two thousand and eight common era December 31, 2007

Plenty of New Years’ posts, so I should also break the silence.

How I’m starting 2008: Work. January 1 is a regular working day where I’m at. And very busy, too.

Things I did the most in 2007: Spent about half the year working on my onshore outsourced project. Gain a good bit of experience.

What I failed to do in 2007: build my own website or Facebook application, and make lots of ad money.

What I should do less in 2008: Eat and drink sweets. Envy and self-pity.

What I should do more in 2008: Write – in this blog, and elsewhere. Exercise – must find a way. Learn new human languages and review those I have learned before. Programming languages, the same.

What I want to be in 2008: more cultured, educated, and skilled.

Aging December 15, 2007

There are plenty of side projects that I can work on while here on my foreign assignment. I can do them after working at our client. I can do them on weekends, which are quite idle.

But I barely do them, Research & Development that used to be my lifeblood. Am I losing it as a techie?

Or, is it I’m becoming older. Physically, I’m less willing and capable of working 12 to 16 hours a day like I did ten years ago. Back then, I was very motivated and obsessed that I was working on something that would make it big. Did I succeed? Sadly no, not in my opinion. I guess I gained in a few small things but what I lost out on is enough to make me go thinking all the time, what could have been?

Part of what could have been would be: what if I spent more time in being a more artistic and cultured person? That is what I am trying to catch up on – the reason I make efforts at writing. But part of me says, I have to try a second time at success, I’m never too old, and aging is a good thing as it leads to maturity.

Loud December 9, 2007

I used to be a music lover. I used to play in bands. But no more.

I have no iPod – no portable music player of any kind.

I have to play music out loud. That often is socially unacceptable.

Ear pain is to blame. I can’t stand sound piped into my ear. I no longer tolerate amplified music. I had my hearing checked – it’s fine. So I don’t know for sure what causes my ear problem. It could be the side effect of the lithium I take.

Sometimes I just want to listen, so I have to make a sacrifice. The listening is fine; the pain and ringing comes after.

Sweetness Addiction December 8, 2007

I’m now trying to cure my sweetness addiction. I don’t smoke, and drink alcohol rarely. Mostly, I’m addicted to carbohydrates and simple sugars. Combining these with caffeine and chocolate are a bonus. I make excuses to eat them.

Why am I posting this? I need to come clean. Or perhaps seek support. It’s hard, but I’m not growing younger and I have diabetes in my genes. I need to watch out.

I need to add: food blog envy. Wishing I had the time and money to eat all the stuff mentioned in Pinoy food blogs! Not just sweets. Anything.

Silicon Valley Envy December 8, 2007

Some time ago I was writing on the “Silicon Valley in the Philippines” theme. I was going through a “Silicon Valley Envy” phase. I wished I were part of the culture – not just the tech, but hanging out with people I read in tech blogs.

Time passed and I did not magically get transplanted to Silicon Valley. So I guess I need to work on it and not just wish. Can I work there as an employee? Probably, with some life changes of course. Can I start up? Now that’s tough, and the subject of another discussion.

One source of angst is that I had a startup before – in what I called my previous career – and it didn’t work out. It’s not a failure on my part, and it’s not viewed as such, but I still tend to think “what could have been.” On the other hand, if I had continued along that path, I won’t be doing software development and the rest of the things I do.