Recently, I took the Fundamental IT Engineer Exam which is given by the Philippine National IT Standards. It was tough – 80 items for the morning part which is to be answered in 2.5 hours and 20 questions for the afternoon part, which is also to be answered in 2.5 hours. At first glance, it may look easy but as the bell rang, that was the only time I answered the last item in the morning exam. Moreover, the exam was meant for those who are in the field of Computer Science, I am a Computer Engineering student.

It was just this moment that I found my name in the passers list on the web. Finally one step of the plan was achieved. It would be just a matter of time for my dreams to realize – I just need to pray a lot and stay on focus…

One time gumawa ako ng Sudoku Solver. Kala ko, tapos na ako. Nakaka-solve sya ng madaling puzzles pero natuklasan ko, hindi pala lahat kaya i-solve ng program. Binago ko yung program kaya medium puzzles, kaya na nya. Hanggang ngayon, naghahanap pa ako ng techniques para lahat ma-solve na nya.

Last week, napagtripan ko gumawa ng game. Naalala ko yung game sa Nokia 3210. Yung Snake. Within 4 hours, natapos ko ang basic structure ng program, meaning functional na sya. Then I spent several hours for the graphics and skins.

Snake beta 2 (download here)

Default skin, no maze

Doodle skin, maze 8

Snake beta 2 simulates the old school game of Snake in much better graphics than the old ones (which is basically blocks. It has 7 skins: Default (yellow), Blue, Red, Silver, Classic, 3D, and Doodle. You can also choose from 9 different levels or speed and from 9 mazes. Moreover, it can be controlled by mouse.

If you wish to try this game, do not be alarmed when it generates 2 files, score.dat and settings.dat. These are to store control configurations and high scores. Feel free to evaluate. Enjoy.

Nakakatawa na isipin na late bloomer nga yata ako. 26 na ako pero nasa college pa rin ako, at 23 na ako nung nagka-girlfriend. Pero ang ikinatutuwa ko, kahit late na ako nagkaroon ng girlfriend, taon ang binibilang namin. At mukhang taon pa rin ang bibilangin namin para mabago ang gusto kong mabago sa kanya… surname nya!

Three-month friendship, one-week courtship…

Kung iisipin, di ko inakala na liligawan ko sya. Three months kaming magkaibigan. Noon ay may nililigawan ako at sa kanya ako lumalapit tuwing masama ang loob ko. Sa kanya ko dati kinukwento ang panliligaw ko sa isa. Pero sobrang close namin sa isa’t isa, inaakala nga ngmga di namin kilala na mag-on kami. Dumating ang christmas 2002, dinala ko sya sa local “baywalk” (isang lugar sa Calamba na tabi ng Laguna Bay). Sya lang ang nakasama kong babae sa pasko sa buong buhay ko.

Pero natagalan pa bago ko sya niligawan (nanaig ang katorpehan). Natapos ang bagong taon na di ko man lang nasasabi na mahal ko sya. Madalas kami mag-text noon. After new year, sinabi nya sa akin through text na sasagutin na raw nya yung nanliligaw sa kanya sa text. Nasa Caloocan sya nun. Kaya, nagmadali akong umuwi para tumawag sa phone nya gamit ang landline namin. Through the phone ako mag-confess! Kung di pala ako natakot, di pa ako aamin.

Bumalik sya after one week at sinundo ko pa sya sa Alabang. Namasyal kami sa “baywalk” at hinatid ko ulit sya sa boarding house nya kinagabihan. At exactly 12:30 am of January 10, 2005, we became more than friends.

Grabe. Ang tagal ko bago mapaamin sya. Super torpe ko pala. Now, each year we become stronger, we change in a better way, we have less and less arguments at now, di na ako “under”. hehehe…

Here is our pic:

hehe.. parang wedding pic.

The secret of a long term relationship…

Meron akong set of principles how to keep a relationship last. So far, mukhang tama naman.

1. Love her and don’t let your feelings divert. Siyempre, importante na mahal mo sya, pero importante ang control for emotions. If you begin to love other girls, you begin to lose your love to your girl.

2. Stop comparing her to past lovelife. I believe on the saying, “You are unique, just like everybody else.” (parang labo nun a). Kung lagi mo sya ikukumpara sa ex o dating niligawan, para mo na rin sinabi na mas mahal mo yung dati. Huwag mo hahanapin ang bagay na di naman nasa kanya. You just let her to adjust to you in the long run.

3. Keep communications open. Constant communication is the key to good relationship. Kahit simpleng “i love you” means a lot. Kahit magkagalit kayo, kailangan pa rin ng pag-uusap.

4. Do not let the day pass without resolving a problem. Sabi ng iba, give time to think daw. Sa akin, habang humahaba ang oras ng hindi pag-uusap, lumalaki ang negative feeling, mas lalo mo hindi nauunawaan ang partner mo, at lalong lumalabo ang relasyon. Di ako naniniwala sa cool off… it just leads to break-ups.

5. Avoid talking of break-ups. Minsan kasi, sa galit natin, break-up agad ang naiisip natin. Syempre, kung magkagalit kayo, it is most likely na mag-breakup kayo.

6. Avoid making hasty decisions especially in the height of emotion. Medyo connected yun sa nauna. Kasi kung madalos-dalos tayo ng decision, most likely we would make the wrong ones and end up not only hurting her but also hurting yourself as well.

7. Stop believing in new age idealogy. New age refers to fortune-tellers, seances, and the like. How I hate horoscopes! Do not let other people affect your relationship. The only ones who should take charge of a relationship is the two of you and God. God will show the way, but it’s up to you to take it.

8. Be honest and open. Importante sa relationship ang trust.

9. Avoid being angry when she already is. Walang patutunguhan ang dalawang taong paherong mainit ang ulo. Always control your temper. Tsaka mo sya pagalitan pagkatapos nyang mag-inarte.

hmm… marami pa yun e. yung iba, naaalala ko kapag nasa sitwasyon na.

Bakit kapag ang lalaki ay nambabae, sasabihin ng ba, “lalaki kasi”. Pero kapag babae ang nanlalake, iba ang maririnig mo. Para bang sinabi na may karapatan ang lalaki na mangaliwa.

Naaalala ko pa yung sinasabing pinakamahalagang utos para sa mga lalaki: (1) Huwag kang papahuli at (2) kung ikaw ay mahuhuli, huwag na huwag kang aamin.

Ang mahirap kasi, nagiging sukatan ng ilang mababaw ng kalalakihan ang pagiging “Chickboy”. Oo, biologically, male animals are made to be polygamous. Ang tanong, hayop ba tayo?

Para sa akin, iba ang sukatan ng pagiging lalaki. Ang tunay na lalaki marunong mag-control sa sarili, totoo sa salitang binitawan, at marunong magdala. Hindi porke humahaba na ang listahan ng babae mo, lalaking-lalaki ka.

Self-control

Kung ikaw ay nasa isang relasyon na, kailangan mong ihanda ang puso mo. Darating ang maraming (maling) rason para mambabae (actually, wala namang tamang dahilan). Nandyan ang pag-aaway nyo, ang matagal na di pagkikita, ang tukso, at marami pang iba. Kung pakiramdam mo na “lumilipad” ka na dahil sa isang babae, ingat ka. Oo, madali talaga dapuan ng tukso ang lalaki, at kadalasan ay nadadala na lamang. Ang pagpapadala sa tukso ay kahinaan. Emotions are the hardest things to control, but it is necessary to control them.

Palabra de Honor (spanish. “word of honor”)

Sabi, ang lalaki ay totoo sa mga binibitawang salita. Naaalala mo pa ba nung nanliligaw ka? Ano ang mga sinabi mo? Yung pinakamahalagang sinabi mo? “Ikaw lang ang mahal ko”.  Tapos, naiisip mo ngayon na tumikim ng ibang putahe? Lalaki ka bang kausap?

Gusto ko lang i-share ang experience ko. Sa dami ng naging experience ko with my emotional conflicts, ito na yata ang pinakamatindi. Lately, meron akong nakilalang babae. She’s 21 years old, 5’5″ tall, matangos ang ilong, maganda ang mata, at sexy. Kahit sino yatang lalaki, mapapalingon sa kanya. Bukod dito, malambing pa. We became good friends. Grabe, naramdaman ko na parang crush ko na yata sya. Pero, i was still on my guard, telling stories of my girlfriend and I to her. I did this to remind myself that I’m already taken and already in love with my honey. We never go out na kaming dalawa lang, di ako payag na di kasama yung isang close friend namin. Now, I got over those feelings for that girl, but still we are good friends, the three of us.

Siguro sa definition ko ng pagiging lalaki, parang bihira ka nang makakita ng ganun. Ngunit, kung iisipin lang natin ang mahal natin, walang mahirap…

I am a 26-year old engineering student with a wide range of interest. This site is made to post my ideas to share and to store them in case I forgot (I think quicker than I can remember!).

Pixel – short for picture element, using the common abbreviation “pix” for “pictures”);  a single point in a graphic image.

Interface – links; abstraction that an entity provides of itself to the outside;communication boundary between two entities, such as a piece of software, a hardware device, or a user.