The Purple Doll: An Emerging Influential Blog for 2012

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who nominated my blog, The Purple Doll, on the recent Search for the Top Ten Emerging Influential Blogs of 2012. Although I participated in the writing project, I never actually thought I'd win. So to everyone who voted, as well as to my regular visitors and readers, from the bottom of my heart, a big big thank you!

And of course, congratulations to Ms. Janette Toral who hosted this successful annual writing project, as well as to all the participants and to my fellow winners which you can check out here. With this very unexpected yet very heart-warming gift, I'm more empowered to scour for more foodie finds and blog more. So again, thank you so much!

On another note, I was tagged by Kath last month so I thought this is the perfect time to reveal something more about me and my blog. So now, I'm officially bitten by the Blog Bug, a tag originally created by Nicole of Axons and Dendrites.

When and Why did you start blogging?
I originally started blogging way back in 2004 when Friendster offered the blogging function. I was just in grade six back then and I was inspired by my friends who always ask me tips on their love life. I am in no way a love guru since I didn't even have a boyfriend yet at that time. However, I somehow obliged to the demand and still created my first blog which was in a Q&A format.

Then, I transferred to Blogger when I was already in high school. I blogged about my life basically, and I'm so ashamed of myself for sharing too much information back then. Haha! I'll spare you the time for what came after. You can read it here if you're interested.

What do you love to blog about and why do you like it?
I actually wanted to blog about make-up and photography aside from food, but I guess my love for food prevailed as you can observe. Haha! I guess I enjoy eating out too much that it's the only thing I can share here on my blog. Who doesn't love to eat anyway?!

How did you get your blog name?
I've always loved the color purple. My previous blogs were named My Purple Panda, Purple Dreamz and The Purple Doll.com, so basically I just re-used The Purple Doll and transferred to a .net domain. As for the doll part, I've always seen myself as somewhat a girly girl, and I love dolls. (Wanted to collect Pullip and BJD dolls, in fact.)

What do you think is your best post yet?
I try to make my new post better than the last, and I pour time and effort in creating each one of my blog entries. So if I can be general, I think I'll consider most of my restaurant reviews my best posts. Haha! Oh, and although I'm not a travel blogger, I somehow attempted at it and boy it was hard and very time-consuming. So I guess I can consider my travel posts to be one of the best entries on this blog as well.

What is your inspiration for blogging at present?
At the moment, it's my fellow bloggers and readers who inspire me to continue blogging. Honestly, there are times when I get too lazy to create blog posts. But when I see how active our local blogging community is, I'd slowly gain back the excitement I had when I first started this blog. Then, there's also my readers. Whenever I receive comments and emails about how my reviews have helped them, my heart just melts. These short but thoughtful messages fuel my passion for blogging even more.

Message to your readers:
I already said this, but I'll say it again and again.. Thank you so much! When I started this blog, I never thought I'd gain followers. I didn't even expect you to read through my posts. However, I'm glad that you did. You inspire me to blog more and just continue improving whether it be in photography, in writing and even in web designing. So again, thank you so much! You can expect more reviews, food porn and giveaways in the near future! ♡

So there you have it! I hope I didn't bore you with some tidbits about me and my blog. Haha! Anyway, it's my turn now to tag my fellow bloggers.

• Stacy of Crumpylicious
• Berylle of It's Beryllicious
• Mich of Mich Eats & Shops
• Aileen of I Am Aileen
• Lizzie of Pretty Ugly
• Michy of I Am Dekaphobic
• Kathy of Life is Kulayful
• Carizza of Carizza Chua
• YOU!

Have an awesome mid-week guys and gals. Stay safe and dry since it's been raining hard these past few days. Don't forget to check back here for more food porn!