Increase your business productivity

Here’s a new enterprise software that businesses can benefit from, Epazz BoxesOS version 3.0. This collaboration software increases your company’s productivity and communication particularly among stakeholders, higher management and employees. BoxesOS provides relevant administrative information accessible via the Internet in a secure environment. Visit their website at Epazz.com to view a demo and learn more about how it can help your business grow.

A healthier me!

Because of my hectic schedule, I’ve not been attentive to my body’s needs lately. I usually sleep late, so naturally I get up late and feel exhausted. Breakfasts are always delayed and by afternoon I feel drained. I haven’t done any exercise for months already and I feel I lack energy for doing physical things. I realize I have to do something about my health. It is after all, my best asset. If I feel sick, then how can I continue with being effective and efficient?

Okay, the above list would do for now. I’ll update this every weekend and report here how I’ve been doing so far. God bless me on my new endeavor!

Missing my dear Mom

So my ever busy mother is again in Manila, following up my techie bro’s important papers and her own visa to Prague. It was funny but the night before her trip she took time to update her blog. Yeah, that’s how committed she is with her blog. I had to remind her to pack up her things in her luggage and yet there she was, posting an entry to inform her blog visitors that she will be out of the blogosphere again. She would always send us SMS about her current whereabouts in Manila, though it’s strange she hasn’t sent any today. Sigh. I miss my Mama.

At home in Finland

Finally my big sis, hubby and kids have already comfortably settled in Pori, Finland. The funny thing is that it would take 6 weeks for them to have Internet connection at home! Huh?!!! My cutie sis talked to them via long distance phone call, with the kids being noisy in the background. Good thing school is just walking distance from their flat. The kids have adjusted pretty well with their new environment though little R-jed mentioned he misses biking around with Tita Juv in the safe surroundings of AIT.

My bro-in-law has also started reporting for work though I guess he misses his favorite sports activities. Maybe some new Ping golf equipment would inspire him to look forward to the holidays. Cutie sis invited them over to Prague for a visit, since they’re both situated in Europe now, but a lot of things have to be considered for that, right? Anyway, I’m glad they’re finally doing good and happy with their new home.

When life hands you lemons

Good day! It’s going to be a long weekend again here in my side of the planet since Monday will be a national holiday. This is good news for the busy employees and students, more time for relaxation though not that much for a trip to the Bahamas or an Orlando vacation rental I guess. 

Here are some nice words I got from my email to keep us up and running when things don’t work the way we want them to be:

Life's pretty simple.
When you're asking for apples and life hands you lemons, make lemonade.

If you are on your way out and it starts to rain,
at least you won't have to water the plants anymore.

It's a matter of seeing things in new perspective.
The benefits may not be immediate nor obvious,
but you have to know this for sure,
God will never give you anything you can't handle.
Nothing you can't triumph over.

There will be problems, there will be struggles, but if they're not there how'd you know how strong you are.

Have a great weekend!

Stylish straps to jazz up your watch

Do you own a high-end luxury watch and would like to give it a new stylish look? Just like jazzing up your hair with clips or barrettes, watches too can be dressed up in fashionable straps. A good question then would be, “Which bracelet would fit my watch?” Yes, the fit is important and more so is choosing the best design to fit your watch’s look. High quality leather straps from HIRSCH and StrapCulture have a wide range of styles to suit your design preferences whether your watch is an Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, or Cartier. These elegant and handcrafted watch straps are available from WatchBand.biz, where they are categorized into leather, metal, and synthetic straps.
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Garden updates

My dad’s gardening project is picking up a bit. The plants he nurtured months ago have finally grown into lovely combination of light and dark green leaves. But the garden still needs to be landscaped instead of the plants being placed anywhere with no particular arrangement at all. It would also be nice to have some lovely outdoor home lighting to give an artistic view of the garden at night. 

Getting published?

Have you ever thought about compiling some of your blog posts and getting them published? Yes or no? Well, I really haven’t thought about that until I got this self publish idea from AuthorHouse. This self-publishing company welcomes writers of all sorts — from fiction, suspense, horror, romance, children and many other genres and helps them achieve their publishing dreams.

AuthorHouse’s system is great for writers and authors who want to have creative control of their work’s content, design, marketing and distribution whether it’s their first or fifth book.

Sending greetings the old-fashioned way

Greeting cards always bring a more personal experience to the one receiving it, and I mean those old-fashioned greeting cards from the post office. Though the Internet has brought us a faster way of sending our greetings with e-mails and e-cards, I am thrilled when I get to see the message handwritten inside the card; it gives that personal touch whether it’s meant for birthdays, anniversaries, graduation announcements, and housewarming or wedding invitations.

Approaching motherhood

My sis is expected to give birth anytime soon. Weeks before, she did a lot of shopping with hubby for hospital and baby essentials when the little one comes out. Having a baby not only entails a lot of responsibility but also huge expenses. At least, they have planned for this pregnancy for a long time and are financially prepared.
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What’s up with our van…again?

Well, our van is still the same old trusty van… but with new tires though. We made sure it was in top condition before we took it on a trip to another island. It still brings us to places here and there. Recently my parents went on an out-of-town trip with it amidst rainy weather and slippery roads. Thankfully, it still is in good condition, it just needs some waxing, a new seat cover and some auto accessories for it to sport a new look. Hmmm…now that sounds like a major makeover.

Got trouble?

The bills and debts are piling up
Oh how I wish they would just stop
I’ll just sing my troubles away
So I can live another day

Everybody’s got troubles and problems in life, right? I’ve read somewhere that the only person who doesn’t have any problem is buried six feet under the ground. Troubles are the so called ‘spices of life’ and they make life meaningful since we become stronger persons when we rise above them. There are all sorts of troubles life brings — from failed marriages, wrecked relationships, dwindling finances, career flops to business disasters and many more.
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A quick facial mask

Do you know that you can have a quick facial mask with the remaining egg white from used egg shells? Yes, just scrape it with your fingers and put on your face; let it stay for at least 3 minutes, rinse and presto, a softer and firmer face for you! Its cooling effect is also good for sunburns. Where did I get this beauty tip? It was actually from my cousin who had problems with pimples before, she put on egg white on them and they disappeared after few days! I think a relative suggested to her about it. Weird but very effective!

For insurance agents

Dad and I just got back from sending off Mom at the airport and dropping by the mall for some groceries. As soon as we came home, our house help told us an insurance agent called up looking for me. In fact, he called up lots of times already. Oh well, that’s what I admire about these guys, they simply never tire of finding ways to close a deal. (more…)

Earning money online with Info4BeingRich

Monetizing blogs, increasing site traffic, writing relevant content — these are just some of the basics to getting the most out of your blog. The World Wide Web has become a vast resource of opportunities and studying how to tap into them takes much time. It is important to learn the tricks of the trade from lots of websites geared on teaching and sharing guides, tips and information about marketing and monetizing blogs and here’s one of them which I found teeming with loads of juicy infos, Info4beingrich - Earning Money Online Made Easy. I browsed through the articles and they’re really informative, I gained some insights into promoting my blog and getting traffic.
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Catching up with my accounting

Whew! I’m getting busy doing some accounting today. Being the self-appointed family treasurer, I try my best to manage and update the details of our monthly contribution for our family fund (which I fondly call FF) and other accounts. It really helps to keep finance management automated by using an accounting software especially for big companies which handle a lot of business transactions. Companies and organizations need these financial tools to keep things running smoothly. For instance, a good financial reporting software provides valuable information that results to better economic decisions.

Green energy

Switching off unnecessary lights, turning off appliances from standby, heating only the food you can consume — these are just few of the energy saving ways to put into practice at home. Energy efficiency is essential to help minimize the effects of carbon dioxide emissions to our environment. In the UK, British Gas Co. has invested in green energy generation and recently launched Zero Carbon which will be the greenest tariff in the domestic market. Read more about it from the press release below:

9 August 2007: British Gas has announced it is launching two new green energy tariffs, Zero Carbon, which will be the greenest tariff available on the domestic market and Future Energy. British Gas has launched the tariffs, in response to the increasing demand for green energy products.
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Health-conscious habits

Our family is starting to build health-conscious habits by trying to include some nutritious food in our daily meals. One of them is the switch we made to using fiber-rich brown rice instead of the white variety for our staple food. Then my auntie suggested using brown sugar instead of refined, and I recently switched to honey as sweetener for my hot drinks. I also bought non-fat calcium rich milk for my parents and we try to cut down on meat and include more vegetables and fruits for our meals. How about you, what are the changes you’ve made with your daily meals to aim for a healthy and nutritious diet?

Saying goodbye to my Timex Expedition watch

What do you do when your dependable watch suddenly dies on you? I’d be sad and disappointed for sure. Well, I didn’t mean to sound too emo, but my Timex Expedition watch has been my trusty companion for a long time now with its Indiglo feature, stopwatch, alarm and the double time zone feature. It’s not yet dead though… but its Indiglo feature doesn’t function anymore and the watch repair shop told me they can’t fix it. The strap is too worn out already and I don’t intend to replace it with a new watch band coz I thought it’s better to buy a new one anyway.
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A simple facial wash

My face has been feeling itchy and sensitive lately. Could it be the weather, my diet or my staying up late? I was getting worried and I talked about this to my sis who told me my skin might be irritated. She suggested that I just use water for cleaning my face instead of soap. Huh, just plain water?! I was not convinced about how effective it would be but I did stop using soap for my face, and just rinsed it with water, and guess what…it’s not itchy anymore! So what Aga Muhlach said about cleaning his face with just water is true after all, eh? And contrary to what I believed that my face would be oilier if I don’t use soap, nope it isn’t. Hmmm…I wonder about the beauty secrets of Britney Spears, Vanessa Hudgens, Jessica Alba and the other Hollywood stars.

A cute pink phone

In case you don’t know, I’m attracted to the color PINK, so this cute Nokia 6111 mobile phone (right photo) just caught my fancy. It’s a fashionable slide-open handset with 1 megapixel camera, FM radio, video recorder, Bluetooth, WAP 2.0 support and other cool features.

I found this from thephonespot.com, it’s more than the usual mobile phone shops and offers clearance and great deals on mobiles vodafone, mobile tariffs, free mobile phones and more. Check out their clearance mobile phone deals on other brands such as Motorola, Samsung,  Sony Ericsson, LG and many more or browse on their latest offers by networks — Orange, O2, Three, Virgin Mobile and T-Mobile.

Family-friendly Las Vegas

A city referred to as a ‘family-friendly Las Vegas’, and home to three amusement parks, Branson city in Missouri is another popular tourist destination for family holidays. Major attractions include museums such as The Titanic, Hollywood Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe it or Not; rides and thrills (Branson Scenic Railroad, Table Rock Helicopters, Branson Balloon, Outback Bungee); outdoors exploration at the State Park Marina and Dogwood Canyon Nature Park; water rides; caves and caverns; golf; shopping and so much more. Branson Missouri has a wide variety of live theaters with shows ranging from music and dancing to comedy and magic shows.

Goth fashion and dating

Dark and gloomy, a bit sinister style of fashion characterized by some of these basics — black clothes, black dyed hair, dark eyeliner and fingernails often with a touch of Elizabethan and Victorian fashion. This look distinguishes Gothic fashion from the other styles and Goths pride themselves in this. It’s their way of making a statement about themselves. I won’t be surprised if goth singles would also prefer dating with others who share the same subculture and identity.
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A life that matters

It takes a lot of heart and passion setting your mind on your dreams and goals no matter how difficult or impossible they seem to be. Yes, we get inspired from stories of people rising above seemingly impossible feats or difficult tasks — the Olympic athlete who won a gold after years of dedicated practice, the businessman who finally made his first million after being broke for a long time, the Heroin addict who finally got clean after a drug rehab treatment. Life offers a lot of challenges…we just have to set our minds and choose to live it the best way we can. As Michael Josephson says, “Choose to live a life that matters.”

Planning for your next holiday?

Vacation packages, vacation rentals, hotel reservations, flight bookings, car rentals…all those travel essentials and details you need for your next holiday requires careful planning. Yes, after all, you owe yourself a big break after working so hard, and your next holiday should be as perfect as you want it to be. Will it be a summer tour in Paris or a cruise in the Bahamas? You can visit HotelReservations.com and see what’s in store for you.
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Window blinds help save energy

Yes, window blinds not only give your home that beautiful accent and comfortable feel, they also offer big energy savings. Whether you have wood blinds, aluminum mini blinds, vertical blinds or fabric horizontals, they act as heat insulators, minimizing summer heat from windows and improving the coolness of your home. During winter, they can be kept open to allow heat inside thus reducing energy costs for heaters. Read more about using window blinds to keep your home energy expenses low from the press release ‘Window Coverings Offer Energy Saving Options for Families’ at Blinds Chalet’s knowledge base technical resources on everything about blinds. 

For popcorn addicts

Are you craving for popcorn and can’t watch a TV show or can’t step inside the theater house without a box of popcorn in hand? For some people who just can’t live without these crunchy buttery delights, they better buy a popcorn machine to satisfy their cravings! Yes, cool popcorn machines are perfect for a home theater setup. Imagine watching your favorite movie at home while munching on crispy popcorn made from your own popcorn machine. Four servings of popcorn in just few minutes…yummy!

Alaska cruise

You’ve read it right. Alaska is one of the places to go on a cruise. It’s a different experience with its own appeal compared to tropical or Mediterranean island cruises. Why so? Scott Miller gives the details on his article ‘Alaska Cruise Vacations: The Top Ten Reasons to Go’ — shore excursions on Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, temperate rainforests, whale watching, abundant wildlife such as bears and deer, numerous waterfalls, and most especially the glaciers which according to him are the highlight of an Alaska cruise vacation, these gigantic ice chunks are simply breath taking up close.
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Going BLUE

Creative web design, application development, search engine marketing such as search engine optimization (SEO) and pay per click (PPC), content development and web hosting — all these and more web services are offered by lifeBLUE Media, a company focused on web design and application development.

Check out the lifeBLUE design portfolio where you can browse over well designed templates customized for their client’s organizations and businesses such as telecommunications, children’s, wedding planning, travel, youth, training and others. They just started the “I Need a New Design” Contest in their blog where they will award a free site design to the worst-designed website which will be decided based on visitors’ votes. Cool eh? If you want to get that badly needed new look for your site, read more about the rules here and start pestering your family and friends to vote for you!

Tools, tools and more tools

Whenever there’s something that needs to be repaired, trust my Dad to handle it. He’s fond of doing carpentry works and tinkering with tools. He is fond of collecting all sorts of tools – from simple hand tools such as pliers, hammers and screwdrivers to garden, cutting, and power tools like grinders and drills. I think he still doesn’t have a plasma cutter though. We might be doing some construction work soon, so maybe this tool would be another great addition to his tools collection. Right, Dad?