If you are looking for great comeback movies – these two movies are for you! Based on real life stories – a gymnast and a financier!
My take away from the two movies:
As a Computer Engineer graduate in a third world country, my only dream before was to be able to work in a company where I can use my degree. I got blessed with an entry position and eventually grew in my career in IT. A lot of opportunities happened and one of which was to work abroad at our client site. Such experience allowed me to explore things outside my comfort zone.
Then, I ran into this movie in Netflix – “The Internship”. If I’m not an IT person, I might not be interested on this movie. Who would have thought that this movie would trigger me to dream to work at Google? Working at Google never crossed my mind until this movie. I’m in a good place right now but I’ve been learning to challenge myself to dream bigger. When I saw this movie, it somehow opened my eyes to a different, more interesting, more innovative world out there. I don’t know even know if I will ever be qualified for any position they have. But I will never know unless I prepare and try. It’s a good challenge. 🙂
Last year, I had the chance to check Googleplex in Mountain View. It’s a vibrant place out there. The colors speak for itself. 🙂
Let’s see what will happen in the next 6 months? 1 year?
Never stop dreaming!
I just finished watching the movie, “The Internship” in Netflix and as much I want to go to sleep now because it is past my bedtime, I just need to write this down.
Anyway, the movie is about two friends who are sales people and are very good with what they do but lost their jobs because their company shut down. Not knowing what to do next, they ran into the browser “Google” and just googled about it. They saw the internship program and decided to apply for it, faking their resumes. And yes, at the end of the movie, they got accepted in Google.
While watching the movie and listening to their lines talking about programming stuff, they sounded so normal to me. It’s not something new or strange. It’s just the lingo that I’ve been so used to since I enrolled into a computer course in college. When they were asked about C++ and Bill (one of the characters) said that it’s just a C+ and the other + is about attitude, it made me laugh. If I wasn’t a programmer, I will not get it. It made me miss the life of being a programmer.
You see, I’ve made a choice of getting away from being a technical person doing programming because I wanted to pursue something I believe I can be better of than being a programmer. But then I realize, I can never get away with it. Because the moment I see something wrong on just a simple site I access, my programmer instinct immediately kicks in. The movie reminded me that being a programmer is more than just sitting at your desk, facing your computer and coding thousands and thousands of lines. Not that I will go back to all those coding and stuff. It just made me appreciate more the life I chose to leave.
If you are a programmer reading this and you think that you are not making a difference, I hope you realize that your craft is not just about going to work 8 hours a day or sometimes more, debugging your code, making the system run and meeting deadlines of your deliverable. What you are doing, just like a doctor or a teacher also affects lives. Regardless how small or big the company you are working for, remember that you being a programmer gives A “service”. Everything you do is about serving. Not to a system or a program, but to PEOPLE. Just imagine if the health system of a hospital is not running properly, how will they keep the records of the patients? Just imagine if the banking system was not properly coded, how would the banks track all transactions?
You may feel like what you are doing is not that much compared to other programmers, but truth is, small and big task have the same importance in the world of IT. A simple bug like a missing letter to a variable may be a simple fix but that fix made the whole store system ran smoothly, thus allowed stores to process the purchases of their customers. It is a simple code change that made a huge difference.
And if you are one of those aspiring to work for an IT company someday, like Google, perhaps, but, you are doubting yourself about it. Always remember that programming can be learned by anyone. Not that it is easy, but because it does not limit you to just one thing that you can learn and do. Just by looking at the applications you have downloaded in your phone, you would know what I mean.
I may not be a programmer anymore based on my current job description but I’m glad that I still get to work with a lot of them. And, importantly, being a programmer will never be erased from my resume.
P.S. I’m so thrilled for my Google campus visit, not sure if I can get in though, but regardless!!!
I must say tonight is my “Appreciation Night” to all programmers
in the world who make the online space a better click away.
I have so many take homes over the weekend and so many things to be grateful for.
Last Friday night, together with my friends Linda and Shannon, we went to see the 47th Singing Christmas Tree Show at Broadway Church. There were Christmas carols, drama and acrobats. It was really cool – they were doing ice skating on stage. Linda and I got so curious that we went to touch the floor of the stage after the show to see if there was real ice. Well, it wasn’t. (hehe) The story was very simple but it conveyed a very important message, reminding everyone that we can do all the Christmas traditions we got so used of since we were kids but those can never replace the true meaning of Christmas. The gift-giving, parties, decorations, big preparations are worthless if we will never understand what Christmas is all about. Here’s a cute video about First Christmas.
Saturday night was a Christmas get-together with my Filipino friends from work whom I consider family here in Canada. The group has gotten so bigger with almost everyone having their own families and kids (except for me and a few…nyaha!) Parties are more fun now with all the little kids running around and entertaining everyone. My only take home from this night that will last is a grateful heart. God designed us to be relational and He provides those people whom He wants us to build relationships with. He knows that we can never do things on our own and that’s why He gives us friends.
Today, Sunday was another blessed day. I had to get up early in the morning to prepare my own share for the breakfast potluck at First Baptist Church (and skipped CCF service today). Gloria, also a Filipino was the one who invited me for their ministry breakfast potluck. Some of the people at the breakfast were also those I volunteer with at Tuesday’s Soup Kitchen at their church, including Gloria. It was just nice of her to extend the invitation to me even if I don’t go to their church. It’s just amazing how God could bring people together on certain events even if we are part of different congregations. Being connected to one Source who is Jesus can indeed unite people. And, I believe that’s why Christmas brings everyone together.
After the potluck, Gems (who was also with me at the potluck) and I attended the worship service and watched the movie, “The Exodus” after. Here are my take homes from both:
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:9-13)
And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (Exodus 14:13-14)
I am forever grateful to God for His amazing love that He will never stop offering to us through Jesus Christ. As John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, hat he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
And now, my take away questions for you:
How’s your relationship with God?
Have you received Jesus in your life?
Why do you celebrate Christmas?
What do you hope to be better this coming new year?
Two long weekends in a row is just so so so so cool!
I’d never had such a restful weekend since the middle of the year. Two days of rest over the weekend were never enough. Not that I’m complaining, but just really happy that I get to enjoy another long weekend.
My roommie and I went to our favorite, “quiet” mall to just unwind. Had some Chinese for our late lunch, watched the movie, “Thor” which was really entertaining and did some little shoes and bread shopping.
I just thank God that tomorrow is just Saturday, and I still have 2 days to just relax and do the things I enjoy doing.
Here’s a photo of our bread shopping. I had my first Earl Grey Latte croughnut.
Princess Pepay 