That is how I usually introduce myself. In cover letters for research works, formal emails to colleagues I have yet to meet, even in reference letters for students. I know. Plain and boring for a blog post. Probably not the best way to start.
Or, more accurately, to start over. Again. I have been blogging since 2006, and I have created blogs more than my fingers (and toes) could count. It started with my Filipino blog, channeling my rebellious and emo side (don't blame me; I was doing my undergraduate thesis and was heartbroken at the time 😅). It later on evolved into a record of random observations with simple life lessons, with the posts generally reflecting my current state of mind and heart at the time of their writing. Needless to say, I would write sporadically, sometimes just blogging for the sake of having an entry for an entire year! So, there goes that blog; more of an online reflection of the carefree (careless?) me, with posts using the language of the heart.
And then, in 2012, I got accepted into a postdoc position in the Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme (MPIPKS). I was first invited for a month-long stay from November to December 2011 (yes, in the winter, during Christmas break!), and then accepted for postdoc work starting May 4, 2012 (yes, easy to remember, Star Wars day!). Away from home (actually, my first time to be away from home, ever; all my schools were close to our house I didn't need to stay in a dorm) during winter (and, later on, the crazy German spring) can kinda get to you emotionally, especially if you are a young and naïve Filipino who has not experienced snow and has not heard a single German word in your life. This emotional state had gotten the right hemisphere of my brain firing considerably faster than usual, which, thankfully, I channeled into a synergy with the left hemisphere. I started a research blog (private readers only) to have a record of my research progress through the years. This has been one of my most active blogs, but the activity is still sporadic: sometimes it can go on months without and update, while in some cases, I can post three or four posts corresponding to the different topics I am working on. That was a new start, and, eventhough the posts there are more technical in nature, I still manage to put some random, blog-gy types of posts from time to time.
When I moved to a different workplace, the physical and mental pressures were too much, leading to yet another semi-emotional state. And, yes, another blog, another restart. My formal blog was intended to be a middleground between my other two previous ones: one that can contain technical stuff while also keeping track of my activities and thoughts. I wanted the blog to be regular; and for a time, I was able to do so, posting twice (at the minimum) every month. And then the Covid-19 pandemic came, and shook me -- well, all of us -- all up, making me completely forget about the blog.
These are just three of my most important (for me, personally) blogs. Like I said, I have started and (and eventually discontinued) a lot of blogs: some for teaching, some for recording family history, some just for a personal daily record of events, some for works of fiction, some for research news and features, etc. And by some, I mean more than one blog for each of these listed categories.
So, yeah. Here I go again. 😂
So why a new blog, a new restart? Well, first, let me discuss why a blog, not a vlog, which is a more common, powerful, and, let's face it, productive (financially, i.e. monetized) form of personal publishing. Well, that stems from the fact that I am an introvert (my students and friends may be shocked and strongly disagree, but there is a world of difference between a shy person and an introvert, mind you). Having a live conversation with a person I just met could be draining, as I would be second-guessing my every quip. When I see a video of myself, I always cringe at how my face looks or how I pronounce some words or the tiny mistakes I make. Now, imagine how this anxiety will get compounded if I deliver that video for the entire world to see. Yikes! I think I am going to die at the first second it gets published.
Okay, so blog as a personal publishing tool; but why start again? Well, I am at a phase in my life where everything seems to be going fine. Yup, I am not at the crazy lonely state from college, not experiencing homesickness, not anxious or uncertain. I have been seeing how my family (real and research) has been getting better, despite the problems the world over. I am at peace, and just ready to just share my simple stories and dreams. I also think the start of 2021 (goodbye, 2020!) is a good timing.
As a result, I am creating this new blog. Like I said, I have no particular intention for this blog. As the blog title suggests (fine, they're also my initials), it is just a random collection of my thoughts and takes on things. I hope I can support this, and, just maybe, it can spur me on to update my other blogs as well. ■
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