Happy one month to the Gourmet Wog!
This truly is an exciting milestone and I can’t wait to read back on this post one day, laugh at how foolish I was and see how much this site has grown and changed.
Here are some observations from these last 4 weeks:
1. Blogging is harder than I could have ever imagined! I mean, seriously time consuming hard work. My hat goes off to those who do this day in day out, sometimes posting numerous posts in the day.
2. Every time I’m about to post a recipe, my finger lingers over the ‘Publish’ button for over 10 minutes while I read over and over the post and pick up on grammatical errors and reword paragraphs. I get so nervous and anxious just before, it’s so silly!
3. I get stupidly excited when I view my statistics by country and see someone from Ghana or Brazil view my page. I never imagined I’d get viewers from across the globe in far away countries drop by. Hello there reader from Bahrain, please do leave a message and tell me about yourself!
4. Blogging is expensive! Currently I use my BlackBerry phone’s camera to take pictures. Yes, yes I know that’s bad, and the photos are reflective of this, but I’m now thinking of upgrading to a DSLR or hoping that someone will buy me one (hint hint Mr Gourmet Wog aka my husband, my birthday is coming up in two months).
What’s also expensive about blogging is that I’m now reaching out for ingredients I wouldn’t normally grab because I get so excited seeing them on the shelves or at the markets and MUST buy it to try it out ( in the name of science of course, I really do have to test these recipes out!)
5. I have to stop myself from tucking into the food that I’ve just produced and take a photo of the final product. This has been the biggest challenge, especially as a working mother who works full time, comes home and has to feed the hungry clan. I’m constantly brushing aside big and little hands & fingers and ‘shoo-ing’ the hungry away so I can take a quick photo before we all sit down to eat as a family.
6. I’m still not 100% convinced on the name of this blog. I’ve received lots of positive feedback however I still get the odd message telling me how derogatory the word ‘WOG’ is and that I should be ashamed to use it. I have addressed this briefly in the About Me section. I think it’s ok for a Wog to call herself a Wog and have a laugh. That’s what Australians do best, laugh at themselves and not take it seriously!
7. I struggle to remember measurements. I aways never follow a recipe when cooking for my family and just make things by memory or by following my nose or taste buds. Writing recipes for you has made me aware of exactly how much of each ingredient I am using.
7. This blog brings me great delight. Sure it’s a labour of love, but I do enjoy sharing my love of food with the greater world and learning new techniques and recipes from other fellow foodies.
I’m always welcome to ideas, feedback and comments you may have dear reader. I am in the process of getting an email address linked to this page, but in the meantime if you need to contact me, please leave a message below.
Thank you for sharing this journey with me. Here’s to the next month, and the month after that, and the month after that!
Love,
Lisa xx
Gourmet Wog 
Wow Lisa I never would have guessed you’d only been at it for a month. Happy 1 month!
All those things are so true. I would hate to actually look at the number of hours I spend on blogging when you add up all the different tasks. It’s probably the equivalent of a full-time job plus all the other work I do!
You can’t make up for the fun though and as you said the excitement and learning new things and meeting new people. It gets even better!
It certainly feels a lot longer than a month! And you’re right Claire, it can be a full time job. It’s definitely more entertaining then the job I get paid for though!
From one Aussie wog to another – I like the name of your blog. It’s tongue in cheek. I’ve gone through a few cameras since I started my blog. My favourite to date is the Olympus ZX-1. It’s not a DSLR, but little like a point & shoot with all the functions of a basic DSLR…I think it’s GREAT and it’s under $500, cheaper than a DSLR too.
Thanks Miss Piggy 🙂 Thanks also for the camera tips, its most certainly time I get a ‘grown up’ camera and stop using my phone 😉
Congratulations, Lisa. Can’t wait to see what you have in store for us in Month No.2! 😉
Thanks John 🙂 Can’t wait for the next update too! Hopefully this site would’ve grown by then, more and more each month
Well done! Don’t change your name, it’s your identity. Keep a pen and notepad in your kitchen, it’s what I’ve done for the past 4 years and it works for me. I’m looking forward to reading more posts and I’m heading off to your about page now 🙂
Thanks for the support Tandy!! Maybe I’ll have to add the picture of the pen and notepad in my next IMK post 😉
Hi Lisa, You are doing well, amazingly well. Congratulations. I can’t believe people who have a job and a family still have time for a blog. You must be a superwoman. My advice is: if you are too busy to do a post, you are too busy to do a post. Real life is much more important than a blog. The name? I am not so sure about it but my philosophy is: a word is just a word, it can’t do anyone any harm unless they let it.
Thanks Glenda, you’re right, family is my absolute priority in life and much more important. I do admit though, I’m thoroughly enjoying doing this after I put my daughter down for bed, it’s the only time I get an hour or two to myself!
Wow congratulations Lisa! May there be many more anniversaries! 😀 x
Thanks Lorraine, hope you’ll share them with me x
Hi Lisa, your name is perfect. Look how popular the Wog Boy got? I don’t think the term is derogatory at all in Australian society – certainly not like it was in the past. You are so cute and quirky and I just love your blog. If you change your name, make sure you let us all know!
Thanks Maureen, that certainly means a lot! Love that you think I’m quirky 😉 I won’t be changing the name anytime soon x
Lisa, just ‘discovered’ your blog and like the ‘feel’ of it! Looks like some of my longtime blogfriends have been way ahead of me 🙂 ! Methinks your name is just perfect: but I guess that comes from another wog-girl going way back! Don’t you dare change it!!
Thanks Eha! Welcome onboard, I won’t dare change it lol
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