Stories of Sandeept

Experiences of a common man!

Tag: Blogging

Image showing desktop view of a website

How I Built My Website

Sticky post

By

On May 27, 2025

In How To, Blogging, technology

On the morning of May 10, 2025, as I was looking at the stats of my popular posts on my wordpress.com blog site, a thought struck me. Why didn’t I monetize my writing? After all, I had commenced blogging in 2015. I would have been able to keep a side income.

For the last ten years, I had opposed earning through ads. But WordPress had other ideas. It was showing ads to readers, and I had no control over them. Nor could I earn anything. I had to gain control. I had tried linking my blog to AdSense previously, but it had not worked. Weighing a few options, I decided that a .com website would be more lucrative. But I needed a host.

1. Choosing the Hosting Platform

I looked for hosting options. Because I was comfortable with the WordPress ecosystem, it was the basic requirement for my hosting site. Moreover, it offered flexibility, ownership, and a wide ecosystem of themes and plugins, which allowed me to customize the experience without getting too deep into complex coding.

Hosting a website on WordPress itself was the first alternative, but to upgrade from storiesofsandeept.wordpress.com to storiesofsandeept.com, I had to pay €96 for the first year. There were also costs involved. So, it would be too expensive in the long run.

Then I looked for other hosts like Bluehost and Hostinger. The latter seemed affordable, but limits set by the Nepal Rashtra Bank (NRB) did not let me complete the payment. Feeling a bit furious, I searched hosts from Nepal. I compared a few options like Babal Host, Himalaya Host, and Prabhu Host, and finally settled with the WordPress Pro package of Babal Host, which cost around Rs. 13,600 for the first three years and one website with .com domain was free for a year. So, right now this WordPress site is hosted on a StableHost server provided by Babal Host.

  • WordPress Pro by Babal Host
  • WordPress Management at Stable Server

2. The Idea and Vision

My idea of blogging has always been to publish my experiences, stories, poems, and reviews in a single platform. I have made social and political commentaries, published stories and poems I have wanted to tell, and shared my emotions and vulnerabilities. I promise to keep up with these core ideas.

3. Theme and Design Choices

I have been using the Lovecraft theme by Anders Norén from the beginning of my blogging journey because of its simple design and smooth loading on mobile devices. I have continued with the same theme for the new site as well.

At first, I went with the original look the theme offered. Some of my friends suggested that the blogs were less navigable and a separate homepage would be better. Moreover, the presence of Nepali language made the website ineligible for the Google AdSense program. How did I get over it? I will share it next week.

The homepage and other pages were constructed using the WordPress Block Editor. The blog page has the theme’s default appearance. I played around with the Group and Stack blocks to fix layout issues, including an early problem where there was too much space between the title and the body content. Switching from “Group” to “Stack” helped streamline the layout and eliminate awkward spacing.

The homepage is more navigable, and you can land into page of your choice with a single click. I also removed a loading GIF that was slowing the page down and optimized the “Subscribe” box to make it more readable and intuitive. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working to shape Stories of Sandeept into more than just a blog. It’s becoming a full-fledged website—with curated pages for reflection, storytelling, and thoughtful engagement.

  • Original Homepage
  • Image showing desktop view of a website
    New Homepage-Desktop View
  • Image showing desktop view of a website
    New Homepage-Mobile View
  • New Blogpage (Similar to old homepage)

4. Content Strategy and Weekly Schedule

To ensure consistency and variety, I decided on a weekly content calendar:

  • Monday: Site Updates and Opinion Pieces
  • Tuesday: How-Tos and Tips
  • Wednesday: Constitution Study
  • Thursday: Fiction and Poetry
  • Friday: Book, Movie, or Music Reviews

This structure allows readers to know what to expect and also gives me a rhythm for creating diverse content.

5. Search and Subscribe

The search function was added using the native WordPress <!-- wp:search /--> block. For subscription, I’m still experimenting with plugins and custom forms. The idea is to have a simple, effective way for interested readers to get notified whenever something new goes live. For now, you can subscribe with your email, but may have to confirm the subscription from your inbox.

6. Ads and Analytics

As part of the monetization and sustainability plan, I’ve implemented Google AdSense. To meet their criteria:

  • I ensured all pages had substantial original content in English.
  • The Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy were drafted and published.
  • I used URL inspection via Google Search Console to make sure the pages were crawled and indexed correctly.

I will be sharing details about my experience with setting up AdSense next week.

7. Security and User Monitoring

Given recent suspicious login attempts (some even originating from Canada and the US), I installed WP Armour and similar plugins to enhance login protection and user verification. It seems to be developed by a Nepali developer, which felt like a nice local touch.

8. Language and Audience

Most pages are in English, although some categories and tags still carry Nepali labels, reflecting the site’s bilingual roots. I’m keeping an eye on how this mix influences indexing and readability, especially in AdSense and search visibility.

9. Final Thoughts

Setting up this website wasn’t just about technical know-how. In fact, I have very little knowledge of HTML I studied in my school fifteen years ago and unused since. Finding the right balance between form and function, between aesthetics and purpose was the right thing to do. ChatGPT has become a wonderful companion during this journey. From comparing hosting options to formatting blocks, I have used it to improve my website.

As I continue to write, design, and connect with readers, I hope Stories of Sandeept evolves into a meaningful platform for thoughtful voices.

Feel free to explore, read, and share your thoughts. And if you haven’t subscribed yet—do give that button a click!

A laptop showing a brand new website

Site Update#1: A New Phase for Stories of Sandeept

By

On May 26, 2025

In Site Update, Blogging

Over the past few weeks, Stories of Sandeept has gone through a quiet transformation—and today, we’re excited to share those changes with you.

Whether you’ve been here for the poetry, the fiction, the Constitution Study series, or the occasional personal blog, we want your visit to be smoother, smarter, and more rewarding.

What’s New?

1. A Fresh Homepage

  • Image showing desktop view of a website
  • Image showing desktop view of a website

The homepage now welcomes you with clarity and purpose. From there, you can dive into:

  • Our latest blog posts
  • Curated fiction and poetry
  • The ongoing Constitution Study series
  • Links to explore content in both English and Nepali — Coming soon

It’s our small attempt to organize chaos—and honor curiosity.

2. Weekly Posting Schedule

We’ve now committed to a weekly publishing schedule. You can find the full schedule on the homepage, but here’s a quick look:

  • Monday: Site Updates & Opinion Pieces
  • Tuesday: How-Tos & Tutorials
  • Wednesday: Constitution Study
  • Thursday: Fiction or Poetry
  • Friday: Reviews (Books, Films, Music)

We hope this helps you follow the content you care about—and explore new things along the way.

3. Smarter Sidebars

We’ve added sidebars to highlight:

Your attention is precious. We want to make every click worthwhile.

4. Ads and Transparency

Yes, you may start noticing a few ads across the site. We’ve joined the Google AdSense program so that the site can be sustained and improved with time.

We’re still trying to figure out how AdSense works. Please Contact us immediately if you find:

  • Intrusive ads
  • Clickbaits
  • Ads with adult themes or betting

We will try to resolve the issue as soon as possible and improve your experience.

To remain transparent and respectful of your rights, we’ve published our updated:

These pages outline what we collect (very little), how we use it (safely), and your options (always in control).

We’re Just Getting Started

Stories of Sandeept has always been a passion project. Now, it’s also a learning project—a place to write, reflect, and slowly build something meaningful.

Thank you for reading, subscribing, and sharing.

– Sandeept

A laptop showing a brand new website

A New Chapter Begins on Our Self-Hosted Site

By

On May 12, 2025

In Blogging

After years of writing, growing, and connecting with readers on our WordPress.com blog, I’m excited to announce a big move: this blog has officially migrated to a self-hosted website!

Why the Move?

While WordPress.com offered a great starting point, it came with certain limitations—limited customization, dependency on external plugins (like Jetpack), and less control over monetization and performance. By moving to a self-hosted site, I now have:

  • Full creative control over the design and features
  • Faster loading times and better optimization
  • The ability to add custom tools for SEO, analytics, and more
  • A stronger foundation for future growth, newsletters, and potentially even courses or products

What’s New?

For now, the new site has the same look as the old blog. However, https://storiesofsandeept.com, will be soon designed with readability, simplicity, and community in mind. You’ll find:

  • A cleaner layout with better mobile responsiveness
  • Easier navigation through categories and archives
  • Updated content with internal links and new formatting
  • Ongoing improvements in speed, performance, and user experience

Will Old Posts Still Work?

Yes! I’ve set up proper redirects so that any links to old posts on the previous WordPress.com blog will take you directly to the corresponding post on the new site. If you find a broken link or missing image, feel free to let me know.

What You Can Expect

If you’ve been following this blog, thank you. Your encouragement, comments, and shares have helped shape this journey. Moving forward, you can expect:

  • Fresh content with more depth and better visuals
  • Occasional behind-the-scenes updates
  • Possibly new formats like newsletters, podcasts, or courses (stay tuned!)

One Small Request

If you’ve subscribed via WordPress.com, you may need to resubscribe on the new site to continue receiving email updates. (I tried to migrate everyone, but succeeded in moving less than half subscribers only.)

Also, I would like you to suggest what kind of layout may be suitable for the blog to make it look more modern and robust.

Visit the New Site

Come explore the new blog at: https://storiesofsandeept.com
Bookmark it, share it, and let me know what you think!

3 Days 3 Quotes- Day 3

By

On December 4, 2015

In Uncategorized

Freespirit (Jane) of wannatalkavenscent had nominated me for this challenge on 11th of November. The rules of this challenge are:

1. Post three consecutive days.
2. You can pick one or three quotes per day.
3. Challenge three different bloggers per day.

… Forget about the past. Dare to dream that you are more than the sum of your current circumstances. Expect the best.

-Robin Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

I have nominated the following three people:

koolitzable

Cathy Lynn Brooks

Anush

3 Days 3 Quotes- Day 1

By

On December 2, 2015

In Uncategorized

Freespirit (Jane) of wannatalkavenscent had nominated me for this challenge on 11th of November. The rules of this challenge are:

1. Post three consecutive days.
2. You can pick one or three quotes per day.
3. Challenge three different bloggers per day.

“I’m an adventurer, looking for treasure.”

-Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Santiago, the shepherd reaches Africa, where he is robbed off his little wealth. Torn between the despair of being cheated and the goal he has to pursue, he finally decides to move on.

We, too are adventurers. We seek our own treasures- happiness. We might have to face troubles in our ways, but we have to move on. Nothing can be compared with the happiness and satisfaction, we get at the end of our adventures.

I have nominated the following three people:

Nisthur Anadi

Sabahbatul

The Desi Vagabond

Infinity Dreams Award

By

On September 28, 2015

In Awards

Anand (Vibrant) of Blabberwockying! had nominated me for this awards two weeks ago. I would like to thank you Anand for your blog on philosophy, meditation and random subjects!

aef61-infinity2bdreams2baward

The Award Rules:

  1.  Thank and follow the blog that nominated you.

2.  Tell us 11 facts about yourself.

3.   Answer the questions that were set for you to answer.

4.  Nominate 11 bloggers and set questions for them.

I have done No. 1 in the opening paragraph. I’ll be dealing with No. 2 later. As of No. 3, here are the questions Anand has asked.

  1. Tell me, in one sentence, what is your blog about?
  2. Who is your best friend?
  3. Do you have pets?
  4. If you could meet one person from any period in history (it may even be fictional), who would it be?
  5. What is the sweetest thing someone ever did for you?
  6. Which were the best years of your life – childhood, youth or whichever age you’re now?
  7. Do you suffer from any kind of phobia?
  8. Can you spend the day without looking at the clock?
  9. Which is the cutest animal that you’ve ever seen for real?
  10. Do wishes come true?
  11. The last but not the least, the classic one: Love is ……

Here are my answers:

  1. It’s about my personal experiences.
  2. I would love to keep that a secret.
  3. No, I do not have pets.
  4. If I could meet someone from history, it would be (after a lot of thinking) Abraham Lincoln.
  5. The love my parents have given me, despite all my errors.
  6. Everyday, I have enjoyed my life. I can’t distinguish between the happiness I had during my childhood and now.
  7. Yes, I do. I suffer a mild acrophobia. I am trying to win it over. Hope that happens soon.
  8. No, that would be difficult. There is a power cut-off almost everyday. No work related to electricity can be done without checking the clock over and over.
  9. Human child, a baby monkey and a little pup.
  10. Yes, they do. It just should not be superficial. The wish should, however be made from deep within the heart.
  11. In simple words, Love is what we are.
Facts about Myself
  1. I was an extrovert during my early childhood.
  2. I used to sing in the stage until I was in Grade 1. While I was singing a song, I mimicked the music as well which made everyone laugh at it. I thought I had made a mistake and could never sing a song properly on the stage.
  3. When I was in seven, there was a poem recitation competition. We had to recite (actually sing) one song from the album “Chhanda”(Rhythm) by Lochan Bhattarai. I had chosen “Naitik Dristanta” by Lekh Nath Poudyal. It the most difficult one, thinking earlier that we did not need to sing. I sang the song in the end, which was just okay.
  4. In the same competition, a girl, who was my class-mate and also the member of my House (Not my home!), had been nervous about her song. I hinted her in a tone for her to sing, and she got the second prize! I never mentioned that to her because she was a good singer. But you can imagine how bad I must have felt for not choosing that song.
  5. I used to participate on the quizzes since I was in Class 3. By the time, I was in 8, I had become the captain in every quiz competition. Once, in an Inter-House Competition, my House (Red) answered all ten questions in One-Minute-Rapid-Fire Round. That was the last round and we leaped from third to win the competition.
  6. I did not wear glasses despite poor eye-sight during my Plus 2. I passed all the exams by listening to the lectures and copying from my friends, including Maths.
  7. I was very arrogant when I was a child.
  8. If you ever come to my room, you will find books everywhere. The first reason is their number and second reason is that I can’t find them easily if I do not place them in random.
  9. I am fond of animated movies. Shrek, Tangled, Brave, How to Train Your Dragon are some of my favourite movies. I find them artistic.
  10. Two years ago, I read all seven books of Harry Potter series (Ebooks) in 13 days. I can’t explain the hallucinations that gave me.
  11. From 2013, I have been reading at least two novels by Agatha Christie each year. The first I read was “The Secret Adversary”. The most recently read is “The Cards on the Table”.

My nominees are:

  1. Acharya Samir
  2. Ryan Bestre
  3. Inspiring Max
  4. Arpita’s World
  5. Shine Positive Power
  6. Anush
  7. Freespirit
  8. John Yeo
  9. Mind and Life Matters
  10. Indira’s blog
  11. Ivan Proust

The rule says that I need to set questions to my nominees. I decided it would be easy if I just relayed the questions Anand has asked me.

  1. Tell me, in one sentence, what is your blog about?
  2. Who is your best friend?
  3. Do you have pets?
  4. If you could meet one person from any period in history (it may even be fictional), who would it be?
  5. What is the sweetest thing someone ever did for you?
  6. Which were the best years of your life – childhood, youth or whichever age you’re now?
  7. Do you suffer from any kind of phobia?
  8. Can you spend the day without looking at the clock?
  9. Which is the cutest animal that you’ve ever seen for real?
  10. Do wishes come true?
  11. The last but not the least, the classic one: Love is ……

Congratulations to the nominees! Happy Blogging!!

Blogger Recogintion Award

By

On September 28, 2015

In Awards

bloggerrecognition

It’s been more than a month since Meloheart of Seeking Romance had nominated me for this award. Thank you for the nomination! You should visit her blog if you seek romance.

I was in the middle of my exams when I had been nominated. Later, there were so many things going on my mind that I had no time to write anything related to the award. Better late than never, I guess.

Rules for the award:

1.Select 5-15 other blogs you want to give the award to. (The post on Meloheart’s says fifteen. This is to ease my nominees; and myself as well.)

2.You cannot nominate yourself or the person who has nominated you.
3.Write a post to show your award.
4.Give a brief story of how your blog started.
5.Give a piece of advice or two to new bloggers.
6.Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
7.Attach the award to the post (right click and save, then upload).

8.Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them.

9.Provide a link to the award post you created.

I’ll address Rule No. 1 and 2 later. This post is what Rule No. 3 is suggesting. This is the response to Rule No. 4:

I guess it was in Grade VIII that I had known something about blogging. It was in a textbook. At that time, blogger.com was the most popular platform. I started blogging since 2013, though. I had heard of Malala Yusufzai, a blogger from Pakistan who had been able to bring to the world, Pakistani girls had to face due to the conflict with the Taliban. That inspired me to begin a blog. This year, however, I joined WordPress to see if it is different from Blogger. That’s how this blog came into existence.

Now, to Rule No. 5. I am not an expert to give advice, but I would say: Be original and whatever you post, compose it with all your heart.

I have already done Rule No. 6 and 7 and 9; in the first para.

So, here go the nominations

  1. Acharya Samir
  2. Ryan Bestre
  3. Inspiring Max
  4. Arpita’s World
  5. Shine Positive Power
  6. Anush

Congratulations to all! happy Blogging!

You See what You Want to See!

By

On September 15, 2015

In Inspirational, Philosophical, Reasoning

फूलको आँखामा फूलै संसार, काँडाको आँखामा काँडा संसार | – दुर्गालाल श्रेष्ठ

(Transliteration: Phool ko aankha ma phoolai sansar, kaanda ma kaandai sansar)

This beautiful line from a song written by Durga Lal Shrestha says that we perceive the world as we are. If we are soft within, we think that the world is ‘bed of roses’ and can be easily lived. If we are hardened within, we look at the harsh side of the world.

If only eyes could see everything!

If only eyes could see everything!

We, humans have two distinct types of visions. The first one, that is perceived by our eyes relates us to the physical world. The other, that is perceived by our consciousness (‘heart’, in simple words) is the one that makes us superior to all the other animals. But this consciousness is biased. It sees what it wants to see.

When a boy is in love with a girl, he merely sees any imperfection she has. He might have well seen them, but he either pretends not to notice or does not care about it at all. If, for some unpleasant reasons, the boy starts developing a negative feeling towards her. Her sound, which he previously thought musical, hurts him now. Her questions become her jealousy. He starts hating her, ultimately.

Just as in the above example, we often compare people and things based on our preference of vision. Sometimes, we want to see things as normally as they are. Sometimes, we want to depreciate their values. At other times, we praise someone or something even if they are not praiseworthy. This is perfectly normal as it is human nature to judge things based upon our preference.

However, if such a tendency is obsessive, many people can suffer. In the above example of the boy and girl, the boy might have confessed his love towards the girl. He might have gained acquaintance with her family member and he might have introduced her to his family as well. The hatred, which he unfortunately gained from an unknown source, if grown in his heart further, can be distressing for the girl and her family. Even the boy’s family might have been hurt. To prevent this, we have in our possession a great tool: reasoning.

When we are biased towards someone, we usually lose our abilities to reason. We can not ourselves decide what is right and what is wrong. We start listening to those who water the hatred and without any confirmation believe that they are true. That way, we destroy ourselves and destroy the lives of uncountable people. We should always be open to reasoning so that we can decide correctly, what we want to see.

How do you see the world? Do you think you were biased at someone or something some day? Do comment below.

Words!

By

On September 9, 2015

In Words

It’s been three days since I have joined Writing 101 at Blogging University. I have neither written a post on my own, nor their prompts inspired me much. Not even today. It’s not odd, I guess. I enjoy my freedom in writing. I can’t write anything when someone says me to write it. It has to be spontaneous. It needs to flow.

So, when I saw the six words – TREASURE, SECRET, REGRET, HOME, LOVE, and UNCERTAINTY – that Writing 101 provided, it did not inspire a new thought. Not at all. All these words pointed out to a single article I had written about 2 weeks back. I shared it this morning to the commons – however old it might have been.

I am not satisfied, however. It’s been my problem ever since I posted that article. I want to write. All these words have collectively inspired me. I thought I had drained out all my feelings in that post. It took me mere three days to realize how wrong I had been. I REGRETTED writing it that day, no matter how dear it be to me.

It’s something I had written with LOVE. It is a TREASURE I want to be with me – forever. I had taken a week to prepare it and then typing it in had been tedious. Likes and comments flowed in. I have decided to put it into a complete story – I have thought of the possible plots. Yet, there is an UNCERTAINTY that lingers around me, the cause of which I don’t understand.

(I read the lines above. What am I writing? It’s a crazy mess actually. But it’s also the truth. If I am REGRETTING the TREASURE of a letter to intended to someone whose identity I want to keep a SECRET, what am I doing with this post? I am posting this on WordPress, and then on Writing 101. I am staying at my HOME. I am waiting for the comments. I want to know how much I have degenerated since my last post.)

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén