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The Philippine Beat Takes on the Downy Passion Challenge!

Posted on by jane

Downy had been my constant companion during my years of living in Pennsylvania as a grad student. Doing the laundry in the school’s laundromat, I’d haul my load of clothes down to the basement where the machines were located, with a Downy bottle sitting right on top of the entire heap.

So imagine my delight to see a basket at home marked “Downy”.

On hindsight though, I should have taken a picture before unboxing that Downy basket but excitement got the better of me. Imagine my surprise when the basket DID NOT HAVE any Downy inside it!

Instead, the contents of the basket revealed 2 towels mysteriously marked “Towel 1” and “Towel 2” (my thought bubble: Now why did they have to label 2 towels that look similar?“

The basket also had 3 scented candles in two-toned pink (my favorite color!). These ones I liked! Still, what were these here for?

And why no Downy???

It was only when I opened the PR envelope inside that I realized the purpose of the towels and scented candles. I was being invited to 2 challenges that would test the sensitivity of *drum roll* my nose!

In Challenge 1, I am supposed to tell which towel was sprinkled with perfume and which one was washed with the new Passion by Downy fabric conditioner.

In Challenge 2, I had to decide what additional ingredient (besides Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang and soft musk) was added to Passion by Downy. There were 3 options to choose from: Cinnamon, Rose, or Lavender.

CHALLENGE 1: Guess which towel was washed with Downy Passion



I carefully opened both towels, making sure that I just exposed one side of it so the fragrance won’t easily dissipate. I took deep breaths from both, really trying to make out which one was perfume-y and which was Downy-smelling. Wow, hard to tell! They both smelled nice. I had to reach deep, deep down into the recesses of my memory to recall what freshly washed laundry smelled like and which would be the more probable choice.

My Answer? TOWEL 1 IS THE ONE WASHED WITH DOWNY PASSION. And Towel 2 is the one with perfume.

CHALLENGE 2: Guess the additional ingredient in Downy Passion

I opened up Towel 1 again (which of course was my bet for having been washed with Downy) and took several deep breaths to check it out. Is the additional ingredient Cinnamon? Or Rose? Or could it be Lavender? By process of elimination, cinnamon was the first to be eliminated. Definitely did not smell cinnamon-y, like cinnamon rolls do. So it was a toss-up between Rose and Lavender. I got stuck here for some time. Until I realized that I had an idea what Lavender smelled like. It’s what I often spray on my pillows and sheets before I head for bed. Lavender is known in aromatherapy to induce relaxation, you see. As i continued to take in the scent of towel #1, it didn’t seem to fit my memory of what Lavender should smell like. So by default (and here, I’m crossing my fingers), I say —

My Answer? ROSE IS THE ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT IN DOWNY PASSION


Now that I’ve cast my votes on the 2 challenges. I’ll just sit back and really hope that my guesses are spot on. Being a Downy lover, I really would love to win a whole year’s supply of it.

And while this challenge is all about Passion by Downy, they do have another fabric conditioner called Attraction by Downy with its fruity, sweet fragrance of apple blossom, freesia and vanilla.

So there you go, the two new perfume scents in your favorite Downy fabric conditioner.

How do they get the perfume into the conditioner? They use an advanced, touch-activated Perfume Microcapsule (PMC) Technology – the perfume-blended oils are placed in microcapsules which, when rubbed or touched, slowly release more fragrance into the air. As you keep touching your clothes, sheets or just about anything, you actually release more of your favorite fragrance.

Aromatherapy in the wash…neat!

These Online Games Can Win You Free OREOs

Posted on by jane

Are you or your kids gamers? Oh, never mind if you aren’t gamers. Do you love OREOs?

I do! And yes, there’s now a way to get free OREOs and play simple online games to get your free packs.

Here are a few steps:

1. Head on over to shareoreo.com first. You’ll need to register an email address and provide a password. That way you get your first gift pack of OREOs just for registering.

2. Log in and on see the 2 games on the right side. To play, just click “Play Game” on the game of your choice.

3. Completing all levels of a game entitles you to free OREOs. An email will be sent to you. Print this out and claim it at the 7-Eleven branch you indicated.

OREOs has two fun games to choose from.

The first is Twist, Lick, Dunk.

There are 3 levels in this game. Drag the Twist, Lick, Dunk icons on the top to the “?” boxes in a certain order. Press “OK”. That releases the OREO which travels from one block to another. Once it hits the “Dunk” button, an arrow appears and it moves in the direction of your mouse. Aim for the glass of milk, then press the key. You have 5 tries (represented by the five OREOs above). Trying again costs you one OREO.
I’ve completed this game already and earned myself another set of OREOs.
The second game is the OREO Bonding Puzzle.
The goal here is to get both mommy and child to sit down at the dining table to share OREOs. To do this, you need to drag objects to either the mother or son in a correct sequence to get them to sit down and share OREOs.
It’s that easy. Start today and have fun playing while earning your FREE OREOs.

OREOs to Have, Share and Play With!

Posted on by jane

Whenever I go to the grocery to buy food, one item is almost always there – kids’ snacks. As I head off to the aisle with all the biscuits and cookies, there is one thing for sure that will be thrown into my grocery cart – OREOs!

Now, my kids’ favorite snack pack is here for everyone to have, share and play with!

You can enjoy OREOs, share FREE packs with your family and friends, and bond while playing the OREO games!

It’s simple!  Just visit www.shareoreo.com and REGISTER.

Once you’re registered, you’ll be able to experience the OREO fun:

1. Claim your very own FREE OREO PACKS (you will get a GC like the one below in your email and you can print it out to claim your 3 OREO packs from your designated 7-Eleven branch);

2. Send these very same OREO packs to all the people you know. There’s an easy way on the site to automatically send the free OREOs to your contacts on different email providers and social network sites like Facebook, Twitter and more; and

3. Play the different OREO games on the site and get a chance to win more prizes as well as the chance to experience what it’s like to become a human OREO.

With OREO, you don’t just get to twist, lick and dunk OREOs yourself. You get to share this fun with everyone else as well!

How Do You Teach Your Kids How to Beat Procrastination? (updated)

Posted on by jane

After reviewing the comments posted, I wish I could award the watch to everyone who participated because the tips were really useful but I had to choose 3 tips only. So here goes. The winners are:

1. Suzanne de los Santos
2. Pearlie Uy
3. Dante Ward Jr.

An email will be sent out to the winners with further instructions.

Thank you all. I hope to host another contest sometime.

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Growing up, my parents taught me not to procrastinate. Of course, that was not always easy. It’s easier to push work to the last minute before cramming. But I did learn the hard way, at times, that doing this meant a finished product that was not as good as I would have wanted it to be.

As my own kids are now in school, I try to teach them how NOT to procrastinate. I think it’s a lot more difficult to do so in this day and age. There are just too many distractions. Unlike before when my Mom just had to turn the TV off, now I have to deal with the internet, video games, and even when I send them to bed, there is the PSP or iPod Touch under the blanket. My kids are in high school and college and by this time, they have also learned the hard way what it means to cram things at the last minute. I’m glad that in high school, they have planners that they were taught to fill in so that they could monitor project and homework deadlines and improve their time management.

Showing your children that getting important things done right away is an essential skill that they need to grow up into responsible adults. Studies show that people with poor time management skills often face difficulties at school and at work. One study from Australia’s Victoria University cited poor time management as the cause of some students feeling pressured at school –the result of which is that they either drop out or experience health or mental problems.

Arm your kids with the proper tools against procrastination with these tips and advice from child psychologists and teachers.

  1. Time your children’s tasks. It’s good to have a clock in your child’s bedroom so he knows how long certain tasks take. You can also give your child his own watch, so he can monitor how long it takes to do different activities. You can even make a pie chart so your child can visualize how much time he spends doing homework and how much time is left for TV. This will make him understand that the more he procrastinates on an urgent task, the less time he has for more enjoyable activities.
  2. Help your child break down tasks into simpler ones. Sometimes, children put off homework or a project because they think that these are too difficult, so they become scared to tackle these tasks right away. Teach your child how to break these hard tasks into easier, simpler ones so they don’t feel overwhelmed. If your child has homework for several subjects, for instance, you can help him tackle one subject at a time.
  3. Set habits or rituals. This is especially effective for younger kids or preschoolers. Setting a certain time for specific activities help your children develop good habits and time management skills. For example, you can set 5pm as homework hour and 7pm as free time for your kids to do whatever they want.

Have you used any strategies to effectively help your kids beat procrastination? Then this is for you.

I’m running a very easy contest to see what your own ideas are on how to teach kids to beat procrastination. My partner in this contest is none other than Kids Watch Central (KWC), a favorite place to go to for timepieces just right for your kids. With watches of their own, it’s a lot easier for your kids to manage time and develop good habits and time management skills.

KWC’s colorful timepieces feature many different popular cartoon characters, such as Hello Kitty, Ben10, Transformers and Barbie. Their various designs can inspire your child to finish important tasks and activities right away.

Now, here are the contest mechanics:
1. Just answer this question by posting a comment below:

How Important is Teaching Time Management to Kids and what’s the best tip that you can share with other moms regarding teaching your child time management?

2. You can join several times over the contest’s duration but you can only comment once a day. If a commenter submits multiple entries in a day, only the first entry will count.

3. Commenters must include the following info: Your Name & Email Address. Anonymous commenters or those without email addresses will not be considered qualified.

4. Promo runs from June 9 to July 9, 2010. I will select the top 3 answers (an email address can win only once). The 3 winners will be announced on this blog on July 11, 2010. Choice of winners is final. Each winner gets a KWC timepiece.

5. Winners need to present an email of acknowledgment from me and can claim their prizes from Cathy Muncal at 6F Cambridge Center Building, 108 Tordesillas cor. Gallardo Sts., Salcedo Village, Makati City or at Urban Time Boutique at SM North Edsa Annex. Prizes of any provincial winners will be sent via courier. Sorry, but this contest is limited only to residents within the Philippines as we cannot send prizes abroad.

6. The watches that will be given to the winners are not necessarily those shown on this blog post (the photos are samples of KWC timepieces).


Do You Have the Toughest Job? (winners announed)

Posted on by jane

I think the toughest job in the Philippines is being a MOM.

Why?

  1. Being a Mom starts with PAIN – during childbirth. And even for those who are Moms by adoption, pain can come in the form of sacrifices and problems.
  2. You’re on duty 24/7
  3. Your job description requires multiple skills and duties: caregiver, nanny, tutor, cook, driver, motivator, disciplinarian, financier
  4. Once you get the job, there is absolutely no resignation. You’re in this for the long haul – like it or not.
  5. There is no financial compensation. You need to do all these absolutely FREE OF CHARGE.
Do you think your job is tough too? Then come join Alaxan FR and DOLE’s Search for the Toughest Jobs in the Philippines Campaign.

Different people may give different answers; but for the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Manny Pacquiao and Alaxan FR, no job is too small or too easy. Because it is in how one performs the job – whether he rises above the pain and the challenge—that determines whether a job is tough or so-so.

With this in mind, the DOLE and the People’s Champ,  together with top pain relief brand Alaxan FR, launches the “Search for the Toughest Jobs in the Philippines” – a groundbreaking initiative that seeks to honor Filipino men and women who face the challenges of their day-to-day jobs with pride, resiliency and most of all toughness.

“In the case of Manny Pacquiao, it’s the pain of training for a boxing title; for the promodizer, it’s the long commute to be able to give service to grocery shoppers; for the teacher, it’s the leg cramps after long hours of standing to be able to impart knowledge to students. Really, pain is a badge of honor. It’s one sign that you’ve exerted enough effort and commitment to do your job well.,” asserts Sheila Rono, Alaxan Brand Representative..

My blog is offering a contest for the toughest job. 3 winners will be chosen by me. 
To join, here are mechanics:
1. Just post a comment at the end of this article stating what is your toughest job. Please include your NAME and OCCUPATION.
2. Your comment entry is also automatically an entry to www.toughjobsphilippines.com for the national contest which runs till Aug. 21, 2010 (see mechanics for the national contest there). You are required to submit the same entry in my blog, but this time with a PHOTO of your tough job, to alaxantoughjobs@gmail.com (Alaxan FR’s PR people will be the ones to upload your entry on the website). The entry that gets the most number of votes online will win the competition and will bring home a trophy and a cash prize of P20,000.  
3. Deadline for entries to my blog contest: July 15, 2010
4. For my blog contest, there will be 3 winners chosen by me. My blog winners will win tough jobs T-shirts, cellphone cleaners and Alaxan FR’s sample packs. 
5. Winners can claim their prizes at GeiserMaclang Office – 6F Cambridge Center Building, 108 Tordesillas cor Gallardo Streets, Salcedo Village, Makati City.

Alaxan FR contains Ibuprofen (200mg) and Paracetamol (325mg), two of the most widely used and trusted pain relievers by doctors worldwide. It is used for the relief of mild to moderately severe pain of musculoskeletal origin such as myalgia, arthritis, rheumatism, sprain, strain, bursitis, tendonitis, backache and stiff neck, as well as tension headache, dysmenorrhea, toothache and pain after tooth extraction and minor surgical operations and for the reduction of fever. Alaxan FR is available at leading drugstores and supermarkets.


UPDATE:


Here are my winners for Alaxan FR gift packs:

1. May Ann Saturno – her description of her job as transcriptionist-editor really tugged at my heart. I agree that it’s a very tough job to have.

2. Jennifer Aspacio – 12 blogs? No yaya? Homeschooling teacher? Waaaahhhh, that’s tough!

3. Julie Fuertes – dealing with kids can be a handful. Julie’s work with special education children is a challenge! Plus, she has all this online work on top of having no househelp. Makes my life look like a breeze.

Congrats Ann, Jennie and Julie. I’ll be emailing you soon. Please note though that the promo was extended to Aug. 15, 2010 AFTER I had closed the contest. So please be patient because your prizes will be available beginning Aug. 15 only.

Blue Water Day Spa Debuts in Tomas Morato

Posted on by jane

I love spas. After my yoga practice, I sometimes feel long neglected muscles come alive (read my lips: sore muscles). A body massage does the job to take away the aches and pains, soothe and detox the body. Or after a long day away from home attending blogger events or running errands as a busy mom, it just feels so good to settle down to a great foot massage.

Today, Blue Water Day Spa opens its doors in Tomas Morato. It’s the second Blue Water spa that comes with a spa theater. The first one, along Ortigas Ave., could seat over 20 people in the theater. This one in Tomas Morato seats 16.

I got a personalized tour when I arrived there. We started out with the rooms. They have couple rooms where you can have a body massage or scrub. It has its own bathroom and changing area so that you need not leave the room to wash and change.

For simple body massages, there is a room each for ladies and men, tastefully decorated too to calm the spirit.

(Ladies’ massage room)
(Men’s massage room)
The theater area is cozy enough to hold intimate spa parties. Families and good friends would love the pampering while watching a good movie together. I got a good back massage while in a lazy boy chair and that was a very relaxing experience while a movie was being shown.
Today, they had a demo of the Tibetan Meridian Fire Therapy (a 45-minute treatment that starts with hard massage, setting fire to the area that needs slimming down, then another hard massage round). Setting you on fire is safe, mind you, as in the picture below, because they saran wrap you first, then wrap the area in towels before lighting up. It is a slimming massage that also eliminates excess fat cells, water and toxins in the body.

(That’s the abdomen of the “guinea pig” set on fire. He actually lost some centimeters after the treatment.)

Will I try it? Uhhhhmmmm, not sure. But I will definitely try the traditional Filipino massage (hilot) that they are offering. I love hilot because it brings out the trapped air in muscles which cause pain. I have some achy muscles right now that need ironing out. The Brazilian Crystal Massage looks good too!
Aside from massages, Blue Water Day Spa offers body scrubs, foot treatments, facial skin care treatments, waxing hair removal and spa packages.
Visit Blue Water Day Spa’s newest location at 238 Sct. Bayoran, Tomas Morato, Quezon City. They are open Mon-Sun from 1pm-12mn. Tel 486-5584 or mobile 0923-718-7101.

Krispy Kreme Contest: Entries for May 24-30, 2010 (Winner Announced)

Posted on by jane

Update: 

Here we go. Like last week, I had another special guest judge for this week’s entries and she’s no other than our other yaya, Yaya Hazel, who has been with us over 15 years already. Yaya Hazel chose the same picture as the one that garnered the most votes this week and that is no other than *drumroll*...Juno Limjap Sison.

Congrats to Juno and Jillian. I will be emailing you for further details.

Thanks to all those who joined the contest and also took time out to vote for your favorite picture. And last but not least, thanks Krispy Kreme, for sponsoring this Mother’s Day contest.

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We’re posting below the entries for Week May 24-30, 2010 of the Krispy Kreme contest (You and Your Mom). You can still join in. Send your photos of you and your Mom. May 29 is last day for this week’s entries. Voting ends noon of May 30.

To vote for your favorite picture, please leave a comment on this post stating the entrant’s name and why you chose his/her photo for your vote. I’m picking the winner by Sunday, May 30, 2010 based on the following criteria:

  • 40% – how closely the photo reflects entrant’s relationship with Mom
  • 35% – impact of explanation as to why the photo is magical
  • 25% – number of positive comments the entry elicits from my readers 

Entrant: Bernadette Jamie Eustaquio
“This is me and my mother having “kulitan-photoshoot” at Microtel Palawan. Both of us dont know how to kayak,that’s why we just took a picture in it.It is also rare that we have bonding moments especially when I started working. =)”


Entrant: Ria Tirazona
“My mom has been (and always will be!) my staunchest supporter and one of her biggest wishes for me ever since childhood was to lose weight. This is a magical moment in our lives because for the first time ever, I was able to sit next to her in a bikini in one of our favorite places to be in, Boracay. It was a fulfillment of both our dreams and even though I have gained weight again, I still feel her solid support no matter what!”


Entrant: Juno Limjap Sison (mother)
“Ahoy there! Mommy agreed on a ‘Take ur dog-out-to highstreet’ Day with her friends, well we don’t have a dog, so she took me instead! ;p She justified by putting me in a baby-sling all day long- I got rewarded with a donut, fair enough!”


Krispy Kreme Contest: Entries for May 17-23, 2010 (Winner Announced)

Posted on by jane

And the winner is….

OK, before that, let me first introduce my special judge. She is not a Mom. Neither is she a kid. But she is almost like a Mom. She’s one of our yayas at home — Yaya Em, who has been with our family for over 10 years. I showed the photo entries to Yaya Em and asked her to rank them 1,2,3. Then I counted the unique votes for each entrant.

The winner for this week was the top choice of Yaya Em and also garnered the most unique votes – 27.

Congratulations, Roanne Lim! You win a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts! (I will email you further details)

Tomorrow (May 24, Monday) we begin another week of this contest. The 2 entries that did not win this week qualify as entries for the 2nd week. However, this week’s votes no longer count and you will need to gather your family & friends to vote again for your picture (I will put up another post for the 2nd week and that is where voting should be done).

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We’re posting below the entries for Week May 17-23, 2010 of the Krispy Kreme contest (You and Your Mom). You can still join in. Send your photos with Mom in. May 22 is last day for this week’s entries. Late entries (after May 22) will be entered in next week’s list of entries.

To vote for your favorite picture, please leave a comment on this post stating the entrant’s name and why you chose his/her photo for your vote. I’m picking the winner by Sunday, May 23, 2010 based on the following criteria:

  • 40% – how closely the photo reflects entrant’s relationship with Mom
  • 35% – impact of explanation as to why the photo is magical
  • 25% – number of positive comments the entry elicits from my readers 

Entrant: Bernadette Jamie Eustaquio
“This is me and my mother having “kulitan-photoshoot” at Microtel Palawan. Both of us dont know how to kayak,that’s why we just took a picture in it.It is also rare that we have bonding moments especially when I started working. =)”


Entrant: Ria Tirazona
“My mom has been (and always will be!) my staunchest supporter and one of her biggest wishes for me ever since childhood was to lose weight. This is a magical moment in our lives because for the first time ever, I was able to sit next to her in a bikini in one of our favorite places to be in, Boracay. It was a fulfillment of both our dreams and even though I have gained weight again, I still feel her solid support no matter what!”


Entrant: Roanne Lim
“Today is yaya’s day off.  I think I’ll be busy today watching over my mom. :)”



Krispy Kreme Contest: You and Your Mom

Posted on by jane

Mother’s Day may be over but the month of May (dedicated to mothers) isn’t. Celebrating the month of mothers can be done for the entire 31 days of the month.

Krispy Kreme has new creations that are worth taking your most-loved mother on a Krispy Kreme date for. Their theme centers around mangoes – the tropical fruit that everyone loves. First, there is the Mango Kreme Cake – made of chunky bits of mangoes mixed with custard set atop of soft vanilla cake and garnished with graham cracker bits.

Of course, the best partner of the Mango Kreme Cake is the Mango Kreme Chiller – a thirst-quenching beverage made of mangoes and topped with whipped cream.
Now, you still have a chance to show how much you love your Mom and it is so easy. Here are the simple mechanics:
2. Once you’ve followed Chloe, email a photo of yourself and your mother having a magical moment with a brief description (2-3 sentences) on why it is magical to the e-mail address of Chloe (hotlightgirl.chloe@gmail.com). Copy me on your email entry by sending same entry to my email address (thephilippinebeat@gmail.com) so that I’m sure to include your photo in my next blog post.

The photo can be an old one or a recent one. With your email, include the following info:

  • Full Name
  • Facebook Name
  • Age
  • Blog where you saw this promo, which in this case is my blog (The Philippine Beat)
  • Date of submission

3. Chloe will email me your photo entry which I will post on my blog. You have 2 chances to win because the first week’s contest runs from May 17-21 (one winner to be announced May 23) and the second week’s contest runs from May 24-30 (noon) (one winner to be announced May 30). Non-winners from the first week remain eligible in the second week.

4. The winner of each week will be chosen by a guest judge of my choice based on the following criteria:

  • 40% – how closely the photo reflects your relationship with your Mom
  • 35% – impact of your explanation as to why the photo is magical
  • 25% – number of positive comments your entry elicits from my readers (you may ask your family and friends to comment but please…NO SPAMMING). I reserve the right to disregard what I deem to be spam comments.

The judge’s choice is FINAL.

5. I will email the weekly winners and ask the winners to tell me which KK branch the prize will be claimed from. Each winner gets a free box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

6. To claim your prize, print out the email from me confirming that you won and present it to the KK branch with one valid ID. Claiming period is until June 4, 2010.

7. Prizes are not convertible to cash and can only be claimed personally at a KK branch. I won’t be able to mail/post/deliver the boxes to the winners.

Win a Shirt from Nike Women

Posted on by jane

POC Sportacular has teamed up with Nike for Mother’s Day to bring you this contest. Yes, Mother’s Day may be over but you still get a chance to win one of these Nike Women shirts.
Here are the different ways to join:
1.       Leave a comment below.
3.       Leave a comment on our Facebook wall.
4.       Follow us on Twitter.
5.       Tweet this link http://bit.ly/ckL53A along with the #POCSportacular and #NikeWomen hashtags.
6.       Put a link to this contest on your blog (don’t forget to tell us about it!).
Once you’ve done any of the items on this list, post a comment here with the link to your entries or send an email to msumayao (at) thepoc (dot) net.
You get more entries for each individual item on the list, so maximize your chances of winning by doing everything we mentioned! Take note that each of these items will qualify as just one raffle entry, regardless of how many times you do them. That means that if you spam Twitter with a million of our hashtags, you’ll still get just one raffle entry.
The contest began last May 9, 2010 and runs till 12 midnight, May 17, 2010. Winners will be announced the next day, on Sportacular.