Dad's Review - Planning to buy a TCL LED TV? Think twice!

Last 07 July 2012, I bought a 32 inches borderless TCL flat screen from our favorite SM Appliance Center at SM North EDSA basement. Actually, I was initially checking the Samsung Series 4 LCD but due to very competitive price of TCL I gave its lady promodiser a chance to explain and promote her merchandise.

My TCL receipt

According to her, SM was pushing TCL brand in the Philippines mainly due to competitive price with quality comparable to other established LCD brands such as Sony and Samsung. Indeed, I was impressed on the performance and clarity of TCL flat screen inside the showroom when compared to other brands. In short, I purchased a TCL borderless flat screen 32E5300 LED TV with 1 year warranty for 22,995 pesos.

I mounted my TCL on the wall and I wasn't disappointed because the picture was crystal clear while the audio was quite loud for our 12 square meter master bedroom. Though TCL is a Chinese brand, I have no qualms with my flat screen until a few months back.

My borderless 32" TCL flat screen at the back of my new 42" LG 3D TV

During my previous vacation in May 2013, I noticed a thumb size black spot on my TCL TV. I thought it was caused by dead pixels so I immediately complained to SM Appliance Center Customer Service. The SMAC staff logged my complaint and coordinated with TCL for our warranty claim. Since I would be leaving for my work in few days, my wife was the one who coordinated with COOLTRONICS, the service contractor of TCL, regarding the repair of our flat screen.

warranty report last May 2013

The COOLTRONICS technician came to our house and after checking the unit he explained that the thumb size black spot wasn't caused by dead pixels but rather a misplaced adhesive tape inside the panel. He simply removed the said tape and our TCL was back in service in no time at all.

This vacation, I arrived 1st week of August, I noticed a straight black line appearing intermittently on my TCL flat screen. I showed it to my wife and she told me that she remembered that the black line started appearing several weeks after our TCL was repaired last May 2013. She never bothered to mention it to me because she thought it was caused by our Digi-box since TV pixelation was occurring when our Digi-box was connected due to some technical problem according to the cable TV technicians.

THE DREADED BLACK LINE OF MY TCL

I have to attend to more pressing matters thus I wasn't able to bring this problem to SMAC attention until several days back. I approached initially the TCL promodiser and explained to her the problem. She instructed me to coordinate with the SMAC Customer Service which I did. During my discussion with the CS staff, he reverted back to the same TCL promodiser. They concluded that since my unit was beyond the 1 year warranty period they asked me to contact directly COOLTRONICS. In fairness, the promodiser and SMAC CS staffs were both polite and courteous while having a discussion with me.

I contacted COOLTRONICS yesterday and explained the problem; the lady informed me that since my unit was beyond the warranty period then I need to pay 500 pesos "check-up" fee. I argued that the problem was intermittent and probably caused by the workmanship during the last warranty repair in May 2013. Since it was holiday, she replied that she would call me the following day; she would coordinate this matter to the technician who repaired my unit before, she added.

I received a call from COOLTRONICS today. The technician who repaired my unit explained to me that the black straight line I am seeing now on my TCL flat screen wasn't related to the problem he repaired last time. According to him, the intermittent black line is an indication of failing LCD panel or in layman's term "dead pixels." He added that there is a possibility that more black lines would appear in the future and the only way to remedy or solve the problem is to replace the actual LCD panel (not the entire TV) which could be very costly. After a few more minutes of technical discussions I decided not to send my unit for repair anymore.

All told, I therefore ask all hard working Dads out there to think twice before buying a cheap TCL flat screen. I am saying this not only due to the problems I have encountered but mainly because when compared to other flat screens I bought, TCL was the only unit that gave my wife and I headache and wasted our time in just a matter of one year.

My first LCD was a Samsung 20 inch which I bought in Abu Dhabi City, UAE last 2007. It was submerged under flood water during typhoon Ondoy in September 2009. My neighbor cum technician simply cleaned the unit with water and I was able to use it again. Of course, some minor problems occurred later due to flooding but no dead pixels until now.

My second LCD was a Sanyo 24 inch which I bought from SMAC 2 years back. My in-laws who are staying with us are using it right now after their 21 inch AIWA old school TV gave in recently.

This TCL is my third flat screen. In just one year of use I have experienced the problems mentioned above. I couldn't imagine the next problem that would appear on this flat screen later on.

My latest flat screen is an LG 42 inch 3D TV. I bought it recently at SMAC too and now adoring the wall of my new entertainment room. I just hope that my latest toy will stand the test of time, LOL.

By the way, regardless whether I bought a lemon TV or it was simply a poor decision on my part to prioritize a cheaply priced high-end item, hard earned money has been used. Anyway, I would just wait for other black lines to appear and when I am not comfortable anymore with my TCL flat screen I would replace it with another brand instead of spending on a costly repair.

Sayonara TCL!

09 November 2013

2 lines

3 lines

It is fortunate that my new entertainment room has been completed. In case I want to watch a movie I simply go upstairs and watch it on my 42 inches LG Cinema 3D flat screen. As a Dad, it is truly disheartening to see an expensive item deteriorated in short period of time.

January 2014

April 2014

In less than 2 years, at least 10 lines have appeared on my TCL. Way to go TCL!!!

July 9 2015

After 3 years and 2 days. This piece of crap will definitely go to the bin on December.

09 September 2015

TCL was brought by kids to their dorm; my daughter loves to watch the her favorite night time "teleserye." Yes! I found a way to dispose it without throwing it to the bin.

Since the wife also loves to watch her nightly primetime local TV series she opted to watch them in our entertainment room; I felt I was a refugee inside our house. Yesterday, I decided that I need to do drastic action otherwise my vacation would be ruined without being able to watch any sports and movie channels.

As replacement, I bought a series 4 Samsung 32 inches LED TV for 14,300 pesos. Unlike my previous TCL that can only read 500 GB HDD with one year warranty for around 24 k pesos, my new flat screen is capable of reading up to 1 TB HDD with two year warranty and with clearer video and bass audio. More so, it has built-in anti-surge protection and with 2 USB ports that are capable of transferring or copying files between 2 external drives.

While shopping for a replacement TV a TCL sales staff tried to coerce us in buying her cheaply priced products. There is no way she can convince us to even have a second look at her TCL products.

My new toy adoring our bedroom's wall

Disclaimer: This is an actual experience of a working Dad and could be different from other Dads' experiences about this brand of flat screen. 

Happy Stripes at Bazaar For All Season

Happy Stripes recently celebrated its first year anniversary. As our way of pushing Happy Stripes to greater heights we decided to join our second commercial bazaar again at Elements Tents, Eton Centris. This time, the bazaar has been organized by Bazaar for all Season.

Bazaar for all Season has been successfully organizing bazaars in the past. Moreover, it is supported by several known fashion bloggers who will be putting-up their own shops during the 2 days bazaar as well.

Bazaar for all Season is also conducting a contest for all its locators. The shop's poster who will garner the most number of "likes" on its Facebook page will win a free booth rental during the duration of the bazaar. In addition, freebies will be given by the organizer, bloggers and sponsors to lucky shoppers and visitors.

Though considered as a new kid on the block, Happy Stripes is bent on winning this contest and presently we are now on second place. To support our online shop, your "Likes" will be highly appreciated and we hope you'll have time to visit us at Elements Tents, Eton Centris. This is our poster link and again many thanks: Happy Stripes at Bazaar for all Season

For more details please visit the Facebook page of Bazaar For All Season: BazaarForAllSeason

01 September

Happy Stripes lost by a less than hundred likes to a veteran and established shop who even offered 2,000 pesos for most number of likes and shares for their poster. HS gave the winner a good fight considering it has joined the contest a few weeks backs. Had HS joined the contest at the same time the winner joined last June then it would be a different story.

It was a great and thrilling experience for HS. Moreover, HS would like to thanks those who supported us even if we didn't know them personally.

Cafe Lidia - Marikina City

The wife and I are feeling lazy today; enjoying our couch and scanning the cable TV for hours. We have nothing to do while our two kids' classes are suspended due to torrential rain caused by storm "Madring;" eldest son came home early due to cancellation of work as well.

Earlier while watching Kris TV, my wife noticed that Kris and Kim Chiu were food tripping in Marikina. They visited Mama Chit's Coffee House, Cafe Lidia and Frederick Barbeque. We're astonished at the huge Family Burger they ordered at Mama Chit's. It's so mouthwatering and surely it would be worth remembering indulging on such a huge burger. The giant burger egged us to decide to have a quick bite at the said place since all the kids were at home.

Come 3 pm, we left our house at San Mateo and drove to Marikina City. Unfortunately, the place was full and it seemed some patrons outside were waiting for seats to be vacated. Mama Chit's place is pretty small and parking is along the main road only. Because of this, we opted to drive to Cafe Lidia in Calumpang area.

Cafe Lidia offers more dining space and has its own parking area in front of it. The place can accommodate up to 300 diners. They even have dedicated staff assisting their clients while parking. The place looked like a typical 2 storey house with decorative stones outside. However, inside was a homey atmosphere while the staffs were all very attentive to our needs. Outside was a small and lighted hanging yellow billboard.

We waited for around 5 minutes for a table for 5. The staff showed us to our table at one of the corners inside.

The interior was tastefully decorated using local materials such as woods, stones and greenery. We even noticed miniature water falls inside. The temperature was comfortable due to several air-conditioning units and wall fans.

The 200 pesos worth Chicken Pesto Pasta is definitely superb; the creamy and tasty sauce would definitely tickle your taste buds though the garlic bread was a let down. This won me over thus I told my wife that we would definitely come back here.

The 150 pesos Baked Lasagna tastes better than the Lasagna being offered by some famous fast-food joints according to my wife and 2 kids.

My youngest son loves this 150 pesos grilled Cheeseburger with fries. It reminds him of Bob's Cheeseburger at Mezza Norte. The burger is quite big compared with Big Mac and Champ.

Their 230 pesos Pizza Papa was just an average pizza albeit the thicker cheese compared with pizzas offered by other pizza parlors. However, the thin crust wasn't crispy at all unlike the Greenwich thin crust pizza. As you can see, the meat toppings were sparingly distributed as well. Nevertheless, for its price, you can't ask for more. I believe it's worth to try the other pizza flavor.

My youngest son's pupils enlarged upon seeing his 90 pesos dessert. He loved ice cream so much hence he never shared his dessert to anyone else.

This Blueberry Cheesecake is an all-time favorite dessert of my daughter. It is worth more than 100 pesos. Cafe Lidia arguably doesn't produce some of the best cakes out there though the price is quite affordable compared with other coffee shops' specialty cakes.

Our bill reached 1,740 pesos for five of us. I believed the price was reasonable considering that my family ordered fancy choco drinks while I settled for San Mig Light. By the way, I didn't remember seeing any service charge on the receipt.

For a single order and drink, be prepared to shell out at least 300 pesos per person.

It is easy to reach this place by private vehicle. Along Marcos Hiway and if you are coming from Antipolo/Cainta area just turn right at Ligaya area (Marikina side) then turn right at Calderon Street. From here, Cafe Lidia is around 300 meters away. If you are coming from Santolan/Cubao area, make a U-turn after Ligaya (Pasig side) to reach Calumpang.

If you plan to come here by public transport, take Marikina (Bayan) from Rosario Pasig and ask the driver to drop you at Cafe Lidia at Calumpang.

A few days from now, my wife and I will be celebrating our anniversary and we plan to celebrate it with our kids at Cafe Lidia. This time we plan to order a full dinner.

29 August 2013

Today, my wife and I have been together for 21 blissful years. To celebrate the occasion, we waited for our youngest son to arrive from school then drove to UP Diliman to fetch our collegiate daughter. From here we raced to Concepcion, Marikina City and waited for our eldest son coming from his job in Ortigas.

We have decided to have a family dinner at Cafe Lidia to celebrate our anniversary. Each of us ordered food that we thought we would enjoy.

Beef Tenderloin for me - 365 pesos

Chicken Parmesan for the wife - 225 pesos

Baked Rigatoni for our eldest - 205 pesos

Carbonara for our daughter - 160 pesos

Roast Chicken for our youngest - 210 pesos (famished, he quickly grabbed a bite before I was able to get a shot, lol)

Again, being an ice cream addict, my youngest asked for KitKat Parfaits as dessert

KitKat Parfaits - 110 pesos

My wife and other kids ordered Blueberry Cheesecake for dessert. Unfortunately, Cafe Lidia ran out of cakes thus they settled and shared a Banana Split.

Banana Split - 125 pesos

For appetizer we ordered Nacho Grande.

Nacho Grande - 285 pesos

Surprisingly enough, our appetizer, Nacho Grande, was brought to our table after we have started eating our meals. It ended as our pre-dessert food. The Nacho Grande looked appealing but it wasn't crispy though quite tasty.

Forget the tenderloin steak since there was nothing superb about it except the sauce, LOL. I suggest that you visit specialized steak shop or restaurant in case you want to indulge and enjoy a meaty meal.

Nevertheless, my wife attested that her Chicken Parmesan was great but it came with mashed potato which unfortunately my wife wasn't fond of eating. It seemed that you didn't have any choice but to order rice separately since the waiter never asked whether we prefer rice or mashed potato. The same case with the Roast Chicken of my youngest; I ended up consuming their mashed potatoes.

For the Carbonara and Baked Rigatoni, I got positive feedback from my other two kids; tasty and delicious. Since I loved their Chicken Pesto Pasta and the wife was all praised with their Lasagna during our first visit a few days back, it seems that Cafe Lidia's specialties are their pastas. Forget the steak.

Throughout our meal, kids enjoyed their choco drinks while the wife, watching her weight, sipped refreshing Iced Tea. As for me, I always enjoy a filling meal with San Mig Light.

Our bill reached 2,080 pesos. There was no service charge; another plus factor for Cafe Lidia.

I vividly remember when we celebrated our previous anniversary in one of the famous eat-all-you-can buffets where the 5 of us were billed more than 3,500 pesos. The choices were limited to Korean, Cantonese and Japanese dishes. My youngest son was restricted to grilled foods since his perennial favorite, the chicken, wasn't available. My eldest son suffered stomach pain due to over-indulging of Maki and Sushi while the rest of us felt bloated since our mind was set on packing our stomach to the brim. In short, we didn't fully enjoy the occasion.

Looking back to that buffet experience, I firmly believe that it is more worthwhile to celebrate an occasion in a typical Filipino restaurant where everyone can order the food they fancy not to mention the relax atmosphere while dining. Unlike the eat-all-you-can set-up where everyone is waiting or anticipating for the new dish to be brought out from the kitchen and the tendency to over-indulge in cholesterol and calories in limited time. Not to mention the limited time allocated for each table in an eat-all-you-can buffet.

Going back to Cafe Lidia, the place is definitely homey and spacious while the staffs are constantly attentive to all our needs.

More so, I can say that the price is quite reasonable considering the quality of food, service, ambiance and free parking outside.

The waiter even gladly took our picture on request.

Cafe Lidia is undeniably one of the must visit places in this part of the city with the family. The main drawback however is the limited public transport within the area.

14 September 2014

Since my youngest son is reviewing for his school's exams the family decided to have a quick lunch at Cafe Lidia instead of spending a family day in the mall.

We drove from San Mateo to Marikina City and reached the place in less than 30 minutes due to trafficless roads. Though it was raining cats and dogs due to typhoon Luis we were fortunate to have the last parking slot available in front of Cafe Lidia.

For our main courses, the wife and I ordered Pasta Ala-Lidia, my daughter settled for her favorite Carbonara while our eldest asked for Baked Mac. Our youngest and the most picky eater requested Pizza Henric. Aside from these, we asked for cakes and fancy drinks to complement our meals.

As expected, the pasta was great and tasty while the pizza was nothing but ordinary. The classic Sansrival and Red Velvet cakes were superb.

The service was fast and friendly as usual while the cozy atmosphere lingers even during strong monsoon rains caused by a signal number 3 typhoon Luis barreling across northern and central Luzon.

house specialty: the tasty and a bit sour Pasta Ala Lidia

Baked Mac / Carbonara / Pasta Ala Lidia

classic Sansrival cakes

Red Velvet cake

Our total bill was less than two thousand pesos. For a family of five that love to order fancy drinks and complete dessert the price can be considered affordable. In addition, the dreaded "service charge" won't appear on your bill unlike in other restaurants and buffets.

Aside from having homey atmosphere, car owners can also dine in peace since the parking area is safely guarded by a security guard and parking assistant.

Dad's Review - Missed a recently released movie?

picture courtesy of: http://www.genevievevalentine.com/2013/07/pacific-rim/

As a typical pinoy Dad I love to watch Hollywood's blockbuster movies. My family and I will watch any entertaining movie while I am on vacation. My kids would sometimes wait for my vacation so we can all watch the movie during our family day.

Oftentimes we enjoy watching the latest movie during its one month run. If we are lucky, we can even watch the movie on its premier show.

However, there are also instances that due to my vacation schedule we are not able to catch the movie. Normally, a movie would be shown for a month before it would be pulled-out or replaced to give way to newer release films. In case the movie will be shown on the same week I will return to my job in Yemen, chances are, I won't be able to catch it when I come back after 4 weeks. There are urgent and unavoidable cases also that I need to extend for another week in Yemen as my job requires. In this case, we have no option but to wait for the said movie to be available on the net or DVD and watch it in our flat screen devoid of popcorn and burgers, not to mention the reduced screen size and chilly atmosphere inside our favorite cinemas.

A few moons back, I was very excited upon arrival since I was expecting to watch my favorite Hollywood star, Will Smith. I have watched his MIB series; I am legend, Independence Day, among others.

Unfortunately, during my June 2013 vacation, his After Earth film was nowhere to be found in all SM and Ayala cinemas. We ended watching World War Z which was a very entertaining film as well.

I never lose hope. I checked "Click The City" to search for theater in MM where After Earth is still being shown. By luck, I found After Earth at Ever Commonwealth cinema 3; the place was just a few minutes drive from our place. Immediately, wife and I visited the place and we were able to watch After Earth. Like a kid, I was chirpy and lively after the movie notwithstanding the dank odor and poor facility of Ever Commonwealth cinema 3. I even checked my clothes for bed bug when we got home; there was none, lol. Aside from being rock hard, the rickety and dilapidated chairs have shorter arm rest thus I found it difficult to place my drinks on top of it. The Ayala and SM cinemas are way beyond compare with Ever Commonwealth cinemas. Anyway, I enjoyed the film. In fact, the film's sound effect was so impressive that it seemed it was also raining inside the theater. When I mentioned this to my wife she laughed because it was actually raining outside she told me. We can actually hear the rain outside while watching the movie.

Fast forward, I arrived last 09 August (Thursday). As if fate was against me, the movie Pacific Rim was pulled-out from all Ayala and SM cinemas on the same day. I was desperate to catch Pacific Rim that I even coerced my wife to watch it on 3D at SM North even at pricey tickets. However, the 7:30 pm timing wasn't ideal for us since my wife needs to coach my youngest son for his incoming school exams.

We have no option but to watch Pacific Rim at Ever Commonwealth. With family in tow, the kids were surprised to note that the movie ticket costs a mere 120 pesos per person. To uplift their mood, I told them that if we would watch this movie at SM cinema the price would be at least 200 pesos. Here at Ever, for the same amount we would be able to watch the same film plus burger and drinks.

In short, we never paid attention to the poor facility but focus on the movie itself. At the middle of the movie the sound disappeared; other viewers clapped their hands to catch the attention of the operator. The sound returned after a few minutes. It was the first time our kids experienced such thing and they were laughing at me while I shouted and clapped my hands as well. At the end of the movie, I asked my kids if they want to watch it again, we can stay behind and wait for it to be shown again. They all refused. Obviously, they are accustomed in watching movies at our favorite cinemas where you can even reserved your seat and "repeat performance" is not allowed. Unlike when I was young, a double picture was a norm and you can even spend the whole day inside the cinema. Well, that was eons of years ago, lol.

For a Dad who is on a budget or for someone who is bent on watching a recently released movie not being shown anymore in most MM cinemas, watching a blockbuster film at Ever Commonwealth is a great alternative as long as you can tolerate the dilapidated facility.

By the way, I heard from the grapevine that the lease agreement of Ever Commonwealth with the land owner will elapse in 2016. Perhaps, this could be the reason why the management is not interested in renovating its facility anymore. Until then, I am happy that I can still catch any newly released blockbuster movie which is not being shown anymore at upscale cinemas. Of course, it would be harder to convince my kids next time to accompany me. The wife? As expected, she would stay with me through thick and thin.

Mini Hotel, Causeway Bay

Like any other budget hotels in Hong Kong, Mini Hotel is tiny and without any other facilities such as restaurant and coffee shop thus you need to go out whenever you are famished. In short, you may consider this place good for night stay only. However, the hotel's location is truly ideal if you intend to shop at Hong Kong's high-end boutiques since it is a few minutes stroll from Times Square, Forever 21 and SOGO, to name a few. You can even travel by MTR to nearby Central Station where more upscale brands are being sold.

At the small lobby, the waiting area is tastefully decorated with several artistic photography with matching comfy sofas and leather sets. Forget the tiny reception area. When we were there, the two small lifts were working fine thus we didn't encounter any queue at all during our 4 nights stay.





I booked through Booking.com a family room at Mini Hotel a few moons back. The room has 2 double beds and 1 single bed. Its website claims that the family room is good for 4 people but 5 of us are able to squeeze in and sleep conveniently albeit the small walking area. On my first use of the miniscule toilet, my knees bumped the sliding door due to narrow space thus I need to spread my legs on my next use. Moreover, before entering, you have to turn-off the light because your reflection is easily distinguishable from outside since the toilet sliding door and partition walls are made of smoke glass. My daughter was the first one who used the toilet and we all laughed upon seeing her reflection in an awkward position. Fortunately, we had a strong centralized hot water otherwise this toilet was a let-down.

The beddings are in good and pristine condition, same as the fluppy pillows. I requested for an extra pillow since the room was prepared for 4 people only. The towels are in good condition too. Toiletries such as soap, shampoo and disposable toothbrushes are also provided. Several pairs of disposable slippers greeted us as well.

There is no cupboard or cabinet thus we end up arranging our clothes inside our luggage whenever we arrive and depart from the hotel though there are several hooks where you can hang your clothes. The a/c is centralized and the flat screen has several English channels. Aside from water heater, we have a small cooler enough to cool down several bottles of water when placed overnight and a small electronic vault. A small round table with a chair complimented the entire room. Daily housekeeping is done professionally. By the way, the free wifi was fast.

The service is quite superb; all staff that we have encountered are polite and can communicate in English. During check-in, the reception staff informed us that our room wasn't available yet. He secured our luggage and issued us a claim receipt. In addition, they normally welcome us with a smile whenever we arrive from our day tour.

Hey. Are we on vacation or what?

Upon check-out, I paid our balance in cash and forgot to ask for the receipt. Remembering that I used my credit card for hotel deposit, I inquired by email about this matter. Mini Hotel management promptly replied confirming that there won't be any deduction to my credit card since I paid in cash. They also sent me a copy of my invoice. I paid a total of 5,700 HKD (734$) for 4 nights stay. The promo rate was competitive considering the location, comfort and service.

Make no mistake about it: Mini Hotel could be lacking in facilities but their service is at par with several stars hotels services.

The main drawback, aside from lack of facilities and tiny toilet is the unavailability of taxi. You need to carry your luggage to nearby Lee Gardens Mall where there is a taxi queue. If you intend to travel by bus or MTR then this hotel is a few hundred meters away from the nearest stations.