moved for the nth time! >XD

another blog! sorry guys (naks as if may nagbabasa), i'll try to settle at Yan Gabbles for as long as i can. hahaha >XD it's quite a pain having to move blogs you know, i have to import all my entries and comments, register the new blog to ad sites, to feedburner, to histats, i have to update my co.nr redirection and create a new one as well (btw yanbirog.co.nr will always redirect to my active blog), i also have to delete other blogsites to avoid redundancy, need to copy/enhance layout and go through the pain of manually transferring sidebar content (cos apparently, backing up your template doesn't preserve the html/javascript content. arg), and finally i have to create a WELCOME POST!!

so welcome to YAN GABBLES, i did my best to pick a title i would most probably stick to for at least 3 months HAHAHA, so there you go. feel free to read through whatever. hehe if you're nice you can leave no-hate comments, i love reading comments, hehe or if you have something to discuss privately, whatever, there's a CONTACT FORM somewhere in the sidebar, checkitout. >:)

hehehehe have a happy day!

hello 2014!

a collage of the fun times spent this 2013!

i'm soooo excited for this year! majorly because i'm finally leaving my job! haha! no i don't really hate it, i just don't feel worthy anymore, plus it's super far, so yeah there's that.

happy new year everyone! i know it's a pretty late greeting, actually this entry was sitting on my drafts for a while now, was supposed to post it on new year's eve but the connection wasn't so good (i wonder why? haha), so yeah. hehe

i know i've made a list of things that made 2013 notable for me, and might i say, it's a very very conservative list. looking through the pictures (i've imported to the pc) on my phone, here's a much longer list of highlights, some sad, but mostly happy! hehe



1. the Yearbook 2012 project was completed! and although distribution was a bit stressful, the team managed to pull it off with the help of others and also the admin, now only 5 yearbooks are left with us all tagged and ready to ship if only their owners would contact us. hehe i consider this as my proudest creative stint yet. :)

2. Red Cross Million Volunteer Run! i ran my first outdoor marathon! that 5k felt like forever! haha

3. i won my first movie screening contest from Nuffnang, which marked the beginning of more movie contests i won! malamang, eto yung taon kung kelan pinakamaraming beses akong nakapanood sa sinehan! haha

4. Jeckie's college graduation yahoo! >:3

5. mam grace's resignation. it was sad, cos i grew dependent on her a lot, but it's also a blessing cos i was given more to handle, more to learn, and more people to supervise. naks. and now i resign. HAHAHA lol.

6. pastor rutti's death. super sad. you know how's there's like a family doctor? he's like a family pastor for us. T_T

7. opportunity to illustrate! after all, #5 wasn't so bad cos in mam grace's new venture, i was invited to illustrate children's books! and although it hasn't really started yet, i'm sooo looking forward to it!

5. i enrolled in a gym, with a pool! so for awhile i was like so excited to end work so i could catch the pool before 8! then work got extra demeaning, causing me render more OTYs, therefore losing swim time. huhu

6. enchanted kingdom with jeckie! where he started to appreciate heights, finally! hahaha

7. won vikings gc! hihi

8. won a contest for most creative blog entry! we're 5 winners actually hehe but there were like hundreds who joined ok? hahaha

9. i bought a TV for my parents' anniv :D

10. my parent's silver anniversary celebration!

11. i got chickenpox for the first time. boo

12. designed stuff for The Storytelling Project's Run for Reading event! >XD

13. 2nd year anniversary with jeckie! <3 <3 <3

14. i got in to Mary Kay and sold makeup for a while hahaha because of this i learned to do my own makeup. now i always wear makeup, specially after my chickenpox left me with hideous scars on the face huhu

15. i bought a study desk. wala lang, biggest purchase ever, as in literally. hahaha

16. i ran my first 10k on a treadmil!

17. signed up and ran for nike we run manila! a 10k running event i completed in almost 2 hours haha after that day, my left leg started acting up again (past past past injury huhu). so for now i can't run. T__T and also because of that complication, i missed milo marathon huhu. sayang 500 haha

18. moved to victory nova :)

19. got into a cell group :)

20. got water baptized for the first time!

21. tried juice diet and looooved it, if only it wasn't so expensive. haha

22. applied for HP. passed and got an offer, but had to decline cos they can't wait for my availability. i cried so much over it but eventually i had to accept that it's not really for me. anyway, it's nice to know i made the cut at least. :)

23. received my christmas bonus for the first time in FULL! cos last 2012, being new regulars our bonuses were prorated. hihi much rich! so money! sadly, they're all goooone before the year ended hahaha

24. because i bought a leg massager and a laptop! enough said! haha

25. applied at Pointwest and got in! haha

26. RESIGNED! whew!

that's pretty much 2013 for me, thanks to all the pictures i took for helping me make this list! >XD looking forward to a more eventful and positive 2014! :)

how to get POLICE CLEARANCE at QC City Hall

based on my experience earlier :)

what to bring:

1. photocopy of a valid ID
2. ballpen
3. 250 pesos (100 for order of payment and 150 for police clearance/id processing)
4. wet wipes (for fingerprints or just pay 5 pesos)

procedure:

1. get an 'order of payment' for police clearance

apparently the term 'order of payment' applies to a lot of documents so if you're gonna ask around make sure you ask specifically for the police clearance order of payment, otherwise the guards will lead you to an 'order of payment' booth outside the city treasurer's office.

so where exactly in the city hall complex should you get that? you should go to the police clearance station (sorry i didn't really get the name of the place, no labels) across the philippine red cross building which is near Gate 5 (Kalayaan Ave.) so if you're from commonwealth area like me, you can opt to ride a jeepney to kalayaan and alight at Gate 5. you can also ride a bus and alight at East Ave. Gate 3, and from that gate, walk aaaaaaaall the way to the end (which is Gate 5) to reach the police clearance station.

submit a photocopy of your valid ID to window 1 (where the staff is either playing candy crush or texting) and get an application form. fill it out, submit to window 2 and finally get your 'order of payment'. when you ask where to go next, they'll point their pens to a note stuck on their cubicle which says something like "pay at city treasurer's office, behind landbank".

2. pay 100 pesos at the city treasurer's office

okay, i emphasized 'behind landbank' because apparently, IT'S NOT BEHIND LANDBANK. i've circled the city treasurer's office enough to realize that i was being led to the wrong places. okay so you have to pay at the CTO and that's the building where landbank is, but you don't have to walk to the back okay? there will be a big sign there with the words ' POLICE CLEARANCE' so get inside and pay at one of the windows. it's also the building with booths outside catering to CEDULA requests where a lot of people are usually lined up. :)

after paying and getting your receipt you will be directed back to the police clearance station for the taking of your fingerprints.

3. surrender your receipt at window 2, then have your fingerprints taken

the kuya who is taking fingerprints is usually sitting just outside the window. just show him your form and have him dirty up all of your ten fingers. for convenience, you can just buy wet wipes from that same kuya for 5 pesos, but if you're tipid pwede namang hindi. tissue and alcohol will do. hehe

4. get inside the guarded door and pay 150 pesos clearance processing

sorry di ko madescribe haha the people there will lead you anyway, but it's the door with the guard before window 1. when inside, pay 150 pesos then head further in for data encoding and biometrics. after having your picture taken and your fingerprints scanned... you'll be led outside at the waiting area.

5. let the wait begin!

in my case it didn't take 10 minutes for me to get my police clearance after step 4, considering there are probably 20-30 people already waiting outside before me. hehe the entire process was pretty fast, no long queues and all. btw i came at the city hall at around 2:30 pm already and i was expecting the process would eat up the entire afternoon but thankfully i was out at 3:30 pm! yehey!

so that was my experience. how's yours? >XD

surprise delivery from BPI!

something came in the mail today from BPI! surprise surprise! an Olay Total Effects one-time special gift! i totally wasn't expecting this even if i knew i joined the promo cos for some reason the access number wasn't replying to my registration haha and since it came i'd like to share the promo to you as well!. here's a promo from BPI: Olay-EPS promo

just use your BPI atm card to purchase any item, amounting to at least 500 pesos single-receipt, via EPS (express payment system) at any merchant from november 15, 2013 until january 31, 2014. register your transaction details by sending:

IM REG BPIOLAY <card number>/<mailing address>/<transaction date mmddyyyy>/<amount>
to 2256

after confirmation, you'll be receiving the special gift with 15 days. :) i registered last Dec 17 and received the gift now, exactly 2 weeks in fairness, even without receiving an sms confirmation. hahaha

in the kit: (1) Olay Total Effects intense moisture face and body bar &
(1) Olay Total Effects day cream normal spf 15

so what are you waiting for? promo runs until january 31! head on here for more details

i'd just like to note that i learned about the promo from their mobile app, there's a promo menu there you could check for current promos! if you're a BPI card holder i suggest you get their extremely useful mobile app! >XD

i take this as a happy holidays from BPI! thank you! :)

[SUPER LATE POST] Blogopolis 2013 Into the Wild!

super duper late post!

[happened November 16, 2013]

weeks before the event i was having second thoughts if it's wise to spend my birthday here because it's not gonna be with family and i thought i was only coming because i won free passes (thanks to nuffnang and geoffreview!) and not because i really really wanted to come. hehe

anyway, i came (hence this post) to the event and was very happy that i did! i came with two very good friends of mine anne and RA and we all enjoyed the event! hahaha it was so jam packed they had to add extra chairs!

here's a preview of some notable parts of the conference (for me!) haha

maria ressa on bayanihan (crowd sourcing). this is probably the best i've heard the entire day. she described how they're using crowd sourcing in aggregating social media data to aid relief efforts for victims of typhoon yolanda. talk about a person finder via fb face detect and plotting passable roads via google maps! na-elibs ako when i learned how much technology is playing in helping the philippines recover from the super typhoon. dito ko rin narealize how crappy this blog is, not being able to talk about socially relevant news at least. haha #sorina

jim paredes on community and social advocacy in social media.

jeff lo of pinoy fitness talks about building an engaged community online. it's really about settling on a niche you're most passionate on and just letting the readership flow. if you notice, i'm kindof into running recently and his website is my number 1 go-to when it comes to running events. if i remember correctly, it wasn't really in his intentions to grow a community, it just happened that lots and lots of readers are starting to rely on his website for information, and suddenly the comments sections is not enough to handle actual discussions that he had to put up a dedicated forum for his readers! sarap ng feeling when you started na tipong web 1.0 lang providing information ala news, then next thing you know there's lots of user interaction happening already that you had to start engaging! thumbs up! and moooore power for pinoy fitness. i'm a fan!

aisa ipac and anna gonzales of bloggers united

in fairness naaliw ako sa dalawang to kahit na feel na feel ko ang nerbyos nila! hahaha! they shared tips on how to mount a blogging event, and also shared their experiences when they started bloggers united bazaar. stress level! hahaha

googly gooeys they have the cutest slides! as an artist (naks) i soooo appreciate the emphasis they put on visuals in their blog. super cool to the eyes! they talked about ways to make social media advertising effective. more than the usual SEO tricks, they go beyond that and put so much effort in promoting advertisers by creating comic strips with their super cute cartoon counterparts tipsy and ponggo! it's a whole new and exciting way of promoting, you know, not just copy and pasting ad briefs but actually engaging in the product itself on a personal level. inggit much! i wish i could reach that level where advertisers actually buy a post in this blog! kaso no. hahaha hanggang sponsored-reviews.com at nuffnang movie promos lang ako. 

abe olandres of yugatech.

idol ko to kasi i'm a follower of yugatech! hahaha

chucky and yen deyfrus 

ang weird ng dating nila. parang ang sungit nila sa isa't isa on stage. sorry! i don't know if it's just me but i find them awkward to each other, but nonetheless insightful naman! >XD

btw btw, comment on the host franco mabanta. he was fun, spontaneous, and an overall good host but there were times he seemed irritatingly sarcastic and over the line. hehe >:P

anyway. ehem ehem. the cocktail food was awesome! i loooooove everything that was served. hahaha mejo PG (read: patay gutom) ako i had 3 platefuls of pica picas but what can i do, everything tasted so good. even the donuts and stuffed croisant before the confe started. hahaha

nomnomnom

nomnomnomnom

after the conference, they cleared the hall and prepped it for Nuffie Awards where notable online personalities get awarded for various contributions they made to the websphere.  sadly, only a few (or none?) of the winners came hehe. we stayed for the announcement of raffle winners (there were so many giveaways!), too bad i didn't win! my friend won though yahooo!

funny divine lee!

i know she's a she but she has some gay angles idunno hehe. >XD

and the team behind the successful event :)

last but not the least... freebies!!! this was such a blessed day for me, i never had this much freebies in a single event! i took home a timex wall clock (good thing they also gave out a large shopping bag for it haha), oishi gift pack, marks & spencer lemonade, magazines, and a blogopolis kit which inlcludes skin white lotion and soap, hygienix hand sanitizer, vitress hair serum, blogopolis 2013 baller, timex and wink discount coupons, and a revlon mascara.

loot!

blogopolis 2013 kit

if there's one thing this conference succeeded in making me feel, it's that i suck so much as a blogger. hahaha no niche, no sense, and no advocacy. i feel so little, listening to these gurus blogging about stuff that actually matters when here i am, stuck with teenage rants every single day. hahaha #sonotsorry

#1 Lenovo Live Concert tickets for sale :)

in celebration of being awarded as the number 1 PC vendor worldwide, Lenovo is throwing out a concert for those who purchase select lenovo products until end of this year. :)

featuring Rico Blanco, Nina, Kyla, together with The Manila Philharmonic Orchestra
the Lenovo L1ve concert will be held on January 9, 2014 (Thursday), 8pm at the Newport Perfmorning Arts Center, Resorts World Manila.

i'm selling 2 tickets for php 1,700 each. contact me for details! comment here or use the contact form at the side bar :)

blessings and highlights!

since the year is about to end, let me recap some of the best things that has happened to me this year, all thanks to God! 

# jeckie and i turned 2 years! 

to infinity and beyond! lol

i consider this a milestone because i've observed a lot of serious relationships fail come 2 years time. i was even afraid that our love will start to decline at this point! but noooo! i'm so blessed that God gave me someone who secures me with his love every single day. aw. naiiyak ako hahaha. here's to forever! yiiie keso much! <3

# water baptized for the first time!

victory weekend

seriously this is the best encounter i had with God and it was sooooo amazing. ever since sunday school, i've never been this active at church. when terai and i moved to victory nova, things started to change. we became more engaged in church activities and i felt more responsible spiritually.

but you know, one important thing i learned about being a christian is that IT'S AN EVERYDAY STRUGGLE. getting water baptized doesn't coat us with an invisible shield that wards off evil and temptation, in fact we become more susceptible to it. it's how we react to them that we practice our being heirs to the kingdom of God. hard life, yeah, but the choice is ours.

# new year, new job!

i'm frkn excited about what this new life will bring me. i may be back to 0 but it's all good. at least i believe it's all for the good of my, ano ba, (mental) health? haha i'll definitely miss the people i've worked with though!

# new laptop!

lenovo flex 14

300 degrees! touch screen! elibs much ako

i could say this is where half of my christmas bonus went. i admit i was almost bankrupt after this purchase but well, i'm leaving my job so i have to surrender the company laptop and i can't live without a laptop sorry na. hahaha! i'm still in the process of appreciating windows 8 (by making it look windows 7-ish haha) but right now i'm kindof frustrated that my portable photoshopS won't run. huhu

# surprise family gift!

HIRO foot massager

last year, i bought a 32" LED tv for the fam. this year, i bought a foot massager kasi i know it's going to be abused like crazy (and indeed). who doesn't want a pampering after a hard day's work? grabe adik na kami lahat dito. haha if i can only afford those full body massage chairs that'll be ozom but for now, eto muna. no to credit card! i got this at 30% off and with an additional gift (a slimming belt!) kasi i'm the last customer na magte-12mn na kasi non haha

super hassle nya i-uwi cos we never expected the box to be so big, it won't fit inside the taxi. sa harap, sa likod, sa trunk ayaw talaga! we had to remove it from the box para lang mai-saksak ng maayos sa trunk. sobrang hassle. but worth it parin! hahaha thank you jeckie! hihi

i feel sad cos this is probably the last time i'll be able to buy something big for the family. next year for sure di ko na to afford, knowing that my salary is gonna take a deep dive for a while. hehehe. ipon ipon na lang ulit, at business business din! >XD

----

this january, i have to be careful not to spend too much. being that my last salary at smart is going to be held for 2 months and my first salary at pointwest will probably be credited by the end of january pa, mejo poorita mode ulit! talaga naman kasi pag pasko, spluuuurge!

Lord sana maulit ulit tong kagastusan na to! at least i know i have moolah hahaha