DIY mani-pedi (manicure-pedicure)

I often indulge myself with a mani-pedi (manicure-pedicure) in the comforts of a beauty salon. But after having a bad experience with my toes and fingers bleeding from the brutal cleaning job I got from a certain salon, I am quite hesitant letting others tinker with my cuticles and all. Some are not even good with painting my nails, like it’s the result of a kid playing with nail polish on your fingers. Oh well. I did have a good manicure one time but the price was thrice what you pay in an ordinary salon.

Thus, I decided to have DIY manipedi sessions at home. At least, I can control the extent of cleaning my nails without hurting them. I also bought some nail polishes that are toxic-safe, so it can stay on my nails longer without discoloration and making them brittle.
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On customer opinions and reviews

A satisfied customer is the best advertising tool a business can have. It’s the most economical too. And oftentimes, a happy and pleased review from one of your customers is worth more than a million-dollar 30-second TV ad. This is how word-of-mouth marketing works. So, bottom line is, businesses should provide a quality product matched with the best customer service that would keep the customers so happy, they can’t wait to share their pleasant experience with their family, friends, and even strangers.
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Being well-informed in your chosen career

Whether one is a businessman, engineer, doctor, lawyer or architect, he can only be successful if he is very much knowledgeable and well-informed about the career path he has chosen. With that said, a professional who’s always updated with the latest trends in his career usually has an edge over his contemporaries. For instance, a student learning about international business or a professional importer/exporter should be knowledgeable about Incoterms aka international commercial trade terms. This would help one to be updated with terms associated to the transport of goods internationally, just as medical students need those thick books loaded with medical terms and definitions to guide them in learning more about their chosen field.
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Taking time to relax during work breaks

I sometimes wish I have extra hours like some people I know who can even use their spare time playing games on social networking sites. Ugh. My precious spare time is spent on few minutes of exercise, prayer and meditation, and naps!

Yup, yup. I consider my nap time as important as any other physical activity. About mid-afternoons, I take at least an hour of nap and wake up feeling refreshed. It’s one way to de-stress myself, making me feel ready to tackle the rest of the day’s tasks until midnight.
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Crazy online deals

My sis and I have been searching online for travel deals, from air fare to trip packages. Luckily, she found a great deal on a Puerto Princess 3D/2N travel package complete with roundtrip airfare and day tour, and I bought it online for her using my magic plastic card. Isn’t it nice to find great deals online? Most of these deals are limited and have an expiry date though, especially for promo vouchers.
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On designing details

Our living room looks plain, no artwork or decor on the white-washed wall; the sofa is too basic, bulky and huge; and the floor needs to be spruced up with a carpet. Okay, I am not complaining, but I am just stating some facts from an interior designer’s point of view. It can be frustrating sometimes when you decorate and improve the look of other houses except your own. Don’t ask me why, you probably know the reason anyway.

So, we’re hoping to have some budget to liven up our home. And when we will have it sometime, I would like to move the light switches in the living room wall few inches to the right as it is almost in the center, quite making a show of itself and would likely compete with the artwork that we plan to hang on the wall.
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Keeping our surroundings clean

I have a lot of electronic trash here at home that still needs to be disposed properly. There used to be a “Trash for Cash” event organized by SM, but I am not sure if it is still ongoing every first weekend of the month. It is just so sad that our city government is not even doing its job of trash collection. So what we do here at home is just to sort out the biodegradable and non-biodegradable items. Dad has a pit dug in the backyard where the biodegradable trash is thrown.
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Online shopping for vehicle parts

Valentine’s Day may have passed us by, but that won’t stop folks from shopping for gifts they’d like to give their significant others, romantic or not. Well, some people are becoming practical with gift ideas these days. So, don’t think electronic gadgets are the only practical stuff you can give him, how about some replacement parts for your guy’s car? I bet that would really melt his heart, because I’m sure every guy considers his car as one of his “loves”.

Now, for the shopping part of that, we ladies know little or nothing about vehicle parts, right? Just get a hint from your guy, in your conversations with him, let him talk about his car, and if he’s planning to buy a brand new bumper, or head lights, or batteries. Get my point? (more…)

Unique birthday gifts for guys

While most girls would simply go to the nearest mall to shop for gifts for their boyfriend’s birthday, some actually find it easier to search online for unique items that are not your usual alarm clock or t-shirt sort of gifts. How about age-related mugs, personalized saw blade clock or a customized career doormat?
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Adding extra space to your home

Some houses give you that feeling of spaciousness despite having a relatively small area. There are some designer tricks to achieve this. For instance, you can renovate your ceilings to make them higher, if this can be possibly implemented. High ceilings add extra space, provide good ventilation and facilitate more air movement, giving your home an airy appeal. Another design trick to achieve wider room space is to use wall mirrors. You can put these in dining areas or in living rooms behind display shelves. With proper lighting, mirrors provide that virtual extension of space without having to physically knock down some walls.
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Get a blog!

Recently a friend asked about how to manage stress. Well, I can give a list of various activities to de-stress, from cleaning the bathroom to playing the guitar. The trick is to shift one’s focus from the things that cause the stress, although this might be unavoidable in some situations.

Another stress management option is to blog. Yes, you heard it right! Why so? When we put our thoughts into writing, the mind is somewhat freed of frustrations and other negative emotions. I don’t mean writing a post that’s full of hate and mudslinging. I meant writing encouraging posts even when you feel down. It really is a great way to de-stress. I have a personal blog where I would share my reflections on life’s struggles, and I always try to put in a positive note to them.
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Generating passive income

Reading, clicking, opening a lot of browser windows here and there… I’ve been busy since last week trying to acquaint myself with an online workplace, see if it will work for me. Too bad, internet here at home has been down since the other day, so I haven’t been able to continue with meeting the site’s requirements, especially the skills tests.
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Preparing your vehicle for a road trip

When we chose to go on a road trip to another island last year, it was quite a tough decision for the family. The costs involved was considered and weighed as compared to travel by plane or bus. Anyway, after all details were explored, the road trip option, i.e. driving our own vehicle, won.

Road trips are actually fun. They offer the flexibility and convenience that planes and buses can’t. We even changed a bit of our trip itinerary on our way home. We stayed overnight at San Carlos City and dropped by the La Vista Highlands, a newly built mountain resort, before we continued our trip along the mountains. These spontaneous side trips were not possible had we chosen the plane or bus options.
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New look for old items

A faded pair of jeans turned to dark blue or a grey shirt made purple, this used to be an easy task for me and my sisters when we were still in college. We simply buy little packets of various colors of textile dyes, boil water in a big pot and mix it with the dye powder, then put the items in and after the specified time, out comes the newly colored piece! It’s pretty easy to dye clothes, and practical as well, if you want your old items in the closet to look different.
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Dealing with the M & A process

When I was still in the corporate world, our company faced its biggest challenge ever, that of being acquired by another competitor. Since they were the bigger and more stable company, they put their key corporate personnel to handle the merger and acquisition, or M & A, process. Some of their managers would visit our office to observe our technical operations and monitor how we go about our work. They also had regular discussions with the finance and administrative divisions and especially the human resources department. Sadly, some of the job positions of my fellow work mates were terminated. It really was a tough period for us.
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