Captivated by Colombia's magical (sur)realism

@wwaycorrigan

[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click here.]

'So, what do you do?'

It is one of the most popular break-the-ice questions adults get asked. We tend to be, after all, defined by our careers. And for many people, replying to such an enquiry is fairly straightforward. Others, myself included, find it more difficult, nay uncomfortable, to answer.

Colombia: Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

I do, of course, do various things, but the often unstated ending part to the what-do-you-do question is 'to make a living'. In other words, what is it you do that provides you with an income, allowing you to socialise and travel and whatnot? These days, the most accurate, succinct retort I can give is, somewhat shamefully, 'practically nothing'. Or, somewhat more positively, if misleading, 'I'm in early retirement.'

All an act

This is not to say that I haven't earned money from services rendered of late, yet the truth is that the amount in question, specifically over the last two years, is barely worth mentioning. The bulk of the paid work during that period came from acting projects, but I certainly can't call myself an actor.

Well, I can call myself an actor — I have acted, for payment, in multiple productions, after all — but to say that acting is what I do, that it's my career, would be a bit disingenuous.

Calling myself an actor would be like a guy who plays five-a-side football with his mates a few times a year calling himself a footballer.

Now, I may have thespian talent — I guess the audience, viewers and, more importantly, casting directors, production companies, and critics would be the judge of that — but I'm not exactly going out of my way to look for the leading role.

'I calculate that I may, with some luck along the way, reach the Google AdSense payment threshold of 70 euros by the year 2036.'

My acting career, if you allow me to call it thus for the moment, has been less active and more passive. I've been very much following the don't-call-us-we'll-call-you approach. I'm not too sure who I should call, in any case, in a bid to advance. Hollywood, you know where to find me.

Blogging, writing if you will, is another one of my pursuits that technically has been earning me money, and on a more regular basis than acting. However, I calculate that I may, with some luck along the way, reach the Google AdSense payment threshold of 70 euros by the year 2036. That's if the payment threshold doesn't increase. Exciting, if nervous, times ahead.

Much ado about doing nothing

So, effectively, I haven't really done much to earn money throughout these past two years. What I have been doing is keeping my costs down, largely thanks to house-sitting for a good portion of 2025 and a small part of 2024; rent, after all, is usually my biggest monthly expense. I've also been practising fairly minimalist living, something that I've become pretty adept at during my time in Colombia.

I do have savings, too, steadily decreasing as they are, yet enough, in a Colombian-peso context, where I don't have to go smashing that glass that should only be broken during an emergency. I haven't yet been forced to accept any old type of gainful employment merely to make ends meet. I still have some wriggle room.

It's this avoidance of the rat race, of being compelled to march full-time to somebody else's beat, that's one of the main reasons keeping me in Colombia.

I've been able to live a more independent life here compared to what I most likely would have to live in a high-income nation. Indeed, at times it feels a little surreal, although this isn't always in a positive sense. Nonetheless, as much as I am concerned about my future, I can't say it unduly stresses me out. But maybe I'm being a bit too sanguine about my current lot.

After all, this independence, my minimalist version of it anyway, does come at a price, as I explained on these pages back in 2021.

And to state what should be obvious, my present approach is unsustainable. I can't continue to spend more than I earn, unless I die inside a couple of years or so. Or win the lottery that I never play.

So, what do I do? I'll have to conjure up something soon to justify my continued presence in Colombia's magical (sur)realism.
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Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

Chasing the media dragon: The raison d'être

@wwaycorrigan

[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click here.]

'There is only one thing worse in the world than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.'

Media man? Mediocre man?

That's one of Oscar Wilde's many maxims. Most of us do, of course, prefer to be known than not known. To be a somebody rather than a nobody.

This has its ebbs and flows, though. Sometimes we wish the whole world knew what we were up to while on other occasions we'd prefer to be anonymous.

Nonetheless, the desire to be a somebody usually dominates, particularly for those of us still on the make. This is even more so for those whose way of earning a living is all about engaging with the masses — the more, the merrier. Or, better put, with greater reach comes the possibility of greater recognition and, perhaps, greater riches.

In today's technology-rich, highly interconnected world obtaining a greater reach, getting oneself known, has never been easier to attempt. Anyone with even just basic computer/internet knowledge can give it a go in a matter of minutes. Artificial intelligence is making this even easier. The challenge is in finding a winning way of going from zero to hero; hero in terms of desired reach, that is.

Yet, the technology and global interconnectedness helps are also hindrances. Because mostly anyone can get themselves out there, the result is a crowded and noisy virtual space. So getting seen and heard is difficult.

Added to this is the fact that we are creatures of habit. It generally takes considerable effort to get people to buy into a new alternative if the benefits of doing so aren't immediately obvious.

Established power

In the media sphere, the one that I find most alluring, some content creators can go viral, propelling a nobody to a somebody in no time at all. Some of those have staying power. Others become forgotten about as quickly as they became known about. One-hit wonders, as it goes.

When it comes to current affairs media, traditional outlets have, on the whole, held their own in this we-can-all-be-journalists age. Money, of course, still talks. Having deep-ish pockets allows the bigger players to stay in the game for much longer and ensure their content takes precedence over that of others.

Also at play is the fact that many believe what they hear and read when it comes from a recognised, official/traditional source. An independent blogger or podcaster can't be trusted as much as the establishment or a long-standing media group with many employees.

My view is that it's better to be sceptical of all until unequivocally proven otherwise. Thus, one should always be sceptical!

I say all this as, in case you weren't aware, a current blogger and lapsed podcaster. I have skin in the game.

And while I can't speak for all independent bloggers/podcasters, I believe most who go down such a path hope to get some financial reward from it, whether directly or indirectly.

In terms of directly, I still have misplaced hopes that Google AdSense will come good for me after all these years of using the service. (I'm still, um, reeling, from that absurd six-year suspension. If I hadn't lost that time I may have reached AdSense's 70-euro payment threshold by now.)

'What is the point of blogging if views are paltry and there appears to be no real benefit to it anymore?'

Revenue from automatically created ads aside, I became an independent content creator seeing it as a means to an end, that it would be an indirect route to some financial reward. This and the idea that it would keep my name out there after leaving full-time paid work in already-established media.

To a certain extent, it has served this purpose. Whether or not it is still a net benefit to me in this regard is open to debate.

Pointless

As alluded to earlier, independent content creation, particularly that which focuses on current affairs/opinion, is struggling to stay relevant in the war on fake news/misinformation.

If one's source is a blog, even if the information is true, the instant reaction by many is to rubbish it. If it hasn't been given the seal of approval by the BBC Verify team or the equivalent, then it can't be trusted. Remember, you can always trust organisations such as the BBC, even when they present opinions as undisputed facts. (If you've made it this far with this not-to-be-trusted content, I'll refer you to my 2023 piece, Living with unsettled and unsettling questions.)

So bloggers who by now aren't already well established can forget about ever making it. Unless, that is, they tap into a niche market that has money-making potential. The same goes for podcasters. If we reached peak blogging about ten years ago, we're surely at peak podcasting now. If you're an independent podcaster who hasn't yet returned a profit, you're as well to forget about those dreams of avarice.

OK, money motivates but it's not always the main driver. If it were, I would have stopped writing this blog years ago.

One, however, still gets a brief high off the hits, infrequent as they are. The randomness of these hits still baffles me, too. 'Why did this blog story get more views than that one?' Whatever the reason, while overall views of my Google blog have actually shown an increase, views on individual stories have decreased considerably over the last couple of years or so.

So it does beg the question, 'What's the point?' Wouldn't I be better off focusing my efforts on some decently paid job rather than wasting time writing blogs? The simple answer is yes.

OK, a paid job and continuing to blog aren't mutually exclusive. I can do and have done both.

But, again, what is the point of blogging if views are paltry and there appears to be no real benefit to it anymore?

Slaying the dragon

Well, there is a cathartic element to writing. And even if my reach is minuscule, somebody might relate to and/or get something out of the odd entry I publish.

There's also the feeling of still being a somebody, a free-thinking somebody at that. Blogging, plus the occasional letter to the editor, gives me the platform to express myself, even if next to nobody is taking notice.

Now, if I were to take my thespian talents to the next level, becoming something of a star — but one with a modest carbon footprint, of course — blogging would become surplus to requirements. I would have found an alternative ego-boosting dragon, if only fleetingly — the boost from it doesn't last long.

And then we're back to 'What's the point?' Why concern myself with trying to be a media man, be that media of the new, social or traditional kind, or allow myself to be lured by the siren call of a super extra?

The answer? Well, when the media dragon has appeared to be almost completely out of reach, it's at such times I've felt the least enthused about my circumstances.

Perhaps what's needed is one final fling that will allow me to slay this dragon once and for all.

Then, a life of relative solitude, away from the media madness, content as a nobody.
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Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

Ten-up: a decade of 'Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog'

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

Ten years ago today, sat in Bogotá's popular Cranky Croc hostel and based on advice from an Indian friend I knew from my Belfast days, I started a Google-hosted blog.

Where will the next ten years bring us?

Google blogger, my acquaintance told me — he knew much more about these things than me, although that wasn't hard at the time — was blogging for dummies compared to the likes of WordPress (via El Tiempo, I've subsequently become au fait with various aspects of the latter).

Putting the world right, the Wrong Way

With the prospect of staying in Colombia for a time on the cards — I certainly didn't think that over a decade later I'd still be here — I wanted my own space to share my thoughts and views.

You see, whilst working as a broadcaster for Ladbrokes bookmakers in Belfast from 2009 to 2011, I became a serial letter writer to the Irish daily and Sunday newspapers. I touched on various topics, things I couldn't really get off my chest in the day job (although I did try, at times, to mention them in between greyhound races from such exotic locations as Monmore and Romford).

Rants to colleagues, housemates and down at the local pub weren't enough. I was a curmudgeon in my mid-20s you could say. And I felt that as much of the world as possible needed to know my thoughts. 

'Who knows how rich I'd be today had Google AdSense not suspended its services on this page for six years due to unspecified "irregular activity".'

Once the first few letters were published, this gave me the belief that at least some editors found what I had to say interesting. Or controversial. It became something of an addiction — I just wanted more, more, more.

However, moving continents and consequently not being as tuned in to events back home meant it became less likely that my musings would appear in Irish newspapers with the same regularity as before.

In any case, I couldn't be leaving it up to the whim of an editor to get my, um, profound perspective on the world "out there" (the way things are in these crazy, heavily censored pandemic days, that point has taken on extra pertinence now).

Hence the creation of the blog. The medium was kind of all the rage back then, although I may have been a little late to the game. Other, more visual media were beginning to take over.

Be that as it may, Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog has survived, for better or for worse.

At its birth, I flirted with the idea of giving it a more Colombian specific name but I figured I may not be in the country too long, so I didn't want it associated with one particular place over another.

Call it a lack of ambition or a failure to think big, but I always saw it as a means to an end, not an end in itself.

That aside, who knows how rich I would have been today had Google AdSense not suspended its services on this page for six years due to unspecified 'irregular activity'. I could have made at least 100 euros by now. Rich beyond the dreams of avarice, eh?

Nonetheless, and fittingly enough, it all started with The wages of love, something of a motif over these last ten years, writing about affairs of the heart. A mixture of bad romances and financial woes, in a way. Three hundred and eighty-three posts later, it could be said, plus ça change.

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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".  

Refocusing the energy

Sorry, sorry. I know the, um, legions of Wrong Way readers have been wondering where I've got to the last while.

The recent presidential election and Colombia's World Cup exploits, nay the tournament in general, have been distractions for sure. 'Yet', I hear you ask, 'haven't they also been great things to write about?' Of course.

More pertinently and personally, ongoing visa complications have been occupying my mind. A right saga indeed. Akin to an existential crisis really — well, in terms of my permanence in Colombia anyway. A visa-run to Ecuador is now firmly back on the cards.

Focusing on a new path ...

Again, a good blog topic that, you might say. However, sitting down to upload new posts hasn't seemed the most important of exercises of late. (Having my laptop stolen has also played its part; you can just never switch off in these parts.)

No more Mr Blog guy?

Now, truth be told, this lack of enthusiasm to write isn't just because of the aforementioned. No. The thing is, there's been a slight refocusing of energies.

Basically, the blog posting has always been a labour of love. Well, the Google blog initially had a small chance of becoming profitable, but, as detailed at the time, that lucrative avenue was closed off years back.

This blog, launched back in late 2011, and the El Tiempo space which began at the beginning of 2014, were started with a view to being springboards to something greater. For the record, there has never been any hope of getting financial reward for the El Tiempo blog.

In some ways, they have served this route-to-reward purpose. They've maintained my hand in journalism of sorts as well as, so I like to think anyway, helping to develop my writing skills (I class myself a broadcaster first and foremost, the only full-time, professional job I've had in my life to date). 

It's unlikely I would have been used for reports from here for Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ if I hadn't the blogs to prove my credentials.

The El Tiempo blog also played an important part in getting an independent visa as a journalist, something I've had for the last four years and hoping to get again if and when I get the new paperwork requirement sorted out. Let's just say La Cancillería hasn't made the visa process any easier.

Pet projects

These blog benefits now, however, appear to be on the wane. Other things have become more worthy of devotion, at least for the time being.

In a previous post this year I alluded to writing a book on my experiences here in Colombia. That's still a work in progress, slow progress. 

Indeed, while I will finish it, it may never see the light of day in terms of getting it published, be that self-published or otherwise. Whatever the case, trying to put it together is proving to be an interesting, worthwhile experience.

On top of this, the prospect of working on a long-yearned-for project with other Colombian media groups is back on the table. Or at least it seems that way. More meat should be put on the bones of that in the next few weeks and months.

If not, it will more than likely signal the time to hit for the exit door — I can't keep ignoring these signs. It would have been nice to try this project with El Tiempo considering I've been writing on its website the last four-and-a-half years, but that hasn't been possible. It's been a closed shop.

Thus, while I don't intend to scrap the blog-writing completely — it can be a bit of an addiction — the frequency of posts will drop considerably.

The barrio panadería lifestyle isn't that excessive, but one still needs to earn a bit to put that bread on the table.
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Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan - The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

Google 'NoSense'

“Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.”

It has been a hugely successful few days for the good folk at Google AdSense. A serious threat to the viability and reputation of its service has been removed. Order has been restored. Wrong Way's malicious manoeuvrings have been uncovered and are now terminated.

Somebody's making money; not Wrong Way, though (pic from http://compuscien.blogspot.com).

What? You haven't heard of this blog's 'dodgy dealings', a cunning plan to 'rob' AdSense and its advertisers of millions of euros? Well, to be honest, neither did I, until the Google offshoot informed me via e-mail that my account was being disabled due to 'invalid activity'. 

What exactly that invalid activity was, is anybody's guess. AdSense is certainly being coy about it, apparently due to security issues, so one can only speculate as to what exactly the breach of rules was.

All this coming at a time when Wrong Way was, um, taking off. Already in the kitty sat, drumroll please, a cool €25 ($34US), and this after only two years of the 'lucrative' advertising being displayed on the blog. At that rate, by 2017 I might have been close to reaching the current payout threshold of €70. Heady times indeed. 

My round-the-world trip plans were already taking shape on the belief that this big payday was looming. Now, alas, everything has been thrown into chaos. I fear each knock at the door is the bank manager coming to take what he can from me before I abscond.

Worse still, perhaps Google will send their henchmen to 'sort me out' for having the cheek to take them on (and almost get away with it too, as the above figures illustrate).

That wouldn't be too surprising considering the ruthless streak the company has displayed thus far. Not even a warning was forthcoming to inform me that the blog was 'under suspicion'.

Yes, there is an appeal process which I duly went through only to be promptly told, in another template e-mail (where is the personal touch guys?): 

“After thoroughly (my emphasis) reviewing your account data and taking your feedback into consideration, our specialists have confirmed that we're unable to reinstate your AdSense account.” 

And the e-mail closed with the following: “As a reminder, further participation in the AdSense program by publishers whose accounts have been disabled is not permitted.”

You'll be, ahem, missed Open English (picture from openenglish.com).

That's where it's at. Very much a feeling of 'case closed'. In a bid to try to deal with a person rather than a generic appeal process and e-mail templates, I did write a message to AdSense on Google Plus to emphasise my bewilderment at the decision. Surprisingly, there has been no response.

So punished for an unnamed 'crime', with no real recourse to defend myself. Heck, Google's specialists might shut down the blog next (no such luck, you say). Perhaps, with this broadside, I'm in danger of biting off the hand that (barely) fed me?

For the time being, though, for all you loyal Wrong Way followers (don't laugh), look on the bright side: There'll be no more of those annoying Open English ads hogging this screen. That's our silver lining.

Plus, there's always WordPress and El Tiempo. It's not all about the money, right?