Introduction
When I started revamping my website in 2023, I wanted a fresh look and a new beginning. However, life had different plans. My father passed away in October 2023, and that drained most of my energy. This is not the main focus of this post, but it is worth mentioning, as it impacted how quickly I could move forward with the changes. Life throws unexpected challenges, and this was one of them. Despite the personal hurdles, I managed to regain my energy and focus on rebuilding my website, which has been an essential part of my life for nearly two decades.
Now, before I get into the revamp, let us start with another issue that popped up in late 2023: I lost access to my Facebook account. I had been using an authenticator app on my phone, and at some point, I decided to turn off two-factor authentication (2FA) on my Facebook account. Why? Because I was transitioning all my accounts to use Google Authenticator, and I wanted a fresh start with my security. Little did I know that Facebook would throw me into a loop.
Apparently, there is a bug on Facebook that forces you to keep 2FA enabled. For me to log in to my Facebook account, I needed to set up 2FA. But here is the catch: to set up 2FA, I had to log in. And to log in, I needed to set up 2FA. You can see the frustrating circle I was stuck in! This endless loop kept me from accessing my Facebook account, and no matter what I tried, I could not break free. It even told me I was logging in from a new location, which can happen when you use different browsers. For example, I usually use Firefox, but if I switched to Chrome, Facebook would see it as a “new” login, even though I was using the same computer. After weeks of trying and contacting Facebook support with no results, I gave up.
However, after returning to Canada, I decided to give it one last try—and to my surprise, I was able to log back in. I cannot quite explain how it happened, but suddenly, everything was restored. Having my account back felt like a small victory amidst the whirlwind of challenges I was facing. It was one less burden to carry, and sometimes, technology seems to throw you a lifeline just when you need it most.
Now that we have covered those events, let me take this opportunity to introduce myself properly.
Who Am I?
My name is Miroslav Glavić, pronounced MEE-roh-slav GLAH-vich. The name Miroslav comes from the Slavic words “mir,” meaning peace, and “slav,” meaning glory—together, they convey “glory of peace.” My last name, Glavić, is of Croatian origin and comes from the word “glava,” which means head in the sense of a leader or someone at the forefront of a community. It is a meaningful nod to my Croatian heritage.
I was born 46 years ago, on September 1, 1978, in Lima, Perú. While most people assume I am Eastern European based on my name, and in some ways, they are right—I do have a strong connection to my Croatian roots—I am also proud of my Peruvian heritage. My father was Croatian, and my mother is Peruvian. This unique blend of cultures has shaped who I am today, giving me a rich mix of traditions, languages, and experiences.
For nearly 12 years, I lived in Lima, Perú, surrounded by its vibrant culture, bustling streets, and delicious food—though I have never been a fan of seafood! Our time in Lima came to an end when we moved to North York, Canada, on April 18, 1990, largely due to the activities of a terrorist group called Sendero Luminoso, or the “Shining Path.” This group sought to overthrow the Peruvian government through violent means, often targeting communities and civilians, which made daily life increasingly unsafe. After around nine years in North York, I moved to Scarborough on October 11, 1999, where I have been living ever since—now over 25 years. Each city has left a lasting mark on my life, and I continue to carry the influence of my Croatian and Peruvian heritage with me.
While I have called Canada home for most of my life now, my multicultural background continues to influence everything I do, from my work to how I present myself online.
My Domains: A Digital Evolution
One of the key moments in my online journey came on March 24, 2005, when I registered my first two domains: miroslavglavic.ca and miroslavglavic.com. At first, all the content lived on miroslavglavic.ca, and miroslavglavic.com simply redirected to the .ca domain. However, at some point (the exact date escapes me), I decided to switch things around. I moved all the content to miroslavglavic.com and set miroslavglavic.ca to redirect there.
As my online presence grew, so did my collection of domains. On December 28, 2011, I registered miroslavglavic.net and miroslavglavic.org. Both of these domains have always redirected to miroslavglavic.com, consolidating my digital identity into one main hub.
Now, here is something interesting about my name and domain: For 10 and a half years, I had a little inconsistency. While my name is pronounced Glavić, I was constantly saying, “My name is Miroslav Glavić, and my website is miroslavglavic.com.”
Notice the difference? Glavić (pronounced GLAH-vich) for my name, but Glavic (pronounced GLAH-vic) for my domain. It was a subtle but noticeable mismatch.
On October 20, 2015, I decided to fix this once and for all. I registered miroslavglavich.com, which allowed me to finally say, “My name is Miroslav Glavić, and my website is miroslav glavić dot com,” and have it be consistent.
Since then, miroslavglavich.com has always redirected to miroslavglavic.com, so both my name and domain are in sync. It might seem like a small detail, but for me, it was an important step in unifying my online presence.
After about six years and three months, I registered miroslavglavich.ca, miroslavglavich.net, and miroslavglavich.org, which also redirect to miroslavglavich.com. All roads lead back to miroslavglavic.com, ensuring that no matter how you spell or say my name, you will always find my website.
A Journey Through Tech: From HTML to WordPress
When I first launched my website in 2005, I started with basic HTML. Back then, I was hand-coding everything, learning as I went along. Over the years, I experimented with various platforms, scripts, and content management systems (CMSs). This journey through tech has been both challenging and rewarding, allowing me to constantly improve and evolve my website.
Some of the platforms and tools I have used over the years include:
- phpBB: A popular forum software that allowed me to create online communities.
- XMBForum: Another forum tool that I used for a while.
- SMF (Simple Machines Forum): One of the more flexible forum platforms I experimented with.
- Coppermine: A photo gallery script that helped me showcase images.
- WordPress: The platform I use today, and by far the most versatile CMS I have worked with.
- Drupal: A powerful, though more complex, CMS that I used briefly.
- Joomla: Another CMS that offered different flexibility for building websites.
Each of these platforms offered something unique, and working with them has allowed me to adapt my website to the changing demands of the digital world. Today, my website runs on WordPress and uses a theme called Jannah by TieLabs. Before Jannah, I used another theme from TieLabs called Sahifa, which was the first theme I ever purchased. Sahifa served me well for many years before I revived it for another project. In between Sahifa and Jannah, I tried TagDiv’s Newspaper theme, which I later moved to a news website I work on.
As it stands now, Jannah is the theme of choice for my website. It offers the modern design, functionality, and flexibility I need to manage my content. It has been a great fit for my evolving online presence.
A Social Connection
At the footer of my website, you will find links to all my social media accounts. Staying connected with my audience is important to me, and I make it easy for visitors to find me on platforms like Twitter X, Instagram, and YouTube. Whether you want to follow me for updates or just check out what I am working on, you will find everything neatly linked at the bottom of the page.
That wraps up my journey so far. From my early days of basic HTML to the robust WordPress site I manage today, it has been a long and rewarding road. Thank you for being part of this journey, and I hope you enjoy exploring my website as much as I have enjoyed building it.
