Apples Haravata is the writer behind the engaging food blog Kubiertos where she features different restaurants and the food she whips up for her family at home. She also keeps a personal journal at http://apples-pie.com and a parenting blog on being a mother of two. During the day, she is a corporate slave in one of the country's top IT companies. She started blogging after being influenced by her husband Chris, and also to chronicle their family adventures - culinary and otherwise.

Q. Please name some highlights of your blogging life. What has been the greatest thing to happen to you since you started blogging?

The greatest thing really is that blogging opened up the world to me. It gave me a chance to delve into various activities I never imagined I would ever be part of. These include food writing, styling, photography seminars; food tasting events; product launches; blog awards and the like.

The other thing is that I had the chance to get a spot in my favorite foodie magazine - Yummy's December 2008 issue. I got a small box on one of their pages which had a picture of me and a quote on my favorite breakfast after attending simbang gabi.

Q. Name three things you can't live without as a blogger.
A. Pen, camera, internet!

Q. What advice can you give others (especially newbies) on getting started in blogging and maintaining one's blog(s)?

Blog because you want to and not because everyone else is doing it. It's so easy to jump into the bandwagon and later on lose interest because inside you really do not have the passion for it. If you do have the passion, be patient with yourself and realize that there are good days and bad days and you dont have to sweat it.

Another important thing I have learned is that your opinion is good but not everyone wants to read about it. Even if you do have a personal blog, its always best to ask yourself before writing, "Can other people learn from this?" or maybe, "Will this help other people?".

I think otherwise your words are just there you know, without a purpose.

Q. The blogging rules and principles you live by.
A.  - Follow your gut and dont be afraid to pour your heart out
- If you cant stand by what you write, don't even start
- No matter how or what you feel, there are so many other words to use with the same impact as @#(*@#*^$!!

Q. Where do you get the inspiration or ideas on what to blog, usually?
A. From my life (literally). Lately from listening to "Good times with Mo" and "Boys Night Out" on the radio, they have so many interesting topics and because I am not able to spend all day glued to the phone calling their show,  I just write about my thoughts on their topics instead.

Q. Some things you learned about blogging that you didn't know when you were just starting.
- You need to check and recheck your work before publishing. People make honest mistakes but its a pain having to read it.
- Blogging is not easy

Q. Your thoughts on blogging for therapy and blogging for monetary rewards.
A. Blogging for therapy.. is what I do (I think). I used to be so active in sports but with a growing family and increasing work load, I stopped. I had to find a way to de-stress and I found it in blogging.

That's why I hate it when the network is down. Ask my husband, he gets out of my way during these times because then my stress level increases.