I am Tallulah

Hard to believe, but it's been six years since I began my Tabulas blog. Other blogs have been started but abandoned on the dead blog heap. Not so Tabulas. It is special.

My introduction to Tabulas was through my friend Katze, who had a colourful and interesting blog here. She assured me it was easy to do, even for me, so I gave it a go.

Besides Katze's blog, I remember one of the most moving blogs I read back then belonged to Tatsu Oyama, who called himself MacDaddy Tatsu back then. He wrote about his girlfriend, Aiko, who had just died in a car accident. His loss was so profound, and his blog so full of his anger, pain, shock, and grief. Aiko also had a blog here, and it remains today, almost as a testament to her life.

Over the ensuing years I was blessed to get to know Tatsu much better. We became friends and he even designed a blog template for me. His insights and views on life were always interesting, and his ability to clearly express himself by the written word was refreshing.

His last blog entry was about his mother, who had just been diagnosed with stomach cancer. He stopped writing after that. He is truly missed.

Other people have come into my life due to Tabulas: Roy (the creator of Tabulas never fails to amaze me with his insights, talents, and patience. He is going to accomplish grand things in his life!), HK1997 (his sense of humour always makes me smile, even when he's dissin' us Canucks); MikeyMike (such a sweet and generous soul!); Lucy (reading her blog always makes me feel like I'm right there in NYC!); Jaycylenne (her writing is fabulous and I never tire of reading her words); MayKoo (who has become such a valued friend over the years); linders1025 and Bert (these articulate siblings are so expressive in their writing, and have shared their family ups and downs through the pages of their blogs); last60pounds (Catherine's weightloss journey is truly inspiring); and Juri (she will make a huge mark in the writing world one day, partly because she writes so effortlessly, and partly because she has the ability to really "see" the world around her).

I am blessed to have gotten to know these people and they have added to the fabric of my life.

The last six years have seen ups and downs in my life, and I have used my blog to share that with my friends, or to simply have a venue through which to vent. When my mother passed away four years ago, my Tabulas friends were supportive and comforting. My Tabulas blog has been my soap box, my networking system, my confessor, and my tiny place in cyberspace. It has undergone some visual changes, but it is still the first place I choose when I want to write.

I have tried the rest, but I'll stick to the best. Happy birthday, Tabulas. Warm thanks to all those I have come to know through Tabulas, and special thanks to Roy for taking his leap of faith six years ago to create it.