But, I have always had a place to put my professional blogging. As in, a place where I can talk about what people seem to want me to share the most about on a professional level: social media tips, content ideas, community guidelines… I always have had a place to blog about them outside of my personal blog.

And, those times when I didn’t have a place, I either didn’t have the time nor the inclination to blog about the topic. Or, if I really felt compelled enough, I figured a personal point of view is best anyway.

Maybe because there were times when I felt like I already do so much social media and talk about it for work that the last thing I really wanted to do was to talk about it some more here on this blog. I liken it to being at work all day, then coming home and doing more work at night, at the weekends, and on holidays. (Granted, I love my work so much that I do have the tendency to do those things anyway, but that’s beside the point… )

In any case, I know I have been meeting many people who seem to want to know more about what I have to say on these work-related topics. That’s why I started writing more and more about it here on this blog.

Unfortunately, I do realise that many of my friends and readers who couldn’t care less about content strategy and social media ROI wouldn’t exactly want to see those posts here at Studio Notes. And, those very people who wish to find out about my professional opinions on blogging or social media tools and best practices might not really give a toss about my latest baking or crafting creations.

Of course, I’ve always known that that was always going to be the case. My experience in messaging and strategy has taught me enough to know that the concept I have long held on to for Studio Notes would always pose as a challenge.

But, I have stubbornly held on to the concept of making my two different audiences mix due to several reasons. I kept insisting on throwing a party for my lifestyle friends and my professional contacts together because I couldn’t bear the thought of splitting two groups of people I really care about in different ways.

And, though I do have geeky type artistic blog friends and artsy professional colleagues, I knew that they were never going to completely mix. There would always be silos within the community that I am building if I insist on the approach that I have been doing.

So, finally, I gave in.

I will still write about general social media matters and geeky stuff here every now and then, especially dedicated to my geeky artsy friends. But, for any posts that are way too work-related (eg, how to grow your Twitter and/or blogging audience, best practices for community engagement, etc), they will now be placed in my new virtual office space at Enkindlers.

In a nutshell, Enkindlers is my new professional blog dedicated to igniting ideas for content, community and creativity for social good. It will be the “party place” for anyone interested in my professional work in the field of content, community, and social good. Here’s my welcome to the virtual office party, if you’re interested to read it. And, my good online friend and supporter, Mitch Mitchell of I’m Just Sharing did an interview with me about my web history as part of my “office warming party”.

So, for those of you who are waiting for me to complete The Great Twitter Follow Project, I will be completing this now over at Enkindlers. I will be transferring other relevant posts in there as well.

This way, hopefully, I will feel more free to share what Studio Notes readers have always seemed to enjoy reading about: my food, life, travel and creative adventures. And anything else that I fancy.

Don’t worry, though. I still have no plans of blogging things that I wouldn’t want my mother to read. Those types of topics would be reserved for Shai’s Super Shocking Memoir (release date to be announced, as I hope to collect more material for it; especially good to collect more that would rival a memory that I call “A Boy, a Girl, and a Transvestite” – long story! ).

But yes, if Enkindlers is my virtual office, then Studio Notes is my virtual home. I intend to write here, as if I was writing to friends and family about things that I care about.

And, if you care to know both sides of me – my professional and personal sides – then, please subscribe to both Enkindlers and Studio Notes.

As always, I am honoured and grateful to have you in my online life, wherever you might decide to meet me on the web.

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It is always a challenge, choosing That One Word. You know, the word that I will look in to reflecting a lot for a full year. A focus word of sorts.

Since 2008, I have been doing this practice. At the end of the year, I spend some time reflecting and considering the year that has passed and the year that is to come. And, at the beginning of the year, I choose a word that I wish to embrace for a full year.

And this year, for me, is The Year of Possibility.

Frankly, I nearly chose three words for 2012. Partly because I read about someone else doing three focus words instead of one, and I thought that that might open up more options. And, partly because there was one other word that I also really fancied. And, it was the word Momentum. I love the science, art, and movement that seem to echo in that word. Plus, with everything that happened for me in 2011, I thought that perhaps I should keep the momentum going in my life based on that incredible year.

So yeah, it was hard to let the word Momentum go.

But, towards the end of last year, I saw this old TV-movie called “Confessions of an Ugly Step Sister”, which is based on a novel of the same title. Although it is another re-telling of the Cinderella tale, this one has a fresh voice, having been told from the perspective of one of the step sisters.

Other than the fact that it was quite an interesting twist to the old tale, and that my muse-of-the-moment Matthew Goode starred in it, I was really taken with the film mostly because of one of the themes of the story. You see, there was a message there that the Master artist kept trying to bring up. And, it was the message of POSSIBILITY.

The film made me think that when we think it’s impossible to change people’s perspectives about ideas, or even change our own perspectives of ourselves, we need to reconsider and think about possibilities. We are far more capable and worthy of great things than we could ever care to consider. And, the thing is, it’s only when we truly believe that that the possibilities can become real.

That message, for some reason, just lingered in me for weeks. That’s why even though I was about to choose Momentum (which to me, represented a backwards-facing look at finding my path), I was reminded of the message of that film, I ended up choosing POSSIBILITY (which to me, represented a more forward-facing idea that will take me towards the future).

So yes, in 2012, I intend to dwell in possibility. Just like one of my favourite classical poets, Emily Dickinson. Although, as always, I never know where my Word of the Year will take me. I’ll keep you posted with all the possibilities that will come my way.

I wish you a year of possibilities too.

“Our aspirations are our possibilities.” – Samuel Johnson

And for the curious, these are my past Words of the Year:

• 2011: Shine
• 2010: Connect
• 2009: Bliss
• 2008: Today

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So, to make life easier, I’ll just say: I’ve had a busy weekend that led to a week-long illness. I went to the hospital and got loads of tests done because I was having so much pain. Knocked out with pain and meds for most of the week. Another test and a couple of doc check-ups later, I’m told that barring any relapse or continued symptoms… I should be on the mend. So, I’ll preempt recovery and just say YAY!

There you go. Excuse out of the way. Now, here are 5 things I’ve learned from being sick over the last week…

2. There’s never a good time to be sick. But, sometimes, the timing sucks more than your vaccuum cleaner. Seriously. Just had to go through work crisis in-between spasms of pain and being knocked out of pain meds. And, worse, I had to miss my Christmas work lunch – something that I’ve been really looking forward to.

3. There is no justice when it comes to ailments and health. You know those stories about the healthy person getting a heart attack? Or the person who never tried drugs or such getting in to an accident? My situation’s not as bad, admittedly, but I’m not sure if anyone would believe it if I share what my doctor told me about the cause of the stomach pains that I had to suffer all week. I can barely believe it myself. I’m not sure if our family GP can believe it either.

4. The best way to get through pain and illness is to find as many distractions as possible. Especially useful when you’re also going hungry from Extremely Bland Diet Syndrome. Or fasting for medical tests. Urgh. My favourite distractions this past week? Sleep, sleep, and more sleep. I don’t remember sleeping so much! When I’m awake, I indulged in: ABC iView, especially to catch up on The Slap. My beloved Merlin, the TV series, Season 4 – especially love the ones with Santiago Cabrera (aka Lancelot), of course. Movies. Especially movies with Matthew Goode. Googling (er, ogling?!) Matthew Goode. Tweeting. And Facebook, when I can. And cheating on my bland diet (shhh! don’t tell the doc!).

So, there. My week in a nutshell. Hope your week’s been pain-free, meds-free and hospital gown-free.

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I automatically lifted my left hand, with an emphasis on my ring finger where both my engagement and wedding rings were, and replied with a smile in return, “Left.”

“Ah, thanks for letting me know,” he said, still smiling.

I nodded and looked away. And I tried hard not to blush nor to listen to the conversation that he continued to have with a couple of friends he was sitting with. Though I think I sort of got the gist that they had a brief conversation about my response.

As a car passed by with a quick couple of hoots, indicating that my ride has arrived, the same guy who asked about wedding rings enquired again with a playful grin, “So, is that him?”

I nodded yes and quietly walked to the car. And, as I did, I added the reply in my head: “Yes, that is him. My husband. Of 12 years today, in fact.”

Yes, though I was flattered by the attention of this stranger, I couldn’t help but feel pleased that regardless of cute flirtatious guys, I am celebrating my twelfth wedding anniversary with a guy I married twice in two countries (after a very brief courtship and a whirlwind engagement at that!).

Our marriage is not perfect by any means. We have our ups and downs. Some worse and better than others. But, I’d like to think that we make good partners.

And, even though my husband has been married to me this long, he still doesn’t claim to fully understand me. And he’s probably right about it too. Yet, I KNOW he gets me. He knows he does too. One of the very few people that I can say who truly, really does in many ways.

He gets me, but he doesn’t necessarily always like what he gets. And, I don’t expect him to. I don’t think he expects me to like everything I get too. Our relationship hasn’t lasted this long without the little grizzles and the awkward times.

But, it’s all good. In the great scheme of things, we know that what we have right now is what works for us. And, we find that when we look at the good parts of what we do have as a couple, we still see ourselves growing together.

And that’s the best part: Our shared histories that still enable us to see a shared future, in our shared present. Regardless of the bumps and bruises. Regardless of the slight imperfections of “US”.Indeed, regardless of all that, we know that the commitment we made 12 years ago still makes perfect sense to us now.

In fact, one of the most interesting parts of our conversation during our anniversary dinner was a retrospective of some of the best ways we celebrated our past anniversaries. And, just talking about some of the our fond memories as a couple.

Like, the best wedding anniversary dinner we ever had: It was at a manor in Singapore. We believe it must have been our 3rd year anniversary.

The best hotel stay as a couple (our first anniversary celebration stay at the Beaufort in Sentosa, Singapore; also special mention was our resort trips to Bintan, Indonesia).

The most romantic trip: Not including our honeymoon in the UK, our trip to Paris and Belgium (with side trip to England) was the clear winner. Especially nice that we ended up celebrating our wedding anniversary in Paris. And because he hasn’t bought me any presents before the day (saying “I’ll have yours later,” after giving him a present in the morning), he apparently sneaked out of our hotel room while I was getting ready and he ran around the streets of Paris early in the morning to look for something to get me. I ended up with a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses, which was handed to me over breakfast of French bread and cheese.

Most special road trip: Our family road trip in the UK, with a holiday stay with family in South Africa. The first time the kids visited the husband’s home country! It so happened to be our very hectic 10th year wedding anniversary celebration too.

Our most favourite theatre experiences: Les Miserable in London (during honeymoon) and Wicked in Adelaide (just a few months ago ).

My favourite wedding anniversary presents: Specially delivered flowers (hasn’t happened in years, mind you ). And gadgets, of course. No gadgets or flowers this year, though. Haha.

Most adventurous thing we’ve done together: The only thing that came to mind was this one day trip in to the jungle in Brunei, where we ended up with a fellow traveller fighting off leeches, our travel group running through the river to get away from water serpents, walking on tree top bridges, and a boat ride.

Funniest trip ever: A safari trip in South Africa, with my mom and late dad. It was also around the time of our wedding anniversary. In 2002, perhaps.

A few other special milestones together as a couple: Moving to Australia (2003). Growing our family (2004, and again, 2007). Building our first house (2003). Selling that house (2006). Buying and moving to a new house (2006).

Best thing in our life: our two wonderful kids, hands down.

So yes, the last 12 years had been quite a journey for us — evolving from virtual strangers to life partners. And yes, we look forward to finding out what the next few years would bring…

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And today, the last thing I really want to do is to blog because I’m still trying to process everything. But, I promised to try and post as often as I can, and Friday is the only day I actually have a “blog alarm” set on my phone… So, here I am, showing up. For Friday Five. This time, to share some of the things that I’ve learned (or had been reiterated in my consciousness) this week*…

1. No matter how bad/rough/challenging a day or a week has been, always find a way to end it in a good way. With plenty of laughs, preferably. And good mates.

2. Being open and honest is crazy scary. Especially when such frankness may not always be what other people wish to hear. And, when you don’t know how the information shared would be used. There are moments when holding back is wiser than being wide open. But, sometimes, it’s better to be crazy scared in openness and honesty, than crazy miserable for keeping it all in. And, even brutal honesty can be more useful than fake politeness and game playing.

3. Although it’s not always needed, having something concrete to prove what you’ve always known all along can be a good thing. Yes, even though it doesn’t really change anything.

4. It’s easier to be brave when you know you’ve got the support of people who really care. It just means that even if things do fall apart based on some decisions made, you know that someone else would be there to help you to pick up the pieces. And to rebuild. Just make sure that others know that you’re there for them as well, so that they too, can find the strength to be brave. Or, just make sure to have contingency plans in place if s**t does happen.

5. At the end of the day, if you get to keep the most important things in life, then all is not lost. It will be okay. Eventually.

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As promised, here I am again to complete this two-part round-up of the last 12 months. I’m especially inspired to complete this after a few encouraging words from some of you. Thank you!

In any case, if you haven’t read part 1 yet, check out: An Amazing Year: Part I.

Now, here goes the rest of the story… And yes, this is the part where I rack up Frequent Flier miles.

January 2011

• Said goodbyes to family in Manila, then off to a short trip to see friends in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was the kids’ first visit to KL and they had a ball.
• Boy turned 7. Celebrated with a “crabbing with friends” birthday party at Grange.
• Got my geek on and attended my first Drupal conference with a colleague. The event was called Drupal DownUnder, which was the very first Drupal conference in Australia. It was held in Brisbane. Just shortly after the floods. Really interesting to see some of the effects in person. A very memorable trip.
• The words “If Only…” meant a lot more to me at this time than I expected.

February 2011

• Crazy month for me in more ways than one.
• First trip to San Francisco, USA. Attended TSG Summit 2011 in Silicon Valley with our org’s CEO and another colleague (who became my unofficial SF guide!). Presented and facilitated a few times during the summit. Met lots of fabulous people from TechSoup Global, its partner networks around the world, and the general Nonprofit Technology community (like Beth Kanter, Holly Ross, Amy Sample Ward, Allen ‘Gunner’ Gunn, etc). Even briefly met Craig Newmark (of Craig’s List), Annie Leonard (Story of Stuff), and Bill Strathmann (Network for Good), among many others. Completely overwhelmed and amazed. Loved it all. Including SF!
• Upon arriving back in Adelaide, I only had enough time to unpack and repack my luggage within 24 hours, as I headed back to the Philippines. This time, to present at two Microsoft NGO days – MS NGO Day Davao and MS NGO Day Manila. Managed to catch up with mom and sis, and met lots of great folks from Microsoft Philippines and the NGO community.
• Just about missed my husband’s birthday, due to travels and work commitments.

March 2011

• Got my first hire at work! Someone to be part of my growing li’l team.
• Presented my social media for nonprofits presentation at another MS NGO Day. This time, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Yes, I didn’t expect to return to KL so soon. But, it was great, though a bit daunting. Still, I met some amazing people and learned a lot.
• Had a few days break from travels before heading back to the US. This time, off to Washington DC to attend the Nonprofit Technology Conference ’11 (2011) by NTEN, which is probably one of the biggest conference I’ve ever attended. Not sure of NTC’11 (with 2000+ delegates) is bigger than BlogWorld Expo ’08. My attendance was largely due to the fact that Connecting Up has sent 3 full scholars as delegates to NTC’11 (+ 2 part scholars). I also happened to facilitate a Global Nonprofits session. And, it was also a great chance for me to meet more new folks (like Nancy Schwartz, Kivi Leroux Miller, etc) and to catch up again with some of those that I met in San Francisco.
• Introduced the latest look and format here at Studio Notes.
• My girl turned 4 and we celebrated with a fairy party.
• Got back in touch with a good friend whom I have been missing.

April 2011

• Finally took a break from extremely hectic travel. Was supposed to go to Singapore for another MS NGO Day presentation, but had to decline.
• Ended up with just a road trip or two with the family. Including visiting Mount Gambier for the first time.
• My sister arrived in Adelaide for a 2.5-month long visit. Kids pleased to see their Tita.
• Celebrated my 37th birthday. Sort of.
• Got my first iPhone (an iPhone4). Finally.

May 2011

• Watched Wicked the musical with the hubby. Loved it. Definitely became one of my faves. That evening definitely brought up a couple of nice memories.
• Travelled to Colombo, Sri Lanka, for the very first time with our CEO. I presented at the MS NGO Day Colombo and the APAC Tech4Good Summit. Enjoyed it. Loved meeting MS and nonprofit folks from around the region. Even enjoyed a nice beach side dinner, courtesy of Microsoft crew.

June 2011

• Biggest moment was the Connecting Up ’11 conference in Melbourne, which I helped to co-organise. I also presented in a plenary of 300+ folks. My biggest speaking audience, I think. Great turn out, great feedback… Really good stuff. Met more fantastic folks. Lots of side memories that went with the event too… dinners, walks, drinks, club, dance, talks, laughs… Great times.
• A few weeks away from completing my 2nd 365 attempt, I decided to quit. And, I told myself that I won’t ever attempt it again unless I have a better way of approaching it.
• Had to say farewell to my sis… Or, until next meeting anyway. But not before a couple of fun despidida parties.
• Finally got my P plates off. Yes, seriously. It took me five years, but yeah… I did it. At long last. It was on my Goals list for the year, so I was so stoked to make my way to the transport office and pass my Hazard Perception Test in one go, so I can get on to a full license. Then, I went on my first long drive. In my pink car. During a short break at Clayton Bay. Part of it spent with my family. Part of it on my own. Which I adored. It was the perfect way to end my crazy hectic year since starting full time work.

So, there you go. My year from July 2010 to June 2011 in a nutshell.

Oh, and thanks to these round-ups, I was inspired to put together my first Blurb book. Just placed an order recently and I’m now awaiting the hard copy. Here’s a preview, if you’re keen to peek…

Life Notes (early 2011) by Shai Coggins by Shai Coggins | Make Your Own Book

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Ever since I shared the news about starting a new job a little over a year ago, life became increasingly hectic. I had a lot to write about, a lot to share… And yet, this blog has probably been the quietest it has ever been (just 9 posts from January to July so far. 2 of them not even “proper” blog posts! So, so, so bad…).

Time for blogging here at Studio Notes has just taken a back seat for a number of reasons.

Every time I think about blogging, I have a dozen other things I needed to do. So, my “to blog list” just keeps on growing.

Today, however, Chris Brogan tweeted: Post something on your blog. Your audience misses you.

So, here I am. Whether you miss me or not. Truth is, I probably miss you more than you miss me.

That’s why that short and simple reminder was good enough for me to try and blog something simply because I miss blogging here.

And, partly to share with you some of the things that I have been up to, and partly to remind myself some of these incredible events, I thought I’d note some highlights from the last financial year (July 2010 – June 2011)…

July 2010

• Started my job as Manager, Online Content at Connecting Up. Loved it from the start. Still do.
• Began my 2nd official attempt at 365.

August 2010

• Travelled to Melbourne to attend Philanthropy Australia conference, where I met several folks in the philanthropy sector. I also met and caught up with a number of other folks during this Melbourne trip. For example, I met Nicola, Jasmin, and David Hood in person for the first time. Also caught up with my good friend Christine Gooding and Kitty Cheng.
• Little did I know that this trip was just the beginning of many, many others…
• Celebrated Studio Notes’ 10th year anniversary. Yes, this blog is almost 11 years old now…
• My son (age 6 then) entered his first Oliphant Science Awards. Both his entries won (1st place in Multimedia and 3rd place in Models).

September 2010

• Watched West Side Story for the first time with my friend Christine (still from Aug/Sep Melbourne trip).
• Attended and presented at my first AGM for Connecting Up. Interesting after party with some colleagues.
• Joined colleagues at Connecting Up for my first ever City to Bay walk. Yes, I still remember the pain…
• Got re-introduced to social drinking… Heh.
• Went to the Royal Show. I think this must have been my third visit.

October 2010

• Presented at the inaugural Social Media Club Adelaide meet-up. My talk on Building Online Communities is available via Slideshare.
• I think this may also have been around the time when I did my first grant presentation at TACSI…
• In a rare moment, I may have even blogged about it here.

November 2010

• Presented in my very first Microsoft NGO Day in Sydney. This is where I did my first “Social Media for Nonprofits” presentation. I never would’ve thought that this would spark off a number of presentations in different parts of the globe. Met some incredible folks from Connecting Up’s local and global partnerships. (See my Slide Deck on Slideshare)
• Also presented at my first Making Links Conference in Perth. This one is on Social Media Metrics. Also loved meeting a number of great folks from the nonprofit tech sector in Australia (ML10 Twitter list).

December 2010

• Job has slowly morphed in to something else. Began talks of broadening my area from Online Content to overall Communications and Marketing (still including web content & community).
• Christmas lunch with colleagues at Connecting Up. Plus some extra memories afterwards.
• Daughter (age 3 then) went to her first ever ballet recital/concert after over 8 months of ballet lessons. So much fun to watch.
• Family went to Manila to see mum and sis, plus the rest of the clan for a big family reunion. Our first in a very long while! My younger brother, his wife, and their two kids (my nephew and niece) from Ohio, USA went back and met my kids for the first time. My youngest brother (based in Toronto) went back too.

So, there you go. A snapshot of my amazing year from June to December 2010. Hope to complete this just so I can say I’ve managed to catch up on my blogging, like I was hoping to do at the beginning of this year. At least some of it.

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Yes, for four years running, I haven’t chosen a word yet that I feel comfortable with. And, for that very reason, I know that they’ve been the right word to face for the year. I guess, I’ve come to look at my WotYs as personal challenges. A way to get out of my comfort zone.

And this year, the word that got to me is SHINE.

… Of all the crazy, self-serving, narcissistic, pompous, arrogant things…

I know, I know… I’ve thought of all the words that seem to belong in that descriptive group when this word popped up on my radar late in 2010. I guess, the word ‘shine’ just felt way too self-serving to me at first glance.

So, again, I questioned the sanity of choosing a word that makes my stomach turn and my skin crawl. But, precisely because of that reaction, I knew I had to take notice.

You see, the whole idea of being in the spotlight makes me uncomfortable. So, I freak and panic every time I find myself somewhere in that vicinity.

For example, during an event where I was recently a part of – and I got some really cool acknowledgment from a number of noteworthy folks – I found myself cringing. The person sitting next to me during one of my public acknowledgments chuckled and asked, “Why did you lean back and move away when X mentioned you?” I said that I didn’t even realise that I did it. It was an automatic physical reaction that I didn’t expect.

At another important event where I facilitated a group filled with interesting folks from around the globe, someone asked me if I wanted to be introduced to the group – to let them know who I am and what I’ve done. I declined and opted for a simple self introduction that didn’t blow any kind of trumpet. A few people who knew me a bit better than others later asked me why I didn’t give folks a more accurate description of who I was and/or what I did. They said that by downplaying my background, I wasn’t giving people the opportunity to sit up and listen to what I have to say.

And, I was baffled. It’s awkward to admit it, but that whole concept is really a tough challenge for me.

It seems weird, coming from a social media enthusiast / personal blogger who writes a lot about ME, ME, ME… After all, isn’t that what blogging/Tweeting/Facebooking/YouTubing/self portraiture/etc are all about? Getting the spotlight as much as possible?

In a way, perhaps. But, every time I try to go back to how and why I started in this path, I know that it’s mostly about communicating and connecting, rather than “flashing” – if that makes any sense.

So, I ventured in to finding ways to understand what the word SHINE really means to me.

Then, I came across these meanings:

Shine…

• “to (cause to) give out light; to direct light towards someone or something”

• “to be bright by causing to give out rays of light”

And somehow, something clicked.

To shine doesn’t necessarily mean to dazzle or to bask in centrestage.

To shine may mean that through our own light, we may be able to give light to others.

Now, that idea resonates with me both on a personal and professional level.

I like the thought of doing great things so that others can do great things.

Yes, it’s not all about me. But, I’m seeing that I have to start somewhere in me, so that I can help to empower others. After all, how can you give out light when your own light is out, right?

And, no, it’s not about trying to be noble, humble, modest, or anything like that. It’s probably mostly about trying to get over my own hang-ups about the whole concept of “shining” – and finding ways to use all that.

So yes, I’m curious to know where this year’s WotY will take me. I know the previous ones* have really been powerful enough to change a lot of things in my life at the time.

Now, let’s see how I can embrace my inner rock star – so that I can start helping to make others shine too.

* Previous WotY:
2008 – TODAY
2009 – BLISS
2010 – CONNECT

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