THE Blogger ;)

WARNING: Introducing myself is like telling chilling tales of murder and revenge. Joke! I have to admit I find personal introductions to be a tad alarming, or to put it bluntly, awkward. It reminds me of a first day in school where everyone gives you that bloody meticulous look. It’s either you look retarded stuttering, or you are simply on the verge of collapsing that you almost demandingly wish to disappear. Or worse, pee in your pants and pray for immediate Armageddon.

Truth be told, other than having the mental cramps of thinking on how to best describe myself, what’s more excruciating is my semi-ignoramus state on the fundamentals of blogging. That’s what happens when you have a “very high” standard for a blog page yet technologically-deprived and just plain stupid with html functions. What a pity! That is also the very same reason why I kept on stalling my hopes of having a “cool” blogsite, and deferring my claim to the throne as the best blogger in town. (Best my ass). Weeps.

Voila! I am starting to grasp the most basic functions of “wordpress.com” even a baby whiz can do it. This minor discovery has greatly fueled what’s left of my will power to write. I would like to extend my gratitude to my Belgian mate, Tom, for introducing to me the website after my whining on my fruitless search of a blogsite that allows for a customised image header. At last, I won’t just be a great reader of blogs, but I have now officially proclaimed myself as *drum roll, please* “The” blogger.

What’s with blogsites, anyway? Whoever started the blogging trend is a genius! Do you know what this means? No more “Dear Diaries” and daily journals whose sole subscribers only revolve around yourself, your nosey family, or your elementary and high school English teachers that only God knows how they can already blackmail an entire generation.

On a more serious note, I love reading profiles and people’s thoughts. I like it informative, narrative, persuasive, quizzical, challenging, and of course, entertaining. The genres I read always depend on my current mood and present need. I have to admit I am biased towards the wacky and hilarious bloggers. Their amusing stories simply make my day. And they too are the kind of people I absobloodylutely get along with.

It is in my nature to talk and write. Yes, I am a natural blabber. I love to express my thoughts and share what’s more likely to be my misadventures. My passion in photography also gives me a chance to capture “Kodak Moments” and share it for the world to see. Videos, music, short stories, essays, poetry, hate letters (does Brian Gorrell ring a bell?), or even your love letters from your salad days, just name it – you post it.

Everything is possible on blogsites. Although if you take your online liberty to your extreme pleasure, you would most likely find yourself on the defense panel of the courts persecuted for indecent exposure of lewd images, or defamation. Worse comes to worst, exhausting your appeals from a Barangay dispute-settlement table all the way to Supreme Court – and still losing the case. That would be really funny hahahaha What do you expect? Freedom is not absolute and blogsites are no exemptions from the jurisdiction of a constitution.

Before I get out of line with my real purpose, I am Allan Roy Lapinid Uy. Just call me Roy. FYI, other people call me Allan Roy, Lanroi, Alroy, Ayanyoy, Allaniowski, Royski, Jappy, and “Ninja Boy” courtesy of my unlikeable, unreceptive, and unsympathetic English Professor. I bet she’s that lifeless to even know internet and read this blog thus impeding her from revoking my grade. Oh boy do I sound bitter. Lol. I used to be a chronic latecomer back in my university days and I sneaked into her class 40 minutes late crawling, knowing I had perfected that stealth skill over the years. By bad luck, she caught me creeping on the floor and branded me that derogatory-intended nickname. My mum must have had a huge dosage of sucrose whilst I was in her womb to have me birthed so cute hyper. Not the ADHD/ADD kind so you guys are totally free from any risk of danger.

As regards my education, I had a 2-year stint taking up Engineering until I realised that Maths, in all their splendour are too boring for me. ‘I hate Maths’. I shifted and I ended up taking Philosophy and Human Resource Development as a prelude to my bygone whims of becoming a lawyer. Having law courses as an undergrad made me realise that pure boredom is the end-result of reading case documents and the taxing task of solving other people’s tug-of-wars with the rules of law. Give me a break! I already have a caboodle of my own troubles to worry other people’s problems. I am taking up Master’s in English and Literature Teaching and I just decided to put it on hold. Who knows what I will be doing next…seriously.

What and where in the world is my Philippines? A lot of foreigners don’t know much about the Philippines, let alone know that it’s in Southeast Asia. Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands divided into three major regions known as Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. It has almost 200 languages, 12 of which are major and 8 are considered as co-official. I have studied in all the major regions so it’s safe to presume that I have a better understanding of the Filipino culture in general. I was born a multilingual and was raised in Dipolog City in the province of Zamboanga del Norte in Mindanao, close to the Spanish-speaking region of the Philippines. Although my native language is Visayan, I am highly capable of utilising English and Filipino, and a bit of Spanish and German.

In case you’ve heard of the Philly or my home region Mindanao on CNN, BBC, or have read of it on your local newspapers or our own Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, Tiktik, and Toro – in case you’ve landed here before knowing what you’re getting into…Hakuna Matata – I am no terrorist. I just own a few armouries. This is an invitation to question and doubt the ability of the liberal press or media to handle information free from sensationalisation. To my fellowmen who are ignorant of my home region, yes, we do have cable televisions, concrete houses, Jollibees, and even electricity.

I am clueless as to how others accept astrology and its zodiacal signs. But I deem myself to be a true projection of a Gemini. I came into this life equipped with great curiosity, a lively, versatile, inquisitive mind, and an urge for constant learning and new experiences. My most basic inner drive is to communicate, to make connections and association (between people or ideas), and to develop my gift for language and expressing myself through the spoken or written word. Mixing, mingling, and interacting with a broad spectrum of people suit me well. Life’s seemingly endless variety and the multitude of options and choices available to me somehow become a weakness as I tend to flutter from one unto the next. Let’s just say, I am fascinated by the mystery of human potential. (Excuses. Excuses.) In order to be understanding of my self, I try to experience worlds teeming with life. My thirst for life of adventure in light with my pursuit of happiness is my ultimate passion.

What’s more to me than meets the eye? I love food. I love desserts. You will be shocked to know that we have a term in the Philippines called “Food Tripping”. We seriously love to eat. My interests complement my chronic multiple personality *sobs* – Cultures, Languages, Photography, Nature (beaches, mountains…), Adventures (camping, fishing, bungee jumping, diving…), Films, Media, Music, Drawing/Painting, Philosophy, Culinary Arts/FOOD TRIPS(!), Sports (bowling, badminton, swimming, extreme Pinoy Sports – Patintero, Siococ, Tambulata, Veinte-veinte, Shatong, the list goes on and on …lol), Video games, Travelling, Volunteerism, Books, and Television shows are just “few” samples falling under the objects of my enjoyment.

So why do I blog? Simple! It liberates my mind from heavy traffic while empowering the Filipino writer and reader in me. It lets me breathe life into the rawest of my ideas, experiences, and imaginations. It allows me to partake on and maximize the shared experience between writers and readers. Lastly, it enables me to commit to a promise to open a wider avenue of worldwide understanding.