Different shades of green in Benguet: Photoblog

It was not a sunny visit to Benguet, I must say. And because of that, I saw marvelous formations in nature that one can only get from this side of the country. Though I did not enjoy the weather (I was made for the beaches), I enjoyed my photos. :)
I hope you'll enjoy as well!
(It was an acad-related 2-day visit.)

On our way to Philex, we stopped for a while for me to take pictures.

When we arrived at Philex, the first stop to get samples. Trekking was required to go to the sampling location.

This was taken before the trek. Water droplets

Lovely tree hidden behind the fog. We had to wear raincoats because of the drizzle

In the middle of the trek.

There were many spiders like this in the path. Also, dragonflies. It was a grassy mountain.

Pambasan bridge

Bolok - Agno river confluence. I thought of American valley photos when I saw this. 

The tailings pond.

Fishing at the tailings pond. 

Lovely morning sight. But, swearworthy weather. 

Life

Underground mine

Between Lenses - Silence

Lovely collab. And not only are they great with their photos, they're great with words too! 

I've never joined a bloghop, so when I saw in The Life of Vee's blog that she joined one, I got excited and decided that I want to join too!

Between Lenses is a monthly bloghop, and for this month, the theme is silence.


Silence, for me, equates to calmness of the soul. But of course, sometimes, especially during arguments (citing this example due to experiences? lol), silence can mean a crumpled black speech balloon that can't be expressed in any form of sound - thus, silence.

But here, I present to you a photo of the former definition:

Fishing, seen in the tailings pond of Philex, after field work

 There's silence in
...the stillness of this (tailings) pond. I love how the reflection in the pond was formed.
...the calmness of mind while fishing.
...being with them - watching them, while also enjoying the comforting silence that only nature can give.

I love the waters, being born near one (a beach!), so I guess there will always be a feeling of familiarity and a need for self-reflection whenever I'm near one.

What's silence for you? Maybe you can join this bloghop initiated by Tara Victoria and oftreasandhues too!

GIVEAWAY ALERT: Win bundle of books or Human Nature goodies!

Because I've been winning things on the internet and I've been accepted to different types of applications (conference, a trip abroad, Philippine Model Congress), I decided to put up a giveaway!

Other pictures to follow.

Just enter the Rafflecopter below to join the giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Please comment your name and contact details below so I can contact you when you win.

It's not that much, but I'm giving away two sets of prizes:
1. One winner will receive a bundle of books (new and preloved), plus George R.R. Martin's Fevre Dream graphic novel issue #3.

With George R.R. Martin, Agatha Christie and Isaac Asimov!

2. One winner will receive Human Nature's SUNBLOCK (200 ml) and 100% Natural Night  Moisturizer Night Cream with Plant Collagen (100 ml).

There will be two winners. You will be made to choose between the two prizes in the Rafflecopter. :D 
Entries will be accepted until October 31, 2014.
The winner will be announced on November 1, 2014 in this blog, and will be informed via Facebook or email.
Because the prizes will be delivered free of charge, this giveaway is for Philippine residents only.

*Disclaimer: This giveaway is not affiliated to Human Nature or the books' publishers. All prices come from the blogger's pocket money.



UPDATE: I'm giving away plus points to those who comment to my other blog entries and to those who will share the giveaway in FB, so share/comment away! :) Good luck!

Update on my 52-week money challenge: On residual incomes and more

Update on my 52-week challenge:

Still going on even though I do not have my monthly stipend already. 
Thank gods for my residual incomes. 

I was very fond of attending and trying things to have other sources of income, and this is the gist of what I learned: cut the middle person off, and keep on learning.

Example 1: I am a Sun and Globe load retailer. 
I did it ever since I got my first cellphone. It's advantageous on many levels. 
First, I get to have load discounts. I don't have to pay Php22 whenever I want to load Php20. (I also don't charge like that, so if you're a Sun/Globe user and we're friends, I'm YOUR retailer. :D ) 
Secondly, I don't have to go outside just to have load. I just have to go to a store one time to buy the load wallet. One added step equals many steps deleted. 
Thirdly, I get to have a business. Though the profit is soooo small now (5%) compared to when I started being a retailer (12-13%), I do it still. 
(Note: Thinking on joining the ABSCBN Mobile, for the sake of cutting the monopoly of telcos a bit. This monopoly thing is slowing us down, that's why I bought Sun. But then Sun was bought by Smart. What do you guys think?)

Example 2: I am Human Nature dealer.
Human Nature has a wide variety of home essential products. 

One sweet day - when I had overflowing orders. See one of the bestsellers here.

Being a dealer with a minimum 25% discount (I have 26% as of the moment) up to maximum 30% discount can really help cut down the budget for groceries. (Blogged about actual computations here.)It's also one of my main source of extra income because it has the highest profit and is the most marketable. Thinking of becoming a dealer too? Click here for the dealer terms, and here for their magalogue (aka brochure) now to see their products.

Example 3: Nuffnang and Churpchurp membership

Image from here.

Because I'm almost always online (free wifi at libraries ftw) and I have blogs (this, here and here, not to mention an 'extra' personal blog somewhere lurking in the webs), I signed up to Nuffnang. Even though I haven't gotten monetary gains from it because my blogs are not famous enough to earn much, Nuffnang runs other promos and contests with prizes such as movie passes, GCs and the likes. I won a couple of times already, and I must say, it's worth it, being a Nuffnang member.

Churpchurp, on the other hand, pays the 'sharer' money for every click. The links can be shared almost anywhere. Mostly, I share them at my FB and Twitter accounts, but I've shared some here, too. If you want to be a member, just click here. It's easy! 

Example 4: Signed up for WFMA
For continued learning regarding financial matters, I attended a free seminar on how to build a solid financial foundation. It taught me the basics of how to handle money and where to put it depending on its intended use (yes, it shouldn't be all in the bank). What made me instantly join the association is because the registration has no expiration, I can attend seminars for members anytime I want, and of course, the extra cash. After I get my Insular Wealth Assurance through WFMA, I encouraged my friends and family to attend the seminar, and some of them bought plans for themselves too, having known the advantages of having one. Education is the key, so we're not just selling in WFMA, we make sure that the plans that one buys is the right plan for him/her. The personal financial check up and proposal-making are free too, so I encourage everyone to avail them. (Comment here or contact me at 09222425334 if you want to attend the seminar, too!) As of now, I'm not an active member (because of my acads), but I can go back any time, without any fees to pay. 
*Added perk - I've got to make new friends who are as 'higpit sa pera' as me, so as a bonus, I've got myselfsurrounded by money masters = good influence. 



So, those are my activities to keep my 52-week challenge going. Are you on the challenge too? Share your experiences on keeping it up below!

My Current Playlist: Because I'm In Love

Hola there guys! Because it's our monthsary yesterday, I'm sharing the playlist that makes me think of us whenever it's playing. :D

The songs: 
Darwin Deez - Radar Detector (His website)
Phineas and Ferb - Evil Love (The amazing TV show)
Omar - There's Nothing Like This (His official page)
Sally Seltmann - Harmony to my Heartbeat (Her page)
Kevin Michael - At Last (His Youtube channel)
Basic Vacation - I Believe (Their FB page)
Filter - Surprise (Their official site)

Hope you'll enjoy this, too!
Stay happy and in love!

Human Nature's Balancing Facial Wash

I've been a Human Nature dealer for almost two years, and since then, this product that I'm about to review has been in my bathing essentials and I never use another facial wash.

Human Nature has three facial washes: hydrating, nourishing and balancing.

I tried them all, but I fell in love with the last one.

The product

For oily or combination skin, Balancing Facial Wash with Elemi and Orange is the answer. I have a naturally oily skin (whenever I don't apply powder), so this is a treat for me.

What I love about this is the elemi beads, which make the massaging onto face more enjoyable. It's what's make it a best seller, too - between the 3 variants, this is the only one with 'indicators', the other two are transparent, and that makes it hard to gauge how much they should apply.

Elemi beads as seen in the bottle

Elemi beads as seen in button-sized amount

Spreading the wash (without water)

It's also relieving to know that what I'm putting in my face is 100% no harmful chemicals and 98.5% natural. :)

100% No Harmful Chemicals, cruelty-free, and Made in the Philippines!

It's good for pimples, too. Whenever my period is near and my pimples attack, I just massage the area with pimples with this product a little bit longer.

I will not deny - Pond's (the green and the pink ones) facial foams have done a good job for my skin too, but I chose this Balancing Facial Wash over the former because it's less expensive. Regularly, it costs Php 79.75, but because I'm a Human Nature dealer, I got it for just Php 59. If I can have the same effect in a lower price, why would I buy the more expensive one, right? (Want to be a dealer too? Click here for info.)

Note: Shake before using. This is the one teeny tiny flaw of this product: when left standing for a long time, the beads and other white granules settle down the bottle, so it must be shaken regularly.

Have you tried this product, too? :)
For more info regarding Human Nature's products, click here. For orders and dealership assistance, click here, or comment in this blog :D.

DAY HIKE: Gulugod Baboy at Anilao, Mabini, Batangas

Mt. Gulugod Baboy, aka the Teletubby Land

Gulugod Baboy, located at Anilao, Batangas, was one of my climbs this year, and I did it twice!
Due to its 2/9 trail difficulty, I suggested my friends from the second climb to go there, because otherwise we would climb Pico de Loro (with trail difficulty of 3/9). I've been there too, and I concluded that I wanted to go to an easier hike. :)


HOW TO GET THERE
1. From Batangas City grand terminal, ride a MABINI-bound jeepney (Php35). Tell the driver that you'll go to Gulugod-Baboy. He'll drop you off to a tricycle terminal in Anilao.
2. Ride a tricycle and ask the driver to drop you off at PHILPAN. We paid Php100 per trike.

First stop: paid Php30 each and signed in the logbook

THE HIKE

Opposite Philpan Resort is the road where the walking starts to reach the 'foot' of the mountain (I don't know exactly if it's the foot, but it's where the 'This way to Gulugod Baboy' sign is located.

Pic borrowed from my other blog: First phase - the paved road

View from the first phase: Sunbeam Resort

Steps before the sign is Tita Ester's store, where buko juice, ice candies and halo-halo are sold. You can also rent their CR. :)

Tita Ester's (blogged about their refreshments here)

The 'This way to Gulugod Baboy sign' now. It looked like this before.

First stopover after the sign. I'm the one wearing sleeveless blouse. WRONG MOVE.

Expect 3-4 houses to have benches (and sometimes refreshments for sale) to rest on. That was why we reached the peak after almost 2 hours. :)


PEAK: PHOTOS

Find the Sombrero Island in the background! :)

On the way to another peak!

Hike hike hike!

Cows all over the Teletubby land. They're harmless though.

Well hello there!

Caption: Where it came from

Majestic views with the cows

Sunbeam Resort and the trail from the top

Almost horizon-less view

Another almost horizon-less view! Totally worth the sweat.

BONUS: INSECTS FOUND DURING THE HIKE

If anyone can name them, please help me by commenting below. Thank you! :)

I suppose this is an ant XD

NOTES
1. Bring sunblock. Better yet, wear a jacket, or the arm warmers that are commonly worn by trike drivers. As you can see in one of the pics above, I wore a sleeveless blouse. It was totally a wrong move because even if applied sunblock every 2 hours (or more), the skin on my shoulders which is not commonly exposed to the sun on regular days got sunburned real bad.
2. Bring packed lunch. Because the whole climb can be done half day, lunch can be eaten at the peak or down the mountain. We inquired for food prices at one restaurant near Philpan, and they were expensive.
3. Bring sunglasses and/or cap. There are no trees at the peak, so to avoid the glaring sun, it's best to have one or both.
4. Just in case, bring an umbrella. It drizzled during my second hike, and if you have a history of asthma like me, it's best to be under an umbrella at that moment.