Define “UNFAIR”

I just failed quality, the reason; not setting customer expectations.

But I will not give up easily, I have to present my cause.

1.) How can you set expectations when you dont back it up? If you tell the customer what to expect, then tell them the facts. In my case, we were asked to tell the customer that there might be a wait time during the transfer to tech support, yet we dont even have the tool to check what that wait time is….

2.) Cherrypicked to fail -  I felt so frustrated I want to think that that call was cherry picked for me to fail. There are just times that you forgot 1 specific detail and your whole life will defend on it.. huhuhuh.. like what if you throw a pebble and that pebble hit a large stone that caused to hit another large stone that created a boulder or an avalance that would destroy a whole town?

3.) What about the things that I do better? - Sometimes we would like to scream for justice, where are the recognition for our accomplishments, how about the things that we contributed, why is it not noticed?

4.) The rules just sometimes sucks - Sometimes the rules in itself sometimes dont make sense..

Justice please……

Change is inivitable

But why are we afraid of it. For one, it feels awkward. Second, we dont wanna go out of our comfort zones. This is true, we always hesitate to explore unknown territories. The sad thing is sooner or later we have to deal with change and if we don’t it will overrun us and will caugth us offguard.

It took some convincing for me to change coding from php to asp.net. I was getting comfortable with coding php and so I was afraid of moving to asp. But the moment I first get my hands on Visual Studio, I felt compelled by what it can offer. Productivity for one, I have to admit that in php I have to create tons of codes for a simple functionality. And I was so surprised to learn that in asp, someboady already created that function to me. So there I was switching technologies and programming languages and I thought everything will end there, but I was wrong again. The coding language I first used in asp.net is visual basic, which I am also a starter, and the syntax from coding php to VB is very different but fortunately I managed to sneak myway into VB and found myself even coding user controls which are advenced topics. I was able to exploit memberships, roles, profiles with no trouble until I bumped into a problem that starter like me can’t ressolve easily. The solution is presented but not in VB, its in C#, another coding language, still with much persistance, I was able to create the solution I wanted in VB. It seems that change is again lurking in the shadows and it seems like I have no option before it overruns me. So this afternoon I took that step forward in coding c# for the first time and I was able to successfully made it to the first base.

Change can be fearsome. But you will have to deal with it sooner or later. But then again why wait sooner when you can deal with it right now.

Child controls on the page level

Accessing LoginView’s templated child controls on the page level

I blogged last week about my difficulty to access child controls inside the asp:LoginView server control. Fortunately, I bumped into an article just in time to get the answers I need. So here’s the complete solution to the problem:

Imports System
Imports System.Data
Imports System.Configuration
Imports System.Web
Imports System.Web.Security
Imports System.Web.UI
Imports System.Web.UI.WebControls
Imports System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts
Imports System.Web.UI.HtmlControls

Namespace Fix

Public Class LoginViewFix
Inherits LoginView

<TemplateInstance(TemplateInstance.Single)> _
Public Overrides Property AnonymousTemplate() As System.Web.UI.ITemplate
  Get
     Return MyBase.AnonymousTemplate
  End Get
  Set(ByVal value As System.Web.UI.ITemplate)
     MyBase.AnonymousTemplate = value
 End Set
End Property

<TemplateInstance(TemplateInstance.Single)> _
Public Overrides Property LoggedInTemplate() As System.Web.UI.ITemplate
  Get
    Return MyBase.LoggedInTemplate
  End Get
  Set(ByVal value As System.Web.UI.ITemplate)
    MyBase.LoggedInTemplate = value
  End Set
End Property

End Class

End Namespace

So theres the code, but how do we use it? First, If you are using visual web developer, you have to click the add new item and choose Class, then rename it to Fix.vb, and the IDE will ask you to place the code to the App_Code Folder, just click yes, then cut and paste this code, and the runtime will automatically compile your code as part of the application. If you will use it on a specific page you have to add a Register directive like this: <%@ Register NameSpace=”Fix” TagPrefix=”fix” %>  after the @Page line, then in your code, since we override the <asp:LoginView />, you should now declare it as <fix:LoginViewFix />

Common try it, It worked perfoectly for me.

accessing child controls in

This past week, I had a hard time figuring out what I would like to happen in my website.
The scenario is like this:
I want a little image in my website to display a profile’s photo when they user is logged in. So I used asp:LoginView control to accomplish it. Inside this control, I have 2 templates, the anonymoustemplate and loggedintemplate, inside the loggedintemplate, I put an asp:Imaage control and left blank the ImageUrl property so I can programmatically assign it to the profile property called PathToPhoto. The problem is that, in the page_load event of that page, when I tried to assign the ImageUrl property into the persons profile, it says that the image object is not declared. I read MSDN, and what I found out is that, the image control is a child of the loginview control, It took me 3 days of trying to figure out what syntax to use so I can access the members of the child control. Unfortunately I didnt get what I was looking for, So I push my way thru asp.net and tricked it. I used FindControl method of the loginviewcontrol to find out if a certain control is loaded by using its id.

Dim MyCollection As ControlCollection
MyCollection = LoginView1.Controls
Dim MyControl As Control
MyControl = MyCollection.FindControl(”ImageID”)
If(Not MyControl Is Nothing)
Dim MyImage As Image = New Image
MyImage.ImageUrl = Profile.PathToPhoto
MyCollection.Add(MyImage)
End If

I know this is not the most effecient way to do it, But at least it serves the purpose, Im gonna have to further search the web for the proper way of doing it.

Asp.net 2.0

Asp.net 2.0 – ease in creating users and roles

I assume that are in these following scenarios:

1. You are paying a company to host your website (ex: www.hostony.com, www.bravehost.com)

2. Your hosting is Windows-based (run by IIS)

3. You have a MSSQL server instance database and you know these information: server name, username, password, database name

Step 1: Creating MSSQL Provider table for membership and roles

1. Navigate to [drive:]\%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727 and run a utility called aspnet_regsql.exe
2. Supply MSSQL credentials
3. Follow GUI prompts and finish the utility

BINGO, you now have an empty Provider table

Read the rest of this entry »

6 days in chong hua hospital

The last news grandmothers would like to hear: “your grandchild was hospitalized”. It took me hours to think and rethink if I would send her a text message about fender’s situation. Three days ago, I started to notice that fender is coughing frequently; I can’t ignore the pain and hassle it brought him. I had to ask my wife what she thinks about the situation, she was kinda relax about it. Saturday came and the situation got worst, he’s coughing more frequent now, and it even wakes him up from sleep. “I think this is serious, we have to look for a pedia” I told my wife. That afternoon I called our company’s insurance and asked for available doctors, she referred me to a doctor in cebu doctors hospital so I called the office, but to my surprise, they doctor is not available till Monday. So I have to wait 2 more days, I started to feel guilty about fender, I just can’t bear hearing him cough with so much difficulty. Sunday came and I started to panic as fender show’s signs of tiresome coughing. I chatted with our company’s floor coordinator and I told him that I will not be able to report to work Monday since ill be taking my little boy to the pedia. Amazingly, Mark told me that there is a consultation in the Emergency Room of chong hua hospital, so we get dressed and rushed to the hospital. His breathing and heartbeat rate were checked, the doctors asked questions about the cough, fender’s medical records as I tried to answer every question most honestly. A few minutes later, the doctor advised us that fender needs to be admitted to the hospital since heartbeat and breathing rate are above normal. My wife fainted, she didn’t dare watch as the nurse put the needle in fender’s arms, then she cried. Amazingly the baby didn’t even cry. We were then transferred to room 330 where I wondered what will happen next.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pacman, Dela Hoya, MILF, Ramadan, and 30 Million dollars.

I would love to see pacman win, but I wonder what happens if he lose, Anyway, win or lose, pacman would not make much of a difference in the life of the ordinary people and the masses.
- Win or lose, pacman would be $50 million richer, while those who win by betting on him takes home a few thousand bucks, others take home nothing.
- Win or lose, pacman will continue to sign up for commercial endorsements and will continue to amass large sums of money, while ordinary citizens continue to feel the effects of inflation and sky-rocketing prices.
- Win or lose, pacman will be receiving a heroes welcome and will be look upon as a national treasure while soldiers and rebels dying fighting for their cause will be forgotten.
For a change, I would like to see pacman lose, and I want to see how his political backers react.

The holy month of Ramadan has already started, Muslim leaders begged government military forces and MILF forces to temporarily ceasefire for the sake of the celebration. The AFP issued a statement that they will not stop the operation in hunting the renegade MILF commanders. Suppose Pacman and Golden-Boy fights everyday for the whole month of Ramadan, I’m pretty sure even if we will have a peaceful Ramadan even if nobody asks for a ceasefire, how Ironic.

How big is $30 Million? It’s just Php1.35 billion. If 1 sack of rice is Php2500.00 it would be able to buy Read the rest of this entry »

5 things an “average” computer user don’t need to know!

Every field has its own set of vocabulary. You may not realize that you already talked “jargon” with your friend, officemates, schoolmates, buddies and etc. A jargon is a field-specific term that ordinary people can’t understand, the tools and technologies you use at work, expressions of the 3rd sex, terms drug users substitute for illegal drugs, activities they do and etc. As a CSR, it is illegal to use jargons while communicating with the costumer; this will not only irritate the customer, this will also hinder communication flow. Check this list of jargons that average computer users don’t need to know, and from the title itself, I will not even attempt to define it.

#1. Browser
If you think Filipinos are the only ones substituting brand name for product names, think again. Microsoft dominates the software market, 90% of the PC’s are windows based. And it’s no wonder 90% of our callers don’t know what a browser is, instead they know the familiar Internet Explorer, or worse the blue “e” icon. So it’s okay if you say “pampers” and mean to say “EQ” everybody else in that department store knows you mean to buy a diaper.

#2. Operating System
Have you been to StarBucks? If yes, then Read the rest of this entry »

Olympics “FEVER”

When I turned the TV on, there was already a player on the foul line, I just don’t know who he was, but he was alone there, it was a technical free-throw. When I looked at the time, it was less than a minute and the score was already more than 100. I was so disappointed I just missed the Olympics’ gold medal finals between Spain and USA. Within seconds, team USA already celebrated, the last thing I heard from the commentator was about Wade’s 27 point superb performance. I then turned the computer on and went to ESPN, NBA, and foxsports, they already have the headline, USA winning the gold medal.

I am a basketball fan, a Dwyane Wade fan, and a team USA fan. I followed the Olympics’ basketball like a real crazy. I stayed in the office late night just to watch USA spoiling Greece, Spain, Germany, Australia and Argentina. Ironically, I missed the only thing that mattered, the finals, the only game that had coach K’s face turned red when USA’s lead was cut off to just 2 points, and the only game that had my D-Wade put a superb basketball performance.

My wife understood my frustration, she knows how Read the rest of this entry »

The Bonus didn’t come.

There was a long line in the ATM machine so in order to avoid delay, I did not bother to inquire, I know the pay is already in, and there was already an email from management that the quarterly bonus is included. So I withdraw immediately, and to my surprise when I look at the receipt, there was only P1300 left. “This is impossible” the bonus might not have been given.

There was this saying to not count the chicks when the eggs are not yet hatched. But if you Read the rest of this entry »