Testing-3

Test 3

testing -2

This is a second post meant for testing rating feature.

Testing

A few days ago I had posted on some tools that could be used to communicate with 'visitors' to one's blog. One of the things suggested was rating of posts, without having to go through the bother of commenting. Two blogs where I've seen a rating tool being used are:
Priablog and
Deepa's - Some Template Tips and Tricks - This blog has a most comprehensive coverage of the different things that one can use to spice up their blog. Here Deepa describes how to add the rating feature to posts.
As a test I've added the rating feature to this post.

Let's start with some links

Hi All,

As said in the previous post, PP has commandeered this blog and plans to convert it into a Doggie blog.

Now where does one start?
To begin with I visited some other doggie blogs with links from Karen's. One such blog was PetsitUSA.com from wher I landed on this fantastic blog, though inappropriately named, Austin Dog Trainer Blog. This blog contains numerous links and resources that would be useful to slaves (some prefer to call them humans), to cater to our needs. One specific link that I was impressed with was the discussion of a book by Patricia McConnell, The Other End of the Leash. Somehow my slave is not in too cooperative a mood. So I will stop here and try to lisck this post into shape later.

Something is better than nothing - woof?
-PP

Tagged!

There was a lovely tag at GingaBoos place. Thought I'd like to do that too and tagged myself. ;P (woof) Ranjit had got some good photos, but I dont trust my slave with photos, so it'll be a text tag.

Things that I want

• Chicken (Unadulterated with rice or bread or rotis), 3 times a day, every day, for the rest of my life.
  
• To go for a walk, unfettered by a leash, in the carpark and to smell ALL the smells there are to smell.
  
• my slaves to attend to me all day, without having to go for a ritual they call as work.
  
• A cup of warm....

... What? I am allowed to state only three things? but I have hardly started? what about the drives, rides, football, find and ....

Things that I DONT want

• the periodic bath with that smelly shampoo, removes all my doggy smell.
  
• the visit to my doctor every month. (Gives me the shivers).
  
• My daughter, Brownie. She couldn't keep her slaves well, and they brought her back for good. Now she takes up all the slaves' time. Somebody take her away please!
  

The rules of the tag are set out at Karens. Have a look and also get connected to the world of pets. My other acquaintances in the blogworld are GingaBoo and Terri. Since Ranjit has already done this tag, I tag Terri. Terri's mom writes really well.

PS: This blog was anyway languishing (not that the other blog is flourishing), and it seems that the writing-classes have gone awry, so I have commandeered this blog for my use.

Anyone have any ideas for a new name?

-PP

My Blogging Personality

***Your Blogging Type is Social and Responsible***

You enjoy blogging and do all you can to advance the blogging community.
From helping friends set up blogs to getting rid of spam - you take a leadership role.
A super blogger, you tend to blog regularly. You'd hate to disappoint your audience.
And always appropriate, there's no way you'd blog something too personal!

HW-4

HOMEWORK: A RABIT, A GUN SLINGER AND YOU WALK INTO A BAR... WRITE A PIECE WHERE ALL THREE OF YOU ARE HAVING A CONVERSATION. AT LEAST TWO EXCHANGES FOR EACH CHARACTER.

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to be done :(

Homework-3

Build two characters from scratch and make them have a conversation include hand gestures and eye contact.

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Sam is sitting at the bottom of the steps leading from Todd House to the main school. A gang is around Sam as usual, all of them laughing. They are Sam's admirers, all studying in VII standard to X standard; Sam himself is in X standard.

Sam - "What is in the front of woman and the back of cow?"
"W", answers one of the younger guys.
"No", says Sam and there is a peal of laughter from the older boys, while the younger one looks puzzled.

Ramesh comes out of Todd house to go to the school building. He hesitates on seeing Sam and the gang; he would have to pass them on his route. After a moments hesitation, he shrugs his shoulders and sets off toward the steps. He walks quickly past the crowd and starts climbing the steps, when he hears Sam calling out to him

"Hey, Ramesh, wait a minute"

Ramesh pauses reluctantly and looks back. Sam is getting up, and after much hand-slapping joins Ramesh. He puts his hand over Ramesh's shoulder in a chummy way.

"So, what's up?", asks Sam heartily.

"Hmm.. nothing special.", says Ramesh, looking around aimlessly.

"So are you still having the crush for Suzy?" asks Sam conspiratorially.
Ramesh gives Sam a quick glance.

Suzy, Sam's younger sister in VIII standard, was Ramesh's classmate. Her doll like face, large eyes and short wavy hair... thinking of her Ramesh's pulse quickened and he blushed, i.e. if you could notice him blush beneath his dark colour.

"Stop kidding, Sam. Don't talk like a nut", Ramesh mumbles.

"Come on Ramesh, the whole school knows that you are drooling behind her", says Sam, laughing and thumping Ramesh on the back.

"Shh. Can't you speak a little more softly?" Ramesh shush's Sam.

"Are you planning to ask her to dance at the next social?"

They have now reached the school buiding, and Ramesh puts off answering Sam and hurries off to his class.

Suzy is sitting, as pretty as a picture, alone at her desk. Sam's light hearted banter has made Ramesh reckless. There are still 5 minutes before Ms Belinda Paul comes in for the history class. He decides to take a chance; he walks up to Suzy, his head pounding and his face flushed.

"Will you dance with me at the next social?"

"What?", Suzy looks up at him puzzled. Seeing her eyes Ramesh's heart does a somersault.

"Er.., Will you dance with me at the next social?"

Suzy, after a moments hesitation, smiles at him and nods her head.

"Yes", shouts Ramesh in exuberance and runs back to his desk.

"Good afternoon Ms Paul", says Ramesh brightly and smiles to himself as he sits.

"Boys, these days", Ms Belinda Paul shakes her head as she enters the class.

Homework-2

Homework:

Pick an object you know well, something you see daily but over look its value. Use a metaphor to describe how it looks, a simile for its function and a hyperbole for its usefulness to you.

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To be filled this weekend :)

He
He is a bull dog,
taciturn and grim,
guards all my belongings,
and never lets me in.

She
She is a maiden-
the maiden of his heart
only with her little magic
could I take him apart.

They
They share a tight bondage, and are made for each other, literally. Without the one, the other cannot exist, figuratively. She is a sliver of steel, hardly 2 inches long, so inconsequential as to be invisible, and only in her absence do we know of her importance. They are the objects of many metaphors and similies, so what would I compare them to? They as a couple are a model for fidelity, and it is only the occassional imposter, who can get past him. Together they make so much difference to my life that they are my guardian angels, their presence not noticed, looking after me and letting me enjoy my life with my family and possessions.

They are the lock and key.

Submitted at 13.00 hrs IST on Sept 3, 2006
PS: I didn't mean the first part to be in verse, somehow while trying to get the right phrases, some words rhymed, so I thought of giving it a shot. Is it OK? Are the required deliverables of the homework there?

HW - 1C

My first submission of the homework was partly a disaster - while I did manage a decent number of words, I narrated all the parts out of sequence and generally made a mess of things so that I never got around to saying what I wanted to say!

Frida gave me valuable feedback saying that having an outline would be helpful in sequencing and developing a story. So here is my second draft of the same piece.


Reminiscences of Princess Puvi

I am Princess Puvi, daughter of Elizabeth, descended from the House of Merrys, and Bairav, whose great grandfather was conferred a title by virtue of his family being associated with the nobility for several generations. He had all the tracking instincts that one appreciates in a hunter and was thus held in high esteem by the Royal families.

My mother lived in a house of her own in a principality in the south western part of the country. She was well provided for and had a posse of slaves to do her bidding; I have never seen my father, who used to live in his own castle. From gossip gathered from the slaves I was able to gather that except for occasional visits which were purely of a romantic nature, my father never visited my mother.

We were 4 of us, two brothers and 2 sisters. We had a happy and carefree childhood, growing up on stories of my mother's slaves. We were told that when we grew up , we would have a home for ourselves with our own slaves. We were cautioned that our future happiness depended on the type of slaves we were able to get for ourselves and on how we trained and managed them daily. I had inherited my father's commoner's nose, which reduced the prospect of my getting a good house with well behaved slaves. This was a cause of shame and distress to my mother. She used to lament, "Ohhhh, Dear God! How am I going to get her a decent house of her to live in". For my own part I never really worried about it and spent happy days growing up with my brothers and sister.

Time seemed to have passed in a jiffy, because one day my mother said that My brother and I were to go north to find ourselves our house and slaves. It was a typical monsoon morning, with the clouds hanging low, when we set out with one slave accompanying us. The weather seemed to reflect our mood when we left. We traveled by train and arrived by evening in a town, where there were supposed to be numerous houses. We went with the slave to a house where we were to spend the night before looking out for our own house.

We were weary from the journey and were preparing for an early bed, when there was some commotion at the front door. Peeping out from our bedchamber we were able to discern a short man and a boy speaking excitedly to the slave. The slave came to us and told us that we were in luck and that the man and his boy were fresh slaves who had just come on the market, and if it wasn't an inconvenience to us would we please come and see them.

Not one to postpone work, I immediately went out to look over the slaves. Though fresh slaves, they looked good enough to me and I felt confident that I could mould them into malleable and conscientious slaves. Further enquiries revealed that the slaves came along with a proper house to live in. There was a bit of a dilemma as to who should have the slaves, my brother or I. Finally my brother in good grace allowed me to have them. I was to go to the new house the next day morning.

The morning dawned bright and clear; I could hear the excited chatter of the slaves who had come to escort me to the new home and the excitement rubbed off on me. Meanwhile the financial transactions were satisfactorily completed and I bade my brother a tearful farewell with promises to look up each other. My slaves insisted on carrying me on their shoulders on the way to my new home which was just a few minutes walk from there.

The house was one of those flats on the second floor of a building, which one now sees in cities. No more luxuries like living in a separate house in the country. The door was opened by another plump jolly looking female slave, who seemed to be delighted to see me. She hugged me and kissed me and generally made a big fuss about me. She went and made an assorted variety of food for me not knowing what would please me. I could see that they were totally fresh wet behind their ears and would need strict disciplining before they were good slaves. I shrugged them aside and investigated the whole flat and found it satisfactory. Then I had some milk that was ready for me and let it be known that I would like to retire. The woman slave hurriedly prepared my bedchamber and put me to bed. Feeling secure in my new home I curled up in my cushions and drifted away into Neverland where other puppies were waiting to play with me.

Training my slaves to do my bidding is quite another long story which I will narrate on another lazy evening. woof woof :)

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HOMEWORK:

Writing: Pick one of your nouns and write about it.

WHEW! WE MADE IT THROUGH OUR FIRST SESSION!!

HW- 1b

The word I chose from the list of nouns was slave.

Slaves should be kept in their right places. They ought to know what they should or should not do. Give them an inch and they'll claim a yard. I know how to keep my slaves! Well, its not an easy task. I can still recall my first encounter with them.

I am of royal lineage, my mother Elizabeth, is from the House of Merrys, and my father Bairav, though claiming to be blueblooded, has doubtful ancestry. I believe one of my ancestors must have had an affair with a commoner - the evidence is clear for all to see - both my father and I lack the typical aristocratic nose characteristic of pure nobility. Actually I am quite proud of that fact and it stands me in good stead with the slaves. He was an excellent hunter, with keen tracking instincts, hence he was accepted among the nobility. We were born in a principality in the south western part of the country. In the royal families we had the matriarchal system in place - my father after a brief romantic romp with mother went back to his own house. I've never met my father, all that I know about him is through gossip from the slaves. My mother's house was well provided for with slaves and the early part of my life was spent at mother's home with my 2 brothers and one sister. Most of the time was spent in the nursery, and we were never allowed to venture out. I was looking forward to the day when I could leave home and have a house of my own with my own slaves. This brings me back to the beginning of my tale - my first encounter with my slaves. My brother and I were the first to leave mama's house in search of our own houses.

My brother and I were staying at a house where slaves are presented for selection. It was about 10 in the night, a short man and his son were both presented to us. They looked like eager to please slaves and getting them would be a real dream. Though my brother was tempted very much, he allowed me to have my choice. I verified other details about my new house that came with the slaves and it was found to be satisfactory. I am not that particular about the house as long as the slaves there are good.

The next day, after all the money transactions were satisfactorily completed, I went to my new house. I had a bonus there - a female slave - the wife of the older slave. I did have an apprehension about going to a place where there were no women. The very first day I had to see to my sleeping chambers and food. Food was going to be a major problem, sometimes these slaves have no idea about what to cook up. There were all the niggling problems that one has when they move to a new place. "Well things ought to sort themselves out in a couple of days", I said to myself.

I'd had my breakfast, the father went out to arrange for food, the young one went to school (I was quite liberal and allowed these luxuries). At about 9 the mother also was getting ready to leave! I was shocked, in my place women never went out, was a house slave, and took exclusive care of us. But they said that it was in the contract and there was nothing that could be done about it. I was too tired and sleepy to argue, so I let it go and went off to sleep.

PS: The draft is far from polished, many sentences are badly constructed - I cant help criticising my work :)
PPS: 250 words each day seems a tall order for me, maybe I should keep it a more realistic 175-200 words/day.

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HOMEWORK:
Set up your “Well of Lost Plots” with the seven dividers.
NOUNS – BEGINNINGS – MIDDLES – ENDS – PLOTS – NAMES – PICTURES

Writing: Pick one of your nouns and write about it.

HW-1 My motivation, my goal

My motivation

• I have ideas and opinions that I want to express in a clear and concise way to others.
• I want to write something that others enjoy.
• I want to discover / develop my own style of writing.
  

My Goal

• I want to write atleast 250 words each day.

PS: I am yet to set up my "well of lost plots", and write 2 days hw of 250 words a day.

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HOMEWORK:

Set up your journal:
Page one: your motivation and your goal. (I will write so many minutes/paragraphs/ pages daily.)

Set up your “Well of Lost Plots” with the seven dividers.
NOUNS – BEGINNINGS – MIDDLES – ENDS – PLOTS – NAMES – PICTURES

Writing: Pick one of your nouns and write about it.

WHEW! WE MADE IT THROUGH OUR FIRST SESSION!!

The Malingerer takes over!

Its 2 days since the classes commenced, and I haven't even stated my SOP. :(

Introduction

I joined Frida's Writing classes. The course commenced on August 16, 2006. This blog is where I will do my homework. I promise to be a sincere student and do all the homework regularly.