EMONG'S JOURNALS

Reaching the midyear mark naturally triggers a financial gut-check. After six months of balancing bills and everyday expenses, staying on budget shouldn’t mean sacrificing the food and conveniences you love. Instead, the focus is entirely on maximum affordability – finding smart, budget-friendly ways to stretch your peso while protecting your wallet. To help everyday consumers beat the midyear pinch, foodpanda’s Pro Weeks is back with budget-saving deals. From June 1 to 7, pandapro subscribers can unlock exclusive perks and discounts across food delivery and groceries. Whether you’re ordering a solo lunch, stocking up the pantry, or feeding the whole family, Pro Weeks cuts down your expenses significantly, with up to 50% off on select restaurants such as Andoks, Shakey’s, Gong Cha, from June 1 to 7. Those savings also extend beyond meals, allowing pandapro subscribers to get up to 50% off on select pandamart items and up to 20% off on sele...

Convenience is always within reach at 7-Eleven, from ready-to-eat meals to on-the-go essentials. Their CLiQQ app also makes every visit rewarding by letting customers earn points, redeem rewards, and make transactions all with the same app. Now, users can continue to enjoy a simplified experience because the platform just got an update. That’s right—the brand’s loyalty and rewards program app hit refresh, and it’s ready to make everyday errands simpler and even more rewarding for every kapitbahay. With the CLiQQ 2.0, expect a modern look and an added store locator, wrapped in the same trusted app users know and love. The perks include earning points for every purchase, which can be used to redeem rewards, such as snackable favorites like Big Bite and 7-Fresh Siopao. Users can also pay cashless at any 7-Eleven branch with the CLiQQ wallet, pay bills, top-up load, and cash in their E-wallets, right in the palm of their hands.  ...

Mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc.(Smart) and its value brand TNT are giving subscribers more ways to stay connected and enjoy their favorite online activities with FREE Facebook access available through select prepaid, home, and postpaid offers. From May 27 to May 31, Smart Prepaid, TNT, Smart Bro Prepaid and Smart Home WiFi Prepaid subscribers who register to qualified offers will receive 1GB of FREE Facebook access valid for one day, enabling them to stay connected with the people, communities, and content that matter to them. Meanwhile, Smart Postpaid subscribers who purchase qualified boosters for their postpaid plan from May 27 to May 31 will receive 3GB of open access data valid for 30 days, giving them extended flexibility for everyday digital needs. Across all segments, the FREE Facebook access enables Smart and TNT subscribers to maximize a wide range of everyday online activities, such as staying updated ...

As many Filipinos rethink where they work, gather, and find support, Ayala Malls introduces Our Common Place—a shared space initiative that makes malls more useful, accessible, and responsive to today’s realities.  Across the metro, work arrangements are evolving, with many navigating improvised remote or flexible setups—yet not all homes are equipped for comfort or productivity. At the same time, rising costs are reshaping how households manage everyday expenses, with people seeking practical, accessible ways to meet daily needs or support one another within their communities.  Rolling out across One Ayala, Greenbelt, and Glorietta this May, Our Common Place is designed around these everyday needs, with shared spaces that serve as everyday forms of support—one offering space to work, rest, and connect, the other providing a simple way to share resources—making the mall not just a destination, but a place people can return to, r...

The rapid development of mobile photography over the past two decades has made it easier and more accessible than ever for anyone to become a master behind the lens. While text and voice were once the primary ways we communicated with each other, today photos and videos have become integral to how we connect and share. But as mobile photography has become woven into the fabric of everyday life, people also expect more from their cameras—for them to go beyond simply capturing a moment and instead become a tool for expression, storytelling, and creativity. This shift is also reshaping the mobile industry, with collaborations between smartphone brands and traditional camera makers playing a growing role in how photography is experienced. One such partnership is the collaboration between Xiaomi and Leica—a partnership that is redefining mobile photography by bringing together over a century of photographic heritage with the latest smartphone...

Giving students and young professionals more space to learn, create, and multitask every day Every big idea starts somewhere, during late-night reviews, brainstorming sessions, creative projects, and daily school tasks. Keeping up with how today’s generation learn, create, multitask, and unwind, TechLife introduces the new TechLife Pad Plus 2, giving more users more space and power to turn everyday moments into bigger ideas. The TechLife Pad Plus 2 was officially unveiled on May 21 through TechLife’s Facebook Page and TikTok account, bringing fans closer to the launch of the brand’s latest addition to the Pad series. The livestream featured rising reality show personalities Ashley Sarmiento and Rave Victoria, collectively known as “AshRave,” alongside host and courtside reporter Kyla Kingsu. Positioned as TechLife’s latest productivity and entertainment companion, the TechLife Pad Plus 2 brings together an immersive large-screen ...