Of Pens and Sieves

With the word play an obvious allusion to Harry Potter's pensieve (the smoky basin where Professor Dumbledore magically casts his silver-threaded memories for keeps), Of Pens and Sieves delves on a deeper and sometimes philosophical view of things one may find too melodramatic to have a take on. This new blog would be like a flower garden (complete with thorny roses, sweet-smelling dama de noches, and unwanted weeds) to my more serious thoughts - acute aspirations, emo-outbursts, sorry sighs, whimsical what-ifs, and from time-to-time, comic reliefs.

Like any garden, Of Pens and Sieves would need tendering, with the intention of acting as a therapeutic outlet as well. So please feel free to drop by, immerse yourself, or share your thoughts on/with mine (leave a comment if you wish).
Step inside my pensieve.

Excel Add-in Installer

Developer: Adajet
License: Free
OS: Windows All
Last Updated: Feb 23, 2007 11:15AM

Excel Add-in Installer, as the name suggests, is a simple yet effective tool to quickly install all your custom-made add-ins in Microsoft Excel without even running Excel. With the developer in mind, Excel Add-in Installer allows you to easily distribute and deploy your excel add-ins, saving you the hassle of personally having to instruct your often IT-challenged end-users on how to go about the lengthy installation from within Excel's clunky interface.

History:
As a side-project of my own while teaching myself VB6 programming, the idea for Excel Add-in Installer had sprung from the need to effortlessly distribute the often complex Excel macros I write to my users. This allowed me to concentrate on my work better and devoid me of the time to install the add-ins personally. After nine iterations (v1.0.9), I've come to rely much on this small utility whenever I rollout new stuff.

Key Features:

• Installs excel add-ins (.xll and .xla) without opening Excel
  
• Fast and simple 2-step installation -> Browse - Install
• With option to automatically start add-in on Excel startup
  
• Command-line utility for silent install/uninstall
  
• Integration with popular installer systems such as Inno Setup and NSIS
• Works with any version of Microsoft Excel
• Stand-alone executable (does not need to be installed)

Screenshots:

Main window

Command line help window

Disclaimer:
Excel Add-in Installer is completely FREE and contains no Adware, Spyware, Registration, Popups, Malware or other unwanted software.

I have not encountered any bugs yet since I only use it straightforwardly (had not undergone rigid testing). But since I'm just a self-taught programmer, I'm sure to hear a lot of feedback from more experienced users/testers. So feel free to buzz me for any new feature suggestion or bug you may encounter as this would also greatly help me learn the (programming) language better.

Download Excel Add-in installer (48kb)

I just can't get enough of empanada!

Any trip to Vigan, Ilocos Sur just won't be complete without feasting on crispy cholesterol-rich empanada!

Available in regular and special (with even more cholesterol thanks t0 an egg and vigan longganisa), these thin and crispy stuffed delights doused in sukang-iloco-with-lasona have always been the perfect answer to worn out turistas seeking refuge in Vigan's spanish colonial plaza, after running around Ilocos for a full day (Norte and Sur mind you).

Please, please... help yourself...

Back to Black

Way back when I first started working (which wasn't so long ago, mind you), I rewarded myself a mountain bike with my first pay. It was a full sized black 18-speeder with alloy rims, handles, and brake mechanisms, grip shifters, front and rear shock absorbers, and quick-release skewers for the seat and both front & rear wheels. You know, the works! It wasn't high-end stuff for the pros but it nevertheless cost me quite a bit at that time. It was a strikingly sleek-looking bike. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought the same when several months after, I came home and found it missing.

And so it was pure bliss when on an unusually hectic Sunday afternoon, I happened to chance myself upon that very same bike I set my eyes on 4 years ago. It was actually the blue version which I first saw and so I quickly looked for other colors. There wasn't any other but the attendant said they still had 1 more boxed up. I left the store not checking it out.

Total uneasiness got the better of me though and so I found myself back at the store in no time, eager to have a peek at the box. I could not believe what happened next. I call it fate, destiny at work.

It was black.

Call me corny or a sentimental freak. I don't care. But the emotion was really high, peaking when I finally mouthed "sige paki assemble na". Then finally, after what seemed like an eternity of endless waiting, there it stood, waiting to be ridden.

"Para akong batang binigyan ng candy."