by Penny Angeles-Tan | Sep 28, 2012 | Tech Tutorials
Tomorrow I will be teaching web design principles in SPACE for the new term. SPACE is an acronym for the School of Professional and Continuing Education of the De La Salle College of St. Benilde. Given my experience last term with SPACE students (most or all of whom have regular jobs and are just enrolled for additional knowledge) I have decided to simplify the syllabus some more.
This is a modular class we only meet for 6 consecutive Saturdays. Teaching web design principles in space for six hours in six consecutive Saturdays is not an easy thing to do. For one thing, there is only so much information the normal human mind is able to process in a day. Ever since I was informed two days ago that I was going to be assigned this class I have spent a lot of time adjusting the lectures and activities to give the SPACE students the most information in a manner that they would be able to absorb better and, at the end of the day, they will feel that they have learned something useful and, they will not feel frustrated that they are unable to do the work required.
More or less I will be dividing the lectures and activities this way where each number will stand for the week/meeting:
- web basics and design principles
- designing with tables
- designing with css and divs
- content writing and assembling assets
- applying css navigation and spry assets
- using image viewers
Although the class is just 6 meetings I will request for a 7th meeting where my students will be required to present their final project to a panel. Last term I had 4 students. 2 passed, 1 gave up, and 1 failed miserably. I hope the statistics will be better this term and that we have better numbers.
fingers crossed
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 27, 2012 | Sports
Gone are the days of a knight in shining armor and the damsel in distress. Nowadays it is all about women empowerment
I love watching movies with amazing fight sequences, especially ones where the ladies kick ass. I remember seeing this movie years ago where J.Lo is supposedly an abused wife and she learns self-defense so that she could protect herself the next time her husband came looking for her.
I remember thinking I wonder what fighting style that is? The moves are more akin to street fighting than with any structured martial art that Ive encountered. Between my dads karate, my judo, my sisters fencing, and my friends aikido, taekwondo, and capoeira Ive seen quite a bit.
Later I found out that the style J.Lo was taught was called Krav Maga, a self-defense technique developed in Israel, which initially appeared to me to be a hodge podge of techniques picked up from judo and karate with, perhaps, a little local (Israeli) flavor. As a former judo practitioner most of the moves shown were not exactly unknown to me.
My curiosity was peaked so I looked it up and found out that there is someone teaching krav maga here in the Philippines! How awesome is that? From what I garnered from the website, this is ideal to be taught to women and children, perhaps because, since they are perceived as weak, are often the targets of an attack.
Anyone who is interested in learning this technique can have a look see this Saturday (28 January 2012) from 11am to 12 noon at the 360 Fitness Club in Makati. Registration is ongoing. Rates are at P500.00 per session but if you sign up for all 4 sessions, you will only be charged P1,600.00, effectively getting a P400.00 discount.
For registration call360 Fitness Club Makati at:
- (02) 623-0911
- (02) 940-9575
- or (0917) 860-0360
Or visit them at: 7/F Dolmar Gold Tower, 107 Palanca Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City, Philippines
Who needs a knight in shining armor? This damsel is not in distress. 🙂
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 27, 2012 | Ponderings
People write blogs for different reasons and I am no different. When I first started blogging it was more of a creative outlet and an opportunity for me to get my thoughts “written down”. You see, I hate writing, and by writing I mean taking a pen and paper and putting words on it. It is one activity I did not enjoy when I was in school.
With the advent of computers, hurray! Nowadays there is very little need for me to actually write with ink and paper. 😀
I blog for fun.
- I write blogs to reviews, whether they are movie reviews, book reviews, gadget reviews, food reviews, etc.
- I write blogs to share information about stuff I find interesting.
- I write blogs to share my experiences of different events like vacations, trips, concerts, and the like.
- I write to share my thoughts on anything under the sun and moon. 😀
But, primarily (initially), I like to blog just so I could put down in words how I feel. They aren’t always for public viewing but just the act of putting it all down in print makes me feel better. My blog started as more of an online diary or journal if you will. In the beginning, whether or not someone read my posts was not so important. If someone reads my blog and enjoys it or can sympathize with it or learns something from it, etc., I feel gratified. But if no one reads what I wrote it does not affect me much.
I blog to relax.
Blogging, for me, is a therapeutic exercise. It helps me calm down when I am stressed and it helps me in organizing my thoughts for all the other projects I am involved in.
A good friend once introduced me to the book Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff by Richard Carlson and since then I have embraced that phrase as my personal philosophy.
Of course, this does not mean that I don’t sometimes stress over the littlest things, but I try not to let them get me down by refocusing on what is more important right now.
I blog to promote.
On occasion, people ask for my help in promoting a product or service. Sometimes they give me a press release to post as-is (but I still end up enhancing or even changing up a bit, if I think it needs some help … mostly for SEO purposes) and other times I get invited to events, given an overview, and am then left to my own devices on how I want to write it. In which case the only thing I ask for is some guidance such as … is there any phrase they specifically want me to say, or maybe a hashtag, or a feature they want me to highlight.
I blog to teach.
Every now and then I post some of my lectures in the classes I teach here. I’ve found that it is easier for me to maintain and, in addition, it also gives my students an insight into who and what kind of person I am.
Is blogging easy?
Some would say it is and to some extent, I would agree …
- if you like to write
- if you know your niche and can produce material for that niche
- if you can commit yourself to a schedule … ex. once a week at the very least.
Yes, I said that blogging, for me, is therapeutic, but that does not mean it isn’t hard work, especially if your goal is to have a GOOD blog site.
If you are a serious blogger then you want a GREAT site, not a good site. It’s achievable, indeed, and when done right it morphs into a site is rich in content, awesome pictures, etc. we could all be proud of.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 26, 2012 | Food & Beverage
A lazy Thursday afternoon for me means spending some time at one of many cafes in the area … today my cafe of choice was Banapple (located at Il Terrazzo, Scout Madrinan corner Tomas Morato, Quezon City).
I try not to go to Banapple too often because every visit seems to add inches to my waist. 🙂 At times, though, like today, the temptation was just too hard to resist!
Yo Ho Hope! Cheesecake
I have tasted, perhaps 6 of their cakes and every visit I like to try something new. A sign at the door advertised this cake called a Yo Ho Hope! Cheesecake. It looked and sounded promising so I decided to give it a shot with a cup of brewed coffee on the side.
At first, I was disappointed at the thinness of the slice I was served (since the poster made it appear like I would be receiving a bigger slice) but later I discovered that I could not even finish the slice I was given. Every forkful was a little piece of heaven in my mouth and I was tempted to force myself to finish it all, if not for the burrito and fries that was already occupying my tummy at the time. 😀
If I had known in advance that I was going to go to Banapple for dessert I would not have eaten so much at Army+Navy.
If you would like a peek at what goodies they have in store for us you could visit their website at http://www.banapplekitchen.com. Or … you may also download their latest menu here. 😀
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 12, 2012 | Product and Service Review
After months of deliberation, we finally decided to terminate our PLDT MyDSL and our PLDT landline. In the beginning, we were hesitating because:
- we’ve had our PLDT account for 40 years
- PLDTs My DSL was not so bad
In the past week or so, though, the service has gotten so bad that it was no longer forgivable. At first, I thought it was the wireless router so I switched to the regular router. But when even that didn’t work I tried connecting my laptop directly to the modem. For 10 minutes the connection was just ok. Torrents were downloading at 80 kbps, but shortly after the download dropped to 8 kbps and would not go back up.
I thought, maybe I just have to reboot the laptop and the modem, so I did. It gave me another 10 minutes of okay connection then zilch.
I tried calling their customer service hotline but it was always busy and I have not been able to talk to anyone in all this time. This makes me think that they must be having lots of problems with many subscribers at the moment.
Consider, if you will, that Sky has been wooing us for months to shift to Sky broadband. With this latest development, we decided to take Sky’s 15-day trial. If Sky performs as promised then saying goodbye to PLDT will be a no brainer.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Mar 2, 2011 | Events
Like me you may have watched the pyrotechnic displays that occur every year along the bay at least once in the last few years. I bet you were awed at the intricacies of the fireworks whilst standing elbow to elbow with complete strangers, perhaps on a grassy patch of land at the Mall of Asia grounds. Didn’t you ever wish you could watch it from a comfortable seat while sipping a glass of your favorite cocktail or glass of rum with your arm around someone special?
For one magical night, live the life of a billionaire and watch the pyromusical competition aboard a luxurious yacht on the bay! Free-flowing booze and hors d’oeuvres guaranteed, all for a very reasonable price.
They’re taking early reservations ’cause it is first come, first served. Contact Jean Kim (+639229901231) or Nikolai Lacson (+639062138461) for reservations.
For more details, see the poster below.
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by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 22, 2009 | Awards and Competitions
Guess what? I didn’t win in the Twilight contest on Fizzer.ph that I was making so much noise about for several weeks, hoping and begging for my family and friends to vote for me. Winning it really wasn’t easy. At times it felt like pulling out of quicksand would be easier than convincing people not only to sign up to Fizzer.ph but also to vote for me on the Twilight contest and give me 5 stars. People had different reasons for taking their time or not doing it at all. For some it was security or privacy issues, for others it was either a very busy social or work schedule. Which is why I am very, very thankful to all the people who did vote. Your combined votes was enabled me to reach the #2 spot in the photo contest.
Some of my friends told me they were waiting for the last minute to vote. Unfortunately, registration/login bugs prevented them from entering the site and therefore could not vote for me. I actually saw this for myself since one of my friends registered in my presence and was unable to login despite receiving the confirmation email. I guess that SNAFUs are one of the things to be expected when we wait until the last minute to do something.
With more than a 200 vote lead on me, I am not surprised that 24 year old Helga Weber went home with the Canon 450D Rebel DSLR Camera. Congratulations, Helga!
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 18, 2009 | Awards and Competitions
One day and ten hours. As of this blog that is how much time is left before Fizzer declares a winner. At the moment it seems to be clear it isn’t going to be me. The person in front of me has right now is something like 300 votes ahead. Definitely it is because she has been working her butt off today getting her family and friends to vote for her. I have been doing the same for several days now myself.
I am thankful to those who have taken the time to vote, despite the many bugs we have encountered the last couple of days. The fact that you persevered means a lot to me. And yet, when I look at how much movement my votes got from last night to now, it seems I only got 1 star more, and it was from a detractor, not a friend. Thank you, detractor for giving me one star. In your little way, you helped, even if your goal was just to complain. Especially to the friends who absolutely hated having to sign up but for the love of me did so just to vote for me, I thank you most of all. You overcame your reservations to support me.
I’m sitting here thinking … perhaps my family and friends are just waiting until the last minute before they vote? Maybe that’s it. Certainly, the #1’s score jump could be explained by that on her end. I would rather think my family and friends and their friends are just waiting. I guess we will know for sure by tomorrow, eh, when there is movement (or lack thereof) of votes.
I’m trying really, really hard to be optimistic. But when I can’t even get my daughter to campaign for me enthusiastically with her friends for a prize that is meant for her, not me, I can’t help but be depressed. I don’t know. Maybe it is embarrassing for a 39 year old mom to join a Twilight contest.
Don’t get me wrong, my vote tally, to date is not shabby. I am currently at #2 after all. But that won’t win me the prize. To win I have to be #1.
As I’ve mentioned before, ordinarily I am not one to ask for favors. Neither do I force people to do something they don’t want to do. But now, I find myself asking, and begging, and cajoling. Friends, for love of me, if nothing else, please sign up and vote for me at http://www.fizzer.ph/competitions/twilight.html, and if possible, do give me the maximum 5 stars.
If you have already voted for me and gave me anywhere from 1 to 5 stars, I thank you from the bottom of my heart! Even the detractors that gave me 1 star … thank you so much for your attention.
I love you all and thank you for helping me. I pray you help me. I pray we win.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 16, 2009 | Ponderings
If I haven’t said this often enough let me say it again — I HATE blanket statements.
Someone I know recently said “jokingly” that “DSLRs are for douchebags“. By inference, that means anyone who owns or wants a DSLR camera IS a douchebag.
Let’s do the math:
- DSLRs are for douchebags.
- Professional photographers use DSLR cameras.
- Therefore, professional photographers are douchebags.
Does that mean that because I WANT to own a DSLR, by inference that makes ME a douchebag? Or soon to be a douchebag? I’m using a borrowed one now, does that make me a part-time douchebag?
I can’t help but wonder what kind of personal trauma he went through for him to even jokingly say that. I mean, a camera is a camera whether it is an idiot cam (aka point and click) or an SLR, right? And whatever kind of camera a person owns should not in any way affect a person’s personality, right? Also, it should not follow that only a certain personality type would purchase a particular kind of camera, right? So, why persecute a person for owning or wanting a DSLR by calling him a douchebag?
If a person is unpleasant, to begin with, owning or not owning a DSLR has nothing to do with it.
Some camera facts …
DSLR camera
In general, DSLR cameras take better pictures than point and clicks when photos are taken by the same person. It is not fair to compare outputs if a different person took a pic on one camera and someone else on another.
However, having a DSLR does not guarantee a good photo. The quality of the shot still depends on the skill of the person who took it … and at times, we get lucky and are able to capture that perfect shot. No matter how good your camera is if you do not know how to compose a shot (factoring in lighting, image framing, effect, etc.) it would not matter what kind of camera you use.
And then there’s good old photoshop.
That telephoto lens, that periscope-like flash, those filters, the hood … they don’t mean a thing. They’re just fancy attachments. Give the guy a point and click and if he can take a good picture with that then give him the DSLR and see if he can take a good pic with that, too. Given time to learn the camera, I’m sure he could.
So, seriously … are DSLRs for douchebags? Or are there just douchebags out there whether they have a camera or not? DSLR or otherwise?
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 14, 2009 | Awards and Competitions
The first time I heard about Fizzer was when my daughter and I watched the blocked screening at Greenbelt 3 of New Moon, the second movie of the Twilight Saga, sponsored by Twilight Coven Philippines. And before you ask, yes, it was MUCH better than the first one by leaps and bounds.
As we entered the movie theater we were warmly greeted with smiles and invitations to an after movie party at Capone’s by a group of uber-hot, well-muscled sexy men dressed in jeans and tank tops (dressed as the local version of the clean cut La Push wolf pack) and sexy, curvaceous women dressed in tiny black dresses with plunging necklines (“dressed to vamp”, so to speak in the stereotypical “look” of the female vampire). Turns out these guys and gals were representatives of Fizzer.ph (one of the sponsors of the screening).
When I asked them what Fizzer.ph was they said, “it is a real social network”, and in response, of course I said, “oh, you mean like Facebook”. Apparently the similarity ends at the words “social network”. Fizzer is a “real” social network, they say, because:
- Fizzer.ph is a localized social network – this means that the target market are Filipinos from all over, but specifically those that reside in the Philippines
- Fizzer.ph not only connects people online but also creates opportunities for fellow Fizzer members to meet and interact (face to face) initially in Fizzer sponsored events and later in events sponsored by Fizzer members themselves
- Fizzer.ph gives really great prizes in their contests which I hear they will have every month!
Speaking of contests, they have an easy contest running right now with wonderful prizes in store for those who join.
Like with any other website, the gauge of its success is measured by its popularity. In social networking terms this can be measured by simply looking at its total membership. Fizzer.ph is a very new player and to get their numbers up and in conjunction with the season of giving, they came up with a new contest called “The New Year Blowout” which starts on December 15, 2009 and will end on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2010.
Joining is so easy to do:
- Sign up on the website. There are 2 ways of doing that.
- If you received an invite code to join the Fizzer.ph website, such as this one: http://www.fizzer.ph/signup/8ad1435363.html (This is my daughter, Erika’s code. Please use it to help her get the numbers she needs, too.) then click or visit the link and then fill up the registration form it leads you to
- If you did not receive an invitation code you can just go straight to the homepage of Fizzer.ph and click on the word REGISTRATION found at the bottom
- Once logged in go to http://www.fizzer.ph/competitions/christmasGiveaway.html
- Click on the “join competition” button
It’s that simple. But what are the rules?
- Participants have to be Filipino and residing in the Philippines.
- The user with the highest number of confirmed invited users wins. The confirmed invite must upload at least one photo of themselves and add at least one school in their personal information for the invitee to be counted as a confirmed invite.
- Your friends must use the invitation link to register for the invites to be counted.
- Fraudulent accounts will not be tolerated. The number of confirmed registrations through your invites will be tracked by Fizzer.
- Note: Fizzer.ph reserves the right to disqualify contest participants.
The prizes they are giving away to the people who place in the top 5 make it totally worth it to invite people to sign up.
- 1st place receives a Macbook
- 2nd place receives a PS3
- 3rd place receives an HP Mini
- 4th place receives a PSP
- 5th place receives an iPod
I myself find all the prizes drool worthy and certainly worth the effort of inviting people to sign up. My daughter takes after me. She loves gadgets, too, and she would love to finally own a Macbook. How about you? Care to try for the Macbook, too?
Later I found out that the style J.Lo was taught was called Krav Maga, a self-defense technique developed in Israel, which initially appeared to me to be a hodge podge of techniques picked up from judo and karate with, perhaps, a little local (Israeli) flavor. As a former judo practitioner most of the moves shown were not exactly unknown to me.
But, primarily (initially), I like to blog just so I could put down in words how I feel. They aren’t always for public viewing but just the act of putting it all down in print makes me feel better. My blog started as more of an online diary or journal if you will. In the beginning, whether or not someone read my posts was not so important. If someone reads my blog and enjoys it or can sympathize with it or learns something from it, etc., I feel gratified. But if no one reads what I wrote it does not affect me much.
I blog to relax.
On occasion, people ask for my help in promoting a product or service. Sometimes they give me a press release to post as-is (but I still end up enhancing or even changing up a bit, if I think it needs some help … mostly for SEO purposes) and other times I get invited to events, given an overview, and am then left to my own devices on how I want to write it. In which case the only thing I ask for is some guidance such as … is there any phrase they specifically want me to say, or maybe a hashtag, or a feature they want me to highlight.
Every now and then I post some of my lectures in the classes I teach here. I’ve found that it is easier for me to maintain and, in addition, it also gives my students an insight into who and what kind of person I am.
Consider, if you will, that Sky has been wooing us for months to shift to Sky broadband. With this latest development, we decided to take Sky’s 15-day trial. If Sky performs as promised then saying goodbye to PLDT will be a no brainer.
The person in front of me has right now is something like 300 votes ahead. Definitely it is because she has been working her butt off today getting her family and friends to vote for her. I have been doing the same for several days now myself.
dressed in jeans and tank tops (dressed as the local version of the clean cut La Push wolf pack) and sexy, curvaceous women dressed in tiny black dresses with plunging necklines (“dressed to vamp”, so to speak in the stereotypical “look” of the female vampire). Turns out these guys and gals were representatives of Fizzer.ph (one of the sponsors of the screening).
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