so far, so good!

I am having a blast! We (PhilNITS Training participants) went out last Saturday night. All work and NO play make us DULL..haha.

Yagi san surely had so much fun with us. We brought him to Jack's Ridge to see the view of the city. Aside from the beautiful view, the food was great too! Our sensei loved the kinilaw so much! :)

We also brought him to K-1, and our once-timid and reserved sensei (who said he would never sing) sang 3 Japanese songs and danced with us! We had sooo much fun!

I love this training. I got to meet some of the most wonderful people on this planet.

Bloggers

For my students in IT 151 (Web Page Design and Construction)

Please add a comment on this post and put the URL of your blog. (Para mas madali sa akin ang pag check ng blogs ninyo.)

And make your URLs clickable.

For example, this is my blog in friendster:
Mylene Sereno on Friendster

OK? Just use the anchor tag... Pretty easy, right? Cheers!

confusion about CSS

hello guys and gals,

sorry for stirring confusion in your minds when i asked you to create your own CSS for your blog. i just got a little too excited. hehe..

Anyway, here are some things that you can do to accomplish your homework.

1. Read this article about CSS (important) : CSS Design Process

2. download the original blog template

3. read and analyze the html code....(you have to study basic html or review it)

4. take note of the elements of the page...

5. try to see how the current CSS was applied to the html

6. experiment with the current css..

7. discover, and learn! have fun!

8. create sketches of your design on paper (or computer software)

9. create your own CSS for the page!

10. :)

Assignment for KBS Students

Download the April 2008 PhilNITS Exam from philnits.org.
Buy a notebook and write ALL your solutions and answers on the notebook.


Also, please email the URLs of your blogs to me or better yet, please comment on this post and include your URLs.


Please stay posted and do your homeworks!


Reminder: Do your Prolog program on Family Tree.

PhilNITS Training

Today is the start of our FE IT Instructors Training. So far, it's been great. Except for the "resignation" of my sandals (it was broken right when I was about to enter my room at Sequioa Inn last night! I really panicked because I didn't have a reserve and the stores were already closed. Good thing, I brought my slippers with me and the sidewalk vendor told me that there are still stores open in San Pedro. Whew!!!)

Anyway, the accommodation is good. We have a pretty and spacious room at Sequioa. I'll be having two roommates - one from UM Tagum and the other from STI Digos.

And the FOOD! Snacks pa lang, parang lunch na! hehe... :)

But what I am truly excited about is the knowledge and skills that I'll get from this training experience. Thank God for this blessing! :)

chat with one of my best mentors

i was reviewing for the philnits exam when i thought about updating my blog about SFD to include the links to the SFD teaser, which i have uploaded to YouTube.

however, Sir Edwin, one of my (best) mentors during my masters, sent a message through Google chat...

it's really a blessing to have him as my mentor. i admire him not only on the way he teaches, but also on his wisdom: about life in general.

he said:

life is basically about relationships. certain things can actually wait, depending on how you see it.

which is really true. i have been deeply troubled about deciding to stay or leave the university and work in the industry. i've heard dozens of advice and opinions on the matter but this single line really got me thinking. yeah, certain things can ACTUALLY wait. i have this tendency to treat everything as URGENT. sometimes, it's good to slow down and take things one at a time.

and yes, life is about relationships. at the end of the day, it won't matter how great you are in your field. what matters is the lives you've touched and how your relationships are with other people - famiy, friends, officemates, students, and even soon-to-be x-officemates, x-boardmates, and x-employers...

Sir Edwin:

we all have our own personal struggles. and it takes one to dig deep in his/her inner resource to make the decision that brings peace to oneself...

whew! i really feel blessed to have him as my mentor. i haven't arrived at the end of the tunnel yet, but a least, i can see the light. :)

Nothing Constant But Change...

We just concluded the CSC181 Proposal Defense a while ago. And it was tooootally different from the previous years' defense. My co-teacher's head was way cooler now (he's a transformed person already!). There were no tears...no curses...no suicidal attempts...no murder plots (: hehe...that was an exaggeration. But if our alumni could have only witnessed our defense today, they would really wish they were born or have enrolled a little later. Geez...but as always, experience is the best teacher - EVEN for TEACHERS.

We've also learned through the years...
LESSON: Never Stop Learning! :)

Making a Living OR Living a Life

Recently, I've read Sacha Chua's blog on GenY and How They Work.
It really helped me realize a lot of things. It came when I needed it most.

I just talked to my other "boss" a while ago. I told him (meekly) that I won't be working for them anymore (next semester). It was my third and final attempt to talk to him. Finally, I got the courage to tell him about my plans. I no longer want to work on Saturdays, well.. at least for next semester. I want to spend it with friends and family, and most of all, I want to spend it creating more value for myself through:
a. engaging in real projects (I can start small)
b. reading the books I've been wanting to read for a long time
c. research on things that really interest me.

I felt good when my "boss" didn't react the way my "other bosses" in the other fence reacted. He even encouraged me to look for better opportunities and to do it while I am still young (while companies would be much willing to accept me).

He told me that I could still think about it until the 25th of October. I was thankful because I am still actually having second thoughts. Im scared to be financially unstable. I have brothers to send to school. And the Nursing course in Davao Doc is expensive. Im afraid I might not have enough money to support my family...

But I guess I have given more than enough of my share already. I am no longer happy with what I am doing. It's no longer worth the effort. I will still try my best to be financially stable without having to kill myself slowly by working unhappily for ten straight hours. I just had to enjoy my Saturdays again...

Sometimes, it's just hard to decide between "Making A Living" or "Living A Life".

I am joining the 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit

Wow. This is great. There's really a lot of action going on in the web these days. People are connecting and collaborating even more. And we are meeting FACE to FACE.

First, there was the Software Freedom Day.

Now, I am looking forward to this Mindanao Bloggers Summit thingie.

Exciting. I could meet the bloggers from my very own Mindanao. I am relatively new to blogging and I'd love to learn more from them. Blogs have helped me a lot. Reading other people's blogs inspire me (especially Sacha's). I learn from other people's experiences in every aspect of life. From computers, viruses, programming, teaching, presentation, travelling, food, love, family, career, friends...name it, I've probably read a good blog about it.

And what makes it even greater is that I don't have to travel far to attend the event. It's all happening here in GenSan. I'd definitely grab this opportunity. :)

See you there! :)

CO-PRESENTERS:
NOKIA (Philippines), Inc.
Mayor Pedro B. Acharon, Jr.
Congresswoman Darlene Antonino-Custodio
ABS-CBN Regional Network Group
Mindanao Bloggers
Bariles Republic

GOLD SPONSORS:
ACLC-Skeptron Ventures, Inc.

SILVER SPONSORS:
Asia United Bank
NoKiAHOST.COM
Family Country Hotel & Convention Center
East Asia Royale Hotel

BRONZE SPONSORS:
Digital Filipino
Pacific Seas Seafood Market
Shalom-Crest Wizard Academy
Generals Logimark Exponent
< Prints and You
Sta. Cruz Seafood, Inc.
Dellosa Design Builders, Inc.

Software FreedomDay 08 GenSan

Software Freedom Day 08 – GenSan held at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University on September 20,2008 was a huge success. It was attended by over seven hundred (700) people coming from different sectors of the society. Students from the elementary and high school levels of Special Education Program (SPED) graced the event along with their teachers and principal. College students from different schools and universities, IT practitioners, businessmen, government employees and teachers also took part in the celebration.

The interest of the participants perked up when they saw the teaser created by Mr. Linog, a 4th yr. BSIT student of MSU GenSan. In a few minutes, they understood the reasons behind the celebration: the vision, mission and goals of Software Freedom Day. The video of the teaser has been uploaded to YouTube.

The speakers shared their enthusiasm and expertise on Free and Open Source Software to the participants. Mr. Diaz spoke about the prospects in IT, Mr. Trillo gave a talk on how FOSS can be used in education, Mr. Sumajit on FOSS in business, while Engr. Matutina discussed about using FOSS in the government. The elementary and high school students of SPED (including a hearing impaired child) also gave their testimonies on how they were able to use Linux.

Mr. Bilbao and Ms. Santianes (4^th Yr IT Students of MSUGSC) also gave talks on the Open Education Disc, highlighting GIMP and OpenOffice, respectively. They showed the advantages and features of some of the Free and Open Source Softwares. Around 100 Ubuntu and 100 Open Education CDs were given away to the participants after their talk.

Moreover, the participants learned more about Software Freedom and FOSS through the exhibits that were displayed on the lobby. The exhibits showed discussions on Linux and some of the popular Free and Open Source Softwares that are in use nowadays.

The most exciting and fun-filled part of the day was the socialization and the games that were played in the afternoon. The participants especially enjoyed the FOSS Race, which served as the event's highlight. Fifty (50) participants from different schools and universities formed five teams. They had to travel from one post to another and do some challenges before they are given the chance to answer the questions, which were all about FOSS. The participants did not only learn about FOSS, they also gained friends and enjoyed the games in the process.

It was truly a memorable event for all the participants.

Even with a very minimal budget and initial funds of about 2,000 pesos (coming from the registration of MSU students and sponsorship of Columbia) the organizers were able to pull off a very successful event.

The organizers (which was primarily composed of college students) initially had a hard time looking for sponsors for the event. This is because most of the businessmen didn't have any idea about what we were celebrating for, as this was the first SFD celebration in the region. Luckily, we were able to make some of them understand what the event was really all about. And they generously gave us some of the things we needed for our celebration. Kristan Educational Supply gave us 100 CDs on which we burnt the Open Education Disc, materials for the registration, and some clear books for the games' prizes, SMART Telecom gave us beltbags for the prizes, ACLC Computer College printed the tarpaulin, Columbia Computer Center donated some cash, Mang Inasal took care of the organizers' lunch while Pizza Hut gave us some pizza for the snacks.

The OpenHUBS, Mindanao State University-General Santos City in partnership with Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, Holy Trinity College, and ACLC Computer College organized the successful Software Freedom Day 08 GenSan.

A BIG thank you to everyone who celebrated with us! More photos at Picasa

You can also visit the team's wiki page.

Here are some of the links to blogs written about the event by:

Mylene at Friendster
Sanrio
Patet
GrilledLife


There are also photos of the following:

Exhibits
Morning Activities
Afternoon Activities

Video of the teaser here:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3