Foster City, California Here I Come

At last, I finally landed in San Francisco California, USA. This is my very first time to travel here in the U.S. because of company training. Thank God for giving me this unforgettable experience and superb opportunity to work here and most especially a great opportunity for me to show my skills and capabilities with regards to professional web design and development.

In the other side, I felt sad and lonely because I left my lovely wife in the Philippines. I miss her so much and longing for her warm hug and kisses. I think I should strive more harder and show to my company my skills and capabilities with regards to Web Design, XHTML and Flash Animation on how good I am. With this, I would have the chance to be based here in Foster City, California to have a better life compared here in the Philippines.

Please check out my unedited pictures upon arrival here in California. Thank you very much.

Updating Alternative Source Portfolio

At last, I already finished updating the portfolio section of Alternative Source – one of my freelance web design and development team here in the Philippines. We were so lucky because at this point we finished 2 print birthday invitation card designs in less than a week.

Also, no revisions and major edits at all with regards to the design. Only minor content text changes and save the raw files into maximum quality and set to 300 dpi in Adobe Photoshop for printing purposes. Kindly check out the latest portfolio designs of Alternative Source Team in this link.

DesignRichs Website Concept

In this design layout, you can see the proper combination of colors that I made. I blend the colors very carefully in Adobe Photoshop combining dark colors that suit well with the logo. The design is considered to be a Web 2.0 layout because of the glassy icons, buttons and the overall look and feel.

I also created cool navigation menus with icons representing each navigation. The menu will run in a Adobe Flash platform. The design will be converted into XHTML/CSS format and then to be integrated into Wordpress CMS Application.

Now that I already finished the design, I will now start to convert it into XHTML/CSS format. I am very excited to finish this project on time.

Alternative Source New Website Design - Thanks to Wordpress

At last, I already updated the Alternative Source Website and I used Wordpress to create this Web 2.0 CMS driven blog website. Thank you very much “Wordpress”! Because it is a free CMS package, easy to customize with your website design and has a user friendly interface.

I strongly suggest to visit their site to download the package: http://wordpress.org/. I think the complicated requirement is you must at least a basic knowledge in PHP programming so that you can easily customize this package and integrate it to your design.

Back to business, hehehhe… just joking, just visit the Alternative Source Website in this link: http://www.alternativesource.info/ to see this CMS based driven blog website built from scratch. If you need help regarding web design and development problems, contact the Alternative Source!

Busy October!

This month of October for me is a very busy one, so many work projects like maintenance and website enhancement, freelance web design projects when I got home from work. What a stressful complicated day that passes by. But this is for my future; I must work harder and be always creative and competitive because having the position of a Senior Web Designer is really a big responsibility.

I must be inspired always when I am creating a new design and most especially feel the adrenaline rush to produce a much better output. Busy day, busy month, busy work environment, oh my God, I’m a dead meat! Hehehe, just joking.

But the reality is I keep on getting good in my job like more skills and knowledge that I acquired each day and be more mature on what I am doing. Let me share to you one of my biggest project to create a new design layout of Kryptonwire. Yes, a web design/development company that produces best quality and top notch web design and development services. Please see the design concept below. Hope you guys like my new design:

Updated Portfolio Collection Online

I already updated my portfolio collection online to help me market all my web design projects, banners, logos and etc. Kindly view this link to see my portfolio collection - http://www.coroflot.com/zorrosweb.

Listed below are the categories:

1. Web Design Study
2. Live Sites with Flash Animation
3. Print
4. Logos

What I am planning right now is to upload more designs that I made in my coroflot portfolio collection site. Through here, I have many chances to be well known and most especially contact by employers/freelancers to help them finish a certain project.

Enjoy visiting my portfolio collection site and if you need help regarding web design projects, feel free to email me at zorrosweb15@gmail.com. Thank you very much!

Blogging Again?

At last, I have free time again to blog the experiences and challenges I've encountered these past few days. I'm very busy with my freelance web design projects these past 2 months and I think it is very helpful for me financially.

Now I have a free time to blog again, I will surely maintain and post a lot in my blogspot site, heheheh.

To all bloggers out there, rock and roll!

Updated De Leon Family Website

At last, I've finally updated the photo gallery collection of our family website. I added the part 2 section of me and my wife's honeymoon pics in Baguio City, Philippines. You can check our family website in this link: http://www.deleonfamily.0fees.net.

Also, I transferred the files into another free hosting sever which can be found in this link: http://www.0fees.net. There are no banner advertisements in this free hosting and what I like most is it has database feature in which you can create in the control panel. So what are you waiting for? Sign up now!

Listed below are the Free Web Hosting Features:

* 300 MB disk space
* 10 GB Monthly transfer
* PHP with MySQL databases
* 5 Add-on domains
* 5 Sub domains
* PHP Flags manager
* FTP account
* File manager
* Webmail, POP3 email
* MYSQL, Php MyAdmin

Thinking of My Future Career

I am just wondering right now what will be my future career if I will leave my current job right now as a Senior Web Designer. Although that I am in a stable corporate company that is well known around the world, still I am finding a pure web design job in which I can express and show my full creativity regarding designing different kinds of websites from corporate to personal.

Hmmm... This truly pressure my mind thinking if I will move on in a true web design company that needs true creative web designers. The only difference is the "SALARY" in which that they can afford what I am earning right now because it's very hard to find a decent company that offers a competitive salary to employees and it is "RECESSION" today. Hmmm... Maybe I will apply abroad to earn more because your salary can be doubled or be tripled and it depends upon your skills and capabilities.

I guess I will try to find freelance web design jobs and at the same time apply abroad to have different options to earn more while working here in Philippines. It is true and I strongly agree that I cannot bought a house or a car when I depend only in my monthly salary. I must try to apply abroad, maybe Singapore, Hongkong or if lucky, U.S.A., Australia and Canada.

If you have comments or suggestions as a friend, please post it in my blog and I will consider it a honor and gift. Thanks guys... Let us express our creativity through designs, games and out of the box ideas!!!

Canon EOS 1000D - Amazing Camera

Canon EOS 1000D

At last, I finally decided what cool camera I wanted to buy this month of January. I decided to buy the Canon EOS 1000D because of its awesome cool features compared to other brands DSLR cameras.

For me, Canon brand is the best one and it already proven the quality of their products up to present. We saw this camera in SM Central Manila and it’s on sale for P31,000 pesos. This is really fantastic news to everyone!

Listed below are the main features of the product:

Superb Imaging Performance

- 10.1 megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor
- DIGIC III imaging processor for fine-detail, and natural color processing
- Picture Styles optimized for the photographic subject and intention
- Accurate white balance
- Six preset WB and manual WB
- Auto Lighting Optimizer – automatically set in Basic Zone modes and manually, via custom function in Creative Zone modes
- Noise reduction for long exposures
- Noise reduction for high ISO speeds
- Complies to Design rule for Camera File System 2.0 and Exif 2.21 which support Adobe RGB

High speed & quick response

- High precision 7-point autofocus (AF)
- Flexible setting of ISO speed to adjust camera's sensitivity to light for best exposure (ISO 100 – 1600)
- 3 metering modes: Evaluative, Partial, Centre-weighted average
- 8 White Balance settings to fine-tune white balance as desired:
- Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light, Flash, Custom
- Fast continuous shooting speed of 3 fps
- Maximum shutter speed of up to 1/4000 sec. and X-sync speed of 1/200 sec.
- Fast 0.1 sec. start-up time
- Maximum burst of approx. 5 for RAW Type images

Evolved ease of use

- IS kit lens included
- Increased battery capacity
- 2.5” better & brighter LCD
- Better and brighter viewfinder
- Live View with contrast based AF
- New GUI
- SDHC card support

Visit the Canon website in this link

Bad day for me this December 31, 2008

I think that I am not lucky on this day because I had a strong bite of my grinding teeth few hours ago that I experienced severe pain. I go to the nearest dentist asap to get my tooth pulled out. Wow! What a great day for me because I cannot eat all the food that I wanted this New Year!!!

After getting my tooth pulled out, I bought antibiotics that were advised by my dentist in the Mercury Drug Store to ease the severe pain and most importantly to remove the pain. I wish tomorrow morning when I wake up, it would be a great day for me and no pain at all regarding my grinding teeth.

Before I forgot, Happy New Year to all of you out there especially the Internet fanatics.

New Gundam Toys to Buy

I've seen this new gundam toy (GN-001 Gundam Exia) in SM Megamall Toy Kingdom Store and this really got my attention and interest. I admit that I am a gundam lover especially the anime series Gundam Wing. Unfortunately, I have no gundam toy and I decided to buy this one today.

I really wanted to have this gundam for my toy collection and for added anime inspiration to my job as a Senior Web Designer in a Corporate company. I know that this toy can give me idea designing modern and out of the box designs. I propose that you also buy this one for sure.

Here's the link where you can find more details about this gundam toy - http://www.collectiondx.com/node/2585

Twilight Movie - Number 1 Movie in America

Last Saturday, my wife and I watched the Twilight Movie in SM Southmall here in Las Piñas City. It was a superb one and need to watch by many especially the modern and hip teenagers. The main characters are Edward and Bella and both living in different worlds.

Edward is a vampire and Bella is just an ordinary teenage high school girl and who would probably know that love will bind them together even death will come and hunt them. I guess the movie is quite different and very interesting. Not too much action pack movie compared with other vampire movies because the main focus of the latter is about LOVE.

I was shocked because many teenage girls where screaming out loud when they saw Edward Cullen (handsome vampire), a handsome, different breed of vampire that can stand in daylight. Amazing isn’t he? Because compared with other vampires, mostly they show up when night time comes and rising from their crib. When Edward stood in sunlight, you will see him shining and glimmering like diamonds covered in his face and body. A very beautiful vampire when shined by sunlight and that’s the reason why Edward’s family move from one place to another to search for rainy and cold place/environment to never spotted by sunlight.

My suggestion is watch this movie together with your love ones and I am very sure both of you will fall in love like Edward and Bella experienced. By the way, try to visit the twilight official website at http://www.twilightthemovie.com/

Lazy Morning

I just wake up and I feel very lazy today because of my work schedule last night from 2pm to 11pm schedule. I feel tired and weary today, damn life... You always do your best at work but your status is still the same, NOT FINANCIALLY STABLE!!!

I am planning to expose myself again in the field of a true web design world because what am I experiencing right now is not good for me as a Senior Web Designer. Our work is just repetitive creating corporate site. Whenever I create a cool designs from scratch with matching cool ornaments Web 2.0 style, still my boss doesn't like it because he only wants simple corporate designs and that's why my creativity doesn't work.

Maybe in other areas will do like doing other jobs outside just to expose myself in a true creative environment. Lazy morning is hell in a cell and don't get use to it because nothing will happen. Here are my few tips and suggestions for inspiration:

1. Rejected designs - Fight for your design concept and explain to your boss why did you place that kind of elements in your design.

2. Scolded - Try to reason out when you're right. Don't get be down and easily beaten even your own boss because all of us were just employees working in the same company.

3. Hatred - Control your anger because in the corporate world, psycho is your secret weapon. Mind over physical strength!

4. Go with the flow of work.

Just keep in mind these 4 secret techniques when you are working in a corporate environment. It would be very effective for you and your co-employees to avoid resigning without a good reason in a stable company.

Overtime in Work Causes Burnout

Yes, I am experiencing it right now "Burnout" because of everyday overtime in work just to finish the updates of our website project. I can't say no because we need to finish all updates and the deadline is coming near.

All I can say is extending hours in work is not good for an employee because it causes burnout that produces headache or even migraine. For me, it is a sign that an employee is not efficient to the 9 hours a day at work and to render overtime. Managers must also know that his team members has also responsibilities at home. It is not work, work and work everyday, thus an employee must balance his time at work and at home.

It is just managing your time to your job and your personal life. We must enjoy our everyday life and not to dedicate ourselves in a company rendering overtime everyday. It is not a healthy habit. You must enjoy your time after office hours to avoid stress and give your time to your family.

I know that not all are agree with this kind of concept but for me, it is much very effective to have a balance between your work and your personal life. Doing your best everyday in work and after office hours, have time with your family, friends and love ones. Direct to the point, workaholic is a crazy attitude, not normal...

Christmas is Coming Near!

A month and days to go then Christmas Time will come. I guess all of us is very excited to the most exciting event of the year in which love ones gather together to share and express their love with each other in Christmas Day.

Especially there are gifts, food and other surprises among the members of the family. I can't wait for this event and even I will get prepared to buy gifts to my family, friends, son in law and to my love ones. Advance Merry Christmas to all of you guys out there. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

My Job as a Senior Web Designer

My job as a Senior Web Designer is very challenging. Why? Because I need to fight for my design concept in every project that I handle each day. Bosses always say that why you use this picture? Why you create this kind of design? Why you use this kind of color scheme?

All I can say about this “negative” or “frustrating” questions are all of us have our own ideas/concept in mind. In my part, my design is out of the box that you need to look deeper into the design before you will understand why I place this kind of picture/object in the design concept.

Straight to the point, if you are not a designer, you will not understand the true meaning of design concept because you only focus in what you see in a first glance and not focusing in the deeper part of the design by analyzing the objects placed in the design. I am very proud of my work and do it by heart. If my boss rejected my design concept and I will fight for my design and not shut my mouth like before doing nothing else.

If you will not fight for your goal, nothing will happen and you will continuously be down and get frustrated. What can I contribute to my fellow designers is learn to fight and reasoned out for your hard work/output because in this way, your bosses will not think that you can easily beat up and be their production robots. Someday, you will understand and experience being rejected regarding your design concept so LEARN HOW TO FIGHT AND REASON OUT FOR YOUR CREATIVE WORK!!!

Finally! Finishing the Metal Gear Portable Ops in PSP

Finally, I finished the game Metal Gear Portable Ops in PSP. It takes me about 1 month to finish this game. I am not able to finish the game quickly because I am too busy at work as a Senior Web Designer. If I have a lot of time, who knows, maybe I can finish this game in less than a week of continous gameplay.

I really love this game because of its game structure that is related to Metal Gear Snake Eater in PS2 console. The gameplay is exciting and fun at the same time. You have a lot of missions to accomplished and lots of bosses to defeat and kick their ass.

My suggestion is to buy this game or download it and I am very sure you will like this one. This game really rocks!!! Ranging from 10 being the highest, I'll give a 1o/10 score!!!

The picture is taken from this site: http://www.gamespot.com

A Boy and A Girl

The best gift that a couple can have is to have children. Maybe a boy and a girl to have balance in the company. A son that will carry their family name and a daughter that will help his mom in household chores. It is very important that brothers and sisters must have unity and always agree and don't quarrel or argue with each other.

In my experience, I have one older sister but before we argue and fight a lot because we have no similarities in everything we do. Just like cats and dogs that always fight each other. Right now, we are in the right age and right time to help each other. I admit that I am shy to to tell her I'm sorry because she is my sister. I guess you understand what I mean because I know you experience that too.

Model Employee

What makes a model employee? Do you have the qualities of a model employee? I can't say that I am a model employee because sometimes I'm late at work and not meet tight deadlines but I know someone who is qualified. I think this man can be accepted as a model employee because he never be late at work and always do his job on time, that's why I admire him most! You have no idea how much money this guy paid me to write an article about him as a "Model Employee"!

Heheheheheh! Cool man, we must have positive attitude that we can do our work even though it's hard to do or we think that it is impossible. Damn this kind of work!!! I think we must change our attitude - must have a POSITIVE ONE or I myself will kill you and kick your fat ass!!!