Good-bye JIRA issues - hurray !

I just solved three major fixes for the JIRA assigned to me, hurray!

I was lucky enough to have found a solution to these issues which are sort of critical to the project's release. Though things were tough, I just pushed myself and do some overtime work/research to finish it on time. Again, free of charge. Overtime is inevitable I guess if you are working in software engineering but, I think better schedules would make a difference.

But I have some few, I guess, wandering thoughts like, I am just wondering when will I turn over the tasks I am doing. Will my boss give me new tasks aside from the tasks I am working? Basically these critical tasks were assigned to me just last week. I actually have one critical task which I am partially finished with and I am on the testing stage. I have updated my unit test for this tasks but still testing it on a live host if it behaves correctly.

Anyway I hope he won't be giving me more tasks to work on, so I can move on smoothly.

And oh, I got surprised when the HR staff from the company where I will be working in Singapore emailed me of my flight schedule. I am again so excited. What's ironic is that, I haven't purchased my ticket back to Cebu where my departure will be for my flight to Singapore. Silk Air is a sure fun and exciting because it will be my first ever to fly with it in international border.

God bless and many good things to come for everyone :) Ciao!

Enchanted Kingdom, Hot Spring in Laguna and PBA Live with Cebu Friends

Though my Friday was really busy for me, but the weekend plans has got to push through and nothing should stop me, rather, us to enjoy it. My friends from Cebu went to Manila for a great fun and adventure. Thanks to Olga for arranging/managing/coordinating the itinerary for the planned getaway.

Saturday at around 5:30AM, I heard a hard knock on my door and my body just did not mind who was it or my mouth never cared to opened and speak up, I just found myself opening the door and forcefully opened my sleepy eyes. It was Olga and Agnes and they were very alive and kicking and already dressed up. "What? - a bubble thought I had"; so I jumped! I got a soap and wash my face and I took a gargle of Listerene - mouth wash. I then changed my sleeping wear to something suitable. The girls waited for me like for 5 minutes. I actually forgot about the whole fetching thing and for that I did not set my alarm. After everything were set, we went to NAIA 3 to fetch our friends. Morning sunshine is there and the darkness enveloping the sky began to fade away and good thing the plane which our friends were on board hasn't arrived yet. We got to the airport just in time. After some five minutes of waiting, our friends got out of the arrival area. We then went outside of the airport and got a taxi bound to our place. Okay let me introduce them to you who these people are:


(from left to right: Jason, Sly, Olga, Bloom, Ronan, Genesis, Yanna, Jez, Agnes)

We went to McDonalds but it's still so early so we decided to go to our condo to leave their belongings and stuff. After everything was set, we went back to the fastfood to take our breakfast. It was Opaw who cracked the first joke which sent us to laughter. Since we speak another language called, "Bisaya", we would usually have fun trying to translate English words into Tagalog. So basically everyone laughed at the translation for French fries which is "piniritong Pranses". After the chit-chat at McDonalds, we then went back to our condo and prepared for our adventure and our first trip was to Enchanted Kingdom. I have been to the place once and going back their still sounds fun. We got a taxi to Glorieta and went to Glorieta 2. Yanna, Jez and Bloom was with me. We passed by at Ayala Avenue and I sort of acted as a tour guide mentioning the buildings which they will find interesting. Ofcourse, I did not fail to mention Rufino plaza, an old looking building in Makati which was the tallest building in the Philippines in year 1996. We stopped at Glorieta 3 and headed to Glorieta 2 where we can buy our tickets for Enchanted Kingdom. There was a long queue and we waited there for almost an hour after we were attended by the guy in red polo shirt. They had a problem in their ticketing as there was no more printable sheets for the receipts. Anyway things got served but our stomachs were getting angered already.

We arrived at E.K. after an hour ride and that was 1:40 P.M. or something in the afternoon. There was a crowd of all sorts and it was drizzling. Olga the "Girl Scout" of the group had an umbrella and so we were shielded from the slight rainfall while we were waiting for our turn. Jez got us a snack while waiting outside. Some of our friends went somewhere to do some hunting that's good for the eyes. We got our turn and our Cebu friends, got the ride-all-you can tickets and we bought the regular tickets. When we got inside of the theme park, we hurriedly scout for a place to have lunch as we were hungry as beasts already.

After we had a really awesome lunch just enough to give us the energy booster we needed, we looked for a good place to start the fun. Since, my condo-mates and I got the regular tickets, we just looked around and took some pictures. GMA 7 stars were having a show so we just sat there and observed several actors/actresses passing by and stole some pictures of them. Our friends from Cebu on the otherhand, just couldn't be stopped from the rides. I was planning to get a ticket upgrade but I had limited funds so I just decided to feast my eyes for anything that was interesting and beautiful. My condo mates and I decided to walked around and checked for something to buy. We craved for something sweet and so we found ourselves at the counter of an ice cream parlor, while waiting for our friends from the roller coaster ride. The last ride our friends from Cebu took was the space shuttle. The queue was really long and they waited for almost 30 minutes. We actually waited from the roof deck / observation deck where we can capture some scenes. While waiting for them, we also took some pictures. At last, when they had their chance to scream their hearts at the top of their voice, we decided to had our chance to get a ride. My condo mates and I went to ride the carousel. It wasn't heart pumping as what our Cebu friends experienced but it was fun as Ronan made some comical acts. Well it was getting dark and we decided to get our bags from the EK's locker area. After that, we decided to get to our next destination, Rockpoint Resort - hot spring resort in Laguna.

We arrived there at around 8PM and we were very hungry but we did not forget to take some pictures. Ronan did not go with us as he needed to meet his cousin(as if I believed him and he confessed that I was right hehehehe). We got a huge room with ten beds. After we put our things into safety, we went down to their mini restaurant for our dinner. They actually serve Western and Filipino dishes and most of us ordered Filipino food. After we had our dinner, some of us decided to bathe in their hot spring. Of course, everyone were excited and so the tired and aching bodies need to have a good bath and why not in a hot spring? To most of us, it was our first time to go to a hot spring so there was no denying in our face that we wanted to have a nice hot bath :) Everyone got relieved from the stresses of the city, and everyone felt so so relaxed. Well we went to bed after that long night.


It was a Sunday, Nov 16 at 9AM when everyone was awake. We just hit the mini restaurant of Rockpoint and ordered food for breakfast. We actually planned to go to Tagaytay after the hot springs, but it seems that we haven't enjoyed the stay their, so we just finished our food and then headed to the hot spring.

Well we sort of decided to cancel the Tagaytay trip, to not to rush ourselves from the schedule that we have set. We don't want to be stressed from our vacation, right? Hehehehe.

Anyway everyone had a great fun at Rockpoint. We made some comical acts and remarks and specially Opaw who cracked most of the jokes. They were corny but really funny and intelligent sometimes.


After three hours of fun at Rockpoint, we decided to go back to our rooms and prepare for the ride to Manila. It was 12 noon and everyone was hungry. We thought that we need to eat somewhere so we decided to go to Binalot just few meters away from the hot spring compound of Pansol, Calamba Laguna. "Binalot" is a dialect which means wrapped. Well, the food that they served to us wasn't wrapped so I don't know how they call it then. But in Makati where they have a "Binalot" branch, the food they served were wrapped with banana leaves. Anyway we ate and satisfied our stomach.

We then got a bus bound for Manila. It was a almost a two-hour ride. We stopped by at Mantrade and took a PUJ. We were a little in a hurry already because we don't want to be late from the church service at Greenbelt chapel. When we arrived at our Makati condo, we just changed our clothes, washed our faces aka clean ourselves then off we went to the Sunday service. The mass was interesting as always. It talked about God-given gifts or talents to be put to use according to the teachings of Christ. It was enlightening and thought provoking. The priest never failed to deliver the message across (on my part). After church, we decide to go to Cuneta Astrodome so we can watch PBA in raw, live action drama. It took us 3o minutes to get to the sports dome. We don't have our tickets yet and good thing there were business people who offered us some tickets and so we purchased eight of them. It was too bad that we did not watch the game together since the tickets were not in order but even so, we still had fun. Yanna had her dream-come-true moment when he had a picture with Alvin Patrimonio - a once famed basketball star. Agnes got her chance to have her's when she had a photo with Kenneth Duremdes. As for the rest of us, it was crazy. I am not a basketball fan of all sorts but it turn out really awesome. For one thing, I was cheering both Purefoods and Ginebra team who ever gets a point. Yanna wanted me to cheer with her so I just changed which team to side but sometimes I couldn't stop from cheering Ginebra team simply because their play was also amazing. Well the game ended with Ginebra winning it and toppling Purefoods team with a bang.

We were hungry again and decided to go to MOA to dine at Yoshi no ya. After, we had our dinner, we just strolled by at the MOA bar strip and checked them out. We also took some group pictures. We did not want to have some booze because tomorrow would be work already, and so we just continued the long strolls. It was getting dark and everyone wants to eat something again. Good luck to those who were on a diet but nothing can stop a sweet tooth in us, so we again check the delights at a particular ice cream parlor. I just ordered a peach mango shake and Agnes had a parfaite. The rest got halo-halo. After we ate, we strolled again and listen to some live music. When we felt tired and sleepy already we went home and call it a day.

Money Matters! ... Money Matters?

I wish money trees were true....

I have been in some financial turmoil lately and maybe up until now. I asked some of my relatives for help and they too were having some wreckage. I knew I can find other sources. So I scouted my insurance company if they have enough value of my investment and good thing they have. I was able to loan a sum. I knew it was a little improper but I had no choice so I called some friends. A friend who was a classmate of mine since grade school up until college days answered my call and heard me. Thank God she is a blessing and an angel. There were people who helped me and I am so thankful for them. I am touched and moved by their kind heart. The company where I work also had their share. Even if there were issues, they still gave me a sum. I also went to a bank and applied for a loan. My papers were already submitted and I am positive that I am qualified for the said loan. I am crossing my fingers and even my toes? How would I do that then?

Anyway, they are not free and I know that. I have the responsibility and obligation to these folks. So, I have to work really hard, enjoy every bit of sweat I pour, gear up myself and learn from every tidbit of life's journey. I just would like to end this entry with this Biblical passage:

"A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold."

Got to go to the church, ciao!

Phoenix's Mission to Mars: a sad note ?

It's geekazoid time.

Well a friend of mine sent me a link regarding the Phoenix Mars Lander. It details about it's last transmission. Phoenix's message feels like he is human.

The Phoenix's mission is a history maker. For one, it has surveyed mars for months to gather scientific data and to ultimately see if Mars is livable. Another thing, it prides NASA and the scientific communities who have helped to make it possible. Data gathered from Phoenix is also an important aspect in this journey. I will give us some answers which could maybe well beyond our knowing. Right now the data is still being analyzed and of course I am excited to also read about it.

To the "Super Cali Fragi Listic Expi Ali Docious" Phoenix, thanks to you too.

To see the write up where it also has some tweeter notes from Phoenix, just visit this link: http://gizmodo.com/5082385/this-is-my-farewell-transmission-from-mars

I was late , my boss was checking on me, and I am getting broke

It was a Monday and the log-in system that we have was updated. Basically my name or my log-in credentials were already deleted. I have to write my name on a piece of paper to record my log-in and log-out.

My routine would start for a stand up meeting with the team mates, basically reporting the progress that we have. The load that I have was a little lighter because of the fact that I have resolved the issue when I went to the office last Saturday and I was not surprised that more tasks were assigned to me. New JIRA or program defect or enhancements were given. Basically the routine boring Monday passed by and I was having some financial crisis. I am joining the US and some European countries of the crisis. You see my company won't be giving my salary for November because of my resignation and I will be receiving it on the third week from the last day with the company including my quit claims and other refundable claims. Anyway, I am broke. I know I am not alone on this and I am hoping that I can lend cash from my relatives or friends or from my insurance or a personal loan from a bank. Hope it will be approved sooner too.

Today, I woke up early but then was really slow at moving, and literally I was dragging myself. I don't know, little by little as I am nearing my resignation day, I felt bored and not wanting to go to the office. One thing for sure was I am having no motivation already of the workload I have, plus the fact that I won't be getting my salary any sooner. Good thing I have still food supplies so for sure I won't be experiencing Africa's famine in Makati. Just as I was preparing already to the office, my phone rang and our company's receptionist was on the other line asking if where was I already. He was asking if I am on my way. All I could do was say yes.

Anyway, two issues came in my tasks and I am still figuring out things. All of these issues were not an original work of mine and most of them were not finished, and they were assigned to me to be finished by me. I am already on the brink of telling my boss what I feel and how I think. He is still lucky that I have changed because when I was still younger, I always voice out my opinion and I was really blunt to the point of being tactless. Anyway, my patience is still there and I think I can still manage to pull this off so I'd rather go on and take this as an opportunity for learning and improvement.

Bye for now because I am hungry already. Hehehehe. Have a great evening to everyone!

P.S. I am so excited to work in Singapore, and I am hoping that everything will be in its right place.