It’s January 1, 2014! Happy New Year guys! It’s the start of new beginnings.
Last year was a tough year for this blog since I hardly post any update here. Hopefully everything would change this year. I hope to join more contests from Nuffnang Philippines and attend more social events.
Just stick around and hopefully more post will be published. Happy New Year 2014!
December is definitely the time to party. Lots of Christmas parties – from officemates, high school classmates, photography clubs, bike clubs and of course, bloggers club!
When In Manila, the website of the Blogapalooza Bloggers, is hosting a Rockeoke – a rock videoke party! This will be held at Aracama, The Fort, Bonifacio Global City on December 17, 2013 (Tuesday).
To qualify for prizes or drinks, all you have to do is dress in your best Rockstar or Pop Icon outfit. You’ll be jamming the night with Janjay Coonquilla, the Tuesday Band and Guji Lorenzana. Lots of drinks, prizes, fun and surprises awaits the participants!
Rockeoke 2013 is hosted by When In Manila, JCI Fort Bonifacio, and Sha Supangan. Merry Christmas everyone!
One of the best quotes I’ve read from a novel was in Anne Rice’s novel Servant of the Bones:
"Thirdly, be kind. Always, if you have a choice, be kind. Remember the poor, the hungry, and the miserable. Always remember the suffering, and those who need. The greatest creative power you have on earth, whether you are an angel, a spirit, or a man or a woman or a child is to help others . . . the poor, the hungry, the oppressed. To ease pain and give joy are your finest powers. Kindness is a human miracle, so to speak. It's unique to us humans, and our more developed angels or spirits, to be kind.” (The words of Zurvan to Azriel, Servant of the Bones. Part 2, Chapter 10)
Now is the best time to be kind. Let’s help the victims of Typhoon Yolanda.
Taking pictures with a DSLR camera is something that gets better with time. Photography, like other hobbies out there, requires time to master. You don't buy a camera as complex as a DSLR and expect to master it in a week. It requires constant practice, several photo-walks, seminars and a lot of print-outs before coming up with an award winning photo. Eventually, it gets better with time.
BEFORE taking some time to play with my camera.
These are some of my first few shots of my digicam. Before, I take pictures of food on a top view and I take picture of kids regardless whether they’re looking at the camera or at the center of the screen.
I brought my DSLR way back in December 2011. Prior to that, I've practiced taking picture using a digital camera (digicam). The first thing I did after acquiring my DSLR is to read the manual and get familiar with its controls and capabilities. Next, I've attended all the free photography workshops provided by my camera brand. I've been to several places just to avail of the free workshops -- Manila Zoo, SM North EDSA, Magallanes, and even SM Pampanga. All these workshops taught me the basics of photography -- Composition, ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed.
I also attended a Speedlight Seminar with a fashion photographer and learned the basics of using the flash and concepts of portraiture. This seminar also gave me a lot of opportunity to practice taking pictures and be criticized by the mentor to improve my composition. I also took a lot of pictures to get acquainted with the different settings of my camera. I took pictures of things and people around me -- flowers, pets, foods, relatives, children, buildings, toys, and gadgets, among others.
My quest to improve my photography skills resulted in joining a photography club and attending more workshops and lectures. It also paved the way for more photo-walks and out-of-town trips to take pictures of festivities, tourist spots and natural wonders. Through my photography club, I've been to places outside of my hometown of Pasig -- Pila (Laguna), Villa Escudero, Nasugbu, San Pablo, Sta. Fe, Binondo, Bacolod, and Iloilo.
These are some of the pictures I’ve took of the recent MassKara 2013 Festival in Bacolod City.
To improve my photography skills, I joined our club's monthly photo contest as well as the Canon PhotoMarathon and the Wiki Loves Monument contests. I didn't win immediately upon joining these contests -- it took time and several print-outs before my entries were even included in our club's monthly Top 10. It inspired me to take more pictures and to devout more time in photography. I'm a firm believer in the saying that "practice makes perfect" and photography gets better in time.
After almost 2 years, I've gained some achievements in the field of photography like landing in the Top 30 of the On-The-Spot contest conducted by the FPPF. I also began landing in our club's Top 10 monthly contest. My photos that didn't won the grand prize in the Wiki Loves Monument contests were eventually used in their articles. I've also become the unofficial photographer of our biking club due to the quality of pictures I've posted. I still have a lot to learn in the art of photography and a lot of print-outs to make before winning the grand prize but eventually I'll get there, with constant practice.
AFTER some time playing with my camera.
Now these is how I take pictures of foods and kids. I no longer take pictures of foods on Top View. When it’s taking pictures of kids, I make sure that they are looking at the camera and somehow not on dead center. These are some of the numerous things that got better with time.
Just like taking pictures, wines are definitely products that get better with time. Hardys is one of the best brands of wine available in the market today. It was established in 1853 -- 160 years of wine making experience. They have 5 generations of winemakers up to present day Bill Hardy with over 3,000 awards in the last decade alone. So the next time that you celebrate the occasion with a wine, grab a bottle of Hardys.
Please visit the Facebook page of Hardys to know more about this fabulous brand of wine.
One of the benefits I’m getting from blogging is that I always have a chance to score 2 tickets from contests by Nuffnang Philippines. These free tickets (for two) comes in complete package: with popcorns and drinks, give-away, and excellent venue like Newport Cinema and Shangri-La EDSA.
The latest movie screening from Nuffnang Philippines is “Thor: The Dark World” wherein Chris Hemsworth will reprise his role as the Asgardian God of Thunder, Thor. I’m hoping it would be a commercial success like Iron-Man 3 and The Avengers so that we’ll get Thor 3 next year.
Without further ado, here’s the official trailer of Thor 2:
I’m also inviting you my friends, schoolmates, fellow photographers and fellow bikers to try blogging. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain. All you’ll ever need is passion for writing (online) and attending events. If you’re interested, let me know. I might even create and setup a blog for you.
Hi guys! I installed Viber the other day on my BlackBerry smartphone and realized how much I could save money by using messaging apps like this to send messages to my friends.
Prior to that, I’ve discovered WeChat and now I’m installing Line and WhatsApp. I have Globelines here at home and I’m connected via Wi-Fi on my BB unit. No problem whenever I’m home. The only thing that I need to worry about is when I’m on the road.
This is where the newest promo of Globe comes in. Introducing, the Globe GoUNLI30!
For P30, I can enjoy the following features of Globe GoUNLI30 wherever I am. No Wi-Fi needed.
Now, I can use Viber, WeChat, Line, or WhatsApp even if I’m not at home or in the mall. I am truly connected to all my friends. Thanks Globe!
It’s a lazy Saturday morning. It’s raining hard outside and the weather is ideal for doing things on the Internet. It’s my Rest Day #1 and I’m enjoying it to the max. I still have a couple of things that I need to accomplish before going back to the office on Monday.
My first modem/router from Globelines a.k.a. Globe Tattoo (wired Internet connection plus phone line)
My reset days are usually jam-packed since this is the time of the week that I do most of my online stuff. We’re not allowed to access unauthorized sites at the office so I do ALL my online things here are home via Globe. So far, I have accomplished several things:
I’ll be celebrating my 10th Year of playing Ragnarok Online this December 2013. Almost 4 of those 10 years were spent with Globe.
One of the several videos taken using my Canon 1100D that I uploaded on YouTube. Uploading large size videos is never a problem with my current ISP – Globe DSL.
Tomorrow, Sunday (Rest Day #2), I’ll be spending it mostly with my photography friends – the Nayon Photographers’ Club. We’ll have our monthly meeting in the afternoon. After that, I’ll be creating a blog article and upload the pictures of the meeting on our Official Blog. It’s one of my roles in our photography club. It’s good to know that I have Globe to cover for all my Internet needs.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to post new contributions (pictures) on Wikipedia. I’ll also be composing emails to my foreign pals in Czech Republic, Russia and Brazil. Yes, I still do this pen pal thing via emails.
Life Before Globe Tattoo
I’ve been living here in Nagpayong, Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City since 2005. From 2005 to 2010, my Internet sessions where usually conducted either at the favorite Net Café, Starbucks or my brother’s house in Palatiw, Pasig City. I do overnight stay at my brother’s house so that I could play Ragnarok Online and do other stuff on the Internet.
Playing at a Net Café sometimes could be expensive since the cost is usually P15-P25 an hour depending on location. Not to mention that sometimes there are no privacy in computer shops, the keyboard’s not working, your seatmate is noisy and playing music with a headset is really not my thing.
There are some occasions in the past that I have to bring my laptop at work and try to connect to a free Wi-Fi network during my lunch break. It was one of the darkest moments of my digital life.
History of my Globelines
My digital life with Globelines (now rebranded as Globe Tattoo) started in February 2010. I live in Barangay Nagpayong, Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City. It’s one of the farthest place in Pasig City and one of the most isolated barangay at that time. I often call it as Barangay Deadspot due to its isolation – no telephone company has ever invested in this part of Pasig City.
So one fine morning in February 2010, a Sales Representative of Globe handed me a leaflet and encouraging me to avail of their P1,200/month package of 2 mbps Internet and phone service. It’s the first time that a Sales Rep actually passed our street offering this service. I got excited but I never put my hopes up because there is still a big chance that it will not be approved because Nagpayong is very far from a known DSLAM or Central Office. Nevertheless, I filled out the form and provided the necessary billing information documents.
A week after, on February 1, 2010, when I arrived from work, I was very glad to see that familiar telephone box outside of our door – it’s marked Innove, the phone division of Globe. For the first time, I was able to connect to the Internet from the comfort of my own desk, from our humble barangay. Then, the rest they say is history. My first modem was the Prolink H6300G and it was replaced in November 2012 by my current modem, the Huawei EchoLife HG521 Home Gateway.
My 2nd modem from Globelines – a Huawei brand. It’s a wireless router/modem.
In December 17, 2012 around 6:52 PM, I got another offer from Globelines since I passed the 2 year contract with them. Jeci of Globelines called me and offered a P135 reduction to my monthly bill if I renew my contract for another 2 years. I agreed and from P1,295 my monthly bill since them became P1,160/month. It’s the same 2 mbps Internet and phone package. The reference number for my new contract was EIN12120035221.
Customer-ISP Relationship
My relationship with Globe Tattoo (as it is called these days) is not always smooth-sailing. In my almost 4 years of subscription with my Internet Service Provider (ISP), I have called in numerous times to report Internet connection issues. I also got my share of disconnection issues due to billing problems (3 so far) and also sent out 2-3 complaint letters to their Customer Care email address.
The good thing about Globe is that they acknowledged all these complaints and feedbacks and they do all they can to fix the issue, including 3-4 compensations in the form of credits to my accounts. Their customer service representatives are always professional even though I’m an irate customer sometimes.
Over the years, Globe and I probably have known each other for so long that my (complaint) calls to them was lessen. I’m actually looking forward to my 4th Year Anniversary as a Globelines subscriber next year. Cheers to a productive Internet life and I’m glad to be a Globe customer.
Around 95% of the time, I’m getting what I’m paying for, with my Globe DSL subscription. I usually check my Internet speed at http://www.speedtest.net/
Benefits and Improvements of Globelines (a.k.a. Globe Tattoo)
Over the years, I’ve seen some improvements with Globe Tattoo to their service and how they handle billing and customer care. They provided options for Paperless Billing and a PDF version of my monthly bill that is being sent regularly to my email address. It’s convenient and fast since it is being sent to me on the same day that the paper bills are printed.
They also have SMS and Telephone Notification once my bill is generated. My mother usually receives the Phone Notification and she sometimes joke around by saying “tumawag yung Globe sabi settle your bill” (Globe called advising you to settle your bill).
I also noticed that the reconnection time once my line is soft-disconnected is now shorter. Before, it takes almost 24 hours before it gets reconnected and I have to call them up and provide the representative with the receipt # of the payment. They now have an automated system so there’s no need to talk to a live person.
Not to mention that if I have concerns with my Globe account (including my Globe Handyphone), I could always chat with a representative. Globe also is the first telephone company that offered a Forum for its users. The Globe Community is an effective way to get information on almost all the things related to the Internet. I always love going to forums!
I was invited to the First Globe Community Gathering – it’s an event for all the forum users of Globe.
Lastly, Globe Tattoo has Satisfaction Surveys being conducted right after a technician visit. They usually would ask me to rate the technician that conducted the repair in terms of professionalism, efficiency and courtesy. They always ask for feedbacks on how to improve the service, which is a key ingredient in improving customer service.
I’m truly glad to be a Globe subscriber.
I will visit the website of a local travel agency who would give me the best value for money and will include these 3 destinations. I've always wanted to visit El Nido and the Underground River in Palawan, the white sands of Boracay, and the Loboc River of Bohol. Since it's almost June and the rainy season is upon us, I'll probably schedule this dream summer trip in April 2014 to give me more time to save.Sunset at Palawan. What a beautiful sight.
Part of the Underground River that I always wanted to visit.
BoracayA nice walk on the beach of Palawan.
The paradise island of Boracay.
BoholThis rock formation is probably one of the most photographed place in Boracay.
Can you see the image of Padre Pio? This is the Baclayon Church.
Travelling to these three destinations is definitely my dream summer trip for 2014. I hope I could also get a sponsor like most travel bloggers out there. I really hope to be a certified travel blogger to enjoy dream summer trips like this.The famous floating restaurant of Loboc River, Bohol.