When a Filipino family migrates to the United States, the first thing that they need to do is to find a place to settle down. They can live with their relatives for a week or two, but longer than that might be already a burden for the host family. 

Los Angeles is one of the popular places to live for Filipinos in the United States. I have plenty of relatives and friends living there. Los Angeles is also very accessible by plane if coming from the Philippines. There is a direct flight from Manila to Los Angeles via Philippine Airlines.

However, Due to the rising cost of owning real estate in the United States, the most practical thing to do in the meantime is to rent. According to Zumper, in Los Angeles, the average rental fee for a one-bedroom apartment is around $1,995.00. It may look high, but actually, there is a 7% decrease in the rental fees from the previous year.

Zumper is a popular site in the United States to look for condos, apartments, houses, and rooms for rent. It has listings in major cities in the country. What makes Zumper unique is that it has an app that you can easily navigate to find a place to live. Zumper's listing is also updated in real-time.

There are lots of factors to consider in looking for a perfect apartment, condo unit, or house to rent for the whole family, particularly in the Los Angeles area. Here are the things that you can put into consideration when hunting for a place to rent in Los Angeles:

1. Budget. The first thing that you have to put into consideration in looking for a place to rent is your budget. How much are you willing to spend on rent? 

2. Location. You may choose the condo, apartment, or house depending on how near or far it is from your office. You can also put into consideration its distance from the school your kids attend or its distance from the nearest market or hospital. Another factor to consider location of your rented apartment, condo, or hours if it is near public transportation if you don't have your own car.

3. Number of Rooms. For a big family, it is very important to consider if the rooms are enough for the whole family. You also need to consider if there is enough moving space and privacy for each family member.

4. Size of Living Space. Apart from the number of rooms, you need to consider the size of each room. Some families want a big kitchen, but only enough space for bedrooms. Others like a huge living room and a small kitchen.

5. Amenities. Condos and apartments have special amenities compared with single-detached houses. Gyms, swimming pools, lockers, etc. are only some of the amenities that you also need to consider if looking to rent.

Apart from the above-mentioned factors, you may also want to consider the parking space, storage space, and available utilities (cable, Internet, phone, gas). Ask all the questions to your prospective landlord/landlady before you decide. Do not rely on the photos; you have to go to your prospective place to rent for you to envision your living space and for you to gauge its distance from the nearest market, school, or office. Envision yourself living for at least a year in that place. 

Presently, I'm reading a book entitled, "The Overseas Fabulous Pinay: A modern Filipina's handbook on how to thrive abroad." Somehow, the book has helped me to envision how to start a new life abroad. You may also want to check this book out on Amazon so that you will also have an idea of the things to look out for in finding a place to rent.

There you go! I do hope that you will have a successful house-hunting in Los Angeles! Los Angeles is a fun place to live as it has lots of places to visit and shop.

One of the things that Filipinos are accomplishing these days is to secure a Philippine National ID. 

The Philippine Identification Systems Act (RA 10055) was signed into law in August 2018 which aims to establish a single national identification system for all Filipino citizens and resident aliens. The national ID system will also help the government easily identify individuals from different economic, cultural, and disadvantaged groups. Moreover, the national ID will be used in any other means, such as doing digital transactions and avoiding fraudulent transactions among fellow Filipino citizens.

Since the start of 2021, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) had started rolling out registration lists for each city and municipality in the country. At first, representatives from PSA went to gather information from everyone and wrote them on a piece of paper. In March 2021, they have announced that the registration for the National ID will be online (you may check it out here). 

The national ID system has two steps: first, is the online or paper registration, and the second is the biometrics registration. The biometrics include fingerprint capture, retina scan, and photo capture. Individuals ages five years and up can register for national ID. 

At this point, people are still confused about which is the right way to register.

Based on the press releases by PSA, all available methods for the national registration, both paper and digital are acceptable. The only question that Filipinos have in mind is: when will we have our turn?

Here are the ways to register for the national ID system:

1. For those who have registered for Step 1 via a PSA representative coming into your place, there is no need for you to register online. You have to wait for your schedule for the biometrics which will take months to be scheduled.

2. For those who have registered for Step 1 via the PSA online registration system, you can wait for the appointment schedule in your area. The online registration will generate an appointment number and registration number on which you will submit on the day of your appointment. PSA will be going to each city and municipality in the Philippines so be patient in waiting for an update on your online registration.

3. Walk-in registration. Big shopping malls like SM and Robinson's all over the Philippines have opened their doors to allow walk-in registration for Steps 1 and 2. However, please note that there is a limited number of registrations accommodated daily so please be early should you decide to choose this option. Know how many registrations that each walk-in center can accommodate first (it can vary from 150-300 registrants daily), what time do they start giving out numbered forms to the registrants so you can plan your day very well. The ages of the individuals allowed for walk-in registration depend on the IATF rules. Some areas already allow individuals as young as 15 years old, some allow 18 years old and above only.  

When you have decided to do a walk-in registration, please bring two valid IDs as they will scan them. Make sure that the ID that you will bring bear an ID number. You can bring either of the following IDs: driver's license, PRC license, SSS/UMID ID, passport, postal ID, voter's ID, PSA birth certificate, valid school ID with a visible student number.

On capturing your photo, women should not wear heavy make-up. Remove contact lenses (colored and prescription) for a retina scan. Earrings should also be removed. Wear appropriate clothing (no sleeveless top).

During the walk-in registration, a printout of the registration will be given to you bearing a QR code. PLEASE DO NOT LOSE IT. You can also take a photo of the said paper should you misplace the paper. You will not be able to claim your ID if you lost the paper.

I will also suggest that you bring a book or your work (if you're doing a remote job) if you will choose to do a walk-in registration.

Kib and I were done with the national ID registration, we will just have to wait for the delivery of the IDs in 3-6 months.

If you have time, you may opt for #3, but if you can wait and want to be sure of the slot, register online and wait for the appointment schedule. I would suggest registering all your family members under one mobile number only for easy tracking of the appointment schedule.

Be counted! Register now!

One of the most exciting and nerve-racking things to do is to move to a new place. It means a new environment, new friends, a new neighborhood, new work, new school, among others. Moving to a new place can also be a bittersweet moment as individuals leave the things that they have gotten used to.

Moving to a new place takes a lot of planning. You need to do a lot of research about the place if it fits your personality and your needs. In addition, you need to check if the cost of living is high or low. 

I've recently read a book, "The Overseas Fabulous Pinay" by Donna Avellana-Künzler (read my review about it here). The book tackled everything a Filipino needs to know about living in another country. To be honest, I've been also thinking of moving to another country, and one of the countries that I'm eyeing is Canada, maybe in the Calgary part. I've heard that there were lots of Filipinos in the area so I won't have any problems adjusting to the culture. Probably the major adjustment that I and my son will have is the weather. 

Living in Canada has lots of benefits for single parents like me and it is the nearest in the United States where most of my relatives live. If not for this pandemic, I could've been processing my papers already. I have been already checking online for the available houses in the Calgary area. You may also check out Calgary Homes for Sale on Redfin. I've learned that Redfin is one of the most reputable real estate listing sites in Canada, so if you are looking for homes all over Canada, check out Redfin's website.

Anyway, I'm writing this blog as a reminder for me in the future should I start planning for our migration. I will write down tips on how to pack your stuff which somehow I've also experienced when we moved into a new home 16 years ago. During that time I didn't listen to my parents and I was at work when we moved. The movers were the ones who packed my stuff, and as a result, I lost some of my personal stuff.

Moving can cost a huge amount of money, so try to save some bucks, so what I'm going to write about are money-saving tips in packing before a move.

1. Ask friends and family for old big boxes for packing instead of buying new ones. You don't need to buy new boxes that you will not use again in the future. Instead, ask your family and friends to donate the big, old boxes that they do not use anymore. This is to save you cost in buying new ones. Reinforce the box with packaging tape so that the contents will be secured inside the box once the movers have lifted them. 

2. Don't forget to label the boxes! Labeling the boxes is beneficial for you and for the movers. It will help your movers to place the boxes in a particular room of the new house. You don't want your bedroom stuff to be left in the kitchen by your movers. In addition, this is also to help you identify what are the contents of each box so that when you start unpacking, you already have an idea where to place each item. 

3. Use towels and shirts in protecting fragile items instead of buying peanut foams. Fragile items such as small appliances, drinking glasses, and plates should be handled with care. If these are not packed properly, do not expect the movers to also handle them with care. Wrap the fragile items with papers (no need to buy kraft papers, old newspapers and magazines will do) and use towels and cotton shirts as paddings.

4. Have a garage sale or give items for free. Don't feel obliged to empty your old house. You can leave some things there or much better, hold a garage sale for your neighbors and friends. They understand that you cannot bring everything with you and moving is costly, so definitely they'll support you on this activity. You must create a list of what items to be sold at the garage sale for easy inventory. Sell it at a low price so that it will sell fast. Please note that holding a garage sale can take much of your time too. You may also opt to sell your items too at second-hand store goods but be prepared that your items will be sold to you at a very low price (to give space for profit).

You can also give some of your items for free too! Friends and family will love that you are giving away the items that you will leave behind.

5. Do not mix stuff from other parts of the house in a box. When a box has extra space for other stuff, don't be tempted to fill it up with other stuff from the other parts of the house. This will save you time in looking for it when you start unpacking. 

There you go, here are my money-saving tips for packing! Are you now ready to move?

If you've been reading my entries for a while now, you might know that I have experience in blogging and knowing what kind of content I'm writing about. I've been doing this for a while now, actually. In fact, I just started blogging late last year!

I want to be passionate about this profession, since doing art and writing not only is fun but has a lot of perks. You get to make commissions, connect with tons of artists and bloggers alike, and get to write whatever you want to write. In fact, it's my dream to be a successful internet influencer and artist when I grow up, which is why whenever I make a new entry on my site or make a new art piece, I strive for quality.

That's all for now everyone. I hope you get to check out my work sometime soon! -Kib

I have been seeing posts of some people crying foul over shared posts claiming that it is their original quote or photo. These people have been complaining that they aren't even acknowledged as the main source of the said quote or photo. They are claiming copyrights over those materials that they have shared online.

I, too, have been victimized over such things.

Smart Parenting had made me a resource person when they wrote an article about Solo Parent ID. I guess the reason why they were able to find me as a credible source was they found my original blog post on the Internet. They even asked me if they can use my Solo Parent ID photo included in my original blog. Smart Parenting duly acknowledged me as the source, even citing my website for others to visit too.

However, one friend saw another blog post about Solo Parent ID and also used my Solo Parent ID in the blog. What made it worse was that the blog only cited Smart Parenting as the original source, missing my blog and my name in the article.

I sent a message to that cite, asking to take it down. Thankfully, without further questions, the said post was deleted.

Another incident was when a news documentary about plants used the photo of my missing plant in their report. It was posted on our Facebook page but deleted some important details, like the Facebook page when they flashed it on the screen. The news agency didn't ask my permission to use my photo in their report. Despite that, I wasn't offended at all. I didn't even bother to call the attention of the news agency about it.

I'm wondering: what are the parameters of the Copyright Law, especially in digital works?

I have written an earlier blog about Copyright Law but it only covers the distribution of the digital version of printed materials like novels and workbooks. This time, I want to interpret Copyright Law based on the digital works of bloggers/vloggers, influencers, and content creators.

While Facebook has some information about Copyright Law, it also mentioned that it may also vary from country to country. You may check the Copyright Law info on Facebook HERE.

So, to further clear things up, I asked a friend who used to work as a paralegal in the United States to further interpret the Copyright Law in the Philippines.

I asked my friend how the Copyright Law could be applied to content creators, influencers, and bloggers. I have written about the Copyright Law earlier about the illegal distribution of printed materials online, so this time, I want to clarify if the same thing is applicable to those who are writing their thoughts, ideas, and opinions online. I got shocked to know that ONLY ARTISTIC AND LITERARY WORKS can be protected by Copyright Law in the Philippines. This means that general ideas and concepts are NOT PROTECTED. Anyone is allowed to copy another blogger's/content creator's/influencer's concept or idea.

To reiterate, only artworks and literary materials such as books and essays that have been published are protected by the Copyright Law.

I also asked about the ownership of photos. If you post a photo on social media (e.g. Facebook, Instagram Pinterest, etc.), it means that you are allowing the website to use it. Technically, as the owner of the photo, you still have control over the photo and you can delete it anytime you want. The photo owner still has the copyright over the photo, but since it was posted on social media, it means that you are giving the website permission to be used by others. However, the case is different on your own website. It is easier to protect the photos on your own domain than on social media. My paralegal friend reminded everyone to be careful in posting personal photos online because, in essence, you are giving them to the public for free.

Don't fret. Watermarks and disclaimers can help in protecting your photos. 

On the other hand, logos and branding are under trademark, but if the business is not registered and the logo isn't registered as a trademark, no one could cry foul over it. So it is very important to register your business and your logo to fully protect your proprietary rights.

I further asked about the ownership of literary works, particularly in Wattpad or Dreame. Not all written works there are not yet turned into a book, so I wondered if these will be protected by the Copyright Law. My friend admitted that even in the U.S. it is a gray area. She checked the Copyright Law in the Philippines and there are lots of things that our current law is silent with regards to the protection of artistic and literary works. 

To check whether the copyright was applied to literary works online or to the 'silent concerns', she advised that the next thing to do was to check if there are court cases/precedents.

If that's the case, how can we protect the works that we have online? 

I've asked my paralegal friend for the best practices that we can do as content creators/bloggers/influencers if there is a way for us to protect our works.

She straightforwardly said to me that there is NO WAY for content creators/bloggers/influencers to cry foul publicly over ideas that are copied on social media. Copyright Law does not apply to personal opinions or theories. We can put all the watermark or disclaimer if we want to, but it will still not stop people from sharing or copying. 

I'm thankful for my paralegal friend who helped me understand Copyright Law further. While I know that this will be a bitter pill for content creator like me, what we can do is to always remind our followers and readers to be vigilant and to always remind them to give due credits instead of putting CTTO on the shared post.

One of the things that also want to fulfill in my lifetime is to write a book. I am surrounded by book authors, editors, and writers and they have been encouraging me to come up with printed material. I'm flattered because they believe that I can write something that will encourage and inspire people. At this point in time, I still have no idea what to write about: a children's book, an inspirational book, or an academic book.

My son, Kib, is also dreaming of coming up with his own book. He has been writing short stories in his notebook, and now, he is exploring Wattpad. He is also writing blogs so that he can practice his writing skills more.

Years ago, I came across Kath Eustaquio-Derla on Facebook. I had been following her because she gives valuable tips and insights for aspiring writers. I had been wanting to attend one of her talks but unfortunately, the schedules conflict with my activities. 

Luckily, I was able to see her "Web to Print" webinar post. I immediately signed up because I do not want to pass another opportunity to listen to her. 

The webinar exceeded my expectations! I really learned a lot from her two-hour talk. The participants were also given an opportunity to ask questions.

In a nutshell, this is what I've learned from Kath Eustaquio-Derla's "Web to Print" webinar:

1. There are two routes to take in printing your book: traditional and self-publishing. Both have their pros and cons, so it is better to choose which one will work for you. While Ms. Derla is pushing for self-publishing more, she is not also limiting the author in choosing the traditional route. It really depends on your resources on which option will be better for you.

2. Read the contract thoroughly before signing. Make sure that the contract is both favorable to the author/writer and to the publisher. There are cases that the publisher gains more than the author/writer. Ask all the questions to the publisher first before signing the contract. There are instances where the author/writer will be stuck for life at the publisher should the author/writer decides to write a sequel of the book.

3. Send synopsis only, not the entire book. If you're pitching your novel or book to a publisher, DO NOT SEND everything until you have signed the contract. This is to protect your work from being plagiarized and for you to be credited properly. 

4. Hire an editor. In traditional publishing, editing is not a problem because they have their own editor, but in self-publishing, it is ideal that you hire an editor to check your work. A poorly-written book will tarnish your reputation forever, so invest in hiring one.

5. Write a book with at least 135 pages. According to Kath, a book with 135 pages is not so thick nor thin. The book should also have a dimension of 8.5 x 5.5 inches. Moreover, your book must also have at least a 12,000-15,000 word count.

6. Submit your manuscript in MS Word format to your editor. This is for easy editing. MS Word has edit history tracking, you can easily track the edits made on your manuscript.

Want to know more about writing a book? Read Kath's first-ever non-fiction book, "Appendix B: 8 Things You Really Need to Write, Self-Publish, and Sell Your Book (Fuck Passion)". This book will guide you on how to write and publish your first-ever book. 

Kath has lots of stories and experiences to share! I super love her for being bold and fearless with her thoughts about book writing and authorship. She supports aspiring writers, whether they have a good following or not. She is after the talent and not the popularity of the writer. 

Kath has a mentorship program for aspiring book authors! You may visit her website at www.paperkatbooks.com to know more.

Kath rarely gives a webinar due to her busy schedule, so if by chance you saw her setting up a schedule, sign-up and free your time! It's really worth it, I promise.

So, are you ready to write your book?

 Kib and I love playing computer games. I was exposed to playing computer games in the 80s and 90s. My cousin had an Atari console, so we usually played Pac-Man and Space Invaders. Later on, my uncle gifted us with a Nintendo Entertainment System where we enjoyed playing Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, Tetris, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Punch-Out, Duck Hunt, Contra, Gradius, among others. 

Later on, when desktop computers started to gain popularity for home use, I got hooked on playing installed games on our computers, like Solitaire, Minecraft, and Prince of Persia. My brothers, on the other hand, like playing Warcraft, Doom, Star Wars, and other shooting games.

I started exposing Kib to computer games when he was five years old because his uncle gave him PSP. He was also given a tablet and a Playstation. When he was younger, I limit his exposure to computers because I wanted him to be more focused on reading and studies. He only started to be really hooked on playing computer games when he was 13 years old. 

Now that he has a laptop on his own, he explores a lot of computer games online. He loves playing Fortnite, Team Fortress, Friday Night Funkin, among others. On the other hand, I love playing games on my mobile phone. I love playing searching games, word games, puzzles, among others.

Kib and I only play free games because we wanted to save money.

Later on, I came across a website called Plays.org, a free online gaming site where most of the games are in 2D format. It has more than 100 free games ranging from simulation games, word games, typing games, etc. It made me feel nostalgic because this is the format of computer games when I was young.

Tap Supermarket 

Fight Virus

Kib said: It is one of the several games on Plays.org that fits my standard. It is similar to Tap Supermarket, except at this time, you'll have to tap more items. The player must tap the viruses to prevent their spread and also tap other rooms of the hospital the patients are playing. It can also be found in the Simulation Games section.

I said: It's more challenging than Tap Supermarket. It is also very timely as you need to fight the virus and cure people. You have to keep the virus level inside the hospital at a minimum level while tapping patients to go to different sections of the hospital to get cured.

Among Rescue

Kib said: It's a simple "pull the pin" game that uses the Among Us astronauts as its main subjects. It's very entertaining and therapeutic by my standards. I will not get tired of playing it over and over again.

I said: I have already heard about Among Us and I'm so glad that Plays.org has its own version of it! It's a very easy game, the red character must avoid and kill the blue characters by solving puzzles on each level. On easier levels, the red character must get the gems.

Play Maze Game

Kib said: It's a maze game where you need to guide a dot to get from Point A to Point B. It's hard to play on the computer, but easier to play on mobile or tablet.

I said: If you love mazes, this is perfect for you! It is a time-pressure game that you need to solve a maze in a given time period. You can choose from Easy, Medium, or Hard mazes. I have tried the Easy and Medium mazes, and yes, beating the time is very hard!

Mister Bullet Shooting Game

Kib said: It's an HTML 5 version of the mobile puzzle game of the same game. The game's basic premise is to assassinate enemies by letting the bullet ricochet on walls and barricades. The game is best played by downloading the game.

I said: It's a fun shooting game similar to Angry Birds! It's a game that needs physics skills as you need to angle the gun in a specific way to shoot all the enemies.

Play Tangram Puzzle Game

Kib said: It's a 3D tangram game where you connect shapes together to make another shape like a car, a cat, or a boat. I used to have a tangram game and it was really challenging. I highly recommend that you also play this game.

I said: Tangram is a classic! It stretches your mind on how to solve puzzles by turning basic shapes to form an image. It also has a therapeutic effect.

Flip the Gun

He said: It's an HTML 5 version of the mobile arcade game of the same name. It's similar to the bottle flip challenge, but this time, it's a gun. The goal is to endlessly flip the gun with the use of its recoil while collecting coins. This is better played on a mobile phone.

I said: This is a very short shooting game. You can finish the game in ten seconds and play it over and over again to gain coins. Shoot coins and do not let the gun fall on the ground. 

House Painter

He said: It's a puzzle game that involves painting houses. This is also a mobile game and I think this is better played on that device.

I said: This is a perfect game for very young kids! Simply paint the whole house and you're done! The objective is to paint the house in the least possible time to have more earnings.

Typing Games

Kib said: There are various types of typing games that you can explore on Plays.org which can use to practice your typing skills and improve your accuracy and speed. I also play those games because I want to improve my typing skills and memorize the placing of the keys on the keyboard.

I said: I also like typing games! It helps me to practice my fingers in typing. There are lots of typing games on Plays.org that you can choose from.

What I like about Plays.org is that you can play the games there using your tablet, mobile phone, laptop, or desktop! There are games, though, that are best played using a mouse and not a trackpad or by using the swiping feature of the mobile phone and tablet. Plays.org has different games that interest you and your kids. Moreover, new games are introduced regularly, so check the website every now and then to be updated.

Start exploring Plays.org together with your kids today!