Death

The idea of death, the fear of it, haunts the human animal like nothing else; it is a mainspring of human activity - designed largely to avoid the fatality of death, to overcome it by denying in some way that it is the final destiny of man.

My family back home in Canada has recently suffered the loss of a young family friend who recently passed on after his endless & continuous struggle against Drugs and Alcohol. I have known him on a personal level as well as a family level. The relations among all of us has brought us closer to the battlefronts of the disease and now God has him ensured that he is now living in a safer and better life.

This is not the first time my family has felt the shockwaves of death in the last 6 years of Drugs and Alcohol recovery as many young and older people from the program has entered God's sanctuary of happiness and peace.

I certainly hoped that every event has brought to us the harsh reality of the adversities and the depressions that we all suffer from and be able to take it what is granted and to make our lives better than what it is.

God has a plan for all of us. Sometimes this plan is to allow us to see the adversities first before finding that peace and happiness. God put us together with different people in different events because they are the ones who have messages to deliver. We must accept those people and events because if we don't, we have lost our will to fulfill our own destinies.

may chu hong loi... AKA the dead @#$!ing server

What a crazy ass week of repairing servers. Every day this week I been working with the local hardware technician trying to trouble shoot my main server for the school. Replacing memory chips, motherboards, cables, hard drives has been the hourly diagnostic tool but nothing is working to recover this server that the school desperately needs when it starts on August 21st.

Finally on friday night at 5:30 after living in the sever room for 50 hours this week, we have no failures after 30 mintues of uptime and it's been going strong since. This is a cruical time to have this working because I got lots of work on my project list and teachers / management will return to the campus starting the first week of August.

Me wish the IT gods will be with me for the next two weeks. (the sound of biting nails)

Webcams at their finest...

Click on the link and learn what NOT to do when talking with your boyfriend on the webcam...

Dating a Techie...

This morning, I found an amusing article about women dating techie guys:

Written by: Emily Hambidge (Editor of Maczealots)

I like to think that behind every good developer there is a good woman. No. A great woman. It takes a special breed to put up with the stuff that comes along with dating a computer nerd. Those of you who have ever been with a hard core geek know what I’m talking about. Some day I think it would be easier to date one of those guys who hangs out at the golf course all day with his buddies drinking beer.

This weekend I drove up from Nashville to see Justin. I knew he was busy with a Web development project, but I have dealt with that stuff before so it was no big deal. This particular project was for the Rails Day contest. This contest went from midnight on Friday to midnight on Saturday. While he was working I did some MacZealots work, caught up on sleep, cleaned the apartment and did the laundry. While I was folding some shirts I got to thinking about what life with a developer is like. I thought I would share my thoughts with you.

I started pondering this while I was doing the laundry because I noticed that 9 out of the 10 t-shirts I was folding were development or Mac related. Just to give you a general idea of what I’m talking about (and the embarrassment I have to deal with when we go out in public) let me describe a few of them. First, I ran across one that read “Steve Jobs is my homeboy.” Then there was the one that said “I am blogging this.” Next was a WWDC 2004 polo and an Apple Developer Connection shirt. And my personal favorite was the one that said “Code Different.” I couldn’t make this up if I tried.

I am used to all this stuff, and I adore Justin because of it, but what about girls who aren’t used to this sort of thing? What about the poor innocent souls who think they are getting a normal guy and then come to find out he has been sucked into the chaotic world of development? What about the little girls who dream of Prince Charming and end up with Steve Ballmer? What about the girls who never even dreamed they would know who Steve Ballmer is? I think someone needs to offer them a little advice. Seeing that I am a seasoned professional who has been dating a developer since I was 15, I think there is no one better than me to show them the way.

Following are 10 things you need to know when dating a developer (or any kind of techie.)

1. **When projects have a deadline approaching, all plans are tentative.**

I don’t care if you sister is getting married or your grandmother dies. If your man has a project with a quickly approaching deadline forget about him being there. This has nothing to do with lack of support, and it is by no means a jab at the guys. It is simply a matter of dedication. I have tried setting alarms, e-mail alerts, etc. Don’t even waste your time. And try to be understanding when situations like this arise. If you’re supportive and that application or piece of software takes off chances are you’ll get a nice date for all your patience.

2. **Your body/sex appeal are nothing compared to the power of a processor.**

The nice thing about most computer boys is that they don’t typically check out other women. The downside of this is that they don’t notice the other women because they are too busy checking out people’s cell phones and iPods. When it comes to boys and their toys your short mini skirt just can’t compare. Trust me - I have learned this the hard way. Anytime Justin and I set foot in the Apple Store I see the way his eyes light up when he sees a shiny new G5. I see his jaw hit the ground when new operating systems are released. I run after him in my sexy heels as he sprints to be the first one in line to buy a new piece of software. It’s sick and twisted really, but it comes with the territory. I know what you are thinking. Sex. That will turn any guys head, right? Nope! Sorry ladies, it just isn’t going to work. Unless you are sporting a lacy black teddy with an Apple logo on the crotch you really don’t have a chance if there is a project in the works. The plus side of this is that you could probably roll around in his sheets with Brad Pitt and he wouldn’t notice. Seriously, though, this doesn’t mean you aren’t sexy or desirable. I don’t know what it does mean - I’m still trying to figure that out for myself - but rest assured he still loves you.

3. **You will NEVER be the Apple of his eye.**

Ha! Get it? Apple. I’m so funny.

4. **Profanity is his friend.**

You have to learn to put on your earmuffs when it comes to watching him work. I know. You want to be supportive and sit in his office offering kind words of encouragement. Go right ahead! Just be prepared for his response to be something about the $4000 piece of shit computer that isn’t going fast enough or the mother f’ing code that doesn’t work right.

5. **If you love him you will be standing by with a lot of caffeine.**

Red Bull. Bawls. Mountain Dew. Whatever it takes. He is going to need it. The late night brainstorming sessions and all-night coding marathons require some fuel. Nothing would mean more than you showing up on his doorstep with 64 ounces of goodness.

6. **There is no rest for the weary.**

Plan on going to bed alone and waking up alone. Well, unless your bed is right next to the computer, I guess. I have occasionally found Justin in the wee hours of the morning with his head resting on the computer, but that’s the most sleep he’ll get when he is working on something. To be a developer I think you also have to be a perfectionist. This means until every bit of code is complete and flawless he’ll be staring at the computer screen.

7. **Rubies and Pearls are not what you think.**

I once overheard Justin having a conversation with a friend of ours. He made mention of a ruby and a pearl. Seeing as how it was almost my birthday I immediately thought I was in for a great gift. Little did I know they were talking about Ruby on Rails and Perl. Later that week we went out for a Sunday afternoon drive. There is a jewelry store just across the street from the local Barnes and Noble. I, of course, thought we were pulling in to buy some bling. 30 minutes and two O’Reilly books later I figured out that my “birthday gift” was actually how-to manuals for programming languages.

8. **One screen is never enough.**

When Justin first told me he thought he needed not one but two flat-screen monitors I thought he had finally started drinking. What on earth would require two screens? Now he is talking about getting a third! Oddly enough, when I glance over at him grinding away he has both 17 inches covered. So when he says he needs bigger this or better that, just go with it. At least you know he won’t be cheap when it comes to other things.

9. **if (loveBoyfriend = 1 ) {learn();}**

I always thought this coding, development stuff was just nonsense. Then I learned a little bit about it and realized it’s actually very cool. Sometimes I can even offer a little help. The other day Justin spent hours working on something for work. He just couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t coming together. In a spat of frustration he showed me what he was working on. Miraculously, I was able to find the problem. I think it was the proudest he had ever been of me.

10. **There is nothing like being the one there when he completes something new.**

I can honestly say it’s the greatest feeling in the world to be the one there when Justin gets out of the chair (for the first time in weeks) and is beaming at me (through red, puffy eyes) and dying to show me his newest creation. Somewhere between the annoying profanity and the lack of sleep he created something wonderful. So when you get frustrated with him just remember that maybe he’s working on the next Movable Type-ish phenomenon. Wouldn’t you love to be the girl behind the guy on the cover of Macworld?

It looks like Justin is about done with his Rails project. I’m gonna go curl up on the couch and watch a movie with him. And as I fall asleep tonight I’ll thank my lucky stars that my boyfriend is a crazy Apple Developer - the greatest guys in the world. I love you, sweetie.

Ladies, next time you go looking for a man, don’t check out the local bar scene. Think Different.

A man with a hump-backed uncle mustn't make fun of another man's cross-eyed aunt...

What is criticism? What is change? What is challenges? What is good? What is bad?

I have just finished reading a controversial blog article written by Mark Cuban who is a major IT geek like me turned into a leader of several companies including the Dallas Mavericks. He is also the IT guy behind HDnet and HDTV which is making headways in the Tech industry.

Although criticism is typically perceived as a negative, it can be one of the most positive and motivating forces any of us can experience. The key to turning criticism into a positive is understanding the nature of the criticism.

Daily, I face tremendous amount of criticism in my work as Information Technology is about radicial change and also using technology as a tool for students and teachers. Every time I make a change on the file server, email server or website, there will always been someone who is critical and rather place blame instead of accepting the situation and work around it. As Mark states in his article "People criticized where, when and how I did things. Not a single person criticized or challenged why" which brings to my next topic to the reason why we initate change, why we initate challenges and why we initate criticism.

My school, my culture, my environment is too conservative to obey the changes that come to them. I am living in a culture that very close, people living on the surface, people taking advantage of others, lack of emotional support and leaving little room for peace and patience. I also work in an environment with other foreigners from different wakes of life bringing in different experience of how things should be done. Yes I admit, this is good experience but at the same time with the large range of diversity, it's easily for someone to fall into the negative criticism trap and choose to place irrational blame when something breaks through the status quo or the situational norms.

Here is one of my favorite comments from his web-blog:

I've been thinking about emailing you for a little bit, but I think this is the best chance. I don't wanna harp on you because I think you've been amazing for the Mavericks, but recently you've been under attack for your NBA Finals activity and I think I have a positive solution.

Dealing with the NBA and its refs should be no different than training a dog or raising your children. If you're always telling your kid they are fat, ugly, stupid, etc., they start to believe it (unless that kid has the strength of mind to ignore it--but those kids are rare). If your dog does something good and you reward that behavior, after time, your dog will continue to do that positive behavior.

So, may I advocate for the "positive reinforcement" concept as applied to the NBA's refs. Be public and appreciative about those refs that do good. Mention the bad, but accentuate the positive. These guys are people, and they have to go home at night and explain why Cuban called daddy a bad name. A little positive treatment will go the distance in getting the benefit of the doubt when the benefit is really necessary.

Take it as a suggestion, but I think a different stance could pay dividends later on down the road. And this is my criticism--keep making us proud Mark!!!

I could not agree more. "Positive Reinforcement" is what should make the new breed of criticism because it allows us to feel comfortable with the acceptance of the situation and more or less does not degrade us "human into animals" with no respect for its feelings or existance. That should be how criticism be constructed because its allows us and fellow people like Mark Cuban to initiate healthy change to the masses who follow us.

Click here to read his article and comments from others regarding criticism.

Google Rankings

Wow...

This morning, I googled the word "passionate traveler" and found out that my blog website is ranked 2nd in the searches... WOOT WOOT...

As most of you already know that my wallet was stolen in April leaving me without credit cards, insurance cards, UNIS ID card (the same card to prove I am a United Nations diplomat) and endless peices of yellow post it notes that we keep in our wallets. The sad thing is that I could not renew my www.velox.ca domain in time and later found out that I lost the domain registration to an a@#h@le in Toronto who is holding the name for selling purposes. GRRRRR... Time to register for a new domain.

Other interesting google rankings I found out this morning:

Did a search of my uncle gene's name and of course he is ranked #1 with Golf associated with his name. Indeed, I am not surprised of course.

Did a search of my father and step mother's name and my father's name is more popular with another man in vancouver who has been in the securities and brokage business for 30 years with endless years of service for board of directors, charities, etc... has he been that busy and not tell me? On the other hand, my step mother has endless credits for her work in the Library industry in B.C. Her google name produces 2 full pages of results.. WOW...

Sadly, my mother and my baby brother does not exist on the internet. I have to speak with them about this...

My aunts Susan and Carol are not in the searches but their names come up as judges and lawyer which gave me an amusing smile.

My other uncle Jim has nearly 2 pages of google searches but all of them are related to his retirement from the City of Calgary. That will be a party that I do not want to miss.

All my baby cuzs are not listed at all in any google searches except actors, lawyers, a U-boat captain and a house cleaner... certainly not the occupations that they are doing today.

And the number one family member with the most searches goes to my step father with over 15 pages including websites in japanese as part of his wonderful music career. I hope that he is reading this as it might inspire him to go to each page to check it out. ;)

Why don't you do a search on your own name to see what results may come up and write me a comment.

When the referee becomes the center of the match...

Watching world cup football has really provided the drama and flair of how much a referee can influence the game. Last night, England was denied to reach the semi finals vs. France (Who later beat Brazil in a 1-0 match) lost to Portugal in a dramatic penalty kick shoot out.

The South American based official change the outcome /flow of the match when he issued a red card to Wayne Rooney for supposely "stamping" on the opponent's testicles. How is this possible? I honestly don't know. Everyone was yelling a foul but the official took in account his own emotions of the result afterwards and brought out the danger colour that no one (fan, players , coaches) wants to see in the playoff finals.

Why did this happen? Was it an intentional hit? Was the referee influence by the moaning and groaning of the Portugal players? If you were watching the match, it was very clear the referee let his decision to be influence by the players and the anger came out rejecting Rooney leaving England to fight with only 10 players left on the field.

You know what they say that World Cup football is the battle of countries, the events where political people watch, events where millions of dollars flow through the air like the wind passing over farmer's fields there is bound to be a level of bribery and corruption behind the people who run the matches, officiate the matches and even though who play the matches.

It stinks and knowing the reality of sports; it occurs everywhere!