The WISIWYG Blog

To simplify and to organize—that is, according to Google, the very reason why we should use Google Calendar.  It’s schedule organization made easy, and I’m a believer!

I have been tinkering with Google Calendar for quite some time now, using it to remind me of project deadlines, appointments, birthdays and all.  And yes, it made scheduling quite easier and simpler for me.  Scheduling appointments at a mouse click—none could be easier.  Another plus is that the application is web-based.  So wherever I am, as long as I have a computer and an internet connection, I would be reminded that I have a JLPT internal exam this coming Thursday!  Now, that’s the bad part of it. Hehe.

But I have been using Google Calendar in more ways than the people behind the app must have planned me (and you) to use it.  Aside from using it to organize my schedule, I have also been using the web-app to track my schedule.  Here’s how I do it.

 

I am actually using the Google Calendar to organize my project schedule.  So from our project’s WBS, I transfer the schedule of all the work assigned to me into the Google Calendar.  Specifically, I would input the work item for a particular day on one of the calendar’s “column headers”—the “All Day Event” section of the calendar app if viewed by week.  This part of the calendar would then remind me of everything that must be done for a particular day.

So what about those parts of the calendar (in Week view) that are subdivided in 30 minutes interval?  Do I do anything with them?

Of course!  Those will just be wasted space if I don’t use them.  I actually use those spaces for two things.  First, I use them for timed appointments—meetings, reviews, classes and all other items whose specific time of occurrence is already pre-determined.  Then for those spaces not yet occupied by these pre-determined and pre-timed activities, I use them to plot a work item’s implementation outlook. So if I have, say, testing and code revision as work items for the day, I may plot the outlook for testing from 8:00 in the morning until 12 noon, and code revision for the rest of the day.

Now, for the schedule tracking part, here’s how I do it.  At the end of the day, or as soon after a work item has been completed, I would re-plot the position and the span of the work item on the calendar.  This is made easy by Google, since you can re-position an item or lengthen its time span by a simple click and drag action.  And since I can’t explain it well in words, I’ll leave you to experiment with its implementation.  Hehe.  And should there be an additional activity that must be done aside from those listed on my work items, I can simply click on the specified time and input the name of the activity and its span of time.  So if I’ve decided that it’s important for me to go to the CR and stay in there for thirty minutes midway my 8 to 12 testing schedule, I can do so and just add that item on the calendar later. :D

Well, that’s about it for my personalized use of Google Calendar.  Using it for schedule organization helped me a lot in getting the important things done.  Using it for schedule tracking, on the other hand, helped me analyze my work productivity and made SQA reports on Mondays a lot easier to prepare. :D

How about you?  Got some planning and scheduling hack that you may want to share?  Again, the comments section is all yours.

Working in a Japanese company with a lot of people loving Japanese stuff, I am often enticed by my co-workers, female and male alike, to start watching j-drama (or Japanese drama series).  According to them, j-dramas are nothing like the typical Filipino teleseryes.  The stories are well-written, have light plots and have definite endings, unlike their Pinoy counterparts that go on and on until the ratings starts to dwindle.

So last weekend, I planned to have a DVD marathon of a j-drama I chanced upon at Roda’s former room.  She must have left it there before she left for Japan.  The title of the drama is 1 Litre of Tears.  And to confirm what my officemates have said, the drama was indeed well-written and has a definite ending.  The **** with them, though, for claiming that j-dramas have light plots!  And the **** with me for believing despite the show’s title!  Or maybe I’m just plain unlucky for picking such title for my first j-drama; for there was nothing light on the plot.  Instead, it was a heavy drama.

 

1 Litre of Tears is a j-drama roughly based on a book, a memoir actually, of the same title.  The memoir was taken from the diary entries of Kitou Aya, a patient diagnosed with spinocerebellar ataxia at the age of 15 and struggled with the illness until she died at the age of 25.  Aya started writing in her diary at the age of 14 up until that time when her illness no longer permitted her to write.

Primarily based on the book, the j-drama version establishes Ikeuchi Aya (Erika Sawajiri), a 15-year old freshman, as the young girl plagued slowly by the illness.  It chronicles the life of Aya from a young girl full of dreams until all those dreams were threatened to be taken away by her illness.  But while threatened, Aya never gave up on her dreams, just as she never gave up on her life no matter how discouraging the situations sometimes became.  Her family, composed of Shioka (Hiroko Yakushimaru) and Mizuo (Takanori Jinnai), her parents, and Ako (Riko Narumi) and Hiroki (Yumi Sanada), her siblings, also showed toughness, despite the fact that they were there plainly helpless watching a loved one slowly succumbing to a dreaded illness.  The same were true with her friends, Haruto (Ryou Nishikido) and Mari (Saori Koyde), who continuously supported her on her condition while all the others around her were starting to despise her.

In a gist, 1 Litre of Tears is a story about the importance of life and of fulfilling ones dreams no matter what the obstacles are.  In the memoir (which I hope I will be able to read if there is any English translation of it), it was said that Aya emphasized how life, in itself, is very important.  The j-drama, on the other hand, shows Aya fulfilling her dream of being able to help others despite being paralyzed by her illness.  It showed that not even death can conquer a person’s desire to be of help and an inspiration to others.

So, was I able to finish watching the drama during that weekend?  I sure was able to, but not as fast as I planned it to be.  I never would have survived watching it episode per episode for 11 straight hours!  No, my tears would have dried up fast and something else would have flown on its behalf!  And yes, the j-drama did make me cry… like a child… with all the muscles in my face probably getting worked up!  Hehe.  And despite that, I am not ashamed.  The j-drama really made me cry.

Well, that’s all for my kind-of-a review for the j-drama 1 Litre of Tears.  Any suggestions of what j-drama I should watch next?  Or maybe you would want to share with me your favorite?  Well, the comments section is all for you.  I’m hoping, though, that your suggestions for my next j-drama marathon would be, well, lighter than this one.  Please!!! Ahehe :p

Ever wondered if your name has a hidden meaning in it?  Well, one site claims that all of our names has and allows you to learn about yours by simply submitting your name to their website.  Out of my curiosity, I submitted my name, and written below are what the site claims to be me… together with some of my violent reactions, of course. :D

 

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated.
You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want.
You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way!

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.
You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.
Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

 

Ate Inee, a friend and owner of the canteen where we would usually eat breakfast, lunch and all at my previous company, used to call me “happy face”.  Why?  According to her, it’s because I always wear a smile, even during those times when half of my companions can talk about nothing but their grievances   against my former employer.  Well, I love to smile.  And I love to be happy.  Not so much because I don’t have any problems—people who know me can tell you how untrue this is.  It’s just that allowing myself to smile and allowing myself to be happy keeps me quite sane and intact in this world full of problems.

Notes:  I would be the third person to write about what his name means on his blogsite.  Or at least the third from those listed on my blogroll.  My roommate has already written about what his name means on his own blog.  And since hindi nya binigay yung link kung saan nya kinuha yung meaning ng pangalan nya, inabot ng ganito katagal bago ko magaya yung ginawa nya! Hehe!  My officemate, one aspiring Anne Hathaway (ahehe, just can’t help it… gomen ne ;), has also written about her name’s meaning on her site, and thanks to her link, I was able to create mine too.