GMAT Defeat

I was defeated by the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) yesterday

It sucks to admit defeat when all your life, you’ve come out on top or close to it.   Sharing this with the world somehow makes me feel paranoid that some potential business school admissions officer is going to find this and judge me on it, but I think and hope it will at least help others who have been in my shoes or will be soon.

The wound is still fairly fresh; it’s been only about 12 hours since I had left the testing facility, yet the remaining adrenaline has continued to keep me restless.  Where was this energy when I was studying?!

Breakdown of a GMAT

For those unfamiliar with the format of the GMAT:  it’s about 3.5 hours long, consists of typing two analytic essays, a 75-minute quantitative section, and a 75-minute verbal section.  It’s also a CAT,  a Computer Adaptive Test, which gives you questions based on the success of your previous answer.  A correct answer will give you a harder question next and vice versa.  No skipping allowed and unanswered questions count against you.

The Testing Experience

I had been warned that timing is the biggest problem for students with the GMAT and my case is no different.  What really disappoints me is that I’ve practiced with timing and had never had as serious of an issue until it was the actual exam.  I was fairly content with the scores I had been averaging, but of course I was always aiming to improve (to at least around 700 out of 800, I was getting around mid-600s).  When I had completed the exam and dreadfully clicked to the next screen to reveal my score, I had never felt more like a failure.  Let’s just say I would be embarrassed to accept it as a final score for my application.  $250 down the drain.  Hours of studying wasted it felt.  Countless “Good luck” texts and lots of confidence instilled by my cohorts and here I sat feeling like I let them down.  I let myself down.

So what exactly happened?

While many have tried to console me by telling me that “everyone has their off-days” or “it’s ok, you were sick,” only I know the thoughts running through my head, my approach to the exam, and what I can do better next time.  I don’t attribute my poor performance to anything other than discipline.  I think it was a change in mindset, perhaps from the heightened pressurized environment.  Not exactly nerves that got to me as I had felt pretty calm about the entire thing going into it, but rather the extreme urge for me to succeed and that I was not going to take a wrong answer in my first five questions (it’s been advised to ensure that you do as best as possible on the first few questions to set you on the track to as high of a score as possible).  The essays, which technically do not count towards the score out of 800, were a breeze to me and I was feeling quite good about the whole exam.  Heck, I was even having fun writing them!

It completely turned around once I began the math section.  I quickly worked to solve question 1, yet none of my answers were even close to any of the answer choices given.  I double and triple-checked and couldn’t understand where I could’ve gone wrong.  At that point, on a practice exam, I probably would have just taken an educated guess and moved on, as I had always come into the practice thinking, “let’s just see where I’m at.”  Being that it was the real deal and was only the first question, I had harped over it for what seemed like an eternity.  I could not bring myself to guess as I knew the consequences of an incorrect answer would immediately set me on the lower path.  Especially being from a math-intensive background, I was frustrated that I let a math question get the best of me!  This had set me off timing-wise for the rest of the section and left me selecting random answers as the clock ticked to its last second.  Mind you, bubbling answers on a scantron sheet at the last second is completely different from selecting random answers on a computer, as there are three clicks before getting to the next question (answer choice, “Next”, “Confirm”).

In the verbal section, I had done much better with timing and felt confident I could raise my score since I had taken a practice verbal test right before my exam and scored in the 96th percentile, with time to spare.  So I told myself, “Take your time.”  Well somehow, I stuck a little too closely to my advice and instead of performing the same way I had in the practice, I noticed my time per question was quickly dwindling to the point where I did not even have a minute per question remaining!  It came down to once again, bubbling random answers, but this time leaving less questions unanswered at the end.

At last, the exam was done.  I stared blankly at the screen in utter disappointment in myself thinking, “how did I let this happen?!”  I was certain I could at least score what I normally do.  If you look back at my approach, I’m sure it’s easy to pick out exactly where I went wrong.  Statistically, I’ve been told that answering every question could make a difference of 100 points.

Looking Forward

I’ll admit, after receiving my score, I questioned my ability and whether this — pursuing an MBA — is what I wanted.  That’s when I started to ask myself, “Why do I need to do this anyway?!” ” With enough drive, isn’t anything possible in life?”  “Why should a school base their decision on how well I scored on this exam?”  But after I exhausted all the questions that came to mind, it only made me want to work harder, to prove myself, if not to anyone else, that I can do this.  I know I am not alone in having to re-take the GMAT.  Perhaps I needed this to set a fire under me and really work to get my ideal score.

My approach this time around though is that I won’t constrain myself to a test date.  Once I’ve been able to nail a solid score, I think I’ll schedule another exam and try it out again.  I had taken a prep course at USD, which was a good way to introduce me to the material, but for the amount of time spent in class, I think I would have benefited more from studying independently.  Studying techniques vary person to person, though I highly recommend purchasing the software on  800score.com ($40 compared to a $1000 class!).

If you have taken the GMAT and would like to share your experience or tips, I would love to hear them!  Best of luck to those enduring this pursuit!

Drinking the Twitterade

What is Twitter?

As promised, this is the follow-up post outlining my thoughts on Twitter. First and foremost, if you do not know what Twitter is, I highly recommend watching this 8-minute video of Evan Williams, CEO of Twitter, giving a talk at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference:

(thanks for sharing this with me, @tonytv!)

In 10 words or less, Twitter is a social-networking and micro-blogging service.  I had learned of Twitter a couple years ago in college through a start-up friend, but could never be convinced to try it back then.  I avoided it at all costs.  It seemed like a hyperactive version of Facebook status updates and was making my paranoid half cringe.  Yet another trendy social network to join right?  I just could not see a clear value for publicizing my every move throughout the day.

Hook, Line, and Sinker

Fast-forward to January 2009 and suddenly, Twitter is the talk of town.  I did not want to become sucked into the masses, but I eventually gave in when my friend/co-worker, @worldlyjohn, showed me the power of search.twitter.com.  Rather than feeling like another bandwagon member, it feels more like, “Wow, this is what I’m missing out on!”

I had been shown how Twitter could organize information, such as for showing up-to-the minute comments about the presidential election, but it still hadn’t appealed to me until I started playing with search.twitter.com myself.

Give it a whirl.  Type in anything and you will see the latest tweets that contain that keyword.  These are statements made from every day people (sometimes even celebrities).  They come in the form of opinions, replies (using the “@username” convention), and the sharing of content usually in the form of shortened links.  Here is an example of the results for “San Diego”:

Twitter Search results for "San Diego"

You can see that results vary from people who have tweeted about pre-sale NIN tickets to the news of a skin infection outbreak at the San Diego Zoo (with a nice link to the article).  The more you use Twitter, the more fascinating it becomes with the number of uses for the application.  By “use,” I mean contributing to the Twitterverse through tweeting valuable information/opinions, replying to other Tweeps, re-tweeting, and growing your network by following interesting people (if you’re getting lost with all the Twitter vocab, see: http://twictionary.pbwiki.com/)

Just as we’ve learned from the video above, Twitter is sometimes the first source of information, as was the case for the San Diego fires last year.  People have started using Twitter for so many other reasons than to just blurt out to the world that they’re scratching their butt.

Types of Users

It’s been about a month and a half since I first joined Twitter and these are the types of users I’ve encountered:

1. Online marketing entrepreneurs – I mention this first because one of my first followers fell into this category.  I was extremely excited to know a stranger was interested in what I had to say.  Don’t be fooled — my hunch is that they’re looking for high follower counts.  You can easily spot them with any combination of the words “online viral marketing entrepreneur” in their profile or with their ridiculous numbers of followers/following (usually in the high 1,000’s).  It still boggles me how they claim they’ve reached success simply by using online marketing and can share their tips with you for just $600.00!

2. Companies/Services — Let’s face it:  Twitter is ideal for advertising since word spreads so fast, hence the large presence of the aforementioned users.  You’ll see anything from @Starbucks to @woot to San Diego’s Metro Transit System (@sdmts).  This category encompasses a huge amount of users from big-name corporations to free-lance artists.

3. Celebrities/High-Profile Tweeps — Pretty self-explanatory category. @BarackObama, @BritneySpears, @RyanSeacrest, @THE_REAL_SHAQ just to name a few.  These are often included in the Suggested Users section when finding people to start following.

4. Non-Profit Organizations — Users that leverage the power of Twitter to lend helping hands, receive donations, and spread the word of reaching out.  A couple I’ve been following are @Everywun and @volunteersd.

5. Friends/Family/People You Actually Know — A great reason to join Twitter is to keep in tune with the lives of others!  I’ve mainly reconnected with RIT alumni, which allows me to live my college life vicariously through them.

6. Ordinary Everyday Users — The category title does not necessarily generalize all others to being “ordinary” — in fact, some live quite impressive lives!  This is simply the umbrella category for random strangers that are willing to share and connect with others.  There are true gem users that are worth following, users who inspire us to learn and do more with ourselves, making this last category my favorite.  On the flipside, beware of people who have absolutely stagnant accounts with little to no tweets, perhaps just a dummy account to view protected tweets!

For a thorough list of categories and users, see http://www.socialbrandindex.com/

Overall Thoughts

I’m content with my decision to join Twitter as I’ve found it to be pretty useful and fun.  My usage has dramatically declined from when I first joined though.  It was initially an addiction.  I was very self-aware and conscious of what was being said and how I would say it.  I constantly checked if I had a reply or a direct message.  Now, I’ve come to learn that my life shouldn’t revolve around Twitter because I’ve definitely lived fine without it!  Thought it has enhanced certain aspects of daily activity:

I’ve used Twitter to find out what events are happening around town (including free giveaways!), post a job opening, link to my blog, scope out movie reviews, and share opinions on current events with people whose opinions I value.  It’s a great hub for finding intellectual conversations.  You can play it safe behind the scenes and observe all that is going on, but you may find you’ll get a lot more out of it by immersing yourself in the Twitter culture.  Below are some tips I’ve learned from other Twitter-holics that may help with getting started.

Tips on Tweeting

• Use it. A lot of people don’t understand the power and value of Twitter because they don’t ever engage themselves in interesting conversations.  Yes, it’s overwhelming at first, but you will eventually find your groove and meet some cool people!
• Share as much or as little of information as you please. I am a very paranoid person sometimes, especially when it comes to publishing updates about my whereabouts.  I try to tweet them after the fact and usually consider the value- factor.  Ask yourself, “Would someone actually find this interesting or valuable?”  But let yourself have those vent tweets too, like “Whoo! I just aced my interview!”  It feels a little vain, but hey, sometimes the recognition is nice right?  Do keep in mind how often you have back-and-forth public conversations.  This can get annoying sometimes to readers who have to sift through these!  That’s what DM’s (direct messages) are for, Tweeps!  Keep in mind, every tweet you post adds to your brand image!  So be careful!!  You never know who’s reading, like b-school recruiters!  Ahh!
• Get a Twitter client. It seriously helps with the information overload, by allowing you to organize and manage incoming tweets.  There are clients for all platforms (iPhone, BlackBerry, G1, etc.). I’m currently using TweetDeck and am fairly pleased, though I’m open to experiencing other UIs.  Check out: http://twitter.com/downloads
• Don’t get discouraged by people who stop following you. Just as easily as you can stop following someone, they can also do the same to you.  It’s all fair in this culture and should not be taken to heart.  Not everyone says interesting things, so do yourself a favor by lightening up your tweetload and unfollowing boring tweeps!  If you’re curious to know who and at what point, users are unfollowing you, there is actually an app called Qwitter that provides this kind of info.  I’ve yet to get an email notifying me of my “qwitters” so I’m not sure about their uptime.  Either they’re overloaded or everyone who follows me is in it for the long haul!  (prob the former!)
• Observe how others are doing it. You can learn a lot of the Twitter culture just by reading tweets.  There are plenty of other sites that go into depth about the syntax of tweets (@, RT, DM).  Also, remember you’re limited to 140 chars so keep it short, especially if you want people to re-tweet your stuff.

And that wraps up my exhaustingly long “Thoughts on Twitter” post!  I now pass the Twitter shot-glass to you.  It’s your turn.  Now, take a swig!

Curiosity, Nosiness, or Loneliness? Thoughts on Social Networks

Within the last few hours, I have a) changed my Facebook status, b) changed my Facebook picture, c) tweeted via web and phone, d) all of the above. (If you don’t know what tweeting is, stay tuned for the next post, because it deserves a post on its own.) Mind you, I was diligently studying for GMATs, which turned into Facebook surfing to then chatting to OMG-it’s-4:00 am! (Note: Vietnamese coffee may have had an influence)

A lot of questions have been brewing in my mind about social networks lately and why they thrive. Why are people so addicted? Is it human nature that causes us to be curious about what exists beyond our immediate environment? Are we just plain nosy and want the gossip without looking bad? Or is it the mere back-and-forth commenting/poking/replying that is gratifying to the brain? This last one stems from an article I read about loneliness affecting the brain. It states:

“Given their feelings of social isolation, lonely individuals may be left to find relative comfort in nonsocial rewards,” said John Cacioppo, the Tiffany and Margaret Blake Professor in Psychology at the University.”

You may say all of the above, which is probably true. I’m not really here to tell you the technical bit to it. It’s just fascinating how interaction between people and the Internet has progressed.

Before online social networks like Facebook and MySpace, can you even remember what we turned to? AIM, IRC, ICQ, Yahoo! chatrooms, Xanga, etc. I can still remember the first social network I ever joined back in 1996 — AsianAvenue. You could basically upload a picture and write some bio about yourself, search for others, and chat. There were a couple other niche sites catering to the different races (i.e., BlackPlanet, MiGente), but I’m surprised how long it took until MySpace won over the masses by storm (I am proud to say I do not own a MySpace account).

Then enter Facebook, who I guess everyone and, literally, their mom is on (thank goodness mine isn’t!). Thoughts on Facebook: first and foremost, it’s a hell of a lot of information that we willingly volunteer (not going to get into the whole Terms of Service stuff). A friend of mine, who joined just a few months ago, felt extremely overwhelmed and hated the interface. And no, he’s not a noob. It’s just hard for us to empathize with a Facebook virgin as we have stuck around for the numerous iterations of interface changes. “Duh, of course we know where to find a person’s hobbies and how to stalk conversations between people!” We just eat this sh*t right up! It boggles my mind why we spend countless hours absorbed in an application that really does not produce much of anything, except maybe self-validation. Yes, we do gain a network from it, but does it really take updating your status/picture every few hours to maintain said network? It is seriously an addiction. I admit, I’m no less of a victim than the next (well, I’m not that extreme); I’m just getting a little jaded by the whole movement.

Social networks are indeed powerful in that you now have the attention of millions of people, but this is all still very isolated when you consider each individual account “moving” at different rates. It’s when masses start to form and actions are made that makes them valuable, which we’ve already seen through Obama’s campaign for change (whose site is called “my B.O.” — giggle, giggle) and young “socially responsible” sites, like Everywun.com. What will social networks evolve into? Will we all eventually unite under one network or perhaps an individual will monopolize everything?

I know I’ve already started to shift my attention from Facebook to Twitter, as many others have (reasons will be detailed in the following post). I am beginning to see the impact that Twitter has on developing a strong, united community, however I don’t see social networks ending here. Once there is a large enough audience buying into a certain topic, change will occur. It’s inevitable. Users will constantly seek more, whether it is for self-validation, money, entertainment, convenience/a simpler life, or maybe even intrinsic reasons. If you have the winning big idea that satisfies all these, I suggest you get crackin’ on it!

Stop Bringing Me More Food! Language Barrier Frustrations

I never thought I’d say that, as I LOVE food to its core, but last night was one of the most frustrating experiences I’ve had in a long time.  I was craving spicy Korean BBQ, so the boyfriend and I decided to try out Korean Hometown Restaurant, off of Convoy in the heart of Asian madness.  The restaurant is in a plaza full of other Korean/Chinese shops…a couple karaoke studios, a smoky pool hall, bakeries and restaurants, and even a gaming cybercafe where you can play Counter-Strike (and yes, I’ve played there before!).  All the signs are in Korean, so it was tough to figure out which restaurant it was, especially in the rain, but thankfully they did have small letters below the sign stating “Korean Hometown Restaurant.”

I was warned of this by Yelp reviewers, but one thing I was not warned of was that I would be pointing to menu items and communicating through nods and hand gestures.  Our waitress, who also cooked our food, could barely speak a lick of English!   It really couldn’t get more authentic than this!  I had no idea that the beef bulgogi (bbq) came with all the kim chi  (pickled vegetables) and rice  I wanted.  I attempted to ask, but all I got was gibberish and “yes…mm..no…mm…sorree” types of responses.  I should have stopped right there and just made an order, but I went on the assumption that the bulgogi did not come with the stuff and proceeded to ask if the kim chi stew was an actual soup or just the pickled vegetables in the sauce.  Again, similar responses. It didn’t help that I also asked about the seafood pancake but decided not to order it.  As clearly as possible with a “let’s cancel everything I said before” hand gesture, I said, “OK, let’s start over. 1) Beef bulgogi, 2) Kim chi stew, 3) Rice with kim chi.”  There!  I felt like at least I would get kim chi in some form that I wanted!  I had heard of the copious amounts of food they had there, but had no idea which came with which, until it all started to pile on.

First, the beef bulgogi DID come with all the small dishes of kim chi and rice.  Wait, was that #1 and #3 off my list or does that normally come with the bulgogi? Then the stew came…ok, I ordered that…let’s try it!  Delicious as well!  I figured, perfect, got all 3 things I ordered.  Theeeeen the pancake came. Oh boy, I remember saying “let’s cancel that and start over.”  As politely as I could, I said, “I’m sorry, I did not order this, but that’s ok, I’ll pay for it. No more food right?”  And a confused look glazes over her and she nods and smiles.  A few minutes later, out comes the rice and stew. OH MY GOODNESS!  I had no more words as those definitely didn’t help.  Instead, I grabbed my face in a rather FOB-like way and crinkled my forehead thinking, “How did I f*ck this up so much?!?!?!?!”  A couple sitting nearby, a Korean woman and American man, had overheard and seen what was going on and was so kind to take this plate off our hands and buy the dish, as they had absolutely loved the food (and must have realized bulgogi DOES come with all the extras).  Had the hand-made crayon and marker menu stated this, all confusion would have been averted!  Mind you, the menu was in perfect English and rather neat, with pasted in pictures of the dishes…bulgogi sans extra dishes!!!  Methinks it was probably a son or daughter who created the menu.  Where was he/she?!?!

I stared at our table.  Not one piece of it wasn’t covered with a dish.  To be fair, she did technically bring out everything I ordered, but the pancake was extra.  I felt horrible that from Asian person to another Asian person, communication had failed.  I didn’t think these kinds of things happened anymore.  My head was spinning with questions.  Why was I so ignorant?  Why is there a restaurant that can’t answer questions about their menu?  Why did I have to ask so many things?!  ARGH!  Why does this kind of miscommunication happen mainly with Asian people?  I go to the nail salon, and it’s a similar experience, but they at least know the basics where they can hold a generic conversation and understand if I want French manicure vs. a solid color.  But if I go to an authentic Italian restaurant or a Mexican one, which is everywhere, it’s not nearly as rough of a time.  I have grown up with language barrier issues as I always had to translate for my mom and I could tell people were frustrated with her broken English.  I was upset at myself that I couldn’t handle this situation better.  It makes me wonder if I’ve assimilated so much to American culture that it’s hard for me to accept it when others can’t speak English.  I think if you are a business and are able to draw American customers, you should at least have the basics down.  What are your thoughts?

Finally, I have to say, the food was delicious, and that was what I was looking for, so mission accomplished.  I do recommend this restaurant, but know beforehand what you want.  It will make the experience significantly better!  Time to heat up that seafood pancake for breakfast!

Do you remember “Highlights” magazine?

And those awesome Hidden Pictures?! That was always the first page I flipped to as a kid. Even still today, when I see those children’s magazines sitting in a waiting room, I’ll pick it up over an “Entertainment Weekly.”

Well today, I DID get to be a kid again. Not in a waiting room though. In an effort to take daily measures towards my goals this year, I had decided to volunteer with my friend who regularly tutors at a local library every Wednesday. This is my third time going, and normally it’s the usual math homework help or reading, but boy was I in for a surprise! It had originally started off with a rather bright 7-year old who was doing math problems that weren’t even for homework. Instead, he was doing problems out of a workbook his mom bought from Barnes & Noble for practice (kudos for being a proactive parent!). 24 successful problems later, my friend decides that we switch tutees as he miserably fails to help his little one with her Hidden Pictures extra credit homework. I had seen it from the corner of my eye and was jealous he got to help her and not vice versa. But when he asked to switch with me, I got all giddy and wide-eyed at the thought of diving deep into this challenging hidden pictures hunt she had. I mean come on, don’t tell me you haven’t gotten excited over something that dorky before. (On a different note, how come I never got Hidden Pictures assignments as extra credit?!!!) Either way, it was a win-win situation since a) I was having a blast helping my tutee, b) she was super adorable and very well-behaved with just enough sass to bear with, unlike my last experience tutoring there!

Although we found all items but one in both her puzzles (it was way more challenging than anticipated since they didn’t provide the pictures of what we were looking for), it was certainly a positive experience especially after bonding with the two kids. They remembered my name, asked how to spell it, and even said it back quite often. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing them again soon. My tutee even said she’ll bring her Hidden Pictures assignment again next week for us to find that stubborn hidden slipper!

Just in case you have absolutely no idea what I’m referring to, or if you’re like me and love these puzzles, try your hand at this one I found from the HighlightsTeachers.com site (I left out the images of the items to look for on here, or else that’d be way too easy. If you really need the crutch, see previous link):

Can you find the coffeepot, roller skate, candle, arrow, shoe, mouse, pennant, sailboat, ice-cream cone, strawberry, spoon, nail, hairbrush, key, toy, duck, dragonfly, and hammer?

I don’t wanna grow up, I wanna be an MBA kid.

I think the title says it all. I went to my first GMAT Sample Test class today at USD, which is basically just an hour-long overview of what their full 42-hour course offers. It was a good way to get me thinking about what I might get myself into. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what my future holds and what I want to do with myself. I’m happy with my life but nowhere near where I want to be, which is still rather cloudy. I feel that until you are completely satisfied with every bit of your life and who you’ve become, there are countless opportunities to grow and improve. So one of my goals this year is to complete the GMATs and apply to a business school and start tackling an MBA degree perhaps next year.

First off, why? Well, I’m 9 months out of college and while I do enjoy what I’m doing at work, it just doesn’t feel enough. I know I’ve always wanted to get a post-grad degree, just wasn’t sure if I wanted to go technical or business. I’ve always enjoyed learning the business aspect, so this seems to be a natural next step.

Secondly, I still am discovering what it is I want to do and where to plant myself in the world. Is it in a technical field? Is it in management? Something philanthropic? Something completely different from all of the above? I’m just not sure and I don’t think that working another few years at my current job will allow me to see enough diversity. I think getting an MBA will allow me to see other opportunities that I didn’t get to see as an undergrad, even after minoring in Entrepreneurship. And if I don’t, then it becomes another degree I have under my belt to sell my skills.

Lastly, (and one of the major reasons) my company will pay for it! Or at least a large portion depending on the school I pick or perhaps all of it if I decide to pursue my company’s engineering leadership program. With the way the economy is, I certainly don’t see myself jumping ship to another company any time soon. Who knows, maybe after a few years, I might find the perfect job in this very same company.

Anyone else getting the MBA itch? Or is going through it now? I’d love to hear about your experiences.

2009 Goals

This past vacation that I spent in Dallas, I thought a lot about goals for this year. I’m starting to feel like if I’m not in school and I’m just doing the same thing day to day, I’m not really going anywhere in life. So I decided that one goal of mine is to be productive each day, well for now, I’m shooting for each work day. And this has to be something different from my normal routine — not work, hygiene, chores, etc, but something that either makes a difference in someone else’s life or is one step closer to achieving my own personal larger goals for the year. Perhaps I’ll even blog about it each day (that’s a huge accomplishment for me!). Or maybe I’ll start a calendar to mark each productive day. However any day that I miss will add an extra 10 minutes to my next workout or take away one social event that weekend (in an attempt to save money).

Today I worked out for the first time in who knows how long. I think since I’ve moved to San Diego, I’ve worked out at the gym once. That’s pretty pathetic considering how active San Diegans are and how nice the weather is, so no excuse to not get out. I must admit, I hate going to the gym. After work today though, I got dressed and warmed up dancing to my ipod ready to head out the door and hit the treadmill at my apartment’s gym, but suddenly felt the adrenaline I normally feel when I’m at the club dancing. I decided that if I stopped to walk to the gym, I would lose my momentum and quit early. So I kept up the fast paced dancing and did a variety of calisthenics, even threw a few of my own weird moves in (one that I’d like to call the “Shamu” — ask me next time and I’ll demonstrate…has to do with the Shamu symbol from SeaWorld). It must have been a hilarious sight since my apartment was dead silent and here I was working out at high energy levels in front of my closet mirrors. I even brought out some cans of soup to use as weights. =P In my last minute of the hour, I was nearly dying and stared at the clock on my DVR box. It must have stayed at 7:29 for an eternity. I actually yelled aloud in disgust with how slowly time was moving. Finally, at 7:30 pm, I fell to my collapse and guzzled half my water bottle. Probably not the best strategy! But hey, it got me off my couch! I walked around my complex in the brisk 55-degrees for 15 minutes to cool off, getting strange stares from drive-by cars as to why I was in a tank top and rolled up sweats with my flip flops walking in the “cold.” Alas, my workout was finished.

I’m about to guiltily enjoy a couple Krystal burgers (think: White Castle burger) that have been transported via plane from Dallas. Someone’s gotta eat them! Till the next productive day (hopefully tomorrow), Happy New Year!

“Dear Zachary,”

I hope that if you at least read this far into this post, you will remember this title, “Dear Zachary,” and make it a point to search it, learn of this story, and become touched as I have right now.  I have just finished watching this 2 hour documentary about Andrew Bagby — a doctor/father/son/friend to many, who was murdered by his ex-girlfriend in 2001.  In short, his best friend, Kurt Kuenne, a filmmaker, has produced a beautiful and incredibly moving documentary of this heart-wrenching story that just makes you question the government (well technically, Canada’s) and why the justice system allows such horrible and crazy murderers to be let out on bail.

I cannot even put into the proper words that could summarize this film, so I will quote from Apple.com’s trailer site (I am not surprised that the site “Dear Zachary,” is currently down due to capacity after tonight’s premiere):

“On November 5, 2001, Dr. Andrew Bagby was murdered in a parking lot in western Pennsylvania; the prime suspect, his ex-girlfriend Dr. Shirley Turner, promptly fled the United States for St. John’s, Canada, where she announced that she was pregnant with Andrew’s child. She named the little boy Zachary. Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne, Andrew’s oldest friend, began making a film for little Zachary as a way for him to get to know the father he’d never meet. But when Shirley Turner was released on bail in Canada and was given custody of Zachary while awaiting extradition to the U.S., the film’s focus shifted to Zachary’s grandparents, David & Kathleen Bagby, and their desperate efforts to win custody of the boy from the woman they knew had murdered their son. What happened next, no one ever could have foreseen…”

I think the effect of this film on America could be profound.  Will it be?  It could only take the masses who take a step forward and act on it in order for there to be a difference.  I had never heard of Kurt Kuenne until tonight, but boy do I give him my utmost respect for continuing to produce this film dedicated to Andrew’s parents after Zachary died.  I thank him for sharing this rare story with America and hope that it will change the justice system for the better some day.

Thanksgiving

Usually this is where I’m supposed to share all people/experiences/things I’m thankful for, but I’m going to save that for my more private moments — really, it just kind of goes without saying, right? Does it make it any more meaningful or special to announce it or give one day of thought to it when really we should be thankful each and every day for what we have?

Anyway, this will be my first Thanksgiving away from home. I know I’m not alone in this since many of my friends who have graduated with me are also thousands of miles away from home and have opted not to make the trip back until December for Christmas/Hannukkah/<insert politically-correct holiday term>. I will still be celebrating with loved ones (like my significant other for once!) and other families as they carry their traditions. I think it will be interesting to experience. I recall that usually I’m a tad miserable around this time (based off of my post about a year ago, and oh yeah, this one where I’m “Absolutely Enraged“). Not only was it a combination of parental overload and the anxiety of Black Friday/Christmas shopping, but it was also a stressful time of interview traveling in search of a co-op/full-time job.

I am thankful that this year, I do have a little more money in my pocket, I can splurge more, and I can actually enjoy this year’s wintertime (minus the snow!!) without figuring out so much where my future was heading. Indeed, we’re in a recession, but I have not quite let that affect what I’ve been wanting to do. I’m certainly excited to go out and get MY VERY OWN Christmas tree and decorate it to my heart’s content. I’m looking forward to traveling to a warm state and reuniting with my family. If I wanted to do, I could take a random trip to Vegas, Mexico, or Big Bear to go skiing. Gosh, sometimes it feels great to be an adult!! Is this feeling ever going to fade?!

So if one thing I’m really thankful for, it would be this freedom to choose what I want to do with my life, which I think I celebrate possibly every occasion I can.

In closing (to my whopping 4 readers out there!), please drive safely to your destinations if you’re traveling and have a wonderful, peaceful, and merry Thanksgiving holiday!! Cheers!

A Tad Fired Up: Typing vs. Programming

For the guts of this post of why I’m fired up this morning, skip this next paragraph.

For those of you waiting for Day 3…yeah that’s not really coming if you couldn’t already tell. Why? Well, (1) I’m lazy, (2) I’ve lost the momentum of GEOINT, and (3) nothing too exciting happened on Day 3 to be honest. I’ll give you one thing though: I did almost get robbed at a club. Day 3 was on a Thursday. Last day of the symposium, many had already begun to fly back home. Figured, ok let’s do it up on our last night and go downtown. Surprisingly, Nashville was DEAD on a Thursday night. After dinner, we attempted a dueling piano bar, Coyote Ugly, and to our disappointment, the bar that was recommended to us was closed. FAIL, FAIL, FAIL. So we actually succumbed to going into an 18+ college bar/club — the ONLY poppin’ place that night. Quite a mixture of honky-tonkness and freshmen trying to sneak some drinks here and there. The night got interesting (and scary) when a drunkard somehow got into the place. He preyed around us begging for drinks with his eyes and slurred gibberish. You could just tell he was out to get something to sell to make a buck or two for a drink. That something was our jackets. I had seen him eying my purse, but I was quick to run off to the bathroom with it. Came back and our jackets were stashed under his. He tried to deny it and pretended to look around for them, all innocent-like. Smooth buddy, smooth. My co-worker yanked them and we got the f* out of there. Nashville had been an awesome experience up until that. Needless to say, it hasn’t tarnished my view of this awesome live-music city.

On to the fiery part…scrolling through my unread Hacker News feeds in Google Reader, this one caught my eye: We Are Typists first, Programmers Second. I’m curious to see what you guys think, specifically my fellow programmers out there.

I pasted my comment below:

87 wpm and my one mistake was putting a period at the end of that paragraph (apparently that typing test doesn’t value proper grammar).

I’ve been typing pretty much since instant messengers came out, which was primarily how I learned to type quickly. I definitely do not program as fast as I can type. What is the need? Programming takes thought and often pseudo-coding in my head before I can even begin to put code down in an editor. If you’re going to lose a thought, write the main points down (pencil and paper is still effective!), or type the solution in plain English as a comment. Whoa, comments…who comments anymore right?

I used to judge a programmer’s skills by the way he/she typed, but our trade isn’t to type fast. Perhaps if you were a secretary (which I’ve been one) or a note-taker, it would be more valuable, but good programming goes far beyond keystrokes.

Syp Vandy on November 18, 2008 08:59 AM