First Local Online Shopping experience

It's not my intention to write my first bad review when the 2015 has just begun, but here goes...

Despite the feedback I've read from Google, I ordered an Acer Aspire Switch 10 through Lazada Philippines last December 12, 2014. The process went smoothly at first. A representative called to confirm my order and advised me to track its status via their website. They also stated that I would have it within 1-7 days.

By December 16, 2014, I received an email that my order has been fully shipped through a third party carrier 2GO. They supplied me a new tracking number that I would have to enter in 2GO's tracking page. I used it and the website came with 0 search results.

On December 29, 2014, the package came.

Lo and behold! They delivered to me a selfie-pod/monopod. The courier himself knew that it was a far cry from the parcel I was expecting (He has a copy of my transaction from Lazada).  He told me that it must have been switched in the warehouse and would report the incident to the main office. He suggested that I call Lazada to verify the status of my order.

I called Lazada up and told them in detail what had happened. They emailed me stating that I should make sure to accomplish their return form. I wrote a narrative reported of the incident and told them that I hadn't filled up a return form since I never even got to hold parcel. The representative replied that I email them a scanned copy of the return receipt issued by 2GO.

I called 2GO once more only to find out that the status of my order is "refused to accept", which I duly informed Lazada again.

I visited 2GO's tracking page, which "finally" displayed the status of my package. Alas! It states : "UNDELIVERED - Reason: REFUSED TO ACCEPT CANCELLED". I contacted 2GO to verify this new information and was advised that I reorder the product from Lazada.

I'm not sure who's or, maybe, what's to blame in this scenario. I understand that it was at the peak of the holiday season. I was willing to accept the fact that the deliver came late and the item delivered didn't reconcile what's on the paper. After all, it was Christmas. I'm not the only one with the grand idea to order online along with hundreds of other consumers. But the last straw was the status I read from 2GO's tracking page. Firstly, I didn't refuse it. Their courier refused to give me the item. Secondly, I didn't cancel my order. I simply acknowledged the mistake and was willing to wait the correct item to be delivered.

If you're asking me if I'll reorder the product online, the answer is no. It's a waste of time to wait for several weeks only to be disappointed again.

Perhaps I'll order a product from them when there's a distinct improvement on their services.

New and old stories

Hi, people.

It has been quite a while. I've been pre-occupied with the process of publishing Liyanna Book I: The Realms of Ethair, previously known as Journey. What are the changes? Well, the most obvious are the title, my pen name Cecilia Beatriz, and the book cover. The plan is to have my ebook published in Kindle, but since I'm enrolling it in a program, I''ve removed the story temporarily in Wattpad.com. However, sample chapters are still available there.



But why is the statistic for number of reads so low?! That would be my mistake. In my excitement to remove some of the chapters, I kind of deleted everything. So. I had to re-upload it again as a new story. Sorry for the inconvenience.

The release date hasn't been set yet. But, I'm hoping to have it published this month. No worries, I'll post it here once it's available in the market.

Anyway, if you're planning to self-publish your book, in e-publishing platforms like Kindle and Smashwords, I'd say the process is challenging but worth it - if you're seriously thinking about being a writer. You'll also get to know some authors online who made it to the indie publishing route via their blogs and they're very supportive of aspiring writers.

What else? Hmm...

Ah, yes. I've gathered up the courage to edit my ten-year old manuscript. I was very young then, so you could imagine the challenge I'm faced with right now. My ideas weren't as cohesive as it is now and I used terms in a funny way. Hehe.
If you were my classmate who read Villa de Luna, you know what I'm talking about. As for now, I've changed the title to The City of Mysts and edited four chapters. Yehey!

Just click below to read a revamp of my story. Don't forget to tick the star in Wattpad if you liked it. Hoping to hear from you soon.  ;)

Nerd, Geek, Weird...Who?

When I was fresh out of college, being called a nerd would have hit a nerve. I rather preferred to be called a geek then. I have a penchant for gadgets and love to get my hands dirty from exploring the features of a new Tablet to exploring the innards of my computer's CPU. But I'm also a bookworm. My genre ranges from comics and mangas to alternative news. Whenever a subject pops up and I know something about it, I couldn't help sharing what I've read. Moreover, I love word games (remember Text Twist, Hangaroo and the classic Crossword puzzle? I've played those.). Am I academically inclined? I was studious. I didn't compete with anybody, I had high standards set for myself. If I know I can do better, I usually give my best to avoid wallowing in regret for mediocrity. So, perhaps that's where it started. My colleagues called me a nerd.

Recently, I've been to sites which try to distinguish between who is a geek and who is a nerd to a point that one website has an infographic and another even made a study out of it, complete with a graph, stating the similarities and differences of the two groups. It was interesting, but was it worth it?

If you live in a house that is brimming with reading materials from the mundane to the spiritual and born in a family of artists and freethinkers, can you classify yourself as a geek or a nerd? When people catch you wondering aloud why were you born in this world and what it feels like to share a connection with Mother Earth, do they take a step back and ask who are you? Or, do they start saying you're weird?

We have a tendency to put labels into everything in the vain attempt to understand what is in front of us. Thus, we forget that each of us are unique individuals and cannot be truly classified in one specific category.
We have our own set beliefs and principles. We think, speak and react differently to situations. Must I go on?

So, are you a nerd, a geek, or a weirdo?

Or, are you YOU?

Update on Liyanna I

Hello, dear readers.

I haven't been able to visit this blog for a while. There have been changes in the book I've been writing, which you may have noticed in Wattpad. Title has been changed from Liyanna I: Journey to Liyanna Book I: The Realms of Ethair.

The novel is complete and has undergone revisions. Currently, I've been jotting down some key points in book 1 that will be addressed in the next sequel. If you have read my work and have comments/suggestions and questions, please feel free to send me your queries by posting it in the comment box below or through my email.

Thanks. J

New Update: Journey, Chapter 22

After the long wait, it's finally here! J

Juggling work in the office and my other interests, apart from writing, have been quite a struggle that it took a while to finish encoding this part.

The previous chapter ends with Kristina accepting her role as Liyanna. In Chapter 22, the story is in Kristina's P.O.V. Our protagonist will try to use her new position to help Commander Reno in his cause. New and not so new characters will make an appearance, official and secret meetings will be held, and more...

To learn more about it, click on the widget below and start reading.

Feel free to share your ideas and opinions about the story either in the Comment box below or in Wattpad's Comments and Reviews box at the bottom of the web page. Your views on the story matter and may influence certain events in the novel as a whole. Thanks! J

Vegetarian Chili

Last Thursday, 31st of October, Mamá visited her hometown leaving behind the whole family in Manila. With a limited budget for the weekend and after considering available resources and me, the sole pesco-vegetarian, I decided to cook a Sunday dish that everyone could eat.

If you like your food a little spicy, this one's for you. Bon appetit! :)

Vegetarian Chili 

Estimated Times

Vegetarian Chili

Preparation Time: 30 mins.

Cooking Time: 45-60 mins.

Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 medium onions

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. cumin

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 cup vegetable broth

1 large eggplant (cut in ½-inch cubes)

1-2 green bell peppers, seeded and cut into ½-inch dice

9 oz. chickpeas, drained

9 oz. red kidney beans, drained

2 Tbsp. dried mixed herbs

Salt

Large handful flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Procedure

1. Cook the onions and garlic in olive oil, over low heat in a large nonstick pan for about 10 minutes, until the onions have wilted and softened.
2. Add the chili powder, cumin, and paprika and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes before stirring in the tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the eggplant, green bell peppers, red kidney beans, chickpeas, and dried mixed herbs to the pan. Add salt to taste.
4. Stir, bring back to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes to the let the flavors infuse.
5. Garnish with parsley before serving.

Adapted from The Book of Chilies & Stews by Sara Davis

Journey: Chapters 19, 20 and 21 now available

Hello. J

I've been trying to catch up on my writing and ended up encoding most of what I've written so far. Phew! Anyway, I'm trying to make the most out of the free time I have left before I go back to the grind. Hehehe!
Find out the origin of the Black Guards' headquarters in Chapter 19:

The following chapters below are back to our female protagonist Kristina. Now that she's awake, things take a turn for...the better or worse? Here are some excerpts:

To read Liyanna Book I: The Realms of Ethair in Wattpad app, just type this code: 58366003