My sis and her family will be here in a few more days. That makes us excited yet busy with the preparation, sprucing up the house, cleaning the rooms and arranging some areas in the house so her two active kids will be safely playing and running around here.
Tomorrow we will start with the general house cleaning, from the bedrooms upstairs to the living room and dining area. Aside from cleaning up, our house also needs to be renovated; the front terrace, garage and old kitchen are waiting to be planned about. (more…)
I always associate the merry month of May with celebrations. It brings with it sunny summer days along with a lot of reasons to have fun. For one thing, Mother’s Day and my sister’s birthday fall on this month. The first of May is also our subdivision’s fiesta day to commemorate the feast of our patron saint St. Joseph the Worker. Thus, yesterday, on the first of May, mom decided to have a thanksgiving dinner here at home in honor of St. Joseph. It got us so busy with the preparation, from cooking to cleaning the house.
I spent a lot of time in the kitchen, I wasn’t able to prepare our house that much with decors, especially flowers and candles. Our dining table could have looked like this:
Sigh. I really like the look of candles as they make a home more cozy and comfortable for the guests. (more…)
The unexpected always happens in life. Failed relationships, sudden misfortunes and accidents are often wake-up calls for us. For instance, my cousin got seriously injured in a bus accident last year and it gave him lots of life lessons, especially since he spent a considerable amount of down time during the recovery process that took many months. That said, we need to be proactive as a way of being ready for what life brings us. We never know what will happen any second from now, how it will affect our health and finances.
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Anybody tried gdrive aka Google Drive online backup? Actually, I myself haven’t tried it yet but just reading some information and reviews about its features make me apprehensive especially since I am currently using Google Docs, another product from the same company. According to reviews, gdrive is an overcomplicated version of dropbox with drag drop online storage and offers similar features as Google Docs, but intended more for business users. It doesn’t offer more advanced features such as automated backups like what other backup providers offer. I’m curious about trying it out though.
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I grew up in a family of engineers and architects, and oftentimes I wish we also have an accountant, doctor or lawyer among us. It would have been more beneficial if we have such varied professional backgrounds so that when we encounter medical, business/trade or legal issues, we have reliable professional experience in the family to help us out. For instance, when my mom got sick many years ago, we were bombarded with a list of alien-looking prescriptions that made me realize how ignorant we are about medical terms and procedures. We simply had to rely on whatever the doctor tells us.
When it comes to financial matters, I also wish we had an MBA or accountant in the family. I’m pretty sure our computer training business could have prospered well if we had a family member with knowledge and experience in handling business matters.
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Few more days to go and it will be the merry month of May. For our family, it means that time of the year when our van will again be required registration with Land Transportation Office (LTO). Thus, the van will need to go through some repair and maintenance jobs to meet the registration requirements, such as emission testing. So far, the van still does its job but some parts already need to be repaired. Though it does not really need major maintenance work, it is still best to ensure that it is in tip-top condition especially since it’s summer and we have some visitors next month, I’m pretty sure we will hitting the road often.
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Few weeks ago, we got bad news that my uncle had a mild cardiac arrest and needed to stay in the ICU. Thank God, we were able to visit him and even talk to him while he was in bed with all sorts of medical equipment monitoring him. He narrated to us about how he felt so much pain in his chest at two in the morning that fateful day he was rushed to the hospital. The week before, he already complained of chest pain, and even went to see a doctor.
What really caused the attack was too much stress due to his physically demanding work, supervising roof tile installation at a construction site. One of his workers even had an accident few weeks before. As a supervisor, he can actually refrain from doing the difficult task of lifting and transporting heavy materials to the roof. But according to him, he helped his team in a hands-on manner because he believes in “leadership by example”. Unfortunately, he was not in the best of health to carry on such physically-demanding tasks.
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I’m very much comfortable with online banking; it offers a lot of convenience for me as I am able to access my bank accounts anytime here at home or on my phone anywhere. I have three local online banking accounts that I maintain and I can readily compare what each website offers in terms of banking transaction updates, statement of account updates, ease of use and other website features. While one banking account provides real-time updates on transactions, the other one is just too delayed, sometimes transactions for the day are reflected 48 hours after.
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Isn’t it that keeping our computer data files in physical containers used to take up so much space way back then? For instance, when we had our computer training business before, we had many sets of software package of at least 40 pieces of 3.5” floppy disks per set. We had those boxes and cartons to keep those CDs and floppy disks in a safe place. Imagine having boxes of these disks stacked up in our office.They did fill up a lot of space. Thankfully, data storage improved and file storage solutions offer more room than before. Nowadays, we talk about gigabytes instead of megabytes in terms of file storage devices. Hard disk drives can now accommodate more files and there are small USB flash drives that can now handle more gigabytes of data.
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With lots of stuff accumulated through the years, the need for storage cabinets comes to mind. For instance, our small kitchen may look tidy and organized, but a lot of stuff does not have a place of their own. Some liquid detergent, bleach, laundry powder and other cleaning products are just placed on the floor or elsewhere. It would be great if we have additional cabinets for storage in our kitchen, just like this:
Kitchen cabinets (Golden Shaker model) by kitchencabinetdepot.com
Unfortunately our kitchen area is limited, and it’s not possible to have additional cabinets.
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Wow, I can’t believe it has already been six years since my very first blog post way back April of 2006. Time sure flies really fast! You might think I am an expert with blogs and websites by now but, truth is, I’m not; there’s still so much to learn. It’s quite exciting though to be part of the online world and I try to keep myself updated with the latest trends, incorporating social media and social networking into my blogs, among other internet tools.
The good thing about putting a website out there in the World Wide Web is that you reach a lot of people beyond your local audience, and you make your presence known in a global scale. For businesses, this is very much an advantage, but it can be quite tough to build websites that cater to an audience not only within the country and in the local language, but to the international market as well, offering different versions of the site in different languages.
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These days I have been sorting out a lot of stuff in my room. It is kinda messy because some boxes were opened with their contents dissected, and I realize I have a collection of stuff I haven’t used in many years. Some have already lost their value, such as books, CDs and even floppy disks. Unfortunately most of the CDs are already damaged and cannot be accessed anymore. I can only guess about their contents, but they’re probably not important by now, especially the floppy disks. Recovering data from floppy disks and other obsolete media is just difficult nowadays and most folks just consider them as junk already or recycle them as wall decors.
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The housing bubble saw property value proliferate; the housing market crash saw its dismal descent. Much of what you lost will not be regained for several years but, as a homeowner, you can do a few aesthetic enhancements to rekindle some of that lost value. For a student pursuing a vocational degree in construction management, working on a home makes for a great side project to refine his skills. As for a homeowner, investing a few thousand dollars to repaint a home or install new roofing can increase your property value and help you recuperate some of the losses felt during the housing crash.
Interior Upgrades
A new bathroom, redecorated tile floor, even a new kitchen all help improve not just your home’s look but help generate a generous kickback to your property value. Granted, interior renovations can cost more than $10,000 but, as an investment, it is well worth it.
If you cannot afford major upgrades to a home, you can also do minor enhancements to improve the value. Repainting a room, adding in new cabinets or laying down new flooring can be all you need to help buoy your property value. With small renovations costing $5,000 or less, you can find several ways to improve the value of your home.
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Photo by Damouns (flickr.com/photos/damouns/)
You’ve probably seen articles being circulated in social networking sites and via emails about the Graviola (Sour Sop) tree (Scientific name: Annona muricata) as a “miraculous natural cancer cell killer 10,000 times stronger than Chemo.” Really?!!! That was my first reaction. I’ve also read a Manila Bulletin news article refuting that statement because there is no real scientific evidence to back it up. My take on this then is to pass judgment based on personal experience.
Long before I’ve read raves about this “miraculous” tree, also known locally as Guabana, Guyabano or Babana, a friend was already telling me about it as an effective remedy for stomach cramps whenever my monthly girl thing comes. She told me to get some leaves from one of the Babana trees in our backyard, boil them and drink the liquid as a natural pain reliever.She didn’t even get information from the Internet, she just learned its benefits from others as well. In fact, one of her friends going abroad had to bring lots of Graviola tree leaves for personal use as they don’t have it there.
The Graviola trees are native to most Latin American countries, some areas in Southeast Asia such as the Philippines, and can adapt to countries with warm winters and high humidity; you can’t find these evergreen trees growing in countries with extremely cold seasons. I’m not sure if Sour Sop fruits are being sold in Europe, if they are importing such from Brazil or Mexico. If you check out eBay, the Graviola leaves, bark, and seeds are being sold; and they don’t come cheap. Even a 1/2 lb pack of Soursop leaves and bark sells for almost $50! Thank God we have three Graviola trees here at home; we’re getting our leaves fresh and FREE. 
Let’s face it: if you have a product to sell, traditional means of advertising will not get you nearly as far as it used to. With the majority of young adults in America using the internet to replace TV, radio, newspaper, and magazines, online advertising is the best way to alert the public to your product or service.
You might find yourself thinking that your business cannot be conducted online, seeing as you can’t ship your product and need clients to physically come to your location. Consider though that the customer has to know your business exists to go to it, and that internet advertising can benefit even the most traditional of businesses. Whether you are selling hand-crafted ceramic knick knacks, promoting a new Thai fusion restaurant, or writing general alerts on how to recognize fraudulent insurance companies, the internet is the place to get it done.
Business Schools recognizes the rampantly growing trends of internet marketing and have entire programs tailored to online business and online marketing. As an entrepreneur promoting your own business, the more you can learn about online advertising and selling, the better.
There are hundreds of strategies and services out there for drawing web-surfers from any demographic to your website.
Some of the leading online marketing strategies include the standard ‘Ads’ which pop up in the margins of ad-hosting pages, but trends are showing that the in-your-face ad and hard sell approaches are gradually diminishing and giving way to some of the following advertising offshoots.
As one’s business grows, the importance of being updated with trends in technology becomes more valuable with time. Sometimes upgrading old equipment even costs more in the long run than buying a brand new replacement especially with electronic equipment and computers. Repair and maintenance of such equipment can actually cost more.
Some older equipment also lack technical support, especially with older models with unavailable replacement parts. For instance, one of the printers here at home is still working but we can’t use it anymore as the ink cartridges are already obsolete, the manufacturer has stopped producing them. Even the local ink refill shops don’t have a remedy for our dilemma. So, the printer is just on stand-by, gathering dust.
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Yesterday I got engrossed with some blogging issues. It’s part of the website project I’ve been planning to do since last year. Until now, I still have not focused on it because so many other things came up. Well, at least yesterday I took some few steps forward to that goal and managed to download and install XAMPP, a program that lets you install WordPress locally on your computer, so you can do blog tweaking to your heart’s content before uploading your theme changes online. It’s a pretty cool program and actually makes things a lot easier. So, now I have a local copy of the theme I need to work on in my computer. The next step is to act on it!
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One of the important concerns of most business owners, aside from finding ways to increase sales and income, is managing expenses, which of course includes taxes. Thus, they try to find ways and methods to minimize the tax burden. There are actually some ways to reduce business taxes by going over company expenses and determining which are eligible for tax deduction. Important business expenses and how to manage them should be discussed with a dependable accountant, especially tax saving measures, receipts filing, and strategic ways for cost-reduction. For those owning small businesses, they should be updated with the latest and relevant tax laws, and should know a great deal about accounting methods and tax preparation.
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Yup, today is Repair Day for our family van. So, I had to commute to the city to do some errands. It’s a bit inconvenient to go around without your own vehicle, and I wasn’t able to buy some important groceries because it would be too heavy and bulky to carry when riding a public transport, transferring from one jeepney to another. I even called Dad and bugged him if the van was already fixed so he could pick me up from the mall. Lol.
Our trusted mechanic came and tinkered with the van since yesterday. Some vehicle parts were replaced and he worked on it until late afternoon. I am thankful that it is in tip-top condition now. Well, we’re just lucky to have a trusted mechanic to call on to when we need help for our van.
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When was the last time you flipped over the pages of a book, lost in a different world? For book lovers, they might reply with “yesterday” or “last weekend.” How about me? Hmmm… I haven’t been reading books lately, and I guess my answer would be “last month!” I sure hope I could go back to that habit of reading books, especially those inspiring and self-motivating kinds. For students, I know they need to deal with a lot of academic books. Business owners, managers and professionals also need to have books as practical guides and sources of reference in their chosen career.
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Ideas are powerful. A train of thought can make or break, build or destroy. The choice is ours. Our ideas become our future. I believe that life’s meaningful lessons are best learned when shared with others.
