Blogging and writing

I have been blogging for many years now. I enjoy doing it as writing is indeed therapeutic. There is no central theme or topic that I passionately talk about. It’s simply about my life in general. No one wants to read about my life. I don’t write to gain popularity (or infamy). I just write for the sheer joy of it. Recently, I bought a Zequence notebook. It’s a high quality notebook which is almost on par with Moleskin in terms of paper quality, but it has additional neat features that makes writing on it feel really good.

I used this notebook while I was doing my Final Year Project in NTU. I wrote down all my lab protocols, research findings, and results while in the lab doing experimental work and used every single page of it. Its ability to bend, fold, and basically lay absolutely flat, is what makes this notebook truly a joy to write on. As a leftie, you no longer have to have your hands and palms getting hindered by the bindings, and you do not have to worry about destroying the notebook and the spine when you force it to lay flat on the table. The paper is smooth, and of consistent thickness throughout.

I bought a bigger notebook this time round. But I am using it as a personal notebook. I am using it to keep ideas that I come across, use it as a gentle reminder to certain dates, events, keep track of things, prices of items, etc and even keep a log of all the books I have read so far this year, including a bucket list and a small section to keep track of my spending that costs more than SGD100. Now, I have expanded the use of this notebook in keeping some of my personal thoughts inside, very much like how I use my blog right now. Short paragraphs of what I am thinking at the moment, how I am feeling and even short reviews of books, movies or anything with my 2 cents that is worth writing about. I even use it to brainstorm stuff sometimes.

And so, I realized that I am keeping a rather small journal written on a notebook, rather than using my blog as my main journal. There will be entries written here that will not appear on my notebook and vice versa. In other words, I have expanded the type of medium used to express my thoughts and feelings, and this blog is no longer the only avenue to express those. I do have to keep in mind in what I write in my notebook, as it can always be retrieved and read by others. I do have my name written on those pages in case I lose it and someones accidentally finds it.

I have also come to consider how I should consolidate both of these medium in a single location. I prefer to have a central location where I can access them both. This blog is not so much of a problem. It has a URL that I can just type on my browser and all my entries are neatly organized. This is my one and only blog and I have already consolidated all my old ones here. The notebook is a different story. Once I have filled it’s pages, what then? Where do I keep it? Will it be safe? Do I want people to find it and read it? And if I want to retrieve it, is it better to digitize it in some ways?

For now I am just going to slowly fill the pages with my ugly, handwritten words. It will take time to fill all those pages, but I am willing to make sure that the notebook lasts as long as possible by keeping it safe and secure. In the meantime, I will bring it with me wherever I go just in case the next big inspiration hits me while on my way to work, or a cafe or just about anywhere.