Monthly Archives: June 2010

City Garden Suites’ wedding reception set up

Posted by wandergirl on June 30, 2010 2 comments

In one of our first ocular visits of City Garden Suites Manila, hubby and I were lucky enough to take a peek of their function rooms being set up for a wedding. It was the Lilac and Lavander rooms that were being dolled up then to accommodate a hundred guests.

sneak peek of the Lavander Room

And because guests may almost  always balloon on the last minute of your RSVP, the Lilac and Lavander rooms were also the same venues we were eying for to accommodate our guests on our event when we decided to book with them.

staged couple's table

The couple’s table on the other hand can only be set up in two ways. One facing the reception entrance door, while the other one is at the far end of the venue. We decided to go with the first set up to give everyone a better view of us, and an illusion of a fully-maximized spaces in between table set up.

3-tiered cake you get for free if you book 100 guests

buffet table

Part of CGS’s wedding package freebies if you book for a 100 guests are bridal car, 3-layered fondant cake, chocolate fountain, bubble machine, etc. On our end though, this part has been miscommunicated to us when we booked for our reception, and they had to remove the 3-layered fondant cake and bridal car by the time we were ready to pay for the 50% downpayment.

I think I have blogged about this on a previous entry. And just last week, before we paid for the remaining balance we had to make sure the free bubble machine and chocolate fountain initially offered to us are still intact with our package.

Bottom line is, we should have had everything well documented since the first time we had pre-booking. This is to avoid last minute changes on the vendor’s side and to make sure couples are well covered with their claims.

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City Garden Suites’ wedding package menu

Posted by wandergirl on June 25, 2010 36 comments

Finally, hubby and I were done with the food tasting last weekend at City Garden Suites Manila. Just a recap, we availed their Lavander wedding package and there are three (3) sets of menu for this package which we reviewed prior coming up with our final buffet menu.

What I like about their buffet wedding packages is that they consist of atleast five (5) main dish, two (2) salad choices, two (2) types of desserts, and a bottomless iced tea.

For the salad, we selected the Ham and Cheese pasta salad…

Ham and Cheese salad

Whereas for the five hot dish, we made sure we have pork, beef, seafood, chicken, and some veggies.

Pork Barbecued Spareribs

Seafood Salpicao

Beef Stew “ Filipino Style”

Herbed Roast Chicken au Jus

Buttered Vegetables

And for the pasta, there were the common choices of carbonara and spaghetti, thus, we opted for something more different which is the Ziti al Pesto Crema.

Ziti al Pesto Crema

We didn’t get to have a sample of the desserts but that’s fine. I guess the main dishes were the most favored here during wedding reception, since a lot of times people are already way too full by the time they’re ready for some sweets. :-)

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Down with colds…

Posted by wandergirl on June 24, 2010 None comments

Stress and the changing weather must have taken their toll in my health recently after symptoms of colds struck me and is exhausting me down for the last 4 days already. It started with a stuffy nose, sore throat, and then followed by dry coughs. Yet, this hasn’t prevented me from reporting to work, especially now that I am at the near end rendering my 30-day resignation notice.

My father advised me to drink freshly-squeezed lemon juice with a tablespoon of honey to relieve the discomfort, which I did. And somehow, it helped relieve the discomfort I am feeling.

But what worried me a lot was when my daughter started showing the same symptoms in just a matter of two days being with me. The thought that it could trigger her asthma attack once more scares me a lot that I have to constantly remind my husband to frequently monitor her condition.

At first, I misdiagnosed myself with flu because of the similar symptoms, except for fever which, thank God, I did not experience at all. Just to give myself some peace of mind about my health and my daughter’s I did some Google search and found very helpful information on how to distinguish whether what you are having is flu or colds.

Symptoms Cold Flu
Fever Rare Characteristic, high
(100-102 degrees F); lasts three to four days
Headache Rare Prominent
General Aches, Pains Slight Usual; often severe
Fatigue, Weakness Quite mild Can last up to two to three weeks
Extreme Exhaustion Never Early and prominent
Stuffy Nose Common Sometimes
Sneezing Usual Sometimes
Sore Throat Common Sometimes
Chest Discomfort,
Cough		 Mild to moderate;
hacking cough		 Common; can become severe
Complications Sinus congestion
or earache		 Bronchitis, pneumonia;
can be life-threatening
Prevention Good hygiene Annual flu shot or FluMist
Treatment Only
temporary
relief of symptoms		 Antiviral drugs (Tamiflu or
or Relenza) within 24-48 hours
of onset
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How to apply for a personal loan with BDO

Posted by wandergirl on June 24, 2010 6 comments

I have been a long time depositor of Banco de Oro, but it was only two months ago when I decided to try applying for a personal loan with them. The reason: I needed the money to pay off my share in my upcoming wedding.

Prior my application though, I made sure to review the details posted on their corporate website to ensure whether or not I’d qualify, and at the same time prepare the required documents.

Being with my current company for more than three years already and earning more than the minimum individual income required by BDO, I was confident to give it a try. And here’s what I did:

1.Make sure to asses first if you have good transaction relationship with your bank. Whether it is with BDO or any other bank, ask yourself if you have a consistent and growing savings record with them. If you have an existing loan from a different bank or owns a credit card, make sure you are not a delinquent payer. Whereas, if you do not have any savings account yet, better open one first and build a good savings records for months before you even think of applying for a personal loan.

2.If you are confident that you pass your own personal assessment of your financial standing, then go to your nearest Banco De Oro branch and secure a copy of the Personal Loans application form.

3.Fill-out the form legibly and make sure all details are true and accurate.

4.If you are a salaried employee, gather your copies of ITR, recent 1-month payslip, a photocopy of 2 valid IDs, and your COE (Certificate of Employment), which I would suggest you request to your employer prior you fill-out the application form as this may take time to get released.

5.Submit the documents to your nearest BDO branch.

Yep, that easy. And when you have been approved (typically takes between 2-3 weeks) for your applied loans, your next goal is to make sure that you pay diligently on your monthly dues to avoid being penalized with late charges. Likewise, this will build you a very good credit standing and will get you better chances of renewing your loans soon as you are able to pay half of your chosen terms.

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Chinatrust salary stretch loan vs. BDO personal loan

Posted by wandergirl on June 24, 2010 26 comments

I have first-hand experience in both of these banks when it comes to loans application. And I am also lucky enough to have been approved by them, respectively.

I tried Chinatrust salary stretch loan a year ago and started with a minimal amount. It was a very affordable start with a very affordable monthly due. And given my work in the call center, I did not have a hard time paying for my obligations with them.

As with BDO personal loan, I only started with them two months ago, and so far, I am not yet faltering with my payments.

But in perspective, which of the two is indeed better in terms of payment options, transaction convenience, and interest rates?

Personally, I cannot say the other is better than the other. But based on my experience, let me give you some points to ponder.

PAYMENT OPTIONS. Chinatrust requires submission of post-dated checks regardless what method you select on how you want to pay for your monthly dues. They accept over-the-counter payment thru their bank or even thru LBC, but again, issuance of post-dated checks will be required before you claim your loaned amount.

BDO, on the other hand, does not require this. You may choose to pay over-the-counter, via savings deductions if you have personal savings with them, or checks.

PAYMENT TERMS. Chinatrust only has 12, 18, 24, and 36 payment terms, while BDO has available options for 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months of payment terms.

BRANCH LOCATIONS. Chinatrust has very limited branches, though you can opt to pay via the nearest LBC which has hundreds of branches around Metro Manila. Whereas, BDO branches can be found in almost every nook and corner of the city and/or malls, and their banking hours is more flexible.

PROCESSING FEE. Chinatrust’s processing fee is P1,500, while BDO gets P1,300. This processing fee is deducted from your loan proceeds.

INTEREST RATES. Chinatrust can offer as low as 1.39%, while BDO can offer as low as 1.25%. Personally though, I like that BDO has this Interest Rate table on their website that allows you to calculate your monthly dues based on the terms selected accurately. In fact, when you fill-out their application form, you will be required to indicate the loan amount multiplied with the factor rate, and the monthly dues.

Chinatrust though has this loan calculator on their website, however, there is also a disclaimer that would say “rates may change.” Hence, you’d know your actual dues by the time they hand out the documents to sign once approved. Not sure though if you can ask them to do the math before you submit your application to know the loanable amount that would works best for you. But again, it won’t hurt to ask.

So there, I hope that helps a bit. Again, this is only based on my own experience with both banks, and to which I’d say are good experiences with them respectively. Up to you which one would work best for you.

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Job interview with Capital IQ

Posted by wandergirl on June 18, 2010 9 comments

Nearly a month ago, I have officially submitted my resignation letter  which indicated an effectivity date of June 27. It was probably the most critical decision I made in the last four years of my working life. But I’d like to think it’s also the best because it gave me the license to start applying to other BPO companies.

Oh yes, and first stop was with Capital IQ. After initiating my interest thru Jobstreet, I was lucky to get an appointment for an initial interview, assessment exam, and final intereview with the hiring manager, all in one day.

I arrived at their Rockwell Business Center office an hour ahead of my schedule on Wednesday, and as expected there were already four people waiting to get interviewed before me. I was applying for the QA and Vendor Supervisor position, and while I was contemplating whether or not I would still be asked to take an exam, I didn’t notice that my palms were getting a little sweaty.

To ease myself a bit, I fished out a John Grisham novel I brought with me and read a few pages until I heard my name called by an HR personnel for the initial interview.

The initial interview covered the basics and usual questions like:

  • Tell me something about yourself that’s not in your resume.
  • Why are you leaving your present company?
  • How much is your current salary?
  • How much is your expected salary?
  • What is your major contribution to your program?

Somehow the initial interview made me feel a little more comfortable and before I knew it, I was being told that in a minute or two I’d be going to take the assessment exam, which would consist of behavioral questions, some number series, abstract, and logical questions.

After completing the exam in about an hour, I was endorsed to the hiring manager for the final interview, which lasted for about 30 minutes or so. It was very a productive day, and I do hope that all companies would have the same policy of maximizing one-day application process.

Meanwhile, because they still have pending applications to finish by the end of the week, I was told that if and when I’d be included in the shortlisted applicants, I’d be given a call for further instructions. I am not expecting too much at this point, but I’d have to say that I did have a good experience with the way they handled my application.

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Finding the Perfect Template for Your Blog

Posted by wandergirl on June 8, 2010 5 comments

Don’t you just love it when after months and months of searching the Net, you finally find the right template for your blog? The one that would elicit “oohs” and “aahs” from your visitors and would eventually make them ask where you got your blog’s beautiful template.

Today while checking out other blogs I stumbled upon Freewordpressthemes4u and I couldn’t help but be amused by the number of gorgeous blog skins you can download for free. Here are my top picks so far:

blond_macbook

pink_spring

tabletop_stuff

everyday_journaling

See, when you are into blogging, it really pays a lot to have an appealing template because it’s usually what lures your visitors into reading your post and navigating to other pages of the blog. So choose the best there is. :-)

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WeReward now available for iPhone

Posted by wandergirl on June 4, 2010 None comments

NOTE: This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

When my husband bought his iPhone, I never really understood why he had to spend that much just for a mobile phone. Of course, I later learned it’s not just a mobile phone you can use to send SMS or call friends, or even connect to the world wide web. In fact, it’s more than what I thought it was when I was slowly learning how to use and enjoy it, especially the various applications that goes with it.

Speaking of iPhone applications, early this morning I was browsing the web while on a free time at work and I happen to come across another interesting application for iPhones called WeReward, a new mobile application that lets you earn points and cash, all at the same time.

Chops

To find out more about this application, simply go to WeReward.com. From there you may Download the App and be one of the first to try it.

This mobile application is guaranteed easy-to-use once able to download it from an iTune store thru your iPhone, and then link it to any of your social networking account, say Twitter or Facebook. Now if you’re guessing whether or not earning points in this application can get quite complicated, then hear this out: points can be earned either via check ins or completing a task. What’s more, you can also get points via referrals.

Below is a great video I’d like to share to better understand how WeReward works, and believe me, when you’re done watching it you’d find another good reason to stick to your beloved iPhone.


Visit my sponsor: WeReward for iPhone

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Barnes & Noble Quick Service Delivery

Posted by wandergirl on June 2, 2010 None comments

A little over two weeks ago I have written about my first-ever shopping experience with Barnes&Noble, and expressed my elation with how fast they shipped my order.

Finally, the long wait is over! I now have claimed the book in a local post office facility, which according to their records got delivered on May 28.

my package from Barnes & Noble

Now I remember when my husband, Nel, purchased me a book through Amazon, and it took over a month before I received a notice from our local post office that it’s all ready to get claimed. So I was just about to expect I’d be waiting that long for this one too, but surprisingly, it turned out quick and well.

Overall, I am impressed. And I’m surely gonna leave a nice feedback on their website because they’ve got one happy customer here ;-)

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