5 Tricks to avoid overspending this holiday season

Christmas is  here!  You might have just received your bonus this early, and now you’re just too excited to spend it on this and that, go on a shopping spree, or give gifts to your family, friends, or even to random people – sounds good, because you have a lot to spend so you won’t end up broke this season, right?  NOT.  The truth is, you can’t truly spend just enough without a plan.

So, how do you plan it out?  Perhaps you’ve been reading too many budgeting tips since the –ber months started, so you might have noticed by now what they have in common.  If you’re trying to come up with a Christmas spending strategy, but you’re flooded with the hundreds of advices that you don’t know what to follow anymore, go back to basics and keep it simple.  Make your funds work with you with these five straightforward tips.

Chef Anton Amoncio in "Let It Snow": An Early Christmas in Canada

It was an early Christmas gift for celebrity chef Anton Amoncio who is still in high spirits after participating in “Let it Snow,” a chef exchange program by the Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence held in Calgary, Canada. This is the first time that a Filipino chef was featured in the exchange. His trip was made possible through the Culinary Exchange program of the Canada Beef Centre of Excellence and in partnership with Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. 

Chef Anton, together with other world-renown chefs, whipped up appetizing recipes using Canada beef.

The week-long event is in celebration of Canada 150, which is the 150th founding anniversary of Canada. Three events happened at different Canadian luxury resorts, highlighting the seasons of Canada: at the Fairmont Banff Springs in early summer, Fairmont Royal York Toronto in harvest season, and Chateau Lake Louise for winter.  Chef Anton’s visit to the famous Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is the finale of Canada Beef’s Canada 150 celebrations this year. 

Witness The “IMPOSSIBLE” This Holiday Season

Exciting. Thrilling. Amazing! The stage is set for the biggest magical spectacle this Holiday season as IMPOSSIBLE: World’s Greatest Magic Show finally arrives in Manila. Opening on Christmas Day, December 25th to January 3rd at the Araneta Coliseum, Filipinos will finally be able to see the much-awaited magical show live on stage.

Fresh from its record-breaking success in London’s West End, IMPOSSIBLE has been hailed by critics as “the Hottest Act in Town” (Daily Mail) for giving “variety, illusion and magic a brilliant, fresh spin” (The Stage). The Guardian describes IMPOSSIBLE as “a fiesta of trickery and illusion,” and "an absolute blast from start to finish!" says Hollywood News.

IMPOSSIBLE features six of the world’s most mind-blowing magical acts, fusing death-defying stunts, technological trickery, grand stage illusions and close-up magic in a fast-paced breath-taking performance that reinvents the biggest illusions in history.

Play for Fun, Action, Adventure in the All-New "Jumanji"

The game has changed, but the legend continues in Columbia Pictures' upcoming action-adventure Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (in Philippine cinemas January 8.)

In the brand new adventure Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, starring an all-star cast – Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan – four unlikely friends get sucked into the perilous world of Jumanji, and are transformed into avatars with unique skills. They’ll have to go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives, or they’ll be stuck in Jumanji forever…

OPPO is the first mobile brand to accept GCash Scan to Pay in PH

OPPO, Philippines’ top 2 international smartphone brand, in partnership with GCash, the country’s leading mobile wallet service, pioneers the first QR payment method for a mobile brand. 

Through the new scan-to-pay feature of the GCash App, customers can now purchase any OPPO product by simply scanning a GCash QR code at selected OPPO Concept Stores for faster, more convenient, and secure transactions. 

"Pitch Perfect 3" Soundtrack Out Now, Boasts All-New Mix of Mash-Ups

Now graduated from college and out in the real world where it takes more than a cappella to get by, the Bellas return in Pitch Perfect 3, the next chapter in the beloved series.

Featuring a cappella mash-ups and medleys from the upcoming Universal Pictures' film, the soundtrack from UMe/Republic is now available on all formats. Pitch Perfect 3 hits Philippine cinemas nationwide on Monday, January 08, 2018.

Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson headline the returning cast of Pitch Perfect 3, the follow-up to summer 2015's blockbuster hit that took the honor of highest-grossing live-action movie-musical opening of all time and a #1 soundtrack debut. The eagerly awaited next chapter is led by series producers Paul Brooks of Gold Circle Entertainment and Max Handelman & Elizabeth Banks of Brownstone Productions. The film is directed by Trish Sie (Step Up All In).

New "Insidious: The Last Key" Trailer Goes Into the Further

Scream before it silences you. Watch the new trailer of Columbia Pictures' upcoming horror-thriller Insidious: The Last Key at http://youtu.be/_iqvImD81EQ.

The creative minds behind the hit Insidious trilogy return for Insidious: The Last Key. In the supernatural thriller, which welcomes back franchise standout Lin Shaye as Dr. Elise Rainier, the brilliant parapsychologist faces her most fearsome and personal haunting yet: in her own family home.

There's a New Scheme in Town in "Ocean's 8" Official First Trailer

Every con has its pros. Watch the official first trailer for Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Oceans 8” which has just been released by the studio.

The tide has turned and it’s a whole new “Ocean’s” when eight women plan and execute a heist in New York.  Oscar winner Sandra Bullock stars in the title role, alongside Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, with Rihanna and Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter.  Oscar-nominated filmmaker Gary Ross is directing.

Ross directs from a screenplay he wrote with Olivia Milch (upcoming “Dude”), with Steven Soderbergh and Jon Kilik producing, Michael Tadross, Susan Ekins, Sandra Bullock, Diana Alvarez and Bruce Berman executive producing, and Milch co-producing.  Filming is taking place in and around New York City.

16-year-old rapper Shanti Dope releases “Materyal” EP; Debut single “Nadarang” zooms to #1 on Spotify PH’s Top 50 Viral Chart!

Shanti Dope is a 16-year-old rapper from Manila, who started writing verses in 2013 following the footsteps of local rappers who use songwriting as a way to tell stories. Influenced by the idea of storytelling through rap, his first long verse got him into rapper Smugglaz 2015 album Walking Distance. 2017 marks the year he comes out with his own EP with Universal Records.

Along with Smugglaz, he counts as influences Loonie, Ron Henley, and Gloc-9, whose wordplay, context, rhymes, and narratives he aspires for in his own work. The name Shanti Dope meanwhile is borne of the influence of his father, who was a practitioner of Krishna Consciousness. Shanti is the sanskrit word for “peace,” which, alongside “dope” could mean “Peace is my natural drug.” This call for peace, given songs that actually speak of injustice and inequality, that insists on discussing the state of the nation, is what sets him apart from many rappers his age.

Your Selfie Expert Christmas Gift Guide

Now that Christmas is fast approaching, we are sure you’re definitely making your way through the holiday rush. And while everyone’s squeezing in as many gatherings and Christmas shopping as possible, Selfie Expert OPPO has got you covered on finding the perfect gift for you this season as it has officially announced its holiday promo with price drops you won’t be able to resist.