Aja Lapus

Category: Thoughts

  • 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. 🙂

  • Destiny

    I’ve been recently watching DVD re-re-runs (sic) of “destiny” films (specifically, Serendipity and My Sassy Girl) these past few weeks. They topped my hit chart almost instantaneously. I also remembered watching years ago an Asian film entitled: Love on a Diet, which also has a similar meeting–parting–meeting-again setup. This kind of movie really draws out the soft side in me, or rather the dreamy part of me.

    Now, on to the topic:

    Destiny — something, or rather someone we all look forward to. It builds us dreams and hopes that another person is bound to be with us for the rest of our lives. Oh, it’s so good.

    So, what if you found somebody and fell for her? But, destiny gets in the way. Yes, (it is obvious that) I believe in destiny. I also believe it tears hearts apart, wrecks peoples lives, shatters hopes and dreams for a person they thought was their destiny — just like what happens in the movies, without the happy ending. Ugh. It’s so sad.

    But I make my own destiny.

    So, if you are reading this, let me just tell the whole world:

    I’d make my destiny with you. 🙂

    It’s all about choices.

  • Fighting the inevitable

    People encounter problems no matter how much we try to prevent them — they are inevitable. But we shouldn’t avoid them; we should face them. It is with fear and anxiety that many people try to run away from their problems.

    Just remember, there is something we all have but we usually ignore …

    A quotation I received through email said:

    Stop telling God you’ve got big problems.
    Tell your problems you’ve got a big God!

    … Yes, a big God!