Mikey Mikey!

Movin'

2006-02-18T14:34:00.000+02:00

I have moved here

Mirror, mirror on the wall

2005-06-20T15:37:00.000+03:00

Ever catch yourself doing or being that which you preach against? Part of it is the way we grow up, part of it is what (or what not) we are taught, but mostly it is the way we think.

It is easy to come out and say you are not a racist or even that you believe in freedom of expression. It is easy to forget about colour, religion or ethnicity. You can look past all that.

These are the issues that are easy to identify and even teach a child. None of these are inherent by nature. However, it is a lot harder to look past the person eating and spitting half his food in your face, the person that talks weird, walks funny or even the person who seems that he/she does not know all that much about the subject you love. It is a lot harder to reach out to every person regardless of the fact that you have nothing in common. It takes a lot of effort to be nice to everyone. I can hardly believe myself saying this but being nice, honestly and sincerely, is extremely hard and I can't say that I know more than one or two people that are like this. Or at least seem to be like this.

To be more specific... Anytime we use the words "me" and "them" - "I am like this, they are like that" - we are playing the game. The game that can lead you down a chain of thoughts so disastrous that you end up in a cycle of criticism and cynicism. You set yourself apart from the rest - be that politically, ideologically, religiously, or even when mannerisms, eating habits, educational or societal status are concerned. Every little grouping you can make, any labeling must dissapear even for the simplest of issues.

A method of dilluting this notion of separatedness is to see each person as a mirror. Look at them as if you are talking to yourself, as if that person is a subset of your matter, your thoughts, your anxieties. As if they worry, eat, drink, fall in love, get scared just like you do. After all, is it not true? See yourself in others and the words: "I", "me", "them", "they" dissapear...

The effect is that you will not think before you talk - "What will they think if I say this?", "Is this acceptable here?", "Will she think this or that?", "Will she reject me?", "Will they laugh?". Nothing will matter once you see yourself in "others"... Talk, behave, discuss, live like each person is you.

O captain, my captain

2005-06-04T07:45:00.000+03:00

Carpe diem.

Seize the day! There is a long list of cliche quotes that fall under this category. You know; phrases such as: "Live every day like it's your last."

You had something to say and you kept quiet? You were going to make the first move with that girl and did not? You were going to go skiing for the first time and decided to pass? Live life with intensity. That is what I have been told and possibly it is something I have to learn to do more.

Honestly, can anyone tell me about a time they took a risk and regretted it? Even when the result was a failure to an observer, what you gain cannot be shared or even explained. For a failure is nothing more that an experience. Any experience has value because it is something we can use in the future. There is a scene in "The Lion King" where the monkey (what his name?) hits Simba over the head with his cane. Simba turns asking: "What was that for?" "To teach you something," as he swings the cane at him again. This time Simba ducks avoiding the hit. "There you have learnt something already!"

I am not suggesting you go running naked down the street... but don't be passive... If you have thought about something twice it's too much. Do it!

[Quoting Henry David Thoreau]
Neil: I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life... to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
-Dead Poet's Society

Spam this

2005-05-13T00:01:00.000+03:00

I decide to peek into that spam folder that is part of my Gmail account. Thankfully, I have not seen any spam since using Gmail.

Below is a story I wrote here using the subject lines of a few of these spam messages; the subject lines are in bold below, Jose Suarez is a sender's name.

Jose Suarez walked into the pub. Amy, the waitress turned to him asking: " Can we help you ". "Yes, I'm looking for Michael ", Suarez said. "I'm sorry", she said picking up her next order, 6 bottles of fine wine PLUS the Vintner's Reserve Wine Opener, " more info needed ". Jose wanted to meet Michael to make a deal for what he called" the coolest cell phone on the planet ". However, Michael or the Godfather, as he was known in these parts would not be easy to trace. Suarez looked through his briefcase in search of the note he had with the password; "I have a Mother's Day Bouquet for him", he persisted. Amy nodded, much to his delight and escorted him to the back office where two oversized bodyguards were waiting. "We have to update and verif[y] your account ", one barked. Suarez reached into his briefcase and presented him with a box of " Premium Cigars Plus Bonus Gifts ". The bodyguard grabbed the box and reach over to open the large wooden door. As it opened a woman with hot large big breasts appeared. "Are you here to see Michael?", she asked him. "Yes, Are You Michael? ." "No, he is not here right now," she said. Right, Suarez thought, and I make 5k to 20k a month from home. It was time for the second password. "This is A Service for Christian Singles, is it not?". The Godfather used the match making service as a front for his illegal deals "Sit," the woman said handing him a form, " Please Complete ASAP." She opened another door, that led into a long dark corridor and left Suarez there to complete the form. He started thinking that all this was not worth the trouble.

The form was quite standard; name, telephone number and a few "personality" questions. Finally, the woman walked in and called him. She took him to an office and the Godfather spun his large leather office chair towards him. "What have you got for me," he said jumping directly to business. " The coolest cell phone on the planet," Suarez exclaimed. The Godfather stated his objective directly: "This is about your software, the machine does not interest me." Suarez nodded: "OK but remember this is your last chance before rates go up, this is the best deal around." The Godfather stood up from his chair: "OK, we need to talk more. Here's my card. Call me today. I'll get my people to talk to your people, we'll do lunch." " It was nice speaking to you," Suarez said and walked out.

Playoffs

2005-05-11T19:49:00.000+03:00

Fuck it! I don't care... this "Friday's with Mike" thing was stupid anyways. I write whenever the hell I feel like it.

The subject is the playoffs. The NBA playoffs. I am not the expert I used to be. Haven't seen a game in a while (actually since this past season's finals), haven't seen LeBron play yet (I mean a whole game not a dunk or two), I can't name more than 3 Suns. Therefore, my predictions are not worth that much, even more so now that we are down to 8 teams.

Miami and Washington, Detroit and Indiana are the east's pairs and it seems like Miami won't have that much of a problem making it into the Finals. Washington came from behind to advance over Chicago, while Miami breezed by New Jersey. That alone would be enough to predict a rather easy advancement of Miami. Detroit will probably meet them there. Despite the fact that Indiana will be a harder nut to crack, Detroit will be there and it will will be a great series against Miami. Shaq Vs Ben! I hope to catch a few of those games.

In the west, guess what not Lakers... They did not even come close (they ended 11th) and you can't even say that they "barely missed" the playoffs (Minessota did though). Maybe that will make Kobe set his feet on the ground and keep his heads out of the clouds. The Suns have been doing great and it seems like they will secure the one spot for the conference finals despite being matched up against Dallas (which have been doing worse than recent years). Finally, Tim and San Antonio will - either way: easily or with difficulty - pass by Seattle to meet the Suns.

I foresee a Miami - San Antonio finals series and then anything can happen. It will be who wants it more. Both Tim and Shaw have been there before, so a lot will depend on the rest of the team. On the other hand, Suns Vs Detroit will be equally exciting. Detroit - San Antonio will also be a good match-up especially since Detroit will be able to defend their title and hopw for a repeat. However, the Suns vs Miami might be tough... I don't see an enti-Shaq in their mix (while San Antonio has Tim).

Anywayz... I need to watch some games to say more... but this is definetely the best time of the year for the NBA. The new improved teams are bringing back some more competition and that is what makes players exceed themselves resulting in memorable performances and highlights.
Oh, I think the champion will come from the East (either Miami or Detroit) and I would actually prefer Detroit to repeat (that will intensify the competition and rivalries).

Less is more

2005-05-06T22:25:00.000+03:00

A second blog for today. I said I'd write on Fridays, but I didn't say how many times!

They say beauty is subjective. However, beauty is also simple. Psychologists say that we find another person beautiful when they are a "good specimen". For example, my idea of what a woman is, will be what I find beautiful. Deciding what is beautiful is a process that involves fine tuning, trial and error, as well as a solid knowledge base (aesthetics if you like). Finally, the beforementioned vary from person to person, culture to culture; they vary depending on one's exposure and experience.

In Computer Science efficiency and elegance distinguish what my CS professor called "big hairy ugly" code and "beautiful" code. With a few minor changes an extract from one of my old papers:

David Gelernter in Machine Beauty argues that: “The beauty of a proof or machine lies in a happy marriage of simplicity and power – power meaning the ability to accomplish a wide range of tasks, get a lot done. […] I call this type of beauty ‘machine beauty’…” (2). Therefore, according to Gelernter, a machine is beautiful if it is simple and powerful at the same time.

Furthermore, “beauty is a truth-and-rightness meter” (1). Gelernter uses Dreyfuss’s 1937 telephone as an example of a technological innovation that has an “inevitable rightness [which] is a large part of its greatness” (7). This illusion of inevitability - in this case appearing to be the way to design the telephone - when achieved, results in “technology that works beautifully and is beautiful” (7). He says that: “Dreyfuss’s the phone” (8); we cannot imagine it any differently now. Summing up, he quotes one designer’s opinion which states: “A useful object has a ‘natural form’ which when is in complete harmony with its function is perceived as having a special ‘rightness’ or fit that borders on art” (8). Hence, a machine characterized by harmony of design and function is beautiful.

It might have been what those insanely abstract courses ("Theory of Computation", "Algorithm Analysis") were all about. As a newly hired junior programmer I am constantly reminded that loops are "evil": "Avoid them whenever possible." As a high school teacher (of sorts - extra afternoon classes) I encouraged my student to solve an exercise today with one loop instead of four.

How do we design and create "beautiful programs":

In addition, we have to be able to understand the concepts of the tool we are using. Norman says that “A feeling of control, a good conceptual model, and the knowledge of what is happening…” are essential to ease of use (174). Using the example of a door to illustrate his point, Norman says that if you need to put a sign on a door that says “push” or “pull” then its design is faulty (174). When designing a program we need to have a “simple, cohesive conceptual model” and then the “details of implementation will flow naturally” from it (179).

Norman points out three aspects to designing a comprehensive model. First, he says that the designer of the model must be able to “tell a story” to “explain to others how it all works” (179). [...] The most important aspect, however, is that the user “should be able to discover and learn how to use it with a minimum of effort” (179). The ideal situation for a successful machine would be if no manual were required (179). Gelernter argues that once we leave out physical limitations and rules in designing a program: “Beauty is the best guide we have” (23). [...]

Another set of guidelines is offered by Gelernter in Mirror Worlds giving us three principles for designing clear programs: recursive simplicity, uncoupling and espalier. A program is recursive “when the whole is structurally identical to its parts - or at least to some of them” (54). [...] As far as hardware design recursive simplicity is applied when a machine is built on a series of levels. At the higher levels we have a clear picture of the machine but the details are not clear, while at the lower levels “the details come into focus” (55). Gelernter argues that the gradual elimination of the details of a design and the multi-layered structure that results is “an art pure and simple”, as he similarly argues in Machine Beauty (56). In computer science, this feature is built into the “machinery” with recursion (56). The second principle is uncoupling; which is when a program is separated into smaller components that are solved separately (73). This breaks the problem into manageable pieces and results in a better organization of the final solution. The final principle, espalier alludes to the support used for trees. This is a way of designing that incorporates a hierarchy with each structure knowing “who its inferiors are, who its superiors are” allowing us to work on only one part of the whole, completely ignoring the top or bottom parts. Finally, you do not need to have knowledge about the whole to work with one part of the program.

And that's all I had to say about that...

No, I have not forgotten the playoffs. I am following them closely... predicting a San Antonio - Miami finals series and hoping for many competitive games.

Big fat black women!

2005-05-06T12:20:00.000+03:00

Chris Rock - Bigger and Blacker:

...We got a lot a women here tonight. Love the women... Love the women... You know who my favourite women are? Big fat black women! Gimme a sister about 250 pounds. The best people in the whole world. You know why? Cause we live in a society where nobody likes
who the fuck they are. Everybody's on prozac or some shit, everybody's getting cosmetic surgery. Nobody likes who the fuck they are except fat black women. Fat black woman don't give a fuck what you think... she's going out on Friday night. She got her outfit on and she match, she got her pumps on and the fat coming out the pumps. that's right [...] She got an anklet on and the anklet holding on for dear life... ahhhh! The black woman don't give a fuck,
she's like: "I am sexy! I am seeexy!" I am the sexiest mothafucka here tonight. There's some good pussy under this belt [...] Love the women... [...] Relationships! Easy to get into, hard to maintain. Hard to keep up the lie. You can't get nobody being you. You gotta lie to get somebody. [...] When you meet somebody for the first time, your not meeting them! You're meeting their representative. Who the biggest liers, men or women? Men tell the most lies, women tell the biggest lies. [...] We lie all the time. You know what a man's lie is like: "I was at Tony's house.." A woman's lie is like:"It's your baby" [...] Women the biggest liers... you a fucking lier, you, you... Look at you! You got on heels, you ain't that tall! You got on makeup, you face don't look like that! you got a wig, you hair ain't that long. you got a wonderbra and your tities ain't that big! Everything about you is a lie and you except me to tell the truth! Fuck you!

Communicating is a bitch... 'cause everyone is wearing a mask, we keep each other at a distance and "when you meet someone for the first time... you ain't meeting them... you meeting their representative"...

"Good" Friday

2005-04-29T00:09:00.000+03:00

It is Good Friday for us. I am not particularly religious but I do enjoy Easter. Easter is the biggest holiday for Greeks and as with all holidays the best part is the get-togethers, seeing people, eating together.

After four years of university in the States I will enjoy the traditional souvla and home-made cooking I had missed. However, the four easters I had in the US were different and memorable in their own regard. The one that stands out is easter of my junior year.

For some reason I assume that everyone likes Easter as much as I do and I took it upon myself to aks every Orthodox person I knew if they wanted to go to church in Columbus - half an hour from campus. I found drivers, I got people together, I arranged to get soup from a greek restaurant for afterwards. We had four or five cars drive us to church. Us being a group of three Cypriots, one Greek, five Bulgarians, one Romanian, one Russian and two Ethiopians; including two Americans who were kind enough to offer to drive us.

Getting to church and back was mostly uneventful, apart from the fact that one of the cars with the one American girl and two Ethiopan girls got stuck in traffic from the "Black Heritage weekend" (or something like that) concert and missed the midnight mass (the important part). In any case, we returned to campus and layed out a big table for everyone. We wished each other "Christos Anesti" (Χριστός Ανέστη) and then enjoyed some greek music from my illegal mp3 downloads :P I think the Americans that walked by at 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning must've thought we were mad - having dinner at that time and being all happy and merry.

That was easter 2003... I enjoyed it because I managed to organize a dinner that united very different people (not only ethnically).

Easter 2005. I am home and it's good that I don't have to worry about what I'm doing on easter, but I am glad I experienced easter 2003.

Bull - no shit

2005-04-22T18:00:00.000+03:00

Remember last week? Well this one was nothing like it. Things are not easy as they seem... more work is required, more diligence, more repetition and all that "good stuff"...

Other than that... nada! Pretty boring huh? I did not go anywhere, did not do anything - other than go to work and back, and read.

There was an "event" for the centennial birthday of senator Fulbright at the Fulbright Commission in Cyprus. It was not bad, but a bit too "classy" for me maybe. It was an art exhibition with dressed up "VIPs", caviar cocktails and wine.... and I went with my jeans!

In any case, to be part of the "Fulbright Scholars" group is quite an honor in and of itself. At least it gives you the false impression of being important. However, the experience I had through the program at Ohio Wesleyan University was unique and rewarding in every way and I treasure those moments.

Time to focus on the present and move ahead. Grab the bull by the horns and stab it in the neck.

Not bad for a beginner

2005-04-15T22:55:00.000+03:00

I don't consider myself to be a beginner programmer, however I am not a seasoned one either. My experience is mostly academic and the training I am receiving at work at the moment is going to be preciless. Our "teacher" is a cool guy, typical programmer and very experienced in the object of study. I am beginning to enjoy it now and think (as I have said before) that this job is very good indeed.

Last night Cyprus hosted the European Basketball All Star day. I went to see the game. It was OK but it seemed that the basketball was the sideshow at times... There were singers, cheerleaders that delayed the game and even the players had to wait at times for the dancing to end. Overall it was OK but rather long drawn.

Other than that, nothing much went on this week. I saw Hitch last Friday and that was quite entertaining. This weekend... no plans... Maybe I will go out with my two girlfriends like Rahul says... right...!

New beginning - Never stop learning

2005-04-08T14:58:00.000+03:00

I have been keeping this blog for a while, but I rarely update it. I have decided that from now on I am going to update it every Friday (hence the new title). My "first" blog is here, but since it is in Greek I am immediately excluding a large portion of my friends (maybe the larger portion). Since part of the reason of blogging (apart from ranting) is to keep in touch, I think it will be a good idea to update this blog at least once a week. Hopefully, some of you will find it interesting enough to visit regularly and keep in touch.

This past Tuesday I started a new job. The position is "junior programmer" and the company is a well-known international firm (name censored for privacy concerns). So far things seem great. We are training at the moment and will be doing so for the next five to six weeks. I am quite optimistic about this job and it has come after a lot of effort and frustration.

I have been searching for a real job for while now and after working doing data entry and at a TV station at the satellite links (which while interesting was not my thing), this job is a big step forward for me.

Other than this, I am still working out, trying to read some books, trying to learn some more stuff (linux, java, etc) and acclimatizing myself to my new social world (which is pretty much non-existent at the moment - that is no girlfriend... yet).

What is certain is that almost a year after graduation I am still in transition and I think (hope actually) that my first "real" job will change this somewhat. However, the one constant is all this is that: "you never stop learning".

Lazy day

2005-03-23T17:23:00.000+02:00

Well, I gave my resignation from my old job about two weeks ago and my last day at work was this past Sunday. This means that I have two weeks before my new job, as a programmer, begins. I am looking forward to it as it is, in a way, my first "real" job.

In the meantime, I have one week to "regroup" my thoughts, my stuff (which is lying around all over the place) and read some work-related as well as some personal interest books and websites. Today, I was online for quite some time reading a "linux tutorial", the news, emails, writing my blogs. I watched Contact again... At least I am going to work out later on so that I don't spend all my time as an idle computer/TV freak. Well... OK, I read a few pages from Angels and Demons as well.

At least next week I have a friend from the States visiting and I will show him around Cyprus. We were roomates and often talked about home, so now is my time to show off what I was bragging about. He will only be here for a week, so that means we will be going somewhere every day. It will be interesting though...

Anywayz... I think I am going to hit the gym.

Genocide

2005-01-24T20:52:00.000+02:00

We tend to think of genocide in terms of something that was, a has-been... Nazi Germans killed more than six million Jews during World War II. We all condemn it and say that we must never let it happen again. And yet it has and it happens today as well...

History repeats itself for even the saddest events of humanity. According to Secretary Gen. of the UN Kofi Annan, in his speech to the UN General Assembly on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp:

"The world has, to its shame, failed more than once to prevent or halt genocide - for instance in Cambodia, in Rwanda, and in the former Yugoslavia," Mr Annan said.

He warned "terrible things" were happening now in Sudan's western region of Darfur, and action was needed.

Is genocide just the symptom of a larger problem? As long as poverty, prejudice, racism and religious fundementalism exist we are not guaranteed that we won't witness another genocide in humanity.

New year, new job

2005-01-09T08:55:00.000+02:00

Monday is one of those days... you know like when you start a new school, or start school for that matter, start a new project, meet a new person... Well I am starting a new job... I will be a "satellite links partner" at the public TV/radio station of Cyprus. Although the job will definitely not be as exciting as it sounds, I expect to learn a lot and build on what I see and learn in order to move on up from there. On the downside, I am still on a contract basis, and I will be working shifts.

In the meantime I have become more serious about learning java (yes, finally!) and I will become java "certified" within this year (perhaps by this summer). That's my one and only new year's resolution.

Last night I watched a Robin Williams stand up comedy... almost as good as Chris Rock... They are about as funny, but there is just something about Rock, plus he manages to tie in the stuff he says in the beginning with the end.... Robin Williams was like a procedural program, Chris Rock is object-oriententation with design patterns...

Check this out. I think it is very difficult to comprehend the disaster that has taken place...

Wet paint

2004-11-25T22:01:00.000+02:00

Although I wrote about this subject in my other blog I feel the need to write some more about it. Plus it's a bit of an experiment (I'll explain some other time).

Where I work at the moment we have two glass doors that open inwards and outwards. The other day the one door broke, so we put up a big wooden plank and something to support the back and locked the other door. We put up a sign that informed people to use the back door. However, people still walked up to the door and tried to push or pull it, then looked at the arrow on the notice that pointed to the right scratched their head and turned to the left. Only after we waived to them from the inside did they realise. Although this is the most extreme case a large percentage of people did try to open the door.

This reminded me of a professor I had in university who told us about the "wet paint" hypothesis he had. That although people are advised to do something (eg. don't leave this assignment until the last day) they will usually do the opposite. This is like when we see a wall with a note that reads:"wet paint" and we usually walk up to it and touch the wall.

We have some sort of need to "fall into the trap" or make the mistake ourselves. We do not trust others. It hurts our ego somehow. I don't know if this is a defense mechanism, curiosity or sheer stupidity. It does seem however, that we need to make the lesson personal to absorb it.

Reflections on the elections

2004-11-06T19:40:00.000+02:00

Bush won again... Well, I cannot say I am happy but I definitely understand why. Although Bush's foreign policy is appalling and it increases the threat of terrorism since it is isolating more people - people who are as religious and "moral" as him - in the Middle East.

I can see why a Catholic Hispanic (although as a lower-income group it makes no sense), or a Midwest Evangelical Christian would vote for Bush and his stance on homosexual marriage, stem cell research and other social and moral issues. Even if you feel that war is wrong if something is going to affect your daily life you will respond to that with more immediacy. "War is not christian or moral, but it is something I can avoid seeing (a least directly), while homosexual marriages is nothing I want my son/daughter witnessing."

I do hope extreme policies will not continue...While some issues might be debatable ( like gay marriage), war is also... and the war on Iraq was wrongand served no interests. The US did what? Bring down the leader of a country that evidently had no WMD (they had destroyed their development program) and is just making more enemies. The whole international community dislikes Bush , but his morals appeal to most Americans even if they are schizophrenic...

Impossible is nothing

2004-11-01T21:40:00.000+02:00

Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they have been given than to explore the power they have to change it.
Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion.
Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare.
Impossible is potential.
Impossible is temporary.
Impossible IS NOTHING.

adidas - Forever Sport

"Whoever you hate will end up in your family"

2004-10-31T20:49:00.000+02:00

Bigger and Blacker - Chris Rock:

"... What was they arguing for? Gays in the military. Oooo don't let 'em in, don't let 'em in. Hey, if they wanna fight, let 'em fight. 'Cause I ain't fightin'! I don't give fuck if I saw a Russian tank rolling down Flat Busch Ave. I ain't shooting nobody, so call me a faggot! When the war's over I'll be the faggot with two legs.

You know people, everyone gets so homophobic. You need to cut that shit out. Everybody in this room got at least a gay cousin - every last one of you got a gay cousin [...]

It don't make sense to hate nobody. It don't make sense to be a racist, a sexist or nothing. For whoever you hate will end up in your family. That's right! You don't like gays? You gonna have a gay son. You don't like Puerto Ricans? You daughter is gonna come home with "Livin' la vida loca!"

So, how's the weather?

2004-10-27T19:12:00.000+03:00

When you are talking to someone and the next question is: "So, how's the weather?", it's usually not a good sign for the conversation. Either there is not much else to talk about or you are boring them to hell...

There are many cases though. It might be a how's the weather I-can't-wait-to-end-this-conversation, or a how's the weather I-don't-have-time-for-more-than-this, or a how's the weather let-me-go-now-I-can't-take-this-anymore, or how's the weather I-haven't-seen-you-in-so-long-I-have-lost-touch-with-your-life, or how's the weather I-really-don't-feel-like-chatting...

David Bouchier has an interesting take on the issue. The weather is fate, you can not change it and it is something we all share... it's a neutral subject, it won't offend anyone, it would not stir up any feelings for the most part and we all care what it's like...

So, how's the weather?

2004-10-06T21:40:00.000+03:00

I need to start coding... something! I gave my laptop to my brother who began studying at university in Athens, Greece. So now I made another account for myself on the "family" laptop... and I need to find a good editor and compiler to start coding ... probably in C++... and probably that game with the platform at the bottom that "hits" back this ball that erases little blocks as it hits those on the top part of the screen... I have NO idea what it's called... Any clue?

The problem is to download the editor I want - Borland C++ Builder I need a DSL connection, which we applied for but it's taking a while for the company to come and install it... Anywayz... I hope this week...

Other than that... same ol' same ol'...

Best quote I have read recently:
"You know the world has gone crazy when the best golfer is a black guy, the best rapper is a white guy and the tallest player in the NBA is Chinese"
Chris Rock

I'm back

2004-10-03T11:04:00.000+03:00

I'm back...

After a "little" break, I have decided to post another entry and make my blog public; that might make it more interesting.

In any case, not much has changed from the last time I posted. I am still looking for a permanent job. There are some places I am waiting to hear back from still. My top choices right now would be the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, where I passed the exams and went to two interviews, another telecommunications company called Areeba and a couple of private firms that need programmers.

It has been harder than I thought... finding a job... I thought that coming from the US and being a Fulbright scholar that at least I would have more of an enthusiastic response when I sent in applications, but I guess things move a bit slower in Cyprus. We are a bit more a "laid-back" nation after all.

Anywayz... I will be posting more often now... Anyone seen I, Robot - not excellent, but not bad...

ciao for now!

My first blog entry

2004-06-29T10:13:00.000+03:00

Well here it is... this is my first blog entry.

This past May I just graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University. I received a Bachelor of Arts with majors in Computer Science and Economics. Although I am happy to have graduated, at the same time I feel sad that it is over. Undoubtedly, there were times when Delaware Ohio was frustrating in many ways. I felt that I was not doing what I really wanted to or what I was really "destined" for. It was not exactly what I expected going to America to study. However, after four years there I can, in retrospect, see that I gained a lot and I would not change a thing as far as what happened.

A lot was achieved academically but most of my growth was personal. Although academics at OWU try to "push" you, I also grew as a person through my relationships with people, in groups, through working as a Resident Assistant and other experiences such as a ten day mission trip to Peru. I have learnt to go with the flow more. I have realised that when you really want something you will get it. Sometimes not in the form you expect, but in a slightly different one that is "given" to you to learn more. In addition, I learnt that only when you consiously and actively remove yourself from your comfort zone do you grow and learn about yourself and the world around you.

At the moment I am pondering my next step... I might end up in London to work in about two months... The truth is that I am adjusting to Cyprus. My whole daily schedule has changed, my social circle, friends and even simple things are changing for me like sharing a room with my brothers again or having to run errands for my parents.

Anywayz... today I went to downloaded Java 2 SDK 1.5.0 and I am going to start "learning" it tommorrow... maybe write a chess program...