I am an addict. What? Blog addict. I tell my son and hubby I will cut down on blogging but deep inside, I know I am lying. They do too.
After my shower each morning, I need to switch on my laptop, make my coffee, sit at the dining table and ping my blog posts (I've been having lots of problems with my feedburner updates...Someone help me, please!!!) after which I will consider what to write for the rest of the day. Then, I review what I had published earlier and you might be surprised that I still edit some of my previous posts!!!
I derive so much satisfaction and fulfilment through blogging because of the strong need to write, to blog and to just express myself because this is the only outlet for my ideas. I cannot imagine going on living in a day for more than three hours without checking my blog or mails and even when on holiday, it is the same. I cannot lug my laptop with me on holiday as it is huge, heavy (17 inch screen for an oledis like moi) and so I have to go to cybercafes or IT shops :-), whichever is more convenient.
For me, blogging is the opiate of life in its purest form. I am not just addicted to blogging, but to writing and reading. Even when I go to bed, I have to read to my heart's satisfaction until my eyes can hardly open or when the lines in the book seem to blur into one.
Some of you might not know this but I must confess that I run a few blogs :-) and so that keeps me pretty busy as each blog has a different emphasis. Nonetheless, the one which is in my heart all the time is unplugged because the name says it all. Truth is, I also give myself certain projects for each blog and you might have noticed that the postings at different times of the day take on a particular theme. I leave it for you to see the pattern :-). Being the typical Miss Kiasu, I schedule my morning and evening posts in advance with the hope that in the event that something happens to me or my pc, then my blog will still be running in auto-pilot mode.
On many occasions, I wake up in the middle of the night (but since I started running again, I have stopped doing that because I sleep right through due to fatigue) and the serenity and tranquility unleashes within me, many ideas and an inspiration that bursts forth from within effortlessly.
While writing, sometimes, I imagine I am in various situations be it as a writer for the New York Times, New Yorker, New Internationalist etc. and when I see my works in the screen, my heart just swells with satisfaction and the self-actualization process is most invigorating.
Looking at visitors coming into my blog gives me a deep sense of satisfaction that somehow, somewhere, a visitor chanced upon my blog and took the time to swing by. Some friends ask me why I do not include advertisements in my blog and to think of ways in which I can earn money from blogging.
*sigh*
I am, as many would have known by now, a die-hard dreamer and idealist. I would love to earn more money but not by putting adverts because of aesthetics :-). They just be so out of synch with the template or subject matter.
As it is, I have been itching to change the template for this blog for some time. I used to change the template every three to four weeks but I kind of grew fond of this quirky valentine. Besides, I am also concerned that some readers might not like the new template.
The best part about blogging is that this is my space - where I can share my ideas, rant, inspire, try new writing styles, share inspirational articles, tickle you with jokes etc...Without blogging, I would be totally deprived of all these exciting experiences that have enriched my life. By mid-May, I would have been blogging for one year at my Masterwordsmith@Writers.Inc. and by mid-August, it will be one year at this space.
Another benefit that I truly treasure is the opportunity to make friends with people from all over the world. I have forged a few strong friendships with some blog readers and I treasure these links. Hopefully, more of you will leave comments or get in touch with me because I would really love to hear from you.
So dear reader, friends and relatives, thanks so much for visiting my blog, for your comments, emails etc. because without you, there would not be unplugged. I would be plugged up, holed up at home!!! Thanks for being an inspiration to my blogging. I still have lots to learn and would be happy to hear your comments, ideas or suggestions. Take care and may you have a lovely day!
Cheerio!
10 comments to PREOCCUPATIONS AND PASSIONS
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Unknown Andrea,
Seriously, I wish you would write more cos I really enjoy your posts!!
Take care, my dear.
cheers
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Anonymous Hi there,
I'm addicted to blogging too. Sometimes, I tell myself not to turn on the pc for one day...but after an hour, I could'nt help myself !!
Always wanted to know who update their post, what the bloggers are up to, and read the wonderful friendly comments. Blogging really make my day. (sorry for my english, maybe I could improve it by writing here)
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Unknown Hi Kak Tie
Ah - we are two peas in a pod, Kak Tie.
I feel the same way as you do and would die if I did not blog.
I can live without many things but I cannot live without my laptop, internet connection and of course, electricity! ;)
Your English is fine!! It is my Malay that is ultra-rusty..
Thanks for swinging by and for your comment.
Take care and salam to you and your family.
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Walt Ooooh Paula, I could not wait for my shower! I'm sitting here in my silk underwear puffing on my pipe and blogging on the computer. We are much alike. We love people, and being the center of attention seem so natural to us; and yet we do not crave the mantle of leadership, although the burden has been placed upon us time and time again, by a weary and despondent world seeking a light in the darkness. I cannot tell them that I am as blind as they are, for fear that they would give up hope. So we come here to satisfy our need to be with people, and at the same time, we are free from the soul taxing responsibility of leading them. Alas we are what we are, and our destiny is to be in front of people, not behind them.
"How many thousand of my poorest subjects
Are at this hour asleep! O sleep, O gentle sleep,
Nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee,
That thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down
And steep my senses in forgetfulness?
Why rather, sleep, liest thou in smoky cribs,
Upon uneasy pallets stretching thee
And hush'd with buzzing night-flies to thy slumber,
Than in the perfumed chambers of the great,
Under the canopies of costly state,
And lull'd with sound of sweetest melody?
O thou dull god, why liest thou with the vile
In loathsome beds, and leavest the kingly couch
A watch-case or a common 'larum-bell?
Wilt thou upon the high and giddy mast
Seal up the ship-boy's eyes, and rock his brains
In cradle of the rude imperious surge
And in the visitation of the winds,
Who take the ruffian billows by the top,
Curling their monstrous heads and hanging them
With deafening clamour in the slippery clouds,
That, with the hurly, death itself awakes?
Canst thou, O partial sleep, give thy repose
To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude,
And in the calmest and most stillest night,
With all appliances and means to boot,
Deny it to a king? Then happy low, lie down!
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."
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Unknown My dear Walt,
We must be siblings of some sort, dear pal. Very well put. Thanks so much for expressing the unspoken feelings in my heart and also for the lovely poem..Did you write it?
How are you and how's work? Please take care and get enough rest :-).
Peace be unto you, Walt.
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Walt "I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano, A stage where every man must play a part, And mine a sad one."
The Merchant of Venice (I, i, 77-79)
Perhaps I did write it Paula; my thoughts and emotions seem out place in this world, as if I belong to another, more chivalrous time. That quote was from Shakespeare's Henry IV. Part II, 1597. Tired, sick, guilty, and beset by rebellion, King Henry IV is feeling the weight of his crown. Why, even the "vile" of his realm, after hours of drudgery, can in their "loathsome beds" get a good night's sleep (lines 15–16), while he—a king!—cannot. The "wet sea-boy" perched high on a mast, amid wind and waves, nods off easily, while quiet nights on a royal couch bring no rest to poor King Henry. "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," he concludes, probably wishing that he hadn't seized the throne from the pathetic Richard II and then had him murdered. I love Shakespeare.
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Unknown Hi Walt,
No wonder I could not recognize it - I have not read Henry IV. I have read almost all the Shakespearean works with the exception of:
# Titus Andronicus
# Antony and Cleopatra
# Coriolanus
# The History of Troilus and Cressida
# The Life of Timon of Athens
# Cymbeline
Er...I don't like tragedies hehe...
Thanks for sharing, Walt.
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Walt Don't let me fool you, I have yet to master Shakespeare. His old archaic words and remnants of middle English is a real bear for one to understand; and unless you can decipher and can plot the history of his especially chosen words you will miss out on the bards true genius. Many of my old folks now gone for 30 years or more; but due to the remoteness of their environment, spoke a Southern Appalachian dialect that was very close to Early Modern English much the same as the King James Bible and the works of William Shakespeare. This has been a big help to me, and yet half of the time, I did not know what they were saying to me. I'm very sleepy now, it is time to quit before I mess up, big time.
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Unknown I am not sure if Shakespeare wrote all that he claimed to have authored :-)...Yet, I love most of his works, especially the comedies.
Hope yoy had a good rest.
Sorry for this late response because I forgot about it until I saw you coming into my blog.
My apologies.
Take care..and as always, thanks for sharing with us...
cheers
Anonymous *laughs* These days, I limit myself to 30mins max to compose a post on any given day; otherwise I would be spending a good part of the day either staring at the screen or rambling along. So if no inspiration/ idea germ within that 30 mins.. no post for the day. *grins*