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Living on the edge Jul 04

Well I probably would be if the world was flat as I must pretty much get close to both edges between home in Cebu and work in the UK. Works been a bit of a challenge this week as its a bit disorganised compared to what I’m used to. Received a company mobile phone that is locked and I’m still awaiting it to be unlocked. My personal mobile phone doesn’t work in most of the county due to poor signal. My desk phone isn’t working on the exchange. My computer wont be here for another week or two and to top it off I inherited someone’s work who appears to have done nothing literally for months. So first port of call has been sorting out maybe 100 jobs that should have been done already. Getting there though just taking a bit of time. Then all issues with setting up with a new agent which I wont bore you with details but lets just say I most definitely have had one of those weeks…

One thing I have realised is I don’t like being on my own. Don’t mind what people are doing but sitting in my quiet room everything seems new and uncomfortable. I cant remember the last time I  was alone if ever. As before moving up to Norfolk for work i used to always have something or someone making noise at my parents. When I’m in Cebu I’m either at home with my wife or visiting friends. Sitting here in the daytime is a bit uneasy. I can understand the landlord who is renting me my room as he said he is worried about dying alone. To be honest I don’t think I could do it as I like to hear noise even if its the neighbours kids popping round to get a football from the garden etc. I’m just not used to such a quiet life.

Things are moving along slower than expected but its moving and that’s all I care about right now as I need to make sure I can manage my budgets to keep us afloat over 2010. There is talk of the recession being over but then again isn’t the government up for election next year? personally I couldn’t trust a single government statistic as it all seems to be lies. In real terms I think this recession is here for upto 3 years. Personal debt per person in the UK has increased not decreased which tells you there is still something majorly wrong. I think our income is nearly stable in the Philippines which is very important for our future as I only want to be coming back to the UK soon just to see Nicole rather than work although depending on how things progress I’m likely to do a few months here and there as its the quickest way to buy property in cash. Been missing April and Zoei a lot lately and working over 200 miles away in Norfolk I miss Nicole aswell. Feel I’m letting Nicole down a bit since I come to the UK to see her aswell as work and here I am miles away and wont be able to see her this weekend.  All more awkward than I would like things although looking at things from a positive note in the future we will hopefully be doing well enough to leave things for our children to progress with. I would love Nicole and Zoei to be close sisters but time will tell as distance keeps a huge gap between them.

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Wheels of progress have started turning and the long road home begins Jun 30

Had an interview Monday in Norfork around 170 miles away time and money is starting to run out so had to make the move. By Monday night the contract was agreed and today im prepping up to head off early in the morning for my first day of work. Biggest problem is simply budget has got so tight not sure how im going to manage things for the first couple of weeks. I know by week 3 everything should be going well and money flowing lets hope no more complications.. nearly 2 months have passed and its been the hardest few months I have had to deal with in nearly 20 years.

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Looking back on our marriage Jun 28

DSCF0164I’m sat here in the UK and with a few recent headaches with the financial crisis and missing home you start to look into why you do these things to get through. Financially I would be a lot richer by staying in the UK as career wise there is a shortage in my expertise which could push me to the top of my game. But I realised when things became serious with my now wife April that sacrifices would  have to be made to get things to happen. The Philippines has a lot going for it but financial riches is not one of its appeals. Do well you put your family at risk do badly and you struggle to put food on the table. A mix of overseas work and local small ventures are the future of our family but it does make me realise why some people do give up.

  For us though I have a wife that means everything to me and I’m a lot more stubborn than any mule could ever be. Success is not a pipe dream but a forced reality. The difference is adjusting from earning upto P12 million a year to a conservative P2 million. But the other thing is its not only been the happiest time of my life since I met April its also been some of the most rewarding. In our time together my whole way of life changed but so has the priorities. A Porsche and a city apartment with a stressful career became an old multicab,a lot to build our home and a family. The truth being swapping a material world for what really matters family..

We do have our bad days like everyone else I admit but we have never argued and never will. Our life revolves round the happiness of our family unit. As we call what we have as simply US. Because until we found each other we had gaps in our lives we couldn’t fill and now they are we can honestly say we love everything about US and looking forward to working through the hard times together and enjoying the good. The main thing is being together through it all.

The being away from my wife I find the hardest. I can deal with impossible deadlines, long hours, stress and trying to create new ideas out of nowhere.. but its worth nothing if you have no one to share your life with. I have been lucky and I can see people looking back on this blog in years to come just emailing to see if we are still happily married. The truth of the matter is I wasn’t getting married it wasn’t something I was going to do in my lifetime. Why? Because I never found someone before I could honestly say I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. My wife April knows the importance of marriage and we have filled that void in both our lives aswell as agreeing there is no divorce. Its simply not an option we will ever look at which I think if more people treated life that way there would be less marriages happening but marriages should last the life time of the people involved.again ssshhh

We have been together in some form for most of 2007 up until today. In that time there have been  things happen that would make a good book. But the most important thing I can say is happy memories and lots of them. I have a great wife who has given us a wonderful daughter all I can say is I wish anyone reading this the same happiness in life.

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Top 6 beach-safe underwater cameras Jun 28

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Underwater cameras were once an expensive and specialised rarity, but here are six that are designed to be just as happy in the water as you are.

They’re not huge, armoured monstrosities, either, but regular compact cameras that don’t cost that much more than their land based equivalents.

Water isn’t the only potentially hostile environment for cameras, of course.

Come that winter skiing holiday, you’ll need a camera that can keep shooting well below freezing point as well as keeping out the snow. Or if scrambling in the Cairngorms is more your thing, you’ll want something that can survive some knocks and bangs, too.

And how about keeping out the sand on the beach?

That’s the great thing about these cameras: they’re not just waterproof, they’re also ‘ruggedised’ (with the exception of the Fujifilm). Whether you’re into extreme sports or you just want a camera you don’t have to mollycoddle, these items are perfect.

Underwater cameras explained

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First, underwater cameras are depth-rated. Water pressure increases with depth, and these cameras can only withstand so much. The depth rating tells you just how far down they can go.

Second, shock-proofing is measured as the vertical height from which the camera can be dropped, but only under the makers’ precise testing conditions. These won’t necessarily reflect real-world conditions, and the makers don’t offer a guarantee against accidental breakage.

Third, ‘freeze proofing’ indicates the lowest temperature at which the camera is guaranteed to operate. But while the camera may be functional, that’s not to say the battery will be.

Lithium-ion cells are more tolerant than other types, but their capacity is still substantially reduced at these temperatures.

ON TEST

  • Canon PowerShot D10 – 12.1 megapixels – £280
  • Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP – 10 megapixels – £150
  • Olympus Mju Tough 8000 – 12 megapixels – £260
  • Panasonic Lumix FT1 – 12.1 megapixels – £260
  • Pentax Optio W60 – 10 megapixels – £175
  • Ricoh G600 – 10 megapixels – £300

 

Canon Powershot S10

2The PowerShot D10 is Canon’s first attempt at a waterproof compact, and straight away it looks different from the rest. With a chunky, bulbous design that certainly looks the part, but which may have been needed to accommodate a larger, more conventional lens.

Key points

  • Waterproof to 10m.
  • Shockproof to 1.22m, behind the Olympus, Panasonic and Ricoh.
  • Fatter design than rivals despite modest zoom range.
  • The best defi nition, but strong barrel distortion in wide-angle shots.
  • Second most expensive model on test.
  • Smart Auto mode selects from 18 different Scene modes, not just a handful.

 

3Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP

The FinePix Z33WP is fun, fashionable and inexpensive. Its depth rating (limited to 2 hours) is just 3m, though, and it’s neither shockproof nor freezeproof. Bu t it is ideal as a ‘beach’ camera for family holidays.

Key points:

  • Waterproof to 3m but for up to 2 hours only
  • Lowest operating temperature 0 degrees – it’s not freezeproof
  • Don’t drop this camera – it’s not shockproof.
  • Inexpensive but stylish ‘fun’ camera that’s also easy to use.
  • Slow image playback, zoom and panning
  • Definition adequate for snaps but lags behind rest.

 

Olympus Mju Tough 8000

4The Mju Tough 8000 is the toughest of the cameras on test, with the joint deepest dive depth, 2m shockproofing and ‘crushproofing’ up to 100kg too. The metal finish looks good, but is slightly slippery if the camera is wet, and the embossed markings on the buttons aren’t always easy to see. The controls are pretty tightly packed and could be tricky to work with heavy gloves on.

Key points

  • Waterproof to 10m.
  • Shockproof to 2m – the toughest of the six cameras on test.
  • Freezeproof to -10 degrees and also ‘crushproof’ up to 100kg.
  • 3.6x wide-angle zoom (28-102mm equivalent)
  • Dual-format – xD and MicroSD cards (with a supplied adaptor).
  • Good colour and exposure but patchy definition.

 

Panasonic Lumix FT1

5At first sight, Panasonic’s FT1 looks the nearest rival to Olympus’ mighty Mju 8000. It’s a similar size, weight and shape and is also waterproof, shockproof and operable down to -10 degrees.

Key points

  • Waterproof to 3m
  • Shockproof to 1.5m
  • Similar price, design and specs to the Mju 8000 but not as tough
  • 4.6x wide-angle zoom (28-128mm equivalent)
  • 1,280×720 HD Movie mode using either AVCHD or Motion JPEG formats
  • Proximity of Shutter Release and Zoom buttons could be a problem

Pentax Optio W60

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The Pentax W60 may look and feel cheaper than many other rugged cameras, but it can go to a fairly impressive 4m underwater, albeit for only two hours. It’s not shockproof, though, and while it will work at -10 degrees, the battery indicator goes down to empty.

Key points

  • Waterproof to an above average depth of 4m but only for 2 hours
  • Freezeproof down to -10 degrees, but not shockproof
  • 5x wide-angle zoom equivalent to 28-140mm
  • 1,280×720 HD Movie mode, but only at 15fps
  • Cramped controls difficult when using gloves
  • Value for money given the zoom range and overall picture quality

Ricoh G600

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If looks counted for anything, the Ricoh G600 would be the toughest camera around. It’s much larger than the most compacts, and has a rubber-like finish that feels much more suited to bouncing off rocks or getting a grip on underwater

Key points

  • Waterproof to just 1m
  • Shockproof to 1.5m, and operates down to a minimum -10 degrees
  • 5x wide-angle zoom range (28-140mm equivalent)
  • 360-shot battery life around 50 per cent better than the rest
  • Big, clearly marked controls which are easy to work wearing gloves
  • Quite expensive for what you get
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Customer service for an internet cafe – Philippines Jun 28

 dragonbozsignsm

Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and just be nice to keep everyone happy. But sometimes you just need to throw people out. If you find someone hacking your server for example this is definitely something that should be a lifetime ban. But someone spilling a drink in a keyboard maybe a problem but it shouldn’t be made too big a deal as Keyboards normally dry out and remain working. As well as the fact you probably sold the person the drink in the first place. Keeping children under control could be a major problem though as I have seen in a few internet cafes young children with mothers who are on the webcam. The kids are running around in the store making a lot of noise and irritating customers. Maybe a cheap sweet could be the solution but then again that could just encourage the kids to come every time the parent wants to use the cafe. All in all you have to be diplomatic and fair. Banning a student for example over a trivial act could cost you a lot of revenue if all his/her friends go to another internet  cafe with him/her because of the ban. So maybe a punishment duty would be better depending what they have done. E.g throwing fries get them to clean the mess up would get the point across that you wont be walked over but at the same time they don’t get banned. Your probably what the sign is in the picture, basically its a card at an internet cafe explaining no foreigners are allowed because they had a foreigner in the cafe 2 months earlier who didn’t speak Japanese so think the solution is to ban all foreigners. I found it a bit odd as doing something like that in the UK would find me in court as a racist.

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Signage for an internet cafe – Philippines Jun 28

1_234437240l This has to be one of the real blood lines to your business. Tim realised this with his to make it a point of large clear signage as can be seen here. Its illuminated at night and can be seen the full length of the street. Ideal for Jeepney passengers looking to go to a cafe on the route home from work. The signage is also very clear what is on offer being a high speed internet connection and cafe. Using clever personally designed logos isinternet-cafe-icon-thumb7236835 also something that gets over the fact you are an internet cafe and if running several stores makes people aware you are a “brand” if you have several cafes try to keep the quality and standards high. Because eventually if there is a row of internet cafes along a street and a big logo they recognise from their local internet cafe they will likely use yours first. So maybe spending a few pesos getting a logo seems a bit expensive at first but may payoff in the long run.

 450px-Neon_Internet_Cafe_open_24_hours

Making sure your signage can be seen at night is very important but just as important is the running costs. If the sign is going to be heavy on the electricity it becomes something that needs customers to pay for itself which isnt something you want to be doing. So my answer would be to be sensible. Tims type of signage is likely to be several flourescent tubes built into a lighting box which are normally plastic covered which keeps running costs down aswell as doing the job.

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But one major thing is making the internet cafe look professional where possible. Signage like this is obviously cluttered and would make it more of a last resort for a cafe to use. Although the space is maximised it has Internet written into the sign 3 times where a more professional approach would have simply have been to put something like Internet Cafe with 24hrs (if it is) and get rid of the rest of the information. Because it just looks a mess.

mgl_internet_cafe_gaming_center_tshirt-p235056483253047856yf8b_400

So how do you draw in more customers? Well one thing is Promotions of say for every 2 hours you get 1 free or other things. But what about giving away free T-Shirts but look for something that will be witty and also well designed to make people not only proud to wear the shirt but clear to others where your internet Cafe is free. If its a gaming internet cafe something like “ I got Fragged at (Netcafe name)” or something else along those lines. People love free stuff so make it interesting to get the maximum out of it. T shirt printing in the Philippines is very cheap. There is also a lot of kids no doubt in your area offering rags for car windscreens or sellers of water etc. Why not get some Free Ts on these guys they are in ideal locations and literally thousands of people passing them. Upto you if you cut a deal for them wearing the shirts or just give them a free shirt. Either way I think most people will be happy just because its free.

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School Twinning in the Philippines Jun 27

My daughter Nicole goes to a small school in the UK and I was visiting the school the other day regarding a project all the kids had been working on. Was a good few hours well spent and was nice to see how encouraged the kids are with what they are learning and its when I thought of an idea of twinning Nicole’s school with our Central School in Minglanilla. Not sure how much the twinning is going to work but I have just started the first stages of the project the school in the UK is very keen to undertake the project and tomorrow the Central School will receive a letter explaining the outline of the idea.

Why am I doing this? Its two fold as it will help both schools develop and give them something new and fascinating for the kids. I think this may be the first United Kingdom – Philippines twinning although I maybe wrong. But i thought i would share the idea as some of you may think its something you would like to get involved in yourself or help 2 schools twin up. As things develop I will add information.

I have added Building Affective Partnerships you might find it useful if looking into this type of project yourself.

I’m also adding a bit of material to give you an idea of how to get your Twinning started :-

Introductory letters to the head teacher of your partner school explaining what you would like to learn from the partnership. The letter could include information about the school and your local community; your interest in the partnership, plus long-term visions for the partnership and curriculum ideas aimed at embedding global dimension values within the curriculum.

  • Supervised pen-pal letters can be a useful starting point, but it helps if these are focussed on a particular theme. Unsupervised letters between young people may include elements which reinforce the preconceptions and stereotypes which global school partnerships are trying to break-down. Letters and e-mails should be monitored to ensure that cultural, social and economic differences are respected.
  • Starter activities about the partner school’s country, weather, lifestyles, wildlife, ways of life, hobbies, jobs etc could provide a strong foundation for developing curriculum work.
  • Make use of other online resources to find classroom materials and to get ideas.

Once you’ve made a start

  • Share your reply with colleagues and then plan what you will do with the information. How will you introduce it to the whole school and all those involved in the preparatory stage?
  • Plan how staff and students in both schools will communicate with each other. Is there e-mail access in the school or at a nearby internet café? If not, what other means of communication are there e.g. mobile phones, postal services or via a third party such as the British Council, local authorities etc?
  • Begin to think about how you will spread the learning opportunities from the partnership throughout your school curriculum. Think about the eight global dimension themes and how these fit in with your curriculum and with the curriculum of your partner school.

Things to think about

  • Postal services in some partner countries may be unreliable and slow.
  • Class sizes may differ widely. If letters are sent from group to group rather than student to student you reduce the risk of disappointment if pupils leave or are away from school.
  • Teachers may not have regular access to e-mail so you may not get an instant reply.
  • Partner schools may have different expectations. UK schools may become disinterested if they do not receive an immediate reply to their letter or e-mail; Southern partner schools may well reply in-depth after some time.
  • Think about using other means of communication. Text messaging can be a good way of maintaining regular contact. If other people in your community are visiting your partner country, they may be happy to take letters over for you.
  • Find out from your partner school when their school holidays are and what will happen to any letters you send during the holidays.

Then there is expanding the idea where will the twinning take both schools. Ideally it has to be a two way project as the main thing is getting it to develop and be rewarding. There is no point a school in the U.K. for example doing a lot of charity events etc. to help its partner school to find that the partner school doesn’t even reply to emails.

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Coin slot internet Cafe – Philippines Jun 27

IMG0446A  The latest type of internet cafe machine are the coin slot type with allocated timers may not be the solution for a big internet cafe as they are coming in at around P20,000 each instead of P6,000 – P10,000 for a computer system.

Although they vary in design and cost they do have some advantages the first one being the fact that you can get these hired out to Sari-Sari stores and cut a deal on the profits although obviously a lot of locations dont even need internet the gaming will keep kids busy all the time. The second design is more for locations such as Airports and malls. Maybe something that can be introduced at Cebu Airport for example.

The disadvantages of the units are the fact they are bulky and need to

kiosk_large

be in a location that is safe and secure. But with regular collections and reliable clients looking after the machines this could be a good alternative rather than having to take on a full internet cafe. I do know someone who has several of these on the edge of slum areas which are paid off in full within 2 – 3 months. Ok not a good thing on moral grounds as its mainly kids playing on the machines with all the money they have gained on the day either by begging or some other way of making it. But the business model works. Its not mine and I wouldnt do it personally on moral grounds but I can understand why they do it as they are a Filipino family which are doing whatever they can to create an income and have found a niche market.

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Weird, wonderful and strange internet cafe buildings Jun 27

 internet-cafe2    internet_cafe_37   internetcafe

I thought this article is important because we have to look at a sustainable business aswell as what the local community can afford. There is no point spending P1m on an internet cafe cant support it. Or will take a decade to recover your costs. The secret to a good business can be seen in some of the businesses on this page. Like the one below noticeinternet_cafe_02 not only is it an internet cafe but also a laundry and mini mart.

It may seem a little odd

but its all about surviving and meeting demand without stretching the businesses budget beyond its feasibility as a business.

internet_cafe_01  internet_cafe_03internet_cafe_05  internet_cafe_07internet_cafe_06  internet_cafe_17 internet_cafe_35

I haven’t written too much on this article as a picture says a thousand words and there are a lot of pictures on this page! But the other thing to look at besides how people are operating but also the fact the majority of the internet cafes keep the frontage tidy where possible.

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Internet Cafe Interior design – Philippines Jun 27

Internet-Cafe

When designing the layout you really need to look at different factors. If you go high end all pretty and unique you may actually put a lot of your customers off using the location. Because without even looking they will assume its expensive. Although if in a Mall the sort of design on the left is something I would look to do. Its clean its fresh and would outclass your competition in the same mall. Although the pricing will be competitively matched. Because Mall areas are based on compulsive buying. So getting the right image you could draw in a lot of customers that may not even have any intention to go to an internet cafe except for the fact of Cebu_Internet_Cafe2walking passed thinking how nice it looks.

The next image is of the booth kind of internet cafe this has advantages such as privacy but its congested and the plastic chairs are cheap, easy to clean but not comfortable over a long period of time. Raising the computers to the top of the units makes sense as it allows airflow, heat naturally rises and they are out the way. Although personally depending on the layout I would prefer PCs to be out of reach of users  completely. The issue you could have is that the computers are blocking the view from the counter OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA         risking loss of webcams etc. Although this design does maximise space.

The third design is that of the old computer desks but its a cheap and a quick way to get open. Disadvantages are computers can get kicked on the floor, the computers can suffer with dust aswell. The other problem being you have to increase the space for each computer for leg room which is wasting space.

Now the final design is very simple a matter of buying a few computer desks and just fitting them together in a row. May convention center internet cafeseen like a great idea but it has some serious flaws. Firstly things rust a lot faster than they do anywhere else I have lived. The computer desks don’t have a solid construction which may not seem an issue unless someone trips over and knocks a whole system onto the floor. The last one is the one that would put me off using this cafe completely. Most things in the Philippines don’t have an electrical earth and unless you plan on earthing everything your customers are going to suffer with static shocks.

 1_909499469l So what design would I go for? well for a street type internet cafe I would go with what Tim has done. As shown in the photo. But basically its a simple design but maximises space aswell as keeps the PCs at a high level. It keeps the installation costs down as it is done in sheet plywood and lumber. We have our Cafe starting to be built hopefully next month so the construction and layout will be shown on another article aswell.

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