Blogdyak

Subscribe to Smart Opera 15 for 1 Day Unli Surf

2014-01-03T08:26:00.000+08:00

Here's another great offer by Smart Communications to all their subscribers. This time it's not just unlimited call or unlimited texts, this time it's unlimited internet surfing using your phone's opera mini browser. You read it right, Smart offers Opera 15, it's newest unlimited internet surfing, which aims in giving its millions of subscribers the cheapest way to access their favorite websites and social media sites (especially Facebook and Twitter), anytime and anywhere. I'm sure you're very much excited on how to avail this offer, so here's how.

Package	SRP	Keyword	Access Codes
Unli Opera Mini 1 Day	Php 15.00	OPERA<space>15	211 (Smart Prepaid, Smart Regular Postpaid, Talk N' Text, Infinity) 7577(All-In)* 9990(Freedom)*
Unli Opera Mini 5 Days	Php 60.00	OPERA<space>60
Unli Opera Mini 7 Days	Php 80.00	OPERA<space>80
Unli Opera Mini 15 Days	Php 160.00	OPERA<space>160
Unli Opera Mini 30 Days	Php 299.00	OPERA<space>299

Now in terms of your phone's compatibility to this promo, here's what you need:

1. Opera Mini browser. For android smartphones, you can download Opera Mini browser in google play. For IOS in apps store and for feature phones, you may visit http://m.opera.com to download. This is a one time download only. Download is free for feature phone. For smartphones, it is recommended to download opera mini via wifi.

2. Make sure to download the latest version of Opera Mini browser, or at least Opera Mini version 7.1. Other versions are not applicable to this offer.

With Opera 15 unlisurf, you can now browse your favorite social media sites, anytime and anywhere using your phone. Now you can update your Facebook status, check your friend's status, upload pictures of the place you are into, tweet you delicious the food you're eating, read the latest news, check your emails, get the latest updates, scores and schedules of your favorite basketball teams, and so much more. These and more can be done anytime, anywhere with Opera 15. For more information about this offer, you may also visit Smart website. By the way, this offer is also applicable for TalkNText subscribers.

Blogdyak is now The Pinoy Express

2014-01-02T23:14:00.001+08:00

It's been a while since I wrote a blog post on this blog. As a matter of fact, it's been a while since I visited and logged in to this blog of mine. But despite not being updated this blog for ages, I was shocked with the amount of traffic it got over the past months. Well, since it's the start of the year 2014, I have decided to get back into blogging, and I am hoping that I will maintain this eagerness and passion to blog for the rest of the year, which I haven't done in my entire life. There are so much to blog about last year and I missed that chance to blog each one of them. This year will be a different story...I wish.

And to this this year long endeavor, I decided to change this blog's domain and title from Blogdyak to The Pinoy Express. Why? Though blogdyak has been this blog's permanent link for more than a year now and I think google has already indexed almost all this blog's posts carrying that name, Blogdyak is a lame name, a no-brainier name not fitting for this blog. I coined a new name "The Pinoy Express" as this blog's past, present and future posts will primarily be about what Filipino online users wants to read or are looking for in the Internet. Showbiz news, PBA game results and schedules, lotto results, subscribing to unlimited promos of Smart and TalkNText, gadget reviews and so much more.This blog will deliver all these content and more just like what an Express courier is doing. Hence the name The Pinoy Express.

I hope all of you will support this blog and don't be shy to leave your comments, suggestions and violent reactions they way you've been doing with blogdyak.

Enjoy Summer Vacation in Rome with Roma Termini Suites

2013-08-10T00:58:00.001+08:00

I'm sure you've heard in news or have read in travel magazine that Rome is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Well, this statement is absolutely true. They've got beautiful beaches, wonderful architectures (both from the past and in the present), and amazing people wearing their sweetest smiles to every tourist in the city. Well, if you want to have a vacation in Rome, but have no idea what to do or where to stay, then worry no more for Roma Termini Suites will help you with everything you need to experience one of a kind vacation in Rome.

Roma Termini Suites provides the best quality first class accommodation in Rome for the tourists to enjoy their vacation. They offer their guests a transfer service to and from the airport with a deluxe air-conditioned car. They also have 4 different guest houses located near the Termini Train Station. They also own the Rome Termini Hotel that offers "accommodaion rome termini". You can experience these first-class service for a very affordable rate guaranteed for they offer the best price among its competitors.

For more information about Rome Termini Suites, visit their website http://www.romaterminisuites.com/ and get ready for your one-of-a-kind vacation in Rome.

27th Kadayawan Festival 2012 Calendar of Activities

2013-02-05T20:39:00.000+08:00

Refer to the above image for the complete list of activities and events for the 27th Kadayawan Festival. Venues and time are also included.

Click here for the 27th Kadayawan sa Davao official theme and logo.

LG Optimus L3 vs. HTC Explorer - Torn between Two Entry-Level Android Phones

2012-07-18T20:32:00.000+08:00

I'm on a canvassing mode right now, looking for an entry-level android phone as a gift for myself for the hard work. It can't afford the mid-range to high-end android phones out there, so i'll just settle for the entry level android phone, which will still give me the android experience for a low price. Upon my canvas, there are three android phones that caught my attention: Samsung Galaxy Y, LG Optimus L3 E400, and HTC Explorer. For now, Galaxy Y is out my radar due to poor hardware and features in contrast with the latter two. For the sake of my readers and for myself of course, I'll post a comparison between LG Optimus L3 and HTC Explorer

LG Optimus L3 E400 HTC Explorer

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 900 / 2100	HSDPA 900 / 2100
	Announced	2012, January	2011, September
	Status	Available. Released 2012, February	Available. Released 2011, October

BODY	Dimensions	102.6 x 61.6 x 11.9 mm	102.8 x 57.2 x 12.9 mm
	Weight	110 g	108 g
			Touch-sensitive controls

DISPLAY	Type	TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors	TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors
	Size	240 x 320 pixels, 3.2 inches (~125 ppi pixel density)	320 x 480 pixels, 3.2 inches (~180 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes
			- HTC Sense UI 3.5

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration, MP3 ringtones	Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes	Yes
			- SRS surround sound enhancement

MEMORY	Card slot	microSD, up to 32GB	microSD, up to 32GB
MEMORY	Internal	1 GB storage, 384 MB RAM	90 MB storage, 512 MB ROM, 512 MB RAM

DATA	GPRS	Yes	Up to 80 kbps
	EDGE	Yes	Up to 236.8 kbps
	Speed	HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps	HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, DLNA	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	Yes, v3.0 with A2DP	Yes, v3.0 with A2DP, EDR
	Infrared port	No	No
	USB	Yes, microUSB v2.0	Yes, microUSB v2.0

CAMERA	Primary	3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels	3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels
	Features	Geo-tagging	Geo-tagging, face detection
	Video	Yes, VGA@24fps	Yes, 480p
	Secondary	No	No

FEATURES	OS	Android OS, v2.3.6 (Gingerbread)	Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread)
	Chipset		Qualcomm MSM7227A Snapdragon
	CPU	800 MHz	600 MHz Cortex A5
	GPU	Adreno 200	Adreno 200
	Sensors	Accelerometer, proximity, compass	Accelerometer, proximity
	Messaging	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
	Browser	HTML5, Adobe Flash	HTML, Adobe Flash
	Radio	Stereo FM radio	Stereo FM radio with RDS
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support	Yes, with A-GPS support
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	Black, White	Active Black, Active Navy, Metallic Black, Metallic Navy
		- SNS integration - Google Search, Maps, Gmail - YouTube, Google Talk - MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player - MP3/WAV/WMA/eAAC+ player - Document viewer - Organizer - Voice memo - Predictive text input	- SNS integration - Google Search, Maps, Gmail - YouTube, Google Talk, Picasa integration - MP3/eAAC+/WAV/WMA player - XviD/MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player - Organizer - Voice memo - Predictive text input

BATTERY		Standard battery, Li-Ion 1500 mAh	Standard battery, Li-Ion 1230 mAh
	Stand-by	Up to 600 h (2G) / Up to 600 h (3G)	Up to 485 h (2G) / Up to 445 h (3G)
	Talk time	Up to 12 h 30 min (2G) / Up to 10 h (3G)	Up to 7 h 40 min (2G) / Up to 7 h 33 min (3G)

In the head-to-head comparison, LG Optimus L3 has the clear advantage on the processing speed and internal storage. HTC Explorer meanwhile is the runaway winner in terms of RAM and ROM. Another important criteria in choosing the best is the screen display quality. Both have low display quality, but HTC has the better display screen at 320X480 pixels (180ppi). This makes my decision making in vain once again. According to some forums, low internal storage is not a problem for HTC Explorer anymore since you can transfer installed apps to the SD Card. HTC is a bit expensive than LG Optimus L3.

So which one shall I choose guys? Please help me on this matter. Thanks.

27th Kadayawn Festival 2012: Ten Tribes, One Vibe Official Logo

2012-07-17T18:20:00.001+08:00

August is one of the most anticipated months for us Davaoeños for we are celebrating Kadayawan Festival. This festival is dubbed by various spectators and tourists around the world as "The King of Festivals" for the simple reason of no other festivals in the country can level up the colorful and festive atmosphere, the fun and excitement, the love and the warm welcome of Davaoeños. Now in its 27th year, Kadayawan sa Davao 2012 brings a new festival theme: Ten Tribes, One Vibe. Indeed, this festival is all about the bountiful harvest and to unite the 10 tribes in Davao and this festival is the way to unite them.

With the new festival theme comes the new festival logo:

The Festival starts on August 17, 2012, so expect fun and exciting activities city-wide (especially in the downtown area), big sale on various shopping malls, mall shows by celebrities, bazaars and more. More updates on the calendar of activities will be posted soon.

Come and join us as we celebrate the 27th Kadayawan sa Davao Festival: 10 Tribes, 1 Vibe. Definitely, Life is Here in Davao.

Click here for the 27th Kadayawan sa Davao Calendar of Activities.

Effective Herbal Products for Happier and Healthier Life

2012-06-10T21:28:00.000+08:00

Herbal City is a known manufacturer of the world's best herbal products. In fact, they have been very consistent in providing the best quality and effective herbal products to thousands of customers across United States.

And to live up with that promise of providing quality herbal products, Herbal City offers new herbal products that will help people feel good, especially those who loves night life, as well as those who are suffering from stress and anxiety. Among the herbal products the company manufacture include a wide variety of spiritual powders for people with stress problems, party enhancers for people who loves nightlife and many more.

There is a new herbal product, called the K6 herbal incense, which is very helpful in achieving peace of mind, as well as creating a romantic situation.

All these herbal products and more are available only at Herbal City LLC.

Vote Davao City as one of New7Wonders Cities

2012-03-01T00:54:00.000+08:00

Click the Picture to Vote

After the successful campaign of choosing the New7Wonders of Nature that officially inaugurated the Puerto Princesa Underground River as one of the 7 New Wonders on Nature last November 11, 2011 in Zurich Switzerland, New7Wonders team is starting its third campaign, called the New7Wonders Cities that will select the 7 wonder cities around the world.

The good news especially for Davaoeños is that Davao City is among the nominated cities to be included in the New7Wonders Cities, together with the other 1,200+ nominees from 220+ countries around the world. This is once in a lifetime chance for our city to be one of the 7 wonder cities of the world, so taking part and participating in the selection process is crucial. The first phase of selection is through online voting, a process that is advantageous for us since we spend more than 10 hours online.

Please vote Davao City to qualify for the new7wonders cities and help in spreading the word. Here's how to vote:

Visit http://www.new7wonders.com/form/nominate/en for the complete list of cities nominated for the new7wonder cities.

Find Davao City on the alphabetical list of nominees (click the letter D of the alphabet) Refer to the picture below.

After clicking Davao City from the list of cities, it will appear on your list of 7 cities. Remember that you can only vote at most 7 cities, so please only vote those cities from the Philippines (Cebu City, Baguio, Makati, Zamboanga, Manila among others are also nominated).

After completing your list of 7 cities which of course includes Davao City, encode the captcha image correctly, encode your valid e-mail address, then click the submit button. A confirmation message will display saying that your vote has been counted.

All votes on or before March 7, 2012 are counted for the next phase of the selection process, so please help us spread the word, and vote for our Davao City to qualify for the second phase of the New7Wonders Cities.

Davao City "Life is Here" definitely!

Disclaimer: The author does not hold copyright for the images used in this post. Image credits goes to the original creator/uploader of the image used.

References:

http://www.new7wonders.com/form/nominate/en

https://www.facebook.com/DavaoforNew7wonderscities?sk=info

75th Araw ng Dabaw: Calendar of Activities 2012

2012-02-25T02:40:00.000+08:00

Come and join us as Davao City will celebrate its 75th anniversary of its formal inauguration as a chartered city way back in March 16,1936 by President Manuel L.Quezon. For 75 years, Araw ng Dabaw celebration still presents a colorful, lively, festive,unique and extremely enjoyable celebration - and its getting better, bigger and more fun than the previous celebrations.

With less than a month to go before one of the most anticipated celebration in the city of Davao, the city government (with the city tourism office) is doing all the efforts in preparation of all the activities that will highlight the 75th Araw ng Dabaw celebration. I'm sure a lot of people; be it foreigners, Filipinos from various places in the Philippines, and even my fellow Davaoeños are both curious and excited to know the calendar of activities inline with the celebration 75th Araw ng Dabaw.

To ease you with your burden from searching, here are the calendar of activities for the 75th Araw ng Dabaw Celebration released by The City Government of Davao.

Remember all these dates and enjoy one of the happiest celebration not only in Davao City, but in the entire archipelago. Definitely, "Davao, Life is Here".

Disclaimer: The author does not own the images used in this post. Credits goes to the local government of Davao city.

Smart Promo *767 SOS 4 Php Emergency Load

2012-02-04T03:01:00.000+08:00

Have you been in the situation where you need to send a very important text message someone ( to your parents, husband, wife, to your friends, or girlfriend/boyfriend), but your current network balance is nothing or zero? Add on to your misery, there's no loading station near you. What if this situation is an emergency (say a serious car accident at dawn) and you badly need to inform your parents about that accident?

Sounds troublesome isn't it?But this would not be the case if you're SMART in choosing mobile network.

Just in case you don't know, Smart Buddy allows its subscribers to borrow 3-free sms texts and 1 peso worth of call - a total credit of 4 php.This load is only valid within 24-hours from the time you borrowed the load.

To avail of this emergency load, just dial *767 (or SOS) on your mobile phone, just wait the text message confirming your load request. Since it is considered a credit, you will also be deducted 4 pesos upon your next load.

I have read some posts saying that this promo is only valid until November 16, 2010; but it is 2012 now and this promo is still active. It is important to remember however, that you can't avail this promo if you weren't able to pay your previous balance from borrowing emergency load *767.

Watch TV Patrol Southern Mindanao (Replay) Online

2012-02-02T00:04:00.000+08:00

TV Patrol Southern Mindanao is a local news program aired by ABS-CBN in Davao City, as well as in other cities and provinces of Region IX and other nearby regions. The news programs usually airs around 5:00 pm to 5:45 pm Mondays through Fridays. Sad to say, majority of the Davaoenoes who needs to get the latest news and scoop of what's happening in Southern Mindanao are still working, still at school, or on their way home - they end up not be able to watch the news program. This normally happens from Mondays to Fridays.

Well, if your one of those who failed to watch TV Patrol Southern Mindanao, worry no more as your favorite local news program is now available online - through its official TV Patrol Southern Mindanao official Facebook Fanpage. The page posts the latest episode on the new program few hours after the program was aired on TV. First, you need to hit the Like button of the page to start interacting with everything found on the page.

Apart from watching the news, you can also post relevant concerns on the page in forms of video or picture of relevant things that are happening in davao in other parts of region XI - in short become a citizen journalist or as the program called them "Bayan Facebook Patrollers". You can even vote on online polls, post comments, and build-up a healthy discussions with other patrollers.

Visit TV Patrol Southern Mindanao Official Facebook Fanpage here.

Performing RAM Upgrade? Consider these Helpful Tips

2012-01-21T15:16:00.000+08:00

Laptop computers are becoming more powerful, reliable, but inexpensive as their prices continue to drop down due to competition. Compared to bulky desktop computers, laptops are very portable, easy to carry, but overpower desktop computers in terms of processing speed. One of the major drawbacks of laptops over desktop is the difficulty of upgrading hardware specifications.

Laptops nowadays are developed with very good hardware specification like 1GB RAM, and a dual core processor. But it is not only the hardware continues to grow, also the applications running in your laptops also demand very sophisticated hardware specifications to run smoothly. Operating systems, online games among others also continue to demand more hardware resources and running these programs at the same time will probably ruin the performance of your laptop. Don't think you have your new and expensive laptop and you already have the best. Time comes you can't even multitask with your "expensive" laptop.

One way to solve this problem is to upgrade your laptop's memory (RAM) because RAM is responsible for storing instructions that your processor will process. Currently, many laptops are bundled with 1 GB memory capacity. Its size seems to be huge, but as you run more complicated software, or running multiple tasks at the same time, this memory capacity is definitely insufficient. Apart from obtaining extra memory capacity, upgrading your laptop's RAM could also improve processing speed, and increase support for multiple tasks running on the background.

Now the question would be, if you decided to upgrade your laptop RAM, how will you do it? Basically there are two possible ways; buying laptop RAM module and installing it on your own, or bringing your laptop to a computer shop and let a technician perform this very easy task for you (with an extra charge, of course!)

If you're confused on both ways, you may ask these questions to yourself:

Is installing laptop RAM upgrade on your own difficult?

The first thing you need to do is to know the level of difficulty of RAM installation. There are a lot of tutorials in the internet saying that RAM installation on laptops is an easy task and can be perform by those who have basic knowledge on computer hardware. If you don't have any background, but eager to learn, there are lots of tutorials in the internet about RAM installation.

Is installing laptop RAM upgrade on your own will damage your laptop?

RAM module on laptops is found below your laptop, all you need is to unscrew the screw to open the module, remove the RAM card, then install the new RAM the way the old one was installed, screw back to lock the memory module. Check the BIOS if the RAM is already detected and successfully installed.

There's no need to worry about installing RAM module the wrong way simply because memory slots were made that there is only one order in which you can install your RAM. There's only one position in which it fits on the slot, so never force the RAM during installation. This could damage the memory slot, and even the laptop.

Also when installing RAM upgrade, do it on a flat surface like a top of a table where you can comfortably place your laptop to avoid damage to other laptop parts, particularly the display screen.

Our hands are also capable of producing static electricity that might damage your memory, so you need to discharge first before doing the installation. One simple discharge method is holding on to a piece of metal. More importantly, never hold memory on its

Most important of all, unplug your laptop to avoid risk of electric shock that will hurt you and damage your laptop. So installing laptop RAM upgrade on your own won't damage your laptop if you will be very careful in doing it.

Is installing laptop RAM upgrade on your own costly?

You can buy a new RAM for about $16 or more depending on the brand and capacity. Now if you bring your laptop on to a computer shop and let a technician install it, you pay for the RAM for $16 plus you pay for the service charge of about $10 and that's a total of $26. This means that doing RAM upgrade on your own could save you $10, plus you achieve the skills and experience on RAM installation.

Laptop RAM Upgrade Installation Tips

These tips will go to help you in your installation experience so just take your time reading to these tips before starting the installation process.

Read carefully the installation manual of your laptop for quick reference on where to find memory module, what kind of RAM your laptop is using (SDRAM, DDR1, DDR2, DDR3) this is very important to avoid buying a wrong memory module for your laptop.
Read tutorial carefully and try to understand every detail of the installation tutorials.
Work in a comfortable spacious place away from interference or stuffs like water. Accidents might happen if you are working in a disorganized place. Tools like your screw might also be lost.
Focus on installation to avoid mistakes that could damage your laptop.

check this video from cnet for the actual installation of RAM module on laptop.

Disclaimer: The author does not hold copyright for the image and video used in this post. Credit goes to the owner of the image that appears herein.

Android Phones for Non-Android Price

2011-11-28T14:12:00.000+08:00

Honestly speaking, I'm not fond of gadgets of whatever type: mobile phones, ipods, laptops,etc. despite the fact that people these days can't leave without gadget. While people are fascinated with android phones and IPhones, I am still using my old-fashioned Nokia unit with 0.3 megapixel camera and about 6 MB of internal storage. While people are wishing for MacBook or laptop running Window 7 in Intel iSeries of processor, I am still using my bulky dell inspiron pentium 4 laptop (and almost obsolete dual-core processor desktop pc). I'm not sharing this for the sake of getting pity from my readers, hoping that they will give me the latest of these gadgets (just kidding). I'm sharing this as a justification of how dumb I am when it comes to technology.

Well, apart from lacking interest of gadgets, money is also a factor. I'm not that rich-type brat who asks my parents to buy me the latest phone. I don't have that much during my school days. But now is a different story since I already have a job; and because of this job, my preferences as far as technology is concerned also changed a bit - especially in mobile phones.

We have some discussions with my friends on different android phones released by Samsung. Samsung by the way produces state-of-the-art smartphones ar a very affordable price. I'm also interested to buy and try these android phones, but I'm having a hard time deciding which one to choose. Listed below are the cheap smartphones from Samsung that are included in my list of choices.

Samsung Galaxy I5500 (Samsung Galaxy 5)

Click Image for the phone's specs

The thing I liked about this smartphone is its black-colored design. As for the specs, there's nothing spectacular. Just click the image to see full specifications. The price of Galaxy 5 is currently 7,900 PHP at Tekpone Gadgets.

Samsung Galaxy Mini S5570 (Samsung Galaxy Mini)

Click Image for the phone's specs

Except for the design, there hasn't much of a difference between Galaxy Mini and Galaxy 5. See comparison of both smartphones here. My friends and I criticized the design of this phone especially the yellow green lining at the corner. It's seems that it isn't the right combination for us. As for the specs, it's a great deal for the price of 6,999 PHP at Tekpone Gadgets.

Samsung Galaxy Fit S5670 (Samsung Galaxy Fit)

Click Image for the phone's specs

This smartphone looks like the Android Phone version of Samsung Corby 2. It is also a bit more expensive than the previous 2 android phone, with current price from Tekpone Gadgets at 9,990 PHP - still part of our list of to buy gadgets.

Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 (Samsung Galaxy Ace)

Click Image for the phone's specs

One of my friend really love this phone. In fact, he is saving part of his salary to buy this cool smartphone. Among our choices, it is the most expensive, but the most powerful and beautifully designed phone. The price of this phone is currently 13,390 PHP at Tekpone Gadgets.

I'm planning to buy any of this phone this October or November, hopefully. But my preference among them is the galaxy mini.

The Season of Advent: Preparing for the Birth of Jesus Christ

2011-11-27T11:48:00.000+08:00

Today is Sunday, November 27, 2011. This Sunday however, is not just an ordinary church day for our Catholic brothers and sisters; it is the start of one of the most important seasons for us catholics - it is the beginning of the advent season - the preparation for the coming of our savior Jesus Christ.

Brief History of Advent

The word Advent came from a Latin word adventus, meaning "coming", the coming for our savior Jesus Christ. It is the time of spiritually preparing while waiting for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas . Advent season lasts for four Sundays, with the last Sunday of advent ends at the last Sunday before Christmas Day.

The True Meaning of Symbol of Advent

The main focus of the the entire season of advent is for us to spiritually prepare ourselves for the "coming" of our messiah or king Jesus Christ. Advent is more than just a 2000 years of Catholic history, it is about celebrating the truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ, whereby all of God's creation must be reconciled to God. Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of a person, as well as a congregation that Christ has come, He is in the world today, and He will come again in power and glory.

This season is also marked by a great spirit of expectation, anticipation, preparation, and longing of the coming of Jesus Christ. You can read one nice article about the true meaning of advent here and here.

The Advent Wreath

The very symbol of the season of advent observed by the catholic church is the advent wreath. Advent wreath or advent crown symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of advent. Advent wreath is a circular garland usually made from evergreen branches. One the wreath stands four candles: three purple candles and one pink candles lit every Sunday of advent. The wreath itself and the four candles in it bears unique and relevant symbolism in our life as a christian.

The evergreen leaves surrounding the advent wreath symbolizes eternity.

On the first Sunday of Advent, the first purple candle will be lit. This purple candle is called the "Prophecy Candle" as a remembrance of the prophets, primarily prophet Isaiah, who foretold the birth of Jesus Christ in scriptures. Lighting the candle also symbolizes hope and expectation in the coming of the Messiah.

On the second Sunday of Advent, the second purple candle will be lit (together with the first purple candle). Traditionally, the second purple candle is called the "Bethlehem Candle", symbolizing infant Christ's manger - the place where he was born. Lighting the second candle symbolizes love.

On the third Sunday of Advent, the lone rose-colored or pink candle will be lit (together with the first and second purple candles). This pink candle is also called the "Shepherd's Candle", and it represents joy.

On the fourth and last Sunday of Advent, the last purple candle will be lit (together with the other three candles). The last purple candle is also called the "Angel's Candle", representing peace.

Other versions of advent wreath includes a white candle on the center of the wreath, lit on Christmas eve. This white candle on the center will be lit on Christmas eve, together with the four advent candles. This white candle is called the "Christ's Candle", representing the life of Jesus Christ that has come to the world. The white color represents purity as Jesus Christ is sinless and spotless - the only qualification of a Pure Savior.

Making your own advent wreath in your homes is a good way to bring advent's true meaning within your households. Of course together with spiritual preparations such as deep prayers, doing good deeds and following the words of God, you will be having the most meaningful Christmas in your life.

It has become a family tradition for us to make our own advent wreath inside our house, placing it in our altar. We've been doing this for 4 years now, and here's a sample of our own advent wreath last year.

Our own advent wreath

Controversial "Photoshopped Photo" of DPWH Personnel In-Action After Manila Bay Storm Surge

2011-11-26T23:32:00.000+08:00

One of my friends shared the controversial photo of the DPWH personnel in-action after the storm surge at the Manila Bay caused by typhoon Pedring. I haven't watched the picture when it was shown in local news program on t.v., luckily my friend shared the picture to me, to ease my curiosity. It doesn't need to be a photographer or a photoshop expert to determine if this pic was genuine or not. It's a clear FAKE, PHOTOSHOPPED image.

"Di napipeke ang tunay na serbisyo publiko"

2 Days Talk N Text Unli Texts To All Networks for only 15 Pesos

2011-11-26T12:17:00.000+08:00

Talk n Text recently launched another great promo to its millions of subscribers in the country, this time it's more than just unlimited texts to smart to talk n text subscribers - it's unlimited texts to all networks. Now you can stay connected with all your friends regardless of their mobile networks; Smart, Globe, TM, and Sun Cellular in just a single load.

How to avail this cool promo from Talk N Text? All you need is 15 pesos load and of course your cellphone. Just type UA 15 and send it to 4445. You will receive a confirmation message that you're registration is successful. Now you can enjoy unlimited texts to all networks for 2 days.

You are required to maintain 1 peso balanced while enrolled in this service.

Crossing the River Game Solution

2011-11-26T11:03:00.000+08:00

One of the most popular IQ games played is the crossing the river game. The game objective is very simple: the player must transfer all the characters or humans from one side of the river to the other side using a raft. However, this game is subject to many rules making the game more interesting and mind bugging. The characters in the game are a police, a criminal, a mother, a father, 2 daughters and 2 sons. The restrictions of the game are as follows:

The raft can only carry at most 2 passengers at a time.
Only the police, the mother and the father can operate the raft.
The father cannot be on the presence of the daughters without the mother
The mother cannot be on the presence of the sons without the father.
The criminal cannot be left alone with the family without the policeman

Click here to play the game: http://freeweb.siol.net/danej/riverIQGame.swf

Solution to the Crossing the River Game:

Again, this game is one of the most popular IQ games played both online and offline. In fact only about 10% solved this problem. So it'll be great if you solve this IQ problem by your own analysis and logic and not relying on this solution. But if you aren't tough enough to face the challenge, here is the solution to the problem.

Move the Policeman and Criminal to the other side of the river.
Move the Policeman back to the other side.
Move the Policeman and a child (boy/girl) to the other side of the river.
Move the Policeman and criminal back to the other side.
If the child you transferred on step 3 is a boy, move the father and the boy child to the other side, otherwise move the mother and the girl to the other side.
Move the father/mother (based on step 5) to the other side of the river.
Move father and mother to the other side of the river.
If the children on you transferred on step 3 are boys, then transfer the mother back to the other side, otherwise transfer the father.
Move the police and the criminal to the other side.
Move the father/mother to the other side.
Move the father and mother to the other side.
If the children left on the other side are girls, transfer the mother to the other side, otherwise transfer the father.
Move the father/mother and a child to the other side.
Move the policeman and the criminal to the other side.
Move the policeman and the child to the other side. This step must left the criminal alone on the other side of the river.
Move the policeman to the other side.
Move the policeman and the criminal to the other side.
GAME END

That is the algorithm or the steps I made to solve the game. As what I have mentioned earlier, it'll be great if you solve this game on your own without cheating. Happy Playing!

Introducing Sun Magic Zone Sim Exclusive for Mindanao Subscribers

2011-11-26T10:50:00.000+08:00

Image Source: http://businessweekmindanao.com

Sun Cellular, one of the Philippine's largest telecommunication companies has been very consistent in providing their subscribers the most affordable prepaid call and text promos to its subscribers across the country while improving its signals nationwide. Good news for Sun Subscribers living in Mindanao! Sun Cellular launched its new promo exclusive only for Sun subscribers in Mindanao, called the Sun Magic Zone.

Sun Magic Zone offers the most affordable prepaid load for Mindanao Sun users. Using the Sun Magic Zone sim card, you can now subscribe to unlimited texts for only 5 pesos, or subscribe to unlimited call and texts for only 10 pesos. Now you can call or text all day not only to Sun Magic Zone sim card users, but also for Sun Subscribers in Mindanao. However, this promo is valid only within Mindanao area and cannot be used outside Mindanao.

So what are you waiting for, rush on to the nearest Sun Magic Zone sim card retailers and buy your Sun Magic Zone Sim Card for only 20 pesos with free 2 days call and text unlimited. Upon using the sim for the first time, just type SUNMAGICZONE and send it to 266 to activate your free 2 days call and text unlimited.

SUN MAGIC ZONE CALL AND TEXT UNLIMITED

KEYWORD* PRICE DESCIPTION VALIDITY

MCTU10 10 Unlimited calls and texts 1 day

MCTU15 15 Unlimited calls and texts 1 day

+ 10 txts to other networks

MCTU50 50 Unlimited calls and texts 7 days

MCTU200 200 Unlimited calls and texts 30 days

* Just text the KEYWORD to 247 (ex. MCTU50 to 247 to avail 7 days unli calls and txts)

SUN MAGIC ZONE TEXT UNLIMITED

KEYWORD* PRICE DESCIPTION VALIDITY

MTU5 5 Unlimited texts 1 day

MTU25 25 Unlimited texts 7 day

MTU100 100 Unlimited texts 30 days

*Just text the KEYWORD to 247 (ex. MTU5 to 247 to avail 1 day unli txts)

MOR 101.1 Davao Free Live Streaming Online with Stickam

2011-11-26T10:49:00.001+08:00

Good news for davaoeños who missed listening to the number radio station in Davao City as they continue to dominate not only the whole of Davao City, but all around the world through the use of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Now you can listen to your favorite songs, know the latest news in Davao City, listen to heart-touching stories, laugh at the "estoryahe" jokes and cheesy lines and more with MOR 101.1 Davao free live streaming via Stickam.

Not only you can listen to local music, you can also chat with other listeners and see then on cam as Stickam also offers a mini chatroom where online users from all around the world talk with each other, request for their favorite songs, and also greet their friends and family. This free live audio and video streaming from MOR 101.1 "My only Radio For Life -ESTORYAHE!" is perfect for those davaoeños abroad to still listen to thier favorite songs and watch their favorite DJs online.

So what are you waiting for, visit Stickam now and join for free so you can listen to the number one radio station in Metro Davao and Region XI, MOR 101.1 "My Only Radio for Life - ESTORYAHEE!".

Top 3 Hottest Temperatures Ever Recorded in History

2011-11-26T10:49:00.000+08:00

Summer season in the Philippines as well as in other Southeast Asian Nations is fast approaching, so expect warmer temperature minimal or no rainfall for a couple of months. But with global warming coming to play, expect extreme heat that at some point, too painful for the human skin to handle. In fact, sunlight these days can cause skin cancer, heat stroke and dehydration.

Talking about summer and hot temperature, ever wonder what are the hottest temperature ever recorded in history? and where these historical event happened? For you to have an idea, here are the top 3 hottest temperatures ever recorded in history.

3. 54ºC (129ºF) Mitraba Kuwait - recorded last June 15, 2010, Mitraba Kuwait recorded the hottest temperature ever recorded in Asia at 54ºC. The previous hottest temperature ever recorded in Kuwait was at 51.3ºC in 1998. This temperature, according to weather experts don't give the rain any chance to fall in Kuwait for many days.

2. 56.7ºC (134ºF) Death Valley, California USA - recorded in July 10, 1913, this temperature in Death Valley is the 2nd hottest temperature ever recorded in history at 56.7ºC. This phenomenon also was dubbed as the hottest temperature ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere. Death Valley has a total land area of 7,800 sq. km (3,000 sq.mi) and is situated in East California.

1. 57.8ºC (136ºF) Al 'Aziziyah, Libya - recorded in September 13, 1922, this phenomenon is the hottest temperature ever recorded in history at 57.8ºC. This place is located near the Saraha Desert, so no doubt why this place is so hot. In fact there was an assumption that actual temperatures in the deserts were even hotter, but sadly the temperature was not recorded. However, the actual reading was said to be controversial though these controversies were not directly proven.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_weather_records

The Name of the Months

2011-11-26T10:48:00.000+08:00

Ever curious where the name of the months in the calendar came from? Who named them and what are the meaning of their names? Today’s trivia features a brief history of the current calendar we are using and the meaning of the 12 months the calendar has.

Early Romans had 10 months in their calendar and those were:

Martius or March
Aprilis or April
Maius or May
Junius or June
Quintilis or July
Sextilis or August
September
October
November
December

The year started in the month of Martius or March until in 700 B.C where Numa Pompilius, the 2^nd king of Rome added the months Januarius or January and Februarius or February and eventually changed the starting month from Martius to Januarius. Numa Pompilius also created some months to have odd number of days for it signifies luck. After the month of februarius, there was an occasionally added month called the Intercalaris or Intercalendar. This was the origin of what we knew today as the leap-year that occurs every 4 years in February.

It was in 46 B.C when Julius Caesar changed the Roman calendar (the Julian calendar) by changing the number of days on some months and removing Intercalaris. Also the name of each month and its arrangement remains unchanged until this modern time.

Majority of the names of months came from Roman Gods and Goddess while some are from the order in which they appear in the calendar. Below are the names of the month and its corresponding meaning.

January - named after Janus, the Roman God of gates or doorways or the beginnings and endings. Janus was depicted with two faces facing in two opposite directions.

Originally, January has 29 days until Julius Caesar changed it to 31 days.

February– named after the festivals of purification which was celebrated in this month in Rome.

February has 28 days until in 450 B.C when it only has 23 days or 24 for every second month. Julius Caesar changed it to 28 days or 29 days every 4 years.

March– after Mars, the Roman God of War. The original start of the year for Romans, and the time for the resumption of war.

March always has 31 days.

April – from the word Aperire which means to open for as the buds starts to open on this month.

Originally has 30 days until Numa changes it to 29 days. Julius Caesar changes it to 30 days.

May – named after Maia (the great one), the Italic Goddess of Spring, the daughter of Faunus, and wife of Vulcan. Other sources claimed it was named after Maiesta, the Roman Goddess of honor and revenge.

Always had 31 days

June – after Juno, the goddess of marriage and well-being of women. Maybe that’s why lots of couple wanted to have their wedding on this month.

June has 30 days until Numa when it has 29 days. Julius Caesar changed it to 30 days.

July – or quintilis or “fifth month”. Named after Julius Caesar in honor of the month when he was born.

Always had 31 days

August – or sextilis or “sixth month” named after the 1^st emperor of Rome, Augustus Caesar for several fortunate events in his life came in this month).

Originally has 30 days until Numa when it had 29 days. Julius Caesar changed it to 31 days.

September – after septem or “seven” for it is the 7^th month before the first 2 months were added in the calendar.

Originally has 30 days. Numa changed it to 29 days. Julius Caesar later changed it to 30 days.

October – named after octo or “eight” for it is the 8^th month before the first 2 months were added in the calendar.

Always has 31 days.

November – after novem or “nine” for it is the 9^th month before the first 2 months were added in the calendar.

Originally has 30 days. Numa changed it to 29. Julius Caesar later changed it to 30 days

December – after decem or “ten” for it is the 10^th month before the first 2 months were added in the calendar.

Originally has 30 days. Numa changed it to 29. Julius Caesar later changed it to 31 days

Difference Between Boys and Girls

2011-11-26T10:47:00.000+08:00

Disclaimer: The author does not own the image used in this post. Credits goes to the original designer of the images.

Top 3 Strongest Earthquakes ever recorded in History

2011-11-26T10:46:00.000+08:00

3. Prince William Sound, Alaska U.S.A (March 27, 1964) – also known as the Great Alaska Earthquake or The Good Friday Earthquake as it occurs on Good Friday. The said earthquake recorded a magnitude 9.2 on a Richter scale. The quake began at 5:36 PM AST and lasted for 5 minutes. Estimated deaths of the quake were 131 including those who died in subsequent tsunamis in other parts of America. Estimated damage to properties was $300 million ($2.06 billion in current dollar). This earthquake was the strongest ever recorded in United States and in North American History.

2. 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake (December 26, 2004) – also known in the scientific community as the Sumatra – Andaman earthquake. This destructive earthquake has a magnitude 9.3 on a Richter scale with the epicenter located at the west coast of Sumatra Indonesia. The earthquake lasted for 10 minutes, but enough to cause the entire planet to vibrate as much as 1cm and even triggered other earthquakes in other parts of the world. This undersea quake created tsunami with waves of 30 meters high and affected 14 countries. The tsunami this earthquake created reached as far as South Africa and Somalia. Estimated deaths on this killer earthquake were 230,000 and recorded as one of the most destructive earthquake in the history.

1. Valdivia, Chile (May 22, 1960) – the strongest earthquake ever recorded in world history has a magnitude of 9.5 on a Richter scale and it shook Chile on May 22, 1960. Estimated deaths on that earthquake were only 2000 and some 3,000 injuries and 2 million people left homeless. Damage to properties was $550 million. The said earthquake triggered tsunami that killed people in Japan, Hawaii and the Philippines.

Please to take note that the strongest recorded earthquakes does not mean that it is also the most destructive earthquake in history.

Visit this link to have more information of these earthquakes.

http://www.wikipedia.org/earthquake

How To Back Mask a Song

2011-11-26T10:45:00.002+08:00

Backmasking or Backward Masking is a recording technique that a music or sound is recorded backward instead of a normal forward recording. According to some, back masking is the way for other artists to hide the real message of the song they want to share to the listener and most of this messages are satanic or anti-christ, about sex or anything that are not accepted by the society.

This process of recording has been popularized by The Beatles and since then there are a lot of artists that are hiding the true message of the songs they release. Be careful as some of this songs might be your favorite.In this tutorial I will teach you how to back mask or reverse a song for you also to unfold the secret behind your favorite song if any.

There are a lot of audio editing software that are capable of back masking or reversing a song like audacity which is an open source software, but a very common way of doing back masking without the means of searching and downloading audio editing software is through using the sound recorder that is bundled within the Windows operating system and in this tutorial I will teach you how to back mask a song using sound recorder.

Click Start> All Programs>Accessories>Entertainment>Sound Recorder. You can also refer to be image below to save time finding sound recorder on your PC.

2. Sound
Recorder application will load quickly as in the image below.

3. At
the menu on the upper left corner of the application, click
File>Open then the open window containing different files in
different directories will appear, select the song you want to back
mask and then click OK. Take
note also that sound recorder only accepts song in .wav format and
no other. If the song you want to back mask is .mp3 or other
extension than .wav, convert it first to .wav using converters like
total video.

4. After the song or
music you want to back mask has been loaded into the sound recorder
program, on the menu Click Effects>Reverse and the music is now
ready to be played in reverse order.

5. On
the sound recorder program, click the play button to start playing
the song in reverse order, you must finish playing the song before
saving it to fully have the complete black masked version of the
song.

6. After
the song is played in reverse order, save the song by clicking
File>Save on the menu and presto, you have now the back masked
version of the song you want to back masked.

Just
a piece of advice: when you attempt to back masked a song, don’t do
it if you are alone especially at night for you will be shocked and
scared when you hear the true message hidden behind your favorite
song.

Good
Luck in your Back Masking Experience. (You can search youtube.com for
popular back masked songs and their meaning.)

Laptop Buying Guide: Right Laptop for Different Users

2011-11-26T10:45:00.001+08:00

Choose the Best Type of Laptop that suits your needs

As a consumer or a techie user you should not be deceived by the promising components and slickest laptop designs. As mentioned they were developed bearing that specs and designs to a particular types of users. So when shopping for your first laptop the very first thing you should consider is your needs. Are you a gamer seeking for a laptop that offers the best gaming performance? or a student that needs laptop for word processing and submitting assignments through e-mail? Whatever type of user you are there’s a particular laptop for you; what’s more important is you know the right specifications that suit your needs. Listed in this article are the different user types and the laptop specification that suits them.

Student

Students don’t need luxuriant laptops for their daily assignments and research works. What they need is a low cost but portable laptop models like a netbook which allows them to carry easily from room to room during classes. Though netbooks don’t have that incredible processing power as it only offer low voltage single core processor, it is more than enough to cater basic application needs like surfing the web, sending e-mails and writing researches and reports.

Typical laptop specifications for student user are 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard drive, small screen display and a single or dual core processor.

Price Range: 14,000 to 20, 000 depending on model, manufacturer and specifications

Business minded

For those who need laptops for business use whether indoor or requires travel, they need a laptop that’s robust enough to stand long hours of use, with strong data security features added on to incredible processing performance. Typical business functions that need your laptop would probably presentation of sales or presentation of proposed projects using a LCD projector. A laptop that runs smoothly in multitasking condition is also ideal for business minded users.

Laptop specifications for business minded users include 2 GB RAM or higher, 250 GB hard drive or higher, 15 inch display, wireless networking, Windows 7.

Price Range: 25,000 to 35,000 depending on manufacturer and specifications

Multimedia Savvy

If you’re fond of multimedia like photos or videos – be it a passion or a source of income, you need a laptop that’s powerful enough to run the latest photo and video software available. You need the model that has the capability to play high definition videos, great screen resolution and a processor for multitasking.

Typical laptop specifications for multimedia savvy users include 4 GB RAM or higher, fast hard drive (7,200 rpm with capacity of 320 GB or higher), 15 inch or larger screen display.

Price Range: 30,000 to 40,000 or higher depending on manufacturer and specifications

Ultimate Gamer

While most gamers prefer desktops when it comes to gaming since it offers flexibility when it comes to upgrades and cooling facilities, there are users that are taking advantage on recent laptop designed only for gaming. Basically you need a powerful gaming processor like Core2 Quad and the latest Intel Core i7 built for better 3D gaming experience. You must also have the latest graphics card for better video quality.

Other feature every laptop for ultimate gamer must have included 4 GB or higher RAM, 320 GB hard drive, 17 inch display

Price Range: 35,000 to 50,000 or higher depending on manufacturer and specifications

Ordinary Home User

General laptop users not falling on the above mentioned user types are included in this type of user. At some point, student might be included in this one as student laptop can also be used by their parents or siblings at home; it is not always the case however. Typical home user needs laptop for basic viewing of photos, listening to music or burning them to DVD etc.

Laptop specifications for ordinary home user includes 2 GB RAM or higher, 160 GB hard drive, DVD burning drive, 16 inch display.

Price Range: 25,000 to 35,000 depending on manufacturer and specifications

Each kind of laptop have different models coming from different manufacturer; each having different design and features. So before choosing what particular laptop model to buy based on what type of user you belong, better read reviews on these laptop models. There are lots of reviews available on the Internet, or more a more reliable and accurate laptop reviews, visit http://reviews.cnet.com/

Disclaimer: Images included in this article are not owned by the author. Credits for the images belongs to the website in which links are provided.

References:

http://nexus404.com/Blog/wp-content/uploads2/2009/05/asus-f6v-series-laptops.jpg
http://sumanl.com.np/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Best-laptops.jpg
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptop-buying-guide/?tag=centerColumnArea1.0;buyAdvice