I'd like to think that the term "Journeylist" is unique or original but it is not, despite the fact that the word came to me while brainstorming for the name of my personal blog (yes, the one you're reading now). When the term Journeylist popped into my head a few nights ago, I ran to the computer and typed the word in the Google searchbox. Sure enough, Journeylist had already been coined way before it entered my noggin, and that there were at least two blogs using the term.

Fortunately, as in most coined words, the term Journeylist means differently to each of us who uses or wants to use it. For example, Journeylist to Blogger blogger afishcalledgoonda might simply mean an online diary she keeps as she journeys through life. That's way off from the way British blog network Orbital Media presents the term. A blog under its wings, JourneyList, is actually about travel and all things related to it.

So what does Journeylist mean to me? It's a combination of both, I would say, and a little in between. First off, I'm really a journalist, or at least I'd like to think I'm still a journalist (my byline hasn't seen the light of day since January). Here's how I usually start my application letter whenever a job opening comes up:

I started my career as a correspondent for The Manila Chronicle in 1995. After around six months to a year of rigid training under then Executive Editor Noel Cabrera (who now serves as the Philippines' ambassador to Myanmar), I was promoted to editor, handling various sections such as Science and Technology, Environment, and Agribusiness. The Chronicle closed down in 1998 due to labor problems.

After a short freelancing stint, I landed a job at media giant ABS-CBN, which was then expanding the scope of its News and Current Affairs department to include New Media, otherwise known as Internet publishing. Thus, I was tasked to head the small startup sub-department for ABS-CBN News Online.

Needless to say, my career in journalism flourished in different publications, including Manila Standard (now known as Manila Standard Today), where I headed the night operations, and The Manila Times. I also had the opportunity to publish a magazine I co-owned with some friends dubbed Barangay Pinoy, which catered to overseas Filipinos and their families.

Back to the term Journeylist ... second, I wanted to come up with a word to describe this blog. In my brief self brainstorming session, several keywords came to mind: journalist, experience, writing, travel and family, among others. The result is exactly what you see on this page right now.

Pinoy Journeylist, being a personal blog, is all about my experience as a journalist (this word keeps popping up), a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a friend, and an overall nice guy (yeah, right). Under Experience As A Journalist, I'll probably write about the publishing industry, famous people I've met, writing and editing for publications, and my conversion from a number-cruncher (I took up Accountancy and Mathematics in college) into a lover of the written word. Under Experience As A Husband ... well, you probably get the picture.

There's so much topics to write about that if I don't start now I'll probably run out of time. So let me cut off this conversation and ask you to stick around for many things to come.

Main image taken by Joel using a Samsung D-500 cellular phone.