Finally found a cute Dog Tag

It's been awhile since I started scouting for dog tags for my shih tzu and my lhasa apso. I checked one petshop in Tiendesitas and the their dog tag costs Php350 each. Not that expensive. It's just that I don't like the designs they offer so I didn't buy one. I even browse websites local sellers only have very simple designs. Dog tags available outside the Philippines are nice and unique, but is costly, not to mention the shipping cost. But just this afternoon, I found a nice dog tag from Japan Home (in Edsa Central), quite similar to the one I've been eying on the internet.

This is the one I saw being sold online for $43.50 dollars:

I bought my dog's pet id tag below for  Php 66.00 only (roughly $1.30). Steal!!

This is for my shih tzu whose real name is Princess (Princess Keirabelle). She likes it.

Ondoy Typhoon Aftermath

A senseless, unproductive hibernation which lasted for 4 days (and wish to stop counting), this is how I would describe my days after the Ondoy typhoon strucked the Philippines. 4 days and our area is still submerged in waist level flood, not subsiding for even just an inch I was begging every morning the moment I get up from bed. As of writing, power has not been restored yet. This irks me. I can go on with the flooded area and all, but please have the power restored at least so I can resume with my almost-normal life then. But according to Meralco, they will restore it within the week PROVIDED that the flood already subsided. And I could read it as It is not possible for your area because the water level has not even subsided by an inch for days!!! It generates a lot of nuisances I am slowly losing my patience dealing with:
- Idleness. Can’t do anything but clean the house, tidy the dogs, cook, and wash the dishes. With much effort as you struggle through the darkness.
- Dead Cellphones – can’t communicate with other people outside because I can’t recharge my cellphone. Can’t even read ebooks.
- Less awareness of what’s going on from the other side of the earth. Now I realized the importance of Newspapers in the absence of other news media.
- Piling laundry. Won’t do it now without washing machine. Unless I am so damn bored.
- Spoiled Food. Without refrigerator around, we are forced to consume everything that is easily spoiled within the day; otherwise food will go to waste.
- Humidity and mosquitoes. Why is the latter created anyway?
- Can’t stay late. Need to be home before the sun sets, unless you want adventure struggling through the dark streets of Pasig.
I opted not to challenge myself coming to the office for the past 2 days. But I decided to do so today because I feel I have a lot of catching up to do. I can spend my day doing something productive than staring at the water which can't do anything anyway.
I hope the Pasig City government will do something about the mess left by Ondoy. According to residents of Pasig, this is the first time the area has been submerged in a flood for days (I am even thinking it will not be over for a week, pessimist *grin*). But there is always a first time. I hope they will come up with something so we won’t have next times.

HSBC Annual Fee Waived!!!

For the first time in 2 years, they finally approved my request to have my credit card annual fee waived.

My first attempt to request for annual fee reversal last year was denied. I can't remember any reason for that, considering I've been paying regularly (or could that be the reason why???). That time, I can't threat the company to have my card cancelled because I still have on-going installment transactions (which I opt not to pay in lumpsum because it will drill a big hole in my wallet). So I ended up paying the Php1200 annual fee. Yaiks...
Come last month, I remember my annual fee will be posted soon. I called the company and ask for the reversal again. They told me I will be qualified for the reversal by complying with any of the following:
- Should have at least 7 transactions using my card for the after your annual fee has been posted.
- Minimum accumulated transaction(s) amounting to Php14,000 (regardless of whether it is a straight or deferred payment)

The first one is easy, you can do as many transactions as you like without aiming for any required amount. But I settled for #2. It just so happened that I need to purchase something with that big amount. At least I saved 1200 bucks to spend on something else.
When I checked my statement online, whoa!!! My annual fee has been reversed.
That's cool. At least I don't have to resort to threatening them that I will have my cards cancelled. I love my HSBC credit card compared to my other CCs because of it's relatively high credit limit and their service is good compared to Citibank (citibank agents suck).
Call HSBC to confirm if they still have the same pre-requisites before granting annual fee reversal. I am not sure if these conditions change from time to time. But make sure to have the request forwarded by an HSBC agent (call 85-800) and wait for 3 to 5 working days for approval.

My shih tzu

I have a 6-month old shih tzu named Keira (sometimes I call her keirabels, hehe).



Unlike other shihs, mine is a very active one. Could have been an influence of my other naughty lhasa apso. So most of the time, after kei has been groomed, it will only take hours or a day at most before she turns into a rag-like dog again:

My ukay ukay finds

I rarely refresh my wardrobe, unless there is a need to do so, or is some cases, when I came across a dress that is perfect bothways, reasonably priced and fits nice. Recently, I had both reasons to get new set of clothes. But instead of heading to the mall, we decided to check on the thrift shops (read: ukay-ukay) along the market avenue in Pasig City.
I am fond of Ukay-ukay shops. They sell a variety of items (pants, skirts, tops) to choose from. The basic rule to follow when visiting one is to be patient scanning through their items. And when you found an item you like, take it. Someone might get it while you're having second thoughts about taking the item.
Unlike in malls, it is uncomfortable to shop in ukay-ukays. Most of them are not airconditioned. But that what pulls the price cheaper, so it pays to be extra patient.
Here are some of the items I got from my ukay-ukay trip.

The first one costs 25 pesos, while the other 2 costs 50 pesos. Great deal.

New Moon extended trailer

I just stumbled into the latest trailer of the 2nd of the Twilight series, New Moon. This one makes me look forward to November.

Trouble with Samsung Slider Phones

My hubby owns a Samsung U600 for more than a year now. To date, that unit has been serviced by Samsung twice already, and sad to say that the cost of having it fixed is not cheap.

The screen went totally blank after a 10 months of use. Good thing it is still covered by 1-year warranty. They replaced almost every interior part of the phone and it worked like brand new (except for the case and other exteriors).
However it took us my hubby a week before he was able to got it from the service center. They claim unavailability of parts to be the reason for delay. I feel they just don't prioritize repairs covered under warranty.
Recently, the phone malfunctioned again. The speakers are not working. After a couple of days, the camera went dead. We suspect that it could be the flexi ribbon, which is most susceptible to damage due to frequent sliding.
We brought the phone to the samsung service center (megamall).The technician confirmed that it is indeed the flexi ribbon:

Good thing they have available part so it didn't take 30-minutes to complete the repair.
However, they charge us a whopping Php1500 for the service, since the warranty already lapsed:
- 1k for the replacement part (flexi-ribbon)
- 500 for the service/labor (if the unit has NTC sticker, 1000 if it doesnt)

The unit is back to its old self again. I keep on reminding my husband to refrain from sliding the phone on and off, especially when he is at home or in the office and he can let his phone slide open.
But what I think best is for the unit to be sold before another trouble resurfaces.

Splog Fight Update

Update on my previous splog post: I checked on the blog wherein my a portion of my blog was posted a couple of days after I reported the site to adsense.

And I am happy that the blogger account can no longer be found. At least my effort paid off. It's time to for those thieves to be busted, at least disabled their blogger accounts. Good job Google :)

Splog Fight

Part 2 of Stolen Blog content rants

Have you been splogged?
If you stumbled upon some post which appears familiar to you, take a second look. That might be your original content published sometime ago.
As I mentioned from my previous post, my first blog entry has been stolen. I thought it was just re-phrased. But I just found out that I have been splogged.

Splogging (splogs - "spam" + "blog") is automatically scrapping a portion of your post (or different posts) and putting it together, so most of the time the content no longer makes sense at all (the content is auto-generated). The purpose of these thieves is to generate income by including frequently-searched keywords, links to other sites they probably own as well, or to increase Page Rank and falsify google search results. What is also disheartening is they may also cause your site rank to drop.
In my attempt to fight back sploggers, I reported the site to Google adsense. I clicked on the Google Adsense on the site and reported a policy violation regarding the site. I indicated "splog" under the comments section, posted a link to the original content versus the copied one. In case their ads get terminated, at least I caused them inconvenience. Better than staring at your stolen content and do nothing.
Once there was Splogreporter.com which lists splog sites reported. But the site is already dead (and I don't know why). You can check on Exposing Sploggers to submit splog sites and for anti-splog tips.

Wondering if someone is earning with your own hardwork? Check Copyscape.com.

Stolen blog content

As I was googling my previous blogposts, I stumbled into one blog post (about blood donation) which is obviously based from a portion of my post, it was just re-phrased. I knew it was from me because it displayed my blog name on the title, but there is no backlink to my site.

I was frustrated because it was my first blog entry. I guess that blog is pretty old so their ranking is much better than mine. But I just wish the blogger who copied my post acknowledge that she just got it from somewhere. Just ranting...

I love Russell!!!

Still having hangover of the latest Pixar movie Up. I can say it is the best pixar movie for me. I haven't been so amused with any cartoon character before Rusell came. Russell is the cute little stowaway boy in the movie. I find him so adorable because he is effortlessly funny. Russell and Fredricksen's chemistry is amazing. The story closed the 70 years gap of the characters.

I listed few of the best lines in the movie:

============

Dug (talking to Fredricksen): I hid under your porch because I love you

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Russell: "With my Wilderness Explorer GPS, we'll never be lost! (he throws hands back and GPS flies out window) Oops!"

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Russell (realizing kevin the bird have babies): Kevin is a girl????

============

Russell: My knee hurts...

Fredricksen: Which knee?

Russell: My elbow hurts!!

==============

 If you can't get enough of this Up hype, here are 3 Upisodes (yes, UPisodes) which are not part of the movie. Enjoy:

Quick Cash Loan using Metrobank Cash2Go

Ever in need of an emergency cash or quick loan but don't want to use the cash advance facility of your credit card?

If you happen to have a Metrobank credit card, then that might do the trick for you.

Metrobank's Cash2Go enables you to convert your credit card's available credit, or a part thereof, to cash and repayment scheme is available in 3,6,9,12,18 and 24 months. Minimum amount to be converted is Php3000, or the monthly payment should not go below Php500.

I availed of this promo twice already. I applied in the nearest Metrobank Branch for this quick credit loan and got my transaction approved and cash ready in just a couple of minutes. I just presented a valid ID and my credit card, and the accomplished Cash2Go application form (available in the bank). On my second application (in a different bank), they asked me to photocopy my valid ID (front and back), together with my Metrobank credit card. So if you are planning to avail of this quick cash loan, have the photocopy of the said cards handy, just in case they ask for it.

The request is still subject for approval. But I think they are just evaluating you in terms of the available credit you have in your credit card, as well as your credit standing (how regular have you been paying your bills). To determine if your transaction is approved, bank officers are calling a certain phone number, stating your name and credit card number, as well as the requested amount (Yes, that simple!!)

The good thing about this is you don't need to submit a lot of requirements such as payslip, certificate of employment, unlike other loan facilities wherein the processing of your application takes a week or two. You can use this to consolidate your debt with less hassle. This one of the main reason why I keep my Metrobank credit card, on top of my other credit cards.

You can also avail of Cash2Go promo by calling 8-700-700. Interest rates are slightly lower for phone-in transactions compared to that offered in Metrobank branches, but the amount you applied for will be credited to your account (MBTC or other bank) after 3 business days. You may use their calculator for you to have an idea of your monthly amount due on your desired terms.

Fall of Tokyo Tokyo's Unli-Rice

Been a fan of Tokyo Tokyo for years already. Since I started earning, this resto is where I usually dine in with my then-boyfriend (now my husband). Apart from our favorite japanese food such as Teriyaki, misono and tonkatsu, we love Tokyo Tokyo because of it's unlimited Rice (Eat-all-you-kanin) promo.

Tokyo Tokyo endured the rice crisis when it hit the philippines two years ago. But recently when we visited the megamall store again last August 8, they have a new menu board (which was nice by the way). I noticed there's no crew member roaming around to refill rice. And so we've been told that the eat-all-you-kanin promo has been already removed. But the rice serving now is relatively larger, and the rice they are now serving is somehow similar to japanese rice (indeed filling), unlike before where in they serve rice similar to that of NFA. But you can still order for an extra rice.
Oh well, they have endured the crisis long enough. I somehow expected the change earlier. But I think they are still doing good. However, eat-all-you-kanin fans are now considering other restaurants where they can get more value for their money.

Ipanema Anatomica

Just when you think every girl is into Havaianas… I am not.

I don’t own one. I am not into high-end footwear. For me, Havaianas is overrated...

Plus the imitations coming here and there, it is not so worth it. I even tried a couple of Havs pairs before. I don’t find it comfortable enough for its price.
My impression of expensive tsinelas changed last Monday when my husband and I dropped by the shoe salon in Trinoma. There I found myself fitting on a couple of Ipanema flipflops. They have prettier designs compared to Havaianas. And they were way more comfortable.
Unlike other flip flops, Ipanema are made of PVC and not rubber. That explains the unique comfort and hug on your pretty feet.
With my spouse’s convincing powers, I got myself a pair of Ipanema Anatomica in cream. Luckily, I triumphed over my ­we-don’t-have-that-size-anymore­ jinx I have since I was a kid. It was like all stars in the heaven conspired so I can own one expensive tsinelas. And I love it!!!
In terms of durability, that I have to see.

Fake Torrents

Aaarrgghh.... I can't think of anything else that could make your morning really awful than waking up and checking the torrent file you've downloaded for hours only to find out it's a hoax. Yep, I wasted my bandwidth and my time and electricity downloading a 700-mb fake torrent file. How did i know? Here's what I got:

Upon checking on www.torrentm8.com, they are instructing you to sign up for their porn sites and you'll have the codec to decrypt the video. Knowing that porn sites are so infected of malwares, spywares and adware, I never took a risk.
When I further googled this torrent file encryption thing, i found out that there is no such thing as codec decryption tool. Most axxo movies are not working. According to some, the torrent file you have downloaded makes you download another malicious file, probably a trojan or virus, in the form of a player (3W) or a codec.
When I checked the file properties, the video only lasts for 3 minutes, with audio bitrate of 0kbps, despite its big file size. So I resigned to make this crap work.
Here are a few tips to share on how to spot fake torrents (which I just learned because of this experience):

• Check the comments on the torrent file first (if there is). Previous downloaders in the torrent community will somehow pointout that the file is fake so as to warn other torrent users.
• RAR or zipped files are dubious. files should be in a clean AVI format (for movies). Zipped or RAR files are mostly for softwares and games and usually exceeds 1 GB.
• Suspicious instructions - instructions in HTML file are also doubtful since most rippers will have the instructions in NFO or txt file.
• If a torrent is password protected, there is definitely something wrong with it. There is no point in putting it on torrent if it is password protected. There must be another instruction for you to get the password (probably by downloading a malware unknowingly

And if you happen to download a fake torrent, do not seed it. :)

Friendster losing the social networking wars

Little by little, used-to-be loyal friendster fans are now leaving the latter, and now shifting to Facebook.

Friendster pioneered the social networking platform in 2002. It immediately gained popularity, especially with the younger generation as it enabled them to reconnect with old friends, as well as meeting new people online. For a couple of years, Friendster enjoyed continuously increasing network traffic, mostly coming from Asia, despite the launch of other networking sites such as my space and multiply.
Yet recently, Friendster hype is slowly deteriorating. Friendster loyalists are now being lured away to join Facebook. Facebook, being one of the newest social networking site, is quickly gaining popularity because of it's fresh yet simple look. There were a lot of new things to do with Facebook that are not being catered by friendster. The applications available make your stay online worthwhile and fun. Unlike Friendster, which is now saturated with teenagers whose perception of social networking is bragging about their profile and pictures, battle of the most number of superficial friends, facebook market stretches to a more mature audience, even young professionals are being hooked with FB.
I might say, Friendster slowed down on coming up with ideas to improve the site. For a user like me, it came to a point when I feel logging online is not so worth my time. There might be applications you could add on your profile, but compared to Facebook, they are way too slow. There were also a lot of security loopholes, spamming and scams. Facebook, being new in the industry, was able to anticipate such issues. More than focusing on connectivity, Facebook is continuously able to deliver in terms of interactivity.

Friendster should start doing their homework seriously. They need a lot of catching up to do, or they'll just be part of Online community history.

Need Blood?

Before, I've been hearing stories of how blood (or blood donor) is urgently needed, especially in cases such as accidents involving excessive loss of blood or for Leukemia patients. In movies, a blood donor is truly a heaven sent.
It never dawned unto me the reality of blood supply crisis in the Philippines. Not until 6 months ago, when my mom was undergoing dialysis treatment and her hemoglobin count went down to 65.

She was instructed to undergo blood transfusion. Her blood type is A Rh+. Rh+ are rare in the Philippines. So the search for available blood has been a difficult task for me. But I think it is valuable to share my experience with people who needs blood, maybe not now... but possibly later.
Most hospitals have enough units of blood (depending on component) to sustain an emergency situation. For private hospitals, the cost for blood used during emergency cases is higher compared to a non-emergency incidents. But when the supplies run low, the patient who do not urgently need a blood transfusion needs to outsource the blood units.
There goes the independent blood banks. But since in the Philippines, blood banks compliance to health standards are not closely monitored, it is wise enough not to consider getting blood from them.

I tried Philippine National Red Cross blood bank located in Port Area, Manila(PNRC). Before you'll be able to get blood from them, you must present the following details, together with the Doctor's written request:
Name, Age/Gender,Citizenship, Diagnosis, Blood type, #of units and blood component, contact person/contact # and address,Requesting physician’s signature.
Confirm availability of blood afterwards through phone# 5270861. Price of blood per unit varies depending on component. One unit of packed RBC usually cost php 1,100 (for Rh Negative blood types), leucocyte reduced component, on the otherhand, costs Php 1600 per unit (also for Rh Negative blood types).
I was able to get one bag from them sometime in February 2009. But around August, They ran out of blood donors so we have to get blood somewhere else.

I asked around the National Kidney Transplant Institute. Their blood banks are not selling blood. But you can avail of blood units only if you bring a donor with you. The Donor's blood type need not to be of same blood type as the one you are requesting. But you have to shoulder the screening fee for the donor (Php 1700/unit). The screening and blood donation must be completed 2 days prior to the pickup of the requested blood unit.

Some hospitals also do the same when you request blood units from them. Some are not asking for any screening fee.

If you are looking for blood donors, you can check the Philippine Blood Registry

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