A little over a year ago, I posted that I was thinking about certification on Omega Vortex’s Development Blog. The blog itself is gone now, but you can find an archive of that entry here.

With 2006 drawing to a close, I think I’m going to start 2007 with a nice upgrade to my current (PHP 4) Certification. Now that I’ve migrated completely to PHP 5 Development and feel much more comfortable in all the topics covered on the exam, it’s about time I go ahead and get the Certification under my belt, I think. I’ve already purchased the voucher, the study guide is on its way, and I’ve also got a voucher for the practice exam that I intend to use before I go in to take the actual exam.

Luckily, the closest test center to where I live now is only twelve minutes away, instead of the 1+ hour(s) of driving I had to do to take the previous exam, back in February.

Well, here’s hoping I pass. I’m feeling … rather confident.

As the year is starting to come to a close, I’ve been pondering more and more about making a handful of New Year’s Resolutions … There are a couple things especially that I’ll be making a commitment to do. I’ll put up the list here, on January 1st.

Found this on InvisionFree’s Support Forum:

(more…)

… which … are completely irrelevant.

In an hour and a half eight minutes, I’ll be departing for the airport to go through all the processes necessary to board a plane to Alabama to spend today through January 2nd back home with my family. Luckily, with the blizzard and such that came through and all of the other conditions involved, our flight is apparently not receiving any kind of huge delay. After the amount of money that we spent on the tickets, I was starting to get a little moody, because I wasn’t able to get in touch with the airport to verify the flight times until sometime around 2 AM.

Last month, I posted an entry that mentioned how I’ve never been a spiritual or religious person and how that’s slowly been changing. I’ve been drafting an entry as a follow-up to that for a good while now, and it’s just about finished. I’ve been keeping it on the back burner, because this is something I’d like to sit down and talk with my mother about first, rather than her have the opportunity to read / hear about through my blog, so expect that to show up sometime after Christmas. But, as a hint, Christmas Eve will be my first (voluntary) return to Church in quite some time.

Ten days ago, I posted a Daily Thought related to Success. As a follow-up to that, I’d like to say that, as of right now, I’m measuring success in happiness. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a time in my life where I was happier than I am, right now. I’m sure most of you could easily guess why, too.

Last night was the Company Christmas Party, and after a bit of a run-around to try and figure out how we were getting there, we finally got things settled. My car is still buried in the snow, so that along with the fact that 1. we have no shovel or ice scraper; and 2. being from Alabama, I have no experience driving in these conditions, I thought it would be best for our general safety if we rode with someone to the party. Quick apology to Sean: I know you were looking forward to coming with us, but if it wasn’t for the blizzard, I would’ve come and picked you up myself. We ended up riding with John and got to the party a little late, as it is. Have to say that I had a good time, though.

I haven’t been to sleep, yet. Hopefully, I’ll get to sleep on the flight … If not, there’s a bed waiting for me in Alabama. I’ll just have to use it prior to playing around on the trumpet, instead of the other way around. I need to go splash some water on my face and freshen up a bit before we head out … Not to mention someone’s expecting a phone call, but I’d like to let her sleep as long as possible, since we’re having to leave two hours earlier than we originally planned.

Next entry will be from Alabama …

I’m sure, by now, everyone’s heard about the UCLA Tazing Incident (video includes obscenities and depicts brutal acts executed by UCPD Officers). After incidents like this one, I’ve seen quite an uproar around the Internet about “Police Brutality” and I’d like to be one of the first to take a stand in defense of these Officers. Not all, or even most, are like the ones depicted in the above video. I’m pretty certain that the majority of Police Officers are more like the ones in this video.

The acts of courage displayed by the officers in that video makes up for every fault ever made by any others. These officers had no unsure thoughts of their chance of success, and one by one they put their lives on the line for their fellow man. These are the men and women that deserve the respect and honor for the jobs that they took on. Especially the ones who have lost their lives, defending you and me.

I’m a Trillian user. Specifically, Trillian Pro. I really like v3 of Trillian, but from the looks of their development, v4 (Trillian Astra) is going to be a huge step forward.

Check out the sneak preview.

How do we measure success?

Should I measure success in the fact that I have an amazing and successful job? The fact that my job consists of something that I love to do? The fact that I’m making good money doing it?

Should I measure success in the fact that I have an amazing family that cares so much about me? The fact that my parents can’t wait until the 23rd, when I’ll be home? The fact that they’re so proud of me for becoming everything I wanted to be?

Should I measure success in the fact that I have grown and matured into the person I am today? The fact that I’ve overcome my old nature of having a grudge against the world? The fact that I’ve taken the teachings from being a Boy Scout and tried to apply them to my everyday life?

Should I measure success in the fact that I have been blessed with the talents and abilities that I have at such a young age? The fact that I was given such an amazing opportunity at only 19? The fact that I’ve learned and done so much before ever becoming an “adult”?

Should I measure success in the fact that I’ve acquired quite a large quantity over friends of the years? The fact that a lot of them, being from Alabama, have still made efforts to keep up with me all the way out in Colorado?

Should I measure success in the fact that an amazing girl has made her way into my life … and my heart? The fact that, even though she’s so far away, she’s still closer to me than anyone else in the world?

I’d say so. I’ve been very fortunate. Sometimes the simplest things can be an eye-opener to allow you to see things differently … more clearly. I’m … simply amazed.

It’s been brought to my attention that I may possibly have a stalker. Don’t believe me? Read for yourself.

That is … incredibly freaky.

I first heard about the James Kim story a few days ago. I’ve been following along with it, since I heard about it, and it’s proven to be quite a display of the will of the human spirit and the ability people have to care for one another. No one ever expects these things to happen, but what is it that gives us the will to push forward after such a tragedy occurs in our lives? For the Kim family, I’m sure it’s all of their friends and relatives offering their support during their time of need.

I’ve only lost one really good friend in the nineteen years I’ve been around. And she wasn’t as close to me as she was to another friend of mine, who was absolutely devastated by it. I’ve also never lost an immediately family member since I’ve been old enough to know what it means. When someone in my family dies, it’s going to hit me really hard, because I’ve never had to experience it before now.

What I think is the most sad about death and other tragedies is the fact that it takes something remarkable to get a lot of people to really show their good sides. There’s just not enough people in the world who are eternally loving just for the sake of being that way. Not enough people in the world who generally care about each and every person around them, regardless of what that person thinks of them, regardless of whether or not they know that person. I’m not exempt from this, in any way. I care about people a lot more now than I ever did before. It’s got a lot to do with the teachings offered by being a Boy Scout, and even more to do with being around influential people who really do care about people. I’ve learned a lot from these people, and I’ll continue to learn from them, in the years to come.

I’ve always considered myself to be a good judge of character and potential. And there’s a lot of people that I’ve stuck with or have stuck with me over the course of the years who’ve become some really remarkable people. Brice, I’m talking about you. Shawn, same goes to you. And others out there, you know who you are. I think this has a lot to do with how easily I fell in love with Ruzena … She’s got it all. A genuine love and care for people, a wonderful attitude towards life and everything else, a charming character that just screams happiness. And to top it all off, she’s just an amazing person to talk to, funny, and I can share some of my deepest thoughts and feelings that I just can’t share with anyone else. You can’t find that just lying around, and I think it’s funny how we just kind of bumped into each other. I wasn’t looking for anyone at the time. She’s nothing short of a blessing, and it’s been one of the best things that’s ever happened to me that she’s become such an important part of my life.

You just don’t find people like this everywhere. I’ll continue to strive to better myself … to get to the point I want to be at. It’s been a long road, and there’s still a ways to go. It’s going to be tough, I know. I’ll encounter a lot of hardships along the way, but knowing that I’ve got the support of my friends, family, and a certain beautiful lady, I know I can make it. Besides …

Giving up just isn’t an option.

Don’t give up. It may hurt now, but in the end you’ll be the happiest man alive.