November 29, 2018

How to Survive the MRT


Last week, I attended a 5-day training course in Ortigas. According to our facilitator, it was a test of endurance to finish the entire course, both physical and mental.

Tama sila. The venue is in Ortigas and I had my overnight stay in Cubao. Although malapit lang, pero susubukin ka talaga.

There are two options to reach Ortigas from Cubao, MRT or PUBs (bus or taxi). Medyo mahal ang Grab so, I choose the MRT as the mode of transportation and I survived it for five days.

It was difficult for me na hindi naman yun ang nakasanayan ko. 

But how did I survive the MRT ride for 5 days? Here are some tips based on my experience.

MRT, north avenue station

Be Early.
Although the training starts at 9 in the morning, I started traveling at 6 am. At this time, hindi pa gaano kadami ang pasahero. Di pa siksikan. I just take my rest at the training venue.

Wear Light Clothing
For a person like me na pawisin, literal na maliligo ka talaga sa pawis umaga palang. “Dri fit” clothes are recommended since madaling matuyo. If you don’t have, it is good to bring extra clothes and lots of towel.

Persevere
Why? Dapat marunong kang makipagsiksikan. During the rush hours, the train wagons are already full. Kahit puno na, once it stops in one station, some will try their luck to get inside the train.

mrt, beep card, stored-value card

Have a beep card or stored-value card
If you are using MRT for several days, purchasing the stored-value card. During my 5-day stay, I used this and not on a single journey to avoid queuing another line to buy the tickets daily.

Be Calm
It will be annoying seeing the different situations in the MRT. Instead of ranting, keep calm. I experience this for 5 days only, how about others who used this mode of transportation daily.

Headset
To keep you calm, be ready with your phone and headset. Once you reach the station, start listening to music of your choice. This will helps you divert your attention on the music rather than the situation you are in. Minsan di mo namamalayan na napapasayaw ka na slight.

Do you have other tips to survive the MRT ride?
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November 23, 2018

Welcome Email: Some Essential Features


welcome email, electronic mail, technology, internet
When a new client subscribes, a welcome email is your opportunity to engage him as your permanent client. It works as a positive gesture and it’s the right time to keep him engaged for long periods of time. You can ask him to take your required action. A welcome email is not an ordinary email, it must have some features. Look at them here https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/.

• Send the welcome email immediately, when a person subscribes. You can use an automated email delivery system for this purpose.

• The subject line of the welcome email should be very clear. Use the word “welcome” clearly.

• Welcome email must name personalized effects. Include the name of the subscriber in the email, to give him special feeling.

• Use your welcome email as a guideline. Tell your subscriber about his other options, what he can do next.

• Offer something special as a welcome gift. It can be a voucher code or special discount.

• Give your social media accounts in your welcome email and ask your subscribers to follow them. Give them some exciting reasons to do so. You can offer some exclusive offers for the followers.

• Request the subscribers to add you in their safe list, to make sure your emails are received in the inbox and they are not channeled to trash.

• Although we don’t want the subscribers to unsubscribe, but it’s important that you add an unsubscribe link in the email. However, if they want to unsubscribe, ask for the reason. It will help you to know about the short comings.

• Ask the subscriber to refer you to his friends as well. You can give a link to make it easy for your subscribers. You can also offer some advantages to clients, if they do so.

• Pop up visuals can make your welcome email attractive and catchy. You can use the colors of your brand. But using other colors is not forbidden. The aim is to make your email catchy.

https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/infographics/10-essential-elements-of-a-welcome-email/ you can check the infographic here, which gives details about these points. You can use this information to create a quality welcome emails, which is effective too. 

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November 10, 2018

Intermittent Fasting for Weight-loss


I almost hit my target weight way back in 2016. After almost five months, I weighed at 168 pounds (76 kilos) from 190 pounds (about 90 kilos). I did this by following some weight-loss regime like reducing rice intake, having few minutes of exercise, drinking green tea and others.

health, intermittent fasting, weight-loss,

I maintained hitting the scale between 168-172 pounds not until the Lenten season of 2017. I gain back my weight to 189 pounds or 86 kilos in just a few months.

Now, I wanted to get back on my lowest number or even lower and I am now nearing the same number. I still follow what I did before but added the intermittent fasting regime.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is an energy or calorie restriction diets that cycle between fasting and non-fasting for a period of time. There are two major types of fasting: the alternate day fasting, and the time restricted fasting.

Alternate Day Fasting
This method involves a 24-hour fast followed by 24-hour non-fasting period done alternately. This can be modified to 5:2 regime which involves 5 days non-fasting and 2 days fasting periods. Either of the alternate or the 5:2 diets, both allow you to consume 500-600 calories during the fasting days.

Time-Restricted Feeding
This is the most common method of intermittent fasting. There are 3 major methods: 16:8, 12:12, and 23:1.

The 16:8 method involves fasting for 16 hours daily and only eat during the remaining 8 hours. The more liberal time-restricted method is the 12:12 where you need to fast for 12 hours and allows 12 hours eating time. The most strict is the 23:1 which allows you to eat one meal per day only.

On the above-mentioned intermittent fasting methods, I followed the 16:8. I start eating at 10 am and have my last meal at 6 pm.

During the fasting hours, I only take water, green tea of black coffee with a bit of creamer. No sugar!

Aside from weight-loss, there are also several benefits of intermittent fasting. Check below.

intermittent fasting, fasting, weight loss
Photo Source: Bulletproof

Does intermittent fasting works for me?

I started the intermittent fasting on September 01, 2018 where I mark the scale at 180 pounds. On my last check on November 07, 2018, I am on the 168.8 pounds. Now, I am planning to add toning exercise.

Do you practice Intermittent Fasting too?
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