#tenth year

[twatkcox]

TWATKcox@10: How I Managed To Reach Ten Years, Plus The Struggles And All That

Moving on to the next post in the TWATKcox@10 series, let me share how this blog reached 10+ years despite numerous struggles, especially writer’s block.

xxxxxxxxxx

In 2008, I started a blog called The Kin Keihan Times, which was hosted through Friendster Blogs. Along with creating that blog comes the goal of reaching 50 posts. Well, the original incarnation of the blog only managed to publish…

[twatkcox]

[Kin Keihan Times X: The End Of KKT]

Four years and seven months. Did I really gain anything from this?

##########

Back in September 2012, I was actually considering shutting down the blog and then creating a new one. Of course, I still loved the Kin Keihan Times branding, but it's time to think of a more suitable name for my blog. Though It sounds catchy at first, like a newspaper company, it really doesn’t fit with the blog's content, which consists of my personal experiences and my own literary works.

The Color Orange serves as the final post for the Kin Keihan Times, published in October 2012. After that, the former blog became idle for a few months, and then it shut down. The main blog and its literary counterpart were deleted in preparation for the new one, named after its Tumblr spin-off, The World According To KCOX. As for that one, all of its contents were moved to the archives, save for a few posts which were later incorporated into TWATKcox-Tumblr's second incarnation. It is now the new blog's mirror site, as well as the home for TWATKRant, The Keihancarl Diaries, and soon, The Anime Diaries.

It was quite a bittersweet moment, but I somehow managed to get over it quickly. After all, there's no point in turning back so it’s time to move on. I just wished I retained the main blog's WordPress site. It was a stupid move to delete the entire blog and now I can no longer reuse it as the KKT's archive blog.

##########

Fast forward to 2018. It's been five-and-a-half years since the KKT ceased operations, but the memory of my former blog lives on. In fact, TWATKcox serves as the improved version of the KKT but generally leaning towards informative posts.

Rereading some of the old posts from my former blog, I can't help but feel awkward at what I've written during that time. My posts really do reflect my personality, with a sense of awkwardness. Well, that's how I used to express myself back then, with a hint of emotion in some of the posts. As my writing skills improved over time, some of my posts would eventually come out more serious and well refined… at times, with a slight touch of humor. It's a sign that I really need to start anew, therefore, the need to shut down my former blog.

The Kin Keihan Times really serves as a record of my earlier blogging career. The compiled posts on the archives will remain for the sake of posterity.

##########

And that concludes the Kin Keihan Times X series. Meanwhile, #TWATKcox5th will return this August featuring my current blog's future plans. Watch out for it soon.

[twatkcox]

[Kin Keihan Times X: Across Different Platforms And Layouts]

Last time, we cover the literary and special posts. This time, we’ll focus on the Kin Keihan Times' journey across different blogging platforms, as well as the themes used for the blog(s).

##########

The Kin Keihan Times was launched in 2008 on the now-defunct Friendster Blogs. For three years, Friendster Blogs serves as the KKT’s home until its demise in 2011.

For the original KKT blog site, the Misty Look theme is used. You know, the light colored theme with the small caps on the blog's name. It is the only theme used in the blog's first incarnation prior to migration to WordPress.

The blog is briefly hosted on Blogger in 2010 as a mirror site, reposting some of the articles and stories from the original KKT blog. It uses the Piano Black theme. Later that year, I migrated to WordPress and the KKT is divided into two blog sites: the main (article) blog and the literary blog (the KKT Literary Corner). They both used the Quintus theme, and later, the Black-Letterhead Demo theme.

In 2012, the main blog switched to the rose-colored Bouquet theme, while its literary counterpart still used the Black-Letterhead Demo. These were the last themes used for the KKT blog sites until it ended operations in early 2013.

Currently, all of the posts from these blog sites are compiled into the Kin Keihan Times Archives. The archives blog first used the Misty Lake theme, which is quite similar to the Misty Look theme. Recently, I decided to switch back to the latter, as it gives the nostalgic feel of the original KKT blog.

##########

To be honest, I really had a hard time recalling some of the themes used in my former blog. Luckily, I managed to get the names of the themes used by means of doing research, mostly through Google. Still, there could be some inconsistencies as I can no longer remember whether I actually use some of the themes on my blog sites or I only test them to see if it really meets my creative expectations in selecting a particular theme for my blog(s).

Well, that's three blogging platforms and six themes for the Kin Keihan Times. The blog would have reached its fifth year, but what could be the reason for the end of the KKT? Find out in the final Kin Keihan Times X post.

[twatkcox]

[Kin Keihan Times X: The Special Posts]

On the next Kin Keihan Times X post, I’ll be featuring some of the special posts from my former blog.

##########

Well, there were only a handful of special posts in my former blog, some of them divided into two or four posts. While the literary posts are considered special posts, these are already covered in the previous KKTX post. This time, I’ll just focus on the articles.

And here are the special posts from my former blog:

True Confessions: My Dual Identity--To be more accurate, this actually refers to my personality as a funny person, and as a seriously emotional person.

Looking Back Hurts…/Should You Have Or Not Have A Friend (Special Double Issue)--Not exactly a double article, but it tells much about my miserable life as a loner.

The KKT Silver Post Special: His Life As The Sun And The Thunderstorm--One of two milestone posts in this blog, the other one is the KKT’s first-anniversary special. Anyway, this post tells much about my state of mind, like my happiness shines bright like a sunshine and my sadness and anger lets out a sheet of rain and a jolt of lightning like a thunderstorm.

The KKT First Anniversary Post: Silence + Darkness = Falling Apart [My Opinion]--This post deals with my depressed self, mostly as a result of being a loner for such a long time. The actual post about depression can be read here.

Who Is KCOX?--A four-part special about who Keihancarl is. Okay, the name Keihancarl Oikou Xiaucham is actually my pseudonym, and at the same time, as my alter-ego. It is the only special post in the blog’s second incarnation, a.k.a. the KKT-WordPress era.

The first eleven posts in the Timeline series (then called Time Travel series)--Prior to TWATKcox, there was a segment called the Time Travel series which highlights my sixth-grade and high school life. These were eventually reposted on my current blog (as the Timeline series) months after its launch.

##########

The KKT didn’t have a lot of special posts, but at least it reached about 70 posts in about five years.

I know I’m not that good in blogging during those times, hence the short posts and the lack of special posts. At least that serves as my training ground and that’s how my writing improved over time.

Oh well, watch out for the next KKTX post.

[twatkcox]

[Kin Keihan Times X: The Literary Posts]

Last time, I featured the header pics used in my former blog, the Kin Keihan Times. For this post, I’ll be featuring the literary posts.

##########

In addition to the articles posted on the KKT, I also post stories and poems written by yours truly, Keihancarl.

Throughout the blog’s 4-and-a-half year run, I’ve already posted five stories serialized into parts, as well as a few poems. In addition, I also made the first novella Season Of Darkness available on the blog as well, but it hasn’t been proofread as of this moment (I’m actually planning to rewrite it very soon). Anyway, one of the poems published in this blog is already reposted on TWATKcox, and the two chapters of the novella were included in a special post.

All right, it’s time to list down my own literary works published on KKT:

Sadness Within--It’s about a loner who eventually had a new friend during an unexpected moment.

Wasted Chances--It’s about a boy named Elliot who lost his family in a tragic accident, wishing to reunite with them in heaven.

Living The Unusual Summer--A story of five friends who spent a few days of summer camping in the forest.

Just Three Wishes--A story of two best friends (C.K. and Sedge) with their own struggles in life. It is unclear what the three wishes are, but I think one of them is for C.K.’s family to treat him fairly.

The Rascal’s Club--A story of four boys doing hilarious pranks and getting into trouble.

There are also a few poems published on this blog. These are:

For Mom--A mother’s day tribute poem for my mom.

A Life Wasted--An accompanying poem for Wasted Chances, later included as part of the story itself.

A Usual Summer--A poem about the fun things to do during summer break.

And of course, the novella Season Of Darkness, which is available on the blog as a downloadable PDF file. As mentioned earlier, the novella is not yet proofread as of this time.

##########

Well, I may have featured some of my own literary works, but I find them too embarrassing to read. It’s just that some parts of the stories featured on my former blog really didn’t make sense. My story writing skills still need improvement. Wait till I managed to publish the 6+1 stories I’m currently working on and you can see the difference.

On the next Kin Keihan Times X post, I’ll be featuring the special posts. Watch out for it soon.

[twatkcox]

[Kin Keihan Times X: The Headers]

For the second post in the Kin Keihan Times X series, I'll be featuring the headers used in my former blog.

##########

Back when I started the Kin Keihan Times on Friendster Blogs in 2008, it didn't have a customized header. It was only two years later (in 2010) when I started using creating my first customized header for the blog.

This is my first attempt at making a customized header. It features two pictures taken from a mobile phone, both edited using Photoshop. The header, however, is created using Microsoft Paint. It featured the name of the blog, the URL, and my pseudonym, Keihancarl Oikou Xiaucham. It is the only header I used on the Friendster Blogs version of KKT.

Since migrating to WordPress, I decided to divide the KKT into two sites: the main blog and the literary blog. For this, I created two identical headers for these sites using Photoshop. The picture is on the right side of the headers.

By then, my former blog switched to a dark-colored theme, meaning I need to create a matching header for these sites. It took me a while to achieve the desired look, in which I managed to fade photo edges to black.

The next set of headers use the same photo from the first set of headers on KKT-WP sites, edited differently to distinguish it from the first one. The picture is positioned on the left side of the headers.

In 2012, the main blog switched to a rose-colored theme, which is the final theme used for the blog prior to its shut down the following year. Anyway, it features an edited photo and the stylish font used for the blog name. The URL is then removed.

Meanwhile, the KKT Literary Corner had a nice header, using the same picture as the main blog’s, but it was tinted red. While the main blog switched to the rose-colored theme, the literary blog still uses the dark-colored theme.

Regarding the second header, I was initially planning to use it as the literary blog’s header back when I was planning to write a dystopian-type novel named the Dark Circle. It is loosely inspired by Koushun Takami’s Battle Royale. The excerpt is then expected to be posted on the literary blog. Unfortunately, the project never pushed through due to lack of interest and extreme case of procrastination, and the second header remains unused.

This is the only header I created exclusively for the KKT’s Facebook page. The black-and-gold header is the simplest one I’ve ever made. It is done using MS Paint.

Well, these are the headers used in my former blog the Kin Keihan Times. Even then, I’m pretty much creative with creating my own blog headers as a result of being a perfectionist.

So I’m done with featuring the headers. Next time, I’ll be featuring the literary works and some of the special posts. I’ll work on it as soon as I can.

[twatkcox]

[Kin Keihan Times X: My Thoughts]

The Kin Keihan Times already reached its tenth year in the cyberspace. For a blog that gets little to no attention, it is just a simple commemoration of my amateurish blog posts and my own literary works. But then, this is where my blogging career started and my former blog now serves as a record/archive of my earlier blogging life.

##########

Back then, I only care about uploading the blog posts without checking for grammatical errors. I know it's important to proofread your own posts before publishing them online, but then I just wanted to get my post uploaded and published for everyone to see. Regardless of how good or bad my posts are, I was receiving compliments and praises from my classmates.

For four years and seven months, the KKT is my online turf for self-expression, much like an ordinary journal. I managed to get away with bad grammar considering that my blog only had a handful of visitors aside from my friends. That really got me thinking, what is the point of blogging if no one reads my posts?

I have to admit, I sometimes think that my blog really didn't click with some of my friends, mostly telling me that some of my posts are pretty boring to read. Others commented on the blog's dark theme (during the WordPress days) which makes it difficult for them to read my posts. I've been changing the blog's theme from light to dark, and, in the blog's final year, to a rose-colored one. It's not that I can't stick to the same theme, but I just had a hard time finding a suitable theme for my blog.

In the end, I decided to shut it down and start a new one. Trying to revitalize my blog can be a real pain, especially if you have to incorporate your old posts to the blog's new incarnation. Also, the name of the blog isn’t really catchy at all. In fact, it sounded like a newspaper company that only features the writers'  daily life experiences.

So how was it? Does it look like it's been written by an inexperienced writer? Did you have a hard time reading some of my earlier posts? Regardless of how you think about my former blog, it now serves as the predecessor to my new blog, The World According To KCOX, a.k.a. the Kin Keihan Times 2.0. Yup, it's just a simple commemoration of my poorly-written posts and nothing else.

Well then, I'll be featuring the KKT headers in my next Kin Keihan Times X post. Stay tuned.

[teachingindividuals]

I’m BACK!!!!

First Day of School here!!!!! It’s my tenth year teaching and I feel like that’s some kind of milestone.