First lines of code from my HTML file of this page
This should have been my first blog in this page instead one about fingernails. Nowadays, it is "easy" to just get your own personal website, using any of the vast number of web design third parties, such as Wix, Squarespace, or Wordpress. I am not going to rant about the price they charge, nor do I want to insult people that they are not dedicated enough to make their own website (which can be the opposite, some of my friends owning a Wordpress site and have marvelous contents). In short, making my own website, for myself and by myself is to satisfy my hobby, and to simply have a playground where I can share aspects of my life to others.
Making my own website was supposed to be last year's new-year resolution: "I'm gonna make my website so that I can have fun, and low-key learn how to code with simple HTML and CSS, I wish I hadn't skipped IT classes for soccer during highschool". I delayed that goal for more than a year, not to give excuses, but there were many turbulences that hindered me to learn web design properly. Another reason (this one is more likely to believe) could be that I did not yet gain adequate cognitive capabilities to understand how to code. I look through various tutorials, W3School, Stack Overflow, and numerous of YouTube videos on starting a simple website, and at the end, it was all just the blind leading the blind. I didn't know where to start: which software to use, how do I actually code (syntax, semantics, format), which languages do what, etc. I almost abandoned that goal, believing that I may never able to code.
After a year, somehow my thought of making a website reignited. This time I asked for help. There is nothing wrong asking for help. Huan Bui has kindly guided me through some of the most challenging steps of buiding a webpage, though not in the most direct method, but by talking to him, I felt inspired and I managed to find a way of solving the problems that I previously surrendered to. An example would be when I looked for a software that was preferrably user- and Mac-friendly. He suggest a fantastic software, however did not work on Mac unfortunately. But from there, I knew what I want from a software, and through some research, I finally found one that was intuitive, user-friendly, and with a not-so-bad-looking interface.
I slowly built my website from there. I decided to take baby steps first. I thought that I was too rushed into the fantasy of having my personal website that I dismissed the very basic steps. I went through the same tutorials I used a year ago, but with a different approach: I read everything slowly, and tried to make sense out of all information. What is necessary in and HTML file? How can I link a CSS file externally to my HTML codes? Why can virtually everything be fixed with a div command? How can I change my website format depending on the device? The more questions I tried to answer, the more knowledge I gained through the experience of coding. The whole process is about micro- and macro- problem solving, and repeating the process over and over again.
Back to why I did not used third-party web design softwares. Most fundamental reason, I wanted to learn to code. Personally, it feels cool to be able to learn a language that many people can't be bothered to learn (same with the French language for me). I also wanted to have a free playground, where I am not limited by the software, and I can attribute my faults to myself and myself only (i.e., not the software's faults). Although these third-party website designers offer unlimited creative ideas for your potential new webpage, there have to be some caveats. This can be advertisement which may dilute your webpage; or that you have to pay for subscription, which I believe not ridiculously cheap. Making your own website, from your laptop, from scratch, if definitely rewarding: You have control over every aspect of your webpage, the pros, the cons, and the joy of coding and sharing.
There are many things I have learnt: (1) It's okay to ask for help, and it's okay to feel lost sometimes. (2) Learn slowly but surely, don't rush into the end goal too soon (read Novak's inspiring speech at Australian Open 2020 Semifinal). (3) Do it yourself, and you'll be rewarded, either with prizes or lessons.
Softwares I used: Brackets for coding (HTML, CSS, JS), GitHub for web hosting (it's free, and you can link with your personal domain name later on).