“On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star, like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are, how fragile we are.”
‘Fragile’ by Sting
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“Mamaaaa…!” A girl in white was sobbing, while her mother’s casket was being lowered down to where it belongs, in the earth's bosom. I felt her pain and walked few steps away. I was getting misty eyed already.
***
“How is your kuya?” I sent a chat message to my niece, asking for an update on her elder brother who has been in the hospital since last week. “Still the same,” she replied, “the fever comes and goes. They say it's really like that for about five days.”
***
“Yo, baby is a pacman! I have to feed her every 1.5 hours.” This was just part of an SMS I got from my sis in Prague who recently gave birth to a baby girl.
***
Birth…sickness…death. We are fragile indeed.
The place of the famous Sydney Opera House, home to the cuddly Koala, a country with its distinct Aussie accent, Australia is a great tourist destination, with its modern and well-developed cities, interesting culture and wide open beautiful landscapes. Visiting this continent is a great choice for travel bugs like me. Of course a Sydney accommodation is what most tourists would want, being Australia’s biggest and popular city, though the other cities such as Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane are great places to visit too.
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Finally, I finished reading Bo’s book ‘8 Secrets of the Truly Rich’ and once again, I am reminded of my commitment to be truly rich, which is so much more than just being rich, as defined by the book. It’s pretty much like reading Kiyosaki and the other financial gurus, but with a spiritual twist, and with anecdotes and stories mostly based on Bo’s experiences which Filipinos can easily relate to. I still am planning to blog about some good points learned from this book. Hmmm...let’s see. 
If you need to get some buzz on your blog or website, getting registered in a blog directory is one such option to consider since it is an online resource of sites arranged in categories ranging from arts, health, news, science to entertainment and sports. This is one way to give your blog the exposure it needs when visitors browse on their preferred categories for sites of similar interests and content.
A relatively new resource site is the Alive Blog Directory, which offers a wide range of blog categories, regular and featured listing options, annual or permanent pricing options and more. This is another resource site launched from the main Alive Directory website.
Interested site owners who want to be included in the listing can submit their blog as long as they comply with the blog directory’s terms.
Let’s have some visualization exercise!
I was going through some of my old files and chanced upon this gem of an article from Lisa Leguenec. I used to subscribe to her Goals monthly eTips in my inbox and saved the articles I liked. This is one of my faves, visualizing and consciously forming in your mind ‘your perfect day’. (more…)
Do you stay up late in the office when your work is piled up and have a looming deadline to beat? I usually do that too, when I was still working for a telecoms firm. Sometimes, I had to content myself with some crackers to keep me from getting hungry when it’s way past dinner time. And going home was kinda scary since I had to ride a cab alone. Had I got a remote access to my office files, life would have been easier for me then. I could have easily left my office desk at six o’clock and access my files later at home. Having remote access to your office computer is surely a great way to increase productivity and this is what RemotePC does. It’s an application that enables a ‘local’ computer (e.g. your home computer) to access and work on the files on a remote ‘host’ computer (at your office) via secure encrypted communication. Its nifty features include quick and easy logins, data sharing, remote printing and remote meeting of up to 10 users. This is a great way to access your office computer from anywhere as long as you’re connected to the Internet.
Thanks to Aileen and Tin-tin for giving me the Rockin’ Girl Blogger award. I’m happy to accept this since it comes with a cute PINK badge. So now it’s my turn to give the award to five well deserving ladies.
They have different personalities and careers,
They’re pretty, smart and tough,
They’re the kind of girls that rock!
You rock Bea! of A happy, simple blog :: book lover : big-hearted : down to earth : she has books as her ‘babies’
You rock Cai! of Pink Urinal :: graduating ComSci stude : busy juggling thesis, acads and money-making activities : independent-minded
You rock Raine! of Introspection :: music enthusiast and Heroes fanatic : witty : a model employee but always remembers to have fun!
You rock Karmee! of Karmee 3.0 :: certified feline lover : coffee aficionada : daddy’s girl
You rock Cris! of Sweet Perceptions :: IT expert : techie girl : intelligent : sweet lady
Here’s the cute pink badge for you girls!
Keep rockin’!
I had a good laugh listening to some cool funny voicemail greetings featured at YouMail.com where you can choose over lots of recorded clips on jokes & humor, professional & business, entertainment and even foreign language.
You can let your callers listen to a Britney Spears greeting, a funny psychiatrist greeting or a greeting in English with Italian accent. Now that’s a great way to surprise or pull a trick on your dear callers! 
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I used to handle tutoring English for a Korean boy who needed to supplement his language skills. After office hours, he would come to my dormitory room where I would teach him for two hours on the basics of learning and speaking the language. Anyway, it was a fun experience though I had to turn the job over to another friend since I got so busy and had to work after office hours.
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Cutie sis recently bought a new digital camera, a 10 megapixel Canon A640 PowerShot since she left her Sony Cyber-shot here with me. I recommended Canon after comparing its superior image resolution at 120 dpi to the Cyber-shot’s 72 dpi for the same 4 megapixel picture quality. My sis already took photos with her new cam, and she’s very satisfied with the result. With its fully manual exposure and manual focusing, it’s a step ahead from the compact ‘point and shoot’ models without being too heavy and bulky.
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The family’s been waiting for my sister’s baby to come out, and just as my Dad and I were talking about it again, my cell phone played its usual tone signifying an arriving SMS. I jokingly told Dad it’s good news from my sis’ hubby telling us about the newborn baby, and it sure was! He informed us that my sis bore a beautiful baby girl at 10:16 AM today. Great blessings sure come in small packages, though my new niece is not so small at 3.53 kgs. We can’t wait to see her pics. I know my sis will have lots of things to share in her blog once she will be up and about, but for now the new mommy is just taking a rest in the hospital.
I don’t know about you, but I have lots of e-junk (electronic junk) piled up in the shelves, from obsolete computer hardware such as LAN cards and hard disks, damaged cameras to old Jurassic age cell phones! Now what to do with them…throw them away? How I would love to! But we know that won’t do good to our Mother Earth, right? They contain harmful substances such as lead, arsenic, mercury and other toxins which are considered environmental threats when not disposed properly. Several areas in the US have established laws regarding proper cell phone recycling to safeguard the environment. Some of these safety regulations prohibits disposal of cell phones in household trash, considers cell phone retailers illegal if they don’t have a cell phone recycling program, and even require cell phone recycling for wireless carriers.
A leader in cell phone recycling in the Internet, CellForCash.com aims to raise awareness in the responsible recycling of cell phones with their 911 Cell Phone Bank program. Cell phones are donated by community members, these are then collected by participating agencies and sent to the 911 Cell Phone Bank for processing – the good ones are converted to cash or into 911 cell phones and the damaged phones are set for proper recycling. This is a good initiative to encourage communities to minimize environmental waste. Read more about the 911 Cell Phone Bank program and learn interesting facts on Why should I recycle my cell phone? from their site.
Well, cell phones come and go. Some people can easily let go of their phones when they see the latest model in the market and can’t wait to own them. The old phone is either given to somebody as a gift, sold at a lesser price, left lying in the drawer gathering dust or worse, thrown into the trash. How about you? Do you have an old unused cell phone at home, and if there’s a cell phone recycling program nearby, would you participate in it and recycle your cell phone too?
Blogging indeed can go beyond virtual friendships. I was recently able to talk with Bea of ‘A Happy, Simple Blog’. She’s one of my blogsy friends back when my blog was still new. I discovered her site from my cutie sis who has been her blogmate and chatmate too. Anyway, my sis requested her to buy a stylish diaper bag in Manila and send it to somebody in Cebu who will be flying to Prague. I called her up to check if she indeed bought it. It was the first time for me to talk with a blogsy friend on the phone. Iba pala ang makausap mo yung taong binabasa mo yung blog niya. Anyway, we had fun talking and she also talked with my Mom who was beside me that time. I asked for her bank account details but she insisted on giving the bag as a gift. “Just imagine me attending the baby shower na lang,” she said. Ang bait talaga! I know some of you have met your blogmates already but that call was one of my blogsy firsts. Thanks a lot Bea!
When was the last time you made a handwritten letter in your favorite stationery, put inside an envelope and sent it by post? Well, me, I can’t remember when. Ever since I got hooked on the Internet, sending personal greetings and messages have been easier for me via e-mails, and chatting is the best way for me to communicate with family and friends. I was quite surprised and happy though when a friend sent me a Christmas card designed by her artist hubby and reading her handwritten message inside. Sending special greetings such as this truly gives that personal touch particularly if the stationeries used have your name and favorite design printed on them.
I like the customized envelopes (right image) from VistaPrint, a digital printing company that recognizes the importance to add that personal touch to your communication needs. Their products range from business cards, letterheads, notes, invitations, marketing materials to folders and calendars. You can choose your favorite envelope template from their website using their online tools, and customize it by adding your text, specifying fonts, colors and moving the graphics. It’s a faster way to create the design you want for your mailing products and giving a unique impression to your recipients.
Yesterday I started sorting out and deleting some programs and files on my Desknote, my previous computer which used to be my companion for many years. I had to go through some documents and browse through past Yahoo! Messenger chat archives in order to weed out some unnecessary data, delete unwanted files and keep the important ones. It was also a trip down memory lane for me while going through files on travel, authorization letters, business and legal matters and personal stuff, and browsing on my chat archives to check on some important conversations. They brought back many memories both happy and sad. Whew! How time flies indeed.
Yesterday I’ve been chatting with a friend, catching up on a lot of topics from career, to internet cafes and computers. Out of the blue I asked if he knows anybody who can repair a DVD drive, I had been searching high and low for somebody who could do that since my Desknote’s DVD drive is going nuts and I can’t sell it yet unless it’s in top condition. I was surprised when he said he can. It suddenly hit me, he heads the technical section in the computer science department of one of the universities here. *smacks forehead* (yeah how can I forget!) I’ve been pestering my Mom to call somebody she knows but she got so busy and now she’s in Manila. Anyway, I am so happy now, finally I can get rid…errr…sell my Desknote after seeing it gathering dust in the corner of my room.
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Finally, after reading and visiting her children’s blogs, my Mom wanted to have her own little corner in the World Wide Web too. Yes, she wanted to have her own blog! So, I set it up on our own domain, helped her with the WordPress interface – how to post, change timestamp, put links and other blogging basics and her blog Great Ordinary Happenings is now up and running. She finds blogging another avenue for her to share her ideas, thoughts and personal reflections. So what exactly does ‘great ordinary happenings’ mean?
Yes! Ordinary can be G R E A T! – a sharing of daily living experiences, thoughts, reflections, stories, which though ordinary as they may be, all point to the unfathomable goodness of the awesome, wonderful God Who is our loving Father! These are stories, personal testimonies or otherwise, most especially on the never-ending goodness of God and His so many blessings, undeserved – some spectacular but most, ordinary and taken for granted. To uplift the soul, mind and being of whoever will give time to read and enjoy, much more reflect on, these sharings is my fervent wish. For these are seemingly ordinary, but great, as they all spring from the love, mercy, and goodness of the Almighty Father. God’s wisdom, be on me, and on you, my dear reader – this is my prayer.
She just turned 67 last August 11, not bad for somebody her age eh? Congratulations and welcome to the blogosphere my dear Mom.
Healthy living is quite a challenge in this age of instant noodles and fast food fixes. Discipline is the key and I am guilty of not being attentive to seeking a lifestyle of being healthy and fit. Yes, I haven’t done my exercise for months already and sometimes I eat more fatty and cholesterol-laden food than necessary. I need to include more fruits and daily vegetables in my diet, aside from going back to my exercise routine. We do try at home to have nutritious meals, so we consume organic brown rice instead of the regular white variety as our staple food, use honey as sweetener instead of sugar and non-fat instead of full cream milk among other practices.
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My Mom is a teacher at heart. For her, teaching is not just a career, it’s a passion, creatively sharing her knowledge in a way that students can easily grasp and understand. After graduating cum laude and the top student in the civil engineering batch, she was immediately tasked to handle college Math subjects. When she quit her teaching career and focused on doing professional practice, her being a teacher still showed in the way she taught us her children. We got help with our homework but she never solved them for us, she had a way to let us think. My parents invested their hard-earned money on books and encyclopedias for us to read at home.
Here are some tips Mom taught us in encouraging kids to appreciate and value the importance of learning:
1. Instead of candies and chips, scatter some books and educational toys around the house – in the playroom, bedroom, living room, anywhere your kids can easily pick them up.
2. Give them papers, notebooks, crayons and pens to hone their drawing and coloring skills and develop their creativity and imagination.
3. Stick educational posters on walls so they can be easily read and memorized by your kids.
4. Toys and books that deal with numbers can help them early in appreciating Math and not being intimated with it.
5. Acknowledge every improvement and give rewards and incentives for a job well done. It’s giving value in tangible ways on top of a kiss, hug or a pat on the back.
6. Find time to teach your child new words, or read them stories or help them with their homework. (Note: If this is not possible, hire the services of a good personal tutor. You may also consider online tutoring if it offers more advantages. For instance, online tutoring service TutorVista’s programs are designed professionally not only to help your child keep up with school assignments and lessons but even top the class.)
7. NEVER do your child’s homework, just guide them into solving the assignment by asking them questions that would lead them to thinking about possible solutions.
These are just some of the practical tips in helping your child become independent and smart thinkers at an early age.
Whew! I just read a LOT of articles and hopped over to newly discovered sites this evening. All of these links I found from browsing over at Thoof.com — from articles on WordPress templates, to website designs, blogging, movies, and even Hollywood gossip (shhh…). Thoof is unique in a sense that its members get to read personalized news and articles. It has an algorithm which adjusts to your browsing preferences and stored in your account. Articles you click and read are recorded and used by Thoof to bring to you the stories you would like to read. You also can edit the title, summary or tags for a story, or you can label it as not interesting if you think so. Your browsing preferences determine how your reading experience is personalized.
If you have some really interesting stories and posts, Thoof is one way to drive traffic to your site. Just register and submit your ‘masterpiece’ (or any of your posts that you think would interest a lot of readers) to Thoof with the corresponding link, title, summary and tags. You can also submit articles other than your own. Another nifty feature is the ThoofRank badge which can be installed in any submitted blog entry. If your story is well read by other members, the badge displays a high score expressed in percentage based on how significant your post is compared to other Thoof articles. Putting up your best articles to Thoof is one way to give your site a buzz. What are you waiting for? Here are three simple steps to do: Visit Thoof.com, sign up for a free account and start your personalized browsing experience! :)
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.
