I was invited to an intimate luncheon with fellow Filipina bloggers to welcome the Marina and My Baby brands which are both from Indonesia. Marina is a brand of personal care products which has been around for 30 years, targeted towards young women who are confident go-getters. Marina’s product line includes hand and body lotions (regular and with UV protection), body mist cologne and eau de toilette. Check out the quick video I put together below!
I was invited to be one of the speakers for the corporate workshop for Chemical Engineering student delegates. Thanks UP Alchemes for the invite! It was great spending an early sunny morning imparting knowledge and stories to these future chemical engineers.
It was a challenge compressing lessons + stories from my 15 years of radio experience to just 5 points. Will definitely come up with a Part 2! 🙂
Last weekend, I got to try the X-A5 mirrorless camera at the Sample Room & Fujifilm Content Creation workshop held at Space 1851 Manila along with other content creators and bloggers. The Fujifilm X-A5 is an entry-level mirrorless camera which is packed with features that allow users to take beautifully composed shots that are immediately ready for upload and sharing.
Angelique Manto, a sports reporter, host, Fujifilm ambassador and my fellow Thomasian (Go USTe!) shared some tips and tricks on Instagram curation, how she takes photos and why she loves using the X-A5 on the go.
Bright Mode ON
The Bright Mode is great for flatlays!
The Fujifilm X-A5’s Portrait Enhancer has 5 levels that make selfies and portraits look flawless but natural. Don’t worry, it’s nothing overboard like FaceTune or Camera360. 1 – Level 5 | 2 – Level 1 | 3 – Level 2 | 4 – Level 3 | 5 – Level 4 | 6 – Level 5
Fun in the dark room! Shot this using the Night+ Mode which still keeps the details sharp even in low light conditions.
I wish I had time to try out it’s video capabilities but let’s save that for another day. I devoted my time to planning out and capturing my shots since they only had a limited number of units for us to borrow. If we’re talking social media photography, I think this is a good camera to start with because it’s easy to use, lightweight and has preset modes that don’t need much filters and lighting fixes. Of course, if you have a signature look for your photos, by all means, edit away! The camera retails at P29,990 and is bundled with an XC15-45mm lens. For a list of other available XC lenses, you can visit the Fujifilm PH website.
Look at my husband’s big, wide smile after finishing his training and starting his new career. This is something he’s so passionate about–helping people with their finances by teaching them, walking with them and providing them with solutions so they can reach their financial goals.
One of the things the Lord amazingly considered when He brought me & my husband together is the value of proper financial management & stewardship. Having experienced how poor financial decisions and bad spending habits can affect a family, I remember praying to God for a job that would pay me well enough so I wouldn’t have to resort to taking loans. If that meant that I’d skip eating out and just make my own baon everyday, so be it. If that meant that I couldn’t buy my wants immediately, then I was willing to wait it out. It was important that my basic needs were covered and that I didn’t have to go into debt just because I overspent. Hearing Dave talk about similar financial viewpoints while we were dating admittedly caught my attention (aside from our shared interest in Biblical exegesis). He didn’t brag about cars, gadgets or a luxurious lifestyle. I remember trying to hide my kilig when we were talking about life insurance and investments during our dinner date at The Happy Garden Cafe. In my head I was screaming “SHOOOOCKS. A GUY WHO TOTALLY GETS IT AND DOES NOT FIND ME WEIRD FOR BRINGING THESE UP!” He actually had a lot to say about the topics too and I knew that he wasn’t faking it. It was something that he believed in and was in his system.
We’ve been doing budgeting and financial tracking since we started planning our wedding. Our spreadsheets are certainly different now that we’re married and living on our own but we find that recording our income, expenses, investments, savings and bills (although tedious) helps us plan, project and adjust our finances better.
Hindi ba nakakaloka na na-eexcite siyang gawin to? “Na-challenge yung brain ko, sandali.” Tapos uupuan niya yan, magcocompute just to show what’s more practical.
Since we got married, we have long been praying for God to give him a new job opportunity. He’s certainly learned a lot and has gone through massive character building while he was working in the government but he eventually reached his threshold. He’s been sending out applications since last year, some got back to him, some invited him for interviews but things just did not move forward. Though it did make us sad, we continued to pray and trust God that He knew better. When the opportunity finally came this year, we were both taken aback by the order of circumstances. No amount of human manipulation could make the timing so smooth. Clearly, God was on it.
We know that this job won’t be 100% stress free. It does come with it’s own set of challenges and areas of growth. I’m just happy to see my husband do something he is so passionate about and flourish in the midst of a motivating team. I’m happy that his job allows him to help people plan and protect their finances (and loved-ones), prepare for the future and unforeseen circumstances.
If you are interested to talk about finances, capital/wealth protection, retirement planning and investments, you may get in touch with my husband via email: davidingridpagulayan@gmail.com or send him a PM on Facebook. 😀
A lot of you have been curious about the healthier, plant-based recipes we cook at home. I’m no chef or cooking expert but we’ve cooked this many times and have achieved the sisig taste without the pork. The chickpeas (or garbanzos) have a yummy flavor which my husband and I both love. Hope you enjoy cooking this in your kitchen!
Is the desire to be famous wrong for Christians to have?
What does it say about our hearts?
“I want to be famous so that I can use MY INFLUENCE for the Lord.”
This sounds good and noble on the onset but focus on the statement “so I can use MY INFLUENCE for the Lord.”
It is not wrong to use one’s influence for kingdom purposes but desires like these need to be filtered at the heart level. Are we really bent on making the Lord known or are we merely using Him as a vehicle for us to be known? Are we forgetting the fact that God is God and if He wants to MAKE HIMSELF KNOWN, He can do so? He can use people like you and me, but that is His discretion. We cannot command Him and say “God, MAKE ME FAMOUS, so I can make you known.”
Who are we to dictate upon God, OUR STRATEGY? Is He not God who can do all things and knows all things?
How do you pray for a car? Is there an exact formula for it? In this video I share with you how I prayed for both my cars and the lessons I learned along the way.
