Signs and Symptoms of a Stroke

Posting these signs and symptoms to ask for prayers for my mother-in-law who was admitted in the ICU last 1 April 2017 because of a mild stroke. Thank you for including us in your prayers...

1. Sudden weakness
2. Paralysis (an inability to move) or numbness of the face, arms, or legs, especially on one side of the body
3. Confusion
4. Trouble speaking or understanding speech
5. Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
6. Problems breathing
7. Dizziness 
8. Trouble walking 
9. Loss of balance or coordination 
10. Unexplained falls
11. Loss of consciousness
12. Sudden and severe headache

Posting these signs and symptoms to ask for prayers for my mother-in-law who was admitted in the ICU last 1 April 2017 because of a mild stroke. Thank you for including us in your prayers...

References:

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/stroke/signs

Pieces of my new folding bike

1. I bought this bike last February 27 from a known online shopping site that offers a wide array of items and I paid using my credit card.
2. For convenience sake and to avoid the hassle of choosing from high-priced bicycles in Baguio City, I chose to just buy online and thankfully, I received this folding bike last March 7. It was already half-assembled and folded when I opened it and tried to test it. It was deflated so I still need to buy a bike pump.
3. For fitness reasons, I bought it so that I can use it to practice initially for my goal of joining a duathlon this year.
4. For practicality purposes, I bought it so that I can use it as my ride going to work because the level of traffic which affects the arrival of jeepneys in our area are getting worse. The university near us should not only think of earning but at least, in a way, assist in helping the community by letting some of their school services pick up and drop off college students to town between 7AM and 9AM because most of the passengers are their students.
5. For financial reasons, I bought it because it was within my budget of below 10,000 pesos and it has also a discounted price. It was originally priced at 9,600 pesos and I only paid 5,220.00 for it because of the additional discount of 10% which was the payday promo of the online shopping site. 
6. For romantic persuasion, I bought is so that my Love will be able to learn how to ride a bike.
7. I also consider it not as an expense but an investment physically and financially.
8. For security reasons, it can not be stolen easily because it is compact enough that I can put it inside our office.
9. For environmental-friendliness, I can help promote a Clean and Green environment because there are no carbon dioxides produce when biking.
10. For multimodality, I can bring it during long travels like riding a train in Manila or traveling by airplane for a long vacation.
11. As a DIYer, I am also able to use my open wrench set and Allen keys set for assembly and for maintenance purposes.
12. Mars, which is the name of my bike, is also known as "Mars Kingdom MKFL-20 Freestyle Folding Bike (Black)" and I have not use it entirely and now, three days after, it has broken pieces already due to our Siberian Husky, Ikkyo, wrecking its pedal part. Still, praise Heavens above, because he did not wrecked the whole bike. Also the cost of the bike is cheap and if it was worth 20,000 pesos or above, it will be really hard to accept.

Foldable bikes offer five primary advantages over conventional machines:

• Free and unrestricted carriage on public transport
• Relatively thief proof
• Space-saving at home and elsewhere
• urban multi-modal travel (such as rail/folding bike) is usually cheaper than using a car
• High resale value

References:

http://www.atob.org.uk/folding-bikes/folding-bike-why-choose/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folding_bicycle
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/commuting/article/ww-Wise-Words-Folding-Bikes-0

question and answer # one 🙋

How many 12-letter arrangements can you form from the letters of the word "COMPUTER" if repetition of letters is allowed? 

Heritage Status For Burnham Park Including 12 Clusters

This is a repost of an open letter for the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) I have read in the Week's Mail section of Baguio Midland Courier dated Sunday, August 3, 2014.

The letter came from concerned citizens and various groups in Baguio City.

• RONALDO A. PARAAN, M.D., Chair, Baguio Heritage Foundation, Inc.
• MARIA ISABEL G. ONGPIN, Chair, Pine Cone Movement
• KARLO MARKO ALTOMONTE, Save 182 Trees Movement Open Space Projects
• MICHAEL BENGWAYAN, Director, Cordillera Ecological Center
• DIVINA A. BAUTISTA, President, National Delphic Council Philippines 
• LING-LING MARANAN CLAVER, Baguio Citizens No Waste Initiative 
• CHRISTOPHER DONAAL, Cordillera Global Network 
• OLIVE GREGORIO, Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary

NHCP asked to declare B’ham Park as heritage site

This is to formally inform that on June 2, concerned citizens and residents of Baguio City have filed a petition with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to declare Burnham Park and its 12 cluster areas (Melvin Jones Grandstand, Burnham Lagoon, Children’s Playground, Skating Rink, Rose Garden, Orchidarium, Igorot Garden, Athletic Bowl, Picnic Grove, Japanese Peace Tower, Pine Trees of the World, and Sunshine Park), as heritage/historical sites pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act 10066 or The National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009.
As you very well know, Burnham Park was part of Daniel Burnham’s original plan for Baguio as a hill station. Since its creation, it has become so identified with Baguio City that people always say “do not go to Baguio without visiting Burnham Park” or “you haven’t been to Baguio if you did not go to Burnham Park.”
It is without a doubt an important component of the cultural heritage of the people of Baguio.
With the recent developments, we are very much concerned about the planned underground and above-level parking structures at Melvin Jones.
Melvin Jones is the only open area available for sports and other gatherings and is important to Baguio City and its people to know that its destruction, in whole or in part, will bring about adverse consequences on their culture, health, social wellbeing, and commerce.
In this regard, we respectfully request that the city government refrain from destroying, degrading, defacing and/or introducing changes to Burnham Park and its 12 clusters and specifically Melvin Jones football fields, pending resolution of our petition by the NHCP.

The 12 Clusters of Burnham Park:

1. Melvin Jones Grandstand
2. Burnham Lagoon
3. Children’s Playground
4. Skating Rink
5. Rose Garden
6. Orchidarium
7. Igorot Garden
8. Athletic Bowl
9. Picnic Grove
10. Japanese Peace Tower
11. Pine Trees of the World
12. Sunshine Park

References:

NHCP asked to declare B’ham Park as heritage site
BURNHAM PARK
Baguio for All Seasons: Feel the Best of the Cordilleras!
Wright and Burnham Parks in Baguio, Philippines
The Undeniable Charm of Burnham Park in Baguio City
Burnham Park has 12 cluster areas
Burnham Park The very heart of Baguio City in the Philippines

Speedy Flash - Beauty of Nature 2

First new snail -- Speedy Flash ...

Shots taken using Alcatel One Touch 918N

3rd Year

Simple celebration of three years ...

1. Had a brunch of taho, bread with omelette, champorado and kakanin ...
2. Took a picture of Ikkyo sitting pretty on the stairs while waiting for his taho ...
   
3. Did the laundry ...
4. Saw woods for cabinet dividers ...
5. Fixed the mirror inside our room ...
6. Appreciated the beauty of nature among the clouds ...
   
7. Then it rained hard while we were inside the taxi on the way to SM ...
8. Bought fruitas drinks, hotdog sandwich and popcorn ...
9. Watched "Transformers 4: Age of Extinction" at SM Cinema 2 ...
10. Dinner at Volante ...
    
11. Walked and passed by the "Night Market" (which I fondly call "HM or Harrison Mall") and bought two jackets at a very "affordable" (i.e., cheap) price, 100 & 150 and yet, the jackets are still in good and wearable condition and comfortable to fit ...
    
12. Went home and took a picture of the full moon ...
    

12 Most Expensive Philippine Stocks

... ranked based on their closing prices as of June 19, 2014 - See more at: PinoyMoneyTalk

 

 

Network Connection Configuration

Today was supposed to be the last day of waiting before my Computer Hardware Servicing NC II examination. Then, I received a text message informing me that the said exam was rescheduled to 4 July 2014. It was half-relief for me because I will still have enough time to review for another week. It was half-eagerness for me too because I already want to finish it and relax but maybe it was my destiny to review more. I also have to file for another leave because it was scheduled on a Friday which is still a working day.

Anyway, this is part of my review on how to configure network connection in Windows XP.

1. Click on the Start menu. 
2. Click on Control Panel. 
3. When the Control Panel window opens, you will see items in either Category View (continue with step #3) or Classic View (skip to item #4).
4. Find and double-click on the Network and Internet connection icon. 
5. Next, find and double-click on the Network Connections icon, a window will open with all network connections available on the computer (wired and wireless). 
6. Find the network connection you want to manually configure, right-click on it and select Properties from the pop-up menu. 
7. In the Connection Properties window, under the section labeled This connection uses the following items: find the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) item and double-click it. 
8. A new window will open, select the second radio button which is labeled Use the following IP address.
9. Enter the appropriate IP address (192.168.0.1); subnet mask (usually 255.255.255.0); and gateway (the router or proxy server address).
10. The next part of the windows will now have a radio button selected which is labeled Use the following DNS server addresses. 
11. If you need to access the Internet, enter the DNS addresses provided by your ISP; if you do not have that information you can use the OpenDNS server. Their DNS addresses are: 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 
12. After entering the required information, click the OK button twice and close the Control Panel window.

12 Basic Mobo Parts

Two days before my TESDA Computer Hardware Servicing (National Certificate) NC II examination. This is part of my review for the said assessment.

12 Basic Parts of a Mobo (slang for Motherboard):

1. I/O ports - this is located in the rear panel of the CPU. This is use to connect the outside hardware or peripherals of the computer.
2. ATX Power Connectors:
1. ATX Power connector (4 pin) - this is use to connect the 4 pin of the power supply unit (PSU) .This is separate of the 20 or 24 pin of ATX power supply to provide DC voltage of computer processor.
2. ATX Power connector (24 or 28 pin)- a group of connector of the MOBO, This is separate of the 4 pin power assignments. Its provide a DC power output to the system board(SB)from the output of the Power Supply Unit.
3. Processor’s ZIF Socket - part of MOBO which is use to hold the processor or CPU chip (Zero Insertion Force). The compatibility of the socket depends on the computer processor type such as the AM2 socket of the AMD and the socket 775 of the Intel company.
4. Memory slot (DIMM) - this is called Dual Inline Memory Module which is the computer's memory slot or what we call RAM. The memory slot depends on the type of the memory such as the PC 133 SDRAM and PC 400 SDRAM-DDR 1.
5. CMOS/BIOS jumper - this is use to disable the BIOS default setup such as disabling the supervisor password of the BIOS.
6. IDE connector (Integrated Drive Electronics) - this is use to connect the IDE cable of the HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or CD/DVD ROM to the motherboard IDE.
7. SATA connector - this is Serial Advance Technology Attachment. The new standard of the IDE connection array of the computer HDD (SATA HDD) to the motherboard system.
8. FDD connector - the connector of the FDD cable through the system board. Normally there are 34 pins out of it to connect the 3.5” 1.44mb Floppy Disk Drive.
9. Front panel connectors (F-Panel) - this is use to connect the Power LED, HDD LED, Power Switch and Reset switch of the computer system unit(CPU).
10. PCI slots - part of the computer motherboard that is use to connect the I/O cards of the computer such as LAN card, WIFI card, USB expansion card and sound card.
11. PCI express slot - part of the computer that holds the computer video card (VGA), the PCIe card. The latest card used which is most compatible with 3D and 4G gaming of the computer. (The old video card type is the AGP or Accelerated Graphic Ports.
12. Controller Hubs:
1. North Bridge IC - another name of the north bridge is Memory Controller Hub (MCH) which is assigned to manage and control the computer memory before the processing of the CPU chip.
2. South Bridge IC - another name of the south bridge is I/O Controller Hub (ICH) which is a microchip tasked to control all the input and output devices of the computer such as the keyboard and mouse, the monitor screen of the computer, that is commonly found at the back of the CPU or system unit.

12 OHS Procedures for Computer Hardware Servicing NC II

Three days before my examination in Computer Hardware Servicing NC II at Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) on Saturday, 28 June 2014. This post is part of my review for the said assessment.

OHS or Occupational Health and Safety refers to the legislation, policies, procedures and activities that aim to protect the health, safety and welfare of all people at the workplace.

1. Do not work alone so that there's someone who can take care of you in case of emergency.
2. Always power off the computer and unplug the computer before working on it.
3. Take away any liquid near your working area to avoid getting electrocuted or accidentally damaging computer parts.
4. Be careful with tools that may cause short circuit.
5. Always ground or discharge yourself before touching any part of the computer.
6. Do not use excessive force if things don't quite slip into place.
7. Clean the area before and after using it to maintain sanitation and prevent accidents.
8. Hold the components on the edges and do not touch the Integrated Circuit (IC) parts.
9. Always wear personal protective equipments (PPE) in accordance with the organization's OHS procedures and practices.
10. Make sure that the pins are properly aligned when connecting a cable connector.
11. Contingency measures during workplace accidents, fire and other emergencies are recognized.
12. Use brush, compressed air or blower in cleaning the computer system.

12 Ways To Win People

How To Win People

1. The only way to get the best out of an argument is to avoid it.
2. Never tell a man he is wrong, even if he is.
3. Admit your own mistakes.
4. Being in a friendly way.
5. Get the other person to say yes immediately.
6. Let the other man do the talking.
7. Let the other feel that the idea is his.
8. Try see things from the other person's view.
9. Be sympathetic.
10. Appeal to the nobler motive.
11. Dramatize your ideas.
12. Throw down a challenge.

Administrative Officer Exam of DOH

I took the Administrative Officer exam at DOH and these are some of the items I remembered during the untimed exam. I only remembered keywords and I believe you are either a former Administrative Officer with sufficient development trainings or an "insider" who knows the ins and outs of the agency in order to pass with flying colors.

I do not have any idea if these are the same set of questions given before for previous applicants but this is an essay-type of written exam with 18 items of different points for a total of 100 points as perfect score.

• Part I

1. Vision and Mission
2. What is "Kalusugan Pangkalahatan" and its goals
3. What can you contribute for the thrust, goals and objectives
4. Government employees' values adopted by Department of Health
5. How can you apply customer focus as an Administrative Officer IV?
6. Value of professionalism
7. E-government and examples
8. Matching type, 5 items but I only remembered RA 7305 and RA 6713

• Part II

1. What is Office Administration? What is an Administrative Officer? Functions of Administrative Officer IV? Customers of Administrative Officer IV in the Department of Health?
2. Explain PDCA Cycle of Management and Management Tools for planning, implementation & monitoring. No Gantt Chart to be use.
3. Examples of grave offenses and less grave offenses
4. Processes of Management Support Division

The 12 Children of Erap

Joseph Ejercito Estrada or more popularly known as "Erap", the former 13th President of the Philippines and 3rd President of the 5th Republic of the Philippines (30 June 1998 – 20 January 2001) and 11th Vice-President of the Philippine (30 June 1992 – 30 June 30) of the Philippines is a father of 12 siblings born out of several relationships.

Below are the names of his 12 children.

1. José "Jinggoy" Ejército, Jr,
• With former First Lady-turned-senator Dr. Luísa "Loi" Pimentel, whom he met while she was working at the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) in Mandaluyong City
• Mayor of City of San Juan, Metro Manila from 1992–2001
• Senator of the Philippines from 2004–present
• Married to Precy Vitug
2. Jackie Ejército
• With former First Lady-turned-senator Dr. Luísa "Loi" Pimentel, whom he met while she was working at the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) in Mandaluyong City
• Married to Beaver López, son of Meralco chairman Manuel López
3. Jude Ejército
• With former First Lady-turned-senator Dr. Luísa "Loi" Pimentel, whom he met while she was working at the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) in Mandaluyong City
• Married to Rowena Ocampo
4. Joel Eduardo "Jojo" Ejército 
• With former actress Peachy Osorio
5. Teresita "Tetchie" Ejército
• With former actress Peachy Osorio
6. Joseph Victor Ejército
• With incumbent San Juan City Mayor Guia Gómez
• Mayor of San Juan (2001–2010)
• Representative of San Juan City (2010–2013)
• Senator (2013-present)
• Married to Cindy Lotuaco
7. Joan Ejército
• With former actress Mary Ann Murphy
8. Jason Ejército
• With a former air hostess who is publicly known only by the name "Larena"
9. Jerika Ejército 
• With former actress Laarni Enriquez:
10. Juan Emilio "Jake" Ejército
• With former actress Laarni Enriquez:
11. Jacob Ejército
• With former actress Laarni Enriquez:
12. Joma Ejército
• With former air hostess Joy Melendrez. 

Photo from Official Gazette

Google's Doodle of 2014 Father's Day coinciding with the current 2014 World Cup

References:

Joseph Estrada
Joseph Estrada Biography
Erap and Families
Joseph Estrada: The Philippine politician who can't stop apologising
Erap vows to clean up city hall
Love consultant Erap offers services to Noy
Personal Life
Joseph Estrada

Pre-Qualifying Exam of DILG

This is not a post that shows sample tests about the DILG Pre-Qualifying Exam but rather a post of my experiences when I took the exam and twelve things to know about the DILG PQE.

I took the Pre-Qualifying Exam (PQE) today at the Baguio City National High School Library. I counted a total of 61 examinees, including me, who bravely took it unaware of its contents.

I only remembered the number of items and corresponding minutes and not a specific question of the exam inasmuch as I wanted to remember.
 
What is the Pre-Qualifying Exam or the DILG PQE?

1. It was (and is) a gruelling exam that will really exhausts you, the applicant/examinee.
2. It was (and is) a time-pressured exam which will rattle you once the proctor announce the remaining time during the examination.
3. It is the national qualifying exam of the Department of Interior and Local Government.
4. It is a battery of tests aimed for applicants who wants to join and become part of DILG.
5. It is a continuous exam with a duration of two to three hours.
6. It consists of four parts, namely:
• Logical Reasoning Tests -
• 55 minutes for 100 items.
• Language Tests - 
• 3 parts. 
• Part 1, PD (Paragraph Development), 7 minutes for 10 items; 
• Part 2, RC (Reading Comprehension), 13 minutes for 22 items; and
• Part 3, LT (Language Test), 10 minutes for 20 items.
• Verbal Tests - 
• 3 parts. 
• Part 1, (Analogy), 6 minutes for 20 items; 
• Part 2, (Analogy, requires 2 answers), 6 minutes for 20 items; and 
• Part 3, (Mathematical Test, no choices, input your answer after solving using provided scratch paper), 10 minutes for 20 items.
• Non-Verbal Tests - 
• 3 parts.
• Abstract part.
• Part 1, 3 minutes for 16 items; 
• Part 2, 3 minutes for 16 items; and 
• Part 3, 4 minutes for 18 items.
7. It is usually administered every last Friday of the month in the DILG Central Office located in Quezon City but in our case, it was scheduled in Baguio City and a representative from DILG Central Office officiated the examination.
8. In the case of my application, I had to write a request for endorsement to take the PQE and also indicating that it is a prerequisite for non-DILG applicants.
9. Passing the exam does not mean you are hired already. According to the DILG employee, there may be another exam to be taken depending on the position applied for. It also depends on the assessment of the regional or district office.
10. You must be prepared to read fast and analyze quickly for the logical reasoning test.
11. Mathematics is still a part of this exam and you need to know how to compute because guessing will definitely not help you on this part of the exam because you need to write an answer and there are no choices to select from.
12. Common sense and stock knowledge will help you plus lots of prayers to survive this challenging examination.

Pray. It helps.

Memories of Basilan

Kill nothing but time, leave nothing but footprints. Take nothing but pictures, Keep nothing but memories.

Not everybody has a chance to travel and visit the province of Basilan in the southern coast of Zamboanga.

These are just some of the collection of memories in Basilan from the selection of many kept photos of 2009.

• After a short ride from Zamboanga airport then straight to the Island of Basilan via speedboat - an exhilarating start of an adventure.

our mode of transportation

• Military checkpoints are prevalent in the area, an oft sight in our travels... so are the warm and generous smiles from the locals! 

overloaded jeepney passing through a checkpoint

• One of the many brave men defending the country. Our gratitude to all the heroes in this island.

welcome to Basilan, sir

• Amidst the chaos in this land is the simple array of nature, a reminder of peace and harmony. 

even the trees fall in line

• A hidden beauty... the feel of flowing water washes all the worries 

what's down there?

• It took us a long bumpy ride and a boat ride to get here... IT WAS WORTH IT!

beautiful, lovely n

• For a moment I forgot the alarming news and how terrifying the island is. What is there to be terrified about?

there's something out there

• This is nothing compared to Boracay - this is more and not too many people get to experience the beauty of Basilan.

afternoon beachview

• If only everywhere in this island is this peaceful and serene, then everyone can enjoy this amazing beach.

sunrise or sunset ???

• Almost time to leave, another stroll just to savor the beauty of the place. 

time to go...

• At that time, this fastfood chain was new in this area. Same logo, same name... yet something is different!

yes, there is Jollibee in Basilan

• In Zamboanga...pondering of when I'll get the chance to visit the Island of Basilan again. The memories are made sweeter by the wonderful people who made it possible. Thanks... to all of you and hoping to see you all again!

serenity

Basilan

Ikkyo's 1st Year Milestones

It's been a year already since we have Ikkyo, our heterochromic Siberian Husky. To celebrate his first year with us, we posted here 12 selected pictures from so many choices.

• Ikkyo at 1 month - poses without minding his dry and frizzy fur.

•  Ikkyo's 2nd month - first taste of Orijen.

•  Ikkyo's 3rd month - posing and guarding the front door.

•  Ikkyo's 4th month - first big bone and a large bowl of water.

•   Ikkyo's 5th month - eating one of his favorite food, "carrot".

•  Ikkyo's 6th month - close encounter of the "same" kind... (these malamutes were present during the PMA Silent Drill in Burnham Park)

•  Ikkyo's 7th month - blissfully sleeping under the bed.

•  Ikkyo's 8th month - appreciating his favorite cymbidium orchids "cymbi"

•   Ikkyo's 9th month - this is his favorite pose and one of his best shot.

•  Ikkyo's 10th month - fight or play? "dingding" the snake vs Ikkyo the husky.

•  Ikkyo's 11th month - emoting Ikkyo for the first time he got away and ran afar and "almost got lost" from us.

•  Ikkyo's 12th month - posing with his birthday cake (Goldilocks).