Citi Bank Promo: SM Cinema Complimentary Pass

We got these complimentary pass last December when we bought stuff for our kids at SM Department Store Taytay. Citibank had a promo then of winning three complimentary movie pass for a minimum purchase of three thousand pesos using Citibank Credit card.

But since hubby wanted to watch movies with our three kids and my mom, we decided not to consume it yet and will just make another purchase in the next following weeks. Two weeks after, we did shopped again for a new set of dinnerware. Though I tried to looked for some biodegradable plates which I knew were best recommended by many environmentalist because of its safe and non toxic materials, I found none. Maybe if I try looking at online shops I will get few sets for our kitchen.

Anyway, with that purchased, we got another set of three movie complimentary pass but when we went to the customer service to claim them, the attendant said they ran out of tickets and they don't know yet when they will be available again. However, we can claim our freebies in any SM Department Store aside from them at any time we like since claiming of movie passes is up to February 2011.

My family and I had been busy since the start of Holiday season last year and just today, I remembered to check on those movie passes and here is a shocking revelation:

Citibank Promo: SM Complimentary Pass

Yikes! Our Movie Passes were all expired!

At the back of it were notes stating the validity date, some SM branch where it won't be honored and that it cannot be used on Metro Manila Film Festival. Too bad for us eh?! Hope with the other set of freebies which remain unclaimed by my husband, we'll  finally find time to watch a movie with the kids and my mom.

From CD to DVD

Yes, I mentioned before why hubby and I prefer buying CD’s for our three kids instead of DVD. Actually there’s another reason behind that and that is because of our DVD player. Yep, it is an unknown brand which was made from China I think and we’ve been using it for more than five years now. See, branded or not, it can still last for long as long as you handle and use it properly. There are some isolated cases though wherein DVDs won’t play. I guess it has something to do with the DVD format. Oh well, I’m not familiar with those technicalities, bottom line is, we stick to CD’s instead.

From CD to DVD

But when hubby saw that there was a huge sale of Barney shows in DVD, he took the risk of buying three copies. Our kids, especially Cien, our youngest, exclaimed “wow!” when she saw her favorite character. We then tried to put one DVD inside our player and with our crossed finger.. it worked! Then we also tried the other two and they both worked fine.

The next day hubby checked if Odyssey still has their DVD sale and luckily it was still ongoing. He bought several copies for our kids and few for the kids who invited us for their birthday parties. Children’s DVD movies are perfect gift for babies and kids especially the Barney shows.

With this switch, I noticed the big difference of CD to DVD. Movies in DVD’s are clearer both in audio and visual aspects. It also has a longer play time; it contains two Barney shows in one disc unlike in CD where it contains only one. In terms of price, well, DVDs cost a little bit expensive compared to CDs but the quality is much better too.

Moneybookers Fund to Eon Account

First time I heard of this online payment processor is from my client who lives in UK. Instead of sending payment for the task I did for him through my Paypal account, he sent it through Moneybookers.com. You can refer to my other blog for the rest of the story, meanwhile let me share to you how I created my own account in Moneybookers.com and successfully withdrew my funds with them through my Eon Bank Account.

Moneybookers is an online payment processor that can be used to pay online, get paid, transfer money to your bank account here and abroad and send money back home to your relatives. This is more or less like Paypal (I'm sure most of you have become familiar with it or at least had heard of it.)

Actually creating an account with them  is as easy as 1,2 and 3. You just have to fill up their form, enter your personal details and that's it! You already have a Moneybookers account. The problem that I encountered was I didn't know if I can actually withdraw my funds from them using my local bank account just like what I usually do with Paypal. And luckily, I found out that I can using the same debit card I used with my Paypal, my Eon Debit Card.

After creating an account with Moneybookers, you will have to do some verification of your Eon Account to Moneybookers.

• Enter your complete name and the type of your card (Eon-Visa). Type in your card number and it's expiration date. Look at the back of your Eon card and copy the three digits for the last slot to be filled.
• Moneybookers will charge your card for a random verification fee between USD 1.01 - 2.99.
• You must then check your card statement for the exact transaction amount and enter it into the 'verify credit/debit card' section of your Moneybookers profile.
• Upon completion, the verification fee will be refunded to your Moneybookers account and your card will be verified with an upload limit of 333.55 USD in any 60 day period.
• Due to processing restrictions Moneybookers cannot refund this transaction back to your card.

After this verification, you can now withdraw your  funds! You just have to add your bank account to your Moneybookers account. It will ask for your bank's SWIFT code which is UBPHPHMM (for Eon and Unionbank). Encode your account number then go to the withdrawal section.

And it was a success!

My Moneybookers fund reflected to my Eon Account four (4) days after the transfer. However, nothing can beat my loyalty to Paypal and I still prefer it over Moneybookers.com.

Wardrobe Alert!

I have always been a home-body type of person. Parties and social gatherings are really not my cup of tea. However, working in a corporate world and having a husband who is into marketing and sales field, sometimes I have no choice but to attend some formal events. Whenever I knew that there is an upcoming formal celebration at the office or when hubby advised me ahead of time that he would want me to accompany him in one of his client’s formal party, I swear I dreaded that date to come.

The main problem that would initially pop inside my head is the required outfit. If somebody would peek inside my closet, all she could find inside are jeans, shirts and a couple of informal dresses which I seldom use. I know I should have at least invest in some formal get up like the *new*bcbg pumice silk sequin tunic top xs that I saw when I did some window shopping online. Those sequins will truly make any woman shine, literally, in an evening event. Maybe I should look for that item again and reward myself with that outfit. It will surely match my new stilettos I bought last Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, I saw my friend’s Christmas outfit last season and her 1 madison tab waist peacoat really caught my attention. Of course, I know how cold it is in Germany until now, and I salute her for being that fashionable she became unlike when we were younger. Her jackets and coats really look good on her aside from the fact that it hides all her belly fats she got after giving birth to her two kids.

Oh well, I guess for this New Year, I should do some random scanning of my closet and see if I could add important wardrobe in it.

Unique Gift Suggestion for your Old Folks

With the advanced technology which we have today, listening to old radio program may seem very outdated. However, if you would ask your old folks what they loved about this kind of entertainment, they will definitely say that it was one great experience to listen to high quality dramas and other shows played in the radio during their times. What were played on old time radio program before was created by keen and scrutinized production crews, outstanding actors and actresses and of course well-known writers and story tellers. It’s not just a one-man show but a whole cast production, no wonder top calibre programs were usually heard over the radio in the past. On the other hand, to fully appreciate this kind of leisure, one should have an imaginative mind along with his keen listening ability. So if you are thinking of a unique gift for your grandma or grandpa, perhaps you can search for old time radio program and listen to it along with them.

Oldies But Goodies Kind of Diversion

Ever heard of an old time radio program? I know it’s very weird and uncanny for some people to still long for this kind of entertainment especially from the young generations today but of course, not from our old folks. Traditionally, people were very fond of listening to different kinds of old time radio shows while doing their work or even house chores. Drama and love stories were often patronized by women while actions, sci-fi and adventures were sure hits to men. Personally speaking, I think if this kind of entertainment will come back at this modern time, people will still find this fascinating. Just imagine how you can do more tasks while your heart beats fast as you listen to a horror or mystery kind of old time radio program being played. Now that is much beneficial than sitting in front of the television where you could miss one important scene in just a blink. 

Chit Chat with a Friend and Thoughts About Nursing

I've got to chat with my long time college friend who now lives in Germany. We usually talked about anything under the sun since she is a stay at home mom. We talked about her youngest sister who is about to enter college. Her husband will sponsor her studies and I asked her what course will she take. She said her sister doesn't know yet but if she is to be asked, she wants her to take up Nursing.

My friend believes that there is a huge opportunity for her sister to go abroad if indeed she will take up Nursing. She said she can even imagine her sister wearing surgical scrubs uniforms just like what nurses wear in hospitals. However, I told her that though Nursing is a very promising course to pursue, lots of Nursing graduates here remained jobless. But of course, her sister's fate would depend on how eager she will be to succeed and eventually practice her finished course.

Her sister has an edge actually because she seems to be smart and witty and has a goal in life at her young age. Since my friend's husband works with some hospitals in Germany, being an Orthodontist, he guaranteed her that he will help her sister to go to Germany and practice Nursing there. Although it will take years before that to happen, my friend already asked me on where to buy uniforms for her sister. Now, that is an exaggeration I said, but she just laughed too.

I asked if she had been into her husband's work place and she said just a couple times. She finds it boring and not her cup of tea and she even hated it when one time, she was waiting for her husband outside his office within the hospital and  a man approached her and asked why she is not in her white nursing scrub tops. She was caught off guarded, knowing that she was mistaken by the man as one of the hospital staff.

Well, it's just one of her many experiences living in a foreign land and she was glad to have friends she can share it with.

I'm Gonna Try Blairex Saline Solution

Happy New Year everyone! How's your resolutions going on so far? Well, for me, I'm keeping it up little by little but my main goal to earn more online is what's actually keeping me busy. I extended my hours in working online to be able to meet deadlines from my various clients. Unfortunately, I've been having headaches since December last year and I guess staying in front of my laptop is the culprit. My mom told me I should have my eyes checked caused I may be advised to use eyeglasses.

But being four-eyed is not appealing to me because I don't look good with that. Some of my officemates have been using contact lenses and I asked them how does it feel to use one. They say I might feel uncomfortable at first especially when the eyes get dry because it can be terribly itchy. However, they say that it's not actually a problem because some contact lenses comes with a sterile saline solution for eyes. This will help in preventing the eyes from drying and for easing the pain of using contact lenses especially for first timers. Some contact lenses can last up to three months hence, the saline solution may ran out halfway before that three-month duration. My friends use Blairex Saline solution and so they also recommended it to me.Good thing this product is available online and I can easily buy one for myself if ever I'm going to need it.

Blairex Saline solution

My bad, I didn't noticed the time and now I almost forgot to check on 1-800-Contacts. Have to do some reviews about this as part of my tasks for this week. So, I guess I would have to say goodbye for now. See you in my next post. Ciao!