Blog design overhaul

Since I've been taking online classes, one of the things I learned was the importance of having a well-designed blog. I mean, yes, I knew that a long time ago, but this was the first time in over a year that I've taken a step back and looked at my blog critically.

How do you like this new look?

I think I've spent five hours tweaking all the codes and figuring out which part of the template I needed to edit to get what I wanted, such as the sub-menus and the icons and deleting fixed/locked widgets. Thank God for the internet!

And I just found out after five hours that HTML5 doesn't support bullet points (HTML <li>) tags anymore. Bummer. I now have to use the CSS code (which I have dutifully applied to this post).

But there are a few things I still don't know how to do, such as:

Turn my header name from black to a gold color

How to fix that search button

How to make all the labels of my post appear

How to make some of my images not blow up

How to make the clickable links stand out

How to make visited links turn into a different color

I love this new theme a lot, but tweaking this wasn't easy for someone who doesn't really have a background in coding/programming. Everything I was able to do, I learned from a basic HTML class I took in high school and a whole lot of GIYF moments.

I know I could have hired someone but (confession) I actually love to code my blog. I always learn something new, and I feel so accomplished. Programming has always been one of those things I'd taken way back in college, so I dabble in it whenever I can.

If anyone has problems with drop down menus and sub menus, the Java2s website was the most helpful tutorial I could find, and believe me, I looked through a lot of links. This was the only code that also worked for my blog, too.

If you have any suggestions on how to fix the problems I listed above, that would be so welcome.

Dreaming of the Kingdom of Bhutan

Taktshang (Tiger's Nest) Monastery Image by: Douglas J. McLaughlin - Own work, CC BY 2.5

Since I fulfilled my Paris trip dreams (soon to be up on the blog!), I've been looking for a new major dream I'd like to fulfil.

This year, I have completed several domestic trips (which I should write about!), and I have several more lined up, but I feel hungry for more, something out of the ordinary.

Paro Valley, Bhutan Image by: jmhullot / www.flickr.com License: Creative Commons License (By SA 2.0)

My parents and I plan to visit Jerusalem in the near future – although that's dependent on my mom getting her pension when she turns 60 next year. And of course, I need to save up for that because I've been paying for my own travel expenses since I graduated from college, even when travelling with family.

But I wanted something more. So I planned to go to Machu Picchu, but that would depend on my being able to visit the US, too, which is within my five-year plan. That seems so far away.

Enter Bhutan.

I accidentally stumbled upon Daphne's blog post about her trip to Bhutan, and aided by Johnny's posts about Bhutan, and it instantly fuelled my wanderlust. Beautiful vistas, warm people, and just a chill trip all around? Sign me up.

I looked it up immediately and found it would cost me maybe about P100,000 to P150,000. I guess it will cost almost as much as my Euro trip, but this time I'd only get to stay in one country for a week. But there are some things worth paying for, and I think the relaxation and inner peace Bhutan could give me just might be worth it.

Listing down the major trips I have to save up for...

• Jerusalem / Holy Land / Istanbul / Jordan
• Cambodia/Vietnam
• New York & Machu Picchu (have to do it in one go to save up on air fare)
• Kingdom of Bhutan
• Japan
• Iceland -- I want to see those auroras!
• Scandinavia

Haa Valley By No machine-readable author provided. Greenmnm69 assumed (based on copyright claims). - No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5

*All images have been sourced and credited, as I haven't been to Bhutan. If you are the owner of any of these photos and want it/them removed, kindly let me know. No copyright infringement intended.