April 06, 2008

Spring Cleaning And Template Change

It's that time of the year again. Buds on trees, clear skies interspersed with showers, yellow flowers on hedges, a faint green on the lawns instead of the dead brown. I remember an old saying from 3rd grade in Calicut.."April Showers bring May flowers"...Only problem is that there are no May flowers here..those beautiful mass of color that herald summer there!!

Spring is here, evident in the chirping punctuating the morning before the light breaks through and awakens you earlier than the past few months. Evident in the light that greets you when you step out of the office in the evening, so invigorating that you feel the whole day is still ahead of you and its not just evening 6pm. Soccer practice, swimming classes, cycling, gardening, or just park visits..every body is suddenly outside, streaming out of the rabbit holes. We visited the park yesterday and it was filled with the chattering of kids and parents relieved to let the kids expend the energy outside. Even strangers smile at you!!



It's also that time of the year when I look at my blog, my deep blue ocean of thoughts and ponderings and then I look at other happening blogs which seems so colorful and start thinking of template change. Hmm.. why doesn't my blog have that feature or this feature(Not that I have the time to maintain it:))...Hmm.. There are so many wonderful looking templates out there thats its tempting..

And then there are you, my readers. Looking from the other side, I bet you don't like change. You want the familiar and trustworthy, You want everything to stay exactly the same, don't you? So the knee jerk reaction of disliking my blog's new look..

C'mon all of you who sent in comments, even the anonymous eyeball in a million, don't you paint your house once in a while? (I hope you do) Do you think it's ok for your friends to come into your living room and say, "eeewww..what a color, Please please for millions of eyeballs' sake go back to your old color?"

GIve it a chance, it will grow on you. Just think of it as a friend who got a new haircut. You may dislike the look initially, but the soul is the same.
The content is the same, the links the same but I wanted to upgrade for the ease of getting my posts to you faster, without having to struggle thru the old HTML format...

Its my readers that compel me to keep posting, so all your thots are really appreciated. So do tell me if you really want the old "blue all over" back or the "new blue-white box" template as shown above. And seriously that header had grown so moldy..even the best of spices need to get changed once a year at least!!They grow old and lose their vibrancy and flavor. SO I have either this look or the white box in a blue look finalised. Which one do u like more? I need a vote to decide. SO do write in..

39 comments:

Nupur said...

I liked your blue, but I love the new fresh look! Change is fun. And honestly, the content of your blog is what means the most!

Revathi said...

Anything new is welcome. I beleive variety is the spice of life - Dont hesitate to do what you want for your blog !!

bee said...

blue-white box. blue is nice, but it's nicer to read text on white. i love the header.

indosungod said...

Shaheen decided to let the blue color alone this time around? Love the header. Like your style! Slow change wouldn't bother anybody ;)

Sig said...

You should go with what YOU like best Shaheen... But if you really want my opinion, I think white background makes it easier on the eyes and the pics look better against the white as well... But I always liked your blue look too... :) Lovely header btw... And whatever look you go with, as long as you keep churning out those delish recipes, we will be back... :)

SK said...

loved the new look...feels fresh

Jayashree said...

I like the new one......clean, fresh and bright. And the header is beautiful.

Anonymous said...

I love your header and yes, its the content which matters most.:)

Zerin said...

The template with the kerla scenary header looks nice. I think you should go with that. It will be a nice change. Thanks for putting the blog call.

Anonymous said...

ha ha..i'am laughing my head offf..
can c my old shaen in the last blog...it feels almost as gud as fightin with u'..
lov u anyway
ki

Finla said...

I love the change.
I have been wanting to change too, but am lazy :-((

Anita said...

White is always good! The comments in black on dark blue are very hard to read...white is good!

Mansi said...

The new look is what I'd vote for! easier to read and softer on the eyes:) change is good, and your new change is definitely for the better:) but again, its your content that brings most of us back here Shaheen!:)

Kalai said...

Love the new template, Shaheen! Sig is definitely right, though. Go with what you like best and just keep the great food coming! :)

Mallika said...

I love the new look. I recently changed my site and got a barrage of really quite upsetting emails and comments. I hope I haven't put people off completely!!

SMN said...

Liked your blue combi nice lukin template.

amna said...

thank you so much for adding me to ur blogroll :) new looks are so refreshing.. i get tired very easily and change very often!

Anonymous said...

I love the white look! :) the colours of your food are more pronounced

Anonymous said...

Hi Shaheen! I like the new theme too. and.. Do what YOU like and want to do. Change is always good.

www.zaiqa.net

renuramanath said...

dear shaheen,
thank you for taking my spontaneous reaction so seriously. the reaction is only natural, too natural. it is something called brand addiction. the same reaction that people give when a popular newspaper sports a new look. when the hindu changed its lay out, an irate reader commented, 'the mylapore maami in jeans !'
a regular reader becomes addicted to the colours and fonts and any sudden change is bound to cause such a reaction. you grow so used to associate 'malabar spices,' with the deep blue colour and the familiar lay-out.

anyway, it is YOUR blog and it is YOUR choice that is of prime importance. so, go ahead and do what you want to do most.

however, i don't remember your new layout so well, but i thought it was a bit crowded, i don't remember the details. so, i hope you will be open to any suggestions, once you switch over.

once more, shaheen, your turning back to the old layout for the sake of your readers was so sweet !

renuramanath said...

one thing more - it is noolputtu for us in thrissur too. only that, in cheruthuruthy, or valluvanadu in general, it becomes, 'pittu.'

farah said...

That is so sweet of you to get ur reader's comments though u were ready for change.
Count my vote for the new look. Looks fresh. And if we were reading your blog on blue, we'll probably read it on black too !!

Namratha said...

The blue over white looks good, and your header is very apt.

Anonymous said...

I like both...the old one as well as the new one....blue is much more warmer whereas white one is fresh,vibrant....love the header...

Sia said...

love the header and i am partial to lighter shades of colours:) but more than colours the content in ur bllog that attracts the readers shaheen:)

Shah cooks said...

renu, mylapore mami!! i laughed so hard at that!! so that was a backhanded compliment, right?:)whats the point in just doing what u want all the time. it is my choice finally but it helps if u write in.
well, it is good to hear back from the people most affected by the layout look. if i wear a striped/polka dot t-shirt, my better half says it bothers his eyes though i am perfectly fine. so thrissur is the borderline of "noolputtu". i thot it was just calicut and north.

ki, will deal with u when i see u next.

The rest of you voters, every vote will be counted..thanks.

Linda said...

The header is lovely. I liked the new white look, Shaheen. And I like the familiar ocean-blue. Gee, I'm a big help...

But as Nupur and Sailaja have so wisely stated: it's the contents that matter, more than the wrapping! ;)

Blog away in any color you choose, I say. I'm sure we'll all be reading :)

Anonymous said...

I love the new look, but the font is tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiny, and a bit hard on the eyes. Can it be a hir bigger? It used to be all big and puffy, and now it's delicate and petite. Is there a middle ground?

Anonymous said...

i agree the need for change..but i would like a tempelate as good as the previous one..this one is kind of ...mmhhh fady?-)

Looking forward for your posts..
safia.

Anonymous said...

Sorry i meant that picture of the back water was fady kind.
But i prefer the blue one as its definetly more clear than the new one.
safia

Anonymous said...

Sorry i meant that picture of the back water was fady kind.
But i prefer the blue one as its definetly more clear than the new one.
safia

Anonymous said...

Got up from my seat:"Vote for white".Sit down

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I'm the eyeball that wrote the comment that you took so personally!!
Hey it was only an observation and a compliment that your blog was a visual treat (the layout i mean, the photos are fantastic, obviously).

Stick to this if you may, for it is YOUR space!

(P.S: Only an honest opinion would say eeewwww what a colour. The rest will float around in sycophancy)

Anonymous said...

Anon here again :)
White is easy on the eye but it is the header that prompted me to post!I used to appreciate your previous header (font included) every single time I looked at it (eclectic!!)

Rajesh &Shankari said...

As long as you keep posting those wonderful chicken recipes I am happy...

Shah cooks said...

Thanks Linda for ur vote of confidence!


Diana, I have increased the font to the middle ground. IS it any better?The big and puffy looked too big so I had to change it.

safia, I agree, the header is a bit fady. I will work on that too.:)Thanks.

Anon Eyeball, I did hope this would drag u out of anonymity.:)but no such luck. I did take it a bit personally I guess..Didn't mean to attack u too.
Try hosting a blog and then I will come there and tell u what's on my mind.:)There are so many people who just comment ad hoc and go and as soon as you read something, it stays in your mind and festers till u respond to it.
The white is easier on the eye..so see,and I agree with u on the header. I wanted a photo of malabar area..but the ones i have are too less in pixel size so become blurry when i increase it to fit. I will work on that.Maybe update that with a better photo from my visit home soon.

renuramanath said...

hi shaheen, not only noolppittu. found out more from amma and achan - it is noolappam at home, i mean, irinjalakuda. also, about puttu, it is poottu in thrissur and pittu, northwards !

lan said...

just saw this. please please go for the new template. those coconut leaves are just inviting.
i have a new idiappam maker. just came at the right time for your ragi idiappam!

Unknown said...

I like the new look in the box:) Agree with you when you say that old spices needs to be changed :)