--- Conquer the Untitled Territory --. Review on Tips on Giving Titles to Reviews

This is my 200th review. Scary. No?

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Introduction

When I wrote on ''Writing Reviews On MouthShut'', I put off my readers with a sermon on creative techniques. When I wrote on ''Commenting on Reviews'', I lectured them on innovative criticism. When I wrote on ''Writing an Effective Profile'', I gave examples of profiles and gave out the lessons we learnt from them. When I wrote on career guidance-- the infamous ''Diabolical Ways to Start a Career Parts I, II & III''-- I wrote on what not to do while just beginning a career.

This review is not going to be a sermon on creativity. This is not going to be a lecture on innovation. This is not going to be a list of titles that can be used as examples to learn from. This isn't even going to be a review on what not to do while giving a title to a review.

It's been 199 times that I've written on MS and 198 times that I came out with a review that got ratings of Useful or more. Only once, when I wrote on Shane Warne, did I get a lower rating. 198 times out of 199 (till the previous review) of successful reviews is a good thing. It may not be like Cousin2 or like Diver or Meleahk1. It may not be like Afrank who, for god knows what reason, devastated all records of popularity. It might not have been like psyxx who can make you crack out and laugh even before he writes his review. My record wasn't probably all that shining. But it wasn't bad.

What sort of a title am I going to give a review in which I'm going to brood over the past 199 reviews of mine? That's why I wrote ''Untitled Territory''. And I don't care if you find this review useless from the category point of view. I'm not writing for it. Shift to Neha's review or Pinky's review if you want serious things. And don't even comment on the out-of-topic crap in the comments section. Don't waste the MS space more. I'm doing enough damage.

== Rise and Fall of the Juggernaut-- Confessions of a Dangerous Mind ==

There was a long time, till I wrote my 100th review, when the Juggernaut was nothing too much. Then, for a period of something like 20 reviews, the Juggernaut became some sort of a big deal. Once again, for the past twenty odd reviews, the Juggernaut is nothing too much. I had my day under the sun. And now I'm back in my twilight zone.

I must make confessions.

I was a kid, and still am in a huge number of ways. I wrote whatever crap that came to my mind and three fourths of the times it made no sense whatsoever. It was immature, half-bitten, unresearched and completely inapplicable crap. But of course, I realized that only on retrospect. When I was writing it, I used to be convinced that nobody can make more sense than me. When people pointed out to me that I have made mistakes or haven't made sense, I barked back at them and said stuff that's rude. There were some people who used to think, wow, Laxman is one entertaining chap, and I used to think they're justifying me. I used to get carried away and I used to go on barking. I made some sort of a dog out of myself, who barks at people who're doing nothing to the dog, just because someone else thinks its clever or funny to do so. And I made a clown out of myself.

I don't regret it. It was a part of learning. I don't regret having been a clown nor am I ashamed of it. It was a part of the learning process. I don't know if I've learned all the lessons I was supposed to. But I've learned one or two. And I will keep learning. If there is something I regret, then that is hurting the people who I barked at. I guess they pardoned the incorrigible fool that I was. They will do that, I know. If they haven't, I'm asking them to now. Guys, I may have been a fool.

== Regrets Part II ==

Although, there have been more occassions than one on which a serious and very well formed idea of mine was made into a public joke. The reason for that is simple and though it may sound big head I'll still tell you what that reason is. I'm sometimes stuffed with more ideas and theories than my brain can handle. And putting them all down in an 8k character review is close to impossible. So then my review appears crap, while it is actually far ahead of your times. Take my word, there are things in my head that you don't know crap about. I regret I could do nothing in order to inspire people to take a very little time out and try to understand what I'm trying to say. I regret that I never had friends who tried to understand me. No matter how cool they all were, they still filed me under some template. I'm no template. And I'm not saying that out of pride. I'm saying that out of arrogance. Justified arrogance. Period.

My only true and untainted regret is that I never made a true friend here on this forum. When I say true friend, it does not mean someone who will praise me forever. He or she may criticize me all the time. But whatever he or she has to say, if it comes out of an attempt to understand me fully, then he or she is my true friend. And this never happened. Never. Never ever.

== Acknowledgements ==

I've had my fair share of controversies. I was threatened to be banned once or twice. I had a fight with lots of people here, who later left in a huff anyways. Some barmy old codger abused my ID recently and all that crap. The MS management pulled me through all of this. And there was a huge army of associates of mine on MS who stood by me all through. I respect them and thank them all for this. Guys, the Juggernaut would have been dead and gone right in April 2004 but for you guys. You kept me on for two more years. Two long years. Good job, fellows, god job!

I wrote a hundred reviews in my first year at MS. The next 100 I wrote in the following two years. I thank my readers in 2003-2004 for throwing me into the 100+ orbit.

The readers after that, the ones in '04-today I thank for keeping me going. I wouldn't have been here but for you. But for you, trust me.

== The End ==

I loved MS and I still do. When I'm not active here, I miss it. When I come back here, I feel oddly at home. This place is what can be called the playground of my intellectual childhood. I grew up here intellectually. Or lets say, I started my intellectual growing up here. But I think it's time for the kid to grow up.

I think it's time for the Juggernaut to...

Well, just stop rolling...!

I will miss you. It's not that I'm gone forever. But it's just that, well, count me out from things now. I may come once in a while to revisit this childhood playground of mine. But I'd rather spend more time trying to outgrow this now. Yeah, that's what I want to do.

So take care, fellas, and keep writing. And though it could be asking for too much, do try to miss me ;)... I don't know when I'm coming back to MS again, but until then... Bye bye!