What is a blog and why do I blog?

I recently felt concerned at a comment a friend made on her blog.

"With reyna's blog kasi parang DAPAT I-FOLLOW kasi sya palang kilala kong blogger. honestly, if she isn’t my friend, i wouldn’t link her here."

Jeeesh! I never even asked her to link me up so why the comment like that? You have your free will naman to link kung sino gusto mo i link or not. She can remove me from her list and that will be fine with me. Di nya kelangan pilitin sarili nya just because she knows me.

I had to re read her blog post thrice to understand her opinions. Yeah, I get it. She was tired of seeing commercialized and monetized blogs. But I somehow felt it was a direct hit for me.

She wrote:

So I had to post a comment and react. I didn't think it would take this long.  

I used to write just to rant. It was during the time when I was the only one reading my blog. I wrote useless pathetic diary like rants of how happy I was for a sweet corn, how tired I was of my call center job, how angry I was at my brother or how I hated my friend's boyfriend. Reading back, I'd think these anecdotes are funny. 

Even if we say that people shouldn't judge other people, we can't change the fact that what we wrote today about some gross story about something we did before....... may somehow one day be used against us specially if one will think career wise. The internet is a powerful tool. To each our own kung anu anong info ang pwede naten i share sa world of blogging. But you also need to remember that Blogs are public space. It's like writing your story sa bulletin board where everyone can hear or read you. Nasa sa iyo ang decision if what you wrote is how you want to be portrayed to the world and if sa tingin mo your reader's can learn or benefit from everything you said.

Why do I blog? After I bought my own domain and paid for space to be heard (or listened or read)...... I came to the decision to post only topics and infos that can de-clutter my head from work, bring smile to my readers and share infos of what I learned. Meeting a few blogging friends and getting invites and freebies from events are also a few of the added perks of blogging.

Chatting is different from blogging. Writing from the heart is also different from writing with content. If you are the only one reading your blog, keep a diary. If you need an update central for your friends, chatmates, and relatives keep a social networking site and post alot of pics. But if you would like to share and write infos worth of your reader's stay in your web space and keep them coming back because they like what you wrote and they learned something, maintain a blog with useful content.

If you wanna know more about me, in a very personal level, you should meet me in person. Coffee tayo and let's share stories. ^_^

Some strong words you might say. Maybe I had to be mentioned in her blog and in her words "publicly criticized" to come out where I was hiding and blurt my brains out. Reading her post somehow gave me a challenge. I have been away from blogging for a month. Simply because I refuse to write while I was sad and emotionally stricken. I am still not ok. I am still lovesick.... but I will try to post more these coming days.

So going back to my title.... what is a blog?
Blogs are websites that are organized by blog posts. Anyone with an idea can start a new blog with the click of a button and share individual news stories. Blogs should reflect your unique perspective. Blogs give people like us the power of the media.

So with that said, maybe we can reflect on what are the topics we could write about. Some blogs just contain emotional rumblings... some readers can relate to that... but have we learned anything? I can say that you write well and compose great paragraphs and coherent thoughts yeah. But after reading, did it help me in some ways?

After diving into the blogging fad, I guess we should also know how to make the most of our blog. For me, I always try to put myself in my reader's shoes as someone looking for information. My blog right now maybe a smorgasboard of information since I am fascinated about alot of things. But there are a few niches enumerated by Calvin at Most Lucrative Niches for Casual Blog that you will find helpful in your blog.

Here is a very informative video for those who have no idea what a blog is and how to start one.


Have a good day! ^_^

Blogging using Windows Live Writer

This is a test post using Windows Live Writer….. 

It’s a cool blogging tool pala!… It was cooler to use than the standard "Post" function of blogger. Adding pictures and videos to your blog is also way way easier!.

Right there I was also able to edit the picture and placed in some effects and watermark. Placing watermark on my owned pics were usually a hazzle kasi I need to open pa another software, edit the picture and then post it on the site. Using Windows Live writer, I was able to blog, post pic immediately, crop, tilt  and edit pictures and do some watermarking in the same screen! There is also a function to insert a table, a google map or even an album. Neat! ^_^ Hmmm…. I wonder if I can open live writer at work?


PS: Since it was already installed in my work lappy, yes I was able to open it at work! Yey!

How Clutter Free is your Desktop?

I am such an OC!.... I want everything in it's rightful place. Pati sa computer desktop ko, naging ganito na ko ka OC. I like staring at my work laptop and not seeing alot of files scattered in the desktop. There are only 3 icons, a Recycle Bin, the TEMP folder where I keep the files that I need to work on for the week and the URGENT folder where I keep the files and projects that I need to work and finish immediately. I also have google apps that let's me see the status and performance of my computer, a calendar, a weather app, and direct links to MS Office and common drives. How do you manage and keep your computer files? Share some tips on the comment box below.

Click on the picture for a clearer pic.

 And oh!... This cute puppy wallpaper keeps me happy everyday!... ^_^

Btw, my laptop desktop used to look like this...... Meet my Desktop.

What Cool Things can you do with MS Office 2010?

Being a heavy email user at work, I personally love the new 2010 Outlook. It has a conversation viewer that expands emails by conversation even if it was saved in different folders or pst. This trims out unneccessary saving of the exchange of emails. Meeting calendars are also stremalined. It shows a preview of your calendar before accepting a meeting invite.


http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/redir/va101842280.aspx

How to Convert and Upload Videos for Ipod

I bought my Ipod Touch last month and yet it was only now that I was able to figure out how to add videos to it.
According to iPod's page, these are the technical specifications for a video to play in Ipod:

    Video Format: MP4, MOV, M4V
    Video Size: up to 640x480
    Video Framerate: up to 30fps
    Video Bitrate: up to 1.5Mbps for H.264, or 2.5Mbps for MPEG-4
    Audio: AAC up to 160Kbps, 48kHz

Ipod accepts MPeg4 video formats and the videos and movies I download from the net are usually in AVI format. So to be able to watch videos on Ipod we need to convert them first.

Here is what you need:

1. Copy of the video/movie to be added to Ipod.
2. You need iTunes to sync the videos from your pc/laptop to your Ipod Touch.
3. A software converter to convert the video.
Converting a movie usually takes an hour or more depending on how big the file is.
I tried Videora converter but it seems that their user interface is very complicated and I can't find the convert button. I found Next Video Converter on the net and installed it. Next Video Converter is very user friendly. I mean, you dont need any technical know how to be able to operate this converter however, it really does take me a long time to convert a movie. So I search the net again for another converter and I found Any Video Converter. This one is very good because aside from being idiot- friendly, after only 5 mins the conversion status is already 60%. Today is only the first time I was able to convert a video using Any Video Converter. I will have to check later the quality of its output and blog about it. Meanwhile you can download it here.

After converting the video....
You need to open iTunes and add the converted file.
Then click SYNC to sync the media files.

My New Toy.... Ipod Touch 3Gen

Gone are the days of my addiction to texting. I love the freedom of not having to call or text here in the US. I was not obliged to reply to anyone because I did not get my phone's roaming activated. At the same time, I'm loving my new toy. I bought it this week and this baby keeps me awake everynight playing Plants vs. Zombies!. ^__^ Today, I got it uploaded with alot of apps, games and books. Now I know that I will not get bored on the 18 hrs. travel back to Manila. I wish the battery life is longer though.... Maybe because I've been wi-fi-ing the whole time.

Adidas MiCoach Launch at Bonifacio High Street

I received an exclusive invite to attend the launch of Adidas MiCoach at Bonifacio High Street. A gadget that promises to make you "Run Yourself Better". It was a cool gadget like a virtual trainer that inspires runners to keep running based on their preferred program. 

"Every runner is different, every heart is unique. Imagine having a personal trainer that listens to your heart and pushes you to your limit. MiCoach tracks your heart rate while you run, measures your time and distance and then give you real time audio feedback. Look better, feel better and be a better runner. "  - Adidas MiCoach

Yes, that is DJ Rico Robles of Monster Radio RX 93.1.

There was also a demo of how the Adidas MiCoach works.

At the end of the event, I was inspired to step into another challenge, lace up my running shoes and gear up into a healthy lifestyle. Last time I had the motivation, it only lasted a week. Now, I am hopeful that I can do this longer. By next month, I plan to join running events but before I do that I need to practice. Wish me luck!!!

What happens to your Online Presence After you Die?

For the last few months, I have been spending more time in the internet than going out and doing things. This made me miss opportunities for meeting new people and new friends. I regret to say that I spent more time Facebook Stalking, Blog reading, picture uploading and virtual Tweeting. Heck, I know some people who can't live a day without Facebook or Twitter!
Now, have you ever thought what happens to your internet presence after your death? Are all your emails gone forever? Who will update the status of your Twitter or Facebook now that you are gone? Actually, I happen to have a dilemma on who will post articles on my blog and what will happen to my domain because I know that after I fail to pay the yearly fee it will be lost forever! Gee! I'm so OC!

I guess you have not thought about this situation considering the fact that many of us would not want to die nor even think about it. It's just so morbid. But we also need to know that dying is inevitable and we cannot avoid such situation.

So, there are actually 2 options to deal with your internet presence after your death.

1. Dont worry about it since it will not affect you in any way! Of course, your gone, why do you still need to stress about it.
2. Or make sure to create a system or last-will testament so that your near ones step up and does whatever you wished to be done on all your online accounts.

TIME has an interesting article on this.

As people spend more time at keyboards, there's less being stored away in dusty attics for family and friends to hang on to. Letters have become e-mails. Diaries have morphed into blogs. Photo albums have turned virtual. The pieces of our lives that we put online can feel as eternal as the Internet itself, but what happens to our virtual identity after we die? It's a thorny question, and for now, the answer depends on which sites you use. Privacy is a major issue. So are company policies to delete inactive accounts.

Hmmm.... should I go back to Scrapbooking instead?

Adolf Hitler frustrated About the Ipad!

After the unveiling of Ipad by Steve Jobs, a video surfaced on Youtube showing Hitler frustrated on its specs. Nanggagalaiti si Hitler na pinagsisigawan ang kanyang mga Generals. Hala kayu Apple! ^_^


Fail!!

Microsoft Office 2010

I am definitely taking my blog to a new level by expanding my horizon and meeting new friends. Last night, I attended an invites only event - The "Microsoft VIP Blogger's Night". It was a technology preview of the MS Office 14. I got to mingle with fellow bloggers and Microsoft folks over free drinks and games. I also got to meet Venice, Calvin and Hannah, a few of the blogs I religiously follow.

Office 2010 was formerly known by its codename, Office 14. As you’ll recall, Office 2007 was codenamed Office 12. Microsoft skipped “13” because it was supposedly suspicious and superstitious about the connotations associated with the number.

As a working person who usually opens email first every morning in the office, I personally love the new Outlook. It has a conversation viewer that expands emails by conversation even if it was saved in different folders or pst which trims out unneccessary saving of the exchange of emails. As well as streamlined meetings. It shows a preview of your calendar before accepting a meeting invite. Here is a quick overview of the Office 14 Outlook.




There are also "oooh" worthy new tricks in the Office 14 Powerpoint. If you would like to see the new look of Office 14 here are the screenshots.The organizers also gave Top "Like" Bloggers a jacket and laptop bag. For all the 100 participants, they gave a goody bag with the Beta installer. You have to have 256 MB RAM and XP SP3 or Windows Vista or Windows 7 OS to install it.

Thanks Microsoft!

"AyPad": Apple Ipad Unveiled!

The latest entertainment device, Ipad. Akala ko spoof pero trulily pala!
This over-sized iPod Touch is 9.7″ across and does what an iPhone can do, and more.
Apple iPad specs:
9.7″ display screen
16Gb to 64GB Flash Drive
1GHz Apple A4 Chip
Bluetooth 2.1
WiFi 802.11n
3G optional (uses new micro-SIM)
10 hours battery life
30 days standby

iPad WiFi 16GB: $499
iPad WiFi 32GB: $599
iPad WiFi 64GB: $699
iPad WiFi+3G 16GB: $629
iPad WiFi+3G 16GB: $729
iPad WiFi+3G 16GB: $829

Microsoft VIP Blogger's Night - Jan. 28, 2010

Last week, while visiting Calvin's Hub I saw an event that is open to all bloggers. I told myself that after blogging for years, it's time I join events and meet alot of people as well as learn as much as I can. Kumbaga, "I level up na to!" ^_^ And what a better first time event than to join the Microsoft VIP Mix Blogger's Night. At first I was hesitant because this is a special event and I was thinking that this is only for selected and "famous" bloggers. It also specifies that ONLY 100 invites would be given away. But after 2 days of thinking, nagbakasali ako and then register and emailed. Yesterday, I received the reply and an e-ticket to tha event! Yey! Ibang Level na talaga to! See you there tomorrow!

Hang Ups...

OMG! Muntikan ko ng baklasin at pakelaman ang 2 year old Sansa MP3 ko.... waaaah!. Nag hang kasi! Buti na lang naalala ko si Mareng Google at tinulungan nya ko hanapin ang solusyon. Abah! Akalain mo, simpleng re start lang pala... and how dyou restart it kung nag hang nga? Simple. Just press the On/Off button for about 15 seconds. And ayun, nag re start na siya. And yep, hindi naman nabura lahat ng music, recordings, photo and videos na nasa device. Salamat Google!....

But you know, what I am really saving up is this...
A Limited Edition Red Ipod Nano 5th generation with special engraving. waaaah.... I really really want this na... But I really have to be a cheapskate for now and stay on my Sansa till I finish saving for this one. And of course.... yung 16GB ang gusto ng echoserang to. T_T

How to Convert Office 2007 files to a 2003 Readable Format

More and more companies are adapting to Microsoft Office 2007. Today at work, I've received reports that were saved as .xlsx using Excel 2007. This is quite annoying especially that my Office Excel version is still 2003 and I can't easily upgrade to 2007. You see, I have a few Macros programmed in 2003 that will not run if the Office installed in my work lappy is upgraded. (And I am so lazy to re program it using FSO! :P). So what I did is searched online and found an answer to my dilemma.

The Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats makes it possible for users of Office 2003 applications to open and edit Office 2007 documents. The latest version of the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats can be downloaded for free from Microsoft. However, it took me 20 minutes to download and install the file format converter from Microsoft. Also, users of the Microsoft Office XP and 2003 programs Word, Excel, or PowerPoint—please install all High-Priority updates from Microsoft Update before downloading the Compatibility Pack.

Another way is also to use other File Converter. I found an MS Excel Conversion and Sheet Manipulation Utility from Softinterface,Inc. It was a cool converter which lets you convert Excel files to and from XLS/XLSX/Text/CSV/HTML/XML without requiring MS Excel to be installed. If you do have MS Excel, 'Convert XLS' will support all file types in addition to TXT, XML, CSV etc. You can download and try their software for FREE HERE!

Polyvore: A tool for Kikays and Fashionista

I've been watching America's Top Model and Philippine Fashion TV since before. I am also a fan of the show "How Do I look?" and it always fascinates me how fashionistas are able to conceptualize the looks of these models. I even wished once to be included in their make-over. ^_^

Anyways, have you ever felt that you're stylista ideas are bursting and you would like to draw them on paper? I do. Sometimes I feel like creating a whole ensemble of clothes and dresses. As I child I used to play Paper Dolls where I also draw their dresses and styled them.

Now I found the perfect website for this. Polyvore.com is a free, easy-to-use web-based application for mixing and matching images from anywhere on the web. It is also a vibrant community of creative and stylish people.

Polyvore lets you create sets composed of individual images using an easy to use, drag and drop editor. After you have created a set, you can publish and share it with your friends and the Polyvore community.

It is often described as "highly addictive" by those who fall in love with its collaging functionality and spend hours creating sets to share with others.

Polyvore offers an unprecedented level of direct engagement with real products and brands, while its social features make it a powerful platform for the creation and distribution of user-generated advertising.


What dyou think of the first inspiration board I designed using POLYVORE.COM?


I also plan to use this website to design the inspiration boards for the products at my shoppe. So please visit my ONLINE SHOPPE for more exciting things to come.

Flat Screen LCD Computer Setup for less than 20K

Before, I used to bring my work lappy to be able to browse the net and blog at home.


But last Saturday, after alot of canvassing and contemplating, I finally bought my very first ... my very own personal computer.
Pag pasensyahan nyu na ko mga friendships... can't afford kasi lola nyu noong nag aaral pa ko. Kaya ngayun lang na napa grad ko na si bro at nakaka work na ko and save for my own saka ko nabibili mga luho na dati ko lang pinapangarap. ^_^ lolAng saya pala manood sa Flat screen anu? Ahaha... Maybe I can start saving for my next project, a 50 inch flat screen TV.

Napapauwi na tuloy ng maaga ang kapatid ko para lang makipag unahan sa aken ng pag bukas ng networking sites.

I bought the computer package for 18 thou (including the softwares). Including in the pacckage are the 19" Samsung LDC Monitor, Logitech speakers, mouse and keyboard, Small tower casing, Intel Atom CPU, DVD RW and 340 HDD. I know it's not meant for hardcore gaming. But for me na net browsing lang lagi at farmtown ang way to de stress.... ok na to. ^_^

Farm Town Addict

I sweared on previous posts that I will not sign-up in Face book. Eventually, I ate my words. lol. This is one of the things that is keeping me busy for 2 weeks.

Achieved Level 18 in 2 days. Walang tulugan yun. Waaah!!! ^_^

Portable Online Identity

If you have signed up with a lot of sites and services, letting people find you on all of them can be a daunting task. Use specialized services like Retaggr or DandyID to create an online identity that is portable and consolidates all your web locations. Your profile can then be easily shared as widgets in blogs, in email signatures, posted to Facebook and more. Retaggr is a free service that allows you to put all your profiles in one place, and much more.

May Facebook na ko!!! ..... err... Now what?

hmmmm..... after all the pressure... I finally gave in. Now what?

Do this qualify for SLR camera?

I have been wishing for a Nikon D60 camera but still has no budget to buy one. I saw this post from Sketches about their very first SLR. I remembered that we have a vintage camera similar to their SLR pic. Being at home, I looked for it and found it neatly stashed in our cabinet. Below is the camera. We used this during my elementary school days circa 1993-1995. I already forgot how it came to my mom's posession. I didn't know if this is a SLR or not. If it is, we did have an SLR camera pala! Nice! I tried searching for it's specs online but no luck. Mas matanda pa ata to sa internet... hahaha.. sobrang vintage. Alam ko wala siyang defects and this should still be working fine pag nilagyan ko ng film at ginamit. But the question is, would this camera still take good pictures? Ahaha... tinakot ko na naman sarili ko.... Naalala ko kasi ang mga pictures sa Movie na "Shutter". Waaaah...toinks! ^_^
The historic East Germany Contax S, 1949, the first pentaprism SLR for eye-level viewing. The single-lens reflex (SLR) camera uses an automatic moving mirror system which permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system, as opposed to non-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly different from what was captured on film. More on Single-Lens Reflex Camera.