I’m standing at the MOA Sky Garden on a gray afternoon, the wind threatening to blow my umbrella away while I carefully navigate the slippery, wet tiled floor. The sky is overcast, muting the city’s usual vibrance, but the diffused and moody light makes the atmosphere kind of cinematic.
The silhouettes of ships are visible in the distance, but closer to shore, the view is different. Cranes jut out like steel trees, and giant machines move about the water as the reclamation continues. New land being made where water used to be. It’s strangely mesmerizing, seeing the churn of progress going on even amidst the impending storm.
It makes me wonder: as everything around us becomes more artificial and curated—both digitally and physically—what happens to the things that used to feel more human? In the midst of AI-generated listicles, do we still make space for long-form pieces? When ChatGPT can mimic empathy, do we still need connections that aren’t based on algorithms?
It reminds me of a post on Threads, asking: is blogging still relevant in 2025?
I was 17 when I started blogging back in 2002. It all began when I saw someone from PinoyExchange—my fellow “ka-PEx,” as we called each other—who had a blog. I read it, got curious, and thought, I want to create something like this as well. So I did. I made my own online diary in Blogspot. And that was the start.
Then, personal blogging became travel blogging in 2009, when I started writing retroactively about trips I took as early as 2006. I used TravelBlog.org back then, which had its own little travel community. Eventually, I moved everything here to WordPress because it felt more personal and more permanent here. At any rate, I didn’t write for a big audience; my posts were mostly just for myself, and maybe a few curious friends. This blog became my space, and over time, it grew with me.
As is the case with any blogger, I arrived at moments when I wanted to stop, especially during the pandemic. My readership had already started to dwindle before COVID (with some WordPress followers even deleting their blogs in the late 2010s), but the lockdowns made it worse. I had anxieties, priorities, and frankly, no travels to write about. Even when I could go out, the trips felt… well, less blog-worthy. What exactly could I write about biking to the neighboring barangay?
But in October 2020, WordPress sent me a renewal notice for my personal domain. I wasn’t even writing regularly anymore at that time (just a few posts every now and then), but I renewed anyway. Because what if, someday, I wanted to write again? What if I wanted to look back? I didn’t want that archive to disappear, just as my older blogs—including the one I started in 2002—have disappeared.
Blogging has always felt like an anchor for me. Even when it wasn’t meant to be read by many, it was a way to remember and reflect. I’d write about trips, even short ones or a visit to a new restaurant, and it became a way to stay sane amidst all the changes that happened around me and within me. I don’t vlog because I’m not comfortable in front of a camera. I do post Reels here and there, but the core of what I do is still writing and taking pictures.
But that then begs the question: is blogging still relevant?
I think yes. While the majority of people today consume information through video—TikTok, YouTube, Reels—reading has still its own powerful pull. Readers still exist. That’s why bookstores thrive in malls that also have cinemas, food courts, and other attractions that cater to the dwindling attention span of the public.
Reading uses a different set of muscles. As a multimedia arts degree holder, I know that photography and video can be expressive. But writing engages the imagination differently. Comparing them is like comparing cardio workout and strength training: both are physical and demanding, but they serve different needs and different audiences. In other words, both have their places in developing our mental muscles. Just the same, video contents and blogs have their own spaces. Even now, I think people still crave something they can sit with and reflect on.
What’s kept me going all these years is not just the habit of blogging, but how it helped me trace my growth, especially in how I view travel (since this has become primarily a travel blog).
When I read old posts, I see how much I’ve changed. Early on, I was deep into that “YOLO” mindset—that millennial mantra to travel now, worry later. But the pandemic (and a major career shift) changed that. It made me reflect on privilege, that not everyone can travel, and those who can need to acknowledge that. I also came to accept the fact that not everyone travels the same way, or even for the same reason. And imposing your way as the “right way” reeks of elitism that has tarnished the reputation of certain circles.
Blogging helped me capture those transitions, not necessarily by saying “I’ve changed” or “I learned” at the end of every piece, but through the way my writing evolved. There’s growth not just in the words, but in the gaps between each post.
I do want to connect with readers, even if I turned off the comments (but that’s another story for maybe another post). Whether it’s something as deep as going through a major life transition, or something as light as needing directions in a city, I want my blog to say: “You’re not alone.”
Maybe someone’s feeling what I felt. Or maybe they just need practical info for their trip. Either way, that invisible connection between reader and writer matters.
Is blogging still relevant especially now when AI and social media dominate the landscape? Yes, and if you’re asking that because you’re not sure if you want to start a blog, I say do it.
There are so many free tools available. Start small. Write for yourself. If you’re shy, keep your posts private or share them with just a few people. And if you’re ready, you can explore SEO or post to wider platforms like Medium. But always remember, you are writing for yourself.
You’re writing for your story.
There will be days when no one reads your post. I’ve been through that. But if writing brings you joy, if it helps you make sense of your world, then that’s reason enough to keep going.
Connect with yourself. And over time, you’ll find others who connect with what you’ve said.
The Tourist Gaze 