By now, you’ve probably gotten used to clicking the Add to Cart button and impatiently waiting for kuya or ate rider to arrive with your latest haul. Brick and mortar shops have gone digital and the number of online shops is growing by the minute – and these days, the new shoppers’ dilemma is which products to buy, which online shops to buy from, and most importantly, how to save on shipping fees.

If, like us, you’re feeling overwhelmed with the endless options, here’s a quick guide to your new basic needs now that you’re living an indoor lifestyle!

Health boosters

Unlike many things happening right now, staying in good shape is something that’s within your control. While wearing PPEs, practicing social distancing, and constantly washing your hands can help a lot, your best defense is to keep yourself healthy.

You can start with maintaining a well-balanced diet and making sure you’re getting important nutrients every day, like Vitamin C. It can be intimidating to know which vitamin brand to choose with so many of them out there, but there are brands like Nutrilite that go the extra mile to ensure quality by tracking the entire process of their plant-based supplements down to the very seed, and let you know all about it so you can be confident with your choices.

Home essentials

One of the most important things during this time is making sure to keep clean. Went out to pick up deliveries? Sanitize. Touched the elevator button? Sanitize. Everyone now stores a stash of disinfectants and has their own sanitation station at home, because nothing beats feeling safe and secure after cleaning up.

Since most alcohol products tend to dry the skin, look for disinfectants that have aloe ingredients to keep your hands soft – like Amway Pursue Hand Sanitizer. Keep your home and other items sparkling clean as well, using trusted effective brands such as PURSUE™ Disinfectant Cleaner.

Workout fuel

This quarantine lifestyle has us spending more time sitting and less time walking, so home workouts have become a must if you want to stay in shape. You probably already found one that suits you – weightlifting, dancing, HIIT – especially as more and more fitness facilities offer online classes. Even cycling studios have started selling stationary bikes so you can ride along with them at home.

Either way, home workouts are now part of your indoor grind along with chores, work, and virtual hangouts with friends. It sounds like a lot, honestly. That’s why another indoor essential we’ve identified is fuel, aka energy drink. Watching your sugar intake? Opt for sugar-free and carb-free brands, like XS Energy Drink!

Plantito and plantita needs

Have you hopped on the green thumb train? We don’t blame you! Aside from cleaning the air, giving you food, and making your home more beautiful, plants are quickly becoming the new pets. And you never have to worry about running out of new leafy babies to add to your collection since online plant shops seem to be sprouting everywhere, and you always have your food scraps which you can replant!

As you grow your plant collection and even try to grow your own food, don’t forget to keep them healthy. Use good quality soil and fertilizers so your plants grow lush and bountiful. If you’re not sure which plant vitamins to feed your leafy buddies, go for organic ones that are safe and effective, like Nutriplant’s.

Grooming necessities

Last but definitely not least – because grooming is an act of self-care and is still a must even when staying indoors all day. A good, cold shower can help lift your spirits on off-days (plus, your housemates will thank you for it!) and some self-love can ease your anxieties. If you’re one of those who put on makeup and dress up with nowhere to go just to cope with cabin fever, we applaud you.

Now is actually a great time to hone your make-up skills. Find brands that allow you to be creative with your looks, like the vast and versatile collection of Artistry Studio, and don’t be afraid to go crazy – you’re just at home anyway. Clean up and suit up, too. Our weapons of choice? Glister toothpaste, Satinique hair products, and G&H body essentials!

Now that we’ve laid it all out there, you’re probably thinking that’s a lot of different things that you’d have to get from different specialty shops – and not even all shops plan to celebrate 12.12 with free shipping! Worry not, because you can now shop everything in just one place with Amway Exclusive Shopper!

Shopping definitely becomes more convenient when you can order everything you need in the highest quality, in just one platform, with free shipping. Sign up as an AE Shopper and get the best Amway products at distributor prices. All items can be returned within 100 days with no questions asked and all logistics covered, and membership comes with free consultation with their very own health and beauty experts. Even better, you no longer have to wait for 12.12 or any other holiday sale because shipping is free with a low minimum purchase of just P1,000!

TikTok, the leading destination for short-form mobile videos, today announced that BTS' 'Life Goes On' which recently topped the Billboard 'Hot 100', hit a milestone on TikTok, setting a record of 930 M hashtag views in just 15 days.

Held from November 21 to December 5, the #LifeGoesOn challenge was a call for users all over the word to interpret and positively express how 'Life Goes On' in their own creative ways. The videos created with #LifeGoesOn had more than 463,276 in 15 days of the campaign.

BTS also participated in the challenge and connected with their fans by releasing TikTok videos of their own: Jin goes through a flipbook, RM and V does maple leaf art, Jimin decorates a glass bottle, j-hope takes Polaroid pictures and JungKook practices calligraphy. In response, the group's fans, ARMY, uploaded videos of themselves dancing and singing along to the new song, as well as moments in their daily lives with friends and family.

A special 'Life Goes On (ARMY version)' music video will be released on the official BTS TikTok and social media channels on December 30, capturing selected video submissions that were part of the #LifeGoesOn challenge.

For more details about the challenge, visit the #LifeGoesOn Challenge Event Page.

Hosting small virtual discussions and gatherings is simple, with the right platform that accommodates the video call duration and participant count that you require. Sometimes, though, you need to make meetings or online events accessible to larger audiences for activities like webinars, company-wide virtual conferences, and even recognition ceremonies.

Online collaboration tool, Lark, offers a Video Call function within the app that can accommodate up to 100 participants with no time limit. From Lark Video Call, it is possible to livestream a meeting to reach hundreds more, both on and off the app. Just recently, the Lark team itself was able to use this livestream feature for a series of webinars aimed at helping businesses in the Philippines overcome challenges presented by the new ways of working. Each session featured industry leaders as speakers, and was well-attended by top local media and members of respected business organizations in the country via Lark livestream, synced on YouTube.

Screenshot with Cat Avelino and RJ Ledesma, speaker and host of the Lark Your Way to Success Webinar

Livestreaming a meeting to reach more people on Lark

To begin, ensure that your Lark desktop or mobile apps are updated to the latest versions. The host must be logged in to Lark to launch the meeting, and also to enable livestreaming from within the video call control bar.

When livestreaming is enabled, all meeting participants will be required to give their consent, as a layer of protection, before the actual streaming can begin. Participants will also be notified when the livestream ends. While a meeting is successfully being streamed, participants with see a green LIVE icon on the upper left corner of their screens, along with a viewer count.

Viewing a livestreamed Lark event

To view a livestreamed event, you simply need to sign in to Lark on your browser, and open the livestream URL. For optimal viewing, the recommended browser to use for accessing Lark livestreams on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices is Google Chrome.

A livestream link is generated once the host selects Start Livestreaming from within an active meeting's control bar. Meeting hosts can also generate a livestream link in advance through a calendar event. This is helpful when you want to send an invitation ahead of schedule. Anyone with this URL can watch the livestream from their browsers, once the event starts.

The meeting host can also opt to sync a livestream from Lark to other platforms, such as Facebook and YouTube. This allows a virtual event to reach wider audiences, including social media fans and followers, and even personal networks. Anyone with access to the YouTube and Facebook links may view the livestream on their corresponding mobile apps or through a browser.

Livestream viewers can watch the video meeting, along with any shared screens during the session. The meeting host may select from a variety of screen layouts for the livestream, for optimal viewing on both desktop and mobile.

Sidebar, the default layout, is ideal for remote training and online events. Gallery View shows up to 9 participant videos at the same time, and is great for webinars and discussion groups. Full Screen is best used for classes and presentations, with the speaker's video taking up the entire screen. 

Using the Live Chat feature

Activating the Live Chat feature during a livestream allows viewers to send their messages, comments, and questions in real time. This way, messages are seen by meeting participants right away, and may be addressed and answered immediately as well. In order to send messages in the Live Chat, livestream viewers need to be logged in to Lark on their browsers.

To regulate the contents of the Live Chat, viewers may report inappropriate or spam messages. The meeting host will be notified that a message has been reported, along with the username of the person who reported the message, and the username of the person being reported. The host can then take appropriate action - Delete the message, ban the user from posting anymore messages in the Live Chat, or ignore the report.

Through Lark's livestream feature, you will be able to reach thousands, even millions of people, online. This is a great way to connect and communicate with employees and team members on a large scale, and also reach out to potential clients, customers and partners to help grow your business. To learn more about the other features of Lark, visit www.larksuite.com.

Lark is available on Mac, PC, iOS, and Android. Click here to start using Lark today.

When people think of “home entertainment,” they usually think of the living room, where electronic gadgets are safe from the elements. With the release of their new The Terrace line, Samsung breaks barriers to bring entertainment outdoors with the first ever weather-proof TV and Soundbar.

As a global leader in TV innovation, creating an optimal entertainment space outdoors has always been a goal for Samsung. While a standard television could get the job done, The Terrace’s IP55 water-resistance build takes it a step further to give you peace of mind, especially with the unpredictable rainy season in the Philippines.

Despite its weather-proof design, The Terrace doesn’t sacrifice and scrimp on its quality either. Equipped with wide viewing angle capabilities further improved with an anti-glare screen, not to mention, Samsung’s signature QLED technology and Ultra Bright Picture Quality, The Terrace negates all the possible nuisances of outdoor lighting, ensuring a delightful viewing experience. In addition, The Terrace is a Smart TV, which can connect to the internet for your video streaming needs, and comes with pre-installed entertainment apps, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Completing the outdoor home entertainment experience, The Terrace Soundbar provides optimized audio for each content, thanks to its Adaptive Sound feature. Plus, the WideSound Coverage feature provides surround-sound capability and can fill up any open space with its 210W powerful sound.

Experience a different kind of entertainment outdoors with The Terrace. Avail the 65” The Terrace TV and The Terrace Soundbar (Model QA65LST7T and HW-LST70T/XP) for a special bundled price of PHP 266,999. The 75” The Terrace TV bundled with The Terrace Soundbar (Model: QA75LST7T and HW-LST70T/XP) is priced at PHP 335,999. For every purchase of The Terrace TV, buyers also get a free wall-mount (Model WMN4277TT/XY).

For more information about Samsung The Terrace TV and Soundbar, visit www.samsung.com/ph.

As schools are now compelled to provide education via the internet, hands-on mothers can rely on a back-up home broadband connection to ensure their children’s continuous access to online learning resources at home.

When they subscribe to SKY Fiber AlterNet, they no longer have to stress out whenever their primary internet provider experiences abrupt glitches nor do they have to spend hours waiting for technical assistance. This means their children can go on with their Zoom classes as they stream via the plan’s unlimited internet connection.

This postpaid back-up broadband plan is available for only P199 a month and it comes with a base speed of 1.5Mbps and a high-speed modem.

If heavier tasks must be done such as downloading course materials, answering a timed quiz, and streaming high-definition videos, they can opt to increase their speed by topping-up 25Mbps, 50Mbps, or 100Mbps. They can choose between a five-day speed top-up for as low as P249 or a 15-day speed top-up for as low as P699.

A Pinay mommy vlogger, Haidee Dacanay, can attest to the benefits of having a SKY Fiber AlterNet plan at home.

“My daughter, Hazel, is a college student at U.P Diliman and she’s taking a tough course. As a parent, I’d do everything to support her education most especially during these tough times where she has no choice but to continue her studies at home. There are challenges with this set-up most especially when it comes to internet connection. Sometimes Hazel struggles to keep up with her Zoom lectures whenever our connection slows down. This is why I decided to subscribe to SKY Fiber AlterNet, to make her home study less stressful. Now that we have a back-up connection, we can go on with our daily online tasks without worrying,” said Haidee.

With the peace of mind that the SKY Fiber AlterNet brings, it surely is a must-have in a productive school at home setup.

To ensure your children’s uninterrupted studies, equip yourself with the SKY Fiber AlterNet plan by visiting mysky.com.ph/alternetplan. It is now available in Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, Cebu & Davao.

 One of the best view in Manila is the sunset at Luneta Park and as the sun is setting and everyone is in heroism mood of celebrating Bonifacio Day, Liter of Light presented an interesting tableaux on the grounds of Luneta Park. It was the unveiling of the giant image of a Philippine flag, this is to bring a message of hope and solidarity to a world still reeling from the Covid pandemic.

The flag's outlines are made up of 3,000 sustainable lamps individually assembled by volunteers from all over the country who have united for the project. "This is our tribute to heroism on a global scale, a tribute to all the Filipino front liners worldwide who have fought to contain the pandemic. It is a profound expression of solidarity with those who have risked life and limb to be in the front lines of the fight," said Illac Diaz, Founder of Liter of Light and organizer of the event. 

 

In the course of a few weeks leading up to Christmas, the thousands of individual lights making up the image will be rearranged to form equally stunning images of symbolic significance in the global fight. The Philippine flag is expected to be the first in a series of glowing tableaux as other groups of volunteers such as doctors have come forward to express their willingness to create their own tableaux using the individually-assembled renewable lights. The giant tableaux in Luneta Park will be until this weekend.

 One  of the famed celebrity, Dingdong Dantes, participated in personally and manually assembling few of this sustainable light lamp which will be distributed to places where there's no electricity.

 

The Liter of Light is a global grassroots movement founded in the Philippines that is committed to providing affordable, sustainable, solar lights to people with limited or no access to electricity. As the first global Filipino NGO, Liter of Light has brought light to millions of people in off-grid areas across the globe. To Diaz, the organization's programs have also spearheaded a progressive narrative for the Filipino people. - that of a forward-thinking nation capable of contributing solutions to the world's problems. 

Diaz has been selected as the Philippines' private sector representative to Expo 2020 Dubai as part of its EXPOLIVE Impact Innovation Program showcasing the work of innovators of global importance. Liter of Light's grassroots platform operates hubs in 32 countries and has positively impacted the lives of over 1.5 million individuals globally. 

After the Luneta event, the lights will be distributed to off-grid communities ravaged by typhoons Rolly and Ulysses with the help of partner airline, Air Asia Philippines. 

"In the darkness of Covid, stars of hope, exemplified by Filipino frontliners globally, have emerged. Where there is light, there is always hope," Diaz said. 

 

Jollibee innovates with a new way to bring restaurant-quality food to Filipinos with an exciting and delicious new meal anyone can easily prepare at home. Presenting the New Jollibee Ready to Cook Garlic Pepper Marinated Chicken, a first from the Philippines’ top quick service restaurant chain.

Get ready to wow everyone at home with restaurant-quality chicken that absolutely hits the right spot. It also doesn’t take too much effort to make, which makes it perfect for those who have to balance making meals with everything else they have to do.

The New Jollibee Ready to Cook Garlic Pepper Marinated Chicken gives you the flavorful experience of a restaurant-like meal that you can quickly cook in the comfort of your own kitchen. This absolutely delicious chicken is marinated in tasty garlic pepper sauce, providing goodness that will delight the whole family and be their new favorite at home.

“Filipinos are looking for new food experiences and are excited to try new flavors,” said Cathleen Capati, AVP for Jollibee’s Bestsellers and Ready to Cook products. “That’s why we came up with an innovative new product in the Ready to Cook Marinated Chicken, something amazing that they can easily and quickly make at home.”

Preparing this meal is easy: It can be oven-baked by pre-heating the oven at 200 C and then baking for 25-30 minutes or until cooked, or pan-fried by pre-heating cooking oil and frying for around 15 minutes.

The New Jollibee Ready to Cook Garlic Pepper Marinated Chicken gives restaurant-quality goodness for P250. Starting December 1 in selected Metro Manila stores and coming soon to Provincial Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, you can have it safely delivered to you via the Jollibee Delivery App, JollibeeDelivery.com, and #87000! It’s also available via Drive-Thru and Take Out.

For more info and updates on Jollibee products, like Jollibee Philippines on Facebook, subscribe to Jollibee Studios on YouTube, and follow @jollibee on Twitter and Instagram.

For some of us, COVID-19 and the resulting quarantine protocols may make you more concerned and careful about leaving your home, even if it’s to buy the things you need. Fortunately, there’s a way to cut down on your trips outside the house with the convenience of online shopping.

Brother Philippines is making it easier for customers to buy the Brother products they need through authorized online dealers on Lazada, Shopee, and Facebook Shop. Through these online platforms, customers can get the printers, sewing machines, and labelers they need anytime from the safety and comfort of their home.

“No matter where you are, you can now purchase the Brother product you want anytime,” said Brother Philippines President Glenn Hocson. “This way, Brother can now truly be at your side always.”

To find Brother products on Lazada and Shopee, customers simply have to search for the type of product or the specific product they want, and authorized resellers will appear in the search results. They can also access the Brother Philippines Facebook Shop at https://bit.ly/BrotherFBShop.

The best way to buy online and ensure high quality and authenticity is through authorized sellers. Customers can check if an online seller is an authorized dealer by contacting the Brother Helpdesk Support at (02) 8 581-9898 or through email at helpdesk@brother.com.ph. The hotline is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Mondays to Saturdays (except holidays).

For more details and updates, customers may visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BROTHERatyourside/.