My Most Read Blog Posts as of Year Ending 2013

Instead of the usual year-end thoughts that can be mixed with fears, I've decided to see which among my posts in my three blogs had the most number of readers.

The top five posts came from only one blog, "Amusing Tips". It is the newest blog among my three blogs so I don't know if I should be happy to see that, but looking at the top five posts, 3 of them are about health and wellness while 2 about beauty tips so I'm glad to see that. Here are those five posts, just click on the title of the post that you want to read:

1. 3089 pageviews - The Five Elements

2. 2081 pageviews - More Glycemic Index Tips

3. 1793 pageviews - Red lips without lipstick

4. 1472 pageviews - A life saving chart

5. 1041 pageviews - Spirulina Mask

For my "Dreams List" blog, I just would like to mention some notable statistics, like it is awesome to see that until this week, there were still people who have landed to a song I have posted with two versions, and the comments were also awesome. The title of the post and the song is "Dreams are my Reality". I wish that those in the younger generations will also learn this beautiful song.

Lastly, for this blog "I Don't Want To Retire", I was glad to see that until this week, my post "Fighting a fever without medicines" had readers. I think I posted this in the wrong blog since it can be considered an amusing tip too.

What I'd really want to see in my main blog "I Don't Want To Retire" are more readers for my post "God's Message" which was the main reason why I started blogging. Definitely one's religion won't matter in this post because it was a simple message of God for mankind, it was a true simple story and not a made up one. As I've said in the post "My Conversation with God on June 12, 2001", which is part of the introduction of this blog, God proved His love for me by giving me what I wanted: a child that will help me forget about disappointments.

God gave me a very special child because she was born blind and had cerebral palsy. Through this child, God shook off my tendency to expect too much from people. That tendency was the real cause of my disappointments. For eleven years now, this special child taught me to be happy with the smallest things people would show me.

For the coming year, 2014, I wish to continue to be happy with the smallest things people would show me, and with the smallest blessings God will give me. That is also my wish for everyone.

Happy New Year!

Google's New Blogger

The new Blogger of Google is just awesome! It has new features, including statistics, and a blogger could see the posts that had the most pageviews in graph form based on daily, weekly, monthly or all time statistics. I have 3 blogs, and I was surprised to learn that my newest blog, "Amusing Tips" had the most pageviews. I was also surprised to learn that "The Five Elements", a TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine principle, was the most read post, and most of the readers of this blog were in U.S.A., I guess those are very valuable information.

I was also saddened though, that there were only a few pageviews for my post in this blog, "I Don’t Want To Retire", about "God’s Message", a post about my real experience of conversing with God and His message addressed to mankind. When I saw that this post had only about 60 pageviews, I doubted if the statistics are really correct. It was "God’s Message" that convinced me to start blogging. Looking at the total pageviews of this blog, more than 2,000 came from the Philippines while U.S.A. is second with over 1,800 pageviews. Since my "Amusing Tips" blog has more readers with almost 4,000 pageviews from U.S.A., more than 900 from U.K. and more than 700 from Philippines so far, perhaps a good strategy is to include "God’s Message" in a post of "Amusing Tips" or even in its blog introduction.

How I wish these features of Blogger were included from the time I started blogging, but perhaps this is the best time to analyze those statistics. I’m glad I was able to sustain all my blogs using Blogger!

God's time

At this point in time, I can say that I will have a bright future as far as my career is concerned. I can feel that I will soon be able to put to use the expertise that I have developed when I was working in the corporate. That cannot be immediate, because I still have a lot to learn that concerns wellness, the natural or TCM way. I can feel that will happen in God’s time so there’s really no need to hurry.

Why wait for God’s time? If you wait for God’s time, the reasons for waiting will become clearer when it arrives. I’d like to use as an example that “message of God to mankind” again, which I believed I was tasked to spread. The message was relayed in 2001 and it was strengthened by a proof for me to fully believe it in 2002. Obviously, the time was not right for my task in 2001. The succeeding years, a lot of changes happened in my life, which resulted to my being more confident with my decisions. I was optionally retired from work in 2005 but I became busy right after, studying and becoming an entrepreneur at the same time. Business was not good by late 2007 so we had to stop by early 2008. For the first time in my life, I had time for lighter activities like writing. God’s time has arrived for me that 2008, to finally spread God’s message, because everything seemed ready. That was seven years after the message was relayed. It was that year, 2008, when blogging became the best medium to spread a message, because it was a year the population of blog readers and bloggers all over the world increased tremendously.

The term "kairos" is used to refer to God’s time. In the New Testament, kairos means "the appointed time in the purpose of God", the time when God acts (e.g. Mark 1.15, the kairos is fulfilled). It differs from the more usual word for time which is chronos (reference was Wikipedia).

A new blog template

At last I was able to change this blog's template to a 3-column one, thanks to "BloggerStyles". I did this for three reasons.

First, I want to give equal importance to my advertisers' widgets and my blog's contents represented by the labels. Since I've started to monetize this blog, I'd like to be serious about it. That will mean displaying advertisers' widgets in an auspicious area, without sacrificing the best way for my blog's contents to be noticed. Content is King, and will still be the best source of information, whether intended for buyers or people from all walks of life who might benefit from what is relayed by a post's content.

Second, to make my blog's layout more organized. One of the best ways for me to be organized in my thoughts is to have an organized surrounding and the layout of my blog is not an exception.

Last but not least, to give my blog a more professional look. I believe that is one way a blog can attract traffic. Taking myself as an example, I stay longer on blogs that look professional, looking for posts that might interest me. That doesn't mean I ignore blogs that don't look professional enough, it simply depends on the time I have the moment I happen to land on blogs. Professional looking blogs would usually steal my time from doing my intended tasks.

Blog advertising

I'm so glad that through blog advertising, both advertisers and bloggers like me will have more opportunities to earn. They can sign up for free in a site like “Paying Post” where bloggers and advertisers meet in the marketplace, the latter making his offer and the former selecting an offered opportunity.

There were times in the past when my only objective in looking for social network sites for bloggers and advertisers was to earn, but later, blogging about products which I would have wanted to write about in the first place became my objective. I enjoy writing about those products, and the readers enjoy reading my posts. That, I feel, is the main reason why blog advertising will always work more than any other mode. The passion and sincerity of the blogger can be felt by the readers. Rapport is established, and that can be the most important link that can hold the readers. Of course a link to the blog is first established through the search engines where keywords are entered by readers looking for products. These keywords are required by the advertiser for a blogger to include, or sometimes, creating the effective keyword is left by the advertiser to the blogger.

The new layout of the "Paying Post" site is so friendly to both bloggers and advertisers because articles about the most frequently asked questions is the first thing they see so their interest to know more about the site's features is triggered. It also gives them the assurance and comfort that they are on the right site.

I was inspired by advertisers to create a new blog, titled "Amusing Tips", because I simply find most opportunities offered by these advertisers amusing. I've enjoyed talking about their products because I was always reminded of past experiences I wouldn't thought of if not for those products, and I was also challenged to be more creative and persuasive. I've said that in the past, and I can't help but say that again, so that the advertisers and other bloggers, especially the new ones, will also be inspired like me! In other words, the advertisers and bloggers should sign up as early as possible to sites like “Paying Post”. Do that now, and let’s talk about your wonderful learning experience!

Amusing Tips

I have created my new blog as scheduled last January 16. Before that, I've been testing appropriate names for this new blog but they were already used. I've thought of "Amazing Tips" but it was already used. From that title, I've thought of an alternative which is "Amusing Tips". I then realized that this title is most appropriate for my blog because I hope to "amuse" my readers, either in belief or disbelief. The other titles I've thought of, including "Amazing Tips", assume that all my readers will believe all the tips I will publish.

If my readers will enjoy reading this blog, they will remember those "amusing tips" and maybe subconsciously believe in them even if they didn't at first.

I was not able to announce this new blog upon creation because I'd like to look for a better template. Luckily, I found one from another blog offering free Blogger templates. It also offers 3-column templates, so I guess one day I'll be changing the template of this blog, "I Don't Want To Retire!", which will also function as an "administrator" to my other two blogs".

A new blog

I'm thinking of creating another blog, and I'll do that tomorrow. I can't publish the name of the blog yet since I'm not sure if the URL I'm thinking will still be available tomorrow. I've been planning to do that since last year and I've thought of focusing in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a topic but I lacked the confidence to write about it. I've thought of a better idea, so I hope you can check what's it all about maybe two days from now. Just to give you a hint, my new blog will cover the following topics:

1. Feng Shui Tips
2. Traditional Chinese Medicine
3. Household Tips
4. Interior Design Tips
4. Any helpful tips I'll encounter
5. Tips from advertisers

The last item insinuates that I also hope to earn an income from this new blog but that will come later, maybe after 6 months or even one year of posting. Through this blog, "I Don't Want To Retire!", I've enjoyed talking about products from advertisers because they've always reminded me of past experiences I wouldn't thought of if not for their products. I was also challenged to be more creative and persuasive, and I really had fun!

My Blogging Story - Part 2

Browsing my notes for make-money-online researches, I just traced how I ended up blogging. I mentioned in "My Blogging Story" that I was told about how blogging can make money, but it was not the first thing I looked for when I was looking for online jobs. That is the real reason why I had to pay $49. I was looking for other online jobs because I heard that affiliate marketing makes the most money online. But I realized that affiliate marketing is not that easy, though I can't remember why that was my conclusion. Since blogging is basically writing about anything, and writing is what I've wanted to do at any point in my life, I decided to choose blogging.

Through my notes also, I traced that it was Blogsvertise who recommended that I join Blogcatalog and other social networks for bloggers, and was the first to give me tips on how I can monetize my blogs. I would have forgotten that, if I didn't write those information in my notes. Why? Because my first blogging earnings came from Payperpost followed by Socialspark, and it was only after 7 months of blogging when I received a task assignment from Blogsvertise, which I've already forgotten at that time. If I can only get several tasks from these social networks, I won't look for any other source of income, simply because I enjoy what I'm doing. But blogging is not just enjoying what you write because with it comes some responsibilities like promoting your blog, reading other blogs also and commenting on posts which can be enjoyable too, and other ways that will increase the traffic to your site. Anything I forgot?

My blogging story

This is my 50th post and I'm approaching my seventh month of blogging! It would probably be nice to look back on how I started to blog.

And this is my blogging story: I was desperately waiting for a regular job that I'm expecting to get until it seemed hopeless. Until I thought I can probably find a way to earn through online data entry and found several sites that will provide me with opportunities for such jobs but the sites required either a monthly subscription fee or a one time payment so I decided to forget about it. During one of our meetings with our coffee kiosk business partner whom we've sold our share of the business, our partner told me about his friend who was already earning by blogging about just one topic. He said there are sites that will teach me how to do that and all they require is just a one time payment. So I looked for those sites again, found one where I paid US$40 I think, which led me to this site of Blogger by Google.

Blogger provided all the tutorials and tips in blogging, and that was how I learned to start a blog. I also learned that monetizing a blog can be done later and what's more important is a blog's contents, so I decided to create a personal blog because there is just a lot to share. I realized that a blog can be the best medium for me to share a message of God to mankind, a task I've been holding for years because I just can't find the right way. I was hesitant at first until after several posts in my blog and also reading other blogs, I gained the confidence even to repeat the message in an indirect manner, maybe like what I'm doing now.

This blog was first titled "My Retirement", but it seemed that it was psychologically affecting me in a negative manner, so I woke up one morning saying "I don't want to retire!". I had just a few post then so I thought maybe it is not yet late to change the title of this blog, so I changed it!

"I Don't Want To Retire!" makes me feel energized all the time, that I always have to move to make the remaining years of my life worth living. I'm still young and I may still have at least 20 years more to live. That seems too long for me to retire by now! Of course I can have a vacation once in a while in a serene place, but what is more important is how I can help more people, even just by sharing all the lessons I've learned in life.

While I'm still living, I also need to dream, so I created another blog titled "Dreams List". The nice thing about this blog is it makes me feel that all my dreams will soon be fulfilled!

Entrecard drives the comments to your blog

If you are a serious blogger then this good news is for you! Finally, your comments will be treated as important as your posts. This good news came from Entrecard who has partnered with SezWho, which provides a comment platform, to make that possible. If you’re an Entrecard member, all you have to do is to register your blogs to SezWho through your Entrecard dashboard. You will then be e-mailed for further instructions.



Once you’re registered in SezWho, whenever you give comments in other SezWho enabled blogs, your comments will be rated based on their contents and the readers will be able to view the ratings when they point the mouse to “check me out” beside your profile name found as a header of your comment. Your comments will build your reputation through their ratings, which will be seen web-wide. Traffic to your site will increase, through backlinks from your comments.

You may also see your ratings and other information like your blog’s statistics by logging in to SezWho. I was very excited to activate my blogs in SezWho so I can now show you a screenshot of my public profile, which include my comments and the ratings given.

On top of all the above, you will get Entrecard credits ranging from 1-10, to be given by the community, the truthful comments to be given higher points. That incentive of Entrecard will surely drive comments to your blog!

Good reputation because of our comments, Entrecard credits, more traffic to our sites, wonderful but honest comments on our posts, what else should we look for as serious bloggers?

Recognition versus Income

This year’s Feng Shui prediction for Snakes like me is “recognition will surpass your income”. The problem is it is quite hard at my age to look for a job so I don’t have an income yet since the start of this year, though there are still 6 months left for this year in the Chinese calendar. I’m seriously thinking now about monetizing this blog to earn some income though of course I know earning big cannot be that soon. I'd like the readers, and even myself, to enjoy the contents of all my posts, including the sponsored ones.

At first I was happy enough about the prediction because recognition cannot be bought. Only very recently, while searching for my name in Yahoo! and Google just to see if this blog will come first, I was surprised to see “Hall of Fame” beside my name in one of the search results. That recognition was from Toastmasters Club and I think it’s about time I pay back this club the good things it has done for me, even through my blogs. It was not really me but the whole Makati Toastmasters Club that was included in Toastmasters Int’l Hall of Fame. The past officers of that club tried very hard for our club to always get the "President's Distinguished" award. Until I became President, and had to do my best for the club to be “President’s Distinguished” again because that was the fifth consecutive year it will get that highest award thus could be included in Toastmasters' Hall of Fame.

I won’t deny that this absence of income is starting to make me very depressed but I was still blessed with this timely discovery of a past recognition because somehow it alleviates this depression.

I almost forgot that I’ve also gained more than enough recognition from this blog, at least through the comments in some posts and I’m really very thankful to the people who are mostly bloggers themselves, who have openly shown their appreciation and support. This world of blogging and bloggers has proven to be another blessing not just for me but to all bloggers so I’m hoping that my mother and brothers who are all writers will join me in this very fulfilling endeavor.

SocialSpark is Great for Mommy Bloggers!

Mommy bloggers like me sure have a lot of topics to blog about, but of course, we blog about the things we always see. It can be about our children, our husbands, our pets, our houses or gardens. You can just imagine the endless topics we can think of, focusing only on these subjects.

I can say that blogging is the most convenient way for mothers to journalize the daily tasks of parenting and housekeeping, or big family events. But these journals cannot be left in the archives unread. Blogs need readers, and a medium where blogs and readers can meet, like SocialSpark.

Mothers who join SocialSpark will find endless opportunities to monetize their blogs. Aside from that, their blogs will be spiced up with a variety of topics that are relevant to a mother’s blog, and bring out a mother’s creativity to the max. High quality posts are encouraged by SocialSpark through countless ways, including bonuses from some advertisers. SocialSpark will not only bring about a wiser mother, it will also increase her reputation as a person and make her family proud of her.

If you are a mother, you can now enjoy blogging more, by joining SocialSpark. A support group of fellow bloggers and most importantly, fellow mothers, await you. In SocialSpark, it won’t take long till you discover how contagious the feeling of satisfaction is, among bloggers and mothers who have signed up.

Mommy bloggers can also sign up for the mailing list in order to join, as soon as it is public. This is another calling for you, not only as a mother to your children, but also a mother to fellow bloggers. Since you will be earning from your blogs, you can be a mother to yourself too, and buy the more important things you've always wanted for yourself.

I Made A Mistake!

I was so eager to earn from my blog that I didn't review the terms in posting sponsored posts in SocialSpark. Though it allows bloggers to post at least three sponsored posts from SocialSpark each day, which was the only condition that stuck in my mind, it doesn't allow consecutive sponsored posts. Each sponsored post should be preceded and followed by a non-sponsored post. I don't know if changing the contents of a post so it won't be a sponsored post, like what I'm doing now will work. I will repeat the posting of my Dirt Devil's AccuCharge sponsored post, and well, I just hope they'll consider that.

SocialSpark is Exciting!

As time passes, I increasingly enjoy blogging because of the overwhelming learnings from the other blogs that I read each day. A lot of bloggers monetize their blogs through social networking sites offering opportunities to bloggers. However, just like the opportunities in real life, opportunities for bloggers didn’t come easily. Until SocialSpark was introduced!



Bloggers who join SocialSpark will find endless opportunities to monetize their blogs. They can always find opportunities that are appropriate for their blogs, and even filter its display, just like what I did as shown in the above screen shot. I filtered only those open opportunities where I am qualified and with an offer from $7 and above.

SocialSpark also helps bloggers improve their styles by showcasing examples of selected blogs who has taken the opportunities. It also allows bloggers to give their comments about each opportunity thus allowing them also to interact with the advertisers. The screen shot below shows just that!



In SocialSpark, bloggers and advertisers also have the opportunity to advertise contests or any other free opportunities that can help increase traffic to their sites. I can say that SocialSpark has considered all other needs of advertisers and bloggers to make their networking in SocialSpark more exciting!



SocialSpark's code of ethics ensures the following:

100% Audit-able In-Post Disclosure
100% Transparency
100% Real Opinions
100% Search Engine Friendly

To advertisers and my fellow bloggers, I've been looking forward to this opportunity to share to you the benefits that I and others who have signed up to SocialSpark enjoy. There is still a lot to tell, so sign up now and see for yourself!

God said I Love You through the stones!

Everyday, I would open my blog and look at the "FEEDJIT Live Traffic Map" at the sidebar, not really to see how many readers have visited my blog but to see how far “God’s Message” in my blog has reached. Though not all of the readers have probably read that post, I assume most of them have read “Blogging” which also has the message.

I was inspired to write this when I saw the countries Russia, China, Bahamas and other countries I’ve seen for the first time in my blog’s map. I’m hoping it will also reach Mexico, Brazil, the northern parts of Canada, northern and central parts of Africa, the Middle East and more.

Until now I can’t believe this will happen, that blogging can be a very comfortable and fastest way to spread God’s message which started from a childish question I’ve asked Him while I was cleaning mineral stones in 2001, and to be answered by God through the number of those stones.

I also can’t believe that my situation since March of this year would happen, that I would be totally jobless and would have time to start blogging. I’m praying hard though that I will finally get a job this time. I firmly believe that this “God’s Message” through the stones has now found its natural course to mankind.

Lastly, I can’t believe I couldn’t think of any post to write this first week of June, until I checked the map again and thought why not share why I’m doing this? Maybe this is what God wants me to do.

Gosh, at this very moment, I was reminded that this coming June 12 will already be the 7th year since God said I love you through the stones!

My Review of "Fresh Revision"

“Fresh Revision” is a new site authored by an internet expert named Vlad Bretgoltz. The titles of his last two posts convinced me to read more. In general, I can say that the posts were easy to read because of its simple and organized layout, and readable type and size of fonts. Though his posts are somewhat technical in nature, he uses simple words that can easily be understood. Readers can see for themselves, by checking his posts as follows:

How To Pick The Right Business Partner Every Time
Top 5 Reasons Why Blogs Fail

For somebody like me who’d like to try the internet business, I’d like to get help from an expert like Vlad. I hope to read from his site the following topics:

1. Creating a website – requirements and steps, preferably with illustrations or examples.
2. Recommended basic services in maintaining a website and the functions of each service.
3. Common problems encountered and solutions.

Since this is a review, I won't ask for more at this point in time. This is supposed to be a contest but I can say I enjoyed reviewing this blog even with just two posts. It gave me the opportunity to suggest at the initial stages of the blog. A few mistakes committed in English grammar or spelling is normal, so after correcting the errors and publishing, a blogger should again read the published post, edit if needed and republish.

When readers give honest comments or reviews and bloggers support one another, we can only expect that a blog will get better over time. This is my wish for “Fresh Revision” because many will benefit from this site and I am one of them.

"Win $50 Cash Money!"

Here’s an opportunity that I and the rest of the bloggers should grab! It's a contest to blog about the contest Johnny Logan is sponsoring through his blog “Entrepreneur Life”. No doubt, this blog of Johnny Logan is worth subscribing its RSS feed in your reader! My live bookmark has its RSS feed. The winner gets $50 cash through Paypal!

Hurry up 'cause judging will be done by Johnny Logan himself this coming May 19! May the best blogger win!

House Painting Turned Into A Hobby

The past days, I just had little free time to be in front of my laptop so I wasn’t able to catch the PayPerPost opportunities where I was qualified. Earlier today, I was out again but I brought my laptop, though I knew I won’t be able to connect to the internet because we’re going to the townhouse unit for some painting retouches. How I wish I am traveling across wireless cities so I can connect to the internet while inside the car!

If people will look at the things that I brought , an artist will say I’m going out to paint, because I brought some brushes and palette knives I use for canvas painting. But the artist will be wondering why I’m not bringing any tube paints and canvas. The artist will be partly right because I’m really going out to paint, but on the walls and stairs (just small portions to be retouched), and not on canvas.

It will probably be hard to believe that house painting has turned into a hobby for me. It is true, but that is because I got used to just one brand of paint which is odorless, lead free and has exciting computerized colors to choose from. I’m talking about ACE paints. This is not a sponsored post, all I want is to share the comforts I’ve experienced while doing a job some people hate to do. I heard there is a Filipino national artist who uses just one shade of ACE paint for the background of his paintings.

If ACE Hardware will hire me to blog about their paints, probably I can come up with endless number of posts. They gave their paint colors beautiful names such as “Cardiff by The Sea” which I used on the wall of our townhouse unit as shown on the first photo. Whenever I talk with the supervisor of the paint section, the people not used to ACE paints will be wondering what we’re talking about because we use the exact commercial name of the color in our discussions. Like two weeks ago, I told the supervisor, can you mix me a quart of “Brown Sugar”?

Unfortunately, I don’t think ACE Hardware will need a blogger for their products because their website is complete. You may check www.acehardware.com and experience a simulation using palettes of colors on a photo that you will select. Get started with the “Projects and Solutions”, go to “Paint Tips” then click on the “Paint Visualizer” which will bring you to “Discover Your Colors” screen that will give you choices for simulation.

By the way,I think I promised a Feng Shui tip for house renovations but this is applicable only during this Year of the Rat. It’s a no-no to renovate the North and South portions of your houses, but don’t worry because there’s a solution again. Start the renovation on the East side and finish your renovation on that side too.

I signed up for PPP!

Something came up! I signed up with PayPerPost (PPP) and my blog was approved, so from now on I can write about more topics, and I’m excited!

I encountered PPP a month ago while I was trying to look for jobs. During that time it has been almost a year of job hunting, but as I mentioned in my March post “Not Finding A Job But Finding More Friends”, it is very hard for a person my age (above 50) to get a job here in the Philippines. I wanted to give up, until I began noticing the “work at home” ads at the sidebar of my Emails. There were a lot of work-at-home jobs to choose from, but I just found that most are not really to my liking. Until I encountered the ad saying “get paid to blog about the things you love!”. I don’t think there’s a better offer than that.

I am jobless, I have a special child to support, so I’m taking this opportunity to earn while enjoying what I’m doing and also spending quality time with my special child. I was thankful that I’ve just started posting when I signed up with PPP because its policy of approving blogs have motivated me to publish quality posts which helped me make friends easily, especially with bloggers like me.

The opportunities offered for blogging whereby I can choose what to blog about and the word of mouth ethics of PayPerPost which protect the bloggers are two more reasons why I know I will enjoy this new endeavour of mine.

Ancient City

Some readers might have noticed that I added digital photos and even changed some. I didn’t expect that the change in the title of this blog and putting more photos will make me more excited! That explains why most blogs have a lot of digital photos inserted. They don’t only attract the readers but also motivate the writers. In my case, “I Don’t Want To Retire!” as a title also makes me more energized and motivates me to share whatever topic I can think of. Probably the real essence of not retiring is not to stop thinking about beautiful ideas and experiences and sharing them.


The photo that I found which can relate to the first item in my “Dreams List”, which is to travel to Greece, reminded me not only of beautiful memories but also of the very rich historical value of the places near the town of Preveza in Greece. The Ancient City of Cassope, for instance, where a photo of the ruins is shown here, was destroyed by the Roman forces in 177-176 B.C. (notice the person afar at the left to give you an idea how far the ruins are from one of the amphitheatres, that are just big white rocks now, where I stood to shoot the photo).




The next photo shows the opposite view from the same amphitheatre, where my daughter Lauren is seated at the photo. At the background is the top of a rock called Stefani near Zalogo Village, about one kilometer from Cassope. The white figures near the cliff of that rock is called “The Monument of Zalogo” or giant sculptures of dancing women symbolizing the 22 Souliotisses women with their children and 6 men who sacrificed themselves by dancing till they fell off the cliff, so as not to be enslaved by the Turks, on December 13, 1803.

When I was a kid, I had wished to go to Greece to see the places of the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. I didn’t know that a vast learning of the most beautiful war stories in history awaits me if I go to Greece. Watch out for my entry about Nikopolis (Victory City).