JML Stone-ware 28 cm frying pan from SM Department Store

Non-stick pans are more expensive compared to regular pans but a lot of them don't last very long. The usual problem is the non-stick coating can easily be scratched off even if nylon cooking utensils are being used. We bought the Stone-Ware Professional Culinary Cookware 28 cm frying pan by JML since the package and the SM Department Store salesman told us that it is scratch resistant apart from being non-stick.

This costs PhP2,099.75. The back of the box also mentions a guarantee for 1 year but SM can only accept returns within 7 days according to the salesman.

We have been using it for a few days now. It is indeed non-stick, although we don't know for how long that will last. The heat distribution throughout the pan surface is also good. While we rather not test if it is scratch resistance, we are questioning its durability. In less than one week, the handle has become wobbly. It feels like it will detach without warning. The wobbliness of the handle has left scratches on the side of the pan where the handle is screwed.

I found similar stone coated non-stick pans being sold on TV like the ILO Rainbow Pan Series. For P2995, one can get not just one 28 cm pan but a set of 5 cookware for different cooking needs. The ILO set is not for induction cooking but it not a problem for us. I kind of regret buying the pan from SM.

While looking for non-stick cookware, I saw Happycall products being sold in SM Department Store. They are a lot more expensive than the TV shopping offer. I wouldn't recommend buying from them.

08Dec2017 Update
After around two weeks of use, the following signs of use have been observed:

BDO debit cards, are they secure?

While debit cards offer some convenience, some debit cards, like BDO's, doesn't feel secure. Debit cards from other banks, specifically Metrobank, requires a PIN code before any transaction can be processed. BDO does not require PIN codes.

If somebody was able to pick-up a BDO debit card that was accidentally dropped, he/she can use it instantly to make purchases. He/she will not be required to present any valid ID nor to key in any PIN. Although one can block a lost card from making any transactions, it might be too late. The card may already be used even before the owner realized it was lost.

Debit cards also doesn't have the perks of cash purchase discounts especially if you're buying expensive appliances. That is why I rarely use my BDO debit card.

World Balance EasySoft Waterproof Office/School Shoes

As early 2013, the EasySoft shoes have been available locally but it was only this month that the brand caught my attention. I may have came across them before, but the style options were initially limited (mostly loafers) and not my type.

I came across the shoes in the suggested items from the Lazada app. The low price of P399.75 for a decent looking pair of office/school shoes intrigued me. While there was no mention of any leather material (genuine or synthetic), it's hard not to expect from the pictures. The ad indicated that the shoes are made from Vicrotech, but what is it? Why is it so inexpensive?

After a few searches on Google, I found out that it's not made from the usual shoe materials and does not undergo the normal shoe manufacturing process. There is no leather, wood, cloth or the likes. There was no need to hammer, dye or sew. They have made the manufacturing as simple as injecting the VicroTech into a mold, let it harden and remove it from the mold. That means the upper and the sole are made from the same continuous material. It's similar to the process of making plastic toys, like doll shoes. That explains the cost. The insole is separate, though. Some styles have shoe laces that also has to be attached manually. 

Despite the material and manufacturing process, the shoe doesn't look like a toy. It looks like a leather shoe. It doesn't feel like one, though. It feels like silicon or rubber. If worn with appropriate socks, the shoes feels comfortable. The flexible Vicrotech bends with the foot. The manufacturer also claims some shock absorbing properties of the shoe. The best part is it is waterproof.

EasySoft Rome model

While the ingenious shoe manufacturing process allows the price to be lowered, the injection molding process leaves unwanted witness marks on some models. Models with more fake stitches are usually free from these marks. Despite the marks, I still bought the Rome model as the marks are negligible. The sole is thin compared to the heel, thinner than rubber slippers. This makes it uncomfortable when walking on rocky surface. The wearer will feel the rocky surface he/she will step on. I believe that we can still criticize the things we support.

Although I saw the shoes at Lazada, I opted to buy from a physical store to get the right fit. I'm satisfied with this shoe. I will probably buy again if I find a style to my liking.


UPDATE AFTER 1 YEAR AND 1 MONTH:

The left shoe developed a tear as shown in the picture below. I used this pair for about 3 times a week and I'm satisfied with the durability knowing the price. I decided to buy another pair of the same model. The price has increased to PhP499.75. That's a 100 pesos (or 25%) increase in 1 year!

A Commuter's View on the Jeepney Phaseout

While I believe that there are many problematic jeeps and jeepney drivers on the road, I don't think that the phaseout of the jeepney is a good solution to our transportation problem.  I do think that we could benefit from the use of modern, safer and more efficient public transportation like the proposed modern jeeps, but I also believe that they can co-exist with the older jeeps. I'm in favor of change and modernization but not the kind that commands something to stop existing, like the plan to phase out the old jeeps.

If the modern jeeps are indeed better, the consumer will support it instead of the older jeeps leading to the extinction of the old jeeps. There is no need to enforce a phaseout. Imposing the phaseout leaves the commuting public with less choice. I value my freedom of choice. The consumer should be given the choice between both jeeps.

#TransportStrike #NoToJeepneyPhaseout

Casio Standard Solar-powered Watch

Aside from the nondescript look, I wanted a watch with a the light colored dial and black Arabic numerals for readability. A case diameter of 37 to 40 mm is appropriate for my wrist size. I didn't consider buying the Timex Weekender because I don't want to have to change batteries. The solar-powered Citizen Chandler won me over, but this specific Citizen watch is not locally available. That is why I looked for other options.

I was close to buying a Chinese watch with a hand-winding mechanical movement. I also liked its blue hands. I haven't found any reliable review of the Winner watch so I decided not to risk buying a relatively unknown brand. Servicing the watch locally might also be problem for an obscure brand.

Luckily, I found a watch from a reputable watch company that satisfied all my requirements and is available locally! The Casio MTP-VS01L-7B1 model costs a lot less than the Timex Weekender and Citizen Chandler and the Casio watch has an added date complication.

While the Citizen Eco-drive can last for 8 months on a full charge the Casio solar-powered watch can last for only three. The steel hands of the Casio makes it a little harder to read at some angles due to a low contrast with the watch face (as shown in the photo above). It it also difficult to tell the time to the exact minute since there are no minute markers.

This Casio is relatively thicker (at 10 mm) for a quartz watch.  The lugs don't curve down so it doesn't rest well on the wrist. The watch will look chunkier with a NATO strap. Despite the shortcomings, this is still a good buy priced for less than PhP2,000 (US$40).

22Nov2017 Update:
After sitting in the watchbox for a couple of weeks, the battery has been depleted. I thought that it can last for three months. The solar charging works, though. After placing it under a table lamp, the watch worked again.

Netflix Marvel's The Defenders S01E01

Review:

This 51-minute episode seemed like a very long opening credit. Speaking of the opening credit, I find it cute. Each character was associated with a color, reminiscent of Super Sentai minus the pink one.

The story picks up from where each stand alone street level superhero story left off.  It just shows you who the characters will be in this season. It did introduce a new character and her motivation for fast-tracking her plans. Other than that, this episode can easily be skipped especially if you are on limited data. If there is something I liked about this episode, it is the fact that the main villain is white.

There is a dragging feeling while watching this episode. The episode doesn't even end with a cliffhanger so one has less motivation to watch the next episode immediately.

Firefly Mobile Aurii Faulty System Update

The screencaps in this blog post is from a Facebook group, Firefly Mobile Aurii Envy Philippines (Official). It is a closed group so the information shared in that group is not easily accessible to non-members. The information may be helpful to others. You may join the group for tips on how to resolve the problem on your own.

The Faulty Update

Sometime in July 2017, Firefly Mobile Aurii Envy units automatically received over-the-air system updates which downloaded and installed itself without permission from the owner of the smart phone. That update rendered numerous Envy units unusable.

Firefly Mobile was willing to repair the affected units but when asked regarding the cause of the problem, they said that they are still investigating the problem. Without knowing the cause of the problem, the earlier batch of the repaired Envy units experienced the problem again.

Firefly Mobile Service Center later realized that the problem was to due to the faulty system update, an update they knew nothing about. Firefly Mobile claimed that they did not push the system update to the smart phones. To prevent further system updates, the Service Center disabled the wireless system update in the succeeding batch of units they repaired.

It has been around one month since the problem was first reported but new units are still being affected by the faulty system update. There was no action to stop the system update since the company have no idea about the system update.

The Inconvenient Experience

If you try to contact Firefly Mobile's Facebook account, they will only advise the person to go to the store or service center. They have no information on any of their social media accounts about the problem, how to avoid it nor how to fix it; a public apology should not be expected.

It takes one to three weeks to repair the phone. If the phone was returned to the store for repair, it may take longer as delivery to/from a store is usually scheduled for only once a week. The official receipt or cash invoice is required before the phone will be accepted for repair. The units that are still under warranty are repaired for free. Mine was still under warranty so I didn't have to pay.

The service center landline are usually busy, while some stores where the phone was returned didn't reply to the text messages and calls. With Firefly Mobile's social media account unable to address any of the repair issue, the customer is left with no proper customer support.

Reflection on the Firefly Brand

Although Aurii Envy is a smart phone that offers affordable phones, Firefly Mobile, the company that offers it does not have enough resources to control a problem like this from spreading to other units. At the moment, the company still has no official statement as to the cause of the problem. This could mean that they have no capacity to identify the cause. They do have qualified service center technicians that can fix the phone without losing valuable data on the phone.

This will probably be the last phone I will buy from this company. The few thousand peso I saved from buying this unit is not worth the weeks I have to manage without the phone.

Online Banking Comparison (BDO, BPI and Metrobank)

Online banking allows the customer to conveniently transact anywhere an internet connection is available. While I enjoy this convenience from three of the major banks in the Philippines, namely Banco De Oro, Bank of the Philippine Islands and Metrobank, some are more convenient than others.

One of the differences in the online processing of the three banks involves the OTP or one-time password. The one-time password is sent via SMS to the customer's registered mobile number. Some online transactions cannot proceed without the OTP.

For BPI, the OTP is only used for online purchases. The OTP is not required for balance inquiry, online payments and fund transfer.

For Metrobank, the OTP is used for online purchases and fund transfers for over PhP20,000 even if you are moving funds between your accounts. Their system should only require the OTP if funds will be transferred to a third party's account. The OTP is not required for balance inquiry and online payments.

For BDO, all online transactions will require an OTP, including balance inquiry. The OTP is required immediately upon logging in BDO online. You either key in the OTP or answer security questions.

While the OTP adds another layer of security, it may also introduce unnecessary inconvenience. Telco services is very unreliable in certain areas of the Philippines. This will prevent the customer from receiving the OTP via SMS on time. The same is true for Filipinos abroad who would rather not avail of the roaming services.

There are also a lot of Filipinos who are not post-paid subscribers. Losing a phone may add to the inconvenience of having to update the bank in case the customer has to change her prepaid number.

Of the three banks mentioned, only BPI does not require an OTP for most online transactions. They only require the OTP for online purchases. BDO, on the other hand, requires the OTP for all online transactions making their transactions not really online, but mobile-online. I think it's silly to always have a mobile phone in hand while doing online bank transaction.

i2i New York (forget Fly Shades)

The only reason why I bought from Fly Shades was because I wasn't able to find the i2i New York store in a certain mall. I have known the i2i brand from way back and I have bought a number of shades from them. They offer sunglasses with sensible prices. The quality is not poor either.

I thought Fly Shades will be the same. I actually expected more from Fly because their products generally cost more than i2i. Most Fly shades cost over PhP300. Most i2i shades cost lower than PhP300!

Price, of course, is not the only factor. With sunglasses, aesthetics is the main consideration. i2i has a variety of design for different personalities or occasions​.



I recently got the Dabu model. It has a metal frame with flexible temples. There's no need to worry of ruining the hinges if you overextend the temples to the side. I particularly like the nondescript design.

It's not polarized but for the price of PhP289, it will serve the purpose of protecting the eyes with UV400 protection.

Fly Shades Can be a Waste of Money

I bought a Rovigo model sunglasses from Fly Shades five days ago. They cost around PhP340. I have noticed that they used a very bendable plastic for a frame. I thought this bendability will make the frame less brittle, less prone to breakage. I was wrong. 

My Fly Shades broke in less than a week. The crack strangely started at the thickest part of the frame. I will never buy sunglasses with plastic frames from Fly Shades again.

Promo Comparison: Globe GoSurf 50 Vs Smart GigaSurf 50 Vs Go Sakto Combo 70

Based on the table below, Globe's Go Sakto Combo for 7 days is best for low mobile data users who want to extend the lifespan of their prepaid load. 

A 300-peso load with take you only 18 days to consume using Globe's Go Surf 50 or Smart's Giga Surf 50 while you only need PhP280 for 28 days of data connectivity for Globe's 7-day Go Sakto deal. That GoSakto deal will have a lower total data of 4GB whereas the Globe Go Surf will give you 6GB and Smart Giga Surf will give you 7.8GB.

Based on personal experience, I seldom consume the allocated data. I have other means of going online like via the home wi-fi and office internet. Whenever I do connect using mobile data, the service is usually slow and unreliable making me rely on the mobile connectivity less.

Between Smart and Globe, Globe is a better choice since the unused data allocation can be carried over to the next availed promo. This is possible since the GoSurf promo is allowed to co-exist with the GoSakto promo and vice versa. The later expiry date of the two Globe promos is the effective expiry date of the remaining unused data. This adding on of promo's is NOT applicable to Smart.

O2 Optix Breathable Contact Lenses​

When googling for the Optix brand, it seems that Alcon already replaced the "O2" with "Air" giving the impression that the one I bought from Eye Q Optical is an old stock. The product is fortunately still not expired.



The contact lens really do feel comfortable to wear if it is properly cleaned. It doesn't easily feel dry on the eyes. The only problem I encountered in my 3 months of using this brand is its difficulty to be removed from the eyes. I have been wearing contact lenses for decades now and this is the first brand (except for my very first pair, of course) that scared me breathless about stuck contact lenses. Other brands slides off easily as long as they are hydrated but not O2 Optix. In my three months of use, it happened four times.

I will definitely no longer buy from the Alcon brand. I'll just use the remaining​ two boxes, disposing the lenses earlier if they cause any problem.

Regarding the store that sold me the contact lenses, Eye Q Optical, they were offering two brands of clear contact lenses, New Look and O2 Optix. The former feels thick and heavy on the eyes so I won't be coming back to Eye Q for contacts as well.

Spotify on Globe Prepaid Problems

These were posted years ago but I still am experiencing similar problems.

https://community.globe.com.ph/thread/81205

https://community.globe.com.ph/thread/74947