Issa's Dollar Earners

YAHOOOO! I just reached my target of "100 posts before the year ends" in this blog a couple of days ago! In my Quick Bytes blog, I just passed my 500th blog post. Super cool! =) Below is another survey from dNEERO, my easiest source of income. If you wanna earn extra money in dollars, answer the surveys I posted here, post it in your blog and earn $$$. Simple as 1-2-3! =) dNEERO totally rocks!

Got these amazing facts about Google HERE. Read on and don't leave your jaw hanging! Hehe!

• Google is the “fastest growing company in the history of the world.” – Times of London, 1/29/06
• Google controls 65.1% of all searches in the U.S. at the end of 2007 and 86% of all searches in the UK, according to measurement company Hitwise.
• Google was searched 4.4 billion times in the U.S. alone in October, 2007 (three times Yahoo), says Nielsen. Average searches per searcher: 40.7.
• Google’s sites had 112 million U.S. visitors in November, 2007, says Nielsen.
• Google’s traffic was up 22.4% in 2007 over 2006, according to Comscore.
• Google earned $15 billion revenue and $6.4 billion profit in 2007, a profit margin of 26.9%. Its revenue was up 57% in the last quarter of 2007 over 2006, says Yahoo Finance. As of late 2007, its stock was up 53% in a year. The company has a market capitalization of $207.6 billion.
• Google controls 79% of the pay-per-click ad market, according to RimmKaufman. It controls 40% of all online advertising, according to web site HipMojo.
• Google employed almost 16,000 people at the end of 2007, a 50% increase over the year before.
• Google became the No. 1 brand in the world in 2007, according to Millward Brown Brandz Top 100.

The new year is nearly here -- will you green or will you continue messing up the environment? The choice is yours! As for me, read my answers below =)

But have no time? If you have an old boat which you’d like to donate then you’ll be doing charity work already! That is, if you donate it to Boat Angel, a part of Angel Ministries, that use boat donations to create children's animation DVDs and anti-drug documentaries. This charity company gives out the DVDs for FREE that contain positive videos that will inculcate good values to your kids. It may sound very simple – donate boat and help charity but promise, your boat will go a long way! So how does their charity works out? The members of the ministry refurbish the donated boats and sell them at eBay (where else??). The money from the sale will then be used to make the DVDs and for shipping fees.

If you’re interested about their Children's Christian Animations on DVDs, you can order them for free. To preview some of their videos and for more info, you can search YouTube with the term “carangel”. Just recently, the ministry has completed their AntiDrug Use documentary starring skateboard legends Jay Adams from Dogtown's Z Boys, Christian Hosoi, Dennis Martinez (world champion), Bruce Logan (world skateboarding champion) in their rise to fame, fall coz of drugs and finally redemption. So, will I donate my boat? If I have a used one, I’ll surely will. Unfortunately, I haven’t got one and I haven’t even ridden on a boat yet! LOL!

SME or small to medium enterprises are the starting points of the big corporations of tomorrow. Usually these are mom-and-pop businesses that bloomed. Their major problem, especially when expanding their businesses, is the lack of cold hard cash. Sure, they can always apply for loans or small business credit lines in a bank or lending company, but that would take time. And most often, their application would just be disapproved. The solution? To use a third party like EZUnsecured.com for easy processing and fast funding of your loans. EZUnsecured.com is a business financing consulting company that specializes in unsecured lines of credit, business loans and credit cards. With them, your small business credit line will have a better chance to be approved by lenders because of their extensive experience. Check their site out for proof of their excellent service and excellent results. So if you have a small business needing more capital, let EZUnsecured.com help you get the most money you can qualify for!

With the rising cost of medical education to become a doctor, more and more people are turning to the medical assistant field. They get to work in the healthcare field they so love (bringing them contentment) and at the same time earn money. If you are one of those looking for medical assistant training programs and medical assistant schools, you can go checkout this LINK here. They have a list of medical assistant programs as well as other healthcare related programs.

From what I’ve heard, there are many licensed and practicing doctors who, when seeking greener pastures abroad, preferred to take the roles of medical assistants. Some people look down on what they thought of “demotion” on the part of the doctors. But that’s hardly true. According to a healthcare website, and I quote –

At one time, doctors were thought of as the fabric of the medical institution, but things are changing with managed care as nurses and medical assistants are finally receiving rightful credit for their increasing role in patient care, performing examinations, administering therapy treatments, and managing insurance and billing records.

Found something cool on the internet today! Full article HERE. Enjoy reading!

* Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight - The majority of eye experts believe it is unlikely to do any permanent damage, but it may make you squint, blink more and have trouble focusing, the researchers said.

* Shaving makes hair grow back faster or coarser - It has no effect on the thickness or rate of hair regrowth, studies say. But stubble lacks the finer taper of unshaven hair, giving the impression of coarseness.

* Eating turkey makes you drowsy - It does contain an amino acid called tryptophan that is involved in sleep and mood control. But turkey has no more of the acid than chicken or minced beef. Eating lots of food and drink at Christmas are probably the real cause of sleepiness.

* We use only 10 percent of our brains - This myth arose as early as 1907 but imaging shows no area of the brain is silent or completely inactive.

* Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death - This idea may stem from ghoulish novels. The researchers said the skin dries out and retracts after death, giving the appearance of longer hair or nails.

* Mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals - Despite widespread concerns, studies have found minimal interference with medical equipment.

Then check out Talk121! This coming holidays, there will be loved ones we want to see who won't be able to attend our Christmas and New Year gatherings. A phone chat to them might assuage our longings but talk is definitely NOT cheap! Especially if you're the kind to yak on and on? The solution? Talk121! The company offers free chat and chat lines so if you need some extra free minutes to call your best girlfriend, here's your chance to chat the night away! =)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
>>wrapping paper! i always design how to pack the gifts to give it a more personal touch =)

2. Real tree or Artificial?
>>artificial so it won't be a hassle to cut a real one and drag it out when it dies

3. When do you put up the tree?
>>first week of November

4. When do you take the tree down?
>>mid-January

5. Do you like egg nog?
>>not so much.. i'm more of a hot choco + mallows kind of girl

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
>>my one and only Barbie doll =)

7. Hardest person to buy for?
>>Labsie.. he doesn't tell me what he wants! "kahit ano lang" kind of guy, lol

8. Easiest person to buy for?
>>my mother, as long as its cute and pink, it will do! hehe

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
>>nope

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
>>email! no hassle =)

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
>>ummm, can't think of one

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
>>home alone 1.. the best!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
>>once 'BER sets in, hehe

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
>>yes! guilty as charged :p

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
>>HAM!!! fruitcake!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
>>colored lights

17. Favorite Christmas song?
>>Christmas in Our Hearts by Jose Mari Chan

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
>>travel but with family =)

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
>>Rudolph lang! hehe

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
>>angel holding a star -->that's exactly what we have right now Che, hehe

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
>>on Christmas Eve! along with Noche Buena

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
>>the crowd in mall and stores

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
>>nothing particular

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
>>HAM!!! =)

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
>>good health and more blessings from God for my family and Labsie's family, and to all who needs it

Man, the lord geeks of Silicon Valley are singles no more! Bye-bye to my dreams of being married to billionaire super geniuses, LOL! Best wishes to the newly marrieds! And no, the two (Sergey Brin and Larry Page) didn't marry each other -- they are full-blooded males, hehe! The full article is HERE. If you're too lazy to read the whole stuff, here's a longish excerpt:

Google Inc. co-founder Larry Page, whose stake in the Internet search leader is worth about $20 billion, and Lucy Southworth are tying the knot in a ceremony scheduled for the weekend of Dec. 8, according to a report published Tuesday in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Page, 34, is following in the footsteps of Google's other founder, Sergey Brin, who married Anne Wojcicki six months ago in an exclusive ceremony in the Caribbean. The location of Southworth's and Page's wedding was not disclosed.

After Brin's wedding, Mountain View-based Google invested $3.9 million in Wojcicki's biotechnology startup, 23andMe Inc.

Southworth was a biomedical informatics doctoral student at Stanford University, where both Page and Brin were studying as graduate students before leaving to start Google in 1998. Page has been dating Southworth for more than a year.

Hey, you all teens out there! I know you love to yak over the phone (I was once a teen too, lol) and meet new persons -- and I found a great way to do these stuff for FREE! Yeah, you heard me, free chat over the phone with interesting guys and gurls! =) Here are your choices: Chat Lines, Chat Free and Free Teen Chat -- all these websites offer free calls and they list phone numbers in over 150 cites where anyone over 18 can chat live on the phone with other singles. You can also leave Voice Personals for others to hear when you are off the phone. The best thing? Callers don't have to give out their REAL phone numbers and are anonymous when they are on the system. What a nice security touch! Safety first before anything else, eh?

I may not be from the US but I'm quite concerned with the upcoming 2008 Presidential Elections coz our country has close relationship with mighty America. Below are my thoughts about the 2008 US Elections. Personally, I'm rooting for Obama =) What about you?

I must admit I'm not much into board games except for chess so backgammon is relatively new to me. And I was kinda surprised it's really popular, coz if it's not, would there even be a backgammon online version? I think not! For those like me who is not familiar with backgammon, here's a brief description from Wikipedia:

Backgammon is a board game for two players in which checkers (also called pieces, stones, men, counters, pawns or chips) are moved after each roll of the dice. A player wins by removing all of his checkers from the board. As the playing time for each individual game is short, it is often played in matches, where victory is awarded to the first player to reach a certain number of points.

Curious what dNEERO found last December 5 and 9? Scroll down to my answered surveys! =) For all those who asked how I make money by blogging (Hi Melissa! Namesake! Hehe), CLICK HERE to read the post where I listed the get-paid-to blog websites =) If you need guidance or whatever, feel free to contact me via melissa.solitoATgmail.com ... Happy earning!

The war in Iraq is a very touchy subject in the US and the rest of the world. It's been more than 5 years since US "rescued" the people of Iraq, but there's still no stability in the region. What went wrong? You can read more on my Iraq stance below.

I just read in EnGadget that Apple donated iPod nanos to over 100 kids in a California school district who lost their homes in the recent wildfires tragedy. I'm so envious!!! LOL! At least, even though they lost a home, Apple was able to give the kids a lil holiday cheer. I mean, who wouldn't want to receive a NANO?? Here's a bit of EnGadget's article:

Affected high school students in Poway, California, received the devices after Steve Boyack, husband of a Poway city councilwoman, noticed that fundraising and gift drives organized by the city targeted mainly young children and older folks and decided to write Steve Jobs an email at his famously public email address. Steve didn't write back, but Michael Foulkes, Apple's senior manager for state and local government affairs, soon had the iPods on their way. Apple being Apple, it's declined to comment on the story, and Boyack says the company didn't want any publicity to begin with, saying, "It was strictly from the heart and just wanting to help."

If you’re tired of playing backgammon with your offline friends, why not try to play it online and make new friends? Yes boys and girls, you can now play backgammon online. You can go to GAMMON world which offers the latest information about backgammon tournaments and events. There are also tips on how to play backgammon better. And for those who are not native English speakers, don’t fret coz the site is available in six languages =)

The 2008 Presidential elections is fast approaching. The hoopla is building up and the politicos even debated in YouTube already! Have you taken your stand already?? Have you chosen THE ONE?

Guys! Stumbled on this new free online dating site that allows you to date online, BLOG and chat LIVE! What a nice combination of services! And it's all for FREE! Now you don't have to resort to YM or IM just to chat with your online date. So, what's the website that offers this free chat? None other than FRIENDSATION! Aside from live chat, this Friendsation also offers free phone chat. Yup, believe it or not, all these services are for FREE! Unlike other dating sites out there. Harumphh! If you're interested, just follow the links in this post. ENJOY! =)

Done with your Christmas shopping already? What? It's still to early shop?? Me thinks NOT! Now is the time to shop if you want to avoid the horde of people doing last-minute Christmas shopping. As for me, I'll be doing my shopping with my boyfriend this coming Saturday. Yeah!!!

And if you wanna earn extra money for buying gifts, answer the survey below and post it in your blog. Simple! =) dNEERO totally rocks!

Bankruptcy is one of life’s major events, albeit a bitter one. It does not happen overnight as it slowly becomes a reality as your debts add up. And in the end, mere mortals like us who are not financially savvy are at the mercy of our debtors. If you are deep in debt right now or has a large loan, you might want to use bill consolidation in paying your bills. For those not in the know, bill consolidation involves taking out one large loan to pay a number of smaller, usually high interest, loans. So how would this help someone I debt or those with large loans? Read on…

Bill consolidation allows a debtor to put all debt into one loan, usually with a smaller monthly payment than he/she had with all of the separate loans/debts. Most of the time, the interest rate on the new loan is less than the average interest rate of the old loans/debts. If you noticed, consolidating your debts would allow you to pay a LESSER amount of money in the long run. Plus, the convenience having to do only one payment to cover the multiple former debts is a very attractive component.

There are many different types of bill consolidation. You may borrow from a rich relative who will hopefully charge you lesser interest, you may use your home as a collateral, you may get an unsecured loan, or you can just hire a professional to do all your debt work.. Anyway, there are many bill consolidation guide in the internet so if you’re interested, just search. Who knows, by consolidating your debts and loans, you will solve your financial problems, and put you back on track. You will be debt free the soonest you start taking charge of your financial woes. Good luck and don’t mess with your life the second time, y’hear?? :p

Will update the look of my blog but I'm not changing my template though. Just a bit of tweaks here and there, like changing the main background to a patterned swath (still gonna be pink though! hehe). Will be updating the ads and links also. Watch out for cool ads from advertlets.com -- last time I visited this blog, a trailer of Stephen Chow's new movie was on, COOL! Advertlets totally rocks and they will soon be serving ads from the Philippines. So far they have 150+ Filipino bloggers (they launched in Malaysia and Singapore first where they have more than 10000 bloggers already) and will need 500-1000 to fully launch in our country. So guys, do signup! To sweeten the deal, they have a special bonus for the first 1000 bloggers who have signed up. So GO GO GO! =)

Advertlets, a blog advertising network for Asians, and they have secured blog advertising opportunities from Starbucks, HP, Toyota, EMI Music, Buena Vista Columbia Tristar as well as local magazines, TV networks, petrol stations, mobile content brands, and more. Stable company? You bet!

Proposing to your gf? Then you need to choose among the many diamond engagement rings in the market! As you can see from the photo above (click to enlarge), there are different styles and designs so it would be best if you know your girlfriend's taste when it comes to diamonds and jewelries. As for wedding rings, it's a different story coz your taste will matter here. After all you're going to get matching his and her wedding bands. By the way, the beautiful rings above are from JamesAllen.com -- they got gorgeous pieces there so check them out!

Another week, another fantasy football survey. Hehe! And take note, in the offline football world, only 2 months to go and the current season will end! So go out and show support for your teams =)Read my answers below and do answer the surveys too! Remember, you will earn from it after you post it in your blogs. GO!

I find it funny that there are online slots on the internet now. Awhile back I was blogging about the current popularity of online poker, and now, I'm hearing about virtual slot machines! Talk about life (gambling life, more so) moving online, hehe! Is it a sign of our times?? Anyway, if you want to play slot machines online, you can visit Sloterix, one of the oldest slot sites in the net. A word of warning though, slot machines can be quite addicting as per my one-time experience in Casino Filipino Davao, lol =)

Last Sunday night I watched "Pinoy Meets World" in GMA-7 (I'm a certified Kapuso, hehe) and the featured country was Switzerland. I was surprised to learn that Switzerland, small a country it maybe, is actually a melting pot of cultures! In the said show, the hosts shared that languages spoken in different parts of Switzerland vary. If you're in Geneva, expect to talk in French; in Ticino, Italian rules. But for more than 50% of the population, German is the language of choice. And that's what you'll get in Zurich and Bern, its capital city. Anyway, with the mention of German, I began wondering what's up with Germany these days. After it was unified in 1990 (Berlin Wall torn down), I haven't heard any major news from the controversial country.

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is the most populous. Tourist attractions in Berlin include the Pergamon Museum, Brandenburge Gates (pictured above) and the Schloss Charlottenburg. If you would like to visit the city, accommodation is plentiful as hotels in Berlin number in thousands. If museums and palaces are not your thing, you can go visit Munich. If the city sounds familiar to you, it might because that's where the 1972 Summer Olympics was held which was marred by Palestinian terrorists taking hostage the members of the Israeli Olympic team. Scary huh?? But that's all in the past, no worries now =) Below is the aerial view of Munich's gorgeous OlympiaPark. And hotels in Muenchen (German name of Munich) are gorgeous too. You can take your pick from the old-world classy hotels or trendy new ones

Aside from the places I mentioned above, Germany also offers other tourist attractions like the beautiful Bavarian Alps. If you love music, Leipzig should be your destination, where underground music clubs thud throughout the night. It is also once the home of Bach, Wagner and Mendelssohn. For information about hotels in Deutschland, you can search the internet. If you like more old-world castles and buildings, you can hop from Germany to Austria. Its capital city, Vienna, is home of the breathtaking Schonbrunn palace. The city also has numerous museums like the Kunsthistorisches Museum and Naturhistorisches Museum. Wien hotels (Wien is German for Vienna) are also searchable over internet. So if you're planning to go there (and in Germany), don't forget to search first for online travel deals. Bon voyage!

Dneero made surveys to rate their own service. Do they suck?? Tell them and earn from it! Crazy people, lol =) Read my answers below and do answer the surveys too! Remember, you will earn from it after you post it in your blogs =)

My boyfriend (and his family) is into tropical or saltwater aquariums. They have this tank with pretty corals and colorful fishes flitting about. They even had "Nemo" one time! NEAT! I've often wondered how they choose the tropical or marine fish to add into the seawater aquarium. Is it just by whim or do they follow a guide? According to my boyfriend, when they started the aquarium, they really had no idea what to do. They just filled the tank with seawater, bought corals and fishes they like, and voila! A marine aquarium! Below is a video clip of their aquarium. Watch the fishes swim about! Cool! =)

Unfortunately, they learned the hard way that fishes must be chosen carefully, i.e. better not to get territorial fishes if you plan to have many fishes in the aquarium so as to prevent fish fights, teehee! The most important thing in maintaining an aquarium, however, is not the type of fishes or corals or aquatic plants you choose. It is a thing called protein skimmer which removes protein and other undesirable stuff from the seawater. This is very important to keep your tank water quality good enough for the fishes. The skimmers are also a much more efficient (and cheaper) way to have clean tank water rather than changing it very often.

Many of the web’s popular sites these days are the trendy online casinos; whether you like to play online poker, bingo, blackjack, slots, roulette, or craps name it – online casinos have it! Why go to Viva Las Vegas when you can play all you want in online casinos from the comforts of your own home? That is, unless, you want to sit next the high rollers. Hehe! Kidding aside, the only problem in playing online is finding a trustworthy online casino with the best odds for players. According to an online casino reviews website, there are more than 3000 online casinos right now! Can you imagine filtering through 3000 sites just to find the best online casino for you?? Hard work man!

Then you should get your underlings Employee Benefit Packages. Studies have shown that when you offer insurance to your employees, it will help your company keep them. Also, when you’re looking for employees, you will attract high-quality ones coz skilled and educated employees will seek out employment opportunities that provide them with the best benefits. With your group insurance, your employees can have their own insurance without having to pay the same high prices they would have to pay if they were to purchase it on their own. Thus, they save money on insurance premium. I’m sure they’d appreciate that very much, and you’ll go down as a GOOD boss with a golden heart!

Corporate Insurance Plans for employers is not only for business employers. If you lead a group, an organization, or a union, you can buy coverage polices for your members. And it’s actually quite easy to do this. Choose the insurance company you want to work with, sign up with them, and a representative of the company will sign each of your members or employees up within the plan. Then you can pay the premiums with the funds in the group’s account. Or have your members pay the monthly premiums. Simple! And your underlings will have to thank you for this wonderful gift.

And that means it's time to decorate! And yes, that includes your office desk. But don't fret, it doesn't need to be real classy or whatever. A lil Christmas icon like the one below will do. Presenting --

-- the fantastic USB Christmas Tree! Just plug into your laptop or PC and it will turn your drab office desk into a Christmas wonderland! Or so you wish, hehe! =) Once plugged, "the tips of the branches glisten with a bright blue shimmer. The sparkling little lights have a soothing, almost hypnotic effect and will make anyone who passes by get into the festive spirit." LOL! Go grab one at Gizoo for only $6.95! And no, this isn't a sponsored post Google! :p

Time for money talk again guys! I’m sure many of you are waiting for another money tip to tuck away until in times of need, hehe! This time, we’ll talk about payday loans. We all know there are times when our budget is thrown off balance by some unexpected expenditure. I’m sure even people who really budget their salaries faithfully experience these trying times. Coz sometimes, life really throws us some curveballs, and the budget allocation that was carefully planned lay in ruins. It might be an unanticipated bill or perhaps a sudden hospitalization – then poof! Next thing you knew, your money’s gone and the next payday is days away yet. What to do?? This is where Payday Loan Quotes come in. No, they’re not a lending company. Rather, they’re a resource company that will guide in finding online cash advance.

With Payday Loans Quotes, you submit your loan application online (faxless payday loans), and they’ll find a suitable lending company who’ll give you a loan. Upon approval, you will see your loan directly deposited into your account in less than 24 hours. Fast and easy! Imagine, NO fax payday loans! So if you need some quick cash, do try them out. They might be the solution to your financial woes!

With all the Google PageRank downgrades, newbie bloggers like me are quite confused on how to measure my blog's worth now. But I stumbled on TrustRank recently and I had this site "analyzed" and the results? Check the photo above! One thing that bothers me however is I can't find TrustRank anymore. Search it in Google and all you'll get is a Wikipedia entry. What happened?? And there are also whispers that TrustRank is still by Google! Hmm..

Then you should check out CarsBlvd.com first! This website is a car comparison site that lets consumers compare prices on vehicles. That way, you can easily see what car you can afford given the specifications that you want. For example, you like several Honda Cars, but I’m sure you cannot afford all of them (lol). Best thing you can do? Check the Honda Car Prices, and voila! A Honda car you can afford is presented =) Anyway, CarsBlvd.com is also good for getting Honda Car Quotes. The site lets you compare quotes below wholesale prices by letting dealers compete for your business. Nice! And the best thing? This is comparison service is FREE!

If you're a netizen, I'm sure you've heard of Ron Paul by now. He espouses personal freedom as if the world depended on it. And it does, to a limit of course. And before I get into catfights here, let me just say, that's just my opinion and I will never impose it on you guys. Hehe! Anyhoo, here's a survey about Ron Paul, and whether you believe in his or not. Have fun! =)

I’m very fond of watching travel documentaries and one show that truly stuck me was the one about Italy. In the memorable show, the host traveled to Florence, Italy -– home of the magnificent Duomo Cathedral pictured below (left). Aside from this, Florence is also popular for having Michaelangelo’s David and the Uffizi museum which has one of the largest collections of Renaissance art in the world. Restaurants and Hotel Florence are dime a dozen, and can be seen in every street corner so food and accommodation isn’t a problem =)

A male cousin (hi Manong Oy!) just announced that he’s gonna wed his longtime sweetheart from our hometown next year. We are all excited about it coz this is the Tan family’s first wedding that’s going to take place in Kidapawan, our hometown. Manong Oy’s elder brother got married last year but it was in the hometown of the bride so most of the Tan family members weren’t able to attend. This is gonna be a one BIG leap of faith for them so Manong, God bless and here's to a blissful married life! =)

Found another site where MAC users are loved! Umm, “love” maybe too strong a word to use but I feel that’s what the webmaster has put into this website. I’m talking about Mac Poker Online –- “Exclusive provider of information regarding online poker and casino games for Macintosh, saving Mac users hours of time.” The site lists the best online poker sites to play poker for Mac. You can play for free or for real at the sites listed, and you can be sure they are of good reputation. Here’s a screenshot of the site:

Hi guys! Found another way to earn money online -- by taking surveys and posting it in your blog! I find the "posting" part a COOL twist. Superb idea dNeero! =) Anyway, below is the first survey I answered. I earned $0.95 for it, easy money guys! If you want to join me, click HERE. Happy earning!

If there is one city in the whole wide world I would really, really LOVE to visit, it would be Amsterdam in the Netherlands! Why? Man, because it is literally the land of the FREE! They have very lax rules on drugs, prostitution, and what-nots. And yet, the place is very peaceful. It seems that with all the freedom they have, the Dutch even became more responsible with their lives. So great! And in case you haven’t heard, Cannabis and prostitution is LEGAL in Amsterdam. Yup, you heard me right, LEGAL! Hehe! The photo below is from Amsterdam’s red-light district known as de Wallen.

The de Wallen is a network of alleys containing several hundred tiny one-room apartments rented by female prostitutes (and some ladyboys) who offer their services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights. Cool huh?? But if you’d rather go on wholesome trips, you can visit the museum dedicated to Anne Frank. You know, the lil Jewish girl who kept a diary while hiding with her family during the German occupation in a secret apartment annex. Also, there are a lot of museums in Amsterdam, the famous of which is the Rijksmuseum pictured below.

Other major museums are the Stedelijk Museum, the Rembrandt House Museum, and the Van Gogh Museum, which houses the largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings in the world. So great!!! Amsterdam is truly one amazing city – satisfy your body, feed your brain, relax your soul – all in one exciting swoop! As for places to stay, no worries. Amsterdam has lots of affordable hostels up to luxurious 5-star hotels, all yours for the taking. So what d’you say? Wanna go for a wild ride in Amsterdam with me? ;-p

More than a month ago, I blogged about the renaming of PayPerPost (PPP) here. PPP is a get-paid-to blog website which has over 80,000 bloggers and 11,000 advertisers now. Ted Murphy, the CEO of PPP posted here that there will be a lot of changes in PPP's system thus the need to rename. And finally, the cat's out in the bag! PPP will be officially part of IZEA.com and will become IZEA.com after the alpha and beta testing are done. Colleen, the top earner in PPP, got the scoop here. Below is a super cool screenshot of IZEA.com =) Love it Ted! And for those not yet into PPP, you can sign up here. I already earned about $450 from them since late August. Sweet!

Lately, I've been blogging using my dad's wifi-ready laptop in the bar of our house near the dining room. The lighting here (yes, I'm typing here right now) is dim at best, coming from light fixtures in the divider wall. I don't wanna turn on the dining room's chandeliers coz it has many bulbs, ergo more energy consumption and I really don't need that much light anyway. I really don’t mind the dim light but when I spend more than 3 hours in front of the laptop in this condition, I easily suffer from eye fatigue =(

And so I realized that something's off with the execution of our home lighting system. I felt that each house area should have its own light, independent of all the other lights in the nearby house areas. Guess I should lobby my parents harder for the fancy hanging bar lights that I’ve been hankering for! That way I'd be blogging my way in a bar-esque atmosphere, lol! The only thing missing is a margarita. Wanna make me one? =)

The past few days, the online community was in uproar coz of the quarterly updating of Google's PageRank. Apparently PR of many blogs and websites went down because they have (or sell) text link ads. Or so the rumors go. During this time, I checked this blog's PR and it went from PR0 to PR3! w00t! As for my other 3 blogs, got great news! Quick Bytes is still at PR2, nice! Tongue Temptations (food blog) is barely a month old and it's now PR1. I'm also getting lots of hits from Google Search, nice! My mobile blog at yes, it's ME remained a PR0. Quite understandable coz it's a personal blog and I didn't get it listed in directories and such =) So, what about your blogs? Were the PRs downgraded or upgraded? If you wanna check your PR the easy way, go to PRchecker.info =)

For updates of my life, you can go to my mobile blog (yes, it's ME!) here. I'm currently in Makati right now with limited access to internet (only dial-up at 56 kbps!!!) so I won't be updating this blog as much as I did previously. My mobile blog, on the other hand, would be updated daily. Not much to do here except take pictures through my SE k800i and blog about it, lol! Later, I would be meeting my highschool friends that I haven't seen in a long while. Can't hardly wait! =)

P.S. MIA = missing in action. I'm not paging for a girl named Mia, lol

What's a gPhone? Well, it's Google's rumored answer to Apple's widely successful iPhone! And I nearly missed it! Thank God All in Anchor had a post about it, thanks guys! =) Anyway, here's a side by side comparison of the upcoming mobile phone war:

offer similar features but with one big catch; the gPhone is a fraction of the cost of it’s rival competitor, Apple. Cost is generally the most important stipulation when the public is looking into updating their current technology.

In my other blog, I posted numerous websites that offer payday loans and cash advance. However, it is only now that I was able to compare which of the websites are better and which websites fit your needs most. And that’s thanks to TrustSource.org, a website that ranks products based on these several measures: sales data and rank, consultations with health care professionals, consultations with users, and customer rankings and reviews of popular payday loans websites. For now, the top three websites are Womens Payday, Additional Earnings, and Maximum Wages Cash Advance. TrustSource.org is not affiliated with the products found in their website, nor do they endorse any of them. Other popular product pages in the TrustSource.org are smoking cessation products and hair loss prevention products. I was pleased to learn that Provillus, which a family member of mine previously used (can’t say who coz it’s like admitting he’s losing hair, lol), is the top product in the hair loss prevention category. Guess it really works! =) Anyway, if you’re buying a product and you’re unsure if it really works, check TrustSource.org first. It’s better to be safe than sorry right? But for medical matters and in buying medicines, going to the doctor is still the gold standard. Okay guys??

...Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So, to all bloggers out there, THINK PINK! =) Our family is lucky coz we have no history of breast cancer (so far). We have breast lumps but histopath results have all revealed benign changes. Other wives, mothers and sisters are not so lucky. The sad thing is that Breast Cancer is preventable and it is curable if caught early. So guys, let's amplify the awareness campaign! Who knows, the life (and breasts) you save might be your own.

Today, I’ll introduce you to Russian brides dating. No, this is not a mail-to-order bride service, lol! But Russians are well-known to wed quickly when they find someone compatible with, even if they haven’t met in real life yet. Thus, online dating with a male Russian often leads to real-life weddings offline. So if you wanna be a bride anytime soon, get to know a male Russian online! Just make sure he’s ready to settle down and not just out to have some fun, hehe! And of course, do avoid Russian dating scams that prey on unsuspecting lovelorn people. If you don’t know how to differentiate between a true dating site and a scam, and between honest daters and scammers, you can search the dating site and add the word “scam”. If something comes out, then the site may really be a scam.

I’ve always said time and again (in my other blog) that in online dating, safety is the foremost consideration. After finding a safe online dating site, you can date to your heart’s content. But before going into a serious relationship, make sure you’re not dating a scammer. You may be in a safe dating site, but it never hurts to search dating scammers first. Have a safe and happy online dating guys! =)

Note: Copy Starts Here!

My Desktop Free View Instruction:

A. Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun. You can do a screen capture by:

1. Going to your desktop and pressing the Print Screen key (located on the right side of the F12 key).

2. Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and do a Paste (CTRL + V).

3. If you wish, you can “edit” the image, before saving it.

B. Post the picture in your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop just below it if you want. You can explain why you preferred such look or why is it full of Icons, things like that.

C. Tag five of your friends and ask them to give you a Free View of their desktop as well.

~ I am tagging...

D. Add your name to this list of Free Viewers with a link pointing directly to your Desktop Free View post to promote it to succeeding participants.

iSSa @ Tongue Temptations & Issa's Dollar Earners

We’re all familiar how auctions go. People bid on an item and the highest bidder wins. Simple! But, the price can go so high that most of the regular folks can’t even have a chance to bid. How about if you bid for an item, and the bidder with the lowest unique bid will win? Wouldn’t that be great?? And it’s now happening in Bid4Prizes.com! Their prizes include Apple IPhones, HDTVs, designer bags to cash prizes.

Aside from auctions, the site also offers free gifts. I’m sure you can’t resist a freebie so go and visit Bid4Prizes.com now! Also they run a daily sweepstakes so there’s a cash winner everyday. Wow! Sounds really good! And last but not the least, there will be an all-new Bid4Prizes Game coming to your boobtube this October. Check out the photo ad below. The game will be on Fox. Watch out for it and don’t get addicted y’hear??

Here are my good friends in our get-togethers early September. Jinky (in red), Chin (in white), Ger (male in red) and JB (in blue) are my friends way back from high school. We each live our separate lives but we know whatever happens, we'll always have each other. BERKS forever! Este, kada pala! Hehe! =) Click to enlarge and to appreciate our faces, lol!

The premade cutie pink template is from AntJe's Scrap Corner. Love it! And best of all, it's FREE! =) So if you're into digital scrapbooking, go to her site. Lots of good stuff there! A bit of warning: the site is in German. Hehe!

Today (September 20) is a very special day in TNICC-Online! To commemorate the milestone of having 2000+ members, the admin is upgrading all ads to $0.02 each! Yup, that's 2cents for every ad you click! And take note, TNICC has more than 50 ads per day. Do the math and you'll see how much earn just for clicking ads -- awesome!! =) I'm already halfway clicking through the numerous ads. I'm sure I'm gonna reach payout soon -- another $15 to my e-gold! YES!!! =) If you're not a member yet, do join me and let's have fun earning online!

GAWD! This is just a terrible day! I have many articles to pass and there's no electricity since this morning! Actually, the blackout was intermittent. The lights go out and go back every 30 minutes or so since 8am till now. Though I do not want to use the pc (for fear it will be damaged by the unstable power source), I have no choice coz I have to email several articles to my employer. Sigh! Should have finished all articles yesterday ba! =( Anyway, I just tuned it to the news and it turned out that the blackout affected the whole of Southern Mindanao, and not just Davao City. There was apparently a technical malfunction in one of the power stations *shakes head* I hope they fix the problem soon. It really sucks when there's no electricity! =(

Are you suffering from wanderlust? Feeling the need to soar and travel around the world? But afraid of facing the booking problems associated with traveling? Well, we all know how hard it is to book a flight, reserve a hotel, rent a car, etc, etc in a new place. Sure, travel agencies can do these jobs but they charge exorbitant fees for their services. That’s just ok if you’re mega-rich but what about the rest of us? We want decent flights and hotel rooms but at affordable rates. Enter the internet. Most backpackers (those who travel on shoestring budget) knew that ONLINE booking and hotel reservations will get you the cheapest deals anywhere. But finding legitimate websites that offer these services prove to be daunting to travelers new to the internet. Well guys, fret no more coz HotelReservations.com is here!

The greatest thing in this website is that it offers more than hotel reservations despite their site’s name. They offer packages with airplane flights, car rentals, even tours! How cool is that?? Though you could also choose the combination you want while searching for deals, i.e. flights and tours only or car rental and resort only, etc. I tried the site and compared the prices they quoted for my searches against other travel sites, and boy, were they competitive! Most price quotes were cheaper, some were at par with the other sites. But the HotelReservations.com doesn’t stop there, they also offer discounts on top of their cheap prices. And that applies to worldwide destinations. Yes my dears, this site is not limited to the US or Europe, but worldwide! I tell you, this site is really great. But why continue reading here when you can check out the site and see for yourself? Go and try their travel searches, you might be tempted to travel with their cheap prices! =) And the next time you want hotel discounts, or more than that, use their website first for better deals okay?

What's a MoBlog? The word means mobile blogging, or blogging from your phone or other mobile devices. Actually I've been blogging through my phone about 3 years ago via my phone carrier's G-Blogs. There was no wap or gprs in my phone then so I'd sent my blog posts via text. Neat huh?? However Globe's server became so slow (can't cope up with the demand) that I eventually neglected the site. So much for blogging through my phone! Hehe!

Anyway, weeks ago, I posted here that I got a new phone (Sony Ericsson K800i) and that its best feature is the ability to photo blog. I was ecstatic about that coz I also love to take photos! I was thinking that I'd travel to exotic places and share its beautiful sceneries instantly via photo blogging. Exotic places my ass! LOL! So far, I've been posting my face in my MoBlog, hehe! =p The ability of my phone to photo blog is thru the help of Blogger (which Google acquired). You can view my site here: yes, it's ME! and you can also view it in your wap or gprs-enabled phones. The blog is phone friendly, meaning it will load quickly in your phone's browser. For all Globe subscribers, there's a promo of P0.075 per kb in browsing non-Globe sites. Dirt cheap rates so hurry and visit my MoBlog now! =)

No, the title is not of wrong grammar. It’s my take on MTV’s ultra-cool car show Pimp My Ride! If you haven’t seen it, you should. You’ll learn a lot of stuff about improving (pimping) your car to attract the chicks you dig. Lol! The show also has good bits about coverage for sports car. You know, those ultra-pricey cars that look so cool and runs so fast – then bang! It hits another car. Bye-bye pretty car! Bye-bye loads of money, which will go to expensive car repairs. But thank god you’re smarter than the average MTV bloke! You actually bought your sports car several auto insurance plans just to make sure you got everything covered. After all, the sports car is the centerpiece of your life, lol!

Seriously, car insurance is a very important matter that you should discuss with your children once they get their own car at 18 (or earlier), even if their first car is just second-hand and barely running. Truth is, insurance coverage for cars is a must these days, what with crazy speeding drivers and all! A car insurance will protect you from further expenditures if you meet a driving accident (god forbid!) and other such horrid matters. For your young adults who are so into driving, there is a so-called Teen Driver Auto Policy. Follow the link if you’d like to know more about it. As for the PINK car above, it’s not mine so I don’t know if it’s covered by insurance, hehe! I just saw it in a mall’s garage and I thought it looked gorgeous, so I snapped a pic of it and there it is! =) I just hope “her” owner got “her” covered. It’d be a waste to see a cutie car go to the dumpsite coz the owner can’t afford to have it repaired. Sigh!

Today marks the sixth year anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States of America. I was in 4th year college when it happened. I was studying for an exam while watching the news. Suddenly, the regular programming was interrupted with a live feed from New York. I can see one tall building with smoke on its top portion then I saw a plane hitting another tall building. The next thing I knew, the first building collapsed and there was mass hysteria everywhere. It was not a pretty sight and I still get goosebumps everytime I remember that scene. Nearly 3000 people died that day and 20 of them were hardworking Filipinos. Wars have been waged to “correct” the wrongs done. But personally, I don’t think we’ll ever be safe. For as long as there are people who support terrorists, there can be no end. Even if President Bush will wage the “war to end all wars”. But then, that’s just my two cents, what’s yours?

OMG!!! Apple just lopped $200 off the $599 iPhone, a whopping 33% reduction!!! It came as a surprise to me coz the price cut came less than 10 weeks after the most wanted cellular phone went on sale last June 29. Of course I'm ecstatic coz I can afford it this time. Thanks to my earnings via get-paid-to blog sites, happy! =) Here's a news video of the price cut which angered the early buyers, prompting Apple to offer them $100 credits in Apple stores. Whoa!! Apple sure is caring about their customers, lol!