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Microsoft Live Sync was discontinued last March 2011. It was a big loss to my productivity because it had all the features I needed without the typical 2GB storage limit.

As I tested the alternatives, I realized there is a need to lower my standards. There is just no other service which offers the same benefits of Live Sync – free, cross platform, works over proxy network using NTLM authentication, syncs PST files, and can painlessly sync almost any folder in a computer.

Live Mesh. It was fast, cross platform, worked over our office network flawlessly, and it was free. Since it was the successor of Live Sync, I naturally had high hopes.

However, the status “Waiting to receive files” just doesn’t want to go away. Reinstalled, restarted, cleaned the cache, registry, etc.

And unlike Live Sync, there is no way in Live Mesh to determine which files are pending. Were these critical files? Or just .tmp ones? There is no way to know. It was too big of a risk.

SugarSync. SugarSync is cross platform and works over our proxy network. It wasn’t free, but it had a 30GB plan for just $4.99 per month. Syncing was painfully slow. I thought I could try to live with it, until I found out that it also does not sync PST files. Whoever thought of excluding that very important file from syncing should be fired.

Dropbox. I am now a Dropbox Pro subscriber. A very grudging subscriber, though.

True, it’s fast, and gives visual cues on which folders are still being synced. However, it did took quite a bit of effort to make it work over our office network. It also costs $9.99 per month for 50GB – which is a lot more than I need.

What is very painful is syncing folders outside of the Dropbox folder. Symbolic links are pretty tricky if you’re doing it on multiple OS’s, and I’ve already accidentally deleted folders because of this.

I call Dropbox the “lesser evil.” It is the only choice I have now. I’m not totally sold on it like I was with Live Sync, so I will continue to monitor other file syncing services.

I do plan to revisit Live Mesh after a couple of months to check out how it has evolved. And I am also keeping an eye out for Mozy Sync.

Til then, Dropbox it is.

I have been avoiding Foursquare for months, so I was quite wary when I attempted to check in again.

And look what I found: a check-in special at Old Swiss Inn. So that night, I was able to get my Toblerone Fondue, and a 20% discount. Foursquare aint to bad after all.

Dimpy’s – A very moist chocolate cake that rivals that of Polly’s. Or so I’m told.

But since I would rather go to Dasmarinas Village than go to Shell Magallanes, then Dimpy’s it is. Plus, it was  highly recommended by the ladies of Tribal DDB, who seem to have good taste in food.

A box of Dimpy’s chocolate cake comes with a separate container of caramel. I would have preferred a container of extra chocolate icing instead – because even if Dimpy’s rocked in the moist department, there’s room for improvement with the ratio of the icing to the chiffon.

By the way, it is rumored that Dimpy’s Brazo de Mercedes is to die for.

You may contact Dimpy’s at 843-8086, 843-9021, 0921-984-5493, or 0915-634-6799.

I knew my account was compromised when I found out Gawker has been hacked. I had an account with Lifehacker, a Gawker website. And these things … you just know.

And so I banged my head against the wall for using the same email address & password combination on other websites. Facebook included. And true enough, barely 24 hours after Gawker disclosed the info, my Facebook account was flagged for suspicious activity from Texas.

But all is good. I am now a proud LastPass account holder. It can generate strong passwords that no sane human being will be able to remember.

All my passwords are stored in LastPass’ super duper encrypted servers. If I need to use a password, I can login to my vault, or i can just install a browser extension which autofills websites with my super duper hard-to-remember passwords. Yes, like Firefox’s saved passwords feature. But with the security and portability.

I am still in the process of regenerating all my passwords. But I’m getting there.

(Why LastPass? Because it’s my way of thanking them for purchasing Xmarks. And I think Password1 is highway robbery, making you pay for each platform you use it on. Ala Slingbox. Evil.)

I have recently decided my new goal is to further lessen my caffeine & sugar intake. I am currently taking 4 to 5 cups of black tea with 2 tablespoons of white sugar per cup. A far cry from a few months ago when I was gulping down approximately 2 liters of coke everyday, with an occasional coffee from Starbucks.

I decided to adapt my tastebuds to orange juice. But I need the help of my Twitter & Facebook friends. As I have never drank orange juice ever since I can remember (we were an Ovaltine/Milo type of household), I needed something yummy, healthy, and available in our local groceries. The results were tied: Florida’s Natural & Del Monte’s freshly squeezed orange juice.

Del Monte was more “interesting.” The company have set up juicing stations in select supermarkets such as S&R, Shopwise, and Rustan’s. A retro-looking machine grabs the oranges & squeezes them one after the other. The juice is then poured into a plastic bottle & sealed.

Del Monte’s cost P299 for a 1 liter bottle. A bit pricey, and the absence of recyclable bottle options may scare the environmentalist in you, but it is the freshest option we’ve got. Aside from squeezing your own, of course.

Florida’s Natural is, on the other hand, pasteurized orange juice. It is cheaper, costing P274 for a 1.89 liter carton. And, the expiration date is almost 2 months after my purchase date. Although it did say on the label that it is best consumed 7 to 10 days after opening.

Taste-wise, there are very minimal differences. Del Monte’s taste more “citrus-y.” But your mileage may vary depending on the available fresh orange. For those who like the pulp, Florida’s Natural has a “pulp-ed” variety.

I finished a bottle of Del Monte in 2 days. And as I can’t see myself going to the grocery every couple of days to refill my supply, I may have to stock up more often on Florida’s Natural. I might need another ref too. But that’s another story.

It was more expensive to book a flight during Philippine Airline’s Midnight Sale. Well at least by $94.

I booked a flight during that May 9 midnight sale for a roundtrip ticket (MNL-SFO). The price was $1,444.70.

That caught me off-guard, because I distinctly remembered trying to book a day or two before, & got a cheaper price. Ergo, after the sale, I attempted to book again for the same dates. The price has dropped to $1,350.70.

But that’s not all:

When I arrived at the airport, the girl at the counter said she will only release my boarding pass after I pay the travel tax of P1,620.

I rummaged thru wallet, hoping I have enough for the travel tax & the airport fee, and breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, I was carrying sufficient pesos.

Wait, you mean I can’t pay at this counter? I, traveling alone, need to wheel two huge luggage & a handcarry towards that counter in the middle? And so I did.

You know, who would’ve thought that travel tax is not included when booking online? According to the confirmation email, I paid a tax rate of $286.70. Which we now know is not travel tax. Just regular old “tax.”

The fine print did mention this, though:

For international tickets purchased online, Philippine travel tax, if applicable, shall be collected by the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) at Philippine airports. For information on travel tax, please contact the PTA.

So convenient no?

So here are my lessons learned when booking a flight online with PAL:

• Try to book a flight the day before, without actually confirming the transaction. Just so you’ll know how much it really costs pre-sale.
• Use Internet Explorer. I was persistently getting a blank page on Firefox & Safari for the Mac. But all went well when the site was accessed using Internet Explorer on Windows 7.
• Get offline & book thru your local travel agent. Even the girl behind the airport’s counter advised me to. And she had stories which I promised not to tell.

Being our flagship airline, I still would like to continue supporting PAL’s business. I have to admit, though, that they are not ready for online booking. Online transactions are supposed to make it convenient & cheap. PAL failed me in both.

It’s been a month, and I’ve been essentially meat- & dairy-free. I still can’t glide across the windows of Tapa King & Dairy Queen without looking wistful, but I’ve generally been a good girl. And you’ve probably heard this a million times, but I do feel great. Even better than I did 10 years ago.

Since June of 2010, we’ve been eating a low-fat whole food plant-based diet. That’s quite a mouthful. It’s much easier to say “vegan” & get it over with. But the only similarity is the “plant-based” part. The differences are in:

• Whole foods. Vegans can eat processed food. Potato chips & softdrinks are considered vegan.
• Low-fat. Vegans do not mind having drops of olive oil, sunflower oil, & the like. We, on the other hand, avoid oil as much as we can. Yes, even the so-called healthy olive oil.

And yes, I’ve been strong. I’ve learned it’s better not to answer questions on where I will get my protein, calcium, iron, etc. Especially if those questions come from someone who is trying to discourage us from pursuing with the diet, or someone who uses his questioning as a way of defending his choice of eating meat.

I’m also immune to the number of well-meaning requests for me to read the Vegetarian Myth. Because I have my own reading materials – medical journals from the last 20 years, and books of the likes of Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. McDougall, Dr. Pam Popper, & Colin Campbell.

Why did we do this? The short answer is for our health. The long answer requires a bit of storytelling involving hospitals both in the United States & in the Philippines, & us realizing that all the pills we’ve been taking are merely there to help the symptoms, & not the cause, of the disease. It goes without saying that we have lost our faith in the so-called health industry, whose beneficiaries have always been the pharmaceutical companies & providers of health insurance.

So what do we eat? In a nutshell:

• A lot of starch. Complex carbohydrates are the center of our meals. Includes whole grains, unrefined flours, legumes, roots. We eat a lot of brown rice & beans.
• Fruits & vegetables. Merely as add-ons to the starch.
• However, we do avoid nuts & certain fruits like avocado, olives, & coconut because of the fat content.
• No meat. Not even chicken. Not even fish.
• No dairy. Includes milk, butter, cheese.
• No eggs.
• No coffee or colas. But we do drink tea.
• Very minimal processed foods. Even if they are labeled as “vegan-friendly.” We make our own vegan versions of mayonnaise, burgers, etc.

So there you go … the weird eating lifestyle of yours truly. To my meat-loving friends, thank you for your support & understanding. We may not say it, but it’s really quite touching that you are very concerned on where we’re going to eat, etc.

(To those who have waged war every time I tweet about anything vegan: I have never forced anyone to follow this eating lifestyle. But it seems you are with yours. If you can’t live & let live, and if you can’t keep your snide remarks to yourself, I won’t back down. I swear I will irritate you back. So bring it.)

Booger the Dog is now officially a resident of Makati City. We got his miniscule yellow dog tag, which is now required to be placed on his collar.

It seems like the dog tag’s sole purpose is to prove to the powers that be that your dog is registered.

It does not have any identification number. If it did, it would have been useful. Instead, it just makes our dogs walking advertisements for Merial.

Very tasteless, Makati City. You too, Merial.

This lazy susan, also called a turntable, was bought from Ikea Singapore. It makes it easy for me to browse thru all my cleaning solutions with a simple flick of my fingers.

Although anything circular is definitely not me (I usually go for the rectangles), I needed its efficiency.

Lazy susans are darn useful for deep shelf spaces, hard-to-reach areas, or for heavy items that you regularly need to rummage through.

Needless to say, I was so pleased with the results that I just ordered 10 more turntables, this time from Amazon. Giddy.