The Sunday Currently (vol. 24)

Long time no Sunday Currently! I didn't really want to go back to this format, but I needed to organize my thoughts haha so yeah. It's already Monday but my Sunday hasn't ended yet so. Who cares.

Dinner!

My husband asked me if I have trust issues because I have trouble warming up to people, don't have any "close" friends, and doubts every claim advertisements make (but really, who doesn't). He also thinks I'm borderline conspiracy theorist with the amount of skepticism I show with things, adding he wouldn't be surprised if I thought the earth was really flat. We've already discussed it but I don't think I made my point clear so imma get defensive here instead hahaha. 1. I'm pretty easy to be friends with, but my natural aloofness will make me doubt if I've really made friends. LOL. 

2. I have close friends but I'm not big on hanging out because aside from gastos, I also grow distant with people I don't see regularly. I'm bad at keeping in touch too so I'm not sure if I could still consider my old best friends as my close friends til now. I'm plagued with thoughts like, what if they've changed? What if they don't get my jokes anymore? Are we still close? Can I still tease you? Aaaaa-aaaa-aaaaah. Identity crisissssss. And in terms of hanging out, I prefer to be alone so there's really nothing conclusive in this sentence sorry hahaha.

3. I'm actually pretty gullible, and I'm only fascinated with conspiracy theories. I hardly believe them... even though I have one (which I'm saving for a novel, or selling to Dan Brown HAHAHA). Anyway, I just don't believe in ads so much because hello has anybody measured how Safeguard kills 99.9% of germs off-cam on an actual hand?! Nope. Because we don't have the tools, the bacteria meter is fiction. So is that dandruff strip. And that germ-revealing UV gun. The media is the real spawn of satan. Misinformation, deceit, and thievery right under our noses. Charot. 

4. So yeah, I'm really just a very very shy person who'd rather keep her nose down.

Reading: Sally Thorne's The Hating Game (what a swoonfest!). More on the book when I finally finish it. 

Writing: This. And according to my pending job list, I have 2 home improvement articles due tomorrow. Urgh.

Listening: Nothing, but I have a favorite playlist on Spotify: Classic Road Trip Songs. Rock and roll. Check it out.

Thinking: About how to save on electricity. We're p500 over the budget this month huhu.

Smelling: Coconut scented massage oil from earlier's swedish session at Mont Albo.

Wishing: We had tons of passive income right now.

Watching: Brooklyn Nine Nine. Sobrang funny please watch iiiiit and let's geek out? Definitely a favorite, next to Big Bang and 2 Broke Girls which I never finished haha.

Loving: Bulletproof coffee. I just tried it this morning with local ingredients and it tastes amazing. I once talked about BPC in my Battle Brew post years back, if you want more blah. I've been meaning to try it but the ingredients - grass-fed butter and MCT oil - sounds imported and expensive so I dropped the thought. But just recently I learned you can make it with regular brands (anchor, magnolia, arla) and virgin coconut oil. So yeah, I'm sold. I'm thinking tuloy how easy it is to make money out of this fad. I can just repackage local brands, give it a face-lift and slap all sorts of organic terms to lure people in. I'd sell it at a 300% markup and people will still think it's cheap. Anyway.

Wanting: Money to pay my credit card.

Needing: To finish The Hating Game before the year ends. 

Feeling: Such a loser reading chick-lit. HAHAHA. What can I say? They're the only types of books I like to read. 

10 places to dine in Los Angeles

Disclaimer: This is a guest post.

Photo source: Pixabay

From classic steakhouses to vegetarian outlets served from seaside shacks to some of the most fine dining outlets, eating out in Los Angeles today is considered to be extremely exciting. The large number of food trucks and some offbeat joints have given a great boost to the gastronomical reputation of the city, transforming it into a true culinary haven. So no matter what your food preference may be, there is a restaurant to cater to your budget and every whim and demand. 1. Providence

Even though Los Angeles is a city right next to the Pacific Ocean, there are very few dining outlets providing good seafood options. This is where Providence has endeavoured to narrow the gap by offering a deft aquatic menu that aptly manages to bring the bounty of the Pacific to the table. Among the various choices displayed on the large menu, Maine Lobster, Norwegian Cod and King salmon steal the show. For those craving for a luxurious and sumptuous fare, the 16 course chef menu will delight you with caviar, truffles and the catch of the day.There are also lots of vacation rentals in Los Angeles that you would like to consider basing yourself.

2. Mh Zh

Pronounced mah-zeh, this strange restaurant features dishes from the middle east and extremely affordable prices. This relatively new restaurant has menus written by hand on bags made of brown paper.The seating is on an open patio and the best dishes on offer are lamb and tahini. Mh Zh is located on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles CA.

3. Badmaash

Los Angeles is full of Indian eateries, ranging from large banquet spaces to casual food stalls.The Mahendroo family owned modern restaurant Badmaash, with vintage Bollywood posters adorning the walls, provides authentic Indian fare. Wines are sold by the glass or the bottle and there is a large collection of local beers to go with the excellent food.

4. Urasawa

Ask any food connoisseur as to which city has the best sushi in the US, and the universal reply would be Los Angeles. Sushi chefs, who been practicing their craft for years, can be found in most of the high end Beverly Hills restaurants. While there are quite a few affordable options, Urasawa heads the list of the top most sushi outlets in LA. The fish is flown in daily from Japan, and the meals can be served upto 25 carefully prepared incredible courses. This is sushi dining at its finest, so be prepared to dole out 500$ per person, and that too if you book early.

5. B.S. Taqueria

Los Angeles is a paradise for taco lovers, with streets literally crammed with people flocking to try out any possible taco variation. Whether a visitor or a local, head to B.S.Taqueria for the most juicy clams with thick corn tortilla underneath. All the tacos in this popular downtown spot are not only delicious, but innovative and tasty as well. New tastes are created by balancing the quality of the ingredients, which can be ideally topped with some fluffy churros to cap the meal.

6. Yang Chow

Los Angeles has many Chinese food options, with some of the best being congregated in the San Gabriel Valley region. From Peking duck to classic egg rolls, LA is a mecca for Chinese food lovers. This is where the family run Yang Chow, running since 1977, occupies the pride of place in Los Angeles. This outlet offers a staggering menu option of over 100 Mandarin and Szechuan cuisine, with the famous slippery shrimp being the star attraction with most customers. Its location in Chinatown offers other specialities like General Tseng’s chicken and kung pao squid, all reasonably priced.

7. All About the Bread

Los Angeles has a plethora of choices for the sandwich lover. Though the food truck, burger stand and farmer's market are the obvious choices, All About the Bread is one joint which stands apart from the rest. The sandwiches served here are crisp from outside and soft inside, served with a range of ingredients like meatballs, turkey and mozzarella. The entire menu of All About the Bread is dedicated to quality and making good and proper sandwiches.

8. 101 Coffee Shop

Retro dining hot spots in Los Angeles are said to be some of the finest. The 101 Coffee Shop, a decade old outlet, costs a bit in dinner items, but has stand out dishes on the menu. Breakfast is a full day option here, with the pancakes, bacon and sausages being the most sought after. The ambience is perfect with the round pendant lamps casting a natural light on the blue tiles.

9. El Huarache Azteca

With Taqueria being available around every corner of Los Angeles, it may seem that Mexican food is the official cuisine here in this city. This south of the border fare has been drawing hordes of hungry fans to El Huarache Azteca, to relish the excellent Mexican huaraches, topped with beans, meat or vegetables. Apart from this signature dish the other recommended dishes are the quesadillas and barbacoa specials served with fresca made from fresh fruit.

10. Cheap food joints

Prices may have skyrocketed all over the city but there are plenty of places in Los Angeles where you can enjoy good food without making a hole in your pocket. From kebabs in Glendale to tacos at Leo’s Taco Truck, there are places where one can have a full meal at under 10$. If sandwiches is what you are looking for, head to Philippe the Original for some exquisite meaty French dip sandwiches, which have been retailing at this original outlet since 1951.

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.