Got something to say? Blog it

Published Apr 9, 2011

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Wake up, stumble into the shower, drink coffee and then… blog time. That’s kinda how I roll most mornings.

And based on extensive research*, I’m not the only one.

Whether you get your celebrity gossip fix, follow the news or check up on the blog of that dude who takes a non-smiling picture of himself every single day of his life (www.everyday.noahkalina.com), you can’t deny that blogs are now part of our lives – even more so than books or magazines.

Which makes sense since there are blogs about every conceivable subject.

And with that in mind, I’ve decided to salute some of the more quirky, original and entertaining blogs out there.

I’ll focus on local sites, but every now and then I’ll highlight something a little more exotic.

I am, of course, open to your nominations ([email protected], subject line: “blog suggestion”).

This week’s SMart Blog Award for Best Blog With Random Cartoons That Aren’t Cyanide and Happiness, goes to www.juztick.blogspot.com

It’s a cartoonised version of one man’s life – or, rather, his version of random and everyday life situations all in the form of a clever little cartoon.

The blog also features the adventures of his three current roomies; Fabio, El and Juz – one of whom is a cat.

But be warned, they’re all self-confessed booze hounds and some events are based on blurry wine-and vodka-soaked memories.

What’s awesome is how distinctly South African the whole thing is, with most posts reflecting current affairs in some twisted way.

And if “current affairs” turn you off faster than Lady Gaga hatching out of an egg, then fear not, for this blog is blessed with randomness of the quirkiest kind.

Take the description on the blog’s home page: “Juz is a tick living on planet Capri. Justin is a human living in Cape Town. OMG! Juz is Justin and this is his life.”

Yes, the writer of this blog thinks he is an alien tick. A boozed-up alien tick.

I caught up with the real Justin behind the blog, and got this out of him:

In brief:“My blog is about my life, Justin, but a cartoon version thereof. If a social gathering inspires me, I tend to draw a little cartoon about it. Sometimes the situations are exaggerated, but it’s not completely fictional.”

Who’s who: I’m the only one who blogs on juztick. It’s about my life in Cape Town.

“I know there are many look-at-me-look-at-me blogs out there and I wanted to try something different.

“It can still be about me, but it needs to be entertaining enough for people to actually follow it.

“All the characters on the blog exist in real life. I draw them with a fine liner, colour them in Photoshop and they get saved in a library, so there’s always consistency.”

The story of how it started: “The blog didn’t start off as a cartoon blog. I wanted to write about things that made people tick – whether it’s their passion, their careers or what ticks them off.

“Since my name, Justin, and the blog was about “ticks”, the name Juztick originated. But it felt too boring… just another blogger rambling on about everyday life.

“I’m a copywriter by trade, and I believe in the power of words. However, the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words” is very true. I’d thought I’d give it a try and, voila.

“Without changing the URL, I turned Juz into a tick (to keep the few followers I had at the time).”

The randomest or coolest blog-related moment so far: “I had to do a search for a wine farm and my blog popped up in Google’s picture search. I felt flattered.

“I also ran a competition on my blog where followers could win a mug.

“Then I got requests from other followers all over the world asking if they could buy mugs and if I would draw them as characters on them.

“There might be a lucrative business lurking in the future, but at the moment it’s all just for fun.”

- Sunday Tribune

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