How I started with Blogging

A friend asked me how I started blogging few days back. All of sudden, it ignited a lot of memories from past. Memories of how this all started, memories of how I tried to matured with, memories of my stupidity once and memories of really many remarkable things of my life. But still in place of giving credits of this article to those memories, I would like give the credits to my favourite blogger Deep Ganatra. (I know, he might be a bit surprised if know about it as we kind of didn’t mixed well, when it was the last time and I was arrogant and kiddish kind of or could say, was in Evil Techniques of Blog Promotions.). So, It’s kind of dedicated to him and to let him know that I admire him (even if weren’t reading him in past too much, will read from now on).

Before having the blog on WordPress.com itself, I was just experimenting with FreeWebs.com with the experimental site. In those days, I was naive enough about these blogging and even writing things. I was used to write my diaries and poetries in those days, but wasn’t much aware about blogging in those days. I was reading in Allahabad University and it was kind of outdated enough to know about such stuffs. Friends anchoring me into technology world were Ram Kinkar Pandey, Manoj Narayan Tripathi and internet provided by MNNIT, Allahabad (Younger Brother’s Hostel).

The first reason to come up with a blog was Indian Idol 2 and the day for the first article was 22nd March 2006. Just one day before of the same, I came to meet an amazing online friend from other country. This friendship lasted for next two years and still back there with many good memories with it.

Writing; it was started in just fun as I was working for IIIT-Allahabad in those days, was having good speed internet all day long, much of spare time, I took Indian Idol as a subject and over time, as people started to hit me, I started hitting back and I come to know that it was in me somewhere. Those days and now, I am still learning a thing or two everyday about blogging and this online world, though life gone on a much busy track with lots of responsibility of work life and personal life.

Now, coming toward the same point, from where I started; Deep Ganatra. If I keep some target in my mind about my blogging, then it would be him. Recently, I have been in some details with his blog and got to feel a few similarities between us. May be we are different phases of time/ maturity/ life, but I should look into his words for some guidance. After all, now days, I am loosing things kind of anchoring.

First thing, I am reading from him is about SEO and other comments were like over lengthy CV etc. Still I should say, I am not following all of them :P, but I think, I am starting kind of makeup stuff between. I regard him like a big brother.

If I write, then I could write much on this topic, but making myself stopped here keeping someone’s comments in mind.

Thanks for making fun :)

सिमट आता है हर इक टुकङा खामोश धङकनो में,
मेरा दर्द तो अब आँखो से बयाँ नही होता ।।

सोचता हूँ कह दूँ जो शिकवे हैं जिदगी से,
पर गैरो से अब हमें कोई गिंला नही होता ।।

No complaints. No reasons to complaint.

How to make a Website from WordPress

This time the target was to work out a complete website out of WordPress and although I had seen many websites based on WordPress, but I was not been into details ever and neither in any more touch with all HTML, CSS etc now days. More than the information itself, it was all about imagination. Even if, I was having sort of a view about what I am trying to make, the challenge was to map the same with the restrictive environment of WordPress.

I am not expecting anyone to learn from this article that “How to make A Website out of WordPress” by this website, as my approach was kind of naïve and nursery kid’s learning, but still for someone starter like me, it might be a good idea to know things easily rather than searching and going through many themes and templates etc.

The requirement was a stylish enough, but simple, lightweight and corporate kind of looking view. A header having customized pictures, customized favicon for the site, a marquee logo, header with pages names, few pages of course, a three column theme holding static messages at left side and dynamic messages on right side and along with all these requirements, one was required to keep it looking clean enough means no sign of wordpress itself.

I guess anyone would require the same from any novice website in a free cost without need of web designing experts. Don’t know, my approach served all the requirement or not, but for the starter, I found a particular theme named atahualpa came out to be a life saviour. I am not going to describe that how it works and how to make it work in your ways, but trust me, it works like a charm. I managed to match most of the requirements of mine and I don’t feel that I could not add more and more customizations in it on my own in easy ways. Have a look over my implementation template as of now.

First look at Website
First look at Website
Suggestions page on Website
Suggestions page on Website

First level menus on the header are actual pages, from which I deliberately have hided posts page. All the second level menus are actually categories and in this way, I found a way to provide many departments a blog of their own. Moreover, by hiding some of the categories, I succeeded in keeping MD’s page and Exe. MD’s page in background (although still there are categories only, but I am not allowing all post pages here). The next task remained is to restrict particular authors to fixed categories only. Let’s see, what I could do.

The top has a marquee logo here and left and right portion is having messages through Text Widgets. Header images as you know are self changing with our control over them. I guess enough hints till here for how to go for one of your own wordpress hosting.

Although till now, I am not able to find the version to suit the web version WordPress.com for some obvious reasons neither did I am finished with the complete design of the site as I am hardly getting any time out of work for the same, but I guess soon I will be back with the complete details and fully working site based on WordPress.

Edited on 16th October 2009: Finally I found a plugin named Role Scoper, which was claiming to have the similar functionality means restriction over users etc. Got it installed on my server, although yet to figure out about its working and more will come out, when users will start using it actually. But I hope, I got a way to accomplish the final remaining task.

One more remaining target is handling Dynamic updates in more managed way means Widgets like Company Headlines or News in same marquee style but getting their entries from some MySQL or some XML file. Although Environment of WordPress is very much restrictive, but I guess, I could find a way around it as well.

Next Article:

My next article might be around Windows Deployment Services Server. Not posting right now as I am struggling enough with it and sometimes its frustrating. That’s why I wish to come out with a clean walkthrough for the same implementation for rest of the world.

Wake Up SID: A bit of me, a bit of you

Has this happened with you sometimes that a guest of yours asks about yours completely in chaos living room and you say that Yaar! Just not getting time since last two three days and was going to arrange this all by tomorrow on off day and just then your room partner or neighbor smiles a bit leaving you embarrassed inside, as you know that it’s in chaos since last one month or almost always ;). Has it not happened with you that in each next exam you thought that last time, you decided to be more concerned for studies? Has not this happened to you that just after college, you really think that will you really be working for some office any day? I mean what you will do for that office 😀 You don’t know anything? Then go and watch Wake Up SID, it will remind you many pieces of your life. Be sensitive and it’s gonna be a cute ride for sure.

Title: Wake up SID
Release Date: 2nd October 2009
Banner: Dharma Productions.
Producer: Karan Johar
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Cast:.Ranbir Kapoor, Konkana Sen, Anupam Kher, Supriya Pathak, Rahul Khanna, Kashmira Shah, Shikha Talsania, Namit Das, Kainaz Motivala
Story Writer: Ayan Mukerji
Music Director: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar,
Cinematography: Anil Mehta
Dialogues: Niranjan Iyengar
Composer: Amit Trivedi

Waiting for the movie, then watching it with expectations relating with Saawaria and Bachna Aae Hasino, but finding it some much of a better and touching perspective than anything else. May be many people after watching the movie just come out discussing Ranbir and Konkana’s unusual on-screen chemistry or thinking about links between Dil Chahta Hai, but for me or many like me, it was something to let us know that at some places, we all are a bit or more of a SID. For me, there were many points to notice in the same movie and I really don’t know how to cover them all in a ‘little’ article (readable in sense). Let me start ….

The story is all about Siddharth aka SID; his just-after-college life like any of us clueless youth about his aims in life and his kind of platonic love story with Aisha; a small town girl with a bit defined aims of life, but still learning bits of life. Then how it crafts SID boy to man (?) or somehow moving into stream of life finally. A platonic love kind of .. not Yash Chopra brand, but a little more real in another sense. Anyway …

Although there was an association with the name of Karan Johar, but there was almost nothing like his element in this movie and so we could agree with his own claim that he left it complete in hands of the debutant director Ayan Mukerji, who shined up with his own simple but beautifully crafted story, mixing it with Music of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, live dialogues of Niranjan Iyengar and just in motion with tempo of movie composing of Amit Trivedi.

Sometimes, we know that we are wrong at places or at many places, even we know that what we need to do, but even then feel lazy to move a little as we know that we have change almost everything of our crazy life. No.. it’s not shown this much complex on screen, as the story moved just like the same flow, but it ignites many such thoughts in my mind. We get attitude in us and answer rudely sometimes and then trying to patch up again and again on other’s arguing about our life and things as we know that they are saying right, but the question is why are they saying? Where are they helping us in changing things to get better for us? Or even if they are doing best for us, then why are we not able to adjust with that as well? Frustration of youth after a few ups and downs with influences of people around you, finally places you in some place of this world, may be you were to be there.

At another end of story, Aisha; knows a little about her aim, her kind of boy, her kind of life, but still knowing or not knowing how she will get or how the things will get mature at the end. Get in touch with SID and didn’t get to know that when he brought all chaos of his own life and why she always been with him with all her modesty. May be he was only one around her to accompany her in this new life.

The special part of the movie, which keeps it different from era love story, was their in-compatibility. Aisha was not of Sid’s type or he never thought of his type of girl like he never thought of work or life ever and Sid was boy for Aisha, a cute boy, but not dependable man. She get an almost ideal for her in her boss Rahul Khanna, but soon come to know the practically perfect somewhere doesn’t suit her soul. There love story was different like the conversation between them says, when SID asks that why didn’t they fallen in love for each other rather than being friends only. Aisha replies just coz it didn’t happened and later explained that he is never a kind of boy, she would be happy being with for rest of life means he might be cute kid, but not a man in her world. Just this is the love story in its honesty, not a Yash Chopra or mostly known cheesy brand of love, or some kind of we all might know by popularly.

Aisha’s devotion and attachment without asking anything, with bearing every little wrong thing of SID, brings Sid towards maturity step by step, which everyone tried, but didn’t got him with them in their attempts. Even he tries to change for her, like learning making omelet for her and then disappointment when for her it was like nothing, but just normal. He slowly learns to change his chaotic daily routine and somehow Aisha made him fitted for some office job, while he was clueless that will he do something ever? He knows that he is not what Aisha wish and Aisha knows he is fine, but should have been more perfect, but even then they want company of each other with expressing it. Aisha know that she wish and SID not even know directly, but .. Ranbir was just natural for the role and so was Konkana, the chemistry went truly and most cute was the first date (?) of them. I really liked that coz …… might be been sometimes in :P.

The most special part, which few will start noticing soon was the magical realness in emotions. None of the emotion was loud, be it disappointment and helpless longing of a mother, who continuously tried to be a friend of her son or be it anger and frustration of a father, who want to get his son back in real life or be it Sid’s inner anger in failing continuously and dejection from every side or be it growing annoyance of Aisha on her all over stressed life either it be breakup of Sid’s friend. Everything was so light that you don’t even come to know that it happened and passed. The transition from a laid back thrown to winds attitude to someone who values independence is so subtle and smooth that you never realize when it happened. It is just the denial and dejection that brought about the change which Sid could not feel with his parents.

May be if Aisha would have broke out to shout above a limit or if Sid might have got some more pushed back rejection from life then it was in just other ways? The laid back boy was required only such a lightweight transformation and just this was the special about the movie. Sometimes, we picture a great concept so simply and just wait for someone to notice it, get disappointed a lot and just get satisfied only if just one get notice of the same J

Lots to say about the movie, but stopping the article in kind of middle, coz don’t want to raise expectations. Many things to say, but that will be addressed by other’s reviews. This was a piece of me. Hope some of you might like it.

Again some bored holidays

Many a times, I ask myself that why don’t I write often? So the answer come from inside “Where is the reason? Where are the topics?” Sometimes, I hear a very low voice reply “Aren’t really they here?” Do I hear? Most of the times, I don’t. This is something, which makes me just like all of us, they notice, but don’t comment.

Why I came up for writing today? I guess nothing, complete nothing.

There was a two days visit to home on occasion of earned leaves, yeah I am not calling it on occasion of Vijayadashmi as it was not, it was just on occasion of ELs as I didn’t went out on the occasion and it remained as just an EL.

Installed Windows 7 over Laptop and it was just fine as it must have been. No surprises or specials as I already was done with the same installation earlier. But there were some annoying parts like the parental one Windows Vista itself. But overall, it was nice.

I think I could end this writing with recommending Windows 7 for people who have jammed themselves with Vista pre-installed in their Laptops and now struggling to get Windows XP into the same. Try Windows 7. It’s not as lighter as Windows XP, but sure better than Windows Vista.