IN MEMORIAM

Yesterday was the 40th day anniversary of my very dear friend Ronald Mendez who met his tragic death after a parachuting accident in Cebu...Your wife once said that blue skies was her greatest rival and yes indeed she was exactly right. You've been taken from us by the exact passion you've loved doing so much....jumping, gliding with blue skies.

Have you heard what happened to Ron?, he's gone due to parachuting accident. was the first message that greeted me a month ago.

I paused, shocked...and a deafening silent ensued for I wasn't sure where to put my footings since I was caught off guard and though that has been your passion, yet I never even once thought the possibility that your own best friend will take you away from US without signs nor warnings.
The loneliness of thinking that I'll be physically losing you forever still lingers and send shivers down my spine. May be because although it's beyond my control but as much as possible we don't want you to be gone. Or may be you might have done enough already and the undertaker call it's your "times up". Yet HE could have done it better and not so tragic that after losing you for 2 days in the waters you're no longer unrecognizable.

The news was heart wrenching to everyone who knew RON who was known for his kindness, smiling face and charisma that never failed to attracts. I've been with him since Asian Spirit, Singapore Airlines, and Marshall Aerospace days in Cambridge, UK. We've been on the same companies most of the time, same condo in Singapore and though different houses in UK but still we seemed inseparable. I've been visiting him most of the time and Oh boy...I've missed your special cooking my friend.



He resigned from his job in UK as preparation for his upcoming wedding and to continue his pilot training. He was almost at the zenith of his dream, successfully flown and co-piloted a helicopter....I'm so sorry.....I don't know what else to say...maybe I just really missed you so much.....
I was supposed to be on your wedding day...sorry I didn't showed up for personal reasons. I knew you'd understand but if only had I known that your wedding day will be our last meeting I could have done something to attend.

The thought of never seeing you again still hurts and although I'll be visiting you in Bohol in 2 months time as promised yet this is the least situation I wanted to see you at. Because I won't bee seeing your undying smiles again, the laughter we used to have and the unspoken bond that although none of us dared to utter in words but deep inside we treated each other "brother". To me he was a brother I never had. Later on I found out madalas nya ako ikwento sa asawa nya....ganun din ako, I talked about him most of the time to my wife. And ironically we both hated the same person and almost fought with the same person at different situation in our life in Singapore.

I know you're still here, smiling on everyone of US but it's no longer like what it used to be....I know you're here but you seemed too far as if an unseen force is separating us from one another.
Life is really unpredictable...I wasn't there when you pass away but the feeling is the same when I lost my tito while holding him in my arm, pulling his last breathe...P***ng ina.....wala na si uncle....yan lng nasabi ko noon at sabi nila tulala na raw ako afterwards. This time I was again speechless because the emotional impact was the same. I felt like I chartered an old and familiar feelings at a different time frame that no one would ever dare venturing again.



I will always treasure the friendship we had my friend though it was brief but I'll make sure that in my lifetime...I will always remember that for once I've crossed path with a very special person named Ronald Mendez.

I want to say Thank you for being such a very good friend, and a brother. Salamat sa mga pautang mo dati without interest, sa pahiram mong bag nang minsang nagbakasyon ako from UK, sa mahal na mahal mong videocam na pinahiram mo talaga sakin on my holiday, sa ulam na may take out pa pag dinadalaw kita sa UK, sa pagtatakip sakin sa singapore flight simulator pag inaantok na ako sa gabi (matutulog ako at ikaw ang gising), sa pagtatakip mo ulit sakin sa UK sa gabi pag inaantok na naman ako (papaspasan ko ang trouble at matutulog na at ikaw gising)(di ko kasi talaga kaya night shift at naintindihan mo yon), for trying hard to help noong time na gusto ko makilala ang babaeng napangasawa ko ngayon, sa fruit shake na araw araw mong inaalok samin sa singapore, sa magandang bike na binigay mo sakin sa UK after ikaw itransfer ng company to SURREY while I stayed in CAMBRIDGE.

Lastly, I want to say sorry noong nasira mo ang mamahalin kong test probe sa tester.....not totally sira pero alam mo naman ako perfectionist daw at strict pero di pa kasi kita kilala nun....sorry I doubted you that time. nabawasan na ang tatawag sakin ng master ngayon....we're not a gang, infact I've been rejecting your offer to join in your Akhro fraternity but you kept calling me master, mamimimissed ko un.

Thanks for the memory, I'll treasure them.

Rest well my friend. You're in our prayers.

Blue skies indeed but this time you don't have to worry about the heights, the free fall.....this time you have to float my friend.....and please keep floating higher than any shadows.

Gadget Show

This is my first serious ventures to advance photography although I have no idea how to take pictures perfectly. I bought this one coupled with 18-55mm lens and a 70-300 telefoto lens, bought a cheaper small/aluminium tripod as well. Still exploring how the camera works perfectly to my preferences and this will be very handy on my up coming holiday. I originaly craved for EOS 50D unfortunately my favorite seller no longer offers the said model. This was the display set I got from the store since their stores nationwide hasn't received any new stock from canon and that it will take 2-3 weeks for my order to arrive, I was offered the EOS 450D but I prefer EOS 500D than the EOS 450D so I ended up begging from the manager to give me the display set which he gave in anyway in the end.

Features

15.1 MP CMOS sensor Full HD (1080p) movies High ISO up to 12800 for low-light conditions 3.4fps with up to 170 JPEG burst 3.0” Clear View LCD with Live View mode 9-point AF system DIGIC 4 EOS Integrated Cleaning System EF/EF-S and EX Speedlite compatibility

15.1 MP CMOS sensor Ideal for those who want to create large, poster-size prints – or crop images to perfection without losing any of the detail necessary for printing – Canon’s 15.1MP CMOS sensor is outstanding in low light, and produces images with incredibly low noise. Full HD movie recording The EOS 500D combines exceptional still shooting with the ability to shoot Full HD (1080p) video. For occasions when larger amounts of footage need to be stored on a memory card, users can also choose to shoot at 720p or VGA resolution. An HDMI connection allows High Definition playback of footage and images on any HDTV. High ISO for low light When light levels fall, the EOS 500D offers an ISO range of up to 3200 – expandable to 12800 for those environments where using flash is undesirable. 3.4fps with up to 170 JPEG burst The EOS 500D features shooting speeds of up to 3.4fps in continuous bursts of up to 170 large JPEG images (9 RAW). 3.0” Clear View LCD with Live View mode Detailed checks on images and video are possible with a 3.0” ClearView LCD screen, which features an ultra-high 920,000 dots for increased clarity. Switch to Live View mode and use the real-time visual feed to shoot from awkward angles. 9-point AF system A high-precision AF system employs 9 AF points AF Points are located throughout the frame to better accommodate off-centre subjects. For accurate focusing with fast aperture lenses, the central AF point features a high sensitivity cross-type sensor, suitable for lenses with an aperture of f/2.8 or faster. DIGIC 4 Canon’s DIGIC 4 processor works with the CMOS sensor to deliver 14-bit image processing, for smooth gradations and natural looking colours. DIGIC 4 also powers advanced Noise Reduction when shooting at higher ISO speeds, plus split-second startup times and near-instant image review after shooting. EOS Integrated Cleaning System Canon’s built-in dust prevention system offers three ways of guarding images against the effects of dust: reduction of internal dust generation; an in-camera sensor cleaning mechanism; and the ability to map stubborn dust sports for removal with the included Digital Photo Professional software. Full EF/EF-S and EX Speedlite compatibility The EOS 500D is compatible with Canon’s full range of EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites. This allows the creation of a shooting system as unique as the photographer using it.

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This is my latest mobile phone, Sony Ericsson Satio , I'm back to ericsson after they released this camera brilliant phone as I always wanted to have a camera ready in hand and since I will be giving my Nokia N96 to my wife. I still haven't explored much of the phone's features but one thing that puts me off is that their is no dedicated slot for the stylus, touchscreen is resistive. You will not regret with the camera of this phone though.



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This is my third laptop within a period of three years time. After the warranty of my Expensive Compaq expired, along with it the laptop decided to stop working properly showing a multiple scrren on desktop. I was very disappointed with Compaq and I wouldn't waste next time buying any from Hp and Compaq so I decided to try Vaio instead. I don't like the specs of this one though but I had no choice as I badly needed an immediate replacement for my Compaq.

Product Features

• Smart personal laptop in Silver with 3 Gb RAM for efficient everyday computing
• 15.4 inch X-black LCD for sharp and bright pictures
• Integrated 1.3 megapixel camera for instant video chat with friends and family
• Maximum connectivity with 4 USB ports – no need to use an external USB hub
• Enjoy effortless multimedia creation with VAIO Movie Story and VAIO MusicBox

Technical Details

Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium SP1
Chipset: Mobile Intel GM45 Express Chipset
Cover Colour: Silver
Processor: Intel Pentium Processor T4200 with Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 1 MB
Frontside Bus: 800 MHz
Memory Size: 3 Gb
Memory Speed: 800 MHz
Memory Type: DDR2 SDRAM (1 x 2 Gb, 1 x 1 Gb)
Max. Supported Memory: 8 Gb
Max Memory Comment: In the case of 4 Gb or more, a portion of the system memory over 3 Gb might not be available to the 32bit operating system
Hard Drive: 250 Gb SATA 5400 rpm
Optical Drive: CVD+-RW/+-R DL/RAM
Optical Drive Speed (Read): CD x24, CD-R x24, CD-RW x24, DVD x8, DVD-R DL x8, DVD-R x8, DVD-RW x8, DVD+R DL x6, DVD+R x8, DVD+RW x8, DVD-RAM x5
Optical Drive Speed (Write): CD-R x24, CD-RW x24, DVD-R DL x6, DVD-R x8, DVD-RW x6, DVD+R DL x6, DVD+R x8, DVD+RW x8, DVD-RAM x5
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My first camcorder Sony HDRX-R105E.CEH. The high definition video taken from this cam is really amazing, crisp and clear. I originally thought this has a night mode video shooting capability and I was frustrated it doesn't have. Could have taken the HDRXR200 if given a chance which has night mode shooting and a GPS. GPS? for what?

Features

Full HD 1920 x 1080 video recording at high bit-rate using AVCHD format Up to 33 hours HD recording on 80GB hard drive plus HYBRID recording on optional Memory Stick. Exmor CMOS sensor for brilliant picture quality with high sensitivity and low noise BIONZ high-speed image processor for enhanced image quality and responsive performance Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with 10x optical zoom / 120x digital zoom SteadyShot image stabilization for clearer video and stills when shooting handheld x.v.Colour mode for vivid, lifelike colours with compatible TV Face Detection automatically gives clearer, natural looking faces. Smile Shutter automatically captures photos of smiles even during video shooting D-Range Optimiser with Auto Backlight Correction adjusts exposure and contrast for evenly-exposed backlit shots 4 megapixel still photo recording onto internal HDD or removable Memory Stick

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Hp Pavilion DV2750ea. This is my current gaming notebook. It's fast although not fast enough to my expectation but tweaking/adding memory will surely make it lighting speed. Has only two usb port and these are so close together that you may not be able to use them both at once as what I had experienced.
Lights flashing when in sleep mode using uneccessary battery power. Graphic card will still struggle with the latest games as what I had experienced when playing Assissins Creed (this probably calls for a Sony PS3 console), no HD/BLUE RAY drive that will accomodate my Full HD camcorder videos.
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This is not my first laptop. My first one was an IBM ( I already forgotten what model). An Hp (I can't remember the model as well because I don't have it anymore)....?

This was taken hostage by my ex in exchange for my papers and certificates. And as if she still hasn't got the best of her so called "revenge" after I gave this laptop, she decided not to give my papers and certificates unless I again give her a monthly dues worth around £400.00 which I declined and ended up losing all my papers and certificates - that's after I sent her to college(De La Salle University to be exact) shouldering her daily expenses and apartment, supported her family, lended £650.00 to her aunt and ended not being paid as well.

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My first compact Digital camera Casio Exelim EX-S770. A friend from Qatar paid me a visit and toured them into places unknown even to myself. we ended up alighting at the wrong station, in short we got lost. After a series of picture taking, my friend accidentally dropped this camera more than a meter to a concrete floor breaking not but a little portion of top cover.

If you’re thinking of buying a new camera, the chances are that you’re considering one of the big brands you’ve often heard of, such as Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus or Fujifilm. Maybe you’ll consider a Sony, a Panasonic or a Samsung, since you’ve heard they’re pretty good. However the chances are you’ll overlook the longest-established consumer digital camera brands of them all: Casio. Unfortunately for Casio its name is associated in the public consciousness with cheap pocket calculators and digital watches, and for some reason this seems to have negative connotations, despite the fact that Casio calculators and watches have always been very good.

The fact is that it was Casio that produced the world’s first consumer digital camera way back in 1996, was the first to include an LCD monitor, was the first to launch a 10MP compact, and has always been one of the leading innovators in the field. The Exilim series of high-quality pocket compacts are among the smallest, most advanced and best value for money on the market, but hardly anyone ever considers them.

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My third current phone.The camera, the memory lured me to get this model when it came out. Accessing internet videos is quick and simple. The Nokia N96 supports common video formats including MPEG-4, Windows Media Video and Flash Video, making favorite videos easy to view. Transferring and accessing videos is even faster with the high-speed USB 2.0 connection and WLAN and HSDPA support. In select markets, the integrated DVB-H receiver offers live broadcast TV with an automatically updating program guide. The massive memory can store up to 40 hours of video content. The storage capacity of the Nokia N96 can even be further expanded with an optional microSD card, such as the new Nokia 8GB microSDHC Card MU-43 which increases the available memory of the Nokia N96 to a total of 24 GB. For added convenience, the Nokia N96 features a 'kickstand' on the back cover that allows for hands-free viewing.

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The phone that lured me to try using Nokia again because I though Nokia's phone's were boring.

• S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1, with the combined Web/WAP browser and miniUSB connectivity
• HSDPA, UPnP and Wi-Fi (all fairly cutting edge in a phone when announced but more commonplace today)
• a largish, recessed 2.6" screen
• an utterly superb 5 megapixel stills camera with great optics, light sensitivity and options, protected by a physical shutter and spoilt slightly by slow image processing and slow camera startup
• a great VGA-res video recorder (producing good video images but only mono sound)
• a very full set of media software, with all audio and video codecs, video and image editing suites, online integration
• the facility to work in portrait or landscape mode
• a built-in low power GPS with 'Assisted GPS' for fast lock-on times
• great and tactile d-pad and button set
• TV out for video echoing of any application or media item to a TV or other video equipment

It was quite a package for a 'phone', but despite the plus points above and even with latest firmware, two big negatives remained. The 950mAh BL-5F battery just wasn't up to the job of powering all the multimedia and comms goodness, with most power users of the N95 finding that the battery sometimes didn't last the day and with I'm irritated by having to recharge every single night. I'm looking forward to upgrade this to N97 in two months time.

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My second Sony Ericsson phone which I am stll using until now and intend to keep this for roaming purposes.

The Sony Ericsson W850i is a 3G Walkman® phone & is beautifully designed to be fun, useable & compact. The handset has a slide opening mechanism & is available in two stylish colours which are precious black & golden white which provides the user with a sleek looking & tactile handset. The W850i is a mobile phone, camera phone & music phone all in one.

Between the soft keys is a dedicated Walkman control that's used to activate the music player. Though it's easy to identify because of its bright orange color, the Walkman button has a long thin shape and is squashed next to a raised silver bar. Unfortunately, those two features make the control very difficult to press unless you have nails. The main navigation array that sits below the display has such an unintuitive design, I can't imagine what Sony Ericsson was thinking when it rolled this one out of the design lab. Instead of a traditional toggle or a joystick, the W850i has a recessed OK button surrounded by four pressure points for each direction (up, down, left, right). After a year of pressing these buttons, the front panel gave in and broke.

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After the bad omens I've experienced with Samsung units, I decided to grab Sony Ericsson K800i right away when this first came out. The efforts of phone manufacturers to cram more and more pixels into the lenses of the built-in cameras is nothing short of relentless. In 2006, Samsung has hit 10-megapixels with its SCH-B600 phone, but that is of course no more than a technology statement and is only available in Korea anyway. The best we can get that time was a 3.2 million courtesy of Sony Ericsson’s K800i, the first SE phone to carry the Cyber-shot branding. It is not just about pixels, though, and Sony Ericsson has added in some non pixel-count features which augment the K800i’s potential as a cameraphone.

I gave this to my ex which I later found out not a sound decision.

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My third official phone the Samsung E730. The picture quality of this phone is awesome although it is just 1.3 megapixel. Everything is fine with this phone. Just that the memory is not big enough. I gave this to my ex after I got bored with it.

She was on a jeepney in between two lads. The first lad dropped a coin on her feet and while he was attempting to retrive the coin while attracting the attention of the victim, the second lad open the victim's bag and took the phone without her knowing it. The two lads alighted saying "miss we're sorry" to her.
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A Motorola C200, I ended up using this phone after I lost my precious Samsung V200. Theres nothing special with the features of this phone aside from it is small and cuteness. And since I can't no longer afford to buy expensive one's, I happened to repaint this several times to give it new looks after a couple of months. The kind of phone that will still send and recieve text and call after a seven story fall, trust me!






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This phone, Samsung V200 appeared in the second movie "The Matrix". One of the best selling phone in 2003. This is my second official phone, the phone that made me a samsung fanatics because of its brilliance in camera although limitation can't be denied but in all, I simply just love this phone.

We boarded a jeepney in Baclaran, a tall, dark man forced to sit on my left side although the rest of the space were empty. My temper rushed to it's summit and a stared at the bloody bastard until my ex decided to pull me to avoid confrontation. We alighted at Edsa MRT, and spent the rest of 30 minutes chatting with Vincent (a workmate from Lion Air) until I rested my palm on my left pocket and I was horrified. I used to slid my phones on that pocket no matter what and right there and then I knew that the tall, dark guy in the jeepney stole it. We managed to call my number and the voice from the other end replied " I bought this phone from a guy two days ago"!

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I don't really owned this phone but after I sold my 8210, Uncle died unexpectedly without signs nor warnings. We brought him to the hospital and nobody has any idea how to contact his family. A friend (Edison Toledo), a very good friend of mine lend me this phone for three weeks. And I usually recieved a text mesages from his wife "take care always and I love you's" and I had as I remembered sent a replies as well saying "I Love You Too". All of my friends burst into laughter when I told them this story.




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This is the first phone I bought from a friend (Leah Velasco - before she got married), Nokia 8210. My Uncle resisted when he learned I was saving my money for this saying that I am just wasting my money and after a couple of months I decided to sell it to a close friend (Roderick Bulgar - who once gave me an advice to better hang myself/end my own life rather than seeing me sobs from problems I thought were insurmountable) half my buying price. This phone appeared in the movie Charlie's Angel.