Dina Daily

My Biggest Challenges as a Blogger

Posted on 310631 Wed+00:002020-03-11T05:47:06+00:00+00:0003b+00:00Wed, 11 Mar 2020 05:47:06 +0000 2017314831 Wed+00:002020-03-11T05:47:48+00:00+00:0003b+00:00Wed, 11 Mar 2020 05:47:48 +0000 2017 by DinaDaily

Hey guys! It’s been a while but I hope you enjoyed my last blog post. If you haven’t read it, go check out 5 Things I do in Korea that I Wouldn’t in London.

Today I come to you with a blog post that is kind of hard for me to write! I find that it’s easy for people to talk about the things they are good at, but it’s a bit harder to admit things that you find challenging or that you are not good at.
Since my school has closed for the 3rd week because of the Coronavirus outbreak in Korea, I have a lot more free time than I would normally. So, I should blog right?!

Let’s begin! Here are my biggest challenges as a blogger.

Finding Time to Blog

As most of you know, I am currently an English teacher in Korea. I’ve been here for 6 consecutive years, 3 of those years I’ve been at my current academy. Since I have been here for so long, I’ve been offered several promotions by my boss. I have accepted all of them as I want a pay rise, and I like having more responsibilities.
While this is good for my current career, it means that I keep putting off my dreams of becoming a journalist or blogger.
It has also left me with a super busy schedule, where I do a lot of overtime. So, I find it very hard to fit in time to blog with my work schedule, social schedule, spending time with Aurora, and sleeping!

What I am going to do to overcome this:
Since I have a very good relationship with my boss, and she considers me as her business partner more than her employee, I don’t usually ask for overtime pay. So, I am going to try to cut down the amount of overtime I do to put my hobby and life goals first.

Coming up With Blog Posts

A few years ago, I used to post about my dating life in Korea. It was so popular and very easy to write as I would just write a blog post after each date! At that time, I was in a job which wasn’t as busy as my current job, so I had a lot of time to date. However, I felt kind of bad for writing about these guys because they had no idea that things that happened on our dates were published online (not that we did anything inappropriate). I also had really bad luck with the guys I wrote about (maybe they found my blog), so I decided to stop, even though there was high demand for new content!
After that, I have had a few ideas like sharing information about myself, reviews and suggestions, and other posts that are often covered in the blogging world. While this went well when I had more time, I have hit a writer’s block!
I know that there’s a lot of “blog post ideas” that I could find and follow, but I want to be a bit more original. I want to write things that you guys would find interesting!

What I am doing to get over it:
I am using the “blog post ideas” that I can find online… haha I know I just said I didn’t want to, but until I pass this writers block, I think it’s what I need to do. It would still be interesting to you guys if the content I give is good, right?!

Finding a Theme I Feel Confident Using

When I was younger, I was really tech savvy and I even knew html codes, but when you don’t use something, it is very easy to forget it. So, my blog looks so basic and I don’t feel confident with using themes. I also feel like my lack of skill has made your view of my website boring and a bit hard to navigate.

What I am doing to get over it:
This feels like a challenge that I can take control of and take action with immediately, so I have a lot of solutions!
I have watched tutorials and reading instructional blogs about how to use certain themes and how to customize my website better. I am also trying to relearn html codes. Although it’s not necessary, I feel like it would make me feel more confident. On top of all of that I am experimenting and using trail and error with one of my inactive blogs.

Making Money From My Blog

This is a given challenge because of the previous 3 challenges!
Obviously if I work harder on my blog, I could make money from it. I just need to make better content and work on advertisements and monetizing my content.

What I am doing to get over it:
I am trying to blog more, look more professional, invest more time and effort, and be continuous. As well as all of that, I am researching into partnerships, advertisement, and monetizing.

Well, there you have it! Those are my biggest challenges as a blogger.
If you have any tips on how I can get over any of them, please let me know! I need all the help I can get!
If you are a blogger, please write a blog post about your biggest challenges and leave the link in the comments below. Or, let me know if your challenges are the same as mine, I am curious about your challenges and solutions!

Beauty, Korea, Uncategorized

5 Things I do in Korea that I Wouldn’t in London

Posted on 314429 Sun+00:002020-02-09T12:44:44+00:00+00:0002b+00:00Sun, 09 Feb 2020 12:44:44 +0000 2017315331 Thu+00:002020-03-19T02:47:53+00:00+00:0003b+00:00Thu, 19 Mar 2020 02:47:53 +0000 2017 by DinaDaily

I’ve been thinking about the differences in my life since I moved to Korea. Mainly I have been reflecting on how my daily life has changed and the things that I do regularly here that I wouldn’t have done back home. Obviously living in a different country is bound to change you a bit, but I didn’t realize that the things I do often in Korea are things I would never do back home!
So here are the 5 things I do in Korea that I wouldn’t do in London.

1. Get my nails done on a regular bases

I’ve always been a fan of doing my nails, but when I was back home I would do them myself. My lovely sister had purchased a gel nail kit and so I had long lasting nail varnish at no cost! When I moved to Korea, I couldn’t bring her kit with me, and I am too lazy to buy my own! So, I never used to do my nails, they became weak and they looked so ugly. After about two years of being here, I decided to get my nails done, and I have not looked back ever since! I found a nail artist who does my nails perfectly everytime, so I go there monthly to get my nails done… I know, that’s often! But my nails have become stronger and I am definetly addicted to getting my nails done.

2. Hair treatment and perm

I have extremely frizzy and curly natural hair and because I don’t know how to manage my hair when it’s curly, I have been straightening it (with my trusty GHDs) since I was in secondary school. However, straightening it every day for over 10 years has led to a lot of damage and my hair not growing past the top of my shoulders. So after about 2 years of living in Korea, someone recommended that I get a straight perm instead of damaging my hair with heat. Usually, I am against chemical treatments, but Korean summers are so humid!!!! Humidity and curly hair are not friends. So I gave it a try. Now I can’t stop getting it done.
Reason why I do it: My hair has gotten longer, mornings are easier, it’s reasonably priced.
Reasons why I wouldn’t do it in London:
Again, it’s expensive. Also, I have had really bad luck with hair dressers in London. I haven’t found someone who knows how to do my hair well.

If you guys are interested in straight perm and my experience with it, let me know in the comments!

3. Taking taxis

This is one that I wish I didn’t do. However, I live in a new city and the transport connection to other cities is not very good.
Reasons why I do it:
While there is a way to get places without taking a taxi, it takes twice as long and multiple forms of transport. Also, although taxi fees have gone up since I first came to Korea, taxi’s are relatively cheap, especially if you are traveling with a friend.
Reasons why I wouldn’t in London:
Transport for London (TFL) is amazing! The only time I have used a taxi in London was when I had multiple pieces of luggage and wasn’t able to walk from the bus stop to my house!

4. Eating out on a regular basis

My favourite food in Korea, beef intestines (겁창)!

Now, I have cut down on this one as I am trying to lose weight, but before this year I did it often. Eating out or ordering in is so easy and affordable in Korea. The biggest problem I have with Korea is how expensive produce is. Any fresh food costs way more than it should.
Reasons why I do it:
I can eat delicious foods like 겁창 and other Korean foods easily. Eating out is usually cheaper than buying food and making it at home.
Reasons why I wouldn’t do it in London:
I lived at home with my family, so if my mum didn’t cook, my grandma would have cooked something. Also, vegetables are way cheaper in London than in Korea.

5. PC room

I am currently in one, and most of the blog posts I have done in Korea have been produced in a PC room. In the first 4 years that I lived in Korea, I never went to a PC room. I guess in England they call them internet cafes, but reagardless, I had never been to one before. A few years ago, my best friend started gaming and so I thought I should go with him to see what the hype was about, I am glad I came!
Reasons why I do it:
Comfortable seats, big screens, nice keyboards (I love the sound of typing), snacks, drinks, good quality headphones, my laptop died, R.I.P. my baby!
Reasons why I wouldn’t in London:
Internet cafes in London look a bit run down, my laptop was still alive (R.I.P. my baby).

So there you have it! 5 things I do in Korea that I would never do in London.
If you are reading this post in Korea, is there something you do here that you would never do back home?
Also, if you are reading from your home country, what do you think about the things I do here that I wouldn’t do back home? Do you do some of them in your home country/city?

Let me know in the comments below!

lists, Uncategorized

10 things you probably didn’t know about me.

Posted on 315831 Tue+00:002018-08-28T13:47:58+00:00+00:0008b+00:00Tue, 28 Aug 2018 13:47:58 +0000 2017 by DinaDaily

Hey guys!
I think my readers are getting bored of my list posts. So, after this one I will take a bit of a break and think of a new way to keep you all interested!
UPDATE.
I thought I uploaded this before I took my break, but I didn’t. Sorry!

To the people who have been reading my blog lately, thank you so much! I don’t have that many visitors to my blog, so when I see you guys visiting, it makes me really happy! Thank you!

It’s kind of hard for me to make this list, because most of my readers are people that already know me. So, if you already knew some of these things, tell me how you came to know that about me.

Here goes! 10 things you probably didn’t know about me!

I am also a dog person.

Many of my friends are dog people. For some reason, most dog people think that you have to like either cats or dogs, and there is no way that you could like them equally. This is so wrong! So, whenever dog people ask me why I don’t like dogs, I get super offended. I love dogs just as much as I like cats!
I have a really short temper.

Only my family know about this. I have such a short temper. The reason why this is not known to most of my friends (and all of my readers) is because I have learnt to control my anger in front of people I am not 100% comfortable with. This leads to me bottling up my anger and exploding when I am around my family members. (Personal note to Brendan if he ever reads my blog) This is how I knew that I considered you to be part of my family, as apposed to just a friend. Feel the love every time I lose my cool at or around you.
I wear most of my emotions on my face.

I guess you could just say that I am not good at hiding my feelings (except anger). When I am happy I look happy. When I am focusing, I look angry/determined. When I am sad I cry or look like I am about to cry. When I am stressed, I look like I haven’t slept for hours. If you want to know how I am, just look at my face.
(Although this isn’t an emotion, when I am sick, I actually look better than when I am not sick! But it’s because I take extra time to do my make-up!)
I am obsessed with true crimes.

I’m not sure when this obsession started… but I remember watching ’48 Hours’ with my mum when I was at university or just after I finished uni. In my free time, I used to blog and watch movies. Now I watch true crime documentaries. Actually, most of the times, when I am blogging, I have my screen split. Half documentary and half blog. Do you think watching true crime documentaries can help me in my dreams of becoming an investigative journalist?!
I got full marks for my dissertation.

When I was in my finally year of university, it took me what felt like ages to decide on a topic for my dissertation. I finally decided on a topic which has not been explored before. So I had to do research in 3 different, but very specific fields, then apply it to my own research and ideas. It was so stressful. I was also heavily over the word limit and had to edit out information in multiple ways until I found what I thought was the best version. I spent days with my mum in the hospital, and nights with my lovely cat writing until just before the sun came up.
So, when I got my results, I almost cried with joy. All my hard work had paid off. I got 75/75. It felt amazing, but I also felt regret because if I had done a tiny bit better on one of my previous assignments, I would have graduated with a first.
I can’t drink coffee.

I think, I drank too much coffee when I was at university and when I started working in Korea. One day, I went to the hospital because my airway felt so swollen and it felt like I had something stuck in my throat. The doctor gave me a check over and told me that something was causing too much acid in my stomach and it was inflaming my throat. So I had to eliminate things from my diet. The first thing I eliminated was coffee. Instantly, my symptoms went away. I thought it would be okay for me to take a rest and go back to coffee. But now, almost every time I drink coffee, I get the same feeling back. So, when people ask me if I drink tea because I am British, yes, you are right. But I also only drink tea when I go to coffee shops, because I will get sick if I drink coffee… my beloved coffee. =(
I have abnormally small feet for my height.

I am average height. 5ft 4inches, or 164cm. But, my feet are too small considering my height. For my height I believe UK size 5 is the average size. My feet are way below average, at UK size 3… When I was slimmer, I could fit into UK size 2.5…
To my friends in Korea and my Korean friends, I know this sounds okay, but when you take into consideration that female shoe sizes start at size 3 in the UK, most places don’t stock my size in women’s. So. I end up shopping from kids sections.
In Korea, my shoe size is still considered smaller than other women. But it works in my advantage as my size is usually the one left!
I don’t know how to drive.

I’m not sure if this is still common in the UK at my age… or maybe almost everyone my age in the UK knows how to drive now. I feel kinda ashamed that I don’t have my licence, but at the same time, driving is so expensive and difficult in London. Do you guys think it’s something that I should learn to do? Even if I don’t drive when I move back to London? I am considering making that my goal for 2019…
I am following in both of my parents footprints.
I don’t talk much about my dad, because I didn’t know him, but he was a highly respected journalist in Eritrea and other parts of East Africa. I also didn’t know this until I was about 18 years old and decided to study Journalism at university.
My amazing mummy, was a nursery nurse/ teacher! The best that I know of! And I am currently teaching nursery children! Isn’t it strange that I didn’t plan to, but I am following in both of my parents footprints?
I don’t know much about my father, but I hope to become as respected as he was as a journalist.
I can’t live up to my mum because she is the greatest teacher in the world! I mean look at how great my sister and I turned out!!
I go to bed really early.

I am such an early bird. If it was possible and acceptable for an adult of my age to go to bed at 8pm, I would be in bed by 8pm. I love sleep. If I was to recommend how long to sleep for per night, I would suggest 10 to 12 hours. The best length of sleep. Actually, when I think about it a bit more, I think I just enjoy being at home and laying down. I don’t even need to be sleeping.
Is there anyone reading this blog that thinks they are lazier than me?
Let me know…
Maybe I need to keep up my hobbies more.

Thank you all for reading! If you want to see more from me, please leave me a comment with a blog suggestion!