During summer holiday, most people often love to spend a lot of time at the beach. It’s the time of the year where people prepare for their perfect summer outfits and summer gears. In as much as these are important, having a perfectly shaped nails is also a must. Your fashionable flip flops will surely stand out if your nails are nicely done. 

Here are 3 tips to achieve a perfect summer nails: 

1. Wear Bright Nail Polish 

Summer colors are always bright and very attractive. You may choose bright neon polishes to show off your amazing manicures. Some would try to experiment and blend different kinds of bright colors to match with their summer outfits. Whatever the color combination is, there is always one that best suits your personality. So, find one that suits you best. 

2. Try Nail Art 

Summer holidays are the best time to have nail art. Fruit nail arts are popular during summer. Nail Art can be a bit daunting especially that it requires a special skill to achieve the design that your want. However, you can watch some online tutorials especially if you opt for a DIY. 

3. Visit a Nail Salon

 If you don’t have time for a nail DIY, you can schedule an appointment at the salon. Just like me, I am so busy with work and what I do is to visit Nailaholics Salon and Spa, the number one to go nail and pampering destination here in the Philippines. I just had my nails painted with blue today just perfect for the summer season. I wanted to try their nail art but my time won’t allow me. So, I guess I will just have to reserve it for next week. In the mean time, I am loving my summer nails. Thank you Nailaholics!

Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to be invited at the Live Brighter Forum by Sunlife at Mallberry Suits Hotel in Limketkai, Cagayan de Oro. The forum was about financial literacy which serves an an eye opener for everyone who were there. 

My personal learning during the forum is on how I can prepare my financial future especially that I am not getting any younger. 

Here are 3 things I’ve learned from the forum: 

1. Savings.

I do save. I have savings in the bank and I also have small time savings at home which are kept in my “piggy banks”. To me, the ultimate goal of saving is to reach financial freedom where you no longer need to work to live comfortably or worry about money. However, if I will only rely on the monthly income that I get from my teaching job, then I guess financial independence would be impossible. 

At the Live Brighter forum, I have learned that Sunlife Financial helps people grow their money, giving people a sense of security. Sunlife believes that the more money you have, the more secure your future will be. The life will be easier and stress-free because you don’t have to worry about money and the things that money can buy. 

2. SMART goals for Saving. 

A few more years from now and I will be 40. The Live Brighter forum gave me some insights on how to make concrete financial goals. As what people normally say, goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bounded. 

Sunlife Financial, will help you estimate what it will cost and how much you will need to save each month to achieve your financial goal. A Sunlife Financial Advisor can help you more on this. 

3. Increase Your Savings Over Time. 

If you can’t save quiet enough this time, one option is to start with what you can do now and gradually increase your savings over time. What is important is you have started to make concrete goals to save. 

Ms. Franchette M. Mejia – Unit Manager of Sun Life Financial of Narra Branch said, “We don’t push people to buy or invest in our financial plans as these are long term plans. What we do is educate them and provide them options that are comfortable for them” 

Do you want to take the first step to a brighter life? Visit www.sunlife.com.ph today!

Teenagers today enjoy sharing photos online, communicating with friends through Messenger, emails, chat rooms and social media. This may seem fun as this gives them the opportunity to make friends online, but the downside of this is Cyberbullying ~ a type of bullying that happens online or thru text messages or emails.

Instead of strengthening connections, some teens use social media to harass or humiliate others. Some may send inappropriate messages while others spread rumors or make fun of someone. With the widespread use of internet among teenagers today, we need to make sure they are safe on this kind of online threat. 

Here are some tips to help protect your teens against Cyberbullying: 

1. Be Kind Online

Your online activity reflects who you are as a person. Always treat others how you want to be treated. Being helpful and kind online is the best way to keep the Internet safe and fun for everybody. If you happened to receive a negative comment respond to it in a positive way. 

Always refuse to participate in any negative online behavior. Instead, support campaigns that will help others become responsible online. 

As an educator, I am thankful for campaigns like the #makeITsafePH of Globe Telecom, a cybersecurity and cyberwellness campaign to educate consumers about online threats and what they can do to avoid becoming a victim. This campaign includes the Digital Thumbprint Program, a campaign that teaches teens how to understand the impact of their online behavior and how to be safe and responsible for their online activities. Campaigns like this will surely help in spreading kindness online.

2. Think Before You Post

Before you post anything online, think first! The 4 Way Test of the Rotary is a helpful tool for your teens in providing a more sensible post online. 

Another thing to remember is, never open unidentified messages. Never click any suspicious links even if they look very interesting. 

3. Secure Passwords

Set strong passwords. Never share your passwords to others, not even your bestfriend. It is also important that you log out of your email and social media accounts after using a public computer. 

4. Manage Privacy Settings

Privacy settings control who can see your profile and private posts. Restrict your online profile to friends only. Only connect and share with people you know in real life. 

5. Monitor Online Activities

Monitor your child’s activities online. Add them as friends on your social media sites. Educate them about what is and what is not okay to do online. Tell them that they can freely share any messages they get online that makes them sad or scared. 

Cyberbullying is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. It can lead to psychological implications such as depression and violence and it can also lead to school failure. We need to do something now so that we can protect the younger generation against it.