Aja Lapus

Author: Aja

  • A Bloody Good Souvenir

    So many weeks have passed and I haven’t been able to update my blog. School work and social activities, I think, somehow hindered me to do so. Another thing was my host’s hardware failure erasing most of my readers’ comments, which I happen to treasure more than my articles themselves. Most of all, I really had been pressuring myself to write really good articles especially for a grand re-entrance to the blogosphere, which I sadly figured I can’t — that’s too much for my skills. I’m just going to write this like I haven’t been gone. Please bear with me. 🙂

    An inch-long skin-peel I have been on a really tight schedule now that I have school for six days a week. NSTP CWTS took my Monday vacation for its weekly activities. I really have been enjoying digging and leveling soil, and moving 50-kg concrete blocks during our off-campus activities. What I didn’t like was the fact the I had to ride 6-7 different public transportation routes and/or vehicles just to get there. This was the off-campus activities’ last day. Fortunately, I’ve had a souvenir. 😆

    It didn’t hurt so much, I’ve just peeled my skin off for about an inch long. I just hope it wouldn’t cause infections. That photo was taken about 12 hours after the incident with the iron pick; the wound applied with an ointment. I wish I had taken photo sooner that it would look more bloody fresh and gross. *haha* 😛

    Preliminary exams week has just passed making me more comfortable to write something again. Hopefully, this would go on and on again.

    A lot has changed about me this new year — more fat, less computer. I’m beginning to hate myself! 😆

  • One big slip of the tongue

    I doubted it since I first saw its advertisement. I doubted it more after I’ve seen the show. Even more doubts came during the middle of its season. Now one big slip of the tongue gave it all away.

    Many rumors already say somebody connected to the network will win. Now it makes sense to me.

    Why would anyone let the rich play the game to be rich? A magazine model and an imported commercial model? Give me a break! I really think it’s for the show’s marketing — not for the challenge of playing the game.

    Ok, I know you have an idea of what I am talking about. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I didn’t really want to post something about this. The events that popped out made me do so.

    Yes, yes. I’m talking about Pinoy Big Brother — the only show I think ABS-CBN’s been proud of recently. No wonder, it sure makes a hell lot of a money from its viewers and sponsors. Even tried to make them think their votes will count for the last minute. Oh, I most certainly doubt it — they had the evictee’s mother come home the night before the evictee was voted to be evicted! Got script? No doubt about that.

    Quick update: Look! Somebody noticed, too.

  • To lead, you must follow

    I brag a lot about my web site … not about heavy-loading images — I cannot create them; not about flashy scripts — I don’t even want to look at them; and not about colorful design — I KISS. But, I brag about my source code, more than fifty percent of which you cannot see.

    Ok now, here’s more of the bragging part: I use valid markup on all my source code — even the stylesheets. I just can’t figure out why other web designers brag it along with their flashy web sites but after you’ve clicked on their “Valid XHTML” link or button, hundreds of errors come shooting out of the validator saying, “Stop! Please stop!”

    Ok, that was a bit exaggerated. I was the one saying those. 😆

    Practice what you preach.

    I cannot blame those people using pre-made or borrowed templates for having those validation links. But for those who make their own templates full of errors, proprietary tags and tag attributes, please do not tell me or anyone that you know HTML, because you don’t.

    Hey, I’m concerned. The Web wasn’t supposed to be filled with junk as you can see almost everywhere. HTML was supposed to be clean. But, yes, it is not. Now, if you want to participate along with thousands of other web standards advocates, please don’t just tell us you’ve got valid markup, show us.

    A law has been implemented and numerous standards recommendations[1][2][3] have been made but, sadly, it seems that only a few people acknowledge them.

    Ignorance is evident almost everywhere you look or surf. Most of them are personal sites ang blog sites, but even IT or tech sites, which should be promoting these standards are not following them.

    Standards-compliant code must be the standard. It must be a trend. It must be a habit. It doesn’t mean it is good if it just look good.

    True beauty comes from the inside.

    I almost came to linking those web sites I’ve been ranting about all day long (actually, “all entry long”) but I think I’d just have to make them realize it on their own. I really wouldn’t want to hurt anybody — I just want to heal the Web. 🙂

    Please take note that I’ve been ranting about web designers with validation links on their site that is full of errors, and not people who just make web sites they don’t intend to validate.

    Footnotes:

    1. ^ [XHTML1]XHTMLâ„¢ 1.0 The Extensible HyperText Markup Language (Second Edition)
      W3C Recommendation 26 January 2000, revised 1 August 2002
    2. ^ [CSS2]Cascading Style Sheets, level 2
      W3C Recommendation 12 May 1998
    3. ^ [WAI-WCAG]Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
      W3C Recommendation 5 May 1999

  • On Thoughts

    I can proudly say I’m a deep thinker. Most of the time I tend to keep silent, alone or not, thinking about so many things — just like now. Yes, my mind is full … let me change that … is overflowing with thoughts. I just can’t seem to write anything about them right now. But, yes, I am writing — about my thoughts about my thoughts. Read again if you find it confusing. Ehehe …

    So, what’s on my mind (as well as everybody else’s) is a mystery, don’t you think? I definitely know you do not know it. I do not seem to know it exactly, either. But let me tell you this. Surprisingly, most of my thoughts come into being while I am in the shower. Mind you, those thoughts are clean even though I’m naked. They’re mostly ideas about things I do or want to do (e.g., computers and sports). Told you they weren’t dirty.

    I really hope this starts even just a little discussion. What are your thoughts mostly about? Where do they usually come from? What makes you think about things? What do you do about those thoughts? Oh, I could go forever with this questions. You could just answer those or make up some other related topics you want to talk about. Hopefully, I could write something substantial later. Oh, and thanks if you find this one substantial. (Though you most probably won’t.) 😛

  • On Writing

    I never wanted to be gone for so long. My blog is rotting with the smell of old posts. Ehehe … I haven’t finished the whole site, either. But, final examinations is getting nearer by the minute — next week to be exact. I hope vacation would make me think more and write more. Here’s my story:

    It was earlier this day that I first met fulfillment in our Literature class. Yes — the first time in four months! We — my partner and I — have passed the Book Report on Cost Price by Kerima Polotan, which serves as our final exam in Lit 102. We were the first group to submit; the only group today to submit. I know our professor was happy — of course, we both were, too. Now, I have nothing to worry about except the other exams coming next week! 🙂

    Another fulfilling thing was when we all were asked which selection from our textbook touched us in one way or another. She made each one discuss why we chose it. I was thinking about choosing Sayonara by Edilberto Tiempo — the moral was pretty straightforward: not all enemies are bad — but the hesitation grew in me as I really haven’t swallowed the whole story. I asked my seatmate if what I was thinking was correct. But simple hesitation backfired upon me — he was called to recite first, and guess what happened next: he recited what I told him! I was shocked! Anger grew inside me, but I have to think fast. I cannot repeat what he said, it was my fault anyway for trusting him with my precious answer. So I thought carefully, and chose Family Rites by Rosario Cruz Lucero, instead.

    Reality dawned upon me that personal reflection should not only be made from the context of the story alone but also with how the story was written. Yes, I like writing — it is one reason I blog. But thoughts cannot be words unless I put more time and effort unto it. This is what I realized from Lucero’s short story. She made the story with every thought no one would be saying out loud — or even in whisper. I didn’t even realize I have thought about those things until she mentioned it. My precious answer was not so precious after all.

    Now, I just realized what I lack — the same reason I haven’t written something in almost a month. Put more time in thoughts as you translate them to words … and the world will know what you feel.

    Oh, and by the way, I’ve lip-read my teacher say, very good, after I have recited. 🙂

    Note: Try to read Family Rites by Rosario Cruz Lucero; I hope you feel the same way I do. 🙂