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Starting today, Globe Telecom will be unveiling it's 3G, no, make that 3.5G mobile services to all its subscribers, prepaid and postpaid alike.While Smart Communications may have beaten Globe to the 3G punch (see previous post here), clearly Globe isn't down and out, and is now coming up with a high bandwidth salvo of it's own.What's the difference between 3G and 3.5G? While 3G has a maximum bandwidth...

If there's a game which can surely bring all but the most powerful PCs down to their knees, it has to be F.E.A.R. (see my review of this game in this earlier post).Like Doom 3, F.E.A.R. also has a benchmarking function built inside the game itself. All you have to do is go to the options menu, then click on performance, then test settings. That's all there is to it.Here are the results I got on my...

Caller : Hello, can I speak to Annie Wan?Operator: Yes, you can speak to me.Caller: No, I want to speak to Annie Wan!Operator: You are talking to someone! Who is this?Caller: I'm Sum Wan. And I need to talk to Annie Wan! It's urgent.Operator: I know you are someone and you want to talk to anyone! But what's this urgent matter about?Caller: Well just tell my sister Annie Wan that our brother, Noe Wan...

In the process of burning in and testing my PC's new components (see earlier post here), I ran a number of benchmarks to give me an idea of it's relative performance, particularly when running 3D games.Here are the results I got. If you're into this type of thing, perhaps you could run the benchmarks yourself and compare your results. :-)Futuremark benchmarks:3DMark 2001 SE: 15,212 3DMarks3DMark03:...

A few months ago, I wrote a post about the mice problems that we have been having in our house. We finally decided to tackle the problem head on and engage the services of an elite force that we hope would finally decimate that rodent population in our household.Meet the members of that elite force:Introducing Ebony and Jerry. Standing guard (or sleeping on the job, take your pick) at the foot of...

For some strange reason I had this urge to photograph the innards of my PC while I was performing surgery on it (see previous post here). I guess its both the blogger and techie in me that made me do so.I really tend to appreciate the technical details behind these ubiquitous and highly useful machines.Here are some more pictures of my recently completed project. Not that I'm showing off of course....

Well, after several hours of shoehorning a new motherboard and CPU combo into my PC and reinstalling Windows XP and virtually all of my software, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.The deed is done.I replaced the ECS K7VTA3 v3.1 motherboard and Athlon XP 2400+ processor with a MSI K8N Neo v2.0 and an Athlon 64 3000+.The K8N Neo v2.0 is a fully loaded Socket 754 motherboard with an NVIDIA nForce3...

My PC acted up last Sunday, necessitating an unscheduled motherboard replacement. And we all know how complicated and troublesome replacing a motherboard can be, from both a hardware and software perspective.Finally got it working and online today, but there are still quite a lot of details left to work out. I'll get back to you people when I'm done. ...

Suffering from blogger's block...again. There seems to be a set pattern. Every few weeks or so, I just can't seem to think of anything to write.Oh well. Maybe something will come to me soon...

One of my favorite songs, which used to be a part of my regular lineup when I was still a frontman in a band a few years back. Ah, the memories...As Long As It MattersGin BlossomsHow can I find somethingThat two can takeWithout stumbling as weWalk into our future's wakeI'm like a broken recordThat you can playRepeating as if it mattersEverything I want to sayI'll be all rightAs long as it mattersAs...

Put about 100 bricks in some particular order in a closed room with an open window.Then send 2 or 3 candidates in the room and close the door.Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours and then analyze the situation.If they are counting the bricks...Put them in the accounts department.If they are recounting them...Put them in auditing.If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks...Put...

A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM." He left it where he knew she would find it. The...

I'm not the type of person who gloats, but I couldn't resist...SC partly voids EO 464Told you so!Now about that Proclamation No. 1017...Shouldn't someone's head roll because of this Supreme Court ruling?...

Only a few months ago, I made a post about how I upgraded my main phone from a Nokia 6600 to a new Nokia 6680. Well, six months later, I upgraded again, after selling the Nokia 6600 and relegating the Nokia 6680 to backup status on my secondary line.Leave it to Nokia for having such short product cycles.So what's my main phone now? It's a Nokia N70, and it's actually not that much different from the...

I almost fell out my chair my reading the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) over breakfast.What flabbergasted me was a statement given by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales regarding his thoughts during the preliminary investigation of the three American servicemen accused of raping a Filipina inside a van during a lull in the joint Philippine and United States military exercises held late last year.He...

CHINESE SICK LEAVE - "I NO COME WORK TODAY!!!"Hung Chow calls into work and says, "Hey, boss I no come work today, I really sick. Got headache, stomach ache and legs hurt, I no come work."The boss says, "You know something, Hung Chow, I really need you today. When I feel like this, I go to my wife and tell her to give me sex. That makes everything better and I go to work. You try that."Two hours later...

In a strange twist of fate, I found myself in attendance to iBlog2, the 2nd Philippine Blogging Summit held at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law in Diliman, Quezon City.Actually I was supposed to be attending the first day of review classes at the neighboring UP Law Center, but since I hadn't been issued my ID yet, and that the prospect of meeting some of the more famous bloggers...

Almost two months ago I wrote a post about how my Canon PowerShot A300 digital camera was acting up on account of a defective CCD which gave me nothing but blank pictures.The camera was promptly brought to Canon's service center in Pasong Tamo (which I only recently learned has been renamed to Don Chino Roces Ave.), Makati. It was confirmed that the problem was with indeed with the CCD. As it turned...

Photo from the Sari-Sari story, © 2002 by Jim Richter.While standing in line in a large chain supermarket near my house a couple of days ago, I quietly observed dozens of carts overflowing with various dry grocery items, like various canned goods, instant noodles, snacks, juices, soaps and toiletries, etc.Here I was, trying to buy a loaf of bread, a bottle of ketchup, a bottle of seasoning, and some...

Perfect for those hot, lazy, summer days...Lazy DaysEnyaLazy old dayRolling awayDreaming the day awayDon't want to goNow that I'm in the flowCrazy amazing dayOne red balloonFloats to the moonJust let it fly awayI only knowThat I'm longing to goBack to my lazy dayAnd how it sings and how it sighsAnd how it never staysAnd how it rings and how it criesAnd how it sails away... away... away....

Strozzi's The Incredulity of St. ThomasJesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed." - John 20:29A blessed and meaningful Easter Sunday to everyone!...

An American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.The Mexican replied, "Only a little while, Señor."The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and...

St. Peter's Parish.Only during Holy Week do streets get deserted as this.For those who may have forgotten...

Seven years ago, I saw a movie entitled Stigmata. It was about a woman, an atheist, who, without physical cause, spontaneously suffered the same wounds endured by Jesus Christ during his crucifixion. This phenomena was subsequently investigated by the Vatican, which led to the uncovering of hidden gospels which turned out to be inimical to the interests of the Church.That movie was perhaps my first...

The past several years have seen a resurgence and renewal of interest in ideas which go against the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. The rise in popularity of these ideas have reached a fever pitch the past few years or so, culminating with the controversy surrounding the Dan Brown bestseller The Da Vinci Code, and now in recent days with the discovery, authentication and translation of the...

Overheard at Watson's the other day:"Miss, pabili nga ng pampurga.""Ano po, Combantrin o Antiox?""Ano ba yung one-dose?""Antiox po.""Sige, pabili ng dalawa."Am I the only one who finds this exchange amusing?If you don't understand, don't worry about it. It's probably a culture thing....

Erase Negative ProgrammingDo away with all the old, negative messages you were given about yourself. If someone has told you that you are worthless, undeserving, dense or unattractive, that is their problem. No one has a right to judge you or belittle you. We are all struggling to get by in this world, and no one else has all the answers. Honor your own truth. In your own heart, you know who you...

A few minutes ago I was talking with a PLDT customer service representive regarding a concern I have with my PLDT myDSL account. What she told me gave me fits that I couldn't help but raise my voice at the poor girl.In a nutshell: You have to pay a fee of P5,000.00 if you want to downgrade your account. Needless to say, that has got to be one of the most idiotic policies I've ever heard of.The thing...

While caught in traffic late last week, I snapped a couple of photos which, in a nutshell, describe the state of the electrical distribution system in dense, residential areas in the Philippines:Because of the prevalence of electricity pilferage (meter tampering, among others), these meters are placed about ten meters above street level. Question is, how do you get to read them?I know Fire Prevention...

From my inbox: various quotes reflecting Filipinos' unique view on life and reality.Better late than pregnant.Pag may tyaga.. goodluck.Ang sakit ng kalingkingan, kailangan ng alaxan.Behind the clouds are the other clouds.Aanhin pa ang damo.. kung bato na ang uso!Its better to cheat than to repeat!Do unto others... then run!!!Pag di ukol, di bubukol...siya ay baog!Kung may isinuksok, may mabubuntis!Kapag...

I guess the aforementioned article (in the preceding blog post) isn't the only thing The New York Times has to say about the current state of Philippine affairs.This editorial from the April 5 edition of the same publication paints a less than rosy picture of the current administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is portrayed to be a Ferdinand Marcos in the making.What do you think?Dark...

This article in the April 3, 2006 edition of The New York Times tackles the Philippine government's attempts in suppressing press freedoms, comparable to the loss of similar freedoms under 20 years of the Marcos dictatorship.Now even the international community is starting to take notice.Are we truly going back to the way it was before?The Philippines Wages a Campaign of Intimidation Against JournalistsBy...

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it.He was shocked and...

My son thinks highly of me. Real...

A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning. The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee." The husband said, "You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee." Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides,...

Might as well get it out of the way. F.E.A.R. is the best first-person shooter I have played since Half-Life 2. And you know what? It may just even be better.Developed by Monolith Productions, who also developed other well known first-person shooters such as the Blood series, Shogo: Mobile Armored Division, and TRON 2.0, F.E.A.R., which stands for First Encounter Assault Recon, boasts state-of-the-art...

Last week I finally decided to get rid of almost twenty year-old air conditioner installed in my study. That air conditioner was virtually useless and was left there just to plug up the hole in the wall. It sounds and vibrates like a badly maintained diesel engine when turned on, and it hasn't blown a gust of cool air in more than four years. In addition, it was being used as a passage of sorts by...