Mental Blabberings

When I became a technical lead I wanted to feed my brain with as many techniques and principles on how to be an effective leader. I read enough books on this that I think I'm comfortable writing a little bit about the books. What better way to start this than with a classic, which is a translated version of  The Art of War by Sun Tsu . Note though that I don't like writing spoilers for a book, so instead I'd write about what I remember and what came to me while reading, immediately after reading the book, and weeks/months later. Let's dive into the book and what it meant to me. Thinking like a leader The key takeaway for me reading the passages (which reads like a poem but is really a field manual of sorts) is that, as a leader, you should be the most aware of your surroundings and your role in the situation. Knowing when to act, how to act, what goal to pursue, what winning looks like, which enemy to engage -- almost all of this comes from situational awareness. The mo...

So earlier in the year I resolved to write about something on a weekly basis. Unfortunately I have failed that particular resolution. I thought I would have been able to write about something once a week -- that I would be able to get time to write about something interesting to me for any given week. Unfortunately it's not the time that's the problem: it's the motivation. I have found that more and more I did not need to write about what I thought more now that I think and read more than I need to express myself. I have found that in the past two months I had little need to share my thoughts about the world. However though now I find myself writing about not writing which is a little bit of an oxymoron. Let me share with you a few reasons why.

Library Books by timetrax23 When I was a kid growing up in a small town in the Philippines, I didn't have access to a public library. Nor did I get much from the libraries in the schools I went to except for oddly enough friendships that have lasted a good while. It wasn't until I was doing research for my thesis subject when I was in college that I finally appreciated (and wished I leveraged more) the utility of libraries. In search of better more relevant and up-to-date materials before the proliferation of Internet connectivity in the Philippines I found myself going to UP Diliman (three hours commute from UP Los Banos) to find related literature. I found the three hour commute very pleasant and I was looking forward to being able to read more about the subject I was trying to get my head around. Fast forward ten years later and I find myself seeing how transformative and important public libraries are and how they're something that I definitely wish my people in th...

The Stark Cup by El Gris It's been a week into our new place outside the city and there are a few noteworthy things I'd like to share with the world at large. These may be useful reading for people who might think about moving to Sydney from a country like the Philippines (or anywhere there's no winter). It may have done me good if I heeded the Stark saying that "winter is coming" and prepared better -- unfortunately now I'm in a situation where winter has got me. Here are a few observations and insights you might find useful or amusing.

Tonight is our last night here at the Somerset Darling Harbour right at the heart of Sydney. This location is so convenient that everything interesting and worth going to is just a short walk and maybe then a short train ride away. Walking to work takes at most 20 minutes for me at a leisurely pace. I've grown to like the sounds of the city here and have felt comfortable walking the Pyrmont bridge to work on a daily basis. Tomorrow though will be the first night at our newly rented place half an hour away by bus and 15 minutes away by train. There have been a lot of "firsts" in the Somerset for me. First time I've ever lived in a place paid for by someone else longer than a week. First time to use an oven to cook meat. First time to use a dryer without having to put coins into the machine that's located in a private bathroom. First time feeling like it's all getting real. See, it's been almost exactly 90 days since we moved into this combo two-bedroom ...

What have you done recently? You! What have you done lately?  by Clarkston SCAMP This is a really hard question to answer. If you're not careful and take note of what you're working on and what your accomplishments are actively, you will forget them. And when you forget that you are capable of making a difference and getting things done it's easy to lose sight of both where you are and how far you've actually gone. If you think about it really hard, you might be able to answer this question in some sort of haphazard reply like: " Uh, yeah I got this done, and that done, and ... you know, stuff... " -- which doesn't help you nor the person asking you. If you don't know what you're supposed to do, what you're doing, and what you've already done, you won't get anywhere. This week is the first full week I've had at work. Obviously I can't and won't talk about what I did at work, but I can talk about what was going in my...

Old School Mail by Oran Viriyincy Try this thought experiment: think about the time before there was the Internet. If you remember far enough back and if you're as old as I am (I'm turning 28 soon) then you will remember a time when there wasn't really an easy way to connect with friends and family if you were far away from each other. Actually, it's also really hard to connect with friends and family even if you were in the same house -- whether it was back then or now. The biggest difference between before the Internet and now that the Internet is "mainstream" is that now the Internet gives you little to no excuse to not connect with friends and family. And when I say friends and family, I mean every member of your family and every friend you have. I remember back before I was in college, my grandparents immigrated to the US. My mother's parents became US immigrants and I never really got to bond much with them while I was growing up with my father...

Google Australia Handprints by Ariaski It's no secret that I've gone Google . As part of that move I had to leave the Philippines and get into temporary residences as well as get up to speed with the Google way of doing things. There's a lot for me to learn -- and I mean a lot -- but it's a good thing that I do have time. I've been doing some thinking lately though about my web presence and what Google knows about me on the Internet, and I see that I have been a loyal Google product user even before I joined the company. Just to give you an idea of what stuff I already have in Google, here are some links to things that you might not yet already know about me that Google already does: My Profile -- this is technically the most comprehensive profile of me that Google has. I keep this maintained even more than my Facebook account . My Web Album -- although I don't have much there publicly available, I use it a lot  for backing up my pictures. If you know ...

After a good swim and a lot of things going through my mind, I've confirmed it. If you have a problem you can't solve right away then leave it alone for a while -- it may resolve itself on its own. Of course, that's barring any urgent requirements. I'd like to write/talk more about it, but I'd rather sleep this one through. I'm just giving this blog some love. CHill.

... trying to get up that great big deal of hope -- for a destination. Or so the song goes. Yeah, growing older seems to always be some kind of a deal. But this is the first time I'm actually not celebrating it in any fashion similar to what I have done in past birthdays. Later today, I'm going to be spending a day with my girlfriend -- and I'm going to try that for a change. If all else fails I might hold a party of some sort some day. It definitely is not going to be today though. Happy birthday to me. CHill.

In a week I will turn 25. This is a significant number for me for a few reasons not only because of personal reasons byt also of popular reasons. First, it marks the first quarter of my life having passed me by. And what have I to show for it? Not much actually. But to me the experiences I've lived through and the learning I've gone through are worth more than this lifetime I've already lived. Now it's a matter of putting this experience and learning to good use. Second, it marks one of the personal milestones I've set of myself since I was 14. I haven't quite started on a few things yet I've planned (that family and the degree to mention a couple) but I am working on some other things (which I intend not to mention). Third, this marks the 25 times people around me will be celebrating my life -- and that I'm still alive. I think it's actually going to be a sad day when people stopped caring when you've turned one year older. Thank God for family ...

I get reminded once in a while why I work so hard and why I keep working harder and trying to improve myself. I get reminded that the best things in life are free -- not necessarily without cost, but more because the best things in life do not come from what you do but what you get from being with people you love and love you. Lunch was a good time being with friends -- and being able to foot the bill without having to think too much about it, and how a good lunch out experience builds better relationships with people. Being able to connect with friends and building a more open communication environment without strings is something no amount of money can buy. This is why the best things in life are free. A great dinner and movie with someone you love and loves you too you can get anytime; even footing the bill(s) without thought. But the unforgettable experience of being with someone you love and letting that person feel safe and not have to worry about anything; letting that person kn...

So now I'm having a hard time sleeping. Think of it this way: I get to sleep at 4 am, then wake up exactly 6 hours after that. I wouldn't call it lack of sleep entirely, but when after 6 hours of "sleep", you feel tired, it's as good as not sleeping at all. I'm getting cranky, impatient, and unproductive as ever. I'm running out of ideas as to how to deal with this in a better manner than blogging about it, so I'm trying that. As I'm writing this (offline, because I haven't dealt with the internet connection at home problem yet -- not too much a priority compared to all the other expenses moving to a new place entails) I'm watching CNBC to try and lull myself to sleep with business news. If you know me, it's hard for me to find anything on TV uninteresting: then maybe just listening to unending blabber would help my mind rest; which is highly unlikely. I'm going to give this a few minutes -- if I start yawning then it's done its...

I am an impulse buyer. Whenever I see something I like, the number cruncher in my head starts working overtime to check whether I can afford to acquire that something I like. Today, I made a step towards changing the way I buy things. My first response whenever I think I'd like ot buy something (that's not a necessity like food or clothing) is: some other day. I'll be doing this for the next six months, mainly because I want to be able to save enough to start investing in real estate (read: I want to own my own house someday). Hopefully the next time I feel like spending, I can really put it off for some other day. CHill.

So it's a few days since I've moved in last Saturday into this new unit I'm renting for myself. It's nothing spectacular, 32 square meters all to myself and the occasional visitor. It's a place where I can be alone and rest, relax and learn, and even be creative and productive. The part I love the most is the independence and how everything inside that space is either totally under my control or can be controlled by me. I decide what internet service I'm going to get, what couch I'm going to buy and put in, what bed I'll buy to replace the bed I'm using, what new TV set to acquire... Pretty much what I put in there is not subject to debate or discussion, because basically that's all me. The next best part is the space -- just being able to be myself and alone there is very comforting. To know that when I lock that door, who I am in there nobody else will be able to see or question -- not that I do a lot of questionable things in there, except for...

I just re-affirmed that I thrive in high pressure situations where the requirement to deliver is compelling and the problem being tackled complex. I feel most challenged and therefore more motivated to actually deliver. This trait of mine I don't think is in-built (or in my genes). Rather I'd think it was a result of years of training starting from my elementary days -- where being exceptional was rewarded while mediocrity was shunned. In High School though, it was the competition in sports, the belonging in a band, playing a role, and the chance at leadership which branded its way into my personality. In College, it was about realizing potential and equipping myself with the necessary skills and knowledge to make it in the real world. When I started working though, there were a few setbacks which caused me to look back at my life more than a handful of times. There were times when I was tempted to ask 'is this what it was all meant to be for?' or 'is this really wh...

If you've seen me talk in front of a crowd before, you'd know I live for that kind of activity. It makes me feel really alive when I do presentations in front of people. Maybe it's because of the early exposure to public speaking engagements, but I think it's just in my nature to want to be heard and listened to. Maybe it's the same reason why I like blogging so much -- that the thought of getting myself and my point accross to a wide audience really makes me feel alive. Earlier today I spoke about "C++ and Your Future" in front of a crowd of maybe 60 people at the University of the Philippines Los Banos in a career orientation event set up by the UPLB Computer Science Society. I came as a representative of Friendster, but I talked more about how learning C++ can be a good thing for a graduating computer science student as far as career goes. I was technically the best example to show how a career doing C++ is possible even here in the Philippines -- becau...

So every 21st of the month my girlfriend and I commemorate the day of the month we decided to become a couple. We were officially together June 21st, 2007 -- and now seven months later we're still going strong. Is it just in the Philippines where monthsaries are important to couples just starting out? Or are monthsaries generally still being celebrated by couples? To date, this relationship has been the longest I've been in -- and my current job is the longest I've been at. I started work with Friendster on the 5th of February 2007 and that's just a few days away. The February 5 would be my 'Empoyment Anniversary' at Friendster -- not that it would make a lot of difference, I'm betting it's bound to just be another day at the office for me. For the first time tonight though I've tried to commute from my girlfriend's place in Manila to the condo at Makati at night. There I was in one of the usually busy thoroughfares and spots in Manila 10 PM in t...

It's Sunday -- Family Day -- and my uncle, aunts, and cousin are here in the province to visit my grandmother. I always loved family day because it gives me a chance to get back in touch with family. Topic of the day is my diet and my illnesses. It's no secret that our family is very open with each other and that I'm very thankful that our family sticks together through thick and thin. I feel definitely lucky that I was born into this family even though almost everyone's got health problems among other problems in life. One of my aunts also has heart ailments/abnormalities and she's now 50+ years old. We have the same congenital heart disease (mitral valve prolapse), hypertension, and high cholesterol levels. But she's very strong and has the brightest outlook in life. I definitely admire her and look up to her as far as being strong and sticking through it goes. I'd like to live up to 50 or even more (my grandpa lived up to 72, and was strong for most of th...

One year older... Had a great bash, even though not a lot of people were informed or able to attend. I'm definitely looking forward to a fruitful year ahead -- and more fruitful years to come. CHilling!