December 2002 Archives

Remember that photo montage I was doing for my mum? The collection date was set for today, and I was looking forward to seeing it.

The signboard at the shop actually advertised a 3-day period, but they said it was holiday season and it would take a working week before I could collect it. Fine. I gave mum another Christmas present and told her the montage was still at the printer's.

Then I received a call from the photo developers this morning. They said the photo wasn't ready yet. Because their printer didn't actually have the glossy paper for the size I wanted (18 by 12 inches, which is a decent size for a portrait). So now I'm getting it even later than expected, and it will be printed on matt (non-glossy) paper. They could have asked me about this this earlier, and not on the due date itself!

Grrr.

What a day it will be (I hope).

I'm getting a lift to work in the morning (cheers to Alison!), and after our half day at the office, an appointment at the Kenko Wellness spa across the road for a good, de-stressing, de-toxifying massage. Mm.

I promised to treat myself to a massage when the Audi site was complete, but then came the VW Phaeton site, and another model will soon be launched on the vwasia.com website (shh). I have Flash MX oozing out of my ears. Every time I do something big, it _has_ to be in Flash.

Why is everyone still awed by it? Well, maybe if you're up there with the big boys like gmunk, volumeone, yugop and Praystation, I'll hold my tongue because that kind of design gives us a whole new paradigm to play in. Or maybe if you did one of those swanky hotel booking websites which Macromedia loves to showcase, or if you conceptualised the New York Stock Exchange website, then I applaud you.

But if you only use Actionscript for buttons and can't get by without free Flashkit downloads, then you're just like the rest of us. Flash, schmlash. Pull out a typical web 'designer' in Singapore today, and see if he can write a simple page in HTML. Ha.

What about usability? What about blind users who use text-to-speech software, and can't read what your images are saying? And what about preparing your web pages for the next big leap - to XML? To think people still use font tags alongside their stylesheets. All we care about is how it looks on the outside. Selfish bastards, we all are.

Rant rant rant. Time to sleep.

Woohoo! It's a Newcastle :) win, and Arsenal :) have drawn with Liverpool :) A good day for all my favourite Premier League teams tonight. I've been listening to the games go on as I'm working on the website, and have missed almost all the goals because my back's turned to the TV set.

Thank goodness for instant replays.

The church website is well on its way. I received a tonne of content to add in over the past few days, and have been duly overwhelmed.

It took nearly a year to get everyone to agree on what to do. We got caught up in font types, background colours, programming jargon, server issues, budget discussions .... (you get the idea).

As a result, I spent most of the time designing, redesigning and re-redesigning the website - not just as mockups but real HTML pages, only to find out that the purpose had changed in the meantime and the simpler layouts couldn't cope with the added content. It was a case of having too many cooks.

But now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! So: this new site won't be very colourful. So it won't have lots of eye-catching animated gifs which move across the screen. It won't have midi music that plays immediately upon loading, and I dare say every page will now look consistent and have a nav bar. Working on it now makes me happy.

In fact, this is probably the only worthwhile thing I've done for the whole year.

My inbuilt thrift-o-meter kicked in, and I decided NOT to buy most of the books on my list this morning.

When I flipped through the web design book, I didn't think I really needed the new edition. Besides, why buy it for the extra chapter on XML when I could just buy a book on XML, which would be more comprehensive? (I did just that.)

Meanwhile, my sister really, really wanted the Javascript book, but I told her it wouldn't be of use unless she, erm, learned HTML first? After some deliberation she chose the web design book for herself. She'll need it when she proposes to revamp her school's website.

The CSS book wasn't as advanced as I thought it would be, and I left it back on the shelf. I wanted Moock's actionscript book but it hadn't arrived yet. 'Figures, as the new title was launched on December 19. So I'll go back some time in January to pick it up.

Fortunately, we managed to collect our goody bags past the promotion date. So we now each have an O'Reilly T-shirt (ooh, uber geekdom!), a badge and a catalogue. The T-shirt will be relegated to the pyjama department, because the designers (and programmers) would probably stone me if they saw me walking in with the word 'XML' on my back. Heh.

Folks, if you own a book published by O'Reilly, do register with them online. It's worth your while.

I have six O'Reilly discount vouchers to be used by next month. Now I really like their publications and I fully intend to put the company's generosity towards its registered readers, to good use. Silly me however forgot to collect my free goody bag a few days ago. *whacks head*

So if we wake up early enough, Vicki and I will be visiting the Computer Book Centre tomorrow to pick up some good reference materials. I'm getting one book (at least) for my sister.

Now, I'm tempted to buy the second edition of Web Design in a Nutshell by Jennifer Niederst, even though I already have the first edition (well, it's lent to someone else at the moment). It's invaluable for the serious web designer and covers more 'advanced' topics like CSS, XML and Javascript. In fact it was the first book I bought on web design.

Next, I love Colin Moock and his work. I might just get his latest book, Actionscript for Flash MX as well, since I am supposed to learn how to integrate everything with our new Coldfusion MX server. I don't think the company's going to fund me for proper lessons.

And since I'm moving my websites towards total CSS reliance, CSS: A Definitive Guide may come in handy - if the book can teach me twice as much as what I already know, it should be worth it. We'll see. Else I'll fall back on online tutorials.

Yawn. My head is spinning and I still have to work on the church website. Apologies to people I've been ignoring, I'll get back to you when I can.

It's Boxing Day today, and I'm the last one left in the office :-(

But I'll be going home soon ... to work on the church website. Can't wait to get it uploaded with the latest content :-D

I just attended the midnight service at St George's - and I'm happy to report that my father decided join me, my sis and grandma.

We got back at 1.30 am, much later than expected, and my mother was up waiting for us. We all exchanged presents. Mum got a beautiful Canon digital Ixus from Dad. Dad got the shaver he asked for, from his daughters. The photo montage I did for mum is still at the printer's, so in the meantime I got her a book of quotations, beautifully adorned. I bought my sister the Rick Astley album she wanted.

As for myself: I haven't had the strength to open my own presents and I'm kind of past the age where you just have to count your spoils before you go to sleep. The new St George's website will hopefully launch this week. Design-wise I believe there are no objections, but there is a lot of content to add in.

To all a good night, and good night to all!

I just came back from watching Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. It was a mind-blowing, fantastic, absolutely thrilling epic. Underlying the obvious fight between good and evil, there were numerous personal conflicts that we ourselves can allude to: Envy, greed, distrust, lust - and most of that can already be seen in various people from the 'good' side. Look at poor Gollum, whose schizophrenia personifies this pefectly.

It just reminds us that nobody is truly perfect, and sometimes the inner battle is just as crucial as the outward one.

I'll also draw an inference from Gandalf's supposed demise, rebirth and rise to the ranks of the White, with the death and resurrection of Christ our saviour, and the eventual triumph of Good over Evil. I know there are articles out there about Tolkien and his faith and while I haven't read any of them, I'm sure he meant all of this to be interpreted by us in such a manner.

Less profound stuff: Why oh why did that Elven commander have to die? He had the kind of peaceful, heroic look on his face that made me think he'd get away unscathed - I mean, his compatriot Legolas is still looking pretty after several major skirmishes with Orcs. And I thought King Theoden was a goner but he survived. [No, I have NOT read any of the books yet. ]

[ update: The commander is Haldir from Lothlorien. Thanks, Van Heng! ]

Even less profound stuff: Liv Tyler looked great, as usual. And I like the Trees and what they did to Saruman's tower. Wahahaha.

I don't know why I post stuff when I'm supposed to be revamping my church website by Christmas, and I have to sleep soon so I can go to work on Christmas Eve and finish up a website almost entirely in Flash, involving some backend collaboration with the programmer for the ecards, which I haven't done either. Sob.

How well do you know your Christmas carols? I'm no expert but I managed to get by with a score of 11 - with some lucky guesses.

Don't get me wrong - I'm a horrible shopper. Of course, to some of you my stinginess may sound ideal. I hardly buy anything unless I'm absolutely thrilled by it, really need it and can't find it cheaper elsewhere.

But this afternoon at Popular Bookshop, I went amok. These were stories I did want to read about: 'How the Web was Won' (essentially, how Microsoft's IE won the browser war) and 'Amazon.com - Get Big Fast' (how Jeff Bezos turned Amazon into a huge success).

The original price for these pristine hardcovers was US$27+ each. I looked behind for the price tags. Voila! S$6.90 (US$4.00) and S$7.90 (US$4.50). Definite buys.

Now, all I need is time to read them...

Here's an interview with Jason Kottke, world famous blogger and web designer, where he answers questions which look hauntingly familiar to the ones asked in my own interview. I guess it's pretty obvious what to ask.

(Hey, it was my first real interview.)

A Jan 2003 Wired article highlights the conflicts facing the world's most popular search engine - even as it continues to post millions in profits. Everybody wants a piece of the Google pie, but not all are getting it.

For one, I find the notion of using search engine optimisers amusing. In the pre-Google days, lesser search engines were easily fooled by word repetitions. Now, people have come up with all sorts of devices to boost their listings and PageRank points. Then, when Google performs its monthly spring-cleaning, customers of these optimisation programs get angry, and Google gets sued. It's ridiculous!

If you're willing to fork out good money to move your site up several notches, then you might be better off channelling your efforts into providing more relevant content for your visitors instead.

As an aside, I stumbled upon Froogle. I think it's cute. Let's see how this new project of theirs takes off.

[ Hmm ... Then again, it isn't a good idea to name an e-commerce site after something that sounds like 'Frugal'.]

Vicki and I are doing a photo montage for my mum, who requested for one as her Christmas present. So we've been scanning photos of us when we were kids. I can't believe we were this cute before.

If you look closely, you might notice Vicki's foot - and a baby toe curling outwards!

It's encouraging to hear from so many people who'd like to start their own weblogs. To answer your questions, here are some resources:

Free blog hosting

List of sites on About.com

Paid hosting

(For those who want to run advanced content management systems)
Check out web host reviews or directories such as Tophosts before making your decision.

Background info on weblogs

Weblogs: A history and perspective

Books on blogging

We Blog: Publishing Online with Weblogs (by the creators of Blogger)
Essential Blogging (by the creators of Movable Type and Blosxom)
The Weblog Handbook

Feel free to contribute more information by posting a comment.

I've been getting quite a few queries from members of the public over web-related issues, such as finding web hosts, using weblog software for the first time, as well a couple of offers.

I like watching emails coming in, but I can't sit here any longer because I really need to bathe. I'll try my best to answer as many people as possible in the next couple of days 8-)

I might create new sections on this site to answer the most frequently asked questions. But I'm holding a full time job, I have to complete a site entirely in Flash in two days' time, and I'm also trying to revamp my church website by Christmas. We'll see.

So until then, there's always Google.

Thanks for dropping by!

According to latest reports, my university is still very much a snob school - although it is making some attempts to increase its proportion of 'working class' students:

'Cambridge has the smallest proportion of working class students of a major university, just 9%, with Oxford, and Bristol - which has started to offer places with lower grades to some state school applicants - not far away.'

I remember Mark, who was in my criminal law class during the first year. He was actually a mechanic from London. He was on some assistance program and was settling into student life well.

However, 1997 was the year that university fees were introduced at £1000. Before that, these lucky Brits were getting free education! However that amount was enough to get Mark sent home because he didn't have enough subsidies to continue his education. I wonder how he's doing now.

And we also had a horrifying dropout rate - about 50 out of 250 students left law school in the first year alone. They do nasty things to law students, they do! Like reading endless amounts of judicial gibberish and listening to boring Public law lectures. And I wonder how I managed to climb to the top of the tower for tutorials with all my books - in a matter of minutes.

Everybody's asking me what a blog is, this morning. Well it's derived from 'web log', which to me is an online journal where you publish your thoughts, and if possible provide links to the things you're talking about.

A good example of a non-personal weblog is that of the Guardian's, which provides links to the best articles on certain topics - even if it isn't from their own site.

Personally I like reading other blogs which are intelligent, funny, and unusual. I'm sure there are lots around but I haven't found them all yet.

BTW the Computer Times misspelt Kristen's website. It's Krisalis.org not Krysalis.org.

On another note: Is anyone looking for good writers and designers? Let me know. There's a growing talent pool over here just _waiting_ to be discovered.

[ Addition: Here's a scan of the Computer Times article I was featured in. ]

After work, I went with Kim to the last screening of Digital Compassion at the Substation garden, near Fat Frog's. The films in general were not baaad, but I particularly liked Galen's work for its depth as well as his effort in addressing the DC issue itself. Essentially, what is the relevance of technology, if people cannot feed themselves?

This was highlighted in East Timor, where a lucky few receive training in the digital arts. On the streets, children beg for food and people sleep in carts. Public telephones have no keypads to dial on. To quote the movie, technology there is something everybody wants, but nobody needs.

Conversely, in affluent New York, a videographer tells us how he sees technology as a means of communicating to the outside world what September 11 was like. In such a situation, a balance needs to be drawn between respect for the dead and freedom of information.

You can still catch the movies online at the Digital Compassion website.

See the activists, sitting on a tree
B-L-O-G-G-I-N-G

(Taken from Wired News)

I admire the resilience these people have and the idea of using technology to promote their cause to the rest of the world, but I wouldn't get too caught up in the 'tree-spirit' thing.

Thankfully, we don't have logging problems in Singapore. First of all, the kind of trees that grow on our island aren't worth much commercially (since it used to be all swamp and jungle). Secondly, we have very strict laws on chopping down trees - even on private property.

My uncle just moved into his new house, and while it was being constructed, he had to chop down a few trees which got in the way. To do so, he needed a permit and also had to plant back the same number of trees he chopped. An inspector from the National Parks Board even visited him to make sure he was planting the right species.

My house is getting blessed this afternoon by members of my church. Something disturbing happened a few nights ago and as a result, I am no longer sleeping in my own room.

Don't think I'm a wussy. I have braved random sounds such as clinking bottles and turning door handles (that happened back in '95 with nobody else at home), but this was really IT. Even calling out the Lord's name didn't stop it for good.

Thank you to everyone who's been sending me prayers for protection.

If you really want to know what happened, drop me a note and I'll tell you. Some people didn't like to hear it though.

Tired of turkey? Maybe you'd fancy some low-fat Swedish reindeer pâté instead. Yuck!

Check out Digital Compassion, a film project by various outstanding members of the Singaporean arts community. Donations of cash and toys will be collected for the Singapore Children's Society during the event (which begins today).

Details:

The Substation, Garden
12 - 16 December 2002
Time: 7.30pm

You can also view the screening on the Digital Compassion website itself. My colleague Kim designed it, BTW ;-)

After months of preparation, filling in forms, swotting for the GRE, hunting down willing victims to write recommendation letters, writing, rewriting and re-rewriting essays, I am proud to announce that at 4.20pm (or thereabouts) today, I finally posted the remainder of my application documents!!! :-D

* Hip hip, hurray! *

For those who are wondering what I'm talking about, I'm planning on doing my Masters at the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Southern California in Fall next year.

Many people have asked me, why didn't I apply to other schools as a safeguard? That's because I couldn't find any other school with a syllabus as wide and dynamic as theirs. So basically, it's USC or bust.

Onward, march!

I've been eyeing the KORG Triton Studio for quite a few months, and now that City Music is having its usual December sale, I'm seriously contemplating a purchase.

'Fact is, the original price (with CD writer) was S$4,828 and its current sale price is S$3,932 (about US$2,229). Which is very much cheaper than what the Studio is going for on various American websites. But it's still way out of my budget. I might as well save the money this year, and use it to further my education (if I'm selected for the Masters course).

Thoughts, anyone?

There we were, happily complaining about the rain and above-zero temperatures in Shanghai and the cold winds blowing across the west lake in Hangzhou. And these Norwegians have to come along and spoil it all! :o)

Until today, I didn't know that you can drop off your packages to any 7-11 in Singapore, and they will be picked up by UPS and delivered within two working days. Which is good because I really need to rush those documents to USC by the end of this week.

I'm back from Shanghai! The food was great, we toured neighbouring Suzhou and Hangzhou on day trips, and the other women in the family bought a lot of things. All I chose for myself were a bag, a keychain, tea leaves, and some sweets. I'm a terrible shopper.

Oh yes, my parents sent me and my sister to the tailor's to get measured for a cheong sam each. Mine's red and rather pretty and will most probably be worn during Chinese New Year.

I will be compiling my travel log, day by day, in the next few days.

Hangzhou is about 200 km from Shanghai. Population: 6 million. Looking through the van's window, the scenery outside became increasingly rural, with crops and dilapidated buildings aplenty. Ironically, painted on the side of an old building, was 'ISO9001'.

Raining again. I went for my final cheong sam fitting. And fitting it was! We had lunch at Lü Bo Lang which is supposed to be famous for their xiao long bao, but we didn't find it particularly outstanding. The other dishes were pretty good, however.

This morning my mother and I queued at the Shanghai Museum for ONE AND A HALF HOURS just to see a 5 metre-long, famous Chinese painting which was 900 years old.

In the morning, I went for my second cheong sam fitting. Then we went to No. 1 Department store, which was packed with locals. This was where the real shopping was done! There, I finally found something I liked - a classy leather bag to replace the free medical conference laptop carrier I've been using since I joined the company.

Suzhou was one of the cities covered in Marco Polo's travels. It has a population of 1.5 million but 2500 years of history. It has the best gardens in China as well as silk. We visited two famous gardens as well as the No. 1 Silk Mill where we bought silk duvets and bedsheets.

Silkworms are such adorable creatures - and smooth to the touch!

We arrived at the new Pudong Airport which is impressive and efficient [note: see final day's report]. The ride to the city, however, took over an hour.