I love astronomy so it was an instant yes when I read about the invite. It's a plus also that I was familiar with the venue (The Mind Museum at Taguig) and that the launch will start on a very convenient time for me. Going there alone is one of my least worries, though I admit I was anxious because this was my first blogging event and I really don't know what to expect.

the media launch venue

This is why when I saw that the venue is a standing cocktail party, I was surprised.

I helped myself on some cocktail and chocolates! (＃´ー´)旦

ONE WITH THE MEDIA -- my fellow attendees at the launch. It's legit! I'm one of them now! ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ

LINE, the world’s leading mobile platform with over 350 million users, continuous to provide the best service for all of its users. This is why news keeps on coming in about all the wonderful things that the developers over at LINE are making for us!

Here's a summary of all their achievements for the first quarter of this year 2014:


February 18, 2014
LINE Theme Shop lets you decorate your messaging experience



LINE has unveiled its new Theme Shop for Android and iPhone users in the Philippines. Through the store, Filipinos can purchase themes that decorate their LINE chat visuals with LINE characters Leonard and Sally. What’s more, the themes of the ever popular Cony and Brown are still available to users for free.

Since first being introduced in June 2013, LINE Themes have been downloaded more than 200 million times by users around the world to add a personal and colorful touch to their LINE interface.

“The Theme Shop already offers a wide variety of themes centered on the beloved characters of LINE,” said Greg Kim, Senior Manager of LINE Plus Corporation. “In the next months, we will be adding Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma themes, and we promise to deliver more fun-loving motifs as the year progresses.”

Filipino users can also purchase themes from the LINE Web Store and send them as gifts to their LINE friends.


LINE is now available on Firefox Marketplace

The Firefox OS platform has been gaining particular traction among smartphone users, including Filipinos. In line with that, the mobile messaging app has continued to expand its reach and is now available on the Firefox Marketplace.


“We are glad to welcome Firefox users in the Philippines to LINE,” says Kim. “One of our main goals is to advance our accessibility to more Filipinos, so they can enjoy LINE’s unparalleled mobile platform services.”

Important Notes
1.       Themes are only supported by the iPhone and Android versions of the LINE app.
2.       iPhone users can only send Theme gifts to friends via Web Store only.
3.       Purchased themes are supported for 180 days after sales end.



LINE has seen a record-breaking inflow of daily new users, as many as 10 times in some regions, since the weekend of February 23, 2014. The recent surge is attributed to LINE’s unparalleled communication services that are the most safe and reliable, in the midst of recent system trouble experienced by other service providers.

“We are pleased to provide our many users in the Philippines with a complete, exciting, and secure mobile messaging experience,” remarked Mr. Greg Kim, Head of the Philippines at LINE Business Development Division, LINE Plus Corporation.


Many users have already chosen LINE as the ideal solution that offers an advanced system support and wide range of features that offer free messaging, voice and video calling, as well as interactive elements such as Stickers, Timeline and Official Accounts, under the ongoing industrial changes in the mobile messaging market.


To ensure user privacy protection and stable service support, LINE does not store or track any user information. All user information submitted when creating a new account, as well as messages exchanged between users, are encrypted. Moreover, LINE adheres to its company policy of not providing any user information to an external party.

LINE is also the first mobile messenger in the world to receive all three international certifications in internal control management (SOC2, SOC3 and SysTrust), which proves its leading security standards.

LINE will continue to safely protect all user information from third party access and will continue to offer the most dynamic services that can be trusted anywhere around the world.



March 25, 2014
LINE Call connects Filipinos to their loved ones abroad

New service from LINE offers affordable domestic and international calls to Filipino users

LINE has released the Android and iOS version of LINE Call, a low-cost IP phone service that allows users to make calls to landlines and mobile devices to over 200 countries and regions—directly from the LINE app without initial set up.

LINE Call connects Filipinos



“There are millions of OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) around the world,” says Greg Kim, head of LINE Corporation Philippines. “The only way these everyday heroes connect to their families is by phone—and they pay expensive amounts just to share short conversations with their loved ones. But with the help of LINE Call, they can now reach their families and friends at a much affordable cost.”

Filipino LINE users can now choose between the existing free call service to other LINE users and low-cost calls to any other number with LINE Call, making for a more convenient calling experience.

LINE Call offers low-cost calls by combining the greatly reduced calling costs of IP phones with LINE’s ability to secure large-scale telephone lines in various regions. LINE Call takes advantage of premium phone lines provided by major telecommunication service companies, while adapting the service to the unique capabilities of each OS and mobile device type. This offers Filipino users uninterrupted voice calls of the highest quality possible.

In addition to the Philippines, LINE Call has also been launched in Thailand, Columbia, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and the United States. LINE plans include more regions in the upcoming months, and the iPhone version is currently under development.


How to use LINE Call?



1.    Update your LINE app to the latest 4.1.0 version
2.    Check out “More” Tab and press “LINE Call”
3.    For domestic calls, proceed to dial the recipient’s phone number or select a contact from your  phonebook, and tap “Call”
4.    For international calls, select the recipient’s country number, followed by the phone number
5.    Enjoy the low-cost, clear calls with your loved ones around country & the world!

	Calls to Landlines	Calls to Mobile Devices
Philippines	₱5.28/min (12 credits)	₱7.04/min (16 credits)
United States	₱0.88/min (2 credits)
China	₱0.88/min (2 credits)
Japan	₱1.32/min (3 credits)	₱6.16/min (14 credits)
South Korea	₱0.88/min (2 credits)	₱1.32/min (3 credits)
Hong Kong	₱0.88/min (2 credits)	₱1.32/min (3 credits)
Spain	₱0.88/min (2 credits)	₱3.96/min (9 credits)
Thailand	₱1.32/min (3 credits)	₱1.76/min (4 credits)

~o~o~o~o~

I have never been this awed after seeing an artist perform on a concert before, but after this one...  wow. Just wow. Bruno Mars blew me away.

We all know how powerful Bruno's voice is - that sexy husky voice that serenades us on each of his songs. Other artists don't dare do a cover of his songs because comparison with the original is inevitable, and people might be too harsh if their expectations are not met (as what I have witnessed in a local reality talent show).

Bruno Mars performing on stage at MOA Arena

With Bruno Mars, talent is undeniable. He is a true artist at heart. Performing is like breathing for him.
He has already mastered the art.







It's truly amazing how he weaves a whole new rendition for his songs. I love how he inserts a lot of ad lib on the melody and arrangement. It's like he never performs a song the same way each and every time. He really owns his music.

The band with him in the concert was commendable too. The arrangement of each of the songs is very different, making most of them way way better than the original.


It was one hell of a performance. Every second of it was amazing.

Words fail me on how to describe that concert. There was no dull moment! From the opening lyrics  of Moonshine to the rockin' finale of Gorilla, the show will really put you up on your feet and keep you dancin' with each beat that Bruno Mars performs on the stage. The spectacular lights and fireworks (and bombs??) added up to the energy of the stage.



Before the concert, I had no idea on how he does the show live. I never knew how charismatic he can be on stage! Aside from the fact that he's a very (very very very very) good singer, he's a great dancer too!

Bruno Mars now tops my list of the best concerts I've been to, or I think he shares the top spot with Maroon 5's last live stage here in the country. Hehehe.

I love you Bruno! Please please do come back to the Philippines soon! We'll be waiting! :D

Can you believe that the first quarter of the year is already coming to an end? Sure, time flies really fast when you are having fun! A new quarter means one thing for me -- a new morning playlist! This is the fourth time I am changing my playlist (click to see my first and second playlist, and the third one) :D

So from April to June, here are the melodies that I am setting to hear every morning.




This playlist doesn't include Miley's songs. I can't seem to find a track that is not a cover in Soundcloud. ((-_-))

I have been waiting for the longest time to upgrade my Android phone. It has been in my wishlist since last year. Finally I got myself the current flagship phone of the Nexus units, the Google Nexus 5 (also called LG D820) manufactured by LG. This is a huge upgrade for me because my last android phone was an HTC Wildfire S!

crave.cnet.co.uk

Here's what I'm lovin' so far on this gadget running on vanilla android:


Android Kitkat (who doesn't? :D)
I was not able to experience Android Jellybean. I came from ancient Gingerbread then transferred to the modern and busy Kitkat so I am very very impressed on how the Android platform has improved throughout the years.

I looove the new lock screen! When playing music, it displays the album art in full screen!



Everything Google is Here!
If you are a heavy user of Google's services, then you and this phone is a match made in heaven. Nexus 5 has all of Google's products pre-installed (Calendar, Chrome, Drive, Earth, Gmail, Google+ Search, Hangouts, Keeps, Maps, Photos, Play Books, Play Games, Play Music, Play Newsstand, Play Store, Youtube) and a lot of cool features!

Google's Voice Commands
I feel like I have a personal assistant because I can talk to my phone. xD I'll just have to say 'Ok, Google' and say my commands. I think my mostly used voice commands are setting the alarm clock (when I do naps) and doing Google searches (when there are too many keywords and I'm too lazy to type). There are loads of things you can do through voice commands. You may want to check out this very informative infographic (redundant it is xD) on it.




Google Now
I have proven through this feature that this smart phone is indeed smart, maybe even smarter than I am. It takes note the location of your home and work, lists down nearby establishments to check out, and displays related news articles based on your recent Google searches.




Google Maps
Navigation and locating places improved so much in the Kitkat OS. There are lots of new features added (the last time I checked was on Gingerbread haha) and I am very pleased with it.  The turn-by-turn navigation works very neat.




The HDR+ Camera
Nexus 5 is equipped with an 8MP Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) camera and has an HDR capability that brings out the best colors of the scenery into your photos. Get more information about HDR here.



Below are some of the photos I took during a recent vacation in Boracay.

Note: No editing filters were applied on these photos.



The photos turned out pretty well. The HDR+ feature does its job pretty well. We ended up using the phone's camera instead of the DSLR camera that my sister bought for the trip. xD

I am totally in love on how the camera captures photos, especially of food! Now I am getting addicted to food photography!



There are just a few things I'm disappointed with the Nexus 5, like the fact that the package doesn't include earphones (which holds true also on previous Nexus devices), no built-in radio, and no SD card slot. But for a 16GB internal memory, it's more than enough for me.


I am very well in love with this phone (which I have nicknamed Nexee by the way, haha). I have yet to explore more of its features and I am excited to learn more about the Kitkat platform.

Korean restaurants can be pricy, but you can still have a tasty Korean meal if you know the right place to go.

If you are craving for some 잡채 (japchae) and omu rice, you can endulge on them without spending much by heading to Kim N' Chi, a Korean fast food store found mostly in mall's food courts. They have a variety of dishes to choose from on affordable prices.

isparkleen.com

I first discovered Kim N' Chi way back in 2012 (I think) when the Glorietta branch opened. They were still in soft opening and the Korean owner was at the counter receiving orders from upcoming customers. I remember the owner was very cheerful and accommodating in getting our meals.

I have already tried most in the menu and I liked them. My personal favorite is their Beef Stew. Coming in second place are their omu rice meals.

my most recent meal at kim n' chi

I have lots of fond memories eating at Kim N' Chi because this is always our default dinner place after office and our default order would always be the beef stew. xD

So if you are into Korean dishes, you can have Kim N' Chi as your cheap treat for your appetite! :D

I'm such a sucker for deals like this. Imagine, I get to have the products of a brand that I like, then I get something more on top of that!

Just like this one by Forever 21, they are currently having this promo wherein you'll get a power bank when you do a single-receipt purchase worth Php3,000.



The power bank has an input/output of 5V/500mAh. I am not sure how much power this can give to your gadgets but to give you a slight idea, a 13,000mAh power bank can fully charge a Samsung S4 for almost 3 times. This means that this power bank can come in handy for emergency cases wherein you need to keep your gadgets running for at least the next hour.

The Forever 21 power bank comes in yellow and black. I chose the former one because the color makes the power bank look like the store's shopping bags. :D

Getting a power bank and updating my wardrobe are both on my to-do list, so when I learned about this promo, I knew this would be a double-combo in checking off tasks in my list. :D

Their promo ends on March 16 (which is tomorrow). If you like to have your very own Forever 21 power bank, head on to their store outlets! :D


~o~

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

Littlemisshoo is back with a new book for all of us kdrama lovers and fangirls at heart!

Following the success of her first book entitled TRAVEL TO KOREA IN KPOP/KDRAMA STYLE comes another tour guide book with a whole new set of interesting places to visit based on kdrama shooting locations and celebrity-owned restaurants to name a few!


PRESENTING~~

littlemisshoo.com

It's a bigger and better version of the first book -- more pages, pictures, and information about the must-see places for all kdrama lovers.



The book was officially launched in the Philippines last March 1 with a book-signing activity at National Book Store Glorietta 1. Littlemisshoo, or Ros Hoo in real life, was there and she talked about her book and her own experiences while travelling in Korea.


The book will be very useful for people who will be visiting South Korea because it's complete with directions on trains and buses to get on to arrive at the place. Littlemisshoo did the researching and travelling herself so the information in the book came from first-hand experience!

Oppa! Take Me to Korea truly completes your travel essentials to the Halyu land. :D This will surely be useful in my upcoming *crossing fingers* trip to the country in the very near future! I am so excited to see all the places listed there in person!

Go grab your copy now! :D

If someone asks for your home address, what will you say?

Probably you will answer in this format:



And you stop there. 

But actually you can still extend that with adding:


and still further with...



then...



and...


up until....


and this can still expand on and on and on... inifintely? I guess this question is still unanswered, because we still don't know how big this universe expands to. So if some alien (if they exist) from another world far far away asks for your galactical address, you can answer back with "I live at #5 Red St. Square City, Philippines, Asia, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, Local Group, ... , Universe. "


Scientific research up to this day has not yet determined what to fill up on that ellipsis.  The boundaries of this universe are still unknown to humanity.



This question and more are interestingly discussed in National Geographic Channel's latest documentary series, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.



This documentary illustrates how the universe began, how our solar system came to be and how life began on earth as we know it. It also tales how our knowledge about the skies evolved throughout history - how religion and ancient traditions of the earlier times clashed with the revolutionary ideas declared by astronomers that learned and observed the skies. Their discoveries hugely helped on the development of the knowledge that we have about the universe today.

Cosmos is actually a follow-up of the 1980 phenomenal series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage by Carl Sagan. 

Catch the 13-episode documentary on National Geographic Channel (this also airs on FOX Channel) every Wednesday starting March 12, at 10PM.

This "dome" is a commemorative left inside the Mind Museum to celebrate the launch of Cosmos.

[Stay tuned for more photos on the media launch held at Mind Museum. Invites courtesy of NuffnangPH.]


~o~

reference: wikipedia.org