Watch Maxene Magalona’s Valentine’s Day Video for #HerFirstLove

Watch Maxene Magalona’s Valentine’s Day Video for #HerFirstLove

Monday, February 13

 

We can find all kinds of love in this lifetime, but nothing compares to a first love. Sometimes, it’s not the first person that gave them kilig, nor the puppy love that gave us butterflies when we were kids—for some of us, our first love actually began at home. 

For most of us, our parents are the ones who loved us first, unconditionally. Actress, host, and meditation teacher Maxene Magalona realizes this meaningful truth and shares it with everyone in a new Valentine’s Day video from PLDT Home. 

In the video, she pens a letter to her late father, the iconic and legendary master rapper Francis Magalona. 

Maxene describes how her father taught her the true meaning of love. “For you, love is about acceptance and non-judgment. You love others the way you want to be loved—by just letting you be who you are,” she writes. 

“The love my dad showed me is my first love. He was a very genuine person. He showed everyone sincerity and respect. And to me, that’s love – accepting people for who and where they are,” Maxene says.

Love, indeed, is patient and kind. Maxene continues to live on the love that her dad taught her. “The love you experience at home is the love that you model,” she shares. “Love is a safe space where you will be accepted and not judged.” 

In her letter, she mentions how her dad showed her unconditional love through his actions. “You always tell me what I need to hear, but in a kind and gentle way,” she writes. “You would laugh and giggle as you tell me that heartbreak and pain are a natural part of life.” 

This Valentine’s Day, Maxene shares #herfirstlove story with PLDT Home. “I’m very honored to be part of a project that speaks of this kind of love. When you experience that kind of love at home you’re able to share it with others. I’m happy and honored that PLDT Home chose me to share this message to others,” she says. 

She adds that her favorite part of the video is the love letter for her dad. “I get to reconnect with him even if he’s not here physically. It was a comforting and heartwarming experience because it makes me remember that even if I am physically alone, love really knows no bounds. My dad’s love lives in me. I want to continue that legacy of his love.”

Maxene concludes the letter by declaring that despite the painful heartbreaks, she’s not afraid to love again. “I will never give up. I will never lose hope. I know deep in my heart that I will find my true love one day because you showed me what true love is about. Thank you, Pop. I found my first love at home.” 

Watch Maxene Magalona’s heartwarming video on PLDT Home’s Facebook page or YouTube channel.

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Family time matters. This McDeliverback video makes me love McDonald's even more!

Family time matters. This McDeliverback video makes me love McDonald's even more!

Saturday, October 15

 

Most of us were able to spend time a lot of time with our family during the lockdown. We were able to have breakfast together while enjoying the Sausage McMuffin, hashbrown, pancakes, and brewed coffee. During weekends, we binge-watch on our favorites television series and snack on the family favorite BFF Fries and McFloat. No matter what time our cravings hit us, there's a food delivery rider working hard to bring our food to us.

McDonald's McDeliverback video gave me a peek into the lives of Jessie, Nelia, and Rey. The Filipinos are very family-oriented. But sometimes we have to make some sacrifices in order to give our loved ones a better life. Jessie lives with his grandmother and his schedule is graveyard shift so he usually sleep all day and barely has time to spend with his grandmother. I'm a lola's girl and I know how much our grandparents yearn to have someone to talk and share stories. Nelia who is a mom also doesn't get to be with her daughters. I felt the longing of her daughters for their mom because my mom was also a working woman when me and my sisters were growing up. Rey has to miss bonding with his son and has not visited his mother who lives alone in the province because of work.

Jessie, Nelia, and Rey have no idea that a big surprise was waiting for them. They didn't know that the order booked on the McDonald's branch was not for them to deliver a food. Instead, they found their family and friends waiting for them. 

The smile on the faces of Nelia's daughter is priceless! Whatever tampo they have for not being able to be with their mom most of the time was replaced with happiness. They understand that their mom's love is not measured by the length of time but spend together but by the happy memories they share.

Grandparents are the sweetest! I really love this scene. No matter how old we get, we will always be our lola's baby :)  I'm sure Jessie is the favorite apo. 

 I really got teary-eyed when Rey and his mom finally saw each other after so many years apart. Made me miss my mom so much. 

My family's language of love is eating. We literally spend a lot of time eating while chatting endlessly.  Although I see my sisters and nephew very often, I suddenly missed them after watching the video. I called up my sisters and told them to come over for lunch. 

McDonald's has been doing the tradition of giving back to their delivery riders in the past two years. These riders have been making us happy all the time. I'm glad that through McDonald's McDeliverback program, these hardworking riders were also able to spend precious time with their loved ones and share a meal together. 

Watch the video HERE and make sure you also surprise your family with their favorites from McDonald's. 

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How To Help Others In Meaningful Way

How To Help Others In Meaningful Way

Monday, October 3

Some people are devoted to easing the burdens of others, whether they be close friends or total strangers. These are decent human beings who genuinely wish to lend a hand and make a positive impact. It's human nature to turn a blind eye to suffering, even if helping wouldn't cost you anything or change your life in any way. However, as a whole, humans have a tendency to put themselves first. The widespread use of technology, which can cause us to feel emotionally and physically distant from others, may be to blame. It's harder to make a difference when we're emotionally and physically separated from those we're trying to help.

Therefore, it's great when more people break out of that mindset and take initiative to do good in the world. Maybe you can join their ranks. If that sounds like you, you may be wondering what you can do to actually make a difference in the life of another person. Have no fear; you have a wide variety of choices, from major life adjustments to minor acts of kindness. Learn some of them here so you can start helping others right away.

Change Careers

Changing jobs is a big decision that should not be made on the spur of the moment. You'll have to put in a lot of work to figure out exactly what you want to do and why. If you want to change your job and start over so you can help more people, make sure that whatever you do will also make you happy. If you're unhappy, there's no point in helping other people. You'll just end up resenting the people you're trying to help and regretting the decisions you made.

If you're sure you want to change careers and you know what you want to do, you'll need to make sure you can get any training or qualifications you might need. For example, if you want to be a nurse, a teacher, an advocate, or a healthcare worker, you'll need a degree to do what you want to do. Are you able to give what needs to be done the time, effort, and money it takes? If that's the case, this could be the best way to help people in a real way. It's not something everyone will feel comfortable doing, but if you think it's the right thing for you, go ahead and make those big changes in your life that will help you and so many other people.

Volunteer

When you volunteer, you can make a difference in so many ways. You can make a big difference by giving your time, whether it's a long-term job at a call center or charity store or a one-time task like giving blood, picking up trash, or raising money for a good cause.

Think about the things you're good at and what's important to you. If you care about people who are homeless, you might want to help out at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. If you care a lot about the environment, you might be able to do things like plant trees or clean up the sides of roads. There are a lot of things you can do. Some of them might be planned, but you can do others on your own. Just make sure that what you're doing makes you happy and helps other people, or you won't want to keep doing it.

Redirect Gifts

Gifts are nice, and it's great to get them on your birthday, at Christmas, or for any other reason. But when you look around, do you really need anything? Will getting the things you want really make you happy? It's possible that even though you think getting gifts makes you happy, it doesn't. Maybe you should try something else.

You could just tell people not to give you anything, but you know how good it feels to give something to someone you care about. Even if they tell you not to buy them anything, you'll still want to do it to show you care. So, even if you tell people not to buy you anything, they probably will anyway. So why not change where your gifts go instead? In other words, tell people that if they want to get you something, you would rather have the gift or the money they would have spent on the gift go to charity instead. You could even say the name of the particular charity you want to help. This will help them even more. This way, the charity will get a donation, you won't get gifts you don't need, and the person who gave you the gift will still be able to enjoy shopping or donating on your behalf.

Comfort Someone

People don't always know how to ask for help, and when they're sad, this is often the case. When someone loses a loved one or gets a bad diagnosis, it can turn their world upside down, but they might not know who to talk to or how to deal with their feelings.

Even though we've said that you could become a professional counselor and help people through talking therapy as a job, you don't need any special training to help a friend or family member, or even a stranger, who just needs a shoulder to cry on and someone to listen. If you don't have the right training, you might not be able to give them much advice, but you can give them comfort, perhaps by offering sympathy gifts by Memorials.com, which will help them a lot. Even if they don't say anything, just having someone there to listen can be enough. Letting your feelings and emotions out is a big part of getting better after a shock like a death in the family. If you listen and comfort someone as much as you can, you will make a huge difference in their lives.

Stop To Help

Every day, many different kinds of people need help in many different ways. If you want to help people, your first thought might be to give to charity or volunteer, or, as we've talked about, you could make the biggest change and start a new job in a field known for helping as many people as possible.

But it's important to remember that even though these things will help people and are good things to do, there are many other, smaller ways you can help that are just as important. Someone might be struggling with their shopping bags or trying to cross a busy street, for example. Someone may have broken down on the side of the road, and you can let them use your phone or help them change a tire. You can give someone the extra money they need to pay for their shopping or parking. When you want to help people, you can do a lot of different things.

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5 quality time experiences to spend with dad this Father's Day

5 quality time experiences to spend with dad this Father's Day

Wednesday, June 16

 

The experiences we share with our loved ones are forever. 

This Father’s Day, there is no better way to show your love for your dad than taking a few hours out of your busy schedule to catch up on each other’s lives, have fun, and just bond. 

We have a few ideas to jumpstart your perfect Father’s Day bonding session at home, and with your PayMaya app, you can enjoy a safer and more rewarding contactless shopping experience as you prepare for this special day. 

1. Break out the popcorn and stream the latest movies and TV shows. 

Staying at home to enjoy the best movies and TV shows have never been easier with digital. Whether you are into local movies and teleseryes, Hollywood movies, or K-Dramas, you can search for the streaming service that best fits you within the PayMaya app! 

We recommend the VivaMax One Month Subscription (P149) for top Pinoy picks like Ang Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam and Parang Kayo Pero Hindi, the iFlix One Month Subscription (P105) for a wide selection of Asian dramas and Western picks from FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano to The Penthouse, or the VIU 7-day Subscription (P59) to get your K-Drama fix (My Love from the Star, Mr. Queen, and Hotel del Luna, anyone?). 

You can also use your PayMaya virtual or physical card to subscribe to Netflix and enjoy trending Netflix Originals like Trese, Lupin, Vicenzo, and many more. 

2. Have a bonding session with your furry family members. 

For families with fur babies, even a simple walk around the neighborhood or grooming session can be a fun bonding opportunity! 

You can even stock up on pet food and any grooming supplies by shopping online at Pet Warehouse in the PayMaya Mall. Simply click the ‘Maya Mall’ button on your PayMaya app and search for your preferred merchant. 

Pay with your PayMaya-linked mobile number to enjoy an exclusive 5% OFF sitewide or 10% OFF on select brands until December 31, 2021. You can enjoy these exclusive discounts on top of the up to 100% cashback reward from PayMaya when you #PayWithYourNumber in the PayMaya Mall! 

3. Set a joint fitness goal. 

There are lots of types of exercises that you can do as a duo, from biking to running and even weights training. Just remember to practice social distancing and other safety measures while you are out there! 

Trying a new sport? Get your supplies from shops like Toby’s Sports, FITLAB and GRND in the PayMaya Mall and earn up to 100% cashback when you Pay with your PayMaya-linked mobile number for a minimum purchase of P500 until June 30, 2021. 

4. Have a wine tasting right at home! 

Cross this bonding idea off your bucket list by ordering wines you have always wanted to try, plus a delectable charcuterie board of cheese and nibbles to pair with them. 

Best of all, you can order your vintages and charcuterie boards in one basket with Pick.A.Roo in the PayMaya Mall. You can even enjoy up to 100% cashback when you pay with your PayMaya-linked mobile number. 

5. Try a YouTube cooking tutorial together. 

Always wanted to try making sourdough bread or baked pasta? Now’s the perfect time! You and dad will not just get to bond, the rest of the family also gets a delicious homemade meal. 

Missing a few ingredients? Shop online using the Super8 app and pay using PayMaya. You can also #ScanToPay for groceries at your go-to supermarkets like Waltermart, Robinsons Supermarket, and more to earn a P150 cashback reward for purchases of at least P2,000 for first-time customers, and P100 for return customers until June 30, 2021. 

To start enjoying safe, convenient, and rewarding transactions for your everyday needs, just download the PayMaya app at https://official.paymaya.com/CAK1/425eb133 and register an account. For your day-to-day transactions, don’t pay cash. PayMaya! 

PayMaya is the only end-to-end digital payments ecosystem enabler in the Philippines, with platforms and services that cut across consumers, merchants, communities, and government. 

As of end-March 2021, it provides more than 35 million Filipinos with access to financial services through its consumer platforms. Customers can conveniently pay, add money, cash out or remit through its over 250,000 digital touchpoints nationwide. Its Smart Padala by PayMaya network of 39,000 partner agent touchpoints nationwide serves as last-mile digital financial hubs in communities, providing the unbanked and underserved access to digital services. Through its enterprise business, it is the largest digital payments processor for key industries in the country, including "everyday" merchants such as the largest retail, food, gas, and eCommerce merchants, as well as government agencies and units. 

To know more about PayMaya's products and services, visit www.PayMaya.com or follow @PayMayaOfficial on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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