Monday, January 30, 2006

I receive a DHL Package......DSL CD Manual

I was surprised when i arrived this morning in our office when the guard informed me about a DHL package from Manila. Haaa!! i thought it was a gift but then it was a CD. At last i got the DSL Training CD from one of our suppliers in Manila. Gotta open this one and check the training manual inside...

Hmm, and by the way i am still having problems on this VLAN test of our DSLAM and this new switch. I was assigned a test scenario in which i have been workin on for a week now, but still no success in getting what I wanted. Tagged and Untagged packets seems to be my word nemesis for this day and i am still trying to understand how this will work. I have been reading info on VLAN but putting it in combination with ATM technology which includes Virtual Channels seems to be a little bit challenging and complicated. We have been succesful in creating a simple VLAN stuff, but we have a scenario in which we would like to implement in our network. Hopefully i will have the full report by next week. I have seen boxes of Nortel WLAN-Mesh radios outside the lobby and i was thinking perhaps those are coming to our test room for a visit. Still have 2 Wimax Box here and i havent started testing it yet.....With all this testing, i dont know if i can still have time learning this Linux and Ruby thing which i feel is really an important skill for me.

Ok gotta go.....

Sunday, January 29, 2006

PAY IT FORWARD NOT BACK....


Last night i arrived home late after I accompanied some engineers from Manila who were helping us in configuring and installing the call center solutions for Ariba. We ate our dinner at SunBurst which was just a wall away from the Ariba Call Center. The food was delicious especially the "kinilaw" and the chicken crackers which was made from chicken skin. That night, i was very tired and would want to lie down immediately and sleep like a cow throughout the night. However, I thought of turning the TV on first to check on News Central for any current events of the day. My attention was caught by a movie from Studio 23 Presents which is entitled "PAY IT FORWARD". I was curios, what the hell it means? paying forward ...? or is it the right word was to pay back or maybe it was just one of those jargon used by movie writers. So i decided to watch even if my eyes were really really tired already.

The movie was about a 7th grade boy who was inspired by the assignment given to them by their scarface teacher. The assignment was to think of something that could change the world and put it into action. The one with the best idea will have extra credits for the whole year. So as inspired he formulated the idea of creating a chain like reaction of giving favors to people. The idea was to help or do some favors for 3 persons and each person will do the same to another 3 persons thus it is called paying it forward. The boy started it with a homeless man, his mother and his teacher who give the assignment. Days came and the boy give up because he thought that the favors he gives to the 3 persons were not paid forward. But unknown to him, his mother, the homeless man and his teacher have done their share in paying it forward to another 3 persons. Until it grows and grows and have reached the city, when it was noticed by a young journalist. The movement was then called as the Pay it Forward Movement. So the boy was traced and became instant celebrity for the idea he has started. When asked why did he do it, he answered that everything sucks so he likes to see if the world really change. However the story ended tragically when the boy on the day he was interviewed was stabbed to death by a gangster because of his effort to help the young boy who was beaten by them.

For an hour my eyes were glued to the screen and feeling the compassion that emanates from the movie. The movie ends with all the people from all over the city coming to their small home bringing flowers and candles to pay homage to their son. It was a good movie, something that reminds us that sometimes giving favors to others doesnt always means we have to ask to be paid back. It is one trait that we Filipinos genereally dont have. Because of "utang na loob", we always ask something in return for every favor we give to others in need. We have breed corruption and dishonesty because of our goal to pay back the persons who have helped us.

Imagine if we do this Paying it forward thing....then every one will be helping more people than we ever could imagine. It would be a global revolution, more profitable than Pyramiding scam we have before. PAYING IT FORWARD is one thing that must be part of our Filipino culture instead of that "UTANG NA LOOB" thing. Do you agree with me?......

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Alone in a 4 corner room

Just last sunday, we have started our 24 hours operation for IT-Systems and Operations. Today is wednesday and i will be coming in at 10pm and going out 6 am in the morning. I am used to working 24 hours before but this was my first time to be working alone. It was very quiet so i decided to play my favorite music from my favorite band MYMP. I got a copy of their 3 albums in my hard disk, including the Live Performance they have in Music Museum. Since my table is located in the server room, so the song reverberated in every corner of our DataCenter. MYMP sounds too good, and every song carries a memory within me. Haaaah...sentimental na naman..I was continuing the wireless test, and was reading the Linux e books in my hard disk, while listening to MYMP songs.

I have prepared myself for the very cold temperature inside so i have brought with me my Zenshin jacket (luckily i was given one, the only jacket i have right now). I have also a pack of Milo and a glass of water to make me busy while reading this e books. Too bad i dont have a spoon, so i have to borrow one from the Traffic which is in another room. Well, my objective tonight is to read this Linux stuff here so i can start my Linux learning process...but it seems my eyes are beginning to give in. Nope, i have to finish this modems here....


Sunday, January 15, 2006

badminton challenge anyone??

Just enjoy a lot the badminton game we have yesterday at Sports Zone. Last Saturday, i got this challenge from a friend of mine Edgardo from Manila Teachers MIS Department. The invitation was of a mixed doubles match against him and his girlfriend May2 from XU faculty. A bet of a free snack and the 1 hour badminton court rent is at stake. Hmmmm, confident enough since i have been playing straight for 2 months now due to our company wellness program which include badminton heheheh I obliged and accepted the challenge. My partner was my officemate Engr. Judith from Network Management Center, who is also a badminton addict. We had 3 sets and luckily inspite of the cocky serve by Ed, we were able to win 2-0 after n hour of game. It was fun and hopefully we will have another invitation for the same bet. Hehhehehe I enjoyed the barbecue at Butchers Best after the game, since it was free, fruits from the game we won. I am expecting a rematch then afterwards.




Wednesday, January 11, 2006

I am so tired today.....blah blah

It was already 12 midnight when i arrived at home. I was working at Meter King office on their semi structured cabling for their Local Area Network. I was having a hard time placing the surface box since there are cubicles already installed. It was my 2nd day there, the first day was spent on laying all the UTP cables in the ceiling and putting the plastic moulding on every corner. Last night, was putting the surface box and information outlet. Too good the AMP brand surface box needs only to be clipped instead of punching it down. It makes the termination much easier compared to punching it down. I was so tired then, because i was in the morning shift which means i come in at 6 am. I have to wake up 5 am and have to work until 2 pm, then straight to Meter King until 12 midnight and have to wake up again 5 am this morning. Aaaah, no wonder I am always thin.....Sometimes, i used to smile and laugh whenever people will tell me how thin i am, how rugged i look that day but deeply inside, i am ashame also. I am always thinking of things, it seems my mind is always full of problems, worries, plans, lessons to learned, people i love etc....i think too much and it drains my energy all the time. I am always restless on everything....on everything i do, i always want more for it, to make the people around me happy. Yeahhh too much thinking.....and feelings.. thats what makes me thin perhaps.

Well, today i have to finish my assigned task. I am late again bacause i was too tired to get up. I have to finish the Alvarion wireless test and the DSL Configuration guide for field engineers. One thing, i always wanted to do now is to study and practice this Linux stuff inside in one of my PC here. I dont seem have enough time...too many things to test first. Yeah i remember, one of my ex colleagues in Dataworld will be celebrating her birthday this January 15. Ms Emelyn , a good friend and a efficient co worker during my technical seminar stints and presentations last year. I was their Netwoking Specialist then. I am not hearing invitations yet....perhaps a free meal.Birthdays are good , it is one way of reminding us how short time is every year for us. So celebrate, in any way......shout, eat, smile, sing, dance.

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Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Firefox Extension : Performancing

I am so glad about this firefox extension tip, i got from the famous site tildemark.com. Surely, it makes my blogging easy and fast. I am so glad tildemark is fun of those tips, heheheh i know bai, youll be tying the knot of commitment this January 21, so one advice i can give is be gentle at first and be cool always. Congrats bai!!!!

Saturday, January 07, 2006

ADSL modem with built in Broadband Router, Firewall, Bandwidth Manager, VPN and Content Filter


Good day guys, just received another DSL modem with more features that is stuffed inside. Check this out dude Zyxel Prestige 650H-31. Its one bulky black box with a blue slash-like face and a number of LED's blinking like christmas lights. Its Media Bandwith Management is quite cool, since you can allocate bandwidth on each interface according to IP or port. With VoIP and Online Games so popular nowadays, this box might solve the usual latency problem which is critical to these kind of services. Subscribe a 2mb bandwidth and allocate bandwidth usage according to your services might improve customer satisfaction in your internet cafe or office. From 2mb, you might allocate 1mb for online games, 512kbps for internet surfing, 128kbps for VoIP, 256kbps for FTP and 128kbps for P2P. In this way, no service will use more than the bandwidth allocated to it, which means 100% service guarantee and congestion free. Also its VPN and Firewall feature is other good additional goodies inside.

Content Filtering is done with URL keywords and you can set it on schedule. For example, you can block adult sites from Monday to Friday 10am to 6 pm and allow access to it from 7pm to 12pm. This is good especially if there are kids surfing around during day time.

Bandwidth management can be set with priority according to IP address or port and protocol ID. A group of PC can be identified as for Online Games or you can set a specific port (e.g. PORT 21 FTP) to be prioritize on your bandwidth other than all services.

The box is quite good, however i am experiencing intermittent connection whenever i am using the PPPoE. Tried to test it using a Static IP and observe it for the whole day.

Mercury Drugstore slow service


I am not really that demanding person and i am quite good in extending my patience especially if i am in a service oriented area such as restaurant, drugstore, etc. However, whenever i was asked to buy medicine, i always notice the difference between these two most popular drugstore for me, here in Cagayan de Oro City. Mercury Drug Store and Rose Pharmacy. Sometimes, slow service can be attributed to employee instead of the whole management of the said drug stores. The same experience you might notice when shopping in Ororama against SM.

One time i bought Clusivol in Mercury Lim Ket Kai Mall. Since i was in a hurry all the time, i took the liberty of writing the word Clusivol in a paper so i would just give it to them and they can prepare it right away. There was a long line infront, too many people waiting to be served. While those staff inside are moving very normally, you cannot even see a slight hint that they are in a hurry. So i decided to go to Divisoria Mecury, perhaps the person there are much faster than here in Lim Ket Kai. And again the same stiff attitude are being exhibit there while people waited for their drugs to be served. Why are they like that? One man said, they move slowly because they are professionals. They are college graduates, so you have to wait for them to serve you. So, that was the reason, they are not "tindera or saleslady" so you cannot expect them to be fast in serving you. They are pharmacist, so you have to wait!...I transferred to Rose Pharmacy and i was served immediately. The next day, i observed Rose Pharmacy and yes, when there are too many people buying, they ran and hustle up. Is it because most of them are college levels only and not professionals? or it is just the way they work. Hmmm, im not really sure why but i guess when buying a drug i will buy it in Rose Pharmacy or other drug stores other than Mercury especially if i am in a hurry.

When i was in college i have worked with Mcdonalds Lim Ket Kai for 5 years and one lesson i learned is that when satisfying a customer, you must be accurate and fast. And until today, accurate and fast are the words i keep remembering when working on something. Mercury Drug Store may boast itself of accuracy becasue their staff are college grads but still they are not able to pass the customer satisfaction mark.