Plan your vacation with Singapore Airlines and MasterCard during their Midyear Travel Fair this July 2016

You can now see the world on ridiculously affordable prices as Singapore Airlines and MasterCard, together with SilkAir, the airline's sister carrier, launch the largest nationwide Mid-Year Travel Fair from July 8-31, 2016. By availing of this promotional deal, you also get a chance to win a trip to Germany or South Africa. But I am getting ahead of myself....be sure to read till the end.

Travel More with BPI's Get Out More 2 promo

Be bitten by the travel and cultural bug! BPI will reward lucky clients who avail of its 24/7 Banking Channels (BPI Express Online, BPI Express Mobile, and BPI Express Phone) with dream vacations. You can be one of them.

Last year, BPI’s Get Out More promo gave away 7 all-expense paid trips for four to local tourist spots: Bohol, Davao, Boracay, Cebu, Legazpi, Iloilo, and Puerto Princesa. BPI 24/7 Banking gives you the chance to get farther away from your home, your city or your province. This year, the Get Out More 2 promo is even bigger because the lucky winners will be going Asian!

Up for grabs this time will be exciting places both here and abroad: Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur (KL), and Boracay. Every winner also gets pocket money worth PhP 24,700. If you’ve been dreaming of traveling and seeing the world, you now have the chance to cross that off your bucket list.

And why not? Aside from seeing our own beautiful Philippines, visiting our Asian neighbors lets us see the cultural diversity and beauty of nature and tourist attractions of our neighbors. I’ve visited at least half of the places covered by the promo and I certainly won’t mind visiting the remaining places (if I win, cross my fingers).

Marvel at the cosmopolitan air of Shanghai with its ultramodern architecture mixed in with traditional Chinese sights; eat your way around Hong Kong’s popular food spots and shop till you drop; visit the centuries-old Korean palaces dotting Seoul’s metro and maybe sneak in a visit to KPop sites; enjoy the hospitality of Kuala Lumpur and its rich cultural mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian races; and bask in the sun at our very own Boracay, world known for its white sand beaches and clear waters.

Watch this short, exciting video and see where and what you can do in these places.




It’s really very easy to earn raffle entries. From August 1 to November 30, 2013, all new and existing BPI, BPI Family Savings Bank and BPI Direct Accountholders who use the services of BPI 24/7 Banking are qualified to earn raffle entries. Just pay your bills (utility bills, telco bills, and other kinds of bills) using any of the 24/7 banking channels of BPI and you automatically earn raffle entries. Each payment must be at least P50 and above and must have a unique reference/account number within that month.

For Boracay, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai, BPI will pick one (1) winner for each place who will get a free trip for two which includes roundtrip airfare, accommodations and pocket money. For Hong Kong, three (3) winners will be chosen, each one getting also a free trip for two (roundtrip airfare, accommodations and pocket money).

For more details on promo mechanics, click HERE.
To enroll in BPI Express Online, click HERE.

BPI Team behind Get Out More 2

MacX DVD Ripper Pro Thanksgiving Giveaway

Not many people celebrate Thanksgiving here in the Philippines but that's what's nice about an online community. Wherever in the world you are, you can avail of Thanksgiving promos and giveaways.

Digiarty Software is at it again this Thanksgiving and guess what they are giving away until Nov. 29, 2011 or till supply lasts:

10,000 whopping FREE copies of MacX DVD Ripper Pro

Last year, I was able to download my own free copy of MacX DVD Ripper Pro so for Mac users out there, this is your chance to get your own.

You must hurry. Promo stops when they've given away the 10,000th free copy! I just checked and they've given away already over 9.600 copies! Less than 400 copies are left!

One note. Since this is a free copy, it does not come with a free upgrade or tech support service.

To download your MacX DVD Ripper Pro, click HERE.


For description of MacX DVD Ripper Pro features, click HERE. (Note: This page is NOT where you download for free.)

If you are a Windows user and want a similar free download, you need to LIKE Digiarty's Facebook page and download MacX HD Video Converter Pro for Windows from there.

My Halloween giveaway: WinX Blu-ray Decrypter

I am still in on holiday mood. Thanks to the people from Digiarty Software, they have provided 10 license codes of WinX Blu-ray Decrypter for me to give away. Yes, yes, not all of us have Blu-ray players (I don't). But you can always give this as a gift to someone who has one. After all, this software retails at $49.95. One less Christmas gift, right?

More details about this software, key features and specs can be found on its website. An excerpt on the same site states:

WinX Blu-ray Decrypter is a professional Blu-ray decrypting and copy tool for users to decrypt and backup Blu-ray to M2TS video file or Blu-ray folder (compatible with Win7 Media Player). It is able to remove and decrypt encryption (AACS MKB v25), BD+ copy protection, etc. in Blu-ray disc. With this program, you can effortlessly protect your beloved Blu-ray discs from scratch or loss. WinX Blu-ray Decrypter is an ideal Blu-ray backup solution which supports both Full Disc Blu-ray Backup and Title Copy modes. It allows you to decrypt Blu-ray Disc with all known copy protections and encryptions and backup 3D Blu-ray to 2D video in only 3 clicks. It also brings fast decrypting speed while preserving original video/audio quality. If you are looking for powerful software to backup and decrypt Blu-ray video disc, WinX Blu-ray Decrypter is the way to go.

All you need to do to get a chance to win one of the license codes is:

1. Join my Facebook page by clicking HERE. 

2. Leave a short message on my wall just to greet me and say you want the WinX Blu-Ray Decrypter.

SIMPLE! Everyone who properly follows the 2 steps above will be assigned numbers (1, 2, 3...) in the order that you post on my wall (first to post is #1, etc) and randomizer.org will choose the winning numbers. 

I will choose the winners by Sunday, Nov. 6, 10pm. Winners' names will be announced on my wall by Monday, Nov. 7. I will send the license codes to the winners by private message on Facebook or via email.

(Note: License codes must be activated before November 30, 2011)

And stay tuned because I have another giveaway coming up after this one....

Nasaan Si Aga?

Do you remember a PC-based game called Carmen San Diego? My whole family loved that one. It's too bad that the company that brought it to fame is now closed. We loved guessing where Carmen would show up next.

But wait...in this age of texts and Twitter, TV5 came up with a promo that is sure to test the geographical mettle of anyone.

None other than Aga Muhlach is the Pinoy Explorer of the latest promo "Nasaan Si Aga?" which will run from August 10 to September 1, 2011.

There are 2 challenges within this promo:

1. Text Promo

2. Twitter Promo

You can join one or both challenges.

Text Promo

Clues can be found in newspaper print ads as well as through the promo's official site, www.nasaansiaga.com. Participants first need to register FOR FREE by texting AGA REG to 2929. You earn one raffle entry per answer sent. Smart, Sun and Globe subscribers can join.

Twitter Promo

Participants need to register contact info first at www.nasaansiaga.com. Then he/she can start tweeting and using the promo hashtag #nasaansiaga. Each Twitter user can earn only one raffle entry regardless of how many tweets were made. All participants who successfully tweet with the #nasaansiaga hashtag will have their profile photos collated by a program to form a mosaic on the official website. This mosaic will gradually reveal Aga's location. The faster tweets come in, the sooner the image will be completed. Upon reaching 10,000 tweets, the complete image will be revealed.

www.nasaansiaga.com site, as of this posting

What Can You Win?

The promo is only till September 1, 2011.

The winner of the "Nasaan Si Aga" text promo will be awarded an Asian adventure for 2. The Twitter user chosen from the mosaic will win a brand new Apple iPad 2.

For more details on the mechanics, visit www.nasaansiaga.com. Here too is a YouTube TVC.

DTI permit no. 5733 (for mobile promo)

DTI permit no. 5913 (for Twitter promo)

Globe SUPERUNLIALLTXT - only P25 a day

I'm a prepaid Globe user. I was a postpaid user before but shifted to prepaid when I stopped working and did not need to make as many calls as I used to.

Prepaid plans have served me well. I've used Globe's UNLITXT, SULITXT, SUPERSURF and POWERSURF plans depending on whether I needed to do a lot of texting or surfing the web.

But today, Globe did a one-up by launching their SUPERUNLIALLTXT plan. From that long word alone, you can guess that it combines features from the other prepaid text and surfing plans they have.

SUPERUNLIALLTXT costs P25/day only. Not bad! And here are its features:

* Unlimited texting to any network carrier - Globe, TM, Talk 'n Text, Smart, Sun for a day

* One hour FREE internet browsing

To register to SUPERUNLIALLTXT: Type UALL25 and send to 8888. Minimum balance of P1 is needed to continue using this service.

Mobile users who text and browse the internet have a better option now. In my case, I usually use a 3G connection while on the road to stay connected. Instead of subscribing to a text plan AND an internet plan, this is what I can use from now on.

Coca-Cola can glasses are here!

The Coca-Cola Company and McDonald's Corporation have partnered once again to offer a series of 6 colored Coke can glasses. Only 13 McDonald's markets in the Asia Pacific region, including the Philippines, will be able to avail of this offer so it is a true collectible for Coke collectors.

Every time you go to McDonald's and avail of an Extra Value Meal, you can get a Coca-Cola can glass in your color of choice: blue, charcoal, green, lime, pink and purple. Just add P25 to get one glass.

This is the first time that the contemporary-shaped Coke can glass will be available through McDonald's. This is what John Hackett, Coca=Cola Pacific Group Marketing, Customer and Commercial Director said, "Coca-Cola glasses are unique collector's items, and as we celebrate the 125th anniversary of Coca-Cola in 2011 we are excited to offer the Coca-Cola can glass to McDonald's Asia consumers for the first time. We know consumers will enjoy collecting the multiple colors, and the fizz of Coca-Cola at McDonald's".

Start collecting now. Get the entire color collection or match the glasses to your dining set by getting several of one color. 

Which color/s are you planning to get?

MacUpdate Promo: Mac App Bundle for $49.99 Only

MacUpdate is a website where Mac applications are offered at discounts for limited periods of time. Once in a while, they have a huge promo where they bundle several apps and slash prices significantly. Now is one of those times.

For only $49.99, you can get 10 highly-rated Mac applications (you get an additional app if you are one of the first 15,000 buyers). The total value of these apps at retail price is $381. Steal?

Well, I have 1Password Pro on my iPad. I had been on the lookout for a promo on the Mac version so I could sync both. The retail value of 1Password for the Mac is already $39 so getting at least 10 apps for $49.99 is already a great deal for me.

For $49.99, here's what you get:

1. Parallels Desktop 6  for Mac - seamlessly run both Windows and Mac OS X applications side-by-side without rebooting. Requirements: Intel-based Mac, Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later. SRP: $79

2. 1Password - a password manager where you can keep not just passwords but software license keys, bank account info, credit card info, and other personal info. Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5 or later. SRP: $39

One Day Only: Goodles Pasta for P100 Only

Some time back, several of us bloggers were treated to the soft launch of Goodles, a new concept in pasta-to-go. Gourmet pasta, the kind you normally have in sit-down fancy restaurants, are now available in to-go tubs that you can take with you into the moviehouse.

Goodles uses traditional imported Italian pastas and handcrafts its deliciously rich sauces using all natural farm fresh ingredients, pure dairy products, hormone-free meats, extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs and spices.

My favorite of all the items is Grape Carbonara, carbonara with a twist -- it had grapes!

On November 24, 2010 (take note, just this day and no other), Goodles will drop their prices on select popular Goodles pasta to only P100 in celebration of its 1st anniversary. Promo is good for dine-in and take-away (delivery not included).

(click to see enlarged photo)

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?

Clinique Bonus Time 2010

If, like me, you're a regular Clinique user, here's a heads-up because it won't last that long.

It's Clinique Bonus Time once again - the time of the year when you get freebies when you do your regular replenishment of your Clinique skin care items.

For a single purchase worth P3,900 or more (between Sept. 3-19, 2010 only), here's what you get:

(1) All About Eyes
(1) Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss
(1) Turnaround Concentrate
(1) Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion
(1) Liquid Facial Soap (Mild)
(1) Clarifying Moisture Lotion 2
(1) FREE foldable carry-on bag

I always love to wait for promos such as these because the value of the free items run to thousands already.

Better hurry over to any Clinique counter in the malls before supply of the freebies run out.

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:

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!

OREOs to Have, Share and Play With!

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!

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.

Clinique's Bonus Time Promo

Today, my girl and I took advantage of Clinique's Bonus Time promo. Since I am about to run out of their Pressed Powder Transparency 3 which I use daily on my face, I decided to buy reserve stock. My girl needed her pressed powder as well.

Good thing we waited until now because this twice yearly event really allows you to get freebies which ordinarily would cost you a couple of thousands when purchased separately.

With a minimum single purchase of P3,500, you get travel sizes of Repairwear Contour, Turnaround Instant Facial, Turnaround Concentrate, Liquid Facial Wash, Long Last Lipstick in Berry Kiss and Lash Power Mascara in Black Onyx. A pretty-in-pink trendy bag is thrown in when you increase your purchase to P4,000!

My daughter and I are both happy. We have our powder supply, the freebies, and my favorite colored pink bag.

This is a limited offer only. Promo is good from March 1-17, 2010.