Skiverz - the HOW TO Blog

Korean Starcraft 2 Account For Christmas

2011-12-29T18:47:00.000-08:00

So I recently got a Korean Starcraft 2 account thanks to RTS Dealer and it has been a blast.

Korean Starcraft 2 players generally have higher APMs and are really good at copying builds from the GSL / other major Korean Starcraft 2 pros.

Even the Silver league players play better than Platinum players in the US and SEA servers.

Thanks to rtsdealer for helping me get a Korean Starcraft 2 account.

Here's a list why you should get a Korean SC2 account for 59 dollars:
(Thanks Team Liquid)

From Najda:

The KR ladder is worth it a lot more for me because I respect my opponents a lot more and I don't auto assume I'm better than them, so therefore I play better and improve faster.

From DoubleDouble:

Theres something about KR that brings out the best in you. you are forced to learn to micro very well, a lot of early game pressure, and a lot of butthole clenching in the early to mid game. gold league players are playing at 100+ apm almost every game. i played a game where 2 stalkers killed a ridiculous amount of my marines. i was shocked, watched replay/sc2gears and he had 300 effective apm during that battle. my marine micro, although not the best, is enough for any other toss my level in masters NA.

i feel like KR is where the metagame shifts begin because most the strats are made there. i remember fighting ling/infestor into ultras against almost every single zerg on KR while every zerg on NA was stuck with their standard lingblingmuta tvz.

From ReaperX:

You will be so solid that no cheese on any other ladder will suffice, you will actually laugh your heart out at how badly and poorly executed some cheeses are. I'm serious.

From scph:

Get a taiwanese account. It's worth playing on the taiwanese/korean server just because it helps expand your knowledge and improve your gaming mentality. Doesn't matter if you're bronze, silver, gold, plat or higher, don't listen to all this BS that lower level leagues all play the same. You grow up as an individual influenced by your environment, likewise, your growth in playing sc2 is directly influenced by who you play the game with. Play with koreans, play like the koreans.

To start playing on the Korean Starcraft 2 ladder, my advice will be to contact RTSDealer via Team Liquid and he'll help you get one.

Helpful Guide:
Installing the Korean / Taiwanese SC2 client

Philippines gets 2nd place in Dota 2 WCG 2011

2011-11-13T19:49:00.000-08:00

Philippines - 2nd place at WCG 2011 Dota 2 Tournament

The Philippine Dota 2 team won 2nd place and 86000 Philippine pesos after losing to the Malaysians in the Dota 2 Finals.

This is one of best finishes for the Philippines in an international Dota 2 tournament.

Valve has opened Dota 2 SEA servers in order to facilitate more Filipino Dota 2 players in the ongoing Dota 2 beta.

Pinoy players can connect with their countrymen via the official Dota 2 Philippines website:
http://www.dota2philippines.com

Source: Dota 2 (Philippines)

Philippine Dota 2 community

2011-09-01T04:41:00.000-07:00

Pinoy Dota 2 community

While Mineski-Dota, the Philippines' representative at the 1st International Dota 2 tournament only won one game, the future of Dota 2 in the Philippines looks bright.

Thousands of Filipino HoN players disappointed with the new Garena HoN business model have started joining the Dota 2 PH community.

Join the thousands of Filipino Dota 2 gamers who have pledged to get Dota 2 and be competitive.

Dota2PH on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dota2ph

Professional Dota 2 in the Philippines will only take off once there is a good field of competition.
With Pinoy Starcraft 2 lagging behind, Pinoy Dota 2 can be where the Filipino gamer can gain recognition as a true word-class gamer.

Update:
Official Dota 2 Philippines website has been launched: http://www.dota2philippines.com

Starcraft 2 Free To Play Weekend

2010-11-12T18:09:00.000-08:00

The Battle.net SEA and ANZ servers will be having a Free Play Starcraft 2 Weekend.

Starcraft 2 Free Play Date: November 19-21, 2010

Everyone can play Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty for FREE!

This is one of Blizzard Entertainment's attempts to boost the Starcraft 2 playerbase in the region.

To create a Battle.net account, you can go to:
https://sea.battle.net/account/creation/tos.html

Additional information about Starcraft II game cards:
To stimulate the relatively low number of Starcraft 2 players in the SEA region, Blizzard Entertainment has introduced the Starcraft 2 game cards.

Starcraft 2 Region Prices

Hong Kong and Macau
8 HKD 3-day pass
16 HKD 7-day pass
55 HKD 30-day pass
30 HKD DVD Starter Kit With 7-day Pass

Indonesia
10,000 IDR 3-day pass
20,000 IDR 7-day pass
70,000 IDR 30-day pass
35,000 IDR DVD Starter Kit With 7-day Pass

Malaysia
3.50 MYR 3-day pass
7 MYR 7-day pass
25 MYR 30-day pass
12 MYR DVD Starter Kit With 7-day Pass

Philippines
50 PHP 3-day pass
100 PHP 7-day pass
350 PHP 30-day pass
170 PHP DVD Starter Kit With 7-day Pass

Singapore
1.50 SGD 3-day pass
3 SGD 7-day pass
10.50 SGD 30-day pass
5 SGD DVD Starter Kit With 7-day Pass

Thailand
35 THB 3-day pass
70 THB 7-day pass
250 THB 30-day pass
120 THB DVD Starter Kit With 7-day Pass

You can also check out this great alternative to Starcraft II called Heroes of Newerth.
Garena HoN is a FREE to PLAY Action-RTS / Dota genre game from S2 Games.
FREE to PLAY HoN is limited to the SouthEast Asian region.

If you're looking for Garena HoN beta keys, you can try the HoN Philippines page on Facebook.

Google Halloween Scooby Doo Logo

2010-10-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Google logo for Halloween 2010 features no other than our favorite mystery munching dog, Scooby Doo.

October 31, 2010 Google Logo (Halloween theme)

Trick or Treat!
There are 5 Scooby Doo Google logos which can be switched by clicking on the paws below.

5 Scooby Doo Google logos

Google logo features the Mystery Machine (Scooby Doo) in the rightmost corner.

Shaggy: Hey Scoobs! Want some Scooby snacks?

Looking for clues in the Halloween Google Logo.

Run Scooby run! Scary forming Google logo.

Another mystery solved by the gang! Thanks to the meddling Google kids.

Fun facts about Scooby Doo:
Scooby-Doo is a Great Dane.
He loves Scooby Snacks!

What can I say about Google's Scooby Doo Logos?
Jinkies!

Blizzard Entertainment and Blizzard DOTA

2010-10-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

I would like to personally thank NeutralCreeps again on this one.
Source: Blizzard DOTA joins Dota genre wars

Activision Blizzard, one of the world's most popular video game companies has announced via Blizzcon, their entry to the Dota genre.

For those who have no idea what the Dota genre is, Wikipedia answers:

The Dota genre is a sub-genre of Real-time strategy video games, characterized by role-playing elements.

Blizzard DOTA will be a Starcraft 2 mod officially endorsed by the developers behind Starcraft 2. It was announced that this will be FREE to those who already purchased Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty. As an official Blizzard map, this wouldn't be just another one of those run-of-the-mill Starcraft 2 DotA clones like Storm of the Imperial Sanctum.

Watch Matt Gotcher (SC2 developer) as he talks about Starcraft 2 DotA.
I really think we are seeing a huge influx of Dota genre games lately.

Other games in the Dota genre:
Dota 2 (Valve)
Heroes of Newerth (S2 Games)

Dota 2 in the Philippines

2010-10-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

Dota, one of the biggest hits in Philippine gaming history will be remade.

Say Goodbye Starcraft 2! Hello Dota 2!

Morphling (DotA) saying bye bye to the Warcraft 3 engine.

The Dota based game genre is currently one of the most explosive genres to emerge in recent memory.

Quality games like Heroes of Newerth were made and fail games like Demi-god and League of Legends were done but DotA 2 is the impending king of the genre named after itself.

According to NeutralCreeps, DotA 2 will be developed by Icefrog (yes, that Icefrog)
And everything will be more or less the same with the original Defense of the Ancients.

Game Comparison: DotA 2 will be like Heroes of Newerth without the S2 originals.

Once this game is out, I'm sure it will attract millions of players to get Steam.
Successful mods converted to successful full-fledged games only come once in a while.
The last game to enjoy such super success was another Valve title... Counter-Strike.

Join the DotA 2 community on Facebook: DotA 2 Project Facebook

Ubuntu Linux - Safer Operating System

2010-10-10T05:07:00.001-07:00

Are you tired of using Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7?
Have you always wanted an OS that wouldn't slow down as time went by?
Had enough of malware, spyware and virus programs lurking on your PC?

If you answered yes to any of those questions above, then Ubuntu is something I'd recommend.

What's Ubuntu?
Ubuntu is an operating system (think Windows XP/ MAC OSX).

What makes Ubuntu special is... it's an open-source alternative (think Mozilla Firefox) to those OS mentioned above.

And the best thing about it is, you don't need to spend thousands of pesos just to install this software.

Why? It's FREE!

About Ubuntu 10.10

October 10, 2010: Ubuntu 10.10 is released.
Codename: Maverick Meerkat

Fun facts about the 10-10-10 release:
Canonical released Ubuntu 10.10 to coincide with the date: 10-10-10

Ubuntu 10.10 User Interface

What desktop features does Ubuntu have?
For a list of Ubuntu features, you can read the Ubuntu Linux 10.10 Features.

Will I be able to play games on Ubuntu Linux?
More and more game companies are beginning to see how important Linux gaming is and have started developing Linux versions of their games. In fact, you can start playing awesome games like Heroes of Newerth (S2 Games) on Ubuntu Linux out of the box!

*Minecraft is supported too by the way.

Cool stuff man. Where can I download Ubuntu?
You can now download the release version of Ubuntu 10.10 below:
Download Ubuntu Desktop Operating System.

For those people who have been asking how to have a more secure computer, Ubuntu is the answer. The question is, are you ready to make the switch?

Got additional questions? @skiverz will now answer them.

How to Download Heroes of Newerth Garena

2010-10-09T00:15:00.000-07:00

We reported a few months ago that Heroes of Newerth is Free to Play on Garena.
If you are from the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore or Vietnam, you can play HoN for free.

What must you do to be able to play HoN on Garena?
1) First you need a Garena Heroes of Newerth beta key so you can play Garena HoN.
To get a free GarenaHoN beta key, you need to become a Gold Member.
*You can also buy a Garena Prepaid card.

2) Register and activate your account.

Source: Read the Garena HoN Gold Member Beta Key Guide

3) Download Garena Messenger (Garena messenger includes the HoN installer file)

4) Double Click the file entitled Garena-HoN_setup.exe to install the Garena Messenger and Garena Heroes of Newerth.

5) After Garena Messenger has been installed (with GarenaHoN), double click on the mean-looking Garena Messenger icon.

6) Enter your Garena username and password.
*Please remember never to share your accounts with anyone to avoid stolen accounts.

7) You are now inside the Garena Messenger. Click on the HoN icon to start playing.

Have you encountered any problems while following these steps?
If yes, please add a comment so I can help you sort it out.

Facebook Chat Gone

2010-10-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

Facebook users have been reporting that the Facebook Chat has disappeared.

This is where Facebook Chat Option used to be after the Homepage remake.
Yes, it was found below the More option but now it's gone.

Who are affected:
Everyone. This is not a browser-specific problem. All Facebook users are affected.

Reason:
Facebook is working on new features for Facebook Chat and had to bring it down temporarily.
Daniel Chai (engineer) and the members of the Facebook Groups team are also fixing the security problems hounding the new Facebook Groups.

*Additional note: The Facebook chat feature is now available to Facebook groups.

Alternatives to Facebook Chat:
You can use these alternatives if ever Facebook Chat goes down again in the future.
1) Yahoo Messenger
2) Skype
3) Google Talk
4) Twitter

Update: FB Chat is now back.

Still having problems with Facebook Chat not showing up? Let us know.

How To Cheat Starcraft 2

2010-10-02T15:26:00.000-07:00

Before you can cheat Starcraft 2, you need to have your own Starcraft 2 game.

Check if your computer meets the system requirements of Starcraft 2.

Starcraft 2 System requirements

2.6 GHz processor or equivalent
1GB RAM for XP, 1.5GB for Vista and 7;
2GB RAM for Mac OS
128 MB video card Minimum
512 MB video card Recommended
DirectX version 9.0c or better
12 GB hard disk space
Internet connection (This is a DRM feature)

If your PC meets all of that, then it's time to buy your very own Starcraft 2 copy.

Starcraft 2 Collector's Edition Box
(You can buy these online and have it shipped to you by Amazon.)

*Starcraft 2 LAN function has been currently disabled for the retail version.

Now it's time to list the most commonly used Single Player Cheats for Starcraft 2.

whysoserious
Gives 5 Billion Credits.
No Original Starcraft Equivalent.

stroaksmolts
Gives 5000 minerals.
Starcraft 1 Equivalent: "Whats Mine is Mine"

realmendrilldeep
Gives you 5000 Gas.
SC Equivalent: "Breathe Deep"

smoldersbolds
Gives 5000 minerals & 5000 Gas.
Broodwar Equivalent: "Show Me The Money"

terribleterribledamage
Makes you invincible!
Starcraft Equivalent: "Power Overwhelming"

sawnoutofmemory
Starcraft 2 vision hack
Original Equivalent: "Black Sheep Wall"

Can't find the SC2 cheat you are looking for?
You can view the source for the Complete List of Starcraft 2 Cheats.

Credits to Starcraft 2 Portal for the Starcraft 2 Cheats.

Dancing Flight Attendants of Cebu Pacific

2010-10-01T22:18:00.001-07:00

Imagine that you are in a plane.
Then all of a sudden...
Music is piped in.

And the flight attendants start walking in to... Dance?

Watch the Cebu Pacific FAs Dance while demonstrating "safety precautions."

What were the emergency instructions again?

Songs played:
Just Dance - Lady Gaga
California Girls - Katy Perry

*Credits to wingco1129 for uploading the video on YouTube. Mad props to you.
This in-flight video will be viral in no time.

5 Things You Should Know About The Social Network

2010-10-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

5 Fun Facts You Would Probably Want to know about Zuckerberg and The Social Network

Oh I'm sure you would like to zoom in. Click to do so.

1.
The girl on the left side is Rooney Mara who plays Mark Zuckerberg's ex-girlfriend.
As of this writing (Oct 2010), the girlfriend of Zuckerberg is: Priscilla Chan

2.
David Fincher, the director, made almost a hundred takes for the movie's first scene. This is the scene in which that chick on top tries to beaks up with soon-to-be billionaire Zuckerberg.

3.
Mark Zuckerberg has a Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/markzuckerberg
He does not befriend you like Tom of Myspace does.

4.
Jesse Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg.
Both their surnames end with "berg"
Both were born in the state of New York, US.

5.
Justin Timberlake (yes, that Timberlake) plays Napster founder, Sean Parker.
He (JT) has a Twitter account but it's not @timberlake but @jtimberlake.

6.
Disregard everything above and look at this: Zuckerberg did not enjoy the movie (brilliant)!
*credits to Jesse "Not Eisenberg" Eisemann.

Got any interesting additional trivia about the movie? Share your link with us.

Iron Man 2 Visual Effects

2010-09-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that IronMan is one of my favorite superhero movies of all time.
(I prefer the 1st IronMan movie.)

Iron Man as TIME's Person of the Year (Main Title Sequence)

And one thing that makes the movie so appealing is the visual effects in the film.
What better way to appreciate the VFX than watching the Iron Man 2 VFX Montage.

Credits to:
*Prologue Films - the people behind the Ironman VFX.

Additional notes by Skiverz:
*Look at 1:20 - a news stream about the Philippines is displayed.

*You can download this montage in .mp4 format by right clicking the link below:
IronMan 2 Prologue Montage Video
-Right click then select Save as...

*If you want to watch the whole film, you can have the IronMan 2 DVD shipped to your home.

How To Turn Off Google Instant Search

2010-09-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

How do you turn off Google Instant Search?

It's quite easy.
To disable this feature, just follow these steps.

1. Go to http://www.google.com/preferences
2. Scroll down to the "Google Instant option"
3. Select Do not use Google Instant.

Click to zoom in.

There you have it! You can now search without Google trying to read your mind.

Additional information:

Google Instant is available for the following browsers:
Chrome v5/6, Firefox v3, Safari v5 for Mac and Internet Explorer v8

*Side note: Avoid Internet Explorer as much as possible.

Noynoy Aquino responds to Facebook note

2010-09-14T18:22:00.000-07:00

Noynoy Aquino responds to an open letter via Facebook

The following text is excerpted verbatim from Reyn Barnido's Facebook note.

Mr. President, Something In You Has To Die
by Reyn Barnido
Retrieved: September 15, 2010 09:03 AM

This is not anymore about failing to handle the hostage-taking as much as this is about fulfilling the promises of your oath-taking. This is not just about nine people losing their lives, but ninety million citizens losing their national pride. This is not about a singular madman shooting bullets up and down; this is about an orgy of fools shooting lies left and right. This is not anymore about the negotiators’ inefficiency to convince a police officer to surrender, but the government’s incapacity to comfort a nation. This is not about the Police; this is about the Presidency.

I have visions of you staring at your breakfast table, unmindful for the first time of the tempting plate of sizzling chicharon and frozen bottle of Coke regular, and asking yourself, “Where did I go wrong?” as you blow heart-shaped smokes in the air. That is wishful thinking I know. Chances are you chomp on the chicharon with gusto as you invent new excuses in your mind.

Mr. President, we did not switch from cheerleaders to cynics because of a singular incident caused by a madman. Our process was a metamorphosis catalyzed by a series of excuses and inconsistencies over the past two months. They don’t paint you as a man in control; rather they portray a group of helpless officials in utter disarray like rats scrambling from the basement of a burning building. You are the hub of a bunch of incompetent fools whose idea of honesty is withholding the truth until someone slips and whose interpretation of transparency is to let the media and the public wrestle the facts from their mouths like fishes dangling from hooks.

This is not a flaw in the character of your administration; this inefficiency has become your defining trait.

We don’t deserve this, Sir. This is not the covenant we entered into during your oath-taking. Now, since you don’t have the time to reflect, I will help you articulate some of the lessons that you should learn about your administration. Understand that I am taking your word when you said that we are your bosses. So, pay attention:

Your Dream Team of a cabinet is really just that – they excel in dreaming. You craft your government strategy based on high-brow vision statements which your team built like castles in the sand. But there never was a concrete strategy to transform the nation. From visions you get inspiration, but only from well-crafted strategy will you get confidence and courage to govern. Inspiration melts in the face of a crisis situation. Rebuild you team, for there never was a team to begin with.

I grew up in the shadows of the Abads, Soliman, Deles – the patriarch and matriarchs of your administration. From them I learned everything alternative when I was a student leader: alternative education, alternative lifestyle, alternative politics, alternative Christmas, alternative governance. Do not take their analysis of society at face value for theirs is a construct designed to fuel a protest movement, not manage a large bureaucracy. Do your own analysis and dialogue this with those prescribed by your consultants and mentors.

Having a BFF for an Executive Secretary only helps you in trusting the man’s loyalty, it doesn’t mean he can be trusted with the deliverables. You talked about the importance of training our police force and yet you brought in an inexperienced and untrained man to become the Little President? The Cabinet, Sir, as my friend Trixie once said, is not a training ground. I have no problem if women and wine are his coping mechanisms; but to be seen in public doing that while people are hurting reminds us of Nero fiddling while Rome was burning.

Your Communications Team was impressive when you were still running for the position. They were excellent in writing fiction; communicating the truth is a different discipline altogether. And they might not be the right men for the task, considering that they don’t even communicate among themselves. And Sir, this is not just about the Black Monday; they have been sending apologies since Day One. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!

Jesse Robredo, God bless his soul, is a good man. He was an excellent Mayor. But his glaring ineptitude was exposed during these last few days. He never had any experience nor exposure on a national level, Sir. If you find his contribution indispensable, just create a new office, like Presidential Assistant for Municipal Affairs or something.

Come out from the protective shell, Mr. President. Do not be afraid to be caught in the line of fire for it is the sacred space where your salvation can happen.

I hope you realize that DEATH is a key element in your life journey as a man and as a leader. A year ago, the death of your mother fuelled a national movement that catapulted you from being Kris’ brother to a president. A year later, the death of nine victims fuelled a nationwide disgust that can bring you down from the pedestal to a pigsty where years of eating chicharon will be avenged.

Do not be afraid, for something in you has to die so that the real Noynoy will emerge better and wiser.

Embrace the Black Monday as your Good Friday Mr. President. Do not resist the crucifixion for as our faith tells us it is the only way to a new life. Yours, and ours.

Believe it or not, your cheerers may have become cynics, but they are still your companions in this journey. I, for one, will not abandon you Mr. President.

Here is President Noynoy Aquino's response:

Response to "Mr. President, Something In You Has To Die"
by Noynoy Aquino
Retrieved: September 15, 2010 09:15 AM

This is in response to: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=494735718205

Hello, Reyn. This is your President.

First of all, thank you for your note on Facebook. Such insights from concerned citizens are vital in a maturing democracy such as ours, where all avenues and technologies should be explored in order to raise the level of public discourse. However, thoughts expressed in such sites, which can sometimes be incendiary, spread easily without the necessary validation. This is why I felt the need to respond to your letter.

Your comments against my Cabinet seem to prejudge them without taking a hard look at the reality. For example, I do not believe that my Communications team writes fiction. When have they ever lied or not sought to tell the truth?

We do agree on one thing: the last administration wrongly governed. You supported us because like you, we condemned the nine years of corruption under the previous dispensation. You may not be fully aware of the magnitude of the problems we have inherited, such as midnight appointments by the last administration, which sought to embed in our bureaucracy people who do not share our mission of reform. There is also the increase over the last decade in the number of people living in poverty. The deterioration of our corruption ratings was laid out before the world, making our country less attractive to foreign investors. I do not believe it is realistic, as suggested by your letter, to change everything in two months.

We gave ourselves a more reasonable timeline, two years in fact, to show evidence of real transformation. In the last two months, we have been surprised by very encouraging developments that the changes we envisioned, and promised to our people, might actually be achieved in a shorter time. These are developments, which unfortunately, seem to have been overshadowed for now by the hostage taking tragedy.

One of the priorities that I have repeatedly said my government will focus on is job generation. Just last week, a call center by Convergys was inaugurated in Manila. This facility will provide 5,000 new jobs on top of their existing 17,000-strong workforce.

In a recent courtesy call to me, a major European bank guaranteed an increase in investments by three times the current level with their exposure here in the Philippines.

The forthcoming US trip will likewise reinforce this bullishness on our country’s growth through the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs.

In addition, I will be on hand to receive a $430 million grant from the US government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation.

In the last two months, we were also successful in terminating contracts to procure overpriced equipment for the Department of Agriculture. The P60 million acquisition price has been brought down by nearly half, to P32 million.

We are also tightening procurement for police equipment, to improve our law enforcers’ ability to deal with future hostage-taking incidents and other law enforcement challenges.

Let me also remind you that in the recently submitted budget to Congress, we have sought to make real the campaign pledge to fight poverty. The budget puts in place promised improvements in health and education, and conditional cash transfers. If we are able to sustain them over the life of my administration, we will help lift millions of Filipinos out of poverty.

It has always been my personal philosophy not to overly play up achievements that any government should have been doing in the first place. Perhaps my administration should be doing more to highlight this, but the simple truth is that we are working hard to solve our problems.

I understand that much of your frustration stems from the unfortunate crisis that befell our nation, but my administration will not be defined by this tragedy. It will be defined by what we have already achieved and what we will still achieve in the future.

Again, thank you for your note.

Are you satisfied by Benigno Aquino III's response?
If you were to write your own letter, what would you like to tell the Philippine president?

Update:
Since rumors were floating around that the reply was ghostwritten (not written by Pnoy himself), we asked confirmation from Manuel L. Quezon III - the Philippine Undersecretary of Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning.

Here was Manuel Quezon III's (@mlq3) response:

@skiverz the letter was signed and sent by the president for publication whther drafted by or for him.

Booshaka - See What's Trending on Facebook

2010-08-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

Want to know the latest hot topics in the Facebook world?

We have Topsy for Twitter users. Now we have a counterpart for Facebook.
Enter Booshaka!

Booshaka is a Trend engine for Facebook.
By using this, you'll be able to know what other people on Facebook are saying about a certain topic.

For example:
Type in "Garena", it will return with the results showing the latest hottest Facebook status messages citing Garena. From this, you might discover where to get GarenaHoN beta keys.

The possibilities are immense.

URL:
http://www.booshaka.com

What uses can you possibly think of for Booshaka?

HoN is Free To Play in the Philippines

2010-08-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

Great news Pinoy gamers!

The much awaited 2010 release, Heroes of Newerth is going to be FREE for Filipino gamers.

Yes, you've read that right. It's going to be FREE in the Philippines!

"Libre na ang HoN!"

We have Garena Philippines to thank for this for bringing us this premium DotA based game into our shores.

Since HoN PH is essentially region-locked with other SEA countries, Philippine Heroes of Newerth players will be playing with gamers from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.

For GarenaHoN announcements and updates, you can like GarenaHoN on Facebook.

*As of this writing Garena HoN (GHoN) is currently under intensive closed beta testing. You can get Garena Heroes of Newerth beta key giveaway updates by adding HoN Philippines on Facebook.

Kita Kits sa Newerth!

Garena Prepaid Cards Now Available

2010-08-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

Garena is now offering Garena repaid cards for Philippine gamers!

The times when asking around where to buy Garena Shells is over.
You can easily get the Garena card from net cafes and prepaid card shops in your area.

Garena prepaid card uses:
-Purchase Garena Items (Gold memberships, name changers, etc.)
-Purchase in-game stuff for Garena-published games

*Gold members will also get a free beta key for Garena Heroes of Newerth.

Garena Prepaid cards are currently available in the following peso denominations:
*20 PHP
*50 PHP
*100 PHP
*300 PHP

Useful Facebook pages:
Garena Philippines - Latest Garena Philippines news
Heroes of Newerth Updates - Latest Heroes of Newerth updates
Heroes of Newerth Philippines - Tagalog HoN Facebook page

Useful Twitter users:
garenahon - Garena Heroes of Newerth Twitter Page
garenaonline - Official Garena Twitter Page

How to Get A Free HoN Beta Key

2010-02-18T06:24:00.001-08:00

How to get a HoN beta key?

There used to be a time where Heroes of Newerth beta invites were abundant.

But then sudenly, S2 Games started limiting those keys since they already had more than a million players in beta.

Good thing there's the Give a HoN Beta Key To A Friend event.
Sparked by the people behind HoN Updates, they are helping other gamers who have been looking for HoN beta keys get what they want.

It's a 2 fold attack from both Facebook and Twitter.
So if you have an extra HoN beta key, give it to a HoN beta invite beggar on these sites.

Give a HoN Beta Key To a Friend (Facebook)
Give a HoN Beta Key To a Follower (Twitter)

If you found this advice useful, feel free to subscribe to the blog. I'd really appreciate it. :)

Topsy - Search Engine for Twitter Users

2010-02-14T00:02:00.000-08:00

Topsy is the "Google" for Twitter.

Calling itself the search engine powered by tweets, Topsy represents the epitome of real-time search.

No need to keep rambling about this awesome site, you have to try it out for yourself.
*Recommended for Twitter users only.

URL:
http://topsy.com/

Got a Useful Site you can recommend? Send over a comment below. :)

Idejder of S2 Games Interview

2010-02-02T06:52:00.000-08:00

All these were taken from the Ask Me Anything page of Idejder on Reddit.
I chose the best questions for one of the game developers involved in 2010's 2nd most awaited game release, Heroes of Newerth. (Blizzard's StarCraft 2 is #1 presuming they release this year)

Due to popular demand, let me present to you Ask Idejder #1.

Who is Idejder?

Game Designer for S2 Games working on Heroes of Newerth.

I do game balance, map tweaks/creation, hero creation, game scripting, community involvement, and helping decision making behind the scenes. I was hired near the beginning of beta and have worked with the other designer Fielding since then.

I script in XML and can read C++ code well enough to decipher how things work from reading our source code when I need to do complex things for heroes.

What did you do previously before your position at S2? Have you worked on games before? What kind of game programming education do you have? How old are you?

Firstly I am 25.

26 in March.

This is my first title and before I worked at S2 I was a Game Design student (along with a partial Biomedical Engineer, Chemical Engineer, Biology, Chemistry Major. Woo changing a lot!) I don't have much programming experience but I don't need much to do what I do.

Did you play DotA at all before being hired for HoN? Did it affect your want to work with S2 Games?

Yes I played DotA for a long long time before playing HoN and then getting hired. It effects me in the way that I know what the overall goal of the project is before I even had to read anything. To capture and grow that awesome feeling you have while playing a DotA/HoN style game.

Dota and HoN should not be competitors but should complement each other. How will S2 games maintain a healthy relationship with the Dota community and will you be working with icefrog in the future?

We have a huge amount of respect for Icefrog and have been in communication with him plenty. Just having that mutual respect I think is a huge part of a healthy relationship with the game that created a whole genre.

Really it comes down to the players, though. We can do all we can but it's hard to stop that "one sided" mentality people have.

What can you say about the Dota based games genre? Do you think HoN can attract gamers who have never played DotA? With that tough learning curve and all? And what is S2 doing to help flatten that curve?

* I think the genre as a whole is just starting and is prepared to explode into a pretty huge mainstream gaming thing.
* I do think it will attact gamers who never played DotA because of the ease of getting into it, the great layout/graphics, and the upcoming tutorial.
* Tutorial. :)

Can you lead us through a typical day for you? Is it just 12 hours of staring at a screen? or is it more talking with the other devs about bugs and how to fix them? Or just a non-stop HoN game session?

Also, on that note. How often Do you play HoN in the office? and How the hell do your bosses allow that?

* Days vary completely but mostly always include hours infront of a computer doing something. Sometimes I sit/lay/sit-upside-down on the couch in our office to talk about stuff or brainstorm. Sometimes I nap on said couch. Sometimes I just turn on music on the speakers and work on a map editor all day. grumble... cliffs... grumble
* I play HoN at least daily. I say least because sometimes it several games a day at random hours. And my direct boss plays as well, sometimes he comes to work and plays a game a HoN before he does anything else. Just cause.

Fun fact: Idejder is Red Jedi inverted.

Wanna get in the Heroes of Newerth beta to try this game out?
Get in through the Heroes of Newerth Updates' Facebook page.

Gift Ideas for Teens: Heroes of Newerth (Game)

2009-12-20T04:21:00.000-08:00

Touted as one of the best upcoming games of 2010, Heroes of Newerth takes the
DotA Based Game genre to another level by vastly improving on the Warcraft III fan favorite map. For those clueless about the online gaming habits of Filipinos: thousands of Pinoys are already in the beta. And what's a better way to satisfy the materialistic gamer in your family in the spirit of commercialism... er... I meant Christmas than to give him/her a paid HoN account!

For 30 US Dollars or roughly 1500 pesos, Heroes of Newerth is considered a steal in granting the typical Pinoy teen's wishlist.

Warning: HoN needs an internet connection to download the game and it can get pretty addicting.

How do buy the game as a gift for someone or for yourself?
Go to http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/gift

P.S.
I'm thinking about holding a contest for my hundreds of loyal readers. And it goes along the lines of giving away a paid HoN account. No more begging for HoN beta keys at the Newerth Facebook for you! hehe...

For related information about this great gift idea, you can view the Skiverz article about
Heroes of Newerth.

Good Times With Mo KSP Challenge - Win 500000 Pesos

2009-08-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

The country's biggest morning radio show - Good Times with Mo has a new gimmick.
It's called THE KSP CHALLENGE!
500 000 Pesos baby! Yes! They're giving away half a million pesos!
What do you have to do?

Just impress Mo, Grace Lee and Mojo Jojo with your most creative, radical and mind-blowing way to shamelessly promotetheir freakin' morning show. Deadline? Well... you've got about a month to concoct your mischief (from the day Skiverz posted this blog entry)

Anyone anywhere can join this viral promotion for Magic 89.9's Good Times with Mo, Mojo and Grace Lee.Just document the stuff you did and you're on your way to 10 000 US Dollars. That's halfway through your own dinner at Le Cirque! (lol)

DJ Mo Twister has actually given us an unofficial wishlist that would garner him your favor but I suggest that you take your game to another level and come up with your own crazy promotion.

1. Disrupt either Boy Abunda on the Buzz or Willie Revillame on Wowowee while they are live on tv by streaking across the stage with a signboard promoting the show
2. Get Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, or any other airline to put a photo of Mo on one of their airplanes.
3. Go behind a tv reporter while he/she is broadcasting live on air and while in the background, promote the show with either a signboard or a chest paint.
4. Make a low quality homemade tv commercial for the radio show and air it on a TV network.
5. Hack into a major website and promote the show on the front page.
6. Call a rival radio station and when on-air, promote Good Times with Mo on Magic 89.9
7. Get them on the cover of a magazine.
8. Put ads of them all over the city ala Bayani Fernando MMDA tarps, or the other scumbag politicans that litter the city with their ugly photos.

And by the way, he'll also be giving weekly prizes
Don't get incarcerated.

Why Facebook is catching up with Friendster in the Philippines

2009-08-19T01:21:00.000-07:00

Friendster or Facebook?
A few years ago, anyone you asked would scream "FS! FS!"
What the heck is Facebook?

Well... times are changing ladies and gentlemen.
At the rate Facebook is climbing the charts of the Philippines' most visited websites, there's a big possibility that Facebook will be overtaking Friendster's dominance in the Philippine market.

Now what could be the reasons why this is happening? Here are a few reasons:

1. Friendster is spammer galore.
Can't they find a way to stop this epidemic like Myspace did? This problem has been around for a long time and until now they haven't put an end to this problem. Just goes to show the dedication that these Friendster developers are putting in on their website.

2. Friendster Groups Forum Function is a nightmare
It's too outdated in my own opinion. If you compare it to the Facebook groups.

3. Friendster's apps suck
The apps! The apps! Facebook has a good variety of apps. Although receiving all those quiz updates can be a tad bit annoying.

4. Friendster heavily compresses images when you upload them sacrificing image quality.

How about you? What are your reasons for leaving Friendster?

Heroes of Newerth: DotA Revisited

2009-07-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

For those unaware of what the young adults are playing in the LAN centers/internet cafes around the country, this article will be something educational for you.

DotA All-Stars was one of the most played game in the Philippines after the Counter-Strike fad died out. Basically, DotA is a modification of Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne. The official DotA maps can have 10 players playing at the same time and 5v5 DotA matches can last between 40 minutes to over an hour.

So basically, what the players do is to control a certain hero and try to "push" all the way to the enemy base. Simple concept, yes. But the game itself has a very steep learning curve.

Millions of gamers around the world have played DotA and it was only a matter of time before game developers took notice. There's a market out there for games like this but the question is... How can you make money from it?

Enter S2 Games.
S2 Games is a small-time game development outfit that has released good games that can be played not just on the Windows operating system but can also be played natively on Linux distros and Macs as well.

So basically what they have done is to take the DotA All-Stars concept popularized by Icefrog and port it over to their own K2 engine. Change the character names and the look of the game a bit and you get DotA 2.0.

Heroes of Newerth is DotA 2.0

An example of an in-game screenshot. Please click to zoom in.

It is the HON version of EarthShaker (a DotA hero) using Fissure (a hero skill).
You can also see a Sentinel catapult and the green things called creeps that help you "push" towards the enemy base.

Heroes of Newerth (HON) is currently on the closed beta testing stage.
If you want to get in the Heroes of Newerth beta, you can try your luck at the
Heroes of Newerth fan blog.

If you play DotA, I'd like to hear your views about this DotA clone.

UNO Marketing a Filipino Scam?

2009-07-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

A successful pyramid scheme combines a fake yet seemingly credible business with a simple-to-understand yet sophisticated-sounding money-making formula. The essential idea is that the mark, Mr. X, makes only one payment. To start earning, Mr. X has to recruit others like him who will also make one payment each. Mr. X gets paid out of receipts from those new recruits. They then go on to recruit others. As each new recruit makes a payment, Mr. X gets a cut. He is thus promised exponential benefits as the "business" expands.

- Wikipedia

If ever you have been invited or tricked to a seminar conducted by UNO Marketing Philippines, here is a little insight provided by Maggie of Yahoo Answers Philippines.

Don't listen to any high pressure sales talk from anyone, answer these questions honestly for yourself and you will know whether this is for you or not.

1. Do you have a large enough network to be able to recruit people at a pace that it going to make you money.

2. Do you feel comfortable about getting family, friends and other people you know involved in this?

3. Can you sell? Are you any good at it?

4. Are the products sufficiently saleable for you to be able to make money from commission?

5. Is it the sort of product you would be able or want to sell to your family and friends?

6. Are you happy to function without a regular salary, on commission only?

7. Can you afford to lose the initial outlay if the venture is not successful?

8. Have you thoroughly researched the company and read the good and the bad reports about them?

9. Do you understand that the salaries claimed as possible are only available to their top recruiters who sell promotional and training materials to the network?

10. Are you prepered to lose friends and fall out with family if they are recruited by you and lose money as a result?

If you can answer yes to all these then go for it. If you have any reservations, stay away from it.

I have gone to an UNO seminar after much prodding by a friend.
"Alright, I'll go to that "seminar" of yours but I won't be promising that I'd commit and join."
He gleefully agreed to the bargain and off we went to the UNO office. The orientation started and I listened attentively.
It's a good thing that I listened attentively because it made me realize that this was a weak business model. It was nothing more than pyramiding fueled by greed. So after the seminar, I walked out and then the unexpected happened. My so called friend ambushed me and started convincing me to join UNO.

Being a nice guy, I just listened to all the things he was saying but I told him that I was not convinced. So he asked help from a guy who seemed like an UNO veteran and the veteran started showing a lotta cash. While the guy was busy showing me wads of cash, I remembered an old story by a classmate of mine back in college who got scammed by Legacy. These were the same old tactics. In the back of my mind, I was saying "you gotta try harder than that boy."

The guy then asked me if I had life savings and started hinting that I should use it to pay the fee for UNO. I said no. At that moment, someone called up on my phone and invited me to a free dinner. As I put down the phone back in my pocket, the guy asked "How about your phone? You can sell it."
I smiled and told him as I started to leave "I'll think about."

In my mind, all I was thinking was "These UNO guys should work more on their sales talk."
Those tactics would have worked for ordinary people driven by hype,trusting emotions or greed but they should come up with another strategy for people who know how to think and analyze the situation.

The other thing I was thinking? the dinner invitation! lol.

Anyways, I walked away. I had no plans of joining a pyramid scheme and scamming my fellow Filipinos. Money can be earned without sacrificing your dignity.

Other notable UNO experiences by other Filipinos:
*Their opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect my own opinion.

Allen Yuarata
Michicochico
Kamaru

So after reading all these... what can you say?
Do you think UNO marketing is a scam or not? Discuss.

Starcraft 2 No LAN announcement a marketing ploy?

2009-06-30T23:48:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, rumors started flying out that Blizzard will not have LAN support for Starcraft 2.
And now it's been confirmed by a Blizzard representative.

But of course, majority of the players who buy Blizzard games are enraged?
No LAN?!? Insane!

Here's what Karune (Community bigshot) had to say:

For me personally- I loved LAN parties, but the direction in which Battle.net is headed, I would always choose to play on Battle.net > 99% of the time and even if for whatever reason I did decide to lug my computer to a friend's house in this day of age (<1%),>

I think a No LAN Starcraft 2 announcement is just a marketing ploy.
Starcraft 2 is currently in heavy development and they haven't entered the beta stages yet.
All those previews and videos you've been seeing are still part of the Alpha phase and one way to prevent a lull and maintain hype for the game is to make a shocking announcement here and there.

But of course, nothing beats potential customer feedback.
Disgruntled Starcraft gamers have already started creating online petitions.

You can join the petition to enable LAN here:

http://www.petitiononline.com/LANSC2/petition.html

REASONS TO KEEP LAN CITED ON THE PEITION

- While many of your fans might have internet access with the required speed to play without lag, there are still many that don't, or would like to play with a friend or sibling residing in the same house. LAN is NOT an expensive upgrade, and once you have it, it's yours. Internet is something that you have to pay for every month, and in a bad month you might choose to buy groceries instead of paying for the internet.

- LAN is what birthed SC popularity in the first place. Please don't ignore the heritage of the original game.

- Using LAN is a little bit of freedom. Often you might be at a friend's place with the only option to ad hoc the wireless connections instead of using internet, excluding the Battle.net gaming possibility.

- There are little to no ill effects in implementing LAN compared to the advantages. The piracy rate of people actually interested in the game would be negligible. Just look at SC1 now. Even with a laggy Battle.net, it is still selling so well that it once again reached top-10 on the NPD charts a decade after its release!

-Having LAN functionality in the game makes it feel you have more freedom of choice. You can choose to be part of the greater community, or you can choose to just play with one or two friends. LAN is a vital part of what makes StarCraft so great, and what will make StarCraft II even greater. Sometimes you don't have to use a function in order to appreciate having it there. It's the sort of freedom we have come to expect from Blizzard Entertainment.

Bookmark this page and open it up when Starcraft 2 is released.
You'll see I'm right. There will be Multiplayer LAN support for Starcraft 2.

Be updated to the latest Starcraft news and announcements.
Subscribe to http://sc2portal.blogspot.com/

Island Souvenirs PI Apparel Wear Your Pride

2009-06-24T01:40:00.000-07:00

If you've seen all those Philippine pride shirts around, you must have been wondering where these cool Pinoy shirts were bought.

If the shirts you're looking for cannot be found at Penshoppe, 3 Stars & a Sun or Team Manila, chances are the shirts you're looking for belong to the Island Souvenirs Philippine Islands ( P.I. ) clothing line.

Wear Your Pride!
And wear your Filipino pride indeed with these good looking shirts.

Gabby Alipe of Urbandub sings the national anthem with stoic pride.

Kris Janson of Miss Cebu rocks the Hero of Mactan shirt.

And oh yeah, these shirts come relatively cheap with a price range of 230 to 380 pesos.

Wear an authentic Adidas Philippine Track jacket with any of these shirts and you'll absolutely look real cool.

PI Apparel is on Facebook. The other shirt designs are there.

Garena Philippines Switches to Latest Warcraft Patch

2009-06-12T19:08:00.001-07:00

Garena Philippines has had a long problem with cafe users who have been stuck using the old Warcraft TFT 1.20e patch. But just recently, the administration of PH Garena have finally turned hard line by mandating that the latest Warcraft Frozen Throne patches should be used.

Since DotA AllStars has updated to DotA v6.60, it is only natural for Garena to use the latest patches released by Blizzard Entertainment to minimize maphacks, cheats, bugs, and collided DotA maps.

So if you are from the Philippines and wonder why you cannot see any hosted/created games or maps on your Warcraft LAN games, then you must be using an old and obsolete Warcraft patch.

To fix this problem, just update your Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne version.
Download the Warcraft Version Switcher now.

I will be posting patch installation guides as soon as possible.

Google Philippine Flag Logo June 12

2009-06-12T02:09:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure many Filipino Internet users will be looking for this soon so that's why I posted this very interesting logo that Google Philippines had in store for us.

This is their creative rendering of the Google ph logo for June 12, 2009.
For those who are not aware, June 12 in the Philippines is called the Araw ng Kalayaan which translates to "Day of Independence"

The Philippine flag is composed of 3 stars, a sun and the color blue over red.
Each has a symbolic meaning which will be explained below:

3 stars = 3 main geographical divisions of the Philippines which are Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao

8 ray sun = 1st 8 provinces that joined the Philippine revolution
These are the provinces of: Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Bataan

For those who didn't pay attention to their Philippine history classes: the flag's colors can actually be inverted during times of war (red on top and blue below)

You learn something new each day huh. hehe

If ever you watch a Philippine revolution war film, always expect a scene to go like this:

Individual voice by Skiverz: Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!!!
Crowd: MABUHAY!!!!

Please don't feed this country to the dogs on the 2010 Elections.
Vote for the candidates who would bring this nation to greatness.

Oops... before I forget...
Meron pala akong gustong ihandog sa inyo mga binibini at ginoo.
Ito ang http://thebrownraise.org Movement.
Marami kang matutunan dyan. Pangako yan, kapatid.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Movie Review

2009-05-07T04:42:00.000-07:00

I went out Monday afternoon to watch Xmen Origins: Wolverine at an Ayala cinema. A week prior to that, this cute girl I've been dating asked me out to watch Wolverine. That meant one week of me getting so excited for 2 good reasons:

1. I was expecting a lot from this movie. In my mind, I was thinking along the lines of IronMan or Batman Begins.(These 2 are the best superhero movies in my opinion.)
2. I was gonna watch it with this real great girl.

Monday came and the 2 of us met. There were 2 cinemas showing showing it - all SureSeats. I let her choose the seats as she was the one who paid for the both of us. No popcorn for me, boyo. Movies Rule number one: You never EVER buy popcorn nor drinks if you think the movie's gonna be good.

After all the trailers (my date got real excited when she saw the new Harry Potter trailer), the opening credits started flashing. It showed James (Wolverine) and his brother fighting in the civil war, the first and 2nd World War and Vietnam. From that point on, I knew this was gonna be better than the other Xmen movies. (Never liked 'em anyway)

Anyways, Wolverine was on okay movie. It wasn't that bad, it wasn't that good either. I felt disappointed because it wasn't even near the level of IronMan. After the Africa scenes, the whole movie went practically downhill from there (except for the Gambit scenes)

I wasted more than 300 pesos for Wolverine. Well technically, my date did since she was the one who paid for the tickets. My advice to all other couples planning to watch the movie? Spend it on a quick lunch date. Better yet, donate it to ChildrensHour

Skiverz has rated the movie a 5.8 out of 10.
Worthy to be on your DVD collection, my friend but not worthy enough for the big screen.

P.S. Hugh Jackman was good though and a Gambit Origins would be fun too - they could do it in Cajun French (subtitled to add to the appeal)
*It would be quite interesting to see how he pulled off a prison break from the island (lol. Lost?)

Ako Mismo Exposed

2009-05-06T05:27:00.000-07:00

AKOMISMO.org Exposed on Skiverz

I know a lot of you probably saw the tv ad campaign wherein peeps like Maxene Magalona and Charice Pempengco appeared holding the red dog tag.

They were all saying "Ako Mismo" over and over again.
But what is AkoMismo actually truly about?

Some other Filipino bloggers have been skeptical about the AkoMismo thing.
But hey, I can't blame them. I was skeptical too before I took the dive.
(I used a back up email just in case these guys started spamming my mailbox.)

At first glance, AkoMismo.org is kinda suspicious. You have to sign up first before you actually knew what it was all about. Pretty shady eh?

Anyways, to erase all conspiracy theories, I have posted here the FAQs only accessible by the ones who signed up already. So to make it easier for my readers to know about this AkoMismo advocacy, let me post to you the FAQ page of AkoMismo.org

*P.S. I cannot validate the truthfulness of the statements below. These were extracted verbatim on May 6, 2009 at 8:38 pm Cebu Standard Time. I will not be held liable for anything that may happen to your account or cellphone number once you register at the AkoMismo website.

As posted on the AkoMismo FAQ page (no edits)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your interest in learning more about Ako Mismo and the people behind the advocacy. Ako Mismo is an apolitical, inclusive movement based on the principle of volunteerism. It is an invitation for people to be part of making a difference in society, starting with oneself. It was born out of the collective vision of people who believe in the power of the individual to effect positive change. Since we launched the Ako Mismo campaign on May 3, we have received a number of inquiries and we are happy to respond to these through this vehicle.

Q: Who is behind the Ako Mismo campaign?
A: DDB, under its Corporate Social Responsibility arm, DDB Cares, is the spirit behind the campaign. For many years now, DDB Cares has been supporting causes it firmly believes in, using its creative and media resources to espouse positive values. From taking care of the environment, to education of children, responsible voting, protection against domestic violence and human trafficking, role of media in shaping society, religious efforts for Veritas and Caritas, and now, this advocacy for hope and empowerment. We do this, probono oftentimes, both for our clients and for our own advocacies.

Q: What is Ako Mismo about?
A: Ako Mismo is a patriotic initiative anchored on optimism. It is a battle against indifference and the feeling that the individual is helpless. Amidst all the bad news and negativism gripping the nation, Ako Mismo provides a refreshing message of hope and empowerment. It is an apolitical and inclusive movement to energize and rejuvenate Filipinos, especially the youth, and move them to action. It is our collective desire that the action arising from our individual commitments as Ako Mismo advocates will mobilize a groundswell of change, contributing to a bright future for our country.

Q: Why did DDB Cares choose this particular initiative?
A: We believed that there was an urgent need to bring hope to Filipinos, particularly the youth, in the face of growing cynicism that is heightened by the current political, economic, social and moral crises. We also believe that most Filipinos still desire change and would like to overcome the manifestation of hopelessness, which is apathy. This change can emanate from the power of the individual contributing in small, meaningful ways and building up a collective effort that can change the nation. This was the inspiration for Ako Mismo. And judging from the overwhelming response we got, the time had truly come for an advocacy such as this. People were just looking for a vehicle to express what has long been in their hearts.

Q: Is Ako Mismo the launchpad of any candidate in the future?
A: No. This is an apolitical effort as it shifts the initiative for change from government and politics to the individual. Although this was an initiative of the agency, it was our hope to get the support of like-minded individuals and companies. We are fortunate that the PLDT Smart foundation has been inspired to support this effort at the very onset and we are encouraged by the interest of many more corporations to contribute to the cause. We realize that the campaign touched a deep chord and could very well be used for commercial or political gain. Which is why we choose our partners and personalities well. We have to make sure that they are true believers and role models for the cause by their life’s example.

Q; How did you choose who to feature in the campaign?
A: We had certain criteria. We wanted to represent different sectors: from celebrities to ordinary folk, from religious to business, students, the academe, and working people. It was also important that whoever we featured genuinely believed in our message, and were already engaged in their own worthwhile advocacies so they could be credible, inspiring role models for others. And because this is an inclusive and apolitical movement, it was also critical that whoever we featured did not have any strong political affiliations. In fact, we were particularly inspired when those we sought and who sought us to be included in the campaign, shared their concern that they not be used for political gain.

Now that we’ve opened up the movement and people are signing up with their personal commitments, however, we anticipate that there will be those who will express views that not everyone will agree with. But so long as we have inspired each person to take it upon himself to do something good, whether it’s a change in attitude or behavior, a commitment to provide financial support to the needy, or support institutions that benefit the community, society, and the country at large, we will have done a good thing.

Q: How has the response been to the campaign?
A: It has been phenomenal. The overwhelming response of people and the tens of thousands who have signed up for their commitments—it’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before. Apart from the sign-ups, we have also been approached by companies who want to do more for the cause, and we are thrilled about this because Ako Mismo is an inclusive movement where the more people we have taking positive action, big or small, the closer we will all be to creating a better future for Filipinos. We believe this is a compelling message that has touched the young.

Q: Are you open to accepting other companies to support the cause?
A: Absolutely. This is the whole point behind Ako Mismo. It is an instrument for unity in a fractious society. As such, we welcome diversity, whether it be individuals, groups, companies or sponsors. The broader our support, the better it is for the advocacy to flourish and be able to support worthwhile socio-civic activities. However, we have to ensure that whoever partners with us is aligned with our vision and that the movement not be commercialized.

Q: The registration for Ako Mismo requires information from those who sign up. Will the database be used for commercial or political gain?
A: No. The basic information we asked for will be used to guide us in the deployment of the dogtags to the right people. The information will also be useful as we mobilize our socio-civic activities, as it will determine where and what projects are relevant in specific areas. It is important to point out that this whole movement is one of volunteerism. And while we hope more people will sign up, or that our members will participate in future activities (the choice of which will be guided by feedback we receive about what matters to them), ultimately each individual has total freedom to decide whether he will participate or not. We are very protective about the information we receive and we have taken security precautions against people accessing the information for their use without our knowledge. We are zealous about protecting the movement from being exposed to those with political or commercial agenda.

Q: People are asking for dogtags and where they can get them?
A: We wanted the dogtags to be a symbol for Ako Mismo and one’s commitment. The dogtag is a military symbol, a commitment to a mission, and we see the advocates as an army of hope. But to be quite honest we didn’t expect the clamor for the dogtags to be this huge. And so we are rushing to produce them in quantities to satisfy the demand. But for sure they will be made available in a few weeks. From the many blogs and comments we received, people wish to pay for them, and for those who do, we will ask only a minimal fee to defray cost, the proceeds of which will go to a respected and established charitable organization. We will identify these organizations soon on our Ako Mismo website.

Q: People are asking where is Ako Mismo leading up to, now that people have become aware and signed up their commitments?
A: Our initial objective was to change people’s attitudes and behavior and encourage belief in themselves and their innate power to make a difference. It is our hope that they will act on their commitments, which is the next step. We will provide a vehicle online for people to share their achievements, and in so doing, get more people inspired and engaged in taking real action. We will also feature real people who have made a difference in society, simple folk who cared enough to use their gifts and resources to serve other people.

One such inspiring story is Efren Penaflorida, who has spent the last ten years of his life travelling the country to teach street children. He does this with very simple implements: a kariton bearing his teaching aids, books and monobloc chairs. Another is Susan Fernandez, a sociologist, teacher, and women’s rights advocate who has spent her life using her music to uplift the plight of women. And we have Filipino talents who have become international stars bringing pride to our country, like Charice Pempengco and Arnel Pineda. Their stories and their humble circumstances are an inspiration to everyone.

Q: What are the future activities of Ako Mismo beyond creating awareness? Where will you take the movement?
A: We hope to engage more companies in the movement and organize and/or support socio-civic activities in pockets all over the country, guided by the information we receive online about the causes that resonate most consistently among the most number of people. And God-willing, if we are able to raise enough funds through all our activities, we will partner with established and respected socio-civic and charitable organizations that have the infrastructure to reach out to and help the most number of people nationwide. We are in the process of evaluating this now.

This is the long view, where we hope to take Ako Mismo in the future. But every worthy endeavor must start with small steps, and right now our focus is on keeping the momentum for Ako Mismo as we all proclaim—change starts with me!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of transcription.

By the looks of it, the movement looks quite legit.
Dogtag looks quite good too.

To sign up with the AKOMISMO Movement, make a pledge at:
http://akomismo.org

Let me recommend to you this great Pinoy enlightenment site:
http://thebrownraise.org - deserves to be bookmarked by all my Pinoy readers

Manny Pacquiao 2nd round KOs Ricky Hatton

2009-05-03T00:16:00.000-07:00

It's May 3, 2009 right here in the Philippines.
Today is a Sunday and the streets are silent for millions of people await the much-hyped about fight between Pacman and the British Bulldog from Manchester.

Because the place I was staying in had no pay-per-view, I had no choice but to watch the fight on GMA - a local TV station.
I received the results from my girlfriend before 12 pm with a surprising result.
Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton lost...
... in the second round
I knew Pacquiao would win, but I didn't expect it to end that fast.

After agonizing hours of endless advertisements bombarded by GMA 7, the delayed telecast of the bout finally started.
It was a fight full of clinches but on the second round, it came...
Left hand by Pacquiao knocks down Hatton to the canvas.

Fight is stopped.
The slow motion replays are played again and again at different angles.
I kinda felt sorry for Ricky Hatton when he was knocked out cold.

Ricky Hatton was a good sport. We respect a fighter like that.
I'll be watching his future matches hoping he learned something from the match.

Anyways, here are some little tidbits for y'all.

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao
General Santos, Philippines
Birthdate: December 12, 1978
Southpaw

Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton
Manchester, England
Birthdate: October 06, 1978

Final result: Manny Pacquiao wins over Ricky Hatton via 2nd round KO.

Google Morse Code Logo April 27

2009-04-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

If you visited Google's website back in April 27, you may have noticed that Google's logo was like this.

Actually it's their rendering of the GOOGLE logo into Morse code.
The Morse code was named after Samuel Morse, the guy who invented it.
His birthday was back in April 27, 1791.

As you guys might have noticed, Google has this habit of changing logos that suit a particular event related to that date.

Good stuff!
*I wanna learn the Morse code. =)

Garena Philippines - Local Tambayan for Gamers

2009-04-24T03:27:00.000-07:00

Hamachi, Zion, PldtPlay, BattleNet, UCPro are so yesterday.
Garena - the worldwide leading gaming platform has embraced the Filipino gaming community much more with the launch of their Philippine Garena community.

By serving the thousands of Filipinos who play DotA, Fufu Ninja, Elimination Tournament, Left4Dead, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike, Starcraft (and just about any LAN game I could think of), Garena has now made it's mark on Philippine gaming history.

Come join our kababayans at http://ph.garena.com

Selecta Gold Series

2009-04-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

No grocery is complete without passing by the frozen section and so it happened just like any grocery day. At that time, I was craving for some of McDo's caramel sundae. 25 pesos for a small cup? Bitin. As my mind was thinking of these frozen delights, a black pint catches my attention. It is black and gold to be exact and screams luxury. I closely examine the packaging- Selecta Gold series.

The Selecta Gold series comes in 3 flavors.
Hazelnut? Too fancy.
Chocolate? Too common.
Strawberry - Aah! Perfect.

I glance at the little carton on top of the shelf and immediately focus on the strawberry notes. Apparently, the creator is J. Gamboa of Cirkulo - the actor? lol.
Berry Strawberry is luxuriously yummy. It's so creamy and I love the strawberry bits.
Ice cream indeed has come a long way.

P.S. Jollibee should bring back the old strawberry sundae.

Do not take up Nursing

2009-04-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

Do not take up nursing!

Fresh graduate, you may be wondering what to take up right now for college. When I was your age, I found myself in that situation. Fresh out of high school, I absolutely had no sense of direction whatsoever. What I had were people hyping a course called Nursing.

They were claiming it was the practical course to take. These people were saying that Nursing would assure you a job abroad. But this my friends is fallacy. And by the time I realized that I was halfway through my course... A course I simply had no passion for.

I was in college wasting my time and my parents' money on a course I thought I would gradually learn to love but never did. I've graduated and so have thousands of Filipinos. There are not enough job opportunities. By the simple law of supply and demand, there is an oversupply of nurses in the Philippines. DOLE knows that, the PNA knows that, even educational institutions like the University of the Philippines have proven that.

So unless you truly want to be a nurse to serve the sick and the needy and not just because of those dreams of making money. You don't have to take up Nursing. Forget those "advices" by those misguided peers. Do not be pressured by those seemingly unchangeable orders of your parents. It's your choice!

Are you at the brink of insanity in choosing the course for you? Pray to God.

Racist writer Chip Tsao from Hongkong

2009-03-30T05:08:00.000-07:00

Alright guys, here is the racist article released by a certain Chip Tsao from Hongkong.

Verbatim (not edited)

The War At Home

March 27th, 2009

The Russians sank a Hong Kong freighter last month, killing the seven Chinese seamen on board. We can live with that—Lenin and Stalin were once the ideological mentors of all Chinese people. The Japanese planted a flag on Diàoyú Island. That’s no big problem—we Hong Kong Chinese love Japanese cartoons, Hello Kitty, and shopping in Shinjuku, let alone our round-the-clock obsession with karaoke.

But hold on—even the Filipinos? Manila has just claimed sovereignty over the scattered rocks in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, complete with a blatant threat from its congress to send gunboats to the South China Sea to defend the islands from China if necessary. This is beyond reproach. The reason: there are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as $3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don’t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.

As a patriotic Chinese man, the news has made my blood boil. I summoned Louisa, my domestic assistant who holds a degree in international politics from the University of Manila, hung a map on the wall, and gave her a harsh lecture. I sternly warned her that if she wants her wages increased next year, she had better tell every one of her compatriots in Statue Square on Sunday that the entirety of the Spratly Islands belongs to China.

Grimly, I told her that if war breaks out between the Philippines and China, I would have to end her employment and send her straight home, because I would not risk the crime of treason for sponsoring an enemy of the state by paying her to wash my toilet and clean my windows 16 hours a day. With that money, she would pay taxes to her government, and they would fund a navy to invade our motherland and deeply hurt my feelings.

Oh yes. The government of the Philippines would certainly be wrong if they think we Chinese are prepared to swallow their insult and sit back and lose a Falkland Islands War in the Far East. They may have Barack Obama and the hawkish American military behind them, but we have a hostage in each of our homes in the Mid-Levels or higher. Some of my friends told me they have already declared a state of emergency at home. Their maids have been made to shout “China, Madam/Sir” loudly whenever they hear the word “Spratly.” They say the indoctrination is working as wonderfully as when we used to shout, “Long live Chairman Mao!” at the sight of a portrait of our Great Leader during the Cultural Revolution. I’m not sure if that’s going a bit too far, at least for the time being.

Well... I don't necessarily have to add anything to this issue. I just presented the article. It will be up to you to say something about it.

Turn your lights off this March 28 2009 8:30 PM

2009-03-28T00:07:00.000-07:00

On March 28 2009 at 8:30 pm (+8 Cebu Standard Time), please turn off the lights.
That's tonight, my friends.

This is a global effort by earthhour.org to send a message to our leaders about conservation.
Turning the lights off for about an hour is a symbolic way to participate in ways to prevent a wasteful lifestyle that is harmful to the environment.

60 means 60 minutes of conservation.
Help do your part. Turn out the lights... even for just an hour.

How to Change the Garena Skin

2009-03-27T02:19:00.001-07:00

How to install the Garena Fufu Ninja Skin

Log-In Screen

What's the inside look:

Steps on how to do it:

First is to Download the file at:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/6xq818

How to install:

1)Extract the file and copy

2)Next is ti Go to:
Program Files > Garena > Skin

3)Delete the current skin.ggz on the Skin folder

4)Paste this file called Skin.ggz

START GARENA and voila!
If you encounter any problems, just post about it here and I'll answer.

How to Change a File Extension on Windows

2009-03-24T23:22:00.000-07:00

This tip is for all those Microsoft Windows users.
I'm currently using Windows Vista right now but this works on older versions too.
Changing a File Extension on Windows?
Anyways, here's what to do.

1) Open My Computer
2) Click Tools then click Folder Options
3) Select the View tab.
4) Then Uncheck Hide extensions for known file types

After that, it's time to go to the easy part.

Right click on the file you want to change the file extension with and rename appropriately.

Example:
a) from Skiverzfile.rar to Skiverzfile.zip
b) from Skiverzpic.jpg to Skiverzpic.jpeg

Hope this one helped.
Got any questions?
Post a comment.

Globe Tattoo Broadband Sucks

2009-03-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

Let's face it. One of the reasons why a company changes a brand name is because - that product sucks.
Recently, Globe Telecom relaunched Globe Visibility as Globe Tattoo.

New name, same old service.
For those consumers who want to try it, here's a little heads up based on experience:
It probably is one of the worst, if not the worst internet service in the Philippines.
Heck, a dial-up connection runs faster with a cheaper price.
At 5 pesos per 15 minutes, you're better off going to the nearest internet cafe or buying a dial-up card.
Note: You pay 10 pesos if you have been connected for 15 minutes and 1 second.

What's the Skiverz Advice?
If a line connection is available in your area, better take that opportunity.
Mobile internet is not yet fully mature in this country.
You're better off with cheaper, more stable alternatives - like dial-up. lol

Friendster Mobile Updates Spamming my Phone

2009-03-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

Why am I receiving Friendster updates on my mobile phone EVEN IF I did not sign up for the service? Chances are, you are having the same problem.

For the past few days, I have been receiving unnecessary Friendster Bulletin Updates on my Globe handyphone. It's annoying plus they are charging me for it.
Tsk tsk...
This started happening a few days after I reloaded my prepaid account with 300 pesos and quickly saw my remaining balance vaporize into thin air.
Yup, thanks to their Friendster mobile I did not sign up for.

Anyways, to solve this problem, I came upon this solution.
Just point your web browsers to http://m.friendster.com
That's for the mobile version of Friendster which many see as a failed attempt to hold the Asian market, particularly the Philippines.

They send you spam. You get charged for it.
By the way, I've finally signed up for Facebook.
I personally don't like Facebook's layout, but hey at least they haven't sent me spam... (so far)

To continue the solution...
After you are able to log-in the mobile version of Friendster, quickly scroll down to the Menu called TEXT ALERTS.

Click it then Uncheck everything.
And click NO under the Receive text messages option.

Hope I helped.
Feel free to comment or ask a question and Skiverz will show you how to go about it.

Skiverz Links

2009-03-09T05:11:00.000-07:00

Time and time again, I will be posting and adding more links here at Skiverz
If you are interested in a link exchange, please feel free to add a comment on this blog entry.

I would recommend you guys to read the following blogs.

Rest in peace Francis Magalona

2009-03-05T23:38:00.000-08:00

Readers of Skiverz, the date is March 6, 2009.

The Philippine music scene lost somebody great today.
Francis Magalona died a few hours ago after battling leukemia.
One of my earliest musical influences, Francis Magalona was a man I respected and looked up to when I was a kid.

I still remember the time when I heard his song screaming "Mga Kababayan Ko!" for the first time and right there and then, being only a little kid, I seemed to know how being patriotic could feel good.

No other man has changed the Filipino rap scene as much as Francis M.
He could rap in both Tagalog and English and showed us that hiphop could fuel a political sentiment among others.
It showed us that music could open eyes just like how Jose Rizal did with his writings.

Much respect to the Man from Manila.
I hope the Philippine hiphop scene will learn from these words of wisdom:
"Ang magka-away, ipagbati." (Let enemies have peace with each other.)

We love you man!
Thank you for helping change the Philippines one song at a time.

Nicole Uysiuseng CANDY Cover for Jan-Feb 09

2009-02-11T02:51:00.000-08:00

Last night, while I was browsing through the net, a banner showing Candy Magazine's newest issue quickly caught my eye.

"This month's covergirl looks cute," I said to myself and I wondered who it could be...
Till I read the fine print...
"candy loves NICOLE UYSIUSENG"

The name sounded eerily familiar and so I quickly did a search on Google and voila!
She's the girl from Cebu who joined this local pseudo-reality TV show.
Oh! That Nicole!
haha!

Anyways, since the articles splashed on the front did not sound that bad, I quickly made up my mind to get a copy.

I went to the nearest mall this morning and I was disappointed to find all 5 bookstores had marked this issue "OUT OF STOCK."

What the hell...

So, I called up the local distributor and got a tip where to find probably the last copy of this issue sold on the stands.

I'm going there tomorrow.

Nicole Uysiuseng is the CANDY Covergirl for the January - February 2009 issue!
Feast your eyes! haha.

P.S. They should create a CANDY mag counterpart for teenaged guys.
Cute girls on the cover, interesting articles and no sleazy content.

Yahoo Answers Philippines Pranksters

2009-02-09T16:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, while surfing the web, I came across this question regarding Bench Fix on Yahoo Answers.

No need for me to go on typing, just view the attached pic.
Click to enlarge...

To view the original "RESOLVED QUESTION", go to:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080518052754AAMWOEd
(recommended)

Filipino in Skittles Commercial

2009-02-07T06:38:00.000-08:00

Hehe... this one has been shown on national TV.
*Wondering if they'll be showing it back in the Philippines.

Anyways here's the script:

White guy sees the 3rd reflection eating Skittles.

White guy: Wait... I'm not eating... Skittles...

*Thai looks at the mirror

Thai Tailor: Hey! Don't eat while you're working.
Filipino in the Mirror: Eh. Nagugutom ako eh
Thai Tailor: I have to tell you again, dummy.
Filipino in the Mirror: Nagugutom na ako di kakain na ako
Thai Tailor: Youre so lazy!

Epic Argument occurs.

Filipino: P*tang Ina, itong gusto ko (SPARTAN KICKS the mirror)

*shocked faces by the Latino and black.

GG!

Filipino Twilight Takipsilim is a hoax

2008-12-25T00:10:00.000-08:00

Yeah yeah. If you're a hardcore Twilight fan, you may have read or heard it somewhere.
It was too BAD to be true anyway.
So, here's a not so perfect analysis on the fan-made poster for the fake Twilight TV series.

Please click the poster to see a much more clearer view.

1. Ang Galing Ng Pinoy?
- wtf. 1st sign that this is NOT LEGIT. No LEGIT pinoy tv series poster has "Ang Galing Ng Pinoy" hanging in there. What is this? Go Negosyo?

2. MTV Exclusive
- since when did MTV release "exclusive" photos for ABS-CBN? lol.

3. It looks like the guy's face was just pasted there and hurriedly blended in.

4. Read the picture.

5. January 2009?
They should be running the ads by now if this was real.

So there you have it.
Filipino Twilight Takipsilim is a hoax.

Rejoice!!!

Not...
Here's an article from a legitimate source:

Filipino fans of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series will soon have another reason to celebrate after broadcasting giant ABS-CBN bagged the exclusive rights to make a local television series based on the vampire novels.

Initial reports said ABS-CBN paid $1 million with co-producer Ignite Media for the rights to the Twilight series.

The new series, tentatively titled "Takipsilim", will reunite the onscreen tandem of Rayver Cruz and Shaina Magdayao.
Taping for the series will start February of next year. Some parts of the series will be shot abroad and the other locations include Tagaytay, Bukidnon and Baguio. The series will be directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina.

Another reason to celebrate huh?
haha!

Anyways, that came from this legit source:
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/12/24/08/abs-cbn-bags-rights-local-twilight-remake

Merry Christmas! hehe...

Garena AFK maps

2008-12-21T20:24:00.000-08:00

Garena AFK maps

Let's face it. They don't really give as much EXP as you'd hope.
The secret to level up in our clan is a map called Fufu Ninja
You can download it at http://epicwar.com/maps/66879/

It's better than AFK maps since Fufu Ninja has more exp than the Afk maps.
Plus if you're bored with AFKing, you can join the fun by playing the map.
It does not lag too.

So to all those playing AFK maps, stop doing it.
It does not give huge exp. If you want EXP - play Fufu Ninja

Search Google.

Sources: Our experiences and by the people who have level 40 accounts or higher

Fufu Ninja - the ultimate Garena AFK EXP map

Click on the Panda if you're not convinced.

Globe Unlitxt for Christmas and New Year Tips

2008-12-20T07:22:00.000-08:00

According to Globe, they other will be suspending the UNLITXT service this December 24 and 25 and on December 31 and January 1.
What can you do to become unaffected?
Simple.
Just register / text " UNLITXT80 " and send to 2870 before the said dates.
In fact, I have already registered for the 5 days unlimited text feature to take advantage of it.
So be unli now (please do it before December 22/23) so that you could enjoy the Christmas season.

Happy Holidays from Skiverz

Friendster is now back online

2008-11-17T00:29:00.000-08:00

Everyone was like saying... "Let's switch to Facebook."

But thank God, Friendster.com is back.

Here are the reasons by the Friendster administration why their site went down.

Friendster admin named ex said:

There was a building-wide power outage at the QTS / Globix data center in Sunnyvale, California, USA where Friendster’s servers are co-located, along with about 50 other customers. As a result, the memory caching of data was affected. Since Friendster has 85M users, the cache is talking a considerable amount of time to build. Once the cache has been completely built, all friends will re-appear.

Frequently asked questions during the Friendster crisis.

What happened to my friends?
Currently, the number of friends in the friends list is being displayed incorrectly.

Are my friends lost permanently?
No. The data for all friend connections is intact and is not lost.

When can this be fixed?
Friendster is currently working on this problem and we hope to have this fixed within 24 hours.

Can I still add friends while the problem has not yet been fixed?
Yes, users can still add new friends and use other features of the site.

How to Buy Adidas Philippines Track Jacket

2008-11-15T08:26:00.000-08:00

Sorry you can't get one these rare babies in the Adidas store these days.

Why?
1) They're sold out.
2) The Philippine government banned them. (lol)

So how can I get that cool jacket?!?

You're gonna have to contend with either
a) buying ONLINE (prepare to shell out the big bucks!)
b) or getting a copy of it. (oops. I'm not endorsing...) hehe...

So for those peeps who want to see what the craze is all about, I hereby present to you the Philippine Flag jacket by Adidas.

Friendster is on maintenance

2008-11-15T06:08:00.000-08:00

Whenever Friendster.com is down / offline, this message always pops off:

Temporary Maintenance

Thank you for visiting Friendster. While our goal is to give you 24-hour access to Friendster, from time to time, we need to do maintenance to ensure you have the best possible experience. We will be back online shortly.

But for the last 2 days, it has been DOWN and out.
What's wrong with Friendster.com?

Have their servers been attacked?
Is Friendster losing money?

Remember, Friendster loses advertising with each ticking second.
They should put the site back on ASAP or else they'll lose MAJORITY of their users to MySpace and Facebook.

Could this be the end of Friendster as we know it?!

That Asian market domination could be a thing in the past if it continues to be down for a few more days.

Good luck on the Friendster team.

Barack Obama wins the presidency

2008-11-04T23:27:00.000-08:00

As expected, Barack Obama has won the presidency showing us that the majority of US citizens are indeed intelligent voters.

Congratulations Obama!
We have high hopes for you around the world.

Obama should win!

2008-11-03T04:18:00.000-08:00

I hope Barack Obama Wins! Few more hours before the election...

High School Musical 3 Movie Review

2008-10-24T04:23:00.000-07:00

I watched Disney's HSM 3 ( High School Musical 3 : Senior Year ) together with my girlfriend a few hours ago for 4 dollars a pop. Skiverz will now teach you how to give SPOILERS to those who haven't watched the movie.

It has a movie rating of: General Audiences which means even kids can watch it.

Spoiler alert:

Troy (played by Zac Efron) and the rest of the cast are back for their senior year and everything goes smoothly.

The East High Wildcats win their second championship in a row thanks to the Rocket (played by Matt Prokop) who resembles a schoolmate of mine. lol

*Fact you'll discover: Ryan Evans (played by Lucas Grabeel) is actually the East High mascot. lol

Well... I won't give anymore spoilers. Those were just teaser spoilers.
Vanessa Hudgens still looks cute playing Gabriella Montez. (though I keep remembering the pics that circulated around the net a few months back) hehe...

P.S. I was only forced to watch the movie thanks to my girlfriend who's into this stuff.

Best catchy song: I dunno the title but it's the part where Efron and his basketball buddy sing in the junkyard. It goes like this.. "The Boys are back!."
Real cool parkour-like moves...

And yeah, my girlfriend quickly bought an authentic HSM 3 soundtrack right after that.
It cost roughly USD 12 at the mall. (Outside US)

And to appease me (she knows I don't usually like watching those types of movies), she bought me an early dinner at McDonalds which sadly ran out of caramel sundae. Grr...
(Question: Which do you prefer? Hot Fudge or Caramel?)

By the way, I think the most logical explanation why the peeps in the movie act that way (dancing and singing all of a sudden, hallucinations, tremors-graduation scene) is because they are all having the side effects of illegal drugs. hehe...

I recommend this movie to: all those HSM fans and those who like watching Bollywood movies
Grr... The Boys are Back song is stuck on my head.

How to Find out the Font used in a Logo

2008-10-18T03:03:00.000-07:00

Readers of Skiverz.blogspot.com, Greetngs!
Here's another useful useful site I have found for you.
If ever you have been wondering what font was used in a cool looking logo, look no further than What the Font.

Website is: http://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont

All you have to do is to upload the pic and the site will automatically find out what font was used.

Found my post useful? Don't forget to suscribe!

How to install Warcraft 3 maps

2008-09-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

a. Locate the .w3x file you downloaded.

b. Right-click on this file, and click "Copy".

c. Open your "My Computer", and browse to your installation directory.

d. Open the "Maps" subfolder. This is usually located in C:/Program Files/Warcraft III/Maps/.

e. Go to "Edit" -> "Paste"

f. Voila

How to hack hackerskills.com

2008-09-11T03:34:00.000-07:00

Hackerskills.com is like a puzzle game wherein you need to have knowledge in JavaScript, PHP, HTML.

Now it's a real fun game.

Not really hacking though... More like a little FUN PUZZLE!

So let me break it down for all of you a LITTLE SPOILER!!!

Level 1: Password = null
Level 2: Password = l3l
Level 3: Password = #000000
Level 4: Password = Click the link.
Level 5: Password = SAvE-as hELpS a lOt
Level 6: Password = hackerskills123
Level 7: Password = u:"phat" / p: "jerkybar3"
Level 8: - Password = u: "zadmin" / p: "stebbins"

If you break through LEVEL 8. Feel free to add a comment and tell me how to. hehe.

How to create Links in HTML

2008-09-10T19:23:00.001-07:00

Renamed to: How to create Links in HTML

How do you create links using HTML?
Use the href tag!

View the code below.
Substitute for whatever you want. Take this as a reference.

Thank you for supporting < href="http://fufuportal.blogspot.com/">Fufu< /a> Ninja
Hope you continue supporting this great < href="http://atchucan.blogspot.com/">Warcraft custom map< /a>

Please take time to visit our blog:
< href="http://fufuportal.blogspot.com/">www.fufuportal.blogspot.com< /a>

And add our OFFICIAL FRIENDSTER fan profile at:
< href="http://friendster.com/fufuninja">http://friendster.com/fufuninja< /a>

Continue enjoying playing this < href="http://atchucan.blogspot.com/">game< /a>

Copy it as HTML then delete the spaces near the a to display it properly.
So if you did it correctly, it comes out like this:

Thank you for supporting Fufu Ninja
Hope you continue supporting this great Warcraft custom map

Please take time to visit our blog:
www.fufuportal.blogspot.com

And add our OFFICIAL FRIENDSTER fan profile at:
http://friendster.com/fufuninja

Continue enjoying playing this game

Got any HTML tricks to submit? Post a comment.
I hope Blogger gets a good QUOTE thingy someday.

I originally posted this article as "How to do SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Tip # 1"
Updated: October 10, 2010 to make it more relevant.

How to Create a really great website

2008-09-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

1. Fire everyone else. No great website in history has been concieved by 3 or more guys with different ideas.

2. Less is more. Fewer words, no clutter.

3. Make it easy and interactive. Great websites make you interact in new and exciting ways and at the same, not have a hard time doing it

4. Don't limit yourself by the book. Who cares about theory if it works in real life?

5. Patience is a virtue. Your site might suck at first but then we never know.

6. Give the people what they are looking for.

7. Focus on one mission.

8. Improve and improve - don't stop improving

9. Professionals? Get only the best value for your money.

10. Love it!

Got any additional ideas? Feel free to post in the comments section.

How to Solve the Rubik's Cube

2008-09-10T05:03:00.000-07:00

This has been the source of both frustration and a sense of accomplishment since it was invented.
I'm too lazy to tell you the steps, so i let the great pogobat do the talking for you.

How to solve a Rubik's Cube (Part One)

How to solve a Rubik's Cube (Part Two)

I hope you got all those ramblings about some silly algorithms.
If you have successfully solved the Rubiks Cube, tell the world by commenting.

How to sing like Kim Chiu with the song Peng Yu

2008-09-10T04:54:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of you wanna learn to sing a chinese song, so let's have Kim Chiu's song.

1) Open the microphone
2) Sing the lyrics found below

Title: Peng Yu
Artist: Kim Chiu

(chinese version)
Zhe xie nian yi ge ren
Feng ye guo yu ye zou
You guo lei you guo cuo
Hai ji den jan chi shen mi

Zhen ai guo cai hui dong
Hui ji mo hui hui shuo
Zhong you meng zhong you ni
Zai xin zhong

Peng you yi sheng yi qi zou
Na xie ri zi bu zai you
Yi ju hua yi bei zi
Yi sheng qing yi bei jiu
Peng you bu ceng gu dan guo
Yi sheng peng you ni hui dong
Hai you shang hai you tong
Hai yao zou hai you wo
Sa lahat ng luha
Lagi kang may kasama
Sa gitna ng ulan
Karamay mo ako kaibigan

Sa tatahakin mong daan
Di kita iiwan
Di ka na mag-iisa kaibigan

Peng you yi sheng yi qui zou
Na xie ri zi bu zai you
Ating pagkakaibigan di magbabago kailanman
Peng you bu ceng gu dan guo
Yi sheng peng you ni huo dong
Kahit na magkalayo dito ka sa 'king puso

(english version)
All those years alone
The wind has passed the rain had gone
There wer tears there were wrong
Things we hold dear i still recall

If you've had true love then i would know
There is loneliness there are goodbyes
There are dreams always there is you in my heart

Friends walk this life together
Those days will not return
One word one life
A lifetime relationship,a cup of wine
With friends you won't be lonely
Lifelong friends you'd understand
There are wound there is pain
Must go our seperate ways
Always there is me.

3) After singing the song, stare at Kim Chiu's pic for 4 hours straight and meditate with Zen-like calmness.

Voila! You just learned to sing in Chinese
Comment if you didn't.

How to Put a Garena Cursor on your FRIENDSTER profile

2008-09-10T04:37:00.000-07:00

Here's what to do:

1) Open Friendster
2) Click My Profile
3) Click Edit Profile
4) Click Customize
5) Scroll down to customize CSS and add this:
*Take note of the highlighted text

/* {--friendster-layouts.com css code start--} */

/* FRIENDSTER-LAYOUTS.COM */
/* DOTA all stars by VHEM */

/* PAGE BACKGROUND */
body {
background-image: url(URL of image);
background-attachment: fixed;
background-position: center right;
background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-color: #000000;
cursor: url("http://www.geocities.com/gsbodf/ggcursor.cur"),crosshair;
}
/* GLOBAL FONTS */
.usercontent {
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
color: #ffffff;
}
/* GLOBAL LINKS */
.usercontent a, .usercontent a:link, .usercontent a:visited, .usercontent a:hover, .usercontent a:active {
text-decoration: underline;
color: #ffffff;
}
.usercontent a:hover {
text-decoration: underline;
color: #424d61;
}
/* MASTER BOXES */
.commonbox {
background-color: transparent;
}
.commonbox .evenrow {
background-color: transparent;
}
/* MASTER HEADERS */
.commonbox h1, .commonbox h2 {
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
color: #ffffff;
text-transform: uppercase;
background-color: transparent;
}
/* CONTROL PANEL: BOX */
.controlpanel {
background-color: transparent;
}
/* CONTROL PANEL: USER PHOTO */
.controlpanel .imgblock200 {
border-color: #ffffff;
}
/* CONTROL PANEL: DATA */
.controlpanel .q {
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
color: #ffffff;
}
.controlpanel .data {
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
color: #ffffff;
}
.data a {
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
color: #ffffff;
text-decoration: underline;
}
/* CONTROL PANEL: MORE ABOUT ME LINK */
a.more {
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
color: #ffffff;
text-decoration: underline;
}
/* CONTROL PANEL: BUTTONS */
#controlPanelButtons a, #controlPanelButtons a:link, #controlPanelButtons a:visited {
font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif;
color: #ffffff;
border-color: #424d61;
border-style: groove;
background-color: transparent;
}
#controlPanelButtons a:hover {
font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif;
color: #424d61;
border-color: #ffffff;
background-color: transparent;
}
/* MISC: TESTIMONIALS/REVIEWS TEXT */
.data {
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
color: #ffffff;
}
/* MISC: VIEW ALL LINKS */
.commonbox .viewall {
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
color: #ffffff;
}
/* MISC: SMALL PHOTOS */
.commonbox .imgblock75, .ir {
border-width: 4px;
border-color: #ffffff;
border-style: double;
background-color: transparent;
}
/* MISC: SMALL PHOTO NAMES */
.commonbox .dr {
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
color: #ffffff;
background-color: transparent;
}

/* {--friendster-layouts.com css code end--} */

Remember this:
http://www.geocities.com/gsbodf/ggcursor.cur
The cursor is there

If you are good at CSS, please add a comment.

How to buy certified Adidas Ateneo Apparel in the Philippines

2008-09-08T23:35:00.000-07:00

1) Go to the nearest ADIDAS store in your place
2) Bring around 2000 pesos
3) Ask the saleslady if they still have one available for your size
4) Buy it
5) Give it as a gift to your friend from LaSalle
6) Recieve the DLSU version by Adidas from your friend as a sign of goodwill.
7) Give it to charity.

Roundneck t-shirts Php595
Polo PHP895
Jackets (the best of the lot) Php1995

Now accepting free stuff from my readers. Please comment if you're interested. hehe

How to have a safe browsing experience with Firefox

2008-09-08T23:04:00.000-07:00

How to have a safer web browsing experience with Mozilla Firefox

Adware, malware, spyware, malicious sites and phishing are quite common online.

Why is this so?
A lot of people are using web browsers with poor security like Internet Explorer.

What I did?
I uninstalled Internet Explorer from the PC after I downloaded the best web browser as of the moment - MOZILLA FIREFOX.

How to have a worry-free web browsing experience?
Just follow these steps:
1) Go to http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
2) Look for the image that says "DOWNLOAD" and click on it.
3) After downloading, Install it.
4) Use it.

It's basically open-source so it has unlimited growth potential.

And the 5th step?
Delete Internet Explorer!

Think IE is better? Have a debate. Post a comment.

How to Level Up Faster and Boost EXP on Garena

2008-09-08T22:46:00.000-07:00

It's pretty simple.
Since the time that CounterStrike EXP was lowered on garena.com, the only good alternatives are:

a) playing COD4
b) Playing a WARCRAFT (the Frozen throne) custom map called Fufu United Ninja AllStars
all you need is to host the game with 12 players and click 50 kills
Games finish around 6-7 minutes, repeat process for as much as you want

See your EXP boost like crazy
Tried and tested
Proven by a lot of level 50 accounts

Download the map at www.getfufu.co.nr or www.fufuportal.blogspot.com

More mirrors at:
http://epicwar.com/maps/66879/

If you have more tips and tricks, feel free to comment.

How to download a standalone Yahoo Messenger 8.1

2008-09-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

As you have noticed, when you download from yahoo.com, you download a pretty small file for an installer.
That's because it's not the FULL INSTALLER

Download on this URL, the full one:
http://download.yahoo.com/dl/msgr8/us/ymsgr810_421_us.exe

Comment if you have a question

What is Skiverz?

2008-08-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

Skiverz
(noun, adj, verb)
pronounciation: ski-verz
ski is pronounced as the ske in ske-let-on
verz is pronounced as verse

Skiverz is the place to go when you want an update on the latest stuff on cyberspace.
It is also a semi-personal blog of a boy from the Philippines who wants to help others out.

Follow SKIVERZ on Twitter: @skiverz

Skiverz listens to bands like Urbandub and club banging hiphop from obscure artists.

Did you know that...
Skiver means lazy person in Scottish slang?
There is a skiverz dot com which is actually a social networking site that was never launched?