In case you missed my FB/Plurk status last night, I’ve created a Twitter account, bry_bibat. It’s basically a mirror of my Plurks for Twitter followers, bypassing the Chinese firewall, at kung anu anong shit.
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Will probably go to Komikon Summer Fiesta on May 16. It’s got all the geeky shit, but none of the cosplay drama.
I hope. =/
In this day and age, computer stores are everywhere. If you are serious about computers, however, you will know that most of these stores have very high mark-ups (especially the ones in malls) and usually carry old or low-end (“mainstream”) stuff.
This post will cover where I get the “good stuff” in Metro Manila.
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You’re reading this blog post so I assume that you’re online (there’s a very low chance that this will be published in a local publication, but I’m not betting on it 
). Being online, your first stop should always be TipidPC.com.
Even if you’re wary of buying second hand stuff from people you don’t know, TipidPC is still a valuable resource. It’s practically the only place you could find people in our country selling hard to find computer parts. There are also stores which post their prices there in real time, giving you an idea of the “correct” retail prices of computer parts. You could also get opinions from forum members on parts — they’ll even tell you where to find that part for less.
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As for “traditional” computer stores, there are only a few computer stores worth going to.
Every enthusiast will tell you about (in)famous store PC Options at Gilmore. Don’t listen when other stores say they have “the lowest prices”; other than TipidPC, PCO has the lowest prices for parts, hands down. And these are not just your mainstream parts, they carry high-end enthusiast parts too.
There is one catch, though. PCO is infamous for its inefficient system of handling customers. I’ve never bought something from PCO without waiting at least an hour to get it. So before buying something from PCO, ask yourself: “Is waiting for 2 hours for a P500 discount worth it?”
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On the opposite end of the inefficiency spectrum is PC Express. They’re not as cheap as PCO, but their stores are pretty efficient with multiple ordering booths and chairs for customers waiting for their orders to be processed. They also have a lot more branches than PCO, which is good for those who live far away from Gilmore.
Another good thing about PCX is their price list is available online in the front page of their website. There are two types of price lists, the SRP and the Promo price list. You use the latter if you’re paying by cash; they give a discount considering credit card fraud is widespread around here.
The only problem IMO with PCX is that they don’t carry a lot of enthusiast level parts. For cool stuff, you’ll have to go to PCO or the next store in this list.
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Somewhere in between PCO and PCX is PCHub. They’re cheaper than PCX but not as cheap as PCO. They’re not as efficient with dealing with customers as PCX but they’re not as inefficient as PCO either.
Like PCX, they have an online price list in TipidPC. They’re actually better than PCX in this department because their list is updated in real time, whereas in PCX you have to call to verify the price or if they have stocks available in a certain branch.
Like PCO, they carry high end stuff in their stores. They’re also better in this department because they carry enthusiast coolers like Arctic Cooling and Thermalright and “gamer” peripherals from Razer.
IMO, PCHub is the best store to go to in Gilmore, followed by PCX. Only go to PCO on off-peak hours/days or if you really need to save a couple of hundred pesos.
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The problem with the three stores above is that most of their wares are hidden in their store room. That’s ok for internal parts, but for external peripherals, looks matter.
Here’s where Octagon and CD-R King steps in.
Octagon is not a store that I would normally recommend to people. Their markups are just too high. For example, the monitor I bought last month, a Samsung T220, costs 17k in their stores. PCHub sells it for a lot less.
However, Octagon’s open supermarket-style setup showcases their products for all to see. You could easily compare how keyboards and mice with each other in this setup.
They also carry some rare stuff in their shelves. I bought my Japanese-made mouse pad for optical mice in Octagon (I’d love to get a Razer one from PCHub, but seriously, 1-2k for a mouse pad is just too much).
As for CD-R King, everyone knows it’s good for only two things: writable media and cheap (disposable) gadgets. What people don’t know is that they also carry rare parts like RAM sinks and thermal compounds.
Enthusiasts should consider going to the CD-R King site to look for rare stuff if searching TipidPC turns up nothing. I myself use a USB KVM from CD-R King, a part that you could not find in any other store locally.
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So there you have it, the best places to buy computer parts in Metro Manila. Honorable mentions go to PC Corner and RSun, both of which have competitive prices and online price lists.
Here’s another story that I re-posted somewhere else before: The Complicator’s Gloves.
Good software is constantly under attack on several fronts. First, there are The Amateurs who somehow manage to land that hefty contract despite having only finished “Programming for Dummies” the night before. Then there are The Career Amateurs who, having found success after that first contract (read: taking the client’s money and not being sued for developing a useless product), actually manage to make a career out of repeating that experience. And then there are The Complicators, the side that tempts the best of us to join their ranks, even if only for project or two.
There are some so deeply embedded within The Complicators, that they’ve acquired a sort of sixth-sense: the ability to find meta-problems (“a problem with the process of creating a solution for the actual problem”) in virtually any solution. As we’ve all seen, the systems that these developers create often end up as a barely functional application comprised of a Matryoshka-doll-like nesting of problems and solutions. Given the chance to solve problems outside of Information Technology, I’ve often wondered how The Complicators might respond. Fortunately, Mike has given us that opportunity …
As programmers, we usually have multiple ways to solve problems. As computer scientists, we are aware that we must determine which of those solutions are elegant solutions. Unfortunately, due to our flawed educational backgrounds and personal experiences, our definition of “elegant” is usually “overcomplicated solutions” or “our solutions” (or both).
As software engineers, we must unlearn that potentially dangerous way of thinking. Elegance for us should always begin with simplicity.
So the next someone suggests a complicated solution for a simple problem, always keep in mind that that problem might be solved by “gloves”. (Unless, of course, you’re not going to be affected by that complicated solution. 
)
…isang meme na nalalaspag na.
(or for the 2 non-Tagalog speaking people out there reading this blog: A True Man is a meme that’s quickly getting old.)
I’ve seen the site and yes, I lol’ed too at first. But the site’s getting too popular too quickly, and it looks like it’s going to go the same way as similar memes.
click to view full size comic
Any bets on how long before the meme reaches mainstream death?
Ever since my parents gave me my last allowance almost five years ago, I’ve always been a financially stable person.
The key word here is stable. I always say flat out that I am not a rich person because I know a lot of people are richer than me because my previous salary isn’t that high. But you will rarely see me complain about money problems. And you will never see me struggling with debt.
Just as losing weight can be simplified to four obvious words, my financial stability can be simplified to four similar obvious words:
Did a lot of stuff in the past 4 days. I’m tired, my body hurts like heck, and I still have to write a second Daily Entry.
After a couple of hours of fruitless thinking about what to write about next all the while trying to ignore the fact that my back and abs hurt every time I move, I finally decided to write about the type of pain I’m having now.
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If you’re planning to undergo a full fitness regimen, you must be prepared for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), the muscle pain that occurs a day after performing an exercise.
The Wikipedia entry covers most of the stuff you need to know about DOMS. Heck, just the name alone should give you a good idea what to expect.
Some things you might want to take note about DOMS:
If that’s the case DOMS will kill your productivity at work so you must know how to deal with it. Know which painkillers work for your DOMS and keep a bunch of them within reach. You could also take note if stretching helps reduce DOMS in your current training regimen. I wasn’t able to post one daily entry yesterday because the net connection was down at Lex and Flori’s place. Here’s the make up post.
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Zed Shaw is (in)famous within online dev circles for two things: his rant on Rails (which didn’t even spare Dave Thomas ) and his talk at CUSEC about how the corporate world screws with developers. He has retracted the former so here’s the latter instead:
Zed Shaw – The ACL is Dead from CUSEC on Vimeo.
It’s funny, informative, and depressing. A definite “must watch” for every developer who works or plans to work in the corporate world.
Just came back from a product demo of a local distributor of computers in Eastwood, Libis. Will post my observations once I get the go signal for posting in Sugoi (which fyi, still has Philhosting problems 
).
I also have to leave for Greenbelt at 6pm so this daily entry will not be as “well researched” as the previous posts.
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It was my first time to go to Eastwood City. Unlike your average twenty-something yuppie though, I did not take a cab to the place.
I’m not a fan of taxis. Unless the destination is not reachable by other means of public transportation (e.g. jeepneys and buses are prohibited to take the optimal route to the place) or I have a reason to arrive at my destination ASAP, I always prefer to take the latter over the former.
I don’t really know why I don’t prefer taxis. Maybe it’s because the fare’s a lot higher than taking a jeepney or a bus and this conflicts with the indoctrination about my family’s lower class status that I received when I was young. But that doesn’t hold up to the fact that I don’t mind spending the same amount on random purchases of food and drinks.
I know it has nothing to do with annoying drivers. I personally don’t mind them. I even take the front seat instead of the back seat to increase the chance of getting to chat with the driver. If it’s a decent driver, even a short conversation would give me good insights on how the common Filipino perceives the issues in our nation. If it’s not a good driver, I could probably steer the conversation to gutter humor for the lulz.
The most likely reason why I don’t prefer taxis is because it’s not cool. Which is a cooler answer to “How did you get here?”: “I took a taxi”, or “I took a bus from xxx, then took a jeepney to xxx, then walked the rest of the way here. ” Seriously though, the “appeal” thing still sticks. I’m a pragmatist, and riding a taxi instead of taking a jeepney or a bus is just too hedonistic for my tastes.
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Anyway, back to going to Eastwood.
Ok, taxi’s out of the question, so how do I get to Eastwood using public transportation without a guide? Simple: I’ll just activate the “Trailblazing” skill I learned when I was a Boy Scout.
Trailblazing isn’t really that fancy, it’s basically just map reading, knowing your orientation (e.g. where’s the north), and some other things that will help you reach your destination. Ideally, if I would “trailblaze” a path to Eastwood from Cubao, I’d walk all the way to Eastwood and take note of the public transportation available along the way. I’ll just take public transportation on my subsequent trips.
Walk from Cubao (Farmer’s) to Eastwood? Srsly?
I’m not kidding. I’ve done this a lot of times before. Just ask my friends.
Unfortunately, due to time constraints (I have to be there by 9am) and the fact that I’m going to carry a freaking 20lbs bag to the place, walking was also not an option. So I had to find out how to reach the place by jeepney.
Fortunately, the first Google search hit was relevant to my interests (taga FTI ako… well, not technically but you get the picture). The best advice was to either take a jeepney from Cubao to Libis or jeepney from Ortigas to Rosario then Rosario to Eastwood.
I confirmed with my parents that both routes are ok. My mom gave an alternate route: go to Market-Market then take an FX to Eastwood. Unfortunately, I still haven’t gone to Market-Market yet and two trailblazing “quests” in a day would be too much for me.
And so I took the most convenient route, the FTI – Cubao – Eastwood route. I got to the place with only two hitches: I was a little late (due to traffic), and I didn’t expect that the loading/unloading area for Rosario jeepneys was really behind Ali Mall. That was a 900 meter walk with a 20lbs backpack. D:
On the plus side, I still got to use my map reading skills to be familiar with the place. The orientation was also a bit useful – even after a couple of right and left turns, I was still sure that I took the right jeepney because the shadows confirm that we were really going east.
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That’s my post for today. Tomorrow’s Wii party day at Lex and Flori’s so the next post will either be posted early afternoon or in the evening via laptop.
TODO: Change “between heaven and earth” tag to something less pretentious, but still conveys the ironies and contradictions happening in my life due to my nature as an unpredictable educated lower-class citizen.
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