Bye, bye BBM....

I finally gave up on my BB 9300 3G. The first few months was fun. I actually signed up for twitter and was more active with fb because I had the unlimited data plan and all the BB goodies with it. It was also fun connecting with some of my friends that also had Blackberry phones as they are always a BBM away.

Unfortunately, I slowly felt the phones slowly ageing technology. I was happy with the qwerty keypad. I always was. But, the screen was too small. I don't have perfect eyesight, so seeing small images on the phone makes it hard for my eyes. Next is the phone memory. I found myself deleting apps every now and then. And there were very few on my phone! The phone would sometimes freeze. I constantly had to do a battery pull, clear log or do a soft reset just to get it jump started again.

I slowly gave up on it. Since I acquired a Samsung galaxy tab 7.7 (I might give a short entry about this) a few months back, I slowly fell out of love of my BB as I was beginning to embrace android again. (Add insult to injury was that Globe Telecom's service was on the fritz these past few months so I used my BB a lot less). So, I finally sold my BB and acquired another Android phone.... Pantech Sky Vega 4G LTE (No, it's not another china phone. It's the 3rd biggest mobile phone manufacturer in Korea). I'll be happy to make another entry about my 2 weeks and counting with this phone.

To cut my story short, it was fun having a BB in hand and I wouldn't mind getting another one. If they finally launch their OS10 sometime soon, and if it looks promising enough, I might have a look at it.

Tempura Japanese Grill - ATC Branch

just had dinner awhile ago at this resto. my family and i have been going to this resto every now and then. unfortunately, tonight the usual dining experience i had fell short of what i usually get.

first, the trainee waiters seem to not know how to properly set the table. after setting up my wife and son's paper placemat and plate he was about to place mine. what he did was place it right side up but suddenly changed his mind. since i was a chair away he pulled the paper placemat towards him placed the plate upside down then slid the whole thing back to me. all this while making noise on placing the plates without care on the table.

second, the food seemed different than usual. they seem to changed the rice that they use. it was a bit dry and did not have the stickiness japanese rice should have. for myself, i ordered ebi hamburg katsudon. my rice was the same dry, unsticky type. the thing is, the sauce was a bit on the salty side and seemed like it was prepared haphazardly as one side had too much sauce while the other just enough. in that instance i could've preferred the just enough at is was too salty than usual.

third, the place. i haven't ate there for quite sometime now but the leaky aircon was still leaking. how long will it take them to actually fix it. it leaks directly on the couch.

the onyl good thing is that the regular staff are very accomodating and energetic. the guy who was serving us always had a smile on. unfortunately, our take away (which was sushi) took longer than expected to arrive (it was just tamago and there weren't a lot of customers) plus i had to call their attention a couple of times so i could get a glass of water.

i hope the old staff rotates here again as we didn't see familiar faces. as for the food, the tempura is still okay here.

The Android dream

I've been obsessing in getting an android phone ever since the Nexus One came out. Sad thing is bills keep piling up that I don't have enough to set aside for the phone. A couple of weeks ago Samsung and HTC has been dishing out more powerful droid powered phones and the Samsung Epic 4G was actually epic.

Since the introduction of budget themed/mid-level priced droids like the Samsung Galaxy 5 and LG Optimus a new wave has just been unleashed by these big companies like the HTC Wildfire, LG Optimus One but to me, one stands out from the rest. The Cherry Mobile red label line. CM has been known for cheap dual and triple sim phones that are very appealing to the masses. (We even bought the P1 just because it was cute.)

With this red label line by CM they introduced three powerful yet affordable droid line up. First is the Superion (price at P19,990.00) which is a 7" tablet smartphone that will give the Samsung Tab a run for its money. Next is the Magnun HD (priced a few pesos shy of 19 grand) that is at par of the Nexus One albeit a lot more cheaper. And the last one (which i'm eyeing right now) is the Nova. Priced around P500 more than the Samsung Galaxy 5 but more feature packed.

I got a chance to fiddle with it and the build is plastic-y. Weighs like nothing, has a 3.2" HVGA screen which is no Super AMOLED but good enough. It has no UI of itself, just the basic Eclair UI which I guess it's a good thing because it might mean a faster update to froyo. It's powered by a 600Mhz Qualcomm processor and is enough to handle basic functions of a smartphone. Unless you want to play Quake II and of course it will choke. It seems that tweaks are in order to make it more intuitive and zippy but for the price point I'll definitely be eyeing this as my Christmas gift for myself.

Free Stuff!!

Times are tough now a days. Prices fluctuates every know and then. Financial crisis is being felt all over the world. But still, there is still hope. There are bargain hunters who rummage through every sale or bazaar to make ends meet or those like me who look for freebies! These past few months I've been in a financial pinch so I get what I can take. For example, I have already sold my beloved Imate Jasjam to pay off stuff. Good thing is the free phone from globe I received 2 years back is still in good condition. Also, I just received a free phone from Sun Cellular, a Nokia 2700 with free sim and a months load.

Here's another tip to credit card holders, always check your card for freebies. An example is with BPI edge, you get 30 mins worth of free games (red, blue, and yellow swipers) at Timezone for a minimum purchase of P1000 and an hour's worth of free games for a minimum purchase of P1,500.00. Isn't that great? Still with BPI, free food at Pizza Hut! For a single receipt purchase of P1500 you get free Caesar salad or personal pan pizza, for P3000 I think it's a choice between two pastas, and for P7000 you get a family pan pizza. As for metrobank the last promo they had was free pizza at Greenwich. What got me was to get a Pan Pizza (there were 6 choices of Family size pizza flavors) is just compile your charge slips till they reach P10000. Gas and groceries alone could fill that up in no time!

Anyways, just look around and maybe you could find a good bargain or freebie out there! These are tough times so be street smart.

Sony's 3D capable Bravia LCD TV

Got a chance to try this out today. It was a weird experience but an eye opener at the same time because of the evolution of today's technology. The ads on the side says that in order to get the 3D experience 4 things are needed:

1. A 3D capable Sony LCD TV
2. A player capable of reading the 3D content (a ps3 was used for the demo)
3. The 3D glasses for the 3D capable LCD TV
4. and lastly the media that has the 3D content (a blu-ray demo disc was used for the demo)

Tried on the sleek looking 3d glasses (complete with pouch for safe keeping when not in use), which looks like an oakley inspired shades. Looks like one that cyclops would use as there are no open spaces because it hugs the surrounding area of the eyes. I also noticed that it has a switch of some sort on the left inside part of the glasses. Wasn't able to ask the demo person on what the switch does because a lot of persons were asking questions which kept him busy.

The LCD is I think the 52" version of the Bravia series albeit it's seems the screen used was an OLED type. Colors were vibrant and once the glasses were put on the video pops out of the screen. Feels weird and it took awhile before my eyes could adjust. Wasn't able to see how wipeout looks on 3d because when I took my turn it was.... wait for it..... Wheel-of-Fortune!! The wheel and prizes popped up like that of a pop-up book. I really wished I could've tried it out a bit longer to see other content but there were a lot of people at the time that also want to try it out. I wonder how it feels to use it while playing God of War 3 or Dante's Inferno? hmmmm.....

God of War Collection

This game has been eating my time a whole lot (and I do mean a LOT) these past few weeks. The best thing about it is I never had a chance to play GoW 1 and 2, I only got hooked when I played it on the PSP. For me this was a good bargain since the FMV's and cut scenes are digitally remastered to be shown in HD plus they added a trophy collection to both games and the bonus features on both discs are still included in the BD. Unfortunately, I have been playing the game in God Mode for 1 and I haven't tried the Titan mode for 2 (the words "VERY HARD" are putting me off. hehehe). The only problem now is the release of God of War 3 is very near and I haven't thought of a way on how to pay for it. I played the demo and all I can say is that it was hella good for a demo!

Play Station 3: Move

Sony says it's still a working title but this is their answer to the Wii and 360's Project Natal. Looks a bit promising to say the least. With the PS3's processing power and gpu power plus free moving toys, I have high hopes for this. Plus it looks like I don't have to shell out for a Wii afterall.

Alienware m11x

update: I just searched around the local shops/sites that are selling the m11x and unfortunately the thought of owning one was crushed really hard as the basic model (the cheapest seller that I saw) will set me back a good $1400USD. It's probably because of the shipping and tax charges that we'll be facing once the rig arrives. Really wish I could find a local reseller authorized by Dell and hopefully it'll be closer to the actual prices posted on Alienware and Dell's site.

I so want this notebook. I've been searching around for a portable notebook/netbook to lug around which is powerful enough but has enough battery life to have me finish the work I need to do. I was, and still am, considering msi u230 but i'm crossing my fingers that this would arrive on our shores and pray to the gods that I could afford it (which is barely - who wants to donate? :P). Check the vid by GamerLiveTV. (the host's very pretty to.) Also check out the vid on 3D gaming near the end of the clip.

Motorola Backflip

I don't know what to make of it. I'm not really sure if it's cool or pretty weird. Looks like your typical smartphone as of late but with a few head-scratching features. Take a look for yourself.



video courtesy of Revision3

MenQ: An $80 netbook

As I was searching youtube for videos of new netbooks i'm eyeing to get (hopefully), I came across this video of an $80 (a little less than P3000) netbook. What do you know? It wasn't a fake video. It actually is a very small and affordable netbook. From the specs alone it is very similar to a pda phone a few years back:

- samsung arm cpu
- 64Mb ram
- 7" screen
- OS: Microsoft CE

Suprising enough, based on the video, it's fast enough for basic needs (surfing the net and office docs). I think this will be great for grade school students for research on the net and paperworks or even budget offices for employees to use (just use the zoom function or adjust to a bigger font for weaker eyes.) If ever this gets to our shores it will be of very great use to our under privileged students in public schools.

Revived PSP

The part I ordered for my PSP slim finally arrived, the d-pad ribbon/flex cable. It's been a pain to play with it for the past month or so because the left button wont work. Now it's just good as new. Took a quick search google search on how to disassemble then viola, it's fixed! Now to try out some new games i've been eying for awhile.

Savory Chicken

Had dinner last night at their Festivall Mall branch. I was amazed at how they served heaping portions of pancit. I thought it was good for 2 persons at most but it's almost good enough for 3 persons. We also ordered Shanghai rolls and their Savory Chicken. What I noticed in most Chinese restaurants is that most of their food are dry, tasty, but a bit dry. The lumpia, pancit, and even the chicken tastes good but lacks the juiciness in them. But above everything else, we were stuffed. Might try other viands when we think of having chicken again.

The Banana Experience

This is one of the newest places I found in Festival Mall in Alabang. Its The Banana Experience (it's not what you're thinking about). It's a new healthy option for your afternoon merienda, well not so much. Well, it is a banana and its still loaded with a lot of vitamins but once you mix it with sugar, ice cream, sweet toppings and what nots, well let's just say you'll get a bit of a sugar rush.

The one I liked is the turon topped with a vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. What got me is that the turon is still warm then they place the cold ice cream on top so you have to eat it quite fast. The sensation is enjoyable as the warm turon and cold ice cream mix in your mouth. Plus it's just P50.

As for my son, he ordered the banana on a stick. Its a fresh banana dipped in vanilla and sprinkled with rainbow sprinkles. You can eat it like a drumstick but since the banana is big. We had to slice it to smaller bits for my son.

Like I said, this is a good alternative for the afternoon merienda or just a quick snack in the mall. It's partly healthy and it's very inexpensive.

PS3 Slim

Yes, I did buy myself a PS3 slim. And yes, its been with me for a week and i have been playing with it with all my free time and some of my not so free time. First things first. In the box is the console, 1 DS3 sixaxis controller, 1 composite av cable, manual, power cable, and manual. It seems that the asian version does not have the complementary welcome dvd from sony because I found none in my box.

What you see in the pics is an asian version 120GB PS3 slim. I bought that version because 1)The voltage is set at 230v, I won't be needing a transformer when I plug it in the wall socket and 2)It's a thousand pesos cheaper than the US version. I don't get what the fuss about the US version for it to be a tad more expensive. Main differences that I see between the two is that the US version is 110v and the confirm button is "x" as opposed to the asian version's "o" button. Another theory is because of the blu ray player. Most blu ray discs that come in are from the US. But from what I heard, most new blu ray discs are already region free.

As of now, I don't have a HD tv so the console is hooked to my 21" JVC flat screen standard tv. I currently have one game which is Infamous. Surprisingly, the graphics still looks pretty sharp. Scenes wherein i'm by the pier area are very very sharp. When faced with a lot of buildings, cars, people it blurs a bit but still pretty sharp.

As a media center, I downloaded TVersity on my laptop so that I could connect it to the console. The two work pretty well together. Just point my browser to my laptop and presto, instant media center. All my movies, tv shows, and anime can now be streamed to my tv. I don't have to put the files on a disc or a flash drive.

Also just a few hours after I bought and hooked up the PS3 to my tv I updated the software and my XMB has that glittery effect. Didn't read much about what the update does but visually, the glittery effect is all that I see.

The problem now is getting a new LCD HD TV to go with the console to maximize its potential. I also hope to borrow games from some of my friends. Buying games and finishing it in 2 weeks will be very hard for my pocket.

FIC aka fruits in ice cream

One of my favorite ice cream stalls in ATC relocated just adjacent Odyssey. I know they did it last month (and I was there when it opened) and I've been my lazy self that's why I just talked about this. Well, enough about me. Let's talk about the shop. Now, they have a bigger place with tables and chairs where we could enjoy our ice cream while sitting down in their quaint little corner. Also they are now serving ice cream in ceramic bowls and normal stainless utensils for dine in customers. It's a nice addition but I prefer my ice cream on their wafer cones with either Strawberry or Choco Mint. Yum!

By the way, they also added shakes, sundaes, and some of their own creations to the mix. Now we have more choices to sit back, relax, and enjoy an afternoon.

Choro-Q

You just got to hand it to Takara Tomy they make a lot of very nice toys. I'm beginning to drawn to their works. Started with these two. A gc8 and an ae86 pull back pieces. They're just a little bigger than a P5 peso coin. While I was playing with the trueno I noticed that it kinda goes faster even after i've released it and seems to hop a bit when that happens because of the speed boost. Checked the box again and it said 2-speed. What do you know? A pull back that has some sort of VTEC yo?! (kidding!) After talking to a friend that has a couple of these, he said that I should place a coin at that back part. There is a little holder at the back of the coin to help balance out the weight. I had lots of fun with it. Only problem is I couldn't really find a place to fully utilize it. Guess I gotta get one of those tracks they also made for these babies or just put them in the display case and oogle at them.

Rechargeable Batteries & Charger

After getting the mini r/c you just gotta have spare batteries or buy really often. Since everyone is thinking "green" we got the rechargeable ones from cdr-king (as usual). We bought the charger that has two AAA batteries that come with it plus two other. Good thing about the charger is it charges AA, AAA and even a 9v battery. Sad thing is, the sales person I talked too said that the led light it has should turn green after charging is complete. I have been using it a couple of times and I haven't seen it turn to green (good thing there are instructions in the back on how long a certain battery is needed to be charged). My brother has one of these chargers and he too said that he hasn't seen it turn to green either. Anyways, it's a good bang for the back. And since it's does recharge batteries it lessens the electronic waste here in our house.

Brother's Burgers Specials

After watching too much true blood and seeing as the setting is mostly in the bar/resto. People in the background usually order fries, burgers, and beer. This got me to remember the sale the Brother's had a month ago. They shaved half the price of the 1/2 pound burger. After one burger and a couple orders of fries and a choice of soda. You'll be sure you just gained 1/2 a pound. I just wish they do another half price promo soon. I'm just soooo craving for their burgers again.

Caul ER by Takara Tomy

This has been in shelves of different toy stores around the metro for quite sometime now. Just recently, curiosity got me and now one is in my possession. It's a mini r/c car that fits the palm of my hand. It also comes with a very small remote that could easily be lost in your pocket. Was very excited unboxing it and putting it together (minus the part that I had to put very tiny stickers on various parts of the car to make it look less of just a shape of a plastic car). Placed the batteries and tried playing with it. While I was playing with it, I found out a not so good thing about it. The damned thing is controlled through IR. Meaning, you had to have the remote ALWAYS pointed at the car. It was quite annoying at first but then I realized that it was meant to be played on tables or short circuits that could be placed on flat floors so that you don't have to move a bit. After playing with it more, I came to realize that it is fun trying to dodge coffee mugs, pencils or other obstacles you would normally find in an office table. Great for killing time. Plus it's small enough to put in your pocket after your done playing with it.

Tuding's

If you're from the south I bet you've either heard of or even tried one of the three branches they have (muntinlupa, pacita, binan). Last night was my return to Tuding's. I haven't eaten at this place for quite sometime since it became out of my way. Since we were in the area, might as well eat here. They have now occupied the adjacent lot (foremerly a family ktv bar/restaurant) and they now have a lot more space for tables and chairs. They also added Tapsi, Toci, and I think Bangsi to their menu (wasn't really paying attention since all I wanted was the Pork chop. haha!)

After ordering my usual Porck chop, fried egg with fried rice (extra rice and egg please) mixed crushed chili to catsup (for that added zing) and had my fill. Eventhough it's just a simple meal but it just has that extra something that makes you come back.