The Journey. It’s Mine. [Raine’s Mom, Problogger, Techie-wannabe, Wheelchair-Traveler]

Well I shouldn’t really complain. He he. I’m just grateful the typhoon didn’t hit the bicol region. Otherwise, I would have been in deep shit. Not only in my online commitments, but also in so many ways. What I might have saved from Milenyo, Frank would have taken in a whirlwind.

I am still a work in progress in not caring about some sentimentalities. I still feel bad throwing away the photos, books and stuff of importance to me. The appliances, shoes and clothes (and even the roof!) we lost then…I know I can replace those in no time, somehow. But the letters, the cards, the photos and the likes I had to throw away? That was just horrible.

This time when Frank was threatening bicol, I told my mother to let stuff be. Don’t get tired putting those in a safe place where they hopefully won’t get wet or blown away. It’s better to be detached that way I guess. If the storm wrecked us, we just save ourselves, our wallets and our important documents.

Thankfully it changed direction. But that doesn’t mean I’m happy. Frank wrecked Manila, Cavite, Bulacan and Zambales. I have friends and family in those places. Any natural disaster is not something to be rejoiced about, really.

Of course I panicked. Some people received my panic as well. I had an anxiety attack, just thinking how long the internet and electricity will be restored, knowing how things are in bicol — I just couldn’t breathe for a few minutes! Besides, since I have been online at home, I slacked at budgeting and planning my online times. When disasters strike, I have not a post scheduled in advance. He he. I never learn — and now I’m blaming the crappy connection. Ha ha! Seriously? This connection is the crappiest. I’m switching to the other network , very very soon.

Okay… i better go to work now.

Well…I am not in a any category as the bloggers that Matt Richtel talked about in his In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop, NY Times article.

Two weeks ago in North Lauderdale, Fla., funeral services were held for Russell Shaw, a prolific blogger on technology subjects who died at 60 of a heart attack.

In December, another tech blogger, Marc Orchant, died at 50 of a massive coronary. A third, Om Malik, 41, survived a heart attack in December.

Other bloggers complain of weight loss or gain, sleep disorders, exhaustion and other maladies born of the nonstop strain of producing for a news and information cycle that is as always-on as the Internet.

I love what Larry Dignan wrote at ZDNet:

Let’s put a little perspective on this blogging thing. You could be getting shot at in Iraq. You could be a single mom working three jobs to stay afloat (Happy Birthday mom). You could work in a coal mine. You could be in a life and death battle with Leukemia.

You could be doing any one of thousands of high-stress jobs. Sure, the Web has a lot of stress but let’s get real: If you’re stressed out over 5,000 RSS feeds chances are good you’d be stressed by any profession you chose.

The point I was trying to make was that nothing (certainly the deaths of Russell and Marc Orchant and Om’s heart attack) exist in a vacuum. You have to take care of yourself.

I agree. Whatever your job is, you’ve got to take care of yourself. Also, like what I have always believe in, your job is not the be-all and end-all of your life. Life isn’t just all work, you gotta have a real life as well, and find the balance that works for you.

(more…)

busy, busy. we are busy bees.

my internet connection cannot keep up with me!

ha ha ha.

I thought my “other” readers finally came out of lurking! He he. As it turns out, I don’t have 13 new readers at all. Ha ha ha.

Dream on, Glo. This isn’t a Wilmington real estate, for crying out loud! Ha ha ha.

Only 13 new spam comments that slipped through the “filter”.

It’s raining hard again…YOU have a nice day!

…usb flash drive!! At least you used to.

I spent a year here, scourging all the internet shops with only a usb flash drive in hand. Finally it gave in and went kaput. By that time, I already have my own PC.

It may be a laughing matter that I brought all my PC set to my friend’s internet shop. But that actually happened to me, no kidding. I was desperate then, electricity wasn’t restored at home. Desperate times called for desperate measures!  Then my favorite internet shop in Sorsogon closed down after the super typhoon…ay yay yay.

I have no more usb flash drives but I have an Eee PC already. But I don’t go out anymore, I can go online at home now, remember? What a journey to get here…who says working at home is easy-breezy?!

I was burning the midnight candle and then everything fell apart in the weekend. I almost lost my modem (that is feeling the wear and tear of intensive use in the last year) and then Smart’s data network went unavailable the whole weekend. I first thought it was purely a technical problem, only to find out that I also overlooked a remaining balance from last month.

THEN, services wasn’t restored right after paying the bill. It was already late at night when the services went back (SMS, Internet, Voice Calls). I was already tired and just wanted to go sleep. Sleep and eat. Sleep and sleep. And SLEEP!

Maybe I need another vacation! But this time without Raine! Ha ha ha. THAT and some energy pills!

Hart-Empire-Network (owner of the Battling Arthritis which I author) is looking for immediate bloggers who can take on its existing Battling for Health blogs, namely: Battling Cancer and Battling Alzheimer’s.

I would have applied in either one, but I am really swimming in health blogs already. He he he. (I’m not complaining here!)

If you think you are the blogger that Hart is looking for, send your application ASAP and click that link, now!

Here I go again, lost in the world wide web. Each time I get online, I end up getting lost. Like for example I would start by checking my emails (and replying) and then would go to reading my RSS subscriptions (which is a LOT, my waking hours is not enough to read all even on a daily basis).

And then of course once I start reading other people’s blogs, that’s when I start getting astray. The moment I start clicking hyperlinks in one blog post, the clicking wouldn’t stop. And on the side I have google always open in one tab and while reading I will search google for a word or a term, whether related to what I am currently reading or not. That, or whether a word or topic or a name pops on inside my head.

(more…)

If I can help it, I’d rather be done by Friday night here. It just is difficult to squeeze in on the short weekend if you are 1 or 2 posts short of the quota.

Hooray for long weekends. But since I work freelance, 3-day weekends don’t really affect me. Does the opposite actually. Before we left two weeks ago, I had to future-publish a week-long post. Even then, one blog suffered.

The stress took its toll, now I am always a day behind if not more. He he. I know I’m slacking. But I kind-a like it. I don’t wanna be stressed out this early in the year!

Tamad-tamadan. Shake that out Glo!

By this time, I am already crossed eyed after saving blog posts scheduled to publish the whole of next week.

My head hurts a lot too. Maybe because I am wearing a 2 week-old pair of eyeglass (new frame, new lens) that still hurts behind my left ear.

But then, with 8+7+8=23 blog posts, anybody will be cross-eyed!

One of the many that freelancers have to deal with when going on a real vacation: no internet access, no updating blogs, no checking emails, etc. — I certainly hope so!

This night, the whole day tomorrow (but with all my last-minute errands will only be 2 to 4 hours left) and tomorrow night are the only time I have left to make blog entries for future publishing.

3D/2N in Bohol and the rest of next week in LB, Raine and I leave for Manila on Saturday afternoon.

As of this entry, I only have 1 blog covered. I have 4 problogs remember? At this rate I’m going, I may make a mistake of saving entries into the wrong blog.

That almost happened today.

Well…there’s the first week of February to correct such errors. He he.

Before, they just copy your blog contents with just a link to your original entry.

Now…they even take a screen shot of your blog on top of the contents copied from you.

*term not mine but somebody from b5media’s Science and Health Channel

No 13th month pay nor performance bonus. But this blogger basks in the no-money-can-buy (naks!) recognitions across this vast blogosphere.

(I should be forgiven for not finding out and writing about these sooner.)

1. There was 2006 Top Pinoy Probloggers and there was 2007 Top Pinoy Probloggers. Though I dropped too many notches from the first one, I am still included. Thankfully.
2. Clem of Archer Rantings recently awarded me with The Lions Roar Award. I still have to think about it bit to whom I will forward the awards to.

Well, these definitely are a great tap on my shoulders, additional inspiration to make the top bloggers lists this year.

Noticed that I removed the words “daragang” “magayon” in the title of this blog? Because the words are triggering some bad-adult words in the Google Adsense link ads appearing in a green strip on top of the first 3 or so blog entries.

After renaming the blog title several times, same thing happens still. Then I realized that it must be my domain name.

BUT, I don’t want to change domain names and all. I had the Google Adsense links ads removed.  I haven’t earned a cent from Google Adsense anyway (if you can call the 20$ in 4 years an earning!), at least not enough for me to get paid.

Although, I you click the permalink of each blog entry, you’ll still see some related Google Adsense related ads on the right side bar.

Yet again, another special mention about me by Manay Reyz at Banco de Reyna. Visit his her blogs!

Manay Reynz is teaching his her readers the tricks of “social climbing” and earning money online. He he. In a funny but good way.