How to Get Back in Shape

The past 2 years made most of us stay and confined in the four corners of our home, that being restricted to go out unless for essential trips outside our home. The pandemic struck and each and every one of us. It is not easy specially for most outgoing and sociable people.

I can say that it affected different aspects of our life. Social, mental health and emotionally, I myself almost had panic attacks and anxiety brought about losing a job and losing family members and friends. The uncertainty have left us fearful on what’s gonna happen next. Physically and our health has also been hit! We have to ensure taking lots of vitamins and avoid getting close contact with other to avoid catching the virus.

Many of us have no choice but to work from home. This means staying a lot o time in front of our PC with little time to move around. Food intake has also been affected, since most cannot do marketing to buy fresh produce and fruits, we relied on online purchases and food deliveries! most are tempted to order fast foods, sweets and coffee!

For women, we always knew how hard it is to get back in shape with a little time and small space to do home exercise. Moms out there who gave birth who needs to remove excess flabs!

Discipline is the key. Of course, for us women, a little help to achieve our goals through wearing Shapewear! I was looking around for best shapewear for tummy and waist like below which seems to be promising.

Sculptshe Body Sculpt Backless Shapewear

Since I still work from home, I always aim to wear comfy clothes. Shapewear above is  lightweight and breathable. Perfect in this humid and hot summer weather we still have.

I also wanted to utilise the workout bike that we bought last year. Since we are unable to go to the gym due to restrictions, we can do stationary biking at home. Would love to wear a wear trainer vest like the one below.

Sculptshe Latex Double Belts Waist Vest Shaper

It says that when you wear one, the compression stimulates thermal activity in your core which increases perspiration, allowing toxins to escape. Perfect wear during your workout at home.

The above shapewear clothing looks cool and is also a good support for the body while doing the exercise.

Time to get back shape!

Why We Chose a Brand New Car Over a Used Car

It’s been quite awhile since we had a personal update here. The past 2 years was really quite a whirlwind! Nobody’s prepared when Covid strike the entire universe! Yes, the whole world was affected!

Imagine all the struggles we all went through. Lost lives of our dear ones and how we fought to rise above everything to keep ourselves in the pink of health. We are now coping up in different aspects. Aside from health, our economics hit big time!

I myself were hit and instantly lost my job at the onset of Covid and was given a memo that our account is closing! As we were just living paycheck to paycheck, we are not prepared financially. It means no more access to health benefits and paying the bills and loans are main most concern. Where will I get the funds for all of these?! Glad I was able to utilize my unemployment benefits and we re able to jump off into Freelancing.

Another impact of Covid was getting out, the risk and all of catching the virus. Our government has implemented social distancing in every public transportation and most are restrain from going out aside rom doing the essential transactions like grocery, buying foods and medicines. People that are only allowed to go out are essential workers (with proof like a certificate of employment). That even Pandemic Has Pushed Car Buying Online. Online purchases has been the thing during pandemic.

That’s one major factor that my husband and I decided on if we will be getting a car or not. We have a motorcycle but we also have 2 kids with us. We also needed to decide if we buy a new or used car.

Toyota Rush G Variant 2021 Model

Factors to consider and differences in buying a new car or a used car

PRICE DIFFERENCE. No doubt that a used car will cost less than a brand new car which usually costs a big chunk!

Dealership usually offers low financing rate through promos. While used cars also good financing options to choose from via banks and other car financing companies

INSURANCE. Brand new car costs high fee in insurance coverage. While used car have lower insurance rates as used cars have already depreciated in value than the brand new. You pay less insurance as it depend on car’s age. But better to always choose with great coverage for protection always.

REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE, WARRANTY. As we look for a family car. I don’t want a hassle of going back and forth to a repair shop to fix things here and there. Brand new cars usually comes with warranty coverage but usually needs to follow pre maintenance check ups every now and then to avoid arising problems as your car gets old.

TECHNOLOGY.

New cars have better and improved technology, not to mention that aesthetic features that makes you have a better driving experience. But if you are after the classic cars, they are usually offered and only available via used cars market.

GAS PRICE.

After pandemic was the sky rocketing price of fuel. So it is essential that you are calculating your fuel budget to ensure you know how much to allot in your budget plan.

Fuel increase!

This is one major factor that made us decide to buy a new car instead of a used car. New cars are better in fuel mileage. Since this is our first car, we decided to weigh out things and what keeps us to go towards a new car is we need a car asap. Looking to buy on a used car entails more time and research and of course investigate further to ensure we are getting the right one, we also want to avoid the hassle of getting trips on an auto repair shop.

Glad to have avoided all the hassle through But glad we have avoided the hassle through CarPaymentCalculator.net that helped us a lot in making the decision as we were able to save on time and effort through comparisons that are clearly laid out.

We bought our car in Feb 2021, during the heat of pandemic that is and we haven’t got any problems so far with. Pretty happy with the decision as it is very helpful in our grocery, trip to mall and travels around the city and provinces. Looking forward to more travel adventures with our family car.

OH MY GULAY: Camille Prats’ kids love eating veggies?! Here’s how to make your kids love them too!

“I really used to struggle kasi hate na hate talaga ng kids ko dati ang veggies – ayaw nila yung taste. Taste is so important for kids, so I ensure na dapat na-eenjoy nila mga sineserve ko.”

Have you sat with your kids way past mealtime just to make sure they eat their veggies on the plate? How about resorting to bargaining more gadget time for just one more bite of that carrots? Well, you’re definitely not the only momma doing that. Even celebrities like Camille Prats have to do a bit of negotiating just to get her kids to eat their veggies.

Luckily, she shares some handy hacks with Spot.ph to do the trick without the crying, the bargaining, and the unnecessary drama that fills mealtime. 

Here are 3 easy peasy ways to get your kids to eat their veggies according to Camille:

1. Oh My Gulay! May Gulay! – Instead of only serving your kids veggies, partner your kids’ meals with Tang Fruit & Veg. It comes in two flavors: Orange Carrot, which has the Vitamin C from oranges and Vitamin A from carrots, and Dalandan Malunggay, which has the Vitamin C from dalandan and the Iron of malunggay. Tang Fruit & Veg has the delicious taste of fruits AND the nutrition from veggies in a drink that kids love! Camille can vouch this – her kids love its taste so much, they actually ask her for it themselves! Yummy na, masustansya pa! 

Oh My Gulay! Shop the NEW Tang Fruit & Veg here: http://bit.ly/TangFruitNVeg

2. SmartMom Recipes – No need to work hard, just work smart! Incorporate veggies in delectable recipes that you know your kids will surely love. Your kids won’t notice that veggies are actually the main ingredient because of its delicious taste! 

3. Appearance is key – Kids are very visual so it’s really all about making their plate look fun! Focus on making veggies look appetizing by using creative shapes and brightly colored bowls to increase their appetite. You can even add in their favorite animal or cartoon character for that extra wow factor! You can go as simple as making trees out of broccoli or more complex as making pirates from cucumbers– the idea stays the same: make it fun!

Oh My Gulay! Shop the NEW Tang Fruit & Veg now to get the yummy taste of fruits with the nutrition benefits of veggies!: http://bit.ly/TangFruitNVeg

Organizing Stuffs

The pandemic has led us to stay inside of our homes for a long period of time. Although we miss the outside world, we have no choice but to be inside and take care of ourselves, and with it, our very homes. A lot of people took up decorating their homes to make it a comfortable space to stay in. 

Organization is one of the many ways to make your house look cleaner and spacious. Adding chic and sleek organizers will be a great way to decorate, as well as organize. One of the places in your house that you’ll  probably be in most of the time is your room. Adding your personal touches and taste in design will make it feel homier and cozy. Your jewelry, for example, is one of the most personal accessories you own. Putting them in a cute jewelry storage box and displaying it somewhere is a cute way of decorating your room.

Aside from decorating our homes, being inside forced us to get closer to the ones we live with. Be it your mother, father, sibling or any relative, your relationship probably got stronger. Our pets, who spend their time waiting when we go to work, or run errands, are probably really happy that we play with them more often. 

In social media, there are many accounts that are owned by the pets themselves! During the pandemic, they became more active than ever, posting content that brightened a lot of people’s days. One common denominator that these famous pets have? Outfits and accessories!It’s not just outfits, too. The accessories could be a toy your pet would love playing with, or a cute bed and feeder. Pet accessories can come in all shapes and sizes, and for many types of pets too. This cute double-layer cat hammock will make your pets comfortable!

These cute electric plush talking duck toys will be loved by your pet, too. Giving them these simple gifts is an act of love for them, and they would definitely know that. Your pets are family too!

These products are available at Aoin. They sell various products that range from home decoration, home cleaning, tableware cleaning, personal care, fresh air, antibacterial, baby care, living paper, and others for various needs. Aoin offers worldwide shipping and ships directly to your doorstep. All of their products are guaranteed to be high-quality and carefully designed for its intended purpose. 

Wide Variety of Prom Dress

Cheap prom dresses are hard to find these days. A lot of them are overpriced, and most of them only last one or two uses. Prom dresses have a tendency to be really expensive, so if you have plans on buying one, make sure to look for the best possible deals out there.

There are a lot of online shops that sell high-quality prom dresses for a low price. One of them is Customizeone. They provide formalwear: dresses, suits, tuxedos, etc. that can be shipped worldwide. 


Ocean Blue Chiffon Open Back Sleeveless Bridesmaid Dresses

One of their bestsellers are wedding dresses. Just like every product available on their site, they have a wide variety of wedding dresses to choose from, so there’s always something for someone. 

Modest A-line Sleeveless Tulle V-neck Appliques Plus size Ivory Wedding Dresses

Their sexy wedding dresses come in a variety of styles and forms to choose from. This charming deep v-neck off-the-shoulder lace mermaid wedding dress will compliment and enhance your stunning figure down the aisle. 

Charming Deep V-neck Off-the-shoulder Lace Mermaid Wedding Dresses
Sexy White Lace V-neck Long Sleeve Front Slit Mermaid Prom Dresses

These high-quality clothing will definitely satisfy your standards for it. With tons of options to choose from, we can’t deny the diversity of designs and sizes they have for everyone. Having actual good clothes for an average price is hard to find, and now they’re here, online, waiting for you to check out the cart and wait for it at your doorstep. 

How To Spend More Responsibly And Stick To Your Budget

Budgeting has been quite of a struggle lately ever since Pandemic striked us a year ago. I lost my job and everything seems to be blurry and uncertain.

Kids schooling was challenged as well, my eldest daughter wasn’t able to have their much awaited moving up day. School year switched over from having face to face class to online class only.

My employer advised us that our account will close and was given only 3 weeks to wrap up everything and submit all necessary reports. Government on the other hand announced an Enhance Community Quarantine protocol were no one is allowed to go out except for doing the essentials like grocery shopping or buying medicines.

Everything turned upside down. My mom has just died then and still coping up from losing her. I was quite worried as I don’t have any savings left and no emergency funds to hold onto. I am thinking on where to get funds to pay the bills like electricity, water and internet school tuition fees for the kids, medicine expenses for the husband and our budget for everyday expenses.

Very limited people are allowed to go out to work for those establishments that need manpower like manufacturing companies, food industries, medical front liners. Others are encouraged to work from home.

Glad I was also able to utilise and claim for the loss of income or unemployment benefits as I searched on where to get funds to learn more and be able to pay our debts. I used the funds I received to buy a new set of computer package as I am determined to get a new job.

It took me almost 3 weeks to land a job online ( permament work from home arrangement) thankfully!

Our budgeting style has also changed as we adapt to the challenging economic status of the government and remaining money that we have.

1000 Philippine Peso bills

Glad I was able to stumble upon this tips in budgeting: https://www.moneymax.ph/personal-finance/articles/tips-on-saving-money

Below are some of the helpful hacks we’ve learned and apply.

  • We have jotted down all our expenses– paper and pencil style and I have created a spreadsheet tracker to avoid overspending.
  • Grocery lists – Our grocery trips has been reduced from weekly to bi weekly and ensure that we check and revised according to our needs. We also resort to do some online shopping for some items like buying home equipments, electronics, essentials like facemasks and faceshields that has been part of our budget since Pandemic.
  • Paying bills– We switched over from paying it over establishments to enrolling them over online transactions. Saved a lot on time and effort- no need to go out and saved some extra by getting points!
  • Travel fare, kids money budget– This has been converted as savings or has been used to allot to pay for internet bills.
  • Loans, amortizations– This is always taken into consideration before we splurge into buying wants to keep up paying them on time and avoid paying penalties.
  • Online bank accounts– we have created separate accounts for our bills and savings. So we can monitor properly to cash flow.
  • Budget for food– This is taking most of our budget, glad that I have a very good cook husband and knows how to budget and make our food menu without sacrificing the quality of the food and healthy for the body!

Since it would take 2-3 more years for this Pandemic to be over, we’ll surely save lot for travelling expenses! No more out of t he country trips for the meantime. We’ll probably do within the country travels or a nearby city trips without sacrificing our money, leisure and health!

SANOFI JOINS THE WORLD IN CELEBRATING WORLD HEART DAY BY ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OF THE TIMES

September 29 is World Heart Day all around the globe.

More than just a celebration, World Heart Day was established in the hopes that it could reach more people and be able to spread awareness about the perils of heart diseases and stroke.

Sanofi recognizes that this is a unique time to be worried about heart health and learn more about the steps that should be taken to ensure risk-free living, especially under a cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hypertension Diary Path Risk Management.

“It’s heartbreaking to see those with comorbidities battle a critical to severe form of the virus- forcing them to put their lives on hold, be isolated from family, friends and people who matters most to them,” Amal Makhloufi Benchouk, the Philippines Country Lead for Sanofi, shared in her opening remarks.

Statistics have shown that 7 out of 10 people are diagnosed with hypertension, and 2 out of 10 hypertension patients die. Sanofi continues to respond to the challenge of dealing with comorbidities during this time, by emphasizing the need to address the lack of awareness and limited access to cardiovascular disease management.

“Cardiovascular Disease remains the number 1 killer in the world, resulting in about 18.6 Million deaths worldwide and over 520 million people globally living with cardiovascular disease that has been disproportionately affected by the pandemic,” she remarked.

Sanofi’s mission has led them to create the Empower Hypertension Program, which aims to deliver awareness, prevention, and management to patients. The program provides enlisted patients with free coaching sessions led by nurse educators to arm them with information that tackles myths and facts about the disease, among others.

Sanofi has also partnered with Omron, a leading medical electronics company, to extend a 20% to 25% discount to patients, encouraging them to procure the technology in order to monitor their blood pressure regularly.

Sanofi remains committed to its mission to promote hypertension management at the early stages and to inspire individuals to take control of their own health.

To learn more about the program, visit www.sanofi.ph or thru their Instagram account @sanofi.ph.

BPI Foundation Reforests 170 Hectares of Land in Nueva Ecija for BPI’s 170th Anniversary

Beneficiaries from the Kalanguya and Bugkalot tribes plant the seedlings on behalf of BPI employees.

BPI Foundation, the social development arm of BPI, has started to reforest 170 hectares of land in Pantabangan, Carranglan Watershed Forest Reserve, Nueva Ecija through its Lakbay Luntian initiative as part of the Bank’s 170th-anniversary celebration in August.

“In previous years, we held nationwide volunteer activities as part of our anniversary celebrations. This year, we aligned with the Bank’s 170th anniversary theme and reinvented how we do volunteer work and give back to our communities as one BPI,” said BPI Foundation Executive Director Owen Cammayo.

Lakbay Luntian is the first-ever virtual tree planting initiative organized by BPI Foundation, in partnership with eco-social enterprise Bambuhay and Ayala Corporation’s Kasibulan Project, a long-term program on reforestation and forest protection. This is part of the Balik-Kalikasan program, which aims to preserve and restore rainforests across the country while equipping local communities with sustainable alternative livelihood and strengthening every Filipino’s commitment to protecting the environment through reforestation.

Through the collaborative efforts of BPI employees and BPI Foundation, a total of 68,000 bamboos and trees will be planted in Nueva Ecija. This will also help offset BPI’s total carbon emissions for the year 2020, while providing sustainable livelihood to 17 Indigenous People (IP) families in the area.

“Our BPI employees have shown that amid the pandemic, the bayanihan spirit remains very much alive in all of us,” said BPI President and CEO TG Limcaoco. “Remember that we have not survived 170 years by remaining still. It’s been 170 years of constant reinvention, progress, and thinking to do good for our friends, neighbors, clients, and colleagues.”

To know more about BPI Foundation and its initiatives, visit https://www.bpifoundation.org.

Playing Online Games Amidst the Pandemic and Walking Down Memory Lane

Ever since internet users skyrocketed in the 90’s, online games established its reputation as one of the concepts that made the usage of the internet successful and approachable for the general public. Now, there are more than a million websites that promote and develop online games, targeting both children and adults alike. 

Almost everyone I know (colleagues, acquaintances, relatives) have experience when it comes to online gaming. My children (aged 17 and 15) still play games online. There are many reasons why online games are so popular. With just a click, people can search up their favorite childhood game and play it on the internet. So many classics are being turned into something fresh, to keep up with the ever-changing trends in the gaming community. 

In my country, we have been quarantined for two years. Two years inside of my house made me and my family form coping mechanisms to be able to stay inside. While I started taking care of plants and gardening, my children (as I said earlier) used gaming as a way to cope. Whenever I would check on my daughter, I would see different games playing on her screen every minute of a day. As it turns out, she started playing more than 20 different games and managed to switch it up in between. All day, she has so much to do to keep her virtual worlds flourishing and well. 

I asked her one day to recommend me a game, a non-stressful one, because my work already does that for me. She suggested that I try something I am already familiar with to lessen the burden of learning new things. 

It wasn’t surprising to know that everything I wanted to have and play in my childhood could be accessed virtually. I was delighted to see that there were tons of websites that offer card games. Solitaire was one of the games I used to pass the time. It gave me a sense of nostalgia, because my friends and I used to play cards all the time back then. 

Aside from cards, I was also an avid fan of Candy Crush back then! As it turns out, I like the concept of connecting colors (LOL). Playing solitaire has been my favorite pastime even before we had a personal computer, My grandmother taught me how to play it and it’s been one of our bonding moments whenever she visits. Glad to know that solitaire.org still has it. But it was refreshing to see that they also provided other games. I tried playing new ones despite my daughter telling me to try ones I already know, and what do you know, I actually had a lot of fun!


Hidden Kitchen was one of the newer game concepts that I tried. The mechanics state that I was supposed to look for the items given, and it was indeed a challenge! It was very fun, however. Trying out new things and being back to trying out games brought me back to my childhood.

Especially now, as we are in trying times, being able to have access to online games is one of the things I consider to be a blessing. Technology has evolved so much, for just a click of my mouse, I can travel in time and have fun.

Living City Life in Los Angeles

Finding the perfect place for a home or apartment entails a lot of things to consider like the proximity and accessibility to market, school, place of work etc.  You also have to consider the good environment that would really make you at peace and of course have the convenience to relax after a long day at work.  During this time of uncertainty and pandemic, a lot of people are still looking for an investment to secure one’s future. People are now more wisely putting their money in the right basket. 

Living the city life is still one of the most practical things to do when you are still trying to make ends meet. Especially for the young adults who are starting to save up and work in the corporate world. Finding the right apartment near to your workplace saves you a lot of time, money and effort in order to concentrate and give more time for you to be productive at work.

LA Apartment

Los Angeles is a very famous destination especially for immersive fans of pop culture. In fact, many have decided to live there to pursue their dreams in the film or music industry. Although not many people make the cut, the city has been proven to have a high quality of life. It is also famous for its perfect weather, as there are only a few rainy days year-round. Moreover, there are tons of beautiful spots in LA. Whether it be a great bar, a beach, museums, and almost anything, Los Angeles most probably has it.

According to Zumper, there is an estimate of 2,429 apartments for rent in Los Angeles as of the moment. Living in LA is definitely a great investment if you ever decide to do so, although like everything, it comes with a price (quite literally). While you may enjoy the beautiful locations and spots the city of angels hold, the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment is $2,050. 

Nevertheless, having a place in a great and comfortable city is worth spending money on. Aside from that, LA’s population is very diverse. There is no dominant race residing in the city. Moving on, Los Angeles is home to a lot of healthy lifestyle gurus. After all, it is a progressive city keeping up with the constantly changing trends so you’ll be bound to find interesting establishments. Yoga studios, gyms, vegan-friendly restaurants are all over LA and it really isn’t hard to find something you’ll like. 

One thing you should take note of is the traffic. Los Angeles is known for its jammed highways. It is especially heavy on commuter hours, and you have to work through it. There are alternatives such as bicycles and/or scooters, though. So anything is possible if you really want it!

If you are a student, Los Angeles would be a great place for you to pursue your studies. It has great schools and universities that are world-class and beneficial for your education. Your school life wouldn’t be too stressful if the environment and atmosphere is always fun. After a long lecture, walking around town would be a breather and a nice rest for your brain.

There are a lot of names for Los Angeles. The City of Angels, City of Flowers and Sunshine, La-la Land, and other cute nicknames. It’s up to you to decide what you want to call it.