I’m not a highly superstitious person; sometimes life’s like that; you’ve gotta earn one’s keep. I also hold horoscopes, star/sun signs, or anything similar in the same regard, but I do find them cute. I do believe there’s luck around us, but I wouldn’t go all the way as to strictly follow them, my faith withstanding.

What’s up with all that then? Well, this month marks my blog’s 13th anniversary! Yes, I’ve been blogging for 13 years, and while some people believe that number to be unlucky (last week being Friday the 13th, after all), but I think it’s really cool that my blog has been around for that long. It’s a huge part of my young adult years! My irresponsible and mentally unfocused self was wondering around, didn’t know what to do, then one day decided to start a creative outlet to improve her English skills and at the same time share her passion for reading, and thirteen years later, the blog’s still here, awkward and still unfocused (in other ways 😂) but still has that passion to thrive in my now private digital space.

Over the past thirteen years, I’ve learned so much, not only in blogging but in some aspects of my life as well. And while this has now evolved into a (hidden) personal digital diary, I always look back fondly at the many things I did in this (continuous) blogging journey. It has helped me in more ways than just expressing my thoughts; it has opened so many doors for me, and for that, I’m really thankful. It’s probably the reason why I’m still blogging despite everything, because there’s something so grounded about it. And more than anything else, it still gives the same sense of satisfaction; it never gets boring; it only changes, and as I always say change is part of evolution! But oh no, don’t get me wrong, it’s not just a lucky charm in a sense; it’s a mix of everything, because I know God has put me in this place and also the tremendous effort I gave to be where I am, but I have to give it to my blog; she’s a charm that still keeps on giving—to me!

The digital landscape is no longer the same as 13 years ago, and looking back at it sometimes feels like a century has passed with how different people use their digital space. NGL, I feel old-school keeping my blog, trying to update as much as I can even though it’s not monetary benefiting (which was never about it even before anyway). I think the charm (see what I did there) of blogging in solitude and not catching up with the trends is basically growing on your own time, and why I’m still doing what I’m doing. And even though I said that the internet is different place from a decade ago, I’m sure there are tons of people who still use their platforms to connect and express themselves sincerely. It’s not always about numbers; we are still people.