My Blog Interview with the Malay Mail
SharePosted on 13. Jan, 2009 by Gallivanter in Happenings
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Firstly, I have to thank Paulin Aro, of HBO Asia, for recommending me to the Malay Mail for the interview. The header and the introduction of the article was prepared by Ng Suzhen (thank you!). Here’s the link and the article!
It’s My Life, Thanks to Bon Jovi
It’s all about life for Daniel Franklin Gomez, and in his ‘gallivantings’, which is the tagline for his blog (www.danielfranklingomez.com).
Bon Jovi has a pretty big say because music-loving Daniel has a dedicated section at the top of his site for his super idol Jon and the Bon Jovi band.
Daniel, better known by his online persona of Gallivanter, subscribes to the philosophies of Bon Jovi’s poetic lyrics and writes about the influence they have had on his life (and maybe, should on others too?).
But being a true-blue Gallivanter, he does not just confine himself to his passion for BJ music. He does entertaining, easily digesting reviews of all types of music that grab him.
Furthermore, Daniel also shares all aspects of his life – from autos to thoughts (take a peek at his site’s categories), and has garnered quite a following with his humorous style of writing.
He takes pleasure in meeting fellow bloggers, and although based in the Klang Valley, this Gallivanter, true to his name, even took the trouble to help organise the Sabahan Bloggers Gathering 2008 and other blogger meets.
And why not, because like the song from the 2002 Bon Jovi album ‘Bounce’, whether in Cyberspace or in the real world, we should all be ‘Undivided’.
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I just turned 31 on the Dec 6, and work as a New Media Acquisitions Manager for a sports marketing agency. I have a younger brother and my mom is a part-time real estate agent.
When did you start to blog?
I started blogging sporadically back in November 2005 and moved to my own domain in August 2006. My blog site currently attracts approximately 1000 unique visitors per day (there must be lots of other ‘gallivanters’ out there), with an average of 12 comments per entry.
Your reasons?
The main reason I blog is to ‘vent’ my thoughts about everything, especially music. I love unearthing new music. It has always been my ‘soul’. I make it a point to share songs with blog readers and it has become more like an ongoing hobby.
What do you hope to achieve through blogging?
I believe my postings may have helped some people in their relationships, careers and lives by my sharing of experiences in the same areas.
The comments received are also a motivation for me to blog. I had a reader sending me a friendship request via Facebook with the message, “Your blog is like my morning coffee, I can’t start the day without it”. That’s the best compliment and I guess a testament of my contributions towards the blogosphere.
Any regrets through blogging?
None whatsoever!
Has blogging changed your life? How?
Certainly. Yes, blogging has unleashed my extrovert self. I have become much more sociable than I was. It certainly has built my confidence over the years, helping me make more acquaintances.
I’m really satisfied on my blog evolution and just hope that my daily ramblings touch the lives of my readers.
The ‘Blogosphere’. What does it mean to you?
To put it simply, it’s a giant social network of a connected community that represents the voices of many, who previously, never had a platform to share their thoughts.
Who is your absolute favourite blogger?
My favorite blogger goes by the initial of RPK and he writes for Malaysia Today. I love his entries; very straightforward and I feel he speaks for the silent majority…
Features in the Blogosphere that amaze/ irritate you?
The ease of making new acquaintances is amazing. On the other hand, the most irritating thing is tags/meme which is nothing but link-baiting! Those are highly annoying!
If there is someone you could influence to take up blogging…
A whole bunch of people. I would say Jon Bon Jovi, to learn about what inspires him. Also my fellow Arsenal compadre Ravind, if only to read about his daily curses. There’s my brother, Reuben, to keep up to date with the other aspects of his life; and my-wife-to-be, Mel, to post more regularly so I don’t have to read her mind all the time, just read her blog!
Any memorable incidents?
Two of my blog readers met and fell in love during the first bloggers’ meet I organised. They are still a couple today.
Any additional thoughts?
I think the media needs to play a more interactive role with bloggers in Malaysia. It is indeed easier to criticise than to come up with suggestions for a better Malaysia, but I think the Government needs to be more liberal to create a channel to accept constructive criticism, maybe a weekly TV show/forum, that picks up topics off the Blogosphere.
Blogs are here to stay, and, if a channel can be opened to them, I believe that we will get some wonderful ideas and thoughts to push Malaysia forward to achieve 2020. It is still not too late.
chrisau
Jan 13th, 2009
well done man! you have achieve celebrity status…
wel
Jan 13th, 2009
Bravo!!! 1000 per day?!!!! hehe…
celebrity status wei..hehe…next time gathering sure many celebrity kena jemput la this..hehe..
wel’s last blog post..Not a smooth week..
Mell_f
Jan 13th, 2009
Wow! Great kick start for 2009,yes?
Congrats on that
JACQ
Jan 13th, 2009
Woot! Congrats Dan!
alicetine
Jan 13th, 2009
Congrats Dan!!
*woot*woot*
alicetine’s last blog post..Wet Monday
xin
Jan 13th, 2009
wow fehmes!
p/s: ng suzhen is my sec fren omg! the world is round, really.
Alv0808
Jan 13th, 2009
Well Done!! Gorgeous…
Alv0808’s last blog post..Happiness Is The Way
massy
Jan 13th, 2009
congrats! kick eh XD
edgar
Jan 13th, 2009
nice one, dan!
DA
Jan 13th, 2009
walao! good for you man
COngrats!
cornelia
Jan 13th, 2009
this is so major and beyond!
congrats dan!
cornelia’s last blog post..Bersiaran dari Kota Kinabalu
kuai
Jan 13th, 2009
walneh!!.. Congrats! ^_^
“but I think the Government needs to be more liberal to create a channel to accept constructive criticism, maybe a weekly TV show/forum, that picks up topics off the Blogosphere.”
what a thought!!! hahaha.. if this really happen, argh!! I think my grandma oso want to build her own blog and regret why she born too early (kidding).. I mean u r so damm ‘future’.. Good one!
kuai’s last blog post..‘Chingu’
claire bennet
Jan 13th, 2009
hehe….very nice. congrats!
claire bennet’s last blog post..Age Of A Woman
kaDusMama
Jan 13th, 2009
Nice!!! COngratsssss!!!!
Psttt…when is the BIG DAY for you and mel????
kaDusMama’s last blog post.."Rojak" story..
sheela
Jan 13th, 2009
CONGRATS…
good start for 2009.
chegu carol
Jan 13th, 2009
Are you serious about wanting Mel to blog more of her thoughts to save you time guessing what’s in her mind? Cos, i think that could work for me too.
yvy
Jan 13th, 2009
wah!!! femes liow lor!!
congrats….so long since i came here n now i’m commenting on a celebrity’s blog. dahsyat!!! good on ya, daniel. keep it up!!! 
*pppssttt….this will definitely affect ur 12 comments on avg per day! lol 
*
yvy’s last blog post..More on changing my name
kristie
Jan 13th, 2009
cool!
now u will be very famous!
sarah
Jan 13th, 2009
Congrats!!! Way to go. I believe you’re blog will invite more traffic after this
My husband read your blog and he thinks your a funny guy 
Daniel Ng
Jan 13th, 2009
yo bro. congratulation..I am so proud of you..I wish you can achieve 10,000 visitors per day,,,go figure go!
Daniel Ng’s last blog post..The Global Financial Crisis In Photos – Ten Of The Best!
Mimi
Jan 13th, 2009
Well done Dan!
Mimi’s last blog post..ungrateful s.o.b.
Pai
Jan 13th, 2009
congrats bro!
by the way, i love your answer for the amaze/irritate questions.. you say tags is highly annoying/irritating and just a link-baiting, but i see you have like 20 tags for this entry only! hahaha! i salute you bro!
p/s: when is the big day, bro?
Gallivanter
Jan 13th, 2009
chrisau, wel, Mell_f, JACQ, alicetine – Thank you!
xin – Cool, yes, the world is round.
Alv0808, massy, edgar, DA, cornelia – Thank you!
kuai – Thanks. Yeah, it’s time the government opens up to us.
claire bennet – Thanks!
kaDusMama – Thanks! Big day??? It’s on the way, within the next 5 years. Hehehehe!
sheela – Thanks!
chegu carol – Yes, partially serious.
We men can never read a woman’s mind. So complex bah.
yvy – Thanks! Well, not really, I don’t think it will have any impact on the blog whatsoever. But, it’s certainly nice to be featured.
kristie – No la, it’s not something I’m aiming for, the main intention is to make more friends and to organize more gatherings among strangers-soon-to-be-friends.
sarah – Thank you.
Daniel Ng – LOL! I was at 2500 average once, before the days of Facebook.
Mimi – Thanks!
Pai – Thanks! Eh, tags and comments are not the same bah. Tags are annoying things bloggers tend to do just to fill their entries.
My big day, coming soon, in a few years’ time. I’ll keep you informed, kio? 
cdason
Jan 13th, 2009
Wah.. This has FAME written all over it!! Congrats man!
cdason’s last blog post..Rain, Rain Go Away…
endroo G
Jan 13th, 2009
Any memorable incidents?
Two of my blog readers met and fell in love during the first bloggers’ meet I organised. They are still a couple today.
Dan, thanks for the hookup.
endroo G’s last blog post..Bear Beer
Nick Phillips
Jan 13th, 2009
Hey Congrats buddy
Can I have your autograph now … hehehe …
|1f34|-|1r3
Jan 14th, 2009
congrats on the interview..when is my turn…wondering..wondering…
|1f34|-|1r3’s last blog post..Use isthatsitedown.com to check site is down or not
Archie
Jan 14th, 2009
yo buddy, congrates on the interview !!!
charlenediane
Jan 14th, 2009
Wife to be!! Awwwwww
charlenediane’s last blog post..Batu Caves: doing the tourist thing
foongpc
Jan 14th, 2009
Congrats! Famous already lah now? : )
foongpc’s last blog post..All About Moon
pirut
Jan 14th, 2009
congratulations for this one sir..
pirut’s last blog post..Balance of The Day to The KENTE : 17th Day
Gallivanter
Jan 14th, 2009
cdason – LOL. No fame man, just plain old Galli!
endroo G – No prob, I had to mention you both. To know that I had some part in it, was memorable.
Nick Phillips – Autograph? How about having a beer instead?
|1f34|-|1r3 – It’ll come.
Archie – Thanks!
charlenediane –
foongpc – No la, where got, still feels the same.
pirut – LOL! Thanks! No need to call me Sir though.
Olie
Jan 15th, 2009
Wow…. talking like a proffesional man! Congrats! Hope there are many more to come! I was just about to ask who fell in love but… nah my Q is already answered.. he,he,he..
Olie’s last blog post..Gotta Be Somebody – Nickelback
tihtahpah
Jan 15th, 2009
dah fehmes now! well, at least ‘we’ were featured too hehehehhehhehe….
Gallivanter
Jan 15th, 2009
Olie – Yeah, my fellow bloggers Endroo & Tihtahpah.
tihtahpah – Ya man, because it was memorable!
papajoneh
Jan 19th, 2009
Here also deleted? Wah la wei… LOL.
Gallivanter
Jan 19th, 2009
papajoneh – Indak bah, not deleted, but lost because I transferred my domain to an overseas server, more stable.