Why the hate on LTE-Advanced?

List of Phones that currently support LTE-Advanced: Apple's iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, BlackBerry Priv, BlackBerry Passport, HTC One M9, HTC One A9, HTC 10, Huawei Ascend Mate 7, Mate S, Mate 8, Honor 6 (which I have on the photo YAY!), Honor 6 Plus, Nexus 6P, LG G Flex 2, G4, G5, Nexus 5X, V10, Moto X Style, Lumia 950, 950 XL, One Plus 2, Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Note 5, Note Edge, Alpha, A5 (2016), A7 (2016), A8 (2016), S5, S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, S7, S7 Edge, Sony Z3, Z4, Z5, Z5 Compact, Z5 Premium, Xperia X, X Performance, Xiaomi Mi Note Pro, Mi 5.

I understand the angst people are actually doing on their blogs these days but really, why the hate? Smart Communications just recently rolled out the LTE Advanced Mobile Technology in Boracay yesterday and all these bickering about it surfaced later in the day. The company is actually doing something great, it's a technology that isn't available yet in the Philippines and now that it is, I'd rather have it welcomed than marred early on.

Think about it, PLDT's wireless subsidiary is basically offering faster speeds with the usual LTE band using carrier aggregation. People are complaining about slow speeds for years and now that they've got it measured up to 250 Mbps, they're complaining again? We just made this world class technology that's available in Optus in Australia, Sprint in the US, and Turkcell in Turkey be here with Smart in the Philippines, so is that even something to complain about? It's not for every phone there is in the country as there are only a few LTE Advanced capable phones in the market now, technology isn't really cheap but having it be here alone should be celebrated rather than marred like that. I've worked with  some people from other telecommunications companies abroad and they're not as perfect as they seem to be. People  are clueless and think the ones in Australia (remember that telco that they wished was going to invest here?) were far better when in reality, I've heard horror stories from their users first hand too and they weren't as heavenly as they think. 

The technology isn't cheap either and if you were in the shoes of the telco you would rather invest in technological advancements rather than existing ones. Smart made it better, you have bigger bandwidth, you've got faster data speeds and they still complain. Be happy with the new technology, learn to adapt and have the better disposition that it's finally here. Getting it doesn't mean they'll abandon 3G or previous bands, so it's a good thing they started it. So people, don't despair. There's bound to be more technologies out there coming to our country and it's not a bad thing. Did you say the same thing when we were all in 2G phones digging WAP in the past? I guess not. This cutting edge technology is part of their broader effort to service Sun and Smart subscribers, so don't spoil the party. There, I said it. Go take a chill pill.

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Smart Communications

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A Johnnie Walker Summer

It's so hot outside you can literally fry an egg off of your car's roof. It's so hot outside that if you walk out on the street, you can feel like a clothing iron is on top of your head. It's so hot outside that the only place you would want to be in this case, is the beach so you can get your dose of Vitamin Sea and chill there for a while. Problem is, we have work, we have things to fix, we need to stay in the city and be the good citizen that we are. Johnnie Walker had a different thing in mind. In an unsuspecting building, in a busy day at work, they suddenly popped up. Check out this video!

If people couldn't enjoy the beach, then Johnnie Walker brought the beach party to the city. I can already imagine myself doing this in the elevator and I'd probably have a bottle or two if I'm not driving (so drink moderately). As for the party ambiance, the beach balls, the dance music, the Johnnie Walker servings, I'd have all of that! They call this a Johnny Walker Summer!

To stay cool in this hot weather, they also introduced a way to enjoy this whisky. Just pour a shot of Johnnie Walker Red Label, take a glass of ice cold clear soda and do it. Take the shot, make the clear soda your chaser and walk around like the usual beach boy. You can do this inside the confines of your home, after office, or perhaps the beach. Oh yeah, the beach. Make this a ritual for the summer!

For those who would prefer Johnnie Walker Black Label, take a shot of it in a glass with a healthy amount of ice, pour some ginger ale and voila! That's Johnnie Ginger! Now how's that for an easy fix this summer right? So for those cold nights, you don't need a love life. Get a bottle or two of Johnnie Walker Red Label and Johnnie Walker Black Label in your favorite groceries. It's there, just look! Then enjoy!

For more information about their bottles:

Johnnie Walker Philippines

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http://www.sayitwithjohnniewalker.com

Star Magic's 1 Million Thanksgiving Celebration

They've hit the 1 Million mark on Instagram so Star Magic who manages the country's biggest stars, wanted to give the favor back by celebrating in a BIG way. They dubbed this "Tatak Star Magic: The 1M Thanksgiving Celebration". We came from Kathryn Bernardo's charity so we only got to catch a few artists on stage. I'm sure the fans were having fun, just look at the Hashtag boys.

Jon Lucas, Zeus Collins, Jimboy Martin, Ryle Santiago, McCoy De Leon (I think), Paulo Angeles and other hashtag boys appeared to perform and play a game with their lovely supporters. They got a little close, literally as they needed to stick body parts while their fans didn't hold back. They probably enjoyed the small hugs and kisses from the charming hashtag boys.

Then after that, we had LoiShua. It's the well loved love team of PBB's Joshua Garcia and Loisa Andalio. Sweetness level 150% LOL!

They sang a couple of songs and said hi to their loyal supporters. I was in front and couldn't help but cover my ears because they were really loud!

Speaking of loud, here's the voice phenom Darren Espanto who got all the girls shrieking til our eardrums popped!

To give you a better feel of what happened that afternoon, here's a few videos I took while we were there.

The Hashtags



Kathryn Bernardo



Maja Salvador

Hope you had fun just like we did! Thank you Star Magic for having us!

For more information about their artists:

Star Magic Philippines

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http://www.starmagicphils.abs-cbn.com/

The Slapping Contest Between Good and Evil That Is ECHORSIS

I was a little hesitant to actually watch a Filipino film as I've seen a lot of fails in the past. The title itself is crazy so I wasn't really thinking of enjoying myself and didn't think this was actually a smart idea. A little dated on some details but overall, ECHORSIS deserves your attention. Let me try to state a couple of reasons why.

I've known Chris Cahilig in the PR industry and he's been doing quite good. In fact, I was a little dumbfounded on why he's actually producing a film. He's already managed talents, did a lot for OPM, believed in the brands he's representing but it was always at the back of his mind. He dreamed of making films. The opportunity was just there when he talked to the film's director Lem Lorca. The material was just waiting to be produced so when they met, it was like serendipity. It didn't felt romantic but everything seems to have been falling into place. Chris just grabbed his bag and said "Yes! We're going to produce this film!"

During the premier night, we spotted the film's stars and right in front of the theater was beauty queer Francine Garcia. Yes, she's from Super Sireyna and plays one of the friends of John Lapus' character. I could sense they probably are trying to represent the norms of gayhood (if there was a term for that) in the film and tell the story how when one fails to come out when everybody else  was.

There's actually three lead stars in the film and it includes hot Alex Medina and equally good looking Kean Cipriano. The story and climax will actually spin with these two so pay attention how their relationship came about. I don't want to spoil it for you so I'll stop there. I like the confrontation scene between the possessed Alex and the priest Kean, you probably have seen that in the trailers. It's a lot funnier when you see it in the big screen so invite your friends to see this on April 13!

You'll also get schooled by popular Bekimon and have to connect the dots if you don't know what he's saying. He's part of the posse of John Lapus. In the film, he plays the loud and flamboyant friend who wants to get the "coming out" part over with. Unfortunately John Lapuz' family is super strict, not to mention Odette Khan is his mother. She didn't get to slap him though. Aside from that, I'm sure somewhere in the death scene, Bekimon and Francine Garcia enjoyed their time. You would need to research on that.

Alex Medina, Kean Cipriano and John Lapus didn't hold back in this film. Although I have to admit, the role of Mich Liggayu wasn't executed well. You'll love the scene with Alessandra De Rossi because no matter how small and confined that scene was, you'll remember her even when the film finishes. Add to that the little neighbor that enjoyed the car wash. Nico Antonio is here too and is part of the gang of John Lapus. He's basically the serious one and you'll get a ton of laughs from the situations he's gonna get into. Improvements should be done on the special effects, more so on the spinning head scene (which you'll know when you watch it). For the production limitations (as this is independently produced), they did good though.

I think I might have given this movie and the character too much praise, but really, I did enjoy it. It's the quintessential eye opener for those who are still boxed up in slapstick gay comedies. This is dark, but still had time to change shape and become analogous to a border-less translation of queer love, hope and betrayal. If you're straight, you'll learn about the homosexual capacity to communicate unfathomable romance and how rejection can lead to outright evil. For those yearning for flesh, you'll get a chok-full of abs in the film and might even consider it essential. So eat that up - and enjoy the movie!

Make sure you line up on theaters this April 13th in these cinemas as they are also Graded B PG 13 by the MTRCB!

For more information about their artists:

ECHORSIS

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