#IT'S SO NEW IT STILL HAS THE PRICE TAG FROM THE PHILIPPINES

[caramelmochacrow]

i dont want to draw >:C (he doesnt have his favorite pencil)

[uclallm21]

Bruin Bound!

Hey there and welcome to my blog!

I thought I’d kick off this blog with the reasons why I decided on UCLA for my LL.M! Before I jump in, here's a little background about me:

My name is Jillian, a 26 year-old lawyer born and raised in Metro Manila, Philippines. I graduated from the Ateneo Law School in 2018 where I obtained my Juris Doctor degree. I took the notorious Philippine Bar Exam later that year, fortunately passing on my first try, and was sworn in as a full-fledged lawyer and a member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in early 2019.

Now let me begin to tell you why I decided to pursue an LL.M. and why I decided to go to UCLA! For as long as I could remember, it was always a dream of mine to study abroad. I attended the biggest universities in the Philippines for both undergrad and law school, but there was always that sense of safety and familiarity. I always had friends going to the same school and campus was just a short drive away from home and my family. I wanted to someday experience living where I was unfamiliar with the place and the people - a chance to grow and discover. After roughly two years into post graduate legal practice, I still felt that strong pull of wanting to study abroad and a yearning for independence. I personally love being a student and I truly enjoy being in an academic setting and the camaraderie and community that comes with it. I knew that pursuing a Master of Laws degree would be my chance to fulfill my dream while at the same time being beneficial for my legal career. At this point I was practicing as an Associate Solicitor for the government, primarily doing litigation work, and I wanted to redirect my career into the Business/Corporate law sphere.

In the midst of the pandemic, I started researching on LL.M. programs in the United States through the LL.M. Guide. I decided on the U.S. because a number of my professors and colleagues in the legal profession chose the same path. I figured studying in the U.S. would be an easier transition being proficient in English, eliminating any sort of language barrier that would affect my classes and interactions. Further, in the Philippines, our legal system is a mix of civil and common law and thus I was familiar with the common law system being taught in U.S. law schools. As a foreign J.D. graduate admitted to practice law in my local jurisdiction, I am qualified to sit for the bar exam in certain U.S. states such as California and New York and potentially become a dual-qualified attorney, that was another strong selling point on my end. So I took the leap of faith in a challenging and uncertain application cycle and sent in my applications!

I narrowed down my choices to 5 law schools in CA, DC, and NY, and was fortunately admitted into all the schools I applied to. I limited my choices as applying is an investment in terms of time and finances (I will go on about the whole application process in a separate blog post). After giving it much thought and going through my pros and cons list over and over - I decided to become a Bruin!

Why UCLA?

1. School Reputation and Ranking

UCLA Law School is ranked within the T14 Law Schools in America (U.S. News) and is consistently rising to the top of the ranks despite being one of the “younger” law schools among its peers. I will be pursuing a Masters of Law focused on Business Law, and UCLA is ranked 8th in terms of its Business/Corporate Law program. While ranking should not be the only consideration in deciding which school to attend, based on my research, it is quite significant in the U.S. legal sphere. UCLA also has a great reputation worldwide, being ranked as Top 15 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

2. Scholarship

An American education comes with a hefty price tag! It is a significant financial investment thus, financial aid and scholarships played a big factor in my decision-making process. This factor is where the playing-field between my options changed because I knew that having less of a burden financially would put me more at ease over going to a higher ranked school. UCLA fortunately granted me the Dean’s Tuition Fellowship award, and while I cannot disclose the amount for confidentiality, let’s just say it was an offer I couldn’t refuse!

3. Location

UCLA is located in bright and sunny Southern California and in the heart of Westwood Los Angeles. Coming from a tropical country, being in cold weather was not something I was accustomed to and the idea of being by myself in the middle of a snow storm kind of terrified me. In LA, I could stay slightly within my comfort zone while being in a beautiful place, with beaches, mountains, and sprawling greenery just a drive away! I have always been a “city girl” so being in a major city where there is a wide array of opportunities, people, places to go, and things to do, was very important to me. Los Angeles is also home to many big-law offices to boutique law firms, businesses, federal courts and offices, opening opportunities for networking, internships, and post-graduate positions. I also have family living in SoCal and I know that will come in handy on the days I am feeling homesick.

4. Gut Feel

This might sound cliché but there were many personal signs that led me to this decision and I had this “gut feeling” that UCLA was where I was supposed to go. I recall a conversation with my brother, who around the same time applied to MBA programs in the U.S., and he told me that above ranking I should pick the school where I’ll fit in the community the best and where I’ll be happier, and I took that advice heavily into consideration. The Bruin community is known to be warm and welcoming and comprised of extraordinary faculty and an intelligent and diverse student body, whom I can’t wait to meet and learn from! I took it upon myself to speak to an alumnus also from the Philippines who said that her LL.M. year at UCLA was one of the best years of her life. That was a big go signal for me!

It was a tough decision to make but I knew that no matter where I decided to go, it is solely up to me to maximize the experience - and I intend to do just that!

Here's to the year to come and I can't wait to take you all on this journey with me!

[pinoyhistorywithsiyan]

To Reform or To Revolt, That is the Question (This is serious)

The answer might seem obvious from the answers I had back then, but in this essay, I would like to treat both arguments fairly, as both contributed to the birth of the Philippine nation. Before discussing the answers to this question, I would like to give an overview of what were talking about in the first place, which is the Spanish colonial era.

The Spanish colonization of the Philippines left an ever-lasting scar in Philippine history. The 333 years of occupation was driven with forced-labor, different forms of exploitation, and terror upon the Filipino natives. Cultural practices from the pre-colonial era were prohibited and created the preference for Christianity. The 333 years was also the years of attempted revolts, in which all the bodies of revolutionaries were used as props for terrorism against the masses. There was a great extent of corruption from the Spanish elite who ruled the lands, and Filipinos were treated like slaves. That is, until the 18th and 19th Century, when Filipinos began to participate in enterprises and ventures. Filipinos were already given representation due to wealth and privilege, that is until certain students and scholars developed a sense of national consciousness. This national consciousness became the greatest weapon for independence in the Philippines, as it gave an abstract birth to the notion of a nation itself. Various propagandists such as the members of La Liga Filipina, began to write works criticizing the Spanish government, particularly the friars who were given most control in the 18th-19th Centuries. They also proposed reform; for Indios to be given the same rights as the Spaniards, and to have Filipino representatives at the Konsehos. This was met with outrage from the Spaniards (especially from the friars), thus gave them the decision to disallow Filipino representatives in the Spanish councils. The absurd deaths of the “Gomburza” priests stirred up the masses to participate in revolutionary movements to overthrow the colonial government. The propagandist Jose Rizal’s arrest also incited revolution among the KKK (Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan), to conduct attacks and offensives on the Spanish haciendas and forts. Liberate the lands from the oppressive friars and Guardia Civil, who were the causes of economic and political exploitation and abuses among the masses.

Now, going back to the question; reform or revolt? What is exactly reform and revolt?

Reform (verb) – to make changes in something, typically in political, economic or social practices in order to improve it.

Revolt (verb) – an illegal and often violent attempt by a group of people to change their country’s political system.

Given the social, political and economic climates of the Philippines, we can rather say that there are situations where we are asked to revolt and asked to reform. Why is this so? Let us look at the Philippines in our present context.  

The Philippines today did not move-on from the atrocities of the past, particularly from the underprivileged. (Although, I might also say that it was better than before since Filipinos get to participate in the market and government offices, devoid of racism). Atrocities and exploitation in the countryside are usually permitted by the centralized government in order to give way to the establishment of multinational corporations and other enterprises. Workers in industrialized areas owned by foreign investors and the Filipino elite are being paid with minimum wage and sometimes work in harsh conditions with little to no rewards. The Philippine economy is driven mostly by imports, industries that exist in this country are usually processing firms for products that the Filipino masses couldn’t buy. Meanwhile, Indigenous peoples are driven out of their land to give way for foreign companies to exploit the country’s natural resources. Tenant-landlord relations still exist in the basakan, and prices have become unfair for the peasant economy in favor for wealthier investors. Some are drowning in debt, a lot are starving and overworked with little to no rewards.

Reforms have already been in the table for years, even after the 1946 Independence, yet this has been left undone by those who are in power. An example is the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988, which seek to distribute lands to farmers and also somehow remove the hacienda system which still lasted even after the Spanish occupation. But where are we now? Did we really change even after the years of occupation? Protests and labor unions express these frustrations, and are often met with denial, red-tagging, and worse, confrontation. These confrontations result to deaths (such as what happened to Hacienda Luisita), and some even result to the formation and recruitment of organized rebellion, such as the New People’s Army (NPA).  

If that makes sense at all, what I’m trying to say is. There are times when we can do reform, and there are times where we are supposed to revolt. Reform is usually done if the centralized government is willing to listen to the concerns of the masses. Reform needs a political leader who uses his/her political will to lift the masses and places the interests of the masses first, contrary to him/herself. (e.g someone who cannot be swayed by the sweet words of capitalists.) Or maybe from a liberal perspective, someone who is willing to talk in peace, without any false promises. Revolt is usually done when the state forces themselves are committing atrocities, such as what is happening now in Mindanao. Using the famous Duterte supporter ‘nanlaban’ analogy, ‘If a group of military personnel go to your barrio and start shooting your hens, force you to eat feces, or worse, start killing your family members and leaving firearms on their corpses. What would you do?’ Now, as peaceful resistance against the government is often left with suspicion and repression. As the UP-DND accord, a treaty denying the entry of state forces in a university that is known for its student’s critical assessment on the current administration, is being torn down. These students are our current Rizals and Mabinis, pushing for reform and respecting our current democratic processes. But these were also the same struggles that the reformists in the colonial era experienced, and was left with no choice but to revolt. It was a ‘fight or die’ game in the end. The killings and arrests of peasants and activists are becoming widespread, especially after the signing of the Anti-Terror Law. Now is probably the time to ask the question. To reform or to revolt?

The photo above is a recent event where farmer’s houses were burnt by suspected paid goons of Ayala and Yulo in Hacienda Yulo. The farmers described that they were ‘forced to watch their houses burn’ (Photo Source: Defend Yulo Farmers | January 23, 2021 | https://twitter.com/DefendHYFarmers/status/1352907170229018624)

[queenbirbs]

the way home | Ch. 3 | Edward x MC

Pairing: Edward Mortemer x MC

Word count: 3,417

Warnings: language, violence, mention of blood

Read from the beginning or continue on Read on AO3 

Tag list: @writinghereandthere ------

Whatever Robert says or does against Rhodes seems to work.

For the next week, as they hop from island to island, he gives Elena a wide berth. It doesn’t stop the death glares he gives her on the regular, but she’ll take those over him dropping a sack over her head and kidnapping her, as her nightmares depict. 

He can’t ruin today, though. The next outpost is St. Sylvain -- finally, a place where Elena has contacts of her own. Well, Charlie’s, she considers, which brings that familiar rush of heartache. She misses her best friend; misses her snarky, carefree attitude; misses her crude jokes and compassionate heart. Though Robert tries with his sarcastic tongue, he can never measure up to Charlie’s quick wit. 

As soon as the ship docks, Elena is off, flapping a hand at Robert’s reminder to only ask for information from those she trusts. Down the gangplank and across the port, she makes her way into the open-air market and searches along the rows of brightly-colored stalls. As if no time has passed, Bronte leans out from her own stall and waves at her as she approaches. 

“Ah, the fiercest pirate in all the seven seas!” she crows, her wrinkles creasing as she grins. “You’re Charlotte’s friend, aren’t ya? She’s been looking all over for ya.” 

“She has?” Elena asks, tightly clenching the leather strap across her chest.  

“O’course. She was here…” she trails off, tapping a finger against her stall as if counting up the days in her head. “...oh, sometime before the big storm. Was makin’ her rounds of the place, askin’ if ye’d been around.” 

“Did she say where she was headed?”

“Afraid not.” Settling her weight across the table, she opens her mouth, then pauses to squint at something along the market. Elena glances over her shoulder, but spots nothing of interest among the crowded stalls. “But here -- let me give ye something.” 

Bronte bends down and heaves up a basket of what looks like knitting supplies, clicking her tongue as she digs through it. Sweeping her hair to one shoulder, Elena keeps watch of the market until the older woman hums a noise of victory. She pulls out a makeshift cross, bound with red thread. “‘Tis made from the twigs of a Rowan tree. Keep it on yer person. It’ll offer ye protection from evil spirits on yer journey.” 

Given her recent history, Elena’s made a point to avoid picking up any old object. But she doesn’t want to seem rude, and who is she to argue against something that will bring protection? Taking the charm, she tucks it into the pocket of her coat.

“Thank you -- for the protection, and for speaking with me.” 

Bronte smiles at her once more. “If I see young Charlotte, I’ll be sure to send her yer way.”

------

The rest of the day is a wash. 

Her stop by the St. Sylvain Inn to speak with Mary takes the better part of an hour. Most of that time, however, is taken up by helping Mary toss out an unruly guest. What little chance at conversation they manage to have, Elena finds that her knowledge about Charlie’s whereabouts is limited. 

“She asked if I’d seen you, actually.” Mary’s face brightens at the memory, before she bites at her lip and frowns. “But this was months back. Certainly well before the hurricane.”

At the blacksmith’s, Elena wanders around the shop as the man there speaks with a customer. They hem and haw over the fine details of a new gate, going back and forth about prices. She bides her time by looking at a row of gleaming blades. One of the daggers catches her eye for the level of details carved along the hilt; it reminds her of the pistol Charlie gave her, all those years ago. The customer eventually leaves, having refused such a high cost for ‘such subpar craftsmanship.’

“What can I do for ye, ma’am?” the blacksmith calls out to her, wiping away the sweat on his face. “Interested in anything?”

Elena leaves the wares and crosses the room to be heard above the roar of the forge. “No, sorry. I was wondering if Tripp was working today?”

The blacksmith turns back to his project, tapping at a piece of glowing metal with his hammer. “He don’t work here no more.”

“Oh. Do you know where he works now, then?”

“No.”

“Do you know where he lives?”

“No.”

“Do you know where I can--”

He slams the hammer down and a burst of hot sparks flares up into her face. The sword is in her hand and at his throat before she realizes it -- and before the man has the attempt to lift the hammer in defense. 

“Listen, alright.” He licks his lips and eyes the sword’s gleaming edge. “He left about three months ago. Said that he was going to try and head back home.” 

“Where’s that?” she snaps, though she eases the sword back a few inches to give him the illusion of space. 

“I don’t-- maybe, maybe St. Fisher, or England. I dunno, I never asked. All I know is that he went off, and I haven’t seen ‘im since.” 

Elena flicks her sword away and slides it back into its scabbard, suppressing her smirk at the man’s audible breath of relief. Brushing past another woman on her way out, she starts her trek back to the market to try any other of Charlie’s contacts. She’s nearly reached the main drag when there’s a voice from behind her. 

“Is yer name Elena Montgomery?” 

Elena spins around to face the stranger. It’s the woman from the shop, her auburn hair matted to her neck from the heat -- and, presumably, from chasing Elena down. Her accent is similar to Kendrick’s, her voice low and rich. 

“It is. And you are…?”

“Oh, sorry -- I’m Fran.” She shifts the satchel she carries from one shoulder to the other, trying to catch her breath. “I’m sorry, too, for chasing after you like that. I saw you at the inn, talking with Mary. Are you looking for Edward Mortemer?” 

“I am.”  

“I just met a lad who talked about doing business with him.” 

“When?”

“Two hours ago or so, I think. I was out near the market and we struck up a--”

“No, when did he see Edward?” Elena clarifies.

“Oh.” Fran’s nose scrunches up as she tries to recall. “I think he mentioned it was o’er the summer? I’m not for certain. I can take you to him -- if he’s still at his stall.”

It’s too good to be true. After weeks of searching, a lead like this doesn’t just fall into her lap. She would be a fool to go with some random woman, despite how cute she is. But she can’t turn her back on an opportunity like this. 

“Yes, please,” she all but begs. 

Fran guides her through the streets, clearly a local in her knowledge on how to avoid the congested areas. She isn’t much for talking, which Elena appreciates, as she’s too caught up in her own thoughts. Even if this man saw Edward over the summer, does that mean it was here, or somewhere across the globe? If it was over in Portugal or the Philippines, then what the hell is she supposed to do? What if she returned too late? What if Edward, Charlie, and the crew were one of the twelve ships lost in the storm? Elena fiddles with the necklace, worrying the chain in between her fingers. She knows the risk of using the whistle again -- but she will, if it means saving their lives from such a fate. 

“That’s a pretty charm you have there,” Fran says, breaking the silence between them. “A bit odd-looking, but pretty.”

“Thanks.” Feigning a smile, Elena tries to subtly tuck it back into her shirt.

They reach the market soon enough. Along with Bronte’s, most of the stalls are boarded up or packed away. Out in the harbor, strong winds batter at the ships’ flags and rigging. Thick clouds roll along above the island, warning them of the approaching storm. Across the horizon, lightning dances atop the white-capped waves. Fran continues down to a covered section of the wharf, shadowed by a large building for ship repairs.

“Tommy! You still here?” she calls out as they round the next corner. 

Tucked back along the building are a few more stalls. Their choice in location isn’t lost on Elena. This is where other sorts of deals take place. If it weren’t obvious from the grizzled men that leer at them, the crates of pistols, bolts of fine lace, and casks of wine are enough of a statement on their own. 

“Aye, I’m here.” 

Dread rings its alarm bell loud and clear inside her skull when Rhodes steps out from the group of men. From the corner of her vision, Elena sees several more men approach her from behind. “Very good,” Rhodes croons at Fran, dropping a few coins into her waiting palm.

“I also snagged us this. Figured we could rough it up a bit and pass it off as the Bonnie Prince’s.” From her satchel, she pulls out the dagger Elena eyed at the shop. “And that charm she’s wearin’, that could go for a fair bit o’ coin.” 

The roof groans under the sudden onslaught of rain. Shoddy patch jobs let some of the water through, soaking the dry earth under their feet. Taking the blade from Fran, Rhodes tosses it between his hands, eyeing Elena all the while. That crooked smirk of his widens.

“Fran speaks the truth, ya know. I spoke with your captain not long before the storm. He told me a lovely tale about how he’s sailed the world looking for his love. It brought tears to my eyes, it really did.” 

“Touching,” Elena all but spits back at him. She lifts her chin to keep her eyes on his. Her hand hovers above her sword’s hilt.

“Too many heartless bastards out there, he said, trying to pull one over on ‘im.”

Her eyebrows shoot up towards her hairline. “And you’re going to be different?” 

“O’course. He’s been chasing after lies for far too long. The lad wants proof.” Rhodes strikes; he throws an arm across her chest and slams her back into the wall. Her face smacks against the rough stone; she tastes blood on her tongue. “So, I’m going to slice off one of those pretty fingers of yers, and if he don’t respond to that, I’ll keep sending him more until he--”

Elena spits in his face. He reaches to wipe it away and she ducks under his hold, using the muddy ground to slide from his next punch. Knocking his arm away, she slams her fist against his kidneys. Rhodes collapses to one knee and growls out a long string of curses.

“Send him one of yours instead,” she snarls.

Swiping the dagger from his hand, she twirls it and grips it tight before seizing his other hand. The blade slices clean through three of his fingers. His howl of pain disappears under a loud clap of thunder.

“You fucking--”

His insult never lands. With a quick snap of her knee, she knocks his head into the wall. He collapses in a heap, mottled with blood and muck. Elena bends down and wipes the blade on a clean patch of his shirt. 

When she stands up, she finds Fran gone and the other men watching her from a few yards back. Sliding her new dagger into the sheath at her breast, she throws the men a mock salute and heads out into the storm. 

------

She’s woken by the smell of blood. 

Her hand goes up to attend to her nosebleed before she realizes the scent is a memory from her nightmare, the last dredges of it lingering in the confines of her quarters. Not wanting her bunkmates to wake to the sound of her crying, Elena climbs out and heads for the deck. With the skeleton crew this late at night, she has no trouble sneaking past them to reach her corner of solitude at the stern.   

If she closes her eyes, she can pretend she’s aboard the Revenge. The salty ocean breeze and the rhythmic swaying of the ship could fool her so easily. When she opens her eyes, though, there is no Henry badgering her about trying his latest creation; no Charlie sauntering up with a bottle of rum; and no Edward drawing invisible lines between the stars to teach her the constellations. 

The same stars she’s looking up at now, knowing that somewhere out there across the sea, he might be gazing at them, too. 

The small pinpricks of light start to grow fuzzy. Elena folds her arms against the railing and buries her head in them, trying to muffle her crying. The idea of spending another month chasing after Edward is frustrating to no end. If this was her own time, she could just hunt him down on social media or track him down with a PI. Maybe it would be better if she planted her ass down on an island and waited for him, at this rate.    

“Are you bawling because you killed him?”

Elena jolts up in surprise. Her ribs smack against the railing. Rubbing a hand over them to soothe the ache, she turns and glowers at Robert. 

“I don’t remember inviting you to my pity party.”

“You didn’t. I crashed it.” Moving to stand beside her, he spends a long minute overlooking the dark ocean in front of them. Once she’s finished with trying to hide her tears, he asks again. “So, did you?”

“No.”

“A shame.” 

Captain Delaney was the only one to ask about Rhodes when he didn’t return. When no one else responded, Robert mentioned that he decided to take a position on another ship. The lie -- and the fact that no one cared all that much for the man anyway -- seemed to work. Delaney promoted another sailor to Rhodes’s position, and that was that.  

“I should’ve listened to you,” Elena laments, not-so-subtly wiping her tear-stained sleeve against her face. “This woman approached me and said she had information about Edward. I was baited -- hook, line, and sinker.” 

His hands clench tight around the railing. “Love can make you do stupid things.”

“Are you speaking from experience?”

“Aye, actually, I am.” 

“Bullshit,” she says. “You’ve never once mentioned someone important. You only wanted to come back for the freedom, the adventure -- you said so yourself. And I understand that, I really do. The adventure is why I stayed in the first place. I could’ve snuck into Edward’s cabin or seduced him for the compass like that,” she snaps her fingers for emphasis, ignoring Robert’s snort of disbelief. “But once I had the chance… I stayed. It became about more than the thrill of it.”

“Why is it that you younguns think love is only for the thirty-and-under crowd?” 

“���Younguns’?” Elena repeats with a grimace. 

“I was trying out some of yer Texas slang.”

“Nobody says that.” When he opens his mouth to protest, she holds up a hand. “Okay, nobody who didn’t fight in the fucking Alamo. But -- seriously, I want to know. Is there someone…?” she trails off, encouraging him to open up. 

Robert lets out a long, ragged sigh before digging into his coat. The compass in his hand is set into a simple wooden box, much less ornate than the previous one. Cradling the compass close to shield it from the wind, he digs a fingernail into a hidden switch and a small compartment slides open from the bottom. A twist of raven-colored hair falls into his palm, tied with a tiny length of twine. He traces his thumb across the coarse texture, his breathing unsteady. 

“His name is Julien. We met in Panama City while searching for Sir Francis Drake’s treasure that he stole from the Nuestra Señora de la Concepción. Though we never did find the gold, we ended up running a ship together and stealing some of our own.” Without glancing down, Robert slips the lock of hair back into the compartment and snaps it closed. It’s telling how reflexive it is, as if he repeats the move a hundred times a day. “We didn’t want to deal with the Spanish anymore than we had to, so we sailed to St. Lucia. ‘Twas run by France at the time, and our contact out there bragged about running a smuggling route right under their noses. But when we arrived, we found him in a gibbet. He’d been there a good while. Julien only knew ‘twas him from the ugly, purple trousers he wore.”

Having seen the skeletons hanging along some of the ports, Elena is thankful she missed seeing the late stages of decomposition. “Not long after, we were captured by the French. We managed to escape, but were forced to separate in order to get our crew out. Being French himself, Julien had a better chance at disguising himself as a local. The last I saw of him was when he went back in to retrieve Charlie. And then,” he pauses to clear his throat, “she came out and he didn’t, and we had to escape the island or risk getting caught all over again. And his attempts would’ve been for nothing.”

Elena wants nothing more than to wrap her friend in a hug. Knowing that he’s not big on physical touch, though, she gives what comfort she can by placing her hand alongside his on the railing. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“O’course you didn’t, because I never told you. Even in the future, there are places where our relationship would be met with the business end of a pistol.” Robert shrugs at the idea, but she can see in the set of his jaw how angry it makes him. “But even after I gained your trust and you told me about your past relationships, I felt like I still needed to keep him a secret. Old habits die hard, I suppose.”

“Tell me about him,” she requests.

With a quiet chuckle, Robert shakes his head. 

“There isn’t enough time in the day to describe him, and I’m not one to wax poetic. But he is… kinder than me, certainly. A better shot than me, too. He’s the one who taught Charlie everything she knows. The chain I gave you, that’s for him.” He puts a hand up when Elena immediately reaches up to return it. “No, no -- that whistle is much too important. The chain isn’t the… I’ve already gotten a new one. I was hoping -- I have my grandfather’s ring that I would like him to wear. If he agrees, o’course.”

She suppresses the smile that wants to form at seeing Robert flustered. 

“You’re referring to him in the… do you know if he’s alive? Where he is?”

“The last confirmed sighting of him was three years ago in Curaçao, a small island off the coast of Venezuela.”

Her brows knit together as she studies him. “Then why are you here, in the north?”

His shoulders sag with the weight of his sigh, though she can see the beginnings of a smirk on his lips. 

“Because I made you a promise, remember? Last year, when we tried our hand at stealing the sceptre from the Crown Room. The only reason I’m not locked up in some Scottish ‘House of Special Purpose’ is because you came back for me. And I told you that I would stay by yer side until we found Edward.”

“I mean, if I had left you there, you would’ve just ratted me out as an accomplice.”

That gets a proper laugh from him. “True enough, but I’ll wager the thought never crossed yer mind, did it, kid?” Her small shrug is enough of a confirmation for him. “Julien’s somewhere out there, waiting for me,” he assures. “The man has the patience of a saint. So, I’ll be sticking with you ‘til then. Make sure you get home safe and all that.”

Annoyed at the night’s second round of tears trying to make their appearance, Elena keeps her eyes on the whitecaps in the distance. 

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” In a rare show of friendship, Robert knocks his elbow against hers and jostles her from the railing. “Seriously, don’t. I do have a reputation to uphold.”

------

References:

The “House of Special Purpose” is another name for the Ipatiev House, where Emperor Nicholas II, his family, and members of their household were executed in 1918. To my knowledge, there is no Scottish version -- mostly because MI5 operates out of the Thames House in London.

[sorucine-blog]

The Meaning of Taiwan Evisa

https://de.ivisa.com/taiwan-e-visa

Moreover, it has several wonderful man-made tourist recourses, including the famed Matsu Temple.  Hakka cuisine is the cooking kind of the Hakka men and women that are originally from China.  At the moment, they will need to submit an application for a visa-like entry permit to be able to stop by the mainland.

Citizens of Germany, the united kingdom and New Zealand are a couple of of the nationalities that can't get a tourist visa here (unless the applicant has been residing in Mongolia for over 90 days).  If however you plan to work in Taiwan, the process is somewhat different. UNEMPLOYED If you're unemployed but is able to go to Taiwan, it's still true that you have an opportunity to acquire a visa.

It is possible to enter Taiwan at any moment while your visa is valid, but you'll need to leave every 60 days.  Before traveling to Ethiopia it is important to observe the benefits and disadvantages of each visa so you can choose which is excellent for you.  It's the Taiwanese visa you need if you anticipate staying here for over a month.

If you would like your visa quicker, possibly within a day, you will need to pay an express fee', which is double the normal price tag.  You do not have to go to the embassy so as to acquire a visa.  To begin with, you've got to have a valid passport.

Aside from the aforesaid reasons, there are several other explanations for why your visa to a specific country could possibly be rejected by immigration authority of your destination country.  All businesses must register as a sponsor to begin with to permit them to make an application for the visa.  If your country isn't listed, you'll need a visa.

The Battle Over Taiwan Evisa and How to Win It Countries that need a visa for entry possess the very same requirements for transit.  Taiwan visa requirements and fees change all of the time, therefore it would be an excellent notion to have a look at the official site of the Bureau of Consular Affairs of Taiwan to be certain you're current. Search our database to learn in the event that you want a visa!

| The Basics of Taiwan Evisa The only issue is that I'm thinking about extending my stay to 180 days.  It's possible to have a peek at the list here.  If red eye happens, the photo should be retaken.

It is possible to enter Taiwan at any moment while your visa is valid, but you'll need to leave every 60 days.  Before traveling to Ethiopia it is important to observe the benefits and disadvantages of each visa so you can choose which is excellent for you.  It's the Taiwanese visa you need if you anticipate staying here for over a month.

When the business gets the applicant's authentic work permit, then prospective expats can make an application for a residence visa at their neighborhood embassy before arriving in the nation.  Holders of diplomatic and official passports aren't eligible and has to receive a visa. For example, some foreign nationals take a Canadian visa although some don't need such visa.

Travel agencies may also have a single account and use it in order to submit an application for visa for their customers.  In different cities, you will have to visit a smaller Foreign Affair Office or a police headquarter. Each country has an exceptional set of visa requirements that it's possible to see from their website.

The site is simple to use and allows users to independently take control of the approach.  In the event of urgent travel, employing the Express Service may get one the eVOA within a day.  If you would like to get Taiwan eVisa, you may apply online at our site.

Countries that need a visa for entry possess the very same requirements for transit.  Taiwan visa requirements and fees change all of the time, therefore it would be an excellent notion to have a look at the official site of the Bureau of Consular Affairs of Taiwan to be certain you're current. Search our database to learn in the event that you want a visa!

As you most likely already know, hardly any governments recognize Taiwan as a nation.  Two foreign nationals who need to go married in Taiwan must receive a certificate or written proof from their various governments proving they are single and free to marry.  If you've got infectious diseases.

Moreover, it has several wonderful man-made tourist recourses, including the famed Matsu Temple.  Hakka cuisine is the cooking kind of the Hakka men and women that are originally from China.  With the revision, they will need a travel pass for entering the mainland but do not have to apply for a visa-like entry permit for every visit.

If you currently have work in Taiwan and have a letter from the Taiwanese government letting you work in Taiwan, you are able to apply for a residency permit from your house country prior to arrival or as soon as you arrive in Taiwan.  If however you plan to work in Taiwan, the process is somewhat different. UNEMPLOYED If you're unemployed but is able to go to Taiwan, it's still true that you have an opportunity to acquire a visa.

Understanding Taiwan Evisa The applicant could be requested to present additional supporting materials.  To avert all risks, make sure you have all of them.  The health check is better to get in Taiwan, since there are very particular regulations about which tests ought to be carried out.

| Your application is contingent on a lot of factors so there's no sum that may guarantee approval.  An expedited procedure and the multiple entry eVisa are NOT offered.  There's no cost to modify your delivery preferences.

Definitions of Taiwan Evisa Expats appearing to go to Taiwan for a quick time without working will want to put in an application for a visitor's visa at their community embassy unless they are from a visa-exempt nation.  Take a look at our Taipei travel guide to assist you plan your journey to Taiwan.  It isn't necessary to return to your residence country as a way to renew a visitor's visa to Taiwan.

Beside, you may also apply to acquire a visa at Cambodia Embassy in Taiwan.  Beside, you might also apply to acquire a visa at Cambodia Embassy in Taiwan.  It is one of those destinations that are easy to brush aside.

Citizens of Germany, the united kingdom and New Zealand are a couple of of the nationalities that can't get a tourist visa here (unless the applicant has been residing in Mongolia for over 90 days).  If however you plan to work in Taiwan, the process is somewhat different. UNEMPLOYED If you're unemployed but is able to go to Taiwan, it's still true that you have an opportunity to acquire a visa.

So if your aim is to return to Taiwan within 90 days, make sure that you maintain a duplicate of your visa exempt form as you can just apply for another ROC Travel Authorization Certificate 7 days ahead of the expiry of the present certificate. Taiwan visa requirements and fees change all of the time, therefore it would be an excellent notion to have a look at the official site of the Bureau of Consular Affairs of Taiwan to be certain you're current. Search our database to learn in the event that you want a visa!

Additionally, it should have a minumum of one blank page.  To help you discover which is ideal for you, here's a fast comparison site from TECO itself.  All info has to be correct and accurate.

Absence of adequate health or travel insurance policy cover may also result in visa rejection.  Rates are just like for a tourist visa.  The new visa requirements will supply a boost to travel and it'll boost interaction between both countries.

Generally, Philippine passport holders must get visas before traveling to Taiwan.  Holders of these passports are entitled to apply for ETA online.  For example, some foreign nationals take a Canadian visa although some don't need such visa.

Expats will usually only be in a position to acquire their residence visa after locating a job and receiving their work permit approved.  The present visa policy is a substantial barrier.  They do not require a visa to visit Indonesia for the purposes of tourism.

[altantrengsin-apologist]

On the Filipino “panliligaw” culture

Disclaimer: I’ve been pressed about something for the past few months but as I’ve taken a vow to stop using my blog as an outlet for my negativity, I said I wouldn’t post about it. But I came across these tweets recently and what pissed me off aren’t the posts per se but the fact that two of the smartest and most vocally feminist girls I know from college liked the retweet. So I’m sorry but I’m gonna go off. 

In the Philippines, panliligaw (translation: courtship) is a prerequisite to every relationship. Ask any Filipina girl how she got together with her Filipino boyfriend and I promise that, more likely than not, she’s gonna tell you that her boyfriend “pursued” her. Panliligaw is not the western equivalent of dating. Dating involves mutual interest; panliligaw, in some cases—I repeat, in some cases—does not. 

I do not have an issue with the notion of courting or “pursuing” someone as long as consent is involved. Some relationships start off in the dating stage and some start with “courtship.” Here’s my huge-ass concern, though:

I think our culture has enabled, if not actively created, a toxic tradition of harassing women into entering relationships. This might be a thing in the west too, but I promise you, the harass-until-she-says-yes culture is even bigger in the Philippines. Our men have been taught that if they just keep at it no matter how clearly uncomfortable the girl is, they’ll get what they want. They’ve been conditioned to think that no does not mean no; no means try harder. I wish I was exaggerating but I swear to jesus christ, I have heard actual conversations between men that went exactly like that.  

Our godamn pakipot culture plays huge role in this too. Let me tell you about the pakipot culture, alright? So there’s this notion that girls should play hard to get. If a guy expresses interest in you and you immediately show mutual interest, literally someone is bound to tell you: “magpakipot ka naman” (translation: you have to play hard to get). I am also not exaggerating. I have heard this line way more times than I can count. 

So, factor in this pakipot culture where women are expected to play hard to get regardless of whether or not they like the guy, and the panliligaw culture where men think that if they try hard and long enough, the girl will eventually says yes, and we get: a hellhole where women cannot express their feelings if they do not wanna be tagged as malandi (literal translation: a flirt; rough translation: a slut) and are treated like prizes to be won by the most persevering of men. It’s great out here, really. 

I don’t wanna put blame on men, entirely. Admittedly, us, women and our mothers, had a role in this, too. We abided by the pakipot culture rules; sadly, some still do and the rest are forced to pay the price. Women said no when they meant yes, and now our no’s mean nothing. It’s literally 2019, I hope we could establish a new culture where we mean what we say and teach men that we are not objects to be chased after. 

And to twitter user Tita Maroon, I genuinely just don’t get what your point is. Your friend’s story is literally the status quo. Men end up with the girls they want after pursuing them for months and years on end—regardless of whether the girl has an ounce of interest in them or not, ALL. THE. FUCKING. TIME. It’s stories like those that encourage men to continue harassing girls under the guise of panliligaw. It’s stories like those as well lines like: “don’t ask a girl if you can court her, just do it” (I’ve seen about 20 variations of this everywhere, I just am too lazy to find one right now) that mute women’s voices. It’s like saying: you don’t like this boy, but he likes you and what you feel doesn’t matter because in the end, he will get what he wants. 

This has become way too long, and I feel like I didn’t articulate as well as I should have, but I’m glad my two cents are out there. 

In summary, I respect men’s rights—rights to leave girls the fuck alone when asked (minus his and society’s guilt-tripping). Men are not entitled to women’s attention or love or time. That’s all, thank you for coming to my ted talk. My assistant will be handing out juice boxes on the way out.

[elloizius]

Hobby to Money

We all know that 2020 is not really a good year for everyone. We can not go outside and do our normal routine. Working in quarantine is also a hassle. Everyone needs to adjust and buy new equipment and devices to get back to work. Also hanging out with friends to unwind with all this stress is not really an option. So as a young adult in my 20s the only option that I can think of is to sit in front of my computer and play games all day every day. Wake up late in the afternoon, eat brunch, play games, and watch Youtube videos until early morning. This is now my daily routine that lasted for at least 7 months.

Then my mechanical keyboard broke and I need a replacement. I wanted a small keyboard for a long time now because I have a limited desk space. Done some research on what to get and went to an online e-commerce site that thou shall not be named and ordered one. My first 70% mechanical Keyboard. For those that do not know or does not have any idea on what I am talking about, there are different sizes of keyboards and layouts and some also have variants. A 70% mechanical keyboard does not have any number pad and function row but have the basic navigation button and arrow keys. This type of keyboard gives me a lot of desk real estate because of its small size. For comparison, a full-size keyboard is called full size because it has all the keys, it can also be called 100%. The keyboard that most laptop comes with is a hybrid between 60% and 75%.

With further research I found out that I can customize my keyboard to my liking. Different kinds and colors of keycaps. Keyboard switches can have different feel and sound. You can make the mechanical keyboard you are using, your own creation. Many people collect keyboards for this reason. They spend thousands of pesos to buy or build one. Some keyboard build can cost around 15,000 pesos. The thing that really caught my attention are the artisan keycaps. They are keycaps that have designs in them. It can be as simple as a normal keycap with text or logo on them or keycaps with intricate design, some of which are hand sculpted with superb details. The latter ones are what I like to have. Looking on the price though, they are extremely expensive. A single artisan keycap can cost you from 500 up to 5,000 pesos. Yes, this hobby can be expensive, and I cannot really afford to sustain it. This gave me an idea. I used to sculpt, and I still have left over polymer clay on my art supply.

I immediately went to bed and woke up early to try if I can make one for myself. It is hard to make one. The keycap is so small. Steady hands and patience are what you really need. The progress is promising so went online and ordered hobby grade paints for my keycap. I am already thinking ahead that this could be a thing. I can make money out of this. The first keycap I made is a chibi or simplified version of a popular streamer in the Philippines. I posted some photos in my fb page and tagged her. She saw and shared it on her page and personal account. The post blew up. Then messages started coming asking if they can order one. She also commissioned me a couple of custom keycaps.

Now I already made 64 custom keycaps with at least 40 more pending orders writing this. A positive outcome of an awful situation.  A new hobby turned my old hobby into a small business. I am grateful for it.

[phgq]

Benguet farmers hoping Valentine's Day will help them recover

#PHnews: Benguet farmers hoping Valentine's Day will help them recover

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Flower farmers in this town are hopeful that Valentine's Day will become a way for them to recover from losses due to quarantine measures amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Belmer Elis, barangay chairperson of Bahong, the rose capital of the Philippines located here, said on Thursday they are hoping that people would buy flowers as usual for their loved ones during the occasion.

“Every purchase of the local rose or any flower variety will save the farmers from further incurring losses,” he said in the vernacular.

Bahong is the major producer of roses which are brought in various parts of the country, mostly at the Dangwa Flower Market in Manila.

Out of the village's 8,000 population, 500 residents are listed as members of the association of flower growers at the village.

He said flower farmers are the most affected in the agriculture industry as their losses started before the declaration of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in March last year and lockdown in many areas.

The country's declaration of the ECQ also prohibited gatherings, events, and celebrations with many participants, resulting in a drop in demand for flowers and the cancellation of pre-ordered flowers for decoration.

“Simula pa nung nag-February, tapos nawala na ang nga graduation ceremonies at graduation ball, parties, events kahit mga malalaking kasal, debut at kung anu ano pang event na gumagamit ng maraming flowers na decoration (there were no graduation ceremonies and graduation ball, big wedding and debut parties or any event that uses flowers in their decorations),” said Elis, who is also a professional event organizer.

He said the cancellation of the Baguio Flower Festival or Panagbenga in 2020 and this year really add up to the losses in income of the farmers.

With the general community quarantine declared in the whole Cordillera and in Metro Manila, the farmers are seeing another round of losses.

“Pinaghandaan ulit ng farmers na may flowers kasi yan na ang kabuhayan nila talaga kaya mahirap na lumipat sa ibang product (Our farmers also prepared to assure flower supplies for the season. It has been their product for years and it is difficult for them to shift to another product),” Elis said.

He said that they estimated a minimum of PHP100 million loss in potential income as of November 2020 due to the pandemic.

The farmers' production for All Saints and All Souls Day last year also went to waste with the prohibition for the public to visit the tombs of their relatives a week before, during and after the annual observance.

Elis said extra large roses are currently sold at PHP300 a bundle or two dozens, much lower than the PHP1,000 to PHP1,500 price range during the 'Undas' season.

Rose capital

Elis said Bahong was the first area in the locality that produced roses, making it earn the tag “rose capital” of the country. Farmers at the village later added other flower varieties like mums, baby’s breath, and others to complete the requirement in making a bouquet.

With the high demand for the commodity, the plantation sites were expanded to other villages like Alno and Alapang. Other villages in the capital town also went to flower production, thus the big amount of losses posted as an effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Elis said the government’s assistance under the Bayanihan to Recover as One (Bayanihan 2) where they were added by the Department of Tourism as beneficiary was a big help to the farmers.

He said that as of December, a total of 202 farmers were able to receive PHP5,000 cash assistance while about 300 more farmers at his village are awaiting approval to be qualified.

He also mentioned the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) PHP25,000 soft loan program aside from the seedling survival program of the agency where farmers were given vegetable seedlings that flower farmers planted on pots for their personal consumption.

Elis said that they hope the flowers will also be included as among the list of high-value crops which means they would be regularly provided with assistance.

While the industry is still ailing at this time, the village chief said that they will never lose hope but will exert effort to survive.

“We are trying to make strategies so that we can sell our produce and see smiles on the faces of persons who get to receive a rose or two.” (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Benguet farmers hoping Valentine's Day will help them recover." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1129764 (accessed February 06, 2021 at 02:27AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Benguet farmers hoping Valentine's Day will help them recover." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1129764 (archived).

[wanderbitesbybobbie]

ON TRAVEL WRITING: HOW I MADE MONEY OUT OF IT

WARNING: This is a very long entry about how I managed to make a profit out of Travel Writing. If you hate long narratives, you may find shorter stories on this blog. But if you have time to spare and  interested to set-up your own travel blog, then you might get something out of this.

Unlike many of the “millenial” travelers today, I did not start as a solo traveler. I have always wanted to be a digital nomad, but that’s not exactly how I started. I did not quit any corporate jobs to backpack around the world like how most of them did it. My first experiences of traveling were mostly shared with my mom as I tagged along her business trips out of town. I was in high school when I first got to see the outside world. My views and opinions did not matter. I was a kid. I did not care about budgets, or where we’ll be staying, or what the itinerary would be like, or what food are we eating. All I wanted was to to collect fridge magnets, t-shirts, and key chains (which I still do until now). There was no social media back then and traveling was not yet a hype. If not with my family, I go with my friends, so most of my early travel memories were shared with them.

TO TRAVEL – it’s everybody’s dream. To get to travel to somewhere is a privilege. Not everyone can travel as they please, so if you can fly with ease, then better get the most out of it. But making money out of traveling is a different story. As you search through the web for your next destination, you will probably see real-life travelers living the dream. But on top of it all, you see “successful” travel writers advertising a destination or an accommodation, with alluring photos of them in a tropical island, sipping on cold champagne while working with their laptops. Some of them with the same slogan, “I left my 9 to 5 job to travel the world and here I am now. Remotely working as a travel writer.”

When Travel Blogging was not yet a thing.

While being a travel writer can be a lucrative sideline, some people might see it as a stable source of income to sustain a life of travel. I’ve started talking about this on my recent Instagram post and I promised to write about it for anyone interested to join the bandwagon. Before you jump off the cliff with blindfolds on, let me take you back to how I started as a travel writer, how I made money out of it, and some myths about travel writing.

HOW I PAVED MY WAY TO THE MAGAZINE WORLD

Like I said, I was in high school when I started traveling. None of my sentiments mattered to anyone reading them. Except this one time when my high school reprimanded me for a “frivolous” blog post. That would be another interesting story to tell. Anyway, I just started writing on my personal blog and posted live journals online. There was no Facebook, I didn’t know anything about WordPress, Instagram was not yet a thing. All I knew about were these websites called “Xanga” and “Multiply”, where I uploaded most of my photos and where I wrote my “whatevers”. I never thought about quality content, and I didn’t care if anyone would read it. My journals were mostly trivial, but it didn’t bother me. I was born to write, and each time I had something in mind, I had to write it down.

My writing style has evolved throughout the years. From writing whatever under the sun, I finally started writing with actual content. I wrote about my day-to-day experiences. I wrote a lot about my food recipes. I wrote about restaurants and what I liked and disliked. It never occurred to me that I was already finding my niche, and that is to write about travel and food. I never thought I would gain readers out of it. My friends and colleagues started to ask me how I got into a certain place or how I found this certain restaurant or hotel. I started writing more while having fun.

Years passed, my platforms have changed. I graduated from college, passed culinary school, worked and met different people, been to places, IN SHORT, I grew up. From “Multiply”, I was on “BlogSpot”, writing more meaningful articles that readers actually read. Eventually, one publishing company was interested to hire me as a chef contributor for their Food and Health Magazine. I never thought twice. I instantly said YES! This was my first ever writing stint, and I was getting paid for it. In that particular magazine, I had my own food column. I was proud to see my name on that local magazine and having my articles published were worthy achievements for me.

TRAVELING AND WRITING: THEN AND NOW

While I wrote about food and while I developed recipes for the magazine, I was working for my self-owned cafe. I was not a full-time writer. I worked hard every single day because I wanted to achieve something. I set a goal. The magazine was just a sideline. Although they paid me well, I was sure that my monthly column was not enough to make a living out of it. I needed an upgrade and I knew since then that I had to make the most out of my writing if I wanted to be successful in this field. My goal was to travel at my own expense, but I never thought about sharing my do-it-yourself itineraries to anyone. I never thought it would matter. So fast forward to 2016, it had been a year of travel for me. I traveled from one island to another. There were days when I would only rest at home for a week, and travel again the following week. It is liberating to travel by yourself, deciding on things on your own, and having to search for the cheapest deals to be able to stretch the budget. I was finally doing it. It was a whole new level of self-discovery.

Adelaide: where I backpacked for a couple of days and visited friends along the way

Traveling with my family and my friends versus traveling by myself led me to a new understanding of what it was to be traveling. It wasn’t just a sense of bonding with your favorite people, but it was also about discovering new things. Eventually, my friends wanted me to share my travel stories. They sent me messages and inquired about my DIY itineraries. THAT WAS IT! I was upgrading my blog. I couldn’t keep up with answering everyone’s questions every time so I decided to write everything on one complete page so I can just send them links. I decided to create WanderBites by Bobbie on a free WordPress account. I too aspired to be a successful travel blogger. I did what I thought it would take to be a successful travel blogger. I went to different places in and out of the country, immersed myself in cultures, learned new languages and cuisines, met new people, and then I wrote about everything. At this point, I wanted to maximize what I had. I have to create a website and monetize my blog. I wasn’t just writing anymore, I was trying to make a living out of it like how I saw the others were doing. The hunger for SUCCESS was there!

But it came to me rather early, the realization that the word “SUCCESS” is subjective. I cannot emphasize this enough. For my fellow full-time travel writers, success is gaining more followers on social media. Who wouldn’t want that, right? For some, you have to pay a certain price to reach a certain level of following. That is how they advertise and sell themselves. That is how they get their contents and freebies. As a blogger, you have more earning opportunities when you have good traffic. But to me, that is not how I perceive my success. I never wanted to be a “social media influencer”, in fact I couldn’t be one. My closest friends know about this, and it’s something I never shared with anyone on my blogs. Though I have unknowingly “influenced” people to do something, I suck at this whole social media influencing thing. I just want to write. So for me, SUCCESS IS SIMPLE. To be able to send my thoughts across is already success for me. That is why I write. The income is secondary.

WRITING FOR MAGAZINES AND WEBSITES

My travel blog gained readers. Though none of my articles ever went viral, some of my travel photos did in the traveling world. The Philippine Department of Tourism noticed this, and I was sent an e-mail for a possible collaboration. That was the start of my traveling career. I wasn’t just writing about food, I have been promoted as food and travel writer and photographer. On top of that, I was helping my country’s tourism campaign. My photos became a part of the official website. More e-mails came requesting for my travel photos, some offering free dining and accommodations, some were willing to pay in cash. And the more they came, the more excited I got. It was then that I told myself, good experiences can be converted to cash so I have to give myself extraordinary experiences.

This was how Trip Magazine endorsed me as their contributor.

At some point, I was at my peak. I was able to offer my services to some hotels and restaurants. I invested so much on writing and on traveling, and every time I would be offered anything for free in exchange of write-ups, I felt like I was gaining the returns of my investments. I have now become a writer with a niche on food and travel. My friend, Joan, an editor for a huge travel magazine then asked me if I wanted to be a contributor for their magazine. It was Trip Magazine owned by 2Go Travel and Shipping Line. That was my biggest break in the travel writing business. Trip Magazine offered to pay my travel stories and my photos that came along with it. Each photos were worth a certain price, depending on how big it would appear on the magazine. Since then, hotels and restaurants started to come to me. I was able to pitch some of my personal articles for bigger travel websites, and my travel sideline grew exponentially.

IT’S NOT ALL THAT

From a plain old blogger, I was able to make it to the magazines and international websites. I had to make myself acquainted with the travel writing norms. To be a travel writer, you have to exceed the expectations of your clientele. You don’t just deliver. To be able to write a good (if not great) content, you have to go out and see the world. That is the only way. You cannot just Google that destination and re-write a whole new article. No one would pay for that crap. Travel Writing means you are not traveling for vacation anymore. To us, TRAVEL MEANS WORK. To be able to send proper contents to the editors, you have to take everything into consideration, not just your personal experience. Wherever you are going, you have to think as a journalist and view things in the perspective of your reader. It’s not just about simply writing about where you’ve been or what you had for dinner anymore. A very remarkable quote would always ring a bell every time I write an article for my clients. According to Tim Leffel , “Don’t forget that the easiest stories to sell are the ones that truly do a service for the reader.” No travel magazine or website would pay for a story about your close encounter with Nemo. Especially if your client is paying in cash, then it better be read-worthy.

Here’s another tip. If you want to be able to thrive in this business, of course, writing is a skill you have to hone for years. But if you want your “clients” to pay you the extra $$$, you have to give them outstanding photos that go along with your manuscript. In my case, I bring my DSLR if I’m traveling for work. I always have my GoPro with me, just in case I feel like pitching a new destination or a new dining place. That way, I can simply give my editors supporting photos of what I have written on my article. They wouldn’t have to look for stock photos from some old websites. Your photos have to be in the highest resolution possible, especially if it would be a feature article or a full-page photo on a travel magazine. Travel Writers and Photographers get paid more than being just Travel Writers, as the publishing company can save tons on labor. They wouldn’t have to hire another person to do the photography for you. So, investing in a good camera is another way to increase your value (but please make sure you know how to use it). Your mobile photos can be saved for your Instagram feeds, thank you.

If you are a travel writer heavily relying on the travel profits, rest would pretty much be a luxury you couldn’t afford. Especially if your trip is “all-expense-paid”. Your time and effort, and your entire experience is paid-for. So you have no right to slack. No matter how fatigued you are, you have to get your self going, not only physically but mentally. How would you be able to write your content if you are snoozing the entire time while you are on 4-hour land travel? You have to feel it, you have to describe it. You have to write what you see, what you smell, what your experience was. But don’t get me wrong. You also have to rest, but being in this industry means you have to manage your time well. Remember, you are traveling not for yourself.

On a train from Sydney to Canberra, finishing an article for a Travel Website deadline.

SOME MYTHS DEBUNKED

Being a Travel Blogger is your instant way to stardom. Unless you have a good following and traffic and google ranking, it’s not that easy to achieve this. There are a lot of travel bloggers like you who aspire the same things as you. Especially now that budget airlines and cheap resorts made traveling very accessible to anyone. Aside from your pretty face and cool photos, what sets you apart from the other travel bloggers?

Your next destination is your next content. WRONG. If you have this kind of mindset, then you’re merely writing for a journal entry. Your next destination is not an assurance that your article will be published. Why? BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS BEEN IN THAT LOCATION, NOT JUST YOU. Always put that in mind. Unless you have a whole new attack on this destination, and you managed to give it another point of view, then you probably have a slight possibility that it would get approved and published.

Travel Writers make instant tons of money out of traveling. WRONG. It’s not an overnight process. It takes years to be able to pull it off. There are very successful travel writers who were able to make steady income out of traveling, but there’s only a handful of them and most of them have written life-changing books and multiple travel guides on your local bookstore shelf. There is no such thing as stable income during your first years as a travel writer. You might be able to make let’s say $500 for one project, $900 dollars for the next, but you’ll never know when your next gig or offer will happen. Unless you already have your name listed on the big traveling networks, which you will get invited for free travel events, then no. You pay for your hotel or your own airfare to write a content.

I would love to write more about Food and Travel Writing and how people’s perception of it has changed the travel journalism culture. As I’ve said, it’s not all colorful rainbows and unicorns. This article 7 Myths About Travel Blogging by Tim Leffel may change your views about this industry.

STILL CHOOSE TO WRITE, NO MATTER WHAT!

If you have reached this part of this article, then I congratulate you. Not everyone loves to read long narratives. It’s a gift! Your diligence will take you to greater heights. I am not an expert, but no matter how daunting it is, I still urge you to continue to write! I never stopped writing from the very beginning. Write about your experiences, don’t be afraid to share them. Stick to your voice. You might feel like no one is listening, but you will be surprised with how the world pays attention. Ask if you must, and pitch your heart out, even if you feel like you would get a “no”, ask anyway. Nowadays, in our very modern world, the stage is all set for you. You just have to maximize technology and use whatever platform that is in front of you. Your curiosity about the world, your persistence, and your commitment will take you to unimaginable places. I wouldn’t go to some places I’ve been if it wasn’t for travel writing.

You are, after-all, a discerning traveler to start with, who happens to be a writer too. You wouldn’t be reading this blog if you weren’t interested about travel writing anyway. You have the whole world ahead of you. And no one is stopping you on your head start!

Write! Write! Write! And most of all ENJOY! Love what you do, and do what you love! If you take this to heart, you will see the world more on a greater extent. 🙂

      ON TRAVEL WRITING: HOW I MADE MONEY OUT OF IT was originally published on WanderBitesByBobbie

[newstechreviews]

The northern side of Chatuchak Weekend Market feels a bit like Noah has hit hard times and decided to offload the entire contents of his Ark. In wooden cages, bright-plumed fighting cocks squawk and peck. Around the corner are snakes in plastic takeout containers, prices scrawled on them in sharpie. Hairless squirrel kits snooze in a pile as a meerkat and giant iguana gaze on. A pygmy monkey leaps about with a furious scowl, perhaps indignant at the 30,000 baht ($950) price tag fixed to his enclosure. Across the narrow alleyway, a lynx prowls restlessly within its cage. “He’s 250,000 baht [$7,900],” says the heavily tattooed market trader. “This one is only five years old, so will double in size. He’s a male but I have a female too.”

Given the sheer number and variety of exotic creatures on sale at Chatuchak Weekend Market, you’d think it was hidden in some jungle border town between failed states. In fact, it’s directly in the middle of the sprawling Thai capital of Bangkok. Chatuchak ranks number three on TripAdvisor’s list of top tourist attractions in the city, owing to its 15,000 stalls that hawk everything from bolts of silk to golden Buddha amulets and wooden furniture. Bangkok is already the world’s most visited city, and third most globally connected place in Asia, with an estimated 22.7 million international visitors in 2019. This is evidenced by the perspiring tourists — more than 60,000 each weekend day, according to estimates — that throng Chatuchak’s green-roofed labyrinth. They shop for spices, T-shirts and trinkets, but it’s easy to wander into the euphemistically named “pet” section.

From Bangkok, the holidaymakers jet off home—to a world still reeling from the COVID-19 virus outbreak that began in a live animal market in China’s central city of Wuhan and has since spread globally, sickening nearly 118,00 and killing almost 4,300 people in what the WHO has now declared a “global health emergency.” The outbreak, a novel coronavirus which experts believed jumped from an unidentified animal to humans, has shone a spotlight on China’s consumption of wild animals and penchant for “warm meat”—the term for animals that are transported live to markets and slaughtered to order.

AFP/Getty Images This handout photo shows a Royal Thai police officer holding a slow loris during a raid with wild life rescuer at the Chatuchak market in Bangkok on March 22, 2008.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) emerged 17 years earlier from a market in China’s Guangdong province—on that occasion via civet cats—and the Chinese combination of live, wild animals, poorly regulated animal husbandry and unsanitary butchery is “a perfect storm for viruses to emerge,” says Kevin Olival, an evolutionary biologist with NGO EcoHealth Alliance, who has been researching emerging pandemics for over a decade. China’s government has taken note and introduced new regulations on the rearing and sale of exotic animals. (Though, given lax enforcement of previous curbs after SARS, only time will tell whether they hold up.)

Still, the “pet” section of Chatuchak market in Thailand is just one example, among many scattered around the region, that demonstrate the potential health risks are not just Chinese. Across Asia, lax regulations and poor enforcement can be readily exploited. In Chatuchak, traders say their animals were acquired lawfully, and many proffer documentation to prove it. But forgeries are easy to obtain and difficult to spot, says Steven Galster, founder of Bangkok-based wildlife conservation NGO Freeland. It’s also tricky to prove whether papers truly correspond to specific animals.

According to Galster, who conducts regular inspections and raids at Chatuchak alongside Thai police, unscrupulous traders “launder” poached exotic animals alongside domestically farmed ones. Farms also like adding wild creatures to their breeding stock to widen the genetic pool. Galster says the same supply chains that fed Wuhan also provide animals other “sleeping timebomb” markets around the region. “They are warm, crowded and just perfect for another disaster,” says Galster. “And we know it’s going to happen at some point.”

According to Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, spokesman for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the exotic animal section of Chatuchak operates in a legal gray zone since it sits on land owned by the State Railway of Thailand. As such, and despite the absence of any discernible divide with the rest of the 27-acre market, “The BMA has no authority over such property apart from those prescribed by the related local laws and regulations, which do not include the monitoring and policing the sale of exotic wildlife,” says Pongsakorn, adding that the BMA regularly patrols, cleans and disinfects the sections of the market that fall under its jurisdiction. The State Railway of Thailand did not respond to requests for comment.

Getty Images An employee walks past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which has been linked to cases of coronavirus, on Jan. 17, 2020 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Local authorities have confirmed that a second person in the city has died of a pneumonia-like virus since the outbreak started in December.

Another big risk is mixing live, wild animals with intensively reared livestock, as was done at Wuhan’s now-shuttered Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, where COVID-19 is thought to have originated. Raising pigs, cows and chickens en masse makes it difficult to spot when one or two animals get sick, meaning infections can spread quickly and silently across a herd or flock. Experts say that demand for “warm meat” is one of the main reasons why diseases such as avian flu and African Swine Fever have proven so tricky to stamp out, given the huge movements of live animals all around and between countries.

In addition, studies suggest overuse of prophylactic antibiotics—a common practice in modern intensive farming meant to prevent rather than treat disease—can suppress animals’ immune systems, making them more susceptible to viral infections. In many of Asia’s live animal markets, blood, feces and other bodily secretions can mix freely. Melissa Nolan, an infectious disease expert and professor at the University of South Carolina, says she once observed a slaughter market in the Philippines where butchers “stood ankle-deep in blood with just flip flops on.” Under such circumstances, she adds, “There’s so much potential for multiple different pathogens from a blood-borne and viral transmission perspective.”

Such markets are common all over Asia, from Colombo to Kuala Lumpur and beyond. Live fish splash water from plastic tubs over neighboring live turtles and shellfish. Countertops are red with blood and guts brought forth by razor-sharp filleting knives. But while the presence of butchery at such markets adds another element of risk, pet markets like the one at Chatuchak are also problematic. Chaotic, cramped conditions weaken animals’ immune systems, producing an environment where viruses can mix, swap bits of genetic code and leap between species. In this way, they can present “as much of a risk factor” as markets where butchery takes place, according to Olival.

Housing together many different kinds of animals—wild, domesticated and many not native to that particular locale—gives more opportunities for viruses to jump between species. SARS, for example, actually originated in bats—which tend to be riddled with pathogens—then jumped to civet cats, which acted as the “amplifying host” before making the jump to humans.

Such zoonotic pathogens have caused nearly every pandemic in human history, including the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed between 50 and 100 million people worldwide and began in birds. Then there are HIV, Nipah, West Nile, Ebola, and so on. Without closing down markets that host wild creatures, whether for consumption or as pets, Nolan says she’s “very confident” that the next serious pandemic is just around the corner.

But even closing those markets would not be fool-proof. After all, every square meter of the planet hosts some 800 million viruses. Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) continues to crop up in the Middle East due to human contact with camels. Ending the consumption of unpasteurized camel’s milk would go a long way toward stemming the outbreaks, though only the culling of all 1.5 million camels on the Arabian peninsula would permanently solve the issue, says Prof. Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota. “And that just isn’t going to happen.”

Ultimately, problems emerge wherever humans come into close contact with unfamiliar animal populations, which is fed by the destruction of natural habitats. It is believed the West African Ebola outbreak emerged when a child unwittingly ate something contaminated by the droppings of bats that nested in his village, possibly due to nearby deforestation. Outbreaks of Nipah virus—which has a fatality rate of up to 75%—are increasingly breaking out near date palm plantations because carrier bats love to sit in the trees. Lassa fever spreads via infected rats.

The next pandemic could even emerge in the U.S. While China is well known as the world’s top consumer of trafficked wildlife, less reported is the fact the U.S. is number two. Outside Denver, the National Wildlife Property Repository, run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is a 22,000 square foot warehouse teeming with ivory, tiger pelts and stuffed reptiles. But the service also deals with a large quantity of smuggled live animals. Indeed, a 2003 outbreak of monkeypox across six U.S. states was traced back to an illegal shipment of pouch rats and other rodents from Ghana to Texas for the exotic pet trade—just like the one carried on at Chatuchak.

So while banning the sale of wildlife, reducing the mass transportation of live animals, and ensuring high standards of butchery hygiene can all mitigate the possibility of another pandemic, there will always be a risk as long as people and animals mix. “We can’t get rid of the bats or abolish farms,” says Osterholm. “So the only choice we have is to develop vaccines that can protect people.”

[teenwolfnation-blog1]

7 Best Samsung Phones Of 2017

                                                   There are something like one million Android phones for every person on the planet right now (plus or minus one). TracfoneReviewer is here to help with this list of Android devices that includes a quick comparison of each phone, and links to our full reviews. We will guide you through the hottest mobile phones of the year to save you time when you go to your local phone shop. The best bit is that these rising Chinese brands produce many cheap phones at near cost prices so as to gain more market share and get recognized. Equipped with features like 5 inch screens that are great for watching videos or playing games, high-performance 1GB and 2GB RAMs, dual SIM support and high res cameras for the avid photographer, Samsung smartphones are designed to be more than just your average mobile phone. 6. QWERTY Keyboard- Along with many of the same great features available on our smartphones, QWERTY devices also feature slide-out keyboards for those who prefer a more tactile experience. The newest addition to India's Android One lineup is Lava's Pixel V1 , and it's a significant step up from its low-end predecessors in terms of hardware. This list will provide you all Android phones that are on sale in India. The Core Prime was released with two other Samsung Galaxy devices, the S5 and E5 (listed below) and is the cheapest of the three, while still delivering some great features. Everything we love about the Galaxy S8 is available here as Samsung has decided to only really changed the sizes of the screens rather than fiddling with the spec inside the device. Distinct in its own approach, Lyf Mobile phones are modeled and named on the different forces of nature. There's one key way in which Android is massively different from its Apple-branded smartphone competition - the number of phones out there running Google's hot mobile OS. Until that day we have smartphones. So, say goodbye to flying to HongKong and getting yourself a new updates on made in India mobile phones will be updated as and when product launches, rumors, or leaks on Geekbench happen. https://drasticds-emulatorapk.com/ The Huawei Glory is a touchscreen smartphone with Android 4.0 and a 3.5" screen available from Tracfone since 2013. If you want a Pixel phone with a larger battery and can live with a mediocre display, we'd recommend going for the Pixel 2 XL—you'll be very happy. The company also has a bug bounty program for its devices, but they don't disclose how much they're willing to pay when a programmer finds a security flaw in their software. If you have finalized any of the devices from the above list, we suggest you head over to BestPriceOn for latest price and availability on various online stores. Marshmallow too entered the market with a similar share but is now running on 31.2% of all Android devices. Its excellent design, powerful octa-core processor with 4GB RAM, massive 5300mAH battery, fingerprint sensor, Gorilla glass protection and great camera makes it a good worthy option to buy. The Tecno Camon C10 -also known Tecno Camon CX is the latest selfie smartphone from the Chinese mobile phone vendor, it accompanied by a lower version; Tecno Camon CX Air Tecno also launched a Manchester City Limited Edition of the device to honor their partnership with the English club. So if you're planning to buy a Mi mobile, then you can choose from Redmi Note 4, Redmi 3s , Redmi 3s prime , M i max , redmi note3 , Mi5 , Mi4 and Mi4i Almost all of these smartphones come in different styles and have advanced features that cater to the growing demands of the modern world. Moreover, I observe Gionee smartphones are rather too costly. You can also create, save and share lists (by tapping the list icon), drawings (by tapping the pen icon), audio recordings (by tapping the microphone icon) and photos (by tapping the camera icon) in the options menu. If you want to have a bit lighter phone and less bulky than Samsung Galaxy S5 active, you might to buy a regular Samsung Galaxy S5. This phone is very similar to the LG Ultimate 2, which is a great device, but the Power actually has a few upgrades over the Ultimate. You can find Android phones with stated screen sizes from 4.6 up to 6-plus inches. No LG phones again!! These Nexus devices are always first ones to receive any major Android update. Huawei's EMUI, one of the most controversial Android overlays, is much better to use than with previous smartphones, and offers machine learning algorithms that should speed up your phone the more you use it. Even the price is competitive at £499. The Galaxy S8 tops the charts in terms of performance and display quality, and isn't far off in terms of battery life and camera. A2 is leading the road of next-generation smartphone devices. The Huawei P10 and P10 Plus are the latest flagship smartphones to appear from the Chinese manufacturer, with the P10 Plus being our favourite of the two. The SRT is definitely one of the Indian mobile brands that have designed, developed, and manufactured their phones in India and sold it to not just India, but also to those around the world. Most smartphones, even low cost options, are using closer to 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal memory. Though its software can be a little overwhelming, you can't argue that Samsung continues to pack in hundreds of features to a single phone, making sure there's something in here for everyone's needs. It sold lot of Mi3 devices in association with India's biggest e-retailer Flipkart and was the first one to start the online flash sale trend. In February 2015, it added Indonesia to the list, and also confirmed the launch of another three Android One smartphones Later in the same month, Google confirmed the Philippines would get its first Android One smartphones. It's bezel heavy design won't exactly dazzle, but this is a phone you can comfortably use one-handed, with a crisp, clear full HD display and stock Android 8 Oreo at your fingertips. Or connect your Android phone to a compatible vehicle, and use Android Auto right on your car display. Higher priced phones may also have extra features such as an HDMI port or GPS or fingerprint scanners. Alongside, while you may still be using a Full HD television at home, the screen resolution on top tier smartphones has been moved to 2K, and in some cases, even 4K. The camera quality has also improved massively, and is steadily progressing with each new smartphone. If you are looking to get yourself a new smartphone then this is one make in India mobiles you should not miss considering. With top quality specs, but low price tags you will see that our mobile phones are great bargains. The least surprising feature here is the excellent camera, which surpasses the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8. It's a 12-megapixel sensor, with OIS, which captures stunning snaps in any light. Samsung is one of the most popular smartphone brands in Pakistan. Each of the phones have different features, pro's and con's, that can be hard to evaluate fully. The list will be updated accordingly as new phones make their way in to the Android market so you can conveniently bookmark this page to always check back for update. Unlike the utilitarian minimalism of the Google Pixel, the Galaxy S8 is the flashiest, most head-turning phone you'll ever use. With Dual rear cameras, high-speed RAM, and adequate storage, this is one of those Indian mobile companies that have mastered the art of creating masterpieces. Read on for what to look for when buying, as well as our top picks for Android phones. Android phones have a notorious history of not being updated to the latest software if they are more than a year old. Except for expendable memory, this device, regarding its all other specifications, has everything that a high-end mobile phone can have. We've seen phones drop below the $100 mark, but you'll typically want to spend more for a higher quality device. Google's Pixel phones have been selling very well for a first iteration, to the point where Google has been unable to keep the devices in stock after underestimating demand. Most of the users are interested in Mobile Phones Prices in Pakistan, as they want to see which device fits their budget perfectly. Additionally, local networks selling the phones will offer special deals to lessen the cost of installing over-the-air updates and downloading apps from Google Play. Tecno Camon C9 is a successor to the popular Camon C8 , the device features major improvements on the camera and the overall specifications of its predecessor. Judging by public perception after the San Bernardino shooting investigation where Apple refused to create a backdoor for the FBI, as well as all of the above positives, you'd think the iPhone clearly outranks all Android devices in terms of security. The Samsung Galaxy S7 is a great phone, even at a year old. The Galaxy Note 8 retakes the throne as the ultimate Android phone for now, but some intense competition is just over the horizon. Many of our phones come loaded with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Pound for pound, the best Android devices always outstrip iPhones when it comes to raw specs and high-end capabilites; advanced camera optics, super-fast processors pushing the boundaries of performance, and massive crystal clear display panels (even those with bendy bits for that extra stylish touch).

[magzoso-tech]

New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/flipkart-big-shopping-days-mi-note-10-india-launch-teaser-whatsapp-updates-and-more-tech-news-this-week/

Flipkart Big Shopping Days, Mi Note 10 India Launch Teaser, WhatsApp Updates, and More Tech News This Week

Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales may have been the talk of the town in the US, but Flipkart didn’t want Indian consumers to miss out on some shopping fun. Hence, the e-retailer kicked off the latest iteration of its Big Shopping Days sale in India, just a day before Cyber Monday 2019 goes live on the other side of the world. Among other major developments this week, Xiaomi India started teasing the India launch of Mi Note 10 and WhatsApp released a new version of its iPhone app. Read on for more on these and other big happenings from the world of tech this week.

Flipkart is back with yet another edition of its Big Shopping Days sale. Probably the last Big Shopping Days sale of 2019, the latest round of Flipkart sale went live Saturday evening for Flipkart Plus members and Sunday for rest of the shoppers. According to the Walmart-owned e-retailer, the sale will continue through December 5. Flipkart is offering discounts, deals, and offers on pretty much all the categories, including mobile phones, tablets, mobile accessories, PCs, TVs, and more.

In terms of the phone offers, the Flipkart shoppers can expect to see discounted Realme 5, Realme X, Samsung Galaxy S9, Samsung Galaxy S9+, Google Pixel 3a, Apple iPhone 7, Asus ZenFone 5Z, Vivo Z1 Pro, Vivo S1, and more. All these phones and more have gotten price discounts and other offers as a part of the Flipkart Big Shopping Days 2019 sale. Flipkart has partnered with HDFC Bank to offer 10 percent instant discount on purchases made using the bank’s credit and debit cards, including EMI transactions.

In other categories, Flipkart is offering discounts on Mi TVs, Samsung TVs, Predator gaming laptops, ROG gaming laptops, boAt headphones, and JBL headphones. Apple Watch Series 3, cameras, and printers are also listed with offers and discounts. Flipkart is also set to host “Blockbuster Deals” and new offers at 12am, 8am, and 4pm during the Big Shopping Days sale. Similarly, there will be “Rush Hours” until 2am.

Realme 5s Review

Mi Note 10 India launch teased

Mi Note 10, which is the global version of Mi CC9 Pro, is coming to India soon, teased the company’s India chief Manu Kumar Jain this week. While Manu Jain didn’t say exactly when we can expect to see the phone in the country, it is likely to arrive next month as the last major smartphone launch from the company. Mi Note 10 was introduced in Spain last month, whereas the Mi CC9 Pro debuted in China one day before the Mi Note 10.

Although Mi Note 10’s European pricing suggests a pretty expensive smartphone, it is most likely going to retail around the Mi CC9 Pro China pricing. The Mi CC9 Pro has been priced at CNY 2,799 (roughly Rs. 28,000) for the base 6GB + 128GB variant in Xiaomi’s home market, whereas the higher end 8GB + 128GB variant will set buyers back by CNY 3,099 (roughly Rs. 31,000). The premium edition of the phone, which is known as Mi Note 10 Pro outside China and packs 8GB of RAM and 256GB of inbuilt storage, carries a price tag of CNY 3,499 (roughly Rs. 35,000). It is unclear if the premium edition will also make its way to India.

To recall, Mi Note 10 features a 6.47-inch curved full-HD+ (1080×2340 pixels) OLED display and is powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G SoC. There is up to 8GB of RAM onboard as well as 128GB of onboard storage. Other specifications of the phone include a penta cameta setup that houses a 108-megapixel main camera with f/1.69 aperture, a 20-megapixel wide-angle camera, a 12-megapixel telephoto camera, a 5-megapixel telephoto camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera.

Mi Note 10 also packs an in-display fingerprint sensor, 5,260mAh battery that supports 30W fast charging, and various connectivity options. Mi Note 10 Pro has almost the same specifications as Mi Note 10, however, it sports an 8P lens, while the Mi Note 10 sports a 7P lens in the main camera. Also, you get more onboard storage – 256GB.

Vivo U20 Review

WhatsApp for iPhone update, WhatsApp beta for Android

Facebook-owned WhatsApp released an update for its iPhone app this week that brought a couple of interesting new things. One of the changes is call waiting support. Yes, WhatsApp for iPhone will now inform you if someone else are trying to call you while you are on another call. This should help avoid missed calls. The other change is the tweaked chat screen that is designed to help you quickly scan chat massages. The new update carries the version number 2.19.120 and it also brings updated group privacy settings to anyone who was still missing them.

WhatsApp also released a new beta version for Android this week and while it didn’t have any user-facing changes, its code did reveal one under-development feature. WhatsApp seems to have restarted working on the Disappearing Messages feature. It is now called Delete Messages. It will work in both regular chats and groups, however in the case of latter, only group administrators will able to switch on the feature.

WhatsApp Disappearing Messages feature will allow users to delete any new messages after a certain period of time. This time can be chosen from 1-hour, 1-day, 1-week, 1-month, and 1-year. Once this option is selected any new messages sent in the regular chat or group will be deleted when their time is over. The Delete messages option will be available in Contact Info or Group Settings. The latest WhatsApp beta for Android was also seen carrying a dark mode version of Delete messages feature, suggesting the dark mode is well in development.

Vivo V17 launch, India release date, and Vivo Z5i makes its debut

Chinese smartphone maker Vivo earlier this week launched the new V17 in the Russian market. It is re-branded version of the Vivo S1 Pro that made its debut in Philippines last month. Vivo V17 is expected to be introduced in India on December 9 if an invite shared by the company recently is any indication. Vivo V17 India pricing remains a secret for now, however the price of V17 in Russia and Vivo S1 Pro’s Philippines price can give us some idea. The company retails V17 in Russia at RUB 22,990 (roughly Rs. 25,900), while the S1 Pro with same specifications carries a price tag of PHP 15,999 (roughly Rs. 22,500). So, we are expecting V17 to retail somewhere around Rs. 22-23,000 in India.

On the specifications front, Vivo V17 features a 6.38-inch full-HD+ (1080×2340 pixels) Super AMOLED display, in-display fingerprint scanner, octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC, and 8GB of RAM. The phone also packs a diamond-shaped quad rear camera setup that houses a 48-megapixel primary shooter, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. For selfies, the Vivo V17 smartphone houses a 32-megapixel selfie camera sensor. You will also get 4,500mAh battery and 128GB of onboard storage.

Vivo V17 wasn’t the only new smartphone from Vivo this week, the company also unveiled Vivo Z5i. The Vivo Z5i shares pretty much all of its specifications with Vivo U3 and Vivo U20, both of which are essentially the same phone with different names. The company’s strategy of launching the same devices with different names in different countries is just baffling. Vivo Z5i is now on sale in China and carries a price tag of CNY 1,798 (roughly Rs. 18,300) for the sole 8GB RAM + 128GB storage configuration.

Redmi Note 8 Cosmic Purple colour, Redmi Note 8 Pro Electric Blue colour launched in India

Apart from teasing the India launch of Mi Note 10, Xiaomi also introduced one new colour variant each for Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro in the country this week. Starting with Redmi Note 8 that received the new Cosmic Purple colour. The new colour variant was also put on sale for the first-time week alongside Moonlight White, Neptune Blue, and Space Black colours. Apart from the new paintjob, there is no difference between other colour variants of the phone and Cosmic Purple. To recall, Redmi Note 8 price starts at Rs. 9,999 for the 4GB + 64GB storage variant and goes up to Rs. 12,999 for the 6GB + 128GB model.

Redmi Note 8 Pro got the new Electric Blue colour option in the country. It joined the existing Gamma Green, Halo White, and Shadow Black colour options. As you can expect, there is no difference between the Electric Blue version and the existing colours options for the Redmi Note 8 Pro, apart from the fresh coat of paint. To recall, Redmi Note 8 Pro is priced at Rs. 14,999 for the base 6GB + 64GB variant in India, while the 6GB + 128GB model sets buyers back by Rs. 15,999. The top end 8GB + 128GB version can be purchased at Rs. 17,999.

Vivo U20 vs Redmi Note 8 Compared: Price, Performance, Cameras, and More

Honor V30, Honor V30 Pro launch, and other tech news

After weeks of teasers, Huawei’s sub-brand Honor unveiled the new Honor V30 and Honor V30 Pro smartphones in China. The two phones will be known as Honor View 30 and Honor View 30 Pro internationally. Honor V30 and its Pro variant share a lot of specifications and design. The two phones feature a 6.57-inch full-HD+ display, Kirin 990 SoC, up to 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage. Both the phones also pack a triple rear camera setup and dual selfie camera housed in a hole-punch.

Additionally, the Honor V30 packs a 4,200mAh battery, whereas the Honor V30 Pro comes equipped with a smaller 4,100mAh battery. Both phones support 40W fast charging, but the Honor V30 Pro also offers support for 27W wireless fast charging. Honor V30 and V30 Pro go on sale in China this month and will be released internationally in Q1 2020, however, the missing Google apps will certainly impact their sales outside China.

Jio Fiber has reportedly stopped onboarding new subscribers on the preview plan and is finally signing up customers on the paid plans. This development comes almost three months after the Internet Service Provider (ISP) had launched its services commercially. This also means that preview plan consumers can soon expect to see them migrated to the paid plans. To recall, Jio offers plans starting at Rs. 699 per month. Its top-end plan costs Rs. 8,499 and offers data speeds up to 1Gbps.

As the Jio Fiber subscribers start paying of their data, they will likely have to deal with FUP. To make sure, they have enough high-speed data, the ISP has quietly introduced a plan voucher at Rs. 199 (without taxes) that brings unlimited high-speed data for seven days. The subscribers who exhaust their high-speed data quota can opt for this voucher to regain the high-speed Internet. The plan voucher will be available via My Jio app and the company website.

Cyber Monday 2019: Which Wireless Earbuds Should You Buy?

Meanwhile, Tata Sky has said to have discontinued a number of its long duration channel packs. Right now, Tata Sky consumers can only opt for SD Kerala Super plan and Marathi SD Basic plan for six-month and 12-month durations, rest all of the channel packs will not be offered for long duration plans. The exact reasoning behind the move is unclear. Tata Sky has also withdrawn a promotional offer that provided free six-month subscription of the Tata Sky Binge service on getting a new HD set-top box at Rs. 4,999.

In other DTH news, Sun Direct has reduced the price of its set-top box models and their pricing now starts at Rs. 1,799. While the standard resolution Sun Direct SD+ set-top box is priced at Rs. 1,799, the customers can get the high-definition Sun Direct HD+ set-top-box at Rs. 1,999. Sun Direct set-top box models can be ordered from the company website or from offline retailers.

Xiaomi expanded its smart TV lineup in India this week with the launch of Mi TV 4X 55-inch 2020 Edition. It carries a price tag of Rs. 34,999 and will go on sale through Amazon, Mi.com, and Mi Home stores starting at 12pm (noon) on December 2. The Mi TV 4X 55-inch 2020 Edition runs Android 9 Pie with PatchWall 2.0 UI on top. It packs a 55-inch 4K HDR 10-bit display, a quad-core Amlogic Cortex-A53 CPU, 2GB of DDR RAM, and 8GB eMMC storage. Xiaomi has also provided two 10W built-in speakers with support for Dolby Audio.

In smart speaker news, Google has brought its Nest Mini to the Indian market. Launched earlier this week, this Google Assistant-powered smart speaker has been priced at Rs. 4,499 and is now on sale via Flipkart. Google Nest Mini smart speaker is a successor to the two-year-old Google Home Mini and promises better sound quality along with the familiar Google Assistant-powered experience.

Google Nest Mini in India: Everything You Need to Know

Lastly, Flipkart is all set to launch its Nokia-branded smart TV models next week in the country. The e-retailer is hosting a press event on December 5 where the new smart TV models will be showcased. Nothing is known about the upcoming TVs at this point, apart from the fact that they will use JBL sound technology. This will be second such launch of Flipkart, which had earlier said to have partnered with Motorola to launch Motorola-branded Android TVs in India.

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Adtwixt - News: Heavenly Mason Jar Dispenser

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Adtwixt - News source https://adtwixt.com/blogs/news/heavenly-mason-jar-dispenser

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Manila, 7 May 2019 – Thanks to a booming economy, the real estate sector of several progressive cities outside of the metro are on a roll, growing remarkably well over the last few years and expected to continue soaring to new heights in the next decade or so.

More and more property developers are answering the growing demand for residential and commercial properties in Cebu, Cavite, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, and Pampanga as their property landscapes evolve and are expected to be at the forefront of a property development boom in the country.

Mr. Charles Ong, Chief Operating Officer of Innoland Development Corporation

A pronounced surge in demand and supply

The growing interest from local and foreign investors, as bolstered by the national government’s robust infrastructure projects in these provincial cities, attracted a surge in interest among property buyers from here and abroad.

From 2017 to 2018, Pampanga registered a whopping 873-percent increase in leads on the Lamudi platform. During the same time frame, Cavite witnessed a 298-percent increase in leads, Davao raked in 69 percent, while Cebu and Iloilo also increased by 274 and 214 percent, respectively. Page views among properties in Bacolod likewise spiked by 38 percent.

These numbers go to show that these cities are currently enjoying a shining moment in their real estate sector. In conjunction with this impressive upward trend in demand, the property supply in these cities followed suit.

Based on Lamudi listings from 2017 to 2018, Davao enjoyed a 102-percent increase in listings while Pampanga saw a 202-percent spike. Likewise, Cavite’s listings spiked by 188 percent. Cebu-based listings increased by 27 percent while Iloilo grew by 29 percent. Bacolod, however, had more property searches than the available supply during the time period, where apartment and land searches were seven (7) percent and 12 percent higher than the supply, respectively. This could mean that there is a well of opportunity for property developers in the city to answer to the growing demand that is yet to be addressed.

Average prices and a notable increase in page visits

Page visits, which likewise signify interest among property buyers, in these provincial cities also increased. From 2017 to 2018, Pampanga, Cebu, and Bacolod grew by 65 percent, 23 percent, and 38 percent respectively.

Iloilo, on the other hand, rose by 22 percent from the first quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of 2019.

Davao, despite being one of the country’s most competitive cities and investment hubs, remains affordable for prospective investors and home seekers. The average price of a condo property in the city is Php4,622,195, where the average price per square meter is tagged at Php 100,377.

Meanwhile, Cavite’s residential sector also maintains its relative affordability, with an average price of Php 6,372,632 for houses. The average price per square meter is Php 50,576.

Bhavna Suresh, CEO of Lamudi, moderated the media roundtable discussion. The panelists of the media roundtable were Joey Bondoc, Senior Research Manager of Colliers International Philippines; Charles Ong, Chief Operating Officer of Innoland Development Corporation; Fernando Camus, Senior Consultant of Berthaphil, Inc.; Emmanuel Rapadas, Chief Financial Officer of Torre Lorenzo Development Corporation; and Richard Tay, Business Unit Head of the Commercial Business Group of Property Company of Friends, Inc.

Most Searched Areas

The most searched for areas in Davao that property seekers searched for are Buhangin and Sasa. These were followed by Barangay 19-B, Ma-A, Talomo, Barangay 20-B, Bucana, Barangay 34-D, Matina Crossing, and Matina Aplaya.  

In Cebu, the most searched for properties were those in Cebu City, followed by those in Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Talisay, Consolacion, Minglanilla, and Liloan.

Bacoor, Dasmariñas, Tagaytay, General Trias, and Imus were the most searched cities in Cavite.

On the other hand, the towns of Pavia, Jaro, Oton, Guimbal, and Mandurriao generated the most interest in Iloilo.

In Pampanga, Angeles, San Fernando, Mabalacat, Arayat, Mexico, Bacolor, and Magalang.

For Bacolod, the towns of Alijis, Estefania, Mansilingan, and Tangub drew in the most interest.

House and lots dominate property types

Majority of these property seekers are interested in house and lots, although there’s also a growing interest for residential condo units. The majority also prefer to buy these types of properties compared to those who want to rent them. In Iloilo, for instance, the page views for houses were close to 62 percent among property seekers, about 52 percent when it comes to sessions, and 59 percent for leads generated, based on Lamudi’s data. The same is true for Cavite, where about 64 percent of the leads came from house searches.

The preference for house and lots, as well as lands, in these provincial cities, show that the prices of these property types in Cavite, Pampanga, Cebu, Bohol, Davao, and Iloilo are still relatively more affordable compared to those in Metro Manila. Many of those who were also searching for properties in most of these progressive provincial cities are from Metro Manila, according to Lamudi data. In Pampanga, for instance, although the number one city that searched for a property there came from Angeles City, the next three came from Quezon City, Makati, and Manila, data from the property portal shows. Pampanga’s proximity to Metro Manila has attracted quite a number of property seekers from Quezon City, Makati, and Manila who are planning to relocate in the province, live a more relaxed lifestyle and escape from the urban chaos of the metropolis while also pursuing great careers with the growing number of companies opening their offices there.

With the property sector of these thriving provincial cities on the upswing, expect their economic landscape to evolve and benefit nearby towns and municipalities as well.

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EzyAgency Review Discount And Huge Bonus

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EzyAgency is an all-in-one Firm Option that builds Firm Site, Get Customers, Accept Orders & Provide Providers From A Single Dashboard In Couple Of Clicks.

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Just how to Establish Your Very Own Website Design Firm: Tips From the Pros (Component 1)

Do you want to be your very own employer? If you're working as a web designer, the prospect of going out by yourself and setting up your own company can appear alluring.

However it's not a basic task. You'll need to learn a whole brand-new set of abilities, from bookkeeping to advertising, as well as taking practical steps like identifying whether you have adequate loan to start and also survive until you're breaking even.

So for this tutorial I connected with some web design EzyAgency proprietors, as well as asked for their ideal item of guidance for individuals who wish to follow in their steps. Right here are a few of their pointers.

1. Readjust Your State of mind

Being your own employer is an enticing possibility, however remember that in charge's job isn't constantly simple.

If you work as a web developer within a business, you most likely invest the mass of your working day in fact doing website design. It's up to other people to win the customers, established the contracts, deal with the financial resources, established the business's approach as well as goals, and so on.

When you set up your own website design firm, all of those various other jobs fall on you. Even if you can manage to employ other people to care for some of them, you'll still need to handle those individuals.

The bottom line is that the core activity of developing fantastic internet sites is likely to end up being a smaller sized component of your day when you head out by yourself. As well as if your organisation ends up being large and effective, you may stop doing it completely, as well as become a full time manager. That might not be a bad point-- the task of an entrepreneur is rather exciting in itself. And also we'll cover things like the finances and also managerial side of running an organisation later in this tutorial. Yet it might take some obtaining made use of to, specifically if designing web sites is what you like doing.

One more adjustment you might require to make entails your sense of what sites are, or what they should be. I asked Francis Barbero, Handling Supervisor of Starfish Web Solutions in the Philippines, for his best piece of advice for individuals establishing a website design EzyAgency, and he composed:

" Beware of your very own deep-rooted assumption of what websites are. A website suggests various things to different people. For some individuals, it can be an affordable product, and for others it's a necessary company device. Offer thought to how your regular client, in the market you will have accessibility to, regards websites. Readjust your image, cost as well as solution as necessary." As an employee, this is possibly not something you have actually had to think about too much. You get a short, and you work with the customer to develop the site they want. However as a business owner, you'll require to bring in brand-new customers, which means talking in a language they understand, as well as structuring your solution using to satisfy that.

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Yet service does not tend to function like that. Business obtain an online reputation for doing a specific kind of work, and also your firm's portfolio will certainly reflect that. It's OK to have some variants, as well as various degrees of solution at various costs. However see to it that you analyze what kind of web site and service your normal client will certainly desire, and also placement on your own to meet those demands.

How Does EzyAgency Work?

Action 1: Choose a Name

Action 2: Select Firm Web Site Templates & Customize Site In Few Clicks.

Action 3: Get In Paypal or Stripe Details To Accept Payment.

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Not all SUVs are born equal—so to help you pick your ride wisely; we’re going to look at the top sports utility vehicle (SUV) models available in the Philippines. Regardless of the worsening traffic conditions on Metro Manila roads, having a SUV in the Philippines can be advantageous. These vehicles perform excellently in any condition and they are ready for any challenge on the road.

Top SUV Models In the Philippines Although they’re pricier than the more famous sedans and hatchbacks, the SUV is unparalleled in terms of performance, power, and comfort.

If you’re still in the market for a heightened ride, we’re here to give you some tips on how to pick the best SUV for you, what are the pros and cons of getting a unit from the said segment, and which among the SUVs in the Philippine market suit your needs best.

For our SUV picks, we chose units based on two factors: the most affordable ones and the most popular models in the Philippines.

Why should I buy an SUV? SUVs aren’t just for politicians anymore. In the most recent years, the market has been flooded with a good variety of units as well as newer, more customer-friendly subsegments such as subcompact SUVs and crossovers.

To help you decide if an SUV is the vehicle model for you, we’ve covered some of the most common reasons why people who picked SUV’s found them a good investment.

1. To have a ride that can withstand flooding In a country as flood prone as the Philippines, even light rains can cause water levels to riser and roads to become almost impassable. Your average family car or subcompact hatch may easily turn into a submarine during a flood, but not your trusted SUV.

To measure a vehicle’s flood-busting capabilities, you need to understand two factors that affect it: ground clearance, which is the distance between the base of the tire and the axle, and wading depth or the maximum water height a car can withstand with going inside sensitive components such as electronics, engine enclosure, and air intake.

On average, your typical sedan only has around 120 millimeters of ground clearance and its wading depth only a little over it due to its body style. Meanwhile, SUVs are specifically designed to have high ground clearance of at least 200 millimeters and a wading capacity of up to 800 millimeters due heightened suspension, large wheels, snorkel, and other features.

(Read: How To File An Insurance Claim When Your Car Gets Flooded) 2. Space is king If your job requires you to carry lots of items or equipment every day—in style, of course—then a sedan’s trunk or subcompact’s hatch is not enough for you. With an SUV, not only do you get bigger cargo space, but you can also configure your car’s space to suit your carrying needs.

For starters, SUVs have an average of 650 liters of boot space, which is more than enough for your needs. However, folding the rear bench will expand it further to more than twice its normal capacity. If length is all you need, then you can put down your truck’s rightmost seats (including the front passenger seat) for maximum carrying capacity.

Are you worried that your cargo may to heavy? Have faith in your car’s engine to do the heavy work. While some smaller SUVs have a minimum of 2.0-liter engine under their hood, more gigantic rides can have 6.2-liter V8 engines that can crank out at least 400 horsepower. That’s enough power to pull a mini dump truck with full load every day.

3. To own a people carrier City cars like sedan and subcompacts are good for, well, city driving. If you own one, you can ferry up to five people without a hitch. However, those who have bigger families may tend to look at the SUV as their top vehicle choice for people transport—and we have a few good reasons why.

For starters, your midsize SUV can comfortably carry up to seven people with the 2-3-2 seating configuration. For full-size versions, the third row can accommodate up to three passengers, raising the seating capacity to eight people. A family of five can be comfortable with a midsize one and even carry enough cargo with them on the go.

Even compact SUVs have been trying to carry as much people as possible, with some units’ high-end trims offering a third-row seat as part of their package. Although it’s not as comfortable as the bigger ones, it can come in handy if you have kids on board.

(Read: Vehicle Classifications Guide: Which Segment Does Your Car Really Fall Under?) 4. Comfort, safety, and freedom If features like performance or carrying capacity aren’t your priority, then there are other reasons why an SUV is a compelling drive for you.

For starters, SUVs offer higher ceilings and bigger legroom for their occupants, giving them a better onboard experience. If you have someone else driving and you want better seating amenities, you can convert middle seats into captain’s chairs for top-notch comfort—and leg rests. Who doesn’t want that?

For safety features, your typical SUV comes with all the features that can help your everyday driving secure: anti-lock braking system, airbags, and others. In addition, they also perform great during crash tests due to the distance between the impact and the front passengers being mitigated by the engine compartment. Other extra features that are offered to more top-spec brands include blind spot detectors, parking cameras, and other safety systems in place.

Finally, its ability to navigate any terrain offers the ultimate freedom wherever you go. Whether you want to do a weekend off-road challenge, or you just need to survive the hellish traffic in the country, the SUV is well-suited to do the task you need it to do.

The downsides of getting an SUV Like everything else, SUVs are not perfect. Although they come with great advantages, some of their downsides might turn off potential buyers, especially if the latter outweighs the former. Since making decisions require you to also see the cons, here are some of the disadvantages you need to consider before deciding on an SUV:

1. They are expensive Unlike smaller vehicles, you cannot own a brand-new mid-size SUV that is below the P1-million mark. For that amount, you can get compact variants and you can only snag one if you pay in cash.

2. They are heavy gas consumers What makes city cars great is their fuel efficiency even during ¬a standstill traffic. SUVs, since they have bigger engines, do not have this advantage. There’s a reason why the term “gas guzzlers” is still latching on to the variant even with better technologies.

(Read: Fuel-Saving Tips: How To Save Gas On Manual And Automatic Cars) 3. They cost more to insure Even when they depreciate, SUVs tend to have a higher fair market value than other vehicles. Vehicles with higher price tag have a heftier insurance premium. And for those who carry more than five people—the standard number of passengers covered by the auto personal accident coverage—you need to also pay for the rest of the passengers to make sure everyone is covered.

4. There are risks inherent in their design SUVs are pretty hard to maneuver. Couple that with a high center of gravity and trying to avoid crashing into something and you have the perfect recipe for a rollover. It may not be common but there’s a possibility it might happen to you.

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Vehicle Brand * on higher-end vehicle models What should I look for when buying an SUV? It’s easy to get swayed by sales talk if you don’t know what you want from a vehicle. To help you become more discerning with your search for your dream SUV, we’ve prepared some questions you should ask yourself and your salesman:

Size: Should I get a five-seater subcompact SUV? Compact? Midsize? Full-size? Seating: Do I need only five seats? Seven? Eight or nine? Maybe the captain’s chair? Cargo: Do I want a huge compartment size? Should the back seats fold to the floor? Am I fine with split design for the third-row seats? Drivetrain: Should I get a two-wheel drive? Four-wheel drive? Part time? Performance: Do I prefer fuel economy over power or the vice versa? Safety features: Am I fine with basic features? Or do I want top-tier safety protocols like forward collision warning, parking assist, and others? Other features: Do you want a more expensive trim with other features like sunroof, more stylish body kits, upgraded tires, more safety features? (Read: Secondhand Car Buying Guide: Tips To Find The Best Used Cars In The Philippines) Top SUVs by price 1. Mahindra Scorpio Floodbuster Price: P975,000

Mahindra Scorpio Floodbuster The Mahindra Scorpio may seem like a loving throwback to 90’s SUVs. However, don’t let its outdated aesthetic fool you. Its 2.5-liter turbodiesel engine is more than enough to take you where you need to go. This rugged ride has a ground clearance of 180 millimeter and can seat up to nine passengers.

2. Suzuki Jimny

Price: P975,000

Suzuki Jimny The Suzuki Jimny is well loved not only by the kids who grew up watching Shaider but it has a certain unbeatable charm that most modern SUVs cannot get correctly. Powered by a 1.5-liter K15B engine, this four-seater subcompact cutie can go through any punishing its driver wants.

3. MG ZS Price: P998,888

MG ZS MG’s subcompact SUV may not be as popular as other entries in the division but the SAIC-owned vehicle can go toe-to-toe with others. Underneath its hood is fuel-efficient 1.5-liter inline-four engine that is powerful enough to create a thrust of 114 horsepower and 150 Nm of torque.

4. Isuzu mu-X Price: P1.286 million

Isuzu mu-X Compared to its competitors in the midsize subsegment, the mu-X is the cheapest you can buy without compromising quality and style, it’s also great when you need to navigate a flooded area. The cheapest variant you can get is a no-frills version that is powered by a 2.5-liter 16-valve engine that has excellent durability and performance the brand is known for over the years.

5. Foton Toplander Price: P1.388 million

Foton Toplander What can the Toplander’s 2.8-liter turbocharged Cummins ISF engine can do? Not only that it can push out 161 horsepower from its core but it can also be a great hauler thanks to its three-ton towing capacity. Although it is basic, the Toplander can is a cheap alternative to more famous midsize SUVs.

(Read: Switching Your Car Insurance Provider: 4 Important Questions To Ask) Top SUVs by popularity 1. Mitsubishi Montero Sport Price: Starts at P1.499 million

Mitsubishi Montero Sport Despite being marred by controversy of the past few years, the Montero Sport still sells like hotcakes and is touted as one of the best SUVs in its segment. The third-generation version of the model has a more aggressive styling with its “Dynamic Shield” grille, with its chrome-coated details giving its sportier look over others. Other features included are blind spot warning system, hill start assist and descent control, eight airbags, and forward collision mitigation for top-spec models.

2. Nissan Terra Price: Starts at P1.504 million

Nissan Terra Although it is new to the party, the Terra doesn’t pull its punches in terms of features. This Nissan SUV borrows the same wide profile the Patrol and Navara are known for. Underneath its hood is a 2.5-liter engine that can propel your vehicle with 190 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque. Although the basic model only comes in manual transmission, more expensive trims come in automatic transmission with manual mode.

3. Ford Everest Price: Starts at P1.521 million

Ford Everest You might peg the Everest as a nice family SUV given its durability and prevalence in the city. However, you can still slug it out against the horrendous traffic and it can carry you easily through sudden rainy day floods. The base version is equipped with a 2.2-liter inline-four engine that can produce up to 160 horsepower. If you’re not satisfied with the Ambiente 2.2L 4×2 MT, you can get the top-spec line for P2.288 million.

4. Toyota Fortuner Price: Starts at P1.597 million

Toyota Fortuner The Fortuner has always been one of Toyota’s top-selling units ever since it came out—and for good reason. This all-around midsize SUV is everything you can ask for: a robust 2.4 or 2.8-liter engine, a powerful dashboard, comfortable interiors, and Toyota’s unmistakable styling. There’s a reason why the Fortuner still remains as king even when its prices go up.

5. Chevrolet Trailblazer Price: Starts at P1.618 million

Chevrolet Trailblazer Unlike other SUVs within its category, the Trailblazer tries to get away from the whole “macho” image of bigger rides. Its more angular lines provide a sleeker contour, yet it has a commanding presence thanks to its 253-millimeter ground clearance. You can choose between the 2.5 and 2.8-liter variant and the latter comes in four trims.