3 Online Tools to Leverage Your Business Enterprise

In business, leverage is everything. In a marketplace that seems to be increasingly saturated with the same products and services, what point of differentiation can you have over your competitors?

If you are new to the business, you might want to focus on two things first: branding and efficiency. Effective branding can lead to effective marketing, giving you the customers you need. Efficiency ensures you save up on costs so you have more for improving and running your business. Below are three simple, but brilliant online tools that may help you with the leverage you need for your business:

 

1. PickyDomains.com

For a tiny fraction of what branding agencies would normally charge you – which can run up to hundreds of thousands of dollars – PickyDomains.com helps you utilize the power of crowdsourcing. At PickyDomains.com, if you find coming up with a catchy name or slogan for your enterprise a little too daunting, you can tap into the power of over 50,000 registered contributors to generate a pool of ideas that can skyrocket your visibility in the marketplace.

You simply need to register as a client and pay a small downpayment fee. The fee is $50 for names and domains and $75 for slogans. You will then need to submit a list of requirements that will be taken into consideration when coming up with possible names. PickyDomains can even work with bloggers for free. Two great guarantees that come with this service are the confidentiality and the money-back guarantee you get if you do not happen to like the service or any of the names suggested.

 

2. Bitrix24.com

Starting from scratch when designing a tool that manages both your office and your organization can be quite overwhelming, especially if it is your first time to run a company. With Bitrix24.com, you get a CRM and a corporate intranet all in one.

Bitrix24 combines features like free workforce management, free activity planner, free sales funnel, free real-time streaming, free file and document sharing, free social communications, free calendar, to name just a few. Best of all, it's free for companies with a maximum of 12 people. Not only that. Bitrix24 also has a mobile version, making this tool literally handy and accessible whenever and wherever you are. For an upgrade to unlimited number of users, you need to pay a mere $99 a month.

 

3. JetRadar.com

Searching for the best deals in airfare can now become much easier with JetRadar.com. A meta search engine, it lets you access information from 728 airline, flight and ticketing sites and even has a quick reference portion for flights that have been searched by customers with destination points which may be similar to yours. This can be an enormous help if you need to travel on a constant basis, setting up business locations or checking up on branches and franchisees. It helps keep you organized and frees up your time for other equally important matters.

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan : Married!

Last Friday may be the biggest day for Mark Zuckerberg's company Facebook, but in terms of his personal life, Mark's wedding to Priscilla Chan, her long-time girlfriend of over 9 years, maybe of most importance.

Mark, on Saturday, changed his Facebook relationship status to Married to Priscilla Chan. Guests thought they were attending a party to celebrate Priscilla's graduation from medical school at University of California. I can only imagine how shocked they all were when they found out they were to witness the wedding of Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan.

I've always admired how well-known celebrities like Zuck (yeah, we're on a nickname basis, y'know) can keep major moments in their lives, such as this wedding, from the public's eye.

Okay, okay. There might be some news sites who already have prior knowledge of this and were prepared for their all-exclusive feature before the whole web goes gaga over the news. There's NY Daily News, whose article I read first about the wedding of Mark and Priscilla. Anyway, I still smile at the thought that they can keep things like this private, just like Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z. :)

I'm happy for the couple. I don't think Priscilla will be asking for a bigger wedding ceremony following this. I think the very simple celebration at Zuckerberg's home in Palo Alto, California is VERY romantic. :)

(I wonder if he has huge bean bags there for when he's working at home. I bet his house will get a more lady's touch to it.)

Photo credits: Facebook screenshot, Wed couple from NY Daily News

A Solution for a Sunnier You

Are you having trouble sleeping because of the amount of tasks and responsibilities assigned to you at work and at home? Are you unusually forgetful, easily distracted and can't focus on one thing? If you answered yes to both questions, then, let me tell you this - you're not alone.

Last year, I started to take on, shall I say, more than I can handle. I'm currently in a position where I'm helping my nanay financially to support our whole family, taking care of all our monthly bills as she pays off her debt after sending my brother to culinary school. I currently have three (3) jobs (including my computer shop business) that I juggle along with my blogging and freelance writing and graphics design gigs. So, you can only imagine how stressful I get, and I feel like it took a toll on my ability to remember things better and it does affect my mood too.

Though I've been really forgetful, I believe I'm still in the first phase of fatigue. I'm not physically exhausted, but all the stress, I can feel from my neck up. This is why I make sure I have at least a day every week to keep my head off my responsibilities.

For most people who go through this phase, they resort to taking medications like Modafinil that can help fix some of these issues. Modafinil is an analeptic or a medication that is used as a stimulant to the central nervous system. This can boost your memory if you're sleep-deprived, and can also act as a treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and an antidepressant - just two of its off-label use.

If you're having trouble buying this medication from a drugstore, you can actually buy modafinil online. I swear by online shopping since I've been doing it for years now. It's convenient and you can do it at the comforts of your own home. You can buy refills and have them delivered to you. The Buy Modafinil Online shop even offers information for those who want to read up more about the medication before purchasing for themselves.

I LOVE PINTEREST!

Sorry, I had to post the title in all capitals. I just LOVE Pinterest! I’ve joined this social photo sharing website over a month ago and I can tell you, I’m HOOKED!

I’m a very visual person. I usually don’t like reading a block of text, even though I get too narrative or talkative when writing or blogging. Images or texts designed on a photo or even a plain background appeal more to me than reading regular text. And from the success of Pinterest, I say there are more visual people out there than we’re aware of.

I love how easy it is for you to connect with others who share the same liking for different things. I’ve got a shameless # of boards – 38! *LOL* Here’s a screenshot of my Pinterest page (click if you want to view it and follow me):

I tried to not follow too many people, but there are just plenty of interesting pinners out there! I follow mostly those who post yummy photos of food, cool designs, hilarious photos, and a li’l of fashion and beauty.

You can check photos I pinned here: http://pinterest.com/blankpixels/pins/

You’d see mostly food on there, but I also pin unique nail arts, my wish lists for our kitchen and home in general, accessories like titanium wedding bands, bags, shoes, and a ton more!

I also use Pinterest to promote my blog posts. It’s a quick way to get some traffic too. Make sure you add the Pin It bookmarklet on your browsers so it’ll be easier for you to pin anything you see online.

Leave your Pinterest links and I’ll check you out. :)

Steps to Take When Your E-mail is Hacked: A Checklist

Have you ever received a suspicious e-mail from someone you know? If so, there is a good chance their e-mail account was compromised. While you may think you are protected, this can happen to even the most cautious among us. If you end up the victim of e-mail hacking, there are actions you can take to ensure that your account is protected in the future. It is important to secure your account as soon as possible. So, before making any embarrassing phone calls to friends and family in an attempt to explain that you did not send those “natural male enhancement” e-mails, follow these important steps.

1. Create a new Password

If your house had been broken into, wouldn’t you immediately change your locks? Upon discovering that your e-mail account has been hacked, changing your password should be the very first thing you do. Depending on your e-mail provider, you can usually change your password by accessing your e-mail settings, selecting mail options and then choosing account details.

When coming up with a new password, make sure it is a strong password that’s unrelated to anything you’ve previously used. Most computer experts will tell you that a strong password is one that has at least eight characters and contains a mixture of lower- and upper-case letters and numbers.

2. Check Your E-mail Settings

Hackers often change the settings on your e-mail account so that a copy of each e-mail you receive is forwarded to them as well. This allows them to track future e-mails, hoping for one that contains login info for other websites. Make sure that no unfamiliar e-mail addresses have been added to your account, especially to your mail-forwarding settings. It’s also important to check your e-mail signature to ensure that the hacker didn’t include any spam.

3. Check Your Back-up E-mail Address

Back-up, or recovery, e-mail addresses are those used when it is necessary to reset or recover a password. If you only have one e-mail account, you should open a second – preferably using the same host – for this purpose. Unfortunately, the hacker may have changed the settings or password for your recovery account as well. Even if the hacker didn’t access this account, it’s still wise to change your password, just in case.

4. Change Your Password Hints

This step is one that people may forget. Hints are often used to provide you with clues in case you’ve forgotten your password or it needs to be reset. If the hacker somehow found the answers to your hints, there is a chance they can still access your account. While this is unlikely, it should not be ruled out. You can typically change your password recovery information by accessing your mail settings/options, selecting your account details and then changing your password recovery settings.

5. Make Sure Nothing Else Was Hacked

This may be basic information for those who went to security professional colleges, but the rest of us tend to be lazy about storing passwords and login information for other sites carefully. Often, if you’ve forgotten your login for a particular site, you can request that your user name and password be sent to your e-mail address. Search through previous e-mails for any such information, as these sites could also have been compromised. Change the login information for these sites immediately. If your credit card and bank account are among the sites possibly compromised, be sure to check future statements for any unauthorized transactions.

6. Create a new Password for any Connected Accounts

Assuming the worst is usually a good idea in situations like this. In this case, you should assume that any sites where you used your e-mail address to register have been compromised as well. This means that you need to visit each of these sites in order to change both your login password and hint. Another option is to create a new e-mail account that you use only for important sites. You should also change the password and hint for your banking website and for any social networking sites to which you belong.

7. Run a Malware Scan

If you don’t already have a malware program on your computer, now is the time to download one. Malwarebytes is an excellent and free malware program you should consider using. Even if you already have a malware program, it’s a good idea to install another. Quite often, one malware program will pick up problems that another may have missed.

Run a full malware scan on your computer and fix any problems it finds. If the scan detects anything, you should return to step one. If malware was present on your computer when you first changed your password, changing it a second time after the threat has been removed should ensure your account’s safety.

8. Don’t Let it Happen Again

While it’s easier to remember a short, quick password, this is also what makes it easy for hackers to hijack your account. You should consider creating unique passwords for every site to which you belong. If this is too much trouble, at least create unique passwords for both your e-mail and bank accounts. Equally important is to make sure you choose strong passwords.

Remember to take extra care on public computers. Do not access confidential information on a public machine. These computers make it easy for hackers to steal your information through key-logging software.

Promotional Items for Inexpensive Advertising

When I attend parties or events, one thing I always look forward to receiving is some kind of souvenir or something to remember the occasion by. I even had a collection of pens, mugs, shirts, etc., and I kept them all in boxes when we were still living in Navotas.
This love of collecting memorabilia has continued on now that I’ve started joining blogger events. And my favorites are these promotional key chains. Yes, I love key chains! I’ve got a whole bunch of them and these 2 are the ones I use now.

If you ask me, giving away souvenirs like these, engraved with your company’s logo or new product’s name is a pretty inexpensive marketing strategy. The name recall and the subtle advertising do pay off, especially if you decide on a promo item that’s made to last.
I’ve actually used this promotional strategy when I gave away goodies to my customers back in November and December last year. I printed out promotional gift tags and cards with my business’ name on it. And after those giveaways, I observed that there were more customers coming in. Here’s a photo of the gift tags I printed for my Halloween giveaway:

And when you talk about promotional items, you can never forget about Branders.com. I’ve read about them online and they’re the world’s largest online seller of promotional items, perfect for those companies who are looking for a simple yet effective way to market their company and/or their products.
When you join their site, you get to choose from over 5,000 promotional items like mugs, pens, eco-bags, shirts, key tags/chains etc. And they also offer competitively low prices.
Once you’ve selected a promo item, just add your logo and preview the outcome using their patented Design Studio technology. And once you’re done with that, you can get a price quote that’ll be locked for 30 days.
Oh, by the way, right now (as of June 15th), when you sign up, you can get a sample for free! What a treat!
I chose this black mug and used their Design Studio to add Certified Foodies’ logo. Nice, eh?

Branders.com’s site is also very user-friendly so, in a jiffy, you can come up with your promo/souvenir item mock-ups for your proposals to your boss. Go check out their site for your promotional items needs! :)

Teleserv for Faster Government / Citizen Services

Another one of my uber delayed posts. Been quite busy lately, both offline and online. I’m trying to catch up on topics I wanted to write about so bear with me, please? :)

On May 4th, Pilipinas Teleserv Inc., the company behind Citizen Services and has been around for 11 years (can you believe that?!), hosted a movie screening for bloggers - Teleserv Night-out at the Cinema Bloggers Edition 2011. It sure was a very informative and fun night as a huge wave of bloggers attended and were educated about what Citizen Services has to offer.

I honestly haven’t tried Citizen Services myself, but have recommended the site to friends in the past. It was also funny to hear my bro Kenneth telling me that they should’ve used their online services instead of falling in line at the DFA just to schedule an appointment when he and nanay were renewing their passports. I didn’t know they were planning on doing that so I didn’t get a chance to inform them that they can do it online.

I’ll be renewing mine in a couple of weeks and so I’m pretty happy to know I can rely on Citizen Services to process or schedule an appointment for me to have my passport renewed. No more hassle of going to DFA just to go back another day for the actual processing of my request.

Let me share with you how Citizen Services is making government services easy and accessible for us Pinoys…

 

NSO Birth Certificate Delivery

Whether you’re completing requirements for employment, school or even a bank loan, you can easily get hold of a copy of your birth certificate from the NSO through a simple phone call or online chat.

All you have to do is call (02)737-1111 OR visit www.birthcertificates.com.ph to process your request. They offer nationwide door-to-door delivery of, not just birth certificates, but also marriage certificates, death certificates and certificates of no marriage (CENOMAR).

This service is open 24/7, even on Sundays or holidays!

 

 

DFA Passport Appointment System

With the new ePassport system, we now need to set an appointment for the renewal of our passports at the DFA.

Citizen Services helps us with this by scheduling an appointment for us. With the information they gather through the request (online or over the phone), applicants are pre-processed, therefore, eliminating the need for us to stand in line when we go through the old walk-in system.

To schedule an appointment, you can call (02)737-1000 or go to www.passport.com.ph.

 

 

POEA Balik Manggagawa OEC Delivery

I’ve heard horror stories from a couple of my friends, all of them already working abroad and went here for a vacation, about how much hassle they go through when applying for their OEC or Overseas Employment Certificate.

Now, they don’t have to worry about going back and forth to the POEA ‘cause they can do it online and have it delivered to their doorstep.

To apply for OEC at the comforts of your home, you can either call (02)737-7777 or go to oecdelivery.com.ph.

 

Payment Options

Below are multiple payment options for you to choose from to complete your Citizen Services transactions:

• NSO Birth Certificates Payment Options:
  • Over-the-Counter:
    • Metrobank branches
    • Bayad Center outlets
  • Through ATM:
    • Bancnet ATMs
  • Credit Card Payment:
    • Visa
    • Mastercard
    • JCB
    • American Express
• POEA Balik Manggagawa OEC Delivery Payment Options:
  • Go to the nearest Aboitiz or 2GO branch to submit your form and payment.
• DFA Appointment System:
  • This service is FOR FREE.

Unique, Funny T-Shirts

Do you have a knack for graphics design and you think your works would look good on a shirt? Or do you maybe just want to test the waters to see if there are people out there who'd appreciate your design and see it the way you do? Well, you better check out TshirtPulse.

I've always wanted to pursue graphics design and I'm even planning on putting up my own online business where I sell my own works. I've got a couple of my sketches and ideas kept in my secret notepad 'cause I'm not sure if people would get my design concept.

So, when I saw TShirtPulse.com, I was really intrigued. As a graphics designer, what I found interesting is how the whole website works for me if I'd want to submit my own works. There are a lot of graphics designer who are already members of the site. They hold design competitions and whoever wins gets to have their design printed on shirts that will be sold on the website. The process goes like this - first, your design would go through a review and approval process. Once that's done, it'll be posted on TShirtPulse.com and members can start voting.

The winners will get an automatic $300.00! That's a lot of money, right? Well, that's not all! Once your design wins, it'll be printed by TShirtPulse and the shirts will be sold on their website. There are additional incentives like if you sell a total of 1,000 shirts, you get an additional $500. If you reach 3,000 sales, you get $1,000! That's a lot of money! And they pay through Paypal!

So, if you're still a beginner graphics design artist and you'd love to earn money without the hassles of taking care of all the machinery and tools you'd need to start your own t-shirt business, then, might as well join TShirtPulse.com.

By the way, if you're interested in joining and submitting your work on TShirtPulse, make sure everything you use are your original work. They don't allow the use of cliparts, stock art / photos or tracing of images.

By the way, I was checking out the latest designs on TShirtPulse. I'm a t-shirt gal and I love wearing unique and cool t-shirt designs. So, these really caught my eye.

For all Facebook addicts who are obsessed with the # of their friends
- the "I'm not your friend anymore" shirt.

 I love the abstract design on this shirt. Simple, but really interesting.

TShirtPulse is a fairly new website, but it's really worth checking out, especially if you are into graphics design. Let me know if you've submitted your work and I'll check it out! :)

Photo credits: TShirtPulse

Top Web Hosting Companies

One of the things I love about the internet and online shopping is the convenience it gives us. Now, when you want to buy something online or even offline, you can check out other people's reviews on the products or services to help you decide if you should continue with the purchase or not.

Just like the other week, a friend of mine was asking me to help her setup a website for her online shop. Not a blog, but an actual website. So, I went scouring the web and stumbled upon this web hosting reviews site where you can compare the 10 best web hosting companies to-date.

Out of all the top 10 web hosting companies listed as of January 30th (yes, they update the list regularly), I'm only familiar with 7. The top 2 web hosts are Just Host and iPage, which I have tried myself when I designed a website for this certain cosmetic surgeon a few years back.

I like this listing of top 10 web hosting companies over on The Top 10 Best Web Hosting website because you see the comparison and important basic information you need about the web hosting companies as soon as you open their website. You see the lowest prices each hosting company offer and how much disk space and bandwidth you get for it. Also, they even include the performance of each hosting like their uptime and speed. Plus, there are a lot of reviews from customers that you can read and base your decision on. And, as I've mentioned earlier, they update the reviews regularly.

They also have separate listings for top 10 web hosting companies in the USA and in the UK. They even have a top 10 listing for reseller hosting which I know those who are interested in selling web hosting (I might get into this business in the future) will find very useful. And, so far, Just Host is topping the lists so I might try their services for my friend's upcoming online store.

Facebook Will End in March 2011 - HOAX!

Well, if you've read this article, you probably thought it was true. That our favorite social networking site Facebook will be closing down on March 15, 2011.

It's funny reading some people on my Facebook News Feed page posting about this and actually believing it's true. There were even comments like "Oh my, the world's really going to end in 2012!" Hahahaha. Like, c'mon! Facebook has over 500,000 million users and with hundreds of millions of dollars of earnings, I doubt they're shutting down anytime soon.

The article on Weekly World News got a lot of people alarmed all over the world. I can't really blame them because the site looked legit. Well, except for that logo of a gremlin or something on their header. *LOL*

Weekly World News is a satirical news site, just like The Onion. So, don't expect anything true being posted there. But, I love reading websites like them 'cause it really makes me laugh.

In this millennium, in the year 2011, in the era of the iPad, Galaxy Tab, mini-computing and the industrial computer,  I can't believe that there are still people who easily fall for these hoaxes.  Well, I guess it was because of the delivery. The writers of these satirical news websites are really convincing. That's why their sites are fun and effective. ^_^

So, there. the news that Facebook will end on March 15, 2011 is a HOAX. No need to switch back to Friendster. *LOL*

Cartoons are Invading Facebook!

If you're not yet familiar with Internet Memes, then, let me briefly explain through the help of the ever trusty Wikipedia:

An Internet meme is simply an idea that is propagated through the Web. This idea may take the form of a hyperlink, video, website, hashtag, or even just a word or phrase. This meme may spread from person to person via social networks, blogs, direct email, news sources etc.

Internet memes can be used for viral marketing or simply to campaign or show support for a certain cause.

I love joining these internet memes because it's fun and it can actually initiate interesting conversations with friends or even strangers on social networking sites or even on blogs.

I've joined two (2) Facebook memes. The first one was the Breast Cancer awareness Facebook meme where women were asked to update their statuses with this kinky-sounding message starting with "I like it on…". But, actually, it was an answer to the question, "Where do you place your purse/bag at home?"

Some may argue that the above-mentioned internet meme didn't really help Breast Cancer awareness. But, honestly, I believe it did. Why? Because women who got the "secret" message about the meme got to thinking about breast cancer simply by reading that message. And, because it was fun, they were more inclined to spread the word to their girl friends. Even my male friends participated in the meme. One of them even said (after I told him the real story behind my status), "Even men can have breast cancer". So, question the effect of internet memes all you want, but there are still believers like me who know it got us thinking about breast cancer.

Then, last week, this new Facebook meme started (from what I know). This time, it's a campaign to spread awareness, and possibly help stop, violence against children. It's another fun internet meme for a worthy cause. This time, we need to change our Facebook profile photo to any cartoon character that we loved during our childhood. It did bring a lot of memories to me… some good, some really painful. That's why I wanted to participate in this meme.

Update: Watch this video that explains why we changed our profile photos on Facebook.

So, what cartoon character did I choose? The CAREBEARS! I love, love, love them so much. Though I can't remember their names, I particularly loved Cheer Bear, the one with the rainbow on her tummy. That's why I chose her (or him?) as my profile photo.

A lot of my friends and acquaintances already joined the fun. Just look at these photos:

Well, there's one who hasn't changed her profile photo yet on the second screenshot. But, isn't this meme spreading cuteness all over Facebook?! You can see how effective this is because a lot of people find it fun and easy to join.

So, if you haven't joined or changed your profile photo yet, then, you still have time. Just make sure to repost the following message after you've changed your photo:

Change your Facebook profile picture to a cartoon from your childhood and invite your friends to do the same. Until Monday, there should be no human faces on Facebook, but an invasion of memories. This is for violence against children.

Get the Latest Breaking News Online

One of the many reasons why I can't live without the internet is it's the only way I get updated now with the latest and hottest news online, especially now that I spend all my time inside our computer shop. I can't watch television or listen to the radio here because I need to pay attention to our customers. Thank goodness for News Break Online.

News Break Online is a website where you can get up-to-date news for free. Whatever interests you - Business, Education, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Politics, Sports, Technology or the World - you can read about the latest happenings based on the topic you choose in one place. What's best is you can even subscribe through email, one of the features of this website that I like. You get the latest news right in your inbox.

So, if you're a busy bee like me who's got no time to read the newspaper, watch TV, listen to the radio, or even check out different news websites, then, make sure you check out News Break Online.

By the way, News Break Online is looking for contributors. Contact them for more information.

Disclosure: News Break Online is one of the primary sponsors of my Thirty on 30 blog contest. All opinions are mine, true and unbiased.

About Web Hosting

A friend of mine asked me a few weeks ago about my Wordpress blogs' web hosting. And, during our conversation through Facebook, I found out that he was actually into reseller web hosting. At first, I didn't understand how it works, but, he explained it to me very clearly.
No, I don't have any plans of venturing into that kind of online business. But, he managed to educate me about different types of hosting available nowadays. Things have changed A LOT since I last managed a whole website, so, it was pretty interesting to me.
He told me about managed hosting. I was already familiar with dedicated hosting and I thought he was just referring to the same thing. But, it's quite different. If you have a website that generates tons of traffic, you only have two options for your web hosting – dedicated and managed hostings. If you are knowledgeable when it comes to maintenance, monitoring, setup, etc., then, you should go for dedicated hosting. But, if you prefer someone taking care of that for you, then, go with managed hosting. Your web host will, then, assign a technical support group for you who'll take care of your website's backend.

He also mentioned about colocation. I thought at first that he misspelled the word. LOLz. He, then, explained that colocation is when a client already has their own physical server, but, they don't have available space or means to host or take care of the actual hardware.
Interesting, right? I never knew about all these types of hosting. Now, if you're interested in any of these types of hosting, check out Superb. They offer different hosting plans that might suit your needs. They offer all the types of hosting I mentioned in this post. All that from one company!

Smoking at a Young Age

I've seen this video before and I was deeply bothered. Most of you already know I've quit smoking, right? I learned to smoke at the very early age of 10 years old because of my father, too. But, I managed to quit after almost 2 decades of heavy smoking.

Here's a video of a 2-year old Indonesian BABY (yes, he's still a baby to me) Ardi Rizal who smokes 40 cigarettes... a day!! He learned to smoke at 18 months and it was his father who gave him his first ever cigarette. Now, he throws tantrums when he's not given his usual fix.

The father even said he doesn't see anything wrong with his son's smoking. Are you freaking kidding me?!?! Seriously? How can he be so delusional and irresponsible?! Ardi is WAY TOO YOUNG to be experiencing health problems. At his age, he should still be playing with other kids, learning to draw or his ABCs, not smoking over 2 packs a day! Argh.

What would you do if you found out your son or daughter is smoking? If they deny it, will you have them take a cotinine test? Will you have them undergo some kind of treatment?

I know it's hard to quit smoking. I KNOW! I've been there, done that! I was smoking an average of 10-12 sticks a day over a year ago. Now, I've completely quit!

It's really all about loving yourself and being scared that you're shortening your life by smoking. You're also affecting the lives of everyone around you. Trust me, it's worth quitting.

Poster design by me. Stock photo from stock.xchng.

Ever Heard of e-Games Cafe?

Have you ever heard of PAGCOR's e-Games Cafe? Well, if you haven't, it's actually an internet cafe that's dedicated to online casino gambling.

I didn't know we actually had this already here in the Philippines 'til my brother mentioned to us that he mistakenly went inside an e-Games Cafe here in Malabon to play his favorite game, Crossfire. I was laughing hysterically when he was telling me this 'cause I can imagine how embarassing it was. LOLz.

After my laughter subsided, I searched online for more information about e-Games Cafe. It turns out to be a legitimate business and if you want to start one, you should have at least Php 1.5 Million so you can open and operate your own PAGCOR e-Games Cafe. Well, considering how much you'd be earning, I guess Php 1.5 M is reasonable, right?

If you're not comfortable gambling or playing in an actual casino, you might be interested in trying your luck in online casinos. I'm actually thinking of adding playing in one of the top online poker casinos in my bucket list. I haven't really tried gambling yet. Well, except for that one time when I gambled Php 20 at one of the saklaan in our home when I was younger. I won Php 200+ for it, and I can still remember how exciting it was. Unlike other gamblers out there, I didn't want to continue betting my money. I guess that's why I never got into gambling, except when playing against friends during one of those drinking sessions. LOLz.

Have you ever played in an online casino?
How was your experience and how much did you win / lose?
Let me know in the comments section. Thanks!

Build a Free Website Easily at hPage

While I was looking for freebies on the web, I happen to stumble upon hPage. You can sign up for a free website, with more than 300 MB storage space, through them.

I signed up and tried to build a website on hPage.  They have a very user-friendly interface. For newbies, they even have a step-by-step tutorial on how to create your website easily through them.

Here's what I manage to setup in less than 3 minutes (click the image to see the site live):

For the design of your blog, you can choose from hundreds of templates or designs that are made available to all hPage members. Or, if you're knowledgeable with HTML, you can customize or design it yourself.

You are given an unlimited number of pages for your website. All pages can be edited right there on the control panel when you log in. You can use the HTML editor if you're familiar with HTML coding. Or, you can opt to use their advanced Editor, which is what I recommend for newbies.

All the settings and customization options are available on the left menu. It's pretty easy to navigate through them to find what you're looking for because the titles are descriptive.

As a web designer myself, it was very easy for me to setup my website on hPage. And, I can assure you that even if you're new to HTML or web design, you will also enjoy building your website through hPage.

You can even setup a guestbook, contact form, survey, shoutbox, galleries, calendar or your very own forum through your hPage website. All you need to do is earn points that you can exchange for these added features. Points can be earned by doing tasks such as logging in, referring a new user, participating in a survey or jackpot, receiving paid mails and voting in the award polls. It's easy and free. Nice, huh?

So, hurry and sign up now at hPage and create your very own website easily.

Storage Front – A Self Storage Search Engine

One of my closest friends back at my previous job (call center supervisor) is undergoing a crisis right now. Last year, he moved from Manila to somewhere in the Visayas because of a promotion and the promise of a new and better life out there. But, because of unfortunate events and a bunch of incompetent people (a topic for my next post), he now needs to move back to Manila.

He's now asking my help to find him a place where we can store all his stuff while he's still down south. He's planning on having all his stuff moved here first. I just wish we have an online search service like Storage Front, where people from the US can search for storage facilities closest to their area or where they're planning to move.

Storage Front's website is pretty organized and attractive. The design and how everything's laid out makes it easy for anyone to find what they need.

Storage Front provides a very convenient way for those who are looking for a self storage facility for any purpose without having to go through different websites. You just need to enter the zip code, street address or city on the search box on their main page, and it'll give you a list of the self storage facilities in that area.

When I browsed through their site, I found this section where they have a list of all the U.S. States and you can just click on where you want to look.

Storage Front even provides tips and techniques in packing for those who will be using a self storage facility or moving for the first time. You can even view their website in Spanish, if you'd prefer that.

They also have a section on their website where self storage facility owners can sign up and advertise or promote their facility for possible renters/customers to easily find them.

So, if you're in the US and you're in need of storage space for anything, check out Storage Front.

Pro Flix FlipBooks – Souvenir & Collectible

I love collecting souvenirs and memorabilia from any place I visit or any event I attend or experience. Mai even told me I have this sickness, some kind of obsessive-compulsive behavior, to keep everything because I might need it later. Well, I admit, it's 10% true. The rest of that 90% is because I want to keep my fun memories alive. I love going through my stuff and finding things like tickets, receipts, gift tags, etc. They bring back memories of my experiences related to those items.

Unfortunately, when my family and I moved from our old home in Navotas, I lost a lot of my mementos because we had to throw a lot of things out. I still have a few letters, gift tags, etc., with me, but I wish I still had them all, y'know. I love reminiscing, especially when I'm bored. *LOL*

I saw this video on Youtube and I think it's a very cool marketing idea as it can serve as a souvenir and a collectible, too.

That's a Pro Flix flipbook. I know most of us are familiar with flipbooks. Flipbooks were mostly used before for illustrated books for children. But, Pro Flix came up with a better use for it by using two (2) 5-second video clips and re-generating them to create a pocket-size booklet that can be used as a marketing tool or a collectible for different events.

Flip books by Pro Flix are really cool because you won't need a video player to remind you of one of your favorite scenes in a movie, the winning jumpshot of your favorite player at a basketball game, etc. You can bring it anywhere and "play" it any time. It's a great souvenir than t-shirts, hats, posters or pens that you can get after a concert, movie or sports game.

With the Fifa World Cup ending weeks ago, Pro Flix has a series of flipbooks released that I believe should serve as replacements for the traditional sports trading cards. I know a lot of football fanatics out there will enjoy collecting 10 flipbooks each for 4 major UK football clubs Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Just look at this flipbook that features Liverpool Football Club's (LFC) Steven Gerrard in 2005. Cool, huh?

So, if you have an event and you're still on the lookout for a great marketing / viral tool, you can try Pro Flix flipbooks. I know I'll treasure 'em if I got it from an event. :)

I Love Online Shopping for Gifts!

Yesterday, I received this notification from our Post Office that they already have a package waiting for me:

I don't want to reveal what the items are. All I can say is they were supposedly my surprise gifts for Mai, but, due to unfortunate events, I was forced to tell her I have gifts for her. I don't want to go into details as to what happened. But, she's pretty happy and excited to receive them. Me, too! *LOL* Woot! I'll post photos of all the items included in the package as soon as I pick them up next week.

I think I mentioned in my previous posts that Mai went back to Cebu for a two-week vacation. I used my time alone here in Manila to shop online for gifts for her. Yes, I had to do it online 'cause we can't afford to close our internet cafe just so I can go shopping, especially when I have no idea what to give her. Great thing I found some great gifts that I know she'd love online.

For almost 2 years, I haven't surprised her with anything because we're always together. Yes, like 24/7! *LOL* I tried buying those gifts I was planning on giving her while she was here, but, I'm too much of a paranoid to finish my order. Hahahaha. I tried doing it while she's taking a bath. But, I couldn't decide and pick out the right items before she's done. *LOL*

This is my second time shopping online. The first thing we bought online was a li'l naughty so I can't really reveal what it was (*evil grin*). All I can say is I really enjoy shopping online. A few of the reasons why I do are the following:

• Number 1 reason is a lot of the items you can find online can't be bought anywhere else or in the country. You can find really unique gifts online.  Take for instance these items I found on I Want One of Those (clever name, by the way!):
  

Block Speaker Docks My bro and my mom would love this!	Equalizer Music Hat The equalizer lights up! Cool!
USB Microscope For the geek in you. CSI-inspired *LOL*	Baby Plane Spoons To moms: No more lies. *LOL*


I remember my brother requesting that I buy my gifts for him online 'cause he saw this crazy toy on one of the popular online stores. Too bad, though, 'cause the store doesn't ship to the Philippines. I hope there'll be more online shops that will ship here.

• There's no pressure of having to pick out something or decide immediately. You can save what you have on your cart for next time.
  
  
• No annoying salespeople nagging you or following you around. It's annoying! Some of them even look at you like you're someone suspicious. *LOL* It just irritates me. I mean, if I need help, I'll ask for it.
  
  
• You can cancel or edit the items you ordered anytime without thinking of what the cashier would think. *LOL* Unlike in actual shops, if you pick out something, it'll be a bit awkward to take out some items on your cart or what you've already bought. I mean, we do that a lot, but, at least, online, no one can see you. Hehehe.
  
  
• Great if you want to shop on a budget. You can see how much you've ordered and take out items you don't really need to ensure you don't go over your budget.
  

Online shopping may be a bit expensive though since you also have to worry about the shipping fees and dealing with Customs. You can save on fees charged by Customs if you have your items shipped through regular mail, but, you'd have to wait longer to receive them.

Shopping online has been a fun experience for me and I'd love to do it again real soon!

To my dear readers, I'd love to hear your answers to my question today...

What items have you bought online?

If you posted photos on your blog, leave the link in the comments section, too.
I'd love to take a look at them for possible gift ideas! :)

Prizes I've Won Online (So Far)

One of the other things that I love as a blogger is joining online contests and giveaways. I mean, c'mon! Who doesn't love getting things for FREE, right?! With a little effort, there are tons of contests and giveaways you can join and you can get amazing stuff for FREE!

I even hosted my very own giveaway (first ever) – Make a Wish. I was amazed by the amount of support I got, both from my sponsors and entrants, which is why I'm looking forward to a new blog contest before this year ends, probably in August since Just Another Pixel is turning 2! :)

I'm so glad I started joining online contests and giveaways this year because if not, I wouldn't have won any of these prizes. Just look at my list and eat your heart out! *grin*

If you don't believe that there are REAL winners in online contests and giveaways (I can't blame you, really, since there are bogus giveaways hosted by bloggers and website owners who were just after the traffic), well, here are my own proofs that there are REAL contests and giveaways out there. :)

 

500 Globe Prepaid Load and Globe Tattoo

From Abe Olandres of Yugatech, I won 2 times:

• I won during his Merry Tweetmas Giveaway last year. I got Php 500  Globe prepaid load (about $11). This was the virtual prepaid card he sent me. Woot!
   
   
• I won again in his Gadget Giveaway #2 – Gimme your best shot (click to see my entry).  No, I didn't submit any photos. I can't think of anything creative 'cause I was stuck at home. *LOL* But, I won a Globe Tattoo for blogging about the giveaway.
  
  It took the Air21 delivery guy a week to deliver this to me. The first day he tried, we were out. The next time, he sent me a text message, but, I was fast asleep so I replied to him late in the afternoon. *LoL* I had to ask Abe about it before they contacted me, by the way. I'm glad I finally got it after a week. Here it is:I only got to use this 3-4 times, I think. Globe Tattoo's connection is too freaking slow for me. So, the Php 100 load that came with it just expired. Grrr. I only got to use about Php 25+, and a couple of pesos of that were not even for internet browsing. It's just so intolerably SLOW here in our area in Malabon.
  
  I'm thinking of giving it away after I check if Smart Bro's plug-it's connection is faster. I just don't trust Globe when it comes to internet / broadband connection. But, I'm a loyal Globe SMS subscriber.
  
  I love, love, love gadget giveaways. That's why most of the contests I join involve gadget prizes.
  
  Thank you, Abe, for the awesome giveaways! I'm hoping to join your future gadget giveaways.

 

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Nokia 5230 phone from DJ Mo Twister

I won a Nokia 5230 phone from DJ Mo Twister's Twitter and Blog giveaway (Follow him - @djmotwister). I love DJ Mo and winning a phone from his giveaways is just icing on my cake.

The first time Mai and I went to pick up my prize at Magic 89.9's station, there were no phones available. So, I had to go back a few days after. I didn't expect they'll be out of stock. I called them up before I went to the station the second time, which is what I should've done the first time. *LoL*

We stayed up late the night before so we weren't able to go to the station at 6am to catch DJ Mo. Argh. Mai and I wanted to meet him so badly. Tsk. Anyway, we only saw DJ Suzy of The Big Meal. We didn't get a chance to take photos with her 'cause she was live and chattering about.

Here's the phone, along with the 2 accessories that came with it – the earphones and the Plectrum stylus, the one that looks like a guitar pick. The casing wasn't included. I bought that and my phone fits perfectly!

I've been using this phone for almost 5 months now and I love it! It doesn't have WiFi, though. But, it's all good. I don't use WiFi when I go out anyway. I merely use this phone for texting, calling and for Bluetooth transfers for photo prints at our internet cafe. Nice, huh?