How OMB readers see me

I appreciate that currently OMB gets somewhere between 22,000 to 25,000 page views a day from 99.98% strangers. I still suspect that the number is not accurate. Four years ago the number was already at 30,000 day but after my site crashed, nasira na lahat ng codes. My site could not be found. The ratings crashed too. Wala akong followers, kasi wala akong Instagram and Twitter before. It was only recently that my daughter told me meron ako nyan. She was the one who registered, eh hindi ko naman alam kung ano yan. Lately I try to post some photos but I can’t do that regularly.

Some readers complain that when they click LIKE, ayaw naman mag-register, zero pa rin. Meron daw ayaw pumasok ang comments nya. Yung OMB Facebook, was set up by my former staff. Ni hindi ko nga alam ang password.

ohmybuhay.com

My original intention was for me to remember where I was and what I did on a particular day. At saka para hindi na ako magpa develop ng photos sa Kodak or Kameraworld. Second was for my kids and their future kids to still see my photos even long after I am dead. So my kids could say “that is your cute lola”. OMB kind of expanded. Before I knew it, blogger na pala ako. People who discovered my blog already included my neighbors and other neighbors. Nung una nga nagtataka pa ako paano nila nakita yung site. My niece was at a fast food somewhere in San Jose, California when she heard a couple talking about Oh My Buhay. I was entering the security area in Dubai when the Filipino security said “Oh my buhay!” Yesterday I was eating at a Filipino restaurant when two women said “Oh my gulay!” Dumami na ang nakakaalam.

I do not want people to see me as someone I am not. But I cannot control people’s minds. They can have a different impression of the things I post, the photos they see. Some will dissect my every word. They will read between the lines. Like one woman said I was nagmamayabang when I posted a New Year’s noche buena photo of our breakfast table with pansit and ponkans I scattered on the table. I spent P3,000 for our noche buena that year. Kala ko nagtitipid na kami. It was a simple meal, just to go through the annual tradition. And yet, in her eyes and mind, yabang na yun. Eh yung iba nga nakikita ko yung mga pictures ng pagkain nila, parang may wedding buffet. Kami simple lang every year kasi apat lang naman kami.

I see people posting photos of their new cars. I don’t do that. Maybe I will post my cute car plate’s photo next week. I post photos of our showroom so that you know where to buy cars when you are ready. I see people proudly sharing photos of their new condo, newly built homes. I would like to do that so I can remember how our house looked like 20 years from now. Our kitchen’s photo is everywhere but I don’t post photos of our whole house, eh puro ipis naman at daga. Yung iba nga nagpo-post ng 80 photos lahat ipinapakita sa Facebook. Me, I just choose a few. Sabihin naman nung iba ano ba naman yan, pati kusina at banyo ipinapakita pa.

Even if I just talk about my plates, some people would still think I am well off because my plates are not melamine or plastic. I find enjoyment in taking photos of my plates, siguro yung iba nayayabangan. Ang dami ko pang plates na walang pictures. Baka gusto i post ko rin listahan ng utang ko.

OMB is first and foremost my online diary. This is my life, how I live it. It is not meant to impress anyone. The photos are for sharing, the stories are for remembering. Being open to the public is actually restricting.

Oh my buhay expanded from a simple online diary to a blog read by thousands daily. All of you will have your own opinions about me, my family, my lifestyle, who I am what I am. It’s fine, accurate or not, as long as I don’t influence you in a negative way.

#choosetobegood