Changing Habits…. Morning Disappointments
by techeretic on Jul.06, 2011, under Uncategorized
Blogging was something I always though I would be very good at. But many a times, I used to find myself lost for thoughts, especially after some long work days and then would spend the remainder of the day just watching movies or playing something on my any of my phones. I did have many topics in my head to write about and many a times I have even pondered on writing various blog posts only to come home and then totally give up on that plan. There have also been times when I have started writing some blog post and then midway, i used to lose interest in everything. So now, I have convinced myself that every week, I will write atleast one post to my hosted blog. This is where you are currently reading this very post.
So as of now, the latest thing happening with my life is that I’m trying my best to become the fitter and healthier person that I never have been. This is something I am trying to achieve by controlling my obsessive eating habits and also regular running. The running bit is actually the tough bit, I have been able to keep a tab on the eating habits otherwise. For me to actually practice running, I have to go the gym, which again isn’t very close by. So from then on starts my lazy mindset and then I just start to give up on things. So as of now, in the past 4 days, I have ran about 16 miles, and also have reduces my waist bit. This I know because i cant wear my trousers without the support of a belt. But then again, my hips have yet to reduce.
Now here is another anomaly I am currently facing. I did start this post alright, was concise, atleast in my opinion, but then, midway, went a little astray and then am lost when it comes to the ending. Anyways, this post is now being written on a document in Google Docs and I’m going to try to publish it right from the Docs panel. Hope this works out.
Here’s me trying to be a little less lazy and more active on my blog.
The paragraph above was from the Google Docs document, using which I was going to publish to my wordpress blog. I had no clue as to what is to be done to achieve the same and had also posted a question in the Docs Forums searching for an answer. But this was done last night, and since no one was replied back yet (to my disappointment) I thought of posting this draft before anything went stale in it. So now, this post is about two different entries…. Changing habits represents the top para, and the rest is represented here.
Why I might not use Google Docs for now…
by techeretic on Jul.05, 2011, under Uncategorized
Google Docs is so far my preferred mode of document editing. I know its not something that everyone really likes, but for a guy like me, who doesn’t really believe in spending money on editing applications when there are reasonable free applications available to sub for the same, it was the perfect option. All my documents in once place, accessible from anywhere, even from any of my many android devices, it was all fun and rosy. But then tragedy struck when I realised that I couldn’t publish WordPress or for that matter any blog posts from Google Docs. To be fair, maybe it can be done and I don’t know it yet. I have posted a question in the Google Docs forum asking about the same, and so till I get a satisfactory answer there, I will be assuming it cant be done.
This has come as a big turn off for me regarding Google Docs. After googling online, I came across various posts telling me how it can be done, but then a quick look at some of the screenshots mentioned in those guides tells you that they were from an earlier era. So maybe Google Docs did once allow you to post directly to your blog via their sharing interface, but sadly, its all lost now, in some update probably. Hope they answer my question soon giving me some guide as to what is to be done to achieve my objective. Till then, that one post will remain languishing in my list of documents.
The Joys of Cooking
by techeretic on May.31, 2011, under Uncategorized
Living in the UK away from my family has taught me one thing; cooking. Previously, all I could manage was tea and those 2 minute noodles. Turns out, everything else isnt that hard.
Being a big fan of non-vegetarian food, I get all the options of the world here in UK. And by all options I mean just the options which I know I can have. This being fish, chicken, pork and eggs. So today, somehow I managed to cook the second best dish I’ve ever cooked. Also turns out, I knew the recipe all along. It’s just the maharashtrian styled chicken curry. Very simple to make but very tasty nonetheless. My first most awesome dish was minced mutton. Didn’t learn it by myself.but my recipe somehow seems to be perfect. Not to forget the spices I have got from India.anyways cooking wasn’t a joy earlier but just when I have managed to gets things spot on, its just so damn satisfying!! That also pretty much explains this pretty random and irrelevant post.
Juggling between contracts and plans – Mobile Scene in UK for people like me
by techeretic on Feb.05, 2011, under Uncategorized
The call costs in the United Kingdom are really overpriced. Also having two phones is seemingly a crime. I don’t have any friends here apart from my colleagues at work. And since they all live close by, texting and calling them on mobile is something that is rarely used, and if used, used very sparingly. So that pretty much makes the unlimited texts on the call plans available here obsolete. Also the mobile calls is something that I will be using sparingly, thus that makes the anytime anywhere minutes pretty much useless for me. Thus, if you’re from abroad and don’t have many people to talk to in UK, you’re basically gonna be ripped off.
Enough about the things I don’t want, more about the things I want from the call plans. So since I obviously am away from my family and friends in India, I need to call back to them India. And for that I am going to use the VOIP service provider in UK, of which, there are quite a few. Their rates are pretty much standard and thus there is not much problem in deciding who I want to sign up with for the VOIP minutes. But then, using these services means you need to call a UK landline number which directs you to their server and from there on to your destination number. Thus Landline calling minutes are a big deal. But then again, they’re a big hassle, and costly. For O2, there is a plan on pay as you go that allows you a good chunk of calls from a particular postcode of your choice. Outside that place, you’re charged a premium. But anyways, since I don’t move about that much, I think that using that plan should be no problem, adding the blackberry/internet bolt on to it just makes things pretty cool if you have a blackberry in place.
Now here’s the other kicker, the data plans here on the prepaid/pay as you go plans are badly priced or packaged with the text messaging tariffs. And this is something the same across all the network providers, but when you move to the pay monthly plans, things get a lot more sane. So now for me, I am gonna be using two different service providers, 3 Mobile UK for the monthly plan, which will help me with 1 GB of data, 100 anytime minutes for 10 quid a month. And I am going to be adding the unlimited landlines addon to that pack so that I can pretty much make calls back home from all possible places. This sim will be used with the Galaxy S, while the Bold will get the O2 sim which it was using earlier. Also in the midst of all of this, I have to port a number that I have been usingfrom the beginning. Gosh this has gotten pretty confusing.
