May Bahay Ba Na Walang Daga?

I have yet to see a home without pests.

Cockroaches, flies, rats... Who wants them anyway? Yet they crawl into our homes like they own the place!

I've several face to face encounters with rats where they would just stare at me and not run. Para bang sinasabi sa'yo na, "Di mo ako kaya!"

Some even say rats are smart. I don't entirely agree. I think they just have very sensitive senses.

I've been observing and studying the behavior of rats for quite a while. Not that I don't have anything worthwhile to do, but I really want revenge on those rats!

Conventional rat traps now don't work. You have to really use your noodle if you are to trap them. I made several "home-made" rat traps in the past and they are quite good. I'll probably feature them here in a few days.

"May araw din kayo! Rats!"

The PSP industry will die.

In about 2 to 3 years time, SONY will abandon its Playstation Portable in favor of other consoles.

Why? I'll tell you.

1. In about 100 PSP owners, only 5 (maybe less) of them actually buys UMDs.
2. Game developers are thinking of switching to consoles that are less "hacked".
3. Less game developers means less games.

Game developers and console makers work together to bring us good games and quality consoles. But, they also need profits! If game developers see their games being copied as ISOs and CSOs and shared for free, they'll probably shift to other consoles that will bring them results (profits).

I know, I know. UMDs are way overpriced! Specially here in the Philippines.
If SONY could somehow release cheap UMDs here, many would buy.
You may opt to buy second hand UMDs though. Today, prices range from P300 - P700 at Quiapo.


If you love a certain PSP game, please consider buying its UMD. You'll encourage its developer to create more games for the PSP.

Complicated stuff.

I tried making another blog using the WordPress engine. I didn't know it would take a lot of effort to setup my blog the way I want to be! I have a lot of researching to do.

Oh my... I guess I have to stick to my blog here at blogspot for the meantime.

Don't subscribe to Globelines Broadband!

Some of you may have read my previous post regarding Globelines Broadband's erratic connection.

Well, it has now become worse!

Connecting with the said ISP takes ages! I've been waiting for 3 hours now to be connected. I don't think it has something to do with the "peak hours" since it's 1am!

I have another thing against this ISP. Subscribers here in our area share the same IP! I can't log on to my favorite forum because one of my neighbors spammed and got banned using "our" shared IP at the said forum.

I'm planning to have my subscription discontinued this week. We can't bear with this ISP anymore! Imagine paying almost a thousand pesos a month for this crappy service!

Buying a PSP. (In the Philippines)

So you want a PSP eh? Here are some tips in buying a new (or used) Playstation Portable.

There are currrently 2 PSP models available in the market. The PSP-1000 (also known as the PSP Fat) and the PSP-2000. (also known as the PSP Slim)

If you don't mind the weight, buying a PSP Fat might suit you since it is much cheaper now (because of the newer and lightweight PSP Slims) and lso, PSP Fat accesories are in abundance in malls and even in sidewalks thus making it easier to look for enhancements for your PSP.


Where to buy?
Normally, you would see PSPs being sold inside malls. I buy my gadgets from the internet because this is much cheaper and you can negotiate directly with the seller unlike in some shops where sellers haggle and pressure you in buying.

I usually buy PSPs from these sites: ("PSPs" because I already bought a couple of them. One for myself and a bunch for others.)

www.ebay.ph This is our local ebay auction site. Lots of great finds here!
www.tipidpc.com Lots of gadgets and accessories are being sold here cheap.


Things to consider before buying:
1. Buy from a trusted source. Specially if you're dealing with them online. There are plenty of scammers so better watch out. One way to avoid being scammed is to always choose the Cash on Delivery option on your purchases. Pick a place near you, preferably a mall, then meet with the seller there.

2. Do a background check of the store or the person you are dealing with. There is a feedback system in www.ebay.ph and www.tipidpc.com where you can check the feedback of their previous buyers and customers. If the person or store you are buying from have lots of negative feedback, avoid them.

3. If you smell something fishy or you feel something is not right, cancel the deal. It's better safe than sorry.


Things to consider while buying Brand New PSPs:
1. Check the PSPs condition. A brand new PSP should have a box with all the accessories inside. (Charger, manuals, battery)

2. Look for the serial number sticker. (Remove the PSP's battery cover. Then remove the battery. You should see a gray sticker. The serial number should be on it.) If the sticker is faded or looks like it has been tampered, don't buy it. Chances are, that unit is old or reconditioned.

3. Check the following ports: USB, earphone, memory stick, and charger. If it looks used or has dirt inside, don't buy it. It's used.

4. Turn the PSP on to see if the screen has dead pixels. (Dead Pixels are dark spots on the PSP's LCD display.) Dead pixels are hardly noticeable but it looks ugly when playing games with plain backgrounds.

5. Check all the buttons to see if they are working and that they are intact and not loose. Also, see if the sides of the buttons are clean. If the sides have dirt, its used.


6. The long barcode on the picture is somewhat an identity sticker for your PSP. No two stickers are alike. Although there is still no way to determine whether the PSP is genuine or not, one way to be sure is to inspect the sticker. If its misaligned and looks like it had been printed on sticker paper, chances are, that PSP is reconditioned. (Thank you Dave Taylor for the picture)

7. Ask the seller if they have warranty for your PSP and for how long. Some sellers offer an exchange if what you bought from them has defects. Don't be afraid to ask.

Other Information:
Bundles
There are currently a lot of shops and sellers who offer PSP bundles. Here is an example from a PSP Forum:

PSP Core Pack Black 4GB Memory Stick Blackhorns Spongi KitSilicon Case2 in 1 Retractable USB/Charger Cable Stereo HeadsetScreen ProtectorHandstrap As of this writing, this particular bundle costs P9,600.


Memory Sticks

I think more than 90% of the PSPs here in the Philippines use Fake Sony Memory Sticks. Fake memory sticks are in abundance! It's sold even inside reputable malls.

Those fake memory sticks are from China and are sold cheaper (of course) compared to the original Sony.

How would you know if its fake? Follow this guide. How to Identify Fake Sony Memory Sticks.


There you have it. Leave your comments and questions below.

Dave Taylor has some great articles on PSPs. Stuff like "How Can I Recover My Stolen PSP?" and "What does 'bricked' mean?". You may read it from his website here. http://www.askdavetaylor.com

PSP Virus

It may sound absurd but its true. There are now viruses that can creep into your PSP.

I had an Autoit.CV worm from my friend's PC. I'm not sure what damage it does but it makes copies of every folder on my PSP. That means, less memory for my stuff.


Ways you can get it:

• By syncing your PSP with an infected computer.
• Downloading an infected file and putting it inside your memory stick.
• Letting your classmate fill your PSP with useless stuff

Ways to avoid it:

• Install a decent anti-virus software in your computer. There are many free and good antivirus softwares out there like the AVG Anti-virus Free Edition which you can get at Download.com
• Update your Anti-virus often. I update mine everyday. Although you don't have to update it as often as me, you may opt to update yours at least once a week. New threats appear everyday so better stay updated.
  
• Tip: If you don't have internet connection at home, many Anti-virus software companies allow their users to download updates on their website and have it saved on a disk. Save the update, upload it on your computer, and voila! You're anti-virus software is updated.
• If not really necessary, never connect your PSP to other computers (unless you're sure its virus free.)

If you need help in ridding yourself of viruses (whether in your PC or PSP), I'll be glad to help.

Globelines Broadband. Now you see, now you don't.

I've been a Globelines Subscriber for more than 2 years now. I enjoyed their service as an alternative to the ever so slow and erratic PLDT myDSL. (back then, PLDT was the only internet service provider here where I live)

I was subscribed at Plan 512kbps. Which was later upgraded by globe to 7++kbps. All for P995 a month.

Everything was smooth sailing until a few weeks ago.

Connecting to the provider now has become a bit hard specially on peak hours. This may be due to their increasing number of subscribers here. But then again, that shouldn't be the subscriber's problem.

I'm not badmouthing their service or anything. I just miss those days when I would just open my Firefox browser and surf away.

I hope this is just temporary.

Altitude. The UPHDS Batch 2007 YearBook.

We've just acquired copies of our yearbook!

For those who haven't got theirs already, here's how you can claim yours.

If you know you paid for your yearbook "on time", meaning, you paid your copy on or before the due date last year (2007), go look for your receipt. (It's there somewhere...) Then, head to the Supreme Students Council (SSC) office at Room 161, Old Grade School Building. It's the building near the canteen.

If you lost your receipt, don't fret! Still, head for the SSC office. They have a master list of those who paid. Just present a valid ID and voila! You can now claim your brownies! I mean, yearbooks! (more on this later)

Here's the catch though, NOT EVERYONE IS INCLUDED IN THE YEARBOOK. If you paid late or didn't pay at all, chances are, your picture (or name for that matter) won't be there. I think that's just sad... My bestfriend isn't there. My girl's bestfriend also isn't there. There even are rumors that there were sections with less than 10 entries! What's up with that? I thought this "is" a yearbook. They should call this a student directory!

Anyway, here's my review.

First. The Packaging.

As I've mentioned earlier, the packaging looks like you bought a box of assorted brownies from Brownies Unlimited. (product placement! hehe)

Here's the box from the front.






The back side of the box with the flap open.
That black spot is Velcro. It serves as the lock for the flap.







The spot where you can see my hand actually has glass. Yes, glass.



The whole packaging (except for the glass) is make from thick cardboard.

Second. The Books.


The books are hard bound. The printings on the cover looks like China made stickers. The school name under the Altitude logo is barely readable.






There are 2 books.




Volume 1 (the slim one) contains the following:
1. Prologue
2. Origin
3. History of UPHSD
4. Philosophy, Mission and Vision
5. Members of the Board
6. Administrative Messages
7. School Officials and the College Deans
8. Student-personnel services and School Organizations
9. The SSC
10. Editorial Board and Staff. (A whopping 6 full pages of the editors and staff.)
11. Board and Staff messages
12. University Map
13. Student's Directory. (The sad thing about this is not everyone is here. Also, the information here is either misspelled or insufficient.)













Volume 2's contents:
1. Graduates of Accounting and Business Administration.
2. Graduates of Arts and Sciences
3. Graduates of Computer Studies
4. Graduates of Education
5. Graduates of Engineering
6. Graduates of ND, HRM, and Tourism
7. Graduates of Midwifery
8. Graduates of Nursing
9. Graduates of Pharmacy
10. Graduates of Radiologic Technology


Other thoughts:
>About 1-2 months before our graduation, we were asked to write testimonies about ourselves. We can write "whatever" we want so the students did just that.

Here are some samples:
"Don't judge the book by its cover."
"She's an upcoming SEXBOMB DANCER..."
"Ewan ko ba kung bakit sya, pwede naman si ........ ahehehe!"

I don't know if I should blame the students for writing such "cool" testimonies or the editors who didn't set the standards for writing one.

>The pages are filled with pictures of our SSC President! I mean, he's a good guy and his skills and knowledge are unquestionable but this looks like his yearbook. (No offense Mark, we love you.)

I like the idea behind this whole yearbook thingy. I just don't think it was implemented well. Stuff like this takes careful planning and inputs from the students themselves should have been considered. I don't blame the editors and the staff who went out of their way just to make this happen but I think we could have improved this undertaking.



Last reminders:
If you paid but aren't sure if your entry is actually in the yearbook, you can contact me and I'll look for your name so you won't have to bother going to the campus to claim your "Classmates' Yearbook".

If you're already out of the country or are in some dungeon inside a castle with no way out, you may request for a scanned picture of your entry in the yearbook. Compliments of me and my girl. Just ask nicely.