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The sands of time flows by so fast. It has been a year and I did not even notice. A very productive year and made us see life in a different way. Looking at the world in a special kind of way and more dreams are born each passing day. Let me share with you today my journey from the past year here in the community. People that I met, new friends, bumps on the road, angels among us and stories of success in some kind of way.

Year One of Watersnake101

I started out being fascinated with cryptocurrency since ever since bitcoin exploded. I always kept thinking what if I bought a couple back in 2010. I have already heard about it back then in 2010 and didn't pay much attention. I was busy playing games and running our small video store. Who would have known and no use kicking yourself for it. Since the explosion I kept my eye out for in the crypto world. Although I could not gamble any money to it. Being a dad with two kids makes us very cautious on our spending. Every little bit of money was budgeted just to get by. Then I found about dogecoin thru reddit which pretty much is social media where you get tips. To the moon! Throwing away tips here and there and mined a little got me around 50,000 dogecoins. Some I converted over to GNT and still have around 6,000 dogecoins left. But it didn't really actually took us to the moon. I was looking for something else. I searched one day for the top popular cryptocurrency and stumbled on Steem. I took time to find out what it was. To my surprise it was a blogging site and in return you get rewarded with Steem. Immediately I signed up with my wife. We waited for days and no email confirmation. I researched and found out that it may take a week or more before you get an email. After a week we finally got our confirmation and immediately signed in our accounts. From there I didn't know where to start, what to write, how to get noticed and what to share. My first post is not worth showing which consists of one photo and tagged under funny. Earned $.02 with three comments I said to myself "I need to do better than that." Then I shared one of our past trips with a couple of photos and not much writing effort. From that post I earned $0.00 which didn't get me frustrated..... maybe just a little bit. I decided to do my introductory post with no photo with the date of confirmation with just three photos and not much effort I got $0.12 but the welcome was warm. I felt truly welcome as people were commenting on my post. I felt like it was the start of something big and realized that you need to interact with the people in the community.

Introduction to a mysterious and beautiful journey

I planned my next post and thought what is it that I really love. Movies, movies movies since we ran a small video store it is something that I love and would be great to share. I started the episode which is a review of an anime movie. Watersnake101 pop corn munching time ep. 1 - 'The Red Turtle' I got $.15 from it and with more comments which got me excited. I kept on doing movie reviews and during that time I also joined minnowsupport thru discord which got me an upvote of $0.65 on my posts and also I noticed that @adsactly was maybe a part of the trail that time. This was a break thru I felt I was on my way. Aside from that I learned about bid bots and the first ones I used was bellyrub, minnowbooster, booster and randowhale. I never use bid bots anymore and nothing against it. I just want to see if people really like my post and if there are no upvotes it's fine with me. It just tells me that I need to work a little harder. With earnings of around $1-2 I was enjoying myself and felt that this is the road to success. At that time the SBD and Steem power rewards was split in the middle. Didn't care much about the steempower but now we all know that during that time was the best time to pump up which I didn't do. Months passed kept posting random photos, music videos and quit doing the movies reviews. I wanted something else as I did not feel fulfilled in what I was doing, seeing post reaching up to hundreds of dollars. I kept thinking how in the world did they get so much value on their posts. Maybe I should join challenges and contests. I revived my college passion in photography but with only a point and shoot camera. I said to myself I'll just try to find a good angle and let's see what happens. A new drive fueled me armed with the point and shoot camera we went out and took as much photos as I can and just share them.

Color Challenge Tuesday Orange - Slowly Drifting Away

Time came when we got a little money and asked my wife if we could invest on a mirrorless camera. She knew my passion and said yes. I searched for the best budget entry level camera that fits our budget and went for the Panasonic Lumix GX85. I was like a kid with a new toy and the moment we got home we immediately went out and and tooks some photos. The angel is one of the first photos that I took and felt I needed to shoot more to get more practice. One of my best buddies @melinda010100 was already leaving me some comments during this time. A great person with a heart of a whale she is one of the gems here at Steemit. Is always there for us and will always be a part of our family here. Hope one day we could see her in person. It's not just about blogs it is also about connecting with people which makes this platform great.

Fallen Angel - MyPictureDay Submission

I met @ace108 with his weekly challenge #beautifulsunday which is a charm for me. Until now since 10 months ago I never skipped an entry. An awesome guy and I thank you @ace108 for your undying support. The post below is the first real trip that we had with the purpose of creating a post for steemit. Armed with my camera I tried my best to document the whole trip. After a few hours from posting and I usually check for comments. I noticed that the value was $33.64 and I could not believe my eyes. I checked and saw @curie at the very top. I didn't know who he was so I checked curie's page and found out about the curation team. My morale was boosted and I felt I really did something worth the attention. They are really doing something good for the community and would give you a surprise if you just never give up and try hard enough. I hope you could add @curie as witness to your list. Also join in the challenge for #beautifulsunday.

Into the Mouth of a Volcano - Beautiful Sunday

Days passed we now often go out and plan ahead what to cover for my post. One of the passion that grew is my love for church architecture and art. This is the first church we visited for the purpose of taking photos. It took me maybe an hour or two before we wrapped it up. This post and cover photo is something I would never forget. I did some effort to create the post and also did a little research about the church. My way of thinking changed after this post and that is to love what you are doing win or lose. Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy! and love every moment in creating your content don't think about the payout.

Take Me to Church "St. Mary Magdalene Church"

Night outs with the family also gave me a chance to snap some photos for a content. Like hitting two birds in one stone which is spending time with the family while creating some contents for a blog. Be careful though as sometimes you might get too involved with your photos and forget that it is family time. Keep things in balance in that way everyone is happy.

Amusement Park By The Bay

Now this is one of the most important changes that happened this year for me. Bonding time with my daughter, getting practice with portrait photography and having fun with my daughter at the same time. This post was the start of our @bearkid series which is a photo shoot with my daughter. Telling stories which are sometime out of the ordinary. Usually every Friday and now on Ep.27 we had to take a break as she is getting more busy at school these days. But we will soon resume again once she gets more free time again from the exams and projects. On this post I met @surpassinggoogle who at first did not have any idea who he was. As I read further I found out that his name has been going around. Everytime he makes a post, Steemians rally to his call. A guide, a mentor, your biggest fan, a motivation, promotes growth in the community, a selfless whale, generous, makes the untalented shine and I could go on and on. He is one of the reasons why I kept going. It does not matter to him whether you are talented or untalented. I have seen him take notice even the spammers. Turning around a spammer into someone who creates content and active in the community. He is human and sees thru each person behind an account. He launched #ulog where you are the celebrity and please take time to have a look. He is one of the most visible and influential figures here in Steemit and forever would be grateful. Please vote for his witness @steemgigs for me he well deserves it.

The Magical Unicorn

Months passed and I was addicted. Posting everyday no matter what the payout was. I was caught in a different world and I would consider a secret world where not a lot of people knows about yet. I invited my close friends from the office to join in as I wanted them to feel what I was experiencing. It was a bit difficult to convince some of them as they kept asking where the money was coming from. I kept telling them that it is not easy in fact it is really hard starting from a minnow. Well that is the truth it is no overnight success but it takes hard work and devotion creating content. As for me it took me around 3 hours and up to sometimes the whole day. Sorting photos, researching, going out, thinking of stories and ideas. There are times you need to be a little bit crazy and be weird to get out what you want to express. Then came the time with the great pump of the value of SBD. At first we were happy that the value is around the ratio of 1 SBD to 1 USD. We would never forget that morning on the kitchen table when my wife told me that the value rose up to $3 and wanted to cash out right away. I told her just to leave it as it is for now then thru the day it dramatically rose up to 7, 10,11 and 13 USD. That was the time we decided to cash out and enjoy what we worked hard for. What we bought a new refrigerator that was long overdue. I you would have a look at my post below you would see the old refrigerator that we had which is embarrassing. But money is hard raising a family the salary is just enough for food and utilities. Steemit made life a little bit easier to bear for a lot of people. A refrigerator may not be a big thing for a lot of people but to us it was a blessing. Something I could not imagine is possible by doing the thing that I love photography and blogging.

Achievement Unlocked Bought New Refrigerator with SBD

Life during that time was full of hope. With the earnings that we were getting I felt that if things go well I could quit my job and just focus on Steemit. Doing something that I really love doing, working yet you would not feel that you are working. You know what I mean. So many ideas ran thru my mind like traveling around places funded with the earnings. That would be the perfect life for us, enjoying while creating content. With some of the SBD I bought my daughter a bear sweater that she always wanted to have. We decided to have a little fun with a photo shoot. We went to the park and on the way also brought some snacks to have a little picnic. As I took photos some scenes and a story was formed in my head. We we got home I gave life to the character of @bearkid playful, mischievous and loves to have fun and eat. The next day changed the ball game and boosted our morale to the moon. It was 10 am and the moment I checked my post for comments. I noticed something weird about the value of the post. I double checked thinking I was on the wrong page. It took me a couple more seconds to realize that it was mine. My Bear Kid Series was submitted to @curie by @misterakpan and from his post Curator Remark Anthology I felt I was on cloud nine while reading the remarks. Of all the bearkid episodes this photo always brings a smile to my face. A reminder how life can be fun an escape from reality in which dreams are made of a bear, muffins and a fun day at the park. Hope you could have a look if you have the time The Bearkid Series Story.

Bear Kid Series Ep. 7 - Meet Bear Kid

Engaging with the community is also a very important factor for growth. Here I met Steemians in our country just by reaching out thru discord in the @steemph group. I met @steemitph a community leader and his wife @dandalion who is now a curator of @bayanihan. This couple is amazing how they went around all over the country promoting steemit with a core team to sponsor the meetups. All I needed to do was to get people to attend and find a venue. I was very willing and gave them daily updates in regards to attendees and the venue. It was a great experience to meet other steemians an get others to join in as well. We were suppose to create a group in our area under the umbrella of @steemph but to think of it is a serious task. Although I wanted to help be a part of the core to lead our area it was very hard to get people get involved. Well for now let's park it and who knows when I have more time we will still push it thru. Thanks Red and Dandalion for being an inspiration to the community hope one day we'll have a meetup again. Talking about bayanihan earlier which is a local curation team that promotes unity in our country. They helped me grow and in my earlier months I received much support from them. I used to wait every night for their upvote which never ceased to amaze me back then. A curation team that will always have a space in my heart. Until today they help other steemians grow in the community. Much love to the team.

Meetup Caravan Experience

Travel was part of our agenda and some of our earning we used to fund our travels. It was an unbelievable experience. Having a budget to take the family out on trips without touching my salary. I could live this life and share more and more. But all things comes to an end. The value dropped and dropped and some of my post didn't earn much anymore. Somehow the attention and upvotes disappeared. Sometimes with earnings that was the same when I first started. I got frustrated and a bit depressed hoping that I was on my way to a good life. Good thing I did not quit my job. My wife told me "We did not have this before and life went on. From the start you only wanted to take photos and write. Just keep on doing it and enjoy." These words woke me up and realized that from the first place I just need to love what I'm doing and don't expect anything. Rewards comes if they come and so I kept going not missing a day just sharing what I love.

Hauntingly Beautiful

One of the best gifts we received is a Valentine's dinner from our earnings. It has been a while since I took my wife on a dinner date. This is one of the memorable moments during February. A romantic date sponsored by Steemit.

A Night of Romance Powered by Steem

Yes I do cook and some of you might know. This is also the time I met @jaynie when I joined in her challenge. In the process I also found a family @steemitbloggers. Here the family gets you to get more involved and engage with the members. Meeting new awesome people and seeing other great content creators and photographers. Being in a group community is also important for growth as the saying goes "No man is an island." Families are there for help and support but of course you should give your share in return. Thanks @jaynie for taking me in much love. Another family that I belong to is called the @thesteemengine they took me in months ago when it was still called the Unmentionables. A lot of great people also in this community which makes you realize that the world is filled with very talented people. Just give your best and they would always be there to support you. @ethandsmith hope I could join Talk of the Line one of these days. All aboard and Steem on! I am also a part of @qurator where I got invited by @ewkaw who loves food, plants and an awesome photographer. Being a part of a community is important find your own group where you would feel at home. Meet new friends and support one another.

Gift From the Sea "Stir Fried Sea Mussels"

Art has also caught my fascination that before I never had interest in. Look around you maybe you have a passion that you never knew you had. For me there is still a lot I don't know about when it comes to art but everyday is an opportunity to learn something new.

Art of Religion

One of my latest posts during our trip last Sunday. These past few weeks I have slowed down in my post. The usual everday post has now become every other day. I realized that if you really want to have good output you should take time once in awhile. Don't rush things just to make a post. Think, plan, take time and you could bring out the best in you. No assurance of big upvotes but always remember just enjoy what you are doing. Share experiences about life and everything under the sun. Also I just recently learned about word press and #steempress. Having my own blog page outside but still connected to the blockchain is something new. I always wanted to have my own page. Hopefully gain exposure outside as well.

Waterfall Buffet

I guess that's it a summary of my life here at Steemit. Now still a minnow and not much SP yet but I'm still here. Compared to others that joined the same month as I did. Some have grown dramatically and others have grown into dolphins now. We all want to get there one day. What I always say "Never give up, be persistent and be a little crazy at times." We all have different roads in life to success you just need to find your niche. What works for you and try to improve yourself. I cannot say that I am successful here yet but what I am sure of I have become successful in looking at life in a different way. Successful in discovering things that I love doing. Thanks for joining me today in my story. I hope I got to read thru it all as so far this is the longest post I have ever written. Keep on Steemin! -Ryan Just a mention those who is always there to support me in my posts. From the bottom of my heart and soul I cannot thank you enough. @majes.tytyty @purepinay @melinda010100 @borrowedearth @xsasj @jezmacher Curation teams @c-squared @onerace @curie @bayanihan To all others you know who you are much love to you.

Follow @surpassinggoogle to witness an extraordinary person in this platform and vote for @steemgigs as witness

Discovering exceptional content in the community follow @curie and vote as witness To have a glimpse of awesome content from the Philippines check out @bayanihan

All photos are original and taken with

Lumix GX85 Sigma 50mm 1.4 and 12-32 mm

Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://watersnake101.vornix.blog/2018/07/10/year-one-of-watersnake101/