Mark your calendar guys! The 7th Christmas Toy Fair is happening on December 14-16, 2012 at the Megatrade Hall 1 of SM Megamall. This would be a great opportunity for newbie photographers like me to practice macro photography.
See you at this event!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Back To Malolos City After 12 Years
I went to college at Bulacan State University (BSU) in Malolos, Bulacan. I spent 6 years in college (due to failing subjects) and I graduated in the year 2000. I love Malolos and we usually hang-out at the Provincial Capitol compound (right beside BSU).
Malolos has 2 famous churches – the Barasoain Church and the Malolos Cathedral (also known as Basilica Minore dela Nuestra Señora de Inmaculada Concepcion). It also has a lot of historical places like the Casa Real de Malolos.
I immediately began working after graduation and I only went back to Malolos (now a city) after 12 years for a short visit. I was surprised that it’s no longer as crowded as before (in terms of traffic). There’s already a steel flyover at Crossing!
I was also surprised at the establishments in front of the Bulacan State University. Before, it was just a perimeter wall but now it already has a shopping mall. You can barely see BSU’s main gate.
The Barasoain Church compound as well as the Malolos Cathedral compound is still as beautiful as I remember it. It gave me a nostalgic experience when I walked from Barasoain Church to Malolos Cathedral. I love seeing some of the old houses along the street and the Casa Real as well.
Let me share to you some of the pictures I took of Malolos City. Have you been to these churches?
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Happy 149th Birthday Gat Andres Bonifacio!
For the longest time, I thought November 30 is the death anniversary of Gat Andres Bonifacio. I was so wrong all this time!
I saw a few minutes ago in Unang Hirit that they’re greeting Gat Andres Bonifacio on his 149th Birthday. So I searched Andres Bonifacio on Wikipedia and found out that it is indeed his birthday today (and not his death anniversary). For the record, 10 May 1897 is the day Andres Bonifacio died.
I am so guilty of this misinformation. I thought both Rizal Day and Bonifacio Day are celebration of their martyrdom (death). I have this impression that the Philippines give more emphasis on celebrating death anniversaries (Rizal Day, National Heroes Day) and defeats (Araw ng Kagitingan a.k.a. Fall of Bataan). It’s good to know that we have a national, legal holiday that celebrates the birth of a national hero.
My apologies Gat Andres Bonifacio. Happy 149th Birthday to you and thank you for this Legal Holiday!
To my foreign readers, Andres Bonifacio is the 2nd most venerated national hero of the Philippines, next to Jose Rizal.
Technorati Tags: Bonifacio Day,Legal Holiday
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
On My Way To Work v2.0
My current company right now is Transcom Asia. I applied here on the same day that I was terminated from Sufferland. I am now on my 3rd month and I've been taking calls here at their EDSA site (near the MRT Ortigas station).
We're supporting an Australian account and this is my first time to handle both a day shift and an Australian account. We're supporting printers, monitors and laptops. My current schedule is from 6:30 AM to 3:30 PM.
My current residence is in Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City and I take 2 rides and a short walk to come to work. I'll take a tricycle from our street to Pasig-Palengke (P12) and take a jeepney that has the Pasig-Quiapo route (P11). I'll drop by in-front of the St. Francis of Assisi Parish Church, Shaw Boulevard and walk all the way to Filinvest Building (Transcom).
It usually takes me 20 minutes to walk that distance. Mostly I walk at the back of the EDSA Shangri-La Mall. This mall is expanding and it seems that this area will be a popular spot like Trinoma or Gateway. Most shoppers prefer SM Megamall but this is Shangri-La's way of competing.
I'll cross EDSA on the overpass in front of SM Megamall, where they're currently building their multiple-floor parking area. I'll walk past the Highway 54 commercial center and the DTI satellite office. I always notice a huge crowd in this office because of the registration of helmets used by those who ride the motorcycle.
I'll stop by the MRT Ortigas Station where I'll buy my daily Taho for P10. Taho is always part of my daily routine along with Yakult. A few more steps and I’m at the Transcom Asia building.
Some of the reasons why I choose to work in Transcom Asia is the dayshift (I wanted to be human again) and the location (gives me an opportunity to walk). It's really good to walk early in the morning (as an exercise) when there aren't much people on the street (particularly in EDSA).
Technorati Tags: On My Way To Work v2.0,Transcom Asia
Monday, November 19, 2012
Pasig City Christmas Celebration 2012
The City Government of Pasig, through the Facebook page of Tanghalang Pasigueno, released today their calendar of activities for the celebration of Christmas 2012. Let’s mark these dates and let’s attend the festivities.
November 29, 2012 at Eusebio Quadrangle
3:00 PM -- Magic Show
6:00 PM -- Judging of Barangay Lantern Contest
7:00 PM -- Awarding of Barangay Lantern Contest
7:30 PM -- Ceremonial opening of Christmas Animated Display with fireworks
November 30, 2012 at Plaza Bonifacio
7:00 AM -- 149th Birth Anniversary celebration of Andres Bonifacio
December 7, 2012 at Plaza Rizal
8:00 PM -- Pasig City Band Serenata
December 8, 2012
5:30 PM -- Immaculate Conception procession – traditional route
8:00 PM -- Ceremonial Opening of Plaza Rizal Christmas Lights
December 9, 2012
5:00 PM -- Paskotitap start at Tiendesitas & end at Pasig City Hall
December 11, 2012 at Tanghalang Pasigueno
5:00 PM -- Paskong Himig 2012 Finals Night – Children: Vocal Solo & choir
December 13, 2012 at Tanghalang Pasigueno
5:00 PM -- Paskong Himig 2012 Finals Night – Open Category: Vocal Solo
Sunday, November 11, 2012
My Computer And Windows 8
We’re receiving a lot of calls lately at the office from customers who purchased Windows 8 and are having problems with the drivers mostly with the Wireless LAN driver. I’m beginning to think of upgrading to Windows 8 as well to be updated with the latest operating system (OS) to better assist our customers.
I went to the Microsoft Philippines website and checked the price of the Windows 8 Pro. It’s being offered at $69.99 which is equivalent to P2,875.19 (based on the BSP website and a conversion rate of 1US$=P41.080000). It’s not that bad considering that I purchased my Windows XP before at roughly P4,000.00.
So I downloaded and run the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant and it listed down some of the programs that are not compatible with Windows 8. These are minor programs so I can live with that. My only concern is that my favorite games like Ragnarok Online and DotA (based on the War Craft III game) is not yet compatible with Windows 8. Other than these two games, it seems that almost all the programs on my PC is compatible with Windows 8.
My computer meets the minimum system requirements of Windows 8 but to perform well with Windows 8, you have to double your computer’s capacity like 4 to 8 GB of RAM.
I was surprised to find out that Windows Live Essentials and Microsoft Security Essentials are both listed as not compatible. These are program that were created by Microsoft, the same company that created Windows 8. I also went to the support site of my laptop Asus K40IJ series to check if there are drivers for Windows 8. Since this laptop was purchased almost 2 years ago, I wasn’t able to find drivers for Windows 8. I’m pretty sure that I’ll have problems with the sound, wireless connection, video or the touchpad, just like our customers, if I upgrade to Windows 8.
I find iTunes to be the best in playing MP3 and Windows Live Writer is part of Windows Live Essentials. I also need to change my anti-virus program since the Microsoft AV is not compatible with Windows 8
Please bear in mind also that Windows 8 is designed to work best with a tablet PC that supports touchscreen technology. This OS is Microsoft’s way of battling the Apple iPad and other tablets that runs Android OS. I’m a Windows user so I’m sure I’ll enjoy this new operating system. However, I suggest to those who purchased their computers two years ago, to keep it that way. To those who purchase their computer this year, I’m pretty sure it can handle Windows 8 and their computer manufacturer would probably release Windows 8 drivers soon. Those who are purchasing a new computer this year, try a touchscreen tablet for a change. I guess all PCs would eventually be upgraded to this technology.
Are you planning to upgrade to Windows 8?
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Bad Customer Service of GM Anael (Level Up! Games)
I’m a Ragnarok player and I’ve been playing since 2003 non-stop. I never quitted the game and I’ve seen all the servers and episodes of this game. I started at Loki server in 2003 and I’ve played in Sarah, Lydia and now I’m a resident of Valhalla (former Thor).
When I played in 2003, there were only 3 servers – Chaos, Loki and Iris. Then they opened Odin and Fenrir followed by Sarah, Lydia, Urdr, Thor and Valkyrie. The servers combined and formed Tyr, Freya and Baldur and eventually formed a single Pay-to-Play (P2P) server named New Chaos. Thor was re-launched as Valhalla and LUG added new servers like New Loki and New Iris. I’ve also seen all the patches from Comodo to Revolution.
I’ve seen GMs come and go. One of the current GM of LUG is Anael. I’ve seen him once in person but I don’t usually interact with GMs unless I needed help in game. A few weeks ago, my characters got stuck in a map and filed a ticket for assistance. It’s taking a while for the resolution of the problem, so when GM Anael went online on his Facebook account, I asked for help.
He was probably in a bad mood so I was really pissed off with his answer. I remember the story of Robert Blair Carabuena when he assaulted an MMDA official. He was out of the office and was on his personal time but the name of his company, Philip Morris, was dragged into the issue. Although GM Anael was not on his official duty at Level Up! Games, he still represents his company because he’s associated with it. Gamers like me are familiar with him as someone that works for LUG.
So I filed a complaint against GM Anael via LUG’s support website but like the previous tickets that I filed regarding bugs and bots, that complaint was close without any resolution. I really hate to use my blog but this is the only way for me to let Level Up! Games know that I’m pissed off at their employee, GM Anael. I hope that somehow this blog entry would be read by Ben Colayco and reprimand his GM regarding this matter.
I’m asking this as a loyal Ragnarok player.
What’s your bad customer service story?
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Level Up! Live 2012 Day 2
Day 2 of the annual Level Up! Live 2012 were highlighted by the Cosplay competition, Ragnarok finals, awarding of the winners from different games and events, and the mini-concert of Kamikazee.
Member of Smart Team Philippines giving details to their RWC 2012 experience
There were three categories for the Cosplay competition – best female character, best male character and best NPC/monster. For the female, I believe it was from Perfect World while the best male character was a Guillotine Cross of Ragnarok Online. The best monster goes to Valkyrie Randgris of Ragnarok Online.
Day 2 of Level Up! Live 2012 were also allotted to acknowledge the 3rd place rank of the Smart Team Pilipinas who competed in the recent Ragnarok World Championship (RWC) in South Korea.
The finals match of Ragnarok Online between Chromosomes (Valhalla server) and Legion of Doom (New Loki server) also happened on Day 2. The LOD defeated Chromosomes 4-0 in a best-of-7 match. Too bad for us Valhalla server, we won’t have a modified experience week.
This year was also the first time that the 3rd jobs were used in the Ragnarok Finals and it made a lot of changes on how the game is played. Killing the professor is no longer the main objective since every character right now is a potential killer. In the 4th round, only the Sura of Chromosomes was left to battle the Rune Knight, Sorcerer and Maestro of Legion of Doom. Unfortunately, the Sura was killed by the RK due to the spam of Dragon’s Breath.
Day 2 ended with Kamikazee’s performance singing popular songs like Martyr Nyebera, Chixilog (theme song of the Ragnarok community), Narda and a duet with a female singer.
Hope to guys see you again next year for Level Up! Live 2013.
A lot of female cosplayers
Naruto and friends
Arch Bishop and Ranger from Ragnarok Online
One of the crowd favorites
The Best Female Cosplayer
Baphomet, a popular Ragnarok MVP (Boss monster)
Kafra holding a Poporing
Valkyrie Randgris of Ragnarok Online – she won the Best Monster category
Kagerou – the male 2nd job of Ninja class, from Ragnarok Online. Soon to be implemented in pRO
High Priest of Ragnarok Online
Baphomet
Royal Guard of Ragnarok Online
Even Boy Pick-up made a cameo appearance
The finals match between Chromosomes (Valhalla server) and Legion of Doom (New Loki server)
GM Aeon with the commentators during the Ragnarok Championship match
Chromosomes versus Legion of Doom
Sura of Ragnarok Online
Royal Guard and Sura of Ragnarok Online
In the end, Legion of Doom (New Loki server) was declared champion of Ragnarok Philippine Championship
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