Nicolas Was...

Ho... ho... ho...

So it's that time of year again...

Let's change it a bit shall we?... This year, let me share you a poem by one of the greatest minds of our generation... Neil Gaiman.  Yep. That Neil Gaiman. Of the Sandman fame.

If you don't know who Neil Gaiman is, look it up and try to read some of his works.  He's one of the best storytellers alive and some of his works have already been adapted to comics, books, and film.

You see in 1989, he wrote a very short poem about old Saint Nick.  And let me tell it to you now... this is not one for the kids...

Nicholas Was...
older than sin, and his beard could grow no whiter. He wanted to die.
The dwarfish natives of the Arctic caverns did not speak his language, but conversed in their own, twittering tongue, conducted incomprehensible rituals, when they were not actually working in the factories.
Once every year they forced him, sobbing and protesting, into Endless Night. During the journey he would stand near every child in the world, leave one of the dwarves' invisible gifts by its bedside. The children slept, frozen into time.
He envied Prometheus and Loki, Sisyphus and Judas. His punishment was harsher.
Ho. Ho. Ho.

 It really warms your heart... doesn't it?

As an additional gift for all who reads this... here are two animated shorts based on the above poem..

And here's another...

Ah... it really hits the spot ain't it? hehehe... So as you open your gifts and drink your eggnogs... give a toast to old Saint Nick...

My parting words to you... Merry friggin Christmas!!!


Mumbling my Ho.... ho.... ho....

The Magic at 89.9

So there's this radio station that I always tune into in the mornings.. and if you're one of "us" working yuppies (young urban professional?), you're already familiar with this particular program at 89.9 Magic.  Yep, I am talking about the Good Times with Mo Twister program every morning - Mondays thru Thursdays at 6am-9am in the morning.

This show has gained popularity (and some crap) through it's controversial interviews (forbidden questions) and of course it's enigmatic and funny host, DJ Mo Twister and DJ Mojo Jojo.  It has long since ceased with the controversial interviews but still remains strong and in my opinion, the best morning show on air in the Philippines today. Period.  Other DJ's that have joined the show were Andy 9, who has since moved on to a different program (still in Magic!), Maui Taylor of the Viva Hot Babes fame, and currently, Grace Lee (Korean) and Angelicopter (former listener of Good times with Mo turned DJ/celebrity).

DJ Mo Twister

I must admit that I have never really tuned on to the show completely (from 6am to 9am? uh-uh..) but rather, I catch it in it's mid-run which is usually the time I travel to the office.  Like everybody else, I heard about the show because of the controversial interviews... but now, I have grown an actual interest and fondness to the show and it's hosts.. with DJ Mo's smart topics and his amusing banters (fights) with his co-hosts (DJ Mojo and the girls).  From almost that day on, my car radio never left the 89.9 station.  Even when I'm going home at night, since I never change the station, I got introduced to other shows like the Boys Night Out (BNO), which is also another awesome show that I like that started small and has currently gotten it's deserved fame.

DJ Mojo Jojo

So why am I blogging about my favorite radio show?  Because it's my blog and after years of it's undefeated status as the premiere morning show, my fave show is now going to undergo a major change... for better or for worse, I'm not yet sure but since I am now a loyal listener, I will be sticking thru this times with them.  The major change I am talking about is that DJ Mo is going to go and move to New York.  Why?  Well, if you ask me, it's because of recent lovelife woes but I'm sure you're not going to ask me since you're already familiar with it.  Anyway... yeah it's a big change... but that doesn't mean that DJ Mo will be leaving the show... the plan is that he is still going to be doing the show... but from New York.  Naks!  Very Nice... very high tech... but how effective this will be still remains to be seen.   This week will be his last here in the Philippines... he will be leaving for New York within a few weeks so after this week, there'll be no Mo on the show for about a month... And on January, they'll be doing a soft launch of the show from there.

Angelicopter

Since it's his last week, the wife and I decided to take advantage of Bonifacio day and finally visit our fave morning show at their station!  We were planning to wake up early but actually woke up late but we still got to the station with about an hour left to the show!  And boy, there was a lot of people with the same intentions as me... to see Mo off and to wish him luck in New York.  We were outside the booth looking in and with us were about 20 other people.. and that was outside the booth! While inside the booth, I think there was another 15 people!  So we got to meet Mo, Mojo, and Angelicopter!!!  Grace Lee was absent due to a sickness.  The place is cool and cozy but a bit stuffy with all the people in there..  Mo came out every break just to say Hi, or to say that he isn't good with small talks and so just hangs out with us outside the booth...  I've never met any of them before but I was pleasantly surprised to find that they are very nice people and very down to earth!  They hung out with the listeners who came by and I think Mo, shook the hands and hugged everyone that was there!  It was a great first time meet and greet for me and got the chance to have a lot of pictures with them!  Even the other listeners who were there were very nice to everyone else (is it because it's christmas time already?) and some of the long time callers who are also familiar were there (Like Melissa -- the crying lady and Mo's #1 fan!).  We had a really nice time and had wished we had done it sooner.

Like I said, there are major changes ahead but I know that they will pull thru this along with their huge and wildly loyal listeners.  That includes me and the wifey.  So here's to Good times wih Mo... may you have more power and may this change lead the show to greater heights!  To me and many others, the Good times with Mo show will always be the "Magic" in 89.9.

Mumbling my giddiness when I met the gorgeous Angelicopter!

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1

Heh.

One of the most awaited films of the teen generation is out and expectantly, has made record sales once again!  I know this comes a bit late and I actually never intended to blog about the movie but... since I am experiencing a drought in what to write and to what direction I want to take the blog as a whole, I decided to do this little filler.

Breaking dawn is one of the longest books in the Twilight franchise, not to mention that it is very lucrative for the studios to prolong their moneymaking cash cow by making it into two movies instead of one just to bleed every penny they can on the crazy twi-struck fans and believe you me, it works... they'll gobble it up... including me.

Yep. Me.

I'm not exactly a die hard fan but I have enjoyed the books, and like others, have waited with bated breaths on how they would translate it in the silver screen.  In the books, the first part of the story was actually slow since it focused on the wedding, the honeymoon and the birth... there was never really that much action in the first arc... in the movie, they made it work by incorporating the wolf shifters.. yep, I call 'em wolf shifters 'coz that's what they are... they are not werewolves so you just stop with your own commentary...  They made the birthing and the argument of the wolves as the climax of the movie and it still worked. 

And one more thing, this movie is for those who appreciate the book franchise... this is not going to make a lick  of sense for those who haven't read the book (and I've read commentaries from those people who don't read the book and then watched the movie) and would probably hate it so I am telling it right now, If you don't like or have not read the books, this movie is not for you... 

But on the other hand, if you are a fan of the book, you will love it!  You get to see the wedding, honeymoon, and the birth... the 3 most important facts in the first arc..  you get to see if the studios were able to match you're imagination of how it is setup and executed (though probably, you're imagination wins... mine did!).  And for me, I think the movie sums up the first part quite well...

mumbling my anticipation for the last arc...

The Vampire Wars... Rice versus Meyer!

Oooh... the internet and twitter has been a buzz lately because our old favorite author on vampires is now starting a fight with our current favorite author on vampires!

Yes! Yes!  It seems that Ms. Rice started to do some mudslinging using her characters from her book to deride the characters of Meyer's books!  On her facebook page, Ms. Rice posted a loaded question linking to an article of a North Dakota student:

 And then there is this other really pressing issue: should vampires sparkle? Think before you speak! This is probably the most important issue facing our time!!! (I have a suspicion that Louis, Lestat and Armand will refuse to discuss this. But then you know how contrary and difficult they can be.)...

 She then continued on to site what would her characters think of the vampires in Twilight:

Lestat and Louie feel sorry for vampires that sparkle in the sun. They would never hurt immortals who choose to spend eternity going to high school over and over again in a small town —— anymore than they would hurt the physically disabled or the mentally challenged. My vampires possess gravitas. They can afford to be merciful.

Oh Snap!!!  That has got to twinge even just a little...

Let the Vampire Wars via their authors begin...

mumbling my glee to the closest to a vampire war we will ever get..

An Unlikely Romance...

Hollywood has done it again!  Well actually, books have done it first.  We've had Vampire-Human Romance... Werewolf-human romance.. now?  We got us a Zombie-Human romance.  Say What?  Are you asking yourself if it's a typo?  Nope.  It says clearly... Zombies.

Yep, apparently, there's this book called Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion about a supernatural love story involving the normal human babe and the flesh eating zombie of our nightmares.  The gist of the plot is that a Zombie starts havinh feelings for a girl after eating her boyfriend.  Apparently, the zombie also ate his brains and has then absorbed his memories and his love for the girlfriend.  He then starts to follow her around intent on protecting her.(?)..  Of course there wil be a lot of issues here like how can she stand the smell of rotting flesh and can they kiss without anything falling off or will they do the nasty?

Hollywood has picked up on the book and is now planning an August 2012 release.  It will star Teresa Palmer (I am number four) and Nicolas Coult (beast from XMen first Class).

See more of the original article from Hollywoodcrush via MTV.com.

mumbling as I run away from the brain sucking zombies...

Wash the label away...

Don't you just hate it when you buy fruit and it has this old big label sticker that just refuses to come off??

Yeah you do.

So do I.  So this invention of Scott Amron takes care of that!  You only need to wash your fruit and voila!  The label turns into fruit soap to wash you fruit with!  Epically cool!

See the features of this invention here: http://www.amronexperimental.com/Fruit_Wash_Labels.html

mumbling a day... uh... keeps the doctor away?

Quantum Levitation may make hoverboards possible!!

I just gotta post this although by Internet standards, I am already pretty late.

There's a video that has already gone viral depicting QUANTUM LEVITATION/LOCKING.  You already know what levitation is but Quantum Locking is the ability to trap an object in 3 dimensional space thus also making it look like an object is levitating.  At least as I understand it.  I'm no Physicist so I maybe wrong in my definition.  What I do know is that isn't like the defense mechanism of the weeping angels (for Dr. Who fans!). 

This video proves to us that we are on the verge of a breakthrough in futuristic travel as long as they devise a way to make superconductors at room temp anyway.

Watching the video, you could easily see and feel the wonder as you see the disc glide over the track or below it...  it brings out the kid in you!  The kid that is still full of wonder and optimism unmarred by the reality of skepticism that abound in our daily lives.

For more information, hop on over to the It's Okay to be Smart website: http://jtotheizzoe.tumblr.com/post/11590151866/if-this-video-doesnt-make-your-jaw-drop-you

mumbling my amazement and dreams of the future...

Immaculate Conception of Pit Vipers

Okay.  So it's not exactly Immaculate conception. Okay! It's really not immaculate conception? Happy?  Sheeesh!

But it is similar since pit vipers like the copperhead snake (pictured above -- taken from www.livescience.com) have been found to be able to reproduce asexually! Asexawhat??  Asexually!  You know?  Like when Jeff Goldblum explains how the dinosaurs are breeding in Jurassic Park!  Now you know! 

But just to recap, it's the ability of certain animals  (and plants!) to reproduce from a single parent which does not involve fertilization... or you know... sex (what??? Where's the fun in that?!?).  When it does occur in vertebrate females, this particular mode of asexual reproduction is known as facultative parthenogenesis. Cool!

You can read the whole article here at the livescience.com site: http://www.livescience.com/16573-pit-viper-snakes-virgin-births-reproduction.html

The ancient one finishes marathon

True Story!

Fauja Singh is the first archaic guy ever to finish a marathon!  Really!  This guy is ancient and he friggin ran a marathon!!!  This old british runner completed a 26K run in eight hours and 25 minutes!  That's impressive given his age and he wasn't even dead last!  Damn!  He's really making guys like me look bad...

For those of you not familiar with the hardships of running, BBC news lists the tolls that entail when you run especially when you've already old:

"Long-distance running is hard on the body - and the older you get the greater the toll it takes.

The heart becomes less efficient at circulating oxygen - an average 60-year-old pumps 20% less oxygenated blood than a 20-year-old.

Muscle strength also declines sharply once you pass 70, at a rate of about 30% per decade, according to some studies.

Your ligaments and tendons become more brittle, making you more prone to injuries, and your lung tissue becomes stiffer and less efficient."

Just watch a video of the guy:

For most runners, Fauja has become an inspiration... to me he has become a bane... or maybe I'm just a lazy bastard...

I refer to you to the original BBC post: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15344238 for more details.

*sigh*  mumbling as I sit down on the couch..

Prufrock451: Could I destroy the entire Roman Empire during the reign of Augustus if I traveled back in time with a modern U.S. Marine infantry battalion or MEU?

Prufrock451 ROCKS!!!!

There's this little subreddit over at reddit.com about a question.. no.. an idea!... not quite polished but the formings or premise of a great story....

Prufrock451 posted a what if storyline wherein he pits a modern US marine battalion against the very best of the Roman Empire (The Praetorians).  His story telling style can be considered flash fiction and fits right well with the fast paced action he is going to deliver. 

He pits the two team in the home turf of the Romans... in a yet unexplained phenomena, the 35th MEU was transported to the Roman times, in the time of Augustus, bringing with them a few thousand soldiers consisting mostly of US marines, some afghan soldiers some Italian soldiers and some ground engineers, tech people and a few scientists.  They have fuel that would last a few months as well as food that might last them for weeks.  They also have a number of artillery as well as a few tanks and 3 fighter helicopters.

The Marines: Appearing out of nowhere, the US Marines people consisted of 2,200 Marines. With them are about 150 Air Force maintenance and repair specialists. There are about 60 Afghan Army soldiers, mostly the MEU's interpreters and liaisons. There are also 15 U.S. civilian contractors and one mystery man.  They have the weapons and the technology.  On a quick glance, given the time period, they can be considered the most powerful force in the world...

The Roman Empire:  Being in their home turf, they number in the thousands... and they have the praetorian guards... the elite fighting force of the Roman Empire.  These praetorians are said to be so bad-ass that they kill their own emperors if they dont like him.

With the advance military hardware at the Marines disposal, could they topple the Roman Empire?  Common sense should say that this would be a one sided fight... and maybe it would be... at first.  But if the fight wears on, the Marines know that the bullets will not last, that the fuel will not last, their food, will not last, however good the are, they rely far too much on modern gadgets and weapons.

The Romans on the other hand, have the advantage of terrain plus those army of praetorians who have never known the comforts of air conditioning, heaters, cushions on seats...  have fought and won wars with nothing but the armor they are wearing and the swords in their hands.  Under a hot sun, in the cold grasps of winter, they have experienced it all and fought on with nothing but grit.

Prufrock451 have posted a great story which garnered the interest of many.  So much so, that he was approached by someone from that board to polish the story even further and then pitch it to some of the big wigs in Hollywood.

As of this writing, Prufrock451 has sold the premise to Warner Bros. and is in the process of finishing a script to be approved to be a major motion picture!!!  Which is a surprise because the trend in Hollywood right now is sequels and remakes and more remakes.  Quite refreshing to know that they are also interested in doing original movies.... heheh.

Great Story.  Great Writer.  Great Medium.  The internet is truly an awesome place.

You can still read the first 7 days of the story over at Reddit.com.  Here is the link : http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k067x/could_i_destroy_the_entire_roman_empire_during/c2giwm4

Reddit user Prufrock451, who is more commonly known as James Erwin,  is apparently a "two-time Jeopardy winner".  As of this writing, Warner Bros. has asked him to stop redditing with regards to the storyline anyway...

Mumbling my awe at the great story unfolding...

Agent Coulson: A funny thing happened to me on the way to THOR's Hammer

Remember this guy??

Yeah him.

His name is Agent Coulson and he was in the Iron Man movies and quite lately, in the Thor movie.  I know! I know! That was months ago and you're just posting it now???  On that, I refer you to my previous post: In my defense...

Okay, back to Agent Coulson.  So in the Iron Man movie, Agent Coulson got pulled out for a mysterious mission.  At the end of the Iron Man movie, there was this teaser where  we find that he was sent to retrieve Thor's hammer... Yeah! Now you remember...

Well, it seems, our Agent Coulson had a bit of a side trip on his way to Thor's hammer which shows that this mild mannered agent of shield is nothing but a pansy.  And this little web release shows the details of the action I am talking about. Hence the title of this blog post! Duh!


You can watch the whole short here via comingsoon.net: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=83241

mumbling my mild surprise...

In my defense...

Okay! Okay! You got me!!!  It's been a while since my last post which was, I think a little over a month ago.  But, if you must know, I do have a day job and I was a little crammed due to a deadline for a windows service that I needed to put up for a client.  I was originally more of an application/client-server type developer so I had a bit of struggle with creating windows services.  Plus, services are just a pain to debug and test.  Well, anyway, I'm just testing a few test scripts and then I think I am going to be done... and since it looks like I'm gonna have some downtime... I think we can get back to blogging... so what do you say?  Shall we have at it?

Mumbling my appreciation for your kind consideration...

Smurfs in real life

Heh!  For all those born in the eighties, I am quite sure that the Smurf cartoons have a soft spot in their hearts... awwww!!!  So, did you see the movie?? I personally haven't but, I found on the net something that might give those blue imp loving eighties babies something to fawn over ar maybe at least think about...

An artist, , Nate Hallinan, conceptualized how the smurfs will look in real life!!!  He gave this a real once over and a real long thought before he started to make his rendition.  His reasoning, I'll post it as it is:

    "The Smurf is actually the result of a symbiotic relationship between two organisms. We believe  that Smurfs put their 'embryos' in the button of a developing mushroom. From a distance, Smurfs seem like they are wearing a hat and pants but as you can see this is a fallacy. The fungus provides camouflage and protective epidermal layers for the creature, while the creature provides nutrients and mobility for the spreading of spores.

Smurfs are believed to be a hunter gatherer society. As you can see, this little guy is returning from a successful venture. It is generally difficult to spot a Smurf; they are very apprehensive and cunning. Sadly though, it is rumored that they are hunted for their medicinal properties. It's hard to determine but it is thought that there are not many colonies of Smurf left."

 Personally, I think this guy has way too much time on his hands but I just cant shake the feeling that he got it dead to rights.  Oh and I also I think that he succeeded in his goal...  given his reasoning and stuff...

  whatchathink guys???

Picture from http://www.geekologie.com/2011/09/stomp-it-smurf-imagined-in-real-life.php

For the original post, please see: http://www.geekologie.com

Mumbling the eighties in my mind... 'till next!

Proof that there are vampires?

Sheessh!!!!  The web is abuzz lately... all because of one little black and white picture that is being sold on ebay.  The post declares that the photo was neither photoshopped or edited in any form whatsoever...  Here's the photo:

The photo above is from buzzfeed: http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/nicolas-cage-is-a-time-traveling-vampire

But also check out the post from io9 which has a bit more details: http://io9.com/5841112/was-nicolas-cage-a-vampire-during-the-civil-war-this-1000000-photograph-holds-the-answers

mumbling my disbelief...

The Osaka Station Fountain beats all other fountains!!

The Osaka Station fountain puts all other fountains to shame!  I mean where else can you see a fountain that can display the time, give information and play animation using only water as the medium?  No where else!!! Not even the fountains located in Las Vegas can beat this!  Just watch and be amazed!!!

Mumbling my amazement at the water bending skills of this fountain....

Adarna Restaurant!! A gem tucked away at the heart of QC...

I found out about Adarna restaurant from my wife who found out about it from an old friend who was raving about Adarna to my wife who in turn was raving about it to me for the longest time ever.  After I got back from Finland, we decided to try it out for ourselves as a sort of anniversary dinner.  Finding the place is easy 'coz it's just along Kalayaan Road in Quezon City.  And special thanks goes to Google... for you know... Google maps!  If you're coming from Quezon City circle, you won't miss the Kalayaan road sign from there and when on Kalayaan, it will be just at your right side.

Adarna Restaurant was named after the mythical bird from the fabled Filipino story "Ibong Adarna".  If you don't know it's story or even heard of the Ibong Adarna then shame on you!  It's a classic and I urge you to read it.  Go on... google it... I'll wait.

Upon arrival at Adarna resto... the first thing you will notice are the fighting cocks they kepp at the front... Not!!!  Seriously, if the name hasn't tipped you off, the first thing you'll notice is that this is definitely a Filipino restaurant... the decor, the posters, the furniture... everything gives a sort of Filipino vibe with a splosh of spanish here and there.  I really liked what they have done with the place!  It really gives a comfy feel like you would when you're visiting your Lola in the province.  And you definitely know that you're in for good food and a hearty meal.

The place itself, upon entering, you'll be greeted by a spacious lot with a humble fountain in the middle.  The actual resto is divided into smoking and non-smoking areas.  We picked the non-smoking section because it is airconditioned while the smoking area is not but it does have open windows that peer out onto the fountain.  We got to our table and dove into the menu...

Adarna restaurant has a lot of specialties like their Pork Adobo and the Piassok which is a slow cooked beef in a special sauce!  I wanted to order both by I heard from the table behind us that they were already out of the Pork Adobo... *sigh*.. I was looking forward to the adobo.  So we ordered the Piassok, the seafood special, the adobong kangkong and the tofu rebusado.  For the appetizers, I got us some sweet and spicy dilis and an order of vegetable spring rolls.  To quench our thirst, the wifey ordered the Sago't Gulaman... as for me, I wanted to be adventurous so I tried the Felizidad drink which was a concoction of egg, milk, and rhum among other things... in short, I think it was eggnog. heheh.

The food came and I was so excited that I didn't care which was the appetizers and the main course!  The Seafood Special was so good!!!  The taste just melts in your mouth!  I think their secret was the small chopped squid that I first mistaked for garbansos!  

The sweet and spicy dilis was addicting and can be mixed with any dish we ordered!

The kangkong even came topped with dilis which made the kangkong first rate, if you ask me... I usually like kangkong topped wth lechon kawali, but this was definitely better!

The Tofu rebusado was amazing!!  I am not a tofu lover but they mixed the tofu with the the egg and the tomatoes and other herbs so well that it just became one of my favorite dishes!!! mixed with the sweet and spicy dilis of course... ehehe.  So far so good...

The last one I haven't tasted was the piassok... and as advertised... it was as soft as a baby's bum!  Really, I could shred it without using a knife!  Unfortunately, the Piassok was the  only real dissapointment for me.... I had such high hopes but the taste was just... meh.  Take away the softness, it was just plain ordinary.  

Oooh... I almost forgot the spring rolls... it was okay and was a fitting appetizer which turned into dessert for me... :)

Overall, the food was great, the ambiance was great... we had a great time and a great dinner!  I would recommend this restaurant to anyone I know... including you! Plus, I also plan to go back to sample the Adobo!!  Hehe...

Talking about food always gets me hungry... so here's my stomach mumbling away... 'till next!

The Vampire Diaries Season 3 Starts next week!!!

Oh Yeah!

The Vampire Diaries is back!!!  Elena is back!! Damian is back! Stefan is back!  This time around, it's a fight for to get Stefan back.

And it all starts next week!

Mumbling away as i count the days when all our fave series is back...

The Sony Nex-7!!! Holy Crap! It just got better! (and more expensive!)

Recently, Sony unveiled it's newest EVIL (Elecronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens!) camera that buries into the ground most of what the critics hate about the nex series of cameras!

Picture is from the Engadget site!  Article link at the end of the post!

The Nex-7 is the big brother of the Nex3, Nex 5, Nex-3n and also the recently introduced Nex-5n.  I mean literally, THE Big brother!  A quick view would show that the Nex-7 has a bigger form factor than the rest of the old Nex cameras... but that has purpose and boy does it ever have a purpose!

The Nex-7 comes with a built in flash! Yep! built-in!  No screwing around with an attachable flash.  This one pops out from the body (see why it's bigger?).  Plus!!! Aside from the 3++ inches of LCD screen, you get a built in Electronic Viewfinder!!! (Now are you seeing why it's a teensy bit bigger???).  But Sony didn't stop there!  It added 2 new scroll wheels on top which can be a dedicated control wheel for whatever function you want (I think you configure it thru the settings menu) like ISO, shutter speed, etc...

Those mentioned above were just the thing that critics were bitchin about the old nex series but here Sony gave almost everything a full fledged DSLR to this baby... it's still smaller than a DSLR but with almost all the bells and whistles!  And nothing about the micro 4/3rds crap here... this baby (like all nex cameras) sport a full fledged DSLR sensor. Ain't it cool!!!

As much as I am drooling over this baby... this baby comes with a price... a very steep one... but one that may be a deal breaker for most... the price tag is over 1000 USD.  Yep! at that price, you can certainly buy a decent DSLR... but If I have money to burn, I'll do arson for this baby...

For more information on specs, head on over to Engadget where they look at the Nex-7 in depth... http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/24/sony-unveils-nex-7-24-3-mp-sensor-oled-viewfinder-1199-price/

mumbling my love for EVIL...

My stay at Oulu, Finland

Oulu city in Finland is said to be the capital of northern Scandinavia.  Oulu  (pronounced " Ohw-Loo") is an old northern dialect which means "flood".  It is one of the most populous city in Finland with an approximate population of less than 200,000.  It's one of the most largest cities in the northernmost parts of the world (granted most of it is lakes and forests).   It's also known as the location of the world air guitar championships (hell yeah!) and former tar and salmon capital of Finland (Ho-hum). 

I'll be staying for 3 weeks for business reasons and I am glad to have a chance to travel somewhere in Europe.  I've been to most places in Asia and North America and this is my first trip to Europe! Yey! At first, I thought I would be able to travel other parts of Europe but I found that Finland is quite far from other European countries... *sigh*.  It would be a long travel by train and a very expensive one by plane.  Oh well, then I'll just have to make the most of my stay at Oulu!

What I discovered though is that Oulu, is a quiet and quaint city in the edges of Finland.  There are lots of natural parks and lakes and if you're a nature lover, this would be like heaven to you.  I was born and raised a city boy and I do miss the hustle and bustle of city life but the quiet times I get here is, to quote a friend, "eerie-ly calming".

Finnish people are not ones for small talk so I rarely get to talk to anyone except when I'm at work and we usually talk about work.  I also found out that they roam around quite late in the day.  In fact, my first weekend (Saturday) here, I went out at 10am and there were barely any people in the streets.  After lunch is when the people start coming out of their shelters and getting together with friends or go shopping.

There are a few landmarks to see in Oulu (that are quite near) which anyone staying here should not miss... there is the Oulu City Hall, which is a majestic building open for view for tourists.

For quiet reflection, there is the towering Oulu Cathedral which is not far from the City hall.

Also not to miss is the Market Square!  This is where a lot of tourist go to... to eat, to shop and buy trinkets... and within the Market Square, is the Market Hall!  The Market Hall is a landmark in Oulu since it's been there for over 100 years!  It's a big barn like structure (made of bricks!) which houses stalls for different peddlers of trinkets, souvenirs, produce, meat, toys and other native handiworks!

There are also a few other things yo can do in Oulu, like a city bus tour (though I prefer to walk), a riverside cruise which takes about 4 hours and some other things (but it depends on the season) like rafting, boating, fishing and skiing.  In January, right at the Market Square, there are reindeer pulled sled races!  After you've seen those, there is basically nothing much more to see or do.  What is left is to sample the food in Finland.  In the Market square, you can find all sorts of cuisine to suit your tastes.  There are arctic fish, leg fish, white fish and salmon for sale (already grill cooked) and they are delicious!  There's also a restaurant/pub that serves reindeer meat and bear meat.  I'm still thinking if I'm gonna try it...

As I am writing this, I have only a week left on my stay and I'll probably spend it going back to the Market square to see if there's anything I've missed.  All in all, it was a good experience and maybe next time, I can go to some other parts of Europe! Yeah!!!

Mumbling my thanks in finnish... Kiitos!

Schengen Visa part 2

Sorry I had not posted in a while...as I have posted a while ago, I was busy with papers and other things since I was going to Finland for a business trip.  I hope you guys understand and as I am writing this, I am now in Oulu, Finland!  I'll try to post every weekend since I'll be busy during the weekdays but I'll try to update you guys more as soon as I can!

Anyway, to the post... After you have applied for a Schengen Visa, it is now your responsibility to follow it up.  They won't email you or call to tell you that you  have been approved or you have been declined.  You have to call them yourself or visit their office in Buendia.  Now, In my experience, after the 15 days processing time has passed, calling them was a bit difficult.  I don't know if it coincided with the recent storms but I just could not get a hold of the embassy!  I always get the auto attendant system and it keeps trying to pass me to the visa department but after a few rings, it goes back to the auto attendant system.  I used to make auto attendant systems, and I guess I can understand the loop but it is just really annoying..

 Hoookay... so if calling them didn't work, I would suggest that you drop by their office to follow-up.  There's just no other way around it, it may be a bit more legwork for you but hey, It's your visa!  After I followed up mine in person, I got informed that I was approved (yey!) and that I only had to present the duly paid return tickets and my insurance and I was good to go.  And that's it!

Hope you fare a lot better with their auto attendant system than I did!

mumbling my finnish which I don't....

Applying for a Schengen VISA

Okay.. so I gotta go for a business trip to Finland and I need to get a VISA to get there..

What's a VISA?  A VISA refers to an entry permit granted to an individual for a short time  (no more than 90 days within a period of six months).  This is for the purpose of visiting another country temporarily for tourism, visit, or business reasons.  Almost every country you will visit would require a VISA with some possible exceptions (for short visits) like Hongkong and Thailand and probably others.

Anyway, after checking out the website for the Finland embassy (http://www.finland.ph) here in the Philippines, I found out that I need a Schengen VISA. What? Schengen??? But I'm going to Finland!!??  Apparently,  a lot of European states require a Schengen VISA.  Getting a Schengen VISA means that you would be able to visit any of the Schengen countries since they have a unified VISA.  A Schengen visa entitles a person to enter the Schengen area provided that  other preconditions for the entry are met.  Philippine citizens need a visa to visit the Schengen area.

The 25 Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland .

Note: If your main destination cannot  be ascertained, the Schengen state whose territory constitutes the main destination of the visit in terms of purpose or the length of stay will be responsible for granting the visa.  The Embassy of Finland in Manila is representing also Estonia in Schengen visa matters in the Philippines. Kindly follow the same requirements, application forms and instructions as for Finland from this website. Please submit supporting documents in English.

Alright, so we got that cleared, so what else do I need to apply for a Schengen VISA?

1.    visit to the Embassy in person (also minors)
2.    passport (which is valid at least three months following the end of the visit) and a copy of it
3.    old passports
4.    Schengen visa application form carefully completed, dated and signed by the applicant
           -  visa application forms can be downloaded from the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs
           - Please carefully fill out the form along with all necessary appendices
5.    a recent color passport photograph, taken within the past six months
           - size 36 mm wide x 47 mm high, the facial dimensions being 32 mm X 36 mm, against an off-white or light background) 
6.    flight reservation (Please DO NOT purchase the actual ticket beforehand. Submission of the ticket is only upon the approval of the visa)
7.    travel insurance (Submission of travel insurance is only upon approval of the visa)
8.    NBI clearance (National Bureau of Investigation, purpose for Travel abroad, max. 12 months old)
9.    birth certificate (Note: Only National Statistic Office (NSO) certificates printed on a security paper are accepted by the Embassy)
10.  other documents maybe required on a case to case basis

Additional enclosures depending on the purpose of the travel:

Private visit (processing time 15 days) :
1.    an invitation letter stating the required details concerning the host and visitor (names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers), the purpose and duration of        the visit, confirmation of accommodation including the address, account of the relationship between the host and the visitor. The invitation letter must be signed        and dated
2.    a latest marriage certificate if the applicant and the host are married
3.    a certificate of kinship between the host and the applicant (such as latest birth certificates or marriage certificate), in case of a family visit.  (Note: Only National Statistic Office (NSO) certificates printed on a security paper are accepted by the Embassy)
4.    a copy of the host's passport or other identity document. If the host has visited the applicant in the Philippines, also the copies of entry and exit stamps has to be         included
5.    proof of sufficient funds (such as a copy of a bank statement from the past three months or a written certificate from the employer stating regular monthly income). The level of means of subsistence depend on the length of visit, purpose of the visit, and also on the cost of living of the Schengen State or States to be visited
6.    certificate of employment and approved leave of absence from the company/employer
7.    DTI / SEC registration of Business if applicant is self-employed / entrepreneur
8.    school certificate if the applicant is a student and proof of enrollment
9.    other documents maybe required on a case to case basis

The Finnish legistation allows the family member of a Finnish citizen to travel to Finland in order to file a residence permit application at a local police.  But even if an applicant is a family member (e.g.spouse), the status does not accord him or her an automatic right to a visa. Also in this case a person has to fulfill the general visa requirements.

Note : Late registrations are not accepted as such, the applicant must also provide e.g. school records (elementary or high school originals, Form 137) or hospital records of birth. Important : the embassy requires true verified copies of documents that led to late registration of a birth/death from the competent Civil Registrar, should these documents not meet the requirements of Rule 26 of the Philippine Administrative Order the birth/death certificate in question will not be accepted.

Note: If the applicant and/or husband/wife was married before, an annulment/divorce/death certificate on NSO security paper authenticated by  DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) has to be provided.

If the applicant  was single before marriage, the single status certificate called Certificate of No Marriage in the national indices of marriage on NSO security paper authenticated by DFA has to be provided.

Tourist visit (processing time 15 days)
1.   detailed tour itinerary and the contact information of the local and Finnish tour operator
2.   flight and hotel reservation
4.   proof of employment and approved leave of absence5.   DTI / SEC registration of Business if applicant is self-employed / entrepreneur
5.   proof of studies/holiday.   evidence of sufficient funds (such as a copy of a bank statement from the past three months)

Business trip/conference (processing time 15 days)
1.   flight and hotel reservation
2.   an invitation letter from a business partner/organisation, which  states the contact information (name of the contact person, phone number and address), purpose and date of travel
3.   employment certificate
4.   confirmation by the sending company/organisation about the travel and its purpose
5.   DTI / SEC registration of Business if applicant is self-employed / entrepreneur
6.   evidence of sufficient funds (such as a copy of a bank statement from the past three months)
7.   the Embassy may ask for additional enclosures, as appropriate, such as an extract from the Register of Companies

Seaman (processing time 3 working days)
1.   valid passport and Seaman's book
2.   original POEA contract and OEC (Overseas Employment Contract)
3.   ticket or confirmed booking from the airlines
4.   letter of  guarantee from the local manning agency in the Philippines
5.   letter of invitation from the shipping agent in Finland

Note : The Embassy must receive a confirmation in Finnish,  Swedish or English language by fax from the shipping agent in Finland,  including the name list of the seamen

The visa processing fee is  60 euros and it is charged when the application is submitted to the Embassy. The fee is paid in cash in the Filipino currency at the valid rate of exchange (3750 pesos in July 2011). The processing fee is non-refundable.    The fee is not charged if the visa applicant belongs to one of the following categories:
- children under six years
- school children, students, post graduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake trips for the purpose of study or educational training
- researchers travelling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research

Update: I forgot to include that if they require you to present an invitation letter from Finland, you'll need to submit the original or a scanned copy (as long as it is signed) of the invitation letter and then have them email the invitation letter from the inviting company/person who is in Finland to the Finland Embassy.

Whew!  That was a lot!  Do check out the website of the embassy of Finland to make sure that you have everything they require.  Good luck to all!

Mumbling my prayers that I get approved... hehehe

The 2011 (2012) Kia Picanto Review

Kia has just released their newest take on the Picanto series... and this time around, they got it right!

I had the chance to drive around the newest model of the Kia Picanto and I gotta say, it was impressive! Whoa!  I gotta stop gushing like a 16 year old chick here and give you some specs of the model I'm reviewing...

The Specs:
Model:    Kia Picantio 2011 (2012)
Engine:    1.0L Kappa MPI I-3 SOHC 12V Engine
Power:    69Hp at 6,200 rpm
Torque:     9.6kg-m at 3,500 rpm. 

Transmission options are manual and automatic.

PRICE:     The MT variant is priced at Php545,000 while the AT variant is priced at Php599,000.

The one I got to drive is the Automatic Transmission variant.

The competition (Direct):
The Hyundai i10, Suzuki Celerio, Chery QQ(??), Chevrolet Spark


The Interior:
The interior is nothing to sneeze at except possibly when you have a cold..  maybe not even then... unless your cold is really, really bad.

The interiors trim of the dashboard is simple yet elegant.. it's made of hard plastic but doesn't project any cheapness... it really looks sturdy and would last a lot longer than you.  The driver's console also looks great with a lit up and readable tachometer, speedometer and fuel gauge.  A trip computer is also included so you can monitor your fuel consumption.  There is also an eco display which displays "ECO" to let you know if you are driving economically... Duh!  One thing I miss is that I can't see the engine temp gauge on the console... according to the manual, when the car is starting to overheat, it will display the Engine Temp symbol on the console... (Hookay! That might be a little too late)... 

The new Picanto comes with comfortable bucket seats which can be reclined and moved forward or reardward.  No height adjustments on the seat but it still gives you a commanding view of the road.  The car comes with one glove compartment and at the front passenger seat, below the seat is an extra drawer (for shoes or other documents) which is really cool.

The only real drawback is the boot which is really tiny... you can probably fit 2 duffel bags side by side and then if you want to add some more then you have to stack them up... but if you really need more space, and you're not carrying passengers at the back, you can get some additional space by folding the back seat which folds flat!  Not as flat as the boot floor (there's about an inch differnce in height) but flat nonetheless which is more than I can say with other small cars in the same category...

All models available here in the Phiippines come with central locking, car alarm, keyless entry, power windows, power side mirrors, power steering (Motor Driven Power Steering - MDPS) and a CD/radio player.  Although here, they swapped the player with a JVC one.. It's decent but the original player was better looking and I think more compatible with the dasboard... they probably swapped it to help slash off the pricing a bit...  It also comes with Manual Airconditioning... the climate control was swapped with the manual one... guess why?  To slash some price off the top again...  The climate control would have given this car a sense of elegance... I mean, a mini car with climate control is almost unheard of unless you're driving a mini cooper.. but alas, price is more important and they had to keep it down to make it competitive in the small car segment.. There's no stop/start engine button in the Philippine model either for the same reasons as the above, I guess. 

Regardless of the compromises they had to make to keep pricing down, the interior is still better than most small cars out there.. and that is already saying a lot!


The Exterior:
 With an exterior designed by Peter Schreyer (also a designer for Audi), this little car looks really sporty and cool... no more girly designs like the last model.  This little car is uh... uhm... a man's little car!  Seriously, the exterior is really great from the body design to the sporty headlights!  Fog lamps come as standard (Yeah!) and 15" alloy rims are standard (Double Yeah!) on the automatic version.  Although it is a small car, it still manages to make itself look like a small tiger and would definitely appeal to the younger dudes out there.  I can go on and on and on about how cool and awesome it looks but your taste may vary so let me stop blabbering about the coolness of it's sporty look (Just look at the pictures!).

This new model is a teensy bit longer than the previous model and also a teensy bit wider which gives the impression of better stability (I hope!)  while cornering at high speeds (I haven't tried cornering at high speeds and have no intention of doing so)...

A rear wiper and rear backing lights is also available as standard for all variants.  It's too bad the electronic folding side mirrors didn't make it to our shores but such is life...












The Ride:

The feel of the car while you're on the road is deceptive... small bumps and other small road imperfections are just handled very well by the car... also, you don't feel like you're driving a small car.  Normally, a small car is hindered by small bumps and bruises on the road but this is one small car that feels like a big car.  The cabin is also relatively quiet on the inside and you can barely hear the engine throttling away... although to be fair, I haven't tried to run the car faster than 60Kph, I mean, how could I? I'm in the Philippines running in the Greater Metro Manila Area!  Traffic is horrendous here!  I have not tried highway speeds (NLEX/SLEX) yet and I would really love to see if the cabin is still as quiet when running at 80Kph or higher...  speaking of the engine, having a 1.0L seems really low... with only 998cc of power and an output of only 69Bhp, you'd think that this car would be struggling on the straight road let alone any uphill travel.  Although I have driven the car for just a short time, I was able to put it to some paces... I went up mall parking ramps from the ground floor to the fifth floor (and then watched a movie!!), I went up some relatively steep elevations (Within QC and at the Fort) and I have yet to hear the engine struggle... granted, there were only 2 passengers but that is still very impressive for me... it's actually surprising!  Hopefully, I would be able to test it going up to Antipolo and once I do, I'll update this post.

The Motor Driven Power Steering (MDPS) performs rather well and is very light when running on low speeds for more control but gets a bit stiffer when on higher speeds.  Making a U-turn on the new Kia Picanto is easy peasy while parallel parking is a breeze on this car.  Although I have to say, the horn on the steering wheel is a bit stiff... I had to press it really hard to get the horn to sound off (I would've used the word honking but somehow it sounds a bit too porny... hehe).  Also, there's a bit of sharpness protruding at the edges of the horn too.

Fuel consumption (FC )should be no question on this car since it has a small engine.  But I find that my FC at around 8-10KpL which is far from the published Fuel Consumption (16-18KpL for AT and 18-20KpL for the manual).  Be reminded though that I have not driven it for long and FC may improve with prolonged usage (or maybe my driving just sucks!).

Summary:
To sum everything up, this proves to be the best version of the Picanto yet.  It may not be perfect but it has an almost (emphasis on almost) perfect balance of usability, style and accessories while keeping the price low for the mass market.  Which means Kia is really doing something right.  I mean, after the success of the Sorento and the Sportage, and spitting out more cool models like the Soul and the new Picanto with the New Rio right on it's heels, the Korean car manufacturer is now proving itself a force to be reckoned with in the automotive industry.  If the Japanese Automakers don't watch their back, they just might find themselves looking at Kia's butt from a mile away while eating their dust.

This is my first review of a car and if you're wondering what are my credentials, there is none.  I'm just a normal everyday driver just like you and approached this review as such.  Take it as you want it.

Update!!! (07.19.2011)
I was able to go to Antipolo today since I had some rather important business to attend to...  I brought the 2011 Kia Picanto with me to try out the steady uphill travel to Antipolo.  To my delight, there wasn't any problems going up Antipolo, the ride was smooth and I even had the aircon on!  Really, this car is great but my FC during the travel was still 8-10Kph which is not good for a 3 cylinder car.  If this persists until the first checkup, I'm going to ask the dealer to have this checked out.  But this car is still a joy to drive and I hope I get the chance to break it in before the checkup... it might help improve the FC.. who knows...  anyway, I'll update this post again once I finish breaking it in.

'Till next everybody!  Mumbling my vroom! vroom!!!

My take on Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Yeah! Transformers 3! Yeah baby!!! The fanboy in me is drooling to get another dose of Transformers and who can blame me??  I mean, I grew up watching Transformers and I bet top dollar that most of the parents of today have too and will be bringing their kids to relive the adventure, the glory and the fun!

Although realistically, most naysayers are expecting the worst and I for one cant blame them... especially after watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.  Michael Bay made a grand film that would have you hurl due to the zoomed in moving CG graphics. I watched it and the fanboy in me still loves it but I would never deny that I had headaches after watching.

Fortunately, this time around, Michael Bay cleaned up his shi** and made an impressive and smooth moving action sequences with his CG stars and cast and gave us 2 and a half hours of gleeful Autobots, wholesale destruction, sexy chicks and wanton abandonment of all reason!!!  It was a fun movie that never gave you time to rebound and just kept on hitting you with action and then more action and then a touch of comedy and then more explosions and action and somewhere in between, Michael Bay was able to showcase the sexiness of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (the replacement for Megan Fox!)

This was a fun family film and on the day that I watched it, I had to stay in line for an  hour++ just to get tickets for the second to the last full show!!

Sidenote gripe: I watched the movie at SM Digital cinema and in 3D and I had to pay extra because there was popcorn bundled with the ticket??? WTF??? If I wanted some popcorn, I'd buy a popcorn!!!  Don't charge me for something that I MIGHT POSSIBLY want to eat while watching an awesome movie!!!  If you are going to do this, at least make it an option and not a requirement!  And as if adding insult to injury, I had to get in line for another 40 minutes for the damned popcorn!!!

Hoookay!!! Sorry about the gripe but I just had to get it off my chest... where were we!  Oh yeah!  I was shamelessly plugging the Transformers Dark of the Moon movie!!!  Most reviews say that story wise, it has a lot of holes.  There is even a Youtube video depicting some scenes which they claim were recycled action scenes from another Michael Bay movie (The Island, I think)...  Whatever you may believe, believe this, it is a movie worth your hard earned money because I am doubly sure that this movie will keep you entertained from start to finish!  'nuff said!

'till next guys!  Mumbling while transforming...

The Matrix: Lobby Scene -- A Capella style!

You gotta watch this!

Remember the iconic lobby scene from The Matrix movie? It was awesome! Guns blazing, dudes flying and chicks.. uhm... being chicks.. :)

Anyway, Matt Mulholland changed the scene by taking out the audio and replacing it with his one man A Capella version... it's awesome!

'till next everybody...

mumbling my pew, pew, pew... boom!

The Stock Market @ The Fort Bonifacio, High Street

Okay, this post is really late since this happened 2 weeks ago but it's better late than never, right?

Uhm... right...

Moving forward, 2 weeks ago, we were able to sample a new place that we kept passing up before at the Fort Bonifacio High Street because... uhm well... we really have no good reason to, except that there were other places that we'd like to go like Roadhouse Grill, Friday's and Italliani's.  Well, this time, we decided to give the place a try and maybe let it earn a spot in our list of resto's that we often go to.

The place I'm talking about is the Stock Market!  Yep, you heard it right... and it doesn't have anything to do with the Philippine Stock Exchange nor the Makati Stock exchange.  It was named as such, because this place is owned by Del Monte Philippines and they were intending to display their wares or stocks in the place for people to sample and maybe buy... hence the name.   Tada! (Google, I love you!)

The place is cozy with friendly people inside but the place is a little bit too white (the paint job) for my taste but to each his own I guess.  We were greeted by courteous waiters and was given some bread for appetizers (free food! Yey!)...  The free bread came with a salsa like dip complete with mangoes and cucumbers and works well with the bread they served us..  The menu was a bit limited and a little pricey but the waiter did say that their serving was already good for sharing!  So we got their specialty salad, a Salmon and Spinach Dip and a Seared Salmon for the main course. 

The salad came out first which was good but not as good as the Burgoo salads that I am totally addicted to.  We attacked the salad mercilessly even after we had our fill of the free bread that they gave us.  It was good and had a very tasty dressing.  It was a good second after the bread and made me excited for our other meals... The serving was just right for two persons but it can easily serve three or maybe even four if you're all light eaters.

Salmon & Spinach Dip

The salad was followed closely by the the Salmon and Spinach Dip which was heavenly!!   It was very tasty, it was like the flavors just rolls off your tongue! We were expecting the seared salmon should come out anytime but we were already finished with all the bread for the dip and still no salmon, seared or otherwise.  We asked the waiter to follow up our order... he did and came back apologetically since it was still a few minutes before the salmon was ready.   What the?  How long do you sear a salmon anyway?  But since it was their fault, the waiter brought us some more of their free bread which we used with the leftover dip until finally, the Seared Salmon came out!  Unfortunately, we were already a bit full and was only able to eat half of the Salmon and decided to take home the rest... 

Seared Salmon

The waiter even included another round of their free bread with our take out.  Though we didn't get to enjoy the Seared Salmon fully, the staff were very sorry and kept shoving free bread at us to keep us at bay so it was just okay , I guess.

We enjoyed the food and our experience at this place but the place had some mixed reviews online so I suggest you should try it out for yourselves at least once.

"till next everybody!

It's hard to mumble with all the free food in my mouth...

Oh.My.God! The Sony NEX SLR Magic Noktor 50mm Lens..

Let me repeat: Oh.My.God!

The blog I follow for anything Sony Nex camera related  just released an article regarding a new e-mount lens for the Sony Nex cameras...  and I'm drooling all over it! (I own a Sony Nex-5 myself and have fallen madly in love with it).

The blog says: "The SLR Magic x Noktor HyperPrime 50mm F0.95 for the Sony NEX E-mount" systems!   Did you read that???   F0.95!?!?!  Yeah baby... that's a lot of light to let through and I think it would be a magnificent night camera even without the flash.   I would looooovvveeee this lens for my low light shooting tests!!

I can't wait for sample photos with this lens!!!  For more information check out Noktor.com  or you can check out the original blog by clicking here. 

Photo of the Lens from http://sonyalphanex.blogspot.com

Mumbling my prayers that I will someday have one of these... :)