Blogs To Look Out For

Published March 2008


The second most common question after I get asked the obvious first one of "What is a blog?" is "Can you recommend any good ones to read?"

The answer is yes I can. I spend an unnatural amount of time on the computer tweaking my own personal blog as well as reading others. The ease at which hours can be spent delving into the lives of others is shocking. But nothing changes the fact that blogging is a phenomenon that has had such sway worldwide, it is a medium that is getting to be a little difficult to ignore.

Blogs are acknowledged as being the smaller sibling to the mighty web site. Easier to set up and to use they may be, but they pack no less a punch. As a strong advocate for blogging, I believe that people who blog have to realize just what it is they are capable of putting out there. You'll be surprised at how many people respond to the content that you write, whether they leave comments on your blog or email you privately to discuss it further, blogging is another way to reach out to those that you've never met (and probably never will) to communicate and possibly even connect with.

As I have mentioned before, blogs can be about anything and everything. Food, comedy, economics, fashion, literature, music, movies, politics, social awareness, your pet hamster. The spectrum is so vast that I have trouble trying to fully explain what is actually out there.

But for the time being I will share some of my personal favorites in the blogosphere:



AYUMI'S EVERY OTHER DAY
Personal bias aside, I begin this list by recommending a blog by an old friend of mine, Ayumi Meegan. Ayumi has had an amazingly interesting life thus far and continues to happily surprise me each time I visit her blog.
Firstborn to George Meegan and Yoshiko Matsumoto, who 1977 walked the entire length of the Western Hemisphere (a journey that took 7 years), Ayumi was given a childhood that was far from ordinary. Extraordinary would be an even better way to put it. And it shouldn't surprise anyone to note that her first name literally means 'one who walks' in Japanese.
Once a girlfriend to Amazing Race winner "hippie" Tyler MacNiven, Ayumi was the girl he had hoped to impress when he made his documentary "Kintaro Walks Japan".
This is a blog that is packed to the brim with witty observations, calm thoughts and a highly zenlike view on almost everything ; something she refers to as 'Ayumilosophy'. A fantastic read and a great eye-opener for beginners and veterans alike.
BLOG ADDRESS : http://ayumimeegan.com/




POST SECRET
Founded by Frank Warren, Post Secret is an online community blog project which had its humble beginnings as part of an exhibition at the Artomatic media arts event in Washington D.C.
A simple idea of having people write their secrets down on the back of post cards has really taken off with a bang. The only requirements are that the contributors have to be truthful in their confessions and that it a secret that has never been revealed.
There are no rules as to what is acceptable or not so if you're one who is easily daunted by unpolished, original and at times painful truths, I would suggest you exercise a little caution as some of the secrets can be difficult to process.
Not all are about deep, personal wounds however. Most are highly inspiring and have given others cause to improve themselves or change aspects about their lives which were undesirable before.
Now considered an institution in it's own right, the Post Secret blog is updated every Sunday with twenty new submissions from all over the world. There have been four Post Secret books published featuring selected postcards, the latest launched in October 2007.
Frank Warren is currently on the road visiting several universities around the United States as a key note speaker on Post Secret seminars.
Anonymous honesty in it's purest form in a totally non-judgmental environment. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, please visit.
BLOG ADDRESS : www.postsecret.blogspot.com




THE STORYTELLER
A personal blog by creative powerhouse Yasmin Ahmad. The Storyteller details the makings of her movies, international film festival award nominations and wins, literature  that she enjoys and mainly focuses on the artisan's slice of life. Being a movie buff herself, she also highlights films that she enjoys and creates buzz and awareness to things I would normally not pay attention to such as art house offerings or the latest developments in the world of Asian cinema and beyond.
Writer, director and producer of four critically acclaimed films, Yasmin documents the hows, the whys and the why-nots faithfully on her blog, allowing laypersons such as myself a much treasured insight to a world that is aesthetically cultivated. A cause célèbre amongst many Malaysians, Yasmin Ahmad is truly a force to be reckoned with as she goes from strength to strength.The Storyteller is a perfect dichotomy of the fine balance between her approach to work and her pure and simple love for it. A refreshing antithesis from the norm of Malaysian film.
BLOG ADDRESS : http://yasminthestoryteller.blogspot.com/




There are also blogs that I have written about in the past and I highly recommend a look at :


FOOD RELATED:
A Daily Obsession by Terri (Kota Kinabalu based) : www.hungerhunger.blogspot.com
Eating Asia by Robyn & Dave (Kuala Lumpur based) : http://eatingasia.typepad.com
Rasa Malaysia by Bee (California based) : http://rasamalaysia.com




PHOTOGRAPHY :
A Wedding Photographer's Blog by Louis Pang (Kota Kinabalu based) : http://www.louispang.com/blog
Travel Photography by Suchen SK (Kota Kinabalu based) : http://www.suchens.com




IN MEMORIAM :
In Memory Of Nurin by Jasni Jalil (Kuala Lumpur based) : http://nurinjazlin.blogspot.com




BOOKS & LITERATURE
Bibliobibuli by Sharon Bakar (Kuala Lumpur based) :www.thebookaholic.blogspot.com 




SOCIAL ACTIVISM
Rantings by Marina Mahathir (Kuala Lumpur based) : http://www.rantingsbymm.blogspot.com



Some people believe that blogs are minatory and are only out there to fling slander, providing nothing good to society. I wish it were that easy to generalize and compartmentalize. Blogs are blogs and then some. You get the good, the bad, the pointless, the fascinating, the ones that get your blood boiling and those that make you laugh so hard you almost do yourself an injury. It is up to you to make a conscious decision and pick your reading material wisely.