Testing WordPress app in iPhone 4s. Below is a picture of St Michael the Archangel Parish Church in Oas, Albay, Philippines.

Below is a picture of Cagsawa Ruins in Daraga, Albay. This church was built in 1724 but was destroyed when the Mayon Volcano erupted in 1814. I used to see this in postcards before but I never realized how majestic it was until I visited the place. I felt like I was transported back in time, sort of like a time travel. It’s a must see! All Filipino children should see this so our airport officials should make local, land, and sea travel affordable. All the pics in here were taken using iPhone 4S.

Cagsawa Ruins, Daraga, Albay

I’ve seen many places in Bicol starting from Camarines Sur, Naga, and down to Legazpi. It was such a fun travel time which lasted for four days but I have to go back to Manila to avoid the risk of flood! It was horrible because I didn’t check the weather that week. Had I checked PAGASA weather forecast it would have saved me from much frustrations.

I only took a few pictures because it was raining so hard and putting up my SLR camera might do no good as well so I had to content myself on sight-seeing. Oh, well. Till next time!

One of the basis of a civilized society is the quality of living conditions of its poor and marginalized sector. I thought that low-income group always have to content themselves in squatters areas and not-so-good communities but I was wrong.

When I went to Singapore, everything I knew about urban development and housing for the masses changed. Its as if I was born again and woke up from a long, deep sleep realizing that there is hope in the Philippines and we can do something to improve the lives of the poor, the masses by starting with a “real” housing project.

The Housing and Development Board of Singapore has done an excellent job of addressing the issues surrounding public housing in Singapore during the 1960s. It was initiated by the People’s Action Party (PAP) thru its five year development plan to solve the increasing problem of squatters after Singapore gained its self-rule status after World War II.

I think we have something similar in the Philippines if you know the Bliss project started by Ferdinand Marcos under its Bagong Lipunan (New Society) party. I believe it was a promising project and mirrored something what Singapore did during its time. Some said that Marcos was also behind the idea of building such housing and collaborated with the Singapore government in coming up with such plan. I cannot verify if its true though. I cannot speak much about Philippine and Singapore history.

Let me show you some of these HDB projects in Singapore.

These HDB buildings are from Pasir Ris located in the North Eastern section of Singapore. It’s a rather beautiful place and near the famous Pasir Ris park where I spent most of my “crying moments” haha! That park is also near the beach and very refreshing and relaxing! I don’t dare swimming though since the water doesn’t seem to be that clean and besides I don’t see its permitted. There’s so much Beware signs around ;D

Singapore is a beautiful country, very organized. Their leaders teach us that the poor can live in dignity if only our politicians will act together and get their dirty “hands off the budget” and start doing real job for the benefit of the masses.

No one has to live in squatters area if only the taxes we pay goes directly to building social services that benefits everyone, especially the low-income group and the poor. We should fight corruption. How? I don’t know. But we need to start somewhere.

Hi! How’s everyone? I’ve been in more than a month long vacation in Singapore and just got back on the 24th. I promised I’ll follow up on blogs I did in the past but wasn’t able to but I’ll to go over with your comments once again and reply.

I don’t have pictures ready yet to share but I emailed a friend (who’s the leader of our meditation circle, yes I join meditation classes and groups) and here’s what I shared to him about my trip to Singapore. Take time to read and feel a bit about my experiences in there.

Just got back here in PH. There’s no place like home. I didn’t join last week’s meditation but will do this coming Sunday, 2nd session. I am still thinking of going back to SG but I will think about it for a few weeks, or months. I am planning to study programming next month so my plan to go back to SG might be delayed. SG is a great country but I sometimes think if this is the country where I really want to spend the next 3 or 5 years of my life. Somehow I got bored after staying just for a month. I dunno.

I might visit Shanghai next month to accompany a friend. I’m looking for cheap tickets lol. ;D I used to fear traveling but when I started it with SG I told myself, “where have you been all these years?!!!” haha. Traveling is so much fun. ;D

In SG I get annoyed by how people talk because even though they speak English it is sometimes totally unintelligible! But it took a few weeks and I got myself accustomed to the way they talk. I was surprised I noticed myself speaking almost the same way as they do OMG! Singlish! hahaha! And realized in the process that learning the way other people speak and becoming one of them is fun, too! ;D It somehow widened my capacity to understand human nature and become more tolerant of them. Traveling teaches us more how to be one with people whom we share nothing in common but humanity. Its so weird but interesting.

I learned a lot of things in my Stay in SG. I saw the dark side of SG as well when I stayed in a hotel right in the center of SG’s red light district in Geylang. It was awful seeing women selling their bodies like that just to earn money. I see Chinese women, Filipinos, and Indians! The last one really surprised me because while the rest of the prostitutes were almost naked, wearing revealing clothes, the Indian prosti women were covered in traditional saris At first you might laugh a bit seeing how awkward they look like but as you go walking past them you will feel a bit of pity and compassion for these people because somehow their poverty is pushing them to do things like that. Terrible. So my life is not that bad after all!

I went to SG due to a problem that I thought was bigger than myself. Then here I saw all these things happening right in front of my eyes and it widened my understanding that there are far more people out there that I do not know who are suffering way worse than what I am experiencing now.

I bought myself a MacBook Pro Early 2011 model last October and haven’t had the chance to blog about it so I’m leaving you a couple of photos for now. If you wanna use the photos, feel free to do so but please make sure that you make proper acknowledgement.

Remember that when you steal, you never succeeded in stealing someone else’s work but you steal your own worth as a person, as a human with dignity. This is more of like trying to disparage a person verbally, either online or offline, but in the end you define yourself based on your own actions.

There were no significant physical changes to the previous MacBook Pro but this one has Thunderbolt in it. I’ll add content to this as soon as I get back from Malaysia/Singapore. Go take a look at the pictures below. World Peace.

I’m glad to have received my Kindle Fire on November 19. I pre-ordered the device a week before the November 15 distribution date by Amazon and was glad that they fulfilled it on the date they promised. I received it 4 days after because the item was shipped from US to the Philippines through Johnny Air.

I let Jaypee David took pictures of my Kindle Fire for me because, as most people know, I have the most amazing photography skills ever! [if ever you understand the irony in it lol] So here we go.

Amazon Appstore not yet available in the Philippines

This is the sad part, you can’t download apps from the Amazon Appstore. The Kindle Fire is intended for US users only at this time. But you can sideload apps from outside source which I do to install twitter client and other apps I use a lot. But I’m pretty much satisfied with all the native apps in the Kindle Fire such as Mail, Pulse (a reader device, much like Google Reader), The Weather Channel which I think is pretty informative about weather compared to other apps offering similar service.

Download eBooks at the rate of Knots!

You can buy eBooks in a flash and it usually only takes about a minute or less to download. Isn’t that amazing? I hate bringing books with me because I complain a lot with weight. Now that I have Kindle Fire I guess there I’ve got no reason not to read books now. I’ve downloaded 6 already and I hop from one book to another everyday lol.

What I enjoy about Kindle Fire

• The fact that you can read books anywhere without bringing stacks of it is great. It’s environment friendly, too because using Kindle Fire to read books makes us use less paper and therefore decreases our dependence on wood for paper production.
• Reasonable price. You can’t get any better deal than $199. This is better than other tablets I’ve seen around. I like iPad but I don’t think I’d like to use it to read books. The 7″ tab like KF is great for reading.
• Impressive display. Download some pics and check it on Fire’s Gallery app. I feel like its close to retina display. OMG.
• Powerful speakers.
• You can contact Customer Service right on the Amazon Store app which is cool. They usually respond within 24 hours.

What I don’t Like about Kindle Fire

Aside from the fact that I can’t download apps from Amazon Appstore which is given here are some of the things I don’t like about it:

• Can’t disable autocorrect. It’s annoying! Perhaps the fix is currently in the works, but no resolution yet as of the moment.
• Slow Amazon Silk browser. It looks quite primitive and lacks aesthetics, too. I feel like I’m in Pleistocene epoch. OMG! I use Dolphin browser which is good. QQ is nice, too.
• Its quite heavy. It will surprise you the moment you hold it. After using it for almost half a month now I felt that I have packed a considerable amount of muscles both in my arms and biceps. OMG! I never thought getting ripped is this easy with Kindle Fire. Next time, I’ll use my abs to hold this device! Time to get some real six pack! Crazyness!

I’ll add more as I use the device.

Verdict

Love love love love! I like it. Perhaps its a question of lifestyle and personal preference. I love to read so this one is the best device for me because I get to read books a lot and buy it right in the convenience of Amazon Store. I’m not much into apps but content aggregator app is something I value and the Pulse app was able to address that need.

Kindle Fire user? Tell us what you think by sharing your comments below.

Screen Capture and Screencasts

For screen capture, I use Jing and SnagIt but I use the former more than the latter. Jing’s power lies in the fact that you can send screenshots and screencasts (video recording) without you needing to attach images or videos in email or IM which saves you time and space. If you make a screenshot or screencast Jing generates a link (like this http://screencast.com/t/b6GcB5jiL2V) and you use the same link to send to your recipient/s to see what you’ve the image or video. For screen capture you can highlight with your color of choice, add notes, arrows, or put a box around something.

Installing jing

You can install Jing by going to http://www.techsmith.com/jing/. Once installed you’ll see it on top as a floating icon (see image below).

You take screenshots by clicking the capture button, a small sphere protruding from the Jing’s icon located on top of your computer screen.

Shortcut

I love shortcuts as it saves time in unnecessary clicking and saves my fingers for early onset of arthritis . So here’s my shortcut to avoid me on clicking the capture button.

Go download it today. It’s free.

Life is really unpredictable. In a sudden twist of events I find myself managing people flat out – probably the last thing I’ve ever thought doing and surprisingly it feels great!

You’ll never know you have it until someone let you do it hands on and guide you along the way. I mean, I’m not cut out into project management but I had an interest on it since the AOL days. Never did it occur to me that I could best serve in virtual teams but its not completely different from the traditional workplace since you also need to do video conferencing, VOIP, and phone calls anyway kind of like meeting the people you work with face to face already.

The tools I use now are pretty much advance and give collaboration a whole new meaning. It feeds me the energy I needed to work harder and communicate with my team mates easier than ever!

oDesk vs Virtual Assistance outside “oDesk”

I take jobs in oDesk and enjoyed it so far but I think I kind of missed the opportunity offered outside of that platform. You know the trend where virtual assistance is gaining popularity these days and competing neck and neck with global marketplace like eLance, Freelancer.com, RentAcoder, and oDesk?

Through the kindness of one of my closest friends I was given the chance to work with a great boss who’s not only supportive but also knowledgeable in his field like the kind of person we all need in the age where some leaders feels like belittling their subordinates. My Boss Phillip brings out the best in me and makes me realize my mistake without making me feel bad about it.

He had me enrolled in an online “university” to learn web development (free of charge on my end and “guilt free”). I’m overwhelmed and he just gained my loyalty. Loyalty is something very difficult to earn these days since a lot of companies and employers treat their contractors/employees as indispensable creatures. As for me, I work best when I’m treated right or at equal level with my superior less the “air of superiority”. I feel empowered when my employer is sincere of about my success and guide you through it. Seldom you’ll find employers like that these days so I guess I’m lucky.

Project management basics

I’ll be updating this post and give you some ideas about the tools I use and some of the time-saving tips I learned with my boss. I’m really bad at time management and that’s one thing I’m learning right now. So know what’s what about project management by visiting this post again in the coming days to see what I’m cooking up here. Ciao!

As promised, I created another post to document some of the tools I use as a project manager. Today, it’s Jing: instant screenshots and screencasts.

No one loves cables running on top of the desk because they are not only distracting but also a big headache when they start to collect dirt. But these cables are probably more annoying if have to use when your working while traveling.

Unless you’re just bringing your laptop to connect to your friends and family, updating your Facebook and Twitter accounts there’s probably no need to bring another gadget like mouse. However, because traveling has become part of the work of many professionals having a wireless mouse will surely come in handy.

Miniscule Pico receiver

That small RF receiver you see in my laptop is for the Genius Traveler 6000 Wireless Mouse. It let’s the wireless mouse to communicate with the computer and accomplish your scrolling and clicking.

The 2.4GHz wireless mouse sports a standard design and fully functional features and devoid of all unnecessary protrusion. Its everything you need for a comfortable computer mouse experience.

The device worked in my Windows 7 64bit OS and assures of the same for XP/Vista and Mac OSX 10.4.

What I like about this gadget is that it that the mouse has a storage slot inside for the receiver which lessens the chances of it breaking or getting lost when traveling. The RF receiver is quite small and easily broken so you don’t want to put it in places where it could collect dirt or easily be crushed by any of your stuff in your bag.

Battery Life

Nothing more like to maneuver your computer screen with ease by using a mouse with less hassle because its wireless. The power switch found on the bottom of the device is useful for saving battery power.

The Genius Traveler 6000 Wireless Mouse requires a single triple A battery that usually lasts for a month with 8 hour, everyday use. I’d advice you to remove the battery when the device is not in use to extend the life of the battery.

Conclusion

I think the Genius Traveler 6000 Wireless Mouse is a good device and at PhP650 it’s worth it. I recommend it and will consider buying similar brand should this mouse stops functioning in the future. The price might become cheaper soon as new models come in so be sure to check them out.

The color I chose was royal blue, although two other colors are available as well – ruby rose and diamond black.

Update 09/12/2011: I officially stopped using this today while working at home because it eats too much battery power. I have to replace the battery every 5-7 days which is not good. I stay a lot in front of a computer so I decided to go back into using a wired mouse again. I’ll reserve it for future use especially when I go traveling.

Jaypee of Enjayneer.com took photos of Hacienda Macalauan in Laguna. The place is famous for its delicious milk produce. They import cows and bulls New Zealand abroad (probably New Zealand, Switzerland, Australia) and milk them here. Saw them myself and was super amazed by them, they’re huge with deafening moos.

What surprised us the most is the spring (probably hot spring) at the back of the hacienda. It’s magical and the place is serene. They said the entire place is owned by the Ayalas although I’m not sure of that 100%.

Even though Jaypee is only using kit lens he really take good pictures. He really has the eye of a photographer. We have the same camera but my shots are frustrating! OMG! LOL

Because I envision to spend the the next few months traveling while working I decided to buy myself a laptop. I kept wondering why I only got myself this thing just now when I could have done this several years back.

My HP desktop is barely new, a few months to go before it turns 1 year but I decided that its really time to go using laptop and leave my desktop behind.

I am writing this review devoid of all the technical side since I’m not good at it but I promise you that I’ll use a language that all of you readers out there would understand. So let me start reeling off what’s important and what I know so far.

So what made me choose the Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830T than any other laptops available in the market today? Let’s go take a look.

Very light and thin

At 1.87 kilo and 0.87″ thin, I think its one of the lightest and thinnest notebook around compared to its contemporary rivals. Aside from a “sexy” look, weight is one thing I consider the most in buying stuff (even for a cellphone!).

Ultra thin

I hate baggage in my life – emotional, physical, whatever (LOL kidding!) so I don’t want really buy things that can potentially give me scoliosis or make me hunchback in years time so Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830T is a perfect fit for me.

It’s 13.3 inches and is perfect for people who just write, check their emails, and do work-related stuff, and a little picture editing but this isn’t fit for professional photographers perhaps. Probably go for a bigger screen. But the size is perfectly fine with me and I can edit picture with no trouble at all.

NOTE: The small thing on the right side of the gadget is actually an RF receiver for the wireless mouse that I bought recently. It’s the thing that let’s the wireless mouse “communicate” with the computer. #nosebleed

Sophisticated Look

You’d love Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830T’s entire package. Aside from being lightweight, the entire external architecture was well planned and brilliantly crafted. Simple design with compact and sturdy look are win-win for consumers so I sometimes ask myself why other laptop manufacturers keep on producing lousy, hideously thick ones.

Lovely back

The keyboard is cool but I only have a problem with the Enter key since it won’t go register on the UI if you tap it lightly on the edge. I mean a certain amount of effort and precision to hit it in the center is needed to make it work. Its probably just me or my hands are stubborn not to hit it the right way.

It has a front facing camera yes (1.3 megapixel) ! It serves its purpose but quite poor quality especially at low light conditions.

Keyboard is OK. Can be improved

Cool external speaker but…

I love the external speaker, I’m super satisfied. It says its Dolby home theater so believe that it is. But there’s something wrong when I use Apple headphone in it because the sound suddenly hit down low, broken as if its a bit distorted. I’m not sure but there’s probably a way to fix it. Help!

Dolby home theater speaker

Great battery life!

You’ll fall in love with its battery life. At 6 cell, I was surprised it could last 5.5-6 hours with nonstop use! I surf, play video, music, and all and it just keeps going and going (I sometimes even charge my iPod and portable wifi modem, too! Amazing!

This thing retails at around PhP36k but I got for PhP32,500 cash at a gadget store in SM Megamall. Prices could drop soon.

Here are additional details to this laptop. I’ll add more info as I use it.

Intel Core i5 15-2410M 2.3 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
Intel HD Graphics 3000, up to 821 MB Dynamic Video Memory
13.3″ HD LED LCD
2 GB DDR3 Memory
640 GB HDD
Acer Nplify 802.11b/g/n
6-cell Li-ion battery

Conclusion

Perfect gadget both for professionals and students. I never regret buying it. I’d definitely be on the lookout for Acer products in the future.

The pictures were taken by my ever reliable photographer Jaypee David of enjayneer.com.