2006-09-11

A journey of 365 days...

Warning: This is a rather long post!!!

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Happy Birthday BLOG!! :-)

It’s been one year since I put up my first post here. I was blogging earlier too but on Yahoo 360°. I moved to blogspot after visiting several blogs. It was Vipul (better known as wanderer to some of you!) and Rohan (I met both these guys on a chat site - IndiaTimes) who got me visiting when they started blogging. Sadly, neither of them blog anymore. In fact a lot of blogs I read regularly in the past have been abandoned…some I believe have been deleted too! People left for different reasons…some left without a word, leaving us wondering why?

In this past one year, I’ve lost count of the number of blogs I’ve been to…some that I visit regularly are in my blogroll. Many in that list no longer blog actively…yet I can’t seem to get myself to strike off any of them.

To say that my life changed because of blogging may sound like a big statement but that is the truth! I chose to be a stay at home mom and initially Vedant did take up a lot of my time. But as he grew and became less dependent on me for every lil thing, I found myself with a lot more time in hand. Blogging filled that void and in a way that has turned out to be very satisfying and fulfilling. I found a means of staying entertained, of expressing myself and most importantly, a means of making new friends and learning from their stories and experiences.

For a long time I blogged without receiving any comments or reactions. For me, it was like writing my journal but in a place where my thoughts could be open to scrutiny. It never bothered me that I got no reaction and I kept putting up post after post. I wrote (and I still do) for myself and to satisfy my need to express myself. Initially, there were just poems. Slowly, I started writing regular posts. I didn’t think at the time that blogging here would one day become a source of new relationships…I had no clue what the future held in store! :-)

I’ve come a long way since! It still amazes me that people find my posts on Vedant amusing or identify with my posts on rather normal and ordinary musings of my life. And they actually read and appreciate my attempts at writing poems…!

I want to make a mention of people who’ve made this place so special for me. Needless to say that I can’t stay away from blogging for too long. When I have to coz of travels or guests at home, I start getting restless and miss the place a whole lot! This post is not just a celebration of one year of blogging but of getting to know a whole lot of wonderful people here! People who have made this seem like home :-) …I know they’re all in my blogroll but this is my special Thank You to everyone :-) … Here's to you....all...

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Besides Rohan and Vipul who I knew before I got here (blogspot) and of course Suchi who as most of you are aware is my best friend (real & Virtual now!), one of the first friends I made here is Sudeep in whom I found a friend who could make me laugh and one who wouldn’t shy away from telling me things as is! No pretenses about him…he keeps it straight and simple and true! He will always be one of my fav bloggers!

Let me talk about three very special girls :-) …Yashita, Keshi and Kathy!!

I got to Yashita’s blog through Sudeep’s blogroll and amazingly reading through her posts had me agreeing with a lot of things she wrote about and I realized “hey she thinks and writes so much like me!”... I think the feeling is mutual :-) … It feels strange if she stays away from blogging too long! :-) So don’t ok yash?!

Keshi! Now what do I say about her?! :-) … By far one of the more popular bloggers. A girl who writes and tells it like it is! I was a silent reader of her posts in the past till one fine day I finally did comment. And I’m so glad I did! She’s one who reaches out to one and all…that’s a gift! We got better acquainted when we started keeping in touch thru emails. And now she’s a friend I cherish and without whom blogspot just can’t be the same….for me at least!

Kathy :-) … She’s the sweetest friend and puts up the most touching posts. In her first mail she sent me a song which I simply love and listen to almost every day…thanks dear :-) …. A mommy just like me to a very cute and pretty daughter (I luv her pics) … I found a dear friend in her!

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Some of the first few comments (besides the anonymous ones!) were from Rupen (Illusions) and his comments encouraged me and gave me a lot more confidence in my own writings…esp. the poems. Thanks Rupen!

Arz000n with his incredibly crazy sense of humor made me laugh through many afternoons and continues to do so of course! I saw a sensitive side to him too in his comments in my posts related to love. He was also among the first few to comment here :-)…!

Puneet’s blog was one I would visit regularly…his posts made very interesting reads and he had a simple and humorous approach in his writing which I think is the reason why his blog was very popular and had many going back on a regular basis. Post marriage, Puneet’s more or less abandoned his blog :-( … with the promise of coming back again sometime...however so far that “sometime” seems to be stretching out forever!

There was yet another guy…
Jackal …who would put up interesting posts on a wide variety of topics and get us thinking :-). Jack’s not been blogging for quite a while now and the last post just said he was busy. That was back in June. I can’t help but wonder and worry about why he’s silent for so long? He was encouraging and always there before he disappeared, which is why it’s all the more worrying to not know what happened?

And yes, JD…
luvwannabefree …although I get to his blog knowing I could end up crying, I try to never miss a post. He writes the most amazing poems and for the most beautiful reason…love :-) … his is a story that touches my heart and soul…he is someone I remember in my prayers…! Sadly, he too takes long breaks….

I’ve got some of my blogging friends on chat too…
John (Me ™) who helped me find this new template, Jitendra (who I met in my last visit to IndiaTimes chat) and recently Rajbir (southpaw) whose life makes the most extraordinary real life story I have ever heard about! I chat with them thru the weekdays. There are others who I haven’t talked to in a while but sometimes pop a “hello” or “hi” too but whose blogs I do get to @ Harjee, Shady. Thanks guys for being there :-)

And yes, in the past months I have met a lot of interesting bloggers who I visit regularly and who come here often too,…thank you for the support and for sharing your thoughts guys….You make my space all the more special:-) …

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Special thanks togangadhar, jewel rays (amy), cinderella, neha, th3fac3smash3r (Abhinav), switchblade (Royston), the light-house (Tarun), theindividualist, has to be me, karmic_jay, starry nights (Lalitha), Ekta and Anand, sudarshan, s0ulasylum, meg, uttara, scribblez (Dhwanii), het, priya, rohit, sayan, kuan gung, Mumbai guy, harry, vikas kaul, velu, dawn, vaibhav, dewdrop, dadoji, burfi, arnold, alex….

Some others who have abandoned their blogs (besides vipul, rohan, puneet & jack)… SS, freaky chakra, raj, abhi and I can't miss out on mentioning kkalpz (why don't u have a blog?)… thanks for sharing part of your journey with me!

Thanks to the anonymous and ghost readers…some who left a comment once in a while but never revealed themselves :-)

And of course Last but not the least, R for being very patient when I spent long hours on the pc even when he was around and taking care of Vedant (Favorite subject of a lot of my posts!!) so that I could get done with a post! Or surf around blogs :-)

And having said all this…I continue my journey here…making friends along the way…smiling in your joys and sharing in your pain…forming unspoken deep bonds…and then again deeply missing the ones who left with and without a trace…

The music playing is “Lean on me” by Various Artists (Kirk Franklin, R.Kelly, Mary J Blige, Crystal Lewis, Bono). Lines from the song esp. for all you special people :-)

“I'll be there in a hurry when you call
Friends are there to catch you when you fall
I'm your friend and I'll catch you when, when, when you fall
Here's my shoulder, you can lean on me
Here's my shoulder, you can lean on me”

Ps: links to all the special mentions are in my blogroll :-)!!! And the new look is here to stay..it's my birthday gift to my blog!!!...Love it .. Hate it... You gotta live with it!! ;-) And of course the birthday post had to be the longestttt one everrrr in my space :-). Have fun pPl..Keep smilingggggggggg!And in your comments, do mention one positive:-) and one negative:-( thing about me AND my blog…that is a must!!! oKKkkk!

The switch to the beta version is making it tough for me to comment on blogs...ppl if u use moderation, please keep the option of others/anonymous open till all this mess is sorted out!!!

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