The Journey. It’s Mine. [My personal take on love, life, parenting and blogging.]

A decent (even point-and-shoot) digital camera is something I badly need. Digital cameras don’t come in cheap however, so I’ve always been hesitant to get one. For years I have been relying on my good old 2 MP camera phone.

But for months now that said camera phone has finally retired (it is more that 3 years old!) and I am left with a crappy 1.3 MP camera phone that doesn’t even have a USB cable so I can’t transfer the photos to my computer!

Any suggestions on affordable, decent point-and-shoot digital cameras? I’ll really appreciate your input.

Smart Bro’s frequent down times recently is getting to my nerves! I’m thinking of getting a back-up ISP or maybe ditch Smart Bro altogether.

Here in my barriotic city, I have the following options:

Bayan DSL

Globe Broadband

Sun Broadband

Which one is better? I’d appreciate your feedback. Thanks a lot!

Good thing I got up really early today and got a head start with publishing blog entries. Little did I know that my day would be spent chatting away! A huge chunk of my morning was spent video-and-voice chatting with a long-lost friend now working in Qatar. It was really, really nice reconnecting with her. Before I knew it, it was time for Raine’s lunch break.

Then when I got back home after our lunch, my seaman brother was online and wanted to chat as well. So we then spent more than 2 hours of continuous video-and-voice chat on YM. It was really a lot of fun! If only my brother isn’t always too busy we could do this more often. Good thing he got a few hours of break earlier before his night shift.

Now, I should get  back to work! He he.

Others dream of a Mac. Mine is a Sony VAIO E Series in hibiscus pink please…

It free to dream right? So there you go… He he he

Anyways, I’m done with netbooks. It’s just good for kids and students.

Now I should start buying lotto tickets to make this dream come true. Ha ha ha!

Dream on Glo!

There was a time in 2004 when my computer crashed. I lost 2 years of Raine’s photos. The photos were the first two years os Raine’s life in which I painstakingly took photos of him on  a monthly basis. Lame I know, but I can’t help it, I’m such a proud mom.

Anyways, I’ve since made back-ups in CDs. But then I found out that CDs don’t usually pass the test of time. I mean time will come that your CD will be unusable. The perfect solution is an online backup.

For our photos, I use Flickr. For my documents I use Google Documents.

However, there are photos that I cannot post online. So I still have to have another back-up such as in a CD. Same goes for documents, even if I can keep it private online.

These days I make sure that my computer is fully protected and secured. (A good, licensed anti-virus software is a must.) Nobody is allowed to plug in any USB stick (most probably infected with virus!) even for matter of life and death circumstances. My brothers are not even allowed to use my computers anymore. Why? They love going to websites laden with malwares and other scary stuff.

I know that there is no such thing as 100% protection and secured as far as personal computers are concerned, but it doesn’t stop me from taking measures to come close to it.

What about you, how do you deal with back-ups and protecting your computer?

Since August, I have using Smart Bro. I have no complaints so far except that they keep changing my IP address. Notice that Live Traffic Feed I have on the side bar? If you see Sorsogon, Philippines in there that used to be me. Used to, take note.

Then it became Legaspi, Philippines.

Now it’s Tabaco, Albay, Philippines.

To the blogs I’m visiting and you have a traffic feed, I still do visit. But I don’t register as Sorsogon, Philippines anymore. IP addresses can be tricky, specially if they keep changing. But good thing that doesn’t happen to your Personalized Jewelry. Just imagine if it does.

In March, I got myself a licensed AVG 8.5. Now it has been upgraded for free to the 9.0 version. I chose it mainly because I’m comfortable with it. I had been using the AVG free version for years.

In choosing an antivirus software, here are a few pointers you might wanna consider:

• Does not slow down your PC
• All-new technology: antivirus + antispyware engine
• Advanced anti-rootkit technology
• Cutting-edge Proactive Protection
• Full protection against email-borne threats
• Ideal for Netbooks that need malware protection (if you are using a netbook)
• Real time protection against viruses, spywares and malicious websites.
• No automatic credit card charge each year!

So what antivirus software are you using (or plan to use)? So far I have no complaints with mine.

Raine and I just got back to the city early this morning. First of all, i lived like a pig (read: eating, sleeping and watching TV only) during the whole weekend. My mother was sooo kind enough to give me that break. Raine was of course happy to play with his playmates ’round the ‘hood. So it didn’t matter whether it was lola or me tending to him.

I felt the -ber chill this weekend. I was wrapped in clothes, from head to toe. Bathing was a tremendous challenge, what with the water being icy cold. Well maybe not really…but to me it was. Anyways, If only I didn’t have to take a bath. He he. So I boiled water in the pot each time.

Or maybe it is just really hot in this city?? I really don’t know. I’m getting a temperature shock each weekend we come home. Early this morning, we were already waiting for a jeepney by 6 am. I was wearing long pants( for a change!!), a top and a light jacket. Ang lamig kaya ng hangin sa dyip ano! Anyways, by the time I brought Raine to school…I was still wearing that very outfit but sans the jacket.

One mom couldn’t help commenting: uyyyy…first time kita makitang naka-pants ah! I laughed. Then said: oo nga eh. Eh nag-pantalon na ako…kasi baka isipin ng mga tao di ako marunong mag-suot ng pantalon eh. Then we laughed together, out loud.

Anyways…this has truly been a long day and I am surprised that I am still standing. The highlight of my day though is getting my free cellphone from Smart. Woohoo. Nothing fancy, but i like it (Nokia 5000). Free ba naman, who am I to complain?! Di ba?

I’ve been complaining that Smart didn’t deliver their promise of 2 to 3 days of Smart Bro installation.

Malapit na akong sumugod ulit sa Smart center this week at pagalitan silang lahat doon.

Then last night I got the following txt message:

Good day SIR/MADAM,

We would like to inform you about the schedule of your Smart Bro installation on August 5, 2009.

For request of re-schedule or other concerns, please call *1888using any Smart cellphone or 1-800-10-(6727277)through PLDT landline with NDD.

Thank you.

Well I’ve been waiting since last week.  I will definitely wait for them tomorrow. But it is a holiday tomorrow (August 5) due to Cory’s burial…I hope matuloy ang mga mokong na ito na magkakabit ng Smart Bro.

Because Raine and I can go home this afternoon and then come back to the city on Thursday morning. But we can’t because we gotta be here when Smart Bro arrives.

Siguraduhin lang nila…else, makatikim sila ng Glow-bomb!

Nandito ako ngayon sa internet shop at nakikita ko ang latest post dito sa blog ko. Pero sa sandaling umuwi ako sa bahay at subukang tignan ang blog ko doon (using my own computer) and latest post na nakikita ko ay yung first day in first grade. Halos one week na yan.

Ginawa ko na ang lahat ng makakaya ng aking kaalaman sa ganitong problema. Cleared the cache. Cleared the private data. Updated Firefox. Tried Internet Explorer. Ganun pa rin!

Paging magtatawas at albularyo. Paki-exorcise naman ang engkanto dito sa blog ko.

Sana hindi ang computer ko ang may problema. 

My brother (a seaman) brought home a touch-screen phone from China — a Nokia E75. The phone is a dual-sim one and so i went ga-ga over it. Instead of carrying 2 extra cellphones, I happily exchanged my two Nokias (6233 and 1112) to this one. My brother agreed with the exchange since his wife’s cellphone is already malfunctioning.

And so I have gotten the hang of using the stylus…until yesterday morning when the touch-screen is suddenly not functioning anymore.

I don’t know what happened. Except that once night when there was a thunderstorm, I covered this cellphone with 1 old issue of Reader’s Digest magazine. Could that be the reason why the touch-screen is now kaput? But then in my brother’s own words…we can’t trust this one because it is made in China. He he he.

Well…this is a first for me. My brother said, you can’t imagine all the imitated gadgets in China, which includes the N95 and the iPhone. Many of his pinoy-mates bought those too and a sattelite dish and receiver package that will put Dream sattelite out of business. Suffice to say that the pinoy seamen went on shopping galore once they docked in China.

I’ve gotten the hang of buying stuff online. Except that the websites are based in the U.S. (amazon, barnes and noble, AE, moor allure naturals) and so I have to pay for the shipping fees. With Amazon for example, there are stuff that cannot be shipped to the Philippines. Barnes and Noble accepts paypal payments  — which is swell. Though I haven’t yet bought anything at AE, they ship internationally as well.

In the Philippines, I only know PC Corner Online where you can buy computers online and it will be delivered to you anywhere in the Philippines. However, the transaction isn’t totally online. You call them for the stuff you will buy. You will be then given bank account details in order to deposit your payment. Then you wait for the delivery.

In the U.S. you can even do your grocery shopping online. No need not go outside. How cool is that? All you need is a valid credit/debit card.  If you are a work-at-home person, you need not even go out for months, live the life of  a modern hermit and buy everything (even your food) online. Hmmm…I know somebody who does just that. It’s a good thing his office doesn’t allow working remotely all the time. Else he’d be the total modern hermit.

Anyway, online transactions could be great, does it have a downside? Maybe to your social skills! Finding a sale could be easier online too. You can even avail of perks such as free shipping within the U.S. If this can happen in the Philippines and I’ve found this sale …I’m going to buy this ergonomic desktop keyboard. You have no idea how much I need ergonomic something these days.

With all these online shopping talk? I wish I live in the first world!

That’s really true. Nakabili lang kami ng tv nung 2003! Why is that? Of course, we couldn’t afford it. Besides, there was no tv reception in this area. Your tv will be useless if you do not have a player (then betamax and VHS, now CD and DVD players). To this date, the reception is blurry if you have the usual antenna. Then you get only one channel (ABS-CBN).

Dream TV is of course, at the moment the only solution to the said problem. Dito, may CNN ka na, may Star Movies at HBO pa. Considering nasa barrio ka, that’s a good thing already. For one, we were able to watch the Obama Inauguration, live! Among other things.

Going back to the tv bought in 2003, it has survived countless typhoons. Now it is showing some malfunctions. For one, the picture isn’t properly aligned anymore and then the background color is a now a hue of green. It needs repair but i can’t help but drool over lcd tvs! Could Rackmount lcd be the ticket?

I’m getting the following wordpress error in this blog:

 

WordPress database error: [Table ‘wp_comments’ is marked as crashed and should be repaired]
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_approved = '0'

WordPress database error: [Table ‘wp_comments’ is marked as crashed and should be repaired]
SELECT COUNT(comment_ID) FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_approved = 'spam'

Can somebody please help me? I don’t know what to do. Please email me at daragangmagayon@gmail.com. Thanks a lot! I’d appreciate your help.

Update: Feb 1, 2009

The above has been fixed. Thanks to Kotseng Kuba via Reynz.

Here are the ways I get online in the barrio in descending order of usability:

1. Nokia 6233 with a Globe prepaid sim — internet speed is  460.8 kbps. Data usage rate of Globe is 5 pesos/15 mins. The other good thing is that, the Nokia cellphone has a separate port for the charger and USB cable. So I can get online for hours without running out of battery. As long as the sim has enough load.

2. Motorola RAZR V3x with Smart postpaid sim — internet speed is 260.4 kbps. Data usage rate of Smart is 10 pesos/30 mins. While I have been using this system for almost two years now, I have always complained of running out of battery because there is only one port for the charger and the USB cable. Also, if I don’t watch it my phone bill can reach sky high.

3.  Globe Visibility prepaid — I bought this unit 2 months ago for 2,500 pesos. I was told by Globe that it will work on GPRS. Yes it worked alright, but the internet speed is only 3 kbps.

So there. If #s 1 and 2 fail, then I have to take the jeepney to the city to go to an internet cafe. Broadband remains a dream in my area. I guess looking for a Tennessee auto insurance is so much easier.

I’m grinning from ear to ear because as I type this I am peering into my new 15″ widescreen LCD monitor. The thing I got yesterday together with a new PC set that came with these specs:

Intel Dual Core 1.8 GHz
1 GB RAM

…for the bargain price of 16,200 PhP!

Quite a change from my old karag-karag system that I was recently using with a hazy CRT monitor.

Maraming Salamat kay Santa Claus sa maagang pamasko sa akin.

Raine messed up the keyboard of my Asus Eee PC. It was my fault actually for letting him use it. Now the laptop works by inserting a USB keyboard in it. Speaking of laptop memory, I’m getting at least a 1 GB RAM next time.

It is still in my secret wishlist. In Raine’s is a toy laptop so he won’t use mine!

Good news. I’ve been online at home since Friday night and my weekend was spent downloading and re-installing stuff in this PC whose Windows OS has been reformatted yet again.

Seems to be working so far. Except that this is back to the original low memory chip. Apparently the new 1Gb RAM that was installed months back was having some incompatibility issues with the motherboard, not to mention some corrupt windows file, virus, etc. Something like that…so my computer guys said.

Well…the whole process cost me some photos I didn’t get to upload in my online albums. Then it was too late before I can think of compact flash disks. But then I should learn to put private folders online, print, and back up. And back up. Did I say back-up?! Gosh I never learn. Hayyy.

Well I’ve got back up in CDs of photos earlier than 2006. Since Raine and I went home? Everything was just either online or in the hard disk. Well…till next time, right?

For three days in a row now I’ve been blogging in the city (Sorsogon City, that is!), my windows PC broke down for the nth time. It’s going to need a replacement soon, but that’s another story.

My brother, a student of a computer school has been fixing it.  He does the best he can and I’m really really thankful for that. I don’t know if he is reading this (maybe he does too), so I just wanna say sorry for being such a pushy Ate. I expect too much sometimes. Besides, the unit has got hardware problems already.

He’s young and pikon. I’m 15 years  older and still pikon too. In that sense, I know I am worse. But…see? We really have the same genes! He he.

Well…it’s gonna be a long weekend. It’s just a lot weirder not being online at home.  He is still at it (brought the CPU when he left this morning)..and we are all crossing our fingers for a temporary solution until we can buy a decent one.

Hmmm…maybe I should have let the CPU wore a religious jewelry? Yes, we need a miracle! Ha ha ha.

Anyways…I’ve got maybe an hour here, tops. Then I’m calling it a week.

For the month of June, this main PC that I use crashed several times. The main reason is that the twins use this as well. Not for internet though, but for the files they have on flask disks, MP3 players, CDs…you name it.

Well of course they download stuff from the internet outside (school, net cafes, friend’s computer) and bring those at home.

So I guess they both should not complain if I nag them to fix the unit ASAP…and until I can buy my own unit (running on windows!), I should stop complaining too. He he.

But now they are using a friend’s laptop for all those music videos they keep watching/listening to for band practice.

Last week, I got a reply from a two-year inquiry of possible internet service in my ‘remote’ location. I’m not going to say what the name of the provider is but it is a satellite internet service. Sounds fine right? Besides we are already on satellite TV. Seems like satellite is the only thing that’s gonna work there.

I haven’t seen how the thing works, maybe they changed their minds for a possible demo. I said the equipment was too expensive and I can afford it.  Well, it definitely isn’t like buying a KVM switch. It’s like buying a high-end laptop — which at the moment I cannot afford.

Sometime. When the price comes down. By then I guess broadband would have reached me. Meanwhile, I remain on 3G GPRS…unless I move to town or the city. Gosh…now I wish I live in a trailer!

Okay, this isn’t as if I am lusting over LCD TV. It’s just that the TVs in this house are almost gone kaput. One’s display picture just went off one time while in the other, the screen we see isn’t centered anymore.

Then my computer’s monitor is still flickering off and on, on its own! I would love a flat screen. But I don’t have money to buy it. Until then, LCD TVs and computer monitors remain a (bad) dream. He he.

It’s been almost two months since I got my hands on an Asus Eee PC and I am definitely loving it. The unit has definitely lived up to its name.

Easy to learn

Indeed it is so00o easy to learn. For somebody who has been using Windows OS for ages, the stripped-down (term borrowed from a friend of mine) Linux preloaded in the Eee is a delightful surprise. First of all, it boots up and shuts down at a very quick pace — favoring the uber-impatient me.

Easy to work

The “big thumbnails” of each application is almost idiot proof. Period. You’ll never gonna get lost! The size of the keyboard nicely fits my fingers. Besides, I have everything I need in there. When I brought it outside and hooked in an internet cafe, I just had to plug-in the LAN cable and I was automatically connected to the net. No configuration, settings necessary!

(more…)

I remembered Ruth saying to me early this year that 2008 is a year of new opportunities.

Indeed this is a year of new opportunities for me: new stuff, new friendships, etc. This is only the first two months and it already trumps those lousiest years of my life — generally speaking at least.

New opportunities indeed. It’s just all up to me to either take it all or not. Choices, choices…who doesn’t want to be in the position to choose?!

There has been too many little things (that matter!) already, and then I got me (read: somebody gave me) this new baby: a Nokia 6233. You know… the one which remains Nokia’s cheapest 3G phone.

Even if you are such a control freak, at some point you must realize that there is just no way you can control everything 100% of the time.

Like when I used to do lab work, even if I was working against an important deadline, there’s just no way I can be done when in the middle of analytical frenzy, the machine shuts down or the pipette goes out of calibration. When such things occur,you just have to stop, fix it if you can (as soon as possible!), before you can carry on with the task. Sometimes, that might even mean starting all over again, simply because you are working in vivo.

What else is out of control? Too many in life I think. Like when your cell phone signal turns off automatically in the middle of a very-important-matter-of-life-and-death-your-future-depends-on-it kind of phone call.

That just sucks right? Especially if you cannot do anything about it.