F

I'm typing this entry with my middle finger raised, in protest of the pain I'm feeling right now. But really it's because I can't type with the said finger and had to raise it to break muscle memory hehe. You see, my middle finger got cut while I was unclogging our bathroom sink last night. I was already grossed out having to scrub the insides of our pipes with my bare hands, then I just had to incur a minor cut that burned like hell. All that gunk and an open wound and the gross levels rose to a million. I can't even. Hahaha. I don't even know what that even means. Needless to say, I learned a lot that day. I fixed two problems in the house last night. Our broken freezer door and yeah our freaking bathroom sink. My lips were curled in the disgust the whole time but it needs to be done. We're having guests over this weekend, that's why. LOL.

In fairness, it wasn't that dirty, it's just the strainer that needs to be cleaned. But fkn strainer is buried so deep and is part of the popup stopper thing (I need to know how it's officially called) so I really had to make my fingers work down there yuck. Even the drain snake I bought was useless because it barely fits in the strainer holes. Whatever.

My husband is currently sick, if you're wondering.

Funny how a small cut could affect my productivity so much. You know when you have to rely on your keyboard to get you through the day but you only have 90% of your hands working? Doesn't seem like much of a pitfall but my typing prowess relies heavily on 100% functioning hands and I don't have that right now. I can't believe how alarming the difference is. It's like, I forgot to tpye al o f a sddn.

How to claim your Google Adsense payment via Western Union in the Philippines

WAAAAAHHH!!! For the first time in a gazillion years, I've reached threshold at Google Adsense! Hoorayyy! This is like a major highlight of my week hahaha so here's an account of how I cashed out my first Adsense earnings. Not much, just $100. But that freakin sum saved us from getting legally kicked in the ass by our creditors so yeah, thank God!

In summary, here are the steps to withdrawing your Adsense earnings:

1. Get your payment receipt from your Google Adsense dashboard
2. Go to Western Union or any Western Union agent (bring a valid ID)
3. Request for a money transfer, then wait for your cash

It's that simple. But if you'd like more gibberish, carry on as I've prepared a boring narrative of the steps above. Make sure that your primary payment method is set to Western Union. You may also receive your Google Adsense earnings via check or bank deposit but I'm not sure about the fees. Receiving payments via Western Union is free, making it the most preferred withdrawal method in the Philippines - at least from what I've observed haha.

Okay. Note that Google Adsense issues payments every 21st of the month as soon as you've reached the $100 threshold. Then, you'll receive an email notification from Google Payments that your earnings have been processed. It's a sign that your payment is ready to be claimed. The email looks like this:

Find your payment receipt

Now let's find your payment receipt. It contains info you need to cash out at Western Union.

Login to your Adsense account and navigate to Settings, then Payments. Under the Transactions section, click on the most recent one.

Check the description, If the status reads ISSUED, then you're good! Click on the description to reveal your payment receipt.

Here's how the payment receipt looks like:


I highlighted the important details in red. Or quite simply, just take note of the details at the bottom part, under Bring the following with you.

Go to Western Union or any accredited WU agent

You don't have to print the details, just make sure you have it with you because you need those in filling out the money transfer form.

Here's a WU agent locator to help you out: http://www.payment-solutions.com/agent.asp

In my case, I went to Sanry's Money Changer in Greenbelt 1, it has a Western Union outlet inside which is great because I can get my dollars from WU, then exchange it to peso via Sanry's. It's a two-step process but it's better because local money changers usually have higher exchange rates than WU. WU exchanges at ₱49 point something per dollar, whereas Sanry's offers ₱50.73 per dollar during that time. Also, you can ask WU to exchange your earnings directly to Sanry's so you only have to line up once. The two merchants share the same space and their counters are just adjacent to each other.

But of course it depends on you. WU can directly convert your earnings into peso if that's what you want. Just giving you options in case there's a money changer nearby! :)

Before I came to Sanry's, I actually inquired at Czarina Foreign Exchange first because it's nearer. Some money changers are authorized WU agents. Unfortunately their WU processing could take 30 minutes according to the staff because it has to be approved by the head office. I couldn't wait that long so I went to an actual WU outlet instead.

Finally,

Filling out the form

You'll be given a To Receive Money form which you should fill out using your personal details and the ones in your Payment Receipt. Don't forget to bring a valid ID. Here's a sample form I filled out. The personal details are made up for illustration purposes only.

• Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) can be found from your Payment Receipt.
• Country of Origin refers to the Google office who processed your payment, in my case it's Singapore.
• Amount expected should be exactly what it states in your payment receipt. I'm not sure if it's possible to cash out just a fraction of your earnings hehe. 
• For Occupation/Nature of Business, I just put Advertising.
• For the Sender relationship, just put Advertiser.
• For the Sender name, I put the company name who sent my payment. That is, Google Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.

That's it! Just wait for a couple of minutes and your money will be ready. :)

Hope this helps! And hopefully will get to reach threshold again soon. Hahaha.

Wedding supplier list

Alright, here's a list of all our wedding suppliers. Knock yourself out. Also, a directory of all my wedding related posts can be found here.

September 22, 2017
#DAVEstWeddingEver

Venue (reception and ceremony): Don Jose Heights Clubhouse
Catering: Queensland Catering
Hotel: Seda Hotel Vertis North
Photo and video: Dave Sarabia Photography w/ God's Grace Productions
Ceremony setup: Amaranthus Florist and Event Stylist
Tiffany chairs: Eventials Manila
On-the-day coordinator and host: Okasyon by Anton
Crew meals: Jappy Meals
Cake: Queen Spatula
Lights and Sounds: PurpleMix Lights and Sounds
Photobooth: The Big Picture Manila
Bridal gown (RTW): Blitz - 168 Mall, Divisoria
Groom's barong: Orias Bespoke
Entourage gowns: Love Humbly
HMUA: Ivy Montaña Makeup
HMUA (for immediate family): Gracie Santos-Josue
Flowers (faux): Cherry Berry Divisoria
Band: Unit 406
PS Souvenirs: Coffee grounds

Ay in fairness it doesn't look much naman pala on list view hahaha. DIYs:
Read: All the things we DIYed for our wedding
Invitation layout and design
Invitation envelopes
Flower balls for flower maidens
Boutonnieres (that weren't used)
Guestbook
Digital background for LCD

Nice-to-haves that we didn't have:
Lechon
Will-you-be gifts
Wedding favors for entourage
Guest souvenirs (apart from Photobooth)
Wedding album (will order in the future)
Fancy bridal robe
Supplier tips and tokens

:)

When was the last time I read a book?

Today I was reminded to get back to reading. I haven't finished a book for the past yearsss and I'm kinda disappointed at myself. The only time I get to read something is when I research about the articles I'm writing. Other that that, no new novels finished. I remember being halfway through The Girl with all the Gifts and Before we were Strangers but until now I never got to finish any of them. The company held a leadership townhall this evening to launch a book called The Power of Positive Thinking. I dunno why they called it a launch, the book has been around for decades. Anyway. My takeaway from the meet was to get back to reading. Reading helps me write better and it's a good brain exercise.

Also, I can't believe I'm part of this kind of townhall. The company held a different book launch for another set of people, but this one's for leaders, wtf. I still can't let it sink that I'm on a supervisory level already. Though don't get me wrong, I have no one under me haha. Come to think it, I'm already 5 years and counting in  the industry. When I was a newbie in the workforce, my first supervisor was 5 years my senior. Looking back at all those years and damn, it's really about time.

So yeah, it's really the fleeting feeling I can't get over with. Though technically I'm not doing anything supervisory per se, cos like I said no one's under me and we're pretty much individual contributors, it feels grand to be around people so high.

So yup. Will definitely get back to reading and this time I'll probably quit the digital format and go back to old school paperback. But they're frkn pricey so we'll see.

Last book I was checking out was the The Conjugal Dictatorship..., seems like a good read but it's so frkn long and the kindle sample I got is so full of errors arg.

Today

Is my birthday! Nothing much really, ate with family, played with friends. I can say my 5-day weekend was well spent eating, working out, and writing on the sides. I'm not so big on birthdays to be honest, what a sign of aging haha. I would usually close my Facebook wall for greetings and hide my birthday to anyone. For practical reasons. My wall is home to memes and posts I want to remind myself with and quite honestly birthday greetings are spammy at best hehe. They bury content I want easily found. I know Facebook has a way to collect your greetings in one post but there will be still be a bunch who'd write directly on your wall. IDK. It's additional work for the celebrant to, yknow... like each of the posts and maybe even reply HAHA. Not worth it for an introvert like me. Same goes for my FB messenger, it's become a major mode of communication and I don't want it flooded lol. Scrolling amidst a ton of happy birthdays is already quite a task for me. Whut. I'm perfectly fine with the few who recalled this day. The important thing is I got to celebrate with my closest friends and family. IKR.

Now let me share about my problems.

//Blogging problems!
What else. I'm feeling super sad right now 'cos my DA dropped by 3 points. I've narrowed down 2 activities that may have caused this. And being that I'm not super versed with how domain authority rises and falls, here are my hunches:

1. 2 consecutive guest posts
2. Leaving my blog URL in comment exchanges

For the first one. I'm not so sure how a do-follow link affects the standing of my blog. All I know is that I'm earning from it so I must keep improving my DA. Next, comment exchanges are there for the purpose of artificially improving reader engagement. I sometimes feel bad participating in such initiatives 'cos it looks desperate. The only good thing I earned from this is maybe learning about new blogs to follow. Other that that, I don't know. I don't even reply to the comments because I know it's from a comment exchange and was written for the sake of commenting hehe (with the exception of the really curious ones). Well, I'm guilty too. I'm thinking my DA dropped because of how frequent I left backlinks on other people's blogs this day. Could that be the reason? Alright, will not put my URL anymore lol.

//Money problems!
We're 3 months behind paying our condo (the one we bought 2 years ago) and Security Bank called to inform us they're taking legal action if we don't call tomorrow. As if. But I'm basically stressing about it right now. This wasn't a problem when it was BPI handling the auto-debit collection of our down payment. They'd just add a ₱200 penalty for every month we miss and that's it. LOL

6 months ago, Avida Asten management changed their collector from BPI to Security Bank and we were informed about it through mail. But then they stopped collecting for 5 months so the money was accumulated in the bank. Back then, we were in the middle of pooling funds for our wedding so we kinda used most of our condo funds to pay our suppliers! Now it's payback time! HUHU. I want to blame Avida and Security Bank partly for this. If they debited on time we wouldn't be tempted to touch the money intended for them. LOL.

But really, it's our fault for pushing for a wedding we can't afford. Did you know we're over a hundred thousand in debt after the wedding? Yep, even with the hundred thousands we received in gifts. And I'm all about paying them completely before the year ends. Blog, don't jinx. I just don't want to deal with the stress of paying ASAP because my face is already ageing exponentially with all the extra work I'm doing right now.

//Work... problems?
I don't know if I have a problem at work. I shall know tomorrow because my manager called for a catch-up meeting. Allow me to be paranoid, there were times I think I'm being extremely underutilized because work's kinda lax recently. And being the super introverted person that I am, I'm not pabibo enough to ask for work. In fact I enjoy being chill. It gives me time to read. I just do what I'm told specially if there's a deadline. Which sucks, I know. So I had a, uhm, a what-if scenario. What if because of my low performance they reduce my status to a contractual employee and that my term will end in 6 months? I was mentally crying at the thought but at the same time preparing myself for it.

Pros: I can finally try working freelance for real and see if I have any chance at it at all. I can ask for more articles to write, maybe even apply for a full time position. Also, if my current company fires me I should be getting some kind of severance pay right? So yep, that's money to live off for maybe a month, while I'm out (or in) looking for a new job.

Cons: I will be constantly stressed looking for a new job. I'll be bugged by our bills. I'll probably lose weight. I'll lose my iPhone and my only source of internet connection.

So. Yeah, I'm 27 by the way!

Alright, back to writing about fish tanks... which is my 102nd (is there a limit to adding nds and ths?) article. Grrr I totally forgot to celebrate my 100th article with this client who's been underpaying me for 6 months now, charot hahaha. I was supposed to make a celebratory post for it, but in my eagerness to earn money I haven't stopped writing and now I'm on article #102 and it's an odd number to celebrate to, ironically haha. Anyway. You'll hear about this next time.

For now, sleep.

5 Ready-To- Drink Protein Shakes for Women

Disclaimer: this is a guest post.

As a rule, the focus of most female users choosing a diet supplement is to cut calories and get a slim shape. Yet, some women are not satisfied with what has already been achieved and shift to another level that foresees putting on muscle mass. The way of weight management you choose is the shaping factor of the supplement to choose.

Instant Protein Intake 

Being a woman in the present time means to be a universal soldier. Wife, mother, employee, athlete, and other personalities are implemented in one body and one mind. An abundance of versatile tasks cut the time for such vital activity as taking a meal. And having enough amount of energy to succeed in all endeavors within a day is obligatory. Naturally, the so-called junk or fast food can be the way out. Yet, such solution entails miscellaneous unwilling consequences like overweight and digestion issues. An alternative is represented by a healthier product named meal replacement. You may also find it under the name of RTD or ready-to- drink protein shake. The essence of the drink is to supply a maximum possible set of vital ingredients within a tasty and low-calorie shake. Thus, you replace your full meal with a pack of nutritional materials in liquid form. These products differ in content, brands, price, and other important aspects. On this account, we decided to introduce five decent solutions for female users currently available on the market.

Pure Protein 

170 kcal in a small can is a convenient way to nurture your organism. Pure Protein is low in sugar and fat. Yet, the volume of the core ingredient is impressive – 35g. Moreover, the drink is an excellent source of calcium. Though the shake cannot boast of benefits of Shakeology, users admit its flavor versatility, as well as decent performance for both intense training and average daily needs.

AdvantEDGE 

If the mentioned amount of calories and protein is too much for you and you hate cans, meet another RTD with decent nutritional values but in the paper pack. Obviously, this drink produced by EAS is not a fit to achieve high results in gaining musculature. Yet, if you pursue the goal of cutting body mass, AdvantEDGE’s 100 kcal plus 17g of protein is a perfect solution.

MET-Rx 

As we mentioned in the very beginning, female users can set opposite goals. So, if some woman may consider 35g of protein as an overstated value, others may need a larger content of this ingredient. RTD 51 by MET-Rx offers the value indicated in its name. Indeed, along with  250 kcal, each can of this drink supplies 51g of the muscle-building material. Besides, the shake is packed with versatile minerals to cope with your hunger.

Isopure 

The first thing about this shake admitted by users is the appearance. Indeed, it looks great and attracts with its appealing view. Isopure Zero Carb does not resemble a regular meal replacement but a flavor-infused water. However, 40g of protein disconfirm this possible mistake. Forget about sugar or carbs when drinking this fruity liquid. Besides, due to a large volume, you can split the content into two servings with 20g of protein per each.

Muscle Milk 

The final product in our list does not need to be split since it already offers 20g of the core ingredient. Muscle Milk is a well-balanced drink for those who cannot imagine their life without the gym and women that require a decent meal replacement. In addition to the low content of such vital nutrients as sugar, carbs, and fat, the RTD provides a magnificent flavor for its customers.

Money Diaries: a week in November

In which I talk about my week by sharing my expenses. But first, here's a giant Christmas tree being set up at the office. It's maybe 3 floors tall. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The last time I did this was seven months ago, and back then it didn't sound so legit because I still live with my parents and thus get a lot of things for free. And yet I still spent over 3,000 that one week lol. Anyway, this time it's for real. We're now living off of our salaries and man is it so hard so keep a strict budget on everything.

I'm hoping to taper my expenses by limiting my milk tea, salad, and coffee consumption, and also confining myself to eating only those that I packed from home. ALSO, I want to quit taking Grab/Uber/Taxi because sobrang gastos aaarggh but they're always so tempting especially when I'm running late for work or feel like going home faster. Anyway, thank God we did the grocery last Saturday so our pantry's pretty full. Plus our parents still come by to stock our ref with food. What is #Blessedt.

★ Monday (November 6) - ₱28 YASSS!!!

○ Bus going to the office - ₱14
○ Bus going home - ₱14

Mind you I brought so much food with me. For snacks I had 3 choco wafers, 3 one one's lol, and cinnamon bread x arla cheese spread sandwich (so goood). My lunch is corned beef flakes, and super garlicky chicken breast.

Free food:
♥ My officemate brought imported cheese. It's packaged like an oversized sausage, smells like tinapa, and tastes delicious. I think it's smoked gouda cheese. I googled that.
♥ Milo from the pantry
♥ Joined a forum at the office where they served snacks afterwards. Was able to score a ton of  hors d'oeuvres. Theres maki, vegetable sticks with super yummy asian sauce, wheat crostinis with amazing liver spread sauce, ham balls in crazy garlic mayo sauce. My goodness everything tasted so goooood huhu.

So you see, no chance I'm buying food outside. Free food is life.

★ Tuesday (November 7) - ₱478 

○ Bus going to the office - ₱14
○ CSR contribution - ₱450 (which will go to filling 5 shoe boxes of school supplies for kids)
○ Bus going home -  ₱14

Was so tempted to grab a cab going home 'cos it was almost 1am when I timed out, but in the name of cost cutting and our burgeoning bills, bus it is!

★ Wednesday (November 8) - ₱3,356.82

Had to pay our monthly dues asap because I can't make coffee and rice. In short, I'll die. Our condo supplies us with drinking water as long as we pay our dues on time hehe.

○ Condo dues - ₱1,516.36
○ Utilities - ₱1,812.46

I wasn't supposed to count them under my expenses but for the meantime I'm paying for them 'cos we're broke AF.

○ Bus going to the office - ₱14
○ Bus going home - ₱14

This afternoon I finally got my backpay and my clearance from Pointwest. Yey for money in the next three days, which will be gone in an instant because we have debts to pay lol.

Also, I accidentally withdrew funds from Paypal which I was supposed to convert to PHP. Crap. That means I'm getting charged 300 when it reaches my bank account. Huhu. I'm praying for more writing assignments this long weekend so I can save enough to pay for my credit card. Have I mentioned we're broke AF?

Okay, I just informed my client that I'm open to accepting more writing tasks this week due to the long weekend. Who cares about my birthday. Let there be more work cos I have bills to pay!

I swear when my check gets cleared I'm going to pour all my freelance earnings to balancing out our dues. It's gone crazy.

Another good news, I've reached the threshold on Google Adsense. AFTER A MILLION YEARS YOU GUYS. I'm gonna get my first-hand experience cashing out on Western Union. It's only a hundred dollars but still, I'm thrilled for Google Mail!

★ Thursday (November 9) - ₱ 107.08

Before heading to work I had to meet someone for an OLX transaction so hooray for earning extra cash!

○ Bus going to Ayala - ₱12
○ Grocery - ₱81.08
○ Bus going home - ₱14

It's raining hard outside and the temptation to ride a cab home is unbearable. But nope, must stick to the budget.

★ Friday (November 10) - ₱ 298

I was running late for work so I decided to book GrabShare. Too bad I still arrived late. Waste of money, so never again.

○ GrabShare to the office - ₱164
○ GoSalads Smoothie - ₱120
○ Bus going home - ₱14

★ Saturday (November 11) - ₱ 0

Stayed at home all day. Jeckie did the laundry, I cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed the floor. We spent hours and hours watching Brooklyn Nine Nine. SO HILARIOUS. Officially one of my favorite sitcoms now! We ate whatever's on the fridge.

I can't believe I'm seeing a zero day. It pays to be an introvert guys, literally.

★ Sunday (November 12) - ₱ 398

Grab to Shangrila Plaza - ₱44 (promo)
Lunch - ₱136 (that's KFC + Zagu)
Snack - ₱45 (Nova)
Dinner - ₱173 (Chowking)

We were out the entire day. Met with the family, went to church, visited some friends who live nearby (which we learned just this afternoon haha). Not proud of my food choices, but I loved my Zagu Pearl Milk Tea hehe.

Total? ₱4,665.90. Damn the dues. No pun intended.