6th National Scale Model Competition

Here some pics on 6th National Scale Model Competition held at SM Megamall. How I wish I own one of these.

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Our generation

This morning a received a forwarded message from a friend and itreminds me of the good all days.

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Hey Guys!

Remember the good ol' days!
Read on...this is really a great reading!
I was born on this era!
TO ALL FOLKS WHO WERE BORN IN THE1950's, 60' s, 70's and early 80's !!

First, some of us survived being born to mothers who did not have an OB-Gyne and drank San Miguel Beer or tuba while they carried us.

While pregnant, they took cold or cough medicines, ka-on og Linunod, balikutsa, bukhayo and didn't worry about diabetes.

Then after all that trauma, our baby cribs were made of hard wood covered with lead-based paints, ang uban kay duyan nga habol gihigtan ug pisi nga inigtabyog ug kusog ma pakong intawon ta sa bongbong.

We had no soft cushy cribs that play music, no disposable diapers (lampin lang sa General Milling nga naa'y faded picture nga nag-salute), and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, no kneepads, wala pa gyu'y brake ang bisikleta.

As children, we would ride in hot un-air-conditioned buses with wooden seats (Bisaya Bus nga pultahan puros ang kilid, Corominas Bus nga senimana ang brake), or cars with no air-conditioning & no seat belts (karon kay Minibus na nga nindot kaayo ug sounds or Ceres Bus nga bugnaw ug aircon)

Riding on the back of a carabao on a breezy summer day was considered a treat. (karon; ang mga bata wala na kaila ug Kabaw)

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT bottled mineral water sa Nature Spring or Viva, or Absolute Mineral water (usahay gani, straight from the faucet or poso or Tabay!)

We shared one soft drink bottle with four of our friends, and NO ONE actually died from this. Or contracted hepatitis.

We ate rice with star margarine, bahaw nga gibutangan ug asin ug mantika sa baboy, drank raw eggs straight from the shell, and drank softdrinks with real sugar in it (dili diet coke or Pepsi Max), but we weren't sick or overweight kay......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, and get back when the streetlights came on. Syatong, Bato-Lata, Bagol, Dakop-Dakop, Tago-Tago, Ngita'g Kaka.

No one was able to reach us all day ( wala pa'y uso ang cellphone) . And yes, we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our wooden trolleys (katong bearing ang ligid) or Karitong Kawayan nga karaang tsinilas ang giporma nga ligid and then ride down the street , wala ma'y gidungog nga naligsan atoh! After hitting the sidewalk or falling into a canal (sewage channel) a few times, we learned to solve the problem ourselves with our bare & dirty hands .

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 100 channels on cable, no DVD movies, no surround stereo, no IPOD's, no cellphones, no computers, no Internet, no chat rooms, and no Friendsters. ........ ...WE HAD REAL FRIENDS and we went outside to actually talk and play with them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no stupid lawsuits from these accidents.The only rubbing we get is from our friends with the words..sakit bai ? pero kung kontra gani nimo ang imong kadula,,,,singgitan lang dayon ug..Mayra,Gabaan!

We played marbles (jolen) in the dirt , washed our hands just a little and ate Pan Bahug-bahug & Bagumbayan (recycled bread man diay to kay wala mahalin!) We were not afraid of getting germs in our stomachs.

We had to live with homemade guns (giporma nga kahoy, gihigtan ug garter ug lastiko) , saplong , tirador ug uban pa nga pwedeng magkasakitay. Pero lingaw gihapon kaayo ang tanan.

We made up games with sticks ( syatong ), and cans ( Bato-Lata )and although we were told they were dangerous, wala man gyud to'y actual nga nabuta bah, bukol lang nuon sa agtang naa.

We walked, rode bikes, or took tricycles to a friend's house and knocked on the door or batoon ug gagmay nga bato ang bungbong, or just yelled for them to jump out the window!

Mini basketball teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't pass had to learn to deal with the disappointment. Wala pa nang mga childhood depression ug damaged self esteem ek-ek ra na. Ang maglagot, pildi.

Ang mga Ginikanan naa ra sa daplin para motan-aw ra sa duwa sa mga bata, dili para manghilabot ug makig-away sa ubang parents.

That generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, creative thinkers and successful professionals ever! They are the CEO's, Engineers, Doctors and Military Generals of today.

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had failure, success, and responsibility. We learned from our mistakes the hard way.

You might want to share this with others who've had the luck to grow up as real kids. We were lucky indeed.

And if you like, forward it to your kids too, so they will know how brave their parents were.

It kind of makes you wanna go out and climb a tree, doesn't it?!

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Bohol getaway

I was invited for a whole day tour in bohol last summer 2006. I have been longing to visit the place since I was child. Bohol is a few hours boat ride away cebu city. The itinerary includes the famous chocolate hills, the Loboc River, a visit to the oldest church in the philippines, panglao island and of course a visit to bohol will not be complete if you don't visit the site for the philippine tasier.

Here are some pics

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Mt. Samat, Pilar, Bataan

Last 2006, I was sent to attend the an series of oracle trainings in Manila for three weeks, that means that I am free on weekends. I was invited by my cousin to visit Mt. Samat,Pilar Bataan.

I was really excited , I only read about this place in our history books. Oh, I almost forgot, we are going there by motorcyle. It was almost 5 hours drive from mandaluyong to bataan. On the way up to the mountain, the road was crooked but nicely paved. When we reach the top, I was really amazed with the structure. One suprising thing is that you can go up by an elevator and you can see the nice view around the mountain.


Another thing, around the site the have also some display of some weapons or guns used during the war. There was a little museum of some guns, maps and other things used in the war.

We only stayed there for almost two hours since we need to go back to metro manila. It was really an unforgettable weekend. Overall the place was worth to visit, hopefully, one of these days can visit the place again.

Some old guns	Japanese Pack
A wall about the Battle of Bataan

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Pinoy Fear Factor - Argentina South America

It's been a while since ABS-CBN started airing teasers of their new reality tv show, Pinoy Fear Factor(PFF), Argentina, South America. This is another franchise from Endemol's Fear Factor. Actually I was thinking of auditioning for that show.. AHHAHAH

Last night I caught a glimpse of what PFF is. Most of the participants are good looking and hot(wondered how the passed the audition). Got some glimpse of familiar faces. I noticed that in every ABS-CBN reality tv show, they used it as a way to introduce someone in the showbiz world. Look at Sam Milby, he was a housemate of PBB(Pinoy Big Brother), Gerald Anderson, Kim Chu and other new showbiz personalities.

One thing, is that I am really annoyed is that, why they need to add some foreign language to the show. What I mean like "participantes" for participants, the game name and even the place they are staying. It's very annoying. Hey it's a pinoy show, why not make it straight forward. Is it just to show that it is made outside of the country. Aside from that, I am really looking forward for the stunts.

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SPA Batch 2000 Reunion

One of the things I am looking forward this December is our high school reunion. That would be on Sunday, December 28, 2008, at Batong Malunhaw, Madridejos, Alegria, Cebu.

The venue is actually a new resort in our town. Hopefully can take some pictures and post it here.

To all my batch mates, you are invited to attend the reunion. Please contact, eden, cheryln, clarinda or ronna for the details.

Looking forward to meet you guys there!

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Kawasan Falls

Here I am again, reporting at the office, doing nothing. I am excited of going home this December. One place which I will surely visit is Kawasan Falls.


How to get there.

Kawasan falls can be found in Matutinao, Badian Cebu,if you wonder where in cebu is Matutinao, Badian, it is in the southwestern part of cebu. The easiest way to get there, is by bus in Cebu South Bus Terminal. Look for a bus with Bato via Barili route. It's about 3 hours ride from the city, so don't forget to bring your ipod/mp3 player, portable dvd and of course your camera. On the way you will see lot's of beautiful views. I have heard that CERES and Rough Riders bus is operating on that route. Just ask the bus driver or any other bus staff to drop you at Matutinao, Badian. From Matutinao, you need to walk for about 15-30 minutes depending on your pace. Don't worry you will not notice that you are walking that long, since you will surely enjoy the way up to the falls. The path is narrow and rocky but it's worth it. On the way up, you will pass through several foot bridges, a small hydro electric power plant and lot's of other interesting views.


Note Kawasan has not 1 but 3 falls. You will reach the 1st Falls, then the 2nd falls and the 3rd falls. The first falls is usually crowded, since it is the nearest, the lake around the fall's is bit deep(though not sure how deep it is), for safety purposes wear a life jacket(usually available for rent). I usually go to the second falls, which is I think 5-10 minutes walk, up from the first falls, then the 3rd falls which is the source. My favorite is the 3rd falls. The place is very nice,it is not the usual place you can see everywhere, here you can see the water coming out from the ground. It's very clear and you can even drink the water, the locals get there water supply there.

You can bring your own food or you can buy from the local resto. There are cottages and tables for rent. If you want little adventure you can jump off from the falls or you can rent a bamboo raft and have a waterfall massage.

I'll add some pictures later, after work. since the usb drive here is disabled.

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Writing blogs!

whew! I was amazed by myself that I am now blogging. Maybe it's just because of my boredom.

I never imagined that blogging was this fun, I thought it was just a waste of time. But look, this would be my fourth blog entry for today. I have been thinking of starting of my own tech blog for a long time, but this is a start. I want to blog about cebu, my hometown alegria, places I have visited and want to visit and other things that pops-up in my mind...

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My New Laptop

Last August I just got my first ever laptop. It's an HP DV2700 family. I was very excited to test and brag it to my friends..


Specs

Processor : Intel Core 2 Dou T9300 2.5GHz
Memory : 4GB DDR2 System Memory
Graphics Card : 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS
Hard disk drive : 250 GB
Hard disk controller : SATA Hard Disk Drive
Hard disk drive speed: 5400 rpm
Optical drive: Lightscribe Super Multi DVD Writer (+/-R +/-RW) with Double Layer support
Control panel: HP QuickPlay media player software and its dedicated menu controls, music and DVD buttons
Ergonomic features : Integrated finger print reader
Webcam: HP Pavilion WebCam with Integrated Microphone
Remote control : HP Mobile Remote Control
Internal audio: 3D Sound Blaster Pro compatible sound 16 bit integrated
Speakers and microphone:Altec Lansing® speakers
Keyboard : 101 key compatible keyboard
Pointing device : Touch Pad with On/Off button and dedicated vertical Scroll Up/Down pad, volume control, mute buttons, 2 Quick Launch Buttons
Weight: 2.50 kg (5.59 lbs)
Dimensions (W x D x H): 23.70 cm (L) x 33.40 cm (W) x 2.60 cm (min) H / 3.90 cm (max) H


It was bundled with Windows Vista Home Premium Edition. There are lot of improvements in Vista compared to XP. I was quite surprised that it's ok except for some minor problems. This includes compatibities with some old software but I solve it by downloading newer versions of those softwares. For my antivirus, I am using Norton 360.

One thing about vista is that it uses a big chunk of your memory. By initial boot-up almost 800MB of my laptops memory is used, but I did not need to worry since I have a 4 GB of memory. Another is the Aero feature of Vista which is cool. Lot's of eyecandy improvements.

I encountered some few problems with video codecs but solve it by just downloading a newer version of the codec. Vista also has a problems log encountered in your pc and automatically tries to find out any solutions, which is quite helpful than searching solutions with yourself.

Overall I was really happy with my laptop.
And btw, I am using Windows Vista Home Premium 32 bit, so I am not fully utilizing my 4GB memory, but only the 3GB of it.

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SCJP1.5 Review

I have been preparing for my SCJP 1.5 certification for a few months. It just that I can't find time for it. I think I just need some motivation.



While searching the web for some SJCP 1.5 review materials, I stumbled on http://www.javaranch.com
which has really helpful. It has a forums where you can ask for some advice and experiences of other netizens in preparing themselves for the certification. What I really like on the javaranch is the round-up game. It is somewhat an exam simulator. The goal of the game is to herd all the cows into the pen by answering the questions correctly. Each time you answer correctly, a cow moves into the pen. Which at least makes the review a little interactive.


Wish me luck. Hopefully I can take the exam by January 2009.

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Java Time

Dringking coffee is now my regular habit. Before working on anywthing, I must make sure I have some coffee. It somehow completes, relaxes or charge me for the day.

Today, before I go to the office, I passed by starbucks eastwood to buy some brewed coffee. I had my starbucks promo card stamped. Hopefully can complete this one and avail my very first Starbucks Planner.

Here are some things that I have stumbled on the web about coffee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee

http://www.healthcastle.com/coffee.shtml

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Customzing my Blog.

It's been a long time since I have created my blog. As you can see, there are only few entries in this blog. I am not really fan of writing. But today, I have nothing else to do. So I customize my blog, added some widgets like Fat Loss Tip of the Day,Useless Knowledge.

Why Fat Loss Tip of the Day widget, I have been trying to loss some fat, and it seems very hard to. Hopefully I can gain some useful tips with this one. Useless Knowledge seems cool, just want to add it. hehehe

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December Christmas Vacation

It's December again. Finally, I can now go home to Cebu. I have my leave ready and I have booked a round trip to ticket from manila to cebu via Cebu Pacific for only Php 3,218.88.

Was supposed to booked on first week of December but I realized, I can avail a cheaper fare if I booked early. I was surprised that during the online booking you can also reserve your preferred seat, for Standard seats are sold at PhP100 per seat per sector while premium seats (those on the front row and exit row) are sold at PhP200. There are changes in limit of free check-in baggage, before you are allowed up to 20 kilos but now they have the limit of 15 kilos. But if you plan to have an extra baggage, you can now pay it in advance. One new thing about Cebu Pacific is that they are now offering GO Lite Fares, that is applicable if don't bring any check-in baggage. For more info on Go Lite Fares, visit the Cebu Pacific website.
http://www.cebupacificair.com/products/golite/golite2faqpage.html

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Office at last

At last, I am now reporting at 77GSI office. I am with 77GSI since June 18, 2008. On my first day, I was deployed immediately to the client. I didn't even have the opportunity to be in the office for a whole day. Since then I just visit to process some papers, claim payslips and other things.

Last October 31, 2008, I was advised by our PM that the PO is not yet ready. To make the story short, I was told to report at 77GSI. At long last, I can now be at the office. I have been waiting for quite some time for this.

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