Reaching out to my blogger/author friends...
Hello and hope you are keeping safe during this period of time.
How is the situation in your country? Are you keeping safe? Are you under quarantine? How are you spending your quarantine time?
It is unbelievable how year 2020 started, January was filled with WW3 memes and now we're in the midst of a plague much like the one in 1920s.
As nightmarish as the COVID-19 pandemic that has been putting the entire world on halt, I am keeping sane by focusing on the positive things this outbreak had brought us, and one of them is - T I M E.
It's currently Day 28th of Lockdown in Malaysia, we have restricted movement control order in place that doesn't allow us to leave the house unless it's for essentials, and that leaves me with ample time on my hands, hence, also the reason why after a long 2 years hiatus and inactivity on my blog, I decided to restart the empire that I've built (I binged too much Kingdom these days) and also to utilize this time to read more.
If you are an old follower of mine and was wondering "where have thou disappeared to?", please read on. If you are a new guest on my blog, welcome and this is a short history of who I am and what I've been up to for the past two years.
Starting with:
About Dreamland Book Blog (DBB)
DBB was originally named Dreamland Teenage Fantasy and was first created in June 2011 by a high school student (me!) who loves wandering around the book sphere and was absolutely captivated by the world of book blogging after stumbling across my first book blog.
However, in 2018, I've decided to rename my blog to Dreamland Book Blog because, 1) I outgrew my teen phase & 2) I started to post more content about mature reads that may not be suitable for younger readers. To avoid misleading branding, the new and improved Dreamland Book Blog is born. I was also bored with the blogger.com interface and decided to revamp the look of my blog. From 2018 to early 2019, I was primarily blogging from Dreamland Book Blog on Wix.com so you can find some posts on there too!
Read more about me here: About Me
Why had I disappeared without a trace?
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| @EvieShaffer | unsplash.com |
I'd like to start this note by apologizing to everyone who has reached out to me over the past two years without getting a response.
At the end of 2018, I was undergoing a huge change in my life. After graduating from university with my new degree, I was having a life-crisis trying to decide what's next in life. I wasn't ready to be an adult (I don't think it's something you can prepare for anyway), but I made a huge decision to leave home and move to another state on my own to start something for myself.
The adjustment period was longer than expected, not only it was a new company with a whole new environment, the city lifestyle is always more hectic as compared to the islander life I've grown accustomed to at home. Trying to adapt to the new working culture and everything else in between, I struggled with maintaining my social presence & the blogger persona I've built.
It was a classic case of too many, too much, at the same time. I left home when my blogging presence was at its peak, my bookstagram account was blooming and so was my blog with the number of review requests and blog tours I joined and helped organized. I was also the vice publisher for an independent, non-profit bookish magazine that publishes once every month, juggling between "chasing after every reviewing datelines" with my "work-life", I was so saturated at one point when something ugly happened, my passion turned into an obligation. That's the final nail in the coffin when I woke up one day and just...stopped.
I stopped blogging.
I stopped tweeting.
I stopped bookstagramming.
I stopped checking in on my accounts.
I was exhausted.
Physically, mentally and emotionally, but I have no one to blame but myself.
Priding on my youth and energy, I thought I can sustain it all. But if there's anything I learned from this, it's too much of anything is too much. (Stole this from All Time Low's lyrics).
Unknowingly, two years have passed until COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on life, and that's when I am given a gift I've wanted since 2018 - T I M E.
So, what now?
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| @andrewtneel | unsplash.com |
I'm doing a Marie-Kondo on my life by decluttering, letting go of the unnecessary and prioritize.
#Todolist
1. Deleted the 4,000 plus messages on my blogger's email addresses I haven't opened or read since 2018. (I just needed a fresh start...)
2. Updating the blog and decided to go back to blogger.com as my main domain (because Wix.com is a pain in the a** with its slow connectivity) so you will see more of me here!
3. Taking it slow.
Yes, I am in no haste to return back to my prime days. For now, I'd focus on posting lesser but more quality posts, joining 1-2 blog tours now and then, maybe 1-2 Instagram posts (because keeping up my bookstagram account was what draining me the most), try to interact more with authors/readers and last but not least, READING for the JOY & FUN.
Ultimately, my passion will always be reading, somewhere along the way, I lost sight of what mattered the most.
That's all from me today! I am currently working on updating all of my social sites (that includes trying to match which password is linked to which accounts), if you are interested to connect with me, please leave a comment or follow me on any of my social links below ;)
Remember, wash your hands and maintain social distancing. Together, we can kick this virub to the curb!
3. Taking it slow.
Yes, I am in no haste to return back to my prime days. For now, I'd focus on posting lesser but more quality posts, joining 1-2 blog tours now and then, maybe 1-2 Instagram posts (because keeping up my bookstagram account was what draining me the most), try to interact more with authors/readers and last but not least, READING for the JOY & FUN.
Ultimately, my passion will always be reading, somewhere along the way, I lost sight of what mattered the most.
That's all from me today! I am currently working on updating all of my social sites (that includes trying to match which password is linked to which accounts), if you are interested to connect with me, please leave a comment or follow me on any of my social links below ;)
Remember, wash your hands and maintain social distancing. Together, we can kick this virub to the curb!
My contact links:
