Awaiting you

Your eyes won't let my thoughts go back to sleep.
Your words draw me across 2000 miles.
I don't know you at all, and yet I know
You better than my friends of many years.
The days I spent with you are like a tape
I play, rewind, play, rewind, and play.

Whenever I remember something new,
I feel as though you touched me on the cheek.

I miss you as the grass awaits the wind,
Or as the morning sky awaits the sun.
Although I look for you in every doorway,
I find only the darkness in my heart

 

............adopted

Naira - our identity

I was in bank of late, had to catch some grand to make up for my accommodation fees in school. After spending endless minutes waiting for the person to check my account balance to come on seat from wherever he left his responsibility for, and finally getting through, I joined the long queue towards the counter.
From where I was on the line I could see people been paid with some very dirty notes of 100 naira. Some were like complaining bitterly, others grumbling, while some others took it complacently and humbly walk away. I didn't really see how dirty it was from that far but when I got to the counter I had to cover my nose for some seconds. I can't help but wonder where on earth that kind of dirty, stinking notes could come from. The woman on the counter seems to get me.
"Hey, this is the only note I've got to pay you with", she said in a rather gruff voice.
For some fraction of second, I couldn't shift my gaze from the notes, wondering if I should simply walk out the bank or collect it. But I had no option. The payment I had to make was urgent and I have no other choice. A glimpse at the other counters shows them all paying out the same dirty notes.
The funny thing is that there on the counter is this CBN bill that goes "Don't stain, squeeze, tear, spray or write on the naira. It is our identity".
Despite the ads, bills, jingles flowing around about protecting the image of the naira, I wonder why a bank - a giant one for that matter (save me the name) - can pay out in such stinking notes. But come to think of it, where do they get the notes? Hey, I didn't say CBN! I only asked a question!

Standards and Versions - where we developers stand

One of the hardest task I had to face as a developer is validating ngBot (www.ngbot.com) to XHTML standard (using the strict DTD). I might have simply ignored the everyday buzz about it  and flow along with HTML save motivations from people like Yomi (of www.domainstandard.net) and the need of making the site mobile for smart phones/PDAs - far beyond the utilitarian wap version (wap.ngBot.com).
Even when I had finished the design and thought I've got it all, validating it (validator.w3c.org) showed me I got it all wrong. Huh! I had to start all over again! It was fun anyway. At least if only for learning a new standard, what DTDs (Document Type Description) are all about and the experience. But beside that, I must confess it is a great deal of work. The biggest challenge I face was with the start attribute of the ol tag which I use with paginating search resuts across pages. It was unfortunate the DTD I was using (strict) does not support - in fact does not support any attribute for the tag. So the work around? CSS (as suggested by w3schools). I didn't however know CSS to have a property for "list item start position" so I looked around. After a couple of fruitlessness, I found something around here: http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/generate.html#counters (Generated content, automatic numbering, and lists). Now, from XHTML to CSS2, comes browser support. The new challenge was now that the CSS properties (counter, counter-reset, counter-increment) needed are browser dependent! Testing on IE7 beta 2, Firefox 1.0.7 and Opera 6, it worked only on Opera 6!
Standards are great; in fact one of the best thing happening to the designing world. The question however is that between trying to give viewers (and/or customers) the best and chasing around standard trends, versions and browser supports, where do we developers stand?
Oh! My final workaround? I simply changed the page's doctype DTD to transitional. Better ideas?

Girlfriend 7.0 to wife 1.0

This is a very common problem men complain about, but is mostly due to a primary misconception. Find the place of a woman in your life in this humorous article.

Last year I upgraded from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0 and noticed that the new program began unexpected with child processing that took up a lot of new space and valuable resources. No mention of this phenomenon was included in the product brochure.

In addition, Wife 1.0 installs itself into all other programs and launches during system initialization, where it monitors all other system activity. Applications such as Poker Night 10.3, Drunken Boys Night 2.5 and Saturday Football 5.0 no longer run, crashing the system whenever selected.

I cannot seem to keep wife 1.0 in the background while attempting to run some of my other favorite applications. I am thinking about going back to Girlfriend 7.0, but the uninstall does not work on this program. Can you please help me?
 
Signed:
A Troubled User

 

-----Reply Separator-----

Dear Troubled User,

This is a very common problem men complain about, but is mostly due to a primary misconception. Many people upgrade from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0 with the idea that Wife 1.0 is merely a UTILITIES & ENTERTAINMENT program.

Wife 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM and designed by it's creator to run everything. It is unlikely you would be able to purge Wife 1.0 and still convert back to Girlfriend 7.0. Hidden operating files within your system would cause Girlfriend 7.0 to emulate Wife 1.0 so nothing is gained. It is impossible to uninstall, delete, or purge the program files from the system once installed. You cannot go back to Girlfriend 7.0 because Wife 1.0 is not designed to do this.

Some have tried to install Girlfriend 8.0 or Wife 2.0 but end up with more problems than the original system. Look in your manual under "Warnings- Alimony/Child support". I recommend you keep Wife 1.0 and deal with the situation. I suggest installing background application program C: YES DEAR to alleviate software augmentation.

Having installed Wife 1.0 myself, I might also suggest you read the entire section regarding General Partnership Faults (GPFs). You must assume all responsibility for faults and problems that might occur, regardless of their cause. The best course of action will be to enter the command C: APOLOGIZE. In any case avoid excessive use of C:YES DEAR because ultimately you may have to give the APOLOGIZE command before the operating system will return to normal. The system will run smoothly as long as you take the blame for all the GPFs.
 
Wife 1.0 is a great program, but very high-maintenance. Consider buying additional software to improve the performance of Wife 1.0. I recommend Flowers 3.1 and Diamonds 2K. Do not, under any circumstances install Secretary with Short Skirt 3.3. This is not a supported application for Wife 1.0 and is likely to cause irreversible damage to the operating system.
 
Best of Luck, Tech Support

A reason to believe

I really can't remember what actually brought me into web programming in the first place. After I finished my secondary school education, my mum had registered me in a computer school where I had some basic computer knowledge and learnt how to play a lot of games. But then something had drawn me into the weird world of the www and suddenly I found myself trying to learn how all those fancy images, colored texts, beautiful animations, buttons, effects, multimedia, dynamism and functionality jell together to make that interesting things we come on net to do and look for all day.
Unfortunately, I had all odds against me. There was really no one around to give me a push through, no place I can actually get that knowledge I so much crave for, even if it was to cost me some dough, and to make matters worst, I had no computer of my own or at least a fast access to one. But then in my own funny way of life, I had tried all possible best to overcome this and fulfill that strong desire for creativity.
Needless to say it was very rough. Having to spend my last pocket money on getting on net to read tutorials there online, having to hang around forums and chat rooms looking for that angel to help with some codes and having to look around for platforms to deploy and test all the things I have been reading.
I didn't really see a future in it but I was simply enjoying it and turning back was the last thing on my mind; if only for those of my friends who saw much fun in the little stunts I pull once in a while.
This went on for 3 rough years still with no hopes of getting something out from my so much treasured skill. I remember sitting down dreaming of one day having a computer of my own and one day been sought after by someone or at least having an opportunity to show what I've got.
My first very public project is still very fresh to me now. Without been mobilized, I had personally sought funds to hire a computer and book online time just to execute the work. And then when the money came months later, it was like a dream come true and my joy knew no bounds. It wasn't that it was much of a money but there was just this joy that there was value in what I can do.
Then suddenly, things just turn around. By a very slight chance, a course mate of mine had simply got to know I'm into web designs and development and then link me up with a company in need of one. And that was just the chance I need. Within a flash, it was all another story. I remember dreaming of having just a desktop computer, not minding a fairly used one or even one with a low processor speed but in contrast what I landed was a brand new laptop. And today, that skill that seem not going to be useful has turned a great pay out for me, even as a student.
Have you got something you are into - a gift, talent or something that holds your passion? Hey don't loose it. Hold on to it, even if there seems no light at the end of the tunnel.

© Opeyemi Obembe, 30-08-2006

Embarassing moments

I had an embarrassing moment lately. I do have them anyway, but then I see them as part of growing up.
Okay, it happened that I met a neighbor in a bus I was to board home. By some coincidence, my aunty was already in so I just got in behind her. When we passengers were complete, the driver started collecting his fare. He started from the front where actually was where my Aunty was but as she was about paying for both of us, the man (our neighbor) told her not to worry - meaning he will pay. Almost immediately, he gave the driver some notes.
"Three of us", he said.
As should be done, I faced him and said thank you, but guess what?
"Oh! I didn't even know you are here! Sorry, the payment is for this third person", he said pointing to a woman sitting beside him, "Not you".
Those words really caught me embarrassed. I felt disgraced in mist of the 18 passengers there in the bus. But then with some guts I had smiled it off and paid the driver my fare.
While the trip lasted, I didn't even get myself. My mind was busy drawing up the rest of the passengers there in the bus making jess of me.
Anyway, it's one of 'those things' and that was just how I took it.

© Opeyemi Obembe, 29-08-06