The Pakistani Spectator

I am a 21 year-old, 2007 college graduate who began taking blogging seriously at the age of 18. I work full-time as an Interactive Producer for a digital media firm. As a well-rounded individual, I specialize creative writing, but also do illustrative design, voice acting, web design, and a bit of gymnastics. Japanese is partially my second language.

Would you please tell us something about you and your site?

Well in a nutshell, I’m an over-ambitious, well-rounded, perfectionist looking to make an impact on as many people as possible using the gifts and talents I have. My blog, IsShouKenMei, which in Japanese means “to put a heartfelt, relentless effort into”, is meant to be an extension of myself in retelling my accomplishments, failures, and personal endeavors as this conflicted individual who just wants to be remembered as someone who left a proper legacy in the hearts of many.

    Do you feel that you continue to grow in your writing the longer you write? Why is that important to you?

I absolutely believe this! This goes for any skill however. If someone doesn’t keep stretching that muscle, it will grow weaker. The contrast is the muscle will become stronger. My writing muscle has become important to me because as a teenager, writing was the only way to fully explore who I was. To this day, I still am discovering parts of myself that I never knew in my writing while taking note of my evolution since I began valuing my written word at 15.

    I’m wondering what some of your memorable experiences are with blogging?

Hm..a memorable experience for me would be blogging from Osaka, Japan as an exchange student. I have lots of memories from that time, and I was able to capture a few of them in my writing. My comrades back at college really enjoyed getting a taste of life where I lived.

    What do you do in order to keep up your communication with other bloggers?

My only method for keeping in communication with bloggers is through reading and reciprocating comments. Since I am no one important, I value the comments people leave at my blog and try to offer something constructive to a topic they may have blogged about. If I’m fortunate, this will turn into something that happens regularly, but that is typically leveraged on how frequent and fresh my content is.

    What do you think is the most exciting or most innovative use of technology in politics right now?

I can’t say I follow politics very much, but I would have to say, at the very least, the Internet. There is so much going on through the interconnectivity of computers that power the Internet that the many online applications (e.g. Twitter, YouTube, etc.) and social networking (e.g. MySpace, etc.) sites that are made available for everyone do make a prominent impact on how politicians publicize and advertise themselves.

    Do you think that these new technologies are effective in making people more responsive?

They certainly do. Not only are they reaching out to more people who are spending an exceedingly longer time span using these various Internet technologies, but their image can be portrayed in various ways that can make others think and speak out. I’m a prime example. Why? Though I don’t care very much for politics, I naturally am able to formulate conversational opinions from what I hear and read of what goes on in the world through the Internet.

    What do you think sets Your site apart from others?

That would have to be the overall contextual theme of my blog: Isshoukenmei. Nearly everything that I write these days has some element of encouragement, effort, and/or passion injected into it that stems from that Japanese word that I defined in my first answer. I also think that my various skills, talents, and insight that I try to highlight every so often plays a part in making my blog distinct. For example, I have designed all of my blog’s banners, and have an event diary blog category of my semester in Osaka & my short time in Tokyo.

    If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success in life, what would it be?

Faith in the midst of uncertainty. I can’t tell you how many successful opportunities I have gained because I grabbed the chance or situation by the horns, and took that step of faith to do anything I believed possible, despite uncertainty within myself and those around me. It’s that “anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better” mentality that I have had since forever.

    What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?

The happiest moment of my life was getting off the plane at Osaka International Airport, knowing I had somehow finally made my dream come true. The gloomiest moment of my life was when I realized that the single-most 100% constant truth in my personal life that I had shoved nearly everything else aside for had been smashed and ground to nothing.

    If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s paid for - what would your top 3 choices be?

Really haven’t given these much thought, but…

Japan - I will go back if it’s the last thing I do.
England - Would be nice to see places like London…
Australia - Would like to visit a friend or two.

    What is your favorite book and why?

“N.P.” by Banana Yoshimoto. That story of happenstance friendship and how human nature can change drastically really touched me. Though it was translated into English, I believe that her writing style that I adore and find akin to my own was kept in tact. I became a fan immediately.

    What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)?

Their overall disposition. How they speak and carry themselves around people tells a lot of the kind of person they are and how possible it may or may not be for our personalities to click.

    Is there anyone from your past that once told you you couldn’t write?

Strangely enough, I don’t recall anyone ever telling me that; at least not straightforwardly. If someone did, I would remember.

    How bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?

Well, I can think of two basic ways that I have read up on, seen in action, and found fairly successful, though not guaranteed to work by any means.

1) Since a blog can be anything you want it to be, on any topic you want it to be, you would want to focus on how consistent and fresh your content is so that you can draw in a particular audience. Let’s say you are using your blog as a way to publicize your original webcomic. Once you have garnered a consistent following, you can begin to use things like Google Ads or begin creating accessories that feature characters or key quotes from your comic. Reason being: Consistency equals devotion which equals trust. Once you have that, your audience will be more than willing to spend a few bucks to show their support.

2) Selling your original content to other websites is another method. For example, someone writes an editorial on the state of Pakistani households. The content is fresh, timely, and well-conveyed. Said blogger then comes upon a certain website in their research that is looking for new content to add to their site. Now this blogger knows that their article has been hit about 2000 times in the last week. Depending on the circumstances of said website, this blogger could use their blog’s success as leverage to potentially strike up a deal with the website to feature their article on their site for a reasonable price.

Personally, I would use #1, but I can’t say I have done either one. Though I would love to make a few extra dollars, I’d much rather have a devoted audience to my blogging as opposed to thinking about how much money I can pull from them.

    Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?

Yes and no. In my time as a blogger, I have found that blogging is more about producing original, fresh content that is applicable to a specific audience a blog has been created to reach. Though there are successful bloggers who produce 3-4 articles a day on a daily basis, there are plenty of successful blogs that have made it just by producing something totally on-point with the audience every so often. I should also mention that there are also those who blog solely to make a living. Again, it’s not about having a lot of time, it’s about how much you are willing to invest in effectively reaching your target audience.

    What role can bloggers of the world play to make this world more friendlier and less hostile?

Being understanding of other’s thoughts, opinions, and input is really the best kind of role bloggers can play. Because certain bloggers on the Internet can potentially overturn a verdict (not just in the political sense), the ones who happen to “carry the biggest stick” should use their prominence to set a standard of being candid, yet honest about their opinions and show willing to hear others out, no matter how mistaken or enlightened they may be.

    Who are your top five favourite bloggers?

I wouldn’t call these my top favorite bloggers, per se, but they are the ones I find the most pleasure in keeping up with.

1) Danny Choo (http://www.dannychoo.com)
2) The Unofficial Apple Weblog (http://www.tuaw.com/)
3) Voices.com Blog (http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/)
4) Aikou (http://escapistfairy.wordpress.com/)
5) dark’s blog (http://blog.akarui-japan.com/)

    Is there one observation or column or post that has gotten the most powerful reaction from people?

I don’t believe I have received a “powerful reaction” from any of my articles, but the one that seemed to illicit the most earnest attention would be my “IsShouKenMei As Applied To Byousoku 5 Centimeter <cid:part1.06060404.07060906@gmail.com>” post.

    What is your perception about Pakistan and its people?

To say that I have a perception about Pakistani people would be a lie. I honestly haven’t heard much about them in the news that I happen upon. Though I could go read a few articles listed on your website, I don’t believe that would be a well-rounded enough exposure to the country and its people to warrant a valid answer.

    Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger?

Yes, I have. Danny Choo absolutely blew me away when I saw his site for the first time. The amount of varied content he manages and supplies to tens of thousands of readers is uncanny to any other blogger I have seen. Not to mention he maintains the site himself. It’s insane really, but admirable.

    What is the most striking difference between a developed country and a developing country?

I would say the differed level of accessibility to high-speed, up-to-date technologies, such as Wi-Fi, would be the most striking for me.

    What is the future of blogging?

If blogging could somehow become as simple as speaking into a voice-to-text transmitter, I think blogging would reach a new level of live content. Aside from that sci-fi dream, more frequent blogging using mobile technology could be the next best future.

    You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?

I really try to keep my personal life out of my blogging life, due to how it has caused people close to me to get upset with me for something I wrote about them or someone else. As for my professional life, I moreso attempt to merge that into my blogging life, though that entails less of my actual occupation and more of where I want to reach in the pro world.

    What are your future plans?

I don’t really have any proper future plans because I’ve learned all too much that the best plans can still fail. However, if I had to answer the question, my future plans would be becoming a published writer for a novel or manga, breaking into pro voice acting, and to never stop shooting for the best until I make it happen.

    Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?

Have faith. Stay true to yourself and your loved ones. And don’t let the world get you down, because you’ll only be letting someone else get the best of what you should belong to you.

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