Life, IT and Governance

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

2012-01-23T00:35:00.001+08:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai! (恭禧發財)

Welcome the Year of the Water Dragon!

My New Designation...

2012-01-09T06:53:00.001+08:00

Every change in administration warrants internal change. I just didn't expect this to happen a bit sooner. ;-) Maybe I guess I'm just this good that starting today I will be OIC for the Environmental Office of the City. You heard it right! My new title is City Environmental Officer. An IT guy in an environmental office, that's something you don't hear happen everyday. ;-)

As what the Secretary to the Mayor said during our talk while she was ready to hand me the memorandum for my new assignment (in the presence of the "Assistant" Human Resource Head) said that the Mayor has seen that I have the potential to jump start and organize the office since for almost three years from the inception of the ordinance the office is still in limbo and that the Mayor believes that I was the "right person to the position" and one who is strong enough of organizing it. No offense to the one currently in-charge of handling it, those were not my words. ;-)

Funny thing was, I think the City Administrator and the Secretary to the Mayor were not talking to each other since they have different statements released to me and to the public. (You be the judge of that). True, honesty and politics never go hand in hand. I would have appreciated it very much if they were in sync as not to embarrass nor offend anyone as they have tried so hard not to offend me. But of course, the point here is to insult not to offend but I can take that since they actually did a great job of not offending nor insulting me but insulting themselves by showing how lame they can make an excuse and how disorganized are their thoughts.

Anyway, since this is a new post and I have a new office to setup and a new assignment, that doesn't mean that I can not talk about IT here anymore. IT is a tool and an enabler. I guess there is so much things interconnected to IT as well as so many other things interrelated to environment.

Wish me luck! :-)

Information Security and Management

2011-11-05T20:11:00.001+08:00

Information security and information management is one very crucial thing nowadays. As the world gets more and more interconnected and information readily available, the need to secure and manage this information is growing.

Mobile devices are even making these even more challenging. Just a few days ago, a friend of mine lost a mobile device with it configured all information to mobile banking, social networking configuration and anything that has something to do with online.

How far would you tighten security or loosen it? Policies are very important then. Policies at all levels and how much information can be given freely or information to be secured is very important. The bigger challenge here is that more executives and middle managers think that it is solely the responsibility of Information Technology experts or worst the Information Technology Departments. Well think again.

Determining value and the importance of information can better be determined by data creators, owners and users. So, the next time you think about information security, it's not solely the responsibility of one department but rather it is an organizational responsibility to management and secure it.

IOS 5 is here

2011-10-13T05:59:00.001+08:00

Just heard that IOS 5 has been released. Update is now available. Updating my iPod touch and iPad. ;-)

A first taste of internet....

2011-10-10T10:30:00.003+08:00

Although Internet started in the 1950's and 60's, the first time it landed in the Philippines was in early of 1995 and two schools were the first recipients of internet. These were the University of San Carlos - Technological Center in Cebu City and University of the Philippines, in Diliman, Quezon City. The rest followed after that.

I was one of the more fortune ones to ever first try it out since I was a working scholar of the University of San Carlos assigned to the Computer Lab. It was not until when two years after I graduated when I had the taste of the first popular internet broswer which has a symbol above. Can anyone still remember this logo? :-)

Mortality...

2011-10-08T20:29:00.001+08:00

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They should somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs

Remembering the past... The Apple II

2011-10-07T09:20:00.000+08:00

I guess some of you still remembers this. ;-) Well I have used this sometime in my lifetime and believe me, I have written thousands of lines of codes for this machine using Apple Basic which was preloaded into the system. I use to write programs for this machine during my High School days. ;-)

Farewell Steve Jobs...

2011-10-06T10:51:00.001+08:00

Today the world mourns the passing of one of the greatest minds in the world. The person who inspired me during my younger years to become who I am. A symbol of innovation, perseverance and intellect. The man behind the company symbol, "the apple with a bite". My idol... Steve Jobs.

Since I was twelve, I already had an experience with the inventions he created, the Apple II computer. Working side by side with my personal TRS-80 computer and Texas Instrument TI/99A, I was able to compare these three and that time, the Apple Computer was already years ahead of the rest. And as I type this blog on the i-Pad 2 loaded with the Blogger+ software, I can't help but think how these things have touched my life and the life of others. We will miss you Steve and we will always remember you...

I dedicate this blog to you... Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011)

I'm back with my new Tab... Goodbye Galaxy...

2011-09-20T17:48:00.001+08:00

I'm Back Again...

New devices are making things easy. Today, I just finished configuring my new device. The apple of my eye so to speak in the IT world. ;-) I even bought a wireless keyboard for it. Ah...The convenience of being wireless. It's so amazing this tablet technology is but again it's never about the device. Rather, it's about how people use the device to maximize productivity and improve on performance. I am loving my new iPad. It's just simple awesome and very light and fast. ;-) But still love to play with the android though... ;-) But wait... IOS5 is coming mid-fall.... Will to wait it out... ;-)

The inconveniece of convenience

2011-07-14T11:12:00.006+08:00

There is always inconvenience when it comes to making things convenient for organization to take control of software applications/programs running in support to operations.

One example I can site are programmers. Programmers are like artist. But if you don't tame this artist and set your objectives straight, you get unwanted results and horror stories even beyond the artist's imagination. For year IT Managers and Business Owners has been trying to tame these artist and most if not always, managers, corporations, and business owners always get stuck with software applications which are either too complex, too difficult to modify or even at most impossible to work with.

Documentation is a one way of setting the pace and controlling them. By experience, this is has been proven effective. To make it even more effective, systems analyst does the documentation and set standards.

But in an organization I work for, there are other factors that affects systems development. Even changing political priorities can in one way or the other affect design and change the requirement overnight. Standards is also one very important element that should be introduced and strictly implemented. With that said, it makes this job interesting at the same time challenging. Cheers to my team!

Fuel Rationing. Is this the right solution?

2011-04-12T08:19:00.003+08:00

Early this morning fuel prices again have risen to new record highs. I'm taking the public transport to help ease in my own small way the inefficient way of consuming fuel by going to the office alone inside my car. I normally drive alone simply because like any other household people will always have have different destinations and work schedules. The Department of Energy is planning of issuing cards to ration fuel consumption at the same time monitor it to be able to better assess the current fuel consumption of the motoring public.

In my opinion I find this too short-termed. You can't just keep to rationing when there is a price surge or when there is a shortage. You can not just simply keep on collecting data. You have to find real solutions to real problems. As everybody knows fuel can be transformed into energy and this energy is what sustains economic security and social stability. National governments should find specific and attainable solutions to this fuel crises that is being felt everywhere. Alternative fuel sources are abundant it is just that we can not keep a blind eye to this. We need to tap these sources. We need to revamp laws that oppose to the development and usage of these.

We need to create an infrastructure of an effective and efficient mass transportation system to carry people and goods to places where it is needed and wanted. Of course there are no.straight and simple solutions to that but we have to try. We have to manage and balance everything putting with the utmost importance the protection of the environment we live in because this is the only home we have. We need to show future generations and educate them what is right if we are to survive as people living on this planet. We need change.

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Installed blogger for My Android Tablet Phone.

2011-04-11T02:33:00.002+08:00

Still up this late. Can't sleep. Got a text from my honey in Bacolod. She just went home from the office. So what do you do when you're up? You tinker around with your devices. One thing I remember was that I haven't posted any new entry on my blog. Too busy and internet at the office is vey slow. Still waiting for my line upgrade.

So, remembering that I had downloaded several useful tool on my android tablet but forgot to download something for my blog. So I went inside the Android market and started to search and found this application called Blogger-droid. I immediately downloaded the apps and configure it. Now I can blog anytime anywhere through my android phone. Pretty cool. I love it. Not that easy to use but adequate for me. Now I have no excuse not updating this blog. Cheers to the maker of this app!

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Recycled

2010-11-30T23:08:00.002+08:00

Found a lot of plastic bags. Folded and stored them in a jar for future use. ;-)

Budgets Cebu City LGU Style

2010-11-30T22:30:00.006+08:00

The past few weeks has been nothing but series of meetings and presentations. The year is ending and it's budget season once more. The normal way of doing it is plan everything out for next year be it Capital Outlay, Maintenance Expenses and Personal Expenses of course and then include everything you need in next years budget in an Annual Investment Plan.

Since I joined the organization this has not happened yet. Their way of doing it is "skin and bones" budget and then just ask for additional budget in a Supplemental Budget (SB). But before a SB can happen, the City Treasurer has to certify if there is enough surplus to fund the SB of which the Budget Officer will also concurring. If there isn't enough then the other option is go into borrowings.

This year we are already on SB 5 (meaning we are already on our fifth supplemental budget for the year), the biggest ever in the history of the Cebu City. Question still left unanswered is, "Is there enough sources of funds?". Only the treasurer can answer that with the City Accountant will concur by generating financial statements.

But what is more intriguing about this SB is that the largest items in this budget are all ICT related and of which I had not been consulted, ever! This has caught the attention of a lot of the people from the different departments and offices of City Hall. Why? Because all of the budgeted items do not have a breakdown and no clear explanation of how it will be used. City councilors suddenly are questioning the motives of items and that why my department was never consulted in the first place. Then the woman behind it all emerged. It was one of the department managers. She was the culprit behind all of this. Was it Illegal, Unnecessary, Excessive, Extravagant, Unconscionable (IUEEU)?

Final decision? Budgets were cut, some items deleted and control of the technical description of the budgets given back to the department's control.

Lastly, I would like to thank all of the people behind me and who made this possible. She could have gotten away with it. By the grace of god she didn't

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Career or Lovelife...

2010-11-19T09:46:00.004+08:00

Been very busy lately. I'll be leaving for Bacolod in the afternoon to see the woman who inspired me to who I am today. (My Mariposa) Just can't wait to see her. ;-) Super excited!

Career can take a toll on relationships and what's making this relationship a bit different from the ordinary is that we are far apart (10 hours apart by Bus, 30 minutes apart by plane) and I'm on a day job and she's on a graveyard shift(Call Center). For some, that's not too far especially if you live in countries like China, Canada or the US but here we have ever changing bus and plane schedules so going to and from place can be a little bit challenging.

The country also is riddled with year round typhoons so that can affect schedules quite much. Airports and seaport are closed when there's a typhoon or a weather disturbance. (Typhoons here are getting nasty year on year by the way) Roads through shorter mountain routes can sometimes be closed during foggy or rainy days so that can also greatly affect travel time.

The only tool that keeping us in touch with each other is technology. We have Skype for chat and sometimes video conferencing (It's free!). We keep ourselves update on Facebook and just recently I'm on Twitter. (I'm still trying to convince her to get into Twitter) and there is the classic e-mails. But nothing can still beat the times when you're there hugging each other.... ;-) hope the plane ride this evening will be smooth (I hate air pockets!)

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Mandate, mandate, mandate...

2010-11-16T17:48:00.003+08:00

What so important about it? Well everything... We're one of the very few Local Government Units (LGU) who have a permanent department for IT with permanent plantillas. Meaning we get to keep our position even when a new set of government official takes there place in our city.

Sustainability is challenging enough at the National Government level and more challening on a local government unit. You see, most of the people working for the LGU have some ties with who sitting on the city council, mayor or vice mayor.

When I started working for Government 5 years ago, the first thing I did was to map out peoples relation to certain people and I had the shock of my life. I have brothers, sisters, husband and wives, cousins, sons and daugthers and worst of all people who had relations with certain officials (you know what I mean). :-)

So how did I do it? Slowly I mapped out a road map on how to deal with these people relationships and be able to pierce through them. Last month, I got the chance to let go five of them. In total as of today, I have gotten rid of 15 or more people already and I not afraid to let go of more for the sake of a flatter and leaner organization. Life is tough when you are working in an environment like this indeed... :-)

Aside from this internal force, you have to keep watch of external forces. Other department heads who manipulate and deceive officials on getting into projects that are ICT related but was never channeled or coordinated with the department. Well guess what, I slap the other department with a copy of the department's mandate and with that, we were able to tame them. I'm expecting more of this exercise but all I can do to protect the interest of the people is this piece of paper in my hands, the department's ordinance. That should be enough to remind them also that the citizen of Cebu City will be up in their armpits when they violate this...:-)

The Malaysian Experience... MAMPU

2010-11-16T16:44:00.002+08:00

Yesterdays presentation at Futuregov speaks for how a country was able to put ICT things into the proper perspective. The presentation of the Malaysian Administrative Mordenisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) done by Deputy Director Norhalina Adbul showed us that it only takes political will and administrative powers to make coordination of ICT initiatives possible.

Looking at how they we able to surpass agency differences and difficulty in coordination erased all doubts on why Malaysia is way ahead us. How I wish government agencies would come into the same terms. This clearly justify enough why there is a need for the Department of Information and Communciations Technology (DICT). As most readers do not know, this has been pending at the levels of Congress for quite some time now.

How I wish they promote the ratification soon inorder for us to fix the mess that we are into right now. I strongly believe that Congress should push for the creation of this department.

The presentation showed a glimpse on how Malaysia put their ICT initiative from the different government agencies by allowing the creation of data gateway facilities and interconnectivity. This I believe is very possible in the country despite the natural borders that physically separate the island regions.

On ICT Initiatives on Government

2010-11-12T18:23:00.000+08:00

They say "You can bring the horse to the water but you can never force it to drink". I say,"Bring the horse to the water anyway. Sooner or later it will get thirsty and it will drink"... ;-) If they don't like your initiatives, just take the lead and make it really good. Sooner or later they will see your effort and see it is good and then eventually will join the ban... ;-)

The Cebu City GIS Experience

2010-11-12T01:00:00.005+08:00

I consider sharing experiences as a way of telling people that they are not alone or they are lucky that they don't have to go through painful mistakes on project implementation and that they can avoid those mistakes and do it right.

Had to wake up early in the morning to travel more than 50Km from Davao City to a fellow LGU called Digos City who has just started their GIS initiatives. For me it was an opportunity to help initiatives like this. And today's meeting I consider it fruitful.

They were at the verge of drastically cutting budgets simple because they had been misinformed about what this thing call GIS is all about.

By the way, for the information of my readers here (if there are any ;-)), GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems. It's about putting spatial information on maps. To make is even simpler, you have map (in digital format of course), your data or information, you have a location and then you tie them together so that you can analyzed it. Since we are already ahead on this with regards to project implementation, I have a lot to share to them.

One simple GIS project I presented to them was Dengue Cases. We plotted incidences of Dengue in a community on a map and then let the computer process the information and come out with result on which areas had the most number of cases. Knowing who has the highest incidence would greatly help us target that specific area for operations and eliminate the guessing game and rationalize service delivery.

As expected, some were happy and some were emotional. In the end, at least I was able to present something decent and very layman for them to evaluate further and reconsider. That was enough to make me happy. In the end, I was able to say my piece.

I was presenting together with Davao City people who also has a long experience in GIS projects. Some project where similar, others unique. Bottom line was, that GIS as explained was a computerized system which serves as a tool to eliminate the guessing game and promote further transparency in governance and improve efficiency in delivery of services.

Politics and e-Governance...

2010-11-09T08:04:00.002+08:00

I guess everyone know the lyrics by Billy Joel the song "Honesty". One line goes something like, "Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue. ". I guess I'm just too naive about so many things in this world and that I have to start realizing that Billy Joel is right and that you can never trust anyone but yourself not even the people closest to you (no, not even your dog...LOL).

Funny, I've been in the government for 5 years and I still have yet to learn that trolls and witches exist and that they are real, flesh and blood. That everyone has its own agenda and that I have to trust only my instinct and gut feeling. Trust no one. I should put that in my head.

Even your connections and relationships you shouldn't rely on. If you do, you committed the biggest mistake. You will realize that suddenly you're all alone. Never rely on promises, and words like "I will do something about it" or "Don't worry, we will find a way!". Keyword "we" is actually equivalent to "you" or "good luck".

In a few minutes, I will be in a budget hearing that will come into terms of whether it will make things happen or it will break me (alone with no one but myself). I can't do anything for now but watch on the sideline as the Titans battle it out with the trolls and witches.

Wish me luck... ;-)

Excited!

2010-11-08T07:46:00.005+08:00

I have two important places and events to go to this week and next week. Will be in Davao to present about our experiences on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Projects and then off to Manila for Futuregov.

It's going to be a busy day for me today. ;-)

My Twitter Account

2010-11-04T08:21:00.007+08:00

You can also follow my active Twitter account by clicking this link -> IT Guy

Please click on to follow.... ;-)

ICT4D...

2008-10-22T15:01:00.003+08:00

Another round table discussion of that is happening to this country's ICT initiatives. The meeting lasted for 4 hours. I don't know if the insight I gave would be included in the paper these guys are supposed to present in the national council. I've said my piece and it's all up to them to get it through the lines of congress and through the legislators in the upper house to decide on what direction to take.

ICT initiatives on a national level is a long fought battle and still being fought worst on the grounds of a Local Government Unit (LGU) who by the way gather and interact with the people and get information from the grassroots of society. Issues like standardization of data, metadata still has a long way to go. National Government Agencies pushing systems left and right with no intention of regulating and integrating these is making life in the LGU worst.

I just hope they run out of bullets first to fire at LGUs who tries to evade the consequences of bad ICT initiatives and implementation which will then go to the archives of horror stories of which the victims are the LGUs.

How worst I've become...

2008-10-22T14:55:00.004+08:00

How worst can one guy become? Let me count the ways...

He does not go to his father's tomb on his death anniversary...

He does not post because he too tied up to so many many things but people think he's not doing anything...

He does not greet his Family good tidings...

He does not do what he is supposed to do...

He does not give enough to others... time, care, attention, love, help...

He hates his guts...

He hates the world around him and he hates the people and environment around him...

He does not grab or take credit for his works...

He does not enrich himself with material things and does not think grand things for himself and others...

He does not have time for himself...

Don't read this post if you think this is not good for you....

ABC Fun Monday

2008-03-25T03:43:00.003+08:00

Running late again for Fun Monday. I'm preparing for my out of town trip will be gone starting today until Saturday. I gonna miss you Mariposa and of course all of you guys and gals out there. I'm bringing my laptop and hope I can get online while I'm away. ;-)

This weeks Fun Monday host wanted us to post about the ABC's of something. For my ABC's, I was thinking of something else but my adviser (a.k.a. Mariposa) told me to post something related to what I do.

Here it goes. The ABC's of I.T.

ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange (read as "askee"). It is the universal standard representing numerical codes computers use such as all upper and lower-case letters, numbers, punctuation and control codes. Without this standard, each computer would have used a different way of representing letters and numbers, causing major chaos for computer programmers and computer systems
Byte is a sequence of 8 bits (1's & 0's) which represents a character of an alphanumeric data processed as a single unit of information. Yeah is sounds the same as "bite" but its a totally different thing. LOL
COBOL (COmmon Business Oriented Language) is the programming language we're using at the office for our IBM iSeries (a.k.a. AS/400) servers which is running our Business Permit Licensing Software and Real Property Tax Systems.
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is the medium for transferring data over regular phone lines and can be used to connect to the Internet. However, unlike cable modems, a DSL circuit is much faster than a regular phone connection, even though the wires it uses are copper like a typical phone line
Ethernet is a family of frame-based computer networking technologies for LANS (local area networks).
Fibre Channel is a technology for transmitting data between computer devices at data rates of up to 4 Gbps (and 10 Gbps in the near future). It is especially suited for connecting computer servers to shared storage devices and for interconnecting storage controllers and drives.
Google is now my most widely used internet search engine. Mariposa and I have this common line if ever we need to find something on the net. "Google is a friend" :-)
HTTP (Hypertext Terminal Protocol) is a communication protocol commonly used in Intranet and World Wide Web. HTTP are identified using URLs (see below!)
Internet is short for International Network and is the medium why we can interconnect and interchange information around the world.
Java is an example of a programming language.
Kilobyte is a unit of information or computer storage equal to either 1,000 bytes or 1,024 bytes (210), depending on context. It can be abbreviated a number of ways: kB, K and Kbyte.
Language is not just limited to humans...computers has language too!
Memory is where you store information.
Nanotech is making our existing processors pack in more transistors over the same area of silicon material. How? Imagine arranging molecules to form transistors at that level.
OS or Operating System is the most important program that runs on a computer and manages its resources, and provides programmers with an interface used to access those resources. It processes system data and user input, and responds by allocating and managing tasks and internal system resources as a service to users and programs of the system. The OS performs basic tasks such as controlling and allocating memory, prioritizing system requests, controlling input and output devices, facilitating computer networking and managing files.
Protocol is an agreed set of rules for the communication of information between two or more devices, HTTP is an example of a protocol.
QWERTY is a standard (Latin alphabet-based) keyboard. Why? checkout your keyboard starting from Q in the upper-left part of the keyboard spelling out Q-W-E-R-T-Y. You could call it QWERTYUIOP keyboard, but QWERTY is a lot easier to say. If you're wondering why the keyboard is arranged this way it's because it was to reduce the jamming of type bars in typewriters as they moved to strike the paper.
RAM or Random Access Memory, random because it allows a computer to access any part of the memory directly.
Software is a collection of computer programs, procedures and documentation that perform some tasks on a computer system. It also covers application software such as word processors which perform productive tasks for users, system software such as operating systems, which interface with hardware to provide the necessary services for application software, and middleware which controls and co-ordinates distributed systems.
Terabyte is a unit storage. The value of a terabyte is based upon a decimal radix (base 10) and is defined as one trillion (short scale) bytes, or 1000 gigabytes.
URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. That is we locate each other's blog!
VB means Visual Basic and is also a programming language!
WWW means World Wide Web but depending on your connection, it can also mean world wide wait...LOL
X86 is the generic name for Intel processors released after the original 8086 processor. These include the 286, 386, 486, and 586 processors. As you can see, the "x" in x86 stands for a range of possible numbers. Technically, x86 is short for 80x86 since the full names of the processors are actually 80286, 80386, 80486, and 80586. The "80" is typically truncated to avoid redundancy.
Yahoo is where I made my first internet e-mail account. This was my most widely used search engine before google came. ;-)
Zip is a lossless data compression and archival file format.

Now, check our lovely HOST for more fun ABC...mine was quite boring I know! LOL

Us...

2008-03-19T12:42:00.002+08:00

Happy WW everyone!

St. Paddy's Day Monday Fever...

2008-03-18T04:51:00.004+08:00

My Fun Monday is a bit late...been very busy at the office lately. Anyway, Nikki our wonderful host for this week asks any or both of the following -

1.) I don't know about you, but my family is great at creating strange words that only we know the meaning. Some were created when the kids were first learning to talk, others came about when our tongues were twisted and the word came out funny. Either way, the words stuck and we still use them in our daily conversations. What created words does your family use?! Please share the story behind the word if you remember. If you don't have a made up word then tell us about the unspoken way you communicate with someone. Do you and your significant other have a look that means "This party is boring, lets split" or do you have a look that your kids know means their butt is in serious trouble? Please share!! And a picture of the look would be very entertaining!

AND/OR

2.) In honor of St. Paddy's Day, please share your worst green beer story!

This is hard. My family is a boring one. Baby talk or speaking in odd tongues is never encourage because my parent believe that it confuses the child. :-) Mariposa and I never agrees on this part. Anyway, one very weird gesture though that we Filipinos do when we get to meet someone like a friend or acquaintance in the lobby or outside is the weird eyebrow movement.

Yes, it's a way of communicating here. LOL. Without uttering a word, one or two quick up and down movement of both eyebrows is understood as "hello" or a "good day" greeting. I don't know if there are other people in the world using this quick way or saying "hi!" to a person. It's so common that coupled with a smile and the eyebrow movement, is already enough gesture to tell that friend "Hi! I'm good today! Nice seeing you! or Hi! Nice seeing you again!". Funny but I'm a recipient of this every time I go in or out of the elevator at the office and people make this gestures. To return the favor, I do the same and then it sometimes starts a long conversation :-) Yeah. This is a tough one indeed. Thanks for the challenge.

For more of Fun Monday visit Nikki for FUN Monday!

Here comes...

2008-03-15T23:06:00.004+08:00

SUMMER!

For more Singular Saturday check out Jenn in Holland.

Feast One Hundred & Eighty Three

2008-03-14T11:08:00.003+08:00

Missed yesterdays HNT but don't worry, I still have more pictures to show. :-) Anyway, here are my answers. :-)

Appetizer

On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how much do you like your own handwriting?

Definitely a 4! Gosh! My staff at the office needs a interpreter for my handwriting...LOL It's really that bad! :-)

Soup

Do you prefer baths or showers?

Warm shower...

Salad

What was the last bad movie you watched?

Hmmm... I enjoy watching movies a lot but I think the worst movie ever is "Pulp Fiction" - John Travolta

Main Course

Name something you are addicted to and describe how it affects your life.

PC Games! Simcity 4 Rush Hour to be specific... It sometimes makes me loose sleep...

Dessert

Which instrument is your favorite to listen to?

The Violin...

Friday's Feast Home
View More Friday's Feast Participants

Nikki Will Host Fun Monday!

2008-03-12T22:12:00.002+08:00

Fun Monday next week will be hosted by Nikki. Please visit her site for next week's theme!

To all who participated, thank you so much!

Fun Monday: Give Me 5!

2008-03-10T06:16:00.007+08:00

Monday is here!

And today...

I need YOU (yes, the wonderful YOU!) to pick 5 memorable lines from 5 different movies (if you could tell us which character said it and to whom, would be a bonus)...and tell us to WHOM (who in the people in your life) you could have said those lines.

Here are my 5s!

(1) Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda
Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back
I'd say this to: To all my staff, especially every time I assign them with projects.

(2) Smile, it enhances your face value. - Truvy
Steel Magnolias
I'd say this to: To the grouchy old department heads and to Mariposa's friend whom she continually defends despite all the BS that she's doing to her!

(3) Sharpness is a state of mind.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
I'd say this to: To all my students...

(4) You had me at hello. - Dorothy
Jerry Maguire
I'd say t his to: Mariposa...

(5) Look inside yourself. You are more than what you have become. - Mufasa
The Lion King
I'd say this to: To myself...

There are still a lot, but these are what I can think of right now. To find more interesting lines and how these lines apply to some people...visit the following Fun Monday participants.

1. Melanie

2. The Rotten Correspondent

3. Mariposa's Tales

4. From the Planet of Janet

5. Southern Doll

6. Aoj & The Lurchers

7. SwampAngel65

8. Patience - Please

9. Heather

10. SayreSmiles

11. TheFoodSnob

12. Lady K

13. Irish Coffeehouse

14. Tracey

15. MJD

16. Min

17. Peter

18. Hootin' Anni

19. Karina

20. Sauntering Soul

21. ArkansasSongbird

22. Ann

23. Faye

24. Nikki

25. Retrohipster

26. Jettie

27. Nekked Lizard

28. Swampy

29. Mamalang

30. JennV

31. Lisa Marie

32. Amanda

33. Sandy

34. Gattina

35. Julie

36. Lil Mouse

37. Jo Beaufoix

38. Pam

If you want to join the FUN, and have not signed up yet, no worries! Just let us know by signing up below...

AND of course...comments are always welcome!

Give me 5!

2008-03-09T23:59:00.022+08:00

~ @ ~ THIS IS A STICKY NOTE ~ @ ~

My Fun Monday challenge is SO easy!

I call it...Things Left Unsaid, with a twist!

Ha! Easy...it is not what you think IT IS!

I'm still having my Movie Mania, (thanks to Janet, this weeks Fun Monday host)...so next week's Fun Monday still has to do with movies.

How? Hold on...I'm trying to make your trip down worth it! LOL

I need YOU (yes, the wonderful YOU!) to pick 5 memorable lines from 5 different movies (if you could tell us which character said it and to whom, would be a bonus)...and tell us to WHOM (who in the people in your life) you could have said those lines.

Just 5!

So...see you on Monday!

Cool people who signed up so far...

1. Melanie

2. The Rotten Correspondent

3. Mariposa's Tales

4. From the Planet of Janet

5. Southern Doll

6. Aoj & The Lurchers

7. SwampAngel65

8. Patience - Please

9. Heather

10. SayreSmiles

11. TheFoodSnob

12. Lady K

13. Irish Coffeehouse

14. Tracey

15. MJD

16. Min

17. Peter

18. Hootin' Anni

19. Karina

20. Sauntering Soul

21. ArkansasSongbird

22. Ann

23. Faye

24. Nikki

25. Retrohipster

26. Jettie

27. Nekked Lizard

28. Swampy

29. Mamalang

30. JennV

31. Lisa Marie

32. Amanda

33. Sandy

34. Gattina

35. Julie

36. Lil Mouse

37. Jo Beaufoix

38. Pam

39. You're next!

~ @ ~ END OF STICKY NOTE ~ @ ~

Kindly scroll down for my regular enties!!!

eGovernance is about

2008-03-08T17:35:00.005+08:00

TRANSPARENCY

For more Singular Saturday check out Jenn in Holland.

iSelf

2008-03-06T11:40:00.000+08:00

Os declared today as "I Love My Mac!" HNT...I learned about it just hours ago (referring to last week) from Mariposa...so these are photos from the archive...not so recent yet not that old! (I did not have the time to change it, I have a trip to another city!)

Happy HNT everyone!!!

Please visit Os, for more Mac madness.

Beyond the Horizon...

2008-03-05T12:28:00.003+08:00

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Fun Monday

2008-03-03T23:28:00.007+08:00

Ok! I'm not a good writer but I'm willing to try this out for fun. :-) So here it goes....

My film starts with two lovers saying goodbye to each other... silence in the set please...LOL...

Timothy, a handsome young man says goodbye to Katherine, a beautiful bright young woman fresh out from college determined to find her fame and fortune in big city. She leaves Tim with a promise to return.

Alone and far away from home she struggles to find her place and realized life is not as easy as it seems. One day, Katherine gets a job as an executive assistant to David, a highly successful stiff young bachelor who own a successful IT Outsourcing company. At first, David and Katherine seems like two opposite poles but soon they enjoy working together. What all started as just a professional relationship slowly becomes more and more intimate.

Trying to keep her focus, Kathy soon gets entangled with her feelings and slowly falls in love with the boss. Back home, Tim feels that there is something terribly wrong and soon sets out to the big city himself only to discover about Kathy's love affair. Determined to win her back, Tim chases the love of his life and tries to get her back into his arms.

Will Katherine choose the love of his life or will she let her feelings for the boss get in the way?

The Cast:

Timothy played by Al Santos (Gross Pointe)

Katherine played by Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four)

David played by Josh Holloway (Lost)

Hahaha! Ok, enough! I have goose bumps now...LOL Can't think of anything right now... :-) Ask me why these cast? I don't know. I searched them on the net... LOL

The massage was...

2008-03-01T21:27:00.009+08:00

RELAXING

For more Singular Saturdays, visit the day's creator, Jenn in Holland, at Something to Say: About Life in the Netherlands.

IT in Governance

2008-03-01T15:39:00.006+08:00

It's a lazy Saturday and I just woke up with a massive migraine this morning and yeah that really started the day wrong. I went on with my daily routine and then drove back home and slept the entire morning.

Got up around a little past 1pm and still my head is spinning. Drank two tabs of Tylenol and then played my online game (Ogame). Yeah, thanks to Tylenol I feel better. :-)

Anyway, in my previous post, I mentioned about what my occupation is and what this blog is supposed to be about. Yes, I.T. and yes anything that has computers on it is under my job description. (As what most of the department head in the organization would think).

I've been very busy lately and there are currently over 20 major project being worked out by the department. Here is a short list of major projects being undertaken:

1. General Collection System
2. Re-engineering of the existing Business Permit Renewal System
3. Re-engineering of the existing Real Property Tax System
4. Electronic New Government Accounting System
5. Online Taxpayers Portal
6. Online Payment System
7. Human Resources Information System
8. Network Upgrade and Redundancy
9. Orthophoto
10. Treasury Operations Management System

The challenges faced in the implementation of new systems or improvement of existing systems could vary from simple changes in the political climate, budgetary constraints or end-user indifference. I'll discuss some of these projects in details next time.

That's IT for me for now.

Feast One Hundred & Eighty One

2008-02-29T10:15:00.008+08:00

Appetizer

Who was the last person you hugged?

Mariposa.. :-) Love you honey!

Soup

Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.

Too busy for work in the morning. I even had my hair cut short so that I won't have to worry about maintaining it. LOL

At night, I always wash my face with light facial soap and then put on moisturizing cream. It will make you look great the next morning.

Salad

What does the color yellow make you think of?

A field of yellow roses as far as the eyes can see. :-)

Main Course

If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?

Happy events and happy faces of people from different cultures...

Dessert

What was the longest book you ever read?

21 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica when I was in elementary.... LOL

Towel Me Up!

2008-02-28T12:23:00.004+08:00

Mariposa made a mistake in informing me about the HNT theme alert...so I had to pull down my previous entry! LOL

Happy HNT everyone!

Did you like the towel?! LOL

Please visit other HNT players!

Fun Monday

2008-02-25T09:41:00.005+08:00

Mariposa is hosting this week's Fun Monday and this week's theme is What's in a Name and What's in our Plate!

What's in my name?

Life, IT and Governance...ha! What you read is what you get. LOL

I'm a Computer Engineer and I head the Management Information and Computer Systems Department in the city givernment here and that is IT (Infomation Technology) and IT Governance for you...and of course, I talk about my life here...when I have the time!

What's in my plate?

Mariposa and I are very compatible when it comes to food....we both love Japanese food.

This is a gomoku ramen...

... and my sashimi!

My post is a bit late...I always run late...LOL

Please check other Fun Monday participants at Mariposa's Tales!

Reminiscing...

2008-02-21T11:24:00.009+08:00

Would you believe, I already posted my HNT and realized last week I did something in bed too and don't want to do same thing in a row...I decided to pull it down and change it.

But change it with what?!!!

Then I saw an old photo of me and my baby...and only after I check my watch I realized I have been staring at it for awhile...

Posting it here...so I can stare it all I want! And for the world to stare at it too!

Breakfast in bed with my baby! ;)

Happy HNT!

Check Os, for other HNT!

Environmental Hazards!

2008-02-20T18:29:00.007+08:00

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Please check other Wordless Wednesday participants!

Spreading The Love

2008-02-19T14:20:00.003+08:00

Mariposa tagged me to do this Linky Love. I apologize for the delay, better late than never?

She is right, it is EASY and FUN to do, and it gives bloggers opportunity to meet other bloggers.

*** START COPYING HERE ***

I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!) It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially!

The benefits of Viral Linking:

- One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!

- Increase your Google PageRank fast

- Attract large volume of new traffic to your SITE

- Build your community

- Make new friends...

Hailey at Brains Bits and Beats
Just call me mommy
One of the Jones’
Barb at Skittles
Misty’s Words ~
The Strategist Notebook
Link Addiction
Ardour of the Heart
When Life Becomes a Book
The Malaysian Life
Yogatta.com
What goes under the sun
Roshidan’s Cyber Station
Sasha says Arts of Physics
And the legend lives
My View, My Life
A Simple Life
Juliana RW
Mom Knows Everything
Beth & Cory’s Mom
A Mind Forever Voyaging
enjoying the ride
Jennifer’s thoughts
Mom of 3 Girls
Amanda
Don’t Make Me Get The Flying Monkeys
ExPat Mom
Just Jessie
Wilson Six
Krisitn
Nuttier Than You
Shonnte
Summer’s Nook
Laura Williams Musings
Sher
Shanda
Seven QTPies
Mel
DadThing.com
My Little Drummer Boys
Gaining Insights
The Gremlin Wrangler
Charmed Life
Skittles Place
The laughs will go on
Life from Waterloo
Prevailing Purpose
Mariposa's Tales
Cyberbones
Life, IT and Governance
Verbal Diarrhoea
A2Eatwrite
Legend of Miracles
Momisodes

Below are five wonderful bloggers I met...and I would love them to meet the others (who are as wonderful!).

Celeste of RagRacers
Gattina of WriterCamps
Polt of Polt's Palace
Dixie of Hearts and Soul
Sandee at Comedy Plus

*** END ***

Happy Monday!

2008-02-18T23:59:00.003+08:00

*** This is a Sticky Post ***

Please scroll down below for the following entries;

Fun Monday

2008-02-18T09:15:00.000+08:00

SayreSmiles, our host Fun Monday host for this week set the following theme:

"Every day as I go to work, I see things around me that make me laugh. Usually these are in the forms of signs. So take your camera with you as you go about your business and take a picture of the things that make you laugh along the way (but it doesn't necessarily HAVE to be a sign)."

Though there are quite funny things I see on my way to work, what I'm posting here is one what made really LOL last weekend. This is in one of those temples that Mariposa always go to every weekend...and only last Saturday I did NOTICE it.

I apologize for the not so good quality of the photo, I was only using my cellphone's cam...

The sign should READ:

Precaution: Car theif incident may occur

So if you park here, don't be suprise if you're only left with that one big stone...LOL

Happy Fun Monday everyone!

Here are the others who are playing FUN MONDAY

Music Manic Monday!

2008-02-18T08:30:00.003+08:00

Manic Monday today is anything about TWO.

So, I picked the song POWER OF TWO for both Music Monday and Manic Monday.

SHE loves this song so much...so this is for HER!

Now the parking lot is empty
Everyones gone someplace
I pick you up and in the trunk Ive packed
A cooler and a 2-day suitcase
Cause theres a place we like to drive
Way out in the country
Five miles out of the city limit were singing
And your hands upon my knee

So were okay
Were fine
Baby Im here to stop your crying
Chase all the ghosts from your head
Im stronger than the monster beneath your bed
Smarter than the tricks played on your heart
Well look at them together then well take them apart
Adding up the total of a love thats true
Multiply life by the power of two

You know the things that I am afraid of
Im not afraid to tell
And if we ever leave a legacy
Its that we loved each other well
Cause Ive seen the shadows of so many people
Trying on the treasures of youth
But a road that fancy and fast
Ends in a fatal crash
And Im glad we got off
To tell you the truth

Cause were okay
Were fine
Baby Im here to stop your crying
Chase all the ghosts from your head
Im stronger than the monster beneath your bed
Smarter than the tricks played on your heart
Well look at them together then well take them apart
Adding up the total of a love thats true
Multiply life by the power of two

All the shiny little trinkets of temptation
(make new friends)
Something new instead of something old
(but keep the old)
All you gotta do is scratch beneath the surface
(but remember what is gold)
And its fools gold
(what is gold)
Fools gold
(what is gold)
Fools gold

Now were talking about a difficult thing
And your eyes are getting wet
I took us for better and I took us for worse
Dont you ever forget it
Now the steel bars between me and a promise
Suddenly bend with ease
The closer Im bound in love to you
The closer I am to free

Please check who else are playing -

MUSIC MONDAY

MANIC MONDAY

My first "Weekend Mutterings"

2008-02-18T00:08:00.002+08:00

You say ... and I think ... ?

Passport :: Identity
Small world :: Familiarity
Radio :: Music
Marine :: Soldier
Wall :: Prison
Wanna be :: Rich
Pigtails :: Chinese Superstition
Hyphen :: Definition
9.99 :: Sale Price
Unrated :: Movies

Check Who's Mutterings

Paint It Red

2008-02-14T09:58:00.005+08:00

Today's HNT theme is RED.

So here is my bed in red.

Happy HNT everyone! Enjoy the Valentine's Day!

Please check other HNT Players!

Love Note

2008-02-13T12:35:00.004+08:00

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Please check other Wordless Wednesday participants!

Happy Hearts Week Everyone!

2008-02-11T10:39:00.000+08:00

It's Feb. 11 of 2008, count few more days and it's the V day already...and hearts are in the air.

I will be doing Music Monday today, I missed it last week...my lovely Mariposa told me to join Fun Monday since according to her, it's also on music...so I might as well hit two birds with one stone. So when I went to check on her Monday Fever, looks like I can do hit 3...

Here is the Fun Monday assignment for the week:

Music plays a vital role in most of our lives. It is everywhere. I want to hear the ONE song that is you. The song that whenever it is heard, you smile. I am not looking for the soundtrack of your life, just that one song. Your friends hear it and think of you. You can post the video, the lyrics, the wav file. However you want to post it is great.

What About Love was what she asked me five years ago...glad I gave her the right answer! I make this wonderful song by Heart my entry for Fun Monday and Music Monday...

Well, Manic Monday this week is "heart" which happens to be the name of the artist who sung the entry above...ha ha, how FUN!

Yet, I have a bonus...

Please see other participants -

Working Hands

2008-02-07T13:13:00.000+08:00

Happy HNT!

Visit other HNT participants.

Remote Office?!

2008-02-06T16:30:00.001+08:00

Check the other WW players!

I feel...

2008-02-03T07:43:00.000+08:00

ENERGIZED!

Visit other SINGULAR SATURDAY participants.

No one like you... (Powder)

2008-02-02T09:47:00.000+08:00

Just accidentally just stumbled into this video. It has been a long time since I've last seen this movie. I just want to share this with you.

Sarah Brightman -- No one like you

And we too - will it not be soft and kind
That rest from life, from patience and from pain
That rest from bliss, we know not when we find
How can I have enough of life and love

In your eyes are my secrets that I've never shown you
In my heart I feel I've always known you
In your arms there's a comfort that I never knew
You're what I've been waiting for, there's no one like you

Sure as the sunrise, pure as a prayer
You fashioned hope right out of thin air
Ev'ry dream I abandoned, seems it could come true
I believe in miracles, there's no one like you

Innocent as a newborn in a world so fright'ning
It's as if my world's been struck by lightning
Ev'ry dream I abandoned, seems it could come true
I believe in miracles, there's no one like you

Coffee or Me?

2008-01-31T07:27:00.001+08:00

Happy HNT everyone!

Other HNT players.

Stairway To Heaven?!

2008-01-30T13:55:00.000+08:00

Bad Start of the Week...

2008-01-29T19:09:00.000+08:00

Been very busy again. Blogging for me is really difficult. I'm too lazy to write anything. :-( The week started really bad. I'm overwhelmed with work at the office. Too many things to do. Too little time to do everything.

The Possibilities are Endless...

2008-01-25T23:57:00.000+08:00

Check out this cool video. I know some of you must have seen this already but I just want to post this for those who haven't... A new way of computing...

My Humble Beginnings Continued...

2008-01-24T01:19:00.000+08:00

It's 1:00am here (GMT +8) and I'm now wakeful. I just drove my honey to work a few minutes ago and then when I got home decided continue writing about myself. :-)

So to continue... There I was, with my new found skill but still haven't decided what course to take in college but was determined to finish college. One things for sure was a course I was planning of taking either a course related to sciences or engineering.

Right after I graduated high school, I got a summer job fixing motorbikes. It was fun and at the same time I got an allowance which I could use to buy me things. My dad and I use to fix the car and his motorbikes ourselves so working there was not hard for me. That was how we spent our quality time together aside from the fishing trips we had together with his friends even though at times, the child in me wanted to just go out in the open field, fly a kite or just play with my neighbors. Now, my dad had a favorite. When it come to chores he would ask me instead of my elder brother benny. When I was younger I didn't get why me instead of him but through the years I begun to understand why.

Summer was almost over and my parents were now asking me if I had already decided on what course to take. My first choice was Chemical Engineering. (My most favorite subject in high school. I always liked balancing chemical equations.) But my dad disagreed to it because he said that there was no future for it in our place and I might have a difficulty finding a job. My heart broke, so told them of my next option, Electrical Engineering.

Now my dad never agreed to this because he said both were difficult courses and that I was not cut for it. He never believed in my abilities and when it comes to academics, my bother was also a favorite. I was just a work horse for him... :-( Sad as it was, I told them of my third choice, Computer Science. Now this, he agreed but the only problem was, it's not offered in the University from were I finished my high school so my mom didn't agree to it this time. I got furious. They comforted me and said that they only want what best for me.

Seeing that I was running out of options I went to the college registrar and got a list of the courses offered and funny as it may seem, the closet one which had computer on it was Computer Engineering.

Yes, Computer Engineering. Ah! this time, they both agreed to my fourth choice. Not actually my favorite but what the heck. So, after summer I enrolled Computer Engineering. Gosh! I didn't know that the Technological Center of the University which offered the engineering and sciences courses was located in the middle of nowhere! It was far and the only way to get there was a small dirt road of which by the time you get there, your hair will turn white because of the dust! LOL

This was it. There's no turning back. First day of school, I had to wake up early to ride a public transport for the long trip. When I got there, the place wasn't bad at all. It was quite, cool, very neat place and very conducive for learning. I said to myself, well this is it, enjoy the next five years here. The next five years proved to be the best time of my life. I learned a lot not just academics, but about friends, relationships and hard work... :-)

Come Home Safely

2008-01-23T12:08:00.000+08:00

Other players of Wordless Wednesday

TMI Tuesday #119

2008-01-23T01:08:00.000+08:00

1. What was your favorite book as a kid?

The Little Prince... Read it several times

2. If you were stranded on that proverbial desert island (again!), what book or books (up to 5) would you want to have with you?

(1) The Da Vince Code and (2) Angels and Demons (by Dan Brown)

(3) Spock must die! (Startrek)

(4) Taipans of the Noble House

(5) The Art of War by James Clavell

3. What was the first "naughty" book you read and in what way was it naughty?

I can't read naughty books, it's too much for me....lol

4. If you were to publish your autobiography today, what would be the title?

Journals of an IT Guy or My IT Journal

5. Would you rather look at nude pictures/pornography or read erotic fiction and why?

I would say looking at nude picture....

Bonus (as in optional):Do you know the whereabouts today of the first person with whom you had sex?

hahaha.... next question please....LOL

Happy TMI everyone!

Other TMI Tuesday Participants!

My first Music Monday song...

2008-01-21T23:00:00.000+08:00

A friend of mine played this song once. I liked it so much that I sang this last Christmas Party...

Nightbird

fly on through the night wind take a star to her for me
please wisper i love her make her wait for me
here it seems so cold now how i wish her arms around me
soar nightbird of love tell her wait for me

cause you have wings you know i let you go
almost every night
but lonliness can dull the shine
of even the bright moon light

night bird fly on, fly on
night bird, sing her my song

oh before you leave take this band of gold with you
and if you can find her tell her i am true

cause you have wings you know i let you go
almost every night
but lonliness can dull the shine
of even the bright moon light

night bird fly on, fly on
night bird sing her my song

It may be an oldie but I like it... :-) I also sing this when I feel lonely or when I'm away for a business trip and I miss my girlfriend. I want to dedicate this song to her... :-)

Other Music Monday participants are here...

I'm Feeling

2008-01-20T10:58:00.000+08:00

LAZY

Singular Saturday - Week1

Amazing...

2008-01-20T10:22:00.000+08:00

Here is a demo of a software at MIT which I came across a few years back which I believe is worth posting. Enjoy...:-)

My little island Paradise!

2008-01-20T01:18:00.000+08:00

Cebu is clearly a place I consider as home. I was born here, grew up here, got my degree in Computer Engineering in one of the local universities and worked in several private corporations based here and Manila.

Through the years, I've seen the place transformed from a sleepy old city to a bustling metropolis.

This island is blessed with so many things. White sandy beaches, a good climate (we rarely get hit with typhoons here), nature trails, mountain resorts, good schools, malls, a rich history and mostly friendly people.

After working for more than 10 years in the private sector and 2 years in the academe, I got an invitation to work for the City Government of Cebu. I just turned 2 years and 2 months today and I would say working here has been fun, full of challenges and surprises unlike any other that I've worked for... :-)

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

2008-01-20T00:06:00.000+08:00

Got this link from mariposa's blog. Anyway, here's the result...

Your Birthdate: September 15

You take life as it is, and you find happiness in a variety of things.
You tend to be close to family and friends. But it's hard to get into your inner circle.
Making the little things wonderful is important to you, and you probably have an inviting home.
You seek harmony with others, but occasionally you have a very stubborn streak.

Your strength: Your intense optimism

Your weakness: You shy away from exploring your talents

Your power color: Jade

Your power symbol: Flower

Your power month: June

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Long Silence!

2008-01-19T23:32:00.000+08:00

Been busy lately. I hope I can do this more often. December and January always are a busy months for the department. There is the usual preparations in December for the business permit renewal which happens for the whole month of January. The treasury office has to process over twenty thousand business establishments so you could just imagine their workload. For us in IT, we have to make sure all systems are go. Downtown would be a disaster so I normally have backups for everything. This year we have successfully tested our wireless network for our remote site and we've saved a lot on communications expense. :-)

On the other hand, other things that I am busy at are watching videos at youtube, playing my online game (my girlfriend has her own and sometimes we end up comparing who is the best.... lol), watching my collection of VCD's and driving my girlfriend to work and spending time with her over a cup of coffee. :-)

Anyway, she suggested I should read other blogs and see what others are doing so that I would be able to post more often. She also suggested that I should post comments on the other site too. Well, wish me luck... :-)

Welcome to My Blog...

2008-01-06T21:38:00.000+08:00

I'm not the type who wants to write about things. I'm just too lazy to write or scribble on a notebook. :-P My friends has been telling me to write because I talk a lot, but again I told them that I just too damn lazy to write. Then I got this idea from my girlfriend. She was into this blog thing and told me that if I was too lazy to write on paper, why don't I just type what's in my head and make a blog. So, there I was, staring at the computer think of a good title. Wow! I never thought that it would be this difficult but as the saying goes "The most difficult thing in anything that you want to do is making the first step"

So what's this blog all about? It's about life, experiences in and out of my workplace and everything I get to encounter everyday in and out of IT.

My humble beginnings... :-)

2008-01-06T20:41:00.001+08:00

Information Technology has been my life since. What started my interest in IT? It all started in a computer game. My dad got a call from one of his friends. The plumbing broke and they wanted it fixed right away. Their house was located in one of the upscale villages in the city. Gosh! The house was huge!

When we got their, my dad's friend introduced me to one of his sons and he brought me to the living room where I saw a keyboard connected to a large TV. It was Commodore VIC20. Back then, computers were so rare and expensive that only the rich could afford one. The computer was loaded with space invaders game but I was more interested on how this machine operate and how it made this images on the TV. That's where my interest in computers begun.

My interest grew even further when one of my dad's friends received several packages from the US containing computers of which he was willing to give one for me experiment on. It was a TRS-80 computer from Radio Shack. My first computer ever. I was so excited that I went to the school library the next day and found tons of information about this machine. I read and tried experimenting with it by creating my first ever program. Nope, it was not printing "hello world!" on the screen. My first program was displaying the sum of two numbers.

So there it was, my first program using the Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code or BASIC for short, my first programming language. Since the computer did not come with a storage device, I wrote my programs on a notebook containing useful codes which made my life easier in my math and science subjects. I guess I was a computer geek but I never minded it. I never had too many friends back then so I spend most of my time on the computer from dusk till dawn. To me, it was the start of a new skill which eventually lead me to where I am today... :-)