STONECPS

My dad used to work as an overseas worker for more than twenty years. He retired a couple of years ago as all of his kids are all working already and so we told him that it is about time that he stop working for us and we will just take care of him.

But those people who are used to working will find it really difficult to be idle and just live a very relax life. So there are really times that my dad will get bored and will feel depress because he has no other thing to do. So I introduced him to the world of blogging and I encouraged him to document and write his stories as he goes around the globe when he was still working. And since my dad loves to tell stories, he really enjoyed blogging and I think he is already hooked.

The problem is, he does not have his own laptop and so he can only blog when I am not using my laptop. Since his birthday is coming up soon, I am now thinking of getting him the HP Pavilion Notebook from Buy.com. The notebook is actually on sale and if I purchase it now, I will be able to save $250. It even comes with free shipping so it is definitely a very good deal. I am an HP user too and I vouch for the reliability of their laptops so I will not get any other brand for my dad but HP.

What I like about shopping from Buy.com is that they have weekly sale deals so they really offer big discounts compared to other stores. They also have points earning system where each purchase will earn customers points which they can use in their next purchase.

I am sure if my dad will get his own laptop, he will be able to blog more to pass time and so he will never be depressed again.

I am so happy with my HP Net Book. Hubby bought this for me as a present and I really love it and is very useful for me. Since it is so compact, I can bring it with me every where I go. This is very important as I am a very busy and mobile person. At least now, I can bring my net book to B’s class as I wait for her to finish so I can do some work while waiting.

I have been really putting this net book to good use and it has been my companion for my daily work. That is why I am also planning to buy spare hp batteries just to be sure that I have a back up in case my battery dies.

At first, I got a little distracted by its small screen compared to the 17” that I use before but then after using it for a while, I got really used to it and now I can really appreciate its compactness.

I will be out the whole day again today and my net book is definitely coming with me so I can squeeze in a little work while I do my mommy duties for B and Jacobo.

I miss my laptop. Hubby has to bring my laptop with him while he is out of the country for three weeks so he has a way of communicating with us. That is why I am really unproductive these past few days since I can’t work while taking care of B during the weekends because our desktop PC is at our room upstairs. So the only time that I can work is when she is already sleeping at night which is like around 11 pm – 12 am.

Because of this, it really made me think if I should buy a new laptop for me. My laptop is really old already and is really asking for a replacement. Plus hubby travels a lot too so he needs his own laptop so he can have my old one if I buy myself one of those hp laptops that I have been drooling for months now.

Laptop is really a necessity for us because we heavily rely on our laptops and PCs for our work that is why I am thinking of investing in a good laptop as I feel that I will work faster and be more productive if I have a much faster and newer laptop. Hmm, maybe I should check theSource.com to see if they have good deals on laptops so I can make a proposal to hubby and hopefully he will agree to get me a new toy.

I am thinking of going back to school again to take MBA course. And I was already ready to start looking for gmat prep when my laptop crashed and is not booting up in Windows XP.

My friend recommended to me the site of Knewton where I can enroll for their gmat prep online course. What I like about this is that I can review for the exam even if I am working or even at home since all the courses are online. This means I can have unlimited access to GMAT resources online and with a price that is even cheaper than the traditional test prep. And they have the best and experienced online teachers so I will be sure that I will get nothing but the test preparation for my GMAT.

But first things first. I have to have my laptop fixed first so I can do my online course. Luckily I have a very reliable husband and he was able to boot my laptop in safe mode and he backed up all my files already (which took the whole night because I have tons of files on my laptop). Later he will rebuild my laptop and hopefully I can start with my GMAT prep by tomorrow.

Do you think it is possible to surf the net even if you have no computer at home? I would have laughed if I hear this question but laugh no more as Smart brings SmartBro Surf TV.

According to the survey conducted by SMART, Filipinos love the Internet. We love to watch videos on the net, upload pictures and we are really totally addicted to social networking sites like Freindster and Facebook. But not all Filipinos have computer at home but at least almost 90% of Filipino homes have television. So that is why they come up with their latest technology, the SmartBro Surf TV.

The Smart Bro SurfTV kit comes with a top box, keyboard, mouse, Smart Bro Prepaid Plug-It and P100 of free internet use for only P4500. It is very easy to install as you just have to connect the SmartBro SurfTV set up box to your TV using RCA cables and then plug the power adaptor, keyboard and mouse and you’re online. You can check your email, update your status in Facebook and even upload pictures and videos. Coolness!

Everything is gone! Yes, all my important files are gone because my 320 GB external hard disk suddenly just stops working. I was still able to use it the other week and I even loaded it with the new movie series that I downloaded. It is place inside my bag which I accidentally dropped and when I tried plugging it to my PC, it can no longer be detected. The only consolation that I have is that at least our collection of pictures which we have accumulated through the years is safe because hubby was able to burn it to DVD.

I have been hearing about online backup and how important it is to have one but I never really paid too much attention to it until now. Now I realize if only I have an online backup, no matter what happens to the hardware of my PC or to my external devices, I need not worry since I can easily recover all my files from my online backup. What is good about this service also is that I can even set it to automatically do the backup so even if I forgot to do it because of my busy schedule, my files will still be backed up automatically.

I guess I should just charge this to experience and I better read reviews now of online backup and subscribe to this service immediately.

When I was still single, gadget is one of the top things that I spend my money to. I always want the latest and the high-tech gadgets that are out in the market. Even if I my phone is just a few months old, I don’t think twice if I will sell it even at a much depreciated price so I can buy the latest cell phone that is available. But things change when I became a mom. Of course, my priorities for my spending changes and I have to let go of my love for gadgets.

But I think mobile phones are a necessity also and it is one of the things that is very important especially for those with families because it is our line of communication. So when my old and obsolete phone gave up on me, I quickly check the site of Mobile Fun to look for the best mobile phone that I can get because I know it will take years again before I can buy a new phone.

What I like about Mobile Fun is that they have wide selection of mobile phones to choose from. I was choosing between the Nokia E71 and the Apple Iphone and the reviews that I read from Mobile Fun helped me in choosing which phone to buy. And they don’t just sell mobile phones but they also have iphone accessories, SIM, even games and ring tones.

I end up buying two Iphone – one for me and one for my husband. My husband was so happy with my gift for him that he bought an iphone case for our new mobile phones. I must say that I am happy that I bought an Iphone and I think this is something that I can definitely use for years. What I love about it is that it has a lot of cool features. It has wifi capability so I can do mobile Internet. My husband loaded movies and mp3s and I just bought an iphone dock and I can use it to listen to music in the office. I can also use it to play games and Apple has a lot of cool applications that I can easily download and install.

All I can say now is that I am thankful for Mobile Fun because it really is a big help in getting the mobile phone that I am so enjoying right now.

It is the tax season month again and I got curious by the tip that my friend shared with me regarding health savings account. She said that aside from the fact that it covers expenses not under the coverage of her high-deductible insurance plan, it helps her reduce her tax because HSA gets deducted from her gross income.

I was about to read more about it while I was waiting for my husband but then I remembered that I wanted to try to install the iCamcorder, an Iphone application available from the App Store to record videos. It even has zoom and different effects and it moves the videos to my camera roll so I can easily download the video and upload it to Flickr, YouTube, Facebook, etc.

My good friend Kathy shared information about this application and after I read its features I got really excited. So when I found the time to go online via WiFi using my Iphone I quickly search for it in App Store. Sadly, it is only available for Iphones with OS ver 3.1 and mine is only 3.0. The last time I upgrade my OS, I have to do several steps to jail break it again so I can use it with my sim card and all my pictures and contacts got erased so I am quite hesitant to upgrade my OS again this time.

But I really love to have a video recorder on my Iphone so I can record videos of B while she does her tricks. Maybe I just have to bug hubby and asked him to back up everything on my Iphone and upgrade my OS. LOL.

Have you tried installing Skype on your Iphone? I just did as I am planning to use this during our trip so I can easily make a Skype call to my daughter for free while we are away.

But did you know that you can use the Skype application even on second generation Ipod touch? Yes, you heard it right. You just need a Wi-Fi Connection to install the application, then you need a Wi-Fi connection again to log in to Skype network and all you need is just a head set with a built in microphone to make a call to other Skype users. How cool is that?

I think I have only used Skype once only because I always use Yahoo Messenger. But my friend who always uses PC to PC calls said that the quality of the video and audio is better with Skype. And since I will just be using my Iphone most of the time during our trip, I think this Skype application will be my most used Iphone application.

I can still remember, I have been really begging my parents to buy me a Sony Walkman as it was a status symbol during my time. Would you imagine that when it was first release, it costs around $200 (yes it was really that expensive and during those times $200 is a big amount of money already.) That is why I was so happy when finally, my dad granted my wish and bought me one when he returned from his work abroad.

It has been my travel companion (along with the dozens of tapes that I listen to. LOL.) I also use it to record those voice tapes that we send to my dad when he was working abroad. Indeed the Sony Walkman was my number one gadget during that time. And did you know that Sony Walkman tops the list of Top 50 Gadgets of the past 50 years. Cool.

To Sony Walkman, happy anniversary and you are one of the reasons why I enjoyed my teenage life and for that my warmest thank you!!

Picture snagged from pcworld.com.