jOSiAh's ^_~ Haven

If you have not yet noticed, I have already switched to a new web host since my previous web host has decided to close down (not that you care anyway).

I was initially weary of prepaying 2 years' worth of payment in advance. However, I've decided to just go ahead with it, and ordered a web hosting package from Arvixe for a lump sum payment of USD 96. From all the reviews I've read about this web hosting company, the best thing about them seem to be their customer support, and they seem very responsive to customer needs. I didn't think I will really need customer support (the support for my previous host is almost non-existent), but that aspect about them seem to be very attractive. And they did not disappoint. At the time of order, I had some technical issues about some duplicate payment, and while I was hurriedly typing a support ticket to them about the matter I did not even realise that I have already received an email from them about it. Their responses were also quick and prompt, and everything was settled pretty quickly. In addition, they also seem to be trying to trace the bug that caused the problem, and even offered me free hosting if I can manage to replicate it; pity I didn't manage to do that. All in all, it is not about the technical problems I encountered (I'm a programmer myself so I know all the headaches that comes with implementation), but about how the company responded to the problem that counts. And they have managed to gain my confidence and trust through it. I think I have made the right decision and will most probably be sticking with them for quite some time.

Since the web hosting package includes a free domain name as well, I thought I might as well secure yet another domain name as well. I won't announce it here, but here are some hints: it consists of 6 letters, and is related and similar to my name but is not my name, and is a .com domain. Seems easy enough, right? (^_~) All domain names should point to the same page at this time, but I do have plans to use my josiahwang.com domain name for academic-related stuff in near future. So if you have been arriving here with that domain name, you can start using www.kokushou.com from now on, ok?

In case you missed it, I had a little "under construction" page during the transition period from switching between web hosts. The effect of my Ph.D. and not having done any drawing for the past 3-4 years must have finally taken its toll on me. My creative juices were running and the result was a picture of a butterfly catcher and a Chinese New Year greeting with a lame pun (>.<). They were all drawn by hand, digitised with my handy digital camera (couldn't get hold of a scanner that weekend) and edited with the GIMP.

Inspired by my recent creativity, I am planning for a layout change pretty soon, although it won't be the full-fledged revamp I was hoping for. If you have actually noticed the little changes in my page layout, it is actually meant as a preparation for the change. Look forward to it! (^_~)

And just to garner your feedback, do you actually find it hard to read this piece of text (20-30 words per line) or do you prefer my old one (narrower main column, with a side bar taking up space on the left)? I seem to find the old one easier to read, but the new one allows me to put larger pictures. Hmm...