Online Banking vs Offline Banking

A battle of convenience vs security

Advantages of online banking
*Stay at home and do all your transactions like fund transfer or paying bills without using up much of your precious time.

*This means more free time for everyone!!!

*Want to know more advantages? learn more.



Advantages of offline banking
*You can talk to a human being in person and get a clear solution to your problem if you are having difficulty with regards to banking.

*You get to exercise if you walk to the bank or minimal exercise when driving a car.

*Security in the physical world is much more intuitive for most people- keep your checkbook in a safe place or don't let someone peek when you are entering your PIN.

Disadvantages of online banking
*If you are having problems, your queries won't be answered immediately unlike when you are physically in the bank. The reply to your query might take time.

*Online security is opaque to the end user. People who aren't particularly tech savvy have a tough time differentiating between good online security practices and bad online security practices.

Disadvantages of offline banking
*It takes to much time to drive to your bank then, lining up to pay bills. Watch this video representation of online and offline banking.

Online banking has grown dramatically—indicating that security concerns common a decade ago have been alleviated.

Consider:

• Strong user growth
—Online banking in the US grew to 44 million consumers in 2006. -In the UK, online banking usage has grown 50 percent since 2005.-In Finland, only 10 to 15 percent of all banking transactions are now done over-the-counter.

• Less hacking
-A 2006 Gartner survey showed only 8 percent of banks reported external hacks against their systems.

• New forms of attack required
-Since direct hacks against banking systems became very difficult, cyber criminals have resorted to phishing consumers with falsified emails. Today, 60 percent of banks report suffering from phishing attacks.

Are you ready to use and feel the advantage of online banking? mouse here.

More visual disadvantages of offline banking...

The famous ATM ipit-pera modus operandi




Bank Robbery

... aside from the famous hold-up events.


On an end note, we all know that we can't purely depend on online banking because there are those times that you really need to go to the bank physically.

This is just merely an article showing some of the advantages and disadvantages of online banking and offline banking.

Are you a BPI user? Register an online account for FREE!

5 Ways To Get Hired - Job Interview Guide

Financial Crisis or not, we all need to work. Sometimes, all we have is just one chance -- not more, maybe less. Do you know the difference between successful person and others? What sets them apart is how they respond to these life experiences.

Top 5 Ways to Pass Your Dream Job Interview
Your phone rings and... surprise! You’ve just been invited for a job interview -- a job you wanted to have and the company you want to work with. What should you do? You’ve never been in an interview before or always screw up on interviews.



Nevertheless, here are some ways to pass that interview...
• Be Punctual. Arrive 15-20 minutes earlier on the said schedule. Allow sufficient time so that you won’t arrive looking stressed or flustered. But if circumstances ‘beyond your control’ prevent you from getting to an interview on time, always ensure to notify the recruiter/employer. An apology should be extended.

• Relax. This is the best suggestion I can give before an interview. Easier said than done, right? Try to take a deep breath and recall all your accomplishments: the education, training and experiences you have. Accomplishments are also applicable on fresh graduates, experiences during your thesis or internship will do.

• Be prepared. Always bring an extra copy of your resume and make sure you know what position you’re applying for. We all know that companies have different job vacancies, I’m sure you don’t want to be in a situation where the recruiter ask you “what position are you applying for?” then you say “ uhmm.. I can’t remember”. Moreover make sure to have an in-depth research about the company, on what they do and their vision/ mission.

• Be Honest. Most job interviewers can distinguish a false answer. Instead of lying, try to focus on your strengths. Interviewers don’t look for a perfect employee but the best person suitable for the position and what you can contribute to their organization. If you are a fresh graduate, you have to assure your prospect employer that you are trainable, and that you have the drive to learn new things.

• Limit your questions. After the interview, most job interviewers may ask you if you have questions or clarifications. Make sure to limit your questions regarding the scope of the job. You may ask them to further discuss the nature of the job or what would be the next step after the interview. If you have question regarding the compensation, I suggest you to postpone this question until your second interview.

Lastly thank the interviewer then end it with as smile and handshake. Make the interviewer feel that you mean business.



Do’s and Don’t during the interview
• Do ask your friends to conduct an interview with you. This may help you feel less nervous and confident during the interview.

• Do get enough sleep. It’s better to have good state of mind during the interview.

• Do give straight to the point answers. Don’t include non-related answers. If you’re being asked on what is/are your contributions in project A don’t include your contribution in project B.

• Do bring necessary things only.

• Do keep your resume on a folder or envelope to avoid it to be crumpled.

• Do make yourself look professional and impressive for your interview. Long-sleeved polo, neck-tie and slacks for men while polo and slacks/ skirt for the ladies.

• Don’t wear printed polo and neck tie. (e.g. floral, cartoon character)

• Don’t tap your feet.

• Don’t answer calls during the interview. Better to put it on silent mode.

• Don’t over accessorize yourself. It is ok to express your freedom but remember, you are not going to a party.


Where to find and apply for a job?

1) Search Google and click the first link (Click here)

2) or go to www.imumo.com

Article Credit:
AAC - Former HR of a multinational company in the Philippines

Swine Flu 101: What, symptoms, cure and medication

Swine Flu 101: Things you need to know about Swine Flu.
"Prevention is always better than cure"

What is Swine Flu?
Also called Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Simply put, Swine Flu is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease normally found in pigs. Also caused by the orthomyxovirus thought to be the same viurs that caused the 1918 influenza pandemic.

How does Swine Flu spread?
Influenza viruses can be directly transmitted from pigs to people and from people to pigs. It spreads through tiny particles in the air or by direct contact.

Can humans catch Swine Flu?
Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human infections with swine flu have occurred. Most commonly, these cases occur in persons with direct exposure to pigs (e.g. children near pigs at a fair or workers in the swine industry).

Can people catch swine flu from eating pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food; you cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products.

What are the symptoms of Swine Flu in humans?
Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea as symptoms.

How about the symptoms of Swine Flu in pigs?
Like humans, pigs get the flu. They develop a sudden fever, a barking cough, sneezing, lethargy and typically lose their appetite. Not every animal infected displays symptoms.

Short history of the Swine Flu.
The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930. Most swine flu viruses belong to the Influenza A H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes.

When does Swine Flu outbreak usually occur?
Swine influenza viruses circulate among pigs throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter, just like with outbreaks in humans.

Swine Flu tips and FAQs

I got the flu shot this year. Am I protected?
No. H1N1 swine flu viruses are very different from human H1N1 viruses and, therefore, vaccines for human flu would not provide protection from H1N1 swine flu viruses.

Is this a new kind of swine flu?
Yes. The CDC reports that the virus in these latest cases is a never-before-seen mixture of viruses typical among pigs, birds and humans.

The influenza A H1N1 virus contains DNA typical to avian, swine and human viruses, including elements from European and Asian swine viruses.

Although it's called swine flu, this new strain is not infecting pigs and has never been seen in pigs.

What are signs of swine flu in pigs?
Signs of swine flu in pigs can include sudden onset of fever, depression, coughing (barking), discharge from the nose or eyes, sneezing, breathing difficulties, eye redness or inflammation, and going off feed.

How do we prevent Swine Flu from spreading or infecting us?
To prevent it, the CDC urges hand-washing, plenty of sleep, and drinking plenty of fluids. (You can't get it from pork, if you're wondering, although you may recall that pigs have also now been found to carry "superbugs.")

Is there a cure or vaccine?
Vaccines are available to be given to pigs to prevent swine influenza. There is no vaccine to protect humans from swine flu. The seasonal influenza vaccine will likely help provide partial protection against swine H3N2, but not swine H1N1 viruses.

What medication should we take?
There are four different antiviral drugs that are licensed for use in the US for the treatment of influenza: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir. While most swine influenza viruses have been susceptible to all four drugs, the most recent swine influenza viruses isolated from humans are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. At this time, CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine influenza viruses.

======
Swine Flu information sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/key_facts.htm
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090424/swine_flu_090424/20090424?hub=Health

Related news about the Swine Flu:
Philippines warns on hugs, kisses over flu fear
Swine Flu alarms world
Swine Flu hits Pangasinan
======

Video Contest: Win a vacation to the Philippines!

FREE TO JOIN! FREE FOR ALL!!!

What can I get?
> The video you made will become a reality for you and a friend!

How to join?
> Go to http://awesomephilippines.com/.


AWESOME PHILIPPINES PROMO MECHANICS:

1. Create your dream holiday video by remixing video travel clips, photos and music tracks from www.awesomephilippines.com.

2. Find the different clips of specific destinations in the Video Remixer.

3. Pick and edit cuts of the different travel clips and photos based on your own storyline.

4. Choose the soundtrack of your video from the songs available.

5. Register to enter the contest. As a user, you may submit more than one video entry.

6. All submitted videos will be showcased in the website (www.awesomephilippines.com) gallery and widgets.

7. Your video will be rated by other registered users via a thumbs-up, thumbs-down system.

8. Videos with the highest ratings will be short listed. From the shortlist, 11 videos will be selected by MTV Asia and the Philippine Department of Tourism as the winning entries.

9. Each creator of a winning video will get to fulfill his/her dream holiday with a friend.

10. This promo runs from February 27 to May 24, 2009. All submitted videos will automatically become the property of the Philippine Department of Tourism.



Let me spoil it no more. just go to www.awesomephilippines.com

Chuvaness Rocks! Pepper Lunch rocks too!

One of the first few things we talked about are her blogs' readers -- according to Ms. Cecile, girls and gays are the majority readers of http://www.chuvaness.com/

Ok, just to make everything clear, I am straight.

I have this habit of browsing blogs and plurks (or twitter) of others. I gain learnings from time to time and I become updated with current events or what-have-we-nots.

One Thursday night, I went home later than my usual. I browsed plurk and saw a post regarding a contest that might end that very same hour. I checked out the contest website and found out that Ms. Cecile (The fashion icon) was the one holding the contest! (Just a week before, I was browsing through her blog but that post wasn't there yet.)

Feeling very sleepy, I tried to stay awake and finish the contest because I decided to join. It was all worth the while because an hour later, I won!!! Funny thing was, I wasn't expecting to win therefore, no MSPaint nor Yahoo mail was ready that time. I did everything as fast as I could using my 2-year old laptop which I am very familiar with :)

I met her 2 days after. Jeroen and Cecile were both down-to-earth. Who would have imagined someone like them who had achieved a lot would be very approachable.

==Important==
Guys! Favor! If you have time, vote for Cecile in Samsung's Style Icon Search.
(This won't take more than a minute)

1. Go to http://samsungultratouch.com.ph/
2. Click nominees' profile
3. Click the vote icon below Cecile's profile
===========


Here are the items I won for being the 3,000,000 viewer:
* Cheap Monday cardigan from Theodore's
* 10,000 pesos scholarship from Informatics
* 2,000 pesos Happy Feet Sandals Gift Certificate
* 2,000 pesos Dome Cafe Gift Certificate (Dome Cafe, if you are reading this, I host websites and I can design and code website for you. Para hindi na underconstruction ang website nyo :) )
* A designer rag bag from Rajo Laurel
* 1,500 pesos House of Laurel Gift Certificate


Harajuku Towel from Japan


The Sweet Life by Ange


The Sweet Life Cookies by Ange


I love Chuvaness bag tag from Tickles


Pepper lunch mousepad


Bunch of GCs amounting to 19,500


A shop at The Podium (Actually, this was a 1000 pesos GC a few hours earlier. I bought an avec laptop bag worth 1,850)


Francis M original T-shirt


Pepper Lunch charm


Pepper Lunch pouch


Baggu eco bag


Sony Ericsson T700

Again, thanks Cecile for the wonderful package!!! I love everything!

Congrats for getting your 3-millionth viewer and a new Chanel Bag courtesy of Jeroen. Advanced Happy Birthday!!!

Who killed Mrs. Failon / Mrs. Etong

Being a journalist has it's own advantages and disadvantages. Some advantages of it had been experienced by bloggers first-hand. While most enjoy the advantages, a lot doesn't know the other side of it.


One disadvantage and at the same time an advantage is that, as a well-known public figure, your life would be considered public property. Do you know that when the new Mitsubishi Montero Sport came out, a lot of people reserved and waited just to purchase one and he didn't. You know why? people were afraid of the things he could do. Although I don't think such would happen, the reporter/ broadcaster image is there to stay.

Take this case for example. What happened yesterday was a shock to most of us. Who would've thought Ted can do such (if he really did)? To tell you the truth, I find it hard to believe, but.. as a journalist, he knows the standard operating procedures of police work and he knows what to do.

The disadvantage here is, he exposed a lot of bad things about the police and other public officials before. This might be a way of getting back to him. This might be also the reason why those police are so angry with him.

Tampering with the evidence is one thing I cannot figure out still. Why do they have to clean everything? They can just keep his 12 year old daugher away from the crime scene rather than cleaning everything. Also, why clean the car immediately after rushing his wife to the hospital?

See? everything is a blur as of the moment. One thing is clear though. How can they have financial woes then he has 2 SUVs in the garage and 2 sedans (needs to be confirmed) and another SUV(Toyota Tacoma? confirm please) parked outside his big house? What we are sure of right now is that he has a Pajero and a Montero Sport.

So, who did it? Let's just hope she recovers soon for the resolution of this tragedy. Just pray for her recovery.

Related news:
Ted Failon's wife brain dead after sustaining a head gunshot

My short talk with DPWH Sec. Hermogenes Ebdane

It was a busy day for all of us and even more for DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. but, he made time for a limited number of bloggers to meet up with him and interview him on-the-spot!

I am not fully aware of everything in the Philippine politics but I can say that I am knowledgeable of somethings that most people are still unaware of. I would still rather keep them a secret before I get charged with libel here.

My first impression of the DPWH secretary was wrongly predicted for the few hours we stayed with him. I thought that he was a serious man who would speak like any grown up man tackling government and society but, to my surprise, no! What was amazing was, he told us his past experiences and hardships that made what he is today.

Let us not judge any government official by their cover. Sometimes, we should also see the entire picture and focus on a new perspective to understand complicated things.

It has been also said that DPWH is the most corrupt government agency in the Philippines. To tell you the truth, I do not think so. I would think that the PASG or the BIR would overtake DPWH without sweating. I am thinking of one reason why the survey result showed that. It is because DPWH is easily remembered and is known to almost everyone.

For instance, someone asks a person in the streets randomly, "What is the top 3 most corrupt government agency to you?" Surely, that person would say the top 3 government agencies he can think of! What if that person can't think of anything else? He will look around and check out the road construction with the DPWH name in it. Get my point?

People must also understand that the process is much more complicated than accusing DPWH of being the most corrupt government agency. There are higher ranking officials other than Sec. Ebdane himself in which, he should also follow. Serving in several administrations already, he has the experience and knowledge on what is happening with the government.

The problem with people is, we always see the negative side of a person and we forget the good things they have done with one wrongdoing.

Anyway, thank you for the interview time you granted us Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane.

This was his photo when he was still the secretary of the Department of National Defense.
DPWH Sec Hermogenes Ebdane's Profile

Perspectives: Ano Sa Tingin Mo? ( 21st Philippine Ad Congress )

"Perspectives: Ano Sa Tingin Mo?" is this years theme of the 21st Advertising Congress to be held in beautiful Baguio.

As explained by the committee, they chose that theme because all of us are used to seeing things that we don't see them in any other way. To better explain that, watch this video:



With 'Perspectives', delegates will gain insights on new ways and means on advertising. Traditional is boring. It will teach you to look at things on a whole new level rather than just seeing a glass half full or half empty.

Also, Baguio is celebrating their 100th year of cityhood. Several venues including Camp John Hay, Baguio Country Club training center and ballroom will be utilized for the must-attend advertising/marketing event of the year.

The Ad Congress will offer relevant information about the entire marketing discipline through inspiring speakers and the grandest exhibition ever. This year's keynote speaker is Fernando Zobel de Ayala.

Again, mark your calendars! November 18 to 21, 2009 in Baguio City!

For more information, please visit http://www.adcon.com.ph/
or email them at perspectives@adcon.com.ph