Day 1
The field trip, everyone is excited, especially me. We were all hyped up in the thought of traveling and experiencing new things. I have been looking forward to this trip even though we had a hard time generating the money for the trip but neither the less, my mother have successfully made it possible.
It was October 24, 2016 and the call time of the flight is 7am. The day before I prepared myself got everything I need for the trip. I got my bag, my luggage; I had my business attire because our teacher said we need to have it for the company visit, so we all had it. I got up early had a bath prepared everything and off I go to the Davao international airport. It is the only airport in Davao. I took a bus for the ride and it only took me for about 20 minutes of travel because the airport is not that far from our house. I got there but it’s quite early and I haven’t seen any of my schoolmates so I find a place to sit and waited for a while, my arms and shoulder is tired in carrying the enormous luggage I have. It took for a while and I haven’t seen anyone so I wonder where they are? With a hint of worrying. Did they already left and left me here? Its past 30 minutes since I sat there and I can’t help my heart pounding so when I hit a 1 hour mark I decided to get my bag, put It on and I started to walk going to the main area of Cebu pacific flights. As I get closer and closer I started to makeup some distinction on the familiar faces and I realized there they are some of my schoolmates. But when I get there I realized were not that close to each other, then I started to open up and make new friends. We waited in the entrance of Cebu pacific it’s now 8am and we started to enter the airport I was so excited.
Everything was a first time for me first time in running those security checks in the airport, first time in entering the waiting area and especially first time in entering the airplane. The time now is 10 am the staff calls for our flight and we are now bounding for manila flight. We sat as the flight goes on and on. The flight took 2 hours but it was very worth it. The sceneries of the skies, the island that seems to be small paintings on the vast ocean canvas and the sense of freedom that felt very good as I slept for the rest of the flight. I woke up as we land on the island of Luzon at NAIA Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminal 3 that is in Pasay City.
We waited for our buses and tour guides to arrive which took about ten minutes. Then, we started our journey to Manila. Since it is our lunch time already and we arrived late because our flight got delayed, instead of stopping and eating in a MCDO, we just bought our foods for take-out and ate in the bus on the way to our first company visit. We went on a seminar in Department of Science and Technology Bicutan, Taguig City, Metro Manila with our formal attires.
So we arrived, they introduced what is DOST and what are their projects for the meantime, their major accomplishments and why DOST is important here in the Philippines. Also, they’ve discussed about the project NOAH which is a national technological project commissioned by the former Philippine president, Ninoy Aquino III, after the devastation of typhoon Pablo. NOAH, which stands for National Operational Assessment of Hazards, is a web integrated mobile application that will let you know what is the current hazard in your area such as thunderstorms, typhoons, landslide and any other natural calamities. It also predicts when it will happen.
We enjoyed our visit in the DOST. We learned a lot and open our minds how DOST and research are important to the country’s improvement. After which, we got back to our buses and since it’s too early to go to the hotel, we decided to drop by the SM mall in Taguig for more or less two hours. It is now 6 pm and we decided to eat our dinner at Great Eastern Hotel (Buffet), Makati. The food was great. We ate a lot, we had a great time. Tired and we just want to rest.
We proceeded to our route to the hotel. We used the EDSA northbound lane going to KABAYAN hotel at Pasay city. Then, we are assigned to capsulized beds and we are so happy because the room is very comfortable and the accommodation is nice. We fall asleep at 10 pm.
What I learned?
I learned that the IT industry is very promising even here in the Philippines. The innovation and technology are not that bad. We are currently progressing a technological way of living our lives and many of our IT generations today have radical ideas that would shake the world of innovation here in the Philippines.
What I liked?
I liked the idea of the project NOAH. It is because the app is very smart and the idea behind is very brilliant. I especially like the idea of incorporating the technology with national proceedings that we can utilize our current technology not just for our leisure’s and entertainment but to help our citizens and live a better life.
What I didn’t like?
I didn’t like the fact that the first thing I realized when I came in Manila is going to deal with heavy traffic all day for five days.
Day 2
We woke up early. The call time to wake up is 4 am. We prepared and got down at the lobby to take our breakfast at 6 am. The food is really good and it started our new day in Manila. The first company visit we made is at the Ideaspace Foundation in Makati. It took only 20 minutes to travel because Pasay, where our hotel is located, is relatively near in Makati.
When we got there, we were entertained by an Ideaspace Foundation’s representative. They discussed what Ideaspace is all about, their goal, and what are they doing in the past few years. So generally speaking, they said that the main purpose of Ideaspace Foundation is to help startup companies stand on their own and generate enough money to make their company even bigger. And, they’ve discussed how to become a good technopreneur. Technopreneur is an entrepreneur that deals with technology to improve our daily lives. So basically, most of the companies they had helped are now really standing and generating enough money to sustain their company.
Afterwards, we went to Glorietta Mall in Makati to shop for a while before taking our lunch. Its 12 noon and we got our lunch at Apag Marangle restaurant located in Makati as well. We ate Pampangeño theme foods. Honestly, I am not fond in this kind of food because it’s something that I did not appreciate.
After our lunch, we travelled to MMDA Traffic Engineering), Edsa, Makati where the headquarters of the MMDA is located. They talked about how they manage the traffic in Metro Manila. They discussed the history of MMDA, how they started and what their tools are. They even showed us the new technologies they have and how they connect each camera. How they control it and how they communicate with their traffic enforcers and managing their databases every day. They also mentioned that technicalities involved on censor manipulating to control the traffic lights and showed us the traffic control screen which complies of twenty different camera views in different areas of Metro Manila. In short, we learned a lot in MMDA.
Afternoon, around 3 pm, we visited the SM Mall of Asia and it is ridiculously big. Imagine, we only explored one fourth of the total size of the SM Mall of Asia and we’re beat. So we decided to go out and rest for a while on the SM Bay. We witnessed the stunningly beautiful sunset while waiting for our dinner.
Around 7 pm, we took our dinner at Gilligan’s place, a restaurant near the SM Bay. The food is quite good but it’s not a buffet so we only have limited there yet it’s worth it since it’s very delicious. After our dinner, around 9 pm, we are going back to the hotel and we called it a day but on our way back, we experienced a very slow moving traffic causing us to sing random songs. By 10 pm, we arrived at the hotel very exhausted from our long day of mostly travelling staying in the bus practically doing nothing.
I and my roommates did not sleep early. We watched videos and fooled around laughing at each other. By 12 midnight, we went to sleep.
What I learned?
I learned that even if you do not have enough money, as long as you have your will and you have your disruptive idea to change the world, you can have your own company. Not only Ideaspace but many other non-profit organizations will help you achieve that.
Also, I learned that everything is possible as long as you know how to use technology properly.
What I liked?
I liked it when we were in MMDA command center where we witness the technology on how they manage the traffic in Metro Manila and how big their databases in terms of backup and operations. Also, I liked the experience when we were in SM Mall of Asia especially sunset. It is very soothing.
What I didn’t like?
I did not like it when we were stuck in the traffic for a long period of time which made me sick of doing nothing but to wait. Also, I do not like it when we almost got lost in Glorietta Mall. The feeling when you do not know where to go and you are always coming back in the same place.
Day 3
We woke up early again but this time, it’s 5 in the morning. We prepared for the day ahead. I am a little bit excited knowing that we are going to the University of the Philippines (UP) where my expectation would be a very excellent place for knowledge. Got our breakfast again, very good. Then, we took our bus and head to the University of Philippines. T
hen, while we were on our way, we used the karaoke again and sang our throats out.
Upon arrival, we went straight to their IT department and waited for a while (which took almost an hour) then we started our mini Y4IT convention. There were three speakers. The first one to speak was I think the coolest one, he is a senior in the UP IT department and they call him Mr. Robot of UP. Why? It is because he used to be a black hat hacker and now he is exceptionally good at hacking and shared a bunch of tools, techniques and thoughts in hacking. It opened my mine to the vast world of IT where you can choose countless possibilities on how you can implement what you have learned in school. Now, he continued on teaching us what are the main purposes of hacking, what are the ideology behind hacking and the experiences he had before becoming an excellent hacker. He even shared how much he earned being a white hat hacker. Now, the experience on his thoughts is very uplifting and I felt this would be a great day for me.
The second one talked about web security. He explained modern cryptology and the definition of safety in databases and servers. He said “Is safety really an illusion?” that question made me think how we secure ourselves in this technological age. More or less, he talked about cyber security and related topics about security.
The final speaker is another one of the coolest speaker I have ever met. He is a video game developer and he introduces us the physics and the codes behind the games we played every day. He taught us how the video game industry works and made a demonstration on how games are being made. I enjoyed that talked and learned a lot.
Now, after the long talk we had, we then had our packed lunch in the bus. Then, we go to our next destination and that is in Nokia. It is located in the UP cyber hub. The Nokia building is next to the IBM building. We then had another seminar with Nokia. They tackled what Nokia is into nowadays. They are currently not selling mobile phones but they are providing services connection to different ISP around the world. They showed us their data centers, their offices and their facilities. And, it is very exceptional.
After our endeavor in Nokia, we proceeded to visit the University of the Philippines’ computer science department. They welcomed us and showed us their facilities. Its quiet envious for our part because they had so many laboratories and facilities. The situation is that the academe and the industry are meeting at a focal point where the students are already secured once they graduated.
After the tour, we head back to the bus and travelled our ways to the hotel. It’s already 10 in the evening when we arrived, so we took our dinner at the hotel and rest up and call it a very tiring day.
What I learned?
I have learned that excellence is a must in real world application. Excellence is implemented in every company and it must not be compromised. In addition, we need to devote ourselves to perfect our craft and excel at a certain field. Nourished our talents and become successful in our own ways. Of course, with the implementation of excellence in everything that we do.
What I liked?
I like it when we learned how the hacking industry works and learned that everything is achievable. I also like the part where we are shown how to develop a game using a unity engine and I liked that it turned out to be a very important day in my life as a programmer. It uplifted my morale to strive more and aim for excellence and success.
What I didn’t like?
I did not like the part when we were shown the facilities of computer science department in UP because when I look back, the tools and facilities are overflowing knowing that they are also a government funded university while the University of Southeastern Philippines have so much less to deal with.
Day 4
Today, we started our day. We woke up early again and then we started our seminar at Advance World Solutions, Ayala Avenue, Makati city. Again, we were astonished by the tall buildings of Makati city and the seminar will take place on one of those buildings, a thirty-storey high building. We made our way to the hall for our seminar. We came across with their offices and facilities. It is quite amazing because this company is not BPO Company but instead they were ITO which stands for Information Technology Outsourcing. They train IT people and outsource their services to different companies abroad especially in Japan. They cover a wide range of IT industry which are a programming, web development and design, software engineering and hardware programming.
As we sat on the hall, preparing for the seminar, we noticed subtle decorations that aren’t noticeable at first glance but as I stared at it, it was a picture of Sadako stick on the wall. Maybe because Halloween is approaching. Then, we started the seminar and discussed their companies’ goals vision and mission in the past few years. Also, they discussed what services they give to the companies abroad.
After the seminar, we’re on our way to Tagaytay to visit the People’s Park on the Sky. Now, this part of the tour is just for leisure. We won’t be having any company visits. So, on our way to Tagaytay, we took our lunch in the bus again and ordered some foods from Max’s restaurant to save some time. The travel time from Makati to Tagaytay is almost two hours. And upon reaching Tagaytay, we saw the Taal Volcano and amused by its glory. We reached the top of Mt. Gonzales in Tagaytay City, Cavite were the park is located. The park is good but at the time we got there, it’s already foggy because of the weather. So we cannot see any views from the top of the mountain. There’s a lot of vendors there and a lot of souvenir shops. There’s a lot to choose from trinkets to shirts.
After our exploration on Mt. Gonzales, we are now on bound for Enchanted Kingdom. We were already exhausted but still we were excited for the experience. When we arrived at the parking lot, there are already a lot of buses that were parked and our tour guide said that the lines on the rides will be long that would consume most of the time. But nevertheless, we continued to explore Enchanted Kingdom.
Upon entering, we felt amazed with the beautiful ambiance of the theme park and it is really a place where we can have so much fun. We decided to take our first ride at the Space Shuttle, a roller coaster ride with three loops and runs for a minute. So we anxiously waited for the ride an
d by the time we got and sat down, our blood pumped and filled with adrenaline rush. I felt like I almost died yet it was a very fun experience that one should try.
After that ride, we tried another ride called Ekstreme, a dropper ride with its forty feet drop. The line was not that long. We reached the top of the ride and felt that it was a bad decision for me to ride that thing then all of a sudden, the drop started and we fell from forty feet to five feet in just three seconds and I felt my soul was left in the air. Then, the last ride that we chose was the Anchors away, it was just like you are swaying on a hammock but the difference is that this time, it is as large as a ship that could tilt almost ninety degrees and could accommodate up to twenty people.
It is seven in the evening when the park had closed, we rode on our bus and suddenly I do not feel well and my temperature rose and felt like I am going to have a fever. I talked to our president and got some medicine, took it and felt better before our last destination for the day, the Tutuban Mall or the so called Divisoria Mall, where there are a lot of fancy things but affordable.
In the Divisoria Mall, we shopped for a while and bought some things for souvenir. I bought bags and shirt. While others bought all sort of stuffs. There, a lot of Davaoeños can be seen selling different stuffs, I can’t believe it, myself. Almost half of the vendors there knows how to speak Bisaya.
After the long day of fun and discoveries, we then head back to the hotel where we stayed. I am quite disappointed knowing that our long escapade will be done tomorrow.
What I learned?
Today, I learned that Filipinos are very talented and knows how to deal with life because I noticed back in the Divisoria Mall, vendors are very good in selling their products. I can safely say that they have talent in that field. The same goes to the engineers and software developers on the Advanced World Solutions.
What I liked?
I liked it when we were in the Enchanted Kingdom. It is because fun is everywhere and it is a very overwhelming experience for a first timer like me.
What I didn’t like?
The moment when I got sick after the rides we took in the Enchanted Kingdom but the rest was a great experience.
Day 5
The last day of our trip in Manila, it was a very lazy day for us given the fact that we haven’t had enough sleep, there are no wake up calls for us causing us to be lazy. Before we went downstairs for our last breakfast, we already packed our baggage and prepared for our flight back to Davao.
We took our breakfast and we head to NAIA Terminal 3. We boarded our flight and then our journey back to Davao started.
After two hours, we arrived at the Davao International Airport and that closes our field trip and seminar activities.
The call time for the company visit is before 9am in the morning so everyone got there before 9. We got inside the building and sat on the conference room where they conducted a seminar / educational tour.
jesrealm 