Freedom Day Weekend Sale and Freebies

In lieu with tomorrow's Independence Day, several malls and establishments are having a huge sale this weekend!

Participating SM Malls in Metro Manila, Cebu and more are having their Freedom Sale on June 10, 11 and 12. Shoppers can enjoy up to 50 percent discounts off on selected items. (See the list of participating SM Malls in EverythingInBudget.)

Alternatively, if you are a fan of branded stuffs, you can attend the Biggest Brands Sale at SM Megamall Megatrade Hall 2. Participating brands include Jag, Lee, Levi's, Paddocks, L'Oreal, Arrow, McJim, Accel, Canon, Siemens, Philips, Candie's and more! Enjoy a whooping of up to 80 percent on these branded items. The Biggest Brands Sale is ongoing on June 10-12.

Are you a movie fan? Well, you can enjoy FREE movies this weekend! You can even bring along your friends.

Nestle gives a FREE entrance on a short film anthology entitled 'Kasambuhay Habambuhay'. It is a collection of 10 short Nestle stories (10 minutes each) which are being starred by John Lloyd Cruz, Mr. Eddie Garcia, Marvin Agustin, Eugene Domingo, Ms. Gloria Romero, Sid Lucero, Noni Buencamino and more.

After watching the film, you will be asked to vote the story you liked most. On June 12, after all the votes have been casted, one lucky winner pf P10,000 will be drawn per cinema.

Screening is only happening at SM Megamall Cinema 3, SM Southmall Cinema 6, SM Rosales Cinema 1, SM Cebu Cinema 7 & SM Davao Cinema 1.


Not yet satisfied? You can also watch FREE French films at the French Film Festival in Shang Cineplex 4, Shangrila Plaza.


It is first come, first serve basis and tickets are issued one hour before the screening. The French Film Festival is ongoing from June 9 to June 19. (See the film showing schedule here.)

At last...hungry? Get a doughnut treat on June 12 from Go Nut Donuts! Just wear a yellow, red, or blue shirt and redeem your freebies.

PisoBid.com - Overview and Tips on How to Bid (Smartly)

I've already known about fast-paced online penny auctions before I've seen PisoBid.com--the first Philippine online penny auction site. As a matter of fact, I worked on the online and email content of one penny auction site based in the US. So technically, I know something about the rules of this kind of auction sites.

Penny auction sites are online bidding sites that offers items, usually gadgets such as iPad, iPhone, Sony Playstation, etc for pennies. Meaning, once you win an auction, you only need to pay for a dollar or two for the item that you've won. Really nice, eh?

Oh, but I forgot--you need to buy bids that you can use in the auctions.

Though I know several of these sites, all foreign, I've only tried bidding in PisoBid because: 1.) If I win, there'll be no hassles in shipping (because shipping fees are always shouldered by the buyer) and 2.) I've been given 10 free bids by this auction site.

In my humble opinion, I think these penny auction sites are really addicting. Why? Because of the fast-paced environment, your eagerness to win (fabulous) items is increased. You might not even notice that your bid credits have already run out because the 20-second timer really ticks fast. Plus, you can get to pay only PHP5 for a PHP1,000 peso Globe load or maybe even less depending on the winning price.

And probably because it really is addicting, there are already hundreds of people who have purchased 1000's of bids from PisoBid to join the auctions. But of course, isn't it fun?

Additionally, I'm thinking that this is similar to gambling--though of course, not totally. It is similar in the sense that everyone wants to win badly. In fact, they'll buy n bids just so that they can win.

And mind you, I find the bids expensive. You see, these bids are usually available in bid packs. In the US, one bid costs USD0.60 and the bid packs are calculated based on this price. However, I find that the prices of bid packs in PisoBid varies. The first bid pack which includes 10 bids costs PHP300 and the fifth bid pack which includes 500 bids costs PHP3,000.

Really, this online auction isn't for the poor.

Oh well, what can I say to these people but enjoy. Enjoy bidding! In addition, I would like to give useful tips on how to be a smart bidder.

Tips on How to Bid (Smartly) in Penny Auction Sites

• Before bidding, be aware of terms and policies including the rules and regulations of auction site. Reading these materials can guide you into what to expect in the ongoing auctions. Plus, you can also create a strategy for an effective bidding (and eventually winning) by going over the rules of the site.

• Make sure to have your research first. Read forums, Facebook pages and blogs before buying bids from the auction site. If they'll give you free bids, use them first and see if you like their bidding system.

• Do not buy bids more than you actually can. If you're on a tight budget, don't try buying 1000's of bids just because you want to save (or so you thought you can save).

• Create a threshold of how much you can spend on these auction sites. By doing so, you can control your spending habits and be able to avoid overspending.

• Lastly, choose a good time of the day (or night) when bidding. Bidding on these auction sites can take more time than you can imagine. Make sure that you're not in the middle of your work when you bid!

AirPhil Express Pick-A-Fest

Are you a blogger? AirPhil Express is giving away 6 roundtrip tickets to three hotspot tourist destinations!

Three lucky bloggers, along with their chosen companions, will have a chance to witness three of the most celebrated festivals in the Philippines: MassKara Festival in Bacolod, Hermosa Festival in Zamboanga and Lanzones Festival in Camiguin.

MassKara Festival

To join this competition, here's what you need to do:

1. Choose one of the three festivals (Lanzones Festival in Camiguin, MassKara Festival in Bacolod, Hermosa Festival in Zamboanga).
2. Once you have decided, blog about your festival of choice by answering this question: Why do you want to experience and join that festival?
3. Copy-paste this text at the end of your post: "Experience MassKara Festival, Hermosa Festival and Lanzones Festival this October. Airphil Express flies daily to BACOLOD, ZAMBOANGA and CAGAYAN DE ORO from Cebu and Manila. Visit www.airphilexpress.com to book!
4. Accomplish the entry form at http://on.fb.me/pickafest

Criteria for judging are:

• - 50% - Substance
• - 30% - Style and Creativity
• - 20% - Overall Impact

Judges will be Cebu Blog Camp and AirPhil Express.

In addition to the mechanics and criteria for judging, AirPhil Express also gives limitations to the contest. Please read them carefully.

• - Participating blog must be at least 6 months old
• - Participating blog must be on Blogspot, Wordpress, Tumblr, Multiply, or self-hosted.
• - Prizes are non-transferable. The prizes must be used by the winners and their chosen companion.
• - Tickets are valid for use in October 2011 only.
• - Promo runs May 28-September 15, 2011. Deadline of submission of entries is at 11:59pm of September 15.
• - Winners will be announced on September 21
• - APX Promo terms and conditions apply.
• 
  
• Please visit AirPhil Express's Facebook page for more detailed  info.

*photo credits to bonggaba.com

Tramway Buffet Plaza Shaw - Affordable Buffet!

I'd been longing to visit Tramway Buffet then. I've read from forums and reviews that this buffet plaza is good and affordable. For just around Php200, you can eat all you can on their buffet table. So, I was really anticipating to try this mix buffet of Chinese, Japanese and Filipino food. (I'm a fan of these three cuisines by the way.)

And finally, I had the chance to go and dine there last month. As usual, I've got the boyfriend and our two friends with me. I sometimes feel like they are my bodyguards. LOL. Just kidding. But they've already been good friends of mine.

Tramway has three branches--Tramway Tea House Banawe, Tramway Garden Buffet Timog and Tramway Buffet Plaza Shaw. Note that prices per head varies per branch. In Tramway Tea House Banawe, the price per head is Php198, while in Tramway Garden Buffet Timog, the price per head is Php205. In Tramway Buffet Plaza Shaw, the regular rate per head is Php288. But since their promo is still ongoing as of that date, the price per head is Php218. Another thing, the prices are exclusive of drinks.

We went to Tramway Buffet Plaza Shaw. It was just right across Star Mall and inside the Worldwide Corporate Center.

It was a Sunday lunch when we went there. And what could you expect on a Sunday? Lots of people, particularly families. But anyway, the place is quite large to accommodate at least 30 families, I think, and the lunch buffet is ongoing from 1130PM to 3PM.

The food was good, but I found the buffet limited. But who could complain, right? With the price I paid, I couldn't. But I would still do it here. LOL.

I think there were not more than 10 main dishes. There was Yang Chow Rice, Sweet and Sour Pork, Roast Chicken, Clams and Fish (don't know what type of fish). I couldn't remember them all, so please bear with my short-term memory. :D And please forgive me for not having pictures of these dishes, I was really hungry that time. I could really eat a horse. LOL.

As for the side dish, there was California Maki. But I was rather disappointed. The rice balls were really large. I was thinking they were trying to produce for a large group of people since they serve buffet. (I already had pictures by this time because I wasn't too hungry anymore. Haha.)

California Maki

There were also vegetable salad, dimsum and century eggs on the table. The desserts consisted of buko pandan, macaroni salad, watermelon and buchi.

Vegetable Salad 

Pork Siomai 

Buko Pandan and Macaroni Salad

Watermelon

Hungry Me. :D

What I really didn't like was the fact that it took them a few minutes to refill the buffet table. We arrived around 1PM already, so the food containers were already half-empty or empty. We still had to wait for a few minutes before we could eat and/or continue eating.

Actually, I've already made a post about this buffet on my long-time personal secret blog. I just want to share it with you guys. Thanks for reading!