Cutest Pet

Calling pet lovers and my GTalk sisters, I need your support badly.
My pets joined the cutest pet contest in Female network and Pet Express (see here). And I would like to ask for your support to please vote for them:

Harvey the Lhasa Apso - Japanese Spitz

Keira the Shih Tzu 

You need to be a registered member of Female Network to be able to vote, you have 10 votes a day to cast.
Please support my pets. I owe you guys a huge favor!!! Thanks!!

Mugshot project

This is a long-overdue project (an idea, actually) which has not materialize for almost a year, until only yesterday as I was forced to do a presentation to introduce the new Joiners in our project. I've been searching all over the net for a decent mugshot maker  but found no luck. So I ended up doing my own using the very handy Photoshop. I would like to share a couple of my photoshop experiments:

Dampa Foodtrip at G-squared

After almost 2 years, I finally got to set my feet again at Macapagal seaside for another Dampa Adventure.

Our team decide to spend our team building budget on a satisfying dinner, so off we went to Macapagal seaside.

To those who weren't familiar with the paluto system, Dampa restos business is to serve/cook food whose ingredients which were personally bought by the customers in the nearby market, mostly (but not limited to) seafood.

You had a wide variety of choices of Dampa restos in macapagal seaside, but G-squared has most of the best feedbacks and reviews I read. Though we considered Aling Tonya's and Trinity, since there were also good reviews about the last two, Aling Tonya's prices are relatively steeper compared to G-squared (from the quotes they had given us), while Trinity does not accept Wet Marketing Service, only paluto. Since we don't have the time to buy the seafood ourselves, we end up with G-squared. My first Dampa experience was in Sharmila though, and I might say that they also serve delicious food too.

Our orders:

Calamares

Calamares was really superb!! The best bet for our dinner. I really like the sauce (a bit sweet, but it complements the deep-fried squid)

Chili Crab

The first one I have tried, and though spicy, the crab was really tasty. Though the crab they served was a male ( I guess). There's no crab fat (*sigh)

Buttered Shrimp

The buttered shrimp meal was delicious, except for a few comments:

• 
  
  Size - I wasn't expecting that they will serve shrimp, though we ordered "prawn", there should be a difference right?
• 
  
  Shrimps were overcooked

Green Mango Salad

I was the one who insisted ordering Ensaladang Mangga, since I like it so much. But I end up eating only small portion because the mango was so sour, unlike other green mango salads I had tried before.

On top of these food, we also ordered Inihaw na Liempo, and Sinigang na Salmon sa Miso, 2 bowls of white rice and 2-1.5L softdrinks/juice.

We weren't able to finish everything we ordered (we're 6) so we have some leftovers to take home. All in all, we spent around Php3,500 for everything (including the paluto and wet marketing services).

Wipe your harddisks clean

I've mentioned from my previous post that I've been working on a linux desktop. The pc came from PLDT as a freebie for subscribing on a DSL biz plan. Due to licensing costs (perhaps), they loaded the desktop with a linux OS. I thought it shouldn't really matter much, as I can easily re-format the HD if I wanted to use Windows. I worked on it for almost two weeks, but due to some limitations (sorry linux fans), I decided to say goodbye to Linux.

So when I inserted a Windows CD, it didn't boot to CD, proceeded to Linux OS (I am using Ubuntu, by the way). I even made sure that the first boot device is the CD. Tried a couple of times, no luck. Checked some guides on how to do this thing over the internet, but their instructions, which appear so easy, don't work on my system. Before I threw the HD, I tried using Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN)

Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.

It took almost 2 hours to completely wipe the HD, and it came out clean indeed.
So now, I am back to working with XP. But the linux experience was good. Hope there would be more improvements. Linux is a pretty OS though. I hope I won't miss it that much.

Chic Lit Review: Lost Dogs and Lonely hearts

Few of the things I missed when I got married was reading books. I am a chic lit addict before, but never got the luxury of time to read books since I signed off singlehood.

Last month, I decided to free up some time to be back with my old hobby. I picked a chic lit from the bookstore. And being a dog lover, the book by Lucy Dillon caught my attention. Lost Dogs and Lonely hearts.

The story is about a London girl (Rachel) who retreats to the country after she inherited her maiden aunt's estate, including a house, a border collie, and a kennel. Though apprehensive, she had no choice but to manage what her aunt has left her. There she met a handful of people with heart for dogs, and dogs that changed her a lot. There she also found, after 10 years of failed relationship, her true love, the local vet.

Other than Rachel's character, the author also introduced other characters which played equally inportant roles. There was Zoe, a divorced mom of two kids. She was forced to take care of a labrador Toffee given to her kids by his ex-husband. This totally impossible labrador led her to a handsome doctor Bill.

Natalie and Johnny, a couple who, for the longest time, trying to conceive, found happiness on the basset hound (Bertie) they adopted from the rescue shelter Rachel's aunt (Dot) left. Though a busy couple. Natalie found a reason to adopt Bertie when she was laid off from work. They focused their attention to the dog, while trying to conceive. When Natalie decided to get back to work, the couple's dilemma of keeping or releasing Bertie to a new home started. I felt strongly for these character because my husband and I also take care of dogs while we don't have kids yet. And it is indeed a painful decision to let your dog go.

I was surprised that the author was able to pull off with the interwoven plot. All of the characters came from a distressed circumstances, crossed paths to meet their four-legged friends, and through them, complete void part of their lives. The book is a must read, for dogs and non-dog persons alike.

Scramble Craze

  Anyone probably of my age (or at least the same generation) knew this popular pinoy dessert. Pinoy childhood will never be complete without experiencing scramble (Iskrambol), especially right after our classes.

And it has been years since I last tasted one. I've been quite particular with how they were made since I've been seeing blocks of ice being dragged on the streets (dirty streets, mind you). And these ice, being the main ingredient of one of my favorite pinoy street food, made me realize it isn't safe to consume one from there.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a long queue of customers in SM Megamall Foodcourt. Tracing where the long line start, I saw it was from a scramble foodcart (The original Manila Scramble). I would love to try it as well since I've been missing this food a lot. But since I am on a hurry, I have to pass on to this one.

Good thing there was a stall in Robinson's Pioneer (which is near my workplace). Though I tried a couple of times to buy, I've been discouraged so many times as well because of the long queue.

Just today, I dropped by the mall at 10:45 in the morning, and tried my luck to buy a scramble. I wasn't expecting a long line since the mall had just opened. But when I got there, I was 8^th in the line, and the staff was not yet done preparing the ingredient. I smacked my forehead in annoyance because it took them around 15minutes since I got there to serve the queue. I said to myself it must taste good to make my wait worth it.

I ordered medium sized scramble (php10), that includes the milk and choco syrup. I requested an additional rice crispies topping (php4 for each topping). You can choose from other toppings like chocolate crispies, fruit loops, candy sprinkle, cereal crispies. You can also request for an additional milk, just add Php4.

And so,after so many years, I got to taste again my favorite scramble. And it was just like how the scramble we buy outside the school tastes like. It was a trip down to memory lane. Now I understand what the long line in Manila Scramble is all about. More than the food, almost all of us have stories we remember while we finish the dessert. And for first timers, it was a bridge to have them connected to what scramble-lovers got to tell.

So was it worth the wait? Yes. But I just hope they improve their service a little more. Who wants to wait by the way?

Photos courtesy of ManilaScramble Facebook page

Win Make up from Body Shop

Bodyshop has released their new line of makeup products in bright, shimmering colors. The Baked to Last collection is handmade in Italy by local artisans and baked in small batches for 24 hours, to ensure that the pigments are bound together to create a smooth sheen of color. Check these Baked-to-Last Color collection here.

Want to give these a try? FemaleNetwork is giving away 2 sets of these makeup products, check it out.

Changing Gears

It has been more than 3 years since I started working as a software engineer (aka programmer). Looking back, it was a job I refused to accept after I graduated college. I thought I was not made to be one.

I graduated college with a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering. After graduation, my preparation for my board exam and the exam itself, took me almost a year. Halfway through my preparation, I was offered by an IT company a position as junior software engineer, despite the fact that I am not an IT graduate. The compensation package was so attractive that I would like to say yes. But second thoughts came as I consulted my parents about my pending decision. I can't accept the offer because I was scheduled to take my 3-day board exam in a couple of months., which would fall on a weekday. By that time, I would still be in probationary period, and won't be allowed to take any vacation leave yet. So I had to say pass on this offer for the mean time.

After successfully passing the board exam and acquiring my license, I worked as an environmental engineer for a couple of months. I accepted the job though the pay was minimum. Like many first timers, I bit the bullet because I am after the experience I will be able to add in CV. Ironically, days after I was hired, I was contacted by the same IT company and offers me the same position, just in case I am still interested. Too bad they came a couple of days late. I find it unethical for my current employer for me to leave them. So I missed the same opportunity for the second time.

Later that year, I quit my first job and landed on a another job in a plant somewhere in Laguna. The compensation was definitely higher but didn't make me a bit happy. The work is so demanding that I have to stay somewhere near my work to board. I felt sad to be away from my home and family.

I never saw myself working in a plant laboratory not longer than a month, really, that quick. I took the bit between my teeth, before they forcely give more reason to stay. I contacted the IT company who previously offered me a job, and inquired if they still have opening slot. I would admit that I just want to find a way out of a job I find myself miserable with. The recruiter told me she would contact me as soon as she found my records. It was a shot in the dark.

The following day, I received a call from the recruiter, asking me to report to their office to sign the job offer. I was so relieved that I don't have to spend what seems to be lifetime for me in the plant. That was my 4th day in my job in the plant. I resigned the next day.

That was the start of life in the IT bandwagon. Armed with a very minimal programming background, I turn up trumps on the bootcamp I attended, landed on a project that I am still with for 3 years now, and, honestly and surprisingly, loving it.

I thought that once you finished a degree in college, somehow, you have drafted at least 70 to 80 percent of what you would become in the near future. It didn't happened to me. I guess it wasn't true all the time. Even we reach that point, we could all be clueless.

Though I missed working on laboratories, the scent of the chemicals, and my lab gown, I would still prefer working on a corporate environment, because honestly, this is where I found my worth, and my happiness. Something I had never predicted all along. 

 

Busy Bee

I've been AWOL online for a couple of months already. Since my laptop broke down (and yes, I am still having thoughts of having it repaired), I haven't spent much time doing regular posts here in my blog at the same time, been inactive on my social networking accounts. Been randomly checking it but never took time to post status or linger longer than I need to.

Anyway, I would like to schedule regular posts here, and I am currently working on how to implement my plans. Been swamped with work. I am currently on a 2-week training for another programming language (yes, I am a programmer). This is what is keeping me busy at work. The first week just ended and looking forward to finish the last leg soon. Enjoying it anyway. Our class' instructor is a singaporean national, so we're sort of picking up his Singaporean-English (Singlish as he calls it). One of the stress-free trainings I had so far.

I am also currently working on Linux desktop, and trying to learn the OS beyond being a linux user. Trying to make some programs work, and studying if Linux has an OS can create a market in Internet Cafe industry in the Philippines. Don't have much to share yet but I've been making significant progress in two days. Sure will share something worth knowing on the next couple of days. I'll be working on my future post as strictly scheduled.

Will be logging off for now.

Get a vacation, Fly Cheap!!

Looking forward to November of this year... we are flying to Cebu, cheap!!!

We are few of those who were able to purchase sale seats last June 29-30, via Cebu Pacific's celebration of Noynoy's inauguration (haha, at least I have a thing to thank Noynoy for :))

We are bound to Cebu on the the 23rd of November, early morning flight, and will return on the 24th of 8pm. This will be the first time for me and my husband to travel somewhere in Visayas together and take a few days off our work. It will be a short trip but we'll make sure it will be really worth it. I'm starting to draft our itinerary. Yey!!

So, how much did our airfare cost?
Php 317 for 2 pax, roundtrip. GoLite :)

You can frequent Cebu pacific site to check for their promos. They are on seat sale for this month of July:

Wishing for an iPad

I’ve been drooling over a gadget that I believe would make me happy more than ever (exaggerated, I know, sheeeeshh…). 
Recently, Apple, the makers of the world-famous portable electronics such as  macbook, ipod, iphone, released their latest technology iPad. It is a large, yet thin and light multi-touch LED-lit screen that functions just like a notebook or laptop, so you can do surfing, access and send emails using Wi-Fi networks. It will also be available in 3G model so you could stay connected on areas without wi-Fi networks. 
With iPad, you can also view pictures through its vivid LED-lit display and watch hi-resolution videos (yes, you can watch full HD videos!!). For iPod fanatics, you can also access your mp3 in iPad just like you do it on your  favorite audio electronics, it has a built-in speaker for superb audio quality. For those who love reading ebooks like me, you can easily do so with this gadget’s crisp text display. I think this would be a better alternative of Kindle, one of the popular reading electronics nowadays. And just like MacBooks, you can easily take down notes, access calendar, contacts, and even iWork and applications that mac users love. This is better than carrying laptops around to do business anywhere, and what is really nice, is that they work in any orientation. For the moment, merging all of apple's gadgets in one slim device is the best that apple has ever come up with.

Practicing Dog Groomer

Saturdays were usually my time to bathe my 2 dogs. It usually takes me 2-3 hours to fully groom my shih-tzu, that includes bath, comb and brushing, de-matting, toothbrush, nail clipping, ear cleaning and a little hair clipping.
Last saturday, despite my husband's resistance, I decided to cut my shih-tzu's hair a little bit short. Since it is summer, and her hair is really long and difficult to maintain lately. See my her pics sporting a full groom look:

I used an ordinary hair clipper. It worked for her, though I know a dog clipper still do the job best. I cut her hair in body about 3/4" long. Not too short since my husband might run amok to see his favorite dog almost shaved to the skin, hehe.
I concentrated on her face and head. I cut her facial hair and trimmed it in a round shape, so she looked like a puppy again. See my finished product:

Adorable, she looked like Dora (the explorer).

Beatles Rockband Experience

My brother was pestering me the other day, asking me to let him use my credit card to buy the Beatles Rockband set for PS3, which he believes is the last set currently being sold here in Manila.

He just doesn't have the cash ready to purchase the set. Being a beatles fanatic since he was 10, he was racing to get the last piece by hook or by crook.

So being the goody goody sister that I was, I agreed to meet him in SM North Annex. The last pair was in iTech shop.

It cost Php 14,500. The set includes the PS3 CD, Ringo starr's trademark Ludwig drum kit, a microphone with a mic stand, and a hofner guitar (paul mccartney's guitar, coined as "beatle bass").

My husband playing the Hofner Guitar

My brother in Ludwig Drum kit

You can also buy separately a Rickenbacker guitar (the one used by John Lennon), but I am not sure where it is currently available in the Philippines, if it is. But Beatles rockband can be played using other rockband instruments you currently have.

I tagged along when they went home to try the game. They assembled the drums set, the mic and guitar, played the game, and we had a blast.

There were 40+ beatles songs to be played, some needs to be unlocked by finishing the story mode(just like other rockband and guitar hero games).

I was impressed with the graphics of the game. They look like the real videos of the band (yah I've been watching a lot of those because of him).

I never got bored watching the videos while my brother and my husband enjoyed playing the game (even my husband was not much of a beatles fan).

This one is a really nice collector's item for a hardcore beatles fan.

Have fun mystery shopping!!!

Want to earn by sharing your customer experience? Then you can work while having fun by being a secret shopper.

Yes, there is such a thing as a mystery shopper. And I was one of those who landed this part-time job since last month.

Mystery shopping services are used by some companies as a customer research to improve customer relationship and gauge the level of customer service their business provides, in a customer perspective.

Mystery shoppers discretely shop while taking note of a lot of things, and evaluate the service provided by the company. The customer experience report are then sent online completing some sort of customer survey.

What does it take to be a mystery shopper?

A mystery shopper must be organized, keen and objective. He/She must be good in remembering details, and able to express the observations well in writing.

Most importantly, never ever say that you are a mystery shopper, even if the staff asked you so.

How to become a mystery shopper?

I registered as a secret shopper in Philippines through Satisfind. Satisfind is a Filipino-owned company which is a member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).

After completing the online form, Satisfind will send email offering you a mystery shopping assignment. You can decide whether you would accept or decline the assignment.

You will be asked your preferred area to mystery shop, as well as your preferred schedule.

After your secret shop, you are given 18hrs to submit your report online. Token fee amounting to Php500 will be deposited on your bank account after your report has been reviewed and accepted by the Project manager.

The Php500 token fee includes the reimbursement of the product/food consumed during your mystery shop job, regardless of how much it cost. It will be deposited to you 20 days after your report has been accepted.

I completed 2 mystery shopping assignments under satisfind, and already received the token fee just today. It took them more than 20 days to deposit my token fee, but at least they did at the time they told me they would (May 19).

Other free mystery shopping sites include Bare international, where you are being paid in euros, though I haven't completed any mystery shopping assignments for this company because I haven't completed 1 of the 2 exams they require.

But a lot has testified that Bare is legit. I will try this as soon as I finished the pending exam.

Web Content Filtering using OpenDNS

Having control over websites which can be accessed using your network is important for most Internet Café Owners. Adult-related sites, for example, should be blocked on internet café network as to prevent minors from accessing the site. Media downloading are also blocked since such sites causes network lag.

Through the advice of my brother who has been into the Internet business for more than six years, I used OpenDNS for my internet filtering needs in our own shop. You don’t need to install anything to use this internet blocker. You just need to register your public IP address.

Create an account on http://www.blogger.com/goog_461021311 

  

 Sign up under OpenDNS basic

  After creating your account, click on the dashboard settings to add your network:

  Set the web content filtering on the added network.

 

Scrolling down, you can also manually add sites that you want to be blocked ALWAYS:

After saving your changes, you must configure your router by replacing your default DNS with the following DNS:

Primary DNS:           208.67.222.222

Secondary DNS:         208.67.220.220

Also, change the DNS server addresses (under TCP/IP settings) in all computers in the network:

You may now test your settings. All computers connected in the configured router will now make use of the webfilter settings in the openDNS.