The 9th Cake Day

Okay! Musume Time turned 9 today. It has been nine years since I started writing on this blog, yet despite the number of posts decreasing, I'm still here celebrating the life of this blog.

I have created a lot of memories here, most that are happy, weird and wonderful, and some that were stressful and a burden on my mental well-being. Regardless of the harder times though, I'm happy that this place has become a sanctuary for me in recent years. I'm happy that something I created when I was 18 has become a source of comfort for me.

It feels a little silly, celebrating the birthday of a blog and thinking of it in such an emotive way, but this platform is a big part of who I am. This is - and was - my way of keeping my love for Idols alive, sharing that same love, fuelling my desire to write, as well as a means of finding other people who loved the same groups as I do (and did). It also became a way to improve myself as a writer, vent and review, and it furthered my love of music videos and music. This blog is a big part of who I am, and 9 years since I started Okay! Musume Time I have grown alongside this blog as both a writer and an Idol fan, and you have all helped me to grow in how I think, how I see things and how I hear, too. Without everyone who commented, messaged or encouraged me, I don't think I would have improved in writing or in how I think.

I love this place and its readers with all my heart.

Last year I didn't celebrate Okay! Musume Time's 8th Cake Day. I was so caught up with this idea that I would shut it down and stop talking about Idols that I lost all sense of time. I don't believe in regrets, but I do feel sad that I didn't celebrate my blog's cake day like I usually do, which is why I wanted to do something this year, even if it was just in the form of a brief post.

Okay! Musume Time is special to me. It will always be a place of Idols and happiness, and I am proud that it has lasted this long. I think that the reason it stands at 9 years is because of the readers and my friends who encouraged me a lot, especially during the times where I thought I couldn't continue or that I was so bad at writing or talking about Idols.

I have wanted to quit many times, but there's always a pull that brings me back to Okay! Musume Time. So thank you to everyone who has read it for all these years and for those who have only recently started coming to the site. Even without words, you encourage me to keep going.

Thank you for letting Okay! Musume Time reach its 9th Cake Day. You are all wonderful.

Much Love,
Chiima / Kelly~