An early morning shocker
This morning when I opened my blog, I was surprised to see something like this:
Argghh… I scrolled down and found out to my dismay that each and every image in my blog displayed the ‘Bandwidth Exceeded’ warning sign instead of the usual images. 
So what exactly does bandwidth mean?
From a blogger’s perspective, it is the amount of traffic (measured in bytes of text, images, audio, video, etc.) between your blog site and the rest of the blogosphere as opposed to the disk space which is the amount of data stored in your hosting site. My gracious host i.PH allows for me a monthly bandwidth quota of 2GB and a disk space of 100 MB for free. I checked my dashboard and was surprised to see this:
I’ve only consumed 7% of disk space but my bandwidth reached 102% already. Oh well… my site’s traffic has increased. 
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Dealing with a lot of data means dealing with a LOT of files especially for your business. And when you do, you need to ensure their safety from accidents like computer crashes or hard drive breakdown. And how about those nasty viruses and worms and those pesky hackers who are out to get your files? So the best thing is to make your system secure with protection (firewall, antivirus and antispyware) and have dependable backups of your priceless data before disasters like these takes place. We don’t want these to happen right?
For online (internet-based) backups, performance and features count the most. And this differentiates IBackup online backup from other low-priced services. IBackup is a leading provider of online backup solutions for small businesses and has won the ‘Webuser Gold Award’ awarded by UK's best-selling internet magazine, ‘PC Magazine Editor's Choice’ and was PCWorld Magazine’s favorite backup service when they profiled 17 similar services. PC Pro Labs also awarded IBackup as the winner for the best online backup service and “undoubtedly the most flexible service on test, as it not only offers backup for your machine but online storage that's available through the Web, FTP and virtually everything else.”
An interactive tour/demo of Ibackup Professional can be viewed here.
How do you handle a friend asking for an advice? Me, I usually just ask questions that would lead to making a decision, like what really matters most, what are the priorities, etc. but most of the time, a person who comes for advice doesn’t really need your piece of mind. They just needed somebody who’ll listen. After those ‘therapy sessions’ with you acting as a shrink wannabe quoting some encouraging phrases from a Stephen Covey book, sometimes the person sees a different light, a different perspective and that’s admirable, but some are just so stubborn they still stick to those things that created their problems in the first place. Sigh. Sometimes you just want to shake their shoulders to wake them up… but what are friends for anyway? Well, this time, if somebody would come to me asking for an advice, I’d still lend my listening ears and hope to shed some light on the matter at hand, but I would also give him an additional practical tip: Get a blog! Really… I’m serious.
Supporting local brands as opposed to national brands is a good option for a lot of reasons - you’re supporting local business to thrive which in turn improves the economic condition of the community or neighborhood you’re in. For example, in the US, local auto glass repair joints support your insurance policy, which means lots of savings. Thus, a San Diego car owner who needs to replace a damaged windshield can hire the services of San Diego auto glass repair professionals such as family-owned business Master Glass located in California. They have specially trained NGA certified technicians on-call to come to you whether your car is at home or in the office. They also handle all the insurance paperworks hassle. These are just some of the perks you get, be it from local services or locally manufactured products as compared to national branded ones.
Because of my cutie sis’ request for some pics of our plants (her ‘babies’) that she misses so much, I’m posting here some of their blooms for her viewing pleasure. Well, this is not just for her, but for us as well. Don’t we just love being with nature? I had fun going around the garden taking photos of them.
I think these pretty flowers were just beaming happily at the camera while I was taking their pics.
How would you react if you learned that one of your friends or loved ones is keeping a dark lonely secret of being an alcoholic? Aside from feeling sorry for the person, would you be angry at yourself too, thinking it might partly be your fault that lead your friend to his pitiful situation? Well, most people close to the alcoholic would probably think so, whether their reasons for feeling that way are valid or not. So they blame and accuse themselves and are deeply affected as a result.
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After my recent dilemma on which RSS feed reader works best for me, I have finally decided which one to use!
And the winner is…
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<insert drumrolls here>
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<insert applause here>
It’s simple and easy to use, it goes with my Google mail account and since it’s web-based, I can access it anywhere.
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions:
:: Sweetperceptions - thanks for the tip! I like the expanded and list views option too. I still have to try the star rating and sharing tool though.
:: Raine - I found the link you gave me so helpful - the author suggested two readers for his feed: Google Reader or Bloglines. Since I’m using Google mail, I opted for the former.
:: Gelo - thanks for the info on KlipFolio, I have it installed in my PC and I find the other klips (weather, cpu and memory usage, Google search) useful but not for its feed viewer klip since it’s not web-based and only lists the title of the posts (no summary).
Anyway, it really depends on what works for us. Now I’m happily adding my fave feeds… time to lurk more blogs! 
I love to travel. You could say I’m a certified travel bug. I’d rather explore a new destination than buy myself a new gadget or phone. I had my chance to visit some of my dream destinations when I was still working in a telecoms firm. When I was told by my boss that I’d be part of the group to be sent for a three-week training to Germany and Italy, I was overjoyed. Weekdays were spent in the training site listening to lectures and getting familiar with some equipment, while weekends were spent shopping and visiting places. The travel enthusiast that I am, I convinced my co-trainees that we go visit the tourist spots and even persuaded them that we travel to Venice, and I got my wish. I even sneaked out one weekend to meet a friend in Vienna. That’s how passionate I am to travel. It is a great learning experience, and you get to see and observe a different culture and explore an unfamiliar place.
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This blog will be a year older next week. Funny, but I used to have this sort of love-hate relationship with my blog. Maybe because that time, I was still groping my way around as a newbie in the blogosphere.
I used to be quite uncomfortable writing down my personal thoughts and ideas. Sometimes, I post something and regret doing it days later. I felt they were just too personal and should have been confined to my journal instead. There was even a time when I thought about shutting down this blog. Maybe it’s because I am used to keeping a lot of things to myself. I don’t know how other bloggers feel about this, but for me, there’s this weird feeling of vulnerability yet at the same time putting out my thoughts in the open actually gives me a different sense of freedom.
Later on, as I gained more confidence and met some wonderful blogsy friends, I learned that as a blogger, I can never be totally anonymous to the online world - the more I blog, the more I am revealing bits and pieces of myself. As somebody once told me, it is quite a dangerous virtual online world out there. But then again, isn’t it the same in the real physical world too?
In a way, blogging brings with it some risks – you risk being criticized and passed judgment on by people who read your thoughts and ideas. But the sweetest and most rewarding thing that blogging brings is knowing that there are others who respect and value us no matter who we are, they sincerely empathize and identify with our thoughts, feelings and ideas. For me, this is one of the reasons why I would never regret that day when I decided to blog.
To all my dear readers and blogsy friends, my heartfelt thanks.
Designing your own name card can be tough. I should know. I used to design a lot of them for myself and for our clients, from personal name cards to business cards, I was quite careful with which font to use, what images to put and what information I have to include in a small piece of card. After all, a card speaks a lot about who owns it and what kind of service he represents. Though the design process can be a bit challenging, it is a great way to be artistic as well.
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“Once upon a time, there lived a furniture shop owner. He makes beautiful finely-crafted furniture and sells them at low prices. Sales are not that good though, just enough to get him by. After all, his shop is just one among the many furniture shops lining up his neighborhood, competing for attention from passers by. One fine day, he decided to sell one of his pieces at an outrageously high price, and Lady Luck smiled at him because a shop visitor noticed the expensive price, carefully examined the piece, observed how finely crafted it was and thought that it must be really valuable, thus the product was bought. The owner was ecstatic! Now this got him thinking a lot. I sold my products at a lower price and nobody buys, but when I put a higher price tag on one of them, it was bought. From now on, I will sell all my products at a higher price, after all they are really of good quality! Soon he became a favorite among the rich and famous because of his good quality yet expensive furniture. And the rest is history. Now he is one rich happy man exporting his products to other parts of the world. The end.”
Well, this is actually based on a true story as told by a friend who knows that guy. When I heard her relate this one, I was again reminded of this simple truth: nobody puts a price tag on yourself and your talents but only you.
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Few years ago, I was waiting for a confirmation about a possible work abroad when suddenly my phone rang. It didn’t show any number so it must be that international call I was waiting for. I excitedly answered it and we were discussing for a few minutes when suddenly the line was cut. Argghh… he kept calling again but can’t get through, so I tried to call him back and luckily we were able to continue our conversation. Oh well, that call sure cost me a lot. But at least I got the project. I don’t always make international calls using my mobile phone. I just chat with family and friends or email them when I want to communicate with them. But there are those times when making long distance calls can be a matter of life and death, like closing an important deal or greeting your wife on your wedding anniversary (yeah it’s really that important).
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Now that I have your attention, please help me with my current dilemma now. hehehe…
Any suggestions for a good RSS feed reader and where can I download this?
I just researched over the web and I’m kinda swamped with all the results - which to choose? What’s the best? arghhh…. I had been using an RSS reader but I am not satisfied with it (I won’t name it na lang). I want more features from an RSS reader. Please helpp…..
Maraming salamat po! Daghang salamat! Madamo guid nga salamat!
I recently saw on TV about a conflict over the custody of a child by his real parents and the couple who took care of him until he grew up. He was actually freely given by his parents at birth. This is quite a touchy topic especially for both parties. Oh well, we've all heard of many stories about babies or children being given to friends or strangers for whatever reason and the real problem begins when the biological parents wanted their child back after many years. I once had a conversation with a lawyer-friend on this and he stressed the importance of legal adoption, not just plain verbal agreement over a cup of coffee between the real parents and the adoptive party. Aside from the fact that this practice is deemed illegal and is considered a crime, this must be done to avoid legal problems that might arise later regarding the custody of the child.
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There are days when I feel like I’m on top of the world – I get a lot of things done, I feel so useful and in control. I plan, organize, meet people, take risks and things happen the way I want them to be…everything’s just ‘perfect’. These are my days of self-sufficiency and pride…of saying to myself I’m smart and organized.
And then there would be days when I get so dissatisfied with myself and my life – when schedules get mixed-up, things don’t happen according to my master plan, when people can’t be depended on, when I feel utterly helpless, too stressed out, I feel the extent of my human limitations and I just wanted to give up. These are my days of desperation and being humbled.
Oh, if I could just keep this constantly in mind, these are all days of God-given grace – grace that lifts me up to exhilarating heights of successes, and grace that saves me and helps me live through desperate times. I am so grateful to Him and I feel so blessed knowing that whatever I accomplish or possess is not entirely my own, I am just a worthless vessel filled with abundant grace.
This is one of my fave songs from Watermark. This version is a live recording during their farewell concert and they’re singing here with the ladies from Point of Grace.
I love listening to this cool and relaxing song because it calms my spirit and the lyrics never fail to make my eyes blurry. awww…
You can listen to the song here (you may download a better quality of its mp3 from my audio gallery):
Over time You’ve healed so much in me
And I am living proof
That although my darkest hour had come
Your light could still shine through
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“Ugh! Credit cards…
a boon and a bane
at the same time. ”
Snglguy
Last night, I registered for a PayPal account and after going through the process, entering important information, clicking accept and other buttons, I was done. I was so satisfied with myself until I saw the unverified status. Of course, I was curious about that and after a few clicks, I was then taken to a new page asking for my credit card info. Now this seems to be a problem since I don’t have one. My brother recently registered for PayPal too, and his status is now verified since he has a credit card account. Until now I still haven’t got a credit card for myself. I guess I just don’t want to be tempted to buy things when I can’t afford them yet and besides, I want to pay in cash. Now is this good or bad?
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I’m showcasing here my third set of favorite posts from five blogsy friends – Karmee, Karol, Lazarus, Wil and Sexy Mom. Here goes:
He Knows : ) by Karmee (Clouds in my coffee)
“So there I was, miserably down the dumps all week, thinking of every possible reason to hate him, to store all this tampo, to launch a cold war (I didn't)…”
- I admire how Karmee’s boyfriend managed to patch things up – creativity with lots of effort and of course, love. Sweet!
Lessons From a Little Boy by Karol (Life and love of kalories)
“…I realized that, sometimes, we really have to return to that innocent child in us.”
- Simple yet inspiring realizations.
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Big large expressive eyes, small noses and simple lips - these are what makes typical anime characters look so cute and adorable. There’s some magic in anime that fascinates kids and grown-ups alike. I know some friends going crazy over their fave anime shows. I even found somebody laughing so hard while in front of the computer, he was watching a funny anime which he downloaded over the net. Later, he proudly spoke some Japanese words that he learned from the show.
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“Whatever you can do,
or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius,
power, and magic in it.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
It was the last month of the year, which also signified the last month of my working contract. I had a talk with my kind boss (he’s like a father to me) about contract renewal, some big organizational changes and other work related stuff. I was to make a choice if I would renew my contract or not.
As I went home, I was pondering a lot about my career – my priorities, things that matter most and my future. Working abroad can be rewarding, but not easy. It’s not that I missed my family and friends being away from them, after all, two of my siblings were with me too. I can actually live independently on my own. But weighing the pros and cons have made me realized that what matters most is my future. And so I decided not to renew my contract and go home and help in our family business. It was a big risk and I know it would leave me broke until the business would be up and running. But I still have the hope that it would be just the key to my dreams - by not being employed. I am an entrepreneur at heart. I don’t want to be working forever until retirement for somebody else and watch his company becoming more and more prosperous, helping him achieve his dreams while my own dreams are put to the backseat. I could start working for myself, cultivate whatever skills and talents I have, start something small at home, then focus on it to make it a success. And in this exciting information age, where more opportunities abound, a lot of young CEOs and businessmen are great inspirations for me.
I know the start could be a disheartening and painful birthing process and I am experiencing it these days. I am looking forward to that day when I will be part of something bigger than my dreams.
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.
