On Charice Pempengco

There are so many articles, posts, comments or what-nots on the shining star that is Charice, but mine is just a short tribute to this unassuming girl who has gone a long way since she was a winner (second place) in a national singing contest titled Little Big Star. She has been dubbed by the popular Oprah Winfrey “the most talented girl in the world.” She is a pride to the Philippines, and a model child to other children on the way she has struggled to help her family. She is surely a pride and a jewel to her mother.

The chain of circumstances leading to her discovery in the YouTube could be a proof of God’s guiding hand in her life. Her recent landing in the realm of America’s entertainment world, especially in her recent participation in Glee, a 20th Century FOX musical sitcom at the Paramount Studios in Hollywood, has catapulted her to a higher level in her singing career. Whatever the villain people say of her, I still commend her and be on her side, let’s give this blessed girl a chance to reach the peak of her destiny. Godspeed, Charice!

The Sound of Music cast in Oprah show

I have not been born yet that time when this movie was shown, but as through the years this has been loved by the public, I was able to watch it just the same. Many are thrilled to know that the entire cast of this very popular 1965 Academy Award-winning movie musical “The Sound of Music” will guest the “The Oprah Winfrey Show” on Friday, Oct. 29 (though Julie Andrews will not sing there). It brings to memory the hills resounding the classic songs of “My Favorite Things” and “Do Re Mi”, and the singing Maria, the governess, played by Julie Andrews. If you have not been familiar with the story of the musical, you better click this site for an idea: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059742/synopsis.

Real estate or gold?

Real estate is one asset which appreciates in value as time passes, but its disadvantage is that it cannot be disposed of right away, or it cannot be easily turned into cash. Gold always appreciates in value, it never depreciates, and aside from that, it can be stored in convenient size and shape. It secures the purchasing power of a person,, and preserves his wealth. Versatile gold indeed! It is available also in coins or gold bullion; one can just choose which one he likes to invest in. So why don’t you buy gold? Or a choice could be another precious metal, like silver or platinum. All of these are handled expertly by the United States Gold Bureau.

Calamities all over the world

Earthquakes, typhoons, flooding and landslides – even forest fires! -  in recent years have killed many people, sometimes families, leaving tens of thousands homeless and causing billions of dollars in damage.

In the Philippines, we can recall the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, which volcano had been in slumber for 500 years, until 1991, when it erupted as “the second largest volcanic eruption of this century and by far the largest eruption to affect a densely populated area”.

In Japan and China, and even in Indonesia, the earthquakes and tsunamis were very devastating. And now, a recent calamity is the one in a Mexico landslide with dead and missing people.

Are these the signs of the times? Could be. They have to come anyway, but our hope there is, as children of God, we are assured of His protection; we should not fear. 

Terrorist attacks in Europe?

There could have been, had it not been foiled. “Militants based in Pakistan had been planning simultaneous strikes in London and major cities in France and Germany, Britain’s Sky News television reported, citing intelligence sources.”

Intelligence-sharing between London, France, Germany and the US, and their cooperation had led to the plot being uncovered and severely disrupted.

“The report of the foiled plot came on the same day the Eiffel Tower in Paris was evacuated following the second bomb threat at the landmark in a month and amid official warnings in France of an imminent terrorist attack.” – so the report says.

A status symbol?

Men use many of what they wear as a status symbol, like designer shirts, pants, bags, portfolio, to mention a few. It could also be their shoes or belt, or a mansion or a fully-loaded car. Or it could be a watch like the Ulysse Nardin Macho Palladium. This watch is 50-meter water resistant, has an exhibition case back, and itself is a certified chronometer. It has a 43×40.5mm case, blue dial, and a palladium bracelet with deployant buckle. Additional features are an automatic movement with date, sub seconds, and power reserve indication at 12pm. Would you not like to be gifted with one? Ahhh for men only. Are they not thinking of having a female counterpart?

A clean-up!

Another good news from the administration of President Noynoy (Philippine president Benigno S. Aquino III): “President Benigno Aquino III has lined up 26 cases set to be filed against suspected tax evaders and smugglers, in line with his campaign promise to clean up the system.”

A case has already been filed against a pawnshop owner who has been found out to be very deficient in his tax payments. It is expected that 110 billion will be saved by the government from these tax evaders! THAT much??? How shameful for them! God bless the Philippines, please free us Lord from all these crocodiles!

Jobs for the jobless

President Noynoy Aquino III has come home from the United States with a good news: that he has secured $2.4 billion from the “wealthiest nation in the world” in new investments, which would create about 43,000 new jobs in the country. It’s very uplifting to hear, and majority of the people are looking forward to its fulfillment. If you don’t know, the Philippines is very hopeful in the outcome of the presidency of this son of two “heroes” of Philippine democracy. In fact the economy is slow but surely rising as more and more businessmen trust that this young president can overcome, even if not totally maybe, much of corruption in big government transactions.

For beauty’s sake

Beauty and wellness are very “in” nowadays. Beauty schools therefore are better options for a person who is inclined to dab a person’s face with activities or products to beautify it: Cosmetology, Hair, Makeup, Nails, Fashion, to mention some. Yeah, beauty in general is good business. An added factor is the innovative approach of Regency Beauty Institute. They train their students to provide high-quality, salon services at lower or discounted prices to the public under the supervision of the faculty who are experts in the field. With this method, everyone is benefited: the students, the public, the faculty, and the school in general. In fact, the beauty school is now the fastest growing school of its kind in the whole of the United States.

 *“This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com.

The Pag-ibig Fund

Another government agency that is a sort of parallel to the SSS is the Pag-ibig, or the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF). With the strength of a republic act (#9679), it is a mutual provident savings system suitable to the needs of the employed and other earning groups, established to motivate the members to plan for their future, and to provide for their housing needs, among others. It offers low interest for housing loans to members. This has a mandatory membership for:

Employers and employees who should be covered by the SSS and the GSIS;

Uniformed members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and the Philippine National Police;

Filipinos employed by foreign-based employers, whether they are deployed here or abroad or a combination thereof.

On SSS contributions

Talking of SSS (Social Security System), it’s beneficial for a person to be a member so that in his old age, there would be an amount that he can look forward to receive every month. If one is not an employee, he can apply for voluntary membership, and pay the corresponding amount as per their tabulation, which could serve as a guide in choosing what amount to start. It’s sad that many members do not give much attention to their SSS contributions, then realize when it’s already late that they have no pension to receive. A rule is to complete the 120 contributions or else, one is not qualified for a monthly pension when age 60 comes. For those who have an SSS number, they can opt to continue paying the contributions up to the required number of months, but for those who have reached age 65, and have no SSS number even if they have been working, they cannot anymore apply for membership even for a voluntary one. 

An online gold promo

Trying to look for investment? Why not try gold. Ever since time immemorial, people have been fascinated by gold for its beauty and magic. The United States Gold Bureau, which handles all transactions relating to gold coins or bullions for the United States government, is now offering a promotional price for their gold bullion if you buy online. An internet special offer indeed: buy at dealers cost. A plus to that is the guaranty of the United States government, so your transaction is safe and secure. Aside from that, the bureau has competent and expert professionals to assist you in your purchase from the time of inquiry, and even to the after-sales.

Requirements of data changes in SSS part 2

Here are more of the documents you in to submit in the absence of the primary documents:

(1) Certificate of loss/non-availability thereof from the Local Civil Registrar of the place where you were born and the Parish Priest of the locality where you were baptized, and (2) any of two of the following secondary documents that show your correct name and date of birth or age:

a. record of employment (accomplished upon employment)
b. GSIS member’s record (if member is also a gov’t employee)
c. certification from the national archives
d. alient certificate of registration (ACR)
e. marriage contract of member
f. birth certificates of children
g. school records
h. passport
i. joint affidavit of two disinterested persons attesting to the fact of your birth.

Take note!!!  Your request for data changes should be supported by the original/certified true copy and photocopy of the documents mentioned in my previous post.

In my case, I need to show them the original copy of my birth certificate which I failed to bring.  I don’t want to spend time standing in queue in NSO to get a certified true copy so I’ll just do it on my next vacation in Bacolod.  I’m in no rush anyway.

I hope the information will help you in having a smooth transaction with SSS.  Good luck friends!

Requirements of data changes in SSS

The past weeks I’ve been going to Social Security Systems (SSS), Bacolod to comply with the requirements for the change of civil status. I didn’t expect this simple task of submitting my documents can be such a hassle.  I’ve been to the office three times already, and still didn’t make it.

Okay, okay… To save you the trouble, I’m giving you the checklist of requirements if you want to change your civil status, if you have correction of date of birth, name or add or change dependents or beneficiary/ies:

1. For correction of name you will need:
Birth or baptismal certificate or in the absence of both, any two of the secondary documents enumerated *below, and Affidavit of two persons who have personal knowledge of the fact that the name appearing in the primary or secondary documents belongs to the same person.

2. For correction of date of birth:
Birth or baptismal certificate or in the absence of both, any two of the secondary documents enumerated *below.

3. Change of civil status:
Marriage Certificate of member.

4. New/Additional/Change of dependent(s)/beneficiary(ies):
Birth or baptismal certificate of the children to be reported.

* will follow in the succeeding post.  Time to take a break!

The value of gold in governments

Governments use gold to secure the paper notes they release, used by the citizens as their money. For the corresponding value, there is an equivalent gold safely deposited in bullion, cast in convenient size and shape for ease in keeping. They are doing their best to take care of their stockpiles of gold and silver, and to service their market, as world demand for these precious metals are exceeding annual production.

Take as an example the United States Gold Bureau. They hire competent, dedicated professionals to handle the precious metals investment needs of their customers, which could also be governments, aside from individuals, as gold continue to captivate people by its magic and beauty.

Freebies for your phones!

You’ve got this song playing over and over in your head which you’d like to have as a ringtone in your mobile phone.  So how do you do that?  There are many sites that allow users to turn their music, photos and animations into ringtones and graphics! No software needed, no fees involved, no subscriptions, no spam text messages… sounds too good to be true right?  You just have to believe it. Try and you’ll see how you can upload your favorite photos and song to your mobile phone. Just google for free ringtones, and you are on your way to make your own personalized graphics and ringtones!  The best things in life are free!

I’ve got mail!

Do you get advertising mails in your mailbox?  I do!  I fact I get them everyday in my mail.  I bet most email users do too. Companies are very aggressive in their email marketing huh.  They probably use an email marketing software or service so they can simplify their marketing campaign and deliver messages with ease. 

An email marketing service can actually do more than just that.  There are those that can create professional email campaign in only few minutes, they provide mass mailer deliverability, they have the option to choose the time and day to send messages, and they’ve got an efficient email list management.

So when you receive tons of marketing mails in a day from different companies, don’t be surprised how they’re able to do it. 

A better way to invest your money in

People nowadays are investment-conscious, and they look for alternative ways what to do, or where to put their money, instead of saving it in a bank. This traditional way of keeping money is found out to be low yield, and slow moving, though it may be safe.

Others have discovered that to buy gold coins is a much better option, gold being one precious metal that does not depreciate in value, but always appreciates with the passing of time. Real estate could be also an alternative, but there are places in this world where this commodity is scarce. Take as an example the small countries. The population grows but the area of land where they live is constant. There are even places where the government encourages their citizens to invest in gold coins or bullions. Gold is convenient to keep due to its size and shape. It’s also easier to turn into cash in times of dire need.