Monday 28 July 2014

Why Blog? That is the Question


I was reading Carly Findlay's blog when something flashed upon my mind. That girl likes to blog. And she covers so many topics. She knows no limits and it's clear that if blogging paid well enough, she'd probably be one to give up the day job to focus solely on that. And what a journey that would be!

But then looking at myself, I found myself thinking to myself as I gulp a bottle of water and eat instant noodles for lunch, I end up thinking, well, why DO I blog?! Well here's why. 

I find that my ideas come alive on paper. Sometimes I struggle to verbalise my thoughts. It's as if I've suddenly become mute and only say things which would please others. I find that putting my thoughts down in writing helps me verbalise what's going on in my crazy mind and writing it down makes everything make sense. Do you understand? 

How does my writing differ from others in it’s genre?

My kind of writing differs from other in that what I write is very very personal to me and it's a bit like a journal to me. I have the ability to write what I want, more of less without boundaries. And that reflects me in a way, I like to try and live on my terms. I like to be able to write witty remarks and poke fun at things, examine my life and see the beauty of seeing my own writing being seen by others. 

What can I bring through blogging?:

The fact of the matter is, apart from having the odd appearance of a sunburnt strawberry, I'd like to think I bring humour and good vibes to people. But all things serious, I am one of few in the world with Harlequin Ichthyosis and indeed Ichthyosis and in the top generation of sufferers with Harlequin. I'd like to think I bring an optimism to others. To bring hope to those struggling with the what ifs, I hope that through my blogging, I can bring comfort to others that while having a skin disorder, life doesn't have to stop there. I want to show that you can reach for the stars and the sky is the limit. I hope to inject humour into something that let's be honest, isn't really humorous to begin with. 


My ideal readers are:

People affected by Ichthyosis, sufferers and carers,

People who are bored and fancy reading something interesting,

People who want to take life lessons from a somewhat naive 21 year old,

People who are in search of new blogs to read and follow


Blogging will make me feel:

Blogging makes me feel at ease, there's something about blogging that's strangely comforting to me. The idea that I can reach out to people and hopefully pass on a little of what my parents have been teaching me. Blogging makes me feel like I can be me, I no longer have to hide behind a facade anymore. To make me feel more at ease about having a skin disorder which will stay with me for keeps.

What am I working on?

I'm working on fresh material all the time. Whether it's about life, Hong Kong, Ichthyosis or my rugby refereeing. I constantly have ideas on the go. One day i'd like to be paid for my thoughts!!

Why do I write what I do?

Why indeed.  I feel inclined to write about myself because that's the best way to write. I couldn't possibly write about anyone else because I don't know them. I don't know how their mind works. And vice versa.  I hope that with my writing, I don't offend people with my blunt attitude towards things. I write about life in a way that I hope others will benefit in some shape or form. I write about things that others may not be comfortable writing or talking about. I understand that sometimes I write things and I come accross as a cruel and uncaring person who basically tells people to shut up and deal with the cards they've been dealt with. I don't ever mean to come across as that way. I was raised to be a caring individual by MamaRef and PapaRef and I know sometimes that doesn't shine through. But I hope in time, that obnoxious curse will be broken and things will bubble along nicely. 

I write about my life because I want to break the stigma of those who have disability and feel that society is against them. And for someone who was born in somewhat harsh and difficult circumstances, and then was picked up by Mama and PapaRef who have always egged me one and told me to persevere and give things a go, I feel like I'm in a position to say that I'm living proof that you can push through barriers and live a somewhat happy if not chaotic and fulfilling life. I mean I have to thank my parents for helping me get to where I am today. I certainly didn't do this all on my own, I mean my views may be my own, but my gung-Ho attitude and willingness to give life a go, all comes from MamaRef and PapaRef. To this I am so grateful. 

How does my writing process work?

My writing process is somewhat flimsy in that I do not have a specific writing schedule. I write when I feel like it and more often than not, most of my work is done on my commutes to work. I use my iPhone to type out my posts and sometimes I use the iPad to continue things if I get fed up of squinting at the ridiculously small keyboard being trampled over by my fat muscular fingers. I also write late at night if I can't sleep. The thing I love about blogging is that I can choose when I write and there are no deadlines. There are times when I have terrible bloggers block and won't write for a few days, but there are also times when I'm on a roll and can write a whole post in an hour. If i am able to summon up the courage, I look to people to help me do a Q&A session and I hope I can do more of those. 

I don't tend to write during work hours just because I don't have the time nor energy capacity to even spill out a sentence. That being said, my blogging is something that's a past time and something to be done in my own time. But anecdotes about work and rugby always pop up! 

I tend to draw material from my life on Facebook and Instagram. I may not always mange to churn out a long blog, but I love keeping people in the loop through my twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I depict my adventures in photos, blogs, memes and more. This being said, I have always kept those mediums relatively seperate, so that friends and followers get something's new and unique wherever they look. But this IchthyRef blog is wired through Facebook, Google and Twitter so people are always able to find their way here. 

I wrote this after reading Carly's post  and decided to take part in this little blogging exercise. I hope this has worked well! 

The IchthyRef xxx

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