Whimsical.nu

Welcome to a Whimsical Blog~

Hi, I'm Angela, a girl with a blog on five different psyches:
girl, geek, reader, writer, gamer
Choose your poison ♥

Resolution week: a geeky thing for 2011

Studying aheadI’ve realized only recently that everything I’m using right now to create websites and in my day-to-day work, I’ve learnt on my own, from scratch.

I learned HTML in 1998, by viewing source code and trying to replicate what I’ve seen. I built on that knowledge by making my own websites: about myself, about books and series that I loved, communities like the long-forgotten web rings and those cute little adoptable graphics. (Which brings me to another point: I learned to make graphics and some pixel art from those days, too.)

I learned CSS shortly after, as I made websites, starting from the shiny that is absolute positioning and continuing on to learn about fluid layouts, floating, the box model, etc. as I went along. My shrines and cutesy sites made way to personal journals and blogs.

I learned PHP on my own in 2002 or 2003, after I started liking Python for web apps but found it difficult to find an affordable web host with Python–PHP was much more available. I used it for small websites–directories, cliques, and making my own little script to manage fanlistings, which were becoming a big part of what I did online. (I wish I could say I learned SQL on my own, but not really–I took up database courses in college.)

JavaScript, ah JavaScript. I learned bits and pieces, but generally disliked it, until I needed to learn for work; I think a framework certainly makes it easier to wrap your head around, and while JavaScript won’t be in my list of top languages, I do find that I enjoy working with it nowadays–it’s an ongoing process, and I learn more and more as I continue to use it in what I build.

I think it speaks a lot of how learning for yourself, and using it as you learn, is one of the best ways to learn. And this year, I think it’s high time I learn something new again, and use it in something I build while I learn.

I haven’t decided what the new tool will be–a new framework? a new language?–nor the product, for that matter. But I do know that making time for pet projects opened me up to much more than just the enjoyment of creating and building for myself, that it’s something I want to do for myself this year.

So in 2011, I’ll learn and create something new.

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Recap finale: my life in 2010

You know, at first, I was worrying about what I would have for the general life recap of 2010, if I would have anything left that’s actually worth writing about, after going through the different “categories” where my interest lies and doing a recap for those. I think that shows just how much I’ve taken to, and adopted as a “given”, the biggest change, the biggest Event, in 2010:

I moved to my own house.

Granted, it’s rented. It’s not the absolute perfect house; the heater is a bit cool for my tastes, and the house came with built-in ants, and I had a go at steam cleaning certain parts before I could bear to live in it. But it was perfect for me, at this stage in my life, so much that it feels like second nature. It feels like a given.

2010 started off rather poorly, to be honest. I was battling three different, very personal issues that made me very unhappy, each one of them. Each one of them, at any time, would have reduced me to tears; all of them all at the same damn time, well, it wasn’t great. I was depressed, I was hurting, and I was lonely with no one to talk to.

But life went on, as it does, and the unhappiness in the first half of the year was made up for the second half. The frenzy and bustle of a new home, the freedom and responsibilities of living “the adult life”: these filled the second half. I had friends and family over, I changed my own light bulbs, I decorated and filled my home with my things, I cooked everything from microwave dinners to roast chickens and ribs. I even weaseled in a quick last-minute baking project while back in the Philippines.

I think 2010 was a year where I was able to prove to myself that I can. I can do this. I can set my mind to almost anything, and I can follow through on it. That I do not need to be afraid or worried, although I will need to be prepared. That at the end of the day, the only one you can really rely on is yourself, to make you happy, to keep you contented: and then everything else will follow.

I can. And I will.

Tomorrow is the start of Resolution Week! One thing to aspire for each aspect of my life, each day. Stay tuned!

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Recap week: games in 2010

20-sided diceWhen I was going back through my year for the recap week, the first thing I realized was: wow, I’ve done a lot of gaming in 2010! I tend to think that my gaming life revolves around World of Warcraft, but 2010 was filled with more than WoW.

For example, I’ve played (and learned) a number of tabletop/board games during the last lap of 2010. I’ve always liked board games, and always keen to give any sort of tabletop game a try; it’s just difficult to get folks together for it, especially in this age of computers and gaming consoles. My old favorite has always been Cluedo, and I’ve played a good deal of Settlers of Catan and Citadels while I was in the Philippines (along with the family staple Cashflow).

In addition, in 2010 I bought myself a Sony Playstation 3. Honestly, I actually wasn’t looking for a gaming console. I was looking for a DVD player. I was looking for cheapo DVD players, and reviews told me to get ones that can get close to HD, and then eventually I started thinking, well Blu-ray is backwards compatible, and wouldn’t it be cheaper in the long run to get a Bly-ray player? And then the PS3 Slim is among the top Blu-ray players (#2 according to CNET)…

(Cough.)

So I got myself a PS3 Slim. :p

All that doesn’t mean to say that WoW has not been a staple for me in 2010. 2010 has been an interesting year in WoW for me; I’ve fluctuated between being really into the game as a raider, before getting worn out and disillusioned, and then coming back on and “struggling” with not letting myself get too caught up again. I bought a gaming headset, and a Razer Naga. I followed theorycrafting, planned my loot. I raided regularly, gave up loot for guildies, maxed out everything, even tried raid leading (raid leading with guildies = stressful; raid leading with pugs = who the hell cares, they don’t know you so you can actually get shit done). I spent countless hours gearing up. I loved my guild, I became an officer in my guild, I got stressed with my guild. I got my Cataclysm Collector’s Edition.

What a long, strange trip 2010 has been.

This week is recap week! Stay tuned for piecemeal recaps of how 2010 went for me.

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Recap week: reading in 2010

Old booksReading in 2010 has been rather run-of-the-mill. As a longtime reader, I don’t think there is one single event in 2010 that I might say was specifically huge for me as a reader.

That’s not to say that I didn’t do any reading! There have been a number of memorable books–specifically, series–that I got lost in this year.

Interestingly, this was the year of the audio book for me. My Audible.com membership (started in February) is one of the best reading-related “investments” (so to speak) I’ve done. I never thought I’d enjoy audio books as much as I’ve grown to! I’ve revisited such old loves like The Old Kingdom Trilogy due to Tim Curry’s wonderful narration, and discovered new lands and characters.

I started The Wheel of Time in 2010. I have quite a long way to go, but starting this epic journey is one of the best things I’ve done reading-wise. I’m a sucker for amazing world-building, and Robert Jordan’s world is amazingly complex, with realistic characters. It’s not for everyone, but it’s a ride worthy of its wheels.

I discovered The Hunger Games trilogy in 2010, which is also the same year the last book was published–I can only be thankful that the wait for the final installment was not as bad for me as for some others! It was actually my first audio book purchase! It’s a wonderfully-written YA series that I couldn’t put down, with memorable characters that tugged at my heart.

In 2010, I discovered Naomi Novik and the Temeraire series. Yet another fun-filled ride interspersed with such heart-rending moments, this series was a fabulous find and one I’m quite annoyed to find is not as easily found in Singapore! Her writing is fabulous and she’s quite a darling.

Three new wonderful worlds in 2010. Now that’s not too shabby ;)

This week is recap week! Stay tuned for piecemeal recaps of how 2010 went for me.

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Recap week: writing in 2010

LOTR book page2010 has been a good year for writing–one of the best years I’ve had since high school, for sure. I don’t think I achieved a lot this year writing-wise, nor is it the best year hands down–but it is certainly a pivotal year.

In 2010, I started blogging regularly. I’m not a perfect blogger–I can miss days, lose my voice, go through weeks of absolute blogging hell–but I’ve been able to give myself a schedule and stick to that schedule for most of the time. I still struggle a lot of times, but there are just as many–more!–times where it’s been a joy to blog as I have been blogging in the last portion of the year.

In 2010, I went for NaNoWriMo. Now, I’ve done NaNoWriMo multiple times. I’ve won once, a token win, a win where I didn’t go back to the story, nor do I plan to go back to the story. This year, I decided I would write what I had always planned on writing: an alternate history, a retelling of historical legend. Did I succeed? I won, but I don’t think I succeeded, exactly. I think it has potential, but it needs to go through fire first. I finished, and did not finish; but the biggest takeaway from NaNoWriMo 2010 was the habit and the experience of trudging along to the end, my realization on how I write and what I would like to write about.

2010 was certainly a pivotal year for writing. I have always written, but I’ve never blogged seriously, nor have I been serious with my creative writing for many years past.

But I’ve come back. And I’m going to go through with it.

This week is recap week! Stay tuned for piecemeal recaps of how 2010 went for me.

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Recap week: geeky things in 2010

GlassesEvery year, I try to give myself a gift. Usually that’s in the form of a big(-ish) “tech” thing; a laptop, a camera, an LCD monitor, that sort of thing.

In 2010, I didn’t give myself any of that. In 2010, I planned to get myself an iMac, but that didn’t happen. I spent my money on other, “bigger” things, and subsequently I did not have any budget left over to give myself the iMac. (I’m hoping to give myself the iMac this year, but with my finances at the moment, I doubt that’s going to happen.)

In 2010, I also lost my ol’ monitor. I don’t think it’s entirely lost, but it flickers every so often that I’ve just plain stopped using it. Maybe someone else can figure out how to fix it, but that someone isn’t me. Part of me says just give it to the recyclers who come by around once a month, and part of me says maybe someone will want to buy a slightly wonky monitor cheap and, if not fix it, salvage it. For now, it’s going in the storage room, because I don’t know what to do with it.

In 2010, I did buy a color printer, so I can do my own printing and also do a bit of bookbinding with my own printed paper, own designs, own whatever. I have not fully utilized it in 2010, that’s for sure, but I’m happy anyway with my li’l purchase. It’s already saved me a couple of times.

I also started to be more vocal about user interfaces and user experiences in 2010. I’ve always been very interested in how the web affects users, how it can influence people, but I think it was this year that I started gaining more confidence in my experience and knowledge. It was this year that I was really able to pinpoint what I wanted to do–not just websites, but what kinds of websites, what kinds of projects, what kind of experiences I wanted to create.

I think all those realizations are due in part to the support from my teammates and superiors, but also because in 2010, I started treating the web as a hobby again, like I used to do. I started taking this blog seriously, I reopened my portfolio. It wasn’t that I had more time, because I actually had less, but I made time for it, and that extra dose of creativity is reinvigorating me in other aspects of my life, opening my mind to more ideas and more experiences.

2010 was an interesting geeky year. No new geeky toys, but a lot more geeky experiences.

This week is recap week! Stay tuned for piecemeal recaps of how 2010 went for me.

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Happy holidays!

Happy new year! And I hope you’ve all had a good holiday. My blog has obviously been on a bit of a holiday, too, but it’s time to come back down to the real world ;)

It’s been a good two weeks of holiday for me. I went back to the Philippines where I spent time with family and met with friends, as well as the usual shopping and errands. We had a generally quiet Christmas and New Year celebration, having relatives over the day of and other relatives calling over from overseas. I cooked my version of The Meatloaf, and baked a banana loaf for the first time. I dare say I’ve gained quite a few pounds :/

Christmas stash! I loff my family <3 Lunch with relatives Banana loaf and cookies! Our first shot at baking

On the health side though, my family tried out those Ion Cleanse foot bath/spas around, as well as those foot detox pads. Jury is still out, but rather promising, I think. My mom has seen more improvement with the detox pads than I have, so I’m just going along with it to see if it’s better later on.

We played quite a number of tabletop games, notably Settlers of Catan, Citadels, and of course, Cashflow. Tabletop and board games are things that I don’t really get to do while I’m here in Singapore, since most people prefer the instant gratification of Xboxes and PS3s, but I got plenty of it while back home. I also couldn’t pass up one round of Cluedo, my old favorite. They have intrigue cards now :O

Citadels card game with the family Settlers of Catan with @thankyougravity, Ate and Mom Cashflow game with relatives

We also watched Emma and Jane Eyre while I was there, Emma because my sister hasn’t watched it, and Jane Eyre because Tien hasn’t! Biel watched both and I’m happy that she has found understanding and enjoyment of the miniseries as well ;) she used to get bored and annoyed when Ate and I would watch period miniseries before :x And one mustn’t forget the in-flight movies. Eat Pray Love on the way to the Philippines, and Inception on the way back. I missed a big chunk of the middle, though. :/

Today, though, it is time for some spring cleaning. I cleaned before I left for the holidays, but I’m eyeing a couple of things that need to go and need to be done: like my sad monitor that keeps flickering, like the pile of clothes that need ironing.

It’s time to start the year right! And these two weeks will be just that: a time of introspection, and of looking forward. This week is recap week, culminating with a life-year recap next Monday, and the week after is resolution week.

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