THANK YOU (From Someone Who Lost and Found The Christmas Spirit)

Christmas is my favorite time of the year - a time where people are happier, friendlier and more excited. My Christmas has always been magical. I look forward to the great food shared with my family during Noche Buena as well as get excited to wrap and open gifts. I grew up believing in Santa Claus that as early as November we start writing our letters. Christmas mornings had left me breathless as I get my Christmas wish. It was just so wonderful that I was even more excited for Christmas than my own birthday. 

However, life is not perfect. A lot of things happened. At the age of 10, my parents separated. At Age 15, I found out the truth about Santa Claus and at the Age 20, I started living on my own that most of the time I can't go home for Christmas because of work.

Despite everything, I had loved and cherished all my Christmas memories. As a young adult, I was trying so hard to bring back the Christmas joy. I decorated my little apartment by putting up a Christmas tree, dressed my dog in a Santa outfit and prepared the same food that my family usually prepares for Christmas. Unfortunately, it was not the same. 

Later on, Christmas felt more like a chore where we just look forward to 13th month pays and Christmas bonuses. The season's highlights were just about Christmas shopping, company parties, and the dreaded Christmas rush. It is the time of the year where we notice that there is no more Christmas air. December just started to get warmer. Perhaps, I had lost the Christmas Spirit. 

But 2016 is different. This year, I would like to thank my parents for giving me the best Christmas ever. After 22 years, I have finally celebrated Christmas again with my mom and dad. 

We took a break from work and was able to fly home for Christmas. 

We did not have many gifts. I did not write or wait for Santa Claus but I was complete. My parents are not back together and they still have their reasons for the separation but they have opted to spend Christmas because of me. So, Mama and Papa -Thank you for giving me the chance to have this treasured moment. Plus, a family picture that I could keep forever. 

I realized that Christmas is not about material things. It is about being with your loved ones, being nice to others and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. 

If you are just like me who has lost the Christmas spirit, don't lose hope. We all have the chance to find it again by searching for the true meaning of the season. Let us open ourselves to pleasant encounters, thoughtful deeds, and forgiveness. 

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

Reward Yourself with Samsung’s Big Score in 11 Stores promo

Time to check this year’s resolutions – have you kept your promises, even over-delivered on your goals? Your accomplishments, both small and big victories, should be rewarded.

Get the home entertainment upgrade you’ve always desired and be rewarded for it, as Samsung brings the “Big Score in 11 Stores” promo. From November 30 to December 4, score big savings and premium rewards when you buy select Samsung TVs, such as Samsung Curved SUHD, SUHD, and UHD, in 11 Samsung dealers nationwide.

More than uncovering a new dimension viewing experience with Samsung TVs, here are other treats Samsung has in store for you after a year of hard work:

• Take home a free Samsung Galaxy S7, Galaxy A7, Galaxy Tab A or Samsung Soundbar. Select Samsung TVs will let you own powerful gadgets, such as Samsung Galaxy S7, A7, or Tab A that can help you work smarter, or a Samsung Soundbar to complete the upgraded entertainment experience.
• Enjoy up to 60% discount on Samsung Soundbars. This year, transforming your entertainment room to a cinema-like zone can become a reality. Pair your Samsung SUHD TV with a Samsung Soundbar, Curved Soundbar, or Dolby Atmos Soundbar to bring home the cinema experience. Beautiful inside and out, these Samsung Soundbars will prove why they are better than typical home theater systems and perfect pair to your Samsung TVs.
• Win other premium surprises. Lastly, Samsung SUHD TV buyers will get a chance to win other Samsung premium items. This includes the Samsung Wireless Audio 360 R1 to enjoy a 360 perfectly balanced sound or Del Monte Christmas Packages to add to the Christmas fare.

The participating dealers are SM Appliance in SM Megamall; Abenson in Ascott Bonifacio Global City; Automatic Center in SM North EDSA; Anson’s The Link in Makati; Robinsons Appliance in Robinsons Magnolia in Quezon City; Savers Mall in Balibago, Pampanga; Addessa Galleria in Urdaneta, Pangasinan; First Family Appliance in Parkmall, Cebu; Metro Plaza in Gaisano Mall, Davao; Imperial Mega Showroom in Iloilo; and Solidmark in Limketkai Mall, Cagayan de Oro.  

End the year strong on a happier note and inspire the family to do bigger things next year with these rewards. For more details, visit the Samsung Facebook page or log on to samsung.com/ph/offers.

The Real Score about Working from Home

Working from home is very common nowadays. With an opportunity to earn a decent pay without living the comforts of your home, it is indeed a very attractive option. 

As a virtual assistant since 2014, I am very happy and content with my career decision. Saying goodbye to the corporate world has like the best thing since it provided me more time to pursue my personal goals and passion. Working from home meant that I do not have to worry about travel time to and from the office. In return, it has allowed me to have time to blog as well as put up several online shops. 

I must admit that starting out was a bit of a challenge since I really do not know where to begin looking or even how to land my first client. Though there were a lot of online communities or Facebook groups about working from home, it is very unfortunate that there are scammers all around. Sadly, you can even read reports about "networking" disguised as an online job that gave out disappointment to hopeful individuals. 

No offense to those in the networking business, it is a real business model but there is no need to offer it as something else so that people would attend or show up during presentations. 

So, if you are wondering what is working-from-home all about? Let me share some learnings and realizations based on my personal experience. 

1. You do not need to pay to start working. 

Yes, working from home should NOT entail registration fees. I have never paid anything to my clients for them to give me a job. Every job seeker wants a job to get paid and not the other way around. 

If they insist that they are legitimate but requires payment, please go and find another one. There are thousands of online jobs for you without you paying them. 

2. Stop looking for easy jobs. 

Think of yourself as a professional who is privileged not to report the office but the expectations regarding your quality of work and output is totally the same. If you want to get a decent pay, then make sure your job or responsibilities is worth your pay. 

If you want to succeed in this industry, go beyond data entry jobs. The opportunities are endless. 

3. If it's too good to be true, it's not true. 

Have you ever read a post about getting paid in dollars for simply watching videos or earn $25 to answer one survey? If you come to think of it, who would spend money that big for that? What's in it for the business that can afford to give you the high payout? 

On the other hand, I will tell you that there are survey sites who are legitimate, however, please do not make this as your main source of income. On an average, you can earn Php 250 pesos (in cash or gift certificates) in 2-3 months. If you are interested, you can send me a PM on facebook so I can give you more details. 

4. Working from Home is not for everyone. 

I believe that working from home is not for everyone. Working at home entails a lifestyle change and proper mindset. Successful work at home professionals are self-motivated. It does not have the usual fun office atmosphere. Only a few companies have Christmas parties or get-togethers since workers come from different locations.

However, if you choose this career route, I guarantee that it's life-changing and 100% worth your time. Should you have any questions or concerns, feel free to follow, The Purple Secretary in Facebook for tips and updates. 

How to get a copy of your NSO Birth Certificate and NSO Marriage Contract?

Val and I will be renewing our passports next month and as a requirement, we need to submit a NSO copy of our birth certificate since we still do not have e-passports. Also, since I will be updating my name to my married name, I also would need to submit a NSO copy of our marriage contract. 

For those who will be getting their NSO documents here in Bacolod, please take note that they have moved from the back of the Capitol/ Plaza. The new National Statistics Office (NSO) here in Bacolod is located at the back of Mcdonalds East near Eastwest Bank. 

The process of securing the documents is very fast and easy. 

1. First, fill out the request forms. Request forms for birth certificates are colored white while forms for marriage contracts is pink. 

Some of the information that you need are the following:

A. Birth Certificate

1. Name

2. Date of Birth

3. Place of Birth

4. Father's Name (including middle initial)

5. Mother's Maiden Name

6. Is it late registration? 

7. Purpose of Request

B. Marriage Contract

1. Name of Husband

2. Name of Wife

3. Date of Marriage

4. Place of Marriage

5. Purpose of Request

2. Make a payment. Fee for NSO copy of birth certificate and marriage contract is Php 140 each.

3. After payment, wait for your name to be called at the releasing section. Based on our experience, it only took us 20 minutes before we got our documents. 

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Make sure that you have a government issued ID to be presented upon claiming. 

Tips:

1. Come in early as they are giving out numbers. 

2. In the afternoon, they can still accommodate clients even if they don't have numbers provided that there are only few people waiting to be served. On most cases, cut off time is at 4pm. 

3. Don't forget to bring a valid ID. In cases that the request will be made through a representative, make sure to send an authorization letter and both your valid IDs. 

Tips on How to Save Money

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% mine.

With the rising prices of commodities, it is a must for every household to utilize money saving schemes. This may be employed in different ways such as decreasing consumption, switching to a cheaper brand or by looking for bargains and discounts.

Personally, I opt to save by looking for the best deals, bargains, and discounts. Also here are some tips at you can use to save money. 

1. Shop ahead of time. 

When I need to purchase something, I make sure that I shop ahead of time to give me ample opportunity to look around and compare prices. Whether we admit it or not, if we are in a rush to purchase something and have no choice, we just don't care how much it will cost. 

Not to mention, we may even have to spend extra for expedited shipping. 

2. Buy in bulk

Yes, purchasing bigger quantities gives us discounts and most of the time it comes out really cheaper. The only disadvantage is if we do not have enough funds for it. 

3. Use coupons

This one is my favorite because of Groupon Coupons. With Groupon, you can get the best deals discounts and freebies. They have a lot of brands/ stores included in the list plus it is so easy to use. The system allows me to directly search what I am looking for or sort it by location. 

Here are some of the current deals in Groupon Coupons

1. 50% off at Shoes for Crews

2. Clinique's Free 7-Piece Gift With Any $27 Order

3. 50% off Prints at Walgreens

4. Macy's: Up To 60% Off + EXTRA 10–15% Off
5. Kenneth Cole: Up To 50% sitewide
6. Medifast: Get $15 off on new plans. 

Just visit the site to see what other amazing offers they have also don't forget to share your best coupon finds at the comment section below. 

Make Your Celebrations Bigger with the Samsung GIGA Fiesta Promo

This weekend features the highlights of the Masskara festival here in Bacolod. Aside from the wonderful activities such as street dancing, fireworks display, electric masskara and huge parties, the Masskara festival is also a time for family reunions. 

Samsung believes that this is also the best time to upgrade your family’s home entertainment system as Samsung launches the GIGA Fiesta promo. 

Some of the exciting deals to choose from:

• Get a free 32-inch Samsung Hyper TV when you buy a Samsung GIGA Sound MX-HS7000 or MX-JS8000.
• Get a free 24-inch Samsung TV and a DVD player when you buy a Samsung GIGA Sound MX-HS6500

These special offers are valid during the MassKara festival from September 30 to October 31, 2016 only.

The Samsung Giga Sound System is the perfect entertainment system for your fiesta celebrations.  It produces 2,400-watts of clear, quality sound with a powerful bass. Create fun and memorable singing sessions with the Karaoke function. Liven up your party with family and friends with the built-in DJ Beat and Lighting effects that pulse to the music’s beat.

Aside from the promo, Samsung and Barangay 107.1 Bacolod FM will had a Giga-oke challenge last October 19 at 8:00 AM at Barangay 16 Covered Court to let the public experience the power of the Samsung GIGA Sound System. In the Giga-oke challenge, contestants performed a song of their choice using the Samsung GIGA Sound System. 

Hassle-Free Bills Payment with Bayad Center

As technology and innovations continue to make our lives easier, we become more aware of different life-hacks – things that help make our daily activities less complicated, giving us time to do more important things like pursuing our passion, starting a hobby or even just have more time to spend with family and friends. 

Paying multiple bills, as you will agree, continues to be a daunting task for us adults as we have to transfer from one place to another, switch from one website to another, just to beat the clock so to speak. Do you know that Bayad Center has transformed itself to a multi-channel facility to help us in whichever situation we’re in? Talk about ultimate convenience.

Over-The-Counter

We know this -- BAYAD CENTER has over 5,000 payment locations nationwide, accepting more than 200 types of bills in its roster.

Take for instance our area here in Bacolod, we see a lot of Bayad Center branches carrying that “bahay-kubo” icon and the Meralco seal on their signages. These branches are strategically located in commercial centers and other convergence areas to cater to your payment needs, as well as other services like Prepaid Loading, Airline Ticketing, and Remittance Payout.

If you’re the one who prefers paying their bills while doing shopping or groceries, Bayad Center powers the bills payment facility of Robinsons Malls & Supermarkets, Savemore, Waltermart, Alfamart, Isetann, Landmark, Sta. Lucia Mall, San Roque Supermarkets, and the Gaisano Malls, so you get the same seal of service and integrity in your payments.

Aside from these establishments, Bayad Center also runs the payment system of LBC, Philpost, 2Go, Cebuana Lhuillier, M. Lhuillier, Tambunting, Villarica, BHF Pawnshop, CVM Pawnshop, Raquel Pawnshop, Palawan Pawnshop, as well as major Western union agents like USSC, eBiz, Pera Hub, and DA5. There’s Luzon Development Bank and Citystate Savings Bank as well.

Overseas Over-The-Counter, Mobile Application & Web-based Facility

Understanding the needs of our Kababayans overseas, Bayad Center has partnered with Saudi Call, for those who are in Saudi Arabia & Ventaja which branches are present worldwide. With these partnerships OFW’s process of sending money to pay for the family’s bills are easily shortened. If you are an OFW who prefers a mobile application, there is - miLine which caters if you are in the countries of Singapore, Japan, Honkong & UAE. You can simply download the app for an easy way of paying bills back home.  miLine’s bills payment system is powered by Bayad Center. On the other hand, Partnership with PLDT Global allows overseas Filipinos to conveniently manage their payables back home through an easy to use web- based payment facility - simply log on to www.smartpinoystore.com. Through the Bayad Center International Bills Pay, overseas workers can already settle their household bills over-the-counter through these accredited partners of Bayad Center in the different countries abroad.

Automated Payment Machine

ATM’s? Well Bayad Center now has APM’s or Automated Payment Machines (APM). Bayad Center’s Touchpay Machines are self-service kiosks whose primary use is to help reduce payors’ waiting time in different payment convergence zones. These APM’s are strategically installed in buildings such as the biller’s business offices, government offices, BPOs, factories, malls, and convenience stores nationwide.

Aside from Bills Payment, the TOUCHPAY MACHINE also offers other services namely, Prepaid Loading, Top-up, E-money, and many more. It’s an easy-to-use machine operating 24/7 so you can pay bills whenever your schedule permits.

Retail Machine

Want to pay your bills but don’t have enough time to go to commercial areas? Bayad Center’s Retail Machine is the answer to your problem. The Retail Machines can be installed in Small & Medium Enterprises such as your ever reliable sari-sari stores, neighborhood pet shops & carwash centers, cooperative offices and even PUV terminals, offering services such as bills payment, remittance & E-Loading.

Soon customers can even pay through their credit card, debit card, or Beep card.

Bayad Center Online

If you’re one of those who prefer doing everything online, Bayad Center Online can cater your payment needs thru http://www.bayadcenteronline.com Paying bills is now made easier at the comfort of your home. And since this is a web-based facility, you can also view and do the transactions on your mobile phone wherever, whenever.

Bills payment for Davao Light and VECO (for Cebu based) are now available. I just hope they include CENECO and BACIWA soon for Negros and Bacolod based customers. 

With Bayad Center, every Filipino, wherever they may be, can always be assured of #TatakSigurado! This is a testament of millions of Filipinos using the service. Now with a multi-channel facility, paying bills has never been easier with Bayad Center.

For more information about Bayad Center, visit http://www.bayadcenter.com. Follow them on Facebook: @BayadCenterOfficial

Business Suggestion: Become a Bayad Center Partner in Your Neighborhood

They say for a business to become successful, one must be able to address the current need/s of your target market. Personally, I believe that aside from addressing the need, it should also be aligned with your own interest and passion. 

As a child, I love playing the part of an office girl. My typical play corner had lots of journals, notepads, pen, calculator and play money. I love processing orders, issuing receipts and doing lots of paperworks. Thus, when I grew a bit older, it has been my dream to have my own business/payment/airline booking center. 

As a homemaker, paying for household electricity, water, cable, and telephone bills is one of my common problems. The worsening traffic, higher fares, and longer queues from one payment office to another, all contribute to the hassle and stress of every paying consumers has to withstand every month. Not to mention since I work from home, I do not have the luxury of time to go out and pay our bills anytime and on different due dates.  

So, the idea of being a one-stop shop for all bills payment and e-loading needs is just perfect and I am so thrilled to discover that Bayad Center just made our lives a lot easier.

Understanding every bill payor's tiring journey, they introduced the Bayad Center Retail Machine. This will enable any small neighborhood establishment to transform into a multi-payment channel. Talk about accessibility and convenience.

Bayad Center Retail Machine carries Meralco's seal of service and integrity to the equation, enabling you to solve all your bills payment woes. You can be assured of #TatakSigurado.

Applying for the Retail Machine franchise is just as easy. With a minimal investment of P60,000, Small and Medium businesses such as your ever reliable sari-sari stores, neighborhood carwash centers, and even PUV terminals into more than just a loading center. This gives you a much higher earning potential if that's what you're looking for. The Retail Machine franchise carries with it the use of the Bayad Center brand and system, which is already a household name for bills payment in the Philippines.

Aside from bills payment, the Retail Machine also offers e-loading service, and soon, airline ticketing and remittance services. 

So, if you are as interested as I am, you may contact 09257146961 or email at franchising@bayadcenter.com for more information. You may also visit www.bayadcenter.com for more details. 

IMPORTANT UPDATE TO ALL BPI DEPOSITORS (August 2016)

I love BPI. Express ATM banking, online and mobile banking are all really convenient for someone like me who does not go out much often. Their express assist (more details here) has been remarkable in cutting my wait time when I go to the branch for my banking needs. However, I only have 2 days left before I lose access to all of these. 

As mentioned in their website, If you are unable to update your account information on or before August 31, 2016, your transactions can only be serviced over-the-counter of our branches.  You will not be able to access your account via any of BPI’s 24/7 electronic channels (i.e. ATM , Online and Mobile) until you have submitted your CIS and ID.  

I guess we all do not have a choice but to comply on this and make sure to act quickly since payday is coming in a few days too. For more details, click here. 

UPDATE: If you check your BPI mobile app under the social feeds, you will see a recent update that states clients are requested to update their information on or before September 30, 2016 instead of the original announcement that says August 31. 


Also, if you have updated your client information this year, then you may disregard the advisory. 

Change The Way You See Love

Whenever we hear "LOVE", the first thing that comes into mind is our feelings towards our partners, family and even friends. 

It is such a short word that is so deep and powerful. Love entails sacrifice, selflessness, and hardwork that brings all of us joy, happiness and self-fulfillment. 

If we talk about our love for our family and friends, I believe that there is no need for further explanation. It's inate to all of us. However, I have always believe that we can still change and expand the way we see love. A love that goes beyond our families, friends and inner circle. A love for a stranger, a love for our fellow men and women, a love for humanity. 

Working in the development sector as a Project Officer allowed me to change the way I see love. Love is about caring for others and helping someone who is in need. Love is about volunteerism and fighting for a cause. Love is all about making a difference in this world It is about giving without expecting anything in return. 

So, Yes! We should all change the way we see love just like how Huawei P9 can "Change the Way You See Mobile Photography”. Huawei P9’s camera is co-engineered with Leica. It has dual lenses that produces high quality photos. It allows users to take amazing monochrome, slo-mo, colored, light painting photos among others. Definitely, expanding our potential in photography. 

With an amazing camera phone, I was able to capture love through volunteerism in support to the program for Persons with Down Syndrome.

How about you? How do you see love? #HuaweiP9, #OO #ChangeTheWayYouSeeLove

The Experience of Being Involved in a Road Accident and Life Lessons

Last September 2015, we bought Cheesecake to the vet for another shot of her vaccinations. Unfortunately, on our way home, we got involved in a road accident with multiple collisions. A 10-wheeler truck driving through the Circumferential Road in Bacolod had a brake malfunction that led to a major road mishap involving a total of 7 vehicles. 

Though we are still very thankful that there are no casualties involved. Damage to property was extensive since the truck which carried a heavy equipment/ backhoe had hit a Kia Avanza, Nissan Pathfinder whose tires blew up, a 2-month-old Mitsubishi Montero, a 6-wheeler truck carrying sacks of cement, a motorcycle with a sidecar and our Nissan Sentra. 

It was our first time to be involved in an accident and I had a mix of emotions. There was shock, fear, anxiety, and anger. I composed myself and went down the car. I saw the driver and just looked at him with the facial expression "What the hell did just happen?" He was apologetic and was explaining about the brakes. So, I just let go. We checked on the other cars if anyone was injured then found a way to contact my dad. 

Since I have always believed that everything happens for a reason, let me share some life lessons and realizations I have because of the accident.

1. Always wear your seat belt. I know a lot of us are guilty of not wearing seat belts all the time. Most drivers and passengers only wear them because of the fear of getting apprehended. But I tell you, it makes a difference. I was lucky to be wearing a seat belt during the accident. The impact was strong and without it, I could have hit my head on the dashboard. 

2. Accidents happen in a blink of an eye. Yes, accidents happen very fast and at a time you least expect it. Val and I were happy having a conversation and boom! The damage has been done. It is the same reason why we should never text and drive because your eyes and focus should always be on the road.  

3. Always check your brakes. Driving your car is not all about getting your car to move without problems. It is also very important that we check our cars for our own safety, Make sure that the brakes are working, tires are good and the steering wheel is moving freely, etc. I know that accidents can't be controlled (that's why they are called accidents) but that only gives us enough reason not to drive very fast because the faster you are, the harder for you to control your vehicle in cases of brake malfunction or accidents. 

4. Never drive without your valid driver's license and registration papers. In case of accidents, there would be a traffic investigator who would make an incident report. They would be asking for these documents. 

5. Make sure to charge your phones, I was in a hurry when we left home and forgot to charge my home. I have a measly 20% battery. So, after a few calls and messages, my phone died. Val also did not bring his phone because he said he was with me and wouldn't need to text anyone. Well, during the accident, I did not have a way to contact my dad for help. We ended up asking a stranger to text my dad for me. We also did not have a way to take pictures as evidence that we had to rely on the ones taken by the police. 

It took some time for our car to get fixed. Apparently, the truck who hit us did not have on-damage insurance. So, negotiating with them was a bit hard. Will post updates about our case. The only thing that we are certain is that they are the ones responsible for the damages. How we wished to have owned a dashboard camera so that the negotiations should have been faster with more evidence. On the other hand, I have also realized how important it is to have a comprehensive insurance and not just the TPL required by LTO because once you're at fault, the stress and liability is so extensive.

FREE doughnuts to make your day sweeter from the SM Mobile App

SM Supermalls is bringing back its “Download & Win” in-app mobile game and sweetening the deal by giving away 3 Original Glazed® Krispy Kreme doughnuts each to 100 unique SM Supermalls mobile app registered users every day from April 30 to June 30, 2016. 

Embedded within the SM Supermalls Mobile App, “Download & Win” was the first digital scratch card promotion in the country. Its launch during SM Supermalls’ 30th Anniversary was marked with the giving away of exciting prizes such as free mobile data, free Spotify, Facebook, Games, Unli-Call and Unli Text every day for the entire month of March.

The celebration resumes this month with a shower of doughnuts! And joining can’t be simpler – just download the mobile app and get a chance to win. 

Upon signing up in the SM Supermalls mobile app, you will receive a digital scratch card on the app. Scratch off the gray area to find out if you won. Get another shot of winning the next day until the end of the promo period. With some good luck and the daily habit of checking the app, you’ll be closer to sinking your teeth into those craveable doughnut treats for free. 

The SM Supermalls Mobile App is free on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. 

iTunes: http://bit.ly/SMMobileApp-iTunes

Google Play: http://bit.ly/SMMobileApp-GooglePlay

Aside from this treat, there are also other reasons why I love about the #SMMobileApp

• I am able to see current promotions in all SM branches.
• I can filter it according to a specific location or mall
• I can see list of stores and establishment
• Checking cinema schedule has never been more accessible. 
• You get exclusive coupons through the #SMMobileApp
• It also allows you to save your parking details just to make sure you don't forget or get lost. 

To keep up to date on what’s new, visit SM Supermalls website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Viber Public Chat, and Snapchat.