5 Things To Love About The BDJ Power Planner 2014

I have been a loyal BDJ girl for 4 years now, and I just bought my 5th last week. I was in the verge of switching planners last year but I realized that a planner is a friend. Its nice to know just where to drop your doodles without having to 'familiarize' every year. I think I made a really good choice because my BDJ 2013 was just so packed!  I got to fill up almost all the pages, I even wrote some of my blog posts there so yes my relationship with BDJ is going strong. :)

And for that, I'm listing down a couple of reasons why you would love Viviamo's fab offering for 2014. Again, why would you want a BDJ?

1. It's like a BFF that we have become so comfortable with - BDJ girls know this. What I love about BDJ is that it has the same old format but it is still made exciting by new features, slight changes on fonts and color themes. It gets better but without alienating the users with too much change. :D And because Viviamo is an actual company (that seems to being doing really well if I may add), one can be assured of the continuity of BDJ planners in the coming years as it already has a very strong following. They make sure that your planner is not just like any other planner, it's your buddy. 

Here's a screenshot of a page. If you notice, the lines and texts are also quite faint, except for the dates. This is so you don't get pressured to write strictly within the boundaries of the allotted space. This works for me because I'm an anything-goes kind of person who likes to jot down notes everywhere. :D 

With different theme colors every month and cute fonts in a non-jolog-kind-of-way :)

A one week page has additional spaces for : 'Professional  Priorities', 'Major Goals', 'Personal Errands', 'This Week's List of', and 'This week I'm grateful for' (my personal favorite! Reminds me to always be thankful :D ). 

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Simple and Meaningful Christmas :)

It's Christmaaaaaas!!! :D

I gave myself a 2 week Christmas break and I'm so giggly about it hahah! I'm considering this as a reward break from all that nonstop working that I used to do. For 5 years, a buzz of pressure was always at the back of my head, if I'm not working I ought to be studying, and if I'm not studying I ought to do something productive to make the most out of that precious, precious time. I know things are entirely different now because I can finally tell myself "hush sweetie, calm down, we've got time". :)

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The Mind Museum - Candy for the Brain!

Do you remember the time when science was exciting? It meant digging deep into nature and trying to figure out her secrets. One of the earliest memories I had of science was of my gradeschool teacher explaining to us what a "hypothesis" meant, and how the whole life of a scientist evolves around testing a hypothesis for truth and untruth.

Science started out really fun, but sometime in highschool it transformed into a total pain, i personally had a lot of trouble with Biology. Hehe! It's a sad thing, especially if we want a pool of students to reinforce our growing pool of R & D. Good news is, the Ayala group has found a way to bring the fun back to Science. Say hello to the Mind Museum!

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SPIK 2013 Annual Forum - Nurturing That Much Needed Link

I have always thought that when it comes to research, the Philippines is already bursting with so many ideas. In fact I think the university is  almost saturated with it. We have already proved countless of times that Filipino talent is definitely at par with our counterparts from developing countries. 

While a new idea is always a good thing, I think a larger problem is that these ideas remain just that - a pool of ideas. Majority of thesis studies  are left to dust in their departments, either because it has not found a suitable application/funding, or the momentum to follow it through has simply burned out. 

So I found it very timely that key people from the university, the industry, and the government are now making concrete responses to this need, by initiating a partnership between ERDT, Engineering Research and Development for Technology, and SPIK, Samahan sa Pilipinas ng Industriyang Kimika. Well yes, it is composed mostly of chemical engineers, and related industries, mainly because manufacturing in the Philippines, is 60% composed of companies that are related to the chemicals industry. Being an ERDT scholar, we were required to attend the forum. As chemical plants normally employ a mix of various disciplines, below fields  can also benefit from the forum:

Civil Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Industrial Engineering

Materials Engineering

Mechanical Engineering and

Environmental Engineering

The main goal is to create a government-industry-academe linkage, with the following roles:

Government - provision of scholarships, funding, necessary legislation, and support on the national level of the programs

Academe - provision of capable manpower and environment for research, laboratory facilities, intellectual know-how

Industry partner - commercialization, funding, mass production/ implementation of results

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On Garnier, Good Vibes, and my Beloved Gentle Giant :D

I was never the vain type but out of curiosity, I got myself a BDJ box a couple of months ago. It's a "beauty box" from Belle de Jour (yep, the makers of awesome awesome journals :) ) that contains samplers  of products from different brands, which range from facial care, hare care, perfumes and even makeup. All for only 500 pesos a box. Sweet, yes? 

One of my favorites would have to be the Garnier products, which included a facial wash and the Light Complete Day Cream. I especially love the moisturizer because it's light, non greasy, and keeps me moisturized. In fact I had two pimples the other week, probably because my skin is adjusting to the new routine of commute-heavy weekdays, but it didn't last long when I consistently used the moisturizer. The pimple marks were quickly gone as well.

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Turning Pages

I have been trying to put off writing about this for quite a while already. I wanted to break the news with flair, with a bang, however you want to put it.

But well I realize that delaying it is pointless. It will come, and it will happen, no matter if I'm ready or not.

I have resigned from a 5 year semiconductor career. To run after my heart.  :)

It is one of the biggest gambles that I'm taking at this point in my life. But I realize that there's no better time than now to make those risks happen. To actually make things happen.

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Flowers For Love

A woman is like a flower. She is fragile, she is delicate, and she is beautiful. One doesn't need to look very far to appreciate the wonder of her.

 

Gumamela's can be found in almost every community.

In spite of it, a woman is strong, she does not yield too easily when she knows she is right. As meek as she is, she knows when to stand her ground. She might be too common and risks being taken for granted, but she will not be belittled because the moment you do you will be in for a surprise.

In spite of typhoons and strong winds, flowers just shed off their petals and continue to live on resiliently

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Next Target: The Mind Museum

Ever since I've heard that there was such a place, I have always always always wanted to get into the Mind Museum. :D I've always had a fascination for Museums, having been awestruck by the gold of our ancestors in the Ayala Museum, and being amazed by the paintings over at Bencab. While these two are a celebration of history and creativity, the Mind museum is a grand celebration of science, and promises to be one of the most mindblowing experiences ever. 

I just checked out a couple of sites about it and got really excited about the Universe Gallery. I've always been fascinated with space, I followed the progress of Curiosity and I even have a postcard of the moons of Jupiter in my office desk heehee! When I was in college, I used to lie on the grass of Sunken Garden during evenings and imagine myself in a vertical position, with the stars right in front of me, and it's a surreal experience that I sometimes find myself clinging tightly on the grass for fear I might fall off hahah. Imagine seeing a lifesize model of THE universe, complete with interactive displays of the moon, stars, and the planets. Looking at the photos alone can excite the senses already!

(Official photo from The Mind Museum)

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Eargasm Anew - AKG K404 Foldable Headphones

I've always said that music is my gasoline, and it truly is. I like it rock when on I'm feeling hyper or when I need to speed up my pacing. During road trips and work I go for techno  or indie, and when I need a quick 'disconnect' from the world I would listen to symphonies. I love listening to whole albums and discovering new material. It makes me feel alive and keeps me in my element.

Being an audiophile, one of the happiest luxuries that I go for is a decent set of player and headset, but I can't afford the super expensive ones. I try to avoid those in-ear headsets because I my ears feel 'raped' after two hours of use. My last one was the Philips Air Wear Headphones that I had with me for almost a year. It was really pretty and kind to the ears, while still giving a decent sound that could cope well enough with the wide variety of music that I listen to. However it isn't foldable and eventually got a lot of beating from my bag and one of the headphones just stopped working.

After that I couldn't afford another 1k+ headphones so I went back to using earphones. There are a lot of candy- colored headphones out there but they look too "jeje" for me and they only sound good when played loud.

I've been pining for a new headset for months and months now but Papa Ray kept on stopping me from buying one because he said it was too expensive for my budget. Only to find out that he intended to give me one for my birthday! Yeaaah!!

Here's the wa-poise look I had as I opened the gift:

 Wahahaha! Oh joy!

When I opened the gift (which was so nicely wrapped by the way), it was an AKG K404 Foldable Headphone set that comes with a pouch and 2 year-warranty. I was like WHOAAA!

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Lenovo Edge E130 - My New Buddy!

My 8 year relationship with my trusty 14" Compaq Presario laptop has ended more than a month ago, and I was the saddest when it happened. He's still such a beauty even after all these years.

 

  This laptop got me through numerous exams and undergrad thesis days.

 

Classic Polished metal surface:) It's really beautiful but this build made it awfully heavy too. :(

I did something stupid and had the battery stuck in its case for more than 5 years, it has since deteriorated and couldn't live without the plug. This is a Core Duo with a measly 50 gb of hard drive space, but it still performed like a pro, and handled all the needs of our first photobooth gig with no hassle. No performance issues at all for all the softwares that I have run on it, except for some display issues, probably a problem with the flex cable. But one sad day it suddenly it wouldn't boot up. 

After the herculean efforts of Papa Ray to dislodge the battery off it's holder, he found out that something near the power button seem to have burned, or got bitten off by ants.

With my graduate thesis so near and all, we had to look for a new laptop that would be able to keep up in terms of performance and be handy enough to carry around. Ray's first thought was to ensure that we had a Lenovo Thinkpad. This line is geared towards high performance laptops, though they're not popular in the Looks department.

After much research, struggling with budget versus performance and portability, we ended up with a Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E130.

It runs with an Intel i5 Processor, with 4GB of RAM, and 500gb of storage, all for P30K! Seriously I think it's an awesome deal! We had such a hard time looking for this in Megamall Cyberzone because all the stores were out of stock, and Villman alone offered us to have it ready in their store by the next day.

So thank God we got the unit and here it is :D :D :D

 

Not baaaaaaaad yes?!

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Because I miss blogging

It's been so loooooong. And so many things has just happened!!

I'm itching to blog all about it but I think I'll wait for the right time. I'm at the cross roads now, and at the edge of something really big, at least for me. Just dropping by to say hi :P Tomorrow I'll be posting something about a new laptop that I just bought, and soon after that will be blabbing about my newest baby. :p Still really busy, will find more time soon. Really soon. :-)

Cloud Atlas - We are All Connected (The Book and The Movie)

At the start of this year I've been searching for a new book to read, as reading has been one of my favorite ways to spend my "me" time. I had to look up some book reviews for it though because I'm looking for something new, something to take my imagination for a spin. Just like in movies, I easily lose interest when the plot or the theme gets predictable. Or maybe it's just that I want my hard-earned money to buy something that can really teach me something new.

And Cloud Atlas gave me more than I asked for. It's not just a novel, it's six (6) different stories spanning six (6) different eras. The characters are linked together by a single birthmark shaped like a comet, and a universal rule that knows no space and time.

Favorite book of 2013 :)

It was a helluvanexperience. Personally, I found it breathtaking and exhausting at the same time. Each character lived in a different era, therefore for each "chapter", one had to be accustomed to the setting, the characters, the culture, and most especially the prose. The vocabulary of the 1800's are of course, different from the 1970's, and from 2013, and Mitchell invented his own slang for the future. Mitchell, takes a delicious spin at every turn and I loved it.

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Trying to be Cool - Phoenix feat. R.Kelly.

I'm simply amazed. R.Kelly with PHOENIX.
I've been playing Phoenix's album Bankrupt over and over again for the past days just to get a better "feel" of it. Two tracks have already been released, "Entertainment", and "Trying to be Cool". But I like the latter better. I stumbled upon this version at Soundcloud (one of the best ways to flirt with your music, I say). And it's just way too cool!

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Science via Art, and Vice Versa

Our professor invited Joey Tanedo from the College of Fine Arts to talk about the upcoming video presentation of our review paper. I thought we'll just deal with the technicalities of video making like the framing, the camera works, the gestures and the like. But what we talked about was something deeper. It was the marriage of Art and Science.

I first heard about this while reading Steve Job's biography (I blogged about it here). The reason why Apple remains to be the icon that it is, is because they were able to merge technological genius with a fine taste for art. You can see it in the way they planned their operating system, from the all the nitty gritty connections, to the design of their phones - everything is well thought of.

Now if they CAN do it, why can't we?

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Remote Online Journal Access for UP Students >> Thumbs up :)

I went to the College of Engineering Library of UP Diliman today to do research for the 70 journals/ references that we need to read for our thesis. I try to say "70" as casually as I possibly can because seriously, this has been driving me nuts for two weeks now. WHEW. There's three days from the deadline and I am only halfway through the required number so help me Lord.

I've been on Kiji-mode (killjoy) for a week now, I try my best to minimize working overtime and I keep my eyes glued to journals as much as I can. I could go on and on with my rants but the bottomline is being a working student is definitely, definitely not easy. No matter how cool it sounds. BUT daunting tasks like these are worth it when you are interested with your topic. :) And I could use a little more discipline here.

BUT what I'd like to blog about is that I was pleasantly surprised today upon learning that:

1) It's now easier to access academic journals online because the university has their own subscription to online journals, allowing students to download the needed literature for their study, and

2) We can even access them from home! Nice! I think this has been on for a couple of years already, sayang I learned about it only now. I used to think that all academic journals can only be accessed via the University wifi.

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Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know? (plus some Jack White goodness)

Oh man oh man oh man, the Arctic Monkeys just got sexy!! :D :D

I've always liked this band, and just last month they released a brand spanking new album: AM. It took them quite long to release a new album, they probably got exhausted with all the work and forgot to think of a better title? Heheh.

*edited: After hours of trying to recall, I now remember that my favorite "get-better-song" is A Certain Romance by the Arctic Monkeys. This got me through alot of emo-moments during the past years. :) For some reason, I get relaxed by the intense drumbeat and guitars of the intro... "Over there there's broken bones, there's only music so that there's new ringtones and it would take no Sherlock Holmes, to see it's a little diff'rent around here.".

Their new single, "Do I Wanna Know" has been playing at JAM 88.3 for quite some time now and it was love at first listen for me. The video is also fascinating, you have to watch 'til the end for some bizarre and psychedelic treat. :D

And while I'm at it, I'm sharing here a video of The White Stripes - The Hardest Button to Button. Because it reminds me of college and Jack White is awesome. :)

On Passion and Puppets

Me: "Wow haggard!"

Colleague: "Syempre, passionate eh. San ka ba nakakita ng passionate na maaliwalas ang mukha?"

I was stunned. It sounded so wrong in different ways.

I'm thinking maybe it was because of a work culture that never fails to overwhelm even after decades: deadlines, output, avalanche of quality issues, 'people' issues, doing more for less, making less grow more - and the fact that work can just swallow down your whole life


While I do admire intensity and drive, I think it's sad when "passion" is equated to haggard faces, toxic lifestyle, and anxiety overload. The best lesson I learned from Steve Job's biography is that passion is the tune of your heart singing. It comes from doing something you love. And when there is love you 'glow'. You motivate yourself not just out of necessity but because of your inner drive to get something done. You do not live like a puppet getting carried away by a whirlwind.

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A Quick Rediscovery at the Heart of Manila

The past few weeks allowed me to enjoy places in Manila that I seldom ever really set foot on, basically the route of LRT1, which travels along Recto, Carriedo, Espana, Vito Cruz, et cetera. Last year I was in Binondo and Divisoria but didn't get to explore much. The most memories I have there are only during times when we "pass by" the streets on the way to Luneta, or during the time when we went over to Vito Cruz/ La Salle area for our grad pictures and watch UAAP games in Rizal Memorial stadium. I'm a south-kid you see, and my world in the north is only composed of Diliman and Katipunan. Hahah.

Last week we were in Sta. Cruz for the pre-nuptial photoshoot of our dear friends Maybel and LLoydie. Aren't they simply adorable? :D :D Suuuper happy for you guys and I'm excited to wear the bright yellow sunny gown!

This weekend, me and Papa Ray found ourselves strolling the streets of Hidalgo, Recto, and Carriedo, looking for members to our new "family of gadgets". Heehee (lemme end it at that for now *wink*). Ray has been here for several times already, and I'm the wide eyed first timer. Trololo. 

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10K Visitors and counting :)

I think it was only a couple of months ago when we celebrated the 5K milestone of this blog, and now it has already hit more than 10K! Yeeeeey! Happy blogging, delighteduniverse!

And thank you to the people who have dropped by once, twice, thrice, and more. And also to the people who just peeped. Inspired to come up with better content to keep you guys peeping. Heehee!

Papa Ray enjoys the photos and me I super enjoy the writing. Yaaay! :D

Techthoughts: Bluetooth Keyboard for Samsung Tab 2 7.0

One of my can't-leave-the-house-without gadgets, would admittedly have to be my Samsung Tab 2 7.0. It's simple but powerful, and good enough for my browsing needs. However, touch-typing just cannot compare to an actual keyboard, as I really enjoy typing and I find it therapeutic. I'm also more able to express my thoughts when I type on a keyboard, especially for blogging and essays.

So Papa Ray thoughtfully gave me a Bluetooth Keyboard for Christmas. Yey! Well yes, it's been ages, but I'm writing about it now because I think it deserves some praise. It's been an indispensable buddy for my Tab. :)

My Bluetooth Keyboard

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Freelancing at Essays.ph Yo!

I've been approved as a member of Essays.ph for a long time now however I never really found time to claim an assignment because I've been too busy with work and extra-curricular activities. And during times when I'm actually free no assignments would be available.

Today though, I chanced upon an assignment. So I clicked and claimed right away. Only to find out that I need to submit five 450-word-articles within twenty four hours. I wouldn't mind the requirement, only that I had work tomorrow so essentially, I only have roughly five hours to complete the whole thing. HUWAAAT.

So here I am writing like crazy as a first time freelance writer. It's exciting and scary at the same time. But I love how I was able to learn so much in a matter of hours. And the act of typing is so therapeutic. I think you would agree, yes? The sound of keyboards snapping is almost like running water. It's so peaceful. Bwehehe. It's really cool when you still have ideas bubbling in your head, but after a while it gets draining. But I guess that's the challenge. To write even if you feel like you no longer have ideas. To find a new angle, to come up with a new story. Ahh, I think a writers life must be amazing and stressful in different levels.

Everyone's work is stressful in different levels anyway.

I just finished churning out 4 articles. The last article is still brewing in my head but I think I'll allow myself some sleep first. In fact I'm also brimming with ideas to write on this blog. Wee.

Roomie Triple Date!

One of the things I'm really thankful for is how I've always had really awesome roommates. And my current boarding house is no exception. I may not be there all the time (specially on weekends) but I love how close we have become, and it's always awesome to have someone to girl-talk with at the end of a looooong day, or someone to borrow clothes / critique your latest get up/ share gossip with or simply just laugh your heart out. 

Sadly though, one of us is about to leave for Cebu, because she just had one of the most awesomest job offers in the world. Okay I'm exaggerating but it's an awesome awesome job offer nevertheless. So, a despedida partey is a must! And turns out it's one of the most fun we've had. Wee!

We had four super sulit hours over at Acewater Spa, followed by a bundat-sagad buffet dinner over at Yakimix, then a sing-till-you-drop session at HQ right in the middle of Guadalupe Whew!

Madame Meriam, Maila Senyora, and Lola Marshee. hahaha

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Engineering Summer 2013 - Nasugbu Batangas

After months of pooling funds, we had our summer outing over at Muntingbuhangin Resort, in Nasugbu Batangas, last April 27 (I know it's been a month, sorry for the late post heheh). :D :D It's our first overnight summer outing and it was suuuuuper fun, with unexpected visitors and twists, and just pure fun and bonding between colleagues and friends. :D

We liked the prompt service of the Resort as all of our needs for the games, plus the free breakfast and lunch (depending on the package availed), all came on time. There were attendants all over the resort ready to cater to our needs. The facilities were pretty neat too. It really caters to group and company outings and teambuildings. It was a pretty long ride going there but it's worth it :)

It was a welcome break from the office, no verifications, no line dispos, no issues. The big bosses came and there were no follow ups. Yey! Hahaha!

Here are some of the photo snippets from the outing :D Most photos by Mayolcreations (unless otherwise noted), he's getting better at this I swear. :D *wink*

We were blessed with an amazing weather

Sail together, yes? :)

Jamming!

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(Not) Getting Rid of Gaps

Written on one of those rare nights when i get home in time for telenovelas :)

Tonight i got home a bit earlier than usual, so I managed to catch up with a couple of local teleseryes. Catching up with local TV is a guilty pleasure (apart from the fact that we don't have cable lol), and it makes me feel normal. I'm a certified Kapamilya. Muhaha.

Juan dela Cruz was about to end when I started watching, and I went through Ina, Kapatid, Anak, Apoy sa Dagat, and Missing You. I didn't finish the last one because it felt predictable.But one thing I realized was that I didn't miss out too much with these teleseryes. Across all timeslots, everyone's still crying, and shouting, and scheming revenge, and shiz like that. Nothing new really.

Something's always happening. Someone looks for someone else, yells, screams, gnashes teeth, or maybe falls head over heels in love. But what TV and mainstream movies fail to show, is that life can be really boring. That sometimes a day, a week, or a couple of months could pass by, and nothing ever really happens. That part of being human is dragging yourself out of bed and walking with unseen strings called ROUTINE. No bombs, no revelations, no brouhaha's. Just a continuum of breathing and living. And you live anyway.

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The Bantayan Love Affair

It started on the Ro-ro boat, then fluorished on the pier, then blossomed into a love affair when we got into the beach. Bantayan Island was a wonderful and refreshing sight the moment we laid our eyes on those shores:

Breathtaking!

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Sun Cellular, The Good Choice in Postpaid

Its amusing to see how technology is affecting the lives of each of us, even changing our definitions of "necessity". Gone are the times when computers, and cellphones were mere expressions of luxury. Nowadays, if you wanted to keep up with the modern pace, you needed to be just a phone call away.

Even cellphone use had its own evolution, do you remember the time when SIM cards cost one thousand effin pesos? hahah. Now they peddle it on streets like peanuts. Calls used to cost us a fortune but now telecom companies are competing to have the best unlimited package in the market.

Papa Ray has been a loyal Sun Cellular postpaid subscriber since 2007, and for the budget conscious, Sun  has been consistent key player in providing affordable quality service. In fact, the Sun offers are really attractive that I was convinced to get a prepaid account. My favorite service is the Sun Powertext where you get Unlimited text, 4 hours of calls, and 500 texts to other networks for only p200 a month. I swear super sulit.

For postpaid users, they provide a wide range of combo's for all types of communication needs, whether you're a hardcore texter, someone who makes lots of calls, or does alot of mobile browsing. The plan 699 is best for the average consumer, while plan 999 is a great deal for those who are looking for unlimited mobile data, added with unlimited texting to Sun subscribers. For each plan, you get to choose the type of usage scheme, either go for unlimited call or text, or go for a fully consumable plan.

PLAN 699

Call & Text Unlimited

• Unlimited Calls & Texts*
• P250 Consumable** (except International/Domestic Operator-assisted calls)
• 350 FREE SMS to other networks

Text Unlimited  

• Unlimited Texts*
• P450 Consumable** (except International/Domestic Operator-assisted calls)
• 350 FREE SMS to other networks

Fully Consumable

• P600 Consumable** (except International/Domestic Operator-assisted calls)
• 350 FREE SMS to ALL networks

* Local Sun-to-Sun Calls and/or Texts only.
** Consumable may be used for the following:

• Sun Cellular calls to other networks – including NDD & IDD
• Sun - to - Sun MMS
• SMS2Email

PLAN 999
Text Unlimited
Get the following:

• Unlimited Mobile Internet
• Unlimited Texts to Sun
• 4 Hours Calls to Sun

They also offer the free handsets. Not only do they have great talk and text service offers, they also throw in really cool gadgets in the pack. Featured right now are the latest releases from Alcatel, with specsheets matching the high end phones of today.

Most of our relatives in Cebu use Sun Cellular, so we get to make the most out of all the unlimited services. Ray is even able to hold conference calls with relatives, with up to 6 people at a time, for family discussions, and still the call quality is superb. Now that's what you call bang for the buck!

We think it's really cool how telecom companies come up with great deals to outshine each other and the happiest of them all are us consumers. For those who are seeking to have a great postpaid deal, check out Sun Cellular roster of services at www.suncellular.com.ph

"Your Life, Your Call"

While not exactly a summer song, this is a chill-good-vibes track from a band called Junip. Perfect for long drives.

"Put yourself together, draw the line..."



I find it very fitting for the thought that has been playing in my head the whole weekend:
"Be yourself. The people who matter don't mind and the people who mind don't matter."

It can be easy to get carried away by peer pressure. I say FTW. :p

And when things get too irritating, i just remember the message from one of my favorite paintings from the Bencab museum:

"Wag mo damdamin ang mga bagay dahil ang mga bagay ay walang damdamin"

In a nutshell: Don't take anything too personally. And it's easier said than done. If this was so easy none of us would be so stressed at the end of the day. Bwehehe.

I still abide by my mantra: Live and let live. People are their own selves. Walang basagan ng trip.

Enjoying my first summer-weekend so far. An avalanche of need-to-dos are flooding my head. Excited. :D

posted from Bloggeroid

Silence is Detoxfying

I'm here at the Engineering library to work on a term paper. Students may stick their tongue at me but there's something so refreshing about working in the library for one whole day. I think it's the SILENCE.

For someone working at a manufacturing plant, working means alternating between staying in an office area of 300+ people all buzzing around like bees, and standing in the midst of 500+ machines all wire-bonding nonstop round the clock. You get used to noise. You get used to the fact that you need to think while someone is shouting, and you consider machines as mere white noise. You master the art of willing these sounds to fade into the background. You don't really have personal space aside from the 30 square inches of your office cube. Some don't even have that luxury.

In contrast -  a library. Ahhh. It's Saturday now and there are very few students. I'm hearing nothing but the low hum of the airconditioner. In front of me is a view of trees behind the building. I'm alone in a desk surrounded by books, books, and more books. My mind feels like flying into a vast space of thought and imagination. And hence, this blog.

The library feels very detoxifying.

I need to catch my head though before I get too far, I got a paper to write. And I'm still trying to find the coefficient of thermal expansion of abaca fiber. Bleh.

It's my last requirement for the last lecture subject of my masters degree. Dang it feels surreal.

I still have my thesis to work on, but yuhoo, thank God for helping me get this far. Konti nalang. :)

Have a good day!

What The Blind Man Sees

We only needed to walk a couple of meters to get into the house. It was a simple bungalow with a mini sari-sari store by the entrance. The sala welcomed us with a charcoal portrait of the charming king and queen of the Segismar clan.

Lola welcomed us with a warm tight hug, just like she did last year. They have been waiting for us since early afternoon however a couple of unexpected events prevented us from getting there as early as we would've wanted. But we were there, and I've been eager to meet the man whom I've heard a lot from. I didn't know what to expect but I looked forward to it.

Lolo is 83 and could no longer walk around like Lola does. He sat at one corner of the receiving room. I approached him and gave him a hug as Ray introduced us. He held my hand as his eyes looked straight ahead for he could no longer see. He lamented that he could no longer see my face, so I joked that at least my voice was beautiful enough.

From then on he did not let go of my hand. He started with "kanus-a mo mag-minyo?" (When will you get married?), followed by nervous laughter from me and Ray. He then sat up straight and reached his other arm to his grandson and said "Ang importante sa tanan, magka-sinabot mo" (Most important of all, is that you understand each other).

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Cebu Day 4

It's our 4th day of vacation and we just came from the awesome, awesome Bantayan Islands. I'm about to save the photoshoots for later, but what I can't wait to blog about is how much I loved bonding with my cousins, super fun! I'm happy that I get to do this at least once a year. I may not always be there but the few times we are is super worth it. :D :D

More to come!! \m/ Tomorrow I'll be going to Minglanilla to meet with Papa Ray's relatives. Heheh. 

Yey! :D

Cebu Here We Come!! \m/

So that's SUPPOSEDLY the title of this post. BUT by the time i post this we'd already be in Cebu. Becaaaause we almost got left by the plane. And our names were already called for last boarding by Cebu Pacific. Wahaha! Nagenjoy kami masyado sa aming Jollibee dinner. It appears that the flight was pulled in a couple of minutes ahead of time. Yes you read it right, AHEAD OF TIME, which is totally new for Cebu Pacific. Hehe. There was alot of waiting time at the runway though, because of the number of flights.

Anyway, yiiiihaa! Hello summer vacation! First off i'd like to rave at the fact that this is the first time that I was able to really prepare for a flight. For the past few years most of my packing has been done in a mad rush with me sticking to my bahala-na-si-batman ways. Mostly because our trips also coincide with hectic seasons at the office. However, being with an OC boyfriend does have its perks, and this time we already had a full checklist and we've also scheduled our pasalubong-shopping ahead of time.

I'm also blessed to have had a day off prior the flight, since i've been working overtime during the past couple of days (including Sunday) so i got worried that i may not have enough time to pack. There's a hell lot of difference when you pack with a relaxed mind, i got to remember most of the important things to bring plus some add-ons, i also got to plan how i'd stuff them all inside the suitcase. I was so proud of myself when my mama kept asking if i've brought this and that and this and that and all my answers were "yes nanay!". If you knew me and how forgetful i am, you'd know that it's a really big deal. Heheh!





What we're most excited about? BANTAYAN ISLANDS. Yeahmen! I'm looking forward to bonding with my cousins again and also with papa ray's relatives. Most of all, a break from all the stress and toxicity of the workplace. We're not forgetting the essence of Holy week though, as Cebuanos are some of the most devout Catholics in the country.

I'm just really thankful for breaks like this. No matter your plans, spend it wisely! Before we know it we'd be back in the real world. :p So how do you plan to spend yours?


Happy Vacation everyone!
]

Line Play - Social Networking in 3D :)

Not too long ago, we blogged about Line, a mobile app that doesn't just do free calls and messaging, but also adds more fun to the experience by throwing in fun stickers, a timeline, games, camera, and more. Me and my roomies have been getting a kick out of playing with Line Camera, the filtering and sharingoptions are quite like Instagram but this allows you to play more with your photos by adding fun icons, effects, characters, blings and all that jazz :P At first i thought it was "baduy" but when I started playing with it I couldn't stop cutie-fying my photos anymore :P :P Heehee!

Just recently they added another cool feature to their services: Line Play. Hmmm it a nutshell, it's like interacting with your only friends in a 3D space instead of just via text/ photo feeds from Facebook/ Twitter. :D It allows you to create your avatar, furnish your own space, then visit the place of your friends and you could do things together like drink tea, have some snacks, water plants, or just chat away. It's really super cute.

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Hush.. The Butterfly has come (HTC)

We took a while prior posting this entry because we've been HELLA busy for the past few weeks. Nevertheless this is one of those blogs that we looked forward to working at mainly because we're actually fans of the product. #fanmodeON!

We found ourselves marching from Laguna to Dillingers over at Greenbelt 3 last February 26 for the launch of HTC Butterfly. I'm glad we got invited for this one because I've been curious as to what the hype really is about. Much praise has been said of the Butterfly for its stunning design and features, and we wanted to see it with our own eyes.

  

Dillingers is actually a steak and brew restaurant, there was just a small HTC tarp near the door and a handful of people on the tables, so we were a little hesitant to get in. Turns out, we were led to a corner where there was a small gray-walled tunnel that led down to the Prohibition lounge, a wine bar and pub with a reception area. I think the setup was really classy and old school, like the guests were being invited to a secret. Perfect way to present the elegance of what was to come.

At Dillingers

The marketing head, Francisco Turno, and country president Richard Javier were there. I actually liked the product presentation. Straightforward and no frills. You can check http://www.htc.com/www/smartphones/htc-butterfly/ for the specs.

The HTC Butterfly is the first to bring 441ppi screen resolution in town. Take this: magazine photos are printed at about 300 ppi, museum-grade photos work with 400ppi, while this phone comes with 440ppi. So just imagine the display calibre this phone packs itself with. True enough, when we tried it, we were welcomed with unparalleled color vibrance for a phone. It was pleasure enough just to browse through the screen!

The phone also comes with a dedicated imaging chip. Well, not all 8mp cameras are created equal. Even some 12mp cameras suffer with over saturation of colors. But the HTC butterfly makes use of an imaging chip for quick shooting and better image processing. Guys, the thing can snap photos in as quick as 0.2 secs! Faster than you'd say "smile!" :p You'd never miss a precious, or hilarious moment with this one. :)

It also comes with a front 2.0megapixel camera for those vanity shots and group barkada pics (when you couldn't find someone else to take your group picture and you have to make use of "tantsameter" to fit all of you in the frame. Heheh!)

Product demo was straight forward and product-centered

Video shooting is also topnotch quality, as again, this is the first to offer 1080p HD video playback and shoot. That's like bringing your HD TV wherever you are. For whatever purpose you may have in mind, it also has a  slow motion video capture and playback capability, so that's being able to capture the smallest details of your basketball game, make fun of your friends while they eat, or just take a surreal moment of the time when your crush said "hi!".

We weren't able to check the actual performance since we only got to play with it for a short time, but so far I'm really liking the intuitive HTC Sense OS. And at 2gb RAM and 1.5Ghz, you'd expect that this is a blazing fast device.

One thing we had to check out were the audio quality and speakers. Being music lovers, this is one of our top priorities for a phone. For the previous One X and One X+ handsets, the sound quality with headsets on were good because of Beats audio, however when you use the speaker it tends to get distorted. For the Butterfly I tried to stream a couple of songs, one electronic rock, and one with heavy bass, over the internet (yes there was wi-fi), and the sound quality was pretty nice, with considerably loud volume, thanks to the built in amplifier.

rarr! I want one!!

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Norah Jones w/ Peter,Bjorn and John :)

Norah Jones, that lady who brought back the "cool" to jazz and soul

And Peter Bjorn and John (famous for their happy song "Young folks")



Collaborated and came up with an awesome track and my newest favorite song.
It's a different kind of Norah Jones, and a different kind of awesome :) There's an original version out there with it's own brand of creepy, but for me this one's better. Heheh.





Happy Saturday guys! I'm savoring a few hours of peace and de-stressing before i hit war again tomorrow ;)

Lenovo Launches the Z-Series Notebooks

Ever since its "re-branding" on 2003 (it was originally founded as "Legend" in 1984), Lenovo has been a strong contender in the computer industry, offering highly capable models for very affordable prices. It's also one of the first to introduce laptops with different colors that appeal to both yuppies and business professionals. They also manufacture mobile phones though they are more popularly known here in the Philippines for their computers. In fact, both our desktop and laptop units at the office are from Lenovo (though the older models are still from HP).

Last February 20, Lenovo launched their newest line of IdeaPad products, called the Z-Series over at E's Bar at the Shangrila Hotel. If the U-Series/ Ultrabooks are for those who want it thin and sleek, while the V series are for heavy duty notebook performance needs, the Z-Series tries to capture that sweet spot in between. Which just makes sense since most consumers are getting really techie nowadays and people would want something that can both "wow" and "deliver".

“Our slim IdeaPad Z touchscreen series equipped with Windows 8 is a testament to Lenovo’s long term commitment of driving innovation by expanding into new form factors as we lead the way to the PC+ era. The Z series blends fashion, form, and function to address the evolving needs of Filipino consumers looking for a slim, versatile, and intuitive personal computer with great multimedia and multi-touch features at a competitive price point.” - Vicky Agorilla, General Manager.

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We just hit 5K views! Oooh Wow! :D

Haha ang kilig ko lang. This blog has hit more than 5000 views today. Maybe it isn't much considering that we've been at it for half a year, but hey it's got to be something! :P

We're having alot of fun doing this. Lately whenever we see something interesting we're like "hey pwede sa blog!". It's a welcome break from all the toxicity from work. And when I say toxic I mean toxic to the nth-level-(insert-more-expletives-superlatives-here).

We love how it's a really cool learning experience for both of us. He's learning how to take photos in varying angles, setups, concepts, lighting conditions, and moving subjects. While me, aside of course from learning more about tech, consumer needs, writing, and such, I also study the perspectives of the people that we meet and get involved with and I'm learning so much. What great opportunities are opened up to us if only we could let go of our prejudice. :)

And we're raring to do more! Yey! Live with Delight! :)

To everyone who has dropped by this site once, twice, and a couple more times, thaaaanks alot nakakainspire lagi. Heehee.

For now however, I need to focus on the upcoming exam next week (insert-nagging-Ray-here-HAHA). There's a Lenovo entry to be published tomorrow and after that, the awesome awesome HTC Butterfly launch (fangirl mode ON), though this will have to wait until exam is finished. We're really really EFFIN busy with work so sometimes we couldn't update blog entries right away but I guess it's okay. *Priorities*Priorities*.

By the way, meet Crimson, my new friend. He's my first teddy! Yes my first teddy at twenty-six years of age. When I was a kid I wasn't allowed to play with my bears because I had asthma. I like him so much I take him anywhere haha. And here he is nagging me to manage my time. Heehee.

Umayos ka Marshee!

I created a wordle for the page, wee!