The Beanster Blog

[It's so hard to say goodbye] -- In less than 11 hours I'll start my project to cut down my cigarette consumption. I have to get rid of my stash of cigs [I have 2 Cartons and a pack here ATM that's 420 sticks], lighters [I have 4], I'm not getting rid of Darth Lighter , my black lighter [gift from By & Lea] and my Giant Zippo [gift from Yap and Tiu]. I think I need gum, lolipops or a friggin' chew toy to compensate for the oral fixation associated with smoking. Shitballs. I'm really worried about this one. May the FORCE Be With Me... -- [You are safe don't worry!]

[Now that's cool!] Ah as I posted earlier we'll be saying lot's of wacky stuff about the iPhone in the next few days. Sure there are cool un-boxing pics like on BGR . Think Secret took it to the next level by taking apart the shinny little bugger. -- 1. it appears that there is a SIM card tray. So you can swap out the AT&T SIM and use your own.... NOT! Aside from being SIM locked. It appears that the iPhone has to be activated via iTunes and a valid AT&T SIM card and corresponding plan is needed for that. The next question is if you activate it, then SIM unlock it, then put in your own SIM will it work as a phone or will you get a pda phone minus the phone? Oh and how do you SIM unlock it?[Answers welcome] 2. as feared by many the battery is internal and not user replaceable. No mAH on the battery as well as on Apple's site. It just has LiIon 3.7V it's made in China though no surprises there! 3. It has an ARM processor [wonder if one could flash it with ano...

Jobs' 'Jesus' phone goes on sale today [TBH it's more of a 'Moses' phone IMO] in any case I wonder what crazy things people in the US are doing to get their hands on it. It's been hyped so much and people have been salivating for months for this mobile. I hope we see in depth reviews soon. Gadgetlust for the iPhone is -5% [you read it right that's negative five] but I'm really interested on how it performs. I'm pretty certain that we'll be seeing an avalanche of reviews soon. Now that the wait is over, the judgement shall begin.

Happy Birthday -- Jet Quirante -- May the FORCE Be With You...

[Optimus Prime: Primed for Battle!] -- Category: Movies Genre: Animated Series Adaptation Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Anderson, Bernie Mac, Jon Voight [Mr. Anaconda], John Tuturo [Mr. Very Very Sneaky!] -- The movie was AWESOME nay it was: LEGEN... wait for it... DARY! SFX were over the top! The way they transformed was really really really cool. The movie was action packed and entertaining at the same time. A lot of comedy was blended really well with the action. I'd go see it again! Can't wait for the sequel... Soundwave anyone? How about the Dinobots [Me GRIMLOCK hahaha]? After seeing this movie I suddenly want a Camero, and maybe Megan Fox in the passenger side seat as well hehehe [she is smokin' hot]. [To quote Borat: Wawa-wee-wa!!!] -- Michael Bay and Spielberg did well with this one... Yo Steve before you produce the sequel get together with George and make/finish Indy please hehehehe. -- Roll out and watch this movie.

Right on! After a few emails with Ms. Linda from Handango Customer Service, my issue has been resolved! As a matter of fact I just bought 2 titles :D Got 20% off due to the SPB discount for SPB Traveler and 10% off [courtesy of Handango] on the 2nd title I got! Thanks Handango for resolving my issue. Happy customer again!

We've slashed prices on selected items for you! Please come and check out great bargains at GADGETGEEKS Unit V-374 3F V-Mall, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan MM via Treo 750v

I'm on Geek Guard today, meaning I don't have to go to the office instead I go to V-mall to check on our kiosk and what not. The big difference: Office is 8:30AM to 5:30PM, Gadgetgeeks is 10:00AM to 8:00PM/9:00PM [9PM on Fridays and Saturdays] we don't have to stay there all day though so it's cool. I usually have coffee in the AM, check sales and inventory, go to the bank, then roam around V-mall looking at tech stuff. Sort off like 'lite duties' for CAT or ROTC. SHAMELESS PLUG: GADGETGEEKS UNIT V-374 3F V-MALL, GREENHILLS SHOPPING CENTER, SAN JUAN I would've enjoyed the extra Zs but no... the fucking rooster colony at the compound behind our town house had a concert which started at around quarter to 6AM. Which reminds me I have to get earplugs later. There really should be a law against them they are clearly for cock-fighting which is illegal gambling right? We're catching Transformers the movie later. Media buzz and word is that the movie is great,...

Just an update, Handango finally contacted me. I've responded to their questions and hoping for a good resolution to this issue .

palm insider has got their hands on the Windows Mobile 6 update for the palm Treo 750v [I wonder if they are willing to share]. He's hinting on a release later this month. Um that's 2 days to go before June 30th so either it's released June 30 or we get it in July? -- more pics here

Still no word from Handango. They have about 36Hrs left to reply. My impatience might get the best of me and I just might find another place to do my software shopping.

Happy Birthday -- Arlyn Ang -- May the FORCE Be With You...

Error FSS3: 'We're sorry, but your order cannot be fulfilled because your country is on Handango's U.S. export control list. Nice! Once again living in the Philippines is making it a hassle to support one of my vices... buying applications for my Windows Mobile Device. I got the above message when I tried to purchase an application [SPB Traveler] from SPB Software House and Handango [SPB uses Handango for their store]. I've been a member at Handango since Feb 2004, that's 3 years. If memory serves me right I had to fax over a photocopy of my credit card, credit card statements, and passport to get an account open. Here's the stupid part... I just bought an application last June 19, 2007 [SPB Mobile Shell], that was about 8 days ago. From this we know that... I've been a good customer. My credit cards are legit. My account is not dormant. I could purchase even if I live in the Philippines [until today that is]. I understand that these online stores are afraid...

More and more people are going the Windows Mobile route, which is great! Here's a short guide on one of the basics. Installing Applications. -- Basically there are 3 ways to install on a Windows Mobile Device. #1 Desktop Installer - most software developers release a desktop installer these are designed to be used with a PC and Activesync. Your device must be connected to the PC via Activesync. After running the program be sure to finish the installation, check your device as you will be ask where the app should be installed. This is by far the easiest way to install apps and even keep a copy of them on your PC. On your next rebuild you can open up AS [Activesync] Add/Remove Programs and all past programs you installed will be listed and you can check what you want to install. #2 CAB files - some developers offer OTA [Over the Air] downloads of their application these are in the form of CAB files. Once downloaded on your device you tap on them and they install on your device/storag...

The Treo 750v [and 750] has a static today plugin with the Operator Name, and a Bluetooth icon on the far right. You can add some slight customization with this few registry tweaks. -- Open up your Registry Editor and point to the ff location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\OEM\PhoneSetting Check the ff: entries Enable3GLongNamePrefix = 0x1 (1) is enabled [0 = disabled] LongNamePrefix = XXXXXXX [I changed mine to UMTS] After changing these values wait till the device powers off and do a soft reset. -- Results: [on GSM network] [on UMTS network] -- If you disable it you would have to rely on the U or G icon on top to check if you are using UMTS or GSM network.

I mentioned a few posts back that I was adding apps to my facebook account I saw Chuppy add a Magic 8 Ball and decided to add it to my profile as well. I asked if I should quit smoking twice and twice it replied with a no. I think the 8 Ball is confused! Anyway I was dry running my system yesterday, it was a disaster I smoked more than my average and ended the day with 11 sticks. I'm at 4 down today but it's only 2 in the afternoon. Shitballs. Project start date/day is a only a few days away... Hoping I can really do this...

It seems that the rains are here to stay. For the past week or so it has been raining usually during the afternoon, evening or early morning. In fact it's raining a bit hard at the moment here in Marikina and it was drizzling this morning in San Juan when I left the house. Well hopefully we get some temperature drops with the rains cause it's been really warm.

Since I'm a social networking gigolo, I join most of the social networking sites I see on the web [although I've also left a few like bebo, zorpia, tagged, facebox etc since these seem lousy and aren't feature rich] I still maintain atleast 4 [friendster, myspace, multiply, and now facebook]. I joined iLike, flixster and installed last.fm audioscrobbler on my PCs, so now people can check out what I listen too and what movies I've seen/would like to see. I'm also into the whole web presence thing I have both twitter and jaiku accounts. Apart from this I also have this blog which cross posts to my multiply account. I find myself spending most of my time on multiply nowadays it's just more flexible compared to friendster and myspace which are my oldest accounts (both have the most contacts). Facebook is pretty cool too as you can add 'applications' to it... I've added my flixster/iLike/jaiku/twitter/last.fm and a fortune cookie app to my account and I...

This is quiet a shocker... Another great wrestler passes away. I hope they catch the culprit and bring them to justice. FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (AP) -- Authorities said professional wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and child were found slain Monday at their Fayette County home. Lieutenant Tommy Pope of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department said the three were found about 2:30 p.m., but he would release no other details. Fox Atlanta Report

I think I have acute insomnia, I've been having trouble catching Zs for the past few weeks... Hopefully this doesn't develop into full blown insomnia, the bad part is I feel tired when I'm at the office, sometimes I even doze off in my chair (and that's with coffee and tea in my system) fortunately I haven't smacked my face down on my keyboard yet. Not suprisingly it's 1:27AM my mind is still racing I'm shutting down my UX after publishing this so I ain't tempted to surf till dawn.

Ok it's another boring Monday. I finished most of my reports last week so barring anything else I'll probably be coasting thru the rest of the week. Transformers will be screening earlier here in the Philippines vs North America and other parts of the world. We do plan on catching it this Friday. I'm not too excited though I mean I saw the artwork and style guide [the license for footwear was being offered to us about 9 months earlier, I signed an NDA so I was not able to discuss it] TBH I don't like the look but still the movie may redeem itself. Maybe I'm not to psych'd because of the fact that as a kid I grew up watching the TV show and the animated movie and am worried that the live action movie may deviate too far from what I grew up with.

Happy Birthday -- Karla Bartolata -- May the FORCE Be With You...

Looking for a good Korean BBQ restaurant drop by Ye Dang near Metrowalk in Pasig. Bulgogi, Pork Belly, Chapchea (unsure if I spelled this right). Food, pricing and service was great. via Treo 750v The FORCE Will Be With You Always...

Going over in my head on what I posted the other day. I've decided I'm serious about quiting. So here are some definitions, regulations and sanctions for my lil project. Cigarette - any brand regular, lights or 100's are considered as 1 stick be it imported or local. Daily Limits - I'd say my conservative average would be 10 sticks per weekday (Mon thru Thur) which is 40, plus 30 sticks per weekend (Fri thru Sun) which is 90 so that's 130 per week. If I want to cut down 50% in 1st Quarter of this project I'd have to bring that down to 5 sticks on a weekday 15 on a weekend. For the 2nd Quarter I'd have to go 3 for weekdays and 7 on weekends. Tally - Daily limits are not commulative and are not to be stacked (i.e. If I smoke 3 sticks on a Monday I still can't smoke 7 on a Tuesday). Everytime I light up I input it to my Excel file. If I light 1 regardless if I finish it or not its counted as 1. Puffing is not allowed, a puff is counted as 1 stick as well. S...

Dinner at Chrissy's then drinks at Alchemy. Thanks Chrissy for hosting a great supper [and happy bday again] I liked the ribs and fresh pineapple. On to Alchemy: The placed was packed, again! I guess because it's new and there aren't many similar establishments in the area. Stayed on the 2F [House/Dance Music Floor] cause I don't like hiphop [3F] and if you think the 2F is packed try getting up to the 3F did that last Saturday and I couldn't take it. Was able to catch Marie Garcia's set, it was ok and I appreciated those oldies being thrown in suddenly. Great set DJ Marie. We've been there for 2 straight Saturdays I'm not saying I'm tired of the place YET but I don't want to get tired of it too soon, so hopefully we'll be somewhere else next week. -- some snaps on multiply

Happy Birthday -- Rons Nebre Paul Tan -- May the FORCE Be With You...

Just about done with my tall brewed coffee and it isn't kicking in! Dammit. Need to keep walking listening to Mp3s so as not to fall on my face and slam it against starbucks' less than clean outdoor steel tables. via Treo 750v

Didn't get much sleep (2AM thru 7AM) so I'm relying on Java and Smokes to keep me awake here at GH. As expected foot traffic is thin. Makes me wonder where Ortigas & Co. got the balls to ask for an increase in rent. Still drowsy the caffeine hasn't kicked in yet... I'm not feeling too well either, I think I might be getting what my bro had last week shitballs. Gotta power thru this. The weekend is here! I'm planning on cutting down on the 'death sticks' I made an excel file and a daily appointment that says 'Quit Smoking, Smoking Kills', I'm taking the geeky way to try and quit (again). I've devised a system. You see my daily consumption is about 8 to 10 sticks per weekday, and spikes to 20 or more during Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Way too many. IIRC I've been smoking for 10 years now (started 4th year high school). So on to the system. I plan to cut down my consumption by 50% for the 1st 3 months (3Q) then 25% for the next 3 mon...

After we gave dozens of roses to Lea, By got on one knee and popped the question. The answer was a yes [nice one men!]. So GAME ON! Their planning to tie the knot late next year as well. Congrats to the happy couple! Two ACP weddings next year... let's go for 3 ACP! :D

With only 8 [or 9 depending on where you're at] days remaining till Jobs' next little big thing launches I think we'll be seeing more and more crazy shit. Anyway there isn't really anything too special about the iPhone [settle down fanboys and girls]. I blogged about this way back when it was announced and I'm saying it again wait for version 2 when Jobs figures out that... -- #1 A user replaceable battery is a must for any mobile. It's just silly to have an internal main power source. So what happens after a year when the battery starts to conk out from wear and tear you can't buy an extra batt you'd have to bring it in for service hogwash! #2 That UMTS [aka 3G/3.5G] is a MUST for any high end connected device. USD 600 and you get GPRS/EDGE please shoot yourself in the face if you fall for this crap! Others may argue that AT&T hasn't fully rolled-out their network YET, well they are rolling it out and any device you put out with that price tag s...

Happy Birthday -- Byron Lim -- May the FORCE Be With You...

Happy Birthday -- Chrissy Sioco -- May the FORCE Be With You...

Wow! This is the first time I ever won anything from the net. First off thanks to WORMY from Technology at Play . Second to team SBSH.net [I own most of their titles including PocketBreeze , ContactBreeze , PocketWeather , iLauncher and Clock for PocketPC and Papyrus and Facade for Smartphone]. Solid Development, Support and Community. You can't go wrong with SBSH.net products IMO and I'm not saying this cause I won a PhoneWeaver license [I haven't even installed this one yet hehehe]. I'm speaking from experience here. So before the day is over if you own a Windows Mobile device be it PocketPC or Smartphone drop by SBSH.net , grab the trials, give em a whirl and improve your Windows Mobile Experience. -- Again thanks Wormy and SBSH.net -- The FORCE Will Be With You Always...

Happy Birthday -- Jac Topacio Marco Bustos -- May the FORCE Be With You...

Tried morphing my photo with some celebs here's how it came out. -- -- Try it yourself: http://www.morphthing.com/

Recently a friend of mine told me that she doesn't know anything about STAR WARS. She called Darth Vader... wait for it... Darth [or Dark] Invader?! WTF! She expressed some interest in it and wanted me to explain it to her [aha a potential apprentice hahaha]. She was probably too drunk, just joking and wasn't half serious. But it got me thinking... I'm a Star Wars fan, I buy toys, merchandise, read books/comics, watch the movies over and over etc. But I wasn't living the philosophy of the Force [the lighside of course]. In Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Master Yoda speaks these words to Anakin Skywalker: “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." I HAD much HATE in my heart. For 5 years now I have been carrying a burden, a burden which I could not share with anyone else, and I HATED my dad for it. I often answer back to him just to provoke him. I ridicule and contradict his ideas [good or bad I didn't...

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's. I'd like to add a special thank you to my dad for flaking us off during our supposed family lunch which my Guama [Grand mother on Mother's side] slaved over the whole morning. And then inviting us for dinner at the last moment when I already had plans. Good on yah dad!

Our good friend Elars mandated a special 'acopol' [a couple of beers] at Jack's Loft last night. The big announcement: he proposed to Ice. The 2 Doctors will get hitched next year.

My friends' band has their music video out on both MYX and MTV. -- Message from Veran of Quadro... Please help our song RELAPSE reach the countdown of MTV and MYX. tingnan natin kung kaya natin papasukin sa countdown tulad ng sa NU107.hehehe. for MTV:text MTV VOTE RELAPSE and send to 2976 for MYX:text MYX VOTE RELAPSE and send to 2366 Oo nga pala, one to sawa ang pag text dito.hehehe.Maraming salamat sa suporta niyo!!!RaymondPS. Quadro will be playing at 19 East in sucat 9pm and Temple Bar Greenbelt 1030pm this coming June 21, thurs. Hope to see you guys there!

-- http://www.votepetrelli.com/

BGR is reporting that the Chinese Government has banned Flickr the popular photo sharing service from Yahoo.

Happy Birthday -- Florendo 'Ren Ren' Ritualo Jr. -- May the FORCE Be With You...

Really excited to go and see Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer ! Cams et al. are getting tickets for us later for this Friday's screening [thanks ladies!]. I wonder if Galactus shows up?! I refrained from reading anything about the movie [I only saw the teasers/trailers] so that I'm not over informed about the movie. I'm not really a big F4 or even Surfer fan but damn those teasers/trailers were really cool.

Happy Birthday -- Marie Garcia -- May the FORCE Be With You...

I think everyone who went with us on the long weekend [well I do] has a mild case of separation anxiety. I really think it's natural cause you sort of got used to having the same people around you for an extended period of time. A normal gimmick you'd probably be together for a good 4 or 6 hours [ok more for those ATU types], but staying together for about 72 hours or more you'd probably get SA when you get back home and when you wake up the next day and they're not there, you might feel a lil down. Well the good thing is you'd be psych'd to see em all again and you'd have lot's to talk about too. Well I think we're all catching a movie this weekend [that's what I think the plan is F4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, if we can get tickets that is].

Happy Independence Day to all. I hope all Pinoys especially our politicians and these so called nationalistic groups really start loving the country instead of just themseleves which IS the case.

Happy Birthday -- Jeremiah Lim Kate Villaluna Kenneth Yap II -- May the FORCE Be With You...

Got back from Tagaytay about an hour ago. Just finished tagging the images from compiled DSCs that we brought and checking emails I missed. I'm really tired didn't get much sleep as I had to entertain 'sudden guests' who left at 6AM in the morning! Slept all the way back home and didn't even get a chance to eat a proper supper during our stop over on the way home cause I was so sleepy. It's all good though we sang karaoke last night and I got a 99 hehehe on my fave song... MY WAY!!! Hahahaha. It was loads of fun but pulling two all nighters in a row is taking it's toll I think I'll be a zombie at the office tomorrow! Anyway gotta get some rest, back to work and reality tomorrow. Booooo!!!!

Woot Woot Woot! We have a long weekend and what better way to spend it than to go on a short trip away from the hustle and bustle of the Metro. So tomorrow we're off to be FREE from worries and problems. My bro and sisters are off to Bohol to dive. So where are you off to? Well no matter where you go and who you go with be safe, have fun, and enjoy! Go with the FORCE!

Saw this amazing artist on CNN last Saturday. Ex-lawyer, LEGO builder. Nuff said... -- NATHAN SAWAYA = This guy is a freaking genius!!! The FORCE is strong in this one...

Got Vista? Got Windows Mobile? Well hop on over to Microsoft to get WMDC 6.1 [aka Activesync for Vista]... -- [taken from Microsoft website] Windows Mobile 6 feature support Information Rights Management activation - Automatically configure the Windows Mobile 6 device to open IRM-protected documents and files HTML mail – Set up your Windows Mobile 6 device to sync HTML-formatted mail Certificate Enrollment - Acquire certificates through the PC the Windows Mobile 6 device is currently connected to Allow data connections on the Windows Mobile 6 device when connected to the PC File synchronization for smartphones – Synchronize files with your Windows Mobile 6 devices, including both touch screen and non-touch screen devices Automatic device authentication - Connect the Windows Mobile device to the PC without the need to enter the device-lock PIN every time upon connect Product Registration - Register your Windows Mobile device and get connected to information and offers available for y...

Happy Birthday -- Catherine Consunji Angela Laurel -- May the FORCE Be With You...

I'm selling my UMPC [Ultra Mobile Personal Computer] it's a SONY VAIO VGN-UX280P with Box and all the accessories. -- Specs: This is a Intel® Centrino™ based system can run upto 2.5 to 4.5hrs on a charge [YMMV] Processor: Intel® Core™ Solo Processor U1400 Ultra Low Voltage 1.2Ghz (533MHz/2Mb L2 Cache) WLAN: Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection (802.11a/b/g) Chipset: Intel® 945GMS Chipset Graphics: Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (128MB Video RAM) Memory: 1024Mb RAM DDR2 400Mhz HDD: 40Gb HDD Ultra ATA with SONY shock protection PAN: Bluetooth 2.0 Toshiba Stack WAN: Sony Ericsson GPRS/EDGE Modem [unlocked, I've used it with Globe and SMART] Display: 4.5inch Touch Screen 1024 x 600 resolution [with screen protector] Input: Sliding QWERTY backlit keyboard / Touch Screen with Handwritting recognition / Trackstick Security: Biometric Security [Finger print scanner] Battery: Standard Lithium-ion battery (VGP-BPS6) Cameras: Dual Motion Eye Cameras [VGA front web ca...

Right on! HTC [IMO the current leader in Windows Mobile Hardware] is at it again a few weeks before the iPhone from Baby Jobs ships they launch TouchFlo™ a sort of jab at the touch/scrolling interface being touted by Jobs as the next big thing. We all saw the scroll system hack for the ETEN M500 posted by a Malaysian dude a few months back. This time HTC has a somewhat similar system, hop on over to the unwired.net for juicy videos. The HTC Touch [aka HTC Elf] has unimpressive specs by my standards but the TouchFlo is mighty interesting.

Happy Birthday -- Warren Co Antonio Gomez Ginger Hao -- May the FORCE Be With You...

Happy Birthday -- Kenneth 'Whyish' Espinosa Baby Pua -- May the FORCE Be With You...

Happy Birthday -- Mark Manahan Ian Pascual -- May the FORCE Be With You...

Hahahaha via Treo 750v

MABUHAY ANG BAGONG KASAL!!! :o) -- Michael Koa and Elisa Shih -- May the FORCE Be With You...

Mabs 'The WARRIOR' as you all know is in Manila for the weekend. Tonight we went to Fez @ Serendra. Lot's of booze and laughs! -- http://bnycastro.multiply.com/photos/album/68 -- Good Times!

Just got home from dinner with Mabs [and ACP of course] who's back from Bangkok for the weekend. I wasn't feeling too well the whole day [I guess sleeping late, the crap weather and waking up too early has taken it's toll]. I didn't go out for drinks [I don't drink anyway hehe] after dinner and went straight home. Drank some meds and am now resting on my bed wearing 2 sweaters to keep me warm. I hope I feel better tomorrow so that I can enjoy the weekend! Mabs is back and I have a wedding to attend on Saturday. Fortunately I don't have to go to the office tomorrow since I'm on duty at our kiosk in V-mall I can rest up tonight and probably for a most of the day tomorrow... Come on TEMPRA don't let me down!