2025's Top 5

Here are my top 5 highlight of the year 2025, listed randomly:

5 books

I have read 5 books this year. These are books I haven't read before and do not include the ones I've written.

4 new Android Mini Collectibles

I have added 4 new Android Mini Collectibles to my collection. The first was a reward for PE mentorship. I then got one as part of the swags for PES 2025 Dublin. During the event, I also purchased 2 other collectibles.

From top left clockwise: PES25 Dublin, Noogler, Glow in the Dark, PE Mentor

3rd edition of How to Build Android Applications with Kotlin

The third edition of our book How to Build Android Applications with Kotlin has been released on September. If you still haven't, you can get your copy on Packt and on Amazon.

2 New countries visited

I visited two new countries this year: Mexico and Ireland. We went to Ciudad de México for the Concacaf Champions Finals of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC against Cruz Azul and spent a few days before and after the game. I tried Café de Olla (Mexican coffee) and we ate tacos and other Mexican food. We also visited Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Teotihuacan Pyramids.

Café de Olla (Mexican coffee) in Mexico

We went to Dublin, Ireland for PES 2025 and we extended for a few days in the city. I have tried Guiness, Irish coffee, Irish Stew, and full Irish breakfast in Dublin. We also visisted the Brú na Bóinne, Cliffs of Moher and the Book of Kells (at Trinity College).

Irish Coffee in Ireland

1 New App: Custom Currency Converter

I have released a new Android app, Custom Currency Converter. It is a currency exchange app that you can use to convert between two currencies using your custom exchange rate.

Top 4 for 2024

Here are the top 4 highlights of this year for me, in no particular order.

New App: MP2 Calculator

I released a new app called MP2 Calculator on Android and on the web (https://mp2calc.sweldongpinoy.com). MP2 Calculator is an app for computing how much your MP2 (Modified Pag-IBIG 2) savings may grow based on actual dividend rates. I have built the MP2 Calculator Android app using Kotlin and Jetpack Compose and the app is now my first to be developed using 100% Jetpack Compose.

Fastest Half Marathon, First 8k

I ran my best (so far) half marathon at the Vancouver Half Marathon 2024 with a record of 2:10:52. It was a few minutes faster than the previous record I had, which was at the same race last year.

I also ran my first 8k at BMO Vancouver Marathon 2024.

Play Store Listing Certificate

After the previous certificate expired this year, I took again Google Play Academy’s Play Store Listing Certificate.

Work in Progress

I have been working on an app with a startup based in France which we have released publicly this year. My co-authors and I am also working on the third edition of our book How to Build Android Apps with Kotlin, which should be available soon on Packt and on Amazon.

I also released updates to my apps and projects, including the 2025 changes for Sweldong Pinoy and Budget Pinoy and toll fee increases for Toll Pinas.

2023: A Year of 3s

2023 has been a very unique year. The first three months was good but the remaining 3 quarters was not as good. Speaking of three, I have noticed that a lot of things related to the number 3 to me happened this year. Here are some of them:

Third Continent

After living and touring around Asia and North America, we finally visited a new continent this year: Europe. I was invited to the PE Summit 2023 in London, England and we toured around a few days before the summit. We went to the Prime Meridian, ate English breakfast, and went to Sherlock Holmes Museum, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter, British Museum, and more. I also got to meet my three co-authors (who are all based in England) for the first time since we started working in 2019.

Book #3

My third book, the second edition of our book How to Build Android Apps with Kotlin, has been released last May. It is available on Packt and on Amazon. The first edition was published on February 2021 and there has been some new changes with the new one.

Three Runs

I ran thrice this year: a half-marathon at BMO Vancouver Marathon 2023, another half-marathon at Vancouver Half Marathon 2023, and a 10k at Under Armour Eastside 10k 2023. My half marathon at the Vancouver Half is now my fastest (so far) at 2:16:41.

3 Other 3's

• Third Year of Blood Donation: This year marks the third consecutive year that I had donated blood.
• Three Visits to the US: We went to the United States thrice this year: a weekend in California (March-April), a day trip in Seattle (June), and another weekend in California (November).
• 3 VWFC Games: We watched 3 Vancouver Whitecaps FC matches at BC Place this year:
  • March 8: CONCACAF Champions League game against Real Club Deportivo Espana. Whitecaps won the game 5-0. It was our first time to watch their game where they scored more than 3 goals.
  • August 4: Leagues Cup Round of 32 match vs Tigres UANL. The final score was 1-1 but they lost on the penalty shootout 5-3
  • November 5: MLS Cup Playoff First Round Game 2 vs LAFC. They lost 1-0 and exited the playoffs

3 Honorable Mentions of Non-3 Things

• After more than 8 years, I was finally able to replace my Macbook!
• I joined two organizations this year and have already volunteered twice for each organization.
• We watched our first NFL game in person in November, the Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Chargers (SoFi Stadium).

Top 22 for 2022

A lot of things have happened in 2022. Here are the 22 highlights of the year for me.

App Development

* My new book Simplifying Android Development with Coroutines and Flows has been published this year. You can check out the book on Packt and on Amazon.

* We have updated Boto Ko for the 2022 Philippine National and Local Elections and we have started an unofficial survey called Boto Ko Polls for the national positions based on anonymous user inputs. Boto Ko is an application for Philippine elections where you can list, update, and share the candidates you want to vote for.

* Boto Ko was featured in Youth for Truth, a youth-oriented program of the Presidential Communications Operations Office. You can watch the interview which aired live on May 7 on Facebook and on YouTube.

* We have updated Sweldong Pinoy and Budget Pinoy for 2023. The tax deductions will decrease but the contibutions for PhilHealth, SSS, and Pag-IBIG Fund will be higher. Sweldong Pinoy is a salary calculator for Filipinos in computing net pay, withholding taxes and contributions to SSS/GSIS, PhilHealth and PAG-IBIG. Budget Pinoy is a tool for Filipinos in finding out how much their asking salary should be based on their budget.

* I worked on a simple Android app for a client who will be using the app as a demo/prototype for presenting to their potential partners and investors. Most of the things I did involved adding animations and I used MotionLayout for them.

* I developed a simple Exchange Gift Generator using Google Forms/Google Spreadsheets and Apps Script.

Running

* I ran my first half marathon at the BMO Vancouver Marathon 2022. It was the 50th anniversary of the Vancouver Marathon. I ran the 21.1 km run in 2:27:11.

* I ran my second Half Marathon at Great Trek 2022, the 100th anniversary of the event. It took me 2:27:55 to finish the 21.1 km run.

* I ran at least once a month this year with a total distance of 356 km based on Strava, more than a half marathon's distance compared to last year's 327 km.

Travel and Tours

* This year, we visited the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, and BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. We also went out of town to Tsawwassen Mills to visit the Stargazer Exhibit.

* Celine's family (and I) went to Squamish (with a day trip to Whistler).

* for the first time, we went outside the province! We went to Ontario and had a tour in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls. The highlight of the trip was the Hornblower Boat Cruise.

* We stayed in Toronto for a few days of vacation and went to CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, Distillery District, Casa Loma, Royal Ontario Museum, and St. Lawrence Market.

Sports

* This year, we watched more games of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. We watched 12 MLS games in BC Place.

* We watched the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in their Canadian Championship Preliminary Round game vs Valour FC (they won 2-0) and in the Canadian Championship Finals vs Toronto FC. They won 5-3 on penalty shootout (after a 1-1 90 minute game) and got their second Voyageurs Cup.

* We also watched a Vancouver Canucks game for the first time. It was our first time to watch an NHL game in person and was also our first time at Rogers Arena.

* We watched the Canada Women Football Team's National Team Celebration Tour, a friendly game vs Nigeria. They won 2-0!

* We watched the Canadian Mens Football Team during their CONCACAF Nations League match vs Curaçao. There were two other games which we paid for and could have also watched if they had not been cancelled.

Others

* I continued to use Duolingo to learn French. My stats for 2022 says I'm a top 1% French learner on Duolingo: 66611 total XP, 16993 minutes spent, 3896 words learned, 1989 longest streak. Here is the full year in review (video):

* After a very long time, I finished first in a Diamond League in Duolingo . The Diamond League is the "highest" league and it was always hard to even stay on it. It was also the first time I topped a Duolingo leaderboard so I got both the Winner and Legendary achievements.

* We were invited to the St. Paul's Lights of Hope Donor Celebration before the lighting ceremony. After the program, we went outside for the lighting ceremony.

* I donated blood twice in 2022: first in June and the second in December.

Top Ten for 2021

The year 2021 has been another challenging year. The COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing. We're still working from home. Here are my personal highlights for this year:

Vaccinated

Celine and I (and both our family) have been vaccinated and we're still safe and healthy.

First Book

The book I have co-authored, How to Build Android Apps with Kotlin, has finally beeen published last February. If you want to learn Android app development with Kotlin, you can check out our book on Packt and on Amazon.

Android Developer Challenge

I joined the first two weeks of Android Developer Challenge: Jetpack Compose and was one of the 500 winners for both challenges.

Google Play Store Listing Certificate

I took Google Play Academy’s Store Listing Certificate training, passed the exam, and got my certificate.

First (Virtual) Half Marathon

I did my first 21k on 2021! It was a virtual half-marathon at the BMO Vancouver Marathon 2021. I finished the run in 2:45:26. I'm looking forward to my first in-person half-marathon next year.

Blood Donation

It has been one of my goals since 2011. There has been a lot of factors in the past that made me unable to do it. I was finally able to do it this time before the year ended.

Montly Run

I ran at least once a month this year. My total distance is 327 km, twice as much as last year's 161 km.

Le Français avec Duolingo

I extended my streak on Duolingo to 1655 days. In 4651+ minutes, I earned 18,750+ XP, got 157 more crowns, and "learned" 2256+ words.

Advent of Code, Kotlin Heroes

I tried Advent of Code for the first time. Using Kotlin, I was able to solve the first 15 days. I also learned some new things.

I also joined Kotlin Heroes 6 and Kotlin Heroes 7 this year. In the former, I solved a problem while in the latter, I got 2.

Victoria Trip

We were able to travel outside the city but within the province. It was our first time to visit the BC capital and we were able to visit different places and ate a lot of food. This trip happened when the cases were declining and the vaccination rate has been increasing so the province is starting to reopen.

Top 20 for 2020

It has been a very challenging year. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of things. We've been fortunate that Celine and I still have our jobs and that we continue working from home. There has been some losses and gains that are actually losses but I always look on the bright side of things. Here are 20 of my personal highlights for 2020.

Tigcal Apps and Projects

* In June, we released Sweldong Pinoy for Self-Employed Individuals. Now, self-employed users can choose "Self-Employed Individual" in the employment type and the app will compute the contributions for SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG Fund, tax, and other contributions, and your net pay.

sweldongpinoy.com updated with computations for Self-Employed

* We have updated Budget Pinoy for Everyone. Users can now choose their employment type and the app will update the deductions and asking rate based on their selection.

budgetpinoy.com on mobile browser with the employment type drop-down<

* The new Thirteenth Month was released in time for the holiday season. Users can now input their salaries from January to December to compute their thirteenth month pay. If they have the same salary for the year, they can select "My salary is the same for the whole year" and provide the salary, starting/ending week/month.

You can now provide your salaries per month or select My salary is the same for the whole year

* Contributions for SSS and PhilHealth will be increasing for 2021. Sweldong Pinoy and Budget Pinoy were updated to use the new contribution rates for 2021. In the initial release, we added a dropdown so you can choose the current (2020) or upcoming (2021) rates.

Sweldong Pinoy for 2021

* A new update to the Google Chrome Extension for Google Developer Group (GDG) Philippines (version 3.1) was released. This includes adding events tab to display events from the Meetup Page, updating GDG logo, updating links, and removing blog and video tabs.

* I spent some time updating the Android app. The new version has 100% Kotlin and Dark Theme. I also used Retrofit, Coroutines, and ViewModel to fetch the events from the Meetup API. Other changes include the Dark Theme and updates to chapter links.

Tech Writing

* I continued working on the Android writing gig I started year. I was assigned two more chapters and worked on revisions and other feedback.

* I started writing technical stuff again and published three new posts on Medium. Two of them, Opting in Existing Apps to Google Play App Signing and Managing Android Studio with the Toolbox App were accepted on the ProAndroidDev publication.

* The Opting in Existing Apps to Google Play App Signing post also got featured in Medium's Android Development page

Continuous Learning

* I have created a Google Developer (google.dev) Profile this year. With the profile, developers can learn about Google technologies through various pathways. A pathway contains an ordered collection of videos, codelabs, and articles about a specific topic. Finishing pathways can sometimes give you a badge. Since June, I have earned 28 badges.

* I've been learning some French using the Duolingo app for a while. I'm already on a 1290-day streak and 740 crowns.

* I discovered French in Action. It was old but it teaches French in a very different way so I watched all 52 episodes.

* I registered and joined Kotlin Heroes: Episode 4 on May 29. Kotlin Heroes is a programming competition from JetBrains (creator of Kotlin) and CodeForces. I solved 2 of the 9 problems.

* Kotlin Heroes 5: ICPC Round was held on November 12. I joined again and managed to solve 3 of the 10 problems this time. Kotlin Heroes is a programming competition from JetBrains (creator of Kotlin) and CodeForces.

* I have been listening on some podcasts like Developer Tea, Soft Skills Engineering, and Android Backstage. For these three, I have already listened to more than half of their episodes. There are also some other podcasts I listen to but I only choose the episodes that sounds relevant to me.

* Last January, I joined the Flutter Clock Challenge. Flutter Clock is a skills-based contest offered by Google, including participation by the Flutter, Google Assistant, and Lenovo teams that challenges you to use Flutter to build a clock face application. I am not that familiar with Flutter but I spent a few hours making a very simple clock.

My certificate of participation

Personal

* GDG Philippines invited me as the speaker for their Android 11 Meetup. The event, streamed live on YouTube and Facebook, was the first time for me to do an online talk.

* I was hoping to run more this year but I have not been able to do that. However, I ran at least once a month, with a minimum of 10 kilometers per run.

* I received a new badge on Github called Arctic Code Vault Contributor. Some of the repositories I contributed to have been included in the 2020 Github Archive Program.

* Doing nothing during the early days of staying at homw was tiring! I was watching a few clips from Just for Laughs and discovered their official channel. I set a goal of watching all of their best gags. After accomplishing that, I became motivated to work on my personal projects again.

To 2021 and beyond!

I'm looking forward to next year! It's going to be a great year.

Top Nine for 2019

It has been a while since the last time I have made a year-ender blog post. There wasn't much stuff last year so I was unable to make one. This year, I decided to highlight small and big things that happened. Here are my personal top nine for 2019.

Church Wedding

Celine and I finally got married in the Catholic Church last July.

Twice in Manila

We were able to be in the Philippines twice this year: February while doing the wedding requirements and June-July for the actual wedding. It was both wondeful as we get to meet family and friends.

Tigcal Apps and Projects

There has been two updates to Sweldong Pinoy this year: updating SSS contributions and the other one was for updating PhilHealth contributions. The latter also included Dark Theme among other design improvements. We also released a new version of Budget Pinoy.

The repository for Tigcal Apps has been open sourced on Github. Tigcal Apps has served as my sandbox project for learning and working on Material Design Components, AndroidX, Kotlin, Dark Theme, and more.

Boto Ko was also updated for the 2019 National and Local Elections in the Philippines. I also added in my Tigcal Samples repository the Android projects I've worked with in the past few months and the Bill Calculator I removed from Tigcal Utils. A separate repository was also made for my Tigcal Utilities app.

Special Project

I am working on a special project. This is my first time to do this kind of project. It's still a work in progress so I can't share anything yet.

Vancouver Sun Run 2019

After more than two years, I was able to run again! On April 14, I ran at Vancouver Sun Run. I finished the 10k at 01:05:55.

Monthly Run

From April to December of this year, I was able to run at least once a month, with a minimum of 10 kilometers per run.

My Monthly 10k Strava Challenge Trophy

Weight Watch

Earlier this year, I managed to record my lowest weight since I started recording on Google Fit way back 2014.

Hacktoberfest 2019

I tried joining Hacktoberfest this year.

Hacktoberfest 2019

Le Français

I've been learning some French on Duolingo for some time now. As of December 31, I am already on a 924-day streak on the app. They had also implemented leagues and I am have slowly moved up to the Diamond League, the highest league (so far).

My streak, league, XP, and achievements

2020 Vision

I'm looking forward to next year! It's going to be another great year.

Seven Highlights of 2017

Another year will be ending soon. Once again, it's now time for another year-ender blog post. Looking back on what happened this year, there were some postive and negative things, small and big changes, and more. I have compiled the 7 highlights of 2017 into this post.

One Run

Despite the busy schedule, I was able to run in at least one run this year: 7-Eleven Run 2017. This was my third time to run in 7-Eleven Run. I was in the 16k category again. The official results are 02:15:29 (Gun Time) and 02:14:09 (Chip Time). Runtastic says I ran 16.04 km in 2:14:44.

Android Talks and Workshops

I was part of Google I/O 2017 Extended Roadshow, a series of talks and workshops to help professional and student developers deep dive in the new technologies announced. We visited Rizal, Manila, Laguna, Palawan, and Naga this year. I talked about Android Updates and conducted Android Basics workshop.

I also did some Android talks this year in PLM (March 2), STI College Novaliches (March 15), and UE-Manila (September 18). I also helped out in the Palawan Android Study Jams (April 11-12).

Budget Pinoy

Sweldong Pinoy turned five this year! We have announced a new app that we're working on: Budget Pinoy. Budget Pinoy is a tool for Filipinos in computing gross and net pay based on user's budget. You can try the app at https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.sweldongpinoy.budget

Budget Penny and GDGPH Google Assistant Apps

I have started developing apps for Google Assistant and published two apps already: Budget Penny and GDG Philippines. Budget Penny is your budget assistant that's ready to help in managing your finances. Through the Google Assistant app for the Google Developer Group (GDG) Philippines, you can ask it about the upcoming events and more information about GDG Philippines.

Tigcal Utilities and You and Me

Earlier this year, my mother switched to a smartphone and I made an app for her. The app, Tigcal Utilities, includes three utility mini-apps: Battery, Bill Calculator, and Flashlight. The Battery app opens the Battery Usage Settings while Flashlight app allows the user to turn on and off the flashlight. Bill Calculator is an app that allows users to split the electric bill based on total kWH used.

I also made an app for Celine. Development for it started last year and I was only able to finish it now. It is a simple app for you and your and your special someone. I published it under Closed Alpha Testing on Google Play Store because there's still more to be done for it to be useful to other couples. I'm hoping I can work on it and release it soon.

Celine in Manila

After almost two years, Celine went back to Manila for a week last June. She met her friends during lunch and dinner. Celine and I also went to our home to visit my family. We were also able to go to a beach when we went with friends to Batangas to celebrate Mama Chelle's birthday.

Canada

I started the year in Canada and now I'm ending it here too.

I'm looking forward to 2018! There are a lot of things to be done but it will be a really exciting year.

2016 in Numbers

At the end of each year or at the start of the new year, I have traditionally published year-ender blog posts to look back on the past twelve months of my life. As I reflect on how 2016 has been for me, I was reminded that not much happened this year. There were some gains but there were more losses. It would be hard for me to enumerate the top things that happened or to summarize the highlights for the year so I would just list down some of the relevant numbers.

3 runs (two 16k runs and a 10k run)
1 Chrome Extension (Android Gradle Extension)

0 new Android Apps published (though I'm stil working on at least two apps)
2 Android Study Jams facilitated in 2 Schools
1 Android App Development Competition Judged (STI App and Running 2016)
8 Android Workshops
9 Android Talks

1 local event attended (PWA Roadshow Manila)
1 international event attended (Google I/O 2016)
4 new local places (Palawan, Bohol, Dipolog, Dapitan) visited for the first time
5: Fifth US State (Washington) when we visited Seattle

I am praying 2017 will be a lot better than 2016. I'll do my best to do more stuff and accomplish more.

BYE 2015

Only a few hours to go before 2016! I am using this time to look back at the things that happened for the past twelve months of 2015 through this blog's year-ender (BYE) post.

Travels

This year's travels include going to Legazpi City (STI National Youth Convention Legazpi Leg), Taal, Ozamiz City (6th ICT Youth Convention, General Santos City (STI App and Running judging, Zamboanga (UZ Android Training), and Laguna (Biñan for a talk at UPHSL and Sta. Rosa for a talk at SEIPI-ASITEP).

I was also able to go outside the country this year. I went to US to attend the GDG Global Organizer Summit in Mountain View, Google I/O 2015, and visit my aunt in Texas and Celine's aunts in LA. Celine and I went to Canada (with a quick layover in Japan) in October. I went back to US to attend the first Android Dev Summit afterwards.

Talks and Workshops

This year, I attended GDG Organizer Global Summit 2015 (May 26-27), Google I/O 2015 (May 28-29), Google Developers Summit Manila (August 14), and Android Dev Summit 2015.

I did a lot of talks this year on topics including Android (Basics and #io15 updates), Android Wear, Publishing on Google Play, and Google Developer Tools and Technologies. I have published most of the slides I used in my SpeakerDeck account.

I conducted Android workshops this year: 6 during Google I/O Extended Roadshow (Pampanga/Manila/Batangas/Albay/Camarines Sur/Cavite), 2 Android Marshmallow Workshops, one in University of Zamboanga, and one at the 6th ICT Youth Convention (Ozamiz City)

I also facilitated GDG Philippines' seven-week Android Fundamentals Study Jams during the months of February and March.

Apps and Projects

Aside from updates to my Android apps and other projects, I have also spent some time this year developing new apps. Celine and I joined Accenture Technology Talks & Hackathon 2015. Our Help Me app won second place in the competition. While studying about the Android Wear Watch Face API, I developed the GDG Watch Face. I also had the chance to demo it during the GDG Global Organizer Summit.

Right now, I am also working on the iOS app for Sweldong Pinoy, as well as another related project.

Runs

I was only able to run 3 times this year: 16k run at Takbo.ph 20-Miler Run 2015, 10k run at Condura Skyway Marathon 2015, and another 16k run at 7-Eleven Run 1500. In all three runs, I received finishers' medal. I used Runtastic and my Moto360 to track the runs.

Hopefully in 2016, I'll be able to have more runs. I have already registered for Condura Skyway Marathon and 7-11 Run next year.

2014: The Year That Was

A lot of things happened in 2014. Here are some of the highlights of the year that was.

Local Travel

From January 18 to 19, we went to Nueva Ecija, Tagaytay, and Manila. Wayne, Celine, Mama Chelle, Amit, Josh, Jona and I went to Nueva Ecija on January 18 for the Nueva Ecija Technologies @ Work (NETWORKS) Student Developers Day event. I did a talk about the basics of Android apps development there. The next day, Celine, Mama Chelle, Amit, Josh, Jona and I travelled to Tagaytay (People's Park in the Sky, Starbucks, Rowena's). After that, we visited the National Museum. It was my first time to visit there and it was a great experience. We then went to Intramuros and had lunch at Coco Bango Cafe. Afterwards, we went to San Agustin Church.

Celine and I went to La Salle University in Ozamiz City for the 5th ICT Youth Convention on February 27. I did a talk about Google Developer Tools and Technologies in the morning and conducted an Android Workshop in the afternoon.

Wayne and I went to Angeles, Pampanga on June 7 for a GBG Angeles-GDG Philippines Developer Meetup there. I was able to try Marco's 3-way Tinapa-flavor pizza and Pacencia a Kapampangan mom's sweet recipe pasta in Historic Camalig Restaurant. During dinner, I was able to try tilapia and chili frog in Apag Marangle, and Kabigting's Halo-Halo in Marquee Mall.

I followed Celine in Cagayan de Oro during their two-week work there and spent the weekend (October 10-12) with her. On October 11, we went to Camiguin Island and visited Katibawasan Falls, Ardent Hot Springs, Old Volcano, Sunken Cemetery, and Guiob Church Ruins, Soda Swimming Pool, and Sto. Niño Cold Spring Resort. In CDO, we went to St. Agustine Cathedral, Gaston Park, MacArthur Memorial Marker, and Capitol Grounds.

We went to Ilocos on December 2-3 for the Google Philippines and Philippine Science High School event. Our technical talks were in the afternoon of the second day so we were able to do a quick side trip to Vigan (and eat authentic Vigan empanada) in the morning.

International Travel

Celine, Mama Chelle, Mitch, Wayne, Jerome, and I went to South Korea from March 21 to 24 for a short vacation. We met with the GDG community managers there for dinner and also had lunch in the Google office. We visited Nami Island, different palaces, temples and other historical/cultural places there.

This year, I was also blessed to receive a US VISA so I was able to go to the United States for the GDG Organizer Summit (June 23-24), Google I/O 2014 (June 25-26), and a short trip to San Francisco, Oakland, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.

Personal Apps

Sweldong Pinoy apps were updated based from PhilHealth Circular 27 s.2013 and SSS Circular 2013-010. The tablet-optimized version of the Sweldong Pinoy Android app has also been released. Sweldong Pinoy was updated for Government employees (computing GSIS contributions instead of SSS contributions) and RHQ/ROHQ Employees (computing corresponding tax, deductions, and net pay). Check the Sweldong Pinoy Blog for more details.

I have also developed Thirteenth Month, a tool for Filipinos in computing their 13th-month pays. Thirteenth Month has a website/web app at http://13thmonth.sweldongpinoy.com and Android App.

Gadgets

I bought a Nexus 5 on February to replace the Nexus S that already stopped working. I also received an LG G Watch and a Moto 360 from Google I/O.

Runs

My only run for 2014 was Takbo.ph RunFest 2014 (July 13). On 2015, I am hoping I can do more runs, probably one per quarter. I had already registered for Takbo.PH 20 Miler Run 2015 (10 Miler/16k) and Condura Skyway Marathon 2015 (10k).

2013 Travels

Today is the last day of 2013. It's just a few hours to go before 2014. This year, I was able to visit new places and revisit other places too. Here are these places I've been to this year.

Bontoc, Mountain Province

My first visit here was in January 26 for the first meetup of GDG Halsema. It was a twelve-hour bus ride but we were able to see the Banaue Rice Terraces from the bus. The meetup was held in Mountain Province State Polytechnic College. We weren't able to explore much of the place except for the Rizal monument and a nearby church because we already went to Baguio the afternoon after the meetup.

We went back to Bontoc on April 13 for Celine's Google Apps Training for the Department of Education Mountain Province Division Office. We stayed in Archog Hotel & Restaurant. The food there, especially the vegetables were fresh and delicious!

The trainees with the trainer [Photo from Celine's Facebook Account]

Baguio

After the GDG Halsema meetup last January 26, we rode a six-hour bus going to Baguio. It was my first time to be there too. We had dinner at Good Taste Cafe & Restaurant then hailed a cab to Hotel Elizabeth. The day after, we went to Good Shepherd Convent, Mines View Park (where I tried the strawberry taho), Mansion House, Wright Park, and Baguio Museum. We had lunch at O' Mai Khan before going to the bus terminal to go back to Manila.

On our way to Bontoc for Celine's Google Apps Training there, we opted for Manila-Baguio and Baguio-Bontoc bus rides. We arrived in Baguio early morning of April 12 and had breakfast at Cafe by the Ruins before going to the GL Lizardo Terminal to ride a bus going to Bontoc.

We went back to Baguio on March 2 for Celine's Google Apps for Edu Training at Berkeley School Baguio. This time, we checked in at Azalea Residences. After the event, we bought food at 50s Diner for dinner. The next day, we had lunch with Reymart of GDG Baguio and Vince of GBG Baguio at Cafe by the Ruins. We also tried dimsum at Central Park Restaurant before going back to Manila.

On August 2-4, we were back in Baguio for GBG Baguio's Women 3.0 event (August 3). We had dinner at O Mai Khan and desserts at PNKY Cafe. After the event, we had dinner at Green Pepper in Ketchup Food Community. On our last day, we went to Good Shepherd. Vince toured us around the Cemetery of Negativism, Bell Amphitheather, and the Bell House.We had lunch at Canto in Ketchup Community before going back.

Our last visit to Baguio for the year was during the GDG DevFest Cordillera-Baguio and gDayX North Luzon on November 9. Celine and I arrived in the afternoon of November 8. Celine treated me to lunch at Solibao (Session Road) and we visited the Baguio Cathedral and Botanical Garden.

Cebu

Celine and I went to Cebu last February 22 for the Google Apps Training at Center for Excellence in Cebu Normal University. After the event, we met with Jerome and had dinner at The Original AA BBQ. The next day, we met with Kreigh for lunch at Hang Guk Kwan Korean Resto. We also dropped by at CebuInIT in University of the Philippines for the Google Maps API and Google+ Seminar-Workshop. We also went to Fort San Pedro, Magellan's Cross, and Basilica del Santo Niño.

[Photo from Ruben Licera]

We went back to Cebu on April 19-21 for the Google Apps for Edu training in University of San Jose-Recoletos Basak Campus (April 20). After the event, we had ramen and gyoza dinner at Kamekichi Ramen Noodle House, and desserts at CMYK Dessert House. The next day, we attended the 10:00 AM Cebuano mass, had lunch at Sunburst Ayala Center Cebu, and had desserts at the Dessert Factory before going to the airport.

Ilocos

From May 17 to 19, Celine and I, along with her high school best friends Deci and Lik, went to Ilocos for a weekend tour. We were able to try the authentic Vigan empanada, Vigan Longganisa, Pinakbet Pizza and Poque-Poque (an Ilocano eggplant dish) Pizza. In Ilocos Sur, we visited Calle Crisologo (Vigan), Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad/St. Augustine Parish (Bantay), and Baluarte (Ilocos Sur). We visited more places in Ilocos Norte: Marcos Museum and Mausoleum (Batac), Paoay Church (Paoay), Malacanang of the North (Paoay), Museo Ilocos Norte (Laoag), Tobacco Monopoly Monument (Laoag), Sinking Bell Tower (Laoag), Cape Bojeador Lighthouse (Burgos), Kapurpurawan Rock Formation (Burgos), Bangui Windmill (Bangui), Kabigan Waterfall (Pagudpud), Patapat Viaduct (Pagudpud), Bantay Abot Cave (Pagudpud), Blue Lagoon (Pagudpud), and Paoay Sand Dunes.

Vigan empanada [Photo from Celine]

Ozamiz

Celine and I went to Ozamiz last May 24-26 for a two-day Google Apps training for La Salle University Ozamiz. The first day of training was for the faculty. At lunch time, we went to Royal Garden Hotel to check-in and eat at Hukad Sa Golden Cowrie. After the afternoon session, we went back to the hotel, visited the Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral, had early dinner at the nearby Mooon Cafe, bought water at the Shoppers Plaza, and had cake slices at The Coffee Lounge. The next day, we had breakfast in Jollinee then went back to the campus for the second day of training (non-teaching staff). We had lunch at Big J Grill House. We had dinner with Jerome,Miss Leslyn and Sir Harold at Hukad Sa Golden Cowrie and cakes at The Coffee Lounge.

Our dinner at at Hukad Sa Golden Cowrie[Photo from Celine]

Cagayan de Oro City

Celine and I went to CDO last July 27-28 to join the 6th Monthsary Meetup of GDG CDO. Paul, our former officemate, picked us up at the airport and suggested we go to the Divine Mercy Archdiocesan Shrine. We had breakfast at Panagatan Seafoods Restaurant before checking in at Mallberry Suites Business Hotel. We walked to Mindanao University of Science and Technology for the meetup. After the event, we had dinner at Thai Me Up. We also went to Vjandep Bakeshop to buy pastel.

[Photo from Celine]

Bicol (Legazpi City and Naga City)

Celine, Wayne and I were invited to be one of the speakers for the Bicol Youth for Technology Exposure (BYTE) 2013. The event is on October 19 at Capitol Convention Center (Pili, Camarines Sur) but Celine and I went to Legazpi City on October 18 first to see Mount Mayon. We went to Lignon Hill and Cagsawa Ruins. We also went to Daraga Church (Our Lady of the Gate Parish) before going to the city proper. We went to the St. Gregory the Great Cathedral for a few minutes before having lunch at Red Continent Diner & Cafe. We had pinangat, bicol express, tinapa rice, and chili ice cream (ube flavor). Afterwards, we rode a tricycle to the Naga-bound van's terminal.

View the Photosphere of Mount Mayon here

We arrived in Naga and checked in at Naga Regent Hotel. We met up with Wayne there. On our way to Casa Moderna to meet up with Miss Aileen, we walked to Plaza Quince Martires before hailing a tricycle. The palabaok, mama, toasted siopao and pancit were all delicious! Afterwards, we went to SM Naga and had dinner at Bigg's Diner. The next day, we had breakfast at the Oyster Villa before going to Capitol Convention Center, Pili, Camarines Sur for the Bicol Youth for Technology Exposure (BYTE) 2013. During lunch, we went to Camarines Sur Watersports Complex. After the event, we had dinner with the organizers at Red Platter. The next day, we explored a bit of Naga City. We walked to the Rizal Park, Monument of Bishop Jorge Barlin, Metropolitan Naga Cathedral, and Our Lady of Penafrancia Basilica of Naga.

Zamboanga City

We went to Zamboanga last December 13, 2013 for the first GDG DevFest Zamboanga. We went straight to Alavar's Seafood Restaurant for lunch. Afterwards, we went to Centro Latino, Paseo Del Mar for the event. Before going to the airport, we had dinner in the nearby Distrito.

Pangasinan

We had our last event and last travel last December 26-28, 2013 in Pangasinan. We checked in at Bangsal Suites, and had lunch in Rudy & Jing Seafood Restaurant before going to Malong Conference Room in the Capitol Complex, Lingayen for the Google Code-in meetup organized by GBG Pangasinan and GBG Dagupan. fter the event, Celine, Reymart and I went near the capitol building and walked to the beach area. JR toured us inside the capitol before we go back to the Malong Building. The next day, we toured Bolinao, Alaminos. We had lunch at Adora's Restaurant then visited the St. James the Great Parish. We went to the Enchanted Cave and the Cape Bolinao Lighthouse before checking in at Punta Riviera. The next day, we went back to the town proper and market, had lunch at Bolinao London Grill & Cafe, and went to the bus terminal to return to Manila.

Our lunch at Rudy & Jing Seafood Restaurant[Photo from Celine]

Aside from these travels, I was also fortunate to travel to two places outside the country: Yogyakarta, Indonesia and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

Yogyakarta, Indonesia

We were invited to attend the Search Summit 2013 in Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta in Indonesia from June 20 to 22. We arrived around lunch time. We checked in immediately, took a bath and changed into our national costumes. The summit lasted for three days.

On the afternoon on the last day of the summit, the GDG SEA leads with Chelle, Uttam and Van went to Borobodur Temple. We then went to Ikan Bakar Jimbaran for Balinese dinner.

The next day, Reymart's friends, Bella and Titis, toured us around. We went to Universitas Gadjah Mada and Taman Sari Water Palace, had lunch at House of Raminten. Our last stop was in Malioboro, a shopping street.

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

+Celine, Mama +Chelle, +Wayne,  Mitch, +Svetlana and I went to Kota Kinabalu last November 16-18 to help GDG Kota Kinabalu in their first GDG DevFest.

+Lorna picked us up from the airport and brought us to King Park Hotel. The morning after, we had breakfast at King Park Cafe and walked to Wisma Bandaraya for the DevFest. After Mitch's talk, she, Svet, Loretta and I walked to Centre Point Sabah to exchange money to Ringgit (and for me to buy an adapter and a local sim for mobile data). After the event, Mama Chelle, Wayne, Mitch, Svet, Marcus, Loretta, Marc, Celine and I had dinner at Welcome Seafood Restaurant. We also went to Centre Point Sabah to buy some things, Pasar Malam Sinsuran to buy keychains and other stuff, and Secret Recipe to eat some cakes.

The next day, we had breakfast again at King Park Cafe then went to Gaya Street Market, had lunch at Kedai Kopi Melanian 3, bought bread at Butterfly Bakery and food at KFC, then visited Wayne at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. We also went to Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu (where Mama Chelle is checked in) and swam in the pool. We bought food at KFC to try their curry crunch chicken.

On our last day, we had lunch at Seng Hing Coffee Shop, went to Prince Phillip Park and to the beach at The Waterfront Kota Kinabalu, had dinner at Toscani's Italian Restaurant, bought pasalubong at Pasar Buah Buahan Tempatan, and went to the airport.

I am hoping I can travel to more places next year.