Club Astoria's Luring of People to a “Raffle” as Part of Marketing Strategy: Is It Legal?

“Everything was fast paced. You are enticed with what they offer. The next thing you know, you are already obliged to pay a monthly fee for a certain property you’re not really sure you’ll be getting in time.”

This was just a short epilogue of what happened to my parents last night (and too bad I was not there to warn them earlier). It happened like this:

 My dad received a call from a certain lady from Club Astoria informing him that he “won a raffle” thereby getting a free buffet for two and “free” (take note of the word) 3 days/2 nights stay in Palawan. Who wouldn’t want to win a raffle anyway? The caller also informed him that there would also be a 90-minute presentation (but did not mention what kind of presentation it is or if it is “raffle-related” so Dad assumed that indeed related to the so-called “trip to Palawan”) At first, he was skeptic but upon knowing that the event would take place at Astoria Plaza in Pasig City, and that he got the raffle stub last week on a certain restaurant, he gave it a try.

He went there with mom and was able to meet the spokesperson specified on the text message he got shortly after the call. The buffet itself was real. They were able to enjoy the food and the ambiance of the hotel. After the sumptuous dinner, they were asked to go to a certain floor building (I believed it’s the 35th floor as what other bloggers have said) for the 90-minute presentation.

And then there it is, the so-called raffle winning thing was forgotten and what got them was a bunch of marketing guys trying to persuade them get a “timeshare.” My dad curious enough and always wanting the best for our family especially now that he’s about to retire and want to enjoy the perks of his retirement someday, he was able to give in to the “one day SALE only” and deposited a certain amount of money (that I will not divulged as the marketing agents might be blog followers as well and may keep track of my dad’s records) for a “one bedroom unit” good for 4 persons, all ready and set if you were able to fulfill the terms of payment until 2018.

Okay, let’s say this is not really a scam, as what Mr. Boy Abunda has said in a certain video promoting Club Astoria. The thing is, is it even LEGAL to lure people into a RAFFLE (which in my understanding, is not really a raffle since it happened that way–the selling stuff) and then ending up as it being part of their “genius marketing strategy?”

I need opinions please so we know which step we could take next. I’m not just going to let my dad burn his hard-earned money on something that he’s not going to use in the future anyway.

AwesoME Plans for 2014

After many years of hardships and dilemmas in school, I finally had a chance to experience an extreme vacation which i can call really "extreme" since I'm done with all those school shizz. It's pretty true that the life of being a nursing student would pull you apart from social life and all those things a teenage girl would usually enjoy but nevertheless, I'm happy that I will be able to enjoy now :)

Moving on, I started the year by visiting Puerto Galera with my boyfriend and a few of my closest officemates (blog about Puerto G to follow!) and we definitely enjoyed the beach since the weather is not to hot.

So here's the plan for the remaining months and hopefully, I could do all these especially that I have my baby Waki now (my new camera!) :)

• 'Staycation' in Tagaytay for the nth time - I've been to Tagaytay several times already especially last year (thrice?) but this time, I have to explore a few hangouts I've never been to including Skyranch, Mushroom Burger ( I want the Tagaytay exclusive one!) and to make a wish with the Pink sisters (I've been there once but never got the chance)
• Beach Bummin' at Potipot Island, Zambales - I definitely need to hit the beach again! I really do since I'm kinda fat during that Puerto G beach vacay :P need to burn a few more calories. LOL
• Flaunt back my body way back 2012 - it 's really disappointing that I gained weight yet AGAIN & can no longer fit a few of my swimsuits anymore :( But I will really, really try hard to get my old me back (cross fingers)!
• Go to Caramoan Islands in Bicol - it's my dad's hometown and we're planning to go there on May 2014. Geez, so excited!
• Learn how to make fondant cakes - I'm a nurse by profession but a baker at heart and I have to try this one more time after a couple of fail-dom. haha. I love those cute fondant designs!
• Enroll in a short-term culinary/baking class - I learned cooking and baking on my own by watching youtube videos and browsing the internet for some recipes. I guess now's the time to take my skill to a whole new level. Chos!
• Workout my "Dessert Buffet" business plans - I have started my sweet treats business last year and since dessert buffets are a party hit, I'm looking in to it and had to save a few bucks so I can hopefully head to start.
• Teach English online - I wanted to make my free time valuable and I guess this could work for me. I actually had an upcoming training for such and I'm so excited to teach kids!
•  Set up a wall decked shoe rack in my room - my shoe cabinet's almost filled  with too many shoes and I wanted a shoe rack that's within my reach :) Lazy bum. hihi.
• Get my teeth some braces - so I could flaunt more smiles and happy faces!
• Watch Daniel Padilla's concert - I know I'm too old (well not so old!) for Daniel but who cares? He's a hottie!
•  Camping with my baby - Stars on the sky, cool night winds..could that be any sweeter? :)
• Out of the country getaway - HK or Bangkok maybe (yes baby, please!)? Once I got all those vacation leaves, e'd definitely push through this!

Yeah! That's probably a few of my plans in mind and I'm pretty much determined to push through all this! I want to! no, I HAVE TO!So, stay tuned!

Post-G2B's Best Ending Ever Fever

After six long months of tuning in to the most endeared love story of Joaquin Manansala (Daniel Padilla) and Christina "Chichay" Tampipi (Kathryn Bernardo), the telenovela which kept all of us hanging every 8:30PM weekdays was finally set to a sweet end last March 7, 2014

Televiewers, young, old and the like, made sure their TV screens are made available to watch ABS-CBN's hit primetime's "Best Ending Ever." It was pretty much a neat one, not too grand I guess but it was good enough to delight televiewers making the teleserye hit charts on top social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

So what made Got to Believe's Best Ending Ever a hit to everyone? Aside from the fact that Daniel made a huge impact on every Fan girl's night seeing him on G2B, it was clear that the story is totally something which anyone can relate to.

Surely, I am not alone in missing the entire G2B thing and there's a few stuffs that I would surely miss knowing that I've been a fan girl since day one. These includes me completing all my routine works just to make sure I don't get disturb while watching G2B and me getting extremely excited for weekdays knowing that it will be aired. This was my second time tuning in with a certain TV series next to Meteor Garden and I can't hardly imagine that it has ended. Now I have to buy those CDs in all volumes including the soundtrack.

And my, my, I'm going to miss Joaquin! :'( I feel like crying my heart out knowing that I would see him less on TV now (sighs).

All in all, it was a great experience feeling in love like a high school girl again. It gave a nostalgia of what high school was like for me and I will surely miss the feeling! I hope they could make another story like this again, with Daniel Padilla in it (faints deep inside) along with Kathryn. I'm pretty sure it will be a hit again. So much for another teleserye, I heard they're up on making a movie based on a book called "She's Dating a Gangster" by a Filipino author. Although, I'm not into books written by local authors aside from Bob Ong, I'll definitely put this one over my exception list. I have to see Daniel again!

What Women Sees, What Men Don't.

Why are there times that certain  things occur and we, women constantly nag about them and men still don't acknowledge the issue? And why do we always have to continually complain on the same stuff over and over again, and men had to ignore these as if nothing's wrong (or is there really something wrong)?

According to Ripley (2005), a man's brain is designed to focus on narrow perspectives and block out any unrelated information. Whereas, a  woman's brain has the ability to see things in a much "broader" perspective allowing her to see what lies underneath.

Given this, it must be a fact that there are things women see and men tend to ignore, not because they intentionally ignore them but because they don't see how things really are. Just when we are about to get mad that the bathroom floor is left unclean and  see this as something extremely irritating, to men, it's harmless.

So yeah, maybe we just give in to the fact that men and women are created to think differently and both should respect each other's differences. Men might think that women are too over acting on things but given the fact that we are designed as complex and extremely vigilant beings, they might take that into consideration too.

Here are some things that we, women, sees and think that you (guys) don't (To guys, please feel free to cite how you feel and what you think we see and don't). I guess it would really help to at least let you know (and you let us know!):

1. It's normal for us to get mad when our favorite spot in the house (i.e., the kitchen) is in bizarre mess and blame you over it.

2. Your lack of affection or reaction may sometimes mean to us as "lack of sweetness" or "there is something wrong or fishy."

3. Special dates such as monthsary, anniversary, birthdays, first dates and the like are so important to us so if you tend to forget any of those, you're dead meat (P.S. Either prepare for war or simply sleep outside the house).

4. If we caught you checking out other girls' Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. (especially acquaintances of the opposite sex) our first reaction would be, "there's something fishy."

5. If you're head is always on your favorite game, especially when we're talking, we think we're just your "second priority."

6. We know you're busy at work but when you're super busy (regardless of what work that be), we think you tend to forget us.

7. When you say we look fat, we totally see ourselves as Fat-fat. Like really, really FAT.

8. When you don't reply to our messages, one of our thoughts would be, "She's texting someone else."

9. When you said our cooking was "okay," it means "not okay" for us.

10. When we nag over your friends, we don't really mean it. It's somehow our way of just getting your attention.

11. When we asked if we can check your phone and you did not show it, we might think that you're hiding something (and be prepared to be stalked).

12. When we say something negative over how you look, we don't really mean it. We just like to play coy with you.

and there's still a lot of fuzz that we might need to discuss about! So, feel free to comment and tag along! What do you guys say?

Epilogue

Dew & raindrops–
It’s shadows shone on the window pane,
Dropping little by little,
A sweet morning haze.
Of glitter and glamour,
It’s indeed a gift of above
a tiny little shed of light,
yearning for more love.

Hot Air Balloon Fest Set to Launch on April 2014

You heard that right! The supposed to be February-bound Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is set to launch on April 10-13,2014, at Clark Field, Pampanga, Philippines to be hosted by our very own Department of Tourism (DOT).

The event date was initially announced by DOT last December 30, 2013 on it's Official website and Facebook page, all under the supervision of Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez.

Hot Air Balloon Festival 2014.Credits to www.clarkisit.com

Each year, the said event gathers thousands of people all around the globe, because the astonishing air flight shows and sights of hot air balloons on air, all made custom, are perfect and almost dream-like to roundtrip travellers, blog and photography enthusiasts.

My last visit of the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta was on February 2012 (I know it was far too long ago! 2013 was a busy school year for me!) and I will never forget the experience. I even kept my Hot Air Festival memorabilia and tickets! Although, I have not totally got a complete feel of the experience that year due to lack of preparations (it was a quick getaway!), I literally enjoyed my heart there. Most of the people who came before us have set up their camping tents and high-end cameras on their best chosen spots. Yes! Next time, we really need to bring that camping tent! It seems like really part of the Hot Air Balloon Fest ritual.Haha! Also, you must wear loose-fitted clothes because at around 9 o'clock in the morning, the sun would really drain you down and tight-clothes would surely put you to a shame. There are less tents were you can find temporary shelter so I suggest you follow this. Bring extra clothes too!

Aside from the amazing sight of hot air balloons and extremely awesome sky diving shows, the one I love the most are the duty free sales! Yes, you heard that right! Almost all of the Duty-Free Shops in Clark, Pampanga went on a crazy sale that shopaholics don't want to miss. From branded goodies, chocolates, clothing, furnitures, gadgets and anything that you can imagine on a sale! Actually, I'm looking forward on this year's Hot Air Balloon Festival because of my "chocolate hoarding plans." LOL. But seriously, they have the most amazing deals and you won't regret that you went there. I would like to mention in particular that Puregold Duty-Free Shop where they literally have everything and all in super cheap prices! They have a wall decked with Cadbury chocolates, some where custom and in rare flavors. Definitely a must try!

What are you waiting for? Set your plans for the Hot Air Balloon Festival 2014 and make sure to bring all necessary stuffs including your best cameras because you're about to set eye on a magical, almost dream like experience. See you there!

Fitness Gear Hoop Massager: A Fun Way to get Fit for Summer!

A few weeks after my birthday, I decided to buy this fitness gear hoop massager recommended by a friend. I was astonished at how she was able to flaunt a new look and she claims that it’s all because of this hoop, plus some diet, so there goes me giving it a try. It’s worth P629.00 (quite more expensive than the usual hoola hoop) and it can be bought on a department store’s gym/fitness accessories section. It comes in three different sizes, all of which are customized according to one’s built. I chose the purple one, the heaviest of all, weighing around 950 grams and has an 85 centimeter diameter. I picked it, not that I’m too fat but I wanted to take on some extra challenge for working out. Well, actually, I’m not really a gym person nor a fitness buddy. I am just so desperate to burn all the fats I’ve gained hoping to bring back that slim body I’ve got during college days (I am really hopeful!).

The thing about this hoop is that it has this somewhat elliptical bumps around it which hits your abdomen as you go hooping and you will really feel that massage and some “kick” as you go faster. Thirty minutes of hooping can make you sweat big time and it’s just the same sweat you’ll get after a 30 minute jog! Plus, you will feel some stomach cramping afterwards, especially when you hoop faster. The thing about it is that it’s less hassle and less exhausting than the usual exercise routine, plus you get to have some fun!

The only thing is that, when it’s your first time using it, you should really follow the instructions of limiting the use for not more than five minutes because if you don’t, you’ll get bruises the next day (trust me you don’t want those bruises!). Also, this is not suitable for pregnant women and those who have back problems so if you suspect that you’re either of the two, consulting a physician before use is really important.

I don’t use it regularly because I usually go home exhausted from work but I’m making it up for this week to prepare for our early summer Puerto Galera escape! I really hope I could still catch up and I’m going to update you guys with my progress.

Stay tuned!