the twitterer: March 2010

Music Monday: Do Re Mi

My entry for this week's Music Monday is a song from the movie The Sound of Music. I loved to watch the movie when I was still young (I'm still young now! It's the movie that has grown old, LOL!) so when I saw this clip at You Tube, I really checked it out.

While watching it, I noticed Baby G looking at the computer. It looked like she also enjoyed watching the video and listening to the children sing. That's the reason why I'm posting this video for the Music Monday.

Friday Thoughts and Acknowledgment

What??? It's already Friday? My, what a busy week! I even forgot that my last post was posted almost a week ago and I need to post some new articles soon. Soon as in IMMEDIATELY.

Entrecard Advertisers
Let me start by acknowledging my Entrecard advertisers from March 19 to 25, 2010. Many thanks for supporting my blog by buying the EC ad slots during the past week.

If you're an Entrecard member and have more than 100,000 EC credits in your account, better use them or you'll lose them after March 31. That 100K cap on EC credits is one of the recent changes in the Entrecard rules and policies. If you don't know how to spend those credits, "The Twitterer" will be more than glad to advertise your site. (Wink!) But, hey, it's worth it because you'll also get a link in my future posts because I regularly acknowledge my EC advertisers via an article.

Harriet's March Comment Challenge
Some sad news. Well, not really sad. It's just that I don't think I'll be able to complete Harriet's challenge of posting 1,000 comments this month. I know I still have 5 days more to go but I'm still 495 comments short and unless I spam the comment boxes with "nice post!" and "I agree", I know I couldn't make it. One thing is for sure though, I'll continue posting comments whenever I find something interesting because I realized that when you share your thoughts about something, your mind becomes active (as compared to just being a passive reader).

Editing BooBoos: The Twitterer Disabled
For those who frequent my blog, I did some changes in my right sidebar some days ago. Blame it in my lack of computer know-how but I didn't realize that those changes I made caused my blog to be classified by Blogger as a SPAM blog and had it disabled.

The Hero

Thanks to Feron of Beyond Feron (he writes other blogs too) for sending me a message via Entrecard that he can't access my blog. I was able to do some changes and applied for the reinstatement of my blog.

Food4Blogs: The New Way To Gain Traffic To Your Site

Do you need more traffic to your blog?

If you can't pay for network advertisements in sites like Adgitize and CMF Ads and usually does not receive the much-hoped return visit after you dropped on the Entrecard widget on another site, why not try Food4Blogs instead?

Food4Blogs.com is a new free traffic exchange site exclusively for bloggers. It offers a 1:1 ratio (for every blog you visit, you'll get one back) and you only have to stay for 15 seconds in order to gain a point (you can stay longer if you find something you fancy). Each point you gain means one visit to your blog. And what's great about it is that you can surf as long as you want: no limit, no quota!

Join me now at Food4Blogs, it's the next big thing in blog advertising!

A Dozen Thanks

I would like to thank the following Entrecard Users who advertised here at The Twitterer from March 7 to 18, 2010:

Where The Moon Shines
My Sweet Haven
The Way I See It
Mariuca
My Thoughts, My Heart, My Turf
Girls Are Made of Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice
Beyond Feron
Turn-u-Off
Big Boys Have Toys Too
Maitri's Heart
Cupboard Creatures
A Walk Through Life

Many thanks for supporting The Twitterer! Happy blogging!

Kaleidoscope by Patsy Clairmont

In the book entitled Kaleidoscope, acclaimed author and Women of Faith speaker Patsy Clairmont shares her experiences in thirty three chapters of stories anchored on verses from the Book of Proverbs.

The conversational style of writing as well as the insights the author's sharing makes this book a worthwhile read. There are times, however, that in attempt to share trivia and other information, her writings become incoherent and the flow of story becomes unnatural.

With the aid of her walker, that is. And she's just 6 months and 9 days old.

Actually we bought her a walker last month when she was almost 5 1/2 months old. We were in the mall when George let her try the walker which was on display. We knew that she liked using it right at that very moment. For a while, she was even oblivious to everything (and everyone) and was kicking and jumping excitedly.

When we got home, we left her playing for almost half an hour and she didn't mind. Wow, what a relief that was to me. You see, I've been complaining to George that Baby G doesn't like to sit and lie down anymore. She wants to stand up and practice kicking - and my arms and wrists were already sore holding her while she exercises.

Today, Baby G surprised me by entering the kitchen while I was checking what I was cooking. I left her in the living room and was gone for about two minutes and I can't believe that she can now control where she's heading and she was faster this time, too. The other day, her dad told me that she'd followed him from the living room to the bedroom as well.

I really need to watch over her carefully now, I guess. Wow, now I understand why they say that babies grow real fast. Every day brings a surprise... and what a joy that is.

Here's another picture of Baby G. This photo and the one above were taken on the day we brought the walker last month.

I Almost Kissed Blogging Goodbye!

Well, almost!

Sigh.

A few days ago, instead of the usual feeling of excitement that I usually feel whenever I could finally find time to sit in front of the computer (usually when the baby's sleeping), I felt tired already just thinking that I'll be blogging. And I haven't started typing yet!

For a while, I thought it's some sort of "blogger's block" (or does it still fall under the category of writer's block?), but I shrugged off that feeling and then proceeded with my usual bloghopping routine which consists of EC dropping, spikes clicking and adgitizing. This time, it took me longer to do the rounds because I also joined Harriet's March Comments Challenge so I tried to leave a comment whenever I read an interesting post.

Goodbye teddybear Pictures, Images and Photos

My baby woke up before I can finish my rounds and I haven't written my post yet! But then, I felt drained already that I can't even think of a topic to write about.

This happened again the next day and the day after that so during the weekend, I decided to take a little time off the PC and did some bloghopping only when I feel like doing it.

That break in routine made me realize why I'm losing my passion in blogging. It's because I wasn't blogging anymore. I lost focus and became obsessed with clicking and dropping that I forgot why I blog in the first place. This blog was supposed to be my personal blog and I originally intended it to become my "twitter in the world of blogs" (because at that time, I wasn't using Twitter yet).

Checking out my previous posts, I saw that only a few are in line with my original goal. This blog has not become the blog that I envisioned it to be.

But it's not too late, I guess. Besides, this blog is just four months old so basically, it's still young (younger than my six month old daughter).

Now, what should you expect from me and my future posts?

Less Bloghopping Time

This means less time to drop and click and do the visits. I know it will drastically lessen whatever meager visits that this blog is receiving but I must concentrate on blogging per se and not bloghopping.

A More Personal Blog

I will be posting pictures and personal stories and experiences on my life as a new wife and mom living abroad and some issues related to home, motherhood, babies, relationships and my family. I'll also tackle management, finance and business related topics because prior to being a full-time SAHWM, I was a Chief Finance Officer of a multi-million dollar company's Philippine Branch.

Visitor-Friendly Blog

I'd love to gain more friends through this blog but as I've said earlier, I'll be spending less time in bloghopping. All visitors are welcome here but I'll appreciate it very much if you could drop me a message or comment so that I could visit you back as soon as I can.

So there, to think that I almost kissed blogging goodbye! It's good that I realized that this "blogger's burnout" is not due to blogging but my loss of focus.

My bad!

Heaven and Hell

While walking down the street one day, a Corrupt Philippine Senator was tragically hit by a car and died. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the Senator.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really?, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Senator.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the Filipino people.

They played a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and the finest champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who is having a good time dancing and telling jokes.

They are all having such a good time that before the Senator realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him, "Now it's time to visit heaven."

So, 24 hours passed with the Senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."

The Senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

barren volcanic land Pictures, Images and Photos

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders.

"I don't understand," stammers the Senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

The devil smiles at him and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning ...Today, you voted."

LESSON:

It's Manny Over Clottey via Unanimous Decision

He did it again! Congratulations Manny!

Some short notes:

Manny Pacquiao won over Clottey via unanimous decision.
Clottey hit Pacquaio below the belt on round 8
Manny's right eye seemed badly hit
Clottey's nose was prior to the start of the last round
Pacquiao won each of the 12 rounds in the judges scorecards
Clottey was fighting a scared fight
After the fight, Pacquiao said that Mayweather should win over Mosley on their fight because if not, then he'll be taking Mosley instead and not Mayweather.

More updates later. Happy boxing!

Updates on the Live Streaming of Pacquiao Clottey Bout

Hey guys, for those of you waiting for the fight, you can still watch the live streaming via sopcast at this channel: sop://broker.sopcast.com:3912/85856.

You can load the sopcast software here if you still don't have it: http://download.sopcast.cn/download/SopCast.zip.

Happy viewing.

On Personality Quizzes and Other Stuffs

Have you tried answering personality quizzes before? Many of my Facebook friends usually send me quiz requests so that we can compare our answers but although some results are close to truth, others are just so off the mark that makes me wonder how their authors came up with such garbage.

Recently, I read a fellow blogger's post about a personality quiz on change. I tried answering it as well as other quizzes too. Just wanna share the results with you. If you want, you can take them too then let's compare.

The Three Question Personality Test

Your Personality Is Rational

You are both logical and creative. You are full of ideas. You are so rational that you analyze everything. This drives people a little crazy!

Intelligence is important to you. You always like to be around smart people. In fact, you're often a little short with people who don't impress you mentally.

You seem distant to some - but it's usually because you're deep in thought. Those who understand you best are fellow Rationals.

In love, you tend to approach things with logic. You seek a compatible mate - who is also very intelligent.

At work, you tend to gravitate toward idea building careers - like programming, medicine, or academia.

With others, you are very honest and direct. People often can't take your criticism well.

As far as your looks go, you're coasting on what you were born with. You think fashion is silly.

On weekends, you spend most of your time thinking, experimenting with new ideas, or learning new things.

How Much Have You Changed in 10 Years?

You've Changed 44% in 10 Years

You've done a good job changing with the times, but deep down, you're still the same person. You're clothes, job, and friends may have changed some - but time hasn't changed you.

What's Your Blogging Personality?

Your Blogging Type is Logical and Principled

You like to voice your well thought out opinions on your blog.
And if someone doesn't what you write, you really don't care!
Serious and blunt, sometimes people take your blog the wrong way.
But you're a true and loyal friend to those who truly get you.

What Kind of a Blogger Are You?

You Are a Pundit Blogger!

Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read.
You're up on the latest news, and you have an interesting spin on things.
Of all the blogging types, you put the most thought and effort into your blog.
Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few

What Email Function Are You?

You Are Delete

You are busy, no nonsense, and super productive. You don't have time for distractions in your life. If something bothers you or upsets you, you try to get it out of your mind as quickly as possible.

You've been known for dropping conversations, friends, and even jobs that are toxic to you. You have no problem letting go. You look to the future and don't hold on to the past. In your opinion, the past often ties you down... and you'd like to be as free as possible.

Updates on the I Blog, I Care Movement

First of all, I want to thank all the 49 bloggers who joined the "I Blog, I Care Movement." Considering, however, that the minimum donation accepted by the ICRC on their website is $15, that's still a low turn-out.

To expedite everything, some changes were made to the rules. Among these is the change in the number of bloggers from fifteen to ten. Do check out the updated "I Blog, I Care" Movement post for the complete details.

You can help.

Watch Pacquiao vs Clotley Live For Free!!!

Boxing enthusiasts don't need an introduction as to who Manny Pacquiao is and for Filipinos all over the world, every Pacquiao fight is a must-see. This March 13, everyone will be looking for the online stream (especially those who can't afford the PPV) and if you're one of them, check out this post on how to watch Manny Pacquiao vs Joshua Clottey Live for free!

I just read that article from Pinoy Teens Online, one the blogs that I wrote about last month. I want to share the instructions with you so that you can also Watch Manny Pacquiao vs Joshua Clottey Live Stream for free via SopCast Boxing Live Stream Channel.

Happy boxing, I mean, blogging!!!

Music Mondays: Pilipinas Got Talent Jzan Vern Tero

Am I late for the Music Mondays? Just wanna share with you this video of a 12 year-old boy from Cebu, Philippines during his audition for the Pilipinas Got Talent:

Thank You EC Sponsors!

I would like to thank the following Entrecard Users who advertised here at The Twitterer from February 26 to March 6, 2010:

Many thanks for supporting The Twitterer! Happy blogging!

The "Our Father" Prayer

I'd like to share with you a message I'd received from my googlegroups. It is not stated as to who originally wrote this piece but the credit for this article goes to the original writer, whoever he/she is. Here it goes:

Do I Really Mean What I Pray? Examine how well you live what you pray as you meditate on the following:

I cannot say OUR if I keep my faith only to myself and never share it with others.

I cannot say FATHER if I do not trust in His loving and complete concern for me, forgetting that He always answers prayers how and when He knows is best.

I cannot say WHO ART IN HEAVEN if I am so attached to the ways of this world that I neglect to seek God first in everything.

I cannot say HALLOWED BE THY NAME if I am unwilling to let His holiness penetrate my life and help me grow in my own holiness.

I cannot say THY KINGDOM COME if I am not using my life to bring His love into the world.

I cannot say THY WILL BE DONE if I live by my own ideas of morality or choose to follow the world's standards.

I cannot say ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN if I am not devoting my life to serving Him here on earth.

I cannot say GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD if I am not willing to be generous with whatever God gives me.

I cannot say FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES if I don't want to put forth enough effort to change.

I cannot say AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US if I still hold a grudge, if I'm still angry, or if I still insist that other people change.

I cannot say LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION if I deliberately or knowingly place myself in a position to be tempted.

I cannot say DELIVER US FROM EVIL if I'm not actively fighting against evil through deeds of love and service for everyone in my life, especially those who cause problems.

This is one of the messages I've received from the Daily Food For Thought. If you'd like to join the Facebook group, here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=142903436398

An Open Letter To Shengkay

Dear Sheng,

I know it's hard and only a fool will tell you that it's easy but try to keep going and remain strong for the baby.

I've been busy these past few months and we haven't been in touch. I don't actually know what happened but reading from your blog entries, I gather that you've been through a lot since the start of the year.

I'm sorry if I was not able to help or even lend my shoulder for you to cry on. I hope I was able to give you advices at that time and now, I'm wonderin' if things would have been different if you heard my stories and POV.

I had my share of heartaches and had my heart broken too before but at the time when my life seems bleak, I trusted God and believed His plans. Betrayal is hard to accept and forgiving is easier said than done but by having my faith in God, I was able to move on.

The best advice I received during that time was from my friend Joesel. She said "She, bisan ano mo kapilit kung hindi para kanimo, hindi guid ra. Bisan ano mo kalagyo, kung kamo guid, kamo guid. Ang importante gin-obra mo tanan nga pwede mo maobra, kung wara, te basi hindi guid man tana ang para kanimo." (She, no matter how you try if it's not for you, it's not. No matter how you run away, if you're meant to be, then you're meant to be. What's important is that you did everything you can but if nothing came out of it, maybe he's not really the one for you.)

Be strong Sis. Focus on your baby and the future. You're right, whether or not you're ready for the responsibility, you have no choice but to be. Try to be healthy during your pregnancy. Eat more fruits and veggies and drink plenty of water and milk. Avoid sweets, avoid soda. Try walking and other low impact exercises after the 1st trimester to avoid edema (with your doctor's advice).

Love and light sis, Godspeed!
SR

Wordless Wednesday: Bonding Moments

My baby watching Ice Age with her daddy (taken when she was three months old.)

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

My Top 25 Droppers For February 2010

Dropping ECs can really be time consuming. I'm happy that despite that fact, visitors from all over the blogosphere still find time to visit my blog and drop their cards.

Special thanks goes to my Top Entrecard Droppers for February 2010.

Positive men
Being positive in all aspects of our lives can bring wonder to ourselves and others.

Credit Card Debt
Stay at home Mum with two young children, living NSW, Australia. This is my blog about credit card debt and specifically how to get rid of it!

The Horror Movie Show
The critics discuss and rate recently released horror movies, and also give personal recommendations.

Nice2All
A personal photo collection. Constructive criticism welcome.

The Ad Master
Tons of Tips and Tricks to help you advertise online. From lists of free traffic resources to advice on keyword placement and linkbuilding.

Ba-Bootie
What happened to the great food we had before terms like cholesterol, free range and organic became so fashionable?

Crimsonsparkle.net
The view from my window.

The Way I See It
My thoughts, opinions and personal observations on a wide variety of subjects, sometimes mixed with humor and including travel, retirement, opinion, politics, child sponsorship with Children International and life experiences. News and views from my perspective.

My Outsourced Brain
Articles about topics ranging from technology and software to scientific research. Occasional book reviews. Topics of general interest such as lifestyle, and nutrition. Exploration of blogs and the technical side of blogging.

Dave Lucas
News and comments from a New York-based broadcast journalist.

Marriage and Beyond
on marriage, everything in between and thereafter

Tyson Chaney's Life 2000
For people who want to understand what's happening as I see it.

My second trial
Personal blog with personal impressions

Confessions of a Fitness Diva
The Fitness Diva shows you how to be fit and fabulous while still indulging in some of the more "sinful" things in life. Tips on how to be decadent, but still smart enough to stay looking amazing!

Leading Edge Personal Development
Leading Edge Personal Development supports your intent to be successful in every way through entrepreneurial action, leaderhship, mentoring and coaching.

Beyond Feron
BeyondFeron.com talks about anything under the sun, everything that is relevant and things that can promote better friendship and better life.

Bible Examples
Practical lessons based on Bible examples.

Seek No More
Seek No More is an online community whose main purpose is to provide a place where both experts and newbies can learn, interact and discuss business, career and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Lakbay Philippines
Lakbay Philippines! A blog about the best places the Philippines has to boast, from the famous to the not-so-famous-yet-equally-great spots. Also contains satire and humour about the current showbiz, er, politics of the Philippines.

Funky Town Disco Music
Once upon a time the music of the 70s, Disco Music, Funky, Soul, Pop Music, who made the history of those years. I was born in the mid 60s, so i lived right in the evolution of these sounds. This blog wants to revive after more than 20 years, the music of those years, memories, friends, first loves ..... For those not familiar with these genres, is a good opportunity to approach these fantastic sounds.

Surviving My Tween Girls
Mom talking about her stress over her two girls.

Cute as a Buggy
Crafting, Handmade Children's Clothing

comatised
Dreaming in digital

First Door on the Left
Democrat surviving in Texas. Barely.

Basic Bloganomics
Sports, history, creative writing, wrestling, and much more.

The New Entrecard MarketPlace

Entrecard is retiring its current marketplace and will be replacing it with a new one. The new market place entitled EC Market works similar to craigslist and it’s a standalone site, meaning it’s not deeply integrated with Entrecard.

The new marketplace should make it easier for users to manage their ads. Buyers and sellers will communicate with each other via email. If a transaction is made, the buyer would need to manually pay the seller from their entrecard account.

I currently posted two ads on the site. The first one is the Post Digger and the other one is entitled 1,000 EC Credits for $1.50 Only!

Wanna check out the new marketplace? Here's the link: EC Market.

The Kirsten Joy Quotes

You know what's sad about being abroad and having your phone in a roaming mode? It seldom rings.

I used to think that forwarded messages and other unsolicited messages are just distractions from my busy workload (sometimes, even a waste of time especially if I'm in the middle a very important work and beating the deadline!!!) but now, every single beep is like a sound of heavenly music to my ears. That is, if I hear it. Because now that I rarely hear the message tone, there are times that I don't recognize it anymore! =)

I'd like to recognize and give credit to my friend Kirsten Joy for sending me messages even if I could only reply once in a while because of higher roaming rates. I'm glad there's Chikka to let me reply to her via the internet too but it's limited and she's charged after a certain number of messages.

Let me share with you some messages sent to me by Kirsten:

"Don't count the things you think you've done for someone. Count the number of times you felt better just because you made them happy."

"Life itself is a challenge that we ought to face. We lose some, we win some. But if we never give up, we'll discover that sacrifices has the greatest rewards. God cares."

"Trials exist not because God wants to test you. That is a lie. He already knows your capabilities more than you could imagine. Trials exists because you need to learn one thing: Faith."

"Do what makes you happy. Life is not based on the money you've got and the success you've achieved. It's all about being happy with who you are, who you love and who makes your life worth living."

"Friendship isn't ranked by whom we have known the longest, who came first or who cares the best. It's about who came and never left."

"Prayer is the best shield against all trials. A heart to heart talk with God will lessen your burden for He will never say no to those who have faith in Him."

"When we sigh about our problems, they grow double. When we laugh about them, they become bubbles. Have a bright, light and bubbly day."

"Why did God make the world round? So that no matter how small or insignificant you think you are, wherever you stand on it, you are always on top!"

"Often we stand at life's crossroads and view what we think is the end but God has much bigger vision and He tells us "relax, it's just a bend, not the end."

"It is by love that we serve. It is by patience that we understand. It is by trials that we gain wisdom. And it is by sharing that we become a blessing."

"No one ever fulfilled a dream without failure. No one perfected the law without violation. No one ever loved without a broken heart. Above all, no one can live alone without God."

"God makes us brave when we are afraid, makes us strong when we are weak. But most of all, He teaches us to hold on to Him when things keep on falling."

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