Last Shelter: Upgrading to Base Level 21

Was able to upgrade to Base level 21 about two days ago. Leveling up the Lumber, Oil, and Iron depots were tougher than leveling up the main base itself. I was able to get the resources from 4 mature passive farms. I can't imagine how many farms it will take to get to base level 22 and eventually, base level 25.

Give Me Your Heart For Christmas Guitar Chords

Here's my attempt at guitar chords for Jose Marie Chan's Give Me Your Heart For Christmas. Hope you like it! Enjoy!

C            D         G - E
Give me your heart for Christmas
C            D         G - E
Wrap it with joy and cheer
C          Bm7
Let every beat
C          E
sing to repeat
Am7           A7          D            D7
Our love will last each moment of the year.

C            D         G - E
Just... give me your heart for Christmas
C            D         G - E
Only your love will do
C          Bm7
And with each sigh
C          E
you'll know that I
Am7               D7            G       G7
Have given you my heart for Christmas, too

CM7                     D
And when it's Christmas eve
                     G - F - E
We'll sit around the tree
             Am7           A7
And hear the church bells ring
             D             Dsus D D7
They're ringing for you and me

C            D         G - E
So... give me your heart, darling, for christmas
C            D         G - E
Open it wide for me (just for Christmas)
C         Bm7 
And in return
C            E 
my love will burn
   Am7             Am7    D      D7  G
As bright as every candle on the tree
             CM7       G
Give me your heart for Christmas.

Last Shelter: Doomsday Event

The land had been infected by a strange virus. The members of our alliance are trying hard to gather all the resources we are used to gathering, but this time, they have to be processed at our Alliance Centers in order to separate the pollutants from the useful material. And the process of getting plots where the resources are gathered from is also difficult. 

Our troops are poisoned every time, and a set percentage of them end up in the hospital. We've discovered that it is better to send only a few troops, (about 2000 per row) as long as the poison damage is below 20% to guarantee a successful occupation of the resource plot. As plot levels go higher, the need to upgrade our Virus Research Facilities also increases to chase after the below 20% poison rate. But to upgrade these facilities may take hours and days since the material needed to construct them comes from the resource cleansing process.

This event has even sparked a competition among alliances, in the hopes that they will be rewarded with Orange Heroes. But it is ironic that the same heroes we seek are the ones we actually need to successfully capture the infected resource plots. And these heroes have to have their skills at a high level. They have to beat the enemies at the very first round in order to have a high chance of success.

Sadly, I also fear that this greed for these heroes will spark a war not just among alliances within our states, but with alliances from other states. And the defenses and defensive formations we have set up at our alliance centers will be put to the test.

This event has also raised the stress level in our alliance. Some members have had disagreements because of the position of their structures. Others have occupied resource plot positions already held by other members, and tempers have flared up. I hope that the rewards we obtain from this event will be enough to mend strained relations. Our ability to work as a team is truly being tested.

Last Shelter: Upgrading To Base Level 20

Dear Maya,

War has been declared against us by the Korean State. My allies and I have been battling for two days now. We have been forced to be on the defensive. The enemies are stronger and technologically more advanced. My shields will be depleted in about an hour, and I will have to scrounge up for more.

It has been almost two months since my base was upgraded to level 16. Two days ago, I was able to upgrade it to level 20. But I was stuck at level 19 for a long time, assigned to farming tasks. Because of this, my resource income per day was potentially only about a million. But when I switched divisions and was assigned as a raider, my income per day almost tripled.

Raiding is not for everyone. If you want to have a laid back lifestyle, stick to farming. But if you're ready to put in the work, then the income you get from raiding is only limited by the time you don't want to sleep. I even thought that my APC's durability would be a constraint. But they are actually recovering these as they travel to and from their destination point. I've also discovered that if you have an all-vehicle team of raiders, the travel time is almost cut by half. Their raiding power is weaker though, but with most inactives not really requiring a huge amount of seiging power, this isn't really an issue.

Still, since most of our enemies in this State War have reached base levels 22 and above, we are forced to turtle up. I've tried to take the fight to the Korean's own state, but after attacking several of their buildings, their guardians were quick to respond and bring me down. I was forced to retreat back to my home state.

Some of my allies were lost in this battle. Even one of our long-time battle tested generals lost the motivation to continue. It's a shame how he just abandoned everything. Now, the enemies are pillaging his base and looting what he has worked hard for.

In the end, everyone is destined to be a farm of someone else. And when the state only has a few people left, it's no better than a dead state.

I'm still hoping I'll survive to see you again. Regards - Nate.

Barbie's Cradle All I Need Guitar Chords

Here's my attempt at guitar chords for Barbie's Cradle's song, All I Need. Hope it helps you out.

Intro: FM7-CM7--FM7-CM7 (4x)

Verse Pattern:

FM7          CM7         FM7       CM7
inside of my heart is an army of angels
FM7          CM7         FM7       CM7
just 'cause i let you go
FM7          CM7         FM7       CM7
oh, volunteers they are here to love and help me
FM7          CM7         FM7       CM7
only 'cause i said no

Refrain Pattern:

         F         Am          G      Em
to the killer eyes that invite me to do things
                   Dm    Em  F  G     
i would have to lie about
         F         Am          G      Em
and it's better now we are safe you know i love you more
         Dm    Em                   F  G   
from far away now that all i need is God

Interlude: F CM7 F CM7

Verse 2:

hey little girl do you still have things that haunt you
are all the words i say unclear
you know i was there just a while ago
so miserable until i told the truth and prayed

Refrain 2:

Interlude:

Bridge Pattern: (same as Refrain)
F  Am  G  Em  Dm    Em                   F  G
    inside                      of    my   heart
F  Am  G  Em  Dm    Em                   F  G
 is a glorious  army                waiting for war

Refrain Pattern

Verse Pattern
inside of my heart is an army of angels
inside of my heart is an army of angels
inside of my heart is an army of angels
inside of my heart is an army, is an army of angels

Verse Pattern
i need you so much i am dust without you
i'd lose all the universe just to have you
i need you so much i am dust without you
i'd lose all the universe just to have you

Outro:
FM7 CM7 (8th fret)

Tricia Amper Jimenez' Panalangin Ko Guitar Chords

Here's my attempt at Panalangin Ko guitar chords. Hope it helps.

Panalangin Ko by Tricia Amper Jimenez

Intro
G Bm C Bm C Bm-Em F Dsus-D


Stanza Pattern
G    Bm     C   Bm
Kung kailan ako nasasaktan

C     Bm    Em     F       D
Kapag higit Kitang kailangan

G Bm    C             Bm
O Jesus dumaraing sa ‘Yo

C           Bm Em  F        D
Dalangin ko sana’y dinggin Mo


Chorus Pattern
C                D
Panalangin ko sa Diyos

      Bm       Em
Buhay ko ay pagpalain

Am        Dsus D
At maging matibay

Dm7            G
Kahit na anong bigat

       C           B     Em  A
Ng suliranin ko sa bawat araw

Am    Dsus D G Bm C Bm C Bm Em F Dsus D
Sana’y naroon Ikaw


Stanza Pattern
G   Bm       C        Bm
Ang lahat ng kalayawan ko

C        Bm   Em        F    Dsus D
Dalangin kong lahat sa ‘Yo

G    Bm      C          Bm
Kung ito’y walang katuparan

C          Bm Em    F   Dsus D
Marahil di Iyong  kalooban


Chorus Pattern
C                D
Panalangin ko sa Diyos

Bm             Em
Buhay ko ay pagpalain

Am          Dsus D
At maging matibay

Dm7            G
Kahit na anong bigat

       C           B     Em  A
Ng suliranin ko sa bawat araw

Am    Dsus D     G
Sana’y naroon Ikaw


Bridge Pattern
Em         Bm         C              G
Bakit kung kailan ang puso ay nasasaktan

Am          D        G
D’on lamang Kita tinatawagan

Em              Bm       C            Bm
Ngunit kung ang buhay ay payapa’t kay sigla

Am                    D     E
Para bang nalilimutan Ka


Chorus Pattern (One Step Higher)
D                E
Panalangin ko sa Diyos

      C#m      F#7
Buhay ko ay pagpalain

Bm        Esus E
At maging matibay

Em7            A
Kahit na anong bigat

       D           C#    F#m  Bsus B
Ng suliranin ko sa bawat araw

Bm7   Esus E  C#m    F#7sus F#7 Bm -   E      A C#m D Esus E F#7 - F#7sus F#7
San’y naroon, sana'y naroon,    sana'y naroon Ikaw

Last Shelter: Banished to the Sidelines

We did not want to go to war, but war fell upon us. We were a farming alliance. Strong players from PCA and RUS went into our alliance territory and wrecked havoc among our members. A few of our players tried to put up a gallant stand. We were even able to push one of the PCA players out of the area. But in the end, we failed. Our alliance simply wasn't strong enough to battle raiders who are more experienced in the art of war.

Now, our allies have been banished to the outermost regions of the state, forced to lick their wounds and recover their injured soldiers. Our hope is that this event will only make our alliance stronger and push our weaker comrades to up their levels and fight back.

Strong enemy players will also have to sleep at some point. And they will have to harvest resources or else their populations will dwindle. And those will be the times that we can strike back.

With proper communication and coordination, even big giants can be felled. We await that day when we can reclaim back our territory and farm in peace. 

Last Shelter: Survival Upgrading to Base Level 16

I downloaded Last Shelter: Survival on the Google Play store about a week ago. It reminds me a lot of Ikariam - except the setting is a modern world full of zombies instead of ancient times. But it still has the same elements of building up your base, joining alliances, and attacking other player bases.

Any game which keeps leveling up the base and buildings in it will reach a point where building time becomes a long waiting process. I'm starting to feel that now that I'm at base 15. (You actually start to feel it at around base 13.) The actual requirements to build a Level 16 base are:

• 70,000 population (which means that at 5 houses at this level, each house should be at around level 15)
• Money equal to 1.6 Million
• Wheat  equal to 1 Million (which means Granary II must be constructed) 
• Oil equal to 1 Million (which means Oil Storage Tank II must be constructed)
• Electricity equal to 300 thousand
• Wood equal to 2 Million (which means Lumber Warehouse II must be constructed)
• Iron equal to 1.5 Million (which means Iron Warehouse II must be constructed)
• Embassy Level 15
• Ration Truck Level 15

Although I was able to prepare for the Level 15 Embassy while the base was being upgraded to level 15, I did not pay too much attention to the 70,000 population which is now acting as the bottle neck to moving forward to Base Level 16.

Iron and wheat are also becoming bottle neck resources so having heroes who can help increase the production of these resources would make game play so much easier. Another help would be focusing on the City Development research tech tree. This helps in increasing resource production and gathering speed and in decreasing the amount of time in building structures.

I also think that base level 16 might be my last as a free-to-play player. The reason for that is because base level 17 requires a Garrison at level 17. But a Garrison requires Defensive Components - one of the rare resources that requires diamonds to purchase. And at this point in time, my Garrison is only at level 5. I only find the building aspect of the game enjoyable. So, unless I want to be stuck with a chore that could last for several months, just to get to the next base level, that might be the end of the game for me.

Windows Credentials Prevents Adding of Printer

If you ever encounter a problem where one computer (Let's call it computer A) cannot see the printer hooked up to another computer (Let's call it computer B) in your wireless home network, you might want to check if Computer A has existing windows credentials associated with Computer B. The credentials basically allow Computer A to log on to Computer B. So if the credentials have a wrong username or password, say a blank password, then Computer B will prevent Computer A from logging on and using any resources attached to it (In this case, the printer attached to computer B). Check out and study up on Windows Credentials Manager.

So to solve the problem, all I had to do was delete any existing credentials associated with Computer B that were stored on Computer A. Then, I tried adding the printer once more, this time, making sure I had the right username and password for logging on to Computer B. Afterwards, the printer could now be seen by Computer A. Printed out a test page to ensure that everything was working properly.

Area of any n equal-sided polygon

I remember deriving this formula in high school.
Let:
n = number of sides
s = length of a side

Area of Polygon = (n(s^2))/(4tan(180/n))

To check quickly, for a square,
n = 4
tan(45) = 1

Area of a square = (4(s^2))/(4(1)) = s^2

It is interesting to note that the Area of a Polygon approximates the Area of a Circle when n approaches a very large value, say infinity. But as n approaches a very large value, the value of s approaches zero since the length of a side almost becomes a point. We have to modify our Area of a Polygon formula so that we represent the length of a side with the polygon's apothem. (And as n approaches infinity, this is also the radius of a circle).

a = apothem length = radius of a circle
s = a(2(tan(180/n))

Area of Polygon = n(a^2)(tan(180/n)

In this formula, as n approaches infinity, then the formula approximates the area of a circle.

Area of a Circle = π(a^2)

So, π can be approximated.

π = n(tan(180/n))

You can try out any number which is relatively larger than 180, say 100,000 and compute for the value of π. When n =100,000, π = 3.14159.

It is also interesting for me that (π/n) = tan (180/n). From trigonometry, we know that tan(Θ) = Opposite/Adjacent. tan(180/n) = π/n. So we have a right triangle with π for the opposite side and n for the adjacent side. The term (180/n) is actually (360/2n). We are dividing 360 degrees by twice the value of n. As n approaches infinity, the angle approaches zero and we get the value of π.

Realme C2 Product Review

Purchased a Realme C2 Android Phone today for 4,990 pesos. It only comes with a charger and charging cable, unlike other smart phones I've bought before which include earphones and a protective case. I even had to shell out an extra 250 pesos for a protective case. Specs are as follows:

• Model RMX1941
• ColorOS Version V6.0
• Android Version 9
• Processor Octa Core
• RAM 2.0 GB
• Device Storage 16.0 GB
• Front Camera 5 Megapixels
• Rear Camera 13 Megapixels

According to the seller, the Realme brand is a sub-brand of OPPO. The device has a 1-year warranty so if I need to have it fixed, I just have to bring it to an OPPO service center.

I am excited to explore how this device will perform compared to my last phone, an SKK Hyper X Core. Too bad, the SKK brand is no longer available. Hope the Realme brand lasts longer since it is connected with OPPO.

The only concern that the sales person told me about was that this product likes to do automatic updates frequently. And true enough, as soon as I connected with our home wifi network, it already wanted to download the latest Android OS update. I appreciate that apps like Chrome and a File Manager are already installed. Had to add Grab, Viber, etc. and these installed seamlessly, too.

The screen is a bit longer than my last phone. Specs wise, I think that the only difference is that this phone has an Octa Core processor and Android 9 for the OS.

I'm still trying to get used to the (X) button for closing apps. I'm not really sure if it closes all the apps that are open, or closes all but the one on the screen when you press it. But other than this small annoyance, I think that the phone is performing well.

Will try to update this article if I find more things I like or dislike about the phone.

Itchyworms Buwan Guitar Chords

This is my attempt at guitar chords for the song Buwan by the Itchyworms. Hope you like it!

Intro
(Bass) F-Am-C-F

Stanza Pattern
BbM7
Tatlong huwebes na ang dumaan,
               EbM7             BbM7 - F
‘Di pa rin nasasakyan na wala ka na

BbM7                                     EbM7              BbM7
Iniwanan na ng panahon, ‘di pa rin makaahon, swimming sa luha

Refrain Pattern
Gm                  C
Ginagawa kahit ano, matapos lang ang gabing ito
Eb     F
Bakit ang bagal ng relo?

Chorus Pattern
EbM7           Ebm7
Naninikip ang tiyan nakatingin sa buwan
BbM7           Gm
Malayo ka't wala nang magawa
EbM7                  Ebm7
Hanap ang ‘yong kamay, wala ‘kong kaakbay
BbM7           Gm
Nasan ka na kaya?
F#                   BbM7        Gm     F#    F     BbM7     
Parang kahapon lang tayo ay magkayakap sa ilalim ng buwan
Gm
Haaah Ha
BbM7        F-Am-C-F
Ilalim ng buwan

Use Stanza Pattern
BbM7
Ilang beses kung aking tignan
              EbM7          BbM7 - F
maganda mong larawan bago humiga
BbM7                                 EbM7            BbM7   
Umaasa sa panaginip, kahit na isang idlip, na makita ka

Use Refrain Pattern
Gm                     C
Hindi pa rin mapakali, di maamoy ang yong pisngi,
Eb                  F
Kahit na konting sandali

Use Chorus Pattern
EbM7            Ebm7   
Naninikip ang tiyan nakatingin sa buwan
BbM7           Gm 
Malayo ka't wala nang magawa
EbM7                  Ebm7
Hanap ang ‘yong kamay, wala ‘kong kaakbay
BbM7           Gm
Nasan ka na kaya?
F#                 BbM7        Gm    F#     F        BbM7     
Parang kahapon lang tayo ay magkayakap sa ilalim ng buwan
Gm
Haaah Ha
BbM7       Gm 
Ilalim ng buwan

Pre-Instrumental
F#                BbM7
Ilalim ng buwa —– an

Instrumental
EbM7 BbM7 Gm
EbM7 BbM7

Bridge Pattern
Gm        C    Gm        C
‘Pag nag iisa iniisip kita
Fm        Bb    Fm        Bb
Babalik ka ba, nasa'n ka kaya?
Gm           C   Gm        C
‘Wag magluluha, ‘wag mag-alala
Fm             Bb    Fm          Bb
Nandito lang ako naghihintay sa ‘yo
               EbM7
sa ilalim ng buwan
           Ebm7 - Fm7 - BbM7
Ilalim ng buwan

Pause

Use Chorus Pattern
EbM7           Ebm7     
Naninikip ang tiyan nakatingin sa buwan
BbM7          Gm
Malayo ka't wala nang magawa
EbM7                   Ebm7
Hanap ang ‘yong kamay, wala ‘kong kaakbay
BbM7          Gm
Nasan ka na kaya?
F#                 BbM7        Gm    F#     F        BbM7     
Parang kahapon lang tayo ay magkayakap sa ilalim ng buwan
Gm
Haaah Ha
BbM7       Gm
Ilalim ng buwan
F#         BbM7       F#        BbM7
Ilalim ng buwan (2x) Ilalim ng buwan (2x)

Itchyworms - Love Team Chords

Here's my attempt at guitar chords for Love Team by Itchyworms. Hope you like it.

Intro
DM7 D (With G Base) DM7 D (With D Base) Alternating
A

Stanza
DM7              Bbdim
'Di, 'di naman talaga
            Bm
Tayo mag-sinta
E7           E         Gm7 - C
Pero gusto nila, kahit ayaw mo
DM7
Bagay raw tayo
          Bbdim           Bm
'Di naman totoo mga yakap mo
E7                 E
Pang-eksena lamang ito
Gm7         C
Di mo lang alam

Refrain
        D               E
Na nababaliw na 'ko sa iyo
        D       E
Di ko na yata kaya 'to
        D             E
Ang aking lihim na pakay
        D                      A
Ay ang lahat na ito'y gawing tunay

Chorus
G
Sana wag mo kong sisihin
Gm7
Kung 'di ko kayang pigilin
DM7
Sabi mo na mahal mo ko
B7sus - B7
Ngunit 'di naman seryoso

Em
Sana'y magkasingkulay
Gm7                         DM7
Ang drama at tunay na buhay ko
B7                 E7
Ang tanging pag-asa ko
Asus               A
Ay nasa tambalang ito

Repeat Intro
G D A

Use Stanza Pattern
DM7            Bbdim         Bm
Si-sinungaling ka, kapag may tao
E7                E
Ay nilalambing mo ako
Gm7         C          DM7
Pero pag wala ay sumasama
            Bbdim           Bm
Turing mo sakin ay parang hangin
E7         E
Bitin na bitin
Gm7        C
'Di nila alam

Use Refrain Pattern
D                E
Na sa dulo ng tagpo
D                      E 
'Di na patok mga linya ko
D                   E
Nag-iiba ang iyong asta
D                       A
Hanggang sa susunod na eksena

Use Chorus Pattern
G
Sana wag mo kong sisihin
Gm7
Kung 'di ko kayang pigilin
DM7
Sabi mo na mahal mo ko
B7sus              B7
Ngunit 'di naman seryoso
Em
Sana'y magkasingkulay
Gm7                        DM7
Ang drama at tunay na buhay ko
B7                  E
Ang tanging pag-asa ko
Asus               A 
Ay nasa tambalang ito

Interlude
Bm G Bm E7 A
(Sana magkatotoo)
(Woah, woah)

Use Chorus Pattern
Sana wag mo kong sisihin
Kung 'di ko kayang pigilin
Sabi mo na mahal mo ko
Ngunit 'di naman seryoso
Sana'y magkasingkulay
Ang drama at tunay na buhay ko
Ang tanging pag-asa ko
Ay nasa tambalang ito

San Miguel Beermen Win Their 5th Straight Philippine Cup Championship

As an SMB fan, it was difficult to watch Game 7. What started out as a 7 point lead by the Beermen turned into a double-digit deficit by half-time. And while San Miguel has been able to come back from double-digit leads in the past, somehow, during this game, I don't think their fans were as confident they could pull a win off.

But the reason I admire this team is that they never gave up. Just like their 0-3 comeback, they never gave up in this game. Even when Marcio Lassiter lost the ball during an inbound where the Beermen could have won already, his teammates did not give up on him. I could just imagine Jun Mar encouraging Marcio and Chris Ross to move past the blunder and focus on the defensive stop ahead. And the Beermen won on a defensive stop. Jun Mar Fajardo was incredible on the rebounds, coming up with 31, breaking the PBA record for most rebounds by a player in a single game.

I hope Terrence Romeo does not retire after winning his first PBA championship. He has a place with the Beermen, and they wouldn't have been able to stay in this series if not for Romeo's heroics in some of the games.

I also hope the Beermen can finally win the Grandslam this year. SMB, congratulations.

PC as Media Server for PS4

I just discovered this yesterday! If you have Windows 10 on your PC, you can use your PC as a media server for your PS4. You can then watch videos on your PC from your TV connected to your PS4 as long as your wireless router recognizes both devices.

The key words you type in on Windows search bar are "media streaming options" which should bring you to an area in control panel where you can identify the device you want to share your videos with. In my case, the PS4 was showing up as an unknown device, but if you know your PS4's MAC address, then you can easily confirm if it is the right device. Just put a check mark on "Allowed". You will then be prompted on the types of media you would like to share such as pictures, music, and videos. Then, a password will be set up (but I didn't need to use this on my PS4).

From the PS4's side, all you need is to download a media player app. Once it is finished, you should be able to see your PC as a source of video files. By default, you should place or copy the videos you want to share on your PC in This PC > Videos folder. Otherwise, you might have a hard time locating videos to watch on the PS4. I hope this helps you out!

Addendum:
There were other guides which required installing Java and an additional app on the PC. To me, those additional steps are unnecessary and might even be a threat to your network's security.

ABS-CBN's TV Plus

We purchased a TV Plus box for 1,499 yesterday and so far, it has been great. I have been able to get a lot more clear channels than our TV antenna. I wish I had known about it sooner since we have been subscribing to Sky Cable's channels for more than two years now. At an additional 600 pesos per month, I've effectively paid 14,400 for two years of cable TV. But Sky's 40+ channel line up is crappy and a lot of the channels are merely duplicates of one another, one normal channel and one high-definition (HD) version. With TV Plus, I'm effectively spending 1/10th of the two-year subscription cost. My Sky Cable TV remote broke after about a year, so if the TV plus breaks down, and I have to replace if after two years, I'm still way below the cost of a cable subscription.

With TV Plus, there are no duplicate channels. I have about 30+ channels that I can access, but all I really want to watch are clear-reception local channels. So, TV Plus is what I would consider the most effective "TV antenna" among all the antenna's I've tried to hook up to a digital TV.

The only downside I've seen so far is that there are times when I would lose access to a channel, (it would appear as a black screen but you can still hear the audio) or the channel would stutter (temporarily freeze), but other than that, the reception is really clear.

As far as installation is concerned, the only problem I had was not getting any signal since the AV jack was not properly plugged into the TV Plus box. The TV kept on saying "No Signal" despite being on Video mode and despite the box having power. I made sure that the AV jack was pushed all the way into the TV Plus box, and that no silver / shiny part was visible.

Another challenge was figuring out how to add channels as favorites. Go into MENU > FAVORITES and just remember to press the Box ID button on the remote when trying to add a list of FAVORITE channels. When I did this, a FAV1 list was added. Here, you can put a star (*) on your favorite channels and when you click on the FAVORITES button on your remote, you will have a narrowed down channel list. (Memorizing the channel number is still the fastest way of getting to a channel since it only involves pressing two buttons.)

There is also an Easy TV box that some posts say can access the "encrypted channels" in TV plus. Any inputs from users of this product would be appreciated. That could help in deciding whether or not getting that additional box is worth it.

Renewing My Non-professional Driver's License 2019

My non-professional driver's license will expire in a month's time. So I decided to try renewing the license via LTO's Satellite Office at the basement of SM North Annex. It is located at the farthest end, to the right of the bowling alley. There are other government kiosks present there such as Pag-ibig, Philpost, GSIS, SSS, etc.

You are required to bring your old driver's license. The other requirements can be obtained onsite. This includes the medical exam and the form you are supposed to fill-out. But the medical examination center conveniently located just before the entrance to the LTO Satellite Office will be the one to fill out your form for you. The only draw back is that they charge 450 pesos for the examination. When I paid for my medical exam in 2016, it was only 180 pesos.

When you fill out the medical exam forms, make sure you know your height in cm, weight in kg, eye color, and blood type. It took me a while to obtain these info, so instead of finishing filling out the forms ahead of the other applicants, I ended up the last applicant processed during the day. Also be well versed with your medical history because there are questions that will ask you whether or not you have undergone certain medical procedures or illnesses.

After submitting the form, together with your old license, you will be asked to pay 450 pesos. (Note that this amount is during the time of this writing and might change by the time you are reading this post).

After paying the fee, your eyes will be tested using the traditional "read the letter's" test. There are also color blindness tests. And there was a machine where you put your chin and then the technician checks your eyes.

If you pass the tests, you will be given documents that you will then submit to the LTO kiosk. You'll have to wait a while before your documents are processed. Your photo will be taken, and you will have to sign your electronic signature.

Afterwards, you will have to pay the LTO fee of around 653 pesos. (Again, this amount probably varies depending if you have incurred penalties). So all in all, I spent about 1093 pesos to get my non-pro license renewed.

After paying, you wait a few more minutes and actually go to a back-room where they input your personal data (Name, address, phone, etc), retake your picture and electronic signature, and also go through electronic fingerprinting. I asked the technician what the difference was between the first time they took our picture and signature and this second time. According to her, the first time was for LTO Main Office's records. The second time was for their satellite office's records.

It took me about 2 hours all in all from the start of the medical exam to getting my printed license. Although 2 hours might seem like a long time, this beats having to go through the process at the main office which might take you a day, and you might have to come back after a week to actually get the printed license. So, props to LTO's SM North Satellite Office for a job well done.

And since this new license is valid for 5 years, I hopefully will not have to do this for quite some time. Hope this helps others who are planning on renewing their license this year.

Windows 10 Troubleshooting: Task Host is stopping background tasks

My windows button (the one between CTRL and ALT on the bottom left side of the keyboard) was not working. Neither did clicking on the windows button at the bottom left corner of the screen. When I tried to use CTRL-R to run stull like msconfig, it wouldn't work either.

Tried to reboot by using CTRL-ALT-DEL. Was getting this error when shutting down. One of the tasks preventing shutdown was...

Task Host is stopping background tasks
\Microsoft\Windows\Plug and Play\Device Install
Reboot Required

I restarted anyway and did some research and found a working solution on this site by Hebbe C.

Regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WpnUserService
Double click on the value (DWORD): "Start"
Change the "Data" to 4 then OK.
Reboot

It works! Start button is functional again. CTRL-R is also functional. Data's original value was "2" for my system. (0x00000002 to be exact but when you double click it, the value is 2) . Thanks Hebbe C.

LTO Car Registration Renewal 2018

It has been three years since our car was registered for us by the selling company. Now, I had to renew the car's registration. Note that the amounts I share here are for a SEDAN. I checked the LTO Website for the registration renewal requirements which are as follows.

• Photocopy of Certificate of Registration (CR) and Official Receipt of payment (OR)
• Appropriate Insurance Certificate of Cover (COC) or CTPL
• Duly accomplished and approved Motor Vehicle Inspection Report (MVIR)
• Certificate of Emission Compliance (CEC)
• Plate Verification is needed before the emission center can conduct testing if you still don't have a license plate
• Taxpayer’s Identification Number

You can only get the MVIR once you are at LTO, East Avenue. And the initial assessor will only give you one if you have the OR/CR, CTPL and CEC.

We got our CEC from RLD Auto Sources Emission Testing Center. Testing was done in roughly 10 minutes. But before we could even have our vehicle tested, they asked us to get our PLATE VERIFICATION from the district office where our car was first registered. This was at the NCR District Office along G. Araneta Avenue. So instead of just 10 minutes, it took us an addition hour just to get this verification because our vehicle still has no license plate until now. This has something to do with COA and a TRO. So, on our PLATE VERIFICATION form, it says FOR PLATE ALLOCATION - NO PLATE AVAILABLE. There was no payment needed for this form.

After getting the PLATE VERIFICATION, and returning to the emission testing center, our vehicle was tested. They attached a smoke emission measuring device to the car's exhaust. The technician revved the motor several times and took a picture of the rear end of the car. I then had to pay 450 pesos.

Next stop was the LTO at East Avenue. The registration requirements was checked by an assessor. He then told me that the Insurance Certificate of Cover I brought with me, the one issued by Standard Insurance, was not appropriate since it did not have the CTPL term under the items covered. I asked him if VTPL-BI and VTPL-PD counted as CTPL. He said that CTPL was for pedestrians who might get hit by an accident. VTPL was for Bodily Injury and PD was for Personal Damage. (But I thought TPL meant Third Party Liability?) Not wanting to prolong our debate, I decided to purchase a CTPL from Milestone Guaranty and Assurance Corp. whose stall was conveniently located a few feet away from the assessor. They charged me 1,250 pesos for the CTPL. Later on, I would call up Standard Insurance and inquire if CTPL was not part of my insurance coverage. They confirmed that it wasn't. But I could have it added the next time I renewed our insurance with them for an additional 610 pesos. For more info, you can read on this article. (What pisses me off is that I thought a Comprehensive Insurance would include CTPL aside from the other things it covers. Apparently, not.)

After buying the CTPL, I was awarded the MVIR along with a technician who would stencil the chassis number and engine number of our vehicle on the form. After he did this, I had to give the documents to window F to be evaluated. And then, I had to wait at window L, the cashier's window, and I had to pay 1930 pesos for the registration renewal. I was then supposed to claim the stickers and plates from window M. But since no stickers and plates were available, I was advised to check back with the LTO at some other future time to claim these.

CEC      450
CTPL    1,250
LTO fee 1,930
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Total Amount Spent    3,630

And that was my LTO registration renewal experiance for 2018. I hope it helps you out.