Diva,Diba?
18 October 1996
"Words have the power to destroy or heal.
When words are both true and kind, they can change our world."
-- Buddha's Little Instruction Book
Mabuhay!
It's been a couple of weeks once again, and its time to revise this page... the world is dynamic... things need to move... the new becomes old... the old becomes new... things change. And this page has changed!
HTML Programs on the Net
I downloaded a few HTML programs last week and I'm giving them a go see. So far HTMLed is the one I like. It's simple to use and above all, it feels like Notepad, my HTML editor of choice. I also tried HotDog, but the thirty day trial counter was scary. I'm afraid if I get used to it too much I may use it too long that I'll be going against the law. HotDog's still good though, but I think I'll go with HTMLed's gentler and tamer interface. The Table creation in both programs confused me though. So I just stuck we the code I had in my page. I also downloaded a file converter called WPTOHTML. It converts existing WordPerfect for DOS documents into HTML. I got it through a complicated FTP maneuvre so I don't have any link here. Anyways, I was thinking of writing my future pages in WordPerfect 5.1+ then just converting them to HTML. (There's nothing like typing in WPDOS...) I thought it would be simpler to use 5.1+ instead of the Internet Publisher I have in my WordPerfect for Windows -- but I realized while downloading the files that since I'm into writing HTML anyway, I guess I'll just write HTML code directly... it's simpler to do that in the first place! Don't convert... just write. (Though, HTMLed really helps a lot...) What I really like about the HTML programs is the color selectors... finally I could get red or blue... and what I really like about HTMLed is that it has an easier time with coloring the HTML codes (to distinguish them from the text). HotDog was less elegant... Anyway enough of the review of HTML programs... why not a review of the other stuff I downloaded?
The Other Stuff I Downloaded
By far the best download I have made (aside from the practical WinZip) is this shareware game called MYP Bridge for Windows. I got it at www.shareware.com in their games section. My bridge partner, Jay Estaris (of the charismatic Team WillYu) and I would often get together with our bitter bridge rivals (the four man Team R) in the University of the Philippines AS Hill -- to kick their butts... but we would also often miss each other by a few minutes (either I'm in class or he is) and this would surely ruin our bridge day... and our bridge lives. But thank God for MVP Bridge for Windows! Now I can have a bridge partner without having a bridge partner... which means I can play bridge even if I'm alone! Isn't that a great idea? Though honestly, a computer game can never replace the sensibilities of a human and the computer makes some wierd bids sometimes... but the computer game sure gives you some good practice and mindless fun... it even does Blackwood! Anyway, enough of the rave review... and on to life!
Life!
Well is as usual boring. And uneventful. Waiting again for something to happen. Something to happen on TV or elsewhere. A typhoon would be nice, so at least something ruined your day... but anyway, I so far have two and half subjects to complete this sem before I can go on with my bum life. That's about six and a half five to ten page papers. Yikes. (To think that's only half of what I've done over the past weeks). Anyhow what has bogged me down has always been inertia and inspiration. And to quote a Calvin and Hobbes one liner: the best inspiration is the one-day-to-go deadline. Nothing beats it. I have two days before the sudden rush of inspiration hits me.I did however do some quality baby-sitting today. My nephew Julian (three and a half) and I read books. We made a slide with his bed cushion and we sang some Filipino songs. Julian has been crying a lot lately and his mom and grandmother thinks he's a brat. Well, I think he just needs some understanding. We all were kids once. The poor boy just needs to channel some of that irresistible energy inside him. Hey, I didn't have a hard time with him today... And of course, Sophia (one and a half), my niece, was nice too. She has a rash on her butt right now so her prefered mode of clothing is the "natural" look. She's a bit spoiled like Julian, but she's such a charmer. (Oh no... the doting uncle... yuck.) Anyway, as soon as I get to borrow somebody's scanner again, I'll post Julian's and Sophia's pictures (and mine too for that matter) here.
A few things before I go...
I think I should mention to anybody who's interested how I get online. I think I've mentioned this two months ago when I started this page (but since this is six versions from the original maybe a lot of you missed that first issue) Well, my computer at home doesn't have a modem yet (for financial reasons mostly) and I do all my computing in various Internet Cafe's in Metro Manila. That's the main reason why I have a web-based e-mail address at HotMail (well, you have to be reached somewhere right?) Anyway, my other internet cafe-going friends use HotMail as well, but I also use this e-mail address in school: cutter@cssp.upd.edu.ph. "Cutter" isn't really mine, its a "group" address really (made by Jay) where our friends can send us mail. I usually chat in IRC just for a few minutes... just to see what's happening and say hi to those I know, and it's been a while since I entered a MOO. And as for this page, I first got this in GeoCities and when I got the feel of HTML I copied it to Tripod. Both sites are free and the space is about 500K or something like that. (You just have to live with all the advertising). Anyway, I make my page at my computer at home (or at the apartment), and I upload it at the cafe together with other files. It's cheaper for now at least than getting a modem and an account, but I hope to have more of myself online somehow. My main problem now is that since I don't have a browser at home, I can't really see my page instantly. I usually do a final proof-read when I get to the cafe. And the GIF's I created went through a complicated process of making a bitmap in Corel Presentations 3.0 (which isn't really a hotshot when it comes to small bitmats and bitmaps in general) to a DOS-based converter called CVIEW. Coupled by the fact that my left mouse button is giving way, I had a hard time with my graphics. Anyway, here's the addresses of the two cafes I go to: Global Cafe and Computer@Espresso. The other place I go to is a computer with an account at SkyInternet, but they raised their prices and have begun charging for downloads(!), so I may not go there again.
So that's it for this time. If you noticed, the issues are distinguished by the date and Buddha Quote at the top of this page. Based on the instruction book, this is the fifth issue. Also, drop by The Streetboys Home Page! Okay, I admitted it... I'm a fan. See you in two weeks!
Rickey
rickeyboy@hotmail.com
The Papaya Salsa Recipe that appeared in this issue can be found in "Jordan Slammer".
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