5 Diamond Painting Accessories You Need to Have from Shopee

I've been doing diamond painting for 5 years now and over the years, I've come to realize that there are certain tools that you need to have and there are certain tools that you can do away with.  

This is a Japanese doll project from Shopee that I would like to do but for me to be able to do this well, I would need a few things to help me out.

Here are 5 tools that I believe any diamond painter should have in their belonging to make life easier for them. I'll also link down the stores below so that you can just click and buy when you want to.

Tool # 1- Drill Pen / Tweezers 

Knowing which one works for you is important and making sure that you have the right drill pen or tweezers matters because you want to be comfortable while working for hours on your diamond painting.

 

Tool # 2 - Bead Tray Organizer

 

Tool # 3 - Pink Wax/ Blue Tac

This is needed to get the beads to stick to the drill pen so that it can be transferred from the tray to the canvass.

Tool # 4 - Mini Rolling Pin

The mini rolling pin is useful for making sure that the beads stay stuck to the canvass andnot fall off. It's pretty therapeutic when you use it. 

Tool # 5 - Bead Container

Anyone who has done diamond painting has at one point or another suffered the unfortunate accident of having your beads fly out. I am telling you that it is not a happy moment when you need to pick the beads up one by one from the floor. 

I also made a video discussing the different diamond painting accessories that you need. You can watch it here.

Different types of investments that are most favored by Investors

In investing or investment a person allocates his or her resources, usually in the form of money to start a business, expecting to generate an income or profit. In the case of assets, such as purchasing real estate; the investor hopes of reselling it at a higher price in the future.

There are different types of investments and they intimidate a lot of people. There are a lot of options, and they make it hard to figure out which investments are right for you.

Sharing you some of the most common types of investment. If you’re serious about investing, you may want to check them out for guidance and to gain more knowledge on investments.

Stocks
Based on polls conducted by Gallup in 2020, 55% of Americans own stock and this is identical to the average 55% recorded in 2019.

Stocks may be simple yet most popular type of investment. Investing in a stock means you’re buying an ownership share in a publicly-traded company. Many of the biggest companies in the world are publicly traded, and you can buy stock in them.

In stocks investment, you’re hoping that the price will go up so you can then sell it for a profit. The risk is that the price of the stock could go down and you could lose the money you invested.

Bonds
In a recent study conducted by the St. Louis Federal Reserve - one of 12 regional Reserve Banks that make up the United States' central banks - direct household participation in the bond market has fallen to 1.3% in 2016.

Bond investment means lending money to an entity. Companies issue corporate bonds, local governments issue municipal bonds and the U.S. Treasury issues treasury bonds. 

The bond matures once it was held for a predetermined amount of time. That’s when you can earn back the principal you spent on the bond, plus a determined rate of interest.
Typically, the rate of return for bonds is much lower compared to stocks, but the risk is also lower.

Mutual Funds
In mid-2017, an estimated 56.2 million households in America, or 44.5 percent of all US households, owned mutual funds. Currently, there are around 100 million individual investors owning mutual funds in the US. 

In a mutual fund, there is a pool of many investors’ money that is invested broadly in a number of companies. Mutual funds are either actively managed or passively managed. When a fund is actively managed, there is a manager who picks companies and other instruments in which to put investors’ money. Meanwhile in a passively managed fund, the major stock market index is simply being tracked.

Investing in mutual funds has also risks like stocks and bonds, but the risk is lesser because the investments are inherently diversified.

Real Estate
According to a new data from 2019 and 2020, real estate remains the most favored investments in the US. The latest Bankrate survey also revealed that 31% of Americans think real estate is the best way to invest money that they won’t be able to touch for a decade.

In real estate investing, the person involved purchase, own, manage, rent and/or sell real estate for profit. When a real estate property is improved as part of the investment strategy, it is called real estate development.

Buying and owning real estate is both satisfying and lucrative. It attracts investors from all walks of life because it is a highly customizable investment.

A lot of people may still find investing difficult because almost everything in life is static such as the spending, personal health and well-being, tolerance for risk, and income - they change over time. So to make investing a bit stress-free and hassle-free, you might need an investment calculator, that you can bring anytime and anywhere. 

Investors can use this calculator to determine the average annual rate of return on their investments even if those investments have irregular investments or withdrawals. This free online tool is also helpful to those who are not yet ready to engage in a financial advisor or join financial talks, lessons or coaching that might cost them some amount of money; but are still eager to start investing.

5 Blogging Myths You Need to Know

I recently did a talk for Writing Hacks Academy a week ago to discuss the Popular Blogging Myths that aspiring bloggers need to know about. 

It was a really delightful experience and probably one of the easiest interviews that I have ever done in my entire blogging career. Miss Jonah Chipeco was such a gracious host that it felt more like a talk with a friend rather than a Facebook LIVE watched by hundreds of people.

Myth # 1 - Blogging is EASY. 

Blogging is hard work. When you blog for an audience or blog with a brand, it's hard work. You need to ensure that your blog is aesthetically pleasing, easily understood, and loads fast. 

On top of that, you need to constantly churn out new content on a regular basis to keep yor readers coming back again and again. 

Myth # 2 - Not everyone can be a blogger.

Contrary to popular belief, everyone CAN be a blogger. After all, a blog is really just an online diary and anyone can maintain an online diary. HOWEVER, not everyone can be a good blogger and not everyone can be a successful blogger. 

Myth # 3 - Blogging is EASY money. 

It's almost impossible to make a lot of money on the first year of being a blogger. Unless you are very lucky and you did an intense research on the very specific niche that you are getting into, do not expect to make a lot of money on your first year. 

Successful, money making blogging involves a lot of ground work from coming up with content, planning the photo, writing the article, syndicating the article, and promoting it on different social media platforms to ensure reach.

Afterwards, you need to ensure that you reply to any engagement that your post would have generated which means replying to comments, retweets, and likes. 

You CAN make money but it will take a while for you to get to the point where you are making money. 

Myth # 4 - Blogging does not require proper grammar because it is just an online diary.

If you are just blogging for yourself, then there's no need to worry about grammar and spelling. However, when you start blogging for an audience, then you need to be responsible about how you convey your message because you may have impressionable readers and a good blogger knows that with power comes responsibility. 

Be responsible.

Myth # 5 - Blogging is just writing. 

A successful blogger knows that there's always room for improvement and that there's always room for innovation. A successful blogger is always on the lookout on how to improve his blog, his writing, and the photos, that he publishes on his blog.

You can watch the full video here. Hope you learned something. If you have other myths that you would like debunked, please feel free to share them on the comments below. 

Get 30% off on Storage from Seagate when you buy from Shopee

Who needs more space? We all do right? 

This applies not just physically and mentally but digitally too. This is why we need hard drives, because sometimes, our laptops can't handle the baggage. 

Seagate offers up to 30% off on their 500GB and 1TB hard drives via their official store on Shopee.  

The Seagate 500GB Expansion SSD Ultra Portable Storage is perfect for those who just need a little bit more space on their laptops but don't really want to commit to a big purchase. The price point is reasonable and Seagate is one of the tried and tested brands when it comes to hard drives.

I personally have one of these and I have linked up the store above. It's functional and definitely heavy duty. 

The Seagate BarraCuda 1TB Fast SSD Type-C Portable External Sold State Drive is perfect for people like M. Since he is a photojouralist, he stores high resolution files of his photos and needs a lot more space than the average person.

 

 

Don't miss the chance to buy this at up to 30% off. I know that I wished that I waited but I just really needed it asap so I already got it even before the sale. 

 

Download the Shopee app via Google Play or App Store now. 

Sing your heart out with WOW Fiesta and enjoy 40% off through Shopee

Today is the day! 

You can sing your heart out when you buy a WOW Fiesta from their official store on Shopee because they are celebrating the Shopee 9.9 by giving 40% off on selected WOW Fiesta items. 

There are 3 items that have caught my eye. 

The WOW Fiesta DVD Karaoke. This one is perfect for those who love to sing duets or have family members who tend to hog the mic. If you have two, then there's more songs to be sung by everyone. At Php3,899, this is already a steal and today, you get it at 40% off. 

The WOW Fiesta Melody. This is the ultimate amongst the WOW Fiesta Line. I personally have this and it is such a joy to use. M and I have been singing more on the weekends because of this.

The WOW Professional Dynamic Microphone. Sometimes, you just need to have one more and it's not a bad thing. I would definitely need at least 4 since almost everyone at home sings. 

We, Filipinos, love to sing and WOW Fiesta understands that so make sure you take advantage of this offer today to get your hands on these gems at 40% off. 

Download the free Shopee app via Google Play or App store now.

Nostalgia Cookies in a Box by Apron Strings

I'm a child of the 80s. This means that I was born in 1980 and I grew up in the 90s. During the 90s, there were some very distinct food and beverages that you grew up eating and drinking that are no longer available today, or so I thought. 

There was this bunch of cookies served before and anytime that you had these at home, they were kind of the highlight of your meryenda. You see, for a kid, these were the fanciest cookies you could have had back then. 

Nowadays, people have gone crazy mad with designs and what not but back in the 90s, the cookies looked like cookies and tasted like heaven in every bite. 

Thankfully, Ria of Apron Strings is bringing back the cookies from the 90s and aptly named it Nostalgia Cookies in a Box. 

As you can see, it looks like a simple bunch of cookies but what you can't see is that when you bite into this, you will be reminded of your Lola's baking or cooking. You will be reminded of a time when everything was simple and there was nothing complex about the world. 

These cookies are simple and tasty, just like how cookies are supposed to be. 

I had a smile on my face with every bite that I took out of these Nostalgia cookies. At the end of the day, isn't that the one thing that we want most when we sit down, eat, and spend time with our family? 

To order, message them on their Facebook page.

Go Go Bangus, A Bangus for Every Juan

Bangus, otherwise known as milkfish, is one of the most popular food in the Philippines. In almost any Filipino celebration, you will be able to find relyenong bangus, daing na bangus, or inihaw na bangus. Truly, there is a bangus for every Juan and Go Go Bangus recognizes that. 

Go Go Bangus' products come from Dagupan where it is freshly caught by the Go Go Bangus Team of fishermen. 

The fish is processed naturally then perfectly marinated and spiced with herbs and citrus. It is vacuum sealed so it's ready to cook anytime!

Once the produce is wrapped and finished, it is delivered in sealed and closely monitored iced packages here in Manila, stored in our office freezers so it can be readily delivered once an order comes in.

Go Go Bangus, specially from Dagupan, is known for its flavor and freshness! Go Go Bangus wishes for everyone to experience its delicacy and taste. For work, school, outings, or at home, this is perfect alone and for the family! Go, Go, Bangus - The Bangus For Everyjuan!

Best with butter and garlic, but ready to cook anyway you like! Don't forget to prepare extra rice! What's good about this is that bangus is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6, Phosphorus and Selenium, and a very good source of Protein, Niacin and Vitamin B12.

Make sure to order your fill of bangus from Go Go Bangus. 

KanMend, KanLive and KanGuard with FWD

Sometimes, you just need to take control of the things you still have control over. These days, a lot of people feel helpless and out of sorts. After all, with what's happening in the world, no one knows anymore what will happen tomorrow. 

Today, you could be okay. Tomorrow, you could be gone from this world in a snap. 

This is why I chose to protect the people that I love by getting KanMend, KanLive, and KanGuard from FWD. 

This is what they call the Kandu Products of FWD Sachet Protection. For only Php1,799 per program per year, you are already covered and can have peace of mind. 

These days, we need all the peace of mind that we can possibly get. 

Why do we need this? 

It's crazy right? This is why we need to do all that we can to protect ourselves. 

For those who want to protect themselves and their family NOW, you can send a message here.

5 Tips for your Craft Space

A cluttered desk speaks of a cluttered mind. Apparently, this is really true. 

For the past few days, my work area / craft area has been in disarray. It's been a struggle working on it this week because there was just too many things going on. 

I haven't updated my journal because it was just so uninspiring. Finally, I had enough. Today, I fixed my craft area and I'm going to share 5 tips that I applied in making my craft space my own again.

This is how my space looked like early this morning before I fixed it. 

As you can see, it's in chaos. Everything is kind of thrown everywhere and there's just no order. It also felt cramped for some reason. 

I fixed it and was able to apply some organizing tips I learned from YouTube. Here's how it looks. What I did was: 

1. Find a space for what matters. Since I want to be able to journal daily, I placed the materials that I use most on the table. These are my Happy Planner Sticker Books, Washi Tapes, journals, and pen. I also found a storage organizer that could house the small knick knacks so I was able to sort things and bring down the chaos to a more manageable size.

2. A place for everything and everything in it's place. Since I plan to do a lot more YouTube videos in this area, I figured that my background should be a bit more presentable. 

I finally made use of this nice rattan basket I got from a local seller here in my city and that's where I placed all of my unopened pen collection. I was also able to display some of my ceramic tumbler from Starbucks as well as my Brother label maker which is such a life saver.

3. Find comfort in your space. If your area feels cramped, the tendency is you won't be inspired. A little breathing space is needed. If you don't have space, find a spot where you feel comfortable.

4. Stop obsessing over aesthetics. 

My area will never be called instagrammable and that's okay. What matters is that I am happy with my space and I can journal or do my diamond painting. I feel that there's no point to having an instagrammable nook that remains unused because it's too pretty to be used. 

5. Own Your Space, don't let your space own you. Sometimes, we put too much value in our craft area that we don't want to disrupt it. The beauty in disrupting your space is that you can put it back together or change it according to how you are feeling and inspired to create. Remember that you can create something beautiful from chaos if you will just let it happen.

Do you have a craft space? I'd love to see it.

Best Kept Secret of the South, the Too Much Chocolate Chip Cookie by the Fet Boys

If you have ever wanted to know what it feels like to be hugged by a cookie, then you need to try the Too Much Chocolate Chip Cookie baked by the Fet Boys. If you've never heard of them, it's because their cookies are so good, people don't want to share for fear of it being sold out which it almost always is.

The Fet Boys are twin brothers Karl and Kirk though Kirk is the one who bakes all the time. The Too Much Chocolate Chip Cookie is his creation and this comes in GIANT and regular size. When I say it's a GIANT cookie, I mean it. 

The Too Much Chocolate Chip Cookie is made of chocolate chip goodness, walnuts, and chunky chewy cookie all rolled into one. People who don't like too much sweetness will enjoy this because it's not too sweet either. The sweetness is just right that even diabetics can eat a piece of this. 

People in Singapore love this and they are not fans of sweet so if they love the Too Much Chocolate Chip Cookie by the Fet Boys, you know that the sweetness level is just right. 

If you would like to experience being hugged by a warm cookie, message the Fet Boys on their Facebook Page. If you're not ready to take in the giant version, order the regular version. Make sure you order at least a dozen because everyone who ordered only 6 pieces ordered another dozen after just one bite.

 

 

They also sell walnut brownies, the chewiest one that you will ever have. 

 

 

3 Ways to Keep Baby Healthy

I have a 6 month old child and to keep him happy, I need to make sure that he is healthy and comfy at all times. This means that I need to make sure that the stuff I use on him are good ones that will make him happy and healthy because a happy baby means more sleep for the Mommy. 

 

1. Bathe Baby Well. 

My son loves bath time so much so I need to make sure that I use baby shower that is not harmful to his eyes and skin. He revels in taking a bath and can spend a long time wallowing in the water so I chose Babyflo for his bathing needs. 

It doesn't have a scent which means that it is delicate on the skin because it has less chemicals. It makes soapy bubbles though so it makes Khali giggle and that makes him happy. 

2. Dry Diaper 

When babies experience diapers that is leaky, gets filled easily, or causes rashes, that results to an irritated baby. An irritated baby is not a happy baby and he won't eat, sleep, or play well. This is why the Pampers Drier and Less Lawlaw pants is a good choice for me. 

3. Vitamins 

Choosing the right vitamins needs to be done with your pedia's approval. Thankfully, my pedia approves of Bio-Fit for my son. He takes this daily and his appetite has increased and he has gained weight. 

He is strong and he is a well baby which is the only thing that I can ask for. 

At the end of the day, what matters is that baby is healthy, happy, and loved. My sons, they are all these and more. 

 

 

PS. Make sure baby wears Bebe by SO-EN coz it's super comfortable. 

 

 

 

 

Parenting Influencers in the world of Social Media and Influencer Marketing

Raising kids is hard work and at times, it is daunting and exhausting. Parents find social media a place to share rants next to the inevitable moments of their kids. Leading this thriving social space are parenting bloggers and influencers who are blowing up on the influencer marketing industry.

Apart from sharing funny, heartwarming and insightful moments from their family life, these parenting influencers share how they shape their kids to be responsible adults in the future. The parent bloggers and influencers' amazing experiential wisdom can offer much-needed guidance and support to other parents, especially the first-time ones. Followers or readers feel like they actually have things a little bit under control because of these fountains of parenting knowledge.

Parenting influencers often called the powerhouse of social media; show their audience that they are just as lost as them and at the same time these parents help their audience get through the challenges in life. These bloggers and influencers make parenting just a teeny, tiny bit easier which makes all the difference.

When people think of parenting influencers, Mommy bloggers and influencers are often the first image that springs to mind. They are the women who document every aspect of their parenting life from pregnancy to babies to schooling, to being a hands-on wife and being the queen of the household.

Just like mommy bloggers, every dad out there also has something to offer. Daddy influencers also run the gamut of styles, personalities, and contents; from travel and techy-mad dads to stay-at-home fathers.

Brands today are turning to credible and hardworking parenting influencers for a soft-and-subtle launch of new products because they feel they stand a better chance by reaching out to ‘real’ and organic audiences. Brands focus on these parents because they connect better with a larger part of the audience than a celebrity. Parenting bloggers and influencers connect with both the audience and the brand making the readers feel like they are not alone in the parenting journey.

These Mommy and Daddy influencers have a unique story that is worth telling. They have real and organic followers, wherein their fan base and follower count are 90 percent organic and real. There’s credibility, honesty, and authenticity attached to what they do or what they post.

As a parenting blogger, they tap the psyche of their reader group who are looking for problem-solving. They try and resolve their issues by sharing experience from their day-to-day life. Parenting bloggers write about topics that will genuinely help people, a way to connect with parents out there who have had to deal with a lot.

These parents also have real struggles and yet they hold their heads high. Learning about them can be inspiring and motivational which is why parenting influencers are successful in getting more and more promotional deals from brands.

Parents' ability to think logically, behave authoritatively, communicate confidently, and build rapport with other people; make them more convincing, thus giving the brands and businesses more reasons to trust parenting influencers for anything related to influencer marketing. 

Twitter Limits who can Reply to Tweets

If you have ever experienced having a Tweet hijacked by total strangers, you will know how frustrating and irritating it can be. Finally, Twitter has rolled out a new feature where you have the option to limit responses to certain tweets. 

Before you Tweet, choose who can reply with three options:

1) Everyone (standard Twitter, and the default setting)
2) Only people you follow
3) Only people you mention

Tweets with the the other two settings will be labeled and the reply icon will be grayed out for people who can’t reply. People who can’t reply will still be able to view, Retweet, Retweet with Comment, share, and like these Tweets. 

I don't know about you guys but I am happy about this new update!

5 Things You Need this Pandemic

There are a few things that people need to have to survive this pandemic. Aside from the usual face mask, face shield, hand soap, and alcohol, there are other things that you need to survive the pandemic. 

 

1. UV Sterilizer 

Having this helps to kill the bacteria that may attach itself to your phone, bag, or clothing. This is portable so you can carry it around with you.

2, IonAir Wearable Air Purifier

This IonAir Wearable Air Purifier is something that you can wear on your neck to help clean the air that you breathe. M has been using this and it helps to give us more peace of mind because it's supposed to clean the air that he breathes. 

I did a quick unboxing here. 

3. Ezekiel's Balm

These balms are a life saver. When you feel stressed out, these balms will help to calm, energize, relax, or rejuvenate you. The Pomegranate is good for achy muscles. These balms are a total lifesaver. 

4. Sleep 

The whole work from home or needing to stay home most of the time has put schedules on whack. Sometimes, we can end up thinking that we have had 8 hours of sleep but because of the fact that we are just staying home, it means that we are no longer tracking our sleep. 

Sleep is fundamental in ensuring that our immune system is healthy and strong. 

5. More fruits, less processed Food 

These days, we need to eat more natural food and less of the canned ones or the ones that are packed in plastic. 

We all don't know when this pandemic will be over but we can do what we can to protect ourselves and our loved ones.