kennysia.com Turns Two

It’s hard to believe, but exactly two years ago I started kennysia.com without much of an expectation that it would turn into a monster that it is today.

A lot of things has happened since I wrote my first entry.
For one, my site’s traffic has skyrocketed from to 16,000 a day. As of posting, kennysia.com is still the number 1 Malaysian blog on Technorati.
The best thing about that is the fame and recognition that comes with it. Whether in Kuching or KL, going out and being recognised by strangers is becoming pretty common.

Top 4 Most Commented Entries On kennysia.com
13 October – Kuching Vs Perth Dilemma – 539 Comments
27 August – Crocs Beach Review And Giveaway – 396 Comments
8 March 2006 – Kuala Lumpur International Marathon– 394 Comments
17 October – LG White Chocolate Fashion Phone Giveaway – 383 Comments


What I appreciate most about writing here is when my readers see good stuff on my site, they spread the word around telling other people to read kennysia.com. Some of my entries this past year was elevated to legendary status because of that.
Top 4 Most Memorable Entries On kennysia.com
14 January – Weight Loss Ads Are Ridiculous

I sent a letter to Osim demanding explanation why their ads for their weight loss products always feature skinny models who don’t need to lose weight. Hilarity ensued.
Despite efforts from my readers bombarding Osim headquarters with forwarded copies of this entry, Osim’s PR department launched into full defence mode and ignored all those forwarded emails. Word finally got around to Channel [V] studios and in support of my cause, I was even featured in their first episode of Poparazzi. The channel called up Osim to seek for a reply. As expected, Osim said “No comment.”

1 April – Kenny Sia Attempts To Write A Bimbo Blog

It’s becoming an April Fool’s tradition for kennysia.com to poke fun at Xiaxue, and last year it’s no different.
If there’s one thing I know about how to easily increase blog traffic, it’s to talk about Wendy Cheng – the funny, controversial, bimbotic, bitchy internet celebrity from Singapore. Love her or hate her, people are just dying for a chance to talk about her.
It’s simple, Xiaxue = Traffic.

14 June – How To Make Your Own Official World Cup Ball

This is another one of those entries that made people keep forwarding it until it made the trip around the world in people’s email inboxes. Like what happened when I poked fun at Osim, the entry reached the office of adidas Malaysia. Unlike Osim, adidas had a bit more sense of humour and sent me a pack of gifts as appreciation. Thanks!
However, things unexpectedly turned sour when the president of the Bespectacled Losers Association of Bloggers ‘Blogging Responsibly’ (BLABBR) for no reason at all accused me of plagiarising this entry. I was bemused because I didn’t plagiarise and I know it. Surprisingly, when I put out all the glaring facts in front of him and pointed out the differences between “plagiarism” and “coincidence”, he got nothing to say.
Hypocrites can go suck on it baby.

4 July – Another Fight Video Discovered On The Internet>
My parody of the
Miri Schoolgirl Fight video that was widely circulated around the internet. This is definitely my favourite self-made video clip ever.
As of writing, the video was viewed 103,800 times around the world and even made it to Youtube’s Top #11 Most Viewed Video Clip during the week that it was published. Not bad for a Kuching-made content. It could’ve been more if that week wasn’t overshadowed by Zidane’s headbutt on Youtube.

As the popularity of my site climbs, I am also beginning to receive more and more offers from commercial entities to advertise their products on my blog. The most obvious examples of which are Pixart, LG Chocolate and Crocs Shoes.
I apologise if my readers felt annoyed that their regular blog reading is invaded by adverts, but running a high traffic website isn’t exactly cheap. On average, I am spending at least RM300 a month and 2 hours a day on kennysia.com. It is unfair if I have to spend time and money out of my own pocket to run a website for people to read, and yet not get anything in return to cover my expenses.

Adverts on blogs are fine as long as they’re done in moderation. 1 ad out of 10 entries isn’t exactly that bad. Besides, TV shows like Idol have a lot more ads than kennysia.com, and it’s not like people are switching their TV sets off in protest.
I welcome adverts on blogs, and I think it is a good thing that Malaysian companies are turning towards bloggers to spread the word about their products. The fact that companies are now willing to invest in online media is a sign that our locally-produced Internet content is getting better. That being said, my promise to you is that I will never sacrifice the user-friendliness for cash and I will never tell blatant lies for money.

The second year of my blogging journey saw some changes in my writing. I think that as I grow up, it is inevitable that my writing matures along with it. Blog readers who have been around for a while would notice that I have toned down my brash style considerably. I’m also staying away from large blog communities, becoming less controversial and updating less often compared to before.

There’s a few reasons for that.
The first and foremost of which is that I think internet wars are extremely stupid. Even worse if it is initiated by people who don’t even know you and yet want to control what you write. Trolls are most annoying when they repeat themselves like a broken record, acting like the High Priest of the Church of Morality telling me “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility!™” and “Think Before You Click That Publish Button!™”
Fine then. That’s why I’m updating less because I think too much before clicking that Publish button. Happy now?

Despite toning down so much, I STILL get idiots going after my ass because they think some of my entries are too ‘controversial’. Some even had the rudeness and audacity to tell me “better delete this entry otherwise ISA go after you”.
HELLO? ARE YOU THE BLOGGER OR AM I THE BLOGGER?!
When I get comments like that, I just delete them immediately. I don’t care. I couldn’t care less about the Internal Security Act. People who wanna control how I blog should worry less about the ISA and worry more about getting their comments deleted by SIA.
SIA, as in… Kenny SIA, y’know?

Judge for yourself and tell me if you think these entries are offensive and shouldn’t be put up at all.
Top 5 Most ‘Controversial’ Entries On kennysia.com
13 March – Datuk Application Form
It’s an open secret that many Datuks are not worthy of their titles. I poked fun at that. People said I’m controversial and wanted me to remove this entry.

8 May – Kuching Traffic Police Is My Best Friend

Bribing the traffic police in Malaysia is like buying pirated DVDs – everyone knows that it’s not legal but everyone does it anyway, simply because the authorities are giving you all the avenues to. Try doing the same in Singapore, Australia or New Zealand and you wouldn’t go far.
The purpose of this entry is to demonstrate how freaking easy it is for the average Malaysian to get out of a traffic offence with some spare change. I was trying to insult police corruption in my own sarcastic way, but people got angry because they think I am advocating bribery. I am not.

10 May – Sarawak Erections Update

I poked fun at the pre-election situation in Sarawak without siding any political parties. People said I’m controversial and wanted me to remove this entry.

25 May – Zhng My Penis

I posted an entry about circumcision. My mom wanted me to remove it (the entry, not the foreskin).
She thinks that anything to do with the human penis should not be talked about at all. I’m not even talking about the penis in a rude sense, so why is it perfectly acceptable to talk about circumcision during biology classes in high school and not on my blog?
Like they care. I was still dragged into the room and disciplined at length because of this entry.

15 September – A Vote Of No Confidence

Look guys, it’s just a badly photoshopped animation of the Tun clicking a mouse. That’s all. Like that also cannot put up? Must remove ah?

One thing I am beginning to become mindful of is the amount of influence I have on kids.
When I started, most of my readers are people 20 years and above, so I exaggerate myself and blog without any form of self-restriction. Of late, I noticed an increasing number high school teenagers reading kennysia.com. Some even found out about my site after their teachers told them about it. When Hitz.fm and Mix FM plugged my site over the air, they described it as “appropriate for kids”. Then there are parents who sent me messages telling me how much their 15-year-olds enjoy reading kennysia.com.

Seriously, I didn’t use to think kids should read my site because I never intended to become anyone’s role model. In fact, I hated the thought of becoming a goody-2-shoe moral crusader.
Yet at the same time, it is flattering to know that teachers and parents are putting their faith in me. With that in mind, I reluctantly scaled back on inappropriate language and R-rated content on my site. Sure, it meant me losing a bit of my edge. But I guess it’s better lose that than to have the next 15-year-old say ‘KNNCCB’ to their parents after picking up a new vocabulary reading kennysia.com

Top 4 Personal Favourites On kennysia.com
20 January – Best of Kuching Series
4 May – It’s Been A Year Since You’re Gone
8 September – Close One Eye
6 February – Because Good Girls Like Bad Boys


So this is it.
For me, running kennysia.com is a fine balancing act between staying true to myself, providing entertaining content, documenting my own life, keeping it financially viable, being socially responsible and having a laugh while at it.
It is not easy to satisfy 16,000 readers everyday, but thank you for sticking with me through the thicks and thins for the past 2 years.
Any comments? Suggestions? Favourite entries? Worst entries? I welcome all kinds of opinion, so let me know. 🙂

Just don’t tell me to remove this entry because of ISA.


I’m in KL again. Tired as heck.
I enjoy travelling, but there is such a thing as travelling too much. Luckily, my next trip to KL will be in another 2 months time.

111 Replies to “kennysia.com Turns Two”

  1. Hahahaa.. I’m not a blogger but i am starting to enjoy readin ur blog from time to time, thanks to my blogging gf .. Lol ! Keep it up anyway .. cheers..

  2. Realised that i have been reading kennysia.com for 1 plus years already and boy.. i seriously enjoy and love reading ur blog, n i esp appreciate ur sense of humour!reading ur blog has sorta become my daily neccessity.. haha.. and even got some of my friends to start reading it too. Jia You and continue to update more and more.. looking forward to ur entries this year:) Happy new year~

  3. Do whatever you like and speak what you feel, this is your blog and nobody should be guiding you to what you -should- post in it. Jia you 🙂

  4. I’ve been following your blog for a few months, your writing is brutally honest and humorous at the same time. I think that in order to improve; it’s crucial that we are able to accept reality, poke fun at the facts and laugh at ourselves. Reading your entries is a daily ritual and it always cheers me up. Happy New Year and Happy Birthday to kennysia.com!

  5. Kenny writes good stuff, from life to humour to politics to trend to almost everything.
    i enjoy reading it everyday, keep it up Kenny.
    Happy Birthday KennySia.com

  6. Ur right in the sense of not to be a bad example to all those kids. Kinda miss ur older posts but hey, nothing is perfect 10. Anyway, sent u an email.
    Rest well, live well, eat well!

  7. add oil kenny!thanks kennysia.com accompany me everynight for two yrs.
    i just started my own blog 2 months ago,ur comment on my blog wil encourage me to keep on my hardwork.feel free to visit.TQ.

  8. Kenny, I am sure your more mature readers are still reading this blog regularly. Just that they don’t comment much. :o)
    Good work. Keep it up. It is always nice to see a Kuchingite like you spicing up the blogsphere. ^_^

  9. Happy Birthday, kennysia.com! (= I’ve read all your entries, and i heart them all. Hilariously and nicely written. And some touching and inspiring ones. Keep it up, Kenny!

  10. Just write what you feel n think of .. that is why people visit kennysia.com people object what you wrote is their business besides what you wrote are not bias and not targeting at certain people.. your blog is your thought n your freedom..

  11. hey, you’re doing really well, really a mixture of everything, from those that appeals to girls (entries on Jayden n sis) to those location reviews, (tt Chicken Rice with Meiling) 🙂 thumbs up dude. I guess underneath all the posts, pictures, and friends, yet another kenny sia exist. 🙂 so keep up the good work, continue to surprise us. 😀 oh n im surprise that coconut cake of yours is not featured in this entry. 😀 Be Bless!

  12. I like your “4 May – It’s Been A Year Since You’re Gone” post. It was not only touching, it actually made many think twice about how much they appreciate their parents. At least I did.

  13. You’re the best regardless what your ranking on Technorati is. Keep doing what you do without worrying too much about the non-intellects.

  14. i’ve only started reading ur blogs since august when my frens intro to me. i really enjoy ur blogs. it keeps us entertained whenever we r stress bcoz of tons of studies and especially faraway from our homeland ( M’sia ) at this totally ”foreign country” . it makes us feel we’re at home! Kuching! CheerZ~~

  15. Kenny, your blog is really interesting and that’s why I log on a few times almost everyday (but there are still hundreds of old blogs that I have never read yet). I only found out about you maybe in July 2006 through my friend’s blog cus she was saying what what kennysia on her posting, so I asked her who’s kennysia and the rest is history….
    2 words ———————————– GREAT JOB
    n oh yea about the OSIM blog, actually I’ve received a forwarded mail of the whole content long long time ago but back then I totally have no idea who is that ‘fat guy’ posting like a hot chick =)

  16. I am in favor for you to revert to your more controversial style of writing in the past. That was what made your site popular and fun to read in my opinion. Many entries nowadays have become very mundane, so the moral nazis have nothing to bitch and moan about anymore. Tell them to suck your coconuts because they’ll always come back for more anyways.
    Be true to yourself and publish the real you, not a toned-down censored version.

  17. I love your blog! Funnily enough, I’m a teen and it was my cousin who told me about your blog. I was curious enough to come visit and tadah! Am a fan today!
    I have to say, your controversial entries got me laughing, and kept me coming back for more! And I don’t think they’re THAT offensive, I mean, c’mon it’s the truth! LOL
    So, keep on rocking!

  18. Since it is your(blog) bday, as a fan of u after being taught to save RM250 by making the KOTEX ball, I decided to leave a msg here.
    DO NOT lose to the ISA, ppl(me) loves your sarcasm.

  19. I got to know your blog when ur datuknametoolongitis was published in thestar…after that it was history..have been reading ur blog for quite some time now and I think it’s the best, hilarious blog I’ve ever read.
    Keep it up!

  20. so far i don’t think any of your posts are offensive..
    it’s nice to see those recaps of the past 2 years..
    Good Job Kenny!
    Happy 2nd Anniversary & Happy New Year!!
    😀

  21. Happy Birthday, kennysia.com !! You have done a good job for the past 2 years, do keep it up 🙂
    Also, I agree that kids are not quite suitable to read your blogs. They may already learn a lot of things from somewhere else, but still, you should not to be the guy teaching them. Agree?

  22. SO THAT IS WHY U HAVE SO MANY YOUNG READER/COMMENTNER. ANYWAY HAPPY B-DAY KENNYSIA.ENJOY READING U ENTRIES,GAINING KNOWLEDGE & HAVING A LAUGH.HOW I WISH MINE SITE COULD HAVE MORE VISITOR.I AGREE WITH U ABOUT SOME COMMENT WHICH IS SACASTIC.ANY ADVICE FROM U IS APPRECIATED. JUST BE USELF & POST UP ENTRIES. HAVE A NICE DAY, UR DAILY READER.

  23. hey kenny….happy new year to you! altho i haven been reading ur blog for a very long time but i throughly enjoy reading it..i say keep up the good job and continue writing more entertaining, honest, funny, touching, cute(ur niece and nephew) posts…=D ignore the bad comments..they’re always everywhere..
    cheers!~

  24. i hate you kenny.
    you have an amazing blog and despite your readers ranging from babies to teenagers, young adults to elderly, majority of them are actually level headed!!
    you do not write to provoke nor do you post pictures that are provocative (aside from the random boxers shots) and yet you still capture attention.
    most bloggers flash their breasts/create controversy/sell their foreskin/make time-consuming podcasts Vlogs only to get half of your quarter minus 34 traffic flow.
    i hate you kenny.
    you spend much time maintaining your blog and you get the same in return, be it ads/aponsors or rave fan reviews.
    you spend much time travelling and you get even more in return, be it life experiences or getting laid by hot foreign chicks.
    you spend much time making new friends and yet still retain loyalty of the old. strangers are concerned over your personal problems (obvious from your kuching/perth debate)and family is featured prominently in your posts.
    i hate you kenny.
    coz u still aint mine. ;p
    happeeee new start to the year and happeee birthday kennysia.com!!

  25. Hi Kenny. First time leaving comment at yur blog even though I had been here faithfully to read yur entries.
    Happy New Year to yuu & Happy Birthday to yur blog!
    I enjoy reading yur blog and most of the entries. So, keep it up! Cheers!

  26. Hey Kenny! Congrats on the aniversary. Come to think of it, u r the one who introduced me to the world of blogs and now i’m glued to it.. glued to reading blogs only. haven have the confidence to write my own blog though…
    so keep up the good work!
    tata and say hi to the coconuts for me also…:)

  27. HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY, KENNYSIA DOT COM!
    Whatever you post, Kenny, people will surely like, and those who say that you’ll kena by the ISA… they’re just jealous 😉 Hehe.
    Cheers!
    Addy

  28. Show your SIA power ~ Well done and happy birthday.You are the best blogger in malaysia[in my opinion ~] Go go go !!

  29. I think you’re one of the most emotionally mature and responsible bloggers around. I don’t feel shy to recommend your blog to everyone and anyone. Believe it or not, when the taiwan earthquake damaged the internet cables,the 1st thing that came to my mind was “argh! cannot read kennysia.com!” anyway I’m glad that your blog has brought you positive fame, and I bet you’re proud of yourself. I sincerely wish you and kennysia.com all the best for the new year, and a very big thank you to you for bringing kennysia.com to us.
    oh and you look great in that black shirt. the one in the photo of “I apologise for the discomfort I caused you”.=)
    Happy new year, and Happy birthday to kennysia.com!!

  30. My favourite posts are those where you poke fun at Kuchingians Lifestyleâ„¢ mercilessly. =P My very favourite? Kuching Parking 101. That post had me hooked, and telling every other of my English-speaking friends.
    Happy 2nd birthday, Kennysia.com. =D May this year bring forth more laughs, controversial posts and traffic. ;D

  31. hi there,i’ve been reading your blog for about a year already ever since my friend introduced your blog to me but i only leave a comment once.you have a unique style of blogging,unlike normal bloggers,you tend to create something different for each posts.i salute you for that.=)!keep on the good work,i believe that there will have a heavier traffic around here this year.lolz..
    happy birthday too,kennysia.com.

  32. Hello Kenny,
    Time certainly flies,eh? That was rather amusing and quirky to use a photo of Pete Teo for the ending of this blog post. Yes, im a fan of his. In any case, here’s a warm Happy New Year to you and a Happy Birthday to kennysia.com Keep it rockin’ Kenny!
    Alles Gutes ins neue Jahr und eine wünderschöne Gluckwünsche für Kennysia.com. Ciao!
    Stan in Germany

  33. IMHO, KennySia.com is the blogosphere undisputed leading blogger with 16,000 per day readers :-). Period. Not bad, Happy Birthday!

  34. You better remove that entry, cause… you know… ISA…
    (you expected someone to write this, didn’t you?!)

  35. I’ve read ur blog for nearly a year now. Ur posts are either funny, meaningful or touching. Its became a habit of mine to visit this blog before i sleep.
    Keep it up, happy 2nd birthday kennysia.com

  36. happy 2nd birthday!!! haha enjoy this blog coz i come 4m kuch myself n can relate to many things posted. Kenny, keep writing what’s on your mind!! Dun give a Flying Fish what other people say!!! (btw, i think all 15 yr olds already know wht KNNCCB is)

  37. You go boyfriend ! You go do your thing and be proud of it. Don’t you let any nicompoop tell you otherwise. Having a balanced head over your shoulders is one of the greatest gift of god. Don’t let the f…g zealots rule your thinking. Onwards Kenny Sia I say. Yours blogs are tops !

  38. Keep the posts coming!
    Well done Kenny. It isnt easy retaining visitors, and it sure aint easy to keep a blog with mass appeal. Good creativity, and feel free to place ads…you can’t do this for free! Happy Birthday kennysia.com.

  39. Enjoy your website-keep me in tune with home although i’ve been in uk and Ireland for a total of 9 years. love your pics of food! 🙂 kolo mee syndrome, when i was in KL, we used to get 20 paks in a cardboard box-flown over by MAS and my sandakan friend loved it re fried-super oily with a generous dose of freshly milled Sarawak black pepper

  40. hey kenny!!i totally love ur site!!!i did not find any of ur contents offensive,in fact i find it so farking amusing!!!those ppl who find ur stuff offensive shud just go watch sesame street or sumthing.u’re definately the best blogger in malaysia=)

  41. hi kenny.
    sometimes i just dont understand why people dislike your entries. they are so interesting. maybe they are just jealous of you being so popular! 🙂
    nice recap!!!
    blog more! 🙂

  42. Hi Kenny, we met before but i dont think you can remember….anyway….. i always been your reader and i always enjoy reading wat you wrote….. i am glad that you started off with this the first place….. Happy Birthday and Happy New year to you.
    Cheer……..

  43. it’s not easy to NOT be a bimbo blog. it’s not easy to be humourous and make people smile in every post.
    but kennysia.com has done it.
    happy birthday =)

  44. kenny, luff your blog been a fan for ages…i like your lighter entries more, the more sarcastic, the better…keep up the amazing job and ignore those dum idiotic ppl and their bo liao comments =)

  45. Kennysia.com should be name Blog of the year 2006. Something different. All other bloggers blogged about politics. Sigh!

  46. Hi Kenny, just want to say thank you for cheering me up everyday! 🙂 i have reading your blog for almost a month. Finally manage to finish reading all your entries. Some really make me laugh till i stomach ache! Anyway, keep it up. Happy Birthday to Kennysia.com and may you always be well and happy 🙂

  47. I’ve kept my blog for 5 years (seriously!), way before this whole blogging thing took off and my blog traffic is no where as high as yours. Not even close. Thanks for the laughs!

  48. Happie burpday kennysia.com. Been following ur blog for almost a year, all i wanna say is u hav done a good job & i love ur posts a lot, looking fww to more debatable & controversial posts, LOL. Bravo Kenny!!!

  49. Happy birthday kennysia.com~~ I really love ur blog~! 2 word, interesting n funny~!! The best things in life are shared, right? (hmm… where this sentence come from?) Just keep up the good work n keep update ur blog~ Once again, happy birthday kennysia.com!!

  50. A year ago I read Kennysia without reservation. Every morning without fail, that will be the first site I go to…..but after a while, I think Kennysia lost steam – the post werent that funny and I guess I lost interest in blogs.
    Funnily I did sent up my own blog, but I dont update often – I dont have much to say. I guess in the end, just blog for yourself Kenny. Dont bother too much about pleasing people. Just blog about you, I always enjoy reading about you.

  51. Happy Bday KennySia.com – im here since hmmm…cant remember how long im here already but i never post any comment, so this is my 1st comment on ur bday ^-^
    ur blog kill my time in office coz im dying w/out anything for me to do n w/out ppl chat wif me in msn but i wont forget ur blog :D~ bsides urs, im reading others’ blog too like xiaxue,fenlynn,lynnseet,ahask,alvinwcy, means i’ll open up many many blogs at the same time n enjoying my sweet time on blogs n waiting boss to pay me every end of the month LOL~ do i mean i get paid for reading blogs?? wuahaha…
    still remember, an entry bout Miss S’wak. there’s a gal name Fabiola a.k.a. fabuloso. she’s my childhood fren n she’s jz so the very proud of u mentioning her in ur entry wuahaha..
    anyway, keep ur good work here…dun stop entertaining us…Happy Bday once again ^.^

  52. I wish I have your commitment to upkeep the blog… but never mind. I lack your sense of humour and your self-deprecatingly funny writings so I’m not surprised!
    Dude it’s all good lah. Don’t think so much. You only how old?!

  53. Kenny – never ever be turned off to post because your blog is the best and it inspired me to be a blogger. Please continue to post whatever you want to post and let those jealous shitheads rot in their own jealous fit.

  54. Happy Birthday to Kenny Sia’s blog… by the way, I saw you trying out on an OSIM massager in The Curve on Sunday (6th Jan)… =) You looked slightly different compared to the pics…

  55. superb recap.
    and u reminded me that i’ve been reading kennysia.com for quite a long time.
    *claps* for both u and me

  56. I got to know you when I received the Osim U-Zap commercial that you did…It was hillarious! Enjoyed it soooo much…The second one was on the How to make your own World Cup Ball…It was only recently that I start reading your blog…Slow, right? Well, you have a extra new follower / reader / fan now…Keep up the good work!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Navigation