I hate Smart Broadband

I thought Smart is the best internet provider in the Philippines based on their TV commercials. However, it turned out that Smart’s advertisements about speed and being the best are misleading. I’ve been using it for a couple of months now and not once did I experience that 2 mbps they promised. All I get is 10 kbps which is turtle-slow. I’m just wasting my money. No. I actually feel like Smart is stealing my hard-earned money. It’s taking me forever to download songs and games and I can’t even view my blogs properly. I wish there are other options. I want to switch to Sun or Globe but a friend told me those two companies are even worse. Another friend told me that he’s okay with Smart because he gets 2 mbps during off peak hours. Which is so unfair. We’re both paying the same amount and his internet connection is faster than mine. I hate Smart big time. No wonder why the salesman was encouraging me to sign up for a two-year contract. Maybe they wanted to trap me in an agreement where I would pay a thousand pesos monthly for their poor service. Good thing I didn’t bring a valid ID when I applied, ha! My officemate told me i should get PLDT MyDSL instead. It’s not that fast but at least it’s stable.

Costume ideas for my little ones

I know my nephew is only 11 months old and my niece just turned 4 months old, but I already have plans of bringing them to costume parties. I mean, not now, of course. It’s way too early. Maybe when Jazz and Eros turn 3 years old. But it won’t hurt to start thinking of creative costume ideas as early as now, after all, dressing up for Halloween parties require some advance planning, right?

I’m quite sure they are going to love it. Me and their parents have never attended such parties so we want them to experience the excitement of dressing up and mingling with friends. What about a superhero costume for Jazz and a ballerina dress for Eros? Makes me wonder what kind of costume my little ones would choose? Well, in case they are going to opt for violent costume characters, I’m not going to allow them. No bloody, no horrifying, no terrifying ideas, please. LOL. As if I were the parent.

Perhaps I should take them to a shop where every costume is lovely and adorable like Frannys Feet Costumes, what do you think? I think Little Mermaid would look great on Eros because it fits her character well. She’s very pretty and she’s going to be a singer. On the other hand, I would love to see Jazz in a Spongebob costume. He’s going to look cute for sure

A secret blog

Last month, I was itching to write something very negative in this blog but my instinct was warning me I’m going to regret it in the future. Something very personal happened and I’m not supposed to write anything too personal in this blog and so I created a secret blog where all my evil clandestine thoughts will be expressed. I wanted to get a new domain but since I couldn’t afford one at the moment, I decided to sign up for a new WordPress account.

I had this weird idea of writing letters to myself. So all my 6 posts there start with Dear Me and end with Kind regards, Me. I write pretty much about intimate things like what irritates me, what makes me happy, people I hate, people I love, etc. Basically this clandestine blog means freedom to me. I can say whatever I want just like in Manila Street. No limitation. No restriction. No reservation. It’s just me documenting my life in details. Not that anyone is interested in reading my life story, I was just thinking it’s a great way to get even.

Reading my posts there, I can’t help but be amazed, not with my writing style, but with the things I said or wrote. Did I really say these things?

Self-absorbed and very stubborn, I find it somewhat difficult to make friends with people. I have my own world.

You see, even if I grew up in Manila, I still consider my self a province girl …

I swear I’d never see them again forever after that stupid payabangang walang kwentang get-together

Truth is, I’ve long accepted the fact that my eyes are too tiny, my nose is flat, the shape of my face is irregular. cheekbones too prominent, and my teeth are crooked.

Keeping a blog helps me get to know myself really well.

Taking Care of My Eyes

Proofreading is a major part of my job as a QA and having a 20/20 eye vision makes everything so much easier. A few years back, it was effortless for me to spot spelling errors, incorrect font styles, overlapping text, etc. Then, I began to notice some blurred vision last September, 2008. Suddenly, I started to miss errors in quality checking which was so embarassing! I knew I couldn’t continue on doubting my work and that I needed to find a remedy to correct my deteriorating sight.

I immediately visited an optometrist and was disappointed to know that my eye vision had become 20/25. The eye doctor said there is really nothing to worry about and that things are quite as sharp as they are for a person with 20/20 vision. However, she recommended a very mild prescription as it could get worse with age and time especially with the kind of work that I have. I check volumes and volumes of articles everyday and if I want to stay in this job, I have to take care of my eyes.

Adopt a Monster

Presumably because of boredom, I decided to adopt a monster from MoshiMonsters dot com. This monster is a diavlo, a kind of funny, little devil which I named Sternchen. His original colors are black and red but I changed these to light blue and red so as to lessen his scary looks. There are other monsters to choose from but I chose him simply because he keeps on saying “Yeah!” and “Weeeh!” which is so cute.

He speaks a language which I cannot comprehend. It must be Japanese. Sometimes I think it’s German. Good thing there are bubble callouts above his head so I am able to understand what he’s saying. He’s very funny. One time he told me “Y’know I’m bored. You should entertain me or else …” and then on another instance he told me “It’d be good to redecorate the house. I could scorch everything but let’s decorate instead.” After saying those things to me, he’d laugh like crazy.

Sternchen demands a lot of time. He is annoyed when we are not doing anything. He always wants to play, to shop, to eat, to decorate the house, to go to the amusement park, etc. I never had the opportunity to play Tomagochi in my whole life but he reminds me of it. Honestly, this game is great for people who are not busy with important matters.

Finding the One

It’s annoying why I always can’t find my safety pin everytime I need it. No matter how hard I try to search for it, it just wouldn’t show up. Funny is that, I see it everywhere when I’m not looking for it. Like, it’s playing hide and seek with me.

Last week, I saw this mysterious safety pin on my drawer. I didn’t need it at that time so I ignored it. But under my breath I said “Gotcha!” and made a mental note on where I can find it in case my pant’s zipper gets broken again.

One of our neighbors told me that a ghost who likes to hide things is living in my family’s house. I was also told that this “ghost” does it to annoy people. Like when my sister needed her scissors, we searched every corner of the house and we still didn’t find it. A few days later, my brother found the scissors on top of the cabinet. Scary, huh.

But me and my siblings were raised not to believe in ghosts or other supernatural phenomenon. That’s why we just laughed it off when we heard the story. There is no ghost. I’m just “burara.” Messy. Disorganized. My mother said she’s afraid that me and my future husband will always fight because I’m too lazy to de-clutter my things.

My Mom is not afraid of ghosts. She’s afraid that I’d stay single for the rest of my life. No matter how many times I assure her that I’m going to settle down by the age of 35, she’s not relieved. She said I can’t latch on with any man just because I’m already 35. Now is the right time to start a lasting relationship.

For me, my mother is the most intelligent woman in the whole wide world. I’d bet on that. But at my age of 26, I’ve had enough reasons to believe that finding the One is akin to finding that safety pin. I’m convinced that when I’m looking for something, I’ll never find it. Same goes with love. The more I search for it, the less chances for me to actually find it.

That’s why I’m not waiting for Mr. Right. That’s why I’m never bothered when friends make me feel I’m left behind. That’s why I’m 26, single, but not worried. That’s why I’m turning 27 soon but not in a hurry. Women my age are, most likely, already on the family way but here I am, still enjoying the liberty of not being tied down, which is great. Truth is, I’m determined to live life to the fullest with or without a man.

Blogging for nothing?

Almost two years ago when I was still a beginner in the world of blogging, still consider my self a beginner but after two years?! haha, my only wish was to be able to buy my own computer. I only wanted to stop renting in computer shops because it’s very costly. Also, I made a promise to my self that if it will happen, and I knew it’s going to happen, I’m going to write a lot of sponsored posts to earn money. I planned to make this simple hobby into a part-time job. And as an old saying goes: be careful what you wish for, what if you actually get it?

Luckily, I did get it. For the first time in my entire life, I got a laptop and an unlimited access to internet. This means I can blog my heart out, chat 24/7, surf till I drop, and visit my facebook account anytime I want. Take note, though, that the main purpose of this laptop is to earn money. But what am I doing? I’m spending so much time on Youtube and watching music videos will not give me money

It’s more than slightly disturbing how I’ll manage to find a way to chat with friends while watching the video of Pyramid by Charice but will not even bother to update my blogs. I can be a multi-tasker if I want to, but I just can’t do it in blogging. Battling lack of time is not the only problem. My laziness is always getting in the way, too. Worse, it seems that I’ve already lost my interest in submitting my sterndal.com to get-paid to blog websites. Okay, wait a minute, let me rephrase that. I think I’m just not doing my best to meet the requirements of PPP. I should be hurrying by now to finish that 20 required posts to start earning the soonest possible time, right? Yeah.

This is just foolish. What’s the use of having a laptop and an internet access if there are no earnings? It’s like investing my hard-earned dough in a business without profit. It’s just a waste of time if you will ask me. I mean, of course, I do love blogging. Reading has its own rewards, writing is another thing. I am genuinely flattered when people tell me they read my blog and some even say my posts are witty and interesting. I know you’ll find this hard to believe but there are about five persons who told me they like my blogging style

Having said these things, let me ask you a question. Isn’t it pathetic to blog for nothing? A lot of people will disagree, for sure, but please don’t get me wrong. It is quite understandable that most bloggers do it for the sole purpose of having fun. No money involved. Period. Besides, what is more liberating than to blog without worrying about audience interest, or traffic, or Page Rank, Alexa Rank and Technorati Rank?

Well, for me, blogging without earnings is disheartening. Wouldn’t it be nice to have it all? To be able to blog and earn at the same time? To have readers, visitors and advertisers as well? That is exactly my goal. So, I have to get real. I’m not blogging for nothing. I’m here in the blogosphere to do what I love, to earn money, and to socialize.

There isn’t always time for updating my blogs. I have a full-time job. I have no time. But I will make time. The trouble with me is that I’m not focused and I’m too lazy. Having a laptop is my biggest break in blogging. The opportunities are endless. One can never tell if this can change my life for the better. This is it! I’m gonna seize it!

The Lure of Blogging

I’ve never wanted anything else but to have my own blog. Okay, aside maybe from having my own online dating site where scammers, RACISTS, and fake people are not allowed to join. I work in a company that publishes journals abroad and I’ve always admired authors who write something worth reading. Basically, having my own blog is an ambition fulfilled, and much more than that Why? Because I get the opportunity to be the author, editor, typesetter, proofreader and QA of my own article, all rolled into one hehe! I feel like I have my own Publishing House with my little blog How cute, right? In addition to that, it also gives me the chance to document my life as the ordinary Manila girl who has simple plans and dreams. I want to write about my thoughts, feelings and experiences so that maybe someday, when I grow old, I’d read again my posts and perhaps I’d ask myself “what the hell was I thinking?” haha! Now, isn’t that exciting? Only one thing is missing though. READERS. What is an article without readers? I am not really after the fame. But I think it would be nicer if someone would be interested to read my posts

Plants vs. Zombies: how to fix invalid file version

How do you solve a problem like invalid file version? I purchased PvZ more than a month ago from PopCap Games and I loved it. My whole family’s officially addicted to it. We think this game is utterly exciting, it spells F-U-N, and best of all, playing this game made us feel updated. You know, everybody loves PvZ, everyone’s talking about the Zen Garden, Mister Crazy Dave, and the zombies, etc. And it’s cool that we can now relate, unlike before when I didn’t own a laptop, if you know what I mean.

That is why I was very disappointed when my brother told me the game is not running anymore. Just, all of a sudden, the game stopped working. I still have a copy of my order number and registration key, I’m quite sure ours is not pirated, I downloaded it from PopCap Games website, I paid 3 euros for it through Paypal,  so what could have possibly gone wrong?

I searched the internet for solutions and found an answer from Yahoo Answers. Apparently, somebody from the other side of world is experiencing the same dilemma, which means, well … we are not alone. It says the game is corrupted and that I should delete the users.dat in my program files. Unfortunately, the suggested solution didn’t work for me. Fortunately, though, I have a special talent in troubleshooting – joke.

I think the trouble with troubleshooting is that it requires a lot of guts. It’s not for the faint hearted. If you’re scared of clicking and saving, forget it, give it to an expert who can do things to it. As for me, I tried to troubleshoot and am glad that I was able to fix the error. I don’t know anything about computer systems so don’t believe everything I say, okay? But if you trust me, follow this:

1.  In Windows 7 Ultimate, open the program compatibility troubleshooter.

2.  Select PvZ from the list of programs and then click next.

3.  Try the recommended settings, in my case, Windows XP (service pack 2).

4. Test run the program, it should be working by now, save the settings, and you’re done.

Note: you will have to re-start to level 1 because all saved games will be lost.

Fearless Blogger

It’s been two weeks since I jump-started my blog and I’ll admit it’s not easy being a blogger. It takes good writing skills and also proper grammar in order to produce something worth reading. I don’t have any professional writing/editing experiences but I really want my posts to be written in “good taste” so I’m taking my time before I publish my articles online. Another thing is that I am not well-versed with complicated internet terms such as pings and tags. I am lucky because a new found friend just offered to familiarized me with all these things (Yippie! Thanks in advance Vienna! ). More so, I realized that I should at least have a strong personality to tackle controversial issues, to share my ideas and opinions to everyone without the fear of being criticized. You see, I have a lot of things brewing on my mind. I want to write about my one great love, my family and friends, my work, my favorite things, etc. But am I really prepared to put my private life on display just like that? Honestly, I am reluctant to reveal anything truly personal in my future posts. I get very sensitive when I hear negative remarks about the people and things I love. However, mine is a personal blog so I’ve made up my mind…I’d write whatever I fancy! All I want is an outlet to express myself so why put boundaries and limitations? If in case I’ll receive negative comments in the future, here’s what I intend to do: simply delete and ban the irate sender. I don’t want to engage because if I do, I’ll just end up empowering them. Well, that is “if, if , if and if” somebody would find interests in reading my blog hehe And of course, I’ve heard of bloggers who have become famous and have earned money through advertisements and sponsorhips. Really sounds interesting to me! The thought of reaping financial rewards through doing something I like is really exciting! But I have to keep things real. I’ve just started and there’s still a lot more to learn about professional blogging. I’m not ready yet to take my blog to the next level. In the meantime, I’ll just focus on enhancing my writing skills and on thinking of cool topics to blog about.