Iphone 3G pics

Finally got a chance to get actual pictures of the Iphone 3G. A few more pictures here.

Petron E10 Premium

I have been using this in my car for a few weeks now and my mileage didn´t change. Prior to loading up with Petron E10, I used Xtra Unleaded (also from Petron). My car would average 10 km/L on city driving and more if I go on the Highway. Another note is that Petron E10 is relatively cheaper by P2.00 than the Xtra Unleaded variant. Not only is a bit cheaper but is also tested to have 95RON which is 2 points higher than the Xtra Unleaded variant and the same with the XCS Premium variant. I would also like to point out that since this has 10% Ethanol that it has fewer emissions than that of regular gasoline. You´re saving a bit from your wallet plus you´re also helping save the environment. Only wish that more Petron branches would carry this blend. As of the moment, only a select few has this. Lucky for me there is a branch that is pretty accessible for me.

Audiosport Fuse Holder

Had to change my current fuse holder for the amp in my car. As you could see from the pic that it broke apart. Due to the heat from the engine bay and old age. Off to a local Blade store to get a cheap replacement for the time being, I saw an Audiosport brand (which was the only brand available). Bought it for less than a hundred fifty bucks. It was really not of good build quality, but this has got to do.

I had to wrap the ends with electrical tape because the flimsy end locks kept exposing the wires (we don´t like exposed wires -- fire!!) plus the small rubber grommets keep popping out of place. Then I temporarily zip tied it into place for easy access. Once I get a chance to look for a decent fuse holder this should do for the meantime.

Travis Barker in a plane crash

Good news is he´s alive, bad news is he´s been burned from the waist down. The plane he was on crashed last September 18, 2008. Four passenger died, reports say that only Travis and DJ AM survived.

Travis Barker was a drummer for Blink-182 and currently +44 with a couple of stints on other bands.

I liked his version of Low by T-Pain and Crank That by Soulja Boy.

Low:


Crank That:

Rear Seatbelts for corolla

Since the local LTO (Land Transportation Office) is being all fussy all of a sudden with private vehicles imposing large fines on different strange violations one of which is having rear seat belts. My corolla is the base model so most of the amenities are non-existent, e.g. rear seat belts. So the good citizen that I am (ehem-ehem) searched the local interweb to where I could purchase rear seatbelts from a Toyota Corolla (ae101 model). Luckily, a club member at GrupoToyota had a set. After a few PM´s, SMS, and a call later, the package arrived at my house a day later. It included the left and right three point seat belt and the center lap belt. It was a pain to install because I had to crawl in the trunk, remove the rear seats and remove a few panels (I even broke a bolt in the process). After all the sweat and anger subsided I sat back and said to myself, all for being a good, law abiding citizen (ehem).

Home Cooked Pork Sinigang

It really is home cooked. You know why? Because I was the one who cooked it! This is my first time to try and cook Pork Sinigang (Pork Sour Soup). I said to myself, what the heck. I love eating it, why not try to cook it? I bought ingredients at the local supermarket and hoped for the best (or worst).

Ingredients I used:
- 1/2 kilo Pork cubes
- Sitaw
- Aubergine (Talong)
- Gabi
- Tomato

- Radish
- 1 pack Knorr Sinigang sa Sampalok mix
- 1 pc pork bullion cube

I just basically cleaned and sliced the vegetables and set aside. In 1 liter of water I placed the Pork and 2 Tbsp Patis (Fish Sauce) and let it boil until the meat became tender. While the water boiled I put in the Sinigang Mix, pork bullion and Gabi. When I was able to stick a fork in the Gabi with little efffort I added the remaining ingredients and just let it simmer.

The way I did it was the easiest way I could think of to not screwing our dinner. That´s why I used the mix and the bullion to be sure. Sad thing is (that is for me) is that I forgot to add Okra which is one of the things I also like eating. There is always a next time.

Newly re-opened Dairy Queen Branch @ Festival Mall

Yes, they´re back at Festival Mall. Now, they have a bigger store. They now have table and chairs unlike before you´re just greeted with a counter, order, then leave. This time around they have a place where you can enjoy your ice cream served upside down. In addition to their trademark Blizzard Ice Cream and Classic Menu (Sundaes, Dipped Cones, and Shakes) they now serve Hot Dog Sandwiches, Moolattes (ice-blended coffee mixed with their ice cream), Royal Treats (mix of ice cream, fruits, brownies or nuts served in bowls), Ice Cream on a stick, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Ice Cream Cakes (currently available in Libis branch).

This is what my son and I had. It´s called Triple Chocolate Utopia (Php129.00). It has brownies and chunks of chocolate chips with whipped cream around a scoop of Vanilla ice cream topped with Chocolate syrup placed on a waffle cup dipped in quick freeze chocolate syrup on it´s edges.

My son became oblivious to everything once he started eating. I had to hold the bowl down a little to the center if not I won´t get some!! It was gone a little faster than expected but we had a good time. We´ll definitely be trying other concoctions on the menu next time around.

Movie Review: Hellboy 2

One of my anticipated films since the trailer came out. Looked to be one helluva an action packed movie with a twist of witty remarks and a lot of humor. As expected, all three were present. But there was an odd feeling that I was watching an M.I.B. (Men in Black) movie rather than a Hellboy sequel. It looked to me that the creatures that they made looked more like aliens rather than mythical beings. One example was the guy with a talking tumor that looked like a baby. Looked like it was straight out of an M.I.B. series. Another thing that I was looking for was when was Hellboy be transformed to his true devil self to unleash his power to save everyone from death kind of scene. I very much liked that part on the first movie. But this time around, he just went bashing away in his normal half-horned self. Anyway, if I was to rate this movie i´d give it 3 out of 5 stars (it could´ve been higher if his devil self made an appearance).

Bitoy´s Funniest Videos

It´s a mix of America´s Funniest Videos, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, and Girls Behaving Badly with a Filipino Twist aired on GMA 7 every weekend. This show is funny and all but there is one thing that I noticed after watching it week after week. Ever notice it when it´s back at the studio and Bitoy (Michael V) is doing spiels to introduce the next segment the audience that they place behind him are good looking girls with short skirts or short shorts? Now, that´s what I call product placing! It´s like they subconsciously draw us (red blooded males) to watch the show. I don´t know about you but it adds a little spice to the show instead of just staring at Michael V all the time.

Darth Vader shops @ SM MOA

What do you know? Darth Vader does his own shopping, and with a handful of storm troopers in tow (to carry his shopping perhaps?). This was taken a couple of weeks back, the same day the 2nd PIMS was held. I dropped off my wife and son to stroll around and get some shopping done while I head to the PIMS but lo and behold, Darth Vader just arrived too. (Local politicians with body guards won´t compare to Darth´s entourage). I guess he has to buy some California Scents for his Death Star or something.

more pics here

*sorry for the quality only a cam phone was in hand
*publicity stunt for the showing of attack of the clones

Quick Peek: Iphone 3g

We all know what it is. It´s an Iphone 3G, an updated version of the first Iphone (or as I see it just an Itouch with phone capability). Had a couple of chances to try it out (at a Globe Telecom Branch in SM Molino). Globe Telecom has offered it with a post paid plan or you could purchase one from them at an outrageous price for a glorified Ipod.

Aesthetic wise, it´s very pretty. Flat touch screen at the front with a single button below center of the screen to return to home menu. Size wise you could pretty much hold it without feeling awkward. It is a little wide but just a few mm thick so it is pretty handy. The phone itself is still a smudge magnet so better keep a microfiber handy. The GUI is clean and looks sophisticated simple no nonsense icons.

Performance wise, it is no sprinter. When you choose an icon it takes a second sometimes two to switch to the menu/program. Tried using the finger-friendly-keyboard to input a search query. No such luck. More often than not I press the letter beside the one I really wanted to press. I don´t think I have chubby fingers to miss them. The letters look big enough but I couldn´t get the hang of it (maye with some practice or maybe just tried it in landscape mode). Also tried it to watch videos on youtube. It has a very nice program that optimizes the youtube experience. It automatically moves to landscape mode once the video plays. Eventhough it just hooks up with 3G it is fast enough for light browsing or watching videos on youtube (eventough it is quite pixelated). The features I liked about it is the motion sensor and finger scrolling. It senses when you place it on its side and automatically converts to landscape mode. As for finger scrolling, I like it because it is much easier than dragging a tab on the side, you just flick and it goes.

If I have money to buy one of these, I won´t get one. Why? I prefer HTC PDA phones because I can do much more with it and with the ones coming out and had come out I see them much sexier than the Iphone. I´d just get myself 60GB old ipod for music and video on the go. But if someone gives one to me, I´m all heart.


*pic from wiki (security personnel won´t let me take a picture)

Movie Review: Wasabi (2001)

It´s not the oh so spicy ingredient you add to soy sauce use for sushi. It´s a movie (shown last 2001) written and produced by Luc Besson (yes, I do like most of his works. especially the taxi series) and stars Jean Reno (Ronin, Godzilla). It follows the story of Hubert (Reno), a tough verteran french cop, wherein he was suspended for his unorthodox style of catching criminals. Suddenly, he gets a phone call from a lawyer from Tokyo telling him that the woman he loved and left him 19 years ago is being cremated and he is the sole beneficiary on the will. As he arrives at Tokyo, not only does he discover letters and pictures from his past but that he also has a cop-hating daughter (Ryoko). As the two come together mishaps and outrageously funny misadventures start as the Mafia is somewhat involved. This is an off-beat action comedy one would enjoy, if you don´t mind reading subtitles.

*pic grabbed from wiki

X-Family Ep 16-20

Yey! Finally doremii fansubs released Ep 16-20 of the Taiwanese drama x-family. Unbeknowst to many that I happen to watch j-drama, k-drama, and c-drama. Some shows due to the influence of my wife. And yes, I did watch KO One before watching this. I liked this show because it was a cross between street fighter and x-men plus they´re funny!! Hope they release more in the coming months. I´ll still be patiently waiting as always (eventhough i watched a few episodes on youtube and barely understood a word). More power doremii!

More asian dramas at: Doremii Fansubs

*pics grabbed from www.mysoju.com

Review: Taken

No, it´s not the one by Steven Speilberg. This one is written by Luc Besson of the French ¨Taxi¨ series.

It´s about a retired CIA ¨preventer¨ Brian (Liam Neeson) making more time for her daughter after being away for the government. After which her daughter asks his permission to go to Paris to allegedly see museums but really follow a band on tour. Reluctantly, he agrees and her daughter goes to France. After a few hours on arriving on France her daughter and friend were kidnapped and will be sold off for sex slaves. Brian, pulling out his resources flies to France to find his daughter´s captors and save her within 96 hours before she disappears forever.

During the first few minutes the movie was boring. I was eagerly waiting for something to happen. But once the location moves to Paris it steadily went to overdrive. There was a lot of hand to hand combat ala Jason Bourne but not like the use-anything-you-grab as a weapon type of thing but almost to that extent. Car chase was long enough but could´ve used more in my opinion (i´m a sucker for great car chase scenes ala Ronin and the Bourne series). I also liked it when he got a little hurt when he jumped from the bridge to the boat. It makes it a little more believable that you could get hurt from jumping from that height. Only wish the Audi from the last part was used as in a car chase seen. The sound from the car was awesome. Overall, I really liked the film. It goes to show that Neeson still has the ¨force¨ in him for action. Good Job!

New Suspension: Tein HA Driving Master

How I dreamed for this day to come, the day I could change the aging suspension of my beloved corolla. I´ve been building this car for a good several years now. Changing bits and pieces here and there. Modifying stuff, upgrading, or just getting oem stuff from a higher trim model. Now, I got hold of Partially threaded coilovers from Tein.

Here is my old springs (Tanabe Sustec Super H):

And my old shocks (Tokico - gas type):

To this:

The set I got has front camber plates installed, wish it had rear camber plates too so I just used an old method for adjust camber without grinding. These are partially threaded so the lower I go the less stroke I get, meaning bottoming of the shocks. Also, a nice thing with this set is it´s 16-way adjustable (although I counted 23 or was it 24) for damping. The springs are rated at 7kg/mm for the front and 5kg/mm at the rear.

When I first installed these babies I felt adventurous and placed damping at 8 clicks from hard at the front and 12 at the back. The car could turn, but.... It also bounced!! And the wife didn´t find it the least bit amusing so after a few more trials and errors I settled on the softest setting. Even though it is still hard compared to your average lowering springs, it was a compromise. Although there are a few shakes and rattles that came out, i´m now in the process of eliminating those rattling sounds. I guess it came mainly from the stiffer suspension so something else has to give. Well, the money spent is well worth it. Until a fully threaded coilover crosses my path i´ll stick with these.

Review: The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

*may contain spoilers

Well, it´s the third installment of ¨The Mummy¨ series. This time they go to china where Alex, Rick and Evelyn O´Connells´ son, has uncovered the tomb of the first emperor of China known as the Dragon Emperor. One thing leads to another. A Mummy has been awakened, his army, then all hell breaks loose.

I noticed that Jet Li´s character, the dragon emperor, was unbelievably strong in all aspects. He could control the five elements (earth, water, fire, wood, metal). When he became immortal, he could shape shift into anything he wanted. Above this, he is a superb martial artist. Now, my question is how the heck did Rick (Branden Fraiser´s character) defeated Jet Li in a fist fight? Wherein the first part of the movie Jet Li defeated 3, count them three, trained assassins without breaking a sweat. They could have thought of somehow to bring him down to mortal status or disable some part of him to make it believable. Here, a mortal with above human strength defeats a superb martial artist? I guess that is Hollywood. Anythings possible.

*picture came from wikipedia

2nd Phil International Motorshow: Drive the Future

It was my first time to attend PIMS and to enter the World Trade Center. It was a new experience for me. The hall was huge and there was another hall exclusive for suppliers, retailers, and shops. The main hall displayed cars from different car makers like Audi, Porsche, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Kia, just to name a few.

Most of the car makers had a display of hybrid or a car that runs on alternative fuel. One of which that caught my attention is one of Kia´s small suv, the Kia Sportage. It runs not on fossil fuel but as I understand on HHO or 2 parts Hydrogen and 1 part Oxygen. I think the concept is it produces its own Hydrogen rather than filing it with Hydrogen like Honda´s FCX. It seems that Kia has already a prototype running. I would like to have a chance to drive one or any hybrid car for that matter just to experience the difference.

On the other not so eco-friendly side. The first thing that I saw at the PIMS is the oh-so-sexy Audi R8. A sexy piece of machine. I couldn´t even touch it for the bodyguard of the car was very protective not to get any scratches or smudges on the car. Must´ve been a tough few days because when I was there kids were touching it as if it were just another run of the mill mass produced car. What I would give just to take it out for a spin on a track. Of course I wouldn´t dream of owning one, the maintenance of that car would buy a small car (plus I couldn´t afford getting the R8 either let alone even a pedal).

Anyways, click the link for some of the pics I took at the show. No models though. Sorry.

Click Me For Pics

Rant: Philippine Jeepneys

The Philippine Jeepney, the so-called ¨King of the Road¨. These are I think the most used public transport here in the Philippines. They are cheap, everywhere and there is almost one that could take you to your destination. But!! Yes, there is an undeniable but. During the night, these damned things are disasters waiting to happen. Why you ask? Well, for starters, they don´t friggin turn their headlights on!? Is it so big a deal that they don´t turn it on? Will they cease to operate if their own? So what the hell´s the use of those damn headlights? Decoration? If had a lot of encounters where you could hardly see one of these on the road.

Another question is, why won´t the cops stop and arrest this insignificant good for nothing bastards? They are a threat to motorists during the night. They should give these sonuva-you-know-what fines plus I guess a few days in jail just to ingrain in their heads that they should friggin turn on those headlights during the night. I´m just so sick of this crap. I hope somebody from the PNP do something about this. Itś a simple issue that could cause serious injury. I hope someone from the PNP reads this.

¨King of the Road¨? Not anymore, more like hazards of the road if you ask me. On driving? That´s a whole new issue.

*pics courtesy of wikipedia