Vikings Luxury Buffet At SM City Cebu

The Vikings Luxury Buffet at SM City Cebu is on the more expensive side when eat comes to all-you-can-eat buffets. We gave it a try and we were very satisfied.

Food Choices

They have a lot of food choices, too many to mention. I even tried to pace myself so I would be able to taste all. Even then, I still had no room left to eat it all. That's how many their food choices are. 

Taste

All the food tasted great, from their siomai to the steak. You also have a choice on how well you want it done. For me, I want it well done. 

Drinks

They have different drinks from coffee to beer. Their coffee machine also allows you to choose your amount of coffee and/or milk. This is good because some people want it bitter and some just want it to have a bit of a taste of coffee and a lot of milk (latte baby!).

Here are a few pictures that I took of our short stay there (2 hours LOL).

You may also want to check out the video:

Also check out their website as they post different promos there. That way, you can have all the fullness and goodness at a fraction of the cost.

Vikings Promos

Delicious Bibingka At Bibingkinitan

The delicious bibingka at Bibingkinitan will blow you away.

I've eaten bibingka in the past that I never took a second look at the bibingka sold at Bibingkinitan. When we went to SM Seaside recently, however, I gave their bibingka a try and I am hooked. The bibingka itself is soft, fluffy, and had the correct balance of sweetness and saltiness (with the little piece of itlog maalat and cheese on top).

Of course, you would also want to have a drink that would go well with your bibingka. Bibingkinitan also sells delicious barako coffee and hot chocolate. If you buy barako coffee or hot chocolate with 1 piece of bibingka, it costs Php 55. Which is a reasonable price.

Give them a visit and taste it for yourself.

Eating pungko-pungko is cheap but delicious

Eating pungko-pungko is cheap but delicious. You can literally get a full stomach for less than 60 pesos. Pungko-pungko has already evolved into something very far from its roots. Pungko is a Cebuano word for squat. It was named such because pungko-pungko vendors originally just brought a basket with their products and you literally squat (pungko) on the side of the road to eat.

Nowadays, they have evolved and not only do they offer a chair, table, but some of them are now even offering delicious desserts like mango float. Check out the video below and see for yourself.

Is PLDT DSL slowing down?

About a month ago, I posted an article praising the performance of our PLDT DSL connection. You can read more about that article here. In the speed test results that I have posted, the connection averaged about 4.9 Mbps. In the past few weeks, however, the connection can't seem to get to 4 Mbps. And, yes, I turned off Wi-Fi to the other connected devices and checked the PC was not running any updates. I have tested in a span of multiple days and the connection is now averaging 3.5 Mbps. Is PLDT DSL slowing down?

Here's the latest speed test that I performed. This is the best of 3 tests for today:

Are you guys experiencing the same?

Share your feedback using the comments below.

Cleaning out my office desk

As a follow up to a previous blog I posted, "A cluttered desk is a sign of.. bulsh_t!!!", I also made an attempt at cleaning out my office desk. This is a bit more difficult since I cannot properly route cables anywhere because the edge of the desk if flush with the cubicle's wall. But, it did not stop me from attempting.

First, I had to crimp my own network cables to ensure that it is just of the proper length with no slack.

Here's a close up of the desk after I "attempted to clean" it.

There are no items on the left and the right sides. I basically keep it empty. Except, of course, for a cup of coffee.

How about you? How do you keep your work desks clean and clutter-free?

Chowking's 100th branch in the Visayas

We've been working at the Cebu IT Park for 3 years now and we have asked ourselves, more than a couple times, "why is there no Chowking in IT Park?". That longing has been answered. Today, Chowking's 100th branch in the Visayas at the IT Park. Oh, it's not really part of the IT park but Filinvest's.

So, my friends and I decided to take our "lunch" there. Maybe, just maybe, their Chowfan tastes different. Joke :) 

They even have spin-a-prize for purchases Php250 and up. We won a ballpoint pen. Wow!

I'll post a video on my Youtube channel. You can access it via this link.

Bo's Coffee is celebrating 20 years of homegrown brew and they're selling their coffee at Php20!

I am a person who likes to have a cup of coffee daily. Scratch that, I need to have a cup of coffee to survive the day.The good news is, Bo's Coffee is celebrating 20 years of homegrown brew and they're selling their coffee at Php20!.

Quoting their Facebook page:

Celebrate 20 years of homegrown brew with us!

Visit our stores every Monday to Thursday (1pm - 3pm) from July 18 to 31, 2016 for --
P20 for Brewed Coffee
P100 for Froccino Primo

 

Source: https://www.facebook.com/boscoffee/

We got a cup of hot brewed coffee and a froccino today and, damn, they're good. Here's my cup.

Grab one now!

A cluttered desk is a sign of.. bulsh_t!!!

A cluttered desk is a sign of.. bulsh_t!!! Okay, that's not what I really had in mind. In the past couple of days, I have seen a quote shared on social media and while randomly browsing the internet. The quote is cited to have been written by Albert Einstein and it goes, "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?". I, personally, am a fan of having a streamlined and clean desk. I feel I am more productive when my desk is clean; with items that I use most within easy reach. I just don't feel comfortable working on a cluttered desk.

My home computer

Just recently, my girlfriend and I recently rearranged the computer area. I just don't want my workstation clean, I want the area near my workstation to also be clean and clutter-free. Check out the video below to see us cleaning the room "in action".

I would consider myself someone who is productive. Work wise, I am able to deliver what is expected of me and more. To add to that, I deliver it before any set "deadline". Is it related to me being organized and wanting things organized? I am not sure.

An article from Forbes seem to suggest that people who like clean desks are productive while people with "cluttered" desks are more creative.

Over the course of the study, the researchers conducted several experiments that placed participants in either a clean, neatly organized room or a cluttered, messy room. When asked if they’d like to give to charity, the participants in the clean room donated more often. When they were allowed to take a snack as they left the experiment, the tidy room participants choose healthy snacks more often. So despite Einstein’s protests, there may be some benefits to a clean desk.

It appears that being in an orderly environment influences us to conform to the conventional expectations set for us. However, being in a messy room helps us depart from those conventions and unlock more divergent thinking. “Disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free of tradition, which can produce fresh insights,” Vohs explains. “Orderly environments, in contrast, encourage convention and playing it safe.”

You can read the full article by clicking on this link.

So, are you a "clean" or a "cluttered" desk person?

How to record your desktop using the FREE MSI AfterBurner software

Have you seen those tutorial videos on the internet and wondered how they recorded those? One of the many software you can use is the free MSI Afterburner software. In this article, I am going to show you how to record your desktop using the FREE MSI AfterBurner software. And, did I mention the software was free?

Download

You can download the software from the link below:

https://gaming.msi.com/features/afterburner

At the time of this writing, the latest release is version 4.2.0.

Installing the software

After your download, go ahead and install the software. I did not have to change any setting. I just continued to click on the next button until the install is finished. The installer did install 2 software: The MSI Afterburner software and the RivaTuner Statistics server.

Setting up the software
Once the software is finished installing, you'll need to change a few settings.


Open MSI Afterburner and click on the settings button

Go to the Video Capture tab and set the settings as you see below.

1. Video capture hotkey - button you press to start/stop recording
2. MJPG format
3. AVI container
4. 100% quality
5. Videos folder - is where the recorded videos are placed

I pointed audio source # 1 to my microphone and audio source # 2 as auto so it detects and records in game sounds. Setting one of the audio sources as microphone will allow you to record voice overs while still recording in-game sounds.

Video

Check out the video below for the video tutorial.

Replace your soda with lemon water

Drinking lemon water has a lot of benefits ranging from aiding digestion to improving metabolism. Lemon water also helps if you are trying to lose weight. You can read more about the benefits by clicking on this link. With all the benefits listed, I would strongly suggest that you replace your soda with lemon water immediately.

Amount

Some say squeeze half a lemon on a glass of water. Some would slice a whole lemon and put it in a liter of water. The mixture is really up to you. If you're trying to substitute soda or juice with lemon water, I would suggest that you do not put sugar. I personally don't.

Juicers

To make squeezing lemons easier, you might want to try out the cheap juicers below:

Taurus T600 Citrus Juicer (White)

HengSong Fruit Juicers White  

Mini Manual Juicer Hand Press Fruit Extractor  

The Elegant ViewSonic VX2573-sg IPS Monitor

I was looking for a monitor to replace my 23" Samsung SyncMaster and when I saw it, I immediately fell in love with the elegant ViewSonic VX2573-sg IPS Monitor. When choosing a monitor, you are usually limited to black, white, matte, or shiny. Outside the specs, there aren't really that many choices when it comes to the looks. This is one monitor that looks very good even before you turn it on.

Technology

The monitor uses a SuperClear AH-IPS screen with a resolution of 1920x1080. This ensures that color reproduction is more accurate with a 178-degree field of view. It has a flicker-free operation and a blue light filter to make using the monitor easier to the eyes. It has an easy-to-access favorite button to allow you to choose between the different view modes (game, movie, web, text, mono images).

Looks

The ViewSonic VX2573-sg IPS Monitor has a gold case that has a texture that looks similar to a brushed aluminum. The bezel is very thin measuring a mere 0.8 mm. I would say the monitor looks like an iMac. But, in gold. The monitor itself is very thin measuring only 13 mm.

http://ap.viewsonic.com/my/products/lcd/vx2573/

Build quality

The ViewSonic VX2573-sg IPS Monitor seems pretty well-built. The sleek stand is stable and the monitor does not rock that much when you try to shake it.

Unboxing

Actual box

You'll get the following accessories: VGA cable, stand, power brick, power cable, CD, and a user guide.

The back side of the monitor

Accessories removed from the box

Before connecting the stand

Beside my Samsung SyncMaster 2333SW

Speed up your web browser by disabling Flash

Speed up your web browser by disabling Flash. And no, I don't mean to say Barry Allen. I have personally disabled Flash on mine and I have not come into issues. I think Youtube might have shifted to HTML 5? Not sure, but I do not have an issue with playing videos on the website as well. Give it a try and you'll immediately notice the performance improvement.

Firefox

1. Click the Firefox menu icon (3 bars on the top right).
2. Click Add-ons.
3. Look for Shockwave Flash and select "never activate".

Google Chrome

1. On the Chrome address bar (the area where you type the website links you want to open), type about:plugins and press ENTER.
2. In the list, look for Adobe Flash Player. 
3. There should be a link below it that indicates "disable". Click on that.

Give it a try. You'll immediately notice most websites now load a lot faster and your web browser consume less RAM.

Testing the MSI GTX 960 2G OC with Heaven Benchmark 4.0

I have owned the MSI GTX 960 2G OC for quite some time now. Testing the MSI GTX 960 2G OC with Heaven Benchmark 4.0 would be a logical thing to do. I did not bother playing with the default settings it came with except for changing the pattern of the glowing MSI logo on the video card itself. I like to keep it in the "breathing" pattern. You can refer to a previous blog post by clicking on this link for details on the different LED light patterns available on this MSI GTX 960 2G OC card.

Downloading Heaven Benchmark 4.0

You can download the benchmark tool by going to the link below:

https://unigine.com/products/benchmarks/heaven/

It's a 247 MB file so the download could take up to a few minutes; at least for us in the Philippines who have relatively slow internet speeds. It took me about 10 minutes, I think, to download using my 5 Mbps connection.

Installing Heaven Benchmark 4.0

Installation is a breeze and all I had to do was accept all the default setting except for the install location. I have an SSD where I installed my OS but I have most of my applications installed on another physical drive.

My system

I do not have a "high-end" gaming computer but the card performs well on 1080p gaming. I really like this card and I would say it is a "bang for the buck" GPU.

Processor: Intel I5-2400 @ 3.1 Ghz
Ram: 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
GPU: MSI GTX 960 2G OC
GPU Mode: Gaming mode (default)

Results

I got fairly good results with FPS ranging from 40+ to 100+. It usually is in the 60+ range throughout the test. I also got a maximum GPU temperature of 60 degrees.

These are the default settings when I first opened Heaven benchmark and I didn't change anything before running the test.

Here are some of the screenshots that I took while the test was running.

I would strongly recommend this card if you want a good-performing 1080p gaming GPU. You can check out the link below if you want to order a GTX 960 online.

http://ho.lazada.com.ph/SHGjUS

I bought the Logitech F310 gamepad and I'm loving it!

I was looking for a relatively cheap, plug and play, and reliable gamepad for PC gaming. I was used to the PlayStation 3 Dualshock 3 controller and wanted to get something with a similar button setup. I went to the Cyberzone at SM Seaside City Cebu and found the Logitech F310 game pad.

The Logitech F310 is packaged in clear plastic. I had a hard time opening the package and I simply can't tear it with my bear hands even though there were tear marks at the back. I had to resort to using a utility knife.

A "what's in the box" and system requirements are located on the back of the package.

The Logitech F310 appears to be a mixture of the PlayStation controller and Microsoft's Xbox controller. The joystick and the shoulder button placement appear similar to the PlayStation controller. The shoulder button labelled RT is a variable control which means that it is able to gauge how hard/soft you press on the button.

The buttons on the right look the same as Microsoft's controller with a similar X, Y, A, & B labels.

The controller was immediately recognized as "Gamepad F310" when I plugged it into my computer. I did not have to do anything and it immediately worked when I tried to use it in a game. Do not that the controller has a mode switch at its back to toggle it between the X and D modes. It is default to X and you will mostly be using this mode. The D mode is used for legacy games that do not support the X mode. You can check the documentation that came with the product for more details on this function. I have personally kept it on the X mode and didn't have the need to switch it to D.

The F310 feels comfortable in my hands and the textured sides (the black part) makes it easy to grip even when you have sweaty palms. The gamepad measures around 6 inches wide.

Overall, the gamepad is easy on the hands, has good feedback, and feels solid. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cheap and reliable gamepad. I got if for a little over Php1000.00 at Data Blitz. If you want to order this gamepad and have it delivered to your door step, you can navigate to this link. This item is also available on Cash On Deliver (COD) in case you do not want or have a credit card.

The downside is that it doesn't have vibration support. That is, if your game supports it.

Refer to the link below, if you want to order this item and get it delivered to your address:

Logitech F310 gamepad 

Note: I did find an article with information on how to use a PS3 controller on your PC. It's easy and you'll need to install a little software. You can check out the instructions on this link.

The capable Elephant ELE-M519 2.4 Ghz Wireless Mouse

I was looking for a mouse to replace my Rapoo M10 wireless mouse and saw this Elephant ELE-M519 at Data Blitz.The mouse and the packaging looked good so I went ahead and checked the specs.

Inside the package, you will find:

• 1 x Elephant ELE-M519 mouse
• 1 x AA battery
• 1 x Micro receiver

Here is a summary of the mouse's features:

The mouse should be compatible with any computer Windows 7 and later. Here is what the package indicate about which OS supports this mouse plug and play.

Here is how the actual mouse looks like taken out of the package. Note that I kinda had difficulty removing the mouse from the packaging as I didn't want to damage the box.

The measures around 5 inches.

On actual use the mouse performed really well. It makes use of a blue sensor. The mouse itself is very silent and you do not here that clicking sound when you click on its buttons. Even though you do not hear any clocking sound, tactile feedback is very good. The size and shape of the mouse also feels really comfortable. You also have a button that you can click to quickly change between 600, 1000, 1600, or 2400 DPI; a similar function you see on more expensive mice.

The mouse goes into a sort of "sleep" mode if you do not use it for a while. The blue lights on the base of the mouse turn off and the mouse cursor does not respond when you move it. To wake the mouse up, simply click on any of the buttons or slide the scroll wheel. Saves a lot of battery.

Overall I really like this mouse and I think I am going to keep on using this.

Shop for wireless mice from the link below and get it delivered right on your doorstep.

http://ho.lazada.com.ph/SHGbKA