Did Ariel of The Little Mermaid Teach Us to Become Hoarders?

Disney's The Little Mermaid has been a big part of our childhood. I mean who hasn't watched that movie at least once in his/her life? 

I remember when I was little, I wished that I could be a mermaid with a beautiful voice like Ariel. I would even sing my heart out in public without realizing I was out of tune. 

As a kid, Part of Your World by Jodi Benson was my national anthem. 

If you are not familiar with it, you can watch this music video. 

Look at this stuff
Isn't it neat?
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl
The girl who has everything?

And these few lines from the song stuck with me even up to this day. Every time I go home after a shopping trip or just see my latest haul, I can't help but sing these lines. I feel like I own the world and that I am ready with emergencies or whatnot because I make sure I have "everything" available. 

I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty
I've got whozits and whatzits galore
You want thingamabobs?
I've got twenty!
But who cares?
No big deal
I want more

And this made me realize - Did Ariel influence me to become the "hoarder" that I am today?  Does the song/ movie teach little girls to become materialistic? 

But then, if you listen to the song further... 

I wanna be where the people are
I wanna see, wanna see 'em dancin'
Walking around on those, what do you call 'em?
Oh, feet

You will realize that no, that is not the case. Instead, the song/ movie teaches us that experience, people and relationships matter more. No amount of material things can replace the emptiness and longing to spend time with our loved ones. 

The song also made me realize that it is important that we learn to enjoy our lives. We don't need to just work, work and work. Instead, we must grab the opportunity to travel and explore the world when we can. I think this health crisis has taught us a valuable lesson on seizing opportunities because we will never know what will happen next. 

Being quarantined for over a year and literary not going out for months was possible because I held on to my previous experiences and wonderful memories. I really do not mind going out because I do not have many regrets. Though I still feel down from time to time, I just reminisce on our previous trips and travel experiences and that immediately makes me feel better. 

If you are a parent, it also important that you spend quality time with your children. It is not enough that you provide all their needs and wants. Your time and attention are more meaningful and it is the best way to show how much you love them. 

So, to answer the question -- Ariel is not teaching us to become hoarders. Instead, she inspires us to live our lives fully. Let us dance, walk and be with the people we love. :) 

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Are you a Disney fan? Let's connect on Instagram. 

www.instagram.com/mymetrolifestyle 

Lumina Goes All-Digital and Future-Ready for Homebuyers and Sellers

Many businesses have been forced to halt operations temporarily, and in the worst-case scenario, completely shut down due to the health crisis. Given the circumstances, the present situation has also compelled businesses to adopt remote work environments and develop coping business strategies.

The majority of interactions with clients and employees must be virtual in the new normal, where physical separation is required. Given the circumstances, conducting business through mobile and online transactions is one of the most advantageous ways to continue doing so despite restrictions and quarantines.

Lumina Homes, Vista Land's affordable housing arm, seeks solutions to the crisis.

With its digital innovations, Lumina Homes is a future-ready real estate developer and one of the first real estate companies to have ready technology to offer homebuyers in the Philippines and abroad a safer and all-digital home buying experience.

Here are some of the digital innovations developed by Lumina Homes to make their services and the home-buying process easier and more accessible to every Juan, whenever, and wherever homebuyers require it.

Explore Lumina Homes in 3D 

Without leaving your seat, you can take a virtual tour of your future home. Explore Lumina Homes in 3D! All you have to do is visit Lumina Homes' official website and go to the homepage and browse for Virtual Tours of:

• Aimee Rowhouse is a 22 square meter home with a provision for one-bedroom and a minimum lot area of 36 square meters.
• Angelique Home Model is a 35 square meter home with provision for two bedrooms and a minimum lot area of 36 square meters. Angelique Home Model is also available in Townhouse and Duplex type of house.
• Angeli Home Model is a 42 square meter home with provision for three bedrooms and a minimum lot area of 36 square meters. Angeli Home Model is available in Townhouse, Duplex, and Single Firewall type of house.
• Signature showcase area of Lumina Homes that includes a preview of what a typical Lumina Homes community looks like. 

Lumina Homes Online

Lumina Homes Online is a one-stop home reservation site where homebuyers can search for currently offered house-and-lot units and pay the reservation fee with a debit or credit card, GCash, or over-the-counter.

Lumina Homes Online, launched in 2017 for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) customer and the working-class who are just too busy to visit a Lumina Homes site has now developed into a valuable resource for both sellers and property investors as the pandemic remains to restrict physical transactions.

Lumina Homes in Online Shopping Sites

Lumina Homes continue to grow by leveraging digital innovation and the popularity of e-commerce services. 

It acknowledges the increased development and technological demand and represents a significant milestone in the real estate industry. Lumina Homes has an official store on Shopee as well as Lazada. 

Lumina Online Payment

The Lumina Online Payment is a site that allows homebuyers to easily settle their Lumina home dues utilizing online banking, credit cards powered by Pesopay, and digital wallets like AllEasy and GCash. The payment portal also displays all other reliable online payment channels, as well as step-by-step guidelines.

Lumina Online University

Lumina Online University is a training portal that provides sales training for Lumina Homes' sales partner networks.

At Lumina Homes, the perspective of the sellers is just as important as the journey of the buyers. Lumina Homes intends to support its sales network in adjusting to the changes of the real estate market, ensuring that they are exceptionally stable and persistent in their shared goal of providing affordable homes, even though we face challenging days as a result of the pandemic.

Lumina Online Appointment

The Lumina Online Appointment Scheduler makes office visits more convenient. 

When you book an appointment online for the contract signing, document submission, and other services, you can avoid the lines and save time!

Lumina E-text

Lumina e-Text is a text messaging service that responds to specific types of inquiries using keyword templates. Customers can now expect an immediate response by following the below SMS inquiry template and send to (0919) 072-1399 or (0917) 818-1875. Text messaging fees will apply as usual.

 

• For outstanding balance inquiry, text LUMINABILL<space>10-DIGIT SALES ORDER NUMBER. Example: LUMINABILL 2500000000
• For reference numbers needed when paying through local payment centers, text LUMINAREFNUM<space>10-DIGIT SALES ORDER NUMBER. Example: LUMINAREFNUM 2500000000
• For the list of payment channels available, text LUMINAPAYCTR<space>10-DIGIT SALES ORDER NUMBER. Example: LUMINAPAYCTR 2500000000
• For inquiry of last posted or credited payment, text LUMINALASTPAY <space> 10-DIGIT SALES ORDER NUMBER. Example: LUMINALAST PAY 2500000000
• For total payments you have made, text LUMINATOTALPMT <space> 10-DIGIT SALES ORDER NUMBER. Example: LUMINATOTALPMT 2500000000
• For updating your mobile number on Lumina Homes' system, text LUMINAMOBILE<space>10-DIGIT SALES ORDER NUMBER <space>11-DIGIT NEW MOBILE NUMBER. Example: LUMINAMOBILE 2500000000 09171234567
• For updating your email address on Lumina Homes’ system, text LUMINAEMAIL<space>10-DIGIT SALES ORDER NUMBER <space>NEW EMAIL ADDRESS. Example: LUMINAEMAIL 2500000000 juandelacruz@gmail.com

With Lumina e-Text, Lumina provides its customers with an additional and faster method of accessing and updating their account information.

Lumina Admin Virtual Assistant

Meet Juan, Kabarangay! 

No need to visit, stand in line, and proceed to the nearest Lumina Homes Office for your immediate concerns! 

Lumina Homes created Juan Support to prioritize the safety and convenience of Lumina Homeowners. Juan, your virtual admin assistant who is always able to answer your housing questions like:

 

• Payments concerns
• List of requirements for housing loan
• Statement of Account
• House construction updates
• Home improvement restrictions
• Title processing

Lumina Homes is committed to delivering a more refined home buying journey to customers and sales network partners and will continue to innovate to provide the absolute best home buying experience.

Business Innovation During a Pandemic

If there is one thing this health crisis has taught us, it is that things will never be the same again. Working from home will continue to be the norm. Children will continue with online learning and people will try as much as possible to stay at home and see what kind of services they can avail of online.

In such an environment, businesses need to innovate in order to make it in the new normal. They will have to look for other means to market their goods and services. This is especially true for those who own mall-based businesses. People will now think twice about going to the mall and are now looking for alternatives.

An alternative will soon be coming your way via an e-commerce platform. This e-commerce platform will house the first Digital Mall in the Philippines. Go Shopping Philippines will offer all the services that are available in a physical mall. This will be the way to shop in the new normal.

Go Shopping Philippines is the brainchild of Neil Garcia La-as, who is its CEO and Founder. According to La-as, it has always been his dream of coming up with an e-platform that would protect both the concept store owners and their customers.

“The new platform secures the buyers from any fake items being sold online. Concept store owners, on the other hand, will be assured that their brands will be properly represented and marketed through this platform,” he said.

He added that he himself had been a victim of fake items which served as his inspiration to push for this platform.

 “Aside from a series of bad experiences, what really inspired me is the thought that none of the existing platforms are Filipino-owned so I decided to take on the challenge and risked everything,” La-as added.

Go Shopping PH has a number of distinct features that make it different from the other e-commerce platforms like Lazada and Shopee. Only brand concept stores will be accommodated by this new platform. This will ensure that all items sold are authentic. These concept stores will endorse their inventories to the platform which will sell and ship their items to customers. The store will just wait for their in-house inventory and month-end sales performance report.

 ther features include a private chatbot or Viber bot for each tenant, a dedicated customer service department to cater to the concerns of tenants, a pay-per-view and one demand feature, an online clinic, pharmacy, grocery and hotels, and restaurants. To be part of this digital mall, tenants will have to shell out a monthly subscription.

“Other platforms do not ask for a monthly subscription, yes, but Go Shopping PH is different. With your monthly subscription and depending on the package you avail of, you can avail of in-house selling, in-house inventory, in-house delivery, marketing and ad content for your concept,” La-as explained.

Additional perks include photo shoots and video features on the store, exposure in nightly Go Shopping PH show in YouTube channels of PEPPS TV and ExPTV, in house models for products, fashion show for clothing lines, highlight store concept in an LED billboard in EDSA and Facebook post boosting.

“With all these perks, I do not think the two other platforms provide all these services,” he said. “They are free yet they throw back the concerns to each individual merchant. With Go Shopping, our tenants will simply wait for their month-end sales and inventory reports.”

As for the application process to be part of Go Shopping, La-as said they have “a thorough process in accepting a particular business.”

“For one, we have this concept approval stage where concepts are to be scrutinized before they can be uploaded in the system,” La-as said. “This is to ensure that we are dealing with the real concept stores and that the items they are selling are authentic.”

Once the business concept is approved, Go Shopping’s Leasing Department will process the uploading of the concept into the system by asking for the necessary business document and permits. Once the tenants have been uploaded into the system, Go Shopping PH will announce their entry in all social media accounts.

“You can expect Go Shopping Philippines will be marketed exhaustively by our marketing team to ensure it reaches the widest audience as possible,” La-as said.

National Geographic Kids Book Giveaway

Who doesn't love the amazing books that National Geographic Kids provides?

Sharing with you the stellar line of books that will make perfect basket fillers this Easter and a chance for you to win this beautiful set of Easter-themed books.

NG Kids Baby Animal Sticker Activity Book (ages 4-8) With 1,000 stickers and fantastic graphics and text, these high-quality, superfun sticker books are a great way for kids to learn about animals and the natural world. The Baby Animals sticker book is chock-full of the cutest creatures on the planet: pandas, piglets, wolf cubs, ponies, polar bears, elephants, bunnies, kittens, puppies, and many more. With a fun, brightly colored design and loaded with animal facts and games--such as mazes, counting, matching, and more--this book is sure to provide endless entertainment.

National Geographic Pre-Reader: Ducks (ages 2-5) - From fuzzy ducklings to graceful birds, waddle your way into this adorable early reader, all about ducks! Perfect for beginning and young readers, National Geographic Pre-readers include simple, expert-vetted text and large, engaging photos on every page. A vocabulary tree at the beginning of the book introduces kids to key words in concept groups, helping kids make connections between words. Plus, a wrap-up activity gives kids a chance to use what they've learned while expanding their understanding of the world.

Cutest Animals on the Planet (ages 8-12) - NEW SERIES ALERT! Meet the world's most adorable animals and learn fun stuff about them in this aww-some first book in a brand-new series from National Geographic Kids. Whether you like mammals, aquatic creatures, insects, birds, amphibians, or reptiles, this browsable book contains kids' favorite animals that would ALL be contenders for the grand prize in a cute competition. Big photos pair with upbeat descriptions that highlight each critter's crazy cool skills and unique behaviors. This adorable book showcases popular animals such as hedgehogs and pandas as well as unusual species such as tapirs, kakapos, and pangolins. Special features include a head-to-head cute-off, sure to keep readers amused and informed. Perfect for curious tweens, animal lovers, and future veterinarians alike.

Treasury of Bible Stories by Donna Jo Napoli, illus. by Christina Balit (ages 8-12)

A worthy cultural treasury with appeal to both the faithful and irreligious.” — Kirkus

Noah's Ark, Moses, David and Goliath, the ten plagues, Daniel and the lions' den, Jonah and the giant fish, and many more of the Bible's most powerful stories — 27 in all — are compellingly retold in this beautifully illustrated treasury. Readers will be fascinated by the ancient people and events they encounter, surprised by some of the lesser-known accounts revealed, and inspired by the lessons these tales impart. Stories cover important ground beyond religion, such as culture, history, and geography, and they touch on issues that remain relevant today--faith, loyalty, kindness, violence, generosity, greed, jealousy, and more. These accessible, readable stories give kids a rich picture of biblical times, which encourages them to think about our role in the world and to learn more.

Napoli's magical storytelling is sure to ignite children's imaginations. Along with Balit's stunning art, this is a book that kids will want to explore again and again--a classic that families can read aloud together.

5,000 Awesome Facts About Everything (ages 8-12) This book is literally busting its covers with fascinating, fun-tastic facts on super, sensational topics that kids love. Who knew that there were so many sweet things to learn about chocolate or that a dozen delicious details about peanut butter would show up on a page with a few splotches of jelly to whet our appetites? Keep turning and a terrifyingly toothy shark tells you all about himself, while other spreads lay out tons of tips on toys and games, mysteries of history, robots and reptiles, sports and spies, and wacky words. A visual feast of colorful photographs surrounded by swirling, tipping, expanding, and climbing bits of information in a high-energy design, this book will satisfy both the casual browser and the fact obsessed.

Celebrate Easter (ages 6-9) - The joyous celebration of Easter is seen through a global perspective in this National Geographic volume featuring over 25 vibrant photographs. Witness the holiest day on the Christian calendar as it is celebrated throughout the world: from the famous Easter Egg Roll at the White House to the traditional bonfires throughout Europe, to colorful customs, to the universally popular dying of eggshells worldwide. The first-person narrative leads young readers through the origins and traditions of this springtime festival of rebirth and hope. Reverend George Handzo gives parents and teachers a historical and cultural background in his informative note.

Giveaway sponsored by National Geographic

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