Blog
Friday, 7 December 2007
Type... when?
Posted @ 15:51
Whilst I hope the quality of my posts has been acceptable over the last few months, the same could not be said on the quantity. September was very thin on posts coz I was very busy with various things; October and November were better in terms of time, but there were many things interesting to record. What about December? Well, there are several things that definitely qualify to be blogged about, but guess what? My brain seems to be in a bit of a blogging trough at the moment.
Ironic isn't it? Or, *typical*, as my choice of word here...
Now that, I'm getting out of the trough again, all the things I wanted to write about have 'expired'. Oh well...
Ironic isn't it? Or, *typical*, as my choice of word here...
Now that, I'm getting out of the trough again, all the things I wanted to write about have 'expired'. Oh well...
Thursday, 1 November 2007
500!
Posted @ 14:35
This is the 500th post!
It is only appropriate that the topic of this post is about my website, and more specifically, about the blog. A while ago, Blogger has evolved to the then "Blogger Beta" with new features, a particular useful one being the 'labels' function. As a result of the new developments, Blogger seems to have adopted a new set of tags to code the pages. Now, I have always been using the codes for the old version of Blogger, and hence I have little control over the format of the new features. Recently, I have been trying to incorporate the new style codes, but not being a coding expert, I couldn't get anywhere. What surprises me, however, is the general lack of guidelines on how to use the new codes, even in the Blogger website itself.
The old style tags were simple enough such that people with basic understanding of HTML would be able to make sense of them. However, I don't feel the same with the new style. It will be a real shame if this is the direction Blogger is heading, where full control of customisation is being subtly eroded away from the average user. I hope I will be proved wrong...
Speaking of labels, I am over two-thirds of the way of retro-applying them to my older posts. This also gives me an opportunity to tidy up some CSS and HTML issues with the older posts. One thing I realised - my categories for labels are quite 'rubbish'. I may need to do some re-classification, but this is gonna be another major exercise... hmm...
It is only appropriate that the topic of this post is about my website, and more specifically, about the blog. A while ago, Blogger has evolved to the then "Blogger Beta" with new features, a particular useful one being the 'labels' function. As a result of the new developments, Blogger seems to have adopted a new set of tags to code the pages. Now, I have always been using the codes for the old version of Blogger, and hence I have little control over the format of the new features. Recently, I have been trying to incorporate the new style codes, but not being a coding expert, I couldn't get anywhere. What surprises me, however, is the general lack of guidelines on how to use the new codes, even in the Blogger website itself.
The old style tags were simple enough such that people with basic understanding of HTML would be able to make sense of them. However, I don't feel the same with the new style. It will be a real shame if this is the direction Blogger is heading, where full control of customisation is being subtly eroded away from the average user. I hope I will be proved wrong...
Speaking of labels, I am over two-thirds of the way of retro-applying them to my older posts. This also gives me an opportunity to tidy up some CSS and HTML issues with the older posts. One thing I realised - my categories for labels are quite 'rubbish'. I may need to do some re-classification, but this is gonna be another major exercise... hmm...
Labels: FBP
Thursday, 20 September 2007
In motion...
Posted @ 02:00
It has been almost a month since I last wrote anything!
Words to describe the last few weeks include hectic, chaotic, topsy-turvy, etc. Depending on your point of view, a lot of things have happened, but on the other hand, one could also argue that things are moving painfully slow. I was so exhausted from sorting stuff out at the end of August that I literally had to sleep for a whole week afterwards to recover. This also explains the lack of updates in cyber world.
Speaking of updating, regular visitors to FBP will realise that they are greeted by a new theme. Like I said a few posts back, 'in motion' has been the working title for several previous themes, but I always ended up calling them something else. Why 'in motion'? The short answer is - there have been times in the past when I needed something 'upbeating' for self motivation. I can always feel a positive vibe in the phrase 'in motion', certainly from a design point of view.
Well, I couldn't have timed it better to have finally nailed the 'in motion' design. I have set many things in motion now, and fingers crossed, I could be in for a thrilling ride!
Words to describe the last few weeks include hectic, chaotic, topsy-turvy, etc. Depending on your point of view, a lot of things have happened, but on the other hand, one could also argue that things are moving painfully slow. I was so exhausted from sorting stuff out at the end of August that I literally had to sleep for a whole week afterwards to recover. This also explains the lack of updates in cyber world.
Speaking of updating, regular visitors to FBP will realise that they are greeted by a new theme. Like I said a few posts back, 'in motion' has been the working title for several previous themes, but I always ended up calling them something else. Why 'in motion'? The short answer is - there have been times in the past when I needed something 'upbeating' for self motivation. I can always feel a positive vibe in the phrase 'in motion', certainly from a design point of view.
Well, I couldn't have timed it better to have finally nailed the 'in motion' design. I have set many things in motion now, and fingers crossed, I could be in for a thrilling ride!
Monday, 20 August 2007
Resurfaced from the deep pool of work...
Posted @ 23:25
Wow, I have just had a hectic 10 days, busy with work. It was one of those periods when one needs to work 12 hours a day 7 days a week to get things done. I actually did have time to blog, but I was so exhausted that the last thing I wanted was to do more typing.
With the current batch of work completed, I do have a little bit of spare time before the next wave arrives. I made a pact that last weekend I would do no work at all. Instead, I got the creative side of my brain going again. Yes, you've guessed it, it's almost time for another change of theme. As of a few minutes ago, I have got a draft version of the header graphics. The real thing is going to be largely similar, except there will be a couple of tweaks to smooth things out. The theme is very topical (for me), and it is actually something that I keep wanting to do, but always ended up doing something else. However, I guess I should talk about the theme more only when it is uploaded.
With the current batch of work completed, I do have a little bit of spare time before the next wave arrives. I made a pact that last weekend I would do no work at all. Instead, I got the creative side of my brain going again. Yes, you've guessed it, it's almost time for another change of theme. As of a few minutes ago, I have got a draft version of the header graphics. The real thing is going to be largely similar, except there will be a couple of tweaks to smooth things out. The theme is very topical (for me), and it is actually something that I keep wanting to do, but always ended up doing something else. However, I guess I should talk about the theme more only when it is uploaded.
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Only 5000+ emails...
Posted @ 10:30
I received an email from my hosting provider this morning saying that I have exceeded the storage space allowed. This is strange, as I do not use excessively large files in my website. After doing a little bit of investigation, it turns out that it is my email account that is causing the problem. You see, the hosting package comes with an email account, which I never use. The emails and the rest of my website share the same hosting space, and I have now accumulated enough messages that I have exceeded my storage space. A quick check at the FBP email account shows that I have over 5000 emails accumulated, and guess what - virtually every single one of these is spam. I reckon many of these emails must have attachments (viruses?), as all the emails collectively used up more space than the website itself?!
Now it is just a case of mass deleting the emails - oh, what a purposeful thing to do on a Thursday morning...
Now it is just a case of mass deleting the emails - oh, what a purposeful thing to do on a Thursday morning...
Monday, 21 May 2007
Rant is a measure of blog quality!
Posted @ 15:36
You may have noticed the lack of posts recently. Not because I have nothing to say, but rather, I have not been in a great mood to put my thoughts down on paper... well, metaphorically on paper that is. In fact, on my desktop, I have two text files: one with lots of quizzes which I was meant to put on my website, and the other one with ideas for posts.
So the question is: why am I still not updating my website regularly? Several reasons I think... apart from the fact that I am sort of addicted to Final Fantasy XII at the moment. First, I have been stressed, but not really work related. All these years I have come to realise that I thrive on work-related stress, but go absolutely miserable if the stress is non-work related. Secondly, I have been trying to think of ways to make better use of the blog (and the rest of the website). I think my blog is getting boring at times to read, especially to people who don't know me. I have been doing some blog browsing lately to get some inspiration for good writing styles. A few blogs managed to catch my attention, purely on the basis that it was entertaining to read. One common feature I find is that these entries are all about the authors' everyday lives. Now, to be honest, I don't really care much about their businesses. However, the entries were written with wit, humour, and very importantly (for me!)... sarcasm and a healthy dose of cynicism. Also, the focus is not on their lives per se - it's more about a piece of thought, analysis or comparison, whilst drawing examples from their daily chores and mishaps to keep it from being too philosophical and deep. The last thing one wants is to tax the brain with deep thoughts after a tired day at work! Throw in a complementary photograph or link, and you have a good recipe for an enjoyable blog reading.
I may try out these tactics at some stage, but like I said before, I thrive on work-related stress, and in my blog, this means *rant*... but I rarely need to rant thesedays.
So the question is: why am I still not updating my website regularly? Several reasons I think... apart from the fact that I am sort of addicted to Final Fantasy XII at the moment. First, I have been stressed, but not really work related. All these years I have come to realise that I thrive on work-related stress, but go absolutely miserable if the stress is non-work related. Secondly, I have been trying to think of ways to make better use of the blog (and the rest of the website). I think my blog is getting boring at times to read, especially to people who don't know me. I have been doing some blog browsing lately to get some inspiration for good writing styles. A few blogs managed to catch my attention, purely on the basis that it was entertaining to read. One common feature I find is that these entries are all about the authors' everyday lives. Now, to be honest, I don't really care much about their businesses. However, the entries were written with wit, humour, and very importantly (for me!)... sarcasm and a healthy dose of cynicism. Also, the focus is not on their lives per se - it's more about a piece of thought, analysis or comparison, whilst drawing examples from their daily chores and mishaps to keep it from being too philosophical and deep. The last thing one wants is to tax the brain with deep thoughts after a tired day at work! Throw in a complementary photograph or link, and you have a good recipe for an enjoyable blog reading.
I may try out these tactics at some stage, but like I said before, I thrive on work-related stress, and in my blog, this means *rant*... but I rarely need to rant thesedays.
Wednesday, 11 April 2007
The Mac has done it again...
Posted @ 16:38
I always check my website on as many browsers as I can get hold of every time I change the theme. More often than not, Safari seems to be the least tolerant of mistakes in the HTML and CSS, so mistakes in my code are often overlooked by IE and even FireFox. This time, Safari wasn't displaying the RHS panel correctly, and a quick check revealed that I managed to have a [h5][/h2] tag combination (obviously in angled brackets)! Anyway, I'll need to work on the blog page at some stage, as the script that hides the comments is not working since I've adopted the current CSS table-less codes...
Labels: FBP
Wednesday, 4 April 2007
Silhouette...
Posted @ 16:16
I have now done 10 themes for the website. I noticed that of the 10 themes, 6 of them involved some kind of silhouette of a person(s). More interestingly, 4 out of the last 5 themes contained a silhouette. To be honest, most of the time I didn't set out to include that consciously, but as the design process took place, a silhouette or two ended up being part of the composition. Does this say anything about me? I dunno... but I guess people come to expect this as part of the FBP identity (Oh dear, too much branding talk here...). In a sense, it's quite nice, as there is then a common element linking all the themes, whilst each theme will still have its own style and feel.
Meanwhile, I shall leave you with a few snapshots...
Meanwhile, I shall leave you with a few snapshots...
Love the "photos" it's a very cool pic! The new theme rocks too, nice work!
# posted by
PocketGenius :
4:39 PM
Tuesday, 3 April 2007
Maelstrom Unleashed!
Posted @ 00:20
Although I quite liked 'Midnight Carnival', it's time for a change of theme again. This time, the theme has a more energetic feel. I needed that anyway...
Not major changes, although I'm still going through the archives to change some of the HTMLs so that they are compatible with the current CSS (I wrote loads of entries before the I started using CSS). I'll also use this opportunity to add tags to my previous posts...
Not major changes, although I'm still going through the archives to change some of the HTMLs so that they are compatible with the current CSS (I wrote loads of entries before the I started using CSS). I'll also use this opportunity to add tags to my previous posts...
Tuesday, 6 February 2007
Themes and tags...
Posted @ 13:50
Google has bought Blogger a while ago, and they have been sorting out the new Blogger interface for some time. I've recently transferred my Blogger account to the new system. First impression was good, as it finally allows me to tag posts! I am now slowly but steadily putting tag in all my posts. I am also using this opportunity to fix some of the problems with the hyperlinks in my older posts, in particular the relative links to pictures.
On a slightly different note, I think it should really be time for a theme change, except I really like the current one, and I fear that a new design might look a lot worse! Haha~
On a slightly different note, I think it should really be time for a theme change, except I really like the current one, and I fear that a new design might look a lot worse! Haha~
Tuesday, 3 October 2006
Only the JavaScript to go...
Posted @ 15:23
Cool, thank you Alastair for the tip on how to sort out the column height problem. Just checked it out on safari and it's working fine. Only the JavaScript for the blog comments to sort out now...
Labels: FBP
Monday, 2 October 2006
Just IE?
Posted @ 13:12
Ok, firefox doesn't render my website properly either. So I must have used some very obscure syntax that IE accidentally managed to render it correctly. Sorry, I still wouldn't admit that IE can actually do something superior, haha! I think there's a couple of things I can tweak in the CSS to see if it made any difference, otherwise I may have to revert to the previous CSS structure - but that would be some major-ish rewriting (for me, at least)...
Labels: FBP
If you are referring to the fact your left column doesn't line up with your right column. That is a classic problem with div floats. You have to add the following to the the end of your last floating div:
[div style="clear:both;"][/div]
but obviousy with square brackets replaced with angle brackets.
[div style="clear:both;"][/div]
but obviousy with square brackets replaced with angle brackets.
# posted by
Alastair :
9:00 AM
Thursday, 28 September 2006
'Div-intely' bizarre...
Posted @ 13:11
Definitely bizarre...
Ok, I have a two column table-less CSS for my website using the div class tag. I have set the background colour of each "div" to white. Now, the white background would only extend to as far as the end of the contents inside each div. So, if my two columns have different amount of contents, then the height of the white background in each column will be different.
Obviously, in a two-column layout, one would normally want the colour background to extend to the same height for both columns, regardless of the amount of contents. Publicised ways of doing that are floating around on the web, but I thought I could get away by floating the two columns inside a third div, and set a white background for that. The idea is that the third div would extend to the same height as the longer of the two columns, and because the width is set to the accommodate both columns, then everything inside the third div should be coloured correctly.
Works fine on IE, but I just checked my website out on safari, and it isn't working?!?! I haven't tried firefox yet, but I am rather surprised that IE managed to render something as intended whilst other (possibly better) browsers couldn't!
strange indeed...
Ok, I have a two column table-less CSS for my website using the div class tag. I have set the background colour of each "div" to white. Now, the white background would only extend to as far as the end of the contents inside each div. So, if my two columns have different amount of contents, then the height of the white background in each column will be different.
Obviously, in a two-column layout, one would normally want the colour background to extend to the same height for both columns, regardless of the amount of contents. Publicised ways of doing that are floating around on the web, but I thought I could get away by floating the two columns inside a third div, and set a white background for that. The idea is that the third div would extend to the same height as the longer of the two columns, and because the width is set to the accommodate both columns, then everything inside the third div should be coloured correctly.
Works fine on IE, but I just checked my website out on safari, and it isn't working?!?! I haven't tried firefox yet, but I am rather surprised that IE managed to render something as intended whilst other (possibly better) browsers couldn't!
strange indeed...
Labels: FBP
Monday, 25 September 2006
They're only jpegs afterall...
Posted @ 00:38
*Grr* I've found out the problem with my php counter, and I could not believe what has happened!
I kept saying I only pasted the codes from a previous version of my website. Yes, that was correct. However, for some bizzare reason, I've managed to paste the codes from a *published* page instead of the template. Now, on the published page, the php script would be replaced by an html code that loads the correct pictures for the counter. So, instead of dynamically updating the number of hits, I've merely asked the browsers to display four fixed numbers! How stupid of me...
Regarding the issue of displaying dates with blogger, I'm still waiting for replies from the forum. Meanwhile, I'm reverting back to the old system of using the dates as the main header (instead of the titles)...
I kept saying I only pasted the codes from a previous version of my website. Yes, that was correct. However, for some bizzare reason, I've managed to paste the codes from a *published* page instead of the template. Now, on the published page, the php script would be replaced by an html code that loads the correct pictures for the counter. So, instead of dynamically updating the number of hits, I've merely asked the browsers to display four fixed numbers! How stupid of me...
Regarding the issue of displaying dates with blogger, I'm still waiting for replies from the forum. Meanwhile, I'm reverting back to the old system of using the dates as the main header (instead of the titles)...
Labels: FBP
Friday, 22 September 2006
Nothing is working?!
Posted @ 09:33
Hmm... ok, more problems with the new theme. It turns out that it's a lot more difficult to display date and time of posts in Blogger. By default, Blogger only publish the date once, even if you have multiple entry on the same day (such as today). You can get around by using a different tag for your date and time, and you can change the format from your Blogger account setting. Unfortunately, they haven't got the choice of format that I want, and I don't know a way of using a custom format. Grr...
Secondly, a more serious problem - in addition to the comment box, the php counter stopped working too?!?!?! This is really annoying, as both the php script, and the JavaScript for the comments, were just pasted from my old files.
Grr x2...
Secondly, a more serious problem - in addition to the comment box, the php counter stopped working too?!?!?! This is really annoying, as both the php script, and the JavaScript for the comments, were just pasted from my old files.
Grr x2...
Labels: FBP
The new theme is cool, but I can hardly see the difference between the colours on my monitor. You should include a calibration page, like the THX optimizer so we can all see the page as it's supposed to look!
# posted by
PocketGenius :
3:01 PM
Midnight madness...
Posted @ 00:26
Ok, new theme finally uploaded, but this is far more troublesome than I have bargained for. First, Blogger was taken down for 45 minutes for maintenance whilst I was in the middle of updating my blog files?!? I hope nobody managed to see the interim version. Secondly, the JavaScript for hiding the comments is not working, but I've only just pasted the old code?!? Grr...
Anyway, enjoy!
Anyway, enjoy!
Labels: FBP
Tuesday, 29 August 2006
Junk tags?
Posted @ 17:37
This has been a productive week. As well as getting lots of 'proper work' done, I've also managed to devote plenty of time on design. As I've mentioned before, the current tableless CSS I use for my website can't really cope with multiple comments, or, as a matter of fact, bold or italics. I've been playing around with divs in the code, and my conclusion (so far) is - too many divs! I've managed to streamline my code without affecting how the page would look. In fact, just to show I rubbish I was at these kind of things, now I actually have more control and flexiblity over how the page is displayed, despite cutting down the number of CSS definitions. I have yet to test it on the comments system, but the browser should have a better chance of rendering the pages correctly with the simpler codes.
The end result? Well, you'll have to wait for a little while to see... :p
The end result? Well, you'll have to wait for a little while to see... :p
Labels: FBP
Tuesday, 9 May 2006
I miss my tables...
Posted @ 00:08
For once (and only once), I can see a point for a *total* domination of IE in the web browser market. I really hate this 'multi browser compatibility' business. First, although I have semi fixed the blog pages, I just found out that one sees a random brown bar at the end of every post when using firefox (and therefore I guess this would happen in safari too). For some reason, the java script used to hide the comments is not exactly buddies with the tableless structure. I think I'll need to spend some more time working on it - by that I mean trial and error.
So yes, at the moment, only IE will render everything as intended. The only exception is of course my logo on the side bar (on the index page), which is supposed to be a PNG with a transparent background. The trade-off of having to put up with the random bar in firefox is that it renders transparent PNG properly.
So yes, at the moment, only IE will render everything as intended. The only exception is of course my logo on the side bar (on the index page), which is supposed to be a PNG with a transparent background. The trade-off of having to put up with the random bar in firefox is that it renders transparent PNG properly.
IE is actually the bane of web design. It has enough bugs in the implementation to make everything look like crap.
Anyway, with the IE PNG problem, there's a solution which allows you to add one line to your HTML and a JS file to solve it.
HAve a look at the source on my homepage and look for the pngfix.js line.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bobosola/pnghowto.htm
Anyway, with the IE PNG problem, there's a solution which allows you to add one line to your HTML and a JS file to solve it.
HAve a look at the source on my homepage and look for the pngfix.js line.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bobosola/pnghowto.htm
# posted by
Alastair :
6:26 PM
I like your new look :)
# posted by
:
4:21 PM
Monday, 8 May 2006
Argh~ comments messing around...
Posted @ 01:14
Sorry, some problems with the Blogger comments script. It seems to mess up the layout if I have more than one comment in a given post. Hmm, I'll try to sort that out ASAP.
Labels: FBP
Deceptively calm...
Posted @ 00:34
Customers are always right. Isn't this the first thing one learns when entering the services industry. Of course, whether the customer is *actually* right or not is irrelevant here. We got some really bad manners from the cafe staff today for messing up with our orders?!?!! So, we decided not to give them any 'service charge' coz there was really not much services. As we head out, one of the senior staff tried some cheeky comments on us, obviously forgotten about the whole rudeness thing. I just smiled...
Still, compared with some of the things I had to deal with this week, this incidient at the cafe was really nothing. Deceptively calm is the perfect description of me at the moment (to coincide with the new theme, haha)...
Still, compared with some of the things I had to deal with this week, this incidient at the cafe was really nothing. Deceptively calm is the perfect description of me at the moment (to coincide with the new theme, haha)...
Tuesday, 2 May 2006
er... what maintenance?
Posted @ 11:00
Ok, I've solved the problem of 'blog under maintenance'. For some bizzare reason, it didn't like the file name I chose for the archives. Once I've changed it, everything works fine. Anyway, I won't need archives as this is only a test page, so I've disabled the function. Still, what does Blogger mean by 'blog under maintenance'?
Labels: FBP
Always under maintenance?
Posted @ 10:43
This is really strange. I've set up another blog under the same account in Blogger as I wanted to test a few things out. The template is practically the same as my usual blog (i.e. this one), except I had been using the new theme CSS instead. Last week, when I tried to publish the test posts, it said "blog under maintenance". Ok, fair enough. However, I tried again just now, and it still says it is under maintenance. I doubt it took them over a week to fix things, so what's going on???
P.S. I find it ironic that the Blogger spellchecking engine does not recognise their brand name 'Blogger', or the word 'blog' as a matter of fact!
P.S. I find it ironic that the Blogger spellchecking engine does not recognise their brand name 'Blogger', or the word 'blog' as a matter of fact!
Labels: FBP
Friday, 28 April 2006
Almost ready...
Posted @ 15:00
This week has been miserable, to put it mildly. I wish I was hibernating instead. Anyway, believe it or not, I've been working on my website for a while, and it is almost done! In fact, I've uploaded a test page somewhere, if you can manage to find it! I am to get everything switched to the new design within a week...
Sunday, 16 April 2006
Back on track...
Posted @ 01:36
Thanks to a chat with Alastair about web design on Friday, I have managed to kick myself into action again. The new header graphics, which has been dragging on for quite a while (about two months, say?), is finally done. The CSS for the update is in progress - if everything goes according to plan, tables in my HTML should be a thing of the past! I'm not going to say much more about the new update just yet, however, it is suffice to say that this should be much more than just an aesthetic makeover. Fingers crossed...
Unfortunately, I do have one outstanding issue - title. I'm really struggling to come up with something that is neither cheesy nor clumsy. I guess I need a linguist to help me out!
Unfortunately, I do have one outstanding issue - title. I'm really struggling to come up with something that is neither cheesy nor clumsy. I guess I need a linguist to help me out!
Labels: FBP
baz...i felt so "lor" to have sent out multiple emails to my friends on friendster about my "blog"......but i couldn't find the function to switch off the reminders. now i dunno where to write when i want to write sth. i feel so "lor"......i feel myself "ho q fan"...haha
# posted by
:
9:46 PM
Monday, 27 March 2006
The power of the delete button...
Posted @ 23:37
I thought I had got my next theme sorted out, but I was wrong. I left the design alone for a few days so that my brain can get a break. Tonight, I looked at it again, and I thought... hmm... So I took the brave step of deleting the background, which is actually two thirds of the work. In one second, my progress bar dropped by a massive 50%. Oh well.....
Actually, for some reason, I keep having difficulties recreating exactly what I had in mind. If there are some device where I can wire my thought to the computer (via USB 2.0? haha), I bet everything will be done by now.
Another little problem which I'm having is the name of the theme. I had a working title, which was recently replaced by a semi-permanent title. I have the perfect Chinese title, but I still need some inspiration to translate that into English, without it turning into a five-line sentence.....
Actually, for some reason, I keep having difficulties recreating exactly what I had in mind. If there are some device where I can wire my thought to the computer (via USB 2.0? haha), I bet everything will be done by now.
Another little problem which I'm having is the name of the theme. I had a working title, which was recently replaced by a semi-permanent title. I have the perfect Chinese title, but I still need some inspiration to translate that into English, without it turning into a five-line sentence.....
Labels: FBP
Sunday, 12 March 2006
More experience, more time...
Posted @ 00:21
You think when you are getting more and more experienced in using software, you would need to spend less and less time on it. Far from it!
You may think I've not been updating my website much. This is partly due to the fact that I'm ultra busy for the last few weeks - I leave office at around 11pm on average, and this usually include either a Saturday or a Sunday too. I hardly had time to eat and sleep, let alone working on my website. However, when I do have time, I have actually been silently working on the next theme.
Where were we? Ah, yes, software and time. As I became more experienced with the various design packages, I do indeed become more efficient in my design work. However, so far, I've decided to do something "new" each time I revamp my website. Therefore, this means going back to basics everytime. This time, I was actually doing something quite simple..... as a hindsight. Last week, I spent ages doing one drawing, but it didn't have the feel that I wanted. However, a chance encounter with a tutorial article revealed that the effect is not difficult to achieve. So now, I'm stuck in front of my computer redrawing the same thing several times, trying to perfect the skills needed to achieve the desired effect.
On a side note, I really could do with a bigger (and better) graphics tablet! This tiny and insensitive A5 ancient version is really not that great! :p
You may think I've not been updating my website much. This is partly due to the fact that I'm ultra busy for the last few weeks - I leave office at around 11pm on average, and this usually include either a Saturday or a Sunday too. I hardly had time to eat and sleep, let alone working on my website. However, when I do have time, I have actually been silently working on the next theme.
Where were we? Ah, yes, software and time. As I became more experienced with the various design packages, I do indeed become more efficient in my design work. However, so far, I've decided to do something "new" each time I revamp my website. Therefore, this means going back to basics everytime. This time, I was actually doing something quite simple..... as a hindsight. Last week, I spent ages doing one drawing, but it didn't have the feel that I wanted. However, a chance encounter with a tutorial article revealed that the effect is not difficult to achieve. So now, I'm stuck in front of my computer redrawing the same thing several times, trying to perfect the skills needed to achieve the desired effect.
On a side note, I really could do with a bigger (and better) graphics tablet! This tiny and insensitive A5 ancient version is really not that great! :p
Friday, 6 January 2006
Quick update...
Posted @ 17:33
I guess it's time for a quick update. Well, the truth is, not much is happening, with the exception that I went to a friend's wedding on Wednesday. For me, this is a wedding with a difference, because this is the first time I've been to a wedding of my *own* friend (it has also been relatives or family friends).
As you may have noticed, I've not been blogging much for a while now. Having a quick browse through my old entries, I noticed that many of them were about complaints. Since I have been reasonably content with my work life the last couple of months, it is not surprising that the number of entries have dropped.
Do I search for things to complain, or should I start focusing on something else in my blog?
As you may have noticed, I've not been blogging much for a while now. Having a quick browse through my old entries, I noticed that many of them were about complaints. Since I have been reasonably content with my work life the last couple of months, it is not surprising that the number of entries have dropped.
Do I search for things to complain, or should I start focusing on something else in my blog?
Tuesday, 27 September 2005
What the?! Comment?!
Posted @ 00:13
I've just noticed that the comments text don't display properly either?!?! A quick check of the source code shows that I'm missing a few tags again! ARGH~~~ would you call this debug or simply careless???
btw - some bad pun in the entry title. (translate "comment?!" into french)
btw - some bad pun in the entry title. (translate "comment?!" into french)
Labels: FBP
Monday, 26 September 2005
IE behaving "badly"...
Posted @ 23:52
Thanks Alastair for some suggestions on the PNG transparency issue (see comment on previous post). Well, the PNG in question is the FBP logo on the "Link" page. When displayed properly, this logo should have round corners, which would involve using transparent pixels. The blogger engine do not temper with this page, so it's unlikely that there is some mysterious java scripts at work. Here's a section of the print screen:
And no, I'm not running IE 7 beta!
And no, I'm not running IE 7 beta!
Sunday, 18 September 2005
Let's talk geek!
Posted @ 00:38
This is possibly the geekiest post I have ever written!
I said last time that the text of the blog entries were not formatted correctly. Originally I thought I have made a mistake somewhere, but it turns out not to be so. First, let me tell you a little bit more about my CSS file...
First, the main text of the blog entries are enclosed in <p> tags, which is set to display a san serif grey font (the one you are reading now). Secondly, I've fiddled with the colour and underline properties of the links. Again, standard stuff.
The problem I had was that the blog entry text did not follow the <p> tags, although any links in the entry were formatted correctly. The strange thing here is that the text with the links also inherently follow the <p> tags, but the links specification would change their colour. So I cannot see why the hyperlinked text were ok whereas the rest weren't.
Next, is a quick visit to the source codes. It turns out that Blogger had inserted an extra bit of codes when they publish each entry?! They've automatically added <div style="clear:both;"></div>, which is baffling. Anyway, after a little bit of trial and error, I've created an extra div class tag with identical information as <p> to force the blog entry text back to the intended format. So I have a very clumsy set of codes:
<p><div class="name"><div style="clear:both;"></div>Blog entry (etc)
Well, a quick search on google revealed that other people also have a problem with this extra tag. However, for most people, this tag caused a float display problems in firefox. This is strange, because firefox actually displayed my blog correctly! My text format problem only happen in IE?!?!
Anyone who can shed some more light on what's going on?
I said last time that the text of the blog entries were not formatted correctly. Originally I thought I have made a mistake somewhere, but it turns out not to be so. First, let me tell you a little bit more about my CSS file...
First, the main text of the blog entries are enclosed in <p> tags, which is set to display a san serif grey font (the one you are reading now). Secondly, I've fiddled with the colour and underline properties of the links. Again, standard stuff.
The problem I had was that the blog entry text did not follow the <p> tags, although any links in the entry were formatted correctly. The strange thing here is that the text with the links also inherently follow the <p> tags, but the links specification would change their colour. So I cannot see why the hyperlinked text were ok whereas the rest weren't.
Next, is a quick visit to the source codes. It turns out that Blogger had inserted an extra bit of codes when they publish each entry?! They've automatically added <div style="clear:both;"></div>, which is baffling. Anyway, after a little bit of trial and error, I've created an extra div class tag with identical information as <p> to force the blog entry text back to the intended format. So I have a very clumsy set of codes:
<p><div class="name"><div style="clear:both;"></div>Blog entry (etc)
Well, a quick search on google revealed that other people also have a problem with this extra tag. However, for most people, this tag caused a float display problems in firefox. This is strange, because firefox actually displayed my blog correctly! My text format problem only happen in IE?!?!
Anyone who can shed some more light on what's going on?
Friday, 16 September 2005
First feedbacks...
Posted @ 15:29
Ok, some feedback and observations so far on the new theme.....
* There are some problems with the Blogger template. The text are in the wrong font and colour. So I need to check the css tonight.
* One feedback, which I agree, says that the 'stuff' section is a bit too random at the moment. Well, give me some time to develop the section!
* I re-discovered that IE cannot display PNG files with transparency. This is quite annoying. Apparently, this is something that will be fixed in IE7, but Safari and Firefox have no problems with transparent PNG, so why is IE sooooo slow?
* There are some problems with the Blogger template. The text are in the wrong font and colour. So I need to check the css tonight.
* One feedback, which I agree, says that the 'stuff' section is a bit too random at the moment. Well, give me some time to develop the section!
* I re-discovered that IE cannot display PNG files with transparency. This is quite annoying. Apparently, this is something that will be fixed in IE7, but Safari and Firefox have no problems with transparent PNG, so why is IE sooooo slow?
One step ahead!
Posted @ 00:00
Haha! I've been telling people the new theme of the website will be uploaded this weekend. Guess what? It's here NOW! To summarise, I've updated *all* of the pages, included a new page, and tidied up yet more HTML codes. Now, my website is even CSS validated (before it wasn't...)!
Anyway, with quite a few new links, etc. Please let me know if you've spotted any errors, dead links, or malfunctioning displays, etc. Leave me a comment here would do. Thanks! :)
Anyway, with quite a few new links, etc. Please let me know if you've spotted any errors, dead links, or malfunctioning displays, etc. Leave me a comment here would do. Thanks! :)
Labels: FBP
Tuesday, 30 August 2005
Too serious?
Posted @ 23:12
Hmm... as far as the graphics stuff for the next theme of my website is concerned, I've finished version 5 a couple of days ago! That must be the highest number of major revisions that I've done to a single design. I thought all was going well..... except today another thought came to my mind, and I'm afraid I will start working on version 5.5 (or even 6) tomorrow?!! Originally I planned to upload the new stuff this week, but it looks like I may have to delay it for a week or so.
Can somebody please tell me - am I taking this too seriously or what???
Can somebody please tell me - am I taking this too seriously or what???
Wednesday, 24 August 2005
Back to the drawing boards?
Posted @ 23:37
Hmm... I've just shown a friend a sneak preview of the graphics for the next theme of my website. Although it's still unfinished, it seems that I'm only getting a lukewarm response at best..... (in fact it's just "aha...") This is worrying because I have spent quite a long time on both the conceptual and graphics sides of the design. Also, in terms of the actual techniques used to compose the graphics digitally, this is the most 'advanced' yet for me. I admit I'm only an pseudo-amateur at best, but I'm really using my website as a method of learning more about designs.
I guess it's back to the drawing boards, but the theme itself and perhaps the basic elements will remain. I have mentioned this before, but I shall say it again. The last few themes are not random creations - they are snapshots of myself or my thoughts - and I can attach meanings to most elements of the designs. In the foreseeable future, themes will not deviate from this approach.
I guess it's back to the drawing boards, but the theme itself and perhaps the basic elements will remain. I have mentioned this before, but I shall say it again. The last few themes are not random creations - they are snapshots of myself or my thoughts - and I can attach meanings to most elements of the designs. In the foreseeable future, themes will not deviate from this approach.
Sunday, 5 June 2005
Rival blog?
Posted @ 23:27
A long while ago I've signed up to another blog services provider (a rival to Blogger, hehehe) when I was still experimenting with different blog systems. Well, the fact you're reading all my entries on the Blogger engine speaks for itself of the outcome. However, I still use the other account when I need to post comments on other people's blogs.
Now, if you are lucky enough to be reading my website since Day 1, then you'll know that I used to post a diary in Chinese too. That was setup as a way of improving my now almost non-existent written (typed) Chinese. However, I took that offline last year coz having two blogs in the same website is a bit pointless.
So I've decided to use the other account to practice my Chinese again, although I will update it only as often as this one, and hopefully with different contents. I'll post a link to the other site once I've got a few entries going. However, rest assured that FBP is still my main website! :)
Now, if you are lucky enough to be reading my website since Day 1, then you'll know that I used to post a diary in Chinese too. That was setup as a way of improving my now almost non-existent written (typed) Chinese. However, I took that offline last year coz having two blogs in the same website is a bit pointless.
So I've decided to use the other account to practice my Chinese again, although I will update it only as often as this one, and hopefully with different contents. I'll post a link to the other site once I've got a few entries going. However, rest assured that FBP is still my main website! :)
Saturday, 21 May 2005
PHP counter back!
Posted @ 11:42
Ok, I've now fixed the problems with the web counter, so it's back in the blog pages! Er... when I said "fixed", all I did was to delete the codes, save, paste back the same code, and save again. Strange, but never mind.....
Labels: FBP
Thursday, 12 May 2005
refresh...
Posted @ 00:55
Haha... I'm back after a one week hiatus. Ok, mostly this is because I have been away so I wasn't able to update my blog anyway. Look - I've managed to sort out the website before the self imposed deadline!
In terms of the structure, nothing major has happened. However, I've changed the codes in the blogger quite dramatically, especially the comments system. You'll need to leave a comment to see exactly what I've done!!! Strangely, for some reason, my phpCounter in the blog section stopped working, so I had to take it out for now. Hopefully I'll be able to fix it soon.
So, I expect lots of comments from you now!!! hehehe...
In terms of the structure, nothing major has happened. However, I've changed the codes in the blogger quite dramatically, especially the comments system. You'll need to leave a comment to see exactly what I've done!!! Strangely, for some reason, my phpCounter in the blog section stopped working, so I had to take it out for now. Hopefully I'll be able to fix it soon.
So, I expect lots of comments from you now!!! hehehe...
good job, baz! i like ur new design =)
btw, where did u go?
btw, where did u go?
# posted by
:
7:54 AM
Tuesday, 3 May 2005
Self-imposed deadline
Posted @ 21:23
I found that I can only work under pressure. Both quantity and quality increase as the stress increases. Don't ask me why...
So I shall announce that the new website theme will be up by 14 May 2005. Actually, the header graphic was done a couple of weeks ago, but I've never got round to finishing the job. It is probably obvious that I need to sort out the codes for the blog page - it doesn't show up when someone has posted a comment!
So I shall announce that the new website theme will be up by 14 May 2005. Actually, the header graphic was done a couple of weeks ago, but I've never got round to finishing the job. It is probably obvious that I need to sort out the codes for the blog page - it doesn't show up when someone has posted a comment!
ok, i'll stop posting here until u figure out the codes ... wahahaha
# posted by
:
8:17 PM
uhhh, testing
# posted by
jefferson :
11:48 PM
Monday, 11 April 2005
The wind is changing again...
Posted @ 10:21
I feel like a change *again*. Yes, I'm talking about my website. I remembered this "wandering" theme was sort of an impulse design. I did the thing in a couple of days, coz I wanted to capture that rather rare combo (for me) of melancholy/philosophical mood before it fades. Now it's time to move on I think...
Well, move on... when I have the time! Life has been rather busy over the last month or so, I guess I'll just have to find a few moments here and there to work on my website.....
Well, move on... when I have the time! Life has been rather busy over the last month or so, I guess I'll just have to find a few moments here and there to work on my website.....
Tuesday, 8 March 2005
Shifting blog...
Posted @ 22:19
The Regulars will have noticed that the style of my blog has shifted somewhat recently. Gone are the random links and random games that would be perfect for *procrastination*. Instead you are faced with entries that are more like a personal diary. I guess I need to keep changing styles to keep people interested, right?
I must say, if you do not know me, my blog *is* boring. However, once you get to know me, the contents and (especially) the tone do come to life (I hope). I've read random blogs that are more dramatic than the script of a soap. They write so much that I feel like I've known them for years!?! Well, actually, according to *friendster*, some of these people are apparently only a couple of links away...
Anyway, the main reason for the lack of links recently is because my *sources* have been quite slack in supplying them! The only thing I can offer for now is the time.
Speaking of time, I think I am living in the wrong time zone at the moment. Going to bed after 3am three out of the last five nights, and actually getting more things done after 9pm than before. I admit it, I am nocturnal.....
(NB - the Blogger built in spell checker actually says "blog" and "Blogger" are wrong!)
I must say, if you do not know me, my blog *is* boring. However, once you get to know me, the contents and (especially) the tone do come to life (I hope). I've read random blogs that are more dramatic than the script of a soap. They write so much that I feel like I've known them for years!?! Well, actually, according to *friendster*, some of these people are apparently only a couple of links away...
Anyway, the main reason for the lack of links recently is because my *sources* have been quite slack in supplying them! The only thing I can offer for now is the time.
Speaking of time, I think I am living in the wrong time zone at the moment. Going to bed after 3am three out of the last five nights, and actually getting more things done after 9pm than before. I admit it, I am nocturnal.....
(NB - the Blogger built in spell checker actually says "blog" and "Blogger" are wrong!)
Thursday, 24 February 2005
Come and visit FBP! :)
Posted @ 19:36
Hmm... I've recently put the PHPCounter in my blog pages too (and for some reason when I last checked Blogger decided to put the counter in only some of the archives pages). Anyway, I've noticed that I'm notching a *lot* more hits, and after taking away the scans by the bots, I'm still left with a healthy number of hits a week, which is not bad considered this website is not very ruthlessly advertised. I'm thinking about joining a couple more Blog communities, but can't find anything good yet (ie those that reflect my interests). Anyway suggestions - perhaps the cynical blogger? haha...
Labels: FBP
Sunday, 13 February 2005
FBP Poll...
Posted @ 00:57
POLL: I'm thinking of moving the blog to the index page. What do people think? Please leave a comment... Cheers!
Labels: FBP
Monday, 7 February 2005
Getting the angles out of brackets...
Posted @ 13:07
Well, continuing from the last entry... I ended up sleeping at about 2.30 am, which kinda ruined my schedule for today - I got up a couple of hours later than planned... urgh, I hate Sundays...
Anyway, back to this blog comment thing... so you can only post as 'Anonymous' unless you are a registered Blogger user, which is a bit lame... I also noticed that I can't use the chevrons (or angle brackets "<" and ">" to most people), as they thought I'm trying to add HTML tags... hmm...
Other than that, I'll just need to adjust my comments page template slightly, as the spacing around the dashed boxes aren't quite right yet...
Anyway, back to this blog comment thing... so you can only post as 'Anonymous' unless you are a registered Blogger user, which is a bit lame... I also noticed that I can't use the chevrons (or angle brackets "<" and ">" to most people), as they thought I'm trying to add HTML tags... hmm...
Other than that, I'll just need to adjust my comments page template slightly, as the spacing around the dashed boxes aren't quite right yet...
So i'm the first person to post a comment here?! haha...couldn't resist it...(tho this is hardly a comment...) @_@" p:)
# posted by
:
10:45 PM
Hi,
you should be able to post chevrons by using the html code for the characters (see http://www.lookuptables.com/) for instance left chevron is < and or & " 60 since I doubt the characters printed there...
you should be able to post chevrons by using the html code for the characters (see http://www.lookuptables.com/) for instance left chevron is < and or & " 60 since I doubt the characters printed there...
# posted by
PocketGenius :
10:03 AM
oops I meant & # 60 sorry, though the chosen font makes the ampersand not look like an ampersand anyway!
# posted by
PocketGenius :
10:05 AM
Comments!
Posted @ 01:58
I hate Sundays, don't ask me why, but it is always a rather random day for me. A typical sunday (like today) would involve: getting up ridiculously late, messed up eating times, tried to do work but ended up doing nothing, and impossible to fall asleep at night (i.e. now).
Anyway, what could I do when I can't fall asleep? Yes - to sort out my HTML codes and enabled "comments" on this site! I was having a problem getting my permalinks pages to read the right directory for my CSS, and also the navigation panel. However, thanks to the "base href" tag, which I have just discovered, everything seems to be working now.
Go on, leave me a comment!
Anyway, what could I do when I can't fall asleep? Yes - to sort out my HTML codes and enabled "comments" on this site! I was having a problem getting my permalinks pages to read the right directory for my CSS, and also the navigation panel. However, thanks to the "base href" tag, which I have just discovered, everything seems to be working now.
Go on, leave me a comment!
Ok, this is a testing comment. Hmm... I've noticed that unless you have a blogger account, you will have to post as "anonymous"... How lame is that?! [posted by feibao]
# posted by
:
2:08 AM
Tuesday, 1 February 2005
Searching for FBP...
Posted @ 09:47
As you may know, Microsoft has decided to join in the search engine game. So they've now launched their search page, and let's see how good it is. Searching for "feibao" returns my website as the top link (at the time of writing)! Haha... not bad! As I don't know how long this will last, I've taken a screen shot of it. I might post this up later...
Monday, 31 January 2005
phpCounter...
Posted @ 01:22
Right, I've just installed the latest version of phpCounter. I will be checking for problems with various browsers and OS over the next few days. Meanwhile if you do spot something, please let me know~ Cheers...
Labels: FBP
Friday, 28 January 2005
Listen, bots!
Posted @ 12:31
I was getting so frustrated by the google bots situation that I was going to write the code that blocks google bots from scanning my site. Interestingly, having set about writing the code, all of a sudden google bot decided to behave again! Coincidence or telepathic??? hehe.....
Labels: FBP
Monday, 24 January 2005
Bots gone wild...
Posted @ 21:52
What the *censored* is going on? Looks like google bots have been bombarding my website for the last 24 hours or so... See it for yourself (click on thumbnail below to enlarge).....
Labels: FBP
Friday, 7 January 2005
Quick update...
Posted @ 15:38
Well, time for a quick update...
* Slight problem with $$$, or rather the lack of it. I wish I had taken advantage of the *insane* exchange rate, then things will be a little bit better now.
* The cold spell in HK has gone for now, I was wearing just a T-shirt without an overcoat and I was sweating. Seeing people in the streets wearing scarves and big coats really was really baffling.
* Still no sign of my lost (work) motivation. Whereas has it gone?
* Can't really do much to my website considering that I can only work with the touch pad on my laptop...
* Those of you who have been following my website will know that I've taken out the Chinese version of my diary a few months ago. Well, actually, I still write them, and I'll probably put a 2004 overview in the blog... (coz some people have been constantly complaining about the disappearance of the diary...)
* Slight problem with $$$, or rather the lack of it. I wish I had taken advantage of the *insane* exchange rate, then things will be a little bit better now.
* The cold spell in HK has gone for now, I was wearing just a T-shirt without an overcoat and I was sweating. Seeing people in the streets wearing scarves and big coats really was really baffling.
* Still no sign of my lost (work) motivation. Whereas has it gone?
* Can't really do much to my website considering that I can only work with the touch pad on my laptop...
* Those of you who have been following my website will know that I've taken out the Chinese version of my diary a few months ago. Well, actually, I still write them, and I'll probably put a 2004 overview in the blog... (coz some people have been constantly complaining about the disappearance of the diary...)
Sunday, 12 December 2004
Semi-new...
Posted @ 23:32
Okie, uploaded a new theme for my website just now. It's actually not quite complete, but since I won't be able to go online from the middle of next week for a little while, I thought I'll uploaded what I've done so far, and do the remaining stuff later. Now that each blog entry is individually boxed, hopefully it will be easier to follow, especially when there are multiple entries on the same day.
Labels: FBP
Monday, 6 December 2004
Fear me!
Posted @ 22:00
Apparently you are all supposed to be scared of me according to these people. Well, I'm not too sure about that. (Anyway, a little advertisment in case you visit this page directly - the result of the test is posted in the "about" page of my website...)
Friday, 26 November 2004
The joy of CSS...
Posted @ 23:01
I'm now working on Phase 2 of re-coding my website into CSS (Phase 1 was during the summer when I had the "Lighten Up!" theme). Grr... this is a lot more difficult than I thought. The main reason is that my existing code is very messy, with one set of codes for my main website and a separate set for my Blogger page. (I was using the codes written back in May when I only started learning CSS, so there are lots of redundant materials which just makes everything so confusing.) Well, I'm completely re-writing my CSS, with some quick hints from these guys, so let's see what I can come up with over the next few weeks.
By contrast, my other little project - the graphics for the next theme - is going rather well. Oh, I so like the adjustment layers and blend functions of photoshop!
By contrast, my other little project - the graphics for the next theme - is going rather well. Oh, I so like the adjustment layers and blend functions of photoshop!
Monday, 22 November 2004
This is not a fansite...
Posted @ 23:50
I've noticed that I am receiving more hits since I've wrote the note about "Chet Lam" and his music on the home page of the website. A check on my PHPcounter showed that some people have stumbled across my website hoping that it is one of Chet Lam's fansite. Well, I'm afraid I'll have to break the news that these visitors will be disappointed... nevermind... :p
Labels: FBP
Tuesday, 16 November 2004
Designing for the wrong mood...?
Posted @ 23:31
Moodwise, this week has been very strange so far. Thanks to the music that I have been listening to lately, I have been doing lots of thinking. However, one side effect is that this got my creative juices going! Yup, I've done quite a bit of sketching tonight. However, it will be some time since anything will be transformed into computer graphics, as I need one particular photograph, which I won't have the opportunity to take over the next few weeks. I'm still debating whether the end result would be a stand alone project, or whether it would form the next theme of the website. Speaking of graphics stuff, I've actually got a little project done, however the work is not reflecting my current mood and I feel weird uploading it now, so I guess you will have to wait for a little while.....
Monday, 1 November 2004
I am 1 today :)
Posted @ 15:05
As if you've not seen enough of this already on the index page, I'm making another reference to my website being online for one year! :p Well, you see, the front page will change with time, whereas a blog entry can be archived for later... Anyway, blog life is a bit empty at the moment because, for a change, I have not much to complain about recently... This actually feels rather strange, having got used to getting annoyed at something everyday... Oh well...
Labels: FBP
By the way...
This is only a personal website, it is not supposed to (and impossible to) cater for all tastes. Whilst the mood of the entries vary from "serious" to "random", please forgive me for the liberal use of "cynicism" and "sarcasm". If an entry isn't your cup of tea, just skip it... [Yes, this is a disclaimer!]
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