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?

A symbol of strength and excellent Feng Shui

Among all the living things mentioned in this blog, the best “character” that can symbolize strength is Wendy, the green turtle or terrapin. In my post Miracles Are For Animals Too, I’ve shared how she was able to survive after being sick and without taking in any solids for five straight months. Most probably, somehow she has sipped the vitamins and nutrients in her rice washing pool, but I’m not sure of that because she rarely moved at that time. Was it possible that the nutrients were just absorbed by her hard body?


I’m again showing you her photo in that March post where she was already well and energetic. That was only four months ago, but look at her now! I’ve chosen her current photo for my new blog title, if you’ve noticed (though not the whole photo), because as a blogger I want to be influenced by her strength and longevity, and because those are also the qualities I wanted my blog to achieve.

In Feng Shui, the terrapin is a very powerful symbol but should be placed at the North part of the house. According to Lilian Too, “since one is the number of the North location, and the terrapin in feng shui is associated with the North, a single terrapin represents excellent feng shui. Do not worry that the terrapin will feel lonely. This is a creature who is a natural loner and is happiest when alone. If the terrapin you keep dies, simply get another one. This simply means your pet has successfully protected you from a minor disaster.”

We need an AccuCharge cordless vacuum cleaner!

“Caring for a special child like Lyca can be enjoyable when you know you’re not alone in that noble mission”. That was from one of my last posts titled "Special Child Caregiver". All of us in the household are faced with that big challenge to take turns taking care of a special child.

Who then does the cleaning? Nobody is tasked to do all the cleaning by himself or herself. Lyca’s caregiver does her share of cleaning the floor every morning while Lyca is still asleep. She still has to wash the clothes or iron laundered ones after that. Most of the time, she has no time to dust the pieces of furniture so that task is left to anybody who volunteers.

We have a variety of dusters, and each one of us has a favorite. My husband’s favorite is the one made in U.S.A. He won’t allow others to use it because it is the most expensive among our dusters. He’d also use different sizes and types of paint brushes sometimes. I enjoy using the set of static feathers. There’s a long rod of feathers with a short handle, a shorter one with a long handle, and one that looks like a big blusher brush. I even bought one that is worn like a glove.

Isn’t that funny? We have all sorts of those dusters but the house is not clean enough simply because we don’t have time to do it. In the past we’ve thought of buying a cordless vacuum cleaner that will make cleaning easier but it is not enough to sacrifice the cost of energy it requires. I’m glad that Dirt Devil has introduced AccuCharge which has two products, the Stick Vac and Hand Vac. The good news about these products is they use 70% less energy! That makes AccuCharge the first cordless cleaning technology to earn Energy Star approval!

I know there are a lot of people out there with the same cleaning problem as mine, and I’m very happy to announce this good news. I myself am excited to own the hand vac so I’d like to remind my Mom who lives in U.S.A. that my birthday is fast approaching (LOL)! I’m sure there will be more volunteers in our house to do the cleaning once we have it!

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!

Confusion

Is there something you have been praying about for a long time? You know that your request is in keeping with God's will. ....... However, your request seems to go unanswered.

Those lines as well as the title of this post were taken from the June 28 page of "Enter His Gates", a daily devotional book by Charles Stanley. This book used to be on my desk when I was still working at the office so I had the chance to read it daily. I haven't read it since the day I brought home all my personal things from the office. Last month, I finally unpacked it.

Very early this morning, June 28, I felt a need to browse this book to be consoled. I opened the book twice in random pages, hoping I will land in a page that will appease my confused feelings, until I thought of looking at the page intended for this day, and there it is, the very exact words that will console me.

I am hoping I'll pass the job interview yesterday but what if I don't? There were 3 of us who were interviewed and I was the oldest. Late in October last year,there were two companies who contacted me at the same time, one scheduled me for interview while the other one asked me to submit some documents ASAP. I was confused because the two companies have entirely different businesses and job offered, but not one of them is close to sure in hiring me. I prayed for a sign, and after 3 days, one of the two companies called me up to tell me they want me to attend a training in Singapore. It can be the sign I prayed for so I said yes. The training lasted for 3 days only but we were given a homework that we had to submit by end of November. I was able to submit my output and was expecting to be officially hired by January. Unfortunately, last December, the participants in the training , which included me, were notified that implementation of the project was put on hold, as well as the hiring.

People would tell me, "it was the wrong sign!", but I know it is the right sign because I prayed for it, though it can have a different meaning, like maybe I should not pursue the other offer. So I am now waiting, but I wonder how long?

This is what the book says: God may give you a promise and then allow you to go through a time of waiting for Him to bring it to completion. That is when you face the greatest temptation to doubt Him. You wonder what He is doing, and you question His reasoning. Thoughts such as "Has God forgotten His promise?" run through your head as you worry over doing the right thing. Doubt is the breeding ground for confusion and fear.

Faith is the atmosphere in which hope and joy flourish. If God has promised to do a certain thing, it will be done. Never give up; with God all things are possible.

Special Child Caregiver

When I went to Greece with my son and daughter in July 2005, I missed Lyca, our adopted special child. A day before our trip back, I was thinking about her condition and began to seriously think about retiring from work so I can take care of her. We were back home on a weekend and when I reported for work the Monday after that, my officemates told me the bad news that our company has decided to outsource medical services through an HMO so all of us in the medical department will be retired before the year ends. It was a bad news, but as far as I was concerned it can be an answered prayer.

At that time, while I was still working, taking care of Lyca was assumed by her biological aunt who was still very young, had a very small frame and petite. I knew she won’t be able to take care of Lyca for a long time. True enough, she started to complain about her scoliosis and had to rest. I’ve decided to take over but I needed to look for a household helper and I was lucky to find a lady whose education has reached college level but had to stop for financial reasons. I later discovered that she likes taking care of Lyca and I have seen how patient and caring she was. Since she was not originally hired as a nanny or “yaya” (in Filipino term), I just refer to her as Lyca’s caregiver which is more appropriate because she does her job not only with love and care but also intelligently.

The above photos were shot only last month at a resort in Tanauan, a town in Batangas along Taal Lake. It has been almost three years since Lyca’s caregiver has patiently attended to all her needs, including some physical and occupational therapies learned from the professional therapists of Lyca.

My in-laws also had a caregiver for my late father-in-law who had Parkinsons and her main function now is to cook meals for all of us living in a duplex house. Whenever needed, she performs as a reliever of Lyca’s caregiver, a role she has performed since the year 2004. The photo at left shows her carrying Lyca on Christmas Eve of that year, when Lyca was only two years old, while the photo at the right is the duplex house where my in-laws live in the two-story half and my family in the bungalow type half of the duplex. Caring for a special child like Lyca becomes enjoyable when you know you are not alone in that noble mission.

Passion and Persistence

When I was new to Toastmasters Club in the Philippines in 2002, I was surprised to hear from the district officers of the club that my father was behind Manila Bay Toastmasters Club’s consistent status of belonging to one of the top Toastmasters clubs in the country. When I became the VP for Education of another Toastmasters branch, the Makati Toastmasters Club, I felt I had to achieve for my club what my father was able to accomplish for his club, even just for the duration of my term and I succeeded. Another success followed the succeeding year, which resulted to our club being included in the Hall of Fame of Toastmasters International.

Whenever Toastmasters Club had a speech contest and I was a contestant, my father consistently supported me, till I reached the division level. When I was retired from work, I had to resign from the club to study, while my father became sickly and also had to resign from the club.



Shown are photos of Taal Lake surrounding Taal Volcano where only a small crater is shown but it is only the mouth of the volcano, because its body is immersed in the lake. It is one of the active and famous volcanoes in the Philippines. I can say it is one of the most visited tourist spot in the country because it is in Tagaytay City, the second coldest city in the country.


The second photo which included my son O.C., and our adopted special child, Lyca at the foreground, was shot at a "viewing strip" that are occupied by restaurants, like the one shown in the third photo which included some members of my husband's clan, the Venida clan, with an overlooking view of the lake and volcano. All these first three photos were shot in January 2005, at the same time my father was exclusively selling lot properties in a subdivision near this viewing strip of the lake and volcano. My father was a real estate broker almost all his life and even in his 70s, almost every weekend he would bring clients to Tagaytay City or meet them there, until all the lots in this subdivision were sold out. It was his usual passion and persistence that made that possible.

When my own family had acquired real estate properties, my father not only had time to always personally meet me to answer my real estate property queries but would even always remind me to immediately attend to concerns related to real property before they become big problems. Even during this time that my father is now sickly, I don’t expect him to exert an effort to help us sell our townhouse unit, but he still continues to help us look for a buyer.

Most people who didn’t know me before I got married were not aware that my parents had separated a long time ago and had their own families. In spite of that, I consider myself very lucky because both my mother and father had spent considerable time to show their love for me, and most of all, to inspire me to do my best.

My father wasn’t present during my growing years but maybe that was meant to be. It was during these past years, even in my 50s and my father in his late 70s, that I needed his presence and advices the most, and I’m fortunate he was always around to guide me.

From my husband Renz and me, and grandchildren Lauren, O.C., and Lyca,

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to my Dad and the rest of the fathers in the world!