Reyna Elena's Social Climbing Logo Contest

I promised Kotsengkuba my vote last week. But I totally forgot about it due to a death in the family. This morning, as I drove to the office, I suddenly remembered the Social Climbing Logo Contest. The due date was set on the 28th, and that was yesterday. Good thing the gracious Queen specified it as NY Time, and adding the 12nn Manila time on the 29th.

So here's my vote:

No.1. The entry of Kotsengkuba (5 votes)

I do not have the time to post the logos of the others but I find them all nicely done.

No. 2 - Ambo (4 votes) World peace!

No. 3 - Malen 2 (3 votes)

No. 4 - Itot54joni (2 votes)

Number 5 - Malen 1 (1 vote)

You still have an hour an a half before voting ends. Vote and be counted now!

Turning Two

In twenty days, this blog will celebrate its 2nd year anniversary.

I couldn't recall what happened on that Sunday when I registered in blogger.com and wrote my first entry. I didn't have a goal then, perhaps just like the blogging old-timers who just write whatever came to mind; no money-making, no star-feeling, no blog ranking and no advertising.

Ah, those simple blogging days!

The Sewing Job

When we were small kids, my mom would design and sew the dresses of my sisters and a few of my girl cousins. She used a singer sewing machine, the only sewing machine brand that I know. But my mom won’t sew me a polo shirt. She felt she had no confidence in sewing boys’ clothes.

I was really curious how the machine works. Many times my sister and I tried to sew some rags. Once, I had a home economics assignment which was to design and sew our short pants. I attempted but to no avail. I let my mom reworked on it and she finished my assignment.

An aunt uses an automatic singer sewing machine, too. It really made her sewing job a lot easier. She was even accepting sewing orders. My mom can’t do what she can do. When we all grew up, my mom retired from her sewing job.

At Wize.com, you can read reviews for the various models and types of a singer sewing machine. It is one dependable brand that you should buy.

A Walk In The ICU

They were no longer crying when I arrived. Auntie's dead body was still in the ICU and my wife signalled me to go in there.

I was curious really. It was my first time to enter this section of the hospital. I walked slowly checking every open door, like a guard on rounds. Because of the glass walls, every room is viewable from the aisle.

There lay on old woman whose mouth was opened and some gadgets attached all over her body. She was motionless and eyes fixed on the ceiling. What was she thinking? Where is her family? She seemed to be alone.

On the next room is an old guy lying on the bed just like the other woman. He was sleeping and seemed to be at peace. Three or four more other rooms were occupied by patients whose lives were hanging on a thread. I wonder who's gonna die within the hour.

Then at the far end of the section I saw the corpse of auntie examined by my bro-in-law. There was a yellow machine at her side, registering a flat line, just like they showed on medical movies. I tried to compose myself as I looked closely at her face. She was smiling, unlike the other day when she was always grimacing in pain. She had said her goodbyes years ago, but it's the love of her family that kept her strong and alive. She reiterated her goodbyes the night before, thanking everyone who cared for her.

And now she even looked better than the patients in the other rooms, for she departed in peace towards Jesus' side.

Arrange Beautiful Flowers For Me

I wonder why my wife suddenly woke me up at 3 this morning. She said she heard someone talking and wanted me to check it out. So I walked down the stairs still groggy and checked the locks and the garage. Everything seems normal, so I went back to bed.

At 5am she woke me up again. So I went down again and checked outside our gate. There had been times when our neighbors got burglarized. It all happened at dawn. Even my in-laws were not spared. But my efforts were fruitless. Had there been actual burglary, I wouldn't know what to do. I had no weapon with me.

So I went back to sleep again and woke up at around 8am. I hurried to work, kissed my wife goodbye, as she was still sound asleep.

I was my own self at my cubicle as usual, did my routines and what they called work. Then at around 10am my wife sent me a text message saying that auntie died. My wife is very close to her as she was the one who financed my wife's schooling. She's like her second mother. My wife could not hold her tears. I rushed to the hospital at lunch time and there saw auntie's smiling lifeless face, about to be brought to the morgue.

Then my wife turned to me with very red eyes. "You know what" she sobbed. "I dreamt of auntie that time I woke you up this morning. Beautiful flowers were all around us when I clearly heard her saying 'please arrange beautiful flowers for me'."

At this time of posting, my wife is arranging beautiful flowers for auntie's wake.

Budget As A Priority

If you have ten thousand, would you spend twenty thousand? Of course not! But what if the monthly bills exceed that ten thousand?

According to a new research done by Friends Provident, consumers in the UK placed budgeting as their topmost financial priority. But I don’t think that is something new. In heydays, budgeting is often left to the accountants and number-crunchers. If the inflows exceed the outflows, there is little difficulty in budgeting. But in times when there is a global credit crunch, like what is happening in the world economy today, tightening of the financial belt is expected.

I’m not going to be harsh in my example. Let’s say that after deducting all of the recurring monthly expenses and the mortgages installments, you are still short by five hundred bucks. What would you do?

First, you need to find ways to increase your income legally, like working in two jobs or some business endeavors. If one is employed, there is a certain ceiling to the earnings, unlike when one is into business whose earning potential is limitless.

Second, is to streamline your expenses. If the mortgages consume half of your income, you need to seek advice on restructuring some of them. Cut on those unnecessary expenses that satisfy only your vices. In other words, save up to the last cent.

But if you have excess funds, don’t throw them away. Cancel out high interest debts. Invest your money wisely and make it work for you. Budgeting is an excellent tool to manage your finances better.

Republicans vs Democrats: The Narrow Bend

Obama zoomed ahead over Madamme Hillary with the latest win in Wisconsin and Hawaii, his 9th and 10th successive wins. It would probably take a miracle for a comeback. Hillary needs landslide victories in the remaining states.

John McCain's lead is also getting bigger. He's the most likely winner in the Republican race. I admit that I like Huckabee, probably because of his preacher background. It's the same thing when I voted for a preacher to become the President of the Philippines. I have very high regard for them.

I heard from someone that if it's Obama vs McCain, the latter has a very high chance of winning. A Clinton vs McCain would be favorable for the Democrats. Of course, there is no real basis for that. Everyone would just like to be political analysts everytime there is an election, just like the barbers in Gorordo Avenue.

New Zealand Dream

New Zealand is a very scenic place. The landscape is unbelievably awesome. I may just have seen the place in the books and in the movies but I really look forward to visiting the place someday.

A friend who recently migrated to that country affirmed the beauty of the place. He even posted pictures in his online photo album. He said the place is really suitable for the family. I cannot disagree with him. Even an ex-boss now lives there, and he spoke well about the place when he first visited it.

Good thing there is Cheaperthanhotels NZ so that travelers and tourists can be assured of year round discounts and accommodation all over New Zealand. Whether it would be in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch or Queenstown, there is an available comfortable place to stay. I’m looking forward to a romantic getaway with my wife in the future and perhaps visit the sites where they filmed the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It would be awesome!

For Whom These Flowers Are?

This bouquet is not for my wife, coz she made it.

When I Am Sleepy

Just like a few minutes ago, my officemate saw me closing my eyes in front of the PC. I am very very sleepy. I better pack my things now and head home. Perhaps I'd just sleep in the sofa like I did on Valentine's Day when I was dead tired from lack of sleep due to the flower orders and deliveries.

When I sleep, I don't hear anything, nor feel anything. I can skip meal and good movies. Even alarm clocks have little or no effect on me. Once (when I was on my teens) our house was almost flooded because of a strong typhoon, I just curled and rolled the buri mat on me. It was only when my uncle kicked me that I got up. I'm afraid that I won't even get up if a burglar comes to our house at dawn.

Oh well, I have no sleeping difficulties. I can sleep while riding a jeepney or maybe even with loud disco music. I can sleep in meetings, too. But I can't sleep while driving, or waiting for a flight or playing PC games. That, I don't know why.

Online Shopping To Satisfy My Wishes

The internet is really a wonderful thing that you can do so many things with it. In my previous post, I wished for a DSLR camera and a new pair of badminton shoes. So I just commenced my search using the internet.

At QuickShop UK (the first international expansion off ShopWiki), the largest online shopping search engine in the UK, you can actually find almost anything that you are looking for, be it for electronics, appliances, clothing or anything. The have 35 million products in their list. You can find the best deals and discounts in their more than 30,000 stores.

When I searched for badminton shoes, I was given a comparison of the best prices from the various stores. This is really great! Now I tried searching for a Canon 400D Camera. The search led me to great prices and reviews. This is really a convenient way of shopping online.

Wish List 2008: A Tag

Carey tagged me last mid-December. When I first read it, my mind almost blew up due to lots of things that I wished to acquire in 2008. This is just a simple checklist meme. So here is mine:

1. My own domain name. I recently bought one, but I think I’m going to add more.

www(dot)myownname(dot)com

Actually, I don't really know what to do with my own dotcom for now.

2. A DSLR camera. This is really a wish out of envy.



3. New pants. I’m ever expanding and some colors are already fading.

4. New badminton shoes. I’m not retiring from this sport.


5. New eyeglasses. Or maybe new eyes.

But the truth is: I want a condo unit, a sports car and a vacation travel to Europe. There’s really no limit for wishing. Haha. What’s your wish list? I’m tagging Josh, Bambit and Tina.

Missing My Cebuano Posts

The last of my Cebuano entries was written sometime in September of 2007. I promised myself to write one at least every quarter. But I had not done so. Maybe it’s because when you submit your blog to some paying sites, one requirement is to write your entries in English. But this one is not a sponsored post. So I’ll just take the liberty of writing about the things I love.

I love the Cebuano language. Really! Here are some of my past posts if you care to read them:

Nanampiling sa Kalaay
Sabado
Larga-larga
Binisaya na sad ta

Sublion ko na usab ang pagsulat ug binisaya. Panalagsa na lang kaayo ni. Kaanindot gyud sa pamati kun makasulat ko gamit ang kaugalingong pinulongan, nga kon paminawon, murag nga matam-is nga huni sa dalunggan. Apan ang pagsulat dili gyud sayon. Kay bisan gani ang ubang mga bisaya nga nagdako sa Kabisay-an ug Mindanao dili man gani makasabot sa uban nga mga pulong diri.

Dili man pud kaayo ko hanas ba, pero igo-igo ra gyud ang akong kahibalo. Makadayeg usab ko sa mga balak ug sa mga kantang kinaraan. Nindot sad paminawon ang verso sa mga maantigo.

Apan dili ko na lang tas-on kay basin naay mga nanglurat na ang mga mata ug sinabot sa mga dili masabot. Igo lang ko nagpahungaw sa gibati. Hahay, katugnaw baya sa panahon karon. Gusto nako ipiyong ang akong mga mata aron makatulog.

Almost Towed

It was past midnight when we went to the downtown market to purchase flowers. I parked my car just in front of a “No Stopping” sign. My wife and my niece stepped out and I just waited for them inside the car.

A BMW car was parked on the opposite side of the road. Another parked behind mine. They were also purchasing flowers that evening. I was very tired after having played badminton that I napped inside the car. Then I suddenly remembered that I was not sleeping in our bed. I woke up just in time for the City Traffic Officers to arrive with two tow trucks. I switched on the engine and slowly moved my car. I just made some turns and returned to that same street.

They towed the BMW and the car parked behind me. The owners could not believe what they saw. They arrived too late. I know the penalty for that is very high.

When my wife hopped inside the car she mockingly said, “Good thing you were not asleep”.

“I was, but I woke up just in time. I wonder why they have an operation at this hour. It’s past midnight.”

“God probably woke you up. We don’t have money to pay for the penalty.”

“I agree. God is good!” Then we head for home.

Brand-Conscious Shopping

I don’t remember anymore the last time my wife and I shopped for clothes together. Was it last December? Yep, once last December. It was because she was looking for new clothes to wear on my sister’s wedding. We found what she wanted at a night bargain store, and not in some popular malls.

She’s not into brands. Unlike her, I put some premium on brands. I value very much my Florsheim shoes that I don’t use them very often. It’s kind of reserving it only for special occasions. I kept on returning to the Lacoste shop because I like to buy one of their displayed jackets. I never bought one though despite after many of the visits. I’m also impressed at one yellow Burberry t-shirt that I’d surely buy it when I see it again, wishing that they’d sell it at a discount. I am also hoping to replenish some of my Adidas dry fit shirts.

Now, one can do online clothing shopping at Smart Bargains, Kohls.com, Figleaves and Bloomingdales. These are big name stores that sell heavyweight brands. And they are now into the online business. At 1-coupons.com, you can get coupons, discounts and coupon codes so that you can get great-value prices when you do online shopping at premium stores.

I Am A Cebuano Blogger

I am a Cebuano blogger. I was born here in Cebu, I studied here and I grew up here. But when a time comes that I'd migrate to some place else, I would still be a Cebuano at heart. Here's a little badge that I made. You can copy it and place it in your sidebar. It's nothing special really. I'm not forming a group either. It's just declaring the Cebuano in you.

Now, who is a Cebuano? I don't really have definite answer for this but based on my understanding, it should be someone who qualifies either one of the following:

1. Born in Cebu
2. Parents are from Cebu
3. Grew up in Cebu
4. Lived in Cebu (for at least 5 years)
5. Married to a Cebuano/na (by affinity)



If you want the html code for this, just leave a comment. And if you have that badge in your sidebar, I'll make a special link in my sidebar for the cebuano bloggers. I'm giving a part of my PR4 here. Below is the code:

<a href="http://left-over-thoughts.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><br /><img src="http://tinyurl.com/yt8hjh" alt="Cebuano Blogger" width="150" height="55"> </a>

Update on December 23, 2009
On the other hand, you can make your own logo or join the group of Cebu Bloggers. And by the way, there's no more PR here 4 as I lost it with all the paid post many many months ago.

Dating Someone Of The Same Belief

When you are new in a company and fresh from college, you’d find yourself teased by your older colleagues, especially if you have no girlfriend or boyfriend on a valentine’s day. They’d pair you with almost any single girl available in the office, even those beyond their 30’s. Sometimes, we have play along just to parry the humiliation. Or even make up stories here and there.

A friend asked me then, “What are you looking for in a woman?”

“She has to share the same belief as mine” was my brief reply.

He continued his mockery. “You have a very limited choice my friend. There are plenty of beautiful ladies out there who are outside your circle of belief. You might regret it later on.”

“I’m sure I’ll find one, my friend. There are plenty of them out there. Only you have not seen them.” I said. We both laughed. I was not really offended by his suggestions. Instead, it gave me the chance to explain my side on the matter.

Valentine’s Day is almost here, and for most singles, it is not easy to find a date for Valentine’s Day that shares your beliefs. You’d find them in churches on Sundays but on other days, they just mix in the crowd.

However, you can also find them in the internet. There is an online site that lists directories of the best dating sites in the web. It’s not about being choosy. Let us say it’s about preference. You may prefer a date coming from the same region where you come from, same religious practices, or even the same cultural background. At least, you already have a starting point of agreement with your date.

Wrong Story

When you watch a movie you don’t understand, should you watch it again?

I am a Jet Li fan and I watch every film available bearing his name. Last month a nephew brought a dvd copy of the “Warlords”. I tried watching it but it’s such a bad bad copy that I ejected the disc after 5 minutes.

Yesterday, Ms. Chubby Pirategirl smiled as she willingly offered me her new movies. So I bought the Jet Li flick. The picture was very clear. But they spoke in Chinese and the sub-title reads more like a comedy that I don’t really understand the movie at all. I thought he’s the good guy having survived a slaughter. And that he found a beautiful girl who helped him regain his strength. Then he joined a band of bandits and rose from the ranks because of his leadership and fighting skills. They signed a blood compact and declared themselves as brothers. Battles and battles followed. Arrows against cannons. Swords against guns. His conquest led him to greater heights. But at the end, passion overtook him because his girl was married to one of the elder brothers, and theirs was an illicit affair. He plotted to assassinate his bloodbrother, whom he swore to protect but someone plotted against him too. What an ending!

The movie is for the Jet Li fans because if it’s the first time you watch his film, you’d be angry at him. There is rather a shortage of the usual Jet Li fight scenes (like 1 against 100 or something). And he looks awkward everytime he’s near the girl. He’s too hard-hearted.

To be honest I was very very wrong in my understanding of the movie as I narrated above. It’s the wrong story. Good thing the helpful wikipedia filled in the gaps. I think I should watch the movie again, probably in the big screen. Or perhaps study Chinese just to understand the movie.

(image from easy-tv[dot]org)

I've Never Been To Palawan

They say that you’ve never been to Palawan if you were not able to visit El Nido and the underground river. If that is true, then I’ve never been to Palawan despite the picture evidences that I shall post here.

A military band met us at the airport. I don’t know if it’s just their normal greetings to visitors, or there might be some visiting dignitaries that arrived together with us. There were some pretty and interesting looking foreigners in the plane, but no one important that I know of. I think most of my co-passengers are tourists and I am the only one there who arrives for work.

At noon, I checked in at the Legend Hotel. The accommodation is excellent. They have free wifi access and it brought me joy despite my brief stay there. I met a cousin and he wanted me to stay another day and see the beauty of Palawan. The family of his wife owns a white sand beach in El Nido. "It's paradise, Manoy" he said.

But after failing to convince me, he said he hope that I'd be infected with the "comeback-comeback" virus. "I hope so" I replied mentally calculating the cost of coming back to the place for a vacation. Plane is around P7k round trip for 2. We can stay at our aunt's house in a town north of Puerto Princesa. It's already near to El Nido. Maybe we can just set up a tent in their paradise, and do island hopping. Ah, my mind is already imagining things.

What would you do around Palawan's capital city? The place is like another small town in Cebu. No Jeep, plenty of tricycles, no traffic, no malls. But I can hear the calling of the alluring paradise. My stay is less than 30 hours and I already looked forward to coming back.

Because I’ve never been to the important places in this last frontier, perhaps I’ve never really been to Palawan.

Honda Bay and El Nido photos plucked from wowphilippines website. It's something to look forward to in the future.

Connecting To The Internet World

It was sometime in early 2000, in our addictions to the internet and network games, my friends and I decided to set up an internet café. We just wanted to get connected to the internet world and at the same time earn a little. We then bought second hand computers and luckily found a place suitable for our shop. But it was hard to find an ISP at that time. We only have few choices and it was expensive and rather slow. Getting a dedicated leased line or a cable internet was not feasible for a start-up like us.

But then, our internet café did not survive 5 years later despite upgrades in equipment and ISP (from dial-up to DSL). We were too late in the upgrades and our competition had zoomed ahead. Probably it was also due to our hesitation to put in additional investments. We were just struggling young accountants, not businessmen.

Nowadays, if we want to get connected to the internet world there are plenty of options. At Getisp.info you can get low price deals on internet service providers – dial-up, dsl, cable, satellite, wireless and VOIP services. The DSL is the most common since it is uses the same telephone wire in homes. If one lives in an isolated area, getting an internet access is no longer a problem, despite the lack of cables and telephone wires. He can get a satellite internet service. Compare broadband service from HughesNet and WildBlue, and see which fits your need.

Getisp.info also has informative pages on how to speed up computers and a guide on choosing an internet service provider. Connecting to the internet world is now made easier.

IZEARank vs PageRank

Why do we have to put ranking on everything? When I started this blog, I did not even know that a ranking system existed in the blogosphere and in the worldwide web. Just like when I started schooling at age 5, I did not aim to be the first honor. I just attended classes regularly, studied my lessons and did my assignments. I even skipped the awarding of my first ever scholastic medal.

But whether we like it or not, some authorities would like to rank those under their wings. They got valedictorians, salutatorians, summa cum laude, magna cum laude, top 10%, top 100s, etc…. Some companies even rank their associates (and managers) as they compete among their peers. The high flyers get the promotions, scholarships and recognitions. Meaning those on top has more opportunities. Those who rank low get booted out either by the boss or by their own volition, wounding their esteem in the process.

That is also true in worldwide web and those millions of blogs out there. So, who’s the foremost authority to give out the rankings? If for search engines, in my opinion, it should be Google PageRank (PR), unless Yahoo! can come up with its own challenge. Given similar keywords, the higher ranked sites appear on top of the lower ranked sites. When you create the ranking system, it should only be logical that those who want to enjoy it should abide by your rules. Google did just that by penalizing those buying and selling links to get high rankings. Or maybe if we believe the mathematics that the inward link counts as a point and outbound links is parting with that point, then, when one gives out too much of the link without getting something in return, his PR would most likely decrease. This would mean that there is a possibility that my site will soon lose its PR4 if it continues to give out those links. I hope this would not be the case. I prefer the addition rather than the deduction.

If it is for web advertising, who can give credible rankings to the publishing blogs? It is only reasonable that the one who gets hold of the advertisers and the publishers should rank the blogs accepting paid posts. This is where IZEARank comes in. The ranking is basically based on the number of page views and unique visitors of a site, as compared to the other blogs under IZEA’s fold. If their system is accurate, then it is good news to advertisers seeking more exposure rather than buying links. If I were the advertiser, I would pay for exposure from those high traffic blogs. This is bad news for the low traffic posties though. They will not get the best part of the pie, or perhaps get nothing at all from IZEA advertisers.

I currently have a weekly average rank of 1,732 which means that if there are 2,000 blogs in their rank, I’m near bottom and might be useless to advertisers. (I hope they have a million so that my site would be considered higher-ranked). But I think they will not boot out the low traffic posties. Perhaps they’d change their admission rules and consider site traffic rather than blog age and searchability.

So, what are we bloggers going to do about this? Some blog just to let out steam. Others do it for the love of writing. So they won’t need either ranks. There are those who write for the monetary opportunities in the internet world. They are the ones needing both the PR and the IZEARank (if they publish for IZEA). If you rank low in both and want to join the band of monetization, don’t fret. Continue to write quality posts that internet readers seek. Along with it, expose your site by hopping on blogs, leaving sensible comments, exchanging links, and submitting your sites in some bookmarking sites and social networks. The precious ranks that you seek will just be handed in to you.

Taxi At 140kph

It was 3am when I flagged down a taxi for a ride to the Mactan, Cebu airport. My head was still groggy due to lack of sleep very much anticipating my trip to Palawan (via Manila). The road was dark and almost empty, like we owned the streets to ourselves. “The ride should be swift” I thought.

Then we ran over a hump. The tires’ axles may have screamed at the force that could break them. But the driver was unmoved. We’re moving like crazy and the speedometer swayed from 100 to 140 kph. The driver’s head swayed too. “Is he in a trance?” I asked myself but continued observing him.

We traversed the Marcelo Fernan Bridge like we’re in a drag race and we reached the airport in no time at all. I gave him a P30 tip for that.

Valentine's Day: What's Your Plan?

I am not sure if the ladies do make the plans or just wait for their man to do it. For guys, what would you do when your wife asks you, “What’s your plan for both of us this coming Valentine’s Day?”

“I’ll just surprise you” is my usual reply. That reply meant that I still have to make plans. I can always blame that on work and busyness. You know those fancy restaurants are fully reserved on this love day and walk-ins are seldom accepted. Plans should be in place and contingencies 1 and 2 are on the sides. When you have the same partner for a long time, being innovative on a date is really a big challenge.

Here are some tips on the planning thing:

1. Budget. Set aside a budget on this one. It doesn’t have to be a five figure thing, but you know well what money can do. You can always rent a yacht or a chopper (if it won't scare you) if you have overflowing cash. Don’t just bring your plastic. You can never know if the system bogs down and you might end up embarrassed. Bring cash. But don’t overspend that you end up living like a pauper for the rest of the year.

2. Location. It could be a challenge if you don’t go out more often. Traditionally, the classy restaurants are the first options. But the rich may have fully reserve all the slots. Try to check some internet forums and get ideas on the recommended places. You can check it out yourself and reserve a table asap. But don’t go to remote places that you end up being robbed. A date on top of a hill overlooking the city might be romantic, but don’t put yourself and your date on a risk.

3. Reservations. Reserve that chopper or that limo now. He he. If it’s a hotel suite and a private dinner for two, reserve it now. You can’t immediately get a table if you just walk in to some fancy place. Even the fastfoods are filled with people on that day. Or if you want a musician or a band to add to the romantic flavor, go reserve them now.

4. Ambience. This one is a must for that romantic mood. The place may have that valentine’s decors but if it’s too noisy, then it won’t help. A band serenading the couples, or candles and flowers on the table tops, would create a nice ambience. You can have a band to yourself, if you pay for their services. You can also go to a beach resort, have a table arranged at the seaside, and hire a musician to serenade you. Or you can just listen to the breeze and the rushing tide.

5. Gifts. Many times I bypassed this one, though my wife never failed to give me one. But it is lovelier if you bring a gift for your date. It could be a bouquet of fresh flowers or just as simple as a card. You could be techie too by giving her or him that gadget he or she wished to buy for the longest time.

Now that I’ve listed the tips, what’s my real plan? My wife and I are actually gonna postpone our plans to the weekend after. We’re going to sell flowers on Valentine’s Day. So it would be all business for us on that day. But who says we can’t celebrate a perfect date other than on the 14th? I’m sure there won’t be much competition on the 15th or the 16th.

Corfu, Greece

Corfu is one of the most popular tourist destinations of Greece and attracts thousands of visitors each year. It lies at the entrance of the Adriatic Sea and is the second largest island of the Ionian. It has some of the most beautiful beaches and resorts in Greece. Tourists will surely be fascinated by its emerald waters and the sandy or pebbled beaches all around the island. Some of the beaches have been awarded by the Blue Flag, the European guarantee for cleanliness. Near the sea, one can find plenty of bars and restaurant to refresh and satisfy one’s thirst or hunger.

One would also be amazed at the architecture of Corfu because of the unique combination of Venetian, French and English Architecture. The picturesque structures, mansions, luxurious hotels make Corfu a really elegant place. The hotels in Corfu can offer you all the luxury and the comfort that you wish to make your stay memorable.

Go check out Fantasticgreece.com from more destination guides in Corfu.

(photo of Potomaki Beach Hotel from Fantasticgreece.com)

To Palawan

I’ve never been to Palawan, that isolated island west of where I am. I heard it is paradise. I got to see it for myself. I’ll be there next week. But too bad it is not for leisure. My schedule is already full with meetings and trainings. I don’t know if I would have a time to meet a cousin I haven’t seen for years. If he is free past 9pm on Tuesday, perhaps we could enjoy coffee and a lively conversation. Too bad I only have less than 30 hours to breathe the Palawan air and perhaps kiss its soil.

But I promise I’ll be back another day.

Domain Registration

The idea of having my own domain name has been floating in my head since the fourth quarter of last year. I have not yet decided on a name. It took me months to ponder on this. But I already listed and checked possible great names. One is my own name. It is so unique that I have not encountered someone (even online) who has the same name as I have. But I have different plans for it other than blogging. For now, I may put it aside.

The others names I considered are somewhat played around the word Cebu, this place where I was born, grew up and lived my entire 32 years. I am not really that convinced. What if I leave Cebu and relocate to Manila or to the USA? I got to have a name that goes beyond territories.

After I decide on a name, I have to register it. Domain registration is not difficult. I find it affordable too. Payless Domains, Australia’s most popular domain name registration site, offers discounts if you register names for two years or more. They offer bundle discounts too. You may also check their web hosting packages. I am sure that they have everything you need that fits your budget

Moving To A New Home

In an attempt to change profession and alter the course of our young accounting career, a friend and I took the local real estate brokers’ exam and explored the possibility of becoming realtors. Both of us took the top two places when the result was released but we stopped there. At least, we got ideas about the real property business.

A realtor or what we usually refer as a real estate agent or broker does not only sell subdivision lots or houses but they can also assist one who is relocating to a new city. This we learned in our review. This is not really a familiar transaction here in the Philippines but in the USA, you certainly need a realtor to assist you in buying homes or looking for a home for rent. Realtors have this extensive property listing that you don’t have to search the properties yourself. They can also assist you in the mortgage quote.

At NationalRelocation, they provide assistance to people who are relocating and are on the move. Moving to a new home would no longer be a hassle.

GMA7 Leads

GMA7 leads as the “Philippine TV Station Which Has Better, Innovative, Informative and Entertaining Shows” based on my informal poll. You don't have to seriously believe that 58% says it’s GMA, 26% are for ABS and 16% said that they don’t care at all. I have no idea as to who cast their votes. I didn’t vote myself because I already said that I’m biased based on the fact that GMA has the better signal at home.

But again, this survey is just for fun. The race to better, innovative, informative and entertaining shows is good for all of us viewers. The TV ratings war has become annoying.