Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas to all! May this holiday be filled with love and peace. I wish everyone to have a prosperous New Year, too! Hope you get what you wish for this Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Pa!

Today is my father's birthday! He is now officially 56 years old! I wonder how many gifts he received when he was younger. Did people give him a single present for his birthday and for Christmas? :P

Anyway, I wish my father a good health and more happiness in life. I don't have a gift yet (I am a lousy and tardy gift giver), but I'm thinking of giving him a perfume.

Good thing I'm on break until January 5th, I will have the time to go to Secaucus to buy some stuff!

First Major Snow Storm of the Season in JC

Today is the first major snow storm of the winter season here in Jersey City. It caused closings and early dismissals on several schools across New Jersey. Although the word "snow" is usually associated with the word "pretty", THIS snow fall is nothing close to beautiful.

Later in the day, the snow fall turned into rainfall, which was good because it melted some of the accumulations on the ground. It also made the ground "slushy" - mix of snow and water. I didn't like it; as a matter of fact I compare it to "mud".

Hopefully, we have a good weather on Christmas Day.

My New Digital Camera: Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd 10MP

This is my new digital camera: Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd 10 MP (3x Optical zoom). I research a lot of camera, but I decided to go with Fuji. Basically, I was looking for a point and shoot (P&S) camera that:

• Performs well in low-lit indoor activities
• has fast shutter speed
• takes clear night time pictures
• takes high quality outdoor pictures
• is small, not bulky
• is capable of taking videos

Well, Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd does that and more.

- Low-Light Environment - Do not be afraid to take pictures if the room is poorly-lit. Fuji can use room lighting and still takes sharp photos.

- Shutter Speed - Shutter lag is the Achilles' heel of P&S camera. Fuji in my opinion is the best camera that has a minimal shutter lag (delay of taking pictures when button is pressed). However, the delay increases for low-lit environment, which is true in all P&S digital camera.

- Night Time Pictures - Fuji captures natural color of objects in the night time setting. The scenery is still sharp, and colors are vivid.

- Small and Stylish - Fuji comes in different colors, mine is black/gray. It is small -- smaller than a cellphone (Blackberry 9210), only wider and thicker by a hair. The lens doesn't not come out when you turn it on (you slide the cover to turn on) or when you zoom. It is a huge advantage as it eliminates bulkiness.

- Video Capabilities - Fuji can take videos as well. It has a different button, so you do not have to go to menu or turn other wheels. MPEG 4 format, and it offers two frame sizes.

OTHERS

- Intelligent Face Detection - One command can detect if the subject has a face. Very cool to avoid red-eye reduction and blurriness of the face.

- Tons of Pre-set Modes - There's AUTO (default), Beach, Sports, Auction, Beach, Night time, Museum to name a few. Of course, there's also the Manual if you want to configure your own setting.

- BATTERY and Memory Cards - Product comes with battery and charger. Battery life is okay, it charges 2-3 hours if your battery is fully exhausted. The camera is compatible with xd, sd/sdhc cards.


OVERALL

Overall, I am very happy with this purchase. It's easy to use and manipulate. The menu and settings are very easy to follow. Although manual setting is available, I am not using it all because of the fantastic pre-set options. I would recommend this camera if you are a kind of person who likes to carry a camera with you when you go out. It's very slim and small, and you do not have to wait if you turn it on. you'll definitely capture the moment the way you want it.

Our Champion: Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao - I can't pick words to describe his amazing fight last night. It was simply incredible. it was a display of talent, skill, and improvement, as he beat the taller Oscar Dela Hoya in a match up that many proclaim the "Dream Match".

It was more of a nightmare for Oscar Dela Hoya.

Oscar was given the edge by almost all the boxing experts. They said Oscar is well-experience, intelligent and calculated fighter, taller, bigger, and stronger. They gave Manny no chance.

But once again, in the end, it was Manny who's left standing on the canvass, raising his hands in red gloves - tearful and victorious. Symbol of Philippines hope.

Congratulations, Manny! We are very proud of you!

Lakers Absorb 2nd Loss

The Lakers and the Pacers. At first glance, it's laughable to think that this is going to be a game. It should be a blowout by the mighty Lakers.

But no. They lost, and it hurt. A body boxing out could've won them the game.

The Lakers were trailing by 1, 115-116 when Kobe took over. He hit a jumper, putting his team ahead 117-116 with less than a minute to go. But their defense on the last Pacers possession was embarrassing: they allowed Danny Granger to slash to the basket making the Lakers collapse on him. It allowed Troy Murphy to get the rebound when Granger missed the layup, and Murphy was lucky to tip the ball in as the buzzer sounded.

There was no passion for the Lakers in this game. They were over-confident, and had no sense of urgency. They were out-hustled and out-rebounded - which should not happen as they have two 7-footers and another tall one in Lamar Odom.

Result? A humiliating loss to a weaker team. The Lakers beat themselves.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

This is the time of the year when we have to be thankful for for everything that we have. The priest from yesterday's mass said that we will never know how thankful we are of one thing until it is gone.

So treasure everything that you have.

We celebrate Thanksgiving by cooking huge meals for everyone in the house. The most prominent are turkey and ham. However, I'm not really a big fan of turkey. Are you?

Anyway, enjoy the holidays! There are no school today and tomorrow, and I think most companies are closed as well.

Happy Thanksgiving again!

Jersey City Weather

If you want to know the current weather for your town, you go to weather.com and enter your zip code. But what if you want to know the weather from 10 days ago? Last month? Or even from 2 months ago? I am not sure that weather.com offers this kind of service.

Luckily, there are some blogs in Jersey City that document weather forecast and situations. One is Jersey City Register. JCRegister however doesn't do it daily, as its niche is about information, events, current news in JC.

Jersey City Weather blog however, tracks weather condition on a daily basis. How do I know? Because that blog is mine. :P I will try to chronicle Jersey City weather, temperature, and conditions everyday, on a consistent basis.

Give it a look, as I also post snapshots of skies and people to give readers a glimpse of Jersey City. ;)

Is it Okay to Blog About Work

Blogging about work? Well, it depends on your personality.

Do you like to piss and moan about anything? Do you think blogging as a personal space where you think you can say and do whatever you want? Do you like friends at work to read your blog?

If all answers yield to a big YES, then think a hundred times before you blog about your stressful work.

And here's why:

• Your boss might misinterpret what you write. S/He might think that your priority is blogging. You don't want him/her to think that you use some of your work hours for posting in your blog.
  
• Blogging as evidence. If you like to piss or moan (read: bitch) about everything about your job, BE EXTREMELY mindful! Your post can be printed out and maybe a ground for termination. Once printed, you can't take back (or edit) what you posted.
  
• Future job applications. You and your basic info are posted in your blogs, so if you write something bitchy about your previous (or current) work, chances are, potential employer might read it during the background checks. Landing a job won't be easy.

However, if you think blogging is like keeping a personal diary and would like to keep it to yourself, then I think it is safe to blog about work. You might to consider masquerading your info, as you don't want your boss or future employer to be able to track you down.

Barack Obama - the Next US President

Democrat Barack Obama IS the next US President! After the historic November 4, 2008 election, the senator becomes the first African-American president, beating the republican senator John McCain.

Congratulations to Barack Obama and his supporters! I am watching the news right now, and millions of people are truly happy and overwhelmed with the outcome of the epic election.

Tomorrow will be different.

Shopping at SHOP.com

Have you ever tried shopping online? If you are like me -- internet-savvy and want to do everything on the computer -- then you probably have tried buying something on the internet.

Try Shop.com. It's a one-stop website where you can browse and select many products of your choice. The site has wide array of items from various stores. You can also select different categories, if you are planning on buying gifts. As a tech person, I like what they offer under the ELECTRONICS section -- almost everything, from home entertainment to gaming to computers!

Right now, they offer coupon, rebates and other deals to help you save dollars. Several stores participate in this kind of offer (257 as of writing!) so take advantage! I believe this is a good deal especially now that the economy is faltering.

What do you think? Is it a DEAL or NO DEAL? :P

Fall Back One Hour

Just a very short post to remind any visitor of this blog: Daylight Saving Time (DST) will end Sunday, November 2, 2008 at 2AM.

So what does it mean?

Well, one thing is sure: we gain one extra hour of sleep!

So make sure you reset your clock by adjusting it one hour less. Do it as early as 9PM today so you do not get confused when you wake up tomorrow. Also, for those who are going to mass tomorrow, church will open late or early -- whichever way you look at it. :P

Enjoy your extra hour of sleep tonight!

Happy Halloween!

Below is an appropriate video for this day! A man sang his own version of Thriller and recorded it! What's amazing about it was the hardwork involved: 1 man, 64 video tracks, 2 and a half months = Thriller Acapella!



Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!

Lakers Win Their First Back-To-Back Games!

One word to describe this Laker Team: badass!

Last October 28 was the their first game against a young and up and coming Portland Trail Blazers. There was so much hype before this game because it is the "debut" game of a young 1st round draft pick Greg Oden, who was matched-up against the Lakers' Andrew Bynum.

The match-up was a disappointment. Anyway, the Lakers were great defensively. They employed a different version of zone where players switch when necessary. Result: Total domination, as they beat the Blazers, 96-76. Kobe once again, piloted his team to a convincing win.

The night after, they faced the Clippers on the "road", which is also at the Staples. At first, the Clips were able to stay with the Lakers, but the Lakers proved to be to deep. Seven players scored in double-digit! Result: 38-point win for the Lakers.

In both occasions, Lakers opponents were held under 80 points. And Bynum was quoted that he wants to break the record for the longest streak of holding opponents under 8 (Record is 6, by the Detroit 2004)

Am I impressed with this Lakers? Of course I am. But I am also having reservations until they face tough teams like the Spurs, Celtics, and the Hornets.

Happy Columbus Day!

Happy Columbus Day! Many state and local government are closed today. Some public schools are closed and some Catholic schools have the option to close. Post offices are closed, so don't wait for the mailman to deliver your mail! :P

As a teacher, I am enjoying this free day! It means rest, rest, rest before indulging again to the world of teaching and kids -- which is both happy and stressful.

This day-off also allows professionals like me to do errands like laundry, keeping the house (or room) tidy, and other house chores. I might do the laundry later, as I am running out of pants for work.

Here in Journal Square, JC, it seems peaceful and quiet. Metered parking must be full, as JC Parking Authority is closed as well. Meaning, it's free to park anywhere allowed!

What about you? How are you spending this holiday? Are you going out to buy something?

Speaking of which, there might be sale or discount in the stores today. I might drop by to peek, will buy if I see something interesting. Other than that, I'm just spending the day resting, running errands, and preparing for work this week.

Before I end this, I wish you all a Happy Columbus Day! Hope you are having a great time!

Till next post...

NBA Pre-Season Begins

The NBA Pre-Season begins. The first televised game I am watching right now is the game between my favorite team Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz.

What makes this exciting is the return of Andrew Bynum from a knee injury that kept him of most the season last year. Reports say that he's 100% and feeling good ready to display his summer hard-work.

Of course, I am excited to see my favorite player Kobe Bryant. But this being a preseason game, I am not expecting him to play extended minutes.

Another interesting thing about this is the chemistry among the three big names of the Lakers: Kobe, Gasol, and Bynum. How easy will they jel? How fast will they adjust with each others game?

I can't tell right now, despite them playing good first quarter (although they've had numerous turnovers! That's what you get in the first game of the preseason).

Go Lakers!

[UPDATE]

The Lakers just lost, but it's okay. It's only a preseason game.

Cinnamon Sticks and Cooking

Do you have cooking problems with smelly food like fish? Ever wonder how to get rid of the stink when frying food?

There are certainly lots of ways to make cooking "nose-friendly", and one of them is the STICK CINNAMON. It is easy and cheap. You can buy these sticks from your nearest retail store like 99c. Each bottle has an average of 10-12 sticks.

A stick looks like a thin cigarette sticks and measures approximately 2.5 inches.

Beware when you go to store, they're also selling Ground Cinnamon, and those of course are different.

THE STEPS:

1. Pre-heat 4 cups of water in a small pot before you cook (or fry) the fish.
2. Put two cinnamon sticks (or three, it's up to you)
3. Start Cooking! :)

Simple right? The aroma of cinnamon will neutralize the bad odor. You can leave the cinnamon and simmer it for few more minutes to enjoy its sweet smell.

On Posting Frequency

This is a common question for new bloggers: How often do I need to post? Are lots of content necessary to make money online?

Again, it depends. What kind of blog are you running?

If you are running a niche blog, you do not have to post on a regular basis. In fact, I know a few bloggers who post five (5) topics but they are still making huge amount of money off their blogs. For a niche site, there are techniques necessary in order for the search engine to index your site. Your post should target specific keywords and you must concentrate on those. Also, bloggers who run niche site focus on establishing backlinks. Reason why they rank so high on google and other search engines.

However, if you are running a general blog like this, and planning to write Paid Reviews in the near future, I suggest you should have a posting frequency. You have to keep your site updated.

Set a number of post per week. Twice a week with not a long interval in between will work. Before you get accepted by Paid Review Company such as PayPerPost (PPP), you should be able to meet the minimum number of entries. In PPP, you should have at least 20 posts before you get approved.

Also, Paid Reviews do not like bloggers writing consecutive sponsored posts. Meaning, if you write a sponsored review now, your next entry should be an original post.

So having known this, have you set your posting frequency already? Are you committed to post at least 8 times a month, probably more if you are planning on writing paid reviews?

No Google AdSense On This Site

If you happen to land on this blog, you might ask: a blogger not running Google Adsense, how come? If you are a long time internet lurker, it's probably a common knowledge to you that almost all bloggers run Adsense as their one major stream of income online.

Well, I'm not one of them.

To be able to generate money by blogging using Adsense, you have to know exactly what you are doing.

It's hard to make money off of Adsense. You probably have tried it, and witnessed the famous .01c per click. It's disappointing, because you've heard bloggers like reaping money with Adsense.

So you ask: Why only .01 cent?

Because Adsense does not perform well on a personal or generic blogs (such as this). Adsense can be maximized on a niche blog.

A niche blog is a site that runs on a specific subject or topic only. For example: A blog about Injury Lawyers in New York will not post something about TV.

Therefore, in order for your Adsense to succeed, you must have a site that offers something a visitor is looking for. You should have a way out. And that way is the Adsense advertisement.

Think about it, if you have a general blog that has various subjects, Adsense will be confused as to which Ads are going to be shown. As a result, the rate of ads will be very low. If that happens to you, it means you are getting smart-priced.

If you got smart-priced, the rates will affect all your sites that run Adsense -- whether it is niche or general. To solve this, immediately turn off Adsense in all your sites, wait a few days (one week is better), and put back Adsense only on your niche sites.

I am running AdSense on my other sites, and the rate of click is reasonable. Putting Adsense here will just destroy it.

Flickr Pro: Good Deal?

Flickr is an excellent online picture storage. It is free and it allows you to organize your photos in an efficient manner. However, being a free online tool, it has a major disadvantage: LIMITATIONS. You can only upload picture up to a certain file size limit.

Which I hated, because I love flickr.

Fortunately, there's an option to upgrade to PRO service. Which means your photostream (or simply photos) can be unlimited! Of course there's a fee of $24.95 for a year.

Is it good?

Well, you have to consider your usage. Do you upload pictures almost everyday? Is taking photos part of your job? Is it a hobby? Do you want your pics available to all your friends online? Do you want to know photographers who use the same camera as yours?

If your answer is a staggering YES, then go for it! It will make your life easier!

Think of it this way: are you willing to shell out $2 a month to improve your digital photography storage? I think it is not a bad deal. What is $2, right? I signed up for a PRO and I never regretted it.

Flickr PRO took a huge burden out of my back and now, I never worry about making photo albums for my sites. Flickr does the work for me.

Should You Submit Your Post to Reddit?

One important aspect to make money online is the traffic -- which means the number of visitors that go to your site. It is also known as "hits."

Heavy traffic means potential loads of money. If you are running sponsored ads, pageviews definitely go up if you have higher traffic.

So where do you go to increase your traffic? How are you going to do it?

One way of increasing traffic is to submit your post to reddit. Reddit is a site where you can post a link of an interesting news and stories, and other members vote if they like (upmod) it or not (downmod). Either way, you increase traffic and hits as people click on the link and look at your site.

But beware. Redditors are not fond of members submitting their own blog, and you can be accused of spamming. Worst, you can be reported and search engines might flag your site as a spam.

Having said that, do you think it is worth submitting your entries to Reddit?

Personally, I wouldn't do it. Reddit is addicting. The submissions range from political to funny ones and it is easy to forget more important things. Do not waste your time trying to convince people that your entries are good and worth their time. Establish more backlinks.

If you want more readers, then write good content and consider social blogging. People will come to your site on a regular basis the natural way.

On reddit, people are expecting "news" not "personal" experiences. You might be able to sneak in one or two posts, but I consider it a one-shot deal. Start thinking long-terms for a successful blog.

Do You Tip Your Barber?

There are several barbers or parlors here in Journal Square, that's why when I want to get a haircut, I know where to go.

The question is: Do you tip your barber?

I think you should, even if you don't like the haircut. In my opinion, the barbers are expecting it also.

Last night, I told my barber Mohmed to cut my hair "real short." Worried that he might not be able to picture what I wanted, I kept explaining him the cut I was expecting. Mohmed nodded before I even finished my sentences, gesturing he knew what to do and I shouldn't worry.

So he continued his work. He was courteous, asking me if the length of my hair was still long before cutting it again. Other barbers are timid.

Anyway, hair cut costs $13 in Hollywood Salon. Kind of expensive compared to other stylists in the area. But I liked the cut. When I gave $20, Mohmed went to his cash box looking for change. I told him to just give me $5, leaving the $2 as a tip for him.

Is it too low? Do you tip your barber or stylist? If so, how much?

Is Social Networking Beneficial to Blogging?

What is Social Networking? Simply put, it is a human interaction through the use of technology (blogging). People with same interest group together and talk about things and exchanging blogsites. Is it beneficial?

The answer is in your objective in blogging.

Ask yourself.


Why do you blog? To gain friends? To be famous? Is it just a past-time for you? A place to rant?

Or do you blog with the intention of financial gain? Do you want to make money off your blog?

If you happen to answer YES in the first set of questions, then social networking is for you. Social networking is simply making friends. Blog-hopping, visiting other sites, surfing more to get blogging ideas, commenting, so on so forth. Majority of your time is spent being "social". Sure you can make money, but only minimally.

If your MAIN intention for blogging is to make money, then set your priorities. Lurk less, establish your site(s). Get backlinks (your sites that link to your blog) as much as you can. That's how you rank high on search engines. More backlinks, higher ranking.

To answer the topic question, social networking is only beneficial if you are blogging to make friends. If you blogging to make money, social networking is the least of your concern.

First Adsense Check

I finally received my first Adsense check from Google. My adsense click hit the $100 mark so it means Google has to pay me.

I know a lot of bloggers use Adsense in their blogs, but I am also aware that the rate of clicks is not that high. Like I said before, use Adsense in a niche blog not in general ones like this. Adsense click rate is high if readers came from search engine.

Below you will see my check as an evidence. Had to blur out sensitive info.



So, how long did it take me to get $100? You want straight honest answer? Nine (9) months. Like having a baby. :P

What about you? Have you gotten your Adsense check already? Still waiting?

Team USA Gets the Gold!

After a disappointing stint in the 2004 Olympics, where TEAM USA finished with Bronze Medal, the 2008 Team USA got its revenge finishing top once again.

Tagged as "The Redeem Team", Team USA was expected to get the elusive GOLD this year. Composed of superstars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade, USA was the heavy favorite even before the Olympics began.

The presence of Kobe Bryant was obviously one the biggest factors in achieving the gold. In my opinion, his late heroics during the final quarter of the last game sealed the win for the USA.

Is Google PageRank Necessary?

Most bloggers are so obsessed with Google PageRank and they end up b*tching about it when they found out their blog rank is a big fat zero.

What is a Google PageRank?

A Page Rank (3) is a rank given by Google. The higher the number, the higher the rank -- which is always better. A site gets higher ranking if it establishes a good number of backlinks -- or sites that link out to the blog. Therefore, it makes the blog appear an authority of its niche.

Do You Need it To Earn Money Online?

In a way, YES. If you are planning on writing PAID Reviews, you might be in for a surprise. Some advertisers require you to have at least a PR 2. If you have at least a PR3, you can write for advertisers that offer $20 per post! If you don't have a PR yet, you may still be able to find advertiser who do not require ranking. However, do not expect a huge payment (at least $5).

How Do You Get a Ranking?

Google likes site that have original content. Google also likes sites that have several backlinks. Therefore, in order to get a good ranking, write quality contents and establish backlinks early on.

When Does Google Give PageRank?

Google crawls and updates PageRank every 3 months. If Google doesn't delay, it will update again sometime next month. Being a new site, I do not expect my blog to get a ranking yet.

What about you, do you have a PageRank already?

Happy Birthday To Me

Just a quick post to tell you that today marks my 32nd birthday. My age is finally not in the calendar!

It's hard to believe, as I still remember what my childhood years felt like. It seems like only yesterday.

Common question for people who reach the early 30's: Am I already old?

It is followed by: What have I done in my life? Do I contribute to society? Am I successful?

These are the questions that are hard to answer. Because they bother us. When I reach that point, I just ask myself: Did I do my best?

If my answer is YES, I am fine with that.

So HAPPY Birthday to me!

Vacationing in Macau

I'm having a GREAT time here in Macau with my girlfriend and her family. The view above is Macau from the famous Macau Tower.

People describe Macau as China's little Italy. Macau is an island surrounded by China Sea. The city is also rich in history. However, people living here do not speak much English, reason why business transaction can be frustrating at times.

Other than that, Macau is a busy and a good vacation place -- there are different awesome landmarks and tourist spots. But I think one of the selling points of Macau is the casino. Left and right, casinos are within reach: Grand Lisboa, The Venetian, to name a few.

I'd love to go back to Macau, but I don't have much money to begin with! :P

Does AutoCool Cool Your Car Down?

The honest answer is a big NO.

In the commercial, they showed that if you park your car under the sun, chances are when you get inside it, it feels you are sitting in a 100 degrees oven. The commercial even shows an egg getting cooked on the dashboard.

With AutoCool, you won’t have to worry about the heat anymore. Just slide it on one of your windows and voila the fan will spin letting cool breeze in and hot air out. For a small amount of approximately $20, you have a portable car aircon.

I’m going straight to the point here: The item doesn’t live to the expectation.

1. The fan spins only when it is under direct sunlight.

2. The fan spins not hard enough. It won’t even move a paper.

3. The case is fragile. Mishandling will break it apart.

The item is a good “thesis” idea for a college student. And the end product is a combination of pile of select plastic junk encasing an electrical wiring attached to a small fan with the hope that it would cool something as big as a car.

It wouldn’t. I used it in my car parked it under the sun. I checked it after couple of hours, I couldn’t feel any difference. I can cook a bacon inside my car. I’m almost positive that AutoCool will melt if left under the sun unattended.

So my suggestion to keep your car cool is to block the sun by putting shades in your windshield. Leaving the front windows a little bit open will somehow let the hot air out.

Keep your $20. Buy something to eat or watch a movie instead.

The First Thing To Do With Your Blog

So you have successfully setup a blog. Now what? What the first thing that you need to do aside from writing that "First Post" topic, which is almost equivalent to "Hello, World!" program of a beginner?

There's one thing that's been overlooked by many.

You need to install your stats analytics as soon as possible.

So if you are reading this, why don't you setup your Google Analytics account? If you already have a google account (like gmail), you don't have to do setup analytics. All you need to do is to access it, by clicking here.

Why do you need to do this?

Well, later on, you will want to keep track of your traffic. Is it improving? Is it steady? What are my major source of hits?

So if you will do it anyway, why don't you set it up as soon as you can? If you don't, I'm telling you, you will regret not installing it sooner: "how I wish I knew my stats since the very first day!"

HOW TO DO IT:

1. If you don't have a google account, make one now.
   
2. Access your favorite Stats Analytics tool (SiteMeter, Google Analytics, etc)
3. Add your site to get a tracking code
4. Copy the tracking code
5. for wordpress user, open your footer file (usually footer.php) then go to step 8.
   
6. for Blogger user, go to Dashboard > Layout then click Add Gadget from the footer
7. from the popup window choose " " then paste/insert the tracking code then save the changes. Skip to step 10.
   
8. Paste the tracking code before the "< / body>" (without the quotes and spaces) tag. Save your footer file.
9. Upload the changes to your server.
10. You're done.

The steps above sounds harder than it actually is. It's pretty straight-forward, nothing to be scared of. ;) Good luck!

Community Blog or Personal Blog?

Blogging can be tiresome, I won't deny that. If you have tons of idea to write about, sometimes you get excited and at the same time get confused where to write it.

Is it a personal experience? Does it involve my community or neighborhood?

Or is it both?

In a personal blog, you can write about anything. Just be careful though, as I have read many things about some people getting fired because they blog about their work. But other than that, it's safe to say that your own personal blog is your kingdom. You can do (or so say) as you please. Keep in mind, though, that if you plan to be popular via personal blog, you do not get any help if you are not creative. I must say that the success (or fame) curve for a personal blog is very steep. Monetization is hard -- bloggers who own this type of blog -- usually write paid reviews to support their sites.

On the other hand, a community blog has a strong likelihood that it will grow into an active site where everyone in your neighborhood is involved. Because you write about your community, others will be able to relate and they will be able to contribute either by writing comments or submitting a topic. If you are creative, you may be able to gain success via old school marketing (asking local businesses to advertise) since the traffic will be steady. You may use Adsense if you wish, as there maybe people coming from search engines. One example of this type is Jersey City Information where the blog talks about Jersey City. As a result, I got inspired and made my own "aspiring" community site -- Journal Square, a district in Jersey City. In this blog, I try to talk about all the happenings in Journal Square.

In my country of origin, my friends made a community site (Pandacan, Manila) that slowly but surely is gaining popularity.

So, which do you prefer?

I suggest you try both, and size up which one is best suited for you. Either way, you won't lose time if you enjoy blogging. ;)

The Legend of The Fourth Finger

Ever wonder why the wedding ring is worn on the fourth finger? (The finger between the pinkie and the middle). An email has been forwarded to me, and I thought it's fun sharing it (although I feel that it is old).

Why should the wedding ring be worn on the fourth finger?
There is a beautiful and convincing explanation given by the Chinese…..

Thumb represents your Parents
Second (Index) finger represents your Siblings
Middle finger represents your-Self
Fourth (Ring) finger represents your Life Partner
& the Last (Little) finger represents your children.

Firstly, open your palms (face to face), bend the middle fingers and hold them together - back to back.

Secondly, open and hold the remaining three fingers and the thumb - tip to tip
(As shown in the figure below):

Now, try to separate your thumbs (representing the parents)…, they will open, because your parents are not destined to live with you lifelong, and have to leave you sooner or later.
Please join your thumbs as before and separate your Index fingers (representing siblings)…., they will also open, because your brothers and sisters will have their own families and will have to lead their own separate lives.

Now join the Index fingers and separate your Little fingers (representing your children)…., they will open too, because the children also will get married and settle down on their own some day.

Finally, join your Little fingers, and try to separate your Ring fingers (representing your spouse).
You will be surprised to see that you just CANNOT….., because Husband & Wife have to remain together all their lives - through thick and thin!!

Please try this out………….
ISN’T THIS A LOVELY THEORY?

Movie: WANTED

Just saw this movie, and I must say it was entertaining. Award-winning? Nope. There are a lot of plot holes and of course, as an action movie, expect several out-of-this world scene.

Angelina Jolie plays a nice mysterious female lead. James McAvoy was awesome in his role. The two combine a perfect chemistry (not a lover chemistry, but a nice "partnership" if you know what I mean). Morgan Freeman's presence helps elevate this movie to a superhero-type of flick.

The actions are sick, and the bullet trajectory is unrealistic but it's fun to watch. Just don't see it on a crappy copy of DVD. Wide-screen or flat-screen will be a treat if you didn't see this on the cinema. ;)

Own Doman or Free Blogging Platform?

To continue with blogging, this is most common question every aspiring bloggers ask: should I get my own domain name or should i just use free blogging platform?

Here's my answer: Try Both.

A. Own Domain Name

Getting your own site is more expensive. It costs between $150-$200 from an average webhost for 2 years. Plus, you need to be a little technical savvy in order to maximize its full potential. One main advantage of this is having full control of your site and blog. You can experiment on various things and even setup multiple domain names (depends on your webhost).

Before you Ask yourself: Do you really need to have your own website? Are you committed to

B. FREE BLOGS

If you are ready to go, and do not want the hassle of tedious setup, then get a free blog. There are several sites that offer free service such as blogger (this site!), wordpress.com, livejournal, etc. Ask yourself before you use them: Are you blogging for money or simply for hobby?

Why is this important? Well, some free sites do not allow paid reviews. Wordpress.com won't let you make money. But Blogger does.

So, have you made a choice yet?

Disclosure Policy

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. The information contained here is the my opinion based on my personal observation. I will not be responsible for the use of information here. I may accept forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received will never influence the honest content, topics or posts made in this blog. I will not however post anything not relevant to my usual interest or anything I haven’t personally experienced. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as “tipped” post, “brought-to-you” entries.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest and this disclaimer may be amended whenever necessary without notice.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

First Post

Da Ruki is a Filipino Spelling of English words "The Rookie", which in my own term means beginner. In this personal blog, I will post anything that I learn for the first time. Topics are pretty much general, and posts vary subjects: It can be work-related, about technology, about life, tips -- anything.

Feel free to browse around and hope you enjoy reading this site.