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Just wanted to do a quick blog of a newly opened seafood restaurant in San Jose Antipolo City (my city). It's just besides besides Calleza grill. They opened last Friday Sept. 21.

Now I can't remember if we went there because we jogged or we jogged because we wanted to go there. In any case, after the exhaustion...







...we went to La Travieza. Their promise is quality, all natural seafoods (no msg).

The place is big, lotsa headroom. You can dine outside at the back if you want some fresh air (or drink & smoke) and you can walk directly to Calleza grill. Most of the diners were families. Now on to the food!


I'm a red sauce on pasta kinda guy and I don't do seafood on pasta. But their shrimp & mussel carbonara was great. I still can't explain it. It's not overly creamy and you can always taste a bit of the seafoods in there.

Adobong pusit. I was really hoping for that thick spicy black sauce (that looked like you poured a bottle of black ink into it, then some leaves), but it was a bit sweet and I still liked it very much. It was good for 3-4 people. And they didn't skimp on the squid. The sizes were bigger than average.






Baby back pork ribs -- It immediately reminder me of that famous baby back ribs resto after the first bite, but slightly sweeter. (maybe because we were with three kids?)







I'm not much of a salad eater, and they were out of Caesar salads so we opted for the Garden salad. It was one of salads that I really liked because I liked every little bit on it. Fresh, perfect balance, I liked every part of it equally. and that's a first for me.


Overall, it was a pleasant dinning experience. Hefty servings, ample parking. Maybe we jogged and worked out an appetite but the food were "two thumbs up!". Highly recommended. Service was 4 out of 5. It looked like they were already running it for weeks now.

After having this smartphone for a week now, I decided to write a quick review. So here it is...

You've already heard about all the major features of this smartphone and I would be focusing on the real-world use. but first, just to be complete here are its notable features:

HARDWARE
4.8 HD Super AMOLED, Quad-core Exynos 4412, (LTE+2GB mem in the US),
10-finger multi-touch, Corning Gorilla Glass 2, SD slot, Bluetooth v4 w/ A2DP, NFC, Zero shutter lag, HD photo & Video (1080p@30fps), low light, burst mode, image stabilization, A-GPS & GLONASS, 2100mAh battery, etc.

SOFTWARE
Smart Stay, Direct Call, Smart Alert, Socail Tag, S Voice, S Beam, Pop up play, ICS 4.0.4, 50GB Dropbox, etc.


So what did I notice from the get-go?....Well, performance-performance-performance.

From the get-go, what immediately got my attention from initially using the phone is that it was fast. One of the first thing I did (aside from checking for usual defects) was to download/open/switch app/play games/download/install/video/camera as much and as fast as I could to unscientifically test its practical limits.....it didn't happen.

So I ran benchies on Antutu and needless to say, the S3 is on the top of the list ahead of HTC One X and Asus Transformer Prime. Even though the HTC One X has higher clock speed at 1.5Ghz (am not bashing on the One X, just wondering why the marks seems far apart). After that ran Quadrant, same story.

Next, I tested S-Voice (who couldn't resist? unless you're coming from from an iPhone). Well in short, it was relatively accurate but you really have to spend some time on it to make it work great. But I only plan to use this feature while driving anyways so the novelty was kinda short-lived, for now.

Face to unlock was fairly fast for me but it just takes longer than swiping or pattern.

"Tap to top" (like tapping the status bar to scroll to top on the iPhone) was quirky at best.

Pop-out Video would be a boon to the on the go power users.

Camera zoom up to 4X on default app. You can just watch those youtube camera & display comparison between Galaxy & One X to get better info and it seem the One X has a slight edge on this. But remember, the S3 has four different screen modes: Standard (default), Dynamic, Natural, and Movie (just like what you can do to your LCD monitor or TV). 1080p videos at 30fps compared to One X's 23fps.

Panoramic shot is good. Capture still photos while recording video is quite useful if you really-really don't want to miss those 'kodak' moments (RIP Kodak).

Cover the screen with your palm to pause or silence audio. quite handy if you get used to it. One of those "made for Humans" marketing from Samsung.

Smart Stay is one of those little things that you would only notice if it is not running. This one is going to be a standard I tell you.

You can use the camera right from the lock screen if you use Swipe or Motion unlock. You can do it two ways by swiping the camera icon or tapping the screen then tilting it to landscape.Quick access to the camera is essential, or you'll miss those memorable shots. I really think there should be a dedicated hard button for this (like the Xperia S).

Removable battery. Although buying an extra battery will cost you more since its where the NFC chip is.

Now on to the apps......
Free 50GB on Box.com and now 50.75GB on Dropbox! niiiice!!!...Physical storage still hasn't dropped yet, so it's great.

Loving the Flipboard app. Previously exclusive to the iPad and I think it's only available on the Samsung store app for now. but of course the Flipboard guys would be releasing one for android (assuming they won't get bought up first)

Keis is the iTunes for Samsung Smartphones.

And now, I'm loving the free Jango app. Popular Music service apps are still not offered in the Philippines (MOG, Spotify, Rdio, Pandora, Slacker, Deezer, emusic, etc).

Games? I'm playing Blood & Glory (it's like "Infinity Blaaaade" for the iPhone/iPad. yes, you have to say it like that) since this game seems to be graphics & processor intensive. If this would run smoothly I believe it could run any game easily. And it does! Good times.

Time/Weather apps (Beautiful Widgets) is nice... was ignoring weather time/weather apps every since. but if your phone can handle it, it's nice to know the weather where you are at the very time you check your phone. Even the animations are nice (but I know I'm gonna get bored with it eventually)

Did I mention ICS 4.0.4?

Pleasant surprises...
I didn't realize that my SGS3 is automatically uploading all my camera photos (hi-res) and videos to Picasa, Dropbox and my PC (thru wi-Fi) at the same time. And all my photos and videos from Picasa are already on my phone. I'll let you know the first time I experience lag on this phone. hehe (I experience more lag in my desktop machines than this phone.)

Got my flip cover the next day at Greenhills. Didn't find any blue ones so i have a white galaxy s3 with white flip cover (boo). By this time I know there are already lots of them, I'll buy more soon. I still want a hardcase. I miss my SwitchEasy Capsule Rebel M!!

Environmentally friendly LED light signal on full charge. Other colors for different notifications.

It can play MKV files by default.

I know you can squeeze more out of it upon rooting, but I am finding no reason yet to do that. Especially since the bootloader in not locked (S-off) and the carrier also.

Not so pleasant surprises...
My only gripe with #GalaxySIII is that it's not iPod compatible so I can't just plug it into my car stereo and control the audio from the dashboard.

Oh, and it does not include a free NFC smart tag like the Xperia S. Where can I buy one of those (aside from the Xperia S smart tags itself)?

That's it for now. A lot of reviews will be coming out now since it's rolling out in the US and other countries.

'Til next time. Enjoy your new GALAXY S3!!!!!

Labels: Galaxy S3, S III, Samsung, smartphone, smartphones, top android smartphones

We all see it, everyone knows someone or some place where poverty is prevalent, where you can see the most able, willing and has the potential to do good things with their lives but are held down due to illnesses or lack of health care.

Help them join the Philhealth sponsored membership program.

The aim is to basically provide FREE health coverage for those considered as part of poorest 25% of Filipinos.

The first step is for them to be registered at their local DSWD offices. Then their on their way on being medically insured!

Health is Wealth. Spread the word, please.

It's the launch of the first Honeycomb tablet today (I'm waiting for the next slew of honeycomb tablets) so I figured to do some hardware blog....

I needed a 2.1 speaker for room use only so 5.1 is out of the question for me and it was a toss between the Altec Lancsing BXR1220 & Edifier M1385f. The problem with the BXR1220 is that it doesn't have bass control for that dyug!-dyug!-dyug!!! =) Another minor plus for me is the M1385's built-in FM feature. As of this writing I'm still testing it so the review will come later.


Btw, that TP-Link R402M+ is the cheapest reliable (wired-only) router that you can buy today (less than 1k). I already have a 300mbps wireless N Router and I just needed a replacement to our old D-Link 604 Router (another subnet).

Also bought the "Bang for Buck" e-blue Scorpion 3200DPI Pro Gaming mouse and it's niiice! The only problem is the DPI & auto-fire switches that if you're a claw-type, you're likely to accidentally click those buttons. Unfortunately, I got mine replaced due to a non-functioning auto-fire LED light...twice! So I settled with an e-blue 1600DPI one. :(


You should follow me on Twitter here

I've been trying out Ruby on Rails for a week now (during my free time). I'd say it's a very good MVC Web Framework. I started with scaffolding then all the ways down to its in internals. Routes file, ORM, Rake, Migrations, TDD, helpers, validators, associations...all the way through Rack. I'm glad to find out that many modern programming/architecture concepts are now mainstream, meshed together on these frameworks.

I haven't done much pure large-scale coding work since I started handling software R&D but my intentions on learning Rails is for Prototyping/RAD.

As a background, we find quick, cost-effective, reliable, alternative solutions for software requirements in our company. In which more often translate into utilizing Opensource software (Well, of course).

You can't always find the right Opensource software (or at least a near fit) to your customer's problems, and there will come a time where the best way in finding a solution is to just quickly create a prototype where everyone can immediately understand and appreciate the problem/solution.

So when that worst case scenario arrives, we can just do it in Rails with scaffolding here and there (don't laugh, I learned quickly through scaffolding and I know, you can only use scaffolding up to a certain point and ideally only as a guide if you're just starting out) then, Boom! "Can everyone now realize the simple problem or solution to this issue? Thank you." It's just kinda like an "Ace up your sleeve" thing...

There's already a lot of resources on the net so I will not waste your time providing links here and most likely just end up to the usual Rails resources out there.

KUNG HEI FAT CHOI EVERYONE!!!!!!!

Labels: chnese new year, Rails 3, research, Ruby on Rails, web framework

Found a very nice dining spot in Antipolo for our Anniversary...Anix's House of Kare-kare. (not a paid blog mind you) :)

Everything about the food is very good, plus a bit of something special. Like the kare-kare is great, all done right plus the bagoong...it's like the ones commercially available (not the cheap ones) but better. And I don't eat everything on a kare-kare, but this one I can even lick the kare-kare bowl clean, hehe.


The Crispy Pata is all evenly crispy and almost mushy on the inside where it counts. Plus the sauce is different but great. (I'm a sucker for Crispy Pata/Lechon kawali sauce. Aysee, you're still my favorite) =)





Well, been a while since my last post (damn you Facebook & Twitter!). The older you get the more you realize the value of time. It's not the cliche, but the fact that the older/wiser you get the more you realize that you can do a lot of things in life. Out of topic na,...'til the next post.

Labels: kare-kare food

Having the upgrade itch?

With so many terms & new technology available today, catching up on PC trends to make sure of your purchase will take you some time...For example, CPU: 3 to 6 cores, HT, Turbo. Motherboards: USB3, SATA3 (6Gb/s), Triple channel, Solid caps, Sideport 128. Video Cards: 1GB, 512bit, DDR5,SLI,Crossfire,dual-DVI,HDMI.....just to name a few.

Of course, choosing the right hardware always depends on your PC's intended use, so hopefully these components will help you decide.

I've initially made this very, very quick guide as a sort of crash course in current hardware upgrades for a few of my close friends, and now posting it up for everyone. And I've decided on a different approach that focuses on above average budget + future proofing your hardware investment.

side notes:
I'm no Intel or AMD fanboy, but i haven't reviewed much intel cpu/mobos lately so this guide uses AMD for CPU & motherboard. Besides, I believe few enthusiast would argue against AMD having the better price/performance ratio.

Also, some components here might actually seem to be in the upper Mid-range market but remember, we are after components that should last well before your next upgrade itch. =)


PROCESSOR:
High-end: AMD x6 cores (or intel i7) plus CPU cooler
Mid-range: AMD x2 555BE (unlocked into x4 cores) or higher

MOTHERBOARD:
High-end: 890 chipset (or intel X58) These are SATA 3 6Gbit/s, eSATA 3 6Gbit/s, USB3, RAID0/1/5/10,Gigabit Ethernet, usually solid capacitors.
Mid-range: 785 chipset

MEMORY:
High-end: Triple Channel DDR3 2133/1800
Mid-Range: Dual Channel DDR3 1333/1066/1600

HARDISK:
High-end: SATA 3, 64MB cache, RAID0, SAS
Mid-Range: SATA 2 7200rpm, RAID0

POWER SUPPLY:
High-end: 700w 80 plus gold (rated)
Mid-Range: 500w

VIDEO CARD: (ATI)
High-end: Radeon 5850 - 5870 + Crossfire (5970-5990 are super high-end)
Mid-Range: Radeon 4770 - 4890

VIDEO CARD: (nVidia)
High-end: GTX 465 - 470 + SLI
Mid-Range: GT 250

Note: For the sake of completeness, Macs are always considered on the high-end side.
The Mac Pro starts at $2,499.

Pls. post a comment if I forgot anything.

Labels: Computer hardware, computer upgrade, Computers, upgrade itch

Just Finished the book: Daemon by Daniel Suarez (aka Leinad Zeraus).

What can I say, It's one of the best Computer Technology novels that I have ever read. Actually, it was an audiobook.

(spoiler alert) Distributed AI, botnets, global reliance on technology, darknets, etc. If you're interested in those things then this is for you. And oh, did I mention MMORPGs?? (end spoiler alert)

They should Better hurry up if they're gonna make it into a film because there are stuffs in there that gets old, fast.

The ending kinda left me hanging but,...well I won't mention anymore spoilers here Ü

Another Book which I read and waiting for the 'Big Screen' adaptation is Digital Fortress, the first released novel by Dan Brown (1998). I have seen the teasers years ago.

When converting it into film, what always comes to mind is how are they going to visualize TRANSLTR, NSA's 3,000,000 processor codebreaking supercomputer (that's 3 million CPUs....in parallel!)

The first thing that jumps into my mind is the one from Eagle Eye's (starring shia LaBeouf) supercomputer hardware environment (ARIIA - autonomous reconnaissance intellugence integration analyst).

Now it got me thinking w/c book i liked better.....I'd say I will know it when I finish the second installment of Daemon, "Freedom"..........

BTW, Daemon is "condensed from Disk and Execution Monitor" w/c in MS Windows terms are simply 'Services' and is pronounced 'Demon'.

Labels: Computer Tech Novel, Daemon, Daniel Suarez, MMORPG, Novels to films

=) How did that happen? I've been on rebate since Feb. 2007. Now, I'm on my 2nd rebate.

I got my 1st rebate after finishing my 1st ever smartphone (XDA O2) phone subsidy. After that got my rebate plan.

From a plan of 1,800 I downgraded my plan to 1,200 then to 800 because I simply wasn't able to use it all up. Then by this time my monthly rebate was already more than my monthly bill (oh, my rebate was more than 1.3k/mo.). And after a few months i downgraded it again to 500 so it ended up me having more credits every month (if only it was possible to convert it to cash..hehe). And my max billing credit is 5k.

I'm sure many loyal subscribers especially those high-rate plans w/ free phones may have this free-rolling situation. So maybe this will still work for you.....but I'm sure they'll catch on eventually. =)

(**"Frak" is a reference from "Battlestar Galactica Reimagined" TV series)

I'm no fanboy, but if I have to predict about the "Tablet", it's going to have a better multi-touch w/ image sensors... for gestures (or maybe an alternate resistive, capacitive, acoustic wave type of touchscreen). Or something like a multi-touch/Pen combo.