blankPixels

Cebu Ink-Toner Well - CISS for Printers Dealer in Cebu

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 05:10:00 +0000

We went through a lot before we were able to setup our own internet cafe. We were busy looking for the right location (well, more about this soon), where to buy computers, network and the whole internet cafe setup and our DSL connection application. Because of this, we weren't really able to consider other things that we needed to maximize our sales.

Thanks to my kumare, Badeth. She and her husband owns and manages an internet cafe in Malabon (Mini Pixels, just in front of Immaculate Conception church and McDonald's). They've been in the business for years now so I completely regret not asking her for tips BEFORE we even started our cafe.

Anyway, I shared with her what I wanted to do at our cafe - practice my graphics design skills. She told me about her photo printing business (raket, if I may say) that's been a major contributor to their overall sales. And, she told me about CISS or Continuous Ink Supply System. I did consider refilling our ink cartridges but I didn't know about this new innovation yet.

My bro, Kenneth, actually mentioned this to me but I didn't really think about it since we had a bigger issue at hand (our DSL application). But, after Badeth told me about it, I started doing my research on CISS and what printer's the best for conversion. We already have an HP F4280 all-in-one printer (scanner, copier, printer) but based on my research, it's not recommended to convert it to CIS. We really needed a CISS-converted printer as soon as possible 'coz there were people who already wanted to have photos printed but was finding our prices rather expensive 'coz we're still using original cartridges.

After checking out ULOP forums (a community for LAN shop owners like us) and TipidPC forums, I decided to go for a Canon printer (because of less issues with its printhead). We had limited budget so we ended up with a Canon iP3680. Well, it cost PhP 5,195 and we still have to convert it to CIS but I know it will pay off by itself.

So, after considering 2 CISS dealers/converters here in Cebu, I decided to go with Cebu Ink-Toner Well. I got in touch with Jarwin Ng, the owner. I'm pretty happy with the customer service I got from him. At first, they didn't have CISS cartridges for our iP3680. He had to order 1 for us and after a few days, he contacted me and we got our CISS installed. We paid Php 3,450 for the whole installation plus the free CISS ink we got. Here's how it looks:

See the ink tanks? Jar instructed us that they should always be at the same level surface as the printer to prevent ink spills. I've already done a couple of test prints and I've found out what settings are appropriate for me to get just the right tone of colors on my printouts for photos, invitations, etc.

They have ink refills available but we didn't buy any yet. We might buy 2 sets for each color when we do. Now, I'm just observing how many prints this amount of ink can produce.

I had trouble finding the right CISS converter for our printer but I'm glad I found out about Cebu Ink-Toner Well. I'd like to thank Jar for the help and we're hoping this printer will last.

Now, if you're still considering if you should convert to CISS or not, I suggest you do especially if you're planning on doing a lot of photo printing (for photographers, especially) and if you own an internet cafe. This will save you a lot of money.

For people in Manila, I suggest Multicolors for your CISS conversion. Well, there are a lot of other CISS converters in Manila but make sure you do your research first. If you're from Malabon, Navotas or Caloocan, you can contact my kumare, Badeth. She can install the CISS for you. Leave me a comment with your YM, contact # or email address and I'll give you her contact information.

But, if you're in Cebu, I strongly recommend having your printer converted with Cebu Ink-Toner Well. Here's their contact info:

Cebu Ink-Toner Well Sales & Services
Unit 4 17-D J. Osmena St., corner Don R. Aboitiz St., Cebu City
( across New Sideline Native Restaurant-Baseline Complex )
Click here for their location map.
Contact #: 255-8506 / 412-2695
Cellphone #: 0917-626-2422
Email: cebu_inkwell@yahoo.com
Contact person: Jarwin Ng or Janet

Services offered:
Refill all inkjet & laser-jet cartridges; sell original, compatible & remanufactured cartridges; set-up CISS; bottled ink & toner; t-shirt heat press, mug press & PVC ID packages; printer sales & repairs; technical support

Just tell them you were referred by me, Michelle a.k.a. blankPixels. :)
I don't earn anything, don't worry. Hehehe.

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 - My #1 Group Performance To-Date!

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:46:00 +0000

I wasn't able to really talk about the group performance last week that I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! It was choreographed by Dmitri, Tabitha and Napoleon. This has got to be my most favorite dance performance EVER in my 3 years of watching the show.

Here's the whole thing. Too bad, this Youtube version of the performance was kind of a blur so you can't really see their faces.

The performance showcased Kayla's amazing talent, her beauty and her stage presence. I absolutely love her! And, Ade, oh my gosh. He's not really a gorgeous fellow but the way he danced in this number was seductively executed. Me and Mai got a big crush on him. LOLz.

We've watched this performance like a million times since we first saw it. It's almost like there's no day that I didn't wanna see it. That's how good the choreography was and how great dancers they have on the show this season.

*sigh* I love, love, love Tabitha and Napoleon's choreography. Actually, my second fave performance was choreographed by them - Chelsea and Mark's Bleeding Love number 2 seasons ago.

Hmmm... I think I'll put up a list of my fave SYTYCD performances on here. But I have this feeling that most of them would come from this season.

I haven't watched this week's performance but, damn, I wish Karla stayed instead of Philip's partner or Caitlin. And Kayla's on the bottom 3?! Are you kidding me?!?!

Tsk tsk. I really hope the mixing up would start right away 'coz I don't want to see Kayla again on the bottom 3. Well, anyway, I know she won't get eliminated 'coz the judges love her.

It was Vitolio's time to go. Kupono and even Philip, who I love as a pop-locker, should be the next ones to go.

Can't wait to watch this week's performances.

So You Think You Can Dance Week 3 - Who Got Voted Out

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:09:00 +0000

I'm a HUGE fan of So You Think You Can Dance (I was a dancer back in high school and college... konek?) but haven't really blogged about the show. Well, I've wanted to when the latest season (5) started but 'coz of things I had to take care of, it's only now that I got to do so.

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 dancers, I believe, is the most talented batch of contestants I've seen so far. I still love Seasons 3 (Lacey, Chelsea, Mark, Danny, Dominic, Pasha, Anya, Neil... okay, all of 'em!) and 4 (Joshua, Katie, Will, Twitch, Courtney, Gev) but they're not as technically good as this new batch.

Anyway, if you're here to find out who got eliminated this week, it's Azuka Kondoh and Jonathan Platero (I had to play it again 'coz I forgot his name).

I'm so glad Azuka is out of the competition. She's selfish and really irritating. I can't forget what she did when she found out that she was in the Top 20. She and another dancer were the last 2 girls to learn the news if they're in or not during Vegas week. And I cannot forget how Azuka treated the other dancer.

Y'know what she did? Okay, first, lemme ask you, what would you do if you found out you got promoted and a colleague, who was with you in your boss' office when you got the news, got fired right in front of you? Would you jump up and down to celebrate your promotion? Well, if you said yes, you're as mean as Azuka. Me? I'd comfort my colleague first and celebrate my promotion later. That's what you call RESPECT and MANNERS.

That's exactly what Azuka did not do and that's why I hate her. She almost jumped up and down, and she even hugged the other dancer in glee! Sheesh. And she acts like she's all that, but, damn... And she's rude! She told Vitolio Jeune that the reason they can't connect while dancing was because she's not attracted to him. Excuses, excuses, excuses. You're just not good as Anya so I'm so happy you're out of the competition. I hate her face.

Poor Jonathan. I like him 'coz of his personality and the way he carried himself with his partnership with Karla Garcia. I guess his lack of personality is what got him eliminated.

Karla and Vitolio will be dancing next week. I don't really like this pair up but what can I do? I think Nigel Lithgoe just wanted to get rid of Azuka and partner Vitolio with someone else and Jonathan was the sacrificial lamb. Plus, I don't think Nigel wanted to break up the other couples who were amazing in the past weeks' performances.

Talking about the other couples, my top 3 (couples) are:

Melissa Sandvig & Ade Obayomi

They're the couple to beat for me this season. I love how much versatility Melissa is showing, being a ballerina and all. And all her talk about her age, damn, she looks lovely when she's dancing! And she can even keep up with Ade. I love her! She might not have that big personality as the other female dancers this season but she's just amazing!

And, Ade. Oh my gosh. Me and Mai didn't even like him before the whole competition started. I was actually rooting for Evan Kasprzak. But, damn, after watching Ade's 3 performances, he just amazes me. It was really a surprise. Gosh. And I love his personality. He's just sweet.

Brandon Bryant & Janette Manrara

I love Brandon and Janette's partnership. And Janette shocked me, really. Can't believe she was able to keep up with their Disco dance routine from Doriana Sanchez last week. I love her personality, even though she seems too "hyper" for me at times. But she's just great. I'm glad Brandon was partnered with someone as good as her.

Well, I've loved Brandon ever since I saw him auditioning in the past seasons of the show. I'm glad he's in this season. He's pretty talented. And I don't understand why Mia and Lil C weren't amazed by him. And I can't even believe how much Mia can be a hater sometimes. Just because Brandon was smiling when you were giving him negative comments doesn't mean he's disrespecting you or he finds what you're saying funny. That's just his personality. He's a very sweet person, from what I've seen. He's confident, yes, but not at all arrogant. Sheesh. I'm glad Brandon didn't take it negatively and even took it as a challenge. That's why me and Mai love him! I hope he goes far this season!

Evan Kasprzak & Randi Evans

They're just so cute! I love this pair, especially Randi! Evan was kinda a disappointment. I thought he'll be stronger and will be on top this season but, damn. He needs to seriously AMP his game or else, he'll end up going home too early. Randi is doing pretty well so he needs to keep up with her energy. I love them both so I hope they perform well every week.

Now, for my Top 5 dancers. Well, Melissa and Ade are my Top 2 so here are my top 3-5:

I love Kayla! She's actually tied with Melissa for my top female dancers this season but 'coz Melissa's with Ade, who's my top male dancer, Kayla's my Top 3. Anyway, Kayla's just amazing. I'm so freaking glad that her partner Max got eliminated last week. He's just pulling her down.

I would've loved to see Kayla partnered with Jason Glover 'coz I hate Caitlin. I can't even believe she's still in the competition and why she got in the Top 20! First of all, she's not as talented as everyone else. Second, she doesn't have the personality to be loved by viewers. Third, and most important of all, she's not putting forth enough effort to nail her performances! She's just pulling Jason down. Argh. I can't stand her! I would've preferred her sister staying instead of her.

Going back to Randi and Brandon, well, I've already mentioned why I love them. I just hope they stay longer 'coz I love to see them dance!

My other fave dancer this season is Philip Chbeeb, y'know, the famous popper from last season. I enjoy him a lot doing his own thing but he's not versatile enough to win this. But, with his following, I'm afraid he might. Argh. I would completely hate that. It's completely unfair to let him into the competition, especially when there's Ade who's gotten NOT enough exposure in Vegas. If Philip wins, it's like Kris Allen winning over Adam Lambert all over again. Sickening.

Can't wait for next week's performances. I wanna see more Wade Robson and Mia Michaels routines. And I love Sonya, Napoleon & Tabitha. I hope Stacey Tookey can stay to choreograph more this season 'coz I love what she did with Karla and Jonathan last week. And, please, Nigel, if you get to read this (as if), please, please, get rid of Shane Sparks. He's not a good choreographer at all! Sheesh. All he can do are dance steps you'd usually see in a club.

Gosh. I just love this show!

Michael Jackson is Dead

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:54:00 +0000

That was the first news I heard when I went downstairs this morning - Michael Jackson is REALLY dead.

I'm still in shock. I can't really consider myself a big fan of Michael Jackson since I never bought his albums. But, I enjoyed his songs on the radio and I loved watching his videos or concerts on TV. I know he's the musical influence of most of the popular pop and R&B artists today. Okay, I'm a fan.

According to reports, cause of death was cardiac arrest. He was preparing for his comeback concerts in London (50 shows in total) and this might be what caused his death. All that stress and pressure. At 50, I can't even believe he was still doing 50 shows. I even read that Jackson was mad when he learned that he was booked for 50 shows in London instead of just 10. He was planning on doing a worldwide tour but promoters booked 50 dates all in one place.

Anyway, going back to his tragic death, I feel saddened by it even after all the things he's done to himself and all the allegations that he was a child molester. I love his music. I love him as a performer.

*Sigh*

In the car, on our way to our internet cafe, radio stations were playing Michael Jackson's songs nonstop. I'd be listening to his songs today just because.

I know this news shocked everyone. I know Michael Jackson's legacy in the music industry cannot be beaten by anyone.... and his music will keep on playing.

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

Related News Articles:
News of Jackson's death first spread online
Michael Jackson, 1958-2009: The Talent and the Tragedy
Michael Jackson, 'King of Pop,' dead at 50
R.I.P. Michael Jackson: The Greatest of All Time

A-PDF Merger - Very Useful Tool for Internet Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:50:00 +0000

We just opened our internet cafe and so far, our additional services are kicking off at a good start.

Well, just today, we had a customer who had several documents scanned and converted to PDF so she can send it through email to someone. Unfortunately, though, this was my first time to convert something to PDF. I don't have Adobe Acrobat (we can't afford that) so I only used Adobe Photoshop 7 (yeah, the ancient version) to import the scanned images.

I was able to save them but as separate PDF files. Good thing it was just a 2-page document so it didn't really bother her or me that she had to upload or attach 2 separate PDF files to her email. But, still, I wanted to find a software that would combine PDF files into 1 so scanned documents would look professional. We can't afford Adobe Acrobat so I went searching for a PDF merger application.

And, I found A-PDF Merger. It's a very easy to use software and it does the job pretty well.

I downloaded their trial version and found out just how easy it is to combine multiple PDF files. I tested it with all the PDF files I have on my computer. I tried their feature where you can easily arrange the PDF files into any order you want. A-PDF Merger combined them very quickly. It's the perfect tool for internet cafe owners like us who want easy-to-use and fast PDF merger application. PLUS it can even convert your images to PDF format.

Go ahead and visit A-PDF Merger's site by clicking here and download your trial version. You can get your own license for only $27.

Thank You For Visiting & Your Comments

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:33:00 +0000

I'm so glad that my blog is getting more than a hundred (around 160-230) visits per day because of my tutorials (Downgrading my CQ40-340TU laptop from Vista to XP, setting up an auto-attack mercenary AI in Ragnarok, scrolling blogroll for Blogger, etc.). Some of the visitors became actual readers of my blog and leave a comment or 2 on my posts.

Some of the comments were nice. Most of them are thanking me for the tutorials/guide, especially the downgrade to XP. That guide, I believe, is my most popular post to date 'coz people from all over the globe are sending me emails or leaving comments on there telling me that someone referred them to my blog and there was even someone who said that the people from the store where they bought the laptop gave them a CD of all the drivers I posted on my guide. The comments were really nice and I made sure that I reply to them, especially those who are still having issues with the downgrading. I want them to start enjoying their laptop already.

There were also people who posted nice comments in some of my other posts that weren't that popular in SERP. I guess they're the "stumbled upon" visitors and I'm just glad they found the time to post something, like wishing us luck with our new cafe.

And, just today, when we went to Cellularis to purchase game cards for our cafe, Daks mentioned that they had 3 customers who learned about their store because of my post about them, that they should be the first stop for people who want to sell prepaid cards (and get free posters and installers, too) here in Cebu. You're very welcome, Daks. You and Jasmin are very accommodating so I thought I should post something about your store so those who are searching would know where to go.

By the way, Daks, I'll post the guide we talked about tomorrow. And, by the way, I'm Tagalog so I didn't understand everything you said kanina. You speak fast Cebuano, ha! So pardon me if I didn't respond very well hehehe.

I'm pretty happy with everything that has happened because of my blog. I'm glad that in some way, I touched or affected someone's life even when they're miles away.

But, wait. I almost forgot why I'm even writing this post. Well, first of all, I want to thank everyone who visited and read my posts, guides, etc., and found the time to leave me a comment.

Second, I also want to say that just like in real life, you can't please everybody. There were still a couple of mean-spirited people who wasted their time to post something to try to insult me or to bring me down.

Well, if you can't stand what I'm saying in my posts, just get the hell out of here. And your ATTEMPTS to insult me or piss me off didn't work... at all. I have very high tolerance towards people who just want to be mean 'coz they can... or 'coz they're Anonymous.

I just laugh at those people 'coz they thought they've accomplished something by posting a negative or rude comment on here. Hah! Thanks for the visit!

Okay, I'm ending this post right here 'coz Mai's not feeling well. Anyway, I'll post back tomorrow with another guide.

If I Own A Commercial Building for Rent (Cebu)...

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:09:00 +0000

Hmmm.. it's been a week since I used my laptop at home. I'm still adjusting to the speed difference between our DSL connection here and at the cafe. Hehehe.

Anyway, speaking of our cafe, I thought that our problems ended after we've opened a week ago but I was wrong. Now, we're dealing with another problem... this time, it seems like there's no solution to it even when it's a freaking simple concern.

That's why I'm writing this post. These are the things that I won't let happen when, in the future, I become an owner of a commercial building for rent/lease.

1. I won't just accept anyone to rent one of the commercial spaces without carefully considering these factors:
- Will this new lessee's business negatively (in a major way) affect other businesses already in the establishment?
- Do I need to make changes or adjustments to welcome this new lessee?
- What can I do to make my lessee satisfied and earning as much as they can from their business while they're on contract with me?
- What can I do to not make them think that I'm just here for their money and I don't care whatever happens to their business?

2. I won't give false hopes/expectations or lie to any potential lessee. For instance, I'll tell them that there aren't enough customers in our area for 2 computer shops. I don't want them to think that I'm just here for the money and that I'm not thinking about their finances.

3. Going back to # 2, I don't want anyone thinking that I'm just here for their rent/money and that I'm not thinking about their finances and forgetting about my end of the deal. I want them to feel that I actually care by making adjustments when needed and LISTENING to their needs.

4. I won't be CLOSE-MINDED and listen carefully. I'll make sure that we compromise to a setup that will be favorable to me and them. I can't be SELFISH in this kind of business. I have to be considerate so blessings will keep coming.

5. Yes, I have to be kind to anyone who rents in my commercial building. That's part of the CUSTOMER SERVICE that they should get from me.

6. Again, COMPROMISE. It's such an easy thing to do. They earn, I earn. Fair, right? So, if they request (multiple times) to move the guard's station to the middle entrance of the establishment at night to be fair 'coz they might be losing customers to the other computer shop just 'coz the entrance is closest to their competition, I should be able to grant that request 'coz it's so freaking easy, right?!?

Dammit. I hate it when people make LAME excuses for not giving quality customer service. Argh. Ever heard of EMPATHY? Sheesh. C'mon now. How would you feel when the owner of the place you're renting is not listening to you when all you wanted is a fair chance to get customers in your cafe? What's so wrong about that when you just want to earn more from your business? We didn't open up a cafe just for kicks. We're here to earn a living, JUST LIKE YOU.

Again, we're not asking for anything free or anything DIFFICULT. It's just a freaking simple request but your close-mindedness and pride is keeping you from LISTENING. Dammit.

I strongly feel that we're being wronged here. Back in Manila, my family used to own a commercial establishment. We had very demanding lessees but we made sure that we COMPROMISED with them to make them stay. We EMPATHIZED with them and made sure they know that we are LISTENING.

Hayyy... God, is this all a test? Are you checking if we can handle all these problems, all this stress?!? We won't give up but we need your help, please. Hayyy... please, make THEM listen.

Happy Father's Day, Tatay!

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:51:00 +0000

That's my Father's Day scrapbook for my Tatay.

And as far as I can remember, this is the first time that I actually meant it when I greeted him (I sent him a text message) on Father's day.

It's just sad that it took me to go the distance (literally, here in Cebu) for me to feel that we're a family. We didn't really have a good relationship, my father and I. Why? That's a part of my life I don't want to reminisce.

He's changed a lot, I tell you. He was kinda mean to me when I was younger but I guess he realized his mistakes (after everything that has happened) and he gradually changed for the better (I hope).

When I went here to Cebu last year, it was actually the first time that we said (texted) to each other "I love you" (okay, I'm almost teary-eyed na). And shockingly, I missed my tatay.

He loves tinkering things. Kaya when there's something that needs repair at home, he's off to the rescue! NO matter what that is... water pipes, washing machine, electric fan, cabinet, oven, ref, dog cage, etc. He's a househusband (like housewife, gets?) so he's got lots of time for his "projects". He tries to be the jack-of-all-trades at home. And that's what I miss most about him.

He's also into fishing. Yes, fishing... at the fish farms near our home. That's part of his daily routine and workout, I guess. He'd go home with a bunch of tilapia and bangus for lunch. Aliw, noh?

Just like other parents, he's not perfect. Hell, no. But, being away from him, nanay and my bro, I realized that his flaws are actually some part of him that I miss.

All I can say now is that everything that happened in the past has been forgiven. I still can't forget but at least this time, when I remember those times, I feel glad that he's gone a long way from being the mean father to me to someone who has tried so hard to make things better.

I hope his relationship with Nanay is better now. I deeply miss them and it hurts me whenever I miss them.

I love you, Nanay, Kenneth and Tatay!
Miss na miss ko na po kayo!

I asked my bro, Kenneth, to show this scrap page to tatay. He had this crazy idea of making it a video instead with matching background music. He played it in front of nanay and tatay, and he posted a video of the whole thing at Youtube.

Hahahaha. Made me miss them more! Tatay asked my bro to upload that scrap page to his cellphone. Awww. Ang cheesy amp!

But, bro, you rock! Hahahaha! I love yah!

Grabeh. I'm still not done crying. After the video, tatay went in my bro's room (technically, me and mai's room hehe) and showed him these:

Those are actually Father's day greeting cards that me and my brother gave him years ago. He kept it all this time. Awwwwwwwwwwww.

Made me cry talaga. My bro even joked, "'Kala mo ikaw lang ang touching ngayon ha. Di magpapatalo si Tatay." (In short, Tatay beat me for being the most touching today.)

Check out his blog - BoNaKid. He posted a blog about everything that happened today. Hehehe.

And we just found out that the celebration of Father's day this 2009 is on June 21st. What the hell?! Anyway, this serves as an advanced celebration, then. Hihihihi.

I'm touched talaga. Hayyy... I miss my family back in Malabon. Goshness.

Our New Toy - Freecom Mobile Hard Drive

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 05:23:00 +0000

Mai's dad came home last night from his 2-month job contract and he brought us our new toy. Well, not actually a toy but our new mobile hard drive that we've been waiting for.
It's a Freecom Tough Drive with 320GB disk space. We badly need a mobile hard drive 'coz we own a total of 4 computers at home (2 laptops, 2 desktops) and we also have 11 computers here at our cafe. We need it to backup important files and most especially installers. This will be extremely useful in our cafe when we do our bi-weekly maintenance. Plus, we need it so we can share files to all the computers at home. We now do all our downloading here in the cafe since we've got some extra bandwidth to enjoy *wink*.

If you want to see the specs of this mobile HDD, click here.

What I love about this HDD is it's slim and shock-proof... well, at least that's how Freecom is advertising this particular HDD. They even said that it can withstand falling from 2 meters. Hmmm... I'm really tempted to try it out but not just yet. Hehehe. Unintentionally, I know we'll see how durable this is. LOLz.

Another thing that I like about this HDD is it has a built-in password protection tool. The first time you use it, it will run the password setup wizard. And from then on, everytime you use it, you'll be prompted for the password. One way to ensure that your files are secure.

I like the design, alright, but I just don't like how they integrated the USB 2.0 cable. What if we "accidentally" damage or cut the USB cable with very sharp scissors? Okay, kidding aside, that's one of my concerns. What if it gets damaged? How can we freaking replace it when this was bought outside the PH and there's no support or place here that supports it (redundant ba)?

Well, I guess we just have to be extra careful when using it. The integrated USB cable can be connected to a laptop only 'coz it's, well, integrated. Anyway, the package includes another USB cable so we can easily plug it in to our desktops without having to figure out a way to ensure it's not hanging from the USB port.

Now, my only problem is to get it working here on my laptop. The freaking software it includes doesn't run well on my computer. Need to find an updated USB 2.0 driver for my laptop, then.

Update: Alright, I got this ToughDrive working on my laptop. All I did was disable AutoPlay using TweakUI for Windows XP. It worked like a charm.

If you're having problems with your computer freezing or crashing everytime you insert your external HDD, disable Auto Play and if that doesn't work, make sure there are no firewalls or file protection software running (like ESET).

Reign of Clicks Internet Cafe in Canduman, Cebu is now Open!

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:54:00 +0000

Our internet cafe here in Cebu has officially opened yesterday, June 7, '09. We're called Reign of Clicks (RoC) Internet Cafe and we're located here in Canduman, Mandaue City, near Sacred Heart school.

After gruelling days of fixing the computers (no thanks to the store where we bought 'em - APC), removing viruses that shouldn't be present in a brand new computer (again, thanks to APC for the viruses... tsk tsk), hassles of setting up the timer and making it work with all the computers and do exactly what we want it, waiting for our DSL connection to be set up (Thank God we've got a good connection. Thanks again, Nilo Bantilan of PLDT SME Vismin), and financial woes, WE'RE FREAKING OPEN!

Our cafe's theme color is Green so I came up with an Opening day promo - First 10 customers will get free food & drink, and 1 hour free PLUS 30 minutes if they wear Green. And 9 out of the first 10 wore green. They were so cute. Too bad I wasn't able to take a picture of all of them 'coz I was still struggling with how to navigate the cafe timer the right way and Mai and the whole family were busy attending to the customers personally. Hehehehe. The photos I took were already after a few of the 10 logged out. Nakakaaliw kaya. Even me and the whole family were wearing green. Hihihi. I'll post some photos of the cafe later... maybe. And here are some basic info about us...

I setup our own blog - Reign of Clicks (www.reignofclicks.com) - for people to get more info about us, our services and promos.

We charge PhP 15.00 per hour and minimum of PhP 10.00.
We have no plans of lowering the prices down. Why? Well, if you visit our cafe, you'll understand why we charge these prices but let me narrow them down for you:
Our DSL connection is at 3.5MBps and we're with PLDT MyDSL. We can assure you that playing and surfing at our cafe will be seamless almost all the time.
Our computers' specs are up-to-date so you can play your favorite games with heavy graphics. We also maintain our computers ourselves so as soon as you report a problem, we'll fix it.
Games like Left 4 Dead are available here. Other latest online games are also here.
All our Operating Systems and software are legit or genuine.
(We use OpenOffice as it's free. If you're having problems using it, I'm here to help.)
We don't turn off the aircon from 10am to 10pm (or until we have customers), unless customers complain that it's too cold.
The whole ambiance inside the cafe is relaxing and comfy... well, except for the noise 'coz we still don't have headsets @ our stations. We'll have them by next week.
(Most players, though, prefer our current setup 'coz they don't want to wear headsets & they enjoy more just hearing the sound effects. But, of course, we also have to consider those who don't want too much noise around them.)
Do I even have to mention that the staff (me and Mai) are also game addicts like most internet cafe customers? We're also techie women so we can assist you with almost any of your concerns about games, computers, etc.
Considering all that, I think it's just fair to charge PhP 15.00/hour, right?
With that said, however, we don't want our customers to feel that we don't think about their budget. We certainly do that's why we'll have different promos from time-to-time.
In fact, this whole month of June '09, we have our Back to School promo - for every 3 hours, you'll get 1 hour free.

I designed the tarps we have setup on the door and outside our cafe. This is actually my first time designing a tarp as big as this (first one, I wasn't paid and given any credits 'coz my client was a cheater and a liar). Here are the designs:

When it was printed out, I got too excited to see it. I was surprised by how the second one looked after printout. Sosyal! Ahihihi. I'm pretty happy with the results.

Oh, by the way, one of our services is also graphics design for business cards, tarps, posters, etc. Just visit our site to find out more info about us and price quotes on most of our services.

So, if you're here in Cebu or planning to come here, visit RoC internet cafe in Canduman.

PLDT is Paying Attention to Bloggers

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:04:00 +0000

Yes, that's true. If you don't believe me, read my last 2 blog posts:

PLDT Cebu Sucks! Beware of Juvy Rosario!
How Powerful Blogging Is & Updates on our PLDT Application in Cebu

Everything that led to my first post (PLDT Cebu Sucks...) happened Thursday last week, May 28th. I wasn't able to blog about it immediately 'coz we were busy scrambling to get a subscription from another ISP.

When I wrote that June 1st blog, I wasn't really expecting PLDT to take action to fix our problem. I was just writing my frustrations about what we experienced with our application with PLDT in hopes that other people who are planning on choosing PLDT Cebu as their DSL provider would think twice. Heck, I know anyone who's thinking about getting a DSL connection did some research to know which ISP is better than the rest. That's what I did before we even applied for PLDT.

I posted that blog past 12 midnight of June 1st. And in the morning, I got a surprising call from PLDT SME Vismin Business Head Nilo Bantilan about the complaint that I posted on my blog.

And everything went on a bit smoothly after that. Read my other posts so you'll know what has happened.

I'm happy to find out that PLDT is paying attention to what their blogging customers are saying about them, about their service, about their people. Why? Think about it - they get raw information/feedback from customers about their services and employees. Bloggers are great sources of information for quality assurance within their company. It's one way for them to not resort to micro-managing their people to know what they're lacking in service.

I felt how powerful blogging is today. I don't think anything would've happened with our application if I didn't blog about it 2 days ago. And I'm so glad I did at the right time, at the right moment. I know I was a bit harsh with the words I used in my first post about this whole ordeal but I know people would understand that I wrote it when I was extremely upset that all the stress we experienced waiting was all for nothing. I just felt so ashamed 'coz I was the one insisting to stick with PLDT. If they pulled through for me today, in one way or another, I did, too, 'coz I stuck with them even after everything we went through. We're even now.

I'm not writing this or my last post because I want to advertise PLDT for what they did for us today. I can tell you, however, that with what they did for us is worth blogging about. This time, I'm thanking them for taking action to help us start our business.

Because of this experience, I realized how powerful we bloggers can be. I guess that's why companies right now are looking at bloggers to review their products and services or they also look at what's been blogged about them - to make their people accountable and to know their flaws as a company that they haven't seen or known yet.

I just hope PLDT will continue with this PR move so they can win over more customers or win back those that they've lost in the past years here in Cebu and all over the Philippines.

How Powerful Blogging Is & Updates on our PLDT Application in Cebu

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:02:00 +0000

I didn't really know how powerful blogging is until today.

My previous post about our bad customer experience with PLDT Cebu reached higher management.

I know I was a bit harsh with the words I used to describe or to refer to Juvy but can you really blame me? I was extremely upset because I was mainly the one insisting to get a PLDT myDSL account instead of signing up with Globelines. I'm not gonna apologize for whatever I said in that post because how I described the incompetence we experienced was not understated.

Okay, I take back the name-calling but I still feel frustrated with what happened. For him, this should be a lesson learned. I'm just glad that my post served its purpose... unintentionally - to make PLDT Cebu take action against incompetence and bad customer service from their end.

This experience made me realize how powerful blogging is these days. You might think that you're just venting out or talking about your personal life but you can influence people to take action or do something good... and sometimes bad.

PLDT is actually one of the companies here in the Philippines who look at what bloggers are saying about them. It's a very good way for them to get information about people who are working for their company. Those bloggers who talk about their service are customers who are either upset or elated with their service. The blogger community is a great source of information for companies so they'll know what needs to be fixed, who needs to be scolded (in my case, Juvy), or what their customers think they need to change so they can stay true to their commitment to quality service. Take a look at this article from GMA news online: Firms Now More Aware of Blogger Backlash

So, read on. This post will serve as my update board on what's happening with our PLDT application and all that. I'll post updates here whenever, arranged from earliest to latest.

06/02/2009 Update:
Juvy was calling us multiple times earlier this morning. We were still sleeping so we weren't able to answer his calls. After much thought, we called him back and he asked if we're still interested in going through with our application. He apologized and said he'll give us an update ASAP. We thought that he was really doing something to resolve the issue since the last time we talked but I found out soon enough that someone higher did read my post.

I received a very interesting phone call a few minutes ago. I was on a call with PLDT SME Vismin Business Head Nilo Bantilan. I was kinda surprised when he explained that they read about my complaints against Juvy on this blog. Well, I'm glad they did.

Nilo wanted to hear what happened directly from me. So, I explained to him the details, like when Juvy assured us that we'll get a connection ASAP 2 weeks ago, I told him everything. I even told him that we already applied with Globelines 'coz we already paid for our rent 2 weeks ago. Nilo apologized for the inconvenience and said that he'll do everything he can to help us.

He told me that they already checked the area and that they're going to do something to allocate a line for us since we were already promised and assured by one of their employees. He assured me that since he's the one handling the problem that this will be rectified as soon as possible.

We really want to go through with our PLDT application and I am really hoping and praying that Nilo Bantilan will stay true to his words that he'll do everything he can to get us a connection this week.

We've lost almost 3 weeks now of earnings because of this inconvenience. If Nilo can really rectify this, he will restore my faith in PLDT's commitment to their customers.

5:30pm:

I got another call a few minutes ago from Nilo Bantilan. He told me that a PLDT contractor is scheduled to come to our shop tomorrow to install our DSL. Whoa. I was surprised but mainly glad about the news he gave me.

But, still, I have doubts. I made sure I understood what he said completely - that we'll get our DSL connection tomorrow. He said that we'll just deal with everything else afterwards.

*Phew* I'm thankful about this progress but I can't really celebrate yet until we get our DSL running.

7:00pm:

Juvy called me around 6:30pm and he apologized profusely. He said some things that I don't even want to mention here anymore but he said that he's happy about what's happening with our application. He said that he understood how I felt and that he accepts whatever I said. I just explained to him that we only needed him to give us an update and to be honest with us. He kinda cut me off but I just ignored it. I can only guess what he's going through right now after what happened.

Anyway, he asked me if the installation that's happening tomorrow is for phone line only or if it includes DSL. From what I understood from my conversation with Nilo, it's for DSL and phone. But Juvy said that there could just be something wrong with the documentation, blah blah blah. That got me worried.

So, I got in touch with Nilo right after that conversation to verify if tomorrow's installation is for phone line only or what. He said that it's for DSL and phone already. I told him that Juvy just called me and I just got worried that something might have been overlooked or what. *Phew*

From now on, I won't be getting in touch with Juvy anymore. He's obviously unreliable so I'll just stay in touch with Nilo.

I really hope tomorrow's the end of our frustrations with our DSL connection so we can open our shop and start earning money already. Hayyy...

06/03/2009 Update:

I don't really want to get into the nitty gritty of what happened today. It's just too tiring to even talk about what happened in the morning. I'm just glad we're almost done with all this frustrations with our DSL connection. But, let me just post here the important things that happened today.

Earlier this morning, as promised, PLDT contractors came over to our shop to setup our connections. It turned out that they can only put up the phone line. There'll be a different group of people who'll setup our DSL connection. There it was - a disconnect! I had to confirm through Nilo and I was actually getting impatient 'coz I thought everything will be setup. The contractor told us that we have to wait for another 24 hours to get our phone line connected. But, guess what, right after lunch, we already have a busy tone.

Then, later in the afternoon, after back and forth communication between me and Nilo, Juvy and his colleagues came over to install our DSL. We met and he apologized to Mama Ging-ging but we decided to not go back to what happened and just focus on the solution.

I wasn't really expecting Nilo Bantilan to be there but he came. He explained to me what happened, well, not all the details but just what we needed to know. We discussed that it'll be better for us to go for the Small BizLite package (3.5MBps + Static IP) as we were hoping to get a Static IP for better connection anyway. So, we already paid in advance for 1 month, total of PhP 5,200 (4k for DSL, 1.2k for business line). And, now, we're just waiting for our DSL account to be activated.

Since I already know how to setup the router with the Static IP and DNS, I told the technician (Ronald Barrietto, I believe) that I can take over from there. So, I'll be waiting for an update from Roc from their DSL department who'll inform me if our account has been activated already or not.

To cut it short, I'm glad that we're almost done with this turmoil. I hope tomorrow that everything will be up and running so we can start our business already.

I would like to thank someone for all the help in resolving our problem:

Nilo M. Bantilan
Vismin - Business head
PLDT SME group

Again, thank you! You brought back my faith in PLDT.

PLDT Cebu Sucks! Beware of Juvy Rosario!

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:28:00 +0000

Be careful what you wish for 'coz you might just get it. Read my update to this post:
How Powerful Blogging Is & Updates on our PLDT Application in Cebu.

We were supposed to open our internet cafe 2 weeks ago but due to delays with our DSL installation, we're still not open. And this is all because of a very incompetent PLDT employee:

Juvy Mark P. Rosario
Account Officer - SME Visayas - PLDT Mabolo

He's a complete ~~MORON~~. I hate to even say that but after everything we had to go through because of his stupidity, I don't really care. I would actually prefer to lash out at him in person so he'll feel my wrath.

Okay, let me tell you what this ~~moron~~ did to us. We applied for a DSL connection for our internet cafe almost a month ago. The first person who handled our application was Jimmy Rosillon. He explained the process and he said we just have to wait after we've submitted all the requirements.

So, we thought everything's gonna be okay. Then, Mai and her mom met Juvy. He told us that all the available lines at our cafe's location were all allocated to Sacred Heart school. But, he said that he'll do everything he can to help us. He said that our request will be reviewed by people from PLDT main office in Manila.

And so we waited for a couple of days. We were pretty frustrated with him 'coz he won't give us an update when we call him or text him. He doesn't freaking reply or answer our calls! We never stopped, of course. He kept on explaining that he was busy but dammit, if you're too overloaded with work, give us someone else who'll give us a clear answer, dammit!

So, after a few more calls, we found out through him that our request was approved and that they're just waiting for a service order. We believed him and we still had faith that him and PLDT will pull through for us.

Mai's mom was already telling us to apply with Globelines instead of waiting for days for PLDT to install our DSL. We insisted on holding off applying to Globelines 'coz we trusted Juvy.

We kept on texting Juvy again but he never replied. We had to call his landline # and we got in touch with him. I told him all our frustrations - him not giving us any updates. That was all we're asking for, dammit! And he kept on apologizing but didn't really give us any concrete answers.

At that time, we already signed an agreement with them 'coz we thought that it's really possible to get a line for our cafe. Juvy made us believe that it was possible. Heck, he even told us that our DSL will be connected as early as 2 weeks ago.

Yeah, nothing happened. We found out the truth just this week. We were running around in circles and Juvy decided to give us the # for another PLDT office to get the "table assignment". Guess what the person who answered told us?! He said that it's IMPOSSIBLE to get a line for us in Canduman, Mandaue City because their box is already full and were all allocated to Sacred Heart. DAMMIT!

We were so mad that we immediately called Juvy back. I told him what we just found out and he simply said that he'll call them back without even sounding sincere or apologetic. He even hung up on me! I was too mad to call him back so we just scrambled to resolve this problem.

We already started paying our rent 2 weeks ago because we were assured by this ~~moron~~ that we'll get our connection ASAP. This is not a good way to start our business! I swear if I see him, I'll smack him! Argh!

I told Mai that probably, this ~~stupid moron~~ wanted to earn a sale without thinking about how his incompetence will affect our business. That's what I hate about us, Pinoys. We lack customer service. We don't take it seriously. Sheesh! That's why I believe everyone should be trained in customer service or should try working in a call center so everyone will know a thing or two about EMPATHY and quality customer service.

I hope Juvy Rosario gets to read this post. And I hope someone from higher management of PLDT sees this, too. ~~I hope he gets fired or punished for what he did to us. He's too old for the job, anyway.~~ Let him retire or something or else PLDT will continue losing money here in Cebu.

UPDATE:
Today, 06/02/2009, I received a call from the Business head of PLDT SME Visayas - Nilo Bantilan regarding this complaint/post. Read the details and updates here:
How Powerful Blogging Is & Updates on our PLDT Application in Cebu

~~We've already applied with Globelines. They even dropped by our house with the application form. Now, we just have to wait 3-5 business days for installation of our DSL.~~
Update: We already cancelled our application with Globelines. We're sticking with PLDT.

Because of this, I decided to add a category here in my blog for all my bad customer service experiences. I've had too many already and I'd like to share it with others, especially those people who are like me who Google about reviews or bad customer service experience.

If you're from Cebu and still contemplating on where to subscribe for your DSL, here's a friendly advice: Go for Smart Bro for residential, ~~Globelines~~ for business.
Update: I would advise you to go for PLDT if their lines are available in your area, or Bayantel first before you go to Globelines.

~~I'll post a review on Globelines business account after a month or so.~~

Today, 06/02/2009, I received a call from the Business head of PLDT SME Visayas - Nilo Bantilan regarding this complaint/post. Read the details and updates here:
How Powerful Blogging Is & Updates on our PLDT Application in Cebu

Pinoys, Register to Vote for 2010 Presidential Elections!

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:15:00 +0000

Me and Mai promised each other that we'll register to vote this year, especially after last year when the barangay officials here in Cebu gave us a hard time getting a barangay clearance for our previous company's requirements. Good thing I was still able to get a police clearance after I explained to the people from PNP in Cebu that the barangay officials won't issue me a clearance. They found it funny that a pure Filipina who happened to move from Luzon to Visayas can't get a barangay clearance but a Korean can. Tsk tsk.

Anyway, going back to voting, we've set our minds to register this 30th at the nearby school here in Talamban, Cebu. The thing is, years back, I registered in Navotas (back in Manila, where I lived for more than 20 years) with my Nanay so I can get a Voter's ID. I can't remember what happened to that ID, if I even got one printed or what. Sheesh. If I did, my nanay might have it or I lost it. Ack.

I just need to clear things up with my Nanay. Anyway, I'm qualified to vote here in Cebu since I've been here for more than 6 months already (from August 2008). Plus, my NBI clearance has my new address here in Cebu so I already have the requirements.

I have not voted in any Philippine election yet since I turned 18 and this will be the first time for me to vote. I feel that it's about time since I'll be turning 30 next year. It's my right and my responsibility, I believe, as a Filipino.

If you're planning on voting, I found this informational site for new voters like me - BagongBotante.ph
They even have the application forms that you can download. We've got until October 31, 2009 to register.

Why haven't I voted in the past? I feel ashamed to even admit why but let me list 'em for you.

I felt like there's no one deserving of my vote or that voting for anyone will have the same result. Over the years, I realized that if I keep on thinking this way, I'll never get to exercise my right to vote. Now, I'm just voting for the lesser evil. It's gonna be very important for me to really know who I should vote for and weigh the pros and cons of voting for anyone.
Hassle. I don't like standing in long lines under the heat of the sun or around many people. I just don't like crowds. So, I need to overcome this and endure the process if I really want to do this.
I never felt that responsible yet or that my vote was that important. But, really, if most people think like I did, imagine who'll be in office today.

Hmmm... after registration, my next agenda would be to get to know the candidates as early as now. The list won't be finalized this early but I want to do my research as early as possible so I can cast an informed vote.

Too bad President Gloria Arroyo won't be running for office anymore. I want her to stay in office because she's the lesser evil for me. Oh well, let's see.

If you want to react on what I just said, don't waste your energy. I am a strong believer that no one can resist the temptation of using your power once you're in public office. It's just a matter of choosing the people to trust, right, Erap? Don't give me bullshit that your chosen candidate won't be corrupt when he/she gets elected. That's just not possible. If it's not gonna be him/her directly, it's a friend or a relative, heck even a close family member who'll take advantage of the situation. That's just human nature.

Ooops. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from voting, okay? It's just a fact that we have to accept. So, choose the lesser evil.

To my fellow Pinoys and Pinays, REGISTER TO VOTE NOW! Visit BagongBotante for more info.

Cellularis - Prepaid Card Dealer in Cebu

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Sun, 24 May 2009 08:20:00 +0000

Update on our soon-to-open internet cafe here in Cebu:

Our internet cafe will be opening real soon and one of our services will be selling prepaid cellphone load and game cards. We spent last week looking for an official dealer here in Cebu of both cellphone and game cards but most of the places we found only offer prepaid cellphone load.

Aside from the prepaid cards, we were also looking for game posters that we could put up at our cafe. I posted on different forums, including Istorya.net and Ragnaboards but no one was able to give us anything specific. Some said we can buy posters from Carbon or Colon (they're like Monumento and Divisoria here in Cebu). We scoured both areas but we didn't find what we were looking for. I was actually expecting something like a whole area of street vendors with abundant display of posters we can choose from, just like in Cubao. But, no, we didn't even find anything close to it. Argh. It was just a waste of energy.

I decided to post another thread at Istorya.net and luckily, one of the members (handsoff241) pointed me to Cellularis in ACT in front of e-Mall here in Cebu. So, off we went.

My fingers were crossed that Cellularis is the one we're looking for - an official dealer of prepaid cellphone and game cards who'll give us free game posters. I was kinda disappointed with our last search so I was really hopeful. When we first entered their shop at ACT building, I was like "Damn, I don't think they even sell game cards here". I was wrong.
We met Jasmin of Cellularis and at first, we were unsure of how everything will go down. When she found out we're opening an internet cafe, she immediately talked to one of her co-employees, Daks, who hooked us up with game posters and even installation CDs. Damn, I already downloaded some of them - Rohan PH (spent 2 days downloading it 'coz the one from LU!'s ftp site was corrupted), Special Force, and we already have Ragnarok Online. Daks said that they're the official distributors of Level Up! merchandise in Cebu. Good to know!

They gave us like more than 10 posters I think. Haven't counted or seen them yet but I'm pretty excited to put them up on Monday. I'm already done with the design and layout of 2 other tarps that we'll be posting - one will be posted right on our entrance and the other one will be hanging in front of our cafe for everyone walking by to see. I just need our official phone # for the tarp.

Going back to Cellularis, we were actually planning on buying prepaid cards right at that moment but Jasmin suggested we don't buy yet until we've seen what our customers will be looking for, what games will be most played at our cafe. Well, we actually knew that already but we thought that the setup was we need to buy first before we get anything. I was really after the posters and the cards. They clarified it, thank God.

Jasmin also suggested that if we want to sell e-load, she will recommend having separate load wallet for Smart, Globe and Sun so we can get higher discounts. That's what we'll be doing.

So, if you're here in Cebu and you're planning on putting up a loading business or you have an internet cafe/computer shop and you want to sell prepaid cards, then, I suggest you go off to Cellularis. They offer bigger discounts for retailers than anywhere else we've seen so we're definitely buying from them. Plus, they have a friendly group of people who'll attend to you and answer your questions, especially when you're a newbie like us. Hehehe.

Here's their contact information and their address. I can't believe I forgot to include that when I first posted this. Hehehe.

Cellularis
2nd level A.C.T. Cybertower (above Jollibee ACT)
Cor. P. del Rosario and Leon Kilat Streets, Cebu City
Contact #: (032)253-8880 / (032) 580-2009
Office Hours: 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday

Now that I've crossed off game posters and prepaid cards retail on my To Do list, we just need to have all the computers set up at our cafe. We had some minor issues with the units we got but we're hoping they all get fixed before this week ends.

We've already setup Left 4 Dead and DoTA on our computers so we're off to a good start. We're still waiting for PLDT to install our DSL service so that's on top of our list since we can't use Handy Cafe completely and activate Windows without internet connection. We've waited for more than 2 weeks already for the installation and Juvy of PLDT Cebu is giving us a run-around. Hate that. Let's see what'll happen.

American Idol 8 - Why Adam Lambert Lost Over Kris Allen

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Thu, 21 May 2009 03:16:00 +0000

This has got to be the BIGGEST UPSET in American Idol history - Kris Allen winning over Adam Lambert?! What the hell went wrong?!?!

I kinda expected that this will happen because of many reasons but I would've understood if it was Danny Gokey in the finale and he wins over Adam 'coz I know Gokey has a huge fanbase, too. But before I get there, I wanna mention the reasons why I believe Adam should've won.

Reasons why ADAM LAMBERT Should've Been the American Idol 8 Winner
- He has been the MOST consistent out of all the contestants, heck even compared to those from past seasons!
- He NEVER had a mediocre performance EVER.
- He is a TRUE artist. He made me love songs that I never liked before or haven't even heard of.
- He is multi-talented. He was the only American Idol contestant who didn't dance with 2 left feet during their dance performance with Paula Abdul's choreography.
- He has major control of his voice and he's really got a great voice.
- He hits unbelievably high notes like there's no tomorrow.
- He has undeniably the star quality to be an extremely successful artist.

Even though he didn't win, the major uproar over him not winning shows that he will be very successful and I know a lot of people will be lining up to buy his album. He's the Chris Daughtry of this season.

ADAM LAMBERT, YOU'RE THE TRUE WINNER FOR ME!

Okay, I said in my previous AI post that whoever wins will be okay with me. I only reacted that way 'coz I do like Kris Allen, too, but he didn't deserve the title. I watched the final performance night again to see if maybe I missed something but no, Adam Lambert deserved to win this season.

Kris' saying that Adam deserved the win was very respectful of him. Yeah, I guess that could be one of the reasons why people voted for him. But because he won over Adam Lambert, I can't help but think that there are a million other reasons why more people voted for Kris than Adam.

Possible Reasons Why Kris Allen won over Adam Lambert

Adam Lambert's photos where he was kissing another guy were all over the internet. This confirmed that Adam is gay. It's even evident when he performs, especially how much he likes to dress up. I tried to not even mention this fact on my previous AI posts but I guess that doesn't matter anymore.
Adam Lambert is from California. If you don't know why I even mentioned that fact, then, you should find more time to read the news. California voters last year voted against Gay Marriage. Yes, they are a bunch of homophobes. Okay, not all of them but obviously, majority of them are homophobes. And please don't give me bullshit like marriage should only be between man and woman 'coz that's what God wanted. Who wrote the Bible in the first place? Argh. Self-righteous people. Sheesh. It's a singing competition, not a morality show.
Most Americans are still prejudiced against homosexuals and I don't think I'll see the day that they'll finally accept gays in society. They've already gone past racism with Barack Obama winning so I'm just praying they will, too, get past their hate against gays getting married.
Most, if not all, of Kris Allen's votes are anti-Adam, not pro-Kris, if you know what I mean. There was even news over the web that Kara Dioguardi was asking Danny Gokey fans to vote for Kris Allen so Adam won't win. Remember how upset and sad she was last week when Danny was eliminated? I wouldn't be shocked if she did say that to Danny's fans 'coz she's so tactless. If she really did that, oh my. I hope she gets kicked off the show 'coz really, she's just a nuisance. She's like a female version of Randy trying to be Simon Cowell.

There's just no way anyone can win over Adam this season if it was based purely on talent so I am very upset.

All my picks to win American Idol, The Celebrity Apprentice 2 (Annie Duke) and America's Next Top Model Cycle 12 (Allison) didn't win. For Hell's Kitchen, I'm glad Danny won over Paula. And I'm also glad that JT won in Survivor Tocantins although I would've loved Stephen to be the winner 'coz he was the brains of the whole JT-Stephen-Taj alliance. JT was only carrying out his orders. I love them both so I'm okay with that.

I'm waiting for So You Think You Can Dance for my reality show fix. Almost all of reality shows that we're watching ended these past 2 weeks. Even my fave series CSI (NY & Las Vegas), Grey's Anatomy (ack, what happened to George and Izzy), and Supernatural all just ended their seasons. It's gonna be another dreary quarter of waiting for all of them to go back on air with a new season.

Going back to AI, I don't think I'll ever get over Adam losing but I believe he'll be more successful than any other American Idol contestant. I'm looking forward to his album.

Kris Allen, I don't hate you for winning but I hate the people who voted for you just because they don't like or they hate Adam Lambert. Congrats, anyway.

Update: I've already moved on from Adam Lambert not winning and I'm actually glad that he's not gonna be stuck with the American Idol contract. He can do whatever he wants after the tour. He's a big star now, bigger than anyone who won American Idol.

By the way, I heard people rooting for Kris Allen as he is the underdog this season. If it was Danny Gokey and Kris Allen in the finale, I'd accept that excuse for voting for Kris. But I kinda understand the Kris Allen win a bit 'coz he was the boy next door who ended up in the final 2 even when he had the least exposure out of all the contestants. He's just too nice and people like that. And he had no musical or performance background at all, compared to Adam so I guess that's why people voted more for him. Plus, I think Adam fans thought that he's already a sure winner. On the other hand, Kris' fans knew they had to vote more 'coz of how talented Adam is.

Enough about the finale. I've already accepted the results and I'm looking forward to Adam's career.

Politics even in Blogging?! Sheesh!

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:34:00 +0000

I've been blogging since 2004 (Cubeblog days). I kept an actual journal back then so blogging was just an extension of that. My blog served as my personal journal online.

I enjoyed my stay with Cubeblog. I met a lot of other cubebloggers and enjoyed reading their posts everyday. That was something I loved about blogging - meeting new people and reading about other people's thoughts and adventures. I never met any one of them in real life even when I was in Manila but I was actually looking forward to it. I considered them my friends.

When Cubeblog suddenly closed without any warning or even a note to its members, I decided it was time to move to another blog host. I moved to Multiply but decided that they're too slow for me so I ended up with Blogger (http://blankpixels.blogspot.com/) and now I have my own domain name but my blog is still hosted by Blogger.

Before I started this blog, I've discovered a lot of articles and blogs that talked about online marketing and earning money through blogging. I was so interested by these concepts that I read more blogs about it.

The hardest part in my decision to start my "quests" to make money online and "be seen" was the theme of my blog. I have lots of interests and things I want to blog about so I decided to not pick a theme at all. And I'm glad I did that.

I didn't want to pretend to be an expert on anything. I started this blog with these things in mind:

I wanted to continue my online journal - blogging about my experiences and thoughts.
I wanted to help out people by sharing tutorials or my discoveries. I'm glad I'm starting to accomplish this, especially with my tutorial on how I downgraded my laptop to XP.
I wanted to read and talk about other people's blogs, especially those that really interested me. I haven't done this so much yet 'coz of my "busy" life but I'll do it as soon as I've redesigned this blog.
While doing all that, I wanted to also earn or make money online.

When I was still starting my blog, Abe of Yugatech posted a comment on one of my posts (about what I wanted to do with my blog and my hopes of becoming as popular as him). I was feeling uninspired at that time and discouraged to continue on 'coz I got intimidated by other blogs that I've seen and read. When I saw Abe's comment, I got all excited and it kinda pushed me to continue with this blog. Yes, that simple comment from someone as famous as Abe made me decide that it's worth taking the risk.

And, so, I bought my own domain and I've been blogging about a lot of things for almost 9 months now. Since August 2008, I've only earned about $10+ in Adsense and I've reached 14,000+ visitors. That might not be much for other bloggers but for me, that's already an accomplishment.

I've tried different ways to earn money through my blog and have people visit. I don't have a group of readers yet and I know I'll get there if only I find time to really get to know other bloggers. I'm glad I joined Entrecard 'coz through them, I found a lot of very interesting blogs. I left a comment or 2 on some of them and most are still on my bloggable list. I never was able to drop as often as other people coz I always end up hooked by the blogs I found.

I never really paid attention to some blogs that I've read that bash other newbies or bloggers like me. I didn't really care even though I was one of those small-time bloggers that they were referring to. I told myself that I'm doing this for ME and if other people find my posts interesting or informative, then, that's very good.

And then I read Digital Filipino's Janette Toral's blog about politics in the blogging world. I was aware of discrimination among bloggers but I didn't know how intense it was until I read about the PGB issue that rocked the Pinoy blogosphere. I actually read the post that started it all by Carlo Ople at NewMedia before the whole issue heated up - I didn't find anything offensive in the article. I did think that he could've used a different term since PGB was too harsh but I just brushed it off and found the article informative.

Now, after reading Janette's article about the politics in the blogging community, I remembered and realized that it's REALLY happening and I am shocked about that reality - that there are bloggers who look down on others who decided to earn money through their blog, join blogger events just for the freebies and food, ride other bloggers' coattails to get a higher ranking, etc. The times when people blog just to meet people and write about their lives and ideas are long gone. Gosh.

So What If I Like Freebies?!
Okay, let me ask you this - who doesn't like freebies?! I haven't joined any blogger event yet coz I'm here in Cebu but still, I envied those bloggers who got freebies from the event organizers and sponsors. I also envy them for meeting other bloggers and getting a chance to move up the blogger popularity ladder.

I joined one of the blogger contests by Nuffnang and my post was even chosen as one of the finalists - My First Sony Experience contest entry. I wasn't able to join the event, though, coz I was already here in Cebu. I asked them if someone else can join in my place and they agreed. But all my friends in Manila and even my bro were busy so my VIP ticket was wasted. Too bad. I'm looking forward to any blogger event here in Cebu.

About the blog which started all this discussion about name-calling, I knew he really didn't intend to hurt anyone or to cause such heated discussions here and there. I understood what he wrote 'coz I was reading it not as a newbie blogger but as someone interested in marketing myself online. Anyway, there are really people who'll join events just for the freebies and free food but so what? The sponsors paid for the food and freebies and even with those "freeloaders", they still get something out of it - free advertisement through word of mouth. I guess everyone who didn't pay anything to join the event is a freeloader so why come up with a term to call them anyway?

So What If I Attempt To Make Money Online Through My Blog?
What's so bad about making money online? So what if other people decided to put ads and earn from sponsored posts? It's your choice as the reader anyway if you want to continue reading but don't judge bloggers who earn money through sponsored reviews or multiple ad networks on their blog. They're not stealing from anyone. It's a decent way of earning - you get to blog and make money at the same time. Just because you chose not to put ads or sponsored posts on your blog doesn't mean you're better than those who did. Respeto lang yan.

Some people don't have anyone who they can ride to be popular. Some people like me start from pure blogging and we evolve. Stop judging newbies just because you earn decent $ monthly.

If you've checked here recently, most of my blogs were about American Idol and shows that I watch. I didn't post them because I wanted to improve my SERP ranking or my pageviews. Okay, I didn't do it MERELY for that purpose. I admit that I wanted to improve my ranking in some way but I wrote those posts because they're part of my interests and what I want to blog about.

I'm still new with pro-blogging and with SEO so I'm still experimeting here and there. I love the results that I'm seeing and I'm glad that I was able to help people through this blog. Yes, 1 of the main reasons why I have this blog still remains - to help people through sharing my own discoveries and tutorials.

So What If My Blog is Hosted by Blogger?
With Blogger, I don't really have to worry about setting up everything. I can go right ahead with blogging. And I don't think I need to host my own blog yet 'coz I don't make that enough money from it. I'm just doing it for fun, for myself. Anyway, Blogger has a lot of features that I love and I'm sticking with it.

Yeah, I bought my own domain 'coz I want to be more in control of my blog's URL. So what if others don't have their own domains yet or they don't have plans of buying one of their own? Not everyone feels it's necessary, especially when they're already getting a lot of visits from their target audience.

So What If My Visitor Count is Way Lower Than Yours?
Like what I mentioned earlier, I have around 14k visitors since August 2008. I'm pretty happy with what's happening, especially when people comment on my blog. I guess I really have a people pleaser kind of attitude 'coz I always find time to reply to comments left on my posts.

For some popular bloggers, 14k is their weekly visittor count or even daily for some. Not everyone is interested in the things I write about, and I understand that so I'm pretty happy with my visitor count. But, yes, I still check details about my visitors like where they're from, how they got here, what they were looking for and if they posted any comments.

If you check at the bottom of this blog, I don't have a Google PR and Alexa rank at all. I don't really know why. It started that way when I first put up my GoingUp! widget but I stopped worrying about it. People are still checking out my blog. And some of them were kind enough or found ads on my posts interesting enough to click on which led to my $14+ balance in Google Adsense. I'm pretty psyched about that even though I'm still $$ away from my first check from Google.

Isn't it funny that most of those who actually diss newbies like me are the ones who aren't that popular yet (some only in their dark minds)? And successful and popular bloggers like Abe of Yugatech are the ones that are actually nice and helpful to newbies or their visitors? I guess that's why they're successful and loved by many.

I hope that other bloggers, especially those who have prejudice or those who hate on others, will realize that the blogging community is a group of REAL people who have REAL feelings and brains, who will get hurt if you're not careful with your choice of words, and who will make mistakes and, just like in real world, have different personalities, principles, experiences, and decisions in life.

Respeto lang 'yan.

Image used:
Hate by MonchhichisLover

Left 4 Dead Crashing? Try These Fixes!

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:32:00 +0000

Me and Mai have been playing Left 4 Dead (L4D) for a week now and we've been having problems with it. The game randomly crashes so we have to start all over again, which is really irritating. I was thinking that maybe it has something to do with our video card but we tried it on our desktop PC with high-end graphics card and we had the same problem.

So, I searched online and found out different fixes that might help. I listed them below. Read on to know which one worked for us.

Note: For some, they were able to fix the problem even without doing all these. So, test the game first on every setting you change before you continue.

Step 1) Was DirectX properly installed?
First of all, if you just copied an installation of L4D, you have to update your DirectX 9.0c. It doesn't matter if you have DirectX 10 'coz there are files that needs to be downloaded that were just made available this year.

Step 2) Update drivers.
Make sure your graphics card driver is updated. For some people, updating their graphics card did the trick.

Step 3) Modify L4D settings.
For some, playing the game in Windowed mode and disabling Multicore Rendering solved the problem. So, here's how:

3.a.) Go to
Options -> Video -> Display Mode -> Windowed (No Border)
3.b.) After this, your L4D window will resize. You need to change the resolution to your preference by changing the Resolution setting.
3.c.) If you're still not satisfied with the screen size, change the Aspect Ratio.
Take note that you have to change Display Mode first before the other settings are made available under Aspect Ratio and Resolution.

On my laptop with widescreen (CQ40-340TU), my settings are:
Display Mode: Windowed (No Border)
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 16:10
Resolution: 1280x800

Now, even on Windowed mode, it feels like I'm playing it fullscreen.

3.d.) Still in Video settings, click on Advanced Settings -> Multicore Rendering -> Disabled

Step 4) Disable Core Queueing.

4.a.) You have to enable the console first.
Options -> Keyboard/Mouse Settings -> Allow Developer Console -> Enable
Now, whenever you need to type cheat codes or commands, just press the tilde (~) key.

4.b.) Go to the console and type:
mat_queue_mode 0

This is the one that worked for us.

That's all. I hope these fixes work for you. Please leave me a message here so I'll know which one worked and for others to know, too.

If this is the first time you've heard about Left 4 Dead, then, you're missing out big time! L4D is the Game of the Year!

I don't usually like First-person Shooter (FPS) games but I did enjoy Counterstrike, one of the earliest FPS games. Right now, me and Mai are also playing Special Forces (SF), an online FPS game. It's like Counterstrike but online.

The reason we started playing SF and L4D is to check out games that we're going to install and have available at our internet cafe. I'm glad I found L4D 'coz it's pretty awesome.

It's scarier than Counterstrike. You'll never know when you'll get attacked by a Hunter or Witch. You get to play one of the 4 survivors (I prefer Zoey, of course). It really has a shock factor that can make your heart skip a beat. We're also playing it online, through Garena. Hopefully, when our internet cafe is up and running, we'll get to play with more people. Woohoo!

For more information about Left 4 Dead, go to their site:
http://www.l4d.com

I heard that there'll be a Left 4 Dead movie soon. Hmmm... not really interested 'coz I don't like movies with zombies in it. Hehehe. Funny, right?

LogMeIn - Best Remote Management Tool - How to Setup

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Sun, 17 May 2009 09:00:00 +0000

In a few days, we'll be opening up our internet cafe here in Cebu. One of the things that bothered me was how to check our desktop PC here at home remotely. What me and Mai are planning to do is to leave our desktop PC on so it can continue to download whatever or run certain applications that we want to stay on while we're at our computer shop. I know that a remote management application/software is what I need.

Okay, I'm starting to sound like this is a sponsored review or blog post but this isn't. Really. I was searching for the best remote management app and found out about LogMeIn.

Most of the reviews I read about the program were positive. So, I decided to try it out myself. I'm actually familiar with remote management tools since my previous account used something like it to help customers fix network problems. That said, I know what I'm looking for.

And I'm glad I found LogMeIn. They have 5 products that you can choose from but for me, LogMeIn Free with Remote Control only is more than enough for exactly my needs. This post is all about LogMeIn Free so if you want to know what the other packages offer - LogMeIn Pro, LogMeIn Rescue, LogMeIn IT Reach, RemotelyAnywhere - then check out this Product Comparison page.

It's so easy to set up LogMeIn on the PC you want to access remotely. And, you can access it ANYWHERE as long as you have a browser and internet connection. That said, the PC that you're trying to access remotely should have internet connection, too, for LogMeIn to work.

I'm gonna show you how I set it up. Let's say you have 1 desktop PC at home and you want to access it from your laptop anywhere.

Step 1:
First of all, you have to setup your home PC with LogMeIn.

Go to their website: https://secure.logmein.com/ - and create an account with them.

Note: Now, after signing up, close all your browser windows then open a new one to check your email to verify your account. Once that's done, go back to their site and log in.
On the upper right hand of the site, you'll see a link to My Computers. Click it and it should give you a page like this:

click image to zoom in

I already have 2 computers set up when I took the screenshot so just ignore that.

Click on the + Add Computer link on the right side and it will download and install LogMeIn to your home PC. Just edit the settings to your liking.

IMPORTANT NOTE: During installation, it will ask you to setup an ACCESS CODE. This is VERY important since this is the code that you have to enter before you even get access to your home PC from your laptop. Do NOT forget it.

Step 2:
After LogMeIn has been setup on your home PC, make sure that it's enabled always. You can disable it when you're at home. Also, LogMeIn ensures your security from breaches and you can still run your firewall or anti-virus if you want. Our ESET firewall and anti-virus were on during the whole setup.

Step 3:
How to access your home PC remotely? It's very easy, too. I suggest you test it first.

- Make sure all browser windows on your home PC are closed.
- Go to your laptop and access their website and login again: https://secure.logmein.com/
- Click on the My Computers link and it should show you a page with your home PC's name listed. It should say "In Session" so you can access it.
- Click on your home PC's name and it will open up a page like this:

click image to zoom in
- Click on Remote Control. I suggest you open the link on a new window.
- Wait for the next page to load. It's trying to connect to your remote/home PC. After loading, it will ask you for your ACCESS CODE.
- After entering your code correctly, it will show you the screen below while loading your remote/home PC's screen. Just click on Continue and you're ready to control your remote PC!

- On your home PC, there'll be a popup message saying that the PC is currently being remotely accessed/controlled by someone at a certain IP or address:

You can close it if you want since it doesn't really do anything but notify anyone using the remote PC that you're trying to access it.

That's it! Well, you might experience some lag, especially when your graphics card isn't that high-end. But LogMeIn Free for me is the best remote management solution ever. I'm glad I found it.

Now, I can check on our home PC, stop downloads, reboot it or even shut it down. If I want to get a certain file remotely, well, I have to do it the old-fashioned way - email it to myself through a web-based email account like Yahoo! or Google Mail. But if it's a big file, can't do anything about it. I might decide to buy LogMeIn Pro if I want file management, too.

Finally, what's best with using LogMeIn is that you get the same customer support as the subscribed customers. It's really worth the money if you decide to pay for LogMeIn since it's very useful for people like me and Mai or people who are on the go.

Try it and tell me about your experience with it. From what I've read, IT people are using it to access client or customer PCs so they won't have to travel to fix or check on anything. You can even use this if you're at work and you want to access your home PC.

Try out LogMeIn now!

P.S.:
I had to remove our computer names and IP address for obvious reasons so pardon the screenshots.

American Idol 8 - Danny Gokey Eliminated - Final 2: Kris & Adam!

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:33:00 +0000

Yes, Danny Gokey is NOT in the Final 2 of American Idol Season 8. I'm ecstatic about the fact that it's not gonna be him and Adam Lambert in the finale even after everyone's raving about it and the judges' pimping.

Well, not really ecstatic. I think he's got a great personality and I actually laughed at his jokes on the show so I'll miss that. But even after that line I just typed, I'm still glad he's not in the finale.

I can't believe Kris Allen is in the finale. He's the major underdog this season with the least exposure among all of the contestants. Now, he'll be battling with Adam Lambert for the title of the 8th American Idol. Does he have a chance to win? Hmmm... considering the fact that he's in the finale without any pimping from anyone, I'll say he's got a BIG chance of winning it all.

Danny vs Kris
People are upset over Danny's elimination over Kris. C'mon, now, people. Kris has a BETTER voice than Danny, who's just lucky to have a husky full-on voice and that's all. Both Danny and Kris have made mistakes throughout the season. They both chose wrong songs for some weeks. Danny yelled most of the time. Kris creeps me out with his awkward falsetto. So, they're just equal to me when it comes to voice and performance quality.

They both tried to be original in the show and most of the time, it didn't work for them, especially Danny. He's just trying so hard that he's beginning to look desperate. And his performances this week are proofs of that.

I liked Kris' rendition of "Apologize". I'll say that his changing the arrangement worked! Not as good as the original, though. But it's a tough song to sing so I'm just glad he sounded good, especially during the a capella of his 2nd song. You can really feel the emotion of the song when Kris performs it. Unlike Danny who just yells the lyrics out most of the time.

They're both good-looking. Danny's ONLY plus over Kris is his personality. Kris is the irritatingly humble/nice guy. But I guess most of the voters, who I believe are mostly women, love Kris more because of his boy-next-door persona. If Simon didn't point out that Kris has a wife, he could've gotten more votes.

I really hope Kris will give it his all and choose very popular songs that he can belt out so the finale will be exciting. I have no doubts about Adam Lambert's performance coz I know he'll bring it all on.

By the way, do they really have to include a picture of Danny and his late wife on the farewell video?! C'mon.

Yeyy! Adam Lambert in the Finale!
After weeks of mixed emotions 'coz of fear that Adam Lambert will be eliminated a week or 2 short of the finale, he is Final 2! Wooohooo!! There's really no surprise 'coz he truly deserves to be in the last 2 to battle it out but I was just scared 'coz you don't really know what the viewers want. But I'm thankful the voters put him in the finale.

I didn't really like the songs performed by Adam this week but his voice is just amazing. I wonder why he hasn't been discovered before American Idol. He has real control of his voice and he's truly an artist. I'll be looking forward to his albums no matter what the result would be. He's truly a Rockstar!

Yes, I don't care now who'll win in the finale 'coz I'm fine with them 2. But, of course, I prefer Adam Lambert winning 'coz he's the only one who deserves it out of all the contestants this season. Like what I said in my previous posts, it'll be unfair if Adam Lambert doesn't win this season.

I can't wait for next week's Finale! Woohoo! Who do you think will win?!

Oohh... David Cook and David Archuleta of American Idol Season 7 are currently here in the Philippines for a concert on the 16th. Too bad they'll be performing in Manila - I'm here in Cebu. I hope I'll be able to catch David Cook's performance on Eat Bulaga this Saturday.

Argh. I hate that the local Idol franchise is with GMA-7. I hate that they're the TV network airing American Idol and organizing all these performances from American Idol contestants & winners. I know ABS-CBN can do a way BETTER job in organizing an event for something as major as American Idol.

Yes, I'm a Kapamilya. Nothing will change that.

Joan Rivers Wins Celebrity Apprentice 2 - WTF?!

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:07:00 +0000

Pardon my French but I just found out that Joan Rivers won The Celebrity Apprentice 2. What the fuck, Donald Trump?! Have you lost your mind?!?! Sheesh.

In my last post, I mentioned that there's something fishy about Joan coming back and her being in the Final 2. I bet Donald Trump made a deal with her to come back and promised she'll be in the finale. Well, scratch that. I bet Trump swore to name her the winner just for her to come back. Why?! Ratings, my dear.

I can't believe that Annie Duke was defeated by a self-righteous moron like Joan Rivers. C'mon! Professional? Annie took all the personal hits with diplomacy! Joan comparing Annie to Hitler?! That monster-faced Joan had been constantly attacking her fellow contestants personally and she set an example?!? What the hell were you thinking, Trump?!

Ooohh... I bet this is exactly the reason why Trump chose Joan Rivers. 'Coz he knew there'll be a lot of controversy and talk about his damn show.

Sheesh. Poor Annie Duke. She raised the most money even during the last task. They were saying Joan threw a better party or event but still, Annie outraised her by $300,000!! Didn't Trump point out multiple times throughout this season and even the last one that the competition is all about raising money?!? BULLSHIT!

Joan is not even close to how competent and professional Annie was throughout the competition so I completely don't understand this decision. Well, all I can say is... what do you expect? That's TV for you. It's not a REAL REALITY show.

What a dumb decision.

ANNIE DUKE, You're still the effing WINNER for me!

I really need to watch that last episode again. Argh. Mai won't watch with me 'coz she's upset about who won.

American Idol Season 8 – Final 3 – Adam Should Win!

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Sat, 09 May 2009 07:36:00 +0000

I watched back this week's performance and results night of American Idol Season 8. I wanted to see the performances again to check if Kris Allen wasn't really that bad because he was safe this week, and why Allison Iraheta was voted out.

The only great performance this week was, of course, Adam's. No one topped his performance all night. Not even the other judges' favorite Danny Gokey. I knew Adam's gonna completely own this week, with the Rock theme and all. But he was just amazing, even with his duet with Allison Iraheta.

I really pity Allison. I believe that the only thing that got her voted out was her talking back to the judges. Alright, Simon loved it but America's not used to people talking back to those judges so that's why you got voted out. You should've shut up and just smiled. Don't they learn?!?! Remember, Anoop Desai?! Sheesh.

I really thought Allison's amazing performance with Adam was gonna save her. The duet between Danny and Kris SUCKED big time! I can't even believe it. I really hate Danny 'coz he was singing like he's the only one on-stage. He's not even looking at Kris throughout the song. I hate him.

And talking about Danny, his performance was hilarious! Excruciatingly hilarious. But when he told us his reaction after watching back his performance, he was so cute that I wanna kill him 'coz that's gonna earn him some votes again. Argh. I can't stand him but I know the judges and the producers want him and Adam in the finale. Argh.

Danny's a poker face, and a wannabe. Remember his Mariah Carey's "Hero" rendition? Remember David Cook's "Always Be My Baby" also by Mariah Carey? See the connection?! And this week's horrible performance, he showed that he was trying too hard to beat Adam when he's not talented enough. Sheesh.

Kris really sucked this week. Rock isn't really his thing. He's not as versatile as Adam. I didn't even remember him performing this week. Ack. But I'd rather have him and Adam in the finale than Danny. And Kris' nice boy-next-door personality is really killing me. I like him but he doesn't have star quality. I can't believe, though, that he's still in the competition. That fact was just amazing.

The performance by No Doubt and Daughtry were great! I missed seeing Gwen Stefani strut her stuff. And the video showing Chris Daughtry getting kicked off the show in the past season of American Idol reminded me of exactly how I felt when I was watching it live. But everything happens for a reason. If Daughtry won, he won’t have much control on what he wanna do – go back to being in a band – which proved to be his best move ever in his career. That’s what we call a blessing in disguise.

And, ohh, Paula’s performance. I haven’t really mentioned this but I was a big fan of Paula’s back in the days. Really. I used to dance along to her songs. I can’t really remember all them now but I can still remember my Nanay buying me my first Paula Abdul album (cassette). She’s still pretty agile for her age, huh. I’m really loving her this season. I hope she stays as well as she is now.

Anyway, I really hope Adam will be in the final 2. I'm also praying that he'll win because he's the only one who deserves the title. Him not winning was like watching a movie with all the main characters being killed in the end.

Can't wait for next week's performance and results night. I'm crossing my fingers for Adam Lambert!

Annie Should Be The Celebrity Apprentice - Joan & Melissa Rivers Suck!

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Sat, 09 May 2009 07:05:00 +0000

Annie Duke should undoubtedly win this season of The Celebrity Apprentice. I wish she walked all over Joan Rivers in the final challenge. Can’t wait to watch the finale!

This is my first time blogging about The Celebrity Apprentice Season 2. It’s because I feel strongly for one of the contestants - Annie Duke. She’s been my fave Celebrity Apprentice since day 1. She's a very successful poker player and she showed how good a game player she is. She manipulated people and took control of the challenges for them to win. She raised the most money out of all the contestants and she's a hard worker. She's very smart. So, what other reason is there for her not to win?!

Joan Rivers, on the other hand, is a self-righteous bitch. I can''t find any other word to describe her but the B word. For the last few episodes of Celebrity Apprentice, she's been lashing out on other contestants who were throwing her daughter under the bus or putting her down. Joan, your spoiled brat bitch of a daughter should learn to stand up for herself without you. Sheesh. I understand that family first principle 'coz I'll do everything I can, too, to defend my family but do you really have to start personal attacks towards your fellow contestants? What a moron. Shows how well-educated she is, especially when she compared Annie to Adolf Hitler. Are you kidding me?!

Joan and Melissa Rivers just humiliated themselves and went right through Annie's web when they all freaked out after the spoiled bitch was fired. It was so funny I can't even believe it! Joan is so self-righteous, attacking Annie and Brande Roderick, calling them liars. As if Joan's not a poker faced liar in the game herself. She pretended to like her teammates but would talk smack when they're not looking. I can’t believe that they’ll resort to personal attacks when they have nothing else that makes sense to say. Their brains are just limited.

And, Melissa, it’s time you get over your experience in high school. You're no longer in high school and you're a freaking grown-up woman. Stop all that paranoia that there are mean girls everywhere ready to gang up on you. Move on and get rid of that insecurity. By the way, you're not as smart as your mother no matter how successful you've been. You'll always be a shadow of your mom because you’re a spoiled brat with no spine. Your mom got you where you are and she's a great comedienne. Stop blaming mean girls in high school for your being insecure today.

What's even funnier is the way Joan and Melissa dissed Annie for manipulating people. What?!?! The Celebrity Apprentice is not a place to make friends, to be nice to everyone and hope that you'll end up the winner in the end. Brande was right - it's all about raising money for charity, Joan. And why do you hate Annie for playing the game?!? Sheesh. It reminded me of the dynamics of the other reality show, Survivor. People in the final tribal council will always question or attack the strategy of someone who lied or manipulated people in the game to get to the finals. What the fuck?! If you want to win, you have to outwit people and get them voted out before you. Sheesh. Just like here in The Apprentice.

I love that Donald Trump chose Pierce Morgan (first Celebrity Apprentice) to interview the Top 4 to determine the final 2 because I know he'll be straightforward and won't hold back. And he did exactly that. I know he'll respect Annie's strategy and gameplay. The interview with Joan was just funny. It showed that she can't understand that it was a business game. Annie was great in the interview. I can't believe how fast she talks. She clearly should win this season.

I also admire Annie's restraint. Oh my gosh. I don't think I can even handle that much personal attack and not react. She's really a great poker player. And I don't agree with people who say that she's not nice. I believe she's kind and nice in real life and it shows by how much her friends love her, even her competitors in poker were all for her. Don't hate on her just because she's smarter than you are, Joan and Melissa.

I believe Annie is a very exceptional person. She’s got substance and drive to succeed in everything she does. Remember the jingle challenge?! I felt for her ‘coz that’s how I am, too, when I overcome a challenge that I thought I can never get through.

Joan saying that people hate Annie was just unjustifiable. Remember Phil Hellmuth, the ultimate competitor of Annie in the world of poker, who fellow Celebrity Apprentice contestant Natalie Gulbis called to fundraise against Annie? Phil called Annie to tell her what the other team was planning on her. Hahaha. That was just funny and embarrassing for Natalie, for me.

And remember how Annie went down on her knees and literally begged for her favorite charity during the auction challenge?! Joan was upset with her because she was forcing people to give money. What the fuck? Their auction was just horrible, by the way. It’s called strategy, Joan. Get a dictionary or something.

I also love Annie’s strong personality. People are scared to mess with her ‘coz you know that she’ll get back at you. But even if she’s that strong, you’ll see that her friends will go out of their ways to make her win. That shows how great a friend she is because I bet she’ll do the same for them. So all that smack Joan was saying about Annie is just hilarious.

Hah! I can't wait for the finale. I believe Trump paid Joan to return to the competition and they offered her at least Final 2. I knew Joan and Annie would be the Final 2. That's how Trump is - he'll go for the most controversial contestants in the end. I know Joan will do everything to crash Annie. I know Annie will do the same to defeat Joan. I really love her just like how I loved Pierce in the past season. Annie's more cut-throat than Pierce so I really love her. I admire her wits. I really hope she wins this all.

GOOD LUCK, ANNIE DUKE!

American Idol Season 8 - Final 3 - Allison Voted Out

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:19:00 +0000

I've been nervous since last week about who's going to get the boot this week on American Idol Season 8. Adam Lambert was in the bottom 3 last week and as a big fan of his, it kinda made me unsure if he'll even get to the Finale. Now, I'm just glad he's still around for the Final 3.

And another thing I'm so happy about is this week's theme - Rock 'n Roll. Exactly Adam's genre so I knew he'll be amazing. And he was.

Also, I knew Allison will do pretty well since she possesses the voice and style of a female rocker. But I agreed with Simon when he said that her duet with Adam Lambert just saved her another week. Well, not the being safe for another week since she's my only pick to get voted out this week, but that her duet with Adam was just amazing. Teaming them up together was like giving them unfair advantage over Kris and Danny. Hehehe. But I'm glad they sang together. I guess they were teaming up Danny and Adam with the lesser competitor. Argh. I hate the pimping.

Anyway, it's sad to see Allison go but there's no choice. Yes, she was voted out this week. I really hope Adam will be in the finale. I don't care who's with him as long as he's in the finale and he wins.

Gosh. Going back to Allison, she's a very talented teen so I know she'll score record deals and be really successful. Good luck to her! I'll miss her voice.

Thanks for the performances, Allison! Good luck to yah!

Can't wait for the finale!

Can Your Computer Run It? Test It Against System Requirements With This Tool!

noreply@blogger.com (blankPixels) — Wed, 06 May 2009 06:08:00 +0000

I just discovered this very useful website while I was searching for the system requirements for Left 4 Dead - System Requirements Lab's Can You Run It Tool.

The description says it all. It'll test your system if it will pass the system requirements for a certain application or game. It's very easy.

Just select a product from the drop-down menu:

Then, it will install a Java Plugin or ActiveX that will check your computer's specs.
Afterwards, it'll give you the results if your computer passed or not.
Below are screenshots of the test results for our desktop computer for Left 4 Dead:

Really useful, especially when you're in the market for a new PC game.

Hmm... I'll try it on one of the PCs we're gonna setup on our internet cafe.

Try it yourself! Can You Run It?

I found this through PinoyDSL forums.