Sticky Post :: Please Help Me Win My Own Domain Name with Hosting

Sticky Post (until Oct. 31, 2007)
For more recent posts, kindly scroll down.

Update: Oct. 25, 2007: Thank you to everyone who have supported me in my wish to win my own domain. It's very heartwarming to know that so many have taken time and effort to help me. I will always be grateful for your kindness whether I win or not. Final results will be announced by KK on Oct. 31, 2007.

As of Oct. 24, 2007, another person is on the lead. For those who have not yet clicked the big heart, please do so. Your click will be truly appreciated. For those who already clicked it, thank you very much. Google Analytics count per IP visit so one click will do. However, a person can visit multiple times from different IPs.

Take care everyone!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear friends,

If it's not too much to ask, I hope you can help me win in my friend's blog contest.

My friend and fellow mom, KK of My Good Finds is celebrating her birthday and she is in a generous mood. She invited me to join the contest she is hosting on her blog.

The prize? free domain registration with hosting for 5 years on a Linux server.

Bandwidth Allotment: 250,000 MB or 244.1 GB transfer
Diskspace Allotment: 5,000 MB or 4.9 GB
With Wordpress and SQL database enabled.

What can you do to help me?

Kindly click on the heart below. It will direct you to KK's site. Please comment on her post. The blogger who can convince the most number of readers to visit her blog wins. The contest started October 15, 2007 and will end on October 31, 2007 12:00 midnight US Eastern time. The winner will be announced on November 1st, 2007 at 12 noon US Eastern time.

Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.

Tagged :: Baby Talk

Thank you Lizzz of Welcome to my World for tagging me.

Baby Talk

1. Are there any babies in your family or circle of friends?

Yes, several of my cousins and friends have babies less than a year old.

2. Are you one of those people who use a high-pitched, sing-song voice when talking to babies and small children?

Before I used to do that but I learned it's better to use my normal voice.

3. If you were standing in line next to a *very* pregnant stranger at the bank or grocery store, what would you say to her?

I would smile but I wouldn't normal start a conversation with a stranger at a bank or grocery.

4. Similarly, what do you say or do near babies in public?

I just smile at babies and admire from a distance (assuming I don't know the parents of the baby).

5. When walking through a department store, are you the sort of person who can go by the baby clothes without even a glance or do you have to stop to ooh and ahh?

I enjoy checking out baby clothes especially if I'm going to attend a special occasion like a Christening or Birthday party.

Thrill of a Haunted Hotel

It's Halloween and there is a mixture of fun, excitement and heightened senses towards the creepy and unknown.

Children dressed in their Halloween costumes visit houses to collect all sorts of goodies for Trick or Treat but not only kids enjoy the spirit of Halloween.

Many adults enjoy Halloween by having parties. For the more out-going type and thrill seekers, one may bring their Halloween experience a step higher by staying in Haunted hotels.

Tagged :: Santa Sentences ... Plus A Letter from Santa

I've been tagged by Jo to do this meme. Sorry for the delay.

Jo asked me to let my son, Yohan complete the sentences below and it was fun doing this meme together. Here are Yohan's answers...
1. I love Santa.
2. Santa is someone who likes cookies and milk and gives us gifts on Christmas.
3. If I were in a room with Santa, I would say hi.
4. I think Santa should gift everyone presents.
5. Santa needs his sleigh and reindeer.
6. I want to kiss Santa.
7. Someday Santa will go go here.
8. Santa reminds me of Christmas
9. Without Santa Barney can't go there.
10. My memories of Santa are the train and gifts at his toy factory. (Referring to DVD of Barney's trip to North Pole).
11. Santa can be funny.
12. The worst thing about Santa is nothing. (Yohan had a hard time answering this one.)
13. The best thing about Santa is his magic sleigh and reindeer.
14. I am friends with Santa.
15. One thing I would like to know about Santa is where he lives in North Pole.
16. Santa should go and help poor children.
17. Santa is good to me.

Everyone is welcome to do this meme. Have fun and remember that Santa is watching over you and checking his list twice. :)

There are 310 days before Christmas and if you haven't written a letter to Santa yet, there's a cool site where you can make a letter to Santa. I helped my son make a letter to Santa using this e-form and the great thing is that you get a quick reply from him. :)

Here is Santa's reply to my son (click below to have a clear view).

Ease of Magic Loans

It feels good when a company or business organization takes time to listen carefully to the needs of its clients. It can be frustrating when you are not given enough chance to specify your needs and expectations. In this fast paced time, companies present you with choices. However, sometimes these choices do not exactly fit your particular need.

Magic Loans is an organization that listens to every client's need for fast and secure loans. The organization's Home Equity Loans help clients acquire financial solution through a simple and quick process. Magic Loans value every customer and gives highest importance to their satisfaction.

Heads or Tails #11

Before anything else, my Internet connection is back to normal. A guy from the technical team came over this afternoon (finally) to fix the problem. I feel great, happy and excited to be back on-line. Thanks to everyone who came over. I'll come by soon.

Sorry I missed several of my regular weekly memes (Friday's Feast, Aloha Friday, Saturday Photo Hunt, Monday Madness and Weekend Snapshots). I will make it up next week. Here's my entry for this week's Heads or Tails ...

Learn more about Heads Or Tails here.
View More Heads Or Tails Participants.

Heads or Tails: SPOOKY, SCARY, HALLOWEEN-ish

SCARY PHILIPPINE FOLKLORE - Here are some mythical creatures that scared me as a child. I admit that sometimes stories or movies about them still scare me.

1. Manananggal is said to be a beautiful woman who can severe its upper body, leaving its lower body on the ground, to fly into the deep of the night to prey on humans (often pregnant women). The Mananaggal has large bat-like wings and capable of making its tongue long to suck on blood of unsuspected victims while sleeping. According to Philippine folklore, if you see a mananaggal's lower body, sprinkle salt on it or crushed garlic so that the mananaggal cannot go back to her body. When the sun shines, the manananggal will die.

2. Aswang is another creature in Philippine Folklore. The aswang is often interchanged with manananggal, but they are different in many ways. According to the myth, the aswang likes to eat small children. It is said that an aswang appears like an ordinary person but often shy and does not mingle with other towns people. An aswang is capable of transforming itself into an animal, like a cow, pig or dog.

When I went to the province with my family for a vacation, my late grandmother told me and my cousins to refrain from playing outside after nightfall because there might be an aswang nearby. I guess she told us that to make sure we stay indoors at night. The story worked wonders.

3. Kapre is a "mythical creature that could be characterized as a tree demon, but with more human characteristics. It is described as being a tall (7 to 9 ft), brown, hairy male with a beard. Kapres are normally described as smoking a big tobacco pipe, whose strong smell would attract human attention." source

My uncle once told me when I was a child that he saw a kapre on their mango tree. It was huge and smoking a tobacco. He said that as long as he does bring harm to the tree, nothing bad will happen to him and his family. I've never forgotten this story and even though I'm already an adult, I still choose not to go near that tree whenever we visit his house in the province.

4. Tikbalang is "described as a tall, bony humanoid creature with disproportionately long limbs, to the point that its knees reach above its head when it squats down. It has the head and sometimes feet of an animal, most commonly a horse." source

According to myths, the tikbalang scares travelers by playing tricks on them, causing them to get lost. They said, that when you feel that something out of the ordinary is causing you to lose concentration on your trail, remove your shirt and wear it inside out.

5. Tiyanak is a creature which "imitates the form of a child. It usually takes the form of a newborn baby and cries like one in the jungle to attract unwary travelers. Once it is picked up by the victim, it reverts to its true form and attacks the victim." source

Capt. Yohan Cheers Me On Another Internet-Less Day

Another Internet-Less Day ... the technical support guy did not make it today. My hubby wanted to go out and watch a movie but I said I had to wait for the tech guy to come because he will fix my Internet problem. That's why I'm frustrated and irritated that he didn't show his face today. He didn't even had the courtesy to call me that he wasn't going to make it despite my follow-up calls at his office.

I pay my bills on time and what do I get in exchange? It's pathetic when you receive poor customer service.

I'm here at the house of my hubby's cousin. They are outside playing poker and I have the computer to myself. The computer has become part of my daily routine and it's weird being suddenly deprived of it. Thank goodness I know people who are kind enough to let me use their PC.

Going back to my Internet problem, I called the customer service and demanded to talk to their supervisor. Upon talking to her, I was assured the tech guy was coming tomorrow. I was surprised because tomorrow is Sunday but hopeful that by tomorrow, I'll have my Internet connection restored.

Oh well, on a brighter side, we had a Halloween dress rehearsal at home. Ha ha! Yohan is going to be a Pirate this Halloween. On Trick or Treating night, I will let him wear black shoes and a black bandana. My son says he is Captain Yohan from the Seven Seas. :) He has cough and colds right now but hopefully, he will be well in time for Halloween.


Enjoy the rest of the weekend. I'll visit you soon when my connection is restored. For those who have tagged me, sorry I haven't posted them yet. I will work on them soon. Take care!

Research Papers Made Easy

When I was in College, I didn’t have the privilege of having internet connection at home. Internet was not yet a popular tool for doing research. I relied on Library references for most of my research work that time. Today, it’s easier to find information about any topic or subject. Just type the words on the search engine and you will receive a lot of links regarding the topic. Many people I know have their own computers and internet connection at home. I think students today are lucky because they have access to all kinds of information at the luxury of their homes.

I found out about a site that helps students in their College Essays. This site is dedicated to guide students in their thesis writing. When I was in college, students had mentors, who were also professors at the university. The role of the mentors was to occasionally guide students in their thesis. They were there to help you on the right track but not to actually help you write your thesis.

Now, there is Custom Term Paper Writing Service that helps students come up with excellent research or term papers. Highly qualified professional writers make research papers easy to accomplish through Custom Research Paper Writing Service.

No DSL! Boo Hoo!

Hi friends,

I won't be able to participate on Friday's Feast this week because I don't have internet connection since yesterday. I'm here at my BIL's place right now. I hope my DSL connection will resume by tomorrow because the technician is coming (crossing my fingers).

Chances are I might miss Photo Hunters too. :(

Thanks for visiting.I'll make it up to you soon.

Before I go, here's a photo of Yohan taken earlier in school.

Happy weekend everyone!

Halloween Costumes

Just a few more days to go and Halloween is here. I love hearing children laughing with excitement as they merrily go house to house on Halloween night. It’s nice to see them in their Halloween costumes, carrying different kinds of baskets or bags. Hopeful that when they go home, their baskets or bags will be full of yummy treats from their Trick or Treat activity.

My friend is very busy at this time because of her business. She makes all kinds of custom made costumes for children and even adults. Most of her clients are children and every year she receives a lot of orders for Halloween costumes. Due to the demand for costumes, she decided to make ready made costumes that she can bring to malls. She successfully distributed many Halloween costumes to big named stores on a consignment basis and it’s doing very well. Only a few designs are available as ready made but most of her popular designs are still custom made.

With this encouraging development in her business, she can move one step forward by getting a shopping cart software for her website. It will be a great opportunity for her to offer her quality costumes worldwide.

A Fun Theme Park

I love going to Theme Parks with my family because it is an ideal place for everyone to have a great time.

I’m afraid of heights but I always make most of my visit to the park by trying all the rides if possible. I admit I could feel my heart pumping fast whenever I’m about to board a challenging ride. There was a time when I was waiting in line for my turn at the roller coaster. I was nervous and I thought my heartbeat could be heard by the people near me.

I’ve been to several Theme Parks in the Philippines but it would be nice to explore others. I would love the chance to visit other great Theme Parks outside the country. I heard of UK’s oldest theme park called Blackpool (UK) which features a lot of cool and great rides. I would love to go there with my family someday.

Heads or Tails #10

Learn more about Heads Or Tails here.
View More Heads Or Tails Participants.

Heads or Tails: TRAINS

When it comes to trains the first thing that comes to my mind is Yohan's favorite train ~ Thomas the Tank Engine.

In 2005, Thomas and Friends went to the Philippines to celebrate their 60th Anniversary. We joined the celebration by watching their live show at ATC. Yohan was quite overwhelmed when he met Thomas and Sir Topman Hat in person. He had the privilege of riding Thomas the Tank Engine around the mall.

Yohan's Thomas tent.

Collection of die-cast trains.

My son's very own Island of Sodor.

Reading Festival

I attended the Reading Festival today at Yohan's school. The theme for this year is Race Into Reading. This twice a year event aims to foster the love for reading among children. Students are requested to wear something related to racing.

Yohan's racing attire was a last minute thing. We wanted to buy patches related to car racing but due to the recent blasting incident at Glorietta mall, we decided not to go there anymore.

I was busy with the village newsletter the whole Sunday morning and only had the rest of the afternoon to think of Yohan's "racing" attire. Jules and I thought of going to the market to buy a polo shirt and hopefully find some patches. We went to many stores but we couldn't find any appropriate ones. We also couldn't find black and white chekered cloth which we wanted to add to the shirt. Luckily the lady who sold us the white polo referred us to another lady who could sew logos and names. The logo involved photocopying of sample, tracing pattern, etc. Since there wasn't enough time and the lady was nice enough to set aside what she was working on to accommodate us on the spot, we decided to go through with simple names. Ferrari was too long so we settled with Honda. :)



The names didn't seem enough so we went to my MIL for some help. She had some strips of red cloth that she added to the polo ~ front and shoulders. The red stripes gave the shirt a good touch.


If we only had patches, it would have been really nice but I'm still happy with the results ...



The Reading Festival was a fun-filled activity highlighted by Story Telling, Show and Tell of favorite books, a Book Fair and all kinds of parent and child games. There is also an ongoing book drive this week called Adopt-a-school program. All the books will be donated to a chosen school.

World of RC

I think boys, young and old generally like radio controlled vehicles particularly cars. In fact, both my husband and son enjoy playing with radio controlled cars at home. My husband loves cars but what he really wants is a Radio Controlled airplane. An RC airplane can be quite expensive and maintaining it involves some money too. Jules is patient so it can wait. :)

Yohan saw lots of cool RCs in school today. He was able to play with some of them during one of the parent-and-child games.

It was a fun day.

Weekend Snapshot #2

To join this weekly meme, click here

A family that loves Gummy Bears.

I've always loved eating Gummy Bears since I was a young girl. I remember my mom buying me a special Gummy Bears package. It was a big round tin canister with a cute picture of a Santa Bear in front.

Over the years, my love for Gummy Bears have remained the same. As you can see, I'm not the only one in the family who loves them. :)

I'm amazed that you can now find assorted Gummy stuff. Aside from Gummy Bears, there are Gummy Worms, Burgers, Fries, Ice-cream Cone, Hotdog Sandwich and recently I discovered Gummy Octopus.

Bird Watching

I love waking up to the sound of birds singing. We have a young Mahogany tree in front of our house and different kinds of birds rest there. In the morning, I hear beautiful chirping.

I don't know much about birds except for the common ones I see like this king fisher. I’ve seen other interesting birds but I have no idea what they are called. It’s hard to observe them because they often fly away when they feel the presence of someone coming.

I would love to learn more about birds and discover the different kinds that live in our area. I found out about steiner binoculars, which would be perfect for bird watching and observing the beauty of nature around me.

Tagged :: 38 Questions

Thanks to Liz for this tag. It was fun answering these 38 random questions.

I received other memes last week. Sorry I'm not yet finished with the others but they are all on queue. Thanks for the those tags.

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? Yohan
2. What were you doing at 0800? It's only 6:37 a.m.
3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Cruising in dreamland.
4. What happened to you in 2006? I spent Valentine's Day in Boracay last year.
5. What was the last thing you said out loud? Good morning Yohan. (My son woke me up.)
6. How many beverages did you have today? Just a sip of water.
7. What color is your hairbrush? Brown
8. What was the last thing you paid for? A bottle of Coke Light.
9. Where were you last night? At home blogging.
10. What color is your front door? Brown
11. Where do you keep your change? In a coin purse.
12. What’s the weather like today? Bright, sunny and a little windy.
13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? Mint Pistachio
14. What excites you? Right now, the thought of my son's semestral break.
15. Do you want to cut your hair? Yes, I want a trim.
16. Are you over the age of 25? Yes.
17. Do you talk a lot? Depends on who I am with.
18. Do you watch the O.C.? ?
19. Do you know anyone named Steven? Yes, a distant nephew.
20. Do you make up your own words? Sometimes, when I sing and don't know part of the lyrics.
21. Are you a jealous person? Not really.
22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Anna
23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Kenneth
24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? My best friend, Chary
25. What does the last text message you received say? From hubby: "I'm on my way home."
26. Do you chew on your straw? No.
27. Do you have curly hair? No, I have straight hair.
28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? Village clubhouse for a meeting.
29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? I couldn't think of anyone.
30. What was the last thing you ate? Rice and longganisa last night.
31. Will you get married in the future? No, I'm already married.
32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? 1408
33. Is there anyone you like right now? I like to see my best friend Chary soon. I miss her.
34. When was the last time you did the dishes? I couldn't remember. Someone else does them.
35. Are you currently depressed? No.
36. Did you cry today? No.
37. Why did you answer and post this? It's about time I did. I'm late on this one.
38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey. I'll open this survey to anyone interested.

Photo Hunt :: Practical

Come and join the hunt here.

This week's theme is Practical. My son loves listening to stories that's why I always buy him different kinds of story books. He does not know how to read yet but he loves looking at pictures and drawings.

Books can be quite expensive so I enjoy going to book sales where I can purchase books at much lower cost. These books are practical because they are 50-70% cheaper than those books bought at regular bookstores.

Most of these books are for my son, Yohan but I was also able to buy two books for my niece and a cook book for my husband. Imagine all these books for just a little over P200.00 (more or less $5.00).

Aloha Friday #4

Rules: Post any question on your blog on a Friday, share your answer and sign Kailani's Mr. Linky. Then have fun answering the questions of fellow participants by visiting their blogs.

Share an experience you consider as a blessing in disguise.

I was supposed to go to the Glorietta mall today for my facial. Today is also the anniversary of Bioessence (spa and skin clinic) and my skin therapist invited me to take part of the celebration but something came up so I wasn't able to go.

I was on my computer when I received a text message from my friend, Rowena. She texted me that there was an explosion at Glorietta near Park Square. Three were reported dead and many were wounded.

It was a shocking news. I immediately opened the TV and I watched the live news telecast of the terrible incident. I saw the rubble caused by the explosion and people were being rushed to Makati Medical Center, a nearby hospital.

I immediately sent text messages to family and friends who were near the area to take extra precaution. My BIL and SIL were in a meeting at Greenbelt (an adjacent mall) and I'm glad to receive a reply from them that they were safe. I was also concerned for Maggie, my skin therapist because the clinic was inside the said mall. She didn't reply to my message right away because of the commotion. I was grateful when I finally received a confirmation from her that she was alright. Maggie said she heard the loud explosion and she even thought the building was going to collapse.

I consider it as a blessing in disguise that my husband and I weren't able to go to Glorietta earlier this afternoon. The thought of being one of those injured people or worse makes me realize how lucky we are. I thank God for saving us from harm.

I feel so sorry for the people who perished in the explosion and the people who got hurt. May God help them and their families.

According to the latest news update ...

Eight people were killed while at least 89 others were injured after an explosion ripped through an upscale mall in Makati City Friday afternoon. Red Cross and police officials said 56 people injured in the blast were rushed to Makati Medical Center while 33 others were brought to Ospital ng Makati. more news here

Add Zest to Your Computer Clock

I’m always on the computer. When I have extra time to spare, I turn it on in the morning to check my mails and comments on my blog before getting ready to take my son to school. I have more free time to spend on the computer in the afternoon, after my son’s class.

I have several favorite icons on my desk top, each with a unique and significant purpose. I have one for downloading images, music and video on the Internet, a multi-media player and more. I enjoy changing my desktop theme from time to time. I like the personal touch and customizing the theme based on anything that interest me.

I have a typical computer clock that functions for one thing, tell time. Wouldn’t it be nice to have computer clock on your desktop that does more than that? Imagine a computer clock that can play your favorite tunes. I find it a cool idea combining functions of a clock and a music player into one.

I like downloading MP3 files on my computer and I listen to my favorite songs while browsing on the Internet, blogging or reading my e-mails. I found out about Atomic Alarm Clock and its cool customizable computer alarm clock. It’s a fun and cool replacement for the typical Windows tray clock, like the one I have now. The Atomic Alarm Clock allows you the liberty of choosing from 100 skins. That’s a lot of choices and you can change the look of your clock as often as you want. This cool clock can alert you about important events using different alarms. It is equipped with an atomic-time synchronizer which lets you monitor time seconds, day, date, countdowns and system UpTime.

You can avail of the trial version for 60 days. Please feel free to contact support@drive-software.com for a free license key.

Friday's Feast #22

Feast One Hundred & Sixty Five

Come join the feast here.

Appetizer
If you were a dog, what breed would you be, and why?
I would like to be a Labrador Retriever.

“Golden Retrievers and Labradors have a reputation as the perfect family pet. They have been specifically bred for years to be family-dogs.” source

Soup
What does the color purple make you think of?
My Victoria Secret ...


Salad
Approximately how long does it take you to get ready each morning?
I have learned the art of getting ready in 20 minutes each morning before taking my son to school. :) It used to take me at least an hour to get ready.


Main Course
How many cousins do you have, and are you close to them?
I have 28 first cousins (the photo on the left is a project I made for my aunt) on my mother's side alone. I'm close to most of them. I want to have a chance to be closer to my younger cousins. I rarely see them because they live in the States.

I have more or less 12 cousins on my father's side. There are some cousins born in the States who I haven't met yet.

Dessert
Take your initials (first, middle, last) and come up with something else those letters could stand for. (Example: SFO = Sweet Funny Otter)

Resourceful
Reliable
Yahoo