Discover and explore the virtual realm of the blog. Read more…
On a quiet winter-break day, I told a friend of mine I was bored. I had absolutely nothing to do and the weather did not motivate me to go out at all. So she introduced me to the Blogosphere – something she claimed she was addicted to, captivated by. She sent me the links of her favorite “blogs” and in no time at all, I was a goner. It was like taking a step out of reality and into a beautiful world of daily dosages of anonymous updates. Love stories, hilarious real-life anecdotes, news articles and opinions, and blogs discussing local happenings.
So I sat in front of my laptop every night, diving into a whole new world of other people’s imaginations. I think what made me fall head-over-heels for the Blogosphere is that there are no rules. There are no requirements, and there’s really nothing special about it. But it allows you to have a voice, however small. You can share your thoughts, hopes and dreams, vent, and complain to the public at large. It’s whatever you want it to be; your little getaway.
Then I started discovering more blogs. Not just from Kuwait – from Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman; all over the Gulf, talented writers were emerging. Not all were interesting of course, but it was still their small piece of the bigger picture. Every day I would want to know more; would Jawhara and Mubarak end up together? What about Dalal and Hamad? Would she ever get over that kind of heartbreak? Oh, and Flana’s love interest! I found myself living vicariously through these stories, engulfed in the magic that is fiction.
It gives you this incredible sense of hope, even if it’s completely false. Even if it’s crazy beyond belief and in no way could it happen but – you want it to.
However, in a number of ways, I think sometimes some bloggers take it too far. Excess cussing/swearing in some, inappropriate mature content in others, and let’s not forget the highly implausible plotlines in certain blogs that the authors claim to be “true stories.” True, it’s their blog and they can write whatever they please but it almost sucks out all the magic of blogging – almost.
I wound up starting my own blog. I wrote my own story, or stories, rather, and connected with the other bloggers. Soon we were commenting on each other’s blogs as if we were friends; as if we had known each other for years and in real life instead of hiding behind mysterious usernames. And despite criticism, despite nasty anonymous comments from people who obviously haven’t grasped the concept of the magical world of blogging, despite the occasional negativity – the Blogosphere will always be my favorite getaway.
Don’t know where to start in the blogosphere? Here’s a list of the top five story-blogs (in my opinion, of course):
Confessions of a Love-Struck Flana http://lovestruckflana.wordpress.com/
Chicken Soup for the Kuwaiti Soul http://decadentwithdesire.blogspot.com/
Once Upon a Beep in Bahrain http://whenitbeeps.blogspot.com/
Diary of M http://diary-of-m.blogspot.com/
His Love For Hatred http://thecreativeact.blogspot.com/
– Nourah Al-Shammari
