A Shot at Memes Friday, September 28, 2007

Do you typically wear trendy clothing? Why or why not?

I'd like to think of myself as unconventionalist in some aspects of living. While some people tend to follow the "norm" or what's hot, I often have a laid-back attitude towards things and I just do what I want to do.

With the clothes I wear, I wear what I have and I wear what I like to wear. For something to be in my "like" list, it has to be comfortable, flattering, and I can do pretty much whatever I'd like to do in it. Even if a lot of people are wearing tank tops or what-have-yous, I end up wearing my favorite pair of jeans (which may or may not have been washed the day before), and my favorite shirt (which incidentally would be worn out, but still presentable).

The exception in these cases would be formal evenings. There I have to endure hours of being in uncomfortable stilletos and a dress I only wear during special occasions. But nonetheless, just as long as I know I'm dressed appropriately, that's all that matters then. I always try to please myself with how I look first before thinking of what others have to say. If they don't like it, well, they can always look the other way.

You have to watch 1408! Thursday, September 27, 2007

My husband and I recently watched 1408 and it literally left my mouth hanging open! It had to be the best horror/suspense movie I have seen in months, in addition to Ouija, the last horror movie I saw.

Based on Stephen King's work, 1408 is about a man, Michael Enslin (John Cusack) seeking to debunk the mysteries of life, particularly ghosts and the supernatural. His daughter died at an early age, which resulted to the strained relationship with him and his wife. He writes about the ghostly experiences he has encountered in books, and often stays at hotels and places famed for being haunted. Most of his readers claim that the first book he ever wrote was the best he's ever written, I think that was about his personal experience with his dad.

He gets lots of mail inviting him to stay at various "haunted" places, but a postcard he received stood out from all the rest: "Don't enter 1408." There had been 56 deaths in 1408, a room at the Dolphin Hotel. The hotel's manager Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson) had insisted he did not stay in the said room. He even offered to give all the information about all the people who died in the room, just so he wouldn't go. But curiosity got the best of him and the more he was pushed not to stay in 1408, the firmer his decision to stay was made.

I won't spoil the ending for those who haven't watched it yet, but what I can say is that this horror movie will get you scared and thinking at the same time. Well, I've never seen a crappy remake on any of Stephen King's work, anyway.

Orlando, Anyone? Tuesday, September 25, 2007

For people who read my blog, you should know that I am currently a paid writer for a travel blog. We make a post a day during weekdays, and although we can write almost about anything as long as it's travel-related, there are times when you'll just run out of ideas, particularly if writing about a country you've never been to.

THIS POST HAS BEEN EDITED DUE TO NON-PAYMENT FROM CREAMAID.

This post was added to the conversation widget on September 25, 2007 and I did not receive any payment for this post. I have sent customer service emails since September and it is already 2008 and they have not responded. My PayPal transactions from Sept. 1, 2007 - Jan. 08, 2008 are as follows.

As you can see, my search range for PayPal transactions was from Sept. 1, 2008 - Jan. 08, 2008. The first transaction I had was in Sept. 30, 2007 although I have had the account open since August and is also the time I started blogging. This is the third time Creamaid has not paid me for posts, this incident has happened 3 times already. See my other posts that have not been paid for proof.

Choosing a Satellite TV Provider Monday, September 24, 2007

I used to work in a call center (or customer contact center) for DirecTV and almost everyday, I get around ten or more calls from prospective clients who have neither Dish Network nor DirecTV. They always ask,

"I've called Dish and they're offering this and that, what do you guys have to offer me? Can you beat what they're going to give me?"

To be honest, I hated getting these types of calls since I did not now how to respond. Although I knew what DirecTV was offering like the back of my hands, I only had a vague idea of what Dish Network had, and why we get calls every so often about our customers switching to them.

I decided to use the Internet to my rescue and luckily, I stumbled upon BestBuys, a one-stop shopping resource that allows customers to make informed purchases. The site provides millions of consumers with unbiased information they need to make all their shopping decisions in one place, at one time. Their Service Comparison and Review article provided me exactly what I was looking for, a comparison between DirecTV and Dish Network.

The site gives a detailed comparison between Dish Network and DirecTV's current promotions, packages and prices, HD programming info, additional tv fees, costs for upgraded equipment like DVRs, and pros and cons, if any. Additional information such as pricing, selection and freebies are also included. The site also has what they call Best Buys Choice, wherein they give consumers their unbiased opinion between the two companies or services that they're comparing.

BestBuys' comparison and review page was a big help not only to me, but to my co-workers as well. We had access to unbiased answers for customers who were still in the process of deciding which company they would choose. Although we hoped that they would sign up for DirecTV and help us earn commission (lol), we were assured that the answers we gave them were in no way false advertising, and nothing we couldn't deliver.

I changed it again for the nth time! Saturday, September 22, 2007

Sheesh, when will I stop changing templates? Just a couple of days ago I said I was fine with my layout and now here I am again with a new one...Hope someone will leave a comment and say which one they think is best. I don't know which to choose anymore.

The only problem (not really much of a problem, though) is that these two templates, the one I have now and the other one before this, they don't allow the integration of Adsense in between posts, so I'll have to think about that. And also, my Blogger navbar is gone too. I'll ask around first if there's a way I can add it back while keeping this template.

Template Thursday, September 20, 2007

I like the look of this particular template I have now. It's very crisp and clean, and I've been looking for a three column blogger template that would have all my posts on the left side and the other two columns on the right, plus it has to be widget compliant, of course. I might try other templates in the coming days, but I do like the look of this one.

I got Published! Thursday, September 20, 2007

I got the two articles I submitted for TenFootSquare published! Yipee! The first post I made is entitled Dealing with Allergies while Traveling and you can read about it here. The second post I made is entitled Intramuros - the Walled City of Manila and you can also read it here. For people who know me, you've probably guessed why I chose to write about Intramuros. I spent four years of my life there while I was in college. And for the allergies, well, as parent I always get concerned with my co-travelers in any bus, jeepney, or any public transport with kids who suffer from allergic reactions while on the road.

Tonight I'm making a post about the top honeymoon spots that are recommended by honeymooners themselves. And I swear I thought of another article that was pretty great too, but now I totally forgot what it was. Sheesh.

Creating a Travel Blog Post Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Today's the very first day I'm making my travel blog post for the writing gig which I was luckily accepted in. I'd consider myself a pretty well-traveled individual locally, so I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I can only hope that the posts I'll be making will be accepted so I can use the extra cash for bills, my kid's milk, etc. I've already made one post about traveling with allergies, and I'm making another one about my favorite church here in the Philippines. Hope all this turns out well for me.

Trying out a New Template Monday, September 17, 2007

For those of you wondering where my Birdie Love Template done by the wonderful TJ of Zazzafooky, it is safe and sound with me and will not be harmed (lol). I'm just trying out this three column template since I plan on monetizing my blog and having a two columned template just doesn't leave you with that much space for ads. Also, I'm not that knowledgeable with editing HTML scripts. To be honest, just looking at the script itself is enough to make my head hurt. This current template that I'm using allows me to use the customize function of the new Blogger, so I can pretty much just drag and drop items around.

Rest assured that once I get everything fixed and my ads are where I want them to be, I'll decide on whether to stick with this new template, or to switch it back the way it was.

Earning Revenue from your Blog Monday, September 17, 2007

For people who are blogging as a hobby, Blogsvertise provides an excellent way of turning your hobby into a profitable one. The site provides very simple and easy-to-follow guidelines for bloggers who want to earn extra cash. What's even better is that new bloggers (like me!) can participate immediately - no need to wait for your blog to be at least three months old like other sites require. All you need is a blog, the skill and passion for writing in general, and a PayPal account.

What's even better about Blogsvertise is that when you have an assignment or a task you need to complete, you are given a notification email plus a URL and a brief note. All you need to do is to incorporate that link into your blog post at least three (3) times - no need to endorse the site's products or services, just incorporate it or mention it in your blog entry. Plus, you need to keep that blog post permanent - that's all there is to it!

Sounds pretty fun, huh? Well, like any other company, Blogsvertise also follows a set of guidelines that all bloggers must follow in writing your posts. First of all, you have to have a blog of your own, and get it approved by the site's administrator (pornographic/adult oriented blogs are not accepted). Once it's approved, you get to have tasks assigned to you that you need to complete within five (5) days of being mailed to you. You can then create your post with the option of either complimenting or even complaining about the site, or just simply relating it to your personal life, etc. What you do is solely up to you. Second, for a post to be considered valid, it has to be at least 2 - 3 paragraphs with 75 words or more. And, as I've mentioned earlier, the post has to be a permanent live post on your blog.

For more information and questions regarding Blogsvertise, you can check out their FAQ section for bloggers here. I'm very eagerly looking forward to working with Blogsvertise and making my blogging an enjoyable and profitable hobby at the same time.

Luciano Pavarotti (1935 - 2007) Sunday, September 16, 2007

Yeah, I know I'm a little bit late on publishing this post, I was preoccupied with getting a head start with my travel blog work. But I really wanted to create a post about Luciano Pavarotti not because I'm a fan of classical music, but because he was great and I guess even the best opera tenor of all time.

I honestly grew up listening to Aerosmith and a lot of other alternative rock bands, but whenever I had the chance to listen to classical music, particularly that of Pavarotti's (my dad's a fan), I always get goosebumps. Although his line of music is not really the genre I dig, I still respect the man and the music he made.

I'd like to think now, he's singing his opera songs in heaven and leading a choir of angels.

Yipee! I'm In! Thursday, September 13, 2007

I made the cut in the travel blog! I'm really excited about this new job, I haven't written anything in years, so I'm pretty nervous and excited at the same time. I hope I'll be able to meet the required number of posts in a given month, and I know I will since I'll work hard. Wish me luck!

A New Job Tuesday, September 04, 2007

I'm excited about this new writing job I'm about to try out. It's for a travel blog, and I'm still in the trial period. I think before this week ends, I'll know if I'm actually in or not. What I'm just concerned about is that I've never done any international travels, so I may be behind against my co-aspirants. But I feel I am competent enough, I write well enough, and I have editorial experience in my high school and college days.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed (including my toes, lol) until Friday. I hope I make the cut.