One of my cousins is getting married at SG next year, and since it falls on my sister's birth month too, we decided to go for it for a double celebration! I got three tickets for my parents and my sister first. I told them I had to wait for the result of my US visa application before deciding if I could join, and because I got denied (more about it below), I booked myself a ticket na! But that's after waiting for another seat sale. I got a roundtrip ticket for 5k (yay?). Honestly, I still find it super mahal 'cos I still have to pay travel tax and terminal fee which is mga 2k din huhu. Juskolord ang gastos pala.
Anyway, if you want to score cheap airfares, just follow airline and promo pages on facebook, and set their visibility option to SEE FIRST. That way when you log in to facebook, edi you see them first haha. That's how I look up promos. :D
My 2nd US visa application got denied
To be honest I was surprised that I took this rejection lighter than expected. I even brought shades with me in case I come out of the embassy crying, lol, but I never got to use it. Anyway. As with my first application, I applied for a B1 (business) visa for the same purpose (client meetings) and for a shorter term (8 weeks, my last was 12).
My appointment was scheduled on a Friday at 7:25am. I was already within premises by 6:15am because I didn't want to get stuck in traffic. I parked at Ermita Center, which is nearest to the footbridge closest to the US embassy. You can park anywhere on that entire stretch. Parking fee costs 120 pesos (just 100 really but the bantays there said the extra bente is for kape kape lang lol) and you can stay until 2pm. Lo and behold when I got the receipt, it says 30 pesos for the first 3 hours. Those guys deserve some Starbucks coffee. Yung Venti. Wahaha. Pun intended.
I went in line around 7am and waited some 15 minutes before the guards started assembling people for the 7:25am appointment. There are placards showing which schedule is being served currently, and you have to wait for the guards to replace it with your call time before you can fall in line.
By 7:20 I was already inside the complex, queueing for Step 1: Pre-screening (or something). In which I handed the officer at the window my passport and guarantee letter. He asked for the purpose of my visit, then he turned to his computer to type stuff. After a while, he returned my docs and let me queue for the next step.
Step 2: Fingerprint scanning. In which I'm lucky not to have a menopausal pinay shouting at me to freaking straighten my fingers and dry them properly before trying again for the nth time. That window was scary.
Step 3: Interview aka the moment of truth, also where you should greet the consul with all the positive energy in the world. Joke. Here I was asked a lot of questions. I was also asked for a copy of my itinerary and my previous passport with my old visa. I was left to wait for a long time, and when the consul got back I was denied ultimately, saying I should consider applying for a different visa type instead. I would like to assume H (work visa), after all, my previous visa was annotated "B in lieu of H". Haizt.
I felt bad for the person waiting behind me, but worse for myself because I haven't even properly stuck my passport back to my envelope when he shouted SHAME! *ting ting ting* I mean, NEXT! K, last na yan.
Just finished designing an invitation set!
It's the first time I designed a wedding invitation set so I really had to research on what goes into it. Apparently, ang dami pala lol. This is pretty basic, just four cards in total. The main card, RSVP, entourage and map. When I learned about the theme which is florals, purple, and wood... I knew it'll be easy for me! I'm also so happy to learn that the client loves it! Can't wait to see it printed!
Hire me! I'm all ears (and kilig) on your wedding! :)
I used to rely on Feedburner to deliver daily email digests to my subscribers. But their opt-in form is very limited in terms of design, and I couldn't find the right code to turn it into a popover that's responsive and non-invasive ('cos don't we all hate popups?).
Then I saw this pretty form from other blogs and immediately signed up to get one too.
I joined Mailmunch mainly because their form is pretty, responsive, and has flexible display options.
But just recently, I discovered that while I'm getting a bunch of email subscribers, I couldn't do anything with them. I couldn't send email blasts and updates. I can only stare at the list, and maybe manually add them to my Feedburner list. I wanted to sync the list to my Feedburner subscriber base so they could receive regular digests as well, but there is no straightforward option.
As of writing, Mailmunch doesn't have any option to integrate with Feedburner yet. But after googling about it, I stumbled upon this tutorial that shows you how to integrate the Feedburner opt-in form to the Mailmunch popover.
The result is successful!
Now, everyone who subscribes to this form will now be part of my Feedburner list. They will not appear in my Mailmunch list though, but they can finally receive blog updates to their email addresses. Yay!
If you want the same results, read on!
Prerequisites
1. Feedburner account with active Email Subscriptions
2. Mailmunch popover that is active on your blog/site
3. UNDERSTANDING that this is not an official integration, but more of a hack where you can use the Mailmunch popover to display your Feedburner opt-in form instead. In the future, we'd like the two to team up to provide this feature. But until that happens, this should serve as a good trick.
Steps
1. Login to Mailmunch and edit your form
2. Navigate to Fields and select Custom HTML under Choose Layout
3. Paste the following code into the HTML field, and make sure to replace YourFeedburnerID with... well, your Feedburner ID hehe
I have customized the code to reflect the original style of the Mailmunch opt-in form.
4. Save and publish, and you're done!
I hope this works for you as it did with me. If you have any questions, feel free to ask by commenting, I'll do my best to answer! :) If you want to see the form live: on the navigation bar above, hover on Follow, and click Subscribe, the form should appear. :D
Want something from the US? 9 Reasons to shop with Uskoop
If there's one thing I sorely miss when I came back from the US, that would be the heaven that is Amazon. The level of convenience it offers is freaking over the top. I'm not even exaggerating. Check out how much I rave about it in my tweets. In the 5 months I stayed in Minnesota, I've spent almost $2000 dollars shopping online. No regrets.
If you're an avid online shopper like me, you know that no e-commerce site in the Philippines deserves your full confidence. Countless times you have to double check the merchant you're buying from, even going to lengths such as stalking their Facebook account to confirm if they're legit, and still you get scammed. I never had to do that in my entire US online shopping history (which is really just 5 months lol), and I miss it so bad.
I still have a lot of items in my Amazon wishlist that I want to reach my doorstep and I've found that the easiest way to get them is to go to Uskoop and let them buy things for me!
What?
Uskoop is an online shopping portal that lets you shop from top global merchants like Amazon, Walmart, Macy's, Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, The North Face, Adidas, Nike, etc. You basically tell them what you want to buy and they'll get it straight to your doorstep.
Just take a look at the range of shops you can buy from!
Source: uskoop.com.ph
How does it work?
Source: uskoop.com.ph
3 simple steps:
SEARCH - the products you want to get from top global merchants around the web.
COPY URL- copy and paste the product URL from above step to Uskoop's site. Click on search button and the product's full landed price will be displayed in Php.
CHECKOUT- by clicking the Buy for Me button and have the product delivered to your home at a single fixed price.
The final price indicated already includes the base converted price, plus all other estimated fulfillment fees (ie. insurance, shipping, handling, import, and admin fees).
Here's a video tutorial to help you further:
If you're still undecided, here are 9 reasons that will definitely get you on board
1.One-stop shopping-and-shipping service on one site
No need to pay the merchant and freight forwarder separately.
2. Prices are all-inclusiveand Uskoop PH will take care of shipping, customs & taxes with insurance
Yup! No hidden charges, the final price is all you pay for and nothing more.
3. Delivers to your doorstepanywhere in the PH via air 10-15 business days
That means you are saved from personally picking up your items at the customs office, avoiding getting ripped by the duty collectors in the process! WHAT A RELIEF. Also, that's fast delivery considering your stuff is coming from across the globe. 4.No need to worry about credit card acceptance outside your home country
The final bill is in Philippine peso and not in USD so all the necessary conversions are already taken care of. No more worrying about forex rates and international charges to your credit card.
5.No need to pay US Sales Tax
One less thing to worry about!
6.No need to use a US shipping Address
Uskoop uses their own facility to receive your items. No more virtual US addresses and no more pestering your friends and family from the US to buy something for you.
7.Single checkout from different US online stores
Since Uskoop is the one doing all the buying and shipping, you only have to pay Uskoop and that's it.
8. Multiple Payment Options
Uskoop accepts the following payment options: ✓ Dragonpay ✓ Charge2Phone ✓ Visa/Mastercard (Citibank Card Holders) ✓ Visa/Mastercard (SMART Customers) ✓ All Visa/Mastercard
9. Uskoop PH takes care of everything
You only have to tell what you want to buy and Uskoop PH will take care of everything from buying to shipping to your address to customer service and post-sale support.
BONUS!
10.Buy More Save More
I inquired about whether they combine shipping for multiple items of the same kind, cos I noticed that when I doubled the quantity of one item I was gonna buy, the final price doubled too, including shipping and fulfillment fees. I thought it was ridiculous so I asked.
They told me that they're rolling out a new feature, tentatively this Friday, called Buy More Save More. I have high hopes this would work to minimize fees for multiple items so I'm really excited to know more about it!
What's in my wishlist?
To show you how much the items I want from the US are going to cost if I buy via Uskoop, here's a couple of stuff from my Amazon wishlist. They're either too overpriced here or are simply unavailable. Uskoop solves those problems for me.
1. Pyrex glass food containers
I actually brought a set of these with me when I came back so when I lost it during one of my commutes, I was devastated. I've looked up Pyrex in department stores and they don't seem to carry this particular product. I'm not a fan of clip-on lids like the usual we have here so actually, arte ko lang to. But stiiiill.
2. Wireless, front closure bra
Joke lang yung size ko bes, wag ka na mainggit
Also not available in the Philippines, this bra is super haveyyy. Wire-free, has front closure, and thinly padded, this is the most comfortable bra I've ever worn. I wanted to buy more of these but during the sale where I got it, there's only one stock left in my size. MUST.GET.MORE.
3. Bed Rest
I haven't found this kind of pillow here. It's perfect for reading and I badly want one! For products that are bulky or have indefinite dimensions, the final price isn't indicated yet. You have to click on Get Quote for the Uskoop crew to manually assess the product and compute for shipping costs.
As of now I'm still waiting for my quote. Will update this post as soon as I get word.
Edited to add: Uskoop finally updated the final price of the pillow!
4. Herbalife Total Control
This one I couldn't find here even after inquiring to local Herbalife distributors. It has been very effective in my weight loss agenda, and is one of the few slimming products I didn't suffer any side-effects from. Highly recommended!
5. GoPro Hero 5 Black
Your favorite travel buddy just got an upgrade, if you're itching to get one now, do so with Uskoop. Online stores charge almost the same but you have to pre-order to get one. Physical stores are definitely going to charge higher, maybe ₱25k to ₱28k for this gem, when it comes to shore. And when is that?!
You know the deal, gadgets are much cheaper sourced online and abroad, with shipping being the biggest setback. Thankfully, we've got Uskoop!
Start shopping!
It's almost thanksgiving season and you know what that means, SUPER DUPER MEGA HUGE SALES. And you can expect that to go on until Christmas and New Year season. I'm not kidding, during the holidays I got shirts from Gap and Banana Republic that are only $2 each, and Adidas are Nike shoes are effin cheap, I swear.
Consider this a pre-holiday gift, use promo code USKOOPTEN% to get 10% off shipping and handling :D
Expiring November 7, 2016
Follow Uskoop
To know more about Uskoop and the latest deals happening in the US shopping scene, you may visit their website at www.uskoop.com.ph
USkoopPhilippines
uskoopph
Happy shopping!
*Disclaimer: This post was created for a Nuffnang x Uskoop PH contest. I haven't their service yet.
In 2012, TravelBook.ph, under the management of Summit Media, started as an online catalog catering to more than 4,000 hotels and resorts in the Philippines. The company was established by Recruit Holdings Company, one of the biggest media conglomerates in Japan, and specializes in classified advertisements, publications, and human resources.
To date, TravelBook.ph is the fastest growing Online Travel Agency (OTA) in the Philippines and boasts more than 2,700 hotel listings all over the country. Over the past three years, the company has achieved a record-breaking 200% growth rate and an average of 3,900 paid bookings per month.
With various offline and online marketing efforts, TravelBook.ph has gained exposure through media partners such as TV stations GMA NewsTV through programs like PopTalk and Biyahe ni Drew, CinemaOne, and radio stations Love Radio, Monster Radio, and Barangay LS.
TravelBook.ph also boasts increasing 1.6 million monthly page views, with 455,000 monthly unique visits, 52,000 registered members, and 299,000 newsletter subscribers.
Its social media presence also continues to grow: it has more than 540,000 likes in Facebook, while its Twitter and Instagram accounts have about 2,900 and 10,300 followers respectively.
Why Book with TravelBook.ph?
TravelBook.ph aims to cater to the needs of the ever-growing market, which is why it continuously develops and expands its strengths through various customer-driven initiatives. 1. Convenient Booking
TravelBook.ph focuses on improving its offline bookings through 24/7 Customer Care that offers competitive room rates, promo plans, rewards points, membership promos, and GetGo promos.
TravelBook.ph also has a user-friendly mobile app that offers double rewards for bookings to make the service available for the growing number of smartphone users in the Philippines.
2. Multiple Payment Options
Since only about 5% of the whole Philippine population are credit card holders, TravelBook.ph has made sure that it has various online and offline payment methods to make booking hotels for every customer convenient.
Aside from using their credit cards, customers can pay via online and offline bank deposits or over-the-counter payments. They can also pay at 7-Eleven branches, Robinsons Department Store, and SM Department Store branches, Bitcoin, and the newly launched Pay At Hotel, which allows the customer to pay upon check-in. 3. Corporate Partnerships and Alliances
TravelBook.ph has also partnered with top brands and companies in the Philippines, including Cebu Pacific, Robinsons Bank, Sun Cellular, Toys R Us, JG Summit, Robinsons Land, Robinsons Department Store, and Universal Robina to strengthen its presence in the business through various campaigns.
The company also has special partnerships with GetGo, BDO, Union Bank, Eastwest Bank, and Security Bank.
4. Tours
TravelBook.ph will soon launch its 359 Tour Package Plans to cater to the travel needs of its customers.
5. Affiliate Program
The recently launched Affiliate Program now has over 600 partner bloggers. Through this program, both seasoned and new bloggers are able earn income from the hotel bookings made in their websites.
6. Promotion of Philippine Tourism
More than just being an e-commerce company, TravelBook.ph aims to Philippine tourism by encouraging everyone to travel more in the country. The company believes that traveling should become a lifestyle as it promotes education, quality time, and bonding with families and friends.
TravelBook.ph also comes up with various creative campaigns to promote local tourism such as the recently concluded #Juanderlust, an international competition where travelers all over the world participated to be the lucky “Chosen Juan” who will embark on an 80-day adventure to 80 places in the Philippines. The winner, Mr. Dave Agbayani, traveled around the country to explore and experience the best things that the country has to offer.
Dr. Juan Paolo
Bellosillo, International Fellow of Integrative Medicine and American
Association of Integrative Medicine, sat down with us one rainy
afternoon to discuss and talk about one of the biggest concerns of
beauty lovers: AGING.
Doc
Pao, as he is fondly called, was kind enough to give us 6 tips on how
we can age gracefully or if possible, stop time from showing on our
skin.
LIFESTYLE CHECK. Since aging is a
process we all have to face as we grow old, we must ensure that we
start from within: our being. Beauty is definitely not just skin
deep. It emanates from within. The stress we encounter
daily will show up in the form of eye bags, dark spots, wrinkles, and what not.
To ensure that this can be avoided, do a lifestyle check. Your
lifestyle choices will reflect on your wellness. No amount of
moisturizer can ever beat clean living and a peaceful mind.
Anti-aging should start at the biological unit, our cells.
BE REALISTIC. There is nothing in
this world that can really stop your skin from aging. It will
happen. However, you can delay it with the right skin care and the
right ways of living.
YOUR HEART. The one thing a lot of
people overlook when they yearn for anti-aging is their heart. Your
heart is the one solely responsible for pumping blood into your body
and if it’s not healthy, you will definitely see the results on
your skin. We only have one heart. Once it stops beating, we are
gone. This is a saying that I often remember and it reminds me that
on top of everything, my heart is the first one I need to take care
of the most.
STRESS. Every time you allow
stress to impact you, it actually becomes a threat to your life and
this could even lead to death. When someone is stressed, it shows on
their skin. When someone is stressed, it will show on their hair,
eyes, lips, everything. Never allow stress to make an impact on you.
Learn to control and let go.
NON INVASIVE TREATMENT. With Doc
Pao, you can get photoplethysmography, a method that determines the
age of the artery which has been impacted by lifestyle and exposed
to many stressors. This will allow you to truly gauge what changes
you need to make and what maintenance you need to follow.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT AND WHAT YOU
DRINK. The food and drinks we take in affect our body. There are
many foods that yield good vitamins and these are the things we
should eat more of. Berries, salmon, almond, walnuts, spirulina, and
green leafy veggies are a must if you want to achieve that youthful
glow. All the food mentioned here also have anti-inflammatory
properties that will help reverse the ageing of the artery. Acai
drinks that come with banana and spirulina have high anti-oxidant
and free radical battling properties that can actually reduce the
inflammation or stiffening causing factors or thrombus formation in
arteries.
In this day and age
where everyone is obsessed with looking young, always remember that
to look young on the outside, one must feel young on the inside. Be
wise. Live a legacy before you leave a legacy. When you take care of
your heart, you take care of everything else from within and this
will always give you the youthful glow you desire.
... I noticed how enthusiastic my sister was when we talked about this business we want to put up together. She'll make the products, and I'll take care of branding and marketing. She was so eager. I was so excited. I wanted to make this work because I've never seen her this confident in something.
She would always rant about how being a financial adviser saps all her optimism away. I knew it wasn't for her, but my parents needed someone, one of us, to kind of inherit the business. That or they were just giving her a chance to discover what suits her best. I don't think my sister is happy though.
... I checked a couple of my drafts, and added some more details into them. Somehow I couldn't get myself to publish them even though it's more or less complete. Maybe it's my confidence about them that's hindering me from sharing. Hm.
... My diet is surprisingly working for me. It's been 2 months and I lost around 10 lbs already. Pretty slow, I know. But 1 lb per week is good enough. The goal is to reach 141, which was my weight before I went to the US, then take it easy until 120.
In fairness, I've noticed my portions are getting smaller and I get full easier too. I want to be able to hold on when I take out all my slimming aids (pills and tea). I remember getting some kind of withdrawal when I finished my bottle of Herbalife Total Control. It's not available in the Philippines so I got worried. Then I recalled I still have a bottle of Hydroxycut hiding somewhere. I'm using that right now. Hehe.
... I'm praying that my US Visa application won't be denied. I'm scheduled for interview next week and even though I'm less scared compared to my first time applying, I'm still scared nonetheless. There are just so many red flags with my application. Hay Lord. I wasn't really excited at first, but when I got my interview packet I saw that my dummy booking has a layover at KOREA. WAAAAAAHH!!! As if naman makakalabas ako ng airport no pero juskolooooord KOREAAAAA!
... I'm watching a new KDrama series. It's called "On the way to the airport" and it promotes infidelity in marriage. Err not exactly cos I see the characters are struggling naman haha but gosh the chemistry is just so over the top. I'm questioning my morals right now. Is it even an excuse that both of them are seemingly married to the wrong people? I don't want to think of marriage as something disposable but the dilemma posed in this series is as real as it gets. It's scaring me that a lot would find this relatable.
... I'm taking the regular shift right now. Yey? I was supposed to work midshift but I couldn't sleep so I decided to come early instead. We have a midnight test (that's noon here) so that means no sleep for me cos I just came from the nightshift. On the other hand that means I'm getting more sleep later cos I'm already antok na now na aaarg.
If you're always wondering about how online freelancing works, here's the right venue to learn about it!
This October 22, 2016, join us in a day of learning and discovery by attending #VApreneur: One Day To FREEdom! Workshop. This event aims to help aspiring and existing virtual assistants to develop their business, identify their core skills, meet more clients, and charge competitively for their services.
What is a virtual assistant and what does it have to do with freelancing?
A virtual assistant or a VA is a person who provides services to a client remotely from home, may it be technical, creative, or administrative, it depends on what skills the VA has to offer. That said, VAs are freelancers too, offering services online and remotely to clients that are mostly overseas.
VA vs. VApreneur: the difference
The term VApreneur is a play between VA and entrepreneur, and was coined by Ms. Rochefel Rivera, one of the organizers and speakers of the event.
As a VA, you work as an independent contractor, providing services to your client, and is being paid a fixed rate or an hourly rate, depends on what is agreed upon. A VApreneur is more than that, your mindset is not just confined to a remote employee but a business owner, a service provider offering intangible products of high value to the clients. This shift from employee to entrepreneur mentality is what sets them apart, and is going to be tackled further during the event.
A lot of freelancers pride themselves as being their own bosses, but behind their desks they're slaves to their clients, overworked and underpaid. It's time to put more value to your work and package your services in a competitive manner, making your client see you as a partner and not just a cheaper alternative to a regular employee.
#VApreneur: One Day To FREEdom! Workshop
In this workshop, you will learn:
How to transition from employee to VApreneur
How to capitalize on your passion and existing skills while using the business model suited for your lifestyle
Possible opportunities behind online entrepreneurship
How to find clients that pay and appreciate the value of your work
How to take advantage of technology and build your dream business from home
When: October 22, 2016 9:00AM Where: Bluefin Grill, GF, Metrowalk Commercial Complex, Ugong, Pasig City Ticket prices (snacks and lunch included):
Early bird rate until October 8: ₱888
Regular rate: ₱1,498
BFF rate: Learn with your BFF and get the 2nd ticket 50% off - ₱1,332
Gang rate: Gather a group of 4 and your pass is FREE - ₱2,664
