I Miss This, Don’t You?

I went to grab a drink with Priscilla tonight and we reminisced how we first met. On Twitter, naturally, before we finally met face to face.

We were both bloggers then. Me and my random, ranty, nerdy blog with the food spin-off that was starting to go somewhere. Then I got a job in the produce industry and the blogging stopped. Both the food side and this side.

Why is it that when something you love to do as a hobby become your job, it wasn’t quite as fun any more?

A quick walk down the memory lane with Priscilla tonight got me thinking about both of my creations. OakMonster.com was launched in 2003, and Food.OakMonster.com started in January 2007.

OakMonster.com has always been aimless. No niche. No focus. It’s me talking about whatever hell I feel like talking about that day.

Unlike today when people start a blog with a purpose–building personal brand, showcasing thought leadership, sharing recipes, reviewing products, travel diary, etc., back then, blogging was an easy way to share thoughts and ideas online.

By easy, I meant that your other option at the time is to code your own website. Oh yes, my Geocities sites were pretty kickin’. I’d spend some nights coding away. But I digress.

First, blogging. Then, niche blogging. Then there are all the strategies. You need to get the picture added. You need to have keywords embedded. You need this, and that, and other to grow your Klout and influence, and…now you’re not doing so well and nobody wants to talk to you any more.

It’s starting to become harder to blog. It’s slowly becoming a second job. Eventually, I found other hobbies and I can enjoy and feel a lot less pressure to succeed. (Not everyone is going to judge a Slave Leia Harley Quinn, I’m just sayin’…) And the blogs were kind of abandoned.

Asiatique creepy house - Bangkok - Thailand

This residence was built in 1912 in Bangkok. Now, a part of Asiatique, it awaits renovation. Does that sound familiar?

But I miss it. I miss writing. I miss spouting off in more than just 150 characters. I miss ranting about random things. I like not having a purpose. Or a niche. Or a measurement of success.

Can a girl just write and not aim to get a book deal any more?

If you say, “That’s what LiveJournal is for!” then you’re probably right. And LOL to that.

Also, I’ve been writing a daily gratitude post on my personal Facebook since the first of November. Sometime a story sprung out of that and became a bit of a blog post.

I started to miss blogging right about then. Sparks are starting to fly.

And tonight, without knowing that she did, Priscilla just added the kindling to those sparks.

This regularly scheduled blogging thing may be catching fire here.

But first, I’m going to fucking fix this mother fucking page.

*sigh*

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