Tag Archives: Ike Prudente

Training for the MSC Inter-school Contests Ongoing

The free training for participating schools in the MSC Web Design Contest and MSC Speed Math Contest  is currently ongoing every Saturday, morning for web design and afternoon for speed math.

Ever since MSC started these contests, the free trainings were also offered since not many pupils are knowledgeable about web design and very few knows and uses math techniques which make computing easier and faster.

For this year, the trainor for web design is MSC graphic artist Diana Lynne G. Luna, MS High School class 2005 , MSC Computer echnology Course graduate 2007.  The speed math contest participants are trained by no less than Mr. Virgilio Y. Prudente or more popularly known as “Sir Ike”.  He is the founder of MSC, creator of MATH-Inic, and the author of 25 Math Short Cuts.

The trainings are conducted several weeks before the anniversary of MSC.  The contests revolve around the thrust of MSC – Math, Science and Computing.  Only the web design and speed math contests have trainings, the other contests that do not involve training are the Scavenger Hunt and the Math-Sci Quiz Show.

 

Stories from the Alumni: Sammy Suco

Pagpasensyahan nyo na po…. Galing po ako sa mahirap na pamilya, kaya noon, wala na ako pag-asa makapag-college… Salamat na lang may MSC, nakapag-aral ako at sa tulong ng naging amo ko sa Tiaong.

Sammy Suco

Sammy Suco

MSC was my Guardian

In 1993, I went to Tiaong, Quezon and I worked for the former chief of Police in Tiaong, Quezon.

His name is Martin Magnayon. They were a supplier of hogs in the local market.

They used me as the caretaker of hogs from birth to fattener. I was taking care of 13 mother pigs and it usually delivered more than 10 piglets 3 times a year.

Our agreement, aside from monthly salary, they would give me a commission of one piglet if the mother pig delivered more than 10 piglets.

In 1994, I decided to go to college since I was already a high school graduate from General Santos City before I came to Tiaong.

First semester in SY 1994-1995, I enrolled at LC and I felt happy because I can pursue my college education and ready to be a professional someday.

But no! The tuition fees almost stopped me. It was  high for me, so I could not afford to continue my studies.  Before the second semester started in the same school year, I tried to search for other good schools in San Pablo City.

I found the same course in AMA and STI. But the tuition fees were almost the same.

Finally I found one of the small advertisements of MSC,   located at M. Paulino St., San Pablo City. I went there and I inquired. They offered me the scholarship examination for the same course.

I was one of the lucky students because I got a 10% discount.  I continued studying in MSC, San Pablo City while working in Tiaong as helper.

Still I had money  problem during this semester.  I didn’t have enough money to support my ambition. I just finished the second semester and then stopped.  So I went  back to continue my career, “hahaha! as hog raiser of my boss’ backyard piggery farm.

I stopped for a year and thought my ambition was no longer possible.

By school year 1996-1997, I had a little money, so I enrolled again.  MSC was located already in La Suerte building along Rizal Avenue, San Pablo City.  I has a lot of experiences and fond memories as a college student.  We formed good friendships.

I met a lot more friends than usual, since I was an irregular student. My classmates were from the afternoon shift and evening shift and sometimes from morning shift, especially in the PE subject.

School year 1997-1998 was the final year of my Computer Technology course. 

In the first semester of that school year, I applied as Student Assistant to Sir Ike.  Being a student assistant helped me a lot,  since as such, my tuition fee was discounted 100%!

In this semester, Mr. Adonis Duma selected me as one of the instructors in the tie-up school. I was assigned to teach computer subjects in DEBES elementary school.

So on top of my tuition, MSC provided by my allowance.

In the second semester, I worked as a technician in MSCNet, the first Internet Provider in San Pablo City.

I graduated the Computer Technology course in March 1998.

After this course, I enrolled in a 2-year Computer Technician course, and again took advantage of the 100% discount. I learned a lot in MSC, while studying, including a lot of actual and real work.

In the late 1999, MSC brought me to Pasig City to work in the prestigious company, Software Ventures International as Computer Technician (Hardware Maintenance Group). I worked under the supervision of VYP, Jr. (Sir Toto).

Currently I am working as IT Support Engineer in Al Arrab Contracting Company, a general contractor in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

I am proud to say I am a product of MSC!

I would like to thank the MSC Teachers and Staff during my stay in my Alma mater. Thank you, Mr. Adonis Duma, my adviser. Special thanks also to Mr. VYP, my mentor who stood as my adopted father during my MSC days.

Samson Suco, Computer Technology Course class 1998
Computer Technician Course class 1999
Current work: IT Support, Al Arrab Contracting Compny (ACC), Riyadh, KSA

Dried Fish Arithmetic in Action

by Ike Prudente

Once when I was with my brother Rene’s Balikbayan family in the dried fish market in Taboan, Carbon, Cebu City, we bought some “danggit” and “pusit”

  • Ike:  
    Magkano ang pusit?
  • Vendor:
    P680 po.
  • Ike:
    Pabili ng isang kilo. Wala na bang tawad?
  • Vendor:
    Pwede po P640. Mura na po iyan…
  • Blessie(my sister-in-law):  
    Sige, pabili na rin ng kalahati.

After the vendor had vacuum-packaged the pusit, we asked her the price of dried Danggit .

  • Ike:  
    Magkano ang danggit?
  • Vendor:
    Bigyan ko na po kayo ng discount. P 180 po.
  • Ike:
    Pabili ng dalawang kilo para sa akin, at isang kilo para sa hipag ko.
    (then instantly added)
    Heto ang P 1,000.  Keep the change!
    Heto ang P 500 mula sa hipag ko. Keep the change!
    Pag kulang, bibigyan pa kita ng dagdag na P 500, keep the change!
  • Vendor:  
    Naku, maraming,  Maraming, MARAMING SALAMAT PO!

With a sweet smile, she grabbed her calculator, and excitedly punched the numbers, even before she packed the danggit, wanting to know how much is the “change” she will keep,

But her smile quickly vanished, and she exclaimed

  • Vendor:
    Ang galing mo naman Sir!

Do you know why?

Most people (like our vendor) would calculate the pusit first.

  • P 640 per kilo x 1 kilo = P 640.
  • P 640 per kilo x half kilo = P 320

Then calculate the danggit:

  • P180 per kilo x 2 kilos = P360
  • P 180 per kilo x 1 kilo = P 180

So after this lengthy computation, she adds them all up to compute the grand total :
P640 + P 320 + P360 + P180 = P1,500!

Walang sukli!

I did a much simpler computation in my head.

  • I purchased one kilo of pusit at P 640 per kilo, plus two kilos of danggit at P180 per kilo.
    P 640 + 2 * P 180 = P 1,000. I paid the vendor P1,000, so there is no change from me!
  • My sister bought exactly half of what I bought,
    P 1,000 / 2 =  P 500,   She paid the vendor P 500, so there is no change from my sister-in-law too!

Mental Math/Speed arithmetic is always useful, even when buying dried fish in a “palengke” in Cebu!

I remember we all had a good laugh that day! So I did give Manang a little extra. Remember she gave us a P 40 per kilo discount on the dried pusit? And we bought 1.5 kilos? I decided to give her back half the discount.  You do the math.

Dried Fish Stall

Mental Math is always useful, even when haggling with dried fish vendors!

 

And in case you have not yet figured it out:

  • P 680 – P640 = P40
  • P40 * 1. 5 = P60
  • Half of P 60 is P30.

We had fun that day, so I  gave her P30

  • Ike:
    Hati na lang tayo sa discount.  Bigyan kita ng P30.  Maraming salamat Manang!
  • Vendor:
    Maraming salamat din po!