Documenting Success

How to lose weight: on losing 40 lbs in 4 months 17 comments
Published on July 22nd, 2007

This essay is NOT about me attempting to convince you, the reader, that you should follow in my footsteps. I don’t want to engage in any arguments on how to eat right and proper exercise regime. Instead, this is merely a recap of my own experience. I AM NOT A DOCTOR, nor am I a nutritionist.

Back in December 2006, I published an article on this site, where I listed my New Years resolutions, one of them being getting my weight down to 175 lbs by the end of the year. At that time, my weight was 213 lbs. I started losing weight in February, and reached my goal in June. I plateaued for a while, but now my weight is down to 173.

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Why I haven’t posted in a while (again) No comments yet
Published on June 16th, 2007

Sometimes when you think you got it all figured out, you know exactly what course your life is going to lead over the next few weeks (or more), God reminds you that it’s really Him that’s in charge, and something completely unexpected happens.

I guess that’s what happened to me over the last few weeks. Just as I finished working on the initial version of octop.us, and figured that from then on, I’d spend my free time working on that, I was faced with an opportunity that I simply could not pass up.

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Community tips from a person behind MetaFilter No comments yet
Published on May 24th, 2007

I’ve been looking for articles and blog posts with helpful tips on how to build a community, for my fledgling site Octop.us and I’ve stumbled onto this great article by Matt Haughey, a man behind MetaFilter.com.

In the article “Some Community tips for 2007″ Matt shares some of the things that helped him turn MetaFilter into what it is now. I gotta say, some of those gave me some pretty interesting ideas for what to do with my website, and I can’t wait to start implementing them. Here’s my favorite one:

If I had to give a reason why most newspaper blogs are filled with cranky screeds posted anonymously, I’d have to say having a generic blank comment form is key. Most every community that I contribute to offers a comprehensive user profile/history page, letting members customize to their hearts content and allow their profile to reflect their personality. When I think of mainstream news, TV, and newspaper sites trying to solicit comments from readers, I’ve yet to find something close to even a basic community site. The New York Times requires me to register to read most stories, but their blog system gives me a blank generic comment form when I want to comment on a blog post.

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Introducing … Octop.us! 2 comments
Published on May 20th, 2007

It feels really weird.

After so many nights spent creating this, it’s almost unreal that I’ve finally reached a point where the site is online, fully functioning, and I’m writing these words on my blog, finally ready to unleash my creation at the unsuspecting world

It wasn’t too long ago that I thought I would never be done with it. Time and again, just as I thought – this is it, I got all the annoying little bugs that prevent me from going live, I would discover something else that was so small and annoying, yet unacceptable to be in the final version.

But I did it. I finally did it!!! The site is live and ready to go and I’m just so damn happy!

The site was born out of a conversation I had with a friend of mine about restaurants. He mentioned that if you don’t have a clue about any of the wines on the list, getting SECOND cheapest one is a bad idea. Restaurant people know our psychology – we avoid the cheapest stuff because well, no one wants to look cheap – and don’t want to go for too expensive if we don’t know what it is. So more often that not, we go for the second cheapest one. Restaurants know this, and that’s why they put their crappiest stuff in that spot.

After hearing that, I thought to myself.. “Wow, that was pretty neat! I wonder if there’s a site that has all that useful little tips about pretty much anything in life…” I didn’t find such a site because it didn’t exist, and the rest, as they say, is history.

I don’t want to spend much longer talking … So without further ado, may I present to you – a site whose slogan is “Tips on ANYTHING” – here it is:

Getting very close … 3 comments
Published on February 12th, 2007

My silence over the past few days can be explained by the fact that I’m getting very close to launching of my startup .. which is the first time I’m mentioninig it on this website, and it will be the last time until it’s actually released.

I don’t like talking about something I can’t show, so I’ve been very quiet about it so far. But after so many months of hard work, it’s so damn near that I can feel it… it makes me giddy like a little school boy The downside of that is I’ve been working extra hard to make it happen. But fear not, my faithful blog readers (yes, both of you), I’m not abandoing this baby of mine and will continue posting at my usual rate – as soon as it’s done

I feel like this year is finally it – everything is coming together for me, more and more pieces of the puzzle fit into place. I can’t wait

How to always be on time No comments yet
Published on February 1st, 2007

“Ian’s Messy Desk” blog has an excellent article with tips on how to always be on time, wherever you’re going. I know whenever I’m late, I always feel guilty, so this should be pretty helpful.

Some of these are easier said than done though:

If construction is scheduled on the interstate, take an alternate route. Avoid rush hour. Read your local papers and listen to local radio stations so you’re prepared.

But most are really great, like this one:

If the phone rings right as you’re leaving your home or office, let your answering machine screen the call. Unless it’s someone calling about the particular destination you’re about to leave for, then that message can probably wait until later on. It will still be waiting for you on your answering machine when you return. Believe me, if you pick up that phone, you’re going to be late!

For the full article, go here

Why you should NOT work for yourself (right away) 11 comments
Published on January 24th, 2007

What should I do with my life? That is the question almost all of us wondered at some point. Even if you knew from the beginning that your destiny lies in the field of, say, financial accounting, one question still remains relevant – should you go out and get a job working for “the man” or start your own business?

Traditionally, the self-help industry’s standard advice has been to do your own thing. Books like “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” go into great detail as to why it is preferred to work for yourself. The personal development blogosphere has been echoing the same advice. And in fact, I wholeheartedly agree that there is no better way to achieve success and financial independence than to be your own boss.

However, I don’t think that people should be blindly accepting what authority dictates. Starting a business might have worked for the author, but it may not be the prescription for you. I think the smarter thing would be to consider the benefits and drawbacks of both, and then decide for yourself.

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How to use To-do lists effectively 3 comments
Published on January 22nd, 2007

A to-do list is your greatest tool in organizing your workflow and life. I can certainly attest to that myself – having first started using them a few years ago, my productivity level shot up through the roof. Nonetheless, a poorly kept to-do list can become your productivity’s biggest nemesis. In this article, I’m going to present some of the tips I developed on how to keep the to-do list your friend.

Do not split your list into categories

If you split your list into various categories, eventually you’ll notice that you tend to favor some areas over the others. For example, my “Things to-do around the house” category often got neglected to my fiancée’s dismay [Editor’s note: it still gets neglected.] Eventually I switched to having just two lists – “to-do now” and “to-do sometime”.

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How to search for a job after college – Part IV: Money negotiations 1 comment
Published on January 17th, 2007

(This is Part IV – the last one of the series. Here are Part I, Part II and Part III)

Once you get past the interview stage, the hard part is over. If the company starts talking to you about money, you can high-five or pat yourself on the back. They just gave you a sign that they could be (not necessarily are) interested in hiring you. All you have to do now is maintain a good impression that you left at the interview, agree on the money, and hopefully see what you’ve been waiting for – the offer letter. Here are some tips on making it happen.

Money negotiations

If a company decided to hire you, there are two ways in which your salary can be determined. One way is that the salary for the position is fixed. Usually, that’s true for big bureaucratic organizations such as US Government. In that case, there’s not much room for negotiations. The other case is when the salary for your position is flexible (as long as it is within the department’s budget.) That is where you’ll have the most freedom to negotiate your salary.

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How to search for a job after college – Part III: Interview 2 comments
Published on January 17th, 2007

(This is Part III of the series. Here are Part I, Part II and Part IV)

While you’re talking to friends about job openings in their companies, and sending out resumes, you should keep in mind why you’re doing this. And even though your ultimate goal, of course, is to find a job, everything that I’ve described up to this point has been dedicated to one intermediate goal: getting an interview.

When does the interview begin?

Most people have a wrong impression of when the interview starts. They think that it begins with the question “So, tell me about yourself” at a formal sit-down with the hiring manager. In reality, your interview began a lot earlier, when the company contacted you – either by phone or email – regarding your resume. Everything you do from that point on will determine your hiring chances.

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