Huwebes, Marso 22, 2012

THE SERACH FOR THE BEST MILK TEA BEGINS

MILK TEA may either refer to a tea drink with a portion of creamy milk but here in the Philippines, it refers to the number drink you must taste before you die.

The creamy milk tea had evolved through time. It was famous for the Bubble milk tea or the Pearl Milk Tea but due to the stiff competition in the market, milk tea business owners had came up to tons of flavors. From the classic Pearl Milk Tea, flavors such as Oolong Milk Tea, Jasmine Milk Tea, Green Tea milk tea and those that can be combined with fruits. Milk Tea was first introduced in Thailand and being Asian, there is no way we can't have a taste with this.

Here in the Philippines there are 3 most favorable milk tea business that had been the soar bearer of the milk tea flag. Not only that they have been the first to offer this type of drink here in the country but also because they have the most tasteful and the most budget-friendly milk tea today.

CHATIME had been one of the first runners of milk tea business. They offer a wide variety of flavors that will satisfy every man's cravings.  Another good in them is that everything is organized and they have these paper placed on the milk tea cup for your name instead of writing it with a marker. They are also fast in dealing with customers. Price ranges from 70pesos to 100pesos depend on the size and the flavor. One of the famous branch they have is as the Landmark beside the French Baker.

HAPPY LEMON  located in SM Megamall is another milk tea business that has been famous for their small pearls or sago that are really delightful in the mouth. They also have different flavors to choose from and their area in SM Megamall has this vibe of a cafe where you can seat and talk or have meeting with someone while having a sip in your milk tea.

in the picture above is the classic milk tea with pearls. Notice how small the sago are. they taste really good too.

 TEA-RRIFIC! on the other hand is a milk tea avenue for students or for tight-budgeted persons who would really like to experience milk tea. They offer a wide variety of milk tea flavors and even popularizing the milk tea fusion of fresh fruits plus milk tea for a price as low as 35 pesos and a high as 75pesos. this Price range depends on the size and the type of milk you are wanting.

in the photo is Oolong flavored milk tea courtesy of Tea-rrific. Tea-rrific is available in SM Supermalls and a kiosk that can be found in either floors.

THE MAGNUM VERTICT

Facebook users news feed had been bombarded with the Magnum craze for days now. Magnum brought to the Philippine market by Selecta is owned by British Unilever company. It was originally made in Aarhus, Denbark and was later rebranded as Magnum Classic.

Magnum consist of thick bar vanilla ice cream on a stick coated with dark chocolate. In numbers, a bar of Magnum classic weighs 86 grams. The list of the flavors launched by the Magnum company were as follows

1989: original Magnum, later rebranded "Magnum Classic"
1992: Almond
1993: Chocolate
1993: White
1994: Cone Classic
1995: Walnut
1996: Nougat
1996: Cone Almond
1997: Orange Choco
1998: Ego
1999: Double Caramel
2000: Double Chocolate
2001: Caramel & nuts
2002: Sandwich
2002: Yoghurt Fresh
2003: Seven Deadly Sins(Lust, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Envy, Wrath, Vanity)
2004: Intense (Stick)
2004: Intense (Cup)
2005: Five Senses (Aroma, Touch, Vision, Sound, Taste)
2007: Ecuador Dark/Colombia Aroma/Temptation/Java
2007: Mint
2008: Mayan mystica
2009: Moments
2010: Gold
2011: White Chocolate & Nuts
2011: Ecuador and Ghana

Early 2012, Magnum had reach the tasteful bud of Filipino people.  For the price of 50pesos, a\one can indulge himself to a Magnum Classic ice cream on stick. People had different reactions considering the fact that the price range of ice cream on sticks that are available in the country averages to below 30 pesos.

But with the wave of reaction from the cyber world, many had been posting their Magnum experiences. About 80% had said that it is worth the price for what you are buying is not just the brand, the taste or the name but you are actually tasting the moment. Posts on Facebook and Twitter will make you buy more and will make you want to experience the Magnum craze.




Magnum is available in 3 flavors namely Magnum Classic, Magnum Almond and Magnum Chocolate Truffle.
Though the price may be really high for those who are in tight budget, there's nothing wrong in splurging one time big time especially is you are spending it in this delicious and anti-stress ice cream.

3D ART 101


3D street art is the new form of artististic mind-set that had set a stunning record in the eyes of the human race. With the common medium like chalk, artists had done chalk art, pavement art, and street art.

This street art painting had started in Europe way back 18th century but it was in late 1980 when the famous 3D street art had evolved and became a new mantra for artists.

The 3D street art showcase a pice of a painting that is looks really alive and is painted on the sidewalk or anywhere on the streets. It was from the brilliant idea of Kurt Wenner He was an American artist that began street painting in Rome He documented by National Geographic in 1994 with his unbelievable talent called “Masterpiece of Chalk” and on the same year won “Maestro Madonarro” at the Grazie Festival.





the whole 3D art craze had also flown its way to the country. ans people manage to continue this artistic evolution in a way to conquer the world.

Huwebes, Pebrero 23, 2012

HOW TO TRAVEL IN A STRESS-FREE WAY

Today's trend on budget-friendly and and fast-paced lifestyle makes traveling not only for the rich but can also be an ideal escapade for common people. With the help of travel agencies having sales and promos that's easing out a family's budget, traveling is one of this year's must do.

But traveling can be a sure depressing moment for someone. It takes a lot of time and preparation for all the papers you should sign , all the bills you should pay and of course packing all the things that you need to bring. A big deal in this kind of situation because you are aiming to free yourself from the stress and so you must start in a positive way. Are you ready to learn the what-to-bring tips and tricks that would make your traveling a less burden that before? Then let's start.

Buy a quality suitcase.
At this point you don't want to bring a suitcase that is easily torn or damaged. You are traveling so expect that the suitcase you'll be bring will give you a total protection to anything that might happen. Investing in a quality suitcase is a must because airport staffers tend to throw luggage around and those not-that-good quality ones may end up in the floor having you picked up your items one by one.

Be a girl scout.
Think what you need not what you want. Always assume of what might happen and bring things that are usable in case of emergencies. you will never know what will happen to the destination you are going so better be a girl scout and prepare things that can save you up.


Pack items that you can mix and match. 
Packing items specially clothing that are easy to mix and match will not only save you space but can also save you time in a way that there are lesser items you could choose from your wardrobe. Have the essentials such as jackets, a white tee, a black dress, a pair of leggings and beautiful flats. These essentials can go with almost anything to skirts up to shorts so its nice having them around.

For beauty products less is definitely more. 
If you have a make-up palette that has neutral eyeshadow, blush on and some lipstick it would be really great. Or you might want to bring essential items only since toothpaste and toothbrush are already a part of your hotel's hospitality. Pack sample and multi-purpose products such as lip tint that can also be a cheek tint.

For gadgets. 
Bring the things that you can't leave without but be specific to the use of these gadgets. Also don't forget to the hotel if they have internet connection so as to help you in case.

Don't forget you medicines and first-aid kit.
Bring medicines such as paracetamol and mephenamic acid in case of emergency. Don't forget also to bring your vitamins as well as first aid kit that includes your cotton, alcohol, betadine and agua oxinada if in case you'll get wounded.


Another thing aside from the above is preparing yourself mentally, physically, socially and emotionally into the travel that you will do. This travel will never be successful if you yourself has a hard heart. There is always this thing called peace and no matter where your destination is it's best to keep the peace in mind.

Linggo, Pebrero 5, 2012

Mr. Doob-idoobidoo


We discovered this new website called Mr.Doob where you can use different brushes with different patterns to draw. I’m not a fan of art but this one’s cute. I wish I had a tablet and a pen to draw, though. I recommend this to you, readers, even if art isn’t your interest also. Doodling in this site is just so addicting, I was never the imaginative one but I can say that I can rely to this whenever I’m bored, well aside from tumblr and blogging of course.

Mr.Doob is like a multiuser sketchpad. 


Who’s the Person behind Mr.Doob anyway?



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It’s Ricardo Cabello!

Here are some artoworks of Mr.Doob users.

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Below is the interview from Christian Giordano which tells the story of success of Mr.Doob.


Hi Ricardo, thanks for accepting our invitation. Is there anything you want to add to my brief introduction?
Hello hello! Nope, I think that defines well what I try to do :)
It’s a pleasure to have you here, let’s crack on with the interview. How did you start out with computers?
Back in the early 90s when I was 10 or 11 my brother needed a computer for school and, eventually, managed to persuade my father to buy one — it was a 486 (or 386, I’m not sure). I remember being mesmerised in the shop watching Prince of Persia running on a computer. When I realised our computer came with Army Moves instead I got pretty disappointed though :P Specially because I was really bad at it…
It was my brother that started to learn how to create things with it, he started learning programming and I spent long hours sitting on his side trying to learn something myself.
And as an artist?
Eventually I got my own computer — most likely I got delegated the old one :P — and, as I didn’t seem to understand programming, I opted for graphics instead (Animator Pro, 3D Studio R3, Deluxe Paint, …) My brother also got involved in a underground movement called demoscene where people competed with each other to see who was able to make the computer do the most impressive things. For that they needed graphics, so eventually I got involved myself too. By doing these things I ended up learning a lot about computer graphics. First the authoring side, and eventually the programming side too.
Also, I know many people that don’t put their skills into practice because they don’t have projects to work on, and they are unable to coming up with their own. That’s something I got from the demoscene, you had to come up with stuff in order to compete.
How do you get artistically inspired?
Since I dived into programming I let the code inspire me. I experiment with things and APIs and in the process I come up with ideas. I also follow a bunch of random blogs about arts, illustration, installations, … that from time to time challenge me to see if I can do some of the things in realtime. And once again, more ideas spur on in the process.
How do you keep yourself informed?
Mainly twitter nowadays. It takes some time to find the right people to follow. Usually people tweet about personal things, but some share findings, culture, news and their own works.
Is there any project of yours you are particularly proud of? Tell us more about it, Inspire us!
I will say ro.me. Not only is the project I’ve been able to apply most of my acquired talents but we managed to build it using mostly open source software.
That’s not entirely true though, there was a lot of proprietary software on the process… designers are still tied to Adobe products and 3d modellers/animators to Autodesk products, but we — the developers — were able to use whichever tools we wanted. I personally used gedit for all the programming. We also had some python scripts for converting data to our formats and we setup a pipeline that used Blender for composing the 3d scenes.
Best of all, we released the code of the whole project too!
Ro.me screenshot
Since your work stands between Art and Code, what do you think their relationship should be?
Code is just another tool for the artist. A very powerful one.
How important is programming for visual artists? Do you foresee a future where programming will cover a bigger role in the creative industry?
Programming is becoming more and more accessible (even without losing much efficiency). For example, take a look at the GLSL Sandbox, the code is right there, editable and it goes right to the graphics card. I can see more tools like these being developed and designers hacking some stuff themselves to find new styles.
Do you believe in open source? If so why?
Totally. Specially because I’ve spent many years already dealing with proprietary models.
You see, whenever you work on something, you’re creating value. That value always gets split into different parts, starting with yourself, the skills you’re acquiring, and following by the chain of clients, being the final one the one that benefits the most. After a while you start to care about who benefits from your work and I find it very rewarding sharing the code so anyone on the internets can benefit from the energies spent.
Of course, there is always the risk of getting “Angry Birded” — where someone uses your code to retire early without giving anything back to the project — but that’s ok, I want to think that these people give back to society in other ways. Eventually we will be able to bring an idea into life by combining open source projects and call it a day. That would be a pretty efficient way of using human brains.
For some, the concept of giving away your work for free may sound silly, but there are many good side effects when doing that. It speeds up development and steps up global knowledge. The public gets your thing for free and can learn from the code, anyone is free to contribute — if someone needs a feature they can step in an implement it themselves. If there is a bug somewhere they can also fix it themselves. Also, because anyone can read the code, more skilled people can have a quick read and suggest better approaches and even patches. In exchange you learn a lot of tricks from these contributions.
Do you share your code? And if so, why and how?
Of course! All my code is on github — I know, I know… proprietary platform… :P
How is three.js going? I’ve seen there is a healthy amount of contributors.
I think it’s evolving nicely. The API seems to be finally getting a bit stable now and we’re starting to consider documentation strategies. People is building tools on top of it and seems like there is a new demo or project going out every week that uses it. The community is also mostly respectful and helpful with each other.
To what extent do you use open-source technologies?
I try to use as many as possible. In the past I used to depend on Adobe products that locked myself to Windows and/or MacOS. Now that I got used to Gimp, Inkscape and Blender it doesn’t matter which OS I’m on. Neither I live under the fear that the company behind the application I depend on may decide to stop development because they don’t get enough revenue from it..
Do you use any proprietary software?
Yes. Chrome and Dropbox. Sometimes I have to use Sublime Text 2 because gedit seems to be unable to handle files with long lines. It’s a known bug that has been reported for ages…
What is your favourite software and why?
Uhm, I would go with Chrome. I live on the web and Chrome seems to be improving it considerably. Or at least, allows people like me to help improve it.
Can you tell us about one of your projects where open source was very beneficial, if not crucial?
Well, Google Gravity wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t because Box2DJS. And Box2DJS wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t because Box2D itself. Three.js wouldn’t be half of what it is if it was closed source either.

Google Gravity screenshot
What changes in Ubuntu would make your creative life better?
This may be controversial, but I prefer the experience Gnome Shell offers better than Unity — aesthetics wise and usability wise.
My dream Linux OS would be having Ubuntu’s hardware support, Fedora’s system code (systemd, etc),Gnome Shell desktop experience and Elementary aesthetics. Yum!


Can you tell us what kind of creative or technical challenge you are going to face with your next project?
There are a bunch of projects in the pipeline. But the main challenge for most of them seem to be dealing with (almost) exponential content growth… always a scary, but nice to have, problem :)
What do you think about the evolution of web standards?
It used to be a really slow process which will always be miles away from what proprietary platforms were offering. However, I think WebGL shown that this has changed and the standards can be defined and implemented at a very nice pace.
More and more “native” applications use open web technologies, especially for their UI. Is this gonna have an impact on HTML rendering engines different from WebKit?
The more contents and usage the better the engines will get. When developing for a platform the developers find cases where performance is lacking or implementation isn’t as nice as it could be. So the platform will need to improve. Otherwise other platforms will step in and developers will switch. You gotta love healthy competition :)
How do you see the future of WebGL? Do you foresee any problems Microsoft or Apple could create for its adoption?
I think the future is bright for WebGL. The real issue the technology has is bad drivers. But nothing that content can’t fix. Again, the more content that uses WebGL the more pressure graphic card vendors will get. Eventually you’ll make sure that your next computer or device supports WebGL and that’s something ATI, Nvidia and friends want to be part of. I think Microsoft are shooting themselves in the foot. Being opposed to a open standard while not even have an alternative doesn’t sound like a clever move to me. On the meantime Internet Explorer is losing market share.
Thanks a lot Ricardo for giving us some of your time and sharing your thoughts, keep up with the great work!
No problem! Sorry it took me a while to complete this. I guess I’ve been busy O:) Looking forward to reading more interview like these in the Canonical Design blog!