Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh
Records show that I started "Everyday is A New Day" in 2004. Which only means the now defunct and no where to be found,"Psychosomatic Confrontations was last published probably a couple of years before that. Last I checked, someone else has adopted my pseudonym, documenting similar things.
I don't remember exactly why I weaned away from blogging. Thanks to instantaneous click-to-share social media, I got too distracted (to keep a cohesive diary) yet even more exhibitionistic in copy-pasting and displaying snippets of my everyday life, sometimes in its raw emotive nature, sometimes cryptic and somewhat academic in others, spiritual at times, nutty and most of the time, self-indulgent in ONE measly sentence, sometimes just 140 words. Meh.
Social media gave me a bigger window to voices and faces, access to news, trends and trivia spreading like wildfire.
Facebook and Instagram have not only connected me with childhood friends and far flung kith and kin, it has now given a little nudge to old bloggers who have continued to keep in touch.
Sentraal Station was never closed. Just slowly abandoned but the bond and camaraderie between those hyperlinked on there was like family. It was a congregation of religious diary keepers consisting of mostly Malaysians and Singaporeans, predominantly living away from home and very many prolific typewriters, soapbox speakers, young and old.
Not many years ago, people kept blogs to document their lives, sometimes incognito to reflect and share experiences in carefully written words, peppered with comedic flair, literary virtuoso, reflective of one's home and upbringing, a window into lives, hearts and minds. Blogs gave people voices and license to publish freely (before the times of the Orcs *cough* cybertroopers). It felt as if people really took the time to write their pieces. They were not merely an outlet for angry citizens or a means to defame a political figure, although political and intellectual discourse maintained some acidic candour yet almost always done with a degree of civility. At least the ones I frequented, a pedigree of writers not very common on FB and Instagram.
The quality of friends I have made through blogging is astonishing. I had first started writing anonymously before I was noticed by a certain Pok Ku and a much beloved Kak Teh. My first blog was laboriously written with a huge dependence on ye olde thesaurus and medical books to illustrate my battle with IBS and migraine. It was a form of pain management for me. Someone thought I was a man.
My second and third blogs were basically a pictorial journal of my life in Singapore, a new mother at that time, playing house (albeit overzealous in keeping things clean) and always experimenting with new recipes. My friends will remember my daily tango with my mopping sticks and how I loved Clorox bleach (and Lysol). I still do love the smell of antibacterial solutions but you know, I made friends with Bath and Body Works (of course having Josie and Becca lifted the pressure to keep clean because they are pretty good at what they do. Not! I became bossier. LOL). I met CK (and the rest of the Gebang Gang) and Najah online and we were bosom buddies (or rather foodie anonymous and gungho *cough* kiasu moms) as soon as we met in person.
I kept at least four more incognito blogs and 4 collaborative writing projects with friends in different industries for the motivation to keep writing. An impromptu pantun session in chatrooms gave birth to Puisi-Relay, which I am immensely proud of. My chronicles as a mom and interactions with moms and dads at UmmikuSayang ( some of who blogged via Modblog before crossing over to Blogger/Wordpress) gave birth to two books on breastfeeding and mothering.
The song "Kembaliku PadaMu Ilahi" is for me probably the most meaningful project motivated by the network of bloggers at Sentraal Station. It was indeed a labor of love, a testament of the bond that we have nurtured over the years, over land, skies and seas. With donations collected from loyal followers of Allahyarhamah Dalilah Tamrin, a demo was produced and recorded in Dubai, ready to be marketed to a Malaysian superstar Anuar Zain. It was a very emotional project for me personally and for many of my blog-sisters and brothers. We remember our brothers and sisters who have return home to Allah for the exemplary work they have done in this corporeal world. May Allah elevate their stations amongst the pious. Ameen.
The move to Dubai following the passing of my mother was a major turning point. I had my Makcik Blogger gang to thank for helping me get through the darkest moments of my life. When half of who I am was taken away from me, the first person I called was Kakteh. When I was bedridden after a difficult pregnancy and birth, Kakteh came with my Munshi, Awang Goneng, who then lovingly performed Tahnik upon my son and serenaded him with Salawat. Kakteh gave Aishah her first Barbie doll. How can I ever repay such love and kindness? What kind of madness is this to be so connected with someone you hardly know from Adam?
My blog became dormant after Arzachel was born. It became quicker to post pictures and update FB statuses as I juggled being an expatriate weekend wife and school run Mom.
The very same friends I found in blogosphere are my advocates(and occasional adversaries but usually out of necessity) on Facebook today. I have met most of them in person. There are still quite a number who are like godmothers, godfathers, soul sisters...twins to me till this very moment. Very many of them I have never met but connected as if we have been kindreds for years.
A handful of them whom I love to death because our stories have been written in a way that whether we like it or not, we would always be important to each other. You know who you are. And I love you for the sake of Allah.
So this May 6th, I will attempt to emancipate what little brain matter I have left to join the bandwagon of bloggers to rekindle the energies that used to be reason why I woke up in the morning.
The force that has encouraged me to choose joy instead of darkness.
Ahsan Allahu alaikum my friends and family for being part of my story.
See you ONLINE! Let's make history!
Records show that I started "Everyday is A New Day" in 2004. Which only means the now defunct and no where to be found,"Psychosomatic Confrontations was last published probably a couple of years before that. Last I checked, someone else has adopted my pseudonym, documenting similar things.
I don't remember exactly why I weaned away from blogging. Thanks to instantaneous click-to-share social media, I got too distracted (to keep a cohesive diary) yet even more exhibitionistic in copy-pasting and displaying snippets of my everyday life, sometimes in its raw emotive nature, sometimes cryptic and somewhat academic in others, spiritual at times, nutty and most of the time, self-indulgent in ONE measly sentence, sometimes just 140 words. Meh.
Social media gave me a bigger window to voices and faces, access to news, trends and trivia spreading like wildfire.
Facebook and Instagram have not only connected me with childhood friends and far flung kith and kin, it has now given a little nudge to old bloggers who have continued to keep in touch.
Sentraal Station was never closed. Just slowly abandoned but the bond and camaraderie between those hyperlinked on there was like family. It was a congregation of religious diary keepers consisting of mostly Malaysians and Singaporeans, predominantly living away from home and very many prolific typewriters, soapbox speakers, young and old.
Not many years ago, people kept blogs to document their lives, sometimes incognito to reflect and share experiences in carefully written words, peppered with comedic flair, literary virtuoso, reflective of one's home and upbringing, a window into lives, hearts and minds. Blogs gave people voices and license to publish freely (before the times of the Orcs *cough* cybertroopers). It felt as if people really took the time to write their pieces. They were not merely an outlet for angry citizens or a means to defame a political figure, although political and intellectual discourse maintained some acidic candour yet almost always done with a degree of civility. At least the ones I frequented, a pedigree of writers not very common on FB and Instagram.
The quality of friends I have made through blogging is astonishing. I had first started writing anonymously before I was noticed by a certain Pok Ku and a much beloved Kak Teh. My first blog was laboriously written with a huge dependence on ye olde thesaurus and medical books to illustrate my battle with IBS and migraine. It was a form of pain management for me. Someone thought I was a man.
My second and third blogs were basically a pictorial journal of my life in Singapore, a new mother at that time, playing house (albeit overzealous in keeping things clean) and always experimenting with new recipes. My friends will remember my daily tango with my mopping sticks and how I loved Clorox bleach (and Lysol). I still do love the smell of antibacterial solutions but you know, I made friends with Bath and Body Works (of course having Josie and Becca lifted the pressure to keep clean because they are pretty good at what they do. Not! I became bossier. LOL). I met CK (and the rest of the Gebang Gang) and Najah online and we were bosom buddies (or rather foodie anonymous and gungho *cough* kiasu moms) as soon as we met in person.
I kept at least four more incognito blogs and 4 collaborative writing projects with friends in different industries for the motivation to keep writing. An impromptu pantun session in chatrooms gave birth to Puisi-Relay, which I am immensely proud of. My chronicles as a mom and interactions with moms and dads at UmmikuSayang ( some of who blogged via Modblog before crossing over to Blogger/Wordpress) gave birth to two books on breastfeeding and mothering.
The song "Kembaliku PadaMu Ilahi" is for me probably the most meaningful project motivated by the network of bloggers at Sentraal Station. It was indeed a labor of love, a testament of the bond that we have nurtured over the years, over land, skies and seas. With donations collected from loyal followers of Allahyarhamah Dalilah Tamrin, a demo was produced and recorded in Dubai, ready to be marketed to a Malaysian superstar Anuar Zain. It was a very emotional project for me personally and for many of my blog-sisters and brothers. We remember our brothers and sisters who have return home to Allah for the exemplary work they have done in this corporeal world. May Allah elevate their stations amongst the pious. Ameen.
The move to Dubai following the passing of my mother was a major turning point. I had my Makcik Blogger gang to thank for helping me get through the darkest moments of my life. When half of who I am was taken away from me, the first person I called was Kakteh. When I was bedridden after a difficult pregnancy and birth, Kakteh came with my Munshi, Awang Goneng, who then lovingly performed Tahnik upon my son and serenaded him with Salawat. Kakteh gave Aishah her first Barbie doll. How can I ever repay such love and kindness? What kind of madness is this to be so connected with someone you hardly know from Adam?
My blog became dormant after Arzachel was born. It became quicker to post pictures and update FB statuses as I juggled being an expatriate weekend wife and school run Mom.
The very same friends I found in blogosphere are my advocates(and occasional adversaries but usually out of necessity) on Facebook today. I have met most of them in person. There are still quite a number who are like godmothers, godfathers, soul sisters...twins to me till this very moment. Very many of them I have never met but connected as if we have been kindreds for years.
A handful of them whom I love to death because our stories have been written in a way that whether we like it or not, we would always be important to each other. You know who you are. And I love you for the sake of Allah.
So this May 6th, I will attempt to emancipate what little brain matter I have left to join the bandwagon of bloggers to rekindle the energies that used to be reason why I woke up in the morning.
The force that has encouraged me to choose joy instead of darkness.
Ahsan Allahu alaikum my friends and family for being part of my story.
See you ONLINE! Let's make history!
