Adigitize to Close

As I was checking my e-mails this morning, one particular subject caught my attention and that was “Adgitize to Close” from Ken Brown. Just seeing the subject made me a sad already. When I read the entire message, I truly am at a loss for the appropriate word to describe how sad I feel. According to Ken, by December 27 new accounts will no longer be created and that they will be shutting down the ability to create or renew any ads. By January 1, 2012, they will officially stop showing Adgitize ads and member publishers will not receive any revenue for ads shown. On the other hand, advertisers with running ads will be refunded a prorated amount of the ad price.

I am definitely one of the many bloggers that will be affected by this major turn of events. As an advertiser, Adgitize has no doubt brought traffic towards my blogs and I won’t be able to generate that much traffic without the help from Adgitize. As a publisher, Adgitize has also been one of my sources of passive income online. The closing of Adgitize will be such a loss to bloggers like me who needs a network such as this to promote and bring traffic to our blogs.

After publishing this entry, I will be removing the Adgitize ads that are running on my 3 blogs. I just hope that in the coming days, months or years, Ken Brown will be able to come up with some new and fresh ideas.

As I end this post, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the Adgitize network for all the things that it has done for my blogs. 

My Lasagna Was a Hit!

I was so happy that the lasagna I baked for Christmas was such a big hit with my family! I baked the lasagna on the day before Christmas and just in time for the Noche Buena. Because I know that my cousins and their kids have been craving for lasagna, I have decided that it would be the perfect food to share on their table for Christmas Eve. I must admit that I was so tired that day and I slept at around 2:00 in the morning because I had to bake 8 pans of lasagna (5 of which were given to my cousins & in-laws) and 5 pans of Mango squares. Luckily, hubby volunteered to wash the dished and other utensils that I have used.

Yes, I maybe tired but I was so happy particularly when I learned how much they appreciate what i have prepared. In fact on Christmas day, some of my cousins' kids went to the house for more lasagna saying that they couldn't get enough of my lasagna. One of the kids asked what my secret ingredient is and there was actually none. The ingredients that I use, aside from the usual ground pork and spaghetti sauce, are Clara Ole's 3-cheese spaghetti sauce, no-boil lasagna noodles (to save time and energy on the pre-boiling process), basil, mozzarella cheese and cream cheese (for the white sauce). I really couldn't think which of these makes the lasagna so good.

Now, as I was browsing through Facebook, I saw the status update of one of my cousin's daughter saying that she wants more of my lasagna, to which her cousin made a comment that she too loved the lasagna that I have been making. Wow! I was so flattered that I promised them that I'll be making another batch of baked lasagna for them on New Year's Eve. It really feels good know that my efforts are appreciated and that makes my effort worthwhile. :)

Breaking the Monotony

In an entry that I have made early this month, I have mentioned that I am a little bored with work and I feel that everything is so monotonous. Thanks to the holiday season because it was kept me for a few days doing some last minute shopping until the mall’s closing time! Somehow, I was able to amuse myself with everything that has to be done for Christmas.

Maybe what I needed was a few days off from work so I decided to go on leave starting today until the 27th. I think 6 days will be enough to recharge me and make me as enthusiastic as I was when I was just starting out. Well, I have always loved baking…it is something I do that can really ease all the stress…So I will make my days off in the kitchen and prepare for our Noche Buena. In fact, I have to bake some goodies late this afternoon to be given away tomorrow to family and friends.

To break the boredom and the monotony of my daily life at the office, I am also thinking of going back to school. Online masters degree programs are now being offered by different universities so I might also check them out. Earning a degree online (that is without the need to physically go to school) is very convenient.

Yeah, I might just go back to school…that might break the monotony…I can’t afford to lose my job just because I was bored. 

Eva Ekvall's Death

When I saw the news headline in Yahoo! about an ex-beauty queen who died at 28, I can’t help but read the entire article. The former beauty queen was Eva Ekvall who was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2000 at the age of 17 and won 3rd runner up in the Miss Universe pageant the following year. According to the news, she died of breast cancer only last December 17, 2011 at a hospital in Houston. Reports said that she was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer only in February 2010.

I am not a big fan of beauty pageants but for some reason, I felt sad about her death. Perhaps because she died at such a young age and I feel that fate hasn’t given her much opportunity to enjoy life. Or maybe, I feel sorry for the 2-year old daughter that she left behind…I wonder if she would remember her mother at such tender age… Oh well, who am I to question life? Yet, I still can’t help the sadness that I feel.

Towards the end of the Yahoo! News, it was reported that Eva’s husband posted on his Twitter account a close-up photo of his hand holding his wife’s, resting on the bed, with words "Always together ... I love you wife." This made me teary-eyed…It was indeed a love the goes beyond a lifetime…I was so amazed by the kind of love that they have that I searched for John Fabio Bermudez’s (the husband) Twitter account to see the uploaded photo and found this:

This is just so heartbreaking…

Comprehensive Insurance

As the year 2011 is about to end, we are now trying to prepare for our insurance-related expenses for the coming year. While some people are concerned about getting life insurance, we, on the other hand, are concerned with getting the best comprehensive insurance for our car that would also cover “acts of nature”. Since we already have a life insurance, all we have to worry now is the car’s insurance which will expire in the 1st quarter of 2012.

After the flood that we have experienced last October, we really have to make sure the “acts of nature” is covered as well. I wonder which among the insurance companies in the country is the most reliable. Although insurance premiums can be quite costly, after all the car-jacking/car-napping incidents and the unexpected flood that has occurred, we couldn’t afford to neglect the comprehensive insurance.

If you know a good insurance company, please do give me a buzz. Thanks guys! 

Bye Bye iPhone 4s

I said goodbye to the iPhone 4s even before I had it. Some weeks before the latest iPhone was launched, Globe Telecom sent me a text message saying that I could be one of the first to own an iPhone 4s by simply renewing my post paid account with Globe. The first thing that I had to do was to express my interest through their website and provide my account details. Thinking that this could be one of the loyalty programs the that telecommunications company have, I immediately expressed my interest based from the instructions provided and prayed that I could have the much coveted smart phone only by renewing my account and without any cash out.

Of course, that would only be just wishful thinking. Getting the latest iPhone without any cash out and at the current plan that I have of only P800 per month is just impossible. Still, I kept my hopes up and wish that the cash out would be minimal considering that it was under a loyalty program. I really wanted to have this new gadget but I had to prioritize my financial obligations so I was really uncertain if luck will be on my side.

With just a few days before the grand launch, I got a call from Globe asking if I want to pursue my interest and actually own an iPhone 4s. To give you a brief of our conversation, 1st I had to upgrade my subscription plan and there will be a cash out involved (as expected). Should I upgrade to unlisurf plan 999, the cash out would be roughly Php25,000.00; while if I would opt for plan 1799, the cash out would only be around Php4,800.00 but I had to deal with a minimum monthly due of P1,799 for at least 2 years and that would be too much. The required cash out is actually a good deal but because I am in a very tight budget, I had no choice but to say "pass" to the offer and wish that there would be other loyalty offers in the future.

So there, the latest iPhone is just within my reach but I had to say goodbye even before it was launced.

Weight Loss Update with Leisure 18

In one of my previous entries, I have mentioned that I’ll be trying the slimming coffee called Leisure 18. Just to give an update, I am already on my 3rd box and so far I have lost 3 inches off my waistline. Yes, I am using a tape measure and not a scale because I am more concerned with visible results and the likelihood of fitting in my old clothes again.

There was a time though that I had to stop drinking this coffee for 2 weeks. Not that I have experienced any negative effect, it was just that I was at a training at the time and I was afraid my usual trips at the comfort room after each meal might disrupt my training. So just to be on the safe side, I decided to temporarily stop drinking Leisure 18 for the whole duration of the training.

I have also bought a bottle of green tea capsules when I purchased my 1st box of Leisure 18 slimming coffee to help me burn fat but due to the lazy bone that I have, I also wasn’t able to take the green tea capsule as often as I should. Normally, I just take a capsule of this green tea extract after I had a fatty meal. But I guess I should make it an effort to regularly take a capsule of green tea extract after every meal to get the maximum result.

Overall, I am happy with the results that I am getting. In fact my sister in law who gets to see me only once or twice every month commented that I have lost weight. She said that thought I haven’t lost that much weight, it was still very obvious that I did lost some pounds. She even asked if I got sick and that was then that I told her about the slimming coffee that I have been drinking 30 minutes before breakfast.

I still have a long way to go before I reached my desired waistline and I have to be really patient. What’s important is the fact the have been getting results and I am happy with that.

What's For Noche Buena

With just a week before Christmas, I still can’t decide what to prepare for Noche Buena. So far, I only have Kare-Kare, baked lasagna, Mango squares and triple chocolate balls on my list. I still can’t decide what else to prepare for the Holidays. Those in my list are my family’s all-time fave but aside from those, I want to prepare something really special and something that we don’t get to eat everyday. 

BTW, I just learned this evening from the show “Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho” that we can drizzle some truffle oil over a serving of Kare-Kare to make it extra special. According to my husband, he once tried to put a few drops of truffle oil on his clubhouse sandwich (as suggested by an officemate) and he said that it was really good. My husband also mentioned that this oil is quite expensive but it’s worth the price. Hmmmm…I will definitely try this truffle oil with our Kare-Kare…I just hope that it’s available in supermarkets such as SM and The Landmark.

How about you? Are you all set for the Noche Buena?

Boredom + Change = Biz

For the past months I have been seriously thinking about the professional aspect of my life. I am at a point where I am considering whether I would continue my career as an auditor in the government or should I go for an early retirement when I finally reached my 15th year in service which will be 4 years from now.

My dilemma is caused mainly by boredom. I guess doing the same things for 11 years has taken its toll. I must admit that I no longer feel motivated…In other words, everything just seems so monotonous. With kind of state that I am in, I definitely need a change. Actually, I have been talking with my husband about starting my own business…

I have talked about how much I enjoy doing online selling in some of my previous entries and since I love meeting people from all walks of life, I am thinking of venturing into something that will not only be available both off and online…

Since my Mom is planning to have some commercial apartments for lease sometime next year, I am considering the possibility of getting one space for my own business. The question is: what kind of business will I venture into? Whatever it will be, it must definitely be something that I am passionate about for it to be successful. If you are familiar with marmot jackets, then you probably know that the company was conceived out of its founders’ passion for the glacier. Well, I want my own biz to be just as successful and who knows, might gain international recognition as well.

The more I think about the possibility of going into business, the more I get excited about. Sometimes I do ask myself if I am in the right profession or could this be just another bout of boredom?

Dealing with Blogger's Block

I have been meaning to update this blog for weeks but I just couldn’t muster the energy to actually write. Even after I have leaned that my page rank has dropped from 3 to 2, I still couldn’t make myself hit the “New Post” tab on my Blogger Dashboard.

Since I started blogging in 2009 I have read entries from fellow bloggers about “blogger’s block”. I never imagined that dealing with this kind of mental state (if I can call it that) could be quite difficult. Though I wasn’t able to make regular blog updates many times in the past, those instances were mainly due to my super busy work schedule and I couldn’t really find the time to sit down and write. This time, I can not blame my silence to my current work load because I do have the time to surf the net for movies and games to download. It’s just that blogging isn’t my “thing” lately.

Now, for the first time in 2 years, I am confronted with this “blogger’s block”. It’s not that there’s nothing that I have to share…In fact, there are so many things that I want to share but, as I said, I lack the energy and the enthusiasm to actually pound on my keyboard and write.

But do I want my blogs to be just like those other “dead blogs” that we sometimes encounter? Of course not! So when I opened my browser to do my cousin a favor and Google Basic Tube Bending Guide, I decided to also open my Blogger dashboard, hit the “New Post” tab and deal with this blogger’s block.

From this day forward, I hope to make regular updates and bring my page rank back to where it was before.