A reflection on my 8th year

Eight years ago today, I started this humble venture out of a great deal of interest and passion to write about the metropolis I was born and raised in. Normally I would reminisce at this time as to how far this venture has come, with so much happening in the blogging realm and in my personal life, let me also take this opportunity to be in a more reflective mood, to the say the least.

Thus, I can’t help but look back to where I was 8 years ago. At that time, I was wandering aimlessly in the blogosphere, having started and eventually abandoned 2 blogs as the passion to continue them died out. At the same time, I was starting to feel dissatisfied with my career in that crazy BPO environment where I was at the time. I needed a diversion from it all, where I can be more loose and free to talk about the things I’ve long been interested in that few, if at all, seem to share in one way or another.

Given the state of affairs I was in at the time, I found it an opportune time to revive an old idea that I had, though it was originally intended to be some sort of a TV show that I actually went as far as pitching it to Probe Productions. Yeah, I was young and foolish, more so back then. But I learned my lesson at that point: if you want to do things right as they should, you have to do it yourself, somehow in some way.

After much thought and deliberation, I finally got around into working on the site, albeit with that lingering feeling of uncertainty if my passion for this project will be enough for me to stick around longer as a blogger. And the rest, they say, is history.

if there is one that has made me continue doing this, it has been the passion to tell the many stories of the metropolis. Managing to overcome the uncertainty and be able to tell as many as I can throughout these 8 years. Despite the many changes that came into my life: stepping in and out of the office environment, the Millionaire thing, being more involved in the heritage sector, etc., the Urban Roamer was a constant in my life. In circumspect, it somehow reflected not only the changes coming in to my life but also my “growth” as far as my writing, knowledge, and sensibilities are concerned. I found myself taking more time than usual in writing as I was trying to find more things that I can share and be able to craft something that I can be proud of.

The past 2 years however have been quite “challenging,” to say the least. As fate would have it, I found myself in some unfamiliar territory as I began on a freelancing career. I also accepted the responsibility to be part of a nonprofit organization and take on an administrative role. These challenges have been difficult but were necessary for my professional growth to be the person I can potentially be.

At the same time, life’s priorities, some of them I missed earlier in my life, came knocking at my door, loud enough for me to finally attend to them. I realize that I am not getting any younger and I need to focus now on important matters if I wanted to secure a better future. I will need to take some huge leaps at some point in my life if I were to succeed.

Inevitably, I found myself sacrificing doing The Urban Roamer, maybe a bit more than I wanted. The thing is, the Urban Roamer came about at a certain point in my life and has helped define who I am for years. But now that I find myself in a new path, I cannot seem to find the work of continuing this passion fitting in. At least the way the site is now.

However, I am not going to end roaming and The Urban Roamer. I know how important this site has played in inspiring and educating many people for years now about the metropolis and with so many places in the metropolis yet to be written, the work is far from over.

With that said, you may expect less than the frequent regular weekly posts as I’m currently trying to find the right recalibration to be done on the site. At the same time, I would like to announce that The Urban Roamer is now open for contributions. I encourage everyone to share the sights, sounds, and stories from their part of the metropolis. As long as the contributions imbibe the spirit of The Urban Roamer (which I will review), your contribution is good to go. Feel free to send your contributions to karl@theurbanroamer.com and I will be glad to take a look at them at least.

As I always say time and again, I thank you all for your support for The Urban Roamer and I count on that continued support for years to come, especially in this particular time.