Dec 19, 2012

Where to find LAB.C + D iPhone 5 Cases in Manila

Posted Dec 19, 2012
LAB.C is a maker of beautiful iPhone cases and their products have reached the Philippine shore. It can be found in Beyond the Box, an Apple re-seller. Stores are located in Resort's World and in One Rockwell (East).


I'm not aware of other stores selling Lab.C products although you can also find them in Sulit.com.ph. I prefer buying this kind of item in retail stores since a lot of fake products are circulating the market. Plus, I'm surprised to find out that it costs more to buy in Sulit.com.ph (~P1,800) than in Beyond the Box (P1,071).


LAB.C iPhone 5 cases cost P1,190 each, if you avail the 10% discount, it becomes P1,071. Not too bad, but I still think Apple accessories are way overpriced.


For more information on Beyond the Box, go to their website or contact them through:

Newport Mall Resorts World
Address: 3rd Flr. Shop 6, Resort World Manila 100 Andrews Ave. New Port
Pasay City 1309
Phone Number: 846-2390
Email:@beyondthebox.ph

One Rockwell
Address: Unit No. 103, One Rockwell East Tower, Rockwell Center,
Makati City
Phone Number: 4787765, 4787767

Lucky China Town Mall
Address: 3/F Shop 6 Newport Mall, Newport City, Cybertourism Zone, NAIA Terminal 3,
Paranaque City
Phone Number: 8462390



How to Avail the 10% Discount in Beyond the Box stores

To avail the 10% discount in Beyond the Box stores, you just need to post a Facebook status and tweet the ff:

I am in my favorite Apple Premium Reseller store in the metro, Beyond the Box at One Rockwell

or whatever store you're at, e.g. Resorts World Manila. Happy shopping!


iOS 6.0.2 Update - Should You Update?

Just saw a new update 6.0.2, it is a minor update for iPhone 5 and iPad Mini regarding Wi-Fi issues and several bug fixes. I don't seem to seem to notice in any problems in Wi-fi connectivity, and so, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Some are reporting problems connecting to Apple servers, but it's probably due to the number of users updating their software.


If you are planning to jailbreak your iPhone, updating to this version is not recommended until it is properly supported.

Dec 16, 2012

Donaire vs Arce 2012 Fight [Video]

Posted Dec 16, 2012


I enjoy watching Donaire's fights more than Pacquiao's, and this one is no different. Congratulations to our very own Nonito Donaire! 

Dec 10, 2012

PALEA Rallies Around San Miguel Ave

Posted Dec 10, 2012
As I was about to have lunch today, 10th of December 2012, when I saw the group of Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) building up at the entrance of San Miguel compound. When their number increased, they rallied around San Miguel Avenue, Ortigas Centre. I decided to follow them and take pictures and vidoes. feeling reporter :)



Most of them wore red shirts and carried banners and printed flags that signifies what they are fighting for, of which I didn't have a clue so I asked one of them, Ano pong ipinaglalaban ninyo? He replied Kami yung mga regular employees na gustong gawing contractors ng PAL. Bababa na sweldo namin, mawawala pa benepisyo kaya hindi kami pumirma! They were regular workers then PAL decided to outsource the job and make them contractual workers in the process.


As I joined them for a brief moment, I felt how their spirits unite and the emotion of standing firm on your principles. Plus, they did it in a peaceful and orderly manner. I hope it is enough to reach the ears of the concerned parties.


The rally caused significant traffic in the already busy streets of Ortigas Centre. But as of writing (1PM), I checked San Miguel Ave from my workplace, it seems that the strike has already ended.


San Miguel Corporation (SMC) bought 49% of PAL shares last April, 2012. I don't know much about the issue, but I'm guessing that the company did this to cut costs. In my opinion, loyal employees should be given what's due for them. Profit is good, but if at the expense of hard-working citizens, the move should be re-evaluated. It isn't as if SMC / PAL is on its way to bankruptcy, is it?

Dec 9, 2012

Pacquiao vs Marquez 4 Live Blog

Posted Dec 9, 2012





Upto the minute update on pacquiao marquez 4 fight. Just refresh this page regularly to see the updates.

------------------------

For a moment, I thought Manny died. I think Manny should retire.

2.05pm - Manny on the interview says he didn't expect the punch. Says he was over confident. Will we expect a 5th match? Bob Arum says, Why Not.

2pm - Marquez had a definitive win on rouand 6 which he was targetting for.

2pm - Marquez wins by knock out victory. A SAD day for Filipinos.

1.54pm Manny is up.

1.53pm Manny still not getting up.

1.49pm - Round 6. Good punches by Manny. Marquez retaliates with counter punches.  Manny is down, seems for good.

1.45pm - Round 5. Marquez touches the canvas! Fight is getting more intense. Fight continues. Manny hammers Marquez. Crowd roars as Marquez was cornered. Good round for Manny.

1.41pm - Round 4. Manny more cautious on this round. Jinky and the rest of Filipinos looking more nervous.

1.47pm - Round 3. Manny knocked down. Gets up quickly. A small victory for Marquez.

1.33pm - Round 2. Manny taking the lead.  Round ends. Not much action, but manny is more active.

1.30pm - Round 1 starts.  Manny starts to connect clean shots. Manny is dictating the fight on their first round.

1.27pm - Kenny Bayles as the referee. Pacman on gray shorts. Marquez on black. Instructions have been given.

1.24pm - Manny Pacquiao enters. Crowd roars. Jinky looking a bit anxious.

1.15pm - Juan Manuel Marquez enters the arena first. 

1.11pm - National anthems have been sung. Video regarding the history between the two fighter starts

1.02pm - "Round 37" of Pacquiao - Marquez starts in a while.

12.59pm - End of 12 rounds. Gamboa announced as the winner. Farenas has great stamina to survive all the rounds.

12.50pm - Round 10 ends. Not much action this time.

12.45pm - Round 9. Farenas knocks down gamboa!  Fight continues.

12.35pm - Round 7. Farenas being hammered. Down for the second time, but quickly recovers. Farenas connects new punches to Gamboa. This is not over yet.

12.24pm - this is an intense fight. Farenas hitting solid punches, seem to wobble Gamboa.

12.16pm - crowd roars as Farenas seems to hurt Gamboa.

Farenas knocked down at round 2 by a quick right hand.

12.10pm - Gamboa - Farenas fight starts. This is the last match before the Pacquiao - Marquez fight.

12.01pm - Gamboa vs Farenas (from the Philippines) is about to start.

50 Cent performs live at the arena as Gamboa enters the ring.

11.58am - Manny is being interviewed at the locker room, says he's ready for the fight and very focused.

11.34am - Main fight is yet to start


Dec 8, 2012

Watch Pacquiao vs Marquez 4 Live Stream on Dec 8

Posted Dec 8, 2012
Update: click here to read the live blog of the fight. 


If the impossible happens and nobody watches the HBO pay per view tomorrow, Manny Pacquiao is guaranteed to get 942 million pesos. Juan Manuel Marquez, on the other hand, will get around P246 million. That's a lot of money!


Okay, this is not really a live stream site. I'm sure several sites will host a free live streaming of Pacquiao Marquez fight tomorrow, December 9, 2012. Maybe I'll update this blog entry tomorrow if I find free live streaming sites. Personally, will watch it on SM theater because it's more fun to watch boxing matches with a crowd.


Link to LIVE Stream
If you want to share live streaming sites, add it in the comment section below.

Dec 4, 2012

Apple iPhone 5 now available for pre-order at Globe

Posted Dec 4, 2012
Today, Apple has confirmed the shipment of iPhone 5 to the Philippines set on December 14. Globe also announced today that the iPhone 5 is available for pre-order on their website.


Globe didn't tell how much the iPhone 5 will be or on what postpaid plan it will be bundled with. I'm hoping it will be affordable on Plan 1799. 

You can reserve a white or black iPhone, a 16GB, 32GB or 64GB capacity.



The previous rumor was off by one day, but not bad, for a hearsay.

Dec 3, 2012

Dec 2, 2012

McAfee Antivirus founder Interviewed [Video]

Posted Dec 2, 2012
John McAfee, 67, is on the run from the police after he's been wanted for questioning about the murder of his neighbor Gregory Viant Faull in Belize. In several interviews, he denied the allegations and said this was a set-up made by the government when he refused to give a donation to a politician.


Even after the police said that he's not a suspect and there's no reason to run, that they simply want to question him, McAfee still fears for his life, saying if he's captured, they will kill him. Either he tells the truth or he just watches too many conspiracy films.

 

The bizarre story of McAfee antivirus software company founder John McAfee keeps getting weirder, and now CNN has caught up with the 67-year-old tech titan at his hideout in Belize.

Nov 30, 2012

Bagong Passport ng Tsina, Ipinrotesta ng Pilipinas

Posted Nov 30, 2012
Ito yata ang unang entry na isusulat ko sa Filipino dahil medyo sensitibo ang paksa.

Sa mga nakatira sa lungga at hindi nakaka-alam: mayroong tunggalian na nagaganap sa pagitan ng Tsina, Pilipinas, Vietnam at Taiwan sa pag angkin ng Scarborough Shoal, isang napakaliit na isla sa kaliwa ng Pilipinas na sinasabing ang pwedeng pag minahan ng langis.

Inyo na lahat?
Sa pinakabagong hakbang ng Tsina para ipakita ang kanilang teritoryo, naglabas ang kanilang gobyerno ng bagong disenyo ng pasaporte na nagpapakita ng mapa kung gano kalawak ang umanoy saklaw ng Tsina sa South China Sea / West Philippine Sea. Ito ay nagsulsol ng negatibong reaksyon sa buong mundo. Ang Taiwan at India ay nagsabi na ng kanilang pagtutol. Ang Vietnam at Pilipinas naman ay nag file na ng diplomatic protest at hindi na magtatatak ng mga bagong pasaporte ng Tsina bilang protesta.

Kailangan talagang linyahan?
"Hindi dapat masyadong bigyan ng kahulugan ang mapa [translated]", ang sabi ng Chinese Foreign Ministry. Ang reaksyon naman ni Albert del Rosario, Foreign Affairs Secretary, ay dapat alisin nalang sa pasaporte ng Tsina ang kontrobersyal na mapa.

Ang ilan sa ating mga mamamayan ay nag dadalawang isip na sa pagpunta sa Tsina bilang tumaas nanaman ang tensyon sa pagitan ng dalawang bansa.



Ang mga isla sa gitna ng China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia at Bruinei ay matagal ng pinag-aawayan dahil sa potensyal na malaking mina ng langis. Kabilang dito ang Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands, at ang pinakabagong pinagaawayan ngayon, ang Scarborough Shoal / Panatag Shoal.


Sa aking opinyon, immature at kakapalan ng mukha ang paglagay ng bagong mapa sa kanilang pasaporte. Maihahambing ko ang Tsina sa isang batang nag tatantrums at nagpapapansin. Akin 'to, hindi kita bati attitude.  Mahilig ang Tsina mag provoke pag dating sa issue ng teritoryo, katulad nalang nung nagpadala sila ng mga barkong pang digmaan sa Scarborough palibhasa siguro ay may kapangyarihan sila at inaabuso nila ito para i-bully ang mga kalapit-bansa.

Naway hindi humantong sa gyera ang mga alitang ito. Share an island, win a friend na lang! :)
For those who live in a cave, there's an ongoing conflict between China and the Philippines regarding Scarborough Shoal. A small island, west of Philippines said to be rich in oil. In the latest news, Chinese government issued a new design of their passport which includes a map to make the world see their reach on the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea. This sparked negative reactions world-wide. Vietnam and Philippines filed a diplomatic protest and refused to stamp the new passports of China.

Nov 26, 2012

iPhone 5 Release Date in the Philippines

Posted Nov 26, 2012
Based on rumors and a "reliable" source, Apple's iPhone 5 is said to be released on December 15, 2012 here in Manila. It didn't say which telecom it will come from nor the time and place of the launching. Take it with a pinch of salt.


Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Note II promo of Globe is very popular. I see many of my friends availing it. As for the SIII, I don't see any promos yet probably because it's arguably the most wanted phone right now.

[Update] iPhone 5 is now confirmed to be released on the Philippines on December 14, 2012.


Galaxy Note II Promo from Globe and Smart

You can avail of the Samsung Galaxy Note II from Globe which comes with a Plan 999 contract locked for 2 years, and additional P700 per month. In total that's *1699 per month you will be paying to get this promo.


Globe's Plan 999 includes

  • Unlimited mobile surfing for 24 months
  • 200 SMS and 10 minutes of calls to Globe/TM

*P16,800 cashout at Plan 999 is payable at 0% 24 months installment payment via credit card.
I wonder if there's any discount if you use cash instead of credit card.

Here's the link to the Globe promo.

Smart is also offering Note 2 in their plan 2000. Samsung will enjoy the sales while the Philippines wait for the arrival of iPhone 5 which is said to be released soon.

Galaxy Note II Specifications:


BODY
Dimensions
151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4 mm (5.95 x 3.17 x 0.37 in)
Weight
183 g (6.46 oz)

- Touch-sensitive controls
- S Pen stylus

DISPLAY
Type
Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size
720 x 1280 pixels, 5.5 inches (~267 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch
Yes
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 2

MEMORY
Card slot
microSD, up to 64 GB
Internal
16/32/64 GB storage, 2 GB RAM

DATA
GPRS
Yes
EDGE
Yes
Speed
HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL
WLAN
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth
Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, LE, EDR
NFC
Yes
USB
Yes, microUSB (MHL) v2.0, USB Host support

CAMERA
Primary
8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Features
Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization
Video
Yes, 1080p@30fps
Secondary
Yes, 1.9 MP


FEATURES
OS
Android OS, v4.1.1 (Jelly Bean)

Chipset
Exynos 4412 Quad

CPU
Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A9

GPU
Mali-400MP

Sensors
Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer

Messaging
SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS

Browser
HTML5

Radio
Stereo FM radio with RDS

GPS
Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS

Java
Yes, via Java MIDP emulator

Colors
Titanium Gray, Marble White



BATTERY

Standard battery, Li-Ion 3100 mAh
Stand-by
Up to 980 h (2G) / Up to 890 h (3G)
Talk time
Up to 35 h (2G) / Up to 16 h (3G)


Nov 25, 2012

Zoren - Carmina Wedding Videos

Posted Nov 25, 2012
The first thing that came to mind: Will it have an effect on the stock price of RFM?  Lol, because I bought some RFM shares (RFM is the owner of Selecta). Other than that, it's all sweetness.

Here are the videos, from preparation to the proposal to the actual wedding. Whew, that was a lot of work; very well-thought-of. It's enjoyable to watch if you have a mushy side:


[Update] Preparation videos:



[Update] Here's a video from Nice Print:


What's the Best Thing About Being a Programmer?

You can make it snow. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Nov 24, 2012

Free Movie on December 8 Courtesy of SM Digital Cinemas

Posted Nov 24, 2012
If you go to SM's e-Plus Facebook page from November 22 - December 6, 2012, you can avail this free movie pass to any digital theater of SM nationwide. Just click on the Free Movie Day app, like the page and complete the registration.

Go to Facebook.com/eplus.sm

The movies included in this event are: House at the End of the StreetStolenDeadfall, Step Up: Revolution, Himala and Supremo: The Andres Bonifacio Story. Frankly, none of the films interests me but nothing beats a free movie. Unfortunately, I have to be somewhere on this date. Knowing how Pinoys crave for free stuff, it is highly likely that SM Digital Cinemas will be jam-packed on that day.


As a side note, I'll share how I bought my SM Cinema tickets online today.

Ayala's SureSeats started online reservation and payment way before SM did, but I find their system not user-friendly. If you just reserve the tickets in SureSeats, you need to be at least 45 minutes before the movie starts or else they will sell your slot to someone else. If you don't want that hassle, you have to purchase the ticket which requires you to be registered first with MPass. MPass is an additional registration on top of your registration with Sureseats; again, another hassle. I don't know if they still operate this way, but that was my experience before.

Fortunately, SM did not make the same mistake. All I needed was to register and purchase with my credit card. Unlike in sureseats, there's no need for additional steps, and no need to hurry up because you already bought the ticket.


How to purchase SM Cinema tickets online

  1. Go to smcinema.com and select the movie you want

    In this case, I clicked "Buy Tickets" for the movie Twilight, lol! :))
             
  2. Select the desired cinema and time

    Selected Podium, 12:30PM
                               
  3. If it is your first time, just register, else you can proceed with login
    If it's your first time, register first.


  4. Reserve a seat, choose the credit card option and click Purchase


    The screen is on top. Red ones are taken and gray ones are available.

    Select the credit card option (middle) and click Purchase!

  5. In the confirmation screen, it is worth noting to choose to receive your eTicket code in your mobile phone. This option is the least troublesome since you only need the text message sent to you to claim your tickets.

    Select Yes to receive your ticket code in your mobile phone

  6. Proceed with the credit card payment. You will receive a text message afterwards and you can use this to claim your tickets in the selected cinema.


That was relatively easy. The tickets were claimed successfully and the movie was great. No need to fall in line; it is a good life. Happy watching!

Nov 23, 2012

Apple's Black Friday Sale includes Philippines!

Posted Nov 23, 2012

It is very tempting to order from Apple's PH Online Store because the Philippines, along with all of Apple's online stores, is included in the Black Friday sale. For those who are not familiar, Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving day in America, and it signifies the start of Christmas shopping. Stores usually participates by giving great discounts to all of their items during this one-day event, and fortunately, Apple has extended this to all of its online stores.

Here's a quick photo of the discounts available in Apple Philippines:


Even smart covers are included in the sale. Hmm very tempting indeed.


Nov 13, 2012

A New Design to mvergel.com

Posted Nov 13, 2012
The number of people visiting this site has increased (but more on that on later posts) and mostly from the United States, probably because of my programming blog. It's reaching 16k since 2011.


In line with the increasing page views, I decided to re-design my site to give it a fresh look and accommodate newer devices. Last night I finished my initial design to mvergel.com. Though it still needs polishing, I have uploaded it already it can be tested and I can be informed about the problems of the new design in different resolutions, devices, or browsers.


The design is minimalist with a hint of inspiration from the metro style. I had a dilemma between light or dark website but ultimately chose a dark theme, aiming to reduce eye-strain.

I took advantage of CSS3 for subtle effects. When you hover in the main menu, you will notice the smooth transition from being gray, semi-translucent image to an opaque, colored one.  The bouncing animation of Twitter, Google Plus and RSS, and the way the advertisement follows you were also done using CS3. And the clouds! If you a browser other than Internet Explorer, e.g. Chrome, Firefox or Safari, you should be able to see several clouds moving from right to left. I had fun using CSS3; it enabled me to render effects and animations which, before, were impossible without Adobe Flash.

Speaking of advertisement, I decided to put one advertisement in my personal website so I can experiment on it. You should be able to see this on the right-side panel with the header "My sponsor" if you are using a desktop browser with a large-enough resolution. I placed it in such a way that it's visible without being obstructive or annoying. If it's annoying, feel free to comment about it.


The design is fluid; implemented using CSS3 Media Queries. What does this mean? If you're using a desktop browser, try resizing your browser window to a smaller width. You will see that the menu and content adjusts accordingly as the width becomes smaller as illustrated in the above image. The fluid layout is for better viewing on your mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, Android devices). There are still some quirks, like uneven padding and margin and it will be fixed later.


Lastly, I replaced the photos from my feed and from my "Photos" page with my pictures from Instagram. Instagram has recently opened their API to public, so I decided to take advantage of this opportunity and integrate Instagram to my site. Previously, I used Picasa Web Albums API to stream my photos.

That's it! The new design is still a work in progress, and it will improve over time. For now, I'm happy with the initial one.

Oct 22, 2012

Pesobility.com reaches 600 page views and earns its first $0.5

Posted Oct 22, 2012
Thank you for supporting my first niche site, pesobility.com. It targets affluent Filipino people who want to get started with investing in the Philippine market and the advantages of it as compared to just letting money sleep in a savings account.

It's uplifting to know it reached its first 600 page views in less than a month! Visitors were mostly from the Philippines, some are from states, India, UAE, and Malaysia (Chanot ikaw ba 'to?)


It's also my first site I'm experimenting on to include ads, which gives the opportunity to earn passive income. If it becomes successful, I'll teach you guys how to do it step by step. Exciting things are happening now; from the 600+ page views, it earned $0.5. I know it's not much, but it's a first for me and I'm happy about it. Anyway, it won't be of much use to me until it reaches $10 because only then that I can encash it.

Please do visit the site pesobility.com and subscribe by email and/or follow my pesobility posts on Twitter @pesobility. Thank you, thank you for the love and support!

Pa support at pabisita ng mga sponsors kung interesado kayo sa nakalagay. Ma appreciate ko yon, libre ko nalang kayo pag nagkita tayo hahaha!

Oct 3, 2012

I bought another domain! Pesobility.com

Posted Oct 3, 2012
I just bought pesobility.com. This is related to a rant I posted regarding the free edition of Google Apps.

I just thought of documenting how I'm starting to invest my money and the term pesobility came to mind. I looked it up, lo and behold it's still available! I couldn't let it pass, so I quickly made the purchase hahaha! Is it counted as an impulse buy?


Yes that's the rush logo I made just to replace the default favorite icon of the site; it looks Christmasy! Weird, it's only up for one day and it already has 200+ views already. Maybe something to do with the topic of money, it attracts people, lol!

Right now it's still under construction. It will start with a blog, then later build the website. Please support it and subscribe to blog updates especially if you want to learn how to start investing your money in the Philippines. I'll research for you!

May 16, 2012

Diablo 3 Nvidia 310m Optimus issue

Posted May 16, 2012


While the server is down, I'm gonna blog about an issue I found in my Optimus-enabled laptop. For those who don't know, Optimus is a technology by Nvidia that allows the laptop to shift between the discreet video card and the built in intel video card in real-time depending on the need of the system in order to save on precious battery life.

The issue is Diablo III doesn't use the Nvidia card and continues to use the Intel card resulting in poor performance. I've verified this using GPU-Z. I was surprised that even the login screen is choppy / laggy.

The workaround: Right click the Diablo 3 icon / executable > Run with graphics processor > Select Nvidia card. This significantly increased the performance of the game.

If you don't see the option "Run with graphics processor" option in your context menu, go to Nvidia Control Panel, click "View" menu then select "Add Run with graphics processor to context menu" option.

My Specs:
Asus UL80JT
Nvidia 310M Optimus / Intel GMA HD
4gb memory

[update] For those experiencing crash, lockups, freeze, hangs in UL80JT. Try to update your BIOS to version 215.

May 2, 2012

Ok, I freaked myself out a bit

Posted May 2, 2012
Below is a letter from my past self written four years ago dedicated to my present self. It kinda blew my mind because this is the first time I'm reading it again after I wrote it way way back in my Multiply blog. Luckily I saved this one. I'll include my inline replies, so here it goes...

-----
A letter to Manny Part II
Jun 12, '08 11:23 PM

This is one of the weirdest things I've done in my entire life.  3 years ago, I wrote a letter to my future self (10 or 20 years ahead) and I just read it now and it's really freaking me out, well for one because of my picture there, black and white, it's like I'm already dead or something haha!  The blog is located at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-MKYBCjc8eqgPYzjyae797.OBrQ--?cq=1&p=119 for those who're interested in this weirdness.
[2012 manny] Ok, our Yahoo 360 blog doesn't exist anymore, I don't know if we saved it. I wish we did, and the fact that I'm referring to us in plural form is freaking me out! 

I want to write another letter, to my past self and to my not so far future self about 3-5 years in time so here it goes...


[2012 manny] Not bad :))) So before before it was black and white, and this one is sepia. Still look dead to me lol, next time I should use a colored one, or maybe effects like this is okay for added .. uhh ... effect. 

To my past self... technically that letter is not meant for me yet because I'm still the +3 years version of you.  Reading that letter again after a while made me realize how optimistic and passionate you were, and you still are, but in this time you are a little weary with the things that are happening around you.  I really like it when you said "because you might end up giving all your heart to her. If you lose her, you'll lose everything, andyan pa naman si God eh, don't forget that, when men fail you, God will not", and in this point in time I'm holding on to that truth.  
[2012 manny] Thank you for reminding me about this one.

I've disappointed you with the things I've done, I know, and I'm not proud of it.  My convictions have fallen to the ground but I'm slowly picking up the pieces. 
[2012 manny] Ok, I've done worse.

Funny I still am concerned with my simple joys and the littlest of things, how I still believe in "magic" and serendipity.  Still a hopeless romantic.  Mababaw lang naman tayo eh, and I think this who you are and it won't really change much.  
[2012 manny] Agree 100%, we'll be forever like this, gift and a curse thing.

Beyond the tragedies of life, I can still say that I'm doing good here, well in work, currently I'm slumped but pay is good and I still enjoy at what I do best, and in love life... hmmm wag nalang.  
[2012 manny] Would you believe I still work there, LOL, talk about loyalty.

I know you have tons of circle of friends there, and you still do here although you'd be surprised because what you thought were impossible like losing some friends, breaking hearts, and the likes took place here.  All hope is not lost though... sabi mo nga "Continue to be on fire for God there, remember, you cried your heart out because of His love"... Yep, I still remember.
[2012 manny] :)

Lastly for the coffee, because we love coffee and we continue to search for great coffee, right now I'm really loving Starbuck's Cappuccino, so much that I want to know how I can get to replicate its exact taste and aroma hehehe.  Maybe someday 
[2012 manny] I'm over Starbs cappuccino, I'm liking CBTL more.

To my future self, around 3-5 years in time...
[2012 manny] Yes; me time!!! It's been almost 4 years

It's almost midnight here, and here I am again, writing a letter.  If you can still remember, you were here in your Kuya's crib staring at your widescreen lcd monitor with your ever faithful computer named Lemon. 
[2012 manny] It's 11PM here, nakalaptop na ko ngayon, d ko na nagagamit si Lemon.

You already sold the old one, then painstakingly researched for the high end but affordable computer part by part and assembled it yourself and it was good.

I really do not have much to say to you, just a summary of what I learned here and I tell you, don't forget to love yourself, that's one thing you were struggling to do here, and don't lose yourself again because you drag people down along with you, you're like a virus and you become a menace to society hehehe.
[2012 manny] I'm starting to love myself, thankfully. I've already learned so much, and have better self control this time, well.. most of the time, just avoid getting too drunk.

As my past self said, continue holding on to God's promises.  You are currently single here and I don't know how long you can stay single because I know you always want a witness to your life.  
[2012 manny] Wow you're like a mind-reader, but I'm, once again, single.

You enjoyed one on one talks, not necessarily dating but just talking about stuff with another soul.
[2012 manny] If I enjoy talking with my past self, how much more with a present soul, LOL! It's just hard for me to find someone of the same wavelength, I'm a bit weird. hehe

You just watched a movie by yourself here (remember? Kung Fu Panda!) and found out it was not good doing it alone hehehe, so most probably upto your time there you haven't watched another movie without someone else by your side hahaha!
[2012 manny] Oh em, I remember. And yes, you are correct! I won't ever repeat that experience again!

Still haven't found the ultimate steak house, the one with thick, juicy yummy yet affordable steak, I know it's hard to find that, just like finding yourself if you can still vividly remember, but don't stop trying, you'll find it.
[2012 manny] Subic meat plus is good, House of Minis C5, Bugsys, and Gullivers are also good but no bestest steak ever, yet.

I trust you future manny, that you are now much better than what you were and you continue to bring life to the people around you.  Your life may not be as simple as it used to be, but it shouldn't let you down.
[2012 manny] Definitely became more complicated, but going back to the simple but happy life :)

This version of me is not really the most encouraging one don't you agree, but I'll get there, and move forward to who I'm destined to be... and destined to be WITH bwahahahaha! Woot! 
[2012 manny] Dar n, I need encouragement at this point in time but it's okay. Overall I'm happy with what I wrote 4 years ago. Maybe I'll write a similar letter again soon. I don't know if this thing is a disorder, like, am I on the verge of schizophrenia? Who cares, I enjoy this haha!

Apr 25, 2012

ICS for my Xperia Arc S is finally available

Posted Apr 25, 2012
Just checked Sony Mobile's blog and found out Ice Cream Sandwich (Android version 4.0 ) is now available for my Xperia Arc S with SI Number 1254-0652. I'm excited to update!


True enough, it showed on my PC Companion when I connected my phone. Hope everything goes well; this is an early birthday gift for me. Backup backup backup! A bit sad that my Coin Dozer will most likely return to level 1.

Apr 13, 2012

Testing Bloggeroid for Android

Posted Apr 13, 2012
I'm writing this blog from my phone using Bloggeroid for Android. Let's see if I can add an image..



Hmm, I'm not sure if the image is added, so I must publish this first and view the result. I can't see the image, it's just a text placeholder. It should be a picture I took from my office window.

Interface is simple, there's no clutter and I can focus on the important stuff: Writing. I like it. Downside is you have to memorize the formatting because there are no controls for them like bold, italic, links etc. They're easy to memorize so it shouldn't be much of a problem. I think there's no built in functionality to align the content e.g. Left, center, or right aligned, my guess is you can use HTML tags to accomplish this. Let me try:

<div style="text-align: center">This line should be centered</div>

Anyway, you can post it as a draft and edit in your computer before publishing so that's a good feature. So for the final test, I'll publish this post and see if it's as I expected it to be.

[Update] Image post is successful but the alignment using HTML tags is not. It was cleaned, which is not a bad thing. There's a raw edit in Bloggeroid which I haven't explored yet which I think it is possible to insert HTML tags.

I didn't say what Bloggeroid is for. It's an alternative tool to post blogs to Google Blogger. Google has an official mobile app for Blogger, but it's not very good so I can't really recommend it. Bloggeroid does not support other blogs so if you're on Wordpress, there's the Wordpress mobile app which is excellent.

Check out Bloggeroid on Google Play, happy mobile blogging! There's certainly a lot of room for improvement.  As of writing, I haven't seen a polished app to post blogs to Blogger but Bloggeroid should be sufficient for my basic blogging needs.

Apr 12, 2012

My first 1000+ visits in one month

Posted Apr 12, 2012



I'm quite happy today that I'm blogging during my lunch break. I have not visited my Google Analytics page for a while and I was surprised to to learn that for March 2012, I hit the 1k+ page visits on my website. I know it's not stellar, but in my own little world it is, since I only get around 50-200 visits in a month.

2011-2012 statistics

For March 2011 - March 2012 I got a total of 8,388 page views and 3,441 unique visitors. Again, this is minuscule as compared to Google who has a daily traffic of more than 1B! I'm thinking of experimenting to increase my traffic.



I was inspired to dig deeper, and checked my Alexa ranking. For those who doesn't know, Alexa ranking is a popular ranking for websites which gives an estimate where you are positioned in the vast cloud we call the internet. Cool, I'm in 9,118,259th place hahaha! AFAIK, I was in the 12M+ before. I wonder when will I reach 6 digits and below.

Above information is from mvergel.com's homepage and albums page only. For my three blogs: Personal (Spacing Out), Programming (Dead-Simple Solutions) and Food (Hungreh) I have different set of statistics. I feel that most of the visits to my homepage come from users reading my Programming blog since it is the blog getting the most traffic among the three.