blogs and photoblogs ….
Star light, star bright,
The first star I see tonight …..
If only wishes can come true, I will wish for my heart to stop aching. Then I shall not live in vain.
If only wishes can come true, I will wish to ease the pain of those whose hearts are broken. Then I shall not live in vain.
If only wishes can come true, I will wish to stop remembering. Then I shall not live in vain.
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.
We were interviewing for a senior programmer candidate these past few weeks and I can’t help not to chuckle with the candidates’ responses to the interview questions.
For example.
Question: From 1 - 10 rate your PL/SQL skills?
Candidate 1: I am very confident.
So we asked the candidate to pick two questions out of the nine questionnaires.
Guess how many question the first candidate correctly answered ? nada, zero, zilch, caput.
@!!$$%^@%^@ … i can write pl/sql with my eyes closed but I will never answer “confident” on a job interview.
Here’s another one …
Question: From 1 - 10 rate your PL/SQL skills?
Candidate 2: 8 to 10
So my boss asked questions based on the ratings.
Question: What is the difference between function
and procedure.
Candidate 2: uh….
Another question: (this is a sql 101 question ) What is the difference between truncate and delete?
Candidate 2: uh…
My boss was really in the mood to torture this one, she asked another question.
Question: Which part of the code trap error
Candidate 2: uhh …
Bunch of suckers … why rate yourself so high when you can’t even answer a simple question.
seriously, I wish I have their confidence ..
I am very passionate to the extreme.
For example, I hate the Lakers with passion. I love the Houston Rockets as much as I love my parents.
I love Pier 1 imports. I can’t stand K-mart.
There are people in my group that I love to pieces. There are people in my group that I despise to death.
It’s either I like you or I hate you.
I don’t have a gray color.
It is either black or white.
I don’t have a color in between.
I am oblivious to the way I dress.
But I am particular to name-brand. I don’t shop at Old Navy, Target or JC Penney.
I need a new car. I can’t afford a new one as of this time because I will not settle buying Toyota or Honda.
What’s in a name?
A car is just a car.
A shirt is just a shirt.
Does my preference for name-brand stems from covert insecurities ?
Or is it my way to obscure my desire for perfection?
I prefer the latter answer.
The traffic yesterday was atrocious !
It took two hours to get from San Gabriel to Azusa.
Two friggin hours for six-mile drive.
I was in absolutely pissy mood.
I did not want to end my day in a sour mood so I thought of one thing that could save my day.
… a decadent meal, something unique, flavorful, cheesy, chocolaity (is there such a word?) …
was that Melting Pot calling ?
So without further adieu and even I don’t have budget to eat out we drove to Melting Pot in Rancho Cucamonga.
first course
Cheddar cheese fondue.
You can never go wrong with cheddar cheese. Melted cheddar cheese, bouillabase, garlic, crack pepper….hmm.hmm good.
After few bites of green apples bite dip in cheese fondue, I was already in a good mood.
Second course was a california salad; greens with unknown names. The salad vinaigrette goes well with nuts and bleu cheese.
main meal.
I was already full but I cannot have a $62 meal goes to waste.
the finale.
aahh, the moment that I am waiting for. The savior of my day, ying-yang fondue.
Strawberries, marsmallows and cheesecake dip in decadent white and dark chocolate, does heaven exists on earth? I was in a bliss.
The total damage to my bank account–$113 including tip.
Is the meal worth the price.
hell yeah.
What does it take to be a programmer?
knowledge of Java? C++ ? Oracle ?
ability to discern when to use scalar or composite datatypes?
understanding of namespace?
having technical knowledge is just one of the attributes of a programmer.
Anyone, even my mom, for pete’s sake can get a book and learn XML.
.. to be a programmer you have to have “it”.
What is that “it”? that is the desire to write a program, to research, to automate procedures, to discern, to offer solution and most of all the fervent desire to build.
I have someone in my group who has the education and the technical know how. That person is getting paid to say “I know” or “can you take a look at my program” which is the person’s other words for “can you write the program for me”.
…. that person just doesn’t have ”it” …
… how could you leave GMA7?
… i don’t know why I am bothered by your decision.
… when I am but a fan ….
If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every shepherd’s tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move
To live with thee and be thy love.
… i am still waiting for mine.
Sadness permeated my heart after taking this photo. Between 13th and 17th century, the Tower of London was place for public and private executions. This is the site where the executions took place.
One of known “tenants” of the Tower of London was Anne Boleyn. In my humble opinion, her life epitomizes the word karma, “what goes around comes around.”
Anne Boleyn, a former queen of England and mother of Queen Elizabeth I was among who perished in the Tower of London.
Anne Boleyn was ambitious. She used to be Queen Catherine’s lady in waiting.
Her ambition for power drove away the wife’s king, Catherine of Aragon. Anne Boleyn flirted and fornicated with Henry VIII to become the queen of England.
After years of indiscretion, King Henry VIII succumbed to his libido, converted to Protestanism, divorced Catherine and marry Anne Boleyn.
The former of Queen of England, Catherine was sent to dank and unhealthy castle where she died of cancer.
After moving heaven to earth, King Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn did not last long. It was very surreal.
After more than two years of marriage, Anne Boleyn was sent to the Tower of London. She was beheaded on charges of treason, incest and adultery. Of course history tells us that the main reason of her decapitation was her inability to produced a male heir.
Unfortunately King Henry VIII did not live long enough to know that he did not need a son. His daughter, whom he once pronounced illegitimate, Queen Elizabeth, lead England to a true world and economic power.
I uttered a little prayer before leaving the Tower of London. I prayed for Anne Boleyn and for others whose life perished in the tower. I hope that they have found peace in their hearts - even in the afterlife.
When Caesar was murdered, his body was dragged from Pompey’s Theatre to the Forum.
It’s at the Forum near the Rostra where Marc Anthony spoke his famous words (at least according to Shakespeare), “Friends, Romans, countrymen, I came here to bury Caesar not to praise him”. Marc Anthony’s words turned Caesar from a dead dictator to a martyr.
The crowd was inflamed by Anthony’s words that they seized Caesar’s body and burned it on an impromptu pyre. Later a temple was built over the spot, dedicated to Gaius Julius Caesar.
Even after 2000 years visitors pay respect and offer flowers to Caesar’s altar.
I went to Italy and visited the Forum. I went to see the dedicated temple. I paid my respect to the man whom I never met but whose intriguing life, military tactics and passion tremendously contributed to my fervent love of history, Gaius Julius Caesar.