Two things in Life

It’s been a while since I wrote something in my life in this blogg of mine may it be personal or technical stuff. What is it for me right now? As far as my life is concern I have two tasks that I am working right now. First is my never ending system and second is my training for the upcoming tournament in badminton.

Let me start by talking something about my never ending system. At the beginning I thought that if I ever completed the structural flow of the system everything will be fine but time after time as I took the challenge head straight things just got bigger and bigger and more complex to the point that sometimes I feel so depress. I can’t hit the exact target of my deadline.

What’s wrong?

It seems that as I reflect on the process of developing the system I realize that the software development stage is just the easiest part of the challenge. Way back 2003 when I was starting strong on this project I thought that systems development is the hardest part.

As I try to detail the aspects of the development phase what I learned are the following:

1. Systems Design-It’s quite ironic but designing the interface of the system is the easiest part but much of my time is being consumed by it. Simply because I want to ‘wow’ the audience or the users whenever they use or see my masterpiece.

On the interface area one thing I notice as I try to present it to different users. Developers/Techno Enthusiast/Young Generation seems to like my design while older users find it odd. Their usual comments are: “The font is too small”, “It’s too complicated.” Or they are just plain too scared to use it because of some mistake that they will commit.

But there is one thing that eats my hearts out the moment I presented the interface structure to a particular user when performing a particular task. It’s when you provide an interface that will create easiness to the users.

One particular example is the cancellation of payments. The current system will require the user a lot of inputs and steps to perform the process but when I showed them the latest way by simply click the next and finish button I could really see the joy in the face of the user. The system automatically takes charge of the complexity of the transaction.

2. Structural Design-I bet this is the second hardest part in my systems development. By providing the best interface and easiness to the part of the user the burden of complexity is now place under the stressful brains of the developers.

Building a system that is easy to use and user friendly has a price to pay which is complexity inside the structural architecture of your system especially when you build your enterprise system in an integrated way.

Take for example, if you built a system that would allow the user to select some choices of information and then all the richness of data will show up and the user will simply choose and click next and everything is being process and calculated automatically. Then all of a sudden something went wrong to the choices that are being presented. Any mistake that is being generated by the choices that is being provided to the users will create a bigger impact to the over all result because they depend too much to the richness of choices to the user.

Maintaining this kind of system is really hard especially when mistakes that occurred are irreversible once the calculation is being process and the reports is already been distributed.

3. Users-These people are one pain in the ass. Unlike codes or bugs users don’t just obey the developer’s instruction in an instant. You have to be patient with them take time to chat things with them even out of this world topic just to make them comfortable with you and obey you. Another that is hard for this people is you need their immediate boss to convince and tell them that they have to use the system that is being implemented in order for them to force their self to adopt the new change. Plus there is one more thing…Sometime you need to treat them to use your system.

These are just some of what I think are the lessons that I have learned. As I try to compare things to my previous projects that I built, in a big company that has multiple departments and boss an information work such as a developer must inform each boss per department the development that is being done or completed in order for them be updated at all times. And that I think is insane. Because unlike some small companies things are done fast because the implementation is direct to the one in charge.

One thing I hate about users is when they don’t cooperate and work together. I guess that’s the job of a leader to convince them.

The second part of my story besides my everyday coding from morning till dawn is my on going sports. I have been playing badminton for a year now and I find it a must thing to myself because it takes away my stress and problems in my daily battle with codes and programs. It helps me realize that the real world still exist beyond variables, logics and structures.

It’s more like allowing your destiny and challenges in life to flow freely instead of controlling things by your own will and desire. In short, it relieves stress in life.

In a simpler thought, I think I just enjoy things being challenge because from that challenge I learned a lot of lessons may it be in losing or winning. Whenever I loose I strive back to learn what are the things must be done to improve in order to win and when I win I look forward to tougher opponents and take the challenge. Not only have I sought for improvement I also encourage people to improve and share to them the things that they need to improve in order for them to be strong and competitive.

There’s one story that I would like to share to you in my own personal experience about the power of teaching a determined person.

There is this one girl in the court who is unpopular and trying to learn the basics of playing badminton every time she sees someone who is vacant she invited them to play with her group so she could learn. But one thing that impresses me most on her is her guts to challenge and invite people. Soon she got to know me and we played a long well since I am the only guy who is friendly enough to play with her and her group mates.

One day she invited me to play with her again I thought it was the usual group mates of her but then things were different when it was our time to play because this girl took the challenge to play with women that are high level women that plays like guys who can smash hard and perform the drop shot really good.

When the game starts the same thing usually happen the weakest person takes the entire shuttle with different strokes like smash and drop shots. At the beginning my partner didn’t know what to do she always commits mistake but for every shuttle that passes her one thing I notice about her she knows how to listen to me and she is very much determined to take down this two girls with everything she’s got.

One after another she learned how to return their attack. At the first game the two girls just keep on laughing and laughing as they perform the attack and in my part I was trying to improve my defense and placing shots since I can not perform the smash since they are women. At the second game things got a little bit serious as hear a little of their laugh and when the dead lock reach 14 all and we rally from 1 to 3 straight which we won they become really serious about it. I decided to stop the game and said thank you but the two girls insisted and said “no, we still have the third game.” And I said to my self “My oh my they are beginning to get serious. hahaha”

At the third game which is the final, everything is on fire. A lot of people are watching our game and it’s not a joke anymore because the pride of one’s self is on stake especially our opponents who are champions on their class. From Game 1 and 2 the two girls did not notice that I already had a plan for them. My plan is to allow them to make most of their strength and attack on them at the right time. I allowed them to keep on smashing and moving in every different sides of the court and use my partner as bait since I just allowed them to give their shots on her so she could learn from them.

When the game starts just as I plan they become weak and most of their smash can be easily returned my partner became on fire too as she perform drop shots that I didn’t expect her to do and sooner I observer that my partner is getting exhausted since she is fat and not used to and this time its my time since the three girls including our opponent are so tired. I take advantage of my strength and smash use my speed and return the shuttle.

At the end of the game we simply won haha. I could tell that in their face they are indeed frustrated and guess what I hear clapping and cheers “great game as they say.” The moment we end our game people began scrambling and started to play. It’s like our game was the highlights.

It felt good seriously. Later, as I go home and walk the high way of darkness I begin to ask my self “How did we win?” As I think deep and said to myself because my partner “Listens to me.”

There is one thing that I would like to say about this experience of mine. Remember to always listen, obey and understand the person who care and love you so much may it be your parents or the person who loves you the most because no matter what happen they will never put you in a situation that will endanger you or risk your life because they love you so much.