the nightshift struggle

this is so frkn hard. i was on midshift and dayshift the past 2 days respectively and now i'm on nightshift. what a way to go around three different schedules!

i'm writing because i've been trying so frakking hard to keep myself awake. at this very moment, my eyes are drooping, my head hurts, and i'm battling the urge to sleep on my desk and just forget about all the work. chos. the latter is proving to be very tempting though.

i wasn't able to get enough sleep before i headed to this shift, that's why. my stomach is also full, which probably contributes to the sleepiness. i don't know how to go about this time. i just want the clock to tick past 4 hours so i could go home and sleep and properly prepare for my next nightshift (that, and test out my new vacuum cleaner! random, sorry)

i'm not going to be on this shift for long, i just kindof volunteered to because i didn't want to be left alone in midshift. T___T but this is really proving to be pain in the ass. i seriously want to just grab a pillow and sleep head on. aaaargghh.

it's 2am would you believe it?! if i was on midshift i'm probably already sleeping or lulling myself to sleep with a book. but what am i doooing, so actively engaging my brain in words... aggravating my headache.

this is sooooo craaaaazzyyyy i wanna sleeeep badllyyyyyyy. my eyebags are twitching awkwardly, begging for my lids to close. should i give in?

heck.

#WhereToNext: 5 reasons I would love to stay in this apartment in Thailand

Not a very specific title no? haha

Here's a fancy 5 star apartment villa i found over at Airbnb which only rents for Php 2,868 per night (say whuuut). I've been scouting for potential overseas staycation spots and was recently reminded of Airbnb (via 2 Broke Girls: that ep when Max and Caroline had their place rented for Victoria Secret models!) a booking site where you get to choose from tons of unique places to stay in from local hosts in over 190 countries. awesome! you don't need to stay at an uber expensive hotel to get a posh space that's well maintained and looks pretty in pictures haha. you can just head on over to Airbnb and ogle over the many houses, lofts, and apartment units offered for rent by the locals (hm. as an IT person, "local host" sounds weird to me haha) and book away!

so here's the place i've been eyeing: an apartment space at  Intercontinental Resort, Koh Samui Thailand.

just by looking at the pictures and the reviews of the many travelers who has booked the place, i've gathered 5 things that made me fall in love with the idea of staying at this beautiful apartment

1. it's very affordable

cos you're not booking from the resort per se, but with the private owner of the villa. i was actually taken aback by the price, and looked everywhere at the page for hidden charges, extra fees and all, but found nothing that would bill shock me... just a 6-12% guest service fee, and a Php 7,291.00 security deposit (varies per place) which you can refund after your stay if you didn't mess with anything in the house.

so for a 5 star resort, Php 2,868 a night is a frkn great deal. just look at this beauty...

kumpleto kusina!

presko!

ang bongga ng bed!

2. the beach and the view is awesome 

Actual photo of the sunset coming into place <3

which is what an ideal getaway should have, right? the villa is located at Baan Taling Ngam, the quieter part of the island where luxury resorts are situated, plus you get an awesome sunset view to boot!

the apartment is atop a hill with a direct view of the sea from all of the rooms! <3

perfection!

haaaaay life

3. access to all areas of the resort 

the amenities are to die forrrr. even if i'm just gonna be renting out a single room, i get free access to their 5 pools (oo kelangan ganun kadami), private beach with sports equipment, tennis court, fitness center, etc!

okay let me spam you a bit:

that's a crazy lot of water facilities! why so pretty?! T____T

4. no negative reviews! 

as per the people who has booked with the owner, nothing bad came out about their entire stay! the place is perfect, it's near the beach, the amenities are complete, you can hire a maid for daily cleaning, avail of hotel services, and communication with the contact people is a breeze.

but what really got me promising to myself that i'd book this place one day is this review...

the pictures don't even do it justice, he says! can you imagine what kind of paradise this is? i was already sold with the price, now the reviews just made me want to book sooner!

and last but not the least of the reasons i would definitely book this place...

5. it's in Thailand! 

one of my dream vacation places mainly because it's near, and the currency exchange is 1:1, so i don't have to mess my head with conversions and stuff cos i'm budget OC like that and hates math.

so singing along with Annie... "Yes! Yes! I think i'm gonna like it here!"

So whether an apartment for a month, a castle for a week, a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries!

in fairness to Airbnb, they offer a really unique travel solution for those who are wary of expensive lodging. i'm definitely going to scout at their website on my next travel plans!

Join Me!

Click photo to register

If you want to make Airbnb your next travel buddy, let me refer you so you could enjoy some travel credits and more! You may sign up here: http://www.airbnb.com/c/ybirog

#WhereToNext #Airbnb #AirbnbPH

Where are you headed next? Let me know and let Airbnb guide you! <3

Note: all photos used in this blog post were taken from the Airbnb listing. :)

GlobalTestMarket Proof of Payment

AT LAST!!! After all the fuss about their cheques bouncing and being in a different denomination, i was finally able to get my CASH. as in CAAAAASH. How?

Twice I returned their check to their PO Box at Canada because the first time they sent me, the account has closed. and on the second time, it was printed in dollars and i had no way of withdrawing it. i had my doubts and i was so furious so i ranted about it on this post haha

When I got my points back (after 3 months!), i decided to just wait until they are able to print checks in my local currency, PhP.

But recently though, GTM has rolled out a couple of good rewards conversion alternatives, one of which is PAYPAL (there's also Lazada and Amazon!) so... REJOICE REJOICE!!! Once the feature was up and active I instantly requested for a cash out.

Here's the points conversion:

816 points = Php 1,500
543 points = Php 1,000

Note that in order to claim your Paypal rewards you must have a minimum of 1000 points. :)

So on March 6, i claimed my Paypal rewards, and exactly 7 days after, i was credited with the amount I requested on Paypal! Yeheyyy!

Now I just had to withdraw it to my local bank account. Here's how I did it, if you're wondering! And finally, after a total of 10 days (7 days from GTM to Paypal, and 3 days from Paypal to my bank account)... caaaaash! yeyy! <3

In fairness to GTM, they responded to all my inquiries. They may respond slow, but at least they're working on it.

The support channel I used to inquire to would be this email address: 

support-en@globaltestmarket.com

So if you have any concerns about your points or anything, you may want to email them there. :)

Finally finally, all my doubts about GTM have been lifted and I can now proudly promote it to all you. So in case you're looking for a profitable past time answering surveys (it's not much but it pays!), just leave your email address and i'll refer you asap! :)

Thanks GTM! :)

How to transfer Paypal funds to your BPI Savings Account

Yes! You can actually withdraw your paypal funds to your BPI ATM account! tried it last week and it worked! Here's how...

Prerequisites:

1. a verified Paypal account
2. Paypal funds (of course)
3. a BPI Savings account (yep, that regular ATM account you have, could even be your payroll acct :D)

Procedure:

1. Add your BPI bank account to paypal
- Login to paypal.com
- Hover over "Profile" and click on "Add/Edit Bank Account"
- Click "Add" and fill out the form:

Take note of the following:

• Name on account: your paypal name and bank account name MUST MATCH otherwise you'll be charged Php 250.00
• Bank Name: Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI)
• Bank Code: 010040018
• Account Number: the 10-digit number at the back of your ATM card

2. Transfer funds
- Once you have registered your bank account at paypal, you may now request for withdrawal
- Navigate to "Withdraw" and click on "Withdraw funds to your bank account" (take note of the charges)
- Fill out amount to be withdrawn >> then select the bank account you just added earlier >> then click on "Continue"

3. Done!
Following the succeeding steps and you will be notified via email by paypal about your request for withdrawal. it will take 2-4 days for the amount to reflect on your bank account and you will be charged another Php 150.00 by the bank. i withdrew last March 16 and got the money on March 18 nighttime. that's pretty fast you know! hehe

For this transaction i was charged a total of 200 pesos (50 by paypal, and 150 by BPI).

Also, on your account statement it will be listed off as a REMITTANCE.

That's it, hope this helps! 

Have you tried withdrawing your funds to your ATM yet? :)

5 FREE Fitness Apps to help you workout on your own!

So you wanna work out without shelling out a single buck? Got a smartphone? large memory, check? a strong wifi/internet? good. i'll be listing down a few really cool apps that will turn your phone into your very own fitness trainer!​ only, you have to discipline yourself... which is just about the hardest part diba. haha

1. Nike+ Running

it's my ultimate running companion. if you're new to this GPS tracking thing and like me was confused whether you needed to turn the data on to get a GPS signal... NO. you don't need internet connection to get tracked. you just need to turn on your GPS (or that location icon on the home curtain of your android phone), and give if a few seconds to initialize. then, off you go!

2. Nike+ Training Club

here's one of my favorites. and this is by far the closest to a virtual PT i could get. it has a lot of workout routines for you to try, demo videos, timers, goals, playlist integration, and it's very organized too. you can cho​ose from various fitness regimen (like get lean, get toned, shape up, etc.) and each has a set of timed exercises you could follow to achieve your goal. i tell you, it's pretty intense !

i love it how Nike has become not just a household name when it comes to sportswear, but also an advocate of promoting communities that inspire people to live an active lifestyle. and while you're already there downloading these Nike apps, why not prep yourself up with the right apparel? did you know that especially for women, workout clothes actually inspire you to workout? that's right, and since Nike for women is available online at Zalora Philippines, i suggest you ogle over there for a while, while waiting for your apps to download. but wait, don't forget to read the rest of the post!

3. Daily Yoga

perfect for an early morning stretch. 15 minutes on this will break you a good sweat. the videos are very easy to follow and is audible enough. plus it has 5 default background music which helps you ​get ​into that yoga mood (i actually love the music). hahaha

4. Calorie Counter - MyFitnessPal (calorie counter and diet tracker)

it has been really really helpful (so far). here you could log your every calorie intake (or outtake?) from breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and even your workouts (walking, swimming, weight lifting and blah). you get to input your current measurements, your desired measurements, and every time you check out on a day you get a rough estimate of the amount of weight you'd lose (or gain?) if you continue doing what you're at.

i like it cos you could ​get ​very specific specially when logging your food intake! you can search up the exact food you ate from their database and you'll get exactly the info you need! (ie. 2 pcs hotcake w/ syrup ... up to the brands of the food you eat! i'd say they have quite an impressive database of food and blah. but it's not just the food, you could also key in your fitness activities, whatever they are, and it'll magically (well, programmatically), deduct the calories burned for you. it helps a lot! hehe so far so good!

5. MX Player (or any video player of your choice)

since when did a video player become a fitness app? well, ever since it can play workout videos! i know right!? haha you see, even without the 4 up there... you can do with just a video player. thing is, you have to download your own workout videos.

My picks:

Insanity workout, Zumba France, 10 min. workout videos, etc.

So there!

What about you? What fitness apps do you have on your phone? Honestly, i don't use all those regularly, the most frequent app i use is the Nike+ Running app. Other than that, it's always a pain having to schedule a workout sesh alone!

*App screenshots are from their respective play store pages

[Review] Starbucks Pour-over Brewer

here's the Starbucks Pour-over Brewer (priced at around Php 1,400), or in other words... a manual coffee brewer. pretty much works like your electric brewer except that it's not run by electricity, and you have to continuously pour hot water for your coffee to drip. oh yes, it's a drip coffee maker!

What you need to get this thing working (aside for the thing of course)

1. #2 cone style coffee filters
a pack of 40 costs around Php 150. that'll probably take 2 working months to finish assuming you use 1 filter a day, and you use it in the office hehe

2. ground coffee
if you're buying from coffee shops like starbucks or CBTL, you can have them grinded. as for the type of grind... i have no idea, i just told them i'm gonna use it for a pour over brewer. i think they'll reccommend a fine grind. if you're buying from the supermarket though, do you really have a choice? hehe

3. hot water

How to use it:

1. Place the ceramic cone on top of your mug (which is included in the set. nope you can't buy just the ceramic cone, the mug has to go with it ... which made it expensive! haha)

2. Put #2 filter paper on the ceramic cone. You may want to rinse it by letting a bit of hot water run through the sides of the filter paper. Then discard the water.

3. put around 2-3 tbsp of ground coffee. i usually use 3 tbsp.

4. pour hot water! but don't fill the cone too much, maybe just half to let the water seep in the coffee a bit, and allow it to bloom (meaning there's gonna be some cool frothing on yer grounds hehe!). you may want to pour slowly din pala if you want some drama lol. >XD and then you can carry on with more water as needed to bring your cup on full blast. lololol

The Verdict

I super love this product. it's a great alternative for an electric coffee brewer especially that we're not allowed to bring one at the office haha. i love how it's very straightforward to use and easy to wash. been using it for more than 2 months now and so far so good! :D

the only downside is you have to wait for your coffee to drip, and sometimes the water has already gone cold while seeping. eh kasi naman the hot water from our pantry isn't really fresh off the boil, so mejo mabilis nga lumamig. haha keri lang naman. >XD if you're using a new filter paper, you'll notice the water drips faster, but when you keep using it on the next drips... mejo nac-clog sya so bumabagal ung tulo. hehe

My mom actually gave this to me as a gift last year cos i've been stressing over a coffee maker eh ako lang naman mahilig mag-kape samin bwahaha >XD

too much negativity

i'm feeling so frkn depressed lately, for reasons which are definitely my fault. but maybe i'll throw some parts to the weather just so i don't get to carry all these (but it's already sunny, so...), but really it's majorly because i suck so much as a person. hay.

-1

i was down with some mild pneuomonia the entire week last week.

the good: i was able to finish my children's book project with ms. lia, but the process sapped me to bits. working in between fevers is the worst thing ever. argh. it was my fault i got sick though.

the bad: i had everything scheduled out for the completion of the project, i will have finished all the illustrations by saturday and sunday, add backgrounds and do the pdf layouting on monday, then finally pass on tuesday. problem was, i just had to exercise on saturday night (because i'm feeling all sleepy and in need of an upper), so natuyuan ako ng pawis, and the rest is histERy. i could have prevented that right?

the ugly: YES! i could have prevented that but i just had to be so careless! i hate myself. grrr could have saved myself 5 freaking leaves huhu. T___T;

-2

i finally got fed up with our helper and inadvertently cast her out of the house. i scolded her for yet again not washing the utensils properly, and for going out of the house maya't maya for long periods of time. she took the day off the next day (cos guess what, it was her birthday!), hasn't been back since, and couldn't be reached through phone. it caused a bit of a ruckus at home because of my bitching out about her for faults that i should have just overlooked na lang daw in light of her almost a decade long tenure and honesty to our family... but really now. i couldn't bring myself to regret her being finally gone... not if it meant we're having a new maid who can clean better, and is less layas. you really can't have it all. no one's perfect.

not being a total monster, i was depressed for a couple of days because of that. my mom hated me a lot for chucking out her favorite maid, now who's gonna blend her juices? who gonna wake up so early to make our baons? who's gonna iron her clothes? i abhorred the fact that i seemed kindof useless as a person, that a maid is a more important part of the household than i am, apparently. ang drama diba.

maka-first world problem eh.

starting the week without a maid was awkward and sad. not when you're so used to having someone wake you up for breakfast. but it just needs some getting used to diba. it's not like i don't know how to cook, or wash the dishes, or iron and stuff. hay ewan. haha!

during those days i kept on looking for ways i could separate myself from our house. good thing i was on midshift so i didn't have to avoid people lololol cos it frkn feels like everybody hates me. i even felt like my dad hates me too because i gave mom a hard time with the house because shempre si mommy na yung gigising ng maaga and stuff. henako!

i was also even looking for possible places to rent out because hello real world! haha it was the most emotionally distressing quarrel i had with my mom kasi it's the first time it went for more than 24 hours! if we're not talking to each other within a day that's frkn alarming.

-3

my mom and i are okay now, we're eating together na. PERO BAKIT NADEDEPRESS PARIN AKO. ah i know, wala parin kaming katulong. haha ang arte arte ko talaga nakakainis diba.

-4

thinking about the amount of time i'm held prison in this company makes me sadder than ever. i'm not an A performer so chances are my salary isn't going to increase substantialy within the next 2 rotting years. i won't be able to provide for myself considerably, and it sucks so much. i really wanted to get to the level of financial independence where i could already buy a house and a car. haaay life.

during my feedback session with my manager i was revealed my corporate rating, which is you know..."C performer" or "meets expectations" or "probably not getting a raise this year". one of (the only, actually) the negative things that was pointed out about me was my extracurricular activities which disabled me to work longer hours and deliver end-of-day tasks. i was thinking tuloy, if we have an EOD task, are the extra hours were putting for that counted as OT? in my experience kasi, NO. so to hell with EODs! i'm not being paid extra anyway!

it was funny though, you know how the ultimate goal is to really load myself with so much sidelines such that my regular day job becomes my extracurricular instead? BWAHA. joke lang. in time. wooot.

on the plus side

waking up 2 kilos lighter than usual for almost a week now excites me like crazy. depression apparently saps out my fats too!