Q. When did you start to blog? Did anybody influence you?

A. About four years ago, our techie friend Pia (http://so-phobic.com/) suggested that our Bacolod core group can keep in touch via a group blog.  It was difficult to keep in touch when half of your barkada are cocooning themselves in Negros. We did post our daily offerings there for about two years (I was in med school then, so I posted things about hospital life such as our famous "heartless heart doctor").  It ended with a whimper when motivations waned and posts dwindled.  It was then when I decided I wanted to start a personal blog, but I was discouraged because the ones I found required a referral system.  It was a "no friend, no join" kind of thing, so I gave up.  I even had the indignity of groveling to a complete stranger from who-knows-where just so I can get hold of the e-mail access code, to no avail.  When Blogspot came along, however, I jumped on the bandwagon, and it was all downhill from there.

Q. Why do you blog?

A. I'm not sure why; most probably to stroke my ego. There's something voyeuristic and tantalizing knowing that anywhere you go in the world, your mark as a writer is imprinted semi-permanently in cyberspace and no one can steal that from you.  Conversely, you can peep into the lives of strangers via their blog and chuckle at their experiences and mistakes.  My blog is my own little room in the global web arena, a place where I blow off steam and spill bile as I pour out my stress without the concern that Big Brother may be watching. It's also my turf where I can post the things that inspire me or provoke my wrath.  With this place I can call my own, I can write as I please without couching everything in diplomatic double-speak.

Q. Do you see yourself launching a medical blog, like what some doctors are doing? What's your opinion on blogging doctors and medical blogs?

A. As a doctor, the expected reason would be yes, a medical blog would be perfect but honestly, I digress. Why? To gripe about ugly hospital politics, patient socio-economic woes, talks of going abroad, medical blunders, the lack of government support and every ulcer-inducing tale is really not my cup of tea.  It's depressing. I also could not see myself harping in the blog my litany of medical successes as if each case study is a brownie point in heaven. It exhausts me, really. For me, blogging is an escapist thing.  

There are MDs who like writing their daily grind, and I respect them for that. That's their outlet, their forte.  That's what interests them and there are readers who enjoy reading the "slice-of-life" of a doctor.  Different strokes for different folks, I always say.  But some blogs, like Dr. Emer's Parallel Universes, is for me the ideal blog material for health practitioners.  It's full of interesting cases and health quirks, and every visit results in a new discovery.  So, if ever I shall make a medical blog where all my acerbic wit is written, it will be in my next lifetime.

Q. What benefits do you derive from blogging? What do you like about this activity?

A. For one, it aids my digestion. Second, it increases the speed of my typing.  Also, blogging allows me to meet new people and to keep in touch with old friends like the ones working in Dubai and New York. I still remembered the fun we had during the first PinoyBlog EB where I got to meet an entire spectrum of bloggers--from yuppies, to lawyers, to doctors, to professionals and to students.  It was surreal.  Blogging heightened my appreciation for the Filipino psyche and proficiency in using English as a medium.  Learning how overseas Filipinos use this as a tool to express their love for the Philippines through Pinoy food reviews and laughing at our cultural quirks is really something to be proud of. 

Q. On the other hand, is there anything you dislike about blogging?
 
A. Besides the fact that there are no dirty pictures, I can't think of anything negative against blogging.

Q. Are you guided by certain principles when you blog?
 
A. Anonymity (save for a few select readers) is really important. I wish to protect myself as well as the people I criticize in my posts.  I am allergic to litigations. Reasoning and logic are also important because writing a strongly-worded opinion without basis is just a waste of time.  It just becomes a tempest in a teacup.  Lastly, I usually acknowledge the source of my information out of respect for the other writer’s effort. If I can't remember my source, then Fate help me.

Q. How do you choose which topics to post?
 
A. Good question. Anything that inspires me like "why do people smile into the camera during funerals?"  And everything that gets my goat like that January brouhaha over pamie.com's complaint about Jollibee wherein she said the Yumburger was "like Wendy's took all the goo that comes out of their burgers when they're done cooking them, pressed that down into a mold, froze it in a patty."  Ha-ha!

Q. What are your blogging habits? How do you find the time to blog?

A. I always try to blog before going to bed. That's also the time when I comment on others' blog entries. If I'm dead tired, I forego my blogging activities for another day.

Q. Can you tell us more about your blog design and what platform you're using?

A. I am currently using one of the standard templates provided by Blogger. I tried designing my own, but it ended up looking like crap, as in the buoyant crap.

Q. In your own opinion, what are the qualities of a good blogger?

A. To differentiate from an evil blogger, a good one is usually consistent in updating his or her pages, engages one's readers through commentaries and rebuttals, is level-headed enough to take disparaging comments with a kilo of salt, looks hard for fresh materials that he or she knows readers will appreciate reading, and covers a great diversity of topics. Marketmanila.com is a good example. Though a foodie blogsite, his entries are animated, engaging, moderate, and very diverse.

Q.  Do you still see yourself blogging five years from now? Please explain.

A. Perhaps, if my motivation sustains me for five years more.  The fire to write, which I hope will still be there, shall continue to burn even if my topics will have become more sedated and neutral. I may write about my impending mid-life crisis, or maybe not.  I may mellow down as my workload in the hospital increases, or maybe not.  I may win the lotto and devote my time to blogging everyday, or maybe not.  I really do not know. I just hope and pray that God will give me lots of inspiration and motivation to continue my passion for blogging.

(For comments and inquiries, e-mail annalyn.jusay@gmail.com)