mixed molo

It's more fun in the Philippines

2012-01-15T12:59:00.001+08:00

Since my photo folder was already open, decided to make a few more:

Viva Pit Senyor!

2012-01-15T12:12:00.000+08:00

Because it's Sinulog but I'm not there, decided to just make a contribution to the #itsmorefuninthePhilippines campaign.

Photos from Sinulog 2010.

You touch the right spots (iOS 4.3 preview)

2011-02-20T13:30:00.004+08:00

Part of what I've been looking forward to see in Honeycomb is the transitions between open apps. It's like an alt+tab using your fingers. The transitions are apparently great in HP's touchpad (i.e. the video keeps on running through the thumbnails). Same is somewhat true with the demos of Honeycomb, including the drag and drop between windows.

I've complained about how the iOS will lag against these new features on Honeycomb, but come on, Apple knows better than that.

Here's a hands on video featuring the new iOS features:

The five finger "close" gesture will close your current app and return to home (the counterpart of tapping the home key)
A 4-finger scroll upwards is the equivalent of the double tap on home, revealing the apps that are open for multi-tasking
While a 4-finger towards the left or right scrolls through open apps.

It looks great. Good sign of things to come.

Rumor has it, the ipad 3 may not even have any dedicated buttons, just a screen. I can see that working. Again, a step ahead of the competition. Damnit. This iOS upgrade will help with the catchup, but it of course will not be enough.

Scream for Ice Cream

2011-02-18T20:29:00.009+08:00

Already there are details on Honeycomb's successor, Ice Cream, which is supposedly marrying the best of Gingerbread and Honeycomb.

Here I am considering a Gingerbread phone (Sony's Xperia Arc), looking at a Honeycomb tablet, and praying for a Honeycomb phone by the end of the year, and already there's a successor! These aren't just minor changes between versions either, each upgrade is a whole new experience. These transitions are incredibly fast and is a clear indicator for me that Android is the way to go.

Here come the tablets! One after the other, manufacturers are coming out with tablets that will feature the new Honeycomb OS. As I've noted before, the iOS just fails in comparison against this beast from Google. Every other competitor of the iPad before these tablets were running the wrong OS (read: Windows).

Honeycomb as an OS works. It works better than the iOS on the iPad. And as it can be used by any manufacturer, this just might be the tipping point that will strengthen the second wave of the tablet revolution.

The first real competitor of the iPad was really the Galaxy Tab. But inconspicuously, it differentiated itself from the iPad through one glaring difference: the size. To a point, that was kind of clever. It tried to define a new category and decided not to go heads on versus the Apple pioneer.

One area where the ipad is still untouchable though is the price. Brian Chen from Wired.com has a good theory as to how Apple does it: as Apple does everything in house, from OS development to retailing, they eliminate a lot of costs along the way.

My love's a revolver, an iphone killer

2011-02-15T22:26:00.004+08:00

I'm overdue for a new phone, but I'm holding on to my money till a Honeycomb phone arrives. If rumors are true, a version will materialize by Q3 this year: the HTC Revolver. Not much news about it, except for the fact that it will have the new OS.

I was supposed to get an iphone 4 by Christmas last year, but I put it on hold to balance out my spending. Good thing I did! Right now, prices of the iphones are dropping. Stocks are also starting to build and promos are popping up left and right. That only means one thing: there's probably going to be an iphone 5 soon. Already, Engadget reports a bigger 4-inch screen for the iphone 5 (in contrast to the current 3.5 inch screens). Other sources also point to a slide-out keyboard, which will be a first for the iphone series. The iphone will probably go the route of the ipods in terms of diversification: the 5 will be the touch, a new iphone nano will be the nano, and the 3Gs and 4 will be the ipod classic. Fearless forecast, Iphone 5 out by July.

Very exciting news for Apple, BUT I'm still going to wait for that Honeycomb phone. Still am clueless even as to what sense a Honeycomb OS will be of use to a small device, but I'm really after the technology. I need an Android phone that will match up to my iphone. No other smartphone is up to par up to now. The Nexus S is a close second. There are no concrete competitors in the near future. So, I'm pinning all my hopes on the Revolver and its Samsung and Google phone counterpart.

Here's Google's official Honeycomb video preview. Not as impressive as the Xoom hands on, not as sexy as a Mac, but full of potential.

Worth the wait, I tell you. Don't buy an ipad! As for me, I'm sticking to my 3GS for now.

Get it together

2011-02-14T19:21:00.002+08:00

So what's going to ruin the Xoom? Business. At $800, getting a Xoom is just ridiculous. Also, reports have it that WIFI will only be enabled with a plan. What? That's just a bunch of crap.

Their superbowl commercial wasn't as existing as I thought it would be either:

But not to worry, Samsung has already announced the protégé to the Galaxy Tab, the lousily but practically named Galaxy Tab II. This pretty young thing will also sport the promising Honeycomb OS.

Motorola Xoom Superbowl ad teaser

2011-02-05T09:17:00.003+08:00

Remember that post about Honeycomb? The video in that was the Motorolla Xoom.

Here's a sneak peak at their ad coming out for the Superbowl.

If you were Apple fans in the 80s, doesn't this seem a bit familiar? Apple is the new Microsoft. Ha!

I swear, this is a genuine ipad competitor. Well, at least from what I've been reading. I reckon when the big guns (apparently, Motorolla is not a big gun) get their hands on Honeycomb. Tic-tic-tic. The end is near.

Will post the full ad when I find it.

Honeycomb on the horizon

2011-02-03T21:45:00.009+08:00

Google is coming up with Android Honeycomb soon and there's been a lot of good reviews on the net. Things are looking very promising. This early, I can say that I am definitely not going to buy an ipad. It just seems to be lagging in features—actually, as it always has.

High on the praise list for Honeycomb is how widgets don't have to snap to a wide grid. This means that your tablet is already starting to work more like how a computer's user interface works. There will also apparently be options at the top of the screen where you can toggle menus and other application options. Again, computer behavior floating to the top.

This is the most fluid Android OS I've ever seen by far. Check out this hands on video from TechCrunch:

The obvious fault of early Windows tablets was that it was a computer OS shoved into a tablet. The processing power in the tiny devices just wasn't strong enough, rendering these early renditions too slow. But beyond that, using them they just didn't feel right. It was a mouse and keyboard centric world trapped in a touch interface (they even wanted you to use a stylus).

Apple started it right. They picked a behavior and built the tablet around it. Even the applications were built specifically for how the tablet was used. Although they were immensely successful at creating a new category, they now have to evolve faster than Google.

Google is already moving in the right direction. The ipad just isn't fulfilling its potential. Although for some people, simplicity is a distinct advantage, when Google cracks how to fully maximize the tablet, opening it up to a universe of applications that the ipad just can't hack, Google's OS will rise the way Windows 3.1 once did.

It doesn't help that Steve Jobs is sick.

The future of the ipad will mean that MacBooks will be rendered obsolete. If you can edit photos and videos on an ipad, when they reach 15 inches and more, when they have the processing power neatly hidden in a thin sheet, why would you still need a laptop? Google's laptop quite frankly sucks and failed with the critics. They've got nothing to lose moving into this direction. Incidentally, it was earlier reported that ipad sales were actually bigger than MacBook sales in 2010. So it looks like this is really the way to go.

So the question now is, who will get there first? And remember, there are two dimensions to this race: operating system and hardware. Honeycomb is definitely getting close to the ideal state. If Google can keep this pace and decent hardware options appear, watch out Apple, the end is near.

Streaming video to my HD TV

2011-02-02T00:43:00.001+08:00

I used to own an HP laptop. To watch movies on my TV, I just connected my laptop to the TV via a VGA cord. It worked pretty well, except that my laptop was all the way beside the TV and to control any features I had to crawl towards my console. I actually thought of buying an expensive wireless mouse to solve that problem.

Well, that laptop is dead and I now own a MacBook Pro. And as you MBP users know, we don't have VGA ports.

Been watching video on my laptop the past few months, while my TV gloats in the background. Decided to maximize my assets. So I searched around for an alternative and found the WD TV LIVE.

Seems like a good idea.

First of all, it's pretty cheap.

Second, it plays a wide range of file formats. The only exception would be "protected" file formats, but what pirate would have that right?

It also has a remote control and a DVD-like UI.

I'm looking at buying one this week and looking forward to testing it out soon.

Zeitgeist 2010

2011-01-31T23:25:00.001+08:00

I saw this video a few days ago and decided to share it still.

We're a month into the year and I think it's a great time to reflect on the hopefulness and ambition we had 30 days ago.

It's going to be an awesome year. It's totally in our hands still. Keep on going. Don't stall. Do it now.

Incidentally, I started a FB page that should keep you inspired through the year. It's called GV Quotes (also, follow it on Twitter). It's actually a project I started a few weeks ago. The purpose is really just to share positivity. Like it. Be a fan. Contribute.

11 months to go. Let's do this people!

Armchair Creative

2011-01-31T22:53:00.005+08:00

Stumbled upon this article about being an armchair creative from the99percent:

But the thing is, the time I spend in the armchair is usually some of the most creative and productive time in my whole week. I go there when I need to stop and look at the big picture, or think through a complex problem that has me stumped. (Are you an armchair creative? by Marc McGuinness)

Basically, it suggests that you should have a place at work where you can take a step back and change the view. This for me is usually lunch time (which is why I never have lunch in our building) but it can also mean any place that will allow you to take a breather. Hopefully, that little break will allow you to see what you are working on from a different perspective and thus allow you to take a more creative approach.

I often also encounter this when I conduct field checks or attend conferences or workshops. A day away from work actually allows me to see the bigger picture, making me see other ways of doing or approaching things. In many cases, it actually makes me realize WHY I do what I do. I focus less on the specifics and more on the reasons or end goals and that makes a big difference.

Another angle I got from this short article is that where you work and how you "dress up" your workspace actually affects how you perform. Personally, I like changing things up to avoid the monotony. This appeals to me now because I have a lot of projects pending (outside my day job) and working in my room may not always be the best alternative. I'm probably going to set days where I work in cafe shops or other public places to keep the juices flowing.

I'm looking forward to a very productive & creative year. I hope it is for you as well.

Scott Pilgrim DVD Extras

2011-01-31T22:42:00.003+08:00

If you liked Scott Pilgrim vs The World, check this out: alternative scenes for the movie from the DVD extras.

Enjoy!

Getting fit through Google

2011-01-31T00:31:00.005+08:00

Stumbled across this video from Google:

If I only had an Android phone, I'm pretty sure that I would get that wifi weighing scale and pedometer. Actually, there should already be a pedometer app by that time.

I think autosync is a good thing. I used to (because I haven't been running in a while) really appreciate Nike+ tracking my workouts. A visual representation (especially using graphs) of your workouts can actually encourage you to push yourself more. Seing how much (or how little) you run at x pace through y distances and z times plotted in tables, graphs, or even through a "wall" can help you plan and set goals better.

If you think about it, it puts the work of a personal trainer into your hands. It's a great idea.

Of course, this is another example of how Google runs our lives. But again, I'm not complaining. I really am just waiting for Android to match up to the flawless UI that my iphone provides. I digress.

For now, I am stuck with Nike+ (which by the way is connected to my Apple devices) and I have no way of monitoring my weight. That still works, but I'm sure I'll get more progress if more of my activities were tracked.

What gets measured, gets done.

Playlist: Crazy

2010-07-28T22:42:00.002+08:00

Today’s playlist theme is crazy.

Craziness can be confusing, but I think we all need a little bit of it every now and then.

First, something from the best band in the universe, U2. This song is actually one of the staples on my running playlist. I think it has something to do with the cartoons running in this video.

So, when was the last time you thought to yourself, I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight.

Next, a song from the most handsome man in the world. This person not only proposed inside a decked out igloo in the Canadian rocky mountains via helicopter, but he's also married to Heidi Klum—and they have 4 kids now. So, who’s got game?

Heidi probably wouldn’t have gone for Seal if she wasn’t a bit crazy. And Seal wouldn’t have probably gotten the eye of Heidi if he wasn’t a bit crazy himself. Looks like he took a page out of his own body of work. We’re never gonna survive unless we get a little crazy.

This is Seal with Crazy.

What’s the most awesome way to announce to the world that you have an 18-year old daughter? Feature her half-naked in your music video. Add to that the Clueless 90’s heartthrob Alicia Silverstone and you've got gold.

Featuring Liv Tyler's grand reveal to the world, Aerosmith's Crazy.

At this point, I want to introduce something that this isn’t a video and isn’t even remotely connected to music, but I just want to share. Do you have your Joe with cream and sugar? Well, Meet Joe Black. It’s hard to fall in love with the angel of death, but that’s the kind of stuff that leads to true love apparently. You think Claire Forlani would have her doubts right? She did. But these are her dying father's words of wisdom:

Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. If you don't start with that, what are you going to end up with? Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back. And how do you find that person? Forget your head and listen to your heart. I'm not hearing any heart. Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back. Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived.

Yes, I think I’ve lost it. But I think you’re crazy, just like me. Who do you think you are?

And after all of these videos and—err—quotes, just remember that you always have to draw the line somewhere. We all get a little crazy sometimes and it's good, but let's not go overboard and become sociopaths. Don't go blowing up buildings—or minds for that matter.

I don't want to have an anti-climactic, disclaimer infused ending to this playlist.

Sometimes, we're on the verge of going out of our minds, but we muster up enough sanity to accompany the crazy. Hopefully, it's for a worthwhile cause.

Let's end this list with a classic, U2's With Or Without You

Playlist:

U2 - I'm Gonna Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
Seal - Crazy
Aerosmith - Crazy
Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
Musiq - Halfcrazy
U2 - With or Without You

New Music Weekend

2010-07-24T11:07:00.004+08:00

It's a crazy mix this week.

First, a great new find, Two Door Cinema Club.

I'm a big fan of Phoenix and I was very happily surprised to somehow have come across this band. I think I like all their songs in their album. Their album, Tourist History, which I got hold of has 10 tracks and I love all of them. I think their current single is Undercover Martyn (shown above).

Interestingly enough, the band's Facebook page has their genre listed as "alteronica". That's super awesome. Haha!

Next we have something for the more mature music lovers out there.

Seal's Soul and Harry Connick, Jr's Your Songs. Here are two of my favorite songs from the two albums. (These aren't music videos, but it's the easiest way I can put the songs here)

And for some strange reason, I've been singing this song since Sunday morning.

Okay, time to change the mood. Something more current. This next one is from the OST of Step Up 3 (yes, that 3D dance movie). Trey Lorenz with Already Taken.

Interestingly enough, this video also features dance with chalk. In Justin Beiber's Somebody To Love, they also have dancing with chalk. Is this a new trend?

Cathay Pacific bringing 50Mbps WiFi, live TV and in-flight calling to fleet -- Engadget

2010-07-08T14:24:00.001+08:00

Cathay Pacific will offer really fast WIFI and pay-per-view across their entire fleet by early 2012. They will also have voice services and live TV, but who cares about those.

I wonder how long it will take other airlines to follow suite. This is reason enough for me to pick Cathay for my next trans-pacific flight (at least starting 2012). Pay-per-view means that you can watch live sports events miles in the air--LIVE. You no longer have to miss anything while flying.

This better be a standard by 2015.

Cathay Pacific bringing 50Mbps WiFi, live TV and in-flight calling to fleet -- Engadget

Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse

2010-07-06T20:04:00.018+08:00

We all get crazy over seemingly useless gadgets once in a while--and we all should. My current guilty pleasure lies in the Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse.

It’s a mouse. It’s wireless. But the unique thing about this fancy little rodent is that it doesn’t use a laser to track movement. Instead, motion is detected via an accelerometer and gyroscope combination.

So you can use it the way you would use a magic wand (come on, you've waved an imaginary wand at least once in the past 3 months). You don’t need a flat surface too. You can be on your back, in bed, with your eyes half closed, and still control your mouse by just waving it around in the air.

Why in the world would this be particularly useful?

Well, I came across this peripheral while I was trying to put together my home entertainment system. I needed something to control my computer which was all the way across the room. Naturally, I checked out wireless mice but the common drawback was that they all needed a flat, solid surface to work. And then came this wonderful gem from Logitech.

The mouse also features a touch scroll pad (not a clickity wheel) for scrolling through whatever you may be reading as well as dedicated buttons for back, pause/play, and volume. The volume button is pretty interesting as if you hold it and wave your mouse to the right the volume actually increases, and vice versa. I could spend all day doing that.

Battery life is supposedly very good (comes with a dock) and range reaches about 30 feet—just in case you’d ever be that far from your computer.
And did I mention that it looks real cool as well?

People, this is a must have!

But why doesn’t everyone have one? It retails for about $90 on Amazon or Php 5,750 on PCX. Ouch! But hey, you’re sure to impress whoever is lucky enough to pass by your room.

New Music Weekend (favorite albums)

2010-07-04T12:46:00.010+08:00

This week, I'm going with 2 of my current favorite albums.

First we have The Bird and The Bee's Interpreting the Masters Vol. 1 - A Tribute to Daryll Hall & John Oates.

This album is just great. Combine The Bird and The Bee's mild synthpop, mellow vocals, and classic Hall & Oates songs and you get an album that will definitely get you into the groove.

Best tracks for me are I Can't Go For That, Kiss Is On My List, One On One, and Maneater. I'm sure you know all those songs, and you probably like them, but The Bird And The Bee bring a different feel to it. They don't change it out too much, but they apply their style to the classics very effectively.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Here's a clip from The Bird And The Bee's guest appearance on Ellen:

Next is the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist.

I know nothing about indie music. I just like it. That's what was first apparent to me when I got a copy of this album. Of the 15 artists in this compilation, I only knew 2.

I loved the movie, but it took an HBO screening to make me wonder why I never got the album. So I did, and I was really impressed.

Of the 15 tracks in the album, I loved 13 of them.

It's hard to pick a favorite track, but notable are The Real Tuesday Weld's Last Words, Vampire Weekend with Ottoman, Riot Radio by The Dead 60's, Fever by Takka Takka, Xavia by The Submarines, and Paul Tiernan's How To Say Goodbye. Again, it's really hard to pick a favorite track.

Here's a sample of one of my favorite tracks, The Real Tuesday Weld with Last Words:

It's a very laid back album that sounds very indie. Indie is now a genre right? If you can remember filler scenes from the movie where they show New York at 4 in the morning, the album feels like that.

Again, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Iphone 4 vs EVO 4G

2010-07-02T20:21:00.006+08:00

One of the things I hate most about the iphone (and Apple) are its users.

*before you start hating me, I own an iphone too. But I'm not stupid.

Another thing I hate about Apple, is its closed systems. It limits its users. It's like a cult. You get into it for one reason, then everything else you need can only be sourced through them. No freedom.

Freedom as a consumer is to be able to have more options.

And on the flip side, here's one laying out the potential problems of an EVO 4G:

But again, just to be fair, the iphone isn't exactly the most stable phone out there. Mine (as well as those my friends use) hangs about once a month. The home key also gets stubborn after about 9 months (and why wouldn't it, it's the only fricking button). Since I upgraded to iOS4, some of the apps are buggier than usual. And as you all should know by now, the iphone4 has that stupid antenna problem.

It's Alive! Lenovo U1 Hybrid Out by End of 2010

2010-07-02T07:41:00.001+08:00

News reports from the interweb say that the U1 hybrid will be out by the end of the year.

In an interview with Lenovo President and COO, Rory Read, ChannelWeb reports that the U1 hybrid (and the Skylight smartbook) were not discontinued, only modified and delayed.

Both laptops will supposedly now run neither on the planned Skylight OS nor Windows 7. I'm expecting either Chrome or a hybrid Android OS. Tricky for the U1 is how it will behave once you detach the tablet. Because in laptop mode, Windows 7 will work, but in tablet mode, that proposed Android-based OS will probably work best. I think though, that is actually the plan.

Also, a post from Engadget reports a change with the processor, shifting to a Qualcomm dual-core.

If this will be released, it may be one of the first (if not the first) laptop or tablet to run on an Android OS. Might be a bit buggy, especially with the shifting between Windows 7.

Is it worth it to be an early adopter?

How do you hold your Nokia? | Nokia Conversations - The official Nokia Blog

2010-06-30T13:16:00.005+08:00

I love when companies dig up each other's dirt--especially when done in an unusual and humorous way. Just the other month, Adobe had that patronizing message on their website addressing Apple's closed systems and industry suffocating business practices.

Now, Nokia takes a swing at the iphone4's signal issues and Steve Jobs' very misquoted and simplistic response to user inquiries, the now infamous, "you're not holding it right."

How do you hold your Nokia? | Nokia Conversations - The official Nokia Blog

New Music Weekend (Holiday Edition)

2010-06-30T11:41:00.001+08:00

World Cup fever is in full swing! The official 2010 FIFA World Cup album Listen Up! certainly helps capture the spirit of the games.

Included in the album is that Waka Waka song by Shakira (with a Spansih version as well), Wavin' Flag (which is the song you've been hearing with the World Cup previews on TV). It also includes all the 'official' world cup songs like the official world cup anthem, R.Kelly's Sign Of Victory, Waka Waka (which is the official SONG), and the official mascot's song, Game On by Pitbull.

Take note though, this is a very international album, which means it has a bit of everything. So there are going to be Spanish grunge songs, European dance tracks, tropical chill out & percussion tracks, etc.

Notable tracks include Shosholoza 2010 (various artists), Move On Up (John Legend and Angelique Kidjo), and One Day (Matisyahu). Most of the other tracks, as I said are just international pop trash.

Esmee Denters was discovered by Justin Timberlake through YouTube. She was one of the hundred of artists posting videos of covers. Lucky for her, Justin liked what he saw and signed her up with his record label.

Love Dealer sounds like and feels like a Justin Timberlake song, but with female vocals. He starts out the song with some rap then it's Esmee all the way. That's pretty brilliant actually. Since everything sounds like a JT track, it's like he's extending his persona to Esmee, and along with it he hopefully extends his fans.

And of course, an obvious, requisite, and expected last comment: Esmee's pretty hot. Enjoy!

Last for this week is Nas & Damian Marley with As We Enter from the Distant Relatives album.

Damian Marley's vocals actually remind me of Matisyahu. The quick reggae vocals mix well with hiphop. A very interesting mix indeed. I loved Matisyahu and this I think is the hiphop equivalent.

A lot of the tracks have either a hiphop or reggae base, but no song is just purely one style. There are no songs only by Nas or only by Damien, they all truly are collaborations. So it's fitting that in my itunes the artist is "Nas & Damien Marley". It's not Nas featuring Damien or the other way around.

This is a pretty decent album in as much as it offers something new. As mentioned, it's a brilliant marriage of the hiphop & reggae vibe. When you first start to listen to it, your body kinda gets confused on which vibe to respond to, but before you get a chance to complain, you're already bobbing to a brilliant musical mashup.

Google knows what's on my mind

2010-06-28T22:07:00.009+08:00

I just got home and I wanted to know what match is going to be played at 10pm.

I just type "worldcup", hit enter..

..and not only does Google give me who's playing the 10pm game, but also gives me details on previous matches, upcoming matches, and gives me the schedule in Philippine (local) time.

I didn't even have to go to the Google page anymore, I just typed the search parameters (or in this case the word) in my browser's address bar.

You really can do a lot with Google search shortcuts. Here are a few of my favorite Google search tips and tricks:

Currency covertion Simply type how much you have in whatever currency and value you have and what you want to convert it to and it gives you the conversion based on the day's conversion rate. Very useful when shopping online and stuff like figuring out how much plane tickets bought in another country costs. i.e. "20USD to Php"

Math Computations Similarly, you can type simple mathematical equations. No equal sign required. i.e. "square root of 100" or "25*47" or "23 to the 5th power"

International Time You want to remind your friend in the US to bring you home an EVO 4G. Is it an odd time to call? Just type the place and the word "time" in the search box and find out. i.e. "san francisco time"

Measurement Conversion Whether it be Metric to English, Celsius to Fahrenheit, or whatever else you can think of. Just type it and search. i.e. "5 feet nine inches to cm"

Word Definitions And last, my favorite thing to search on Google, word definitions. Simply type "define:" immediately followed by the word, and you get definitions from various sources. i.e. "define:slovaks"

It's simple, quick, direct, and intuitive. Yet another reason why I love Google.

iPhone 4 or EVO 4G: which one should you get?

2010-06-27T14:27:00.002+08:00

How much does an EVO 4G cost? I think I want one. As per the article, same price as the iphone 4, but that's with a US plan. I've been claiming that I'm switching to Droid in about a year, why don't I just do it now?

The bigger EVO 4G has me confused. I think the iphone's current size sits pretty comfortably in my hand already. Wait. Though just testing it now I think I wouldn't really mind the extra few millimeters. The bigger screen is certainly better for videos.

Cameras I really don't care much about this feature. I'm happy with the iphone's camera thought the EVO's is apparently better.

Software I'm already on iOS4 and multitasking so far is a disappointment. Widgets seem to be interesting. But Apple sill has the edge in apps. They have more commercial apps as well. It doesn't help that EVO is a 'geek' phone YouTube on the EVO seems promising. I never really had a decent YouTube experience on my iphone. Gmail (and everything else Google), FB, and Twitter seem to work better on the EVO. I would say, considering how fast the Android app store is developing, this has to be a win for the EVO.

The poll at the end of the article has the iphone 4 and EVO 4G in a statistical tie. Interesting. Though, this is an Engadget poll. I think people who actually read Engadget aren't just marketing guinea pigs, thus the close match between the two smartphones.

Read the Engadget article here: iPhone 4 or EVO 4G: which one should you get? -- Engadget

New Music Weekend

2010-06-26T11:09:00.008+08:00

First we have The Drums with Forever and Ever, Amen. Love the video, it has a deconstructed 90's feel to it.

The video reminds me of Razorlight's In The Morning and The Virgins' Rich Girls. Perhaps it's that dirty effect. I love this sound though.

Next is Ellie Goulding with Guns & Horses. She's Brit and kind of reminds me of Imogen Heap, but with a softer voice. I like her. Just got her album after hearing some of her tracks. Other notable tracks form her 2010 album Lights include Starry Eyed and Wish I Stayed.

I have to admit, the blonde hair and dark eyeshadow got me at first, but it's a pretty decent song. Make Me Wanna Die by The Pretty Reckless. A bit whiny though, but the skin makes up for it. Wait, did I say skin, I meant to say angst. Well, Taylor Momsen's looks certainly helps sell this single.

*update* I've only seen part of the first season of Gossip Girl and it has been brought to my attention that this is Jenny Humphrey. Wow. First Leighton, now Taylor. That officially brings up her stock for me.

Is that insulting as an artist? If you're vintage Jewel, I think it can be insulting. But if you wear tight leather and short skirts, I think you're also okay with 'marketing' yourself.

Her voice is surprisingly husky, which is great. Gives her music a 70's female rock vibe. Janis Joplin and The Runaways come to mind (well, without the shouting). That's actually pretty amusing cause I'm pretty sure Taylor was born in the 90's.

Actually, to be fair, I'm not writing her off as just eye candy. There's a very simple test to rule this out. If I like it just on my ipod, then it's good. There's more musicality than theatricality.

The 2010 Laptop Hunt

2010-06-26T02:52:00.014+08:00

I'm currently in the market for a new laptop/tablet. Unfortunately though, I have no idea what to get. My sights were set on the Lenovo IdeaPAd U1 Hybrid, but unfortunately news got out last month that it was already discontinued.

It would have been perfect. It was supposed to be a tablet-detachable. In contrast to the tablet-convertible I use now, you can remove the screen off the laptop completely. It was supposed to be 2 gadgets in one.

My current laptop is an HP TX2000. I got it 2 years ago cause I was dead set on getting a tablet-convertible. I knew tablets were the future. I mean hey, they use it on Start Trek all the time! Along with HP's persistent marketing (which completely had me in its sights), my biggest consideration of a tablet-convertible, the relatively few tablet-convertibles available at that time, and good reviews, it was a no-brainer to me.

When I was making up my mind, a few months before I ordered my unit, a friend who loved his tablet-convertible (it was a Toshiba) told me that he really never uses the tablet. I didn't believe him. True enough, for the first 6 months, I used the tablet a lot. But eventually, the weight of the whole unit and the awkwardness of the input apparatus (WACOM pen) had me typing and using the touchpad instead.

In the first year, I actually still used the pen to manage the screen while in full laptop mode. I enjoyed fiddling around using keystrokes (keystrokes with a stylus is totally a foreign idea now post iphone) but what really kept me using the pen was the very accurate handwriting recognition. I mean come on, I used to sit on the john chatting with friends in full tablet mode. Needless to say, it was one of the best features.

Interestingly, handwriting recognition is something I don't think you can do with just your fingers. I also don't think Apple has any plans of developing anything related to handwriting recognition. They've been pro-touch since the ipod and its click-wheel.

Anyway, the biggest consideration, non-negotiable (the tablet-detachable) is now gone. Well, the criteria exists, but the gadget doesn't. But my laptop is still getting old, and I feel like it's time to upgrade.

So what should I get?

As in every gadget hunt, we start with the wants and must-haves.

Musts:

Wifi-N & Bluetooth
Touchscreen / Multi-touch
>15" display
Windows 7 (will eventually dual-boot with Chrome OS)
Has technology/design that will be "new" for the next 2 years

Wants:

DVD player
Will bend to my needs when I all of a sudden want to edit video

And well, that's basically it. Strap on a decent processor, ample memory, and the standard HDD size (it's about 300GB now I think), and that's it.

The problem, given those specs (excluding the tablet-detachable one) is that there are actually A LOT of options. Too many options, no freedom, no choice.

I was telling a friend a few weeks back that perhaps that's another area where Apple succeeds with its products. You have limited choices, which are clearly delineated. You are either comparing screen size or capacity (and of course price). That's it. Easy choice to make.

Compare that to say, HP. I have so many choices I don't even know where to start. I mean, I love that we have more choices in the PC world, but this is just ridiculous.

Although, clearly, more choices also mean cheaper units, better parts, and more servicing options. Okay, that's good. But the typical Mac user doesn't care about those things. And honestly, right now, I'm tempted to not think about it anymore. I just want to pick one. Give me 5 choices and I'll pick one. Give me a hundred, and I'll pass it off for next week.

Any ideas? Input? Will gladly appreciate it.

Let's see what develops in the next few months. I wonder what'll come up, when it'll come up, and when I'm going to pull the trigger.

*update 7/2/10* Reports suggest that the U1 is set to be released by the end of the year following changes in OS and hardware.

Waka Waka

2010-06-26T01:54:00.000+08:00

First, you can't go wrong with a gyrating Shakira (who puts those African dancers to shame). Add "fun" lyrics and interject previous World Cup clips and you got a really nice theme song.

Tsamina mina eh eh
Waka Waka eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa aa
This time for Africa

I mean come on. WOCKA, WOCKA, WOCKA! That's Fozzie Bear's line!

Google TV Compatible Devices Available This Fall

2010-06-25T23:40:00.008+08:00

Last month, Sony finally announced the first HDTV with integrated Google TV compatibility. This is a big step forward for Google TV as Sony is a major player in the TV market.

Logitech also announced earlier this month a set top-box that will integrate Google TV to your current entertainment setup called Revue. It will supposedly work well with your Android phone or iphone. It will also connect to keyboards and mice, but controlling via smartphone is a better selling point.

I think that a set top-box defeats the point of Google TV. We've seen this kind of device before (and Logitech has produced several). For me one of the defining and differenciating elements of Google TV is its integration with existing devices. You shouldn't have to pay for an additional device to access it. When you buy a new TV, BlueRay/DVD player, or game console, it should already be Google TV enabled.

Perhaps Logitech is just cashing in while the technology is new, and hey, not everyone is going to buy a new TV, player, or console just to get Google TV.

Both the Sony HDTV and the Logitech Revue are set to be released in the third quarter.

I wonder if the new Xbox will support Google TV. Sony makes the PlayStation, which is the mortal enemy of the Xbox. Microsoft makes the Xbox and owns Bing--which is arguably the closest rival of Google Search.

With pictures from ixplora

Engadget makes a point, mocks Apple

2010-06-25T11:26:00.000+08:00

Ever since Engadget found that iphone 4 prototype in that bar, I've been sensing some tension between them and Apple.

They make a very good point in this collage though.

Who's holding it wrong now?

It's not us, it's you

2010-06-25T09:55:00.003+08:00

The past few days, there have been a slew of articles about poor reception on the iphone 4. The problem seems to appear when you hold the phone with your left hand, covering the bottom left part of the phone. Doing so reduces reception and apparently drastically reduces data transfer.

Earlier today, Apple finally replied to the issue. In email exchanges about the supposed drop in signal, Steve Jobs reportedly just said, "just don't hold it like that".

Later, an official Apple statement advices users to either use your right hand or get a protective casing.

*laughs at Apple*

This is obviously a hardware problem. To make the iphone 4 even thinner than the old 3GS, they have to make internal components more flat. The long antenna (and you do want it longer for better reception) probably goes around just behind the circumference of the phone.

Being a hardware problem, there's nothing Apple can do about it. There is no software fix, no update. And they certainly can't recall the phones. They are after all working. It's a flaw in the design of the phone.

So at the end of the day, no biggie. Just use your right hand, get a protective case, or just don't hold it that way.

The interwebs have had a field day on this issue and I'm sure Apple and Jobs have been misquoted more than a few times, but in essence, that is what Apple is saying. And it sounds ridiculous and funny.

They could have handled the situation better. The way things have been said and responded to leaves a lot to impressions on how arrogant Apple handled the problem.

How I Became a Football Fan

2010-06-24T01:54:00.009+08:00

So two weeks ago, I was tweeting on how I couldn't understand football. I was making fun of people who had 'the fever' but had no idea how football was played or what it was all about.

Fast forward to the end of this week (incidentally the end of the first round as well) and my body clock is busted because I try to catch the early morning games. I catch myself watching 2-hour long matches and shouting when players make (or almost make) goals. I've turned into one of them.

How did this happen? How did I become a football fan?

I play ultimate disc. Perhaps that helped in my appreciation of football. In disc, I like offense where we pass the disc to the open player. We just keep on passing to the sides till we find a clear opening, then we move the disc forward. That's what first caught my eye about football. And when you realize how hard it is to control a ball without using your hands, their passing becomes all the more astonishing.

I have friends who still don't get football. Their main complaints are that: it takes such a long time to score a goal, it's a low scoring game, and there are ties.

Well, I completely appreciate all those things now.

I think it all boils down to how difficult it is to play the game. Watching the world's best players not play well showed me just how hard the game is. Then seeing brilliant teams execute precise control of the ball just showed me how talented they really are. The individual play is amazing too. How the hell do they do that? When a player is able to move the ball past pesky defenders, especially in such tight spaces, and they somehow contort their bodies to swing that ball into the net, that's artistry right there. Also, the ball does something that the disc also does that I just love: it curves.

Scoring a goal is no easy feat. It takes a tremendous amount of team skill. You have to know where your teammates are. You have to make precision passes--with your feet nonetheless. You have to break a solid defensive line and find a way for the ball to make it through. And beyond the last string of defenders, there's this guy who can actually use his hands and is leaping all over the place.

Goalkeeper saves are a beautiful thing to watch as well. It's body bending to will.

Regarding draws, it takes forever to score a goal and you don't even know if a team will make one so you really have to stop at a draw. It's okay. A win has more points than a draw anyway. And draws are only allowed during qualifying. When you're down to the quarters, you go to the shootout.

I don't understand how a shootout can not be exciting. The striker is expected to make the shot. The goalkeeper isn't expected to block it. Given those two assumptions, you wait for someone to incredibly mess up or incredibly defy expectations. It's as exciting as freethrows with seconds left on the clock. You hang on to every bit of action. You know the game lies in the balance.

For me, the length of time it takes to score a goal adds to the anticipation. If you only watch highlights, it isn't as meaningful. You have to watch every single second. You have to be part of the collective and want every pass and dribble to be perfect as you will your team to all somehow synchronize their thoughts and movements and score an amazing point.

The clincher, football is also a metaphor for life.

Aspirations are not served on a silver platter. It takes a tremendous amount of skill, discipline, and patience for many elements to fall into place. A touch of luck helps as well. The gameplay is long because like most things that matter, you have to work for them and be patient before you get them.

It's a low scoring game. As in our lives, we are only given so many chances for defining moments. You have to cherish those little opportunities that you get. You have to be at your best. The right moment paired with the right skill, leads to success.

And when you do score, know that although 1-0 is already a big thing, it doesn't mean that it's a sure win.

Many little things--and lots of persistence and patience--lead to greatness. Such is life and such is what makes football a beautiful game.

Culte Femme 2010 Collections

2010-06-23T22:49:00.008+08:00

I'm not really into fashion. I don't know what the trends and the brands are. I don't know who's who. I can't even dress myself properly. But I have an idea what "nice" is (nice, classy, fashionable, pick your adjective). And this is, well, nice...

Uh-huh, nice right? I've no idea what's going on, but I like it.

Culte Femme is a Rustan's house brand by local designer Hindy Webber-Tantoco (who incidentaly is also officially the cutest local designer) (or perhaps the nicest).

5 Best Things About iOS4

2010-06-23T19:27:00.007+08:00

Apple just released iPhone 4 and along with it (2 days before) they rolled out iOS4 as well.

When you have an iphone, you know who among your friends own iphones as well (perhaps because you all have the same message and ring tones). It's amusing how we were all giddy with anticipation. And why not, it's a free upgrade to a better OS promising long-awaited features in the wraps.

The best features of the upgrade:

1. General improvement in speed, transition + wallpaper The icons seem to pop out of the screen more. The transitions between pages (when you scroll to the left or right) is smoother. When going back to home screen the icons have a different effect, like they're popping in from the outside. They seem like small improvement, but they are what you see most of the time so it matters.

The new wallpaper option is just dandy. It also helps make those icons pop out.

(iphone pickup line: hey, that's a nice wallpaper. they really bring out the color of your apps).

2. Folders I used to have about 8 pages on my iphone. Now, I only have 5 with ample space on each page for new apps. That's almost a 50% decrease! All the games I don't play are now cluttered into a folder (2 actually), apps I use for travel are stowed away, the default iphone apps I never use are out of sight, and in general I feel more in control. My phone seems less cluttered.

3. Spell Check, Undo, and User Dictionary When you first start using an iphone/itouch keyboard you worry a bit. But as your brain learns what your (fat) fingers are pressing, you learn to appreciate the keyboard. One thing you struggle with a bit longer is auto-correct.

Somehow, the phone thinks it knows what you want to type more than you do. If you're typing a word and it has a suggestion (which it hurriedly tries to prompt) and you ignore it (or just don't see it) and continue to type, it keeps ITS suggestion.

But now, we have an undo. When the phone suggests something, and you continue to type causing it to accept its suggestion, just hit backspace and the edited word pops up. Tap it and you just undid the auto-correct. Nice.

Even better is integrated spell check. As how you would think it would work, red squiggly lines indicate an unrecognized word. Tap it and the alternate suggestions appear.

Last is the user dictionary. This can be a bit tricky to find. You have to select another keyboard aside from your probably default US-English one. After doing that, you will have another option in the keyboard settings which is User Dictionary. What's the big deal? Well, if you have words that the phone usually corrects (especially non-English words) put it in the user dictionary and the phone stops prompting to correct it.

3. Threaded Emails + Google Calendar & Notes Sync Following in the barely visible footprints of Google (read: finally), you can now see connected messages via threads. It's not as pretty as how Gmail does it, but that's expected. Google Calendar & Notes can now also be supposedly synced (even without MobileMe). Google Calendar sync works on the fly almost real-time and is great. I haven't really figured out how to sync Google Notes yet.

The Unified Inbox I suppose is also a good thing, but I don't really mix nor have multiple email addresses.

4. Cellular Data Off Switch I no longer have to edit the Cellular Data Network everytime I want to turn off mobile internet. There's now a switch in the Network settings that can turn off Cellular Data.

Curiously though, I don't know when they ended it, but Globe Telecoms no longer provides per kb data charging. I reckoned that I could save money moving back to per kb charging with such easy switching, but well, P5 for 15 minutes will do I guess.

5. Multi-tasking You'll probably first notice it when you use Safari. Web pages load in Safari even if you're in another 'tab' and even when you 'close' Safari. When you go back, the page has loaded already. Finally!

I'm not sure though how many other apps already know how to use this feature though. I know it works with Foursquare and Safari. It doesn't work with TweetDeck yet.

You'll know it's multi-tasking cause of an isosceles triangle near the time at the top of the iphone.

Also, when the app can multi-task, if you tap the home button, it will give you a list of previously opened apps so you can switch with ease. If it doesn't work, you go back to home.

Other notable new features:

Digital Zoom for the camera
Improved picture importing (uploaded pictures are clearer when zoomed in)
Quick Search / Spotlight Search (the search that comes up when you swipe to the left from home) now includes internet, Wikipedia, and SMS search.

Post upgrade, I've been on my iphone as much as I was on it when I first got it. It's fun trying to figure out all the new features and trying to make them work. It's a good thing that Apple gives free OS upgrades, even for their consoles. And these aren't just geeky, technical updates we're so used to in the PC world. Consumers actually look forward to something new in their upgrades.

Again, the new things aren't really new in the real world--they're available elsewhere also for free and for quite a while now--but in the ever growing closed almost autistic world Apple users live in, it's a good thing. At the end of the day we're happy that we've been given more choices on how to modify our shackles.

Should you upgrade to iphone4? From what I gather, if you've a 3GS, you're crazy to want to upgrade. But if you're using a 3G and below, go ahead, don't feel guilty thinking about it. Or better yet, get a discounted 3GS and then wait for the iphone 5. You lose out on the gyroscope and the front facing camera, but you can live without those.

3G users have lived without a compass and voice dial (two things which I use a lot) and just a year and a half after the 3GS was released, they can now upgrade to iphone 4.

If you're not an iphone user, should you get an iphone? See, I'm an Apple hater but I have an iphone. As far as I'm concerned, as of last year (when I got my phone) it was the best option. I think it still is. It has the best hardware, pretty decent software, and still the best apps store.

Given a few more years though, I'm switching to an Android phone. I reckon they would have caught up with the hardware by then. The Android app store is growing exponentially by the week and in a year or so they would have already caught up with Apple. This is not to mention that the Droid apps currently do a lot more than iphone apps do.

But I'm also pretty sure that in a few years time, when Android finally catch up with Apple, the evil geniuses at Apple would have already come up with something that makes smartphones obsolete.

REVAMP!

2010-06-23T14:21:00.003+08:00

I've been thinking of creating a new blog the past few weeks cause Twitter and Facebook just don't cut it. I don't want to be limited to 140 characters and my FB contacts (who haven't hid me on their wall yet).

I was going to make an absolutely new one. Was even going to try out Wordpress. But since someone already stole my username at Wordpress and I feel limited by Tumblr's interface, I'm back to Blogger (where I have 8 other mini blogs dating back to 2002).

And just for the heck of it, I decided not to create an entirely new one. Will just pick up where I left off. Kept the old posts, consolidated the other blogs, changed the layout and design, and voila!

This blog is going to be about the things in my world: technology, gadgets, the internet, pop culture, music, youtube, eye candy, politics, travel, the Philippines, and just the world around me in general. It's not going to be a personal blog (because who cares really and I don't want to get blackmailed).

So game, let's go!

Ignorance, Technology, and Truth

2010-06-22T22:08:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, as I passed the SLEX exit, my epass beeped, but the wooden bar didn't rise. I was so surprised that I had to abruptly hit the breaks and almost hit the bar. The teller from the other booth quickly hurried to the epass lane, I gave her my epass, and she processed it. At the same time, a traffic enforcer came up to me.

"Sir, you don't have any load anymore," he informed me.

I was quick to reply that what he was saying was impossible because when I entered the SLEX the light at the booth lit green indicating that I still had more than P300. Also, I had just loaded P1,000 Friday, the previous week.

He butts in, "Sir, the computer says you don't have load."

I restate my case.

He persists, "But the computer said you didn't have load. That's the computer!"

At this point, while I was restating why his statement doesn't make sense, the teller hands me back my epass, and I just ignore the traffic enforcer--while he was still explaining that the computer can't be wrong--and sped off.

True enough, I checked my epass balance when I got to a computer and I still had over a thousand pesos in my account.

That traffic enforcer was either trying to swindle me into a ticket or was just plain dumb and ignorant.

Just the other week, I was arguing with my distributor staff regarding some numbers. They're not the smartest lot. Their excuse to my prodding was that my numbers were incorrect. I tried to explain to them that what they encode gets uploaded to a system and that's where I download my numbers from, therefore, we had the same numbers. They just wouldn't believe me. I had to call in our IT expert for a second opinion before we settled that my numbers were indeed correct.

They could have dug deeper to find out why we had varying data. They could have simply looked at what their reference was and compared it to what was encoded. But they didn't have the logic to figure that out. And even as I told them what to do, they didn't know how to do it. They know how to operate the computer system, they don't know what goes on under the hood.

Technology is an easy scapegoat when you are trying to imply or avoid a truth. People are quick to say, "but that's how it is," and leave it at that. No one tries to dig deeper because they don't have the diligence to do so or because they don't know that they can.

The ignorant person's approach to technology is just to believe the convenient. They just accept that it's real if it comes from an inexplicable higher power. That is ignorance. That is just pure dumb.

Two more examples: forwarded email and the recent automated canvassing.

Just because someone forwards an email doesn't mean that the content of the email is real. I was going to write that with the older generations gaining access to email, we can see where this ignorance is rooted. But I quickly realized that a lot of my peers (some even from the best colleges) forward emails like that believing that the incredible is credible.

The good thing is that with time the instances of forwarded email has decreased. It has now however been replaced with stuff like "join this Facebook group and see who is reading your profile." Again, if you know what's going on, you'll know how far from the truth that is.

Now, the recent automated canvassing.

First of all, it's an automated canvassing and not an automated election. You still had to shade, you still had to get ink for your prints, you still had to sign papers. That's not automated.

Now, when the early tally results came in, everyone was just amused about the speed of transmittal. But no one ever bothered to check for the accuracy of what was collated.

In the old system, cheating occurred in the tallying and the transmittal. Since no one understood how things were tallied, since people just trusted that technology would be correct, all the attention was on the transmittal. But how do you know that the machine counted right?

There is a very simple way to disprove the question on accuracy. It's not even remotely technological. It's manual. The random manual audit (RMA).

A day after voting, I was already asking around, including the local news services what ever happened to the random manual audit. No one knew. A few days later, the news surfaced (though I had to really look for it) that the RMA was postponed. A few days later it was started. Results started to appear. A few days more and news breaks that the RMA had been stalled.

And that was it. Up to this day, I don't think the RMA was ever completed. Everyone has conceded. It is irrelevant.

And since our useless lawmakers know nothing about technology, they all just made fools of themselves on TV as they went around in circles. Our truth commission was merely acting, the audience equally unaware.

I envy Smartmatic a lot. Sure, they seemed to have been shouted at and disparaged, but in the end they just picked the correct terms and phrased their statements well and they're off the hook. All they really clarified was what their system does. They never really answered what their system couldn't do and what could be done to it. Their system did nothing wrong. But no one ever asked if the system can be tricked into doing something wrong.

Everyone just believes what the media says. If it's a media issue, it's an issue. If the media doesn't talk about it, it's not an issue. This is also manifested in the fact that so many issues pass over. When the media hype dies, no one cares for the truth anymore.

Come to think of it, this isn't necessarily a problem raised by technology. The problem is inherently there. People are just plain ignorant.

It seems as if the truth can easily be swayed with what is convenient for the masses. Apparently, the search for truth comes to a halt at the first sign of the seemingly incomprehensible. And unfortunately, the truth is written by those who are in charge.

Truth in a way is like justice, peace, or goodness. It sometimes feels like you're fighting an impossible uphill battle to get to it.

What can you do?

The only thing you can. Explain. Try. Fight for it.

Perhaps that is your role in the world.

Can't Wait for Google TV

2010-06-02T22:46:00.003+08:00

Yet another Google creation that will change our lives.

You may be thinking that the concept of internet TV isn't really new. But the difference this time is that Google TV is a platform. You don't need to buy a box to access it. It will be integrated directly into TVs or boxes (i.e. TiVo, cable box, dvd player). Just connect it to the internet, and access Google TV.

So in the same way that you can use Google search from any internet device, you can access Google TV from any Google TV-enabled device.

And as a guy who loves the internet, TV, and anything FREE. This is just perfect. It's like I get an additional cable package for free. I don't need to buy any new hardware cause the TV will come with everything I need to access Google TV. What's more, in a world where your cable doesn't provide HDTV, you can get HDTV for free streamed right to your TV.

I've improved WIFI reception to my room just for this. Too bad, I have to buy a new TV cause I just got one late last year. Still dreaming of the perfect internet/computer/TV/home entertainment system. But I am getting ahead of myself.

For now, let's all just wait.

*update* Sony has announced the first HDTV with Google TV Compatibility

Escape Velocity

2009-10-13T23:24:00.003+08:00

Something always brings me back to you. It never takes too long.

--Gravity, Sara Bereilles

It's those unexpected moments that get you, when something seemingly mundane and irrelevant brings back so many memories. The simplest objects reveal a whole other life than what they have because of your shared experience. And they’re scattered all over your room—and all over your life. They remind you of the way things used to be and they make the first few weeks apart incredibly hard to bear.

There are things you see or use every day, like little notes in your wallet or pictures on your phone or computer, which you decided to remove already. But there are also those things that surprise you in the middle of the day. Things that you don’t necessarily think are important, but which tell a story by themselves. There’s the barely used tube of facial cleanser, that frumpy out of place throw pillow, and the clanking tin box in your car. There are things you bought together, like a comb that you use every day, a game board gathering dust in the corner of your room, a pack of tic-tacs you keep in your car, or even a shirt that you think of wearing every morning when you’re dressing up. They’re just things, but they carry stories. And reliving these stories, makes it harder to forget, especially when they seem to have invaded every other minute of your life.

Then every now and then, you just remember parts of your life that you associate with her. It can be the sudden memory of parking into a garage that you'll never do again. It can be the image of someone from her family, who you have grown fond of, but will never see again. It’s the little routines that seemed repetitive and tedious, but which now you look for as you’re never going to do them again. It’s the memory of your little arguments, how you resolve them, and how you make up for whatever you were fighting about. It’s what she usually says when you make comments about various things. And it’s how she appeases you after you get into a fight and she wants to make for up it. Your interaction has created an imprint in your life and now you’re having a hard time trying to pop out of the impression.

Then you remember her in the downtimes: when the car seat beside you is once again bare, when the only voice you hear on the road is yours, when you come up with the most amazing silly little thought and there is no one there to share it with, when you come back from lunch after a hectic morning at work and there is no one to rant to, when you leave your phone for a while and come back to it without any missed calls or text messages, when you’re all alone on the road at three in the morning without anyone knowing where you are and what you’re doing. You are suddenly reminded of how alone you are in this big cold world. In these moments, everything in your body is crying out for her. But you’ve got to accept that she’s no longer there.

That’s the problem in all of this breakup downtime, you focus on all of the negatives, all the things that are lost or are missing. But who can blame you? It’s not like you’re not seeing the good sides. You do. You appreciate the freedom to think and act however you want to and you relish and take pride in your strength and independence. But, again, some things just creep up on you and strike right through your heart.

I have dealt with being alone for the most part of my adult life. I am sure that I can recover and get back to the flow of things. It’s just hard when you’re introduced to this alternative way of living which is definitely a whole lot more pleasant even with its occupational hazards.

She was love at first sight. She brought magic into my life. And for the life of me, I still don’t understand the gravity she holds on me. She is beyond reason and comprehension, when a million times my head whispers that we shouldn’t be together, a million and one times my heart shouts back that we have to be together.

But we knew from the start that it wasn’t going to last. We knew that we were moving in different streams, but we held on to each other anyway. We were torn up, bruised, and broken. But we held on till the very end. We knew it had to end sometime, and I guess time had finally caught up with us.

Yes, I am still struggling to spend a day without thinking of her. How can I not, when everything just attaches themselves to the memory of her? But I know that time will take its course. I know that fate will lead us to where we should be. And I know that God has a plan for all of us. I pray for strength, courage, guidance, and hope.

I think the first step is acceptance. And that’s what I’m learning to do. And though I’m sure there will be more moments that catch me by surprise, I know that I will get through those moments. Everybody does.

It was great while it lasted. But I’m ready to let go now.

Holden's Speech from Chasing Amy

2009-02-22T18:25:00.002+08:00

Why are we stopping?
Because I can't take this.
Can't take what?
I love you.
You love me?
I love you. And not, not in a friendly way, although I think we're great friends. And not in a misplaced affection, puppy-dog way, although I'm sure that's what you'll call it. I love you. Very, very simple, very truly. You are the epitome of everything I have ever looked for in another human being. And I know that you think of me as just a friend, and crossing that line is the furthest thing from an option you would ever consider. But I had to say it. I just, I can't take this anymore. I can't stand next to you without wanting to hold you. I can't, I can't look into your eyes without feeling that, that longing you only read about in trashy romance novels. I can't talk to you without wanting to express my love for everything you are. And I know this will probably queer our friendship - no pun intended - but I had to say it, because I've never felt this way before, and I don't care. I like who I am because of it. And if bringing this to light means we can't hang out anymore, then that hurts me. But God, I just, I couldn't allow another day to go by without just getting it out there, regardless of the outcome, which by the look on your face is to be the inevitable shoot-down. And, you know, I'll accept that. But I know...I know that some part of you is hesitating for a moment, and if there is a moment of hesitation, then that means you feel something too. All I ask, please, is that you just, you just not dismiss that - and try to dwell in it for just ten seconds. Alyssa, there isn't another soul on this fucking planet who has ever made me half the person I am when I'm with you, and I would risk this friendship for the chance to take it to the next plateau. Because it is there between you and me. You can't deny that. Even if, you know, even if we never talk again after tonight, please know that I'm forever changed because of who you are and what you've meant to me, which - while I do appreciate it - I'd never need a painting of birds bought at a diner to remind me of.

When Harry met Sally

2009-02-22T15:37:00.002+08:00

When you realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody..

Do not compromise

2009-02-08T22:58:00.005+08:00

This is my problem with relationships.

The world seems to be full of couples. There’s really nothing wrong with that until I ask myself, how did these people manage to pick out someone and stick with them?

I think of how some people are just happy being together. They’re not exactly perfect for each other, but they manage. Now, I can’t live like that. I’m not the kind who settles into a relationship just because I need to be in one. This is also the same reason why I hate it when I see couples who just stick together even if they’re not really meant for each other. The problem with being in a relationship is that you work on things, you compromise, and that is a powerful blur tool. You always give the relationship or your partner the benefit of the doubt and you may end up not being so rational.

When I was in a relationship, I tried to work around so many things. I accepted habits and paradigms. I allowed myself to be in situations and places that I’d usually hate. I did things I didn’t necessarily want to do. I know that’s part of being in a relationship and to a certain point, sure, I can say that I was happy.

But let’s say, hypothetically, if I stayed in the last relationship I was in and just worked on compromising everything, I’d be 90% dumber, because conversations would never be about anything important or even remotely interesting, I’d probably be unhappy with my career because I would have gotten convinced to settle for something that had immediate gains but no long term growth, and I’d probably be 120% less interesting person because I would be financially strapped down and wouldn’t be able to explore the world the way I wanted to.

Yes, I would have probably ended up with a certain degree of happiness, but I wouldn’t be maximizing my potential.

So when a girl continues to stay with a guy who isn’t funny, who’s dumb as a rock, who has no sense of anything worldly, who has no romantic bone in his body, even if let’s say he’s good looking or kind or book smart, she’d be missing out on so much (if she values humor, intelligence, worldliness, etc). Let’s say she has a passion for exploring the world, but her boyfriend isn’t really the type who likes to travel, sure she can let go of that passion, but wouldn’t she have been better off if she were able to pursue it?

Is it wrong for me to assume that these people are not fully maximizing who they could be by settling for the wrong person? In my world, it makes perfect sense. There should be no reason to settle.

I’m going to be single for 6 years this year, and although some people may think that that’s a bad thing, I’m actually proud of it. I’m proud that I’m single because I do not compromise. I am not afraid of being alone. I do not settle for a relationship just to be in one. I do not settle for practicality. I do not settle to stick to a decision—cause that would mean I could just pick anyone and marry her. I do not settle because it is convenient, or because it is fun, or because I feel pressure (and the world does pressure me).

I don’t give in because I have principles. I don't give in because I'm all right by myself. Being in a relationship is sacred to me. I don’t want to be with someone I do not see becoming my wife. And because I hold the sacrament of marriage with such high respect, I simply can not just settle like that.

I might offend some people, maybe someone who’s in a relationship. He may read this and say, we got together just because it was convenient and we’re very much content right now. How dare you judge us!?

I’ve nothing against that. All of us have our own value systems. We all have our own definitions of love. And love can bloom from nothing. There are probably thousands of arranged marriages that have loving, happy, content couples. Given that, you really could probably just pick a random person, and if you had no choice, you would find a way to be happy. Nothing wrong with it. It works. It’s been proven. It can result to genuine love.

But that’s just not how I’m built. Call me a very hopeless romantic, but there just should be more to being in a relationship than practicality. It’s one of the most important things in a person’s life. It therefore shouldn’t be built upon simple utility. If for anything, it should be a catalyst to greater things.

By myself, I know I am capable of great things. I do not need someone else to be who I ought to be. When I get into a relationship, I won't allow myself to be limited. But I know that if I find someone who dreams as big as I do, then we would be capable of things greater than either of us could have ever imagined.

These big expectations make it harder to find someone. But hey, I know she’s out there. I know this isn’t an impossible case too, cause I know people who fit the bill. They’re just already taken, are too far away, or just don't like me back. Wrong place and time, sure, but most likely, just not the right one yet.

So an advanced happy valentine’s day to all the couples! And to all the singles, just hang in there, and don’t settle.

Introducing Picasa 3

2009-01-01T16:19:00.002+08:00

Loving it. Props to Google--again.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss

2008-12-01T11:55:00.002+08:00

The plot is interesting. Seems quite original--though not entirely unique. I tried this already. Didn't work!

GHWT Risky Business Heidi Klum

2008-11-12T23:57:00.001+08:00

That's it, I'm buying guitar hero. Haha. These ads work!

Guadalupe

2008-08-18T23:10:00.001+08:00

The past few days, whenever I pass Guadalupe, northbound on Edsa, I think of the same thing. So now I'm posting about it.

I happened to tune in to a radio station one morning which had Bayani Fernando as a guest. During his morning show interview, he talked about his projects around the metro, sang a song, declared his running for presidency (again), and answered some calls.

One caller was irate when she got through to him. She was asking why provincial buses can't stop at Edsa. In her eyes, it only took a few seconds for a bus to stop wherever in Edsa and drop her off. The new rule was unfair and stupid cause it meant that her already long journey had to become a little longer as she would now be dropped off at the terminal.

That opinion shows the root of traffic in the Philippines. It also gives a glimpse of one of the fundamental flaws of Filipinos.

Obviously, the caller was only thinking of herself and her convenience. It never dawned upon her that a couple dozen buses stopping wherever they want, taking over three to four lanes, is what causes traffic in Edsa. For smaller streets, the same holds true for jeepneys and trikes. Filipinos think that they are entitled to that sort of convenience. They are brought to believe that there are certain conveniences that if are taken away from them means that the government is not doing its job.

What's wrong with bus stops, jeepney stops, and terminals? Why do Filipinos love the bahala na system that makes an organized transportation system so hard to adopt? Can you say that we are a united people when all we really care about is our own wellbeing? Crab mentality is a reality and it is the root of our downfall.

Another example of the Filipino's misplaced sense of entitlement is how they always complain about their poor state of living. (This bad characteristic is shamelessly exploited by the less talented in media, but that's another story) For any problem or wrong doing (even for their bad behavior) it's always the fault of the government, or of the rich, or of whoever is in power.
It's never our fault.

Why can't the Filipino stand on his own feet and admit that whatever happens to him is his own doing? Why is it that the first instinct is to blame the government? I think (perhaps except for the filthy rich) that all Filipinos experience being maltreated by the government. But not everyone blames the government all the time.

In some conversations, this trail of thought will boil down to the Philippines's problem with corruption (and that's another post as well). There are a lot of times when whatever is wrong with our country will ultimately be blamed on the corruption in the government. Yes, it is true that corruption is apparent in our government, but why does the blame, or the solution, have to end there?

It will always boil down to us. Our daily decisions and small actions define our nation and people. As I grow older, it becomes clearer to me that many Filipinos care about our country and are willing to do something about it. I just hope that this optimism blossoms further (through our generation) and that in our lifetimes we will find a Philippines that we can be even more proud of.

I love the whole world!

2008-08-16T09:36:00.001+08:00

Discovery channel commercial

Numb-WHAT?!?

2008-06-11T21:37:00.001+08:00

There Can Only Be One: LeBron James and Kevin Garnett

2008-04-13T16:51:00.001+08:00

The playoffs are on!! April 19

Music Idol 2 - Without you (aka Ken Lee)

2008-03-13T06:47:00.001+08:00

This is so funny!!!

Ken lee. Tuli budi budouchoo.

Jimmy Kimmel's response to Sarah Silverman

2008-03-02T13:39:00.001+08:00

Sarah Silverman sings to Jimmy Kimmel

2008-03-02T13:37:00.001+08:00

Frozen Grand Central

2008-02-09T09:58:00.001+08:00

I want to start/join a chapter in Manila!!!

Top Dives with Tanya Streeter

2007-10-28T21:34:00.001+08:00

Saw her first on Animal Planet.

Nerdy documentary + hot bod + athletic + wrapped in water = great TV!! :D

Napoleon Dynamite-Dance Scene

2007-10-15T23:29:00.001+08:00

From one of my all-time favorite movies. Gosh!!

Miss Teen USA 2007 - South Carolina on Today show

2007-09-15T10:06:00.001+08:00

She tries to defend herself. Starts out convincing, ends up showing off her true colors. That last question must have been fixed.

Inside your hard disk

2007-09-04T21:55:00.001+08:00

Okay, this is really nerdy but it's interesting. It's like finding out how the brain works or getting to know a side of someone you don't know. Hahaha!

Thriller in Cebu

2007-07-21T11:07:00.002+08:00

Saw this on Anderson 360 (On CNN). I didn't know it was from the Philippines at first.. (I automatically assumed that orange jerseys are standard prison wear)

Well, there's so much to say about this video. What a great way to deal with prisoners! I'm sure they turn out softer after doing tons of these dances--and apparently, they do have other dances. Why the hell are they dancing anyway? Are they competing in an inter-prison showdown? Only in the Philippines would prison gang wars be resolved though dance!! Hahaha!! They're all synchronized too! This is just incredible.

Also check out their other videos on youtube.

Update: 2008 Toyota Corolla

2007-07-07T12:22:00.000+08:00

Check it out, a very detailed overview of the upcoming 2008 Toyota Corolla.

Am getting myself one when it comes out. I wonder what other colors they'll have. Anyone know when this will come out?

Family Guy, Simpsons, SouthPark CrossOver Moments

2007-07-01T21:14:00.002+08:00

Apparently there's a rivalry going on between Simpson's, Family Guy, and South Park fans.

Well, as much as I love the Family Guy, they clearly are a rip off of the Simpsons. But no matter what, you've got to love the three shows just the same.

Megan Fox on Jimmy Kimmel Live

2007-07-01T11:05:00.001+08:00

We've got a winner here!! Some people say she's just trying to copy Angelina Jolie. But if you look like her--which would be described as uber hot, which is two notches above hot--who cares anyway!?

Try to find her FHM photos. That's it right there.

2008 Corolla

2007-06-23T10:39:00.000+08:00

Coming soon..

Where's baby?

2007-06-20T11:10:00.000+08:00

Click to get a bigger picture.

On the Lot - Dough: The Musical

2007-06-12T20:40:00.001+08:00

There are so many nice shorts from this contest. This one's really nice.

Wonder when I'll get to make my short. :)

LonelyFallon32

2007-06-02T11:13:00.001+08:00

LonelyFallon32

Fantastic Four 2: Rise of silver surfer

2007-05-29T22:12:00.001+08:00

I can't wait!! :D :D

Conan - The Strange Ranger

2007-05-26T18:57:00.001+08:00

The Future of Computers

2007-05-26T18:20:00.002+08:00

Wow.. Forget those tablets. I'm keeping my money for when this is available!

New Transformers Trailer

2007-05-23T06:42:00.001+08:00

Chicago Matadors (America's Got Talent)

2007-05-04T09:54:00.001+08:00

Saw them on an old NBATV show. Hahaha!

UMPC is the future

2007-04-15T12:09:00.001+08:00

Ultra Mobile Personal Computers. I can see me having one of these within 5 years. :)

Shaq, LeBron, Dwight Howard All-Star Dance-Off

2007-03-20T22:57:00.001+08:00

Cat Power - Lived In Bars

2007-03-10T11:45:00.001+08:00

Beuaty and talent. What a great find! :)

Rundown Feb 2007

2007-02-24T10:26:00.000+08:00

No posts in months means I'm giving you a quick, off-the-desktop roundup of what's new in my material world.

1) Enviga - Calorie burning iced tea, from the makers of Nestea and Coke.

2) Sunset at Anilao - Yes, another sunset shot--I just can't get enough of those. Am serious about taking diving certification. Am already screening rates, places, and dates.

3) 2008 Corolla - This is the concept for the 2008 Corolla. Hopefully, by that time, I would have a 'budget' to get one. Official statement from Toyota is they moved the release of the all-new Corolla (leaving the Civic with a lot of breathing room) because their engineers were too busy with the new Camry. And seeing the new Camry, the 2008 Corolla should be a sight for sore eyes.

4) 2007 Honda CR-V - It's a whole lot curvier than the previous ones. No, I won't have enough budget for something like this in the next 5 years but I just want to point out that there's a new one. I wonder if there's a pretty RAV-4 in the works.

5) Nokia E65 - Due out later this year, this is Nokia's first attempt at a slim slide-up phone. It being a candy bar is a bit of a drag, but it's slim and slides up and it's Nokia so that must be a good thing right?

6) Samsung Ultra Edition U600 - Staying at pace with the leaders in the slim-phone range, Samsung comes up with a slim, slide-up with a large screen.

10 Timeless Lessons From Dalai Lama

2007-02-17T11:38:00.001+08:00

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”
- Dalai Lama

1. Be gentle with the earth.

2. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

3. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

4. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

5. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

6. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

7. Spend some time alone every day.

8. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it

9. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson

10. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk

10 Timeless Lessons From Dalai Lama - From the Ririan Project

The Perfect Human

2007-01-01T14:43:00.000+08:00

Dean Karnazes ran 50 marathons in 50 days. He does 200 miles just for fun. He'll race in 120-degree heat. 12 secrets to his success.

DEAN KARNAZES WAS SLOBBERING DRUNK. IT WAS HIS 30TH BIRTHDAY, and he'd started with beer and moved on to tequila shots at a bar near his home in San Francisco. Now, after midnight, an attractive young woman – not his wife – was hitting on him. This was not the life he'd imagined for himself. He was a corporate hack desperately running the rat race. The company had just bought him a new Lexus. He wanted to vomit. Karnazes resisted the urge and, instead, slipped out the bar's back door and walked the few blocks to his house. On the back porch, he found an old pair of sneakers. He stripped down to his T-shirt and underwear, laced up the shoes, and started running. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

the article >>

The Daily Show: About Face

2006-12-26T16:23:00.001+08:00

It's a catastrof@!%

Top 10 Things That Sound Dirty At Christmas

2006-12-25T14:42:00.000+08:00

1. Did you get any under the tree?
2. I think your balls are hanging too low.
3. Check out Rudolph's honker!
4. Santa's sack is really bulging.
5. Lift up the skirt so I can get a whiff.
6. Did you get a piece of the fruitcake?
7. I love licking the end till it's really sharp and pointy.
8. From here you can't tell if they're artificial or real.
9. Can I interest you in some dark meat?
10. To get it to stand up straight, try propping it against the wall.

Learn to speak english

2006-12-20T23:16:00.001+08:00

Vanessa Hudgens

2006-12-02T22:20:00.000+08:00

Slowly reinventing herself.

2006-12-02T01:14:00.000+08:00

Blaupunkt Commercial

Marie Antoinette Trailer

2006-11-26T14:09:00.000+08:00

Kirsten Dunst + Sofia Coppola = Great Film!!

Wii for All

2006-11-26T12:52:00.000+08:00

Oooh!! Makes me want to go out and buy one!

They're quite clever. Instead of competing to get better graphics they brought a whole new game play. Plus, it's considerably cheaper than the PS3 and X360.

Vanessa Minnillo

2006-11-21T19:34:00.000+08:00

She's the only reason I watch TRL. Lucky, lucky Nick..

2006-11-18T21:40:00.000+08:00

An Inconvenient Truth Preview

There are so many campaigns that we all should be supporting: ending poverty, shunning nuclear proliferation, and now global warming.

Let's all do our part to save the planet and protect the future of our children's children.

The little things count.

2006-11-18T21:09:00.000+08:00

Borat and Martha Stewart on The Tonight Show

Borat triumphs over the evil Martha Stewart.

Blogging through my LD

2006-08-21T20:30:00.000+08:00

Worth an entry.

=)

2006-08-04T01:16:00.000+08:00

Definitely one of my favorite shows. I can't believe I only started liking it in its last season. I'm loving the dry humor and witty dialogues--from all the characters! Not something I would watch a whole-day marathon of though. But taken in weekly moderation, it always brightens up my day and gets me through the week. Glad I came across it before it all ended.

2006-08-04T01:12:00.000+08:00

Because we all miss La Salle in the UAAP so much this year, here's a shirt to rally the Taft boys on...

2006-08-04T00:58:00.000+08:00

I am so loving Grey's Anatomy right now. I don't have access to cable and broadband so I'm only following it through local TV.

2006-08-04T00:54:00.000+08:00

If I were to buy a new phone right now, it would be the new Sony Ericsson K800i, the followup to the awesome (in its time) K750i. This beauty boasts of a bigger screen and a 3.2 megapixel camera. Such a beauty.

Too bad it still has the same joystick. That joystick is nothing but bad news. It accumulates dirt and gets sticky after a few months. There's no escaping it.

2006-08-04T00:53:00.000+08:00

The back side of the K800i

things I miss about Manila

2006-06-23T19:07:00.001+08:00

1. My family - I never really knew how much my family means to me until I was taken away from them.
2. My friends - I learned to appreciate them more. Good friends are truly hard to find.
3. Playing basketball - I used to play at least once a week. Here, I don't get to play at all!
4. Being in the main office - I'm always the last one to know about what's going on. Well, ganyan talaga sa probinsya!
5. My computer - This includes 24/7 internet access, all the music I'd ever want, and access to everything in the world through the web. I love the web! I have access here but it's just not the same.
6. Our house - I love our house.. and our home. I have to give credit to my mom for a very beautiful house.. and home.
7. The highways - Here, when I'm going 80 I think I'm going really fast already. Everyone's so slow. But I guess it's just becaue I miss SSH, C5, and EDSA (late at night).
8. The blogging - Well, I think I'm a writer at heart and this is a great medium. I write, but I don't get it, err, 'published'.
9. The malls - Sa totoo lang, ang daming malls sa Manila! Sawang sawa na ako sa mga mall dito. 3 lang ang worth puntahan. Eh sa Manila ilan?
10. Home cooked meals!!! - Last time I went home for vacation I gained more or less 5 pounds. I'm so tired of double cheeseburgers and twister fries (and I never thought I'd ever get sick of those foods). Again, props to my mom (and my lola) for all the great meals they've been feeding us.

Cha cha

2006-06-23T19:07:00.000+08:00

I used to be pro charter change. Well, I still am. But I'm starting to dislike the proposed change that's currently being pushed forward.

We need to change the constitution. We keep on saying that we have to, but we never seem to, so we have to move as soon as possible. But, the timing and the details of the proposed charter are too fishy. Sayang, thought that was a good thing coming.

But still the question remains, when are we ever going to change it?

Hey, I just disagreed with the administration. Cool.

The Everest mess

2006-06-03T14:09:00.000+08:00

I find it so funny that channel 7 had more exposure for Garduce than channel 2 did for their climbers and in the end their climber ended up as guy number 3. Being number 2 already means people won't remember you, what more if you're number 3?!

I just don't like how they gave so much exposure to their climber also saying that they weren't concerned on who would reach the summit first (and really everyone is just lying when they say that) yet they continually project that their climber is ahead of the other group. Their climber said that it was personal for him. I believed him. But the station had to put a spin on that statement effectively making them hypocrites.

And so the channel 2 team made it first. Great for them. Three days later, when Garduce finally reached summit half of channel 7's news programs were focused on the achievement. Wow, throw a big party for guy number 3! They even had shots of the people behind the scenes who seemed to be happy that mr three finally made it. Huh? Who in their right minds would be so happy for guy number three?!?

That was just pride. There was really no news. They would rather swim in the pool of blatant unacomplishment that has been thrust upon them rather than to accept that there is no news and not make such a big deal of it. Sayang lang sa air-time.

All that exposure and all the lying for a beating on their ego. Ouch!

And since I'm bashing channel 7, can I just say that captain barbel looks like an idiot. The very expensive costume is just that, a very expensive costume. It looks like shit. They would have been better off with the usual threads. It would have looked better and cost a whole lot less!

Also, mr. Barbel has no acting skills at all. A potato has more acting skills than that fool!

Defeats the purpose

2006-05-14T14:05:00.000+08:00

Militant groups have too much power. Doesn’t that defeat their purpose? If their purpose is to balance out opinions and their opinions already weigh as much as those of politicians’ (Hell, some of them are politicians!) then that leaves us totally messed up. It is in the nature of militant groups to create noise and disorder. Their purpose is to make sure that no side is left unheard. So what if they have no limit to their noise making? Party list groups should be limited to those with no political agenda. Isn’t the purpose of party list groups to represent those who need to be heard? If militant groups can already make so much noise by themselves (and have news companies feast on their shows) giving them seats in congress defeats the purpose of party list.

Party list is so flawed. It’s supposed to represent those without a voice. But how can those without a voice win a national election? When will indigenous people get a party list seat?

Some militants are power hungry. They are starved for attention. They’re all probably incredibly insecure. It is in their nature to be insecure.

Ask a militant for a solution, and they can give you no plausible action plan. Their task is to complain. If their already exaggerated complaints are magnified by media and broadcast to millions of Filipinos who base their opinions on what they hear (and who themselves don’t care to have an action plan less actually do anything about our problems) we will only be propagating the nasty Filipino culture of complaining and blaming everything else but themselves and their inaction for absolutely all their problems.
People should know where to draw the line when it comes to militant protests. And again, shame on the media for feasting on them and making Filipinos worse off.

Balanced news for idiots

2006-05-11T14:04:00.000+08:00

I can’t believe how GMA7 can claim that they give balanced news. I think that the only unbiased news in this country comes from Business World.

Unbiased news presents facts. Unbiased news expresses unbiased opinions from third party experts. What good is the random opinion of someone who probably doesn’t know all the facts and has a personal bias? In the event that they get the opinion of those who are directly affected by the news, they are quick to point out that it is a biased opinion.

I hate and despise how GMA7 says that they put no spins to their news. How is that even possible? How can they say that they give just the news? Look at how their main male anchors deliver the news. Quite professional, huh?

Even the evening news show on Q11 seems too dressed up. Compare that to Studio 23’s News Central. Now that’s news that’s straight to the point and reflects hardly any bias. That’s quality news casting!

There are so many ways to relay an opinion. A change in punctuation or pronunciation can say so much. Even the way you phrase a fact can alter its meaning. Only idiots don’t know this so how can this giant station say that they deliver unbiased news without any spins?

Fact is, they make news to appeal to the masses. And they need to. But they shouldn’t claim that they only deliver just the news and that they have no spins. They deliver packaged news! News the way their major consumers want it delivered! Doing this only reinforces whatever opinions their audience already has. Don’t we need to get the facts straight to make our own opinions? Why do news stations reinforce opinions? It makes no sense.

If the way they deliver the news is a reflection of the capacity of the masses to digest the news, why do news stations feed on the people’s destructive incapacity instead of correcting it and subsequently raising the quality of these people’s lives? Because if they don’t, the stations will have lower ratings and will start losing money. That’s the bottom line.

In this country, perhaps because we are a third world country, our news is oppressive.

Please, I can understand why you shun the responsibility that is in your hands, but don’t claim to be angels when you truly are not. Don’t flat out lie to the people’s faces to further your ratings.

Making news

2006-05-08T14:05:00.000+08:00

Second story on the TV news tonight: a group calling themselves the people’s court find the president guilty of corruption. Wow, so if I get together all my contacts and pretend to have a courtroom, even without having two positions on a topic, as long as it criticizes the government I can be the second story on the national news. Great!

Guingona was also in that court. Wowee! He is so a bitter, grumpy, impotent old mad who hates the world. What’s up his ass?

How easy it is for people to land on the headlines. It's not helping anyone.

Local Rock Boom

2006-04-09T12:02:00.000+08:00

The local rock scene is blooming because of two factors: 1) the whole array of “underground” bands are now mainstream. The bands used to be happy with their usual gigs and exposure. But now that they have commercial backup, their music reaches a broader audience. Perhaps the record producers are also giving more freedom to the artists so they can make music the way they want to. And so, everyone ends up happy. 2) because of the rise in music piracy, independent groups are turning to record companies for support. The big record companies, wanting to battle piracy and lost sales, go beyond their usual marketing tactics. Bands now are more marketed than ever before.

The boom in the music industry isn’t so much a testament to our local talent. Our local talent has always been there. But because of the onslaught of piracy and the more aggressive and unprecedented marketing tactics of record companies, the richness and diversity of Filipino music finally has broken ground in the mainstream.

See, mainstream isn’t so bad. And the worst, which in this case is piracy, has actually brought out the best.

Big loser

2006-03-30T12:46:00.000+08:00

Keanna Reeves doesn’t deserve to be the big winner in ABS-CBN’s latest PBB edition. If she wasn’t a celebrity and she was put in the first edition of PBB, she would have been one of the early ones to be voted out. She doesn’t deserve the title. She only won because she was the one who “needed it the most”. Do we really want to reward bad Filipino values and help those who are truly less deserving? She won because she was supposedly the most needy. I certainly don’t oppose giving to those in need, but I certainly do oppose giving to those who are not deserving, those who don’t even want to extend real effort to change their lives for the better. Don’t give them fish, teach them how to fish. Keanna Reeves will feast on fish.

If she loves her kids so much, why don't we see the kids more often? Her image shows her off as a happy go lucky reformed ex-prostitute looking for love. Where are the kids in that picture? The only time she seems to talk about her kids is when she does her drama about her life story. There was a task on the show where she could have won a trip with her kids to Hong Kong Disneyland. To those who saw the show, it was obvious that she could have cared less about sending her kids to Disneyland. She would have rather hung out with her friends in the house and go on with the rest of her life than even show the slightest interest in winning the task for her kids. Yes, her task was daunting, but she shouldn’t have given up so easily especially after the show’s staff gave her numerous extensions and opportunities to finally do her task. They ended up asking someone else to make a sacrifice to send the “family” on that trip. Through the hard work and kind heart of someone else, she and the rest of her “family” get a prize.

Should you reward that kind of laziness and self-centeredness? She doesn't love her kids as much as she thinks she does. Maybe she doesn't know what it means to be a mother. Maybe she's still trying to live her life the way it would be if she didn't have kids yet. Maybe she didn't want her kids in the first place. If all of this is wrong, and I hope it is, she better change her image and lifestyle and fulfill the role that is most important for her: to be a mother, not necessarily a provider, but a loving, nurturing, present mother to her children.

Desperate for news

2006-03-23T12:40:00.000+08:00

Desperate for news, reporters sometimes use the ploy of asking tambays what they think of current events. What is the purpose of this? Do they succeed in bringing out the voice of the Filipino? It is clear that they don’t. All they succeed in doing is making a tambay feel good about their being willingly incompetent. Thus they are rewarding the real lower class Filipino and are encouraging this kind of behaviour. Now that makes us poorer.

Desperate for news, reporters sensationalize militant activities. Can our immature local news teams understand the difference between the voice of militant groups and the real voice of the people. It is no secret that militant groups are biased and go to extremes often blowing up issues. Being naturally biased, they more often than not have their facts twisted and do not represent the truth as it is. Their views are biased and so their voice is conditioned. Yes, recognize the importance of these groups but know where to draw the line. When these people march over and over again, don’t report that more and more Filipinos are supporting their cause. When militant groups join forces to give the illusion of amassing support, they are just putting up a show. Perhaps in this showbiz crazy country, the people who will eventually control the society–or the seeming majority of ill advised Filipinos–will be the best actors, those who will be able to twist the truth the best. And the local media aids in this disinformation.

Little Manhattan

2006-02-16T19:01:00.000+08:00