Sony Xperia Z1 Compact - my dream phone (for now)

i'm about to tell you why i instantly fell in love with this phone, and why i'm going to save up for this no matter how long it takes hahaha

specs from gsmarena: http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z1_compact-5753.php

specs from sony website: http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/phones/xperia-z1-compact/

and if you don't mind taking note that this is not a review entry. i just want to let out my feelings for this piece of gadget that is yet to arrive in Philippines shores. 

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact

specs that won me over:

- LTE enabled

even though i'm a sun user, i'm in high hopes that sun cellular will roll out 4G signals eventually. i mean, come on!!! >XD

- 4.3" screen

it's a pity that the market is being saturated with overly large phones, and if ever a small phone did emerge, it's either entry or mid level only. it's frustrating how the size of the phone has to be in proportion with its specs. urgh. but thank you Sony, you're a genius. my small hands will definitely marvel on this masterpiece!

- hardware camera key

isn't it frustrating how you can't get a decent selfie because you have to target that elusive button on your screen?

- 20.7 MP

just imagine the quality of photos you could take with that. Exmor + G Lens, i don't even know how good these specs are, but they sound superb haha

- the color selection!

white is perfect <3

- 2300 mAH battery

my current phone (lenovo p700i) has a big and heavy 2500 mAH battery that lasts me 2 days with regular use. this 2300 mAH may fall short at some point considering the specs specially with that camera and OS, but this is already good! other manufacturers are so stingy with loading their bats with enough power so i appreciate Sony for at least breaking the 2k norm.

- waterproof!

up to 1.5 meters in freshwater for 30mins. and yes! you could take underwater shots with it! >XD just mind the limitations yo.

- the processor/OS

qualcomm snapgragon, quad-core, 2.2ghz, 2g ram, andoid 4.3 jellybean

need i say more? okay fine, maybe octa-core will oust these specs in a few quarters but, for now this is what i consider the best for myself. hihi and hey that's already very very good!

- pin hole for lanyards or charms

something that's been missing in recent phones. a small feature that fits the size of the phone just well :)

specs that made me think

- built-in battery

sorry, you can't remove it. this made me think a bit, cos i'm not used to not being able to pull out the battery when my phone hangs. hmm

- micro-sim

i know the trend is going this way and eventually i'll have to cut my sim. but yeah, reluctant as i am about punching my sim for fear that it may break, i think i'm going for it anyway. given that my phone has to be this! haha i won't cut my sim if it's not the xperia z1 compact! no! haha

hay Lord, it's been a awhile since i lusted over a smartphone like this. i mean, okay Lenovo S820 fine, but i haven't made a feature post right? so i'm not as in love with it as i am with this phone right? haha

price check:

it's already out in other countries, and as per my ebay searches, converted amounts range from a whopping Php 34,000-40,000. so freaking expensive. anyway, we have yet to learn how much it's going to be worth when it lands in the Philippines. and because i'm so interested with this product, i asked Sony Philippines via fb if there's already an SRP for it.

they didn't give a price yet but said it will be available by the end of March. :)

orayt, let the saving begin!

#GLOBEProjectWonderful2014 - A gift of reading :)

If there is one thing you can give to the Philippines, what is that gift?

Every second of volunteering, every peso, every drop of perspiration counts.
But no matter how much we give, there is always this feeling that it does not seem enough.
There is a dream to give something bigger and to make a difference.

last year i was blessed with an opportunity to volunteer as a layout artist in this non-government organization called The Storytelling Project.

at first my intention was just so i could lend my creative skills in layouting and illustrating, but learning more about the project and getting to know better the people behind it, i came to realize how passionate this group really is in envisioning a community of Filipino children who not only knows how to read, but LOVES to read.

it's quite a common act of charity to donate storybooks and build libraries. but after shelving the books, painting the walls, and cutting the ribbon, what's next? most of the time the charity ends there. but TSP's vision extends to a point where children are reached and taught storytelling and reading, by immersing into their communities and engaging them in a 3-phase program: IMAGINE. CREATE SHARE

IMAGINE - Build the kids' imagination through the 21 Day Storytelling Program and empower the community through the trainings and seminars 

CREATE - Create avenues for exploring their newfound love for reading through the TSP Library Project

SHARE - Share knowledge and experiences with the community through the TSP Book Club activities.

one of TSP's goals is to produce storybooks! as an illustrator, i've gathered a few inspirations! >XD

if #GLOBEProjectWonderful2014 were to really sponsor a gift i'd like to impart to the Philippines, it would be to support this organization i'm in, and in effect be part of this social movement where we present Filipino children with a gift of reading by providing storybooks, building libraries, and immersing into their communities and teaching them how to love storytelling and reading.

to know more about this organization i'm in, please visit The Storytelling Project facebook page and read on the info section, it contains everything you need to know about this movement. :)

what about you? if there's one thing you can give to the Philippines, what is that gift? 

share your answers by commenting on this entry! who knows if i win, you may get your wish granted, or you may just win an ipad mini 2! bongga! >XD in case i win though, since i'm no apple fan, i'll most probably sell it and give the proceeds to help fund future TSP's activities.

online NBI clearance application is back!

hay sa wakas! starting January 24, 2014 you may now register via http://www.doj.gov.ph/nbi

i haven't tried this yet but according to some of my friends who opted for this process BEFORE (the old online application), it was a breeze. you fill out the online form, pay the amount specified via gcash (amount depends on purpose), and go to NBI Main Office at UN Ave. for the biometrics and releasing. there's a dedicated lane for e-clearance applicants at the main office and since the payment and encoding steps were already done, 15 minutes tops and they're out with their clearances (except of course if you got a hit)!

because of this, this easily becomes the best and fastest way to get your NBI clearance accomplished!

HOWEVER TAKE NOTE BY THE WAY, SOMETHING HAS CHANGED! haha

at the last part of the press release it says that after accomplishing the online form, you may go to any of their satellite offices nationwide for payment and biometrics. hmm, there was no mention of GCASH payment and dedicated lanes at the main office like before.

anyway, if they're gonna have us pay at the satellite office instead, i hope they put a dedicated lane for e-applicants. and and, i also hope they put in more payment options like GCash, SmartMoney, online banking, paypal... this will totally complete the online application process.

so far right now, i tried accomplishing the form. mejo mabagal ang system nila in fairness ah, pero mapapatawad naman given na tomorrow pa talaga magsstart yung online application. but then they put the link live eh so.... haha >XD

* http://www.doj.gov.ph/nbi redirects to http://nbi.njis-ph.com/
just fill out the fields completely and accurately, then click on submit.

* i came into this error A LOT OF TIMES i don't know why. haha siguro kasi hindi pa talaga live ung system? sorina. atat ako eh. let's see tomorrow haha

* after a loooooot of tries i finally got this popup dialog with my registration code, and a link to print my application.

* when i clicked on the 'Print Application' button, mejo nagloko pa ata sya at error page ang lumabas sa browser ko. in which case i just kept of refreshing the page. eventually you'll get directed to the print page panel where you can print or save your application form.

and that's the end of it. the next step is to visit any NBI clearance center for payment and biometrics. no other payment instructions were given. :)

like i said, it would've been better if they preserved the GCash payment mode at least but for now let's see (the news haha) how it fares in making the NBI clearance application process FASTER and less irritating for everyone. hehe

thoughts?

kvldjsdvfjklg

// Secret Garden

done watching secret garden! grabe lang! so many tears shed particularly on episode 18! i thought it was gonna stay that way, you know, souls switched and all. argh. it's now officially one of my favorite korean series because of the super kilig and kaiyak moments. i'm a sucker for romantic tragedies like that. but i'm also always looking forward to happy endings! because of this series i had a lot of trouble fixing my body clock! i would marathon all night, sleep at 5am least, wake up to my mother's brunch howler, sleep again the entire afternoon, then wake up at 5pm. that went on for quite a week din if i remember correctly. last night i had to take sleepasil just to doze off naturally, but it didn't work, i was up until 4am! placebo man, placebo. hahaha

now i'm wallowing in its OST (as usual), you know, feeling the feels man. haha

// tita wooth's birthday!

one of the reasons why i love dropping by my boyfriend's house is that they always have lots of food! if i could only take home their fridge haha! di naman ako deprived, siguro it's just the lack of snacks in our house that brought me to really marvel at the abundance present in their ref hahaha! today we celebrated his mother's 50th birthday hihihi, and you know what that means, fooooood galore! pizza, pasta and lots of caaaakes amadienao. i'm soooo full i seriously need to get this out already. kjsdhalksjsakjlhasl

oh thank you Lord for this day!

// first day tomorrow (i mean, later)?

should i consider this my first day? i mean, it's just a half day orientation hehe. yey for work. finally. >XD

what have i done to my old self?

DRAFT: 5-30-2012

odiba ang arti arti! namiss ko magblog! i missed blogging about my thoughts like thoughts lang, none of what happened to me but yknow just my thoughts! hahahaha anyway, i kindof promised myself that i have to regularly update this blog about my life because it's a really really helpful tool for me to remember things i usually forget. i have an awful bad case of forgetfulness.

i can't say i'm excited to start working on friday! the entire week until the 8th is sortof orientation week. after that week we'll be deployed to our respective floors. i'll be on the 22nd floor! >XD and none of my new found friends are on the same team! waaahhhh ayoko po magisa Lord plessss give me a team mate huhu

i've successfully decluttered my shelf the other day! see i was able to gather almost 3 kilos of trash, mostly papers and blah and i think i'm about to throw another batch. >XO

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UPDATE: 1-20-2013

haha, that time when i was so excited to start working. the feels man. :3

ohkay.

DRAFT: 4-7-2013

i accepted this work with the expectation that i'll get constantly pissed off by people who can't even understand a simple sentence. i'm usually careful not to blog about things like this, because i didn't want to offend anyone. but seriously! some people deserve uhm, an offense. pero joke lang yon. alam ko namang deep inside mabait akong tao and the best i can do is be "impolite" without directly hitting on their lack of.. ano ba... comprehension?! osige na, kayo na ang soooobrang busy na hindi kaya magbasa ng 5 lines ng announcement. pinaganda na nga with photoshop and all, echepwera parin. my talent is insulted. arg.

no seriously. i wish i had ludie's patience, tolerance, whatever! she's the only person i can imagine who can handle ANY type of question without getting mad or judging the person overall, for life! hahaha

argh. Lord sorry. my labor of love for this project is limited only to whatever is related to the arts. anything beyond that i do with great contempt.

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UPDATE: 1-20-2013

yearbook drama

hate letter

DRAFT: 4-13-2013

an open letter to the one i'm hating right now. i wonder if you are aware of the adverse effects you have on the people around you. you turn everyone bad. you made someone leave. you made someone lose her identity. you make someone uncomfortable. and me? you make me look down on myself. every single effing day. nothing is ever good enough for you, because you're all smart and powerful and your opinion will always emerge as the best one. you don't need to listen to anyone cos you think you're good enough on your own. heck, you do everything right the first time. isn't that what this place needs? plus, you compete in everything! in making friends, in delivering punchlines, in being the all around smartypants with enough social life to boot. you'd like to have them all. you want to be there, on the top, looking down, acting good.

and well, you are good. 

and i'm the evil queen(ster). and what do evil queens do for a start?

they play nice.

so there, i'm sorry. i really am. for judging you right when you only have good intentions at hand. 

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UPDATE: 1-20-2013

i guess i remember you now! but this is so old na, i know we've indirectly made up HAHAHA, i also know you've already forgiven me in your heart for being so intimidated by you. it's a relief i left knowing we're friends. yehey. all patched up. :)