WORD NERDS: this is NOT your nanay's blog

I started blogging when I was fourteen. In blogging, I found a way to write life into myself. It took a lot of typing and writing to believe that what I did was worthy enough to have someone else read. I've always wanted to record and document my life just in case I was gunna "be somebody" one day. And now I'm glad I did because I find value value in knowing what my everyday used to look like. Sometimes writing is still a process where I have to convince myself that what I have to say is right and worth reading... and I'm trying to quit that.

Counseling first-year college students and learning how to communicate effectively by simply actively listening has taught me that everything comes from somewhere. Mannerisms, political persuasion, social behavior, triggers, daily interests - it all comes from somewhere or has been socialized into everyone's psyche somehow. From this, I've deduced that everyone has a story to tell and I've been more than willing to figure out where everyone's "shit" comes from. So blogging has become one way of trying to figure out where mine comes from. 

Yet, maybe blogging is a coming-of-age, rite-of-passage, privileged-position-marking type of hobby. Or maybe we're all just trying to convince ourselves, trying to figure out whether this shit is worth reading. 

A lot of people have figured out what blogging can do for them. Among those lucky individuals, is my cousin Char. She's been blogging for about five years now and she's recently edited a new book titled beatsrhymesnlife: anthology (not to be confused with the Beats, Rhymes and Rice tour). Her book is based off of the beatsrhymesnlife blog which features those who contributed to the book. If you're looking for a good, REAL read then by all means please find your way to blurb.com and purchase your copy. Some of the photography is straight up like a still out of a movie. It's an easy read and everyone can find their everyday out of this art. It's also hella Filipino; a lot of the photos are taken around the SF Bay Area or by well-traveled Filipina/os who live there.

I tip my hat and toast my invisible glass of champagne (or red wine, Char's fave) to my cousin for taking blogging to a new level. Cheers to making relatable blogs materialize. 

x_magsalita.