Smart Broadband pocket wi-fi, my new internet connection

I am using Smart broadband internet connection for almost 5 years now.  It’s not my first broadband connection, before I used PLDT myDSL internet connection together with a landline package but when my family decided to move at Cainta Rizal year 2008 then I started to use Smart broadband.  

In just less than a week after we moved, our office announced a bad news.  The owner of the company from Australia gathered us in a conference call and announced that the company will be close.  This was a very bad timing considering I’m on a tight budget and finding a new job is not easy.  Fortunately my boss still have some small projects and ask me if I can work for him remotely.  I considered myself lucky being offered with a job and have a benefit of spending more time with my family.  I agreed to his offer, my career as freelancer started.  My boss gave me time to setup my working environment at home, all the things I needed was provided these includes tables, chair, complete desktop  computer and the only problem is internet connection.

The most popular, fast and very stable broadband connection before is PLDT myDSL.  But it’s also hard to apply for a connection especially if you don’t have existing PLDT landline, they have selected coverage areas and in our case since our location is not covered yet that made us impossible to apply right away. Smart Telecommunication a company also owned by PLDT was offering broadband connection.  I applied for their promo Plan 999 which offers unlimited connection with 12 months contract.  Their service was fast it took only three working days to install my Smart Bro with a canopy. Their service guy did some configuring in my computer and that’s it, I can access internet with very satisfactory speed.

In mid of 2009 we move again to apartment which the Smart Bro Canopy is not working, the location doesn’t get any signal. We called customer service hotline and they send some guy to fix things, and told us that Smart Bro doesn’t establish good signal. We finished our contract with the canopy connection and Smart Telecommunication offer their new Smart Share It package.  This package comes with same price and same speed which is up to 2mbps. It comes with portable Wi-Fi device that can connect up to 5 connections.  It also has options to connect directly using cable or connects thru Wi-Fi.  There is difference when it comes to performance, in my experienced the speed decreased compared to canopy and the connection is not that stable maybe because of the location but still I am satisfied with the product.  Since it’s portable I didn’t have any problem with the relocation anymore. I also able to use it when we are out of town.  I’ve been using Smart Share It connection for more than 3 years, but last week I decided to upgrade my plan.  

I want much faster internet and 2mbps is not enough for me anymore.  I went to Smart Center at SM Megamall last weekend to inquire about their existing promo.  Customer service suggested that Smart Broadband Pocket Wi-fi is on sale right now, perfect timing when I need it.  From the price of 3,895 I can get it for only 2,995 pesos only, their promo will only last until March 31, 2013.  The only thing that bothers me is my existing connection, but customer service agent explained it to me that if I buy the pocket wi-fi broadband device I just put my existing Smart Share It sim card inside the device and it will automatically upgrade the speed from 2mbps to 7.2mbps. So I decided to buy the product the right away.  Package includes sim prepaid card, now I have option to use prepaid or post-paid plan. As of now I am using pocket wi-fi connection and I am satisfied with the added speed of my broadband connection.  Although the speed does not fully reach 7.2mbps but at least my connection improved from 2mbps to 5.2mbps.  Now I’m very satisfied with the performance of my internet connection it’s easy to download and fast to surf the net.  Thanks to Smart Telecommunications for giving me good options every time I decided to upgrade my broadband connection.

Lil' Orbits mini donut

Every time I went to Market Market Mall in Taguig City, I always buy Lil' Orbits mini donuts.  My office-mate introduced it to me last year.  It was a boring day in our office when one of my office-mate invites the whole department to have a lunch out.  Since there is not much work and we can go back late in the office so everyone agreed to her idea of having lunch out.  I guess one major reason why she wants to have lunch out is because she together with our other office-mates will be deploying to other company as their project assignment.   Even though some of us already have our food when she invited us, but still we just decided to just bring our food along so we can go out and break our daily lunch routine and also to have bonding moments with them before they will be deploy.

When we are about to take our lunch we can’t decide where to eat.  After few minutes thinking where to have our lunch finally we decides to go to Market Market Mall where in there are lot of good restaurants we can choose from.  We end up in food court and have our lunch there.  After having our lunch we stroll a little bit and decide to go back to the office.  One of my office-mate told us that she want to buy mini donuts for her kid.  So we accompany her and what I have in mind is we are looking for Dunkin' Donuts to buy some Munchkins.  But when we are in ground floor we skip out Dunkin' Donuts booth and end up in Lil' Orbits mini donuts.  Most of my office-mates including me have no idea of it so she treats us.  She is kind of shock when she knew that most of us did not know about it since it been around in the market since she was a child.  At first I noticed that their donuts machine is very unique.   Their booth is very transparent that we can see how their donuts is being cooked.  Upon ordering the store attendant begin to put cubes of butter in the machine filled with hot oil then it start to produce very good smell.  Then he press a button and mini donuts starts to come out from funnel shaped container directly goes to the hot oil where the was butter melted.  The process on how mini donuts is being cook by machine itself is very amusing.

There are 6 tasty flavors to choose from:  Strawberry, Mocha, Chocolate, Cheese, Cinnamon, and Cookies and Cream.  I picked cheese flavor, the combination of sweet and salty is very good.  Every time I have a chance to drop by at Market Market Mall in ground floor I always bought at least one dozen of Lil' Orbits mini donuts.  I already tasted all their flavors and my favorite is cheese and chocolate.  It is perfect treat for my kids every time I return from work.

Omron portable nebulizer - Breathing problem comfortable solution

It was November last year when my family visited a hospital.  My eldest daughter was having breathing problem most often at night.  The doctor’s finding was she had too much phlegm in her lungs and need to undergo chest x-ray, her case might lead to pneumonia.  Fortunately the chest x-ray result was clear but the doctor still gave us prescriptions for her to take for 7 days.  Doctor also advised us that if we own a nebulizer use it whenever she is having hard time to breath, if we don’t have then go to nearest clinic or Barangay health center, there always one in there.  We have our own nebulizer that I bought I think three years ago, so it’s not a problem to us anymore. 

Until now my daughter still has minor cough and phlegm.  Early this month we again sent her to Medical City for a check-up and this time Dr. Resurreccion one of the Pulmonologist there told us that she might have allergic reaction to a thing which she cuddle at night or she got it from frequent change of weather or she might have asthma.  The Pulmonologist told us that she could also inherit asthma from us, hopefully not because I too have asthma when I was a child. The Pulmonologist prescribed MontelukastKastair EZTab once a day to be taken at night, Alnix Syrup and she also advise us to continue the use of nebulizer every time she is having breathing problem.

I researched about my daughter’s condition and I came across to a portable nebulizer.  It didn’t cross in my mind before that portable nebulizer does exist.  The one that we own is very bulky compared to the model that I saw in Youtube which is Omron NE-U22v Microair nebulizer.  I am very impressed on the specifications of that medical device.  It weighs only 6 ounce operated with 2 "AA" batteries that means it is cordless, comes in a size of 4x2x1.5 inch, 10x5x4 cm.  It is very handy easy to use, especially to children and infants and also it does not produce sound at all.  Unlike my existing nebulizer it scares my youngest daughter every time I operate it.

The Omron NE-U22v Microair nebulizer has shell carry case that is equivalent to an eye glasses case.  It is really perfect for travelling!  The only problem I can think of right now with this very cool medical gadget is the price.   I hope Omron Philippines can bring this wonderful product in Philippine market with reasonable cost.

Avoiding vision problem

When I was in high school I really want to wear eye glasses although I have 20/20 vision or clear vision still the likeness of wearing clear glasses or even fake glasses still strong.  For me it looks cool and projects intellectual look and I feel that I belong if I am wearing one although I am really not that intelligent.   But as I grew older and became mature my idea of wearing eye glasses at young age changed from projects intellectually into looking old.  

                It was first quarter last year when I really need to wear eye glasses to correct my vision.  I used to wear one before if I’m in front of the computer to protect my eyes from radiation. I refuse to see ophthalmologist to have my eyes check, I don’t want to wear eye glasses anymore but I can’t avoid it.  I often have headache and dizziness due to staying long hours in computer because of my work.  I got my first eye glasses in Acebedo OpticalClinic for only P1000, it’s on sale during that time and there are lot of eye glasses to choose from.  They offer free eye check-up and all you need to do is to choose the frame that you like.

When I am inside the eye clinic waiting, before me was another patient younger than me.  I can’t help noticing that more and more kids these days have vision problems.  Some kids can’t avoid wearing eye glasses at their younger age because they inherit it to their parents.  Genetic is one major factor of having vision problem.  But aside from genetic, food that we eat, watching too much and too close in front of television and staying long hours in front of computer are I believe other major factors that affect having vision problem.  Diabetic causes blind spots and distortion too.

                Kids these days are not involved more in outdoor activities compared to older generations.  Technology plays major role in our kids’ lifestyle.  I often see kids watching videos, surfing internet, and playing online games thru different gadgets from big to small like computer, laptop, tablet, PlayStation, Gameboy, smartphones etc.. 

                To prevent early vision problem to my kids I only let them watch television or play in the computer for just an hour or maximum of two hours if they are watching movie, after that I involved them to other activities like solving puzzle, playing or strolling. I also warn my kids not to stay close to television while watching, and told them not to wash their eyes after watching.  And most important is to have an eye check-up for your kids you may visit any Acebedo Optical Clinic for free eye check-up. Also have a healthy diet. Eat green leafy vegetables and fish. Foods rich in Vitamins A, C, and E are important for the prevention of vision problems.

Angry Puffs – Our New Movie Snack

Watching movies is one of my stress reliever.  I am not choosy when selecting a movie to watch but when it comes to choosing snacks while watching movie that is a different story.  At home before me and my family usually watch a movie we did our grocery first and pick our snacks that depends in our mood.  Same story goes when we are about to watch a movie in the cinema.  We stroll around the mall to get enough snacks that will satisfy us with the whole movie experience.  Our usual snacks are popcorn, pizza, fries, tacos salad, peanut and chicharon.  Last week after attending Sunday mass we visited SM Megamall Cinema right away to check the latest movie showing.  After seeing the latest showing we decided not to watch.  On the way leaving cinema we came across a newly opened snack booth.  

The name of the booth is Angry Puffs and they are selling air-baked multi-grain curl puffs and it comes with different flavors to choose from.  In front of their booth they provided free taste so were able to taste all the flavors available these are Cheese Supreme, Vanilla Ice Cream, Hickory Barbeque, Cotton Candy, Sour Cream and Onion, Chocolate Truffles, Chicharon, Honeydew and Spicy Sweet. For customers satisfaction they allow to combine two or more flavors depending on the cup size you are buying.  Available cup sizes are Regular, Medium, Large and Party Tub.

When I saw the assorted color of curl puffs it reminds me of my childhood days when I collect empty bottles of vinegar or soy sauce and wait for the “Junk Collector" every morning to exchange those empty bottles for assorted and colored curl puffs placed in a coned shaped newspaper. All flavors of Angry Puffs are pretty good and it is hard to choose but we end up with Cheese Supreme and Hickory Barbeque.  My kids enjoyed it and I don’t have to worry because it’s a healthy snack.  The next time we watch a movie, we will definitely include Angry Puffs in our list of snacks. It’s Delicious! 

CitisecOnline As Tool In Buying Stocks

It was middle of last year when I got interested in investing my savings into stock market.  At first my aunt was the only one in our family that got hook into it.  For few years she is very interested in placing some of her savings into mutual fund or buying some stocks to some well known companies.  But her problem was she does not know how to start.  Finally she was invited by a friend to attend a free seminar that will conduct by CitisecOnline. 

             CitisecOnline is a company that helps ordinary people to easily invest their money to stock market online.  The process of buying stocks before was quite a hassle.  You need to have broker to be able to buy stocks.  But with the help of CitisecOnline you just need internet connection and buying stock is a few clicks away it also provide cheap and effortless accessible way to invest in the Philippine Stock Market.  It also conducts seminar and gives expert advice to their clients.

             Going back to my story, my aunt and her friend attended two free seminars which are “Investing in the StockMarket Today” and “COL EASY INVESTMENT PROGRAM: Simple Stock Market Investing”.  After completing those seminars my aunt decide to register and buy some stocks. Upon processing her registration form she encountered some problems.  She needs to provide bank account number and email address.  The purpose why bank account is needed is due to selling of stocks.  Once you have stocks and for some reason you need to sell it, the sold amount will be deposited to the provided bank account.  And the purpose why email address is needed because every online transaction will be made or any news or notification from CitisecOnline system will automatically sent a letter into email address provided.  My aunt is not very technical person and does not even know how to operate computer without someone guiding her.  Now since I am very technical person in our family my aunt asked a favor to create her an email address.

                At first I am little bit concern what my aunt got into.  What I have in mind was it might be another scam or something illegal since money is involved.  I got curious and ask some of my friends if they know CitisecOnline.  Their response was the company is legal.  Then I also decided to attend one of their free seminars to fully understand their process.  After attending free seminar I became very interested in buying some stocks too.  Before finally dive into the world of stock market I also did some research and also read a book by Bo Sanchez “My MaidInvests in the Stock Market”.  After gathering all the information that I needed, I completed CitisecOnlineregistration form and submitted it together with my aunt and my cousin’s registration form.  My cousin also got interested into it without attending the seminar.  He decides to join us after reading the book of Bo Sanchez.  We all decided to choose CitisecOnline Easy Investment Program and the companies that we invest are GMANetwork., Bank of the Philippine Island, Ayala Land, BDO Unibank, JollibeeFoods Corporation, SM Prime Holdings.

             Status of the Philippine Stock Market was very good in the year 2012.  Hopefully this year will be much better. I am not an expert and do not know the science behind stock market or trading. We just followed the advice of the speaker in CitisecOnline seminar and put our money into well established companies.  I have no regrets of putting my money into stock market instead of putting it into a bank and get very low interest every month.  This year I am planning to invest and buy stocks to another two other well established companies and still continue buying stocks to the previous companies that I selected.

Start the year 2013 with good news

     Happy New Year everyone, long weekend is finally over and it's hard to get back to reality.  Back to work again, most of people are still on their way back from their provinces.  The first news that I heard and brought me to my attention when 2013 just started was not about the count of casualties of fireworks and gun fires during year end celebration.  The implementation of Sin Tax reform bill is the very first good news that I heard when I opened my television.  

     The Sin Tax bill intends to elevate additional revenues by increasing taxes on sin products like alcohol and cigarettes.  There are lots of benefits for us from this bill.  Having high price of alcohol and cigarettes compared to the price before the bill was not yet implemented will obviously decrease the number of alcohol drinkers and smokers.  This bill will also have health effect not only to alcohol drinkers and smokers but also for all of us.  Our environment will also benefit and pollution will surely decrease.  Large portion of the revenues that will be collected would go to construction and upgrade of hospitals or other government's health programs.   The remaining portion of revenues will go to tobacco farmers’ safety nets.

     The Sin tax bill now finally converted into a law is I believe a very good start in our government for the year 2013.  I am hoping that there will be more beneficial bill that will be passed not only this year but also for years to come.