Happy New Year 2010

Thank God for the year 2009! Now we are looking at another year in our lives. Happy New Year 2010, everyone! I know you seldom find me here. I haven't visited the blogs of others like I used to. Sorry for that, friends. I can also understand why you aren't here anymore.

So, what happened to me in 2009? Didn't I tell you I am already based in Manila? And I've joined blogging events here too! I met a few bloggers. Some of them hotshots now. But I introduced myself with my real name and my other sites. No Laz or leftover thoughts blogger.

I met Sonnie in Iblog5. I hesitated and was having a hard time approaching him. How should I introduce myself? When you attend events such as this, you can remain anonymous if you maintain multiple blogs, and if you really want to. People will not easily remember real names if you have a name like mine. haha. Sonnie handed me his calling card. But I wasn't ready with mine. I told him my name. But I don't know if he remembers it.

At Wordcamp Manila, I met Bro. Vince. He's one of the first bloggers in my blogroll. And that is like being blogging buddies for almost 4 years. We had some gmail chat before wherein I also revealed my real name. Twas the first time we saw each other in person. We could have talked a little longer but my new buddies were hurrying to leave the place. Coffee next time bro Vince!

In 2009 was Ondoy. Had I stayed home, I could have missed the opportunity of witnessing what a flood in Manila looks like. It ain't easy. And you can't trust your vehicle when the worst comes. I had a flat tire while on EDSA.

In a few hours, it will be 2010. New year's resolution? I haven't prepared one. To lose weight will still be part of that list. Will I be attending more blogging events in 2010? Probably yes. But still no Laz or leftover thoughts blogger. I will come as me.

5 Reasons

Although I already have my Pacquiao vs Cotto results predictions, reading boxing sites led me to think that this fight couldn’t end in a draw. So I gather here 5 reasons why Manny will win. To be unbiased about it, I also come up with 5 reasons why Cotto will win.

5 Reasons why Pacquiao will win:

1. He is too quick
2. He is so powerful
3. He is coached by Roach. (Roached?)
4. Both his parents will witness the fight live. (an added inspiration)
5. He’s simply the best (a cliché from fanatics)

Do you think Cotto will take this fight lightly? Nah! Not in our time. He did not beat Shane Mosley for nothing. So here are 5 reasons why Cotto will win this match:

1. He is bigger and stronger
2. He is bigger and stronger
3. He is bigger and stronger
4. He is bigger and stronger
5. He is bigger and stronger

Sorry for the repetitions, folks. This is the main reason why some would stick by the Puerto Rican. And it's like the mantra of those who predicted a victory for him. But remember, Mosley is way, way bigger and quicker than Cotto when the Puerto Rican champ decisioned him.

And by the way, in my fictionalized version of the Pacquiao vs Cotto round-by-round results, the fight ends in a draw. You don't agree?

Without The Internet...

Without the internet, what would your life be like?



Do I have to answer now? Let me think. Without the internet, I've probably been asleep right now. hehe. It didn't really answer the question. Without the internet, I'd probably be a farmer now instead of a farmtown addict.

Friend, you can answer that too! Share please.

Adsenseless

Adsense is senseless, says a friend. She could not understand how people earn from it because she has the codes (and the ads) for many years now but she hasn't really earned beyond the $10 mark for her to qualify even for the pin code.

Adsense is useless if you only blog about yourself and your personal stuff, says another friend who had crossed over to the SEO side of blogging, and is now enjoying monthly pay-outs.

Adsense is the best make-money online scheme out there, says a young blogger who earns four-digits (on adsense alone) a month. He is not really telling the exact figures. He is discreet about it fearing some sabotage. (yes, there are blackmails and sabotage too)

Well, for me, I got my first pay out 13 months after I installed the codes. If I only relied on this blog, I would have agreed with my friend who ranted on the futility of adsense. I wouldn't even reach my first $10 by now, which is 22 months after I first displayed ads.

Of course, if you are interested to find out some local adsense success stories out there, you wouldn't run out of articles. Some are even earning while copy pasting articles, aggregating blog posts of others, and by even writing crazy stuffs loading them with keywords. Sounds easy, but it is not.

Is It the Coffee?

I drank more than five cups of instant coffee today. Tough meetings and those number-crunching jobs made me thirst for these caffeine-powered drinks. It made me stay awake even at this 3:50 AM.

I am not on night shift. I was never on a night shift. There is no night shift in my present job. But you know what accountants do on the first week of every month -- closing of books, monthly reports and all that. We may go home past midnight but still have to report to work at 8am. "What a life!" if you might complain.

But I'm used to it, working on this same situation when I started out at PWC at age 20. 14 years later and many steps up in the corporate ladder, it is still the same.

It is still the same 3-in-1 coffee that filled my cup, satisfied my lips, and kept me awake. Maybe I should try tea next time.

When Is The Time To Quit?

There are days when you don't understand where you're going. And you just stand still not looking at any direction. You stoop down and gaze at the soil where your feet are planted. You find that you're slowly sinking.

There's an adage that says, "A quitter never wins. A winner never quits". Is it true or is it a fallacy? Your childhood dreams vanish even before you see the light at the end of the tunnel. The road leading to success is closed and the detour leads to the opposite direction.

When is the time to quit, leave this comfort zone, pack up and go where the wind leads you? It's no wonder some took the easier route of taking their own lives.

I Just Dropped My Blogroll

Folks, I just dropped my blogroll! Not a good news really. But I have to do it. Why? It just lead me to some spurious-looking third party site. I'm referring to blogrolling(dot)com.

I don't know what happened to it. But I am not comfortable with it anymore. So, there I just deleted it, along with the links to many of my online friends' blogs. If your link from here is gone, don't be sad. Also, don't throw your flame of fury at me. I'm gonna rebuild my blogroll anyway. Be kind to leave a comment as I had forgotten most of your sites' URL.

What's next? This site needs a lot of repair. And if you have trouble posting a comment, just click on the single post (post title). There is link at the bottom that says "Post a comment". I don't know why it is no longer in my front page. Probably this theme could be blamed for that.

This blog has really strayed farther away, traffic-wise, and in whatever blog statistics available. But I'm keeping this one nevertheless. I have my best posts archived in here.

Goodbye, President Cory!

I learned of her death from the wall messages of my FB friends. I did not bother check the news. It was a sort of expected as her doctors previously said that her time on earth was already limited.

I was still in my elementary school years when she took the power away from the dictator Marcos. I also remembered her battles with coup d'etat plotters and critiques. I don't know much about politics then, but I remembered memorizing the people in her cabinet, because of some school quizzes.

Yesterday I watched on TV her burial procession. It passed right through where I lived in Sucat. Manila memorial was only a kilometer away. But unfortunately, I was in Cebu. I could have witnessed a very important event.

Anyway, may ex-President Cory Aquino rest in peace! May she be installed a hero because I do think she has done a lot for this country. May GMA also learn from her.

To Comment Or Not To Comment

Now where is my comment box? AJ left a message in my chat box saying he could not find my comment box. I too searched for it. I checked my settings and I found out that it's fine. But still, the comment box is missing.

When I first started out blogging, I was too hesitant to leave a comment in someone's else's blog. I felt like I was invading someone else's property and maybe, the blog author was only rambling for his/herself, not expecting a reader to stumble on his/her private world.

Then came my first commenter. I could not exactly describe how I felt. Nah, I did not feel it was intrusive. But it was more of gladness that someone actually dropped by.

That was more than three years ago, and that first commenter had quit blogging. Her last entry was prayer a dated January 2008. I wish her well. The bloggers we've connected with for a long time had become part of us.

Leaving a comment is not just for SEO sake. It is to establish relationship. I know some uses it as a strategy to draw more traffic to their sites. But damn their strategies. The well-meaning comments are most welcome, and these are what inspires us to continue blogging.

For the new bloggers, please don't hesitate leaving a comment here. To the spammers, go to Mars. While I still want to figure out how to resurrect my comment box, maybe, it's now time to change template. I haven't done that for a while.

P.S. To the football fans, USA vs Brazil at the Confederations Cup finals today. USA is looking for another possible upset.

Still No PageRank

Of course, what do I expect? Google had changed its algorithms many times. And I can see that this site no longer enjoyed the traffic and readership it once had. Moreso, I also have few updates here. For this month alone, I only have one update.

Last month, I was surprised I had an opp with PPP. That was pretty tempting task, few words requirement, and the dollars enough to pay for 2 domain names. So I took it. You obviously know what the task is as it is in one of my latest posts.

Pageranks had updated many times already, leaving this blog with fat zero. But I had long ago accepted it. How many times had I posted about it? I'm getting annoying, am I? Haha. But if you know my other blogs, go check it out and read my updates there! I had already stripped my anonymous masks little by little. And besides, I have PR2 in both of my domain blogs. :)

Barcelona Wins UEFA Champions League 2009

Barcelona wins over Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League 2009. The newly-crowned Spanish Champions have shown their class and masterful football by foiling all attempts of FIFA World Player of the Year, Ronaldo, and breaking the Red Devils' defense in their brutal yet fluid attack. Eto'o provided the first goal at the 9th minute. Later in the game, Messi headed the ball beating Van der Sar.

My predictions of the Barcelona vs Manchester United game went to naught. The 2-0 score at the end of regulation was too much for the English Champions. I was really hoping for a comeback, but the I knew the game ended with the first shot that hit the back of the net. Ronaldo and Rooney wasted too many opportunities. Too bad.

I am in a hotel room watching the UEFA Champions League finals. I didn't rent a room. I had no budget for that. I just hitched room from an officemate who came from head office and was billeted in a hotel nearby. I'm so disappointed that the game wasn't even close.

Congratulations to Barca for winning in 2006 and now in 2009! It was really beautiful football!

And So They Banned Blogspot Too!

First it was Friendster. With the Social Network’s popularity, IT administrators thought that they should ban it because those with internet access might just abuse the system and consume internet bandwidth by logging on to the site every minute, browsing the profile of others and/or uploading pictures.

Those with Multiply account initially got away. But then, it did not take long for the site to be blacklisted. Then people went crazy with Facebook (FB). I just don’t understand the difference between Facebook, Friendster and Multiply. Their functionalities look the same to me. Anyway, people joined the FB bandwagon.

Two weeks ago, when I happened to be back at our head office, I noticed some people were opening their Facebook accounts. I recently opened my own FB account but limited my network to only a few of colleagues. Most of them in my friends’ list are my relatives, ex-colleagues and offline friends. Maybe two or three officemates I can tolerate. I checked a profile of an ex-colleague and from there I gathered a long list of current officemates who have FB accounts. Wow! I hope they won’t see my profile. But as of this writing, I already got three invites.

I really didn’t mind FB getting banned. But along with FB, they also banned Blogspot, Flickr and Twitter. My twitter addiction was curbed before it even started. And my race to a million followers will no longer be launched. As to Flickr, I only open the site when I remember it. But most of the time, I don’t remember it. My sites on blogspot, including this one, have very rare updates so the ban is still fine with me. Blogs at wordpress.com are safe. That, I don’t know why.

Who knows maybe next time, they’d ban any domain with the word “blog” in it.

On The Lookout For Another Web Host

This site of mine is using blogspot. I can’t just leave behind something which has over 200 posts and somewhat becomes a part of me over a period of three years. But I have other sites which are self-hosted. I made a decision a year ago to buy my own domain and find a web hosting. It was because of the perception that you’ll have more earning opportunities if you have your own domain. I thought it was just a rumor but I found out that it’s true.

And so I hopped into a host recommended by a friend because it’s cheap. Although I read the reviews from Webhostinggeeks.com, I took a risk. The downside of not following reviews, I experienced plenty of downtimes and lost opportunities. Imagine three weeks of site inaccessibility!

Oh, well! Patience is one of my virtues, though I am just ranting in silence. I am now on a lookout for a second web host, once that is unmetered, has excellent reviews, and can host multiple domains. I am also looking at the best budget hosting there is, the best value at the best price.

For the meantime, I am looking for a shared hosting until I get plenty of traffic. A dedicated server hosting are for sites which generates plenty of traffic daily. A few bloggers I know are on dedicated server hosting because of their enormous traffic. Downtimes are almost nil. Traffic equals money, if you know the tricks of doing it. I might reach that one day. But for now, I have to make the first steps.

And you too should read reviews before jumping into your first or second paid webhost. Check out Webhostinggeeks.com for very excellent reviews of various web hosts.

Shortage of Accountancy Graduates

Is there a shortage of BS Accountancy graduates? It’s been a few years now that we’ve been having difficulty in hiring accounting graduates. Is it just us? An ex-colleague of mine also complained about the same. She finds it hard to hire a bookkeeper. When you go to job websites, there are also plenty of job openings for accounting graduates.

The CPA board exam has started last Sunday. By Tuesday or Wednesday next week, we will already know the May 2009 CPA board exam results and list of passers. A few thousand more will join the rank of the CPAs. I am sure that they will not be left jobless for more than a month. That unless if they decide to rest for a while, or take up law right after passing the board.

Maybe this could also be attributed to the raised standards. You see, some schools impose departmental exams for every level. Aside from that, they require grades of not less than 2.0 in a major subject. The PRC stops the offering of certain schools for BS Accountancy courses if they fail to produce a CPA after a few years of existence.

And perhaps it can also because of the draw of the Nursing field. Every highschooler dreamed of Nursing and all the dollars it can bring. But the reality is, Filipino CPAs abroad have higher pay than Nurses.

Barcelona vs Chelsea

No, I'm not talking about Barcelona brandy. I'm blogging again about a football (soccer) match. Tonight will be the first leg of the 2009 Champion's League semifinal match between Barcelona and Chelsea. So, who do you think will win? If Barca were playing any team other than Chelsea, I would have rooted for them. I love their very fluid attacking play. With Henry, Eto and Messi in the attack, who could repulse them?

Chelsea, on the other hand, is my team thru thick and thin. I thought I'd dump them after Jose Mourinho left them a couple of years ago. But I remained a fan of the team. I can still be a fan of Mourinho too, while he struts his wares in Italy.

In this semis match, I think most favor the Spanish giant to win the finals. But I think otherwise. With Drogba, Lampard and Terry in the leadership roles, the Blues will win it this time in the Barcelona vs Chelsea 2009 Champions League semifinals.

Too bad I have no cable TV. And I would have been willing to forego sleep just to watch this soccer game.

The Boxing Fan

So when did I become a boxing fan? I can’t recall really. I did not become a fan because of Manny Pacquiao or Gerry Penalosa or Nonito Donaire. Don’t mention Flash Elorde as I wasn’t born yet during his prime. We’ll maybe I followed the fights of Dodie Boy then and that of Luisito Espinosa.

Probably because of my uncle who was into martial arts and he watch boxing everytime it was shown on TV. Or was it because when I was still 9, my neighbors got boxing gloves and we were paired to fight off each other in a totally sporty fashion? Brutal grown-ups! I remembered a classmate who threw fists like he was into free-style swimming. There was one who fights like a shrimp, back-pedaling after throwing a punch.

Nah, I wasn’t really into a lot of fights. Only one that I can recall. A classmate threw a challenge and I was even smiling during the bout. He was serious in covering his face and since I was taller he can’t hit my face well. A lucky punch was all it took for his gums to bleed. No, not a tooth flew. It was just a bleeding gum and a red face. I must have hit him badly that his eyes turned red. Whatever that was, I quit, apologized and shook hands with him. I can’t punish anyone even if it’s just for sports.

Ok, that was my boxing story, twenty plus years ago. Don’t ever think I can still box now. Perhaps, only in Wii.

So I decided that I’ll just become a fan of boxing. I’ll root for every Filipino who comes on stage to fight a foreigner. I root for anyone who goes up against De La Hoya. I still think he’s overrated. And Pacquiao confirmed that. I was for Holyfield when he fought against Lewis.

Even in this era of online media and blogging, I can’t help writing about boxing. So friends, if you are reading this, you might want to read also my take on the following fights:

Donaire vs Martinez – April 19, Araneta Coliseum
Pacquiao vs Hatton – May 2, MGM Las Vegas
Peñalosa vs Lopez – April 25, Puerto Rico

For the first two, I think the Pinoy boxers can easily beat their foe. But for Gerry, he faces a very tough young warrior in Juanma Lopez. Still, I’ll root for our kababayans.

3 Years

This blog is now 3 years old. Would you believe that? I can't. I posted my first entry on March 19, 2006. That means that I missed my blog bday by 5 days! No cakes, no fireworkds, and no drinking spree my friends.

By some standards, three years of blogging is like a fifteen years in the trade. There were not too many bloggers then. I am not necessarily one of the pioneers. There were guys like Abaniko and Rudy who were there first in the online blogging world. I don't know what happened to both. Abaniko's last post is dated December 2008. Rudy's domain expired three weeks ago.

Blogging events are rare then and mostly attended by small groups. Most of the blogs I read are from anonymous bloggers, or those with online aliases. Only a few were monetizing their sites, and what we read were mostly personal experiences, and thoughts on certain events or happenings.

3 years is long enough for this blogspot site. I have my own domains now. You can find me there.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) 2009

Most parts of the United States and a few other countries will have to move their clocks an hour earlier because Daylight Saving Time (DST) will start today, March 8, 2009.

DST is getting more light out of the day, especially during summer or spring. Clocks are set one hour ahead during the spring, and one hour back to standard time in the autumn. Though DST is often controversial, its general purpose is to save energy due to less artificial light needed during the evening hours. It also means that you have to wake up earlier, work earlier and sleep earlier. What an adjustment! Others say that DST is for health issues. It is part of healthy living to wake up early and sleep early.

Many countries observe DST, and many do not. The Philippines is not one of them this time. Check this link for the list of countries observing DST in 2009.

The Philippines introduced Daylight Saving Time between the years 1986 and 1998 to conserve energy. I remembered the early weeks of implementation. I was too lazy to rise up early and my parents had to drag me out from bed. First day I was late at school. The second, I was late again. I really did not understand DST then. When it ended, I was already an early riser. Of course, old habits die hard.

But honestly, I don’t really want the clock to be adjusted earlier than usual.

UEFA Champions’ League: Chelsea vs Juventus

Many times I have written about football. But it’s always about a team or a tournament abroad. This one is no different, since it involves my favorite team, Chelsea of UK’s Premier League. It will be Chelsea vs Juventus a few hours from now. They’re fighting for a place for the quarter finals of the 2008-2009 champons League. Too bad I don’t have a TV and a cable connection in my rented room in Sucat.

I remember many times in the past when I got a chance to see a few Champion’s league football matches, every time I visit Manila. Since the hotel room’s got a large TV, I’d sleep early and wake up in time for the exciting games. Back in Cebu, three years ago, on game date I do some officeworks at home, and stay awake for the football games shown at ESPN. Addicted I was really.

Now I have no choice. I thought of renting some cheap hotel rooms just to watch TV. Nah, not worth it! So I’d just dream of the results and imagine how my favorite team is faring against a tough opponent. I imagine a Terry header and a Lampard free kick hitting the net. I imagine Blues all over.

May Chelsea really win this time!

The Day After Valentine's Day

Today is February 15, a day after Valentine's Day. What is so special about it? And what is not? This is the first time me and and wife spent Valentine's Day away from each other.

I talked to her yesterday morning. She was busy with all the ordered bouquets, and the weddings she coordinated in the afternoon. I knew she lacked sleep and she needed me that day.

Me, on the other hand, was driving around the whole afternoon, then returned home only to sleep from 630pm. I woke up at 9pm and tried to call my wife. But my phone won't work. I was too tired to wake up and so I slept again. It was already 130am when I woke up. I called her up again. This time my phone cooperated. She answered with a sleepy voice, "Ah!". I apologized, and spoke words of love and all I heard was the "ah!" reply. Sleepy that I was, I put the phone down and returned to my deep slumber.

This morning I greeted her, apologized once again, and told her how I missed her. She didn't remember me calling her up that dawn. She said she was too sleepy to remember anything.

Tuesday, will be a belated Valentine's celebration for us. She'll fly here in Manila.

When The One You Love Is Far Away

When the spouse is left in the hometown and the other half is far away working, either one could fall into some devil's trap. Loneliness, emotional and physical deprivation, intrigues, rumors and peer pressures could lead to some marital disasters.

I've heard of stories of OFWs cohabiting with fellow OFWs in the foreign land, but returning to their separate families when they return here in the Philippines. And when they go back abroad, they continue to live their lives with their partners, or someone. In Cebuano, "basta naa lang kapahungawan sa kamingaw."

I also heard of a story wherein the husband married a citizen of his destination country just to obtain citizenship. The wife was just sent a divorce paper with the assurance that he will return to her someday when he becomes a full-fledged citizen. And the wife just closed her eyes, signed the papers, and wished him all the best.

Some of my colleagues who were assigned to some others places, frequent bars and massage parlors just to relieve themselves. Some one-night stand they say. Maintaining someone is much more expensive. And they would even pressure me to do the same as if we both stood on the same ground. "Ang swerte mo naman! Wala pala asawa mo dito!" How many times I've heard those same phrase.

But I believe that marital fidelity is not just an option or the last resort. To be faithful to the one you love (whether near or far) - that is how it should be. Living alone in Manila while wifey is in Cebu, poses a lot of challenges. But with God's help, and prayers of support from family and friends, we can overcome.

Valentine's Day romantic thoughts and ideas are floating in my mind right now. I miss my wife more and more now that Valentine's day is fast approaching.

Sports and Everything

This 3 year old blog of mine is filled with posts about sports. Yeah, 34 entries under Sports category. It is my habit to read first the sports section of the newspaper and check espn, philboxing, and yahoo sports every now and them. And when I find an interesting item, I blog about it.

And so I set up a sports blog wherein I could write anything and everything about the different sports I love and are familiar with. I had my own predictions of the Pacquiao vs Hatton boxing fight. If the bout will be held in UK, our own hero is in great danger.

As to tennis, my predictions for the Australian Open 2009 Men's Finals is a match between Roger Federer and Andy Murray. Of course, King Roger will have to win. (With apologies to Rafa fans).

As to my sports life, I guess living alone here in Manila will give me more time to blog and play real sports. I can play badminton every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays. A work colleague set up the pingpong table at our company's warehouse. A basketball court is right there in front of our house in Sucat. But a busy work schedule and laziness are two things that would deter me from getting back into shape.

Google Giveth, Google Taketh Away

This is the third time that Google took away my pagerank for this blog. From previous high of PR4 at the end of 2007, to nil in 2008's latest PR toolbar update. The update happened while we were all enjoying the holidays.

I was actually hoping for a restoration of my PR. I haven't done any paid post for the last six months, rejected some opportunities, and even included rel="nofollow" in most of my expired paid links.

But again, the big G changed its algorithms for the nth time. No need for me to ask for a reconsideration as everything must have been done within their rules. I have also accepted the fact that no PR is needed in this blog as I am not monetizing it with paid reviews. I was just fortunate to have experienced that PR4 and gained around $500 doing paid reviews for 4 months in the past.

Oh, well! It's life. With or without PR, the fun in blogging continues. And it reminds me not to reject paid posts opportunities the next time it comes.