Phaw recently just moved in into California Garden Square as a result of getting tired of going back and forth from Laguna to Boni and back. This prompted him to find a way to get an internet connection so that he could still continue being online to manage his online business and of course to blog =P.

He asked one of his housemates how he connects to the internet and he said that he uses his 3G phone as a modem to connect to the internet via the Smart network.

“That’s cool!” Phaw exclaims.

But there is also another Smart network service that is being advertised all over the country. This is the Smart Bro Prepaid. Here is a brief description of the service from Smart and Phaw quotes:

Smart BRO brings you another exciting product, Smart BRO Prepaid that allows you to surf the net anywhere there’s a PC! Absolutely no Monthly Service Fee since it’s prepaid!

With the Smart BRO USB Modem (a small, palm-sized device) that comes with every application, you get instant connection to the internet just by plugging it to your computer.

Phaw went to a Smart Wireless Center to inquire of this service and asked how he could get one. First, he asked for the initial cost to get connected. As stated by the customer service rep, you would need to pay Php4,500 as initial cost for the modem and this price would also include a Php30 free load. Next, Phaw inquired about the rates as shown below:

So, that is Php20 per hour. It’s like going to an internet cafe to surf the internet. The rep also mentioned it is best that you have a 3G signal at your area to enjoy the full benefits of the service.

Now, how is having a 3G phone used as a modem better than getting this service that comes with a dedicated modem? Basically the only difference between the two ways of connecting to the internet is the modem used. The rates are the same(Php20/hour) but the Smart Bro prepaid modem uses 3G signal to get data(as mentioned by the rep). That means if you do not have a 3G signal in your area then getting a Smart Bro prepaid kit is a definite NO because you won’t have any internet connection.

However, if you buy a 3G-enabled phone, it is way more worth it for your money because when you are not using the phone as a modem, you can use it as a normal cellphone! Additionally, if you don’t have 3G signal in your area, it would use GPRS to transfer data(though at a slower rate). Can the smartbro prepaid modem do that? Phaw doesn’t think so.

If you already have a 3G phone, then you needn’t cash-out Php4,500 just to get the kit. All you need to do is buy a Smart sim card to avail of the 3G services they offer.

Thus, getting a Smart 3G phone and using it as a modem to connect to the internet is better because:

• It is a better value for your money
• It can connect to the internet even without a 3G signal

Once you finish watching the movie, you would want to be Iron Man. As crazy as that sounds, it is true. Some of you would think that it is an okay movie but really you are wrong. It is a great movie. Now why is that you may ask. Though there are not much oh-so-breathtaking graphics in the movie, the combination of it’s plot and twists, and its above average quality graphics result in a movie that would leave you asking for more or wanting to watch it again. You haven’t heard of a bad review about Iron Man have you? At least Phaw hasn’t.

Iron Man a.k.a Tony Stark is a wealthy industrialist and genius inventor who was kidnapped after his weapons demonstration in Afghanistan, the “Jericho” weapon(did I get that right?). During this attack, Tony was injured by a shrapnel that almost pierces his heart were he not saved by another captive, a physicist, Ho Yinesen. Ho creates a magnetic chest plate that keeps the shrapnel from reaching Tony’s heart thus keeping him alive.

Their captors, after seeing how powerful “Jericho” was asks Tony to create the same weapon for them. Instead, Tony creates a suit using the materials he was supposed to use to make Jericho, that would eventually be his escape tool from the captors’ cave. That was the start of Tony’s being Iron Man.

Now I can go on and on with the story but that would only spoil your appetite away. So if Phaw were you, I’d stop reading this review and go straight to the cinema and watch Iron Man.

Phaw gives this movie a two thumbs up with 5 stars.

A picture paints a thousand words. A video rolls a thousand pictures. However, there are some things words cannot express but only videos can =P.

Enjoy.

Isang nakakatawa ngunit nakakalungkot na kuwento ang nakita ni Phaw sa peyups.com. Ganito ang panimula: 

“O, saan ka papunta?” tanong ko.

“Dyan lang sa may kanto. Susunduin ko gerpren ko, ” sagot ng langgam.

“Pwede palang magka-gerpren ang tulad mo? Worker ant ka lang di ba? ‘Kala ko yung mga nagkaka-gerpren lang eh yung mga yumayari sa reyna nyo…”

“Aaah, dyan kayo nagkakamali. Kahit naman worker lang ranggo namin, may karapatan rin naman kaming ma-inlab,” mabilis na tugon ng langgam.

“Eh paano mo nalalaman kung sino ang gerpren mo sa daan-daang langgam na nasasalubong mo araw-araw?” muling tanong ko.

“Sus, para kang hindi MBB grad! Shempre, pheromone tsong. Actually, bawat isa sa amin ay may unique na pheromone…’kumbaga sa pabango eh signature scent ba. In fact, I’m wearing a Chanel Pheromone right now!” pa-konyong tugon ni langgam.

“A, ganun ba? Medyo na-sense ko nga. Mukhang naligo ka sa pheromone ah! O, sige, bilisan mo at baka mainip gerpren mo sa paghintay sa ‘yo sa may kanto. Mahaba-haba pa itong lalakarin mo.”

“Kaya nga eh…baka pwedeng maki-hitch sa sapatos mo?”

“No problem. Sige kapit ka lang. Mga ilang hakbang lang naman ito para sa akin eh,” tugon ko.

Kumapit si langgam sa nakalawit na sintas at umakyat sa aking sapatos. Maya-maya ng kaunti ay may natanaw nga akong naghihintay na isa pang langgam sa may kanto. Ito na nga marahil ang gerpren na naghihintay dahil nakita kong sobrang na-excite itong langgam na ngayon ay nakabitin na sa dulo ng sintas ng sapatos at handang bumaging na ala-tarzan sa direksyon ng kasintahang naghihintay.

Napasigaw na lang ako ng “Sandali!!!”, nang biglang umigkas itong si langgam at napailalim sa suwelas ng aking sapatos. Huli na ang lahat at kahit bakas ni langgam ay hindi ko makita sa sementadong kalsada. Ni impit na hiyaw ay hindi nakatakas mula sa naipit na nilalang.

Samantala, ang kasintahang langgam ay nanatiling nakatayo sa tabing kalsada habang ang hangin ay nagsimoy Chanel Pheromone. At nangilid ang luha sa aking mga mata hindi dahil sa tapang ng halimuyak na pumalaot sa hangin kundi dahil sa nasasaksihan kong pagluluksa ng isang pusong naulila.

Here is a good health article that Phaw received in his email. For those who wants to be healthy, read this. This is taken from the website totalhealthbreakthrough.com:

Get Off the Sugar Roller Coaster Now!
By Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS

Here’s a news bulletin for you: The most damaging ingredient in the American diet is not fat.

It’s sugar.

No kidding. As a “health hazard”, fat has gotten the lion’s share of attention — but it may well turn out that our attention was focused in the wrong place. High sugar diets are now linked to increased risk for diabetes, Alzheimer’s, some types of cancer, and obesity. Sugar depresses the immune system, ages the body, creates inflammation, and contributes to cravings, mood swings, PMS, and a host of other conditions.

And the news about our consumption isn’t good, either. USDA surveys show that the average American is consuming about 20 teaspoons of the stuff a day. Sugar now accounts for over 15% of the average adult’s calories and 20% of the average teenager’s.

So why exactly does sugar cause such a problem?

Let’s start with insulin.

When you eat sugar, your blood sugar rises (quickly) and your pancreas immediately jumps into action. It responds to the increase in blood sugar by secreting the hormone insulin, whose job — among other things — is to get that sugar out of the bloodstream pronto… by delivering it to the muscle cells where it can be used for energy. That’s because if sugar hangs around the bloodstream, it ultimately does a lot of damage — glomming onto red blood cells and creating sticky compounds that ultimately clog up the works.

But there are two problems with the way our bodies handle sugar. First, most of us aren’t using those muscle cells enough to create much of a demand for the sugar, so the muscle cells eventually shut their doors. (It doesn’t require too much sugar to power the muscles used to move the mouse on your computer.) So sugar either goes into fat cells, or continues to hang out in the bloodstream, like an accident waiting to happen.

The second problem is that the small amount of insulin needed to manage a moderate amount of sugar from a natural food — like an apple, for example — isn’t enough to manage a diet of 900-calorie “no-fat” muffins from Starbucks. The pancreas has to shoot more and more insulin into the system to get the job done, and high levels of insulin create a whole other set of problems.

Insulin, for example, tells the kidneys to hold onto sodium, increasing blood pressure. Chronically high insulin levels have also been linked to Metabolic Syndrome (a kind of “pre-diabetes” which increases the risk for heart disease). That’s just the short list…

And it’s not just plain old garden variety table sugar that has this effect on the body. Some of the worst offenders when it comes to raising blood sugar are mashed potatoes, most breads, rice, fruit punch, pancakes, virtually all desserts, and even cornflakes. These foods convert quickly to sugar in the body. Your pancreas can’t tell the difference.

Sugar’s not just non-nutritive, it’s actually anti-nutritive. Here’s why: When sugar is found in real life foods and plants (like apples or berries, or even for goodness sake, actual sugar cane), it comes complete with the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes needed for its complete digestion. That’s pretty amazing!

But when it’s found in your sugar bowl — or in any of the typical chemical compounds that food manufacturers use to sweeten their goods –like “brown rice syrup” or the disaster known as high fructose corn syrup — it contains nothing of any value.

Your body actually has to “borrow” from its stores of nutrients in order to process it. That’s one reason sugar is considered to be an immune system depressor. In order to be metabolized, sugar literally “eats up” nutrients your body needs to stay healthy.

And if you think sugar isn’t addictive, think again. Research at Princeton University has found that the brains of rats change in response to sugar.1 Rats that were allowed to binge on sugar showed signs of “withdrawal” when the pleasure centers of the brain were blocked, an experience all-too-familiar to many of us who can’t get our nightly fix of Ben and Jerry’s. The researchers suggested that sugar triggers production of the brain’s natural opioids.

Whether sugar is a true “addiction” or a dependence, remains an open question. I say, “Who cares?” The fact remains that sugar consumption is a big problem for a whole lot of people.

According to Connie Bennett, whose excellent book, “Sugar Shock!” details her own personal journey out of “sugar hell”, there are an estimated 74-147 million Americans who have difficulty processing sweets and refined carbs. “Ultimately, (the) insidious roller-coaster effect which occurs whenever you eat lots of sweets and quickie carbs hampers sufferers’ ability to function at full or even half throttle”, she writes.

In my first book I wrote that you may not be able to eliminate sugar from your diet completely, but to the extent that you can, you will be doing yourself an enormous favor. That’s just as true now as it was then.

Get off the sugar roller coaster. Your body — and your brain –will thank you for it.

Now Phaw thinks this movie is cool! Just watch the trailer below: