Month: May 2013

Single Parenthood

Being a single parent is hard, and I have been saying this for all of eternity. It is hard to rise up a child, what more if you have more than one? I always tell my single friends (especially the ladies) and my nieces to always keep in their minds that having a child is not easy and that being a single parent makes it harder too. Though we see a lot of single parent who succeed in life, we should, or you should never believe that they have an easy life.

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It is so hard to raise a child and it is so hard to make a living, aside from that, it is also quite hard to make ends meet. So please bear in mind that if you are not ready to be a mother or father, be responsible of your actions.

Choose Your Insurance Wisely

When I decided to insure myself to Malayan Insurance Family Protect Plus I received a letter from them and here is what they said to me:

Dear Policyholder,
Thank you for choosing Family Protect Plus as your insurance plan. You have taken an important step in safeguarding the financial security of your family.
The attached Confirmation of Cover (COC) will provide you with the summary of the terms and conditions of your coverage. Please read through the provisions carefully.
If you have questions regarding your coverage, you may call YGC-CSI at (02)894-2890. Our Customer Care Officers will be most pleased to assist you.
Thank You.

So, after reading that beautiful letter, I cannot attest to its truthfulness. I have made a BIG MISTAKE when I decided to choose Family Protect Plus as my insurance plan. And though I have read through the provisions carefully, I have not quite understood why it is so hard to make a claim with them. And their Customer Care Officers are not pleased to assist me.

My son was admitted last year for 4 days. According to my COC, my son’s daily hospitalization benefit is 1,250php per day. It is just a small amount but it will be a very big help to my son’s hospital bills. I have sent the needed documents last January through LBC and I have waited for so long for Malayan Insurance to call me. So last March I have decided to call their hotline using my mobile phone because we don’t have landlines here in my place. The Customer Care Officer just told me that they have not received any documents and that they will check their files first then they will call me back. I haven’t heard from them so I called them back last April, and again the Customer Care Officer told me that she will just call me if they can find my files and that she will ask the person who is assigned to receive such documents and so I waited for her call. Oh how time flies, but still, they have not called my cellular phone number to confirm if they have or they have not received my documents.

And now, May is almost over, so I decided to call their hotline number 02-242-8888-495 and guess what, I was transferred ten times!!! I am so tired of telling them, saying that “hey, I want to follow up with regards to my claims about the Family Protect Plus, etc” and then the person I am talking to would just say “Oh, this is not the claims department, I will transfer you to them”, TEN TIMES! Hey, doesn’t anybody of you know where to connect my call? Aside from being transferred TEN TIMES, they also cut the line. I mean, I was calling, using my cellular phone, and the Customer Care Officer would tell me, wait for a moment Ma’am then the line just went dead twice! CUSTOMER CARE my a**. I am your client and I deserve not to be mistreated.

So now, I have decided to STOP my Insurance Plan with them and they give me a f*ckin not working number. 894-2890, that is the number where I could talk to somebody with a common sense and it is not WORKING! I told the woman I am speaking to that I am just using my cellular phone and that we don’t have a land line number and if that number should be dialled with an area code or something and she told me that it can be dialled using my phone and voila, it didn’t work.

Hello Malayan Insurance marketing people, would you mind stop me from blabbering here and will you please email me with something worth my while. I want to cancel MY INSURANCE POLICY with you and I want you to stop charging my credit card because HONESTLY, I AM NOT SATISFIED with the way you deal with your client. I think you need to study and understand more about your INSURANCE POLICY and have your employees attend seminars to know what they needed to do with their work because I think, oh no, I believe they do not know what they are doing.

Friends, if you are thinking of insuring yourself, better stay away from Malayan Insurance. Hmmm, maybe it is okay if you live in Makati or near Makati so you can drag your a** in their office and talk to them face to face when you are making claims, rather than talking with them on the phone. I am paying a small premium every month compared to other insurance policies but just because I am paying a rather small amount doesn’t mean that you will not give me what is due to me.

Indoor Pet Potty Training

If you have been allowing anxiety of potty training to prevent you from bringing a dog or puppy into your life, there is a product available that makes potty training unbelievably easy. This product has far more benefits than simply being an ideal potty training tool. It is an ideal permanent potty option for apartment or condo living situations. The indoor pet potty at ModernPuppies.com is an amazing potty training tool. The Potty Training Pet Apartment (PTPA) they offer comes with an instructional DVD that contains valuable information and instructions. You can read testimonials from satisfied customers that relate their experience with the PTPA. You will notice that some of these testimonials come from people who have easily and successfully trained older puppies and puppy breeds that have a reputation for being difficult to potty train. There are numerous advantages to making a Pet Apartment a regular part of your home. Once you have trained your dog to use the potty apartment, you can leave your dog home while you are at work and not worry about them not having an opportunity or an appropriate place to potty. Puppies need to potty more often than adult dogs and chances are your work schedule can not be adjusted to accommodate their needs. The puppy apartment solves that problem. You will definitely appreciate the benefit of the PTPA during inclement weather. It also keeps you from having to venture out at night to walk your dog so that it can potty outside.

My Baby K’TAN Baby Carrier Prize

I am overjoyed when my prize from Bebengisms’ Baby K’Tan Giveaway arrived at my doorstep. I have been dreaming of owning a baby carrier for so long already but I wasn’t able to buy one for my baby because of two reasons: (1) It is expensive and (2) I don’t know what type I should buy. I have a baby carrier for my first born but it was not comfortable to wear because of the hard materials used (plastic and metals). I only used it I think twice when my baby boy was 1 year old and I didn’t used it with my baby girl anymore.

As what I am saying, I was ecstatic for my new baby carrier from My Baby Dragon who sponsored Bebengism’s Baby K’Tan birthday blow-out. I was elated because Baby K’Tan is comfortable, supportive and so easy to use. I only read the manual once and yes it was so easy like 1-2-3 and voila, I could wear my daughter anywhere we go.

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Baby K’Tan can be worn in 5 positions: (1) newborn kangaroo position (2) hug position (3) adventure position (4) explore position (5) hip position.
Men and women alike can wear their child in this Baby K’Tan baby carrier so no worries for daddies, because they can bond with their child too using this baby carrier.
I am encouraging every parent to buy a Baby K’Tan baby carrier. Trust me; it is the better choice than carrying your child in your arms whole day. Aside from that, it helps develop your bond to your child, at an early age, they start to build up their sense of refuge and trust.

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For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and loses his soul?

St. Francis Xavier was once a young man who cared only for pleasures. He decided to give his life to God after St. Ignatius of Loyola, asked him: ‘what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his own soul?’ (Mark 8:36). St. Francis went on to become a missionary priest in the India and the Far East, converting thousands of people to God. St. Francis is the patron saint of foreign missions.

This is what my RS teachers and FFP teachers in College told me. I am a product of Xavier University and being a Jesuit School, gives them the authority to preach to their students the “Ignatian Way of Life”. I was called to become a KKP-SIP volunteer, and for 3 years I have spend my time with my co-volunteers and I have also joined seminars and retreats to make me strive for more for Christ and for others, or MAGIS.

I don’t know if I have answered this calling, I do not know if I have lived a life worth living for, and I do not know if I was a better person for the past 7 years after I have graduated from that school. I am no way a Saint, I sometimes burst out in anger, I act foolishly, I easily reacts negatively when people says harsh and bad things about me, and instead of turning a blind eye whenever people bullies me, I bully them too. And that makes me a bad person I guess. I have more to learn in life, and I must, again, instill the values and virtues that my teachers have taught me 9 or 10 years ago.

Yes, I may have gain the whole world, but what does it profit me if I lose my soul. I am not perfect, I am just human, and human as possibly that I can be, I need guidance and I need understanding, and I need to learn from my mistakes. I need to forgive and I need to ask for forgiveness. I cannot continue being a blessing to everyone when I cannot be a blessing to the people whom I consider as my enemy.

I will start to open my eyes and my heart, to see and understand people fully. From now on, this is my goal, to learn to accept the things that I cannot change, and to learn how to forgive without being asked to forgive.

Birthday Gift Ideas

My son turned 6 years old last April 20 and though I was not able to prepare for his birthday, he still had a blast. I was so busy last April because my grandmother who lives in Bohol died and we needed to be there for her burial.

And even though it was a last minute preparation, my son still enjoy his birthday party in my cousin’s private resort. We only invited our close friends and relatives and I forgot to buy him a birthday gift. But still, he was overwhelmed by our food preparation that he forgot to ask where his birthday gift is. Actually, the very reason why I wasn’t able to buy a gift for him was that I didn’t know what to buy him anymore. He has a PSP, an iPad, NERF guns, toy cars, hot wheels and match box, scooter, bike and the list goes on and on.

But I know in the future, buying him  birthday gifts will not be a problem anymore, because he is a music lover kind of kid so maybe when he grows up he will still have this love for music. I really hope that he will continue to love singing and that he will learn to play the piano, the drums and the guitars. So that when he grows up, I will need to check on how I can save on fender telecaster. Because I know he will ask for one in his future birthdays to come.

To Brace or Not To Brace?

I have been thinking about this for the longest time already. When I was still in College, I asked my parents to pay for my braces but they said they couldn’t afford it, so I didn’t forced them to pay for it. Two years ago, I have visited my dentist and I have thought of having braces again but then, he told me that pregnant women are not allowed to have their teeth braced so I obliged.

Last week, I went to my dentist and finally he gave me a paper with “Patient Instructions” and contract written on it and told me that I need to think it over. Because having braces is a 2-years contract and he told me that I really need to visit him every month for that 2 years contract.

Here, let me share with you with what was written in the “Patient Instructions”

  1. FIRST MONTH: This is the most difficult time of orthodontic treatment. The teeth can be sore as well as the inside of the lips. Paracetamol and a soft diet help greatly. Orthodontic wax can be helpful also, but should only be used if a sore develops on the soft tissue. If wax is used in areas that are only tender, then tissue will not toughen up.
  2. DIET: Avoid hard or sticky foods. Hard foods as ice, nuts, corn chips, French bread, can break or loosen the braces. Sticky foods such as gums, chewy candy can bend or pull the braces off. For each bracket is knocked-off, treatment is extended for another one month. Apples, corn on the cob, pizza, etc, must be cut up and eaten using a fork.
  3. Oral Hygiene: Having braces requires extra effort to keep teeth and gums clean. The braces tend to trap more plaque and food, so extra time is required for brushing and flossing to avoid cavities or de-calcified marks on the teeth. Special attention must be paid to the gum line areas to avoid inflammation and swelling on the gums. Poor oral hygiene can lead to longer treatment time as well as poor treatment results.
  4. RUBBER BANDS: Anytime the doctor ask for rubber band wear, cooperation is important. The bands must be worn full-time, including school and sleeping. They should be taken out only for meals and replacing with new band after every meal. Part-time wear will result in no movement of teeth. This would lead to longer treatment or poor results.
  5. LOOSE BAND or BROKEN BRACES: If a bracket or band comes loose, it can usually wait till the next appointment for replacement. If it is causing discomfort, call the office for instruction – if wax does not provide comfort should a wire become bent by food and cause discomfort, try using orthodontic wax. If no success, call the office for instruction. Good hygiene and proper diet will greatly reduce the number of loose brackets and bands and bent wires.

I have read these 5 instructions over and over again and I guess, I will pay the 1/4 cash down payment tomorrow. I know that it is quite hard at first but I guess I need to endure it so that I could have that “perfect smile”.

Have you had braces? Was it hard for you? Did you complete your 2 years contract?

To Mount or Not To Mount

Having flat screen televisions are the best decoration in your humble abode. After buying that flat screen television you have always wanted, the next thing you need to think about is whether to mount or not to mount it. If you will not mount it, the flat screen television will occupy space in your floor or in your living area, if you have a small home, having to mount it is the right decision.

Your home theater will not be complete without flat mounts for your home , you need to mount your flat screen television to save up on space, to be able to have a good view of the movie you are watching and to be able to make your living room area more modern.

Exercise Your Right to Vote

Exercise your right to vote. Nobody has the power to take away your right. It is Your Right and will always be Your right to choose who among the candidates for elections are suitable to make our nation a better place.

Last Monday, May 13, 2013 I have exercised my right to vote. Though we needed to vote for 12 Senators, I only voted for 4. I showed my country that my vote counts and that I have chosen the people who I believe have the power to bring more progress in my country and in my city.

I am showing my dirty finger, just like any other instagram users here in my blog as a way of showing to the world that sometimes it pays to be active.
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