Been receiving quite a few traffic to my Deuts Log post, but it’s quite outdated. Thus, I’m posting the updated schedule here:
Continue reading Mass Schedule: Mary Mother of Hope Chapel — Landmark, Makati
Philippine Banks Catching Up with Technology
Banks should be at the forefront of technology, especially in this internet age, delivering real-time data about their customers and their accounts.
The Philippine banks may not be as nimble in adapting the latest technologies in rendering their services as that of banks from other countries, but at least we know that the effort is there in trying to catch up.
Internet Banking
Disclaimer: I currently own Metrobank, BPI and Security Bank accounts, although I used to own PNB, BDO, EastWest and even Equitable-PCI (before their merger with BDO) bank accounts.
From my experience, the first to offer the most reliable (in terms of security, uptime, utility, and convenience) internet banking service was Metrobank. I have to admit, though, that BPI was able to catch up and in my own opinion (sans the downtimes that recently plagued their online banking) offer the best internet banking experience, especially when coupled with the convenience in managing your investment accounts via BPI Express Online.
Continue reading Philippine Banks Catching Up with Technology
Happy 10 Years!
Today marks the 10th year of existence of Deuts.NET. I registered this domain name on May 17, 2006 — check the whois.
I’m sure we’ve seen better days in blogging, when I used to post a lot more often, and daily traffic was much better. Perhaps, those were the glory days of blogging — before Facebook even came around. Continue reading Happy 10 Years!
The search for a cheap web hosting
It’s been like 3 years since I let go of my shared web hosting service in favor of WordPress.com and Tumblr for some of the domain names I own. Recently I wanted to pursue to develop my ChessHive project, which I knew WordPress.com won’t cut it because of so many limitations. In the case of Tumblr, though, I guess it’s because of too many spam Tumblr blogs that it no longer plays well along with Google Search.
Thus, the search for a cheap web hosting.
I thought, after 10 years of blogging and paying for web hosting (yes, this blog is celebrating 10 years of existence this month!), web hosting costs — specifically shared web hosting — must have gone down a lot. Oh crap, I was wrong! How? Check out why »
The Sorry State of Roads in Taysan, Batangas
Have you been to Taysan, Batangas recently? Did you know that because of big trucks plying their roads on a regular basis, a large part of them badly need repairs and more often?
Here’s the video taken on 9 April 2016 to show you the sorry state they are currently in, especially as you traverse the road from Taysan Town Proper to Barangay San Marcelino of the same municipality.
This video was recorded using my Transcend DrivePro 220 dashcam. For more videos from this dashcam, subscribe to my separate Youtube channel.
The Pre-Retina Display MacBook Pro
Marco Arment enumerates the reasons, “Why the 2012 non-Retina MacBook Pro still sells.”
As we’ve progressed toward thinner, lighter, more integrated Macs, we’ve paid dearly in upgradeability, versatility, and value. There are many Macs to choose from today, but in some ways, we have less choice than ever.
When Apple introduced the 3rd generation MacBook Pro (MBP) back in the middle of 2012, it then came with the Retina Display and solid-state drives (SSDs) in lieu of the hard-disk drives (HDDs), but dismissed the optical drive altogether. Moreover, you cannot upgrade the memory (RAM) by yourself, it has to be pre-packaged when you buy it.
I own an Early 2011 13-inch Macbook Pro, and I’ll probably hold back from upgrading to the latest MBP in the near future. Why? Here are my reasons: Check out my reasons after the jump »
This motorcycle rider thinks he’s Superman
Have you ever wondered how come a lot of motorcycle riders figure in tragic accidents? For driving like this one in this video:
So, for motorcycle riders out there, please remember these things the next time you hit the road with your two-wheel vehicles:
- Wear your helmet/s;
- Make sure that all your lights (headlight, taillight, brake lights, and turn lights) are working especially at night;
- Do not counterflow, and if you do–don’t expect the oncoming car to yield in your favor;
- When you overtake and eventually change lanes ahead of the vehicle you’re overtaking, do it like a responsible four-wheeled vehicle would do, i.e., provide enough space and use your left/right turn signal lights (make sure those signal lights are visible to the driver behind). Anticipate that the vehicle behind might accelerate even before you make your turn for not seeing you ahead of time.
How would you like to be an ACPA?
If you are a Philippine CPA, did you know that you may now apply for the ACPA (Asean Chartered Professional Accountant) title? Jun Cuaresma writes, in The Manila Times article, “And the Asean CPA is born . . .”
To get the ACPA title, the provisions of the recognition agreement state that Filipino CPAs have to undergo initial qualification and eligibility screenings through the local Board of Accountancy (BoA) and/or the Philippine Institute of CPAs and then the ACPA Coordinating Committee would make the final approval.
Upon successful approval, the Filipino CPA will acquire the ACPA title and be accorded as a Registered Foreign Professional Accountant (RFPA) who then can, in all other nine Asean member states: (1) work as consultant or employee of commercial, industrial or educational entities, or (2) work as external auditor but in collaboration with designated external auditing firms in the host country.
Currently, Filipino CPAs can already work as accountants, auditors, consultants, etc., in countries among the Asean member countries and beyond, even without the ACPA title. Thus, I can’t imagine how this title can enhance one’s résumé.
So, unless a new and separate governing body is tasked to conduct qualifying exams (board exams) in lieu of the PRC (Professional Regulation Commission), I can’t see how else Filipino accountants will flock to acquire this title.
Waze vs. Google Maps vs. Apple Maps
Thrillist enumerates their reasons ‘Why You Should Ditch Google Maps for Apple Maps‘.
The points mentioned in the article may perhaps be valid if you’re living in U.S. But here in the Philippines, your best bet would be Waze. Why?
- It offers important data like traffic, accidents, the police, etc. and those are actually crowd-sourced. Google Maps and Apple Maps have no traffic data in the Philippines;
- Public transportation data is basically non-existent for Google Maps and Apple Maps in the Philippines;
- Don’t get me started with 3D and/or satellite view of Google Maps and Apple Maps, when they still show our 30-storey office building as plain earth.
Nevertheless, I wish you could use Siri to search for locations via the Waze app.
Subaru XV Concept Car
Subaru revealed the Subaru XV Concept car in the 2016 Geneva International Motor Show. Watch the video that follows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqkcpZk3_pU
What, basically is a concept car? Wikipedia defines it as:
A concept car (also known as concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often shown at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not be mass-produced.