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Summer 2009 Travel Destinations

April 22nd, 2009 | Posted in Travel Tales - (13 Comments)

You’ve probably heard other people say this so many times before, but let me say it too: Oh how I love traveling! The thought excites me like nothing else. I check online bookings every now and again to look for cheap flights, and sometimes I just get caught up watching the Discovery Travel & Living and Living Asia channels, just like the Super Girl. If I can afford it, and if there’s no ‘work’ that gets in the way, I would plan trips to places in the Philippines every month — to get lost in a strange city, walk around, and just take pictures. Or maybe fly to a nearby country (so long as Cebu Pacific continually offers Seat Sale!) for a bit of a challenge. The thought of finding my way in a foreign land using only a map, signs and a travel guide, and dealing with foreign-speaking locals does not bother me.

Here are the places I’ve been to this summer:

SINGAPORE
Singapore Under Construction Singapore Flyer Almost sunset Cable Cars Rawr!

MALAYSIA
Petronas Twin Towers Sunway Lagoon Water Park KL Tower at night Scholar RockSunway Lagoon

PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN
Underground River Sabang Underground River Bayawak (Monitor Lizard) Daluyon Beach

BAGUIO CITY
Sunflower Baguio Neighborhood SM Baguio Treehouse Minesview Park

Mae and I almost decided to fly to Cagayan de Oro for Labor Day weekend. We wanted to experience the renowned whitewater rafting, and to finally set foot in Mindanao(!!!). But since May 1st is only two weeks away, round trip airfare costs P5,000 or more. Eek. Maybe next time then.

I find it fun exploring the Philippines, cos it’s one thing to be proud of your country just by sitting in a chair and watching TV — whole other thing to actually get up from your chair, go places, and witness the “beauty” first-hand. LOVE YOUR OWN!

I wish I had more trips to tourist destinations in the Philippines in the remaining days of the summer. But due to the peak season still in full swing, I shouldn’t even bother checking the airline websites. Looking forward to other trips I’ve scheduled later this year, though.

Let’s Find Some Beautiful Place To Get Lost

Was tagged by Riz to browse through my stock photos, find that one place I want to go back to this very minute, put the words, “Let’s find some beautiful place to get lost” on it, then post it up. I choose Malaysia.

Petronas Twin Towers

I regret that I only spent less than 24 hours in this country. Checking on travel websites now, there’s obviously more to Malaysia than just Sunway Lagoon, the famous Petronas Twin Towers, and the KL Tower. I would love the chance to go back and check out other spots.

Where have you been and where are you off to this summer? :)

Untitled

March 7th, 2009 | Posted in Personal - (14 Comments)

During the short time my dad was battling cancer and when he finally succumbed to it, I kept getting comments from friends on how they admire me for handling the situation really well. Some of them even said that they would be in a worse state than I was if they were in my shoes. They say this because when they came to visit my Dad in the hospital, and some others at the wake, they didn’t seem to find any trace of sadness in my face. They find it odd that I look “okay” while I explain to them Papa’s case as though I’m not affected by it.

But the truth is, I was (I am) extremely affected by it. I was just happy to see friends who came to extend their condolences that I was more concerned with showing them how much I appreciate them than making them feel uncomfortable. I’m not one to go hysterical in front of people so when I faced my friends at the hospital and at the funeral, I had to be strong and put on a smile. A friend of mine almost didn’t speak to me because she didn’t know what to say. I just told her that I understood, there’s no need to worry.

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SUN Broadband Wireless on Mac OS

March 4th, 2009 | Posted in Electronics - (30 Comments)

Sun Broadband WirelessSo last week, Mae and I were surfing the net using our respective SUN Broadband Wireless dongles on our MBPs and I got a bit annoyed cos I was only getting a GPRS signal (green light indicator) while she was enjoying her breezy HSDPA signal (cyan light indicator). I looked for the options to configure in the “SUN Broadband” Application on my Mac but didn’t find any. Apparently, for Mac users to configure the network settings of the SUN wireless Broadband, we have to plug the thing into a Windows PC first, install the software, then change the settings from there. Here are the simple steps to take on a PC after installation:

  1. Choose Profile Name: “Sun BROADBAND STANDARD”.
  2. Go to “Tools”.
  3. Select the “Network” folder icon.
  4. For “Network Type” select “WCDMA only” from the dropdown box.
  5. For “Band, select “All Bands” from the dropdown box.
  6. Click “Apply” button.
  7. Remove dongle from USB port and transfer it to your Mac.

And voila, an HSDPA data service is established! But don’t get your hopes too high, signal strength still depends on your location.

I kinda find it odd, though, that I have to use a PC before I can change the settings of the wireless broadband. And I’m a bit annoyed with myself that I just found out about this now, all the while thinking WHY DIDN’T THE SUN CELLULAR PEOPLE INFORM ME ABOUT THIS?? No wonder I kept complaining about the crappy signal of my Sun Broadband Wireless, while Mae is all praises for hers.

Hope this little info is useful to some of you!