When the Rain Don't Stop

It was a non stop rain. I never imagined that I would have another terrible flood experience after Ondoy.

On our way to my friends house.

On my way to my Friends house.

 After the rain, now it is cleaning time. Everything is wet, from my pillows to foam to blanket. I am sure it will be a busy week. Washing and drying and cleaning the house.

During those time when heavy rains showered the Philippines for more than 5 days, I had terrible and sleepless nights. The flood water is knee deep in my apartment so I have to improvise in order for me to catch a sleep.

I have to sleep on the table.

I sleep on my friends house. 

Slept on a hallway.

Online Shopping Tips

When you go shopping at the malls you would have to spend much time going from one store to the next to compare prices and quality. However online shopping offers every shoppers an easy access to browse and search on their favorite gadgets, apparels, make up, perfumes, in fact all most everything you need you can have it on your finger tips. It’s easy and sweat free.

In many occasion for a very busy life style this innovation of shopping makes this as a leading growing business all across the globe. It is sad to say that a part from this growing business it is also a growing opportunity for some people to virtual steal your bank credits. Bottom line is of course shop safely.

There may be a lot of safe tips out there that you could use. However I would like to add a few more tips that you could follow.

Just a recap of this popular safe tip is as follows:

·         Don’t store credit card or any other important information online or in your laptop or desk tops. When I say information this would mean: credit card number, social security number, tax identification number, date of birth, and name middle name. Your facebook account could have most if not all this information so I would say don’t put all your information out there.

I also do online shopping but as much as possible I don’t use my credit card or my debit card in purchasing items over the internet. If I can’t help it I would need to:

·         Check the security features of the website if it doesn’t start with HTTPS:blah.blah.com and I usually check my statement online. I don’t need to wait for my bill to arrive I wanted to see if the purchases I am making is correct every after 2 days. I also don’t purchase my stuff on internet café’s. Lastly I clear my browsing history after making a purchase. (I don’t know why I do the last part but I feel safe if I clear the cookies and my browsing history.)

·         I only shop to established websites. Before I make my purchase I usually read reviews. It is always better to read what others write about a certain website before I shop. Investigate the integrity of the website or online store first before you even make a purchase. Ask your friend or colleague about their experiences in that website if any.

·         Also, as much as possible if they can offer a Cash Upon Delivery policy then it is better rather than paying them in advance. If not, and if it is available then use a disposable credit/debit card (I hope this is available in the Philippines). It is your safest route in buying online or even over the phone.

·         I only buy my stuff in a reputable and established website. I also read their policy and their payment system.

So I just want to share some website where I could say I had a wonderful experience.

1.       Group Buying

·         Cash Cash Pinoy

·         Deal Grocer

·         Ensogo

·         Metro Deal

·         Yuga Deals

2.       Website

·         Zalora Philippines – aside from the usual mode of payments they also offer Cash on Delivery.

3.       Facebook – I also shop at facebook.

The Way I look at Skinny Jeans

I felt comfortable using skinny jeans. It is giving me the illusion and the feeling of being tall, sexy, and confident. I feel manly and very fashionable with that leg-hugging denim. A nowadays skinny jean is the name of men’s fashion. Gone are the days of bulgy square pants or too loose strait cuts. We may have different point of views on many occasions about people wearing those second skin jeans but it’s a new trend a new stride and definitely the pinnacle in pants fashion.

Another reason why I adore the skinny jeans for men is because it elongates your elongates your legs and it gives a different array of boldness.

 However in an article published by British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reports that skinny jeans are responsible for the occurrence of health problems around the groin, it is linked to inflictions including low sperm counts, twisted testicles, bladder weakness, urinary tract infections and fungal irritations.

"I have seen several cases of men who have twisted their testicles due to wearing jeans that are far too tight," British GP Hilary Jones told the newspaper.

Jones further added that wearing tight-fitting clothing over a prolonged period of time can lead to urinary tract infections leading to over activity of the bladder.

A study of 2000 British men revealed that one in 10 experienced an unpleasant side effect of wearing skinny jeans.

Half the men in the study reported groin discomfort, while more than a quarter had bladder troubles.

One in five suffered a twisted testicle, a condition that occurs when tight trousers prevent the spermatic cord from moving freely, meaning it twists and possibly cuts off blood. This requires immediate surgery.

Wearing tight pants has also been linked to lower sperm counts as a result of the scrotum becoming overheated and harming the delicate sperm production process.

In my point of view wearing skinny jeans shouldn’t be bad at all. One thing to consider in wearing skinny jeans, “don’t eat, sleep, breath and live with skinny jeans”. Give your balls sometime to breathe and relax. Wear very loose undergarments when you sleep or sometimes don’t wear any undergarments when you sleep (LOL) and lastly don’t wear skinny jeans on a daily basis make it every other day.

Coming Home With Mandaue

Is it nice to come home with such a wonderful and majestically created furniture. I think it is safe to say that it feels so good to come home after a long day of work and stretch those tired muscles in a soft mattress that brings you to dreamland.

Mandaue offers a lot of mattress selection. Since it is made by Mandaue am sure it would last. It is for sure that bed you have been dreaming off. It is also my dream mattress....

I would like to have the following mattress and furniture in my master's bedroom.

To have a bed like this is magical. It would definitely doze me off to my dreamland.

"It's rainy outside and there's no other thing that comes to your mind but to stay put in your bed. Make your bed more irresistible and more comfortable with our signature QUEEN SIZE HOTEL QUALITY POCKET SPRING MATTRESS!", Mandaue said in their facebook fan page and I couldn't agree more.

Giving the fact that I have a big family,  I would like to have this bed in my guest room. I would like to have the idea of having the pull out bed so it could accommodate more visitors.

photo credit

Staying Positive In Every Situation

Positive thinking is expecting, talking and visualizing with certainty what you want to achieve, as an accomplished fact.

Positive thinking is one of the key to someone’s success. It gives you good and sound reasoning about negative things that is coming your way be it at work, at home or at play. Positivity makes you a better person inside and out.

However is there really an end in staying positive? When will someone say ENOUGH? What if you feel that people around you resent you or say something bad against you? What if someone stronger is really pinning you down, will you still stay positive and just move on?

For me, it doesn’t really matter it is YOU who would have to decide what action you would take. It is either you growl and leave or simply take a deep breath and move on.

Here are some of the few things I learn through the years.

A negative situation is really frustrating. Normally, I wear a mask I have developed through the years while I am thinking of a solution. My mask however is misinterpreted as a RANTING COMMENTARY KING OR QUEEN. For me it doesn’t matter. I would advise though that you Zip in when you are at the peak of your anger. Always calm yourself before opening your mouth. Always take a deep breath. Somehow taking a deep breath brings down the tension and fire.

Do whatever you do to calm yourself. What I normally do is go down take a heavy puff of ciga while I am screaming and discussing it with a real friend. Well this is how I do it to release all the tension I know you have your way.

When you need to talk to the people involved. It is always better to talk calmly. This would help neutralize the situation. Always look for opportunities to be positive. Ignore negative comments and action and look for the positive one. Get an inspiration to what is going around. Explore new things. Don’t be afraid to take on new roles and challenges.

While other people say mistakes as downgrading, an opportunity to pull you out of their way it is always best to see mistake as opportunity to be better. Learn from it. As George Bernard Shaw says, “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”

There may be a lot more of tips and tricks of being positive out there. The truth is the higher you climb in life, the worse the negative situations would be, so you’d better be prepared for them. Read your bible it has helped me a thousand times when I am at the edge of giving up.

How to Survive the Graveyard Shift

To work in a graveyard means a total change of your routine on a daily basis. For the past 20 years or so of your life you sleep at night and do your stuff in the morning. Your brain and body has been resting at night and work when the sunshine. All of these will change when you work on a graveyard.

I had been working on a graveyard for the past 4 years and counting and I had so many issues. I had difficulty in sleeping during daytime, I am stressed, I was even confined for at least a month in the hospital. At least now I have learned some things that I wanted to share that it may work for you too:

Here are few of my tips:

Your diet plays a very important role. A poor diet means you will have a lot of problem in the next few years.

• Water – we all know that we loose water in our body day in and day out. Drink plenty of water when you are in the office. It helps cleaning up toxin in your body.
• Avoid caffeine and soda or any drinks that has high sugar content. I’ve tried this before so I could not doze off but this has destroyed my sleeping habit. Just recently I had issues sleeping and so that’s when I stopped this things and started drinking water and fresh milk instead. Now, I am recovering my sleeping habit.
• No Junkies – it means that you need to eat Nutritious Foods. Not processed foods but instead real food. When I was starting in the night shift I drink coffee a lot, soda drink, energy drinks, junk foods, fast foods. After a few years I ended up having difficulty sleeping then later I was hospitalized. I was advised by my friends to refrain from those JUNKIES and try fresh vegetable and fruits as my diet instead. After few years, I experience the same problem so I totally shifted my diet to fresh fruits and vegetable at home instead. However, if we get tempted I think its ok but you need to double your water intake.
• After work Activities – Relaxation in so many ways. Maybe you could go watching tv, chatting with friends or walking your dog, jogging or going to the gym. Do anything to loosen up. Just do the things you normally do when you are working on a day shift (the only difference is you are doing it in a different time). It is also advisable that you do some activities outdoor so you could catch up the sunrise. An hour of sun exposure is healthy and it helps regulates sleeping habit. Force yourself not to sleep after you take your dinner/breakfast.
• Multivitamins – It is helpful to take multivitamins to ensure that we are getting the vitamins and minerals that we are not getting from the food we take.
• Sleeping Schedule – It is very important to set a standard sleeping schedule. It is not good to sleep immediately as soon as you arrive home. Create a pattern of activities that your body needs to adopt before sleeping. Make sure as well to get at least 8 hours of sleep each day. Once you wake up then you go ahead and prepare to work. EAT GOOD BREAKFAST OR SHOULD I SAY DINNER FOR MOST BUT YOU CALL IT BREAKFAST. Eat fruits and vegetable. Don’t drink coffee or soda to awaken your senses instead give yourself sometime to be awaken. Sticking to your schedule is very important it is as important as having a good diet.
• Re-create your sleeping room. Design it for sleeping only. What I did was to shut off the sunlight by placing hard cardboards in the window. The room as well is so quite, no tv, no radio. I’ve asked my roommates as well to avoid being noisy while I am sleeping.

“train yourself to adjust in working at night”

Its Raining Men: Your Safety Tips for this Rainy Season

Its rainy season again in the Philippines and of course it is landslide and flash floods season again. I’ve been living in Metro Manila for the past 5 years and every rainy season kicks it is always a disaster. I am soaking wet every time I reach the office.

So here are my simple safety tips:

1.       Weather is so unpredictable so I advise to always bring UMBRELLA. Have a folding type of umbrella and just place them on your working bag so you won’t forget it.

2.       Brown out is also rampant so it is always best to store lots of food that will not be easily spoiled. It is also advisable to have a good amount of canned goods and cookies so you’ll have something to munch when there’s long brownout that may happen because of typhoons.

3.       Flu is also rampant so it is advisable to consider an Anti Flu Shot.

4.       Clean your gutter so rain water would not stuck up in your gutter and it may cause a laying ground for dengue mosquito.

5.       Always do an annual check on your roof.

6.        Buy Insect Repellent.

7.       When it is raining, be considerate and do not drive on high speed. Safety first.

8.       Choose appropriate foot wear.

9.       Prepare Emergency Supply Kit (flashlights, transistor radio and extra batteries)

10.    Always make sure to charge your cell phones.

11.   Make sure that the lists of emergency numbers are visible.

12.   Check your FIRST AIDE KIT and make sure you have everything in there.

13.   During strong rains or typhoon, as much as possible stay inside the house.

14.   Monitor the weather reports via Radio and TV. If you have internet access always check PAG-ASA website as well for any development.

15.   Prepare your evacuation plan in case you would need it. Always discuss this with your family members so everyone is on the same page. As much as possible your evacuation plans should have maps or prime spots where everyone is aware.

As the rainy season progresses in the Philippines Water Borne Diseases picks up as well including Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever or Dengue Fever and Leptospirosis. Cleanliness is the only way to combat these illnesses. Clean your surroundings.

The best time to travel in the Philippines is from January to May. It is not advisable to travel in the Philippines during the rainy season though hotel accommodation and airfare is cheaper on these months.

A word to live by!

"Here's something for everyone.

A word of wisdom."

My Weekend reflection…

A whole week has passed. Another week of my busy life has passed. My day ends at dawn and starts when the sun has set. When everyone was asleep I am in the office working. When most wake up I start snoring. Not a normal life for a regular Filipino.

However, I am happy with how a designed my future would be. I don’t have extra ordinary mental capability or an extra ordinary strength. I am just focused and positive on my set of goals and objectives.

Since its weekend, I have all the luxury to sleep late just to catch up with my sister, cousin and even friends. As I see my sister Elaine and my cousin Heather do their homework I suddenly remember when I am their age cramming for home work while reviewing while doing my project plus doing my extracurricular and co-curricular activities.

Despite my busy schedule during those times I am happy I was able to finish my studies on the exact correct time. Today, when I reminisce those wonderful yet challenging years I happen to dig deep as to what I may have done to finish everything at the right and perfect time.

I wanted to share an idea that it may have worked for me! (You can try this for yourself or for your kids J )

I don’t have my masteral or doctorate degree of any course or specialization. I am a humble worker merely working for a cup of milk and a piece of bread to share with my love ones and to sustain my medicine.

·         Goal – it is a very important factor in my college days. When everyone is thinking I am out there drinking, hanging out and buzzing the streets. I am actually either practicing for my co curricular activities, washing someone else’s clothes, cleaning someone else’s house, or at the printing house with my co-writers waiting for the paper as it is near to be released. I would just like to add that these goal should be Simple, Measurable, A, R, Timely so what are you waiting for start writing that one big goal and write it in your heart. Fuel it with dream and road map towards your goal.

How it is related to my success

1.       I have it written down my ultimate goal. That is to graduate in 4 years. I wrote it on my heart. Along with it is my yearly goal to achieve my ultimate goal and monthly then weekly goal until it goes down to my daily goal.

2.       I have drawn my treasure map towards achieving my goals. This map is my guides towards success. It is of course not engineered perfectly so I have my road map review every weekend to ensure that my steps and my road map in order for me to reconstruct it and strengthen it.

·         “Keep the fire burning” as they say. Towards the achievement of your goal may be frustrating and difficult because there are for sure obstacles along the way. In order for those fires to keep burning always look back to your goals. Develop the appropriate attitude which is being positive. Don’t allow yourself to be destructed and lastly

·         “Keep Dreaming”! Without those dreams the fire or urge to accomplish your goal will be frozen and so you’ll lose track and so the result of course is failure. Dreaming is the fuel of your engine to move and accomplish your goals.

·         Lastly, never fear failure. Failure is also key ingredients on your specialty. You can never perfect a masterpiece if you don’t fail. At least that’s how I believed. Every time I fail, I consider it as a challenge. “I don’t know the word fail but I love the word challenge”.

Again, you maybe bruised, hurt, hungered, and pains but then just keep that tear rolling if you think you are burdened or tired what matters is you keep waking up or standing up with a winsome smile waiving your right hand like a beauty queen and wear that stiletto or your leather shoes then walk like a reigning queen or a king.

Petra and Pepita Encarnacion Group of Salon

My friend had a hair rebond and hair color in this salon.Well it turn out that he is very much satisfied with the result.

This is how my friend Anton look like before we entered the Salon.

And this is how he look like when we left the Salon.

Lets talk about the Salon itself.

Personnel:

The hair designer who first touches my sister's hair here in Manila and also the person who do hair rebond for my friend Anton is Hershey. She is really good, she listens to my instruction and inject her opinion and so we could come up with one decision and that is good customer service for me. They are willing to talk to their client and not insist what they want rather they try to explain their point. She also do hair cut, hair rebond, hair treatment to female client.

Mike also did my hair cut and colored my friends hair after rebond. He has a very good sense of humor. He talks to his client and I felt comfortable because he seems to be the expert of his craft. (at least thats how i felt when I had my hair cut with him) He also shares his ideas on what he thinks about your idea.

Pros (applied to everyone):

·         Very good customer service. They talk to their customer. They are also suggesting a better option for their clients in hair cut or hair color. They chat to their customers on a standby. They make sure you get entertained while waiting for your turn.

·         Also, they look good on their t-shirt. It gives uniformity in the salon.

·         They are not LOUD and they are neat.

·         They are professional that is why their customer is coming from all walks of life. I also noticed that they are helping others if they don’t have customers.

·         I give them 1.25 as a grade for their personnel. Kudos to the personnel.

Cons (applied to no one in particular):

They may sound very pitchy and sometimes it is annoying but as a customer when you go to the Salon you should know what you want and what you need. If not all you need to do is trust your hairstylist.

The Salon:

I love the decorations in the salon. Very Appealing!

Pros:

·         The place is clean, neat and organized.

·         They have enough mirrors.

·         They have enormous lights. So their clients could immediately see their hairstyle, color and cut.

Cons:

·         They should have more actual plants in the Salon. The plants actually help diffuse the smell of the chemical in the room.

·         Sometimes, their air conditioner is too low.

Management:

Pros:

·         They give the right amount of product for their customers to use example: shampoo, conditioner, hair color.

Cons:

·         The management should be visible on the floor and not in the counter only.

This is the counter. So beautiful!

The comfort room as well is really clean. It doesn't smell bad.

 The lounge or the waiting area is also fantastic. It is very comfortable. 

They also offer free Wifi Access!

Major Services they offered that we availed:

Hair Style: Php 100 each (note they also have a hair cut that would only cut for Php: 38
Absolute Rebonding with Hot Oil PRO-V: Php 1000 (note they also offer high lights for only Php 150.00)

Check out their Facebook for more details.