Anchor vs JavsScript New Window

So today I was working on a very simple problem.....I thought! Turned out to be a lesson for me and once again one of those usual web development weirdness!

The main problem is this. I want to open up a new browser window at a specific position and specified width and height. However I want the new browser window to look exactly like the client's browser window. By this I mean it should inherit those features of the client's browser e.g. status bar, menu bar, tool bar.

(P.S. - If the client decided NOT to include the status bar in their browser window, the new window that is opened up should follow this too! i.e. this is something I do not know in advance!)


So there are two ways to open up a new window:

1. Anchor:
   

   <a href=\"index.html\" target=\"windowName\">
   Glossary index
   </a>

2. Javascript, window.open():
   

   window.open(''+self.location,'mywin',
   'left=20,top=20,width=500,height=500,toolbar=yes,resizable=no ');

Now the differences between the two and the problem I encountered:
If you use the JavaScript method with window.open(), you are able to open up a new browser window at a certain position and with a specific dimension. However, problem is the popup window does not inherit the features of the client's browser.

So what about the anchor!? Well yes it does open up a new browser window that inherits the features...but (-.-" yes there's always a but isn't it!)....you won't be able to specify the position and dimension of the browser window!!! Argggghhhhhhhhhhh..........!!!!! (rahhhh!)

You see with the JavaScript method you can specify to include each specific feature or not (see the tool bar feature in the above code). So the best thing I can do is to assume what is in a standard window (of course following a qualified reference i.e. MSDN window.open() ). Base on what is described as the default, I will enable / disable the features when I open up the window via JavaScript.

Of course this is NOT really a solution as I'm only assuming what most client's browser looks like. They can well of course remove the status bar from their browser, which in this case my pop up browser window will not follow. I don't think there are any solutions to my problem right now (which of course is a minor problem)......but perhaps one day when they do improve the HTML spec or JavaScript.....something will be offered in the future for this!

To read more:
pop-up, pop-under windows
Opening a Window

A Site that will Help Save Your Day at Work

Just something for fun : P Something you can do while you are bored to death at work waiting for systems to build, code to compile, applications to open up.....or simply to get out of any problems at all.....

Recently in one of my company's blog there was a post recommending this site:
http://www.cashto.net

hehe you should feel happier about your day at work looking at this site hahaha!!! hehe give it a try! : P

P.S. - It always make me sad to see my friends looking so dead after a day of work / to know that they had to do a SUPER OT or worked their butt off to finish off work stuff!!! And the thing is I can't help them but can only sit and listen and mentally support them.

I guess it make me feel more upsetting because luckily I haven't had the need to go so crazily over board in my current job....seriously I certainly do feel quite fortunate with my current job and I am very thankful too!!! hehe lucky!!!

Anyway I hope this website will at least help all you BUSY people out there (incl anyone who moans about their work, who are stuck OT-ing....or for whatever reason you are having a bad day at work)! Hope this will help CHEER U UP! hahaha : ) ENJOY and stay HAPPY!

Two Dozen Years on Earth

Personal Prelude:
Arggh have not been updating my blog lately as I am trying to complete another goal I've set myself.....which I am behind schedule at the moment! But more importantly because of the 'activities' that have been going on around LemonTz in the last "special" month....which I MUST DEDICATE A BLOG POST ABOUT!!! i.e. this blog post! So I'm finally going to finish this post tonight (in fact it is early morning) and date this post back to the last day of Sept! (hehe and I'm actually writing this on 18th Oct 2:30am!!! : P)

Two Dozen Years on Earth...
不經不覺已生活在地球「兩打」年了！ : O 今年真係好勁啊！慶祝咗幾次，真係破唒記錄！ But seriously I don't think I have ever had so many celebrations held for my b'day before.....hehe don't I feel fortunate indeed!!! My deepest appreciation goes to to my friends and my beloved parents for making it such a FUN + EXCITING + VIBRANT celeb this year! : )

So what did I do...

1. CAS Party
   whahaha FIRST TIME EVER I had such a big big BIG b'day party (the "cleverly" named CAS party)!!!! At first I was somewhat doubtful of the party idea as there weren't too much time to prepare for it. But thanks to faiths and support from U GUYS, I can't believe we were able to pull it off and hold the party successfully (shall I say!!! ehehehe), especially within such a short time!!!
   Party location
   
   
   We not even had food, but we had helium balloons (and of coz the full tank! : P); we had actual invitations and we even have a theme for people to dress up and we EVEN had 50+ guests in the room!!! I can't believe it and the fact that we pulled it off!!! Seeing ideas & thoughts that I thought will never happen....coming into reality....I'm seriously more than "THRILLED"!!! : O
   

   
   And just to show off we DO have Helium : P And showing interior of party location
   
   
   What's more I get a Mango mousse cake as my b'day cake!!! : P YUM YUM YUM And something I'll never forget, having 50+ people singing Happy B'day to me!!! It's just totally Wow!!! I can't really describe the feeling....but it's like the feeling people have when are being watched by many many people and they are all congratulating you at the same time, claping, cheering...or in this case singing and wishing me a happy day....it did immediately sent a kind of chill + nervousness + excitement + happiness all at the same time! Thanks to you all for giving me such a precious and memorable moment which I'll treasure for my lifetime!
   
   PS - haha I'm seriously not a person that like to be the attention! : P
   PPS - I think this is the 'latest' I have ever went back to home so late!!! : P (another record broken)
   PPPS - And so so so proud of myself and my band members (now aka The Flying Honkers!) for "thickening" up your face to perform with me! : P yessss....first performance of me g-taring.....although not too successful...but none the lesss...WE DID IT!!!! YEAH!!!!
   
   
2. A visit to the Zoo + dinner + mini-party
   haha so lucky me....as the party wasn't held on my real b'day.....I did something again on my ACTUAL B'DAY!!! (Thanks to you-know-who-u-r again!!!!) Don't think I've ever celebrated more than once....so this year I've been greedy!!! kekekek promise no more! : P
   
   We went to the long overdue event the Auckland Zoo!!! The last time I've went was like 10+ years ago so it was certainly a delight to be able to go to the Zoo this time!
   
   
   To show that I really did go to The Akl Zoo! : P
   
   

   We saw heaps of different animals including the giraffes, the hippos, the lions, the monkeys, the bats, the elephants, the rhinos, the zebras and the meerkats...and a whole lot more! (mwhaha dun I miss them all!). Of course as usual there were heaps of actions along the tour (hehe not just from us but from the animals in the zoo too! : P he he he) Saw some unexpected sightings and some unusual as well!!!
   

   
   

   

   The GIRAFFE!!! : O
   
   

   Then more good friends joined the Thai dinner...yippy I ate Pad Thai....and finished off with a mini party at a 'nice nice nice' person house who has kindly offered a place for us to *cough cough* drink something and play games and sing songs and count down top 40 for "what happened to them" music groups/singers chart! : P
   

   
   
3. B'day dinner with parents!
   I had my b'day dinner with my Oarsome parents!!! arrggh bad of me that I had dinner with them not on my actual b'day (hehe but they dun care! -.-"). But we went to a Jap dinner place called Umi for dinner (down in Viaduct Basin, Auckland CBD). Although the food wasn't good (yes don't go..I really DO NOT recommend) but it was made up when we went to drink coffee and had a slice of deliciously moist Chocolate Whiskey cake down at MB Mecca cafe! Had a lovely lovely time with my beloved parents there!!!! It was all SWEET AS!
   
   See the smiley face on the cup of coffee!? : P
   
   
   
4. More...you can't be serious!!!
   hahah yes : P to celebrate the day of my Chinese b'day (and also mainly because dad was eating out with his friends), I went out to dine with mum! : P We went to "The Mount" on Mt Eden! Not a pricey place! Right amount of money and you get an equal proportion for it (I do recommend this place)! Food was good, small close and warm environment....perfect for mum and me! : P We even had dessert...a slice of apple cheesecake! A dinner + dessert + a nice outing with mum.....ehhe what more can I ask
   
   Chicken
   
   
   
   Scotch Fillet
   
   
   
   Apple cheesecake
   

Do I need to say more...
Needless for me to say....but obviously the above is my excuse for NOT BLOGGING in the month of Sept! : P Just look at how many things I've done!!!!!! (I'm one lucky ba**ard! eheh : P) Definitely very very grateful indeed to YOU-KNOW-WHO-U-R, making this Sept extra special, extra fun and extra more (events)! hehe seriously...WHAT MORE CAN I ASK FOR!!!???? : ) It was one "damn good" September!!!!!!

Just the Exact Description at Work!!!

Not too long ago, one of my workmate sent me this! LOL...it's just SO RIGHT!!!! : P Love it!!!!!!!

101% match up with what we (programmers) are like (or be like) at work!!!!
(oops I mean "No we Don't do that"....mwahah Yeah right : P !!!)

(Original image can be found from http://xkcd.com/303/)

Chasing Car (Real life version!!!)

haha tonight while my family and I were driving on our way back home after a dinner outside....it 'just so happens' that there was this BRIGHT YELLOW.......


'Lamborghini' next to us!!!! And of course I took out my mobile and slapped a few shots of it!!!!

One minute we were next to it....the next minute we were after it! We managed to caught up to the Lambor (due to traffic lights on the way)....so I took a few more shots of its back......but of course after a few more green traffic lights....we thought we'll just be NICE and 'let' the Lambor off....ahha ending our rally of 'chasing cars'! :P

Lunar eclipse won't be visible again in NZ until 3 years later

Yes yes yes...happened to read upon this article at work on Friday!!! : P

A lunar eclipse will be visible in NZ night sky next Tuesday! (And it won't be visible again until 3 years later!!!)

"A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth passes between the sun and the moon, blocking the light from the sun reaching the moon's surface. The moon will pass through the shadow of the earth.

The eclipse on Tuesday, August 28 will start at 7.52pm, but won't be noticed until around 8.51pm, when the moon enters the full shadow of the earth.

The moon will be fully eclipsed by the earth's shadow from 9.52pm to 11.23pm, with the eclipse over by 1.22am."

From the NZ Herald article: Lunar eclipse to be visible from NZ

我的第一張駕駛罰單...(亦是最後的!)

今晚我收到了我的第一張 (亦是最後一張) 超速駕駛罰單 (speeding ticket)! ><" 都是自已唔好, 敗在個「趕」字! 以後唔敢啦!!! : O

Intro:
So the incident occurred in Glen Innes....the streets were so dark (just the right spot for catching speeding cars...like me! ><"). It was all because I didn't want to waste time, so tried to take a shower before I go off to my guitar lesson....and hence i was RUSHING!!! BAD BAD BAD! (the worst thing anyone can be on the road is to be 'rushing'...the reason behind a lot of accidents!)

The Experience:
Anyway, it was the very very very first time I had ticket issued to me by a police! He firstly came up to my car to check my warrant of fitness, before he came to my window to spoke to me, telling that I over speed on a 50kph limit road! He then asked for my driver license and asked if the address on my license is the right address. Then he went back inside his car to get down the records and issue me 'the ticket'!

(For those who r rushing when you are driving...seriously it's not worth it to be caught by cops....one reason being....THEY TAKE QUITE A BIT OF TIME to get down your records and issue you the ticket...and by then while u r sitting in your car....all you can do is to watch each minute of the clock go by....they do take some time! trust me!)

Anyway, the policeman came back with the 'ticket' and my license. Then told me how much I over speed. haha He even asked if I wanted to look at the radar data (-.-" no thank you I need to get to my destination...arghh!). And funny enough, after the policeman when back to his car... a minute later he turned on the siren and before I knew it...they were chasing after ANOTHER CAR which just turned into the street. As I drove past....the cops were in their action again!!! (so fast! -.-" i'm sure they must be sensing 'other cars' while they were writing up my ticket or something!!!!)

The Result:
Well, I really had no idea that over speeding by 15kph will costs $80 plus minus 20 demerit points!!!! I 'totally' deserve this! As dad said, if I don't get the ticket this time...sooner or later I'll get it anyway! : O Stupid me!!! (If you are a driver who 'may' over speed...or if one day you over speed.....I hope you can learn from my blog post here and drop that speed of yours.....I hope no one have to experience it themselves! Don't follow my track!!!! : O)

A fine of $80 really does 'hurt' my wallet! -.-" And I actually want to say 'thank you' to them for giving a fine so high....so that people like me will 'think twice' b4 they over speed again!!!!

Conclusions:
Will watch my speed from now on! Especially at night when police cars are lurking in the dark on the streets of our neighbourhood!!! Amazingly I didn't feel scared at all when the police came....all I know is that I deserve it! : O

So......I will definitely try to 'never ever to' rush when driving from now on!!!! (even if I will be late!) And -.-" most importantly....I need to 'watch my time' from now on......and start to be punctual again!!!!! (I realised my record gone BAD nowadays.....not sure why....and apologies to those who had to wait for me! ><" APOLOGIES!!! will try to get rid of bad habit now!!!!) No more Ridiculous Over Speeding from now on!!!!!!

*P.S. - For those who like to know (and watch out for) police cars....I was caught on Tripoli Road in Glen Innes!

*P.P.S - For the record....seriously I normally don't over speed ga!!! Only when I'm 'rushing' or 'late' to something....will never ever made myself 'rush' again on the roads!!! : O

*P.P.P.S - Of coz something just for fun (below)! (Real life is never as good!!! ahha so slow down!)

iGoogle - A centralised stop off point

I have been wanting to blog about iGoogle for 'quite' a while now (back a few months time when there were some news about the revived Google Homepage)!

So essentially iGoogle is your own customised Google Homepage (formerly called 'Google Personalised Homepage' hahaha).

Personally I found that it is 'similar' to netvibes, where I can subscribe to various sources of news by adding a 'Gadget' to my page (I have actually added them on another tab called 'News').

But what's more is that I can add 'other' gadgets...e.g. Horoscope, Garfield stripes, weather update.....as well as gadgets that sync with my other Google software, e.g. Google calendar and gmail. This is what my Home tab looks like (enjoy!):

My iGoogle Home page

Another thing I found that is very neat is that Google has allowed its users to pick a theme for their iGoogle page. For the theme that I've picked I noticed that it changes according to your local weather!!!!! @.@ hehee See the following:

Sunny day:

Rainy day:

Now I thought this was pretty neat of Google to add this in! It really does give their user a nice surprise! : )

So all-in-all, iGoogle have managed to create one centralised place for me where I can just stop off to check:

• If I have new emails
  
• Upcoming appointments
• To look at news around the world
• Or just to chill out for a minute or two (by looking at 'jokes of the day' or 'Garfield comic stripes' and other gadgets)! : P

I still don't use it constantly or perhaps as frequently as Google would expect for their average user. May be I'll use it more frequently now that I have add it onto my Firefox bookmark toolbars! : P Definitely worth a try!

MSN Message Censorship

I happened to read upon an article from Slashdot. I had no idea that MSN censors the messages (going down the memory hole) that we sent and blocks it if it contains certain words e.g.

• .info
• profile.php? (including ‘?’)
• download.php? (including ‘?’)
• gallery.php
• pics.php
• ListAllTopics.php
• .scr (source)

Microsoft said that the reason behind this is "because they may be URLs to exploit Windows or Microsoft Windows Live Messenger security holes." (-.-" So it's only due to Windows bugs!)

So the next time you see the text "Could not send; a connection error occurred", it could quite possibly mean your message has been censored and blocked! (Previously, it didn't alert the user at all and just block the message without notification! -.-" Bad usability!)

Reference article: MSN Censorship

Nuffield Street Mac's Brew Bar

Prelude:
Back in the month of June (the 12th to be exact), my 'Silly' friend and I went to watch the free screening of "Bridge to Terabithia" - which was based on Katherine Paterson's Newbery Medal-winning children book talking about friendship with a somewhat "unexpected" ending.

After the movie, with leftover popcorns, we decided to leave the popcorns in 'peace' (in the bin hehe :P as they were no longer fresh) and headed over to "Nuffield Street Mac's Brew Bar" which I have patiently waited a long long time to try it out!

Review:
Let me see....I quite like the atmosphere and the settings of the room! Right on Nuffield Street, with the lights up on the tree, we pushed open the door. We found ourselves a quieter area, towards the back of the room, sitting under the man-made 'wooden' tree, and enjoyed ourselves the night there. : P They also have a wood fire place with LCD in place, the room was dark-ish with tiny lights lighted up to glow around the room. So it kindda gave a 'classy' bar feeling!!!

On to the food, we tried (excuse the dark coloured photos, as the place was dark-ish hehe):

Pan Fried Fish, with rice cake and stack of green veges

Eye fillet top with (red wine?) chocolate sauce, mash potato and veges

To finish it off, we had the Beer ice-cream chocolate pudding!

To be honest, the food didn't really 'wow' me. It was decent and presentation was excellent! (The veges were stacked very nicely, the eye fillet has deep fried noodles stuff on top and the beer ice-cream sat on a candy-made basket). For me I definitely enjoyed the presentation and the creativity of the dishes (they have better description than mine in the menu).

But in terms of the tastiness of the food, it was only 'ok'. The portion are not big at all. They placed too much soya sauce at the bottom of the stack of veges, so that it was too salty. The chocolate pudding was as if it was bought from elsewhere and microwaved to heat it back up (and it was over-cooked too -.-"). And to my disappointment, I couldn't taste 'beer' in the ice-cream! ><" However, I did enjoy the eye fillet the most! The eye fillet was definitely soft and tender. This was the first time I had chocolate sauce on a 'main dish'. Amazingly the sauce blended quite well with the beef and it definitely made it quite special for me.

Conclusions:

All-in-all, I'll say the food are 'ok'. Will definitely give points to their creativity, a classy bar environment with lovely settings and artworks. hehe It was worth a try (go if you haven't, good atmosphere there). But I think if I do go back, it'll probably be for a drink + some lighter food rather than a proper dinner.

SQL Server weirdness: Alter column datatype from ntext to nvarchar

Came across this SQL Server weirdness at work...if anyone is designing a database with column datatype of 'ntext'....then think twice! : O

You see i was writing up a SQL Server DB upgrade script and I wanted to alter a table column of datatype 'ntext' to 'nvarchar'. After I have written the SQL statement, executing it resulted in an error:

Cannot alter column 'xxx' because it is 'ntext'

Thankfully my beloved friend Google was able to help me out on this! Apparently this works in Enterprise Manager (hmm I wonder if it works for SQL Server 2005...but I would believe so) because EM does some magic to ensure it gets its job done for their user:

"You will see that it (EM) is actually copying the old table, creating a
new one, copying the data from old to new and dropping the old. That is
why it works in EM and not in the query tool!"

Right...so EM creates a new table, copy the data and then drop the old table, so that's why EM has no problem with it. But you see I am writing a script, so I am forced to 'write the query' myself! So all I need to do is to write a few more statements to manually emulate the EM behaviour in my script. (Not a hard task when table is small...but could become hideous if table is a big one)

I only have one complain about all this....ahha why can't SQL Server display more 'informative' error message! -.-" Thank goodness my friend Google is around! hehe : P

References (thanks to the following pages):
http://forums.devx.com/archive/index.php/t-48982.html
http://www.dbforums.com/archive/index.php/t-318199.html

Music is the Essence of (My) Life...(& 歌曲分享: 我們的歌)

I could still remember last Tuesday night, after attending my last Toastmaster meeting.....
(yes....I can't believe I have finally taken the bold step, be brave enough, to say I'm quitting Toastmaster!!!! And so that I can pursuit my other goals as well!!! : P)

So after the meeting has finished, I headed out to get my car. I got into my car and hooked up my "Little Black" (nano) to the car kit before I pulled the handbrake to make my way back home. While I was driving I was having this feeling.....hmm....you know the feeling when you have finally accomplished something and you come to the end of the that road? Kind of like the feeling we have when we graduate!? Happy & proud but sad at the same time! That was the exact feeling I had for the night while driving! hehe

Funny enough the music was shuffled to just the right mood for me! haha so I was singing my heart out while driving back home!!! : O And it was a wonderful feeling!!! Each song that played, I sang to it with my full heart! And when I got back home...I suddenly realised something:

What makes music so great? Why do people love music, love singing so much?

不是因為...音樂能夠唱出我們的心情，
而是因為...音樂能讓我們埋置我們的感覺在裡面。

It is not because that music sings out our feelings,
but it is because music allows us to pour our feelings and express our feelings in the song!!!

hehe think I sound a bit too 'philosophical' here.... hehehe but see the subtle difference I am trying to explain here!? : O

hehe but I believe this is why people love music, people love singing so much. Or rather...me...why I love listening to music and singing to songs so much! And after singing a good song that fits into my mood, it makes me feel awesome!

To end my note here, let me leave a piece of partial lyrics to a recent song I listened to:
王力宏 - 我們的歌
(作詞：王力宏　作曲：王力宏)

己經聽了一百遍 怎麼聽都不會倦
從白天唱到黑夜 你一直在身邊

如果世界太危險 只有音樂最安全
帶著我進夢裡面 讓歌詞都實現

無論是開心還是難過我的愛一直不變
不必擔心時間流逝帶走一切
無論是Hip-Hop 還是搖滾我的愛一直不變
所有美好回憶紀錄在裡面

For song & lyrics: 我們的歌

hehe I agree with what Lee Hom is saying here in the song ga! "Music is definitely the essence of (my) life" : P

A Night of Quotes...

I'm not too sure why....perhaps....too much emotions just filled me tonight....
Hence I happened to come up with the following colloquial quotes during a chat tonight:

• "When is enough...ENOUGH"
• "Nothing is ever ENOUGH" (courtesy to my dear friend liemon)
• "Only those who are selfish will not understand what enough means" (or those who are dumb? or those who chose not to care ?) (and courtesy to liemon again!)
  
• "Never say it is...until it is"

Something for us all to think about.....! : O

歌曲分享: What Goes Around...Comes Around

Prelude:
Have been listening to JT's (Justin Timberlake) album for quite a while now....and it is definitely a very good album to 'boil' on (Cantonese saying)!!! (And it surely does help to keep me awake during those long after lunch hours at work.....or during the dazzy cold cold Winter morning! ><") I definitely 'highly recommend' this album, Justin Timberlake - Future Sex / Love Sounds album (for those who still haven't listen to it yet)! If you like something upbeat, something different from previous 'fast' songs....give this one a try!!! I definitely enjoy the concept of the album...as you listen through the songs....running a theme and continuing a story as each track goes by..... JT has definitely showed his creativity and maturity in this album I think.

As to the songs in the album..originally I loved the song "My Love". As I continue "boiling' via the album....the more I listen to it......I found myself loving the songs "Sexy Back", "Love Stone" and in particular "What Goes Around...Comes Around".

(Image from Amazon.co.uk)

What Goes Around...Comes Around:
Love the sound effects of the song...right from the beginning you hear the catchy..."Indian benjo" sound (sorry for my incorrect description...may be you can think of a better word?)...and I guess the 'lyrics' just really got into me....(of course, as well as the up beat tempo and rhythem of the song)!

I love the following part of the song....heehe have been singing it in the car....(funny enough some of the words just 'fit in perfectly' to my mood for the last couple of months). The lyrics + the beat + the way JT is singing it...expresses the emotion perfectly:

Don't want to think about it
Don't want to talk about it
I'm just so sick about it
Can't believe it's ending this way
Just so confused about it
Feeling the blues about it
I just can't do without ya
Can you tell me is this fair?

Oh and of course...I love the title of the song too! A good little moral that we should all keep in the back of our minds!

Video:
Must watch!!! (Mtv are way better than Chinese mtv ><" sadly) What Goes Around...Comes Around (from youtube)

Lyrics:
What Goes Around...Comes Around (lyrics)

Software Project "Postmortems"

Prelude:
Yip...have been off the blogging world for a bit longer than usual as I've been quite busy trying to catch up and finish off various businesses in 'me' life!

During my 'off blogging' period...of coz I'm still relatively active on the web....and I have so many so many so many blog posts that have accumulated for the past couple of months or so....so, let me see if I can slowly catch up! : P

Meanwhile let me move on to "Postmortems"!!!

What is "Postmortems"?
Typing in "define: postmortem" on Google gives me the following:

Occurring after death.
www.dabney.com/wacomuseum/library/medterms.html

After death. Often used to describe an autopsy.
www.stjude.org/glossary

Complete exam of chicken after death
www.geocities.com/KelliAnn293/definitions.htm

Came across this article today at work:
Gave Development Postmortem
which talks about what can and should be discussed after a software project has come to an end.

Obviously this rarely happens in reality, but I reckon and agree it is very important to have 'some sort of postmortem' no matter how short it takes. By having communication and discussions, everyone and those participated can all 'learn' from the experience....so that the next project will be better to manage, better to develop and more efficiently completed!

My conclusion:
If I am a manager or a project leader one day.....I'll definitely look into this!!! : P

*P.S. - Inside the article there, there is a link to another article "The Value of Project Postmortem"

The wonderful 'Label' tag (for creating clickable labels)

The HTML Label tag for creating clickable label:
There's actually a tag in HTML 4 which allows a label to be associated with a radio or a checkbox and makes the label clickable i.e. you can check the radio or the check box by clicking on the associated label.

An example:

<form name="input" action="">
    <input type="checkbox" name="sex" id="male" />
    <label for="male">Male</label>
    <input type="checkbox" name="sex" id="female" />
    <label for="female">Female</label>
</form>

Demo:

Male
Female

So now if you click on the label "Male" it will check the check box with the id="male". Similarly if you click on the label "Female", it will check the check box with the id="female".

Limitation:
However the tag is not supported in Netscape 4. The following links are pages that I have come across that shows an alternative of how labels can still be made clickable by performing some magic with Javascript:

http://www.askdavetaylor.com/make_text_adjacent_to_checkbox_clickable.html
http://www.inquiry.com/techtips/dhtml_pro/10min/10min0101/10min0101.asp


Also a good, simple explanation of the label tag in here;
http://www.robertnyman.com/2005/12/09/label-the-secret-element/

JSP and JSP Fragment

I was kind of shock to find out that there's something call JSP fragment which can be added into JSP pages (more shocking to know that I've been so blind!!! : O). Embedding "fragments" in JSP is not the same as embedding another JSP page (which I know about!!! : P).

So here are the explanations!!!

JSP:
A JSP page is a text document that contains two types of text:

• Static data - which can be expressed in any text-based format (usually HTML).
  
• Dynamic content - Constructed using JSP elements

The page can consist of one or more files. It may include other files that contain either a complete JSP page or a fragment of a JSP page.

Embedding the whole JSP page:
For embedding source files of complete JSP pages, the files should use the extension, .jsp.

Embedding the JSP fragment:
For embedding incomplete JSP segments, the files should use the extension, .jspf. (It needs not to be legal JSP pages and thus may not compile properly).

References:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/JSP-Java-Server-3299/difference-jsp-jspf-files.htm
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wchelp/v5r6/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.commerce.developer.doc/refs/rsdjspbpjspf.htm
http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/javaserverpages/code_convention

2 Pieces of News on the wonderful world of computing!!!

To be honest, even though I am a software developer, I have to say I am still kind of ignorant about the history and the background to the industry. But I am trying to expand my knowledge (esp now that I'm working in the industry) hehe reading more news about the web, technology and the computing world.

In particular I came across 2 piece of news articles this week which definitely deserve to be mentioned in my blog!!!

News #1: Web inventor gets Queen's honour
In particular being a web developer how can I NOT KNOW about the person who invented the wonderful world of WWW!!!! : O (Otherwise I wouldn't even have a job right now!! hehe) Yeah...I'm ashamed of myself!!! ><" Admittedly thanks to Sir Tim Berners-Lee for inventing the web....yeah I was attracted by the 'dot com' hype during the 90s....and hence eventually studied the programming in varsity and working now as a web developer!!! So congratulations to Sir Tim Berners-Lee for receiving the Order of Merit!!! Yeah he deserves it!!!!! : ) See the CNN Article: Web inventor gets Queen's honour


News #2: 1 Billion PCs in use by end of 2008
So by 2008, the population of PCs in the world will reach a record of 1 billion!!! Although it has taken 27 years to reach 1 billion, but it is predicted that it will only take 5 years to reach the next billion!!!!! "Ging ah"!!! See the article 1 Billion PCs in use by end of 2008.

Today's trend in selling software product

I read the following article today which is about how the sales reps try to sell a software product to potential customers. It talks about today's trend in the Software Industry in terms of how to sell a software and how the big $ are earned!!! Gave me quite a bit of information on how today's software industry trades.

(In particular it belongs to part of a series of articles that talk about how Oracle became so prominent!!!)

The pitch: Inside the pressure cooker

Enjoy! :P

I did it...after one year plus of perseverance!!! I'm a CC now!

I did it, I did it, I did it!!!!!!!!! \@.@/ YIPPY!!!!!!!

After one year plus of perseverance and dedication (or some may call me stubborn) , I did it!!! Just completed my 10th and last Toastmaster speech tonight for the Competent Communicator manual. I rarely (and try not to) commend myself...but this time I must really give myself some credits! : P I'm seriously proud of myself that I was able to stick with it, doing something that I normally 'dislike' and basically I completed this challenge that I set for myself!!!! : P Yeah!!!

On a serious note, although I dislike doing speeches, I have to say Toastmaster is definitely something that will benefit you, especially if you are not good or get freak out at public speaking or giving formal/informal/prepared/impromptu speeches. It is internationally recognised. Definitely will help those who need to speak to a lot of different people and clients in their work. One thing I particularly enjoy (and I guess I've always enjoy) is to listen to other people's speeches, especially when they got something inspirational or life experiences they talked about (will write another blog about toastmaster competition later)! You definitely learn something from others!!!

So today, I can officially call myself a CC (competent communicator). hehe : P
Yeah!!! Another goal completed for the year (see 2007 New Years Resolution). Happy happy joy joy! : P Rahhhh!

(Reference: http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/hippiechick005/domokun.jpg)

2007 Top 100 Most Influential People By Times

For those of you who don't know, each year the Time magazine list out the top 100 most influential people in each category of discipline. I happened to stumble up on the 2007 one while researching for my Toastie (toastmaster speech). So here's the results:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/time100/

Enjoy! : ) See if you agree or not!

歌曲分享: 回到過去

I guess I started to really enjoy and to like this song since the beginning of this year, while I was listening to it at work....! : P

Again a classic love song by 周杰倫. But what made this one special to me was once again the 'mood' of the song. In particular I love the plugging of the guitar in the intro, it really captured my attention to the song. It then lead to a quiet and lonely first verse, slowly building up to a sweet and powerful melody in the chorus and finally an emotional last verse just before the chorus is repeated; music + lyrics, telling us the story and frustration of the guy! (And I guess as I become 'older' and 'wiser....the song title "回到過去" does have a meaning for me! : P All the memorable memories from the past! eheh may be another reason why I like the song! haha)

The guitar intro was especially memorable to me after watching Jay's '無與倫比'演唱會 with his farmers look! And of course only after researching for the song did I find out that the lyrics was written by 劉畊宏!!! The lyrics are quite good too, mixing well with the melody of the song, linking well with the mood. (Gee....both are so so talented!!!! ><") So I would say this song is a pretty good piece of work between these two good friends! : P A job well done! So another Jay Chow's classic love song...which you may have forgotten. But may be now that you listened to it again, may be you too may have a different 'feel' on it and find the song not bad too!? Perhaps!? ehhe : P

回到過去

詞：劉畊宏 | 曲：周杰倫 | 編曲：邁可林

一盞黃黃舊舊的燈 時間在旁悶不吭聲
寂寞下手毫無分寸 不懂得輕重之分
沉默支撐躍過陌生 靜靜看著凌晨黃昏
妳的身影 失去平衡 慢慢下沉

黑暗已在空中盤旋 該往哪我看不見
也許愛在夢的另一端 無法存活在真實的空間

想回到過去 試著抱妳在懷裡 羞怯的臉帶有一點稚氣
想看妳看的世界，想在妳夢的畫面
祇要靠在一起就能感覺甜蜜
想回到過去 試著讓故事繼續 至少不再讓妳離我而去
分散時間的注意 這次會抱得更緊
這樣挽留不知還來不來得及 想回到過去

思緒不斷阻擋著回憶播放 盲目的追尋仍然空空盪盪
灰濛濛的夜晚睡意又不知躲到哪去
一轉身孤單已躺在身旁

(lyrics from http://orzt.com/lyr.php?n=MDAxMDIwMDUwNjAwMDg@00JQQYT5eeGEI)

Video:
回到過去 (Original MTV)
(Unfortunately I was unable to find the version in '無與倫比'演唱會. So may be the following can be a replacement for showing off the song in guitar style! : P)
回到過去 結他 Demo By mansonwise
回到過去 from The One conert

(母親節 Edition) 歌曲分享: You Raise Me Up

I remembered I listened to this song before....but just recently both my mum and I have been hearing this song on radio and tv and so I finally looked up the song on the web! (Yip I can't believe why I didn't listen to this song when it was first released....must've been too busy back in varsity, because this song is just too nice and meaningful to ignore!!!!! : O)

Another great classic ballad song from Westlife. I would probably agree that it's one of their best songs too!!!! Simply because the composition of the song is nice and simple and meaningful...with the violin in the interlude...adding the Ireland feel to the song (which made the song appeared to be tailored for Westlife). No wonder it was used as the comeback hit in 2005 after Brian has left the band.

Anyway, enjoy the song (and the lyrics)!!! I have nothing more to say as the song and its lyrics are just simple and meaningful and powerful. haha it's pretty much self explanatory!!! : P And I shall dedicate this to my mum (which has become her recent favourite song) and to my dad too (although it's only Mothers' Day hehe!)!!! 母親節快樂!!! : ) 多謝你們的培育!!!! 多謝你們 for "raising me up" to become the person that I am today...多謝...!

(Part of the) Lyrics:

When I am down and oh my soul, so weary,
When troubles come and my heart burden be,
Then I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit a while with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains,
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas,
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders,
You raise me up To more than I can be.

Enjoy the video:
Westlife (featuring Secret Garden) - You Raise Me Up (Live version)
Westlife - You Raise Me Up (Original MTV)

ALZip: One Reason Why it is Better

Compression utility, a software that allow you to bundle multiple files together and compress the resultant file into a smaller size than the combined size of the original files. Great for transferring files between devices and for sending them across networks.

So I started off with using one of the original file archiver, Winzip. Then I opted for WinRar due to its light weight and have been using it ever since....until yesterday!

You see I was having this problem of opening an archive that hold files with Chinese characters as its file names. Windows nor the compression program itself can recognise the file name and hence, there was no way I could extract the needed files.

But then comes, AlZip, which saved the archive!!!! : ) ALZip allows you to rename the files inside the archive. So I was able to rename the badly named files and I was able to extract the files out afterwards! Although it takes up more space than WinRar, but it has a more modern look to the application including some 'cute' looking icons.

A screen shot of ALZip (taken from ALZIp website, in reality actually no 'picture' of the thing in the bottom right corner at all)

So if you are experiencing similar problems as me, I would recommend you to try to use ALZip to resolve your problems (and I have actually uninstalled WinRar off my computer now!) Enjoy!!! : P

The Evil Devil Hell's Pizza

Food Review:
Let's see back in early April (8th April 2007) I purchased two snack size Hell's pizza down in the Quay Street branch.....and yip....these two pizzas were devilishly tasty! (Well actually one was special and the other was just vvv tasty!!!) @.@### It was probably one of the best pizza (not just Hell's) that my family had!!!!


First of all I have to add that the snack size pizzas just looked very cute!!! : P Inside the petite sized box you'll find 4 slices of pizza in a box. Although they are snack size, but the fillings on top of the pizza were well sufficient with enough melting mozzarella cheese spreading across the pizza's surface!!! mmmmmm.......@.@####



You probably wont' be able to tell the difference between the two pizzas in the photo, but on the left is Cursed and on the right is Serpent.

Cursed was a very 'different' pizza for me as it uses honey mustard and gherkins. So the pizza was sour and sweet in taste (but more tended towards the sour side). Not the kind of strong salty mustard sauce that I hoped for. If you like sour taste, you may like this pizza. It was an ok for me...let me give it a 3.

Next came the marvellous Serpent. Let me give you the description here:

"Smoked Salmon, Spring Onion & Cream Cheese. Optional : Capers or Caesar dressing"

We picked Caesar dressing....and basically the pizza was just NICE, FANTASTIC, GREAT!!! Even my dad said it was his best pizza ever!!! : P

The pizza had enough fillings, with the cream cheese melting and blending in with the melted mozzarella cheese and topping it with some caesar dressing!!! mmm..Delicious....definitely my best pick for Hell's pizza (but not that I tried too many)!!!

However I can't promise whether the fillings and cheese will be the same on a regular pizza...not too sure if the snack size of my pizza made any difference!!!??? But if you haven't try it...highly recommend it!!! Definitely giving it a 5+!!! My pick!!!

Choc Bilby: A Gift from Aus

Yeah my first Chocolate Bilby!!! A gift for me from my 'partner-in-crime' from Aus!!!! : P (Thx mate!)

You see coz the Aussies does not like 'rabbits' at all (as you know the battle between farmers and rabbits)....so during Easter in Aus....instead of having the traditional Easter Bunnies...they have Easter Bilby instead (Read here for more info on the 'Aussie' section)!!!! And this is my first!!!! : )

(Pic of my Choc Bilby before it 'disappears'...oh...the two eggies that came with the Bilby have disappeared ALREADY!!! ehehh they were very good tasting chocolate too!!!! : P)

一周年

Preface:
This post was originally created as a memorandum for my one year anniversary at work (which was suppose to be 16th Jan this year)!!!! hahah unfortunately I didn't get around to writing the entry for this post at all..... ><" (bad me!)

So...I thought today I shall.....which is already 1 year + 1 day (1st May) since I attended my University Graduation that I shall finish up this post!!! As a "一周年" 紀念 (one year anniversary).

So I've been out there for a year...
I can still remember the day of my graduation vividly in my mind...a lovely sunny morning...walking down from UofA down to Queen Street (and with our unforgettable 'Ah 4' on the side). So much happiness and joy! ahhh....wonderful, marvellous, lovely!!! : )

Life has certainly treated me well for the past year...very fortunate of me! : ) Went on some great trips, been to fantastic places that turned my little eyes bright and big, still get to chill out with my friends doing stuffs together each weekend and I'm still the same at home nagged (but loved I hope : P) by my parents.

Work is great too....well it certainly didn't turn out to be what I was expecting....but what more can I ask for! Get to work in a lay back company (of course apart from needing to meet the release date!), listen to music while working (& 'socialising' on the net too!!! : P), get to work on a product that I know (well at least hope) it will have a positive impact to people's lives. Although I was hoping to be able to 'gain' more knowledge in terms of programming, but with a job like that....not bad not bad....to have a start like this as a graduate!

A year later...what now?
I'm grateful, definitely very grateful for what I had for the past year! Really, 不經不覺, a year has past. Thinking back... I've been officially out of uni for a year now and actually out there in the work force for a year too! wow! Time really does go fast!!! ahah and boy, when I went back to uni....lol I really do think the students look YOUNG!!! ahha I guess that just show how 'mature' I am now! haha : P

(In memory of our beloved Flying Dish UofA Engineering Main Entrance)

Knowing that it's gonna be 2 years anniversary next year, haha I think it's time I really need to try to 'learn' and absorb more knowledge and start to challenge myself again (I guess this is reflected in my new year resolution too).

To my fellow friends (who were in the same year of graduation as me):
Happy One Year Anniversary to you too! I hope your year out there was not rough and that you enjoyed your year free of uni, free of studying, free of exam...and free of 'annoyance' from me (but of course there are still those unlucky ones who still suffer daily annoyance from me over this technological web2.0 age!!! mwahha) ! : P

And of course...how can I end this blog without dedicating the following song to you girls and boys (and to all those who are going to graduate soon)! : )
'Graduation' (Harry Potter version)
'Graduation' mtv (if you wanna see the original version)

p.s. - Kind of 'nostalgic' when I listened to this song again....haven't heard it for so long! lol another sign of becoming more 'mature'! : P Hope you enjoyed it too!

A New Planet Found Close to Earth

(An article dedicated to my small but long fascination in Astronomy! : P)

A new planet has been found outside our solar system by "Swiss, French and Portuguese astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's 3.6m telescope at La Silla in Chile".

This planet has not been named yet but it is the smallest planet to be found discovered our solar system and it could possibly have the right temperature and environment to support life! (Aliens!!!! 0_0??? hmm the idea of aliens existing in the universe....haha think I will need some time to take in this if it's true!)

It is 20.5 light years away from Earth and one year on the planet only lasts for 13 days (as it is 14 times closer to the Sun then the Earth). Well, by 2020, the telescopes should be advance enough for the astronomers to take a closer look at this planet!!!

(hmm 2020! ahah who knows! May be I'll have the money to do space travel!!! : P)


Source: It's 20 lightyears away - but still close to Earth

My First Man-Made Espresso at Work

Since I left my part-time uni work around 5 years ago (which was my first real job in the workplace!!!), where I worked at a world famous coffee shop, I have never used an espresso machine to steam milk again!!!

And I have to say....I miss making a cup of hot and freshly brewed coffee on the espresso machine..and miss the sound of steaming milk too!!!!!!!

Luckily the espresso machine at work has been revivied...so one day last month...I finally made my first cup of espresso coffee at work!!!! : P Here it goes!


hahah it's not the 'perfect' cup of coffee...with small amount of tiny bubbles on the side! eheh oh well...but I'm pretty proud of it after 5 years of break! hehe and I realise how much I miss making a cup of espresso, latte, cappucino, flat white, caramel macchiato!!! haah one day, just may be, one day.....when I earned enough money and retired.....I should open that coffee shop at the corner of the streets.....ehhe one day....!

FYI - One interesting page on different styles of pouring and decorating the top of an espresso:
How to make a good coffee?

Common Reason Results in Common Thinking...

Q: What can possibly get everyone in a company fired up on a Friday morning?

A: When a 'stupid' car has decided to park besides the entrance to the company's car park on a Friday morning (around 8am) and blocking everyone's way into the car park.


So basically anyone who arrived at work after 8am could not get into the car park simply because this 'car' was blocking part of the way into the entrance!!! It's was just fustrating to have to find parking along the side streets when you can see ALL THE EMPTY spaces in the company's car park!!! -.-"

So basically everyone got angry and annoy by this 'little' car that was blocking everyone's way!!! Fortunately, later on in the morning the HR assitance was able to ask the construction workers to move their gates to allow everyone into the car park through another route.

Moral of the story:
Well it was funny to learn there's at least one that that can make everyone (well a big majority) in a company to have the same feeling about....i.e. moaning and growling over that silly little car!!! But seriously...people were not happy (incl myself) to see such a silly thing happening and affecting a lot of people!

hehe I guess I now realise one thing...when there is a 'common reason' for a group of people, they will share 'common thinking'!!! i.e. the SILLY 'car' resulting in a group of 'annoyed workers'!!!

P.S. - Another importnat 'moral' is that....make sure you think about 'other people' in your action!!! In particular when you are parking esp outside 'my company's car park' (hehe! j/k : P) make sure you do not 'block' other peoples way of travelling!!! Because it could potentially 'affect' a lot of people!!! (this is specifically to the owner of that little car that blocked everyone's way!!!!)

Time to Renovate My House

hahah first of all I do not own a house at all (though I wish I do)! haha : P

But, I happen to see both of these things on (in the 'spare' time I had at work!) during the last couple of days....haha and boy.....don't I wish I have the cash and a big enough house to renovate with!!!! @.@###

1. 103-inch Panasonic Plasma
   LOL!!! Crazy!!! So Panasonic come up with a 103 inch Plasma TV! ahah I seriously wonder how big the lounge will need to be...not only to fit it but to be able to sit back 'far enough' just to watch it without strangling !!!! : P
   
   
   Refer: Gizmodo: 103inch Plasma , Gizmodo: Eight 103inch Plasmas with Kung Fu
   
   
2. A Bookshelf Door
   A must have for me!!! lol!!! This one is just SO AWESOME!!!! ahhah I really wish my bedroom door can be changed into this!!! haha this is just so funny and can be a very useful, multi-purpose door as well!!!! : P (lol imagine walking past my bedroom door, which is a bookshelf....haha and I open it to walk into my secret room)!!! Awesome!!! @.@####
   
   
   Refer: Gizmodo: Bookshelf Doors
   

My Visual DNA!!!

From my good "mate" blog...... introducing another test....

VisualDNA

After doing the test...you'll definitely feel your day has been brightened up!!! (just by looking at the various pics!) : P

Here's my VisualDNA:

Here's what your choices might mean about you

Starting with your style, turning heads is not a priority - you prefer classic comfort. You like objects to be useful and make life a little easier.

You get your kicks from living life at top speed - you've got heaps of energy and confidence that takes you in any direction. Your confidence is what others find sooo attractive!

Never one to sit in the slow lane, you live life at full pelt - sometimes racing to experience more.

You love the beat of the city and you love dates that match that fast pace. Be it dinner or dancing, you like to make the most of what the city nightlife has to offer.

Craving the trappings of a luxe lifestyle, you love stunning surroundings and a good dash of glamour. It's tough at the top!

So... you like to get close and cuddle up. You demand heaps of attention, but it's nice to give it back too.

When extra time appears, you want to gratify your curiosity - you are on a quest for more knowledge.

To impress, your date should come up with a kooky idea that will light up your mind. You love crazy ideas in action.

Making Hardwares Look Natural

One day at work again (back in the month of March), I happened to stumble upon the following article in New York times:

"How to Soften the Edges of Technology"

It was indeed an interesting article as it talks about companies out there that are trying to make our Home PC and IT peripherals looking more natural, less modern and less cube looking.

A computer hard case made of wood, include stand for monitor

haha I reckon it's definitely very innovative indeed...but I doubt I would want one as I love the modernised feel of our computers, just as it is! : P

Quote to Share: Ole Kirk Christiansen (Founder of Lego)

While I was researching about "Lego" for my last Toastmaster speech, I came across another good and truthful quote. As today is Hong Kong's Children's Day (4th April)......I thought it would be quite appropriate for me to commemorate the day by sharing this quote from the founder of the imaginative Lego toys:

Life is a gift, but it’s more than just that. Life is a challenge.

Ole Kirk Christiansen
(Ref: Toy Industry Hall of Fame)

Brief background:
Lego actually started off from a very humble beginning where Old Kirk Christiansen started up the Lego business after his carpentry business almost went bankrupt during the The Great Depression. The Lego company went through a lot of ups and downs with their toys sale. It was not until many years later when they finally developed the Lego brick and the concept of a 'toy set' did the Lego company finally began to lift off! It was Ole's dedication and perseverance with his ideas and beliefs that built the success of the Lego. Ole had a motto that "only the best is good enough". "His dedication to the simple principles is an inspiration to us all".

Related links:
The Making of ...a Lego (a good informative article about the Lego bricks as why it is our "Toy of the Century")
Amazing Venice in Lego (Images of Venice made in Lego!!!)

April Fools Day and Google

Yip...1st of April is April Fools Day!!! I remembered that I got 'fooled' by the same 'friend' (>o<" Rahhh) for the past couple of years now! But haha due my friend's lack of sleepness today I 'finally' was not fooled by her and I have even managed to break the cycle by 'fooling' her back on msn!!! (yes! Victory!!! : P) But I have to agree that my joke was pretty 'random' and 'cold'... -.-" I told her that I left a piece of important paper in her letterbox and she has been even as nice as to offer to go outside of her house (at night) to get it for me. (At that point of course I stopped the joke...because if she did go outside...I'll feel so guilty!!! ><").

eheh BUT I couldn't BELIEVE that I have been fooled by Google instead! ><" (still not breaking the cycle!). The thing is I didn't even realise I got fooled by 'Google Paper' until I read upon the article on Techcurch: Google Really Takes April 1 Seriously. Apparently:

"Google takes a lot of time with its April Fools jokes, and they generally center around new products. Last year we saw the launch of Google Romance. This year, they have two solid fake product launches: Google TiSP (free broadband service) and Google Paper (Prints out Gmail on paper and sends it to you)."

haha and after I finished reading the article......haah I was like Wow....Google you really did fooled me!!! I should really learn from Google first before creating my joke!!! : P And I hope my blog does help to warn those who really thought there's something called Google Paper and Google Tisp!!! (Good on you Google! ahhaha)

P.S. - Google Tisp is really funny! haha 'free' wireless broadband service! ahhaa