I started learning to blog a few months ago. Prior to that, I made some research, participated in some forums, asked a lot of questions to my blogger-friends (I think, I made their ears bleed for that) and read books on how to go about it and then, I tinkered with web host sites to get the feel and get familiarized with all those buttons available around before finally taking the plunge and started my own blog. It did not stop there and I think, never will. In fact, that’s just the start.
For a blogger or web developer/owner, it is one thing to put up a website or a blog but it is another to put or publish good, readable and interesting content on your site. Aside from that, you also have to get traffic and maintain or sustain it to get your website or blog read and eventually, known to the world. The goal would have to be you want to be read as often as possible by as many people as you can have on a long-term sustainable basis. After all, there could be many reasons behind putting up one’s own website or blog but nobody would put those without hoping and wanting to be heard and read. But from what I’ve encountered so far, more often than not, earning from one’s webpage is one of the main reasons. This is where the search engine optimization and links come in.
If you are a blogger or web developer/owner who is serious in getting your webpage or blog known and read, you have to be visible to attract your market and of course, your potential advertisers. Search engines can do this job but there are millions of websites right now that getting into the first pages of the search engines is sometimes tantamount to scaling mountains. It is widely accepted that searcher-readers do not have the patience nor the time to browse hundreds of pages to get the information they want. It is, therefore, of utmost importance to attain visibility in these first pages to avoid getting lost in the mountain of information available in the internet.
To help attain this is by having links. Not just links but edu links. These are links from various universities and colleges that have established their reputation as most trusted and authoritative domains, thus, they mostly carry higher page rank. Getting linked to these edu text links will help you obtain your desired visibility in the search engines and eventually, facilitate the increase of your page rank and of course, your website’s traffic.
How do you get this links? By increasing your webpage’s content with .edu links. Hmm..rather tedious work if you do it yourself or the most viable thing to do is to buy links. It is easier to do and with lesser hassle while you get expert advise and assistance in getting your desired visibility in the search engines.
My place of work is currently undergoing a lot of reorganization (promotions and reshufflings) of employees since last year. It has been awhile since we had our promotions and people are quite excited about it. You can hear people talking how much salary they could get if they get promoted, what things can they buy from it or where would they go for a vacation if they earn more and all sorts of counting the chickens before the eggs hatch way of thinking.
Weird thing is, it is very rare you hear people talk about what will be their responsibilities if ever they get promoted. They usually do not even think of what are the things they should do or even seminars or workshops or classes to go to just to be deserving of their longed promotions. All they want is the higher pay, period.
I heard a lady say “Can I just get promotion and the higher salary without the higher responsibility? I am happy as to what I am doing right now but I sure want promotion and the bigger pay.” Hehehehe! Girl, dream on..you want promotion with bigger salary? Prepare for bigger responsibilities. If you think you cannot tackle that, be happy with what you got and do not mess around with having bigger pay. Better yet, find something else that will make you happy but not necessarily paying higher pay. After all, happiness is not all that money.
I went for a vacation last year and stayed for four days in San Francisco, California. It was my wildest vacation, thus far, as it was such a dream come true for me. I thought I would only see San Francisco in the movies or pictures or just hear stories about it. I had to pinch myself from time to time that what I have been experiencing was real.
San Francisco City has lots of sights to offer and things to do that we decided to get to the sightseeing tours offered by Trusted Tours & Attractions to maximize our time.
We used the Fisherman Wharf’s pass which was for a 3-day tour to get around the city using the hop on hop off city tour on a motorized cable car (I even tried hanging out of the cable car while it was moving just like I saw in the movies hehehehe!). The ride was a gentle roller coaster ride around the city. We also had the San Francisco Bay tour using the same pass and oh wow! I had goosebumps passing under the world-famous Golden Gate and seeing Alcatraz Island for which my father had told me stories about its infamous former occupants. Gee, I thought the island and its occupants were just myths and there I was, actually seeing it. It was awesome! Oh yes! We passed by the barking sea lions on our way out to the bay at the cruise. They were there lazily sunbathing and some were even noisily fighting for their place on the platforms.
Using the pass, we also went to Pier 39 and checked out their boutiques, shopped a bit and ate, took pictures and posed with the fishes inside Aquarium of the Bay, said hello to Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez and others at the Wax Museum, and a whole lot more of things we did that got my feet hurting hehehehe!
The pass is so worth it and more.
For my next trip, I would like to see Atlanta or Chicago and I have signed up for newsletters from Trusted Tours & Attractions to know more about Atlanta and Chicago things to do and to have updates on their package tours. What do you know?! Signing up on their newsletter will give you a chance to win a $150 iTunes gift card. This offer ends until May 31, 2008. So, hurry and get signed up too!
Yes, I am
. According to this tag and I had fun with this. Grabbed this tag from Yen on her Me and Mine blog. Thank you so much, Yen
Tag and list your blogs here.
1. Mommy Talks. 2. Aggie Shoots. Aggie Scraps. 3. Pink and Brown Diaries. 4. Winding Creek Circle. 5. Me and Mine 6. Little Peanut 7. Pea in a Pod 8. Sugar Magnolias 9. Creative in Me 10. Pinay Heart Wanderings and Musings 11. YOUR LINK
LOOK UP YOUR BIRTHDAY AND SEE WHAT YOU ARE. FORWARD ON TO PEOPLE THAT YOU THINK THAT WOULD GET A KICK OUT OF THIS… INCLUDING THE PERSON WHO SENT IT TO YOU. PUT YOUR BIRTHDAY ANIMAL IN THE SUBJECT LINE AND PASS IT ON.
Don’t forget to scroll down to see what it says about you.
January 01 - 09 ~ Ass
January 10 - 24 ~ Slug
January 25 - 31 ~ Cockroach
February 01 - 05 ~ Parasite
February 06 - 14 ~ Bullfrog
February r y 15 - 21 ~ Skunk
February 22 - 28 ~ Snake
March 01 - 12 ~ Ape
March 13 - 15 ~ Cockroach
March 16 - 23 ~ Slug
March 24 - 31 ~ Parasite
April 01 - 03 ~ Ass
April 04 - 14 ~ Snake
April 15 - 26 ~ Slug
April 27 - 30 ~ Skunk
May 01 - 13 ~ Slug
May 14 - 21 ~ Bullfrog
May 22 - 31 ~ Cockroach
June 01 - 03 ~ Slug
June 04 - 14 ~ Skunk
June 15 - 20 ~ Ass
June 21 - 24 ~ Ape
June 25 - 30 ~ Parasite
July 01 - 09 ~ Slug
July 10 - 15 ~ Ass
July 16 - 26 ~ Bullfrog
July 27 - 31 ~ Parasite
August 01 - 15 ~ Ape
August 16 - 25 ~ Slug
August 26 - 31 ~ Skunk
September 01 - 14 ~ Bullfrog
September 15 - 27 ~ Parasite
September 28 - 30 ~ Ass
October 01 - 15 ~ Ape
October 16 - 27 ~ Skunk
October 28 - 31 ~ Snake
November 01 - 16 ~ Cockroach
November 17 - 30 ~ Parasite
December 01 - 16 ~ Ass
December 17 - 25 ~ Ape
December 26 - 31 ~ Bullfrog
If you are an Ass : A very loyal and sweet person. Your loyalty can never be doubted. You are quite honest and sincere when it comes to your attitude towards working. You are a very simple person, indeed. Absolutely hassle free, humble, and down-to-earth!! That explains the reason why your friends cling on to you! You have a good taste for clothes. If your wardrobe is not updated with what is trendy, you sure are depressed. Popular and easy-going. You have a little gr! oup of dignified friends, all of them being quality-personified.
If you are a Slug : Always up to some sort of a mischief! The mischievous gleam in your eyes is what mak e s you so cute and attractive to everyone. You are an extremely fun-to-be-with kind of person. No wonder people seek your company and look forward to include you for all get-together’s. However, you are sensitive which is a drawback. People need to select their words while talking to you. If someone tries to fiddle around and play with words while dealing with you, it is enough to invite your wrath. God bless the person then!
If you are a Cockroach : Quite contradictory to your name, you are a peace loving person. You best try to avoid a situation wherein you are required to fight. An outdoor person, you dislike sitting at one place for a long duration. You are a born leader, and have it in you how to tactfull! y deriv e work from people. You love being loved and when you receive your share of limelight from s omeone, you are all theirs!!!! Well, well… Hence some people could even take an advantage, flatter you to the maximum and get their work done. So be careful…..
If you are a Parasite : An extremely lovable, adorable person, sometimes shy, with a passion for quick wit. At times, you prefer quietness. You love exploring various things and going into depth of each thing. Under normal circumstances you’re cool but when given a reason to, you are like a volcano waiting to erupt. You’re a fashion bird. People look forward to you as an icon associated with fashion. Basically, you mingle along freely but don’t like talking much to strangers. People feel very easy in your company. You observe care in choosing your friends.
If you are a Skunk : You are near to perfect and nice at heart! . The examples of your kindness are always circulated in groups of people. You, too, love peace. You wouldn’t like to retaliate even to a person who is in the wrong. You are loved due to this. You do not wish to talk behind one’s back. People love the way you always treat them. You can give, give, and give love, and the best part is that you do not expect it back in return. You are generous enough. Seeing things in a practical light is what remains the best trait of you guys.
If you are a Bullfrog : You symbolize a very happy-go-lucky approach in life. Whatever the surroundings may be, grim or cheerful, you remain unaffected. In fact, you spread cheer wherever you go. You are the leader of your group of fri ends! and go od at consoling pe ople in their times of need. You dislike hypocrisy and tend to shirk away from hypocrites. They can never be in your good books, no matter what. You are very methodical and organized in your work. No amount of mess, hence, can ever encompass you. Beware, it is easy for you to fall in love….
If you are a Snake : You are mysterious. You are someone who can handle pressure with ease, and can handle any atmosphere without going berserk. You can be mean at times, and love to gossip with your selected group. Very prim and proper. You like all situations and things to be in the way you desire, which, sometimes is not possible. As a result, you may lose out in some relationships. But otherwise, you love to help people out from difficult and tight spots when they really need you.
If you are an Ape : Very impatient and hyper!!! You want things to be done as quick as possible. At heart, you are quite simple and love if you are the center of attraction. That way, you people are unique. You would like to keep yourself safe from all the angles. Shall your name be dragged or featured in any sort of a controversy, you then go all panicky. Therefore, you take your precautions from the very beginning. When you foresee anything wrong, your sixth sense is what saves you from falling in traps. Quite a money minded bunch you people are.
Am tagging Alf, Flor, Tess, Anne, Lizzie, Pinaypie and anybody who would like to grab and do this tag.
Tomorrow would have been my uncle’s birthday. It has been more than a year now since he died. He would have celebrated his birthday with his family and friends and most of all, he would have shared his blessings to people who are less fortunate. You see, he has a gracious and giving heart under his strict demeanor. He was able to help his siblings finish their studies and helped them and his mother migrate to US to have better opportunities in life. Aside from this, he was known to help relatives and even people he barely knew in times of trouble. He made his family proud of him.
It is only but fitting to give tribute to him and remember him especially on his birthday and I found just the right place to do it. The National Hall of Records is offering free online tributes until Memorial Day.
Should anybody wants to give tribute to their dead loved ones, here’s the Free Offer Link .
Since my college days, I have been a periodic insomniac. Maybe, because I like to read more
than to sleep, putter around my bedroom than lie down on my bed or surf the internet 
and lately, stalk (hahahaha!) some pay per post websites to earn extra income rather than dream in my sleep about getting rich.
I learned and did a lot of ingenious ways of encouraging my body to slow down and sleep at the right time. Here are the few things I did:
1. Drink a glass of milk.
2. Do breathing exercise.
3. Read boring books.
4. Turn off the bedroom lights, TV and computer.
5. Do stretching exercise.
6. Even did aerobic exercise to get myself tired and sleepy after.
There are times, I got to sleep but other times, I just get lost with bleary eyes 
counting sheeps
, cows, carabaos, and other farm animals and yet, I remained wide awake with eyebags visible from a kilometer away.
Anyway, I got an email forwarded to me by a friend about the reasons for sleeping and waking up early. This should encourage me and other bleary-eyed insominiacs out there to hit the sack at an appropriate time.
Evening at 9 - 11pm : is the time for eliminating unnecessary or toxic chemicals (detoxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes). This time duration should be spent by relaxing or listening to music. If during this time a housewife is still in an unrelaxed state such as washing the dishes or monitoring children doing their homework, this
will have a negative impact on health.
Evening at 11pm - 1am: is the detoxification process in the liver, and ideally should be done in a deep sleep state.
Early morning 1 - 3am: detoxification process in the gall, also ideally done in a deep sleep state.
Early morning 3 - 5am: detoxification in the lungs. Therefore there will sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers during this time. Since the detoxification process had reached the respiratory tract, there is no need to take cough medicine so as not to interfere with toxin removal process.
Morning 5 - 7am: detoxification in the colon, you should empty your bowel.
Morning 7 - 9am: absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, you should be having breakfast at this time. Breakfast should be earlier, before 6:30am, for those who are sick. Breakfast before 7:30am is very beneficial to those wanting to stay fit. Those who always skip breakfast, they should change their habits, and it is still better to eat breakfast late until 9 - 10am rather than no meal at all.
Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of removing unnecessary chemicals. Aside from that, midnight to 4:00 am is the time when the bone marrow produces blood. Therefore, have a good sleep and don't sleep late.
HEALTH IS WEALTH, TAKE CARE OF IT.
I am always on the lookout for new, interesting, exciting and better sites that will cater not only to my needs and wants but also that of my friends’ and relatives’. Since I have been doing internet for years now, I already have tried a lot of websites and I can get picky on what the newly-discovered site can offer to me, how it will make my internet life more interesting, how it will be easier for me to get connected with friends (old and new) and relatives scattered all over the world.
One way of conveniently getting connected with them is to find a site that offers a lot of things in such a way that I don’t have to open a lot of other windows or sites just to do what I want to do—you know, opening a lot of windows can get very confusing. I can chat with my friend/s or relative/s while some mp3 music is playing on the background, or I can chat while I share pictures with my friends on each of our latest adventures, or I can blog about my latest escapades or latest happenings in my life—come to think of it, chatting and/or blogging is one way of saving your phone expenses talking to your friends or relatives just to keep updated. Further, I have some friends and relatives who love music (some are even good singers and/or dancers) and it would be lovely to be able to share our current favorite mp3 songs on the net. And oh yes, it’s never too late to get to know new friends, get into a group with the same interests or hobbies as mine. Did I find one site for all those things I want to do? You betcha..join 3gb community. Signing up is free and such no hassle. Check it out!
Do you know how our barong tagalog came about? Most Filipinos do not know how barong came about. From the articles I read, I have always thought that the origin of our being a barong tagalog-wearing country is by virtue of the Spanish government’s mandate several hundred years ago. It was said that wanting to prevent further uprisings from the indios (Filipinos), the Spanish government required the Filipinos were required to wear transparent or translucent, loose, tucked out shirts to prevent concealment of any weapons. Further, the shirts were also made to be loose to distinguish the indios from their “upper class” counterparts who were allowed to wear their shirts tucked in.
Imagine my pleasant surprise in reading the column of much respected historian-columnist, Mr. Ambeth Ocampo, regarding the reason why we wore our barong tagalog loose. Reason was simple: Our weather was hot and humid. It still is. And our barong was and still is perfect for that kind of weather.
Given the choice between our very own barong tagalog and the western suit/coat for which we Filipinos call the “Amerikana”, the barong tagalog is my no-contest winner. I find the “Amerikana” too hot and too bulky for our weather and too stiff (contrasting our easy smiles). I also find it a bit corny if it is all white, too gloomy if it is dark colored and kind of tacky if the color is anything but dark. In short, I do not have a particular liking to it 
.
On the other hand, one look at our embroidered barong tagalog and you will see that it is elegantly beautiful without losing the “masculinity” or the “hunk” aura of the guy who is wearing it. In fact, for a lot of Pinays, barongs can make a guy “cute” and good-looking. A good barong has beauty and good workmanship evident in the cut and its design. A barong is not a barong if it does not have any embroidery on it and of course, it takes a keen eye for detail and good handiwork for an embroidery to be made on a special piece of cloth like that of our barongs as they are most likely made of piña (pineapple fiber or jusi (abaca or banana fiber) cloths. I especially like to see a sea of Barong Tagalogs in special events or occasions. Very good to the eye.
That is why, for me, our barong is better than the “Amerikana”. I wonder why a lot of Filipinos insist on wearing their “Amerikana” during special occasions when it is really impractical to wear one in this kind of weather. Have you seen our male politicians? A lot are stiff as boards in their Amerikanas. No wonder a lot of them cannot think straight. Blood could flow better to their brains if they only wear a barong. What do you think?
(thanks to boy106 of photobucket)
Drivers are requesting for a fare hike. I believe they really deserve the increase considering that the gasoline prices are rising, as always. Due to this, there’s a transport strike today and am sure glad, we were made to go home early at 330pm. Was planning to go to the gym after, but opted instead to watch the movie, The Speed Racer. What can I say, I can be a movie addict sometimes. Anyway, the movie was cool and fast and would’ve been quite entertaining except for an obnoxious young couple who were more busy tickling and teasing each other loudly all throughout the movie. I can’t believe how people can be so rude and obnoxious by being as noisy and disruptive as they want because they paid to watch a movie. Yeah? Like the others did not? And when the couple was told to tone it down, the guy even answered “We can do whatever we want. You want us out? We paid, you know. You should go out not us.” Woah! Shameful.That guy should bang his head on the wall 
to get some sense into his brain.
Well, gotta get some beauty rest
. Signing off now.
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