A year as Locomente

Till now, I was under the presumption that a person writes at his best when he thinks from his heart; when he is suffocated with plethora of emotions…  I always believed that one can easily write about something about which he/she strongly believes in…. But today, I am proved wrong!

I have been waiting for this day for a year now. I have been reciting and rehearsing the preamble of the post that I would pen on 26^th October, 2012.  But now, I am unable to comprehend my thoughts… It varies from happiness to pride. I am feeling very emotional.

But, what is so special about this day? Why am I emotional than usual?

Dude… My baby blog turns a year old today! It has been a year since I build my tiny nest in Blogosphere. It is a year now as LOCOMENTE! I see loads of changes in me… The changeover from Satya to Locomente has been phenomenal. I remember that Satya was lacking clarity of thought. She had difficulty in framing stories and penning poems. And today, she has evolved as Locomente who can write Haiku, Poems, Stories and Micro-fiction.

They say, a baby can teach a lot of lessons. My baby Blog also taught me a lot. It taught me to observe… To think from other person’s shoes… To express thoughts… It made me understand the importance of reading… It made me understand that I can write… That I can really write!! Hurray!!!

The journey as a writer/blogger aka Locomente has been very promising. Sometimes, it has been really challenging; especially after I bagged my job. My workload and frequent travel started eating my time and prevented me from spending quality time with my baby. However, the desire to feed my blog regularly remained so intense that I started managing time. I realized that we will always have time for what we really care for.

I would say that Year-One has been eventful as far as my baby Blog is concerned. Around 125,000 hits, 365 posts, 58 followers and tons of happiness! My Baby blog made me a “Notable Newbie”; thanks to Blogadda as well.

My Baby blog has always been generous. It got me five books to review through book review program of Blogadda and a pair of cool sunglasses for winning a contest. But, it also gifted me with something else whose value can never be determined – Happiness and satisfaction.

I say happiness and satisfaction because a smile would always creek whenever I see a comment for my post. My heart dances with joy like an innocent baby whenever I could fix words to my thoughts.

Peering through my glasses, staring at the vacuum, I am rewinding my 366 days… Those myriad days nourishing my baby blog… Those thought provoking days… All those crazy thoughts… Those weekend muses… I also see a few faces who always stood by me… Who never complained when I compelled them to read my posts… And a few others who always followed my blog and gave constructive feedback… A remarkable year… An incredible journey…

At this juncture, I would like to mention a few names… They have marked lasting impression in this Locomente’s heart…

Firstly, my loving parents! They have always been very keen in knowing my baby blog’s progress. They would ask me narrate what I have written and how many hits I have managed to receive. I should, specifically thank my ammaji… Because she was the one who would push me to come out with some write-up or the other when I was young…Then my appaji… For gifting my first diary when I was seven years old and making me swear that I will write everyday in it!

Secondly, let me thank me thank Suraj… Thanks for your smiles… Thanks for making me write; for making me think… Thanks for appreciating and making me feel worthy enough… Thanks for all the encouragements… Thanks for being my source of imagination… Thanks for holding my hands and leading me through the alley of a writer… Thanks a ton!

Then, my dear friends in the office, R&R Associates, where I did articleship… They were among the initial victims who had no choice but to read and follow my blog… Rajesh… Sanoop… Sivakumar… Sharmila… Prabha… Thank you all…

Ah! My dear editor-in-chief… Vijay… He also happens to be my brother… Hey Bru! Thanks for being ruthless... Thanks for teasing me and giving constructive feedback… I wonder how you manage to find all the silly spelling mistakes I make. I really don’t know how your tiny eyes capture them so effectively? May be because finding faults comes naturally to you… May be because you are my celebrated editor-in-chief… Or it maybe because you are my brother… Simple!

And my dear Siby sir… For always following my posts… For sending those lengthy mails explaining what you liked in my post and how I could have written in a much better way… I really want to learn how you keep your cool even when you are surrounded with so much of professional and personal obligations… I also wish to capture the humor in life and take life less seriously!

I also wish to thank a few others like Reeja… Sree Devi... Kesavan… Rama Mani… And several other friends for always sharing what you felt about my write-up. 

Thank you Stija, for making my blog famous in our Cochin office… No… I have not bribed her!

Valli and Green Speck… Thanks for reading my blog and feeding my baby Blog with yummy comments.  Your comments are so rejuvenating and encouraging… 

Thank you Blogadda… Indiblogger… Haiku Heights… One Single Impression…

Ouch! I think I am blabbering a lot… I think my post would be never ending if I continue to go on with my “Thank yous” and this-is-how-I-feel-right-nows…

So… Let me lay back… Let me widen my smile a little bit more… Let me relax and let out a sigh… Let me enjoy the calmness that is surrounding at this time of night… Let me blink my eyes and think about the sunlight… Let me listen to my heartbeat… And let me say…

LOCOMENTE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!