writer's block

Writer's block? Well, sort of. Whatever you call it, I had this in the past few weeks. Been busy doing monthly reports and all that stuff and going home at 8pm, I had nothing else in mind but the thought of a cold shower and a warm bed.

Not writing posts for a long time has consequences.  First, you'll lose some of your followers (if not most). Second, your blog will look stale.  even if you have photos which you thought were good at that time when you uploaded them,  weeks after, they will look stale. Third, you'll feel guilty. Then, you'll feel obligated to write and you don't like that.

Contrary to Stephen King's advice on how to stop writer's block, writing posts for your blog should not be an obligation. While the famous author is right in using the metaphor of the toolbox -that writers are like craftsmen putting bricks on bricks - it only applies to writing novels and other serious stuff like technical or business writing.  A blog, on the other hand,  is an outpouring of your thoughts and feelings (well, not all blogs  but mine is) and if you feel obligated to write just so you'll have the day's post, chances are, your written post will show it.

So what I did was read all the posts I wrote on this blog, hoping that reading them would give me an idea on what to write about,  and got an inspiration instead! I have over 100 posts and some of them earned heart-warming comments, especially those posts which I did in a spontaneous manner and of course when I post some of my sketches.

So, what to do when you experience writer's block?  Be inspired! By the way, what or who inspires you most? Just wondering..

nature photographs

The good thing about  digital cameras is that what you see on the LCD screen is pretty much like the final picture you see on print and you can take as many as you want, keep the pictures you like and discard the rest. 

unthinkable!

I'll never understand fully what's on a politician's mind! Even if it's clear that the other candidate won, he won't concede. While conceding would surely be a gracious move and make him a better politician, still he won't.  What is it that makes him so persistent?  Self-worth? His non-acceptance of defeat is a sign of arrogance and what arrogance he has! It's been 13 days after the 2010 election and still no sign of accepting defeat.  Unthinkable!

The 2010 election's  computerized counting of votes already have the senatorial winners but how come the results for vice-presidency is still not clear?  It's not like we voted for the vice-president on a different ballot!  Logic says it's not possible. What's the true reason for the delay? Hey, mister commissioner! Say something! The people are waiting. To delay it further is Unthinkable!

making money while blogging

what I learned so far:

1. making money online is easy if:

***your site got visitors, and I mean thousands of visitors  for bigger chance that   your google and other ads get clicked

2. you'll get your thousands of visitors if:

***you're adept at finding the most searched keywords and writing posts about them
***you visit other blogsites, comment and follow them
***you have ads about making money online
***you have referrals (which I, honestly speaking, don't fully understand how it works yet)
***if you join forums and have links

to sum it up, if you mean business, you do what it takes.

and i'm barely scratching the surface.

Internet Riches: The Simple Money-Making Secrets of Online MillionairesMake Money Teaching Online: How to Land Your First Academic Job, Build Credibility, and Earn a Six-Figure Salary

Why Choose to Make Money OnlineThe Recession-Busting Guide To Making Money Online From Home

The Recession-Busting Guide To Making Money Online From Home

Backlink Flood: Discover How To Float On The Top Of The Search Engines! The Exact Blueprint An Underground Link Ninja Used To Rank Multi-Million Dollar ... For EXTREMELY Competitive Keywords! AAA+++

"Search Engine Manifesto" - Rank Your Web Pages HIGH in TOP Search Engine Popular Results For Maximum Exposure!Secrets of Search Engines Revealed - Guaranteed Top Ranking!

k of c promenade pics

the good,

Coming home is always joy to me. 

Just a few meters from the house is an empty space except for this fire tree and wild shrubs and grass that swayed gently on this breezy summer day.

As Martha Stewart would say it:  It's a good thing!

-photo by tew of Inkcode

the bad

Many home owners and as in this case, officers-in-charge (of a government-owned building), are oblivious to the fact that  leaves can rot GI roofs if left like this for a long time.  A bad and serious "sin of omission" that shows irresponsibility and apathy. Bad cheetah!

and the ugly.

Just in front of where I live is this post.  It looks ugly but I guess I just have to bear it. what's irritating is that I always look at it every time I go out...an eye sore that won't go away.

May 10, 2010: election and family reunion day

Four days ago was election day in the Philippines. I don't know if the newly elected officials deserve their new positions, but I know that there are those who don't deserve to lose. But it is every Filipino's right to choose and we have to respect who the majority have chosen.

Election 2010 was a turning point... the first time in the Philippines that voting and canvassing of votes were done using a computerized system. Although there were a few untoward incidents (wasn't there ever!??), generally, the system curbed most of what occurred in the past elections.

Like most important holidays, Filipinos working outside their home towns or provinces went home not just to vote. May 10, 2010 was also family reunion day! Although each family member had his own choice of candidates, it didn't matter much...well, at least not to my family. Being together, if only for a few days, is what matters most.

The photos were taken two days after election. .. showing just one of what a typical family does when they're together: SHOPPING!!

"The Poor People Buy What The Rich People Sell"

Reading jack's blog, there is a quotation there that says "The poor people buy what the rich people sell" which made me think twice. I mean, that's quite understandable. Although rich people do buy things more often than poor people, they definitely are not buying from them... except when poor people are selling real properties like land. What really stunned me is that the quote sounds so simple and yet, so true. It's a capitalist's world indeed!

Years ago, I tried selling but my venture didn't last long. A friend told me that I won't get rich selling products to poor people. What he said sounded true and so I quit. (I was living in a town belonging to class D category then). In comparison to the quote mentioned above, I was not among the rich people who sell.

Talking about rich people, here in the city where I live, they are the businessmen who cater mainly to the poor. (The rich people shop somewhere else!) Why do I say that? Well, here's the scenario:

RP - rich person who sells
PP - poor person who buys
PO - purchase order
CC - credit card

RP owns a big shopping mall that sells products more than a bit higher than the public market prices. But RP's mall is air-coditioned. PP goes there for three reasons: to buy something, to be entertained and to cool off. Now, to the actual buying scene: PP enters the mall. After the sweltering heat, he gradually cools off and now more relaxed and ready to be enticed into buying something...anything. No matter if PP doesn't have cash. He has credit cards. Or a P O (purchase order) which is payable in three months. Now he can afford to have that Levi's pants or that Nike shoes he'd been eyeing for days!! Sure he's aware that there's what the mall terms as P O add-on of 10% but that isn't much because it's divided into 6 payments. So no sweat as long as he's not a shopaholic. If he is, then that's his problem and if I might add, another topic...

Now, let's sneak a peek to the grocery section. PP has barely enough money for his family's basic needs but RP who owns this mall knows his customers. So he sells grocery items in small packs. For example, brown sugar. RP buys in bulk, repacks it, sells it. So even if PP doesn't have budget for a 2-kilo pack, he now can buy half or smaller yet, 1/4 kilo. And he can swipe card again or sign a P O. Sad to say, but more than 70% of PP's income goes to food expenses. I'm not saying it's the case of all people here. I'm talking about the PP who earns the minimum salary...which is just not enough..So the quotation, the poor people buy what the rich people sell, is true after all.




What Rich People Know & Desperately Want to Keep Secret



GRAPE(Get Rich And People Envy)