My Real and Imperfect Journey

Harvey MedinaHarvey Medina
5 min read

The Start of Something I Always Wanted to Build

June 07, 2025 - Saturday

There is a special kind of joy that comes from creating something you truly care about. It is not just about the final result, but the process itself, the small steps, the lessons, the quiet progress. Especially when that creation is something you have held in your mind for a long time, just waiting until one stopped hesitating and actually bring it to life.

Good day. I go by the name Kaeino online. I am an aspiring web developer with a heart full of ideas and personal projects I have always wished to build. For quite some time, I lacked the technical skills to make them real. But now, I have taken the first step by learning web development, and I have decided to share this journey as a way of documenting my growth and connecting with others who might be on a similar path.

I am currently a Computer Science student, soon to begin my fourth year. A few months ago, during my third year, we had a subject called Web Development. Even before that class, I had already taken an interest in the topic. With some friends from college, I started following a tutorial on YouTube, where I learned the basics of HTML and CSS.

At first, it was challenging, but I slowly started to understand how websites work. I practiced what I learned, and over time, I became confident enough to create simple designs. I even managed to use these skills in class and passed the subject.

Then came the finals. We were asked to work on a group project and build a website using everything we had learned. Unfortunately, I was not prepared. My time management was poor, and I had stopped reviewing the lessons. I relied mostly on the YouTube course, which had covered more than our class did.

Within our group, I took the role of designing the wireframes and static pages. I have a background in design, having studied Media Arts since junior high school, and I was proud of what I created. I presented my design to the group with excitement.

Sadly, it was rejected for being too complex. I tried again with a new design, and that too was declined. In the end, I had to create a very simple version, which we all agreed to use. It was frustrating, but I understood. I lacked the programming knowledge to build what I envisioned.

After that, I drifted. I kept telling myself, "Today, I will study again," but I often gave in to distractions. Some days I felt motivated, other days I simply wasted time. I began to feel the weight of time passing by, and I realized I was not doing anything meaningful with it.

Eventually, something clicked within me. I decided it was time to stop putting things off and truly commit to learning. That is when I also made the choice to start this blog.

This space will be a record of my journey, my progress, my struggles, the lessons I learn, and the passion I continue to chase. I want this to be a real and honest experience, not a perfect one. I am learning web development as a beginner, making mistakes and learning from them, and I am finally walking toward the dream projects that have lived in my imagination for so long.

If you are someone who is also just starting, I hope my journey encourages you to take that first step too. Let us grow together, with patience, discipline, and a clear vision.

Devlog Update: A Day of Buttons, Padding, and Purposeful Progress

June 08, 2025 - Sunday

Today’s progress brought me back to the ever-charming world of buttons and padding. Thankfully, some of my past university lessons lingered just enough to give me a head start. I refreshed my memory on CSS syntax and was pleasantly surprised at how much I still remembered. Instead of individually writing padding-left, padding-right, and so on, I rediscovered a much cleaner approach: padding: 10px 20px 30px 40px, top, right, bottom, left like a gentle clockwise dance. It gave me a good chuckle, thinking how CSS can have its own rhythm.

I'm genuinely grateful for the tutorial I’m following. It’s beautifully beginner-friendly and best of all, it comes with practical exercises after each lesson. Those small tasks really anchor the concepts, making everything click faster and more clearly. They’re like a gentle nudge that says, “Go on, give it a try,” and it works wonders.

Buttons became even more exciting as I dove into basic transitions, shadows, and hover effects. This part felt particularly smooth, perhaps because this is my third time starting the tutorial. I haven’t finished the full course yet, but I must say, working on buttons now feels more enjoyable than ever. CSS has its little joys, and today’s discoveries were definitely among them.

While doing a bit of extra research, I stumbled upon CodeGuage.com, a delightful site with CSS property references much like W3Schools. It’s always nice to have more sources to explore when deepening one’s understanding.

As for the day overall, progress was modest but meaningful. I’ve had to shift some of my focus to a freelancing project that requires me to study new functionality I’m not too familiar with yet. It’s quite the challenge, but I’m embracing it with patience and curiosity.

Still, a little progress is better than none, and I’m proud of the time I was able to dedicate today. Tomorrow, however, looks promising. I’m planning to pour much more time into this journey. The grind continues, and I’m excited for what’s next.

Until then, onwards with purpose and a full heart.

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Harvey Medina
Harvey Medina