WONDER WIFEY: April 2009

~ "C"

I love Trace My IP. Aside from seeing the "footprints" of my visitors, I am also able to see where they come from, how they landed on my site, what kind of search keywords led them here, and how long they lingered. Not that I intended to snoop. Having a blog is tantamount to living in a house without a door and I don't care who reads me as long as they leave having picked up something good. But what is interesting about http://www.tracemyip.org/ is that I am able to spot which of my posts were frequented ("SEO" / Search Engine Optimization -- is this where that applies?) AND so I can improve from there.

So far, I've attracted many with guess what....my Strep Reinfection post.

Maybe my blog will really take off if I say something about the Swine Flu this time. LOL

Just a little experiment.

But okay, here's a little info about the current outbreak:

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/ - One-stop access to U.S. Government swine, avian and pandemic flu information.

More info:
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/key_facts.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

Tags Swine Flu, Trace my IP 0 comments | |

Save the Earth

~ "C"

How will my children's books on social responsibility ever get published OR SOLD if I can't even pull up this new site's PR to 1. Maybe that's the problem. I've been spreading myself too thinly these days -- 3 blogs and a full-time job, hula-dancing on the side which has been dominating the after-hours lately for an upcoming show, wifey duties -- whatever you imagine (mostly cooking, what were you thinking?) and then some. There's practically no time to pause and roll out the red carpet for my muse's much-awaited visit.

Earth Day yesterday just rubbed salt to the wound since I've been aching to come up with something to give back to the environment -- something in my own very little way that can hopefully create tiny ripples of change. I'm far from being a hardcore tree-hugger but I am slowly evolving...uhrm...maturing...into a realistic (not one with highfalutin goals through highfalutin means) environmentalist lately, more than I've ever been in my whole life! It comes with age, I guess.

Since being a bonafide environmentalist will involve a major overhaul in my way of life, I'm gunning to achieve the SMART goals at the moment as an ordinary dweller. SMART Goals...anyone in this day and age especially if you're in the workforce should know what these are, right?

These are:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant/Realistic
Time-Sensitive/Time-bound

Do you want to join me on these very minute lifestyle changes? I promise you, they sound big and hard when we hear or see them on campaigns but they are really simple negligible tasks that we will barely notice the changes if we try to incorporate them into our lifestyle a little at a time. Traveling the extra mile, inch by inch. Tiny ripples can go far remember?

"RECYCLE" is a big word. I am not going to promise that -- Instead:
1. I will throw my trash on the proper bins, I will not save the sorting for later since it will take the same amount of time for me go to the bins anyway, and thus leaving no secondary task (with the possibility of not being able to accomplish) hanging.
2. I will bring my own huge canvas bags to all my trips to the grocery. One for dry goods, one for produce and one for meat.
3. I will minimize the use of non-biodegradable stuff like plastic bags, plastic cups and water bottles. I will use my double water-filter at home and fill up travel jugs if I need to bring water on my trips outside the home. The bottled water will be my last resort, if there are really no other options left. I will try to make sure there are other options left!

4. I will keep using the back of printouts for scratch papers until they are all written and doodled out. I will not buy fancy TO DO list pads from the store and I will use scratch papers instead. Anything for the trees!

"CONSERVE WATER" is big as well. But how many times have we let the water run on showers, the kitchen sink when we're washing dishes and the bathroom sink when we're brushing our teeth?
5. I will turn the faucet off if I'm not: A. filling up a container (bowl, pot for cooking, bottle, kettle, cup) B. getting stuff wet in preparation for washing or cleaning C. taking soap off surfaces like dishes, cars or myself snd D. "feeding" the plants

"CONSERVING ENERGY" is even bigger. But if I:
6. Unplug appliances that I'm not using -- VCR in the guest room, computer and printer in the home office, the Wii and Playstation that we use usually only every other weekend, lampshades, humidifier and the motley of chargers for today's gadgets -- cellphone, iPod, digital camera yada yada...
7. Turn the lights off rooms when no one's in them
8. After a trip to the grocery, I will gather all items that will go to the freezer and the refrigerator and make sure I'm ready before I open these doors. That way, I will shove everything in at one time without having to open and close several times. (I think this will help)
...maybe we'll get there.

and lastly, SAVE THE AIR. The biggest of them all? Vague and so waaaay out there. In my little way, I will simply:
9. Cluster or clump together all my errands per area and thus saving on car trips. I usually like to hit the post office, the grocery, the dry cleaners and the drugstore, even a little bit of shopping too, all in one shot. I can save on gas and pollute the air less too. I'll walk it if I can *if I can*.

9 little achievable things. Not even 10. These are not radical changes.

Remember, tiny ripples, if we are mindful of them, can go a long way.

Will you care to join me?

~Clarisse~

Tags earth day, save the earth, save the planet, social responsibility 2 comments | |

The 8 Tag from Kaye

~ "C"

I got this from Kaye of Random Wahm Thoughts and Wahmaholic (button, button...*hint* *hint*) LOL

Thank God she gave me something to do here. HAHAHA.

The 8 Tag

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:
1. Our Hula show (Ho'ike 2009) on May 2nd. I'm doing three dances!
2. Hubby's big 4-0. I still haven't come up with anything!
3. A baby -- I think I'll be preggers soon *wishful thinking*
4. My mom and dad's visit/vacation here and spending quality time and bonding with them.
5. Losing more weight -- IT'S HAPPENING!!!
6. SUMMER - Summer Breeze, Summer clothes, and Summer activities, even if I hate Sunblock.
7. For this website to grow. It's stunted right now. :(
8. Our Patio / Yard project to start, so I can start hanging out by the fire pit at night or while hubby barbecues : oooh grilled corn on the cob and some hotdogs, tiki torches and paper lanterns, and Bob Marley singing...Sangria, dancing and water balloon fights.

8 Things I Did Yesterday.
1. Tried the new software upgrade at work. Breeze!
2. Gave my coffeemaker some general cleaning because I realized I have forgotten all about it.
3. Went to Safeway to buy meat on sale (including #4)
4. Ate Italian Sausages that hubby broiled in our new-fresh-off-the-UPS-truck NuWave oven.
5. Called my mom and talked to her for a full hour.*HAPPY*
6. Vegetated with hubby on our living room couch as we watched random stuff on TV
7. Reorganized my kitchen countertops
8. Went to Facebook and wasted a lot of time before going to sleep. No regrets though.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do.
1. Remember all my dreams when I'm already awake. I know I get really good and amazing ones everytime. The details and concepts are usually something I haven't even encountered in real life!
2. See my mom and dad, be with them 24/7 and take care of their needs.
3. Be at two places at one time, everyday: Philippines and US. My workplace and home. The bedroom and the kitchen. The gymn and my bathtub *duh*
4. Talk about some unfinished business with this old friend of mine (Hi "D" -- as if he'd see this). Just for closure. But maybe, some things are really just better left unsaid. Because it won't make a difference to both lives anyway.
5. Sing better and master more karaoke songs. LOL
6. Stop having traffic violations!!!
7. Sew very well and good enough to make my own clothes.
8. Afford to sponsor/support an indigent to school back home.

8 Shows I Watch
1. HGTV's Color Splash with David Bromstad
2. 90210 - The Spin-off; well, reruns too...
3. House
4. CSI
5. Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations
6. Top Chef
7. Samantha Brown: Passport to Great Weekends
8. Ghost Hunters International on SciFi

8 People I Tag.
1. Trina of Ketchup, Please?
2. Bingkee of I Love Hate America
3. Gina of Rain Angel Chronicle
4. Cindy of Thinking Beyond
5. Juliana of WAHM Talks
6. Mommy Glen of Mom Glen's Journal
7. Marites of Pinay Heart Wandering and Musings
8. Emzkie of Runaway Thoughts of Emz

4 comments | |

Imaginary Friends

~ "C"

My Blog is one month old as of the 13th, I think. But I remember that my first post was on the 20th of March.

I have not done anything exciting just yet (perhaps I never will come up with something!), but I think I'm moving closer to my goal for this site. I'm moving slow but I am satisfied with my progess, inch after inch after inch!

So far, the PR is still a whopping duck's egg but I think I've written quite a few interesting stuff.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step.

My next project I believe will be to blog-hop and exchange links. I wish I have all the time in the world.

But I had all the time to write about IMAGINARY FRIENDS at my Coffee, Anyone site. Check it out if you're wondering why your child is having a tea party and talking to people you cannot see! Click on the hyperlink right away too...if you yourself are seeing and talking to amazing people no one else in your regular clique has ever had any conversation with!

That's all for now.

I hope you'll come back soon to check out my posts, Imaginary Readers!

Tags Imaginary Friends 0 comments | |

Happy Easter!

~ "C"

glitter-graphics.com

0 comments | |

John 3:16

~ "C"

Here's my Good Friday gift to you all:

It's like the passage express where you can search the bible in a few clicks!

http://www.biblegateway.com/

Have a Meaningful Good Friday and a Wonderful Easter!!!

0 comments | |

I think I reinfected myself with strep throat

~ "C"

STUPID.

That is one word I use sparingly. In fact, I don't like using it at all. But I think it's the most appropriate description for myself right now.

I think I reinfected myself with strep throat.

Déjà vu of all time!

I didn't see it coming too. I was happy and healthy and bouncing off the walls, glad that all those tonsillitis pain is over. NOT!

Yesterday, it hit me again. First, it was extremely painful everytime I swallowed, then by noon, I was flaming hot!

By midnight, I developed a coughing spell that was on a loop -- it just couldn't find it's way to the end.

AND I JUST FAITHFULLY FINISHED MY FLIPPING ANTIBIOTICS!!!

Anyway, I just read that "a common cause of reinfection, believe it or not, is our toothbrushes. Our toothbrushes should normally be replaced at least every 3 months, but if we come down with something, we should replace it then, right after we're not catching anymore,, so as not to reinfect ourselves." STRIKE ONE!

And since I've gotten back to work, I realized I didn't sanitize (I'm not a dirty filthy thang okay?) my work area. My keyboard, my phone (headpiece and keypad), and the picture of Brad Pitt I always kiss. *kidding* These harbor the germs and remain carriers. My stuff and I were carriers of the same bug that got me the second time! STRIKE TWO!

The same bug can even relapse from colonies that are able to stay in places like the back of our nasal passages in back of the uvula. I think I overcleaned myself with this mouthwash called Bactidol / (Hexetidine) from Pfeizer and virtually wiped out my friendly soldiers too. STRIKE THREE!

So yeah, I'm out.

I feel miserable and sullen all over again. And now, I SOUND LIKE A MAN!

So I learned my lesson, not that I want a next time... The best bet is:
1. Replace toothbrushes and other intimate hygiene paraphernalia that could harbor the bacteria.
2. After taking antibiotics, they said we might benefit from eating yogurt (or getting some lactobacillus from the pharmacy) to replace the friendly bacteria and balance. It could be that hubby's a carrier of the germs but is not sick, and is passing them to me who's more susceptible!
3. Boost our immune system!!! Garlic and honey...If you have a garlic press it is super easy to do. (Squirt a dab of honey onto a teaspoon, press the one garlic clove on top of the honey and then cover with another dab of honey. Then swallow it.) You can wash it down with water! But so use caution if you want to try this with children, their stomachs might not be able to handle it. You might want to consider Apple Cider Vinegar too. It has so many therapeutic properties. And by the way, have you heard of Apple Cider Vinegar-Garlic-Honey Combo Elixir? My grandmother's cousin, she's 80-ish now is still very well and in the pink of health *knock on wood*.

Here's the ACV-G-H Elixir Concoction in a nutshell:

Put the following in a blender...
1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 cup raw honey, 8 cloves garlic
Mix on high speed for 60 seconds. Pour mixture into a glass container. Seal and leave in the refrigerator for five days. Normal dosage is two tsp. in a glass of water or fruit juice, grape or orange juice is best before breakfast.

I'm going to start doing more preventive measures from now on. I'm not going to be "stupid" enough to succumb to another bout with streptococci. Oh my Lordie!

Tags Boost Immune System, Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar, Reinfection, Strep Throat 2 comments | |

HTML, CSS, XML, JAVASCRIPT AND MORE

~ "C"

I am not severely tech-challenged but not entirely well-versed with HTML, CSS, XML and other computer-related gobbledygook either.

And since I wanted this blogsite to be a source of help for those bloggers like me who are eating more HTML than they can digest (or is it just me?), here's a helpful site that will surely carry you through: W3SCHOOLS

It walks you through the creation of Basic and Advanced HTML, CSS, XML and Javascript codes.

I particularly like the online hands-on workshops where you can tinker with the codes and see the immediate results/changes on the same page using the Tryit Editor v1.4 <---click that to see an example.

I'm having fun playing, experimenting and pretending to be a notch smarter than I've known myself to be. Which in a scale of 1 to 10 is a 2. Maybe 2.5. *kidding*

I hope this helps. If you have other tips, please do not hesitate to drop me a comment! Thanks!

Tags CSS, HTML, JAVASCRIPT, w3schools, XML 0 comments | |

Dandelion Fields

~ "C"

I found this online (thanks to Google Images) and I totally fell in love with it.

I guess I'm putting up another blogsite and I'll call it Dandelion Fields! *LOL*

I see children running around, frolicking in the sun, spilling laughter everywhere. Kites flying, echoes of giggles...squeals of delight. And the warm wind, marrying the cool breeze. I'm getting carried away.