The Akashic Field Chronicle

Oh my! Talk about a blogging break. Lots to write about since my last post on August 3, 2009 (Which according to the site stats is currently the most read post in TAFC to date). The short of it is:

1. I’m done with my MS
2. “Fund the Pinoy” was successful beyond my wildest expectations
3. I’m here at UCLA doing my PhD
4. and, I survived my first ever quarter.

Now, for the long version…

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Originally posted on: http://urriza.net/blog/2009/08/a-call-for-help/

The Short Version

I have been accepted to the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) Electrical Engineering Ph.D. Program and am about to start this Fall 2009 term with full financial support (~$50,000) for the 1st year. I have a ticket to LA scheduled to depart on August 30, 2009 and have also made a downpayment on a UCLA owned graduate student housing (1 year contract).

However, my service obligation to DOST prohibits me from leaving the country for the next 7 years without posting a bond amounting to Php 364,000. I do not have this money and have tried everything in my power to get around it, to no avail. The only conclusion left — I would have to raise the money in less than a month. If I fail… I would miss what I believe to be one of the greatest opportunities that ever came along for a a guy like me. I will not fail.

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Talk about taking a break from blogging . My last post (five months ago), optimistically entitled “Thesis Sprint”, turned out to be one of the longest, most drawn out sprints that was ever done in the history of “figurative” racing. Maybe marathon (kudos to Wil) would have been a better term. Nah. It was more like a walkathon, crawlathon, stop-to-catch-my-breathaton,(check-my-facebookathon!).

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Oh my! How time flies when you’re having fun (or not). It’s almost March, and for me, that means the time has come to choose. Do I graduate on time or not? Uhmmm… I think I’ll choose the former, thank you very much.

It’s hard to believe that it has already been 2 years. Now, it all boils down to the last 2 WEEKS! Yep, in two weeks, I should have a draft thesis documentation to give out to my panel. I plan to accomplish that goal whatever it takes.

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Due to serious peer pressure, I have succumbed into the internet’s equivalent of quicksand. FACEBOOK! Woohoo. Okay, there wasn’t much pressure. However, knowing that my mom had an account and I didn’t was the final blow to my otherwise unshakable resolve not to join social networking sites. I do have a Multiply page which I barely touched since college.

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Inspired by our bible study topic at Church earlier today about making the right choices in life, I’ve decided to make a list of long-term life goals. It’s basically your ordinary ToDo list, just in a grander scale. The point is, if you know what you want in life, you’re more likely to actually succeed than if you just sit around waiting for what life throws at you.

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Wordpress 2.7 has arrived and I updated this blog as soon as I can. The process was quick and painless.  I like what they’ve done to the interface, but it does take a little getting used to. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the time to post anything after the upgrade. Just look at the date on my previous one. That’s about 3 months without a single post. The only activity this blog has seen since then, is a couple of Russian comments that got through Akismet.

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Saw this funny ad at UP CASAA yesterday:

Yep! It says... Get "Zero" Refreshment

FAIL! I thought the guys who do the Coke ads were supposed to be really good. I think I’ll just drink water, which at least gives “some” refreshment.

There’s a video about WordCamp Philippines in YouTube (made by Buddy Garcenia), and my friend and I make a brief appearance (very brief) at about 2:05. Right behind the girl who was shouting: “Wordcaaaaaaaamp”.

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I had a little slack time (i.e. I was feeling lazy) and decided to hack me up one of those photo galleries that seem to be standard issue nowadays on most blogs. I’m not much of a photography expert. In fact, all I have is a point-and-shoot camera which isn’t even mine.

Still, I thought it would be great to have a photo gallery that’s integrated into my blog. That way, I could refer to pictures from my posts and also use a particular post to let people know if I’ve uploaded a new album. Kinda like how multiply.com does it, but with so much more control and right here on my blog.

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Just got home from WordCamp Philippines 2008, held at the College of St. Benilde earlier today. This whole day event was so much fun! Aside from that, it’s sort of a little historical too, being the very first WordCamp in South East Asia. For those not familliar with it, WordCamps are basically venues where WordPress users and developers hailing from a somewhat relatively small geographical region (say a country like the Philippines) can gather and talk about this outstanding piece of software.

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Click here to read other Pick-of-the-Week (POW) entries

(Disclaimer: This is not a paid advertisement. Just a friendly recommendation.)

I don’t usually buy stuff online (coz I’m poor. hehe). However, I recently made an exception after a friend told me about this really really cool multiply.com site.

They’re based in Metro Manila (I think), and as of now only ships within the Philippines. If you’re delivery address is within Metro Manila, they even ship it for free.

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