Get your copy of Paalam, Cory

ABS-CBN Publishing has released a special commemmorative issue about the late President Cory Aquino.

This special collector’s issue summarizes the life–both the highs and lows–of a well-loved president. It also captures the five days of Aquino’s funeral with more than 100 memorable images. It also features the eulogies given by people whose lives Cory touched like Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Conrado de Quiros, Cory’s physician Dr. Alex Ayco, Bishop Socrates Villegas, and many others.

Many times, while reading my copy, I found myself on the verge of tears.

 

And while you’re at it, do pick a copy of Star Studio, where the life of Cory Aquino is also featured. No, Star Studio and Paalam, Cory have different contents so don’t think that it’s just the same material.

Paalam, Cory is now available in the local magazines/newsstands and bookstores.  Get a copy! This will be valuable many years from now!

Petron promotes entrepreneurship

I noticed that for the past few days, I’ve been seeing foot ads of Petron promoting its dealership program.

Essentially, this new Petron campaign opens its door to those who are interested to own and run their own Petron station. The campaign states that it only takes confidence and self-belief to run a Petron station. The common element in this series of ads is the celebrities featured. In one ad, I saw Danny Ildefonso. In the ad I posted here, it’s Alvin Patrimonio. I assume these basketball superstars are owners of a Petron station.

I think Petron’s new campaign is a good way to encourage people to go into gas station dealership. Oil is a basic commodity and despite all the negative controversies hounding the oil industry, the public really has no choice but to keep buying oil.

But I know that operating a gas station requires a great deal of investment. I scanned the Classified Ads occasionally and I noticed that you need at least P8 million in initial investment. But if you have the money to invest, go ahead and do it. As the ad says, it only requires confidence and self-belief.

The evolution of Pinay and Money

A few days ago, I received an email from an ad agency, inviting me to attend a bloggers’ event. It would have been an ordinary email if the event was about personal finance. But no, it was about another health and wellness event.

Admittedly, from time to time, I talk about health and wellness here in my blog. And when I do, I always start the title with “Side Topic.” This is just to remind myself and the readers that this is just a side note and my main focus remains on personal finance.

But the email invitation for a health and wellness event gives me the impression that I’m also making little noise in that field. The few times that I blogged about health and wellness products may have been enough to earn me invitations to such event.

And I dare ask myself if this is how the site would evolve. That aside from personal finance, will the blog be giving more focus to health and wellness? Or is this just a passing phase?

As a colleague told me over lunch, “Health and wellness ang ibang topics mo pero hindi naman tugma sa blog site mo!”

We’ll see how this goes… And yes, I confirmed my attendance to the event.

How to save money when travelling

I love travelling. And every year, one of my goals is to save enough money to travel to another country. But yes, travelling can create a big dent in your savings, especially if you let your excitement run away with you.

How many times have you planned a trip only to exceed your budget? What about those times when you travelled on an impulse, a weekend trip that your friends suddenly thought of because it’s the long weekend? Here are just some tips so that you don’t go overboard.

1. Wait for the sale.

Airlines periodically hold promos or sale for their plane fares. The key is to identify when these sales would be. Cebu Pacific is one carrier that regularly holds sales. Just last July 2009, it held a 50-percent sale on most of its domestic and international flights. I was lucky enough to book a two-way ticket to Hong Kong this November for only P3,500.

What you can do is regularly check their websites. If it’s available, sign up for email alerts so you’ll be informed if they have upcoming and ongoing promos.

But to really be able to save money, try mock booking. By mock booking, you can know how much is the regular fares for your favorite destination. Once you know this, you can see if it’s worth to book during a sale. Keep in mind that during fare promos, not all seats are included.

2. Plan ahead.

Planning ahead is the key. When you plan ahead, you can set a budget and save for it. It’s also a great goal for your family. You and your husband have something to look forward to if it’s an “alone time” vacation. If you’re travelling with your kids, they have something to look forward to for the summer. You can even use this as a reward for getting good grades in school.

Planning ahead also allows you to fix your schedule. You can inform your office in advance so that your boss won’t schedule important events while you’re gone.

3. Research, research, research.

This goes hand in hand with planning ahead. When you plan ahead, you need to complement it with a lot of research. Go online and visit different hotel and destination websites. Some hotel websites offer lower room rates than the travel sites while some travel sites offer better rates than the hotels.

Researching also allows you to plan your itinerary. Most travel destinations have their own websites. Check these sites and see how much an entrance fee would cost. Even transportation systems like Singapore’s MTR have its own website. You then get an idea how much to budget for it.

4. Travel light.

Travel like a businessman. Cebu Pacific deducts a couple of hundred of you avail of its Go-Lite, a program for travelers who do not check in their baggage. Ever since, my husband and I have availed of this service. Because most of our vacations abroad last for about three days only, we only need to pack the most basic. There were even times that our stuff just fit one small baggage.

5. Use your miles.

Some credit cards like HSBC and BPI give you miles every time you charge your purchases. You can use these miles to pay for your plane fares or get discounts  for partner hotels. But make sure that when you charge something to your credit card, you pay it off in full every month. Otherwise, you’ll end up paying more.

6. Compare prices.

Some vacations cost less when you do it yourself. But there are also trips when getting a travel package are more cost-efficient. Make sure you compare DIYs and travel packages to ensure that you are getting the best with your money.

Side Topic: Up to 92% less fine lines in 6 weeks?

I just received my press kit for the Celeteque Advanced Anti-Wrinkle Facial Moisturizer. I admit I’m not very conscious of aging and have never tried those anti-aging treatments. But when I learned about this product, I was excited to try it out for myself.

Why only now? I understand marketing and when a product claims that it can lessen your wrinkles in seven days, I instantly become suspicious. From the testing that the brand managers conducted, there were probably just one or two persons, who claimed that their wrinkles were gone in seven days. And the very few comments that support that claim was probably what the brand manager took and instructed the ad agency to build on.

Seven days, really? If it was true, then that product should have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for science. It would have been the closest thing to discovering the fountain of youth.

And this is what attracted me to Celeteque Advanced Anti-Wrinkle Facial Moisturizer (what a long name!). Six weeks is not so bad to claim. In fact, it’s quite reasonable. I’m taking up the challenge and would like to see if the results are true, that up to 92% of my fine lines would be reduced. I’ll keep everyone posted!

You can also watch the TVC here.

Get freebies when you pay online with BPI

Here’s another reason why you should pay your bills online.

BPI recently launched its “Pay Your Bills! Get Real Thrills!” program. You earn one point for every payment you make via http://www.bpiexpressonline.com. Just keep on paying online to accumulate more points. With just a minimum of five points, you can get free siomai or siopao from Chowking. The more bills you pay, the more points you accumulate, and the bigger the freebies.

 The program requires a separate registration so make sure you do so. I have already registered for the program and am happy to see that I already have six points since the promo started in July 1, 2009. I will make more online payments so I can accumulate more points.

According to its website, the program is open from July 1, 2009 to Sept. 30, 2009 only. You can know more about it by clicking here.

Salamat, President Cory C. Aquino

We join the Filipino nation in honoring former Philippine President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino.

Corazon Cojuangco Aquino is not only an icon of democracy but a great role model for all Filipino women. She is a testament of the greatness any Filipino woman can achieve, the proof that a Filipino woman can make a great name for herself. 

Mrs. Aquino will always be remembered not only for what she did to the Filipino nation but also for being a shining example to all Filipino women.