Take Us Back to the Garage!!!

I love music. I'm a real music fiend. I really don't get how I didn't get even a sprinkling of talent in this area when I love it so much. I had to stay in the periphery of the '90s band scene because I can't be in the band myself. I got to say I'm with the band a lot (a very mild groupie, lol) as a friend, a roadie, and later as a girlfriend. I know I married a musician, but life meddled and somehow we found ourselves out of the band scene. I think we can go back though, go back to our roots...

Lhasa Apso Puppies for Sale

male


female


female


father


mother

Okay, here it is about the puppies. My husband is helping his sister sell her Lhasa Apso puppies. These pictures were taken in May.

Details:

• born April 11, 2009
• 2 females at Php6k each and 1 male at Php5k
  
• dewormed
• vaccinated
• given daily vitamins
• no papers (mom has papers; dad doesn't)

Email spinninglovelydays[at]gmail[dot]com or call (63)919-612-5191 if interested. Thanks.

Slow Week?

WAH life started out slow this week. I got used to opps flying past from all directions and my problem was judiciously choosing the ones that would benefit me most and would be doable in the time I allot for WAH. I hope it picks up soon. Anyway, as soon as I get some details ironed out, I think I might be selling another car here. Maybe even puppies. I'll confirm with Husband as he's really the one in charge of it.

Working with Lolcats

My back hurts like the dickens. I was forced to work sideways to accommodate Marguerite who insisted on watching lolcats videos on the computer with me. Today of all days, I had to take on 11 MyLot tasks and two paid post opps. First, Marguerite is spooked by the heavy rains and strong winds, so she had to stay within cuddle reach. The winds wreaked havoc with the cable connection so the TV's out of commission. Then because I didn't listen to my guts, I had to deal with, first, soiled underpants, and then wet underpants (shortly after giving her a bath too) that also resulted in a veritable flood. Fine day. Except for my poor back, I'm not really complaining.

More Talk about Hair

Okay, this is a very touchy subject for me. My hair is one probably one of the most unmanageable on the planet, so tread carefully. Apparently, we'd like to know more of your thoughts on hair and the troubles they cause, which in my case, is a life of bad hair days.

In the Occasion of Multiple Paid Post Opps in One Day

My personal blog is experiencing an influx of paid posts (good for the WAHM, but it might turn off my readers). Anyway, the other annoying thing about paid posts is the rule that a paid post cannot be preceded or succeeded by another paid post. And the posts before and after the paid post have to be legitimate posts and not just some space filler. What do I do then? Well, it's a pain, but I'm compiling some posts, most of them memes (haha), so I don't need to compose something from scratch in case I can snag 3 opps in one day.

A Hairy Topic

I have a bad hair life. I've constantly written about this in newspapers and magazines. It's practically impossible to style it since it's too thick, too frizzy, and, well, just too-too. I usually deal with it by tying it or braiding it. If I let it loose for more than an hour, the thing will expand to about 10 inches around my head. Yes, hair is definitely a delicate matter to take up with me.

What's the Buzz on Memorial Day?

So I was watching the Today Show the other day and they had two guests answering all sorts of trivia questions about Memorial Day. I didn't know it was called Decoration Day before. That little bit might come in useful in my next round of Trivial Pursuit.

Turning Down a Part-time WOH Opp

I received a call from the school I considered working for last year. They need another part-time Spanish teacher. While a regular income would definitely make things much more comfortable for us at this point, I think I'll have to beg off again as our setup will not allow it. My experience with nannies certainly left me helper-shy. I don't think I can leave my daughter with such regularity in anybody's care other than her grandmothers'. My MIL works full-time while my mom has her hands full being my sister's caregiver. Anyway, it shouldn't be their problem and since I'm not ready to entrust the care of my daughter to anybody else, I have no choice but to stay home. It's not that I don't want to. I want to, but the money thing is an important factor to consider. We can still manage anyway, so it's not really an issue.

Wanted Fulltime, Work-At-Home Content Editor

Got this from one of my writing egroups. Can't do full-time so I'm not even bothering to apply. :)

***
We are looking for an experienced editor who will work full-time but on an online, work-at-home basis.

This is not a employment arrangement. This is a service arrangement.

This is an urgent requirement.

You must able to provide or have ALL of the items listed below. Seriously, please DO NOT apply if you do not have at least ONE of the following:
1. you must allocate at least 8 hours of work a day
2. you have a landline-based DSL at home. Wireless DSLs at home or working at internet cafes are not applicable
3. you do NOT have a full-time work
4. you must have writing and editing experience.
5. you must provide us with previous articles you wrote
6. you can attend physical/in- person meetings and travel to Ortigas Center on short notice
7. you are currently living in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces
8. you are very proficient in MS Word and Powerpoint
9. immediately available for work

You have an advantage if you have:
1. CorelDraw experience
2. Management experience

The hired editor will:
1. be provided with training
2. be assigned with a high-end workstation to be used at his/her home
3. 14,000 to 20,000 pesos a month NET compensation
4. in 6 months time, possible additional income from revenue share of company sales which is normally 10 - 30% of the monthly salary.

You scope of work includes:
1. Source books for content from bookstores, publishers and authors. You will be communicating with authors who are mostly U.S. based
2. Edit the output from the in-office content-production and ­management staff.
3. Liaise with book authors and publishers to source books and have content approved by them for further use as necessary.
4. Transform edited and approved output of content into the various formats (or supervise staff handling the creation of these formats).
5. Broadcast final output to subscribers on a weekly basis.
6. Oversee the operations of the in-office content-production and ­management staff.
7. Coordinate and liaise with non-fulltime staff regarding their output and remuneration.
8. Manage the company blogs and social media accounts as assigned.
9. Assist in social marketing efforts as required.
10. Liaise with subscribers to deal with their content-related issues.

If you think you are qualified, please email the following to jojy at bizsum dot com:
1. answer 'Yes' to all 9 requirements
2. attach sample work
3. resume

If you have any questions, please do not post in the thread. Just email me straight.

Interviews will begin immediately as we receive the emails. Thanks
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's another one:

Looking for writers.

Must be Internet-savvy. SEO knowledge a plus pero kung hindi okay lang.

E-mail your resumes to admin (at) jonasdiego (dot) com.

A Career in Blogging

I started another blog. It's over at Momcenter. I'm not certain it was such a hot move since I can't monetize it. I do enjoy writing the posts, but with my limited time online (self-imposed since I obviously have other, more important things to do), maybe it's not very smart time (and writing effort) investment. I have included hyperlinks to my personal blog, so hopefully, it would at least generate hits. Anyway, it's not like I update it everyday, so I guess it's basically okay. I'm thinking of starting two more blogs (monetized ones, of course). I've had the idea knocking about in my head for months now, but procrastination is a hard habit to break. I'm thinking about trying out wordpress, but I'm not sure if I have the energy to learn features and stuff. Not that I already understand all of Blogger's.

Let's Talk Some More About Celebrities

I didn't realize I disliked so many celebrities. I don't even really like Oprah (nor do I dislike her... all the time), but I was forced to answer her in some of the questions below. They're certainly turning me off tweeting just because they're so into it.

The Fusion of Twitter and YouTube

Tweeting is all the rage and clearly not one of the few I've succumbed to. I'm wondering if I should join in though, if it should bring more hits to my blogs. Hmm, to tweet or not to tweet...

Online Opps

So I was thrilled to land a $10-paid post gig from PayPerPost this morning. I really feel grateful for that. PayPerPost usually doles out $5 ones for blogs of my pagerank (but lately, most of the opps average at $2. I take the opp if it's not too demanding, like 25 words and 1 link wouldn't bad for that amount.) Blogvertise pays higher, but opps come sporadically. I've also been taking advantage of tasks from myLot. Tasks are easy to do and instructions are pretty straightforward, so I grab as many tasks as I can. That's all I can share about online earning for now. :)

Marguerite Is True to Form

Trust Marguerite to be awake for my scheduled business call. One of my contacts in my WAH world got in touch with me about a company he's starting. We scheduled to talk over Skype at 7:30am (my time) so he could explain the concept to me. It sounded like a good idea and something I'd be interested in being involved in. I would have understood it better though if a certain cutie-patootie had not woken up at 4am, waking me up as well in the process, and/or if I had opted to eat something before the call, lol. Anyway, I may be turning over a new leaf in my WAH life. Hope this works out.

Tweeting Celebrities

Remember when celebrities didn't even know what Twitter was? Now, it's all the rage and people who've been into it in the past are kind of losing interest in it because of all the hype.

Be True to the Link Exchange

Okay, here's the thing. I earn money from my blogs so it makes sense for this post to be here. Whenever somebody asks to exchange links with me, I always oblige. My former students will tell you that I have a hard time saying "no" anyway. People who know me will also tell you that it's very rare for me to take the initiative when it comes to such things as link exchanges (like in social network sites, I usually get add-me requests and not the other way around). I'm not exactly unfriendly, it's just that my efforts are geared towards other things. If you ask for a link exchange or to be added in my contacts list, I'll probably agree to it. Anyway, I think it's a little unfair for people who approached me for a link exchange to just drop me off their list willy-nilly, especially if they're somebody I personally know. Of course, they don't owe me an explanation and neither do they need my permission to take my link off their blog, but it still feels a little unfair considering that their links remained on my blog (I already took them off, but not before letting a few weeks after discovery pass to make sure that the deletion is permanent and not some techie glitch I'll never understand) long after they'd removed mine. Anyway, it just feels like being one-upped even if it probably wasn't deliberate.

More on Susan Boyle

I know I already posted about Susan Boyle here, but since I'm a true blue Les Miz fan, I will post a conversation here (pls join in) that mentions this amazing Scottish singer. She reminds me of Paul Potts, who's another wonderfully surprising singer who wowed everybody on the same show.

Marikina Property for Sale

My mom is selling her property in Marikina. It's 380 sqm., right smack in the main business district. It's walking distance to the market, the sports center, Blue Wave, Robinson's Supermarket, the city hall, and the river parks. It's adjacent to Sumulong Highway and parallel to Shoe Ave. It's a great commercial location. She's selling it for Php 10 million, but that's negotiable. If you're interested, send me an email at spinninglovelydays[at]gmail[dot]com or contact me at (63) 927-877-6444. :)

MyLot Tasks

Hi. I waited a while before posting about this online earning opp. Anyway, you all see my MyLot invitation on the side bar, right? MyLot is like a forum-cum-social networking site and it has added a new feature to help members earn the payout amount more quickly. Basically in MyLot, you earn money by participating in discussions. Now, I admit you really have to be active to hit payout monthly, but MyLot has just added a feature wherein you can accomplish tasks and earn a bigger amount. Tasks are simple and take little time to finish. The ones I've encountered so far involve research and writing and the research part can be done by anybody. I had to wait for my task to be approved and my reward added to my account before recommending it to you guys. Anyway, if you're a WAHM and looking for ways to earn some money online, you might be interested in doing this.

More Music Convo for Ya

How come I can't muster enough enthusiasm and interest for this season's American Idol? I watch when I can, but I was certainly more into it in the past. Oh well.

Update on My WAHM Life

So I've finally had some WAHM gigs come my way lately. For one, that translation and voice recording thing has turned out to be a recurring thing, albeit sporadic. I've had some irritating things happen to me though. A post I'd made for this other paid blogging site was not approved for reasons that are not valid. They kept on pestering me to edit the post to include a certain requirement, which I had already met in the first place. Anyway, we emailed back and forth a few times. I don't think they could keep track of our exchange though since it started over a couple of times until I just gave up on them. I've also received a couple of requests from somebody I used to get transcription work from, but I got no follow-through from her. This was really annoying because it was she who contacted me first and I'd always had the courtesy to reply, even providing translation sample in one case. Now, she's not like an official representative from a company, from whom I'd still have expected a reply except it would have been more understandable not to hear from somebody like that again since it would not have been all personal. This girl however has been more like a friend although we've never met (she's in another country), but we've chatted and we're in each other's friends' lists in your token social networking sites. You'd think she'd be more considerate. Oh well, let's see if she ever contacts me again for another favor. If she does, then she's probably just really scatty or thick. Anyway, I'm just venting.

A Rockin' Convo

I missed American Idol last night, so I can't really critique anybody's performance. I can say though that Adam's tricks can get old really soon.

Switching Off for an Hour on March 28

This WAHM is supporting Earth Hour.

Nirvana Was Not Rap Metal

Yes, I was surprised that Alexis Grace went home. Personally, I think Megan Joy is overstaying, but what can you do? There's always that site, votefortheworstwhatsit, to consider. Remember Sanjaya?

I Consider This Convo a Nudge

I need to lose weight... I mean, right now, before I get any heavier or it causes health issues...

A Convo about the Philippines

Questions relating to the Philippines...

Disease and WAHing

Hi there. It has been a while. It's mostly because I don't really have a regular WAH gig right now. Also, I was out of commission for over two weeks having suffered a slipped disc and a vile bout of the chicken pox. Because of said maladies, I had to welsh on two of the parenting articles I had been assigned to write. Now, I'm obsessed about getting rid of these hideous scars. Any tips?

Asian dNeero-ites

I think some convos are going to be region-specific...

200 Words for $.50? Come ON.

Gosh, what's with the recent opps offered at these paid blogging sites? Any lower and you can't call it paid blogging anymore. Opps used to not go lower than $5, but now Rank 2 blog authors are lucky to snag $2 opps. Man, to reserve or not to reserve...

Hello There

Hi. Still here, just not wahmming a whole lot lately. Basically, I'm obsessed about finding paid blog post gigs since I don't really feel like finding a regular writing gig again. With Marguerite down with the chicken pox, it's even clearer that it's gonna be very hard to commit to something regular.

The Influence of Music

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