SlogBite.com

From the guy who brought you the Big Bang Explosion meme, now comes Slogbite, an awesome new directory site. I joined right after I saw a post about it from another blog! The site is still under construction but is now accepting participants in preparation for its official launch. Join now!

Join SlogBite:

• There is no need to register!
• SlogBite is a new concept in site directories (full participation.)
• You decide what specific categories you want to be listed in (you can choose multiple categories.)
• You decide your level of participation, “A” List or “B” List, by following the simple requirements.
• You complete the form that appears in each category.
• If you need a category to be created, it will be done upon request.
• Slogbite is not limited to just blogs. It is open to anyone who has a web-presence.
• SlogBite is meme based (lots of link-love, once officially launched) for the “A” List.
• SlogBite has a varied selection of badges to choose from. Flying one of the badges is a requirement for both the “A” List and the “B” list.
• Upon request, I will create a custom badge for your site that will point directly to the SlogBite category directory of your choice.

Searching for Sites:

• Choose a category that interests you. Then choose a site to visit by clicking on their “most representative” post (”See the Best before you see the Rest”.) This way you start out with their best post that site has to offer in this category; a great way to browse sites; or
• Type in a keyword that may be found in a site name, the representative post or the site description and “enter.”
• Both options are directly under the SlogBite banner.

I am currently under the following categories: Philippine Blog, Personal Diary, Mixed Bag, Opinions, Reviews, Positive Mental Attitude, Business, Celebrities, Television and Food.

I would like to invite Mommy Ruby, Cielo, Mira, Z'riz, and Chinita.

China Milk Scare

"Made in China", once a phrase that makes people think of cheap but quality products, now is one that makes people run to the opposite direction. And with great reason. Previously, it has been reported that the popular candy White Rabbit from China has been contaminated with toxic chemicals. The popular toy company Mattel, which outsources the manufacturing of its toys in China, recalled a large number of its toys which has been painted with lead. There was also a report about a dental toothpaste made in China containing a poisonous chemical agent. There was also the China-made pet food that killed hundreds of dogs and cats.

The latest of the China scare is the contaminated milk products which contains melamine, a chemical commonly used in coatings and laminates, wood adhesives, fabric coatings, ceiling tiles and flame retardants. Some Chinese dairy production companies have added this chemical to milk products to make it seem that these products have a higher protein content. Health experts say ingesting melamine can lead to kidney stones, urinary tract ulcers, and eye and skin irritation. It also robs infants of much-needed nutrition.

The Philippine government is now asking milk products, especially those made in China, to be pulled out from supermarkets and grocery stores. BFAD is now conducting laboratory tests to check if the products being sold in the market is free from the toxic chemical Melamine. BFAD has provided in its website, bfad.gov.ph, a list of the products under testing. DTI is also loooking into other China made food products like noodles which can also be tested by BFAD.

Consumers don't have the patience to wait for the results. Right now, most buyers stay away from the stamp "Made in China", milk product or not, even if it may still be proven not to be contaminated. It may mean cheap, but for buyers, it has also come to mean unsafe. Understandably, when it comes to health issues and safe consumption, the trial verdict is guilty until proven innocent.

Love Your Blog!

• got this award from Maicel. thanks so much, dear!
  
  This award is called...
  
  

here are the rules for passing on the award:

1. Put the logo on your blog

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. Nominate at least seven other blogs

4. Add links to those blogs on your blog

5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

now, im tossing this to Mommy Ruby, Sasha, Cielo, Liza, Z'riz, Chinita, and KCee

Dealing With Delinquent Tenants

Some people may think that a landlord or real estate proprietor's work is easy as money in the form of monthly rentals just keep flowing in month after month. This is not quite so. Most of the time, you have to deal with tenants' unreasonable requests, frequent complaints, and delinquencies in paying their monthly obligations. Here are some common problems lessors encounter with their lessees and tips on how to avoid them.

1. Late rental payments - you should require them to issue you post dated checks to cover the contract's term period. this avoids you having to visit them every month, possibly several days in a row just to collect rent. you can have all your tenants date their checks on the 1st day of the month or whichever day of your preference.

2. Bounced checks - according to the law, if a check bounced, the issuer has five days from the bank's or your notice to make good the check otherwise you can charge them with BP 22 (Batas Pambansa Blg. 22) or the Bouncing Check Law. you should explicitly state in your contract a provision that if the lessee's check has bounced, especially for the reason of a closed account, this will be grounds for automatic termination of the lease contract.

3. Expiration of contract - you should also state in the contract that if the lessee wants to renew the contract, he must give the new set of post dated checks to cover the renewal contract period thirty days before the expiration of the current contract. failure to do so will mean termination of the contract and ejectment of the lessee and all those claiming him at the end of the contract period. this avoids late rental problems early on, otherwise if they plead for the checks to be given at a later date, more often than not, they don't give the post dated checks anymore and you're left to deal with their late payments month after month.

4. Several months in arrears - if the lessee, for some reason, failed to pay at least two month's rent on the due date of the second month, you should send through registered mail, a demand letter dated five days after said due date. you can send a 2nd notice after 10 days, and if still no action has been done, you can already file for a barangay complaint wherein you can have him sign a compromise agreement and promissary note stating your preferred schedule of payment. should lessee fail to comply with the terms prayed for, the barangay team can aid you in the ejectment of the lessee and the collection for all unsettled obligations.

5. Ejectment of delinquent tenants - your contract should include a provision regarding the ejectment of the lessee upon failure to comply with the terms and conditions stated therein including failure to pay the monthly rental stipulated. they must also have a guarantor who will also be held liable for the obligations of the lessee, as signed by the guarantor in an undertaking attached to the contract, stating his joint liability even after the contract has expired for as long as all obligations have yet to be settled.

Use of the Shout Box and Comments Page

I've installed a shout box in my blog so that other bloggers or surfers can leave messages for me wherein I can see them right away, making it more efficient to return their visits. However, there is, I believe, a difference for the shoutbox's use and the comment form's use. I wish people who read my posts would leave relevant and useful comments in my comment page, and similarly, people who just want to say hi and that they're dropping by to visit, would leave messages in the shoutbox.

It's quite disturbing to see irrelevant comments on my posts when I have installed a shoutbox as a message board. Same thing, it's quite saddening to see your post with no comments then finding one regarding your post in the shoutbox. Leaving comments in your post makes it more special as you know that people have taken the time to read your work and write something about it.

A post with a lot of comments attracts more attention from blog hoppers as they get curious about your post content seeing that a lot of people have given their say about it. Yet, if they read on and see that the list of comments are mostly just greetings, then it's possible that they also lose interest. Some people are interested in the exchange of opinions from other viewers, on top of very good posts. On the other hand, if people's comments are placed instead on the shoutbox, the potential for initially grabbing a visitor's attention to read your stuff, is lost.

Hopefully, more bloggers would take the time and initiative to place relevant comments or be it messages in blogs to promote success for more bloggers not only in terms of viewership but more importantly in terms of readership as well.

Putting Tags or Labels on Your Post

When I first started blogging, whenever I reached the end of my post, I would include a lot of labels thereafter. All the keywords mentioned in that particular post, I would add as a tag or label. Hence, my tag cloud got larger and larger. Moreover, most of these tags I've used only once throughout my blog.

Recently though, I kept thinking of limiting my labels to the essentials. I was thinking if I could just make my tag cloud concise, my blog wouldn't feel so scattered and so much a mixed bag of sorts. So whenever I'm about to add one, I would first ponder on it, and ask myself that if I were to search that word, would I find enough information about it in my post or is just a supporting keyword?

For example, I'm blogging about Pancake House's spaghetti. The labels I would usually add are Pancake House, spaghetti, food, restaurant, reviews. But then if I were to include Pancake House, it would have to be about the restaurant generally and almost everything about it, which it's not. If I were to include spaghetti, that could work but then knowing me, I don't usually blog about spaghetti and that could mean another label having only one reference post. Food I could use as a label because spaghetti is food plus I blog about other food as well so that's many posts for one label. Restaurant could also work in the same way as food, plus Pancake House is indeed a restaurant, no doubt there. I could add reviews as well for it really is a review, in this case a food review. So instead of having 5 labels, I've narrowed it down to 3. Makes life simpler, doesn't it?

So far now, I'm still not done editing the labels of all my posts. Hopefully when I'm done, I'll have a smaller tag cloud with really useful and related keywords.

Philippine's Best Actors

Here are my top three actors and actresses of this generation in the Philippines. And when I say top, I mean that their acting skills are superb and effortless. None of those overboard crying or exaggerated facial contortions. None of the theatrical recitation of the script. Just very natural acting with the right balance to accurately portray real emotions, real people and real situations.

Top Three Actors:

1. John Lloyd Cruz
2. Piolo Pascual
3. Jericho Rosales

Top Three Actresses:

1. Angel Locsin
2. Sarah Geronimo
3. Jodi Sta. Maria
   

There are others who are good as well but these six have proven the maturity in their acting skills. Watching them makes you relate to and believe that they really are the people they're portraying and not just themselves merely acting. How about you, who are your bets?

Teacher Bloopers

Do you remember when you were in grade school or high school and you'd make fun of your teachers who would mispronounce some words or recite the wrong phrases or would just plainly utter hilarious remarks? I remember in our class, since we were basically in the same section for five years (from grade7 to Senior year), we've collected our own funny experiences and laughs with our teachers' bloopers. We even had them written down, hard bounded and distributed to every member of our class before graduating.

Here's some of what I can remember:

• "Practice makes permanent!" - our PE teacher as he was teaching us the steps for our dance session
• "Pace your own fartners, and do your own farts." - again our PE teacher
• "Jay diba dapat tahimik ka lang? Yes Sir! Kung tahimik ka, diba mabait ka? Yes Sir! Good! Kung mabait ka, kukunin ka na ni Lord. Yes Sir?!?" - our class adviser during one Homeroom period.
• "Class, look closely, VOYLA!" - our Science teacher, shouting in excitement during one of our class experiments. Uh Ma'am, it's pronounced as Vwala! (Voila!)
• "Makinig kayo! Hindi yung daldal kayo nang daldal, para maintindihan niyo na x2y2 dibaydibay xy ay equal to xy!" - our Math teacher shouting horrendously as the whole class errupted in laughter. Uh Sir, it's divided by, hindi po dibaydibay.
• "You, you and you! The both of you three! Go to the principal's office, now!" - yet another one of our teachers

I'm sure you have your own related stories. I'd love to hear them.

NUTRILITE™ Nutri Fiber Blend Chewable Tablets

There's a new product from NUTRILITE™, the world's leading brand of vitamin, mineral and dietary supplements. Nutri Fiber Blend is a fiber supplement in a convenient chewable tablet form. Vertically integrated natural fiber ingredients combined with natural sweeteners offer a premium, effective and convenient fiber source.

According to the leading world health organizations, adults should get between 20 and 35 grams of fiber everyday. Most of us get nowhere near that amount. People who suffer from lack of fiber may experience symptoms such as constipation, acne, elevated cholesterol levels, headaches, hemorrhoids, chronically elevated liver enzyme systems, PMS and irritable bowel syndrome.

Nutri Fiber Blend Chewables offer an incredibly complicated but incredibly convenient blend of soluble and insoluble fibers - a blend of 13 naturally sourced fibers in all. Soluble fiber has been shown to aid in maintaining normal cholesterol levels that are already within normal range. Insoluble fiber aids in maintaining a healthy "gut" and promoting normal bowel regularity. Nutri Fiber Blend also has FOS, a type of dietary fiber that helps inhibit growth of harmful bacteria.

You can chew 1-3 tablets a day, with at least a full glass (250ml) of liquid with each tablet. With minimal effort, you can reach the maximum fiber levels your body needs to reach optimal health. If you wish to order, you can visit http://amwayibo.multiply.com/.

How To Change Your Favicon

I've been observing the favicons of other blogs with a .com domain. Some have really cute icons and I kept wishing there was a way on how I can change the "B" favicon of my blog, it being Blogger, so that I can have a unique one, though I haven't really done any research on how to accomplish it.

As I was blog hopping the other day, I saw a post from Sasha's Corner on how to change your favicon. If you have your own graphic or image that you want to use instead, you can just:

• Go directly to FavIcon from Pics.
• Click the Browse... button and look for the file name of the image or graphic you want to use.
• You can add a scrolling text or even have your graphic be animated, both of which are optional.
• Click Generate FavIcon.ico button.
• If you're satisfied with your favicon as you would see in the Preview, click the Download Favicon button.
• After the download, open the package and find the image with the .png file.
• Open it with the Paint program to convert it into a .jpeg file.
• Once converted, upload it in your PhotoBucket account.
• Then from your Blogger account, go to Layout tab and then Edit HTML.
• Look for the title tag near the top of your HTML codes, inside the head tag.
• After the title tag, add the following codes: (click image to enlarge)
• It should look similar to this: (click image to enlarge)
• Save your template. If you cannot see your new favicon, you can try logging out of Blogger, then logging in again to refresh your account.

And there you'll have it, your own unique favicon. Thanks Sasha!

Sarah and John Lloyd's Midas Touch

The huge box office success of A Very Special Love is just another proof that everything Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd Cruz touch turns to gold, platinum even. I'm really fascinated with these two artists and I'm very happy for their great success, they really do deserve all of it.

John Lloyd, ever since his award winning portrayal in the tv series Maging Sino Ka Man, has moved on to more projects which showcase his tremendous and undeniably great acting skills. Whatever role he plays, he plays with such passion and conviction, always in character, never overbearing, powerful but not imposing, natural and effortless. His movie One More Chance earned him the title of Box Office King and many are saying that his reign will continue, with his current one in its 7th week, still being shown in some theaters. He is also a very effective product endorser, earning him the title Billion Peso Man by Biogesic as they reached the Billion Peso mark in sales due to his endorsement.

He has gone a long way from his Tabing Ilog days and glad to say, he's matured very well as an actor. As with Piolo Pascual and Jericho Rosales, both acknowledged as two of the best actors in the industry, John Lloyd has emerged from the backdrop to join the two in this prestigious acclaim.

Sarah Geronimo is a name attached to a lot of titles. And you can see that her colleagues acknowledge these titles as they're right from their lips whenever they introduce her, from Pop Star Princess to Concert Princess/Queen to Box-Office Superstar. Her albums go platinum, even her concert dvd's go platinum, the first and only to achieve that, she can fill up the whole Araneta Coliseum, she's done numerous concerts abroad, she's an in-demand product endorser, a main stay in EDSA and SLEX, she's hosted her own singing contest show, she appears in many segments of ASAP, she has done successful tv series like Bituing Walang Ningning and Pangarap na Bituin, her first major movie is a big hit (big understatement), need I say more?

Her being a great singer is a given, seeing that she's been doing it forever. Her dancing prowess was revealed when The Other Side of Sarah was presented (not only can she sing, not only can she dance, she can do both at the same time, really a concert performer). She's also a good host, and she's added acting to the feathers in her cap. Oh, and she's now being included as third in the list of the most beautiful Filipinas, But the really amazing thing about her is her humility amidst the fame and success. And more than anything, other stars can gain a lot in picking up this trait of hers.

I love watching ABS-CBN shows and Star Cinema movies, because they have proven their ability to generate high quality productions. They have been proven superior over other networks because of their high caliber work. They don't skimp on the acting workshops, hence, as I have said before, ABS-CBN seems to be the only one capable of bringing out the best in its stars.

Down With Virus

Ho hum... my computer was hit by a virus a couple of days ago. It eliminated my hard drive from my profile, thank goodness my hubby managed to resurface it and backed up all our files before it totally crashed. I missed my blog for the last three days, the first was when my PC got the flu, the second was when it was being treated by my hubby, and the third day was because of the never ending problem of our intermittent connection.

Now, I'm cautious when downloading files or programs, I make sure all the tick boxes of add-ons are unchecked. I only install the main program itself, hard to say if they have some malware or spyware, and better to be on the safe side than finding myself in a computer turmoil.

The only thing I wasn't able to back up was my favorites folder from my browser. All the websites that I need for blogging, all my favorite blogs, all sites that serve as my references for business, all the ad sites, gone all gone. Oh well, no use to cry over spilled milk as they say. I just hope I take enough precautions from hereon to avoid making the same mistake.

Google Chrome

There's a new browser in town, it's called Google Chrome. I've tried downloading it and although still in Beta version, it promises a minimal design with sophisticated technology, making your browsing experience faster, safer and easier.

Google has been vocal about using components from other browsers like the Webkit and Firefox, and are therefore making their codes open source as well. From what I've seen so far, they've done a pretty spectacular job of getting the best features from the different browsers like Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer and Webkit, improved and refined them into one powerful browser.

Their features include:

• Incognito Mode - for when you want private browsing without letting other users of the same computer track the sites you've visited
• One box - the address bar can also be used for web search and viewing web history while presenting suggestions as you type
• New tab page - presents a large thumbnail view of your most visited sites, and a list of your most recent bookmarked sites and closed tabs
• Crash control - when one tab experiences some problems, the other tabs will not be affected
• Safe browsing - it warns you of phishing, malware or otherwise unsafe websites
• Domain highlighting - helps the users keep track of what site they're at so as to avoid phishing attacks
• Instant bookmark - clicking the star icon on the left side of the address bar bookmarks your current site
• Dynamic tabs - you can drag tabs out of the browser to create a new window and you can put it back in again as well
• Simpler downloads - you can see your download status at the bottom of your current window
• Simpler user interface - the tabs are on top and only the really useful buttons are shown

Seeing as this is still new, they're open to lots of comments and suggestions and even have an option wherein you can automatically send usage statistics and crash reports to Google to help make the Chrome better. I like that it's simple but highly functional, so far so good.

IKEA Clearance Sale

There's a store in Manila which houses many IKEA items, and right now they're having their annual clearance sale from August 31 - September 14, 2008. Up to 60% off of IKEA items and furnitures will be offered. You can visit them at 4977 Enrique St. Palanan, Makati, near Bautista St. They're usually open from 10am - 7pm.

There's really no sign outside so it's pretty easy to miss it. Just look for a green gate on Enrique St., the one near Bautista St., because we've discovered that Enrique St. goes on all the way over to Filmore, kind of a bending road so it may be confusing to those unfamiliar with the area. It's on the 3rd floor of the building, pretty much hidden, but inviting just the same. So to all IKEA lovers out there, you might want to check it out.

Household Tips

I'm not really a domestic goddess, but I've come to learn a few tricks in doing household chores everyday. Here's a few that I would like to share.

• Try putting a couple of fabric softener sheets inside your closet for an always fresh and newly washed aroma.

• When keeping away meat and poultry after grocery shopping, stack them away in separate plastic containers, good for one family serving per container. That way, you get to save time when thawing food before cooking because you get to thaw only 2-3 pcs of meat rather than the whole grocery pack. Not to mention, you get to keep the other meat fresher by avoiding the thawing then freezing again part.

• You can also try getting one of those Lock & Lock containers that have 3-4 partitions inside. It's good for kid's recess and lunch meals, plus you can also use it to store portioned food in the ref or freezer. That way, when you have family sized servings of viands or pasta, you need not reheat the whole thing and return the leftovers again in the fridge, which is a fast way of causing spoilage. You can just get one container from the Lock & Lock, and that's the only one you have to reheat.

• If you know you can't wash the dishes right away after eating, at least get the leftover food out of the plate and run the water over the dishes so the oil and sauce from the meal won't stick so much to the plate. That way, it will be easier to wash it later, plus, getting out the leftover will prevent food buildup in your sink drainage.

• When cleaning the bathroom tiles, try using an extra strength sponge scrubber with a handle, one that can also be used for pools (you can read the labels or try on a small corner of the bathroom to make sure that it's safe if you have a special kind of tiles). Instead of Mr. Muscle, which doesn't work for me, I use L.O.C., a multi-purpose cleaner, which I buy from Amway. It's more effective in taking out the grimes when using it with the sponge scrubber.

• If you have a limited storage space, try looking through it. If something has not been used for over a year and you honestly think you would not need it anymore, throw or give it away already. Sometimes, we tend to buy stuff we see at sales or bargain stores which we had thought we needed but it just ended up gathering cobwebs in a corner.
  

• Try using nonstick pans and silicone spatulas for cooking. Just use a soft sponge when washing the nonstick pans to avoid eroding the teflon coating, which is not good for the health.
  

• If you don't know how to cook (like me), you can get different microwavable containers to cook omelettes, hotdogs, rice, eggs and others.

Earn Additional Passive Income

"The richest people in the world build networks. Everyone else is trained to look for work."

- Rich Dad (The Business School
For People Who Like Helping People
by Robert Kiyosaki)

With all the living expenses increasing continually, a household cannot depend on a single source of income any longer. Lots of families are now looking into more ways wherein they can generate additional income. Some have resorted to the internet, setting up weblogs that generate income from ads or sponsored posts, and selling stuff online using Multiply or E-bay as tools. Others, on the other hand, have tried direct selling and network marketing.

A lot of people have apprehensions in joining direct selling and network marketing companies. First of these is the fear of selling. Unfortunately, many people perceive salesmen as conniving, sleazy, and one who will tell you anything just to make a sale. While some salesmen may have traits as such, not all are bad though. There are still plenty out there who genuinely want to share with you products and services that they believe will help you in one way or another. It is very disheartening that the bad, rotten apples taint the image of the good ones.

Thus, the idea of selling becomes mistakenly associated with fooling or deceiving people, hence, no one wants to do it. What one fails to realize is that every single one of us sells something everyday. Not only does selling involve products or services, selling can also include thoughts and ideas and even yourself. When you try to convince people, that is selling your idea. When you apply for a job, that is selling yourself. When a guy woos a girl or when a child whines and nags about a toy that he wants, they are also in a way, selling. Great speakers are also sellers as they sell their ideas and knowledge to the audience. As we try to ingest that selling is a part of our daily lives, hopefully we will look at selling in a new and positive light.

Another apprehension is the fear of being lured into a pyramid scheme company instead of a legitimate network marketing company. Lots of news over the years about pyramiding scams have instilled doubt in people whenever someone approaches them about networking, even if they are legitimate. Moreover, because of these negative news which have affected even the true network marketers, many misconceptions have formed in people's minds about how networking works and if you can really earn money from it.

Direct selling and network marketing companies, at least those that are true and legitimate (you can check your country's Securities and Exchange Commission if they are registered and your local Direct Selling Association or similar organizations if they are listed as valid companies), are very useful vehicles in generating additional income. If utilized properly, these businesses can be tools for you to earn passive income and gain you and your family the time and financial freedom you dream about and deserve.

Top EntreCard Droppers for August

I would just like to thank my top EntreCard droppers for the month of August. I see some very familiar widgets, which really warms the heart. I want to say that I appreciate the visits. Hope you guys come back for more.