I really need to focus

Just a quick update on what's happening lately in my life. Actually nothing much has changed. Still procrastinating on work I'm too afraid to face because it looks overwhelming. Still religiously uploading Weekly Monotonies on my Youtube channel. Still busy participating in support groups to help grow my channel faster. Still trying to lose weight. Still feeling hopeless about this government. Still praying for healing and everything to go back to the old normal.

Everything is still hanging and I feel like I'm not accomplishing anything. But it's fine. I'm enjoying this break, if you may call it that. I'm enjoying vlogging and producing review videos. In fact I've gotten a bunch of really heartwarming comments from some of my Youtube videos that gets me really inspired to keep going. You know how I've always loved reviewing things so it feels really good when my content brings value to my viewers. I mean, that's the point really hehe. I'm nowhere near getting monetized but I'm happy enough that most of my review videos are getting organic views. Yey!

Let me quote some of the comments that really made my day:

"Thanks for this. Just the review I need. Confirming order now. Hahahha!!!"

"I purchased this cause of your excellent review and I got it today! "

"keep up with the awesome work you do on this channel :)"

"...for a channel with so few subscribers, your reviews are great!) I wish many subscribers!"

"This channel is so underrated with this kind of detailed review"

"Super clear enunciation"

"Thanks. Got one after watching the video"

"Very professional review. Great work."

I feel validated every time I read comments like those. Feels like I'm doing something right. But you know what, I still prefer reviewing on my blog because I can edit and add updates. But videos, I figured, are much better, and besides, nobody likes to read blogs anymore!

Another happy thing, that I hope won't get jinxed.. I might be getting some recognition later at work. Our office is celebrating customer service week chuchu and every department gets to nominate team members that they feel embody firm values. They sent out the nominees for Technology department, blind item style, and based on the description and scope of work of one of the mystery people, I feel like I made the list? Like I'm 99% sure it's me. The 1% goes to, wala, pa-humble ko lang, or maybe margin of error baka nagkamali ng pronoun at HE pala yung tinutukoy at hindi SHE. I'm pretty sure they refer to my team and I'm the only girl eh! So yun, my colleague has already congratulated me, on the same assumption, so if it's not, God help my tears won't stop. Charot. Sana may pa-grab food haha

What else. I got another allergy attack this week. But this time, naagapan ko agad. When it started spreading I resisted all urges na magkamot and drank antihistamine immediately. It mellowed down, then on the next days may pasulpot-sulpot na islands. But after two days wala na recurrence. If this was the same allergen, we're thinking Indian food na talaga is the culprit huhu. But which one? We use so many spice mixes. Thanks to my weekly vlogs we were able to narrow down the suspect ingredients. May silbi ang vlogs ko guys haha.

On my first major allergy attack I ate Tandoori Tikka the night before. Now this week naman I ate Tikka Masala! But I also remember eating Rogan Josh and Butter Chicken and got no allergic reaction.

So now, using the process of elimination we tried to get which ingredients are common among all those Indian spice mixes and crossed them out. The only common ingredient between Tandoori Tikka and Tikka Masala that are both not present in Rogan Josh and Butter Chicken is... PAPRIKA!

So yun, still have to test this out but I'm hoping sana tama?! Kasi mahal magpa-allergy test hahaha! Hay Lord!

[Review] Xiaomi BeBird M9 Pro Smart Ear Cleaning Stick

Heya! Here's a review of yet another Xiaomi product (yeah, big fan), this time an ENDOSCOPIC EAR CLEANING STICK! Might be disgusting to some of you but we all know how satisfying it is to watch big lumps of hardened dust and earwax being taken out of our unsuspecting ears. Well, here's just the product for that:

If you don't like reading, I hope you appreciate this video version I uploaded on Youtube. Don't forget to like and subscribe!

Alright, on to the blabber:

Product is packaged nicely and simply, which is classic Xiaomi. Box contains English user manual, and a couple of ear cleaning accessories. The metallic black unit sits right below the packet of paperwork, and it looks so pretty.

So there are two parts to the main product: the round base with the USB charging cable attached, and the ear cleaning stick which is with a metal cap.

The body looks and feels great, thanks to the color and the metallic build. It looks like an expensive pen.

The charging base, which also works as a dock and a storage compartment for accessories looks really good too. Only thing is the USB charger is attached to it, so in case it snaps off I wouldn't know how to fix it.

You can unscrew the top part of the base to reveal this compartment containing 10 other cleaning attachments that you can use in rotation, or assign to family members if a lot of you will be using. Smart design right? 

Personally I only use the standard spoon that's attached to the stick. I don't even know if I'll ever get the chance to use all of these hehe.

To start using the tool you have to download the BeBird app and connect the M9 pro to it via wifi. Step by step is included in my video here: https://youtu.be/7bdcWCnzmSM?t=140 (it's a link to a specific part of the video)

Once you're good you'll be able to finally see inside your ears! Of course with the M9 pro poked inside. I'd say the camera quality of this product is good. It's not super HD, but it's enough to see the parts you're supposed to clean. You can take photos and record videos using this one too.

I also found it useful in capturing my pimple popping sessions with my husband hahaha. I use it as a micro camera to focus on those little mounds of whiteheads.

It's so freaking fun!

I'd like it to be more HD though but I really couldn't complain. I'm satisfied with how it works and it has truly made ear cleaning more enjoyable!

I got this from Shopee PH for around ₱1,500. 

Oh dip

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. :)

6 Ways to Worry Less

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…

Photo from Pexels

1. Recognise the things you can’t change

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.

Unboxing, first impressions, and updates! Condura No Frost Inverter Refrigerator CNF-201i

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

Watch here: https://youtu.be/cyvN6ofKjiM
Chika here: https://www.theblahger.com/2021/02/oh-shoot.html

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! :)

[Google AdSense] How to setup your payment method using wire transfer to bank account (swift codes)

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.

Link to announcement: https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/10000451

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.

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

Do I need to create a dollar account for this?

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:

1. Go to Payments
2. Manage payment method
3. Add payment method
4. 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	HSBCPHMM
HSBC SAVINGS BANK (PHILIPPINES) INC.	HBPHPHMM
LAND BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES	TLBPPHMM
MAYBANK PHILIPPINES INC	MBBEPHMM
METROPOLITAN BANK AND TRUST CO. (METROBANK)	MBTCPHMM
PHILIPPINE BANK OF COMMUNICATIONS (PBCOM)	CPHIPHMM
PHILIPPINE BUSINESS BANK (PBB)	PPBUPHMM
PHILIPPINE NATIONAL BANK (PNB)	PNBMPHMM
PHILIPPINE SAVINGS BANK (PS BANK)	PHSBPHMM
PHILIPPINE VETERANS BANK	PHVBPHMM
PHILTRUST BANK (PHILIPPINE TRUST COMPANY)	PHTBPHMM
RIZAL COMMERCIAL BANKING CORPORATION (RCBC)	RCBCPHMM
ROBINSONS BANK CORPORATION	ROBPPHMQ
SECURITY BANK CORPORATION	SETCPHMM
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK	SCBLPHMM
UNION BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES	UBPHPHMM
UNITED COCONUT PLANTERS BANK (UCPB)	UCPBPHMM

That's it. Hope this helps. :)

Quick update

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.

So yeah, that's it! Back to work. Whew.