my Blogging Tools

Was going over Anton's blog and read his latest post and was excited about the Flip Ultra 120 HD - one yummy gadget I have been dreaming about since reading about it in Daphne's blog.

Here is my own Top Blogging Tools:
Blog Hosting
For me, that would be Blogger since I am not really a professional blogger and this is free so it would suffice. I have started blogging, I think in late 2005 to document my preparations for the wedding. I was influenced by a yahoo group I belong to. So I really started with blogger and still quite happy about it. Although I am not that techie, Blogger is relatively easy to use. I have not updated my first blog - december16.blogspot.com after the wedding since I got pregnant and lazy. However, when I gave birth to our son, Enzo, my desire to write/blog was ignited by my desire to be able to document my son's milestones and our own family adventures.

I have tried Livejournal recently and in fact, have an existing account with them but this particular blog is the one I update the most.

Digital Camera
Hubby bought the Nikon D40 last January 2008 (about 2 months after I gave birth) and if you see pictures here that is clear and crisp and nice and pretty, then that was taken by the D40. But for those times that we are caught unprepared for photo ops or those times, we don't feel like bringing the camera bag, my iPhone 3G (8G) saves the day.

Video Camera
None :( so that Flip Ultra will be very useful teehee!

Desktop
Yes, I used the desktop in the office to update my blog. ssshh! Trust me, I do it on my spare time.

Photo Editing, Watermarking and Hosting Tool
Hubby takes care of enhancing the pictures. He has this software from Nikon called Picture Project. Watermarking? Hmmm... never thought about that since I'm only doing this to document my son's growing-up years and our family's adventures so I don't think there is a need for it. Hosting Tool? I don't have that much pictures yet. I just really upload the pictures after saving them on my computer. That's it!

My Mantra: "Live today!"

April 2010 marks a new beginning for me. I need NOT be pressured of landing that new job for I believe it will come. Our focus now is to be able to save more from our current income. If only I can afford to apply for small business credit cards to finance my own party business? Yes, I dream of becoming an events planner. A good friend also from college share that same dream. But since I am living for what is TODAY, the goal is to save up for our family.

I did join the "Paluwagan" here in the office which automatically deducts Php5,000 from my salary every month. That's what you call forced savings hahaha! But it's a nice feeling that you have saved this much at the end of the year with an interest to boot that even savings account in a bank cannot match. This coming May, I'll enroll hubby's payroll in BPI to Save-Up which will also automatically deduct from his payroll. We'll start with Php500 every 14th and 29th for now. And the monthly savings from hubby's payroll which will be deposited to our joint account for the meantime for emergency purposes.

I will also have to settle my credit card first before I even encouraged hubby to apply for credit card. The balance is not that big compared to some I know but I still want to settle it first before making anymore purchases. So that the payments for this card when fully settled can be additional savings for us. Imagine how high the CD rates when not fully settled. Credit cards are not really that bad for they are very useful in times of emergency and you can't get your hands on a cold cash right away but one must have the discipline. So yes, after fully settling our card, it will be solely used for emergency situation.

If God though has other plans and bless us with another baby then my job-hunting will have to be put on halt. I realized I can do that right after giving birth. Hubby as always is on the market for better opportunities. After all, it's not like I have the worst job. I, in fact, is happy with my job, not just that contented for I have the responsibility to provide a better, brighter future for my family. But I must live for today... not dwell on the has been nor daydream of what will be.

Happy Easter!

First of all, am back and wishing everyone a "Happy Easter!" Hope you guys had a rejuvenating and meaningful break. I'd like to reflect on how I'm going to start anew this time but I'll do it on my other personal blog, not here though.

Enzo is back to being alone with the yaya again after almost a week with daddy and/or mommy with him 24/7. Though my mom or dad do visit him while we're away for work. He's probably missing us now especially when we're experimenting with his dough. We're quite happy to cut it into many small useful pieces turning them into his favorite food - ice cream, french fries, chickenjoy, (peach mango) pie, pizza and other things such as toothbrush, pillow, etc.

Oh well, Friday is another holiday to look forward to...

My Crowning Glory

Earlier, I said well... wrote that I needed new hairstyles this year. So I had my hair cut short in another branch of the same salon I frequent. That was only because it was nearer my place and hubby was also having his hair cut at a barber shop in the same mall. I wasn't happy with the end result though my hair looked better now (few months after the cut!). I didn't like what she came up with. I was hoping she would be more creative on the different short hair styles that would be suitable to my round face. I still prefer Mr. JR from the Greenbelt branch of this same salon. I'll probably go back to him in a few months to have my hair trimmed again or maybe even colored. Yes people! The white hairs have become visible. I wonder what color will suit me? Burgundy perhaps? Any suggestions?

Since it's a treatment, I hope I don't get damaged hair in the end. This will only be my second time to have my hair colored. In fact, the first attempt was just "highlights." There are a lot of hair care on Wikipedia so I hope they are updated on this.

I'll have to have my hair fixed by June in time for the wedding of my bestfriend, Abby. Stay tuned!

Earth Hour 2010

In the past, summer is felt around March which also marks the end of the school year in the Philippines. We welcome the heat of the summer as it means we will be off for a vacation on the beach. That is life then! It's a bit different now. Well, aside from our eagerness to still hit the beach, summer is felt as early as late January/early February. Which is bad especially for our farmers who heavily rely on the rain for their crops. Even our water supply in the dams have been depleted to critical level and authorities are advising the public to conserve water. This is the end result of what was coined as "global warming."

Now that people are becoming aware of the effects to our environment, more and more are looking into an eco-friendly and sustainable way of life such as clean coals. It would be ideal if we can make use of alternative or renewable energy. It has been done and it can be done.

If only, we have the technology to process our waste to energy such as what is being discussed here http://www.nviro.com.


I wonder, will you join the Earth Hour tomorrow, March 27? We'll be off to Cavite for my nephew's 10th birthday. We might be home already by that time. I just hope the lil boy will cooperate.

A few extra moolah!

As I have posted earlier, I am trying to get back on earning online. It's not that I have earned so much then before I completely lost interest, but at least a few dollars on our paypal account. I don't really get that much opportunities yet so I have been trying to check other opportunities online. One I came across just yesterday is this A.W. Surveys (The New Survey Experience). It's just simple so I'm giving it a try and see if it's legitimate. Plus it's a $6.00 Welcome Survey After Free Registration! Now, I have $7 on my account. The minimum pay-out is $75 so I'm crossing my fingers.

Ciao for now as I'm evaluating websites... honestly!

my shoe story

I'll be frank... I'm no shoe-aholic. I only have 3 "office" shoes (that used to be just 2 so the 3rd one is the story of this post), a sandals, 2 rubber slippers, Crocs and a Chucks high-cut in our shoe cabinet. I share this shoe cabinet with hubby who owns more shoes than me. Well, even my son at age 2 have more shoes than me geez! Since I have a few pairs, I make sure that I buy the quality ones. I was even hooked on Naturalizer at one point until me and Charles & Keith met a year ago hahaha! Naturalizer has been and will always be my trusted brand. I can only have a pair from that brand but it would last me 2-3 years at the least (except for minor repairs it will need from Mr. Quickie). I have decided to try Charles & Keith last year when I learned my officemates are going crazy over its' sale season. It made me wonder. The picture on the right is my first ever Charles & Keith... a lot cheaper than my Naturalizer (half the price really) but as comfortable. This shoes is the one that I've lost...

Our office was organizing an annual conference on CSR last November 19-20, 2009 and since I am part of the Secretariat, we have to be at the venue days before the event. So, of course, I've brought my one trusted pair of shoes (which I have been using in the office). On my way home from work, I placed my shoes in a paper bag and put it down at the MRT. I was tired and sleepy so I dozed off to la-la-land. It was already at the North Station when I woke up so we hurriedly went out of the couch and off to Trinoma. We haven't really gotten that far when I realized that I forgot my paper bag with my shoes (and my boss' calendar but that's another thing). Oh oh! What will I wear at the conference? And like I've said earlier, I don't really own too many pairs at the same time and I don't want to spend on one that wasn't even planned in the first place. We went back to the MRT office but it could not be located anymore geez! Would anyone really be interested in my paper bag which just my stuff in the office and that used shoes? I was even crying to hubby because I was sooo frustrated but since I have no other choice, off we went to Charles & Keith. I saw "my shoes" there and it was even on sale but I have my "what if" dilemma that my shoes will be found so I got another pair.

The next day when hubby came home from work while I was staying at the conference venue, he checked with the MRT office if by any chance, someone returned the reported paper bag we lost... and guess what? It was there (together with all my other stuff intact) and I was thankful. Now, I have my 3 pairs. The other one is the Naturalizer which I have had for a few years already but I haven't had fixed yet. And nope, I'm still no shoe-aholic but I "heart" my shoes.

Oh, would you even guess that hubby is shoe-aholic? Yes, he is! But he wouldn't admit it.

paypal

As I posted here, I decided to check the paypal account that hubby created for me back in 2008 when I was still excited about blog advertising. And to my surprise, I didn't realize I have earned as much as $44 already. That was something!

Now, I wonder how I can get this paypal account verified? Do we just add our bank account? Is it safe? Clueless... but happy!

Time of the Year again!

As the year 2009 passed, we not only welcome the new year of the "Metal Tiger" but we also anticipate the settlement of our annual income tax return. But would our funds be available then? I wonder. When we just came from a long holiday vacation where we have spent for gifts, food, new dresses, accessories and not really feel guilty about these expenses that we even end up using emergency loans. After all, it’s the holidays and everyone just seems to be more generous this season than the rest of the year. This is when we can make use of emergency loans to help us settle our taxes. As long as we are capable of paying our loans on time, why not? We just have to be disciplined so as not to end up in debt.

It would also be beneficial if we could have our hands on helpful tax information that could guide us on how to go about in paying our taxes. This is because many have put off paying their taxes simply because they are not familiar with the process and finds it tedious. While others who do know about this information are simply not aware of the deadline when to make the necessary payment.

I'm one of those lucky who works for only 1 company and they process the payment of our taxes but it’s a different case altogether for my superior who has different business consultancy that he hires an accountant to prepare for his income tax return.

another shot

Since I am back to regular programming when it comes to blogging, I might as well try again earning from it. I've tried in the past but the opportunities were far in between that I lost interest in time. So now, I started opening my accounts again and bidding once more. We'll see... I might earn extra moolah to buy myself this HP Mini 110 netbook I saw last night (in pink chic). Yummy!

You might also notice that I have updated my links list. I have deleted the links that have not been updated for so long now and added new links in my "morning reads" list namely:

- Topaz Horizon - the latest blog I've been reading. She's Frances, the Editor-in-Chief of OK! Philippines.
- Daphne's Diary - well, we all know her!
- Chuvaness.com - a popular blog as well!

Travel Galore!

Hubby and I love traveling and exploring new places and it is both our dream for our own family to experience such adventures. I, myself have been able to travel quite a bit in other Asian countries like Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Thailand. It's a wonderful experience that I would now like to share with my family. So even if Enzo is barely 10-months old and his Lolo and Lola (hubby’s side) would love to have him left behind, we decided to bring him along with us to Boracay last July. We are fully aware that Enzo will not even remember the trip by the time he reached the age when he can fondly remember things but we can show him the pictures and share stories with him on how much he enjoyed the beach. And if we have the resources, we can always bring him back (with baby sister in tow hihihi!).

One of the places I would loved to go back to for a family vacation is Bali, Indonesia. I would loved to bring my family there someday. Although the sand of Boracay is way better but Bali, in my opinion, is less commercialized. And of course with traveling comes your dilemma in hotel search. In Bali, I have the perfect hotel in mind although a bit pricey. I would loved to stay again in Intercontinental Hotel since it is beachfront and they have this "endless" pool (did I get the term right?). But most of the times, it is not that easy to choose a hotel to stay. Imagine you have to search for the individual websites of each of the hotel in your destination. It is quite toxic to be able to remember the web address (and the rates) if you need to re-consider one particular hotel. Wouldn’t it be more convenient to be able to check all the hotels with just one click?Hotelscombined did just that and the search tool is even for free. With just a click away, you will be able to find a hotel to stay, compare the rates and even check if there is an available room for you and your family on your proposed dates.

I will probably try this out as we plan for our next adventure preferably in Hong Kong in 2009!

New buzz in town!

I was bloghopping late this afternoon when I chanced upon the post of Issa on Snapbomb. For those who regularly drop by my blog and read my updates, you probably know by now that I have recently joined this latest buzz.

Like I told you, I’m just new to blog marketing and I can fairly say that I’m getting hooked already. Why? For one, I love to write even way back my elementary days. And being able to earn at the same time is a major consideration. They call it blog advertising, I call it OI (other income).

It’s so easy to join, you only have to sign up and provide them your blog address. It’s also cool that they are able to assess your blog’s Base Value. The Base Value is what you will get from Snapbomb for writing a post. But don’t fret if you think it’s a bit low (like mine) since they said the Base Value will adjust based on how well you matched up to a particular opportunity. So, I remain hopeful. Not only that, they also provide you feedback/comments on your posts which is a big help for beginners like me. Imagine, they actually help you to be able to earn more from this new form of advertising and become a pro in no time.

Unionbank EON

waaah?! Anyone knows why Paypal does not add my EON account? What to do, am so clueless!

3Ps

I am super excited to be a part of the blog advertising community and I am now, what you call a Postie!

I started blogging way back early 2006 while preparing for my wedding set on December 2006. I joined a yahoogroup of bride-to-be’s and got inspired by so many who were into blogging. However, I stopped right after I got married and then we found out I was carrying our first child. So blame it with the raging hormones that I was too lazy to continue to blog.

I was only able to resume blogging after I got back from my maternity leave this January 2008. I was again inspired by the mommies I got to know through a yahoogroup of newlyweds who are all into blogging -- about life, their kids, anything and everything under the sun. Just recently, I found out about blog advertising. So I decided to join the fun. It would not hurt being paid for doing what you love! Now I am on the road to paid blogging.

The extra cash will be useful specially for a working mother like me whose income all goes to monthly, unavoidable expenses such as electricity, water bills, communication charges, groceries, milk, diapers, medicines, vitamins and the list goes on. Now I can at least pamper myself, my baby and hubby with an extra income courtesy of PayPerPost!