Winning in WINILA!

I just discovered something awesome! I'll let you in on this one guys because it's Christmas! So make sure you listen VERY CAREFULLY!

A few days ago, a good friend of mine handed me 2 cards. I was dumbfounded what it was for (but I had a hunch these were prepaid cards) though it clearly stated WINILA on the front. Of course none of the telecommunication companies was named like that so obviously it wasn't for prepaid cellphone credits. He told me it's a new auction site and said that I should check it out. I was like "Yeah sure!" then a little smirk here and there. Being the skeptic that I am, I wasn't really that optimistic that I'll win anything online. I got the cards out of my wallet the morning after my shift and decided to take a look around. Then I typed http://www.winila.com on my address bar. These 2 gals caught my attention. They said something very promising.

To tell you honestly I didn't really expect much and thought that I'll just be wasting these credits for nothing. I didn't want to just give up so I'll try my best to check out the best practices in the auction format that they have. That first day... I didn't bid on anything. I was looking at how the others were doing it. Someway, somehow I think they only bid when the counter almost ends. I thought initially that the more bids you have on your bank, the more chances that you are going to get that item. In some ways that maybe true. The latest generation 8 Gigabyte IPOD up for grabs that time and clearly everyone was gearing towards bidding on that item that costs 8 thousand pesos (or maybe even more) out in the market. Some of them went around 5 thousand worth of bids but they didn't win it (make sure you read and understand everything on the HELP page, lotsa tips about it there too!). What I understood from watching them was that you need to have the brains in this game... you need to have tactics to outlast the bidders no matter how much bids they have in their accounts. Most of the winners implemented bidding at the last second. It clearly was another "A-ha!" moment for me so I tried to do it the next day to somehow try and practice it in my head.

It was late in the afternoon that I decided to go back to the site and implement my plan. The hungry boy in me said that MAX's Fried Chicken gift certificate looked pretty darn amazing so I'm going to give it a try. When the auction started counting the last 20 seconds, I saw the bidders appear one by one on the same product page. There were about 10-15 people (or maybe more) who wanted it like me too. I was waiting for them to bid so I could feel who among them wanted it more. I thought about bidding once or twice but I was hesitating since some of the other guys were going back. It went down to two people putting in bids, the other one was spending a lot and the other was probably weighing if he could outsmart the first guy. After a few exchanges I was seeing the other one generously bidding even without finishing the allotted 20 second time limit. I said to myself "he looks like he's reaching a card's limit (because they are in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 - which costs around P200, P500, P1,000, P2,000 and P5,000)" I was getting a hunch he bought 2 pcs. of the 20 bids so his maximum bid is 40. When the other stopped responding I immediately went in and exposed myself online (no pun intended) and make sure that the other guy feels I have lots of bids up my sleeve. When he got on the 30+ mark I saw him literally finishing each bid duration. It looks like I was right all along, he is running out of bids so I went all out. It was only incrementing 44 cents per bid. It took the second turn and VOILA! The clock struck 0 and my name turned RED. Confirming I got this one in the bag for measly 3 bids only. What a GRAND DAY! I can now buy the GC for only 87 pesos. Yeap you heard it right... that's only 87 pesos versus 500 bucks that I can use for any MAX's Restaurant branch nationwide!

I immediately checked out the things I won and had the option to buy it now on my screen. WINILA also sent a corresponding email confirming that I won the bid (isn't that convenient?!). Their payment system is pretty straight forward. You can purchase the items you won via these 3 options; Bancnet, Credit Card or Globe Handyphone's GCASH. I chose to use my ATM card and the usual bancnetonline.com payment screen comes in the picture. They use bank standard encryption on the line so you are SURE nothing goes astray. I paid for it then got the confirmation that it was successful! There are two arrangements that you can do to get the items you won. I emailed their customer service facility and got a reply right away that they can ship it to me via JRS for a couple of pesos or I can pick it up in their Makati office. Both were easy for me but I need to see this for myself (hence the trip to their office next week).

The next day, I logged in early morning and saw cellphone prepaid cards also being auctioned off. With a couple more bid credits still left on my account I waited for the auction to almost end. When it was at the point of going into the 2 second mark I immediately bid on it and got the top position. There were like 4 of us exchanging bids at that time and I waited a bit for some of them to lose interest on the bid. Sure enough, there were only 2 of them left at the last part. I did my technique again of waiting for the right time to bid and when I did... BAM! I WON 500 pesos worth of SMART prepaid load! So in 2 days I won the auction and still have credits on my profile. I couldn't believe it myself! Imagine what I got for just making the right decisions... I love this now! Not only did I get a 500 gift certificate on my favorite Fried Chicken Restaurant, I also got 500 pesos worth of SMART Prepaid credits. I thought I was unlucky not winning anything in our Annual Company Christmas party but this is just CRAZY! It's truly AMAZING!

I guess they were right all along... that in WINILA, you just have to spend a little and WIN BIG! I'm surely going to purchase more bid credit vouchers online and get my friends into this too. So my dear readers, if this testimony isn't enough proof of how lucky you can get on the site, spare me the drama and get me those bid credits. We can never tell!.... but if you get me some of those credits too I'll try my best to win some for you! You can start by simply clicking HERE to REGISTER! Believe me it's worth every penny!

UPDATE!

Getting there at WINILA

I went to their Philippine office in Makati to claim the items I won. It was a short trip via the MRT. Just ride it until you get to the Magallanes Station. Go down and hail a cab to the Allegro Center (Chino Roces Avenue). If you feel a little health conscious you can simply walk there; it ain't that far at all. A short jeepney ride would suffice just ask to be dropped off Lumbang/Allegro Center... most drivers know it! =)



You can easily spot the building from Pasong Tamo Extension (Chino Roces Avenue). Here it is!

This is the actual building. Allegro Center!

WINILA re-launched last 10-10-10 with a revamped site to say the least. There's a policy now where you can only bid and win items twice a week so you are sure everyone's going to have fair game. I love how this solves the problem of people winning everything just because they have lots of bids up their sleeve! There's a fair chance for everyone to win something every week!

The WINILA Philippine Office!

IPAD, IPHONE, Nokia Cellphones, Designer perfumes, watches and gadgets galore!

I was at awe at what I saw there. IPODS, designer watches, cellphones, gadgets, cards, gift certificates... it was all spread out at the front of their office so you wouldn't miss it! It's just beside the bank.



It's so easy to get the item you won, just call and pick it up Thursdays/Fridays the week after you won the bid. I went there this morning and got the card I won! Signed the claim forms and got photos with the item too... they'll post it on the WINILA Facebook page so you really know there are REAL people winning these items!

Insider tip: If you also get a thousand bids per month (for 6 consecutive months) you'll achieve VIP status at WINILA. I also learned there are special perks if you become a VIP. You have to be one if you want to know! =) (but the 10% off the bid price is one of them!) There's also up and coming tie ups with the nation's lead game corporations so make sure you wait for that too!

I would like to personally thank the good looking Mr. Jeff Calilao, the beautiful Ms. Charice Ann Cenit and everyone at their Manila office for accommodating me in the WINILA this morning. Thank you also to Mr. Marcel Barthels because without you we wouldn't have experienced something as good as WINILA!

Thanks for the shirt too! ^_^



Au revoir!



P.S. On 1/11/11 an IPAD unit is up for grabs so make sure you load up those bids and get that gadget everyone's been dreamin of! I'm gonna bid against you though! ha-ha!
(WINILA logos, images belong to their owners. Thanks!)

My Dream Villas In France

Working so hard the past year I have been contemplating where to go for a vacation. The usual ones would be the neighboring countries in Southeast Asia but I've grown tired traveling on most of them. This year I'll be trying my luck on backpacking in Europe. I'll be going alone but I'll try my best to raise some funds so I can get my Mom to come along. This particular trip would probably involve us to France because she wanted to go to Lourdes (because she's a devoted Catholic) while the hopeless romantic in me would prefer a night or two in Paris (the city of lights). It's also one of my dreams to shoot from a countryside shabby chic cottage so I would like to find villas in France that we could stay in. We might decide to stay a week since we would be able to save a lot than by just staying overnight. I hope I can get ample amount of vacation leave credits so this would be feasible. I want to also experience the exquisite food they are known for. Oh I can almost taste it! I want to have my own villa someday too but this would be nice to get a feel of it! This is but a dream!

Paris is legendary for its nicest lights and the Eiffel Tower. Seeing the gigantic but beautiful structure towering over the city would be the perfect way to end this trip. I would like to also get inside museums and see the artwork of the masters. Shooting landscapes and a couple of night exposures in that location would be blissful for a photographer like me. I wish to have my own villa holidays spent in Paris and elsewhere in Europe soon. I'm making a list of the requirements for VISA and planning the itinerary now. There are other countries that we would like to include too since it would be relatively easier to travel on local EU flights. I promised to visit my brother in Ireland and this would be the perfect time to do so. I'll also have to ask him about Spain and a couple of cities there. I'll have to make sure my money is spent on the greatest accommodations I could afford and still have money to splurge on a little shopping in the other countries on our list. I wouldn't stop myself to just take the train rides too so I could visit the outskirts and see the places that most tourists do not have on their plans. Oh just thinking about these makes me so excited! I'll tell you about it when all of these push through next year. Wish me luck!

The Gem Collection: A Compilation of Wisdom Book Launch

Joseph T. Bismark's book The Gem Collection: A Compilation of Wisdom was formally launched in the Philippines last December 11, 2o10. With Mr. Bismark coming in to the country, it was high time that he also met his adoring Filipino followers. Bestsellers by National Bookstore was the perfect venue. I got there right on time to see the great man and his work. I was in for more.

The mood was light and quite festive. We felt that too because this was more of a celebration. His work has been seen in a lot of countries and admired by thousands of people. I was definitely at awe on how he was received by the ones who attended the launch because as soon as he started to read a part of the book, everyone was glued to their seats and I see a majority of them nodding in agreement (saying "Yesssss... Yesssss..." on some occasion) as if I'm watching a religious exposition inside the mall. To tell you honestly I've never heard of him (no pun intended); but he was one of the few guys who had his book mentioned in a post from Jessica Zafra's blog (of which I'm a fan of being a book lover) stating that he had his work on best sellers list; and by well known fact, he's a Filipino! I was impressed to say the least from the lengthy and worthwhile introduction; but what I was more intrigued about was, what's all the fuzz with this guy?! What did he do to gain such admiration from them? Is he really that good of a writer?!

I was a skeptic to say the least and after all the merry making we did on the event I went in and bought a copy for myself. I never review books that I never read; and in this occasion I had to find out the answer to my own questions. I usually only read EBOOKS nowadays and I thought this was high time I go back to the basics and read the actual one. From the "Foreward" alone it was all making sense to me. He wrote and compiled his life's valuable lessons. I was doing a couple of pages and finished it in around 2 and a half hours (maybe less). I said to my self "Wait, did I just finish that whole book that fast?!" because apparently it was a feel good no nonsense read. I immediately got to relate on some of the anecdotes in between and realized something very valuable. I already knew the lessons in the book... I just wasn't using what I learned from life the same way that he did. His remarks about getting THE purpose in life was one of the simplest yet ingenious things I should have done a long time ago. I guess I was looking around too much that I forgot to look how damaged I was to begin with, and that I can still do something about it.


The things related to management was perfect for people like me who are in the same industry. You'll learn how to handle people and yourself well in a couple of parts. I highly suggest this for young professionals who are starting out/making their life's mission statement. He made me realize what I was worth because as I read the things in the book; they were also my gems after all. I also realized that I was worth more than I thought I was... and how valuable living this life with a purpose.


In the end, I surprisingly learned a lot from this book. I now know why they felt that way when they read it and why they were so grateful about this man. Because in someway, somehow, his book would make you find your own gems. He practically gave all those people back their own gems. So that's why... I also found mine.


Get a copy of it in all National Bookstore branches nationwide. Oh and did I forget to mention, I'm a fan of his work now! =)

Free Website Builder for Photography

I'm planning to put up a site for my photography portfolio. I know I have been making these sites through the goodness of the people who provide free templates but I need a special one that wouldn't look cheesy. I know there are great options out there and I'll probably get a website maker that would be easy to maintain and modify since I have plans to put up a lot of features on it too. It would also contain my contact information and packages that would surely be the delight of clients around the world. That is how far I would like to take this career obviously and if I would be able to make my own spread for the likes of Vogue or Cosmopolitan I can take a break from my day job!

I have very limited knowledge about how to create a website and if I push through on this new project I need all the help I can get so it wouldn't look second rate. I plan to put emphasis on the feelings of shock and awe once they get to my landing page. It should be above the ordinary standards set by web masters and I would like to use slide shows or graphics to make it easier on the eyes. The thought of putting audio though would be optional. I'm sure institutions like UCOZ Web Services can get me a free website builder and have it up and running in no time at all! They have a lot of things that can help you understand the site metrics which would be important in the business. The return of investment would be promising for any business as long as they use reputable tools to market their trade.

Why would I choose otherwise when UCOZ has got all the things I need to be successful?!