Abandoned!

I've abandoned my blog (and blogging in general including blog hopping) for quite a long time due to so many reasons.  But I swear to the magic scarf that is soon to be mine, this is not forever! One of 'em reasons is I got really busy preparing for our Manila December vacation plus work work work.  Anyways, I am writing a short note for all my blog sisters in Manila who'd want to meet us even for a short coffee chit-chat.  Is MOA a good place?  How about Dec 21 in the afternoon?  Send me an email sisters!

The time I really blushed and was thankful I met this blog friend

This sweet lady I met in blogosphere has been beating the records of firsts... she's the first who grabbed my button, the first who has added me on twitter (among blog friends) and the first who has interviewed me and featured me in her blog!

Barbara, you are such a darling, really.  You know how I love to follow you on your blog but lately life is crazy (most of the time crazy-fun though so I am not complaining :) ) and I just couldn't find time to stay more time in front of my personal laptop and enjoy my blogging time.  Coz my blogging time? Was temporarily (I really, really hope it is just temporarily) to de-cluttering the house even for just a little bit, or spending more bedtime routine, or just sitting in the couch with my butt almost falling off the couch and arms wide spread to just breath. I seriously need to improve my time management skills or at least develop this skill as I have been thinking I don't have this skill at all.

Anyways my lovely blog friends, if you want to take a peak of Barbara's interview with yours truly, please go and visit.  It's in English so don't worry ;-) but if you feel like brushing up on your Spanish a little bit, go ahead and browse more on her blog as you will definitely learn something!  It's fun :)  

Barbara, thanks once again!

Ghost Town

.... is what my blog has been for a week now!  I've been busy yes, but more than busy, I was lazy.   I've a number of blog drafts already and I just can't find time ::and enough words:: to conclude them worthy of posting.   How many times would I compose a whole blog entry in my mind while having a shower but then once already in front of the laptop, I am left blank.  And then I'd hear Little Spanish Pinay yell meeeeemmmiiiii - yeah, sometimes she calls me that like she's some type of slang.  Really, everytime I hear her call me in her usual enthusiastic yet very affectionate tone, I drop everything and just roll with her on the floor and make her giggle and my heart bloat with love.

I am addicted to her. 

But going to a supermarket or a store with her? Stress level to the highest power!  She. Is. Unstoppable.  She loves the shopping cart and would squeal upon seeing one and couldn't wait till she gets on it.  Only for 10 minutes though.  Then she'd want to go down and start running around and squeal with excitement with all the colors and shapes and people and kids she's seeing around.  She'd carry heavy big bottles of water, or pick up cans of tuna and put then on the floor and admire what she just did and then go on to the next item.  She'd try to squeeze instant noodles and open yogurts.  Curiosity and exploration intensity level?  Full bars.

And so, everytime we can do shopping and leave her with her grannies, it's equivalent to peace.  And uneasiness.  See, I would miss her a lot in the grocery.  She's just full of life and I love the she would greet people and then suddenly shy away when someone responds or try to talk to her but then would go back to the person to get the attention back.  Then I like the way people look at her and exclaim how cute and adorable she is and then she'd tilt her head smiling with giddiness as if she understands that people are admiring her.  Mami is just a proud mom.  Too much.  I'm not really vain and compliments about me is something that makes me feel uncomfortable.  I can't handle compliments.  I become clumsy over compliments and would always end up looking stupid with my shy smile and non-verbal responses over compliments.  But with my daughter, I've become vain over her.  Is there such a thing?  Like I continuously seek compliments about her and people's attention on her, etc.  As if she's me or part of me and I just want to hear all those compliments and raves about her.  This is bad, isn't it?

She wants to go up and down the escalator on her own.  She won't settle being carried.

Anyways, like what Katy Perry says, I'm hot and I'm cold over grocery shopping ::and shopping in general:: without LSP.  When I finally get the chance to have some time just with hubby, there's peace and calmness and it's really a breather but then we'd start to talk about her silliness and antics and then I would terribly miss her.  My body literally aches for her presence.  Then my mind would just wander where she is.  The whole time.  

It's addiction definitely.

See, the post is supposedly about my blog being a ghost town for a week now and that I am super busy and than I miss blogging and that I miss reading my favorite bloggers but I just ended up talking about her.  I know, I'm annoying already.  But bear with me, please? *bats eyes*

Are you earning from your blog?

Who doesn't like to be recognized and appreciated? 

Yesterday, I had a short chat (we regularly chat) with a high school friend about blogging.  She asked me if my blog is earning big now. 

I've started blogigng way back 2007 and was ust writing things from time to time for personal journaling and a bit of a past time.  It was never opened to public. Then I created a new blog that chronicles my pregnancy and later on, experience about motherhood and life in general.  Few friends and family read my blog and started to encourage me about putting it for public viewing and advertisers and eventually, probably earn from it.  I was told that there are people who are earning enough just by blogging or writing articles... and it kind of gotten my curiosity.  I've been telling people though that my blog only talks about personal things and personal views and that I do not write articles good enough to get readers and regular traffic.  Plus I wasn't sure if I was ready to put my thoughts out there for public scrutiny. 

Then again, later on, I was encouraged by the idea that I'm not gonna lose anything anyways.  People may not like what I write but what harm would that make?  It may not earn anything at all because no advertisers will be interested in my blog due to not having any decent traffic or becasue I may not have really time for writing regularly or do all the works to get traffic, but then it won't change anything if I am just blogging for personal purposes only.  I would still write whenever I can and whenever I want and with whatever topic goes on top of my head. 

So off I went and jumped on the pool of bloggers out there aspiring to get some extra ka-ching ka-ching for their pocket - without that big hope, though.  I started joining memes and visiting other bloggers and writing in a more frequentl manner.  I've started knowing more bloggers from different part of the world with different niches.  I've enjoyed reading their articles, their thoughts about motherhood or fashion or friendship or writing or God or anything under the sun, their own experiences of the same roller coaster ride I am going through, their rants and raves about life, their humor, their children's annecdotes, etc.  I also enjoy (tons) reading their comments on my articles and from time to time, exchanging emails with them. 

Then it hit me.  What I never expected about putting my blog into public view for initially hoping to get some extra hand on our expenses, is that I will be gaining cyber friends.  Yes, ma'am.  cyber friends.  Call it pathetic but it's nothing pathetic at all to me.  It's nothing like people having a thousand facebook friends but not even exchaging any his and hellos and asking about how's your dog on their facebook wall. This is different.  My cyber bloggy friends dig me.  There's concern and there's friendship and there's acceptance and there's support and there's connection.

In reality, I haven't been doing much on finding advertisers to sponsor my blog or articles or anything like that.  I honestly don't have any idea how to do this.  What I have only done so far is visit other blogs and join memes.  I've earned a significant number of google friend connects and I got a google page rank now and was chosen to be a momcenter partner but I don't know how to move forward after this.  Let's just say I really have no clue on this kind of business - as stupid as it may sound.

Not having a clear vision of the possibility of really earning from blogging, I still look forward to writing more articles and read more blogs.  Ideas kept on pouring for new articles but the extra time a mommy can get keeps on narrowing with the life's demands.  I get giddy everytime I see the small icon on my phone that I have a new comment waiting to be published.  I've forgotten about my real motive for opening my blog to public.

And so going back to my friend's question whether my blog is already earning big?  My answer is a big YES.  I've earned friends!  I'm even looking forward to meet ups on December! How was this thing called back when I was in high school?  Eyeball, was it? LOL.  And this was friendship waiting to bloom was even confirmed by what happened the other day on my blog.  I talked about it here.  And the support and comments  I got just bloated my heart :)

So you guys, thank you once again! Here's to more blogging and more friendship!

Come back, everyone! pretty please?

I was saddened by the news from 3 different bloggers that my site gives a warning from google that my site contains contents from another site that is known to distribute malware.  Good thing I have concerned bloggers that took time to inform me about this as I am totall unaware of it.  I have tried different computers but I was getting the message so I don't know what to look at.  I haven't done any change on my blog either... so I was totally blocked out. 

I also noticed that I have lesser visits yesterday.. lesser comments than normal as well :( 

Good thing, Andy and Juls told me the exact message they are getting so I was able to at least determine what to remove from my site.  It seems like a link to another blogger on my blog is causing this - and I don't know why because I've had this link up on my site for a long time now.  I had no choice but to remove it though coz I can't risk having my readers get bugged by this - and in return, shoo them away completely from my site.

And google? what if google would list my site as one of those to run away from? At least, the last time I checked (like a couple of minutes ago), I still have a page rank of 1.

I think I really have to start over with my list of blogs I have.  I do have a lot of new found blogger friends that I have to add anyways.  Some, I might need to remove with all the pain in my heart.

I'd like to thank jplbarbara, Andy and Juls  for putting this to my radar so I was able to act quickly.  I also would like to say sorry to all who were hassled by this.

Come back, everyone, please?

Blog on Fire Award

             

Hear me roar coz this momma got another award... and it's her fourth! *ROAR!!* 

Thanks to Joy of Cool Bean Momma for giving me this award.  I was kind of extremely busy lately with work and sick little one plus a very affectionate husband seeking for my attention so I've been a bit behind blogging.  But what do you know, when I got back,  I got this very pleasant surprise from a dear momma blogger.  Thanks again, Joy!!

So to keep with the tradition, here's a list of the 7 things about me.  I gotta warn though... it'll be boring!!

1. I've been working for the same line of work for 11 years now and I've just changed work twice. Blah. Boring.
2. I've colored my hair just once in my entire *mumbles the age* years of life.  Blah. Boring.
3. I don't know how to skate.  I tried to learn once but I was already around 20s by then and you know how the saying goes about old dogs... Blah. Boring
4. Speaking of skating, I've tried ice skating maybe 4 or 5 times. I learned to glide a bit... skate sloooooowly without holding on to the rail but I swear I just look like a 4yr old who just peed on her pants accidentally. Blah. Boring.
5. When I was in college, I was a member of the book and math club.  Blah. Booooring.
6. I have a blue birth mark at my back near the shoulder that people would often mistaken as a bruise.  So what? Blah. Boring.
Sleeping yet? Ok, here's the last that is maybe a bit interesting.  Just a bit. Maybe.
7. I can move my ears.  Hah. Not too boring now, is it? Oh well, a lot of people can do too so, again, blah.  Boring.

Oh wait, I have some more freaky talents.  Nah, I'll just save 'em for the next award probably. *wink* *wink* :-D

There you go.  My blog is probably on fire but me, as me, has only a tiny bit of flame. Heh.  But as a mom, a roar! and as a wife, I roar even louder! Ask hubby ;-) LOL

Let's keep moving.  Now's the time to award this to 10 other bloggers.  This took me a bit while to compose because I tell you, I have a big list of blogs that I do love and reading everytime I get the chance to sit in front of the computer and dedicate time for blogging.

Ok, enough intro. 

THE list:

Michi of Michi Photostory

Sunny of Sunny Toast

Lelay of Laugh with God today

Nuna of Choose Happiness

Einz of Mommy Tots

Jbplbarbara of ESPAÑOL PARA NIÑOS (SPANISH FOR KIDS)

Monica of F.L.A.G

Veronica Lee of OF MICE AND raMEN

Daisy of Daisy Girl

Kristeta of Kalokang Buhay ng Isang Pinay sa UKay

Now, the next task is to inform each of these lovely ladies that they got an award from this roaring mom!