We all know someone who loves Garnier so this is good news for Garnier fans! On their Super Brand Day happening today, Garnier will be giving up to 50% off on selected Garnier products at their official Shopee store.
I've tried some of their products and I love it, especially their Micellar Cleansing Water which is part of the deal.
Garnier Light Complete Vitamin C Serum (For Dark Spots) 30ml - Skincare
I have always been adamant about not having a TV inside the bedroom. I thought to myself, it would destroy our bonding time, it would be a source of problem, it would be this, or it would be that.
However, when I was given the chance to review the Xtreme TV, I had no choice but to put it inside our bedroom. This led to a change in perspective.
When we had this placed in our room, I learned that I actually love having a TV in our room for these 3 reasons.
1. We actually watch more shows together now. It's so easy to lie down on the bed, cuddle, and watch since the TV is already there. Even if our baby is sleeping, we can watch a show and watch our baby at the same time.
Since the TV is so slim, it doesn't take up much space which is really good because we don't have a big home. It also has all the necessary ports so there's no need to add any other gadgets.
2. Ease of set up. Normally, I have to wage war at a gadget during the first few stages. Lord knows I've had my fair share of breakdowns where I'm super excited about opening a gadget only to end up having a hard time making it work initially.
With the Xtreme TV, set up took less than 3 minutes. I know this because I actually took a video and was shocked that it went from boot up to Netflix in just 3 minutes.
3. It is so affordable. I was so amazed when I found out that this 43 in Xtreme TV is just Php15,995. Back when I was young, you'd need to spend hundreds of thousands to have a TV this big. Now, it costs only Php15,995 and it's so thin, it can be hanged on a wall.
I also love the fact that you can buy online and not leave the house. They will deliver it right to your doorstep. I plan on buying mine from Shopee.
Both entrepreneurs and workers in MSMEs are the hardest-hit by the economic disruption resulting from the pandemic. There are nearly 1 million MSMEs in the country and data from the Department of Trade and Industry indicated that more than 50% of this number or around 525,000 have closed their businesses. This has left millions of Filipinos unemployed.
On the macro level, the Asian Development Bank said the Philippine economy had bottomed out in May or June and that for the rest of the year, economic contraction is projected at 7.3% by end of 2020. Recovery is expected to happen by 2021 when the pandemic is hoped to be contained and the economy is expected to bounce back by 6.5%.
Cash Agad Partner Agent
Even with the prevailing economic slowdown, the country has been observing signs of gradual recovery especially in some of the MSMEs.
One of them is Krystal Bantic of Quirino province in the Cagayan Valley region. Krystal runs a grocery store in her town and she became a Cash Agad partner agent last year.
Cash Agad is a service provided by BDO to far-flung and unbanked communities where residents have little to no access to bank services. Many faraway places in the country do not have banks or ATMs where residents may conveniently get cash. This is due to several reasons.
It could be that communities are located in distant islands where motorized boats are the only means of transportation. Some towns and barrios are located in mountainous or hilly areas with rocky and uneven terrain. Others are separated by sheer hundreds of kilometers from urban areas and have no concrete roads nor highways. All of these factors and more prevent banks from building and maintaining physical branch offices in these faraway towns.
The Cash Agad service provides a simple, elegant, and practical solution to all that. By partnering with stores and shops already established in the community, BDO turns them into community-based ATM terminals. The shop owner receives a POS terminal for use in transacting locally-issued ATM cards, whether debit or prepaid and facilitates basic transactions like cash withdrawals and balance inquiries.
Best of all, Cash Agad accepts transactions using ATM cards from different local banks and non-bank financial institutions in the Philippines, not only those from BDO. It's really a service that benefits entire communities.
According to Krystal, she actually had few customers availing of Cash Agad in her grocery store in the year before the pandemic struck. This was because at that time, people were used to traveling all the way to Candon City in Ilocos Sur province, which is more than four hours away from Quirino, in order to go to banks and ATMs, enjoy fast food restaurants, and buy essential goods.
"People would make the trip to Candon even though it's quite far because it was a mix of both business and leisure for them. Also, goods are priced lower in Candon because over here in Quirino our shops are simply getting our goods from there as well," said Krystal.
The trip to Candon is quite far and the transport available are passenger vans. It takes more than four hours across 289 kilometers. The fare costs at least 200 pesos and even more if a person was also loading some baggage in the van for the trip. When going to Candon, residents of Quirino would have to allot an entire day and at least four hundred pesos for a two-way trip. They would spend more if they included food expenses.
From lockdown to opportunity
The pandemic caused subsequent lockdowns and quarantines which prevented people from leaving Quirino as they were used to. This meant that their usual access to cash (banks and ATMs) and goods in Candon was closed off. But fortunately, Krystal and her Cash Agad kiosk at her grocery store was available.
"Grabe po, noong nagka-lockdown dito sa amin. None of us could leave. The local government ordered all transportation to stop. No one was allowed to go out. People had nowhere else to go to get needed cash to spend for food and other basic needs. So more and more people come to my store not only to withdraw cash but also to buy essential goods," said Krystal.
Krystal faced her own challenges as a Cash Agad partner agent. She was also covered by the travel ban so she could not easily replenish the cash reserves meant for Cash Agad withdrawals. She was able to solve this by either renting a private vehicle to go to the BDO branch in Candon to get cash or she would get the help of the local government to provide transportation to Candon. After all, Krystal had become a frontliner and essential worker since she was the only source of cash for the residents in her town.
Soon enough, practically everyone in the communities around Krystal's store became her customers. Teachers, government workers, policemen, and even farmers and construction workers all depend on her store and its Cash Agad service to get their salaries. Her store also became the official channel for the government cash assistance given to 4Ps beneficiaries. This was done with the help of the local government.
It's not just Krystal's store that benefits from Cash Agad. Other business owners in the area, from other sari-sari stores to eateries, to hardware shops, and even stalls for vegetables, fruits, meat, and fish at the wet market--all of them thanked her for being able to provide cash to the community. This is because the amount of local spending had become greater than ever. People were spending their cash on local businesses instead of those in faraway Candon City.
"Krystal's experience really shows how the Cash Agad service expands financial inclusion in far-flung, hard-to-reach areas in the country. The result is a boost to the local economy. Established businesses earn more. More businesses are set up. The engine of local economic activity is revved up and eventually, there's improved quality of life for the residents.
"If the country's economy is ever going to bounce back from the pandemic, it will take all of us--big businesses, MSMEs, and both urban and rural communities and their local governments--to help each other and do our part. There's a certain inspiration, a beautiful sort of hope when you see communities working together to rise up and recover from a crisis. BDO is doing its part in helping communities recover economically through the Cash Agad network," said Mr. Jim Nasol, Head of Agency Banking, BDO Unibank.
For more information about Cash Agad, go to www.bdo.com.ph/cash-agad or send an email to cashagad@bdo.com.ph for inquiries.
Ever experienced getting all excited to withdraw your money to buy something or pay for something only to realize that the nearest ATM machine is down? You try your luck with others and nothing seems to be working?
You don't want to travel far because of the ongoing pandemic and you just really need to get your hands on your hard earned money but don't know how. Fret no more because CASH AGAD from BDO is here to save the day.
The pandemic had severe effects on families and communities in the country not only because of the fear over COVID-19 but also because of how it disrupted their livelihoods. Many businesses shut down, causing widespread loss of jobs. For those who still had some income left, they could not so easily access their cash at banks and ATMs because public transportation was shutdown during the lockdown and quarantine periods.
Still, some residents were fortunate that there were Cash Agad partner agents in their communities who were ready to provide banking services even amid the pandemic. While Cash Agad partner agents were also affected by the restrictions of the community quarantine, they were still able to help their respective barangays and are now bouncing back and continuing with their recovery in order to further build their businesses.
The Cash Agad partner agents network is comprised of small to medium business owners in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao who are operating the Cash Agad service in their communities. This service aims to provide ready access to cash for distant communities, especially those who are not so easily reached by public transportation. These would include communities in places that were located in challenging terrain like mountains, hilly areas, or those in far flung islands only reachable by boat.
Cash Agad is the solution provided by BDO Unibank to unbanked and financially underserved communities, especially those places where setting up a building or bank branch or even an ATM machine would prove to be impractical and unfeasible.
Community shops-turned-ATMs
A community shop owner (the business might also be a salon, drugstore, hardware store, etc.) is usually tapped to be Cash Agad partner agent. Since such a business owner has long been part of the locality, has an establishment close to the residents, and is a trusted figure in the community, it’s much easier for the people to trust him or her with their money-related transactions.
Once the shop owner becomes a Cash Agad partner, he or she is given a POS terminal that is capable of accepting transactions using any Philippine-issued ATM card whether debit or credit. And even though BDO Unibank is the one that runs the Cash Agad service, the POS terminal accepts ATM cards from all banks in the Philippines.
Cash Agad and LGUs
Another advantage of using Cash Agad is that it does not depend on banking hours. As long as the Cash Agad partner shop is open, it can accept transaction. This was modified, however, when the pandemic struck and community quarantines were imposed. Local official had to set schedules and limit operating hours for Cash Agad transactions in order to follow physical distancing requirements designed to keep customers safe and prevent disease transmission.
Even LGUs depend on Cash Agad to deliver government’s financial aid to those in need. For example, the beneficiaries of 4Ps withdraw their monthly cash assistance from Cash Agad. Even the IPs or members of the indigenous people’s communities are able to get their financial aid through Cash Agad. All these are possible thanks to the cooperation between LGUs and Cash Agad partner agents.
LGU employees, policemen, and teachers in the community likewise depend on Cash Agad for their salary withdrawals. Private employees, families of overseas Filipinos, all of them now access salaries and remittances from Cash Agad, too.
All of these were a great relief to residents who, for several months during community quarantine, were unable to travel due to lockdowns and checkpoints. Their mobility had been restricted within their own or the nearby barangays. They could no longer go to urban areas to transact with banks or go to ATMs.
Financial Inclusion
According to Jim Nasol, Head of Agency Banking (Cash Agad) of BDO, the bank has been planning to have Cash Agad partner agents in secluded areas for a long time. This is because they want to help rural areas across the country to be more progressive.
“Many Filipinos are smart and hardworking; they dream of better livelihoods. But they are being held back because of their lack of access to cash and capital. There are a lot of Filipinos who don’t have enough money because just withdrawing it already takes a lot of time and a huge expense.”
“Our Cash Agad partner agents are the key to broadening financial systems. We see that in places like Pitogo, financial inclusion can go a long way in making lives easier for Filipinos in secluded communities,” he explained.
In addition, Arnold Katipunan, Head of Sales of Cash Agad in BDO, said that financial inclusion and access to money is very important during this time of the pandemic, when a lot of people and businesses need to rise up from the dampening effects of the crisis. Ultimately, their recovery will bring new life to the national economy.
The number of Cash Agad partner agents in the country continue to increase. For more information about Cash Agad, go to the BDO website or send an email to cashagad@bdo.com.ph
When we enter a new phase in our life, we need to be ready for change. I'm nearing my 40s in just a couple of weeks and I have begun to notice small changes in my appearance and body.
I don't have the same energy as I used to and my recovery from an all nighter is not the same. My skin has started to feel dry and a bit saggy too which is why I've been on the lookout for something new.
Having clear, fresh-looking skin is the goal of everyone who cares about how they look. And with the market full of skincare products, achieving this goal should be easy, right? Wrong! Unfortunately, as many of us have learned, having clear, beautiful skin isn’t that easy.
Take the case of 22-year old Martina Salimbangon, who like every young lady her age, dreams of having beautiful, flawless skin. “I’ve been obsessed with skincare since I was about 15,” she says. “I watched hundreds of YouTube videos and tested so many products but I just found myself being overwhelmed by the amount of products I was being urged to buy. I didn’t want to break my bank account trying to clear my skin.”
Martina’s case isn’t unique. Many of us have also experienced – and many more continue to experience – what she went through. On any given day, we use soaps, body washes, lotions, creams and oils, and these don’t even include what we put on our faces. Yet, for most of us, the search for the right skincare product – the product that works for us – continues to be a seemingly endless and increasingly expensive quest. And, as a result, according to renowned dermatologist Dr. Sarah Barba-Cabodil, we tend to use more than what we need.
“When we minimize the skincare products that we apply, we allow more oxygen to get into our skin and that helps our skin regenerate elastin and collagen,” she points out. “Essentially, we want our skin to do its job on its own every now and then. In other words, we need to give our skin time to reset.”
The secret to effortless and effective natural skincare is simple, Dr. Barba-Cabodil says. It starts with breaking bad skincare habits and learning how to simplify our routines by choosing the right product. And this is where NUA comes in.
NUA combines a centuries-old Brazilian beauty secret, cupuaçu, with an abundant Philippine natural resource, the versatile coconut oil. Cupuaçu, pronounced as “ku.ˌpu.a.ˈsu,” is a fruit rich in vitamins, fatty and amino acids, as well as antioxidants that is harvested from the heart of the Amazon rainforest. The cupuaçu fruit is a popular ingredient used in numerous South American delicacies; while the fruit’s pulp and seeds are where the skin-nourishing cupuaçu butter and oil are sourced. Because of cupuaçu’s extremely low melting point, the cupuaçu butter can easily melt into the skin. The addition of locally harvested premium-grade coconut oil into the mix allows the cupuaçu butter’s ultra-hydrating and moisture-boosting properties to get sealed in, without the heavy, greasy feel that you usually get from most skincare products.
Now, how did NUA, with its amazing secret ingredient from the Brazilian rainforest, get to the Philippines? Let’s get back to Martina for the story. “NUA started as a dream,” she says. “My father approached me about three years ago to tell me that he had just learned about a remarkable Brazilian fruit called cupuacu. He asked me if I wanted to join him in creating products made from it that we could bring to the Philippines. After researching what cupuacu was all about – and the wonders that it could do to the skin – I quickly accepted his offer.”
Fortunately, for us Filipinos, Martina is the daughter of Elton and Cathy Salimbangon, the dynamic duo behind Organique, the company that produces and markets the Organique Acai Premium Blend and the Organique Acai Freeze-Dried Capsules that are now helping countless Filipino families live a healthier and happier lifestyle.
Realizing that they have found yet another “wonder fruit” from the Amazon rainforest, they quickly worked with a team of experts to develop cupuacu-based skincare products. And, in the process, they were exceedingly glad to learn that the butter from this Brazilian fruit worked well with premium-grade Philippine coconut oil. Their work has, so far, resulted in a soap and a body oil – the initial offerings of the NUA skincare product line that is now being marketed by Organique Skincare Inc.
“NUA translates to ‘naked’,” Martina explains. “That name was chosen because our brand is ‘naked,’ free of chemicals, toxins and unwanted preservatives. It is organic and all-natural because NUA believes in enhancing one’s own beauty, rather than changing it.”
So how does it work? Simple, Cathy Salimbangon, Martina’s mom and Organique Skincare chief executive, says. Start by lathering up using NUA soap, and then apply a thin layer of NUA body oil after rinsing. The result is skin that retains moisture longer, thanks to all-natural ingredients packed with phytosterols that boost skin hydration as well as antioxidants that fight free radicals. And all these happen, she notes, without clogging up your pores or leaving that all-too-familiar greasy feel that is typical of super-moisturizing products.
“Dr. Barba-Cabodil is right,” Cathy says. “Skincare that works should be effortless and simple – but only if you have the right product. With the cupuacu fruit, that’s exactly what we found.”
And the right skincare products are precisely what NUA is bringing to you. But don’t just take our word for it. Take NUA’s “New You Challenge” and see for yourself. Use the NUA soap and body oil following Cathy’s simple directions and unveil the “New You” – the fresher looking, more beautiful you!
NUA is now available from the following retailers—all S&R branches nationwide, BeautyMNL, and Southstar Drug branches nationwide. For more information on NUA products, visit www.nua-organics.com
These days, it seems the most coveted thing on Earth. Peace of mind.
With all the the anxiety we feel from what's going on in the world and the effect of it on our income earning potential, it's very easy to get lost in a rabbit hole of misery, worry, and crazy.
So, how do you have peace of mind?
1. Declutter.
You need to let go of things that are just gathering dust. You know what I am talking about, the ones that have just been there just because. Let go so that you can make space for better things to come along.
2. Clean up your Facebook friends list.
If you can't unfriend certain people, UNFOLLOW them. For those who you need to really get rid of, BLOCK them so that they never, ever appear in your feed. You shouldn't have to force yourself to be friends with someone that you don't want to be friends with.
3. Watch a funny movie.
Sometimes, you just need to find a way to make yourself laugh when there is nothing to laugh about. Find a funny movie or re-watch something that made you laugh before. Laughing is very good for the soul.
4. Empty out your online shopping cart.
Sometimes, we add too many things on our online shopping cart knowing fully well that we won't buy any of it. This can trigger a depression because you will end up feeling inadequate because you can't buy everything you added.
5. Attend an online concert.
Now that you can't go out, look up the online concerts of your favorite singer or band and watch it at the comfort of your home. This will help to relax your mind and make you feel happy.
6. Write it down.
Write down all your thoughts at the end of the day. This helps to release your mind from everything that boggles your mind. When you write things down, you can easily segregate what doesn't matter and what truly matters.
7. Spend time with a furry pet.
I have a cat whom I cuddle frequently and the purr she makes is very soothing. It eases my mind till I fall asleep. Cats or dogs are known to help people feel better.
8. Enforce a work life balance.
Clock in 5-10 minutes before work and leave work 5-10 minutes after your time. Once you are off work, make sure you stay off the grid until you need to log back in the next day. Learning to have a separation between work and life helps you to compartmentalize.
I hope that one of these helps to calm your mind and put you at ease.
To say that life has been chaotic would be an understatement. Since my last post back in August, so much has happened.
A client ghosted me. I didn't even think this was possible until it actually happened. What's funny is that this business is owned by a self proclaimed digital marketing guru who goes around Facebook and TikTok talking shit about others coz he thinks he is all that. Really unprofessional.
They just literally stopped reading messages, accepting calls, and basically ghosted. Maybe instead of focusing on their project commerce, they should focus on being better people and not douchebags. Oh well, what goes around comes around and I can't wait for karma to visit them.
Aside from that, there are still many other things that I am grateful for and that's what I want to focus on this post.
September, I finally got my Happy Planner and I have been utilizing it like a madwoman. I love, love, love the Happy Planner and it's exactly what I needed in a planner. It is functional but at the same time, I can personalize it and when I make a mistake, I can cover it up with the fancy shmancy stickers that come with their Mambi stickers.
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| BEHIND THE SCENES |
Christmas is near and so it's time to come up with gift ideas. The first one that I want to do are useful and necessary items that you can give to your loved one Php500 and below.
1. Water Wipes
The gift of gentleness.
I know that it sound a bit weird to give someone wet wipes but these days, we need all the help we can get in ensuring that we remain virus free. Water Wipes is the best gift to someone who is constantly out. They can use this to wipe their surroundings, wipe their hands with, or wipe something that has been handed to them by someone just to be sure.
One pack of 60 retails for P249 so you can give 2 packs to your family or friends and it'd less than Php500.
2. Juan Life Personal Accident Insurance
The gift of security.
For only Php500, you are covered for a year in case you have an accident. With life being so unstable these days, you need to make sure that should an accident happen, you or your love one is protected. For just Php500 a year, you can be covered for up to Php250,000.
Anyone who has been reading my blog for some time now will know that I am a big supporter of ASUS. After all, their laptop, phone, and power bank have worked wonderfully for me in the past years. For the last 3 years, I had the ASUS Zenbook 13 and it has been a dream. Slim, lightweight, and powerful. I was hooked.
When I was introduced to the ASUS Zenbook 14 UX425 in Lilac Mist, I had my apprehensions. After all, I am so in love with my old Zenbook that the thought of transitioning everything to a new one seemed daunting to me.
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| MY OLD ASUS ZENBOOK |
However, after spending 2 weeks with the ASUS Zenbook 14 UX425 in Lilac Mist changed my mind. I realized that it was time for a change.
So, what made me do the switch?
1. Slim Design
I love that though this version is bigger than my previous laptop, it still has that slim design I've come to prefer.
Since I do more videos now on my YouTube channel, the 14 inch screen is better for me as it helps me edit my videos more.
2. Long Battery Life
Since I do so many things with my laptop and with the usual wear and tear, my old Zenbook has suffered when it comes to battery life. It usually lasted 9 hours but now lasts 4-5 hours. This new laptop lasts for around 18 hours.
Now, I can bring my laptop anywhere and not worry about the juice draining. Since it's slim and lightweight with a lot of battery life, I can just bring it without worry.
3. Full I/O ports
If you're interested in reading about my first impressions as well as my review of the ASUS Zenbook 14, just click on the links.
If there was ever a laptop that caught my eye the moment I saw it, It was the ASUS Zenbook 14 UX425 in Lilac Mist, World’s thinnest 14” laptop with full I/O Ports. If the laptop was a person, I would describe it as love at first sight.
I loved how thin it was, how big it was, and how light it was.
With the ASUS Zenbook, I already know that it is durable. I got one 3 years ago and it is performing the same way it has for the past 3years. I have not had a problem with it and it is just amazing. So I knew that I was in for a treat with the Zenbook 14 UX425.
COLOR: LILAC MIST
The first thing that I really love about this laptop is the color. My favorite color is purple and since lilac is in the same family as purple, I love it. I also love that the color is not too in your face. It's girly but it's still professional enough for people to take you seriously when you whip it out.
The other thing that I love about the ASUS Zenbook 14 UX425 is that it has full I/O ports. It comes with a microSD reader, USB 3.2 Type-A, HDMI, and 2 Thunderbolt 3 Type-C. Now that was a mouthful.
I have a tablet, a phone, and a portable hard drive so having multiple ports is a life saver. I don't need to keep plugging and unplugging stuff which is not good for the gadget and I can charge and use multiple things in one go. Time saver too!
Design
This is the World’s thinnest 14” laptop. The cover has a spun metal finish, a 3D IR Camera, 4 sided frameless Nano-Edge design. I also love that this one came with a Number Pad design.
Since I do the budgeting at home, the number pad will be such a big help when I do our daily expenses for the day. It may seem like such a small thing but trust me when I say that it makes a difference.
The ergo lift design is also very helpful because it gives the laptop a space to breathe. As you can also see, the ASUS Zenbook 14 is very thin which means that it is also very light. At 1.13kg, it is one of the lightest laptop that I have ever held in my life.
Battery Life
This laptop is amazing when it comes to battery life. The ASUS Zenbook 14 UX425 can hold it's own at almost 22 hours of regular use and 18 hours when I used it for video editing, social media, blogging, and Netflix the whole day. Best part, it charges up to 60% in less than an hour. MINDBLOWN.
I definitely love the ASUS Zenbook 14 UX425 in Lilac Mist. It is such a delight to have and it makes life so much easier, way easier for a Mom like me who needs portability, flexibility, durability, and something aesthetic to go with my lifestyle.
#DiscoverYourZen #ASUSZenBook14 #PoweredByIntel
Product Page:
https://bit.ly/ASUSZenBookUX325
https://bit.ly/ASUSZenBookUX425
E-store - (bit.ly / UTM) - https://bit.ly/ASUSE-StoreUX325
Asus Facebook Page Link - https://www.facebook.com/ASUSph/