‘Anonymous said…
Jim, just wondering why you (and your children) open yourselves up to the (in) public this way. You are so open to the public that they feel they have earned the right to make comments on your characters and your life. Just wondering, that’s all.’
A good question.
When I was much younger, my generation went wild over CB radios. I had one in the car. My friends had base stations where they played traffic controller for all CBers in the area. My radio was on all the time. In fact, I wanted to drive just so I could CB. One could ‘enter’ a conversation with ‘break..break’. The mantra of that time was 10-4 good buddy!
It was great fun because you could reach out to people and you didn’t even have to know them to talk to them. We even had aliases and it made everything all the more mysterious and thrilling. It was wonderfully anonymous and that was part of the thrill. All one could here was a voice and imagination took over. One could be a nerd or some plain jane but project him/herself to the world as someone exotic, wild or sexy and sure enough, one would get noticed!
In the age of the internet, the excitement antes up even higher. There is a dynamic working here that makes blogging a real blast!
One gets the chance to dialogue not with one or two people at any given time but with THE WHOLE WORLD– that is, if you can get everyone to visit you. With the relatively big traffic I generate, I get a kick knowing that x number of people read my thoughts from different continents and find resonance with them. I get a thrill knowing that when I express a unique experience, I get a response from everywhere affirming the universality of something I thought was particular to me alone. ‘Of course! Why not!’ I almost have to say this loudly as I realize that the loneliness, happiness, doubt, joy, wonder, bias, fear, humor, irritation, hopes and dreams, etc.. I write about have a commonality with everyone everywhere. There is an affirmation felt on both ends. It’s like I look up and smile for a satellite picture and the whole sky beams back my image.
But why, why expose yourself to comment, as my anonymous reader above seems to wonder? Why? It is because deep down, everyone needs to connect to others. We are alive when we are connected. My own yearning to connect is heightened and colored by the fact that I am an artist! Artists MUST create, and MUST release their creations to the world in more ways and with more urgency than non-artists do. It is my nature. It is therapeutic for me. A writer writes with the hope that the world will read it. I make songs so that people will sing them. The very nature of creativity is to take wings and fly, catch someone’s imagination or land somewhere where it can embed itself in someone’s life and thus make its mark on the world.
In the Christian tradition, we are told that God made the world in His own image and likeness. A book, a song, an architectural design, a poem, a painting or any other work of creation is a creator’s way of trying to be God-like. How? By making his/her own imprint on the world. In my case, blogging is just one way of making my mark by conversing with inhabitants of the net and sharing my thoughts. I share and leave behind my own image and likeness. Just as it is God’s nature to be everywhere, it is within us as heirs to divinity to do likewise!
This is only a sample picture. It was taken from the internet and not extracted from the writer of this blog.
If I had been an American Indian two centuries ago, it would have been smoke signals to communicate with people in the distance for me. If I had been a caveman, I would have been one of those who would have made cave drawings. Expression, creativity are natural impulses. Just as our cells multiply, I wish to multiply my presence in the world. In sexual terms, gusto kong magpalahi!! Ha ha! Ever wonder why a man releases 6 million sperm cells when it only needs one to create life? My theory is because life likes to express its own abundant self.
The risk of course is that one can get critcized, condemned, laughed at just as one can receive praise and adulation. That’s OK. That’s part of the game. The very act of being alive is to accept the risk of being exposed to the yin and yang of life. Where there is light, there must be shadow. Opposites exist to validate each other.
In the age of cyberspace, I dare say that it is better to blog even if I get crticised than never to blog at all!
—
I am getting more queries about guitar lessons and have signed up some students. I am really enjoying it as I see their faces light up when their untrained fingers manage to play chords I teach them. Some older students have signed up too. I have lessons today. I can’t wait!
—
Our visitors, Marty and Vangie Mabanta and their kids left this morning. It was a great visit as we went to Blue Mountains and took them around while introducing the Aussie way of life to them. It was a tad sad when the car that would take them to the airport whisked them away. I visit my relatives abroad quite often but this is the first time I am on the receiving end of the equation. I usually come and go. Today, we experienced what it was like being ‘left behind’. More people will be visiting this year and that is something I really look forward to. And as it is in every home we ever had, it looks like our house in OZ will be a busy, noisy and happy one. Thank God for that.
wow! am the first one to make a comment! glad that you answered that question of “anonymous”. am asking myself too why i follow your entries all the time? my husband was asking the same question as “anonymous” asked you. well, precisely your point was almost the same as i thought. if you’re not a celebrity, who will care reading your blog anyway! nobody told me about this site. i just google search “jim paredes in sydney” after knowing that your family migrated here and since then am a regular “reader” of you and your children’s blogsites, which i found it interesting cos your family writes very well. it’s entertaining and insightful!that “anonymous” was i think the same person who left a patterned question to erika’s site too. anyway, it only shows na she or he’s interested din on signing up! battleground of words na nga ngayon do’n sa kay acystassy,but that keeps your girls busy… and other bloggers .
congratulations for starting the guitar lessons right. you made a right decision. it really pays if you’re a “somebody”, may hatak! and my friend said, you’re very good teacher. they’re looking forward to her nxt lesson session! hw i wish my one will turn 7 as you said that’s your youngest! two yrs pa of waiting!
p.s. roger on that! that hi frquency radio was fun! everyone who usues the same frequency will hear kung sino i-eyeball mo!! have fun writing, jim! got fun reading it too!
very well said. keep on blogging!
Hi Jim,
Again you show how intelligent you are when you responded to “anonymous” your explanation is well done and I am pretty sure many of us “suki” on your blog have learned a lot .You expess your view that should be respected and appreciated. I hope more will join your guitar session.All the best and God Bless.
oh wow, i wish i could get my dad to blog like this. heehee… 🙂
jim,
you are not only an excellent singer, you are an excellent writer too!
yin and yan, two words that remind me of my former boss (RIP)in Diliman!
your and your children’s insights are educational…
all the best and keep on blogging.
great post today! i like the pictures, too.
you never ceases to amaze me & i keep learning from your blog…..what a cool entry!
hi jim!
im sorry if i made you sad bec of my last comment in a prior post (the one you deleted)
didnt know how to communicate how the same i felt yet how different. im really glad things are moving well for you and your family there.
Break, green apple…
Haha! How nostalgic! I’ve gone through CB, and later on VHF, radios too. It’s a different kind of experience, I never really thought it similar to blogging but you do make a point.
And so in radio talk, na-one-way ka na namin. 😉
just blog, blog, blog and the world will blog with you!
anonymous–thanks for your long comment. Tell me when your son turns 7.
kukote,all th anonymous writers, kristinpotatoes, girlie, isay–salamat!
anonymous–I can’t recall what entry you are referring to that depressed me.
candice–those were fun days, werenyt they? 10-4 good buddy!
Jim,
Great guitars! I’ll send you “Whatshername” as soon as I find it buried in my clutter. Keep on strumming, there’s magic in those strings.
Also, reading your blog, I like the way you dodge every bullet shot at you, like Keanu Reeves of The Matrix-ha-ha. Good job.
Ray
glad ur happy and enjoying Oz. take care and God Bless to the whole family.
i used to be asked why blog and make my life so public to complete strangers as well… i think i’ll get back to them now and refer them to your post! it couldn’t have been said better! :).
When I read your post I felt I was reading a Paolo Coelho book. 🙂
saludo ako sa ‘yo jim..we share the same ideals..blogging is not exposing one’s self, it’s just one way of expressing yourself via net, it’s simply an on-line diary where you keep a running account of your personal life. bloggers are actually the modern day diarists, or journalists or escribitionists. i don’t see any problem exposing yourself and your kids to the public as what your anonymous blogger has commented, and as what you’ve noted you’re just expressing and sharing your unique experience. i run my own weblog site, too, and it really feels great everytime a kababayan blogs in. may napag-connect na nga ako na mag-classmates at magkabarkada who haven’t seen each other for more than 30 years, talo pang programa ni “kuya eddie” noong araw, di ba? keep it up!!
p.s. thanks nga pala for ringing me last week regarding the guitar lesson, i’ll give you a buzz as soon as my boy is ready, hopefully next term.
Jim, you’ve got such a positive energy and you surely write well. I enjoy reading your stuff. You really inspire me…..’way to go!!!
jim
when i read your blog it reminded me of how i started my life here in the US. I has a very good job in the phil but i still left the country for the sake of the children and when one is in a foreign land you tend to appreciate more the religion you are born to practice. more power to you and your family.
amen to this!
kumusta na?
completely agree. the anonymity the internet offers allows most to really open themselves up. it really has brought down barriers; thus, enabling strangers to connect in an intimate–yet at times impersonal–way.
you never fail to write interesting things in your blog. I hope you don’t mind if I add you to my blog.
keep writing. please.
You always give off positive vibes in your blogs! Your positive insight reaches out to people and touches their heart. Your readers are actually blessed by your openness. Your children’s blogs are a delight to read too. They may ot always be happy with things as they are, but they always manage to see the silver lining behind each cloud. Good on you!
amazing!
Thanks to you and your kids for blogging, Mr. Jim. I admire you all for sharing yourselves. So that, others like me can learn from all your life lessons. Thanks for your sharing, your urge to express yourselves and most of all your courage. Keep it up.
Hi! I’m just a silent reader here. Cant help but comment…Very well explained! Those who are asking such question don’t know (yet) the satisfaction in expressing one’s self thru any other form.
Cheers!
aja
2 Alpha Tanggo… 🙂 Wow this post got a lot of anonymous replies.
your writings really inspire me, thank you for sharing this to the world!
Hi Jim,
Great insights! You have fully understood humanity’s oneness. I thought about that question too from anonymous and all I can say is I am thankful that you view things differently and a lot of us here are benefiting from it.
Mabuhay ka Apo Jim!
hello there! i’ve been a silent follower of your blog for quite some time now. i’m 17 and i also maintain a blog. it’s refreshing to read your entries because most of the time, i read the blogs of my fellow teenagers and it’s great to read the thoughts of an older, and may i say wiser blogger. your stories about your life in Austrialia makes me think about living there in the future. may God bless you and your family!
I enjoy reading your blog and those of your daughters.
They write well and the life experiences that they share are devoid of hypocrisy and denial that I read from other people older than these young ladies of yours.
I have always admired the Apo and your music.
Keep on writing.
You are one of the many bloggers I know who always gives inspiration and hope to many Filipinos. Keep it up!
Happy Mother’s day to your wife lydia and to all the mothers out there, may God continue to bless you and your families
it is better to blog even if I get crticised than never to blog at all!
hayy…i seem to be posting none sense stuff these days but that’s the present me at the moment..when i started blogging,the purpose was for my kids,then to introduce a bit of Japanese culture and now..i dunno..i seem to post a lot about myself..why kaya?
ray,shenski, wenk, anonymous, balikkbayan box, scot kho, ghee,snorito, enigma. ms_v, paola, cathy, kadyo–salamat!
pinipig–I am honored
oralcgatap–ring me when your son is ready! I will malke him a good guitar player.
satchiko– as in life, our concerns and interest take over us occasionally. What you write is what you are–at the moment. Ganoon lang yon. We are actually NOT what we write, just as we are not our moods. If we are our moods, then why are we not permanently stuck in them. They keep changing, di ba?
Same here! One time I got “not so good reviews” about one post I made but that didn’t stop me from blogging. It’s a form of expression, and expressing oneself is liberty to become yourself and still be proud that you are you 🙂 I linked you, blog on!
hi kuya jim, i think its great that you are blogging because i feel that you are more human this way. kasi noon nakikita lang namin kayo sa TV, pero ngayon nababasa na namin ang thoughts niyo, na normal pala ang mga Paredes, kahit papaano. keep on blogging!
Jim, napansin ko lang visits to your blog have more than doubled since coming to Oz. Daming bisita from Blacktown area. Okie-dokie!
Ive always wanted to go to Australia.
Reason #1: to see a koala bear.
hehe. jk. but i really do wana see one.
The real Reason #1:
To visit Hillsong. Its an awesome church. I dont know if youve heard of it, but yea.. They have the best songs 🙂 Try to visit it one time. I PROMISE, you wont regret it 🙂 I know this has nothing to do with your post. haha. But yea, I cant help but mention it.
if and when i visit my friends in australia (many of them are in brisbane, hindi naman po siguro ganun kalayo sa inyo sompared to darwin or cairns), can i go see you, guys, too? hehehe:)
Sir jim,
I finally managed to track you down 😛 I don’t know if you still remember me, I was your student back in ateneo. We had a brief chat while I was working in GMA and you, a finalist for metropop.
So I guess that plan to move to Australia pushed through. Well, it seems from your blog that things are going well. That’s good to hear.
For the longest time, I’ve been thinking of creating a blog myself but I’ve always had apprehensions. Your insights make a persuasive argument 😛 Now I’m really considering creating one.
God bless you and your family.
Elgene
You are just one of those people who want to change the world… in your own small way, one day at a time, one blog entry at a time.
When you enjoyed Ithaca (the poem), I was happy that someone truly understands the kind of journey that I had when I moved to the States. It is really encouraging to be able to connect.
jairam–Yup. We don’t blog to please primarily. We do so to share our thoughts whether popular or not. thanks.
Maria farancia–salamat. I will
Yes. I have seen Hillsong! Ganda siya.
babypink–You know how to get in touch with Ala. Let hetr know when youy’re here.
Elgene–you have much tpo share with the world. Do blog!!!!
mario–salamat. Yes, it is wonderful to share with the world!
Very well said, Mr. Paredes. Other people need to be on pills, you chose blogging as your therapy and that’s smart. God Bless your family! ***Holla from Ann Arbor***
Hi, I was able to read your blog through a link in Ala Paredes’ blog. I too am surprised, pleasantly of course, that you made your blog a public blog. Your articles inspire me and I really am looking forward to more posts. God bless.
“But why, why expose yourself to comment, as my anonymous reader above seems to wonder? Why? It is because deep down, everyone needs to connect to others. We are alive when we are connected.”
exactly! i couldn’t agree more!
“In the age of cyberspace, I dare say that it is better to blog even if I get crticised than never to blog at all!”
this is one of my personal mantras too.
well said Apojim. i just have one request. i’d love to see this crossposted on your Zaadz blog, because a lot of people there would benefit from your Kosmic point-of-views 😉
godspeed to you and your family. ingat palagi and stay lucid!
~C (for Connecting within the Kosmos)
-c4chaos–just posted it in zaadz! Thanks for suggesting it.
nice. i thought you posted it on your Zaadz blog so Zaadz people could comment. but it’s still cool 🙂
btw, i blogged about it too 🙂 keep it flowing!
~C