Connect with Loved Ones: Globe Tattoo SuperStick

Every time New Year comes around, we as a nation have deemed it necessary to make resolutions.  Possibly some of us will choose to save more money or to lose more weight, but I choose to stay more involved and connected with family and friends.  In this age of cosmic pacing and my current workload, it’s nice to know that I can stay connected with my loved ones, regardless of where they are.

Globe Tattoo SuperStick can provide such service and so much more. It is free exclusively on the Tattoo Postpaid Plan 1299 and allows you to share your connection with up to 5 different devices at the same time.  This is perfect when I have my “pamangkins” (and their friends) at my place. It’s a good excuse to have them stay longer for me to enjoy their company. With speeds of up to 3 Mbps, using it will help me stay connected and do video conferencing with my siblings who travel often.

With so many avenues of communication open to us, excuses are now unacceptable for not keeping in touch. Whether they’re in the provinces or even abroad, with the aid of the internet, communication is possible, and now made even more affordable.

What’s your new year’s resolution and how can technology connect you to your loved ones?

Lopez Museum Experience: Extensions

It’s been years since I’ve visited a museum and admittedly the last time was when I was out of the country. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been invited to view the latest exhibit of the Lopez Museum called Extensions.

Extensions showcases different artists such as May Munoz, Pilipinas Street Plan, Plataporma, Rock Ed volunteers Gang Badoy, Gerhard Bandiola, Tammy David and Mon Guinto, Liborio Gatbonton, and Mario Dangan, among others.

As I went through each gallery, I listened intently as Mary Ann, a researcher and education consultant, explained the art work and how each was inspired by the artists.  There were several pieces that stuck in my head, either because of its beauty, the medium they used or the story behind the creation of the piece.

One was of Maya’s work called Coming It Going. Oil painted on canvas, it was the largest which had 4 panels to showcase its work. Maya was an artist that travels often and this depicted her experience and emotions of such travel. I saw myself drawn to the colors she used especially and focused on red. As this is a painting that wasn’t obvious to the amateur eye, there were several symbols that may have shown happiness or even the opposite. This reminded me of my own travels, when some felt like a blur and others were clear enough to jot down on a journal.

Maya Munoz. Coming It Going.

Another collection was of PSP’s graffiti and mixed media work. They were given images to work on and they had to do their own interpretation, which is now seen at the gallery. The wall was their canvass and the use of bright colors made it pop. Even the darker renditions were mysterious enough to catch anyone’s attention. The use of different materials to create pieces of art work brought out their creativity.

Pilipinas Street Plan

Pilipinas Street Plan

Pilipinas Street Plan

One piece from Nena Saguil called Landscape captured my attention. As explained, she is known for bringing in the mystical and spiritual elements in her art work. Even at an early age, I saw myself interested in these elements. The circles had depicted life and creation. As I looked further, it felt like the landscape was on another plane, beyond our material world. This is one artist I would love to meet someday.

Landscape. Nena Saguil.

Rock Ed’s collection was moving and depicted what was happening in the present. With the use of multimedia, the letters that the prisoners wrote and the video showing the story behind the famous Cebu prisoner dancers left me feeling disgusted. Yes, prisoners shouldn’t be punished for their crimes and it shouldn’t feel like they are living the good life, but it is the innocent men and women that made me cringe, knowing they are trapped.

Rock Ed. Loob at Labas.

Rock Ed. Loob at Labas.

Kudos to the volunteers for their art work which I’m sure will impact all visitors to this part of the exhibit. It made me think of two things. One was to make sure I never get caught in a situation that might lead me to one of our country’s prisons; and second was  the fact that capitalism and racism is getting worse.

Rock Ed. Loob at Labas.

The Extensions exhibit was truly memorable. Not only did it remind me of how a simple visit to a museum can stir up different emotions but it showcases culture. With today’s clutter due to information overload and technology, history and culture sits in the background. In order to make things better and create the future we want, it’s important to understand our culture and appreciate the arts.

Now/Here. Plataporma.

To view more pictures taken from the exhibit, you can visit my Lopez Museum set at Flickr.

K Fee Coffee Capsule Machines

This is a guest post by Mon Flores, who attended the K Fee event.

If I had a choice, most of my stuff would be made in Germany. Who wouldn’t want to have German stuff? If you are like me, you want things that are built right and built to last. A testament would be my dad’s collection of German automobiles. Don’t get me wrong, my dad is not a wealthy man, he’s just addicted to his 30 year old Mercedes Benz car.  My point is, Germans will not put their name on anything if the quality of the brand is less than ideal.

It’s not just about cars. It’s a cultural philosophy I believe. This time, coffee lovers will be thrilled to experience what kind of brewing perfection their superior technology will render to the coffee drinking public here in the Philippines.

My first K Fee coffee experience took place in LeBistro in Salcedo Makati.

I wouldn’t consider myself a coffee connoisseur (yet). I say that because after attending the press conference, I’m considering uplifting my upcoming coffee experiences. That said, I took out my calculator and did the math. I usually don’t indulge in “branded” coffee only because I factor in the cost as being way on top of the list.  So, a cup of quality coffee is roughly between Php80, and if you’re like me, I have at least 2 cups of coffee throughout the day, everyday. 80 multipied by 365 = Php29200 x 2 cups = grand total of Php. 598,400. Ha! Ring the bell, we have a winner here! The K Fee system will retail at around Php7000 here in the Philippines!

Oh wait a minute, I haven’t even told you about the unique thing that makes K Fee coffee sooo good.

Before I tell you that, try to picture yourself inside a coffee shop. Behind the counter you see those fancy coffee machines that cost an arm and a leg, that’s why you will only see them in commercial establishments and in the kitchens of hotels and rich folk. What does that leave the less privileged? 3-in-1.

I’ve had percolator coffee makers before and sad to say, they have been relegated to the deep recesses under my sink. It still works (I think) but I guess I don’t use it anymore because 1) It’s fussy; 2) after a while, the can of roasted coffee I purchased last month has lost its semblance to premium coffee both in aroma and taste. Yuck.

Now I know how that actually happened.  Listening to our friends from K Fee, they revealed to me the secret all coffee connoisseurs already know. Freshness!

Sure, those big noisy and expensive cappuccino machines make one heck of a latte’ but it’s just too pricey for a middle-class hobo such as myself.

Enter the K Fee system. What’s unique about it is that it doesn’t have the usual basket filter we are used to. What it has instead is what they call a capsule. No, it’s not what you’re thinking. It actually looks like a small round puck about 1 ½ inches in diameter. It inserts seamlessly into a slot on top of the machine and presto! Your coffee will ready be in a few minutes. No need to unwrap anything or fiddle with filters.

The reason the coffee stays fresh is because the capsule is hermetically sealed. If left unopened, your coffee will stay fresh indefinitely. And since each capsule is for only one serving, no need to worry about the remaining roast losing it’s freshness.

You will have a variety of choices on the type of coffee beverage that is available. There is  cappuccino, espresso and our very own barako! If it’s too late for coffee, they also come with a hot chocolate capsule. Yum! In other words, 7 star coffees will now be more accessible to people like me.

For after sales service, in case it prematurely malfunctions, just bring it back to where you bought it. Simple as that.

Now all I need to do now is wait  until it’s available locally so we can regularly have that premium taste of brewed coffee everyday. I can almost smell it…aaaahhh!

See the K Fee machines on display at the COFFEE ORIGINS 2010 coffee event at Greenbelt 5 Gallery until October 20, 2010. The Philippine Coffee Board is helping Hermann and his partners look for passionate distributors who can help them with a local market presence. Email philippinecoffees [at] gmail [dot] com or call 63.2.892.6661 for more details about K Fee Capsule Machines.

The Adtel Solar Kit: A Step to Going “Off the Grid”

We’ve heard, seen and talked about it. From watching shows at the Discovery channel to articles written online, it seems that the trend nowadays is to go “green”. The talk about solar panels is not new, yet because of its scarcity to offer it to the public, especially at a more manageable price, it hasn’t caught on and is almost dismissed.

For my husband and I (and a few of our close friends), we’ve always believed in utilizing our nature’s power to provide. The sun, in its prime and glory, is truly the source of our existence. Now, before I get out of hand and start worshiping the sun like our ancestors did, let me go back to the present.

For years now, hubby has dreamt of starting a community that is “off the grid”. It’s not just about being “green” and environmental, but having to be self sufficient and being able to utilize technology to tap into nature. It’s about bringing the rural areas closer to urbanization, but not to exploit its rich resources with too much technology. For some towns, a simple light bulb can help a great deal. It could also be to bridge any gaps in education such as powering up a television set or even a computer. Agricultural advancements can be done such as greenhouses, to ensure uninterrupted supply of food.

Of course, looking at the bigger picture takes time and money so we’ve decided to start in our own backyard.

The Adtel Home Solar Kit is a step for us. It might not be much since it won’t sustain our daily electrical needs, but we can make it part of our routine. Contrary to those who will use it during a power failure, we’ll use it to start our journey to being “off the grid” (maybe even something bigger to support our mini greenhouse at home).

Picture this. Instead of waiting for a crisis to occur (e.g. blackouts due to weather conditions ala Ondoy), why not use it for productive reasons? Think about the money you’ll save (however small) in your electrical bill if you use it as a lamp when you read that book at night or when you charge your mobile phones.

This kit will be our ambassador to the new age of green living. With the use of Adtel’s solar kit, we can help spread the word that being “off the grid” is feasible. With just one step, it will change people’s perspective on electricity and its current source, especially for those in the cities. With this tiny step, it could be an answer to the most common problems and bring us closer to attaining balance with nature.

Thanks to Lopez Link for giving us the opportunity for our voice to be heard.

Is Saridon Skepticism Due to Lack of Information?

We all trust the popular medicine brands that are prolific in the market, advertised by the big pharmaceutical companies (big pharma). Most, if not all, have used it. Either for a headache, back pain, itchy eyes, cough, fever or small wounds. But, have you ever stopped and wondered whether these medicines are safe?

I’ve mentioned this in my previous post that marketing (or advertising) plays a big role in the medicinal market. Whether herbal or synthetic, consumers will trust them and turn a blind eye on its effects. For supplements it’s pretty straight forward, but for synthetic medicine being marketed by pharmaceuticals, that’s another story.

Because it was duly approved by the FDA, we would normally ignore the packaging and fail to read the ingredients. It’s the norm because we’re not all doctors or pharmacists. We rely on advertising most of the time.

As an example, the buzz is around the fast acting pain reliever, Saridon. It seems that it has only been marketed in Visayas and Mindanao and the video seen here just proves my point that advertising is the strongest medium to propagate the massage about any product. Wouldn’t you be tempted to buy it by just watching this video? Maybe I personally won’t, but the truth is that there a lot of people who will.

What’s interesting is that it doesn’t even say anything about the product. Ok, it’s a feature from a huge network to show how a group of people can paint the phrase in 15 minutes to market Saridon. But, being naive just won’t cut it.

Let’s remove the smoke screen and see the clearer picture.

Pharmaceutical companies do their part by informing consumers but it isn’t enough. They rely on the market to trust their brand through good marketing, whether recommended by doctors (that’s what med reps are for) or plain good advertising. Some may have more information in their website or printed material (did I mention posters?) but they don’t bother to show us the fine print because we won’t understand it anyway. Who wants to read a medical or chemical term anyway?

Having said that, is there anything we can do to protect us from a side effect because we weren’t aware? Visiting a doctor every time we pick up an over-the-counter product would be costly. I was introduced to the MMIS publication that lists all possible drugs, both OTC and prescribed, that helps educate medical professionals but sometimes can be useful for consumers as well. Should we rely on this instead?

The bottom line is to arm ourselves with information that will help us make that choice. It should start with these companies because it’s their responsibility. Yes, profit always come into play – hey, it’s a business after all. But, I’m hoping they don’t ignore the “small statistic” tied to their products. It should continue with consumers stating facts and not testimonials. Most importantly, it should be supported and encouraged by the government to strengthen its objective.