Sep 11 2013

Ark Avilon Zoo

Posted on September 11, 2013 by olsk_mercado

My youngest son loves animals! He’s at that stage where all animals fascinate him. He even has a collection of animals so when I found a Metro Deal voucher for Ark Avilon Zoo at Frontera Verde Ortigas Ave I grabbed it and bought 5 for us to use on his birthday. I got up to 50% off (Php199.00) each voucher (Php400.00 value per voucher). I also got a deal on a Fun Ranch Ride-All-You-Can-Pass to use on the same day!

They have a good selection of animals although not as varied as I would have liked but of course I understand that with the constraints of space we shouldn’t expect to see a giraffe or an elephant. He was amazed by the animals he saw but was particularly interested in the huge white tiger which was a nice surprise.

We often sing the Old MacDonald Had A Farm song so my son was happy to see the goats, sheep, lizards and frogs.

If you’ve been to other local zoos the smell is pretty overpowering but at Ark Avilon Zoo it’s well kept and the animals taken care of. The Noah’s Ark like zoo has 2 levels which includes a restaurant upstairs which I believe is reserved for school tours and events. We were also lucky to go on the day we did because there weren’t too many people.

My brother and his family had gone to the Ark Avilon Zoo and recommended wearing the snake which my kids were excited about. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that because the snake would be displayed at a later time BUT they did get to take pictures with the adorable Jenny the Monkey.

There are quite a lot of pictures here but I hope it gives you an idea what to expect at the zoo and if it’s worth your while. We had a fun time and my son was all smiles when we left.

This reminded us of Harry Potter which we are huge fans of.

My husband and daughter, Kianna

That’s an alligator! It was hiding at first and slowly emerged.

A green snake and if you can see the white strip it’s the skin that it just shed!

Victoria Crowned Pigeon

Visayan Spotted Deer

Backside of a Shetland Pony

Bornean Pygmy Pigs

Domestic Sheep

For Php50.00 you can feed some of the animals

My birthday boy, Jael and my daughter Kianna with the White Tiger

My husband and Kianna with Jenny the Monkey

My son, Bastian with Jenny the Monkey

Ark Avilon Zoo Ortigas is open from Monday-Friday (9am-6pm) & Saturday-Sunday (10am-7pm)

For inquiries call 706-2992.

Aug 24 2013

From Blogger to WordPress

Posted on August 24, 2013 by olsk_mercado

Blogelina has a special offer on her 4-week course. For a limited time only the Profitable Blogging For Beginners Online Class will cost only $5.00! Aside from the amazing tips, insights and personalized feedback you get a FREE year of webhosting!

This offer ends August 31st!

Thanks to a Facebook group for WAHMs I was able to avail of this course on blogging and get a year’s worth of hosting from Go Daddy! The blogging course is courtesy of Tanya of Blogelina, who has offered an online class of 5 sessions for “Planning for Profitable Success” for the month of July.

I’d been on Blogger for about 2 years now and had visitors to my site. The thing is I wasn’t earning what I’d hoped to earn. I’ve had Google Adsense ads for about 8 months but I’ve only been earning just a few cents per day. When I saw the opportunity to take the course and get free hosting I decided to take the plunge. I bought a domain name and had my blog transferred from Blogger to WordPress. Blogelina also offers a Total Blogger to WordPress Transfer Package for those who want to get this done by Blogelina herself.

So what exactly are the benefits of transferring to WordPress?

My blog has a more professional look because I have my own domain.
I have more creativity with the layout of my blog
WordPress provides plugins that will make your life so much easier.
I can back up my blog via a plug in or through my webhosting.

These are just some of the benefits of transferring platforms but the best benefit is that I own my blog! When you use Blogger, Google essentially owns your blog. They can take it down at any time once you haven’t adhered to their rules.

I’ve attended 3 classes and the best thing about the blogging course is that Tanya sends you detailed follow up notes. She has many helpful tips and links that you can explore.

Before you transfer platforms make sure you are prepared with the following.

a domain name
a theme (whether it be free or premium)
financially equipped to pay for the hosting and domain
a back up of your posts, images, codes, etc

Once you’ve got all this prepared take the plunge the same way I did. There is so much to do and work on in WordPress that you’ll probably find yourself on the computer constantly tweaking your blog.

Note: There are links in this post that contain my referral link. Please read my disclosure policy.

Aug 9 2013

SMAC Deal: HannsTape

Posted on August 9, 2013 by olsk_mercado

Tape is a staple in any home. In our home we use it for homeschooling and all kinds of tape emergencies. I saw this SMAC deal about a week ago and grabbed it. A Php400 worth deal and I only needed to pay Php200!

I got all kinds from duct tape to scotch tape and for sure this’ll last me awhile. I’ve seen plenty of stationery supply deals such as bond paper and file boxes. Take a look at their Facebook page to check if those deals are still available.

Look out for more SMAC Deals from SM Advantage.

This is not a sponsored post and I am not receiving any earnings from recommending this deal.

Aug 9 2013

Hoagies Philippines: Buy 1 Libre1 Anniversary Promo

Posted on August 9, 2013 by olsk_mercado

BLT sandwich

Did you get to avail of the Hoagies Philippines Buy 1 Libre 1 1st anniversary promo? My friends and I made a trip to SM Fairview to check out this deal. We got there late afternoon and it was the first thing we checked. True enough, they had a buy 1 take 1 promo on all their regular priced sandwiches.

We decided to do our errands first and got to Hoagies at 7pm. It was great timing as it turns out there were only 24 breads left and we were just a few people down the line. I got the last 4 BLT sandwiches which made me very lucky! In total I got 3 orders (6 sandwiches for only Php375.00). The price range for the sandwiches is Php120.00 to Php190.00.

Their sandwich choices are quite tasty. Aside from the regular Ham and Cheese, BLT and Hoagie Catch (Tuna), there are house specials like Philly’s Fine Cheesesteak, The Rebound, Backyard Roast Chicken, Zesty Pastrami, Hungarian Sausage and Classic Crab.

You can visit their Facebook page to see their deals and to stay tuned for the next anniversary promo.

Aug 3 2013

SMAC Deals: Parisian Shoes

Posted on August 3, 2013 by olsk_mercado

I got a great SMAC deal from using my SM Advantage card. I signed up for SMAC Deals email alerts and receive these everyday. I had an opportunity to purchase Php1000.00 worth of Parisian Shoes for only Php500.00. This was my first time to purchase a deal.

The only thing that I found to be a bit of an inconvenience during the whole process was that I had to pay for the deal at the SM Department Payment Center then go home and wait for the deal to show as paid on my account. If you have a credit card, transactions are much easier because you can do everything online. I’m sure I’m one of the very few who doesn’t use a credit card!

parisian shoes 300x281 SMAC Deals: Parisian Shoes

My daughter’s pick. Cute doll shoes with a gold bow.

SMAC Deals are usually very limited and instantly gone so once you see one you like make sure to make the payment during the time period they provide otherwise you lose your reserved voucher/s. There are plenty of deals to avail. From Home and Living to My Style deals are usually offered at 50% off.

My daughter and I had a fun time picking out shoes. We were able to get 3 pairs and I only had to pay Php250.00 to cover the excess amount.

Check out their Facebook page for the latest deals!