Google It, Will You?

Can I vent? Sure I can. This is my blog, after all. Hehe. I just find it irritating that some people abuse me too much. I've given them my hand and yet they still want more and take my whole arm. It's mostly my fault, though, what with the stupid people-pleaser in me. I try to be kind to everyone, but unfortunately, I come face to face with some people who take advantage of that.


I know a bit about blogs and how they work (I design and write for blogs for a living, after all), so I help out as much as I can when people have questions. But telling me to do something for you that you can do yourself? Asking me a question that you could have easily Googled in seconds? Demanding me to explain to you how stuff works and what that hostmonster review means like I have a responsibility to do that? I mean seriously? It's either plain stupidity or laziness OR both.


Fortunately, I am not as gullible as some people think. I can usually spot a user from a mile. Although of course sometimes my radar fails me (reason why I am ranting, in the first place. LOL). The period when I am still determining whether a person is still worth helping, be glad for that. I'll help out when I can. But I reach a boiling point. And when I do, a person better hopes he's/she's not there to hear what I have to say. Because I could say really mean things. Just ask Paulie. He knows.

 

Lost In Translation

My daughter Svet speaks quite well now, enough for us to decipher most of what she's trying to say. Most, is the operative term here, as sometimes I still think she must be an alien's daughter (or at least someone from Russia) because of the words coming out of her mouth. Especially if she's excited or she doesn't know how to call something (she would proceed to invent a name for it, most of the times a rather long name).


She's seen too much Dora the Explorer (and other cartoon) episodes, that much is obvious from the way she speaks and from what she's learned to say so far. I'm sometimes even surprised that she knows how to say a certain phrase in English, when it's clearly not the language that we use to speak inside the house. Her songs are mostly off said kids' show, songs that she won't stop singing at night before she goes to sleep.


She's only two, so I know her speech can only get better by the day. My mom scolds me and tells me to talk to Svet more often so that she'll learn faster. I realize she is right (when is that woman ever wrong? *sigh*), and that I haven't been talking to Svet as much as I need to. Talk, as in talk like adults. I should start now, no? If not I might forever be lost in translation.


 

All We Need Is Love

My mom and my aunt (one of the people in my life closest to my heart) got into a misunderstanding a couple of months back. I'm not at liberty to discuss the details, as it is a rather very personal family affair that seemed to have gone from innocuous enough to just plain ugly. Who started the silent war between the two, I can only guess, but during those times that they were not speaking to each other and have completely ignored each other on Facebook, I was naturally sad. To see the two women I most love in the world not in good terms, of course it broke my heart.


I did what I know what to do, that is, try to get them into speaking terms again even if it was just to say hi to each other. I miss their banter filling my Facebook News Feed, and I felt it was somehow my duty to help them make amends with each other. I would always manage to talk about my aunt in a good way while me and my mom talk, and I would do the same when me and my aunt would talk through Facebook messaging. Today I found out that my mom has removed my aunt from her blocked list (seriously, they are like highschoolers sometimes) and my aunt, well she has been expressing an intention to talk to my mom for quite some time. Ain't that a good news? Turns out they can't stand to be without each other for very long. I guess they just took some time off to clear their minds and be at peace with themselves.


I feel so happy right now that I feel a bit giddy. It wasn't only me who was responsible for their decision, of course. Me and my sisters as well as my aunt's children have been hard at work bringing them back together. All's well now, I think. Of course I can't be certain that it will stay that way until forever, but for the time being I will enjoy what peacefulness between them they offer.


 

TABASCO® Love!

This post brought to you by TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

My sister Rikka's husband introduced TABASCO® to us several months ago. At first we were not very enthusiastic about it, but lately we realized we simply cannot live without it anymore. Our twice a month grocery shopping is not complete without purchasing a refill of our favorite TABASCO® Original Red. We are pepper people at heart, and the stuff is just addicting, no matter what dish we put it in.

With Super Bowl season just around the corner, sports and foodie fans can celebrate it with a blast with Pizza Perfected partnered with their all-time favorite chips and beer. Not a huge pizza fan? Worry not as there are tons of choices on the Game-Day Party Menu page to choose from to fuel the high energy required of this season. As huge TABASCO® fans, every meal is as exciting to us as watching the Super Bowl event live.

If you think that TABASCO® is just your run-of-the-mill pepper sauce, then you have another thought coming. TABASCO® Original Red is "So Much More Than Hot", and that's not just lip service to the spice. Unlike other pepper sauces we've tried, it blends well with food so that you can add it to virtually anything: from soups, dips, salads, cocktails, stews to popcorn! It being low in sodium compared to other pepper sauces is also a plus factor for us.

Do you have a TABASCO® Original Red recipe you want to share with us? We could use several new additions to our menu to add variety to our daily meals. :)

No Baby. Not Counter-Strike!

Paulie plays Counter-Strike religiously everyday, so it was no surprise when Svet took interest in it and started requesting that she be allowed to play it. Yes, she can pronounce the game title quite clearly so we know exactly what she's asking for. Boggles the mind, when she can't even say simpler words properly. Now before any parent overreacts and gives me an earful about the violence that the game might instill on Svet's young mind, let me just say that she is not interested in firing bullets nor using any of the weapons in there at all. What does she do then?

She's just content in controlling the character and letting it roam around the map. Paulie doesn't leave her side when she's playing, and makes sure the settings are as child-friendly as he can make it. There was one time, when an enemy was immediately in front of her with its back on her, and she just screamed "There it is!" (she calls people "it") and ran to the opposite side of the map. So you see, no violence at all. Just pure fun. I just hope that she loses interest in the game before she discovers that you can actually kill people in it. If she doesn't switch to another game anytime soon, I will have to uninstall the game on Paulie's computer. Two people will be sad if that happens. Svet and Paulie both. LOL.


 

Grandma Blogging!

I have long been convincing my mom to blog but it wasn't until recently that she consented. So I bought her hew own domain at This Grandma Blogs and hope that she finds the time and inspiration to publish an article or two every once in a while. As expected, she's been having problems remembering where to log-in (she blogs on WordPress, I've already set-up the site and the template for her), even what her username and her password is. She told me she wrote those details down, but of course she can't remember where. Now you know where I get my forgetfulness from? LOL.


She has a long way to go to learn the basics, but she seems to be enjoying herself so far, and I just hope it continues until such time that she is able to do everything by herself and not have to call me on Skype every now and then to ask me about blogging stuff. Not that I mind, I know the learning curve can be pretty steep, especially for someone who does not have all the time in the world to learn.


I hope you can visit her dear friends! She's thrilled every time she sees a new comment on her blog. She sure could use new blogging friends who will make this world more exciting for her!


 

2010 Was Good

I was counting my annual earnings last year, and was pleased to find that 2010 has been a very good year to me, especially during the last quarter when the income just came rolling in continuously. Business checks weren't exactly being shoved in my face, demanding for my immediate attention, but blog designing was very steady, and a constant stream of clients always comes in, leaving me always busy. I'm far from complaining though. I know that more work means more money, and while it gets stressful sometimes, I feel fulfilled when I see the fruits of my labor.

I am very thankful for my friends who helped me achieve that. They pointed me to clients who otherwise wouldn't have known of me (I'm pretty lousy at marketing, see. I just don't have the patience for that), they gave me odd jobs to do for that little extra (which in turn also helped my sister some), and they were patient in teaching me the ropes of earning online, something that I'm still learning up to now. My sister is also earning a bit online now, thanks to my friends and friends of friends who give her writing jobs from time to time. I know it may not seem a lot right now, but she understands that we all have to start at that point.


Overall I am thankful for the year that was. It was good to me and my family. I hope it was fruitful for you too. If not, well there's always next year to look forward to right? As long as there's tomorrow, we always have something to hope for.

 

Happy Birthday Mom!

Ma, you turn fifty years old today but to us you don't seem to age because of the strength that you always show ever since we were born. We don't see each other a lot these days, what with the work that you keep in another city, but I hope in the near future you'll decide to work from home like I do, so you can always see your grandchildren and your bunso, who I know makes your heart really happy. I know we haven't been giving you nothing but greeting cards (and the occasional odd gift) during your past birthdays, so now that you've reached a milestone in your life, we hope to make it a bit more special by giving you something you want and need. I hope you like our gift!


As I always say, we haven't always been the model daughters that you would've liked for us to be, but know that you are the best mother that anyone can have. Not the housewife-y type who bakes cookies and knits clothes for her children, but the kind-hearted and very understanding mom that we need. Happy birthday Ma! We love you so much, we hope you know that.

 

Happy New Year!

It's the first day of the New Year, and not only did we not suffocate from too much fireworks smoke last night, we also slept early! This is the first time in years that I felt good waking up on January 1. I wish next year it will also be like this. Hee hee. Today is also my dad's birthday! Happy birthday Pa! Although we're not there this year to celebrate your special day with you, you know you're always in our hearts each day of the year.

I'm excited for what the year of the Rabbit has in store for me and my family! This year is Paulie's year, whereas year 2008 was mine (when I gave birth to Svet). He will be starting on his illustrations this month, and I hope that means this 2011 is going to be a great twelve months for him in terms of work. I just hope we will be able to balance our time better, now that the two of us will be working. We don't want to neglect Svet while trying to rack in funds for the family needs.


I hope 2011 will be good to all of us in the blogosphere. More advertisers and more friends! Let's ring in the new year with optimism people! Happy new year, wherever in the world you are while reading this!