Keep looking; don't settle. -Steve Jobs

(SOLD) Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

December 24, 2007


Php 250
Paperback, 489 pages
VG condition

In this latest addition to the author's incomparable oeuvre, 15-year-old Kafka Tamura runs away from home, both to escape his father's oedipal prophecy and to find his long-lost mother and sister. As Kafka flees, so too does Nakata, an elderly simpleton whose quiet life has been upset by a gruesome murder. (A wonderfully endearing character, Nakata has never recovered from the effects of a mysterious World War II incident that left him unable to read or comprehend much, but did give him the power to speak with cats.) What follows is a kind of double odyssey, as Kafka and Nakata are drawn inexorably along their separate but somehow linked paths, groping to understand the roles fate has in store for them. Murakami likes to blur the boundary between the real and the surreal—we are treated to such oddities as fish raining from the sky; a forest-dwelling pair of Imperial Army soldiers who haven't aged since WWII; and a hilarious cameo by fried chicken king Colonel Sanders—but he also writes touchingly about love, loneliness and friendship. Occasionally, the writing drifts too far into metaphysical musings—mind-bending talk of parallel worlds, events occurring outside of time—and things swirl a bit at the end as the author tries, perhaps too hard, to make sense of things. But by this point, his readers, like his characters, will go just about anywhere Murakami wants them to, whether they "get" it or not.


YM/e-mail address: zengkilebron@yahoo.com
Meet-Up Locations: Glorietta, Greenbelt, Rockwell in Makati; Robinson's Place, McDonald's Quirino Avenue in Manila

(SOLD) Digital Photography Books

December 23, 2007

Selling the following introductory books as a lot for Php 500. All books in color, very good/like new condition:

Digital Photography: An Introduction by Tom Ang (2003)

From improving casual snapshots to learning the secrets of lighting, composition, and digital image manipulation, Digital Photography provides a practical, easily accessible approach to producing better digital photographs. With over 400 photographs, this concise guide shows you, as well as tells you what to do. The book also includes information on the most up-to-date equipment, software, and accessories, and professional hints and advice to help you get the most out of our digital camera.


Digital Photography: Step by Step by Ben Owen

From a comprehensive introduction to the various features of a digital camera, through to a thorough understanding of the processes involved, Digital Photography Step by Step covers everything you ever wanted to know about the subject.

Written simply and effectively without the use of complicated terminology, every page is visually accessible through screen-grabs that illustrate every step of the instructions.

Note: National Bookstore is selling this book for Php 429.


Free: Sport and Adventure Photography by Sean Hargrave




YM/e-mail address: zengkilebron@yahoo.com
Meet-Up Locations: Glorietta, Greenbelt, Rockwell in Makati; Robinson's Place, McDonald's Quirino Avenue in Manila

CD-R King Products that Actually Work (and Last)

December 22, 2007

More often than not when it comes to CD-R King, you get what you pay for, i.e. crappy items that you can’t get to work, crappy in-store service which consists almost entirely of a one-liner: “papila na lang” and even crappier after-sale service that only exchanges the crappy item you got from them with yet another crappy item. Either that or after-sale service is nonexistent altogether, just an annoying crackling sound at the other end of the line. And so you curse and vow never to buy anything from CD-R King again. But the allure of “cheapo alternatives” and the hopeful thought that it might work this time are just too hard to resist that you who once, twice, thrice vowed not to step in a CD-R King shop again finds himself in a long cue inside a CD-R King store. The cycle of crappiness begins anew. Once in a while though, the cycle is broken and you are blessed with cheap but actually functioning and durable CDR-King products.
Lady luck must be smiling on me every time I visit a CD-R King kiosk because albeit the inattentive and rude sales staff, the items I bought from them actually work! From all my countless blank CD and DVD purchases, I only had to return 5 DVD+R which were not compatible with my writer. They replaced them with DVD-R without fuss. As for non-CD/DVD items, I try not to rely on luck alone. If a certain item tickles my fancy, I rummage through local forum reviews for that item. If the reviews turn out to be good, then I buy the item. If not, then I don't.

I present to you my favorite CD-R King products - items that actually work and last.


Imation and Iomega CD/DVD

First in my list is their Imation CD and DVD+/-R. Even the choosy DVD-ROM drive of my laptop has no issues with these. I also learned from a local forum that Imation DVD-Rs can be used to "back up" Wii games and they work without a glitch. Iomega is another reliable brand as far as my burning needs are concerned. But these "brands" are hard to come by these days. I hope CDR-King replenishes their Imation and Iomega stock soon.

CD-R King AA Rechargeable Batteries

The CD-R King AA Rechargeable batteries are second in my list. Not only they're so darn cheap (Php 280 then, Php 300 now), they even work better than my 2500 mAh Sanyo Ni-MH batteries.When fully charged, they take more shots than my Sanyo batteries before completely draining out. Not only that, CD-R King batteries do not lose juice easily that they can still be used even after prolonged storage (about 2 weeks) without the need to recharge them.

1 GB PQI SD Card

When I bought a Nikon D40 last October, it came with, among other freebies, a 1GB PQI SD card (Php 450). The card was bought by the previous owner from CD-R King. I did not expect the card to last but it did and it's still with me and works just fine.

LP-8187E Wireless LAN USB 2.0 Adapter (with Antenna)

If setting up your home computers wirelessly is something you don't think you can do by yourself, then you're probably right. That is, if we're talking about wireless routers. Fortunately, Wifi USB dongles simplify things for the uninitiated. CD-R King's Wifi USB adapter does the job. Just stick it into a USB port of your main computer, install the drivers, connect your Wifi-enabled device and that's it. Up to 5 devices can be connected simultaneously. For just Php 750, this is a real steal. By the way, if you are a PSP owner just dying to play online games with fellow PSP gamers, then here's great news - this nifty device is 100% compatible with XLink Kai (Similar devices are sold at twice the price of this adapter.).