July 04, 2007
After 12 years of selling affordable food to cash-strapped AdMU students, Beef Teriyaki in the Gonzaga caf has shut down (yes, the name of the stall is "Beef Teriyaki"). The cause? A student got hospitalized after drinking orange juice spiked with a mothball. It was completely unintentional, of course, unless the concessionaire in the next stall slipped the mothball into the juice in a fit of envy over BT's broad customer base. But in any case, the administration simply had no choice but to close them down for sanitation violations. Look at all the notices plastered all over the place:
With the way they were written, the news article and its accompanying piece (where they ask students their opinion about the whole incident) would actually be quite humorous, if it weren't for the fact that someone almost died and a couple of people lost their jobs. For example, the following paragraph about the victim:
As for me, I was saddened that they had to close down. I was a fan of their "breakfast sandwich" (ham, egg, and coleslaw), and at times, I craved for their spicy chicken strips (never liked their signature beef teriyaki though). And if they hadn't closed down, I'm sure their regular customers would still keep coming back; there just aren't a whole lot of affordable places to buy food on campus. But the rules are rules. And I don't think they're making a comeback either; the last concessionaire that was shut down was Paotsin, and they were no slouch either.
Rest in peace, Beef Teriyaki. I'm sure you will be missed. Where oh where will your loyal customers eat lunch now?
With the way they were written, the news article and its accompanying piece (where they ask students their opinion about the whole incident) would actually be quite humorous, if it weren't for the fact that someone almost died and a couple of people lost their jobs. For example, the following paragraph about the victim:
Even if his health was put at risk, the student said that he does not hold a grudge against Beef Teriyaki. He will even write a letter to the administration to have the store re-opened.The thought of someone holding a grudge against a food stand is absolutely hilarious! And also, it's interesting how he even feels remorse over closing down a store that almost got him killed. Maybe he's afraid of retaliation from the hundreds of BT patrons on campus? And also, this quote from Ate Alma (the friendly photocopying lady at Colayco) is just pure, unintentional comedy gold:
Okay lang para sa akin kaya lang naaawa rin ako kasi nawalan sila ng hanapbuhay, pero hindi kasi sila nag-iingat. Alam naman nilang pagkain ang tinitinda nila at mayaman 'yung mga estudyante kaya maselan 'yung mga tiyan nila. Sa ganyang negosyo kasi, dapat doble ang pag-iingat.For those who don't read Tagalog, the translation is:
For me, it's okay although I pity those who lost their livelihoods, but they weren't being careful. They know that it's food they're selling and that the students are rich so their stomachs are very sensitive. In that line of business, you have to be doubly careful.Those poor, poor rich kids with fickle tummies! And here is another opinion from one of the students:
I think it's a shame that an institution, a very critical organ in Ateneo's culture and tradition, must come to an end because of a mistake made by an unwitting and unwilling somebody.BT was a great boon for the community, but that doesn't make it an "institution" or a "critical organ in Ateneo's culture and tradition". WTF.
As for me, I was saddened that they had to close down. I was a fan of their "breakfast sandwich" (ham, egg, and coleslaw), and at times, I craved for their spicy chicken strips (never liked their signature beef teriyaki though). And if they hadn't closed down, I'm sure their regular customers would still keep coming back; there just aren't a whole lot of affordable places to buy food on campus. But the rules are rules. And I don't think they're making a comeback either; the last concessionaire that was shut down was Paotsin, and they were no slouch either.
Rest in peace, Beef Teriyaki. I'm sure you will be missed. Where oh where will your loyal customers eat lunch now?
May 03, 2007
(This will be a long story, I promise.)
My work laptop died last night. Well, not completely. It could only boot Windows part of the way; it goes up to the black boot-up screen with the Windows XP logo and the animating bars, but then the hard disk just stops reading all of a sudden while the bars just keep scrolling along. None of the three supposedly-safe modes worked either; at some point I get in the boot-up process, a BSOD flashes briefly and causes my laptop to restart.
After all that, I gave up on trying to get Windows to boot and focused instead on getting my important files (work-related files, downloads, Outlook data, and some personal stuff) to a safe location, and repairing my Windows installation. I had hunch that my Windows installation just got corrupted but the rest of my files were still intact; this hunch would later prove to be correct. The easiest way would've been to call the help desk and get my laptop repaired, but that's for wimps. I figured I could solve this on my own.
Step 1 was to backup my files to my external hard disk; I needed to do this just in case everything is wiped out in the process of reinstalling Windows. I had to find a way to get my files directly to the external hard disk because my personal laptop didn't have enough space. As you can probably imagine, I tried many methods to get this done:
If you managed to read through this whole blog entry, then I'll have spared you some trouble if you ever experience this exact same problem. Two words: reformat, reinstall. (Or possibly: use Ubuntu.)
My work laptop died last night. Well, not completely. It could only boot Windows part of the way; it goes up to the black boot-up screen with the Windows XP logo and the animating bars, but then the hard disk just stops reading all of a sudden while the bars just keep scrolling along. None of the three supposedly-safe modes worked either; at some point I get in the boot-up process, a BSOD flashes briefly and causes my laptop to restart.
After all that, I gave up on trying to get Windows to boot and focused instead on getting my important files (work-related files, downloads, Outlook data, and some personal stuff) to a safe location, and repairing my Windows installation. I had hunch that my Windows installation just got corrupted but the rest of my files were still intact; this hunch would later prove to be correct. The easiest way would've been to call the help desk and get my laptop repaired, but that's for wimps. I figured I could solve this on my own.
Step 1 was to backup my files to my external hard disk; I needed to do this just in case everything is wiped out in the process of reinstalling Windows. I had to find a way to get my files directly to the external hard disk because my personal laptop didn't have enough space. As you can probably imagine, I tried many methods to get this done:
- I already had a burned CD of Ubuntu Linux 6.06 (Dapper Drake). From the Live CD, it could read from my laptop's hard disk (the files were still intact). Although writing to NTFS (my external hard disk's file system) from Linux was still risky, I didn't have much of a choice. I did some research and found NTFS-3G, a stable read/write driver for NTFS partitions. However, I couldn't get it installed properly even if I added the proper apt-get repository.
- I installed Samba on Ubuntu so I could set up a file share on my mounted laptop hard disk. I tried the best I could, but I wasn't able to find the file share from my personal laptop, even if my work laptop could be seen in the Windows workgroup.
- I set up the IIS default FTP web site on my personal laptop to have a home directory directly on the external hard disk. After disabling the firewalls (and unplugging the Internet connection), it worked! But only for a while. I got some weird write-speed issues after a few gigs were copied over.
- Finally, I decided to download the latest version of Ubuntu, 7.04 Feisty Fawn, which had NTFS-3G in it's Ubuntu universal repository. I had to download it overnight and burn the image to disk, but it worked! I got it installed properly and both drives were mounted successfully. All of my important files were safely copied over to the external hard disk.
- I put the CD in the tray and restarted my laptop. My heart stopped for a few moments when I got to the part where I'm supposed to pick an installation to repair, but Windows told me it couldn't find any hard disks! W. T. F. I soon realized that my laptop had a SATA hard disk and the Windows CD didn't have any SATA drivers for it.
- I downloaded the SATA driver from the HP website but for some stupid reason, it would only extract to a floppy disk! Last time I checked, most laptops don't have floppy drives anymore so I had to extract to a "virtual floppy disk"; I'd heard of virtual CD/DVDs before, but a virtual floppy disk???
- At the start of Windows setup, you can press F6 to provide setup with third-party drivers for your hard disk. Unfortunately, it could only read those drivers from a floppy disk. W. T. F.
- Using the instructions detailed here, I used nLite to create an installation CD with the SATA driver included. But just when I thought there was light at the end of the tunnel, Windows still couldn't detect the hard disk.
If you managed to read through this whole blog entry, then I'll have spared you some trouble if you ever experience this exact same problem. Two words: reformat, reinstall. (Or possibly: use Ubuntu.)
March 29, 2007
There are three qualifying rounds for the 2007 TopCoder Open Algorithm Competition, and if you place in the top 550 in one
I ranked 705; I didn't qualify. I feel very fortunate though that I've still got two more qualifying rounds where I could redeem myself.
The best way to describe my performance today would be: I sucked. To be honest, I expected to qualify today. The problems weren't all that hard. The difficult problem was too tough for me and I never bothered with it, but the easy and moderate problems were a cinch... or so they were supposed to be.
(The following narration won't make much sense unless you know the rules.)
I got fixated on a messed-up and error-prone approach for the easy problem which I couldn't even get to work properly (runtime errors). Then I panicked, opened the moderate problem, thought it was too difficult, then went back to the easy problem. I finally managed to submit a a solution which didn't have any runtime errors.
The moderate problem turned out to be not as hard as I thought. I hastily submitted a working solution, but I lost a lot of points because the timer started ticking as soon as I opened it. After that, I reviewed my solution to the easy problem and found a bug. I fixed it and submitted it again, which merited a 10-percent penalty for resubmitting. Later on, despite all my efforts, it would fail the system test because the whole approach was just plain wrong.
Discouraged, I didn't bother with the difficult problem and simply waited out the rest of the Coding Phase. The Challenge Phase did not turn out well for me either. I made one unsuccessful challenge, and got beaten to the punch to three would-be successful challenges by a matter of seconds! Argh!
(Edit: I missed the second qualifying round today... One last chance on Wednesday!)
I ranked 705; I didn't qualify. I feel very fortunate though that I've still got two more qualifying rounds where I could redeem myself.
The best way to describe my performance today would be: I sucked. To be honest, I expected to qualify today. The problems weren't all that hard. The difficult problem was too tough for me and I never bothered with it, but the easy and moderate problems were a cinch... or so they were supposed to be.
(The following narration won't make much sense unless you know the rules.)
I got fixated on a messed-up and error-prone approach for the easy problem which I couldn't even get to work properly (runtime errors). Then I panicked, opened the moderate problem, thought it was too difficult, then went back to the easy problem. I finally managed to submit a a solution which didn't have any runtime errors.
The moderate problem turned out to be not as hard as I thought. I hastily submitted a working solution, but I lost a lot of points because the timer started ticking as soon as I opened it. After that, I reviewed my solution to the easy problem and found a bug. I fixed it and submitted it again, which merited a 10-percent penalty for resubmitting. Later on, despite all my efforts, it would fail the system test because the whole approach was just plain wrong.
Discouraged, I didn't bother with the difficult problem and simply waited out the rest of the Coding Phase. The Challenge Phase did not turn out well for me either. I made one unsuccessful challenge, and got beaten to the punch to three would-be successful challenges by a matter of seconds! Argh!
(Edit: I missed the second qualifying round today... One last chance on Wednesday!)
Labels: :(, contests, programming, TopCoder
February 04, 2007
My dad has been in Singapore for a few days now, on a business trip. Last night, over dinner with his business partners, he experienced a mild heart attack (essentially a clogging of the arteries). Fortunately, his partners were there to rushed him to the hospital.
My dad's still in the hospital right now, resting while being monitored and treated. He can still able to talk to us and move around a bit. He is on his way to a full recovery, hopefully.
It's a difficult time for us. Our dad has always been the strong one in our family. Even at his age, he still works long hours, travels a lot, and maintains a healthy, active lifestyle. He's our superhero. And for this to happen to him all of a sudden... it's really painful. The distance makes it doubly difficult. He's always been there for us, and now, we can't be there for him. My sister is flying over to Singapore soon to accompany him back home as soon as he is able. But for the rest of us, we can't just drop by, check on him, bring him fruits, or keep him company.
Although all signs point to a total recovery, the possibility of not being able to see him alive and healthy again is still there. And when I think about that possibility, it breaks me down. I'm doing my best to be strong... or at least to appear strong. Inside, my heart is already grieving.
(Update: Dad had angioplasty surgery today. Mom says it went well, and Dad hopes to be discharged from the hospital by tomorrow. Thanks, everyone, for your prayers and caring thoughts.)
My dad's still in the hospital right now, resting while being monitored and treated. He can still able to talk to us and move around a bit. He is on his way to a full recovery, hopefully.
It's a difficult time for us. Our dad has always been the strong one in our family. Even at his age, he still works long hours, travels a lot, and maintains a healthy, active lifestyle. He's our superhero. And for this to happen to him all of a sudden... it's really painful. The distance makes it doubly difficult. He's always been there for us, and now, we can't be there for him. My sister is flying over to Singapore soon to accompany him back home as soon as he is able. But for the rest of us, we can't just drop by, check on him, bring him fruits, or keep him company.
Although all signs point to a total recovery, the possibility of not being able to see him alive and healthy again is still there. And when I think about that possibility, it breaks me down. I'm doing my best to be strong... or at least to appear strong. Inside, my heart is already grieving.
(Update: Dad had angioplasty surgery today. Mom says it went well, and Dad hopes to be discharged from the hospital by tomorrow. Thanks, everyone, for your prayers and caring thoughts.)
November 30, 2006
There goes the long weekend...
Watch it live!
Prepare for the inevitable blackout, people.
Watch it live!
Prepare for the inevitable blackout, people.
Labels: :(, current events, Philippines, typhoon, weather
September 16, 2006
I'm out. It's over for me. Here's the list of advancers to Round 2.
I just can't seem to get past Round 1 of Google Code Jam. Nevertheless, this year's result was better from last year's Code Jam. In Round 1, there are three problems worth 250, 500, and 1000 points each (as opposed to the qualifiers with just two problems: 250 and 1000). In 2005, I was only able to submit a solution for the 250-pointer, and it didn't make it past the Challenge Phase. (See the rules for more info; it's a 15-minute round where you can challenge the solutions of other people and make them fail.)
This year, I was only able to submit for the 250-pointer as well, but it was a solution solid enough not to get challenged. I did make a mistake though in unsuccessfully attempting to challenge, which got me a 25 point reduction. Still, I was able to submit my solution fast enough (208.61 points) so I netted 183.61 points in all. It would've been enough to advance (the "passing" score was 174.60) but my solution failed the System Testing Phase.
Tip for Code Jam 2007 participants: All you need to pass the Qualifying Round and Round 1 is a quick and correct submission for the 250-pointer.
The 250-point problem was like this: given a fraction in the form of n/d (where d and n are integers and d is positive) and a positive integer maxDenom, find a fraction n2/d2 such that d2 is less than or equal to maxDenom, d2 is positive, and the absolute difference between n/d and n2/d2 is as small as possible. If there are candidate ties, take the one with smaller d2; if the numerators are equal, take the one with smaller n2. My solution seemed correct, but my waterloo was floating-point number precision. Given that I was using C#, I should've used the decimal data type insted of double.
I just needed to do a find and replace from "double" to "decimal"! Argh!!! (pounds head in frustration)
Well, that's that. What really sucks is that I have to wait another year for the next Code Jam. But hey, at least I've got a shirt from last year!
I just can't seem to get past Round 1 of Google Code Jam. Nevertheless, this year's result was better from last year's Code Jam. In Round 1, there are three problems worth 250, 500, and 1000 points each (as opposed to the qualifiers with just two problems: 250 and 1000). In 2005, I was only able to submit a solution for the 250-pointer, and it didn't make it past the Challenge Phase. (See the rules for more info; it's a 15-minute round where you can challenge the solutions of other people and make them fail.)
This year, I was only able to submit for the 250-pointer as well, but it was a solution solid enough not to get challenged. I did make a mistake though in unsuccessfully attempting to challenge, which got me a 25 point reduction. Still, I was able to submit my solution fast enough (208.61 points) so I netted 183.61 points in all. It would've been enough to advance (the "passing" score was 174.60) but my solution failed the System Testing Phase.
Tip for Code Jam 2007 participants: All you need to pass the Qualifying Round and Round 1 is a quick and correct submission for the 250-pointer.
The 250-point problem was like this: given a fraction in the form of n/d (where d and n are integers and d is positive) and a positive integer maxDenom, find a fraction n2/d2 such that d2 is less than or equal to maxDenom, d2 is positive, and the absolute difference between n/d and n2/d2 is as small as possible. If there are candidate ties, take the one with smaller d2; if the numerators are equal, take the one with smaller n2. My solution seemed correct, but my waterloo was floating-point number precision. Given that I was using C#, I should've used the decimal data type insted of double.
I just needed to do a find and replace from "double" to "decimal"! Argh!!! (pounds head in frustration)
Well, that's that. What really sucks is that I have to wait another year for the next Code Jam. But hey, at least I've got a shirt from last year!
August 29, 2006
For the longest time (not counting my dorm days), I've been sharing a bed with my brother. It's a double-size bed that probably 20+ years old which used to belong to my parents.
Don't get me wrong; we don't do it out of "brotherly love" (yuck) or anything like that. We all sleep together at night in the master's bedroom: my parents, my older brother Jerome, and me. It's basically two to a bed. That's been the arrangement at our home ever since we discovered the energy-saving benefits of using just a single large bedroom with an airconditioner running. My brother and I have an actual room of our own but the last time we slept in it was when I was seven years old (if I recall correctly). My two sisters had their own room which was similarly "abandoned" (my eldest sister Vanny moved out this year).
But since my sister Tricia moved back into the house (she used to stay in an apartment near the Internet café she runs), the family bedroom became a little bit more cramped. Because there was no extra bed in the room, she had to squeeze into my parents' bed. Now, a month later, my parents decided that we should move out. My brother and I moved to our sisters' old bedroom which already had two single beds. My sister took the double bed with her and settled into my old room. There are aircons now in both rooms but we don't use them to save on electricity.
To be honest, I'm having difficulty adjusting. For one thing, there's no television in our room. And I'm used to sleeping with the aircon on. But I really miss being in one room together with my family. I don't miss sleeping uncomfortably and having to jostle for the remote control. I simply miss being in each other's company, even if we don't talk to each other a lot. Our family doesn't have many problems, but admittedly, we're not very close to one another. Even if it is a little bit forced, it'll be hard to replace the quality time we spend together every night.
I'm going to miss my dad's incredibly loud snoring. I'm going to miss watching my mom do her novenas before going to bed. I'm going to miss those moments when we all decide to watch a movie on HBO or a golf tournament past midnight.
I feel like a part of myself has already been lost.
Don't get me wrong; we don't do it out of "brotherly love" (yuck) or anything like that. We all sleep together at night in the master's bedroom: my parents, my older brother Jerome, and me. It's basically two to a bed. That's been the arrangement at our home ever since we discovered the energy-saving benefits of using just a single large bedroom with an airconditioner running. My brother and I have an actual room of our own but the last time we slept in it was when I was seven years old (if I recall correctly). My two sisters had their own room which was similarly "abandoned" (my eldest sister Vanny moved out this year).
But since my sister Tricia moved back into the house (she used to stay in an apartment near the Internet café she runs), the family bedroom became a little bit more cramped. Because there was no extra bed in the room, she had to squeeze into my parents' bed. Now, a month later, my parents decided that we should move out. My brother and I moved to our sisters' old bedroom which already had two single beds. My sister took the double bed with her and settled into my old room. There are aircons now in both rooms but we don't use them to save on electricity.
To be honest, I'm having difficulty adjusting. For one thing, there's no television in our room. And I'm used to sleeping with the aircon on. But I really miss being in one room together with my family. I don't miss sleeping uncomfortably and having to jostle for the remote control. I simply miss being in each other's company, even if we don't talk to each other a lot. Our family doesn't have many problems, but admittedly, we're not very close to one another. Even if it is a little bit forced, it'll be hard to replace the quality time we spend together every night.
I'm going to miss my dad's incredibly loud snoring. I'm going to miss watching my mom do her novenas before going to bed. I'm going to miss those moments when we all decide to watch a movie on HBO or a golf tournament past midnight.
I feel like a part of myself has already been lost.
