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Sunday, May 30, 2010

Mobile phone review: Nokia N97 Mini


I normally purchase and prefer to use Nokia Phones only. But since I got my Sony Ericsson P1i, I have fell in love with the brand and have not tried using a Nokia mobile phone since. Since I had my phone for two years, I have been checking the market for a suitable replacement. One of the phones that caught my eye is the Nokia N97 Mini. I have been used to a Qwerty type of keypad and for those are use to using it as I am, this the phone is highly recommendable. The great thing about this phone is that you could personalize your home screen so that you accommodate widgets that provide feeds from your social network like Facebook. You could also add bookmarks of your favorite webpages.
Since I have been using a phone with touchscreen capabilities, I want a phone with that feature as well. You could modify the themes for a selection of preinstalled themes or a theme that you have downloaded. You could also modify your ringtone to accommodate files like mp3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+ amd wma.  The phone is equipped with a FM radio feature and you could listen to music files with same format mentioned earlier.The phone comes with an internal memory of 8 GB. If that is not enough storage, you could simply purchase a MicroSD memory card that could store up to 16 GB.
The phone uses a High-speed USB which would make transfer of files from the Phone to computer faster. It also has Bluetooth capabilities with enhanced date rare so that you could transfer files from one phone to another at a faster speed. A cool feature of the Nokia N97 mini is the TV out feature which would allow a user to watch a video which is stored on your phone in your TV.
Before I got my DSL subscription, I used my phone as a modem so that I could use my Laptop to connect to the web.  This phone could be use to connect to the web at a faster speed because of the enhanced data network feature.  You could browse the real web page using this phone.
The phone is equipped with a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. You could zoom up to 4X and has a different camera for video calls. Still photos could be saved as JPEG. The phone supports to MP4 and 3GP formats for video files.



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Saturday, May 29, 2010

Is the rainy season finally here?

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has forecasted that the rainy season would come during the last week of May or the first week of June. So when it rained hard today it me wonder if the rainy season is really here. 
The afternoon rain shower was a sweet escape from the relentless summer heat. There is only one problem. The rains may have brought Filipinos relief from the heat but it also brought another burden – Traffic. I took only a few minutes of rain to cause minor flooding in the streets in Metro Manila.

I was on my way to the office when it rained. It felt rely good to be outdoors. The cold breeze was so soothing compared to the hot and humid wind that Filipinos have been enduring since the El Nino Phenomenon kicked in a few months ago. I had to take a detour that added an additional twenty minutes to my travel time. The route that I usually take was packed with vehicles which are barely moving. I was able to make it in time for my shift though.
A local network has reported that rains where not an indication that the rainy season is finally here. But they said that it would only take a few more weeks till the summer season ends. I have hoped for months that the El Nino ends sooner. But the rainy seasons will bring a lot problem as well. It may not be as hot as it has been in the last few months, but disease like Dengue and the swine flu might emerge. Filipinos also fears that the storm like Ondoy (International name Ketsana) would hit the Philippines. The powerful storm has caused severe flooding which has claimed so many lives and destruction a lot of structures.

So if you ask me if I want to the rains to come. Definitely! But I also hope that the government has made preparations for the rainy season. I hope that the drainage system is better prepared to avoid flooding. And I hope that preparations have been made for the swine flu virus and Denque.


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Are we ready for the Swine Flu?

The swine Flu pandemic has caused panic in the Philippines last year. Since the new virus has only emerged last year, Health organizations around the world were caught unprepared for the outbreak. I personally was paranoid if someone near me sneezed or coughed. And of course everybody was frequently pouring alcohol to sanitize their hands. Thermometers were deployed in most establishments and everybody had to submit to having their body temperature checked. It was around May last year that the Swine Flu struck the Philippines and lasted until June. Several schools suspended their classes in fear of the virus spreading among their students.

More than a year after the swine flu has spread from Mexico, Health Governments are now more prepare as the vaccine for the swine flu virus are now available. Back then it was a race against time to make a cure for the swine that has claimed the lives of 11516 deaths worldwide.

The workplace offers Flu vaccine every year. This year, the vaccine that they are offering is called Vaxigrip which is supposedly a vaccine to fight off the Flu and the Pandemic A H1N1 strain. It may cost more than a regular flu vaccine but it is better to be safe than sorry.


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It's so great to be kids

When I was young, I hated taking my afternoon nap since I wanted to play. Now with everything going in my life, I don’t get enough time for sleep. When I was in high school, I couldn’t wait to turn 18 and get my driver’s license. When I finally got my license, my mom always asked me to take her somewhere to run an errand. During those time I wish never had a license to begin with. Now I don’t own my own car and I miss driving. When I was in college, I wanted to finish my studies quickly so that I could earn my own money. Little did I know that earning money is not that easy. It was easier back then when I was not aware how hard it is to earn and just had to wait for my allowance. When I was still in college, I use to hate summer vacation because I got bored really fast. Now that working, I long for a long vacation away from work.

Ain’t it funny? Our worries when we were younger were so trivial that I now realize that it is not even worth worrying about in the first place. Life is way easier when we were younger. Free of all the problems in the world. Free from responsibilities, bills and worries if there is not enough food in the refrigerator. The only problem that I was worrying about when I was six was how long would I have to pretend sleeping or would I get the chance to watch my favorite afternoon cartoon show? When I was in college, I worried about the deadline for the submission of my turn paper or thesis or would I be able to graduate.

Everything was so simple back then and now I wonder I have spent enough time when I was younger having fun? Did I spend enough time being a kid? I remember this line from a movie called 10 things I hate about you. I goes something like “You won’t know what you want until your forty. And When you do you’re too late to use it” I can’t remember if that was the exact line. I guess everyone has to learn to enjoy the ride. If I knew back then how life really works, I would have spent more time having fun but of course fun with limits. Too much fun is not good for anyone. Too much of anything is not good either.

Trivia # 5

The following artists died at the age of 27: Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix.

Trivia # 6

The names of Santa’s reindeer are Dancer, Dasher, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Donner, Blitzen and Cupid

Trivia # 4

Donald Duck’s middle name is Fauntleroy and lives at 1313 Webfoot Walk, Duckburg, Calisota

Friday, May 28, 2010

El Nido gears up to protect the environment

El Nido is taking steps in protecting their environment. The municipal government has implemented an Eco-Tourism Development Fee (ETDF) in which tourist will pay P200 while people who are not resident of EL Nido Palawan will pay P100 while Php50 for students. Payment of this fee would provide tourist 10 day access to tourism sites within El Nido. 

The funds acquire from the ETDF would be allocated to resource rehabilitation, solid waste management, tourism development and environmental protection. Other proceeds of the funds would be allocated to the certain projects like barangay coastal resource management and watershed projects. 

The El Nido municipality is also taking steps in removing a large sea star known as crowns of tourns which preys on the coral polyps. They are also on the process of training of tour guides on ecology and are enforcing strict policy on the how many people are allowed in certain tourist spots. 

This is a very big step in protecting the environment especially now that Global warming is worsening. You may think the coral beds are safe from the planet’s heat because they are submerged under water but guess again. The increase in sea surface temperatures causes bleaching of corals. From 1997 to 1998, an El Nino event has caused severe damage to the country’s coral bed. Every small step in lessening the planet’s carbon dioxide goes a long way.


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Guimaras at risk of a meter increase in sea level.

The effects of Global warming are becoming a big threat not to Guimaras alone but the whole province of Iloilo as well. According to the Climate Change commission (CCC), a total of 8647 hectares of Iloilo province is at risk of a one-meter sea level increase. Why is the sea level increasing? It is because of the rapid melting of the planet’s glacier due to Global warming.

A study by University of Philippines Los Baños has stated that the three most vulnerable to a one meter sea level rise are Cagayan, followed by Palawan and then Palawan. Global warming also causes the increase in frequency and intensity of storms which would hit the Philippines.

The Philippines has been pleading for more developed countries to cut down carbon dioxide emission since the Kyoto Protocol to lessen the increase in the destructive storms that are caused by Climate change. The extreme weather anomalies like the drought in the Philippines, has already caused the destruction of million pesos worth of crops. Last year Typhoon Ondoy has caused the destruction of infrastructure and property. Now that the rainy season is coming, Filipinos are wondering if another Ondoy will hit the country. One thing is for sure, everybody has to do their part to mitigate the effects of Global warming.

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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Smallville Season 9 Finale


I have been busy lately that I have not had the chance to catch up with my favorite TV series. I have been an avid fan of Smallville and I have watched all the episode since season 1. I have to admit that I prefer the first three season of Smallville. The fourth season onward was filled with a lot of stories not connected to the Comics. But then again, the whole story of the series was from a 20 minute part of the Superman movies which starred Christopher Reeves.

At first I really enjoyed watching the series and the 1 week wait for the next episode to air was way too long for me. It was so exciting then. But I have started to lose interested with the series. The series is starting to be more like a Justice League series than a story about Clark.I think they have delayed his flight long enough. I have been waiting for it in the last four seasons.

There were a episodes in the last season that have spark my interest though. I enjoyed the episode called "Justice". It was an one hour episode on how Clark met the Justice League. It was pretty interesting how the episode turned out.

Now that season 9 has ended. There are a lot of questions that everybody who is watching the series is asking. Will it be time to Fly for Clark? In the last part of the season Finale, Clark was falling from a building unable to use his power because he was stabbed by Zod with a Blue Kryptonite. All the Candorians were transported to a different planet. But is the place the paradise that they hope for? In the episode, Clark had a short dream in the year 2013. In the dream, the newspaper front page is saying that Lex Luthor would be running for president.

So these are the questions that Smallville are asking for. Will Clark fly at last? Will Michael Rosenbaum return to Smallville to play as Lex Luthor? Is that the end of Zod? Will Clark finally wear his cape in the coming season?

Michael Rosenbaum

I think Clark will finally learn to fly. For Lex Luthor to return to Smallville, I really hope so. He has not done that much damage to Clark to be really called his arch enemy. For Zod, I don't know what will happen to him. But remember in the Superman movie, Lex Luthor offered his help to Zod. I guess we will have to see.

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Monday, May 24, 2010

Child Soldiers in the Philippines

I was reading this article in a local newspaper about rebel army using children as spies, human shields and soldiers. I have heard about this issue regarding child soldier. A film called “Blood Diamond” staring Leonardo Dicaprio was one the movies about this issue. It is about the Diamond trade in Africa and people were training Children at a young age to be soldiers.

I never thought that the Philippines is one the country that has rebel armies that uses Children as soldiers. Three out of the 16 different armies and insurgent groups worldwide that has use children in last five years are from the Philippines. The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), the New People’s Army (NPA) and the Moro Islamic Liberation front are the three groups in the Philippines that use child soldiers. It is a sad thing because the media has not focused on this particular issue that much. 

The United Nations (UN) has asked the Philippine Government to take measures to prevent Rebel Armies to stop using children. Philippines is the one of the two countries in Southeast Asia were child soldiers are used in armed conflicts. Mynamar is the second country in Southeast Asia that in the list. They also have three armies in Mynamar: The Rebel Karenni Army, Karen National Liberation Army and the Myanmar’s national army (Tatmadaw Kyi). The countries in the list with armed and rebel groups, in Congo, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Central Africa, Colombia and Somalia. 

There is good news though. Armies like the MILF, Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist has plans on signing an agreement that would end the recruitment of children as soldiers, The MILF has are been talking with the Philippine government about peace since Dec 2009.


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Protect your Facebook account

Almost everybody I know owns a facebook account. Everybody is so hook with the games that Facebook offers and is the reason why the site is now number 1 among all the networking sites. It’s amazing that it took Facebook only a few years to eclipse his biggest rival in the social networking sites, Friendster. But since Facebook population has grown, so are the identity thieves out there. 

It is not good to flag every single detail about your life on the internet like your birthday, the name of your spouse, family and even your children. You could modify certain information in your profile to keep your identity safe. To modify your birthday, go to your profile page and then you will see an info tab. Click that. And then click on the edit information and then under the Basic Information section, you option whether or not to show your birthday or show only the month and day. 

You could also restrict your photos, personal and family information. You have a choice to limit sharing your personal information and photos. Simply go to search sections of your privacy controls and select only friends for Facebook. This would prevent people you don’t know having a facebook or anyone browsing the internet in your personal information. Hope anyone finds this useful

Sunday, May 23, 2010

It’s Sizzling hot in the Philippines

PAGASA has confirmed that the country in not having a heat wave. Temperature must be consistently between 37 to 38 degrees Celsius for it to be considered as one. A day with a 36 degrees temperature is normal especially during the month of May. According to the head of PAGASA, Nathaniel Cruz, they could only declare a heat wave when temperature is two or three degrees higher than the 34 degrees for five consecutive days. One of the reasons for the higher temperature nowadays is due to the summer solstice. 

From May 12 to 16, the temperature has been from 36.1 to 37.2 degrees Celsius. The highest temperature recorded in Metro Manila was 37.3 degree Celsius and that was last April 28. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has said that the El Niño phenomenon is weakening and it is possible that rainy season would come by the last week of May or the first week of June. 

This summer has to be hottest in the Philippines.  How I wish time could fly since the scorching heat is really becoming an inconvenient. I am not really of a fan of the rainy season because of what has happened last year with Typhoon Ondoy (International name Ketsana) but if it is an escape to this unbearable heat, then I welcome the rainy season with both arms wide open.

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Monday, May 17, 2010

Sea level in Taiwan increases

Two thirds of Taiwan is covered by Mountains. The remaining third is where their Cities, industry zones, three power plants and a petrochemical complex are located.   Over 20 Billion US dollars was spent by Formosa Plastics Group in the 1990s for the said complex. 

Since majority of their economic zones are located mostly on flat land near sea level, the increase in the sea level caused by Global warming is becoming a concern. An earth Scientist at Academia Sinica has said that the rise in the seal levels may submerge Taiwan’s western low-lying areas. 

In South of Taiwan, A 300 year old Goddess Matsu temple is at risk of being completely submerged if the sea levels increase further. According to the temple’s chief secretary the temple is flooded every year. Now a 63 million dollar project is set to build a new temple which is 3 meters (10 feet) higher than the original site.  The new Temple would safe from flood and rising sea level for many years to come. 

Global warming is now taking its toll on planet. Low-lying areas such as Taiwan are at great risk of being submerged if Global warming worsens.

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Monday, May 3, 2010

I am going to be a daddy to a baby girl!

Sometimes It feels surreal that I would be a dad in just a few months. I sometimes forget that a baby  is growing in my wife's womb. But every time I could feel my child moving and kicking in my wife's womb, It reminds me that a miracle is growing within my wife's body.

Some Couples don't want to know the gender of their child before they are born. They want to keep it as a surprise. Not me. I wanted to know since my wife found out that she was pregnant. It actually doesn't matter if the child is a boy or a girl. What matters is that the child healthy.

After several ultrasound we have confirmed that we will be parents to baby girl. Time really flies. A few years ago, I wouldn't have imagined that I would be a dad this soon. It was unexpected but it was a delightful surprise. We are lucky because there are a lot of couples out there who are so eager to have a child but have not yet been bless with one. In my opinion, marriage is not complete without a child. 

I wanted to be sure before buying things for our child. My wife and I have started to buy the baby's things a month ago. Since we were not sure of the gender back then, we were buying things with neutral color. Most of the things that we have bought then were colored white. But now since we know that we will be having a baby girl, we started buying girl clothes. Mostly are color pink.

We haven't fully decided the name of child. But I like the name Mikhaila which comes from Michael which means light.We are still discussing about a second name. Since Mikhaila is my choice the second name would be decided by my wife. Fair enough right? I can't wait until our little baby girl is born.


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