BARGAIN HUNTING PLACES IN DAVAO

BARGAIN HUNTING PLACES IN DAVAO

Bargain hunting can be an exciting activity here in Davao. You will see in every corner in downtown Davao,a lot of baratillo stores which you will find cheap blouses and other apparels that’ll surely fit in with your budget.


1. DCLA in Uyanguren, Davao City.
When it comes to cheap items, wholesale and retail, DCLA is the first to pop out. This store resembles like that in Divisoria, and is located at the Chinatown of Davao City, - Uyanguren Street. Actually, the little town itself has an array of cheap stores in almost all corners. This store offers dresses and outfits for men, women and children and you may have it in a discounted price, provided that you give them good offers. Other items include bags, wallets, kitchen stuffs among others, just name it, and they have it.

2. Lachmi Mall in San Pedro Street
If DCLA in Uyanguren is not something that is part in your itinerary, another store in Davao – Lachmi Mall is offering the same stuffs and almost same prices in DCLA and more accessible and nearer because it is just within downtown area and near the City Hall of Davao.

3. Felcris in Illustre Street
This store is easy to locate because it is just in close proximity with Gaisano South Citimall and near Davao Doctors Hospital. It is also close to other food establishments and schools like Davao Doctors College. It is one of the oldest stores in Davao City. Outside the store is a array of fresh fruits and vegetables. These vendors usually sell these foods late afternoon. Inside the mini-mall is their grocery department and upstairs are their apparels section. You can find cheap clothings there, some at Php99.00 each.

4. Novo at IllustreStreet
Just in front of Felcris is another baratillo establishment. Their clothes range from Php150.00 to Php200.00. Their maong starts at Php300.00. Other stuffs you can buy here are shoes which start at Php150.00, kitchen utensils, frames, even center tables, chairs and many more all at a cheaper price.

5. Victoria Plaza at Bajada
This mall is one of the oldest malls in Davao City. In its second floor are baratillo stalls of cheap, new and fashionable apparels, shoes and bags for all ages, and you can still bargain with their prices.

6. Unitop at San Pedro Street (City Hall Drive)
Looking for cheap gadgets? Unitop at San Pedro Street is one place you would want to visit. They have cheap apparels, gadgets, appliances and other stuff all under one store.

7. Love Bargain Bazaar in San Pedro Street (City Hall Drive)
Adjacent to Unitop is another appliance center that offers cheap appliances and gadgets.

8. Gaisano South Citimall in Illustre Street
Used to be called JS Gaisano, this mall in Davao City is one of the oldest mall in the city. On its 5th floor are some baratillo stalls and an array of appliance and furniture sale.

Looking for baratillo stores doesn’t have to really search for it. Well, it’s just a matter of budgeting and sorting out what’s needed and what you just want.

Requirements to start a family

REQUIREMENTS IN STARTING A FAMILY

Starting a family is really never that easy. It’s as if you’re starting to take your first steps. It definitely feels different when you are just one of the children and being the parent. It entails bigger responsibilities, and you are not only accountable to one person, you take hold of the welfare of your off springs as well. 

These days, there are only few people who take pregnancy as something that is planned. Most pregnancies are unplanned making couples forced to make a living even at a young age. This instances increase the country’s percentage in terms of poverty.

So, how do you start a family?

1.      Plan Early.

You should have thought of settling down way way before. You should have known that settling down is not something you just can get into and when things go on your way, you’ll quit. Settling down is a lifetime commitment. You should have prepared yourself with the hurdles you have to go through, including the finances: First, do you have the budget for your wedding? Weddings usually cost a hundred thousand or more. Second, do you already have a house to call your own? Or will you be renting? Third, is your salary enough to compensate your daily needs and other expenses? If you’ll be expecting a baby, are you prepared enough for both the needs of the mother and child? Let’s have some computation:

Wedding                                                                     100,000

After the wedding:

House (monthly amortization)                                       5,000

Groceries per week (good for 3-5 persons)                    4,000

Transportation                                                              1,000

                                                                                     10,000

The computation is for basic needs only.  A minimum wage earner in provincial areas is

Php8,006.25. If you are earning within the minimum range, and you know within yourself that this money is not even enough for your own expenses, then think twice. Have some savings first before engaging into something you would be struggling to provide.

2.      Are you emotionally ready?

Are you prepared for unwanted circumstances that might happen within your marriage and you being a parent? Will you be able to stay true to your wife/husband for the rest of your life? Are you ready for the responsibility of rearing up your kids?

Try to delve within yourself on how do you respond to your everyday crises? Parenting as well as marriage has its everyday ups and downs, how you respond to these situations may evaluate how well you are ready for this new chapter in your life.

Is your individual emotional health in bearing with your partner? Marriage and parenting does not task only one party. You and your partner work hand in hand. If these situations doesn’t patch up early in your marriage, try to work it out first before you plan to have children.

If you are having thoughts, or if you’re other half is still in doubt, well then, perhaps you might want to talk it over again. As said earlier, once you get into this stage in your life, you’ll have to cling on this for the rest of your life. At times, you will be selfless taking the welfare of your own children/partner first before yours. 

The family is one unified clan, and it needs not adventurers who would eventually take its sanctity for granted. Plan ahead and be ready because starting a family is definitely one stressful and rewarding chapter in our lives.

Alternative jobs for nursing graduates

ALTERNATIVE JOBS FOR NURSES

The Nursing Industry in the Philippines is declining, not because it has shortages but because there is an overproduction of Registered Nurses. Let’s date back when this college course was very rampant. Most of my co-graduates and my other friends were taking up nursing. Why? Because some thought it was the best way to land a job in the US, some were forced by their parents, some were forced by their peers and some were undecided what to take and just took it because it was the latest.

Actually, I was one of those who took this course because it was the “craze” during my time. That was my reason, I want to wear the white uniform but I dislike hospital ambience. For me, it was sort of a status to wear the white nursing uniform. I didn’t think of what was going to happen after graduation, because I was having a good time anyway while I was studying. Not to boast, but I did have pretty good grades while studying Nursing, considering it wasn’t the course I liked.After graduation, I took the licensure exams and passed it. It was happy moment though, but it was also the time I realize that I am a Nurse and I can’t turn my back against it. I will be heading my future with this career. So like any other newly licensed nurses, we underwent training (and we paid for our training!). After the training, I am home bound again. I and my friends who were as well unemployed nurses sought for jobs at different hospitals, but all our applications were turned down. Why? Because even the hospitals require experiences! How are we supposed to gain experience when we weren’t given the chance to work in the first place?

What I went through after passing the board exams are probably the same scenarios with other Nurses. With the US government closing its doors for Philippine Nurses, and Middle East Nursing Job hiring gets stricter and stricter, it is indeed dreadful that after four years of studying the course, a year of review with the hurdles of running after your C.I’s for the requirements and finally getting your license, you are bounded home – unemployed.

Do not be discouraged with what is happening, because I tell you, you are not alone.. There are other nurses as well who are unemployed and been seeking jobs for years. However, do not close your doors to other opportunities, though you are a Licensed Nurse, it doesn’t mean that your skills and knowledge are only confined with the Nursing Profession. There are a lot of other jobs out there and a lot of companies who are more than willing to accept your applications. Trust me, it’s more fun working in an office setting than in the hospital. Here’s a list of other job alternatives for unemployed nurses who would like to try different fields:

1.      CALL CENTER AGENT

I know it’s common and I know a lot Nurses taking on with this job. Why do Nurses resort to this industry? Well, first it offers high paying salary. Second, it has shifting schedules and we Nurses are adaptable to that, right? The medium language used is English; Nurses do wish that they be employed to US hospitals, what better way to start practicing the language than make it as your source of livelihood. The principles of therapeutic communication can be applied when you are dealing with your client. Call center jobs are not that far out from your nursing profession, it’s just that there is no medication and definitely no lives at stake!

2.      ENGLISH TUTORIALS

It’s common as well that Nurses resort to this job, because most tutoring agents are paid hourly. If you have taken your IELTS review then you can better use and practice the skills, plus you get to meet different cultures. Most of the students for English tutorial are Japanese, Korean or Chinese. I’ve been asked once to do tutor, but it was not really my cup of tea, so I declined.

3.      OFFICE WORKER

There are certain companies who hire Nurses as part of their industry. I was employed as a Company Nurse at a Resort and was also an HR Personnel. So I get to use my profession as well while being introduced to a new field which is personneling. It was hard at the beginning because you have to learn the basics, I mean with all the recruitment processes and the papers and the payroll and all the stuffs. But it was rewarding that you gain additional knowledge and skills apart from you being a Nurse. And you already have the option to pursue your profession or track another career.

4.      MEDICAL REPRESENTATIVE

If the medical field is something you don’t want to shy away, consider marketing medications. You are way more advanced than other candidates because of your background being a Nurse.

5.      FLIGHT ATTENDANT

When you’re blessed with good looks and a good height, why not try this job. Airlines would surely want Nurses to attend to their passengers. Aside being able to provide emergency treatment, in case, we are also known to be good caregivers so we will be able to give their passengers a comfortable flight.

6.      ONLINE JOBS

If you are not yet called up for an interview or you want to hold your time, try doing online jobs. There are a bunch of employers here and abroad who are more than willing to hire you. Start with some typing skills, or if you’re good in writing, do article writing or blogging. What’s even good in here is that you will be paid bigger than your salary as a Nurse, plus you acquire more skills in the Web Industry.

7.      FRONT DESK RECEPTIONISTS

If you’re lucky enough to be hired at hotels as their front desk receptionists, well that’s good for you. Nursing skills may be applied in this field as you are to deal with different people with different cultures. Your patience may be tested here as well.

Actually fellow Nurses, there are a lot of other jobs that are available for us. Do not confine yourselves to the limits of you being a Nurse. Try to stretch your wings, there is always a good opportunity for anyone who put up efforts to find it.

WHY THE WORLD NEEDS HEROES

WHY DO WE NEED HEROES

Everything about heroes is quite trending these days. This is accountable to the release of the highly anticipated movie, The Avengers. With the advent of hero things these days, it’s worthy to note that even in real life we do need heroes.

We need heroes for a variety of reasons. One of which, we are highly infested with villains. Evil minds like Loki hold power in some high positions in different government institutions all over the world. Many people would succumb to the provisions of these silent dictators just to keep themselves in the safe zone. However, there are these people who have strong convictions to stand up against these dictators. They may not be prominent today, but these great people will soon emerge.

We need heroes because the people we thought would help the needy are the very people abusing them. These people work independently and fund their own works in order to extend help. These people need no publicity, because true heroes are the ones who work in silence.

 We need heroes because at times we are weak. We need someone to look up to and be our strength. When we were young, we used to dream of being a superhero, right? Having supernatural powers and doing extraordinary stuffs. I must admiteven up to now that I am older, I still sometimes do wish that I was as strong as Hulk or be flexible like Black Widow, especially when faced with so much adversities or when I just had some big fight with someone.

We need heroes to motivate us. Heroes are seen as people who are usually defeated in their own real lives. They are one of those defenseless people who were chosen to receive supernatural powers. In reality, we can derive from this. Difficulties in our lives are instances that make us strong; the supernatural powers we receive are the learning we get as we go through these rough times. All strong people have been weak before they’ve gotten strong and so do us.

We need heroes because they remind us of our own limitations. With our belief in heroes that they are strong we derive from their strength. “Even heroes have the right to bleed”, we are reminded that they too are limited, so are we.

We all need heroes, be it a hero or number of heroes. It is not idolatry when we sometimes believe in them. The belief of heroes also makes us responsible – we should be responsible who to believe and the limits of our beliefs.

How to be a superhero

HOW TO BE A SUPERHERO

Being a superhero entails not just super powers because in reality, super powers really don’t exist, at least not yet. With the advent of technology, superpowers would be in reality in the future. In the meantime, we can be our own super heroes. Before we start off, how is a certain person be called a hero? Well, we define hero as someone who sacrifices his/her own welfare for the good of others. Heroes are the few people who stand amidst adversity and shows courage, right?

It’s a pretty sure thing that most people have seen “The Avengers”. Though some of its characters are fictional, we can derive from their deeds because their actions with/without superpowers are heroic in nature.

Suiting up like these heroes doesn’t make one a hero. Do deeds that people may call you a hero. You can be a hero in your own ways:

1.      Stand up when everyone is weak enough to stand for what is right. Heroes are always seen as someone who is strong. Being physically strong doesn’t guarantee you a hero. Strong convictions are usually the driving force why heroes emerge. Consider the characters of Superhero movies; they are always driven by one good thing. Find that one strong and good principle that is for the benefit of the many not just yours, and stand for it.

2.      Help the needy. This one good thing would always be the first deed that’ll pop out into our minds when it comes to being a hero. Of course, heroes are called heroes because they help people other than their own selves. 

3.      Make someone or other people happy. It’s not every day that we meet people who can make us happy. You know it’s seldom, so be a source of happiness to others.

4.      Do good deeds without asking for anything in return. Heroes are two-faced. One that is natural and another is their superhero form. They are unrecognizable when you see them in the streets. They just do good deeds without the need of being recognized in their true form. Apparently, in reality you can do same. I’ve seen someone who did something extraordinary. She gave free foods to street children. She’s not a prominent person, just an ordinary citizen who was kind enough to give a parcel of her blessings to the needy. Heroes are like that right?

5.      A sacrifice is not a real big thing when done voluntarily. Have things done not because you are supposed to do, but do things because you just want to. Remember what Iron Man did? He sacrificed himself to save the earth from being captured by the evils of the outer space. And it wasn’t so much a big stuff for him, right?

Our world needs heroes. We need people who are benevolent, selfless and giving who doesn’t need much recognition. We must admit, we are invested with villains, and only these heroes can rescue us from someone who has evil thoughts like Loki.