Blogging is almost therapeutic for me

About:

I am desi, single mom, information technology consultant living and working in the US. I started Heartcrossings – http://www.heartcrossings.blogspot.com/ in 2005 with the idea of posting chapters of a novel I was working on at the time. Over time, the blog has evolved in ways that I had not planned. I have posted some works of fiction and poetry but that has not been the main theme or focus. I review documentaries and books on request but other than that, I never have a plan for what I will post next.

Interview

Q1: Welcome to Speakbindas. Tell us since when blogging has been a part of your life? Was there any motive or inspiration as a backbone of it?

• A1: Since Jan 2005. I had discovered blogs and blogging just about a year ago and had toyed with the idea of creating one of my own. Inspiration came in the form of a work in progress novel. A blog seemed like the perfect vehicle to guage if readers would find what I was writing interesting enough to come back for more.

Q2: What is your blog all about? Which topics you cover there? Is that you alone running/maintaining the blog, or have a team?

• A2: My blog can be anything that prompts me to write. The frequent themes are parenting, technology, immigrant/expat life in America, dating, relationships and popular culture. I have had a few guests post on my blog. No, I do not have a team.

Q3: What are the present statistics for your blog, i.e. number of daily visitors, visitors geographical status etc.?

• A3: Visitors come from around the world. The majority are from the US. The number of visitors on any day can range from less than a 100 to over 300

Q4: Is blogging for you just a passion or a medium for earning too? Does it help you to earn enough cash to quit a 9 to 5 day job?

• A4: Blogging is almost therapeutic for me. It is something I make an effort to find time for even on the most hectic day. Writing has always been a passion and Heartcrossings is a way for me to do what I love doing most everyday. Some readers have been around since I started writing in 2005. Others have reached out to me in a difficult time in their lives to share their experiences because something I wrote in my blog touched them deeply. These have been the most gratifying experiences.

Q5: Who are your favorite bloggers, whom you read frequently?

• A5: I am not a big blog reader and do not follow a lot on a regular basis. Blogs on specific themes/memes don’t hold my interest for too long. The other variety – that I call the story curator type – Kottke, Boing Boing come to mind have become appealing because of social bookmarking sites. I discover the most amazing things just going to MeFi, Delicious or Digg and looking for topics that interest me. I love Google Reader.

Q6: From the secret bucket of your blogging experiences, what tips you would like to share with the fellow bloggers?

• A6: Keep it fresh, keep it interesting, get to know your readers and write with passion.

Q7: Do you believe that blogging completes you? If yes, tell us how?

• A7: It most definitely does. There is no other part of my life where I get to express myself through the written word. For someone who loves to write but lacks the time and resources to get serious about getting their writing published in mainstream print media, a blog can be a great way to fulfill their desire to reach out and be heard.

Q8: What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?

• A8: Holding my little girl in my arms for the very first time was the happiest most fulfilling moment of my life. I had no idea becoming a mother would be such a life transforming experience. The gloomiest moment came a few months before her birth when I realized with absolute clarity that the best thing I could do about my marriage is to walk away from it as soon as I was physically able to.

Q9: Say, you are sponsored to travel to 3 world destinations, where you need not to worry about costs for food, hotel or anything. Which destinations would you pick up, and why? Would you like to take someone along with you? If yes, whom?

• A9: Tibet. I believe I would find my personal Shangri La there. New Zealand. A childhood dream to see what is supposed to among the most beautiful places on earth. Japan. A lot of different reasons. Akira Kurosawa is one of my favorite directors. I am fascinated by writing of Yasunari Kawata and Haruki Murakami. Most importantly, my life has been transformed by the healing touch of Reiki.

Q10: Are you into watching movies? If yes, which fills your list of favorite ones?

• A10: I love cinema and exactly for that reason I don’t have a Netflix membership. It would consume all of my limited spare time. The list of favorites is difficult question because there are too many to recall and fit.

Q11: How has blogging helped you other than money?

• A11: By giving me the ability to carve out time exclusively for myself. This is a near impossibility when you are a single parent trying to joggle your parenting responsibilities with a demanding job in a foreign country without family to support you.

Q12: What would be the one thing you’d change about yourself?

• A12: Have more patience.

Q13: What is your deepest fear?

• A13: Losing the desire the write.

Q14: If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be?

• A14: Someone deeply spiritual who could be the calming force I am missing in my life.

Q15: Which is your favorite television show? Favorite songs?

• A15: I don’t watch television. Favorite songs – too many to list.

Q16: How much money do you have in your purse/wallet right now (including change)?

• A16: Twenty three dollars and no change.

Q17: What is your favorite food? Any particular dislikes?

• A17: If I am eating out, I like food that makes me curious about how it was prepared. I am usually good at guessing how something was cooked based on taste / listed ingredients and can replicate (with some margin or error) something I ate at a restaurant. When I love the taste of something and cannot reverse engineer it, that becomes a favorite. No strong dislikes.

Q18: What’s your take on the technological advancement these days? Does it make people’s life simple or complicated?

• A18: Depends on how you use it. It is important to learn to swim through the excess of technology, understand what adds value in our lives and what is a time drain. If one takes a well-reasoned, balanced approach to technology it can be a real blessing. I constantly struggle trying to sift through the options and make sure I am making the most of what is out there.

Q19: What do you think of “blogging is the next BIG thing”?

• A19: Blogging is old news. There will (and already is) be other ways to communicate, interact and connect with readers.

Q21: Any special message you would like to share with your blog readers as well with everyone else?

• A21: The fact that I gave this interview here today is at least in part, a result of working at something that I am passionate about. Working constantly and mostly without reward or recognition. I think that is important for everyone to do.