December 2006 Archives

This year has gone fairly quickly, it had it's up, and downs, and super ups.

Now, we are on the last day of the year. There will never be again a 2006. That is, unless we decided to reverse the calendar again. It's entirely possible.

I hope 2007 will be a year of even more opportunities in life. While some people might have left a bitter taste in my mouth this year, I still wish them well. Granted, I feel like sending those people a card, that simply says: "May in this new year, people treat you, like you have treated those around you." Which is double edged wish, since it can mean as good, as it is bad. So, I didn't, and decided to take the high road. Why am I going to waste my moment in life, that I can use to help myself, and those around me, to bother with someone I already do not care much for.

Still, 2007. It's the year with the degree for me. Where how I decide things, will spin my life into many directions. It's a year where I take the compendium of what I learned, and get a chance to apply it, in the "Real World."

I wish everyone a happy, healthy year that is full of love.

Today, TODAY!

I graduated, from college, in an official manner. Official meaning there was a commencement ceremony. It was wonderful, and all the speakers, and speeches were well done, meaningful and inspiring.

I got there early, did the whole walking thing. Mother, of course, blew the air horn, and I just had to sit there, and smile, while succinctly glaring, because she got a little happy with it. Grandma, Aunt Marcia, Mom, Sis, Her bf, Reina and Chris, were all over there.

We then headed to red lobster, where there was fun and food.

Still, now I feel like I have graduated, and I am damn happy about it. I do have to say, family did take a LOT of pictures. Should be interesting to see how they turn up.

I am still amazed, and the feeling has not sunk in. I think until I walk, graduation will not truly feel complete. It's that moment, that seals the deal, and a moment that parents really want to happen. As they say, if the people who care about you, were not in the audience, one would not be as compelled to walk.

Yes, mom and sis will be there, with their BULLHORN. I just know, as soon as my name is called, I will hear a loud sound, coming from where my mom is sitting. I will probably be embarrassed, but it will be a story to be told.

I worked, and went out, celebrations of other things, by other people, but for me, I was celebrating my impending graduation. I even, did a single shot to celebrate it, after a few minutes of badgering from the coworkers that were getting it for me. As they say, this will happen this one, time, and never again.

I just came from the event, hosted by one of the apartment finding companies. Great party, great host. The gentleman who started the company, did a great job. Besides, a party with an open bar, you do the math. Drinks were flying around, drinks of all sorts. I had a whole lot of water. The name of the place was "Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant." It was nice, and the food was great. The cookies were also great.

We then swung by Loca Luna, and there was some dancing. Still, home was the place to head, since in a few hours, I will wake up, get my cap and gown, and head to a very important event, my graduation.

I'm very happy. :)

Ahh, I just got off a phone interview. Things flowed, in a somewhat smooth manner.

I've never had the practice for a phone interview, and things were confusing. The questions were questions that were expected, and through some of them, my answer came out just a tad crackled.

One question was, why do I want to work, be in the job market? To which I could not answer anything cohesive, and something along the lines off, because school is over, and now I want a job. Not as classy, as "I finished school, and now I want a real world challenge." Which is more like what I meant to say.

The company I am applying for seems wonderful. The phone interview, ended up with the future setting up of the technical test. The test that checks to see if I can actually apply the knowledge I have, and solve problems efficiently. The test can be answered in any language, or even pseudo-code, if I wish. This should be interesting to say the list.

Today was my last final. The last one I will have in my whole collegiate career. There are no more courses that will come through. There are no more classes, and there is not any material to study.

It's over, after 4(ish) years, it's all done. I really don't know what to say, but I am happy. I am VERY happy.

Today, was the first of those mythical creatures, that roam the school year. The classic "Finalicius Annoyicicates." This creature comes every semester.

It is first referenced in the Syllabus. A hint of it's verocity is given then. As the semester passes, you learn more about it. Is it of the sub-genre "Openoticius" ? Can it be categorized as "Exemptius OnHighgradius" ? One of the most important being, is it "Cummulativus"?

Those are all valid questions. People do such things, as the ritualistic cramming, to stave away the marks that the beast leaves. The more this cramming goes on, the less the it scratches. Also, people have been know, to get together, and perform the study session ritual. This can usually save large groups of students from the claws of this beast.

I had my first encouter today. It was a hard fight, in the arena of Electronics. I did well, I think. I did leave a mark upon the beast... It said "Hugs and Puppies." It was strategically placed On the Second Section of it's body, in the bottom part, along with some weird RB1s, and RB2s. Those were tricky ones.

Still, there are two more encounters, but with those, the beasts are more tame. Wish me luck, on the battlefield of Academia.

College is an experience that helps shape a person, and makes one realize the path they want to take. So college involves a lot of searching for reasons and meaning of things.

With time, the answers to the questions start becoming obvious, and the start of a path is forged.

It might take one or two degree changes to get it aligned, but that's understandable.

Some people, after being in college, realize they just don't want to go through the process and that is fine. I'm glad I did, because I had a chance to try out, and learn about many disciplines, which helped to polish, what I want to achieve in life.

Also, had a chance to meet some great professors, that helped lay the groundwork, of the path I am so soon going to get a full chance to walk on.

I search, I found, but I will always be learning.

In college, I met many people, and still to this day I make acquaintances. Thanks to facebook, it's easier to keep track of people, and see what's going on with them.

College friends, and most after high school friends, will normally stick around more than other friends. They are the people you shared the college experience with, and the people that one will randomly bump into until their golden years.

Today, I hanged out with some, then had friends with another, chatted with yet some others, and went to dinner with others. Many people, that I have a legitimate, vested reason to catch up, and keep up with.

To friends.

It's something that was accumulated, when I went to school. Trying to balance financial responsibility, and still manage to finish school.

It's going to be with me for a while, but I accept that, as something I have to pay towards, in the name of future goods.

Either that, or I could become a teacher of HS and get the whole debt cancel. Granted, I am voting towards pursuing my dreams... or at least something like my dreams.

Yes, the update has a weird temporal shift, but that is the goal of the topic.

In college, often I lost sleep, for many projects, and also study sessions that were essential. Sometimes managing the load is a difficult thing to do, and one has to balance all that hard work, with a bit of time to relax, and decompress. Otherwise, you end up burning out.

Still, many nights were spent typing away, and debugging. The side-effect of that, is of course, that logical, and reasoning skills get a big muddy. That in turn, makes one more prone to errors, which end up in even more time debugging. So, I took focusing naps, to get a bit of clarity back in my head.

That, worked some of the time. The rest of the time, I woke up a few hours later, in a bit of panic, because whatever I was doing was completed. There were papers, a book or two, and one screen full of code, and the other with things to cross reference.

Still, it helped getting used to working under stress, and with extreme deadlines. In the end, the projects were all completed, even when it seemed impossible.

I still curse the next day, when a zombie-like feeling comes along, and the temper is as short as a baby bunny. But alas, it was all worth it in the end, because I end with a useful degree, that has put me through the paces.

All nighters, a useful yet accursed practice

So, I have finally started to hit up more potential employees.

Today I've sent a few resumes out, and hopefully I should get some response soon.

I didn't get a response from one particular company, oddly, but they have e-mailed me three times expressing interest. I have to say, that was odd. I might e-mail them back again, but this time with a spiffy cover letter, and hope for the best.

Most of the jobs that I am applying for, are not in Georgia, which still freaks out my mom, because I will move away from an area where she can reach me in less than 1 hour.

We have Maine, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New York, Wisconsin, Ohio, and a few others.

Still, people keep telling me, that I should leverage the fact that I speak Portuguese, and Spanish (and a little French) into the career I choose. Well, hopefully this fact will put me on top of the list. Who knows?

Still, I keep prepping for this final two weeks. I've got one more quiz, one homework, and my three finals. Two for them are not comprehensive, but the other one... is. I'm not very keen on that one.

Now, I must get a chocolate milkshake, and study some electronics. *smiles*

Today, we start the countdown to graduation.

I graduate Saturday, December 16 @ around 10:00 am.

In my college career I've managed to squeeze a lot of information into my head. Granted, some of it spilled out, but it's mostly there.

I'm happy, I'm excited, and glad that I went through the college experience.