Friday, February 20, 2009

A Sentimental Soppy Century Post

This is a post which I have been meaning to write for a long while - there is no real reason for it, but it’s just been in the back of my mind. I also see that I am moving towards my 100 post at BlogSpot (and a few hundred more at rediffblogs) and the close of my 5th year (gasp!) of blogging – so it’s a good time as any to retrospect and get a little soppy no?

I started this blog on a whim – as an April Fool’s joke on myself. I was bored, overworked (and had a zero offline social life), most of my friends were out of Bombay and I had parted ways with a very dear friend which had left a lot of dammed up babble in my head.

And of course, I love writing (The cyber space is full of garrulous mails written in the early internet era) – so a blog served as a wonderful avenue for some narcissistic self indulgence.

Little did I know that it would actually survive this long. Half a decade, generations of bloggers (I can count three distinct ones which have passed through this site - shub, austro - shush, you belong to 2 1/2 of them), major changes in life, work, - everything. And the blog has captured, stored and reflected these back at me as I have grown (hopefully), changed (certainly), matured (questionably).

When I started out, I used to think the only readers I would have would be friends bullied into reading. I never thought that it would be a forum to meet such fantastic, supremely talented people, who would take the effort to read and to encourage and to become such great offline friends.

What I never, in my wildest dreams dared to think or hope, was that this blog of mine – full of disjointed rambles, blathering, rants has had the power to actually amuse, inform or even touch people. And occasionally it has, especially after posts like this and this; I have received such moving mails and comments that it leaves me feeling so humbled.

I don’t know why people like what I write (uhm...readers, you do no? *panic attack happening now*) – I know my technique is flawed, I’m hopeless at grammar, I write very, long convoluted sentences, I over-parenthesise and I er..write like a girl (S’s verdict ( wonder whether he sees the irony of that – complaining that his wife writes and thinks like a girl! (See there I go again with the brackets)), he vastly prefers saltwater blues blog to mine- I can’t even argue about that. I like SWB blog more than mine too.). The only saving grace (I hope) is that I write from my gut – because I love it, and because I love getting the feedback, the comments and the well, involvement of you all.

And that’s the reason that this blog has become my passion, my addiction and my escape. It has kept me (in?) sane when life is busy being a bitch. It has allowed the person who is often under cover in real life (except to a few very close friends and family) to live, nay, to flourish (True. Online and offline personalities quite schizophrenic – I am sure my in laws and casual acquaintances think I am a serious, aloof, quiet person)

So dear readers, dear lurkers and dear casual passer-bys, a long overdue Thank you to you. It’s been a great journey reading and being read by all of you and look forward to doing it for many, many more years (blogger’s block permitting). Comments, critiques, feedback and questions welcome.

24 comments:

Nandini Vishwanath said...

A very sweet post Cyn! :) I love your blog. For everything - candidness to writing such funny stories or rather writing things funnily. It is an art :)

And 5 years! Wooot! Congrats!

Iya said...

u r most welcome Cyn, i love your blog, in fact urs was the first blog i commented on other than my friends blogs. there is an unique flavor to ur blog, i guess its the humor or maybe the way u weave stories..
keep it up..here's wishing u many more years of blogging..

Vinita Apte said...

Hi Cyn Congrats for half a decade of blogging...yes you do write from your gut and thats what makes your blog so great...

Hope to see many many wondrous posts from you :)

Satish Bhat said...

Your writing is so wonderfully Wodehousian...Carry on Blogging !

Satish Bhat said...

Your writing is so wonderfully Wodehousian...Carry on Blogging !

Anonymous said...

awww! some five years that's been, young cynic :D here's to many more *clink* :)

Anonymous said...

five years eh!!! and still goin' full steam! hope to see u just the same in another five years too. :)

your blog always manages to make me smile!!! and that's why i love coming b ack here over and over again.

thanks to you instead!

Anonymous said...

Five years seem like eternity to a one-month-old. I wonder if I'll even last that long!

Congratulations, girl :) Looking forward to more...

-g

Anonymous said...

To the survivor
Cheers

Sig said...

5 years....wow! Congrats on that and your 100th post!

A recent reader of ur blog, I like it because it feels like ur just talking to a friend :)

Magical Homes said...

thank you for making me realize why i started blogging too. I've been neglecting my blog for some time too, forgetting how much pleasure and happiness it gives me to write. The ups and downs will happen, but life should always continue.....AM BACK!!

Anonymous said...

this post demanded a comment so here it is :D

keep blogging!

Rada said...

Cyn, there is a total lack of pretense in your posts, which I find very endearing. There is also a directness, a lack-of-coyness which is very refreshing.

The readers can tap into all these which is why they keep combing back for more!

I wish you many many years of happy blogging!

Maddy said...

you hit the nail where it should be - right decision, nothing better than the keyboard to get rid of the frustrations and to get creative - this time for yourself.

i too - started some three years ago, as an escape..and now it holds me somewhat sane...i hope

Cynic in Wonderland said...

Nandini - 5 years on april fools day hehe. this was a 100 posts at blogspot thingie.

iya - thank you. weave stories is such a nice term for blather!!

aquarius - chances are i will be blogging from my deathbed now - hehe dont see it stopping any time soon.

Satish - that is positively the BEST thing anyone could have told me. I love wodehouse and being told that i have traces of that just made my year!

young Manu - you are my batchmate? very soon after at any rate no??

roopsie - and to think mak has been four or five years before that. that means i know YOU for a decade. aiyo ramam.

gauri - thank you and i love your blog!

Cynic in Wonderland said...

TP aiyoooooooooo. Where did u spring from you-who-should-have-survived-but-didnt?Man its good to see u in a comment box!

Silvara - thank you hope to see u much more often!

Mumbai Diva - GREAT. its nice to be contagious!!

chandni - hehe thank you

Rada - thank you for the wish. and i can be coy. hmpf *bats eyelashes at rada*.

Maddy - i think its the other way round for me. it holds me somewhat insane, when life is trying desperately to make me saner, and grow up and all those deadly seriouos things.

Epiphany said...

Congrapulations! This post was worthy of an oscar! Well that is the season no?

BTW questionably matured made me laugh out loud @ office...you are toying with my career I tell ya!

shilpa said...

Congrats on 5 years in Blogsphere!
I love the way you write...how seemingly mundane topics acquire hilarious proportions..

This is where I go for entertainment

PS also to be read as lack of social life!

Princess Fiona said...

5 years...wooooooo hooooooooooooo! i like ur writin...cos u keep it simple..god bless..much happiness ahead...cheers!

Anonymous said...

5 years and still going strong. Congratulations! Blogging is definitely a platform to learn more and interact with others.

sra said...

Congratulations! May you blog forever! I'm always disappointed when my reader doesn't show a new post in your blog.

Anonymous said...

hey we turned one hundred at about the same time:-)
a clink to that!

i knew we had a connection deeper than my long lost bhaiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa:-)

shub said...

FIVE! *gulp*
Tis been a pleasure reading you Cyn :)

Apeksha said...

Hello there,
I don't know you at all except for your blog which I found through links on blogs. But I really really really enjoy your blog. The fact that you are not pretentious and take pride in thinking and writing like a "girl" is quite brilliant! I hope I can someday.
I absolutely loved your series on "Misadventures of a Married kind" and I have been advertising your blog to loads of my friends ever since!
Please do continue writing.
:)