New Book Review: Dragons of the Hourglass Mage

For several months now, I have been reading fictional books as part of my daily relaxation and I have been reading one or two books alternately depending on my mood. Today I was able to finish reading the final book of the Dragonlance Lost Chronicles Series entitled "Dragons of the Hourglass Mage" to which the protagonist of the story is the wizard Raistlin Majere one of my favorite characters in Dragonlance series. This book is actually a "supplemental" book which takes place almost at the end of the Dragons of the Spring Dawning (which is the final book of the Chronicles series). 

For those planning to start reading Dragonlance books but don't know where to start, there's a site called Dragonlance Book Guide to which helps the readers to follow the series in chronological order. I also active on a social networking sites for book readers called Goodreads.com where you can share you book collection as well as post your reviews/opinions about a particular book.

Back at playing Mousehunt

To be honest, I never stopped playing Mousehunt, I just toned down since I got busy on both work and being a family man but since then I was able to actively play the game (although not as extremely active as before but I was able to catch up on some of my friends who were also playing this game for the longest time). 

For those of you who don't know what is Mousehunt, it's an online social game on Facebook on which you are task to catch various types of mice that plague the Kingdom of Gnawnia. You will be using various types of traps, base and cheese to catch a variety of mice. You might ask what makes this game different from other games on Facebook, well frankly speaking this game is a passive game to which you need not to actively play the game every now and then. You only need at minimum one (1) click sounding of the horn per day to keep trapping mice every hour. The game also continues to expand as to avoid becoming too redundant. If like to play the game you can visit the official Mousehunt website.   

Girl with a Dragon Tattoo

A Sensational #1 Bestseller – Now a Major Motion Picture starring with Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist.

A magical amalgam of homicide secret, loved ones tale, really like tale, and economical interest.

It’s about the disappearance 40 decades ago of Harriet Vanger, a youthful scion of one of the richest family members in Sweden . . . and about her octogenarian dad, identified to know the reality of the matter about what he considers was her homicide.

It’s about Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading writer lately at the incorrect end of a libel situation, used to get to the end of Harriet’s disappearance . . . and about Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and inked professional cyberpunk had of the hard-earned information of someone twice her age—and a horrific potential for ruthlessness to go with it—who helps Blomkvist with the research. This unlikely group understands a problematic vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity managing through the Vanger loved ones, surprising data corruption in the best echelons of Remedial industrialism—and an unanticipated network between themselves.

It’s a contagiously interesting, incredibly wise novel about community at its most concealed, and about the personal life of a superbly recognized toss of people, all of them required to deal with the dark factors of their community and of their own life.

Good thing the new movie is not yet in theaters as I'm still reading the book series. 

Changes

It been a very long time since a posted an updated here because a lot has change since the second half of the year. I have moved on from the company that I have worked for over 4 years into a new "family" and although on this new "family" I am in, there are some of my old friends from the old company that are also working in this new "family" of mine. Although my work here is basically not the same as my last work, I still do teaching on weekends since teaching Web Designing and SEO is now part of my professional endeavors. 

Although changes are cumbersome yet these will benefit me in the long run as my life has became routinary and boring and change is very much a welcome event.  

Teaching the foundation of the internet: HTML and CSS

For over five years, the internet has become a part of our daily lives technology moves in to the world of the information technology. With businesses going to the internet to market their products or to render service online, more and more people are more likely to learn the very foundation of the Internet Web pages which the languages called HTML and CSS.  

For the past several years, I had been teaching these very foundations to new applicants of my previous employer and now as a part of a more open teaching environment as part of one of the best graphic design studios here in Davao City. HTML and CSS is no longer exclusive to those who are into computer science or Information Technologies (IT) people, it is for everyone WHO wants to learn about the said technology.

Happy Halloween to Everyone

It's another year of celebrating the Halloween festivities as people where their most ghoulish and scariest costumes and/or makeup just to keep up with the festivities. Halloween is the preceeded with All Saint's Day on the the very first day of November to pay tribute to our dearly departed love ones. As always I visited my grandparent's grave to pay tribute and will visit them again to commemorate my grandfather's death anniversary on November 3. 

My Daughter First Birthday Celebration at School

Last Thursday, My daughter turn 4 and it was decided to celebrate her birthday at school together with a McDonald's kiddie party with her nursery classmates. The kids had fun as we had some parlor games and some prizes to the delight of the kids.

Aside from games and prizes, the her classmates also did a special dance number as a tribute to her birthday.

Collecting (e)books is now my addiction

Ever since I got into reading, my thirst to read more books has made me download more fictional books in e-book format for future reading. As of this writing my "to read" list of books has now reached 278 books which composed of mostly fantasy, science fiction, Young-adult/paranormal and some mystery/horror titles. 

Frankly speaking, I partly blame Goodread for this addiction as this site is a social network of book readers and each member share their favorite book titles or genres and they also give you ratings and review on each particular book. I also get to discover some of the books that I didn't know that existed (Dragonlance: the Lost Chronicles in particular) and some of the top sci-fi titles from renown authors like William Gibson and Peter Watts 

Do You Like Carrots?

Other than the obvious benfits to eyesight, carrots have many other exciting health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol and preventing heart attacks and cancer.

All our lives we've been told to eat our carrots, they help improve your eyesight. Maybe you've wondered, what exactly is it about the carrot that is good for my eyes? That would be the beta-carotene. In addition to giving the carrot its name and orange color, it also converts to vitamin A in the body which helps improve vision. The vitamin A forms a purple pigment called rhodopsin the eye needs to see in dim light. Rhodopsin production is spurred by vitamin A, raising the effectiveness of the light-sensitive area of the retina. Not getting enough vitamin A can actually lead to night blindness. Wow, mom was right!

But that's not all that carrots can do for you. The beta-carotene in carrots is an anti-oxident combating the free radicals that contribute to conditions like cancer, heart disease, and macular degeneration. Medical studies conducted in Texas and Chicago indicate that men with the high levels of beta-carotene and vitamin C had a 37% lower risk of cancer than the men with lower levels. Carrots also contain another anti-oxident called alpha-carotene. A study conducted in Bethesda, MD concluded that men who consume high amounts of alpha carotene have a lower incidence of lung cancer.

Cooking carrots actually raises the nutritional benefits. The fiber in carrots can trap the beta carotene, making it difficult for your body to extract. By cooking them slightly, you free the beta-carotene, from the fiber, which allows your body to absorb it better. Eating only a half-cup serving per day will give you more than the recommended dosage of beta-carotene. Also when you buy carrots raw at the store, you must cut off the leafy tops before storing, or they will suck out all the vitamins. the best way to consume your daily dose is to add carrot to your favorite juice blends. This actually breaks apart the fibers allowing the beta-carotene direct acess to absorption. So be sure to eat your carrots every day!

New blogging project: Fictional Books blog

I admit that I have been neglecting my blogging since I got busy at work but recently I got some free time and has revisited one of my old passion which was reading some fictional books. The first book I read was "City of Glass" the first of three of the book series entitled "Mortal Instruments" by renowned author Cassandra Clare. The story of the book series revolves around the supernatural (demons, werewolves, vampires and the Nephilims aka half human-half angels).  

With the renewed passion of reading fictional books (technically I am reading these books in e-book formats using my portable devices for convenience). I decided to create a blog called Fictional Books Blog to which I will blogging my opinions and reviews about each books that I read. I already posted my first book review about City of Bones. Aside from the Mortal Instrument Series, I already have lineup the books that I will be reading soon, which includes Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games Series and George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series and other great titles. 

Kadayawan 2011

It's now August and as usual our beloved city will celebrate the annual Kadayawan Festival which started on August 15th and will end on the 21st. As usually there the festival will include the annual "Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan" and other festivities. For a complete listing of events you can check out the Kadayawan 2011 Events Schedule Guide

5 Tips On Finding The Best Topics For Your Blog

Blog topics are an important part of a successful blog. Some bloggers simply write about whatever is on their mind, creating an online journal of sorts. Successful bloggers know however that to have a great blog, you cannot always write about what you want to write about. You must also keep the interests of your readers in mind when writing. After all, if you want a successful blog, you have to depend on the readers to show up often. To keep your blog as fresh as possible, consider using these five ways to find winning ideas for your blog topics.

Back to Reading Books (E-books that it)

During my college days (to which the internet was just on it's dawning stages), I liked to read books, specifically fictional books. At the time my genre of choice where either "medieval and fantasy" (Dragonlance series of books), futuristic or science-fiction themes (Star Wars series, etc.), and Gothic (Vampires, Demons and Angels). The last set of books that I read was the Dragonlance trilogy entitled "The Legend trilogy" which was a sequel to the the "Chronicles trilogy", I was about to start reading the next book entitled "Dragons of the Summer Flame" when weeks after I lost interest on reading. There where a lot of books at the the time that where great (and some of it where turned into movies like The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien, Harry Potter series of J.K. Rowling and even the favorite gothic hit the Twighlight series by Stephenie Meyer).

With the advent of digital book e-readers like Kindle and now the various type of tablet computers like the iPad and the Galaxy Tab, my interest on reading books (now on it more accessable and enviromentally friendly digital form) has come back. As of this writing, my list books that are currently loaded on my e-reader are: The Mortal Intruments series by Cassandra Clare; The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins; and all five books of George R.R. Martin's "Song of Fire and Ice" series (actually my reason of reading the book version of this series was due to the fact that I cannot no longer wait for the second season of the TV version of Game of Thrones). Aside from these books I am planning to finish reading the "Dragons of the Summer Flame" the final book of the Dragonlance Chronicles series after which I will proceed on reading the rest of the sequels of the Dragonlance.

Another factor that lead me to reading these book is because I am an avid listener of the Sword and Laser, a 

science fiction and fantasy-themed book podcast which is hosted by Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

Joining Google Plus

It's been rumored for quick some time now that internet search engine giant Google will create their own social networking service that might rival Facebook and Twitter and finally they launched Google+.  It basically turns all of Google into one giant social network, thanks to a core group of social products (Gmail, Picasa, Buzz and Blogger) and a new navigation bar that integrates sharing into every single Google product.

One of the great features on Google+ is adding your friends in the "circles". The friend "circles" are basically categorizing or "grouping" your set of friend depending on how you label them (friends, family, co-workers, etc.) to which you can later on filter you news feeds by "circles".

So if you have not join Google+ yet, you login to the Google Plus site and sign-in using your Google account or register and finally you can add me on your circle of friends via http://gplus.to/cesarnoel

5 Things You Should Know About Blogging

So you want to join in on the blogging phenomenon? Before you get started, there are a few things you should know about blogging. Blogging is a lot like an online journal. There are thousands of bloggers online posting each day. It is a trend that started in 1997 and has continued to grow steadily. If you are interesting in blogging, but have not yet began, read over these five things you should know before you begin.

My daughter is in school now

It's the month of June and as it's the start of the new school year but for my daughter, it's her very first time to be in school and as a parent I was excited that she was also excited to be in school. As usual we had some first time jitters and some "separation anxiety" which is normal for every parent.

As my daughter entered the classroom, she was a bit anxious but later she mingled with the other kids which was a relief. I didn't stay for long as I it was my time to go to work. Later my wife told me later at night that my daughter had a great time as she was very participative. My wife took some pictures and some videos to which made my day. I just wanna say that I am a very proud parent to my daughter. 

What is Paypal?

PayPal is an e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to traditional paper methods such as cheques and money orders.

A PayPal account can be funded with an electronic debit from a bank account or by a credit card. The recipient of a PayPal transfer can either request a cheque from PayPal, establish their own PayPal deposit account or request a transfer to their bank account.

PayPal performs payment processing for online vendors, auction sites, and other commercial users, for which it charges a fee. It may also charge a fee for receiving money, proportional to the amount received. The fees depend on the currency used, the payment option used, the country of the sender, the country of the recipient, the amount sent and the recipient's account type. In addition, eBay purchases made by credit card through PayPal may incur extra fees if the buyer and seller use different currencies.

Signup for your own Paypal account now

Blogging: Advances In The Numbers

There are many various multimedia advances happening to the good old blog. Although the blog is only a few years old, technology has kept right up there with it. Now, you have the ability to do a number of fascinating things with it. As the blog owner, this can mean huge potential dollars in marketing. If you are just a blog reader, you can now access your favorites online any time that you feel like it.

There are several areas in which the blog has entered the multimedia world. Here are some of them to think about.

• Text. Okay, so this isn't anything new. It is the most commonly thought of type of blogging. Simple writings that are done on the blog.
• Images. This takes it one step ahead. Now, you can send images to your fellow bloggers, your family or your friends.
• Video. Even better, the blogs can now come packed with video from your digital camera or the cell phone that is video enabled.
• Podcasts. The latest feature. It allows individuals to receive the information that they want, when they want it. Very marketable tool here. Podcasts allow you to receive both audio and video over the internet.

But, just because you have the ability to use these various types of blogging, what happens to it? Does it just sit on your website in the hopes that someone will actually want it? The good news is that you can now send these multimedia advances to individuals on their iPods or their mobile phones once they sign up for services at your site. This means instant notification when you update the blog and instant access no matter where they are located. In short, it translates into dollars through marketing.

New advances in blogging are occurring all the time. Learn what is out there and available. Stay connected to your consumers, your fellow bloggers and your favorite blogs. The fact that you can do all of this from your mobile phone; just makes it even better. More than likely, you'll have something to blog right now.

Where To Get Content For Your Blog

Blogs and websites that have rich content are always going to do better than those that don't. I am sure you wondered where these blogs get their ideas, views and opinions. It is easy to write about something you are passionate about- but to do that most days of the week is extremely hard, since you would probably run out of things to talk about or you simply don't have the time. So how do they do it? Where do they get their ideas? Do they get help from tools and other sources available on the Internet?

The best way would be to provide the content yourself, and this is of utmost importance if your goal is to try to create traffic to an affiliated link. You'll definitely want to sell the idea about the services and products beforehand. What that will do is set the stage or the "mood" and give your recommendations authenticity.

Expounding on the uses of a particular service or product, with your own likes and dislikes, achieves this naturally. With an affiliate program, it is a good idea to have a personal anecdote that goes hand in hand with the product or service.

Using private label articles is a viable alternative. PL articles abound in the Internet and you can always buy some that are connected to your central topic and then place them in your blog. One way of maximizing a purchased PLA is to cut it down into several pieces, thereby maximizing its content.

Utilizing RSS feeds to post on blogs is becoming very popular, although not everyone is familiar or willing to learn about RSS feeds. The advantage to an RSS feed is that your blog is automatically updated with fresh news and content. The disadvantage is that it is not unique content and that anybody interested in the feed will likely click out on a story that appeals to them.

Putting in your very own content is the best way to go. One way to find fresh ideas is to look for an appealing news article and then do a summary write-up based on it. It's not as easy as it sounds, but you and your readers will find it the most rewarding way. If you feel that you just don't cut it as a writer or you genuinely don't have the time, then hire someone else to do it for you. There are many services out there who provide a "blog service" which includes daily posts of unique, engaging content and you can instruct these content writers as to where you want the links in your blog pointing to- so that any burden of cost in terms of hiring them should be offset by the gains in your increased visitor base, the marketing of your other websites and earnings from your affiliate programs.

These are the best ways to generate content for your blog. It is advisable not to be going with the automated path. If you do decide to do that, you will probably have plenty of content- but the substance of the text is unlikely to increase traffic for you. Putting in some good, old-fashioned content work will yield better results for you. As the expression goes- "you get out what you put in…."!!

5 Things To Overcome The Tough Parts Of Blogging

There are times when a blogger, like any other writer, will 'loose the muse.' Every idea that comes to mind seems either trite or dull or, worse still, no ideas come to mind. What's a blogger to do? Here are five tactics that just might clear away the cobwebs and allow you to find an inspiring idea for another great post:

Start with the news! Open up your favorite news page or open a newspaper and see what catches your attention. What are the politicians up to today? Any pending legislation that worries you or flat out scares you? Or perhaps someone is running for office or proposing a law that you may want to publicly support. Some celebrity is sure to be in trouble again; have anything to say about that? Maybe you have an idea about who should be dating or marrying who. Who died? A nice memorial post for a nice person may be in order. What happened "On This Date" in past years? Some past events are worth researching and writing about. Are you into sports? Many bloggers or blog readers are sports fans and they might be interested in your take on the playoffs or the players. Don't forget to check the editorial page and the letters to the editor -- do you agree with the opinions? Tell the world why or why not.

Read some blogs! Start surfing your favorite blogs. What are they talking about? You might have a different perspective on the latest hot topic that might just be interesting to your fellow bloggers or a perspective that might make them mad (BTW, never worry about making bloggers mad -- most of them love having something to gripe about). If you can't find anything that inspires you in your favorite blog, surf through some of those blogs that always make you mad; the ones that seem to promote everything that goes against your lifestyle. Anger is always a good blog motivator but don't get so angry you get irrational. Comment on some blog posts and then expand your comments into a post on your blog. Also try logging onto Blog Explosion, Blog Clicker or one of the many other blog traffic generator programs -- there are lots of ideas out there that are worth writing about from either a pro or con perspective

What have you been watching or reading? Have you read any good (or bad) books lately? Write about your latest read -- recommend it, blast it or even write an abstract for your blog (but don't give away ending). How about movies, the great ones or the pitiful losers might be worth some good or bad words -- you could make movie or book reviews regular features of your blog. The same goes for television shows. Start a series that follows your favorite TV show, there might be quite a few fans of the same show that will be interested in your take and appreciate your summary of episodes they missed. If there is a book, movie or TV show that you thought was great there is sure to be a reviewer who panned it. Find the bad review and write a post countering the reviewer's opinions.

What have you been doing? Your work place, your co-workers, you bosses, your home and your family members are all fair game for your blog -- keep it short and amusing and you'll have a great post. Once you introduce a particularly interesting person to your readers you may want to do some sequels. When was your last travel vacation -- write a travelog about where you've been or do some research on some places you'd love to go to and write about them.

Do you have a special skill? If you can make something that is unique or something that is common but made special because of what you know, there may be people interested in knowing how to do it. Give away tips on cooking, sewing, cleaning, fix-it projects, pet care, child care, beauty secrets, personal care or organizing tips. Make it a regular feature on you blog. If you have a digital camera find an interesting subject, take some pictures and then write something based on the subject. If you found it interesting or comical or sad its likely to interest someone else.

How to Start a Blog and Make Money Online

If you are new to the internet and wondering what an earth this blogging craze is all about, or if you already have your own website and you're wondering why everyone keeps advising you to start your own blog, read on. I'm going to explain to you what a blog is, why you need one, how to set it up, promote it and of course, make money from it.

Blog is short for "web log" and is similar to an online diary or journal. The craze of blogging began in the very late 1990s and has started to become more and more popular over the last couple of years. Almost everyone seems to have a blog these days, from CEOs of large companies to webmasters, from world travelers to teenagers. Even my Dad has his own blog now! A blog allows you to communicate informally with people via an online journal, but it's more personal and unstructured than a website and easier and cheaper to set up than a website.

If you have your own website, but haven't yet started a blog you can easily start one using a free service such as Blogger or WordPress. Try to post to your blog at least once or twice a week on topics related to your website. Blogging will help your search engine rankings and open up the communication channels between you and your visitors or customers, encouraging them to interact with you and give them a reason to return to your site in future.

If you don't have your own website and are looking to set up a blog quickly and easily I recommend opening a free account with Blogger. You can blog about anything you like, for example a hobby, a vacation, your home town, something political, a sport or your business. Just be sure to pick something that you are interested in and knowledgeable about. You can host your blog for free on Blogspot – all you need to do is pick a name that is relevant to the topic of your blog. Once you have set up your profile and chosen a template, blogging is as simple as sending an email to a friend.

There are many ways to make money from your blog, but here are a few ideas to get you started

- Google Adsense - this is free to join and easy to set up. The ads will match the content of your blog and you will get paid every time a visitor clicks on an ad.

- Affiliate Programs – sign up for affiliate programs related to the topic of your blog and display links to related products on your blog. Clickbank, Trade Doubler and Commission Junction are good places to start, or do a Google search for "affiliate program" + the topic of your blog to find more affiliate programs. Whenever someone clicks through your affiliate link and buys a product, you will receive a commission. If you are knowledgeable about your topic you could also write product reviews to help increase your affiliate sales.

- Sell Advertising Space – if you have a popular blog you can charge people to advertise on your blog. This could be in the form of a text link, a banner or a graphic.

You are not going to make money with a blog unless people can find it. As soon as you have started to post to your blog it's time to start promoting it. You can get your blog noticed by…

- Submitting your blog to blog directories – just search for "blog directories" in Google

- Asking other bloggers to exchange links with you – you put a link on your blog in exchange for a link from their blog.

- Writing an article related to the topic of your blog and posting it to article directories. Remember to include an author's resource box with a link to your blog.

- Pinging blog ping services every time you make a new post – pingomatic.com and pingoat.com are two sites you can use to do this.

- Participating in forums related to the topic of your blog. Put a link to your blog in your forum signature.

Finally, once you have your blog monetized and you have started promoting it don't forget to post regularly. The most important aspect of every successful blog is frequent posting, so be sure not to let the virtual dust gather over your blog!

Tinuy-an Falls in Surigao del Sur

If you are planning to go to Surigao for your next vacation, make sure you do not let the opportunity to visit Tinuy-an Falls pass. Accessibility wise, it is just an hour ride away from the center of Bislig City.

Considered to be the widest among the falls in the Philippines at 95 feet, the falls are nicknamed as the Niagara Falls of the country because they look like a miniature replica of the North American pride. However, instead of violent water gush, Tinuy- an falls is much calmer. In fact, you could enjoy a relaxing waterfall massage with one bamboo boat ride near the falls.

The Tinuy an falls, as what most people do not know, are actually four cascading falls. However, from a distance, tourists could only see the three falls as the most obvious with the fourth made conspicuous by distance and the forest. This is the reason why the place is very ideal for bathing. Foreigners and the locals alike are drawn for a plunge into its cool waters. Most visitors usually recommend the second level falls as the most perfect place for swimming. Aside from this, the waterfall area is also abundant with all the gifts of nature as the place is also home to a lot of exotic wildlife. 

If you are from Davao City maybe you could drop by at Enchanted River at Hinatuan Surigao Del Sur and witness the extra ordinary beauty of nature.

3 Awesome Blogging Tips That Will Skyrocket Your Blog Business

This article is not intended to give you the newbies course about hosting, installing a blog on your domain and etc. It will give you some serious advice on your blog business 

Bad blogging habits are easy to get into, and one of the worst is to leave your 'About' page unchanged. You know the page: it is provided by Wordpress as standard and a whole host of bloggers leave it unchanged. Why they do this is known only to them, because this is the first page that a large number of first-time visitors to a blog check out, and the reason why many of them leave without looking further.

All you have to do is to say a little about yourself, who you are, and what your blog is about, why you feel qualified to write a blog about this topic and how you can be contacted. If your blog covers a particular niche, rather than being simply a log of personal comments, then your potential readers will want to know why they should believe what you say by reading your credentials on the subject. 

There is nothing wrong with having a personal blog about your personal thoughts on things, but if you are presenting yourself as a form of expert on a specific topic, then you will have to persuade readers that you have a right to do so. You should use your 'About' page to do that. 

Another tip you should take is to claim your blog with Technorati. This registers it as yours with Technorati, and you can get a whole load more visitors. Since joining Technorati most of my blogs' traffic rocketed. It takes a while for new blogs to get going, but it's a lot easier if you make use of sites such as Technorati. The same is true of most of the social bookmarking sites if traffic is important to you. If you are using a blog to promote a product, then this is essential. 

If you have a website then don't get lazy and be content to run your blog from a hosting site such as wordpress.com. It is better to download the software from wordpress.org, and host your own blog. You have much more control over the look and feel of it, and can use any of the thousands of plugins that are available online. You can also use any template you want, or even design your own. That way you get total customization of your blog pages, and can make it more distinctive than the majority hosted on Wordpress or Blogger's site. If you have tried and had problems downloading and installing it then send me an email. If needed I can take you through it online, or by telephone.

These are the two main tips that any blogger should take if they intend to blog seriously. However, was I to provide the third most important tip for anybody interested in blogging, then it would be to monetize your blog. Don't blog for nothing. If your blog concerns a specific niche subject you can likely throw up one or two affiliate programs on your sidebar so that they appear with your new posts. A three column blog is useful for this, since your regular sidebar will generally be full of permanent links. 

If you monetize using Adsense, a three column layout is even more essential, since you will want a vertical block down one of the columns, in addition to some at the bottom and the middle. A good Adsense layout would be a column to the left or right of the main text column containing a vertical ad unit, a horizontal link unit at the bottom of the blog, and also a horizontal ad unit at the bottom of the latest post. You could also include a search box at the top or bottom of your main sidebar that allows a search either on Google, from which you get income, or on your blog. 

You could also include one of your websites as a second search option, providing three altogether. The income might not be a lot, but most blogs with a few hundred visitors a day should be able to make from $10 to $20 daily minimum, depending on the niche. All you need are a few blogs like that. 

These are my three main blogging tips. Yours would likely be different, since blogging is a very personal thing, but if you take these three on board you will likely find that you will get more visitors, have more fun and also be able to put a bit put aside for the holidays or that unexpected bill that always comes at the wrong time. 

8 Ways To Use A Blog To Develop Content For Your Book

If your planning to write a book, you can use a blog to develop content for the book.

1. Participate in the blogosphere: Read and comment on other blogs in your field. This is a prime way to build readership of your blog. It is also a way of getting fresh content for both your blog and for your book.

To check out other blogs in your niche: use www.blogsearch.google.com, www.technorati.com, or www.google.com.

This is also a good way to get ideas. What are other people in your field writing about? What are the major challenges of the people in your field? If you have competitors, check them out. They may be a great help in inspiring you for content ideas, different slants and perspectives. The old song, "Anything you can do, I can do better," comes to mind.

2. Ask readers to comment on your blog. In fact, each time you post something, ask them a question. Then spell it out to them on how to post a comment because your readers will probably need to be educated or at least encouraged to comment. ("Click on the comment link in the footer of this post, and leave your responses.")

Sometimes readers will need assurances of privacy, in which case, you can ask them to email you their questions or comments in private. Others are not worried about privacy because after all, a blog isn't meant to be private. However, readers can be shy about commenting, and need encouragement.

You may also encourage them to respond by telling them that you would like to use their replies in your book, but will only do so with their permission.

3. Survey your readers, do a mini-study on their preferences, their experiences, etc. The Internet is the fastest way to acquire some statistics of readers' preferences. Far from being a scientifically validated study that would pass muster in universities with academicians, an informal survey can give you ideas and material to write about. It can also confirm that you are addressing the concerns of your readers.

4. Run a contest for the best idea, funniest experience, most influential or heart-grabbing situation. If you want to use these readers' responses for content in your book, you should tell them. Many people jump at the chance to be included in a book. Others may prefer to participate anonymously. You can give them both options.

Here's an example of how one writer asked his readers for input:

Do You Have A Broken WIndows Story?

Michael Levine's new book, Broken WIndows, Broken Business is being released later this month. Many people feel this is going to be a mega best-seller.

We have set up a website, where you can rant about broken windows in your everyday experience... Check it out at BrokenWindows.com

People love to share their experiences, and they love to rant, or rave. Just ask.

5. Ask your readers to attend a teleseminar based on the needs, challenges, concepts and ideas of your blog readers. This is a great way to go deeper into the problems and solutions you are writing about. You can record the sessions, transcribe the dialogue, convert the teleseminar to audio and PDF files. These can be sold, or given away as marketing materials for your book.

6. Use your blog site meter stats to examine what are the most popular articles posted. This information will guide you to expand on the topics and subtopics that capture the interests of readers.

7. Consistently reconnect with your passion, and ignite and inspire others with similar interests. After you've been blogging for awhile, you will probably develop good blogging habits:

a. Write something on your blog daily, or at least 2-3 times a week.

b. Read other blogs 2-3 times a week. Be sure to use the My Yahoo or other RSS feed buttons to subscribe to your favorite blogs, or sign up to get email updates through a FeedBlitz service on each blog.

c. Write with your readers in mind. And if you're not sure where their interests lie, ask them. If they've found your blog, and have subscribed, chances are you share a lot in common.

d. If you ever fall into blog-block, reconnect with your core purpose for the blog (remember, the one you wrote out before starting your blog?). When this happens there is usually a reason, although it may not be clear to you at the time. This will pass. You can help it along by asking questions – of your readers, yourself, your closest allies.

8. Podcasting – Create audio files easily by scheduling teleclasses and recording them. Some people like to get their information auditorily and at their convenience by downloading mp3 files to their iPods.

Use a free teleconferencing bridge line like http://www.freeconference.com to host a call. Record your call, upload the audio file and then post to your blog or podcast using a service like http://www.audioblog.com.

As an added benefit, you can get these calls transcribed; then convert the word doc to a PDF file which you can either give away, or sell, in exchange for people's email address; http://www.CastingWords.com is a fast, affordable transcription service.

Manny Pacquiao Wins Over Shane Mosley

Filipinos are very proud of our own Manny Pacquiao to win the recently concluded fight with Shane Mosley. Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao won by unanimous decision.

It was another a breathtaking view of power and techniques that both boxers shown on the ring especially by Manny Pacquiao.  Manny, you are truly a winner, a champion, a superstar!

Pacquiao time and time again has has been an inpiration to the Filipino people and this win against Mosley only show that perserverance and hard work (and a bit of divine intervention) will always help you succeed in your goals

Congratulations Manny Pacquiao for winning the fight with Shane Mosley!

I am Cesar Noel: Another blogging project

I have been playing around with my free webhosting account since I don't want it to go to waste so I created a subdomain name and installed Wordpress and whalla! I am Cesar Noel is born. The blog may borderline as a personal blog but the niche is all about my work as a IT professional in an outsourcing environment. This blog will also "demystify" the common man on how the outsourcing works as well as the tools of the trade if you plan to engage in a outsourcing business or you want to become part of an outsourcing industry either as a an individual (freelancer) as a part of an outsourcing firm or company.

I would like also to remove the stereotype that when you talk about outsourcing is not all about "call centers" or BPO (Business Process Outsource). Outsourcing services also include web designing, web development, search engine marketing/optimization and virtual assistance aside from the usual "customer service"-oriented servives like call centers.

Let the Summer Begin in April

Now April is here and as of this writing the "April Fools Day" has also passed a was fortunate not to receive some pranks but the real essence of the Month of April is the Summer "vibe". Since school year mostly ended around the 3rd week of March, most of these students has now passed the college test and enter the REAL world (which is evident of the increase workload of our HR officer and my workload as a training and development officer). For some of you might wonder, where am I last March? To tell you honestly I've been busy doing weekend workshops to some of our existing agents as a part of our skills enhancement and retention program (which most company do to stay competitive) and even though it's April, daily work will still continue (except on the third week which is Holy Week and we expecting a much lesser workload by that time).

Work aside, I have updating my social media presence via Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and my latest craze GetGlue and Instagram since these services can now be enjoyed on a portable capacity via my smartphone, and other gadgets. Blogging took some neglect on my part but I always remind myself to write a blog post when I have the ample time and inspiration to write. As of this writing I have made some updates on some of my blogs and I would like to list the latest posts:

• Relic Hunting (Simply Entertainment Blog)
• Emily Prentiss does a "Horatio Caine" (Crime Scene TV)
• Anthrax and Death Angel to perform on Pulp Summer Slam 11: Resurrection (Rock Music Buzz)
• St. Louis Rams Mockdraft:  (Grid Iron Rams -  American Football)
• 10 Great Ways to Make Money via Podcasting (Money and SEO)
• Canon T3i Review (iCNSQ Tech blog)
• 10 Usability Principles to Guide you through your Web Design Maze (Cnsqonline Blog)

That would be list for now but there will be more updates to come.

OMG, FYI, and LOL enter Oxford English Dictionary

In an acknowledgement of the internet's overwhelming influence on the triviality we sometimes refer to as "real life," the Oxford English Dictionary doyens have decided to add a few of the web's favorite pronouncements to their lexicon. Among them are the standouts OMG, LOL and FYI, joining their compatriots IMHO and BFF among the proud number of officially sanctioned initialisms (abbreviations contracted to the initials of their words) used in the English language. Shockingly enough, the expression OMG has had its history tracked all the way back to 1917, while LOL used to mean "little old lady" back in the '60s, and FYI first showed up in corporate lingo in 1941. Not only that, but the heart symbol -- not the <3 emoticon, the actual ♥ graphic -- has also made it in.

Read More...

Listening to Podcast has become a hobby

Listening to podcasts has been my latest hobby as listening to conversations are now more entertaining than listening to some songs from my playlist (although I still listen to some songs on occasion).

By definition: A podcast (or non-streamed webcast) is a series of digital media files (either audio or video) that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication. The word usurped webcast in common vernacular, the word podcast is made famous from iPod due to rising popularity and the innovation of web feeds but it can be also played on some other portable media devices as long as the format is supported.

In other words it's basically a non-streaming "radio show" which is good because you can listen to the shows anytime you want at your own convenience.

Most of the time I have been listening to a couple of shows which are: Appslappy, a weekly podcast dedicated to users of the Apple App Store; Filmsack a weekly podcast on which the hosts ( four of them actually) picks a movie and the host will give their best (or worst) criticism about the selected movie; and of course Good Times with MO which is hosted by DJ Mo Twister of Magic89.9 and my latest is the SEO 101 Podcast which is a podcast about Search Engine Optimization as explained by the experts. I recently wrote a blog post about SEO 101 on my Money and SEO blog elaborating the advantage of listening to the show for SEO enthusiasts.

Araw ng Davao is fast approaching

I will suspend my 3-part Iloilo trip story for short  blog post about the incoming summer festivities to which it will be hi-lighted by the Araw ng Davao celebration on the 16th of March. Unfortunately for me this comes on a Wednesday which is still a work day for me (which I was hoping to do my very first Araw ng Davao shoot, unless our office declares a non-working holiday too). This will also be the time of the year that a lot of schools will be ending the school year which mean a lot of college graduates will be entering their professional lives soon. 

Sunday Afternoon Blog: The Caffe Firenzo Damosa

Sunday afternoon blogging on a relaxing place is always a good treat. This week, we tried having some relaxing time at Caffe Firenzo at Damosa IT Park. As what I have mentioned on my blog post, the place was much better than their Quirino branch because of obviously good parking space and the spacious area of the place itself.

My wife also had fun with her Instagram as we took some pictures of the place and of the food so that we could share it for every to know the place.

Finding a Good Web Host

One of the more important decisions you’ll have to make when starting a site will be, who is going to host your site. In a way a web host is the backbone of your site – it gets all of your content and information out on the web, so everyone can connect and view it. If your host is slow, or even worse, down – not too many people are going to view your site and information. Because of this, you want to make sure you find a good web host that will be running 99.9% of the time, and will always be there for you when you have questions – without breaking the bank. Here are a couple of tips to make sure you get the most out of your hosting plan.


It’s All About Balance

A big mistake that a lot of new webmasters will make is looking for the lowest possible price one their web hosting. While finding a good deal is always important – there is a point where the prices some people offer become unrealistic in the real business world. I say this because if someone offers X amount of hosting for $1 a month, no matter how many clients they get, they will have a hard time keeping up with support, if they offer it at all. With all of that said it’s usually best to look for a host that offers realistic prices so they can afford to offer great support, and fast servers.


Ask Around

One of the best things about the Internet is the ability to speak to millions of people from across the world, and even get their opinions on certain topics. This is especially true with the boom of Internet forums, or boards - people from all around the world come and post ideas and comments, usually about a certain topic. You can use this technology to your advantage. Some my suggest to you a hostgator hosting, others might give you Bluehost hosting. Nevertheless is still best to do some extensive research

Most of the time you’ll run into someone who is currently hosted, or was once hosted by that company – and they should be able to give you some good facts and ideas on what to do.



In the end it really boils down to a little research and common sense. If a deal sounds to good to be true, it probably is – and if you want to be sure, just ask. Just remember you get what you pay for, and a good web host will be a great start to keeping your site up and running for a long time.

NLE Results December 2010: May Not Be as Exciting as It Was

Anybody in the Philippines knows how difficult it is to procure enough money just to send a student to college. However, this kind of privilege is esteemed in the many regions of the country that is why parents fight teeth and nails just to be able to send their children to a university or even to a local college. All of them have hopes that it is through this way that they could give their children, and also their own families, a better future.

That is why it is not surprising anymore that when more established and industrialized countries started to look for manpower support coming from nurses from other countries, the enrollment rate for nursing surged. This was the scenario around ten years ago or so. However, for those who had been fortunate enough to pass in the NLE board exam results December 2010, their future may not be as bright as it had been for passers of the same exam years and years ago.

The signs were already starting to appear, but still everybody was confident that the demand for nurses would not go down. In fact, officials of the country were saying that the job will still continue to need more people even after ten years.

However, with more and more nurses, both registered and not, having to sought for employment elsewhere, jobs that are not even close to relevant to their course like telemarketers in call centers, there is no doubt that indeed PRC nursing board exam results December 2010 and in the coming years will not be as relevant as it was before when the nursing profession abroad was still in bloom.

What makes this more depressing is the fact that there are so many nursing graduates and professionals out there who had to pay just to be able to render services in hospitals. If people start to pay establishments just to be able to find work, then there is really something wrong with the system.

Indeed, if you do want to get a decent paying job while you are still buying some time before you could go abroad and work, you have to work extra hard. Being fortunate to be one of the passers in the Nursing Board exam result December 2010 is not anymore a guarantee that you can have a better future. Sad as it may seem, it has become the truth nowadays.

Back at Bigby's for Sunday Afternoon Blog

Bigby's Cafe at Jacinto Extesion is now my second hangout place on where I can do my blogging/social media stuff because of the delicious foods they serve specially the "Buenos Nacho".  I always order this sumptuous snack whenever I go at Bigby's and pair it with bottomless Ice Tea to offset the spiciness of the food.

Since it's this is my first Sunday Afternoon Blog for 2011, I made sure that I am on very convenient place to write my blog post as well as gather some more materials for upcoming updates.

Stuck with GetGlue.com

If most of you are familiar with Foursquare or Gowalla then there's an alternative for those who are homebodies and preferred to spend your day at home then GetGlue is for you.

GetGlue is a unique social networking website that helps users discover their next favorite film, book, or other form of entertainment. The site works much like StumbleUpon, only with an entertainment focus. Users can give a thumbs up or thumbs down to suggestions made by GetGlue. This helps determine what other items are presented. The site also monitors what the user’s friends are watching or reading and factors that information in as well. Users can earn status on the site through stickers. Stickers are essentially badges or achievements the user can earn. Some are easy to get based on the user’s activities while others are a little more obscure. Some require the user to log in on certain days at a certain time. The user can build their reputation through stickers and show friends what they like while discovering new entertainment media that may be their next favorite.

You can check-in into your favorite entertainment either on the website itself or via mobile applications for the iPhone/iPod Touch, iPad or Android based device. 

You can also subscribe to my GetGlue profile and check out some of my favorite movies, games, TV shows and recording artists and albums.  

New Design for My Random Thoughts

I have been contemplating on changing my blog design for quite sometime and for now I decided to do so. And since it a New Year so I decided change the design and get myself a free blogger template for my blog since I don't have the time yet to do a custom design yet but I will do some tweaks here and there. I chose the theme called UrbanArtist because of the preferred dark design with a minimalist style of structure.

Happy New Year

My very first blog post for the Year 2011 which is also called the Year of the Rabbit according to the Chinese calendar. Well for me, 2011 is another beginning of a chapter in the book called "life". We continue to move on with our lives. As usual we learn from bad things we do and continue or to improve the good things we do.

Happy New Year to everyone!