Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Where Can You Reside If You Have Five Million Pesos?

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Value for money, strategic location, and distinct amenities – these are the top qualities that house hunters look for in their investment search. With this in mind, Lamudi Philippines outlines five properties in Metro Manila that fits the Php5 million financial plan of homebuyers.

Pacific Place Ortigas Condominium – Pasig

A walkable district with work, leisure, and learning options for you and your family offers a 100-sqm three-bedroom condominium unit. Ortigas, one of the busiest business districts in Metro Manila, highlights a complete urban lifestyle for on-the-go professionals. Live near one of the biggest malls in Asia and be surrounded by a healthy wave of delicious eats and nightlife to boot.

Ponteverde, BF Resort Las Piñas

Live the southern vibe for Php5 million in a fully fenced house and lot in BF Resort. This property has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a maid’s room, an auxiliary kitchen, utility area, lanai garden, and a garage for one car. More than its amenities and features, you also bargained for a community-oriented, city lifestyle.

Three-bedroom Townhouse, San Juan

A classy townhouse at the heart of shopping mecca that is San Juan City is a three-bedroom townhouse. Sitting on a lot measuring 42 sqm but boasting a floor area of 116 sqm, you have ample living spaces perfect for growing families. San Juan is not only known for its shopping district but also for its rich history and delightful gourmet finds.

Uptown Bonifacio, Taguig

Bonifacio Global City (BGC) is one of the most sought-after locations both for residential and corporate needs of investors. A 33-sqm one-bedroom unit in Uptown Parksuites starts at Php5 million and comes with a sleeping den, combined living and dining area and dreamy amenities. Bask in the luxurious setting of BGC and live steps away from exciting leisure centers.

One-Bedroom Condo, Salcedo Village, Makati

Live at the heart of the busiest business district in Metro Manila while staying within your Php5 million target. Pretty much everything you need and more is in Makati. Truly a comfortable lifestyle in a vibrant cosmopolitan setting.

Where to Find Metro Manila’s Cheapest and Most Expensive Office Spaces

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Companies looking for an affordable office space to rent should head to Quezon City to find cheap commercial properties. Based on Lamudi Philippines’ analysis of price data of its commercial property listings, Metro Manila’s largest city has the most affordable office space for rent, averaging Php503.79 per sqm.

The analysis also found that Quezon City’s most expensive office space for rent, located in Eastwood City, has a monthly asking price of Php1,208 per sqm, while the cheapest costs Php185 per sqm per month.

At the other side of the price spectrum are Taguig and Makati, Metro Manila’s most expensive cities for real estate, where office rents average Php763 and Php635 per sqm per month, respectively.

Makati, however, boasts the metro’s priciest office spaces. Office blocks in the city’s trendy Ayala Avenue command monthly rents as high as Php1,400 per sqm, while the city’s cheapest offices have asking monthly rents of Php300 per sqm.

Social Media Masquerade: We Are Not What We Seem Online

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Should access to social media come with a moral responsibility?

But then again, not. I'm afraid that social media has evolved beyond being social. It has become another form of entertainment. There is very little truth or sincerity on what we see or read online.
The whole world does not need to know our personal problems. Our online friends will not want to read about our failures. Our deep dark secrets should remain hidden from the scrutiny of the online bullies who are mostly pretentious little bastards with wieners the size of a cocktail hotdog. They try to make up for their insecurities by being a bully online.

Some would use an alter ego that will be comfortable in cracking jokes, or portray a character that defies ethics and decency - trying to achieve some naughtiness in between the wild antics, trying to impose a reputation they fabricated to catch some attention.

It's all about role-playing. Since we would not really express or show our real personality especially if we are part of the industries where public perception is key to our success. An artist that's more controversial and seemingly profound and highly iconoclastic gets more attention from an intrigued audience.

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There is no doubt that the mobile industry will continue to exponentially grow through the coming years, and not surprisingly to find out that video content will still be the most in demand by online users.

At a gathering organized by Ericsson at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel this June 16, 2015, members of the media covering technology and business matters were presented with an appendix to the Mobility Report. he presentation was conducted by Afrizal Abdul Rahim, Ericsson Head of ConsumerLab for Region South East Asia and Oceania. Also present was Elie Hana, Ericsson President and Country Unit Head, Philippines and Pacific Islands (outgoing). Mr. Sean Gowran will soon be taking over as Ericsson head for the Philippine market.

The key highlights of the Ericsson Mobility Report was that by 2020, we would have about 9.2 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide, and when it comes to mobile broadband it will be around 7.7 billion which is about 85 percent. We will have twice the number of smartphone subscriptions making 70 percent of the world's population having a smartphone. There will be 9x mobile data traffic primarily driven by video. For the population coverage, 90% WCDMA/GSM and 70% LTE.

As expected, the Philippines is dragging at the lower ends of each charts while countries like Singapore and Australia has the highest mobile broadband penetration. Popular apps were Facebook, YouTube, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and Viber.

What was baffling by the report was that it declared that as of 2014, only 30% smartphone penetration was recorded here in the Philippines but is expected to rise at 40% within 2015. But maybe it is only in Metro Manila and other big cities nationwide where I see everyone owning a smartphone or two. Still, I believe those statistics should be higher.

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The long lasting, high performance of the Michelin N2 tyre was proven at Round 3 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia this summer at Phillip Island. The round saw a format change from the normal sprint race format, to a mini-endurance Pro/Am format in the Porsche Carrera Cup.

The weekend saw tight, hard fought battles throughout both hour-long races. Quick lap times, including a new lap record, were set at the end of the second race, with the team of Shane Smollen and Nick Percat taking the win. The lap record, however, was made by Scott McLaughlin in the Grove Racing Porsche.

The Grove Racing team opted not to change their Michelin tires during the driver change, running the full hour race on the same set of tyres which had also been used in the qualifying round. With McLaughlin behind the wheel chasing down the pack, they were able to consistently set quick lap times. MCLaughline set the new Carrera Cup lap record on lap 33 of the 36 lap race.

After the race, round winner Nick Percat said he enjoyed his successful return to the Carrera Cup series.

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Any parent with young children would admit that nothing can be more mentally draining than going through the painstaking process of preparing healthy meals for their kids’ baon.

Unfortunately, a lot of little fussy eaters have a tendency to wrinkle their noses, make faces, or deliberately gag on their food and bring home their baon. Thus, every meal has the potential of becoming a battle between you and your children. This shouldn’t be the case! Meal time is NEVER meant to become a fight.

Revive the fun in your child’s lunchtime! Accept the stage where your kids are s-l-o-w-l-y learning to adjust to a new school-year and to eating packed lunch with foods that are new to them, and save yourself from losing your sanity over unfinished food. Here are parenting hacks that may help:

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Welcome back to school, kids!

With a new school year comes new challenges, new opportunities to excel, new achievements to be unlocked, and more friends to be made.

We here at Ekotek are so excited to be part of your academic journey that we have come up with kick ass bundles that will help you do just that in school! Talk about starting the year right!

Get ready to rock the school year in style because from June 15-30, 2015, you can avail of the Rogue 2 with an 8GB MicroSD card, Ekopack 6000mAh or both for a fraction of the original price! You never have to miss out on group discussions ever again. Want something bigger than the Rogue 2 for note taking? No problem. You can also get the Ekotab Encore 2 with an 8GB MicroSD, an Ekopack 6000mAh or both. Hurry, promo is only valid until June 30!

The Back To School Promo is available in all Ekotek kiosks: SM Mega, SM Fairview, SM North, SM Las Piñas, SM Muntinlupa, Victory Mall Pasay and Victory Mall Antipolo.

No time to hit the mall? Don’t worry, you can get your Back to School goodies from http://j.mp/ekoteklazada, http://ekotek.theshop.ph/ and now you can even order via private message on Facebook!* How cool is that?

Click here http://j.mp/ekotekgadgets to know more about your favorite Ekoproducts.

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Nowadays, you'll get bullied online if you have a sentiment conflicting to the majority. You can raise an opinion but expect a lot of bashing afterwards.

It's just like saying you hate Manny Pacquiao, you'll end up being attacked by a mob because there are so many die-hard fans of the Pacman that can bury you deep down from all the trash comments that will create a thread as long as the Great Wall of China.

Such is the issue about DMCI's Torre De Manila. When popular online personalities such as Carlos Celdran actively urges everyone to go against the completion of the building because it destroys more than just a view.

When we take a glimpse of the monument of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, the sight of the condominium is not really a pleasant sight. The photo taken will no longer be great for your album or postcard. It's no longer as Instagrammable as before. Torre De Manila has become the glaring photobomber of the Rizal monument - The Pambansang Photobomber ng Pilipinas.

The Supreme Court has spoken. The temporary restraining order starts immediately. Oral arguments on the case will start on June 30. Thus the cranes has stopped moving, the construction has temporarily stopped.

Who Are We Fooling With All These Fabricated Social Media Exchanges?

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Am I the only one who thinks negatively of Comments, Likes, Shares, Follows, Retweets, and other similar exchanges of many different forms?

Though there is nothing wrong with exchanges like "quid pro quo" or barter - something in exchange of something. But when referenced to a blog, it means you got those numbers because the other party was obligated by an agreement that you will return the favor.

It feels like you're only making your blog look desperate. That it cannot get the attention it deserves if you're not going to participate in an unnatural way to get views or engagement.

What is the point of getting lots of Comments, Likes, Follows, etc., from your fellow bloggers if you are obligated to give the same whether you (or they) deserve it or not?"

Then there are the "forced" requirements like you have to make your comments sensible and acceptable enough to qualify, you have to finish all the Likes within a certain amount of time, etc.,

It not only displays "fake" engagements, it also deceives the other readers to believe your blog is well-liked and so engaging that readers had to leave a comment.

It really feels so wrong.

Toni Gonzaga and Her Publicity Stunt at McDo

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Who goes out in her wedding gown, and with her groom, at a fast-food to personally order food even if she has people she can ask to do it for them?

You won't see me buying cheap junk food on my wedding day. It will be a disgrace to me and my wife (or husband). Our wedding day should be special, and taking me to where everything is wrong is not a great idea.

McDonalds is totally against what people in the Philippines should be promoting - our very own good (great) Filipino food. I can't imagine these fit and fab celebrities endorsing products that offer nothing but an unhealthy diet leading to obesity. Just like Jollibee, and the many other fast-foods that only offer those greasy burgers and fried chickens, their junk only sells because of their excellent marketing gimmicks.

To tell you frankly, I just go to McDo for the toys (and the mascots), or when a friend, colleague or relative is treating, but still I don't order the oily French fries or the "big" breakfast that's not really big. I prefer to just eat the spaghetti or apple pie (that has terribly gone so little). But if given a choice, I will stay away from these junk food restaurants. We have so many restaurants out there that offer better food at reasonable prices. Even the neighborhood "karinderia" offers better choices.

The Perfect Ekotek Gadgets to Bring on Your Every Trip: Ekotab Encore 2 and Ekopack 13000 mAh Powerbank

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After a few weeks of playing with the latest Ekotek product, I'm now ready to share my experiences with their upgrade to the previous Ekotab Encore.

Featuring the Ekotab Encore 2, which boasts of double the speed and power mainly due to its Quad core chipset as compared to its previous Ekotab Encore's specification that has a Dual core instead.

Brought the tablet with me when I flew to Huma Island of Busuanga, Palawan for a three days and two nights of beach bumming (aaahhh I'm black again because of the summer sun), and it was well-used while I roamed around the island in a kayak. Bringing my Sony mirrorless camera is still too heavy and bulky (and I was afraid it was going to get wet if I make a wrong move while kayaking) so I used the tablet to take photos of the scenery.

The 2MP built-in rear camera of the tablet may not be as good as my Sony camera, but I was not willing to put my Sony camera in danger. Though I've seen some smartphones and tablets already with better built-in cameras, they are naturally a lot more expensive because of that.

The tablet is not too big and not too small, and fits nicely in my small black body bag that I always carry around with me. A quick pull of the tablet from the bag, and I am instantly taking photos with ease....and immediately returning it to the bag for safety.

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Information Technology decision makers (ITDMs) believe wireless networks to be the most vulnerable element of the IT infrastructure, according to a new survey from Fortinet, the global leader in high-performance cyber security solutions. Nearly half (49%) of respondents ranked wireless networks as most exposed from a security standpoint, in contrast to just 29% for the core network.

The Fortinet survey also reveals that insufficient wireless security is a concern for almost all (92%) of the CIOs polled; hardly surprising given that more than one-third of the enterprise wireless networks put in place for internal employees, do not have the basic security function of authentication in place.

The findings come from an independent survey of over 1,490 IT decision makers at 250+ employee organizations around the world. All respondents were sourced from independent market research company Lightspeed GMI’s online panel.

Stupid is Forevermore: Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago Returns

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Can you follow up a bestseller that has sold more than 350,000 copies with a better book?

You, literally, can’t. So, you just give more. MORE of the gut-busting jokes that draw people in and MORE of the witty one-liners that keep people reading. MORE of the silly pickup lines that spark romance and MORE of the moving speeches that insp...ire generations. MORE of the magic that only Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago can deliver.

Stupid is Forevermore will be exclusively available in National Book Store and Powerbooks branches on June 15 for P175.

Pre-order here: http://www.nationalbookstore.com.ph/stupid-is-forevermore.html

The Lost Art of Reading a Real Book

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"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."

Our imagination takes us to several wonderful places just by reading a book. But is the trip still the same if we read the stories from an e-book?

Reading a "real" book is a beautiful, but endangered, hobby! However, what's all the fuzz about comparing a real book from an e-book that we can read through gadgets such as the Kindle?

Real books are great, but good luck carrying the whole Harry Potter collection in your travels. There is nothing like the smell of a new book, but with a Kindle, you can have a lot of e-books cheaper than a "real" book, and you can transport more e-books than books. I don't think about Kindles as "enemies," I think about them as complements or aid.s I think that e-books can reach much more people, which is not bad. I prefer a new book, but I would use a kindle every day for practicality.

A Kindle may be like listening to a CD rather than a live band. Sounds good, but much of the 'essence' is missing. But I still love both!

There's nothing quite like a good old-fashioned book, but e-readers are fascinating and wonderful in their own right as well. Sometimes I want the feel of a book in my hands and sometimes I just want to read a book instantly without a trip searching at the book store so I can read the treasured manuscripts that have been digitized that only academics and curators ever get to touch in person.
They actually have paper farms that are specifically used for making books. They don't go cut down rain forests and regular forests to make books anymore. There is an entire process to create books these days. Definitely not bad for the environment how you think. Buying an e reader works just as hard on the environment and especially the fuel used to transport them to stores is bigger.

Krispy Kreme Launches All-Star Doughnuts for Dads

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It's All-Star basketball season once again. This time, the most valuable player is Dad! Krispy Kreme is giving Dads and basketball enthusiasts a thrilling experience in time for Father's Day as the global brand rolls out its new line of yummy All-Star doughnuts.

Krispy Kreme heightens the excitement level inside its stores with an epic All-Star challenge for dads and Krispy Kreme customers - to shoot 6 miniature balls inside 6 cups in 30 seconds. The dad or Krispy Kreme fan who succeeds will bring home an amazing treat of 3 All- Star doughnuts for free!

"This season is a very exciting time for us at Krispy Kreme. We celebrate Father's Day and bring families closer together through the things that they love - basketball and sweet, delectable Krispy Kreme doughnuts! Every time customers step inside our store and enjoy their favorite treats with their loved ones, they create a delightful and unforgettable Krispy Kreme experience," shared Ariane Valinton, Marketing Manager for Krispy Kreme Philippines.