My job basically is to perform diagnostics & determine the cause of IT problems or simple hardware replacements.

Joel Galang

One thing different about this present job that I have is that im quite relaxed and is more of a office based type of working environment. Unlike my previous job wherein I usually go on field, do some branch visits and from there do the troubleshooting or repair. I dont go to risky places anymore and don’t have to travel to far flung areas & engage myself (in) a 50-50 chance of survival..[laughs] and the sad thing to it is you are not so well compensated. [laughs] I consider my job here to be a lighter one compared to the previous job I had.

And what’s great is the compensation is way better than the previous one. Though the area of coverage for learning is not that vast but the resources are so many in here.

nd it all would be on me to set my schedules to what field or area would I develop further. And as for now, I’m just starting to dig in more deeper into the networking side.. Hopefully, soon I could earn some certifications or at least excel on one of the its fields. One target of mine is mastering on CISCO routers and CISCO networking, sounds ambitious though but its worth a try.

Would you prefer to live in Singapore over Davao City or elsewhere?

If be given a chance to live and have some property here, why not. Singapore is a very nice place. Such a suitable place for my children to grow up at. But despite that, nothing really would make you feel at home than our very own (Davao). Maybe, i’ll just take both places.. [laughs] The scenario would be, work and live in Singapore just to earn and save some more then go back to the Philippines and do business. Isn’t it a good idea? What do you think?

I am so thankful to God our Father for giving me this opportunity, and to some really good and true friends who are so kind enough to offer their help & reach out to those who are striving to fulfill their dreams here abroad. Jose is one of those few good men who have character.- Joel Galang

How does life in Singapore differ from Davao?

Life here in Singapore is far different from Davao. Here in Singapore, everything is in order. The entire country is peaceful and so clean. Though things here may be quite expensive but still life here really is great. In fairness to Davao I would say life in there is good but here in Singapore, life is at its best. Considering the development and the orderliness of the place. In here, you have a great time for work plus great compensation for your efforts. So I may say, Singapore life is okay.

Message to our batchmates and friends

Hello to everyone, I hope you everybody is in good shape and in a better condition right at this moment. I wish everybody good luck on whatever undertakings that everyone is getting into right now. I would commend one of our batchmate, in person of Elmer Cagape, for his great effort on bringing back to life this website of ours. All praises and thanks to you ‘Mer. Keep up the good work.

To all our batchmates, hope to see you in the future. I know everybody are so busy, nevertheless, I hope we could come up of something that would at least gather us again even for a day only, a batch reunion perhaps. It’s just a suggestion though but if it would be made possible, well and good. Stay happy everyone..God Bless!

Engr. Gierran

Again congratulation to your batch and keep going and carry on the fight! the fight not to be great but to do ordinary things super extra ordinarily!

Engr Allan N Gierran, Wellington, New Zealand

Most people who struggle to find a fairly good job may think that Makati is a perfect place to land. Sure, there are plenty of opportunities available. Opportunities flow like milk and honey. But getting here is not that easy. Because there are plenty of people to compete with as well. And you’ll encounter the discriminating, the high-hats, the prestigious, and tough interviewers.

Let me just confirm some simple discriminating truths that you may so often hear when you scramble for that dream career. These are just my observations, true not only here in Makati, but in many Metro Manila places as well.

1. That Visayan accent

Makati skyline on a fine weather day.

If you want to go first base, improvise your Tagalog. I’m referring to the accent. Because the intonation is simply different. But having various groups of friends from different places who speak the Cebuano or Visayan language, I’ve learned that, Davaoeños speak fairly good Tagalog, and more adaptable to the so-called ‘malambing’ intonation.

But there are those, who, no matter how confident in the terms and words to be used, are distinctively Bisaya in nature. If you don’t strive to improve on this, it could be a ground to put you off the list. You know why? The discriminating line draws from the simple fact that the interviewer may simply not like the sound of it. ‘Cause guess what, that distinctive Visayan accent may have associated you with her helper or yaya at home! And so, if one finds this as a problem, better speak English!

We never want to lose our identity. Forever, we are Davaoeños at heart, and pink blooded UICian. But we must adapt on the proper use of the language, not so as to impress, and not so as to forget where we came from. But for them to better understand us, that like them, we are decent people as well. And for
them to realize, that hey men, we’re just as kewl as anybody could be!

2. Where did you graduate?

For all of us who have been about 5 years in the IT industry, this may no longer be important. Most interviewers scrutinize more on our employment record. Still, there are a few who manage not to get away with this. I have dropped my resume to one of the companies I found here in Makati, because I saw their ad on a newspaper. I wondered why I was never called for an interview. Next thing I found out, they reposted on the same newspaper, and added, “for Ateneo and De La Salle graduates only!” Believe me, I’ve read it with my own eyes! Well, fine! They haven’t heard about our beloved alma mater, UIC!

It all dwells down on questioning on who we really are. I realized that maybe we can do a little something for our school too, for it to be recognized as well. By keeping the right attitude in our workplace, and become assiduous in our work, striving to reach our own best….and by proving ourselves really well, we eliminate the discriminating walls. And sure to find, that if you do good, it becomes a high scoring ground for another kababayan out there who marches on the line of interview as well.

3. Don’t be intimidated

So you got the job you want. And you’re on high spirits for a new start. You start to win friendship among colleagues. And you’ve gotten over or have not ever experienced discriminating behaviors from the selection of candidate employees. Yet there are those who will really try to knock you down, and think they got the hippies, the advanced knowledge, and technology savvy. Believe me, they are really good in that. All the blah-blah so to speak, because that’s the way their elite schools have trained them to be. My word of advice, never be intimidated. Just do what you can, and strive for excellence. A few weeks later, they’ll recognize your capabilities. And everything will just change. I’ve known a number of friends who have been through with this, but they turn out to be the most trusted, dependable employees.

Other people came here because they were relocated. Others got good recommendations from someone they knew who already worked here. These were the cases for Rizza and me, so maybe it wasn’t really that hard. Some have worked their way up through exam and interviews like Raul, Gary, Cres, and Flint. Probably with no depressing experiences in the beginning as well.

Makati is the cleanest city here in the metropolis, and probably that place up here with the most orderly traffic. And several benefits for residents who are young children and senior citizens. But this also is where a lot of women step down from the building for a yosi break, where a lot of women give in to the most expensive vanities and material things, where apartment rents are soaring high just like the PPA, and where taxi drivers knack the hell out of you!

But no matter where we are, in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, or even beyond foreign seas, we in our batch, have a beautiful place where we came from, that molded us on who we came to be. We had classmates and batch mates who, through friendship, have influenced us in a more idealistic way. And so though in a fast-paced environment, we all manage to become strong to keep our own identity. Fully aware to stand up for all the things we believe, yet keeping an open mind to learn new things.

Suddenly a loud shriek of frustration caught everyone’s attention. Somebody was being crowded with curious onlookers. On an old yet functional color monitor the game of Dyna Blaster was on progress. The character hero in the game just got bumped by a quick piggy-faced antagonist, preventing the rescue of a princess. As the last remaining “life” of the hero starts to resume, a collective murmur alarms the player and he immediately presses the Esc key, thereby aborting the game.

Shortly after that disturbance, everybody seemed to go back to fixing, welding, wiring, and programming — the real business in the room — including the one being crowded. An instructor comes in. And with the sight he is seeing, these bunch of Computer Engineer-wannabes seem on track with their stuff, he thinks, and goes out.

Beneath the game faces of students immune to the smell of metallic soldering irons and burnt transistors are worn out brains wary about many things from miscalculated mechanical measurements and locally unavailable chips to simply losing much sleep and money for the devices to work. In the MDL, stress levels are high, and an immediate relief is needed, without the necessity to spend more. With spare 80386 computer used to test assembly language instructions programs available to every group, treating stress with a computer game is likely a welcome antidote for something caused by computers themselves.

Pac Man or Super Mario could easily share the spotlight with Dyna Blaster but the appeal of the latter is also contributed by its lack of hype and fame the other two has achieved over the years. On an individual level of getting rid of stress, the game provides a symbolic scenario. As the hero-miner digs for resources by laying bombs to destroy walls and uncover hidden keys, Batch97 tries to explore new things with such “MDL inventions” which could lead to bigger things.

That being said, there are also other reasons why this is the game of choice:

1. It is light. The whole program fits in one micro floppy disk and can easily run into an old, slow PC with very little virtual memory required. Other games require certain hardware add-ons and portability can be an issue.

2. It is simple. It does not take a lot of time to learn how the game is played. Arrow keys and the space bar basically control the arsenal of the hero character.

3. It is fun. Most importantly the game serves its purpose, to have fun and ease tensions. It easily creates excitement that, if uncontrolled, spawns pandemonium in the MDL that could lead to reprimands from the Dean of Engineering.

There were notable experts who easily reach advanced levels and finish the mission; and trying hards who can’t finish the mission even if they admitted to having dreamt about the game in their short sleeping privileges.

And as the fulfillment of a dream came as UIC Computer Engineering Class of 1997 did the graduation march at the grounds of Davao Convention and Exhibition Center, one tiny game managed to keep everyone his/her sanity at the time when he/she almost lost it.

First, as a five-year degree course, there is at least ten semesters to pursue the course. Sometimes it is longer. If things go wrong such as financial constraints, failure to cope up with subjects and flunking due to lack of focus on studies, then there is a risk that the initial investment spent will never yield results. Well, at least, these explanations do not limit themselves on the course aforementioned.

Solenoid: A project of Circuits 2 under Engr Negrido.

And while time is gold, time management is vital in managing such projects. Lack of self confidence translates to group project making. Perhaps Psyche, Erwin Alfevin or Jose Punongbayan can "host" tonight’s session so that contacts are made in such a way that those who do not have the tools (breadboard, connecting wires, power supply, type writers or dot-matrix printers can take advantage of such opportunity).

This sometimes lead to flourishing romances which other classmates may not seem to notice at first. "Pirmi lagi mo kauban niya". " Ay langan, kauban man mi sa project". Even after the documentation has been submitted and the grades are released, the couple is still seen together. None of anybody’s business anyway. But not all barrios last long. On one February night when Jonathan, Toto, Butch and Elmer has decided to work the power supply project of Engr Abad at a kababayan’s place, all seemed to work well until 2am.

By midnight, typically early by overnight’s standard, the auto shut off features worked. It was a sign of celebration. A bottle of two of the intoxicating Red Horse beer at Malativas, a stone’s throw away, seemed a perfect way to do. But Jonathan’s beer was digested in his brain and influenced the way he thought. Apparently influenced by James Hetfield or Phil Anselmo’s videos, he wailed "f*** you everybody" while the group started to move out. Students of nearby University of Mindanao who were at the place were provoked and instantly engaged into a one-sided fist-fight. Jonathan suffered bruised eye, lost his left shoe and tons of pride in the fracas.

Lawrence checking the circuits on CFFDS (check article for acronym meaning). Photo credit: Lawrence Pantalla

Other barrios simply don’t work well. After some differences in philosophy (whether in life or in logic), group members leave and prefer to work on their own. Worse, renegade members don’t talk anymore with other members.

Seeing other then-freshmen friends have graduated in their respective four-year courses, it was time for the final test. About 60% of those who enrolled in 1992 have gone but the ones who remain do not necessarily mean intellectually-gifted, at least there’s perseverance. Whether it was translated positively (thinking hard to learn Assembly Language lessons) or negatively (trying hard to copy Assembly Language assignments), it depends on who are you referring to. With recently-graduated predecessors becoming instructors, it was a walk in the park trying to win their nod on each group’s proposal and rationale.

Overhead:
"Ah! approve man gain to ni Moso ug ni Casquejo, siya pa ba?" But sometimes, it just does not go its way. Raul once had a disgusted look, sitting on the tiled floors across the former Annex Library now (circa 1996) the Audio Visual Room. "Wa ko kasabot ngano dili daw pwede ning among project", referring to his instructor Ray de Leon’s remarks on checking their project. Other members Rizza, Liezl and Jumar sat silent, staring at the ground. With such experiences, many groups have shunned away from their previous projects and chose the more scientifically accepted laws of Physics. Two groups readily adopted it. Projectile motion simulator became the pet project of Ariel Falcis and company while Dums and his crew selected the more challenging free falling velocity.

There are always bad times, but there are good too. One especially inspiring experience was that of the all-female group of Raquel, Amy, Lovella and Veda Joy. Often facing adversaries and difficulties, the quartet quietly made a stir when they were among the first who finished their project, without the extensive overnight sessions. They simply occupied the corner at the Microprocessor and Digital Lab. While others were busy playing that bomb game and waiting for other group mates to arrive, Veda Joy was about to finish their documentation.

Projects, as tangible yet inanimate as they can be, could even be a reason for shedding tears too. When working for the free falling acceleration simulator, the team of Butch, Lawrence and Dums had some troubles. Results do not yield close to the widely accepted velocity. Having checked everything to be working, including transistors, power supplies and timer sensitivity to calculate results, Dums who was sleepless for days just had to cry his frustrations out.

Six years later the black hard bound laminated documentation may have been borrowed at the library a hundred times, or stolen for safe keeping and sold at the black market for a hundred bucks, the memory remains. Whether it was Jonathan’s black eye, Reynante vs Deozar wrestling match during the exhibit or Flint and Jose’s dance number at the presentation to the parents it was in the essence of diligent project making. From the proposed Digital Bulletin Board Marlon envisioned to the remote controlled security system his group implemented, it was an ominous sign of failures… and successes.

Batch97 may have copied ideas from Sleepless when it launched Unleashed, nevertheless it came out with its own style, inspired by the successes of its predecessors. And even if it comes as an expensive investment and unsure of returns, the experience was worth more than the tuition fees, project costs and personal allowances combined. Not to mention the trips up North.

Post Script:
We can only wish our projects were given more life and allowed to flourish, if proven to be commercially viable, and not just a requirement to pass college. If the more prestigious submissions were getting support from say, Department of Science and Technology or TESDA and harness the talents of engineering wannabes, we would have more concrete evidence we were once part of that team, rather than confine ourselves to memories (like writing this article) that we once built these amazing projects.

But as years pass by, I still get to remember different questions I used to ask and were never answered.

WHY DID WE STUDY SUBJECTS LIKE COMPILER DESIGN?
We were no longer in the 60s and 70s where software pioneers worked their ways into creating programs to make communication between humans and machines. And if we take the subject in the context of its definition that would mean creating software that will translate a program into another program. How could that be at that time? We were grappling with DOS commands and Turbo Pascal two years ago and now you’re going to teach us Compiler Design? No offense to our teacher who wasn’t even a Computer Engineering nor Computer Science graduate, but that subject was the most boring I ever had.

WHY ARE THE RVM SISTERS NOT VERY SUPPORTIVE OF SPORTS?
Focusing on educational excellence and moral values is something I was expecting and the latest lab equipment on display was a testament of such commitment. But I would have wanted UIC to excel in sports or at least be known as a sporting power in one disciple. Yes there is one bright side in taekwondo but who would know the sport could have been a front for a lucrative business.

WHY DOES THE CAFETERIA SERVE EXPENSIVE AND SUBSTANDARD FOOD?
We have the whole BS Nutrition and Dietetics class to provide us with ideas of what to serve on our tables, and before they graduate they would get affirmation from the rest of their schoolmates that they’re the best in nutritious food. Instead the school relies on the underpaid, overworked, sleep deprived working students who have every reason in the world to pout when asked why your bland food is so expensive.

WHY WERE SCAN PROGRAMS FREE?
Xtac and Lehigh were among the newest viruses to infect our floppy disks. And who would forget that MSU authored “Ang virus na ito ay iniaalay kay Professor Herminigildo Go” which provided us a combination of animated humor and inevitable fear of data loss. But every time a virus emerges, one classmate would proudly show a mini-floppy with “SCAN250″ on its label. A week later someone else brings out a slightly advanced “SCAN251″. I thought these must be programs to mimic reading your disk drive and randomly showing a virus name and purportedly killing it.

WHY WAS TRAFFIC JAM SO BAD AT THAT TIME?
I remember a trip to San Miguel Brewery alone. I was neither on a job interview nor does ordering bulk of beer for 20 Boys. It was our regional trip to Darong, Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur. Living some 40 minutes from school, I was left behind by the bus and had no other choice but to take the Bansalan jeepney on a wild ride. In the end I could not get through the gate as I would be walking unattended and might sneak out to the distillers to have a gulp of beer. I found myself sitting on the school bus talking to the school bus driver.

WHY DOES UIC ADOPT PINK MOTIF AND BE PROUD OF IT?
Perhaps the creators of UIC did not envision male students would be part of its future. That is why they chose a feminine color to reflect the feminine values the school would try to impart. Guys had no choice but adopt the “corporate color” that has been in place. Sorry but I just feel something in my spine. Fink forever, yikes.

Perhaps many did not know where she went after graduating in Spring of 1997. She worked for Davao Exotic Banana Corporation before moving on to The Professional Group (TPG) Corporation, once a sponsor of the famed Davao Eagles in the heydays of Metropolitan Basketball Association. Her assignment in TPG Group’s Manila office opened up a new chapter of her life, the time she would meet someone familiar to her.

Currently she works in Corporate Holdings Management, Inc. (CHMI). in Alabang and lives in Pasay City with her husband who works as school teacher / monitor.

Ryan M. Quinatac-an, her husband was then a school teacher and monitor for upperclassmen high school students and a churchmate in Heritage Baptist Church in 1993. As early as that time, Ryan already prayed for her that someday their paths may cross again. They haven’t had much communication until they met again in 2001. They started a relationship and after four years and two months, they decided to marry. As if fate would lead them to where they are now, that’s actually the power of prayer.

Ellen Joy cherishes those overnight sessions with teammates on every project undertaken in subjects like Microprocessor Systems, Advanced Logic and Logic Circuit Switching Theory or those Calculus and Differential Equation classes under Engr Rolando Baes, her favorite teacher. With Ariel Nermal and Emily Priego’s company and occasional guesting of Elaine Valenzuela and Ariel Falcis, she is in good company.

That is why it is her most memorable moment and what she missed from the whole class the most. In what would be the defining moment as challenged “Computer Engineers” proving everyone else the group deserved to etch the “Engr” title in their names despite not passing the Computer Engineering board; there was no board examination at the time and until the present.

Surely she can easily be picked as one of the prettiest in the whole class of ’97, but her timid appearance seemed to leave her as a woman of mystery. Though not regarded as aloof — she ocassionally displays her smile — she apparently prefered to shy away from everyone’s attention. Now, she would counter, “Siguro kasi I won’t speak pag ‘di ako kinakausap. But when I’m at ease with the person, madaldal din ako.”

She has to say these words to everyone in Class 1997 of UIC Computer Engineering: “thanks for the friendship that we shared during our college days that are worth remembering.”

We started our trip on the 21st of March, ang sinakyan namin na bus is 21-seater coach with individual TV monitor and massage. Sarap na sarap nga si Raul kasi relax na relax ang byahe. Si Matt naman nag enjoy nood ng cartoons the whole trip. We left at around 8am in Singapore tapos we arrived at Genting Highlands at around 3pm.

Para syang bagyo part din ng Malaysia. Tourist spot sya kasi me Outdoor and Indoor Theme Park. Malamig din parang Baguio pero grabe talaga ang fog dun compare sa Baguio.So after namin nag check in sa Hotel, pasyal na agad kami kasi ang Outdoor Theme park sa labas lang ng Hotel. Inuna namin ang Outdoor kasi bigla lang umuulan dun.

Enjoy na enjoy si Raul sumakay ng Flying Coaster. Para syang Superman ang position tapos ikot ka na me mga loop gaya ng sa roller coaster. Isa pa most of the rides have height requirement so di din kami pwede sumakay kasi me mga toddler kaming kasama. Ang nasakyan lang namin is The Merry Go Round, Mini Train which goes around the whole Outdoor Theme park, Pirate Train.

Other rides na di namin nasakyan is Antique Car, Astro Fighter,B oating, Bumper Boats (like in Enchanted Kingdom), Cyclone, Dinosaurland, Flying Jumbo (ayaw ng mga bata), Flying Dragon (unavailable because of the rain), Matahari (Ferris Wheel), Monorail (it was so slow nanghihinayang kaming pumila kasi sayang sa oras), Rodeo Ride & Rolling Thunder Mine Train.

They also have Flying Fiesta whic they call Spinner, Turbo Drop & Roller Coaster whcih they call Corkscrew. ‘Di namin napuntahan yong 2 last na ride kasi umulan. So we decided to check the Indoor Park.

In the indoor Park, dami din kaming di masakyan dahil sa height requirement. Raul & I rode the Euro Express roller coaster just like sa Festival mall in Alabang. Sumakay din kami sa Rio Float.

Mga dragons ikot lang sa buong indoor theme park. Ferris wheel, pinasakay namin ang mga bata sa merry go round na cars na umiikot sa mini Eiffel Tower nila. Other rides na di namin sinakayan is Bumper Cars, Reindeer Cruiser di na kami pumasok sa Ripley’s Believe It or Not kasi separate ang entrance fee sa ticket. Also me Snow World sila di kami pumasok kasi me height requirement din. Sabi nga namin babalik kami dun pag malaki laki na si Matthew para makapag enjoy talaga kami.We ate dinner sa room na kasi nakatulog si Matt.

The next day we were scheduled to ride the Genting cable car but which is the longest cable car. Unfortunately, di kami nakasakay cause every 22nd of the month ang schedule nila for maintenance (editor: d’oh!). So napilitan kaming mag Ancasa Cable Car which is the transportation from the hotel going to the bus terminal. Since our trip to Kuala Lumpur that day was scheduled at 12:30.

Ayun, sabay kami sa mga tourist na baba din ng KL. Grabe 20 tao ang kasya sa isang cable car. Tapos 2 lang ang cable car it takes 15 mins per trip. Kaya di namin masyado na enjoy ang cable car kasi siksikan tapos mahaba ang pila. Ordinary bus lang ang nasakyan namin going to KL.Dumating kami at around 2pm tapos check in lang kami sa hotel tapos we went to KLCC yong mall under the Famous Petronas Tower.

We ate lunch sa food court nila. Then we roam around the mall sandali. Dun nakita ni Raul me display na F1 kaya tuwang tuwa picturan ever ang ginawa. We checked the schedule ng pwede umakyat sa Petronas kasi me cut off sila. Every morning they open at 8:30 tapos only 20 people allowed to go up for that day. So we decided to check the Aquaria which is across the Petronas Tower.

Andun ako nakakita ng malaking ahas grabe nakakatakot ang size super laki talaga. Para syang museum pero alive ang mga inaalagaan nila. Me mga bugs but mostly fishes ang nandun. Mga exotic tsaka extinct na klase ng isda andun. They also have a underwater world version like in Sentosa pero maliit lang ang space kasi sa loob ng building kasi. Sa taas naman me malaking park, dami nagjojoging dun tapos dun ako nakakita ng pinakamalaking playground.

Tuwang tuwa ang mga kids kasi pwede sila tig i isang slide. Me fountain din na malaki dun na pwede pang liguan. After namin dun,we went to Chinatown kasi dami nga daw mura. But it was not what I expected. Para ding sa Divisoria ang Chinatown nila pero mas maliit compare sa Divisoria. Mahal ng mga binebenta makikihuggle ka talaga kung gusto mong makamura. Eh kami pa naman ni Raul walang tyaga sa mga ganyan kaya di na kami namili.

Ibibigay sa yo ang item sa gusto mong price pag andun ka na sa malayo. Nawalan talaga ako ng gana mamili kaya umuwi na lang kami. We went back to Petronas Tower around 8pm and what a sight talaga! I appreciated the petronas view at night. Mas maganda kuhaan ng picture pag gabi because sa mga ilaw. Isa sa unforgettable experience ko dun is akala ko makakalaban ni Raul yong taxi driver na sinakyan namin going back to the Hotel.

He was an Indian at biglang napraning. We were just confirming if he was going to our hotel tapos he started arguing that dapat di daw kami makialam kasi di kami tagadun. Ibang way kasi ang dinaanan namin kaya nagtataka kami ni Raul. Gusto ko na nga sanang bumaba kaso wala naman mga building dun sa dinaanan namin. Nung nakarating kami sa Hotel grabe laking ginhawa ko talaga kasi natakot ko kala ko baka kung saan kami dadalhin.

Kasama pa namin si Matt kaya di na pumalag si Raul hinayaan nya ng magdakdak yong driver. Anyway, uso din dun ang contrata sa taxi kaya pag sumasakay kami iniinsist talaga namin meter.

The next day March 23,in the morning we were schedule to go back at Petronas para maka akyat unfortunately I have to stay at the Hotel kasi nagkafever si Matthew. Raul went with our friends also a family of 3 na kasama namin the whole trip. They came back around 12noon and we decided to try the lunch buffet offered by the Hotel’s resto. Grabe local food nila lahat maanghang pati kanin. Masarap din naman kahit maanghang tsaka it is nice to try other cuisines once in awhile.

We stayed there until 2:30 and then waited for the Bus that would take us back to Singapore.

We plan to go back there di na siguro kami mag tour package kasi masyado mabilisan ang lakaran. Maganda ang Malaysia dami talagang pasyalan di kaya ng overnight lang.

Proud parents Gary & Florence, and baby Gabriel.

“Being a father is a tough job… really.. routine of my sleep has been changed a lot.

“Pero enjoy tinu-od na makawala ug kapoy kung makita na nimo sya pag-uli gikan trabaho. Tapos naa ka lang fear sa imo job kelangan permanent ka ug ngita ka ug sideline kung kulang imo budget. Meaning disidido ka mag work para sa baby”, he enthusiastically explains.

The origin of baby’s name was also one of the most often asked question. Gabriel originated from a biblical personality while Navorskie was taken from Tom Hanks’ movie “The Terminal”.

The healthy baby weighing 3.2 kilograms was born at 9:45 in the morning in Imus Family Hospital, within the neighborhood of Gary and Florence’s residence. The baptism is scheduled around the first week of May 2006.

1) Educational Category (Design Projects – CoE)
(Class Scheduler and Electricity Controller)
Designers: Rema Talha, Charry Benedicto, Butch Rabusa

2) Industrial Category (Design Projects – CoE)
(PCB Maker on Acetate)
Designers: Junie Pasos, Eliezar Basalo, Florencio Benitez III

3) Commercial Category (Design Projects – ECE)
(Automobile Protection System)
Designers: Giselle Catan, Niño Lagare, Clyde Pudpud

4) Paramedical Category (Advanced Logic Circuits – CoE)
(UV Contained Toilet Cleaning and Sanitary System with Alarm)
Designers: Alleen Cajegas, Philip Andrew Mayol, Claire Melody de Leon and Reina Jane Licudan

5) Residential Category (Design Projects – CoE)
(Multi-Purpose Home Protection System)
Designers: Ralph Trasmonte, Mark Madali, Michael Dela Peña, Arnel Bonquin and Ana Leah Millena

Four entries were from Advanced Logic Circuit Class while 24 others were from the Design Projects Class of Computer Engineering and Electronics and Communications Engineering students.

The Agricultural Category was awarded to the Ateneo de Davao University with their Soil Control and Bug Protection System.

Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro, Ateneo de Zamboanga, University of Mindanao Tagum College, Pope John Paul II College of Davao, Ateneo de Davao University, University of Southeastern Philippines, University of the Immaculate Conception, Jose Maria College and Cor Jesu College of Digos joined this year’s congress.