Wordless Wednesday #112 | Happy Birthday to Me!

I turned 33 last Sunday, and yes, I have no qualms about revealing my age. :)
Despite the bad weather brought about by Typhoon Hagupit, I was able to celebrate my birthday at home, with my family.

With my little man and my princess niece. :)

Big thanks to my fambam, my friends, my colleagues, and Chael Sonnen (he sent me a birthday greeting via Twitter, how freaking awesome is that) for making my day super special. :)

Make a wish! :)

Oh, and here's a close-up shot of my birthday cake. My sister got my KPop groups mixed up, and baked me an EXO cake! Haha, the irony! But who cares about the design, as long as it tastes great, right?

My EXO birthday cake courtesy of Bake it Away.

Globe offers Libreng Tawag from 8 countries to the Philippines.

Leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom is offering Libreng Tawag services to the Philippines from eight countries in Asia, Europe, Middle East, and North America in support of overseas Filipino workers who may want to check on their families residing along the path of Typhoon Ruby.

Gil Genio, Globe Chief Operating Officer for Business and International Markets, said that the countries identified are among those with the highest number of Filipino migrants and expatriates in the world.  They include Spain, UK, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, USA, and Italy.

The onslaught of Typhoon Ruby.
Photo credit: Inquirer.

“We realize how important it is for our kababayans abroad to get in touch with their families especially during calamities.  This is why we have set up free calling stations in these 8 countries where Globe is directly serving the Filipino communities there,” Genio said.                   

“In Italy, free calling services are available at the Globe Stores in Milan and Rome. For Spain, UK, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong, this public service started yesterday and is being offered through some of the accredited Globe retailers in those countries,” said Rizza Maniego-Eala, Globe Senior Vice President for International Business.                

“For the United States, Libreng Tawag in the west coast will be available in all branches of Seafood City through our partnership with them while Filipinos in the east coast will be served via web through the subscribed access service of Lunex, the Globe partner servicing the area,” Maniego-Eala added.                

Libreng Tawag will be available until 11:59pm EST on 08 December 2014.

Preparing for Hagupit | A Globe Telecom Public Advisory.

Typhoon Hagupit (local name 'Ruby') entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility today and has rapidly intensified into a super typhoon, with maximum sustained winds at 205 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center. Typhoon Hagupit is expected to make landfall in Eastern Samar by Saturday afternoon, and as of this writing, 18 areas have been placed under storm signals,

In this regard, Globe Telecom advises its customers in Eastern Visayas to take necessary measures in preparation for the super typhoon. The telecommunications provider urges its customers to charge their cellphones and other mobile devices, in case the weather anomaly causes extended commercial power failure. The company suggests customers may also opt to buy alternative source of energy such as power banks and rechargeable lamps with USBs.

Make your smartphone's battery last longer.

Here are some tips to conserve battery life of smartphones:
1. Log off or turn off unnecessary mobile apps or at least disable push notifications for nonessential apps.
2. Turn off unnecessary radios such as GPS, bluetooth and wifi.
3. Switch off vibrate function and utilize ring tone instead.
4. Turn off sync function.
5. Dim LCD screens and shorten screen timeout.
6. Minimize notifications and use phone only when necessary.

Customers in areas identified in the path of Typhoon Hagupit should also make sure their respective lists of contacts are in order. Contact lists should include emergency numbers such as the nearest hospital, police stations and barangay or community leaders.

Globe Senior Vice-President for Corporate Communications Yoly Crisanto said, “We are now strengthening our disaster-preparedness program in terms of added facilities, supplies, infrastructure, and manpower support so we can immediately attend to network and service concerns that may arise due to the typhoon,” she said.

Click image to enlarge.
Photo credit: Weather.com.ph

Globe regional teams are being mobilized to ensure they are well equipped to address network issues that could arise from the typhoon. Preparations include deployment of back-up supplies, power tools and infra materials, spares and back-up fuel. Crisanto added that the company's disaster-preparedness program also include employee-safety measures to be implemented in areas that will likely be affected.

Crisanto said the company is coordinating closely with government authorities, specifically the National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council or NDRRMC to ensure its disaster-preparedness program is aligned with both the national and local government efforts.