In April of 2008 I started something that would turn out to be one of the most taxing, yet definitive experiences of my life. That something was Pop Reviews Now. The past six years have been every possible adjective -- difficult, questionable, confidence-breaking, but also such an inspirational, unforgettable joy that drives me to do even better.
What has kept me going for six years is, without a doubt, my love for writing and the realization Pop Reviews Now triggered -- that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Pop Reviews Now is primarily two things for me. It's a place where I can write what I want to, when I can. A place where I can develop my skills at my own pace (which is important for a student like me!) and push myself to explore new territories with my writing. But more importantly, Pop Reviews Now is my resume and has proven instrumental in allowing me to write professionally for the likes of omgkpop, Virgin music, Popjustice and soompi. Pop Reviews Now is a Philippine Blog Award winner, making me an award-winning blogger. If you asked me back in 2008 if I ever thought I'd be able to do all of that with "just a blog," I'd laugh at such a ridiculous thought.
It's for those reasons that Pop Reviews Now has grown with me. When I look back at my old posts from 2008 or 2009 I feel like deleting them out of shame, but this blog is also a the best reflection of me and my growth as a writer -- the good and the cringe-worthy alike. I hope that by baring my flaws and showing how I'm continuously trying to learn from them, you're able to share my writing journey.
As I enter my sixth year of writing, the growth will only continue. In more recent years I’ve been focused on very serious, extremely technical reviews and while I still firmly believe in the importance of critical thinking, I have gotten to the point where I sacrifice too much quantity just to be able to put out long-winding articles. For a brief but integral period from 2012 to 2013, Pop Reviews Now used to be my only venue to publish -- that caused me to take a very critical, serious direction with it in order to reflect what I wanted to do with my writing.
But now that I have so many other venues to be critical, both academically and professionally, Pop Reviews Now can go back to being a space for me to further develop my writing. At this point I feel at that I have exhausted my critical direction, so that development can only come from trying new things. There are so many other ways to think critically, ways I now want to explore. So as a homage to the blogger roots I seem to have forsaken, as well as a new challenge for me as a writer, Pop Reviews Now aims to explore a broader range of content and writing.
I genuinely hope you enjoy reading what I have to offer, and I hope to hear your thoughts on K-Pop and my writing!
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6 comments:
Your writing is horrendous! Your article on SNSD vocal ranges' sounds unprofessional and catty. Writers should write with heart not a black hole that you seem to have. Get your blog down and stop being a wannabe.
^ You know what I love about this comment? It's that you're talking to me about an article five years ago. And to be honest, if I were reading that SNSD commentary now I'd probably have similar comments. I was 15 back then and that was the best I could do -- and I knew that I had a lot of work cut out for me. But instead of "getting my blog down," I continued to work on my writing. See the problem with just taking this blog down because I don't write well is that I will never write well if I stop. I'll stay ignorant, that "black hole I seem to have" will always be there. But because I didn't stop, I learned how to write better and make more solid arguments. Now isn't that what you'd want from someone with "horrendous" writing? I mean, you wouldn't want me to go on being "horrendous" right? Because it really is annoying to see bad writing. I hope you read my newer stuff and see just how much that ignorant 15 year-old has improved in the span of 5 years. :D
Hey Nikki!! I'll admit I haven't been following your blog as much these past few months due to a hectic schedule with sports and school (I am also starting my first year this coming fall :D)
It has always been such a pleasure to read your works, heck, even your old stuff was pretty good; I couldn't write like that! Definitely you have improved and continue to do what you love, and don't let haters or anyone else tell you otherwise because you have a gift. Just keep grindin' girl (sorry sports phrase.)
^ Awww, thank you for the kind words! Your comment made my day <3 I'll definitely keep pushing myself to improve even more, and hopefully it pays off!
Hey. I'll have to agree with the first anon that your writing five years ago was kind of...cringe-worthy. But I'm not here to hate on you or on your five-year-old post because I've read your more recent posts and they are honestly such great reads. :)
And I'm glad you're aware that that anon's being unfair for judging who you are and what you do today by who you were and what you did long ago. Your efforts are all the more commendable precisely because you didn't start out that well, but here you are today, a writer with tremendously improved writing skills. Whatever it is you are doing, keep doing it, Nikki! :)
^ Thank you for the kind words, but thank you so much also for your honesty! (Whenever I look back on my older pieces I feel like going on a deleting-spree out of shame T_T) To know that I've improved over the years is probably the best compliment I could receive -- this is the cherry on top of an amazing day. I hope I can keep you coming back to read my work! <3
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