinoy blogosphere already have in their respective blogs. Oh well, It seems I have 'miles to go before I sleep get an A'. hehe

Update [8.16.8]

After trips to Bohol and Boracay for this year, my Lakbayan grade is now a C-. Looking forward to the next upgrade! Hehe

My Lakbayan grade is C-!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

My (So-called) Visual DNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Found this interesting tool while blog-hopping. It's supposed to show your 'Visual DNA' or the type of personality you have based on the pictures you choose. To get your Visual DNA, you have to answer a number of questions by choosing the picture that feels right. For example, when asked what your idea of a vacation is, you can choose from several pictures showing a beach, road, mountains, etc. The tool then analyzes your personality based on these selections.

They say pictures are worth a thousand words. So maybe they can say a thing or two about someone's personality. I think the results of my own Visual DNA are fairly accurate, although of course, you can't condense a thing as complex as personality into a few photos.

The site also lets users find people with similar choices and link up with them, by the way. I couldn't care less, though. LOL.