Friday 15 February 2008

Programming for others

BetSoftGaming is a little company that provides games to online casinos. I actually didn't know there was such a thing as betsoftgaming. If I've understood everything right, it's a special kind of games casinos can install on their servers and let people play on line. Once upon a time, when I studied computer science and programming I wanted to become a game programmer, but hey, then I woke up and realized that I'm first of all a mom and not a star programmer. *lol*

Anyway, I think it's interesting to see how companies are created and the niches they find to work in. I think we all have a lot to learn from looking at different kinds of companies. Even if you're planning on making something totally different with your company it's good to see what others have done with their in terms of website, contact with clients, products, etc. I will keep an eye on betsoftgaming, because I like the concept, even though online gaming is not going to be my field of work in the future.

Shopping in the medina

I went to the medina, the old town, one day and had my camera with me. Unfortunately the pictures didn't turn out so sharp but I hope you'll enjoy them anyway.

This is just a normal store, the Moroccan style. You can get just about everything in one place. We don't need any malls. *lol*
Gold, gold, gold... Lots of bling bling sold in this one.
And when it comes to bling bling, there's nothing better than a bridal store. Oh boy, you can get everything you've ever dreamt about and lots more.
The butcher. Seeing the meat like that makes me glad I hardly ever have to eat it...

Wednesday 13 February 2008

Mothers Day

There is always a good reason for a throwing a party or giving a gift to someone. One day I really like is Mothers Day, although I think she should be remembered every day and not just once a year.

The history behind Mothers Day is interesting. The Egyptians celebrated the goddess Isis who was considered the mother of the pharaohs, so in a way you can say that celebrating Mothers Day started there.

As a crafter I think Mothers day is a perfect time to show her your love by giving her something you've made yourself. Here are some craft ideas to a "Love you Mom" scrap book or a hand made card.

Mothers Day is not celebrated the same way or even the same day of year in different parts of the world. In the USA, Canada, Turkey and Bangladesh among others it's celebrated on the second Sunday in May while in Sweden it's celebrated on the last Sunday in May and in Spain on the first Sunday in May..... In Panamá it's celebrated in December.

What are you planning to do to celebrate your mother this year?

Sunday 10 February 2008

Mecano

Watching the videos of "Fame" I got into such a nostalgic state that I had to look for some of my favorite 80's groups.

Here are some great videos by Mecano, one of the best Spanish groups from that decade.

La Fuerza del Destino

Hijo de la Luna. This one is soooo beautiful, it gives me goose bumps.

Perdido en mi habitación. Oh, this brings back so many memories....

Hoy no me puedo levantar. This one is a classic, and it's still a great song.

Me cuesta tanto olvidarte. One of my favorite songs. A great song about broken hearts.

Saturday 9 February 2008

Fame

Did you watch "Fame" when you were younger? I did. I think I've seen every episode at least once and I've seen the two movies. Oh boy, I had such a crush on Leroy, I thought he was the hottest guy on Earth. *lol*

This song really got me hooked. *lol*

This is a cute video. *lol*

Lots of energy in this one.

This one is so 1980. *lol*

Domain Registration

Do you want to make your own website or blog? It really isn't as difficult as it might seem at first. You need a good webdesign program and some basic HTML skills. All it takes is a few hours and that's it. *lol* Oh well, it might just take a little bit more than that. ;-) You'll be surprised at how easy it is if you've never tried making one before.

Once you've made your first website you need your own domain. If you live in Australia the first place you should go to make your domain registration is at PayLessDomains. They will help you out. They even have some useful tips on how to chose a domain name. Even I find the information very useful and I will keep that in mind next time I get a domain of my own. These days, a catchy or smart domain name is very important, almost as important as the website itself.

Wednesday 6 February 2008

I just had to take this quiz and look - can you believe I got this, without cheating!



You're Spain!

You like rain on the plain, as well as interesting architecture and
a diverse number of races and religions.  You like to explore a lot, but sailing,
especially in large groups, never really seems to work out for you.  Beware of pirates
and dictators bearing bombs.  And for heavens' sake, stop running around bulls!
 It's just not safe!



Take the Country Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid



Home, sweet home... *lol*

Sunday 3 February 2008

Finally, a play ground!

One thing I've always complained about is that there are no places for the kids to play, neither in my home town or in Tetuán. Kids play soccer or hide and seek in the middle of the streets between the parked cars. And the traffic is really crazy around these parts of the world...

Well, FINALLY there's a playground in Tetuán. It's the first one of its' kind and I hope there will be more. It has been open for a few weeks and it's always CROWDED! The kids go really crazy because most of them have never even seen a play ground before.

There are several guards and gardeners working in the park. I guess that's the only way to keep the park nice, because without the guards the park would be trashed in a matter of minutes. :-( Moroccans still have a long way to go before they learn to respect the environment.





There's even a place for the kids to breakdance. Yes, it seems breakdance is back in fashion. Or maybe it never stopped being the dance of the young people around here. I think it's great that the kids dance in the street, instead of doing a lot of stupid stuff. There is way too much stupid things going on here, like drugs and alcohol and so on. And when it comes to breakdance money and nice clothes don't really matter and that's a way for the street kids to get a few moments of fame and maybe a way to get back to a more "normalized" way of life.

Lent

Lent starts on Wednesday and lasts for 40 days. I've decided I will give up surfing the net for fun during the 40 days of Lent, so that means I won't visit my favorite forums or blogs, unless it's something related to my studies, job or Catholic life. I usually spend at least one hour a day visiting blogs and forums so all of a sudden I will have a lot of time on my hands. I've decided that I'll start a new habit, which I hope I will manage to make a part of my daily life from now on and that's the Rosary. I've written about that before, in this post.

I will also stay away from cookies, sweets and meat during Lent. I know, I don't have to. But I think my body needs a good detox and since vegetarian food is better for the body I think I can give both my body and soul new energy this Lent. I need a new start!

A horrible weekend

Oh boy, am I glad it's Monday tomorrow? This has been an awful weekend. Living alone with a 10 year old tween and an 8 year old can be really tough sometimes.

My son B usually is the sweetest person on earth. He has some special needs, due to asphyxia at birth and ECMO. There are some things he can't handle very well, like being tired, being hungry and being in crowds. He doesn't know how to read the "unwritten rules" of society and can't stand stress and unplanned situations. He is very, very intelligent, actually he's highly gifted and much smarter than most kids his age. When there's a lot going on and he's tired and hungry at the same time things can get really bad. Friday was one of those days. He got into a frenetic state, started to throw things around, hitting his brother and me, he kicked me, spat at me, broke some of his toys, wrote things on the walls.... The only thing I could do was to throw myself on him, hold his arms and legs until he finally calmed down and fell asleep... It happened twice on Friday and once on Saturday. It left the three of us exhausted and I just had to take a nap today because of all the stress. It's been a horrible, horrible weekend.

Friday 1 February 2008

Polls and surveys

As a professional blogger or webmaster it's important to keep in touch with the readers and know what they feel about subjects you write about. One way to keep in touch with the readers is to allow people to comment on your entries. But we all know that it doesn't work very well, because people seems to be reluctant to drop comments. It's a pity because it's so nice to get to know a little about your readers.*hint*

Another way is by adding polls or myspace surveys to your site/blog. It will give you the interactivity you need to create an attractive site and at the same time you'll get the feedback from your readers. A no fuss service is the best, since it will save you time (in a couple of minutes your account is up and running) and space on your server. And best of all, it's free!