My Twitter

Today I signed up on Twitter. You can actually see my Twitter data on the right sidebar of this page.

Zend PHP 5 Exam Preparation

For a few months now, I've been preparing and studying to take the Zend PHP 5 Certification exam. That's the official PHP test. I even bought my personal copy the Zend PHP 5 Certification Study Guide. My copy is at home, while I also have the PDF on my laptop and another hard copy at the office that were bought by my boss as the company's copies. These you can get online from Zend as well as from Amazon and php|architect.

I've read through the study guide twice, discovered a lot of errors, even with the errata, and tried to remember all that I have read. I even tried out most of the codes in the book. Last I checked, they recently released a second edition.

Finally, I bought practice tests from php|architect. Some I sold to my friends, but some I reserved for me. The practice tests are simulated by Vulcan, and below you will see what Vulcan looks like. This is the page that displays before you start the practice test:



I was able to answer the practice test before the time ran out. I made a lot of errors but managed to pass. This is a joy for me since the practice test is actually more difficult than the actual test. Still, I've discovered the areas I need to review on and perhaps do some practice coding on. Below are the results of my practice test:


90 minutes, 70 questions. Just like the real test. ARE YOU REAADDY?

PayPal Philippines Can Receive Now - Part 5

Adding a bank account to your Philippine PayPal account will save a lot of money on withdrawals. It will cost 50 pesos for withdrawals less than 7,000 pesos, and nothing for withdrawals over 7,000 pesos. If you withdraw using your credit /debit card, it will cost 5 U.S. dollars (that's about 42 x 5 = 210 pesos).

I wanted to know if my Unionbank EON could be used as a bank account to withdraw funds. So I called the toll-free number, and I found out that it is also a savings account. The account number provided which is different from the debit card number is the number you need to use to register EON as a bank account. You'll see it placed below your name on the card. And make sure you have the Unionbank bank code as well. It's 010419995.

PayPal Philippines Can Receive Now - Part 4

I finally verified my PayPal account. After I opened an account with Unionbank, I waited some time before I can withdraw money from it. I was able to immediately deposit an amount of PHP 500.00, and some time later change my pin, but I had to wait longer for the withdrawal restriction to be lifted.

When my withdrawal restriction was lifted, I was able to link my PayPal account to my Unionbank debit card. PayPal charged me with 1.95 USD for this. But they promised to return the money once I entered the 4-digit PayPal code.

Before 4-digit code was entered

After 4-digit code was entered

I was also able to create an EON Cyber Account where I can check my account portfolio online. I was disappointed that after I was able to login, the PayPal code wasn't there. I later realized that it would never appear there anyway, since it's a debit card account. Upon a friend's advice, I called Unionbank's toll-free number. I waited for probably about 20 minutes until a customer service representative answered my call. I was able to obtain my 4-digit PayPal code, and today I completely verified my account. PayPal says they will refund my 1.95 USD, but it can take up to 24 hours.

Practical Programming

Recently, I gave lectures in three schools, as a guest speaker.  I lectured on the same topic entitled "Practical Programming", and I represented the company I work for, Eversun Software Philippines Corporation. I made a screencast version of my lecture and posted it to youtube. Here it is:

PayPal Philippines Can Receive Now - Part 3

I found out that you can verify your account in Paypal using not a credit card, but a Union Bank debit card. This is possible through the use of EON, an electronic bank account that you can use anywhere online. You can apply for EON online or through your local Union Bank.

I applied for EON and it's still being processed. It takes about five working days to process.

Amazon Kindle

One of the gadgets that may be useful to geeks is the Kindle. It allows you to view ebooks, blogs, and news while you're on the go. It can even connect to the Internet. More than that, it's just the size of a pocketbook. This is something I want to have someday, so I can read more and more.

PayPal Philippines Can Receive Now - Part 2

In my last post, I noted that PayPal in the Philippines can now receive money. Now they added a new feature that allows withdrawal from Filipino bank accounts. I received this email and to me it seems that PayPal in the Philippines has been fully launched. This is another sign of progress in the IT industry of the country.