Blog Addict of the Week: ahnnabanana

MEET our Blog Addict of the Week, Anna a.k.a. ahnnabanana of the annafication on LiveJournal.

Here’s a pic — Anna’s the one in the middle.

Could you tell us something about yourself? How old are you and what are you currently doing? When and why did you start blogging and who got you hooked?

I’m 19 years old, a freshman at the University of the Philippines. I’m taking up AB English, majoring in English Language. I started ahnnabanana almost three years ago because my friend Kris (thecuteonekills.livejournal.com) encouraged me to because I kept visiting her LJ and replying to her entries with long comments. When I opened my account, I used it only as a “stalking tool,” to read my friends’ friends-only entries. After I took a Creative Writing workshop in New York, I started updating more often.

What makes a blog better than a regular website? Did you try putting up your own site before you started blogging?

My best friends and I had a website when we were in fifth grade. It was nothing high-tech; it just had pictures and profiles of ourselves. We even posted who our crushes were at the time. Just kid stuff. A blog is more real, more personal.

Would you say that blogging is very addictive? How many people have you convinced to also start blogging?

YES! I’ve been called an update whore. When I’m inspired to write, I update daily. Sometimes even twice or thrice a day. I don’t outright persuade people to blog, but some of my friends say they opened accounts to read my protected entries. Every now and then, they blog too.

How has blogging made a difference in your life?

It’s had a big influence on my choice of course for college. Through my LJ, I realized how much I enjoyed writing. I love it enough to spend the next four years (maybe even the rest of my life) immersed in words and language. And since I’ve been writing for a while now, I must admit I write for an audience. When they comment that they like a certain entry, I build on it. Like this thing I call “Funnies.” Two years ago I posted a number of short conversations I had or overheard that made me laugh. I got so many positive comments, so I always kept track of stupid/funny things I hear. Over time, I began to post pictures of funny signs or names I see on trips. I also uploaded silly music videos my friends and I make. When interesting things happen to me, I blog about it. Anyone I know can possibly showing up on my LJ. It also helps me keep in touch with friends I don’t see all the time.

What blogging software do you use? What makes it better than other blogging services?

I use LiveJournal. I can’t really compare it to other blogging services since it’s the only one I’ve had. I think it’s user-friendly. With the new Rich Text feature, it’s so easy to upload pictures, videos, and link. No more dealing with complex HTML commands. I particularly like the LJ-cut, which enables me to hide parts of my writing.

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had in the blogging world?

I’ve had a lot of good and bad experiences. I once wrote an observation about a group of girls from one school. Apparently, they got offended and started passing the link of that entry over YM. Common friends talked to me about it, like why I wrote it, that I shouldn’t judge [those girls]. Another time, I reacted about a negative statement a Brother in my high school released about my batch. I got over 60 comments. After I posted that entry, my batch saw him as the “Brother who does not like our batch but pretends to.” People have to understand that Anna the Blogger and Anna in Real Life are similar but not exactly the same. Sometimes you have to know Anna in Real Life to completely understand the things Anna the Blogger writes, and why she writes them. I never post to purposely berate anyone; I just write for the moment, as honestly as I can.

On the other hand, I’ve had complete strangers add me on LiveJournal. Complete strangers come up to me in my old school or in parties saying they read my LJ. I get nagged by friends when I don’t update. Oh, I became a contributor for a local magazine because one of its editors reads my LJ regularly!

If you have to pimp your blog to readers, could you tell us in 100 words or less why they should visit your blog?

On the menu of ahnnabanana.livejournal.com are my eccentric family, crazy friends, funnies, pictures (lots and lots of pictures), tributes, videos, reviews, opinions, current events, movies, music, and reflections. They may make you laugh, cry, or cry from laughing.

* * *

Thanks, Anna! And to all those who’d like to be featured, just leave a comment and your URL so that we can check out your blog. Or e-mail joeyalarilla@gmail.com.

We’ll feature a new Blog Addict every Friday, so keep visiting

Who knows? The next Blog Addict of the Week could be you.

Share This