Greenwich American Idol Pizza

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The  Greenwich American Idol Pizza is one of the newest product from one of the best known pizza chain in the Philippines. According to Greenwich the pizza has seven favorite American toppings, hence the name, also, they dubbed it American Idol pizza due to their promo for American Idol, though I am not sure if this type of pizza is actually part of that promo or just their overload pizza's. By the way, I would like to apologize for the picture, it seems i ate a lot before I decided to take a shot.

I am also unsure what the seven toppings really are, probably based on what I saw and tasted were, onions, bell pepper, shoestring potatoes, and a couple more. The verdict, its really good, its something close to Yellow Cab's New Yorks Finest, except for the shoe strings which I find annoying when eating.

Nokia 5130 Xpress Music

Monday, April 12, 2010

The Nokia 5130 Xpress Music or the 5130 XM is another classic bar shape phone from Nokia's Xpress Music Line and comes in three colors, blue, silver and red. Just like any music phone from Nokia, it specializes in excellent music but that is not all  this gadget has to offer. Its basic specifications include:

• Bright screen up to  256K colors
• Numeric Keypad
• Dedicated music keys
• Voice Command
• USB connectivity
• 3.5 mm audio jack output
• micro SD card slot
• Bluetooth
• GPRS and EDGE
• Approxiamtely 6 hours of talk time
• Approximately 288 hours of stand-by time
• Supports IMAP, POP, SMTP, OMA EMN
• Supporteds HTML, XHTML for web browsing
• 2 megapixel camera
• Video recording
• Symbian series 40 Operating System

 

First thing I noticed is the very small box, unlike previous Nokia phones whose boxes were at least twice the width of their phone's unlike the box of Nokia 5130 XM.

The reason for such a small box may probably be due to two reasons: one is that it only contains the basics, these include the phone, battery, 1GB micro SD memory card, charger, headset and the smallest USB connector from Nokia I have ever seen, the second reason is just my theory of Nokia's effort to save resources and to cut prices.

Nokia made good with the cellphone's casing, because its very convenient to hold, I would however, comment on the numeric keypad because the 2 keypad is very close to the D-pad, it might be better to add a bit of space between. Found on the left side of the phone are the dedicated music keys, its also the Radio keys for Radio listing.

On the right side of the phone is where the volume controls are located as well as the micro SD slot. On top are conveniently placed 3.5 mm jack output, power slot and the micro USB port.

At the back you'll notice the design on the lower portion which is where the speakers are located. Also, there is the 2.0 Camera with out flash.

In all the Nokia 5130XM is a great phone, and considering its retail price of about Php6,000 or rougly US $135. I think the phone is between mid-range to low-range device, considering its price tag and the features that it provides. The feel and touch is great and the audio is very nice, specially when you use the 3.5 mm audio jack output and connect it to your home sound system. The down side for this phone is probably its camera, even though it has 2.0 Mega Pixels, the pictures are mediocre, probably due to the lack of flash. Also, I'm not a great fan of the series 40 of symbian,  it would have been great to use a series 60 instead, avoiding the short-cut keys of attachments to your text editor. All in all, the phone is great for its price tag, and does best what it's meant for, having great music.

KVM Switch

A Keyboard, Video and Mouse (KVM) Switch or KVM switch is a device that is used to control multiple system units using only one Monitor, one keyboard and one switch. Just as what I have here, I used a two port KVM switch to control two system units. KVM switches are useful because they are sometimes cheaper than monitors and can save a lot of space. This device is also ideal for people who manage multiple computers control them on a single seat. KVM switches vary, some allow buttons to switch from one computer or server to another, while some allows shortcut keys to keep the administrator from going to and fro the KVM switch.

How to connect a bluetooth headset to a Nokia 5800

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Everyday whenever I travel its almost impossible not to see people listing to their music, either through their cellphones, MP3 players or even the background music from buses, and I guess I'm one of them. But sometimes having all that wire from your earphones is pretty annoying, that is why it's convenient to use a bluetooth headset to skip all that wire and enjoy your music wire free.

It took me a while to learn how to connect a bluetooth headset to a Nokia 5800 and here is what I did.

1. On your phone Tap Settings > Connectivity > Bluetooth
2. Turn your bluetooth "on"
3. Above the menu, tap the right arrow or the connectivity sign in between the two bluetooth logo, to view your paired devices
4. Tap "Option and select "New Paired Device".
5. Make sure your bluetooth headset is switched on and is ready to be paired or in pairing mode, Tap "More Devices"
6. Select the device as it appears on the list, if you do not see your device, just try tapping "More Devices" again
7. If the device request's for a code, enter the code provided by the manufacturer of the bluetooth headset
8. Select if you wish to connect the device automatically in the future
9. Select connect when asked, and your bluetooth headset should be connected

Riverview Resort

Saturday, April 3, 2010

As a small treat to my siblings and to have a temporary relief from the heat, I  decided that we should go to nearby resort. It's called Riverview Resort and Conference Center and it is just a few minutes away from our house. We have been here before and you would not call it a dream vacation getaway, but it does the job of providing enjoyment to the kids and for some adults as well.

The entrance to the place seems renovated probably to attract more customers, a fresh look is always welcome.

As you enter, the first thing you notice is a large pool and  a covered area at the center, this area might prove useful for those who prefer to swim in the shade. Notice there is a rather small  blue slide, which spurs water on a scheduled basis (meaning you can only use it when water comes out).

Holding the roof are four pillars, and a pair holds an elevated area. I really do not know its purpose, probably just a venue to jump around the water.

Since the large pool is for adults, the place also provides a kids pool at the back with two feet of water, has a smaller slide and a large mushroom that spurs water. There is also a play ground for kids who want to stay dry while their parents splash each other out.

Cottages are spacious and the resort also has a store to buy goods and stuff. There is also a place where you can grill foods for lunch or you can also buy from the resort as well.

There are also room for those who wish to swim at night, with an array of rooms that provide CR, TV, bed, etc.

Riverview Resort is a very nice budget friendly, easy to reach place if you want to suddenly splash water with your family and friends. Cottages cost at least Php300  to Php500 and up, depending on what you want and entrance fee is a mere 75 pesos per head. Getting to the place is easy as most buses  going to Calamba City  from Metro Manila pass through the resort. Being budget friendly does have its consequences: the place tends to be filled up during peak season, and sometimes it just gets too crowded, food  and other items are very expensive inside. The place is best for budget night swimming, and its also better to have reservations.

Speaker quick fix

Friday, April 2, 2010

Going green and saving planet Earth has suddenly become a priority for a lot of people, and the hysteria is slowly creeping into the minds of almost every person, sometimes unintentionally they become environmentalist. That was not the case when I decided to have a new set of speakers for my rather old PC. It took me four old computer speakers and create a personalized home sound system for myself.

I would not call this one as a modern work of art, but the fact is it works, and it works just fine. I took old parts from one speaker and soldered them to another. I made a few wire jumpers here and there, and a few electrical tapes did the job. Not only did I recycle, I also saved a couple of bucks in the process.

Indulgence before the holy week of 2010

I always believed that sometimes we should enjoy our life and give in our small desires. Such as what I did a few days before Lent, eating an entire bar of dark chocolate while drinking a nice hot cup of coffee. This might sound simple yet there are just things that no matter how simple, simply skips our minds when we start to do something else. Eating something you like helps us keep our minds whole in a time when we feel an event  would turn  everything otherwise. Maybe there will always come a time when we feel that the road just keeps on moving in different directions and that no matter how hard ones effort is to go straight we just end up being hurdled a little more to unhappiness. And the short term solution that I found, was to sit back, relax and find something you enjoy at, no matter how simple, as long as it is easy to get.