Digitally Transforming the Filipino Haggling Tradition

Yesterday, my sister and I went to Divisoria. We were searching for a certain curtain design for their bedroom. As you all know, Divisoria is the place to go when buying anything and everything at an extremely cheap price. The streets were lined with stalls that were filled with hanging Christmas decors, drapes, and--I repeat--anything under the sun.

The Divisoria Experience

After having to deal with the traffic from Recto to Divi, we maneuvered the busy stalls of Puregold to reach Tabora. In Tabora, we checked every single stall, kiosk, and selling space that sold curtains. To our dismay, we didn't find the particular design. Although a little disappointed, we got some great deals on a few yards of U.S. cotton textile. Yes, like any other Filipino, we ended up haggling for the 7 yards of Winnie the Pooh and some other cartoony-designed bed sheet-to-be.

U.S. Cotton sheets cost 85-130 php/yard

Haggling

Haggling has always been part of our culture. We always here phrases like "Last price?" or "No Discount?" or "I'll buy it by bulk if you give it to me at _____". Honestly, even online sellers from OLX/ Sulit, Ayos Dito, and eBay receive text messages like the ones I mentioned above. It's a typical behavior that's neither good nor bad, depending on the haggler's technique and style.

Selling on eBay used to be as easy as bidding and winning.

Filipino Online Shopping

Nowadays, a lot of us have enjoyed the benefits of buying online. For one, you wouldn't have to deal with the heat, the crowded streets, and the pollution of going to Divi. You also save on precious time and fare because the items get delivered at your doorstep (especially in the Manila area). Some online items are even being sold at a cheaper price than in malls. So, it's really no surprise that a lot of us are now going to websites like Lazada and Zalora.

My first Lazada purchase...

Can't Haggle When it's Sold Online

However, like buying an item from a mall or a superstore, all prices are fixed. There's no haggling allowed, because all prices are final. We don't get the opportunity to talk to the online shop's owner, and it can be a bit frustrating at times. Fortunately for us, we are a resourceful race. Some of us wait for sales or marked-downs; others end up using coupons (usually encoded prior to online checkout).

All it Takes is a Keyphrase

iPrice is a site for the thrifty, budget-conscious Filipino. When all the coupons are at your fingertips, readily available at a click of a button, online shopping definitely gets better. So why bother scouring every single blog/website via Google Search when you can go to a single website for the keywords that can slash a price down to a better bargain?

Is Using a Coupon the Same as Haggling?

It's not. However, these two techniques result to a single outcome. We get what we want at a bargain deal.

Some helpful links:

My Lazada Buying Experience
How to Commute to Divisoria
The EBAY Experience: Pros, Cons and some Tips in Buying and Selling

Read More

Simply Busy: Agent. NEC.Worm and MORE!!!

Have you ever felt as if you're running out of time. And that waking up at 7 am in the morning and sleeping at 4 am in the morning just isn't enough for you to finish your tasks.

Well, here's the thing, I'm having such an episode now. I'm currently staying up this late due to waiting for a virus scan to finish. Who would've thought a computer could have so many viruses and worms left unattended.

Some persons simply don't care when their computer gets viruses. Take for example this laptop I'm currently trying to file transfer. One of the worm it had was an Agent. Nec.Worm.

Just my luck, it hides the files and distributes the folder names with a replicated application having the same name e.g. the bookeeping folder will no longer appear, however a bookeeping.exe does. Once the person unknowingly clicks on it, it replicates itself until you're left with a hard drive filled with it.

If the virus scanner deletes or quarantines all those exe files. Worry not! This worm simply hides those folders so that you won't be able to see him.

SOLUTION: 

1. Open Command Prompt (Start>Run> Type in CMD

2. In the Command Prompt, type in the directory where the files were currently located. If the infected thumb drive is F: Type cd .. (until you're left with C:\ and type in F:\)

3. Then type this after F:\ -attrib -s -h /s /d *.* (this will remove the hidden attribute of those folders and files, so they all show up.

Not only do I have to deal with this, but there were more viruses in that computer than viruses in my computer for the entire time I've owned a computer... Imagine scanning more than 453 viruses, trojans and worms in the Document Folder alone(97 of which were successfully cleaned)... And that's only the tip of the iceberg. We have ALS\Busted.E.virus, Brontok S.worm, Win32/Agent. BFJDRPI trojan, ScrInject.B.Gen virus, JS/ TrojanClicker,Agent.NCQ trojan and AutoRun.Autoit.BJ.worm.

I couldn't even install an anti-virus because a Error 1500 keeps on popping out. And Housecall and Kaspersky free antivirus scanner didn't do a thing. You might be wondering what I had done to have a partial list of these malware. I removed the hard drive and scanned it into another computer running on my favorite AV program.

I've even tried going to the registries to delete the value contained in the string of  "InProgress" and disabling and switching to manual the Windows Installer through services.msc.

Seriously. Not only is this computer really old, but it was running pretty slow.

Read More

MMORPG ADDICTION

Awww, isn't she cute.... damn little duck's a gold (TOP game currency) hogger. This duckling may look like a cupcake but having a character like this will make you work twice as hard as other players because she's high maintenance.



Hi, I really did not update my blog because I thought no one was tracking it. Thanks for the comments. Though, I really wish I could understand them... but I can't.

Regarding my name, it was given to me by my boyfriend. He told me that it was one of their Chinese traditions that once we wed, he'd give me a Chinese name. So sorry for not responding to the comments.

Anyway, ever since this March I've been playing Tales of Pirates aka Pirate King Online. It's an international online game with characters such as sharpshooters, crusaders, champions and voyagers (ducky, up there, is one of 'em). I played it six years ago and then I stopped for almost four or five years just to get drawn again to the addictiveness of online gaming.

How to know you're addicted to Online Games:

1. You spend more than 3 hours a day playing it. I'm already pertaining to a computer savvy's average- not just some ordinary person.

I, for one, have my laptop on almost 24/7... I try to discipline myself to turn it off once in awhile but once I try to do so, my thoughts revert to opening my DVD burner software to make copies of old 80's and early 90's cartoons like Jem, Centurions, Swat Kats, X-Men, Justice League, Thundercats, and even anime that's taking up hard drive space.

2. You spend at least 3 hours a week researching where to loot, earn money, level-up faster, or prettify (yes prettify meaning, gem-up, fuse, costume-ize, and stat-raise) your character's apparel.

3. You spend at least 15 minutes a day (even while playing) in planning strategies to reach your specific game goal... like earning a million in your game's currency, attaining your ideal level, getting that suite or opening that chest that only a handful of players have.

4. Thinking or just imagining at least twice (in your gaming lifetime) how wonderful it would be if you could cheat, hack, or bypass the game's system.

5. Disobeying or postponing your body's request for a comfort room break because you're close to accomplishing something in the game. e.g. reaching the nearest town, healing yourself by using a skill or a potion because you're in the battle zone, finishing a quest or an event (like double experience, triple experience even, and other system events).

Note: I just took this picture from Google search. This is how one of the events would look like in Tales of Pirates. I was able to attend an event similar to this. We had to kill high level, high HP bosses from sand bags the GM opened.

6. Missing a meal or being late for meals just because you had to do something game related.

7. Adjusting your sleeping patterns to accommodate your gaming needs.

8. Catching yourself letting go of the mouse, pressing the keyboard keys incorrectly and/or closing your eyes while walking or attacking in the game map in an attempt to play just a little longer even though you're too sleepy.

9. Lastly, sacrificing family time or friends time because you prefer spending precious seconds in front of your computer showing off your little character, making it look cool, reaching the next level, or farming for the game's currency to buy items.

There are so many indications to determine whether you are addicted or not. At the very least, once you feel that your starting to deviate from your normal routine... STOP! And assess whether all this effort spent on something that you cannot eat, earn (for normal gamers only, others make money by selling in-game items in exchange for cold hard cash) or make you practically smarter in real life something worthwhile.

P.S. I won't judge you... Computers are my life. I go crazy a day without Internet so basically, I am an online addict, too. I promise I'll try to add pictures of my pirate game escapades next time.

Read More

Facebook Fever: Are you addicted to Facebook?

Note: The picture above is the property of www.farmville.com

I started using FB for the sake of keeping up my friends. It seems to be all the rage these days. And then my boyfriend asked JUST ONCE to try Farmville in order to add him as a neighbor to expand his lot. The trying-so-hard-to-be-good girlfriend that I am, I gave in to his request. Unfortunately for me, I easily get addicted to semi-simulation games especially ones available only online. Farmville grew like a contagious cold on me. I started planting a patch of strawberries and begun following each of its harvest. After two days, I had started calculating the exact minutes before harvest through percentages and approximated how long it would take before the plant whithers. A couple more days have passed and I begun computing points for leveling up and "strategic planting" I need to accomplish to advance fast.

It seriously got out of hand. It was no longer some simple game of harvesting, plowing and replanting. I made mental computations of the experience I would gain for each seed type I plant as well as each additional paraphernalia I build. I even made it a rule to myself to gain 2 levels per day.


A couple of hours ago, my sister told me that we were leaving to visit the relatives of my brother-in-law. It felt like I was in big trouble. I had to do something because my blueberries would have been fully grown by the time we arrived there. I even messaged my boyfriend to open my account just so he can harvest them. But since it is All Saints Day today, almost all cafes were closed.

To cut things short, I did the most embarrassing, rudest thing I would ever do whenever visiting another house. I killed my shame and asked to use their computer to open my Farmville, which made me realize that this has to stop. So I'm finally taking a rest from my obsession...

Read More

The EBAY Experience: Pros, Cons and some Tips in Buying and Selling

Buying and bidding in Ebay has always been something I enjoy more than shopping. Shopping online would require me to have a credit card and I don't have one. Shopping in malls makes me tired (I just love staying at home and waiting for my packages to arrive).

I'm not sure why, but I have this certain affinity for used goods. I believe my logic in purchasing preloved items is that you're getting the same goods at a cheaper price (usually 50 to 75% lower than the original).

To match my preloved phone, I also purchased a not-so-new headset. Upon receiving the item, I did the usual inspection and mentally branded it with a QC(quality checked) stamp of satisfaction. Now, I got a new trinket to add to my gadget accessories collection.

Here are some things to consider when purchasing an item through EBAY. I've experienced alot of good and bad things in EBAY. I've met buyers and sellers from different places through it, some even became good friends of mine.

Note: The things I'm going to talk about will mostly apply to the Philippine setting.

PROS:
1. There's an 80% chance you could stumble upon good merchandise at great prices.
2. Items are delivered to your doorstep after a day or 2 (maximum of 3) once payment is confirmed.
3. There's such a thing as trusted buyers and sellers. Once I've bought a touch screen PDA phone from a seller I've previously done business with. Upon winning the bidding, I had requested for him to send the item that afternoon because that was the time I would pay for it. I unable to pay it on time, but he still had the item dispatched as scheduled.
4. It's not that hard to spot a legit seller. Their feedback system is a big help, but you have to be cautious about purchasing expensive items from sellers with less than 10 feedbacks.
5. Need a blast from the past, check EBAY's vintage items. You may find what you're looking for.

CONS:
1. ALOT of bogus sellers. Their filtering system is not perfect. I've read about stories of sellers who threaten winning bidders that they wouldn't send the item if the buyer won't give them positive feedback. Worst case scenario when these sellers don't send the item at all.

I have two awful experiences with bogus sellers. The first was someone I placed my trust on because his mode of payment was through a bank account. Who would've thought that exposing his real name and bank account was perfectly fine for him just to con people? After not sending the item, I reported him to his bank authorities- just to know I wasn't the only person he had done it to. Anyway, it was a good thing that I had reported this incident. His name is now posted in that bank and his account got frozen because they were setting him up.

The second was awful. This person was very cunning, smart and patient enough to be able to trick alot of ebayers. What he did was gain credibility through the feedback system. He bought items from sellers with very high feedback scores. After awhile, he sold a gadget to a person with high feedback as well. This person commended him because he was a good seller. One way a seller can secure his/her item's pictures and prove that he/she has this certain item was to place their EBAY user name on the merchandise. This is what he did. After paying up, I waited for the item but it never came. I even tried to warn the winning bidder but I was too late. They had also paid for an item that would never arrive. Upon investigation, I was shocked to discover that he was able to trick 3 more people in purchasing this particular gadget.

2. Pictures sometimes aren't sufficient enough for us to be able to decide if the item is worth purchasing.
3. Some item descriptions are just candy coated from the ugly truth.
4. No warranty for used stuff. If a warranty is placed on the item, shipping becomes costly once it has unexpected defects.
5. Pay now, ship later. Although Paypal is a good alternative, even their systems aren't perfect. And you also need to have a credit card to use it. I've heard that you can also use a bank account so I tried that but I wasn't successful in enrolling it.
6. Once the item is dispatched, the seller will no longer be responsible for the item's condition. If it got broken during shipping, sellers aren't liable for it unless an insurance fee was paid prior to dispatch.
7. Ebay no longer allows sellers to give negative feedbacks for bogus buyers or joy bidders.

SOME BASIC TIPS in BUYING:
1. If the price is too good to be true e.g. way cheaper than the usual prices of similar items then double check the seller's credibility. Check his/her feedbacks. Or you could try to contact the people they had transacted with. Most ebayers are kind enough to give you some information about their experiences about your seller.
2. Be cautious in doing wireless transfers. Do not fall for the typical "Payment Mode: GCASH/ SMART MONEY/ LBC/ WESTERN UNION/ ML KWARTA PADALA ONLY...If you do not agree to my terms and conditions do not bid." statement on sellers with low feedback scores.
3. Get to know your seller and more about the item you wish to purchase. Make sure that you know what you bid on. Used means used. Do not expect it to be in mint condition or brand new looking unless stated.
4. Be aware of the seller's shipping rate. Some may have very cheap items but unreasonable shipping fees.
5. Upon the package's arrival, double check its contents. Sometimes the problem will not lie on the seller but the courier service itself.
6. Respect the seller's terms. If it says "No Haggling." then don't. However, if you really are desperate to obtain an item, send the seller a message of your price offer and ask him or her to contact you if he/she is interested in accepting the offer. No Message- Not Interested. Message- Read it First!
6. For newbies in ebay, if the seller requests for specific information as to express your intent of buying, comply with it
6. Give honest feedbacks.

BASIC TIPS for SELLING:
1. Make sure to give the exact item description. Do not hide the item's defects or physical issues (such as scratches, dents, fading, etc) because eventually, the winning bidder will contact you like hell if he/she discovers these unmentioned information.
2. Never forget to place your terms and conditions such as having the right to terminate the auction early, payment and shipping, or responsibility/liability scopes.
3. Give the winning bidders some time respond to you. There are instances that they may be busy or have important events to attend to. For them to not respond/reply through text message or accept your calls within 4 or 5 hours after you've contacted them doesn't mean that they are no longer interested in paying for what they won.
4. As much as possible, give the buyer different modes of payment available such as wireless transfer, bank transfer, COD, etc.
5. For expensive items, make reasonable meet-ups possible.

There's alot more to learn... just be careful and not too hasty on deciding.

Read More