The 100th Blog Post | Tic Talk Toe | Three Beautiful Years

When I had announced for ideas concerning my 100th Blog Post, a lot of you had asked me to write about my journey into Blogging. I loved the idea and tried to incorporate it in a nutshell. I hope you all like this special blog post.

My Blogging Journey

It seems just yesterday that a nervous lady who was about to turn 30 bought her domain from GoDaddy. She spent sleepless nights figuring out a quirky name for her Blog. She was herself unsure about what she could write, yet millions of ideas crowded her mind. She had to figure a hosting plan for her Blog. Widgets and Plugins were an unknown territory for her, yet she made YouTube her guide and followed it. And thus, Tic Talk Toe was born.

Little by little, I built my follower count. My page views grew, some posts did better off, some did not, but most importantly people started recognizing me for my Blog Posts and that was what mattered to me the most.

Blogging has had a positive impact on my life in a huge manner! When I got married in 2012, I had done extensive research on my Bridal Trousseau, Makeup, Photography and other ancillary things. Soon after my photographs went online, many would be brides had contacted me for inputs and I gladly helped them out as much as I could. I had thought of an idea to pen down all my wedding related contacts on a platform where it could be accessed by many others. However, out of sheer laziness the idea of writing for a Blog took a backseat. And one day out of the blue, I suddenly wanted my own Blog. I still remember the First Blog Post that was published on 3rd April’2017. I was so unsure if I should click the “Publish” button! “What if no one reads it?” I had asked to myself.

And today, when I look back, I am thankful to all my readers for supporting me and reading my posts. This community has given me more than what I had ever imagined and am so glad I decided to start my Blog. It gave ma a new identity. It gave me a space to voice out my ideas. And I really appreciate your kindness in joining my journey. I am also lucky that I rarely get rude comments/messages/emails.

To recapitulate my Blogging Journey in the last 3 years, I would love to share my Top 5 posts (based on my page views statistics by Wordpess) as well as my personal favourite. Not just that, there will be 5 random facts about me as well. Ready for the surprise?

TOP 5 MOST POPULAR POSTS (BASED ON PAGE VIEWS BY WORDPRESS)

• Nykaa Matte To Last Liquid Lipstick | Product Review | Chai Swatch | Brown Skin | Dusky Skin
• Nykaa Matte To Last Liquid Lipstick | Product Review | Madras Kaapi Swatch | Brown Skin | Dusky Skin
• Seven Essentials of a Bengali Wedding
• Bengali Bridal Jewellery – Part One (Maang-tika/Matha-patti/Tikli/Tiara)
• Maybelline New York SuperStay Matte Ink | Liquid Lipstick | Review | Swatch Post | Dusky Skin | Founder, Seeker, Transformer, Voyager

I was secretly hoping one of my travel posts or recipe posts would have garnered the same amount of views, but sadly they do not even feature in the Top Ten views!

MY PERSONAL TOP 5 FAVORITE POSTS 

• MatrikaS – The Creative Woman’s Journal #ProductReview (Because this Blog Post was a part of a Product Review Campaign that the brand was running immediately after I had started my Blog. I went on to review their Woman’s Journal and even won one of their prizes for the review, which was a Flipkart Voucher worth Rs.1,000/-. It gave me a lot of confidence since I had just started off with my Blog and there were several bloggers reviewing the same product. I shall be forever indebted to the brand for recognising my work).

• Trapped in the Snow | The longest night of my life | Travel with TicTalkToe | Chalo Lets Go | Ravangla, Sikkim

(A spine chilling experience of how we were trapped in the Snow for over 16 hours in Sikkim, the post gives me goosebumps every time I read it. Am glad that I am alive to recount the tale).

• 15 MAC Lipsticks for Indian Skin | My MAC Lipstick Collection + Swatches + Review | Dusky Skin | Favourite MAC Lipsticks |

(Till date MAC Lipstick remains one of my special prized possessions.  I spent a lot of time and effort swatching the lipsticks in one go for this post. My lips literally got bruised during this session, but yes, work comes first!)

• Managing Without A Maid in India | Quick Cleaning Ideas

(This was one of my first home related posts for my blog, and today as I look back, this post seems so apt in the present day scenario when we have to manage without a house help).

• Galawati Kebab | Galawat Kabab | Tundey Kabab | Cook Na Kaho | Mouthwatering Kebabs

(The first time I tried my hand at this recipe, I was bowled over by my own culinary skills. Later, when I visited Lucknow and tasted the famous Tundey, I couldn’t tell the difference from the ones I make. This had to go up on my Blog so that more and more people can have access to this recipe).

To finish this special Blog Post, I would love to share 5 random things that you may not know about me after 100 posts

• I was born in Orissa, and spent a good ten years of my life in Berhampur and Cuttack. Infact, I still hold fond memories from Orissa, and can even speak and understand Oriya.
• Upto the age of three, I did not have a “bhalo naam” and was always referred to by my “daak naam“. My father then went on to name me Sanandita (which is an uncommon name). 
• Law happened to me by chance. I always wanted to do Journalism and be a News Reader/Radio Jockey. Media and screen always fascinated me.
• 2012 will always be special to me. I graduated from a Law School, got my first job and got married in the same year.
• I was NEVER into makeup during my college days (Believe it or not!). I would cringe at my bestie for applying purple and green nail paint, and never knew any shade beyond red/maroon/pink for the nails and lips. I got married with only 2 Lipsticks in my stash. Now when I think of it, I really have come a long way.

One Bonus Fact (I get a lot of queries where my readers ask me this)

• I do not earn anything out of my blog. Rather, I do spend quite a hefty amount for the domain and hosting renewal, and I am okay with it. TicTalkToe has been a passion for me, and I do not foresee getting into full time blogging or commercializing TicTalkToe anytime soon.

One message that I have for all aspiring Bloggers: Don’t be afraid to pour your heart out on a Blog. Don’t be afraid, thinking that no one will read your Blog. When I had started out, I had thought to myself “Even if I have one reader for my Blog, I shall continue Blogging for the sake of that One Reader“. Soon one turned into two, and two turned into thousands! I had never thought I would write on Menstrual Cups, or even use one! Now that I have, I have so many women reaching out to me to guide them with Menstrual Cups. So in a nutshell, “Never say NEVER“. Trust me, it is better to start and fail than to live a life full of regrets! 

So that was all about my blogging journey and myself for this Post. Would love to hear from you. Have a blog? Post a link in the comments below so that I can check it out! I love reading other blogs.

Love, S.