It’s ironic how, while surfing Youtube earlier, I came across a video of South Korean celebrities who committed suicide from 2007-2010. I marveled in awe when I learned there were a lot of stars we admired on Korean dramas have taken their lives out of depression. There was even a set of siblings who committed suicide a year apart from each other. Imagine that! Reasons for committing suicide varied from career problems to money woes and their desire to be debt free.While watching the video, it then crossed to my mind how we, perhaps have less celebrities who have fallen prey to their suicidal tendencies within the same timeline. The most prominent perhaps is when Cesar Montano’s son took his life with a gun a year back. I was already thinking that perhaps, we have the strong family ties we have generally as a people to thank for. Then, just a few minutes ago, a friend posted on Facebook how a young, good-looking actor was recently found dead in an apparent act of suicide.

Tyrone Perez, an alumnus of GMA 7′s Starstruck was apparently found dead in an abandoned car in Valenzuela City just three days shy of New Year’s Day.

You know, I’m not very fond of our local celebrities but when I hear of news about suicide cases, I can’t help but weep for them and the families they left behind.

To Tyrone, rest in peace.

unaware-soldierly

I came to know about these group buying sites last year when I first stumbled upon Ensogo. At that time, the group-buying industry has yet to boom and people were excited to get the latest deals. Who wouldn’t be when you can grab whopping discounts for 50% up to 80% for anything from cutting tools to the latest beauty treatment?

A year forward and we’ve witnessed the mushrooming of group-buying sites and of course, the tons of horror stories from customers who were shortchanged or who did not get to use their vouchers altogether. I’ve then decided to do a mini-review of my own purchases from the group-buying sites that littered the internet. Please be reminded that my opinion is based on my personal account when I claimed/used my deal vouchers, hence my experience may be different with yours or your friends’. Thanks!

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ENSOGO

Probably the first of its kind in Manila and one of the biggest. For over a year, it has been faced with a lot of complaints from dissatisfied customers. So far, I’ve had 6 transactions with them but I haven’t had any problems with them so far. I always get my vouchers at once after paying for them probably because I usually pay via Paypal or Credit Card so it’s more automated on their part, but, I’ve also had my fair share of problems with the deals I purchased from them in the past.

Good Deal #1

The Merchant: LEGEND OF INDIA

The Deal: Pay PHP200 for PHP500 worth of food

Vouchers Bought: 2

Claimed/Used: February 2011

My boyfriend and I went to have dinner at Legend of India a few days after Valentines’ Day. I did not have any problems making a reservation. When we got there, we were greeted by polite and friendly food servers. The place was not packed and we were actually the only customers that night until another group came. The food was okay (I especially loved the Manchow Soup. It was spicy but good!) The price was also fair. We exceeded the PHP1,000 limit of the vouchers we had so we had to pay the excess. For my first deal from Ensogo, it wasn’t such a bad experience.

 

Good Deal #2

The Merchant: FruiQuet

The Deal: Pay PHP325 for a Sunny Tropics fruit bouquet worth PHP650

Vouchers Bought: 1

Claimed/Used: March 2011

Bought this voucher specifically for my mom’s birthday. I thought that a fruit bouquet delivered right at her office will be a pleasant birthday surprise. Guess what? I was right. I used the voucher when I placed my order online though I had to spend for the delivery fee and the add-ons such as a picture message card and a small jar of chocolate fondue (which was okay because it was explicitly stated that delivery fee is not included in the promo). Imagine the look at my mom’s face when the delivery man arrived. Not only was she pleased to see a bouquet for her, but she was even more thrilled to receive a unique kind of bouquet. I was happy with the outcome of this deal. But my mom was even happier.

 

Good Deal #3

The Merchant: Kartini Spa

The Deal: PHP 1,500 for a Complete Mother’s Day Package which includes a 90-minute Body Scrub with Massage and 30-minute foot spa, plus a 45-minute Special Facial with Collagen Mask Treatment.

Vouchers Bought: 1

Claimed/Used: August 2011

Bought this for mom for Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, we were both out-of-town on Mother’s Day and she had a function to attend to the week after. It was pushed back until it became my Pre-boards Thank You gift to my mom in August! LOL. Anyway, booking for my mom’s treat was not a hassle and my mom was pampered and treated to a nice scrub, body massage and facial. She said the whole experience was nice. I don’t know if I got a really good deal for just 1,500 but if it made my mom happy, then I probably did.

 

Good Deal #4

The Merchant: Chocolat Deep Dark Chocolate Cakes

The Deal: Only PHP320 for a 9” Round Whole Death by Tablea Chocolate Cake worth PHP640.

Vouchers Bought: 1

Claimed/Used: August 2011

We were supposed to use this as a Mother’s Day present for my beau’s mom but because we were both out-of-town on Mother’s Day, we were not able to claim the voucher at once. I ended up claiming the cake a few days short before it was to expire. The voucher took a few days before it arrived in my account as we paid via Banco De Oro deposit. Aside from that, confirming my pick-up and getting it at their Mall of Asia branch was not a hassle. My mom and brothers loved it. I am not a big fan of dark chocolate so I didn’t enjoy it much. Hehe. It was a good deal nonetheless.

To be continued…

unaware-soldierly

Since I first scrubbed in for a plastic surgery case and saw for myself how horrendous and gory it looks like, I vowed never to get one for myself at all cost. Yesterday, I went on duty at a clinic in Ayala Alabang and met my co-duty doctor who just finished his two-year training in cosmetic surgery. Over lunch, there was a lot of talk about local celebrities who allegedly had their time under the knife such as K.C., A.L., C.R., H.E. and C.B. After going on and on blurting out their names and what they had done one by one, my initial “oohhhs” and “aaaahhs” became “what?!” and “no way! you’re kidding!”. It suddenly dawned on me how these beautiful faces and bodies I once adored and yes, envied so much are all apparently in our local term “retokadas”. Someone just bursted my bubble. Boo!

The old adage goes this way: Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. These days, however, this saying no longer holds true because beauty is now apparently in the eyes of the cosmetic surgeon – and more importantly, in the pocket of the beholder.

Now, excuse me while I check out besteyelashenhancer.net.

 

 

unaware-soldierly

I’ve been in school for most of my life and I have never experienced getting a real job aside from the summer stint I had at an English Language Tutorial School for a month back in 2007. Just then imagine how nervous I was at getting my NBI clearance yesterday for my residency training in PGH next year. Hehe. =P

I’ve heard horror stories of how long the queue in getting an NBI clearance can be. Looking back, I remember how jampacked the NBI Main Office in Taft Avenue can be early in the morning when it’s filled with people eager to get their clearances. And that’s day in and day out. To decongest the main office, NBI has put up satellite offices in malls all over the Metro Manila solely for the purpose of getting an NBI clearance. But even at these satellite branches, the lines can get really long and getting that much-needed NBI clearance a pain in the ass (literally from waiting. =P) Thanks to a dear friend, Rob, who got his a few months back, I learned about the hidden satellite branch at Robinson’s Place Otis. “Hidden” because it’s not as easily accessible compared to the other branches such as in Ever Gotesco Commonwealth and Robinson’s Place Ermita (and it’s not near heroin detox rehab treatment centers). Just to illustrate how quick and hassle-free I got my clearance: I arrived at 10:45 and finished by 1 pm. That’s just 2 hours and 15 minutes compared to a whole day spent for processing your NBI clearance in most branches! It was even better for Rob who got in at 9:30 and finished the whole process in 1 hour and 30 minutes back in September. =P

To get to Robinson’s Place Otis and you’re coming from Taft Ave., you have to alight at U.N. Avenue and I believe you can take a tricycle which will take you to the mall. Don’t take a pedicab as I’ve heard they can charge you as much as 60 pesos for a one-way trip! If you’re coming from QC, take the LRT Purple Line, alight at Pureza station and take a jeep to Mendiola. As soon as they’ve crossed the stoplight (which is across SaveMore on your left and Mercury Drugstore on the right), alight at Wendy’s and walk on the same side of this fastfood chain going towards Nagtahan Bridge. You’ll pass by De Ocampo Memorial Hospital (a small hospital). A few more steps and you’ll reach a terminal for Paco-bound jeepneys. Pay the 8 pesos fare at the table on the side and you’re good to go.

When I got to Robinson’s Place Otis, there were about 100 or so people in the queue. That’s short enough since one woman narrated there were 500 people in line at another NBI clearance center she went to earlier that morning (Remember, it was only 10:45).

Bring with you a valid ID, some money and a black ballpen. An NBI clearance for local employment and other ordinary purposes will cost you 115 pesos. It may be higher depending on the purpose of the NBI clearance. Sounds great right?

unaware-soldierly

I must admit it: I am addicted to cracking nail polish. After coming across a really cheap white one at a stall in Ever Gotesco Commonwealth, I found myself buying a more expensive bottle of black cracking nail polish at a Nail Up! stall in Robinson’s Place Ermita just two days later. I just couldn’t help myself from trying it out after I saw how a metallic nail polish underneath a cracking nail polish actually looks good from the sample palette they had at Nail Up!:

For the base, I used Bobbie Nail Polish in Blue Sleigh (right) and topped it with Nail Up! cracking nail polish in Black (left).

What I like about this fad is that it’s like bringing a whole nail art salon right at your doorstep. You can change your nail color from plain fab to fantabulous in a few coats and a matter of seconds.

I used to just pass by the Nail Up stalls that seemed to litter Robinson’s Place Ermita without even stopping by to checkout their goods. To me, it was just a stall with probably overpriced nail polishes like the ones being sold at Face Shop or Skinfood. After I had tried a white cracking nail polish a few days back, I was so eager to buy another one that for the first time in months, I actually stopped by Nail Up and looked if they were selling any. To my delight, they were. And not only that. They also had a number of really interesting nail polishes that tickled my fancy. Among others, they had matte and metallic polishes in really cute colors you probably wouldn’t find elsewhere. I find the price reasonable too at around 80 pesos for a pop of color. (Cracking nail polish, however, is being sold at 120 pesos per bottle). I’ve already spotted a number of colors I am looking forward to try soon especially after receiving Rehearsal Dinner Invitations for a glam party soon. Looks like someone has been converted recently eh? =)

unaware-soldierly

I unearthed an interesting thread on fake Benefit cosmetics being sold over at Ebay.ph. Apparently, less popular brands like Benefit are also now being imitated to be sold as “authentic” to the unassuming consumer. And so Benefit joins the bandwagon of popular cosmetic brands being counterfeited by unscrupulous criminals like drugstore brands such as Maybelline and Cover Girl to higher-end, luxury brands such as Mac and Dior.

I couldn’t believe how I almost fell victim to this. A few months back, I almost bought a Benefit Benetint online after finding them being sold way cheaper than their Beauty Bar counterparts. The transaction almost pushed through but I forgot I had put the item in my watch list then someone else beat me to it. Looking back now, I’m thankful I didn’t get to buy the item and saved myself from what would have been a deep regret on my part.

Three or so years ago, I fell victim to an online seller at Ebay who claimed she was selling authentic, US-bought cosmetics. That time, I was so inspired by a friend who loved wearing shocking red lipstick so I thought of doing the same. I was very keen on getting a red lippie that I pounced on a Royal Red Maybelline lipstick the said seller had put up for sale. The price I had paid for the item should have been a red flag on my part but the naivete in me prevailed. So when the package arrived, I took one look at it and I knew I was scammed.

Signs of a Fake Lipstick:

1) The plastic wrapper hugging the lipstick had poorly-printed text and uneven cut.

2) No batch number on the sticker at the bottom of the lipstick.

3) Wrong font size and word spacing.

4) Lipstick texture? Come on! An authentic one wouldn’t look as chalky as that after a year!

 

The rule of thumb in buying online is this: If it’s too good to be true, then it probably isn’t. Please be aware that unscrupulous sellers may sometimes use pictures of the real thing but send you a knock-off. Sometimes, they might even threaten you if you as much as ask for proof of authenticity of their items. Imagine that? Just be wary of buying things online especially make up. Most of these are mass-produced in China and might contain harmful ingredients such as mercury and the like (remember the Melamine scare?). So please… please be careful in buying online. If in doubt, then don’t! It’s better to shell out a few bucks more at the mall or at the store than spend a ton on a piece of crap. =)

 

XS: I hope they don’t sell fake fiberglass storm shelters in China! But who knows?!?!

 

unaware-soldierly