Just when I got so proud of myself for cleaning up the messy wiring on my desk, I get a BSOD first thing at work on Monday! Yey! I was so ready to be productive this week but somehow something just gets messed up. What heck right?
So apparently my Windows boot config got screwed up. Virus maybe? I tried fixing it to the best of my ability, of course with the supervision of our local IT support. The solution they gave me requires me to have a boot disk handy but I don't have that since I'm just a user lol. The USB installation media kit is probably with our desktop eng'g team. The solution has to do with rebooting using the Windows installer and accessing the Startup Repair option from there. Ideally it should scan the machine and fill in the missing startup files. But yeah, I don't have a boot disk.
Then I had the genius idea of creating my own USB installation media kit from my personal laptop. I knew I had one hidden somewhere but I guess I lost it so yeah, I decided to make my own. It took a few google searches, a spare 8gb flash disk, and give or take 2 hours for the USB media kit to be completed. Finally I have aWin10Home USB installer with me.
Right. So the plan was to boot into the USB installer and hope that the Startup Repair will work. I thought that maybe, just maybe, the BCD (boot config data) of Win10 Home and Win10 Enterprise are the same. So after a few minutes on the "Attempting repairs" screen, it failed.
Hahaha sorry that was anti-climactic. So yeah, I'm sending my laptop back to the office in exchange of a loaner. Hopefully it gets picked up asap cos I'm so friggin unproductive working on a Citrix frkn web environment. Damnit.
Also if my machine can't be repaired I'm looking at losing 3 years worth of valuable notes! All my meeting, and walkthrough notes, server names, credentials, and everything. All lost!
But thank God it's not so bad. Friday last week I was able to deploy a robot to a remote machine so imagine if I was a workday late in accomplishing that task I would have to repeat the entire development! Graaarr. We should really rethink our backup and versioning protocols. Argh.
So right now I have no choice but to work using my personal laptop and connect to firm network using Citrix. I don't like it but I have to carry on. What's worse is that my laptop has a busted fan so I have to work with the AC on because it overheats so very damn easily. Even with an electric fan pointed at it. Hayy.
Yeah so that's it. Hope you're all holding up well. :)
Feeling worried may be a natural emotion but it never delivers any benefits. Worrying about a situation doesn’t change its outcome, for example. Yet, despite knowing this, it can be tricky to stop worrying and embrace life. If you’re eager to let go of your anxieties, take a look at these sure-fire ways to worry less…
There are many things in life we have control over and some we don’t. Taking positive action about the things we can change is always worthwhile but worrying about things out of your control is a waste of time and energy. Being able to recognise what you can’t change absolves you of responsibility and reinforces the fact that you don’t need to worry about these issues.
2. Share your feelings
Talking to someone can help to identify issues and solutions, which naturally reduces your tendency to worry. Sometimes, just sharing your feelings with a friend or family member can be enough to calm your mind. However, spending time with an experienced counselor, like those at Bluesky Psychology, can transform your life. With professional guidance, you can address issues that are concerning to you and find new ways to approach life. 3. Eat right
Our bodies are totally reliant on nutrition, so it follows that the way we feel is due, in part, to how we eat. If you want to ease your anxiety and worry less, it’s important to give your body the right fuel. Eating a balanced, healthy diet enables your brain to work optimally, which means less worry and more positivity.
4. Practice mindfulness
When worrying thoughts are overwhelming you, trying to ignore or fight them rarely helps you to feel better. With mindfulness, however, you can learn to simply observe these feelings and let them pass you by. By taking the power out of them, you can be at ease with any thoughts your mind conjures up, instead of fighting an inner battle.
5. Exercise more
Being more active is a great way to reduce stress and minimise worry. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins. Known as ‘feel-good hormones’, these endorphins have a remarkable impact on how you feel. From taking a brisk walk around the block to hitting the gym, there are numerous ways to increase your daily activity levels and boost your endorphins.
6. Create an action plan
If you’re worrying about something that you can change, create a plan of action. By addressing the issue and devising a way of dealing with it, you can put your mind at rest, engage in positive action and be confident that you’ve done everything in your power to enhance the outcome.
Living a Life Free of Worry
If you’re used to worrying about things or you’ve lived with anxiety for a long time, it can be hard to let go of it straight away. With consistent effort and practice, however, you can learn to let go of these stresses and live a worry-free life.
Heya! Here's an unboxing and first impressions review of our new ref, Condura CNF 201i No Frost Inverter Refrigerator.
We were very excited about this purchase because it's our first inverter ref and finally, we can say goodbye to the dreadful chore that's called defrosting!
This was not actually our first choice for an inverter ref, I was eyeing the LG GR-B202SQBB because it's the only one I could find online with dimensions that fit our kitchen perfectly. Unfortunately it was out of stock when we looked at Anson's so we sought help from the guys there to find me a 2 door inverter ref that's less than 58cm in depth. Et voila, we found a perfect match with Condura.
It didn't take long for us to decide on getting this particular model. Usually I'd look for online reviews first before jumping on a big purchase, but for one, the size is perfect, and most importantly - we were desperate to get rid of our old ref. So yeah, it took a week for it to get delivered but holey moley was it worth the wait.
Luckily we were able to sell our ref to a neighbor who agreed to take it on the day our new ref arrives. Had a bit of a problem securing a gate pass for them, I didn't know we even needed a gate pass just to move an appliance from one unit to another?! Urgh, condo rules.
Anyway...
What I like about it...
No frost inverter, yeah that's a given
Twist ice maker
Spacious freezer
12 slot egg tray
It looks sleek and pretty
Size is just right for our home
Height is just right to allow a microwave on top
I don't have to worry about emptying the drain pan, if my assumption is right (also, I asked around), the drain pan automatically empties itself when it reaches a certain level. There's a metal sticking to it that heats up when the water reaches a certain point.
What I don't like, so far...
Ice maker's kinda hard to navigate because you have to tip it over a bit in order for it to snap in place on top of the ice box. And that angle causes water to drip on the bucket. Basta yon haha. Hassle. Anyway, what I do now is just place the ice tray on a different surface, not on top of the bucket so it doesn't spill. Okay naman haha.
UPDATE AFTER 1 YEAR! IT'S SEPTEMBER 2021 NOW
Energy consumption...
I actually made this blog post to collect updates on our energy consumption. To be honest I'm not really expecting our bill to lower significantly. After all, we got a bigger ref, inverter lang naman naiba. I also don't know what to compare exactly because we're replacing an old ref not adding a new one so it's hard to gauge the difference. So yeah. We'll see in a few months since kaka-deliver lang samin last August 22! :)
Okay! It's been a year with our Condura ref! Here's an update...
Our 1 year average with our old ref is 332.5kw/h per month.
On the other hand, our 1 year average with our new ref is 394.5kw/h per month.
That's quite a difference right? An average of 62 kw/hr is added to our monthly consumption, which is an additional 372 pesos/mo (for a rate of 6/kwh). Note that this only applies to us, the computation will be different case to case. Imagine if this is your first ref, obviously tataas talaga kuryente nyo hehe.
I've also highlighted the min and max consumption of the two years, which shows how they're not in the same range. Expected naman kasi nag-upgrade talaga kami.
Yes, tumaas talaga kuryente namin. Ngayon ko lang talaga narealize, I was wrong to compare our electricity bill before because the rate/kwh in our condo changes everytime, so I think the table above is a fairer comparison.
But of course, there are other factors to this. Mostly having to do with our wfh setup which gets upgraded all the time. One time I only have a laptop, now I have multiple monitors, ocassional test machines, add to that the many times we have to stock up food for 2 weeks because our gov't couldn't get their heads straight. As you know, packing the ref too much works up the compressor harder, eating more electricity.
But anyway...
Finally
Do I recommend it? YES
Am I happy with it? YES
Could I have bought something else? NO, I'm very happy with this purchase.In fact, it even landed me a digital ad with Condura itself akalain nyo yun hahaha
Could I have bought something bigger? NO, because this is the perfect-sized ref for our small condo. YES I would love to get something bigger in the future when space isn't a problem anymore, I know there's a taller version of this, but right now we're using the top surface for our microwave and it's perfect
What else do you need to know? YES. Char haha overall my experience with the ref is positive still and it's been a year without any problems. I can't speak for everyone of course but as usual, do your own diligence parin when it comes to buying big appliances like this. Check out my Youtube review for the comments section because sari-sari din yung issues dun that I never encountered so I guess that's worth looking at. :)
Ang tyaga mo naman mag-record ng consumption? YES haha it's part of my kaartehan. I input our utility bills to a Google sheet and graph our consumption kasi wala lang isn't it nice to look at organized data haha
Ayun lang po! Hope this helps, thanks for reading! :)
Following the announcement that Google Adsense will stop dispensing earnings through Western Union by early next year 2021, here's how you can update your payment details to use your local bank instead.
While check payment is still available as an option, I generally don't recommend it because as I've read, the check takes a while to reach your address, around 6 days compared to 2 days in wire transfer.
Until when can I use Western Union as a payment option?
No specific date but safe to say you have until end of this year 2020 to continue withdrawing using Western Union. But for your own sake, use a different payment method already hehe.
No need. Your local peso account can receive dollar payments. The bank will automatically convert the remittance to its peso equivalent using prevailing forex rates.
But if you have an existing dollar account, you can also use that to avoid conversion loss. And if you feel like it will be beneficial to open up a dollar account, you may also do that. Just note that dollar accounts usually require $500 maintaining balance. Your choice hehe :)
How do I add a payment method using wire transfer?
The steps in adding a payment method is pretty straightforward once you login to your Google Adsense account:
Go to Payments
Manage payment method
Add payment method
Add new wire transfer details
For the details, you'll need the following:
Beneficiary ID - keep blank
Name on bank account - I submitted in this format: first name middle initial lastname (ie. Juan Gabriel A. Dela Cruz)
Bank name - I submitted the bank's full name (ie. Bank of the Philippine Islands)
SWIFT BIC - Refer to table below. For BPI it's BOPIPHMM
Account number - your account number, no dashes or spaces
Intermediary bank - keep blank
FFC or FBO - keep blank
Check 'Set as your primary payment method', click Save, and you're done.
Here's a sample:
For the Swift Codes, see table below. I've highlighted the most popular banks here in the Philippines. I personally added my BPI account as a payment method though I also have BDO and Union Bank. I got this list from grit.ph
BANK NAME
SWIFT CODE
ASIA UNITED BANK CORPORATION
AUBKPHMM
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND (ANZ) BANKING GROUP LIMITED
ANZBPHMX
BANK OF COMMERCE
PABIPHMM
BANK OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS (BPI)
BOPIPHMM
BANCO DE ORO (BDO) UNIBANK
BNORPHMM
CHINA BANKING CORPORATION (CHINABANK)
CHBKPHMM
CHINATRUST (PHILS.) COMMERCIAL BANK MANILA
CTCBPHMM
CITIBANK N.A. (CEBU BRANCH)
CITIPHMXCBU
CITIBANK N.A. (MANILA HEAD OFFICE)
CITIPHMXV
CITIBANK SAVINGS INC.
CITIPH2X
DEVELOPMENT BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES (DBP)
DBPHPHMM
EAST WEST BANKING CORPORATION
EWBCPHMM
HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANKING CORP. (HSBC) CEBU BRANCH
HSBCPHMMCEB
HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANKING CORP. (HSBC) MANILA HEAD OFFICE
I'm super duper overwhelmed with work right now and I don't know where to start. All I know is that:
I'm being pressed to finish migrating our timekeeping system this week
I haven't started developing this robot for a marketing group and I need to present something by next week
I have two other RPA projects to do
Issues keep popping while I'm in the middle of something
I have so many enhancement requests lined up after I'm done with #1 and I don't know where to squeeze them in my freaking life.
I'm a big mess when it comes to prioritizing.
I also always procrastinate.
Sometimes I wish people would stop coming to me directly for a project because I'm bad at assessing and I'll most likely say something along the lines of, sure I can do that when do you need it? Instead of stepping back and saying I'm fucking loaded right now please talk to my manager about that. Urgh.
Can I please have that? Like a filter? Oh yeah, a project manager? All my projects right now are frkn delayed.
This sucks.
On the lighter side of work, I signed myself up for this daily guided meditation thing our L&D group set up to help us uhm, meditate? And somehow find peace and clarity in these chaotic times. It's been generally helpful. For 15 minutes we just pause and breathe slowly, focus on the calmness of our breath, acknowledge distractions but not act on them. It's super nice and I always feel very light and sleepy afterwards. I was hesitant at first because I'm averse to subscribing to anything new age spiritual, but this practice is fairly okay. No summoning weird energy, no commanding the universe like you made it lol, and no false affirmations. Totally cool. Just allowing the science of controlled breathing to work on your nerves. See? No need to get fake meta just to promote calm.
Anyway. I'm interested in reading The Daily Stoic. It's a daily devotional based of stoic philosophy and so far, from what I see from my friends who post daily screenshots from the book (thanks!), it's actually full of practical advice! Maybe I'll try it! Let's see if I can cut down my overthinking to just thinking.
I waited over a month before writing this post so I could review it completely. In three words, the Xiaomi Mijia 4L Humidifier is such an ACE! Affordable, convenient, and effective! Ohaaaa hahahaha! This is model MJJSQ02LX.
Video review
Apart from this lengthy blahber you may also watch my Youtube review here:
Backstory
I got this product for health reasons. The air in our room becomes super dry with the AC on every night when we sleep. It has resulted in me waking up with sniffles and dry throat almost everyday. There were nights I had to sleep with a face mask on just so my throat wouldn't get super dehydrated in the morning. That's when I decided to invest in a humidifier. To relieve the dryness in the room, in my throat, in my life. Charot. I thought a small diffuser would help, but our current EO diffuser only works for 3hours max so it still doesn't do the job completely. Plus, it can only hold 150ml of water HAHAHA so wa-epek. It just makes the room smell nice.
Research
I have no idea about humidifiers but generally I just want something with a bigger water tank that could run for more than 8 hours, and can diffuse aromatics too. I looked around online and found that Xiaomi has the biggest variety of humidifiers out there.
There's a gazillion brands under Xiaomi I have no idea what to pick, there's SmartMi, Deerma, Mijia, all of them looking great and priced affordably too. So I used the The Three Great Shopee Filters in narrowing down my choices:
✔️ Price ✔️ Location ✔️ Ratings
The Deerma FXXX line turned out on top of the list. High star ratings, priced below ₱2k, big water tank, ultrasonic feature, smart capability, and loooks reaaaally pretty.
But one thing turned me off. The water inlet is AT THE BOTTOM of the tank. Which means you have to turn the fuselage upside down to put water in, then breathe in and muster some strength to set the 5kg water tank upright. For a weakling like me, that process sounds too troublesome and accident prone. In fact, the moment I saw where the water inlet is, so many unfortunate things ran in my head. My face flowing with frustrated tears, a broken humidifier, and my husband trying to calm me down. Oh yeah, a flooded kitchen too.
So I had to let it go and look for alternatives. And that's how I found this baby...
Xiaomi Mijia 4L Humidifier MJJSQ02LX
It's super basic, can carry 4 liters of water, runs up to 36 hours, and the best part? Water is added directly from the top making it so convenient, and with a spacious mouth like this I don't have to worry about dying spilling or having to carry it somewhere safe to refill water.
Note that it's not suitable for essential oils, it's not a smart humidifier, you can't link and control it using the Mi Home app. Below you'll see what happened when I tried using essential oils with it.
Unboxing
You may refer to my Youtube video for the unboxing but basically the package comes with the unit and a Chinese manual. That's it.
What I liked (aka all of its features haha)
Like mentioned, some of its key features include:
✔ 4L capacity ✔ Upper head injection
✔ Up to 36 hours of continuous humidification and it's not loud at all. You'll barely hear it and if you do, it sounds like raindrops.
But apart from those, it also boasts of the following:
✔ Adjustable fog settings (low, mid, high)
Low, mid, high respectively
It humidifies at a rate of 280ml/hour and has up to 99% bacteriostatic effect. Even at the low setting, the strength of the mist is strong enough for a small room.
✔ Low level indicator
Which automatically powers off when water level is low and when the water tank gets detached from the dock.
✔ Size is just right
A bit bigger than a kitchen towel, just the right size for a bedside table or even the floor.
✔ Comes with a 220V type A power plug (2 flat plugs)
Which is normal here in the Philippines so no need to use an adapter.
✔ Easy to clean ✔ Simple knob switch control ✔ Looks sleek and is made of hard and durable matte finished plastic ✔ Super affordable
What I don't like
✖ No English manual
✖ Not suitable for pure essential oils
See troubleshooting items. The seller mentioned I can use water-based aromas, but I have yet to find official literature confirming that it's indeed okay to use with EO's, specially that, unlike the Deerma line, it doesn't have that yellow tray at the base specifically for EOs. Maybe I can find this info from the manual, then again it's Chinese, so if you can help me translate or just give me a clue if it says anything about using essential oils... that would be awesome!
✖ Ok, not advisable for aromatics at all
Since you can only use water-based essential oils, you have to keep adding and adding because the smell doesn't last long and eventually it starts smelling funny when it's only the residual aroma left to atomize. Also, it's a hassle to lift the water tank just to add the oil so I'd rather not bother with it. Aromas clog the system easily too so you have to clean more frequently. I like to diffuse scents pa naman when I'm sleeping but I find that the product works better with just pure water.
Troubleshooting
In the one and a half months I've been using it, I've ran into two problems, all because I tried to use essential oils with them.
1. Very little mist coming out And I mean less than what you'd expect from the Low setting. This happened when I tried adding waterbased essential oil in the tank. It worked for a night, then eventually residue formed and it clogged the system. Solution? Just clean it!
2. No mist coming out Now, this happened when I tried to put PURE essential oils on the base. I put a few drops of what I thought was waterbased EO (it's too cheap to be pure so I thought it's actually water-based even though it says PURE EO on the label haha!). It worked fine for a few minutes then suddenly the mist was gone. I could still feel some air coming out but there's totally no fogging going on.
I thought I broke the unit. Thank God I was able to save it by cleaning it. Now I can prove this model isn't meant for any type for EO at all. Just look at how dirty it turned:
Yikes right? That's oil residue that I scraped off using cotton buds. Fortunately, it's easy to clean. And after unclogging it from all that gunk, it starts to work fine again.
Cleaning
So how do you properly clean this thing? The water tank is fairly easy to clean, you can just reach inside with a damp cloth and wipe it clean.
I was also able to clean it with soap and water, it's pretty safe since there are no electronic things at the top part. Just make sure to dry it completely to remove the odor. And avoid getting water inside the mist outlet, just because it looks like it's not supposed to get wet hehe.
Now for the base...
I just use cotton buds to scrape off any residue. Just clean the sink area of the base, avoid wetting anything that's not touched by the water coming from the tank.
Our humidifier sits on a plank of laminated MDF and I noticed some kind of moisture settling at the bottom like this:
Just wipe it off, it's not a stain anyway hehe. It's probably due to the air coming in from the bottom of the humidifier because the air intake is positioned there (notice the round grills)
Maintenance tips
1. Avoid EOs, just use water. Pure or distilled water, preferrably.
It acquires residue faster when you use essential oils so I advise you to just use water and nothing else, if you don't want to clean more frequently! Also, I use water straight from the tap so maybe
2. Don't let the water run low
I refill the tank with a pitcher of water every night before going to sleep just to keep it running uninterrupted. In my experience a full tank lasts me 3 days on low setting so that's around 24 hours of sleep time.
3. Don't fill it to the max
Just for safety. I'm praning it might get knocked over or something so I only fill it with around 3 liters of water max.
4. Clean once a week
I thought now that I only use water and nothing else, it'll be easier to clean. But somehow, after around 3 weeks of use, I notice some dirt forming at the bottom of the water tank. Similar to the brown dirt I scrubbed off when I used EOs. The base is also showing some yellow stains that I can't remove so it's also nice to clean at least once a week to avoid these dirt from accumulating. I'm not sure if it's because I use tap water directly but maybe it's better to use filtered water?
So is it effective?
ABSOLUTELY. It's prevented my throat from drying and it's something that I noticed instantly like the moment I woke up after turning it on for the night. Amazeballs!
Our bedroom is only around 11sqm small and the low setting is strong enough to relieve dryness in the room the whole time. It's even positioned at the far end of the room (which isn't really that far maybe just 2 steps away from the bed lol) so I know it truly works.
Price and Availability
You can get this for less than ₱2,000 at Shopee or Lazada. I have no idea of its SRP. Usually it ships from China, but if you filter it by location (which is what I always do), you can save yourself at least a week of shipping time by purchasing from local Xiaomi retailers. Also, for a product like this you'd want to get it locally (the nearer the better) in case you had to return it.
I got it for ₱1,784.00 at Shopee PH from this store.
Congrats on reaching this part! That's it! Let me know if you have any questions on the comments area below. :)
Can you believe our backsplash is only made of STICKERS?
Hi daw sabi ng tabingi naming outlets
Yep! I ordered a bunch of sticker tiles from Stiles PH to dress up our kitchen wall and I'm so happy about how it turned out! Here's a Youtube video on how I installed them. Note that I didn't do it correctly so please don't take my video as a how-to or a tutorial haha! It did turn out okay naman hehe!
So here in this blog I'm gonna review my overall experience using 3D sticker tiles by Stiles PH.
I waited a long time for the subway tile pattern to get restocked. I've always wanted to have subway tiles in my kitchen, so this is kindof a dream come true! Also, since we're just renting out this unit, we couldn't afford to do any major changes.
I cleared it up. Removed the stove, the hanging utensils and the dish rack. I also cleaned the wall with Kurin before starting the project.
And here's how it turned out, 4.5 grueling hours after:
I love it! As I said, I did a lot of mistakes on this one pero okay naman diba?! *umagree ka*
Haaaay! I hope our landlord never finds out, joke. I mean, adhesives are allowed but this is one heck of an adhesive lol and it's definitely gonna need repainting in case they decide to tear it out. Praying it doesn't kill our deposit whew.
Anyway.
How did you order and how much did it cost?
I ordered from Stiles PH through Shopee (watch out for promos and cashback)
This specific pattern, the subway white costs ₱148 per panel. All in all I ordered 18 pcs so I spent a total of ₱2,664 + shipping from Cebu.
How did you know how many stickers to get?
Stiles PH helped me with that. I measured the 2 sides of the wall I want to cover and sent it to them through Instagram.
Side 1: 24"L x 18"H
Side 2: 80"L x 24"H
And they responded with 18 tiles.
Was it accurate?
Nearly! I only used 16.5 stiles. But I think it's only because I started at the wrong end of the wall which prolly messed up the numbers.
How do the tiles look and feel like?
I was surprised to find that the tiles are actually embossed. I knew it wasn't foam, like those brick foams I see everywhere. I thought it was actually flat, and they just made it so good it looks convincingly 3D even if it's super flat. Turns out there's actually a level of 3D-ness to it hehe so that's really good!
The size of the panel is 12x12 inches. Which is bigger than their previous version, as I've read. I do hope they also offer something that's half the size for the remaining parts of the wall that don't measure up exactly. 1 panel has 6 rows of tiles, so it would be cool to have something that only has 3 rows at half the price. Or I can just cut through the gaps right? Haha.
The texture of the tile is super glossy. There's a rubbery smooth squeaky feel to it when you run your fingers on it. It's not super smooth to the touch lamuyon? Like it would be hard to wipe it with a kitchen towel but a breeze with a damp cloth. Ayon.
How was the installation?
Frkn exhausting. If they were only based in Manila I would've hired their own people to install it for me. As in. But oh well, they're Cebu-based so no choice but to DIY haha.
Installation looks pretty simple but it actually requires a lot of brain cells to get the measurements right. In short I never got any measurements right. Here are the challenges I encountered:
Peeling the sticker is hard. Super hard. Should've grown my nails longer for it.
Aligning the tiles is an acquired skill hahaha. And you can't get it wrong the first time because it would ruin EVERYTHING. Thank God my first tile was perfect! Perfectly placed at the wrong side of the wall nga lang aaarghh!!! Hahahuhu
Measuring uneven areas is a nightmare. The corner of the cupboard, the electrical outlets, the back of the rangehood. I got pretty much everything wrong. Not so wrong that I wasted a sticker panel, but my measurements are probably only 80% exact, leaving some ugly gaps here and there.
Make no mistake. Once it's on, it can never go off. At least not with a layer of paint coming along with it. The adhesive is super powerful.
Now on to my mistakes
I installed the first stile at the wrong edge of the wall, leaving me with this uneven gap to fill...
...which could've been mitigated had I only read the instruction manual COMPLETELY. In my defense, nobody reads manuals. I thought my overflowing amount of common sense is enough to deliver me from this suffering. Now look, I have a corner with an ugly overlap, and a folded sticker. Eeew. Good thing I have a dish rag to cover it hehe. So word of advice, READ THE MANUAL! Anything you'd gladly hire someone else to do for you is beyond your common sense. Also, just fckn read the manual.
I also made other mistakes like tile gaps...
... sticker overlaps...
... and wrong cutout measurements...
Uuuurggh, aaaaand I thought I'd make a good architect because I can draw straight lines lol jk.
But I don't feel so bad about them because overall it still looked really good to me, and it didn't break the illusion at all.
There seems to be a wave though hmm
But see? It doesn't look so bad from afar. And it does the job of uhm backsplashing, so yeah. I'm good!
Finally
I like how it turned out, despite toiling almost 5 hours for it. Real subway tiles cost around ₱30-50 per piece so an 18 pc panel could easily run us at least ₱10k (plus labor, grout, snacks, and permit efforts). And these fake tiles cost around ₱3k only. So it's a really good deal. Also, it's not like real tiles are an option for us hahaha #RenterProblems.
Quality of the stiles are really good, better than expected. Customer support is good too, they're helpful and responsive. Shipping was okay, it arrived a little over a week but that's J&Ts fault lol. They packaged it nice and secure, with bubble wraps and a carton board for support. The tiles came individually wrapped.
There are tons of other 3D sticker tiles littered around Shopee but I doubt they're as good, or that they'd even come in one piece lol. I've read horror stories of the tiles arriving folded and distorted, with tears, or uneven colors. SodDon't bother. Just go for a quality local supplier like Stiles PH.
10 over 10 would recommend to those looking to refresh their kitchen but can't use real tiles!
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What do you think of this project? Is it a yaayy or a waayy-ste? Char.
