I Totally Forgot..

To Renew THIS DOMAIN! For those who dropped by late last Sunday and early Monday, I’m so sorry. Pinaywifespeaks went on a short holiday =). I own several domains and all of them I bought from GoDaddy and domain management has been a breeze for those domains.

I’ve forgotten that this domain – Pinaywifespeaks, I have registered elsewhere,then transfered to Hostgator. I haven’t been checking my email and Hostgator has been emailing me about the expiring domain. Then I checked the site last Monday coz my cousin said something weird was coming out when she types in my URL, and my blog site was replaced by a webpage selling adult toys and photos. Hehe so this sent me in a panic mode, and I was thinking, ‘Has my site been hacked?? Who would even bother to hack this?’

I then contacted Hostgator’s 24/7 tech support and you can imagine my relief when they said that its simply a case of the domain expiring. Ok, I just love Hostgator’s support team. They are very accommodating and patient in guiding a semi-crazy person like me. I’m not very familiar with renewing domains and billing with Hostgator but the guy from tech support guided me all throughout. Few minutes and less than $20 later, I had my domain back. Whew! I should really set a reminder about this. I’ll probably be putting this on auto-renewal mode so this won’t happen again.

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Duh! Is PPP Really That Cheap?

I know it’s Christmas season, but I’m not talking about any shopping. I’m referring to one paid to blog/review program which has been around for sometime already. One way I keep my blogs going is by doing reviews and this one has been a source of good review opportunities in the past.

Sadly, the past year, it doesn’t really have much to offer in terms of good opps not just in price but the sites that are offered for review. I’m quite picky when it comes to websites that I link to. So I found myself doing less and less work for them.

Anyway, yesterday I decided to check out what’s new with their site and lol! I was really surprised with the offers there. $.50 for a post? And they have a lot of requirements aside from the link! And they also have the nerve to demand PR3 or higher..Is it really that cheap? I realize that we are in dire times now, the marketplace is brimming with more bloggers waiting to write review but come on! $.50???

It’s not like I’m asking for payment enough for me to take florida vacations (but that’s okay too..), but those prices are simply too cheap. I know I can’t do anything about it, its their company’s decision to do that, but I won’t be writing reviews for them anymore. Not really a loss, as I have some more much reliable blog for reviews company who offer regular opportunities at fair prices.

Strange Questions Meme

I’m getting a little hooked on questions memes. For one, I don’t have to think much hehe..And I could simply write the truth and voila! I have a post..

Anyway, here’s an interesting one I found somewhere. Some questions sounds like you’re in a beauty contest or something lol! I won’t be tagging anyone but if you find the questions interesting, fee free to grab it and answer. I’d love to read your answers to this too.

If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone?

No. I’d rather not. Why should I allow someone be on agony knowing I’ll be dead? On the other hand, if there is someone who hates me really badly and wants to see me die, I’ll probably tell them, at least somebody will be happy I won’t be around. Although, no one has come to hate me that much yet.

If a new medicine were developed that would cure arthritis but cause a fatal reaction in 1 percent of those who took it, would you want it to be released to the public?

All things have their bad sides and I guess as long as there is an explicit warning of its possible fatal effects, why not if it could save lives too?

If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the body or the mind of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?

I would want to retain my 30-year old MIND. Dyusko! I’m trying to rid myself of excess fats nga so I wouldn’t want to have this body for the next 60 years of my life. And besides, even if I had a to-kill for body, what use would it be if I have a useless mind?

If at birth you could select the profession your child would eventually pursue, would you do so?

No way. I love what I’m doing now and I’d like my child to have the same happy experience in finding whatever profession she can be happy with. There are lots of people earning lots of moolah but they are unhappy. I’d much rather settle for something that can earn me just a decent income and enjoying it too rather than something that can earn me millions and make working daily an excruciating experience. So, I’d want my child make her own choices.

If you knew there would be a nuclear war in one week, what would do? (you can’t stop it)

I could do two things. One is to figure out how to survive it. I also have to learn, if I survive it how would it affect me? I mean, would I be grossly disfigured or what? If I’ll survive with only my torso intact, I think I’d much prefer not to survive.  The second thing, I’d do is party like there is no tomorrow. Do happy things, be with family.

Would you accept twenty years of extraordinary happiness and fulfillment if it meant you had to die at the end of the period?

Nope. Disappointments, sad things, well, I think these make life more special. Not that I like being unhappy, its simply like, to appreciate happiness you got to experience some sadness. I’d much rather go through life with its regular ups and downs. If there is happiness all the time, how could I even appreciate it if I don’t know what sadness feels like?

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Tag From Z

Haha! Love the post title.. This I got from Facebook and (since I’m out of post ideas here well.. this is it). Thanks, Z!

1. What was the last thing you put in your mouth
Coffee..(and its dinner time and I’m having coffee… adik!)

2. Where was your profile picture taken?
RUPP. That’s Chinks ha not me..(my profile photo in Facebook)

3. Can you play Guitar Hero?
No. I don’t even have an idea what is that..

4. Name someone who made you laugh today?
Chinks and Hi-ace. They are so goofy and I had to laugh really hard coz they both trying to learn MJ’s Moonwalk.

5. How late did you stay up last night and why?
not late. about 9 pm. had to rest just had flu

6. If you could move somewhere else, where would it be ?
France. But we both like it here and besides I wanna stay put so Chinks will not have such a hard time adjusting.

7. Ever been kissed under fireworks?
Not yet. Haha as in now that its mentioned here, I kinda think it’ll be an interesting experience.

8. Which of your friends lives closest to you?
Netcy, Zarah, Josiet, Che, Mel.. most of my Khmer friends I met in Pinas are not here..

9. Do you believe ex’s can be friends?
No. Maybe its possible for some, not for me though. I’m just too maldita.

10. How do you feel about Dr Pepper?
Huh? No feelings at all. (Who is Dr. Pepper anyway?)

11. When was the last time you cried really hard?
Last Sunday, during the Pacquiao-Cotto match. And not because Pacquiao won ha..

12. Who took your profile picture?
me. coz it’s Chinkee’s photo..

13. Who was the last person you took a picture of?
Chinkee. She asked me to take photo of her wobbly, soon-to be uprooted front teeth. She wanted a souvenir so I ended taking a photo of her mouth.

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Just Ranting Bout My ISP!

I’m posting this one at a cafe. It’s entirely my fault anyway that our internet connection was cut off coz I totally forgot to pay the bill for October. The thing is were using MetNet and they don’t have a decent billing system. I was expecting I would be receiving a bill either by snail mail or email but nada, they would simply text you your bill for the month and when is the due date. They would usually do this two weeks before the due and two weeks is a long time for a person as frenzied as me.

Another thing I don’t like about the MetNet billing system is that you can’t check how much bandwidth you have already consumed and you simply have to take their word for how much your bill is. That is really hard to swallow for a conscentious consumer like myself. They just text you like, “Ok Customer____, Your bill for October is $___. Please pay by ___.” They don’t even mention how much MB/GB of bandwidth i have consumed so I am really doubtful now about the service.

I’m thinking now of changing my plan to just the 128kpbs but with unlimited upload/download for only $35, instead of the current one I’m using (256/2.5GB upload/download). Or if they can’t present me with detailed listing of my consumption when I go to their service center, then I’m considering terminating my subscription. Their service is okay, there are downtimes but nothing that can interfere with my work, what really just totally gets to my nerves is their billing system.

I feel highly doubtful about how much I consume coz for the past two months I’ve been strictly monitoring my usage with a bandwidth monitor. Last month my monitor says I have consumed 1.9GB less than the limit but my bill came in $75 when its supposed to be $35. So I called their customer service center and has been passed on from one person to another without getting any answer. I’ve also asked if its possible for me to check my bandwidth consumption online (like QBMore) but they don’t have that kind of facility. They really just expect you to pay whatever they say. I’m really okay with paying no matter how much as long as I am sure that is how much I have used..

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50 Questions Meme

I was surfing online and found this meme. And since I’m feeling a little bit bored and lazy I decided to post it and I’d like to tag Josiet and Zarah.

50 Questions:

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?

Whaaaaaa! I really really need to visit a hair salon and have my hair straightened. It’s just so frizzy.

2. How much cash do you have on you?

$25

3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR?

Ummm.. Core

4. Favorite planet?

Uranus. It’s not very popular and I think its unusual.

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?

Hi-ace’s nephew

6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone?

I have no idea. Chinks keep changing it everyday, so you could say I have lots of missed calls because I don’t recognize my ringtone most of the time.

7. What shirt are you wearing?

Pink tank top

8. Do you label yourself?

Nope.

9. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently wearing?

I’m wearing flip flops, no brand.

10. Bright or Dark Room?

Dark. My eyes find it easier to adjust..

(more…)

Why I Wandered on The Net

Well, that’s me. Always happen to me probably because I have such a short attention span. I usually surf the net for news, stuff to blog about, early in the morning. I don’t like eating breakfast, coffee is just fine for me and I like being online early..

So I began my day about five a.m. and been checking emails, doing some server checking, backing up. Then I moved on to any posting assignments I have for the day and do some research. I also checked all my sites for comments pending approval, replies etc. Then I moved on to some personal emails and I ended up clicking on some ads on the newsletter on my inbox.

Which led me to surfing different sites when what I’m really supposed to do was look for info about mesothelioma but I ended up searching for scripts to run a wallpaper site. Close huh? I decided to take a coffee break around eight a.m and when I got back I told myself, “No more wandering around! Stick to the task..”

So here I am on my Wordpress dashboard typing away and not actually saying much. Hehe but in case you noticed I’ve accomplished the task..

a Lazy Update..

So what’s up with me? I should have been updating this but things are getting really hectic this past week. For one its Pchum Ben Festival here in Cambodia so we had been hopping to some pagodas last weekend. Curious about Pchum Ben Festival? It’s the Cambodian festival for Commemorating the Spirits of the Dead. Much like All Soul’s Day and usually extends for 15 days for Khmers and one of the festivals that Khmers really take to heart. I’ve done a fair bit of research on that and will be posting it soon. Hmmn, living in Cambodia is certainly opening my mind to new things about Cambodian culture.

I am also in the midst of working on several different web projects. Some blogs and a full blown website so its taking a lot of my time. I’m spending about 12-14 hours in front of the PC even forgetting to eat sometimes which is simply not healthy but I console myself by thinking I don’t have to rush around looking for the best fat burner just to get rid of my scary love handles.

Tomorrow I’ll have a bit of time to relax and take some rest as the projects are almost done and its holiday here so hubby and Chinks don’t have school (meaning I could get lots of help around the house ).

Will update the soonest..

Site Under Maintenance

I’m tweaking things here and there so some might be a bit odd. Please bear with me..
Note to self: Have to change the logo…!done!
Do let me know what you think of the new theme.

Blog Revamp..

Just a short aside.. A month ago I started revamping this site. I changed the theme to one where I could have rotating headers but I haven’t gotten around achieving the look and functionality I have in mind so I’m thinking of buying a premium theme I could use for this site. I have new pages coming up soon all related to travel, work from home as well as a page with links to my articles (sorta like an archive..)

My ad spot banner page (which has been hibernating for awhile) would also be up soon as well as a new downloadables page where I’ll be adding free ebooks for grabs. Mostly recipes, home tips and blogging tricks that I hope some of you would find useful.

I’m also updating my blog categories as well as tags (:D aiming for good SEO and I feel the need to organize the ‘mess’ my blog is..). I’ve decided not to put the site on maintenance mode so you’d still be able to access it but please cut me some slack if some things might look a bit weird from time to time.

Cleaning Up Before Blogging

I’ve decided to forego blogging for a couple of days after we came back from our Mondulkiri weekend trip coz I wanted to do some general cleaning. A couple of weeks back we had been renovating our drive way and all those building materials have just piled up plus I wanted to scrub everything clean of cement dust.

I have this weird liking for sorting through junk (esp. hubby’s junk ) and I could really do well running a junk shop. Anyway, hubby does a fine job collecting whatever parts, tools and junk like plastic knobs, nails etc.

If I had my way, I’d throw it all out of course but we both agreed to have a good place for them so it won’t clutter our stock room. The job was all done yesterday so now I’m back to blogging with a vengeance. I’m also hoping I could get back to my blog networking with other bloggers. I haven’t been doing much hopping and commenting due to ISP constraints.

Blogging Chronicles: This site almost went pfft! again..

I’m hardly an expert in Wordpress, in fact after a year of using it, I still have a lot to learn. One particular thing I love Wordpress is the multitude of plugins available to add  this and that to you blog. Its one of the things that makes Wordpress really a standout as a CMS, not just as a blogging platform. Plugin developers also extend great support, but if I can’t find any solution to my Wordpress debacles, the codex and the forums is where I can easily turn to for answers.

Just like this weekend, I had my Wordpress installation upgraded to the latest version 2.8. For reviews of WP version 2.8 you can find good reads here, here and here. Though the version doesn’t offer gigantic changes from the previous versions, I still decided to upgrade because the changes to the widget admin area I find particularly helpful.

The only problem was that, after upgrading to the latest version and viewing my blog, presto! all my sidebars were gone. All widgets in the admin area were still there, so I wondered what went wrong again. I changed my theme thrice, the same thing happened. That’s why this site was in maintenance mode for 24 hours. I’ve checked out the forums for what went wrong and hmm, it must be the plugins. But which one? Geez, I’m using almost 30 plugins and now I have to sift through all of them, deactivate, reactivate one by one. know there is a tool to check, but there was a time it failed me so I decided to do it one by one. It turned out the plugins I installed for the photo galleries were not up to the current version yet.

Thank God, everything is up and running now. And of course, I’ve given Pinaywifespeaks a new “attire” with a new theme – Atahualpa with custom rotating headers. I just love this WP theme it can be easily be customized with more than 200 elements you can tweak and you can completely modify the look of your blog withouh much HTML or CSS knowledge. I’m so enamored with this theme, I’ve even used it also on my latest blog about Asia asia – Pinkchopsticks.

So now everything is working well and good but I still need to find a photo gallery plugin that would suit what I have in mind (if you know of a nicely styled gallery plugin, drop me a note ^o^). I have a free ad spot banner page which I keep promising myself I would update real soon plus I already have some new free banner graphics up for grabs so I have to upate it soon enough. More work to do..

Blogging and Bathroom Blues

Curious at the title? What does a bathroom and blogging have to do with each other. I know I’ve been neglecting my blogs for a couple of weeks already.  For one thing, I don’t have yet a reliable internet connection at home. ISP’s here charge astronomical fees for not so good services. My complaints about about internet services here in Phnom Penh is really enough to fill several post.

I digressed.. Another reason I’ve not been blogging aside from the ISP concerns, a busy schedule, is that I’ve broken a toe when I slipped in the bathroom. So it’s the bathrooms fault I haven’t updated my blogs as much as I needed to..hehe.Not only did I slip, but a big bottle of shampoo fell on my toenail so now I’m also holding a funeral for my toenail. Grrr! The pain was really excruciating and for several days I’ve been in agony lazing about the house unable to do much.

I often thought bathroom safety products doesn’t really have much use. Serious injuries can occur in the bathroom and well, I’ve learned that lesson the hard way. Bathrooms should be safe to use particularly if there are children and elderly in the house. After the incident, we have taken to installing safety grab bars and non-slip mats on the bath.

Now I’m pretty much back to normal except for my dead toenail, I’m good to go now. We’re planning a weekend trip to the southern coast of Cambodia and thankfully my toe is all healed enough for me to go.

Sporting a New Theme..

I had the itch again.. Not to scratch but to change my theme. You see, I have several things cooking for this blog and I wanted a theme with clean lines, 3 columns, preferrably with neutral colors, with tabs on top so I could have my pages prominently up there.

There are literally thousands of themes out there with new ones being lauched everyday that I found it so hard to choose. Would you believe it took me two days just to decide which one to load up? I finally chose the Statement theme by BlogOhBlog. I like the look of it, with posts highlighted and the clean, sleek lines.

This is the 3rd time this blog changed “clothes”. I love tweaking my themes and I usually end up messing things but I don’t mind coz I learn something along the way.. (Mostly to back up in case I really mess up lol!). The first theme I ever used was the Inbiz theme which stayed for more than six months, then last October I shifted to the Blue Grey theme, and now the Statement theme..

This made me reminisce how this blog used to look like…

So, how’d you find the new look?

50 Personal Blog Posting Ideas

There times when I really feel like updating my blog yet no matter how much I try to squeeze a post out of my head I still come up with nothing.That is one reason why I always keep a small notebook with me wherever I go so I could write down ideas that just prop up. Ideas usually come up when I’m drinking coffee in some corner cafe especially when I can hear some interesting conversation around me, when I’m lining up in the grocery, waiting for my turn in the bank, the dentist’s clinic, or waiting in terminals.

Notepad is also one of my bestfriends. When I’m surfing the net I would always have my Notepad open to jot down interesting sites, news and possible posting ideas. For the past year that I have been blogging I have accumulated a smorgasboard of notes, and managed to fill up three small notebooks.

I’ve started making this list about some personal stuff I would want to write about. These are all just random, simple and cutesy topics but writing about them would reveal a bit more of the real person behind the blogger. For personal bloggers who are experiencing some lack of blogging inspiration, check out the list, it might prompt some ideas.

1. What was the funniest/nastiest/most memorable prank you ever pulled on someone?

2. Describe your first date/first kiss. Hmm.. did you see stars or you just felt gross?

3. What is scariest experience you had?

4. What kind of games did you play as a kid?

5. What do you miss most about your childhood?

6. What kind of child where you? Shy? A bully? Popular? Loner? Stubborn? …

7. Do you have any phobias? what thing do you fear most?

8. Who was your celebrity crush during your teens?

9. What outfit did you wear before that you swore you’d never wear again? If you have photos and the right amount of courage, then post it!

10. Do you have any regrets? Whats the biggest mistake you ever made?

12. What’s the weirdest/hardest/funniest job you ever had?

13. What’s the most embarassing thing that happened to you?

14. What’s your wildest dream?

15. Create characters about your family and friends and talk about their unique characters. Use avatars!

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Finally made the move!

I really thought it would be nerve wracking to transfer this site to another host. That is one of the reasons I held back from getting a new host even if I really needed to. I read a lot of posts saying that transferring host can be a headache so when the decision was made, my brain kept cooking up scenarios of my blog being lost with no back-ups. Hehe overactive imagination on my part.

There are lots of web hosting providers out there and I had a hard time deciding which one I’d choose. A lot of my online friends recommended Hostgator so I checked out their hosting plans. The plan prices, features are almost identical to all other hosts I checked the difference though is that  they accept Paypal payments, you have the option to make monthly, 2 and 3 year payments, and what clinched the deal? They offer free site transfer ( free domain transfer, free file transfer, free MySQL transfer, free Script Transfer).

As of this time I am really satisfied with the way they handled the transfer. I just submitted a ticket, less than an hour I got a response for my confirmation to go ahead and in less than 12 hours my site was successfully transferred!

Pinaywifespeaks went into Twilight Zone!

A couple of days back, I mentioned I was losing bandwidth fast and August still had a week to go. I’ve been mulling over adding bandwidth or changing to a new host. Then things happened and I had to deal with them first before I could attend to my website and hosting issues.

My father arrived from Bicol and I had to bring him to Camp Crame because he had to process something about his pension and retirement benefits. I am really sad that at his age (he’s almost 80) he still had to come a long way just to get the benefits owed to him. I have a lot to say about my dad and other police retirees pursuit to have their pensions adjusted and received so I’m reserving those thoughts for another post.

Chinks also decided to go on vacation in Bicol and I didn’t have the heart to refuse her asking to spend sometime with the grandparents since well soon be leaving for Phnom Penh. Not having my daughter around made me a bit depressed so I am so thankful for mobile phones and web cams.

Hi-ace is about to defend his dissertation tomorrow and the past few days has been a doubly hectic time for us. Being the “supportive, understading and  wife” that I am  I helped him out with countless revisions, proofreading, and printing I’ve already sworn, I won’t ever take up graduate studies just to avoid the pain of writing a thesis. After that I was so sleepy, weary and tired to the bones.

It was just last night I got the chance to check my sites and darn it! I can’t access my site and cpanel. I’ve exceed my bandwidth and my site has been in twilight zone since the 25th. That was a 6 day vacation and whew! I checked my traffic rankings   and the results were a bit depressing too..

I don’t want to dwell on it anymore. Priorities are priorities and as of this time, I will soon be able to fix the hosting and bandwidth concerns, will be able to drop on my fave Entrecard sites, and write some posts..I’ve also decided to updated my theme. I want this blog to have a new and uncluttered look just like this new wordpress blog I have modified.

I guess I could go to bed now and get some much needed zzzzzzz and I don’t have to worry now coz I could safely say now that Pinaywifespeaks is back from twilight zone!

Got to Add Some Bandwidth..

I’ve been away from my notebook and the internet since yesterday ‘coz I’ve got stiff neck so I had to give myself some rest and relaxation time. It was long overdue and I enjoyed the short break. It was not until late this afternoon that I decided to check my email for messages and I didn’t expect to get an email from my hosting company that this domain have reached more that 90% of my bandwidth.

Last month I got that message two days before the last day of the month and it didn’t bother me but this time August still has one week to go and my site is running out of bandwidth. Hubby suggested I should now upgrade my hosting plan.. and I think it’s a good idea.

When I got this domain and chose a hosting plan I didn’t really think I’d get any traffic so I just chose the starter plan with a small bandwidth just enough for readers like my family and friends I could “coerce” to read me . Originally, the plan is to make this into a personal blog but I guess I’m too private to reveal too much of myself and besides I really think blogging about my daily activities would be boring so this site went on to feature a multitude of things I find interesting.

I’m really happy with this.. I know my traffic is not much compared to really fab and popular blog sites but having some people checking out my site, reading my posts, leaving comments, offering link exchanges, giving me stumbles or diggs, well it really gives me so much pleasure. I also checked my Alexa traffic ranking and it coughed out 144, 756, a big jump from its 1 Million something ranking last May.

Thanks to my regular droppers, visitors and blogging friends.. You guys inspire me to learn, explore and write more…

Had a Short Blogging Break and Chinkee Doodles

I haven’t been hopping and dropping much and not much postings either and for good reasons.. I’ve been helping out hubby with proofreading and printing some of his work. He’s writing his dissertation and since Chemistry is the topic that’s all I could really help on…

Aside from that I felt the need to have some distance from blogging and recharge myself so I’ve spent a lot of time doing some artworks with my daughter, Chinks. Drawing and coloring are some of the activities my daughter and I enjoy doing together.

Till now I am amazed that she can draw some interesting charactersand she loves telling stories while she’s drawing. She’s just five and I don’t recall ever teaching her how to draw. Just gave her lotsof coloring stuff and drawing boards.

Here’s some of her doodles..

On the left, that’s her version of a pretty spider, she says, spiders are scary sometimes but if I make it pretty then they wouldn’t be so scary. On the right, her “butterfuly princess”.

This made me feel so grateful again for being given the joy of motherhood. One of the best experiences a parent could have is seeing their kids develop and learn different things.