Blogger Spotlight: Emelie of Emelie Empire

We are down to the final episode of this month’s Blogger Spotlight and we save the best for your guys. We met her in a recent blogger event and our first impression with her is that she is fun to be with. Little did we know, behind the “kwela” aura of this petite lady is a certified bad-ass woman techmaker.

Anyway, mga ate, mga kuya, with no further adieu, here’s the dynamic lady behind Emelie Empire, Emelie.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW YOU GOT INTO BLOGGING?

Emelie: I am Emelie Diamante Anggoy, an IT geek from Cebu, Philippines. I’ve been working in the IT industry for over five years and to give a glimpse of my credentials, here are the highlights:

1. Certified Cyber Security Sentinel that is currently working as an IT Security Analyst at ATOS. A Pats You Exceed Gold Awardee – This is a Reward and Recognition award given to employees who exceeds expectations in the workplace because of the admirable contribution to the business that is above and beyond what is expected of the job requirement. Effective work productivity, zero absenteeism and admirable sense of urgency.
2. A blogger at heart. I own Emelie Empire (www.emelieempire.com) blogsite – a collection of my travel adventures, food trips, fashion attitude, wonderful activities/events and anything within my interest.
3. One of the staff behind Google Developers Group (GDG) Cebu core team, I am a Program Manager that organizes events and activities about Google Technologies in the Visayas (both Cebu and Bohol). My team received a ground-breaking record last November 2016 when we reached a thousand participants in our latest GDG Cebu Devfest event and milestone for successfully conducting Google Campus Talk Series last year. We are aiming for more milestone this year!
4. One of the successful and lucky pioneer PN scholars that received full college scholarship and attended at University of San Carlos -Talamban Campus. I am currently the Vice-President of PN Philippines Alumni Association (PNPAA).
5. An effective IT Support and Email Deliverability Analyst at Surveysampling International for 3 years.
6. An independent woman and a dreamer.

Talking about blogging, it started when I knew that some of my friends owned their own website and wrote their own stories. I was intrigued and I wanted to do the same. As days passed, I realized that I liked it and then came to a point to focus on it.

Basically, here are my reasons now about why I blog:

To document my life
I love the idea that I have a collection of my memories in the cloud that I can browse/read when I get old. With all the wonderful things happening in my life, I’m afraid my head will be so FULL someday and might forget these.

To share and inspire
I want to help and inspire people with my experiences/thoughts through my write ups. To convey a message to everybody that words are such a powerful tool – it can numb one’s body; it can move mountains

To improve my writing skills
I didn’t love writing before because I just didn’t know how to express what I wanted to share. But, I believe practice makes perfect so I choose to write habitually which I am doing now. I am not that good as of now but I know I will get better eventually.

Part of my New Year’s Resolution is to avoid procastination as possible, so why not blog?

WHERE DID YOU GET THE IDEA OF YOUR BLOG’S NAME?

Emelie: Deciding my blog name really took a long time. I think I’ve finally picked up the name “Emelie Empire” after 6 months of thinking. I wanted my blog name to be catchy and I wanted to incorporate a little bit of myself in it. So, one day, I realized that “Emelie Empire” fits best. It has my name in it and the word “Empire” means kingdom, in other words, My Kingdom! How cool is that for a wanna-be-queen somewhere out there like me?! LOL.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BLOGGING?

Emelie: The things I love most about blogging is that I can really be myself in it 100%! I can literally express and write anything I wanted to write. Surprisely, there are friends that message and congratulate me about how they like my blog. That’s fantastic! I never expected anything like that in the beginning. It’s totally wonderful for me. My heart is dancing out of joy 🙂

Another thing is that, I gain new friends along the way. New friends, new events, new conversations, new challenges plus lots and lots of perks!

WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF YOUR BLOG AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THAT NICHE?

Emelie: Emelie Empire is a lifestyle blog that features my travel adventures, food trips, fashion attitude, wonderful activities/events and anything within my interest.  I choose this because as much as possible, I wanna record every golden experience I have in life.

NAME 5 OF YOUR FAVORITE BLOGGERS AND AND WHY

1. Kalami Cebu (www.kalamicebu.com) because this showcases variety of foods in Cebu. And you know that Food is Life, right? 😀
2. Basta Bisaya (www.bastabisaya.com) because this promotes the bisaya language and Cebu’s arts and culture. I am a proud bisaya!
3. His Hidden Letters (www.hishiddenletters.com) because the author\owner of this is one of a kind poet and photographer. I’m his big fan!
4. Its Me Caro (www.itsmecaro.com) because she’s my spirit animal when it come’s to fashion.
5. Vlogger Michelle Dy (YouTube Channel : Michelle Dy) – She’s a vlogger and I included her here because I just love her doing makeup stuff in front of camera 🙂

5 TOOLS YOU USE WITH YOUR BLOGGING

• MS Word (for my drafts)
• Online Dictionaries
• Samsung Galaxy Note5 / Iphone 5s (for the photos)
• Google Drive (for posts backup)
• Social Media Channels (for promotion)

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR BLOG POSTS?

Emelie: I love to inspire and share something to my readers. I also love the idea that I own a collection of my activities and experiences in the cloud! That’s freaking cool, isn’t it?

BESIDES BLOGGING, WHAT OTHER INTERESTS DO YOU HAVE?

Emelie: I love watching movie a lot. I just limit myself today because I need to use my time wisely other than watching movie. I also love swimming, so so much. I can stay in the water for days If I wanted to. I am an addict as well when it comes to fashion so, I like shopping if I have extra money, hehe. Lastly, I like attending in event/activites/courses may it be through  online or not and paid or free.

GIVE US 5 OF YOUR BEST BLOG POSTS

Emelie: For me, these are my 5 best post at Emelie Empire

• BLOG YOUR HEART OUT: Blogging Essentials and Tips
• 14 Sarcastic Whispers About Valentine’s Day
• My Sinulog 2017 Adventure
• Spice Up Your 2017 With These Bucketlist Items
• Romantic Whispers about being “Single”

WHAT IS BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF BEING A BLOGGER?

Emelie: TIME is the biggest challenge for me. Thanks to my to-do-list, everything seems to be in place right now. I hope it will continue to be manageable as time pass by

WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO JUST STARTED BLOGGING

Emelie: To those who just started blogging, don’t rush things. Take it slow and enjoy every moment you have. Just do what you love and write what you like to share. Inspire your readers. Don’t forget to grab every opportunity that comes your way because everything is possible! I’m a newbie myself and hesitant at some point in my life but I was able to manage the challenges. If I can do it, I know you can do it better 😉 Attend some training, do online research and participate in coaching sessions because this will help mold us to be a better blogger. And don’t forget, consistency is the key!

IN THE FUTURE WHERE DO YOU HOPE YOUR BLOG WILL TAKE YOU?

Emelie: I hope it can take me around the world for free, haha!

LASTLY, SHARE US 10 FUNNY STUFF ABOUT YOU

1. I’m super friendly inside but looks intimidating outside.
2. Internet is my life.
3. Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez are my spirit animals when it comes to music.
4. Always looking forward for improvement both personally and professionally one day at a time.
5. Single and in love with my computer/phones. It is getting pretty serious. LOL. And oh, I am busy building my empire, char eh!
6. Cold is my best friend.
7. I’ve got beautiful mess you wish to have.
8. Complicated footwear adds up style to my not-so-complicated life. Yes to anything strappy!
9. Emotional some days; emotionless some other days.
10. Torn between believing that I am nothing but an ordinary person and believing that I am everything special. Yeah, I am emo sometimes.

There you have it folks. Thank you for reading.
Stay tuned for another edition of The Blogger Spotlight.

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Be sure to follow Emelie

Blog: Emelie Empire
Affiliation: ATOS, GDG Cebu, PNPAA, Cebu Blogging Community
Facebook: /emelaidiamond / Twitter: @emelaidiamond  / Instagram: @emelieempire