With so many people feeling entitled nowadays, appreciation has become almost obsolete. People just think that they deserve this and that, that they should be given this and that, that the concept of gratitude and appreciation has become a thing of the past.

NOT IN MY HOUSE.


I teach my son that value of "PLEASE' and "THANK YOU" all the time. I strongly believe that these two things are the most basic way to show people you appreciate what they do for you. When you say please, you are showing that you are not taking it for granted that they will do something for you. When you say thank you, you are showing that you are grateful for what they did for you.

There are also other ways of showing appreciation for people. My recommendations are:

1.  Make time.

Time is the one thing that we can truly give to people. Spend an afternoon, have dinner, go for coffee, or simply sit down and listen to them.

2. Hugs.

Hugging is actually very therapeutic. When you want someone you appreciate having them in your life but you are not really good in using word, a simple hug works wonder.

3. Write them a note.

This is inexpensive and heartfelt. There is also nothing more sincere than a written note that is written from the heart.

4.  Frame that moment.

In this day and age where everything is digital, take the time to print a photo that has an awesome background and memory then give it to someone special. Having a framed, printed photo can always evoke a smile on someone's face.

Whatever your style is, whatever your way is of showing gratitude, what matters in life is that we always remember to appreciate what we have in life and who we have in life.

With so many people feeling entitled nowadays, appreciation has become almost obsolete. People just think that they deserve this and that, t...

Sometimes, you just need to step back and let fate take you where it wants to.


The first week of January was spent back in my hometown of Cebu City. This was a family trip so there were a few moments of madness but more happiness than anything else. What made it even more interesting was the fact that M actually went with us.

Day 1 was spent with family and some relatives. It was pure madness when we had lunch for 35 people. This is only 1/3 of our family. Prior to that though, we paid our respects to our Mama Becca and Papa Pino.


This was a prayer that  is done for those who have already passed on. Later on, we had dinner at Larsian which is a must visit place if you are in Cebu City. Must orders: Soriso, Puso (hanging rice), and lato.



These are three staples that I need to have whenever I go to Cebu. If I remember correctly, these three wouldn't even cost you Php100. A stick of soriso is less than Php30, puso is less than Php20 and the lato, definitely less than Php50.


2nd to the 4th day of our Cebu vacation was spent at Camotes Island where we were able to swim in a cave, go cliff diving, and have a massage at a resort. It was relaxing and definitely a lot of fun.






On our last day, it was at Mactan Shangri La where my son obviously had fun playing in the sand.


Overall, the 6 days break from work and everything related to blogging was a very much needed break. It also served as a test for my no buy year because I did not buy anything that I really did not need during this trip. It was a good start and so it was also when I made the decision to give this no buy year a chance because at the end of the day, it's a win-win situation for me.

Sometimes, you just need to step back and let fate take you where it wants to. The first week of January was spent back in my hometown ...

For our first event for the year 2019, we learned all we needed to know about SMART's amazing 25 promo. Personally, I've been a SMART subscriber since I was 18. Until now, I still believe that SMART has the strongest connection amongst all telecommunications because during earthquakes and typhoon, it remains alive, allowing people to call and check up on each other.

This time around, SMART wants to reward some of it's subscribers with phones and other things but for one lucky person, the reward comes in the form of 25M PESOS TAX FREE!

It’s time to push your luck this 2019 and take a shot at winning P25 million cash and other exciting prizes with ‘Smart Amazing 25’ raffle promo!

Its biggest raffle promo ever, ‘Smart Amazing 25’ is part of the 25th anniversary celebration of Smart Communications, the mobile arm of leading and trusted digital services provider PLDT.

“‘Smart Amazing 25’ raffle promo is our way of rewarding our customers all over the country, who continue to inspire us in our mission to deliver services and solutions that help improve their lives and give them amazing experiences,” said Andrew L. Santos, PLDT-Smart FVP and Consumer Marketing Head.

“What better way to celebrate this milestone anniversary than with a P25 million cash grand prize - our biggest raffle prize ever that will surely change the life of one lucky subscriber! In addition to the grand prize, we’ve also lined up other exciting raffle prizes and instant bonuses for the rest of our customers.”




Aside from the P25 million cash grand prize, up for grabs are brand new smartphones, MVP Rewards points, and free data to enjoy your favorite apps, videos, games, and music.

Register your Smart, Sun, or TNT account to join the raffle

To join, Smart, TNT, and Sun subscribers must first complete the one-time registration: Simply dial *121#, choose AMAZING 25 on the menu, and follow the steps to confirm your sign-up. Once registered, you can start earning and accumulating raffle entries for a shot at winning amazing prizes.

All prepaid subscribers can earn raffle entries with every registration to select prepaid promos via retailers or text registration. As bonus, subscribers using *121# to register to prepaid promos can earn more entries.

The select prepaid promos include Giga Surf, Giga Surf Plus, All Out Surf, and Game Time for Smart; Surf Saya, Gaan Surf, Panalo Combo, Panalo Data, Giga Surf and All Out Surf for TNT; and Sulit Surf Plus, Big Time Data, Non-Stop Surf, Giga Surf and All Out Surf for Sun.

Team SMART

On the other hand, all postpaid customers with active accounts that do not have outstanding balances can earn raffle entries by paying their bills in full and on time. Every Php1,000 worth of payment is equivalent to 100 entries. Postpaid customers who purchase select add-ons such as Giga Surf offers for Smart; and the Social Bundle 199, Chat Bundle 249, and Non-Stop 450 for Sun can also earn additional raffle entries.

 All raffle entries accumulated within the promo period are qualified for the grand draw of 25 million cash prize in February. On the other hand, earned raffle entries for winning the monthly draws for brand new smartphones, MVP Rewards points, and mobile data will reset every month.

To know more about Smart Amazing 25 raffle promo, visit www.smart.com.ph/amazing25 and follow Smart's official accounts on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SmartCommunications ), Twitter and Instagram (@livesmart).

For our first event for the year 2019, we learned all we needed to know about SMART's amazing 25 promo. Personally, I've been a S...

YES! You finally de-cluttered and got rid of so many of your things. It feels good and you feel at peace with the world. You finally start to feel like there is hope and lightness all around you.

TWO WEEKS LATER .... 

You find yourself swamped once more with clutter and everything is in chaos.

WHAT NOW? 


Here are a few steps that you can follow to avoid falling back into clutter and living a disorganized life. I hope that this will work for you and help you out as much as it had for me. Now this doesn't mean that your life will be perfect and clutter free if you follow these but it will definitely help you stay on track and live a more organized and clutter free life.

1. Set a schedule

Every 3 months, set aside a day to take an inventory of what you have and what you need to throw away, donate, or keep. 3 months is long enough to accumulate things but short enough so that the task will not feel overwhelming.

2. Cut your area into sections

This means that every corner of your house should serve a purpose. In the kitchen, there should be an area for tools, pots, pans, plastic ware, and so on and so forth. When things have a certain spot that they belong to, it's easier to remember where something needs to be and it's easier to return things to where they should be.

3.  Label things

If you don't have your stuff displayed in a manner where you can easily see everything, it's best that you label your storage space. One, it will be easier to see where everything is and two, it helps you to keep track of what item is in what container.

After all, it can be frustrating to have to search and search for something that you know is there, you just don't know where you placed it.

If you are placing multiple items in a certain cabinet, it's best to list down what's inside and then tape that list on the side of the closet. 

These are all pretty easy to follow but the follow through will be the most challenging. Laziness can get to you and the manana habit will surely strike. Don't beat yourself up. Simply try to get back on track and make sure that you remember, as best as you can, to do what you can to declutter your life.

PS. Throwing away things you don't need soon as you get them (boxes, receipts, wrappers, et al) is also an awesome way of making sure your clutter stays minimal.

YES! You finally de-cluttered and got rid of so many of your things. It feels good and you feel at peace with the world. You finally start t...

Our PR friends have been quite busy this 2019 so we have a lot of updates for you guys.

ASUS launches ROG lineup at CES 2019 


ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today introduces its latest lineup of gaming laptops at CES® 2019, including the ROG Mothership, ROG Zephyrus S GX701, ROG Zephyrus S GX531, ROG Strix SCAR II, and ROG Strix Hero II. All have graphics powered by the latest NVidia GeForce RTX engines. This full top-to-bottom lineup is filled with updates that elevate your portable PC gaming experience across a diverse family of form factors from the ultra-slim Zephyrus S to the innovative GZ700 Mothership. 


Gamers have different priorities, so our laptops follow suit. The GZ700 desktop replacement emphasizes performance over portability with a traditional clamshell in the ROG G703. It is joined by the ultra-slim ROG Zephyrus S GX531 that’s augmented to go beyond gaming. The ROG Strix SCAR II and Hero II reprise their roles in the eSports arena with portable form factors filled with competition-grade hardware.

ONE Championship

Robin Catalan Leans On Consistency, Versatility To Triumph In Jakarta

Coming off one of the most productive years in his ONE Championship career, strawweight standout Robin “The Ilonggo” Catalan is certainly turning over a new leaf in high spirits.

Catalan won two of his three fights in The Home Of Martial Arts in 2018, including an impressive submission win over Adrian “Papua Badboy” Matheis at ONE: BATTLE FOR THE HEAVENS back in July.

Though his momentum was halted with a submission loss to veteran martial artist Hayato Suzuki at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES last October, that only made him realize the things that he needs to work on moving forward.

“I still want to improve my grappling and wrestling. That is one of our main goals this 2019,” said Catalan.

“Those are areas that we, as a team, feel that we lack and needs major improvement, so we will focus more on that for this year,” he added.

Catalan looks to showcase his continuous development in his grappling when he takes on hometown favorite Stefer “The Lion” Rahardian at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY  in Jakarta, Indonesia at 19 January. 

Joshua Pacio 's First Title Defense Brings With It Pressure In And Out Of The Cage

To become a ONE World Champion is an achievement few athletes accomplish during their professional careers but earning that coveted title and keeping that title are two entirely different things.

Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, wrote his name in the history books last September when he defeated Yoshitaka Naito to capture the ONE Strawweight World Championship.







Pacio will now attempt to do what neither Natio or the man Natio took the belt off of Alex Silva could do, and that is to mount a successful defense of the title he has only recently claimed.

“The Passion” is set to have his first defense on 19 January at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY in Jakarta Indonesia against the highly-rated Japanese athlete Yosuke Saruta.

ONE Championship announces 45-event schedule in 2019

Following a monumental 2018 in which the world’s largest martial arts organization hosted 24 shows, ONE Championship is set to up the ante even further.

Chatri Sityodtong, ONE Championship’s Chairman and CEO, announced on Facebook that the promotion is set to host 45 events in 2019.

The company’s 24 flagship ONE Championship events had already been announced and scheduled, including forays into new territories such as Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam.

In addition, Rich Franklin’s ONE Warriors Series will see double its number of 2018 live shows with six in 2019.

The groundbreaking documentary series kicked off with three thrilling cards held in Singapore, and saw ONE Vice President Rich Franklin unearthing Asia’s finest burgeoning talent.

This includes the likes of Thai sensation Stamp Fairtex, who captured the ONE Kickboxing Atomweight World Championship en route to being named ONE’s 2018 Breakthrough Athlete of the Year.

Furthermore, ONE will host 12 ONE Hero Series events in the coming year, with further details on the new format to be announced at a later date.

On top of the elite combat sports that are set to light up Asia in 2019, ONE Esports will also get underway. There will be three of the colossal gaming events on offer, held alongside the martial arts shows in weekend spectacles.

STARBUCKS

Starbucks and the Philippine Food Bank foundation partners for The FoodShare Program

The FoodShare program is one of the many steps Starbucks is taking to fulfill its mission of inspiring and nurturing the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one community at a time.

Since it first opened in the Philippines in 1997, Starbucks has donated unsold yet still fully edible pastries to non-government organizations (NGOs). This year, Starbucks aims to serve more communities with the help of the Philippine Food Bank Foundation (PFBF).




Just recently, Starbucks partnered with the PFBF to help a few Starbucks branches find partner NGOs and implement this FoodShare initiative. For their pilot run which lasted for 1 week, Starbucks and PFBF successfully delivered a total of 1,600 pastries to orphanages, school, and underserved communities near the six stores.

“To eat the products of Starbucks is something that these people could not have imagined. To everyone it is such a blessing. Thank you very much for sharing your products to us. God bless and we continue to pray for all the endeavors you are doing,” said Sr. Cherry Consimino from the Daughters of Virgin Mary Immaculate, one of the NGOs chosen to distribute the pastries.

Elevated Tea Experiences With Bold, New Starbucks Teavana® Beverages

Tea is one of the most popular beverages in the world, a timeless drink that has been enjoyed from the east to the west. In Europe, especially Britain, ‘afternoon tea’ is a staple relished by many, while in Asia, tea drinking is not only part of everyday meals but is also part of many traditional ceremonies. Through the years, however, tea has changed as more people look for exciting twists on the classic beverage.

Now, embracing the spirit of innovation and reimagination, Starbucks is introducing a new way to experience tea with a range of Teavana® ™ Tea Lattes to bring a modernized tea experience.





Available  for  a  limited  time  only  starting  January  8, Starbucks introduces four new Teavana® ®  beverages – Oat &  Green Tea Latte, Oat & Green Tea Frappuccino®, Peach Black Tea Latte, and Chestnut Black Tea Latte.

For those with a love for all things Matcha, Starbucks offers two invigorating Green Tea beverages. Warming customers up for the season is the velvet smooth Green Tea Latte infused with Oat Matcha powder and sprinkled with colorful, crunchy granola and fruit topping. The Oat and Green Tea pairing also comes in a more indulgent Frappuccino® variation topped with coffee whipped cream, crunchy granola, and dried fruits.

CNY Year of the Pig Collection
Get ready for an abundant and prosperous 2019 as Starbucks welcomes the Year of the Pig! In
Chinese culture, the pig is a symbol of wealth and luck, and this year, the lucky Pig is sharing
its fortune and promising success to everyone.

Starting January 8, Starbucks is releasing its Lunar New Year Collection complete with tumblers and mugs designed with delightful pig drawings in detailed water color texture and floral elements in pink, red and yellow palettes. Even the Starbucks Bearista gets a porky make-over, dressed up in a
cute pig outfit.




Starbucks is also offering a special Year of the Pig Card with a warm colored illustration of the smiley zodiac sign, surrounded by blossoming flowers in red and yellow colors. The card is available for an initial activation of P300.


With the pig as the last zodiac in the 12-year cycle, Starbucks is also launching a limited edition Chinese Zodiac Demi Set complete with all the zodiac signs, perfect for collecting or gifting. Housed inside a premium red and gold box, the set includes Lunar New Year mugs from 2008 to 2019 in demitasse size. The entire set is available starting February 1 in select
stores for P5,495.

So what are you waiting for? Hog your favorite pieces just in time for the Lunar New Year at your nearest Starbucks!

Max's Restaurant

The New Year calls for new reasons to celebrate with Every Kind of Family, memories created over good company and even better food. With Max’s Restaurant’s latest offerings, celebrating Every Day to the Max has never been more delicious!



A classic Filipino dish served with special spin, the Adobo Ribs is made by slow-cooking a half slab until it is moist and fork-tender. It is then sweetened with onions, served with a tangy and flavorful sauce, and topped with leeks that automatically brings back memories of eating the classic adobo.

Best when shared, the Adobo Ribs can be enjoyed with family and friends alongside a serving of Sizzling Tofu or Pancit Canton, one large plain rice, three glasses of Iced Tea, and three dessert-sized servings of Buko Pandan—all for just PHP899.




Max’s Restaurant now also serves Beef Salpicao, cubed beef sirloin stir-fried in a hot pan with lots of minced garlic and a variety of spices. Savory and garlicky, this Pinoy favorite with a Spanish origin can be enjoyed Ala Carte for PHP499 or served in a Rice Bowl for only PHP249.

Our PR friends have been quite busy this 2019 so we have a lot of updates for you guys. ASUS launches ROG lineup at CES 2019  ASUS...

This review was done by Mark Balmores, photojournalist of Manila Bulletin who also happens to be my better half.

The Asus Max Pro M2 ensures great in-hand feel due to its arched back that highly contributes to its comfort when taking photos. As far as the overall build quality is concerned, there was no bending or squeaking feel when you press on the shutter button when taking snapshots.  The display quality is admirable.



The camera captures detailed colors in decent lighting and also has improved in faster focusing that helps when taking shots of moving subjects. As a photographer, sometimes you see yourself stuck in a situation when there is not enough light to make a quality shot. I can say that The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2’s performance in lowlight shooting is acceptable. Not the best quality in low-light situation but acceptable enough.




In my line of work, I shoot a lot of photos. I always see to it that the equipment I use can outlast my endurance when taking photos. The Asus Zenfone Max Pro 2 can do just that as it boasts a 5000 mAh battery that can competently last for a day or a day and a half even if you take photos all day. Going empty on your battery is also not a problem as the phone supports fast charging. I tried charging the unit at 25% and it was completely charged after less than an hour.




Overall, I can say that I can recommend the Asus Zenfone Max Pro 2 for those shutterbugs that love to take photos. An affordable phone with a quality camera that can decently capture those precious moments.



If a professional photographer recommends the ASUS M2 PRO, then who else can question the validity of the M2 Pro's claim when it comes to long lasting battery with quality camera and storage?

I'd say, no one can.

* all photos taken by Mark Balmores using the ASUS M2 PRO.

This review was done by Mark Balmores, photojournalist of Manila Bulletin who also happens to be my better half. The Asus Max Pro M2 ensur...

10 days in and I still feel quite inspired about my no buy year. I know I know, hello it's only been 10 days but trust me when I sa...

Everything that you can perform to make your house more attractive to buyers and get the most for your house is called building equity in your house. Home equity is the difference between the outstanding payments still owed on the house and the market worth. To rise the valve of your house, there are home remodeling projects you do.

Kitchen and bathrooms


Either of these is the most costly home remodeling projects to undertake. If you are not a professional, then remodeling these rooms should be something you should not attempt. It would be sensible to hire a remodeling contractor. 

Most homeowners do not want to spend the cash on a contractor but there are some specs you can include to rise your property worth. You could varnish, paint, or change the cabinets, update the appliances you are using, or changing the countertops. You could paint the walls and modernize your faucets. In the bathroom, you could include a mirror and new lighting over the sink, and more.

Master bedroom


One amazing selling point is that the master bedroom becomes a master suite with a private bathroom.. This can be a costly project and should be undertaken by home remodeling contractor. This is the room where people enjoy after a long day. Ensure that it is as spacious as possible. Paint the walls with a calming color with matching curtains or drapes.

Flooring

When you update your floors, it is affordable way to include worth to your home. Most homebuyers are looking for hardwood floors instead of carpeting. The factors are hardwood floors are simple to clean, look perfect, and last longer. If your budget permits it, put hardwood floors throughout the full home. If you cannot do the full home use carpet in the bedrooms and hardwood floors in the rest of house. In the bathroom, you could use tile flooring. If you have little pets or children that could scuff the hardwood floors, you could use laminate flooring. This kind of flooring is not as expensive as they are charming.

Windows


This is also a costly home remodeling project but if you do just one costly project, change the windows to power efficient windows. These kinds of windows can keep 1000s on the energy costs of the house. You may also qualify for a tax break. Ensure that you accent them with charming drapes and curtains.

Everything that you can perform to make your house more attractive to buyers and get the most for your house is called building equity in...

For 2017, I made this post. Half of the things I listed actually happened.

For 2018, I made this post. Only one thing happened but it was the most important. I was not able to get an Innova but I was able to buy a second-hand Cefiro.

For 2019, here are my goals.


1. Save MONEY.

For this to happen, I joined our weekly paluwagan. I also am doing the INVISIBLE MONEY challenge so for every Php50 that I come across, it goes straight to Little Miss Piggy. I am also saving all the Php5 that I get in a coin bank.

2. Be healthy.

I did not say be fit or be thin. I said, be healthy. This means to eat more greens and fruits. Eat less chips, soda, and rice. I will also do more walking and play Just Dance so I have a bit of cardio.

3. Insurance.

I hope that this year, I will finally be able to start an insurance fund.

4. YouTube / Facebook LIVE ala Jeffree Star.

I hope to overcome my fear of doing regular live stream and be finally able to embrace it.

5. Attend marketing conferences so I can learn more and be better at my job.

6. Travel with my son to Singapore.

7. Famuly trip to Kota Kinabalu or Taiwan.

8. Downpayment for a house.

I don't know how I will be able to accomplish everything but as what everyone says, it always starts with a dream and one way that I know I will be able to make this happen is by doing a no-buy year.

For 2017, I made this post . Half of the things I listed actually happened. For 2018, I made this post . Only one thing happened but it wa...

A week has passed by already and there's been one thing that has bugged me since 2019 entered. You see, I chanced upon a video about the concept of no-buy and the idea has been literally stuck to my head. For those who do not know, no-buy means you can only buy the essentials in life and for the essential toiletries, you only buy it when you have consumed and used up the one you already have. 

This is what they call empties which I'll discuss in another blog post should I decide to actually pursue this no buy project. 

So here's a quick background of what is happening in my head. 





The Challenge: No Buy Year

Why I want to do it: Last year, I saw that I have spent almost 250k on things that I didn't really need in my life. 250 THOUSAND. 250K. I could have gone to so many places with that amount. SO MANY PLACES. 

The Struggle: I'm so used to hoarding that I know that it will be quite hard to walk away from things just like that.

The Benefit: Savings and less clutter.

Now that I have listed things down this way, my head just literally went, "what's the struggle?"

The Rules

1. You can only buy the essentials.
- Food
- Medicine
- Toiletries and skin care 
- household stuff 
- things that will add quality to your life

2. Empties
For the toiletries, makeup, and skin care, you can only buy a new one when you finish up a bottle.

3. You cannot buy things just because you want it. It has to be a necessity or something that will truly add value to your life. 

4. If you are a buying a big ticket item, you need to think about it for 90 days and if you still want to buy it after 90 days, then you can do so. 

5. You need to make an inventory of what you have at the beginning of your no buy year. This way, you can see how much you actually have and what you have consumed at the end of the year. 

So there. The rules are very simple but in reality, I know that it will be a struggle to follow. However, I did calculate how much I have spent for 2018 and I am appalled. Even if I was able to buy a second hand car for my Mom and some gadgets for family, I could have saved so much more or used it to travel with family.

Now that this blog post is done, I've realized that I will be trying the no-buy year and I will document my journey of transitioning from being a shopaholic and hoarder to becoming a minimalist and no-buy person.

Let me know if you're also trying this out. I'd love to have someone to talk to about this.

A week has passed by already and there's been one thing that has bugged me since 2019 entered. You see, I chanced upon a video about the...