Archives

Sunday, August 16, 2015

[Review + Unboxing] RoyQueen H3500 Bluetooth Speaker



Ah, remember how I griped so much that the Sony BSP10 went out of stock at Lazada and that they couldn't even get me in touch with the merchant so that I could inquire if it's ever going to be available again?

Looks like I was meant for something better.

I chanced upon the RoyQueen H3500 Bluetooth Speaker on CCP and (as usual) checked it out on other sites to see who sells the cheapest and voila, Lazada wins with a 50 pesos difference haha

TIP: Usually if it's on CCP, it's also on MetroDeal and other group buying sites, and if it's an actual item (not a voucher) it's most likely in Lazada too

So I ordered last Sunday (August 9), got the item this afternoon (August 14), and played a while with it before heading to work.

I WAS IMPRESSED

With such an affordable price of Php 1,720, it's surprisingly feature-packed!

Features


1. Bluetooth and hands-free
2. NFC (Near Fields Communications)
3. SD card playback
4. FM radio (semi-auto scanning: 87.5MHz - 108MHz)
5. Voice guide
6. LED digital display
7. USB soundcard and card reader
8. AUX In
Unboxing
Here's the box:


Apparently I got the 'Upgrade' edition. Well, a box featuring this boy band called 'Upgrade' daw. haynakonamano

Here are the contents:


Just the bare essentials: unit, USB charging cable, and a pretty useless Chinese user manual. I was hoping for an audio cable but it has none but it's okay! :D

Parts and ports
top
The top part contains six buttons with pretty obvious functions.
- Upper: Volume -, Mode, Volume +
- Lower: Previous Track, Pause-Play / On-Off, Next Track


back
The back part has the following:
- AUX In
- MicroSD card slot
- USB charging port
- Light indicator - it blinks blue when it's charging
- Battery slot


bottom
The bottom part has nothing much. Just the "feet" and... ano ba to, vent? XD Nothing going on on the sides as well, so I'll spare ya the pics (as if meron). lol
Experience

Pull the plastic strip before using
Before turning it on, remember to pull out the plastic strip at the battery slot that's tucked between the battery and the flat tab, it says PULL haha. It's gonna keep you from charging the battery. Might I say, I was surprised to see a dry cell batt instead of a Li-Ion block, but no biggie, as long as it's rechargeable! :D

Note that you can also use the speakers without batteries as long as it's hooked to a power source via the USB cable. But this is very limited, I noticed it shuts down when I turn up the volume too much.

Press and hold on the on/off button to power it up. You will be greeted by an audio notification of your current mode, by default: you're on bluetooth mode (the LED screen will read 'bL'). Thank God the audio guide is in english!

Device Pairing

1) Bluetooth

Easy peasy. Just turn on your bluetooth, search for 'H3500' and wait for it to be connected. Audio notif will say, 'Device paired'. :D

2) NFC

Much easier, just turn on your NFC, tap it on the device, specifically near the volume+ button and wait for your device to be paired. I'm such a dummy for thinking NFC is actually capable of delivering audio like bluetooth but it's not. What it does when you tap your phone is call the bluetooth function on. It's not essentially an audio hardware. it just gives you the convenience of not having to fiddle through your bluetooth settings to manually pair your device -- in real life, you only have to do this once (unless you clear your bluetooth cache), so there's not much difference in terms of effort between bluetooth and NFC pairing. Still, NFC rocks okay? :D

When your device is already paired via NFC, you can turn it off already and keep your phone away.

Modes

The M button lets you toggle between different modes. It goes from bluetooth, FM, and Line (Audio In).

1) Bluetooth/Hands free

You can go hands-free from the bluetooth mode. Go call someone and hear their voice loud and clear on your speaker! I was impressed by the quality. One letdown would be the mic, I don't think it has a mic. You'd have to rely on your phone for that, but the audio is a big plus! :D

2) FM

I thoroughly enjoyed this one as I get to easily skim through the channels! It's a great feature, Sony BSP10 doesn't have this and it's a whopping Php 3,500! I feel like such a winner.

3) Line

I tested out a couple of cheap audio cables from CD-R king and true enough, it works. Unfortunately the sound is a bit lower compared to when you pair via bluetooth. If this isn't an issue for you, then good! Otherwise, you're probably better off with wired speakers. I came to the mall earlier to get a cable and sadly every one of those I've tried produced lower volume. Even the branded ones. Even those with three lines on the jack. :(

Battery

I was able to use the gadget for a good 6-8 hours under normal volume before it started crying for juice (sound is becoming grainy). The problem is, I wouldn't know if it's already lowbatt haha. I think the light turns solid blue (not blinking) when it's fully charged. OKAY I WILL CONFIRM haha. Also, I tried searching for the same battery at a hardware store but they have none! This is bigger than AA, which is bigger that AAA, so meron bang A? Batts me. Chos.

That's a rechargeable 2000mAH 3.7V dry cell battery for you. I don't know where to buy spares for this aside from ordering from RoyQueen itself, so if you know a place, ping me!

Verdict

For a cheap bluetooth speaker, it surprisingly delivers well! haha. The design looks elegant, albeit generic for BT speakers. Anyway, I wouldn't care if this was a knockoff of something else, I like how it looks. It also comes in red and blue, but really, black is good. Sound quality is nice, volume is great, it's packed with a lot of features that could ramp up the price but it stayed grounded and affordable! Even the regular price of Php 2,150 doesn't seem much!

Wait, hindi ako masyado maarte sa sound quality. I just want it to be loud enough pero hindi grainy cos mejo bingi na tita nyo. And in that regard, havey sakin to. :)

The RoyQueen H3500 bluetooth speaker is definitely a bang for the buck and is perfect for your regular music needs! It sells at Php 1,720 at Lazada, some 50 pesos cheaper than MetroDeal and CashCashPinoy haha.

Oh, I only noticed now that RoyQueen pretty much has kiosks at most SM Cyberzones. I was surprised to find one at SM Fairview earlier, they said they also have outlets at SM North Edsa and SM Megamall. Yeyy. They sell it at regular price there, Php 2,150. :D Pwede na rin!

Get yours from Lazada to get more discounts :)

[Tutorial] How to rotate photos in Blogger

Let me tell you, there is no easy way to do this. I was hoping it will come as an update from Blogger but I got tired of waiting. It should be a basic feature when uploading photos, but oh well.

Anyway, here you go:

After uploading a photo and finding that it's rotated at the wrong angle...

1. Open Picasa web albums
You should know that all your photo uploads at blogger are deposited here.

2. Open your blog directory
It should contain all the photos you've uploaded. By default, your folder is named after your blog. If you can't find it, maybe you can "View All". It should be there hehe

3. Find the photo you want to rotate
Since it's a recent photo, it could be all the way down. To make it easier, sort the album by date. How? Click on "Organize", then on the "Sort photos by..." dropdown list, select "date (newest first)". Then click Done.

4. Open the photo and "Edit in Google+"
When you open the photo at Picasa you may find that the rotate left/right icons are disabled. God knows why! What you have to do is click on "Action" and select "Edit in Google+". It will load a new window where, THANK GOD, the rotate buttons are finally enabled!

5. Rotate and go back to blogger :D
It will be saved automatically. Now you can go back to your blog post, select "Insert Image" and look for the photo you've just rotated under the "From this blog" tab. It's probably all the way down, bummer, I don't think there's a sort by feature for this! XD

That should be all! Hope this helps! :D

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Roll your way to P1M worth of prizes, play Just Roll It now!

Conquer the world with Just Roll It and play for Php1M worth of prizes!


There's a new and exciting PC game that's making rounds all over the interwebs! If you love playing Monopoly but is too lazy to lay open the board and drag players with you, then get over your frustration and download Just Roll It -- an online monopoly board game that lets you conquer the world (literally), and gives you a chance to win REAL cash by winning!

Getting started:

Step 1: Download and install

Get the game by going to www.justrollit.ph and clicking on the Download button.
Note that there are system requirements and that the game installer is around 200MB big!


Step 2: Register and start playing

After downloading, install the game and start playing for free! If you aren't a member yet, you will be prompted to register (totally FREE!) but after that, everything will be a breeze! Key in your nominated username and password and you'll be led to the game's user interface where you can view the game guide and finally start playing.



I was overwhelmed when I first saw the dashboard, for a first time player it sure needs some getting used to. XD

How to play:

If you're familiar with Monopoly, you wouldn't have a hard time figuring out the rules. But basically, your goal is to emerge the richest by the end of the game, by buying real estate and charging players when they land on your property, forcing them to go bankrupt! As a newbie, I had to go through 7 bankruptcies before I earned my first win! YAS! Experience is a great teacher haha

1. Select a character

You can select a character by opening My Info on your profile panel - upper right of the window, then click on My Character. You can check out the characters' profile and ranking by viewing their cards. You can also equip them with accessories or enhance their stats :)


2. Join a game room

A maximum of 4 players are allowed per game. You can join a room or you can create your own room and invite players in. When you create a room, a list of online players will be available for you to invite. Then it's just a matter of waiting for their acceptance! You can play solo or by team (2 on 2). For starters, there's a Quick Start panel at the upper part of the game window that lets you join game rooms automatically. :D



Once another player is ready, you can start the game at once. Or you can wait for all 4 slots to be filled before starting. :D

3. Select a map

Choose whether you'd like to play on a World Map or a Space Map. Pretty much like a theme. The World Map has blocks filled with countries and landmarks and the Space Map is filled with planets, constellations, and other heavenly bodies. Up to you where you want to build your empire! :D

Here's how the Space Map looks like:


And here's how the World Map is:

Find Boracay!

Their take on themes really brings the game experience to the next level, it seriously isn't your usual Monopoly game. It's equipped with all sorts of entertaining elements that will surely have you glued to your screen ;) I, for one love the fact that you can manipulate dice rolls (TIP: When it's your turn, press and hold on the 'Roll' button to control the dice) to increase your chances of winning! :D

4. Let the game begin! 

The game starts by each of the players selecting a fortunecard which will determine the order of your turn, after which you'll take turns rolling 2 dice. Your character will advance across the board depending on the number of blocks shown on the dice. Getting the same number on each dice allows you to roll again! :D


You have an option to buy real estate when you land on a property. As you earn, you can build other establishments on it like a villa, a building, a hotel, or a landmark (on the Space Map, you can add a probe, a laboratory, a colony, etc).. whatever you can afford. You earn when you collect rent from other players when they land on one of your properties. Likewise, you lose money when you land on your opponents' properties. Very much like in real life isn't it? :D No wonder this game is perfect for learning business strategy.

But of course, the goal is to monopolize the game so if you're rich enough, after paying rent you can take over the entire city or planet by acquiring it at double the cost! It's true what they say that a game of monopoly provides an effective Business 101 course, or in this case.. a game of JustRollIt!

Winning the game means emerging the richest after exhausting your turns in rolling the dice, or after successfully making your opponents declare bankruptcy.

Oraaaayt! My first win!

Aside from those, there are also what we call special winning conditions:

  • Line Victory - is when a player acquires all properties on one side of the board. That's like owning a fourth of the world okay (or the universe)!
  • Tourism Victory - is when a player owns 6 tourist spots (4 islands, 2 beaches)!
  • Triple Victory - is when a player owns 3 monopolies of different colors! :D
Oraaaayt! But that's not all, every time you win you're entitled a lucky ticket to their raffle promos! You can win P1,000 daily from the monthly pool prize, and you can also qualify to join their weekly and monthly raffle to win part of the total pool prize of P1,000,000 pesos! Oh great, not only are you going offline with bragging rights, you could also sign out with real cash!


Watch this video to learn more about how you can Be Rich! Just Roll It!


There you go, head over to www.justrollit.ph, click that download link and see you in the game room! Spot me, I'm YanB! :D

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

halu


// Project Pie for the third time
And this time, we bought our parents along and they loved it! My parents are usually very choosy about what they eat so we made sure to put as much green stuff on our pizzas to please them. HAHA we didn't mind anyway cos they're mostly herbs and not actual veggies hehe. Ang mahalaga, green! HAHA Anyway, we all loooove herbs. <3

Next time, I'll make sure to drizzle in a gay amount of feta and blue cheese! I was cautious not to put those cos they might stink and taste weird but holy moley they're super tasty! Brings the pizza to the next level! Kamown!

This could probably become one of my go-to restaurants... next to Chili's of course! HAHAHA I may actually be passing over the Chili's phase so yeyy (or not).

// Shingeki no Kyojin
I downloaded some 18GB worth of HD, dual-audio version of the series so my boyfriend could watch it BUT STILL NO. huhu No one to flail about the series.

// Work it like Miley
Err...my tasks are becoming more interesting! I'm learning a lot and there are days I get excited to go to the office to continue scripting. Oh, if you know me, that's freakin RARE! If only my mind could learn faster! Ay I shouldn't have said this no? Baka mabati ung excitement ko. lol

//Bye Sony BSP10 T___T
The bluetooth speaker that's on top of my Lazada to-buy list got out of stock this week. It was devastating cos I didn't want anything else, that's like the only bluetooth speaker I want to buy. Huhu. Makes me want to question why I'm holding off on seemingly impulsive buys (I could've borrowed money from my emergency funds and paid later). Now it's gone! May mga bagay talaga no? Wala lang.

//Eyeayay
Wearing glasses sucks. I don't think I'll ever get used to it. It makes my head hurt. It's a load of trouble when it gets smudged, I can't seem to wipe it squeaky clean with the cleaning cloth that came with it. I don't even know which side to use lol.

//Missing out on Sunday Currentlies
I'm not being too diligent with it. I don't know why. Maybe because my Sundays are becoming busier too! I wanted to blog about a lot of things already but realizing the amount of effort I had to exert kindof makes me lazy. Grabe, super bad work management skills no. haha

//Zumbattendance
Haha waleyyy. For the past month my attendance at Aero Sport was pretty impressive! Like it's actually becoming a regular thing! This morning's sessions was extra hard though, there was a new instructor, a 16 year old twerker who danced pabebe-ly to Twerk it Like Miley and gaaaahd knows what other popular songs those were. It was hell challenging and extremely funny too, you know our crowd.. we're all titas and lolas and mommies who couldn't twerk sensually even if our lives depended on it. stress! But tbh, I enjoyed it! Graduate na kami sa left right left right single single double double, we're doing lots of kembot na! HAHA

Join us maybe? I'm attending Aero Sport :D

Related: Group exercises you can join at Quezon City Memorial Circle

//Uhm..
Yeah! that's all! There are 3 holidays this month (19,21,31)! Oraaaayt! Rock 'n roll to the world!

Sunday, July 26, 2015

The Sunday Currently (vol. 12)

I'm wearing glasses soon! I was advised during our annual physical exam that I should get corrective lenses. I usually nail reading the eye chart up to line 8, mainly because I could already see the sequence beforehand and therefore memorize it. But this time I got caught when asked to read it backwards! HAHAHA Nastress ako! Tipong, shocks shocks DEFPOTEC spelled backwards is C...E..T..something right?! E BAT DI KO NA LANG KASI BASAHIN?!... why the heck am I being competitive with a freaking eye test?! 

And that, my friends, is how I was prescribed to wear glasses.

Aaaaah Levi! <3 I tried okay!
Currently

Reading
No progress with The Graveyard Book because I was busy reading Levi fanfics.

Writing
This?

Listening
The fan

Thinking
About the things I have to accomplish tonight: a logo request, and a header makeover for this blog. I want to do something I drew, and also put another navigation bar at the top to segregate the category links from the other links (Home, About, Contact, etc.). Still playing stuff out from other layouts. I think I have the general idea of what to do, but implementation is a bummer.

Also, I've been thinking if I'm being too hard on myself for not being impressive enough at work. I'm always so slow. To be honest, I'm not capable of impressing anyone with my, uhm, work skills LOL. I've never impressed anyone at work. I always end up mediocre. And it sucks cos I have a habit of comparing myself to my peers. Did you know I accidentally read an email about my officemate being regarded so highly by our clients that apart from my respect for him growing double, I also felt burdened that I have to at least be at par.

But it's all a matter of perspective ika nga, that email confirmed that indeed, there's a genius in our team, and also someone I can bother with my work (ie. get knowledge from). I'm always too shy to ask for help. You know when you're faced with a problem and you want to solve if yourself first before asking someone? Then you start digging and eventually get frustrated and stuck. Then you resort to asking people for help. Then you get scared cos you've been looking into that problem for too long already and they might think, why did you only ask about this now?!

My question is, how long should you usually try to get things done by yourself before asking for help?

Smelling
nada

Wishing
For more focus. I get easily distracted. You can't get me to work one thing for an hour without pausing at least 5 times doing irrelevant stuff.

Wearing
sando and shorts

Loving
The fact that I got to sleep for 16 hours yesterday! And I even dreamt twice!

#1: I was being interviewed for a US Visa (talk about how dreams confirm a nagging desire) by 3 people: my non-favorite blogger, a vocalist of an indie band, and one of my teammates. It was a series of interviews and I got an impression that I passed, though who knows.

#2: I was congratulating my sister on her 1st year anniversary of working at UCPB saying, you can finally resign! yahoo!

Also, Levi! hihi <3

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

From BPI: Register at UBER Manila without a credit card!


Because of Uber, I almost wanted to get a credit card. Two months ago, I inquired about why they haven't implemented non-credit card payment options in the Philippines yet, and they said they're looking into it... so I waited! After all, other countries have it, so i thought it's only a matter of time before it gets rolled out in our country.
That was last May, and true enough, they've explored that option! Now we can register at Uber using Visa or Mastercard debit/prepaid cards! Yahoooo!

Most Visa or Mastercard debit/prepaid cards are allowed now, but it's still a matter of trying it out!
You may check this site for more insights about allowable cards to use! :)

If you're a BPI card holder though, more treats are in for you! This promo is the reason I remembered to sign up for Uber :

Sign up to UBER using your BPI Card and your first 2 rides are FREE!
Each free ride is worth up to P500.
Promo is valid from July 17, 2015 - October 17, 2015 (promo code: BPIRIDE)

2 FREE RIDES UP TO 500 EACH?! Oh come on. Get that card and REGISTER NOW. You wouldn't want to pass up on this! So yeah, I registered using my BPI More Fun Visa prepaid card and it was successful!

If you don't have a card yet just apply for a BPI prepaid card and sign up to Uber using it! Here are your options:

1. Apply for BPI My E-prepaid Mastercard
Php 500 valid for 2 years.
2. Apply for BPI More Fun Visa Prepaid Card
Php 350 valid for 18 months. Personalized card design.

Both of these prepaid cards can be used to register with Uber, and it's really easy to apply for them. Just go to the nearest BPI, fill out a form, present a valid ID, pay the processing fee, and wait for the card to be available for pickup. It's that easy!

But you know, when I registered my card at Uber, I encountered a lot of errors! It was frustrating. AND MY CARD WAS BLOCKED TOO. HAHAHA nakakainis lang. So, if you don't want the same to happen to you, heed the following tips:
  • Type your card number accurately. Every card detail you supply in the sign-up form must be typed with utmost care and certainty. Card verification goes through a super secure process, you wouldn't wanna mess your chances with erroneous inputs. This could lead to your card getting blocked, so be very careful!
  • Load your card beforehand. I don't know what the required minimum amount is, but at least put 500 pesos in it. I was charged 10 pesos for card verification.
  • In case you get this error message, "It looks like your bank is having trouble processing this card. Please check with your bank and try again. If this continues to happen. Please try a different card." DON'T FRET. It means your card was blocked due to invalid sign-up attempts. But it will be lifted in 24-hours so don't worry. Note that it's the bank who does this and not Uber, so that means you won't be able to use your card for 24 hours. :) I ran through this problem and called BPI customer service cos I was freaking out that I can't use my card to pay for food, right when I've already transferred money to it. Sobrang hassle, you know you can't withdraw money from it so I have to spend it elsewhere. huhu
As far as registering at Uber using a BPI prepaid card, I guess that's it! :D Excited to try Uber!

By the way, don't just play around with your UBER app, cancellation of booked rides costs 100 pesos!

Additional tip when you're using a prepaid card to book for an Uber ride:

Before requesting, make sure you load your card with an amount greater than on equal to the maximum fare estimate of your ride, otherwise your request will be invalidated. But don't worry, just load it up and you can request again. :) Apparently, Uber does a balance check for prepaid card holders before hooking you up with your ride. :)

FREEBIE (for non-BPI card holders): Use this promo code, UBERNATICS to get FREE UBER credits when you register! :) Click on the image below to sign up :)

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

heya

Inside Project Pie - Ayala Terreces
Random things I wanted to share since I missed another Sunday Currently due to, ano ba, laziness. Blogging at home is quite a bother honestly. I have to setup my laptop downstairs cos the wifi couldn't reach me in my bedroom. haha So most of the time I only go online if I really really have to, like when I needed to answer Chili's online survey so I'd get free nachos on my next visit. haha

Fortunately, the router has been transferred upstairs because my parents are converting their bedroom to accommodate their office so yeheyy for more internet time? So anyway,

Watching

I'm totally absorbed watching Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin)! It's so freaking intense and everything. I would've finished watching by now but I've run out of HD episodes to watch haha. Currently waiting for episodes 18-Final from my officemate hihi. No actually, I'm already streaming it online. CAN'T WAIT EH.

You guys should watch it, I'm more than halfway and more than convinced to put it on top my Favorite Anime list. Do I even have one? I can't believe I didn't know about this before! No wonder it kept me thinking what the fuss is all about with these green hoodies with wing logos at the back. It's the Survey Corps! Makes me kindof detest all the hype about it tbh, people wearing it as if they'd actually choose to join the Legion for real. Their job scares the shiz out of me I wouldn't even be thinking of enlisting myself in the first place.

hey artist, hope you don't mind!
Two episodes to go before I finish watching the first season. As of writing, I'M DONE!

I'm kindof shipping Mikasa and Levi, I don't even know why. And when I learned the have the same surname, it weirded me out, but nothing in the series revealed they're relatives (yet) so uhm, yey for guiltless shipping? My mind was rooting for Eren x Levi at first. I KNOW I KNOW. It's kindof hard to push back my fancy for yaoi and I'm still seriously struggling about it every time I'm faced with anime. So fine, I'm gonna stick with Mikasa x Levi. hihi Or I'll just quit shipping altogether and simply fangirl at the thought of Lance Corporal Levi. He's so cool on so many levels. <3 <3 <3

Eating

A photo posted by Yan Birog (@yanbirog) on

Now? Nothing, but this weekend I finally got to try Project Pie and realized how it's so much like Mad for Pizza, or the other way around. Same price, same ordering process, and everything. I liked Project Pie's ambience more though! And I love my pizza, it's full of everything and despite the pizza maker's warnings of some toppings not going well with each other, I still made it a point to put everything I want, with emphasis on a lot of mozzarella, jalapenos, and herbs! <3 Omnomnomnom

Feeling

Relieved that our helper returned to us after 4 months. The one who's been with us for a decade already and who left because I think we antagonized her into packing up. Uhm (-2). But then rumors came about that she actually eloped with her boyfriend, some construction worker in the village who, rumor has it (again), was coaxing her into taking supplies from our pantry... like cooking oil and detergent. Nakakatawa lang. She's more than welcome to be back though! We all love her and miss her. My mom kept comparing her to the 2 helpers who came after her, seems like she misses her so! haha Thank you Looooord!

Wishing

I had a lot of extra money cos I'm getting frustrated over my growing Lazada wishlist already. Newest I'm crushing over, a Sony BSP-10, a small bluetooth speaker with NFC and is Qi compatible (read: wireless charging). Why do i need these extra features anyway? I was only looking for a bluetooth speaker with an audio cable. The BSP-10 doesn't have an audio cable but I read it can receive audio input from its microUSB charing port. So now, I'm looking into a microUSB slash 3.5mm audio cable. Is there even one in CD-R King? And also researching if it can really receive wired audio input lol.

Or should I reduce my wanting to something that clearly has my minimum requirements, that is - the JBL Microwireless Bluetooth Speaker, 50% cheaper with a quality brand to boot. But NFC is tempting. Also, the way you can hook it to Sony Smart Connect to check battery status and all sounded really appealing to me (as if i needed it).

Spotted!
A photo posted by Yan Birog (@yanbirog) on

Organic quinoa and chia seeds at SM Fairview Hypermaket! Wala lang, it's in the "International" shelves. There's also red quinoa. :D Hope they stay for good. I got myself a pack of chia (1lb.worth 600something) and we're basically topping it everywhere! haha Smells like wheat germ, tastes like nothing, slimes as it lingers in the mouth. It's aaaaaall good! I'm loving it so far! And careful not to dip a wet spoon in the jar cos the seeds may expand. XS

That's kind of all! :) Hope you have a great week ahead!