Journalists

[ Introduction | People Watching | Food, Fun, and People ]
[ Journalists | Conclusion ]

At the BBQ, there were three other people who keep online journals of some sort:

I met Amabelle through Eric, and I met Rita through Amabelle. Finally, I knew Dardy when I was at Stanford, though we didn't really hang out until after Dardy started his online journal. Slowly but surely, a community is being formed between this small set of online journalists. There are countless others out there on the Net today, and I'm wondering how large this group is going to get. Perhaps some of the other people at the BBQ will get "inspired" by our musings and coverage of the events in our lives that they'll begin their own online journals.

As I stated in my musing on journal writing, I began keeping a journal in ninth grade of high school. Since those days, I've amassed quite a large cachet of memories and events. I can instantly be transported back to when I was a freshman in high school, a freshman in college, or a recent graduate with a few clicks of the mouse. If you're consistent and diligent with writing in a journal, and especially if you're honest, you can track step by step the events and decisions that have shaped you into the person that you are today. That's powerful. With photographs, your memories of the past need not be confined to fleeting images in your head -- they can be right in front of you on your computer screen.

Reflecting with the Pacific

All four of us had our various digital and film-based cameras with us at the BBQ. It is indeed cool to see other people who realize the value of keeping a photojournal of their lives. I don't know what else to say other than, "Wow, that's cool that you do the same thing as I do!"

This was the first time that Dardy met both Amabelle and Rita in person. From both of their journals, it's clear that they have been chatting over email and IM over the past couple of weeks, so it was really neat to see them meet each other face to face. I can't speak for what their overall impression of each other was, but I guess we'll all find out when we read their journal entries for July 5, 2001, no?

What about Eric? Where'd that guy go again? On the Fourth of July, he's on the other side of the world, vacationing and working in Bora Bora. Still, with the power of digital imaging, we were able to bring Eric into our little group shot of Rita, Dardy, Amabelle, and me!

Here are some additional photographs that were taken of, as we've been calling it, this little "incestuous" group of online journalists:

Always on call: Dardy Chang	Is he for real???	Amabelle Sze
Herr Chang	Who is this guy? (Photo by Annie)	In your face! (Photo by Rita)
Superfriends	Hey, there's Eric!	Rita Lee

Journaling can take up a significant amount of time, I must admit. Documenting and cataloging the event can take much more time than the event itself. While one can view this as a disadvantage or drawback to keeping a journal, be it online or offline, I see primarily as an advantage. Sure, I could be hanging out with friends or doing something else with my time, but I see the time that I spent making these photojournals as a time to reflect and absorb the events into my psyche. In doing so, I think that I'm also helping others remember the event, and that is a satisfying thought to know.

So, what are you waiting for? What were your thoughts about the BBQ? I should probably add forum capabilities to this web site, much like what's available on Photo.Net. Guess I'll be adding that to my list of things to do for the site!

[ Introduction | People Watching | Food, Fun, and People ]
[ Journalists | Conclusion ]