Headlines for Wednesday:
- How to find great developers (170 words)
- Break glass in case of emergency: For homesickness (472 words)
- Love 2.0 (202 words)
|A||X||Go to IBM|
|A||X||Change my primary OpenBC email|
|A||X||Write Quinn birthday letter|
|A||X||Hang out with Quinn and Richard, all you can eat sushi|
|A||X||Greet Steve belated happy birthday|
|A||X||@IBM Luis Suarez call|
Joel Spolsky writes about finding great developers. Internships are a terrific way to scope out a candidate and also get them passionate about your company. Previous blog post about career aside, I do really like IBM and I *am* really curious to see how far we can take social software - and one of the reasons why I'm crazy about that company and all the cool people in it is because I've seen it from the inside, thanks to the IBM Toronto Centre for Advanced Studies.
Check out the essay.
More thoughts: One of the things that frustrates me about the Philippines is that we've got this entire chicken-and-egg problem in the schools. Few companies do on-campus recruitment for challenging internships, so students don't get motivation or experience - which is why few companies bother to do on-campus recruitment or R&D. Programming competitions help, I guess, and we do still manage to find a couple of geeks who learn about open source and end up teaching themselves. Still...
I read your blog and I see two issues that are bothering you: homesickness and "guilt" for being away from your country.
First, let me say that it is alright to feel homesick - in fact, we would worry if you never felt the pain of being away. It only means that you miss us - your family, your home, your cat, our pets, your friends, our weather, even the places where you hang out. We feel the same sadness and longing for you because we would prefer to see you everyday, to see you smile, to hear the excitement in your voice when you tell stories, to be able to tell if you are sad and to be able to hug you when you are. Which is why Skype is my preferred way of communicating with you - because I want "to be with you" as much as possible, even if it means listening to your voice on one computer and looking at you (webcam) on another. Since our schedules do not always allow "skyping," I depend on your blog, and your occasional emails -too few and too short =( to know what's happening with you. It's pain that we must bear, because we love you and want you to grow and become fulfilled.
But the "guilt" that you feel for being away from your country is unnecessary grief. As long as you carry your love for your country in your heart, then there is nothing to grieve for being somewhere else. Think of the Filipinos who have brought pride to their countrymen - they're not necessarily here. Patricia Evangelista won the speaking competition in London. Lea Salonga made her name in London, New York and Hollywood. Leo Oracion, Erwin Emata and Ching's friend, Romy Garduce could not have conquered Mt. Everest by staying here. In the same manner, Einstein was born in Germany but his genius flourished in the U.S. The Kennedys were originally Irish. Your papa's parents were from China. Pre-historic Filipinos were migrants from Malay Peninsula and Indonesia. You know what I am trying to say but you need to say this to yourself every now and then, especially when some people, or you yourself, make you feel guilty about being away from your country. Nobody should be limited by the physical boundaries of one's country - you need to climb your highest mountains, no matter where they are. And when you are on top, you plant the Philippine flag and proclaim to the world that you are a Filipina.
We love you and we are proud of you, and if the pain of loneliness is the price we have to pay so you can be the best that you can be, then so be it.
E-Mail from Mama
Whenever I falter and lose sight of my way, other people lift me up, set me on my feet, and point me back in the right direction.
Where would I be without my family and my friends and those random strangers and acquaintances who take a moment out of their busy days to reach out to me in all their generous humanity?
I am thankful for these moments of sadness and confusion, however brief they are, because they give me an opportunity to appreciate and deepen my respect for the wonderful, wonderful people in my life.
From friends who called and messaged and e-mailed as soon as they read my doubts, to my mom whose encouragement addressed my fears and strengthened my resolve, to coworkers who not only told me of interesting opportunities but also expressed their concern
I am loved beyond my ability to comprehend, and if I can spend the rest of my life sharing that experience of love with other people... wow!
It's been said that it takes a village to raise a child. I am being raised by the world.
- E-mail to Brian Wilson
- E-mail to Ethan Perry
- E-mail to Kelly Lyons
- E-mail to Jesse Alama
- E-mail to Jedediah Smith
- E-mail to San
- E-mail to Gabriel Mansour
- E-mail to Mama
- E-mail to "Jaime Caro"
- E-mail to "OBODARU Otilia"
- E-mail to Mama
- E-mail to Francis Ocoma
- E-mail to Quinn Fung
- E-mail to Simon Rowland
I'd love to hear about any questions, comments, suggestions or links that you might have. Your comments will not be posted on this website immediately, but will be e-mailed to me first. You can use this form to get in touch with me, or e-mail me at email@example.com .