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NOVUHAIR ® Supports Healthy Bites for the Hair

July 31, 2020
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Moving abroad? New book The Overseas Fabulous Pinay is your must-read guide to your amazing new life

If you’re one of the 1 million Filipinos leaving the country every year to seek a better life abroad, you must be full of excitement for your new adventure. With the excitement comes trepidation but here’s good news: a new book is written with you in mind! The Overseas Fabulous Pinay: A Modern Filipina’s Guide on How to Thrive Abroad by Donna Avellana Künzler is the comprehensive guide for the modern and professional Filipina determined to succeed abroad.

A native of Cavite, author Avellana Künzler has spent almost 20 years abroad in a successful career in finance. Her many adventures and misadventures across the world made her want to write a guidebook that can help her fellow Pinays conquer the world like she did. The result is The Overseas Fabulous Pinay—an easy-to-read handbook jam packed with useful tips, light-hearted anecdotes, and detailed guides on moving abroad. By the end of its 130 pages, you can expect to come up with a battle plan on how to move abroad efficiently, settle in andadjust to your new work culture, beat homesickness, and ultimately to enjoy your fabulous life overseas.

Avellana Künzler says, “Through my book, it is my goal to empower Filipina women by sharing my knowledge and years of experience of living abroad. My aim is to inspire and uplift the image of Overseas Filipina Women by being a role model to show that living abroad can be an enlightening and rewarding experience.”

This book is truly relevant for all its practical tips to not just survive abroad but to thrive as well. You will be equipped with useful information to create a fabulous life overseas—from a list of survival skills and necessary documents to compassionate advice on how to overcome homesickness and make new friends in your new home.

Critics agree! On June 3, 2020, the Nonfiction Authors Association honored The Overseas Fabulous Pinay with a GOLD AWARD in its Nonfiction Book Awards.* The official editorial review notes of the debut book of Avellana Künzler: “This is a really up-beat book that is helpful and inspiring for anyone considering moving overseas. It has lots of tips, lists and questions to consider both before and after a move.”

More than just helping professional Filipinas moving abroad, Avellana Künzler also wants to focus on uplifting Pinays here. She says, “I want to use my author platform to support my advocacies on education, women empowerment, and the promotion of Philippine indigenous products which support local communities and the well-being of Filipinos overseas.” To support this cause, part of the proceeds from the book sales of The Overseas Fabulous Pinay will be donated to the Assumption Mission Schools.

The Overseas Fabulous Pinay: A Modern Filipina’s Guide on How to Thrive Abroad by Donna Avellana Künzler is available at major online book retailers Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Amazon for P750. Check www.ovfabpinay.com for announcements for book events and to get to know the author more through her blog. Be part of the #ovfabpinay Facebook community [www.facebook.com/ovfabpinay] and follow @ovfabpinay on Instagram [www.instagram.com/ovfabpinay] for more updates.

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About the Author

DONNA AVELLANA KÜNZLER was born and raised in Cavite, Philippines. An accounting degree holder and Information Technology Auditor/Consultant for most of her career, her #ovfabpinay life started in 2001 when she relocated to Singapore for work. She continued her adventures in the US (San Jose, California) and then across the pond in the UK (London) before finally ending up in Switzerland (Basel and then Zurich). She works for a Swiss global company, and is responsible for finance process governance and standardisation in the finance organization. She and her husband currently live in Zurich where she is transitioning from #ovfabpinay to #ovfabpinaymom with the recent addition of their daughter to the family. The Overseas Fabulous Pinay: A Modern Filipina’s Guide on How to Thrive Abroad is her first book.

July 22, 2020
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How Is It To Love A Writer?

jargonhub

Ever wonder what is the feeling of falling in love with a person who is so passionate with writing?

Well, loving a writer is definitely one of the most challenging yet fulfilling things a person can possibly do. Yes, it may seem complicated dealing with them but, believe me, when they love, expect a love that will make you see things differently. Loving them will be one of your best decisions in life.

To love a writer is to love an open book. You won't be needing to ask what they want to say or what they’re feeling because by their works, you will be able to know what are the things going through their minds. Basically, their emotions and thoughts are determined by their works, and it’ll make it easier for you to deal with them based on certain situations by simply using context clues from their works.

To love a writer is to be ready being the lead character in their masterpiece. You will be the center of their works. Most of the stories or poems they will be making will probably be about you and the memories you both created, or the things they are anticipating to happen.

To love a writer is to expect all the possible metaphorical phrases they will use when you are with each other. Know that these phrases will be their way to show you how much they love you. Their words may sound flowery but, trust me, they are saying things straight from their hearts.

To love a writer is to enjoy sudden silent moments when you are together. There will surely be times that they will not talk for about few minutes and will savor the moment with you. This is because they want to remember every bit of that exact moment, so that every detail will be perfectly described when they decided to write about you again. Simply because they want to appreciate every second with you.

Yes, loving a writer has so many perks.

"But when you break a writer’s heart, know that you will always be remembered, and will forever live inside his/her works."

Writers turn their heartaches into compositions, where they express their feelings and release all the pain into something meaningful. They will bleed words until they feel okay. This is because they consider writing as one of the most effective ways of coping up with the situation.

Once they have already moved on, they will be ready to write for someone new. Someone who will see their worth, someone who will be the new center of their future works. And that’s exactly the time when you will feel sorry for breaking their heart.

July 19, 2020
2 Comments

BPI: Clients adopt savings mindset, deposits grow during ECQ

press release

The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) noted a marked reversal in customer behavior as people started saving more money in their deposit accounts. This follows a temporary increase in ATM withdrawals in the early days of the declaration of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), as people rushed to ensure that they had enough funds on hand during the lockdown.

BPI Head of Deposits Carmina Marquez noted that the impacts of the pandemic on the economy and incomes have made people more conscious about their savings and the need to have an emergency fund as seen in the increase in both its deposit volume and new deposit account openings during the height of the ECQ, a behavior that could benefit Filipinos in the long run.

“Saving enough money for a rainy day – or in this case a prolonged storm – takes discipline, but it must be done, and people are seeing that very clearly now. The pandemic made many realize the importance of building an emergency fund to tide us over unexpected circumstances that could drain one’s finances. Let this be a learning that will change the way we manage our money. One can start small and set aside 20 percent of your monthly income. This allows you to have 2.5 months’ worth of salary set aside each year. Before you know it, in five years’ time, you would have saved a years’ worth of your salary.” she said.

Ms. Marquez also said that digitalization helped increase deposit levels as the ecosystem allowed funds to be moved from one account to the other, without the money leaving the banking system. This allows for efficient utilization of funds for lending by banks to spur economic activity.

“We saw a 15% growth in deposit account openings during the ECQ, despite most of our branches being closed. Many were depositors in other banks who either completely transferred to BPI or decided to spread out their deposits among different banks,” she said, noting that most BPI branches are now open under the more relaxed general community quarantine.

She said that the preference for liquidity, combined with fewer avenues for spending given the closure of non-essential establishments, and the suspension of bills and loan payments allowed clients to keep their money in their bank accounts. BPI’s deposit volumes during the ECQ period increased by 5 percent compared to pre-ECQ levels.

“When there is more than enough liquidity in the market, deposit market rates will decline. We have also noted that depositors prefer to hold on to their cash and thus, have moved their funds from longer tenor time deposit to regular savings. Depositors have traded earning higher rates for liquidity. As the country moves into GCQ and the mandatory moratorium on bills payments and taxes are lifted, we expect deposit levels to adjust down temporarily but will most likely move back as businesses resume and preference to be liquid will remain. It would be very interesting to see how deposit levels will look after quarantine, under the new normal,” she said.

Keeping a significant amount of money saved in deposit accounts could prove to be a challenge for many Filipinos, with only 34.5% of the adult population in the Philippines having formal bank accounts. The government, through the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) plans to double the number of Filipinos with formal bank accounts (70%) by 2023 through financial inclusion programs.

Ms. Marquez said BPI has deposit products that provide clients with liquidity while allowing them to optimize their savings by giving clients additional interest earnings or insurance coverage.

“It would be a good time to re-assess and determine how we can recalibrate our finances. We encourage clients to learn about their options. We have products that allow them to earn a higher interest if they don’t withdraw from their account for at least a month such as Maxi-Saver or to be covered with a life insurance protection with our Pamana,” she said.

BPI offers free, personalized financial advisory services to all clients to help them meet their financial goals.

June 30, 2020
6 Comments

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NOVUHAIR ® Supports Healthy Bites for the Hair

Moving abroad? New book The Overseas Fabulous Pinay is your must-read guide to your amazing new life

How Is It To Love A Writer?

"But when you break a writer’s heart, know that you will always be remembered, and will forever live inside his/her works."

BPI: Clients adopt savings mindset, deposits grow during ECQ

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