How to Get the Most Out of Your Web Designer

            Imagine yourself being in a dilemma of choosing the right paint and furniture for the interior of your new home. You want every piece of item to reflect your personality and style. But you don’t know how to go about it. You turn to an expert for help, and having faith his sense of style and expertise in the field, you let him do all the work. It turns out the colors the designer used consisted of bold clashing patterns that give you motion sickness.

            Like interior designing, web designing produces good results if there is collaborative effort on the part of the designer and the client. It’s just like doing a business plan. Give the designer a profile of your business and your objectives for the project. Set the scope and constraints of the plan. And most importantly, identify your target audience.

            Tell your designer what you like or don’t like. Better yet, familiarize yourself with other websites. Or ask for advice. Listen to other ideas but always follow your heart.

           Always get a feedback from your designer. There might be changes and requests you should respond to immediately. Not doing so might leave your designer groping in the dark. The more information you give, the more possibility you will get the design you want. It’s your ideas that shape the outcome of the project. You do the molding and tempering, while the designer acts as the potter’s wheel and kiln, and your ideas serve as the clay. The quality of the pottery is determined by the composition of the clay and how it is prepared. Likewise, the success of your teamwork is reflected in your finished product.

Doing Business is Just One Click Away

Ever since McDonald’s set the trend of fast food restaurants in 1948, there has been an upsurge to follow this drift toward faster and cheaper technology. Although cheeseburgers contain the caloric equivalent of an entire roasted pig, they sell because people can get them faster.

            Today the idea of finding ways to do things faster and easier has led people to create technology from instant food to instant messaging. It’s no surprise to see such changes taking place as well in business. In fact some traditional procedures have become out-of-date because many businesses now function through emails and the web. In addition there is a new avenue that is emerging that can help a busy business person like yourself and it’s as easy as keeping a diary or a journal. It gives the benefits of both the use of personal emails and business websites.

            Blogging is informal and can be maintained easily. It can be easily done in three steps: write, link to resources then publish. Information can be shared by both customers and employees unlike having a business website. You do not need to contact you web designer to update your site. Additionally, you can use it to attract potential employees and get feedback from customers. You can post the updates yourself about your new products and services without resorting to weekly or monthly newsletters for your employees or spending more money for advertising. Customers can also look for answers or help anytime they want. It will be easier for you to know if your customers are satisfied with your products or not. These days a lot of people order online and any other means that require more effort on the part of your customers might discourage them. Keeping track of your business is as easy as ordering a takeout pizza. So make blogging your business.

Trash Panic: A Review

Title: Trash Panic or ゴミ箱 Gomibako

Publisher: SCEA

Platform: PlayStation 3

Modes: Single and two-player

Trash Panic is different from most puzzle games because the player has to make the items fit in a limited space. Usually in most puzzles, the pieces are grouped together to make them disappear and provide more space for the other pieces that are dropped. Some good examples of this is Tetris and the classic brick game. This is not the case for this game. The size of the garbage bin in Trash Panic is uniform throughout the different stages of 3 modes that the player can choose from. The game will end when the player has dropped 3 undamaged items outside the bin. The next stage is unlocked once the player has compacted all the trash in the bin delivered by a yellow conveyor.The items delivered by a conveyor have different characteristics and the player must take these into consideration while disposing them. Some items are heavy objects that can be used to smash or break other pieces. Other items cannot be broken easily. Some trash are elastic and would bounce off when the player drops the item suddenly. In every stage there are items that cannot be broken and will only disappear when burned or decomposed. Some are flammable and the others can be used as fuel or explosives.

There are 6 stages for Main Dish (normal) and Hell mode (hard) and 5 stages for Sweets (easy). The former also have boss fights for each stage and the player must defeat them to avoid the penalty of dropping more items into the bin. The scores will depend on the manner of the overall disposal for each stage. The rating will be based on several factors and the player is given either an Eco (ecological) or Ego (egotistical rating). At each stage, the size and quantity of trash will differ. The bosses will also be different.

The player will also encounter 4 characters that will help with the disposal and will give rewards for each stage. The rewards can either be used to break or smash breakable items or the player is given a flammable item. There are also 6 modes to choose from: main, unlimited, versus, and mission.

Gameplay: The Single Player Modes

The controls are not so complicated but the player has to take into consideration the placement and properties of each item. The bigger breakable items should be smashed because every tiny space counts. While the 'bouncy' items should not be dropped or bounce outside the bin because this will count as a violation. Each boss fight has a time limit and some of them are tricky. Sometimes the conveyor will give the player a ball (which will bounce off) so the player must be quick to 'hold' the item or place it away from the boss without dropping it. When the boss isn't broken, the player receives a penalty - several yellow items are dropped into the bin and will make the disposal even harder. The game is mostly a trial-and-error process. But once the player is familiar with the items in each stage, it becomes easier to formulate a plan on how to dispose them. 

Although the player is given an option to burn the trash, the smoke will add more points to the Ego scale. The explosives are useful as well but it will add more points to Ego. Sometimes the player is given a 'decomposition ball' and this is more ecologically-friendly than the fire and explosives. But the ball needs water constantly. If the player drops it in the middle part of the bin and once the water level decreases, it disappears. However when two decomposition balls are in the bin, they form roots which will help them to access the available water even if they are far from its source. It is also necessary to 'shake' the bin to maximize each available space. This is done by shaking the controller.

Stage six is very challenging even on normal mode (no stage 6 for easy mode). And even after you've disposed of the 'earth', you have to keep the fire going to dispose the credits as well. Beating stage six is a bit tricky because once you get the fire going, the player must time the addition of another fuel. The earth occupies a lot of space as well so each item must be placed carefully and burned right away. Other items can also be used to break the fuel.

Rating

The game requires a lot of time and patience. Every item counts. One little mistake might cost you. When you fail to break one huge item, it's better to restart the stage because there's no way you will beat it. But it's a lot of fun as well because it's a new kind of puzzle. The music and art are both well done, although some items get stuck in the upper portion of the bin from time to time. The manual isn't useful either and it's hard to read. The game will be frustrating at first but because of its difficulty, you will have more reason to try and finish it (unless you're the type who will back out). One important thing that's missing however is the option to save the game in the middle of the stages. When the player quits without reaching the last stage, s/he will have to start all over again next time.

Personally, I had a great time playing Trash Panic and I was so happy when I finally cleared stage 6. I recommend this game for people who don't like easy games. If you want challenges, I can guarantee that even on easy mode, this game will crack your brains.

I'm giving Trash Panic an 8.5 out of 10 rating.

Why Play Video Games?

As a long time enthusiast of video games, I think I would never be able to survive another year without it. I've been on a hiatus for seven years and I regret it. I missed a lot of good titles and it seems like I have wasted my time with other things. The first game I got hooked into was CounterStrike. I used to play with my high school female friends after school. We usually spent 3 hours at the Internet cafe challenging other players. I've never played with bots but with real people. One thing I noticed was the lack of females among the competitors. However, I went on hiatus because I cannot fully explain to my parents my need to get my daily head shots. It was only when I discovered that our personal computer had a handful of challenging real-time strategy (RTS) games that I rediscovered that passion. I was introduced to Generals by no less than my father. Next I tried Battle Realms and the old version of CounterStrike, but this time I played against bots. I love military tactics, and because of those RTS games I can fantasize being a commander of an army. First-person shooters will always have a special place in my heart. I've never tried playing against real people, but I love playing through the missions and the bonus challenges.

Contrary to popular belief, we gamers are not violent, lazy people who spend most of our time bingeing and staring at the screen for hours. I do admit that I've spent more than 10 hours on a few games in the past few years but I haven't had any serious health concerns ever since I was introduced to console gaming. I don't recommend to anyone to spend more than 2 hours in front of the screen without taking breaks. I understand how addictive it can be for first-time gamers. Even for 'veterans', it isn't easy to pry your mind off a mini-game or a mission you have not yet completed. But players should be responsible. You cannot really finish a boss fight or a puzzle when you're hungry or when you have a bad headache.

When my fiance introduced me to PlayStation 2, it opened up more possibilities for me. I immediately liked the Prince of Persia and the Dynasty Warriors series. Then when he sent me God of War, I was totally obsessed. I also played a few good role-playing games such as Baldur's Gate 2 and Legaia 2: Duel Saga.

People sometimes need to step out of reality into a world formed by different shapes, colors and sounds of moving pixels that somehow both resemble and differ from the real world. Similar because it is bound by rules and the actions are limited by the options provided to us. Different because we don't usually see creatures that look like us but have a different shade of hair and eyes and will move only through a simple push of a joystick.

By literally placing myself in the shoes of different characters, I have explored different worlds, spoke different languages, ate different kinds of food, met different types of personalities, and fought alongside them. Kratos' pain and hatred were mine as well. If my comrades get killed while trying to infiltrate a camp, I feel the frustration as well. I felt righteous anger when a village was besieged by a group of people who seek only to plunder and murder. And I felt compelled to set things right for a kingdom I had betrayed.

So why play video games? To live different lives, experience different emotions and see a lot of things we might never do so in our lifetime. To compete and gain new friends. To spend time with myself, honing my reflexes and contemplating mistakes and triumphs that come with every push of the button. The problems we make in video games are not different from the ones we have in our real world, but the choices are limited by the creators' imagination and the consequences are often predictable. Games mirror different point of views of our world, albeit it's only a tiny part of the whole thing, whether it's a man's quest for vengeance or a country's struggle to protect its citizens from invaders.

The Flame

Note: I wrote this for my fiance a few years back. I've also posted this at Writing.com before (see links).
I am consumed by your love that was once only a spark of admiration.
You set it afire and the tongues of flame,
flames of longing and desire, took over me.
Everyday that we get closer I burn with the desire
to touch you, to kiss you.
I want to look into your eyes so I can find my soul in them.
My happiness I know I can only find in your arms.
I know I'll be complete just lying beside you in bed
and hearing your heart beat.
There is a special connection between us.
Something beyond our understanding.
A force so strong it broke our shields
of hatred, distrust and loneliness.
A force that brought two lonely souls together.
There is a music played especially for us.

Take me and dance with me.
Hold me close and let our bodies speak for our hearts.
I see eternity in your eyes.
And as I think of this, I can't help but ask myself if this is true
because of the overwhelming emotions that are filling me up.

The rhythm of our hearts play a music that only our souls can hear.
In our own small world we are complete.
I have you and I have everything that I need.
Words are not enough to capture your beauty.
The beauty that I see in you simply shines through.
Only a great artist must have created such a masterpiece like you.
And only a fool like me would attempt to paint just one
.But yes, I am a fool and a happy one at that.
Let me be a fool for you, love.
Let me cry in your arms;
laugh and smile with you when you're happy;
let me sing and dance to praise your beauty;
and let me tell you how much I love you,need you and want you.

Parasite

I feel so sick and so alone.
I need fulfillment but inside me is a parasite;
eating my innards one by one.
Little by little it becomes me
and I become the parasite.

The parasite took away my love for life
and replaced it with pessimism and self-pity.
I am disgusted of it but I can't get it out.
I want to pull it out and clean my soul of its dirt.
I seek consolation by blocking my emotions
and denying the senses.
Yet I wonder if numbness can make me stronger.
Though it acts like a shield,
it does not recognize what things are to be kept out.
It imprisoned my soul.

I feel like a box and within it are trapped voices.
I feel like a book waiting to be read
so that I may come alive.
I am tired of locking memories in.
I need to be in control of myself.
I need me.
I need my body and my soul back.
I need to become human.

The Second Sex

How much is a worth of a woman?

How do you tag prices on her?

by her physical beauty?

by how good a cook she is?

by her need for someone to protect her?

by the satisfaction you get in bed with her?

or by her vulnerability that makes you appear stronger?

What is a woman to you?

Should strength be measured by the use of the intellect or by compassion?

Do women need to be in history books to be considered powerful?

Are women just holes waiting for something to be inserted in them?

Are women just the mothers of your children?

Are wives just free houseserveants?

If a woman is weak, why are you under her spell?

Why is she worth fighting for?

Is she just a prize of your manliness?

Mother For Sale

I sold my mother. Yes that's right, I sold her as a prostitute.

She raised us alone, all sixteen of us. And she doesn't have a decent job. We had three fathers but they all left my mother when she no longer had any use to them.

Mama willingly gave herself and sacrificed for us. There were nights when we would go hungry. The little kids would cry and cling to her while we grown-ups pretend to be alright.
We live in a small nipa hut with no water and electricity so we have to use lamps every night.

Mama would go on with her work just to get us through the day. And she has to send the big kids to school, too. But we cannot concentrate on anything with empty stomachs. Sometimes we would chop her up so we could have something to eat. But she always came back only to be eaten again.

Mama is an attractive woman. Most of her customers are foreign men. She was abused and raped many times but she doesn't care. We children didn't care, we want food, that's all. Her submission seemed heroic. And the desire to give us a better life kept her going till she's old.

No one wanted her services anymore so we told her to sell her organs to hospitals. And she did. First it was one of her kidneys, then part of her liver until what was left was her heart and brain. We still need her to provide our needs, so we didn't sell her important organs. But doing all these didn't ease our problems.

Now she has to send us to college. The little kids are growing up, as well as their demands. Plus prices are higher and the cost of living has become unbearable. We don't want to work. It's her responsibility to raise us. She bore us so she must suffer the consequences.

Mama is old but we sold her anyway. We sold her as a slave. And she agreed.

Soon we'll leave Mama to make our own families. We don't want to go back to her and to that rotten house. But she has to take care of our children and our grandchildren as well. She has to sell herself still in the future.

Such is the fate of our mother, the Philippines.

Light On the Night Sky

Photo taken by Cassie

I watched you with awe and fear

as your beauty and darkness excite my emotions.

To the naked eye, you are a still object

Silhouetted against an eerie background.

But to my eyes, you seem to dance across the empty sky.

Your light moves around the roundness of your body.

Your pale yellow color accentuates the art of death beneath you.

Your shape is like the Cyclops’s eye,

staring out and lording over the mere mortals like us,

who take time to rejoice in your beauty.

You are the queen of darkness;

a light to the somber side of the earth.

As you ascend above the night sky,

you transform into a harmless creature.

Your white light becomes elusive.

No one can ever tell which side is the real side of you.

Whether it be good or bad,

you have done wonders by your infinite silence,

and unnoticed deceit, dear Moon.

My Sad Eyes

Sad eyes

that don’t twinkle

wink back at me

their sorrow and loneliness.

Sad eyes

that cry with no tears

telling me to search

for the light that never shone.

Sad eyes

weary, tired and lifeless

try to hide the soul

its desires and dreams

Sad eyes

their beauty fading

in blind pretension

and mashed bravery

Sad eyes

that don’t twinkle

are enveloped in darkness

as I close

my sad eyes.

Minnie the dog. Photo taken by Cassie.

Four Corners

I’ve got to get out of here!
But I don’t like people from outside
I hear murmurs inside my head,
I’m getting crazier everyday.
Someone’s at the door
But he’s knocking at the opposite room.
I’m locked in my seat
But I don’t want to be free.
This is my home, my sanctuary.
And a prison, I should say.
I see shadows sneaking behind closed windows.
They’re branches, trying to scare you.
A faint beating in my temples starts to annoy me.
I hear myself talking from within.
I touched the cold white walls
And I felt colder inside.
There’s emptiness in me;
A void of consuming blackness beneath my consciousness.
I shook off that feeling
Of sudden loneliness, I felt that hollowness again.
I looked in the mirror to examine my face
And I traced the contours of a twisted, ruined flesh.
I looked into the eyes that were staring at me
I saw my future in a bleak and dangerous world.
I stood up to test my legs
and raised my arms to see if they’re still moving.
Then suddenly I felt the urge to run.
As I touched the knob, iciness crept through my arm.
I tried to turn it, while that cold feeling crept down to my legs
I couldn’t move my feet, they were stuck to the floor.
I started to panic
My eyes began to moist, blurring everything in sight
And I felt fear forming in my lips.
I screamed but I heard silence
Suddenly the walls began to move
And all I can remember was when they closed in on me.

Word Play

Worth

is synonymous with price.

We have prices placed on our heads.

Worth

is not given to you by yourself.

It comes from what others see in you.

Worth.

You cannot escape people,

it’s them that place your worth in this world.

**********

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The Darkness Part 2

Photos taken by Cassie

The will that drove me to do things

At first burned with a consuming flame

But fear and rejection

Smothered the conflagration.

Mighty as it might have been

I did not sustain it.

Desire which never lasted

made the heart weary of the future.

In darkness the heart dwells.

I walked blindly, guided by desire

Only to be led to a dead end

Where the last hope withered and died.

Even the light that was once bright

Was eaten away by darkness

Darkness that grows and grows

Which confusion has cloaked my heart.

In fear, weakness overcomes the light

But through darkness I know I exist

There is no hope that I might come out

Of that hole where light cannot escape.

A hole that drags an already confused self

Squeezing out every drop of its humanity

And sucks everything that is worthy of life

To transform it into eternal emptiness.

Voices call out for mercy

And pained hearts paint everything black

In this tunnel where I walk

I search for something to hold on,

In infinite emptiness walled by sorrow,

But I found myself stumbling in the dark.

Blood Party

Photo taken by Cassie

Shrill cries of mortal pain

have awakened the dead souls in hell.

The metallic odor of the sticky red fluid

stenched the dry plains.

To the beat of the drums

and the strange chant of the high priest,

the people fall into trance

and welcome their death.

Blood for life.

Blood for a year's harvest.

Victims being maimed,burned, dragged, hanged and drowned

litter the hungry earth.

Headless corpses shake violently.

Scattered limbs reach out

for what was left of their dignity.

The precious human skin

is peeled off from its living owner.

Blood for life.

Blood for a year's harvest.

Men become cattles,animals, useless sinners

awaiting for their judgment.

Their blood ensuring the earth's fertility.

Stacked skulls decorate the roads.

Torches illuminate lonely shadows

behind empty sockets.

Souls searching for answers and for justice.

Blood for life.

Blood for a year's harvest.

Death gives way for life.

Life feeds death.

Such is the fate of soldiers,

warriors of earthly ideologies.

While the master looks on unharmed.

For country,for life, blood will flow.