Monday, July 22, 2013

So what's next after the Minions

After two months in a row of "not-the-usual" breakfast, lunch, break time and dinner meals, I finally got back to my regular home cooked feasts.

Blame it to McDonalds. Because of the amazingly cute and collectible toys they give out for free in every order of Happy Meal, Dads and Moms went crazy and manipulated the servings they get when chow time comes. These parents just love their kids that they love to have to complete the set of the available toys. Or are they the ones who really like to get to hold of the pretty little play things more than their children?

Well, I am not ashamed to admit that I trade the packed lunch that my wife prepares for a spaghetti or chicken meal with a toy for a few days. I even go stores kilometers away from my office just to make sure I get a unique free miniature.




Did I say that Dads and Moms went crazy because of Happy Meal toys? It started with the Voov cars collectible then followed by the despicable Minions. I thought this insanity will not stop until... McDo announced that the yellow and purple cuties from the Movie Despicable Me 2 were out of stock.

Thus, I was not able to complete my Minion set. This made me promised to my self that I will make sure to collect the next McDonald freebies whatever it is.

Now, what toys would that be? My guess is another group of little, cute and lovable beings--- The Smurfs. I got this image from www.mcdhappymealtoys.com. I just hope to really get all of the 16 available Smurfs toys for my kid... and myself.



 

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Wise Spending with Save 22




I am cheap… and you know what, I’m proud of it!

I am cheap from head to toe. I buy shampoo that comes with free sachet packs or a bar of soap. Most of my shirts were dug up from bargain bins of various malls. My pants were bought not because of their quality but because of its special price discount. My boxers came in a box labelled with a “bundle deal” sticker. My socks’ brand name is “Pack of 3 Pairs” to go along with my shoes that I picked up in a shop’s closing out sale.

You see, I am not a fan of anything with a 4-digit tag price. One of my shopping mantra is “999 is the limit,” if you know what I mean.

Call me a garage sale hunter, bargain bin king or even a cheapskate. I won’t mind as long as you treat me with one of those buy 1, take 1 burger offesr or eat-all-you-can deals. Did I tell you that I am cheap?

For a person whose definition of the word “saving” evolved from “rescuing” (toddler stage) to storing computer data (student years) to “spending less” (the very moment I became a dad), I believe that every peso that I can put aside will be useful in the future.

Ever since I became a family man, the art if budgeting has been a craft I continue to master to this date. After all, I am the CFO of our monthly family expenses, dictator of the shopping list and captain of the grocery cart. I can still remember in the past, I have to visit different stores to compare prices of products before making a purchase. Today, the best deal for your money is just a click away anytime, anywhere.

It’s no secret that many people have become dependent to the internet in so many ways. We read news online to be updated of what’s happening around us. We get tips and recommendations for our next family trip through blogs and features. Some people even met their future spouses online (this guy included).

The internet is a very helpful ally that makes life better is used properly. One way we can maximize its use is by tapping it as a guide or reference every time we will purchase something whether online or not. Let me introduce to you a website that I have been visiting regularly to get updates on the latest sales, promotions and exciting deals of my favorite merchants.

 
Save22.com.ph is a search technology in a form of a website that allows potential buyers to aggregate and compare prices of the goods or services from several stores.  Just a reminder: Save 22 is not connected with the stores presented in their website. So, if you have a query on a particular product, you need to directly contact the store that offers it.  Anyways, Save 22 provides the list of products with corresponding price along with the detail information of the shop location through Google Maps. Thus, saving you from the hassle of where and how to look up those information.


And did you know that Save 22 also offer a free downloadable app (Barcode Scanner) for your mobile gadgets that you can use to scan the barcode of an item and allow you to compare the deals with your friends and other costumers? Cool, right?

If you think I have already told you all the best things about Save 22, you’re wrong. I have not yet informed you the website is free and does not charge any access fee. All the information in the website are provided to all its readers at no cost.  You also don’t have to worry about online security or if the offers are scams because there is no monetary transaction in the site. You will personally visit the merchants featured and thus you can tell first hand if the promotions is real or not. Also, there is no pressure shopping since there is no salesperson involved in the transaction. You have all the time in the world to check on the prices of goods, compare with other products or merchant and buy only when you are finally decided what is the best deal for you. In the end, you’ll be a happy shopper who just availed of great offers from trusted merchants. Visit www.save22.com.ph to see how it can help you do some wise spending.
 


You might be asking why and how I have become the “cheap” person that I am today. Simple, I want a good future for my son that’s why I am already saving for his needs this early. We can’t tell what tomorrow brings so might as well think of ways that can help secure the future of my child. That’s why I choose to save. Well, I’m happy to share that at the young age of 4 years old, my little Charlie is turning out to be a sale hunter like me.  He knows it's not okay to buy something if I already describe it as "expensive."



Charles has been my favorite shopping and dining buddy and we're just hoping that our favorite shops will be featured at Save 22 along with some cool deals and promos. Here are some of our recommendations:

DAIRY QUEEN: There was a time that ice cream was a mandatory entry in Charles's breakfast, lunch and dinner platters. It just stopped when he got confined in a hospital due to Pneumonia. Don't laugh but this is a true story that other parents should learn from. But what the heck, we still love ice cream and can you please have special discounts for costumers 4-feet and below. I might be able to avail that promotion as well.  

TOYS "R" US: Even old people buy toys either for their kids or grand kids so your store should be on Save 22 whole year round. Charles wants to make a wish list for his birthday, Christmas, very good moments and just about any special occasion that comes. My wish list is already done and waiting for a response from my wife.

URATEX: Charles is a big fan of pillows, beds, stuffed toys and anything soft. We hope you can post all your factory price sale because our little boss is growing so fast that he thinks he is big already to still share a bed with his parents. He believes he deserve a mattress of his own. Daddy totally agrees!!!

MUSIC 21 PLAZA FAMILY KTV: Charles would love to belt out songs inside concert-like atmosphere. A complimentary drink or kiddie meal would do for every two adults who will get room. I meant a KTV room, of course.

STARBUCKS: It was always my dream to take out my boy for a drink but my wife would only allow us in a coffee shop. Charles prefer your mocha frappucino over others. I hope you can come up with some treats for the young fans. Buy 1, take 1 on it's initial offering will be a good start. Let's drink to that!


Save 22 is definitely making an impact to many consumers looking for the best deals in town. It influences consumers to what and where to buy it, to check online first before buying offline. It also offers the best options for buyers and most of all, Save 22 lives up to its name and vision of helping people save money in every money spending adventure.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Yes, Charles! There are 12 non-working days in August

Image credit: soundcloud.com

Every morning, it's always the same old drama between me and my 4-year old son Charles.

Two sure questions he will ask me the moment he opens his eyes and sees me: (1) "Daddy, why do I have to go to school?" and (2) "Daddy, why do you always go to work?"
Well, I don't baby talk him now so I tell him the truth that if Charles don't go to school, daddy will not to go to work. If I don't go to work, the boss will be angry and I will loose my job. If I don't have work, we will not have money to buy him milk, toys and chocolates.

This would make him pause for a while and then ask another silly question, "How many days before vacation time?"

What he means of "vacation time" time is the weekends where there are no school days.

Now, I'm sure that if you are reading this blog post, you are very interested to know what are 12 non-working days for August. To all the lazy people who are waiting for the next national holiday to come, here they go:

There will be three (3) national holidays for August 2013 in the Philippines as per Proclamation 459. They are the following:

August 8 or 9, 2013 – Eid’l Fitr or the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan for Muslims
August 21, 2013 – Ninoy Aquino Day
August 26, 2013 – National Heroes Day


Now for the nine (9) more days: that's five (5) Saturdays and four (4) Sundays.

We will talk December next time and that month surely offers more non-working days.

Happy weekend, guys!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The 7-minute workout everyone has been waiting for


Attention people who have been longing to be fit or do some exercises but can't find time to do it. I'm actually facing a mirror right now while saying this.

Here's a 7-minute workout to shred fat and get in shape, no equipment necessary; thank you science!

To good to be true? Well, an article in the May-June issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal featured 12 exercises deploying only body weight, a chair and a wall, it fulfills the latest mandates for high-intensity effort, which essentially combines a long run and a visit to the weight room into about seven minutes of steady discomfort. And it's all based on science.

According to the study of Scientists at McMaster University in Canada, even a few minutes of training at an intensity approaching your maximum capacity produces molecular changes within muscles comparable to those of several hours of running or bike riding. (Wow! So that just totally ruined my plan to invest in a bike--- ruined in a good way)

The exercises should be performed in rapid succession, allowing 30 seconds for each, while, throughout, the intensity hovers at about an 8 on a discomfort scale of 1 to 10, the study says. Those seven minutes should be, in a word, unpleasant. The upside is, after seven minutes, you’re done. (I can performed this even faster than my wife doing his hair in the morning.)

How effective is this? There's only one way to find out: just do it (With no intentions of promoting Nike, of course. Which I think I just did.)

Reference and source of image: well.blogs.nytimes.com

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Glad to be Globe: Our Love Story



The family that plays together, stay connected.

It was Valentine’s Day of 2005. I am not really good in planning dinner dates so I end up offering just a pizza treat for my then-girlfriend Leah. As much as I wanted it to be more romantic, I just can’t do it for a lot of reasons.

But the day started well. The delivery guy from the flower shop showed up at Leah’s office earlier than her (just as I requested). So as she walks through the hallway going to her table, there was this guy in red uniform standing beside her cubicle with a big smile, carrying the bouquet of flowers that I ordered. Leah said that while she was walking to get my gift, her officemates where cheering and teasing her.

“Tonight… pizza for two and the whole me only for you! Happy Valentines… I love you!” That’s
what my note said. After reading it, Leah texted me to say that she already received the flowers and our date is set.

The whole afternoon, all I think was what will I say to Leah on our first Valentine’s date. When the clock hit six o ‘clock, I rushed out from work and luckily got a cab without any hassle.

I was home within 30 minutes--- just enough time for me to prepare the table. After a quick change of outfit, I put the Hawaiian pizza into the oven and viola! Instant dinner that goes well with my favorite soda.

Exactly 7 p.m. in Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands (where I was working as a shop attendant that time), I called up my Leah who was also ready with her slice of pizza that she bought from a fastfood store in Cubao, Quezon City. We were both very happy that we were able to have that date though we are thousand miles away from each other. We spend the next two hours talking over the phone about our plans the moment I come back home to the Philippines in August that year.

Leah and I could have not survived the countless months we were away from one another if not for Globe, which during those times is the only Philippine telecom company that offers international roaming in Saipan. We are still proud subscribers up to this day.   

From her first hello to our exchange of “I love you” and silly things we do to our vows of “I do’s,” Globe served as the firm bridge to our long distance relationship.  On December of 2006, we got married and we were blessed with an energetic and fun-loving son who joins us in our family dates during weekends.  This is my Glad to be Globe story.

I am so thankful to Globe because it is a big part of our love story. What I shared is only one of the many memorable moments we had with this trusted brand. Here’s a video that I created to show how it has became a part of our everyday life and why I am glad to be Globe until now.



Want to sing? I am pretty sure you have a better voice than I do. I just love Globe that much that I am willing to do anything to express my gratitude to the brand. Below are the lyrics of my version of the song.

Glad to Be Globe
(To the tune of Queen's Crazy Little Thing Called Love)


Glad to be Globe
I am just proud of it
Glad to be Globe
I am subscribed to it
I am ready, lucky and glad to be Globe

Glad to be Globe
With text or call all night
It's cheap, it's fast
There's promos all over like unlitext
I kinda like it
Lucky and glad to be Globe

There goes my baby
She loves to shop with GCASH
she's online always
She tweets and poke me on Facebook
Just to say she loves me oh so sweet

I gotta be cool, relax, get hip
Get my broadband
prepaid stick, or wiMax
And have long hours of fun, alright
I am ready, lucky and glad to be Globe

Glad to be Globe
Rewards, go grab the treats
Enjoy your Globe
Your way how you like it
I am ready, lucky and glad to be Globe