I just saw the new Smart Bro Unli Surf option appear under the Data Packages of the recently updated Smart Bro Web Connect website. However, when I try the option, I get a “Sorry for the inconvenience. Service is unavailable at this time. Pls try again later.” It’s either because I don’t have P200 in my load or because I’m still registered to per-minute packages, or the promo hasn’t been activated yet. Nevertheless, I really hope Smart would offer this as a regular package and not just as a promo. I think it is just such a good deal. If you register 5 times in a month, that would be only P1000 for mobile broadband that can reach 2Mbps!

You might ask, how about Smart’s P999 a month Unlimited Plan? What’s the advantage of having Smart Bro Prepaid over Smart Bro Plans? I’ve been holding off on getting Smart Bro Plans primarily because of their 2-year lock-in period. Their terms stipulate that if you pre-terminate your plan, you still have to pay the monthly service fees up until the 2nd year of  your plan. With the pace of technological development, 2 years is just too long! Who knows what better mobile broadband options will come out in just a matter of 6 months? I believe staying prepaid allows one the felxibility of switching to another mobile broadband provider or availing of a better technology in case the one you currently have begins to dissatisfy you.

Now, I can’t wait to register for the P200 Smart Bro Unlimited Surfing! I’m tired of periodically subscribing to per-minute packages and disconnecting and reconnecting everytime I don’t need an active connection such as when writing an email or reading forums. I can finally work on my websites and blogs  without being conscious of every second. Ahhh.. don’t we consumers just love competition?

One thing I want to write about is why I left SEAFDEC after 2 years and 5 months of working there. First, I didn’t resign. I simply did not renew my contract which officially ended December 31, 2009.

From the very moment I entered SEAFDEC, I never planned to stay long. Perhaps I was to some extent ’skilled’ in my work on publications and multi-media but it was never my passion. Besides, writing ‘world-class’ news and laying out books, flyers, posters, etc. from day to day can be really taxing on the most oxygen-hungry organ of our body. So, to be frank about it, I was very much looking forward to January 1, 2010. I think I’ll write more about this and my SEAFDEC work experience later.

So moving on, what’s there to look forward to in 2010?

I thought I would have lots of free time this year since I only have my MS classes on Mondays and Tuesdays. Boon or bane I don’t know, but it seems like my work is following me. I might see myself writing a book and producing an instructional video this year. On top of that, there’s the demands of fully establishing Tibiao Fish Spa Co. before I can let it loose on auto-pilot. Lastly, of course there’s my nonnegotiable responsibilities in church which I truly love and enjoy.

So much for peace of mind.

I need a thesis topic! I need to finish my thesis next semester so I can graduate by October 2010 – but the problem is I don’t even know what aquaculture field to go into! Where is my ‘expertise’ needed in case I decide to actually practice my profession?

In case I do graduate by October, I hardly have any idea what to do next. Apply for a new job? Where? Concentrate on being self-employed? Really? Go on to PhD? What field?

Though the future be a haze, wherever God leads me, that will be my desire, my delight.

Forwarding all email

But how do you forward all your office emails to your Gmail account? Surely forwarding them one by one will be ridiculous. At first I though it was not possible, but I tried a new method which worked perfectly. Good thing my employer uses Google Apps for email!

No, filters don’t work

Gmail’s filters will work only to forward email that are received after creating the filter. Old mail will not be forwarded.

POP Download

So how do you do it?  Use POP download! I already forgot what POP meant during my high school computer class, but nevertheless, the step-by-step procedure below worked just the way I needed it. First, let me clarify that this procedure works for moving mail from Google Apps to Gmail. I don’t know if this will work for other email clients.

1. Set for all the incoming mail to be forwarded to your Gmail. After logging into your Google Apps email, go to Settings>Forwarding and POP/IMAP. Under Forwarding, enable Forward a copy of incoming mail to [fill in your gmail address] and [select whether to  keep, archive, or delete your copy in the inbox]. This step is optional.
2. Enable POP download. Under Pop Download, select Enable POP for all mail (even mail that’s already been downloaded). You may then choose whether to keep, archive, or delete your copy of received mails in the inbox.
3. Note your Google App mail’s configuration settings. Still in the sam panel, click the link Configuration instructions. A list of supported POP clients will appear. Click Other under Mail Clients. Note the Incoming Mail (POP3) Server settings especially the POP server address, the port, and whether or not  to use SSL.
4. Add a POP3 email account in your Gmail. Log in to your Gmail and go to Settings>Accounts and Import.  Click the Add POP3 email account button under Check mail using POP3. Fill in the required instructions in the Pop-up window using the configuration settings you noted from step #3. Don’t check Leave a copy of the retrieved message on the server. You might also want to apply a label to all the imported mail so they don’t get mixed up with the rest of your other email. Also remember to provide your full email address. Save changes.
5. Wait. Congratulations! Gmail will now check your Google Apps mail and automatically download all the contents of your inbox. It will take a while especially if you have thousands of mail so please be patient. Meanwhile, you may also enable sending mail from your Gmail using your Google Apps address.

Archive.org is trying to keep a copy of as many Geocities sites as they can but only one of my two sites have so far been stored. Also, I will have no control whatsoever on the copies stored in the waybackmachine servers.

With that, I have moved two of my websites hosted in Geocities into this domain. You may now access them at pisaywv.rexdelsar.com (formerly geocities.com/pisaywv) and eureka.rexdelsar.com (formerly geocities.com/upveureka). These two websites were among my first that I made in high school and college respectively. Interestingly, I also consider them to be my best sites ever. Back then I still had lots of time to be creative. I will talk more exhaustively about these two sites in another time.

Meanwhile, if you still have a website hosted in Geocities, you better move them elsewhere NOW.

————————–

Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo?

(A special report from a volunteer)
Oct 21st, 2009 by ella
Dear friends,

I’m asking your help to spread the word. Tulungan po ninyo akong ikalat ito. Beyond this, we should also demand action. I disabled a plugin so you can copy the photos of relief goods rotting in DSWD warehouses. You can link this post to your blogs, facebook, websites etc. You can also email the photos.

Philippine News (US based Philippine newspaper) will use this as its front page story this week. Every Filipino has the right to know where the tons of donations from the UN and other counties go. Kahit po nakakahiya sa mga nag-donate. Kung sa ganitong paraan, matutulungan natin ang mga nasalanta, then by all means, let’s do it.

For those who have the time, please try to volunteer sa DSWD warehouses. Getting in was not easy. A friend had to put in a word for us. Let’s see kung madali nang makapasok sa DSWD warehouse ang mga volunteers.

Please read on and good luck to us.

Ella

(This post was last edited Oct 22, 12:30 pm)

Kahapon, tinanong ng Philippine News si DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral:

Editor of Philippine News: Why are the relief goods in DSWD warehouses not moving?

DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral: Wala kasing volunteers.

This short interview was done over the phone. Philippine News wanted to hear her side pero ayaw niyang makipag-usap sa press. After four tries, pinasabi na lang niya ang maikling sagot na ito sa secretary niya – “Walang volunteers”.

I don’t want to accuse her of corruption but at the very least she is showing signs of being totally incompetent. We are in a state of calamity where every second counts. May namamatay araw-araw dahil sa sakit.

In my opinion, these deaths could have been prevented if Secretary Cabral had tried a little harder to do her job.

Deaths from Philippine storms nears 1,000

“Tropical Storm Ketsana left 420 dead and 37 missing when it flooded 80 percent of Manila on September 26, a disaster the government said affected 4.35 million people.

Some areas are still flooded three weeks later and 189,000 people remain in evacuation centres,


Typhoon Parma hit the northern Philippines on October 3 and lingered as a tropical storm for a week, triggering landslides that killed 438 people and leaving 51 missing mostly in mountain communities.

The government agency said Parma affected 4.16 million people, including more than 32,000 who remain at evacuation centres.”

During the first week after the storm, lumabas ang “bayanihan spirit” ng mga Pinoy. “Makatulong lang kahi’t konti,” katwiran nila.

kung walang volunteers, ano ‘to, komiks?

From Stella Arnaldo’s blog:

“At the offices of many civic groups and private organizations, hundreds of people showed up to volunteer in packing relief goods.At the Tulong Bayan center at the Expo Centro in Cubao, Most of the volunteers were adolescents as young as 10 years old, along with their kuya or ate in high school and college.They came in huge numbers, many of them barkadas, classmates or siblings, dressed just in their tees and shorts, wearing their Havaianas. All were just enthusiastic to do their share!
Photos by Leah Navarro


Even grade school kids pitched in to help!

Youth volunteers repack detergents for distribution

Making beds from carton boxes

GMA asked world for donations

Our government begged the world for more donations. Sumagot ang buong mundo sa ating panawagan. In less than three weeks, dumaong ang mga barko, ibinaba mula sa mga cargo planes, i-diniliver ng mga trak at container vans ang sandamakmak na relief goods. Cash donations were in the millions of dollars.

But these donations must be coursed through DSWD

Nagpalabas ng directive ang pangulo. Individuals, private companies and other nations were ENCOURAGED to send their donations to DSWD. I blogged about it here and the video of her announcement here.

This PGMA directive sounded suspicious to me then. Now I know why. Here’s the story.

A group of eight people, your ate Ella included, went to one of DSWD warehouses to help in repacking relief goods. We know they need volunteers pero hindi namin akalaing WALANG TAO TALAGA SA LOOB NG WAREHOUSE!

As in sa isang humongous warehouse (1000++ sq.m) NA PUNONG-PUNO NG RELIEF GOODS HANGGANG BUBONG, ISANG DSWD employee lang at ISANG SECURITY GUARD ang tao!!

Kailangang magpa-register at i-schedule ang volunteering

1) UNICEF Registration (as a volunteer)The warehouse can only take as much as 50 volunteers at a time or per shift. Here you will find that there is a 4-hour shift, and an option for a 6-hour shift for the volunteers to indicate their availability.

What “volunteers”? Nasaan?

Aside from the 8 of us? Nope, there was nobody there. Bakit kailangan ang scheduling? Feeling hindi ba magkamayaw at nagu-unahan ang mga volunteers?

I know somebody who wanted to volunteer many times. She was always bumped off, laging nirere-schedule kasi “there were too many volunteers” daw. At tuwing Sunday lang daw puwede. What the hell is going on here?

Nakatambak ang donations ng UNICEF sa warehouse, local and international

Mga banig na dapat ay nahihigaan ng mga nasalanta. Mga imported camp beds na hindi na yata masisilayan ng mga biktima. Mga kumot na hindi naman nakabalot sa katawan nila. At mga pagkaing hindi sumasayad sa sikmura nila.

The relief goods are not going anywhere

We arrived at about 8 am and left by midafternoon and yes, you guessed it right. Kami pa rin ang tao bukod sa isang DSWD employee sa loob ng warehouse maghapon. Walang ibang dumating.

The relief goods are not moving. By the way things look, they are not going anywhere. Hindi maglalakad mag-isa ang mga donations na ito papunta sa mga evacuation centers.

LET THE PICTURES DO THE TALKING

Note: Pinagbawalan kaming kumuha ng pictures sa loob ng warehouse. I wonder why.

“Not a creature was moving, not even a mouse.”

Parang haunted warehouse ang dating. May multo na yata.

Kahit na daig pa ang tindahan sa Divisoria sa dami ng naka-stack na kaldero

At walang katapusang kaldero pa ulit

Kahit halos natakpan na ang mga bintana sa dami ng mga kahon

Kahit umabot na hanggang kisame ang stack ng mga kahon

(Close up ng Coleman camp beds sa previous photo) Hindi ito kasama sa ni-repack naming goods. Para sa mga “special victims” kaya ito? Ire-repack kaya ang mga “imported” camp pads na ito ever?

Sabagay, may BANIG naman para sa “ordinary victims”. Ito ang kasama sa inimpake namin. Sayang ‘yung imported.

Ano kaya ang laman nito? Hindi rin pinabuksan. Pang-special victim din kaya ito? (teka, dito nga pala galing ‘yung mga kumot)

Mahiwagang mga kahon from Japan Aid.

(close up ng mahiwagang kahon) Hindi rin ito kasali, of course. Hindi namin alam kung ano ang laman nito. “Imported” are not included, we have concluded.

Marami ito, mga laruang kasinlaki ng tao. Hindi nakunan ng pic kasi nasa tabi ng sikyo.

PORK AND BEANS? Yup, you’d think kasama ito sa relief bag. Pork and beans lang ‘to, puwede na sigurong ipamigay,

Naaah! “Imported” pork and beans from Spain po ito. Sorry, hindi pa rin included

Now let’s take a look at what a victim will get from DSWD

Look Ma, sampung lata ng sardinas! How generous! Kaldero ang unang ilalagay sa sako. Sabong panglaba (bar soap) at sampung sardinas sa ilalim. Siyam na sabon sa gilid ng kaldero. Local goods lahat syempre.

Tapos papatungan ng isang tuwalya at isang pack ng sanitary napkin.

Sisiksikan ng tatlong rolyo ng kumot(?) ang blue water jug tapos ipapatong sa kaldero sa loob ng sako.

Last but not the least, lalagyan ng dalawang banig.

Sabay tatahiin na ang sako. O di ba, parang asong tinapunan ng buto ang mga nasalanta? Eniwey, busog naman sila sa SAMPUNG lata ng Mega sardinas

Do not delay

YOU THINK?? WTF is the matter with these people? Mag-iisang buwan na mula nang masalanta ang mga kababayan natin. ISANG BUWAN!! Do you mean “do not delay ang dati nang delayed”?? Shet.

Anong ginagawa ng mga donations na ito sa warehouse?? APAT na warehouse ang nasa loob ng compound na ‘yon! APAT na warehouse na punong-puno ng inaalikabok na relief goods! Relief goods na ayaw yata ibigay sa mga nasalanta. Halatang-halata.

Marami pang pabubulukin

Wow! May bagong shipment na naman! At the rate DSWD is moving, next year na madi-discover kung ano ang laman ng mga kahong ito.

“The first of two of the largest high-energy food shipments from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) arrived in the country two days ago for victims of storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng.”
The biscuits were fortified with essential vitamins and minerals for supplementary feeding to children, pregnant women and the elderly in evacuation camps. Another 100 tons of biscuits will arrive on Oct. 24, in a continuing effort to provide food assistance to flood victims.

Sige, ideretso ‘nyo ulit ‘yan sa DSWD warehouse. Para AMAG naman ang abutin ng biskwit… at sapot ng gagamba.

Conclusion

Sa maghapon namin sa warehouse,nakagawa kami ng 150 sacks of relief goods. 150 bags of relief goods lang ang lumabas sa warehouse na ‘yon that day. At nandoon pa rin sa loob ang mga imported relief goods, safe, sound and packed as the day they arrived.

Nakisakay kami palabas sa isang DSWD delivery van. Gusto sana kaming ihatid ng driver hanggang Makati pero wala raw siyang sobrang gasolina. Ibinaba na lang niya kami sa gitna ng EDSA. Millions of dollars in donations, walang extrang pang-gasolina.

Susulpot din siguro ang laman ng mga mahiwagang kahon at mapapasakamay din ng mga tao…sa ARAW NG ELEKSYON. O mabibili na nila ang mga imported goods na ‘yon sa mga puwesto sa Quiapo at Divisoria.

Suggestions lang po sa DSWD:

Kung talagang gugustuhin ninyong makarating agad sa mga kawawang biktima ang mga donasyong ‘yon, nagawa ‘nyo na ‘yan. Maraming paraan…kung talagang gusto ‘nyo lang.You are the government. You have the power, the resources and the money. You just have to really care.

You are the government. You have the power, the resources and the money. You just have to really care.

Bloggers’ Choice Award

2009 Philippine Blog Awards

While I snapped some shots of a group of policemen across the intersection, a man approached me from behind and asked if I was taking pictures of the policemen. Well, obviously, but I told him I was taking pictures of anything. Indeed, from a photographer’s point of view, it is very normal to be taking pictures of anything at any time. But this man asked me the same question again. Then another man came, then another. They kept asking me questions.

“What are you taking pictures of? The Policemen?” “Are you from the media?” “Where are you going to use your pictures?” “Are you a student?” “What are you going to do with your pictures?” “What are you taking pictures of?” [questions translated from Hiligaynon]

I tried to answer their questions.. “No, I’m not from the media… I have a flickr and a photoblog in the internet… I’m a student from UP [didn't bother to explain I work at the same time].. I take pictures of anything..” However, they just seemed to repeat their questions and they were now surrounding me.

Eventually they told me to turn off my camera which I promptly did sensing I was in trouble and they didn’t like me taking pictures. Seconds later, the convoy of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo passed right in front of us.

Okay, so apparently they were some undercover agents of the presidential security group and they were probably concerned I was a spy or I was hiding some dangerous weapon within the body of my point-and-shoot camera. Maybe at that moment, I was again a threat to national security.

That’s that. We brought home one slice of pizza and there’s no sign of these undercover agents following me. (or so I think). Nevertheless, it reminds me of a similar incident just three weeks ago.

At Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA)

We just arrived at the DMIA passenger terminal after a long journey that involved the longest U-turn of our lives. (We missed an exit along the Subic-Clark Expressway and the next exit was about 35 kilometers away!) We just unloaded our bags from our hired van and we were counting money and about to pay the driver when an LTO traffic officer in a brown uniform took note that our van was registered only for private use and was not authorized to be hired. He said our van was “colorum” (?). Since we were just beginning a trip that I have decided to thoroughly document, I took a picture of the traffic officer reprimanding the driver since I thought it was a memorable moment.

Seeing that I took his picture, the officer immediately asked me to approach him and asked what I took the picture for. (Again, from a photographer’s point of view, it is very normal to be taking pictures of anything at any time.) So I said I take pictures of anything but he didn’t believe me. He said I had an “intention” for taking the picture. Now both I and the driver were in trouble.

The officer asserted that I was not allowed to take pictures of officers like him (shows his ID) and that I must respect his right and ask for his permission first before taking his picture. Uh, okay. I am certain there was no such law in the Philippines or in the Magna Carta but this officer was already holding my arm in one hand and handcuffs on the other. He asked me to follow him into their office.

I was afraid, not of being jailed for violating a non-existent law, but of missing my flight to Kuala Lumpur and messing up the holiday mood of my seven companions. I thank God the officer never really placed the handcuffs on me and I didn’t have to follow him into their office. After some chilly moments, he let me go after I deleted the picture. As for the driver, we hope he just got a traffic ticket.

In the Cafeteria

Yet again I remember an instance in the university cafeteria when I was taking some photos of the trays where students were supposed to (but didn’t) place used eating utensils. An old lady approached me and introduced herself as the cafeteria concessionaire. “Excuse me, I am the concessionaire of this cafeteria, may I know why you are taking pictures? Where are you going to use them?”

The tone of her voice wasn’t very friendly, in fact it sounded hostile. I explained I was going to use the photos to illustrate that students don’t follow directions. I don’t remember if I actually did but that effectively diverted her resentment towards those who don’t place their used utensils in the proper place. I just had to endure a few minutes of her sermon.

In Chemistry Class

I was in my first year of university when I had my earliest memories of trouble stemming from my passion for taking pictures. It was in the chemistry laboratory. One group of my classmates left a beaker of hydrochloric acid (or was it sulfuric?) boiling above the bunsen burner until it gave off clouds of fume. The white fume filled the whole laboratory sending the entire class out into the hallway. Surely acidic fumes are very dangerous they could damage your respiratory lining.

Thinking it was a memorable moment worth remembering, I took out my camera which was then a portable Intel PC camera with a maximum resolution of 640×480 pixels. I started to take photos of the class in the hallway and our instructor, already upset about the lab incident, suddenly asked me, “What are you taking pictures for? Are you a reporter?!”

Conclusion of the matter

Again, I consider it normal for anyone to be taking pictures of anything at any time even for no clear purpose (unless of course if the picture is offensive or derogatory in nature). However, it seems that some people think others always have an “intention” for taking pictures. Unfortunately, as in the cases above, that intention can be presumed to be negative. Still, I can’t imagine what was in the mind of the traffic officer, the cafeteria concessionaire, and my chemistry instructor that upset them.

Whatever they were thinking, incidents like these will not stop me from taking pictures of anything, whether it be the plain blue sky, a blank wall, or any random frame from the flurry of everyday life. I love taking pictures and it’s all worth the trouble so far.

However, it might be time to review those stealth photography techniques.

*I have the feeling this post will be detected, crawled, and perhaps recorded by intelligence spiders.

The main reason I opted for Globe Tattoo before was because they charge every 15 minutes compared to Smart Bro which charges every 30 minutes. But now, Smart offers an ideal per-minute charging which means I can disconnect and reconnect anytime without being concerned of paying for unused minutes. Be aware though – you need to periodically register online to avail of the per-minute packages. Also, Smart Bro can be loaded using call and text cards with a simple text from any Smart phone unlike Globe Tattoo where I  have to insert the SIM in a phone just to use load cards. Also, I sell Smart load myself (hehe..) so I get to save on my profit margins if I load my Smart Bro myself. One more thing. The Smart Bro USB stick looks way better than the Globe Tattoo USB I got with the cheap stickers.

However, I do have serious complaints about this Smart Bro Plugit. First, it always takes about 1 minute and 30 seconds before I can connect from the moment I insert the plugit. That is very annoying. The Globe Tattoo on the other hand can connect almost immediately. The software of the Smart Bro Plugit is also inferior to that of Globe Tattoo. In fact, it is littered with bugs. Sometimes when I get disconnected for no reason,  the software would get stuck and the numbers in the speed indicator go berserk. Also, when I click the “Connect” button, the software tells me the USB modem cannot be detected even if it is and is already detected by the computer. Smart Bro also does not have the real time statistics graph present in Globe Tattoo. I like watching that graph very much. The interface of the Globe Tattoo software also looks better and is more functional in  my opinion.

As for speed and connectivity, Smart Bro and Globe Tattoo are about as fast as each other in my location. I do however get disconnected without warning from Smart Bro more often. I don’t  know if it is just a temporary problem with their system though. At certain periods, I also get the error message below every time I click the connect button which is very, very annoying. (UPDATE: disconnecting and reconnecting the USB might help)

A connection to the remote computer could not be established, so the port used for this connection was closed. For further assistance, click More Info or search Help and Support Center for this error number.

So between the two, will I choose Smart Bro or Globe Tattoo? I will go for Smart Bro! Why? Basically because I sell Smart load myself so minus my profit margin, an hour of internet will cost me only about P17.7! Haha! Also, the real winner is their per-minute packages. Thus, I disconnected to type this post offline and I will reconnect again for only a few minutes to post it. I only pay for the minutes I actually use!

For now, I can afford to bear the very very annoying cons of the Smart Bro Broadband while waiting for Sun Cellular to offer their unlimited mobile internet outside Metro Manila.

I also got messages from 9800 telling me that my point were about to expire so I should redeem them already. I guess Smart was already keeping track of my point even before I registered.

Curious as to how many points I have already accumulated, I sent INQUIRY to 9800. To my surprise, I already had a whopping 31,830 points! Since 5 points are rewarded for every P1 transaction, that means I already spent P6,366?

I really don’t know how I got that much points but it seemed like a lot and I was excited to check what I could redeem with it. Probably free air tickets? Haha!

Haha indeed. After testing REDEMPTION to 9800, they told me I have two options. I could redeem (a) 100 Smart-to-Smart texts [expires in 2 days] with 5,000 rewards points or (b) P300 Buddy Prepaid Phonekit discount with 30,000 rewards points. Not very useful!

I was expecting much more. I rarely text more than 20 SMS a day so option a’s 2-day expiry is too short. Then, I already have a phone so why would I buy another phone just to use the P300 discount?

Well, 31 thousand reward points isn’t so much after all. But small rewards are still better than no rewards. I just wish Smart would also convert the rewards points to airtime for Buddy subscribers. Then maybe I can use it for mobile surfing. Smart Gold offers P50 bill rebate for 12,500 points and Smart Bro Prepaid P30 load for 7,500 points.

Smart Rewards also has discount packages in collaboration with some stores but I could hardly get information since their website isn’t very useful and has quite a lot of bugs. What do the other 20 million + subscribers have to say?

UPDATE:

I decided to redeem 5000 points to get 100 Smart to Smart/TNT because I needed to text some people. Guess what, 9800 said it will be credited within 48 hours! What?!