Mike's Blender

Today I present another interview that it quite close to my heart. Mike's blog, Mike's Blender, doesn't just have the best title animation that I've ever seen on a blog but is also one of the best Japan blogs that I've come across. He has a gift for capturing the uniqueness that is Japan and his site is a definite must for anybody interested in modern Japanese culture!


Kumiko: How old is your blog and why did you start it?

Mike: My site's been around since 2003 and has gone through a few major changes. At first it wasn't a blog, just a bunch of pages with some pictures, etc, on it. After a few months I found that nobody was looking at my site. Then I realized it was because it was static, nothing changed about it. People came maybe once, looked, then most likely never came back. Then I started to update it with various things I found interesting about Japan, and my life here. My articles started off small and simple, and gradually became more in-depth and complex. Now it's getting to the point where it's kind of like a part-time job. I go out, do research, take all my own pictures, and sometimes spend a fair bit of money to get the information I need. I love doing it though, and am very happy when people take the time to leave a comment!


Kumiko: Where do you see your blog in five years?

Mike: I use to wonder if I'd someday run out of interesting things (about Japan) to talk about. However it's been almost 4 years and I still have lots of things left that I want to see, experience, eat, etc. then write about. I'm pretty sure that in 5 years time I'll still be going strong. I have also been considering separating the blog part of my webpage and the more personal pages such as my artwork and stories into two different websites sometime in the future. We'll see.


Kumiko: I think your blog is essential for anyone interested in the 'quirkiness' and uniqueness of Japanese culture. You capture it very well. What would you rate as the most interesting thing you have seen during your time in Japan?

Mike: Very difficult to say what the most interesting thing is! Pretty much every day in Japan is an adventure even though I've been here for so long. There's always something new or different around the corner. I guess if I had to choose the most interesting thing though, I would say the fashion scene in Harajuku on Saturdays and Sundays. It is beyond bizarre! Except
for my main page, it continues to be the most accessed page on my site. Check it out here to get an idea: http://www.beddall.net/indexblog24.htm


Kumiko: What's another blog that you read and why do you recommend it?

Mike: Actually I don't read too many other blogs! However I'll give the honour to my friend Scott who runs the site www.genfab.com. He blogs about his life experiences/travels, etc. and has a similar sense of humour to mine. He moves around a lot, Canada, then Japan, then back to Canada and now Australia, so he has had lots of interesting experiences. Only problem is he doesn't update his site so often....


Kumiko: What type of person would be interested in reading your blog?

Mike: Although my site is mainly about Japan and the weird/interesting things that you can find here, I try to write in a style that is both humorous and informative so that everyone can enjoy it, not just people that have an interest in Japan. I guess my answer is that my blog is for anyone who likes to read and learn new things!


So for all things quirky and Japanese, check out Mike's Blender!

The Domestic Diva

The Domestic Diva's blog, Life With Toddler, is about...well....potty training among other subjects. It's the story of raising a 2 year old boy with all the trials and joys that it involves. And her son is so cute!

Kumiko: How old is your blog and why did you start it?

The Domestic Diva: http://p-nut.thedomesticdiva.org is currently a year old only because I received the domain [http://thedomesticdiva.org] as a christmas present from my husband. I started the blog 3 years ago while I was pregnant with my son, P-nut. I recorded everything that happened with my pregnancy and his first year on a blogspot blog. Then after receiving the domain as a gift started blogging his second year there.

Kumiko: Where do you see your blog in five years?

The Domestic Diva: In 5 years, I will still be blogging the life of my son. Granted he will be in elementary school then, I still see myself trying to record all the best moments in cyber form.

Kumiko: As I ask this, your son P-nut is 2 years, 2 months and 2 days old! He's so cute! How is the potty training progressing?

The Domestic Diva: Potty training is going. That is pretty much all I can say. Potty training a child is perhaps the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I've got him to understand that #1 is meant for the potty but he doesn't seem to understand that #2 goes in there as well. I've heard from other mothers that potty training is the hardest thing to do, especially for boys. Many boys aren't fully potty trained until age 3. I'm not going to pressure him. I will continue to teach and instruct him they way I have been doing and eventually a light bulb will go off and he will just get it. I mean, how many grown men have you seen walking around that aren't potty trained. It is bound to happen eventually until then I just have to give myself a reality check and realize that this too shall pass.

Kumiko: What's another blog that you read and why do you recommend it?

The Domestic Diva: I don't want to toot my own horn, but my main blog http://thedomesticdiva.org is a great one to read if you are intersted in shopping, crafts, recipes, and my pregnancy. All the things that I am apart of are all linked off of my main site.... http://thedomesticdiva.org.

Kumiko: What type of person would be interested in reading your blog?

The Domestic Diva: All types of mothers and parents would enjoy reading my blog. It is great to see first hand that we aren't alone in this mission to raise the next generation. Its great to find another mother that is going through the same struggles as you are. Someone you can relate to.


Thank you for taking the time away from potty training to answer my questions! Check out The Domestic Diva's site here.

Ethnic Denim

Into fashion? If the answer is a resounding, "Yes ma'am!" then you definitely need to check out the Ethnic Denim Fashion Blog. It's a great source of information for all that's happening in the fashion world and also provides links to some great online bargains! I caught up with Ali to discuss it:


Kumiko: How old is your blog and why did you start it?

Ali: The blog is just turning 10 months this February, it was started in May of 2006 the main site though has been live since March 2006. I started it because, as a Fashion Design team, me and my wife were looking for our own niche in the design world and decided that we would go into the Jeans/Casual market and make our home in that department. However as we are currently on a inspiration finding break we decided to put up the site and the blog so that we can learn from doing more research into the fashion and style world as well as getting visitors to our site/blog. Sort of like a pre-branding of our name - Ethnic Denim.


Kumiko: Where do you see your blog in five years?

Ali: Hopefully by that time we see ourselves and the blog to have grown to a status of authority in the Denim/Jeans arena of fashion and provide more valuable information into the ins and outs of our own line as well industry news about Jeans/Tshirts/Shirts and any other company related activities. So yeah try to become more informative type but yet retain our original roots of providing good fashion related content.


Kumiko: As a Japanese lady, I'm of course concerned about fashion! What do you think will be the hottest item for next season?

Ali:For this Spring/Summer I expect short skirts to be in, romantic blouses and tops are also going to be a top item and of course Premium Jeans which have become a favorite for anybody who has ever worn one. Styles to watch out in Premium Jeans are denim shorts, high waist jeans and skinny styles.


Kumiko: What's another blog that you read and why do you recommend it?

Ali: I recommend you read ChicAlert.blogspot.com she has a lot of information on great buys happening around the web.


Kumiko: What type of person would be interested in reading your blog?

Ali: I don't want to say that my blog is only limited to people who are interested in certain aspects of fashion - I want the blog to be able to be read by anybody looking for a different take on fashion, style and trend events.

Plus with our name being Ethnic Denim, we are taking a look at also how some cultures have adopted mainstream fashion within their own traditional way of dressing. In fact our top visited page is the one where we wrote about Arabian Fashion.

Arvind Devalia's Thoughts and Words

Arvind Devalia's Thoughts and Words is only a month and half old, yet he's written well over 100 posts! Well done! Arvind is a performance coach and prolific author who has appeared on BBC Asian Network Radio. He shared some of his wisdom with us during this interview:

Kumiko: How old is your blog and why did you start it?

Arvind: My blog is only a few weeks old – I wrote my first ever article on 1st January 2007! Appropriately, the article was called – “Make 2007 your best year ever”.

I committed to a friend to write 100 posts by the end of January – or I would give him a cheque for £100 for his favourite charity!

I wrote my 100th article at 5pm on 31st January 2007.

My blog is focusing on two main areas –


a) Self Help and Personal Development – help people be the best they can be and have the best possible life.

b) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – help companies make our world the best it can be and help support the environment at the same time.


Kumiko: Where do you see your blog in five years?

Arvind: I see my blog developing very rapidly over the next few months and building up a lot of traffic.

In five years, I see my blog as a leading resource for Self Help and CSR. I see it as being the destination website for CSR.


Kumiko: Personal growth and self development are topics you are quite passionate about! This obvious from reading any of your posts. How have you developed and grown over the past 12 months?

Arvind: My growth really started when I visited a charity school in South India and experienced the joy of being of service:-

Since that time I have developed and grown so much and I have coached and worked with numerous people. Also thousands of people have benefited from my articles and books. I have written and published 3 books so far.

In the last 12 months my development and growth has been around the use of the internet to propagate my key teachings and messages. Hence the launch of my blog on 1st January 2007.

Over the last 12 months, I have also let go of a lot of emotional stuff which I thought I had previously cleared! I have become much more focused on generating wealth for myself and others. The more I have, the more I can help others 


Kumiko: What's another blog that you read and why do you recommend it?

Arvind: One blog that I read almost daily is written by Kavit Haria who has been a true inspiration for me:-

http://kavit.wordpress.com/

He writes daily from the heart and each article is imbued with some pearl of wisdom. He is also a phenomenal musician and his intent is to help a million musicians.


Kumiko: What type of person would be interested in reading your blog?

Arvind: Since my blog writing is focused on self improvement and personal development, it offers something of interest to EVERYONE! But it would particularly interest anyone who has ever read a self help book and now wants to learn simple and easy to apply tips in their daily life.

I think sometimes we tend to complicate things far too much. Life is meant to be simple – and that is the approach in my articles.

Most of what I write is very simple and straightforward to understand and apply. My readers will be able to benefit straight away.

My blog will also interest anyone who wants to make the world better in anyway. For example, I write a lot about “Personal Social Responsibility” – it is all about giving my readers simple tips on how to be more responsible and caring for the world around them.

(Here is the link for my article introducing the concept of “Personal Social Responsibility”.

Jenn.nu

Jenn is an experienced blogger who's site is exactly how a personal blog should be - well organized and with lots of photos and videos. Perhaps one for the mothers out there, she had me drooling over her post about her pancakes! Send me the recipe!!

Kumiko: How old is your blog and why did you start it?

Jenn: My blog dates back to January of 2002. I actually started blogging in mid 1999 and moved to comments-enabled sites (bolt.com, kiwibox.com) in the spring of 2000. I blogged at kiwibox.com until June of 2001, when I was first hosted on a personal domain. In September of 2001 I purchased my first domain, and I've never looked back.
I started blogging because I've always kept a journal, and found the idea of blogging online wonderful, since I could share my thoughts with friends and family, while keeping other thoughts private. And being able to archive years of writing in such a small physical space (such as a disc, as I do monthly back ups) is very reassuring.


Kumiko: Where do you see your blog in five years?

Jenn: Probably where it is now: in existence and active! I have no plans to stop blogging.


Kumiko: You've said that you're a city girl at heart yet you live in a quiet, rural area. What's been the hardest part for you about living in a rural place? What's the best part?

Jenn: Hardest: adjusting to the small town way of life. I've been here for over nine years, yet I still can't get over how everybody seems to know everybody else, and a person's business gets around faster than you would believe. Best: the peacefulness of the area. Going hand in hand with that, the safety. Crime really doesn't occur around here, with the exception of minor traffic offenses (speeding is a big one) and bored teens toilet papering trees and knocking mailboxes off of their posts. It's comforting to know that the likelihood of me or anyone in my family being a victim of crime is relatively low.


Kumiko: What's another blog that you read and why do you recommend it?

Jenn: Narrowing this down to one answer wasn't easy, I'll have you know. ;) But I think I will have to answer with leesuh.com, which is owned by my very quick witted and sweet friend, Lisa. This girl has a knack for making the most mundane thing (light bulbs, for example) seem hilarious. Her blog and our personal conversations always brighten up my day.


Kumiko: What type of person would be interested in reading your blog?

Jenn: Most likely, someone like me! A woman in her early twenties, juggling marriage, motherhood, and trying to hang on to a strong sense of herself at the same time...


Thanks Jenn! Be sure to check out all the happenings at Jenn's blog.