Archive for October 2015
GrabCar Halloween Promo Code
Only for today (I think) do we have a GrabCar promo code. Hey! It’s the day before Halloween. So, it is probably valid for today only because tomorrow is going to be chaos at the city cementeries until Sunday.
Happy Halloween!
Safe travels and God bless!
Source: My avid GrabCar friend, Joy Lara Croft!
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 do we have a GrabCar promo code. Hey! It's the day before Halloween. So, it is probably valid for today only because tomorrow is going to be chaos at the city cementeries until Sunday.){kind=small}
The Great Vacation Escape to Discovery Hotels
Isn’t there an long weekend coming up in November? Oh, wait! It’s APEC week. Yeah, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation is in town. Not that it hasn’t been here since the start of the year but the APEC Philippine agenda has the ministerial meeing on November 16-17 but a whole lot of major meetings are happening the entire week starting on the 16th until the 20th. Given this upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation – Economic Leaders’ (APEC) Meeting, which will be held entirely in Metro Manila, the Philippine government has suspended work and class in the National Capital Region.
Yay! No classes during the APEC week! No work during the APEC week! So, APEC week means vacation, yes? You know what that means.
Book yourself and your entire family (or BFFs) at any of the Discover Leisure resorts and hotels and get as much as half the price.
- APEC staycation at Discovery Primea
Enjoy 20% off all room categories
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- APEC staycation at Discovery Shores Boracay
Enjoy a Junior Suite for half the price
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- APEC staycation at Discovery Club Paradise Palawan
Stay in a Garden Suite for half the price
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- APEC staycation at Discovery Country Suites Tagaytay
Get 20% off the Deluxe and Premier Suites
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- APEC staycation at Discovery Suites Ortigas
Best Available Rate in a Junior Suite or a One Bedroom Suite
Booking period is until October 31, 2015 and the stay-in period is November 16 to 22, 2015.
Just go to the Discovery Leisure Company website and use the promo code APEC15.
Source: The Discovery Leisure Company (TDLC) press release.
Photos from TDLC.
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Hong Kong Experience
A young blogger with an awesome story about her Hong Kong trip. A must read!
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GrabCar Promo for Today
Just a short post to let you know what the promo code is for today – October 23, 2015. I kept going back and forth some people who gave me confusing, non-existent or probably expired pomo codes for GrabCar. I am not sure if it will work repeatedly today or even after today. ‘Sup to you to try for yourself but definitely it works once.
GrabCar Promo for Today = FRIDAY = Less P50
The one that worked for some but not for all like myself was TRAFFIC, also less P50.
Enjoy!
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AlDub to Host Biggest Event Ever This Saturday
A few days ago, Kalyeserye of Eat Bulaga noontime show announced a special show of AlDub at the Philippine Arena. Labeled as “AlDub – Sa Tamang Panahon,” it is no rival to competing “It’s Showtime” which only booked the 16,500-seat Smart Araneta Coliseum for the latter’s anniversary show last month. By yesterday, social media netizens has been swarming with pleas of getting tickets above regular ticket prices, a sign that the AlDub show is about to have a sold out event.
AlDub at the 55,000-seating Philippine Arena event is expected to overtake Katy Perry’s Prismatic World Tour concert which sold more than 30,000 tickets a few months ago. In fact, many are expecting it will also exceed the 43,000-plus attendance of the premier film showing of the biography of Felix Manalo, Iglesia Ni Cristo’s (INC) founder. The Philippine Arena is owned by INC.
AlDub is the love team that stars in variety show Eat Bulaga’s Kalyeserye edition. The AlDub label pertains to two people – Alden Richards and Yaya Dub (real name Maine Mendoza, who is the Dubsmash queen of the Philippines and an actress by her own right). The parody started in the noontime show’s segment “Juan for All, All for Juan,” together with three other male actors portraying grandmothers – Wally Bayola as Lola Nidora, Paolo Ballesteros as Lola Tidora, and Jose Manalo as Lola Tinidora.
The milestone of the AlDub phenomenon of the Kalyeserye soap opera garnered a whooping 25.6 million tweets in one day for the hashtag #AlDubEBforLove, one over the 12.1 million tweets in a day for the hashtag #ALDUBMostAwaitedDate.
Ticket prices for the “AlDub – Sa Tamang Panahon” show are P1,200, P600, P300 and P150. However, we believe it’s already sold out as of yesterday.
Sources: Interaksyon | Wikipedia
Photos: Unknown source in Facebook | YouTube still
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Typhoon Lando Hits the Philippines on Sunday morning
Update from PAGASA as of 12mn Monday 19 Oct 2015:
Signal No. 3: Benguet, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Ilocos Norte and Abra.
Signal No. 2: Pangasinan, Zambales, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Kalinga, Apayao and Tarlac
Signal No. 1: Metro Manila, Cagayan including Calayan and Babuyan group of Islands and Batanes.
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Typhoon Lando is now a super typhoon and is expected to hit the provinces of Aurora, Isabela and Quezon, where rainfall amount has moved from heavy to intense within a 650 km diameter of the typhoon. Lando is expected to make landfall by Sunday morning. When it does, storm surge may reach three (3) meters in Aurora province, including its neighboring provinces, while height of open sea waves may reach more than 14 meters. The center of Lando is expected to have winds of up to 175 kph and gustiness of 210 kph.
By Sunday afternoon, Lando will be in the vicinity of Nagtipunan, Quirino province.
By Monday afternoon, Lando will be in the vicinity of Lubuagan, Kalinga.
By Tuesday afternoon, Lando will be 20 km northwest of Aparri, Cagayan.
By Wednesday afternoon, Lando will be 70 km south of Baso, Batanes.
By Thursday afternoon, Lando will be 130 km northeast, above Basco, Batanes.
By Sunday morning, SIGNAL NUMBER 4 is up in Aurora province. This means very heavy damage to high-risk structures and considerable damage to structures of light materials. Medium-built houses may be unroofed with some collapsed walls and damages to doors and windows. Billboards will be blown away as well as large trees may be broken, downed or uprooted. For agriculture, there will be total damage to banana plantations, extensive damage to coconut plantations, and severe losses in rice and corn plantations.
By Sunday mid-morning, SIGNAL NUMBER 3 is up in Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Viscaya, Nueva Ecija, Ifugao and Northern Quezon provinces, including Polillo Islands. Heavy damage to high-risk structures is expected while majority of all nipa and cogon houses may be unroofed or destroyed, including some warehouses and bodega-type structures also being unroofed. Big trees may be broken, downed or uprooted, most banana plantations destroyed, coconut trees tilted or downed, while rice and corn plantations will suffer heavy losses. Widespread electrical and communications service disruption is expected.
By Sunday afternoon, SIGNAL NUMBER 2 will be up over the provinces of Metro Manila, Cagayan including Calayan and Babuyan group of islands, Benguet, Mt. Province, Abra, Kalinga, Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal, the rest of Quezon and Camarines Norte. This means high-risk structures may experience light to moderate damage like makeshift shanties and old, dilapitated schoolhouses. A number of nipa and cogon houses may be partially damaged or unroofed, old galvanized iron (G.I.) roofs may be peeled or blown away, old, wooden electrical posts tilted or downed, poorly constructed billboards damaged, some trees may be downed, broken or tilted, and considerable damage to shrubbery and trees with some heavy-foliaged trees will be blown away.
By Sunday evening, SIGNAL NUMBER 1 will be up over the provinces of Batanes, Bataan, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Lubang Island, northern Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Camarines Sur, Albay and Catanduanes. There will be very light damage to high-risk and makeshift structures in exposed communities. Trees of various types will be tilted and downed, and twigs of small trees may be broken.
Source: Severe Weather Bulletin No. 11, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Weather Division, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Republic of the Philippines.
Image from PAGASA.
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Anne Curtis Introduces Cherry Mobile LTE Smartphones
Celebrity megastar Anne Curtis (Smith) today graced the launch of the new line of phones – the Cherry Mobile Flare smartphones, particularly the Cherry Mobile Flare 4, Cherry Mobile Flare S4 and Cherry Mobile Flare S4 Plus. Anne Curtis has been a partner of Cherry Mobile for some years now, a celebrity endorser that has seen the constant and growing changes in the line of Cherry Mobile smartphones.
The Cherry Mobile Flare 4 and Flare S4 both run on a 1.3 GHz octa-core processor with 2GB of RAM with its standard Android Lollipop 5.1 operating system. The Flare 4 has a battery specs of 2100 mAh while the Flare S4 comes with 2200 mAh, good enough for constant surfing and social networking in half-a-day’s capacity, or a full day if you’re not intensely on the net. I should know because I’ve used similar battery capacities with differentiating lifestyles.
Both have got 5-inch HD displays with 720×1280 HD resolution. Camera outputs are 13MP on the rear and 5MP in the front, both with proximity sensors and light. I think we’re coming into the age where smartphones with front camera lights are a must for today’s selfies. Standard 16GB storage can be upgraded to 32GB using a microSD card.
But the LTE data connectivity on both phones are what makes it different from other sub-10,000 Peso smartphones. Today’s 3G connectivity is not anymore sufficient with the vast amount of broadband requirements a lot of apps are asking for. These dual micro SIM card smartphones are, of course, packed with WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 capabilities.
So, how much is the Cherry Mobile Flare 4 and Flare S4? Both are priced at P4,999. The former comes in pink, black, white and gold, while the latter is available in white gold, white silver, black silver, and black black (that double word!)
Now for the Cherry Mobile Flare S4 Plus – same octa-core specs as its two counterparts but it comes with a higher 3GB of RAM, 2800 mAh battery, a 5.5-inch FHD display with 1080×1920 FHD resolution. It’s standard 16GB storage is upgradable to 64GB via a micro SD card, and the cameras are upgraded to 16MP for the rear and 8MP in the front. Priced at P7,999, the Cherry Mobile Flare S4 Plus comes in white, black, gold and gray colors.
These new Cherry Mobile Flare 4 series will be available at Cherry Mobile concept stores and kiosk nationwide, as well as leading online stores like Lazada, by the end of October this year.
Source: Cherry Mobile Press Release
Photos by @raffypekson
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Resorts World Manila Employees Raises 1 Million Pesos
(Press Release 08 October 2015) – Resorts World Manila (RWM) President and CEO Kingson Sian, RWM Chief Operating Officer Stephen Reilly, other executives and employees, and various partners of the resort held a 6K Run for Charity and pledged cash donations, raising P1 million for the less fortunate children of Smokey Mountain, under the care and guidance of the Philippine Christian Foundation (PCF). RWM has been reaching out to the children of PCF, wherein volunteer employees provide valuable learning and fun entertainment for the kids by sharing their talents and skills in storytelling, arts, music and dancing, and handicraft making.
PCF is a charitable institution founded in 2002 which aims to relieve poverty for children and their families who are living and working in depressed areas like dump sites and squatter camps in cemeteries. During the fund raising event, PCF Executive Director Melissa Alipalo took turns with the children sharing their stories with the participants.
RWM is the first one-stop, non-stop entertainment and leisure destination in the Philippines that features recreational thrills, world-class performances, unique events, and exciting lifestyle options. It is home to three international lodging brands: Maxims Hotel, Marriott Hotel Manila, and Remington Hotel. RWM also hosts the Marriott Grand Ballroom, a three-story convention center housing the country’s largest hotel ballroom, and two more hotels – Sheraton Hotel Manila and Hilton Manila Hotel, both currently under construction. It also houses state-of-the-art movie theaters at Newport Cinemas, an award-winning Newport Performing Arts Theater, a cozy, 24/7 entertainment hub at Bar 360, and 50 restaurant outlets offering a diverse selection of local and world cuisine.
For more information, contact Archie Nicasio, Public Relations head of RWM via +63 (2) 836-0000 or go to www.rwmanila.com.
Source: RWM Press Release
Photos from RWM | RWM Facebook Page
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Globe Outranks Others in LTE Speed and Coverage
I got a press release from Globe Telecom with the titles “Providing fastest mobile internet service in the Philippines” and “OpenSignal: Globe outpaces competition in LTE speed, coverage”, together with a screenshot of many countries, including the Philippines, and between the two competing networks in the LTE category. See below:
I’ve been using OpenSignal for more than a year and I’ve known that as a fact – Globe outpaces Smart in LTE speed and coverage. In fact, from where I live, Globe outpaces everyone in all types of networks: 2G, 3G and 4G (LTE).
Below are my screenshots of using OpenSignal from where I am – Bonifacio Global City – using OpenSignal in all networks on all network types. On the left is how my OpenSignal is set up, the middle shows you the coverage and the right shows you who is outperforming who.
Now, if I use the network type 4G (LTE), only two network providers emerge – Globe and Smart – and it clearly shows (again) who’s outperforming who.
Going back to the press release, Yoly Crisanto, Globe Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications, notes that a third of the company’s 48.4 million Globe mobile customers are now using smartphones. As part of Globe’s aggressive LTE rollout, the Globe network’s mobile ultra-broadband access in Visayas and Mindanao were expanded, utilizing the LTE-TDD and LTE-FDD technologies. 4G LTE is the most relevant mobile network technologies, offering much higher bandwidth, lower latency even as it increases overall network capacity. This allows customers to use more applications on their mobile devices.
Globe Telecom is expected to spend $850 million by the end of this year, which includes all the LTE network expansion it has been undergoing. Capital expenses is now at P11.4 billion which includes investments in broadband network, capacities for wireless data, LTE, domestic and international transmission facilities. A significant portion of this were also allotted for its IT infrastructure to create platforms for new products as well as to build on its IT transmission initiatives.
OpenSignal is a company that specializes in wireless coverage mapping. The company crowdsources data on carrier signal quality from users who have its consumer mobile application installed. Consumers can view the crowdsourced data either online or in-app in the form of colour-coded maps that aid purchasing decisions by showing unbiased data from different carriers side-by-side. In 2013 OpenSignal was named the “Most Innovative Mobile Company in UK” by UK Trade & Investment. In August 2014, OpenSignal raised a $4 million Series A investment from Qualcomm Ventures, OATV and Passion Capital.
You can download OpenSignal from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store through its website www.opensignal.com for free.
Sources: Globe Telecom Press Release | Wikipedia | OpenSignal.com
Images from Globe Telecom | OpenSignal.com
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Bits and Snippets of the Philippines 