Should all of the flooring in the house be the same?

The perfect flooring for your house or office may add beauty and value. Yet, with so many alternatives on the market, choosing the best flooring can seem impossible and intimidating, especially if you're shopping for the first time. Natural hardwood, tile, vinyl, carpet, tile, laminate, and bamboo are just a few of the many varieties and styles available. There are also these luxury vinyl tiles. What is lvt? is a product that resembles real wood and stone flooring but offers many more advantages. There is no scarcity of flooring options. 

The first step in picking the best flooring is to choose the appropriate flooring material. It's a good idea to start with the essentials to make the project less of a headache and that won't eat up your time. Keep in mind that your room's decoration concept will be built around the flooring. As a result, it's critical to get the flooring just perfect. 

Before you choose the materials for your flooring, there are a few things to think about. If you're planning to put flooring in multiple rooms in your house, you don't have to use the same materials or patterns in each one. The sort of flooring material to install in a room must be determined by the purpose and intended use of the space, as well as the available budget.

When it comes to choosing the correct flooring material, the location of your home is crucial. If you live in a hot and humid area, for example, you should probably choose a non-rotting, cool-to-the-touch material like stone or granite. If you reside in a cooler climate, however, you may want to install carpet, rubber flooring, or organic hardwood flooring. Furthermore, you don't want to use a material that is readily destroyed by moisture, such as unprotected wood in a bathroom or flooring that is too delicate to be utilized in heavily frequented places.

Before deciding on the sort of flooring material, inspect the room's basis - underlay and subfloors. Subfloors and underlayment are crucial considerations for any flooring installation. The stability and lifespan of any flooring depend on the proper selection and preparation of the underlayment and subfloor. You want your flooring to stay solid and stable and not shift over time, which could lead to cracks or breaking. Underlayments for soft flooring materials like carpet or natural cork differ significantly from those for hard surfaces like bamboo or hardwood. Match your flooring materials to the appropriate underlayments.

Your home should be a reflection of your style and preferences. From contemporary designs to more conventional aesthetics, there are floorings to suit all kinds and inclinations. Traditional hardwood flooring, which comes in a variety of hues and patterns, goes with practically any interior decoration idea if your budget allows it. For a traditional aesthetic, newer materials such as bamboo wood flooring, bamboo laminate flooring, or hardwood laminated floors are less expensive options. A laminated floor is simple to maintain because most spills and scuffs can be removed with a quick wipe. There's no need to use harsh cleaners or scrub too hard.

It's always best to stick to your flooring budget while ensuring that you get the best value for your money. Consider shopping at flooring wholesalers or discounters to get the most value for money. They normally sell in quantity, so buying in bulk will save you money. Don't try to save a few dollars at the expense of quality. In the long term, lower-quality flooring may end up costing you more money in the future when you need to fix it. Before going out to a hardware store or home improvement store to shop for new flooring, do your homework and learn everything there is to know about flooring.

When searching for flooring, keep the aforementioned suggestions in mind. This type of flooring will improve the aesthetic appeal of a room while also increasing your enjoyment of your house. 

Staying hydrated helps prevent illnesses during the rainy season

Press Release

The sweltering summer days are over as the country’s weather bureau declared the start of the wet season. During this season, we need to keep our guards up because many illnesses emerge.

These include diarrhea, caused by viral or bacterial infection; waterborne illnesses like typhoid fever, cholera, and leptospirosis; and vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue. 

To avoid contracting these diseases, Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. (PCPPI)—the exclusive manufacturer of PepsiCo beverages in the country—reminds the public to keep hydrated, especially that we are in the middle of a global pandemic. 

“It is important that we keep our immune system strong. One of the easiest ways to do this is to stay hydrated,” said PCPPI president and chief executive officer Frederick D. Ong. 

To stay fit and protect yourself from diseases, here are some healthy habits you may do.

Eat healthy

What you consume today will have a huge impact on your health in the future. A good eating habit is one of the most basic practices to have a robust immune system. 

Making a well-balanced meal is simple - just add more fruits and vegetables, choose whole grain food, switch to low or zero fat options, and cut back on sugar. 

Exercise regularly

Exercising remains one of the most effective methods to strengthen your body during the rainy season. You do not have to buy expensive machines or pay for gym subscriptions. You only need at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. To safely exercise at home, you may check various workout videos online. If you opt to do outdoor walk or run, follow social distancing and other safety protocols. 

As part of your workout routine, replenish what you lose in sweat with sports drinks like Gatorade. It contains electrolytes that rehydrate your body to avoid dehydration.

Get enough sleep

Getting enough sleep is as important as eating healthy and exercising. A study from the Carnegie Mellon University found that people with poor, short sleep have greater chance of getting sick.

Quality sleep helps uplift your immune system. To get quality sleep, reduce your blue light exposure at night, avoid caffeinated drinks before bedtime, and reduce day time naps, among others. 

Hydrate

Proper hydration is vital in having a strong immune system. It detoxifies and flushes out waste materials from your body. It also helps transport nutrients to our organ systems. 

               

Taking in safe water is a must to avoid infection from water-borne diseases. To have a clean drinking water, you need to boil water for at least three minutes or do water chlorination. Or you can drink purified bottled water, like Aquafina and Premiere.

If you’re moving all day and feel sluggish or tired, that’s because you lose more than just water when you sweat.  You lose fluids and electrolytes. With this, it’s important for us to stay healthy and hydrated with an Electrolyte Drink like Gatorade Ion. 

“Even during rainy season, we need to hydrate to arm our body from diseases and keep our immunity in top shape. Over the years, PCPPI has been helping Filipinos achieve that with our hydration drinks,” Ong said. 

PCPPI is the exclusive manufacturer of well-known beverage brands in the Philippines: Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, 7-Up, Mirinda, Mug, Gatorade, Tropicana, Lipton, Sting, Premier, Milkis, and Aquafina.

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About Pepsi Philippines

 

Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. (PCPPI) is the exclusive manufacturer of PepsiCo beverages in the Philippines, with a relationship spanning 70 years. PCPPI's principal stockholders are Lotte Corporation, Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co. Ltd., and Quaker Global Investments B.V. PCPPI manufactures and sells well-known beverage brands: Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, 7-Up, Mirinda, Mug, Gatorade, Tropicana, Lipton, Sting, Premier, Milkis, and Aquafina. It has established 14 operations across the country, serving more than 700,000 outlets and providing employment through its extensive distribution network. PCPPI is committed to create a positive impact on society with programs focused on environmental sustainability, nutrition, education, and livelihood. For more information, visit www.pepsiphilippines.com.

How to Become a Real Estate Agent

 

Photo by Cup of Couple from Pexels

Finding a career that you enjoy, that allows you to work for yourself, that allows you to establish your hours, and that pays well? That may appear to be near-impossible. It can be difficult to find work, especially in the current situation we are facing due to the pandemic. We are all aware of the businesses foreclosed, the high rate of the employment recession, and the downfall of economic growth. Would this be the best time to find a new career? A career in real estate perhaps? 

A job as a real estate agent allows you to be your boss, set your own goals, and earn a living while assisting customers in finding their future homes. 

Obtaining a license is the first step in entering the profession. State requirements vary, but most states require real estate brokers to take classes and pass a licensure exam. The requisite courses are offered at many community colleges and may also be available online. These classes, however, are usually not extremely expensive. One can also apply for real estate scholarship grants for their continuing education on the said career. The David Ebrahimzadeh Scholarship is intended to recognize students who are pursuing a degree in real estate or who have a strong interest in real estate.

Following the acquisition of a license, the next step in your career is to select the broker for whom you will collaborate. A broker is someone who has completed three years of further training and is licensed to run their firm. When choosing a brokerage, the size of the firm, years of experience, whether or not there is a mentorship program in place, and how the firm creates leads are all significant factors to consider. One good source to a broker's reputation is referrals from relatives or friends who have recently purchased or sold a home can also provide valuable insight. This can be done through applying in their firm or that certain business will reach out for your service and be a member of their team.

Next, you'll be able to start promoting yourself as a real estate agent. Consult a mentor who can point you in the right direction, or ask friends and relatives for recommendations. Business cards, signs, and advertisements are also effective ways to inform others that you are interested in assisting them with their home purchase or sale. One powerful tool to reach out to more clients is to go online. Create and set up your social media channels, promote and get leads to properties and people with the same interest. Make yourself and your business be known with just one click of a button. 

It's not every day that you hit the jackpot.

This implies that you will not always be able to reach sales targets. This is something that all real estate agents are are well aware of. It's simply more difficult to persuade customers to buy when the market is down. As a result, commissions are reduced, or even no commissions at all. 

Agent and Buyer expectations. 

Real estate agents can anticipate meeting a wide range of people. Clients and customers vary. Some would be simple to deal with, while a large number of others would be quite challenging and needs another extra hand to work with, especially if this is a potential buyer that demands details and specifications. A real estate agent should be flexible, resourceful, know how to understand the need and requests of the client. You should serve your client with the utmost patience. 

The job of a real estate agent pays well and can be a gratifying one.

6 Steps to Secure Your Data

Data rules our lives. From simply filling up a form for contact tracing to submitting an online application for an official document, we give out information that can be collected, kept, and used.

For sure, there are valid reasons for collecting such data. But sometimes the data can be misused. To help prevent identity theft, loss of funds, besmirching of your reputation, and other troubles of our digital world, here are some steps you can take to help keep your data safe.

1) Avoid oversharing on social media. Never post your plane tickets, travel plans, full name of family members, including middle name/mother's maiden name, IDs, etc.

2.) Dispose hard copies of your financial documents properly. Shred and do not just crumple or leave around bank statements, SOAs, receipts, etc. You should also shred packages where your name, mobile number, and address are written. Go if possible.

3.) Be careful with the raffles you join online and offline. Do not get too excited about winning without checking first if all the data being collected are necessary.

4.) Do not use unsecured internet and app connections. Think twice before connecting to any public Wi-Fi, especially if there are no passwords. Always download from your mobile phone's official app store rather than from random sites. It is best to clear your cache regularly to delete the cookies collected from various sites.

5.) Always be careful where you use your cards. Never lose sight of them when paying for something, and watch the store attendant handling them.

6.) When shopping online, before you enter any personal or financial information, make sure that the site you are on is legitimate and secure. The easiest way is to look for “https” at the beginning of a site’s address. If you don’t see the “s” at the end of “http,” then the site is not encrypted and your data will not be secure. All legitimate shopping sites have the “s” for your protection.

The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) always reminds employees and clients about the importance of securing one’s data.

“When it comes to protecting your data, it helps to know a few tips on how you can keep your personal information safe,” said BPI’s Enterprise Information Security Officer and Data Privacy Officer Jonathan John B. Paz. “We just have to keep ourselves informed because fraudsters get craftier every year, and cybersecurity is always a shared responsibility.”

Press Release: 

ABOUT BPI

The 169-year-old Bank of the Philippine Islands is the first bank in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. We are a universal bank with an expanded banking license. We provide diverse financial services that include deposits, cash management, asset management, securities brokerage, foreign exchange and capital markets investments, bancassurance, corporate lending, leasing, and investment banking. BPI has significant financial strength, with strong Tier 1 capital adequacy ratios and profitability, underpinned by a strong risk management regime. BPI is rated investment-grade by international credit ratings agencies.

E-mail: Media: mrbembalado@bpi.com.ph Investors: Investorrelations@bpi.com.ph

Bank of the Philippine Islands l Ayala North Exchange Tower 1, Ayala Avenue corner Salcedo St., Legaspi Village, Makati City 1229 PH l +632 246 6366l www.bpi.com.ph