Tech on NingNarrative

📝 Breaking Up with My iPad—An Open Letter To My Beloved One

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 13:26:22 +0700

Dear iPad,

This is it. I seriously need to break up with you. We can still be friends, but we can no longer be inseparable. I have to stop reaching for you every moment, stop letting you consume my time and attention. I’ve realized now that I rely on you too much. From now on, I’ll only pick you up when absolutely necessary; at least until I figure out how to be more independent without you. (Or at least until you stop begging me to do an endless scrolling session way after 2 a.m.)

You’ve been my constant companion, my endless source of fun and knowledge. With you, boredom never existed. But maybe boredom is a blessing in disguise; a quiet space where my mind can breathe, reflect, and grow. And with you by my side, that space disappears, replaced by a restless craving to read just one more rage-bait comment.

I believe, no, I desperately need to be on my own, collect my thoughts, and reflect on my own life, without clinging on to you anymore.

It’s not you, it’s me.

Well, maybe a little bit you, too.

If only you could help me practice self-control and respect for how I spend my time, I might not have to take this desperate measure. But you’re always tempting me with shiny new things and always demanding my attention with everything you can find—and you can find anything.

I’m drawn to your charm, your endless allure, and your ability to answer every question and entertain every whim. But most of all, I’m addicted to your uncanny ability to distract me from everything important.

But that’s not healthy, because you’ve become such an enabler to the point it’s toxic. You pull my attention away faster than I can say ‘just one more video,’ chipping away at the little self-respect I have left. Honestly, I think you’ve been conspiring with the god of procrastination all along.

Anyway, I’m sorry it’s come to this, but I need to reclaim my life; and maybe give my hands a little rest too.

Please don’t think I don’t cherish all the years we’ve shared. You’ve been a radiant part of my world with your screen literally glowing at my face at all times. We’ve had a blast together, and I won’t forget the joy you brought me just because we have to grow apart.

I’m going to be on my own for a while, and when I’m ready, I’ll meet new people. Please know that I’m not cutting you off forever. You’re a big part of my world, but please understand that you cannot be my whole world. The world is too vast and full of wonders, and I want to see it with my own eyes, not just through you like we used to. Besides, I need to reconnect with the simple things—like feeling the sun on my face without a screen in between.

I’ll still check in with you now and then, when I’m stronger and ready for a healthier connection. We can then have fun and even share some thought-provoking conversations, just like old times. But that will be after I’ve found the strength to walk this earth on my own, and when I am more equipped to be in a relationship without destroying my life in the process.

But for now, this is goodbye.

It’s time for me to step back and find my own balance.

Thank you for being there through it all. We’ll catch up again soon.

I hope when we meet again, it will be with a new understanding and respect for the space we both need.

Until then, take care, and charge yourself up.

Yours,

Me (Your Recovering Screen Addict)

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 08:21:58 +0700

This Readwise update is incredible! Similar Highlights and Chat With Your Highlights features are like having a citation on steroids. After years of collecting thousands of quotes within the service, the payoff is finally here.

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 21:17:20 +0700

RIFT Notes is one of the best recent discovery apps I’ve come across. It has the potential to replace Drafts (which is not file-based markdown) as my daily logging once it is released. You can join the beta right now.

⚒️ Default Apps for 2024

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 09:00:00 +0700

I’ve been wanting to write about my most used apps for so long but didn’t have enough motivation to do so, until I came across this directory of apps people commonly use. Inspired by this, I’ve decided to compile a list of my default apps.

Prioritize Native Apps, then Fantastic Updates for New OS Support in Apps

For over ten years, I have enthusiastically tried thousands of apps. Throughout this time, I have learned that the best apps are the ones that withstand the test of time, receive frequent updates to support new operating system features, and, if necessary, offer excellent options for sharing and exporting.

The most important lesson I've learned from my years is this: the less I have to worry about the longevity of support, the better. And ultimately, which apps would have a longer lifespan than Apple's own apps?

Therefore, this year, I have decided to mostly use native apps instead of trying to find apps with the best features.

Only if Apple's implementation did not meet my standards then would I choose popular apps that closely follow native app guidelines and are most suitable for my use cases. That is why I have chosen a vastly different list of apps this year compared to my previous years, but I'm happy with my current choice.

However, since writing, learning, and note-taking have been my passion, I don’t use Apple Notes and Freeform because it’s difficult to export and share to other apps. Therefore, I couldn’t bring myself to use the native apps, and opted for Drafts and Bear as Apple Notes alternatives, and Muse as a Freeform alternative.

My Default Apps List

📨 Mail Client: Spark (I’ve yet enough time to figure out my workflow for Apple Mail yet)
📮 Mail Server: Gmail, Hotmail, Custom Domain using Porkbun with iCloud server.
✍️ Journaling: Drafts (daily log which would sent to other apps), Stoic.(morning and evening prompts), Day One (memory keeping with photos and videos)
📝 Notes&Writing: Drafts (jotting downs ideas and tasks to fully crafted articles), iA Writer (Long-form writing), Craft (large projects), Obsidian (daily journal, reference notes, but uses iA Writer to access files on mobile devices), Bear (Book Notes because it’s much simpler to use it for attachments)
👩‍💻 Blogging: Using Ulysses or Drafts to publish on my main blog in Micro.blog. Also use Scribbles, Bear Blog, and Ghost hosting with MagicPages for my other blogs.
💡 Brainstorming and Ideation: Muse as my digital whiteboard
✅ To-Do: Apple Reminders (Just ditched Things), Agenda (for projects but considering just using Apple Notes or Craft instead.)
📆 Calendar: Apple Calendar, but still use widgets from BusyCal
📚 Books: Kindle, Libby, Audible
💪 Health and Fitness: Apple Fitness and Apple Health(for logging) and Gentler Streak (health state), just ditched Fitbod (tracking workout progress), Athlytic and Bevel(daily exertion and recovery), Foodnoms(food log)
📷 iPhone Photo Shooting: Apple Camera
🟦 Photo Editing: Photomator, Darkroom
📁 Cloud File Storage: iCloud for active files, OneDrive for archiving
📖 RSS: News Explorer
🌐 Browser: Arc and Safari, but considering trying out Zen Browser next year.
💬 Chat: Line, Facebook Messenger, Instagram
🔖 Bookmarks: Goodlinks (for websites), Play-Save Videos Watch Later (for videos)
📑 Read It Later: Readwise Reader
📰 News: My Family and RSS feeds, but mostly my family, LOL.
🎵 Music: Spotify
💰 Budgeting and Personal Finance: Still figuring out.

⚒️ Default Apps for 2024

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 09:00:00 +0700

Prioritize Native Apps, then Fantastic Updates for New OS Support in Apps

Therefore, this year, I have decided to mostly use native apps instead of trying to find apps with the best features.

My Default Apps List

📨 Mail Client: Spark (I’ve yet enough time to figure out my workflow for Apple Mail yet)
📮 Mail Server: Gmail, Hotmail, Custom Domain using Porkbun with iCloud server.
✍️ Journaling: Drafts, Stoic. (morning and evening prompts), Day One (memory keeping with photos and videos)
📝 Notes&Writing: , (jotting downs ideas and tasks to fully crafted articles), iA Writer (Long-form writing), Craft (large projects), Obsidian (daily journal, reference notes, but uses iA Writer to access files on mobile devices), Bear (Book Notes because it’s much simpler to use it for attachments)
👩‍💻 Blogging: Using Ulysses or Drafts to publish on my main blog in Micro.blog. Also use Scribbles, Bear Blog, and Ghost hosting with MagicPages for my other blogs.
💡 Brainstorming and Ideation: Muse as my digital whiteboard
✅ To-Do: Apple Reminders (Just ditched Things), Agenda (for projects but considering just using Apple Notes or Craft instead.)
📆 Calendar: Apple Calendar, but still use widgets from BusyCal
📚 Books: Kindle, Libby, Audible
💪 Health and Fitness: Apple Fitness and Apple Health(for logging) and Gentler Streak (health state), just ditched Fitbod (tracking workout progress), Athlytic and Bevel (daily exertion and recovery), Foodnoms (food log)
📷 iPhone Photo Shooting: Apple Camera
🟦 Photo Editing: Photomator, Darkroom
📁 Cloud File Storage: iCloud for active files, OneDrive for archiving
📖 RSS: News Explorer
🌐 Browser: Arc and Safari, but considering trying out Zen Browser next year.
💬 Chat: Line, Facebook Messenger, Instagram
🔖 Bookmarks: Goodlinks (for websites), Play-Save Videos Watch Later (for videos)
📑 Read It Later: Readwise Reader
📰 News: My Family and RSS feeds, but mostly my family, LOL.
🎵 Music: Spotify
💰 Budgeting and Personal Finance: Still figuring out.

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⚒️ Default Apps for 2024

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 09:00:00 +0700

Prioritize Native Apps, then Fantastic Updates for New OS Support in Apps

The most important lesson I’ve learned from my years is this: the less I have to worry about the longevity of support, the better. And ultimately, which apps would have a longer lifespan than Apple’s own apps?

Therefore, this year, I have decided to mostly use native apps instead of trying to find apps with the best features.

Only if Apple’s implementation did not meet my standards then would I choose popular apps that closely follow native app guidelines and are most suitable for my use cases. That is why I have chosen a vastly different list of apps this year compared to my previous years, but I’m happy with my current choice.

My Default Apps List

📨 Mail Client: Spark (I’ve yet enough time to figure out my workflow for Apple Mail yet)
📮 Mail Server: Gmail, Hotmail, Custom Domain using Porkbun with iCloud server.
✍️ Journaling: Drafts (daily log which would sent to other apps), Stoic.(morning and evening prompts), Day One (memory keeping with photos and videos)
📝 Notes&Writing: Drafts (jotting downs ideas and tasks to fully crafted articles), iA Writer (Long-form writing), Craft (large projects), Obsidian (daily journal, reference notes, but uses iA Writer to access files on mobile devices), Bear (Book Notes because it’s much simpler to use it for attachments)
👩‍💻 Blogging: Using Ulysses or Drafts to publish on my main blog in Micro.blog. Also use Scribbles, Bear Blog, and Ghost hosting with MagicPages for my other blogs.
💡 Brainstorming and Ideation: Muse as my digital whiteboard
✅ To-Do: Apple Reminders (Just ditched Things), Agenda (for projects but considering just using Apple Notes or Craft instead.)
📆 Calendar: Apple Calendar, but still use widgets from BusyCal
📚 Books: Kindle, Libby, Audible
💪 Health and Fitness: Apple Fitness and Apple Health(for logging) and Gentler Streak (health state), just ditched Fitbod (tracking workout progress), Athlytic and Bevel(daily exertion and recovery), Foodnoms(food log)
📷 iPhone Photo Shooting: Apple Camera
🟦 Photo Editing: Photomator, Darkroom
📁 Cloud File Storage: iCloud for active files, OneDrive for archiving
📖 RSS: News Explorer
🌐 Browser: Arc and Safari, but considering trying out Zen Browser next year.
💬 Chat: Line, Facebook Messenger, Instagram
🔖 Bookmarks: Goodlinks (for websites), Play-Save Videos Watch Later (for videos)
📑 Read It Later: Readwise Reader
📰 News: My Family and RSS feeds, but mostly my family, LOL.
🎵 Music: Spotify
💰 Budgeting and Personal Finance: Still figuring out.

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Wed, 16 Oct 2024 18:23:50 +0700

I tried to back up my iPad so I could finally update it to iPadOS 18, only to discover that there wasn’t enough space for the backup—after waiting for the entire day! To make matters worse, I got told that I would have to wait six hours to cancel the backup process. What a big waste of my day. 😩

Seriously, should I just go for the update without backing up anything? 🤔

Tue, 14 May 2024 22:11:31 +0700

💻 Been busy with life. Finally found the time to post all my past daily lettering designs. I will catch up on emails and replies tomorrow. ✌️#lettering

Wed, 08 May 2024 10:32:32 +0700

💻 Is it a bad idea to buy a new iPad solely to get the new Apple Pencil Pro? Can anyone talk my way out of this? 😂

Wed, 08 May 2024 10:19:27 +0700

💻There’s nothing wrong with iPads; the issue lies in people being unaware of apps tailored for iPads and how to incorporate them into their workflows. To make things worse, Apple’s emphasis on highly specific use cases further widens the gap between general users and iPads. I hope the upcoming WWDC will shade some light on the iPad’s experience much better, but I highly doubt it.

🎨💻 New Logo for Ning Narrative Notebook!

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 13:48:56 +0700

Got a new logo for my blog, Ning Narrative Notebook. Decided to design it myself for the lettering practice. Spent almost 3 hours on it this morning.

New Logo for Ning Narrative Notebook, using "NN" to resemble a corner of a page in a notebook.

The idea of using "NN" to resemble a corner of a page in a notebook struck me. So, I settled on just using "NN" for Ning Narrative and let the blog title do the talking. I experimented with some variations before settling with this one.

Pretty happy with how it turned out, even with some flaws. Could have worked on it more, but, you know, laziness strikes.

I’m having a love-hate relationship with the Procreate app—easy to use but not vector-based. Should I look for other apps? 🤔

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💻 Adding Fallback Fonts on My Main Blog

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 20:24:01 +0700

The issue with my fonts not loading properly on my main blog still persists, and I don't have the energy or effort to troubleshoot it.

While I aim to fill my website with personality, I opted to select excellent fallback fonts instead.

I just stumbled upon this fantastic resource for incorporating a system font stack organized by typeface classification into a CSS code.

This approach allows me to at least control the typeface classifications, ensuring a relatively consistent style for all readers of the blog.

So, after my embedded fonts, I added stacks of Geometric Humanist for the body text and Humanist for the headings. I also added some Thai system fonts and called it a day.

It'd go like this:

h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {
font-family: 'Bricolage Grotesque', 'Fraunces', 'Mitr', ‘Seravek, 'Gill Sans Nova', Ubuntu, Calibri, 'DejaVu Sans', source-sans-pro, ‘Geneva’, ‘Verdana’, ui-rounded, 'Sukhumvit', 'Noto Sans Thai Looped', 'Noto Sans Thai', 'PSL Ornanong', 'Ayuthaya', 'Silom', 'FreesiaUPC', 'CordiaUPC', 'BrowalliaUPC', sans-serif !important; 
font-weight: bold;
}

Super quick and easy.

Overall, I am quite pleased with the result.

The blog displays a combination of Bricolage Grotesque and Atkinson Hyperlegible fonts.

My blog displays a combination of Bricolage Grotesque and Atkinson Hyperlegible fonts.

The blog displays fonts from the Geometric Humanist and Humanist typefaces based on the device being used.

My blog displays fonts from the Geometric Humanist and Humanist typefaces based on the device being used.

Now, I can focus on refining categories to ensure compatibility across all sections of my Scribbles blogs. ✌️

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💻 Adding Fallback Fonts on My Main Blog

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 20:24:01 +0700

The issue with my fonts not loading properly on my main blog still persists, and I don't have the energy or effort to troubleshoot it.

While I aim to fill my website with personality, I opted to select excellent fallback fonts instead.

I just stumbled upon this fantastic resource for incorporating a system font stack organized by typeface classification into a CSS code.

This approach allows me to at least control the typeface classifications, ensuring a relatively consistent style for all readers of the blog.

So, after my embedded fonts, I added stacks of Geometric Humanist for the body text and Humanist for the headings. I also added some Thai system fonts and called it a day.

It'd go like this:

h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {
font-family: 'Bricolage Grotesque', 'Fraunces', 'Mitr', ‘Seravek, 'Gill Sans Nova', Ubuntu, Calibri, 'DejaVu Sans', source-sans-pro, ‘Geneva’, ‘Verdana’, ui-rounded, 'Sukhumvit', 'Noto Sans Thai Looped', 'Noto Sans Thai', 'PSL Ornanong', 'Ayuthaya', 'Silom', 'FreesiaUPC', 'CordiaUPC', 'BrowalliaUPC', sans-serif !important; 
font-weight: bold;
}

Super quick and easy.

Overall, I am quite pleased with the result.

The blog displays a combination of Bricolage Grotesque and Atkinson Hyperlegible fonts.

My blog displays a combination of Bricolage Grotesque and Atkinson Hyperlegible fonts.

The blog displays fonts from the Geometric Humanist and Humanist typefaces based on the device being used.

My blog displays fonts from the Geometric Humanist and Humanist typefaces based on the device being used.

Now, I can focus on refining categories to ensure compatibility across all sections of my Scribbles blogs. ✌️

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💻 Quick Notice: New Domain for Ning Narrative Notebook

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 13:23:23 +0700

Just a quick heads-up—I've decided to switch up the domain for my media notes blog from notes.ningkantida.com to notebook.ningnarrative.com. Though, longer, I figured it's easier to remember and ties in with my blog name.

I'm going with Notebook because it's all about me jotting down my thoughts on media, no frills. Not only that, but I prefer not to label myself as a reviewer. Plus, it rhymes well with my name!

I'll make the change by tomorrow, so keep an eye out!

Moving forward, you can catch all the updates on my media notes from the Ning Narrative Notebook blog or the new RSS feed.

Fun Fact: In Thai, Ning (นิ้ง) means "new", "novel", "great", or "perfect." So Ning Narrative could translate to Great/Novel Narrative, or even the narrative of Ning. Pretty cool, right? 😎

PS. This blog post will remain active for a few weeks before I transition over to Life of Ning.

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💻 Restructuring My Blog—The Coexistence of Scribbles and Micro.blog for Blogging

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 22:25:03 +0700

Attention: If anyone subscribes to Ning's Notebook via RSS (if there are any 😂), please be aware that your RSS feed might break after this. I am changing the domain name. Also, please note that I have new plans for this blog. Therefore, I recommend reading this post before deciding whether you want to stay subscribed to this blog or my other blogs.

With the introduction of Categories on Scribbles, I now see Scribbles as a perfect place to be my blogging home and use my main blog solely for interactions with others. I love having dedicated space for each of my interests, while also having a place to discuss them. I am happy with this decision, although it would be great if there was an easy way to show the original source for cross-posting. 😅

Now that I have decided to fully commit to Scribbles, I have to restructure some of my blogs to accommodate my future self.

After my previous blog post about this dilemma, I have decided to repurpose Ning's Notebook blog from personal notes to media notes and move my personal life notes to Life of Ning instead. I will also go back and manually publish my old reviews, but this may take some time.

Next, I have two separate domains with a clear distinction between them—for personal and writing life.

ningkantida.com = personal life and reaching out (email) as a person, and maybe get some financial support ;)
ningnarrative.com = writing life and sharing my thoughts with people.

This means that I will soon change from thenotes.ningkantida domain to the notes.ningnarrative domain.

My New Blogging Structure

Here is my new blogging structure.

Life of Ning = Personal Life. How I spend my day. Memories with people.
Ning's Narrative Notebook = Reviews and reflections from Books, Movies, Series, and other media types.
Musing With Ning = Musing about life. Refined writing.
Ning Narrative = The aggregated site for my writing and other content, aside from my personal life.

The challenging part of this restructuring is the cross-posting settings on Micro.blog. Creating new rules for every blog and every category would be quite tedious!

My Blogging Structure in a table format, providing more details for category names

What does this mean to you?

For Passersby: Enjoy reading my multiple blogs on Scribbles, I have a navigation bar linking to any of my blogs. Or read them all in one go on my main blog.
For Someone Interested in My Life Updates: Make sure to visit Life of Ning from time to time. That’s the only way you will see my life updates.😊
For Scribbles People: You'll see more of me on the Explore Page!
For Micro.blog, Mastodon and Fediverse People: You can keep reading on my main blog, so we can interact with each other. 😉
For RSS fans:
- To read all my writings, please subscribe to this feed
- If you'd like to subscribe to specific topics and are interested in sharing some comments, you can choose which feed to follow on this feed page. I might have to change some of them, so give it a try after a week or so.
- Suppose you prefer to read specific topics and don't care about replies in public. In that case, I suggest subscribing to my Scribbles feeds and occasionally opening the blog because Scribbles is a lovely platform!
- This blog feed will soon change from the feed with my personal domain to the NingNarrative feed. Just add the feed in the next few days.
- More feeds will come, and you could use my About Page to keep track of all my online presence.

And hey, you might want to tip me for the effort 😜

PS. This blog post will remain active for a few weeks before I transition over to Life of Ning

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💻 Multiple Blogs or Multiple Categories?

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 16:39:00 +0700

With the introduction of Categories on Scribbles, I find myself faced with a dilemma regarding my existing blogs.

Currently, I have three main blogs (although I have more, their purposes are clear):

Musings with Ning: where I share refined thoughts about life that have been on my mind.
Ning’s Notebook: for notes on various topics in my life.
Life of Ning: life updates not broadcast on RSS feeds.

I appreciate the distinction between these blogs, but my writing topics are becoming a bit blurry and all over the place. I feel the need to reconsider my strategy.

The content I plan to write will include:
- Book notes/quotes
- Initial impressions and reviews of movies, TV series, and books
- Musings on movies, TV series, and books (blending my thoughts on life with what I’ve read and watched)
- Musings on life
- My personal life updates
- App reviews

Most of these topics could easily become categories; it’s just a matter of aesthetic preference.

Should I blend my musings on life with my thoughts on books, movies, and TV series, or keep them as separate categories?

I believe that people who enjoy movies wouldn’t mind reading about books, and vice versa. That means I could place all reviews in Ning’s Notebook and refined musings in another blog. Alternatively, perhaps I should create a separate media blog categorized as movies, series, books.

And what about app reviews—should they have their own dedicated space, or be integrated into one of my existing blogs? App reviews are quite different from other categories. I have tested thousands of apps at this point and would love to share some recommendations with others.

Consolidating all my interests into one blog might require readers to switch contexts frequently while reading. Additionally, I already have my aggregated site on micro.blog. I aim to avoid such confusion.

However, managing multiple blogs could also present its own challenges. Do people enjoy reading multiple blogs from the same person? I am uncertain. 🤨

Oh, I almost forgot about my Life of Ning blog! Since there is an option to hide a post from RSS feeds, perhaps I could merge this blog with Ning’s Notebook and introduce life update categories instead.

The idea of creating separate media blogs is also tempting, but the thought of managing multiple blogs is daunting. However, I can’t deny the appeal of keeping each category distinct for readers.

These two images present my options:

1) Having 3 blogs as is, but with broad categories for each topic.

2) Having separate blogs for each topic, using deeper categories for people to browse through.

Looks like I have some decisions to make!

Sometimes having too many great options can also lead to problems. A welcoming experience nonetheless! 😂

✉️ Reply by email

💻 Multiple Blogs or Multiple Categories?

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 16:39:00 +0700

With the introduction of Categories on Scribbles, I find myself faced with a dilemma regarding my existing blogs.

Currently, I have three main blogs (although I have more, their purposes are clear):

Musings with Ning: where I share refined thoughts about life that have been on my mind.
Ning’s Notebook: for notes on various topics in my life.
Life of Ning: life updates not broadcast on RSS feeds.

I appreciate the distinction between these blogs, but my writing topics are becoming a bit blurry and all over the place. I feel the need to reconsider my strategy.

The content I plan to write will include:
- Book notes/quotes
- Initial impressions and reviews of movies, TV series, and books
- Musings on movies, TV series, and books (blending my thoughts on life with what I’ve read and watched)
- Musings on life
- My personal life updates
- App reviews

Most of these topics could easily become categories; it’s just a matter of aesthetic preference.

Should I blend my musings on life with my thoughts on books, movies, and TV series, or keep them as separate categories?

I believe that people who enjoy movies wouldn’t mind reading about books, and vice versa. That means I could place all reviews in Ning’s Notebook and refined musings in another blog. Alternatively, perhaps I should create a separate media blog categorized as movies, series, books.

And what about app reviews—should they have their own dedicated space, or be integrated into one of my existing blogs? App reviews are quite different from other categories. I have tested thousands of apps at this point and would love to share some recommendations with others.

Consolidating all my interests into one blog might require readers to switch contexts frequently while reading. Additionally, I already have my aggregated site on micro.blog. I aim to avoid such confusion.

However, managing multiple blogs could also present its own challenges. Do people enjoy reading multiple blogs from the same person? I am uncertain. 🤨

Oh, I almost forgot about my Life of Ning blog! Since there is an option to hide a post from RSS feeds, perhaps I could merge this blog with Ning’s Notebook and introduce life update categories instead.

The idea of creating separate media blogs is also tempting, but the thought of managing multiple blogs is daunting. However, I can’t deny the appeal of keeping each category distinct for readers.

These two images present my options:

1) Having 3 blogs as is, but with broad categories for each topic.

2) Having separate blogs for each topic, using deeper categories for people to browse through.

Looks like I have some decisions to make!

Sometimes having too many great options can also lead to problems. A welcoming experience nonetheless! 😂

✉️ Reply by email

💻Multiple Blogs or Multiple Categories?

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 15:03:59 +0700

With the introduction of Categories on Scribbles, I find myself faced with a dilemma regarding my existing blogs.

Currently, I have three main blogs (although I have more, their purposes are clear):

1. Musing with Ning: where I share refined thoughts about life that have been on my mind.
2. Ning's Notebook: for notes on various topics in my life.
3. Life of Ning: life updates not broadcast on RSS feeds.

I appreciate the distinction between these blogs, but my writing topics are becoming a bit blurry and all over the place. I feel the need to reconsider my strategy.

The content I plan to write will include:
- Book notes/quotes
- Initial impressions and reviews of movies, TV series, and books
- Musings on movies, TV series, and books (blending my thoughts on life with what I’ve read and watched)
- Musings on life
- My personal life updates
- App reviews

Most of these topics could easily become categories; it’s just a matter of aesthetic preference.

Should I blend my musings on life with my thoughts on books, movies, and TV series, or keep them as separate categories?

I believe that people who enjoy movies wouldn’t mind reading about books, and vice versa. That means I could place all reviews in Ning’s Notebook and refined musings in another blog. Alternatively, perhaps I should create a separate media blog categorized as movies, series, books.

And what about app reviews—should they have their own dedicated space, or be integrated into one of my existing blogs? App reviews are quite different from other categories. I have tested thousands of apps at this point and would love to share some recommendations with others.

Consolidating all my interests into one blog might require readers to switch contexts frequently while reading. Additionally, I already have my aggregated site on micro.blog. I aim to avoid such confusion.

However, managing multiple blogs could also present its own challenges. Do people enjoy reading multiple blogs from the same person? I am uncertain. 🤨

Oh, I almost forgot about my Life of Ning blog! Since there is an option to hide a post from RSS feeds, perhaps I could merge this blog with Ning’s Notebook and introduce life update categories instead.

The idea of creating separate media blogs is also tempting, but the thought of managing multiple blogs is daunting. However, I can’t deny the appeal of keeping each category distinct for readers.

These two images present my options:

1) Having 3 blogs as is, but with broad categories for each topic.

2) Having separate blogs for each topic, using deeper categories for people to browse through.

Looks like I have some decisions to make!

Sometimes having too many great options can also lead to problems. A welcoming experience nonetheless! 😂

✉️ Reply by email

💻 New Personal Logos

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 21:45:00 +0700

I've been wanting to create a logo using my name "NING" for a long time. Finally, I've made five different variations!

I'm not entirely sure which one should be the main logo, but I'm leaning toward the smiley or the chat bubble. If you have any feedback or comments, please let me know.

(I'm also working on perfecting my personal color scheme, but it will be something similar to what I've shared.)

1st version: Minimal

It's a simple design using just the alphabet. The NiN turned into a crown, while the G got flipped. I could have gone for perfect symmetry, but I prefer the fluid lines to give it a lighter feel.

NING Logo version 1 with minimal, pure alphabets

2nd version: Person

I experimented with the G and noticed that it could resemble a person with right angles, so I played into that idea.

NING Logo version 2 with a human figure

3rd version: Smiley

When you have a human figure, why not add a face, right? I love this one, but no one can read the word NING. It's also not a professional-looking logo, but it's so fun!

NING Logo version 3 with a smiley face

4th version: Arrow

To make it look more like a G, I tried drawing an arrow instead. It could symbolize growth. However, the arrow might make it too bold and clash with my personality. I also don't like that it feels heavy on the right side.

NING Logo version 4 with an arrow

5th version: Chat Bubble

I decided to switch to a more rounded G, which resembles a chat bubble. I think it's the most eye-catching option for a logo, besides the smiley one, of course :)

NING Logo version 5 with a chat bubble

Bonus: A drawing of myself in a sleepy eye style I used for half my life.

A drawing of myself in a sleepy eye style I used for half my life.

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💻 New Personal Logos

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 21:45:00 +0700

I've been wanting to create a logo using my name "NING" for a long time. Finally, I've made five different variations!

I'm not entirely sure which one should be the main logo, but I'm leaning toward the smiley or the chat bubble. If you have any feedback or comments, please let me know.

(I'm also working on perfecting my personal color scheme, but it will be something similar to what I've shared.)

1st version: Minimal

It's a simple design using just the alphabet. The NiN turned into a crown, while the G got flipped. I could have gone for perfect symmetry, but I prefer the fluid lines to give it a lighter feel.

NING Logo version 1 with minimal, pure alphabets

2nd version: Person

I experimented with the G and noticed that it could resemble a person with right angles, so I played into that idea.

NING Logo version 2 with a human figure

3rd version: Smiley

When you have a human figure, why not add a face, right? I love this one, but no one can read the word NING. It's also not a professional-looking logo, but it's so fun!

NING Logo version 3 with a smiley face

4th version: Arrow

To make it look more like a G, I tried drawing an arrow instead. It could symbolize growth. However, the arrow might make it too bold and clash with my personality. I also don't like that it feels heavy on the right side.

NING Logo version 4 with an arrow

5th version: Chat Bubble

I decided to switch to a more rounded G, which resembles a chat bubble. I think it's the most eye-catching option for a logo, besides the smiley one, of course :)

NING Logo version 5 with a chat bubble

Bonus: A drawing of myself in a sleepy eye style I used for half my life.

A drawing of myself in a sleepy eye style I used for half my life.

✉️ Reply by email

💻 The More Relaxed Blog

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 20:00:00 +0700

While I enjoy writing on Musing with Ning, I also crave a more laid-back approach to explore a variety of topics. Ning’s Notebook will delve into my thoughts on wellness, movies, books, tech, and occasionally my personal life. I’m still considering writing a weekly note or even a one-line-a-day note here. We’ll see how it goes.

Sat, 23 Mar 2024 12:34:59 +0700

💻I have been paying for #Obsidian Sync for 3 months and haven’t used it! I wanted to switch from iCloud, but then I saw the warning and forgot about it until now. LOL

Can anyone tell me what’s the best practice here? Is it possible to sync the #ObsidianSync vault to iCloud? Hazel app, maybe?

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 20:54:27 +0700

💻 After a year of having an omg.lol account, I finally took the plunge and created my bio and the Now page LOL. Thanks to this script, I was also able to embed my Now page into my main site.

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 20:40:36 +0700

What I see from my own browser and from others is too vastly different. I have no idea how to make the embedded fonts work again 😩

From this…

…to this!

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 22:29:42 +0700

💻 Who would have thought that it would be this hard to add an Archive page in a Ghost blog!! Eventually, I decided to drop it and used an Author page instead. 😂

Embracing Collaboration: Craft's New Direction

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 20:22:30 +0700

Gotta love the new direction of Craft. They’ve made it crystal clear that they are all about collaboration and teamwork with their recent move. While current users get to keep their Pro plan, it’s pretty obvious that Craft wants new users to embrace the collaborative spirit. Makes sense, right? Who wants to upgrade to a pricey paid plan if you’re not utilizing all the bells and whistles? Now I have no doubts about where Craft is headed, and also no doubts that my wallet can’t handle a plan change. 🙈 Guess I’ll just rock the Pro plan (courtesy of SetApp) forever!

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 17:26:25 +0700

💻 Just discovered the Fraunces font for my new blog and I’m in love! 😍 This variable font has limitless flexibility to choose from weight, softness, and even wonkiness! Choosing and coding the blog’s padding, margin, and text decoration was a challenge though, as I’m a css noob. 😂 #typography

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 22:24:49 +0700

💻 I think I just found my new favorite fonts! Fraunces and Nunito, they pair so well together. It really makes my new in-progress website looking so great, even though it took me a whole day trying dozens of pairings lol. However, I somehow couldn’t make the blockquote using Fraunces without embed <blockquote> in a post. That was one of the reasons why I’d love to use this font 😩

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 13:36:10 +0700

Today, you can get Muse, a fantastic app for visual thinkers, at half price for a year of the unlimited plan with this code BIRTHDAY.

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 11:20:12 +0700

Today, you can get the pro subscription for One Sec app for free. Don’t miss this chance! This app is a great tool for overcoming your phone addiction.

Sun, 19 Nov 2023 14:31:55 +0700

I just took advantage of the 20% discount for Letterboxd. The annual price of $15 is quite reasonable. You can get the deal before November 20th.

Micro.publish plugin for Obsidian app as a way to post on micro.blog

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 19:30:39 +0700

This is my first time using the micro.publish plugin for Obsidian. This could be a great way for me to post on micro.blog. I’ll write drafts in iA Writer and then publish them on my MacBook when I get home.

I could even skip iA Writer and just use Drafts for writing drafts. When I’m ready to publish, I could export them to Obsidian.

I used to do all this in Drafts, but I think it would be better to have a separate place dedicated to writing since Drafts is currently my catch-all inbox.

If this doesn’t work, I can go back to Drafts or use Ulysses instead.

Let’s hope this works out well because I’d rather see the metadata in the raw files than use Ulysses’s system lol.

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 11:46:48 +0700

I’d like to write in both Thai and English, but I’m afraid that some people in the micro.blog community might not like seeing other languages in their timeline.

Is there a way to keep a certain tag from being added to a timeline? Or maybe some better ways for a bilingual person to blog?

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 09:35:23 +0700

I’m always impressed by the Audible Customer Service Team, they always help me get deals, return books, and other requests with such a prompt response.

Tot Pocket Mini Review

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 13:47:49 +0700

I Just Bought Tot Pocket!! Tot Pocket is a digital scratchpad app that only allows for 7 active notes, which may seem restrictive but is actually quite liberating.

The Reason?

I want a place to scribble notes, but only for active projects and Tot is lightning fast! With Drafts, I’m constantly filtering, searching, and switching between workspaces.
The colors for each dot are gorgeous!
The Share Sheet is fantastic!

Use Cases

Project overview board
URLs of relevant information
Deeplinks from other apps. things:///show?id=EuQfmUQygmoyZZLx7St6s
Write first drafts
List of ideas
A scratchpad that can be easily exported elsewhere

My Setup

1st dot for a dashboard of all my active projects (with deep links to Things, Drafts, and other relevant apps and URLs)
2-4th dot for active writing work.
The rest is for jotting things down
Use Tot Share Sheet to collect information as text or URLs.
Finish a rough draft ➜ Export it to Drafts or Ulysses for editing
Complete a project ➜ Export it to NotePlan or Obsidian as a project report

Some reviews

Here’s the list of some reviews about Tot which heavily influenced my decision.

And of course, the discussion inside this micro.blog community from my previous post.

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 10:22:04 +0700

Should I buy Tot Pocket, which is currently on sale for iOS until the end of August? I’m currently using Drafts and experimenting with Notes SE. Can someone provide me with feedback and use cases for the app?

I don't like the new direction of Craft.do

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 13:11:53 +0700

After seeing the latest updates and how they’ve been communicated within the Slack community, I’m not sure whether I’ll continue to use Craft in the long run. In my opinion, this indicates a lack of market understanding of their customers.

They continued to prioritize major updates to the Business Plan and were puzzled as to why their current users felt ignored.

I’m not sure what was going on inside, but it felt as if someone had abruptly decided to change course. So, they now had an overarching goal for a business plan that needed to be accomplished. Instead of using pull marketing and gradually building up, they attempted to push people into the business plan too much and too fast.

Yes, their product is beautiful, the functionality is impressive, and the user interface and experience are fantastic. However, I would rather not use a product for which I am not the primary target and become frustrated when I can’t get what I want as a result. Or even worst, feeling forced to pay nearly twice as much for only one feature I desperately want.

In the end, I’ll probably stick with Craft for at least a few years while exploring other options. It’s a shame because Craft was almost perfect for me, except for not being a file-based product, which I can live with.

//edited to give some background on the situation.

Craft kept telling people that they had not been abandoned, but that they were simply not their priority, even though they could accommodate both plans, albeit not equally but concurrently. has recently introduced a new pricing plan known as the Business Plan. Then they continued to push new features for the plan exclusively, leaving the pro plan as an afterthought.

Whatever they had promised to include and what people expected to see in their plan were now included in the business plan. Worse, when people complained about it, they just shrugged it off.

Craft kept telling people that they had not been abandoned but that they were simply not their priority, even though they could accommodate both plans, albeit not equally but concurrently.

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 18:37:18 +0700

How do you decide whether the content should be a post or a page? What’s the difference for readers (aside from not being able to comment)? What about indexing and backend functionality? 🤔

Sun, 07 Aug 2022 20:51:02 +0700

I’m still figuring out whether to use NotePlan or Logseq for my daily logs. NotePlan feels more intuitive, but I’m a bit scared of their pricing practice. While Logseq is free, the queries look like something I have to learn for weeks just to get a weekly summary. 😅

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 14:00:00 +0700

👩‍💻Created a visual book note of 📚 Soundtracks in 10 minutes using my new favorite whiteboard app—Guga. Highly recommended both the book and the app.

Sat, 30 Jul 2022 10:11:35 +0700

👩‍💻 I just got the 9.99 USD deal for Agenda app from Stack Social, which will give you all the current features plus 12 months updates you get to keep forever (+6 months bonus with a referral link when you activate it before purchasing the deal.) What a steal!

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 19:55:12 +0700

👩‍💻 Bought a domain from Porkbun! Now that I finally have a proper name, it’s time to get more serious on this blogging thing. I guess… we’ll see 😁

Sat, 09 Jul 2022 17:40:52 +0700

I was trying to use IFTTT to cross-post with no success (it wouldn’t post only my specific feed, but all of them!) Then I realized I could have just used Drafts to post on both micro.blog and my 2nd twitter account instead lol. There’s always another way to look at things. 😁

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 14:37:19 +0700

👩‍💻 I finally figured out how to hide pages from the navigation bar!

nav a\[href="/stats/"],
nav a\[href="/photos/"],
nav a\[href="/feeds/"] \{
  display:none;
}

I moved these pages to the footer instead. Only changing a favicon left!

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 12:10:53 +0700

👩‍💻As someone who doesn’t know how to code, I’m so proud of what I’ve done with my micro.blog colors. Now, how can hide the plug-in pages from the navigation bar!!? 😂

Mon, 04 Jul 2022 21:49:22 +0700

👩‍💻Designing a website without CSS knowledge is like copying your friend’s homework. Cheat once, then you need to cheat your way through forever 😂