2013: Annoyingly Fun

Ahh, 2013. What a great rollercoaster ride you are. From the last Sinulog as a student to the various Christmas parties with family and friends. From the college graduation to finally being a regular employee. From hanging out with college batchmates to having a great time with office batchmates and good friends. From all the happy nights out to the stressful OTs. From the great successes at work to the devastating failures in lovelife. I really had fun going through all of them though I get annoyed by those bad moments and the annoying viral videos. I mean, What Does the Fox Say? Haha.

Thank you to everyone who made 2013 a very memorable one. To the Maluya Family, BSCSMA, @NOW, Batch PHP, NSP Friends, USC CS/IT/ICT Batch 2013, Sci-Hi friends, thank you very much! Thank you also to the person who really changed my outlook in love. I hope you'll stay happy and love the person you are with now.

Most of all, I would like to thank the Lord God for getting me through this topsy-turvy year. Without you, I would never be where I am right now. THANK YOU LORD!

Thank you for being annoyingly fun, 2013. Here's to a wonderful 2014 guys! Happy New Year!

Apple and September 10: What To Expect And Do

Last year, Apple held an event in September to launch the iPhone 5 and I did a post about what to expect. Now we're at that same situation, I'm gonna do it again. Last week, Apple made it official that they will have an event on September 10, 10AM PT (that's September 11, 1AM here in the Philippines). A LOT of rumors have been swirling around as early as June and they're only getting more credible (but not to the point of being official) as the months go by. We won't have to wait much longer, but here's what you need to know and how to prepare for the coming announcement.

What To Expect

iPhone 5S - This one is a no-brainer. After doing the release pattern of releasing an "S" model after a redesign twice, I'd be shocked when they name this something else. Anyway, it is rumored that the iPhone 5S keeps the beautiful design of the 5 and brings internal improvements like a new A7 processor, 12MP camera with dual-LED flash, the fingerprint scanner and a possible 128GB storage option. It is also rumored to have two new colors, GOLD (or Champagne) and GRAPHITE (it's more or less gray). They better have one more thing up its sleeve.

iPhone 5C - I've been doubtful of this at first, but the leaks are just keeping it real. If the rumors are correct, then this phone is a plastic-cased version of the iPhone 5. As you can see above, it will come in COLORS. This is aimed more at emerging markets who cannot afford the high-end iPhone. I just hope that the plastic doesn't feel like Samsung's. Gaaaaaah. Both the 5S and 5C will run iOS 7 out of the box if the rumors are correct.

New/Refreshed iPods - Based on announcements on previous years, new iPods are typically announced alongside the iPhones. Don't know what to expect here except that there will be new ones.

What To Do

DO NOT BUY THE IPHONE 5 YET.
- This has been my warning for each year that a new iPhone is about to come out. Do not buy the one that's out right now unless you really need one. You may end up regretting the purchase if the iPhone 5 gets cheaper.

Essentially, that's it. Save up guys, it's going be another expensive holiday season!

JBL Micro Wireless Speaker Review

Last week, I got this speaker from iCenter in IT Park. I needed a new one since the old one I had a weak sound and decent but decreasing battery life. When I first saw this speaker, I was already in love with its simple design and various colors. You could choose from either red, blue or green. At first, I wanted the blue one but in the end I got the red one because A) I didn't have a lot of red stuff and B) I am constantly reminded of someone with this color hahaha.

The sound of this speaker is really really loud for its size. And I can connect to it using Bluetooth so I don't need to use a 3.5mm cable. But when I do need it, the speaker itself has a built-in 3.5mm cable. For the price of P2,990, it's worth every cent I spent it on.

Check Out: The Verge Back to School Buying Guide

From The Verge

Although school started in the Philippines two months ago, it will start in September for places with temperate climate (a kind of climate which has four seasons) especially in the US. This is why technology sites like The Verge post back-to-school buying guides so that students and parents have an idea on what to get for this school year.

This one's special though since this is one of the most sophisticated and beautifully designed web pages I have ever seen. I'm gonna make this short though since this post is merely just to promote this amazing piece of web design. Of course, it has great choices for what to get for students.

Click the link below:

THE VERGE BACK TO SCHOOL BUYING GUIDE

The Starbucks Card..

The Starbucks Card isn't actually new, it's a thing that's been going on in the US for a very long time. It's a card in which can act as another way for you to pay for your coffee and food in Starbucks. I was so happy to find out that it's finally coming to the Philippines! If you've checked my Instagram feed (follow me if you haven't! @iamlianixx), then you know my great love for Starbucks. That's why I'm happy that it came!

Here, the card serves as a stored value card (works like prepaid where you buy load) and a rewards card (where you get rewards when you earn enough Stars). A minimum of P300 load is required for you to get a Starbucks Card and activate it. The stored value on the card? You can use it to buy ANYTHING in Starbucks! (Seriously, ANYTHING in their menu.) You only earn Stars when you buy any handcrafted beverage, VIA Ready Brew packets, or Whole Bean packs though. It's still good for Starbucks loyalists everywhere.

Since it's my birth month, and I wanna share my passion for Starbucks, I'll be giving away 3 Starbucks Cards with P300 load each to 3 lucky people!

Yes I know what you're gonna say. "I don't believe you because you did something like this and nothing happened!" You want proof? Check the pic below:

Believe me now? Good. Now, how to win? Simple!

All you need to do is like the pic (http://instagram.com/p/c1fN3im_dB/) on Instagram AND Retweet this (https://twitter.com/iamlianixx/status/366870405010583552) on Twitter in order to enter!

The contest is open for anyone who lives in Cebu (sorry to the rest, I have no budget to deliver outside of Cebu) and lasts until August 16. I will announce the winners in another post..

Good luck everyone!

Disclaimer: I was NOT paid by Starbucks Coffee Corporation or the licensee in the Philippines to do this contest. I used my own resources to acquire the cards. I'm doing this just for you, the readers.

The Overtime Feeling..

This week was really hectic for me since it was the first time to experience true overtime in our line of work. I had to do this because of something that needed to be finished in a short amount of time and I wasn't able to commit to an overtime last weekend because I needed to get the other wisdom tooth removed.

At first I thought that it would be a very different experience than just having a lot of assignments that need to be submitted the next day. I thought wrong. It felt EXACTLY like that time, maybe even a bit worse than the time when I had to do my thesis alongside the normal schoolwork. It really makes you think a lot of things especially sleep and a lot of cheesy and love stuff. It drains your brain until you can no longer make sense of what you're doing and what's going on in your surroundings. Sure this may sound overly exaggerated but that's really what I feel. Put that on top of the pain I have to deal with due to the 2nd wisdom tooth that was removed and I really really felt over-the-top tired.

Though I really wanna go overtime again, I just hope I don't have to do it too much and do it unnecessarily.

The iOS 7 2-Week Beta Cycle

iOS 7 may be the most significant and most important thing Apple's going for right now. There may be a mixed bag when it comes to the design overhaul, but it may be what iOS needs right now.

That said, even Apple makes mistakes and there may be parts of the user interface that doesn't work well with users. This is why Beta software comes out early for Developers so that they can check out the new OS and make their apps jive with the new UI. When Beta 1 came out the same time iOS 7 was announced on June 10, it was just for the iPhone. 2 weeks later, the iPad got a taste of it in Beta 2. This morning (July 8th in the US), Beta 3 came out this time with more bug fixes and UI tweaks. What does this tell us?

I think Apple's 2-week cycle for Beta releases is good since it can help the developers in tweaking the apps well in preparation for the final release and at the same time, lets Apple improve the OS through immediate feedback from them. If they keep up the pace of the releases, here's the roadmap for iOS 7 Beta Releases:

• Beta 4 - July 22
• Beta 5 - August 5
• Beta 6 - August 19
• Beta 7 (if possible) - September 2

After Beta 6 or 7, they're gonna release a Golden Master to all developers. A week after that, the final version will be out for all users. Having the 2-week Beta cycle will be good since there will be a lot of opportunities to squash a lot of bugs well ahead of the final release. I really hope that Apple will hit the nail on the head with this one, and compelling hardware to come along with it.

IV: D' Woods of Tabuelan.

This by far has got to be the most "out-of-town" of all the trips I've been to. Despite that, this one made me see all the wonders that Mother Nature wants us to see and appreciate. Unlike the previous trips where we had to wake up early at dawn just to enjoy most of the trip, we left at 8 AM. The trip was very long since it took us almost 3 HOURS to get to our destination and we almost got lost trying to find the place! Good thing there was enough signal for my dad to call his brother on the name and location of the place we're staying. It's named D' Woods Beach Camp. (Which is the reason of the title of the post. ^^)

The place really felt isolated. The cabin (in D' Woods! Get it? HAHA) was the only place where people can sleep. The room's nice because it's a room that you usually would expect from a beach resort. The surroundings are very refreshing since you don't see a hint of modernization around you except when you get inside their cottages where you'll find stuff for cooking and the rooms.

The beachfront in D' Woods isn't much since it's pretty much a mangrove plantation, so it's a good thing there are more beach resorts within Tabuelan alone. We didn't really do much in the beach camp besides sleeping, eating, and using our phones. It was fun when we went to Durhan Beach Resort and the Maravilla Public Beach.

Going around Cebu for most of this summer made me realize how much I really love it. The beauty of the beaches all around Cebu cannot be fully described through blogging. Durhan Beach Resort is one of those beaches. Although it may be far away, it's still worth it to go there when you wanna get away from the noise and insanity of the city. This trip is one of the best ones I've been to and I won't hesitate to go back here at all.

III: The Adventures of Danasan.

Good thing this one didn't happen the week after we went to Camotes, otherwise I would have realized that I couldn't take a lot of "out-of-town" trips. Haha. Anyway, this happened on the first of May. Again, this was planned by my mom's friend who wanted to spend time here. The place was really nice. It really felt like we were out of civilization! We were out of it actually since there was no signal there! The cottage we stayed in really belonged with the whole location since it was made of bamboo.

We actually aimed for one thing only: WAKEBOARDING. We the young people really wanted to try wakeboarding and since my mom's friend wanted us to enjoy the place, we agreed to do 4 adventurous activities. Oooh, very nice indeed.

Of course, the first activity we had was WAKEBOARDING. It was really hard to do at first but when you get the hang of it (and have the place to yourself for more than 2 hours), you get to feel the thrill of surfing but with a rope hanging above you! It was really amazing, I really stumbled a lot but I managed to do it well after all those stumbles. Woohoo! After we got exhausted of wakeboarding all the time, we went back to their canteen and ate lunch there.

After lunch, we were driving on ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles, in case you didn't know) around the Eco Park. I gotta say, the place is really fitting for ATVs since there were a lot of obstacles such as valley-like passageway and the bottom part was a puddle. We were stuck there for like 10 to 15 minutes! I thought we wouldn't get out of there. Another problem was when one of the ATVs died and the guide that went along with us had to walk the whole way back! (Poor guide!) We enjoyed the whole thing anyway!

When that was done, we rode the 8x8, which is a bigger version of an ATV that can accommodate 7 people (8 when you count the driver). The ride was INSANE! The driver kept doing unpredictable drifts which makes us really hang on to our seats! The whole ride was nothing less of spectacular! In the middle of the 8x8 trip, we stopped by the top of a hill where there was a very amazing view! Too bad I wasn't able to get a shot of it. Sucks!

After that, we went for another round of WAKEBOARDING, only this time there were a lot of people! At least we were already experienced that we lasted longer than before. Did I mention we rode a TRACTOR-like vehicle on our way to the 2nd round of wakeboarding? I LOVED IT!

All in all, I really loved Danasan. It reminds me that nature has a lot of things to show us and we should embrace it more rather than wreck it in order to appreciate our world.

Gotta sleep. Night!

The Lumia 720 Test Drive: The Review.

DISCLAIMER: Nokia DID NOT pay me to do the Test Drive, let alone make this review. I actually had to pay to do this test drive. 

Here we are. As of this day, I have already reset the Lumia 720 in preparation for returning it. Because of that, I'm here to give you my review of the Lumia 720 and see whether it is a solid option for first-time smartphone buyers and those who currently have smartphones and are looking for something new.

DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY

When I first held this phone when I got it at SM, it felt really nice. Although it's made of polycarbonate rather than metal, it feels like a premium device because of the way it feels in the hand. Nokia has always been one of the best when it comes to design and build quality and it certainly shows. At 9mm, the phone is really thin for a mid-range smartphone. The best part with the Lumia line is that it has colors! The 720 is available in yellow, red, cyan, black, and silver/white. I think it's best that we bring back colors into phones again they're starting to look the same in terms of the general aesthetic (that a smartphone is designed like a slab with a touchscreen).

HARDWARE

The hardware isn't by any means fantastic on this device, but it isn't meant to be since it's a mid-range smartphone. The Snapdragon S4 CPU by Qualcomm powers this device and it's already plenty fast considering that Windows Phone 8's performance is solid and doesn't need a very powerful processor. The Lumia 720 has a WVGA screen with a resolution of 480x800, which is not a surprise for a mid-range device but there are devices with good screens which are midrange (like the HTC First with a 720p display) and it could have been a differentiating factor. Good thing that the camera makes up for that because the Lumia 720 has a great 6.7 megapixel camera. The colors may be a little washed out but the quality is really good for the price that you'll pay this phone. It's even good in low light! If you're on a budget but you want a great camera, you should give this phone some serious consideration. The speaker is loud but is sadly located at the back of the phone so when I put the phone on the bed normally, the sound basically disappeared.

Click here to check full-quality photos I took from the Lumia 720.

SOFTWARE

I found Windows Phone 8 very intriguing. I like the Live Tiles since they provide more information without the clutter that Android brings with the widgets. The People hub is really practical since all the updates from your Facebook and Twitter accounts appear here. Smart Shoot and Cinemagraph are two good camera apps that leverage that great camera I mentioned earlier. The former being a photo editing tool and the latter a GIF creator. 

Beyond the included apps which run great, there's not much to go on. The apps are lacking, especially when you're a current smartphone owner looking for an alternative. Some apps like Dropbox, YouTube, and Angry Birds are here, but Instagram is not. I really use Instagram a lot and it's sad that Windows Phone does not have it yet. I seriously hope Microsoft improves their promotion to developers because Blackberry already provides a way to gain access to more apps by letting users sideload Android apps to Blackberry 10 devices. If you're not an app junkie, this phone is right for you since it has the apps you need.

THE VERDICT

Despite the fact that I own an iPhone 5, I can happily say that I loved spending 5 days with the Lumia 720 and I would truly recommend this to first-time smartphone buyers. The camera's great, the screen's okay, and the phone is fast enough. It would be a little difficult to recommend this to those who have owned high-end smartphones like the Galaxy S III or the iPhone 5 since both of those phones have huge ecosystems along with them. Unlike the Lumia 920 where there were a lot of compromises, the Lumia 720 has fewer of those compromises such as the design where there is little to no bulk in the phone but still feels solid enough to hold. It may have a lower megapixel camera than the 920, but it is good enough given the price you pay (which is P14,590 by the way so now you'd be surprised). I guess I couldn't let go of the apps I have collected over the 2 years with iOS devices. If I haven't used an iOS device though, this would be a phone I would consider buying.

Thank you, Nokia Philippines, for letting people do a test drive with the Lumia 720 to build awareness of the Lumia range and hopefully produce sales in the long run. Guess I'm not one of those who'll buy.

Later guys, gotta get some sleep..

II: Captivating Camotes Islands.

There's a reason why there's continuity in the Summer Escapades series: the gap between the trips is just a week! I really found it earth-shattering (exaggerated, but that's what I felt deep inside) to know that we'll have another out-of-town trip just a week after. It turns out, my mom and her close friend planned this trip for their office mates and we're just fortunate enough to come along. I'm very thankful that they planned this so that we can enjoy as much summer as we can. Okay okay, back to the title.

The Camotes Islands were one of the many places I haven't been to in Cebu despite being a local here or maybe that's because I don't go out to these kinds of places that often. A way that you can get there is through a barge in Danao City. It lasted for around 2 and a half hours which was pretty long, so I had to get some shuteye. 

Shortly before we arrived, we saw the islands and they really looked beautiful. The abundance of trees in the place means that the tourist spots in the islands are mostly filled with nature. When we arrived, jeeps were in the port where they get passengers to bring them to places. We had one, and we were brought to a resort owned by the parents of my mom's office mate. After leaving our things there and ate breakfast, we directly went sightseeing to places in the islands. 

My favorite one was the Bukilat Cave.

The cave really looked very peculiar to me because of the formation of all the stalagmites and stalactites (if you can still remember what they are, then you're not getting old yet) inside. What's even stranger than that is the fact that there's water so that you can swim there. Unfortunately I didn't because children may have swam there and who knows what happened. Another place I really loved was the Buho Rock. It was said to have one of the greatest sceneries here and I definitely agree. The first picture you saw? That was from there. Cool right?

The last place I really loved from the islands was one of the beaches there. (I forgot the name. Sorry!) The picture of the view was like it was taken from Boracay. Here it is:

It really looks stunning, especially at that time when the sun was setting. Unlike in the Bukilat Cave, I went swimming in that beach even though it was low tide. Camotes is a good place to relax and unwind. You have to see it to really be amazed with the scenery that you will be able to see. I am happy to have experienced the beauty of Camotes Islands. I hope you visit there too!

I: The Beauty of Bohol.

Bohol was amazing. At first I thought, "Meh, it may seem fun but what's so special about this place besides Chocolate Hills?". After the trip, my mind absolutely turned upside down! This was a very refreshing experience because most of the trips that I've had outside Cebu City were either within Cebu Province, Cagayan De Oro, or Manila. I certainly underestimated Bohol and there I was standing in awe. It doesn't mean I wasn't excited to go to Bohol, I just thought I would be neutral when I got there.

When we arrived, there was transportation for us that will bring us to popular spots around Bohol. It was really nice to see a lot of trees and vegetation around since I only get to see them when I go either to the North or South of Cebu. The weird thing about us when we were on the road was that we kept playing 4 Pics 1 Word! It was really trippy because we pass around phones to one another and it was really INSANE while we were doing it. I even got dizzy after a long while because of passing them around! First thing we did though was to eat breakfast in Jollibee. After that, we started our tour around Bohol!

We first went to the very popular Chocolate Hills! It was very beautiful when we got to the topmost area where people can see the hills very clearly. We took some pictures here but something weird happened: it was about to rain! At first, we wouldn't believe it but then the clouds were suddenly closing in. We had to go down quickly but alas, we were too late as we got hit by the rain. Good thing it was just half of our bodies that got wet, but it still felt weird.

See what I mean? Hehe.

After that very weird and fun experience, we stopped by the pocket forests where we went picture taking because the view was so unique and it felt like there wasn't a sky to look at. It was like the trees are what dominated this place. This just proves that the Philippines has yet to be discovered by a lot more people, even the ones who are from our country.

After that, we went to where the tarsiers were. Since only my grandma and I haven't seen tarsiers in person, Mom asked us to go and see them. They were really cute and their big eyes really astound me. The thing is that you can't take any pictures of them with flash since their eyes are very sensitive. The locals say that when a tarsier moves away from its habitat in a sudden way and it does suicide. Well, enough about gloomy stuff.
After the tarsiers, we ate buffet lunch. We then passed by an old church which was recognized a heritage site.

Then our travelling around comes to an end where we finally arrived at the place that we stayed for the rest of the trip: Bluewater Panglao!

This place was so nice! Staying here felt like a dream. The pools were nice, the food was very delicious, the room was very spacious, and the bed was very comfy. Well, that may be because I had a bed to myself. We actually did a lot here including biking (YAY!) and kayaking.

All in all, I really enjoyed being in Bohol. It made me realize that the Philippines has a lot to offer and I think that tourists will really appreciate the beauty that Bohol brings to everyone who visits. I think I wanna travel more just because of what I've seen there.

(This is actually delayed since this trip happened on April 6. Sorry for that. I'm trying to catch up as I still have 2 more of these to post and more. Work's eating up my time already. 'Til then, guys. I really am sorry for posting this so late.)

Caseless iPhone 5 for a Week.

 

For more than a week that I've had the iPhone 5, it's been protected with a black case. Then I thought that one of the things I loved about this was the design and I really love the back. So I decided, why don't I try this phone without a case for one week? I mean, it's supposed to be designed so that it would be sturdier than the iPhone 4/4S design which was all glass. I really hope this works out.

UPDATE: I suddenly gave up and put the case back on. The reason? I couldn't hear as much from the speakers compared to when a case is there. :(

Requirements.

This week's been shockingly tiring, you know. I just graduated, but I feel like I have to do stuff again. Not programming or anything but the paper works required for pre-employment. The thing is, despite all the technological advancements in our lives, we could never really live without a trace of paper. All the documents that we have right now are still on paper. I'm still wondering as to why it's still backwards especially here in the Philippines.

Good thing I wasn't alone for most of the time because that would just suck. Earlier this morning though, I was just by myself when I got two more requirements. After which, I went to Ayala to get Krispy Kreme donuts and went home. Then I went to IT Park to get those Baked Creations there, went to Ayala again, and finally went home to relax and think and stuff.

Short but sweet. Bow.

Hyper-Connected.

First thing to do in the morning: Turn on the computer and open Facebook.

Last thing to do at night: Read Facebook and Twitter updates on my iPhone.

People these days are becoming what we call "hyper-connected", where they live and breathe through the internet and social networking. I've been thinking about the long-term effects of this and why they can't seem to let go even for just an hour. Before I go on with this, I would like to say that I myself am hyper-connected so I could be guilty with some of these situations. I am not a hypocrite, but I only want to point out things I've observed from people. Let's get this ra

There was one time when I went to church and I saw people texting DURING the homily. I really think this is disrespectful to a lot of people who are attending the mass, and most especially to God, who is the reason we celebrate it. It's not like the person who you're texting would just suddenly disappear. You can just text that person AFTER the mass. God is way more important than that.

Another instance of the effects of hyper-connectivity is when you're in a dinner with family or relatives. Instead of talking a lot with your relatives, you stare at your phone for a long time and sometimes, you don't even mind the people with you at that moment. Again, we still have time for that after we have talked with family.

One last instance that this is evident is in shopping malls. (I am certainly guilty for this one!) We ALWAYS use our phones around the mall. I can't really blame them though, if you can't really buy anything you see around the mall then might as well find something else to do. Food's not included, of course.

No matter what situation you are in, the modern smartphone or tablet has now invaded your life. It's just up to you if you control it or let it control you. Stay safe in cyberspace!

The Verge @ CES 2013

theverge.com/ces-2013

The 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is still ongoing in the Las Vegas Convention Center (when it's open) and out of all the coverage I've seen, it's The Verge that has an INSANE amount of content during the event. They have a giant compound outside the venue in order to bring you news, interviews, and hands-on videos of the gadgets and companies in CES. They even put a video panel JUST BECAUSE of their insane video content.

To find out more about their coverage, go to theverge.com/ces! Thanks for the coverage!

Check them out on:
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From Random: 2013

As you may not notice, I have another blog. It's a blog that doesn't really have a direction though, which is exactly why I named it "Random".

The reason why I'm talking about it is because I have a post there about what I can say about 2013.

It's about what I always do when a new year shows up.

Here's the link if you wanna read it: http://tmblr.co/Z80WsuasDmJe

Thank you for even caring to read this blog, so hopefully you would read my other one! :)

New Year, New Name

We're on the third day of 2013 and I thought of the blog. I think I should change the name not because it's bad but because I want the blog to reflect more of myself.

So, I changed it to this: BULLETPROOF GEEK. Bulletproof because starting this year, I don't wanna change myself just so that people would like. I have always been a Geek (as you have seen in my tech posts) and I will continue to be that way.

There we go, for 2013, I'm going for Bulletproof Geek. Sounds nice. Do you think it's nice? Shout out below! Thanks for reading this, guys. :)