miss_teerious

Kadzilla's eStudio

2012-02-25T21:57:00.008+05:30

Have been away from the blogosphere lately. Have also been away from Facebook. No hibernation this time though. Just plain & simple busy. With this.

It's a screen shot of my online portfolio. Kadzilla's eStudio is live now. Haven't added a couple of old projects to the portfolio yet. Will do them sometime.

At the moment, I'm busy with yet another project. A new one. So I will remain off Facebook for some more time. It distracts me. Even though I don't play FarmVille anymore. Weird? I know.

Also trying to convince my sister to let me make some modifications in their website. The thumbnail for "Spaces Talk Architecture" on my portfolio's homepage looks the drabbest of all projects displayed there!

And yes. I've got a lot of pending posts to do here as well. Four new awards to collect officially. Each with its own tag. Plus one tag from Garima. Plus this really cool post idea I found on PsychBabbler's blog. Will disclose more about it when I actually get around to doing it.

Hmmmm. It looks like I may be off Facebook for quite some time.

In the meanwhile, please DO check out my portfolio. And please DO recommend it to any of your friends/family looking for inexpensive web design solutions. Thanks.

Silly Saturday: The Opportunist

2012-02-11T09:05:00.000+05:30

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Facebook Cover Photo

2012-02-10T08:57:00.002+05:30

Facebook cover photo feature was introduced long time ago... along with the timeline view. I saw many of my friends displaying pictures of various landscapes... mountain views, green valleys, gorgeous sunsets etc. Some of them showed their personal pictures -- with family or individual.

I wanted to do something different... something that would be totally *me*. And so I made the cover photo for my Facebook profile in Photoshop. Used the caricature that Vatsap made for me long ago, and then made a quick wordle of all things I love. Finally signed it off with "miss_teerious"... my online identity since 2000.

This is what my Facebook profile header looks like now... you can click on it to see it in full screen. Oh and that's my sister & me in that small box at the bottom left... that's my current display pic on Facebook... it was taken at my sister's wedding! :D

Who Said Black?

2012-02-09T16:44:00.002+05:30

Have been busy with my sister's website lately... finished it a couple of days ago finally. Here's a screen shot of the home page...

Spaces Talk Architecture

The story? Well...

We started with stark black and a side navigation. Then changed to white with top navigation... only to end it all with a sunny cream-and-brown!

(Remember Kareena Kapoor in that TV ad where she goes shopping for a black handbag, and eventually picks an orange one instead, throwing a "who said black?" at the flustered salesman! Oh go on then... just watch it again below! :p )

Tough Times And Us

2012-02-09T09:10:00.002+05:30

Tough times in life are those "uninvited guests" who drop in at our doorstep whenever they feel like, without bothering to ask us if it's convenient for us to entertain them at that time or not. They then make themselves comfortable at our expense, and completely disrupt our life and everything in it!

The only saving grace, perhaps, is the fact that tough times are not permanent. Like all other things in life, they too pass. How we conduct ourselves, however, during such times, is totally a matter of individual choice.

Health crisis, financial crisis, relationship crisis, or (in my opinion, the worst of the lot) identity crisis... tough times can impose upon our lives in various forms. And it is totally up to us to decide whether we'll let them "break" us or "make" us.

I've been through a lot of tough times in my three decades in this world. I have seen a lot of other people too, going though tough times. And I have realized certain things:

1. Tough times are impartial.
They don't spare anyone. Rich or poor, slim or obese, married or single, adult or kid, male or female, employed or unemployed, perfectly healthy or chronically diseased... nobody is dealt a "perfect" hand in life. Everybody has "stuff" to deal with. Everybody goes through rough patches in life every now and then.

2. Tough times make us over sensitive.
For a long time after my mom died, all I could notice was girls doing wedding shopping with their moms, guys buying presents for their moms out of their salaries, and moms sending a whole lot of homemade goodies (pickles, laddoos etc.) for my colleagues. Same way, a diabetic person automatically notices only those things that he cannot eat, while someone who's had to bear the brunt of the economic recession suddenly becomes extremely sensitive about all money matters.

3. Tough times filter our social circle.
It's only during such testing times in life that we find out who really love us and care for us. There are many friends, relatives and acquaintances who are always around us when we are happily settled in life, but the moment we get stuck somewhere, they disappear as fast as my home-made chocolate cake!

4. Tough times can fill our life with love or hatred.
After my mom's death, I had two options. I could either bare my fangs of jealousy at all my friends and colleagues who still had their moms, alienating them from me in the process. Or I could be a part of that love and allow some of it to spill on me too. Same way, a person with paralyzed legs can either allow his near and dear ones to express their love for him by helping him around, or he can turn into an emotional cactus, stinging everyone with his pain. And a person going through a financial crisis can either bitch about and snap at all those who seem well off, or he can at least allow those who love him to walk beside him, providing their silent support to him.

Tough times show us how nasty people can be. But tough times also show us how beautifully good some people can be! 95 out of 100 friends/acquaintances may turn out to be selfish, but there WILL be those 5 who really care for us and pray for us if they can't do anything else to help us. We can either fill our hearts with bitterness towards those 95, or we can allow the love of those 5 to propel us forward in life. The choice is always ours.

Wordless Wednesday: Erecting Walls

2012-02-08T17:53:00.000+05:30

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Wordless Wednesday: Growing Up

2012-02-01T10:40:00.002+05:30

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5 Reasons Why I Removed Blogger Threaded Comments

2012-01-30T12:30:00.007+05:30

I found out from Shilpa recently that blogger has finally introduced the "threaded comments" feature. In her post about this, she mentioned how we could get this feature enabled in our blogs. I followed the steps outlined by her, but couldn't see a "reply" button below every comment on my posts. I blamed it on the fact that I have a highly customized *old* blogger template, and perhaps those steps only worked for new templates from the "Template Designer" screen.

After some hunting on the net, I found out how to manually enable this feature in my blog template. It's a fairly simple hack posted by nitecruzr, that enables the "threaded comments" on customized blogger templates. Although, apparently, this blogger implementation does not give a complete "threaded" feature -- it's just a 2-level version as of now. See the image below:
The above is a screen shot from the post on Shilpa's blog, and as you can see, replies to replies are not indented further to the right... there are only 2 levels. And what difference does it make? I honestly don't know!

Anyway, following nitecuzr's post, I was able to get the threaded comments working on my blog, but eventually, I took them off again. Why? Here the 5 reasons why I removed blogger threaded comments from here:

1. Page Load Position
Clicking on post titles (or "Read more" links) from the homepage or any other "index" or "archive" page (e.g. search pages, monthly archive pages) shows different behaviors for posts with comments and without comments. For posts without comments, the page load stops at the beginning of that particular post page (where it ideally should). But for posts with comments, it automatically scrolls down to the embedded comment form section. So if you haven't yet read that post, you'll have to scroll all the way up, to the beginning of the post. Minor irritant, but irritating nevertheless. And this behavior is consistent across the old and new templates.

2. Missing Comment Form
The embedded comment form is not visible on the first loading of any post page. It shows up only when you refresh that post. In my blog, with "threaded comments" ON, when you first opened any post, instead of the comment form, it showed the last widget of my blog (which is actually placed in the footer section). But in other non-customized templates, even newer ones, it shows a block of blank space where the comment form should be. The form becomes visible once you refresh your browser.

3. Comment Timestamps
The threaded (or 2-level) comment feature of blogger is automatically converting all comment timestamps into the Pacific time zone, regardless of your blog's time settings. It seems to be a "known-issue" with this feature, so the blogger team will eventually get around to fixing it. Don't know when though.

4. Author Comment Highlights
I have added some CSS styling to highlight the author comments here. When I switched to threaded comments, I lost all that highlighting. But, I'm sure this feature is there for threaded comments too. As you can see in the screen shot above, Shilpa's comment is highlighted. I'm assuming that author comment highlights feature is already built-in with the new templates. If I spend enough time digging into this, I will eventually figure out what changes are required to make the author highlights work with threaded comments on this template. But, I don't have that much time right now. Moreover, I'm thinking... maybe it would be better to just switch over to the new templates now... whenever I DO have enough time to migrate all my customizations to one of the new blogger templates.

5. Comment Subscriptions
In the old non-threaded comment format, blog authors usually prefix their replies with the name of the person whose comment they are replying to, so that people who have subscribed to the comment thread, and are getting all the replies in their mailbox, know automatically which reply is meant for whom. But with threaded comments, we blog authors will obviously stop this practice of using "@xyz". Now, wordpress automatically adds a "in response to [xyz]: " in its comment notifications, but I haven't yet been able to test the email notifications of threaded comments on blogger. If blogger hasn't made any such provision yet, it could become very confusing for the comment subscribers.

All that being said, "threaded comments" was a much awaited-for feature in blogger. A lot of blogger users have switched to wordpress simply because of the lack of this one feature. Some have integrated third party comment forms (Disqus, Intense Debate etc.) in their blogger templates. I'm going to do neither. I will just wait patiently for blogger to fine-tune their threaded comments -- especially the first 3 points mentioned here -- and until then, I will continue using non-threaded comments.

Silly Saturday: Life On Facebook

2012-01-28T10:04:00.003+05:30

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When FarmVille Neighbors Meet In Real Life

2012-01-26T17:35:00.005+05:30

"They got acquainted in the blogosphere, became neighbors in FarmVille, and finally became neighbors in real life too!"

This plot could have converted into such an awesome Bollywood 'masala' movie -- complete with a humor sideline, involving a thoda-sa-jhepu "gora" journalist and a super-bindaas Negro woman -- but alas, there's no "hero" in the story! And how can there possibly be a Bollywood 'masala' movie without a hero AND heroine?

Well, the two characters of this story are Shilpa Garg and "yours truly". And we're not exactly "neighbors", but then 8 kilometers isn't too far either, right?

So anyways, here's a pop quiz for you all. When one avid-blogger-cum-crazy-farmer meets another equally-avid-blogger-but-retired-crazy-farmer, what do you expect they'd talk about? Oh, and don't forget, they're both females too!

Yes, you're right. They'd talk about blogging (obviously!)... and its pros and cons. And they'd talk about farming... and its cons. And that's it?

Wrong! That's NOT it!

Always remember: Bloggers, by themselves, are a very talkative species. But if they are females, AND they've been crazy enough to get into FarmVille (and that too by FOUR different accounts each on Facebook)... then, God help you, there's no stopping them!

So Shilpa and I met last ~~Monday~~ Tuesday and went to the Jaipur Literature Festival, where there was little literature and more festival. Crisp sunshine, hot ginger tea in 'kulhars', and conversations that seemed to never end.

In the roughly three hours that we spent together, we naturally talked about blogging and FarmVille, but other than that, we also talked about professional writing, Google transliteration, adsense, entrepreneurial ventures of other blog buddies, bottles of Old Monk, clothes, pencil heels, stealing money plant, real estate in Jaipur, our families, salt and pepper hair, driving, twitter time lines, our work, and a hundred other trivial things.

In fact, we were so busy talking that we even forgot to take any pictures of our meet, and the camera was sitting right there between us all the while! I did make a mental note before leaving the house, that we'll take some pics for our posts. (Well, it was obviously understood that we both WOULD blog about it... we are bloggers after all!) But then it completely slipped my mind.

It's really strange, isn't it? With some people, even an hour seems so long, but with others, time just seems to grow wings and fly. And surprisingly, unlike the previous bloggers' meet at Delhi, which took weeks of planning, this one was so impromptu!

Looking forward to other hang outs with her. And hopefully, we'll remember to click some pictures of us next time! So that I wouldn't have to hunt for cartoons of bloggers meets on Google images.

Wordless Wednesday: Change Your Life

2012-01-25T12:35:00.000+05:30

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Full

2012-01-22T11:34:00.006+05:30

In early March last year, I published this post here, "Myriad of Emotions: Emptiness", in which I talked about a part of my soul that seemed missing, and that I felt like re-visiting a part of my past to find that missing part of me.

I eventually DID go back to that part of my past... after almost a decade! And my feelings were right! I had indeed left behind a major part of my soul back there... one half of my soul, to be precise... the half that I got from my mother!

While the past looks nothing like it used to now, the part of *me* that I left behind there is just the same. It's been preserved perfectly by the past. The past still remembers me as the "whole" that I once was... it still treats me the same way. And you know something... even I don't feel so empty any more!

2011 has been a good year.

Burnt Bridges

2012-01-13T13:40:00.001+05:30

Disagreements and squabbles are an unavoidable part of all relationships. But where there is a strong bond of underlying love and friendship, it is usually easy to get over all those little disruptions and patch things up.

There are times though, when people say/do something so mean and hurtful that completely cuts through that bond too. Those relationships, then, are like burnt bridges. And if the fire isn't put out in time, it becomes impossible to salvage the bridge... i.e. the relationship.

You may have been very close to those people once upon a time, but suddenly they feel like complete strangers to you. And you realize that you just don't want to share any part of your life with them anymore.

That "bond" isn't there anymore, you see. The "bridge" that once helped you cross over to each other, regardless of the distance, is now completely destroyed... destroyed by the fire in their words and actions.

P.S. - May the bridges we burn light our way.

K for...

2012-01-08T12:11:00.004+05:30

Another silly "fun-app" on Facebook... :P

Here's more in "Who-Am-I"!

PacMan

2012-01-06T14:04:00.008+05:30

PacMan is perhaps one of the first games I played on a computer... back in those golden school days!

I must confess... I've never really been any good at it! Just can't seem to work the left and right keys fast enough. I suppose that's why I never managed to learn driving either!

But if you are any better than me at this game, I'm sure you'll enjoy playing it.

P.S. - Don't forget to "Mute" the sound if you're playing it at office. [wink]

And here's more in Games!

Crossword Puzzle

2012-01-06T13:04:00.023+05:30

How many of you like to solve the daily crossword puzzle in the newspaper?

Now you can solve one new crossword puzzle daily on miss_teerious too!

I don't suppose there's any need for instructions on playing the game. And the gadget is pretty easy to figure out too.

So go on then... enjoy the vocabulary-building fun exercise!

And here's more in Games!

Loading crossword puzzle. One moment please.

Silly Saturday: Wishlist 2012

2011-12-31T13:17:00.007+05:30

Dear readers,

A Very Happy New Year to you !!!

Here's more in "Silly Saturday"!

Wordless Wednesday: Take Your Pick

2011-12-21T08:34:00.006+05:30

Original Picture by my very talented blog buddy - Megha Agrawal @ Subtle Strokes of Imagination.
Thanks for letting me use this, Megha! :D

Here's more in "Wordless Wednesday"!

Creative Avalanche

2011-12-20T12:07:00.004+05:30

Why are you hit by a sudden avalanche of blogging ideas when you are so busy that you don't even have time to eat properly?

Come to think of it... why are you hit by a sudden avalanche of cooking ideas (Read: "Culinary Experiments") at the same hectic time in life?

I ought to note them down somewhere.

Where?

It's total chaos here these days.

The notebook that was, once upon a time, meant for my blog posts, is now full of lists -- wedding lists, packing lists, shopping lists, things-to-do lists, what-lists-to-make lists...!

Ok, the last one was a bit too much... but you're getting the point, aren't you?

I seriously need to re-organize my personal space.

And in the meantime, I need to note down these blog ideas somewhere... maybe I'll just put them all in a new post and save it in drafts.

7 Lessons That Indian TV Serials Teach Us

2011-12-18T14:00:00.001+05:30

I have voiced my displeasure on Indian TV shows more than once here. But, today, I take it all back. Like all things in life, these slow-moving, seemingly-full-of-cunning TV serials also serve a purpose. They teach us a lot about relationships. They teach us a lot about people. And they teach us about life.

I have been watching only two shows these days, on a regular basis (refer to previous post "Show Time"), and I have already learnt such a lot.

1. Always keep your distance from housewives having no constructive pastime. Since they have little to do in their own life, they WILL interfere in yours. And the more insecure they are of themselves, the more they'll try to disrupt your life.

2. Being in love does not necessarily mean a permanent bed of roses. It doesn't mean you'll always feel on top of the world. That state can be experienced only when both people in the relationship are freely expressing their love for each other. The moment any one person blocks the flow, both suffer. (And their viewers are also forced to experience their agony!)

3. Resistance/refusal to change, or to see a different viewpoint, is what leads to the slow pace of story in TV serials... as well as in life. The more obstinately we stick to our "comfort zone", the more boring and dissatisfying our life becomes. If we want our life and relationships to change, then WE must change, from within. Blaming destiny or any other external "variables" is totally useless.

4. Lack of communication is usually the culprit in all broken/staggering relationships. Most conflicts can be nipped in the bud by having a mature conversation with the people concerned. (Subject to point 5 below)

5. Just like there is day and night, light and dark, there WILL always be both good people and bad people in the world around us. It's up to us to learn to differentiate between the two. And to accept them as they are, without feeling obliged to "change" their ways. (Further subject to point 6 below)

6. People may not always be what they seem to be. Disguising our real self is an art we humans learn at a very early age, as a part of our "101 survival kit". So the reality of most people lies in not what they reveal to you, but in what they cannot reveal to you.

7. When it comes to relationships, most men are as lost as a ship without a compass, on the sea.

So, if your story was to be made into a TV serial, what would it be like? Boring? Interesting? Gloomy? Inspiring?

Would you desire to change anything in that story?

Would you be willing to change yourself for that?

Silly Saturday: Wicked Daydreams

2011-12-17T08:44:00.000+05:30

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Reality Sinks In...

2011-12-15T11:28:00.008+05:30

BSNL broadband surrendered.
Car sold.
Cartons pulled out from the attic.
Finally, it starts to sink in.
That we are MOVING!
Yayyyy!

Eight more days.

I wish it was over already.
I wish I was "there" already.

Just eight more days.

New postal address.
New phone number. (Again!!)
New bedroom.
New view from my balcony.
New dreams.
New life.

In just a little over a week!

[can't stop grinning ear-to-ear]

Wordless Wednesday: Eternal Fighter

2011-12-14T09:19:00.000+05:30

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Another Century!

2011-12-12T13:06:00.002+05:30

A few days ago, it was Sehwag's double century in the news. And today, this is what shows up on my Blogger dashboard...

You see the contents of that red circle above, don't you?

Do you realize what that means?

Yes! It means that this post marks the 5th century on this blog! miss_teerious is now 500 posts old! :D :D :D

I started this space in December 2006... managed to pen down just 5 posts in that one month of 2006.

The year 2007 was even more pathetic... with just 27 posts in the entire year!

And then the activity here increased: 114 posts in 2008, 146 in 2009 (the most "happening" year, I guess) and 112 posts in 2010.

This is the 96th post of 2011. So I suppose I should be able to cross the one-hundred mark this year too.

The future?

Well, I'd rather not comment on it now, because miss_teerious and Kaddu are two different entities, both with their own life force.

While Kaddu has repeatedly tried to destroy miss_teerious in the past, the latter has, so far, always managed to survive.

Which leads me to wonder if it's even worth the effort... messing with this blog anymore... since it always springs back up!

Maybe I should just let it live in peace...

Maybe I will... now...

Lost Battles

2011-12-11T14:04:00.006+05:30

Apparently, some questions in life have no answers.

All you can do is play along... until the game's over.

Just two more weeks...