Samsung’s new netbooks now equipped with Phoenix FailSafe anti-theft software

At the launch of Samsung’s new line of notebooks & netbooks today, I was interested to find that their laptops now go with the Phoenix FailSafe anti-theft software. This is quite a nifty feature, considering that theft is always a possibility in these parts and has even cost the life of some In this earlier post, I wrote about how we plunked in an additional $40 for the Undercover tool for my Mac, so that it gets traceable when stolen. Methinks anti-theft software will be a requisite feature of laptops in the future.

Good thing that Samsung notebooks are highly affordable, so you actually get value for your money with its accompanying anti-theft software. My eyes are set on the lowest-priced of the bunch, the 10.1 inch N150 Plus which retails for only P21,900. They also come in the most attractive colors: Noynoy yellow and pink

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SONA (State of the Nation Address) 2010 by President Noynoy Aquino – full transcript

(Blogger’s note: Here’s the full text and transcript, with English translation, of the first SONA of President Benigno Simeon Aquino Aquino III a.k.a Noynoy Aquino delivered today, July 26, 2010 at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. The speech is in Tagalog/ Pilipino. This speech lasted approximately 39 minutes and was met with applause 31 times.)

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte; Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Vice President Jejomar Binay; Chief Justice Renato Corona; Former Presidents Fidel Valdez Ramos and Joseph Ejercito Estrada; members of the House of Representatives and the Senate; distinguished members of the diplomatic corps; my fellow workers in government;

Mga minamahal kong kababayan:

Sa bawat sandali po ng pamamahala ay nahaharap tayo sa isang sangandaan.

Sa isang banda po ay ang pagpili para sa ikabubuti ng taumbayan. Ang pagtanaw sa interes ng nakakarami; ang pagkapit sa prinsipyo; at ang pagiging tapat sa sinumpaan nating tungkulin bilang lingkod-bayan. Ito po ang tuwid na daan.

Sa kabilang banda ay ang pag-una sa pansariling interes. Ang pagpapaalipin sa pulitikal na konsiderasyon, at pagsasakripisyo ng kapakanan ng taumbayan. Ito po ang baluktot na daan.

Matagal pong naligaw ang pamahalaan sa daang baluktot. Araw-araw po, lalong lumilinaw sa akin ang lawak ng problemang ating namana. Damang-dama ko ang bigat ng aking responsibilidad.

Sa unang tatlong linggo ng aming panunungkulan, marami po kaming natuklasan. Nais ko pong ipahayag sa inyo ang iilan lamang sa mga namana nating suliranin at ang ginagawa naming hakbang para lutasin ang mga ito.

Sulyap lamang po ito; hindi pa ito ang lahat ng problemang haharapin natin. Inilihim at sadyang iniligaw ang sambayanan sa totoong kalagayan ng ating bansa.

Sa unang anim na buwan ng taon, mas malaki ang ginastos ng gobyerno kaysa sa pumasok na kita. Lalong lumaki ang deficit natin, na umakyat na sa 196.7 billion pesos. Sa target na kuleksyon, kinapos tayo ng 23.8 billion pesos; ang tinataya namang gastos, nalagpasan natin ng 45.1 billion pesos.

Ang budget po sa 2010 ay 1.54 trillion pesos.

Nasa isandaang bilyong piso o anim at kalahating porsyento na lang ng kabuuan ang malaya nating magagamit para sa nalalabing anim na buwan ng taong ito.

Halos isang porsyento na lang po ng kabuuang budget ang natitira para sa bawat buwan.

Saan naman po dinala ang pera?

Naglaan ng dalawang bilyong piso na Calamity Fund bilang paghahanda para sa mga kalamidad na hindi pa nangyayari. Napakaliit na nga po ng pondong ito, ngunit kapapasok pa lang natin sa panahon ng baha at bagyo, 1.4 billion pesos o sitenta porsyento na ang nagastos.

Sa kabuuan ng 108 million pesos para sa lalawigan ng Pampanga, 105 million pesos nito ay napunta sa iisang distrito lamang. Samantala, ang lalawigan ng Pangasinan na sinalanta ng Pepeng ay nakatanggap ng limang milyong piso lamang para sa pinsalang idinulot ng bagyong Cosme, na nangyari noong 2008 pa.

Ibinigay po ang pondo ng Pampanga sa buwan ng eleksyon, pitong buwan pagkatapos ng Ondoy at Pepeng. Paano kung bumagyo bukas? Inubos na ang pondo nito para sa bagyong nangyari noong isang taon pa. Pagbabayaran ng kinabukasan ang kasakiman ng nakaraan.

Ganyan din po ang nangyari sa pondo ng MWSS. Kamakailan lamang, pumipila ang mga tao para lang makakuha ng tubig. Sa kabila nito, minabuti pa ng liderato ng MWSS na magbigay ng gantimpala sa sarili kahit hindi pa nababayaran ang pensyon ng mga retiradong empleyado.

Noong 2009, ang buong payroll ng MWSS ay 51.4 million pesos. Pero hindi lang naman po ito ang sahod nila; may mga additional allowances at benefits pa sila na aabot sa 160.1 million pesos. Sa madaling sabi, nakatanggap sila ng 211.5 million pesos noong nakaraang taon. Beinte-kuwatro porsyento lang nito ang normal na sahod, at sitenta’y sais porsyento ang dagdag.

Ang karaniwang manggagawa hanggang 13th month pay plus cash gift lang ang nakukuha. Sa MWSS, aabot sa katumbas ng mahigit sa tatlumpung buwan ang sahod kasama na ang lahat ng mga bonuses at allowances na nakuha nila.

Mas matindi po ang natuklasan natin sa pasahod ng kanilang Board of Trustees. Tingnan po natin ang mga allowances na tinatanggap nila:

Umupo ka lang sa Board of Trustees at Board Committee meeting, katorse mil na. Aabot ng nobenta’y otso mil ito kada buwan. May grocery incentive pa sila na otsenta mil kada taon.

Hindi lang iyon: may mid-year bonus, productivity bonus, anniversary bonus, year-end bonus, at Financial Assistance. May Christmas bonus na, may Additional Christmas Package pa. Kada isa sa mga ito, nobenta’y otso mil.

Sa suma total po, aabot ang lahat ng dalawa’t kalahating milyong piso kada taon sa bawat miyembro ng Board maliban sa pakotse, technical assistance, at pautang. Uulitin ko po. Lahat ng ito ay ibinibigay nila sa kanilang mga sarili habang hindi pa nababayaran ang mga pensyon ng kanilang mga retirees.

Pati po ang La Mesa Watershed ay hindi nila pinatawad. Para magkaroon ng tamang supply ng tubig, kailangang alagaan ang mga watershed. Sa watershed, puno ang kailangan. Pati po iyon na dapat puno ang nakatayo, tinayuan nila ng bahay para sa matataas na opisyal ng MWSS.

Hindi naman sila agad maaalis sa puwesto dahil kabilang sila sa mga Midnight Appointees ni dating Pangulong Arroyo. Iniimbestigahan na natin ang lahat nang ito. Kung mayroon pa silang kahit kaunting hiya na natitira – sana kusa na lang silang magbitiw sa puwesto.
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Ibayo by Barrio Fiesta: Filipino food classics in bistro setting

Case in point: a group of relatives go home to the Philippines after eight years of living in Europe. They’re hankering for Filipino food. Where do you bring them?

Am sure you’ll agree with me when I say Barrio Fiesta is one of the best places to take them to. Even with the abundance of restaurants serving Filipino cuisine around, Barrio Fiesta is a favorite mainstay. I think there’s no pairing more classic than crispy pata and kare-kare – it’s exactly the two specialties they’ve built their business on.

Alas, a recent visit to a Barrio Fiesta branch in U.N. Avenue gave me the impression that the place is decaying, even though the name endures. I was certainly glad that the new generation of Ongpaucos (the family which owns BF) is giving the resto chain a facelift. This is by way of the new resto Ibayo by Barrio Fiesta which opened last May at the San Miguel By The Bay strip, in front of Mall of Asia.
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Choose your MVP and win a trip to Universal Studios Singapore

There’s another reason to visit Singapore these days. And that’s the treats and attractions offered by the 20-hectare, newly-opened Universal Studios Singapore.

For some lucky people, a visit to Southeast Asia’s newest theme park can be had for FREE. This is through leading multivitamin brand Pharmaton’s My Pharmaton MVP contest.

To join, select a person whose admirable qualities should be recognized as an MVP (Most Valuable Player). It could be your boss, your work colleague, or your relative.

Log on to www.pharmatonmvp.com, register and enter the name of your nominated MVP accompanied with his/her photo. Include a brief description as to why you think your nominated person is an MVP.

Campaign and vote for your MVP by purchasing two Pharmaton capsules. Log on to the
website and click your choice of the nominated MVP. Scratch the promo code found at the back foil of the Pharmaton capsules and enter it in the field provided. Every promo code is equivalent to two votes.

The nominated MVP must garner the most number of votes to win P100,000 in cash and an all-expense paid trip for 10 to the newly-opened Universal Studios Singapore. P50,000 and P30,000 await the second and third highest number of votes.
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Alarm on against carjackers

Although recent incidents are described as “sporadic” at best, security experts have raised the alarm against carjackings in the metro… particularly those originating from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

It was certainly disconcerting to read this piece of news over the weekend. It follows the horrific experience of George Bernas, brother-in-law of Luli Arroyo, along C-5 Road. If a highly-placed personality like Mr. Bernas can be victimized by carjackers, what more the OFW carrying his hard-earned cash from some desert in the Middle East? I am saying this because both incidents occurred as the victims travelled home from the NAIA.

Some quarters express fears that these criminal groups have “spotters” inside NAIA who look out for potential targets and relay these to their cohorts who then track the victims and attack them, particularly during the wee hours and in areas where there’s less or no known police visibility.

Security experts give the following tips to avoid carjacking:
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Share your Bonifacio Global City story and win P3,000 electronic GC

It’s a sunny Monday in Manila! And to welcome the sunshine (after the pesky storm, Basyang ) this blog, annalyn.net, is pleased to announce our new promo, the Share Your Bonifacio Global City Story contest.

Does your family spend quality bonding time in Bonifacio Global City? What culinary memories and discoveries have you had here? If hanging out in Bonifacio Global City has become a big part of your life (like we do!) time to write down your best BGC family and food stories for a chance to win prizes. We will run the promo for three weeks until the second/third week of August and the weekly winners will each receive a P3,000 electronic gift card from the Ayala Malls. Please read the end of this post for the simple mechanics.

Bonifacio High Street is one of our fave spots in the metro. Love the fact that it’s pet- and family-friendly. It was designed in such a way that people, especially children, can freely roam and play in its open spaces. Manila is crowded with too many vehicles and high-rises as it is. We go to BHS to recharge, smell the breeze or just look around any of their specialty boutiques.

The kids love building Lego blocks at Hobbes & Landes, playing the sandbox at ROX, reading children’s books at Fully Booked or simply whiling the hours away at Time Zone!

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Cherry Mobile new handsets & Trident,the first triple SIM phone

Fast-rising telecommunications company Cherry Mobile invited us to an event last Saturday and I went, partially to satisfy my curiosity about today’s top teen stars Kim Chiu and John Lloyd Cruz. Awwww. Kim and Lloidy, as seen through my lens:

John Lloyd was muy simpatico while Kim was pretty and oh-so-thin. I wonder how much they’re being paid to endorse Cherry Mobile. It’s a win-win situation actually. Cherry can benefit from top movie star endorsements, even as it firms up its grip on the lucrative mobile phone market.

I have three officemates who own Cherry Mobile units and they have no complaints so far. This just goes to show that a gadget doesn’t have to be expensive to be able to go the extra mile. Word has it that CM phones are selling like hotcakes among budget-conscious consumers who want a good-looking feature-packed phone for less than five thousand pesos!
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The BB cream winners are here!

A big thanks to all those who participated in our recent Dr. Jart BB cream promo. My apologies for the late announcement of winners. Been busy in the past week coming back to work after my two-month maternity leave, and then there’s the hassle of Typhoon Basyang shutting off our internet for almost 40 hours (whew!)

I was overwhelmed with entries, but unfortunately we can only have two winners and they are (drumroll please) ….

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Don’t forget to color your diet!

Getting older and being a mother again has made me very conscious about my health. I am still coping with post-partum weight gain (20 more punds to go, LOL) but am glad I am not experiencing post-pregnancy after effects like hair loss and loosened teeth (ouch!) Most of these I attribute to a well-balanced diet and iron supplementation during and after pregnancy.

I thought I was already eating enough, but attending a talk sponsored by Amway-Nutrilite recently on how to “color your diet” made me realize how much still needs to be done. For starters, think about the colors of the rainbow and how the colors translate to what we need to eat in terms of fruits and vegetables per day.

Nutrilite scientist Donald Pusateri asked: “did it ever occur to you why those living in rural farms are healthier than those living in the city?” Not only because of the fresh air they breathe but because of a diet rich in phytonutrients, or those which can be derived from plants.

Mr. Pusateri said that in order to be healthy, one must take from five to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, preferably one from every color.
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Dayrit’s : revisiting an old favorite

Our baby is now two months old! We regularly visit her pedia and it’s good that the clinic is located in a little-known foodie destination called Paseo de Magallanes. We tried Bob’s in Paseo before and this time around, it was my turn to revisit the familiar old tastes of Dayrit’s – one of Manila’s original burger joints.

Dayrit’s only now has two remaining branches – Magallanes and The Fort (see end of this post for the complete address). Their main branch in Magallanes is supremely no-frills. However, it easily gets filled during peak hours with people craving for their time-tested specialties which include the roast beef and burgers.

Long before the birth of today’s jumbo burgers, Dayrit’s had its Big D Burger (sold now for P185). It’s as big as a plate and can be shared by two to four persons for a single serving. I like the beefy, juicy taste of their burgers. When a friend of mine went home from Canada a few years ago, this was what she was craving for. Shown here is their cheeseburger todo (P170), so called because it comes complete with lettuce and tomato.

Of course, their roast beef is such a joy to eat – tender and made flavorful by a separate serving of savory gravy. A roast beef plate (P300) comes with baked potato topped with cheese and bacon bits, veggies, plus a choice of mashed potato or rice.

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