Archives for 10/2009:

New MacBooks at PHP 54,990

MacBooks are getting cheaper and cheaper. This is the most affordable MacBook in recent history. Although I’m a big fan of the aluminum finish, I figure that Apple really needed to distinguish the MacBook line with the Pro series as they were both starting to look alike. So the 13 inch MacBook is back to its white roots with more rounded corners. From the product photos, the new portables look “fatty” but as seen in this size comparison with my aluminum portable, it’s really just the same thing with a polycarbonate finish.

The new MacBooks retail for PHP 54,990. I wonder how much they go for at dealer’s price!?

Windows 7 Photo Stitching gets two thumbs up

Spent the better part of Thursday at the Windows 7 boot camp at the Manila Ocean Park. Although I’ve been using Windows 7 since its beta (thanks to Johnny Benitez of Microsoft) and have bootcamp-ed it on my MacBook, it was still great to hear the “promise of a great OS” from Microsoft. So Windows 7 is finally here and will retail for P7,777.00 for the Home Basic Edition on November 7 for the consumer launch at the SM North EDSA.

One of the winning features of Windows 7 is the built in photo stitching application with the Live Gallery (sign up for a Live account already if you still don’t have one). The application recognizes and stitches together shots that may seem to be a part of a panorama. All we needed to do was highlight all the photos you want in on the panorama and allow the app to do the work for you. Photos that were added but don’t go with the stitch are automatically recognized and discarded. Very nice.

Corregidor, The Remake

So my Tuesday was particularly interesting. Gabe Mercado (@gabemercado) called the day previous inviting me to sample a new Magsaysay Group product offering for Tantin, our common friend from PhilMUG.

Corregidor is an underrated wonder, being stereotyped as an “old” tourist spot that brings back the memories of MacArthur’s folly. I remember experiencing the gun battery and Malinta Tunnel tours when I was younger and really, this is what Corregidor has been stereotyped into. There’s so much potential!

As it turns out, the recent turnover of operations to the Magsaysay group in the past two years (I sure hope I got these facts right) allowed them to rebrand Corregidor into something more than the “Rock” of Manila, adding other recreational activities apart from team building activities and historical tours.

Nothing final yet but imagine this: a true one hour journey (while sleeping!) from Manila Bay is an island park where you can bike, hike, jog, run, camp, bird watch, dive, snorkel, surf, sail to your hearts content. The exact words: we are turning Corregidor into a “central park” for Manila. The zip line is almost complete and will open in November.

You know what would be cool? Airsoft!! (as long as you use biodegradable bullets)

Stay tuned! This is Corregidor 2.0, a good reason to say “I shall return!”

DiscOVIries Week V: Your Playlist Screenshot

Jan: Everybody gear up!

Wowie: Wait lang, let me set my playlist.

My dive buddy Wowie brought an H2O Audio casing for his iPod to our latest weekend dive in Puerto Galera. Though it is not recommended to listen to music during a dive, it definitely adds to the ambient experience. The device fits all previous models of the iPod including the iPod touch and the headphones connect directly to your dive mask, a few centimeters away from your ear. Once you’re underwater, the audio booms into surround sound (underwater, sound waves shoot out in all directions so it’s like ambient music coming from everywhere).

So it’s a little funny how I’d hear Wowie’s awesome Kenny Loggins’ playlist when I drift near him.

So this week, I thought it would be cool if we could all share our favorite playlist with a short description. It could be for your blogging mantra, driving music, or in Wowie’s case his dive playlist. This is my partial playlist for “indie rock.” Any of the songs familiar?

[UPLOAD PLAYLIST SCREENSHOT HERE]

This contest is valid till 11:59PM of Sunday, November 1 2009. Contest rules can be found here. The prize, as usual is a P2,000 eGC from Ayala.

Extra: Here’s a video I made of our last four dives in Puerto Galera

We did four dives over the weekend. Highlights were Shark Cave, Canyons, Sabang Wrecks, and the raclette we had for Marie’s birthday

And now, ladies and gents, a break from tech products

“My fez is byooteeful”
– overheard

Huzzah! It’s beauty time again! This is becoming a scary, albeit addicting habit of showing off beauty products that I fancy. Today I will show you the secret to a flawless face. This is by recommendation of Fritz which right now can be bought from Sophie Uy of Beautynomics. It cost around P1,6xx.00 from the Moon Bazaar thing at Rockwell. You can order directly from her. It really works. I’m on day 4

Speaking of “Flawless” (yes, beauty mode still on) I got an interesting piece of news from an industry friend for a contest that’s currently underway with Flawless (the pink derma place all over town that’s owned by the Belo group). Guys (and gals), get this: they’re having a contest that’s awarding P800,000.00 cash and a 1 million peso billboard ad deal for two individuals.

So lets get on to the details. For the remaining weekends of October, visit the Flawless booth at the following SM branches:

SM Megamall
SM North
SM Mall of Asia
SM Bacoor
SM Manila
SM Pampanga
SM Lipa
SM Cebu

Ever Bilena will do you hair and make up on the fly once you get there. So girls, don’t put on product first. Professional photographers will take your photo. Your picture will be open to the public for voting. And then, next year, contestants will be narrowed down to 18 finalists, one male and one female. It doesn’t matter if you are straight or gay. The two winners will get the 800,000 cash prize and a one million peso endorsement on a billboard located at a major thoroughfare.

For more details call 1-800-10-FLAWLESS or visit www.flawless.ph.

Azrael, join na. You too, Juned. Si Coy din.

Or … maybe we can social media this whole thing and crowd source the voting for Bim. He gets a billboard ad, and the blog community splits the P800k. Mwehehe.

[ beauty mode off ]

Let’s go back to tech products… have you seen the new iMacs? I’d love to run Windows 7 on those

Coming Soon to the Got Dahlin’ Clothing Line ….

This is one of the best pre-birthday gifts someone has ever given me. My blog is now officially part of local pop culture thanks to Denise’s Got Dahlin shirt line.

Denise has a lot of good shirts for P350.00. I encourage you to check out her inventory. Worn by rock stars and other important people.

RJ Ledesma is inviting you to his second book launch

Dear blogging community! You are all invited to the launch of my newest humor compilation, “I Do or I Die! RJ Ledesma’s Imaginary Guide to Getting Married and Other Man-made Disasters (As told to him by his Yaya)” on October 22 (Thursday) 6pm@National Bookstore, Glorietta 5, Makati City. Please feel free to bring your friends, buy several signed copies of the book, and help me pay for my baby’s diapers! Thanks for the support. [source]

A good friend and colleague, RJ Ledesma will be launching his second book this coming Thursday at 6:00PM at National Bookstore in Glorietta. You’re all invited. He told me to invite everyone. Please go. No sign up required. Just go. Bring your yaya.

——

It’s so intimidating. A good number of my colleagues in UNO have books and / or have won Palanca awards. Me, I just have this cute blog with a lot of bugs.

Nokia DiscOVIries Week 4: FILM

EDIT: I was half-hearted for the winner of this week’s contest because there were so many great entries like this and several others — my top 5 choices were really amazing shots, but they didn’t qualify because they missed out entering their OVI email address or they posted photos after the cut off time.

——-

Many months ago, dad showed me something he inherited from the war days. This is a circa 1940 Ciro-Flex TLR (Twin Lens Reflex) that still works. Honestly, I haven’t used it much, as the comforts of digital photography outweigh the relative impediment of buying and developing film. But no one can deny that shooting in film has its charm — especially today with the craze of 35mm film and lomography coming back.

So this week’s theme focuses on a niche — film photography. If you shoot on film, all you need to do is upload your shots to the folder below. Also, please include the camera model, film and if possible, settings when you upload your shots. Don’t forget the description! The winner will be determined by a secret panel of guest judges, so the more you upload, the better chances there are of winning.

[UPLOAD HERE]

Above are some of the current entries for this week’s contest.

This contest will start today, October 19, 2009 and will end before midnight on Sunday, October 24 ’09. The rules can be found here. The prize this week is still a P2,000.00 eGC from Ayala which is really just as good as cash!

Sign up now for an Ovi account and make sure you include your OVI email address in the photo description.

Audiobook Recommendation: The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

It’s been a while since I’ve done an audiobook recommendation. I recently purchased The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, which was released last month. The book is read by Jonathan Davis, and author Paolo Bacigalupi. Paperback costs USD $25 but with an audio subscription you can get it for USD $10.00.

Anderson Lake is a company man, AgriGen’s Calorie Man in Thailand. Under cover as a factory manager, Anderson combs Bangkok’s street markets in search of foodstuffs thought to be extinct, hoping to reap the bounty of history’s lost calories. There, he encounters Emiko…

Emiko is the Windup Girl, a strange and beautiful creature. One of the New People, Emiko is not human; instead, she is an engineered being, creche-grown and programmed to satisfy the decadent whims of a Kyoto businessman, but now abandoned to the streets of Bangkok. Regarded as soulless beings by some, devils by others, New People are slaves, soldiers, and toys of the rich in a chilling near future in which calorie companies rule the world, the oil age has passed, and the side effects of bio-engineered plagues run rampant across the globe.

What happens when calories become currency? What happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits, when said bio-terrorism’s genetic drift forces mankind to the cusp of post-human evolution? In The Windup Girl, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi returns to the world of “The Calorie Man” ( Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award-winner, Hugo Award nominee, 2006) and “Yellow Card Man” (Hugo Award nominee, 2007) in order to address these poignant questions.

[Link to Audible page]

My First Pump Espresso Machine: Krups XP 4050

I’ve been drooling over the delight of making my own espresso for more than 8 months. Today I gave in. This buy, thought seemingly impulse, was well calculated. Am I making sense? Must be the caffeine.

P.S. Lori — I found my beans. Unless I can get more of that Benguet coffee, I’ve stuck with CBTL’s house blend. It’s buttery. Just how I like it! Thank you for your advice

Dive Gear Review: UWATEC Aladin TEC 2G Computer

Perhaps the only “bad” thing I can say about this dive computer is it’s apparent awkwardness if worn casually. But that’s the price of P20,000.00 for an Aladin Tec 2G, acquired several weeks ago. This purchase completes my dive gear. It also saves lives.

Unlike other fashionable dive computers that double as casual wrist watches, the Tec 2G is not only more affordable: it is also built to last. The UWATEC Tec 2G is a standard diving computer with two H2O sensors at the bottom of the LCD to detect whether I’m submerged in water. There are only two buttons, and that serves as more than enough simplicity to navigate through the entire menu using a combination of short and long button presses.

The Tec 2G which I have, although brand new, already has scratches on the protective casing due to my own negligence, probably from wrecks or hanging on to rocks when diving in strong current. The added bulk on the real estate doesn’t help at all. But if we’re talking about performance, this dive computer is world class allowing dual oxygen mixture settings, an altimeter (it tells you if you’re climbing a mountain that’s too high after diving), 15 ft safety stop monitor, and many more. Plus, battery is user replaceable!

The Tec 2G has an optional IrDA cable that you can purchase via Nautilus (in Pasay Road) allowing you to transmit your dive logs onto your computer. This is on order basis only.