H A P P i M E S S

Lazada's Shop Til You Blog: My First Invitation Event

Parenting 9:50:00 PM

A few weeks ago I was given the privilege to meet Mico and Aya of Lazada Philippines, and they introduced me to their affiliate program for bloggers. So, before heading to the topic I'd like to make one thing clear: Yes, I am promoting Lazada but No, that is not the sole purpose of my post.

I am writing this because I had an experience, and it's a FIRST and I want to share it with you. Sir Mico and Ma'am Aya invited me to Lazada's invitational event for lifestyle bloggers; Shop Til You Blog. It took place yesterday at the newest building in Ayala Ave, Discovery Primea Hotel. It was so fancy!

The Event's Venue

When I entered the building, I knew what I was in for: an exclusive invitational event for pros. Yikes. I was aware enough that the invited bloggers would be professionals and I'm pretty sure I was the only one who walked in through the entrance of the building, everyone else seemed to have come from the parking lot. Bip-bip. But that's okay, because my job makes me sit in front of the laptop for hours, so walking = exercise = awesome!

Discovery Primea Hotel is no average building, it emits "class" combined with practicality. So it's not all glass and marbles, it's also simple and efficient. I am talking about the interior, in case I got you thinking. Sorry about that, moving on... Here's what our event's room looked like. Lazada is definitely not holding out on its bloggers on this one.

Fashion Blogger Kryz Uy's Advice

Part of the event was a talk given out by Kryz Uy, a well-known fashion blogger. She shared about her roots in blogging and tips on how to present your posts, photos (especially on Instagram) and even how to deal with haters. It was refreshing to find that Kryz Uy was not snooty or mataray like I was led to believe about fashionistas. Sorry, I don't know the right word to describe fashion bloggers, um... fashionable people? You get the point.

Kryz shared tips that applied to all kinds of bloggers and although most of what she said I already knew, she was kind enough to emphasize that No One can be You better. It is something that I learned first and foremost from Ma'am Ginger Arboleda from Manila Workshops.

Florian Holm's Marketing Tips for Bloggers

Lazada's Marketing Chief, Sir Florian Holm reminded me of Neville Longbottom (the hot version). I apologize if my references are starting to become too...awkward. Moving on, Florian helped the bloggers understand the "cash flow" of the affiliate program and gave us tips on how to improve our commission.

He gave a more comprehensive look at how Lazada's affiliate program can help the blogging community and vice versa. It was refreshing to hear that their program is not focused on "earning" and "advertisement" but building relations and Improvement.

This is a big PLUS for me, because if I am going to make a habit of accepting offers I prefer those that are wholesome, has a deeper, well-meaning purpose and not money-focused.

Inanc Balci CEO of Lazada

It turned out to be an important event, since the co-founder and CEO of Lazada Inanc Balci was there himself, and shared their vision and goals for Lazada.

I apologize again to the readers, Lazada and Sir Inanc (if he ever stumbles on this) but I thought he was cute. Not cute in a sense that I'm attracted to him, but cute in a sense that I feel he's as intricate as he is short and that he has a dynamite personality when it comes to business, and his eyes says "assertive". Inanc Balci has the same aura as some of the people I know and it's the good kind. It was comfortable to hear him speak and maybe that made me trust what he said.

My Experience

Aside from the delicious food, (yeah, well, give me a fruit tart and some tiramisu and I'm yours) Lazada was kind enough to hold some games for the attendees, raffles and giveaways. There was a digital Bring-Me, Best Instagram Post and Tweet challenge as well. Oh, here's a view of what I ate. I'm sorry I'm a sucker for good food. Don't judge me, I like eating. That fruit tart nearly highlighted my day.

There was a lot of games with enticing prices like Polaroid glasses, headphones and Timex watches. To be honest, i could not remember the names of all the sponsors, but I do have a favorite, Proppy socks :D I like colorful things, if it's not obvious enough. Anyway, I can't describe the whole event because a lot happened so here are some photos instead.

There was also a mini-game courtesy of Polaroid glasses where you shoot hoops through these colorful bottles. It's very attractive and it's the only booth that allows people to interact with the product. They encouraged me to try a few shades on but, I was too shy... plus I have glasses on so. It's not gonna work haha!

How I Managed

I honestly did not know what to do and who to talk to. At first, I was intimidated because most of the crowd were fashion bloggers and there were already groups in the event. It seems that almost everybody knows everybody already and that made me feel like a tadpole in a koi fish pond.

Luckily I was able to befriend someone and an experienced blogger, Ma'am Corrine of Single Mom Super Mom. I had read some of her posts before and it was exciting that I got to meet the person behind those articles. She made the whole event feel more natural for me. I want to just say Thank you tita Coreen! I appreciate everything! I'm sorry I never got a photo with you, but I hope we can meet again someday.

I realize now that I am still naive and new to the industry. Putting myself out there is really helping me understand that I am now part of a verrrrryyy big community that relies a lot on social media. I am both excited and afraid, and for the first time I think it's an appropriate reaction.

I really should brush up on my social skills, because I couldn't find much in common with most of the bloggers at the event. I'm sure there's something to talk about, I just need to practice on how to be more approachable and how to approach others. Noted!

What I Got from the Event

I will make this brief because my post has run on for too long, you've probably skipped half of it if not scrolled through to the end. Here are the benefits I sowed from Lazada's #ShopTilYouBlog event. #LazadaPH

Freebies! I am not cheap, I'm real. I like freebies and so do you.
A new acquaintance; Tita Corrine.
A new method of earning: Lazada's Affiliate Program.
Intro to the world of blogging (the community).
Realizations: I look like I don't comb my hair but that's okay because Content is More Important (sabi po ni Ma'am Kryz eh)

Shopping with Lazada

What Sir Inanc shared with us was sensible and true: Lazada offers convenient online shopping that allows buyers to trust them in their own terms. It's the first online shopping site that provides Cash on Delivery payment. The only services I know that does that is Pizza delivery, and I personally feel that it's the kind of convenience that work-at-home parents like me can definitely take advantage of. When I first heard of Lazada, the immediate comparison that came to mind was Amazon except this one is local and I can be sure my products are legitimate.

Lazada's Affiliate Program (In a Nutshell)

So basically, if you're an affiliate blogger of Lazada, you will earn through incentives for every successful transaction, provided that the buyer visited Lazada through your blog or website. For example, if you click this link of mine and then buys something from Lazada and pays for it, I get to earn between 5% and 10% depending on the product you purchase.
(sige na pindutin mo na yung link *wink* *wink*)

Lazada will know that the buyer was directed to their site from yours via personalized links. The percentages of commissions vary depending on the kind of product the buyer purchases from Lazada, courtesy of your blog.

So the more buyers you direct to Lazada, the more you earn. So, let's say bloggers are, in a way,the sales people except there's no need for showcasing and over-advertisement. Lazada will simply borrow a small space from your blog and in exchange, you earn when someone visits through it. Simple enough, right?

How to Become and Affiliate

If you are interested, you can apply for Lazada's Affiliate Program through this link. Or if you like clicking photos, here's one below :) Click away!

If you do prefer to talk about it first, or would like to know more about, send me a message and I'll be happy to help. Here are my contact details. Sorry about that, I like hyperlinks :)

Wrapping it Up!

So that's about it. I practically wrote a short novel and I'm sorry you had to go through that, but I didn't want to leave anything out. This post ate up half my day already and I wasn't even able to show all my photos.

But, you know...if I gave out any more information you'd condemn me na and I don't want to bore anyone. I hope you find this post useful, especially for first-time bloggers like me and... that's about it. I'm out of words. Cheers!

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June ART WORKSHOPS for You and Your Kids!

Parenting 1:59:00 AM

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How to Make Toddler-Safe Cloud Dough for Sensory Play

Kids Activities 4:00:00 AM

I mentioned in some earlier posts that toddlers like sensory play. Here's one of the few activities I found online that my son and I tried together: Cloud Dough. I think it's supposed to be faux-sand or something, when you can't get a sandbox for your kid or feel that soil would be too dirty of an alternative. Here's what ours look like:

Here are the ingredient that you will need to make cloud dough:

8 cups of Flour
1 cup of Vegetable Oil
Non-Toxic Tempera Powder (alternative: food color powder)
A potato masher or your muscular hands

You'll notice that the recipe is "toddler-safe". You see, cloud dough can be made using baby oil, and since most kids who enjoy this are actually below three years of age, the better alternative is vegetable oil or any edible oil. Having said that, here's how you make cloud dough, with the help of pictures and not very helpful instructions:

STEP 1 : Please combine the flour and vegetable oil in a bowl or whatever container you'll be storing your cloud dough in.

STEP 2 : Add the tempera powder or powdered food color. In our case, due to laziness and lack of money, we had to settle with liquid food color. Your cloud dough won't look so vibrant with just food color. Believe me, I almost emptied the tiny food color bottles and all I end up with is freckled cloud dough. It still looks nice though, kinda pretty actually; minimalistic and fluffy-looking.

Step 3 : Mash, mash, mash and Stir, stir, stir until your flour becomes as crumbly as Polvoron and evenly colored.

See what I meant when you use liquid food color instead of powder. The food color simply won't mix since there's oil in the recipe. The oil in the flour will just resist the liquid food color's advantages. I tried finding a solution for it by adding vinegar, like what we did for the Rainbow Colored Rice, but it still didn't work out well.Here's what another batch, using mostly liquid blue food color, looked like:

Since this post is rebellious, again, to the original toddler-safe cloud dough recipe I found, here's a direct link to it. You'll see what I mean by how vibrant the cloud dough's colors should look like. Going back to our own version of it, here's what Miggy did with his cloud dough. I threw in some tools meant for sand-play but my toddler thought cars are infinitely better to use for any kind of play.

Apparently, cars can act like dump trucks to carry colored rice and swim like fishes in the water. I am honestly mesmerized by my two-year old's imaginations when it comes to his cars' adventures.

I hope you try this, because it's really fun. We even made sand castles and it tempted me to make a giant cloud-dough box but... you know, I'm not that filthy rich and it's flour we're talking about. Think of how many pancakes we can make out of a kilogram alone, we'd never go hungry!

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Why You Should Join a MANILA WORKSHOPS Event

Parenting 6:56:00 AM

Let's all first admit that at some point we've experienced at least one boring talk or seminar about a topic that should have been educational. Some of us might have even come home disappointed for dishing out on a workshop that taught way-too-basic things that you already know. But enough of all those bad experiences, let's talk about workshops that are fun!

Enter Manila Workshops: Turning Your Entrepreneurial Dreams into Reality!

Facebook: Manila Workshops Twitter: @manilaworkshops Instagram: manilaworkshops

Yes, I have attended some of their workshops and yes I do intend on experiencing more of what they have to offer. I don't deny that I advertise their workshops on my blog but I also don't deny that I feel that you'll miss out on a wonderful experience for not trying out at least one Manila Workshops event. Want me to convince you further? Here are the reasons why you should join a Manila Workshops event!

IT LURES OUT YOUR CREATIVITY
....even when you think there's none! I am an artist and so you must think I'm just saying this to entice you but from my workshop experience Manila Workshops' events do provide a lot of space for creativity. You don't need to be an artist to get creative and most of the workshops are for non-artistic types who want to venture and tap into their wild side! ..or, well, their creative side. Take for example their Water Color Calligraphy, Doodle Art and Make Your Own Totes workshops. Was majority of the attendees artists? Not even close!

A VARIETY OF WORKSHOPS FOR ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE
It doesn't matter if you're a working mom, a student or an aspiring entrepreneur. Manila Workshops cater to the interests of everyone. You can find all kinds of events from like:

Parenting Guides
Children's Safety Seminars
Financial Management
Ya-Ya or Maid Training Workshops
Start-Up Business Guides
Virtual Assistant Know-Hows
Creative and Artistic Classes

They have almost every kind of workshop and all of them are REALLY useful. You can improve existing skills, lure out non-existent ones, boost your business, correct your parenting methods and enhance your career.

IT ALLOWS YOU TO PARTICIPATE
Most workshops involve a speak and rows of listeners. In Manila Workshops, I didn't experience that. What I experienced and felt was that there was a Sharer and different Participants. It didn't feel the same way when you're in college and it's required that you sit through a seminar on Copyright Issues. There is actual interaction between the speakers and the attendees at Manila Workshops events. There are relevant activities that will help you understand the topic better, which leads to the next reason why joining a Manila Workshops event should be on your list.

IT'S INTERACTIVE AND FUN
My last Manila Workshops experience was just this March; I attended a Road to Retail workshop series on Let's Create Your Own Product. You can read about my experience here. What makes Manila Workshops' events so memorable for me is the fun activities and how it makes you feel so involved. At the Road to Retail workshop we had several group activities that required some craft-work and brainstorming. Scissors and glue were provided as well as tons of magazines to look lovingly at, cut into pieces and stick on a cartolina to make an awesome mood board. How many workshops can you count that let you run scissor blades over Daniel Padill--i mean, some crappy perfume ads.

THE SPEAKERS ARE DOWN TO EARTH
I've listened to 5 speakers covering topics from Making Work-at-Home Easier and How to Manage Your Finances to Legalizing Your Business the Easy Way. Each of the speaker I've listened to had their own warm aura about them. I'm not a very sociable person and I tend to back off and shrink away from the crowd especially when the person in front of me is intimidating. I didn't feel that way with the speakers. If anything, I felt that they were trying to help. Really help. They're don't just give off an aura of warmth and openness, they actually talk to you, come up to you and ask what you're tackling on the subject and how they can help.

I experienced much of that in the Road to Retail workshop. Ma'am Bam Besa approached me, looked me in the eye and asked what I needed help with. That small question, a tiny detail, makes you feel important enough and that's something not all workshops can offer: a sense of being acknowledged. That the speaker is not just talking to rows and rows of chairs with people who happen to be sitting on it, but talking to a variety of individuals who sat on chairs.

ASSISTANCE AFTER THE WORKSHOP
Most of the time, once the workshop is done I'd get an email containing copies of the handouts or reference the speaker used during the event. With Manila Workshops, I get added into a support group so that I can keep in touch with the speakers and they can guide me through my entrepreneurial plans. In addition to that I can also ask for advice or feedback from fellow attendees regarding my progress, it's highly rewarding. Speaking of rewards...

THEY HAVE GAMES and RAFFLE GIVEAWAYS!
Yeah..I'm a sucker for surprises and raffles and giveaways and such, but wouldn't you feel happy and excited too if your workshop took a few minutes off to announce they're giving away 25,000 php worth of Life Insurance!?! I mean... who does that??? Sorry if I am too excited to write well or make sense right now, please let me fix myself. . . ehem. I can state that a workshop by Manila Workshops is Never Boring.

THEY HAVE THE PERFECT VENUES
When I attended the Road to Retail workshop the venue was at Fort Legend Tower and the room was big enough for a dozen attendees but small enough for us to work closer and hear our speakers well. It's also comfy and the tables are big enough for a comfortable and yet interactive work space. At the WAHM expo the rooms were like classrooms, since the talks were for 2 hours only each. I felt like I was really in a classroom and absorbing knowledge from professionals.

QUALITY PRICING
I can't say it's affordable because I have little experience on how much each kind of workshop should cost. I would say that the cost of one workshop is reasonable because first of all: LUNCH INCLUDED, secondly, HAND-OUTS and WORK MATERIALS PROVIDED and last of all FREE SNACKS and COFFEE when you feel like it. In addition to that they offer guidance even after the workshop is over. The value of the workshop is way more than its fee, especially that it gives you an opportunity to meet new friends and business partners.

A CHANCE TO MEET A FRIEND or TWO
I've only attended two events by Manila Workshops and have not made any lasting friendships, but in those two events I was able to talk with other people. I managed to socialize with people who are far from my cup of tea and actually enjoyed the conversation. Manila Workshop events also gave me a chance to break out of my shy/introverted self to try and connect. I genuinely felt that I could belong in the business/entrepreneur world after meeting different types of people. It also inspired me.

IT WILL INSPIRE YOU
I don't know how to explain how Manila Workshops inspired me to do more and be more. Maybe it's how the speakers talked, how they shared their stories of misfortune and trials followed by the rewarding feelings of inner success. Maybe it's the fellow attendees I befriended that emitted this fiery desire for greatness. The gleam in their eyes and how they talk about their dream jobs, businesses, their kids... Maybe it's me relating to these very different people, and catching the virus of I CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING. I somehow start seeing new opportunities to improve myself knowing that there are others like me who have made it out and pulled through.

I'm not sure what you are looking for in a workshop. Me, I want quality for what I pay for and that keeps me from getting JUST cheap things. I never felt regret or "Kakulangan" from attending a Manila Workshops event, if anything I felt somewhat "bitin" because it made me want to learn more. I believe that an event that allows and encourages you to want to be more is something worth experiencing and coming back to. So visit their page, browse through their workshops and choose one that best fits your life goals, help yourself through it: IT'S GOOD FOR THE SOUL :)

Facebook: Manila Workshops Twitter: @manilaworkshops Instagram: manilaworkshops