Thursday, October 12, 2006
the price of popularity?

Apparently, it's about in the range of 8-15 bucks a month.

Thanks to people googling / linking this blog for a number of reasons, including current stuff such as Infernal Affairs vs The Departed; music via my podcasts, and a link on a popular Japanese BBS because of an obscure article I wrote on teaching in Japan & a Russian military school, you all have done the unbelievable:

You've actually caused my ISP to shutdown my hosting because the amount of traffic has exceeded my monthly allowance by more than 100% (I'm allocated 1GB in traffic a month, and with about 17 days left in the month, I've already exceed about 2.5GB).

Lucky for me, I can use Flickr to host my pics t for now. I <3 Flickr.


....


When I first started this blog back in 2001, it had the mere intentions of being one part daily journal, and one part "get to know me" thing for the leadership team at UW AACF I was a part of. Since then, it's evolved to include some personal & creative writing, some media reviews, and my thoughts about current events, especially those concerning Asia / Asian America / Asian Americans.

Now this site averages about 80-100 visits a day, some from around the world...



I try to not let that fact weird me out too much, 'cause the thought of 80 different folks in the world actually following my daily life seems laughably bizarre, considering how nonchalant and anti-social I tend to be in "real life".


...


While I loathe to actually address the topic of "this blog", it's occurred to me that perhaps this blog needs an FAQ (which I've never written until now). So a list of Frequently Asked Questions I always get about this blog via e-mail / IM, etc:

  • Why the name "en'script'chun"? Is your computer broken and missing spellcheck?
    Good question. While I'm horrible at spelling, the misspelling of "inscription" as "enscriptchun" is intentional. "Inscription" is a reference to my love of writing, and my ambition to write something that lasts and makes its mark on the world - hence an "inscription". It's also a religious reference to this verse, especially the line "I will write it on their hearts". The choice of "chun" is a reference to the proper pronounciation of my last name in Chinese.

  • Why is the font size so small? Make it bigger!
    The font size is tiny to match the pathetic size of my bank account. I can't afford to make the text larger until you mail a check with at least 5-6 digits to me.

  • Why don't you like to talk about what you wrote on your blog in real life? Why aren't you thrilled when I walk up to you and start talking about your posts, especially that really deep and personal one you wrote like 2 days ago?
    Maybe you should think about why I don't walk up to you in real life and start talking to you about things that are really deep and personal.

  • Why do you always write about yourself?! Geez, why is your blog all about your thoughts and your feelings? You should write about my thoughts, and my feelings!
    I know, it's silly of me. I'll write exactly what you're thinking in my next post.

  • Is the post your wrote on XYZ about me? Why did you write about me / why don't you write about me?
    Of course it's not about you. If you didn't like what I wrote and you find it's insulting, it's definitely not about you at all! =)

  • Why are you so angry and cynical on your blog? You should be nicer!
    To quote James & heh: this blog is my mental diarrhea. Interpret that as you will.

  • This blog needs some more color! Why the color grey?! Grey sucks! GREY IS TEH GAY!
    I began this blog during a "grey time" in my life, and probably the most meaningful things I've ever written usually are in those "grey times". It stays grey until God tells me to make it a different color.

  • WHY DID YOU DELETE MY COMMENT! YOU NAZI!
    I don't usually delete comments, but if I did, it's probably because you're: A) rude; B) spamming; C) had nothing worth reading; or D) all of the above.

  • What are the small pictures on the right panel? Why do they keep changing?
    The small BW pictures change according to my various moods, but they usually represent my past, the very recent present, or something marinating in my brain. Currently featured photos (L2R, T2B):
    -a beach on the Oregon coast taken during a trip with friends back in '01 flying a kite;
    -my father's gravestone;
    -my best friend & I around age 6 or 7 playing with Transformers;
    -me flying another kite on a beach in '03 during a spiritual / leadership retreat;
    -my right hand wearing a ring with my family name holding a flask;
    -my family during a visit to Cali in '04 just after I returned from Japan;
    -a fortune cookie fortune I got this year;
    -a picture of the autumn leaves by my church I took 2 weeks ago.

  • Do you really visit and read all the links on the right panel?
    If I have the time, but usually only the blogs lists under "frequently read" and the "news" get visited by me on a daily basis.

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Comments:
i wish i could write like you. thanks for giving me this way to get to know you better and to stay connected w/ cc.
 
kboy75 = mental diarrhea
heh = online porta-potty

i used to have a disclaimer, one of the clause being, something to the effect of, if you don't know what i'm talking about you probably weren't meant to so don't ask.
 
jen>
feel free to drop by anytime! BTW, your site is very cool. I wish I was as creative as you are in updating the "theme" quite regularly.

heh>
"online porta-potty"... you should patent them term! ;)
 
I've always wondered where you got the name from. I was slightly feeling better about my "con-science" mispelling until I read your explanation. XD
 
i have a question! how come my xanga's not part of the fam section? haha
 
byron>
Because it was NEVER UPDATED! haha.

However, seeing how you've updated... I've added the link.
 
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in?scrip?tion (n-skrip-shun)n.
1. The act or an instance of inscribing.
2. Something, such as the wording on a coin, medal, monument, or seal, that is inscribed.
3. A short, signed message in a book or on a photograph given as a gift.
4. The usually informal dedication of an artistic work.
5. Jeremiah 31:33

the facts.
name. Gar AKA "that Chinese guy" "Sleepy.McSleeping"
ethnicity/nationality. Chinese/American, 4th gen.
location. Sea-Town, WA, USA Kawanishi, JAPAN
occupation. less-cynical poor grad student
age. younger than you think, older than you know

 



 

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(myname) @ gmail.com

 

 

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