Jane Uymatiao

Nuffnang Featured Blogger for the Month of April 2012

Who are you and what is your blog about?

Then: Corporate workaholic for one of the largest accounting firms. VP-Corporate Planning for a bank. Masters degree holder in International Business – Wharton School.

Now: Proud mom of 4 adults (one is an active blogger too). Yogini. Social media fanatic. Health advocate. Involved citizen.

My blogs cover different themes. Foremost, of course, are my personal blog (Here’s To Life!) where I share personal experiences and my yoga blog (The Yogini from Manila) which has unwittingly become an unofficial resource for Pinoys interested in yoga. Then there are the others: The Philippine Beat covers the Pinoy’s lifestyle. Yogini Foodie tries to focus on the healthier side of eating. And, Apps and Gadgets is for the lady geek side of me. 

What can we expect from your blog?

Readers can expect me to continue sharing from my bleep-bleep years of existence on this earth. It’s true, you know. As you realize that you have less years ahead of you than behind you, you try living your life with a lot more meaning and purpose. I guess you can say that young readers, who comprise most of those in the blogosphere, can see life from the eyes of someone like me who has reached the halfway mark in life.

When and how did you start blogging?

In 2006, I found my kids staying up late on the computer. When I asked what they were doing, they answered “Blogging”. I had no idea then what blogging was! I did find out they were on Multiply so as a parent who wanted to understand what my kids were getting into, I opened my own Multiply account. And fell in love with blogging.

After attending iblog3 in 2007, where I met other bloggers who knew more than I did about blogging, my world online opened up even more. I moved to WordPress and Blogger, which I use to this day.

What separates your blog from other blogs?

Every blog worth its salt bears the imprint of its owner. And that is what differentiates all good blogs. My blogs bear my personal watermark – my life growing up, life in the corporate world, life as a married person raising kids, struggles trying to keep healthy despite getting on in years, the joys and struggles of my yoga practice, and more.

The theme of my main blog is my life mantra: “Live, Love, Laugh”.

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

That’s hard! There are many wonderful things about being a blogger. Top of mind, here are some:

One, I now have a way of sharing what I know and think with the world. And when I’m gone, my family will still have a part of me.

Two, it’s opened up virtual friendships with people of all ages and opinions. A good number of bloggers I know are my kids’ ages. It’s also so heartwarming to have a stranger come up to me and say he/she reads my blog. It confirms the reach that blogging has created online and makes me all the more conscious of the responsibility it brings.

Three, I have seen how blogging can make a positive difference in society. When blogging is used to push forth a cause or help rally people to help during disasters, I know that blogging is now the right path for me.