Random.

Yeah. At first, I wanted to start a post series on completely random ideas that pop out from my head. Then it occurred to me, "Why don't I do a separate blog about that?". Sure it's a hassle to post left and right between the Random blog and this blog but it's alright. I wanna do it. First post of Random coming up soon. The post you see there is my introductory post. Hehe. I'll post one every Friday. Hope you enjoy that as much as this one! :)


UPDATE: I completely forgot! If you wanna read the blog, click "Random" right up in the menu bar for convenience. :) Sorry guys!

Thoughts on Apple's WWDC 2012

(This is the first post where you comment and get a chance to win an iPod shuffle or an 8GB USB flash drive! Comment here! :D)


(All pictures here: Copyright © 2012 Apple Inc.)


Let me start by saying this: I used to hate Apple. I would rant that an iPad is just a "giant iPhone" and even said that the iPhone was a gimmick and only a few people would actually buy this due to its price. As usual, I would bash the Macs for being the most expensive computers ever made. Well, that was the old me. The me that used to hate Apple has now turned into an Apple user. What can I say? I fell in love with the mobile devices.


It all started with an iPod touch. Introduced in 2007 months after the release of the original iPhone, it would be a device that has the best of what the iPhone can do except of the phone capabilities. I owned a first-gen iPod touch and I was still contented with the content I had with it. Since then, I followed Apple's announcements, news, and even posted opinions here in my blog about what Apple and its competitors are doing.


In this post though, I will focus on Apple's WWDC 2012 keynote presentation last Monday (Tuesday, Manila time) and put out my unbiased opinion on what Apple has in store for us over the course of the next few months.


By the way, I'm sorry if this was overdue, but I had to finish my "Final Days of Summer" and OJT Series in order for me to do this complete reaction to this event and all the new stuff they released.


Here are the three things that highlighted this year's keynote:


MacBook Pro with Retina Display

I gotta say, I was surprised that they actually did this. Rumors spread around that there would be Retina displays throughout the whole MacBook line but never I expected that at least one of them would really get that significant upgrade. So, here it is, the new king of the MacBooks. This beast has a lot going for it, so here are the base and the maximum specs:

• 15.4" Retina Display with a 2880x1800 resolution
• 2.3GHz 3rd generation quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with 6MB shared L3 cache (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) (processor up to 2.7 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz)
• 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory (up to 16GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory)
• 256GB flash storage (up to 768GB)
• Intel HD Graphics 4000 and NVIDIA GeForce GT650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
• 720p Facetime HD camera
• Connection ports: Magsafe 2 port, 2 USB 3.0/2.0 ports, 2 Thunderbolt ports, HDMI port, 3.5mm headphone jack, SDXC card slot
• 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi networking
• Backlit keyboard
• 7 hours battery life

Honestly, I can't believe they shoved all this into a laptop that's 0.71" thin and weighs 4.46 pounds! The design is simply well-thought and Apple clearly applied what they've learned over the years. Although the lack of an ethernet port is a worry since this is mostly aimed at professionals, there's a Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet adapter so I hope this wouldn't be much of an issue. Overall, this notebook gives more compelling reasons for people to buy this, although a big turn-off would be its price: it starts at $2199. :( Still, I would recommend this to anyone who can shelve off a LOT of money. Moving on...




OS X Mountain Lion




Yes, yes. After a year with the Lion, we get another update which is Mountain Lion. This update focuses more on how the Mac can connect with your Apple mobile devices even better. This update includes Notification Center, which was carried over from iOS and implements it in the same way, Game Center, also from iOS which supports cross-platform gaming over Macs and iOS devices (which I think is cool), and AirPlay Mirroring, where with the help of an Apple TV, you can stream whatever's on the screen of your Mac to your TV.


To me, this feels like Lion with a few good updates and improvements that people will enjoy and I'm sure that $19.99 price would convince all the current Mac users to upgrade. Moreso, the new buyers of Macs will get this for FREE. It's coming this July.



iOS 6

This may be considered the highlight for users of Apple's famous iPhone and iPad, and the iPod touch. iOS 6 brings more to the table as they bring another package of features which help boost their usability and benefits the user. Here are some of the highlight features of the new major software update:


Maps - The most-rumored new feature of iOS 6, the Maps application has now been revamped and gone are any references of Google Maps. Everything in the new Maps is now made by Apple (since they bought a lot of mapping technology companies) and has now new features. The iPhone can now do turn-by-turn navigation, a feature that has long been in the Android ecosystem for a long time. Another feature is Flyover, where it displays 3D satellite images of major cities, which looks amazing. Other features include Traffic, which notifies users of realtime traffic.


Siri - Siri is now smarter in iOS 6. It can now show you sports scores and info, movie times, restaurant reservations, powers the turn-by-turn navigation in Maps, can accept Tweet requests and Facebook posts, and launch apps. It's becoming a more useful personal assistant.


Facebook - Speaking of Facebook posts, Facebook is now integrated into iOS. You can now post Photos, web pages, and more to Facebook using the same functionality done with Twitter. You can now also "Like" apps and more.


Passbook - Passbook is where you can store your virtual gift cards, membership cards, airline and movie tickets, and even sports games tickets in one single place. It even notifies you if you're nearby the certain place where that pass is needed.

Other features include Phone improvements with Remind Me Later or Reply With Message, Safari enhancements with Offline Reading List and Full Screen Landscape mode, Shared Photo Streams where you can share certain photos with friends including comments and likes, FaceTime over Cellular, Pull to Refresh and VIP Inbox in Mail, and Guided Access for easy use of the iPhone and iPad with Single App mode.


Software enhancements are great but I wish there was even more. A UI redesign would be nice, but I think they're either holding it off for the next iPhone or not doing it at all, which is sad. I still like the enhancements they bring to the 4th generation iPod touch, iPhone 3GS and later, and iPad 2 & iPad 3rd Gen. Sad to see the original iPad go as well. Times have changed though.




Overall, Apple's WWDC 2012 stayed in the tradition of new things. The new hardware was a surprise, but the software improvements fell a little bit flat for me. I hope that we will see a shocking Fall as Apple strikes back against the Android army. Best wishes, Apple.

FIVE-TRIPLE-ZERO Vote Results and Mechanics!

Thank you guys for voting on which prize I should give you for this contest. Here was the process of how I counted the votes:

"Votes counted before June 16 was only between the iPod shuffle, Krispy Kreme, and the 4GB USB Flash Drive, unless the person changed their votes on or after that date."

That's basically it, and based on those votes, you have chosen:

The iPod shuffle. I honestly wanted to change it and give the iPod touch but my funds are severely thin right now. Maybe when I can get a way to get these things easier then I can give such. Until then, you guys get a chance to win a Shuffle, which is still cool.

Here are the mechanics for this contest:

1) I will be posting on thoughts of the big tech happenings last month, which are: Apple's WWDC, Microsoft's Surface event & Windows Phone Summit, and Google's I/O Conference. You will post a comment on each of these posts. Make sure you use your Facebook name in order for me to recognize who you are.

2) Deadline of the posts will be 15 days after I post all three posts. It may vary due to my hectic schedule but I'll be doing it as soon as I'm free.

3) This only applies to people living in Cebu, Philippines.

That's it! So join now and you may just win an iPod shuffle OR an 8GB flash drive! Yes, there will be 2 happy people from this contest. Join NOW! :)

On The Verge of Reading: My Fave Tech Site

TheVerge.com: More than just tech. 

(Sorry for not posting about WWDC and the Windows Phone Summit. Don't worry though, I will come back with those thoughts plus Google I/O for comparisons.)

I love technology. It inspired me to where I am right now, studying for a degree in Computer Science. It also gave way to another side of me: the geeky side. The side of me that always pays attention to all the new gadgets that are coming out, even though they're not available in our part of the world. I also owe it to technology, which brought innovations like the Internet that actually enables me to get this information on technology ever so quickly.


Despite the vast number of sites out there dedicated to technology, whether vague or specific, I like how The Verge covers it. The site may seem to look like a normal tech news site, but it's actually more than that. There are certain stories made here that goes out of the normal news-centric theme and goes to the point where it tells you how that certain technology (or lack of it) can change our lives.


Of course it wouldn't be a meaningful tech site without podcasts. The Verge has two. First is The Vergecast where they discuss the week with pretty much anything that The Verge stands for. Even the humor and quirkiness of the podcast makes this a unique experience to listen and to watch. It is usually hosted by their Editor-in-Chief, Joshua Topolsky, and two other hosts, usually would be Nilay Patel and Paul Miller but it could be anyone else from their team.


Then they have The Verge Mobile Show which was formerly known as The Verge Mobile Podcast, since they made the leap to video. This one's hosted by Dieter Bohn, Vlad Savov and Chris Ziegler. They usually talk about the week in mobile technology, since the drive in consumer technology is dependent on how the players in the mobile space. I've been following this faithfully since mobile is what I'm deeply interested in and I hope that competition will continue to thrive.


They also do a monthly web show, called On The Verge where they have guests from the big players in technology, tech culture, and everything else that affects it. An episode's usually an hour long, and usually contains interviews and featurettes that are usually funny and informative.


What I can say is, the people behind this amazing site are amazing and I hope they continue on the promise of a good insight of technology and how it can influence our lives. :)


Will catch up with the month of tech that is June.

Week 10: Time for Goodbyes... for Now

I will miss this. Yes, I am finally leaving the office. This had to happen at some point. Honestly, I didn't want to leave. I just have to, for the sake of studies. I learned a lot of things here though. 


This place taught me to be resourceful and time-conscious. This place also gave me new bonds to old friendships and new friends altogether. I love the people I worked with for the past 2 months and I really hope they would still be them. In order to celebrate that bond, I left them a parting gift:

Yeah. I love the people in the picture (and those who weren't there) and I sincerely hope I could come back to these people sooner or later. Words aren't enough to express how much I love these guys. Thank you for the memories! Goodbye... for now.

Week 9: Bread and Butter of Things

(I am sorry for delaying this post. I have a lot of things in my mind and this kinda slipped out. I still post this one right now, right? Yeah, I guess so.)


Lately, I only work twice a week because there is a minimum requirement per week and I don't need to go there everyday. That doesn't mean I have no stories to tell though.


These days were confusing to me. They always show me that eventually I have to make a decision. A decision that would dictate the course of my (hopefully) final year in college. Everything in the office really makes me want to stay. Mark asked me that same question on one day of this week and I couldn't answer it at first. Hopefully I would have the bread and butter of things sorted out before the day I really decide.


So on the same day I decided to ask my good friend Kevin about what I should do with this. And no, we didn't drink Bo's Coffee, but Starbucks. I told him my dilemma that I'm in and the advantages and disadvantages on the decision. In the end, I decided that I should leave because the uncertainty of the major research project we have to do is so big that I should focus more on it. I know that I'll miss it, but I have to leave in order to graduate in peace.


So yeah, the day after that, I told Mark that I'm leaving and that discussion ended. I was finally at peace but I AM REALLY GONNA MISS THE PEOPLE THERE. I love them so much. Hopefully, I can come back and actually work there. AGAIN, I'm gonna miss them. :(


That's it for this week. Next week may be my last OJT post. Sad but true.

Epilogue: Moving On

(This is the final post on the "Final Days of Summer" series. See what I just did there? Haha. Anyway, click HERE for the rest of the posts of this no-common-theme series. Also, I did an update to the 5000-view post, so vote now because I moved the deadline to the 30th of June. Click HERE to vote now!)


You may be wondering why there's an epilogue. I just want some closure for maybe my last summer vacation in my entire life. Honestly, I seriously hope I can go on more vacations because I may need it after this hell of a semester I'm about to face. 


Change is inevitable. The only thing that's permanent in this world is change. Some people embrace it, others resist it as hard as they can. In the end, it's either you "ADAPT or DIE". I got that from a recent podcast episode of the Vergecast where Joshua Topolsky explained how the entertainment industry, particularly in movies and television, has to change their model or else they will be consumed by the advancements of technology.


The only thing I can say about change is that I will embrace it with open arms and whatever happens to me will happen. I hope my dream for the future will stay intact because I intend to do that dream.


Well, time to get serious. School's in.

Week 8: The One-Day Showcase

Pizzaaaaa! :D

(So yeah, the OJT post I had last week WAS NOT the last. I decided to continue on with this journey as long as I can. I may have to come up with a decision to go on with the program or not. Well, it's up to me.)


Second day of class. The only class I was excited about on this day was iOS. The rest pretty much feels like neutral to me. Good thing the Economics teacher didn't show up. Due to that, I was able to get to work early today. It was a different feel than those times during summer vacation because the school was filled with people. The surroundings were very vibrant and full of life. I actually thought that was a nice description! Hahaha. Back to the story, I went in and did the usual stuff. Turned on the computer that had Ubuntu in it. When I tried to run the thing I made, it didn't work! NOOOO! I kept my panic within and tried to find the root of it. After finding it, fixing it was the thing in my mind. Didn't actually help me until lunch came.


Lunch was surprisingly amusing on this day. Since I had no classmate to go with, I went with the "employees" (I said that because they recently graduated, but they really are) to Green Derby. Eating with them was fun, especially the time when the fruits were out and they were fighting over it. That never gets old.


After that, we went back and I still had that problem of fixing the thing I did, (which I will NEVER tell what it is for obvious reasons) and led to me to a conclusion that I have to re-do things again. The difference is that I already knew what to do, so it only took me a few hours to finish it and update the document to reflect the changes.


The main attraction of this day, however, is the Pizza! :D Since our boss was about to go back to Singapore, he treated us with pizza. The choices were between Alberto's or Pizza Hut. Due to the value proposition being higher with Alberto's, it was chosen. And after more than an hour...

The pizza came! :) Yes, I was asked by them to take a picture of the delivery guy because they knew about my blog. Well, at least there's exposure lately unlike in the past. I had to promote this a lot though. Anyway, back to the pizza.


After the event in the picture happened, pizza was spread everywhere! There were two kinds given to each team: one was sort of like "Garden Fresh" pizza while the other one was a "Sisig" pizza, dedicated to one of the Filipinos' favorite foods. They both tasted great, but I specifically like the Garden Fresh pizza because I find the Sisig one underwhelming for my taste. Regardless, it's free. Haha.


They were so ecstatic about the pizza that they wanted to take pictures of it! Again, it was because I'd post about it, which I am doing. LOL to the world.

I was really surprised on how much we've bonded for the past 2 months (approximately) and realized that this was something that I would remember deeply. I just hope that whatever decision I make, I would only hope that I won't regret it.

And yes, this "week" only happened in a day because Monday didn't really count as a significant thing. 'Til next week.

1: Indie Strolling

(This is the second to the last post of the "Final Days of Summer" series. You may have missed a lot of stuff. Read the back story and the other posts HERE to peer into my mind for this past week. Also, I updated the blog so that you would be seeing bigger pictures from now on. Yay? Haha.


Hmm. What to do on a holiday before classes start? Well, I didn't do much, really. I actually forgot to post something here in my blog about this year's WWDC from Apple. As you may have known, I am fond of Apple products lately (though I still use a Nokia phone and a Windows laptop because it's more useful in our field) and I always want to see what's new in their "walled garden", as people call it. I will be posting them soon though, because I got lots to say.


Anyway, as I said I didn't really do much. I finally went back to the gym after a week of not going. I usually go every Saturday but you know what happened last Saturday, right? I am finally able to get back to my regular routine when classes begin, so hopefully I could get into shape (FOR REAL).


In the afternoon, I got a haircut because I was a bit annoyed by the hair touching my ears. While I was in the barbershop, there was a parade going on. It was for the celebration of the 114th Year of Philippine Independence from the Spaniards. I clearly stated that because the Philippines went through three colonizations before we were actually free from anyone. First, the Spaniards, next were the Americans, then came the Japanese. Then we were left to our own on the 4th of July, 1946, which became the Philippine-American Friendship Day. I guess that the lawmakers saw that the independence in June 12, 1898 has more meaning. It has been like that ever since. It's nice to see us celebrating it despite the problems this country has faced recently.

After the haircut, I went to Ayala to have picture-taking of myself for a requirement in school which is a 2x2 picture. Nothing much to talk about there. After that, I was searching for the Samsung Galaxy S III. Despite my initial reactions, I wanted to try it out to see if it's worth it. When I got to the Samsung store, I tried it out.


It's actually not bad. It's okay with my hand, but I don't think anyone can just use this with one hand. The phone is zippy. It feels comfortable in the hand. I gotta say, anyone who says that Samsung oversells features is true. Still, there will be people who'll have this learning curve before being comfortable with Android even with Ice Cream Sandwich.


After that, I got the printed 2x2 pictures from Picture City, and I went home. Thinking about the 1st day made me wonder a lot though. Hopefully, I won't falter because of those things.


Summer's over. Back to reality. Oh well.

2: The Decision

(As we approach the end, read the back story of "Final Days of Summer". It should help you give answers to the reasons such as why there's a number in the title. Come on, guys. Read it! Haha.)


As I started my day, I had a question in my mind that actually dates back from the end of last semester:

Can I actually survive the final year?

I got really confused right until that very moment. By the way, this post has a symbolic connection with the picture. That was taken last weekend when I was experiencing that crimson Saturday and another food trip.

Back to the topic, I knew that I would get my answer at the end of the day. So as usual, I spent this day in the office pondering on this question. While I was there, I was creating a document for what I did so that other people will be able to replicate what I did in the office. Hopefully, it will work smoothly as I finish it by the deadline. I try to sway away from thinking about this but then it came to me.


How did I get to this point anyway? Didn't I learn to survive every single hardship I've faced? I remember the motto from Don Bosco: ARDUA NON TIMEO, which translates to I Fear No Hardships. I survived through Science High. I made it through three years in college. What's the point of being afraid now?


When the day ended, our boss asked if I'll continue on with the on-the-job training or not. I told him that I'd have my decision by Wednesday. So, for the answer to that question above:

YES.

2 days left. The fun days come to an end.

3: A Crimson Food Trip

(We're near the end, but it's never too late to check out the back story of the "Final Days of Summer" post series. You'll know why the heck there's a number up there. Go HERE)


Waking up after that good feeling I felt yesterday was great. When I got bored sitting in the room, I visited the room where my parents are and asked me to go to the beach to check whether it was okay for my Mom to go out and swim. At first, I couldn't go because my Lola asked me to get coffee, but eventually I did. When I was already there, I realized that Mom could NEVER go out with all this heat around simply because the sun was really bright and the beach was at low tide so it was shallow. When I was about to go back, Dad arrived and asked me about the beach. After which, we went to confirm whether the beach was really shallow and it WAS. After that, we went to go fish feeding which was cool since we were on something called a Legodock where each piece can float and you can put several together to form anything, from a flotation platform to a pathway. It was cool when you actually see it in person.


After the fish feeding, we went back to the room to get Mom, Sis, and Lola so we can eat breakfast. The food was DELIGHTFUL! This is exactly why I gave that title up there. The food has a selection that is comparable only to Marco Polo's offerings (based on experience since I have not been to all resorts and hotels in Cebu in recent years) and the ones I ate were great! We were also treated well since it was the Manager of the restaurant who mainly served us. I am greatly contented with their service and I would visit again, given another chance. When we were done eating, we took pictures as a reminder of this very relaxing weekend. It's fun to let loose at times. :) Then, we went back to our rooms to prepare for our trip back home.



While my Mom was busy with the checkout process, we went to the Crimson Pastry because we were told that we could get P1000 worth of goodies as long as it was food. We went there and my Dad had a hard time picking which ones we should get. After waiting for nearly an hour, we finally got these goodies out of those amazing choices! Then we were on our way home.


On our way home, we stopped by Parkmall where we ate lunch in Chika-an sa Cebu. We then brought Lola to SM where she does her usual activities. After which, we stopped by Ayala to buy important stuff for my sister and new slippers for me since they got broken last week. :(


We finally got home, and I took a moment to realize things. There were times when I was really really down in the dumps with no direction at all, but then God was there to enlighten me. I always thank Him for all the blessings he has given me ever since. I will forever be grateful.

After dinner, relatives came and we ate the goodies! It didn't seem like a cake, but rather a loaf which you can slice like sliced bread (duh) and it tasted great! It wasn't too sweet, it wasn't too plain either. Eating it was a delight that I just had to get another slice. Haha. Due to fatigue because of sleeping last night, I dozed off to bed right after I posted to my blog.


3 more days, 3 more posts. Here we go.

4: Crimson Saturday

The welcome drink...

(In case you got confused on the title format, check out the "Final Days of Summer" page where I put the back story on why the heck there's a number on the title.)


I was supposed to hang out with friends when suddenly my mom planned an overnight stay in Crimson Resort and Spa. At first, I was like "WHY?" because I haven't really gone out with friends this summer due to our on-the-job training. Being my "good son" self, (which I always am) I decided to ditch the friends hangout and went on with the family trip. As usual, I slept on the way there playing some music to pass the time. When we arrived, it looked like the resort was inside a subdivision of sorts. When we entered the resort, it looked soothing and a very unique take in a resort. While waiting to get in, they gave us a welcome drink. First impressions really matter, especially in resorts. After all the kinks in the check-in were done, we walked to our rooms.

It's like WOAH. I love the look of the room. It really feels like a real room for a resort! The TV's big, so is the bed, there's even a (sort of) resort-wide Wi-Fi Internet Access! I loved every minute of it! When we settled in the rooms, (we had two because the bed could only fit three people, and we were five) we ate snacks and watched random movies and TV shows with the big TV. It was really cool! After some time, we were contacted by someone in the resort stating that there would be an anticipated mass. We will never forget our faith and we can't pass up this chance, so we went to that mass.


After the mass, we went back to the room so that Lola can relax while we discover what the resort has to offer, including swimming in the pool. It was... boring, simply because the deepest part of the pool was just at a measly 4 ft. Oh well, at least the beachfront looks nice. I even met an old friend there. He was a Boy Scout during his time in Science High. After that, we went back to the room for Lola and went to the Saffron Cafe (yes, it bears a resemblance to Saffron City from Pokemon) for dinner. It was buffet, and despite the low attendance due to the tourists going out of the hotels and resorts to enjoy Cebu. Oh well, more food for us then. Haha.

The experience was fun. I love the feel of the room and the whole resort. It was comfy for me to post in my blog about stuff. Then, sleep came to my mind and the feeling of sleep has never been greater.

FIVE-TRIPLE-ZERO (Level Up!)

UPDATE: I added one more prize and extended the votation period! :)

You may be wondering what the title means, and I'm gonna tell you why right here and now.

My blog just reached 5000 views.

Technically, it isn't much considering the fact that I've been running this thing for 3 years now. To me though, it means a lot. I think it's time for me to say thank you for actually spending some of your time in reading this blog. In order to thank you, I'm doing a giveaway but I need your help. I'm going to put up a poll in this post and let YOU decide what I should giveaway to you guys.

Here are the choices:

1 - Krispy Kreme donuts (1 dozen)

2 - iPod shuffle (I'll let you choose the color!)

3 - 4GB USB Flash Drive


4 - iPod touch 8GB

Leave a comment below this post to pick a number. The voting ends on June 15, 2012 June 30, 2012. I'll be posting which prize got picked the most and I'll give the mechanics. Again, thank you for all your support! To the next 5000! :)

Week 7: Crunch Time

Happiness can take any shape, kind, or form, as long as it does its purpose. This week, different kinds of happiness happened in the office from my perspective.


First was tons of surprises. Roger actually treated us a giant pizza! No, not those 100" ones for the Guinness, but a 36" pizza that is widely available. The thought of it happening is really nice. Despite Clyde making fun of him about it, he actually took it seriously. In that note, Clyde felt guilty. Oh well, at least we had food on that day.


After days of finding ways to make it, I finally accomplished my task! It was so fulfilling to finish something that has a vital part in the project. The best part of it was I did it on my own! I only had Google by my side. It surprised me that I was able to do it.


I am seriously running out of things to say about this 7th week on the OJT. This is probably because this is the last week I am freely able to do such. Next week will be one hell of a roller coaster ride for me and I sincerely hope that everything will turn out well. I'm ready for you, 4th year. Bring it!

5: Dedication and Accomplishment

(Sorry if this text above gets annoying but I do this to guide you in case you need a reason why I post these in a way that may have no path. Read the back story of the "Final Days of Summer" HERE.)

Hungry? Thirsty? If you are, then I don't blame you. Haha. There's a cake slice and a drink in the picture, how can you not feel some kind of hunger? Never mind about that, I'm posting about something important right now. This is more about what I missed and tried hard to make up for, and at the same time, accomplishing something I have never expected myself to do.


Yesterday was actually my parents' wedding anniversary and I completely forgot that it was until I arrived at home from work and wondered where they were. I really felt guilty that time and didn't know how to make up for it. I had to put it on the back of my mind during the day so as not to be really disturbed by it.


When the day ended, I was listening to a conversation that the boss started and said that you need something that should differentiate you from the others, especially in our field. I realized a bit of that when I felt the feeling of finishing something that not anyone can do. It feels really fulfilling, if you ask me. Even though what I did was a departure from what I really wanna do, I still appreciate it because now I know how it works and I can apply that skill in future endeavors.


When I arrived in Ayala with my office-classmates, (because I'm lazy in saying officemate and classmate and they're essentially both so I made a word up) I thought of something to get for them. Even though it was acquired in simple ways, it's really the thought that counts, right? Apparently when I called Dad, it is. It could be worse though, but I just feel that getting cake for them is the right thing to do to make up for them. I really appreciate what they've done for me and giving them cake or something greater can't possibly compare to the love, kindness, and support that they gave. I will always be grateful and I will do my best to make them proud.


Whew! It really got serious there, didn't it? 5 days left. A long day awaits tomorrow. See you then.

6: Somebody That I Used to Know

(To know the back story of this post, click HERE for the "Final Days of Summer" page.)

"But you didn't have to cut me off..."

Yeah, that stuck in my head for awhile. There was a reason why it did, though. It was because of the things that happened on this day. And yeah, the picture above doesn't have ANYTHING to do with this post. Sorry for the laziness.


Particularly, it was the time when I was playing music, and I remembered that cover of that song from Your Favorite Martian but the tune was "techno-fied" to fit their aesthetic. After I played that song in the office and videos though, a mini-discussion happened (and I think I felt guilty about it because it feels like I sparked it) and it was all about what happens when classes start.


In the end, I got a super dose of the Last Song Syndrome from this song and brought it home. I even sang the same lines a lot of times at the jeep. I think my officemate/classmate was irritated in a different way because of that. I think we just laughed that off until I went down. I just hope watching a new episode of Naruto fixed this. I really do.


6 days left. 4 days to WWDC 2012! Hahaha, so random. Watch out for my reactions on that though. It will be a long post just for that. 'Til the next one.

7: Food Trip

Big n' Tasty Burger! :D

(This post is for the 6th of June, 2012. It's just delayed because of work purposes.)


If technology wasn't as advanced as it is now, I would most probably be more in love with food. Not that we don't need food because we ABSOLUTELY need to eat in order to go through everyday. For me though, when I see new food that just came out or food that's from another place, I really wanna try them out.


So the day before, I tried this Big n' Tasty Burger from McDonald's. At first, it looks like a monster-sized version of a Jollibee Yum TLC Burger. Don't mind the comparison, I already removed that thought the moment I started eating this. It was SO GOOD! It was a departure from most burgers found in McDonald's. I hope I can eat this again! :)

On this day though, someone in the office just treated all of us to pizza! The thing is, even though it's fun to try things when you're alone, it's always ten times better when you try them with your friends. This pizza was from Calda Pizza, one of the more popular small-timers in Cebu City. I didn't know its flavor but I appreciate it nonetheless. Hopefully this will remind me that there should be times like this where we do this, even though it feels like we're forced to.


That's it. 7 days left.

Final Days of Summer: Short Prologue

So it comes to this. It's the first time that there will be a huge amount of change in my life after this summer. Maybe this is because it's my last summer vacation and comes my last year in college, if things don't go wrong. 


I am going to write things that I'll reflect on as the days go by, like experiences I'll never forget, new things I tried, things I wanna rant about and things that I'm thankful for. It's gonna be a hell of a ride, folks. One neat feature that I'm gonna do in this series is that I will place the number of days before classes begins. On the first post though, I'll put a date since there's been a delay due to work issues.


Don't worry, I'll still be posting the OJT series. The last one was pretty nice. While waiting for the first post of this series (which will be labeled "Final Days of Summer" like the title), here's a picture of me. Haha. 'Til the next post, guys.

What's on My Homescreen?: More Apple Apps

Here I am again with another post on "What's on My Homescreen?" where as the title suggests, shows what's on my homescreen lately. Today, I will focus on apps from Apple. This will be shorter than usual since there are only a handful in this part wherein I downloaded from the App Store, whereas the rest are built-in apps that I don't need to talk about. Without wasting more time than I already have, here they are:






iMovie


It's basically a video editing app for people who don't like complications while editing a video. I haven't used this much though because I have yet to find a reason to use this. Hopefully it'll come soon. ^_^


It has a nice interface and Apple really developed this in order for people to like this.


This costs $4.99 on the App Store.


Find My iPhone & Find My Friends


Essentially, these are apps that search for iPhones, whether your searching for your own phone, or you find other people using iPhones. There's also a feature in Find My Friends where you can set a temporary appearance in the radar of your friends who also use this app. Both are FREE on the App Store.

iPhoto


Another product from Apple, iPhoto was released in conjunction with the new iPad. It is aimed for consumers to feel the same ease-of-use that they know from iMovie in photos. It has lots of cool editing and sharing features. The textures of the themes look cool. I just hope they'd add more sharing functionality and more designs.


It's also $4.99 on the App Store.




Holy Bible


When I feel down in the dumps, I seldom read quotes from the Bible. FREE on the App Store.

iBooks


I don't read books that much, but when I do, it's either a friend recommended it to me, or I read e-books from iBooks. It's an easy way to read e-books on an iPhone. Enough said. I also use this to read PDFs too. This is FREE on the App Store.


That's it. Next time, it's my social apps that will be featured next. 'Til next time guys!

What's on My Homescreen?: Most Used Apps

I decided to start off how I use my iPhone by showing you guys what my homescreen looks like, which is right up there. Before I made this post, I used to have more folders but then I realized how tiring it is to make a few more taps just to get to my favorite apps. What I did is to put it back the way I wanted it to be, with minor changes. This will be spread throughout several posts that I will be doing this week before school arrives to haunt me again. YAY. (sarcasm) After which, I will be reading several of my favorite sites for Apple's main event in June which is the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC for short). 


Without further ado, let's start with my most used apps.


The "Spotlight" Bar: Music, Phone, Messages, and App Store


I specifically put these in the bar for good reasons: it's an iPhone so of course it has a Phone, I receive text messages from time to time, I listen to music a lot, and I frequently check on updates for apps I own. Simple enough.


The Facebook Folder

I know, I know. You're wondering why I download these Facebook apps. It's either because my connections are very much alive within Facebook or I simply download them to test their sturdiness as apps. Of all of them though, my favorite is still Facebook Messenger. Although, their Camera app is already showing promise despite the fact they bought Instagram. Still, Facebook's main app is SUPER SLOW. Loading it makes me wait like FOREVER. They better improve it because the transition to mobile feels like inevitable to me.


Twitter - I never would have gotten more addicted to Twitter if it weren't for iOS, since I started my Twitter addiction through my iPod touch.

Apple Apps: Safari, Reminders, Camera, Photos, Videos and Calculator


Honestly, I use these more than the rest of the apps after this. Safari for web browsing, Reminders keeps me updated with things-to-do (helps me a lot), Camera, Photos, and Videos for pictures and video, and Calculator for easy computations with some stuff.


Instagram - I used this before, but it seemed kinda boring. Then, the news that Android's gonna get it blew my mind. So I decided to try this again last April. I use it regularly since then. Good thing I have used it before exclusivity was lost. Whew! (No offense, Android people. I enjoy your company now!)

Flashlight - Because you never know when brownout strikes at home. 'Nuff said.


Homescreen Websites: The Verge and TechnoBuffalo


These sites have been my first source for tech news whenever I get home from OJT. This is where I find out whether the Galaxy S III actually sucks or if the new iPhone really gets a 4" screen. There are more sites I go to for more tech, but these are the first.


Flipboard - I used to read articles by using the Reader functionality in Safari, then I watched an episode of App Judgment of Revision3 and found Flipboard, a way to read articles like a newspaper. There are dedicated sections for News, Technology, even for the social networking sites I'm on, if connected to the app.

Pocket - I was reading in Flipboard for some time now, when I saw a random article about Read It Later being reworked from the ground up. It is now known as Pocket, an app that saves things that you want to read or watch later on your iPhone. This actually saves time in my part because I want to read things without any disturbance of ads and all. It's good that this exists. ^^


BatteryDoctor - I sometimes worry that the battery drains too much, so I downloaded this app and so far it has given me an accurate summary of the battery's performance.


Speedtest - This is my main speed tester to see how fast Globe's signal can be. It's effective at most cases. I will rant about Globe's speed in a separate video.


That's it for the most used apps for my iPhone. Stay tuned as I swipe the screen for more of "What's on My Homescreen?"