Money talks: With prices of goods rising, how can we be wiser in handling money?

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Prices of goods are continuously rising and many of us may have no idea where this trend will lead us. Experts expect that inflation is going to be worse in the coming months. Stocks and even cryptocurrencies seem to be unpredictable.

Add to that, the growing financial obligations of OFWs with regards to paying OWWA memberships, Pag-ibig, SSS, insurance and the PhilHealth contribution among others.

With all of these things in the horizon, I believe we need to revisit our behavior towards handling money – regardless of how much we earn monthly.

Money Talks UAE is back

Next month, the proponents of financial advocacy within the Filipino community in the UAE will be back to encourage us once again to be mindful about these money matters, and to be resourceful about our investment plans.

Money Talks UAE (MTUA) is 2-day event happening on July 16 and 17.

Here are the topics, schedule and venue:

Day 1 MTUAE Conference – July 16

These talks are happening at Emirates Aviation in Garhoud, Deira, Dubai:

  • “BUILDING YOUR FUTURE” – Learn best practices in building your financial future
    by Randell Tiongson
  • “BEYOND 2022” – Philippine Investment Growth Prospects
    by Rex Mendoza
  • “THE 7pm to 1am PRINCIPLE” – how to build your business while employed as the same time
    by Carlo Ople

Event starts at 1pm and ends 5pm.

Day 2 Side Events – July 17

These side events will be done at Hyatt Place, Murraqqabat, Deira, Dubai:

  • Strategic investing and portfolio management by Rex Mendoza (9:30am to 12:00nn)
  • Growing your money the non-traditional way by Carlo Ople (2:00pm to 4:30pm)

How to register?

Simply follow this Eventbrite link to register.

How much is the learning fee?

  • Full 2-day fee – AED600
    Early bird rate – AED349
  • MTUAE Conference Day 1 – AED300
    Early bird rate – AED179
  • Day 2 side events – AED 300 (or AED150 each)
    Early bird rate AED199

Early bird rates are available until June 16 only.

“Para sa kinabukasan”

Randell Tiongson always emphasizes that money is behavioral. How you manage your money, no matter how big or small you have, defines your future and your financial freedom. It is indeed not about how much you earn, it’s about how much you save (or invest). He’s been in and out of UAE for countless times already and he never fails to share principles and relatable nuggets of wisdom in becoming better steward of money.

In addition to the financial experts from the Philippines. Dubai-based investors and business gurus Ben Lebig, Rolly Brucales and Dr. Marjy Jane Alvero, will also grace the event at resource panelists.

This event is also a good opportunity to meet & connect with like-minded people when it comes to money. As they say, your future is defined by the people you meet, the books you read, and, let me add… the seminars you attend.

You can start by joining and following Money Talks UAE group on Facebook for more updates.

Indoor running events in Dubai to keep you active

This summer, when the temperature rises up to 49 degrees celsius, many outdoor sports go indoors. Running, though, don’t just settle for an indoor gym or stadium. In the UAE, they run inside the malls.

Here are some running events happening around malls in Dubai for the whole summer of 2022:

DXB Snow Run

  • When: June 11

Registration is AED169 (+ extra fees) for all distances

  • 3km
  • 5km

More info

Mall Run 1 (TBA)

  • When: June 25

Registration is AED50 for all distance

  • 2.5km
  • 5km

More info

Mall Run 2 – Ibn Battuta Mall

  • When: July 2

Registration is AED50 for all distance

  • 2.5km
  • 5km

More info

Mall Run 3 – Nakheel Mall

  • When: July 16

Registration is AED50 for all distance

  • 2.5km
  • 5km

More info

Mall Run 4 – Bluewaters

  • When: July 23

Registration is AED50 for all distance

  • 2.5km
  • 5km

More info

Mall Run 5 – Dubai Mall

  • When: July 30

Registration is AED50 for all distance

  • 2.5km
  • 5km

More info

Participants for the Mall Runs 1-5 will get a running bib, a finisher medal, and a limited edition t-shirt. Timings and certificates are also included.

All runs start at 8AM

Ajman City Centre Run 2022

  • When: June 19
  • Distances: 8 km and 4 km
  • Registration: AED65-89
  • More info

Al Zahia Run 2022

  • When: July 17
  • Distances: 8km and 4 km for adults; 800 meters for juniors
  • Registration: AED65-89
  • More info

Wafi City Summer Run Series 1

Families, novice and advanced runners are welcome to join the run to be held at the ground level of the Wafi Mall. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners across all categories.

  • When: June 26

Registration fee per distance:

  • 5km – AED119
  • 3km – AED95
  • 800meters – AED65

More info

RX Coffee City Centre Mirdif Summer Run

Families, novice and advanced runners are welcome to join the run to be held at the ground level of the City Centre Mirdif. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners across all categories

  • When: July 9

Registration fee per distance:

  • 5km – AED119
  • 3km – AED95
  • 800meters – AED65

More info

Wafi City Summer Run Series 2

Families, novice and advanced runners are welcome to join the run to be held at the ground level of the Wafi Mall. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners across all categories.

  • When: July 23

Registration fee per distance:

  • 5km – AED119
  • 3km – AED95
  • 800meters – AED65

More info

📷 Unsplash

NBA legend Robert Horry in Abu Dhabi for Jr. NBA

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7-time NBA champion and Lakers legend, Robert Horry, talks to us about the game, the evolution of the NBA, and the basketball landscape in the UAE. He also shared some valuable advice for youngsters who are dreaming of making it big in basketball.

Watch the short conversation here:

Read also: Atlanta Hawks to play Milwaukee Bucks in first ever NBA game in the Middle East

Ikea UAE to offer “Filipino food” for 3 days only

Ikea announced on their social media and on their website they are launching Filipino-themed dining experience with selected “favorite authentic” dishes from May 24 to 26 only.

The dishes to be featured will be:

Chicken Menudo

Chicken is not the usual meat Filipinos use in Menudo, so this is very intriguing.

Bistek Tagalog

When you say bistek, it’s often combined with rice. Having fries with it does make it less of a Bistek Tagalog.

Filipino-style Chicken Barbecue

This should come with that street barbecue dip sauce to make it ‘Filipino-style’

Beef Pares

Leche Flan

Thee arnibal looks good

Buko Pandan

The glassy coconut meat in the picture is tempting.

This is NOT the first time that Ikea UAE served Filipino dishes. For years now, we’ve been enjoying Arroz Caldo on their breakfast menu.

It’s interesting to find out if these dishes go well with fries and not the usual Filipino “signature” jasmine RICE. Let’s see how it goes.

Images are from this Ikea UAE Instagram post:

Would you try these offerings?

What can other countries learn from the people culture in Dubai?

Here are 8 of many typical practices of people – residents and expats – living and working in Dubai:

1. Clean as you go (CLAYGO) mentality

It’s not a policy but many diners especially in food courts take out their leftover trays and put the trash in the bin by themselves.

It’s just beautiful to see people taking initiatives even as small as this. The cleaners appreciate that.

2. Self-bagging in groceries and other self-services

When I first saw it, I asked why are the shoppers doing the bagging?

Apparently, it is a practice here – Shoppers don’t wait for baggers to pack their groceries.

3. Self-control in spreading rumors

No one dares to be “Marites” (gossiper) in Dubai.

Spreading rumors is punishable by law in the UAE. It could land you in jail in addition to paying hefty fines.

4. Following the rules – the ‘expat mentality’

Why is it that if you’re an expat, you tend to follow the rules in your host country?

Obedience to authority does wonders – no ifs, no buts – no complaining at all.

It’s peaceful.

5. Giving tips to blue-collar workers

I often see people in cars handing money to street cleaners. Many others randomly give huge tips to other blue-collar workers.

Small acts of kindness such as these could go a long way.

6. Giving free water to delivery drivers

Many Dubai residents are extremely compassionate.

Every summer, people give away water for delivery drivers to be refreshed from the scorching heat. Some even offer small bites.

7. No English no problem! “why like this?”

There are no grammar nazis in Dubai. People have a high tolerance for improper grammar recognizing that English is not the majority’s main language.

No one laughs even if you speak “barok.” People focus on your message, not your language semantics.

8. Leaving bags & phones on food court tables to reserve space

Since pickpocketing and other petty crimes are not prevalent in the city, the majority in Dubai are comfortable in trusting people’s honesty.

It’s a long shot for it to happen in PH.

I’m sure there’s a lot more. Followers on Facebook added more to the list. Check below:

UAE-based Zallers men’s clothing doing things creatively positive

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I discovered a new men’s clothing line online that does not only focus on selling apparel but also on giving extra value to customers through their creative content. They do so by sharing words of encouragement that promote good vibes on their website, on social media, and even on the product accessories themselves.

Zallers.com, born in the UAE, is an online store offering an elegant collection of casual men’s apparel like t-shirts, chinos, Bermuda shorts, and some cool accessories. While you can see their product categories by type, colour or size, you can also browse by mood – chillout, energetic, creative, and all day.

What Zallers sell

Today, the products offered on the website are:

  • T-shirts
  • Chinos
  • Bermuda shorts
  • Belts
  • Lanyards
  • Socks

The products were carefully curated. Zallers puts a premium on quality and fitting. Being a t-shirt designer myself, I know one quality shirt when I see one.

Value on the small details

I ordered some items last week and I love what I got.

These value even in littlest details tells so much how detail-focused this brand is.

Repurposing the packaging

Most packaging from any items we order often ends up in the trash. With Zallers committed to bringing a positive impact to the planet, they provide customers with reusable canisters, so you don’t have to throw them away after opening.

This was how I received my order – they’re inside a cloth drawstring bag (photo below). According to the website, 95% of their packaging is reusable. It reduces the amount of packaging that ends in the garbage.

Let’s play TAG

Even these tags have a purpose. They tell customers to collect them instead of throwing them away. Essentially, encouraging customers to give their packaging a second life.

Tribe mentality

They call their customers their tribe. And with that mentality, they share content that are either helpful or simply something to make one smile. They share ideas, habits, and bits and pieces of their journey on how they’re doing business – many of which also from the people who inspires them to make it happen.

As the website says, their target audience is broad and much more about mood and way of living. Zallers targets men in the 20s to 40s age group who are looking for high-quality everyday apparel.

I belong to the tribe. The simple designs match my style and it looks classy when I wear them (Okay my wife says 🥲).

“For the bottoms, both chinos and Bermudas are great comfort and quality and for the t-shirts, we have 3 types (to help you to choose), the cotton plus ones are more tick but are our premium T-shirts made 100% organic cotton. The cool & comfort ones are slightly more light, made of 100% organic cotton too, and are amazingly soft. The lightweight is very light made with cotton/elastane/polyester, has more body shape style, and is perfect for hot days.”

zallers.com
I love the light grey shirt and dark blue chino for my typical outdoor stroll.

Spotify playlist

All businesses are already on social media for sure, but how many brands have we seen have Spotify playlists? There are a few, but Zallers, so far is the first online store I know.

Do check out their playlist here – created just as how they categorize their apparel.

Visit zallers.com to browse through their collection – ideal for you or as a gift. Also, learn more about their amazing story of how they were born in the UAE.

Atlanta Hawks to play Milwaukee Bucks twice in first ever NBA Games in Abu Dhabi

For the first time ever, the NBA announced in an email broadcast, that they are bringing the games to the UAE. In a rematch of the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, the Atlanta Hawks host the Milwaukee Bucks at the Etihad Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi on October 6 and 8, 2022.

Tickets and other info are yet to be revealed, but you can pre-register your interest on this link.

Fellow basketball fans will get a chance to see NBA superstars in action up close in these couple of pre-season matches. Atlanta will be led by All-star Trae Young, along with Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and John Collins among others. Milwaukee, who is currently playing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, will be bannered by MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kris Middleton, Serge Ibaka and Jrue Holiday.

Only vaccination certificates from these countries are accepted when traveling to the Philippines

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As the new One Health Pass registration comes into effect starting May 3, 2022, here’s a list of countries whose vaccination cards and certificates are recognized and accepted by IATF:

  1. Albania
  2. Argentina
  3. Armenia
  4. Australia
  5. Austria
  6. Azerbaijan
  7. Bahrain
  8. Bangladesh
  9. Belgium
  10. Brazil
  11. British Virgin Island
  12. Brunei Darussalam
  13. Bulgaria
  14. Cambodia
  15. Canada
  16. Chile
  17. Colombia
  18. Croatia
  19. Cyprus
  20. Czech Republic
  21. Denmark
  22. Ecuador
  23. Egypt
  24. Estonia
  25. France
  26. Georgia
  27. Germany
  28. Greece
  29. Hong Kong SAR
  30. India
  31. Indonesia
  32. Iraq
  33. Ireland
  34. Iran
  35. Israel
  36. Italy
  37. Japan
  38. Kazakhstan
  39. Kuwait
  40. Macau SAR
  41. Malaysia
  42. Maldives
  43. Malta
  44. Mexico
  45. Monaco
  46. Myanmar
  47. Nepal
  48. Netherlands
  49. New Zealand
  50. Oman
  51. Palau
  52. Panama
  53. Papua New Guinea
  54. Peru
  55. Portugal
  56. Qatar
  57. Republic of Korea
  58. Romania
  59. Samoa
  60. Singapore
  61. Slovakia
  62. Slovenia
  63. Spain
  64. Sri Lanka
  65. Switzerland
  66. Syria
  67. Taiwan
  68. Thailand
  69. Timor Leste
  70. Tunisia
  71. Turkey
  72. United Arab Emirates
  73. United Kingdom
  74. United States of America 
  75. Uruguay
  76. Vietnam

The list above is updated as of 4th May 2022. Please always check with OHP Portal for more updates. You may also follow BOQ on Twitter for updates on accepted foreign vaccination certificates:

Photo from pexels for reference only.

How to register for One Health Pass when traveling to the Philippines

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The Philippines’ Bureau of Quarantine advises travelers to register for One Health Pass (OHP) to avoid “hassle-free” arrival processing in the Philippines.

Starting May 3, 2022, there’s yet another way to obtain One Health Pass in order to travel back home.

Registration is 100% FREE. 👍 

If this new process is implemented in an orderly manner and the procedure of obtaining a pass is efficient, I think this is a good protocol – just like how any other country does as well. But right now, with loads of form fields required to fill up, documents to upload, and a lot of texts to read through, the website is frustrating to use, and not very mobile-friendly at all. 👎

One good thing we could appreciate is that we are heading in the direction of becoming paperless. 👍 

So here’s how to get a One Health Pass today. This will be the new process of OHP registration for arriving passengers in the Philippines beginning May 3, 2022.

24 hours before your flight

If you successfully registered, you will see a bar code after you submit your details.

These are the 2-part long forms you need to fill up:

One Health Pass Philippines OFT travelling
Part 1 of the LONG FORM
One Health Pass Philippines OFT travelling
One Health Pass Philippines OFT travelling

12 hours before your flight

  • Answer your health declaration checklist. (Ex: Have you been sick in the last XX days?)
    • I assume that you need to visit the website again to complete the checklist.

4 hours before your flight

  • Within 4 hours down to 1 hour prior to departure time, check if you receive a QR code that qualifies your for the “express lane.” You have to complete the registration at onehealthpass.com.ph/e-HDC to qualify for the express lane.

Upon flight check-in

  • Show your One Health Pass registration to the airline staff at the check-in counter. Please note that a QR code is not mandatory. It is only used to qualify passengers for express lane service.

Here’s the official announcement via Twitter:

What can you say about this new ‘requirement’?

Reference: One Health Pass official website

Filipino food with a twist featured in Mangrove popup

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Remember Mangrove Cafe at PH Pavilion at Expo? They’re having a pop-up at Razon’s of Guagua in Karama – from May 1 to 4 only.

We had food tasting of the dishes in the set and here’s what I honestly thought.

Appetizers:

  • Kinilaw 7/10
  • Okoy 6/10
  • Lumpiang Sariwa 8/10

Mains:

  • Pancit Canton 10/10
  • Kare-kare 9/10
  • Pinangat na Isda (Sea bream) 10/10

Dessert:

  • Suman Malagkit 9/10
  • Turon 6/10

Drinks:

  • Cervesito 10/10

Kinilaw – 7/10

I don’t eat this usually (because I’m not a fan of any Kinilaw) but their kingfish marinated in coconut vinegar and kalamansi (Philippine lemon) tastes good. May sipa.

Chef Andrew Paderes described it as the “Filipino ceviche.”

Okoy (they call it “Ukoy”) – 6/10

The rating is because maybe I’m used to Okoy with shrimps. What they have is veggie fritters. The taste is good. And for a long time it is on the table, it stayed crispy (unlike typical fries). The vinegar dip is 11/10 to my liking.

Lumpiang Sariwa 8/10

This is good. Hindi tinipid ang crepe wrap and malasa yung sautéed veggie fillings. The peanut sauce is good too.

Pancit Canton 10/10

I’m surprised it doesn’t taste like our traditional canton. It taste like wok-fried indeed and the secret “Fil-Asian” sauce make it unique. I like how the beans and bokchoy blend well.

Kare-kare 8/10

If it’s beef tripe, I would have rated it 10/10. I love the tasty flavor, but I’m just not used to the oxtail texture. The veggies are crunchy and not overcooked.

Pinangat na Isda 10/10

This is the star of the set for us. I didn’t expected much since I’m not a fan of pangat. But the sea bream is so fresh and the soup has a flavor of pangat and sinigang in between. Not sure if I’m doing justice with how I describe it, but it’s a must-try.

Suman Malagkit 9/10

The latik in the sauce makes it different from Thailand’s mango sticky rice. I like the level of sweetness in it. The rice was just “very fine” for me that I cannot give it a perfect rating. I would prefer it if the texture is just like Biko. Other than that minimal thing, this one’s a winner.

Turon 6/10

The twist in the sauce and all that was good. It’s just the banana. Plantain banana here is not as sweet and tasty as those we have in the Philippines. Saka ang benchmark ko sa turon is yung right 25 pesos sa SM.

Cervesito 9/10

Calamansi soda with San Miguel Non-alcoholic Beer. Astig ng flavor. Perfect match for kinilaw. Konti na lang perfect punch na sya.

At AED210 for 2-3 pax, for 8 dishes, not really bad. It’s just like spending a minimum of AED70 per person.