Welcoming 2010 0 comments

Saying GOODBYE to a GREAT DECADE...
hopefully waving HELLO to a GREATER ONE.
 

Happy 2010 Everyone!

Wordless Wednesdays: LSS 1 comments

Speechless

Stanza App - Hundreds of Books at the Palm of Your Hand 4 comments

Since having the iPod touch, aside from the music, videos, games and the internet (which I can only use when I'm in wifi hotspots since we don't have a wireless router at home), one function that now proves indispensable to me is being able to read novels (in ebook format) straight from my iPod.

I've been hearing tons of raves about the Touch being a great ebook reader, and even from my own experience reading the free Pride and Prejudice I've downloaded from the App store, I was determined to find a way to put my pdf files in my iPod since it is impossible to do so with iTunes.

First, I thought Files Lite was my answer but then it needs my computer and the Touch to be on the same online network which is not possible in my case. The Eureka moment came with the widely popular ebook reader app to the name of Stanza. After downloading the application, I read numerous pages on how to get my ebooks into my iPod without requiring the same network connection, although after successfully doing so, I couldn't believe it was that easy.

Here's how I did it:

(For those people relying only on free wifi connections from wifi hotspots across the Metro. Requires a Gmail email account.)

1. Download the Stanza app from iTunes. Open the application on your iPod.

2. Select Get Books -> Shared -> Add Webpage. Under the name type: Gmail, under the url: gmail.com. Tap Save.

3. On your desktop computer, gather all your pdf files. You need to convert all of them first to .epub format before being able to put them to and be read properly by Stanza. I used epub2go.com for this task. Just upload the pdf file into it and it will finish converting after a minute or so. Afterwards, you can either send it to your email address directly or download the file into your computer then attach it to an email and send the mail to yourself. I actually prefer downloading the file first because your converted file may be erased from epub2go's database after two days and would be a potential problem if you haven't downloaded it yet to your iPod. Also, from experience, I noticed that downloading from their database tend to be slower than downloading from a direct attachment I sent to myself.

4. Now, get out of the house and find yourself a nice free wifi spot and a comfy chair. Although you won't really need a chair because downloading a file takes only about 5 seconds to finish. About 20 if you're downloading from epub2go's server because you still have to be redirected to the file. I went to Sta.Lucia East Grand Mall for this one and found their connection to be surprisingly great.

5. Open Stanza -> Get Books -> Shared -> Gmail. Stanza will then open its embedded browser. Log in to Gmail.

Important There is a bug in how gmail.com interacts with the iPhone's embedded browser, which means that clicking on an attachment in a message from the mobile window won't do anything. You first need to scroll to the very bottom of the page where it says "View Gmail in:" and tap the "Desktop" link to display the non-mobile version of the site.

6. Open the mail you sent to yourself with the attachment of the .epub files or the emails your requested epub2go.com to send to your address.  Tap on the attachment or link and the Stanza browser will ask you if you want to download the file. Tap Download and you're all set.

7. You can now see all your books in Library. You can edit the name, author etc. afterwards. Though I am now researching on how to add cover arts for my downloaded novels.

I now have a significant number of novels in my Library including Dan Brown's The Last Symbol (which I am reading right now), the Twilight Series (which I dislike but compelled to read to have a legitimate opinon), The Mortal Instruments Trilogy by Cassandra Claire (a fanfiction idol) and 5 books from Nicholas Sparks. I cannot wait to read them all. And to think I got them all for free. The amount I paid for my iPod Touch will most likely be reimbursed by the amount of novels I get to read for free.

Bookworm Heaven.

A Belated Merry Christmas to ALL! 0 comments

Ipod Touch Love 0 comments

So I've recently jumped on the bandwagon and purchased my own ipod. It has been forever that I have been salivating over these music/video/games-playing, photo-browsing and internet-surfing exquisite creatures of Appledom. And now that I have the thing in my hand and that it's working incredibly well, I couldn't be happier.

I actually could not believe, being the self-proclaimed novice techie that I am, that I've never heard of even the existence of such a gadget before last month when I accidentally saw one on the Abenson Christmas Catalogue. Because it looks almost exactly like an iphone, I just assumed it was the latter that I have been seeing all around the geek section at the malls. When I finally remembered to google for it, I realized the sheer brilliance of this device and decided to purchase it after some heavy price canvassing and feature researching.

What I like best with the Touch is it's almost like an iphone without the phone feature and camera, which is fantastic because I already have a perfectly good phone with an even better camera. When I lost my old Nokia 3230 I contemplated on replacing it with an iphone but decided not to because it was (and still is) unbelievably expensive. Now, I have all the features of the iphone that I want with only a third of the price. *does happy dance*

One drawback that I can see is I have to charge it via usb port in my computer as it doesn't come with a wall charger. But other than that, this device is really a joy to have. I've installed more than 60 apps (all free) in my unit and they barely take up a gigabyte. They are mostly games but I also have some really useful ones like a non-online dictionary which is proving to be really helpful for me. I've also downloaded Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and am now reading it via my ipod touch every night. It's a really cool way to get to know the classics, I must add. :)

Despite all the greatness, one inescapable part of having one is the endless smudges and fingerprints you get on it by just literally holding the device. Moreover, the back portion of the gadget gets pretty slippery when  coated and double coated with human oil extracts and other things you don't want to think of, thus there is an increased possibility of ipod slippage. Mortal Sin #1. Therefore, a skin is compulsory. Not only does it prevent scratches, your Touch is virtually smudge proof. At least from the back. I recommend the rubber ones rather than the clear crystal cases because they feel so much better in your hands.

Speaking of which, I recently bought one that looks exactly like this one but in a different color. I found this picture at some US ipod accessory selling site. It retails for $ 4.95 ( 229 PHP ), I bought mine in Bangketa de Morayta for P80. :)

More raves soon, definitely. Pardon the excited blogger.

Wordless Wednesdays: Orange. Just Because. 0 comments

Burger Shop 2 0 comments

Getting stuck at a certain level of Cooking Dash makes one cranky and thirsty for more restaurant adventures. Hence, after raiding Big Fish's online games and looking for a free full version of it at 4shared.com, I've installed Burger Shop 2 in my computer and played it for 6 hours straight. Talk about eye sore.

The goal is set up and deliver the orders of the customers lining up at your shop by picking up items from the conveyor belt and either cooking it or just stacking them up together or both. You need to complete the customers orders before his/her patience runs out and leave.

The game is basically like Cooking Dash except for the conveyor belt factor and having to stack up buns, burgers, lettuce etc. together while filling up drinks at the same time. It's not as easy as it sounds, mind you. A power up or an additional item on the menu is given after every level, either helping or making the next one more exciting to play. The great part about this one is you can choose which item or power up to incorporate to the next level so you know which direction you want to go to.

Burger Shop also has a variety of customers ranging from the patient Normal Guy to the agitated Punk and the eccentric clown who orders weird combination of food items. This brings a pleasant twist to the potential repetitive game play.

The game is not as challenging as its other restaurant time management counterparts but it as addicting. Especially to people who have nothing else to do. Ha.

Rated: ♥♥♥♥/5

Wordless Wednesdays: Till Death Do Us Part 0 comments

Top 5 Things To Do Right After the Nursing Board Exam 9 comments

5. Come home immediately or stop by a church. Try not to walk by bridges and places of height. You might be tempted to jump off.

4. Open Facebook, or Friendster if you're ghetto, and communicate with friends and other depressed takers like you. Misery loves company.

3. Store all your reviewers in a dark corner which has never known sunlight and leave them there. Convince yourself you won't be needing them ever again.

2. Organize outings, vacations and college / high school / elementary / pre-school reunions. Of course that doesn't mean they will actually come true. Sometimes, plans are best left on paper.

...and the No.1 thing to do right after taking the Nursing Board Exam is

1. Rack your brain for something to do. The immediate feeling of freedom will only last so long that probably sooner than later, you'll be banging your head to the wall in utter boredom. And also, it will still be two months before you obsessive-compulsively check the internet for uploads on the list of passers. Good Luck!

Disclaimer: Above list is made with these criteria in mind. 65% entertainment purposes and 35% actual meaningful advice. Please follow at your own risk.