Wed, 31st Jan '07, 9:45 pm::
Last night I went to see Monty Python's Spamalot at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center with Tay and his family. They just happened to have an extra ticket and I just happened to be a huge Python fan. The play was hilarious throughout and in line with the classical Python comedy. Having seen all their movies and most of their TV shows, seeing it performed on stage felt like going to watch a movie after you've read the book. Yet Spamalot didn't disappoint. While sticking to the base story of Holy Grail, they added a lot of new acts, fused songs from other movies, and changed many dialogs to better interact with a live audience. The ending was superbly surprising. Now I can't wait till Avenue Q comes to town next year.
Wait for itSun, 28th Jan '07, 3:35 pm::
Often I look into myself and try to pick apart my personality for flaws and issues. While talking to a friend today I realized that I have one very good characteristic that very few people I know have, patience. Of all the people I know, my mother is probably the only one more patient than me, so I'm pretty sure that's where I got it from.
Why care about patience when you have instantaneous alerts on latest sports events via text-messaging? If everything is immediate in this world today, isn't asking for patience just showing that you cannot deliver smoothly? When it comes to systems, projects, products, services, and technology, yes, everything should indeed be immediate and instant. There is no reason your check-deposit should take 45 days. However, when it comes to people, personality, emotions, and society, patience is a virtue.
I want my bank-transfer to happen NOW but I will wait two months while a friend sorts out their job situation before calling me. I want to watch the latest news NOW but I will wait a year before I ask my sister about her future plans. I will also wait three years for my Masters and six years for my Post-Graduate degree some day. I am also in no hurry to get rich enough to buy some mansion on the beach or kayak down the Amazon.
This doesn't mean I'm giving up on whatever goals I have in life. I'm just enjoying today while preparing for a better tomorrow, instead of stressing out today with the hope that tomorrow might be marginally better. Patience is realizing that not everything will happen immediately, especially things that you have absolutely no control over. Once a week my family asks me the same question and my reply is "at least five-six years." If there is nothing you can do to speed things up, why waste your time wondering when it will finally happen?
One thing people have to learn about patience is that you need patience to learn. We don't have fancy DVD-to-Brain devices like the Matrix so we pretty much have to slowly learn things over time. I didn't learn programming in one night and you didn't learn playing piano in a week. Why shouldn't I wait a year before I can play a musical instrument well and why can't you wait four months before you get used to that new computer software?
Somewhere among all the rapid global communications via Transatlantic cables and real-time GPS-based shipment tracking information sent directly to your Palm Pilot and Blackberry, the lesson of "slow and steady wins the race" is being forgotten.
Sat, 27th Jan '07, 11:15 am::
No kayaking. Yes coding. I hope to accomplish more than dedirtification of some laundry this weekend.
Tue, 23rd Jan '07, 11:05 am::
The article got a greenlight on Fark.com home page. I wonder how many people will click on it. So far, its got over 1250 clicks. Update hours later: 11642 clicks.
Wall Street Journal article on my Tag CloudTue, 23rd Jan '07, 12:35 am::
Last week I received an email from journalist Aaron Rutkoff at The Wall Street Journal Online for a phone interview to discuss my US Presidential Speeches Tag Cloud app. We had a good chat over the weekend and for a limited-time, you can read his article about my work at: Web Site Tracks a History Of Presidential Buzzwords. If the link doesn't work anymore (since WSJ is a subscription-site), let me know.
I'm quite pleased at how clearly and sincerely Aaron wrote about this project and my motivation for developing it. Having had a few "interesting" experiences with media folks in the past, I honestly have so much respect for the WSJ because of how friendly and genuinely interested in my work he was. I think I showed off a bit too much about my kayaking while we chatted, him being in the freezing New York City and me living in sunny Florida :)
It's way past my bed-time now but here's hoping the link stays up free for a few days so my family and friends can read it all, since it's not available in print.
Sat, 20th Jan '07, 11:25 pm::
I wanted to watch a good action film and lucky for me, Gone in Sixty Seconds is on now. This is what I call a good weekend.
Sat, 20th Jan '07, 7:15 pm::
I went to Caladesi Island again today. Here's some pics.
Sat, 20th Jan '07, 10:45 am::
After almost four years of daily use, I finally decided to replace my ConAir electric-shaver. I wanted an electric-shaver that was affordable, easy to clean, and cordless yet worked with a cord when not charged. The last part was the most important because I don't want to wait for 20 minutes while the shaver charges up before I can shave, especially when I'm in a hurry. I found Braun 1775 on Amazon for only $30 with shipping! I just shaved with it and wow, I'm sold for life. The shaver is light-weight and does not hurt your skin regardless of how roughly you use it. I just got the smoothest shave in years and now feel like I should be dressing up for a formal dinner at the Governor's House while a tall hot chick in black dress brushes the back of her hand against my smooth-smooth cheek and smiles coyly.
Man, I should be paid for that free advertising! The fact is, despite being a "computer guy," I'm not a big fan of gadgets and gizmos. I don't replace my toaster or cellphone till it drowns in water or catches fire, respectively. I guess I'm old-school in the sense that, if it's not broken, I don't replace it. My old shaver is in my linen-closet now, in case the new one breaks or has problems. My main computer is about four years old too and works pretty well. I'm just hoping I don't have to replace it anytime soon. I even bought my car hoping I'll be able to drive it for a decade at least.
I'm bad for the economy.
Sun, 14th Jan '07, 7:20 pm::
Had a great day kayaking at Homosassa Springs with Sandra. Quite tired and my cough is killing me. I felt great in nature but as soon as I entered civilization, the coughing started. Check out some of the pics. Hopefully I'll get the photos of me off her camera soon too.
I'm gonna go rest now. Hopefully my new doctor will soon find me an antibiotic that works.
Wed, 10th Jan '07, 10:20 am::
Come hail or sleet, I'm going kayakin' this weekend. Well, hopefully the weather will be nice.
Sun, 7th Jan '07, 2:15 pm::
I'd been pretty sick for the last two weeks but finally today I seem to have got a break from all the coughing and ensuing headaches. So like a good little boy I got on with the house chores - laundry, vacuuming, dishes, and just overall cleaning the mess that I've been living in for the past few weeks. Finally it's beginning to feel like HOME. I have to take down the Christmas lights hanging in front of my house too. I'm hoping I'll continue to feel good from now on but I'm not banking on it. This cough thing is pretty nasty. Stay away from me!
I have been slowly working on my web project this whole time though. I can't wait to show it off when it's ready. It's a beautiful day today and once my chores are done, I wanna go sit out in my yard. In a month or two, it'll get warm enough to plant seeds. My backyard's half-green already, so it won't be too difficult to make it pretty. I like it when things slowly come into place.
Mon, 1st Jan '07, 2:50 pm::
This is the ultimate showdown. Of ultimate destiny. And the awesomest flash animation ever.