Interview with Blogger Nick Oliva

By The Pakistani Spectator • Jul 18th, 2008 • Category: Interviews • No Responses

Nick Oliva (O-lee-va?) has been a musician, composer, photographer, an audio engineer, an Entertainment Director and Technical Director for over twenty-five years and is a successful self-made money manager. He lives in the mountains outside of Las Vegas.

Would you please tell us something about you and your site?

The site is about my book ?Only Moments? that was published recently. On the site you can look at my autobiography, the backstory to the book, and the link to my ongoing blog also called ?Only Moments.? www.onlymomentsbook.com and the blog www.onlymoments.wordpress.com

Do you feel that you continue to grow in your writing the longer you write? Why is that important to you?

The evolution of any being is continuing to do things either better or differently than in the past and as the saying goes practice makes (near)perfect?..perfection is rare. Self-satisfaction is a wonderful thing.

I’m wondering what some of your memorable experiences are with blogging?

I have met many wonderful people all over the world that think and don?t just accept the quantified norm of a outlook that the powers that are impose to protect their collective asses.

What do you do in order to keep up your communication with other bloggers?

I have personal letters that I send to keep in touch along with the blogs.

What do you think is the most exciting or most innovative use of technology in politics right now?

YouTube without a doubt is very innovative, but it is also a lazy way to skip the art of writing and reading. I?m afraid that the instant gratification of today?s youth will allow them to grow up illiterate as part of a new online ?boob tube? generation.

Do you think that these new technologies are effective in making people more responsive?

They are timely, they are effective, they are fast, but beware they may be bullshit planted for whatever motivations a commercial company or political body wants you to believe. Look at all the internet lies about Barack Obama that people truly believe because they read it on the internet. There is much disinformation daily and it is purposely put out there to slander people without having to be tracked and found out. Evil makes it way to every form of communication and technology cannot take the place of the human heart. That?s one of the themes of my book ?Only Moments.?

What do you think sets Your site apart from others?

Most bloggers have not written a book that ties directly into the gestalt of the blog and vice versa. I have no commercial ads or google adsense boxes and keep the blog commercial free so I do not have to answer to anyone, or be beholden to a sponsor.

If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success in life, what would it be?

Passion, passion, passion

What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?

When my book was published and the gloomiest when my mother died.

If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s paid for - what would your top 3 choices be?

Greece, Nepal, and The Temples of Ankgor Wat in Cambodia

What is your favorite book and why?

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
It is a timeless story of humankind searching for the answer why and the generational suffering of the coming of age between a father and son.

What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)?

Their aura of being. The eyes are the windows to the soul.

Is there anyone from your past that once told you you couldn’t write?

No, but I never thought this would be what I would be doing when I was young. I?m 54 and still wondering what I will be doing when I grow up.

How bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?

I?m not the person to answer that one.

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?

No, the successful blog or blogger has passion and the writing skills to create universes that implant the ideas that they wish to trigger emotional response in other human beings whether to ponder, motivate, emote sympathy, excitement, or sadness.

What role can bloggers of the world play to make this world more friendlier and less hostile?

One can only affect those with whom they have touched, and that is why writing is so important. The Guttenberg press changed the world and brought enlightenment and the Romantic Age into being?.unfortunately we may be living in the dark ages if our youth does not carry on and take the baton to keep this important human tool alive despite technology that makes video so accessible.

What is your perception about Pakistan and its people?

People in general are not like the government that they are subject to follow. I see the youth of the world coming together electronically to overcome the tyranny of censorship and that?s the first step to freedom, as there are degrees to freedom, it does come slowly as those in power die out. The outlander tribes must be educated, and not supplied with weapons to stop the age-old fighting amongst themselves.

Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger?

I really admire Charles Eisenstein and this one blog in particular as I have studied worldwide religions. http://www.realitysandwich.com/original_religion

What is the most striking difference between a developed country and a developing country?

Education, awareness of the diversity of people, the realization of not just different ethnic but moral and ethical standards as well, and the acceptance and appreciation of those that provide not just diversity but controversy.

What is the future of blogging?

I don?t have a clue, but I?ll still keep doing it.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?

It keeps me sharp and on on point in my verbal skills.

What are your future plans?

I will be writing another book on my near death experience along with stories of celebrities that I have dealt with in my life as an Entertainment professional

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?
Keep positive and true to yourself. Follow your bliss and if you are young and looking for direction, any road will take you take so just do something instead of looking for the perfect path. All roads lead to self-enlightenment if you let them.