UPDATE

It has been sometime since my last update. This is not really due to lack of anything to write about, but just simply me being lazy. There have been some materials I wanted to try working on, but couldn't find a time for them. Well, maybe it is not about being lazy, but simply not having the time. Hope this blog doesn't suffer the same fate as my other blogs.

COME BACK HOME

Sometime last year I have posted about homeless people here in the metropolis, and I was entertaining the thought that maybe they have come from the provinces to seek the so called "greener pasture" here and failed. It breaks my heart, especially if they have children with them, when I see them and it's raining hard. With the countless letters and emails I have sent to seek help for them, none of the correspondents have bothered to even acknowledge receipt. I myself don't have much to help them.

 

Today, as I checked the online issue of my favorite daily, I was delighted to see an article (see here) about a province in the south offering a back-to-province scheme. Eastern Samar provincial government have come up with the program recognizing the need for this after so many people were devastated by the flooding in the capital region. The program not only includes bringing them home for free, but likewise training for livelihood, counseling, and even a reasonable enough sum to jumpstart their lives. This province's government should be lauded for this program, and other provinces should follow this same scheme.

 

Metropolitan Manila is populated by some 12 million people crowding in places close to where their livelihood is. The recent floods have been partly blamed to overpopulation and to the fact that dwellings have encroached the areas considered as natural drainage systems. These waterways are in the form of creeks and a few rivers that serve as a drainage system for floods during monsoon season. Having people close to this have turned these waterways into dumping area for their wastes, which causes clogging and siltation-- a major cause for waters breaking their banks or dikes during rainy season.

 

Flocking to capital cities is understandable, especially in a third world country like the Philippines. The biggest chunk of job opportunities are available mostly to these areas that are considered as hubs. For whatever reason not everyone succeeds in the city. While some simply just try to hold on to the promise of the "greener pasture" and find other ways for living, others have lost hope altogether and are left without the capacity to return home to their provinces. It is not only the cost of the travel that makes it so hard for repatriation, but also the fact of starting all over again in a place where most likely there is lesser opportunity for them.

 

The program created by Eastern Samar, although seemingly simple, can be a bit complicated and costly. Beforehand, things to be considered for this to be a success are identification of suitable livelihood trainings to be given, studies on sustainability of these in the long run, and selection of qualified people to conduct these trainings. These areas have to be addressed first, otherwise such a program can fail and may only end up with the beneficiaries returning back to the capital region. I joked a colleague of mine from Eastern Samar that politicians in their province are just doing this to take in potential voters in the elections next year. But this is a really noble program deserving all accolades.

 

MANILA FLOODING

 

Yesterday saw Metro Manila's (well, nearby provinces as well) worst flooding in decades. I was comfortable at work while watching this happen outside. The sky seemed like it was night time already. My wife sent me a message early on asking me if I can go home earlier as the house have been flooded as well about ankle-deep. I was approved for early endshift (nevermind the term, it's common in the call center industry), so I can go home and help my wife at home. As I went out of the building two hours early of my usual endshift, my wife again texted me that everything was fine and that the flood have subsided.

 

Back at the office, I was monitoring the situation through the internet and have come to know that some parts of the highway I go through to and from work are flooded. This is the same with any alternate route I could think of, so I figured I may as well try the old route, which is EDSA by bus. I also though it may be better if I ride the MRT instead, but still my preference is by bus.

 

MRT terminal was quite full and the queues for tickets were snakeing throughout the vast station. When I went down to the north bound bus stop, a thick crowd have also gathered waiting for the sparse buses coming by. The first two buses were quite full but people tried to board anyway and about ten or so were able to get in. The next bus that came in was an airconditioned one, and I squeezed my way in. The next stop, some people boarded off the bus and I was able to get a window seat.

 

Everything's well, except for the traffic. Floodings and stalled vehicles along the highway made the traffic so slow moving that the usual 30 minutes to an hour ride took more than six hours this time. That was an experience of a lifetime. I stayed awake the whole time to try and snap some pictures I can post on this blog, but there hardly were anything worth a space on my memory card.

 

picture from bbc.co.uk

OPERA MINI 5 BETA

Yesterday I got to test drive the new Opera Mini 5 on my phone, and I was all praises for it. The touchscreen support was wonderful as well as the new tabbed browsing. There are several improvements over the current version- 4.2, but the most noticeable of course is the looks. Everything is animated that I was almost ready to believe it was not a java app but instead a flash lite. Some degree of transparency is also available to dialog and pop up windows. Personally, I don't like scrolling on touchscreen, I'd much rather prefer to have a hardware directional pads, or an optical directional gadget. But I guess we all are moving into touchscreen era now. The beta was fine with scrolling, not unlike the in-built browser on my test phone-- and LG Viewty. A simple touch was added with the sort of elasticity with scrolling, very much like on iPhone, although it's more kind of a cosmetic addition for me because it does slow down the scrolling a bit. You have to endure this "elastic" scrolling all throughout as it also is present on internal items, like going through the options on the settings. Probably the best improvement for me was the tabbed browsing support. Well, I also use a modded version of Opera Mini, and these for the longest time have had tabbed browsing. The one on the beta version though is quite different by being classy. Touchscreen support is ever present, so intead of just having tabs with names of the pages on it, you get to have block with a thumbnail of the page. This really is a great addition for me as I think visual representations are better than just text descriptions. The tab selector is hidden and comes up only when you touch the tabs icon. The navigation bar that holds the back, forward, refresh, tabs, and settings button can be hidden and can be recalled by pressing a floating transparent icon. I'm not sure if it's a bug or just on my phone, but inline editing seemed to fail sometimes, it only allows me to do offline editing the first time and then refuses to work the next time. Inline editing is done with a pop up QWERTY keyboard, but the vertical orientation provides little space for the keys that it is hard to type texts in. Of course there is a support for landscape, which should give the keys more space, but then this seem to be another bug as the app I got had problems rendering not just the pages but the entire browser on landscape. One thing more that I hope they will add on to the final version, or next beta versions, is the download manager. There already was a download manager on the previous version, but it seems to be missing on the Opera Mini 5 beta. It's never good to take off one other functions to accomodate another. Of course this is just a beta, and for sure the final version will have all these bugs straightened out. I'm positive the final version will come in the next few months, as this beta version was supposed to have been rolled out last year according to some sources.

WILL NOYNOY SUCCEED?

One time or another, I have shared on this blog that I am largely apolitical. I would rather just be reading showbiz gossip than politics news.

 

The recent clamor for Noynoy Aquino, only son of Cory and Ninoy Aquino- the couple considered to be the mother and father of democracy in the Philippines, to take a shot at presidency is very much misguided. I almost can visualize the administration people laughing their asses off as this unfolds, because for sure this breaks up the opposition furthermore. I was even suspecting the administration have hands on this as they know Noynoy has never been actively in public eye and therefore have a very slim chance of pulling this off.

 

It is a fact that Noynoy has never been in the public eye simply because he did not submit any significant laws nor headed any important committee in the senate. These whole time he has been a senator he stayed out of public eye, I'm not sure whether by choice or not, and only was recently popular because of the death of his mother. The fact is, Noynoy could not have attained so much attention recently have it not been for his actress sister Kris, who frequently mentioned him on coverages for their mother's wake and funeral and thereafter.

 

It's a waste. He could have done better than just jump into this circus. His parents' popularity is not his own, and he should be making one for himself by showing achievements.

FLOW OF LIFE

Recently, I was in a chatroom for our island province and the topic as I came in was about the environment. One of the chatters was reporting about the current state of one of the most popular rivers in our island home- Santo Domingo river. He informed us that the river is now polluted, with trash being found not only on the banks but also in the waters.

 

Santo Domingo river is a popular dipping hole for most people in Virac, and even nearby towns, as it is only about ten to fifteen minutes away from downtown. Except during severe dry spells when there is less water flowing and moss gathers on some part, the river is mostly clean and its water is cool. This still was the case when we left Virac some three years ago, and surely it was a surprise to know this has changed in so short a time.

 

Every Viracnon have had a dip in this river at least one time or another, that is how popular this river is. Washing clothes is also done there and usually because clothes come up smelling great when washed in its waters. The river has a lot to offer as it has various parts from rapids to deep and calm water, close to the national highway or far into the forested area, and rocks islets to waterfalls (this i couldn't confirm as i have not seen it myself, but there has been accounts of waterfalls along the river). There even is an underwater cave where some of the waters source from.

 

It is heartbreaking to learn about this. I myself have fond memories of bathing there with friends and families countless of times. From the info I got, it seemed it only will be a matter of few years before the river becomes unfit for bathing. My fear is that I only will be able to tell my children stories about this river in the future. Pretty much similar to what my father have done to me when I was younger, with his stories about the former glory of the now extremely polluted Gogon river in downtown Virac.

PLANET PHILIPPINES ON GMA TV

I was looking forward on watching this special by matinee idol Richard Gutierez, mainly because of the dazzling previews of visual aired by the network a few weeks before. Finally, it was shown last night; and unfortunately, I have to catch some sleep as I have to go to work early in the morning. I was able to catch though the first parts and as with the previews, the visuals were all of high quality imagery and cinematography. It was amazing. They were superior even compared with national Geographic or Discovery Channel specials. The nature was depicted at its most beautiful. GMA News and Public Affairs deserves all praises for this work. Richard was good enough as a host, compared to his first special about global warming, but still he needs further refinements. I hope I can download the complete video somewhere.

 

EAT AND DRINK BY NEW YORK POST

 

First of all, I am largely apolitical. I just am quite ticked at the Filipino activists who are against every single administration that came to pass in the Philippine political scene.

 

This has reference to the current controversy about the government entourage for the president's US trip, involving the infamous million peso dinner(s). This was reported by US newspapers first and have been voraciously devoured by the activists and opposition politicians, and later by the local media.

 

First, look at how those reports were written on those US papers-- it basically is a descrimination towards not only our government but us Filipinos as a whole. They simply are saying Filipinos are second rate and do not deserve fine dining.

EX-PRESIDENTS

Isn't it irritating that ex-presidents act as if they still are in power and give their opinions as if the citizens have to bow commitment to it? They had their chance. Why couldn't just be part of the history and live their private lives?

BIG BOX BOUTIQUE; Star Mall Mandaluyong

Kinky, ain't it? Yes, but they are pretty comfortable and a joy to wear. Almost a year ago, me and my wife discovered this small kiosk in Star Mall selling hand-made underwear. I was hesitant at first as I was thinking no self-respecting man could wear them; but my wife was insistent on buying some. I was suprised to find them quite comfortable and well-made. Since then I always bought my briefs from that store. Look it up on Star Mall's third floor- Big Box Boutique.

ALLOW FILE ACCESS FOR APPS ON VIEWTY

For sometime now I have had an LG Viewty, but it was only recently that I have used it primarily as I have opted to have my SE K800i as my everyday phone. I bought the Viewty second hand and the former owner got it on a plan with 3 Australia and therefore had shortcuts with the network's services. I managed to find tutorials on how to get rid of those shortcuts immediately after I got the phone, but the only thing I didn't bother myself with was to allow third-party apps like Opera Mini to access the file system. This has been mostly the case for LG phones and it's not because this phone was locked before to 3 Australia.

Since ditching my K800i as my primary phone, I have been concerned though on how I can better make use of apps like Opera Mini by allowing access to files on botht the phone and the memory card. I've tried searching on the internet for the solution and found something not very specific to my problem. It simply entails changing the policy for the certificates on the phone by using a program called Bitpim.

However, the tutorial is only applicable to unlocked Viewtys, in which you have an access to the file system using Bitpim. My phone used to be locked with 3 and the system file folders are locked as well. The good thing about Bitpim though is that you'll be able to overwrite the file, so it should be only a matter of finding an exact copy of the policy file and editing it using notepad, and then overwriting the original file on the phone. Using a simple hack on Google, I found an unprotected back-up of the file stored on a website, however of a different LG model. I risked my neck and did overwrite the original file on the phone using Bitpim. After restarting the phone, I deleted the apps needing file and network access and reinstalled them. It worked fine with just a minor bad effect-- the battery somehow gets drained if you turn the phone off for sometime, which of course is solved by not turning your phone off for more than several hours or so.

It maybe rare that somebody may need to do the same thing, but anyway let me give the tutorial on how to do it here.

1. Download Bitpim from http://www.bitpim.org/ and install it on your machine. If you don't have it already installed, also look for the Viewty USB driver on Google (I found mine on Rapidshare and also there was some versions available on 4Shared).
2. Copy the text on this link to a notepad and edit the last eight (8) lines to look something like below, and then save it as "h3g.pol" (be sure to select save as all type, otherwise it will be saved as a txt file).

domain: untrusted
allow: network_access
allow: application_auto_invocation
allow: messaging
allow: local_connectivity
allow: multimedia_recording
allow: file_connection
allow: phone_call

3. Open Bitpim and connect the phone (be sure to have the USB setting on the phone set as "data" and not "memory" or "file"), go to settings on Bitpim and select the model. Bitpim works only for CDMA phones so for this you have to select LG VX9400. After Bitpim found the phone, click on read file system on the right side of the window and allow it to read the files on the system folder. Just got to LG>Media>Java>Cert and look for the file "h3g.pol". Right click on it and just select overwrite. Bitpim opens up the file explorer and just select the file that you have previously saved and let the program overwrite the original file.

4. Disconnect the Bitpim from the phone and then also disconnect the phone from the computer. Restart the phone and reinstall the applications you want to have access to the network and files with. You should be good to go.

Broiled Shrimps

This is intended for prawns, but we didn't have time to go to the supermarket and we have the shrimps in the freezer. Simply just marinate about a kilogram of shrimps or prawns in a bowl with a cup of lime soda (7-Up preferred) for half an hour. Heat a sauce pan and just pour in both the shrimps and the soda. Let it cook until the soda dries up. Add in a dash of olive oil or a small cube of butter, and cook for about ten minutes more.

LAING WITH PORKCHOPS (Taro leaves in coconut cream with porkchop)

This is a variation of the traditional Bicolano recipe. I cooked this today as I really miss home. I'll post the complete recipe later as I'm posting this from my phone.

SMART: SIMPLY AMAZING INDEED!

To cut costs, I maintain a SIM of my network's competitor-- Smart as most of the people I know are using this network; this is because all telco promotions are exclusive to their own subscribers. Promos such as unlimited calls or texts allows us to communicate more with friends and relatives without having to pay a premium. One of those promos I avail with Smart is its Talk20, which allows a subscriber to make three three-minute Smart to Smart calls for only twenty pesos. With even the discounted rate I get for my postpaid plan with my network- Globe, twenty pesos is only worth a three minute call.

Talk20 is one of those usual call promos wherein calls are routed to VOIP to cut the cost of transmission. As such, the quality of calls can be a bit gritty; but people don't mind as at least they are able to call at low cost. This doesn't bother me either. The service though gets a bit shady as it often eats up your unused call allowance even if you are not able to contact the number you are calling. This happens to me almost every other time I register for the service. I still didn't mind it then as most of the time one or even two calls get through.

Early this morning, I was trying to reach my niece with still two calls I have for the promo that I have registered for the past evening. I was surprised to have been connected to somebody else on the other end, and the recipient herself was surprised to get me instead of the one whose number is appearing on her phone. I thought I dialled the wrong number, but then I figured it couldn't possibly be as my niece's number is stored on both the SIM and the phone itself and even on our two other phones. I tried to dial again from the phonebook but again Smart connected me to a wrong number. This time again the person I have been connected to said it was another person's number showing up on his phone and not mine.

My niece sent me a text message asking why somebody else is calling from my number. I told her exactly what I did and that I think Smart is messing up with the connections-- calls are being routed to wrong numbers. I tried to call again but this time it returned a busy tone; and shortly afterwards I got a message from Smart saying I already have used up my three calls.

I called up Smart's customer service to let them know what happened. I was not even about to complain. After the ususal touch tone menu, and a few minutes of being on hold, an agent finally took the call. She asked what she can help me with, and I told her exactly what had just happened. She simply thanked me for calling and hung up. A bit furious with the previous agent, I again called their customer service line and got through with another lady agent. After hearing what I had to say, she simply said that they only accomodate postpaid subscribers and hung up.

Some two years ago, I decided to switch over to Globe for the same reason-- Smart's lousy customer service. They simply haven't changed even now-- they'll tell you right in your face they don't give a damn. Globe on the other hand hears out their customers, and even calls you back to let you know of what they did to address your problem.

That makes Smart simply amazing!

TEST

Test post with Viewty.

HAYDEN KHO AND KATRINA HALILI SEX SCANDAL

Let's be sensible enough. These people did not intend those videos, I say even Hayden Kho, to be open to the public. Delete your copies of the videos or do not even download them at all. We should understand that this will definitely cost them their future; and that is to consider the fact that Katrina Halili is still young and still has her full life ahead of her. Again delete them from your computers or phones, never share them to anyone, or better yet do not download them at all.

Fit For A King

I have never written about Manny Pacquiao ever since I started blogging. This is despite the fact that I have witnesssed his rise to fame from his humble beginnings. He instantly caught my attention the first time I saw him fight on the amateur boxing show "Blow By Blow". Well, I really am not a boxing fan, but I knew he has a future in the sports right then. It turned out, of course, that his future is more of a destiny to be the greatest ever in his sports. Or one of the best, definitely. His recent victory now forever etched him in the history not only of boxing but the entire world of sports. Although I disagree with most that his wins brings honors to Filipinos, as I believe his success is entirely his and his team's honor, I now can truly admit that he makes me proud just to be the same nationality as he is. For a King do deserve his honors.

CLIMATE CHANGE

We may be witnessing a major evidence of climate change at the moment. Here in the tropics, we usually are this time of the year in the early-middle part of summer. Yet, since last week, it has been raining hard and eventually we now have low pressure areas (not just one but three) developing in different parts of the country. This ushers in the start of the monsoon season, which should have not been the case until the start of June. It may also be noted that the cold season have lasted until almost the end of February this year.

Leaders all over the world have recognized these facts and laid out measures to at least alleviate the possible consequences. We ourselves should brace for the worst as it is just beginning. If ever, we are having this year the shortest ever summer.

As scientists have predicted, once the shortening of warmer days begins, what surely will follow will be the beginning of the new ice age. The massive melting of our ice caps and glaciers cools the oceans and disrupts the natural cycle of atmospheric activities, which causes our weather. This phenomenon have been well demonstrated by the shifting ocean currents the past few years, which has caused some concern about some animals being displaced, and inevitably this will have cascading effects to every living thing in this planet. This oceanic currents are partly responsible for the distribution of heat throughout the planet; and as the oceans gets colder in time these currents will then stop and the planet will grow colder.

I am not being a doomsayer or anything, I am merely speaking based from facts. We all have something to fear, and this one is my biggest as it will affect every single person I know and those I love as well.

It's that or maybe only because my brother is coming home to Bicol for vacation, which almost always is hounded by stormy weather when he's there.

RAINY SUMMER

Early tonight, after battering mankind with hours of very hot afternoon, there suddenly were thunders and lightnings. Shortly thereafter, heavy rain poured. I was just into the few minutes then of trying to return to sleep, and the noise of pounding rain on the roof kept me awake instead. All in all, today I only had a couple of hours of sleep. I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep my eyes open at work.

GLOBE'S PIXLINK

Just yesterday I found this new service from Globe Telecom called PixLink. It was a killer service backed by a killer app that can be installed to almost any cellphone. As it is still in it's beta version, the service is still for free. You are allowed to upload any amount of pictures without paying for the service.

What makes this better than other photo sharing services like Flickr is its being free for now. Filipinos love taking pictures and share them to everyone, and this service quickly is a winner. I have been browsing uploaded and publicly shared photos and am quite amazed at how Filipinos can be creative using just a cellphone camera.

See it for yourself.