Hi everyone! I'm still alive. :) I'm so sorry for my silence. I have been thinking about this while I was quiet here and am kind of thinking to take a break from blogging. Since I started my fumi no hi giveaway project and put my email address online, I have received many messages asking me for stationery swap or to help them buy Japanese stationery for them (esp. washi tapes) which basically is that I buy stationery that they specifically want and send them and they will pay me when they recieve the package. When I turn down their messages, very few but some of them told me that I'm bad because I have very easy access to nice stationery in Japan but not willing to help others who can't buy them in their home. These messages gradually took my motivation for my giveaway project and my blog. :( I tried to bring myself back to blogging few times, but I just couldn't feel like writing anything here...at least now.
By the way, my big apology goes to those two winners of my previous giveaway project. I have your packages ready and will have your lovely letters for the project posted very soon (I will have at least this posting about your lovely letters before I close this blog) with a picture of pakages for you. Sorry! :(
I may start a new blog with fresh spirits without my project or keep this blog as closed blog or...I haven't decided. I haven't decided anything concrete but soon will. Is there anyone still out there who is still interested in my blog?
I'm very sorry to hear that, Aya! I can't believe some people have actually messaged you to buy stationery for them and then make you feel bed when you decline :/ That is really unfair! They should be the ones feeling bad and not you :( You have been nothing but kind and generous to everyone with your project. It has made so many people, including myself, very happy.
ReplyDeleteI love reading your blog (even without the project) and would definitely still be interested in it whenever you decide to blog again :) It is so nice to read about Japan, your life and look at the beautiful mail you send and receive.
Good luck and take care! Keep in touch. Hugs from India :)
Thanks a lot Ankita. I've been really enjoying blogging here and getting to know other snail mailers like you though this blog, so honestly I don't want to quit blogging. I just need to figure it out how I can keep bloggin without being annoyed by some people. I noticed that those people who messaged me even don't follow my blog. I think they just happened to find my blog by chance and contacted me for only that purpose. This is however made me feel relieved because my blog followers are not one of them. :)
DeleteThe thing I don't like is that once I start receiving that kind of messages, I hesitate to share some of the nice stationery I found or used in my blog because I'm afraid of receiving another such email. :(
I guess I could just ignore those emails from now on. I think I will reorganize my blog postings (delete the previous giveaway postings so that it doesn't look like my bog is all about giveaway) and will start blogging soon. Thanks a lot for your comments and support! Thank you so much! :)
I am!
ReplyDeleteAnd I am a bit upset to read about you getting nasty comments about something you do voluntarily! What on earth are those people thinking?! I am so sorry that you have had to receive such messages; I do hope they haven't succeeded in making you feel down forever. A fresh start could be an option for sure. But, still, remember that you have not done anything wrong; they have!
I hope you will figure out a way to continue with blogging hobby and will have more joy on it, too. :)
Greetings,
Laura
Thanks a lot for your comments and support. As I really enjoy blogging here, I think I will get back to it soon after organizing my postings. I will probably delete my postings about previous giveaways to keep it simple and avoid to give some impression about my blog being all about giveaway.
DeleteThank you so much again for your comments. See you soon here on my blog. :)
Of course, it's you who decides whether to keep a blog or not or whether to take a break...but you should know that it's a nice one and you will still have followers without the giveaway ^^ Also, please remember, there are always people who look out for their own advantage and who basically don't care how others feel about it. It's not your fault that some people are rude and ruthless! Sadly, nowadays penpalling seems to be more about sending pretty things than actually writing thoughtful letters, but come on, if you can organize swaps and go as far as to harrass an innocent blogger, you could as well go ahead and buy your stuff online. You're not the first Japanese person I know of who has been harrassed like this about penpalling supplies and I think it's a shame, especially because Japanese people are often remarkably generous and considerate. Next time you can just delete such messages and forget about them. Instead, you can concentrate on positive emotions that your blog brings to you ^.^
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for your comments and support. Now I’m calmed down. When I was writing this posting, I was feeling like it was the end of the world because I thought I had to stop blogging in this kind of unhappy way, but now after reading your and other comments, I feel I’m motivated again. My mom told it must be the middle age crisis. lol
DeleteI totally agree with you. Snail mailing today seems to be more about sending pretty things than writing thoughtful letters. Lots of people post their contents of their letter on for example Instagram, and I’m surprised to see how many goodies they send along with their letters. I do send some goodies with my letters as well but it’s usually things that can fit in a normal envelope. Goodies are of course a big part of snail mails as that’s one of the things email can’t, but I think you can always enjoy snail mailing without having lots of stationery as long as you have a nice pal.
Anyway, I will get back to blogging soon after reorganizing my blog with some postings. Thank you so much for your comments. :)
I'm sorry to read that. Even if I haven't participated in your project, I still think is a good one. I like your blog, and be sure I'm interested in reading you again!
ReplyDeleteAbout these messages... Well, all I can say is that you must just ignore them. I also have received messages like: "Hi, send me that or that", without saying "I'll send you back..." or even "please". In the beginning I was upset. Then I just started to ignore them. Shy, there are all kind of people. I think what we should keep on mind is all the nice and kind people we find.
Hope to read you soon, here or in another place (just let us know if you decide to change!).
I guess we can't really avoid these kind of messages, but like you said I will just ignore them from now on. I don't know why I got annoyed by these messages that badly. Middle age crisis already? lol
DeleteI will come back here soon after reorganizing a bit of postings. I will delete this posting later for a fresh start, but I will not forget about your kind words. Thank you so much! See you soon. :)
I am interested, too! I visit your blog every now and then and I love it!
ReplyDeleteAnd although I never have participated in your project (and am not planning to do so, as I like to create my own mail), I especially love to see your Amidakuji drawings :-)
And how generous of yours, I think the very most of us are delighted by the fact that you make these winners happy!
About the rude people who wrote in such a selfish way, I really think it a pity that they caused you feeling this bad and demotivated now. There are so many places on the internet to buy stationery (for instance on Etsy.com I found really nice things), so I wonder why they don't buy from regular sellers instead of misusing your kindness...
I totally agree with Ankita, Laura, Tanu Ki and Hawwa, and hope you do so, too. Hope that all these comments will cheer you up.
And I hope to see / read more from you. Big hug from the Netherlands,
postally yours,
Heleen
Thanks a lot for your comments and support. It surely cheered me up! I don’t know why I was so upset about these messages. I could just ignore them and let them go. Maybe I didn’t like it because I always receive such messages right after I post my giveaway project. Well, I will do some reorganizing in my blog before I fully come back here, but I will come back here soon. I want to keep my giveaway project but in a different manner (I’m not sure). We’ll see.
DeleteI totally agree with you. With Internet, you have access to any stationery shop in the world, but as far as I felt from those messages they are not happy with the price and shipping cost by these online shops. Maybe I should open my own stationery shop so that I could just reply to these messages with a link to my shop!
Once again, thank you very much for your comments. You will see me soon here. :)
Hi Aya, I want to tell you that I really love reading your blog posts, I live reading about snippets of your life and your mail art creations are really beautiful! You're one passionate snail mailer who always try your best to make your pen friends and the winners of your giveaways happy. I bet you do inspire others to take up snail mailing too in a way. Please don't let those nasty comments affect you. You're definitely not in the wrong and do not deserve such replies. I really hope that you'll continue to blog occasionally, be it here or a brand new blog and I'll certainly look forward to reading them! Do cheer up! :D
ReplyDeleteHi Bree. Thanks a lot for your kind words. I now kind of thinking to have one more post here about the beautiful letters that those two winners of my last giveaway project wrote, then I will start a new blog with the same and same topic. I just want to have a fresh start. I will let you know when my new blog is ready in the posting, so if you are interested, please come visit me there. Thanks a lot once again for your comment. :)
DeleteAw, it's a shame some people do such things! I love your blog and your giveaway project, although I'll understand completely if you won't keep that up. I do hope you continue blogging, and continue to give us a peek in your mailbox. Actually I can only agree with everything all the others wrote here before me. I'll keep following you as long as you write a blog. ^^
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for your comments. When I came up with this idea of project, I didn’t expect this to happen. Every time I have a posting about the giveaway, someone emails me about the stationery swap or just help them purchase something from here, and I really lost my motivation for the project. I will have a last posting about your letter for the project and then will move to a new blog for a fresh start. I won’t change much except for maybe having the project every once in a while instead. I will see. I really like this project, so I want to keep doing this unless I come up with a better project to spread the fun of letter writing. If you are interested, please follow me in the new blog. Thanks a lot for your comment.
DeleteI'm from Portugal, and I always loved writing letters. I discovered your blog, just today, and I would like to know how did you begin to write to those pen pals you talk about. Then, I discover you want to close your blog. There are some nasty people around, indeed, but may I suggest: why don't you go on and do it a try with it being private ?
ReplyDelete