Month: January 1970

It’s funny how we often overlook potentially good blogs simply based on where they are hosted. Like so many other reviewers I have a tendency to do just the same with someone who’s using one of the pay services. A blogspot blog. Can you see the grimace on my face? However it was a pleasant surprise to not got to his blog and see that ugly multi-colored layout with the big black borders? I know you all know which one I’m talking about. Instead you’re graced with the cool colors of blue. This, dear reader, is a nice change.

The author, Ruchita, is a young one. Still in her high school years, it’s amazing sometimes to see the difference in the writing style of the youth today as opposed to just a few years ago. I doubt I could’ve written anything worthy of posting when I was still in high school. Though she shares with us her anticipation of graduation, we can sympathize, because goodness knows there’s not a person alive who doesn’t remember anticipating graduation high school. Ruchita reminds me very much, in her style of writing, of some of the young adult books that I’ve read. Don’t get me wrong, I love and adore those young adult books and have turned many an adult onto these books. This blog reads much like those (referring to classmates and dorkus’). It gives the blog a very light-hearted, humorous feel to it. Young people can relate, and older people can remember. A nice balance between all worlds.

As you read you feel her pain as she studies for exams, and juggles between leisure and work, and also the occasional rambling about theater or concerts. This lets the reader wonder whether she’s a theater freak, or just the regular over-zealous teenager trying to make it into a decent college. This also caused me, the reader, to want that much more about Ruchita, which left me searching for an about me page. Maybe it’s just me, but I like to know a little more about the reader, sometimes even just silly details. However, on the plus side, you do learn more about Ruchita if you actually get to reading more of her entries. She’s obviously a social butterfly (which is definitely not a bad thing) with scheduling a movie night at her house and inviting everyone she knows (and making sure that everyone “spreads the word.”)

She writes in a style that almost mimicks letters to her friends, as a whole. Her readers are referred to as “you” and it makes the blog have a very personal feel to it… almost like she’s your friend also. I’m guessing that’s the point. And trust me… it definitely makes you feel more at home.

The only issue I was noticing with regard to the entire blog is that it is hosted on blogspot. It’s not that it’s a bad host, it’s just that there are a few server problems now and again. I didn’t take this away from her score, simply because it’s not wholly her fault. She cannot control the server gods and make them do anything right. The problem lies in when you try to view any of her archives. Some archives show up with the “page not found” error. Other’s come up with just the code of the page. Other times you’ll load the layout, no text. And when you refresh (sometimes it’s the 4th or 5th time) you finally get the text to show, sometimes with a few errors.

Overall, this blog is a simple glimpse into the life of a teen somewhere out there. It’s fun, entertaining and highly amusing. It reads like a book, very smoothly, and I recommend stopping by and giving it a read. You might be surprised to find that you’re enjoying it as well.Virtual Insanity

Ah…another blogspot blog. I wasn’t expecting much when the page started to load. After it finished loading, I looked at the ‘Pete’ in ‘The World According to Pete’, then at the pink background decorated with cute little paw prints and at the peachy, girlish layout with not one but two adorable smiling cats, and expected much much less.

Then I started to read.

Then I wondered: what the hell is such a witty and sarcastic male writer doing with a thirteen-year-old tween site design? A witty and sarcastic AND heterosexual male writer, no less (no offense to certain parties). I suggest an immediate revamping of the site in case the frilly, innocent layout misleads impressionable little girls and boys into reading the blog content and thus suffer from serious mental problems after coming across Pete’s ‘sex life’ and his wacky opinions on the war. Damaging stuff. So that’s 0.5 points off for incongruousness and lack of concern for the wellbeing of minors.

Seriously, now, Pete is a funny guy. The blog was originally submitted under ‘Humor’, but I unilaterally (keyword alert! keyword alert!) changed it to ‘Personal’ because I feel that The World According to Pete is really all about Pete. Heck, the title says it all. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing to write about your personal life, views and opinions and have readers laugh at it, but it sure is good for us readers. When Pete writes, he writes. Long, satisfying entries throughout the blog, with correctly spelled words (there are some misspelled words done on purpose a la ‘Flowers for Algernon’ though), grammatically perfect sentences and neatly separated paragraphs. All that just to make you laugh.

With the main attraction of the blog being his personality, it really is a let down that there is no personal information on Pete. Many bloggers scoff at the idea of doing a Hi-my-name-is-Pete-I-am-29-years-old, but in reality it is helpful for readers not acquianted with the writer. It lets readers know where a writer is coming from when he or she makes a point; whether there are any prejudices or not and so on. A white middle-class American male saying “Bush is an idiot!” is not the same as a young Indonesian saying it. A blog without basic personal information gives the idea that it is meant for friends and relatives only. Readers feel left out and have difficulty understanding posts if there are references to earlier events. On The World According to Pete, the only thing that might give some remote idea about who Pete is is a link titled ‘Pete’s Mug Shot’ – which links you to a JPG file that doesn’t show. Another 0.5 points off for that.

All in all, if you ignore the pink kitties and concentrate on the words, you will derive great pleasure from this blog. More than anything, it is enjoyable to read about Pete’s antics and outlook on life, smoking ‘problems’ and all. For someone who has had a near-death experience and seen God, he’s a reckless, fun fool. The verdict: The World According to Pete is a rollicking, wicked good read. Chances are you will develop a crush on Pete after reading through. Highly recommended.

Semi-related stuff: In the interest of writing an honest review, I have attempted to see what will happen if readers answer Pete’s call of sending him pictures of themselves. So far there has been no reply, and unfortunately (either for him or for readers of TWR) I have to submit this review before dinnertime and thus cannot inform potential readers on the outcome. Do head over and check the site out anyway.The World According to Pete

When I first visited Premshree’s blog, I thought it was a tad spartan. First impressions can be deceiving, however, and despite a marked lack of glitz and glamour, I found this to be a thoroughly delightful site. It serves a dual purpose; giving us the benefit of Premshree’s technical articles, software code and it allows us to become acquainted with Premshree the person.

Despite my initial relegation of this site into the “Computer Geek” pile, I found the glimpses of life in India to be fascinating. The useful technical tips, code, and links to Premshree’s articles were well balanced by into what life is life for a young college student in India.

If an American college student designed, developed, and wrote this blog, it would rate a 3.5. It’s slightly above average, all the links work, but similar files, code, links, etc., can be found elsewhere without a lot of searching. The unique part of this blog is the foreign element, which introduces just enough newness and intrigue to earn this site a solid 4. I look forward to coming back occasionally and catching up with Premshree. I think you will too.

Premshree Pillai’s Journal

When you first come to the site, the design strikes your fancy — something new! You immediately think to yourself… there has got to be something good going on here. And the surprise is that there is something good going on here.



The blog itself brings the reader closer to the author by his sharing of everyday little things that are often overlooked. It reminds me of those moments in life where you’ll find yourself thinking something silly (May 22), believing that you’re the only one that believes that way, only to find that you’re not… there are others. The author’s entries are filled with humor and wit, stacked on top of intelligence, which is rampant throughout the blog. There are many interesting things to read here, and it’s a well-rounded read. Anyone that can comment on Shakespeare’s gayness (March 5) and talk about video games (April 17) has to be a somewhat balanced writer.



The design is fresh and new. Quite unique by way of blog designs. Comments are offered, though there is no about me page, which is a bit of a let-down.



He has a few other blogs linked and some movie reviews of things the author has recently seen. He shared with you what he’s currently reading, and currently listening to. Another added feature that I found kind of fun was the links to “songs of the moment,” added onto specific entries. This helps to bring the reader into the mind-set of the author and shares with the rest of the world the kind of mood he might be in.



Overall this blog was fun to read. I found myself reading entirely more than could possibly be needed to write a decent review. I browsed through the majority of the archives and found them just as interesting as the recent stuff. Sometimes there are just subjects that are timeless.ODAAT- one day at a time

My first impression of the site was “clean in shades of gray.” Feels rather melancholy, when really there’s little of melancholy written here. Never trust what you see at first glance, this guy is definitely a techie.

The blog should fall into the category of technical, considering at his young age he’s been writing for some major technical magazines and online magazines. You learn something about his Indian culture from his entries, and goodness knows there are a lot of us that could use some culture. He has a great writing style and a good grasp of the language. There’s a lot of techno-babble, so sometimes the reader might find themselves lost. There’s the occasional personal entry, which is very personal and these entries are filled with a hint of the spiritual, bringing the reader closer to the author.

The design is simple but works. There are no images, so there’s a fast load time for slower connection. It’s not hard on the eyes, but it’s not overly beautiful either. It fits very well, however, with this author’s writing style and subject.

The first thing I visited was the about me page and you can’t help but feel somewhat in awe of his accomplishments a writer. The main site has scripts and articles as well as a newsletter. There are definitely many reasons for readers to stop by and visit. The archives only go back ten entries at a time, so it’s a little time consuming if you want to go way back.

It seems that some of the better blogs are hiding in the guise of simplistic design. There are many interesting entries worth reading (May 11) and this blog is definitely an interesting read. Nothing out of the ordinary or extravagant here, but definitely worth a visit. Again, if there was a section called technical, this would definitely fit there.Premshree Pillai’s Journal