I got tagged again, this time by Prab. I’ve already seen this meme making the rounds of the blogs I frequently visit, and I was actually hoping that I would get away with this. 😛 Not a chance.
So let me see, what has blogging brought into my life?
1. I’ve gained friends – and that includes you, dear reader!
It might be surprising for others to know that I have been blogging (albeit in relative secrecy) for the past couple of years. Honestly, I never really thought of blogging as a way to make friendly connections on the wired world. Fortunately, one day I woke up and found that it would actually be more fun to be involved in networks in the blogosphere. Needless to say, I am happy to be part of the happy blogosphere family. Ang saya-saya! 😀
2. I’ve gained weight.
As much as I would like to openly deny this, I feel that I am running out of room for excuses (like, I look fat because I am wearing LAYERS of clothing underneath – or – it’s the HAIR. It makes me look puffy, or poofy, to borrow Manny the mammoth’s defensive argument in Ice Age). Just recently, somebody had the temerity to ask my husband if I was on the family way. GRRR! I’m not pregnant; I’ve just turned into a blogger! Now that’s what I get for sitting in front of the PC for hours on end!
There’s only one thing to tell these people: “I may be fat, but you’re ugly, and I can lose weight.” Bah!
3. I’ve rekindled my love for writing.
For the last ten years or so of my life, I have only been writing technical papers – as required by the job, you know. But there are so many ways where technical writing differs from creative writing. Once in a while, it is liberating to just write as you feel like writing, without any regards for logic, consistency, or convincing my readers about my results. I can write as I want.
4. I’m getting too contemplative about my being a Filipino.
A quick look at some of my posts like Japanese habits worth emulating by Filipinos and Pacquiao fever may give you the impression that I’m getting some kind of sadistic enjoyment from my Filipino bashing. Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m proud to be a Filipino, and I’m proud of my country. On top of that, I want my country and countrymen to be great. To do that, we have to correct what is wrong in ourselves, and strive for greatness. My being in a foreign land adds a whole new dimension to this contemplativeness. It is true that some realizations are only revealed to you when you view them from afar.
And last but certainly not the least:
5. I’ve come to grips with my father’s death.
As I said in a previous post, personal circumstances have profoundly influenced my blogging activities. After my Daddy died, I had to deal with a huge vacuum, made worse by having to return to Japan where there were no relatives to comfort me nor share my grief. Sure, there were friends. But they can only do so much (would an email saying “I’m sorry to hear about your loss” suffice?) At that time, Baggy was still in Osaka and was only with us every other weekend.
So my grief was mine alone. It took its bittersweet time, and I had to find a way to handle it. As a scientist, I tried to rationalize. But how on earth can you make sense of the death of a loved one? Tell me, can you just say, “It’s bound to happen” and go on and feel better about everything? My earliest posts were about my Daddy, and every now and then I would still mention him or how he had influenced my life.
In this way, blogging helped me to sort out my emotions and thoughts. In more ways than one, it helped me to recover from this traumatic episode in my life.
So there you go. At this point I believe that I have to tag someone else, but I am one of those who are riding the last ripples of the wave to the shore. Or simply put, most everyone I know has been tagged already, haha. Anyway, if you would like to do this meme for me, feel free to do so. Just leave a comment somewhere so I can visit your blog and find out what you have written. 🙂
以上です。- That is all.
Blogging made you gain weight eh? 🙂 I can probably say that too.. Chips and beer are great company when blogging.
As for #4 I’m like that too. It’s not that we abhor our country but we only only attempt to highlight the flaws we see. Obviously we have noticed the traits of other cultures that makes their nations prosper so we want to emulate them too. Blogging is definitely therapeutic 🙂
I’m sorry about your father Cathy. Letting it out through creative means like blogging I guess really helps. As for nos. 1-4, ditto. 🙂
Hi Kathy 🙂
I don’t think I gained weight because of blogging. I’m simply big-boned hrhrhrhr
Seriously I am sorry too about your father. My experience is totally different but the help I got from blogging is pretty much the same 🙂
Have a nice day.
Ugh, so that’s the reason I noticed that I can put on some of my jeans without a belt. So it’s not a beer belly after all, but a blog-belly. lol
Ditto about the love for writing, Kathy. I’m on the same boat. 🙂
I’m happy for you that you’ve come into grips with your father’s passing, btw. At least blogging provided a therapy of sorts and a medium for you to express your grief.
I know exactly what you mean. Chips and coke are my addictions. You start blogging, and before you know it, all the chips are mysteriously gone. 🙂
I agree, Pinoy expats tend to have interesting insights about our culture and way of living because we can see the difference between ours and those of the country we live in.
Thanks Toe. 🙂
Yes, blogging really helped. Blogging is a reflection of our lives, characters, and experiences.
Hi Verns,
Welcome! 🙂 Thanks for dropping by (finally? hehe).
Blogging may have different benefits from everyone, but I think the most important thing is that it can make us better persons in the process.
Have a great day! (You big-boned you. :D)
Prab – lol! A blog-belly indeed. Now we finally have a term for it. 🙂
Yes, grieving is a slow process. I am only glad that there was a way to diffuse it in a creative way and I can get on with my life with better insights. Thanks for the kind words.
hi Kathy,
Sorry to hear about your loss.
Definitely agree with you one #1. Don’t stop blogging now.
Same here on #3 and #5. I’ve read the links about your father. The first time I also wrote about my father, I cried. I don’t think I really grieved when he died 16 years ago. And writing about him, I guess has been my delayed grieving process. So I agree that blogging is indeed therapeutic.
About #4 .. it’s so easy to see problems of where you are from once you start looking from an outside perspective and experience other cultures. And, you’re right, everyone should strive for greatness, no matter where they are – but I’ve noticed that changes in habits and ideologies (esp. for an entire population) is hard to come by … Hopefully, like you, more and more Filipinos (esp. those “in control” and teachers) have opportunitie to be exposed to other perspectives and bring back what they experience to the Philippines. The country has such great potential – with little, gradual changes I dream that it can be a developed country that embraces it’s heritage as well as modernity. But that all rests on the assumption that people are willing to work hard and accepting change … As someone who has grown up outside of the Phils and completely intrigued by it, I’d LOVE to hear your positive thoughts about the Philippines.
hehehe honestly I’ve been trying to visit many times na but I don’t know what’s wrong coz I can’t get through all the time but probably the prob is with my server 🙂
Anyway I hear ya! I always want to think of myself as better than who I was the previous day hehe joke!
i started blogging to sort out my emotions about the break up with my bf of 7 years. i didnt know that i would enjoy writing. My writings were limited to mktg & communications before that.
siguro kain ka ng kain ng junk foods while blogging kaya ka nag gain ng weight?! hehehe.
hmm blog-belly you say? I think i’ve had the phenomena even before entering to blogging 😀
hi Kathy, i totally agree with no.1 😉 got “phriends” from all over (think brazil, australia, canada) and some even got mails from post. too bad, our phlog is not as good as it used to be and most of us moved to tabblo :(anyway, keep it up and i hope you wont mind if i link you up once i decide to get a permanent spot 😉
D
Hi, Kathy! I was just reading the comments you posted in my blog – the one classified as spam. At last, I have discovered how to retrieve my comments. My spam eater is eating all incoming feedbacks, but I can easily retrieve them anyway. So just please feel free to leave comments, huwag pansinin yung spam eater, kasi kulang lang sa pansin. (KSP). hehehe.
I was so touched by your comment on the entry about my Tatay. Pareho pala tayong tinuruan mag type ng mga tatay natin. My tatay is 86, we thank God for his long life. Your dad, though now gone, I’m sure is still around, watching you all, his loved ones. 🙂
At saka – ay, oo nga! I gained weight too since I started blogging! Guess that’s the downside of all this fun.
Maybe some of us can come up with a “How to lose your blog-belly while still blogging.” lol
Thank you for your kind words.
Stop blogging? Nah, of course not! It’s too much fun! 🙂
I’m sorry to hear about your father too. We have the same experience – it was also difficult to write about my dad the first time. But in time even that changed. Instead of focusing on his death, I am now writing about his life.
Thanks for dropping by, Lyn.
I am quite touched by what you wrote. We need more people like you – those who continue to dream that our country will someday rise from its quagmire. It’s not a hopeless cause as some people would like to believe. And you’re absolutely right, change is never easy.
Regarding positive things about the country, please wait for my future posts. 🙂
Lurker ka pala, hehe. But hey, you’re always welcome here! Feel at home. 🙂
Sorry to hear about your relationship. As they said, blogging is definitely therapeutic. I hope you’re OK now!
Aside from the junk foods, yung lack of physical activity talaga ang nakakapagpataba. Hayy…what can you do eh? 🙁
Dimaks, haha!
Stay away from the beer and chips…stayyy awayyyy 🙂
Hey Leica,
Welcome back. Thanks for dropping by. Where have you been lurking lately, ha? Yeah, mukhang may problems nga sa phlog ngayon…it’s not as easy to access as before.
And yes, I’ll wait for that link! 😉
Rhodora, glad to hear that you can finally access the comments! Sobra emote ko pa naman nong sinulat ko yun, kaya naman I even contacted you about it hehe.
What a blessing it is to have your Tatay even at such an old age. Thank you for your kind words. Really. I appreciate it. 🙂
The good thing about blogging about weight gain, is to know that “you are not alone.” 😀
Good topic for a meme, Prab. Incidentally, bw mentioned about a contraption that helps you lose weight. In four days. Worth 14,000 bucks. LOL
Hi Kathy! Just read this meme- and I feel the same about #s 1-4! YOur #2 just gave me an idea- Ngayon, may alibi na ako for my “bilbil”,hehehe. As to # 4- you know what, now that I live in another country,mas naging nationalistic & patriotic ako. Mas na-appreciate ko ang ating kultura at ang ating “brand of friendliness & hospitality”. Iba talaga tayo!
It is true that whereas we are scattered across the globe, there are universal experiences that came out of our blogging. I definitely agree with the “nationalistic & patriotic” part. Filipino hospitality is something that we can also be proud of.
Thanks for dropping by, Gina! I’ll add you to my links, ok? 🙂