Jun 12 2007
Memoirs in Blogs
For other people, my life may be commonplace and unimportant. But for myself, my life is important, as unique as my fingerprints, and should not be forgotten. That is why I like writing accounts of my life and my favorite category in this blog is my memoirs…
“…a history or narrative composed from personal experience and memory; often, especially, an account of of one’s life, or episodes in it, written by oneself.”
Frank P. Thomas in How to Write the Story of Your Life
So though some people may think that riding in the family jeepney as a child is a drab, somehow, I found it worth writing about. Sharing a room with three big sisters or being tickled by two evil big brothers (and I say evil with affection) may be commonplace, lowly and boring, but I loved sharing that experience. As I have quoted before,
“We are important and our lives are important, magnificent really, and their details are worthy to be recorded. This is how writers must think, this is how we must sit down with pen in hand. We were here; we are human beings; this is how we lived. Let it be known, the earth passed before us. Our details are important. Otherwise, if they are not, we can drop a bomb and it doesn’t matter.”
Natalie Goldberg in Writing Down the Bones
As I like writing my memoirs, I also like reading memoirs in other blogs. To take a peek at not only the most meaningful events of a blogger; those people, places and events that have shaped his or her life; but also those episodes which are amusing, unusual, uncomfortable, and even ridiculous; they not only inform and entertain me, but also enlighten me that each life that God made on this earth is important and worth remembering.
For these past couple of weeks, these are the memoirs or episodes of some bloggers’ life which I recommend:
- On how Snglguy heeded the call of Uncle Sam to join the United States Navy in 1983 (1983! Snglguy is old
Peace, Sngl!). This is a funny, detailed, and a very sarcastic in a Snglguyish way, account from the time American Navy shuttle bus picked him up and about a hundred applicants up to the time he passed, yet failed in again a very Snglguyish and Murphy’s Law manner (but I’m getting ahead here) the US Navy exams. He breezed through the written exams and the physicals (can’t believe the Snglguy I met could benchpress 200 lbs. and do one-hand push-ups… for fun), but I guess was quite traumatized with the medical exams. So what happened? Well, you have to read all four parts (in choronological order, here, here, here, and here) of this exciting series on how Snglguy came to be what he is now. - On Verns’ puppy love. Verns blog, like mine, also has a memoirs category called Trip Down Memory Lane. As usual, a very funny Vernalooish account of her childhood in her hometown drives her readers to comment fast and furiously on this entry about her first love. A suspenseful game of Mario and Luigi had to come to an end because her mother ordered her to buy something from the store. But lo… what could have been a spoilt afternoon turned out to be a romantic walk in the rain with her first one true love. This entry also provides an honest insight of a small town girls’ perception of Manila, which she describes as “this unreachable place where rich and famous people reside.” Years later, although Verns claims that she doesn’t stalk him in Friendster… well, I guess this is what we call pinauubaya sa mambabasa.
- On Sexy Mom’s dilemma about artificial contraception. This is about the journey of a mother of seven children to a life of spirituality and faith and how her conscience battled with the demons of practicality and health concerns. There is one very personal and moving part when Sexy Mom experienced an epiphany and saw an angel. Sexy Mom’s story is one a lot of Filipino families could relate with and learn from.
- Pray for your enemies. We all have to endure persons who are hard to live with. But Lazarus, although he never intended to preach, tells us a valuable lesson on how to live our lives with these people whom we wish we could eject from our lives. In Where’s the Eject Button, Lazarus gives us an honest and humble account on how he overcame bitterness and attained peace in his attitude towards a strict uncle and how he rationalizes the purpose of this person in his life.
- On Leah’s Tatay. Leah gives us a very poignant personal sketch of her father and their relationship with each other. She tells us how Tatay cuts the hair of his friends, how he quit smoking, and how he celebrates life with children and grandchildren overcoming medical conditions.
- On Kat’s love story. Funny how when I read about people’s lives in their blogs, I get to exclaim to myself… hey, that happened to me too! This is how I felt when I read Kat’s love story… how they started fighting even before when they were officially together, on who kissed who first, on the first date, and on how she claims that this is the true account of how it all happened.
I will be featuring memoirs of bloggers regularly in my blog. If you have written an episode of your life in your blog, please leave a comment here with a link to your entry so that I could feature it. Although the ones above are the more popular bloggers, I very much welcome the newbies.
And now for some sage advice from Hellen Keller who wrote at the outset of her autobiography, The Story of my Life:
“In order, therefore, not to be tedious I shall try to present in a series of sketches only the episodes that seem to be the most interesting and important.”
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Indeed, blog Memoirs are great reads, it’s a peek at the blogger’s great moments and at times we can relate on some level on what happened to them as well. I’ve read those entries from Lzarus and Leah and will check out the others as well.
Hey, this is a fantastic project, Toe. It says a lot on how truly interested you are in other bloggers’ posts I must have missed Dine’s piece about contraception and her epiphany. Thanks for recounting it. Leah’s tatay was truly a memorable and poignant read. I know there are other wonderful stories on nanays and tatays that I have come across while bloghopping.
Mwahahahaha! Believe me, I was bench pressing more than that, and dead lifting twice that weight… 24 years ago. I swear!
But anyway, thanks for including me among your list of recommended reads…
Uy, I can access your blog. I couldn’t access you and single’s blogs for some reason the past few days. Anyway, so your love story is just like Kat’s? Well, except for the parts involving “vomiting, getting drunk and passing out”, I assume. hehe
Great idea Toe.
That’s why my blog’s name is my little moments because it documents precious memoirs of my life whether they are happy, sad or simply boring
finally, i was able to access your site! thanks, dear, for including my life story. it was such a dilemma from one baby to another to another to another until it was not anymore a dilemma to me. trust me, with obedience and Divine Providence, i am able to raise the 7 wonderful blessings through all the 27 years to be good citizens and children of God.
yours is a good idea–it shares other people’s great moments with others who do not know them yet.
Very true indeed .. The personal experiences are what makes blogs interesting and enriching for people to read
Ferdz, yes, memoirs tend to be long but they are very riveting to read.
Annamanila, thanks. Oo nga… entries about family are always nice to read because they are often sincere, detailed and very colorful.
Snglguy, if you were that strong, those exams should have been a breeze then… except for those cardiovakalokohan.
Never mind… baka if that happened you could have died in some war and you wouldn’t be blogging now. 
Hey, our blogs are up and running again!
Wil, yes, Snglguy and I have the same server. Our blogs were down for about 24 hours. Ah yes… I think it’s the fighting that’s the same.
We’re both boring teetotalers so the getting drunk is not the same… but we did ride a US military chopper once… so there was the vomiting. 
Daphne, lately, your moments are indeed precious and verrrry exciting!
Sexymom, yes my site was down for an entire day. Yes, I like reading about people’s lives, especially about the past. Your blog is a wonderful account of your life which could be your legacy to your children and grandchildren.
BW, that’s true. That people are very absorbed and honest while writing their memoirs I guess also contribute to the wonderful writing that ensues making them such wonderful reads.
Uy! Online ka na ulit!
It is true that even seemingly boring moments are part of one’s memoirs. Siyempre, hindi naman pwedeng puro high tide, there should be variety so that things should be interesting.
Thanks for the recommended blog list. I’ll check them out sometime.
that’s what’s great with blogging, you can say what you like, express yourself, get to know another person, even discover yourself, at the same time keep a bit of privacy… can’t loose
Hi LIW! Yes… was offline the whole of yesterday. Ahhh… it’s those boring moments when creativity and serendipity sets in and gives way to the high tide.
Pining, yes… you definitely can’t lose with blogging.
*bump! (ouch!)
I also enjoy reading people’s memoirs. One blogger (actually from here in Winnipeg also) once said that we write these blogs because we want to matter. We want our opinions and stories to be heard. And I agree with her. Too bad she stopped blogging, she runs an on-line Christian magazine now.
this is nice. i checked each of the links you’ve provided as i was going through your entries. it was very keen of you to even note down these special episodes in their lives. i guess more than the interesting reads, it’s the connections we make and the friendship we forge that mostly mattered.
hehehe thanks for including me in the list…hindi obvious ang pagka aliw mo sa entry na yan noh? till now kasi mentionitis ka pa rin hrhrhr and speaking of mentionitis, may chika ako sayo about the guy involve sa term na mentionitis…hehehe
Oh, those personal notes are really gems and give us life insights that we don’t often learn in ordinary means. Experience they say are the best teacher of all…
Thanks for the links, very interesting reads! I’ll be checking each one. Great blog project!
Radueriel ???
Niceheart, oh yes I totally agree with her. Somehow our simple mundane lives seem legendary when we blog.
Rayts, thanks for clicking all the links.
Verns, aaah…. mentionitis ka din kay mentionitis ha.
Cge… chika mo ko tomorrow. 
Major Tom, oh yes… it’s great also to learn from other people’s experiences.
Momoftwo, thanks… I hope you find all the links interesting.
Hey Toe! Thanks for mentioning me in this post of yours! I don’t know what to say. Though I don’t find my link in your blogroll, I’m really really honored just by being mentioned here.
Lazarus, oh don’t worry… I’m about to update my blogroll pa lang. Keep on blogging Lazarus.
Oh thanks for the recommendation Toe. Now I understand what Dine commented on my post.
I surely enjoyed Sngl Guy and Vern’s stories. I’ve yet to check out the others.
Leah, you’re very welcome… I loved that story about your Tatay.
i began to write everyday to try and remember events of a recent breakdown and just carried on trying out different styles and approaching different subjects, past and present.
i found it to be threputic, good typing practise and above all enjoyable.
Derek, keep on writing and knowing yourself. Thanks for dropping by my blog.