Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Happy 10th anniversary!

Today is the 10th anniversary of my blog. Wow!


I started this personal project as an afterthought. Ten years, 1194 posts, and 200 visitor comments later and my blog is more alive and active today than I ever thought it would be. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, here's a look at some the highlights of the last ten years.

My first post: New blog!
Most prolific months: January 2013 and January 2014. In both months, I managed to post once a day. 
Most prolific year: 2014, with 161 posts.
Post with the most comments: [SWEDEN] My apartment (with 10 comments)

My most viewed blog posts:
  1. Tagaytay Food Trip: Chateau Hestia (517 views)
  2. Brunei: Travel tips and Suggested Itinerary (468 views)
  3. Kimstore! (421 views)
  4. Pistachio Sans Rival from Delize (408 views)
  5. Conti's Strawberry Shortcake (362 views)
It's a shame that my posts about the pistachio sans rival of Delize and Conti's strawberry shortcake have been viewed a lot since they have terrible pictures LOL.

The post that triggered my blog's resurgence: Valentine's Day
After writing a lot when I lived in Sweden in 2007, I started to post a lot less in the late 2007 to 2009 period. In fact, the only months for which I don't have a single blog post are November 2007 and February 2008. I then randomly read this old post which I wrote in early 2007. I had completely forgotten about that brief but wonderful moment. It was then that I decided to blog as frequently as I could to capture more amazing memories, from the subtle to the grand.

Blog tradition: looking back at the previous year to start off the new year
I did this for the first time in 2007 when I wrote The Best of 2006 (part 1) and The Best of 2006 (part 2). I did it again when I started posting more regularly in 2010 and since then, I have made it a point to do it each year:

How my blog has evolved over the years:
As I read through the my many blog posts over the years, it's quite interesting to see how my themes, tone, and even writing style have changed.
  • I used to write about many unrelated things that I did and experienced over a period of time in one really long post. That is, until a friend pointed that out to me and I now try to make each blog post more thematic.
  • I started out writing about travel and dining experiences without posting any photos. A few friends recommended me to share photos whenever I can so I do that quite a lot now. I also provide hyperlinks to sources and useful references, something I didn't do at the start.
  • I used to rant quite a bit (in a whiny, not-so-good way that is probably best done in person to a significant other or a friend) when things weren't going so well in my life and in my work. Now I try to remain a lot more positive. I still write about crazy things that happen to me or stupid things that annoy me, but I generally try to do it in a way that injects a bit of wry humor that will probably make me shake my head and chuckle when I read about them in the future.
  • When I started out, I would write in Taglish but since I have friends who can't speak Filipino, I switched to just writing in English.
  • I used to write a whole lot about American Idol but I haven't really watched AI in the last few (several?) years. I barely post about AI anymore.
  • I also changed the look of my blog twice. I used to not have a previous button until last year.
Interesting choice I've made so far: Not monetizing my blog
I still haven't monetized my blog despite many friends saying I should because I write quite regularly. However, I read my own blog or I provide links to previous blog posts quite frequently (especially in my look-back posts) and I understand that increasing your own blog's hits by clicking on your own posts is not allowed. Also, on a more aesthetic level, I like how clean my blog looks without any ads. So at least for the time being, I will keep my blog ad-free. :)

There are a lot more highlights I want to share especially related to travel so I will be posting part 2 of my 10th anniversary celebration shortly. :)

1 comment:

Katco said...

I love your blog's name :P Hahaha! Hope to read some your stuff when I finally get some free time... who knows when. I miss reading. Tc!