And Them Haters Can Get Past Now...

Not long after one-day internet superstar Jacque Bermejo and her tactless comments about the victims of Typhoon Ondoy had spread like wildfire throughout the internet, accumulating a landslide of hate comments from Pinoy twitterbugs and facebook users across the globe, A young Korean woman has posted hate tweets stating that [sic] "I hope it keeps raining and die in floods like those filipino monkeys". What's more is that it's not the worst statement in her Filipino-hating tirade.

I'm not going to go ahead and compare attributes and say that they can't speak English as well as we can, which is why half their population is in Angeles and Baguio City trying to learn the language from what she calls "brown monkeys", but I just did. Just like how that "superior" neuron in her brain prompted her to go ahead and post spontaneous dim-witted comments about our beloved country.

I guess people who subjugate themselves to racism by unleashing ill-tempered and half-witted comments online are people who have less than the mental equivalent of an illiterate.

As my fingers were raring to type her out of this world, Twitter had suspended her account. The worst part of my torture is that I live in Koreatown, where this lowlife's countrymen roam about, ignorant of what she had said. I will until then, have unresolved anger issues. But you knew I was better than that.

Pan de Sal Repartee

I was chewing the last vestiges of a piece of pan de sal I was having for breakfast when my brother interjected a comment, "bumaba na ung gas di ba? bat di pa nagmumura ung pan de sal?" (Why hasn't the price for pan de sal gone down? the gas prices have lowered). My mother did not hesitate to correct him by stating that the gas prices actually went up Php 2.00/liter.

I couldn't help but think, why commodities raise the prices as soon as the gas prices go up, when in fact, stocks where they will make the bread from have already been purchased beforehand, making it a deliberate sham to jerk their prices a peso higher the next day gas giants finish announcing another hike. This country has got to have a consumer rights group. Maybe I'll start it myself. I'll call it the PBBB. No, not the mindless reality show, the Philippine Better Business Bureau.

Corazon Aquino: Guardian of Democracy

photo credit to http://secretaryclinton.files.wordpress.com/

Manny Pacquiao KOs Ricky Hatton at 2nd Round

Manny destroys Ricky Hatton of England in a 2 round fight ending in a knockout.

Nikon Announces the D5000

From dpreview.com:

The recent boom in DSLR sales has seen all the major manufacturers adding bulked-up or stripped-down entry level models, repositioning their offerings to make sure that anyone willing to put up with the size and weight of a DSLR will look at one of their models. The whole thing has often left existing DSLR owners a little lost - 'why isn't there a direct replacement for my camera?' - but has undoubtedly meant there are many more attractive, accessible cameras on the market just waiting to entice first-time DSLR owners.

And its into this maelstrom of DSLR proliferation that Nikon launches its latest baby DSLR, the D5000. The name will come as no surprise to anyone within earshot of the rumor mill but the camera itself may present some more surprises. Having confused many people but made huge ground with its simplified D40 and D60 range, it appears Nikon has again decided that simply replacing models isn't the best way to address the market. So here we have a camera that genuinely seems to sit above the D60 (rather than continuing in parallel until the stock runs out), and below the D90. Like the baby Nikons, the D5000 doesn't have an autofocus motor built into the body but does gain a tilt-and-swivel LCD, as a series of leaked images that have made their way around the internet would have you expect.

The idea of an upper-entry-level DSLR (for want of a better term), that sits below the 'enthusiast' grade D90 (with its twin control dials, big battery and pentaprism viewfinder), is hardly a radical one - the Canon 500D and Olympus E-620 seem to cater to a similar market. So what does this new Nikon have to offer either the tech-savvy first-time DSLR buyer, or the owner of an older entry-level model wanting newer features but unwilling to slavishly follow the manufacturer's 'upgrade path'?

Nikon D5000 Key Features

• 12.9 megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor (effective pixels: 12.3 million)
• 2.7" tilt and swivel LCD monitor (230,000 dots)
• Movie capture at up to 1280 x 720 (720p) 24 fps with mono sound
• Live View with contrast-detect AF, face detection and subject tracking
• Image sensor cleaning (sensor shake)
• 11 AF points (with 3D tracking)
• IS0 200-3200 range (100-6400 expanded)
• 4 frames per second continuous shooting (buffer: 7 RAW, 25 JPEG fine, 100 JPEG Normal)
• Expeed image processing engine
• Extensive in-camera retouching including raw development and straightening
• Connector for optional GPS unit (fits on hot shoe)
• New battery with increased capacity
• 72 thumbnail and calendar view in playback

Nikon D5000 vs D60: Key Differences

The D5000 could easily be seen as a D60 with a tilting screen added, and most of a D90 stuffed into it. As such it offers quite a few feature improvements over its little brother:

• 12.3 MP CMOS sensor (D60: 10.2 MP CCD)
• Tilt/swivel screen
• Live View with contrast detect AF
• Movie Mode
• Wider ISO range
• 11 point AF system with 3D tracking (D60: 3 point AF)
• Control of Active D-Lighting intensity
• Automatic correction of lateral chromatic aberration
• Choice of JPEG quality in RAW+JPEG shooting
• Extra retouching options
• More scene modes
• Faster continuous shooting
• Bracketing

========================

Funny, if you compare it to the D90 all that's different is a .5 decrease in shutter speed. Seriously.

Is the DSLR everybody's new hobby?

It seems that nowadays, sick of the too rapidly-evolving cellphone (and other gadgets) chain, people are switching to DSLRs. Everytime I go out now I see John and Jane Does (even kids) toting around DSLRs like they were 8210s back in 1999.

Is it that people got too bored with the seemingly monthly release of a new cellphone? Or maybe its because of the overwhelming number of cellular phones coming out hoping to be the next iPhone killer. Whatever it is, people have moved on from texting to photography (or T-shirt printing, LOL).

In order to analyze what caused the boom, let's get into the mindset of the average consumer (who prefer to be called prosumers, like I do.). The average technology consumer in 1999 probably owned one cellphone, a PC, and a digital camera. ISOs, shutter speeds and f stops were completely "out of the picture" then. At that time pro cameras were reserved for ACTUAL photographers and editing in Photoshop was reserved for the magazines. Until friendster, the average digital camera only served as your vacation buddy.

These days, the average consumer has at least 2 cellphones (globe and sun), a laptop or UMPC, an iPod or another mp3 player, a dock for that mp3 player, an LCD TV for a monitor, a screaming PC, and a DSLR.

Personally, I first encountered the SLR in 2003 when my brother was supposed to take a photography course but did not want to go, so I took it. Ever since then, I've been a big fan of the art.

Then Friendster and Flickr and Photobucket came along and people wanted nice pictures to post. I'm not entirely sure if this was the trend.

Suddenly, everyone wanted to dump their digicams for the next frontier: DSLRs.

Now people who have absolutely no knowledge about SLR photography are wasting at least $400 for a gadget they think is a better digicam. Some people have shown me shots from their DSLRs and it looked like they were taken off of a Canon Powershot. Not to bash people who I admit have more money to waste than me, but I think that taking at least a small course on photography would help you utilize your new gadget. It's like owning a Blackberry and simply using it for text and calls. Completely pretentious.

So here's a site I found with a crash course on using your new prized possession:
Photography On the Net: A Beginner's Guide to DSLR Photography

It THAT made your head hurt, it's about time you got a new hobby.

Silhouette Photography

I've started one type of experimental photography using silhouettes.

Atypical to the usual studio setup, the fill light is behind the background and the subject is still in front. The challenge here is to lose all the details in the subject without compromising the sharpness in the texture of the background.

Better Programming for Philippine TV

Are you sick of watching local TV?

I'm sure everyone will agree that the Big 2 of Philippine Television have shoved enough "Any-seyres" in your boob tube to make you puke. From the heckle-worthy Wowowee to the nth revision of Mari Mar to GMA's newest hyped-up remake stink bomb: Zorro, you must be asking yourself: "where has good TV gone?".

It's good to know that regular programming is slowly creeping its way back to the local airwaves. Here are some new (and not so new) channels who, if not entirely redefining your primetime tv choices, are giving back regular shows to the masses.


TV5

While not a new contender to the TV arena, TV5 (the TAFKAP of Philippine TV, also known as ABC 5) has given way to fresh, new shows (eg. Midnight DJ, et. al.) all the while entirely re-branding itself into a hip new form appealing to younger (and more scrutinizing) audiences. It also houses classic powerhouse spoof show: Wow Mali.


QTV

The sister of the exact Big 2 station making us puke, QTV has paved the way to a truckload of quality new and fresh programs namely, Hired, Day-off, Ang Pinaka, Chef to Go, Quickfire, Camera Cafe, U Women, and more. It's also the local home of my favorite show: American Idol.


CS9

This station is the merging of two channels: RPN9 and C/S. It houses all the hit American shows and movies: namely Heroes, Big Bang Theory (my personal favorite), 30 Rock, Prison Break and so much more. It's also the new home of the PBA.


If these stations have answered your long awaited prayers, just wait. Hopefully more stations will follow suit. Even the stations that make you puke.

Yes? What?

This is not as timely as it is ever since I've warded off all entertainment when I started work.

Jim Carrey stars in Yes, Man, a comedy about a man named Carl Allen (Carrey) who has been anti-social since his divorce from Stephanie (Molly Sims). Allen lives out his mundane and withdrawn existence until he attends a seminar entitled "Yes!" where he is publicly shamed by the speaker, saying "you don't even have the enthusiasm to masturbate". Allen takes the "Yes!" attitude and meets Allison (Zooey Deschamel) who injects spontaneity to his otherwise dormant life.

Watching this movie made me take a look at my life when I bummed out, which is basically a redundant blur of sex, drugs, alcohol and then some.

After a while it got depressing.

Because of all the drugs I became so paranoid I can't even interact with regular people or go to places I would regularly frequent. When I go to crowded and noisy places I'd have a panic attack and I'd immediately rush to the nearest hospital.

It made me ask myself the heavy questions. Questions like "is this all you're going to do with your life?". "Are you always going to be like this?".

All of it was the same until I went to Vigan. It was then on that beach where when I looked at that perfect sky and felt the ripples of the ocean that I realized that instead of being a pathetic pothead and drunkard, I could try getting a job and having a life, since just then I decided that anything was better than getting smashed night after night with booze and almost ODing with valium. Thanks to that beach in Vigan, I was enlightened. Now I have upgraded myself to being a normal person. Boring, maybe. But alive nonetheless.

Turn off your lights for Earth Hour

THIS SATURDAY 28 MARCH AT 8.30PM YOU CAN VOTE EARTH BY SWITCHING OFF YOUR LIGHTS FOR ONE HOUR - EARTH HOUR.

One Love: Support Francis M. Clothing Company

A great tribute to the great rapper, Francis M., the Francis M. Clothing company which has branches (basically) all over the country, has created truly a remarkable way to celebrate being Pinoy: by buying Pinoy.

order online at francismclothing.multiply.com

BBQ Day

While our team was having their team building at Batangas, I decided to stay home and take a long weekend.

Unfortunately, the power was on and off the whole day so we decided to have a cookout. We found some chicken and TJ hotdogs and grilled them. Here's how to make it:

Chicken Barbecue:

Chicken, of course (pick the cut you like)

Marinade:
5 tbsp. Oyster Sauce
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
2 tsp. Basil Leaves
4 tbsp. Maggi Chilimansi Sauce



Hotdogs:

1/4 kilo TJ hotdogs
Skewers

We played Tong-its, Bluff, and Pusoy the entire afternoon while listening to Ryan Seacrest on Magic 89.9 and was quickly reminded why radio still ain't dead.

Mamiya DL33 - Who Needs 33 Megapixels?

From Mamiya - The successful introduction of the Mamiya DL28, in addition to requests from professional photographers throughout the U.S., has prompted Mamiya America to announce the next level in high-end digital camera systems – the Mamiya DL33.

OK. Maybe big-time advertisers, sans magazine photographers. Let me rephrase. "I" don't need 33 megapixels.

iPod Shuffle 2009

Here's the dish according to Apple:

Small gets smaller.

The new iPod shuffle is amazingly small and even easier to use. The controls are now conveniently located on the earbud cord. It’s so easy, you can use it with your eyes closed.

VoiceOver. It speaks for itself.

With the press of a button, VoiceOver tells you what song is playing and who's performing it.² It tells you the names of your playlists, too.

1000 songs. Multiple playlists.

With 4GB of storage, iPod shuffle can now hold up to 1,000 songs.³ So your music library can go with you. And you can now sync multiple playlists for the perfect mix for any mood.

4GBs worth of music in a tiny package... I think something called a flash drive does the same thing except play your songs, or have Microsoft Sam tell you what's on. Well for $60 more than a thumb drive it's a steal. For Apple anyway.

Kikay's Graduation

PICC Plenary Hall, Manila - The Our Lady of Fatima Commencement Exercises started off with an A/V presentation of how Fatima produced top Nursing graduates. It was followed by the marching of graduates down the stairs while their faces were being projected onto 2 screens. About a thousand graduates after, we held off for a keynote address by the keynote speaker, which started off as a boring self-gratifying curriculum vitae then ended off with a half-inspiring message of how your honest hard work will take you places.

It states on the invitation that cameras were strictly banned on the Plenary Hall however, halfway through the programme, a throze of digital equipment began springing from the audience's bags. Even large handycams and SLRs were popping up all over the place. To think I kept mine in the car. Bollocks.

Pinoy Pride: "Mrs. Intuition" by Passion

Jeremy "Passion" Manongdo, a Fil-am from SF, has enough talent to blow you away. His remake of Robin Thicke's "Stupid Things" is way better than the original song.

Farewell to a Legend: Francis Magalona

There are people born to be legends among men. Hence, it is unequivocal that when we have lost one of them, especially when they have touched the core of our existence, we are in grief. Such is the case of the passing of a great rapper and composer: Francis Magalona.

He united the country with his ubiquitous song which goes: "every color, every hue.. is represented by me and you." which until now is being sung by every free-loving citizen of the P.I.. He worked hard to ensure the future of a subculture: the Pinoy Rap community, which gave an opportunity for aspiring Pinoy rappers to perfect their craft and regail us with their talent.

It's humbling that a legend such as himself played along to slapstick humor on a local noontime show for God knows how many years and resigned himself to death, with no intention of a heroic exit. (I was only made aware that he succumbed to a complication of his leukemia via a local radio show, whose station I don't even remember, while playing Kaleidoscope World in the background.)

I am proud to be a Busko, just like he was. I hope his existence has taught us to love one another without condition, to stand for our creed without fail or doubt, and to cherish humanity and to embrace rather than ridicule our differences. But the most important of all, he taught us to believe in ourselves, to be proud of our color, to be proud Filipinos.

On Chris Brown beating Rihanna

All the world, if not just the call center industry (who admittedly do not know anything about current events but swear to God they are updated regarding entertainment news) is talking about Chris Brown allegedly jabbing (if not punching) R&B superstar Rihanna in the face.

Some people say that Rihanna was a bit too attached to Chris and that the "slapping" happened during one of Rihanna's usual tantrums. Some say that Rihanna had another guy on the side. Whatever the case, Rihanna and Chris Brown are together again. Apparently it's going to take more than a beating to sever this relationship.

For Rihanna's future reference, I'll be giving out the number for Women Against Domestic Violence: 1-800-BREAKITOFF.

Waiting for that Big Hand

I'm getting addicted to this little app in Facebook called Zynga Texas Hold 'Em Poker. For all of you out there who's not into Facebook, this game is a good reason to create an account.

I however found out that I have no good luck at all. Apparently it's not enough that I'm broke in real life that I have to broke in my virtual life as well.

Just Got Burned Out!

Five years ago, I started playing Burnout. One of the best car games where you get points from how well you wreck your car. I now have it's sequel: Burnout Paradise City. The map is about twice the size of Need for Speed: Carbon. It's got cool new features like Super Jumps and more than 100 races. I'm sure it will take me lots of Vacation Leaves before I finish this game. Good thing I still have 18 VLs locked down.

Game Review: Sierra's F.E.A.R.

Today I played one of Sierra's (of Counter Strike fame) offerings: F.E.A.R., which obviously stands for First Encounter Assault Recon. I must admit that the onset of the game was a bit exciting (more like intriguing, as this is not your average first person shooter game, rather, a first person shooter game with the word paranormal jammed in where "enemy" used to be.) but 30 minutes into the game I was ready to throw in the mouse. The graphics were more than disappointing, the gameplay was rather elementary, and the menu looked like a pirated DVD menu. Other than the slow motion feature, nothing else amused me. Compared to Call of Duty, this game would bring new levels to the word "sucky".

In the F.E.A.R. of boredom, I'm going to unload this game out of my computer.

Sucking It Up: Smart Bro Style

Every drone knows that the way to your boss' heart and mind (and possibly a longer tenure at the company) is to suck it up. In this light, when a drone is given even a minute opportunity to do so, he or she grabs it. In this case: fixing my boss' HP 500 laptop.

My boss was discussing with Paul, a newly promoted supervisor and my office best friend that her laptop was bent out of shape and needed a good formatting. The problem was that she did not have drivers for the laptop and all the wireless connections in our office were secure and needed WPA logins. Also, her Smart Bro Wireless was out of range of any distinguishable signal. So they offered to fix it, and the next thing I knew, me, RJ (another sup and friend), Paul, and my boss were on her way to her house (during the billable hours of our shifts) to pick up her wounded workhorse.

After picking up the laptop, we headed off to Jollibee for her treat (the inconspicious payment for the services we will render) then back to the office to perform the task. And so we did. 30 long minutes later the laptop had Windows XP running smoothly however, still had no audio or a decent resolution to work with. I then drove back home where I had wi-fi to download the drivers for her PC. After downloading all the crap that was necessary to run the thing I decided it was time to try if the Smart Bro thing worked. I first tried it on my PC and it worked like a charm, or probably less as the connection matched only the fastest dial-up around. Now the clincher, trying it on the laptop.

It did not work.

I then mustered all the neurons I could at 6 in the morning to troubleshoot what was going on to no avail. I tried uninstalling then reinstalling it, but still, no go. Finally I went back to the office like a fallen hero, only for her to have it checked at the nearest HP Service Center. I'll probably get terminated in a day or so.



** Smart Bro image from yugatech.

CNPC - Crispy Noodle Pancit Canton

One unusually boring sunday we were having trouble deciding what to cook. We had two choices, an old standby: Tokwa't Baboy, or the Tsinoy classic the ubiquitous Pancit Canton.

We finally went with the Pancit. Only this time, we would give it a twist: ergo, use crispy noodles.
It turned out to be surprisingly easy to make and such a treat for the eyes as well.

Here is the recipe for y'all:

INGREDIENTS:
(note: we never actually measure what we put in)

8oz flour stick noodles
200g pork belly
4 cloves garlic
1 onion
1/2 carrot (cut lengthwise)
1/4 cabbage
8 string beans
1 red bell pepper
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. oyster sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. flour
salt and pepper


DIRECTIONS:

Canton Base

Saute garlic until brown. Add onions. Stir in pork. Fry until brown. Add all liquid ingredients however using only 1/4 cup of the water. Bring to a boil. Toss vegetables in the mix and let it simmer in medium heat for about 3 minutes. Use the other 1/4 cup of water to mix with the flour. Add the water and flour mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. If preferred, you may add a teaspoon of sugar.

Crispy Noodles

Bring water to a boil then let the noodles barely soften then remove. Blanch the noodles. Remove excess water. On a frying pan, heat enough oil to make sure that all the noodles are coated evenly. Fry the noodles until crispy. Do not overcook. Remove from heat then strain off excess oil.

Makes 3-4 servings. Enjoy!

Just a Hypothesis: Big Bang Theory Rocks!

Finally, the entertainment gods bowed down to comedy that actually requires neurons.
The show is about two so-called geeks Leonard and Sheldon who live together in an apartment adjacent to Penny, a waitress (who, in an obvious cliche, has a normal, if not lower, IQ, but is every nerd's fantasy). Their irreverent indifference is promulgated throughout the series with witty banter and pseudo-intellectual interactions with so-called "regular folks". The jokes are sometimes so perplexing you'll find yourself confused in all the scientific hoo-ha, without losing the fact that it's still funny. I just hope this review doesn't turn my brain into the size of a pod.

Watch it online and get geeked out.

Welcome Lucky

A happy new addition to our family.

Valentine's Night Out

My Memi and I went to Queue Ristorante, a newly-opened resto located at Robinson's Angeles. I'll let the pictures of the food speak of how delicious (and surprisingly cheap) it is.








Besides the food, the service was impeccable. There was also free wireless access to all customers, and just this valentines season, they're giving out chocolate flowers. Although it is only a stone's throw away from the bustling party scene at Diamond Subdivision, it has more than ample parking for its patrons. The only con in the setup are the chairs outside, granted, it is a "designer" restaurant, the chairs should be comfortable. Besides the chairs, I give this place a big thumbs up!

On this day of hearts...

Adobe Lightroom 2.3

This is my new Canon 350D's better half.

Konstrukted's Workstation

I know it may be a modest workstation as I am not one of those techies who also proclaim themselves to be "gamers".

Specs:
AMD X2 System
2GB RAM
GeCube X1650 ATI Radeon 512MB/128-bit
250GB HDD
Samsung Super-SyncMaster DVD-RW

Peripherals:
Samsung LA22A450
Altec Lansing Speakers
Logitech Keyboard
Genius Mouse

Turn your PC into a Mac

All you people who want the sleek interface but don't want the limited Mac OS, click here.

I've been using this since 2001 when Chris Kite's program took the net by storm and made PC users sport the Mac interface.

The Ugliest Pair of Shoes Valentine Promo

If there's anything I could do to prevent people from wearing these, I would. I wonder what this atrocious post might do to my blog readership.

Seth McFarlane's Cavalcade of Comedy

There are certain comedy shows that try to illicit comedy but somehow end up forcing it. This is NOT one of those shows. Get hooked on Seth's brand of comedy by clicking here.

If you're a big fan of the Family Guy, then this here's your new vitamin for that funny bone of yours.

Windows 7: Premature Still

After a week of trying the beta version of Windows 7, I already found myself rethinking what I'd done. Don't get me wrong: I've always been a beta tester of everything, I've made all my computers since 1995 run new crap (back then it was windows 98, then XP, then Vista). But even with all the bugs and fixes, I've stuck to my decision, somehow owning up to the fact that what's new will eventually work itself out.

For Windows 7, there is no such safeguard.

Yes there were new features added, namely:

• Option to have a desktop backgrounds to switch.
• Handwriting recognition
• Snipper (something similar to alt-print screen)
• Truetype (clearer fonts)
• A revised Action Center (which will include your firewalls, and AV softwares)

But to me, these are practically useless if you can't run the programs you want.

Somehow from its redundant menus to roundabout control panel items, from the thick taskbar to unstable network connections I finally decided that Windows 7 was still too premature for my taste. Which is why I went back to Vista. Critics may not hail it (as it is my personal opinion that only techies should be allowed to use Vista, even if it is a dumbed-down version of XP), but I am very happy with my experience with Vista.

I'll probably wait until Windows 7 is officially released.

Cannot Build in Sims 2

I've been playing the Sims 2 since it was released, mostly since I was still an industrial design student back then, however now that I've installed it both in my Vista computer and an XP laptop it doesn't work.

I then scoured forums to see just how many people are having the exact same problem and the numbers were dismal. Most of them are saying that the Sims creators assigned a bug in the executable file so that when a no-cd crack was used, the build mode would not work.

I completely agree that software which was created by people with their blood, sweat and tears should be properly compensated, however, only by the people who can. I am still not paying for a game which I can get for Php 100 on a market stand somewhere. Maybe I'll just download Call of Duty 5.

Sold! Emaxx ATI Radeon X1650 PCI-Express Video Card

Finally, after 2 resells, I can take this item off of my garbage can.