LensWork issue #75

He knew that if he steps inside the store, he'll end up buying something. Eventhough his conviction says otherwise, the flesh is weak for he still pushed through the glass doors and marched directly to the magazine stands where the current issue of Lens Work awaits.

There was a tiny voice reminding him to focus on his test prep review sessions and this photography journal will be nothing but a distraction. He developed a deaf ear, as if having a diversion will add value to his more pressing tasks.

He bought a copy and left the store thinking how will he ever get out of this vicious cycle.

(Above is a photo of a French bistro in San Francisco's sleepy neighborhood of Glen Park.)

Book signing in the city

I was browsing in the non-fiction book section when, suddenly, there was a crowd congregating around me. To my left, to my right, behind me. I looked around curiously trying to fish for information on what the buzz is all about. A bookstore staff made a signal to another one and yelled he needed a chair. Under the sign Three Cups of Tea, a table with neatly arranged stacks of books and a fellow dressed in business casual is kneeling on the floor with a pen on his right hand. Yet another book signing, I thought to myself.

There were two names listed as the authors of the book. Fearing I might get a negative reaction, I didn't bother asking which one of the authors is he. I tried deciphering the texts he was scribbling that maybe it will give me a clue to his identity but my vision failed me.

I spent another minute or two lurking around the area. I noticed that this author is different from the other ones I've seen. He smiles as if he's really happy about what he is doing, no signs of pretensions, he seems like very sincere. I took a note of the book in my books to checkout list with the thought that I might get lucky that a signed copy will land at the main library.

~ral

(The photo above is the ornate Roxie theatre located on 16th St and Valencia in the Mission district of the city.)

Malloy Hall, 203

The damp and frigid wind whipped my face as I walk up the stairs of Malloy Hall. I was almost running to reach the main entrance not because I was late for my appointment but I was trying to get inside where there is heat. It was also strangely windy on Fulton St. which made using an umbrella completely futile. It must be the wind tunnel created by the massive facade of St. Ignatius church, where its towers dominate the sky in this part of town.

USF is one of the five local schools of my choice. I had sent an RSVP to their MBA office two weeks earlier to get my name on their list for the MBA simulation class. Conversing with other attendees made my natural competitiveness come alive. Although I was kind of disappointed with myself for making jeans part of my wardrobe that morning. I learned everyone has already taken the GMAT except me.

We were grouped by four per table to mimic the 'case' style teaching employed at the university. In the next two hours, a professor eloquently shared a simple business model and the case we were supposed to brainstorm on. I could hear my thick accent whenever I ask the professor for a clarification, my uncontrolled nerves perhaps. The other group presented their case well but my group would eventually give the correct business solution for the given problem which provided me an instant high. The exercise was totally mind stimulating and gave me confidence that I can do this.

At the end of the session was the Q&A. I also learned that, even if I take my GMAT in the next weeks, I still won't be able to produce all the requirements. It would be cutting it too close since the admissions office is probably at the last round of selection. I decided not to submit my personal information. At least not yet.

I have an appointment with the San Francisco State University's equivalent program this weekend. I set in my calendar that November is my deadline.

Let's wait and see.
(The photo above is the St. Ignatius church of the University of San Francisco.)

Party's over, back to the grind

Monday officially marked the beginning of 2008 for me. Everyone at work is back from vacation, the first full week. We had our first production install, the next one's migrated to testing, so is the one for the business release. Questions here and there. Countless emails and phone calls. The good news is that I survived it.

Monday was also the beginning of a five year plan and this plan is something I've been contemplating for a while now. I went to the main library on the weekend to pick up the books I requested online - Business School Confidential, Your MBA Gameplan, and MBA Jungle B-School Survival guide. I plan to finish reading them in the next two weeks. Sounds serious, doesn't it?

With the way the hitech industry is going these days, the job market for programmers and developers seem going into a slump, the Salvadoran and I decided that I should commence working on it before our skills become extinct. Instead of competing against cheaper hitech labor elsewhere, we should jump into the bandwagon of professionals going back to school to get a graduate degree.

Reading through the first five chapters of the MBA Jungle book made me feel a mixed sense of excitement, challenge, confidence and maybe a little bit of fear. Let's see how far I'll go in this. I'll find out soon whether this is right for me, or not. I am giving myself a year to prepare both mentally and financially. In the meantime, I enrolled in a non-credit Small Business evening course at the city college.

My plans to become proficient in French, Italian and photography will have to take a back seat for now.

(The photo above is the newly opened library branch in the Glen Park neighborhood of San Francisco.)

Excess...
My brithday is still a couple of months away but here's a list of books in a newly created Amazon wishlist. (take a hint guys!) :)


If the link above does not work, please use this one.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3CCRXE9H14U62

¡Qué relajo! in the city

¡Qué relajo! is an expression I hear from mijo* whenever I take over the kitchen on Monday evenings. It loosely translates to what a mess in English. First, this blog is not about this. This blog is about the storm that almost topple the pine tree in our backyard.Second, I only cook on Monday evenings because I work from home on Mondays and Fridays - but we seldom make dinner on Fridays. Third, I know that I don't owe anyone an explanation but let me do it anyway.

It is not that I am messy in the kitchen. As a matter of fact, I consider myself well organized when it comes to that. I just need room to move around when I cook, that's all. And the kitchen we have is a city kitchen. No aisle, we only have one sink, a big enough counter space, etc. We have to live in 'burbs to have my dream kitchen. Besides, breakfast, desserts and hors d'œuvre are my cup of tea.

He has another expression when he's really being teritorial of his kitchen especially the last time I made focaccia bread...

¡Qué dispije!

And that's what it looks like outside after Northern California got walloped by a hurricane-like storm a couple of days ago. I've never seen anything like it in my ten years of living here. A tree a couple of doors down got toppled. Dead leaves, branches, empty plastic bottles, small junk everywhere. Three blocks down the street close to the BART station, another tree got uprooted and it ruined the sidewalk around it.

During the storm, the power went out before noon. It was on a Friday so I was working from home and I had to call in to tell everyone in the office that I am unable to continue working because of the power outage and will just resume when the power is back. Almost half a million homes didn't power that day.

Major cabin fever at home because it was cold, dark, damp, and there was nothing to do. No tv, no wi-fi so no internet, and no music so we headed to the malls, where it is warm and lit and dry, as soon as the winds died down. To our surprise, the mall was crowded. People must have thought the same thing we did. We ended up seeing a good movie called The Orphanage. Later that day, I called our home phone and I got the phone's voicemail which means power is back in our neighborhood.

I'm just thankful that there wasn't a single damage in the house and our pine tree still stands. It was a fast moving storm so everything was quiet again after it left.

The city public works crew will have a busy time cleaning up the mess.

~ral

*In case you still don't know, mijo is a contraction of mi hijo. You know spanish, they make a lot of things sound cute. :)

(The photo above is a scene in the city's sleepy neighborhood of Glen Park.)

Kooza in the City

Amazing, heart stopping, sometimes bizarre. Those were the words I could think of while watching the Cirque du Soleil's new show Kooza inside the grand chapiteau. It was my and the Salvadoran's first Cirque show and we totally in awe. They come into town every year to perform through the holidays which I think is a nice treat.
These guys are amazing because the acrobatic acts were close to perfection as if they are already their second nature like walking down the stairs or typing on the keyboard or using chopsticks. My heart would skip a beat worrying the tightrope jumpers might miss their landing or the juggler would drop a ball. And the way the contortionists move and bend their bodies is so bizarre it is almost not human, at least to me. It was so unreal. How could they do those quick movements faster than the brain could cope with or execute those backbreaking moves in unison?
It is hard to decide which one is my favorite performance because they're all different and they're all without a flaw. The unicycle-duo could easily win at a salsa dancing competition with those graceful moves as if they are dancing on their feet. I also liked the fact that the clowns involve the audience in their pranks. If you don't like to be picked by the tricksters as an accomplice for a magic act, don't sit on the aisle.
Speaking of seats, we got a really great one considering it is a non-VIP ticket. The costumes are remarkable. Such an explotion of colors! I didn't know that the background music and songs are performed by a live band.
The only bad was that the popcorn was way too salty I thought I felt a surge in my blood pressure.
If I have another couple of hundred bucks to spare, I'd see them again.
I used to take pride that my job demands expertise and there's very little room for errors but I should think again. Maybe I'll take trapeze lessons next year? :)

~ral
(Taking pictures inside the Grand Chapiteau is prohibited so Cirque pictures for me. The photo above is the Holiday tree in San Francisco's Union Square)

Showing off in the city

The busboy's tshirt says Yo no soy feo. I wanted to showoff my broken Spanish to my friends who are in the town for a holiday so I playfully said No, no. La frase, no es cierta, referring to the words written across his black cotton tshirt. He gave me a smile while he cleaned up our table. Later, I realized that I had made a jerk out of myself because what I had said was not what I meant. Basically, his shirt says he is not ugly and I told him that is not true.

I've always had problems with double negative statements. I don't think it is a language thing because I also do it in my native language of Tagalog and Spanish is notorious when it comes to double negation. Even in computer programming languages where using negative conditions is considered a bad programming habit, I still have to sit down and draw a chart to clearly understand double negations when I encounter them.

As far as the busboy is concerned, he is far from being unfortunate looking, he could even be mistaken for an actor in a soap opera. I wanted to redeem myself that evening but that was the first and the last time I saw him. And the worst thing about this is, I was showing off to my friends!

I should go to therapy.

~ral

(The photo above is the hotel area in downtown San Francisco from the city's Mission district.)