Greetings from the mind of me!!!

Well Tomorrow is my first day of real work at my job that I will be doing all my life. Software development and design, is something I want to do the rest of my life. I really have a passion for. I know that tomorrow is gong to be a red letter day. The only real thing that I’m dreading is the commute back and forth. I calculated it all today and at 33 miles per way it is going to be around 15 thousand miles per year just for me going back and forth from work. I think it’s going to be worth it.

Oh ya, I might be switching to WordPress...

I am so very bored right now. I want to do all these things like go out and watch a new movie but no money. The good news is that Monday should be the day that ends that for now. A 45 minute trip and a 9 hour day should end my troubles for now. For the past week or so I have been working on my site. It looks ok for now. I still need to work on some articles that I want to post up there. I'm thinking more along the lines of computer issues, some of my college papers, and interesting ideas I have time to time. Right now I need to post it to a dozen or so search engines.

What I really want to do right now is just to have some fun; but I also want to get to work already.

Was a little bored today so I decided to make a lego building. Found this pic and made it! Coundn't get some things in right and made a tower to it... Noting special, just bored.

First the bad news… It turns out when you want to get an interim Employment Authorization Document you already need an Alien number assigned to you. Since I was a student (f-1) before all this I didn’t have a Alien Number. So that was a wash. I begged and begged and she told me she couldn’t do anything. I showed her the letter and employment Contact and still nothing. After 10 minutes of explaining I gave up and walked away empty handed. She did tell me it should be another 3-5 weeks before it came in. Until then I guess. I went home did some online reading and searching and finally said to myself that I was just stuck in this waiting game.

I ate lunch fixed the mobile orders that I was supposed to do and setup the 2geeky.net site and the mail credentials and DNS entries. That should be distributed by tomorrow. I did the summary of the chapter that my student asked me for and watched a bit of battlestar galactica while to make a perpetual motion machine out of Legos.

Well my student called me at 7 and asked me out to dinner while we talked about the chapter he was supped to read. Well I told him my situation and he hooked me up with a friend that needs a temporary .net programmer. This is definitely what I can do while a wait the Visa out. Of course it’s an overseas position.

I had a funny idea/notion today. Anyone want to marry me so I can become a US citizen? This way I don’t have to deal with the US Immigration.

Well tomorrow is the day get my temporary work document. I really don’t know what to expect. After all the bad experiences and my friends experience today there I think the place is filled with angry people. (don’t tell that to them). The first two times I was there they didn’t really help me much even though I had the lowest expectations. They didn’t even try. No help, no new information and no service. The just should call is a Center rather than their Service Center. For you non-foreigners its like the DMV but the people are 3 times a mean, 5 times less sociable and the always look down at you. Well, that’s the way I felt like the past few times I was there.

The only thing I’m really hoping for tomorrow is the fact that I get my temporary work authorization. I don’t care if I have to wait, I don’t care if people are mean, and I don’t care about anything. I just want to be able to work.

Anyways, today I took my brother to register for his classes and to get his laptop from school. We spent the afternoon trying to bypass the crazy security on his laptop. We failed… The thing has a NT Hash encrypted at over 128 bits and a password longer than 8 characters. I calculated how long it would take all of my 6 computer to calculate the password based off the hashes and it would take over 300 days to find. I know how to blank the admin password but my brother doesn’t want to do that because it shows that the password has been reset and we don’t want the school to find out.

Tried everything. SAMinside, OHPCrack, Proactive Password Auditor, and loginrecovery. They all failed or would take a crazy amount of time.

Wow I’m really bored. Right now Its 3:50 in the afternoon and I'm watching episodes of Battlestar Galactica. This morning I went to a job interview with MARC Research. I think I didn’t do too well. It was a odd formatted interview. I interviewed with 5 people over a 2 and a half hour period. People that would be my peers, bosses and a director of IT there. The last person was the overall boss of the department. I should have made a good impression but I was nervous at the end and I made great impressions with my peers rather than the bosses.

Anyways I think I'm going to do some Photoshop. Here’s what 30 minutes of a Cylon Raider looks like…

The things I learned today.

Well something that I have learned today was not to expect too much effort from the USCIS. Today I went to the district office here in Dallas, I expected to get serviced even though I don’t have an appointment for the day. Well it turns out if you don’t have an appointment they treat you like crap and make you wait in line and do nothing for you in the end. I wish they would tell you this on your website you know. Like have a little disclaimer that they didn’t accept walk-ins in the Dallas District office; or even better put a statement on the site saying that we might be asses and not service you after you wait inline outside standing up for 3 hours! I just want a interim employment authorization document. The guy even said that they don’t do interim EADs here since this is not a service center.

Ok, I got an appointment from the infopass system and I have it for Friday morning. Hopefully then it will be a little better. When I got home I called the Nation service center and I found out that the guy there didn’t know what he was talking about. They do give out interim EADs and they do give it at the service center. What crap… Well until Friday then.

I wanted to make something photoshop today but I really don’t feel too creative.

Well I finally have good news. I did some researching this weekend and I found out if a person waits more than 90 days for a Employment Authorization Document from USCIS you can go to a local office to request a temporary one. It has just been 93 days since my original request! Tomorrow I'm going to ask for a letter from the company and get it signed, get all my papers in order, and go to the district office and get my temporary work permit. Hopefully I will start work by the end of the week. I have an appointment set for Friday morning but I'm going as soon as I get my letter from the company. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I'll probally have to wait at the USCIS office for 4 hours since I dont have an appointment.

Well I didn't do much, a little movie, some Halo, programming and more photoshop, but not lots.

Throughout the day I was thinking on how I could be working tomorrow but cant because of the governemnet. I figured it out and for everyday I have my work permit delayed I would lose +/- $160 that really sucks... I really dislike my the US government.

Well I learned a lot today. When you have nothing to do tomorrow make a list the night before and get it done tomorrow. I did it last night and I'm pretty pleased what I got done today. I let me stop thinking of most of my problems…

Well one thing I wanted to do was to make Kelly a Website Template. After I realized that I am not a creative person I went online and found some ideas and did it here is what I came up with, I think its pretty good…



One of the other things that I wanted to do was get some Photoshop in here is what I came up with: A nice Icon for my photoshop folder and a random phone...

Well the prospect of me losing yet another job due to my status is immanent. I'm supposed to start Monday but since the paper work from the government is still not here I can’t do anything. I know they might wait for a week maybe 2, but there is a limit. Soon I’ll lose this great job opportunity and I will be waiting for one and looking.

I wish things were different. I wish I was a US citizen. I wish I had more in life right now than just waiting. Waiting for your life to start really sucks

May 1, 2006 - Sent I-768 Employment Authorization form
May 3, 2006 - Received Receipt for my application (I-797C, Notice of Action)
July 10, 2006 - Received Request for Evidence NSEERS Registration (Special Registration)
- Called USCIS about the NSEERS?
July 11, 2006 - Created appointment to See USCIS
July 17, 2006 - Appointment with USCIS Dallas
July 17, 2006 - Sent the Evidence that they wanted for NSEERS
July 21, 2006 - Received confirmation of my evidence (Return receipt, USCIS Case Status Website)
July 27, 2006 - Today…
July 31, 2006 - Supposed to Start with Omega Airlines

Government ordeals never work out the way you want them to. Not because I did something wrong, but because they are slow and want to make sure that every little thing is good about me. I can’t blame them for being through, but there has to be a faster way to get this done.

I have waited to work for a company since the day I sent the forms in on May 1, 2006. Three months later I find myself very, very poor and still waiting for a little piece of paper that says I can work legally here.

Just today I received a call from my future boss from Omega wanting to know when they were going to send it. I couldn’t give him a real answer because I really didn’t know. Then a call form DeVry that asked me more about it. I told them the deal and they understood that it was a waiting game; but would my future boss understand? And if they don’t will I ever find a better job?

I’m sick of waiting here and doing really nothing at home. Summer is supposed to relaxing but this really sucks.

Right now there are a couple dozen scenarios going on in my head. From the optimistic scenario where the letter comes in with President Bush coming to my door step to hand me my authorization. Or where I get denied in my application and I ultimately have to go to Indonesia. I realize that it will be probably be some where in between but I’m more leaning on I get my authorization, but not in time to get the job. But that time in the mean time is killing me. I have never felt this out of my control of my life.

Well things have been rough for me here the past week. After the USCIS ordeal with the Special Registration system I find myself waiting for them to respond the my request to register me and let me live my life. Right now it’s just a waiting game and it has been hard on me. Checking my mail constantly (both e-mail and snail) for my work visa. I know it should be really soon. If not I might lose my job offer and then what?

Well I need to keep myself busy in the mean time. Website design, Photoshop skills, and programming that darn PDA app.

I know that this probally isn't the very best photoshop work but im just learning. So I found this website tutorial: http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/1498/1/Create-a-Nice-Credit-Card-in-Photoshop-CS
pulled out my Credit card and tryed to photoshop it! here's the results:


good/bad? Comments please!!!

My Blog has been suffering from being fed again…. Oopes….
Well tonight my dad is coming from Indonesia to see me graduate after 6 years it has been a long time since I have seen him. Wonder if he has changed much. From the stories and daily e-mails it doesn’t seem so. The next 2 weeks are going to be interesting…

Well lately I guess I have been busy with things and bored at the same time, if that makes any sense. Bored with school and work at DeVry, but busy with website design, playing games, and my newly acquired skill of Photoshop CS2!!! The past 3 days I have been reading tutorials, watching movies and reading a book about Photoshop and I think I’m getting good. Color changing, lighting effects and pretty cool buttons.

Well I’m about to Graduate in a couple days and things are looking good here. I have several job options and interview lined up. I have to wait on some paperwork form the us government and I should be set. Right now, I am thinking about getting my citizenship here since I finally qualify!

Well more later….

Wow it’s really been a log time since I’ve written here… Well I guess I’m writing because there is so much going on in my head that I just have to let it out.

My mom is back and has been here for 2 months now. She’s finding out how me and my siblings have been taking care of each other and she has figured out (as she should have before sending my 12 year old sister here) that my sister cannot take care of here self here. She’s mostly worried about her weight problem and the fact that she is stubborn, hard headed, and just a pain some times. I guess I thought everything was fine, but being 21 you don’t know much about the world yet…

(PC1)

The senior project has been going well. We are almost finished and all we have to do is present half a dozen times and it will be all over. I'm not sure if I want school to be over. This means that something new and odd is finally going to happen: I’ll finally have a chance to get a very well paid job.

Speaking on jobs, I have been getting things for jobs left and right. First command offered an internship for 2 months, Target base leads, and even a job at Trip master. But I cant take them due to the fact that I need my working permit to clear!!! I declined the one at trip master due to the fact that it was a call center job, but I’m wondering now if I should have done it… I mean it was entry level and it was decent, but did I go to college to that kind of job? I really want to go in the development and database kind of jobs. Should I really be nit pickey?

Well I just realized that I have been really spending my time badly. I keep slacking off doing work here and there and now its all backed up and it due too soon.

Template layouts, css, papers, 2 exams, extra credit work, and other day to day stuff. I really could have done all that work in 3 days and have the rest of the week off, but Iv'e been slacking and now is crunch time. Wow, I need to really polish up my paper now...

I think my body has finally caught up with my schedule and it wants to slow things down for me. Today and yesterday I had been sick just a little bit. I think tomorrow I can finally let my body rest and hopefully by Tuesday I can get back to my 60 hour weeks.

Well the Senior Project is becoming a bitch to manage. Team members (including me) are not getting along, and the business being really weird in what they want. I think mostly all the fustratiation is due to the fact that our project manager doesn’t deligate work very well and the fact that her mother is in the hospital is not doing good for her.

Anyways, I’ve been slacking at school and I’m really starting to feel it. Bad test and me just not having interest anymore. I really need to find a way to get off this schedule or mange it better!

One more hour till I can go home and rest to get better.

Happy Birthday Matt!!!

It’s only Tuesday and I'm already tired from the week. I have done so much this week I have lost track of time. My PDA tells me that my week has only started. I need to be strong to continue and persevere. I need to look ahead of what is the goal and do things that will me get me there; I need to be strong.

Senior Project is the one thing that has me all worked up inside. So many people to manage, contact, and work with its getting hard remembering everyone’s role and what they need to get done. Driving to the other side of the metropolis is no easy task either.

School is something I just have to hold on to. There is only 3 weeks left and after that it should be smooth sailing until the bitter end: Graduation.

Work is still the same, being a Lab Tech can only go so far until you have reached the top. Boring things happen now, which I enhance with my hobbies that would make better for everyone else. Everyone has seemed to take a liking to my program.

For some reason I keep thinking of my past and if my present would have been any different if I had done some things different. I’m not complaining of where I am, but who I am. The person that was me has long and disappeared and it seems like I don’t know myself anymore. Who Am I? and what will bring forth to make this a better place?

So many things to do, and its like I am the only one to do them all…