Our Tour Guide is a Cat! Butterfly Garden at La Jardin De Maria Clara

This is one of the cool
places that can be found in the Pasonanca Park here in Zamboanga City.

History tells us that construction of the park was started in 1912 by General John J. Pershing, then Governor of the Moro Province. However, the Butterfly Garden is one of the new facilities added in the last five years or so.

There are other facilities inside the park including the El Museo de Zamboanga, Flower Garden, Maria Clara Lobregat Statue, Pasonanca Park Swimming Pools, Pasonanca Tree House and camp site.

Together with Google Developer Group (GDG) Zamboabga friends, we headed for the Butterfly Garden right after enjoying ourselves goofing around with the exhibits inside Parque de Ciencia de Zamboanga.

Cat For A Tour Guide
We have a cat as our tour guide. Yup, you read it right. This cat inside the park just kept on following me everywhere and at times leading the way. The experience was so memorable aside that it was my first time to visit the butterfly garden, we all did enjoy the whole time.

It was actually sleeping in one of the stair steps as we were walking down the Jardin. The cat has newly awakened from its deep slumber as we have stopped to enjoy Taho being peddled by a local. As soon as it observed our presence, i noticed the same cat walking towards where I was standing. It never left me for the time. The cat circled my legs and waited for us to finish each of our cups of Taho. Interestingly, when we started to walk away towards the Butterfly Garden, it also followed us. Walk ahead of us -- she seemed to know we are headed that way. Interestingly, the cat would look back and take a halt as if telling us - oh, come on, hurry up! We've got butterflies to catch! This way! Right here! She surely did! hahaha! 

Our tour guide in action! Follow the leader, she says.

Thanks for the Taho treat! So yummy on an after-rain! Buddies Lee and Glen from GDG Zamboanga treated me for Taho sold by a local. 

Glen and Lee bought entrance tickets for the Butterfly Garden. I think it was eight pesos per person (Php8.00 per person). The door has a Net Curtain to avoid the butterflies from flying out of the butterfly garden.

Glen appreciates this butterfly that hovered about his right shoulder. I like this photo. I am glad i captured this moment in camera. There are more to see actually. Just make time for it with your family.

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Posted in: Butterfly Garden,Zamboanga City

My Van De Graaf Awesome Experience. Science Park in Zamboanga City

Dreams do come true. This trip proves worth a try. Have you ever been to a Science Park nearby? We just did and guess what? Yipeee!! I just fulfilled my high school dream right on the spot!

Van De Graaf Generator is one of the fifty-six (56) interactive exhibits showcased inside the science park. Undoubtedly, this is part only of the highlight of our field trip as there are more exciting and fun-learning new experiences in store for your visit.

This is the second time that I personally have been into a Science Centrum after a long time. Back in 2004, Zamboanga City has gainfully observed different interactive exhibits housed inside, the now defunct Plaza Mall, for a month's time. Science Centrum organizers from Manila brought with them a Van De Graaf Generator in the science centrum tour wagon. However, due to the huge number of students visiting the place, I never had the chance to get inside the Van De Graaf Generator booth. I do remember looking in awe while a fellow Science High School student's hair are slowly raising in thin air.

Parque de Ciencia (Science Park) in Pasonanca

Parque de Ciencia de Zamboanga (Zamboanga City Science Park) is the newest and lone Science Park in Region IX. Further, it is considered the biggest regional science center in the country today.

It is constructed inside the Jardin Maria Clara at the Pasonanca Park, where the city museum and the butterfly garden are also located.

The project, worth P22.44 million, is an initiative of Hon. Mayor Celso Lobregat with the Local Government of Zamboanga City while Science Centrum Fabrication, Inc. (SCFI) is the exhibit provider.

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Posted in: GDG Zamboanga,Science Park,Zamboanga

WMSU-CET Kicks Off IT Expo 2013; Hosts Google MapUp Party

In partnership with the College of Engineering and Technology in Western Mindanao State University, a Technology Training and Seminar Workshop on G+ and Google Maps exclusive to CoE/CS Students has been conducted last July 5, 2013 in the afternoon at Audio Visual Room, College of Engineering and Technology of the same school here in Zamboanga City. The event is on the occasion of the one-day IT EXPO 2013 that has been successfully kicked off on the college grounds for the benefit of the current students, visitors and guests.

IT EXPO 2013

Engr. Cielito Olegario, CoE/ComSci Department Head officially opened the expo together with the College Dean Engr. Villareal and the faculty and staff. Ms. Yolynne Medina, GDG Zamboanga Community Manager has been invited to give an inspirational talk to the participants during the morning programme.

Notably, the annual IT EXPO shows off student IT Projects that include android mobile applications, mobile games, information systems, web development projects, computer engineering robots and a showcase of other student talents as well. Select IT projects are briefly presented on stage with the use of projector and visitors can go around from one booth to another to get a hands-on experience on the students' latest innovations. By and large, the student projects are promising and marketable.

What has been more exciting for everyone aside from the uber-sizzling tech stuff in the expo wagon and what's in store for them in the afternoon programme is the presence of the Zamboanga Cosplayers in their complete costumes walking around and poking fun to everybody's delight. Their presence added more colors and extra fun that complemented that entire event.

 G+ and Google Maps
Meanwhile, Google sparks fresh experiences for the IT students as they are treated to a free Technology Training and Seminar Workshop on G+ and Google Maps the entire afternoon. The workshop pooled about 100 students.

The sessions are handled by Community Managers Ms. Yolynne Medina (G+) and Ms. Grace Sojor (Google Maps and MapMaker). The sessions comprised of tech walkthroughs and actual demo. The speakers are thankful for the wifi connectivity in the area and the participants came in more than prepared as well - totally geared with their laptops, tablets and internet sticks.

We have tested Hangouts, Google Drive, G+, Google Maps, added an edit using Google Map Maker and eventually

did a Google MapUp Party that is extended online as a map up competition amongst registered participants. Google sponsored shirts, tumblers, stickers and drawstring bags. These are raffled off as well and given as rewards to those either asked or answered questions. Elearning Centre also sponsored the certificates for the event.

Ms. Medina took the opportunity as well to discuss the upcoming Philippine Transit App Challenge- Zamboanga Bootcamp.

Google MapUp Party is an opportunity for anyone interested in mapping using Google Mapmaker help map places in the locality. One of the objectives of the afternoon session is to show participants how to map different places, draw roads, add categories and discuss other features, points of interest. This will enable them to become citizen cartographers and improve the quality of maps and local information.

For the record, it is GDG Zamboanga's first time to visit this university to do a Google Session. Further, Google Developer Group (GDG) Zamboanga is almost on its third year here in the city. It is one amongs the seven active chapters spread across the Philippines and supervised by GDG SouthEast Asia-Google. Other chapters are GDG Bacolod, GDG Baguio, GDG Cagayan De  Oro, GDG Cebu, GDG Davao and GDG Halsema. Google Developer Groups are for developers who are interested in Google's developer technology; everything from the Android, App Engine, and Google Chrome platforms, to product APIs like the Maps API, YouTube API and Google Calendar API.

GDG Zamboanga takes on the challenge to map for Mindanao and beyond. Additionally, Google has been pushing for MapUps for some years now. Google sponsors Map Up competitions as well. Last year alone, Ms. Grace Sojor has been awarded as one of the Top Ten Mappers/Winners in Google's Map Your Town Competition Philippines. The particular competition gave away ten HP laptops and portable HP DVD-ROMs to the top ten winners and awarded the Top 1 Mapper the privilege to grant
100,000 pesos to a public school of his choice. Competitions like this among others are things to look up to in the coming days. For Google MapUp Party inquiries, you may check out our group site at gplus.to/gdgzamboanga or send us an email at gdgzambo@gmail.com.

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Posted in: GDG,GDG Philippines,GDG Zamboanga,Google,WMSU,WMSU-PSITS