Catch-Up Over Coffee #2 (Blog Birthday, Shanaya Tales ‘Birth Story’ + #ChattyBlogs Linky)

Hola folks!

As you may have figured out from the overly long post title, this is the very first #ChattyBlogs linky, which just happens to be on the two year anniversary (or is it the birthday? 2nd birthday?) of Shanaya Tales.

Speaking of which, I feel like this (the blog birthday) would be the perfect time/occasion for the ‘birth story’ post, which in this case, is essentially the backstory of Shanaya Tales, and my today’s ramble of choice. So, here goes..

Shanaya Tales – The ‘Birth Story’, or more accurately – the Backstory.

Some years back, I got into the habit of regularly watching YouTube videos. Now for folks who don’t really watch YouTube, outside of the occasional shared/viral video, you might find this difficult to understand, but trust me – it’s a whole different universe out there.

It started with the usual – hunting for recipes (because I was a relatively novice cook back then), and then I found these beauty vloggers, whom I found very interesting to watch, which by the way was pretty strange, because on an average day, my idea of getting ready doesn’t extend beyond taking a bath & washing my face. Moisturizer is a bonus. Anyway I digress.

So like I was saying – watching beauty vloggers was like watching TV – just entertainment, no action, but I did develop a real interest in cooking, though I always needed to adapt the recipe to suit my taste. Which is why & how I got into the habit of writing down/documenting my version of the recipe.

Over the years, as I became a more experienced cook, my version no longer resembled the original, because I had developed my own style/comfort zone, and system of experimenting.

It was at this time that I started  toying with the idea of starting my own Food channel on YouTube,  but honestly I was far too chicken (and camera shy) to actually follow through & implement.

Which is why a food blog seemed like an acceptable compromise – I could still share my love of food with everyone, without ever having to be on camera. Win -Win!

In that initial burst of enthusiasm, I went ahead & registered the food blog … on 1st June…2014. Yes 2014. And that was it. Nothing ever happened on that front. No, the idea never left my mind, nor did the desire, but the pointless pursuit of perfection stalled my plans.

However towards the end of 2014, I realized the direction this was going in, and felt the need to do something about it. And this need was what gave birth to another ingenious (?!) idea – of starting a ‘practice’ blog before I start The blog.

I know it sounds stupid now. Admittedly, my methods were convoluted , but since this was what eventually led to me starting Shanaya Tales, I will never ever regret it. But I am getting ahead of myself here.

Let’s back up a bit. Like I said, I had decided to start a practice blog. And since this was the practice version, I did not obsess over it as much.

The dominant thought in my mind was that I wanted it to be effortless, something that would be like second nature to me. Which is why, I decided to write about my very first love – books.

I read books all the time. Writing about them would be as simple as reading them, I thought. I was wrong, but thank God I had no idea about this tiny detail at that time.

Also, this thing got moving very quickly. The idea of a practice blog had only come to my mind during the very end of December 2014, and within a month, I was able to decide on a name, register it, buy a theme, buy hosting, and even write the first post. A relatively quick turnaround for my usual procrastinating self.

From there, the blog took a life and structure of its own, and it was just one amazing milestone after the other. The supposed practice blog, which was also the only real existing blog (outside of my head), became a source of constant joy and positivity.

And that is something I will be eternally grateful to you guys for. Thank you for being there for me through this ‘practice’ journey, and for all the love, encouragement & unconditional support that you guys have showered on me. I can’t even begin to explain how much that means to me, but it’s something I will always cherish.

That’s all from my end folks. I would love to hear from you guys. Do you have a blog ‘birth story’ to share too? I would love to hear it in the comments. Or better still, you can write a post, and link it here!

In other news – I am currently reading The Lunar Chronicles series (which is quite interesting so far), and I am binge-watching Friday Night Lights on Netflix. And boy oh boy, this sport-centric series is so addictive! In-spite of the fact I am not particularly knowledgeable about or extremely interested in American Football, I just can’t stop watching. Fun times!

What are you guys currently reading/binge watching?

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The Linky: As promised, I have created a linky for #ChattyBlogs at the bottom of this post.

Here’s how it works:

1. 1. Write a chatty/rambly post – it could be a deep, thought-provoking one or even a random ramble. No judgement here.
   2. At the bottom of your post – add the #ChattyBlogs badge, and link to this post (which hosts the linky) to encourage other bloggers to join in.
   3. Add your link to the #ChattyBlogs linky.
   4. Visit and comment on the fellow bloggers’ post in the Linky
   5. Enjoy!

Chatty Blogs Badge

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Note: I have also created a twitter handle for ChattyBlogs & registered the actual hashtag #ChattyBlogs. So, when you do write and link up your posts, please do use the hashtag & I will be sure to RT & share it.

Let me know if you have any questions.

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