Kanidugan Festival

    Apr 15, 2008JP aka Elmo
    Eagleman Blog
    Blogger





    Very late post, my apologies.

    I was able to see the Kanidugan Festival parade last April 5, 2008 which passed by in front of our shop here in Odiongan, Romblon. Kanidugan means nidog or niyog (coconut) which the town of Odiongan celebrate every year. The townsfolk also celebrate their fiesta in favor of Saint Vincent Ferrer. I quickly took some shots of the parade. Some shots below.












    Or you can watch a slideshow of all of the shots taken by me that day:



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    Pinoy Big Brother La Salle-Dasma Edition?

    Apr 2, 2008JP aka Elmo
    Eagleman Blog
    Blogger



    I learned about the news of an upcoming Pinoy Big Brother La Salle-Dasma Edition from Newsette, Dela Salle's bimonthly magazine publication (Vol. 17 No.18 April 1, 2008 edition). My brother is taking up BS-ECE in La Salle-Dasma and immediately informed me about this. I took a hi-resolution picture of the front and back page of the magazine publication for you to read the details.

    Click the image. Click the "download photo" on the right panel.






    My brother believed this is true. Watcha think?

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    Punta Corazon Beach Resort

    Mar 24, 2008JP aka Elmo
    Eagleman Blog
    Blogger



    I want to share this to my fellow bloggers and to my loyal readers about this remote beach resort in Romblon, Romblon. I had the chance to go there together with my cousins just to visit the place believed to be the hidden treasure in the island. The entrance fee costs around P60 for adults and a discount for children. The very location of Punta Corazon is hidden from the main road. Getting there from the town proper requires you to hire/ride a tricycle. The road leading to the entrance of the resort is not passable for vehicles. A 3-4 minute walk is required to reach the main entrance.


    The place was spectacular. I fell in love with the place while gazing through the almost perfect landscaping of the area. Almost everything you see there is well planned. Although the main entrance is not yet finished as you can see below on the first image. However, it doesn't spoil my excitement as I saw the clear waters and the man made pool which harbors seawater. I couldn't resist taking some shots of the area... even the grass found there. The outside lighting is powered by the sun. One way to lower electricity costs and to contribute eco-awareness. The walkways and stairs are creatively paved with white pebbles and shells. The cottage there is somewhat designed by a professional. I like the cottage in the top-most portion of Punta Corazon which is named "Casita". The green grass is pleasing to the eye. Punta Corazon is like a paradise!

    How to get there:

    1. From Manila, you can travel by ship from Pier 8 via the MBRS Lines or Superferry which travel to Romblon.
    2. Batangas seaport also has shipping vessels going to Romblon via the Montenegro Shipping Lines.
    3. You can also book a flight via SeaAir which has scheduled flights to Tugdan Airport in Tablas Island 3 times a week. Upon arriving there, you need to ride a small ferry or a pump boat to take you to Romblon, Romblon.

    Pictures of the resort below:




























































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    Internet Connection in Odiongan

    Mar 13, 2008JP aka Elmo
    Eagleman Blog
    Blogger



    Staying here in Odiongan, Romblon for more than 2 months now is really a challenge especially for a newcomer like me. As you may recall from my previous posts, I permanently reside here in Romblon to handle our direct selling business. Add to that a photocopying service and soon to be Internet Cafe if all went on budget. Being here is not that different from where I've spent my whole life with. I'm talking about my sweet home San Pedro, Laguna which I spend most of the day connected to the online world. Here is different. I don't have a net connection yet.

    My friends knew me for being frequent when it comes to going online. That is my life since I had my first Internet experience way back 1999. Since then I become an addict. Imagine I don't have an Internet connection even though I have a PC in the shop. I thought I go crazy if I haven't went online at least everyday. That proved me wrong. Today, I don't crave some of the habits I do before even watching television. I go online sometimes by renting PC's on some Internet and PC shops in the area. However, I plan to do this everyday and that could cost me more than 30 pesos a day. I'm a budget concious nowadays now that I'm fully independent. What to do?

    There are Internet connection subscriptions available in Odiongan. Wireless connections and via landline (DSL) are the two types of data services offered for both residential and commercial. First, I tried applying for a wireless connection in OWAP but to no avail. I feel they won't let me because some say their network is already congested. Maybe they heard that I was planning to put up an Internet shop and that could rival their own iCafe just around the corner. I dunno. Next, I went to OTELCO, the local telephone operator here in Odiongan. The shop already has a landline connection under OTELCO. This gave me an idea before that the telco is able to offer both voice and data services. However, this kind of service (DSL) is a new service offering starting this year to their current and soon to be OTELCO subscribers. After applying for a subscription, they noted on our application that the process may take a week. The final installation will took several weeks after processing. The necessary equipment to provide DSL signal on telephone wires costs P65000+ and that the company hasn't been able to purchase yet.

    And so I wait...and wait...I'm bored...wait again.

    March 11, 2008 4 pm, the OTELCO technical guys arrived along with the modem. I was overjoyed. I like the small modem. Picture below:



    The subscription plan was 128 kbps for P1500 a month. Expensive right?! Compared to DSL plans offered by Smart/PLDT and Globelines. The problem is the lack of equipment and tools of those aformentioned big players in the country to deploy their services here. OTELCO however is powered by PLDT/Smart but does not offer what PLDT/Smart were able to promote in Mega Manila. We did an application before on SmartBro to be installed in our shop. Our application was rejected, the signal for data services here is too weak to establish an Internet connection. Then how was I able to surf the net with speeds of up to 100kbps on my Smart mobile phone if there's insufficient signal for data services here?

    I hope the government of Romblon pave way for these two big players to enter here so that customers can choose an alternative and initiate a healthy competition.

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    Social Climbing Logo Contest by Reyna Elena

    Feb 28, 2008JP aka Elmo
    Eagleman Blog
    Blogger



    Ahh....! There's a logo contest made by Reyna Elena and the voting entries are due this 12 p.m. of this day tomorrow until 12 noon (Manila Time). So I made one today so quickly because there is this Kuya who emailed me last night. He begged and almost kneel down just to vote for him. Wahehe. Peace world!

    So to make it quick, below are my votes:


    #1.) Pinoy Ambisyoso

    200.jpg

    #2.) Chuvaness/Malen

    social_climb_logo3.jpg


    #3.) Kotseng Kuba

    x200.jpg

    #4.) Chuvaness/Malen

    social_climb_logo1.jpg

    #5.) 100% Batangueno

    reyna200x200.jpg



    As I've said awhile ago, the voting ends this 12 pm of this daytomorrow at 12 noon. So if you you want to make a vote, go to Social Climbing Logo Contest by Reyna Elena and then read the mechanics there.

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    Poor DVD drive and my Hali Beach Experience

    Feb 4, 2008JP aka Elmo
    Eagleman Blog
    Blogger



    Haven't been online for the past weeks because the DSL we applied for on one of Odiongan's local telco's there still hasn't installed the modem. That's why I'm absent on some of my fave blogs out there. I've been silent for the past two weeks.

    Yeah! I'm still alive. Yipee! And I'm here in Laguna again for some signatures, buy a new DVD-R drive and hopefully some decent sound system for my shop's PC. The free sound blaster it came along with it sucks. No bass at all. I did mention on my twits before (via SMS) that my DVD-R drive stopped working. It happened when I went back to the shop again that morning of January 22, 2008. I don't know what happened. I just played some CD's and DVD's and poof! Can't read the CD's anymore. I tried rebooting the PC and enabled it to boot first onto the DVD drive (wondering if software is involved)... to no avail. Shucks! When I went back at home here in Laguna, I tested the drive to our PC. Yep, the drive is defective. What's worse is that I LOST MY RECEIPT! f@*#! I can't replace the unit for free. Lesson learned. Huhu!

    Last Sunday, I went to Hali Beach in Barangay Poctoy Odiongan, Romblon. My mom hosted the uber late Christmas Party there for her direct selling group and the announcement of the launch of her shop *slash* my xerox and Net cafe. After the event I took my new Sony Cybershot camera and went out to the beach to take pictures. See below:




































































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    What's been keeping me busy

    Jan 18, 2008JP aka Elmo
    Eagleman Blog
    Blogger



    I've been quiet for the last 2 weeks because of my out-of-town journey to Romblon province. No new updates on my blog prior to the one I posted on the day I left Laguna to Batangas seaport. I already ran out of draft posts because of post Christmas and New Year hangovers. My apologies to my readers both in feed reader and email subscriptions. The trip was quite unplanned as we decide on what day we should leave for Romblon. We don't like traveling while we have numerous amounts of cargo to be delivered on to different islands of Romblon. To ease things up, we delivered the goods first two days before we left. What's left was the new PC and some small cartons filled with groceries for my priest uncle. I also went to the capital of Romblon to join Romblomanon's into celebrating the "Biniray Festival" which spans for several days of festivities. Details of my trip after the jump.

    January 7, 2008 Monday
    The day we left Laguna to Batangas seaport to board M/V Xenia of Montenegro Shipping Lines bound to Odiongan, Romblon. Left the port around 5 p.m. with an ETA of 3 to 4 a.m. the next day.

    January 8, 2008 Tuesday
    Arrived at the port of Barangay Poctoy, Odiongan, Romblon at around 4:00 a.m. We were accompanied by my mom's two secretaries along with the two tricycles to take us along with our cargoes to the shop. We had a room on our shop complete with basic amenities. Early morning, I assembled the PC and thank God all went well. I test run the PC the whole day and installed the new printer.

    January 9, 2008 Wednesday
    Went to a health clinic/laboratory to apply for a drug test for my new driver's license. I already had a student permit but I wanted that time to upgrade to a non-professional license. The test took 20 minutes before I acquired the result. All results were negative. I proceeded to the nearest hospital for my medical tests and then to the LTO office for my application. After taking my picture for my driver's license, I successfully finished my application and a 5 month temporary license receipt was handed on to me. I should wait for the ID card to be released as they will deliver my application to Manila. You're wondering why I applied my license in Romblon instead in Laguna. According to the LTO, you can apply your driver's license anywhere as long as there is an LTO office in the area. I decided to apply there because of faster processing and shorter waits. Citizens applying there are just minimal compared to in Manila where the lobby area and the seats are full and congested.

    January 10, 2008 Thursday
    Filed my first business clearance in Odiongan, Romblon along with my cedula. Went to the municipal to issue my Mayor's/Business permit of our shop under my name. This is my first time to file a business permit. Good thing I had with me our secretary that time to accompany me. The process usually takes a few hours and all needed was the correct form to fill-up along with the correct detalied information about your business. Next, several signatures of government officials need to be completed before we go to the treasury to pay for my permit. We went up and down the building, went out to find the municipal health office to get a signature. All went well until we end up into the treasury to pay. It cost me more than a thousand pesos just for the application. We then proceeded to the filing office to submit my 1x1 picture and all the necessary documents so that they will process it. I had to wait until Monday to get my new business permit.

    January 11, 2008 Friday
    Left Odiongan, Romblon for St. Joseph Cathedral in Romblon, Romblon aboard the M/V Xenia around 4 a.m. all by myself. I want to join my cousins there in celebrating the "Biniray Festival" which starts that day. My place of stay was beside the cathedral in a convent where my uncle priest resides. The balcony oversees the plaza and all the events are just a glance away. Even the guest room where I'm at has this big old sliding window where you can see the basketball court, the plaza and the road leading to the church. I had the chance to see my dear cousins again. Later that night, I couldn't resist to join my relatives and other aquaintances to a booze fest (Gran Matador, Emperador and San Mig Light).

    January 12, 2008 Saturday
    Joined Romblomanons into celebrating the "Biniray Festivities" held in the Romblon plaza and in the cathedral. Witnessed different tribes compete for the first prize of P50000 on their tribal costumes and music (drum beats). Saw the "Viva Senior Santo Nino" carried out from the Romblon cathedral and then whisked away by loyal followers and patrons around the Romblon bay area aboard M/V Querubin. They circle the bay area 7 times. I had a booze session with my uncle (Tanduay) before we went to the performing band that night. I was amazed on how many fireworks lit up that time that lasted for 15 minutes. Courtesy of some gold sponsors like San Miguel Beer Brewery and Coca-Cola Philippines.

    January 13, 2008 Sunday
    Went to Gargantos Beach Resort (I believe this is the Marble beach resort if I'm not mistaken) to cool off and for me to experience the salty waters again. I enjoyed jumping from a man made plank made of wood and immersed myself into this deep water for me to dive. Later that day, I suffered a mild sunburn. I didn't noticed I went dark until I got home. Yikes!

    January 14, 2008 Monday
    Learned the ingredients and the method on how to cook "Nilagpang". It is a grilled milk fish with grilled tomatoes. Ingredients include onions, ginger root, chives, garlic and pepper. Mixed with water and grilled milk fish and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add an egg and tada, Rapsa!

    January 15, 2008 Tuesday
    Readied myself to leave Romblon for Batangas. I ran out of bed already early that morning. I forgot to reserve a ticket bed the day before I left. My only option that time is to aboard the ship early so I can reserve a seat in the canteen area. Most passengers who ran out of bed/seat stay on the canteen to spend the night. The ship was full that time. It was difficult to sleep in sitting position and your forehead lie on a table. At least I managed to use my clothes as my pillow to take a rest for a few hours.

    I had so much fun in Romblon. The only regret is that I don't have a digital camera with me. That's a lesson for me. I missed a lot of good shots for that week. But the most important is the experience, you're there to witness the event. Oh well, just bring the camera next time. :D

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    Charice Wowed America

    Dec 20, 2007JP aka Elmo
    Eagleman Blog
    Blogger



    I had to cancel my scheduled post for today about "Nina in the Mix" to give way to this special appreciation to our fellow Filipino citizen named Charice Pempengco.

    Since I saw her performance on Star King on YouTube, I knew and believe that she is the next Lea Salonga who would bring glory and honor to our country. Imagine at the age of 14, she managed to do a low and high pitched note like that of a 20+ female singer. When I heard and watched the announcement that Ellen wants Charice on her show, I visit this Charice Pempengco Fan Site to see some updates. I also check Ellen's website for new episodes. Last night I was able to watch Charice performance on the show's website. Listening to her voice brought me major goosebumps! Haha. See clip after the jump.



    Want More? There are pictures and reviews as well as the second video of Charice Pempengco's performance doing her own version of "I Will Always Love You". Head on to this Charice Pempengco Fan Site to learn more. :D

    I'm proud to be a FILIPINO! Mabuhay ka Charice Pempengco!

    Other post/s related to Charice Pempengco on Ellen Degeneres show. (Link love 'to!)

    Charice Pempengco Live At Ellen Degeneres Show by Pinoy Ambisyoso
    Charice Pempengco on The Ellen Degeneres Show by Relativity by Normand
    Charice Pempengco on Ellen by Starmometer
    Charice Pempengco's Performance on Ellen by The Gossip Fix


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    EntrePinoy

    Dec 17, 2007JP aka Elmo
    Eagleman Blog
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    I mentioned before on one of my post that I'll be going to spend a week in Romblon. I did go to Romblon last Wednesday but stayed just for one day. I left home with my mom together with my dad who drove us to Batangas pier that day. It was late when we started our journey to the port from 1:30 pm instead of 12:30 pm. Our departure time was 5 pm and we arrived at the port area 30 minutes before departure. We already had tickets for the both of us, thanks to my mom who has a lot of connections in the ticketing area.

    My mom started traveling back and forth to and from Romblon for the past 5 years. She had known several individuals in the ticketing area and some crew and officers of the different vessels (en route to Romblon) in the Montenegro Shipping Lines. Just one call and my mom is given automatically one ticket and reserved a bed either in the air con room or in the economy.

    Exactly 5 pm, the ship MV Maria Isabel left the port of Batangas and arrived at Odiongan, Romblon at 4 am. We then took a rented tricycle to take us to one of the house of my mom's secretary. We rested there for 3 hours then proceeded to my mom's boutique located on the new rented location in front of the Romblon State College. We went to DTI office (a few walk from our location) afterwards to register the new business under my name.

    We decided to put my name as the registered property owner of "JKL Shoppe". We need to plan the floor area of the boutique and the soon to be added internet cafe starting with 5 pc's (will add soon as the need arises). So, my mom owns the boutique and within it is a small space just for the 5 PC's in which I manage.


    The processing was quick and I received the DTI permit number that afternoon. My mom was hesitant if we should stay for a week in Romblon. Orders are already piling up in Laguna that my mom need to process. We can't rely to our family members to do bank transactions in behalf of me because my dad had work and my two siblings go to school.

    It is very difficult when I'm not at home. I usually do the bank transactions whenever my mom is in Romblon.


    We decided to leave that same day we arrived and planned to go back on the 20th of December. The ship will leave Odiongan port at exactly 5 pm, already reserved tickets and arrived at Batangas port at 4:15 am the next day.

    I took some images inside and outside the shop and also included some pictures aboard the vessel.






































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    A Visit to the Newly Opened Mall

    Nov 19, 2007JP aka Elmo
    Eagleman Blog
    Blogger



    Last November 16, 2007 was the official date for the first opening of the SM Supercenter in Muntinlupa. This is by far the closest mall from where I live. Yay! With its size no larger than any SM City branches in the country (I think), who would have thought that four (4) cinemas and a Hypermarket could fit inside it. Convenient for us especially for the people who live along the southern portion of Muntinlupa and residents of San Pedro in the province of Laguna. Located at Tunasan, Muntinlupa, this super center is the first SM of it's kind as it threatens supermarkets and malls in the area and in 1st district in Laguna.

    The day of the opening, we decided to give it a visit, stroll and do buy some groceries for our store and for personal needs. As expected, traffic slowed to a crawl along the Laguna - Metro Manila border a few kilometers away to the mall's location. Add to that, an on-going road construction on the other lane across Mercury Drugstore a few meters from the mall's main parking entrance. Reaching the front, we fetched Dad who arrived early due to his renewal of his driver's license from LTO (beside the mall) and headed to the back portion of the mall to park. Parking's already full by then and from the looks of it, this is the smallest parking space (based from the SM malls I've visited) I've ever been. No space to park our vehicle, we decided to park outside just beside the mall as many customer's have already done the same for their vehicles.

    As we went inside the mall, a lot of people mostly bystanders, those visiting the mall and those only to watch the performing celebrity for that day crowd the hallways. Common for a newly opened mall where most stroll inside to look what's new inside and to cool-off from the days heat. In my own estimate, walking from the mall's entrance and to reach the back portion may took just 5-7 minutes on average... just for the single floor. The floor area of this SM Supercenter is just 52,000 square meters both the first and second level. I'm hoping that in the long run, maybe after 5 years they'll expand and add a department store. That'll be cool. The architectural design of SM Muntinlupa is the same with all SM malls in the country preferably the small ones. Inside, there is this section in the center of the mall where shows and exhibits are held and where people converge to relax and sit on benches. Overseeing the second level establishments from the first level. Partial sunlight makes it through the frosted glass ceiling providing natural light inside just to conserve energy for the day.

    I never had the chance to roam the whole of SM Muntinlupa as we went there to buy some groceries. Along the way to the Hypermarket, I saw Silicon Valley, Octagon and CDR-King on the second level. I am thrilled to see that CDR-King is just a few kilometers away from our house. Not before when I need to go to Pavillion Mall in Binan several miles away just to purchase low cost blank CD's. SM Muntinlupa also has Smart Wireless Center in which is convenient for us especially for my mom who do a lot of loading, for Smart Money and some related services.

    Upon reaching Hypermarket, I had a clear view that this portion is the priority of SM Muntinlupa. In fact, more people are in the supermarket than the rest of the establishments located inside the mall. Imagine, 11 hectares worth of space dedicated just for the supermarket. It's odd though that SM Hypermarket is located on the 2nd level just above the parking area. I like what I'm seeing inside the supermarket. Spacious entrance and the products are well organized. The only problem we encountered was that some products hasn't been tagged with price tags. You need to point the item's bar code onto this device's laser to inquire about the cost. Most customers are not used to this device yet and some children started to play along with it. Resulted to a pile-up of customers, hampering the way of the incoming carts and buyers. Another frustration was the lack of seafoods on it's wet market section.

    I saw this box of Whiskas as I passed along the pet food section inside the Hypermarket. Priced at P88, I decided to get one and placed it on our cart. I thought it's time to feed my 4 month old pet cat named "Shampoo" a new treat aside from what we give her after meal. The texture of the Whiskas I bought is like that of a dog food but much smaller. Tuna flavored mini-crackers which shaped like mini-fishy is a treat to my lovable "Shampoo".

    I'm planning of going back there to roam around and hopefully to watch a movie from one of its cinemas. Is it goodbye for Glorietta Cinemas? For now, maybe but not yet. Before, I like to travel from San Pedro to Ayala just to watch a movie. No kidding. Maybe I'm used to it since I went college in Makati back then. Being familiar with the mall brings much confidence and a sense of feeling that this is your 3rd home. Wahehehe. Who knows, sooner or later, SM Supercenter Muntinlupa will be my next favorite mall.

    Below images taken last November 2, 2007.



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    Smart Load Update: New Load Denominations for Smart Subscribers

    Nov 17, 2007JP aka Elmo
    Eagleman Blog
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    Smart has just updated its Smart Load system as reflected to almost all Smart Load retailer sims getting their update notification today. The new update includes a new load denomination of P50 and P100. Aside from that, Smart added two load denominations under Smart All Text that includes the all new "All Text 40" and "All Text 50". Gaan Text has also been updated, adding Gaan Text 20 to its service.

    There is this option "Other Load" from its menu and sub-menus under Smart Menu. I thought that this could provide load credits aside from the options available on the menu. Let say that we (retailers) could load starting from P15 then could do a P16 up to P1000. It could be as I tried the service earlier only to receive a text message that this option is "for future service/coming soon". I called their free Smart Load hot line to inquire about the new denominations. Sadly to say, the customer representative could not disclose the future service of this "Other Load" option from the menu. If you ask me, I like the idea of "tingi" credits like that of Autoload Max from Globe. For the mean time, I'm glad that Smart did add some load denominations so consumers are able to choose more from their Smart Load loading service. Since we get a lot of customers reloading everyday, I need to create a poster again to post in front of our store to inform them of the new load denominations. This is good news to them!

    Details of the New Load denominations from Smart

    New 50 peso load = P50 airtime/SMS for 5 days
    New 100 peso load = P100 airtime/SMS for 10 days
    New All Text 40 load (P40) = 200 SMS (180 within network and 20 to other networks)
    New All Text 50 load (P50) = 300 SMS (270 within network and 30 to other networks)
    Gaan Text 20 load (P20 Talk and Text only) = 100 SMS (90 within network and 10 to other networks)

    The All Text load denominations, particularly All Text 20, is the most sought after load denomination from Smart since it debuted a year ago. It's cheap but somewhat "bitin" as customers top-up their Smart sims with this 1 day load expiry service. One must spend the whole 100 SMS credits to make the most out of the service within 24 hours. With the addition of All Text 40 and 50 (2 days and 3 days), this could provide a convenient way of spending the load wisely.

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    Smart's myTV experiences technical problems

    Nov 5, 2007JP aka Elmo
    Eagleman Blog
    Blogger



    Last Friday, November 2, 2007, we went back to Smart Wireless Center in Festival Mall Alabang to report the problem "again" about the error in the mobile device (N92) regarding their myTV service. It happened before (October 28) and the customer representative at that time provided solutions in which he did by re-setting/re-format the mobile device. We don't have any ideas as to what was the cause of the device error. The rep. didn't provide any extra details about the possibilities on how did the error occurred on the first place.

    The error was all about the "program guide" under N92's mobile TV application. These program guides are being loaded whenever the application was started for the first time or if there's a need to after the phone was out of the broadcast range for some time.

    "Mobile TV uses a large amount of device memory to store the program guide. The device attempts to update the program guide periodically even if Mobile TV is not on."

    excerpted from Nokia N92 User's Guide page 12

    MTV Philippines is the only one viewable channel on myTV without activating the subscription. Among the package are these 9 premium cable channels which requires activation by subscribing on to myTV. Smart myTV is a per month subscription which costs a flat rate of P488/month.

    The problem we encountered with our N92 was that the premium channels are no longer viewable anymore. We can still watch MTV but the rest pops-out a message "End of Preview" every time we select these premium channels. You need to select "Preview" from the phone's "Options" menu in which the device retrieves the activation rights through 3G or GPRS connection... but to no avail. "Can't connect SmartBundle1 to server. Program guides are not up-to-date" is the only message returned every time. Under Mobile TV settings, the subscriptions indicate that the phone is still subscribed to SmartBundle1. I don't get it. What is causing the error? When the phone experienced the problem the 2nd time around, I thought the device itself was the culprit. The next thing that went in to my mind was to replace the unit. We acquired the handset from them (Smart Wireless) through a plan. It's possible since it was still weeks old and we have the official receipt on hand. We only found the answer when we went back to the wireless center.

    Since I am the techie guy in the family, my mom let me do the talking and explained the details about the unit's problem. The help desk lady there said that...

    "We need to re-set the unit sir."

    That was quick. I never expected a straightforward answer. Before I ask her again, my mind tells me that the lady knows about this already or she encountered the same problem as ours from previous customers. I then asked her as to what is causing the error. Is it the phone? She replied then.

    "Sir myTV service is experiencing technical/system problems at the moment. There's no notice yet on when the issue will be resolved. The only solution at this time is to re-set/re-format your device to bring back it's default software and hardware configurations. You must backup your contacts to your memory card as this will wipe them off."

    I said...

    "So you mean we have to go here (Smart Wireless) and let the helpdesk re-format our device whenever the problem occurs again?" That's a hassle.

    "That's the only option sir."

    I asked her to teach me instead on how to perform the soft reset and the hard reset. So that the next time the error occurred again, I will be the one who will reformat the device. No hassle on going to them again. The procedures only requires you to enter some code on the phone to do the re-setting. The lady gladly noted the steps on a piece of paper. Within 3 minutes, she already finished the re-setting and we were able to watch the premium channels again.

    Aside from N92, N77 and P were also affected by the problem. Since the program guides are updated periodically by the phone itself, there's nothing at the moment that can prevent the error from happening. How's that for a newly launched first of its kind service in the country? Will this be the same with the Smart Wifi issue in which it was re-branded to Smart Bro because of numerous complaints? Will Smart re-brand myTV if ever the early implementations of this service don't click? Not to mention the protest the service is facing from PCTA. As of this writing, the Smart myTV service subscription is still FREE (contrary to their "until August 31 free-view period") until further notice. That means I have to enjoy free live cable channels on the phone... up to sawa!

    Subscriber's who own Mobile TV capable handset's (specifically N92 and N77) may inquire about the methods on how to re-set the device. Just email me (located on my Contacts). I'll provide you the methods for soft reset and the code for hard reset. This procedure may only work on N-series devices.

    UPDATE 11/24/07: Smart already has details about the soft reset procedure. However in my case, it is not enough. One should do both, the soft and hard reset to fully reset the phone.


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    Random Post: Traffic Surge and Smart's MyTV

    Oct 25, 2007JP aka Elmo
    Eagleman Blog
    Blogger



    There's a lot of things keeping me from acting normally for the past weeks. ^_^. However, these won't hinder me from blogging and at least visit some blogs and able to comment on some posts. I do have several draft posts since the start of my "so called" vacation status. Aside from these, we are still processing our SmartBRO SME application on one of Smart's Wireless Centers. We're hoping for an immediate approval.

    This is my random post which includes 2 different topics related to my "kinaaabalahan" from the past weeks. Traffic surge to my blog due to my previous music album review posts and the Smart MyTV tests.

    Traffic surge

    My recent post about APO's newest addition to their tribute album entitled Kami nAPO Muna Ulit Album gained an increase in my blog's overall traffic for the past few weeks. Traffic that now comes from "search engines" replacing my "referral traffic" to second place again based from Google Analytics. With the help of Google Webmaster tools, most of the search returns for these particular keywords (Kami napo Muna ulit track list) made my post land on the first page. Sometimes among the top 5 to 10 search results. Same thing happened to my last week's post about Nina's newest Special Edition CD. Posting about new music album releases is effective if you ask me. Especially when you are among the very few who posted something about it immediately. It took just under 12 hours to notice that the keywords "Nina Barry Manilow" appeared through my web stats. I am grateful that Google spiders indexed my blog that fast.

    MyTV

    This past week, I'm testing Smart's newest service named "MyTV" that let's you watch digital video broadcast on selected mobile phones. Smart does have this subscription package that includes channels like what your local cable providers provide in your television sets. CNN, Jack TV, Cartoon Network... to name a few (I believe there are 10) are included in the myTV subscription package. The subscription rate is a per month basis which usually costs P488 for both prepaid and postpaid. Currently supported handsets are N92 and the newly released N77 of the Nokia N-Series. These handsets are able to receive DVB-H or Digital Video Broadcast signal in which the included channels under myTV are able to broadcast.

    "Digital Video Broadcast - Hand held (DVB-H) is the technology driving mobile TV. A combination of conventional digital video and IP, DVB-H scales for smaller devices a technology that's already in place in millions of TV sets worldwide."

    N92 is bulky and much heavier than the rest of Nokia's N-Series. N77 is just released recently which features sleek design and much lighter than N92. It also offers DVB-H reception.

    Setting up Smart's myTV on N92 requires patience and an adequate signal from your mobile carrier. Since Smart broadcast this new signal transmission aside from 3G, HSDPA, GPRS, SMS, MMS and voice calls, many cable providers in the country protested against it.

    "Officials of the Philippine Cable Television Association (PCTA) petitioned for the issuance of a cease and desist order against the myTV services being offered by leading telecommunications giant Smart Corp. But why? The reason? Visit this link"

    We have a low penetration of Smart signal inside our house due to a factory meters behind our subdivision. We must find an exact spot where the signal is consistent just to stream digital TV broadcast. Mobile TV application on N92 requires scanning for "program guides" to know the available channels in your mobile carrier. The subscription that was already settled and agree to had not been activated on the phone*. It requires connection to the web to download subscription user rights to watch that particular channel. Nevertheless, I'm able to watch MTV Philippines since it was one of the local channels here in the country that broadcast through DVB-H. And it is free!

    "I read that ABSCBN 2 will also go digital. Will this mean that the network will go for digital streaming through DVB-H to hand held devices? "

    The video stream is clear and pix elations normally happen when the signal drops or interferences in the signal occurred.

    *UPDATE: I just created a new subscription and able to receive activation rights from SmartBundle. What I found was that the subscription rate was 1 peso per month contrary to the P488 per month. I don't know but that is what I saw before the channels are unlocked. So far all channels are now accessible.

    Images below: N92 with Smart's myTV in action.














    UPDATE 10/30/2007: The subscription from SmartBundle1 suddenly ended for no apparent reason. I'm receiving "Preview Ended" message on the mobile phone whenever I watch unlocked cable channels. Now that is locked again, I try to re-activate it but haven't succeeded. I'm still seeing SmartBundle1 continuous indicated under subscriptions. But why? MTV Philippines which is the default accessible channel unlocked was the only one viewable at the moment.

    UPDATE 10/31/2007: We went to Smart Wireless Center in Festival Mall Alabang to inquire about the problem. We find out that the phone need to be reformatted due to a memory device error. How did it get an error? No idea actually. The next thing happened, the customer representative were able to access the channels again. Back home, I did a recap of the phone's manual. Based on the manual, "program guides" are automatically downloaded onto the device memory whenever the Mobile TV is launched for the first time or there's a need to in case the phone has been out of range from the DVB-H signal. This program guide eats huge amount of disk space on the device and this contains the actual updated program schedules every hour of everyday of every channel. What I know is that the phone's program guide was corrupted somehow and that the phone can't update the program guides in it. Without some visual notice on the phone regarding the true problem, the device only pops-out a message "Preview Ended" whenever I watch channels aside from MTV. Whenever I request for a license to view the channels, the phone returns an error "Can't connect to SmartBundle1 server. Program guides are not up-to-date!". See what I mean? So the best way to fix this is to reformat if somehow the phone experiences these problems again. The question is, why and how did the phone's memory become corrupted?

    UPDATE 11/02/07: The phone experienced the problem again this morning before we went to Divisoria in Binondo. We decided to go back again to Smart Wireless Center to reformat it somehow and inquire if the phone is defective. I asked this lady on the customer service area and ask her about the phone's problem. We find out what caused the error and the help desk representative provided me with the solution if ever the error appeared again. I'll post more about this on the 5th of November 2007.


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    Waste Segregation

    Oct 15, 2007JP aka Elmo
    Eagleman Blog
    Blogger



    First and foremost, I want to congratulate the former Vice-president Mr. Al Gore and UN's Intergovernmental Panel for winning the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 for their work against global warming. The award recognizes Al Gore and IPCC's efforts to build up awareness about man-made changes to our climate. The information on global warming was disseminated around the world and that truly the earth was in planetary emergency and in need of our help.

    Segregation of Household Wastes

    Waste segregation is the process of separating trash from biodegradable ones, recyclable materials and trash that need to be dumped on a dump site. It is an eco-friendly practice to reduce garbage disposal and accumulation in landfills. Thus decreasing the negative impact these wastes produce to the environment. With this in effect, local governments need not to expand or allocate much larger landfills to accommodate the cities garbage disposal needs.

    How to segregate trash? It is fairly an easy task to do and for those who need more information on how segregation works, one should inquire to their barangay or local government. Or you can read the rest of my post to get a substantial amount of idea of what segregation is.

    To minimize the trash a particular household generates, one should apply waste segregation practices.

    The biodegradable wastes are those that breakdown easily by bacteria. Examples of this are peelings of fruits and vegetables, fish intestines and insides, chicken and pork bones, egg shells, rotten foods, manure, grasses, sticks and twigs, ashes and the like. One should keep these wastes on a temporary metal or plastic containers with a cover. To get rid of these accumulated trash, simply dug a deep hole on the ground (depends on how many trash you may put in it), place the waste inside the ditch and cover it with soil. This is an effective way to fertilize the soil as bacteria eats away the waste. Compost is produced by doing this for gardening purposes especially from manure. Animal wastes are also converted into Methane gas to use as an alternative gas to be used in cooking. These method is safe and no harm done to the environment whatsoever.

    Recyclable trash are those materials that can be used a hundred or even a thousand times. Examples are paper and cartons, metal and glass bottles and plastic containers.

    In the US, scientists have already developed biodegradable plastics made from corn. Common plastics contribute to a number of land pollution issues as these materials cannot breakdown easily by bacteria.

    These materials should be delivered to the nearest recycling facility in your area. You can also get some money out of recycling.

    Here in the Philippines, men who collect recyclable materials comes with a cart and roams the streets as they shout "Bote, Dyaryo!" (Bottles , Newspapers). You can sell them your used newspapers, plastic bottles and glass bottles. These men will deposit these materials on a junk shop where they weigh it and pay those collectors.

    The third ones are those wastes that needed to be dumped on a landfill. Typical examples are sanitary napkins and diapers as these are non-biodegradable and definitely non-recyclable (who would recycle them anyway...eew! haha!). Clothings and rags, ceramics, candy wrappers and other wrappers and Styrofoam. Items should be collected and put in a garbage bag and wait for the garbage collector to collect the trash.

    What are the benefits of segregation?

    Segregating wastes will drastically reduce the amount of trash being dumped on landfills. Aside from these, local residents can make money out of it by selling recyclable items on junk shops and recycling facilities. Segregation will keep the soil rich in nutrients. Farmers can make their own compost to fertilize their farm to produce good crops. Segregation will limit the effects of land pollution and areas around it will be cleaner and odor free.

    Implementation problems of segregation in the Philippines

    Last 2000, the government enacted a law in regards to the practice if waste segregation. Republic Act 9003 on the Economic Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 requires each barangay to setup a material recovery facility (MRF). Waste segregation, recycling, composting of biodegradable waste and storing of recyclable materials are the key projects under the MRF. However, most barangays in the country trashed this law due to lack of knowledge and funds.

    Under Section 10 of R.A. 9003, barangays play a vital role in carrying out the provisions of the law, because waste segregation and collection are under their jurisdictions.

    How sad to think that only a few barangays dedicate part of their duties to waste segregation. The government must alleviate their effort to educate barangay officials of this law. Imagine if 80% of all barangays in the Philippines participated in this project, there will be less land to be allocated for landfills. Angry mobs who oppose these landfills in their area will be reduced.

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