So what's the (daily) deal?

Facebook sent me another alert. Apparently, I have memories to look back to. Went on it and saw an album filled with photos on a night out with my mother-in-law. Gosh, this was 2012! I vividly remember that 3 course meal we had in the Shore. (That is the North Shore in Auckland, for those not familiar with the term.). The plating looked great and the food tasted really good from the entree to the dessert. It would have been a very expensive meal for our family but thanks to a daily deal, I paid just under $25 for each.

My fascination with daily deals started when grabone was fairly new. My mother was scheduled to visit us from the Philippines towards the end of 2010. That was when my love affair with daily deals started. I can't even remember now who introduced me to grabone. But I was on the site everyday once my Mum had finalised the dates of her visit. I browsed for deals that I could use to get Mum in and around Auckland and the neighboring areas with the whole family. And I haven't stopped since then.

Over the years, I continually patronized these sites. After a couple of vouchers expiring on me without having been used, I have become a smarter shopper (I hope). At least that's what I would like to think. hehehe. I now have learnt restraint and not buy anything with my "I may need this later"  mentality. I still go  and browse the sites regularly (like daily!) but now, I only buy when there is a planned use of an item or experience. I search for cake, doughnut and cupcake deals whenever a birthday is approaching. I search for restaurant deals when a celebration is planned. And search for experiences or activities when school holidays a-comin. There are a lot of daily deal sites now but I'm an oldie. So I stick with grabone, treatme and groupon pretty much.

These sites are good when you are planning ahead. Way ahead. But what if you are unable to do that? Well, guess what? There is a site ideal for that situation too. It's called bookme. Recently, we took a trip down South Island. We had the number of days fixed but not the itinerary. So the daily deal hound in me went into bookme when we arrived in Queenstown on a Tuesday night. This site is awesome with lots of discounted activities in major tourist areas. You can check this site here: https://www.bookme.co.nz.

That night, I grabbed activities for the following day. I paid $7pp for Below Zero Ice bar experience which was normally $20. We took the Queenstown Lake Cruise around Lake Wakatipu for almost 30% off its original price. This included free entry to the Queenstown Underwater Observatory. We had to pay a dollar to release food for the fish there though. But still, came up way cheaper than paying full price.

And this is the beauty I see in these daily deal sites that I go to. They have enabled me to do just a little bit more by stretching my budget to go just a little bit further. As a family of five, going out has always been costly. Like any other mum, I try and find ways to do the things we want to do in the cheapest possible way. So I am sticking with these daily deal sites for now or should I say until now.

Melanoma, Keytruda, umbrella.

Watching channel 3's Newshub earlier tonight, Jonathan Coleman, NZ Minister of Health, said, "I believe a funded treatment is on the way" on melanoma as the petition to fund Keytruda continues. (Please don't judge me on my choice of news channel.). This is one of the hotter ongoing issues in the health system today. For those not following the saga, Keytruda is the brand name of the immunotherapy drug that "may treat" melanoma by working with one's immune system. A very expensive drug that is approved for use in the country but not funded by PHARMAC. So you pay from your own money if you want to use the drug.

Having looked after a lot of melanoma sufferers, it got me thinking. How well-informed are we and our families about this type of cancer?

Recently, I was walking down to the local council to pay my rates. Armed with my fan and my umbrella, I walked out to the scorching heat of the sun. I noticed a little girl from a short distance looking at me intently. As I was approaching them, I overheard her say, "Mum, why has she got an umbrella?". I  smiled to mum to let her know I understand as the mother gave me a very embarrassed look. I could only hear muffled reply of mum  as she got the girl to get inside the car.

For a Filipina (female from the Philippines) like me, this would be rather amusing how it was so strange for this little girl to see someone using an umbrella on a sunny day. Where I come from, we use the umbrella for the slightest of sun. We use it though for a whole different reason, mostly for vanity. We don't want anything that could darken our skin especially our faces, so we cover up! But having lived here in New Zealand for a long time now, I know umbrellas are never used by kiwis on a sunny day. Now though is a good time as any to change that. Let us use umbrellas as much as we use hats to cover up. Us mothers can do so much to get the message out there by starting at home with our littlest of kids.

Melanoma is a form of skin cancer caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in which the sun gives abundantly off. Melanoma is the 4th most common cancer diagnosed in New Zealand where around 11 people are diagnosed of this every day. That's 4000 a year for a country with barely 5 million people. An estimated 300 New Zealanders die of melanoma each year. Along with our neighbor Australia, we have the highest rates of melanoma worldwide.  Pretty scary stuff ha.
You can read more about that here at http://www.melanoma.org.nz/.

That is why the use of umbrella is just but logical to cover up on a sunny day. My kids call my umbrella use "very Asian" but a very dark blocked out umbrella will do a great job to cover us up. My umbrella definitely covers a whole lot of me than my hat. Melanoma NZ urges everyone to cover up especially when UV rays are higher between 10AM and 4PM on DST. Let us help get the message out there. Use hats, sunscreens, clothing, sunglasses, a shade and of course, umbrella. Cover up.

And by the way, it's not only me who promotes the use of umbrella. Josh Emett, yes, that famous chef  who is also an ambassador of Melanoma NZ, was strutting a flash UV blocking Blunt umbrella in the New Zealand Herald 6 December 2015 issue as he talked about his father who died of melanoma. There. I did have a look at the Blunt umbrella website. Their products range from $89-159 (NZD). A bit pricey but maybe they're worth it.  Here is their website link if you want to check it out: https://www.bluntumbrellas.com/nz/.  And maybe you can tell me if they're great :)

Go the umbrellas!

Let's look at household chores this way

An open letter to my kids

My child, 

I teach and let you do household chores not only for the sake of you learning how to do these tasks well. Equally important is that you understand how much of one's  time and effort are put into doing them. 

That you may always have respect for those who do them for you. 

That when you will have your own and you come home to a clean and functioning house, you may learn to say, "How's your day?"  instead of, "What did you do today?".
That when on occasions you do come home and find it not the state that it should be, you may learn to say, "Are you okay?" and not, "What the hell?".
That when you and your spouse are both out pursuing your individual careers you may learn to say, "Thanks for cooking. I'll do the dishes. Halfsies."
And when, for whatever reason you end up being the one to stay at home to do these chores you may learn to say, "Hey, not a biggie." 

 Momma Bear