March's Top Ten Entrecard droppers

I learn Online Marketing

Life's a Pizza Pie

Big Boys have Toys too!

Golden Prague

Tips and News for a Healthy Lifestyle

Life in the Fat Lane

Picture to People

Art Joolree

Pepper Sprays, Stun Guns and Tasers

Wonderful Things in Life


I wish I could show more appreciation than just a simple link, but I'd to thank these people and all the others who always visited this site. ^Bow^

Gracias!

Nothing is new here for now, but thank you for coming!

I could just write anything here but I am the type of person who makes a draft, using pen and paper, before typing my blog posts.

As of now, I don't have the luxury of time to think of words to say, to respond to comments, or to visit you back. I'll just have to finish my user manual, reports, and other work assignments first, which have accumulated by now, before getting back to blogging.


Thank you for dropping by!

Let's get kids to play toys and real games

The dangers of video games and too much exposure of the young children into the Internet are unfounded as of now. However, I am inclined to believe that video games offer less benefits than the disadvantages they bring. For example, I think that video games can harm the mental development of children, the violent characters of games they play may invade the children's consciousness and this could be the reason why kids today are getting aggressive and more violent than before.

I suggest that we introduce and help the children appreciate the kind of games that we played before. Physical games like hide-and-seek, tug-of-war, skipping rope, soccer, basketball, bicycling and other games are slowly becoming unpopular. These outdoor games, if done with other kids, help kids learn social interactions and strategic cooperations. However, these days they are being replaced by play stations, virtual games over the Internet and mobile gaming applications available in cellphones. We should encourage children to run and be active physically. I think this is a good way to strengthen their immune systems, as well as develop their communication skills.

Let's also engage kids into creative learning experiences with kiddie crafts and art projects. Stimulate your kids' creative juices by providing him or her toys, tools, and art supplies. For each jewelry design project, origami, painting or cards that a child makes, he/she discovers the joys of creating and inventing things from scratch. It will help him/her build confidence and you can also enjoy the bonding moments with the child and strengthen your relationship as well.

There are also other classic toys that we can let the children enjoy. Give them doll houses, action figures, stuffed toys, building sets, etc. We all remember how fun it was construct houses out of lego blocks, or how wonderful it felt to hug soft teddy bears. As children grow, they form their dreams and hopes of the future, let us help them forge better social skills, stimulate their mental development and be more responsible citizens by providing them toys that will help and not hurt them.

To see a wide range of toys for your kid, nephew, niece, grandchild, godchild, sister, or brother, please check the site. http://www.shopwiki.com/wiki/Toys+and+Games.

Photo: my student Keannu, a three-year old boy, is practicing how to use watercolor by coloring a picture.

Crazy love

Imagine my surprise when I was told about what had happened to one of our classmates in high school.

I did not know what to say, or how to rationalize things, or who to blame.

She was one of the prettiest in the classroom. Modest, soft-spoken, mysterious - she had that Mona Lisa smile. She wasn't really part of the honor list but she is intelligent and very talented. She has that delicate, skillful hand of an artist - she magically transforms a simple drawing into an artwork, with her accurate touch of color and style. She was such a beauty to behold herself - she was very lovely.

In contrast to how we remember her before, she is, according to our common friend - sick, pale, and looked much older than her actual age. She didn't look beautiful at all - as if she lost all her glory. She's not even in her mid-twenties! I just could not picture out how she looked like now.

What happened to her?

As I have already noted, she was very attractive and had so many suitors. Almost everyone in my batch was in envious of her because she had this rich, good-looking boyfriend with a very fashionable car. He is just a year older. Months after college graduation and working for a while in a financial institution, her boyfriend got her pregnant. To save face, her family obliged both of them in marriage. He already had violent tendencies by then - he battered her out of jealousy. We realized she had doubts even then but maybe she thought he would change, so they had a grand wedding and everybody was invited.

We didn't hear much about her after that, except when they had the christening of their baby. A year after that, we heard that she gave birth again but the second baby died after a few days. Due to post-partum depression and death of her child, she got afflicted by Tuberculosis. Her husband also blatantly had several affairs. To make the story short, her husband maltreated her, continued to act as if he were still single and finally they separated. Now, she's fighting over her son's custody even though she's been legally proclaimed the rightful guardian. The husband's family would "borrow" the baby and she would be left wondering when they will "return" the boy.

Sigh! I did not imagine this young, beautiful, talented and intelligent lady ending up like this. I've always had aversion towards rich and good-looking playboys who know nothing than flaunt their looks and show-off their fancy stuffs. And maybe they think they can always get away because they can replace their girlfriends/wives anytime.

I don't blame my classmate. It's not pity but sympathy that I felt. She loved but her love was wasted by a man who didn't even deserve her. She's young and professional and with her skills and pleasing personality - I know she can recover. I am just very angry at the man who had momentarily wrecked her life.

I might delete this post after a while.

A matter of setting priorities

Do you sometimes feel that you're doing more than you can manage?

I know, we're capable of multitasking or doing many things at the same time. Sometimes though, we're stretching ourselves too much than our maximum limit.

"It's just a matter of arranging priorities," my alter ego would tell me. I keep doing lists. I bought an organizer. I keep myself reminded on the things I need to do using my mobile phone. Still, there are things that I could not do on the scheduled day.

I'm not going to tell you how to set priorities as I am also working that out.

In computing, priority scheduling is important in managing the resources of the computer or network. There are several algorithms to do this and it's the operating system's task to determine which process comes first or which application would be alloted more time depending on demand and importance.

If you know a better way to do this in real life, then by all means let me know.

The Internet - its negative repurcussions

There is no doubt about how invaluable the Internet is; there's no denying how it has changed our lives and how convenient and easy it is to use.

The litany would be long and exhaustive, we know what the advantages of the Internet are, don't we? Yet, the advent of the world wide web has also introduced modern day problems.

1. Computer vision syndrome - the result of spending long hours staring at the computer screen. To relieve this, what my eye doctor told me was to blink more often!

2. Web Addiction - many people would not deny it. It's becoming one of the most popular forms of addiction. When it interferes with your priorities or when your work never gets done because you spend most of your time browsing the web idly, it's time to lie-low and reconsider the habit.

3. Gaming - some reports suggest that if children play more video/internet games than actual sports, then can become sickly become of the lack of exercise. What's more? It's also possible that they'll lose interest in studies and hence possibly hinder the mental development of these children.

Gaming addiction is not just young children's problem. Many professionals and parents are actually also addicted to games like Warcraft, SecondLife, etc. Although these games are just means of recreation, when you spend more time playing games online than with your family, friends, or partner, then you have become its slave.

4. Information overload - there just too much information and sometimes we cannot distinguish which are reliable and which are not.

5. Invasion of privacy - anybody can just take your pictures and post them over the internet within seconds for the whole world to see, even without you knowing. Sometimes, people blog about people they loathe, love, or admire. People are dragged into discussions and talked about in forums and they may not know it.

6. Malwares, worms, trojans, viruses and other forms of malicious codes - some are harmless, some are destructive, some people create malicious codes to show ability or just do them for fun. Like in wars, the casualties are the unarmed users.

7. Spams and other unwanted emails - they're not threats but they can be annoying (some are funny, though)

8. Theft/fraud - this is of course as old as time but some people do have online modus operanti to deceive and rob others.

9. Are people really becoming social hermits? Do people limit their social interactions in just Facebook and other social networking sites and never reaching out to their real-world classmates or coworkers?

Well, what else do I have to mention? Can you think of anything more to add?

untitled stream of conflicting thoughts

I suppose you thought I've been neglectful
I should have written sooner
But I can't decide on "what to write" about

Do you know how many drafts I've typed
that I planned to finish
Every now and then
with every spare time I have?
Every moment I saved to think of words to say
Something interrupts me
then I start from scratch again

To express the words of current emotions
is frightening when written down in this blog
Am I baring too much of my soul?
Do my words reflect too much
about my personality?

Sometimes I wish
I've never written fleeting moods
Like when I announced my engagement
or hopes of a life together with him
We are never sure of what the future holds
or how God will work out his plans
What if they'll never push through?

Even if I deleted my posts
If you've already read them
the thoughts take permanence
etched in your minds
Could I just take them away?

Still, there are no regrets
Words are my way of expression
But how do you leash emotions
When they should be better left unsaid?

In this blog,
There's no room for wailing,
complaint or torment
I'll promise
I'll try to hold them back

Beginners' guide to web hosting

Running a website entails lots of investment: time, money and skills.

One crucial decision that one has to make is where to host the website. This is important because any technical problem encountered because of poor hosting services can hurt the business badly, upset visitors and clients, or even open portals for hackers to tread on.

Research on all possible web hosting choices there are. You will need every help you can get and guide you in everything you need to know about your options. Webhostingchoice.com assists you in all the things that you will need to jump start your website building and the terms and concepts you need to familiarize. You can get reviews on different hosting deals to help you choose the best one.

It also has quick start guides to help you start from scratch and other resources to help you succeed in your online venture.

Ways to ward off stress

Simple and and basic ways to prevent stress are listed below. They have been learned through personal experience and following experts' advice.

1. Sleeping

Shutting down. Switching off. People, like finest machineries, need time off. During this time, the body repairs itself as it replenishes the cells that have been used up during the day, tunes up the body organs and recharges the life-batteries for the next day's use.

Check my previous post about why you should consider putting "sleep" into your schedule. People who have had a good night's rest are less irritable and more productive at work or school.

2. Laughing

Isn't it said to be the best medicine? Have a good laugh today! The more you laugh, the less likely you are to get sick and studies have shown that. If you're feeling sad or depressed now, humor yourself by recalling funny experiences, watching comedy shows or observe the baby's playful smile - your blues will surely go away, even just for a while.

3. Having the right attitude

Often in life, we get stressed because we have too much expectation. The pressure to acquire more; our demand for time and attention from people; we keep grudges and refuse to forgive and we don't know we're ruining ourselves by doing that. You can check the list I wrote about the things that I learned I need to do in life.

4. Knowing what are important and prioritizing them

We are trying to chase too many things, trying to have everything, we have to many things in our to-do list. Why don't we simplify life by doing the things that are most important. PROCRASTINATION always gets in the way though. It's one of the things I always struggle against. Important things that have been put off until "tomorrow" never get done - increasing the load for the next day. The result? stress....

5. Taking a rest

It does not matter if it's a long vacation or a very brief one, always remember to take days off from work. Even God rested on the seventh day. If you work hard enough you'll eventually burn out. Here's my experience!

6. Praying

Anxieties and worries can rob our joy. Turn them over to God and let Him lift your burdens. A prayer a day does not necessarily mean keeping the problems away but is does frees our mind from the anticipation that something bad will happen to us. If our minds are not preoccupied with the negative thoughts, then we are free to do whatever we want to.

More suggestions for a happier you!

Photo credit: here

Stay beautiful while pregnant

Pregnancy.


Different women have different reactions of it. Some women shout for joy, some sob and weep, some don't know what their response would be. One thing for sure, it's an experience that will change a woman's life forever.



A woman usually experiences hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy and as a result some have acne breakouts. There are of course other physiological changes that would make them uncomfortable, irritable and just hard to reason and deal with. Because of these changes, a pregnant woman may feel insecure and lose her self-esteem which is very crucial for the baby. Research says it is not good for a woman to feel sad during her conception as it would affect the mood, development, and personality of the baby inside her womb.

It's good that Beaute de Maman has been developed and proved safe to use for both mother and baby. Beaute de Maman are natural health and cosmetic products specially made for expecting mothers and were developed by licensed obstetrician-gynecologist to treat problems related to pregnancy. It has been proven safe and some Hollywood celebrities like Chyler Leigh of “Grey’s Anatomy” and Jennifer Blanc have already used them. Order now!

By the way, congratulations to my sister who is pregnant with her second baby, her eldest will turn two at the time of the delivery of the former.



Photo Credit: here

Factors to consider when planning to get married - Second Part

I am not claiming to be an authority in this matter. These are the things that I learned by example, observation, reading books and other people's opinions, and listening to wise men' and women's stories. I've listed the things that couples should have a meeting of the mind while getting ready to embark on marriage: (not necessarily in the exact order)

If you missed the first part, you can read it here.

1. Wedding preparation

Who will be invited? How many people will be invited? How much will be the budget? How will you share the expenses? What kind of wedding do you want to have? Who are going to be the witnesses and who will officiate it? Consider also all other details like the bridal entourage gown, cake, backdrop, honeymoon, etc.

The wedding day is important but it's just one day so don't spend too much money on it. It's better to prepare for future expenses because as you're trying to start life together you'll need all the finances you can get. Of course, we want it to be meaningful and memorable at the same time.

Pchi says: not all glamorous weddings turned out nice in the end.

2. Money/budget/finances

One of the biggest issues that tear a relationship down.involves money We've observed how our friends, neighbors or parents often quarrel about finances. (Talk about recession!)

Will you both work or will one stay at home? How much will you spend on such and such and what are the available options for the future finances? How much chunk of the conjugal money goes into savings? Who will keep the budget and what are the priorities for spending?

2. Fair division of household chores

Ideally, marriage is a partnership and not a slave-master relationship. When all one does is to serve the other and not given any service in return, the marriage fails. In our grandparents' generation, women stay at home to take care of the household while the man of the family works. These days however, it is common for both to work. If after work, one only watches TV while the other is busy with other chores, what does that say of the partnership? Aren't couples suppose to help each other in all things?

It would also be good to settle in advance if you are going to have househelp or not if you can afford it.

3. Children

To have or to not have children is the question. What if one is medically unable to have a child, would you consider adoption? If marrying for the second time, would the children with the first spouse live with you? At least you should have discussed these things and the child care if ever.

4. House

Are you going to rent or buy a house? Where? Will you live for a while with your parents of will you live independently right away?

5. Personality differences

Do you know the other person's temper, strengths and weaknesses? Are you willing to adjust yourself if in case he/she doesn't change?

Is he bound to throw a fit or be violent? If yes, then be warned of possible abuse in the future. Can you accept all his/her other traits that are really weird and annoying?

6. Learn the other person's love language ahead of time

I think communication solves all issues in marriage. However, people have various love language s and they express and receive love differently from each other. What may be a loving, sweet act to you is not at all appealing and loving to the other.

7. Differences in religion, political views, philosophy

We can't expect that you meet eye-to-eye on everything with your partner, that would be too boring and you will have nothing to disagree with. However, contrasting opinions on religion, philosophies and moral values are likely to cause heated arguments in the relationship. It would be good to agree beforehand how you will disagree on these matters.

8. Issues with in-laws

Parents always want to have a say on their children even if they're already mature and parents themselves. Being a mommy's boy or daddy's girl is good but after the marriage, the first priority (after God) should change from parents to partner and then children next, if there are any.

Well? What else do you think? What am I missing?

Following this list does not mean a successful marital union of course, but it would somehow help us to prepare what to expect and possibly avoid conflicts. There is no equation, or set of steps that would make a marriage work It's entirely up to the couple how committed they are to make their relationship work.

How I wish we could end up like this... I actually need to follow this one too, no exception and we ask all the help and guidance we can get from God, our parents and friends.



Photo Credit: photo1, photo2

February's Top Ten Droppers

Thank you. Merci. Arigatou Gozaimasu. Maraming salamat.

Dropper - No of Drops
My Notes - 28
The Walking Newspaper - 27
Dallas Marketing Services - 27
Moshi & Kibo's Dog Blog - 27
Work at Home - 26
Big Boys have toys too! - 26
Online Social Networking - 25
Life's a Pizza Pie -25
Dunia Soer -23
Picture to People -23

Warning for Raptiva drug users

Raptiva, a known treatment for moderate to severe Psoriasis has been linked to a rare but very fatal viral disease affecting the brain called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). The FDA had issued warnings and is currently investigating all other possible effects of this drug to the patients. For a complete information, refer to information guide of raptivapml.

Psoriasis is is an intermittent, immune-system disease marked by thick, red, scaly patches to appear on the skin's surface. It causes severe inflammation of the skin and joints and discomfort to the patient.

FDA reports suggest Raptiva may have caused wrongful deaths on three PML inflicted patients and serious side effects to many others as results of having undergone medication using this dangerous drug.

If it's any solace, the patients however, can seek help and obtain free legal review and advice of their cases from Mark & Associates, P.C. and can reach their lawyers by visiting http://www.youhaverights.com/dangerous-drugs/raptiva. If you know someone who is using Raptiva advise them to stop using the product. If there were side effects that ensued because of this drug, they can get help from the law firm to assist them in claiming financial aids for medical bills and compensation for damages on job loss, debility, sickness or death of a loved one.

Factors to consider when planning to get married

I've been getting mixed reactions when people know that my boyfriend and I have already been planning about getting married. Although it would not be so soon, some people have expressed their disappointment thinking that I'll be wasting many things and opportunities by deciding to get hooked. Some supportive people also, like our parents and blogger friends have been encouraging us that with the right foundation in love and in God, we could venture into a more difficult and most fulfilling level of our relationship that people call "marriage".

I guess there's no greater guide book in marriage than the Bible. The Bible is silent on many things such as:

a. when is the right age to marry?
b. how to find the one to marry?
c. will everyone find someone to marry?
d. is he/she the one?

as the list goes on... Simply because

1. God trusts our "common sense" and decisions
2. God wants each person to have a unique story and experience
3. God allows us to make mistakes and learn from them

Indeed, even all the hurts and the pains that we went through and are going to surpass in the future are making us better persons. The Bible is clear however on issues against:

i. premarital sex
ii. adultery
iii. homosexuality

He's very forgiving however, if we have already committed those things. It commanded us to:

• follow Christ's example of how He loved His people, and that's how people should treat their spouses
• love other people as much as we love ourselves (including our partners)
• love even the enemies
  

All the other things that we have to consider are up to us. Being Christians does not mean exemption from the hardship or turbulence that will arise during marriage. Personalities are bound to crash and there would always be conflicts even with people who are really "in love" because one is entirely different from the other.

Photo credit: photo1 photo2 photo3



Continuation: Factors to consider when planning to get married - Second Part

Learning web design from scratch again

Web design is really a struggle for me. I've been meaning to change my site's look and feel for ages but I am virtually idiot in terms of digital scrapping. It's really a shame as a programmer, although my professors got used to my really simple interfaces back then and am still groping to do the layout of my projects now. What a pity, don't you think?

Earlier today, I scouted a book at the bookstore while looking over the shelves for books on how to effectively teach English to my students. The book I found was not about English though, but an "Introduction to Watercolor Paintings." I am not so poor in drawing actually, my friends thought I was creative (especially with school projects before and for the visual aids for my Sunday school lessons with the kids at the local church). Together, I want the kids and I to learn how to make watercolor paintings. I wish there was such a guide for learning web design that's basically dedicated to beginners. I think there are tons and tons of them so it's hard where to begin.

Got across a site where web design for idiots' main page website tutorials are taught. It's just a new one, so you can't find everything you need to know but it's good to keep posted because the owner keeps updating the site providing more links, graphics, examples, and other rich resources to help newbies design their first web site. You can also get your web design questions answered by web design for idiots author.

I may not be a newbie, but I think the reason why my skill is not progressing is that I am too lazy to learn web design and layout. I know that when I put much effort on it, I can be good at it. I promise to start learning again.