January 2015

January 31, 2015

$50 Amazon Giveaway Ends on January 31

by Allan D

Mom Buzz Media is offering a $50 Amazon Giveaway just for visiting the sites in the Rafflecopter!

Mechanics:

1. This is open to all US residents using a US IP address.

2. Visit each of the sites on the Rafflecopter, and leave it open for 2 minutes.

3. Then close the pages. Feel free to open them all at once and just leave the tabs open. All Entries can be done daily for a better chance to win.

Enchanted Kingdom Experience

by Allan D

This post is already a long overdue. Mommy already made a post on this as part of Matt’s school field trip. I will just share my experience at Enchanted Kingdom.

After entering the gate, the Grand Carousel welcomes us and this was our first ride. Matt loves riding the carousel. Mommy was a bit afraid because of motion sickness but she comes with us too. Sayang din kasi binayad. “Hindi naman pala nakakahilo.” claimed by Mommy after we alight.

We took a walk to look for the other amenities. Then we saw the Rock Quarry. While Matt and Mommy are waiting in line for Matt's turn, I take a peek and play fishing where I got Nemo.

Captured Moments: The “Angry Bird”

by Allan D

The last time we went home to our hometown, we had a short tour inside our Alma Mater campus – Central Luzon State University.

One that captured my attention is the Y-shaped, skin-peeled acacia tree standing in the middle of the road as you enter the campus' main gate.

Since nagkamalay na ako, lumaki, until I graduated, this “century old” acacia tree is erected in that location. Until last year, the tree was cut, but the main part is left standing. The bark was removed.

Nobody from the students know what is the purpose of remaining part. Some called it “Angry Bird” because it looks like the tirador or sling shot in the Angry Bird game.

Literally, birds might angry for removing another home for them.

The Angry Bird

Using Credit Cards Wisely

by Allan D

Photo Source: The BOOM

I am an active credit card user for several years now.

Before I was using not only one, but four credit cards at the same time. I used almost every bank that issued to me. After being impulsive in using different credit cards, it gave me and Mommy headaches in paying dues. Because of this, I have to give up other credit cards and retain only one.

I want to share some tips, based on my experience, on how to use your credit cards wisely and properly.

As much as possible keep only one credit card

Having too much cards will really give you problem when due date comes. But if you really need those cards, try to have at most two with different payment due dates.

Do not get hooked by “False Promos”

Some cards, especially those newly issued, offer freebies but need to spend a minimum amount. Freebies comes in gadgets, shoes, apparels, gift checks or one time cash rebate.

Before accepting the offer, think of these first:

Are the freebies or promos more important than your spending?

Is it worthy to spend the needed amount just to have the freebies?

Do not overspend just to avail of the promos.

Pay your dues in full and on time
As much as possible, pay the full amount on your bill on or before the due date. This will get you rid of the finance and late payment charges.

If you don’t have enough amount to pay in full, do not settle the stated minimum amount due only. In most cases, the minimum amount due is often smaller compared to the charges that will be incurred on your statement.

Aside from charges in not paying on time, your card might be suspended until you paid the full amount in your monthly bill.

Use your card after the cut-off date
You should know when is the cut-off date. Some cut-offs are fixed while others are "movable" if that particular date falls on weekends and/or holidays. It will be safer to make purchases 2-3 days after the cut-off.

All transactions made after the cut-off will be credited on the next billing statement giving you more time to save for the payment.

Pay your utility bills using your credit cards
I pay my electricity and internet bills through credit card. If you have an online access to your credit card account, try to explore if you can pay utility bills.

For example, my credit card cut-off is every 16^th and payment due date will be on every 3^rd of the following month while my electric bill’s due date is on the 24^th of the same month. If I am going to pay the electricity bill on its due date, let us say January 24. This will be reflected on my credit card’s next billing statement which is February 16 and will be paid on or before 3^rd of the following month and that is March 03.

You can also earn bonus points when you pay utilities too.

Use your card in shopping/groceries
Though Mommy and I had money on hand, we still use credit card on our purchases on department stores and groceries but we only spend the amount we had, as much as possible. This helps earning bonus points faster.

Ask for annual fee to be waived
Most credit cards have annual usage fees but only few knows that these can be waived and refunded on the next billing. Just call the customer and ask for your annual usage fee to be waived.

However, asking for a waived annual fee will offer you to choose on either spend using your credit card or avail of one of their promos offered.

Spending usually gives you a minimum amount and you need hit that within 30 days. On the other hand, promos offered are usually availing the balance transfer from other credit cards (of course with corresponding interest).

With the two options, I always pick the first one since the needed amount to be spend is almost the same as our monthly consumption (groceries, electric and internet bills)

Redeem your points
Keep on checking the rewards catalogue if the points earned can also redeem some items like appliances, annual usage fees and gift checks.

Last year, I redeemed a 500peso-worth of gift certificate in exchange of the 20K points I earned. Earning points will be faster if you focus on a single credit card only.

Again, do not spend too much because you are hitting a number of points needed to redeem the item you want.

Most important tip: You must have a discipline in using your credit cards. Self- explanatory, I assume.

Again, these tips are based on my own experience and for me, these are very effective in using my credit card wisely.

Do you have some tips on how to use credit cards too?

Family Day Sundays: MTOs to Finish + Kite flying + Disaster Cooking and Baking

by Allan D

Mommy already made a post on kite flying and MTOs that we need to be finish.

Father-and-Son Bonding: Kite Flying and Baking

I made the DIY kite (I will make a post on this next time) of our Little Boss even there are still lots of crochet items that need to be done. This will not only make me get some rest from crochet but an opportunity for a father-and-son bonding too.

Added to the kite-flying, Matt and I had another bonding moment over the weekend. I asked Matt to assist me in molding the the dough. He asked me if I can make one of his favorites, Cars. Good that Mommy bought some bread dies which I used to as molds in making cookies.

Aside from cookies, I managed to make some foods like cupcakes and kalabasa leche flan. Unfortunately, both resulted into a "disaster".

A Very Bad PLDT HomeULTERA Experience

by Allan D

I used to avoid writing negative posts on this blog because most that I read are of positive contents. The first and only negative post, that I can remember, is about the Senior Citizen Privilege at Jollibee.

Photo Source: PLDT

I kept on thinking several times if I am going to make a post about this or not. I think I have to share this very bad PLDT HomeULTERA experience, as the title goes.

A bit of history first.

October 16, 2014 - My Smart Wimax Outdoor was migrated to ULTERA. I don't have anything to say about the speed since it is faster compared to the previous connection.

New TV: Checked!

by Allan D

Another item in my Christmas Wishlist has been granted (late post?). In one of my previous posts, we waited for the raffle draw in our company's Christmas party before purchasing one. Baka sakaling swertehin.

Unfortunately, neither Mommy nor I was picked as a winner. So we pursue our plan of purchasing a new TV set to replace our 5-year old CRT TV. By the way, Mommy won that TV in our Company's Christmas Party Raffle.

Mommy and I had a difficulty in choosing what brand and model to be purchase. Most have good features art reasonable price.

We ended purchasing LG 42LB58 Smart TV.

Here are the features of the new Smart LED TV (Source: LG Website):

Photo Source

Content Sharing

Freely share and access various content on different devices, whether you are in or outside your home. LG's Smart Share™ make it simple to connect devices within the house. With your own LG account, a simple log in can let you access your entertainment away from home.

Find anything you want at any time
Just type or speak in any keyword and the Universal Search will instantly provide a relevant listing of VOD content, broadcast programs and online videos from YouTube. The best search function ever, it allows you to find anything on your TV, and enrich your entertainment experience with LG Smart TV.

Screen Share

Cross display boundaries freely and without hassle. With LG Smart Share™, mirroring the screen between LG TV and other smart devices is made incredibly easy and user-friendly.

LG Cloud

With the LG Cloud service you can play your contents on your Smart TV from anywhere, anytime. Quickly access videos, music, and photos from other devices, then enjoy them on your TV.

Time machine

You don't have to worry about missing your favorite shows anymore.

With the newly updated version of the LG's popular Time Machine feature, TV programs can be recorded so that you can rewind, pause, or re-watch your favorite shows.

Picture wizard

Picture Wizard III allows you to easily adjust picture elements such as black level, color, tint, sharpness and backlight levels.

Clear Voice

Enjoy clear and audible dialogue with Clear Voice II.

With the 2.1ch Speaker System, dual speakers with an added woofer produce explosively real sound of incredible depth and liveliness. Bring the cinema home with booming exhilaration.

Smart Sound mode

Hear the most optimized sound for any entertainment.

Set your sound settings to Smart Sound Mode and it will automatically select the right sound EQ for the content that you watch on TV. Whether it be music, movies, sports, or games, you no longer have to choose a sound mode as the TV will do it for you, allowing you to enjoy the best sound for your entertainment.

Built-in Wifi

Allows you to connect thru wifi and start browsing.

Others:
4GB internal memory, Smart energy saving, USB Movie

Aside from the above features here are the things I like about the this LG Smart TV.

1. It has a metallic-like frame making it wider and more elegant.

2. Unlike others, LG LED TVs are not LCD with LED backlight.

3. Keyboards and a mouse can be connected to the USB port turning the TV into a computer with huge screen especially when you are connected to the internet.

4. The sensitivity of the screen is lesser. During our visit at the store, the salesman made heavy tick on the screen without affecting the picture quality.

5. It can play movies or videos with different file formats. For now, I already tried .mkv, .avi, .xvid, .divx, .mpeg and .mp4.

6. It can also serve as music player but it will increase your power consumption.

With regards to the power comnsumption, I cannot tell so far how it will affect our next electric bill.

Now, look who enjoys watching his favorite action super hero during the holidays?