Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Requirements.



This week's been shockingly tiring, you know. I just graduated, but I feel like I have to do stuff again. Not programming or anything but the paper works required for pre-employment. The thing is, despite all the technological advancements in our lives, we could never really live without a trace of paper. All the documents that we have right now are still on paper. I'm still wondering as to why it's still backwards especially here in the Philippines.

Good thing I wasn't alone for most of the time because that would just suck. Earlier this morning though, I was just by myself when I got two more requirements. After which, I went to Ayala to get Krispy Kreme donuts and went home. Then I went to IT Park to get those Baked Creations there, went to Ayala again, and finally went home to relax and think and stuff.

Short but sweet. Bow.

A Message to My 2nd Family.



College life was really stressful. Maybe the beginning was really a carefree time, but the subsequent semesters were getting more tiring as they went by. There were times that giving up was in the realm of possibility but all of us came through in the end (save for some who shifted). Without friends though, I would have had a tougher time taking up BS Computer Science. Good thing that I have these people that I can depend on. Here's a letter to them:

"Dear BSCSMA,

We're finally here! It's been a rough and tough 4 years but we made it. I know it's been difficult the past few weeks before the finals but good thing that we never succumbed to giving up and finished our duties as a student. We've been through some of the best and worst educators in the University of San Carlos and gave them the best that we could be (most of the time). Things won't be the same after this as we'll go on our separate ways (although some of us manage to stay close). I hope that we will never forget the bond that we have shared over the 4 years of our college life and still have it whenever we meet again.

I love you, my 2nd family in college! :)

- Jullian"

Monday, March 25, 2013

iPhone 5.


Don't mind the feet. Haha.

The reason why I named the post series "Path to Five" is basically because of this. I really wanted this phone since it was first announced back in September. Ever since, I'd always stare and drool over people who already have it. I'd always tell my parents that I really wanted this, and so my mom promised me that she'll get it for me as a graduation gift. It actually became additional motivation for me since as I said, I REALLY WANT THIS. Now fast forward to last Friday night, I finally got it. I was so happy because it's one of the two things that symbolize the affirmation of my efforts during my college years. I was super duper happy when I finally got my dream phone! Okay, enough with the drama for now. I wanna give you my first impressions of actually using the iPhone 5.

DESIGN & BUILD QUALITY

When I first got it out of the box, it's weight already impressed me. I couldn't really compare the weight of this because the demo units were always stuck with something to hold it in place. The design of the phone is amazing. Never before have I seen Apple do something that's of this level. The chamfers are really nice to look at. It really does look like jewelry. The feel of the phone seems a bit strange even though it looks familiar.

PERFORMANCE

Another thing I noticed after finishing setup is its speed. It was REALLY fast. Apps that seem to crawl when I had multiple apps open in the iPhone 4 open very quickly. Games like The Walking Dead run very smoothly. Not just in apps, website loading in Safari was really fast. Overall, it's insanely fast.

That's it for now. I only got it 2 nights ago! Let me tinker with it longer. This is the final Path to Five post. Thanks for reading through all of them. Click HERE to read them all in one place. :)

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Graduation.



FINALLY.

It's a feeling that I've experienced before, yet it also feels strange and exciting. Graduation is something that comes only once in a while. I've been through three, but never has there been one where I felt like I've achieved a lot of things and at the same time have this high level of uncertainty. Thanks to my life here in college, I am more confident than ever that despite the uncertainty I'm feeling, I know that I am able to do the best that I can.

March 23, 2013 will forever remain with me as one of the most memorable moments of my life. It not only represents the start of a new chapter of my life, but also how far I've come from those times where all I do is study, study, and study. I have learned that life's so much more than that.

So you see that medal up there? Yeah. Magna Cum Laude. I don't really feel like I am one though. When I found out earlier this year that this was sure, I was really shocked. I never expected that I would get any honors because I graduated high school without one. I'm super grateful that I got this since the path to getting here was long and SUPER hard. Thank you to the University of San Carlos for molding me not just to be a person with knowledge, but also with character and dedication. I also want to thank ALL the teachers whose classes I am a part of. I will surely never forget the good (and bad) things that you've shown. I may forget the content of your class, but not the life learning that you have given to us. 


Thank you very much, BSCSMA! Though tomorrow may be our last moments together as a block, I just want you guys to know that I love you all through thick and thin. I appreciate every single moment that I could be with you and I hope we'll never forget the moments we've shared. If I had to go through college all over again, I would do it with you guys and no one else.


Thank you very much to my beloved family for being there for me every step of the way. I honestly wouldn't have made it this far without you and I will forever be grateful for what you have done. This is now the beginning of me giving back to you for all that. All those things I told you will already be put to work very soon! Hahaha.

And to everyone else who I may have forgotten to mention, thank you so much! You have been a part of the best day of my life so far. I LOVE YOU!

As you may have noticed, this sounds like the last "Path to Five" post. NOPE. There's a reason why it's called that in the first place. You'll find out in the next post. Until then!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Tour.



Yesterday, our teacher asked who among us, the CS graduates, had been offered a job. Some of us didn't have any and others were betrayed with some company so she decided that we visit a company where her sibling is working. That happened a while ago, actually.

It was weird because we thought that we're the only ones going there (including a few IT graduates) but our teacher actually contacted one of us and said that she would tag along. This was great since it's one of the last times we could hang out with her as a group. So we went there in groups: one was riding Charles' car while the others were riding taxi cabs going there.

When we got to the office of the company, we were conscious whether to remove our shoes since they only wear slippers when inside the premises. Good thing they let us go in with them on. After a long discussion about the company and what they do, we were given a tour of the office. There was one area that we really had to remove our shoes but it was okay. After the tour, we had snacks! Yay!

After that though, two of us actually wanted to work in the company. Each of them had a one-on-one interview and were hired on the same day! Congratulations to them! :) While they had the interview, we had a photoshoot! Hahaha. It was really fun since our teacher went along with it because she couldn't go to our graduation. 

Today made me realize that it isn't really the company that you enter that determines your path, but you alone. I will really keep that in mind. TWO DAYS LEFT.

Best Batch.



Yes, the title is not self-proclaimed anymore. Our section head has said so. It was very clear in the tone of her voice that she is very happy to know that there are many honors on a course she really loves to manage.

We had a meeting today and one of the agenda was the announcement of honor graduates. People in the room were clapping for each one being mentioned from our department, and screaming whenever it was your friend's name that was said. The room had a happy and exciting aura that time. It was INSANE.

I'm truly happy that our batch is one that our department can be proud of and would be hard to surpass, but I think future graduates will be better. 

CONGRATS TO ALL!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Sleep-Deprived.




I can't sleep again for some reason.

I'm here in my parents' bedroom with my sister doing her school works in the middle of the night and I can't sleep because the light is on. Actually I did, for like a few hours. It really ticks me that my sister always does this to find out that she'll get scolded for not waking up on time for going to school. At least this is giving me a topic to talk about, which is how I'm ALWAYS sleep-deprived when I was still busy with school projects. Sorry for that random picture up there, I have no picture of my bed. 

Of all the times that I didn't sleep properly, it was during the past few months that I realize how important sleep is. Whenever I deprive myself of it, I tend to be off my usual self in the next day or even worse, cranky. I would always be hungrier than most days, and I would get tired easily when I am in the gym. It also caused this sudden outburst of acne in my face. If there was one thing I want gone first, it's the pimples. I wanna sleep early now, but there are still things that are barriers to me doing so more often.

I admit that I don't know how to fully balance my time when it comes to using technology because I basically live and breathe it. It was only now that I should take care of myself more and not take for granted my health because it's important that I'm happy and healthy in order to do the things I wanna do.

And for the record, I made this simply because I couldn't sleep. Good thing she turned off the lights. :)

Friday, March 15, 2013

The iPhone Experience: iPhone 4.



I never really posted a lot of iPhone experience posts. It's hard because I never had a major significant event that involved this. It's actually composed of thousands of little moments that made using this phone very satisfying.

Before getting into this, I'd like to say that I first got this phone with iOS 5 on it and it is locked to work with Globe SIMs. I upgraded to iOS 6 as soon as it came out and some opinions have changed since then. Android has also affected stuff I experienced with this phone since it has grown to be a formidable rival to Apple's platform. So here we go.

The iPhone 4, as Steve Jobs wants it to, "just works". Sure it may be almost 3 years old and two successors already exist after it that are better than this, but I never once complained about its overall usability. Even in 2013 where flagship phones already come out as early as February like the HTC One, the Xperia Z, and the Galaxy S4, I was never swayed from using this phone.

APPS

Apps in particular are one of the reasons why I never swayed away to an Android phone. There are games which are non-existent on competing mobile platforms like The Walking Dead or Infinity Blade. Even though popular apps like Flipboard and Path are already on Android, Tweetbot is still only on iOS. Here is my latest home screen, which right off the bat has a lot of apps. Three of the apps on this page of my home screen are iOS only. I know it's not much, but developers usually innovate in user interfaces of third-party apps. Until there is major shakeup with iOS devices that would sway them away, iOS is THE platform to develop for FIRST.

I can't really say that I have favorite apps because I like each one for different reasons. I use Messenger, Twitter, Instagram, Flipboard, and The Verge more often though. My experience with each app vary though. There are times when it would slow down or crash but not all the time. Maybe that's because some of these apps are already taking advantage of the iPhone 5's power. I was getting concerned with how apps are storing stuff on my phone. Is there any way that we could remove just the data of the app but not the app itself? I found this pretty annoying when I have limited amount of space left because Facebook and Instagram store way too much data.

BATTERY LIFE

Battery life decreases over time in every phone. The iPhone 4 is no exception, but it decreases slowly. After almost a year having it, it still lasts for at least a day. Apps and games are the ones that kill this easily. The more graphics-intensive the app is, the faster my battery goes down. Cellular data clearly does not help the situation. There were times where I had to set my phone on Airplane Mode so that it doesn't consume battery while the screen was off. I just wish that Apple would just have a bigger battery on future phones.

iOS

Since I've been through three iterations of iOS, the mobile operating system that powers the iPhone, iPad, and the iPod touch, I could definitely say that Apple needs to change it up a bit. Not that it doesn't work at all because it's still as functional as it can be. There are just some parts at which I already got annoyed and wishing that Apple would implement an easier way to do such things. For example, the Settings app (shown in the right) is still clunky and there are things that could be integrated into a shortcut menu where you can toggle stuff on or off. My favorite feature of the OS though is Do Not Disturb. Even though glitches came to it when 2013 struck, it works like a charm. I can set a schedule as to the times that it will go on and off. When it's on, it really works. The only way I'll know when they're there is when I turn the screen on. Despite that, it's best for Apple to change the user interface and functionality of iOS. I'm sure it'll never be the same after Jony Ive will now be in charge of Human Interface. Having high hopes for iOS 7!

FINAL THOUGHTS

All in all, I love having the iPhone 4. The design is still good despite the glass back, and there are still reasons for me to stick with it except that I want my phone to be faster. I've always wanted the latest and greatest and although this isn't it, I would still love to keep it. iOS needs to change (especially in UI) but they should maintain the quality of apps that are churning out in the App Store. If Apple still rests on their laurels, Samsung might just win this war altogether. As for my next phone? Well, you'll figure it out. Maybe you will, even before Path to Five is over. :)

The Galaxy S4: Samsung's iPhone 4S.



I've been particularly known by my friends as an Apple fanboy (which I wholeheartedly admit) but that doesn't mean I ignore the rest of the products that are churning out of everyone else's factories. Samsung in particular has come from just another no-name phone manufacturer to the No. 1 phone maker in the world. From their low-end Galaxy Pocket to the Dual SIM Galaxy Grand to the flagship device last year that is the Galaxy S III, Samsung has proven to be synonymous to Android last year.

Riding on the success of the S III, Samsung has launched the Galaxy S4 a while ago (March 14 in the US). At a glance, it looks like the S III but it's actually larger, thinner, and lighter. It has a 5" Full HD Super AMOLED screen, which is what's a trend in recent Android phones like the Sony Xperia Z and the HTC Butterfly (Droid DNA in the US). Depending on where you live, it either has a Samsung Exynos 5 (which has 8 CORES!) or a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front camera. It runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean but with Samsung's TouchWiz on top. Samsung has also put a lot of new features including Air View and Air Gesture, Dual Shot, Drama Shot, and S Health.

Specs aside, this marks a change in Samsung's strategy for their flagship device. Design looks the same while updating the specs? This sounds like what Apple would do! They would do something that the industry calls a "tick-tock" strategy in the annual refresh cycles of the phones. The major redesigns, such as the iPhone 3G, 4 and 5, are the ticks while the incremental updates, such as the 3GS and the 4S, are the tocks. It may sound like it wouldn't work but Apple was able to gain mindshare large enough that they could get away from sticking to one design for 2 years.

The S4 looking like the S III means that Samsung is adopting that same strategy. They are confident enough that sales won't be affected despite the same design. They want to prove to us that they're just as popular as Apple is. They have proven their worth in marketing, so they're here to prove that the strategy works for them. I personally think that since they copied Apple's strategy, I think it will work. Too bad I still hate the design and the specs wowed me but aren't gonna woo me over to them. Yep, still want the iPhone.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Finally Stress-Free.



Almost there. Graduation.

It's something that I haven't thought of all this time until this very moment. It's something that I thought would happen after a long time. Yet, here I am, just around a week before it happens. I know I've been in this situation twice, but I have never experienced one in which there is a greater amount of uncertainty than before. It always got me thinking as to where I'm going after this.

Yet, I'm not really worried. It's not something I have to constantly think about. Maybe that's just because I don't wanna leave college... YET.

On that note, I would like to apologize to my readers who haven't heard from me in over a month because I needed to tend to my studies and I want to make sure that I could graduate (thus the picture above). Now that I'm free and clear from most of my responsibilities as a college student, you'll be hearing from me frequently. Hopefully that would be once a day starting today. :)

Thanks for understanding!