About Raisondetroy

Raisondetroy is derived from the French phrase raison d'etre which means "reason for being" or "reason for existence". In that respect, Raisondetroy practically means "reason of Troy", related to the constant search for meaning and being, and with the continuous attempt to identify that passion.

Why Raisondetroy?

I spent countless hours thinking of a nickname befitting of an online persona, but I wanted something that would steer me away from youthful or radical nicknames. In my youth, I carried various online nicknames, some which where inspired by various fads. The latest nickname, which I think I still use in some networks, is "Silent Night". It's related to the Christmas song, but I chose it more because of its literal meaning. Back in my college days I spent a lot of time awake during nights, when it's a lot quieter. Backtrack to when I was way younger, I remembered using the nickname "Trojan Heero". It was during the time when the use of Internet and email was becoming common, and I have to find a username to register with. "Trojan" is a citizen of Troy, "Heero" (with two e's) is a character in a sci-fi robot anime. As I grew older and the more common Internet use has become, I realized that using "trojan" would cause some problems in spam filtering. I also came to realize that the nickname practically refers to "Hero of Troy", which basically means I'm a hero of myself. Cool concept, but it doesn't fit my persona anymore.

As I already spent countless hours thinking, I happened to encounter a bunch of French words in various movies, series, anime, and books that I consumed. One of these words, raison d'etre, stuck with me most. The word actually raised a question in me, and here we are--Raisondetroy is a name that tells or asks the "Reason of Troy", the "why". (Side note: I remember it's read as ra-ee-sohn-det.)

I started to use Raisondetroy online, particularly on social networking sites. I'm kind of lucky that I got to it first. I hope that it's totally unique to me.

I'm called Raison by most of my online friends. I use Raison and Raisondetroy interchangeably to refer to me. I use some variants, too: RDT or RaisonDT, but most of the time Raison is the go-to nickname to the nickname.

Why? Because I don't use my name that much. Why? I don't know.

Who is Troy?

When I'm asked this question, I really have no direct answer. I'm still trying to figure myself out.

Mabuhay! I am Troy G. from the Philippines. I'm a husband and a father. I'm an introvert who likes spending time behind the scenes--observing, listening, and taking photos or videos. I tell stories through writing. I'm on a journey of self-discovery and living as an emphatic person. I'm a different kind of creative in the sense that I express through words mixed with little visuals.

Things that I like:

• Coffee - I learned to brew my own, using pour-over and cold brew.
• Games - I play some computer games (PC and console), but I'm not really great at them. I just enjoy playing casually.
• Music - I like listening to anime music and modern jazz. I'd like to formally learn playing the drums, in the future.
• Movies and Series - genres: sci-fi, action, superhero movies, cyberpunk.
• Cold Weather - for some reason I prefer the cold weather since I live in a warm country.
• Languages - I'm slow to learn but I like learning a few phrases in Spanish and French. I have a goal to be conversational in Japanese, Korean and Chinese, but I'm slow to learn.
• Photography and Videography - I'm familiar with beginner concepts in photography, but not so much in videography. I like taking photos and videos with my phone.

(More coming soon.)

What to expect with Raisondetroy-dot-com

As earlier mention, Raisondetroy will have things, thoughts, stories and sights.

Things. I'll try to show some things, be it material (stuff or tangibles) or emotional (feelings or intangibles). These could be my hobbies, some stuff I got or have or making. These could also be some feelings towards various things. I have various interests that fall in between categories and I'll post about them here.

Thoughts. I have the tendency to overthink and over-analyze some things. I'd like to write and share about my thoughts. As I am going through a journey of self-discovery, I'll try to be as candid as possible with my thoughts. I do try to filter myself, but I'm also learning to express myself more and better. I think one of my skills is being able to describe complex things I understand into simple terms, so I'd like to be able to share more about that.

Stories. I identify as a storyteller, and I would like to convey stories of my life. A lot of times I'm affected by sonderism, and I believe that every human has a life that is complex and vivid. I believe I am no exception to this. I'll share my stories with the hope that someone reaches them, learns something from them especially my mistakes, and at least takes in something in the risks I didn't take and the opportunities I just let pass.

Sights. As one of my interests, I regularly take photos and videos! Not really much and I am by no means a professional, but I take a lot of photos and videos, especially when I travel. I mostly feature city sights and landscapes. I'm learning to be creative with my photos and videos and be able to complement these with written words.