Finding the Right Family Car for You

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Recently we just purchased a vehicle for our family of 8. Well, actually it’s my sister who has a major contribution to it, but she also wants our whole family to fit in it making it our family car. The first vehicle that comes to our mind that will fit everyone is a van. The problem is that my sister didn’t want a van. She wanted something stylish or something that has a wow factor in it. So before I divulge the vehicle that she purchased, allow me to share with you the steps we did before she did the purchase:

1.  Know your budget. We were very firm about the budget we have so whenever we talk to a car salesman, we tell them upfront the budget that we have and what cars are available that would fit 8 people. 
2.  Reading the vehicles’ flyers/brochures that include information of the vehicle’s safety features, number of seats, and more. Of course, going to each car shops is exhausting. So to save time, gather each of the brand’s brochures usually found in the malls and when we got home, that’s when we did our reading and canvassing. 
3. When we finally narrowed down some vehicles that we like and fits our budget, that’s when we went to its designated shop and try out the vehicle itself. We made sure the whole family gets to sit inside the vehicle, try out the seat belts, ask if they’re comfortable especially the kids (5 and 9 years old), and such. We asked the salesman what happens to the vehicle if we suddenly had a collision and he did answer them in detail including the air bag features, which was a plus for us.  

So that’s a summary of what we did before purchasing a car. In the end, it all boils down to what vehicle is good for the family which my sister also liked so we chose the Chevrolet Trailblazer. Are you thinking of purchasing your own family car? You may start by visiting www.cars.com where you can canvass and compare cars. 

Using Hyperlocal Search Engine to Advertise Your Business

Using Hyperlocal advertising is the new way to find (and keep) your best customers. Hyperlocal is a local community oriented strategy that focuses on educating consumers in the immediate vicinity about particular products and services. It is a time-tested way to engage and grow your business. In online advertising, new terms to describe old ideas come along all the time. Such is the case with "hyperlocal advertising"—advertising to a defined local geographic area, usually a small area such as a region, city, neighborhood, zip code or even a block. The truth is, hyperlocal advertising has been around since humans started doing business, but the term became all the rage nowadays. Small businesses can reap huge benefits from hyperlocal advertising because they do not have to run national ad campaigns to get customer attention. In today's digital world, search is king. If a local company is targeting a local market but doesn't have tremendous name recognition, being found by search engines is paramount.

Lookna is a fraud-free hyperlocal search engine for local businesses. Lookna makes it easier for local companies to be found by search engines. Lookna has a map feature that enables you to drag the map marker to correctly pin your location, thus allowing possible clients to know where your physical location is. For example, if you own a bakery with a Lookna profile in Mesquite Texas, and someone is looking for a Mesquite bakery, chances are your bakery will be listed in the “local pack”—a grouping of similar businesses—and/or on Lookna Maps. That being said, if your company doesn't have a website, it's time to get one. Your website should be optimized for mobile and keywords (both broad and location-based) that would help customers find you during a search. Be certain to include your company’s name, location and phone number on your website. Lookna has a Searcher account-used by anyone who is looking for a specific service or product offered by the advertisers. 

A Searcher account is created thru search page or searcher sign up page. Once the searcher starts communicating with the advertisers, the phone number he used will be saved in the database and will be used as his auto-created login info. Hyperlocal advertising is exactly what it sounds like—marketing in your local geographic area to a narrow set of consumers. That could mean anyone within a 5-mile radius of your brick and mortar or women ages 15-28 working in a certain zip code in your town. It basically allows you to hone your message to a set of individuals with a very specific set of attributes in common. 

Pretty great, right? No more wasting time or money appealing to a market that truly isn’t in your wheelhouse. When advertising your business in a hyperlocal realm, using old school mediums such as newspaper ads, local radio spots, or billboards come into play. Since you have the freedom to delegate where and when your ads will run you have more control over who is exposed to them and a better shot at reaching your particular market of interest.

I Use Dove To Treat My Vaginal Itching

For the past few months, I have experienced external vaginal itching meaning the external area/skin around my vagina, not on the inside. I tried self-medicating because I experienced the same symptoms back in college and it disappeared on its own just by using Lactacyd. But this time, Lactacyd doesn't seem to work for me. I tried skin ointments such as clotrimazole and applied it especially on the groin area that started itching, too, thinking that it's a bacterial infection. Sometimes it stops, but it just keeps coming back. The itching did not go away and I was really tempted to wash it twice every hour just to relieve the itch, but I noticed I made it worse. 

I tried using Betadine Feminine wash and Gyne Pro, but I noticed they were too harsh for everyday use plus I noticed that my vaginal area is becoming dryer than it used to be. I tried PH Care (original scent) because I remember its commercial that it maintains the PH balance of our genital area, and it did disappear for a while. When I used up my PH Care bottle, my sister told me that she remembers her friend having a check up with an OB Gyne and told her that using Dove soap (the regular one, not the scented ones) is safe to use as a feminine wash and I should try it.  So I bought a small soap (worth P25) in the store and tried it. And lo and behold! The itching disappeared instantly and as of today, it hasn't come back. As of today, I use Dove as my feminine wash and it doesn't give me any itch or any kind of irritation. 

I remember that Dove keeps reiterating in their commercials that it contains 1/4 moisturizing cream so what it does is it continually moisturizes and cleans my genital area whenever I use it. So I guess the problem was moisturization and Dove replenishes that moisture. So now, I use Dove soap all around my body because, at my age of 36, my skin needs all the moisturization it needs. 

Please take note that this is not a sponsored post. I am simply sharing what worked for me and, of course, checking up with your Gynecologist is still the best way to go if the itching does not disappear.

Missing My Fluffy Friend

 The One Who Left Without Me Saying Goodbye

Nothing could be more painful than losing someone you love. Two years ago, we lost our beloved pet dog named Mimi. We loved her and took care of her for more than 5 years. We all consider her as part of the family. Whenever she gets sick, we drive her to the vet right away and made sure she had her vitamins and followed a certain diet. Then just like that, she was gone due to a car accident. It was really heartbreaking. Some of us were crying for weeks and just couldn't eat. It was just like losing a family member. 

My son and Mimi slept in the same bed.

We had her years before my son was born.

Now how did I overcome this? Frankly speaking, I did nothing, but time helped tremendously in easing the pain, just one day at a time. They say "Time heals all wounds" and I agree to that, but they forgot to say that even if the wound is healed, it still leaves a mark.  When I remember what happened, it doesn't hurt as much, but the burden of losing her is still there. I guess there is no way of erasing it because I love her so much that I don't want to forget her. I just keep her in my heart and learn to move on with my life, and continue loving the people I have with me now. 

I had my own share of regrets and one of them is not being with Mimi very much.  I also wished that I took a lot of pictures of us together. It was the time when smart phones were still quite expensive so I just used our old digital cameras when I have them with me. 

 They say adversities in life make you strong and lessons are learned. Well, I don't know about the first part because I didn't feel strong, but the latter is true. The experience indeed taught me something very important - LOVE YOUR LOVED ONES AS IF IT WERE THEIR LAST. If only I knew it was Mimi's last day, I could have walked her to the park or I could have stayed with her all day. But I guess that's what God wants us to learn and that is nothing in this world is permanent and we should love ourselves and everyone around us as if it were our last day on this Earth. 

If I were to have a good camera smart phone by that time, I would definitely choose the OPPO F1s #SelfieExpert so we could have wonderful shots together using its 16MP rear camera regardless of the time of day thanks to its easy-to-use features that make life simpler for amateur photographers like me.   Now that Mimi is gone, only her few pictures remain and an Oppo F1s could have given me beautiful memories of my fluffy friend. 

But with picture or not, Mimi will always remain in my heart and I will always cherish my memory of her. 

Foodstagram Tips

I have always been amazed by appetizing food pictures in social media accounts especially in Instagram. It’s commonly called “foodstagram.”  I think the rise of food Instagramming is awesome! It’s created an all-inclusive community focused on healthy living and it has made knowledge about healthy eating increasingly accessible. I am currently an amateur in food photography so I  am currently doing research on how to make great shots using a smartphone to improve my skills. 

Among all the tips I have read, here are some simple things to remember in doing foodstagram using a smartphone: 

1. Turn off the flash. Use natural light. If you would notice, beautiful food pictures do not use flash in their pictures. So whenever possible, find good light or use natural light for your photos. Unfortunately, turning off the flash decreases your light source, which complicates things. Try getting up close and personal to your kitchen window, or the window of a restaurant. If that isn’t an option, make use of any candlelight or lamp lighting available in the room. Ambient lighting will create a much better effect on your picture than a harsh flash will. 

2. Think about your subject. A lot of the time, the angle you are shooting from depends on the food you are shooting. Logic. Needless to say, there’s no point taking a side on view of your pizza. I generally find an aerial view shot is best when using a smartphone camera

3. Use the rule of 3’s.. I just read it somewhere that there’s a rule of 3’s where usually an odd number of items work best in photography. 3 muffins, 3 plates, etc. 

4. Lock your focus or make sure your hands don’t shake. You can also use mini tripods to prevent the camera from moving. You can also use the 2-second timer in your camera which surprisingly gives clear shots. 

5. Of course, invest on a great smartphone that offers wonderful camera features namely the OPPO smartphones.  They’re powered with huge RAM and offers cameras with high megapixels. You can never go wrong with this brand. 

I'm a simple person. I simply base the quality of the phone's camera by its output or its pictures. And after seeing some awesome foodstagram pictures, I personally select OPPO F3Plus #SelfieExpert as the best smartphone for foodies in taking great photos with their yummy meals as proven by current OPPO F3Plus users with their lovely food pictures below: 

So that's it! I hope you enjoyed my simple tips!

Head of the family: Not Just a Provider But a Father

Imagine working in a world where time seems to just past by and where almost everything changes instantly. Think of having to keep up with an environment where it costs a lot to stop or even slow down for a while. Sound taxing, right? What more of prioritizing the welfare of everybody in the household on top of it all. 

But every head of the family doesn’t mind about it. Fathers are said to be the pillars of our homes. They toil sun up to sun down to give our needs and desires.

Some of them go abroad with tears in their eyes because they will be physically separated from their families. However, there is a certain joy in their hearts knowing that they will be able to provide for their loved ones back home.

To honor these gallant paternal men and let them feel how extraordinary they are and important their sacrifices are for their families, Father’s Day has been a yearly universal event. As we mark again this special occasion on Sunday, June 18, 2017, our applause and recognition will never be enough to show them how grateful we are to have them in our lives. 

Our dads, together with our moms, take good care of us the moment we’re born. They are the ones who provide everything we need for our everyday lives. From infancy up to adulthood, they feed and clothe us. 

As we take our initial baby steps, our patriarchs guide and lead us in the right direction. When we stumble and fall, they assist us to rise and move on. In times of danger or any threat, they shield us from any harm.

All of these, they do out of unconditional love. Their selflessness, though, has its own toll. Working tirelessly could lead to high levels of stress constantly and problems not only mentally, but physically, too. So better watch out for the signs. 

Has tatay been constantly complaining about losing strands and strands of his hair every day? Or maybe has he been searching for a way on how to get them to grow back?

According to the hair loss statistics conducted by Statistic Brain in the year 2016, 40 percent of men experience noticeable mane vanishing as early as age 35. And as per the American Hair Loss Association, there are a couple of different factors that cause excessive hair fall, one being extreme degree of stress.

Nutramedica Inc. introduced a revolutionary product that aims to address this problem: NOVUHAIR, nature’s answer to hair loss. Being the only topical scalp lotion in the country that is made from 19 natural herbs, essential oils and co-factor nutrients all working synergistically, it’s perfect for all the heads of the family out there, be they biological or not.

NOVUHAIR is proven effective and safe to help prevent and stop the progression of hair loss and, at the same time, help promote locks’ growth. Simply spray a liberal amount of NOVUHAIR topical scalp lotion onto the scalp and massage for 5-10 minutes. Voila, it penetrates deeply into the roots, which helps rejuvenate, nourish and maintain the natural moisture of the hair. 

Still have no idea on what to give him on his big day? Well, NOVUHAIR might not be the most expensive gift to impress him, but the most valuable present he could ever have. This nature’s answer to hair loss provides him the chance to be ahead already in preventing his “crowning glory” from receding in the near future. 

So, head on to all leading stores nationwide and get a dose of this breakthrough product. NOVUHAIR is also available in shampoo and conditioner formats to further complement the benefits of NOVUHAIR topical scalp lotion. NOVUHAIR is available at Mercury Drug and other leading drugstores nationwide. You may also order NOVUHAIR online at www.lazada.com.ph. For inquiries, you may call 413-6570 or 0922-8830575, and visit www.novuhair.com.

Welcome to the Light gliders Gaming App One-year Membership Worldwide Giveaway!

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Start Date: June 17        End Date: July 7

Get your own free one-year membership for a whole year of fun and learning! You can also read a review about the game on Pink Heart String. Join the giveaway below: a Rafflecopter giveaway