TIME CAPSULE
I visited www.timecapsule.yahoo.com The welcome splash screen never ceases to amaze me. Click on the small images that revolve on the sphere. Move your pointer around it and see how the world turns to your whim. Indeed, UI has gone a long way from green screens that use asterisks, commas, semicolons, etc to give viewers a more presentable interface.
Jonathan Harris' creation made me realize something that could have been in his mind prior to making this wonder. We are so used to viewwing time capsules as devices that transport us through time in an instant. Well, he must have thought that time nowadays flies too fast for us to remember stuff. So years forward would still pass as "in an instant" Well, this time capsule works. It just doesn't go forward though. But if we can go from green screens to UIs such as this, maybe transporting to the future might not be too far away. I think I need some sleep.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
WHAT MATTERS
I had a chat late the other night with two managers who are in the US for a business trip. One is my immediate manager and the other was my previous immediate manager who is now my immediate manager's manager. I sure was sleepy and tired after a long day's work, but something happened that beats any espresso in perking me up. Here's the telecon snippet (not verbatim) of what happened. This is what I mean by what really matters more to me than enjoying my paycheck at the end of pay periods:
Top Manager: Yesterday, I was at the product launch of ******. When I saw the display panel, I knew that it was all John's code behind it.
Me: *speechless (I didn't see that coming!)
My Manager: Great job John! (My teamlead was now teasing me with funny comments from his desk. I was smiling ear to ear)
Me: Hehe Thanks. It would have also been nice to be there for the launch. It's great to know the product is finally out into the market.
My Manager: Yeah. We had ice cream and some food here. You should celebrate there too!
Me: It would be nicer if you share the ice cream and food with all of us once you get back here. hehehe (I meant, treat us with FREE food and ice cream once you get back)
Top Manager: You should be proud of your accomplishment. That printer just recently received 4 out of 5 stars from PC Mag (My team lead then shouts from his cubicle "Oh ano, promotion?")
My Team Lead: How about another trip to the US for John? (He knows I love the trips more than a promotion! I'm dead serious on that!!!!)
Top Manager: When John quits smoking.
Me: Actually, I have. It's been more than a month now. Ask my manager who's there beside you. (What else was I to say?)
Top Manager: AND when John gets himself a girlfriend (I could now hear my teamlead laughing hilariously from his desk)
Team Lead: Impossible!!! hahahaha
My Manager: LOL!
Me:I guess I will never see the light of day. hahaha! A simple NO would have been a good answer to the request. hahahaha!
My Manager: LOL!
Top Manager: LOL!
It's so nice to work with people who enjoy great laughs as well as making them. I've never laughed harder with anyone else more than I have with the people I work with.
In the job that I've kept for more than a year now, I've learned that what matters most are 5 things:
1. The relationships you cultivate with the people you work with;
2. The happiness you derive from both the skills you've polished and from monetary compensation;
3. How you carry yourself in various circumstances;
4. How you communicate your decisions and feelings;
5. Execution.
I had a chat late the other night with two managers who are in the US for a business trip. One is my immediate manager and the other was my previous immediate manager who is now my immediate manager's manager. I sure was sleepy and tired after a long day's work, but something happened that beats any espresso in perking me up. Here's the telecon snippet (not verbatim) of what happened. This is what I mean by what really matters more to me than enjoying my paycheck at the end of pay periods:
Top Manager: Yesterday, I was at the product launch of ******. When I saw the display panel, I knew that it was all John's code behind it.
Me: *speechless (I didn't see that coming!)
My Manager: Great job John! (My teamlead was now teasing me with funny comments from his desk. I was smiling ear to ear)
Me: Hehe Thanks. It would have also been nice to be there for the launch. It's great to know the product is finally out into the market.
My Manager: Yeah. We had ice cream and some food here. You should celebrate there too!
Me: It would be nicer if you share the ice cream and food with all of us once you get back here. hehehe (I meant, treat us with FREE food and ice cream once you get back)
Top Manager: You should be proud of your accomplishment. That printer just recently received 4 out of 5 stars from PC Mag (My team lead then shouts from his cubicle "Oh ano, promotion?")
My Team Lead: How about another trip to the US for John? (He knows I love the trips more than a promotion! I'm dead serious on that!!!!)
Top Manager: When John quits smoking.
Me: Actually, I have. It's been more than a month now. Ask my manager who's there beside you. (What else was I to say?)
Top Manager: AND when John gets himself a girlfriend (I could now hear my teamlead laughing hilariously from his desk)
Team Lead: Impossible!!! hahahaha
My Manager: LOL!
Me:I guess I will never see the light of day. hahaha! A simple NO would have been a good answer to the request. hahahaha!
My Manager: LOL!
Top Manager: LOL!
It's so nice to work with people who enjoy great laughs as well as making them. I've never laughed harder with anyone else more than I have with the people I work with.
In the job that I've kept for more than a year now, I've learned that what matters most are 5 things:
1. The relationships you cultivate with the people you work with;
2. The happiness you derive from both the skills you've polished and from monetary compensation;
3. How you carry yourself in various circumstances;
4. How you communicate your decisions and feelings;
5. Execution.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
The "FF >>" Button
I think I've found the fast-forward-only time machine I've been looking for. Time flies fast when you're having a good time. Not that I'd like to jinx it, but I'm thankful I've gotten the right beat. And now to figure out a way to zap these headaches out everytime I have a good laugh.
I think I've found the fast-forward-only time machine I've been looking for. Time flies fast when you're having a good time. Not that I'd like to jinx it, but I'm thankful I've gotten the right beat. And now to figure out a way to zap these headaches out everytime I have a good laugh.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
MAKE SURE THE JUICE IS WORTH THE SQUEEZE
Ever wonder if what you are thinking or doing is ever worth the time and energy? Wouldn't it be a lot easier if you just go ahead and think and do what you want to without ever analyzing what it will be worth? I'm most likely to disagree. I believe in The Girl Next Door's saying, "Make sure the juice is worth the squeeze." I had an intellectual conversation with a friend of mine during his birthday party. And as we toured the city aimlessly before heading home, we talked about "Whether it is worth it." Is it worth thinking about the things in life or is it all about letting things unfold, thus acceptance? I seem to have found a lot of peace and stability in the latter. Why worry when you can just accept?
I sometimes wonder and even laugh at the idea that someone in our office praises me for a lot of things. It's flattering and nice to hear, but truthfully I oftentimes think that it is I who has a lot to learn from him. Maybe his only handicap is that he probably doesn't know he has what it takes. And what amazes me is that I actually might also be unaware of my very own potential. Well, to make it even, I'd say we have a lot to learn from our friendship. I believe there's still a huge difference between settling for less and accepting what there is. With acceptance, I've freed myself from unnecessary thinking. I've learned that you can't change much of the world yourself, but you can in your own way be different and thus spark change. Emotional stability is the prime result. Things become simpler, but I've noticed a side-effect. I have somehow lost taste as to what matters to me. It's like "If I can have it, then great. If not, then I have to accept and be fine without it." Whatever the outcome is, it matters not anymore because whatever the outcome is, I only have two choices: to accept or not to.
ON ACCEPTANCE
I've learned to....
Accept that with the people you hate, the best thing that could ever happen is for them to become your best friend and the ordinary would be that they remain as they are: the enemy. The worse is for any party to cause violence. Accept that the people you hold dear might just leave you out of the blue. Focus on the act and treat reason as an alibi or an escape tunnel. Don't let it distract you. The best thing to happen WAS for them not to in the first place and the worse would be for you to expect them to even look back. Accept that, like you, they have their own lives and they are probably just coping and living with it and so should you. Honor is something you rarely find nowadays. A friend once told me that he claims no best friend. I'm sure there was a good reason for it. Accept people for who they are and be wary whose feathers you choose to add to your own. Accept that those who care for you will continue to do so even if you've not been a bit close to being worthy of an ounce of it. Someone defined that as grace. You are how you deal with your own life. Your life is defined as your body and how it interacts with the environment around you. If you run from it, you are most certainly a coward not to have enough respect for your own worth. If you tread the rough tide, then you are a fighter my friend, but a friendly advice: be prepared to die for it. Figuratively and maybe literally so. If you just go along the flow, then do so without complain. They say change what you can change and accept what you can't. The second part of that sentence is the hardest thing to do. I've bled trying to prove it otherwise, but I learned that there is nothing heroic about doubting what is as certain as death and taxes.
Accept and hope others will too. But don't expect them to. It is not for you to decide. This is not preaching and was never intended to be taken as such. These are reflections which are intended to resound in my heart and mind... to constantly remind me of my worth.
Ever wonder if what you are thinking or doing is ever worth the time and energy? Wouldn't it be a lot easier if you just go ahead and think and do what you want to without ever analyzing what it will be worth? I'm most likely to disagree. I believe in The Girl Next Door's saying, "Make sure the juice is worth the squeeze." I had an intellectual conversation with a friend of mine during his birthday party. And as we toured the city aimlessly before heading home, we talked about "Whether it is worth it." Is it worth thinking about the things in life or is it all about letting things unfold, thus acceptance? I seem to have found a lot of peace and stability in the latter. Why worry when you can just accept?
I sometimes wonder and even laugh at the idea that someone in our office praises me for a lot of things. It's flattering and nice to hear, but truthfully I oftentimes think that it is I who has a lot to learn from him. Maybe his only handicap is that he probably doesn't know he has what it takes. And what amazes me is that I actually might also be unaware of my very own potential. Well, to make it even, I'd say we have a lot to learn from our friendship. I believe there's still a huge difference between settling for less and accepting what there is. With acceptance, I've freed myself from unnecessary thinking. I've learned that you can't change much of the world yourself, but you can in your own way be different and thus spark change. Emotional stability is the prime result. Things become simpler, but I've noticed a side-effect. I have somehow lost taste as to what matters to me. It's like "If I can have it, then great. If not, then I have to accept and be fine without it." Whatever the outcome is, it matters not anymore because whatever the outcome is, I only have two choices: to accept or not to.
ON ACCEPTANCE
I've learned to....
Accept that with the people you hate, the best thing that could ever happen is for them to become your best friend and the ordinary would be that they remain as they are: the enemy. The worse is for any party to cause violence. Accept that the people you hold dear might just leave you out of the blue. Focus on the act and treat reason as an alibi or an escape tunnel. Don't let it distract you. The best thing to happen WAS for them not to in the first place and the worse would be for you to expect them to even look back. Accept that, like you, they have their own lives and they are probably just coping and living with it and so should you. Honor is something you rarely find nowadays. A friend once told me that he claims no best friend. I'm sure there was a good reason for it. Accept people for who they are and be wary whose feathers you choose to add to your own. Accept that those who care for you will continue to do so even if you've not been a bit close to being worthy of an ounce of it. Someone defined that as grace. You are how you deal with your own life. Your life is defined as your body and how it interacts with the environment around you. If you run from it, you are most certainly a coward not to have enough respect for your own worth. If you tread the rough tide, then you are a fighter my friend, but a friendly advice: be prepared to die for it. Figuratively and maybe literally so. If you just go along the flow, then do so without complain. They say change what you can change and accept what you can't. The second part of that sentence is the hardest thing to do. I've bled trying to prove it otherwise, but I learned that there is nothing heroic about doubting what is as certain as death and taxes.
Accept and hope others will too. But don't expect them to. It is not for you to decide. This is not preaching and was never intended to be taken as such. These are reflections which are intended to resound in my heart and mind... to constantly remind me of my worth.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
MODERN
A lot would say, "It's a modern world." A lame excuse for just about anything. What makes today's world modern? Is it by the way the chip keeps getting smaller and faster? Is it by the convenience of email and wireless technology? I think the world hasn't changed much contrary to what many would claim.
The purpose of technology is to improve the quality of life of man. Other than the medical field, I believe that technology has made life more complex. With faster means of communication, it's difficult to control where emails go... how fast viruses multiply... who has access to such media content. As new gadgets arrive in the market, the more we thirst for "better". Ages ago, a simple Nomad would have sufficed as a mobile jukebox. Now it's should be an MP3 player that is at the same time a USB drive, that is also a cellphone (should be 3G-capable), that also has a builtin 3MP camera. Talk about complexity. A split-second snatch unfortunately gets the gadget stolen and your life becomes a total mess. The rare MP3 tracks, the phonebook contact entries, the photos with sentimental value, the files! With the loss, the 40K something cost of the device wouldn't even hurt you a bit.
A modern world is one where things are in their right places. Brains are things. As I grew older, I realized that it is very important for ones mindset to be in the right place. I continually strive to have it synced to what is important and what is right. I believe that life gets simpler and more convenient if we all know what is universally important at any given situation. Life is a big market where you make tradeoffs, sacrifices, and various exchanges. And in this market, the currency is not in peso or dollars... it's in utils of happiness. Till then, the world remains the same: crude.
A lot would say, "It's a modern world." A lame excuse for just about anything. What makes today's world modern? Is it by the way the chip keeps getting smaller and faster? Is it by the convenience of email and wireless technology? I think the world hasn't changed much contrary to what many would claim.
The purpose of technology is to improve the quality of life of man. Other than the medical field, I believe that technology has made life more complex. With faster means of communication, it's difficult to control where emails go... how fast viruses multiply... who has access to such media content. As new gadgets arrive in the market, the more we thirst for "better". Ages ago, a simple Nomad would have sufficed as a mobile jukebox. Now it's should be an MP3 player that is at the same time a USB drive, that is also a cellphone (should be 3G-capable), that also has a builtin 3MP camera. Talk about complexity. A split-second snatch unfortunately gets the gadget stolen and your life becomes a total mess. The rare MP3 tracks, the phonebook contact entries, the photos with sentimental value, the files! With the loss, the 40K something cost of the device wouldn't even hurt you a bit.
A modern world is one where things are in their right places. Brains are things. As I grew older, I realized that it is very important for ones mindset to be in the right place. I continually strive to have it synced to what is important and what is right. I believe that life gets simpler and more convenient if we all know what is universally important at any given situation. Life is a big market where you make tradeoffs, sacrifices, and various exchanges. And in this market, the currency is not in peso or dollars... it's in utils of happiness. Till then, the world remains the same: crude.