Ferdz Decena

iA Writer for iPad No settings. No formatting. No font choices. Everything stripped down to its bare essentials. That’s how wonderful iA Writer app is for me. In a world where a lot of software developers are packing features and customizations, going back to the basic and simplest way to write is refreshing. It feels like having an old typewriter where you just roll in a paper then start typing in on a blank screen and let the words flow.

Green Restroom at Rizal Park Have you seen what a “green” public restroom is like? No, I’m not talking about the colour, but how sustainable and environmental friendly a restroom can be. The above photo is an example. It may look like a typical restroom, but behind the mirrors you could see the white tanks which is part of the “Innovative Rainwater Harvesting System” invented by Adamson University Engineering Dean Antonio F Mateo. The multiple tanks harvest rainwater and are purified for use. If you are curious to try this, head over to Manila and witness the iconic Rizal Park Go Green .

The Smart LTE Pocket Wifi device on-hand It took quite a while for Smart Inc to finally make Long Term Evolution (LTE) available to the masses when it was launched a month ago with a Plan 3500 which includes a dongle. No doubt Smart LTE is indeed fast as I’ve tried a year ago when we tested the Smart LTE in Boracay . With a whopping 40mps speed, it’s like speed heaven for anyone whose work or play depends on internet speed. But having a single dongle plugged in on a device can be limiting especially for me who carries several devices like smartphones and tablet. I guess its inevitable for Smart to introduce their Smart LTE Pocket WiFi which allows users to distribute their LTE connection to several devices.

With Byahe@Gimik’s host, Tony and Jaime I must confess, I have always wanted to be on a radio. There was a time when mp3s where none existent and walkmans and CD players were the “In” thing that radio had always been my companion. Yes, I’ve joined those radio contest (and won a number of them) and would look forward every end of the year for those year end countdown, hoping and praying that my bet for the yearend number 1 song would be correct. Moving on from this nostalgia, last week I found myself behind the mike this time on AM radio, Sonshine TV-Radyo DZAR 1026 sharing my travel stories and thoughts on their program Byahe at Gimik .

Borobudur Glorious Light Yes, 5 days and it seems quite shorter even when I was there. I just got back this morning and am really excited to sort out the photos and organize my notes on this trip. It was my second time in Indonesia and my objective for this trip was specifically the UNESCO Heritage Site of Borobudur . But before that I ended up in Solo (Surakarta) first then Yogyakarta.

Bhebs Pineda for Adamsons It was a day filled with intense beach volleyball action, hotter than the scorching mid-day sun. Last years champs are back at the finals to surprisingly face different challenging teams this time. For the women’s University of Sto Tomas (UST) faced Adamson (ADU) with the former having a thrice to beat advantage for sweeping the elimination while on the men’s, Far Eastern University (FEU) faced National University (NU) in a best-of-three finale. Who came out the victor? Let’s find out.

It would seem that girls, gadgets and being the guru in digital age goes together these days, like Siri for the iPhone or Andromeda from the same sci-fi show. Now, TV5 created an icon for their new lifestyle portal in the image of Kristn the Digital Go-To Girl . I got a sneak preview of this ambitious project that TV5 would hopefully make Filipinos turn to Kristn when making lifestyle choices from reviews, movies, gadgets, dining, travel and more.

The Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 My main objective in visiting the Philippine Orchid Society’s Orchid Show at Quezon Circle was to test out the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ . While I’m not really an Orchid enthusiast, I didn’t expect to be enamoured by nature’s natural patterns and beauty especially looking through macro eyes. The M.Zuiko 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 may be one of the most underrated lenses in the M43rds judging from the slowness of aperture, but how does it perform in real world use?