Snap it with SnapIt Screen Capture 3.7

Being a certified dad for a year now, I have gained this habit of taking photos and videos of my son Charles in every activities he's getting into. From his first smile to his first steps, I have captured them all in my digital camera.

I just have this small problem with some of the captured moments. I want to grab a snap a shot from a video file while running it to my media player but the Print Screen capability of my desktop somewhat won't let me do it.

Good thing, SnapIt Screen Capture 3.7 came into the picture. SnapIt is easy to use screen capture software which allows you to easily capture anything on the screen including windows, menus, full screen, rectangular regions, web pages and take shots of moving images.

- Supports hotkeys, auto-saving, clipboard
- Automatically copies screenshots to the clipboard
- Tracks capture history, auto-saves captured images
- Saves files in BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG and TIFF formats
- Auto-names captured images

Here's another special feature of SnapIt which is considered as its most powerful feature:
In menu Properties you may switch on "Auto save images" option. It means that every time you capture image on your PC screen you don't need to save it! It will be saved automatically in the selected folder with selected image type. It is a very convenient feature for web designers who surf the Internet for new graphic ideas and want to save them in their local collection with one click.

For a FREE trial, just visit www.digeus.com.

Of Asus, Milla Jovovich and Santa

Last week, I saw a this big print ad in one of the leading local newspaper showcasing Milla Jovovich's kick-ass beauty beside another kick-ass gadget--- the new N Series from Asus.

The ad is such a great sight to look at that I almost salivate while staring at... the new N Series from Asus.

In this new line of laptops from Asus, great performance with Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and superb audio-visual experience were combined to guarantee fun fun fun! The 14 and 15.6 inch N53 notebooks are bundled with the ASUS Exclusive SonicMaster technology featuring new NVIDIA GeForce 400M graphics engines with Optimus technology, resulting in powerful computing, multimedia performance and improved battery life.

That's why this weekend, I plan to go to my favorite mall and purchase what I've been longing to get in since last week--- a pair of movie tickets for Jovovich's Resident Evil: After Life 3D.

Then, will think about getting a new laptop this December. Asus N53JQ will definitely be on top of my list. How I wish Santa does exist.

Modus Operandi sa QC Post Office?

Please share this hanggang makarating sa Post Master ng QC Cental Post Office

This morning, I came out from the Quezon City Central Post Office feeling that I have been unfairly served by three staff of the government institution. Well, I just went there to pick up a package from Hong Kong. I thought all is smooth after paying the Php 40 custom fee but it’s not. A certain Girlie Umali of Window 37 said that the item is subject to Php 1,457 VAT on the imported item, which was a wrist watch, even if it’s just a gift from an overseas based company. I told them that I did not buy it or will not sell it. Hindi ako negosyante. It’s just for personal use.

But they won’t release it unless I pay the said amount. Then, a man came into the picture and immediately took the item from me while I am still checking my watch, and made me feel that as if I just stole it from them. Girlie even gave me her office number (928-1667) in case I already have the money. Hmm... parang na-hostage... este nakidnap bigla ang relo ko.

Good thing, an “angel” approached me and said, “Malaki ba yung fee? Ako na ang bahala kay, mam.”

This lady said that I can have the item for a lesser price but they won’t issue any receipt. We met at Php 500 just to get out of this “tiangge.”

Kung alam ko lang cell. no. ni Noynoy, isusumbong ko sila. Alam ko e ayaw ni niya ng corrupt. Baka pwede naman mapagsabihan ang mga tumatao sa Window 37 na hindi lahat ng kumukuha ng parcel o package sa kanila ay may pera. Sayang din yung ibinayad ko pambili ng diapers at gatas ng anak ko. Mapupunta lang sa bulsa ni Girlie Umali.

This is no fiction. This happened in the morning of September 7, 2010.

Pagbabago

Last August 28, after 17 years, I was reunited with my high school classmates in a get-together that was made possible through Facebook's friend finder.

Our class muse and escort where both present and gamely answered questions about their failed romance.

Our president was too busy taking photos with her DSLR and let our resident jester to preside, surprisingly, not with the usual antics and jokes he was known for but with ala-Bro. Mike Velarde monologue.

After the expected “kumusta na? sa’n ka na?” greetings, we spend the whole evening talking about family matters, our kids and future plans. Our last conversation before this, happened in our campus when we are all 16 and was about our high school crushes, the latest Anime series, and who among us has the clearest VHS copy of Sharon Stone’s Basic Instinct.

Truly, every one of us has changed in our looks, lifestyle and how we see the world. One of my classmates who was obviously drunk that night offered me a toast, “Para sa magagandang pagbabago.”

I don’t know what he meant with that but it did sound good so I also raised my bottle.

Then it hit me. I found myself talking to a bottle of beer. Well, actually it’s my reflection on the bottle who I’m talking to (silently, of course)

“What has become of me since high school,” I asked myself.

I was an honor student--- 3rd honor in my freshman year and improved to 2nd honor as a sophomore. I was a happy and fun-loving kid until things got a little complicated when I reached third year high school. I lost my scholarship after a skid of my grades due to some big "changes" in my life. It all started when my father lost his high-paying job in the same year we found out that he has a mistress. It was the first major major (just to lighten up things) blow in my young adult life.

It took me a while to get used to the sudden changes in my life. In a blink of an eye, all the great things in life I enjoy were gone. I even considered it as a miracle how I was able to finished high school from a private school.

In college, I availed the working scholar program offered by the University of the East - Manila for four years and eventually graduated with a degree in Communication Arts. Luckily, I got a job a month after graduation and was never unemployed ever since. I would like to believe that that critical change in my life served as my motivation to be independent and to persevere in life.

Today, I manage a monthly business magazine and contribute to two of the top 3 local broadsheets while working for an NGO. Mine is not a perfect life since I just went through a series of unfortunate events in recent years.

But I have something now that was missing before when a big changed happened in my teenage life. Something that can make me smile even after a great storm. Life will forever be a road worth traveling as long as I have the love and warm hugs of my wife Leah and son Charles.

Changes will happen. And I will rise and shine along with it.

I’m sure my reflection on the bottle of beer agrees.

In every success or moment that changes our lives, there are things that have become a part of celebrations just like Goldilocks, a "friend" to many Filipino families in the past 44 years. From birthdays to graduation or even on ordinary days we feel like celebrating, getting a cake at Goldilocks is one of the first thing we would think of. Our favorite bakeshop may have undergone some"Pagbabago" recently with a fresh and modern look but it still retains the unique Pinoy flavor that we all grew to love.


And so I say, when you are faced with inevitable changes in life, just remember GOLDILOCKS…