Puerto Princesa: The Perfect Place for Palawan First-Timers

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Puerto Princesa is Palawan’s urbanized capital city, one that is perfect for first-time visitors to the province. Why? For one, the tourism industry here is very organized. There are associations for tour guides, tricycle drivers and operators, and other sectors, which means everything is monitored and regulated. It also means that all sectors work seamlessly with each other to provide the best experiences for visitors.

Puerto Princesa City also has a perfect balance between urban attractions and natural wonders. It doesn’t have as many beaches like Coron and El Nido, but what it has are definitely beautiful and enchanting in their own right. In the city proper itself, you’ll find plenty of places to explore and fall in love with. Simply put, finding and booking a cheap Puerto Princesa tour package will be definitely worth every peso you spend. 

So without further ado, here are a few suggestions on what to do in Puerto Princesa.

Right X For You But BIGGER and BETTER

In celebration of MyPhone’s 12th Anniversary, the first Filipino phone brand is back at its game and released its BIGGER and BETTER Octa-core Android phone.

Be Casually Preppy with Zilingo's September 2019 Collection

Garb up this season with Zilingo’s latest clubhouse cool and preppy looks!

This September, leading online fashion platform Zilingo, released their latest trends selection. Doused in plaid and preppy looks, the collection boasts different cuts and arresting foray of silhouettes.

The brand marries chic styles and clubhouse cool collection, featuring preppy threads in Khaki, Cream and Beige accentuated by season’s colors of chartreuse and turquoise and red. Fashion fans will also be thrilled with the platform’s take on layers and cardigans and playful pleats in White, Black and Brown matched with modern looks and textured sheets.

Zilingo will provide customers with coveted pieces suitable for all occasions. “We are ecstatic about this season’s trends that combine style and comfort, and the best part is that these fashion essentials are available at the click of a button,” says RyzaDipatuan-Razo, Marketing Director, Zilingo Philippines.

Recognizing the continuous growth and potential of the online retail market, and the need to constantly provide its customers with new and exciting options, Zilingo aims to showcase a unique shopping experience to its customers and enable brands to expand their reach to fashion enthusiasts across the region.

Fashionistas across the country can purchase the collection anytime and anywhere via Zilingo’s website and app, and have them delivered to their doorstep at no extra charge, with multiple payment methods including cash-on-delivery.

About Zilingo

Zilingo is a commerce platform that is making the fashion and beauty supply chain more efficient through technology. With over 50,000 merchants on the platform Zilingo connects businesses across the entire supply chain and empowers them with everything they need to run a business - from design, product development, fabric procurement, manufacturing, cataloguing, marketing, inventory management, distribution, billing, customer service, working capital & trend forecasting. With over two million product listings on Zilingo.com, users can effortlessly shop from a selection of indie labels, local designers, international and celebrity brands – all in one place. Founded by Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoor in 2015, the company has offices in 8 cities globally with over 600 staff representing 20 different nationalities.

Zilingo is available for download for free on the App Store and Google Play across Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand.

For more information, please visit www.zilingo.com

How To Be Eco Friendly When Working on Your Car

Being more eco friendly is a worthwhile endeavor. It’s easy to be “green” by using less paper, recycling and cutting down on energy use, but what about when you’re working on your car? Are there ways to be eco friendly when most car products are anything but sustainable? Fortunately, the answer is yes. Here are a few ways to be more eco friendly when working on your vehicle and taking advantage of discounts on auto parts.

Discover What’s Standing Between You and Your Success in Preventing Hair Loss

Adulting comes in mysterious ways. Before you know it, there comes a time in your life that you have to stand up and say, “Enough is enough.” And that’s the day when you decide to change your life for the better. Who doesn’t want to become accomplished? Even the “gifted” and brilliant ones have to pay the price so as to realize their goals in life.

When we fail to eat on time, get enough exercise or sleep between seven to nine hours a day, we’re compromising our health and wellness as we reduce the maximum extent that our body must function. Consequently, the effects in our body may extend and manifest as early warning signs of hair loss.

Take it from celebrity beauty and salon expert Fanny “TF” Serrano, who once personally experienced such an ordeal.  For him, avoiding harsh synthetic solutions and choosing to use the right products with natural ingredients is a must and still the best way to deal with mane problems like losing or thinning of the hair. 

Novuhair: Choose Natural

With this in mind, embracing natural healthy lifestyle is so important to achieve optimal health, best physical condition and healthy full head of hair. Health products made out of natural ingredients are way effective for better healing and maintaining our body’s lifelong function than those of synthetic ones. Rather than investing in those branded shampoos or other hair treatments, there’s a natural way to help arrest hair loss and help remedy its four early symptoms, namely, excessive hair shedding, thinning hair, receding hair line, and bald patches.This is none other than NOVUHAIR, nature’s answer to hair loss.

Panda Panda: An All You Can Eat Buffet in SM BF

So we were strolling along SM BF Paranaque and we frequently walk by Panda Panda, a Chinese restaurant that offers ala carte food or a P299 buffet  At first, we ignore it because the place looked gloomy unlike the other popular buffet places. But one Saturday, we decided to try it out because the price of P299 per person isn't really that bad for a buffet. So we went in and gave it a go. 

From Manila Going to Boracay Island 2019

Last June, we went to Boracay with my family as a treat to my daughter who just turned 7 years old. I asked my daughter whether she wanted a big party or go to the beach for her birthday, and she decided she wants to go to the beach, and so we decided to spend it in Boracay since we never went there before except my older sister. 

Delayed Flight (Air Asia)

Requirements For a Self-Employed Loan

Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash

People had lots of reasons why they would want to have a loan. If you’re self-employed, it’s mostly because you want to grow your business or simply because you need more money to cover your expenses.

If you were to apply for a loan in Social Security Service or in SSS, it would be easier to check if you’re eligible. You can simply log into their website, click “E-services”, then click “Apply for a Salary Loan,” which is the quickest loan a working individual could get. Right then and there, the website will check if you’re eligible for a loan or not. I just checked mine and it seems I’m not yet eligible for a loan because I haven’t completed a contribution of 6 consecutive months within the 12-month period. I completely understand this because I just started contributing 2 months ago as an voluntary member.

It’s a completely different process for banks or other financial institutions for self employed loans. According to CEO World , if you’re self-employed, banks would usually require 1-2 years of being self-employed and you need to submit to them the proof that you are. Lenders require personal and/or business bank statements with 12-24 months of deposits.  

Aside from bank statements, you would also need a good credit score. iMoney suggests that you get a good credit score if you have a good credit history. Having a good credit history, to summarize it, means if you had an approved loan before and you made sure to pay on time and keep your debts low, then you surely have a good score. Of course, missing a payment is sometimes unavoidable, so all you have to do is catch up and try not to miss a payment again. If a lender saw this in your credit report, explain to them that you underwent a bad time and you provide them with proof. It might increase your chances of getting your loan approved. iMoney also mentioned that having a good credit score isn’t a quick fix. You’ll need to be consistent, and to keep up your good credit behavior over many years.

Another common requirement that a lender would require you is asset documentation. Self-employed individuals need asset documentation to qualify for bank statement loans. Lenders would also want to know how you can pay them back once you don’t have any cash in your bank account. Your assets such as your bank assets (savings account, checking account, money market, certificate of deposits, etc.), motor vehicle assets, real estate assets, insurance policies, and even burial documents are included in your list of assets which the lender would review. Lenders want proof that you use finances from a quality source to put money down.

No matter what your reason is, having a bank loan (no matter what type) is a risk for both the lender and the borrower, and we really can’t blame the lenders if they want to fully check your financial credibility because in the end, they’re the ones who would suffer. As a responsible borrower and an individual, we do our best to pay them on time and be transparent with the lenders to prevent bigger problems.

If you have questions or concerns, let me know through the comments below. 

Taking Care of Yourself After a Divorce

Photo by Eric Ward on Unsplash

In the US, divorce has been a common practice between spouses. According to American Psychological Association, 40-50% of married couples get divorced in the Unites States. In Tampa alone, according to 2013-2017 Community Survey which found that the overall divorce rate in Florida is 12.9% which keeps a Tampa divorce lawyer very busy.

On the other hand, divorce is a very delicate and controversial topic here in the Philippines. Divorce is not yet legalized here. It is being debated by almost everyone. Being a Catholic-centered country, the people’s opinions are divided. Many people want to legalize divorce yet there are also others who are against it. I personally understand both sides. Being a Catholic myself, as much as possible I don’t want Filipinos to take advantage of divorce once it has been legalized, but at the same time, I feel bad for those the battered wives (and husbands) who continue to experience torture or abuse from their spouses because they strictly believe that they should be together “for better or worse.”

But even if divorce hasn’t been legalized, we have what we call an “Annulment”. According to Wikipedia, annulment is a legal procedure within secular and religious legal systems for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place (though some jurisdictions provide that the marriage is only void from the date of the annulment.

This is the case that happened with my mom. It was a mess after the break up, but she eventually learned to stand up on her own. Here are the steps I learned from mom on how you take care of yourself after a divorce or an annulment.:

1. You have to stop blaming yourself. It’s not your fault that your marriage failed. It’s normal to give your past a cry, but a month of crying is just enough. It’s no longer healthy for you. So it has to start from your mindset that it’s not your fault and instead of thinking that your life has ended and your younger years have been put to waste, think of it as a fresh start. What you wanted to do before your marriage or the things that your husband did not allow you to do, you now have the freedom to do so like starting your own business, enrolling yourself in a baking class, art school, music school, etc.
2.  Talk to your friends or your relatives. It’s okay to talk about your problems. Most of the time, it helps you heal because you have a support system. When you know that you’re not alone, it’s easier to start fresh and start anew. Sometimes, friends can give you suggestions on what to do next.
3.  Start to eat healthy. Even if you’re sad or feeling depressed, you can simply start eating healthy by eating fruits. You can eat apple slices for starters to replace unhealthy snacks. You can also eat high wheat cereals for breakfast. Fiber is the key. If you eat healthy then your mind will start to think healthy, too, and your body will follow allowing you feel happier and make better decisions in life.
4. Move. When I say move, it can be going to the gym or simply have a walk in the park, go out and breathe the fresh air and notice the people around you. Exercise is most definitely good for the heart and good for your body, and helps you have a healthy lifestyle.

That's all for now. If you have more suggestions to add to the list, let me know by writing them in the comments below. 

Learning More About Personal Injury

Picture from Unsplash

I admit personal injury is a topic that I personally know less about. I guess I have been lucky to have experience little or no injuries at all since I was child thus making me live a carefree life. I never thought much of the dangers lurking around me even though I was instructed to watch out for them. So I grew up, got married, had kids, and then something has changed. Thankfully, none of my immediate family has suffered any personal injuries yet except my husband who had an automobile accident during his teen years.

When we started to have kids, my husband explained to me the importance of being prepared and that includes having a personal injury lawyer. It may not be that popular here in the Philippines, but he said just having a contact with a firm who specializes it will do. I also remember my great grandma who visited us from Florida telling a story that one of her friends got into a car accident. Now there are many firms who process personal injury claims and one of them is Kinney, Fernandez, & Boire P.A.

Since I don’t know much about personal injury, I resorted to Wikipedia about what it is aside from the obvious. According to Wikipedia, personal injury is a legal term for an injury to the body, mind or emotions, as opposed to an injury to property. Common types of personal injury claims include road traffic accidents, work accidents, tripping accidents, assault claims, and product defect accidents (product liability).

After learning that personal injury can also be linked to mind or emotions, then I thought to myself could bullying be included? Bullying is very common here in the Philippines especially in schools and it can really damage the student’s mental state when bullied severely. So the question is can I file a personal injury claim when one of my kids got bullied in school? After researching in the internet, here’s what I learned:

Here in the Philippines, we have the Anti Bullying Law (RepublicAct No. 10627) or the Act Requiring All Elementary and Secondary Schools to Adopt Policies to Prevent and Address the Acts of Bullying in their Institutions. The law says students, parents, or any member of the school administration may report bullying instances or act of retaliation that they have witnessed. Then school principal will either notify the police, take disciplinary administrative action, notify the parents or guardians of the bully, or notify the parents or guardians of the victim regarding the action taken to prevent any further acts of bullying.

In other words, depending on the type of bullying and the “damages” received by the victim, we can’t just file a personal injury claim just yet because we have to talk to the principal, the police, and everyone involved. But we can always have a consult with a lawyer about it to shed more light about the matter.

Aside from bullying, there are actually worse types of accidents and injuries that almost always require an attorney. In these cases, hiring a personal injury lawyer will be worth the fees you must pay him or her to represent you. This is because in some situations, only a qualified personal injury lawyer can obtain the compensation you deserve for your injuries and other losses.