Make-PHOEBE-Over Birthday Giveaway

Okay, so this is actually the first time I'm ever going to join a local blog giveaway. I know, I've already entered official giveaways from the brand.

Any you wanna know why? It's because I just can't resist those stashes! It's like I'm "OH WOW!" with my eyes popping out. LOL.

Moving on, Phoebe from 'Bite. Luxe. Snap. Wander." is having a massive giveaway for her awesome birthday. She is giving away her HG products and more including...

this... (first stash)

and this... (second stash)

and this! (Team E Choice Award Stash--major prize)

These will be given away to THREE LUCKY ladies! And note that each stash includes makeup stashes from Majolica Majorca, Estee Lauder, Bobbie Brown and DKNY! Whew! :D

make up stash for the first and second stash

make up stash for the Team E Choice Award stash

If you want to join too, please visit Phoebe's blog for the giveaway mechanics. Good luck to us ladies! :)

Ariake Voucher Contest Winner

Hey! We've already got a winner for a voucher to Ariake Japanese Cuisine Restaurant in Tomas Morato worth P2,015!

This is actually a surprise to me too because I thought nobody's really going to join my contest. But there are two people who actually did. And seriously, thank you to these two!

Anyway, I did everything through random.org and of course, I've documented each step on how to have the winner.

1. I input my "short" list into the List Randomizer.

2. I randomized my list by hitting the "Randomize" button. (I know I shouldn't have put numbers before the names...but still, we can still comprehend it, can't we? LOL.)

It's actually still in the same order! Only the first three names (which belongs to the same person) got jumbled.

3. Let's go to the True Random Number Generator. I keyed in the minimum and maximum numbers which are 1 and 4 respectively.

4. I hit the "Generate" button and voila! We now have a lucky winner! :)

The result shows number 4...and number 4 on our randomized list is none other than gayle sy! :D

Congratulations! Aren't you the lucky one, huh? Please wait for my email and kindly reply to so that I would know that you've received your voucher. Thanks!

Till my next contest! :)

ENDED Contest: Ariake Japanese Cuisine Restaurant Voucher for 4-6 Persons - Value P2,015

I know I haven't been blogging lately...and I want to compensate for that with a contest! Yes dearies, a contest!

I've been addicted to group buying sites...so I'm going to give away one voucher for Ariake Japanese Restaurant to one lucky winner! :)

I won credits from CleverBuy.com.ph last March and bought these vouchers. Originally, the value of the items is P2,015, but could be bought from CleverBuy for only P867. It is valid until September 30, 2011, Mondays to Fridays. Anyway, I've already made a review for Ariake Japanese Cuisine Restaurant. Just check it out to see what happened there. Hehe. :D

The voucher includes a Special Makisushi Deluxe (Tempura Roll, Philadelphia Roll, Canadian Roll, Ninja Roll and Salmon Skin Roll), 6pcs Yakitori, Yakiudon, Mixed Seafood Dumplings, and 4 cups of Coffee Jelly with Vanilla Ice Cream. These are good for 4-6 people. In fact, it is advertised in CleverBuy as a Barkada package.

You may check out the Ariake deal from Cleverbuy here.

Ariake Japanese Cuisine Restaurant is located at #284 Tomas Morato corner Scout Rallos, Quezon City. It's really accessible, so you'll have no worries going there. :)

Mechanics (Mandatory):

1. Follow this blog Uncharted Plans via Google Friend Connect. (Just click the Follow button at the right side. :D )
2. Answer the question, "Who will you take to Ariake Japanese Restaurant with you if you win this contest?" by commenting on this blog post.
3. Don't forget to include your email address in your comment. I'll be sending the voucher through this email.

*Steps 1-3 earns you one raffle entry.

Additional Points (Optional):

• Share this contest through your Facebook. (one entry)
• Share this contest through Twitter. (one entry)
• Share this contest by blogging it. (two entries)

*Post the links together with your comment. And please make sure your Facebook wall post and Twitter are accessible.

Notes:

This contest is open until 11:59 PM of August 31, 2011. I'll announce the lucky winner next day, September 1, 2011. It will be raffled via random.org. Feel free to invite your friends to this contest, who knows one of you just might get lucky!

Good luck! And till my next contest! :)

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

Ariake Japanese Cuisine - Tomas Morato, QC

If you've already read 'Charlene's Uncharted Plans', you probably know by now that I love food and promos and discounts. So, for my first post on this blog, I'll be featuring a restaurant and a daily deal site in Philippines.

CleverBuy - Be Clever, Pay Less is one among several daily deal sites/group-buying sites in the Philippines. I'm one of the first few members who have seen how their market has grown to almost 10,000 members now.

Ten days, every day, before their launch, they held mini-contests that reward Php100 load credits to any mobile telco. And since yours truly is a fan of these contests and promos, I joined. And luckily, I won one round.

Come their official launch last March, CleverBuy held another game--their popular Guessing game for their Facebook fans. The mechanics are simple. Just guess how many vouchers will be sold at the end of deal. And again, yes, I joined and won that contest. (Maybe I'm really lucky. LOL.) The prize was a total of 3,333 Clever credits that can be used to buy vouchers on their site. (By the way, they still hold contests with even larger prizes at stake on their site, so make sure to visit CleverBuy from time to time.)

I bought four Ariake Japanese Cuisine vouchers (one voucher is good for 4-6 pax) from CleverBuy with the credits I've won from the latter. And oh, I can say I'm definitely a winner with Ariake Japanese Cuisine and CleverBuy!

I've already used one voucher last April--my birthday month. I was with the boyfriend and our two friends.

(Photos are taken by my handy SE Elm. My camera phone is not perfect, so please bear with me.:) )

The four of us were the only guests when we had arrived. The place is quiet and relaxing. Two thumbs up for Ariake's ambience.

The voucher bought from CleverBuy already predetermined what we were going to eat. The only thing we had to order were drinks.

Special Makisushi Deluxe (Tempura Roll, Philadelphia Roll, Canadian Roll, Ninja Roll and Salmon Skin Roll) 

Yakitori 

Seafood Dumplings

I'm craving for Jap food right now. Oh no! But I guess we've got to move on. So...

Our two friends were big eaters (as if we were not lol). Kidding! Hehe. They even ordered baked oysters and Chahan (fried rice).

Baked Oysters (Php265)

After our sumptuous dinner, we were then ready for desserts. Yes, desserts! The voucher also included Coffee Jelly. The coffee jelly and vanilla ice cream really blends well together. I love it!

Coffee Jelly (Php85)

I enjoyed Ariake. And for sure, I'll be coming back again. Anyway, I still have three more vouchers with me. Wonder if I'll have a mini-contest with one voucher as the prize...hmmm...stay tuned!