Is Blogging Still Worth It? My Struggle as a Blogger and Digital Creator

Life has been so busy these past few days that I almost forgot I still have blogs to manage.

I even came close to losing my hosting about a month ago, and honestly, I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep it this month either. Life hasn't been going particularly well these past few months, and sometimes just keeping up with everything feels exhausting.

There are moments when you simply have too many things happening at the same time.

Learning to Ask for Help

Asking for help has never really been my thing.

Even at work, my coworkers sometimes have to remind me that I'm not alone and that I don't have to do everything myself.

I'm the type of person who usually tries to figure things out on my own. I'll struggle with something, try different solutions, and keep going until I finally manage to fix it.

So when I actually ask someone for help, they know I really need it.

It's not easy for me to admit that I can't handle everything by myself.

Trying to Become a Digital Creator

While trying to keep up with my blogs, I've also been working on establishing myself as a digital creator on Facebook.

It's still a long way to go.

At the time I wrote this, I needed to reach 60,000 minutes of views to qualify for the stream ads requirement I was working toward. I've been creating Reels and doing some live streams to increase my watch time, but I wasn't even halfway there yet.

Still, I kept going.

Thankfully, some of my friends and coworkers have been incredibly supportive. Some of them even offered to sponsor small prizes for the games I play during my live streams.

They told me they enjoy listening to me because I do most of the talking.

Well... that's certainly one thing I'm good at! 😂

Give me a live stream and I'll probably find something to talk about.

Blogging vs. Vlogging

But all of this made me think about something I've been asking myself for quite some time:

Is blogging still worth it?

There was a time when blogging was everywhere. People wrote about their daily lives, travels, food, experiences, opinions, and almost anything else they wanted to share.

Then social media changed everything.

Facebook became huge. Then came YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Reels, and livestreaming. Vlogging and short-form video became the new trend, and suddenly writing a blog didn't seem as exciting anymore.

Sometimes I wonder if blogging has already become a thing of the past.

I've spent years writing.

I've written about my experiences, places I've visited, things I've bought, food I've tried, people I've met, and all the little moments that happened throughout my life.

So should I just move on?

Should I abandon my blogs and throw away all those years of writing because video is now more popular?

Maybe Blogging Isn't Dead After All

The truth is, I don't think I'm ready to give it up.

Yes, blogging has changed.

Yes, social media and video have taken much of the attention.

But there are still people who search Google for answers, read personal experiences, look for recipes, research products, plan trips, and want detailed information that a short video can't always provide.

And maybe that's where blogging still has a place.

Perhaps I don't need to choose between blogging and vlogging.

Maybe I can do both.

I can write a blog post and turn parts of it into a Reel. I can share an old story on Facebook. I can make a short video about something I've written about. One piece of content can live in different places.

Instead of throwing away years of writing, maybe I just need to find a new way to use it.

After all, those years weren't wasted.

They're my stories.

They're my memories.

And they're still mine to tell.

So, no...

I don't think I'm ready to give up blogging just yet.

Maybe blogging didn't die when vlogging became popular.

Maybe it simply changed.

LGU Team Building at Blue Pebbles Beach Resort, Alcantara, Romblon

To improve productivity and ensure better camaraderie in the office, our LGU planned and simultaneously conducted a team building. Our office together with the Rural Health Unit, OTRU, and a few OCC employees constituted Group II, we are grouped into four groups because most event places can't accommodate a larger crowd.

Our group consists of 117 participants, before the event we conducted a site inspection of the possible venue of our team building, and after deliberation and carefully considering the best options, our team building was held at Blue Pebbles located at Alcantara, Romblon.

We agreed to meet up at 9:30 in the morning to prepare for departure at ten o'clock in the morning to Alcantara, I went to work earlier than that and waited for my workmates, we had a group picture in front of the municipal hall before departing, several vans were hired to accommodate employees who don't have their own car or motorcycle.

We arrived at the venue after an hour, and since I was the one assigned to billeting, I have to assign rooms to every department, and with that, I wasn't able to help a friend, who had motion sickness. We rested a bit and lunch was served, unlike our previous team-building food this year's team-building was catered.

The team-building activities started at one o'clock in the afternoon, and as host of the event I have no choice, but to be at the front and do most of the talking.  The usual preliminaries during a program were done, followed up by short messages from the present SB Members, and in between were the intermission numbers from each department.

After which, were short learning, discussion, and games with our GAD Focal person, who teaches us about the difference between Gender and Sex, as well as the do's and don'ts in the workplace, the things we should avoid doing, because without knowing we may be violating someone's privacy and someone's being.

We all enjoyed the activity, we are grouped into four and had a mind teaser game, as well as creating and performing our own group chant/yell.  Our municipal Mayor arrives just right after we divulge into our snack, I let her rest a bit after acknowledging her arrival. Although I know that our Mayor is always prepared and ready to speak, it was epic that I  asked her if she is ok or ready to give a speech at the exact moment because I felt like it will be unpleasant if I called her right away without asking her, hahaha.

Anyway, before our municipal mayor shared an inspirational message I asked some participants to dance for entertainment, which made everyone burst into laughter because of the notable dance move of the participants and how they run and their body stretches when our Mayor's aide and some councilors throw in some cash for them to enjoy and to dance more.

Our mayor shared an empowering and inspirational message, she also reminded everyone to serve the public with a happy heart and to love each other, but not to the extent to develop a love relationship with a workmate, our municipal vice mayor also shared an inspirational message right after whom he talked about honesty doing our work well even there was nobody looking at us, and with his permission, the bar was opened, what I mean the boys were now allowed to group and drink. You know, boys will be boys, they will not enjoy a party without something to drink, so they found their own corner in the resort.

The second part of the program started right after listening to inspirational messages, where it was all about group games. It was a lot of fun, the participants enjoyed it and even requested another game before eating our dinner.  We ate our dinner, and we rested a bit to prepare for the social night, where our vice mayor hired a band for everyone's enjoyment.

Anyway, Blue Pebbles Beach Resort is located in Poblacion of Alcantara, it is along the highway with a nice landscape and surroundings and with a great view of the sea. Its location combined with the tranquil and peaceful surroundings creates a very relaxing atmosphere for anyone looking for a restful time.

The beach resort has small and big cottages for rent, they also have rooms for visitors who want an overnight stay.  Their family room can be rented for ₱4,500.00 and cater to up to five people but can be maximized to upto seven or eight people, costing ₱350.00 for an extra person which is a bit costly for those who can't afford, they also have a room beside the pool which is designed for two people at ₱1,800 .oo, and ₱250.00 for an extra bedding or person.

The downside of the resort when we had our team building was having no water in the middle of the night, in short, we are not able to wash properly after dipping in the pool. Ha-ha

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. The above-written post was my own personal experience and might be different from yours.

Chasing Sunset at Hilltop ni SB Kap

My officemates have been asking me to go with them after office, to unwind and chase sunset or spend an overnight escapade somewhere, but I keep declining, I would love the idea, but the introverted me doesn't like it. I don't feel like being away from home and from the comfort of my comfort zone, but then one day I went with them to chase sunset at a hill top a few minutes away from the town center.

The hill top was owned by a relative who also happened to be one of the town councilor, I thought it will be going to be a long walk, but I was wrong, it was only a few minutes walk and I have not even sweated going up hill. The place wasn't fully develop yet, but there was already a trail to use, so it wasn't that hard to reach the top.

The moment we reached the peak, we became busy snapping pictures while the others immediately prepared and feasted on the food, the view was very mesmerizing, seeing the shore and a little bit of sunset.

Falling in Love With Someone's Soul

It was lunch break at work and we are watching a TV show where the contestant were plus size and  then out of nowhere one of my officemates asked "𝘼𝙣𝙤 𝙠𝙖𝙮𝙖 𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙞𝙡𝙖 𝙣𝙤, 𝙥𝙡𝙪𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙤𝙝?"

It is easy to fall in love on what we see; it was easy to like someone when everything is beautiful and perfect. It was easy to be attracted on someone’s physical appearance, to be attracted to someone’s smile and to admire someone’s talents, but when we truly love someone, we look directly into their soul and not into their physical appearance; we found them beautiful and attractive no matter what is their size and shape, no matter how they look like physically.

The thing is love is a feeling that we can't understand, nor can’t we explain why we felt it. We just felt it, deep down us. It was a feeling that no matter how we tried to stop, kill it and neglect it, it won't just die and it keeps growing as the day goes by.

When we love someone, we love the very essence of their soul; we love their imperfections and shortcomings, we love even the darkest part of their being. Yes, when we love someone it was deeper than the admiration we felt, we look deep down into the core of their soul, we love and adore them for who they are, we fall for their demons and even to their brokenness, we fall for the mystery they contain within their selves, we want to read their minds and dwell in the sound of their laugh, we felt their emotions, the pain, the sadness and even their excitement, we got connected into their soul.

Truly, we love someone not on how they look like, we love someone more than what we see.

Visiting the Sunflower Farm for the Second Time Around

As if visiting the Aspire Farm wasn't enough that I went to the sunflower farm again the next day with a coworker, the truth is this coworker friend wanted to visit the sunflower farm and since I wasn't able to look around and take more photos when we visited, I went with her. We borrowed a motorcycle from our coworker with a promise that we are going to put gas in it.

Visiting for the second time, I was able to take more photos and videos which I have used in my Facebook reels. The flowers were nearing to expire or to the end of their life, but nevertheless  they were still  beautiful and full of life and vibrant colors.

Since it was lunch time when we visited, there were only a few people around.  There are other two groups who are with us on the sunflower farm, and what is funny when my coworker and I started recording the first couple started speaking English too as if showing off that hey they can speak the language, lol. Meanwhile, we befriended the second couple who are seems dating, we helped each other taking photos and even sharing it to each other. They were friendly and sweet. We didn't stay longer, because we promised to return the motorcycle in time.

Anyway, if you would like to visit Sunflower farm always remember that visiting is best to do early of the season, the peak bloom time of Sunflowers is about two or three weeks, don't be like us who visited at the end of the season, haha.

 

A Very Short Visit at Aspire Agritech Sunflower Farm in Odiongan

When it comes to flowers, there are only two things I like the most, yellow rose and sunflowers,  I don't know, but yellow flowers attracted me the most.

The other day, we finally able to visit the sunflower haven at Aspire Farm in Mayha after so many excuses and postponements. My workmate friend actually doesn't want to go, she wanted to postponed it again until lunch time, but I am already decided to go, so she has no choice, but to follow me either she like it or not, because it was her last chance to see the sun flower farm with me. For our little adventure, I have borrowed my workmate's motorbike, and even asked another workmate to transport us to the farm, but while in the parking area, this workmate can't maneuver the bike and it was lucky of all lucky, another workmate came and I borrowed his bike and there we go.

Some of our workmates followed us, they've been asking where we going and I wasn't expecting that they will tag along. When we arrived at the farm, it wasn't that busy like the previous days, there are only few visitors maybe because it was still too early in the morning or because it wasn't the peak season anymore, an old workmate who's studying Agricultural Crops Production in the farm under TESDA saw me and even teased me, why I was there when the owner (sir R), who happened to be one of our bosses at work wasn't there.

We login and pay our entrance fee of P20.00 each, took a group photo and walked down to the farm. It wasn't my first time at the farm, been there during sir R’s birthday together with our bosses and workmates. The sunflower farm wasn't that huge like the sunflower farm in San Andres, but needless to say it is worth it to visit when you are looking for new travel adventure and you are on a tight budget.  We took a group photo in the middle of the sunflower farm and even before I can take many sunflower photos, my workmate friend was already hurrying to go, I let her walked ahead of me and take my sweet time taking a single photo, when suddenly I heard a familiar voice, asking if it was me she is seeing and when I looked back, it was sir R’s mother "auntie", so I immediately went to her and before I can reached her hand to ask for a blessing "mano po" she happily hugged me so I hugged backed.

We briefly talked as there wasn't a lot of time, I am caught between my workmate rushing and me wanting to stay, when suddenly some of workmates brought a watermelon, they found a lost watermelon in the field which is already almost cut on half and soaked in the rain, they asked permission to cut and eat it, and when they were permitted, they feasted.

Left with no choice, I have to bid good bye to "auntie” since my friend already left and before I walked away, I went back to the beautiful spot I have seen a while ago before walking towards her and me wanting my picture to be taken there, I run towards my other workmates who are waiting for me, and asked one workmate to take a photo of me, so they obliged.

When we reached the farm’s hall or the entrance my workmate friend already left without us to my disbelief, she was hurrying because we didn’t ask permission to go at the Aspire Sunflower Farm. Anyway, we also left after taking another group photo with a previous work mate, if you are going to ask me how long did we spend in the farm, it is around fifteen minutes, lol.

Well, it was a good thing we went early in the morning because it rained at noon time.

Odiongan Town Fiesta: Kanidugan Festival 2023

Well, as I have mentioned in my previous post, the Kanidugan Festival was moved to the 10th of April to give way or to respect the holy week. We are requested to join the town parade for a small compensation, the town parade started at eight o'clock in the morning it was epic actually because when we arrived the street was already closed, so we have no choice but to walk to the assembly area and it was just right on time that when I arrived at the elementary school, the parade was just about to start. I wasn't able to find my coworkers, so I joined with the LGU family whom I am friends with, and when we went out, I found my co-workers standing in the corner so I  left the line, and joined them.

Anyway, the parade was spearheaded by the municipal officials, followed by the municipal employees, it was actually kind of boring to just walk, so I created my own world and my own dance steps, haha. I asked my workmates to dance with me, but they are kind of shy to do it, so I have to do it alone, until I went up front and met the employees from MS who were I think also bored walking and they are dancing in their own way while complaining that the drum beats were too sad to follow.

 

It was fun being included in the parade, but it was quite boring because you can't see and enjoy the Kanidugan Festival, especially the street dancing. I decided to go on Facebook live, showing what is happening around me, and talking to my workmates and even to my viewers, and with that, I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures.

The town parade took longer than expected, because of the street dancing, we have to stop many times to wait for them, When we are almost near the starting point, I walked back to find my batchmates, who are at the end of the parade, it was a bad decision because they are that quite far and it would be a better decision if I waited until we reached the endpoint.

Well, when I arrived at my batchmate's location they were already planning to leave the parade because it is almost ten o'clock in the morning and our reunion program will soon start, so when we reach a certain point, we exited.