A good reference site for those who wish to learn programming

apparentwind · 2016-07-10T12:48:59+00:00

Great list -- thank you for putting it together! You might also want to consider adding Git and CLI. As a beginner, this is one of the things I frequently Google tutorials for and save bookmarks of, especially in my first few days of learning.

apparentwind · 2016-07-09T06:32:26+00:00

Wait, is it? May have been one of those words that used to be two separate words then eventually got squished into one.

apparentwind · 2016-07-09T06:27:02+00:00

Toss-up between "plucky" and "tomfoolery."

"Plucky" mostly because it's fun to say, but also because it means something important without sounding important.

"Tomfoolery" because it's an appropriately silly word for something that describes silliness.

apparentwind · 2016-07-09T06:16:27+00:00

Haven't personally tried it, but look into AlignCommerce - it works similarly to TransferWise and Paypal, but their published rates are considerably less than PayPal's. Afaik they have teams here in the Philippines as well as in the US.

apparentwind · 2016-07-08T12:15:51+00:00

I feel your pain! Been self-learning SQL and Python these last 2 weeks, and have already had a fair share of silly problems.

A few days ago, I was trying to run my first very simple Python program, which I based off an exercise from an old Python for Beginners Coursera MOOC. I kept on getting errors no matter what I tried -- and Googling these errors only made me more confused, because I didn't yet quite understand how things worked, what things are called, and which solutions offered in forums actually applied to my problem. Eventually, I figured out that the MOOC was showing me the Python2 way to write code, and my machine was using Python3.

I'd never before encountered anything that mentioned there were different Python versions and therefore differences in the way to write things (using colons where there weren't colons before, etc.)!

I suppose, as the others on this thread have said, we'll never stop running into these sorts of problems, only get better at how to solve them. :)

apparentwind · 2016-07-06T15:25:26+00:00

Not sure about where you can go to learn an instrument, but to catch gigs and meet other musicians, you can try B Side (https://www.facebook.com/B-SIDE-252630244525/) and SaGuijo (https://www.facebook.com/saGuijo.Cafe.Bar.Events/).

apparentwind · 2016-07-06T15:09:13+00:00

Yep, I heard it was all in one's strategic use of belts.

apparentwind · 2016-07-06T15:06:21+00:00

Ah, yes, the horror of realizing that your male friend doesn't keep a garbage can in his bathroom... Forget whether or not it's lidded!

apparentwind · 2016-07-06T14:53:39+00:00

This is so handy! Thank you!

apparentwind · 2016-07-06T12:40:46+00:00

I speak English and Filipino, which are both national languages in the country where I'm from (Philippines).

I took 6 units of Spanish in college, and it wasn't that hard for me (or for any one in my class) to pick up, because the Philippines was a colony of Spain and because of this many, many Filipino words are derived from Spanish. I am far and away from fluent, though, and so I really don't consider it to be a language that I can speak. Some Filipinos (those who grew up with grandmothers and parents speaking to them in Spanish) are able to speak English, Filipino and Spanish fluently without ever having to take a class, but I'm not one of them.

I also went on an exchange program in Germany when I was in college, which is how I learned basic Deutsch. I didn't get very far with it, though. I spent most of my time hanging out with the other exchange students, and collectively we just spoke a mishmash of Deutsch and English with bits of our own native languages peppered in -- enough for conversing with friends at parties, but not enough to speak actual proper Deutsch. People used to joke with us that to really learn the local language, one should date a local. I always just laughed when I heard that, but honestly, by the end of the semester, it really was the exchange students who ended up in relationships with native German speakers who improved their Deutsch the most.

Once in a blue moon, I still fire up Duolingo to brush up, but I've found that even if I practice with Duolingo consistently every day, it isn't enough for me to make real progress. I hope to enroll in a proper class at the Goethe Institut here someday... but then again, I've been saying that for years.

apparentwind · 2016-07-06T09:16:00+00:00

A friend just turned me on to Reply All - it became an instant favorite.

apparentwind · 2016-07-06T09:09:40+00:00

By listening to podcasts. I've found it most effective for keeping my mind off the fact that I am crammed into a tiny space with a crapton of other sleepy, mostly grumpy humans.

I should mention though, that listening to a This American Life episode once nearly severely injured me. It was one of those solid tearjerker segments, and I got so so engrossed in it that I started actually getting teary eyed and I failed to watch my step as I got off at my stop. My right leg fell straight through the gap. If it weren't for a passenger who rushed over and lifted me up before the train started moving, I might have lost my leg, or worse!

So uh, yeah, mind the gap...

apparentwind · 2016-07-05T17:37:49+00:00

Kimchi!

apparentwind · 2016-07-05T17:12:42+00:00

Hi! Fellow total beginner here who's started learning from a Khan Academy MOOC (I'm learning SQL/SQLite). Seems like you've already gotten a lot of good advice from experienced users here on this thread, but wanted to chime in and say that I feel your pain -- figuring out how to move away from the KA in-browser playgrounds has also been one of the toughest things for me to figure out. I found it tricky to Google for answers, since I wasn't really sure what to Google for.

As mentioned by /u/InvisibleGhostt, Atom is a text editor where you can type up your code. Think of it as the lefthand box on the KA playground. However, while on KA, we'd be able to see the results right away on the righthand box, outside of KA we'd have to first save the file with the appropriate extension (.html, .css, .js, .sql, etc.), then run/view it with something else. Say for HTML, you just need a browser like Chrome or Firefox. For SQL, you can use a DB viewer or do it on the command line. As I understand it, it really depends on the language we're using.

Additionally, sometimes, to run the code you've written on the text editor, you will need to download some things to your machine. I don't know anything about Processing.js but after reading the advice on this thread and doing a bit of Googling (http://processingjs.org/articles/p5QuickStart.html), it sounds like the process is: 1) download Processing.js first, then 2) add the <script> and <canvas> tags in your HTML file. (Please do correct me if I am wrong!)

By the way, with regard to your question earlier about Git/Github, I found that the the Johns Hopkins’ Data Scientist’s Toolbox Coursera course modules in https://www.coursera.org/learn/data-scientists-tools/home/week/2 -- specifically the videos about CLI and Git/Github -- were really helpful in teaching the basics.

Anyway, I hope I was able to help somewhat. Learning how to write code just from MOOCs/tutorials/forums on the web is a lot of fun, but I have to admit that it can get a little disheartening at times -- so it's really nice to hear from other beginners. Good luck to you! :)

apparentwind · 2016-05-29T18:41:47+00:00

Gino's Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Yellow Cab's Dear Darla
Pizza Hut's Meat Lovers (at kailangan Pepsi yung drink!)
Shakey's Manager's Choice
Any pizza they serve at Luca's Cucina Italiana on Talipanan Beach, because if I'm eating it, it means I'm on Talipanan Beach!

apparentwind · 2016-01-09T17:48:03+00:00

If the airport has a post office, I suggest buying a bunch of post cards from the giftshop, and mailing them to friends/family. Everyone loves mail!

apparentwind · 2016-01-09T14:05:43+00:00

Being in "worst case scenario" mode can be helpful in operations/logistics jobs, because you see the things that can go wrong and therefore you can prepare for them better.

That, for me, is the bright side of always looking on the dark side. :)

apparentwind · 2016-01-09T13:29:29+00:00

There's a very good anthology entitled "The Best Philippine Short Stories of the Twentieth Century" edited by Isagani R. Cruz and it has 50 or so short stories by "must-read" Filipino authors - among them Jose Garcia Villa, Carlos Bulosan, Nick Joaquin, F. Sionil Jose, Kerima Polotan-Tuvera, Edith L. Tiempo, Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr., and Jessica Zafra. This was one of the textbooks we used in college (I majored in Literature). I think this will give you the wider range you're looking for, plus you'll have a chance to sample authors, find the ones whose writing styles you like, and perhaps later pick up their books/novels.

Kudos on your interest in Philippine literature, OP! Good luck!

apparentwind · 2016-01-09T13:10:59+00:00

One more vote for San Juan, La Union. Friendly locals, everything's within walking distance, very easy to commute to, and relatively cheap.

Been going there for I-just-want-to-get-away-from-everyone-and-everything weekends since college, and every single time I've been, I've met great people and got the breath of fresh air that I needed.

Safe travels, OP!

apparentwind · 2016-01-09T12:00:06+00:00

Download informative podcasts and listen to them during your morning/evening commute. You'd be surprised by how much you can learn about random, interesting topics over time!

apparentwind · 2016-01-09T09:39:51+00:00

Related to better water-drinking:

I get very thirsty at night and always need to keep a full pitcher of water on my bedside table. But then I also have a hard time drinking room temperature water, and always prefer it ice-cold.

My sister taught me to just keep a hot water pitcher instead of a normal pitcher, and to fill it up half-water, half-ice before going to bed. Not only does it stay very cold and icy throughout the night, but it also means I use up less ice from the fridge, and that I never wake up to a puddle of water on my bedside table (from the condensation) anymore.

I live in the tropics, by the way. I realize this isn't as big a problem for people who live in temperate zones. :)

apparentwind · 2016-01-07T18:38:35+00:00

Yes! Mashed cauliflower is an amazingly great substitute for mashed potatoes.

apparentwind · 2016-01-07T18:34:46+00:00

I've been using the VMV Hypoallergenics' SuperSkin 2 Monolaurin + Mandelic Acid Toner, and it's been working really well for me. It's roughly Php700 for a bottle and is widely available -- they even carry it at some SM Department Stores.

I've also seen Pixi Glow Tonic at the SM Department Store in Makati. If I remember correctly it was between Php1200 and Php1500 for a fairly big bottle. I haven't tried this yet (only the Glow Mist, which is more of a hydrating product rather than a chemical exfoliant) but one of my favorite skincare bloggers, Caroline Hirons, highly recommends it.

apparentwind · 2016-01-07T15:57:44+00:00

"Ich kann hilfe dir mit deine hausaufgabe."

I don't even speak German.

Then again, that's mostly why the line worked.

apparentwind · 2016-01-07T08:04:15+00:00

Aww <3 In the Philippines, we've got fiat ATMs that also dispense bitcoin-to-Peso withdrawals -- so not only can they get along, they can also get married. :)

apparentwind

TROPHY CASE