Samsung Galaxy Note 2: Power within your hand

In a space fiercely competed by smartphones of different shapes and sizes, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 earned definitive upsmanship hands down in all categories. 

Coined as an amalgamation of phone and tablet, "phablet", it is by far the most promising smartphone to have ever graced the Androidworld. 

The technological tug of war between the Android phones is gradually meting out a conclusion that not only does the specs put you in the gold standard of measure but the overall handset experience. 

So let us see what are the things that will wow us in the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. 

As opposed to the 5.3" of its predecessor, it has a 5.5" 1280 x 720 Superduper AMOLED display but narrower so typing with one hand, especially reaching out to the far end keys, will be a breeze. The microUSB connector is found at the bottom, right beside where the S-Pen(Samsung's branding campaign to name its stylus) is. The 8MP camera has a LED flash and is able to produce crisp and vibrant photos. 

The front camera at 1.9MP is used for videocaling or perhaps in my case as an electronic mirror when I need fixing up. Best thing of it all is the 3100mAH battery to support the whopping Exynos quad core processor for your best Android 4.1.1 Jellybean experience. Pack it up with a 32GB of microSD and you're set for the best mobile multimedia experience in your life. This phone unleashes the power within you, the power to control life whenever mobile, wherever roads take you. 

One thing that I adore is the enhancement of the S-Pen experience which gives me the capability to send edited annotation and picture snippets to my colleagues or bosses. The sensitivity has vastly increased as well. and with the released version 2.2 of its S-Pen SDK, it will give them an upper hand in the developmental program to beef up the application even more. 

So hold on to that 13th month annual supplementary wage of yours for this lovely device. 

On Theory and Law

I have come across a college classmate of mine saying that "heck, the Big Bang is just a theory."

You see, we, men of science, have stopped using the word law right now, because a law might violate the future's random probability. 

To give you an example, philosopher J Carrol once said that "All gold sphere's are less than a mile in diameter." Sure it is, and it can be easily be put into a law as nobody had created a gold that big yet, but what if someday a certain Arab Sheikh will spend all his fortunes creating one. 

That is is just good as saying that "all Uranium 235 are less than a mile in diameter." Again true, and it can be one of the laws of particle physics because once Uranium 235 will reach beyond its critical mass, or more than six inches in diameter, it would become unstable and will kaboom into a nuclear explosion. But what will stop one mad scientist from creating one. 

So saying that a law has a higher degree of veracity than a theory is even a misnomer. 

Even existing laws are consistent on a certain set of conditions only. They are true at a particular mathematical length. Look at Newton's Law of Motion, it has all its drawback once the velocity is nearing the speed of light. Not only does it have a problem on high speed, there are also restrains from space contraction, spontaneity and mass variability. That also goes true with the Theory of Relativity which breaks down to explain the conditions of a Black Hole and the physics before Big Bang. 

What I am saying is that the LAW has much same intensity of candor and truthfulness there is as with a THEORY.

Paseo Uno at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel

I was supposed to be at the Chinese Mid Autumn Festival celebration at the Mandarin Oriental when my folks from the astronomical fold called me for a live meet and possibly recording of our maiden cast.. errr… Philippine's first ever astronomy podcast. You heard it right, we are writing the walls of history for forging the first and only astronomical journal which I am proudly sitting as a Managing Editor(acting Editor in Chief) and a first Philippine astronomy podcast. 

So I moved my reservation to Paseo Uno instead for a hearty lunch. The restaurant is best known for having a delectable array of continental dishes spread on their buffet selections. Not only does it exude fine cuisine, it also has an explicable design features including a glass-encased rivulets of water and alluring elements of Spanish tapestry, Japanese paper and Filipino shells. 

Let's see what's in store for us when we dined in at Paseo Uno. 

It's an all-day dining restaurant integrating fine assembly of Asian and Western entrees. The place is perfect for a cozy, chill our sauntering but with all the good food on their buffet, hanging out might just be a waste of time. 

Assorted bread. 

An assortment of cheese.

Cold cuts. Toss them all up with your salad. 

At the salad section.

Cold cuts. Mix it up with your salad. 

This is best combined with your salad. 

Shrimp, plus a Balsamic Vinaigrette makes the best in your salad. 

This is best served with your salad. 

Top your salad with these.  

Salami. Best combined with your salad. 

Cold cuts. Best combined with your salad. 

Seafood section. 

Japanese section. 

Salad section. 

Grilled Chicken. One of their main courses. 

Tasty and the magic lies on the sauce. One of their main courses. 

Tempura station. Tempura is best served hot and right off the pan.  

Shrimp Tempura. 

Shawarma station near the barbecue station. 

They have a shawarma too. 

One of their main courses. 

Potato. One of their main courses. 

Mushroom filled. One of their main courses. 

Curry something. One of their main courses. 

Sweet and spicy. One of their main courses. 

Thai food. 

Pork. 

Asian section. 

Carving station presents a triple combination of Roasted Chicken, Pork Knuckle(Crispy Pata) and a Steak. 

Two-tone fountain, a overfowing with chocolate and a milk. 

Fruits.

Fruits.

Fruit medley.

Mandarin Oriental Cake. So tasty as the way it looks. 

Filipino specialty.

Desserts. 

Ice Cream. 

Desserts. 

Desserts. 

Desserts. 

Pudding. 

If you want to conclude your meal with a false of their fine ensemble of wines, you can grab a glass or a bottle. I don't know its prices though. 

Upon sitting down, the waiter handed me this. It's a WiFi Card access code free for the first three hours for all diners. The buffet is ope for a three hour window anyway so it's just right for one use.

Courtesy bread with cheese. 

Combination of the best, Pork and Lobster and others. 

I always go first with what's on a carving station, this time a slab of steak in a medium well doneness. 

The grilled seafoods, all with traces of carbon. :)

Pork, sweet, salty and tasty. 

Soup. I sprinkled it with bacon bits. 

Shrimp Tempura, fresh from the pan. 

Dumplings. I wish they have more choices. 

Lobster and barbecue. 

Beef in my own modest plating presentation. 

Halo halo, there's a unexplained joy in mixing them all up. 

Ice cream in an assortment of flavors. 

Mango Ice Cream flavor on top of a Mango Crepe . To preserve the taste of a mango, I had it devoid of a chocolate syrup. I'm a purist in some way. 

It was an engrossing smorgasbord afternoon. I have always been wanting to reduce my in-take volume but with restaurants like this, who has the volition to say no.