A refreshing update from the wordpress team.  I have had issues with the version 2.7 when it first came out and after I have upgraded to 2.8, those problems disappear.  This new version comes with a heap of new features.  For a whole list of them, click here.  This is my first post after upgrade.  Usually after I upgrade to a new version, there are bound to be some issues with the blog.  Touch wood, I hope to see smooth posting after I hit the ‘post’ button.  Well, if you are a little brave at heart, come and join me in the upgrade.  I am sure, you will be fine… He He!…

vladstudio over at deviantART released a new wallpaper titled “The Traveling Tree”.  This new header brings a refreshing green and blue to the blog design.  As I have been itching to change the entire blog design, I have yet to find inspiration.  The Travelling Tree brings a new breath and helps to brighten the blog design and helps to fill the gap while I search for a fresh look.

Photo Artist – jplacson

So, when WordPress 2.7 enters beta 2, I was tempted to migrate.  There were so many features that I need, and yet, this little voice in me asking me not to be crazy.  After all, I am no Bruce Willies in Die Hard nor Mel Gibson in Bravehear, two of my favourite expression for people who are not afraid to die.  Then on the other hand I am a little bored, some spices will sure be a time killer.  Well, lets first do a backup and sleep on it.  Tomorrow will be the right day to Die Hard.

When I frst started, I didn’t like writing. Writing to me is a tedious job. So, I make my blog a photoblog. If you check out post from 2002 and 2003, you will mostly find photos with occasional ramblings. I had my Nikon 2500 then and that little gadget filled my blogs with daily photos of sights and events around me. I am still photobloging, but the frequency has reduced as I have not that many of nice shots that is worth posting. Also, now I writes more, so my focus is more on writings than photos. During my days of photobloging, I manage to score a ‘Noteworthy‘ (top 6 voted photos out of 300 submission) from Photofriday. It was my proud moment in blogging.

I was first introduced into blogging by Albert. He was doing it through BlogSpot then and I was intrigue of easy self publishing engine that BlogSpot offers. Before that, I was building my own web pages during college days on geocities, if you still remember them. They exist today though yahoo. It was unfortunate that I did not safe any of the pages I built, it would be nice to look at them again. I was building pages about movies, that was my passion at that time. When I got back to Malaysia and started to work, I did not have the time for movies nor my geocities anymore, and that sank into oblivion. A couple of years leaving college, I was eager to find out what my old friends were doing. So, I made and printed a newsletter about what I have been up to. I only made one, a year after that, Albert introduce me to BlogSpot, and my blogging hobby begins. Its been 6 years since. 

Through out the 6 years, I have maintain my photoblog and my personal blog for insane rambling.  I venture into videoblogging at a time, and that did not caught on as I did not had the right tool and it takes too much time to edit a video.  I experimented with audio blogging, some of the web services offer a service where you can dial in through a phone and speak your mind.  It will be automatically be converted to MP3 and post to the blog.

Maybe one year from now, I can get a WiMax Netbook, so that I can all of the above while delivering chopsticks, attending wedding receptions and exchanging gold during the Chinese Wedding Ceremony.  Yea, I know… lame… 

So, switch off the net when you are busy…

Blogging is the one thing that I enjoy doing and something that I dont have the time to indulge into. For a long time, I have loads of things on my mind that I want to blog. But because they were just bits and pieces of ideas and it needs the time to really put it down to perfection, it needs time. And when I have the time, I dont have the inspiration. I have just thought of trying something new. A change in my blogging habbit. Re-Invent Myself. Instead of putting down hundreds of words one one topic, I will just instead put down what’s on my mind, no matter how broken up they are. So, today, I hope to blog more often, daily I hope. To vent some of the frustration in life, to share some of the sweet memories and to laugh with myself.

On Che Det

I come to realize, what I am trying to do is not totally new. Tun Mahathir have been blogging in snippets. The thing that strike me is that firstly, it does not look that nice, and secondly, I dont understand what he speaks off half the time. Maybe I am that dumb. Like today, he first say that he is ambarassed that Shah Rukh Khan was awarded Datukship, then he ended his post by saying that the guy qualifies for it. Artistically interesting on how he structure his post, but for an engineer like me, not sure what point he is driving through. Maybe it was meant to be that way…

On Nude Pics

I recently came across a blog posting of Malaysian Colleague girls nude pics through petaling street project. The girls in question came out in today’s Star article “Dont Be Stupid, Chong tells women”. Somehow, I felt sorry for them as now onwards, they are not able to face the world. Worst, for those who don’t know, this article on The Star will sure to alert them. Intriguing minds will lead them to the photos. If you think of taking nude photos, don’t do it.

On VSS

VSS – Voluntary Seperation Scheme, some calls it VSP, etc. My product division recent gave 8 of my colleagues the package. Majority of then are > 10-20 years in the company. They were very happy, its like a fat paycheque before they retire. As this shceme is right for the employees, and should have, it somehow has given the bad impression. Some of my colleagues just stide through daily without any effort or passion. To them, they are just waiting for the big fat package. When you ask, how’s everything, they would say, “like this lor, waiting lor!”. Not that long back the goverment annouce that they will give VSS to civil servants that does not perform. Yes, I was surprise of the annoucement. Its like, you cannot perform, here, I give you a big fat reward to leave. Its sending the wrong signal. The VSS scheme is to protect employees, that the companies are obliged to pay compensation to employees if they decided to terminate them. Its not a meant as a bonus package. For my colleagues, they do deserve it, they have worked so hard all the years, and this is some kind of a reward for them. Those who do not deserve it, are still waiting.

On Blogging

Looks like I dont make much sense. I now understand why sometimes I dont understand Che Det….

Not too long after that, i saw this journal of mine mysteriously appeared on my desk.  I open it up and it was filled with grammar corrections.  Yes, apparently, mum somehow found my journal and decided to have a read.  Not only that, she even corrected my grammar while at it.  I was pissed at that time for the fact that she read my diary.  I told her that it was my personal space and I appreciate it that she does not set onto it, more over making grammar corrections.  I was very small then.  Recounting the incident, I just can’t help to laugh on the fact that mum did grammar corrections on my journal writings. 

Learning from that incident, I hid my second journal years later when I decided to have a go at writing again.  Again, after some time, when the chicken shit turns cold, I forgot where I kept it.  Suddenly in the middle of the night during my second year of College abroad, it dawned to me that that journal was loosely hidden in my room of which my parents had a small remodeling after I left for college.  I can’t help to think if she did find it and read it, and this one, I truly did not want anyone to read as it cannot see the light of day.  It was my teenage years journal, and you know what shit that goes through teenage minds. 

Anyway, I got home from College, found the journal intact, and I still wonder if she did actually read it.  One thing for sure was that there was no grammar correction on my writings.   In a way, I was glad, she might not have read it.  This blog of mine can be considered as my third journal, and it is viewable everyone in the world, so no dark secrets here, but mum does not know it exists.  If she does find out, I dont mind her reading it.  Too bad that she can’t make any grammar corrections on my blog entry. 

A couple of days ago I pick up this thread from Lorelle over a competition about the feeling when you first blog.  The prize was a brand new theme professionally designed, and the author’s ebook on Blog writing success.  It was simple, just submit a photo and then a nice catchy caption, and whoala, I won.  There were 50 winners picked.  I submitted the above photo capturing the excitement in the dawn of a new age.   Blogging was a hobby and during the early days, I was particularly excited, and the photo just capture that nicely.  Thanks to Liz Strauss for the prizes.