2008 World Pyro Olympics Starts Today!

After several delays, World Pyro Olympics is finally here! Hope to get good
shots using my Canon EOS 450D :D

DATES
The 2008 World Pyro Olympics III will be held on the following dates:

May 3, 2008 - China,Germany
May 10,2008 - Canada,France
May 17, 2008 - Italy,Venezuela
May 24, 2008 - Fellowship of Fire - Collaboration of all countries with the Philippines

LOCATION
The World Pyro Olympics III will take place once again at the Esplanade behind SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

See you at the bay!

[via World Pyro Olympics]

UPDATE: Check out some of my photos

Starbucks Earth Day Promo

Starbucks is giving Php40 discount on hot or cold beverages if you bring your own tumbler in replace of disposable cup in line with the celebration of Earth Day :D

I Got a Canon EOS 450D / Digital Rebel XSi!

After months of thinking whether to buy or not my first ever DSLR camera, I finally decide that I really need to have one!

At first, I'm thinking of buying Canon EOS 400D which is 25% cheaper in Hong Kong compared to Manila. In spite of the big savings, I let it passed simply because I'm still undecided. Come this Canon EOS 450D / Digital Rebel XSi which was released just 3 weeks ago. After trying out the actual unit, I told myself that it's time!

Below are Canon EOS 450D main features (lifted from Canon website):

12.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor
The 12.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor gives you plenty of detail for poster-size prints and extra flexibility when cropping. Sensitive in low light and virtually noise-free, Canon’s CMOS sensors are also remarkably power-efficient.

3.5 fps shooting
The EOS 450D captures up to 3.5 frames per second for a continuous burst of up to 53 large JPEG images (6 in RAW).

9-point wide-area AF
The 9 AF points are spread out across the frame to better accommodate off-centre subjects. The central AF point is a high sensitivity cross type sensor for quick, accurate focusing with f/2.8 and faster lenses.

EOS Integrated Cleaning System
Canon’s built-in dust prevention system uses three methods to keep images blemish-free. (1) Specialised materials reduce dust generation within the camera. (2) A Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit shakes dust from the sensor each time the camera is turned on or off. (3) Stubborn dust spots are mapped for easy removal in Digital Photo Professional.

3.0" LCD with Live View mode
The bright 3.0" LCD provides sharp definition for checking focus and composition, with 10x magnification for finer details. When shooting from awkward positions, Live View mode gives you the option of framing the image from the LCD, and a choice of focusing modes.

DIGIC III processor
Renowned for its white balance accuracy, DIGIC III renders colours with brilliant, true-to-life precision. Captured images are processed in 14-bit colour depth for finer tonal gradations. DIGIC III works efficiently to minimise power consumption while maintaining ultra-fast response times.

Large, bright viewfinder
A large viewfinder gives a bright and clear view for easy composition of the scene.

Total image control
Gain easy control over image processing parameters with Picture Style presets. Contrast, sharpness and saturation can be customized in-camera or through the supplied Picture Style Editor software. After the shoot, Canon’s RAW processing software Digital Photo Professional provides everything you need to manage and process your RAW images.

Compact and lightweight
Ergonomically designed for natural and intuitive handling, the EOS 450 is housed in a compact body that weighs in at just 475 grams.

EF lenses and accessories
The EOS 450D is compatible with over 60 EF/EF-S lenses and all EX Series Speedlite flash units.

The next thing to do is study all the nice features of this camera and start creating beautiful pictures :)

UPDATE: I've been getting some hits searching for the price of this camera. I bought mine at Canon house in Mall of Asia. The original price tag is Php42K something. My wife and I was able to get it at Php40K. You could actually get this camera on much lower price in Hidalgo. HTH :D

Back from Hong Kong, Back to Reality

Ros and I just got back from a short vacation in Hong Kong. We enjoyed this trip a lot! We tried to visit as many place as possible, but the chilling rainy weather last Saturday prevented us to do so.

As an alternative, we just looked for good bargains in the mall. The prices are really cheap!

Hong Kong is a very nice place. But for me, Singapore is still better. The transportation system in these territories is very efficient. You can go anywhere using train (really really good), bus and taxi. I'm really hoping that someday, Metro Manila will transform into somewhere near Singapore and Hong Kong (don't lose hope please).

I will be posting some pictures soon, so keep posted :)

Hong Kong Here I Come!

I'm off to Hong Kong tomorrow for a much-deserved vacation! Ros is already there since Monday, attending a company sponsored training together with three of her colleagues. The training will end tomorrow… after that… it's vacation time!

I'm excited because this will be my first time in HK (same with Ros). Temperature is around 10C to 12C so it's a bit cold. The weather forecast shows that I should expect a cloudy skies with some rain showers (…no!). I hope the weather will improve in the coming days (…more sun please). We will try to visit as many place as we can till Sunday morning.

I will be posting pictures when I'm back.

Well, talking about pictures, I'm seriously considering buying a DSLR camera right now. I'm looking at Canon 400D. Based on my research, this is one of the best entry level DSLR in the market today. I hope I can find a good bargain there :)

Microsoft Philippines TechFest 2008

Microsoft Philippines TechFest 2008 is here!

WHERE: Rizal Ballroom, The Shangri-La Makati
WHEN : January 22, 2008
TIME : 8:30am (Registration Opens at 7:00am)

Register now for free! Check out Techfest 2008 official website for more details.

Gillian Reese Turns 6 Months Old!

My daughter, Gillian Reese, turned 6 months last Saturday! She's growing too fast that she might not fit into her crib in 2 or 3 months time (hehehe).



There are also some changes with her vitamins and food intake as listed below:

1. Significant increase of her vitamins dosage.
2. Change of milk from S26 to Promil.
3. Start taking solid foods (e.g. Gerber).

She just completed her primary vaccines (oh thanks!) but there are still more come (ka$hing!).

P.S. I prepared a special Pancit Bihon for Reese. Too bad that she wasn't able to taste it for obvious reason :D

Samsung SGH-D900 + MicroSD = Sweet!

Ros gave me a surprise gift the other night - it's a Toshiba MicroSD (1Gig) for my Samsung SGH-D900. Previously, I've been struggling to manage my files in my phone using its built-in memory. Now I have more than enough space for my mp3s, videos and photos :)



It's my first time to actually see a MicroSD (hehehe) and I'm really amazed how small it is. The size is just 15mm x 11mm x 0.7mm, about the size of a fingernail.

Photos from http://www.onlinekosten.de/ and http://legitreviews.com

Web Bubble v2.0

This is an amazing video about the Web bubble (the 2nd time around) making some of the new and young web entrepreneurs instant millionaire$ and billionaire$!



Cool!

Download ClickThatJob Toolbar Now!

I'm excited to announce the availability of ClickThatJob Toolbar! This toolbar is compatible with Firefox and Internet Explorer. It has lots of really cool features here. Explore it now!

ClickThatJob Turns 1 Month Old Today!

ClickThatJob.com just turned 1 month old today! The overall website performance is pretty amazing! We hit 23 job postings in about a week. The current job postings count is 108. RSS subscriptions ballooned from 0 to 238! I expect subscriptions to rise further in the coming weeks as we introduced new features and enhancements. SEOmoz page strength tool rating is at 2.5. Alexa ranking is now at 533,055.

Thank to my family, friends, employers, job seekers for the overwhelming support! We promise to give you the best FREE service, second to none :)

Android's $10 Million Developer Challenge

After the unveiling of Android and the Open Handset Alliance last week, Google today made Android's Software Development Kit (SDK) available for download. As an added bonus, Google launched Android Developer Challenge wherein they will give away $10 million in awards for great mobile applications built on the Android platform.

How I wish I have spare time to join this competition. Nonetheless, I will definitely explore Android's SDK very soon.

I will leave you with this video of Sergey Brin and Steve Horowitz about Android SDK and demo apps.

ClickThatJob 100th Job Posting!

ClickThatJob hits a new milestone by reaching 100th job posting! [via ClickThatJob Blog]

Google Unveils Android and the Open Handset Alliance

The news about Google's unveiling of Android (an open mobile platform), and the announcement of Open Handset Alliance is spreading like wildfires.

This initiative by Google to create a mobile platform that will work on various devices will benefit the consumer. Open is freedom and freedom is always most of the time good :D

Android's Software Development Kit (SDK) will be made available on November 12.

In the coming months, I expect Google to announce their very own Google mobile phone or GPhone.

Britney Spears VMA 2007 "Gimme More" Spoof

National Lampoon has uncovered the full extent of Britney Spears bomb of a come back attempt performing "Gimme More" at the MTV 2007 VMA'S.

This is very funny!

Introducing ClickThatJob.com

Check out the public beta of my newest website - ClickThatJob.com

ClickThatJob offers FREE job postings to employers. It provides simple interface and useful features to job seekers.

Spread the word please! Thanks!

Keywords: Philippine Job Site, Free Job Site, Filipino Job Seekers, Best Philippine Jobs

Introducing Pinoy Hot Blogs!

Pinoy Top Sites is expanding! I'm happy to announced the newest Philippine blog ranking portal -- the Pinoy Hot Blogs. Thank you for your continued support!

Got blogs? Join now!

Manny Pacquiao wins over Marco Antonio Barrera

Manny Pacquiao wins over Marco Antonio Barrera via unanimous decision. Two judges scores the bout 118-109 for Pacquiao, while one judge gave Pacquiao 115-112 nod.

WidgetBucks = WidgetBuck$

There is a new money making widget called WidgetBucks. I immediately tried it and I'm up and running in minutes! This is way too cool compared to other 'boring' money making widgets. Signup now and get instant US$25 credit. They also have a referral program where affiliates can earn a 10 percent referral fee based on the commissions earned by the people they refer. Affiliates receive this 10 percent for the full 12 months after the new member joins.

Signup for your FREE account today!

"The Complete" PayPal is now here in the Philippines

The news is all over the blogosphere! PayPal just enabled send and receive of money for Philippine account holders. I check out the PayPal worldwide offering page to check Philippines status and here is what I got.



Cool! I just registered my PayPal account less than a month ago just to try out its "Donate" option. Now, I can take advantage of its entire offerings.

I think this development will boost the e-commerce / online transactions in the Philippines. Many thanks PayPal!

Register for your free PayPal account now!