I am not a registered voter.

But I do care about our country’s future.

I appreciate those people who give extra effort to educate people online: photos and videos left and right, infomercials, researches, charts, bio, statistics, name it. Everything is available online.

But come to think of it, the “able” public, or those people who have internet access, are not the voting majority. Truth is, these people’s efforts are most likely to go to waste.

Majority of the voters are the “masa”. Remember, Erap won last 1998 because of his so called “masa”. There are more competitive candidates than him, but still, he won.

Talk about the much sensationalized candidate for this senatorial race, Nancy Binay. We, netizens, all know her background. That she is, and will never be, fit to be a senator this coming term. But I wouldn’t be surprised if she’ll lead the pack. “Masa” would opt for her because they always hear her name. Maybe some would kill for her because she gave out bigas and canned goods during campaign. Or Maybe she danced Psy’s Gentleman to entertain them. 

Gaaaaaaah, can we like, help these people? #conyoproblems

But seriously, if we really want the ‘right’ people in our government, we should move our asses and communicate with these people. Inform them. Educate them. Too much of social media stuff, we’re bombarded online. Let the bombardment out of the cyber world.

**click photos for reference

31 Crazy Before And After Photos Of Korean Plastic Surgery

Why You Don’t Need To Date In Your Twenties

For some reason it seems that too many people in this age group are looking for the “one.” Your twenties should be focused on personal growth and development and finding your career niche. How can you be looking for a stable relationship when your relationship with yourself at this time is so chaotic?

I understand the need for comfort and intimacy, but isn’t it a little bit more convenient to just have a few sidepieces? Do you really need to commit every spare moment you have to another person?

Your 20s are your time to experiment. How can you do whatever you want if you constantly need to be accountable to someone else? One of my best friends in college told me something that will resonate with me for the rest of my life, “Being single is great, you just do what you want to do, like whatever the f*ck you want to do, whenever the f*ck you want to do it.” How fun does that sound? You know what doesn’t sound fun to me: “Hi boyfriend, I was just wondering what you think about me going to Mexico with a few of the girls?” Do you think that’s a conversation that’s going to go well? No, I think not.

Being in a relationship limits the opportunities that are available to you at this age. You will never be younger than you are today! You have the rest of your life to be tied down.

Let’s be real for a second. Does dating even exist in your 20s? It seems that everyone is too busy hooking up with the first person they can get their hands on. Rates of binge drinking are among the highest in the age group 18-25, so it should come as no surprise how sexually active these people are.

If you really think about it, how does a person know what they want to do for the rest of their life at this age, let alone whom they want to spend it with? Your 20s should be about YOU; what you like and what you do not. How are you supposed to figure out your identity if a partner is influencing your judgment?

This is your time to be selfish.

Unless you take the time to really get to know someone and realize what qualities you desire in a partner, you will end up in an unhappy relationship. What’s the point of dating at this age if you don’t see a future with this person? We’re getting to that age where we can’t waste our time in meaningless relationships like we did in high school. That was the time for mistakes, not now. Don’t waste the best years of your life on someone who isn’t the best person for you.

Post-college is an awkward transition period that the majority of 20-something year olds have difficulty navigating. We are trying to establish ourselves in careers and in life. Many people are constantly moving to cities in rotational programs or just because new opportunities arise. There is too much uncertainty surrounding us at this time to be locked down in a serious relationship.

You can’t compromise your goals or values because you are scared to be alone. It shocks me how many people remain in bad relationships in order to prevent loneliness. This is inherently problematic; isn’t it more lonely to be with someone you don’t like? In the long run you are only hurting yourself and preventing yourself from achieving future happiness.

You will never be more invincible and capable than you are at this present moment. This is a time for freedom and discovery. Throughout life you will constantly be growing; the person you are at 25 is not the person you will be at 35, so why commit yourself to someone this early in life?

**original post, here.

Photo Diary: San Francisco

Get Your Money’s Worth When Shopping Online

As a budding entrepreneur, Kim Lato definitely had her work cut out for her. Her goal was to offer brand new, guaranteed original gadgets at unbeatable prices across the country. To do that, she had to make it available on a wider scale, something which a physical store would not be able to offer.

She decided to take her business online – a risky move given the inherent apprehension Filipinos had with online transactions.

“Back in 2006, I joined and used Multiply to start my business because it was the fastest growing networking site. It served as my online catalog. It was a good way to introduce my brand, to advertise my products on a larger scale,” Lato shares.

Today, Lato is recognized as one of the most reliable resellers on Multiply.com—which has since evolved to become an e-commerce platform serving both merchants as well as consumers; and Kimstore holds the honor of being one of the best performing online gadget resellers on the site.

Credibility and reputation is very important for the nature of her business—particularly when transactions are conducted over the Internet. For this reason, Lato emphasizes the need for customers to be very careful when choosing whom to make purchases from and for merchants to make sure they provide impeccable customer service.

It’s as simple as ensuring that you make purchases from trusted online sellers. Reviews and referrals are useful, but make sure you dig a little deeper into the credibility of each.

“What’s good with Multiply is that it protects the interest of both the buyers and the sellers. When making a purchase, buyers should always look out for the Trusted Seller badge—this guarantees that you are buying from a reputable seller,” she adds.

Over the years, KimStore experienced a shift in terms of consumer behavior. More and more buyers are using the payment gateways provided by Multiply versus the usual Cash On Delivery (COD) or actual meet ups.

In addition, since it shifted from a social networking site to an e-commerce site, Multiply has upped its efforts to empower merchants to provide only quality products for their customers while ensuring convenience and ease. 

Lato says to check for selling sites that are able to provide customers with access to numerous legitimate payment options—this ensures that they have reputable partners that will safeguard online transactions. Multiply, for instance, provides merchants access to credit card facilities, G Cash or Smart Money services, Paypal and various other reputable payment options.

“Between the technology and their vision to empower buyers and sellers, it really is the best, simplest and most trusted way to make sure that you get your money’s worth,” she ends—take it from the award-winning proprietor of Kimstore herself.

Kim Lato was invited to be a panel speaker in the recently concluded Digital Commerce Summit 2013, organized by the Digital Commerce Association of the Philippines to talk about hitting it in big in E-Commerce. At the age of 24, Kim has received a notable number of recognitions: Go Negosyo YoungSTARpreneur Awardee 2011, awarded most successful online seller by GoNegosyo and Multiply, deemed as the number 1 Online Gadget Store in Multiply and consistent in the top 3 most visited sites in Multiply.

The Lumineers - Ho Hey

Cabalda kids’ theme song for last night’s spontaneous night out.

From lying down the sofa, next thing we know, the four of us are on our way to Katipunan to have our fave milkshakes!