GSIS

Other than the reviews in their website, and Lazada and Shopee stores, I couldn’t find any other review for this product online so I decided to make one. It is probably because it is fairly new as they only released this in early 2021 based on their store purchase history.

So I will go straight to the point – here’s my review of the Monarc Tower Fan.

Price

I got this during the Lazada 11.11 sale for only Php2500. Yes, this is very cheap for a tower fan; the regular price is Php3990 as of December 2021.

Delivery and Packaging

I placed the order on a Saturday and it arrived on the following Tuesday. The packaging is good although they could have secured it more. I feel like simply wrapping the box with a bubble wrap isn’t enough knowing that couriers are just tossing these around.

Assembly

It’s pretty easy to assemble. The manual says it should have 7 screws but I only got 4. The 3 missing screws are meant to secure the stand, but I can do away with it. I think it will work for as long as I don’t keep moving the unit. I can also buy the screws if I need to.

Look and Feel

Alright, I bought this primarily because of the color and design. It is slim and black and white, why can’t all tower fans look like this?

From a far, it does have that expensive look but you will quickly know it is not up close. This is made of plastic and in fact, putting together the stand is like assembling a toy.

At 4-feet tall, it is not heavy at all, you can carry it with one hand. It is wobbly so placing it in a corner is probably the best option. It does wobble a bit when in oscillation.

It is more quite than your standard fan although the difference is not very significant. It has this high-pitch buzzing sound which I find a little discomforting. It also emitted a plastic smell that lasted for 4 days.

Overall Quality

As you would expect, this is not of high quality. I have an electric fan that still functions very well after 4 years so I decided to keep it as a backup just in case.

The Monarc Tower Fan has three modes – normal, natural, and sleep. I find it weird that the fan stops every 2-3 seconds when in natural or sleep modes. I contacted Monarc via their Lazada store and Facebook page and they confirmed this to be true for these features. I wish they had these information printed in the manual that came with it.

What is even weirder is it responds to my TV remote control. It would beep, and turn on and off when I’m adjusting my TV volume or scrolling through YouTube or Netflix.

The ion function does turn on although I couldn’t really tell if it is working.

Recommendations

I recommend this if you just want an affordable tower fan for the basic purpose. The fan speed is good for small spaces and especially if you prefer the breezy feel over a full blast fan. Aesthetically, it looks a lot better than most tower fans available in the market.

I won’t recommend it if you’re looking for a high-functioning fan. I also do not think that this is safe when there are kids playing around. It is very lightweight and given it’s height and slim design, it can be toppled very easily.

If your UnionBank Get Go Debit card is expiring, getting it replaced is actually very easy. Just go to any UnionBank branch and ask for a replacement.

1. Present a valid ID. You will be required to fill-out two forms for the request and release of a replacement card.
2. The waiting time is less than 10 minutes. The bank will keep your old card and will be replaced with the new Go Rewards card.
3. Does your card number remains the same? Yes.

Aside from the new look, everything is the same except for the validity period. It went from five years to six years.

My passport is expiring next year so while travelling is still difficult for the next few more months, I decided to renew it in time for a the possible re-opening of international tourism in hopefully – 2021.

I booked my appointment online in October 5 and picked DFA Ali Mall branch in Cubao, the same branch where I had my passport renewed in 2016. Slots are open as early as 2 weeks from the time that I was booking. I thought things will be easier in late November so I selected November 25.

Of course, nothing has change in the span of 7 weeks. But here are some tips in case you are also renewing your passport this 2020 or 2021.

• Don’t be too early. Arriving 15-30 minutes before your appointment is good enough.
  
  My appointment was 11AM and I was there at around 10:15AM. Several people who were schedule for 10AM are still queuing at 10:45AM. They let us join the line at 10:55AM. Depending on the queue inside, only 3-5 people are allowed to enter at once.
  
  
• Have your passport photocopied on an A4 bond paper, just the front page of your passport (the page containing your photo and personal details) is needed.
  
  I heard some branches also require a photocopy of the page of your emergency contact, I also prepared that but Ali Mall branch did not take it. Having this photocopies ready makes your transaction faster as you won’t have to fall in line in the photocopying area.
  
  
• Print your appointment forms on an A4 bond paper. Make sure that you are printing two (2) copies of the electronic receipt, also in A4.

And here are the steps:

1. The guard on duty will be distributing a health declaration form. You will have enough time to fill this out while falling in line. He/she will also be checking your documents to ensure that it’s complete.
   
   
2. Upon entering, the Step 1 window is right next to the entrance. Present your documents for further checking. This is where you will be asked for the passport photocopy; she will direct you to the photocopy area if needed. Else, you’re ready for Step 2.
   
   
3. Step 2 is just another round of verification. It will be quick and easy for as long as your documents and record have no discrepancies. I was done in a minute although I waited in line for around 10 minutes.
   
   
4. Step 3, encoding, is the longest part. This is where your photo gets taken. Good luck if there are babies or toddlers before you; it would take some time before they could get a perfect shot. The waiting time is around 15-30 minutes.
   
   A piece of paper will be attached to your receipt. This contains the email address which you could contact for follow-ups. You will also be given a tentative date of the release of your passport.
   
   
5. If you opt for a delivery, proceed to the courier window. I do not trust deliveries during this time so I preferred to pick it up myself.
   
   Overall, I was inside the DFA office for a good 45 minutes. I wasn’t as difficult as I thought. Social distancing is being observed although you’ll need to watch for people who still doesn’t understand the concept, and consciously keep your distance from them.
   
   Good luck on your passport renewal appointment. Just enjoy the experience!

Even if the world will go back to normal, or to the new normal, working from home will still continue for most of us. We might still need our improvised home office setups that we built in an instant so why not make it permanent (or semi-permanent)?

We are lucky to have been given this opportunity during these times, so let’s make our desks work for us. Here’s how I built my home office setup near my bed.

1. Start with the most important element – the desk. Two years ago, I already had this Ikea Micke desk at home. It was small and fits perfectly next to my bed and in this corner where it used to be:

It is quite heavy but I was able to move it around. Last year, I moved it to my living area:

There are a lot of desks being sold online already. Make sure to measure your space first, and always ask for the dimension of the table – its height, width, and length. You don’t want to get a table that is either too big or too small.

Also consider the quality of the table, at the very least it shouldn’t be shaky.

2. Next is the chair. Get one that is very comfortable. You will be sitting on that chair all day so comfort comes first before aesthetic. From March to April, I’ve moved my table around my unit because my chair wasn’t made for long hours of sitting.

When deliveries became available in mid-April, I ordered this gaming chair from Facebook. The reviews say it is already cheap for a gaming chair but Php5000 for a chair is already expensive for me. Nonetheless, I am after the high back because I have back problems. The regular, high back office chairs are being sold at around the same price so this one works just fine.

Yes, it is alright to spend on a comfortable chair. That is your work place so it is more of a necessity than a mere “want” at this point. I would say a chair with a sturdy back support is the minimum requirement. You can use pillows and even blanket for comfort.

3. The space. Where in your house are you going to work? If you live alone, you have the freedom to move your desk setup wherever you want. But if there are other people in your house, you need eight solid hours of privacy. Most of us do not have a dedicated room for an office setup so our bedrooms is it!

How do you setup a work space near your bed (to make sure you won’t end up sleeping at work)?!

They say, one shouldn’t bring their work in the bedroom but if that is our best option, there are ways to define the sleeping and working spaces separately.

4. Use a rug. Either your bed and your desk gets a rug, or both. The rug will create that visual effect that tells your brain: this is where you work and that is where you sleep.

I chose this low-pile rug from AllHome. I have a rolling chair so I didn’t want to ruin my floor, and these chairs best rolls on a low-pile rug. Thankfully they are cheaper and I found just the right size for the entire area of my workspace for Php1300.

5. Layout. Now that you have everything you need, it’s time to lay them out! This is the most fun part. When setting up, consider the following:

Electrical outlet: there should be outlets under your table, and avoid using extensions unless it’s a surge protector. Also you don’t want your chair or your feet getting tangled with any cable.

Door and windows: if possible, position your table and chair so that you have a full view of your door when seated. Your back against any door is not recommended. If you need to be on video calls, consider a background that doesn’t look messy. Choose a plain wall if you have no time or means to create a nice background.

You can position your desk to face the window if you have a nice view. You want to be looking at something nice or inspiring when working, and a distracting view will not help.

6. Partition. I never thought I would be doing this layout in my bedroom until I realized I could use plants as “partition”. I didn’t want to use a real divider to obscure the view of my bed from where I’m seated. I experimented by placing my plants between my table and my bed. I was surprised that it actually works. I never had that my-bed-is-inviting-me feeling because my plants are giving me all the right energy.

7. Final touches. As mentioned above, you want to be as inspired as possible while working at your home office. Put the things that remind you of happy times on display – pictures, trophies, medals, travel memorabilia. Of course we don’t want clutter, so make this as minimal as possible.

Once you found the right place and setup, try it for at least a week. Observe if you are getting the right mood out of it then apply small changes as you go. You can repaint the walls if you want, like what I did to the huge post behind me. My unit is all white so this black background literally separates this area from the rest of the space.

For more topics like this, follow me on Instagram and see how my home office setup (and all the spaces in my condo) have evolved and will continue to evolve.

UPDATE: As of December 29, 2020, GSIS has changed the process. Here’s the advisory as posted in the GSIS website:

Click on this link for the list of phone numbers and email addresses:
https://www.gsis.gov.ph/downloads/20210120-APIR_Mobile_Numbers.pdf?csrt=6890094582981188344

The above advisory can be found in the GSIS website: https://www.gsis.gov.ph/gsis-urges-pensioners-to-report-online-in-2021/