Monday, May 30, 2011

Being Genius the easy way


I grew up believing that I was a genius.

I was said to have learned to count from one to three at the age of 2 which my parents thought was Einstein-like or something. They fed me with so-called brain foods like peanuts, potatoes, broccoli and whatever packed stuff that has the “Good for the Brain” label. I wish they’ve also given me Star margarine then so I could have been taller than 5’3 and there would be no reason for me to watch features on growth balls and the likes over Home TV Shopping.

Back in my high school days, while my younger siblings would play taguan and tumbang preso with our friends, my father would encourage (sometimes forced) me to spend my weekends watching quiz shows from David Celdran’s Battle of the Brains to Alex Trebek’s Jeopardy. What is boring?

In college, I was unaware my parents inserted a sheet of dried snake’s scale in one of my books which freaked out the girl I was planning to pursue when she borrowed it from me. Who ever came out of the idea of using animal “leftovers’ as brain boosters is a true genius. If only he thought of patenting it, he could have been a millionaire by now if every person who bought it is charged with a 1 peso fee.

Today, I still get the “Mr. Genius” tag. Most recently from my wife after I accidentally released the Freon of our 2-month old refrigerator when I hit the air tub in the freezer with a knife while getting ice for my orange juice. Thank God for hand bags and high heel shoes and I was forgiven by my wife after two days of giving me the cold shoulder.

I have collected medals, awards and different citations through the years but I don’t really believe that those stuff make me more clever than other people. For me, being a genius comes out naturally when you think, talk and act in order to accomplish a task. It can be as simple as making your wife happy with a poem you composed for her birthday to the things or products you bring home to make life easier and happier for your family.

Yup, choosing the right brand that can satisfy your need or even your want sometimes requires good thinking and analysis. Talking about being genius, I can’t help but talk about “certified geniuses” in the tech world today--- LG Electronics new products Optimus 2X and Optimus Black handsets.


Both products have the genius quality and features that other smart phones don’t have. Here’s a run down of the specs of these wonder gadgets that make me want to crack the screen of my current mobile phone so I’ll have a good reason to get a new handset, and not just a regular smartphone: it has to be GENIUS!

Great memory. LG Optimus Black has a 2GB internal memory while Optimus 2x has 8GB. Both have 512 MB RAM and can handle up to 32GB micro SD. This is more than enough space for my favorite mp3s, clips and even all the growth balls features on Home TV shopping combined.

Excellent connectivity. The two genius phones are capable of wireless sharing through Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, A-GPS and Bluetooth. You can also use micro USB 2.0 and do contents mirroring via HDMI. In layman’s term, you can download, upload and share files on the go. Now, I check into a motel for a quickie room and tell the receptionist, “Magwa-Wi-Fi lang ako for three hours.” And I’ll have a FREE half chicken I can enjoy all by myself.

Non-stop fun. Aside from the compatibility of both phones to different Audio formats (mp3, wav, wma, eAAC+) and video formats (mp4, H.264, H.263, wmv), Optimus Black has a 5 megapixels rear camera and 2 megapixels at the front. Optimus 2X has 8 megapixels (rear) and 1.3 megapixels (front). This will solve the problem that my wife and I encounter when we go out on a date just the two of us. We can now take pictures with the quality of a digital camera without the assistance of an uninterested store crew or a stranger that we fear might ran away with our camera.

Impressive Operating System. Both phones use Android 2.2 Froyo, the most usable and polished iteration of Android. That gives Optimus console-quality mobile games! You can also upgrade it to 2.3 Gingerbread which introduces many new and exciting features for users. I don’t know with you, but when I hear the words Froyo and Gingerbread, all I can say is “tasty” and now I’m really getting “hungry” for Optimus!

Unique features.
LG Optimus Black is one of the slimmest at 9.2 mm think and is the only phone in the world that has a NOVA display, making it the brightest of them all with 700 nits of brightness. Optimus 2X on the other hand is the world’s first dual-core smartphone. It’s the first of its kind to arrive here in the Philippines and all I can say is, “LG for Lemme Getyu!”

Superior quality. LG Electronics is a global electronics company and is one of the world's largest producers of mobile phones. The name itself is a guarantee of an advanced and remarkable product that has brought great satisfaction to consumers worldwide for decades. LG makes a great leap in incorporating breakthroughs and innovations to their products such as the current buzz in the tech world: the Optimus 2X and Optimus black.


What I have shared in this post are just some of the many great news and information I have heard about the above mentioned genius phones. Who knows what else is in store to owners and would-be owners (hopefully, Me included) of any of the two.

Now let me say this loud and clear. One easy way of being a genius is actually by just owning a genius phone. Take a pick: LG Optimus 2X or Oprimus Black. (I’m just happy that I can now let go of the sheet of dried snake scales inserted in the pages of my favorite book).

Optimus is more than just smart. It’s genius. Visit lgoptimus.ph for more information.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

I need a DIVOOM DIVO boom on my desk


Funny but I just observed that my loudest “officemate” is actually one of the most unnoticed fellows in our workplace.

He’s tall, dark and kinda handsome but never receives the attention that many people who possess such adjectives are getting. Same goes with his identical twin brother. Yup, there are two of them who for almost three years have occupied one corner in my cubicle announcing news, playing music and even guided me from time to time how to properly pronounce a new word I just met. I am not talking about our HR guy, I am actually referring to my company-issued pair of speakers.


I don’t know why people would dance and sing along to the tune that I play but never pause for a while to check the speaker where the music is coming from. Or why others would listen attentively to breaking e-radio news but failed to commend the source of the clear broadcast sound. That’s why I call my pair the KSPeakers (sounds like the monicker that my wife used to call me when I was still courting her a few years ago).

But I want to say thank you, thank you (one each to the twin) dear speakers! I just hope you look a little different (even without the make-over I gave you) so then I will have the needed “attraction” in my cubicle.

How I wish I could have a Divoom Divo, one of the fanciest looking speakers today. I believe it is more than just a speaker because I can think of other use for it other than getting quality crisp audio.

Image courtesy of www.unbox.ph

1. It can be a boss pleaser. I don’t know with your supervisor but our office head will be delighted to see products like this speaker and I would not be surprise if one day he’ll ask about it. Because Divoom Divo looks like a head with headsets on, I think this is will hold his wig better than keeping it inside his attaché case.

2. It may give me a chance to be friends with our IT guy and even get access to Facebook and other restricted sites. You know how these people love high-tech gadgets and I’m sure they’ll be impress with Divoom Divo’s 2.1 speakers, deep bass from a long throw subwoofer and a “touch” control for volume using the “ears.”

3. Divoom Divo will be a good source of pick-up lines for any unsuspecting woman who will go inside my cubicle to check this one of a kind speaker on my desk. I can think one right now that goes, “Miss, ipinaglihi ka ba sa speaker? Anlakas kasi ng dating mo, eh.” (sobrang cheesy!)

4. And lastly, Divoom Divo is simply a joy to look at and can be a good stress buster by just staring at it. Imagine having a speaker with an unusual yet classy look with a quality comparable to other good 2.1 speakers.

Anyways, if you’re like me who wants to own this wonderful speaker, you can check Apple stores like A Shop (Podium and Eastwood) to have a better view of Divoom Divo which cost only P2,900.

For more updates on cool tech stuffs, promos and events, just “Like” the Facebook fan page of Divoom and Unbox. You can also visit www.unbox.ph for great online readings.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Thank you, Thank you Electrolux!

Cool group shot courtesy of Jeman Villanueva

I got a good advice from a classmate in elementary 20 years ago that I still carry until now.

He said, "When you meet a two headed monster, greet it properly so it won't eat you."

I asked how and I got this wisdom from him as he pick his nose, "Just say Hello! Hello!"

With this, I want to tell Electrolux, "Thank you, thank you!"

The first thank you is for the Electrolux Dynamica that I got from being one of the ten winners of Electrolux Philippines' Doom of the Broom blog writing contest. Now, our home will be cleaner than ever with a brand new Electrolux Dynamica vacuum cleaner!

My second thank you is for The Little White Book who will send me within the month an Electrolux Ergorapido vacuum cleaner after I was chosen as one of the five winners of their Mother's day contest. It will be a great gift for my mother-in-law. My mom can borrow our Dynamica anytime since she just lives next door.

Again, thank you! thank you! to Elactrolux. Last week's dinner party at A. Venue was a blast!

Pizza at Yellow Cab is great as their crew

When I like something, I either make a shout out about it on my FB wall or tweet a line about the experience. But if I really really like about it, I blogged about it.

Last May 8 (yup, eight days ago and if not for Blogger's last week vacation mode this could have been posted a little earlier), my wife celebrated Mother's day with me and our 2-year old son Charles Anthony in a place where she least expected.  Our previous celebrations were held in restaurants where you'll feel that it's only us in that place.  But this year, we had a pizza party with dozens of screaming fans watching the Pacquiao-Mosley fight live at Yellow Cab - People Support in Makati City.

I know it's not the place that she has in mind but it went out fine because (1) Manny Pacquaio won (as expected), (2) we gained new friends, (3) we got FREE lunch and other goodies and (4) the crew at the Yellow Cab are so accommodating especially that friendly waitress who even played with my son (the only uninterested individual in the fight).

Thanks for the treat Yellow Cab Philippines, Nuffnang Philippines and PLDT My DSL Watchpad.  

Monday, May 2, 2011

The Big Ticket that is Pacman


When I was young, I hated boxing.

My tatay would always spend the whole weekend watching almost every boxing card on TV and just bribe me with two 5 peso coins for me to get a snack and a bottle of soda while I sob because I missed another episode of my favorite shows like TGIS and Anna Karenina (hey! I was young then so I still don’t know how to tell what was right from wrong).

Also, I find the matches boring compared to those exciting sequences in WWE where people fly out of the ring, hit one another with steel chair and make someone die for a few moments and rise again when the audiences started to chant the grappler’s name.

But my impression about boxing changed because of one man --- the People’s Champ and eight division world champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. There is no single adjective to describe this Filipino icon who is considered by many as the greatest boxer who ever lived. Aside from being a great athlete (he also played amateur basketball as a member of MP Warriors in PBL-Liga Pilipinas last year, btw), he has also a string of self-produced films and hit songs (deny or it not, but you have sang with one of his popular tunes either inside a sardine-like FX or while watching his post-fight concert). Of course, we should not forget that he was elected as the Representative of Saranggani province in the most recent national election.

Pacquaio is like a magnet (right, Krista?) that can attract even non-believers wherever he goes. He brings the crowd up into the rafters of the venues of his fights whether it’s in Dallas or Vegas (not to mention the local gyms and basketball courts converted to mini theaters for the live broadcast of the Pacman’s exploit against just about anybody who has the balls to share the ring with him. One of the few times that we feel that our Mayor is really doing something after all). Manny indeed is the Big Ticket of the Philippines. He is the face of boxing who has given fans of all ages some of the most exciting fights in the last 10 years. Thus, earning him the “Fighter of the Decade” award from the prestigious Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA).

This coming May 8 (Sunday), Pacquaio will again showcase to the world the fighting heart and world-class skills of a Pinoy fighter as he battles former world champion Sugar “Shane” Mosley at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

I will definitely watch this fight and have to drop any schedule that will come that day. Everybody takes a day-off when Manny fights. Even hoodlums and criminals keep their guns and ice picks under their pillows during the most anticipated match-up in boxing this year.

One way of getting the best seat watching the Pacquaio-Mosley fight is via the Big Ticket which is a PLDT myDSL innovation that boosts Watchpad with an additional speed that can heighten online viewing experience. It makes internet faster in local sites. This is all for just 150/month conveniently charged to your landline bill. There is this great promotions that is currently ongoing where if you subscribe to Big Ticket until May 5, you can watch the fight for free! It’s also free for Plan 1995 and Plan 3000 subscribers or if you upgrade your DSL plan. Wow! That’s what you call an awesome Big Ticket!

Entertainment is better than it’s ever been, it’s awesome! This guarantees that you'll be spared from the almost endless strip of TV commercials after every round of the fight when you watch the delayed telecast with faster live streaming online courtesy of the wonder called Big Ticket only from PLDT myDSL Watchpad.

Subscribe now at www.pldtwatchpad.com/PacmanMosley.html and be one of the first to catch this mega fight and celebrate what many predict will be another rousing victory for our very own Big Ticket--- Manny Pacquaio.

Come Sunday, it's my wife who will hate boxing. It just happened that Mother's Day this year coincides with a Pacquaio fight. Our traditional mother's day date with our son will be a little different this year. For sure, we'll still be dining in a good restaurant but only this time there will be hundreds of screaming boxing fans who who will join us. Hmm... dear, I hope you'll understand (with fingers crossed) and advance happy Mother's day, by the way.