Wow, Baguio City!

Baguio City, a highly urbanized city and the premiere tourist destination located in the province of Benguet in northern Luzon is the Philippines’ “Summer Capital.” This highland retreat is famous for its low green knolls, crisp cold breezes and fog, pine trees, strawberries and flowers. Being the convergence zone of neighboring highland places, it is the melting pot of different peoples and cultures. It is also considered as the region's education, business and industrial center. Boasting its great natural beauty, chilly weather, a tourist-friendly people and extraordinary vistas, the so-called City of Pines is the culmination of your search for the idyllic escape from the tropical heat of the Philippine lowlands.

iPad Air Review

For the past few years, Apple has taken a good product in the iPad. With its latest offering, it is substantially better in the iPad Air.

Barely bigger than the iPad mini, the iPad Air packs so much functionality inside. Apple shrunk the width of the iPad Air to be just a tad bigger than its smaller sibling. It has a slightly bigger display (9.7in vs. iPad mini’s 7.9in). It is sturdily constructed with its metal case that is as durable as anything on the market and looks to survive daily handling with ease. Its light weight also makes it a joy to use in the hand for as long as needed.

On the inside, it is equipped with the new A7 processor and M7 co-processor by Apple. With that, even intensive apps run smoothly with little strain. Such powerful processing power has been done while keeping outstanding battery life. The iPad Air can lasts 10-12 hours on a charge without breaking a sweat. Moreover, a huge library of available apps that runs fast on this new iPad makes it a product to be reckoned with.

Right now, there might be a number of good competing products running Android and Windows 8. However, none come close to rivaling the iPad Air. Considering the performance and ease of use, the iPad Air is definitely a total package that runs rings around the competition.

 

 

Key Features: 9.7-inch Retina screen; A7 64-bit processor; 469g; 5MP rear camera; Free iWork and iLife apps

Manufacturer: Apple

Display
Operating System	iOS
Display Size	9.7
Display Type	LCD IPS
Resolution	2048 x 1536
Other
Processor	A7 (Dual-core 1.3 GHz CPU with quad-core graphics)
Memory (RAM)	1GB DDR3
Internal Storage	16,32,64,128
Weight	469
Height	240
Width	169.5
Depth	7.5
Camera	5
Front Facing Camera	1.2
Mobile Broadband/3G	4G version available

How to Play What’s My Age Again Drums by Blink 182

Playing drums is always fun. It’s also a good workout during weekends. Here’s a good song to play drums with – What’s My AgeAgain by Blink 182. Wanna play this song? Watch this vid.
 

Boutique Tone on a Budget: Digitech Bad Monkey Review

For those guitarists who are looking for a boutique overdrive tone on a budget, Digitech Bad Monkey could be the answer. There are many things to love this tube overdrive pedal. Aside from its tons of features and rugged built, it is also inexpensive. Several musicians compare its sound to the popular Ibanez Tube Screamer series. However, there is a big difference in the price. You can have it for $49 which is $50 cheaper than the highly touted Ibanez TS-9 and $139 cheaper than the TS-808. The Digitech Bad Monkey is very easy to operate and the sound possibilities are endless.

Features

The Bad Monkey has 4-controls such as the Level, Low & High Tone controls and Gain. The 2-tone control knobs in conjunction with the gain knob can give you an enhanced tonal palette for shaping your desired sound. While it’s not true bypass, the tone suck is so subtle that you can’t even notice it. An extra feature of it which can be very useful are the 2-output jacks. Output-1 goes directly to the amp but Output-2 is designed to go to a mixer and includes a “Cabinet Emulation.” With that, you can add more tone shaping possibilities to your sound. With output-2 also, it will work with a pair of headphones.

Tonal Possibilities

The Bad Monkey Overdrive will sound great with both single coil pickups and humbuckers. With single coils, it can give you a chunk ala Clapton/Hendrix/SRV type of sound while humbuckers on the other hand, offer anything from AC/DC to Skynyrd. This pedal is more of a mid-boost and is more suited to classic rock and blues. The trick here is to get it to the point just before break up where it gets creamy. Just explore the knobs to achieve your desired sound.

Conclusion

The Digitech Bad Monkey Tube Overdrive pedal is one of the most affordable and great-sounding effect pedals in the market. For beginners looking for a signature tone as well as seasoned professionals, the Digitech Bad Monkey Tube Overdrive pedal can be a ticket to tonal bliss.

How to Get a Fiscal’s Clearance in the Philippines

Requirements

1. Accomplished Form No. 1 (Provided in the area; it is the Application Form)

2. Community Tax Certificate or Cedula

3. Valid ID

4. Proof of Payment of the Required Fees

Steps

1. Go to the Office of City Prosecutor within your area.

2. Ask for the Application Form, then fill it up and pass it with your requirements.

3. They will give you instructions on what to pay and where to pay it. You have to pay 50 pesos for the Clearance, and 20 pesos for the tax (paid on separate cashier), plus the metered documentary stamp (21 pesos).

4. Put on your right thumbmark and pass your form with the receipts. You will be given a claim stub with the date and time to claim your clearance. Depending on the presence of signatories, it usually takes a few to several hours or even a day to claim it.

5. However, if you want an authenticated copy, make a letter requesting for an authenticated copy. Then, submit a photocopy of your clearance and pay a total of 60 pesos.

How to Get an NBI Clearance in the Philippines

In the Philippines, NBI Clearance is considered as one of the most common requirements that serve several purposes. While it can be used as a Valid Identification, it is also a proof that someone doesn’t have a “stained” criminal record.

There are several applicants who line up to get an NBI Clearance daily. For some who are new to this process, they might don’t know how to apply for one. Well, this article will guide you.

Requirements for Applying an NBI Clearance

Before heading to any NBI Clearance Outlet, be aware that the NBI requires you to present two (2) valid IDs.  Thus, prepare these beforehand. Here’s the list of valid IDs accepted by NBI Clearance Outlet:

Valid passport

Voter’s ID

Driver’s License

PRC License

SSS ID

GSIS UMID

Postal ID

School ID

Tax Identification Number (TIN) ID

Philhealth ID

NSO Authenticated Birth Certificate

Alien Certificate of Registration

Senior Citizen

Previous Copy of NBI Clearance

Note:     Some NBI Clearance Outlets may require you a Community Tax Certificate or Cedula together with the two (2) Valid IDs that you present.

NBI Clearance Fees

Depending on the purpose of your application, there is also a corresponding NBI Clearance fee. Here’s the list of fees for different purposes:

Purpose of Application                                                                                 Clearance Fee

Naturalization                                                                                                  P 415.00

Cancellation of Alien Certificate Of Registration (ACR)

Repatriation

Business Requirement                                                                                     P165.00

Change of Name

Permit to Carry Firearms

Adoption

NFA, POEA, PRA, SEC Requirement

Travel Abroad                                                                                                  P 115.00

Visa Seaman

Local Employment

Other Requirement

Steps in Applying for NBI Clearance

1. First, fill out and present the accomplished application form together with your two (2) valid ID’s to the Data Check Counter for checking if data are complete and correct. Accurately fill out the NBI Clearance Application Form. Otherwise, it will be returned to you for corrections.

2. Next, proceed to the Payment Counter and pay for the corresponding NBI Clearance fee (Refer to the NBI Clearance Fee above for the fees related to the purpose of your application).

3. The data on the application form will be encoded at the Data Entry or Encoding Counter. There is a PC monitor provided for the applicants to check any encoding error. The NBI Clearance Personnel will encode every detail that you have disclosed in your application form.

4. Picture-taking or image capture and scanning of the applicant’s fingerprints (Biometrics) will follow.

5. At the Image and Biometric Counter, name of applicant is automatically searched against the Name Database to check whether one has no or with namesake. If you have a namesake, further verification will be needed.

6. NBI Clearance certificate of one who has no namesake will be printed at the Printing Counter and released on the same date of application.

7. Meanwhile, those with namesakes are verified against the Criminal History Database to check whether one has criminal record/s. Those with namesakes are advised to proceed to the Releasing Counter. The release date is written at the back of the Official Receipt when to claim your NBI Clearance. The applicants with “Hit” Status will return to the NBI Clearance Outlet after Eight (8) working days. Those found to have criminal records are advised to proceed to the Quality Control for interview. Interviewers will require an applicant to execute an Affidavit of Denial if he is not the offender and Court Clearance/Order if he is the offender.