Thursday, November 30, 2006

Caffeine rush

Over the two months that I've been working in Cebu, I've gradually developed a daily routine and learned to make the most of the perks that come with the job. Among these is the use of the free coffee in the office pantry.

Although "Coffee" is the screen name I've often used for myself on the internet, I don't think I drink coffee that much more than the average person. I adopted the alias for myself at GameFAQs around 1999, when I was just 14 years old. Sometimes I tell people that I came up with the name because of a coffee mug that happened to be on the computer table at the time... though that would be a cute story, it's probably not true. I just chose it because it sounds like a nice, friendly name-- and also because I prefer a simple screen name without numbers and stuff. When I registered at Wikipedia it evolved into "TheCoffee" (because "Coffee" was already taken).

Anyway, these days I generally have one serving of coffee per day, usually in the morning. And when I say one serving, that's probably more like 1.5 to 2 cups due to the rather large company mug we're given here (all part of their sinister plan). It wakes me up when I'm feeling sleepy, heightens my senses, and keeps me alert.

Trouble is, although the caffeine rush keeps me moving, it doesn't make me any more willing to do what I'm supposed to be doing. So here I am, wide-eyed and tapping my feet, surfing the internet and passing the time and generally procrastinating at a frenzied and furious pace. Vvroom!

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

The first post

Hello!

I don't see much benefit in keeping my identity secret, so allow me to lay out my cards on the table upfront. To the uninitiated, here's a quick introduction of myself: I am Michael Gonzalez, a Filipino from Valencia, Negros Oriental with a degree in Computer Science from Ateneo de Manila University. I'm currently working as a software developer in Cebu City. I was born in New York City in 1985.

For a long time I have resisted the temptation of making a blog. Although there were some inspired moments that I wished to have a venue to vent my mind to the world, for the most part these times were few and far in between. If there is nothing to post, a blog would just lay idle and eventually be forgotten, and I really don't want to have the shadow of an abandoned website hanging over my head. Anyway, hopefully I can muster enough energy to post here on a somewhat regular basis (just give me some time to figure out how "regular" this basis will be).

Actually, I did once have a blog-like site long before the word "blog" became widespread, and even before the very concept of the blog became popular. Back then it was simply called a personal website. People had to build their layout from the ground up, update pages by editing the HTML, and manually add timestamps to posts by looking at a clock. These days, the novelty of simply having a website has worn off. In order to get people listening, you need more than just a venue, you need to have something to say.

With that said, I hereby inaugurate this little corner of the internet. :) *cuts ribbon*