My expectations from President Noynoy's SONA before and now.

Last year, president Noynoy made the following promises:

• Stop corruption beginning with the establishment of the Truth Commission


• Public-Private Partnerships to promote and improve education, infrastructure, health, military and police needs and more to improve the economy and tourism.


• Build-Operate-Transfer to fasten the process of registration with the DTI to create more jobs.


• Build more classrooms


• Cover more masses who are in need of Philhealth 


• Anti-Trust Law to stop monopolies and promote the growth of Small- at Medium-scale Enterprises


• Pass the Whistleblower’s Bill and strengthen the Witness Protection Program to the culture of being threatened


• Negotiate with the MILF

This year he his SONA mentions:

• his dedication in stopping "wang-wang" which is a sign of abuse of power


• improvement in our stock market as a sign of good business and economy


• that taxes are guaranteed to benefit the public


• improvement in the agriculture sector having produced 15.6% more rice locally


• lot allocation to policemen


• our "Hamilton Class Cutter" vessel and the possibilities of acquiring more helicopters, patrol crafts and weaponry in the future


• large drop in motorcycle and car thefts


• Drop from 8% (April 2010) to 7.2% (April 2011) in unemployment rate with 1,004,000 jobs created last year


• More Phil-health-deserving beneficiaries


• Stopping corruption in ARMM


• Studying the possibilities of Tree planting stewardship to solve the problems with flooding


• DOST and UP have even teamed up to develop a prototype monorail system


• aim:


• to give due compensation to the victims of Martial Law


• to grant our house help the salaries and benefits that they deserve


• to improve the system that awards pensions to our retired soldiers. 


• to support the expansion of the scope of scholarships granted by DOST to outstanding yet underprivileged students


• the advancement of universal quality healthcare


• responsible management of the environment


• formation of facilities that will ensure the safety of our citizens during times of great need and calamity


• development of BuCor, NBI, NEA, and PTV 4

I was expecting that he would update us on the improvement in classrooms.  I believe that education is essential to the progress of our country.  Has any one been watching the news?  You'd notice that quite often, poor students are being featured.  Sometimes the news would show students having their classes in worn down tents which leaked during rainy days.  They would show teachers who have to travel and hike before reaching schools.  They would show overcrowded classrooms where kids were forced to stand the heat and be cramp like a can of sardines.  Moreover,  I'd like to see more infrastructures built that would benefit the public instead of purchasing a new vessel.  He still has a lot of time during his term so I'm still hoping that there will be more tangible proofs in the future.  How about you?  Did you get what you expected?

Based on the ratings everything has improved.  But how do they perform these surveys?  Do we know?  Like when they consider a person poor on the basis of earning 45 pesos a day.  Is that really enough to cover a persons daily expenses?  I've learned in our statistics class that ratings could easily be modified to mislead people.  Is that the case here?  You tell me.

Finding Employment in the Video Game Industry

In another article, we described a great number of educational opportunities that lay hidden in video gaming. This time, we're going to introduce a few employment opportunities as well.

1. Working as a Video Game Clerk. Working at video game store or rental place - either permanently or temporarily - has got to be a teen gamer's dream. In a single place, employees have access to the first games and game systems hot off the market and they're privy to peek inside magazines hot off the press before anyone else. If that wasn't enough, gaming clerks get a discount on what would otherwise be too expensive (games, game systems, and game accessories) to even think about buying. Sweet!

2. Working as a Game Tester. Before a game hits the market, it has to go through extensive testing and if you think the programmers behind the game test their own material, think again. The gaming industry is extremely sensitive about what it puts out into the public. In an effort to remain competitive, it must make absolutely sure that the games it produces work as intended. This is where testers enter the picture. But it isn't easy to become a game tester. Becoming a game tester requires a little inside help but once you're in there, you'll not only have access to games that no one else knows about, you'll also have an opportunity to shape the game into an experience that you and your comrades prefer.

3. Working as a Game Designer. Do you have good artistic skills? Can you whip out a character faster than you can say, "I drew that"? If so, you may be able to get a career designing video games. Today's video games exude some of the most beautiful graphics ever seen and if you have a good imagination, are able to use some of the most advanced graphics software programs available, and can follow instructions, you could see your own artwork in the next popular video game.

4. Working as a Game Critic. The gaming industry is always looking for good content and if you have a flair for writing combined with a love for games, you could write for game magazines like Game Informer or you could write content for a highly popular gaming website.

5. Working as a Game Programmer. Not a career for everyone, a good game programmer is always in demand. As player preferences change and new technology is developed, someone with the right programming skills has to be there to fill the gap between what players want, and what the gaming industry can supply. Becoming a game programmer requires extensive training in several different development languages - so if you don't have a clue as to what we just said, skip this profession and look into some of the others.

The great news about all of this is that the gaming industry shows no sign of disappearing any time soon. Even colleges are getting in on the gaming craze as they fill their course books with game programming classes and game design curriculums. There will always be an opportunity for you to blend your love for games with a steady paycheck as long as you remain dedicated to looking for these opportunities, and you make an effort to stay abreast of what's happening in the gaming world.

Check the employment section of your local paper for more, or visit the nearest college to find out what classes and training are available.