Ngowo's Blog

Smart Cars

2008-06-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

I love the idea of a gas efficient vehicle to minimize the effect of the rising gas prices. I am not sure if the smart car is it for a traffic congested state such as Atlanta. Atlanta is at the bottom of the list for friendly walking states, need I say more. There aren't very menay sidewalks nor effective public transportation. Everyone seems to be in a hurry especially on the highways and no one wants to follow the speed limit. I can't imagine getting in a car accident with an SUV driving in a smart car. It almost feels like a toy car that truelly belongs in a country side town with a population of 500,000 people or less.

Gas Prices

2008-06-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

It appears gas prices will be at $7 by the end of the summer. That's a far cry from the .99c per gallon days which was only about five years ago. It bothers me that we can't find a cheaper way to make gasoline domestically wwithout relying on outside sources. I'd like to know who is profiting from this? I was listening to NPR on my way to work and was shocked to hear that petroleum companies only earn about .4cper dollar margin on the sale of gaoline. Find that vey hard to believe considering alot of upper management in most petroleum companies are walking away with enormous bonus packages and salaries.

Headache

2008-05-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

I have a splitting headache thinking about everything that I need to accomplish this weekend. I am planning on redesigning my CSS layout, I have to create two distinct designs of the home page and a secondary page for a landscaping business in one of my classes, I have two submit two separate assignments for extra credit. One involves reading and writing a one page summary on the material, while the other entails creating five new design layouts for my blog page. Fun! Fun! Fun!

Spring Semester

2008-05-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

I am going into the last week of the spring semester. Its been a roller coaster ride of studying, learning, challenges and a few triumphs. So far I have and A in one class and a not so decent grade in another. I am very uncomfortable with anything less than a B. I am planning on turning in tons of extra credit material to bring up my grade to an accpetable B-. Not sure if this will be feasible, but I will try anyhow.

Memorial Weekend

2008-05-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

I am two hours away from the start of a long three day weekend. So far, my weekend is going to be a mixture of studying, getting together with friends and family, studying some more, going to a play and studying some more. I am using the long weekend to get all my assignments done and turned in for the spring semester. I have learnt alot this semester about CSS styling and the research that goes into structuring and developing a good functional website.

Potluck

2008-05-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

Just came from a potluck luncheon at my job in remembrance of Memorial Day. Surprisingly enough, the food was delicious. I especially loved the Asian salad medley with almond, crispy noddles and a mixture of fresh vegetables. Yummy! I completely avoided the dessert table in an attempt to uphold my bet with friends to stay away from sugar for a month. We took a quiz that shade some light on the historical background and significance of Memorial Day.

Breather

2008-05-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

I just got through eating lunch. Thought I'd have time to read my assigned readings for class, but I am exhausted and leaning more towards a fifteen minute power napI find them very useful during days like this one, when I do not feel rested. I have been working on a website for class and its eating up every minute of my spare time.
I find that taking a break might physically remove me from my projects, however I am some how subconsciously re-thinking and analysizing all my thoughts and approaches to these projects.

Coding

2008-05-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

I am on a high this Monday morning. I spent the weekend building my second website (seven pages total) to date. It was challenging at times but I enjoyed the experience of running into a a brick wall, trouble shooting the problem, referring to my text books for assistance and finally coming up with a solution. I am thankful that I have had this opportunity to grow and hone my skills as a web developer. I have built one page websites in the past, however this is a big deal because it entailed redesigning an entire website. The one thing I have learnt when is comes to coding is practice! practice! practice!

Fatigue

2008-05-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin? I am functioning on a little over four hours of sleep. I am so overwhelmed with work and school. Sometimes it feels like I am sleep walking. My creative brain is in need of a much needed vacation. It is particularly demanding that I have to be creative at work and at school. I guess it gives me a glimpse of what owning my own design studio might entail. I know what I'll do. I'll get a part time contractor to help out as needed. For now, I am drained, exhausted and looking forward to summer break.

Coding

2008-05-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

I am extremely nervous about marking up a website for a class assignment. I get really bad anxiety attacks whenever I am in the process of developing a website. I am still very new at this so I panic when I get in a bind and cann't quite figure out why my coding is not being responsive. I am usually good at troubleshooting but it ends up eating alot of my time. I gues its the best way to learn through trial and error an tons of practice! practice ! practice!

Summer

2008-05-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

Summer is upon us! I gasped as I heard the news for a "smog alert". I thought we were still in the spring. Summer is a great time for traveling and enjoying the beauty of the outdoors. I particularly love biking and walking in the park.

Class

2008-05-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

It's 8:30pm and I am currently in my imd215 class looking at comps for the Georgia Theatre project. Wish I had more time to work on this project. I am happy with the way my home pages turned out. My gallery pages could use a little bit of work.

Headed to the Park

2008-05-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

Its a bright sunny Sunday afternoon and I am headed to the park for a breath of fresh air. After a week of studying for midterms and meeting tight deadlines at work, I am ready to relax and enjoy this beautiful spring weather. Spring is my favorite time of the year and I have yet to experience the spirit of the blooming flowers and the smell of a fresh airy spring afternoon.

Ad Event

2008-04-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

I spent the day yesterday working on versioning an AD I designed for work. It will be reproduced in 25 markets nationwide including the AJC(Atlanta Journal Constitution). I am looking forward to buying at least three copies of the AJC for my personal records and portfolio. Exciting!

Summer Semester

2008-04-29T09:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I registered for summer semester which starts on July 14th. It turns out I have a month off from school between spring and summer semesters. That's existing news! It will give me some breathing room to enjoy the gorgeous sunny days, spend time with family and get tons of rest. I registered for IMD 240 and 315. Looks like I be in class with some of the same students as this semester. Infact one of the guys in class jokingly said "he was tired to seeing me in the same classes as his".
I responded with "get use to it".

Lunch

2008-04-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

Currently at my desk eating a delicious salmon salad on a bed of spinach, green beans, fresh letus, tomatoes and boiled eggs. My lunch hour usually consists of curbing my hunger while catching up on reading assignments for my classes. If time permits, I will aso carry out a few personal errands such as grocery shopping or paying bills.

Midterms

2008-04-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

Its Sunday and I am studying for midterms in my IMD 215 class. Seven months ago, I was clueless in the intricacies of coding for the internet. Today I am capable of building a basic small size website using CSS. I know I have just scratched the surface as far as web developing goes, but I am content with the little bit I've learned thus far. I definitely plan on learning more and practicing as much as I can.

Back Pain

2008-04-22T13:29:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning to an excrutiating pain in the groove of my back. Not sure if this is stress related or if it has something to do with my sleep posture. At this point, I have no choice but to ignore the pain and go on with my daily activities which include working from 8am to 5pm, working out from 8pm to 9pm and studying until 1pm. I am currently working on building a css zen garden page using css for my IMD 215 class.

Thank Goodness its Friday

2008-04-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

There is something about Fridays that lifts my spirits and makes me feel like I have accomplished another milestone in my life. My Fridays however are now filled with the anticipation of hours and hours of homework. I do manage to throw in a few hours of recreation and catching up on much needed domestic duties. This Friday I feel like a walking zombie. Functioning on five hours of sleep two nights in a row due to my class assignments, I am definitely looking forward to good nights rest.

Test

2008-04-16T14:52:00.001-07:00

I am in class

Body Pump

2008-04-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

I enjoy working out to keep my sanity. Working out is like an energy booster for me. I especially like workout at the YMCA in East Lake Atlanta or in Decatur. My favorite class is called Body Pump. It is a 60-minute workout that challenges all your major muscle groups by using the best weight-room exercises like squats, presses, lifts and curls. Great music, awesome instructors and your choice of weight inspires you to get the results you came for – and fast! Its hilariously to watch the avid Body Pump fanatic rushing to get into the studio, scrambling for the best seat in the class (the front of the studio where they can see themselves in the mirror). Its almost like an addiction where the more classes you take and start noticing an increase in your body strength and muscle tone, the more you look forward to the next class.

Knowledge is Power

2008-04-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

So I just got home from school. Had a quiz in my IMD215 class (Web Page Layout and Design). Not sure how I did but I hope I made at least a B. Its funny how I am usually confident that I studied all the material required for a test until I am actually taking the test then I suddenly draw a blank or get anxious about making a decent grade. Thats the perfectionist in me. In the perfect world, I would love to ace all my classes but that would be a stretch. Learning some new CSS lingo such as relative, absolute, static and fixed positioning. This is existing, looking forward to perfecting my skills and knowledge as a web developer.

I Love My Life

2008-04-09T00:27:00.000-07:00

I wish the human body was a never ending machine. I am exhausted and overwhelmed with working a full-time job as a graphic designer and attending school three days out of the week.

My job and school both require me to be creative. My brain is fried, I have sucked out every last bit of creative juices I could possibly find. I am attempting to complete my assignment which is due tomorrow and study for a quiz I have tomorrow as well, and hopefully get seven hours of sleep. We will see how that goes. I might be better off checking out for the night and resuming my hectic schedule tomorrow. Cheo!

Continuing Education

2008-04-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

I missed the first two days of my Web Layout and Design class. I am a little nervous and anxious about catching up on what was covered in class. I am four semesters into a diploma program for Interactive Media and I have mixed emotions of happiness, success and anguish and frustration. I am happy to have acquired innovative material on designing web pages but I sometimes feel overwhelmed with the level of information and technology associated with the internet. Its challenging but fulfiilling all at once. Looking forward to the fall when I graduated.

Road Trip

2008-04-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a trip to Charlotte North Carolina. Attended a conference at the University of North Carolina.
I was some what disappointed in the appearance of the city and the university itself. The buildings looked outdated, the roads were not the best and the city itself seemed disturbingly somber and depressing. There isn't much in the way of a downtown North Carolina much less a decent restaurant to eat at without breaking the bank. Needless to say I am elated to be back home in Atlanta.