Cheap

I was checking my Gmail account when I came across an e-mail from the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

And you know what my first reaction was? "Shit, did CBTL came across my blog? Is that why they are offering me free coffee?" 

You see, I use that Gmail address for online correspondence. I also do business with Bentusi using that account. While Nuffnang sometimes seed my inbox with their lame promotions, seldom do they offer freebies. To make sure the invitation came from someone else, I tried to look at the sender field. 

What I found had put a big, big smile on my face.

I won't deny that I have this HD to become a social blogger. Yes, the ones who write glittery reviews of restaurants or creating a buzz on the Internet to endorse a certain product. I want to put my writing and SEO skills to good use - to the benefit of local entrepreneurs. Since the Souljacker generates quite a traffic I thought CBTL was subtly requesting me to spread their marketing campaign.

Who am I to put down their favor. After all, I don't recall a time staying in their coffee shop and sipping a warm cup of coffee.

This might be a good experience.

So I went to the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf website to claim my free drink. There was the mandatory registration, of course. And you must also let them dig into your Google contacts for their system to send invites to your "friends." 

"I will include you, you and you," I was telling myself while checking the box to pick among my contacts the ones to forward the offer.

"No you're just a fake account, erase. erase."

While in the process of selection, I figured how the announcement got into my email. Someone was exactly doing the same thing before he realized (if ever) how CBTL mines his online account for information.

"You dirty bastard! Anyway I got a freebie so who cares."

And with that, I gave away my closest friends' and colleagues' email addresses. They say I could claim my espresso at SM Megamall branch only. 

No exceptions.

I can live through the thought that I was hoodwinked by CBTL's promotion. The data mining procedure already defies the goal of creating good impressions. Besides, a free coffee at a certain branch? Isn't it too inconvenient for its customers? 

But you know what rubbed salt into the wound?   

A few minutes after sending my registration, another e-mail came. This time, it was a confirmation that I have truly sold my soul and allowed Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to use me as a springboard to reach out to more people. Included in the email are instructions on how to claim the prize:

1. Only one couple will be allowed per person.

4. Redemption period is from December 1 - December 31.

5. Please print out this e-mail and present your valid ID. Print-outs without the following fields will not be accepted: from, to, date, subject, name, store and code.

Swear! I was short of saying, "at namigay ka pa sa lagay na yan!" after reading the last item. At a time when using paper is being frowned for environment reasons, the nerve of the one who came up with this idea to require patrons for print-outs. If he had only used his brain to think - digitally - he could have sent the authentication through SMS to make the process easier.

Conventional wisdom say that when you wish to give something for free, and generate goodwill, you don't put the receiver at a disadvantage.   

And so I tell you, I won't get caught going to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf with the e-mail printout. I won't fall in line along with paying customers and show my ID to claim their giveaway. To hell with their coffee. I'm not too atat to taste it anyway. 

Besides, I could afford a Venti at Starbucks anytime my cravings demand.

Paypal

Never did I think it would become handy for the Raketship Project.

The year was 2007.  I signed up at Paypal with Mami Athena's prodding.  She needed to use my credit card to donate to some file hosting sites where she gets her daily dose of  zombie films.  She promised to share her access but since I still use dial-up at home, I merely let her pay the bill.

Word spread that Paypal allows its users to receive payments from online transactions.  But three years ago, the feature has yet to be introduced in the country.  The account could have been a convenient platform for doing business in the Internet. Its limitations however has confined us to purchasing online services which would normally require a Visa or Mastercard.

   

Signing up is very easy.  All you need is a credit card and a commitment to fulfill your credit obligations. Unionbank offers E-On Cybercard as an alternative to cc's, which often require lengthy processing  and background information procedures.

That is unless you have a sizable savings in a bank that offers a credit card.

Paypal.com can be accessed from Google and clicking the orange box that says sign up sends you to the create a PayPal account webpage. Go to the personal box for individual accounts and fill-in the information required.  Verification takes place shortly after details have been put in. 

For the longest time, my Paypal account laid dormant after the Patroness of Giggling Dogs found new ways to pay for her file-sharing "access." Meanwhile, the prospect of running an online empire never crossed my mind since the steady cash flow from the Sikyu Agency had put out whatever sidelines I had in mind.

But things have changed, especially after I discovered the joys of Raket Science. 
.

 

The Bentusi maybe the first among my online ventures, and I'm glad that I already have the basic infrastructure should I decide to work freelance and acquire the wealth of cyberspace on my own.

Fit And Right

"Uy parang lumaki ka yata?"

"Talaga, as in tumaba ako?"

"Hindi naman... pero bagay yan sa iyo... Muscles." Yeah right. Like truth bends when a person takes back his word.

"Honga eh. I'm gaining weight..." Sadness. There, there. Don't be upset big boy.



At 170 pounds, the fat explosion is alarming. Pants and shirts snug closely around my waist and body movement exacts great labor despite keeping an active lifestyle.

If not for the religious but waning addiction to head to the gym three times a week and lift heavier iron plates at a faster pace, I would have lost all my gains from the work-out program.

The present built is far from my body frame two years ago. I was transferred to the afternoon shift and heavy meals were eaten only during lunchtime. Dinner consist of a drab Quaker Oats meal without sugar then workout starts before midnight. I was directly competing with my gym-buddy, El Tigre for the weight lost award then. The result was astounding. My weight dropped below 160 pounds for several weeks and despite my large bone structure, I felt good.

The combination of a fast-paced workout, (the EDT program Coach Blakedaddy introduced as the new routine, which I will discuss in another entry) a Spartan diet plan and another element, which is Del Monte Fit N Right were my reasons for the sudden drop in body mass.

Information I have gathered about L-Carnatine was rather scant and unverified. There are no scientific claims to show (according to Wikipedia) that the compound directly triggers any fat-burning reaction. However, regular consumption of Fit N Right reveals a change in metabolism. I say regular drinking of the Pineapple variant for one week results in a 5 lbs drop in body weight.






Now that I started embracing the old ways, (including the oatmeal banana diet as my carbo-loader) Del Monte claims its place back. The Blueberry-Grape variant, which is 30 calories less than Pineapple promises a swift turnaround never seen before. Forget that it taste nothing close to Blueberry, the calorie itself is already a reward.



It took me less than a month to shed some fats when I first included the supplement in my diet. Confident that a repeat performance is as rewarding as the last, I give myself a month to make a dent and overturn my flaccid state.

A Good Deal For Tekkie Boys Like You

I'll be taking two shifts at work today. Should I succeed in giving pep talk to the agents I trained two days ago, I would accomplish one of the things I wrote on the list. Since my mind is set for a reboot (a reformat would do better) and nothing profound or creative will squeeze out of my head, I'm re-posting an invitation to help a very good friend clear his inventory of well-maintained, second-hand gadgets.

Take a look at the price and see if its a deal worth your Xmas Bonus.

Jamo Home Theater System

Includes HDMI DVD Player with IPod Jock


Selling Price: P10K

BlackBerry 8310 (Red Color)

Selling Price: 10K

XBox 360

Selling Price: 10K

Ipod Touch 32gb, wifi

Selling Price: 7K

Please send your orders and inquiries to:

June Showers
joho_1230@yahoo.com

Obedience | The Great Manila Roundtrip (First Part)

The supervisor told me to stay so somebody could assist her in re-training the agents from our special accounts. It means all activities - including the work-out - had to be moved at a later time to give way for the extra hours I'll be grounded in the office.

At past 4 in the afternoon, the exercises were just about to be discussed. Realizing that we would never finish in time, the trainer requested for an extension. The agents expressed their subtle disappointments, but a refresher needs to be accomplished. Everyone was already at work since 6 in the morning and because overtime is a concept not familiar in our job, the agents could only listen (and daydream) as lessons were being explained on the white screen.

I wasn't paying attention to the training - like everyone else. Instead, my thoughts were deluged with ways on how to finish my errands - for aside from the gym, my mom, my sister and the supervisor asked me to do favors, which I had to accomplish before the day ends. The journey will take me around the city - in places that are long known to me. But the physical strain is unimaginable. Coming from a worse case of diarrhea just days ago, the struggle to hold my strength would be monumental.

I immediately left the workplace at around 5:30 after getting the green light from my sup. Lighting a cigarette I bought across the street, the race to accomplish everything had begun.

Avon Store, Legarda
6:04 PM

Even when my tummy hurts and my body dropping like a log, the utol hounded me to buy her beauty products from Avon. My sister needed a pressed powder for her face because according to her, she makes beso with the "big people" and she could not afford to look trashy for having an oily skin. She also added that since tibak folks like her are being associated with the jologs, a make-over is her only way to gain credibility from the "big people" she meets.

I snubbed her pleas despite dangling a P300 peso bill in front of me. I told her that I'd attend to her needs after I recover from my illness. My sister responded with a tender hug and a snuggle at my back - a rare act of sweetness she expresses. On the day I returned to work, the text barrages came flooding in.

"Kuya bili mo naman ako ng pressed powder today... blah. blah. blah."

I didn't send a reply.

"Kuya...."

Feeling her utter desperation and remembering the peace treaty I just declared over the weekend, I sent a text message assuring her that I'd squeeze her pressed powder after my shift is over.

So I rushed towards Avon immediately after work. My worry was, I wouldn't make it there for I thought the store closes at six. If I fail to secure her beauty product that evening, it might take days before I could return because of my busy schedule. Arriving in time for the closing, I was relieved to learn there were only few ladies inside the shop. It means I don't need to violently fight my way to get the Almond Pressed Powder my sister needed. A surprise jackpot made the trip worthwhile.

The store was on-sale and I got my powder at half the price.

Handing over the 500 peso bill to the cashier and another 20 pesos to the attendant who sells product catalog, I hurried out like a contender in the Amazing Race to beat the closing of another shop and accomplish my next objective.

-tobecontinued-

Second Hand Gadget Showcase

Just helping a very good friend sell some high tech stuff online. I vouch that all items for sale are well maintained and are in very good condition.

Sayang nga eh. Wala siya nung hinahanap ko.

Jamo Home Theater System

Includes HDMI DVD Player with IPod Jock


Selling Price: P10K

HTC TYTN (Titan) SOLD

PDA, 3G, WIFI, Touch Screen



Selling Price: P8K

BlackBerry 8310 (Red Color)

Selling Price: 10K

XBox 360

Selling Price: 10K

Ipod Touch 32gb, wifi

Selling Price: 12K

Apple Macbook

Specs: white with synthetic body and keypad covers | mac os x leopard 10.5.8 | 2.2 ghz, intel core 2 duo | 1gb 667 mhz dd2 sdram |


Selling Price: 40K

Please send your orders and inquiries to:

June Showers
joho_1230@yahoo.com