Dean Michael Berris

So while checking out whether Google has already indexed my new website, I searched for my name -- my full name at that (and yes, I google my name) -- and found out that Sacha Chua had quoted me on my view on programming languages. I've lifted her quote of me for my (and others) benefit as well here.

It's easily characterized more realistically in the real world. If you know how the English language works, it doesn't mean that you'd be good at it — you have to know the words you could use to convey the message you want to express. So sentence formation (subject verb agreement, appropriate tense, etc.) is not the crux of learning English (or any spoken language for that matter) but rather the actual use (practice) and semantics of the language — as well as an expanded vocabulary of the terms available to the user.

from Dean Michael Berris on programming languages

Apparently at some point in time I was able to come up with something actually quotable! :)

Thanks Sacha!

So I've finally taken the plunge -- and no I'm not moving houses. I'm just moving blog providers at the moment.

If you haven't noticed yet, I am now moving my personal blog from Blogger to SquareSpace and so far I'm feeling very happy about it. Sure I've spent a few dollars on a yearly subscription, but I feel like it's more worth it. Along with the move is a new name for the site, where I've claimed my name to host the blog and say more about who I am.

Here you'll get to read my thoughts on a lot more things and you'll also find more insights into news items that I read on a daily basis (or at least I'll try). For now I'm testing out the waters before deciding whether I'm moving my C++ blog too over from Blogger to SquareSpace.

In the meantime, please let me know what you think by leaving your comments about the design and the content. I promise to be more responsive with this site and present a better picture of me on the web.

In the coming days I plan to have more content up here about the things I do and the things I plan to do in the future.

Until next time!

So now I'm having a hard time sleeping. Think of it this way: I get to sleep at 4 am, then wake up exactly 6 hours after that. I wouldn't call it lack of sleep entirely, but when after 6 hours of "sleep", you feel tired, it's as good as not sleeping at all.

I'm getting cranky, impatient, and unproductive as ever. I'm running out of ideas as to how to deal with this in a better manner than blogging about it, so I'm trying that.

As I'm writing this (offline, because I haven't dealt with the internet connection at home problem yet -- not too much a priority compared to all the other expenses moving to a new place entails) I'm watching CNBC to try and lull myself to sleep with business news. If you know me, it's hard for me to find anything on TV uninteresting: then maybe just listening to unending blabber would help my mind rest; which is highly unlikely.

I'm going to give this a few minutes -- if I start yawning then it's done its job. If that doesn't work, I'll have to flick to MTV (and try to bear with the bad music at this time of the day, 2 am Philippine time) and worse *gasp* Fashion TV. Maybe something else will keep my mind wanting to go to hibernation mode soon -- and when I find that out I'll write about it.

Right now I'm trying to write everything that's on my mind so that I can concentrate on the things I'm thinking about and dump them all down here. So I'll put down bullet points on what's keeping me up right now:

* The Career: it's going all good, had really great news and not so good news during the day that I've been hoping it would settle me down enough to be able to sleep.

* Personal Improvement: I'm on track with my "learn a new programming language" track, where this year spending more time with Python is going very well. Now I'm learning Python+Django with a sprinkle of Javascript+Ajax and CSS.

* Family life: I miss my mom, dad, sister, niece, and nephew. My grandma I've been able to see last week, but I'd like to be able to go spend more time with her and aunts and cousins. Maybe this coming weekend will be a good time to spend with family and loved ones. I wonder when I'll be back in the US, but I have no idea when that's going to happen again -- so it may be a while before I can go see my mom again, and I miss her badly.

* Investment Portfolio: Believe me or not, this thing keeps me up most nights -- I'm trying to run through the investments I've made and the investments I'll make to take advantage of my most productive years; and see my portfolio for the short term (1-2 years), medium term (5-8 years), and long term (10-20 years).

* Open Source Projects: Right now there are three competing open source projects that I'm involved in; C++ Networking Library, Memcache++ Client, and the Runtime Dynamic Dispatcher. These all require some time from me, and the list of things to do in cpp-netlib is short for a 1.0 release, the Memcache++ Client needs some more documentation, and the Runtime Dynamic Dispatcher is ready for a 1.0. Now getting the time to go get things done is something else; and that's keeping me up at night.

So what are my solutions? I've tried the following:

* Handheld gaming: My girlfriend's PSP is with me, but playing a game while in bed doesn't help me sleep one bit.

* Reading the Harvard Business Review: I thought this would lull me to sleep, but it's giving me ideas on how to run my imaginary future business.

* Reading the Entrepreneur Magazine: I don't know what I'm thinking, but I buy these magazines regularly -- but reading it puts my mind to overdrive and makes me think about being an entrepreneur more someday.

* Reading Newsweek: Yes, I read newsweek (and Time occasionally) but it keeps my mind awake.

* Programming: So no, I don't get bored programming (which is my passion anyway so good luck to me getting tired doing what really gets me up in the morning to do).

* Boob tube surfing: I guess that doesn't work either because I'm still writing this.

But just now, after finishing that last bullet point I let out a yawn -- and my eyes are getting droopy too. I think this writing thing is helping me sleep; hearing myself talk in my brain and writing down my thoughts seems like good therapy for insomnia.

So I'll save this document, post it up to my blog when I get online (and hopefully you'd be reading this from my blog soon right after).

CHill.

(Update: No, I was not able to sleep immediately after that yawn. So yes, I need to find more ways of finding more sleep.)

It must be the not getting used to the silence in the province, or my feeling disconnected from my roots. But I guess there really is no sleep for the damned.

So I find myself pondering on something I would really like to do someday: write a book. I don't have a very good life story to tell (yet I think, but I guess my parents and maybe close friends will disagree) and I haven't enough expertise like some people I know in C++ programming. I do have a passion for writing as evidence of this blog and a couple others I maintain, and I do have a passion for sharing what I know.

I scooted on over to Lulu.com (thanks Charo for the link a couple months back) and asked myself three times: do I actually do it? If I do it, what would that mean to my time? I don't mind spending my time in front of my laptop(s) hacking away on code, but would I actually have the patience to write down a book in a coherent manner compared to what I'm doing right now with my blog?

I guess I could try... After all, if this works then maybe I can finally have a hobby I'm passionate about and do for a living as well -- see, I'd like to be able to concentrate on doing Open Source development as part of a community (like Boost C++ or Apache) and just work on startups with a handful of friends and business partners while I can still do that.

If I keep at it, I just might have enough resources to fulfill my dream of being a stay at home dad to a couple of kids with a wife I'll love for the rest of my life. Yeah, I know: keep dreaming.

Wouldn't hurt to try right?

So here's what I'll do. I'll start writing a book about learning C++ geared towards children -- or at least, young people who have time on their hands and would like to be able to learn C++ the quick and easy way. I'll provide copious amounts of links, sample code, and metaphors to make learning C++ programming easier (like how I remember learning it when I was 16).

Maybe -- just maybe -- that would sell for $20 (maybe even $15 if I'm feeling generous). I might even throw in some cartoons which I'll ask some of my friends to write or help conceptualize (because I have absolutely no talent with drawing).

While I'm doing that, I definitely will blog about the experience. Or not, depending on my mood and sleeping pattern.

So yes, while sleepless in Calauan, there still is no sleep for the damned. And what good way to spend time by wasting it blogging about writing a book.

CHill.