Grief Support Essay Contest

Hello everyone! I would just like to help some friends' in promoting a contest.

Please see this link to read more about the details and rules, and if you would like to share your story by writing an essay.

Good luck! :)

A Visit at Cafe By The Ruins Dua

Visiting Baguio City this holiday season? 

For your breakfast / lunch / merienda / dinner, you may want to visit Cafe by the Ruins Dua (Upper Session Rd, Baguio, Benguet, Philippines), the 2nd branch of Cafe by the Ruins (25 Shuntug Rd, Baguio, 2600 Benguet, Philippines). If you are staying near Victory Liner Terminal, you can take a 5 to 10 minute walk to get there to have your delicious meals, drinks and desserts while you are surrounded with amazing artworks. 

Photos taken last September 2015.

Cafe by the Ruins Dua

Pandan Lemon Grass Iced Tea

Ruins Herb Tea -- A must try if you are having cough and colds during your stay.

Pasta a la Carbonara

Baguio Bagnet -- My ultimate favorite in CbtR. <3

Where to get extra or immediate cash before the holidays or any event?

The holidays are fast approaching and it is that time of the year again to prepare for the season. 

1. Bank Loans -- This may take a few business days but you may still want to try before the holidays. For BPI and RCBC Bankard account holders, if you are in need of immediate cash you may want to check on the following loan programs that they offer:

Based on personal experience, here is a loan program comparison chart between BPI (Personal Loan) and RCBC Bankard (Your Cash):

	BPI	RCBC Bankard
Sample Gross Loan	₱30,000.00
Sample Terms of Payment	12 Months
Interest Rate	0.98%	0.69%
Net Payout	₱28,500.00	₱30,000.00
Receive Credits through	BPI Deposit Account	Preferred Bank Account / Manager's Check
Flexibility of Payment	You cannot overpay your monthly payment because your payment is enrolled under the Automatic Debit feature. Either you stick in paying the monthly payment or pay in full. Feel free to contact them if you wish to make another loan. They are the ones who will decide how much you can loan.	You can overpay your monthly payment. You will be given a separate card number account different from your Master Card / Visa Card which you may enroll for online / mobile banking. Your loan amount will depend on your credit card's credit limit. If you decide not to avail of the full credit limit, you can call them anytime to request that you want to use the remaining available credit.
Charges / Fees	₱1500 -- Processing Fee which is immediately deducted from your Gross Loan.	₱150 -- Delivery Charge. This is added on your first monthly payment.
Processing Time	3-5 business days	5-10 business days (The holidays can affect the processing time.)
Monthly Payment	₱2,794.00	₱2,707.00
Total Payment	₱33,528.	₱32,484.
Computation	30000 x 0.98% = 294 294 x 12 Months = 3528 30000 + 3528 = 33528 33528 / 12 Months = 2794 / Month	30000 x 0.69% = 207 207 x 12 Months = 2484 30000 + 2484 = 32484 32484 / 12 = 2707 / Month

Contact Nos:

BPI -- 845-5994 / 0917-553-3669 / 0939-0922-4659

RCBC Bankard -- 888-1833

2, PawnHero PH -- It is an online pawnshop where you can pawn your items for fast cash with low interest rate. You can immediately get a free estimate of your items within minutes though it can take hours if you submit your request during their non-operation hours. Here is a BAP Code: BAP-4JEN66 if you get the interest to try the service. When you make an estimate request, you get decent reviews on why your items can be acceptable or not for pawning, and you will be notified on both sms and email.

Trying Out Rita's Italian Ice In Alabang Town Center

Rita's Italian Ice has finally opened in the South! The branch can be found at Alabang Town Center in front of Cinema 5.and Size Matters 

When I passed by last Saturday, there were still unfinished parts of the shop but their main counter was already open. There were no people yet so I was not sure if they were already open to serve.

When Sunday came, I decided to visit the shop and would buy if it was open. To my surprise, I saw a long line of people at the store. The main area where they display the colorful ice was a bit cramped because of the small space and unfinished areas. The staff were nice and friendly to notice you immediately and take your order. They were also fast to serve you your order.

That day, I bought a frozen drink of Green Tea which I was refreshing. I like the soft and smooth texture of the ice and the taste of the Green Tea. I really enjoyed it. I also got one free Pina Colada Italian Ice which at first I don't know how I would eat it since I was on solo mode that day.

Using coins.ph As My Bitcoin Wallet

I made an account on coins.ph the other day to move some of my bitcoins in one place. 

I have been using the service for less than two weeks now and there are things that I already like about it:

• I can immediately convert my BTC to PHP or vice-versa since there are two wallets in an account: Peso Wallet and Bitcoin Wallet. The conversion processing time just takes seconds.
• I can buy load for my own or somebody else's phone anytime as long as my wallets are funded, and I am able to earn 5% rebate from buying load. 
• I can add money anytime using their different modes of payment. I prefer using BPI Mobile -- Transfer to Anyone to add funds to my wallet. The first time I did it took me 2 hours but today, it just took me 5 mins. Processing Fee: P10.
• You can also pay your bills using the service but I have not yet tried this one. I might try it one of these days so I can see what the confirmation receipt looks like.
• Their Support Team responds to inquiries promptly.
• They have tasks that you can do to earn some bits.

I think it is simple and easy to use. It has a purpose not only to store your bitcoins or money but you also can earn from using it. Sign-up if you haven't! :)

BBQ Chicken & Pizza At Daanghari

My mom and I were in the area so we decided to eat our lunch at BBQ Chicken & Pizza. It was our first time here. The food was good especially their pasta and pizza. :)

Kimchi Fried Rice -- This has pieces of sausages mixed with the kimchi and rice.

Smoked Chicken Pizza -- The pizza dough was soft and the toppings were just right. The spices were not overpowering.

Classic Grilled Chicken -- The chicken parts were flattened drumsticks.

Seafood Cream Pasta -- I really love this pasta.

U-dong -- I like the taste of the soup.

Victory Liner Terminal Schedule Going To Baguio

I sent an email to Victory Liner to inquire about their latest schedule and bus fare going to Baguio City. CS Joy quickly sent me the following information:

Regular Air-Condition Bus

Operates for 24 hours with one hour interval of dispatch.

Cubao-Baguio Fare: P445.00

Pasay-Baguio Fare: P455.00 

Travel Time: 6 hours and 30 minutes

First Class Bus

Fare: P750.00 

From Cubao: 

12:15AM

10:15AM

12:20PM

8:15PM 

11:15PM

From Pasay:

01:15AM 

06:15AM 

11:15AM 

01:15PM

11:45PM

From Baguio: 

12:10AM

1:10AM

9:10AM

10:10AM

11:10AM

12:10PM

1:10PM

10:10PM 

11:10PM

Travel Time: 5 hours

To get your tickets, please visit the respective terminals. Their online reservation system is currently unavailable. I hope they can have an online reservation system in the future so it will be easy for passengers to get their tickets. You may pay either using cash or credit card.

Trying Chili's P999 Food For 3

My beau and I are hearty eaters so we went out the other day to try Chili's P999 Food For 3. The promo offers you to choose 1 appetizer and 2 entrees. 

We were hungry that day and we knew that Chili's offer big servings of their food so when we saw the menu, we were not sure what we should choose. It took us a some minutes to decide what we would have. 

Finally, we got the Calamari for our appetizer, my beau got the Fish and Chips and I got the Country-Style Pork Belly. As soon as we got out food, we started to share and eat.

Calamari

Fish and Chips

Country-Style Pork Belly

If you would like to try other food places in Alabang and check if they are currently running any promos, visit OpenSnap to find out more. #ShareSnap

For more restaurants and food finds, download OpenSnap app from App Store or Google Play.

Uber Ride In The South

It was a Sunday morning and I was in a bit of hurry so I tried my luck if I could use Uber with the promotional code I got on the site. Luckily, there was one Uber car roaming around in Alabang when I checked. I sent my request and called driver. He immediately picked it up and I finally saw the ride.

I got the ride in front of Metro Gaisano Alabang in a red/black KIA Soul. The driver was nice and friendly and the interior of his car was very clean. 

It was my first time to use Uber from the South going to Rizal. Though Rizal is not yet currently covered by the service, the driver told me he could still drive me to my destination since he has a friend who he can visit in the area. I just sat there, had small talk with "kuya" driver and relaxed. The trip only took me less than an hour since we traveled via the C5 Route.

Honestly, I had a good experience using Uber. I rated 5 stars out of 5 to the driver for the great professional service, careful driving and extra service to drop me at my destination which was not yet there coverage. I also gave the driver additional tip because I am satisfied with my first Uber experience.

If you have not tried Uber, you may want to try it now. Here, have this for your first ride:

Sign up with my promo code and get ₱200 off your first ride! uberlittlehanabuns.

When Food Delivery Fails On Holidays

Last Christmas Season, we broke our tradition of cooking our own food. My family decided that we order online. I understand that it was the holidays so it was expected that there would be delays. I just didn't realize that two restaurants would cause us a lot of trouble and disappointments. 

For me, these restaurants really have good food but once in a while bad customer service can ruin them. Issues can be prevented if they really have a plan on how they should handle the holiday season.