I'm glad to see that Rotman (part of the University of Toronto) is doing cool things like that. It's a great way for students to gain real-world experience, and it should be fun getting to know the people in the program.

On Technorati: business, nonprofit

Random Emacs symbol: tramp-pre-connection - Function: Do some setup before actually logging in.

Yay!

On Technorati: simon, sales, business

So I did. I didn't have anyone from QSR online in my buddy list, but I knew that if anyone could find people, it would be Clair Ching. (Tip: If you ever need any kind of information, no matter how obscure, ask a librarian!) She gave me Ian's cellphone number. I tried calling it up, but my cellphone seems to be blocked for international calls. She called it up, but Ian didn't answer. I sent a text message to Ian asking him to go online.

Clair also pointed me to other QSR people like Marvin Pascual. Marvin told me that Ian was probably out to lunch or en route to dotPH because it was Friday. He gave me Ian's Yahoo Messenger ID and dug up Myna's cellphone number. I remembered that Ian told me I should talk to Myna about business development opportunities, so it was terrific that they were traveling together.

I noticed that I had a Google chat message from J. Angelo Racoma. I remembered that Angelo's associated with dotPH, so I asked him to track Ian down, possibly by calling the dotPH folks. Angelo set that in motion, too.

... and when I saw Ian's Yahoo Messenger status change, I was, like, "w00t!" I messaged, "Thank you for letting me assert my SUPER GEEK GIRL POWER and renicing myself to -20!"

Big, big, big kudos to Clair Ching, J. Angelo Racoma, and Marvin Pascual for helping me track Ian down and get him online right then and there. I owe homemade cookies and lasagna all around. You rock.

Simon and Ian had a great conversation threshing out the technical aspects of the project. I think they were basically establishing that they knew what they were talking about and that the other person did, too. While they were doing this, Myna and I chatted about the business side of things.

Good stuff. I think it'll be a terrific fit, and I look forward to seeing what'll come of it. I'm glad I helped make that phone conversation happen, if only because I exerted enough will for them to get around to talking. I knew they'd have a good conversation, but it's sometimes hard to get around to it what with everything else going on.

Sometimes you just have to make things happen.

On Technorati: business, networking, goodkarma, :)

I have a lot of options ahead of me, and I want to think about this carefully. My first job doesn't have to be perfect, but it would be good to understand what my values and priorities are. I want to be extraordinary. I know, I'm 23 and my direction in life will change as I discover more about myself and about others. =) But it's good to think about it every now and then...

So here's where I stand, so far:

These are the two prospects I feel most passionate about, and I may be able to pursue them both. I don't want to be so heads-down in tech that I serve a narrow audience—only the users of my system—nor do I want to be so heads-down in management that I lose touch with my technical side. I think I can make this happen, though.

So, how can I go about doing that?

For social systems, there are all sorts of little things that I would like to build for myself or suggest to other people. I can learn good design through exposure and experience. I can write about features and systems I would like to see. I can even prototype them. I should spend some time learning how to make better user interfaces (a proper mouse may help!) and prototyping things on Rails or some other quick platform. Easy enough for me to get into.

For outsourcing, there might be a good opportunity to help set up a relationship between Direct Leap and either QSR or Exist. I know a few people who want to help me learn how to do this. I'm all for it!

My master's degree can help me with both. My research is related to the former, and my coursework is related to the latter.

Hmm. Sounds like a good plan. I've got other plans, just in case, but these are the two best plans at the moment.

On Technorati: purpose, reflection, career, business, outsourcing

!!

They are *uber*cool. Another thing I really, really, really, really like. Whenever I need to set up a blog for someone else, the very first thing I do is download the latest version of Wordpress, unpack it, and set it up. I like it a lot.

So here's what's going to happen. I am going to make the logos for Orange & Bronze and Wordpress.org as large as I can. I don't mind potentially wasting space. It'll be a *fantastic* story.

I'll blog more from BarCamp tomorrow, and I'll post my D*I*Y tutorial on Sunday. =) Or today, if I feel particularly diligent...

Anyway. Wordpress.org. They are totally, totally cool.

On Technorati: advertising, marketing, crazy, idea, barcampearthtoronto, barcamp, laptop, geek, business, entrepreneurship

Mmkay. I took that wild idea of selling advertising space on my laptop and ran with it. The page is up, I've taken new photos, and I'm waiting for AdSense to get approved. Please digg and del.icio.us and forward my advertising page! <laugh>

No, I don't expect to raise a million dollars through this, although that would certainly help me not worry about funding graduate school and even move out of the shared double room I currently live in. ;)

I've built it. Will anyone bite? If not, hey, I've got a bunch of laptop signs I've been meaning to make...

I expect to get a good story or two out of it, though. Simon thinks it's probably more trouble than it's worth. <laugh> Perhaps for him it would be—he's already used to earning money. *I* think that whether or not I'll actually be able to buy myself a cup of hot chocolate from the proceeds, it'll still be totally worth it for the experience.

If nothing else, it was great just forcing myself to learn how to set up a totally small-time e-commerce thing. =) I want to get better and better at chasing wild ideas and getting them off the ground quickly, like the way situational apps seize the moment. This will probably help me out a lot in the long run!

I have a feeling that there are the seeds of a semi-business in here somewhere. I don't mind letting the idea go so that other people can take advantage of it. Have fun and make cool things happen!

On Technorati: business, entrepreneurship, advertising, marketing

Props to Gabriel Mansour for helping me work things out!

See also my previous blog entries:

• Networking for Geeks: Advertise with your laptop!
• Whoa, onto something cool here: advertising on the back of my laptop

Other people's blog entries:

• http://www.stoweboyd.com/message/2006/08/sacha_chua_does.html
• http://racoma.com.ph/archives/problogger-idea-renting-ad-space-on-laptop-lids/
• http://www.blaptops.com/articles/advertising-on-laptop-lids/

Reserve ad space now!

On Technorati: advertising, marketing, crazy, idea, barcampearthtoronto, barcamp, laptop, geek, business, entrepreneurship

Want to grab the eyeballs of every geek at BarCampEarthToronto and the other tech events I go to? Advertise on the back of my laptop. Even better: tell me enough about your stuff so that I can enthusiastically talk about it.

I'm an evangelist. Give me something cool to talk about.

The back of an 8.9" laptop screen *really* doesn't seem like much space to advertise on, but *everyone* looks, believe me. It's the irresistable combination of cute geek girl _and_ insanely tiny laptop.

And it happens *every* *single* *time.* It helps that I have small hands. Most people just can't deal with something that small. Sure, black Macbooks are trendy, but they're not as rare as a *teensy* little laptop that a geek girl is happily typing away on. (In Emacs, no less.)

Amber MacArthur (TechTV) called attention to the sticker I had on my laptop ("The geek shall inherit the earth") and the pins I have on my backpack ("No, you can't just explain it in the manual" - Human Factors International). Random strangers cross the street to compliment me on my outfit, ask about the stickers on my skateboard, or wonder out loud if that's a *real* computer I'm typing away on. (Yes, as I walk.) And that happens both in geek-heavy get-togethers and while just walking in cosmopolitan, blase downtown Toronto.

I can't help it. I get attention. I might as well make use of it.

More to the point: _you_ might as well make use of it.

So here's what's going to happen:

• TONIGHT: I'll decide on a pricing scheme. E-mail me or leave a comment if you want to hear about it as soon as I've come up with it (probably later tonight).
• TONIGHT: I'll set up a static page, blog about it, and tell people.
• WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY: I'll accept orders.
• THURSDAY: I'll figure out exactly how to mount it. Don't worry, I have several plans.
• FRIDAY: I'll select and confirm orders, and print out and mount the final thing on Friday afternoon.

My skateboard's also open for advertising.

E-mail me at sacha@sachachua.com or leave a comment using the form below to find out about the next step as soon as possible.

On Technorati: advertising, marketing, crazy, idea, barcampearthtoronto, barcamp, laptop, geek, business, entrepreneurship

See also my previous blog entry:

Networking for Geeks: Advertise with your laptop!

Other people's blog entries:

• http://www.stoweboyd.com/message/2006/08/sacha_chua_does.html
• http://racoma.com.ph/archives/problogger-idea-renting-ad-space-on-laptop-lids/
• http://www.blaptops.com/articles/advertising-on-laptop-lids/

(leave me a comment to get linked!)

I'm definitely planning to go for Spring 2007 MBA electives. There's:

I'm particularly excited about the social capital and outsourcing courses. =)

The application deadline for the Spring Term is November 15. I can so make that. I'll see if I can take Strategic Management this term so that I can take the 299* level courses next term. I think I'll spend Tuesday downtown so that I can sort this out, instead of waiting until Thursday.

On Technorati: rotman, business, school, utoronto, entrepreneurship

In other news, yet another random stranger walked up to me yesterday and complimented me on the malong that I wore. And to think that I was just wearing it as a skirt...

Also, I'm planning to go to Little India and get myself one of their traditional outfits to see what that feels like.

I'm interested in traditional outfits from all cultures, not just the Philippines, although I must admit that I take a certain joy in telling people that my terno's from home... =)

On Technorati: fashion, culture, opportunity, business, clothing

So Des can offer exclusive access to content on private categories via his blog, with a full User/Group permission model which allows him to not only provide access to restricted categories but to provide authorship privileges to any user or group. If you're interested in reading more about this powerful security model, check out some of our help pages:

• Multiple Authors
• Using Categories
• Giving Individual Readers Access to Restricted Categories
• Change the "Restricted" Status of Categories
• Add and Delete Trusted Posters
• Add and Delete Trusted Readers
• Add and Delete Users With Custom Permissions
• Manage Permissions and Security for Groups

On Technorati: blogging, business

Random Japanese sentence: トラは猫より大きくて強い。 A tiger is bigger and stronger than a cat.

Here's another victory we can be proud of. Tell your friends about it. A team of Filipino MIT students headed by Illac Diaz won the Grand Prize for the US$ 100K MIT Entrepreneurship Competition's development track for their business, CentroMigrante, Inc. Read on.

Their project, focused on a business model for social entrepreneurship in the Philippines, beat out several other amazing ideas. Impoverished people in developing countries leave their rural hometowns and flock to urban areas to seek employment but are usually unable to afford decent lodging while searching and waiting for jobs. In the Philippines, as many as 1 million Filipinos a year spend up to 3 months away from their home provinces and in Manila's port areas looking for jobs as seafarers, most of them living in shanties under depressed and undignified living conditions. CentroMigrante Inc. combines developmental architecture with a self-help business model to offer a sustainable solution that provides clean, safe and affordable urban housing for such indigent, transient job seekers.

The MIT $50K Entrepreneurship Competition is designed to encourage students and researchers in the MIT community to act on their talent, ideas and energy to produce tomorrow's leading firms. Now in its 16th year, the Competition has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and business startup services to outstanding teams of student entrepreneurs who submitted business plans for new ventures showing significant business potential. The refinement process of the Competition, its network of mentors, investors and potential partners, and the cash prizes awarded have helped many of these teams to act on their dreams and build their own companies and fortunes.

The MIT Entrepreneurship Competition provides teams who enter with valuable resources in the following areas crucial to successful entrepreneurship:

• Networks of world-class entrepreneurs, investors, and potential partners
• Mentorship by successful and seasoned professionals
• Content rich feedback on their business model from world class entrepreneurs, investors, and professional service providers on our Judging [panel?]
• Teambuilding opportunities to create a winning team of founders
• Broad media exposure and PR buzz

See attached photo or at:

http://mit100k.net

Way cool!

E-Mail from Harvey V. Chua

On Technorati: philippines, entrepreneurship, business

Random Japanese sentence: 休暇中、近所の人がうちの猫の世話をしてくれた。 While we were on holiday, a neighbor took care of our cat.

コンピュータはよく人の頭脳にたとえられる。 The computer is often compared to the human brain.

On Technorati: business

During a debriefing, participants should be nameless and rankless.

Patrick G. of http://www.zill.net replied to my post on keeping in touch with people with this excellent tip:

re: your post on keeping track of people and their interests - did you ever hear of the "Mackay 66" ? A guy here in the US wrote a book about selling, and he requires his saleman to keep a "66" on each customer - 66 things you should know about them. See http://www.mackay.com/howhelp/Mac66.html - at least 1 thru 57 is useful for friends too.

I wonder what other lists are out there...

彼はコンピュータに詳しい。 He is familiar with computer.

On Technorati: business

Maoi Arroyo was initially worried that people would be too afraid of public speaking to volunteer for the pitch contest, but there were plenty of people willing to give it a shot. I won second place with a pitch about "Get Mad", my anger management business idea. A number of people approached me after the seminar to tell me I made a good pitch and the idea's really interesting. =)

Still, that's not the only kind of pitch I need to be able to make. know I can sell _ideas._ I want to learn how to recognize good opportunities and figure out what I need to take advantage of them; that way, I can help other people create and match opportunities.

Joey Gurango had an excellent point. If I'm going to pitch to venture capitalists, I need to be able to think from the investor's point of view. I need to be able to tell people how much I need and why I need it, what kind of profit people can look forward to, what their exit strategy is...

Mmm. More things to learn.

On Technorati: business

This is #5 of a series of free workshops.

TOPICS:

1. Writing an abbreviated business plan
2. Market validation
3. Proposed solution(product/service)
4. Team Bios
5. Financial Projections
6. Communication skills
7. Mastering the elevator pitch
8. Quick dry run with volunteers

WHEN AND WHERE:
Ateneo De Manila University.
Visit this site: http://followtheprocess.blogspot.com for the actual venue in Ateneo.
8am-12noon

SPEAKERS:
Resource Speaker: Joey Gurango, Webworks OS

PLEASE FORWARD TO ANYONE WHO MAY BE INTERESTED. THANKS.

Visit this site: http://followtheprocess.blogspot.com for the actual venue in Ateneo.

E-Mail from Harvey Chua

その猫は私のそばで寝るのが好きだ。 The cat likes to sleep beside me.

On Technorati: business

Hi Sacha,

Many of us, like me, have a lot to learn about financial literacy. I'm reading up on financial literacy through Francisco Colayco's book (Pera mo Palaguin mo) and Larry Gamboa's book (Think Rich, Pinoy!). Good read, very applicable to us Filipinos.

Gabby and I had a little discussion in January. Take a look: Cashflow! - Edutainment in a box

Yeah, I heard about Cashflow! I'd like to play it. Anyone have one of those and a free afternoon? We could also have a Monopoly party. I was never very good at Monopoly (and in fact usually found games a drag), but that doesn't mean I can't learn to be good at it. =D

E-Mail from Richi's server

猫は夕食に魚にありつくとわくわくする。 My cat is thrilled with joy when she gets fish for dinner.

On Technorati: business, finance

I would like to defer my U of T admission a few months—a sem at most—and try out the startup. Having my cake and eating it too. I'm excited about the opportunities. I want to learn about the business side of things. I want to see a startup try to get all the way to shipping a product. I'm looking forward to picking their brains. Lawrence and Luis have worked on other startups before, and they've been quite successful. I want to learn why. I also want to put together a little investment kitty I can use for myself in the future. I think the business experience will enrich my research work and make me even more valuable to the department.

I was going to post a long entry thinking through some other factors, but posting it as I had originally written it would be doing a grave disservice to my mother. Initially I was frustrated by her lack of enthusiasm and her skepticism (although not straight disapproval). Silly me, of course! Not only is my mom a very savvy business person who's just reminding me to do due diligence (and indeed I will e-mail the former companies of the guys heading the startup), but she's also my mom, and although she's not entirely keen on the idea of my being away, she knows it's a selfish feeling and won't let that stop me from going.

Conclusion: I have an ubercool mom who is handling all of these things far, far better than other moms can be expected to.

I really, really love her.

So I'll check this thing out. If the guys pass whatever tests I can think of _and_ the UToronto people say OK, then I'll sign up with them for a stint. If not, I'll head over to Canada so that I can get started right away and come home soon.

I lurv my mom.

１匹の猫を別とすれば家は空っぽだった。 The house was empty except for a cat.

On Technorati: mom, business, gradschool