Contests: Save, Share and get a chance to Win an Electrolux Washing Machine

Electrolux just launched two (2) fun contests and up for grabs are their popular washing machines.

The "Live, Love, Firande! Electrolux Photo Contest" lets you share your moments of celebration

Life is always a celebration. The fact we are able to wake up every day is already cause for celebration. That's why the theme of one of my blogs is: Live, Love, Laugh.

I'm sure you have tons of digital photos in your computer or digital media of memorable moments in your life that are causes for celebration, right? After all, we Pinoys really love to celebrate everything - a birth, birthday, baptism, marriage, anniversary, barkadahan days, graduations. You name it, we Pinoys have probably celebrated it in some way. Even vacations are filled with tons of photos.

Why not share those photos with the world so they can see how the Filipino celebrates life? There's a way to do that now. And it gives you a chance as well to win something from Electrolux which is celebrating its 10th anniversary presence in the Philippines.

Electrolux is a Swedish brand and in Sweden, the term for Celebration is Firande. They're launching a photo contest where you can share all sorts of photos - from remarkable achievements and important personal milestones to fun, family vacations and exciting getaways with friends.

How me and my girl friends celebrate and bond

Photo Contest Mechanics

Here's how to join the "Live, Love, Firande! Electrolux Photo Contest":

1. Visit the “Live, Love, Firande! Photo Contest” tab of the Little White Book Facebook page from April 1, 2012 to May 20, 2012 and fill out the required participant details.

2. Submit your Firande photo along with your answer to the question, “What’s worth celebrating to you?" in 50 words or less.

3. All qualified photo entries will be uploaded in the Live, Love, Firande! photo album of the Little White Book Facebook page and will be featured in a commemorative 10th anniversary advertisement in leading newspapers, magazines and TV seen nationwide.

4. Get a chance to vote for your favorite among the Top Ten Firande photos from May 28 to June 10, 2012.

5. The top 3 Firande photos will get a chance to win exciting prizes from Electrolux Philippines including Electrolux appliances and a luxury and travel package.

Updated May 5, 2012:

Prizes at Stake 

1st Prize - 3D/2N stay at Makati Shangri-la Hotel with P35,000 worth PAL Travel Certificates
2nd Prize - Electrolux Kitchen Showcase: EGG7422S Built in Hob, EFT9510X Hood, ETB 2603SC No Frost Refrigerator, and EMM2007X Microwave Oven
3rd Prize - Electrolux ESV112CRC-A4 Inverter Split Type Air Conditioner

Follow Electrolux at www.electrolux.com.ph. 
Like them on Facebook at facebook.com/thelittlewhitebook
Follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/ElectroluxPH

Winners of WinX Blu-Ray Decrypter are...

My Facebook page made a debut last week and as a welcome for new followers, I decided to do a quick and easy giveaway promo - 10 license codes of the WinX Blu-Ray Decrypter, courtesy of Digiarty Software. That post can be read HERE.

Anyway, I have just used Randomizer to pick and choose the winners. Since only 15 out of my 80+ followers signified that they wanted to join, the odds were pretty strong for winning.

I could not count some of you who may have wanted to join but did not specifically follow the contest mechanics. You had to specifically tell me that you wanted to win the WinX Blu-ray Decrypter so I could distinguish which contest you were joining (I had people interested in the Globe Tattoo giveaway but not in this one).

The 15 people who had indicated they were joining this particular contest were assigned numbers in the order that they posted on my wall:

And Randomizer says that the winners are:

Alwin Aquirre (2)

Jun Anteola (3)

Hazel Nacario (4)

Diony Tapac (5)

Mauie Flores (6)

Katherine Sicat (8)

Ding Iyog Mendoza (9)

Ellen Chang (11)

Annaliza Demition (13)

Julie Custodio-Fuertes (15)

Congratulations, winners!

If your Facebook privacy settings allow me to message you, I will give you your license code via private Facebook message. If I will not be allowed by your settings to leave you a message, I will have to ask for your email address so I can send it there.

For those who did not win this round, don't worry. The BPI-Globe Tattoo contest is ongoing and I have another software giveaway brewing. This time, 20 license codes will be up for grabs so you can still win.

This Yogini is LOUD!

LOUD to me doesn't mean that your voice is necessarily loud because that only reflects the physical aspect. I believe being LOUD also means that you are able to influence someone in some way -- hopefully for the better.

In 2006, I got into yoga. At first, it was just all about me and my practice. But as I fell in love with it, I realized that yoga is not just for one's self but is something to be shared with others. At first, I did not know where to begin. But I had the chance to organize a free yoga class for bloggers in 2007 for a group of blogger friends. Here's our class pic below.

Bloggers pose after a yoga class with Teacher Pio

At around that time, I also decided to open my yoga blog, The Yogini from Manila, where I tried to be a resource point for those wanting to explore yoga by providing a list of studios in the Philippines. Through this yoga blog, I am able to shout out LOUD the benefits of yoga. Through it, I became friends with yoga teachers here and abroad. I've heard from readers looking for studios, asking how they can start yoga, seeking advice on anything from yoga styles to yoga wear, and many more.

Now, I have extended my being LOUD to Facebook by opening The Yogini from Manila Facebook page. Here, I can interact more with my contacts since I check Facebook often. It allows me to share LOUDly my love for yoga, even if I do not teach.

Several of my blogger friends now do yoga and continue to try it. This makes me so happy because I know yoga can make them healthier, maybe even slimmer. One thing's for sure, they become more active since bloggers oftentimes lead sedentary lives in front of the computer. Isn't that LOUD enough?

Contest: Havaianas All Summer: Race to Hawaii

Just a few more months to go and it will be summer and you know what that means.

Well, as a mother, it means I don't need to stress out over car schedules bringing kids to/from school or buying school supplies or even just making sure they do homework before chatting with friends online.

But for a lot of us that also means lots of sun, the beach, beach games, Boracay, and your favorite flipflops.

Havaianas is helping make summer a year-round celebration of happiness and kindness among us Pinoys by launching a nationwide contest, "All Summer: Race to Hawaii".

100 two-member teams (65 from Metro Manila, 35 from the provinces)  will compete in a fun, elimination round at the NBC Tent, Global City. The provincial teams get all-expense paid trips to Manila for the competition.

20 teams who pass the elimination rounds will be flown to Boracay for the final round. Again, airfare and accommodations will be taken care of by Havaianas. The team with the best time in all the summer tasks win an all-expense paid trip for two to sunny Hawaii.

Who Can Join?

You need to be a Philippine resident, 18 years old and above, fit to travel and engage in physical activities and must hold a valid passport to qualify for this contest.

Any single-receipt purchase of two (2) Havaianas pairs from any participating Havaianas retailers from February 4, 2011 to March 27, 2011 will merit one (1) Race to Hawaii scratch card, which contains a unique code that the participant can use to register in the www.havaianassummer.com website. Participants have until March 28, 2011, 11:59PM to register or add codes.

Get ready for a Hawaiian summer getaway with a friend or special someone. This will be one summer you won't ever forget. Let Havaianas treat you to a well-deserved vacation.

For additional contest details and mechanics, visit the Havaianas Always Summer website.

Contest: Win a Ticket to See the Pacquiao-Margarito LIVE with Alaxan FR

This coming November 14, our very own Manny Pacquiao will once again do battle. This time, the crown at stake is the vacant WBC Super Welterweight Championship and his fight will be against Mexican Antonio Margarito, former WBA Welterweight Champion.

Once again, this fight can be watched live in different Pay-Per-View (PPV) locations around the Philippines as fans and kababayans empty the streets to watch Pacquiao go up against Margarito.

Alaxan FR is hosting a contest that will give you a chance to win one (1) FREE PPV ticket to see the Pacquiao fight at selected SM Cinemas. And you have 5 chances (5 days) to win that prized ticket. It's simple. Here's how.

Contest: Keso de Gallo with Kraft Eden Cheese

100 towns.

100 unique dishes.

100 days.

1 Grand Yuletide celebration.

Yes, for 100 days prior to Christmas, 100 towns are showcasing their unique dishes that feature Kraft Eden Cheese as an ingredient. And they are gunning to break the record for the longest Christmas celebration in the world!

Where else should the longest Christmas celebration be than in the Philippines. The moment BER months come around, Christmas songs are already in the air and malls start decorating for the Christmas season already!

We can all help make the Philippines break this record and, at the same time, make YOUR favorite city's cheese dish win P2 million worth of prizes it can use as a support fund. You can also be your city's HOME PARTNER and win a cash prize for yourself.

The Philippine Beat is rooting for the town made famous by a pancit it is named after. In truth, this is one of, if not my favorite, pancit because I just love the crushed chicharon flakes and varied seafood toppings heaped on it -- Pancit Malabon!

Yes, I am throwing my vote behind Malabon City which has done a twist on their famous pancit by adding cheese cubes.

Pancit Malabon with Cheese Cracking Toppings

Will you help me make Malabon City win? If you love Pancit Malabon, then vote for Malabon. Just check out their yummy recipe for Pancit Malabon with Cheese Cracking Toppings HERE. And while you're on Malabon's page, read up a bit on the history of the city. There's more to the city than just pancit!

What do you need to do to make Malabon City win?

And the Palamantasan Healthy Pledge Winners Are...

We were supposed to announce the contest winners on my blog last Saturday, Sept. 18. But all the bloggers concerned, including the organizers, had to review the entries to ensure that only those who followed the mechanics of the contest were considered valid entries.

I also regret that there was one entry that I could not consider. Firstly, the person posted a link to his/her Facebook page which I could not view due to privacy settings. Secondly, that person's entry did not appear also on the Palamantasan Facebook page. So there could have been technical glitches with the post. Too bad.

The contest mechanics were clear. One entry per person only.

Since I did not specify if it was one entry per blog or one entry per person for the entire contest, I considered even the entries of people who joined different bloggers' contests but took pains to submit different entries. Because of the effort exerted, those people still qualified to join. Others were disqualified however for not following the contest mechanics.

So, here are the winners for my blog (I chose less than the maximum of 10).

1. Bagel Betorin

2. Cornelio Mallare

3. Emiliana Sison

4. G-anne Ronquillo

5. Luisa Clemente

6. Ning Buning


Please contact Sam Sanchez of Geiser Maclang at 0918.823.4624 to arrange how to claim your prizes.

Congratulations and thanks for joining!

Your Healthy Palamantasan Pledge Can Win Kraft Gift Packs

Up to now, my Mom keeps reminding me that I was not much of a vegetable eater as a little girl. Thankfully, she knew how to cook and managed to provide me with healthy snacks incorporating the things that I would eat. Sometimes though, she would insist that I eat my veggies. So nowadays, she still gets surprised when she sees me eating lots of vegetables and in fact, go for it almost always before getting the meat dishes.

However, I see my young self in my youngest son now who sets aside anything green he sees on his plate. I'm just glad that my other 3 children are not so picky with vegetables, including our eldest girl who has grown to love them. How do I ensure that my children stay healthy during their crucial growing-up years? Here are some things I have done:

1. Junk food and softdrinks are no longer on my grocery list.
2. I choose lean meat over the regular meats available (they are pricier but healthier)
3. Fish is served up more often on the table.
4. Meat dishes, as often as possible, are cooked with vegetables in them.
5. Dairy products like milk and cheese are always present at home.

What about you? Would you be willing to make a Palamantasan Pledge to provide proper nutrition for your family?

CONTEST

Share your pledge with me and get a chance to be one of 10 winners of Kraft gift packs.

It's simple. Here are the contest mechanics:

Wanna Be a Human OREO and Get Dunked?

If you registered on the OREO site, have you claimed your free OREOs already from 7-Eleven and played their Twist, Lick, Dunk game as well as the OREO Bonding Puzzle games?

The fun does not stop there!

Imagine this. You transform into a human OREO and together with your loved ones who likewise turn in human OREOs, you all take a special leap of faith onto a Velcro wall and literally get dunked.

This special event, which includes other side activities for parents and their children like the OREO Face Painting Booth, OREO Find the Word Game Booth and the OREO Sticky Darts Booth, can be found in several malls beginning August 29.

Bring the entire family and join in the fun, fun, fun! The mall schedules are as follows:

SM Megamall (August 29)
Trinoma (September 12)
Market! Market! (September 26)
Festival Mall (October 3)

OOOHHHH-RRRREEEE-OOOHHHHH!

The Philippine Beat Takes on the Downy Passion Challenge!

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!

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

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)

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.

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

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

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:

1. Follow Chloe, the official Krispy Kreme girl on Facebook by clicking LIKE. 

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

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.

2.       Like POC Sportacular on Facebook.

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.

Contest: Shen's 2nd Anniversary Giveaway

My friend, Shen, a beauty blogger, celebrates the second anniversary of her blog, Shen's Addiction, with a contest that you all will surely love.

(that's Shen behind the 3 of us)

She is giving away a whole range of beauty products to three (3) winners: 2 in the Philippines, 1 abroad.

Just take a look at some of the prizes she has in store for you:

Prizes:

The Body Shop

Maybelline Products

Ellana Minerals

Sun Life It's Time

Pureglow Minerals

Beauty and Minerals

Dollface Cosmetics

Pureology

L'oreal Proffesionel

The Spa Gift Certificate

Ipanema GB collection Certificate

L'oreal Men Expert

Hurry and join! Her contest runs till April 30, 2010. For the mechanics of the contest, click HERE

Be a Changemaker and Win

Changemakers are agents of change in a society who seize opportunities that others may miss in order to improve systems, invent new approaches and create solutions to improve society and uplift the conditions of the citizens of a nation.

The British Council, UK's international organization for educational opportunities and cultural relations, in partnership with Starbucks and in collaboration with Social Enterprise Development Partnerships Inc. (SEDPI) and the Ateneo de Manila University, has launched the I am a Changemaker competition which is now running on its 2nd year.

The I am a Changemaker is a business competition that aims to look for young entrepreneurs who can make an impact in their communities by spotting social problems and issues and finding innovative ways to address them.

Filipino citizens, aged 16-28can form teams to join.Teams will be asked to submit an enterprise proposal that addresses a social problem. It must have demonstrable financial viability, whether it is for profit or non-profit. Finalists will travel to Manila to pitch their ideas in front of a panel of judges. The competition will have a total of four (4) winners (1 winner each from NCR, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao). Each winning team will receive PhP 100,000. Another PhP 100,000 is also at stake for finalists who meet the special criteria set by Starbucks.

Details of the mechanics can be found HERE.

One of the winners last year of the British Council grant was Cheenee Otarra whose idea has now bloomed into a product called Sumilao Corn Coffee. I just found out that corn can be made into coffee!

Sumilao Corn Coffee is organically grown because the corn is the native variety. It is also caffeine-free and roasted in San Vicente, Sumilao, Bukidnon. The farmers have been roasting corn coffee for some time now but it is only now that it is being packaged and marketed in a more professional manner to get their coffee out into a wider market. At least the Sumilao farmers are getting help from some people!

If you or anyone you know (aged 16-28) has a bright idea to make life better for our fellow Pinoys, join this competition. Who knows, your proposal may just make it and help change lives.

BE A CHANGEMAKER TODAY.

Avon's Anew Rejuvenate Line

It seems like almost every cosmetic line has jumped on the anti-aging bandwagon.Wherever I turn now at the cosmetic counters, the anti-aging line is being touted and it confuses us consumers all the more because which now, of all these brands, is truly effective in terms of preventing the ravaging effects of the sun and wind on one's skin as one ages.

I've always been a try-first-and-see person as far these claims go. One of the earliest brands to claim to be anti-aging turned out ineffective for me. I did not really feel any difference after consuming about 2 bottles of it.

A blogger friend, Earth, just wrote a review on Avon's Anew Rejuvenate Line. She has actually tried the product line already -- all 6 of them. And she has nothing but great words about its effect on her.

While I have not tried this Avon line, Earth's word is good enough for me to want to. At my age, I really need to take care of my skin since it tends to get dry in many areas already unlike when I was in my teens when oily skin was my problem.The sun also affects older skin than younger ones so I really need to be conscious always of protecting my exposed skin to the sun.

The great news is that Earth is sponsoring a contest that will award this whole Anew Rejuvenate line of Avon to a lucky blog reader of hers. You too can join till January 30, 2010. If you are interested, head on over to
Earth's blog for the mechanics of the contest.

As for me, I definitely want to try this out. After all, if it truly works on someone my age (a mother of 2 teens and 2 adults), that alone is the best testimony to the effectiveness of the anti-aging product, right?

So here goes. I am crossing my fingers that I win this contest.as I am excited to try out something that is highly recommended by Earth. I've seen her lately and yes, her skin looked very good.