The Weblog (Blog)

Computer Security

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:07:00 +0000

Right now, I am in the one-year process of creating my undergraduate research paper under the guidance of the Computer Security Group, where it is the primary concern to, well, improve or innovate new ways by which data integrity, safety, and privacy are ensured. Since we are now in the age of widely connected networks, Internet security is also a must.

Our research paper, as of the moment, still does not have any specific problem to address, except that we are looking into creating a secured auction system using existing security protocols integrated with threshold cryptography.

Anyway, security research has been here for a number of decades already. So are we still living in an era pagued with viruses, spyware, and hackers? In recent years, most security research has been focused on cryptographic protocols and the safety of data during its transfer. On the contrary, most experts say that security problems arose out of bugs in software system. These bugs are then exploited by crackers, thereby creating a security loophole. Software engineers will tell you that it is impossible to have a bug-free software, but effective risk management will definitely diminish the demand for anti-viruses, anti-spyware, anti-malware, and the like.

Smelling Good?

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:56:00 +0000

I'm not the kind of person who uses fragrances before going out of home. I do not know why, I just don't seem to like the feeling of having to wear a smell that is not naturally me. Not even cologne.

My brother, on the other hand, likes to put generous amounts of perfume all over his body everytime he goes out, may it be a date or just an ordinary schoolday. He sure can be metrosexual.

Hedging with Gold

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:43:00 +0000

Quite a while ago, I've been discussing my friend some of the merits of buying gold as a form of investment. If only I had enough capital and enough know-how to survive this industry, I would buy gold or gold buillion.

We are in uncertain times. Time and again, gold has proven itself as an effective medium to resist the inflationary effects of economic crises. Beware, though, as it is a highly speculative business. Not everyone is up to the job.

Confused

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:36:00 +0000

I'm keeping my face straight because I know I should. It won't help if I add to the problem.

Seriously, however, I also have a lot of things going on in my mind right now. I do not know what to do about them so, please, just spare me.

Culinary School

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:05:00 +0000

Entering a culinary school is no joke. One will have to make sure that he/she is really serious when he chose to take up a course in the culinary arts, precisely because of the hefty costs that go along with culinary studies.

Aside from matriculation costs, a culinary student will also have to have a number of kitchen equipment, some of which can be surprisingly expensive, such as pots and pans. Then there are also equipment that has more to do with dining than cooking, like wine glasses, for instance.

It may be expensive, but studying the culinary arts is most definitely worthwhile. The opportunities are endless, while the joy derived from cooking and decorating with food cannot be easily matched by any other activity.

Right On

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:34:00 +0000

Ouch. Some songs really hit the spot.

The Final Year

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:47:00 +0000

This is it. It's the first term of my last year as an undergraduate computer science student. It's funny how time flies. I didn't notice that I'm almost at the end of this road.

But before I even go up that stage and get my diploma, I will have to pass the last of the hurdles, the greatest one--my undergraduate thesis. I'm pretty nervous about it. I qualified for admission at the Computer Security Group, but I still hardly have a clue about which subtopic to work on. I would like to focus on network security or security problems that need interdisciplinary solutions, but I will have to consult that first with my would-be thesis partners and advisers. I will also have to do a lot of background reading before I even face them.

I am also deep in thinking if I should pursue a graduate degree in economics. I have been contemplating about it for more than a year already. My mind is still not fully made up about it so, for now, I shall take an introductory economics course and probably take intermediate courses on microeconomics and macroeconomics later on to gauge myself if I'm really up to it.

Aside from those, I will also take courses on numerical methods, automata theory, and artificial intelligence. That sounds scary (*gulp*). I will also take a general education course on engineering science.

Wish me luck in my final year. I will really, really, REALLY have to kick ass now.

Lots of will-have's there, eh.

It's Raining

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Sun, 31 May 2009 11:34:00 +0000

I wonder where you are right now.

Get Attention to Your Booths

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:38:00 +0000

Inside trade shows, competition for client attention can be very stiff, given that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of companies trying to show off their products to the public. This is especially the case during times of economic crisis like today--every client is important.

So what can you do? Pimp your exhibit booths and trade show displays, of course. That is the only way that you can relatively cheaply attract attention to your booth. Add some decorative materials, like logo floor mats, to boost your booth.

When Penguins Love

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:25:00 +0000

And now I love you more than I ever did. :)

The Briefness of Things

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:02:00 +0000

7 hours and nearly a pack of Mentos mints later, I got thirty minutes. Perfect.

What's Your Stuff?

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 19:11:00 +0000

I don't think I have seen a social networking site centered around people's interests rather than anything else. Sure, there are tons of sites out there that bring people with the same interest in a particular topic into one website, but I doubt if there is any social networking platform that tries to connect people via as much categories of interests as possible.

This is exactly what Acobay, a brand new social networking site, tries to do. By registering as an Acobay user, you get to tell people about the "stuff" that you own or desire to have. This will then allow people with interests in the same item(s) (e.g. a movie, a book, etc.) to see you and what you have to say. They can add you as their "friends" and you can add them back, just like your typical social networking site.

I believe this is the first time such a model was pursued, or if it was already pursued before, this might be the most prominent attempt so far. Facebook has its groups for people interested in something, but that is not the center of the idea at all. Correct me if I am wrong.

Will Acobay fly ahead with this "stuff"-centered model? We'll just have to wait and see.

Email Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:17:00 +0000

Gone were those days when most company advertising materials were delivered to customers and would-be customers through the email. When people moved to cyberspace, so did most of the advertisers. Today, these companies employ a number of techniques to keep in touch and one of them is email marketing.

How are companies able to send their advertisements through email? There are many ways. They may use email marketing software, hire email marketing service from third-party companies, get the list of email addresses from affiliated organizations, or get the emails theirselves from the users.

For more information about email marketing, please refer to this Wikipedia article.

This is Not My Battle

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:09:00 +0000

When you get too much problems, it can be pretty exhausting once in a while, especially if these are problems that you are not supposed to think of in the first place.

No, I most certainly do not have the worst of the world's problems, and I am thankful for that. It's just that I sometimes cannot help but wonder why oh why can't I just worry about my academics, org duties, or love problems, or whatever? Why do I have to take on responsibilities I am not ready to face at this point? Why can't I just live like a normal teenager?

Damn it. My optimism also has its limits.

Naivete

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:56:00 +0000

Aye, I never learned.

Once again, I have proven that I am naive alright. Embarrassing.

I'd like to think that people just have the best interests, but I guess these thoughts have always bordered with that one trait I struggle to beat.

A New Home

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:45:00 +0000

I'll be moving off some of my stuff to a new blog: http://gps.i.ph

Not exactly. The subjects I intend to post about in that blog are some interests that I do no regularly talk about here, namely, computer science, music, and economics.

This is the first time that I am putting up a niche blog. I don't regularly talk about my interests online. It's either I just read a lot about them or spontaneously discuss them with classmates over lunch, making this some sort of an experiment to me. Hopefully, I get positive results out of it.

Vacations

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:55:00 +0000

The summer season is already here!

It's the time of the year when King Sun is waaaay up the skies and when kids get out of school and enjoy the fine weather outside. It is the time of the year when couples and families pack their backpacks and luggages to travel to places far from their origins and discover what other fascinations our planet has to offer.

Sadly, however, I am still stuck at home, my bag still filled with course notes, hoping that everything will be finished in the end.

EDIT: Just a few days more, and I'll be ending this hell week at last. Deb has been very busy looking for a good place where we (as in our group of friends) can stay for a day or two before we start off with our own summer activities. I'm already excited about it. XD

The Thing with Bikes

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:21:00 +0000

In such a very busy world such as ours, do people even find the time to look after theirselves?

We already know that exercise, coupled with healthy food, is best for your our health, and yet we are unable to hop for a minute or two for various reasons. I myself cannot even do that. I just find myself in front of the computer the whole day.

Technology has offered us a lot of ways to be healthier. There's the treadmill, with which we can run miles without actually going out of the office. Then we have the ellipticals and the exercise bikes, but we still don't get ourselves fit. There's just not enough time.

Hell Weeksssss

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 15:53:00 +0000

A Better Day

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:06:00 +0000

A couple of accomplishments, however small they may seem to be, can certainly put a smile in anyone's lips. I am no exception.

I finally finished my EEE lab work after a month of delay. I know, I know, this subject has taken on a back seat ever since the sem started. It took a really hard whack on the head to put me back to my senses and convince myself that I should give appropriate attention to the subject. I will not get a 4.0 XD

The results of the UP ACM Executive Council Election were also released, and I won one of the seats. It's not the best feeling in the world, sure, but coming out second in a 17-way election is most definitely heart-warming. I thank everyone who voted and put their confidence in me. Rest assured that I will do my very best to deliver what I had promised and make UP ACM the best that it can be.

Lastly, I can safely say that I already have a company at which I can take my summer internship, Domains.ph. The interview was very unexpected alright, because I was expecting questions related to algorithms design. Instead, the interview focused on technologies and my academic projects. Tensed is the best word to use to describe the interview. Nevertheless, I managed to secure a slot. Whew.

---

You win some, you lose some, so the adage goes. I lost some things in the past. They were disheartening, sure, but at the end of the day I just thought that, well, my time would come.

This is one of those win-win-win days, and I am more than happy that I am still here to live it.

'Til the next one, I guess. :)

For Another Day

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:04:00 +0000

So I now lay down to sleep once again, without having a word. It's frustrating, I know, but I will stretch my already-overstretched patience for yet another day. Everything will be alright in the end, you said. Just a little bit stronger, you added. I trust you, and I trust your word.

Everything will be alright.

I Love Two-Timers

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 12:36:00 +0000

I so love two-timers, I eat them for dinner.

I'm talking about the Two-Timer meal from Burger King. For just 140 pesos, you'll get a Whopper Jr., large fries, large softdrink, and another Whopper Jr.!

Burger King has always been generous to its customers. Back then, before it was revived as something more high-end, the burger chain offered unlimited drinks for all of its customers. The free-flowing drinks may have ended, but they were replaced by free cellphone and laptop charging, free movie screening every afternoon, and free WiFi connectivity everytime you dine with them. The addition of the Two-Timer meal (The Whopper Jr. is yummy, mind you) makes it worth the cash I pay for their food, in my opinion.

Until the time comes when McDonald's offers the same promo for their Quarter Pounder meal, I think I'm going to spend more burger love time with Burger King. XD

Close to You

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:07:00 +0000

The song came into my mind out of nowhere. I first heard it in the movie So Close and liked it as much as I liked the movie. I remember that I actually cried while watching the film. Haha.

By the way, today's the birthday of my grandmother's sister, whose branch of the family is closest to ours (not that we have a big clan in the first place lol). It's also the birthday of my father. I wonder what happened to him.

The Bus Ride

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:46:00 +0000

There are nights when I feel like having long night trips, especially when I'm beside the window. This was one of those nights, so even though it was still around 7 in the evening, I chose to ride the bus instead of the MRT to go home from Ortigas. It was rush hour, so I kind of expected that there will be a lot of people in the buses. Fortunately, I found a place at the backmost part of the bus and settled there.

Worries eased and my mind relaxed. In a few minutes, I was already asleep. When I woke up, the back part of the bus was cleared and I was already near Cubao. I had to move a little bit to the front because a couple near the back row was making out. That's not a really pleasant scene to wake up to when you're in a bus.

Along the way, a pang of loneliness hit me. Watching the trees of the Quezon Memorial Circle at night, I felt that something has definitely gone missing, and I do not know how to take it back. It's like things will never get any better again.

Maybe I should just turn to FX taxis when I feel like going on a long night trip in the metro. At least FX rides are relatively serene.

Restless

noreply@blogger.com (Gian Paolo) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 15:32:00 +0000

Fifteen before midnight. Still no response. I do not know what happened, nor do I know where to look. For the past few weeks, it has been like this, and can I just say that I have been restless ever since?

It aches. It hurts. Never mind the others. I just ~~want~~ need you.