Four corners of a frame

My nephew, a 22-year old young man enjoys blogging and has a personal blog called Four corners of a frame, just when you thought corners came in fives. Because we both live in different parts of the world, I read his blog regularly to keep myself updated with news from home.

He lost his mum last year and he blogged about her passing and many people were very moved by what they read on his blog. He has many talents and he writes and communicates well. He will soon complete his University education and will join the rat race in the competitive world of employment.

Recently I interviewed him about his passion for blogging and here is the interview.

Tell us about yourself (age, gender, occupation, interests, etc.)

Hi, I’m Marcus Tan from Malaysia. I carry the X and Y chromosome (meaning a male ;-p) and will be 23 this year.

I will be graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and PR in August 08. So, in the mean time, I’m kinda finishing up assignments and meeting deadlines in the National University of Malaysia, commonly known as UKM. I aspire to be successful in the communication and PR field, as well as manage events effectively.

I love to stick my foot into a variety of things, thus am interested in alot of things! Firstly, I love to do house work. For some odd reason, being able to keep my house spick and span provide a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Secondly, I am so into gardening, despite the fact I live in a high rise building. It is therapeutic and relaxing; and when the plants grow beautifully, you cant help but feel contented. I’m also into Kendo, a Japanese marshal art, translated into “The Way of the Sword.” The passion sparked back in high school when I joined the Kendo Club. Its been a while since my last practise, due to university commitments. I can’t wait to get back to it soon. =)

How long have you been blogging?

I started to blog out of fun, but after 3 years, blogging has now evolved from a past time to a more serious activity as I have developed a strong liking in blogging and has since blogged as a hobby, as well as a personal training tool. It has also become addictive, sometimes *nods*. I could spend the whole night (literally) to write a post!

How many blogs do you own?

For now, only one. You see, my first blog actually served as a experimental blog since moving from my Friendster blog to my current Blogger. Then, with mounting interest and HTML tutorial websites, I grew to love not only blogging, but also all the other technical parts of a blog, eg. Manipulating its colour, adding widgets, HTML, and the likes. I am looking forward to create another blog just for everything and anything that has relations to UKM – the good, the bad, and the in between. It should be out in 2 months time. Wait for that… =)

How would you describe your blog(s)?

Haha, that’s a tricky question. I’ll do my best with sounding as if I’m putting myself in a basket and raising myself. =) Well, I’d say my blog is not a 100% representation of me, but in some ways, it does reflect parts of me. I’d say it’s interesting because I strive to give my best and constantly experiment new things. So there is change; and change is good. Keeps people interested and coming back for more. At the end of the day, it boils down to the individual’s personal perception. As someone once said, “You are what people that are constantly around make you out to be.” Every new day holds endless possibilities for my blog.

Where do you get the inspiration to write?

Inspiration comes from the everything around me. More often than not, I have found the company of a camera phone very helpful in snapping picture for a post.

Do you monetize your blogs using Google AdSense, Chitika, etc?

I have recently added NuffNang adds on my blog, but I have yet to receive any profit from it. I need to learn about how it works, later on. I earlier applied Google AdSense in my blog, but have not idea how that works either. Making money via your blog doesn’t sound like a bad idea. =)

Can you tell us three of your favourite blogs that you visit regularly?

Well, if I have to choose, I’d say its my friends girlfriends blog, “The Purple One.” – love her blogging styles, my schoolmate’s “-ming- My Story, My Life” – he snaps nice pictures, and a Korean blog, “Reika no rakuen” – for alot alot of Korean celebrities’ news.

They are at http://www.zoeydee.blogspot.com/, http://limkuanming.blogspot.com/ and http://reikanorakuen.wordpress.com/ respectively.

Would you consider becoming a problogger and make a living from blogging?

Sure, I don’t see why not. If its doing something I absolutely love and the perks are good, I say go for it!

Four corners of a frame by Marcus Tan – http://tanengsoonmarcus.blogspot.com