On Countering Text Scams and Spams.

A few months ago, I received this text message from an unknown number.
It read, "Your postpaid has been charged P500 for LTE use. Is this a wrong charge? Text 500 send to (2909*******) for Refund."

Just another text scam.

I knew right then and there this was a text scam - an attempt to 'extort' money through 'share-a-load transactions'. After all, I am subscribed to Globe's Unli Data Plan and there is absolutely no chance in hell (pardon the idiom) that I'd be charged extra for my supposed LTE use. Also, I'm pretty much aware that advisories from Globe do not come from 16-digit numbers such as the one above. Instead, they are labelled 'GLOBE' and appear as such on your inbox.

These text scams have become pretty rampant these days, and Globe has addressed this issue by implementing a new process where customers doing Share-A-Load transaction will be sent a validation text message.

Validation message.

Customers doing a Share-A-Load or a Share-A-Promo transaction will be asked to confirm their transactions. The step is intended to address proliferation of text scams that trick customers into doing Share-A-Load transaction without their knowledge.

The validation message reads as follows: “You are about to share PXXX load with 0916XXXXXXX. Reply YES within 5 minutes to proceed. P1/transaction. Report text scams to www.globe.com.ph/stopspam.” The validation message would come from 2652xxxxxxxxx where the last 9 digits are the transaction number. Replying to the message is free of charge. On the other hand, customers who fail to reply within 5 minutes will receive the following message: "We're sorry, but your Share-A-Load/Promo transaction has been cancelled because the response time exceeded 5 minutes. Please try again. Thanks!"

Last month, Globe reduced the amount of Share-A-Load transaction to a maximum of P150 for prepaid customers and P300 for postpaid customers to counter text scams asking for P500 Share-A-Load transactions. Text scam messages are varying everyday using spiels like rewards, loyalty, MSF discount, roaming and bill overcharge, waiver of charges, refunds, etc.

Globe urges its customers to immediately report thru http://www.globe.com.ph/stopspam and provide all the details required. Numbers that are reported as source of text scams will be immediately blocked from the network. Following the telecommunication company’s intensified efforts to combat text spams and text scams early this year, the number of reports using the website has reached over 42,000 since it was created in June 2014.

Foodie Goodie | Morning Muffins.

It's been awhile since I last posted a recipe on this blog! Wouldn't have realized it if not for one of my  dear readers who dropped me a line saying that she misses my food photos and home-cooked meals. Thanks for the kind words, Sarah! :)

And so today, I'll be sharing with you this muffin recipe. We call this 'Morning Muffins' since we almost always have muffins (or bread, for that matter) for breakfast.

Morning Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup sour milk*
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup oat flour**
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup instant oats
1/4 cup almonds, chopped

*To make sour milk, add a tablespoon of vinegar to a one cup measure and fill to the top with milk. Let stand for 5 minutes.
**To make oat flour, puree instant oatmeal in the blender until a fine dry powder is formed.

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 12 muffin cups.
2. Combine sour milk, butter, vanilla extract, egg and brown sugar and blend well.
3. Stir together oat flour, wheat flour, baking soda and cinnamon.
4. Add flour mixture to wet mixture and blend well.
5. Fold in oats, and almonds.
6. Fill muffin tins. These do not rise very high, so a full muffin cup is fine.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

As seen on Spoonful.

More food photos? Follow me on Instagram! :)

Wordless Wednesday #99 | Window Shopping.

Where's Yue? :)

Buying Golf Carts and Parts is Easy.

If you live in or near a golf community, you know just how important golf carts are to everyday life in such areas. There are countless communities just in South Florida alone that offer this easygoing lifestyle. When things go wrong with your cart, or you're in need of a new one, it helps when you have access to top experts.

When you use the Contact Us link on the website, you want assurance that you'll receive a fast answer to questions. Reputable golf cart companies like Blockbuster Golf Cars know how to make sure that customers are satisfied. There are several ways in which golf cart professionals are available to help you.

Photo credit: Village Golf.

A good dealer will have all of the parts and accessories that you need, from tire and wheel assemblies to seat kits and mirrors. It's important to have access to a full range of parts and accessories from the proper manufacturer. There's nothing more frustrating than being unable to get the parts that you need because a store doesn't have a diverse range of parts.

One thing that will often provide peace of mind is knowing that inspections for your golf cart are available. Inspections that cover all 10 safety points will help reassure you that your cart is good to go. An inspection is also an easy way to spot problems before they become a major issue.

Spotlight | Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick.

As you might recall, I received a box from Ever Bilena filled to the brim with their lipsticks. They were 19 in total, two of which I have already reviewed.

Today I'm showing you five more of those lipsticks, all from the Matte line.

Ever Bilena Matte Lipsticks.

The shades that I got are Viva, Off Beat Pink, Love that Red, Fierce Red, and Vamp Red. It's ironic how I got all these pinks and reds when these days I'm actually leaning towards peaches and nudes. Oh well. Like what I always say - a girl can never have too many lipsticks. Never ever. :)

From L-R: Viva, Off Beat Pink, Love that Red, Fierce Red, and Vamp Red. 

Here's how these lippies look like when swatched. The texture is creamy, and as you can see, the color pay-off is gorgeous. They're quite easy to apply, though you might experience a bit of tugging every once in awhile.

From L-R: Viva, Off Beat Pink, Love that Red, Fierce Red, and Vamp Red.

One thing I like about these lippies is their remarkable staying power. They stayed on my lips for about six hours, with a bit of eating and drinking.

Now here's how they look like when worn.

Viva when worn.

Viva is a light pink shade that's great for everyday wear. The color looks very natural with just one or two swipes, but you can build up the color if you want to achieve a brighter, more noticeable shade of pink on your lips.

Viva on my lips.

Off Beat Pink, on the other hand, is a lovely, blue-based shade of pink. This one's my most favorite among the five EB Matte lipsticks that I got.

Off Beat Pink when worn.

This shade bears semblance to NYX's Milan, one of my favorites from the brand's Soft Matte Lip Cream line. 

Off Beat Pink on my lips.

Love that Red is a beautiful, neutral shade of red.

Love That Red when worn.

This one's my favorite among the red lipsticks that I received. It's a pretty good dupe for MAC's Ruby Woo, too!

Love That Red on my lips.

Meanwhile, Fierce Red and Vamp Red are both darker and deeper shades of red.

Fierce Red when worn.

Fierce Red on my lips.

Both of them look very much alike, I'm actually having a hard time distinguishing one from the other in the photos, haha!

Vamp Red when worn.

Vamp Red on my lips.

What I love:

- Highly pigmented.

- Buildable color.

- Great staying power.

- Different shades to choose from.

- Widely available.

- Affordable price.

For only Php 165 a pop, these Ever Bilena Matte Lipsticks are a steal! 

What you might not like:

- Can be drying at times, so I suggest you wear a lip balm before applying the lipstick.

- The tube isn't quite sturdy. There's danger in breaking the lipstick if twisted carelessly.

Have you tried Ever Bilena's Matte Lipstick before? What's your favorite shade?