Dilemma?

Hmm, to look for a regular WAHM gig or not, that is the question. I'll probably do oDesk as soon as I'm done with the last parenting article I have to do for this batch, but I'm not sure I want something more like a part-time online thing. I've gotten used to having 95% of my attention devoted to childcare and homemaking. I really love it... Well, the wise thing do to will be revealed to me in the coming days, I suppose.

Merry Christmas from My Family to Yours

Click to see the ecard :)

Payday Mayday

A Convo about the Holidays

Hey

So this probably means that I actually spend a great chunk of my online hours just goofing off instead of actual working. No regular gig, no online time. Just have not had much motivation to sit in front of the computer lately. I do have a few parenting articles to write. It means I'm hunting down experts to interview again and it's unsavory job. For me anyway. I'm not the most charismatic person out there and I have a hard time asking for favors. Also, I do not leave the house, so I limit myself considerably.

I'm also reading books a lot, which is an activity I prefer to going online, but I feel like a total slacker. Marguerite and I go out a lot (just out the door, up and down the stairs and elevators, around the parking lot - but not outside the complex) and that's great mom-daughter bonding going on there. I really would rather have days like these, only not with the money worries from being out of a regular gig.

More on SpitzTunes

Ms. Brightside

Okay, here's one way of looking at it: had I still had that job, I would have been a nervous wreck last week since I was mostly in bed sick. I'm still out of a regular paying gig and, from the looks of it, I may not be paid my last invoice. To kick up a fuss or not, that is the question. The funny thing is that I've been going to Craigslist and I see ads for what I strongly suspect to be the job I recently vacated. "In need of somebody who can write car-related articles, has good writing and editing skills..." What the! My initial reaction is to send my résumé before it occurs to me that it all sounds too familiar. Then again, I may just be paranoid. If that was actually my old gig, then I would feel... bewildered. I know I was doing fine. My immediate superior frequently told me so. Well, no point puzzling over it. Time to move on.

Let's Talk Music

Time to Use a Pseudonym

Okay, this has happened before. I wrote a story for a magazine and the staff edited my story in a way that left it brimming with grammatical errors. Anyway, I more recently wrote an article about, well, something. I suppose it was pretty lengthy and in the process of cutting it down to a shorter read, some grammatical errors managed to creep into the article. I immediately checked my original to see if it had actually been me who had made the error, but, no, I had written it differently. Oh, well, c'est la vie and all. I'm just cringing because it has my byline. Sigh.

Are You Ready to Meet Your Savior?

A Healthy Combo of Relief and Worry

This is an interesting time. I read in one of my Sue Grafton books (the one where Kinsey Millhone just got fired from California Fidelity or whatever the name was of the insurance company she had worked for) that you cannot help but feel some kind of relief when you are fired (or when a relationship ends, for that matter). I haven't been fired, but I did lose one of my regular gigs. This company ended its contract (I believe with no preamble) with the person who assigns writing gigs to me (right before Thanksgiving too, nice), so my contract with the company ended too. The truth is that I do feel some relief from having broken ties with them. A good chunk of my WAHM stress comes from that gig since it's a regular thing fraught with deadlines. However, I'm also thinking I need to replace that gig with something that pays as much or even better. Like I said, this is an interesting time.

The Fangirl's Meeting Deadlines

Things are going rather well. Of course, Marguerite has consistently been awake in times of approaching deadline, but she has been like that since she was a newborn. :) She probably thinks I get off real easy; why not make life more interesting by adding a little bit of stress? Honestly though, I'm right on schedule with my work (no thanks to my frequent YouTube visits) and I have plenty of time to finish writing other assignments (if I could only learn to curb the fangirling).

Yesterday, I joined a dNeero conversation about Robert Pattinson and one of the questions was about my dream job. The first thing that came into my mind was "A SAHM who didn't have to work". I thought about it some more though and figured that even if I didn't have these homebased, freelance things, I would still be writing. I'd probably be working on a book or something. And, yes, I did feel like a traitor to all WAHMhood, lol.

MTV, Now and Then (Is It MY Age or the Actual Times?)

Let's Talk about Christmas

I've Been Bitten... by a Pop Culture Bug

MEMO from Conscience or that part of my brain that forces me to act responsibly:
Dude! You gotta stop watching Twilight previews on YouTube and get to work!

When Sporty Spice Was the Fashion Guru

Guess Who's a "Voice Talent" Now

ME, that's who. Yes, I, somebody who is pretty much limited to the squeaky/shrill register, has been approached by a call center to do the Spanish part of a medical consultation center's phone recording. Of course, they based it on my ability to speak Spanish more than anything else so I think this is a one-time deal. I doubt media stations will be approaching me to do voice-overs or anything. I recorded myself at home (Yeah! WAHM to the max, lol). To make sure that I won't have any interruptions, I opted to do it in the wee hours. I forgot to consider the quality of my voice at that time of the day. I was worse than a boy hitting puberty with all the voice breaking and raspiness. Well, it's an experience I appreciate having.

Love the Holiday Muzak

Let's Go to the Movies, Annie

L'Appartement

Husband and I took the day off yesterday to sign our lease contract, but several hitches presented themselves and we weren't able to do it. Basically now, we're trying to choose between Option A and Option B. Here are their Pros and Cons. Residents seem representative of the same class (middle) although Option A may have higher end ones. Monthly expense has a difference of a hundred bucks ($2), with Option A being the cheaper one:

Option A Pros:
- walking distance from Husband's office
- a nice building with great amenities
- unit proportioned better
- nicer materials
- more accessible to lots of things, like general civilization, lol

Option A Cons:
- higher initial deposit-whatnot-cashout (requires postdated checks, although this isn't really a problem)
- landlady's unbending about stupid rules (seemed unfriendly too) while middle person's flaky
- no gas stoves/oven, no hammering or drilling on walls (even if you promise to restore by patching and painting - because all tenants are louts apparently)
- single bedroom
- ventilation and natural light come from a lightwell

Option B Pros:
- two-bedroom
- better-ventilated
- has a balcony
- no rules about LPG and admin simply requests that you let them know before you hammer holes or make any minor changes in the unit
- cheaper initial cashout
- agents seemed more lucid than Option A's

Option B Cons:
- farther from Husband's office
- necessitates parking rental
- drab facade
- cheap looking materials
- forces Cable TV on you
- smaller bedrooms
- location's blah (a long road into the complex itself)

I'd be grateful to find out which one you'd choose. :)

More About Sleep Deprivation

Sometimes you wonder if your kids are bent on sabotage. It could be your downtime or your worktime, whatever it may be, you're looking forward to it. However, the expected nap doesn't take place or they wake up too soon before you really get anything done. I think you can guess that I'm behind my work hours again. This means scrimping on sleep again just to catch up. Don't you hate it when other people who have absolutely no idea what your situation is like offer unsolicited advice "But you should have enough sleep, make sure you have at least 8 hours straight," this coming from somebody who will never experience what being a WAHM is like.

Starbucks and Music

Credit Unions Vs. Banks

The Wise Backup

Trying Out MyLot

Have you heard of myLot? It's like a combination of your token networking site like Friendster and a general message board. The blessed twist here is that it pays you to be an active user. Well, in these hard times it's at least another way to augment the family income even if just a little. The discussions are fun too and the earning thing is a good motivation to remain active. I'm a member of several forums (fora?) and I have to admit I'm pretty lazy about posting or joining in the discussions. Anyway, I have yet to explore MyLot's other features, so I'll probably post about it again later once I've tried everything out.

Blog Ads

I recently receive an invitation to sign up for WidgetBucks. My main concern was its compatibility with Google Adsense, but I was able to gather from googling that it's okay to have both on your blog. In fact, WidgetBucks assures everyone that it is in its FAQ page. When my account was approved, I immediately got to work to install widgets on my blogs. The setup was in fact to my liking as you get to choose which products to feature in your adbox. However, upon saving the addition to my blogs, I found that the ads were showing those cheesy smilies and zwinkies and glitter whatnots. I decided to remove the widgets for the time being, do a bit more research, and see what's really going on right now in the world of blogads. If you have tips or comments about the WidgetBucks service, I'd be thankful for them.

I Broke My No-Politics Vow

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Your Chances of Being a Multimillionaire: 60%

You have a decent shot at being a multimillionaire. Surprised? You're confident and you aren't afraid to work hard. Keep it up!

Will You Be a Multimillionaire?

60%? Well, there's hope. It's an uphill climb, but we'll get that million, lol. Honestly? I was raised to think that money isn't all that important. My father is a pastor and while, looking back, I can see that our life was comfortable enough, he made sure that we were definitely living by the grace of God. I was taught not to put so much value on material things and that covetousness will only make me unhappy. When I grew up, I ended up like this: I don't really like malls; I'm not a bag or shoe person; All my cosmetics and beauty products are given to me; I kind of have an aversion to brands and pop culture; I'm a cheapskate; I'd rather have experiences than stuff; I'm a DIY freak; transcendentalism appeals to me; et ceteraaah... However, I would still like to be a (multi) millionaire - not worry about bills, be in the position to help certain people or institutions, always have considerable savings, lol

Tip Off

I've been subscribing to Daytipper.com for several months now. I meant to contribute tips every now and then (they pay you when you contribute a tip they like), but the first time I started the contribution process, I began to doubt whether I had the right to share the tip. There was a part there that wanted to guarantee no copyright infringement or whatever it's called and I had to think it over. I tried to remember if the tip was something I had discovered myself or something that was shared with me. I really couldn't remember. However, some of the tips I get from the service aren't new to me. I don't necessarily think the tipper stole the idea, just that sometimes the same thing occurs to different people. Unless I can come up with something really original though, I guess I'll keep to my tippee(?) role.

Talk of the ...

How uncanny that right after I blogged about my suspicious raffle win, I got a call from one of their agents again saying that I am still eligible for that free dinner. They have another one scheduled tomorrow night, in fact. I politely declined saying that weekdays are out of the question since my husband wouldn't be able to make it. I thought we would end the conversation with a vague arrangement to have me attend one of their dinners in the future, but, I underestimated the agent. Well, if we're really only free on weekends, how about tonight? I decided to pause and consider right there. I do like eating in fancy hotel restaurants, but I had to ask yet again (as if I didn't know what the answer would be) if there's going to be a sales pitch sometime during the dinner (or after it). "Oh, no, no, no, ma'am. You are absolutely not obliged to buy anything. If you want, leave your cash and credit cards at home." The reply to my question was actually in the affirmative but prefaced with a string of nos to try and disarm me. What she, in effect, actually said was, yes, there's going to be a sales pitch, but it's your choice whether to buy or not (surely, you won't have the gall to refuse our offer with your free dinner still keeping your stomachs busy). Anyway, I ended the call with a promise to text before 5pm to confirm our attendance. I nudged Husband awake to inform him about the call, but he was unimpressed. Oh well.

Thank Heavens for Paid Blogging

I'm thrilled because just when I thought a certain paid blogging site has forgotten all about me, I got two assignments from it. The thing is, I really did enjoy writing those posts. Some assignments require me to pause and formulate an entry, but not so with these two.
These paid posts may not be worth a lot of money, but they do add up to an amount you'll be glad to have and writing them is really very easy. Blogging purists may scorn, but these online gigs are really a blessing.

Must Win Contest

One of my to-do things for this year is to enter and win a contest. So far, I got contacted by A****** P**** Hotel that I'd won a consolation prize. I got the choice of staying for free at a hotel in Bali, in Bangkok, and in the US. Of course we had to shoulder the fare and everything else. I initially thought we could do the US one, but upon further thought, I've been around long enough to suspect that there was a catch somewhere. When the representative contacted me about it, I repeatedly asked if there was a catch and he was very insistent that there wasn't. However, upon further research, I found this.

Anyway, other than suspicious raffles, I haven't won anything yet. I meant to join writing contests this year, but the process of sending entries is such a hassle sometimes. Honestly? I've had that winning a contest item in the past three years' to-do lists and I have yet to do it, so I'm not sure how seriously I'm taking this thing.

Life's Litte Ironies

May I vent a little? It's just infuriating how life can be so ironic. I've had a bothersome cough for more than a week now and it won't go away because I can't get any rest. It actually even worsened. Now, my nanny is a bit underwhelming and that's the nicest I can get. It's pretty much like not having a nanny at all. Anyway, yesterday, sick of being sick, I decided to really rest, just stay in bed and not put up with any kind of stress. Hard with a toddler around, but I was pretty determined. At least, until the nanny decided to slip in the laundry area wearing ridiculously slippery slippers and ended up taking the day off that I was hoping to take myself. Then I opened my email and found a queue of writing assignments. Well, it was definitely a hassling day, compounded by the irony of it all. Sometimes you feel like taking it personally.

Work Priority

Okay, we need to clear our priorities here. No parenting article due, so that's good. I have a Friday deadline (almost on schedule, easy enough to catch up) and a story deadline tomorrow. But of course, there were available opps for paid blogging, so I have to grab those. I'll probably end up doing what I feel like doing anyway, so whatever!
In other news, Marguerite is better, but I am not. I need to get some proper rest, no kidding.

Still About Fall TV

Cough, Monsoon, and Work

Marguerite and I are still in the middle of a barking contest. She, poor thing, still has a hoarse voice (certainly hope this is nothing to worry about) while I have a tight cough (Marguerite's comes in fits, mostly when she's sleeping), which is really a hassle. On top of this, it's still raining. Seasons don't mean much anymore. The monsoon should have ended in September. Anyway, I suppose it's still early October so its overstaying can be pardoned. On a positive note though, I'm on schedule with work, but now I have to squeeze in an article about milk caries, so hopefully, that doesn't set me back.

Love Payouts

Btw, I've finally reached the minimum amount for payout with my Google ads (as per agreement I don't actually get the amount until the month after I reach the minimum). I've also been recently paid by dNeero. I might have lucked out with the other paid-to-whatever gigs, but these two are solid and legit. Payperpost and Socialspark have also been good sources of income. Sure, other paid blogging systems may offer bigger cash rewards, but they're pretty limited to bloggers with an extensive following.
I'm enjoying this WAH thing. Do you have a good online gig to share? I'd be grateful. :)

Let Me Help You Open Your Husband's Bank Account

What's with the Ivory Coast (or some other nation in the area) scam? I've received multiple letters in the past months from widows or orphans whose departeds' bank accounts need opening and they want my help to do that. I didn't really read the emails thoroughly as they were in my junk box and I didn't want to waste my time reading spam. I think they're targeting Christian bloggers although I can't be sure. From the tone of the letters though, that seems to be the case. Anyway, I've already had several from a Susan Morgan and a Rebecca Williams (sorry if you happen to have the same name), so in case the persons behind them get to read this, don't send another letter my way. Waste of your precious time and effort.
It's interesting how people are so clever when it comes to thinking up ways to deceive others. I wonder why they don't focus their creativity, time, and efforts on legitimate work. Scams may be easy money, but not every one will be "successful". Why not just get a regular paying job? I guess scams do offer the slightest chance of getting rich. I wonder if some of these people are WAHMs. ("Oh my work is homebased." What do you do? "I scam people online.")

Tea Guzzlers

My daughter and I are both down with a bug. I probably got it from her. All the work stress probably lowered my immunity, so I became susceptible. Being sick is such a hassle, so I resolve to take care of myself better. Marguerite's thing started Friday and mine started Sunday (hence our absence from the Sunday Service). I tried giving her some tea, but she's so "oppositional" lately. Her favorite word? It's "No!". I do water therapy on her and myself, so we're loving the bathroom right now. Better flush away those bugs anyway. We're feeling better although I still look like death warmed over and Marguerite still has an obnoxious little cough.

Lame Excuse: I Didn't see the 1 in the "10-Post Challenge"

Apparently, I didn't rise to the 10-post challenge. Because of Marguerite's birthday, I got a little behind work, so I had to focus on finishing my hours before invoice time. And then I had about 4 parenting articles to produce, so that and the other basically accounted for the lack of blogging and why the challenge thing became a real dud. Anyways, times are calmer now and I have some time to blog, so voilà!
Marguerite's birthday was pretty satisfactory, nothing at all like what I had planned for, but either I'm learning to be more chill or it was really pretty okay. I'm not complaining anyway.
I've also rearranged my daily routine. I don't wake up in the wee hours anymore. I just work during nap time or after Marguerite has gone to bed and so far, I can't make up my mind yet if this is a better arrangement. I sleep longer, that's for sure. However, I do find putting in work hours to be more taxing and I can't cut back on those. We'll be moving (soon I hope) and I need my contribution if only for my own security and peace of mind. Husband's income is enough to sustain us, but with a child of our own now, I'm even more OC about having savings.
Hope I can be a better blogger this week ;)

A Penchant for Alternative

The Boob Tube

The Ten-Post Challenge

The thing is, I really have to post more frequently here. Last week, twice I had the opportunity to blog for pay three times in one day, but I only ended up getting two opps for each day because I had to fill in a regular post between two paid posts. That took up time. If this thing had already been eligible for paid posts, I wouldn't have had to spend my precious online time coming up with filler posts. Well, for this blog to be eligible, it must have ten original, non-paid posts in thirty days. That shouldn't be so hard. But it is. My WAHM life is pretty limited to writing just now and I don't want to go on and on about how sleep-deprived I am and my writing schedule and how I'm behind my work hours because that's just boring. Anyway, I already spent way too much of my time on this post, so hasta luego!

TV Convo

Convo about Music

I Need 30-hour Days

I noticed that other than those from the dNeero convos, this blog has been image-free. I don't really have a picture that depicts what my life as a WAHM looks like, so until then, this is probably going to stay image-free.
I'm wondering how I'll be able to squeeze in everything that needs to be done this week. Fortunately, once I get hold of one of my notebooks (I'm a compulsive notebooker, whatever that is) and a pen, I'll be able to structure my thoughts and tasks to coincide with the time I have. As it is, I've already blundered. I didn't tell my dad when Marguerite's party is (I thought he already knew) so he scheduled a four-part workshop to take place in our church (facilitated by himself) starting that day. Oh well, gotta get organized before I end up screwing up my daughter's birthday party once again.

I'll Never Be Barbara Walters

I'm not fond of interview-based articles. It's okay if I were interviewing my friends (and so far, this is what I've been doing mostly), but I'm too lazy to set up interviews and go out and do them (stubbornly stressing how I am a work-at-HOME-mother). And then there was this issue somebody raised in one of my writing egroups, about how some doctor wanted to charge a writer for granting the writer an interview, saying that it was, in effect, a consultation. Even though all the writers in the group started saying that this was ridiculous, that they had interviewed many professionals, doctors included, in the past and they had never been charged for i, I'm not completely reassured. Some said it was like a trade-off, some knowledge in exchange for publicity. Anyway, I still feel iffy about it. That's why I've been interviewing people I know, so I can think of it as calling in a favor. Gah, whatever, I need to get over this interview timidity thing because as a writer, research is pretty important. How wonderful though if I could simply ride on pure imagination.

Another Convo

Blogging with a Vengeance

I haven't been a good blogger lately. It certainly affected my daily hits, but work is definitely a priority over blogging, so... Anyway, my hours for the week have all been accounted for and I have today to just sit back and... blog. And I complain that I never get any rest! Well, here I am. Instead of relaxing, I'm blogging and cutting squares for Marguerite's quilt. Talk about multitasking. I have another ambitious project that I hope to finish before Marguerite's birthday, but I haven't even started yet. Me and my DIY spells. I'm also making cloth bunting, a homemade happy birthday banner, and other personal touches to the small celebration that we're planning. What I need is a good reminder of what my daughter's first bday cake looked like (tasted great though) and I'll dismiss these thoughts of homemade bday cake as well. Anyway, three blog posts over at Spinning Lovely Days and one here - it's not even 7am yet. Have to get back to cutting squares. And as though I didn't heap all these upon myself, well, myself (maybe I should get some shuteye after all... I'm no longer coherent), I trudge off and sigh, "No rest for the weary."

Help-less

Okay, I have to 'fess up. I don't really have to deal with chores. We have house help whom we can count on for that. It's really very common here in the Philippines. You don't have to be wealthy to have live-in help. However, mine quit (giving a bunch of lies on her way out) and now I have to manage my time better. I still don't have to do cleaning or laundry while we're living with my parents, but I have to be more mindful of everything else. I have to pick up after my daughter's trail of chaos and prepare everything myself. It's not a lot of work, but it's still something I'll have to get used to. This is a good thing because it prepares me for when we move to our own place, which is hopefully soon. So for now, less blogging probably. Online time is for work, except when I get a treat in terms of tasks done early. :) No, this isn't one of those instances. I'm totally just slacking and overcome with guilt, although it's not obvious. :) So, yeah, better get to work now.

The Love of Blogging Is the Root...

of many wasted hours.
Of course, it's not an actual waste. You learn from reading blogs (well, basically about blogging) and when you do post entries on your blog, you benefit from it (as a blogger). SNORT.
Basically, I meant hours I could have spent minding my daughter or working. It hasn't gotten so bad that my daughter is neglected or that I don't accomplish anything, but I know I need better discipline about this.
As for googling Aaron Peirsol, I need to get a GRIP. Oh, which reminds me, my personal blog features a video his appearance on Conan O'Brien. Which is totally necessary.
Enough of this post. Off to the salt mines.

A Conversation about Movies

The McCain-Palin Tandem

WAHM Offline

You know how some people believe that the internet is the antichrist, or at least its very instrument? They even have some mathematical equation proving this (actually, the math thing also linked bill gates' name, the word computer, and several other words to the antichrist... so I think it should all be taken with a grain of salt). Anyway, if this is the case, then I'm in trouble because teh internets, it's got a pretty strong hold on me now. It's gotten so I'm like some sort of addict needing a fix (and you go, "That's exactly what you are").
Our connection went berserk over the weekend as it usually does when our area is hit by even just a rumor of a typhoon. Naturally, I was a tad more than mildly upset as I couldn't work (also I wanted to watch videos of Aaron Peirsol, heehee). What does a WAHM do when she can't go online? Actually, lots. I've got stories to write and craft projects to finish and oh yeah, there's my daughter too who happens to be the reason why I'm Wahmming in the first place (I better not mention "Cats in the Cradle" again; that didn't go down well with a reader before, lol). So with lots of other things to do, how can I justify donning the irate customer suit and being put on hold endlessly by customer service reps? Yeah, so a few days passed and our connection was awry and then when we finally had somebody scheduled to check out our antenna or whatchamacallit, the connection became fine again.
Only no story got written or craft project done, but I think I may have taken a long nap one time and bonded with Marguerite the other time... So this no-internet thing may have been a blessing in fact - just don't tell my connection provider I said so.;)

Visual Talking and Eating Healthy

Brillante Blog Premio

I'd like to thank Erin of Thirtysomething Reality for giving me the following award:

The rule is to pass the award to other bloggers, so I choose the following blogs in my Link Buddies list:

- Secola's Space
- My Life as a SAH Mother
- Femme Façade
- Moma's Life
- Family of 3 Boys
- Single Mom's Party

What Exactly Do VPs Do?

WAHMs Possessed by Fangirl

Honestly, how is anyone supposed to accomplish anything when they're all in love with Aaron Peirsol and just spend work hours googling and watching YouTube videos? Maybe they also call their friends and ask point-blank, "Do you heart Aaron Peirsol?" If friends answer with "Who that?" they get hung up on with hardly even a goodbye, if they say "Not really", maybe certain silly WAHMs try to convert them, but if they say "GAWD, Yessssss!", they end up spending hours on the phone with their PCs on while they and silly WAHMs google together and get each other to check out articles, picture, videos, etc. that they'd found. Maybe silly WAHMs are consumed by guilt afterwards because the Fangirl has taken over their entire being and has turned them into lousy moms and even lousier WAHMs. What happens to a WAHM when there is a complete collapse of discipline? You'll find out when the obsession is over. No, I'm not talking about me. It's totally somebody else. For real.

No Cellphone at the Moment

Hi. If you've been trying to text me and I'm not replying, that's because Husband is using my phone (he dropped his cellphone Tuesday morning and the LCD(?) is busted). So, if you need to get in touch with me, please do so via landline or email. Thanks. :)

My Current Occupation - by Whiny WAHM

It's a good thing that I work from home and my schedule is pretty much my own because I've got a lot of things going on. I've got a regular writing gig, a pretty regular contributing gig with a local newspaper (something I've been neglecting of late - note to self: do something about it), blogging concerns (okay, that might seem a bit indulgent, but the things earn me money, right?), some random freelance contributions, supporting Husband in his business/sideline ventures, and cooking up WAHM ideas (honestly, this is not synonymous with daydreaming). My days are full all right and the first thing to go up for sacrifice is sleep. Marguerite Moments are never up for compromise, so wow! Interacting with toddlers? Exhausting. On top of spending the wee hours of the morning slaving away at the computer (munching on sugar-rich goodies the entire time - so I'm gaining weight in the midst of the bustle, some kind of double whammy, or wahmmy in my case)? Come 6pm I'm hardly coherent anymore. But of course, Marguerite is a night owl and the earliest that she'll go down for sleep is 9pm. Oh, but hey, here's a crumb of comfort: I nap when she does. UNLESS there's something pressing to do (something to chew on: when is there ever not anything pressing to do? but I'm getting so I can actually ditch tasks in favor of sleep - a helplessly heavy - for a mother's standards - yet guilt-laden slumber, because, you know, I was obviously slacking right there. So "rest, elusive rest," I call out in hideous theatric mode.) And then to keep the balance, I also try to make time for homemaking stuff and hobby-type stuff that aren't chores. Sometimes I wonder if this burning the candle at both ends will end up with me snapping. I try to convince myself it's simply a matter of getting used to the setup, but, you know, time will tell.
***Just a little vent - don't take too seriously. In reality, it's not that bad. I had time to rant and rave, right? The truly toxic doesn't.;-p***

A Slew of dNeero Conversations

System, Structure, Method... So Me

I need to have a better system. I have a deadline for a story coming up and I've had the outline for months, but haven't had the time to actually start writing. I found out about this writing contest and I'm interested in joining, but that means giving up my few minutes of just sitting doing nothing. I need to work in my hours correctly. I need to organize my working schedule. I need to spend better quality time with Marguerite. Lately, it's mostly been just hanging. Hanging's good, but I worry about doing it too much. I need to come up with parenting topics for my newspaper gig. Except that writing articles will eat up more of my story-writing time and I've got deadlines for those (several for this month). Even with work, even with Marguerite time, even with the lack of sleep, the days are still falling short of how productive I think they should be. Garrrr, system, schedule, structure, method, order... Or I should just blog or read blogs less. Gosh, the idea!

Banalities

Personal trivia survey

Running on Echinacea

Guzzling copious pots of tea, water, juice. Bathroom break every ten minutes. Determined to flush these buggers out. Otherwise, husband and daughter fine. Work fine too. My writing seems coherent to me anyway. Then again, my head is fuzzy. I'm not the best judge of good writing at the moment. This is clear from the fragments in this post.

WAHM Stress

If you go over to my personal blog, you'll understand why it has been a while since I updated this blog. Anyway, I had been stressing over deadlines the past couple of weeks and my daughter, who has been blessed with the sixth sense to discern when I really need to rush work, has consistently been unconsciously sabotaging my WAHM system. I had been going ultrasonic over this on my husband when he sat me down and said, "Where is this stress coming from?"
"Deadlines, not being able to work, DEADLINES!!!" I was already speaking in staccato screeches at this point, a true stress symptom in my case.
"What's gonna happen if you don't meet the deadline?" He calmly inquired.
I paused to think. How easy was it to ask for an extension? Very easy. But "People will think I'm not efficient. I NEVER miss deadlines. I'm not THAT KIND of person."
Husband took me by the shoulders and gave a slight shake. "You.have.got.to.get.over.being.a.dork!"
Sigh. That came from somebody who almost wasn't allowed to march in his high school graduation because he had yet to submit one more project. I hadn't met him yet at that time, but I bet he didn't care one bit. I bet he went around laughing it off while his mom and sister stressed over it. How we ended up together and happy I'll never really understand.

A Collection of Surveys

Post For Pay

I'm one of those bloggers who occasionally publish a paid post. I've got a disclosure badge and everything ;-p. For this blog, I currently have dNeero, which simply requires publishing surveys, but soon I'll be adding this blog to my account with PayPerPost and SocialSpark (I'm just building up my number of hits and establishing some sort of presence - this is a relatively new blog after all. And the number of opps you qualify for largely rely on your blog's ranking, of course). So far, I've only been using my personal blog for those. I actually also have an account with Blogvertise and Smorty, but after two opps from Blogvertise, I stopped receiving emails from them. I have yet to get an opp from Smorty although it did accept my application. I've only just joined Smorty, so it's early days yet. However, with the other three, I got an opp right away, even if just to promote their site (still paid though). I've so far refrained from joining other blog-for-money sites because of experience with these two, so I can say that PayPerPost and SocialSpark have been of the most service to me. I've already had more than ten opps from PayPerPost and four from SocialSpark, which is newer (both are under IZEA), but the social networking there is great.
Now, I'm not sure if it was the disclosure badge that did it or the increasing number of paid posts, but I've been getting requests from companies to write a promotional post for them and these indie gigs actually pay much better (understandably since you don't have an "agent"). Of course, they come sporadically, so it's better to be affiliated with an actual site.
I haven't been maximizing my blogs' potential to earn, but if I did, I think they can add considerably to my WAHM income. Again, one of these days. ;-)

Schmay-Per-Click

Have you ever tried bothering with those pay-per-whatever programs? I confess to having tried it. Marguerite was just a few months old and I had a gig writing CMS manuals for this web design company. When I got bored with the sheer tediousness of manual writing, I would start clicking away at the banners on these sites I had signed up with. Seemed like easy, brain-dead money, but all those clicks and you haven't even built up a dumb cent yet, so I thought forget it. However, I found a program that offered an actual complete cent per click or read, so I considered it. Those bux options (moneybux, clickbux, cashbux...) didn't have a lot of banners or emails, but since they offered a clear cent for each click, I thought it wouldn't hurt to give them a try. I was a few months into it, just mindlessly clicking away and building up a whopping $5 in my account bank ($5 is $5 added to my PayPal account; I wouldn't knock it.) when it occurred to me that I wasn't certain what the minimum payout was. Those zillion-clicks-per-cent sites were transparent about the payout amount and I had assumed these bux sites would be the same, but, nope, couldn't find the information I was looking for. I sent a message to their customer service re this simple and singular matter, but, nada. Then I followed up on that message about three more time, the last one saying that I was already marking their emails as spam, and zilch from them. So that's my sad little pay-per-scam story.
However, that was me. I was foolish so I got burnt. This person seems to have a handle on legitimate pay-per-whatever sites, so if you want recommendation, I think he knows what he's talking about.;-p

Local Writing Job Ads

Real Estate Writer
- Just wanted to know if anybody is able and interested to write real estate articles for a PR company? Email me resume and sample works to nina.chua@yahoo. com.


Full-time Writer/ Reporter
- The Development Executive Group, Inc.

Join one of the most innovative and fastest-growing companies in international development – The Development Executive Group (www.devex.com) . Serving more than 100,000 international development professionals from around the world, The Development Executive Group is a social enterprise founded at Harvard University in the year 2000 with a mission to bring efficiency to international development and humanitarian relief. Today, we are a 60-person company with offices in Washington, DC, Manila, Tokyo, and Barcelona. For entrepreneurial, motivated, and energetic professionals, we offer tremendous opportunity for personal and professional growth.

Full-Time Staff Writer
(National Capital Reg - Pasig City)

Devex is in urgent need of a Full-time Staff Writer for its office in Manila, Philippines. The successful candidate will perform the following:

• Produce daily news digests on international development, global health and humanitarian emergencies
Interview officials in international organizations such as the World Bank, the ADB, USAID, and the European Commission
• Write articles and special reports for publication on our website, which has over 190,000 active users worldwide

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Political Science, Economics, Journalism, Development Communication, and other relevant social science courses
• At least one-year professional or freelance writing experience
• Strong writing, editing and interviewing skills
• Excellent computer and online research skills
• Deadline- and output-oriented
• A fast learner

Preferred Qualifications:

• Substantial work experience in journalism and reporting
• Strong knowledge of international development, global health, and humanitarian relief
• Experience writing for an international audience
• A portfolio of articles published in major publications

Application Instructions:

In order to be considered in our short listing and interview processes, please follow the following instructions.

1) Register and Logon at
http://www.developm entex.com/ spring/registrat ion/register_ individual. jsp
(it’s FREE!)
2) Click on »Register as Individual
3) Once logged on, apply for the position by following this link.

Our diverse global team includes professionals with experience in business, media, and international development. Our team members are dedicated and enthusiastic about our mission, have excellent academic and professional credentials, and possess foreign language skills. If this describes you, we encourage you to submit your application. We are building a team of the world’s best-and-brightest professionals to lead this exciting social enterprise to its next level of growth.

Online Editor
- Philstar.com, the website of the Philippine Star is still looking for an
online editor. If any of you are interested, please forward me your resume
to alexavillano@ philstar. com and will forward it to my bosses.

What Do I Know about SEO?

Seriously, not much. I've written articles about it and while I can understand the logic behind them, it does not mean that I can easily carry the steps out.
I can write keyword articles, of course. That's mostly what I've been doing for the past two years. That should be something I could do for my blogs, right? It just never occurs to me to do so. If I mention WAHM several times in one of my posts, that's just pure coincidence. And the thing is, keyWORD usually does not work. It has to be an actual phrase. For instance, I should write a post with "WAHM opportunities" several times - at least once in the introductory paragraph and once in the conclusion and then scatter it some more every fifty words or so.
Then there's link exchange. I've done it some with my other blog, but it's more out of friendship than an actual calculated SEO move.
I can count on the fingers of one hand the forums I participate in, although I do take advantage of the siggy line, so, uh, you can pat me on the head and go "good girl" on that one.
I do not give away freebies because I've been meaning to ship a couple of things to several people for some time now and I haven't gotten around to doing it. That spells trouble for my Freebie Friday idea.
Um, I'm scared to submit to directories. It's blogging inferiority complex. I don't think mine are worthy, lol.
The other things like social networking, bookmarking, emailing - um, kinda lots of work and too much of a commitment, so ...
So, in effect, it all boils down to lack of commitment and laziness?
But, you know, if it gets to be a tighter squeeze around here financially, I can easily fall into serious blogging mode. I have been know to rise the occasion.
Whatever.
I think this may just be an aimless little post. Break up the survey streak.

Citizen Bane

Oh the banes of citizenship, lol. What do you think of offering the thing up for sale?

Are You the Alternative Type?

Honestly, this fuel thing has always been a great concern for me and I would really love to hook my home and car up with an alternative energy source.

Firsts

The first may not always be the best, but it is often equally important. What are your firsts?

Twice Bitten

Thrice shy? That lends an old adage useless, hee! The thing is, thus far, I haven't been technically scammed yet considering that there are thousands of online con artists out there. Of course, there had been an instance when a client failed to deliver on the agreed compensation. This client was local and very easy to hunt down, but since the agreed upon fee was minimal and I did get a byline, I let it pass and simply did not bother writing for him again. There was also another client who had to be repeatedly emailed to follow up on the invoices I had sent. He always paid up, but not before giving you a few tense days of wondering. Perhaps we can put it down to lack of organization, but it doesn't make the setup less unfair. I was always mindful of my deadlines and I expected him to be just as prompt with his payment. The delayed payment was getting routine with him and while I was willing to put up with the lateness if given a good reason, I didn't appreciate the lack of communication regarding this (this from the same person who nagged at you every hour to check your progress) or my having to behave like a bill collector because while bill collecting is perfectly decent, I was brought up to properly disguise any form of occupation with money (money, it is philistine! harhar!). While I knew the world to be imperfect, I also had more conscientious clients, so I severed association with that one. My most recent experience involved somebody I perceived to be ethical (no warning bells at all) and organized. My expectation was that it would be a good and lasting working relationship. However, around the time I had sent my first invoice, she ceased sending her team updates. I sent several follow-up emails, but never heard from her. The very day I said I was pulling out my articles and publishing them elsewhere, an email from her alleged colleague appeared in my inbox, explaining that she had been in an accident. I really thought it was something like that and since I can afford to wait for payment (I don't like it, but it does not compromise me or seriously inconvenience me, so I can be tolerant up to a point), I replied telling the colleague to ignore my previous email about sending my stuff elsewhere. I resent my payment request as he had instructed and haven't heard anything since. It's possible that there is a perfectly good explanation again, but being in a state of wondering is pretty stressful.

Is Your PC Susceptible to Bugs?

Mine is! Husband should definitely do something about this. Paging Husband.

Loyalty to a Brand?

Whatever for? Perhaps loyalty to a seller instead. Going with the smart choice is not loyalty. If a smarter option comes along, then have no qualms about switching over, right? What do you think?

Hardcore WAHM

My confession is that I have almost been lured away from the fold. A couple of weeks ago, an ex-colleague of mine called me up to tell me about a Spanish teacher post at the school she is currently affiliated with. The position was supposed to be part-time and because, let's face it, times are hard, I considered it. I even went as far as to go to an interview. However, as I was spewing the usual job interview banalities, my mind already made the decision that I wasn't going to do it. I had quit a much better job than the one I was supposedly applying for to be a SAHM to my daughter. My time and my efforts meant for mothering are not to be compromised. I'm doing fine as a WAHM. Of course, the money isn't anywhere near to what I was earning as a full-time teacher, but consider the perks: I get to take care of my daughter myself; I'm always there for her; I am her primary influence; There is no room for regret or remorse later on - as much as I love the song "Cats in the Cradle", it won't apply to us. Marguerite and I are having a good time now and will continue to do so.

Gas Stations Are Hip, Happening Places

:)

Who's Got a Hybrid to Hand Me Down

You think I'll find one on Freecycle?

For Sale: Toyota Corolla GL '90mdl

Husband is selling another car.

Description:
- All stock
- New paint
- New bridgestone tires
- Strong AC
- New seat cover
- Stock 1.6 16valve engine
- Manual Transmission
- Smooth ride
- Ending Plate 6
- Clean papers
- 110k negotiable upon viewing the car

Pictures and more details are available here. If interested email me at spinninglovelydays[at]gmail[dot]com.

Are Your Pants on Fire?

Is your nose as long as a telephone wire? What say you about lying?

This Conversation Interests Me

because I've been thinking about putting a weight loss ticker somewhere on Spinning Lovely Days to shame myself into losing those extra pounds, which clearly can no longer be blamed on my pregnancy two years ago.

Battle of the (Computer) Brands

I don't know much about it, but take it for granted that I won't go for the exclusivist/elitist choice...

The Democrats Seem to Have Made Their Pick

Things certainly seem to be looking good for Barack Obama, but many feel that Hillary Clinton should still remain in the picture. How do you feel about this? Do you think that together they have a winning ticket?

Call to UP Students and Alumni with a Good UP Story to Tell

In line with the centennial of the University of the Philippines, here’s a call for submissions to "100 Kwentong Peyups." As part of UP’s 100th year celebration , we are putting together "100 Kwentong Peyups," a series of columns that will appear in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Philippine Star throughout the year. We invite all past students of any of the UP units to submit their stories.

Submissions must have a maximum of 1,000 words and be based on a personal experience. Written in the first person, they should be emotionally engaging (whether funny, sad, or scary, etc.) and make a connection between the story and a life lesson that serves the author today.

Entries should also include an old photo or scanned memento, the sender’s name, college or unit and course, admission year to UP or student number, and e-mail address.

Send articles to 100kwentongpeyups@campaignsandgrey.net.

Authors whose stories are selected for publication will be notified by e-mail.

The Key in Article Writing

My résumé claims that I'm a freelance writer and it must be true enough; I consistently get writing gigs from Craig's List and other job ad sites. I like to do creative writing, but the current demand is for SEO-oriented writing or keyword articles. The law of supply and demand is a hard one to break, so I've delivered accordingly. Between the parenting articles I write for a certain daily, the articles and stories I submit to different publications, and my regular daydream about writing my own book, there is a steady stream of ads for keyword articles I respond to. It's a real hoot. You get to write about a variety of topics you really have no business writing about, but thanks to the internet, you can easily affect expertise if you know how to research.
Basically, the job is like accomplishing a writing assignment for school. You are given the requirements and you meet them. Anybody who has a pretty good command of the English language can do it. Usually, you have the number of articles to write, a list of keywords, a deadline, and minimum number of words. It's up to you how you'll go about churning out the articles. You can spend as much time as you want writing the entire set, but since you've been given a rate per article, it's wise to make the entire process cost effective. Make sure that your article is grammatically sound. As for the actual content, some clients require that it be informative while some are more concerned about the placement of the keywords (every hundred words at most, but the rule of thumb here is: the more, the better, but keep it from sounding ridiculous) as the desired end is a boost in search engine rankings (search engines do not read messages, they merely perceive the frequency of the appearance of key phrases, so they're all about quantity, not quality when it comes to keywords - let's not go into search engine algorithms as it would be a case of the blind leading the blind).
I don't involve myself in posting, so the HTML layout and the question of whether meta tags are acknowledged or not are not my concern. I do have to come up with the title and it's all about phrasing once again: keyword and title formula, basically.
Two parting messages:
- Plagiarism is not only illegal, it also doesn't get you paid, so steer clear of copy-and-pasting. :)
- Don't sell your time and effort (let's not even mention talent) cheap. Job ads offering $3 per 500-word article is a blatant insult.

Personal Blog Is Inundated with WAHM Posts

hence the birth of another blog with its focus on WAHMing. Spinninglovelydays will still feature paid posts or wahm posts as I call them, but the majority would end up here. I'm quite excited about this. There are many financial ventures that I want to publicize somehow, but I feel that they would take away from the desired feel of the blog. In this case, I think the separation of my SAHM identity from my WAHM one will work well. For one thing, the discussion of money troubles does not a lovely day make and as the other blog is mostly about "rainbows and bunnies",financial woes definitely have always had a hard time fitting in well.
Besides monetizing this blog, I also intend to post job ads, referral links, WAHM tips, business ideas, and perhaps some personal content related to my experiences as a work-at-home mother. If you are interested in these things (you need not be a WAHM yourself), drop by often and feel free to share thoughts, advice, ideas, etc. They will all be much appreciated. Let's help each other beat the financial crisis befalling most single income families.