In honor of my 2nd year anniversary, I’ll share with you my responses to common questions that I receive from readers. Feel free to ask me other questions. I will be adding to this list.

How did you get the nickname “Yaa Yaa?”

My father is Ghanaian. In Ghana, babies are named for the day of the week s/he were born. Girls born on Thursdays are called “Yaa.” Yaa Yaa is what my family and close friends call me, as a term of endearment.

Why did you start this blog?

Writing is my therapy. I have been writing stories, poems, stories, and chronicling my life events and thoughts in a journal since I was 8 years old. I tend to be pretty honest in my writing so I used to keep my writing to myself. I didn’t want people to know me up close and personal. I’ve been told by many people that I am a gifted writer, so I thought why not share it with the world? For the past 7 years, I struggled with my decision to start a blog or not. Then, in August 2011, I thought to myself, “What the heck? I’m not working. Might as well throw caution to the wind and give this thing a try.” The rest is history.

I believe that everyone is talented in some way. It is our duty to share whatever gifts that have been deposited within us to the world. So here’s my gift. I hope you like it.

Did the stories you tell all occur in real life?

Yes. It is very important to me that I protect the people that I am writing about. I am not here to put anyone on blast. For those reasons, I may alter details in order to protect identities. But overall, I’m not that creative. These stories are true!

How did you come up with the name for the blog “Scribbles & Tostitos?”

The title of this blog is inspired by my writing regimen. Ideas about blog posts, funny insights and comments pop up in my mind at the most inopportune times, like when I’m taking a shower, driving my car, exercising, sitting in church, movie theatre, or my niece and nephew’s shool plays, attending a concert, or lying in bed. I can’t afford to let these ideas vanish, so I will usually scribble my idea on a sheet of paper, my notepad feature on my phone, or in an e-mail to myself. Later, I’ll add to the idea while sitting in front my computer munching on a bag of Tostitos.

What is your favorite post?

My favorite post is Power of A Women’s Intuition. That story, to me, is powerful. Women are so awesome, yet we don’t often realize our worth.

What is the take home message for S&T?

Self-love is a journey that we should all take. Embrace YOU – your flaws, your strengths, your experiences. Own them and let them make you BETTER than where you are now.

What is your writing routine?

An idea for a post typically comes to me when I least expect it. Ideas happen while I’m driving, showering, sleeping, listening to a sermon at church, or enjoying one of my niece/nephews school play. I’ll capture the idea in the notes application on my iPhone and add to it gradually throughout the day. When I have time, I will create an entire post from just a few words written in my iPhone.

Life’s fun and not-so-fun situations are my greatest inspirations. Living life to the fullest always gives me something to write about.

You refer to some of the men you write about in your blog as ‘boys.’ Is that intentional?

No, it is not intentional. I call them ‘boys’ simply because  it sounds better than ‘men’ or ‘guys.’

Do the people that you write about know that you are writing about them?

Yes, they do. If s/he is currently in my life, then I will run the blog idea by them before hitting the publish button. I have some supportive people in my life, so my posts does not bother them. In fact, many of them find it amusing that they made a ‘cameo’ appearance on my blog.

What blogs do you follow?

My top favorite blogs are Thought Catalog, Until I Get Married, A Belle In Brooklyn, and Cracked.

What have you learned from blogging?

What I write and what people read are two entirely different things!

When I published Why I Want A Wedding Not A Marriage, some people thought I was serious. They thought I really wanted to plan a wedding without exchanging vows! I am a very sarcastic person; I use my humor to convey a message. Despite the fact that my sarcasm is a crucial part in many posts, people continue to gather their own interpretations.

Initially, this used to frustrate me. Now, I embrace the various interpretations people gather from my posts. They teach me something new all the time.

Why did you take a hiatus from your blog? Why did it last so long?

February 2013 brought a substantial change in my schedule, which left me with little time to write a blog posts. Other personal things occurred between March and July that also influenced my motivation to write. I even contemplated deleting the blog altogether, but I ultimately decided against it.

All in all, I am glad to be back!