[UP Fair 2008's Tuesday Night] Rakestra: Lost in Oblivion [UP Beta Epsilon]

RAKESTRA 2008: Lost in Oblivion

with the highlight performance of
URBANDUB
with
MANILA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

and

45-minute exclusive performance of
SANDWICH
on their 10th Anniversary and
[S] Marks the Spot Album Launch

with other performances by

Parokya ni Edgar, Kamikazee, 6Cycle
Mind, Sugarfree, Itchyworms, Moonstar88,
Chicosci, Silent Sanctuary, Callalily,
Hale, Imago, Mojofly, Rocksteddy,
Mayonnaise, The Dawn, Slapshock,
Radioactive Sago Project, Kiko Machine,
Pedicab, Hilera, Pinup Girls, Ciudad,
Chilitees, Taken by Cars, Cambio,
Manibela, Zelle, Boy Elroy, Oi Wag Dito,
Bembol Rockers, The Dorques, Angulo, Too
Late The Hero, Duster, Aizo,
Bagetsafonik, The Ronnies, Concrete Sam,
El Mercurio, Peryodiko and many more...

UP Sunken Garden,
February 12, TUESDAY
6pm

Tickets at PhP 85.00

For inquiries contact 09152628615.

Proudly brought to you by:

the Beta Epsilon Fraternity

in cooperation with UP PRIME, Mellow
Touch 94.7, Soupstar Entertainment and
EMI Records

Graduation Party

I had just attended UP Eng’g 2007’s Graduation party last Tuesday at Absinth Greenbelt 3. This party was hosted by Inhinyero 2007 as part of its yearbook package. Being part of the Inhinyero staff for 2 years, I’d say grad party was the better idea over a grad ball.

Grad balls are something too cliché, very much similar to a high school promenade. You see your batch mates try hard to look formally decent as imposed by the cocktail dresses and formal attire. It was the ladies who really had to prepare so much as they tend to wear so much make up and even have their hair curled. At least for the guys, all they have to worry was to get their best polos and slacks accompanied with a decent pair of leather shoes.

Last year’s grad ball turned out to be just one lavish dinner out for the batch. The venue was at the Manila Yacht Club, where the view was quite picture worthy especially with the sunset. There were parts where one could smell the stench of the bay though. I think the main event of the night was the dinner; afterwards, nobody cared about the rest of the program – most of the people would have probably thought of their own plans on what to do after the ball.

This year, Inhinyero 2007’s grad committee pushed through with a party. 3 hours of an open bar with light snacks and the whole Absinth bar exclusively for the UP Eng’g batch, it really was not a bad idea. This is in fact the way a typical young adult would celebrate. Drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), food, music, and some dancing. After semesters of uncertainty at the university, all they really needed was to have real fun.

The theme of the party was “Hollywood”. Basically you just have to look presentable, feel comfortable and be yourself. The whole event started with some Levi’s ramp modeling, participated by some chosen graduates of the batch. After the short program, I guess the whole floor was already given freely to the graduates. With the help of some alcohol, most of the people were freely dancing with their friends despite the elbow-room situation in the bar.

All throughout the night, I had been with Yugs, Cholle, and some inhinyero people. Norman and some younger circuit people were also able to find their way into the guest list. I’d say the night was enjoyable. One thing was lacking though, the people around were not my crowd. My batch mates during graduation are still different from those people I grew up with in my whole stay in college. I was with my G-23 bloc mates and EEE friends then. I was able to enjoy last year’s ball not because of the event, but because of the company.

By 12mn, I had to go home. I believe the real party have just barely started. With my current limitations in drinking alcoholic beverages and to have ample rest just to appease my high bp, I really had to go. I am also currently staying at my bachelor uncle’s unit. Being unemployed (for now) gives him some responsibility over me. One respectful thing for me to do in return is to at least refrain from going home at unholy hours.

Kudos to Charity and Joel, for they were the ones responsible for setting up the party. I’d say the party was worth attending to (if it were a ball, I would have not come). Yugs on the other hand, may had skipped a lifetime’s worth with some chick. Ezmo (Circuit) told me about this chick (a companion of an event photographer) who greeted (the moves?) Yugs with a ‘hi!’. They were all alone in the couch area at that time. Yugs became quite frozen of what had happened. All he did was to look back and see if the greeting was directed to somebody else. The end. (hahaha!) I told Yugs that these were the times when a wink could be handy. Too bad, he does not know how to, and never thought any of its practical use. Maybe next time! :P

Graduation Day

April 7, 2001 – High School graduation. Graduated with honors, 3^rd in academic rankings for the special science curriculum of a private Catholic all-boys school in Baguio (famous alumni: Rustom Padilla; famous kickout: his brother, Robin). It was a great day as I stood proud and confident, and so were my parents who were seated on the row with other honor students’ parents.

Aside from being an honor student, I was awarded the Gerry Roxas Leadership. This was a surprise award since it was only given and announced on the graduation day itself. This award had been special to me since I had not expected it to come. It was the only leadership award given at my school (we have no PGMA leadership award), for years it had been always ‘issued’ to the graduating CAT corps commander. This time, it was given to an Eagle scout.

My father even became prouder since he too was a GRLA awardee. I remember when I was little, my father showed me his GRLA Award which was framed along with his high school photo. He got it for being a CAT officer, athlete and a scholar. I did not dream of following his footsteps. I wanted to create my own. Thus, the GRLA was never included in my high school goals. Heck, during first year I was even afraid of being booted out of the science curriculum (I think drafting scared me back then; but now, ES 1 is a piece of cake).

End of high school. Start of ‘new life’. Graduated top of the science class; 99^th percentile in NSAT; eligible for DOST scholarship (but did not accept). I seemed to be a very promising student indeed. At the end of the school year, people had already been calling me “UP Boy”. So far, I was one of two accepted at Diliman, coming along with the prestige of making it into a quota course which is Computer Engineering. The others got accepted at UP Baguio, while most of my schoolmates had not even tried taking the UPCAT. St. Louis University had been the top ‘default’ university to go into especially if your high school carries its same name and tradition.

April 21, 2007 – College graduation. Graduated (PERIOD). It was a great day as I stood proud and confident, and so were my uncle and mother who were seated in the back row of the theater, just like most of the UP graduates’ parents.

Being accepted at UP is one thing, graduating is another. I’ve met lots of new people – fellow students in UP. All had entered the university having the same buoyancy as I had. Everyone was good. Graduating from a special science curriculum (or its equivalent) seemed to be a minimum requirement. Valedictorians, honor students, GRLA awardees, math Olympiad quizzers/winners; you name it, they’re everywhere in UP.

6 years in college? Who cares. Besides, my year of delay was only eaten up by just 8 units. I had the time of my life. I am very much convinced myself that I did great, even without achieving the typical academic awards. Talking about resume, I may not have that line stating ‘cum laude’, but at least I’ve got lines referring to my organizations, experiences and other achievements.

I never had any regret in studying at UP. I made my stand before when my parents almost did not allow me to study in UP due to locality. Now, I proved them right. I think it was my very first major decision in life. And ever since I entered UP, I was already on my own; it’s my life anyway. My independence was just.

End of college. Start of ‘new life’ (again?). UP Engineering graduate. Maintaining to be the person I aim to be. Looking forward to the future.

===============================

My ‘Mom’ (grandmother M-side) was very eager to see me (and UP) at my graduation however she just had her biopsy and was advised by her doctor not to travel. Original plan was for her to hire a private van then tag along anyone in our family who would want to come for a round trip ride. Since my family is based in Benguet, only my mother came to attend my college graduation (along with my QC-based uncle).

We came to the UP theater at around exactly 730am. Just quite in the nick of call time. I guess I had missed a lot of EEE picture takings with my 2007 batch mates at the front lobby who may have been there as early as 630am. Inside the theater, I was at the aisle seat with unfamiliar people at my front and back. I had Josiah and Rose at my right to talk to though.

Right after the recognition rites, I was rushing outside to avail of my EXPO photo shots. Me and my mother had some pictures taken at some spots in UP (Bahay ng Alumni, Oblation etc.). I just feel bad, I think I only have a few pics all in all with other people (batchmates, bloc mates, teachers et al) at the college rites.

For lunch, my uncle brought us to ChinaTown restaurant located somewhere at Banaue, QC for an Eat-All-You-Can Buffet. The amazing thing was that you get over 70 items to choose from. I just don’t know if I was able to eat at least Php430 worth. Not to mention I had been warned about my blood pressure. Since I kind of missed vegetables, my favorite was the Taiwan Pechay. Ice cream and black gulaman came in last.

We don’t know where to go afterwards. Since it’s hot, we decided to cool off at the mall. Went to Mall of Asia and was finally able to try the IMAX theatres. Too bad, spiderman 3 was yet to be screened on May and there were just two choices left. T-Rex andSpace Station 3D. We watched the latter since it has the earliest start time. I’d say IMAX really redefines movie experiences. I love my mother’s reactions on some scenes inside the movie house. And those were just trailers. Space Station 3D was actually a space documentary narrated by Tom Cruise. As I had been watching the film, I remembered my childhood dream of being an astronaut. It came out like a Discovery channel feature, and soon I noticed that my mother and uncle dozed off a bit. The documentary ended in about 1 hour. There went our Php200. I’d say IMAX is great! But it requires cash. You have to watch action-packed films in order to enjoy those 3D views at its fullest.

After(College)Life

Schooling’s over, for now. Here I am currently waiting for certain events to settle down. I am in limbo right now and I do hope I could get out of it at the soonest possible time. I’m just taking my time, before actually reporting in for my very first job.

I’ve been quite a bum lately. Well, I had no other things to do except to lower my blood pressure ASAP. The job offers still keeps pouring in, however my current considerations still lie between BiT Micro and SMART. For now, it’s a 60-40 in favor of SMART. It is with SMART that I have to lower my bp after all. But who knows what would be my decision in the end; as of now, nothing is final yet.

I’m currently residing in Cubao, at my Uncle’s “Town house unit”. Once I get to work, I am surely going to find my own place to stay. Although it would cost me money, I really would like to take my independence back.

So far, I’ve contacted Yugs to be a potential housemate, though we really haven’t started finding a place to stay yet. Both of us would hopefully start working this May. Ideally, I want to be live near UP so that I can jog once in a while, play tennis at the courts and perhaps attend some UP events. However, if we are to work at the Fort area or at Ayala Avenue, it’s still quite a long ride for us to take. Therefore, I think it’s a bit impractical. So I guess halfway between Makati and UP would be a good place for us, hypothetically speaking.

So what to do while I’m in limbo? Hmm… well almost everyday after doing some minor errands, I drop by at IML to escape the summer heat. My main concern nowadays is on how to lower my BP, and for sure the heat is a High BP factor.

Recently, I bought myself a 30GB iPod video. This gadget is also part of my own therapy. In cases when I have no one to talk to, or when I want to concentrate or when alone (e.g. long commute, studying, waiting) I now have something with me; music(or a video) would fill the gap. I do become impatient when waiting for someone/something, just like when I am waiting for my turn in the medical exams at SMART.

Not because I was able to buy a laptop and an iPod that you can say I’m a rich kid. Mind you, these came from my Student Assistant salaries, and I bought these gadgets because I needed it. Of course, it’s also some sort of reward to myself.

After my graduation (which is this Sat), I have about a week left to pass the bp scale in order for me to be able to work starting May (1?). I do hope I could put an end to my dilemma, in order for me to finally move on to the next stage in my life.

School Finale

Tonight is my last night at dorm. Packing has been more painful, since I have to pack things accumulated within 4 years. I think I'm going to discard some. Sometimes we try to be sentimental and keep some things, until we eventually realize that some are actually just trash. I remember when I was in first year, I brought home to Baguio my exam papers. Now, I realize that I didn't have to bring that much scrap paper.

Yep. It's final. I am going to graduate! woohoo! Even though I only had 3 units this semester, I still had a hard time with the subject. This was because the exams were too hard; actually it was ok but getting points was the hard part. Virtually it was like a zero-or-nothing type of exam. It was hard to mass up points. Good thing I did good in the MP part which comprised 30% of the grade.

The feeling of finally graduating is great! Priceless. 6 years. Not bad. My delayed year was just 8 units actually, and I had enjoyed a great deal with those extra time. I will graduate. Sweet.

If I were to turn back time and choose between graduating on time and now, I'd choose now. I am quite proud of myself, that even though I got delayed for one year, I was able to convert it into something productive to me. I guess the only thing that I lost during that one year was financial opportunity.

Because of my 1 year delay, I was able to prove and improve myself. This is a Recap:

I had the experience of working in a call center (even for just 10days). Bought my own laptop. I took Jap12-13 and a UC-Berkeley course in Computer Architecture as extra units during my first semester. My thesis group got a 1.25 grade, and we were 1 of 4 nominated for Best Paper at the 7th National ECE Conference. I passed the JLPT Level 4. I made more friends. I taught professors from different universities (UB, USC, CIT, MSU-IIT, etc.) how to use VHDL in FPGAs. I was able to 'enjoy' the job fairs re: applications to different companies. Got to play tennis. Got a sideline (IEEE SA). Got lots of pictures (inhinyero). 1 of 13 Filipinos sent to Japan for the Toshiba Final interviews (and I made it up to the very final interview, way past the laglagan phase). I now have a passport. I am very quite familiar with other places in Metro Manila such as Makati/Ayala. whoo! dami pa, di ko na ipopost ang iba!

If I had graduated on time, it would have meant that I was able to cramp all my subjects into those remaining sems. I would have rushed job applications and perhaps accept the very first offer that I could get. My resume would say that I had graduated on time. Period. I'm not a candidate for honors anyway.

Now, that I am graduating it is very nice to see and look back at what I had accomplished. I now had received a total of 3 job offers, and now 4 more applications are in active status.

Job Offers:
1. Astra Philippines Inc. - was invited for the job offer interview but I did not go. haha. During that time, I was already busy (and hopeful) with Toshiba. :D It's a software design company having the Japanese as its major clients.
2. BiT Micro Networks, Inc. - Subsidiary of the company in Silicon Valley. Sort of like a 'default' place for IMLers like me. Deals with Digital Design, I got the offer for ASIC Engineer which would deal in RTL design up to the testing and verification level.
3. SMART Communications, Inc. - Got it 1 day after the Toshiba results came out. I would be included in the Convergent Processes Group specifically in the Networks division. This would lead me to a shift from hardware programming to software.

Active:
1. Chevron - Bought up Caltex and UNOCAL. Just recently, they gave away free parker ballpens and 512MB thumb drives to invited IE students. Means: they have money. IT Career.
2. Canon Information Technologies, Inc. - Just had my HR interview today. Hardware Engineers deal mostly with Testing and Verification.
3. Intel Philippines - Got referred to by Ma'amTata. Position: Senior IC Layout Engineer. Inside info: will be trained outside, high salary grade. I just don't know how high is 'high' in Intel Philippines.
4. Soluziona - Status: no offer yet, but currently being considered. I had been invited to attend boot camps. One was the Informatica training (last week of March) and the next would be COBOL(starting april 23). Chance to work in Spain.

** If I had graduated on time, I would not have this kind of dilemma, choosing over what company I should go to. Not bad being a 'delayed' student ei? Before, I thought that not graduating on time was a sign of my misfortune. It just turns out that God has better plans for us. He gave me a chance to prove myself. Good thing I did not waste the opportunity He gave me. (Reflection: The Parable of the Talents Mat 25:14-30)

===
Last day of dorm, last day of unlimited internet access. Hopefully, once I would be able to find a new place to stay and be quite stable about it, I'd subscribe for my very own internet access. But I know it would take some time. Expect for less posts these coming days. I may not be online most of the time, but I'm still just a text away.

Outing!

Sukeban Boy

I was able to attend Weng-sensei's Jap10-11 final class session for this semester. I actually arrived a little late that the people are already videoke-ing. I was able to eat pancit and also had a slice of cake as well. The Jap class was supposed to present their final film project this day, however they lacked time for editing. Instead, they showed some raw and unedited clips which served as trailers for their film.

After the 'party', we proceeded to Det's home which is just a walk away from AS (and is actually near EEE). We ate Earl-san's (aka 'Claire-chan') homemade mango float (crema de fruta?), in his absence. For some weird reason, Det-san made us watch Sukeban Boy. At first we thought it was a Battle Royale type of film, but the heck, it turned out to be ecchi. I could not help but laugh about how stupid the movie is. It just shows how perverted Japanese people can be, and how low they treat women. The plot is so weak; the camera is repeatedly focused on female topless nudity. This is not actually anything like hardcore porn, but rather more of adult slapstick comedy film. Det-san, what were you thinking? Weng-sensei watched it with us! hahahaha! Was it a feel good movie? My answer: "nakakatawang nakakainis!" hahahahaha!

====

I promised BiT Micro and SMART that I shall give out my decision by the end of the month. It's the end of the month already! Help! hahahaha! I'm still undecided, actually. And there are several opportunities surfacing up along the way. I'm still waiting for the offer that I can't refuse. ;)

Health is Wealth

I've been too busy lately that I no longer had any physical activity for the past few weeks. Usually it should have been tennis, but I guess I had been preoccupied lately with my pending job applications. 2 weeks ago, I had my medical exam at SMART wherein I found out that I have high blood pressure. My hypothesis is that I am just stressed. I do hope it is only stress, because if not then I might have other complications in my organs.

Just recently, I invited my blocmate Bevan to jog at UP. I guess this would be my very first physical activity for the last few weeks. Jogging is not really my habit since I do have tennis as a sport, and that I'm not pressured into losing some fat. Usually, people who like to jog want to stay and look fit. In my case, I already feel fit. Though I really don't know why the heck should I have high blood pressure, unless the main reason is stress. With regard to fat, I actually need some since I noticed I became a bit thinner than usual because I usually skip meals.

Aside from having Bevan as my jogmate, I invited him because I wanted to know more things about BiT Micro, the company where he works at. Actually, I wanted him to convince me. Up to now, I am still undecided so I really have to gather more information. As of now, 3 of my bloc mates are already under BiT Micro (News: CarloLara already signed up), aside from them there are already dozens of UP EEE alumni.

Funny, since I am not used to jogging I got easily tired compared to Bevan who I think is a gym freak nowadays (hehe). We had more rounds of walking instead of jogging. Through the walks, we talked about mature stuffs specifically about work. I know, my BiT Micro bloc mates are anticipating my decision on whether I join them or not.

For this day, I had slept well (12am is already early for me), woke up at about 9am. Jogged around campus at about 4pm. Later, I'm going to check my blood pressure again, and see if I am still stressed. I'm crossing my fingers on this one.

On a High

EDIT: Included pics from Bryann's blowout

I'm getting worried over my blood pressure. For the last few days, my average blood pressure is 140/100, and it is already at the high blood region. I was only able to know this because of my medical exam for SMART, and now I am quite pressured in lowering it at the soonest possible time.

Having high blood pressure means that I am not fit. This surprises me since I feel just normal, with no complaints. I don't even look like a person likely to get high blood. Perhaps I may just be too stressed after all the job interviews I went through, the QC-Taft/Ayala trips and also because of this end of sem madness.
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Yesterday, the cool guys together with IML faculty went to Bryann's house due to his invitation for dinner. Sir Bryann just received his delayed UP instructor's salary and so he decided to sponsor some sort of dinner bash.It was pretty nice to have some bonding moments again with the IML faculty, although SirRichard is no longer present since he is already puruing his Phd studies in the UK. We played poker with Ma'amJoy and Ma'amTess, while SirMarc jammed with Arnold and Gian in the background (with the use of 2 acoustic guitars and a K-hon), Ma'amTata and SirFranz just observed the poker game.

Despite me having the high blood syndrome, I did not stop myself in eating lechon from the dinner table. The food was actually plenty for all of us to eat, too bad I was a bit restricted at this time.

After the faculty left, we jammed with Bryann's karaoke machine. I think this was the very first time I indulged myself in Karaoke singing. Perhaps because all of us were guys, that it's okay to sing wildly. I really had fun last night. Although that event cost me precious sleep time, I felt unstressed. I really believe that having fun would give me my best medicine. I'm really really looking forward for more 'outings'/bonding moments such as this.

Friends, where art thou? Let's get it on and have some unadulterated fun!

Beta Epsilon's Rockestra

Last night was our Friday Fair night, the Rockestra 2007: Fake Sound of Progress. I would say our event was a HUGE success in terms of ticket sales. Imagine, tickets were sold out by 11pm! This is really a record breaker for all fair nights. :D I'm not sure how many had attended the night, but it was announced onstage that the approximate was 15 thousand.

It was in 2001 (or 2000?) that Beta Epsilon had hosted a fair night. I remember 3 years ago, I was among the bidders for the fair '04; we won the bids from monday to thursday but lost for friday. That time, EMC+CE gave a very high bid which was unexpected even by the USC. Eventually we backed out on the other nights since we are Friday or nothing. Ever since, the bid for Friday night had been that high.

Hosting a night in the UP Fair is not one of the fraternity's annual projects. We actually already have so many projects that we don't even need to aim for a fair night. It just so happened that the brods became interested in hosting this year's friday night.

Ironically, it is only this year that I was able to attend the UP Fair. My first was the LoveRage concert. My roommate who is a CE (Circle of Entrepreneurs) member, hosts of the last 2 years' Schizofairnia, told me that their previous friday nights sold about 12 thousand tickets. Basing from what I heard, LoveRage seemed to have gained friday night sales since they were able to reach about 11 thousand. This year's Schizofairnia (wednesday) suffered from LoveRage's pre-Valentines lineup.

I did not expect that Beta Epsilon's Rockestra would have overflowing audiences. I was at the ticket booth the whole time, and man, there really were too many people! After tickets were sold out, we still tried accepting people by issuing them stamps and invisible inks. Eventually, the fair grounds could no longer accommodate all the people who want to come in. We had no choice but to close the gates and no longer accept new entries.

There have been ticket scalpers who bought bulk tickets from us, and eventually sold it at a higher price. We only realized this when someone asked us if the tickets being sold by those scalpers are valid. It turned out that they were being sold at a price between Php100-300!

The fair grounds was like a movie theater having standing room only. Even at about 4am, there were still too many people inside. As usual, the so-called Urukhai/orcs had been a headache in terms of security. Since we already denied entry, these orcs even tried to destroy the fences. I feel sorry for the others who did not make it during the cut-off. For sure, I prefer them over the orcs to be allowed inside.

The main act for the night was Parokya ni Edgar and Kamikazee, which was accompanied by an orchestra from the college of music. I know, some people were a bit dismayed because it seemed that the orchestra became overshadowed. Maybe others also wondered why the orchestra got to play just 2(?) songs. As far as I know, the orchestra practiced with the artists for a specific number of songs (not just 2); however, PnE and Kamikazee became deviant with what we had planned.

We did not plan the merging of PnE and Kamikazee, aka Parokya ni Kazee. Their performance with the orchestra should be separate from each other. PnE and Kazee seemed to be in a jamming mood as they no longer followed the real program flow. Both bands performed as one and jammed to their hearts delight. I'd still say the crowd enjoyed it, since they were able to play about 8 songs together. It was just that, the main point of having the orchestra was defeated.

Still, I think the night was an enjoyable one as proven from the crowd presence even at 4am. Only those who rooted for the orchestra gig could have been disappointed. I could not blame them since our event highlighted it. However, the show was already in the artists' hands (PnE and Kamikazee) once on stage. In fairness, Parokya ni Kazee did entertain the audience well with their wild antics and gimmicks. So generally, the show was still a success.

I am happy for the fraternity since we were able to pull it off. We were initially worried that we might only get a break-even. It wouldn't be worth the sweat if we even couldn't earn from such event.

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Another happy moment for me that day was that I was finally able to get hold of my passport. :D However, for now I don't have my passport with me since I handed it over to Ms. Arleene of Toshiba for my Japan Visa application. Tomorrow's going to be our predeparture orientation; hopefully I would know our itinerary by then.

Valentine's 2007

Not your ordinary Valentine's post. (expect no mushiness)

I really had no plan of attending the LoveRage concert because ideally I should concentrate on my studies prior to my business trip to Japan. However, since most of my EEE batchmates/ barkada are attending the event in support for UP CIRCUIT (co-sponsor), I decided to come and join the reunion.

With whom did I spend my Valentine's with? I guess it fits to say that I spent that day with my EEE barkada. We were there when the clock struck twelve for Feb 14. My companions for the night were: Ige, Elma, Fil, Kelly, Liz, Jeff, Dyan, Nino, Argel and Jeric. Dean, my thesis mate tagged along since he was a loner (haha). Danes was actually one of the hosts/emcees for the night, while May had been with her officemates; thus, was not able to join us.

I'd like to thank Elma, who was sweet enough to give me a flower. Actually, it is a Kawasaki Rose Origami; thus, unperishable. She said it's for us to give to our respective Valentine's date(s). Since I have no V-date, then it's officially mine for the taking. hehe. I'm 1 of 6 recipients of the Elman rose. I hope it's not a sign for being marked because of a personal vendetta ;). Elma knows that I get to feel awkward carrying something with a lover-boy effect. I guess it's part of the fun in her giving. ほんとう　に　ありがとう　ございました、　エルマ ーチャン。 May you shower me more of your blessings (gifts).

I'd also like to thank Ige, for giving me a Singapore keychain, which was only intended as pasalubong for the ladies (none for guys). Cha, if you are reading this, I know you are happy since the Singapore keychain you gave me already has a partner; not only that, the partner is Ige's. So that makes you(r keychains) a couple! :D

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I was able to go back to the dorm at about 4am. Got some sleep, and immediately (9am) went to NSO QAve to fix my birth certificate problem with DFA. The person in charge told me that the earliest date of release for the new BC would be on Feb19. I have to have a passport ASAP because there is still the Japanese VISA to fix for (c/o Toshiba).

Went back to DFA after lunch. Directly proceeded to the Passport Directors' Office (what's this? the 5th time at DO?). The good thing was that my Passport Director finally gave me the permission to process my passport (rush processing = 2 working days). However, I still have to procure the new BC and show it to them upon release of my passport.

Right now, I'm crossing my fingers... I'm expecting that the BC that is going to be released on Feb19 would now be barcoded and all. Or else, it's going to be another torment in hell.

Rockestra: The Fake Sound Of Progress

EDIT:
Our lineup already includes the band, KAMIKAZEE! :D

Greetings!

We would like to invite you in Rockestra 2007: The Fake Sound of Progress , which will happen on February 16, Friday at the UP Sunken Garden, starting 6pm.

The highlight of this concert is the performance of Parokya ni Edgar accompanied by an orchestra (13th Ensemble).

Other featured bands like Queso, Slapshock, Valley of Chrome, Chicosci, Imago, Itchyworms, Mayonnaise, Mojofly, Moonstar 88, Silent Sanctuary, Radioactive Sago Project, Soapdish, Rocksteddy, Menaya, Up Dharma Down, Sibuyas Online, Kiko Machine, The Brew, Aizo, La Passionaria, Ang Bandang Shirley, Oi Wag D2, Sacramento, Sandlady, Kampai, and Matilda will be playing too at the concert.

For ticket and other inquiries, please contact me at 09287876287. Tickets are sold at P85.

Buy 10 tickets, get one free! Buy a Tshirt + Ticket Package = Php220!!

February Stars

Finally I'm free again! CoE113 MP1 is finally over; thus, I have time all by myself again. I felt some kind of satisfaction with HDL coding and Synopsys; perhaps just reminiscing my thesis days (which was just last sem!). Prior to our 113 class, I went straight to IML to standby. I didn't want to repeat my absence last week due to oversleeping at dorm.

Last Sunday, I had my first interview at Toshiba. Today, we were hoping Toshiba would duly notify us for the 2nd interview. Not receiving a call means you're out. It was already late in the afternoon when I received a text message from Allan Gordon, "Toshiba hahahahahaha". He was scheduled for a job offer at Soluziona that time, so I knew his text meant that he already got a call from Toshiba. Next came Argel who briskly went out of 113 class to answer a phone call, apparently from Toshiba. "Shoot. I got skipped", I thought. The three of us had the interview on the same day. Allan's interview was at 9am while Argel had been the interviewee after me. Class had ended and still I had no call.

Went up to IML to gather some things. As we (Dean, Eugene, Al and I) were about to leave the lab, at last my phone rang! "Toshiba na to!". It turned out to be my mother calling, which is pretty unusual since she is currently out of the country. Instead of being very happy with my mother calling, I was still thinking of Toshiba to call me. False hope. hahaha.

Then at the EEE parking lot, I received another call and at last it was from Toshiba. A sigh of relief thinking that the chance to go to Japan is still within grasp. Actually, what made me anxious of being called for a 2nd interview is that the 1st interview was a breeze. All we had with the Japanese HR was just small talk. It was like a "getting to know you stage". So if I was not called, where did I go wrong?

As far as we know, the 3rd interview would be the "free-trip-to-Japan" as we are to be brought to the Rising Sun. The 2nd interview is said to be technical, and we were asked to bring all our thesis paraphernalia. I guess this is it, the "laglagan" phase. I'm just hoping we could still pass through not only towards the 3rd interview but also for the job offer. As of last year, I think only 5 UP students were able to reach Japan and eventually none of them were hired in the end. 2 of those were Kelly and Emil, my batchmates at EEE. Since it is an international hiring, competition is indeed tough.

Right now, I'm just happy that I still have a future with Toshiba. Chance that is. The other reason that made me happy is that my mother called because she will finally go home this February. I may be a 'single' having no special someone, but for sure there is one woman that inspires me, and that would be my mother.

I would say I'm already quite excited to what the month of February has to offer. EEE days - for sure I'm going to compete at Ping Pong. UP Fair - at last I'm going to attend (!), and in fact Beta Epsilon would be sponsoring the friday night (though I'm not really ecstatic about this one because this means work and stress). Feb 26, my mother is scheduled to be here in Manila! And if I am invited to the 3rd interview, 日本　へ　行きましょう!

I Feel So Busy

How come I'm so busy, when I only have 3 units? Well, next week (wednesday) would be our first Machine Problem (MP) deadline for my Computer Architecture subject, my elusive 3 units. I don't think I'm in a cramming mode this time. I would just like to ensure that I am doing everything according to specs.

I have to finish this MP asap, as I need to attend other scheduled engagements these coming days. In fact, I am going to take the Accenture exam this 9am at the BahayNgAlumni. Today's also the last day of the University Job Fair, and I have not floated my resumes yet to any of the new participating companies. I plan to reproduce more copies of my resume, and also have a haircut.

I hope my semi-kalbo hair had grown enough for me to have a normal barber's cut. I need to look decent on my upcoming first interview with Toshiba this Sunday. At first, I felt ecstatic when I got a call confirming my schedule of interview. I don't know if all those who applied at Toshiba are given at least a first interview. If I'm not mistaken, the 3rd interview would be my free ticket to Japan, and perhaps a future career as well.

Come to think of it, Dean and Allan, my thesis mates are also up to it (I don't know if Wilson had also applied). We're like going to be competitors having the same research background. Competition for this international hiring is tough; as of last year, no UP graduate was eventually hired in the end. We just don't know what they are really looking for. All I can say is that I would definitely pursue a hardcore engineering career if I would be accepted in Toshiba. Who wouldn't?

On monday, I am scheduled for an exam at Azeus. Now, I am having second thoughts here since I was not really trained to be a hardcore software programmer. I have been contacted by the HRs since Christmas break, but then I have denied their exam schedules except for now. I guess this would be my last chance to finally take the exam.

These job hunting experiences are still part of my college life. I guess still being a student gives additional stress in job hunting. This is because you still have to take care of that last academic load you are carrying while enduring all the physical and emotional stress you get in trying to capture that dream job/career.

I know working folks would normally miss their schooling days, probably because they all look back at those fun times. The problems of a student are no longer problems to be encountered again; thus, become negligible in the real world. As for me, I already feel that I have explored enough of the aquarium I am in. I am looking forward to enjoy life in the outside.

Engineering Job Fair 2007

This day's gonna be my first day for the Eng'g Job Fair. It was only today that I was able to float my resumes to different participating companies in the job fair. I was not able to do so earlier because I had prepared for the first exam, of my one-and-only-subject-this-sem, which was yesterday 4-530pm.

As for my exam, err...I just don't know what to say. I just hope and pray that I could maintain a higher-than- passing grade; to be able to seal my coveted graduation. Yes, I know I really should pass it because it's a retake, I took a graduate course related to it, and that we made good in thesis. The pressure is on me. All I can say is that it would be hard to ace it. The style of the exam is just not favorable for me. Not to mention the limited time to be able to think clearly.

Anyway, as for the job fair on a wednesday, not all companies opened booths. It's ok since I still have thursday and friday to give my resume and other application stuffs. This is my first time in a job fair, so I can't even compare the previous ones to this year's. However, I had been quite critical on CAPES, the Eng'g Student Council (ESC) auxiliary arm responsible for campus recruitment and career development.

Publicity for the event was weak. Eng'g job fair was made known only a week before. How could one be prepared for that? I even thought job fair's on Feb. Now I am sporting a 'grown' semi-kalbo cut, thinking my hair would grow back in time for a February job interview. One needs a TCG on most applications. You'll only get a copy after applying a week before. Because of the late notice, I'm going to get mine on Friday - the last day of Eng'g job fair.

What irked me most are the release of schedules. The planner that I am, I wanted to know when, what time, and where the company talks are to be held. I had an exam yesterday, that I wanted to know what talks I can sacrifice not to attend. I've waited for email announcements (which should have been standard procedure of info dissemination) but to no avail no one had an idea; not until the day of the job fair itself.

I already have preferences on what companies I want to apply at. P&G is on top of that list, but their standards are way too high. I've tried their online exam and it's based on determining one's characteristics and leadership qualities - nothing technical. I am quite confident in my leadership skills since I've tried all sorts of things, particularly with the organizations that I had been an officer of. But man, they have some sort of filter, only looking at the past presidents (or at least vice) of organizations. If you have seen a copy of their list of qualifications, this filter was clearly written.

As if I would like to shout discrimination(!) for all the other potentials not having those appellations. I had seen a poster of P&G's UP hires, and darn I know most of those people. They were the org presidents, year after year. So for the lower years reading my blog, vie for org presidency. It's a boost for a future career, I tell you.

Aside from my preferred companies, I also have the 'snubbed' ones. Take for example TI(Texas Instruments). I know, TI should have been ideal for me since I'm from Baguio. Compared to Metro Manila, Baguio has only TI for a (big time) company where I think I could fit considering I am to graduate from UP EEE. Much to my dismay, I had known how much they give as salary, and it is too damned low. I tell you, even the call center agents would earn better than you. In a way, I think the low pay is an insult; shows how most Philippine companies treat its engineers. Cheap labor, huh? We are so exploited.

2 days more of Eng'g job fair; I hope I would be enlightened on what my future holds. As a UP student, it's really quite assuring that any job can be readily offered to you. The dilemma only starts upon reaching the fork that makes you choose on a career track you plan to pursue. Would it be worth it?

Jeff and Dyan's Birthday Bash (and Bevan's)

Jeff and Dyan deserve today's post since they have just hosted a birthday blowout. Dyan's (my G23-2001 blocmate) birthday is actually every January 13; however, since Jeff's (Circuit '01 kabarkada) birthday is on the 15th, it's very practical to have a joint celebration instead.

After some deliberations from the experts (c/o May), we eventually ended up in Sbarro. Dyan correctly predicted that the typical choices of bday blowouts would be on these kinds of fastfoods. No loss for me since this was actually my first time in the pizza-pasta establishment. In fact, anywhere is fine since today was a Sunday, meaning there was no paid dorm food waiting. So I get to have free dinner! Good timing, hehe.

So we ate pizza and pasta. No further explanations. Except that CL and I became a bit shy on ordering. We followed May and Nino's style of 50/50 for each pizza and pasta; the others were able to order a whole of each kind. Jeff even exclaimed that he did not become scared of our orders. He had high expectations that we might order too much, but we didn't. Taga-UP kasi e, hehehe, tipid.

Anyway, here are some pics taken from Norman's camera (I guess, along with the laptop, he had requested these items from her mom for thesis use. palusot, hehehehe)

(L-R: May, CL, Bevan, yung maliit na nasa likod di kasali sa pic, Dyan, Jeff, Elma, me & Nino)

Introducing... the latecomers Norman(1st row-far left), Ivan(2nd row-far left), Carlo and Karlene(magsyota - far right) Not in picture: Liz who was very late and ate in Mcdonalds instead.

Nice pic. Sbarro in the background, a balanced picture, and me in the middle. :D

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Last week, January 6, it was Bevan's birthday and we were invited for dinner at his home in UP BLISS. Among those present were Elma, Norman, Dyan, Allan Gordon and me.

(L-R: Norman, Elma, Dyan, me, bday boy Bevan and Allan Gordon. Not in pic: CarloLara who came in late)
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お誕生日　おめでとう　ございます！
ベヴァン―くん　と
ダヤンーちやん　と
ジェフーくん！

(trans. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Bevan, Dyan and Jeff!)

Jobba d' Hunt (Interview at Trend Micro)

I am not a bum. I am just waiting for an opportunity (job) while being a student. This employment hiatus gives me ample time in choosing for my future career paths. I am expecting action starting next week as this month is when the Eng'g and Univ Job Fairs are to be held.

Just recently, I had devoted this day solely for Trend Micro. Starting 9am, I went to the P&G room where the seminar was held. Dropping by the BE tambayan, I used the stairs up to the 5th floor. I forgot Eng'g already had its elevator functioning.

The Talk

The morning session was dedicated to a talk from the HR, a testimonial from the Head Engineer of the AntiVirus(AV) group, and a technical talk from one AV engineer. The Head Engineer was a graduate from UP Engineering, particularly from EEE. In fact, he was also from UP-IML and was part of the team who worked on the DLX III. He stressed out that the culture we have in UP EEE is not far from what they have there. Even though being an AV Engineer means dealing mostly with software programming, he is a proof that it was not hard to adjust from hardware to software programming. The company would provide all the necessary training and would even shoulder expenses for certain professional certifications.

Most of the attendees at the talk are EEE students. Even the 190ers were there. There was a funny moment with AllanOstrea because he was sitted alone on the front. He still has the habit of jotting down notes! Complete with matching doodle of Trend Micro logo! haha. The time came when there was a question and answer portion, for which you have to enumerate your answers. Allan was a shoo-in to answer all the questions, as if he had copied all the powerpoint slides into his notebook. Who would have known, the prize for answering those questions earned him a boxed set of PC-Cillin Antivirus! His diligence surely payed off! woohoo! MarkDespi got the other boxed set - well what would you expect? Despi becomes hyperactive and all-knowing when it comes to things related to computers. hehehe

The Exams

Anyway, we had 3 sets of exams. First was the IQ test. Darn, when you say IQ test, it is great pressure enough not to fail it. Especially when almost all the people taking the same exam know you! The exam was to be done in 30 mins. First, I just answered slowly and tried to be sure, until I realized I may not have enough time left. One part of the IQ exam was driving me nuts, this involved the pattern finding of a series of shaded/unshaded,small/big shapes. I thought I became dull, but I realized at the end that all of us had a hard time on that part. Whew! Good thing everybody passed (and was saved from embarassment).

Next came the technical exam. They gave 3 algorithm questions. Basically that's just it. The exam was bearable though unlike the others, I got careless so I was not able to ace it. Anyway I still passed. One thing I've noticed is that I answered rather slowly, till I eventually rushed in the end. Rushing due to lack of time is bad. One couldn't think better. It's either I was not psyched up enough for the day or my brain needs some sharpening. Actually, I've even enjoyed the Canon exam more than this one. I guess this may also mean that I am more fit into hardware rather than software programming - which is good, since I'm trained to be a hardware engineer anyway.

The Interview

So "Congratulations, you may proceed to ...blah blah". Alright, I passed again! What a relief! I told you taking exam with fellow UP students gives you a lot of pressure. You don't want to be the 'only failure'. hehehe

When it comes to interviews, I feel a bit confident. Just don't let them ask those technical questions as if I had just reviewed all my past subjects the night before the interview. It's really important to know what type of job you are getting into, so that you know how to prepare yourself. Fortunately, the person assigned to me was the Head AV Engineer (UP IML alumnus). ArmanCatapangan (not yet sure with the spelling) started at Trend Micro on 2003 as a fresh grad. Now, he's the boss of all AV Engineers. He says that the employees in TM are young. After some minor technical questions, the conversation turned to my group's thesis (his thesis was also based on DLX architecture). To sum it up, the interview was fine. It was the 2-hour wait that sucked. hehe

Boon or Bane?

TrendMicro's (TM) research arm is here in the Philippines. Meaning all of the virus solutions come from the Filipino engineer's minds. Arman proudly says that what they do can not be found anywhere in the Asia Pacific region. Travel opportunities are good as Arman's engineers are sent worldwide to train (take note: not to be trained) other TM engineers. In terms of salary ranges, Arman only gave a vague statement: "Pag ikukumpara niyo ang salary namin sa iba, I'm sure you would take ours". I don't know if he is aware of other company's salary ranges, he may have underestimated them. Or, maybe he refers to his salary (which should really be good given his position) as point of comparison. Well, I hope he is right on what he says, surely that would be an eye-opener for us.

The End

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Anyway, we ended the day by riding the Eng'g elevator. hehehehe... first time! (can students freely use it, or is it for janitors to carry tables?)

Stint @ ASTI

Finally, the VHDL-based FPGA design seminar is over! Being one of its lab assistants was one worthwhile experience. I get to learn and improve more of my skills in VHDL & FPGA.

The trainees are faculty members of different universities here in the Philippines. This is where we, (Dean, Elma and I)the students, became teachers while teachers became students. I enjoyed this kind of role-reversal. Imagine these teachers being looked up to by their students in other universities, while they (teachers) look up to us for the training. I kinda felt some natural high.

Soon enough, Hardware Design Languages would be incorporated into the Engineering (ECE/CoE or even CS) curriculums of other universities. Being part of UP-Intel Microlab, we were the major proponents of it. Para sa Pilipinas! (in this case, at least we are to be payed for as student assistants :P)

The "Legendary Sannin" (3 student trainers of the seminar)

Dual- Core Capable DLX Microprocessor: Candidate for Best Paper at ECE Conference 2006

Our 1.25 grade in our thesis does not stop there. Our Dual-Core Capable 32-Bit DLX Microprocessor was recently chosen as a candidate for the ECE Conference 2006's Best Paper. We will be presenting our paper on Nov 30, pitting ours against 3 others. Whether we win or lose, whoever would present our paper (we are 5 in the group), I am already happy that our thesis project had already been duly recognized as having potential.

Even at the start of our thesis proposals (1st sem, 06-07), who would think that our group would deliver such a good output. Look at us, an all-male cast who had dominated the IML for the past 2 semesters. We are naturally rowdy as a group. I remember one time for our proposal progress reports, our powerpoint background was that of an illustrated body with a bikini. Our last slide even had Xmas tunes in it. We thought we were cool until we saw the faces of our 2 lady advisers. Of course we were scolded because of that. For sure, our advisers thought we are going to be a pain in the ass for them.

Despite acting up as cool guys of IML, we still worked diligently with our thesis. Overnights at IML were usually just like camping out. But for our group, it was our playground-bedroom-workplace. We were like dogs who had marked their territory by pissing on it.

Our group is composed of different characters:
Dean is the geek-o who just turned on to his real self because of people like me and Allan. He used to be a bit reserved and mostly thinks academic. Now, he feels like a nigger or some cool latino.
Eugene is our thesis "main-man". He is 100% reliable as a groupmate. He places pictures of Korean actresses on his desktop as inspiration. Just give him a chance to play SNES ROMs and/or DoTA in between sessions and it would perk him up in finishing the thesis :P.
Allan had never changed ever since first year. He and Eugene were my bloc mates. He is a loud-mouthed happy-go-lucky-guy. Despite being the king of rowdiness, he is skilled in programming so at times, he really is useful and productive.
As for me, I have been always at the supporting role. I'm like the QA guy of the team. I also got to be the one extracting the data for the power, timing, etc of our microprocessor.
For our other groupmate, we may have had problems with him (or is it the opposite?), but I guess we just have to leave everything behind. That's what reality is all about. Nothing can be perfect.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MAXINE - Nov23! (see previous post)

ADVANCED HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:
Filonila (Nov 24)
and Kelly (Nov 28)

My First Professional Job Exam || Vote for Maxine!

I was absent in my one and ONLY subject for this semester. I got a text message early morning inviting me to take Canon's qualifying exam - 230pm at UP Engg's P&G room. My class starts at 4pm and since the exam was to be taken within 3 hours, I had to skip class. I hope my teacher wouldn't make a big deal over 'our' absence. We are hopeful graduating students in need of a future job anyway.

Technically, this is my very first professional job exam. This is the real deal, unlike that of what I took last summer for a call center job. Not that I look down on call center jobs; it's just that I am setting myself straight for me to pursue a career that makes good use of what I have learned in college -- in or out the lecture halls.

I was texted to bring only a pen and my resume. I thought it would be just a typical aptitude exam. It turned out to be something like a diagnostic test, testing our memories for topics coming from CoE115, EEE41, and EEE21. I really have to put some oil in my rusty brain. At least answers were in multiple choices.

I really don't expect to be absorbed in CiTech since they screen for the A1 students. But, if ever I am to be accepted, why not?! It's an ideal workplace to apply what I have learned in EEE.
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LET'S VOTE FOR MAXINE!!


Maxine is a "Miss FTV Philippines" finalist. She was UP Beta Epsilon's fraternity sweetheart in 2004-2005, BE's 75th year. She is currently a 3rd year UP student from the College of Mass Communications, majoring in Film.


You can visit this website in order to vote: "click - www.ftv.com.ph/missftv/"

or

YOu can also text her name MAXINE and send to 09186101866

UP Engineering Marketing Congress 2006

We had already submitted our marketing proposal for this year's Marketing Congress last monday. About 26 teams are competing and only 8 teams shall be chosen in the qualifying round.

I'm really not that positive that we're going to make it to the finals. We had written our proposal only during the day of the deadline. We should have started it earlier. Imagine, it was at 12am (monday) when we started to brainstorm about our paper. Our product is a promising one as it (well, something similar) had previously won in last year's MIT PESO for best in IT. Regrets thanks to ningas cogon.

Adding salt to our injuries, we passed our paper 40 minutes after the deadline. This makes our paper a candidate for a whopping 10% deduction. Most teams also submitted late, reportedly, only 8 teams submitted on time. I really think 10% deduction is too much. There would be a high probability that the final 8 would be those who had passed early. Most of those whom I think are top contenders for the top prize were also late in submitting the paper. Perhaps, only a slot or 2 remains for us to compete in with. Luck.

Our product is rooted on Despi's thesis project on thin clients. Thin clients are mini-computers which are less powerful than the standard desktop. However, thin clients are capable of doing common tasks in large workplaces such as that of call centers. Common computing workloads such as internet browsing, data and resource management, etc does not require powerful desktop systems. We propose to replace those general-purpose computers with thin clients and connect the network via a central server. This setup provides low-cost solutions such as outsourcing businesses and the e-service community.

Since our paper was rushed, I'd say it was half-baked. I like the name of our product, iThinC, pronounced as "I think". Like that of the iPods and iMacs, it stands for "Intelligent Thin Clients". Funny thing is, the marketing portion of the paper was not fully developed. I guess we spent more time thinking of how we introduce our product (and giving it a name) than focusing on our marketing plan. The hell, it is a marketing competition after all. Good luck to our team for that.