Ellain Uy in Memoriam

It saddens me that another student of mine passed away. Last night I received a text message that my former student Ellain Joyce Uy died. I was shocked because knowing Ellain, she's a cheerful and jolly person. I would like to dedicate this blog post to her. Can I, as her former teacher do anything to help her with her problems? We will never know...

All I can say is, Do not remember her how she died, but remember her how she lived.

May you rest in peace Ellain. We all love you....

Facebook Shutting Down on March 15 is a Hoax

The website that brought you the news that Megan Fox is a man and Aliens will attack on 2011 posted an article that says Facebook is shutting down on March 15, 2011. Is it true or another hoax? Read on

Remember the golden rule:

"Don't believe everything you read on the internet"

As we all know, WeeklyWorldNews is a tabloid-like website (like those newspapers that will write articles just to get some cash), and based from it's previous posts, is not credible enough to believe them.

Think of it this way, reputable websites like CNET, CNN and BBC haven't posted anything about this matter. Every wonder why? Because it's just a lie! Facebook is infused with $500 million from Goldman Sachs and a Russian investor in a deal that values the company at $50 billion, a 500 million strong users and still growing. Do you think it Facebook will just "close"? Zuckerburg quitting is most unlikely now that he was named Time Person of the Year 2010 and gaining a lot of recognition from all over the world.

So remember guys, this is not news, it's just a rumor, a satirical post in fact. So go back playing with your Farmville or Knights of the Crystal

Predictions for 2011

It's the new Decade ladies and gentlemen. For those who did not notice, I deviated from the tradition of posting what had happened in 2010. But I wanted to change everything for this coming decade, They say that you must not dwell from the past, but prepare for the future. So from now on, I will post my predictions for the coming year. Here we go!

1. DSLRs or Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras will be the standard camera used by everyone. But 80% of these consumers will only use the full auto feature and the kit lens. They will not bother reading the manual and plan on buying another lens. DSLR will be a standard norm for what's cool and what's not.

2. EVILs or Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens will be the next new craze. A lot will think that you will be updated in the latest gadget if you own this thing. Even though it's just a very expensive digital camera that you'll probably use to take pictures of yourself and your friends.

3. Telcos will offer new subscription plans other than the existing one. There will be Silver (100GB cap) Gold (500GB cap) and Platinum (1TB cap) all will be ridiculously expensive.

4. Even though Facebook ,Twitter and Tumblr is forever free. Telcos will charge you for every access to these websites. It's like subscribing to a cable with only the local channels available. You need to pay extra for those "premium" channels.

5. Apple's iPad 2 and iPhone 5 will be selling like pancakes no matter what price tag it may have. Filipinos will not care even if they give all their salary just to be part of the "in" society. But when SLEX say they will increase just a little as one peso, people will over react and will blame it all to President Noynoy.

6. Speaking of PNoy, His Excellency will finally have a girlfriend all thanks to Facebook. All thanks to Krissy who tagged both of them on the picture of baby James getting a circumcision. But sadly, it only last for a few months, and Willie Revillame, "the recycle man", will offer PNoy's girlfriend as a co-host together with Shalani for ratings sake, even though that girl has zero knowledge in hosting .

7. Kris Aquino will have a new husband, and accidentally, they will have a child (even though Kris doesn't want to get pregnant anymore, but hey, love makes sacrifices) and Kris will now have three childrens, all were from a different guy. Achievement unlocked! Sounds familiar? Watch Tanging Ina Trilogy.

8. Canon Photomarathon will finally allow Nikon users to participate, but with different venue and themes. Nikon users will be placed in the middle of nowhere and will try to kill each other with only the use of their cameras to become the sole survivor.

9. WiFi will be accessible all around the country, not just malls and funeral homes, but also depressed areas like Payatas and Mindanao. Hey, who needs food when we have internet?

10. The new bill will have a counterfeit circulating in the mid year, all thanks to some BSP staff who wanted to earn extra money. The only way to distinguish the original from the counterfeit is that the original tastes like chicken.


These predictions may or may not come true this 2011, but what the heck, we welcome 2011 with open arms.

Review: RPG Metanoia

It's the Metro Manila Film Festival once again and it is mandatory to show all Filipino made movies from December 25 up to January 7. One of the entries got my attention, the first Filipino full length CG animated movie finally became a reality. RPG Metanoia is an all Filipino CG movie production. Did the movie lived up to its promise? Or is this another epic failure? Find out after the jump.

During the promotion of RPG Metanoia, I confess that I was skeptical. Due to the history of fails in past films, my faith in the Philippine movie industry was a size of a walnut. I was a bit curious in this "innovation" so I ended up watching Metanoia.

A heed of warning, This movie was five years in the making and you can see it in the quality of the animation. It's true that the movie is in full Computer Generated (CG). But like I said, it was bit of outdated.

Story-wise, the plot reminded me of the famous anime .hack but with added Filipino twist. As with other film fest entries, this movie gave a moral lesson specifically for the children who waste their youth on MMORPGs. You can see in the entire movie the elements of the "Pinoy culture", from the tricycle to the pakbet and longanissa, everything is all Filipino. Hardcore movie geeks may find Metanoia heavily referencing to past successful movies, from some actions sequence of the Matrix, to some dialog of Pinoy heroes. But some Hollywood films also do this so I think Metanoia can get away with it.

The musical score was impressive. No cheesy novelty song here (thank God). My only gripe is the the quality of the dialogs. It's like watching an anime dubbed for local TV. The sound is kinda monaural and it will get in your nerves when all of the kid characters speak at the same time. Don't get me wrong, I like the sound effects and the insert songs, but when it comes to the dialog, I hate it.

The eye candy can make little kids drool, but to the "older" audience it was kinda repetitive and old. But who am I to criticize the works of my countrymen who clearly showed that the Filipino can do it. Maybe, if we have the top of the line hardware, the future of our 3D animation will be at par with those of Pixar and Dreamworks.

RPG Metanoia is made by the Filipino, for the Filipino. A little tweak and it will be a world class quality of animation.

Tips on Buying Your Gadget This Christmas Season

There's a big smirk on your face as you check your balance on your bank account. The thirteenth month pay and the bonus is more than enough to buy that gadget you've been dreaming of. But before that, is it worth spending all your hard-earned cash just to satisfy that craving? Here are some tips in buying a gadget without crying in the end.

1. Necessity vs. Aesthetics

That latest iPad is mouth watering, but do you really need it that badly?

A lot of people tend to buy gadgets due to sheer popularity and end up not using them eventually. If you already have a laptop and contented with an iPod, would an iPad make a difference? Would buying a DSLR boost your confidence into taking pictures even though you know only how to use the full auto mode and doesn't bother learning what the hell is an aperture and a shutter speed is? Would you buy a Blackberry Bold just because Ann Curtis-Smith is using one? A lot of people succumb to their vanity and end up spending cash on gadgets that was never used on the purpose they were made of. Before buying that gadget, think of how will you use it in the long run. That way, you can realize that you can buy a cheaper alternative that can aid you in your endeavors.

2. Features: Need or Novelty?

Newly released gadgets today have what you call "features that separate them from the rest" . Like the camera with an LCD in front to take that perfect self portrait or cellphones that boast pet detection that automatically takes a snapshot of your pet when detected. Come on, do you really need to spend that extra just for these features you end up not using anyway? When buying a gadget, think of how its features will help you along the way. A swiveling LCD for a DSLR would be perfect for those impossible angled shots. The WiFi tethering feature of Android phones will save you thousands on a mobile WiFi router.

3. The reason behind that sale

Shops usually put their gadgets on sale because of these reasons:

1. Old stock.
2. Nobody is buying this crap.
3. A "slight" defect (manufacturer or shop's fault)
4. Phasing this thing out.

for example, Nikon slashed the price of their D60 model from P32,000 down to P19,000. This sale will be in effect while supply lasts. That means, they were emptying their shelves with this old model to make way for their newer models.

Before grabbing that sale, think of the gadget you are buying. Is this already outdated? How much will I add for a new one?

4. Moore's Law

The number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years

You must be aware about this law. Manufacturers tend to create newer versions of their products faster than you can save up to buy that product. Spending your whole fortune over a state-of-the-art gadget only to be replaced on the next day with a newer model with the same price would be heart breaking indeed. One example, if you are planning to buy an iPad. iPad 2 is coming this February 2011. So if you can wait for it, you'll find out what features it might have (thus following tips 1-3).

5. The gray market what?

Long time gadget buyers know that buying gadgets on your local mall will cost you a lot more than buying over online stores or what they call "gray market". These merchants sell original gadgets but without the "mall fee" and the "local distributor fee" that makes a gadget expensive. Don't know if some acquire it illegally, but a lot of these gray markets directly got their stocks from abroad thus skipping the added expenses. For example, if you buy a Canon EOS 550D in your local mall, it will be worth P41,000 but if you buy it on the gray market, it will only be P30,000. Be aware that buying on the gray market will only get you a 1 year warranty as opposed to buying on a local store with a 3 year warranty. If you are on a tight budget and you handle your gadgets carefully, that P30,000 will be enough.

Follow these tips when buying a gadget and yuo end up saving a lot. That extra cash can be bought for stuff that may protect your gadget in the future.