nickpan

For those with kids, you will know the challenge of teaching your kid spelling EVERY WEEK!

Clié has a super short attention span and something like spelling is in no way fun. So i thought we could have fun doing a jig saw puzzle version of her spelling list.

It worked!! She enjoys it. I wonder how many weeks can this last.

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If you don’t plan, you plan to fail.

Developers all know the importance of Data Normalisation and its a key planning activity to ensure data integrity, optimal data warehousing by reducing data redundancy, ease of extending database structure, etc. I really feel web designers need to understand the spirit behind normalisation when planning their designs as well.

A website have many elements, from headers to footers, navigation to utility bars, from page wrappers to content containers. And from within the content container itself there are loads of normal HTML elements such as headings, paragraphs, tabular content, lists, forms, quotes, indents and the list goes on.

So just understanding and using CSS is not enough as a large site needs alot more planning. I feel that having a planning session to determine what ID and CLASS to assign to elements is extremely important. Also keeping in mind that using Content Management Systems mean webmasters (your clients) are most likely going to use something like CKEditor or TinyMCE as their WYSIWYG editor which by default uses the basic HTML tags.

So planing for CSS Styles is actually a CSS Normalisation process in my view. Data Normalisation is about “data relationships” and for CSS its about “cascading styles“. Styles are related by inheritance and these inheritance are the relationship.

Data Normalisation Objectives according to databasedev.co.uk:

1. Arranging data into logical groups such that each group describes a small part of the whole
2. Minimizing the amount of duplicated data stored in a database
3. Building a database in which you can access and manipulate the data quickly and efficiently without compromising the integrity of the data storage
4. Organising the data such that, when you modify it, you make the changes in only one place

So let me try to translate these objectives into CSS Normalisation objectives.

CSS Normalisation Objectives

1. Arranging CSS Styles into logical groups such that each group describes a small part of the whole
2. Minimizing the amount of duplicated CSS Styles stored in the CSS file(s)
3. Building the CSS file(s) in which you can access and edit the CSS Styles quickly and efficiently without compromising the integrity of the whole website
4. Organising the CSS Styles such that, when you modify it, you make the changes in only one place

Agree? Disagree? Do share your views.

ps: If only someone can do up a simple diagram like Natalie Josy’s Standards in a nutshell to visually explain this CSS Normalisation concept, i’ll definitely stick it to this post.

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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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