It's more fun in the Philippines - MRT

Public transportation in the Philippines is a mess. If I'm not mistaken, I've read an article that says how unfriendly the means are for tourists. Lands separated by seas, bumpy roads, unmonitored (CCTV) airports, great mass of people commuting.

One transportation mean I am very much unlikely to get in is the MRT. It's the metro rail along EDSA, Philippines' one of the busiest highway.

Though there are buses travelling along the highway, MRT provides faster displacement; thanks to the city buses picking up and unloading passengers in any point of the road, traffic jams and travel time increases.

Since my work requires me to take the EDSA, I tried experimenting. Monday, I took a cab, took me around 15 mins to cover around 3 km distance. Tuesday and Wednesday, tried the buses, goodness' grace! took me 20-30 mins to cover the same strip. Thurs I tried the MRT, the well-known MRT, 10 mins (including the time exiting the gate).

I never considered taking the MRT to work before, until now that I have no choice.

This morning, I bought my first Stored Value ticket, a hundred-peso multi-entry ticket that will save you time from queueing up to buy your single journey ones. This is it. I have to deal with the experience.

I was wearing a white shirt. Entered the gate. Waited for the train in the designated area, door marks on the floor. People piling up. The train came in. People clustered. Elbows, knees, shoulders, feet bumping and stepping on others'. I moved back. People pushing others into the coaches; people alighting, it's harder for them. The door warned, everyone still trying to get in. Door closing, people started to move back.

Together with the individuals who didn't go with the first train, I've waited for the next. Same scenario, but this time I managed to slip myself in, advantage of being slim.

Inside, train's packed. Sweat smells. People don't move. A man in sleeveless shirt is beside me. Sweat in his arms is all over my white shirt! Early in the morning! Came in to work, my shirt is not as clean as I tried to wear it, and the smell, the smell left in my nose.

Stressed.

With the new efforts of the government to fix the bus traffic in EDSA, I wish change in my daily morning routine.

The I in Agile Team

(as viewed by a developer)
My team is currently working for two sprints, week-long sprints. We're doing scrum in our development.

The tasks were handed in breakdowns including their story points. And we were just asked to pick for ourselves. In my mind, I asked, where's the sprint planning? What are the goals of these tasks? In other words, what are the expected results of the sprint?

As far as my knowledge about what agile is, participation of the stakeholders is really important. I'm not going to enumerate the different stakeholders in a development team, but to be clear, developers are one of them.

I've known that the tasks were pre-estimated and listed in breakdowns prior to the start of the sprint by at most 4 people, thinking that we're 9 in the team (not including business clients), there should be at least 9 persons involved.

Here's my point. How can you do estimations without the consent of the task-doer? And without briefing the team of what are needed to be accomplished as whole, the requirements, except for their pieced tasks, how can you start the sprint?

Everything's an abyss for me. But I kept the thoughts to myself.

Unfortunately, at the end of the sprint, I was asked to do review of the codes by my co-developers. After which, then asked to do System Integration Testing (SIT) on our product.

This incident stressed me out, it's totally absurd. How will I review the work of my teammates, without knowing what are to be delivered? And how will I test the application without any functional requirements given? It's like being summoned in a war without knowing who your enemies are.

As I raised my concerns, I'm really hoping that this incident don't happen anymore. And I really wish that everyone may be involved in the next sprint planning.

If the same scenario is happening to your team right now, raise it up as soon as possible, don't wait for the works to be done as I've waited, unless you really want to get frustrated.

Caramoan Escape

Once I've been in the islands, but the experience from April 7-8 gave me the chance to explore more of the area.

We got out of Goa terminal at around 7 in the morning and arrived at Sabang port by around 7:30. An overwhelming number of people, locals and tourists, waited patiently for the boats. At around 8:30, at last, the boat we're assigned to board on had arrived. Waiting in the port for an hour is just the start of your marshmallow test, for it's a 2-hour sea faring.

We arrived at the Guijalo port in Caramoan at around 10:30. Just in time to look for the place to stay in and have lunch. We stayed in an Archbishop's (of Virac, Catanduanes) house. We've been welcomed by a hospitable care-taker, who asked us as soon as we arrived if we're to go island hopping and asked her nephew if we can tag along. Unfortunately, her nephew's trip has gone earlier than us arriving at the area so we decided to just take our lunch first and inquire outside if we can find a tour guide and a boat to rent.

A canteen named Lutong Bahay was our destination. And there we took our lunch and asked people if they know someone who can help us visit certain islands. Asking helped us. People of Caramoan may be the most hospitable people I've ever known, next are Singaporeans. A stranger you may be but they will never give up until they've helped you.

Ms. Myra Roces, a tour coordinator happened to take her tourists in the canteen. She agreed for us to go with them, however, due to they were not expecting us, they only got a boat that's good for 7 people; we're the 8th and 9th. She proposed a work-around, if we're willing to pay for our extra boat, then we could go with her tour. And we agreed to that.

A service took us to Bikal port. Low-tide it is, so we have to ride a casco/kasko (a long slender boat without the balancing bars on the side, a small action will cause the boat to loose its balance) going to our tour boats. Large waves hit our boats; and there's the thrill and fun. It's like riding Rio Grande and Log Jam at the same time.

First island we got on was Lahos (means pass-through). It's an island with two large rocks on the sides and white sands in between. The water's so clear. What just made it to be boring are the rocks on the sea floor, so we're just dipping in the shallow area near shore. I have to bring snorkel next time.


Next island was Catbangawan. It's a smaller island in a cove with lesser rocks on the floor, finer white sand and warmer calm water, so I enjoyed it more. It's also across the Gota village where staffs of Survivor stay, just a few meters away.

An island across the Survivor's tribal council hut was our third island. However, as we were just starting to enjoy the beach when staff of Survivor US asked us to leave. Compare to the previous island, Catbangawan is better.

The last beach we're to go was a strech of fine white sands that is connected to the main island of Caramoan. That was the beach. And that is the perfect place to chill on after the long island visits.

We went back to the Bikal port. If on the time we departed from the place, the water is way to low that you can step on the sands without getting wet, it's the total opposite when we got back. The water's higher than the port's sea walls that we have to be careful on walking out of the port. The one-person path is covered by blury sea water; you have to press on a little before taking your full step, else you should know how to swim and you and your carried things will end up soaking wet.

The tour's service dropped us at Lutong Bahay where we're to meet Ms. Myra again to pay for the boat. If you're to travel to Caramoan and looking for a good tour deal, you may contact her at +63.927.400.7240 or +63.920.865.8937 or mail her at caramoan.tours@gmail.com. She can answer your questions, anything connected to the place, people, culture, politics, livelihood and environment preservation of the area; a person of intellect to talk to.

We then headed back to our house to stay in to wash the salt water and sands from our bodies and we ended our night by having dinner at a local bar.

The next morning, the care-taker of the house was going to church with us, since it's the Easter Sunday. We got up at around 3:30 in the morning for the 4 AM mass. The mass was in local dialect, Bicol. After the mass, processions of the Virgin Mary and the risen Jesus Christ was held and they met at a castle-like structure, in Bicol, that is called "sabat" and "salubong" in Tagalog. When they met, children dressed up as little angels were hanged on the ceiling of the castle structure, that's a tradition. The children are to sing and say the angels' message that Jesus's has risen. The event ends when the last or Easter Angel as they call it, removes the black veil (symbol of grief and sorrow) out of Mary's head.

After attending the mass, we headed back to our stay-in place and hurriedly packed our things, we don't want to go to the port late as there's a bunch of people's about to go out of Caramoan and we might end up waiting for boats until the late in the afternoon. But the care-taker asked us to stay and take our breakfast that they have prepared for she can ask someone to take our tickets in the port on behalf of us. Didn't expect the breakfast (fried rice, roasted chicken, coffee and bread) coming, for we only paid 300 pesos for our stay.

As we arrived in the port, there was that large crowd of passengers, but luckily the person asked to get the tickets for us got us on the first boat. We left Caramoan at around 8 AM and arrived at Sabang at 10, and there's still plenty of time for me to sun-bathe.

5 Annoying People

(inspired by a radio show enlisting the annoying traits of certain individuals)

1. LIAR
2. UNCOUTH
3. RANDY
4. SELFISH
5. ARROGANT

How Influencial are You Online?

Know it from Klout.

The Klout Score is the measurement of your overall online influence. The scores range from 1 to 100 with higher scores representing a wider and stronger sphere of influence. Klout uses over 35 variables on Facebook and Twitter to measure True Reach, Amplification Probability, and Network Score.

You may try to check your Klout score via http : // klout.com / [twitter userid or facebook uid];
example: http://klout.com/prseralde

For more information, visit, http://klout.com

Pzizz Software for Sleep-Deprived Individuals

Pzizz for PC, Mac, IPod, IPad, IPhone, Android

How do delete your accounts in most websites

Most of the time people get frustrated of the number or useless different accounts they own on certain websites or applications. However, deleting your account from these applications may not be as simple as signing up for one (some doesn't even provide the delete functionality).

Thanks for the Account Killer, an instructional site that provide details of websites and how to delete your account in them.

They even use the color coding system that shows how difficult it is to blot out your accounts.

So if you want to annihilate an account but stuck on the process, Account Killer, is a good destination to start with.

Digsby IM + E-mail + Social Networking

Digsby is an application that allows you to control your instant messenger, e-mail and social network accounts all at the same time.


"digsby is a multiprotocol IM client that lets you chat with all your friends on AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber with one simple to manage buddy list."

"digsby is an email notification tool that alerts you of new email and lets you perform actions such as 'Delete' or 'Report Spam' with just one click."

"digsby is a social networking tool that alerts you of events like new messages and gives you a live Newsfeed of what your friends are up to."

At present, the application is available for Windows operating systems, but soon enough, they are to release versions for Mac and Linux machines.

Visit for more details : http://www.digsby.com/

Free Gmail Text Alerts for Smart Telecoms Subscribers

1. Login to your GMail account.
2. Go to Options (top-right corner) -> Mail Settings.
3. Click on "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" menu tab.
4. On Forwarding, click on "Add a forwarding address" button.
5. Type in 63 + (mobile phone number) @mysmart.com.ph; e.g. 639181234567@mysmart.com.ph
6. Wait for the verification code through text message and enter it on the text field just before the "verify" button and hit it.
7. You're done and ready to receive incoming e-mail messages.

Cisco Passport21 to Entrepreneurship Now Available to Students

We are pleased to announce that Cisco Passport21 to Entrepreneurship is available on Academy Connection for use by all students.

Cisco Passport21 is a suite of innovative offerings designed to supplement the Networking Academy core ICT curricula. Passport21 provides optional learning materials that students can access independently outside of their class or instructors can include in their classes. These learning materials are designed to help students prepare for 21st century careers by exposing them to the attitudes, mindsets, and skills required to succeed in the global workplace.

Passport21 to Entrepreneurship

This Passport21 offering focuses on teaching critical business and financial skills, attitudes and behaviors. Critical concepts are reinforced through a series of business case studies and Cisco Packet Tracer activities that expose students to entrepreneurship opportunities in networking and broadband scenarios.

To access the Passport21 to Entrepreneurship learning materials, log in to Academy Connection and click the Passport21 graphic on the left, and then select the appropriate materials for your needs.

The Passport21 to Entrepreneurship learning materials are available in English only, but are available for use by all students and instructors.

See More: Cisco Passport21 to Entrepreneurship Now Available to Students

Steve Jobs Is The Biological Brother Of Homer Simpson’s Mother [Fun Facts]

Steve Jobs Is The Biological Brother Of Homer Simpson’s Mother [Fun Facts]

35 Accents in the English Language

Top 10 Ways to Rock Your Resumé

10. Start with a Big List, and Then Shorten It

Make a plain text document of all the possible information you might include, and then pare it down from there. You're less likely to forget anything important, and it will also come in handy if you ever need to tweak it for different job opportunities.

9. Know What Not to Include

When it comes time to narrow down your giant list of accomplishments, you'll want to make sure you're including the most important stuff. You definitely want to get rid of not-so-notable accomplishments, and anything outdated can probably go too. There are also a lot of phrases that are just wasting ink on the page, and you should get rid of those too.

8. Avoid Overused Phrases

Six words to drop from your resume.

Bland phrases to avoid.

7. Quantify Your Accomplishments

Instead of filling your resumé with the aforementioned canned phrases, pick something quantifiable.

6. Find the Keywords Your Employer is Looking for and Use Them

HR folks are scanning resumé's for relevant keywords, like names of computer programs you know. Making sure these are somewhere on your resumé increase its chances of getting seen and actually read, not just glossed over.

5. Strategically Tweak Your Dates of Employment

Employers aren't usually too fond of job-hoppers, so if you've had a few recent jobs instead of a steady one, you might want to try and pull attention away from that fact.

4. Try a Visual Slideshow or Video Resumé

While many employers will prefer the simple, single-page list of accomplishments, lots of others would prefer to see your personality and accomplishments more in-depth through a slideshow or video resumé.

3. Don't Use it Until the End of the Interview Process

If you wait to hand in your resumé until the end, you'll be forced to show yourself off in other ways, and keep your potential employers thinking about something else beyond the dull checklist of accomplishments.

2. Use Multiple Resumés for Different Potential Jobs

If you're applying for multiple jobs, even if they're in the same field, you may not want to use the same resumé for each job. Tailor your resumé to each specific job you apply for, and send a unique resumé out for each one.

1. Proofread from the Bottom Up

There are a lot of ways to make sure you proofread it well (like printing it out), but one of the more interesting ways we've seen is to read it from the bottom up.

Source: Top 10 Ways to Rock Your Resumé

Gmail Smart Labels Add Automatic Inbox Filters for Mass Mail, Combat Email Overload

What kind of mail do the Smart Labels catch? Three main categories, with one of them automatically kept out of your inbox:

* Bulk: Mass mailings, like newsletters and offerings from companies. Basically, the email equivalent of the bulk mail you get in paper form.
* Notifications: Messages sent to you directly, but automatically generated—monthly statements, bills, receipts, and updates from social services like Facebook.
* Forums: Messages from mailing lists, forums, or other groups you've joined.

Source: Gmail Smart Labels Add Automatic Inbox Filters for Mass Mail, Combat Email Overload

An Update is Available For Your Computer

Server Attention Span

Where Zombies Live : Cordyceps

*BBCWorldwide

Meaningful Birthday

I didn't realize how lucky I am just before my friends gave their greeting messages on my 22nd birthday.

Some say that I am blessed with so many things; but I myself don't see anything special in my life.

But they proved me wrong; if almost everyone of them think and say the same thing, then there's something wrong in my perspective of seeing my life.

A message from a friend quotes, "always remember that you are blessed and privileged with your family, friends, health and career."

I dissected every word from the message and tried to absorb them one by one. And yes, this is actually true; and I feel bad to have denied it before this realization.

I may not be giving the detailed process on how I came into the acceptance of me being this blessed, I know one thing; I have a problem.

Dilemma now is that, why do I see things differently from others? Am I having a problem with my contentment (though I can say that I'm a dreamless person; or is the other way around, that I am dreaming of things higher than what I am achieving)?

Where shall I go?

*credits on Tumblr

The Weakest Link, Goodbye!

I will not further add to those sad goodbyes,I must not be dismayed with it. I believe we only part to meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends. Every goodbye makes the next hello closer.

For this, I leave WorldPartner, Inc.'s vicinity with a smile; facing the new challenges in my career while keeping my friends in my heart.

Cheers!