I have been seeing a lot of this mart lately around the Metro. At first I didn't pay attention to it but after exploring the One Central branch with friends one night after work, I found out the treasures found inside the store. xD



I'm such a fan of anything green tea (especially matcha!) and imagine my glee when I discovered that Family Mart sells out green tea ice cream!

Today's the last day of 2013! Wow, time really flew very fast. Maybe this is because I really had a great time this year. Here's a rundown of all the good things I have experienced this blissful year of 2013 (as documented here in the blog):

February
(Event) I got to meet the author of the 'Travel to Korea in KPOP/KDRAMA Style' in a book signing at NBS! :D



June
(Travel) I went to Baguio with my colleagues!

I'm still in the process of retracing my journey in the Harry Potter world. Now I'm on to the second installment.

I remember reading this book for the first time when I was still in highschool. I borrowed it from a classmate (I can't remember who anymore ><). It's nice to recall how the young Harry Potter has come face-to-face with You-Know-Who (or Voldemort, whatever...) for the second time in the series. This is also when Harry mingles most with the Weasley Family when he comes to The Burrow just before they return to Hogwarts.


The idea of Horcruxes was always in my mind when I read about Riddle's diary and how it was used in the story. I can now read what's going in Dumbledore's mind when he's staring at Harry from behind those half-moon spectacles. I can understand where his actions are coming from in dealing with the situation and with Harry, unlike before when it was all full of mystery and secrets. This is one of the reasons why I really wanted to reread the HP series because aside from reliving the magic, I get to look for clues which were lying around previous books that lead to the revelations by the end of the story in the series.

As expected, it was a great read, even for the second time. The characters of the Weasley brothers (Percy, Fred, and George) became alive again in my mind and I do missed them actually. JK Rowling really did a great job in building up the characters in the series.

Now my next stop is with the Prisoner in Azkaban of the book. :D

~o~

image credit: wikipedia.com

In tradition of my morning routine, I am shuffling in a new playlist that I will be using every morning next year. I can't believe it's been three months since I last refreshed this list!

For the first quarter of 2014, I am bringing in lots of meaningful songs for me at the moment.





Missing You - 2NE1
Gorilla - Bruno Mars
LOVE Girl - CNBLUE
Adore You - Miley Cyrus
Unconditionally - Katy Perry
Best Song Ever - One Direction
That Girl - Justin Timberlake
Mirrors - Justin Timberlake
Wake Me Up - Avicii
Fly To Love - Lunafly







Some of them are my old favorites like CNBLUE's LOVE Girl. I really love Katy Perry's Prism album and Unconditionally is one of the songs that really moved me. Most of the rest are new releases that I have come to love after hearing it the first time. I have always liked JT's Mirrors but it got more special because Lunafly sang this live during the recently concluded 5th KPOP Convention.

Now I'm ready for my morning wake up calls this 2014! :D

~o~

image credits: josepvinaixa.com | deviantart.com | ernesthgarciadesigns.blogspot.com | logictherapy.wordpress.com | digitalspy.com | musictimes.com | k2nblog.com

The Philippine KPOP Convention was at its grandest form this year as it has partnered with Pulp Live World to bring four KPOP artists to perform in the event - A.Cian, LC9, Lunafly, and Boyfriend. The convention was held at SMX Halls 1 & 2 from 10AM to 10PM on December 28.

banners draped around the venue

Fast forward to ten years, TVXQ has become an established and respected group, not just in the KPOP industry, but in the worldwide music scene. The group might have split into two now (with three members forming a new unit named JYJ), but obviously the fans still have their whole support for the five of them. Fans widely celebrated the ten-year anniversary of the group online by reminiscing the best moments of the group on twitter. The twitter hashtag #동방신기와10년 for the event even trended worldwide across various countries.

(twitter screenshots taken at around 1:45PM today)

Good job Pinoy Cassies! ^__^

"Knowing can be a curse on a person's life. I'd traded in a pack of lies for a pack of truth, and didn't know which one was heavier. Which one took the most strength to carry around? It was a ridiculous question though, because once you know the truth, you can't go back and pick up your suitcase of lies. Heavier or not, the truth is yours now."

My journey to reading this book was a long one because I landed reading a different book with similar book cover and title. However, it happened to benefit me because I was able to learn more about the behaviour of the bees which is somehow vital to the plot of the Secret Life of Bees.

I know, I know. It's been months since the singing battle has ended. As much as I have tried keeping up on the episodes that aired every week, I failed on following the show.

I have searched each of the contestants on Soundcloud and these are the artists and the songs that I like on their accounts (the other songs might have been good, but these are the ones that are of my taste):

I have been attending the free online course provided by the great great people over at playwithyourmusic.org for the past six weeks. Though the lecture series is officially over, I have not yet finished working on the last three assignments (and I need to do them soon!). But so far, I have learned the foundation of audio mixing.

Below is the first track I have recorded after learning the lessons in the #PWYM course. I have realized that my previous recordings were just the dry sounds of the instruments I played on the digital keyboard. Now that I know how to apply sound effects and some panning, this is how my cover for the Christmas song Happy Xmas (War is Over) turned out:



Comparing the same track with the dry sounds of the instrument:



For this track, I used three voices from the digital keyboard (piano, star dust, violin) and below are the effects that I applied on them for this mix:

Piano (dry sound) - panned to the left
Piano with reverb - panned to the right
Violin - split into two tracks, each panned 40% on both directions, with echo fx, -4dB
Stardust - plit into two tracks, each panned 50% on both directions, with wah wah fx, -3dB

Applying these on the dry sounds of the instruments greatly improved the final output of the mix. :D

I think I would be using the techniques that I have learned in the online course on covers and instrumentals that I will be making in the future. :)

I have commuted all my life, and I perfectly know how hard it can be to wait for a taxi especially within the busy streets of the metro.

This is why, I thank the genius creators of GrabTaxi which makes finding a nearby for-hire taxi way way easier.

After the postponement of the Asian Games Centennial Festival last November because of the damage caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the country, the Philippine Olympic Committee has announced in the event's website the new dates for the activities:

2013agcef.com.ph/schedule

The original venue was in Boracay, but due to the events that happened, the organizers decided to relocate the event in Manila.

It's that time of the year again for the most anticipated KPOP Convention in the country! (((*°▽°*)八(*°▽°*)))♪

Ever since 2009, Philippine KPOP fans have always ended the year with a bang with the launch of the Philippine KPOP Convention, the first in the country, and even the first of its kind in the world. Today in its fifth year, this annual event just got BIGGER and GRANDER!

Partnership with Pulp World - KPOP Groups Are Coming to Town 〜♪♪♪
From the same group that brought you the most awesome concerts and events in the country, Pulp Live World has teamed up with the Philippine KPOP Committee, Inc. to bring to the country the grandest kpop convention yet (and yes I will repeatedly say this throughout this post. Have I mentioned that this is the BIGGEST KPOP convention ever here? xD)

Not just one... or two but F-O-U-R KPOP GROUPS, will come to the event!! Fangirls, give out your loudest screams for:

All Cassies! Hear ye! Hear ye!

We are in for an extra treat a week before the most anticipated KPOPCon5!

Cassiopeia Philippines in cooperation with the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) will be having a special FREE holiday concert screening of TVXQ's Mirotic Concert in Seoul on December 20, 3:30PM at KCC.


Personally, this is my most favorite concert of the (then) five-membered TVXQ. :D

Aside from the concert screening, there would also be:

• mini raffles
• video/photo message for TVXQ/JYJ's 10th anniversary (Feel free to bring fansigns, concert paraphernalia, etc)
• NEW Merchandise preview (available at KPOPCON5)

Again, this event is for free, but registration is required (limited slots available, up to 150 attendees only). Head over to koreanculture.ph to sign up for the screening!

A few days ago, I turned 24. Yup, I am that old already. I can't believe it myself. (*ﾟﾛﾟ) COWABUNGA dude.

It was my first time to do a birthday leave EVER. Well it was not exactly a leave because I still did work just at home. But I just thought I had to celebrate my birthday in a different way this time around.


Simbang Gabi
So at 4:30AM, me and mom went impromptu to church to attend the first day of the Simbang Gabi. This is a tradition by Filipinos wherein they go to church to attend the mass at early morning from December 16 to December 24. As expected, there were a lot of people already at church when we arrived. I never had a chance to do this in my past birthdays. I'm happy I was able to attend this year.


Google Greeting
After going to church, I ate a quick breakfast and went to turn on my laptop. Am ready to do some work! Upon loading my browser's home page, this is what I saw:

I felt so kilig! xD Thaaank you!

Truly, Google is your best friend. The people over the development team sure knows how to charm their customers. I just love how they reach out to their clients through ways like this. I think it's fun to join their team. I could just daydream about it. xD


#themorningrush
To complete my usual morning routine, I turned on the radio and tuned in at frequency 93.1. I have not had the joy of listening to my all-time favorite morning show for months! Hearing the kikay barkada in the morning really gives me comfort. :D

Last week, I had the chance to drop by Plains&Prints at the newly-opened SM City BF. I needed a dress for our Christmas party so I did some last-minute shopping for it. Good thing I found something that suited my taste.

Apparently they have this promo "a Dress for a Shirt" campaign wherein for every dress you purchase, one shirt will be donated to charity.

You also get to give a message to charity! :D

I know this is a bit late, but I just had to let some of my thoughts about this movie out to the universe. 

To begin with, I did not read the book so I have zero idea on what to expect. I just knew (through friends who have read the book and can't keep it to themselves) that Katniss will return to the arena again together with previous survivors of the Hunger Games. I was curious on how the battle would go this time, and how they would survive (because I well know they would, there's still a third book. Ha!)

The movie was A-W-E-S-O-M-E. I was on the edge of my seats throughout the movie! Also, I was so affected by Mags' character. 

Out of sight, out of mind. This sentence explains the concept behind this little trick that will do wonders to your eveyday experience at work. :D

If you are like me who faces the monitor for almost 8 hours straight (and even more ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ), a day at work seems soooo long. I tend to always check on the pc clock, which is just a blink away, and be hugely amazed how 9:05AM ticks so long to become 9:30AM.

But I found a solution for this - totally hide the clock from the task bar. :D

To do this, right-click on the time, then choose Customize notification icons.



Click on Turn system icons on and off.




Set the Clock to Off and click OK.



It may feel awkward not to see the clock there but you'll get used to it. As for me, during the following days that came after I did this, lunch time came faster than I expected. Before I knew it, everyone was packing for home already. I even ended up staying for a couple of hours more because I was so absorbed on my tasks.

Works like a charm, right? :D

~o~

Actually, I just copied this from a colleague. I was looking at her workspace one day and I was amused that there was no clock on the taskbar. And this is the same teammate who always goes home after everyone else did. I just found out her secret! Hehehe.

Can you believe it's only 13 days more before Christmas day? Ever since I have outgrown this festivity (admit it, Christmas is mostly enjoyed by kids xD), I cared little about the preparations for this end-of-year occasion. Actually I'm not really fond of exchanging gifts, because the thought of giving out presents for others is just nerve-wracking for me. I don't want to be put under the pressure of pleasing others. xD

Anyway, like it or not, Christmas is fast approaching. Can you feel it with the decorations all around? You would surely feel the holidays when you drop by Shangrila Mall at Ortigas.

Just look at their Christmas tree!!

This tree is H-U-G-E!!

Our wonderful friends over at LINE - Cony, Brown, Moon, James, and the rest of the gang are here to grant wishes this Christmas!

LINE, the world’s leading mobile platform with more than 300 million users, announced the launch of its charity project “LINE Santa Claus,” and is inviting its users worldwide to participate in the event, themed Building a Brighter Tomorrow for our Children.

LINE is granting wishes this Yuletide season!

Vargas Museum in cooperation with Artinformal (AI), presents Bla-Bla Archaeological Complex, presents
an exhibition of the works of Cian Dayrit.

Brilliant work, GOOGLE! :D

(I know, it's a long title xD)

Anyway I was typing away an IMPORTANT email to an IMPORTANT recipient when I stumbled upon this pop-up message on GMAIL:

Did you mean to attach files?
You wrote "Attached is" in your message, but there are no files attached. Send anyway?

 I am so relieved that Google thought of this one because (admit it!) most of us make this mistake of sending out an email without placing the file attachment (and this saved me fom embarrassing myself from that important recipient).

I got curious on how the developers have implemented this enhancement in GMAIL. I know in my case, the program was able to detect this user error because of the phrase-


in the email body. But what if the wording was different? Let's put this to a test, shall we?

Upon testing several keywords in the email that may mean that there is an attachment in it, the following are the keywords that triggered the pop-up message:

see attached

attached file

The following DID NOT trigger the pop-up message:

So you saw this juicy photo of a friend on Facebook and you wanted to download it for you to have your own copy. But when you went back to the page, it's gone already! Apparently your friend took it down and deleted the photo out of embarrassment. Well fear not, your evil plans are still underway. It's still possible to get that photo. Nyahahaha! Ψ(｀▽´)Ψ *evil laugh*

Well okay, that's scenario is a little bit into the dark side but well it's just one example of a situation wherein you want to retrieve data that you've seen online but got deleted by the user already. The idea on how to do it is very simple. You just have to be a little patient in locating the right source of that data that you are looking for. 

Disclaimer: this method does not involve any kind of hacking. As a software engineer, I well know that hacking is an activity highly discouraged and breaks the law of the ethics of programming.

So, here's what you'll need to get the job done (actually there are only two):

* Google Chrome ~ This trick will only work if you have loaded the image you'll going to retrieve on Chrome. Maybe there's also a way to do this on other browsers, but this post will only cover the method for Chrome.

* This webpage from sensefulsolutions ~ This contains the tutorial and the tool for locating data in google chrome's cache and viewing the photos saved there. Don't worry, it's very easy to follow the instructions here. :D

For my situation, I used this method because I wanted to retrieve a photo that I saw before on FB (that later on I used on this post). When I saw that the post was already taken out, I knew there was still a way to retrieve that photo. I searched Google and it gave me that site as one of the solutions (Google is your bestfriend!)

my chrome's cache content

The cache page of chrome basically contains data regarding images, html, and css contents (and maybe more other files) that you have loaded before in the web browser. The major challenge for me when I did this was to locate which of these JPG files is the photo that I was looking for. I had no choice but to do trial-and-errors. Using the functionality in senseful solutions site, I was able to convert the hexadecimal values contained in the cache to a viewable photo. After several tries, I finally found what I was looking for!

FOUND IT!!

Another leap towards this goal!

So I am still here on the process of self-learning reading hangul. Actually there are lots of websites out there that teach different languages for you to acquire and learn, and one of them that I've found is Memrise.

I have learned this site through Lifehacker (as always!) and I am on to taking my first course.

I have decided to create another blog on another platform, particularly on wordpress. I have been wanting to have a blog there because I just love the layout of the themes there.

I would still write on this blog, but this will focus more on the steps that I am doing to achieve my dreams (obviously I have been very distracted for the past months).

If you have time, go check bestconsumedbefore.wordpress.com.

[UPDATE]
I have decided to still place here all posts that I think would be useful for everyone. The content of my second blog will be a surprise! :D (Clue: I will be doing a year-round project on the other blog!)

[This blog giveaway is already over.]

Hi guys! I am so excited for this because this is my first time to hold a blog giveaway. Actually, I never thought I would be doing something like this, but I guess we really never know what we would be capable of doing in the future!

Here are the prizes at stake: