Month: December 2009

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2000s in review

Its the end of the year. End of the decade actually. So in twitter style I tried to get it down to 140 characters.

#10yrsIn140Char Blog Curtin Websmart Sansei Clié Punggol Span Cleo Convertium WebSG Career Japan Qais iPhone Taiwan CNL Riverlife IA Love
11:11 PM Dec 30th, 2009

To help myself remember what happened between 2000 – 2009, I think I better write things down.

  • Started personal news publishing (now known as blogging) with NewsPro and now i’m on WordPress.
  • Went to Curtin for my uni where i got to meet Mark Graber and worked at MG Consulting (now Websmart) as a web designer and that paid for my living expenses while i was in Perth.
  • Worked at Sansei full time as the Marketing Manager and travelled across Italy and quite a number of places in Europe.
  • Had my first daughter Clié.
  • Bought my first house in Punggol.
  • Registered my first business, Span Design (which i hardly do anything about now).
  • Had my second daughter Cleo.
  • Started working and doing serious web work for the first time in Convertium as a Project Manager and got to know lots of wonderful people.
  • Got involved with WebSG which i think might be one of the most important group of people in Singapore’s Web Scene.
  • Knew for sure my Career would be in web related stuff.
  • Went to Japan for a REAL holiday with Pearl.
  • Left Convertium as Projects Director and joined Qais.
  • Bought an iPhone which changed my online habits totally.
  • Went to Taiwan for another REAL holiday with Pearl.
  • Left CNL which i’ve been there since 1993 and joined Riverlife in 2009.
  • Realised that deep down inside, i’m actually an IA (Information Architect).
  • In 2009, the most important thing would be I found out a lot more about Love.

Nobody knows what the next 10 years will bring, but I’ve got plans and hope that things will turn out well. For the next 10 years, there will be the need for strong faith, there will be the need for stamina, there will be the need for balance and more importantly, there will still be the need for Love. <3 <3. Hello 2010.

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Appreciation of the material we work with

Today I’ve heard the best perception on how to go to the next level in craft we all call web designing and this is from a collegue of mine at work.

In the past, famous artists experimented with the materials they were using. Arylic paints, oil paints, wood, stone, clay, glass, metals etc. and in the morden world, plastics, carbon fiber, foam, etc.

I remember how Karim Rashid shared that understanding the intricacies of the manufacturing process would enable the designer the know how on how to go about designing a new product. Also the importance of knowing how to design in an efficient way so as not to compromise on the affordability of the end product.

For the web however everything is digital and there isn’t really a physical “material” that web designers work with. However we work with HTML, CSS, Javascript and the likes. These are what makes up the web. These are the “materials” that we who call ourselves web designers work with.

So in order improve ones understanding and to go to the next level of web design, take a break from photoshop and start your text editors. Start reading up on CSS and experimenting with AJax, start understanding grids, start understanding how some content management systems work, start understanding web infrastructure, start putting yourself in the shoes of webmasters who need to update the website you build daily.

This colleague who shared this with me is not a designer, he is not even design trained, but instead he is an excellent developer, a great observer. Thanks, you know who you are.

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Clié’s 7th Birthday

My darlings

Happy birthday to my darling Clié.

This year, she wanted to invite all her school classmate and quite a few of them turned up. Also one of her friend from her neighbourhood tution class came too.

As it was a 10am thingy, so we got up super early to prepare stuff. My wife prepare the food and I did up the decor as usual. The kids however were also busy trying to dress up, which was later re-did totally by mommy.

Happy 7th Birthday Clié

This group shot was the only decent shot that showed all the kids that were present and i think this picture will bring back fond memories when she grows alot older.

Lana cake. Yum.

My wife actually wanted to make a Princess cake, but after the first somewhat successful trail a week ago, she decided to get a good cake instead and got a Lana cake.

The adults had lots to talk about too.

Its amazing that its been 7 years already. She was just a small baby sleeping on my chest just a few years ago. I remember the love I had for her then and its the same love now, the unconditional love.

Happy birthday my girl. May your days be joyful and filled with people who loves you.

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Gallop Stables

Clié and Cleo at Gallop Stables

Brought my dear girls to Gallop Stable in Pasir Ris and they loved it. I like the whole idea of getting up early on a Saturday morning and doing something different. I won’t say its so exciting every week, but as parents we try.

It was $10 for a ride and tickets were bought at the nearby office just beside the café.

Clié riding a pony

Clié went first, she was all excited and hopped on quickly. She was born in the year of the horse, so she felt she had some affinity to horses. lol…

Cleo riding a pony

Cleo on the other hand was abit fearful. She could not get up on her own, so i carried her up. Once i was grabbing on to her, she did not want to let go. After a few reassuring words, off she went.

The girls watching a few peoplepractising horse riding.

The girls enjoyed themselves and the only thing they did not was the smell. lol… They are so not outdoor type. I think i need to expose them more to such stuff. Maybe Sungei Buloh next.

Gallop Stable
61 Pasir Ris Green
Singapopre 518225
Tel : 6583 9665
Fax : 6583 7282
Email : [email protected]