Category: Uncategorized

Time Tracking

I stumbled upon one of Sacha’s YouTube videos where she talked about how she is tracking her time and what benefits she was able to get from that activity.

I have done this 8 or so years back but I used a notebook and a pen to track my time. Now with the age of smartphones and apps, I just went to Google Play and found so many apps I can use for free to track time. I chose aTimeLogger and it seems to be very easy to use.

I am excited to see where exactly my time goes after a month of time tracking and how I can tweak it to get more out of life.

Hw can I integrate using an S-pen with blogging?

This is really cool. I’ve been wanting to use my Spen to write blog posts and this is just amazing! Brings me b.ck

to the good ol ddays when writing on a journal daily was my thing. I think its only drawback is when you make a mistake and want to correct it. you will have to correct it after you are done wri ting the whole thing coz it kinda messes the text but I am still amazed with how good the Note8 is able to translate my handwriting to text. I wasn’t even trying to writer nicely. And it was able to translate the words correctly. I wish I could screenshot or take a video of this coz you won’t really appreciate it til you see it working. I’ve had this phone for over a month now and this is the first time I used this! ugh! Ok, will be using this more. I paid almost IK USD for this! I’m happy with this purchase now.

Myka at 17

She is such a big girl now!

  • Walks
  • Runs
  • Dances
  • Feeds herself
  • “Sings” along nursery rhymes
  • Loves watching ABC Kids TV songs in YouTube
  • Sleeps an average of 10 hours uninterrupted
  • Separation enxiety but stops crying after a minute
  • Plays with strangers, she is more friendly
  • Uses and operates her tablet. I don’t like her playing on it for a long time though
  • She doesn’t like sharing her toys with other kids. We want to expose her to other kids and learn to socialize

Another year of blessings! :)

I don’t have much time to write about the past year in my hmm..not so young life anymore. Haha. But given a minute to reflect on the year that was, I could only think about all the blessings that God has given me.

The highlight, of course, would be finally entering the industry, specifically working at Accenture here in Manila. I had struggles, yes, but those were part of my wonderful learning experience as an IT practitioner. From the protective and comfortable walls of the university, I finally entered the real, exciting, sometimes cruel and stressful world of the IT industry.

Despite all of the struggles and new experiences, heart-palpitating moments, nosebleed calls, mind-wracking debugging instances (I even blew up the dev server! :p), I still feel that this is the career that fits me, at least for now. Yes, there are times when I feel like it would have been much easier if I haven’t left my teaching career, but I would have killed my spirit then.

I have lived quite a comfortable life here in Manila. And thanks to my current job, my brother is finally a nursing graduate! Whew! Those 5 years of sending him to college has often left me broke just after the salary days. Haha. Just kidding. God has been so generous and faithful to His promise of blessing my life.

This year has been fantastic. Maybe one of the best years in my life. If there is just one more wish I could ask, it would be to have my loved ones close. I have “traded” them for my career and personal growth. Living so far from them is the price I’ve paid for my career here. Maybe one of these days, I would have more days in the calendar with them. But for now, I’d have to ask help from IT, my buddy, to keep me connected to my loved ones. 🙂

By the way, thank you for blessing my life.

Just My Luck :)

For me one of the factors that could contribute to one’s happiness at work is the people you work with. And I am one of the most fortunate people in the world because I am always given the opportunity to work with some of the most wonderful and talented people. 🙂

My MSU-GenSan family
Active Rail Technology Solutions
OSM Team (Accenture)
Portal Team (Accenture)

Thank you for blessing my life.

To My Grandparents in Heaven

I miss having someone to call my Nanay (lola/grandma) or Tatay (lolo/grandpa). Now that they’re gone, all I have are precious memories of the times I spent with each of them.

Three years ago, I wrote about how much I missed my three grandparents but I still felt happy because I still had Tatay Primo. Now I feel sadder because I lost him early this year.

He died on the day I was supposed to leave for Manila. I cancelled my trip and went home with a heavy heart. But I’m thankful that I was still given a chance to see him for the last time. I miss him a lot and it would feel strange when I’d go home and he’s no longer around.

Oh, I miss my grandparents. I miss being an “apo”. But I know that they are happy now. And I’m glad that I was able to spend precious moments with them while they were still with me here on earth. We really have to make the most out of our short time here with our loved ones coz life is too short.

MYMP: Make Your Mentor Proud! (Confessions of an X-Instructor)

Lately, I’ve been meeting or chatting with my former students who have made a mark in their own fields and it makes me so proud to have been part of their lives. Former students who come up to me and say “thank you for being my teacher” make me so happy and fulfilled.

You see, I never really dreamed of becoming a teacher. For me, it was just a coincidence that I needed a job and (luckily) MSU gave it to me. I was even reluctant but I grabbed it anyway because at that time, I needed money – which is not a very nice motivation to do something.

I wasn’t really equipped with the proper tools for me to become an effective teacher. I didn’t have any Education background (although I come from a family of teachers). I only had an idea of how to teach based on how my former teachers taught me. From being a college student, I became an instant college instructor – who had to pretend that I knew what I was talking about. Maybe I was a slightly good actress, an impostor, because some of my students believed in me. But I knew, deep down inside, that I wasn’t who I pretend to be. I was a bit insecure, not so sure about myself, I knew I had to get more training and experience to qualify as an “IT Professor” in a state university.

I knew that my good grades in college wasn’t enough. My students deserved more. But at that time, I had to teach – in the best way I knew how. I could say I did my best to give to my students what I had. Through the years, I learned that it was better to “inspire” my students to explore more and discover their potential. It was crucial for me to motivate them, at least push them in the right direction. I knew I could not give them everything they needed, a little inspiration could do more.

I am glad that I think I did that. Somehow, I made a difference in the lives of a few of my students. Not all of them may be great in the IT field, but they are still doing well in their own chosen careers. My heart beams with pride for their success. I am the “motherly” type of teacher. I feel good when I know that some of my students are better than me. And most of the time, I really encourage them to do better and excel. Unlike other instructors who get insulted by questions from smart kids or “compete” with their students, I like making my students feel that I appreciate and believe in their potential.

To all my former students, thank you for teaching me a lot of things in and out of the classroom. Thank you for making me a part of your life and for making me proud to be your mentor. 🙂