Mice Hunting

While Metro Manila cops are busy putting tapes to their service guns and while they are busy confiscating "bogas", I was busy loading up my gun and hunting mice.

I do not have a messy room. The mice are sneaking in thru the small clearance of my main door, coming in from the hallway.

Since I wanted sure hits and sure kills, I sacrificed one bracelet and I used/loaded the beads to my gun instead of using the plastic pellets.

Sure kill, indeed.

To date, I downed 3 mice. Another one still circles my unit. I have this feeling this one mouse won't be seeing the year of the 2007 pig. Too bad 2006 aint the year of the rat.

2nd Birthday Of My Blog

Happy Birthday Blog! This is my blog's 2nd birthday (actually, yesterday). Who would ever thought that I'll last this long. That I'll go on writing even if nobody cares. Certainly not me.

And look what happened since then, I've blogging at some other sites and created some other blogs as well. For a part-time (15% to 20% of my uptime perhaps) projectzzzz (blogs), I guess I am doing fine.

Now that I am thinking of getting my own domain for my personal blog, the question is... Will this baby (http://hideyourmonkey.blogspot.com/) last the year?

Finally A Broadband Connection

After years and years of sucky dial-up connection...

After 2 years of holding back on subscribing to a broadband service because of my constant apartment/condo moves...

I finally got this Smartbro "Wireless" Broadband. Wireless in the sense that it connects to the internet using Smart's Cellular Network but it's still wired to your PC or Laptop. To be truly wireless, I got one MSI Router from ecBuyph.com at around P2000+. Now I am unplugged!

In fact, I tested last night. I brought my laptop at rooftop (fifth floor) of our building and was able to connect. My unit is at the fourth. I tested its speed to and found it to be holding up to its '7x faster than the dial-up' advertisement.

Hello VoIP!

Hello Podcast!

Hello Videocast!

Hello YouTube! (and all other x-tube.com sites)

Hello ESPN Video!

Hello other services!

My Honda Civic is a Baby!

This is getting to be a habit.

My car is like a baby, going back and back and back to the pedia the past couple of weeks.

After the tie rod (is it tire rod?) and rack end was replaced, I had the engine oil leak fixed last Wednesday. Gasket and some valve ring were replaced at a cost of "only" P1400. I used the word 'only' because I had the job estimated at some casa, the cost is P5000.00 for the labor alone. So, at P1400, it’s dirt cheap. I just hope the work done and the replacement part will hold up for the longest time.

Today, I spent yet another whole day getting the wheels/camber fixed. Not only I spent the whole day, I spent another P2000 for the front wheel to be fixed. Next up are the rears, another negative P2000 awaits.

The thing with camber correction is, it is a trial and error thingie. You tweak it then you test drive it. The process repeats itself up until the system is ok. We rode tested the car exactly five times before the right-swerving was removed. So there you have it, reserve at least half a day if you plan to have yours corrected.

It's not over though. As I mentioned, the rear wheels are next up. And, maintaining a car is just a non-ending cycle. I guess I should be resigned to that.

Web Hosting Business Is Tricky

Teri Wells of DevShed just dished out the truth.

The truth that web hosting is no easy business. You just can’t quit your job and go to a web hosting business full time.

Fact is, web hosting is 24/7 job. They say, when you are your own boss, you can go on vacation any time and you can a have day off as often as you desire. The problem is, if you're your own boss, that is, web hosting business boss, you can't have any day off as clients, hosting provider concern, day-to-day stuff are all-over you 24/7.

In fact, the number of skills you need to operate your own company is staggering. You are your own salesman, marketer, bookkeeper, finance and billing, trainer, IT person (particularly important when you’re a web host), website designer, purchaser, quality control person, customer support, and on and on.

That we all do. Yours truly and some partners at Web-Men.Net do all that. And if we happen to lack some needed skills, we either sub-contract stuff or indulge ourselves on further reading. So, say goodbye to weekend trips and vacations and say hello to ebooks and more. Work is to be done still.

Just going thru daily business chores like managing clients, upkeeping accounts make us stagnate on some aspects of the business. In fact, our site has been pretty much the same since time immemorial. Not a single major design change happened. Just emphasizing how loadful the web hosting job can be.

And, if you are hosting people outside RP (as we do), it means additional (wake)up-time because of time zone differential. One needs to answer emails and voice calls as well at odd times.

But more importantly, the main reason why Web Hosting business is not at all bulletproof is the economics. There are plenty of web hosts around, how can you possibly excel or at least compete is a big problem to solve. With monthly web hosting fees all going down south, closing out sales/earning is tricky.

Find Dining, Fine Dining

As we have been dining out a lot the past weeks, let's share some tidbits as to where you can dine and how much would cost you.

This is good for two people so multiply the cost if you’ll be going out and you intend to bring the whole clan.

We are not daring nor we are dining experts, thus we are eating within budget, within our vicinity and within my shallow palate.

If you have fine dining suggestion, let us know.

Max's Restaurant (Shell Magallanes, Mall Of Asia and the one near Park Square 1)

• Crispy Pata Bites (Sometimes Spring Chicken and Chop Suey)
• Fresh Lumpia
• Pancit Bihon
• Bottomless Iced Tea and/or Iced Tea Shake
• Buko Pandan
  

Cost: P400 to P500


Taiko (Waltermart Pasong Tamo)

• California Maki
• Kani Salad
• Ebi Tempura
• Miso Soup
• Green Tea
  

Cost: P300 to P400


Luk Yuen (Paseo de Magallanes)

• Bento (combinations of sweet and sour pork, tofu, pancit, buchi)
• Steamed Shrimp Dumplings
• Prawn Rice Toppings
• Pork Siomai
• Wanton Soup
• Iced Tea Shake or Sodas

Cost: P450 to P600


Sakai Sushi (Mall Of Asia)

• California Maki
• Miso Soup
• Ebi Tempura
• Bento Variety
• Iced Tea
• Ice Cream Scoop
  

Cost: P1250.00 to P1500.00 (Whoa! I will never go there. That's too much, even in celebration of my birthday!)


Street Foods

1. 4 Pcs Balot plus Sprite - P65
   
2. Squid and Fish Ball Combo - plus Coke - P65
   

Quick Snack

1. 7-11's Mister Donut plus Chocolait
   
2. B. Mc Flurry Oreo and French Fries plus H20
3. Chowking Halo-halo w/out ice cream plus H20
   

So You're Planning To Get A Car?

I was up early today. About 6.15 am. My normal uptime is around 8am. It's because I sent my ride to Hyundai Makati Pasong Tamo for some Tie Rod and Rack End replacements. Coding today so I had to be there before 7am. Crocs rule the street.

Replacement cost is P4000.00. Plus, labor would amount to P1000 or so. The engine too will be checked as I see some oil drip out there. Clutch and brake fluid too would be changed. If the wheels aren’t aligned, it would be fixed too. P1000+ for the wheel alignment.

If you have a ride, it's really best to save some cash for its maintenance. Rather than dishing out 5K in a snap coz it's really pain in the butt. Like, save P1500 to P2000 a month to have something reserved if your car knocks on heaven's door.

Add to that, a monthly gas allowance of around P3000 to P4000 a month is needed. Then, I pay P1500 for my monthly parking fee alone. That's around P5500 to P75000 per month just to keep a car rolling.

Accidents that can cost P5000 to P10000 per hit are not even included. Car re-registration not included. Yearly insurance not included. You need around P300 per month to keep your car clean. P10 per week to keep your tire pressure right (saves you gas if tires are pressured correctly). P10 to clean the windshield every time you load up gas. And if you happen to drive recklessly, occasional on-the-road-license-redemption in Metro Manila would cost your P500 per session.

If you are planning to buy a car and do this via monthly amortization, I am sure you'll be thinking twice now. Not only you'll pay P12,000 to P18,000 monthly. You'll need P5000 minimum maintenance and what-not just to keep it up.