Making the big leap...

The Leap!

Labor Day Holiday

Kesho ni labor day! So nyinyi wote m-have fun lakini with restraint, relax, enjoy time na famo, kisha tutarudi job Wednesday! Au vipi!

Kwa wote watakuwa job kesho, izza manze!!!

Pamoja basi!

Who says geeks cant rap!!!

For Homem...

If you can't fly, run
If you can't run, walk
If you can't walk, crawl
No matter what...
Just keep moving

Metaphor

A metaphor of a stage that I am in right now inmy life... (i can hear someone going like, 'this oughta be good...!')

Imagine you are in a dark room, I mean so dark you cannot see anything anywhere (or even your very limbs), but you are standing on solid ground. In your mind/heart/spirit you know there is somewhere you need to be going, there is a path you are meant to be following. But you can't see the path, and you are frustrated, and scared, and you have absolutely no clue of what to expect, orwhether if you take your first place you will walk right into some bottomless abyss and fall forever and ever, and in the first place, IN WHICH DIRECTION SHOULD YOU TAKE THE FIRST STEP??? And in any case do you even know which direction is which??? But you finally muster up the courage to take the first step, I mean, what the heck, it's not like you have a choice here is it??? (Ok, maybe you have the choice to sit right where you are and moan for yourself or hope some light will come at some time, or someone will walk in with a torch and tell you, 'Here is a light bro, that's the way you should walk!!!') But no, you have to walk (you might even be getting a little hungry now, could there be a fast food joint somewhere?). So, very reluctantly and very cautiously, you lift your leg, and... the most interesting thing happens...there is light coming out from under your boot, like there is a light embedded in there! And that's when inside you, you hear a voice, 'Be strong, walk on!!!' and right infront of you, there is a path.

Well, that could possibly have been the end of that story, except for the simple fact that you must keep walking, I mean, a single step is just that, a step, you didnt walk yet,, to do that you
need to take another step, i mean, even the Chinese say that a long journey begins with a single step, you get it, it only began, you aint trvelled yet, you just began travelling!!! (Back to our little adventure...) You put your first foot foreward and guess what? It's all dark, all over again. So what to do, what to do, what to do? You have absolutely no guarantee whatsoeverthat there is a similar light under the boot of your other leg, what if you should lift it to walk on and you trip over something??? Again, 'walk on', and you take a chance, and true, there is a light right under your other boot. And slowly, but surely, you take simple step, after simple step... and somewhere along the journey you hear the voice you were looking for all along... 'THIS IS THE WAY, CONTINUE WALKING IN IT'

Virginia Tech

The most recent development on this story (that I am personally still pretty puzzled about) is the release of a number of videos and photographs of Cho, the troubled kid who did all this. I guess it's wise for parents/guardians/friends to be involved in their childrens' activities and lives, I mean, some sick stuff like this could possibly have been averted if someone took time to listen to the cry of a troubled kid who was dying slowly inside!

Then again, I don't have all the facts and I can't judge anyone on any count! All I can do is pray God brings some light into the hearts of all the hurting souls affected by this trajedy!

You can track the latest developments here!

Virginia Tech

How does someone wake up one morning and decide to take the lives of THIRTY TWO human beings in a single murdering spree! I fail to understand! Someone help me understand! And they say we don't need God!

Well, that's exactly what happened at Virginia Tech on Monday 16th April.

My condolences to all affected by this massacre. It would occur to me that all of us are somehow affected by such an incident. making sense of this is beyond me, and probably many others as well.

Here is a detailed account of the incident and those affected at Virginia Tech from Wikipedia.

Out for Exams

Hi there!

It's that time of the semester again! I gotta take a crack at some exams. Thankfully, this time I got to take full leave for the duration of the exams so that I can have sufficient time to make up for those classes which I barely make it for due to work engagements (like popping out of the office past midnight!) Anyway, I may not get to post much over the next two weeks so paredonez-moi.

Wish me all the best!

Microsoft

First of all isn't it funny how you end up 'googling for yahoo, or googling for microsoft'. Ok, maybe it's a lame joke but I found myself doing exactly that many many times. Does that say something about Google, yahoo and MS???

Well, so I was looking for some info on what it's like to work at Microsoft. Here are some interesting results:

MS jobsblog, interesting stories.

Someone's experiences at Microsoft, Google and Yahoo!

The ups and downs of working at MS

Tim Sneath on getting a job at MS

Jeremy on getting a job at MS

Lovely stories from guys who interviewed at MS

Interesting article!

There is also a three-series video on Channel 9 on interviewing at MS. Can't quite remember the URL but as soon as I get it I will give you the URL.

Back 2 the Basics!

Yep. That's what i intend to do, get back to the basics. I have always considered myself a software person (I refuse to say 'Software NERD!!!'). Sure, I have met a great many people who I really, really, I mean really respect for their great mastery of the software engineering field, and I consider myself pretty much a toddler at it, but growing and developing steadily. However, for some reason and due to circumstance, I have sort of drifted into the world of data and data mining, which I find I have a knack for, I find patterns in data quite easily and it has proven to be a really good asset at work anyway! What I feel I need to do is get back to software and develop that art seriously! After all I consider it my mainstay. It's a shame there aren't many very serious software engineering firms in Kenya!

How to get a job at google!

First of all, let me just say that it has been one crazily, insane, madly awesome and fun easter holiday!!!! I don't want to even start there.

What I wanted to talk about today was a little about some interesting reading I have been doing concerning Google's hiring practices. Let me just say that I know where I squarely belong when it come to aspirations for working at Google, and let's just say that I have my work well cut out for me! I mean, what company sets you up for up to 14 interviews, bu then again this aint just any other tech company! A simple search on Google led me to all of these, and this is just a tip of the ice-berg:

How to get a job at google

Google Copernicus Center Hiring 2007

Why is it so hard to get a job at Google

Getting a job at Google, as easy as...

How to get a job at Google

How to get a job at Google

hiremegoogle

Defining Google

How to Dress for your Google Interview

Is getting a job at Google hard?

One More Day...!

Just one more day, thursday... then, rest, relief, recouperation!!!

Hope

I was just thinking this morning (I ternd to think a lot, it's just my nature), anyway, I was thinking about the hundreds of people who have woken up today with very little hope left, especially young people. I was there once. And I just figured I would dedicate this post to anyone who came across it and they are feeling lost and without hope. I once thought that the best thing to do would be to just get up and go, get on a ship or something and just go. I have had a number of pals tell me they felt the same when they were just stressed out and I am sure it is a thought that has crossed many people's minds, even fancifully!

My heart especially goes out to young people who are suicidal. I happened upon this site that gives statistics in America in 2001. It's a bit outdated of course but it brings out the point. Here are some of the stats:

• There are approximately 750,000 suicide attempts each year.
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students.
• On average, a young person (age 15-24) dies by suicide every 2 hours and 12 minutes.

Anyway, all I want to tell anyone who thinks they are running out of options and can't find a way out:

THERE IS HOPE, DON"T GIVE UP. This is a principle I live by, it might be of help to you, WHAT WON'T KILL YOU, WILL ONLY MAKE YOU STRONGER!!!

I hope this post makes a difference in someones life!

Violin Skills a gwan!