What I Like about BDO Credit Cards (2021 Review)

Banco De Oro (BDO) is my main bank -- I have a savings account and two credit cards with them. BDO is also the first bank to send me a credit card -- one which I did not apply for. This the reason why I decided to write a review about their credit cards.

How I Got My BDO Credit Cards

I think if you have a savings account with BDO, the chances of them sending you a BDO credit card are higher. This was what happened with my Standard Master Card. The credit card just happened to come in the mail without me applying for it.

As for my Bench Mastercard, I applied for this inside a Bench store. It was offered to me by the cashier and I just filled out an application form, showed them my valid IDs, and then I waited for their approval. I don't remember receiving a text/email from them, but the credit card was just sent to my home address. I guess a huge factor in the approval of my application is the fact that I already have a savings account and an existing credit card with BDO.

For the application requirements, you may visit the BDO website to check: 

BDO Standard Mastercard

BDO Bench Mastercard

What I like about BDO Credit Cards

• BDO Mastercards are widely accepted/known in the Philippines. Also, most credit card terminals in malls are from BDO (especially in SM malls).
• BDO credit cards always have promos and installment plans which you can pay in 3, 6, 12, 24, or even 36 months with 0% interest. They are also always partnered with various merchants, like appliance stores, clothing boutiques, electronic shops, etc.
• One thing that I really like about BDO credit cards it their "buy now pay later" offer. Once you purchase something, you will be billed at a later time, which is usually on the third billing statement. This feature gives you a chance to settle your previous balances first and then prepare enough cash to pay for the new installment plan.
• I also like that it's easier to pay my credit cards through online banking since my savings account is with BDO as well.
• You can also use your BDO credit cards to auto charge your utilities, like for example, your electricity, water, and postpaid phone bills.

Things I Won't Buy to Save Money

I learned about financial freedom from my former boss when I was 20 years old. That was over a decade ago, but only just recently have I truly learned the best practices to achieve financial freedom. It's better late than never, I guess! But the sooner you realize that saving money will save you, the better.

One way to achieve financial freedom, of course, is to be wise about your spending in order to save money. This year, I've decided that I will give up some things that I consider "luxuries" in order to save some cash.

1. Expensive skin care products

Most influencers push different skin care products -- there's the 10-step Korean skin care, the 7-step glass skin routine, etc. But how many expensive products do you really have to apply on your skin at night? How about in the morning? After realizing the cost of these influencer skin care products, my mind is blown. They're so expensive! And you have to buy at least 5 products (10 if you're following the 10-step routine) to have healthy, glass-like, poreless skin.

Since I want to save money, I decided to only keep my facial wash. If I'm feeling bougie, I'd put on some toner, moisturizer, and sun block. But most of the time, I skip these as well because I sweat a lot and these products make me feel sticky and uncomfortable once they're mixed with my sweat.

Veega Meat-free Burger Patty (Review)

I am a living proof that quarantine weight gain is real. For the past six months of quarantine, I gained a total of 15 lbs. My average weight used to be 125 lbs and currently, I'm at 140 lbs.

I admit, I lost control over my diet and it doesn't help that the gym I'm going to closed down because of the pandemic. The weight gain has affected my health and has brought about insecurities. Given my depressing state, I decided to rectify the problem and start correcting my unhealthy eating habits.

To jumpstart my weight loss journey, I decided to stock up on healthy food. At the grocery store nearby, I saw my plant-based friend's recommendation — VEEGA products. Veega is the plant-based (vegetarian) food line of San Miguel Foods. First on my list of Veega products to try is their meat-free burger patty.

Ever Bilena Power Paint Multi-use Color Cream (Chiffon)

Buy it here!

I just recently made a review of the new EB Advance Power Paint Multi-use Color Cream in the shade Chiffon (YT video here) and here are my thoughts about it.

At first, one may have an impression that the new EB Advance Power Paint Multi-use Color Cream is a dupe of the Glossier Cloud Paint because the component and appearance of both products are very similar. However, after trying the newest EB product, i realized they are very different in terms of consistency and pigmentation.

Careline Multi Pot (Abracadabra) Review

Before the pandemic happened, I have been wanting to buy a cream blush for myself. I particularly wanted something practical, like a multi-use makeup product, so I searched for the cheapest all-in-one cream makeup product in Watsons and found the Careline Multi Pot.

 

 Buy this product here!

The Careline Multi Pot retails for Php 165 and has three shades: Abracadabra, Head Over Heels, and Magic Spell. I got Abracadabra which is a berry shade and is perfect for that drunk-blush effect. 

I made a YouTube video about this product, but in this blog, I'm breaking down my thoughts about it for you.

Product Info:

• Distrubuted by Ever Bilena Cosmetics

• Has 2.2 grams of product

• Expires 24 months after opening

• It is cruelty free and paraben free

Wagyu cubes are overhyped.

There, I said it. 

I had high expectations from wagyu cubes because I always see my friends post about their wagyu dishes on my Facebook news feed. It's also expensive, so I really thought it is something promising.

For my boyfriend's birthday, I order one kilogram of premium wagyu cubes from my high school friend and I paid PhP 1,500 for it. For that steep price, I expected it to be mind blowing and delicious. I was so excited to cook this dish for our mini celebration and thought it would be best to pair it with marble potatoes and buttered vegetables.

So I defrosted the frozen wagyu cubes first and cooked it the way I would cook steak — with butter and garlic basting.

By the time we tasted the dish, we were really disappointed to find out that wagyu cubes are not premium beef cubes at all. Rather, they are processed beef cubes. The "meat" did not even absorb the butter-garlic basting. It was just like diced unsalted luncheon meat. We did not enjoy the dish. I felt kind of sad that my boyfriend even requested to open a can of Spanish sardines because he wasn't a fan of the wagyu cubes.

Is it just me? Or is there somebody else who shares the same sentiments? Let me know! 

   

TOUGH TIMES NEVER LAST

TOUGH PEOPLE DO

★ HAPPIDEZZ

Bohol Countryside Tour

For our birthday celebration in October 2018, I decided to bring my family to Bohol. I've visited this place in 2009, but had not really explored the beaches, so I made sure to visit Panglao beaches during this visit. For this post, let me share with you what went down during our first day which happens to be the Bohol Countryside Tour.

We woke up early in the morning, had breakfast, and waited for our contact, Kuya Jundy. We rented his car for the day and he also served as our tour guide. Here are all the places we visited, in chronological order.

HINAGDANAN CAVE
Entrance fee: P50 per pax
This tourist attraction is the closest to the place we were staying in, so this is the first stop of our Bohol countryside tour. This cave has a natural lake which is said to have miraculous water. According to our guide, meron daw 80-year-old na lumangoy sa tubig ng lawa at pag-ahon nya, MIRACLE, 40 years old na lang sya! Haha! Our guide was so funny! He made the visit more interesting and fun.

Quick Quiapo & Binondo Food Trip

Chinese food has got to be one of my favorite cuisines. So when I had the chance to go to Manila, I took the opportunity to have a quick food trip in Binondo. But for our first order of business, Ronnie and I prioritized going to Quiapo Church to say our prayers and thank the Lord for all the blessing He has showered upon us. Quiapo Church is home to the Black Nazarene, so it really is worthy of a visit. But apart from the religious aspect, Quiapo is also visited for different reasons: camera shopping, beads & crafting materials shopping, cellphone accessories shopping, ukay-ukay shopping, etc. So after mass, we received the priest's final blessing and then Ronnie and I began our walkathon. 

First Stop: Mr. Ube

We first dropped by Mr. Ube, an Eng Bee Tin food boutique, to buy my favorite custard hopia. But to my surprise, the boutique also offers dimsum and rice meals so I immediately ordered xiao long bao because I've been craving for it since forever! One order of xiao long bao is worth P120 and each serving has 5 pieces of tasty dumplings. It was so satisfying! I would have gotten another order but we didn't want to be filled at the first stop.

Get a Massage and Help the Blind at the Same Time!

This is Ate Vangie, ang masahista ko from VIBES Massage Services, SM Fairview branch. Nagpaalam talaga akong magpa-picture sa kanya kasi sobrang na-amaze ako sa kanya. She is visually impaired. But despite her disability, she works hard to earn a living.

First time ko magpa-masahe sa bulag. Tahimik syang pumasok sa massage room. Naka-shades. Ang una nyang tinanong sa akin, "Anong masakit sayo ma'am?" Sinabi ko agad na masakit yung likod ko. Maliit at payat lang syang babae pero talagang minasahe nya ng husto yung likod ko. At nang matapos na sya, panay ang tanong nya kung okay na ba at kung masakit pa rin ba ang likod ko. Ramdam ko yung concern nya at talagang ginawa nya ang lahat ng makakaya nya para mawala yung sakit na iniinda ko.

How I Lost Weight by Intermittent Fasting

RELATED POSTS: 

5 Compelling Reasons to Exercise & Lose Weight

Boxing for Weight Loss: A Beginner's Guide to Boxing Workouts

My weight loss journey did not start with dieting. In fact, going on a diet was never part of my plan. Hello, food is lifest noh! I just wanted to improve my physical fitness by to going back to the gym. So while my fitness was improving significantly, my weight loss was progressing abysmally. I realized that somehow, it's such a waste to be working so hard at the gym if I'm not really seeing concrete results. So in January 2018, I decided to skip dinner as an attempt to lessen my calorie intake. That time, I did not know that what I was doing was already Intermittent Fasting.

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting is actually not a diet. It is an eating pattern or a cycle wherein you divide your day into two: eating/feasting hours and non-eating/fasting hours. It does not restrict you of what food to eat; rather, it only tells you when you should eat.

Unlimited Korean Bbq at Samgyupsalamat Don Antonio

According to their website, Samgyupsalamat, which is a portmanteau from the words Samgyupsal (pork belly) and Salamat (thank you), literally means "Thank you for eating Samgyupsal."

Located at 54 Holy Spirit Drive, Brgy. Holy Spirit, Quezon City, Philppines, Samgyupsalamat Don Antonio is fairly easy to find, especially if you have a car and Waze. But if you're commuting from Philcoa, just take a bus/fx/jeepney ride going to Fairview, alight at Ever Gotesco Mall Commonwealth, and take the overpass to cross over to the other side where there's a tricycle terminal. Tell manong driver to take you to Samgyupsalamat, just before Puregold Supermarket.

The restaurant is at the second floor so you might miss it, but here's a photo of its building for your reference.

What to expect?

At first, I was hesitant to try out the Don Antonio branch because most Facebook reviews say that the place is filthy, smoky, and oily; and that the staff were not very friendly. But once we were there, I can say that the owners took the criticisms on Facebook constructively and made ways to improve their services. The place was clean (no signs of slippery and oily floors and windows), spacious, but still smoky because it is a korean bbq resto after all. What's good though is that they installed industrial fans to improve circulation. Lastly, the staff was friendly, attentive, and efficient.

Common Misconceptions about Girls Who Lift

I go to a bakal gym where most evenings, I'm the only girl working out. Once in a while, there'd be titas and mumshies who also workout. Some friendly titas would engage in friendly chitchats with me. And what should you expect from chatty titas? The giving of unsolicited comments, pieces of advice, and uneducated remarks about my workout program. Lol! But let me be clear about this: people who are not well-informed, not just titas in the gym, tend to give uneducated remarks about girls who lift. Here are ridiculous things people say about girls who lift and other misconceptions.

1. "Sige ka, lalaki ka nang husto. Magmumukha kang lalake."
This has to be the most common misconception I often hear! While this is 100% possible and workable, it is not my goal to become a hardcore bodybuilder and I do not intend to have a manly built like the girl in the photo, Nataliya Kuznetsova. She eats, trains HARD, and takes supplements to achieve that physique. She even openly talks about using anabolic steroids so she could transform her body that way. But that's HER body goal.

Boxing for Weight Loss: A Beginner's Guide to Boxing Workouts

After establishing that there are indeed compelling reasons for me to start working out and losing weight, I had to decide on my action plan. The first thing that popped in my mind was to get back to boxing.

Related: 5 Compelling Reasons to Exercise and Lose Weight

I had an on-and-off relationship with boxing. I first tried it out in 2012 at Elorde but stopped in 2013. I got back in 2014, but stopped once again in 2015 until 2017. These years were part of my sedentary lifestyle phase when I began to gain weight, had poor physical fitness, and experienced various health issues.

In July 2017, I resurrected my old boxing gloves and came back to Elorde Lagro where I had a coach whose teaching style I got accustomed to. Unfortunately, Elorde Lagro was no longer in business that time and was replaced by Empire Boxing Fairview. Still, I carried on with my intent of going back to boxing training. I resolved to train only during the weekends so that my sluggish body could transition into being more active, slowly but surely.

Taxonomy of Pinoy Commuters

Kung araw-araw kang sumasakay ng tricycle, jeep, FX, bus, o tren, I'm sure, makakarelate ka rito. Sa dami ba naman ng commuters sa Pilipinas, malamang sa alamang, isa sa mga nabanggit dito, nakasakay mo na. At bilang isang commuter ka rin, may chance na nakalista ka rin dito.

So, ano-ano nga ba ang mga uri ng commuter sa Pilipinas? I took time to observe my commute-mates and after thorough research, here is the taxonomy I came up with. Haha, kaysa naman kasi sa maging unproductive ang pagiging stuck in traffic, ginawan ko na lang ng blog entry. So heto na sila.

1. The Spartans (aka mga Mandirigma)

In these passengers' minds, they are clad in gladiator fashion and adrenaline is pumping through their bloodstreams. In the right place and at the right time, they are ready to attack. "Oy, Nova-Bayan yung jeep na 'yon! Sugoood! Ahhuuu-ahhuuu!" Mapa-babae man, lalaki, beks, o tiburcia pa yan, handa silang ipaglaban ang karapatan nilang makasakay sa byaheng iyon. Wa pakels na sa dunggulan.  Ang mahalaga, makasakay. Kebs na kung ang bilis pa nang andar ng jeep sa gitna ng highway. Ang mahalaga, masakyan nila ito.

Survival of the fittest ang pagko-commute sa Pilipinas and these commuters are on top of the food chain. This is Sparta, every one! Be one of them or get swallowed into an abyss of loss and darkness.

5 Compelling Reasons to Exercise & Lose Weight

From 2016 to 2017, I weighed around 140 lbs (or maybe even heavier, I wasn't really checking) and stood 5' 2" tall. My body mass index said I was overweight. I looked really plump during those times and for a while, I stopped taking selfies because I thought I looked repulsive. 

In July 2017, I decided to resurrect my old school boxing gloves and go back to working out. I realized that it was time to change things up for the better. But it wasn't my weight, my BMI, nor my appearance that made me decide to go back to working out and shed off some weight. I just listened to what my body was telling me. Here are signs that your body might be telling you to lead a healthier lifestyle.

7 Things I Learned from Beauty Vlogging on YouTube

In December 2016, I was lured into the glitz and glamour of this "millennial thing" called beauty vlogging. Who wouldn't be? Famous beauty vloggers are perceived to be beautiful and flawless, stylish and glamorous, influential and popular, artistic and talented. To top these flattering qualities, they also receive beauty products from reputable brands, get invited as a-listers to fun events and parties, and earn a living by just making videos of themselves doing their makeup, right at the comfort of their homes. Who wouldn't want those? I, for sure, wanted those and so, I tried to be a beauty vlogger. I called myself "Mukap Girl."

I thought it would be easy. All I have to do is upload videos about makeup, right? But boy was I so wrong. Here are seven lessons I learned from beauty vlogging on YouTube for over a year.

Para sa mga "Chito Miranda"

For the past weeks, I’ve been very vocal about my stand against the Mayor. I welcomed disagreeing comments and listened to what others had to say. I was also told to discontinue my advocacy because it is getting me nowhere, but no, I can no longer afford to do nothing. For this post, I am not asking the readers to have a change of mind and a change of vote in favor of what I think, but I would appreciate it if you will welcome this opposing stand and listen to what I have to say. These may not be the most intelligent arguments, but I used my values, my heart, and all that I have learned in life to defend my stand. These are for the Chito Mirandas out there who want somewhere to start as they review and rethink their options.

I know a lot of us have lost faith in the government, but I plead, let’s not give up on

My Take on the Starbucks Planner Craze

While I'm sleepy and being unproductive at work, let me be productive at least with my blogging. Hopefully, I'll be in a more motivated state after writing this.

Earlier, I got to read an article about today's generation's inclination to the expensive and impractical planner that is the Starbucks planner. According to the article, getting the planner for Christmas has been the new tradition of the youth. Regardless of how unreasonably-priced the planner is, people

Jobs for Journalism Majors

Disclaimer: Sorry, this isn't a recruitment website!

I've had enough of people telling me that I shouldn't be in a particular industry because that's not where journalists belong. I've been told that I won't be able to practice my degree in a BPO company nor would I be able to have a blossoming career in a hospital. Who are these people to conclude that journalists cannot thrive in such industries?

With my experience in the workforce, I'd have to disagree with people who put me inside a box and dictate what I can and cannot do as a journalist. To date, I've been with four different companies from four different industries and by far, I believe I had been an efficient employee in each job.

Journalism majors are flexible and can easily blend in other industries apart from the Media (TV, radio, print media). Let me share the jobs I took on for the past seven years.

Things that Make You Feel Bad at Work

Our jobs play a huge part in our lives. To some, their job is their life. Like any other aspect of life, our jobs bring bad days to our years. Here are the reasons for mine:

1. What work-life balance?

In my current job, I extend work hours almost all the time. I'm usually the last to leave the office at 7pm--two hours after the official time out. That's cos 9 hours is not enough for this sole communications officer who wears different hats--writer, graphic & layout artist, website content manager, Facebook administrator, photographer, events manager, purchase requester, etc. Just last week, I worked on weekends. Worse, the call time on Sunday was at 2 am. So yeah, what 9-to-5 job? What work-life balance? It sucks that this is not a thing in our company.

2. Office politics

I'm a really silent worker. I don't brag about my accomplishments nor do I complain about being overworked. In my mind, I'm being paid here to do my job and that is to deliver quality output when it is needed. It's just unfair when office politics makes you the most worthless person in the workplace. After getting migraine for working on two major events and not enjoying your weekend, you'll get the "wala kang ginagawa" comment. Thanks to people who do a good job of complaining about their responsibilities and to people who make a living through bad-mouthing employees who actually do their jobs.

3. The "thankless" nature of the job

We were once told that being in the Marketing Department is a thankless job. I personally think that is bullshit. Yes, marketing people should be aggressive and pro-active, but that doesn't mean that they are robots who don't need affirmation and appreciation. We're not demanding recognition and rewards for our little successes, we know we are paid for these. But to say we don't deserve to be given pats in the back is just plain arrogant and heartless.

4. There will always be favorites

I don't have a problem if I am not a favorite. That's okay. As long as my employer is satisfied with my contributions to the company, that's the only thing that should matter. I just don't think it's fair when the favorites get babied and favored by the boss. One sumbong and their lives are better, responsibilities lighter. Oh well. But what is fair in this Earth? Right?

5. "Pwede na" standards in recruitment

In one of our meetings, I was disappointed to hear this: "Di naman kailangang magaling at maalam sa paglalagyang departamento. Matuturuan naman yan." That's exactly why skill mismatch is prominent in our workplace and you see people being transferred from one position to another all the time (i.e., re-organization, restructuring). The bad effect of this is that expectations are not met and deliverables are also substandard.

6. Overworked, underpaid

People who can't relate to this are very lucky! My next mission in life is to scratch this off my "Things that Make You Feel Bad at Work" list.