Zeldascorn's Blog: Tech and Daily Life

Recovery

2011-11-07T10:53:00.001-08:00

It’s been almost a year now since my last post, and it’s also almost a year ago when I fell sick. Yeah, the simple tonsillitis on my last year’s post wasn’t just simply that – it was actually INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS. Yep, a heart condition has led me to that. I have been sick all of my life and have been diagnosed with Aortic Valvular Stenosis after birth.

I’m glad I’ve recovered from that now. For those who didn’t know – I’ve spent a week in the hospital, have been on Intravenous Antibiotic Therapy for 2 months, been bedridden for almost 4 months, and have developed even more complications during the 8-month recovery period. I’m glad that it’s over. I’m fine now but the Doctor advised to still take necessary precautions. I have also been advised to undergo Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery in the near future but that can wait. I shouldn’t exert too much effort the doctor said, and that I’m not allowed to carry heavy things.

So, here I’m back, posting again on my blog. Thanks to all the people who’ve given me support in my time of crisis. It feels very reassuring that you are there for me. I hope I can count on your continuous support.

Happy New Year to All! (for me as well?)

2011-01-09T07:16:00.001-08:00

Hey, it’s 2011 and it’s been a while since I made a new post. Well, first of all, I would like to greet everybody a happy new year! My new year wasn’t as happy as the previous ones, because I spent most of it, if not all of it, in bed!

Just days before vacation had started I began to chill, had fever, became nauseous, and heavily fatigued. This lasted for 3 weeks! I couldn’t attend any dawn masses, Christmas Eve mass, and even new year’s midnight mass! How lame is that?! I went to the doctor before vacation had started and he mistook it for a simple tonsillitis. He prescribed some antibiotics and then he sent me home. It just got worse! I continued to have chills and fever and I thought, this could already be AGN. My mom said otherwise as this could have already been malaria. So we went to the laboratory and had my blood checked for malarial pests. The test turned out negative. So we went for another check up but not to the same doctor, and I had my urine checked, and there it was, all in the urinalysis, and my predictions were right! I had AGN. Well, acute glumerolunephritis usually arises from tonsillar infection from B-hemolytic streptococci. So, the doctor gave me a high dose of antibiotics fighting the bacteria present in my kidneys.

Up to this day I’m still taking medications and am still a little bit fatigued from everything but I hope everything will turn out for the best.

Zeldascorn, signing off!

How Technology Affects the Medical Fields

2010-12-01T05:07:00.001-08:00

Technology nowadays plays a vital role in field of medicine. Me, as a medical student, use technology for studying, and on top of that, it takes my skills sometimes to its highest potentials. Basic knowledge on the use of a computer is already a “necessity”, and should be implemented in all basic curriculums, especially in Elementary.

Perhaps the single greatest influence in medicine is Technology. The advent of technology and its byproducts have allowed us to enter an era when medicine has greatly evolved to what it is today. The discoveries of many illnesses, diseases and conditions, as well as the advancement of today’s medicines and equipment we use today are product of technology.

I have watched an episode of a series which I don’t know on television, about 5 years ago, showing a surgeon who lives or works in another state in the U.S., performing a surgery on another state through robotic arms, and having a control center at his work of place where he stays. The only downside of this system is when power shortages happen, or internet traffic is high. See the advent of technology on medical practice, making remote surgery possible.

The use of medical equipment like the XRAY, CT Scans and MRI make it possible to detect of the many pathological and non-pathological conditions there are nowadays. The use of ECG machines recording the electrical activity of the heart, which is impossible to do without these machines. All of them, technology, as we know it.

With the advancement in computer technology, physicians and other healthcare personnel will be able to give orders and carry out orders remotely, through the use of the computer and/or PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistants). One that I would mention would be the automated system where a nurse would just type the name of the drug the doctor has ordered into his'/her computer and the drug would automatically be ordered in the pharmacy, ready to be picked up and to be given to the patient. That would lessen much paperwork and the order and usage of the drug would already be added to the patient’s hospital bill, through networking in the hospital. Everything would be automated just by a single click.

Imagine a world where doctors are fully literate about computers, Internet services, and the latest software, tools that enable them to expedite the delivery of vital medicine without bureaucratic delays or unnecessary paperwork. This will enable them to efficiently use their time and maximize their capabilities at work.

The only difficulties arising would be that we are still using the traditional methods of doing things. These advances in technology have already been introduced to the medical field, but still some doctors prefer to use the old methods known to them. Of course, we must encourage them to embrace the era where technology plays already a vital role in the field – as an integral part of their professional lives. Learning a new language, as that of computing, electronic communication and software development should not be feared, but embraced, as this should set a new stepping stone and further advancements in technology.

As a medical student, I would say that technology is an integral part of my learning, and this would help me to better understand what medicine is, and what I can do about it, helping people in need with regards optimum level of functioning, or in simpler terms – HEALTH.

Dan Emmanuel R. Ventura, R.N.

Allods Online: PH first thoughts

2010-11-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I made a blog post. This time around, I'll be talking about Allods Online: PH, which was ported by levelupgames to the Philippines. It's been an international MMORPG for quiet a while now, and it's my first time playing since the open beta came out.

I've tried and played several online games by level up, RF online, Rohan, and many others, and it's quiet exciting to play something new once in a while. With RF's omicron server now up, I've decided to leave my ever dearest character sleeping in the accretian HQ and explore the world of Allods.

The game design is actually pretty amazing. In the character selection screen, you get to choose between two factions: and guess which faction i've chosen - LEAGUE. I don't know why but remembering star wars with the EMPIRE and everything, it feels to me like the empire are the bad people. Just kidding. :)
So I've created my character and started playing. The tutorial in the beginning was great. It is really different from other games i've played, where the NPC's really move around with you. So, playing the game for a few levels gave me a good overview of the game and makes it more exciting to reach higher levels in order to unlock more skills and spells.

The only downside i've seen is the unbearable lag in-game. When you try to attack a monster, your attacks are delayed and you don't notice that your HP is already at half when fighting with a monster. Sometimes you'll just be dead in an instant. I hope this will be fixed soon. And there are a lot of bugs. I also hope this will be fixed soon in the upcoming patches.

One thing more, the graphics aren't that stunning, but I'm playing on a 9800GT, but the graphics are still that demanding. Sometimes it just drops down to 10-15 FPS even in areas with no people. NOTE: settings are already on low and i still lag.

I've also read that a GeForce FX5200 can still support and run this game. But, when you try to run it, even with the latest drivers installed, it always says: PLEASE INSTALL LATEST DRIVERS. Note: I've installed the latest drivers from the nvidia website.

These are the only cons i've seen so far, but nevertheless, it doesn't keep me from playing Allods Online Philippines. See you on the Battlefield!

2010-10-27T10:25:00.001-07:00

Giving Ping.fm a try...

My #@$%#$%&^%#%@ Driving Experience

2010-07-06T07:23:00.001-07:00

So, I’ve been driving a car, an old Toyota Corolla 1.6 GLi, for the past 3 weeks and I can say that, it had cost me a lot of trouble and almost my Life!!!

Here it goes, my parents bought me a car, ‘cause I’ve decided to go into med school. Yes, I’m taking up medicine where classes have started just last month. So, my fully tuned up car, as i may describe it, has been driven here at the city where I am taking med by my father, and has been left under my care. I had enough experience driving a car and was trained by a professional driver before. I was driving an Isuzu ELF, yeah, a truck, which is a lot bigger than a usual car. I didn’t have any difficulty adjusting to it.

First week was awesome, knowing that I’ll be driving my own car, to places like school, malls, and every where else i wanna go to. It was during the first week when I had my first accident. It was on my way home; I had a friend sitting on the passenger’s seat. On a crossing, it is just but normal for a car to slow down to check if there are other cars wanting to cross or bend in on a curve. I was slowing down and I noticed that a single motor was on my tail. There were two people on the motorcycle, not anyone of them wearing a helmet. So, an acceptable norm, I was slowing down, for there was a tricycle waiting on the crossing to make a U-turn, i think, and this motorcycle behind me was so close on my car’s back, that it didn’t have any allowance to turn the steering stick (IDK the term) away in case i would bring the car to a full stop. And in addition, I had a big sticker on my car’s back that says: KEEP DISTANCE. So, while approaching the crossing, I was slowing down, just like any other defensive driver would do. Then in a split of a second, the motorcycle bumped into my car’s back and the two persons on the bike fell of the motorcycle. I immediately stopped and parked the car on the side to check the severity of the accident. I’m a nurse and I really was into emergency nursing when I was still in college, so first aid shouldn’t be a problem for me. So, i went out and checked on the two. None of them were hurt seriously, just the driver of the bike, who had sustained a minor cut on his foot. I asked them if they were allright and they responded that everything is fine. They voluntarily admitted that it’s their fault and they shouldn’t be angry about anything of it. The bike’s wheel on the front sustained damage and it wasn’t any of my business anymore. I asked them if they needed help but they refused to accept any. This is where it all started.

As for my first experience, I’m glad that i’ve been taught how defensive driving works. It’s like paying courtesy at all times – in a more specific term – ROAD COURTESY.

Having a car isn’t easy on the pocket. I thought it would lessen me to spend my allowance on traveling fares, but my allowance has been cut down because of the gasoline, and damn, gasoline here in the phils are extremely expensive! How i wish my car would run on DIESEL. Well, anyway, it does allow me to go any where I want at any given time. If i want to go to the Mercury drug store or any 24 hour store past 10pm, I can do so. Sometimes there are advantages of having a car, but sometimes disadvantages may also arise.

After the first week, I experienced another problem. The school is located i think 5-6km from my place. I was on my way home from class when suddenly the engine died, on the middle of the road. I was still able to place it aside, but the brakes didn’t work. So, i had to use the hand brakes to bring the car to a full stop. I went home by a tricycle and called for my uncle who knows a mechanic near our place. So we went back to the car who has let him check what was wrong with it. He said: THERE’S NO MORE WATER IN YOUR RADIATOR AND THE BREAK FLUID IS A VERY LOW LEVEL. YOUR CAR JUST OVERHEATED. I checked the radiator temperature levels and it was way too hot. They poured water into the radiator and it was running again. They brought the car to the shop and replaced some engine parts. I think it was a cylinder that was replaced and an engine oil seal, as well as all of the break pads. Then the mechanic said, always check the water levels and fluids of your car. “WHAT THE HELL DO I KNOW ABOUT CARS???!!! I just know how to drive them. I’m a registered nurse, a medical student, fixing cars is not on my list!!!! From then on, it’s part of my daily routine to check everything before i go to school. Only problem is that my allowance is cut into half because of the maintenance of the car and cost for gasoline. I WANT MY ALLOWANCE BACK!!! T_T

So after the second week, here comes this week: The current week, which I am writing this post now. I had class from 7:30am to 5pm. We had some practices in the school for the upcoming acquaintance party on july 10.I had some friends with me on my way home. It was a near death (masyadong O.A. ang term. hehehe) experience at the same crossing i was talking about in the beginning of this post. This time it was an owner (small jeep IDK), ready to bend into the curve. I was approaching again at about 60kph and as far as I know, he was clearly seeing me approaching into the crossing. Vehicles on the hi-way have more priority than those who are trying to go into the hi-way. Basic principle i learned from driving school. So i was about to reach the crossing when that stup*d driver of that vehicle, still tries to turn left. Owners don’t have windows and his view is like you can see the niagara falls from your home. So half way turning left into the crossing, I was pushing on the horn so many times so that everybody would get my attention. It’s a good thing that i was able to avoid crashing into the vehicle. PRESENCE of MIND, DAN, PRESENCE of MIND that’s what my father always has been telling me. And another good thing that the people on the right side, jumped away from the almost-accident site. There was I, praying for forgiveness from God, for they (reckless drivers) do not know what they are doing. LESSON LEARNED: EVEN THOUGH HOW MUCH CAREFUL YOU ARE IN DRIVING, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE DRIVERS RECKLESS ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU EXPERIENCE AN ACCIDENT.

Driving may be fun, at the same time it may be disastrous. If you have a car, be a DEFENSIVE DRIVER. Maintain ROAD COURTESY at all times. Get in to a driving school for Christ’s sake, not just somebody who gets a license from the LTO without even taking up a practical examination.

That’s my driving experience. I hope that we’ll always be safe on the road.

Zeldascorn, R.N.

Preparing for Med School: What RIG to build

2010-04-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

I know that this has little to do with medicine, but who cares - I need a computer, and my laptop can't handle all of the things I'll be doing. From gaming to editing, a mid-end computer should do.

With the variety of hardware available here at home (I'm not planning to spend thousands of pesos to build a new one, so I have to be resourceful), I am placing some of the old parts I have here to build the rig I'll be using throughout my med schooling.

Here are the specs: (I am not really into gaming this time, maybe some Warcraft and PangYa)

Processor: AMD Athlon X2 64 5200+ 2.7ghz

Motherboard: EMAXX AMD780G Pro+ MoBo

RAM: 2x Kingston 2gb DDR800 Ram (4gb Total)

GPU: Palit GeForce 9800GT 512mb DDR3 256bit

HDD: 1x Seagate Barracuda 80GB (OS), 2x Seagate Barracuda 320gb SATA (Storage)

Monitors: 2x 19" Viewsonic LCD Monitors (Nothing's better than a Dual Screen Setup for a single video card)

Hope this should do. Am just going to upgrade later if my pocket allows me to. Med Books are damn expensive. Like the price of a 4870 or so.

Blackberry Bold 9700 Review

2010-04-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

After using the Bold for over a week now, I am pretty impressed by its functionality. I am a person who's always on-the-go and love to travel. Just last week, I went to DLSU to take the National Medical Admission Test and the Bold came in much pretty handy. From texting to web browsing, media playback, etc., - it is one of the best devices I've ever laid my hands on. I've tried to use an Iphone 3g before, but I'm not that much into touchscreen phones, and you can see in my blog's archives that I was an LG cookie user before - I've sold it after a few months because of the difficulty in creating SMS's. I had a hard time to text my friends and i was a little bit slow using the touchscreen and opted to buy another phone, now with a physical keypad - the sony ericsson k770i.

Now to the bottom of this: here's my quick review of the RIM Blackberry Bold 9700.

Display:

The display looks great. It's crystal clear and very crisp. With a resolution of 480 by 360, it's more than enough to let you watch your favorite movies or videos on the Bold 9700. It exceeds it's predecessor - the Blackberry Bold 9000 which only had a resolution of 480x320. It's a big improvement and trust my word - it's very crisp and clear.

Connectivity:

It's basically a quad-band phone. Has wi-fi, 3g, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 - the most common things that should be a standard now in today's phones, and all of it are embedded on the Blackberry Bold 9700. The only downside is that the browser is a little bit slow, but there's always opera mini, which is a lot faster.

Software and Applications:

It's a good thing that RIM has created the Blackberry App World Application which let's us download free/paid software directly to our phone. It's like the apple store for the iphone. The BB Bold 9700 offers a variety of apps which really come in handy. I say that I'm impressed with the various apps available, especially the facebook and twitter apps, and even yahoo messenger do their jobs well.

SMS and typing:

The qwerty keyboard is fun to use with. Not only does it feel like you're on a real keyboard, it makes typing a lot more easier especially when sending SMS messages, surf the web, and/or edit and save documents with the built in document editor. This is very useful if you're a blogger and always on the road. I've gotten used to it so there's no problem for me, only those who haven't touched a qwerty phone yet will find difficulties in adjusting to this kind of layout. One thing not to forget to mention is the OPTICAL TRACKPAD. RIM has made a good decision in removing the trackball, and to replace it with a touch sensitive trackpad. I'm quite impressed with the ease of use of the trackpad, and if you'll get used to it, scrolling and selecting items will be more than just fun. LOL

Battery Life:

Let me see, I charge my phone every 2-3days - Wi-Fi, SMS, some calling. According to RIM, it has a standby time of 504 hours and 38 hours of continuous music playback. Seems long enough for me, and all I can say, the battery life is amazing. Period.

Camera:

The Bold features a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and 2x digital zoom. It also captures video at 480x360 resolution and I am very impressed with the video quality. Not like my previous phones I have, they only record at such low FPS and quality. Picture quality isn't that impressive but should do the job taking quick pictures if you're on the way.

Pros:

- Qwerty Keyboard

- Long battery life

- Crisp Display (480x360 pixels)

- Has wifi, 3g, GPRS, Edge and Bluetooth 2.1

- 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus

Cons:

- You need a data plan to experience all of its features.

- There's no well-working free GPS app here in the philippines.

- Pretty big in the hands, need at least to use both hands to type.

Conclusion:

Well, if you want a Blackberry, and you're a geek who's always traveling, then this might be the phone for you. It's actually intended for business use, but it's like an extraordinary tech-gadget that anyone can put in their pockets. So take a tour of the Blackberry Bold 9700, if you like it - then buy it. I definitely recommend this phone to those who need wi-fi, 3g, a full-qwerty keyboard, as well as music and video packed in one device.

Getting a Blackberry Bold 9700

2010-04-01T10:18:00.001-07:00

After 4 months of using the Sony Ericsson K770i, with which I’m really impressed with, I think it’s time to try out some smart phones. My eyes have been onto a blackberry for some time now and this makes me look on the Blackberry Bold 9700. It has been called the best blackberry phone.

Here are some of its key features:

Sleek design measuring 4.29″ x 2.36″ x 0.56″ (109 mm x 60 mm x 14.1 mm) and weighing only 4.3 oz (122 grams)
Sharp and dazzling 2.44” light-sensing display (480 x 360 resolution at 245 ppi)
Highly tactile full-QWERTY keyboard – with finely sculpted keys and chrome frets – for fast, accurate typing
Innovative touch-sensitive trackpad that allows intuitive and responsive navigation
Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) with support for Wi-Fi calling via UMA where available
3.2 MP camera with variable zoom, autofocus, flash and video recording
BlackBerry® OS 5.0, offering users email management and calendar enhancements* as well as a better browsing experience with faster JavaScript and CSS processing
Built-in GPS for maps and other location-based applications, as well as photo geotagging
Media player for videos, pictures and music (music play now extended up to 38 hours), plus support for BlackBerry® Desktop Manager for both PCs and Macs, and BlackBerry® Media Sync for easily syncing iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone**
3.5 mm stereo headset jack, dedicated volume controls, Lock and Mute keys seamlessly integrated across the top of the handset
microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 16 GB cards today and is expected to support 32 GB cards when available; a 2GB card is included
256 MB of Flash memory
Access to BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones. Categories include games, entertainment, IM and social networking, news, weather, productivity and more.
Premium and easy-to-access phone features, background noise suppression technology and high quality speakerphone
Bluetooth® (2.1) with support for Secure Simple Pairing, hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals
Support for BlackBerry® Internet Service and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server
Available in two versions to support various carrier 3G network frequency combinations:

UMTS/HSDPA 2100/1900/850/800 MHz and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM
UMTS/HSDPA 2100/1700/900 MHz and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM

Removable, rechargeable 1500 mAhr battery that provides approximately 6 hours of talk time and 17 days of standby time in 3G mode.

This phone will suit my needs, probably. Wifi, 3g, GPRS, a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash. What more can you ask for? We’ll see when I get my hands on it. Till then. Review is coming up!

My Trip Home to Aparri

2010-02-17T19:04:00.001-08:00

It's been 45 minutes already since i've entered this van bound to my hometown of aparri. There were already a lot of people coming to the van station but refused to enter the van maybe because they have seen that there aren't any passengers on board yet. So they have been waiting on the hi way for another van to pick them up. As for me, i have been sitting in this van for 45 minutes now and there are only 4 of us at the moment, who patiently wait for other passengers to come and ride with us to aparri. It's good that i might consider myself a patient one if not i would already have stepped down from this van and rather have taken the bus. I hope in the next few minutes, this van will be filled with passengers or else i will lose my patience.

2010-02-13T22:47:00.001-08:00

Just giving Ping.FM a try.

After Nursing, what's next?

2010-02-09T03:53:00.000-08:00

So I got my diploma in Bachelor Of Science in Nursing, and passed the Nurse Licensure Exam, but what's next? I always dreamed of being a doctor someday, and this is the chance. I talked to my parents about it and luckily, they've agreed.

My decision on taking medicine was greatly influenced and at the verge of not pushing through. My experience in computers made me think of taking Nursing informatics. I thought it through, and told my parents about it. That was 4th year I think, where they strongly agreed. Nursing informatics isn't yet available as of now here in the Philippines so I opted to study in America if God would permit. My cousin told me if I was going to push through with Nursing Informatics, she would be happy to lend me a helping hand in going to the United States. There, my dreams of becoming a doctor, vanished. I would have taken the NCLEX after the board examination, BUT, I was there, thinking again: should I swap my dreams for a decision made in an instant? After all that ambitious dreaming of becoming a doctor to serve humanity? I said: NO WAY! I am pushing through with medicine!

Here I am today, a registered nurse, reviewing for the upcoming National Medical Admission Test, held in April of this year, so that I may enroll into a school of medicine here in the Philippines, to help those in need of medical assistance. I won't be the only one from my batch to take up medicine, but there are a lot of 'em. This is it, and I am not turning back. After surviving the hardships of nursing, then it isn't impossible that I might survive med. Let's do this for humanity!

My life with Technology

2010-02-06T00:38:00.001-08:00

I was a grade 1 pupil and every time I went by the principal’s office, I saw that computer of his. A big CRT monitor with a huge CPU case. I think they were Pentium MMX CPU’s running at 333mhz that time with 32mb of RAM, and a 4mb video card. That was 1994 i think. The first technology with electronics etc i had was a gameboy, yeah the fat big gray one with super mario and good old tetris. then i begged my parents to buy me a NES, and i got a nes. The following week i told my parents to buy me some more games for the NES but they insisted to buy a brand new SNES with super mario world. Then came 1998, and the N64 came out. I didn’t opt for the popular “buy” option but I waited a little bit longer. 3 years to be exact. It was 2001 and finally my mom bought me an N64.

Had a PC but the story was totally different. I think i got my first PC in 1997. My uncle died so my father bought his PC. The specs are horrifying today so here were the specs:

Processor: Intel Pentium MMX @ 333mhz

RAM: 32mb of SD RAM

Video Card: 4mb S3 Pro Savage PCI

Hard drive: 6gb IDE hdd.

I still have the PC but doesn’t run anymore. It was great for games like starcraft and hercules. LOL

Then came the pentium 4 era, way back 2004. I got into college and my parents bought me a P4 PC with 256mb of RAM and integrated graphics. It was a nice PC but i couldn’t play most of the modern titles like NBA and FEAR. I searched for options to make them run on my machine but had no luck. I was advised to upgrade my video card. Well intergrated gfx suck and they are not for gaming. So, i opted for the “buy” option and bought myself a HIS Radeon 9250 128mb 64bit AGP video card. And it was a warm welcome to Directx9 gaming, even though the card only supported dx8.1. lol. After a year, i wasn’t contented with the 9250. I upgraded to a Sapphire Radeon 9550 256mb 128bit DDR video card, and it was a huge jump for me from the previous graphics to the gfx i had with the 9550. FEAR, NFS Carbon, and BF2 ran smoothly on high, if not, medium settings. It was a nice card, it had a little blue light on its fan. Had the card for over a year and sold it to a friend ‘cause i was going to an excursion and thought of buying a new video card. I bought myself a Geforce card this time. An Nvidia Geforce 7300GT 512mb 128bit AGP from PALIT, and all of the previous games I mention were clocked up to maximum.

Upgrading and buying PC hardware can be an endless battle, which the ending of the story, can hardly be seen. If you're a tech enthusiast, you probably know what I mean. Technology is going by fast, and the latest in tech, probably by 4-5 months, will already be obsolete.

Zeldascorn, RN out!

Dan Emmanuel R. Ventura, R.N.

2010-01-31T09:00:00.000-08:00

That name means only one thing - I've successfully passed the Nurse Licensure Examination on November 29 and 30, 2009 and have the right to carry the RN signature at the back of my name meaning that i'm already a registered nurse.

With all the anxieties and apprehensions that have come my way, I can finally say that I am breathing deeply now without any stress and pressure. I am relieved and can finally sleep peacefully at nights. I thank God that he granted our prayers, and we will not stop praying, for it is for his greater Glory to continue to serve in his name.

Thank you to everyone who has made this possible. Without you, it would have been impossible. Thank you and God Bless!

Dan Emmanuel R. Ventura, R.N.

a.k.a. Zeldascorn

Anxiety….escalating?

2010-01-29T07:57:00.001-08:00

It’s just a few days more before they will release the list of passers of the November 29 and 30 Nurse Licensure Examination and I have been filled with lots of anxiety, pressure and apprehension. Of course, if you’re a taker, it’s only natural that you might feel that way, cause we never know if you’ll gonna pass or not.

We have been reviewing for a month and a half and I do hope that five years of our stay in college, with all the trials and challenges we have faced, we come to this point of culminating all our hardships, to this 2-day exams, just to claim our licenses of practicing nursing in the Philippines. We’ve gone through a lot more examinations before, and the board exam is just another 500 items. People tend to get nervous, experience sleepless nights, and palpitate when they think of the board exam. It’s just a normal feeling but me, myself also experience this. I get heartaches more often but still manageable.

The Caritas Christi is a batch more than capable of bringing back the 100% legacy of St. Paul University Philippines, for all the hardships they have experienced, that I can say, that this batch deserves to be on top.

I hope my batchmates will read this post. Let us continue to pray not for ourselves, but for each and everyone, our batch especially, the Caritas Christi, that we may have a 100% passing rate in the board exam.

See you, RN!

Zeldascorn

Geeks vs. I.T professionals

2010-01-04T04:38:00.000-08:00

Hey it's new year and this will be my first post for this year.

I think we have heard this story over and over again. Geeks here and there, and then come these so-called "IT pros". I'm not an IT pro but surely I'm a geek.

But what do you think? Are geeks any better than I.T pro's or vice versa? In my sense, they equally competent not just because IT pro's have been studying all these different technologies, and geeks don't?]

It's sometimes really annoying when an IT pro stands in front of you and tells you things you already know (if you're a geek) with all his pride and chin up. (Hehe). Not to boast around but I am knowledgeable about PC hardware and software troubleshooting. I'm fixing PC's sometimes for free (sometimes not if I need some cash hehe) and my friends are really satisfied with my work and then comes this one IT guy who says that they are barking at the wrong tree.

I know they have been studying about every single PC thingy but this I ask them, aren't geeks competent enough to level an IT Pro? I mean, geeks know the difference between NVIDIA and ATI, AMD and Intel, and that the fastest processor on the planet is the Intel Core I7 965, with the Intel Core I9 to follow, which is a 6-core processor. Can geeks play around in Adobe After Effects, Sony Vegas and other editing applications? Yes they surely can. How about Programming in Visual Basic, Visual Fox, Visual CC, even in 3ds Max and Maya? They can.

The geek community is large and they are quite competent when it comes to Computers and other Tech stuff. Owners of the fastest Gaming PC's aren't IT Pro's, they are Geeks. Let me name one rig if you wanna know: He's a well known PC builder at Youtube.com and stands out for his Obsession with computers.
Processor: Intel Core I7 965 Extreme
Motherboard: EVGA X58 Classified
RAM: 6GB Dominator GT RAM DDR3 2000mhz
GPUs: 2x Powercolor Radeon 5970 in quad-fire
Benchmarks show that this Rig can run any game as of today, with even Crysis maxed out at 2560x1600 resolution. Even with Eyefinity, and that monster resolution of 7680x1600.

I am proud being a geek, even if I cannot keep up with the latest hardware. At least I am not being fooled by those high-priced Desktop PC's at the market. I can build a better PC myself for that price that they are offering.
My Rig:
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ 2.7Ghz
Motherboard: Emaxx AMD780 Pro
RAM: 4GB Kingston DDR2 RAM
GPU: Palit GeForce 9800GT Green
It's not the latest but I can say that it's better than nothing. And I'm proud of it.

Geeks sometimes may be geeks, but hey, let's take into consideration that they have knowledge, larger than you may think. Don't think that they don't know anything, they have what it takes to be a GEEK. Don't say that people seeking for PC help are barking at the wrong tree; it may be true that we aren't professionals, but sometimes a little respect may do the work.

I am a Geek, and I'm proud of it.

Zeldascorn

Se k770i fun

2009-10-27T02:45:00.001-07:00

Just bought myself a sony ericsson k770i and am having a great time taking pictures with it. Review still to come.

To buy or not to buy?

2009-10-22T02:33:00.001-07:00

After 3 months of using the LG KP500 also known as the cookie, of which i'm quiet impressed and satisfied with, the glance of a Sony Ericsson k770 came into my eyes.

So I decided to spend some cash again for one, where in fact, my previous phone that came before the cookie was a sony ericsson k750i, which i have loved so much and stayed with me for more than 3 years.

Have seen reviews of the k770 and most are positive. So I shall give it a shot, next week probably.

So stay tuned for an unboxing and a short review.

Baguio City, Benguet, Philippines

2009-08-08T00:47:00.000-07:00

Been in baguio city for a week now and it's raining cats and dogs here. I'm actually here for my staffing duty at the Notre Dame De Chartres Hospital and all I can say, I love it here!

I was actually considering to work here if God permits but hopefull, I will pursue Medicine first.

Anyway, its' august 8, 2009 and it's our 1st anniversary with my GF. Bought her some flowers and a stuff toy and I hope that makes her smile.

Zeldascorn out!

Nod32 2.7 Download

2009-07-22T03:04:00.000-07:00

Free Download of Nod32 v2.7 Antivirus
One of the Best out there...

Download @ Mediafire.com
Click Here

Enjoy.
Installation is with the Rar file.
Just extract it with winrar, winzip, or 7zip.

Excited: Getting an LG KP500 aka Cookie!

2009-06-13T01:59:00.000-07:00

This is it. Finally, i'm getting my hands on to an LG KP500 or also known as Cookie!
It's a full touchscreen phone but does not have wifi or 3G. I don't need that anyway why still get it? Haha. I really like the browser as many have said. It also supports Opera mini and that UBT!

Full phone features:
> Quad Band GSM phone
> GPRS/Edge Support
> 3.2 Megapixel Camera with QVGA Video recording @ 12FPS (Sucks)
> MP4 - 3GP format
> Very nice Browser
> Full 3 inch Touchscreen
> Tiltable to horizontal usage
> Full querty keys and hand writing recognition
> Mp3/Radio Player
> 48mb built in memory
> MicroSD slot. expandable up to 16GB
> Motion Sensor Games
> Etc...

I really like this phone, it's affordable and gives me all the applications I need.
Am very excited to get it next week.

Join Me on TEAMSPEAK!

2009-06-01T04:54:00.000-07:00

Teamspeak is a great way of talking to one another while playing games.
It does not eat your bandwidth while playing and thus reduces lag.

In this video I am going to show you how to connect to my server and where to download TEAMSPEAK v2.

Rohan Online PH OB

2009-04-29T07:27:00.001-07:00

Rohan online philippines open beta.

Well, after a few years of playing Level up's Rising Force Online, I decided to switch to a new game - Rohan Online PHilippines. Rohan had already been available internationally before and I decided to give it a try.

So to say, i'll just give it a simple review.

Gameplay:

- Simple, and easy to learn.

- Tutorial at the beginning to give new players an overview on how things work, especially movement, battle, and item management.

- Massive quests, huge maps, but potions you can only use every 40 seconds. T_T

- Keeps you playing till you get into higher levels, but if you're a player without patience, then you'll not stick to this game for a long time. Maps are huge so getting to place would take a lot of effort in clicking and pressing keys to get there.

Graphics:

- I'll give graphics a 6 out of 10. System requirements are a little bit high, but you don't expect much of its graphics. Graphics are simple but only a slight difference when you crank up the graphics to maximum.

- Runs laggy on older systems even on lowest settings (keep minimum framerate)

Sound:

- Sounds ok, nuff said.

Conclusion:

Game's ok, but if you're an impatient gamer, then this game is not for you. Graphics are far away from Crysis and other high spec games. Final verdict, this game gives you a lot of quests and keeps you playing till late night!

8/10

-Zeldascorn

I love my Sony Ericsson K750i

2009-03-27T08:21:00.001-07:00

Ever since i got this phone from my cousin, yes it's a souvenir from UK, I really got attached to it, not because of it being a mid-spec phone, but because of the camera. It's a 2.0 megapixel camera phone and shoots amazing pictures with its autofocus and many other amazing features. Here's a pic of my watch in it's highest quality, taking with my k750i.

I really love this phone!

Removals Part 2?

2009-03-24T18:41:00.001-07:00

Second semester SY 2008-2009 has been a tragedy for most of our batch because only 70 out of 216 students made it through the semester with an average grade of 85 percent. While some are taking their vacations now, people like me are still reviewing for the upcoming removal examinations. The removal exams are intended to uplift your score in the final examination to give you another chance if your grade does increase to 85 percent. I have been reviewing ever since the day they've announced those who passed the subject, for a face that we are only taking up one subject which is worth 3 units.

Don't think that it's not a difficult course because it is nursing and the topics here are wide out of our range. With all the hard work these past days, i can say that i have reviewed very well and i think i might be able to pass.

I pray to God that this is only a trial in life and hope that He will be at my side when I take the exams.

So help me God.

Smart Bro sus a.... as well as customer service

2009-03-03T21:39:00.000-08:00

Here it goes again,.. I received that stupid connection time out errors again and called smart bro's customer service @ *1888. They told me to write down a number which will be used in case someone from their shitty service calls me. They ensured me that i will receive a call from them in the next 24 hours. It was a monday. The next day came and no one called. The following day, no one called. Until friday. I was so mad that i called their hotline again, complaining. The call lasted for more than 40 minutes and still they cannot fix my problem. The next day they sent a field team to inspect my antenna.
What they found out - A COCONUT LEAF WAS BLOCKING THE VIEW TO THE BASE STATION!
Hell yeah, a single piece of shit maybe even plastic blocking the antenna would the internet connection make not work anymore.
They extended the height of the tube where the antenna is placed and viola, connection time outs are gone.

Not that i am happy again, THE SPEED DROPPED! from a constant 370+ kbps, it dropped down to 100kbps. WTF.

So I decided to disconnect my connection (imagine i pay a thousand philippine pesos for a month of shitty connection speed) and went to a different ISP. I get more than double the speed (896kbps) with digitel for only 1,200 php, and with free landline calls locally.

So for those who plan to apply for a smart bro connection: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! A single banana leaf would make your connection not work anymore! And their customer service is the sh*t. They cannot even answer your questions and problems.

To hell with smart bro. And don't even think about getting that prepaid thingy. It's more worse than you've thought.

\zeldascorn out!

3 months already and no disconnection!

2009-01-07T06:20:00.000-08:00

HAHAHAHA... AHAHAHAH... no,, AHAHHAH again.... I'm getting crazy.

The last time I've paid my smart bro bill was last october and it has already been 3 months since then. My connection should have been cut down already a week ago but here I am, still posting on my blog with a connected internet connection.

Anyway, I'm going tomorrow to pay my bills so stay tuned!

Zeldascorn out!

AC Ryan | ProData | ACR-HD51929 AluBox Silver [USB2.0 . eSATA] IDE & SATA2 Review

2008-12-06T18:29:00.000-08:00

Connect to PC via USB2.0 or eSATA
USB2.0 480mbps / Compatible with USB1.1
The simplest and fastest way to get more storage onto your PC / notebook
eSATA interface 3.0Gbps (compatible with SATA 1.5Gbps)

for IDE or SATA / SATA2 harddisk
Use IDE harddisk on USB
Use SATA harddisk on eSATA or USB
Enjoy the blazing speed of SATA as fast as an internal harddisk!!
Supports all 3.5" harddisk up to 10000RPM
Supports all 3.5" harddisk up to 2TB (2048GB)
** NOTE : Retail Boxes & Catalogs nay still state 1024GB, but every AluBox, AluBoxDuo, AluBoxTFX, AluBoxValue already support up to 2TB (2048GB)

True HotSwap Plug-n-Play
Simply Plug n Play even while your system is on
Front BlueLED light indicates HDD activity

1.8mm Solid Aluminum
Keeps harddisk cool
Ultra lightweight solid construction
Shock resistance up to 90cm freefall
High quality mirror polish

Horizontal Stackable or Vertical
Designed for horizontal or vertical placement
Vertical placement with vertical stand
Multiple box can be stacked on each other

I just got myself an enclosure for my old hard drive. The name is given above and I really like the design. I need large files to be traveled every now and then, so a portable HDD would be the best thing to go. I had a spare 40GB hdd here lying around so I thought, why don't make a portable hdd out of it? I give it a 9/10... Excellent Product from A.C. Ryan!

My WeeMee

2008-11-27T05:07:00.000-08:00

my weemee

from weeworld

SMART BROken! ARGGGGGGHHHHH!

2008-11-27T01:43:00.000-08:00

FTW?!

Smart bro and its lousy service made my week very uncomfortable browsing the net. What the hell am I talking about?! I did get the time out issue once again and I cannot play my games well! I always get disconnected from any online game when the connection calls a time out!

Maybe this happened because of the flood and the base station got wet.... aw...

Thank God connection is back to normal and I can start uploading my vids to youtube once again.
Online games, HERE I COME!

http://www.youtube.com/zeldascornstudios

DS vs PSP

2008-10-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

I know that the PSP wins the handheld wars but i'm still a Ninty Freak.
I like nintendo much more than any Sony Product.

That's why I've decided to buy a DS this coming affiliation in Manila.
I think am going for the R4 for DS and some other accessories.

Anyway, gotta save some cash still until the end of this month.

See ya!

Blackout - Not Again!

2008-07-21T07:25:00.001-07:00

I hate it when that happens! And now after current has been restored, I tried to open my PC and woooooosh - It freezed! I tried restarting it several times but - nothing happens.

Although I have been used to open my case and do this and that inside of it, this time it's different. I get that annoying beep sound after reinserting those memory modules.

Out with the screwdrivers and toothbrushes! It's time for some back lashing and cleaning! So what I did is remove any PCI, AGP cards inside and tried to clean their contacts. I have been used to cleaning my PC thoroughly every month but have skipped this month because of that exam!!!

Here's a video of me doing some troubleshooting.

I hope that it will not happen again after another blackout! Zeldascorn out!

Things to do for this month

2008-07-20T20:58:00.001-07:00

Today, July 21, is a day in which I shouldn't be sitting in front of my PC. I got a big test tomorrow in Nursing Care Management 104 which is all about psychiatric nursing and I haven't even reviewed a single thing yet. Yikes! So this would be my primary concern this evening. It's still 12 pm and I have plenty of time reviewing.

So here's a list of things to do before July ends. (hopefully)

Finish an advertisement for the school (I am the only nursing student in the group doing that advertisement)
Finish my Home studio and record some songs in the process
Buy a second monitor for dual screening (more productivity)
Repair my keyboard (Technics KN-720)
Fix some computers of schoolmates while earning money in the process.
Teach new songs to my choir at school
Go out to the bookstore and look for some new, good books.
Watch some movies.

No much but these are the things that I am planning to do before this month ends! arggghhhhhh...

WISH ME GOOD LUCK IN MY EXAM TOMORROW!

Am I Really A Nursing Student? Geek Stuff

2008-07-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, I really am. I am taking up bachelor of science in nursing, and am in my fourth year now. BUT, why is it that I am really inclined into tech stuff?! Especially when it comes to computers.

They even wonder why I know of these things although I study nursing.

I have been making videos for some activities of the nursing department and lots of IT students and teachers have been saying:" How come you know how to use After Effects and those other piece of softwares? We don't even know how to use those..."

Well, I have just become interested in those things you know... I really like PC hardware. And I plan to build my second PC later if I have the money. The first one that I have built is only a mid-end mean machine, which could at least run after effects and the like.

Well, after my duty at the hospital, the first thing I am going to do - open my PC, check email and instant messages, and play some games.... That's my routine. If I have time to sleep, then I'll sleep. But when I find something to do online or offline, expect me to be awake even at midnight till early morning!

PC Optimization Tutorials Part 1 and 2

2008-07-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

Did some tutorial on how to optimize windows XP. Watch and enjoy

Part 1

Part 2

Smart BRO does it again!

2008-07-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

I have been again suffering from this shitty broadband service of SMART BRO.

2 days ago, my connection was very stable and during the night, I have tried to play a usual game of Warcraft 3 on GArena. Suddenly, every after 3-5 mins I get that disconnection screen.

I've tried pinging many sites using CMD and I got a connection time out every 2-3 mins of connecting to the internet!

This is the 5th time I think that I get a shitty connection, but usually I get 384kbps of bandwidth or much higher sometimes. LOL

Now, my connection is back to stable and I hope that I could play my games normally on GArena and kick some butt...

zeldascorn@gmail.com

noel7_ney@yahoo.com

http://www.freewebs.com/zeldascorn

http://www.friendster.com/zeldascorn

http://www.zeldascorn.blogspot.com

10 things to keep your PC virus free

2008-07-20T04:47:00.000-07:00

Most of us use computers in our everyday life. Especially for us nursing students, who create Case studies with the use of the computer. Sometimes we use those thumbdrives to copy those already finished documents and apply the famous tactic of "copy and paste".

But do you think that all computers are virus free? Those nasty little things that could go to another PC by simply accessing our thumbdrives. Viruses, Trojans and other malware are the things that may spread by the simple click of a mouse.

So here are 10 tips to keep your PC virus free:

1. Never use floppy disks - floppy disks are now more vulnerable to infiltrations than any USB flashdrive, so it's better to avoid them, any place, any time. Get a flashdrive or something better.

2. Install Antivirus Software - This is your best friend when it comes to killing those mean little things - viruses. You can download some good AV for free or you can buy them. But still if you're not the type of buying your software, then here are some FREE anvtiruses:

a. AVG Free - Download here

- one of the most popular AV known.

b. Avast Home edition - Download here

- also a free and good AV

c. Avira AntiVir Personal 8 - Download Here

- Good AV too

> There are still others out there but I prefer these three of the Free Antivirus community. If you have the money, you could go out and buy some of those better known antiviruses like Nod32, Kaspersky, Norton or McAfee. I personally use Nod32 Antivirus.

3. Download update definition files / Update your antivirus - DO THIS EVERYTIME YOU LOG IN INTO YOUR PC! These are the most important files your antivirus need. What do you do with an antivirus without any updates?

4. Scan your USB Flash Drive | Portable Hard Drive - This is done to prevent the spread of any virus, trojan, or malware from and into your PC. Do this on a regular basis like every time you insert your or another person's flash disks, etc.

5. Computer Shops, Friends' or other person's PC, School - Know where you insert your portable devices! These are primary spots where you can acquire those nasty monsters. If you really need a files from that PC, better send it to your PC via email, and scan it there!

6. Beware of those who will use your personal computer! - Don't let anybody get in front of your PC without permission - most of all, don't let them insert any portable devices without you monitoring it! This happens to me most of the time. GRRRRRR....

7. McAfee Site Advisor - This is a cool little utility for browser which shows the safety of the sites you are browsing. For example, those shown in red are dangerous/harmful sites. Better avoid them. Those shown in green are safe sites. Those in yellow are sites that have not been visited yet by mcafee.

Download the Free Version HERE!

8. Know your BROWSER - most browser have weaknesses when it comes to blocking pop ups and saving cookies that could be harmful to your PC.

a. Mozilla Firefox 3.0 - Download HERE

b. Internet Explorer 7 - Download HERE

c. Maxthon 2 - Download HERE

d. Apple Safari - Download HERE

9. Do a daily AV SCAN - it doesn't harm to scan for viruses each time you open your PC. No viruses - better performance you'll get.

10. Downloads - Avoid downloading from sites you're not familiar with. Most viruses and trojans can arise from there.

Hope these tips might help to keep your PC virus FREE!

zeldascorn@gmail.com

noel7_ney@yahoo.com

http://www.freewebs.com/zeldascorn

http://www.friendster.com/zeldascorn

http://www.zeldascorn.blogspot.com

Zeldascorn's Blog: Tech and Daily Life

Recovery

Happy New Year to All! (for me as well?)

How Technology Affects the Medical Fields

Allods Online: PH first thoughts

My #@$%#$%&^%#%@ Driving Experience

Preparing for Med School: What RIG to build

Blackberry Bold 9700 Review

Getting a Blackberry Bold 9700

My Trip Home to Aparri

After Nursing, what's next?

My life with Technology

Dan Emmanuel R. Ventura, R.N.

Anxiety….escalating?

Geeks vs. I.T professionals

Se k770i fun

To buy or not to buy?

Baguio City, Benguet, Philippines

Nod32 2.7 Download

Excited: Getting an LG KP500 aka Cookie!

Join Me on TEAMSPEAK!

Rohan Online PH OB

I love my Sony Ericsson K750i

Removals Part 2?

Smart Bro su**s a**.... as well as customer service

3 months already and no disconnection!

AC Ryan | ProData | ACR-HD51929 AluBox Silver [USB2.0 . eSATA] IDE & SATA2 Review

My WeeMee

SMART BROken! ARGGGGGGHHHHH!

DS vs PSP

Blackout - Not Again!

Things to do for this month

Am I Really A Nursing Student? Geek Stuff

PC Optimization Tutorials Part 1 and 2

Smart BRO does it again!

10 things to keep your PC virus free

Smart Bro sus a.... as well as customer service