5 Questions Asked: Software Engineer

Tech geek? Nerd? Gadget Freak? Many assume working as a programmer is boring. But Yap, our Software Engineer, says otherwise. Let’s get to know what he has got to share with you today.

How was the beginning of your career in XiMnet malaysia?

I remember there are QBasic code snippets in my Form 4 Modern Mathematics text book. I was a lazy student, I tried to build application and let the computer solves my math homework. But that didn’t make me interested in programming. Sooner, my first personal webpage was built with Microsoft Frontpage (a WYSIWYG HTML editor).

I like the challenge like adding bulletin board, guest book to the webpage and also cloaking the URL to prevent hot-linking. While all those were accomplished with very little use of HTML & JavaScript programming but since then I have great interest in programming.

A decade has passed and things keep changing. As a programmer in XiMnet Malaysia, I always seek to better techniques for building web applications. Following best practices and building high performance web application is part of my work. Helping people to solve their day to day problem by using programming is my ultimate goal.

Beside your daily work, do you have any hobbies? Please share it with us.

I have great interest in collecting currencies, solving puzzles and watching movies.

Please share five golden lessons you learned to this point.

APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE
Always initiate to spend more time with your family and don’t waste your food.

DON'T BE AFRAID OF CHANGE
Anything can happen so one must always prepare themselves for new challenges set ahead.

ALWAYS PUT YOURSELF IN OTHER'S SHOES
Think and analyse. Everything you do can impact someone else in your life. Always avoid hurting someone while you are trying to get things done your way.

CHANCES WAIT NO PEOPLE
Life is short, seize the moment.

DO NOT JUDGE TOO SOON
There are two sides to every question, always.

Do you have any heroes? What make them your heroes?

My hero is Sheriff Woody from Toy Story. He is a great leader who always gives support and motivation to other toys. For what he thinks is right, he will do it to the end.

Tell us in one picture how you're feeling about your life right now.

I will still going around to see what is behind the mountain even someone has already told me what it is.

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7 Shareable Facebook Posts

Have you ever feel like your Facebook posts are not getting the amount of attention that you wish to have? Or the posts are not giving you the 'viral' effect? Marketo reveals that shareability is all about what the post does to people- it affects them in such a way that they want to share with others. Highly shareable posts do at least one of the following:

	GIVE: Offers, discounts, deals or contests that everyone can benefit from, not just one sub-group of your friends.
	ADVISE: Tips, especially about problems that everyone encounters; for example, how to get a job or how to beat the flu.
	WARN: Warnings about dangers that could affect anyone.
	INSPIRE: Inspirational quotes.
	AMAZE: Amazing pictures or facts.
	UNITE: A post that acts as a flag to carry and a way to brag to others about your membership in a group that’s doing pretty darned good, thank you very much.
	AMUSE: Funny pictures and quotes, as long as they’re not offensive to any group- sometimes the humor isn’t quite as strong or edgy- it has to appeal to a general audience.

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5 Minutes with The Markup Engineer

Does the designation sounds rather unusual? We manage to have a quick chat with Melvin, to understand more what he does and other interesting facts about this team member of ours. We hope his story will inspire you too!

How was it like for you the beginning of your career as a Markup Engineer?

Markup Engineer is a very exciting and challenging job as you are taking a design and making it into a functional website. At the same time you are also adding in motion, sound, and other elements to enrich the user experience when visiting a website.

The word Markup Engineer originated from HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language). It is not limited to writing HTML codes, it also includes CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), JavaScript, and also creating CMS (Content Management System) Templates. On top of that, as a Markup Engineer, have to be keen on Usability, Accessibility and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) of the site.

Tell us how your daily routine is like at work.

The Creative Department will normally design the website, and the Programmers will create the applications. My role will be taking the design and making it to a workable website and making the applications to have the same design as suggested by the Creative Department.

On top of that (here comes the fun part), I animate the website. By using CSS and jQuery, I have banner fade in and out changing to other images. Making cool menu drop down, information boxes appear when user clicks on a button, and improving user experience for users when they visit the website.

What do you like to spend time doing besides HTML 5, CCS 3 and jQuery?

Reading Manga, Watching Anime, and Playing Ingress (Resistance – Agent ID: wolfflow)

Tell us 5 key lessons you have encountered in your life and who it impacts you.

Dare to dream – dare to challenge daily routines in making thing better.

A dream without actions stays a dream – after having a dream, without extra effort you will still be normal.

Friend and family are important – friends and family can support you in your darkest time, always have them close by.

There’s always a way – there always a solution to everything.

Ask the right question – if you can’t find a solution to the solution, try rephrasing the question.

Never give up – if your solution can’t fix the problem, then you succeeded in finding a way that could not work, you only fail when you stop trying.

Do you have any heroes? Why them?

Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy. Source: www.listofimages.com

My hero will be Cloud Strife (From Final Fantasy VII). He has been fighting his own battle/ problem alone without involving his friends as he does not want to burden anyone. But he soon realizes that, he should learn how to trust his friends and their capabilities so that he could focus on his main problem/battle without distraction.

I think that a person might be great alone, but with great friends, a person can overcome the anything, and share the joy together. Learn to TRUST.

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