10 days to 10: Empowering the Community in 2010

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, how I viewed things changed after Typhoon Ondoy. I realized then that my work wasn't just about doing research, conducting trainings, opening doors, running events, but my work could actually make an impact. I also learned a lot from the community (the GTUGs finally became official then). I realized that there are many people out there who are very much willing to help others, they just needed a way to contribute and be empowered.

So I thought about it.

And thought about it more.

I knew that having good maps is very important and that it could play an important role. Elections was coming up and being a Political Science degree holder I started to think of a way we can help out. It was the first time we were going to have automated elections and I realized that reducing the number of precincts by a third would be pretty chaotic. With the awesome engineer, Dan Delima, we hatched "Find Your Precinct" to make it easy for a voter to find their updated precinct on a map. Volunteers from all over the country helped pin the precinct locations on the app that Dan created.

It took me 5 hours in line before I was able to vote and there was a lot of voters who were turned away because they did not know that their precinct was moved to another location (precincts were clustered and due to clustering some were re-located to another school/covered court). There was good value with the project and this was eventually implemented in other countries too. (We did much better though in the 2013 round since the map had better coverage.)

After the elections I realized that creating bite-sized programs for the community was a great way to engage people who wanted to help and make an impact as well. I had very limited budget then and had to do everything by myself (yes, I was the one packing and sending shirts by courier for the communities that did precinct mapping activities), but it was a very good exercise for me to do because I intimately learned the process.

Socckskargen Bloggers led one of the precinct mapping activities.

Our efforts did not go unnoticed. Little by little we got more visits and resources. With help from the GTUG (now GEG) we were able to host the second DevFest together with Globe and Ayala TBI. I was way better than the first time and a lot more Filipino developers started to share apps they have created using Google APIs. Interest for developing Android apps also grew that year with the GTUG hosting a number of Android events. [Photos]

The original GTUG (GDG) managers - Pogz, Jomar and Brian.

Speakers and volunteers of Devfest Manila 2010

We also managed to do a developer event in Cebu together with Christine and Dan. We were very thankful that University of the Philippines in Cebu hosted the developer event especially since it was the first developer outreach we did outside of Metro Manila.

[Must find photos from Cebu dev event...]

I did a myriad of things that year, establishing relations with the business sector, government and I remember I also managed to squeeze in time to host the first education event. My alma mater hosted it. Pogz and I slaved away for many weeks to ensure that the event would be successful. I was very nervous because just a few days before the event PNoy announced that it was going to be a holiday. Our student volunteers did not show up so Miguel had to step up and be the only student volunteer. The holiday though proved to be a lucky day for us because more participants showed up.

Remember this Galvin? :)

The year was a turning point for me. I realized that I had to work on creating more programs that would empower communities. Early that year the Philippines won the first Global Google Mapping contest with the huge contribution of Wayne Manuel for Google Map Maker. The win instigated me to think about ways to get more people to map. I knew it would be very important especially for times when we have typhoons. I took it on as a 20% time project and I was blessed to have been supported by many colleagues who thought my idea would be very useful. 

I learned a lot in 2010 and the experiences I had since 2006 came into fruition in 2011. 

2 weeks to 10: 2009 and Typhoon Ondoy

In September 2009 Typhoon Ondoy brought so much rains and caused so much flooding. I almost drowned on that fateful day and I was only able to save my desktop. Everything else I had went under water. A few hours after I was rescued from the basement I was in the kitchen with my Dad. I started to cry and he asked me, "Why are you crying? Are you crying because you lost all your stuff? They are just things and can be replaced." My Dad had his "sermon face" on so I immediately snapped out of feeling depressed. I immediately started to plan what to do the next day.

Two thousand nine proved to be a very memorable year. I struggled for half a year due to my illness so my activities tapered off. It took a miracle for me to pull through and my Singaporean cardiologist marveled at how I recovered (there is no known cure for heart failure). Aside from healing it took a lot of love and prayers for me to get well and be back to my usual self. Despite my messed up state Jay proposed to me and we tied the knot later that year.

I mentioned in my previous post that Map Maker influenced my work a lot. In mid-2009 I was tasked to launch the mapup party kit. This was a program where you could gather friends to map your area (or you can do it on your own). Having good maps is very important and this proved to be very useful later that year when Typhoon Ondoy happened.

With Wayne, Mang Dante and Doc Leonel.

The next day we luckily had electricity already and I went to the mall to get a wifi dongle and a few clothes (everything was wet!). When I set up my desktop I immediately sent an email to my new manager (Julian Persuad) to let him know that I would probably be slow to respond because of the crisis back home. I remember being a bit antsy then because he was set to start in the Singapore office the next day (so I was technically in-between managers that weekend). Jules was one of the best managers I ever had.

Things went into motion then and a help page was set-up. I was asked by MLQ (and many others) to help house map info into one crisis map, so with help from Dan Delima (one of the Filipino engineers in Tokyo then) we managed to gather info into one crisis map. We also got volunteers to help gather and map information. I realized though that the local map didn't have much information yet so I started thinking of a way to get more people to contribute to the map.

A month after the crisis I had to put two things in hyper gear -- implementing the business stimulus program and planning for my wedding. Went around the country teacher entrepreneurs how to use Adwords and working with STI to get students to create websites for businesses. It both went well and my wedding had a bit of something from across the Philippines. During those trips I also made sure to meet blogger communities and friends across the country.

In 2009 the developer community also started to gain interest in Android and we had our first meetup about it.

And we had a developers workshop with Globe at the Ayala TechnoHub.

IMMAP started to become active that year.

One of the IMMAP meetings.

2009 changed my perspective a lot. It was when I realized that I could do so much more to make what I do make a bigger impact and be more valuable for others. 

16 days to 10: 2008, When I Fell in Love with Maps and the First DevFest

I continued my work from 2007 into 2008. Juggling between education and business sector activities. There were two huge things in 2008 that were notable. The launch of Google Map Maker (your story on getting engaged in Palawan is unforgettable Chuck) and the first ever DevFest. I learned a lot from these two activities. From the launch I realized I needed to acquire more PR skills (aside from hiding from the press which is an important skill too). And better event management skills from running the DevFest.

One of the things I put on my wish list was to get Maps launched in my country. The map though was bare and I didn't know then that there was a platform that would allow users to contribute their local knowledge. I have also always wanted to avenge myself from flunking my 4th grade Philippine map exam (and I honestly have a very bad sense of direction). It wouldn't be until 2009 though until my interest in maps started as a 20% project (more of that story on my 2009 summary). The launch of Map Maker influenced my work a lot.

The growth of the developer community did not go unnoticed. I was lucky to have met the Pinoys in Mountain View. They gave me a warm welcome during my trips. Resources were hard to come by in my part of the world, but the Pinoys always gave a helping hand. One of them is Christine who made it possible to bring the DevFest to the Philippines. With help from UP, UP computer science students, both telcos (Smart and Globe), Buddy Gancenia (video coverage) and friends who volunteered we managed to host the first DevFest in the Philippines.

With DevFest speakers (and this is where I met Vinny!).

DevFest volunteers with the speakers.

Blue and Sherwin were both with Globe then.

UP computer science students. Special thanks to Mikko for leading the charge!

Coy, my vlogging partner, was still a student back then. Miss you partner.

(I think this is a rare event that both Globe and Smart supported.)

And the fun Thriller dance the speakers did.

It was no easy feat to host this event and I learned a lot from hosting this event (it's 2016 and providing enough internet in local events is still hard). It was really hard for me I was hospitalized right after the event due to pneumonia and heart failure. I picked up the worst strain of pneumonia one could get (the legionnaire's one) and it took a full year for me to recover from it. 

18 days to 10: The Struggle to Love Public Speaking and Starting Communities

One of the things I did not anticipate was the need to speak in public. My Dad and my Kuya are good at it, but for me I'd rather stay behind the scenes as much as possible. I thought my job would only require me to do research, consultation, do some meetings, maybe some trainings. I told myself though that I would learn a new skill in every job. I never shied away from work even though I knew it would be difficult. I had once tried to get out of managing sales people, but my boss said I could do it. We achieved the highest sales at that time (selling online ads in 2004 was unheard of then). Since then I never said no to any challenge.

So in 2007 I learned how to quell my nervousness and covered speaking engagements too. I kept a diary of all these engagements from 2006-2011 and there was a time I had an audience of 12,000 students in one day. It was crazy, but I think it would make my MBA professor proud that I had finally gotten over my "shyness". I still don't like speaking in public though and try to get out of it as much as I could (yes, yes I know it's 2016 already).

My work focus changed every quarter and that year I covered tools for education and so started my long-winded love affair with the education department (it's still ongoing) and many, many schools. I had to learn fast and learn on my own. This assignment forced me to utilize my sales, marketing, technical and creative skills to get schools to sign-up on a free platform with very little support. I managed to deliver the goal with help from my alma mater.

Talk at DLSU Computer Science event.

Mhel Garrido's famous opening dance at STI NYC.

I always ask for help though when needed and I was lucky that the developer community adopted me and taught me what I needed to learn. At that time I had very little knowledge about open source tools. The PM at that time from Mountain View gladly called me up and gave me a full overview of what open source was (thanks Leslie Hawthorne!). My "practicum" came in the form of a challenge from the dev community -- use only open source tools (i.e. OpenOffice) after work and culminate this activity by transforming a Windows PC into an Ubuntu unit.

Blogger friends in Davao.

Blogger friends in Manila (well Drew is from Davao) at SEMCON 2007.

Later that year I had the opportunity to give back to the community. Two Fil-Am engineers from headquarters volunteered their time to come home and do a training on dev tools. We were planning to meet only 20 developers, but I got busy and was really surprised and got 200 sign-ups for the "small event". I called for help and good thing Derek Callow (the SEA marketing manager) indulged and gave me some budget to host a proper event. It was a huge event and I survived with help from my blogger friends and the very kind people from AIM.

The dev event became a momentous occasion because we agreed that we all needed to keep in touch and let the knowledge flow easily. We then started a help group which was the beginning of the Google Developer Group in the Philippines (called GTUG back then). It's the second chapter founder globally and the first in Asia. The community flourished with help of local dev companies like O&B, CodeFlux and developers who devoted their time and knowledge for other developers to learn (Migs Paraz, Jerome Gotangco, Brian Tan Seng, Pogz Ortile, Jomar Tigcal and many others who I nagged to help).

I spent a lot of time that year with communities. I learned a lot about the market and the different segments of the industry. I also got to spend time with the business community and I remember joining a few exhibits where folks from the community would help me with the booth since I would cover ingress to egress and everything in-between. That's how I had actually met Chelle (E-Services Philippines, February 15-16, 2007) and now she's the one taking care of all the dev communities.

20th AdCon in Subic with Derek, Lianne and Rachel.

With Digitalfilipino friends at Chocolate Kiss.

And I spent time with the bloggers community too. 

2007 Blog Awards

Blogger Food Fests (miss you AJ!).

Back when I could do jump shots (Photo from Markku).

With Mommy bloggers Noemi and Tita Dine.

2007 was a crazy year spent doing a lot of trainings/speaking engagements and establishing relations. A key takeaway I have from this year are the friendships I had formed. A lot of those I met during this year remain my friends until today and most of them formed the foundation of the communities I eventually formed. I always see myself just as a conduit to help others learn more.

24 days to 10: The Interviews

Just like everyone else I got a job at Google through the usual process. I applied online. I had heard about the opening from my boss, but it was only 6 months after when I submitted my application on a whim because I was feeling quite frustrated that day. I didn't expect to get a response or even be considered. I went through a gazillion interviews and background checks and eventually onboarded on my birthday.

I did not plan to work for a global company. I was quite happy with what I was doing at work, but eventually wanted to find work that would allow me more time to spend with Miguel. I was sent to Hongkong for a panel interview and at that time I did not own a laptop. I just lamely said that my laptop was in the shop and I needed to borrow one for my presentation. I had a copy of my presentation in 2 USB sticks and 2 CDs.

My Mom was hospitalized the week before my interview in Hongkong and she was discharged the day before I left. I planned to re-schedule but my parents said it was a good opportunity. I felt I wasn't prepared enough, but my Kuya told me when I was on the way to the hotel that if the job was meant to be mine God would guide me through it.

And so I went to Hongkong for the panel interview. I presented what I thought would be a good business plan and my wishlist for the Philippines. My Kuya's message helped me to remain calm and collected throughout the interview and I just prayed that if the role was meant for me I would get it. The challenge though did not end there since I still went through several interviews. My last interview was done through a video call. My Dad had to drive me to the venue because I was having very high fever that day. The doctor had wanted to confine me but I couldn't back out of the interview. I must have made sense because a few days later I was told that I got the job.

The journey was unplanned, but throughout the years I have always felt a guiding hand showing me the way. I rooted myself to the value of helping users learn and the choices I have made as I go around the company stay true to that. I also forever grateful for the help of former bosses, mentors and customers who served as my references (Ms. Menchie, Ms. Connie, Bunny, Mike, Robbie, Dr. Ned and Mr. Diago) and my recruiter (Lauren).

One Month to 10!

In a month I will be celebrating my tenth year at work. It's been an awesome journey and I'm really happy that I have been given the opportunity to work at such an awesome company. I never dreamed to work for a global company, I was quite happy with my work back then. Circumstances though forced me to try other things and I ended up for the one company I blindly sent my resume to.

2006

I still remember the feeling I had when I flew to California in 2006 to attend the training. It was the first time I flew to the US by myself and I felt so overwhelmed. I was really nervous because I didn't know what to expect.

The tension eventually eased when I met the other scouts from Asia and Latin America. Found out everyone was feeling nervous too. I was quiet most of the time whenever we had meetings because there was so much to absorb, but I had a great time, learned a lot and bonded with new friends from other countries.

I had no clue that many people were looking forward to meeting me back home. I started to get invitations while I was in the US. Good thing we were briefed about it and I saw it as an opportunity to understand my market better. I also realized during that time that I had to learn more about the tech industry in my country. 

So I started to attend some community meetups, starting with Digitalfilipino. I have been a member of Digitalfilipino since 2003, but I never had the chance to attend any of the meetups. I went to the October 2006 meetup in Makati and guess what... met my future husband at that meetup haha.

And then I went to the SEO Philippines Beercon on October 28, 2006 meetup and met many more folks active in the industry like Marc Macalua (he was one of those who emailed me while I was in the US), Erwin Oliva and other Inquirer people, Edna Belleza, Mon and other PICS people etc. and this is where I met Koya Andrew too. This night eventually led me to meet more bloggers in Manila. 

And then I went to Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Cebu to be a speaker at the Digitalfilipino Women in Web roadshow. I still remember those roadshows because that's where I met a lot of friends from Davao, CDO and Cebu and a few months after I went back to Davao for the Davao bloggers party.

I was alone in my country, but the community adopted me so I was never really alone. I made many friends across the industry and the local search engine, Yehey!, back then took me in as if I was one of their own (thanks to Donald, Jonas and Eugene!).

My first few months was spent learning more about the industry, meeting people and becoming part of the local tech community. One thing surprising though, I did not expect to meet my future husband at the first meetup I went to after coming home from the US!

Castle on a Cloud

Last night was epic.

Watched "Les Miserables" at the Esplanade Theater last night with Jay and Miguel. I was enthralled. It's been awhile since I managed to watch a musical/play. Being all over the place really makes it hard to plan ahead, but I told myself I shouldn't miss watching Les Miserables.

I have been listening to songs from Les Miserables since I was in high school. I even learned to play some of them on the piano. I never bothered though to read up on the story since I wanted to be surprised. I'm happy I did that because I got hooked as the story of prisoner 24601 unfolded. It was the story of redemption. Transforming from believing that he was bad to becoming the best person he could be. I shed some tears throughout the show. I won't give any spoilers here, let me just say that I was surprised some important characters died!

The performers were also all very skilled especially Simon Gleeson who played Jean Valjean. His performance was so heartfelt and fresh. His emotions reverberated in the whole theater and I'm really amazed with his voice. I was hoping though to see a Filipino actor in the cast, but they were not on the Singapore cast. I'm not sure if it was Esang who played the young Cosette last night. I had seen her perform on The Voice Kids and she's really good.

Props to the production crew as well for the awesome set and effects they used. Particularly amazing was Javert's farewell scene. Second to that was the scene in the tunnel when Jean Valjean carried Marius back home. I had a glimpse on how things work in theater when I joined an amateur summer workshop way back so I can just imagine all the work they had to do to make things come together that way.

Thank you to the whole cast and crew of Les Miserables. It was a phenomenal night!

I think the theater bug has bitten me again. I read that several more shows are coming to Singapore -- Annie and Wicked! Must save!