8 tips to help your TikToks stand out

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When you hear the song “Don’t Start Now” by English singer/songwriter Dua Lipa, what initially comes to mind? Do you imagine the visually stunning music video tied to it, or is your mind flooded with mental images of a plethora of dance covers on TikTok?

Indeed, TikTok has become a global phenomenon and, lately, has sort of become a therapy for most people especially in light of the community quarantines enforced worldwide. And with millions of active users on the platform, coming up with fresh and unique videos may seem like a daunting task.

Fear not because collecting plenty of views, likes, and followers on this rapidly growing platform is not impossible. Here are 8 tips on how to make Tik-Toks that stand out:

Immerse yourself in the “For You” page

Developing ideas and crafting them into your latest TikTok might be difficult due to the sea of clips already out there. But who says you can’t draw inspiration from these clips? Binge watch videos on the “For You” page to get a sense of what’s hot, what’s not, and what hasn’t been created yet.

Use your own audio clips

While TikTok has a vast library of songs and audio clips, they are only offered in segments lasting no more than a minute. Got a favorite? Why not use a separate device to play audio clips of your choice. Be wary of copyright infringement though.

Make every second count

To get a higher viewership count, make sure that the first few seconds of your TikTok has an impact that will easily reel people in. Try baked-in captions or brief and creative intros on your videos to entice viewers to watch your clips entirely.

Showcase your “talent,” but be yourself

TikTok is considered a safe space for people who want to explore and broadcast their skills and talents. Whether it’s dancing, singing, acting, cooking, or showing how talented you are at being talentless--that actually garners a lot of engagement--show the world what makes you, you. Just make sure to maintain authenticity because that is what the audience likes.

Go all out

While you’re at it, make sure to give it your all and showcase the best version of you. Don’t be ashamed of being a bit “extra”. Put on your best outfits, apply makeup, and unleash a burst of energy--it’ll only be a few seconds anyway.

Be relatable

Another way to make your TikToks stand out is to make them as relatable as possible. Try kickstarting ideas with a few unique questions like “How do I react during monumental scenes in a certain renowned movie?” or “How do I look when I wake up on different days of the week?”

Add in multiple hashtags

Maybe you’re thinking: “...but having a ‘gazillion’ hashtags is so 2013.” While that may be true for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, there is certainly zero judgement on the use of hashtags by the TikTok community. In fact, using a ton of hashtags like #fyp and #tiktokph, increases your chances of landing on the “For You” page.

Engage in a “Duet”

Joining forces with fellow “TikTokers” not only allows for wider audience engagement, but ensures a fun and interactive experience. Plus, you get to make new friends in the process.

Bonus tip: Follow influential profiles

Much like in fashion and design, it’s always good to have pegs that are consistent with your style and taste. 

Follow your favorite TikTokers and celebrities to be in the loop for latest trends. And while you’re at it, follow the brand on TikTok at @vivophilippines to get fresh and creative updates on products and services.

Resourceful Filipino volunteer uses Brother sewing machines to produce PPEs for frontliner

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Photo from Rod Jean Claire Dullan

As the Philippines undergoes its enhanced community quarantine to help prevent the further spread of COVID-19, many Filipinos are stepping up and helping out in any way they can, serving as an inspiration to many others to also do their part for everyone in need.

One such inspiring story is that of volunteer Rod Jean Claire Dullano, who shared how they relied on Brother sewing machines to produce a number of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and facemasks for medical frontliners.

Photo from Rod Jean Claire Dullano

“Your products have been so helpful to us,” said Dullano in her e-mail to Brother Philippines. “Thank you so much for your great effort in making quality machines for us. God bless you.”

Brother Philippines is truly honored to power meaningful efforts such as Dullano’s, and we salute everyone giving their time and dedication to help our country’s frontliners in these challenging times.

If you are using our sewing machines or any Brother product to help in the fight against this crisis, please do send us your stories at marketing@brother.com.ph. We would like to thank you personally and share your story with the world.

For more info and updates, you may visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BROTHERatyourside/. 

For any inquiries or concerns, please call the Brother Helpdesk Hotline at (02) 8 581-9898, through the toll-free line at 1-10-BROTHER, or send an e-mail to helpdesk@brother.com.ph.

Globe appoints Martha Sazon as new Mynt’s new CEOi

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Globe has appointed Martha Sazon as Mynt’s new CEO effective June 1, replacing Anthony Thomas who led the fintech company in the last three years.

Sazon has 12 years of leadership experience across various business units in Globe such as postpaid mobile, small and medium business, and broadband.

“Inherent to her is the ability to pioneer and execute breakthroughs that led to significant and sustainable results, all anchored on addressing the most important customer needs such as the MySuperPlan, SME solutions-selling, and Home Prepaid Wifi and Streamwatch Xtreme Prepaid, while transforming operations through agile and digitalization,” said Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu.

“Martha, as a leader, is a clear embodiment of Mynt’s current state that is ready to take on the future, fired up for sustainable growth and armed with an evolved, progressive approach to customer experience,” he added.

Globe also said that Thomas will remain to serve as an adviser to the board of Mynt.

“Mynt’s unwavering commitment in delivering world-class e-wallet services for the Filipinos has brought the brand GCash to its undisputed leadership position in the Philippine Fintech space today. This achievement would not have been possible if not for the leadership of Anthony Thomas in the last three years,” said Cu

Owned by Globe, Ayala Corporation, and Alibaba’s Group affiliate Ant Financial, Mynt is a mobile financial services company aimed to accelerate financial inclusion through mobile money, micro-loans, and technology, providing secure, accessible, and convenient fintech solutions to individuals, businesses, and organizations.

Mynt operates fintech companies GCash and Fuse. Both tech-based lending companies enable Filipinos to get microloans to business loans

Three Simple Recipes Based on Your Pantry Basics

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Exploring recipes using fancy ingredients that aren’t normally seen in the pantry can mean a lot of work since this requires going to the grocery store and making it through a long line of people. But having the pantry well-stocked with basic items is like having savings in the bank. When it comes to whipping up quick comforting meals, pantry staples are everyone’s best friend. 

With a little creativity, basic ingredients from the pantry and a multi-purpose kitchen appliance, special home-cooked meals for the family can easily be created. With Samsung Smart Oven which is designed as an all-in-one cooking partner that works as a convection oven and a microwave, anything special can be whipped up in just a few steps. This special oven can be used for baking, grilling, roasting, slim frying, heating, defrosting, steaming, and even making yogurt which can cover appetizers and even desserts.

Below are some simple recipes that can be done with the Samsung Smart Oven:

Samsung Smart Oven 32-liter

Samsung Smart Oven 35-liter          

                   

Baked Potato Skin with Garlic Cream Dip

Yield: 4-6 servings

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

8pcs. small potatoes, cleaned

1 cup chopped bacon

1 cup grated mozzarella or cheddar cheese 

2 tbsp. sliced spring onion for garnish

Garlic cream dip:

1 pack 125ml Nestle All Purpose Cream

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 clove minced garlic

1 tbsp. sliced spring onion

1 tbsp. minced parsley

2 tbsp. mayonnaise

½ tsp. fine salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Wash the potatoes. Cook potatoes on Crusty plate on a high rack using Microwave + Grill mode. Set aside to cool.

For both MC32K & MC35J: Select Microwave + Grill. Set at 600W for 15 minutes.

2. Saute bacon until crispy. Strain and set aside.

3. To make the garlic cream dip, mix Nestle All Purpose Cream, lemon juice, garlic, spring onion, parsley, and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until use.

4. Cut the cooked potato in half and carefully scoop out the middle part. Use scooped out potato for other recipes. Add bacon and cheese. Bake the potato halves on Crusty plate on a high rack using Grill mode.

For both MC32K & MC35J: Select Grill. Set cooking time to 5 minutes.

5. Transfer into a serving plate and garnish with spring onion. Serve with garlic cream dip.

Slim Fry Honey-Sriracha Chicken Wings

Yield: 4-6 servings

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

¾ kg. chicken wings, halved

1 sachet Maggi Magic Sarap

⅛ tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 tsp. paprika 

1 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. sriracha hot sauce

1 tbsp. sliced spring onion

1 pc. carrot, cut into sticks

1 pc. cucumber, cut into stick

Garlic cream dip:

1 pack 125ml Nestle All Purpose Cream

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 clove minced garlic

1 tbsp. sliced spring onion

1 tbsp. minced parsley

2 tbsp. mayonnaise

½ tsp. fine salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Season chicken wings with Maggi Magic Sarap, pepper, and paprika. Add soy sauce, honey, garlic, and sriracha.

2. Place chicken on Crusty plate on high rack and cook using respective modes:

For MC32K: Select Slim Fry button. Set program code to 3-3 (Chicken Wings). Select serving size and set time to 14 minutes. Turn over as the beep sounds. Press start to continue. 

For MC35J: Cook using Hot Blast mode. Set to 230 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes or until crispy. Turn over after 10 minutes. Press start to continue.

3. To make the garlic cream dip, mix Nestle All Purpose Cream, lemon juice, garlic, spring onion, parsley, and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until use.

4. Transfer chicken wings on a serving plate and garnish with spring onion. Serve with vegetable sticks and dip.

Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Yield: 16-24 servings

Cooking time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 bar 225g unsalted butter

1 cup 340g dark chocolate chips

¼ cup walnuts (or any nuts available)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups sugar

¼ tsp. fine salt

6 pcs eggs

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup + 1 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 cup powdered sugar

¼ cup Nestle All Purpose Cream

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine butter and chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl. Melt butter and chocolate chips using Microwave mode. Gently mix after melting.

For both MC32K and MC35J: Select Microwave. Set at 450W for 3 minutes or until fully melted.

2. Stir in vanilla and sugar into the bowl. Whisk in eggs one at a time.

3. Sift flour and ½ cup of cocoa powder. Gradually mix in the wet mixture. Fold in walnuts.

4. Lightly butter the baking pan using a wrapper of butter. Dust with 1 tbsp cocoa powder.

5. Pour batter and bake using respective functions. Set aside to cool for 1 hour.

For MC32K: Select Hot BLast button. Set to 180 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes.

For MC35J: Bake using Auto Cook mode. Set program code to A12 (Brownies). 

Adjust time to 40 minutes if needed, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the brownie.

6. Make glaze by mixing powdered sugar, Nestle All Purpose Cream and vanilla extract.

7. Remove brownie from pan and cut into serving pieces. Lightly drizzle the glaze and serve. 

Note: Recipe includes automatic pre-heating once baking details are entered in the oven.

To know more about premium Samsung products and its ongoing promos, visit https://www.samsung.com/ph/offer/2020/life-goals-raffle-promo/ 

World Vision and Shell Foundation distribute tons of fresh vegetables in Metro Manila and CDO

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World Vision Development Foundation (WVDF) today provides 16,800 kilos of vegetables to the residents of Quezon City, Malabon City, Manila City and Cagayan de Oro City, four of the hard-hit cities under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Children and communities receive fresh vegetables and other relief goods from donors of World Vision Philippines

In collaboration with Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI), the child-focused organization packed and distributed fresh vegetable packs containing okra, sayote, cabbage scorpio, wombok, potatoes, squash, eggplant, onion, garlic, tomatoes, bitter gourd, string beans, carrots and chili pepper to 5,750 households and 60 frontliners in Quezon City, Malabon City, Manila City and Cagayan de Oro City. 

PSFI’s Ani Para sa Bayani (translated Harvest for Heroes) project aims to help struggling small farmers sell their produce and to also ensure that frontliners and the vulnerable communities have access to nutritious foods. 

"Nutrients in vegetables could help strengthen our body's immune system to fight diseases including COVID-19. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables," shared Carleneth San Valentin, World Vision's technical manager for health. 

Staff and volunteers of World Vision Philippines pack and distribute tons of fresh vegetables to Quezon City and Malabon City

San Valentin explains that while we continue to implement interventions on COVID-19, programmes that address undernutrition and malnutrition especially among children under-5 years old in the country, whether nutrition specific or nutrition sensitive, need to continue. 

Nanay Nerissa, a mother of two from Malabon City shares that since the implementation of the extended community quarantine, his husband is not able to drive his pedicab and even get extra work and earn a living because they cannot go out. She adds “Umaasa kami ngayon sa paminsang minsang kita dito sa ulingan. Mahirap din para sa dalawang anak ko na bata pa, 10 at five years old dahil kung walang kita, sa relief lang kami umaasa.” (We are currently relying on the irregular income from selling charcoal. It is especially difficult for my two young children, 10 and five years old, while we do not have a stable source of income, we rely on relief goods.)

Her 10-year old son Ric, who is a World Vision sponsored child says he misses going to school but since classes are suspended, he sometimes helps his mother repack charcoal aside from cooking rice and cleaning the house.

PSFI Executive Director Sebastian Quiniones Jr. says, "This pandemic is allowing all to show the best of humanity, especially during this season of Lent where we are commanded to love one another. We at PSFI have always believed in the power of unity and collaboration, and this successful partnership with World Vision and Filipino farmers has manifested that." While the collaboration begins by supporting farmers in Luzon and assisting vulnerable communities in Metro Manila and Cagayan de Oro City, the organizations hope to extend their collaboration to other areas in need of assistance.

"Thanks to Pilipinas Shell Foundation for partnering with us in sending much needed help to families especially their children affected by COVID-19. We pray that God will continue to bless you even more as you generously give back to our communities," World Vision national director Rommel V. Fuerte said.

As of today, World Vision has provided 458 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits catering to 2,140 frontliners. It also helped install nine (13) tents to be used as isolation and triage areas for COVID-19 referral hospitals in Metro Manila, Misaims Oriental, Pangsinan and Bicol Region and two (2) huge mobile storage units each with an area of 320 sq meters for the Quezon City Risk Reduction and Management Council and Office of the Civil Defence. At least 2,000 families have also received sanitation kits that include bath soaps, alcohol, toothbrushes for children and adults, toothpaste, face mask and mouthwash. World Vision has also reached over 1.4 million people nationwide on awareness raising on COVID-19 including infection prevention and control (IPC) measures.

In a recent advisory, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) gave the go signal to local governments to use a portion of their development fund to address the threat of the pandemic, which includes the provision of food assistance and relief goods for affected households.

Meanwhile to slow down the spread of COVID-19, the Philippine government has extended the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine to May 15, 2020.

Life lessons from the pandemic

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The COVID-19 outbreak has been putting a large amount of stress on everyone. However, we must also remember that this is not going to last forever and that if we are open to it, we can learn many life lessons that can help us live better lives.

Strive to be empathic and give what you can – no amount or donation is too small.

Here are some valuable lessons we can take from the health scare and enhanced community quarantine.

Be prepared for any scenario. The best defense we can have against life’s uncertainties is to be ready for anything. Have an emergency fund and insurance for chaotic times like these. If you haven’t yet, build up a savings plan or take out health insurance— these are a couple of the best ways to deal with financial setbacks that may be caused by unforeseen events.

Make adjustments to your lifestyle. Since restaurants and gyms have been either limited or closed, this pandemic has been teaching us to eat better, get enough sleep, and make time to exercise even at home. Remember, what you do every day essentially affects how long and how well you’ll live. It’s always better to establish good habits sooner rather than later. 

Be a friend of the environment. COVID-19 has been a wake-up call to how badly we’ve been treating the environment. With the enhanced community quarantine in place and limited cars on the road, nature has been healing, as evident in the smog-free skies. Taking even small steps like carpooling, recycling, and planting more trees can help further restore the balance of nature.

Take time for yourself. Participating in the rat race entails multitasking and promotes staying busy as a measure of success. Taking breaks to unplug and recharge is usually seen as weakness. However, overexerting yourself is unhealthy so it’s best to listen to your body. You are not required to stay busy. One of the silver linings of the pandemic is the gift of time. Use it wisely to honor your needs, whether that is reading a book or simply having more time for family.

Share your blessings with others. We should try helping those who find it hard to get by. In addition to the numerous deaths and cases, the pandemic has brought on negative economic implications: small businesses are closing, many people are losing their jobs and are finding it hard to take care of themselves and their families. We must strive to be empathic and give what we can – no amount or donation is too small. In the same vein, now is also a good time to show Pinoy pride and support local businesses.

For more information on AXA Philippines insurance products, visit www.axa.com.ph.

Huggies Philippines launches Huggies Club: Facebook Live to connect Moms at home to medical experts

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MANILA, Philippines, 30 April 2020 – A trusted parenting partner for moms everywhere, Kimberly-Clark’s Huggies® brand will be launching Huggies Club: Facebook Live, a series of online forums that aim to help guide expectant, new, and experienced moms through every step of their motherhood journey.

Starting this Saturday, May 2 at 8pm, and hosted on the Huggies Philippines Facebook page, each session will feature a medical expert and a fellow parent who will cover a variety of topics that aim to guide and equip viewers with useful tips and uplifting advice as they go through the delicate stages of motherhood; from prenatal to postnatal, whether they have an infant or a toddler. The first few sessions will specifically focus on helping them navigate the unique circumstances they find themselves in today. A live Q&A segment will follow to give viewers a chance to ask questions for either expert or mom.

By connecting them to these medical professionals and parents with relatable situations or experiences, Huggies hopes to be a reliable support system for moms and their kids, offering them a safe space to comfort and care for each other during these stressful and challenging times. As they practice home quarantine, social distancing, and more stringent sanitation, moms remain constantly on the lookout for information online that help address their pressing concerns and queries.

“We understand that the COVID-19 situation has really impacted the physical, mental, and emotional health of moms,” says Huggies Marketing Manager Bernice Ilacad-Jalgalado. “That is why we are carefully and continuously coming up with efforts like Huggies Club: Facebook Live to make more moms feel at ease as they provide comfort and care for their babies in these trying times.”

Like and follow Huggies Philippines Facebook page to stay updated on the latest announcements and updates. 

For more information, visit https://www.huggies.com.ph/.