Month: September 2009

Categories
Underwater

6 Months of Diving the Philippines

I celebrated my 6th month of diving over the long weekend. Since April, I finished both my open water and advanced courses, logged 31 dives, six of which were wrecks, one a freshwater lake, and conquered the Canyons in Puerto Galera. I’ve made new friends and we put up our very own underwater travel blog titled Let’s Dive. Apparently this niche has not yet been taken and it’s quite easy to understand why — the amount of time and gear you invest is tremendous. The site is open to all divers from the Philippines who wish to contribute their stories, photos and reviews.

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Others: My asthma and breathing have improved. My skin is smoother. My tan is nicer. And I will never run out of stories for my friends. Diving the reefs can really add a bit of depth (haha!) to how we see the country. There’s so much beauty hidden beneath the surface that foreigners really save money to come here to dive. In the same way that we always dream to go to Europe and the States to see the sights, Westerners love to come here to explore the reefs. We have paradise in our backyard — let’s take advantage of it! Case in point: over the weekend, Jan introduced me to Verde Island in Puerto Galera, which is apparently the “center of the center” of marine biodiversity in the world:

“This area can be considered the marine counterpart to the Amazon River basin,” said Kent Carpenter of the World Conservation Union, co-author of the study which put the passage at the peak of the “Coral Triangle” that spans the Sulawesi and the Sulu Seas in the southern Philippines and nearby Indonesia.

I say it now — this is a good time to learn to dive. Gear and lessons are cheaper, the reefs are beautiful, and conservation efforts are finally paying off (just look at Anilao!). Sharing the same passion with like-minded individuals opens up wider circles and helps build a nation through tourism. I kid not.

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I’d also like to thank Sony Philippines for being really cool about lending me four of their cameras to use for my trips. Photography and videography adds a whole new dimension to dives and my Facebook page just got more interesting whenever I’d upload my underwater videos.

Photos above by my instructor Jan Acosta.

Categories
Mostly Everything

Limited Edition Manny Pacquiao “PacMan Knows” Apparel from Nike

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Here we go again. Nike is releasing another exclusive set of Manny Pacquiao gear: the first is a tee with speckled finished on a Manny Pacquiao crest and a ‘stellar’ glow in the dark 259 Pacman Knows Trainer. The shirt will retail for P1,095.00 while the glow in the dark shoes will go for P5,995.00.

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The tongue is labeled with “Pac Man Knows” and his MP graphic. All of the contrast stitching, embroidery around the swoosh, laces, midsole star pattern and laser etching on heel glow in the dark as well. The limited edition tee has a speckled finish on the MP Crest and the date, time, word “Knows,” swoosh and neck tape glow in the dark. The Tee will retail at P1,095 while the 259 Pacman Knows Trainer 1 Mid is P5,995.

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A first-come, first-served scheme will be applied when doors open at 9:25pm on September 25, and a one-shoe and maximum of three tees per customer policy shall be implemented. No reservations will be accepted at the store. Pacquiao fans get the chance to claim their own triumph with the release of exclusive products. Only 259 pairs of the 259 Pacman Knows Trainer 1 Mid shoe along with 1,000 pieces of the Pacman Knows Tees will be sold at Nike Park The Fort at exactly 9:25pm.

Go buy now! Buy it! Buy it! Buy everything!

Just do it!

Categories
Mostly Everything

5th generation iPod nano camera demo

What better way to test the 5th generation iPod nano camera than to post a sampling on YouTube. This video was taken using the default settings of the iPod nano. Despite the low light, the video is still superb at 30fps and 640×480 resolution.

What seems odd though about the iPod nano’s construction is the placement of the camera. The 5th generation nano is made to fit right handed operation. However, the lens is also located on the lower right side of the unit. Holding the device up sideways makes the lens prone to exposure to your index finger.

The iPod nano can hold up to 2GB per video, but will keep on recording when you surpass 2GB. All you’d need to do is string your two videos via iMovie or any other video editing application.

Categories
Mostly Everything

Apple iPod nano with camera priced at PHP 8,790; iPod touch 8GB at PHP 11,490

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I’m at the Apple press conference for the new iPods and iTunes 9. Here are the prices for the new iPod nano, shuffle, iPod classic and iPod touch.

The 8GB iPod nano with the “controversial” video camera that can’t take stills will be released at a comfortable sub 10K price at PHP 8,790. The iPod nano allows you to record up to 15 minutes from the built in FM Radio, allowing you to catch up with your favorite radio program in case you had to stop listening. It also comes with a built in pedometer and sync directly to Nike+. The pedometer records steps, not strides — so that means if you want to record your runs, you still need to buy a Nike+. Video recording is done in packets of 2GB at 640×480 and 30 frames per second.

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The yellow and Product Red versions of the 5th generation iPod nano are only available in the online store.

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The 8GB iPod touch that was announced at 199USD is now down to PHP 11,490. Previously it was at a little below PHP14,000.00.

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The iPod classic (160GB) retails for PHP 14,490.

The new iPod shuffle retails for PHP 3,290 for the 2GB model and PHP 4,390 for the 4GB model. The special edition ipod shuffle in aluminum retails for PHP 5,490 which is only available through the Apple Online Store for Philippines..

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So if you can get it cheaper than these listed prices, you’re either Art Samaniego or you just got yourself a good deal. 🙂

Categories
Mostly Everything

SMART BRO HSPA Dongle Designs for UAAP / NCAA

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UPDATE II: Students will receive the singles for free! SMART is giving away thousands of these during the event. Alumni and faculty can buy the dongles at a discounted P895.00 (!!!) on the event date. That’s September 19 at the Mega Tent in Ortigas near the Department of Education.

SMART is instilling school spirit (and competing against Globe Tattoo’s funk) by bringing in “more meaningful” designs from your alma mater of choice. They’re giving out a ton of these this weekend of the 19th to several university students. This is the complete line up of designs for th UAAP and NCAA.

Can you identify all the schools?

Got this from SMART’s @jimayson.