The HodgePodge Lifestyle reached its 100th blog post recently and I didn’t even noticed until today when I came back to its WordPress account to write a new article. The article A Quaint Town called Pueblito Paisa in Medellin, Colombia (Part 7) marks the 100th blog post and it’s such a thrill to see that I’ve already written 100 articles since The HodgePodge Lifestyle was relaunched in 2013.

It may not seem much to others but it means a lot to me as everything in this blog is my own work from articles, photos, layout to brainstorming of topics. Blogging may seem easy and before I even started my first blog in 2009 (which was for a school requirement, started another as a hobby in 2010 then relaunched it in 2013 after a two year hiatus), I thought it was simply writing about anything and that’s it.

I remember how back then blogging was still new and how some bloggers were beginning to have a name in the industry. Before we know it, after several years since it began there are now a lot of blogs emerging online from different places, it became a new career that launched actually some successful names and lead to new ventures for others.

After several years of having my own blog, it made me realized that having the passion to write is one of the keys to keep it going. It takes effort to write a lot so that the blog doesn’t go stagnant, to edit and proofread your articles so that all are polished, to take good photos as much as you can and edit them if needed, to brainstorm topics that interest you and your readers, to think of other ways to attract more readers and reached out to followers beyond your own country, to handle advertisements and inquiries, to know more about how to earn from blogging, etc.

Definitely it takes more than just having a laptop, a camera and having a list of places I’ve been to as you have to also work hard, combat procrastination (yes it does happen just like when you write for publications sometimes), writer’s block, finding new contents, etc. The list goes on and on.

But its all worth it when the feeling I get after publishing each post gives me that satisfaction like the old times of having articles published in newspapers and magazines. The difference now is I’m my own boss, it’s online, I make my own decisions and it thrills me to have my own baby that I can say mine.

The HodgePodge Lifestyle has changed since it began on TypePad from its contents, logo and layout.  It will always have new things and changes to improve it which was what I learned from working for a magazine years back that these small details will change over time to achieve the look you want. Of course, writing changes over time and I know for a fact that I still have a lot to learn but this craft I’m passionate about is indeed a work in progress I’m proud of.

Some of the best things I’ve experienced so far from creating The HodgePodge Lifestyle was receiving feedback from people and companies on how they are loving the articles or how some articles touched their hearts, inspiring other people to start blogging, sharing to readers about how they can help other people, reading messages about inquiries to advertise or simply asking help on how to get more info about an article featured, seeing followers share your work on their own accounts, etc.

It’s not all praises mind you as I do get criticisms about it but all these actually helped me improved what I need to change on The HodgePodge Lifestyle to make it a better blog. It’s a good way to know that not everything you do is perfect and everyone needs improvement which will make it better for you, your readers and followers.

So now that I’ve hit the 100th blog posts (before I start to bore you hahaha!), here are a few highlights of The HodgePodge Lifestyle that you may want to reread again to see where the blog has been for several years and months now since its relaunched:

Photo courtesy of Elissa Brinckman

Foreigners Donating from Around the World for Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) Victims

Ralfe Gourmet: A Chocolate Heaven in Cebu

The Great Wall of China Adventure in Beijing (Part 2)

A Relaxing Vacation at Bellarocca Island Resort and Spa

Things You Need to Know About Pope Francis

 Photo courtesy of The Spa

The Traditional Filipino Hilot Massage at The Spa Trinoma