Windows Live Writer for Blogger

I have posted before that I was pretty excited with Blogger’s new post editor. However, while I was writing posts for my blog about how I make money online – Pinay Online Money Maker – I found a couple of bugs that really irritated me.

One of those bugs is whenever I insert images and I publish my posts without manually editing the HTML codes myself, there’ll be huge spaces at the top and bottom of the images. It’s really time-consuming to edit the post again to try to fix those gaps. This also happens when I use blockquotes on my post. Argh.

Another bug was when I create a list, ordered or not, there’ll be spaces also on top and bottom of the list even when I made sure there were no codes or spaces in the HTML codes that will result to those gaps. Also, whenever I add images in a list, they will appear on top of the list so I have to cut it and paste it where I wanted it to be.

It irritates me that whenever I had to go back to a certain post to try to post an update on it, there’ll be huge gaps or spaces again when I publish the post so I have to manually edit the HTML codes repeatedly. Ack!!

I’m sure there were a couple more bugs on the new Blogger editor that I encountered that I can’t remember right now. I got so frustrated with it today that I tried to look for an alternative.

On my post about Blogger’s new post editor, someone left a comment about Windows Live Writer. I remembered that so I downloaded and installed it. This blog post is actually written in Windows Live Writer. And, based on what I’m seeing so far, I’m going to really love using and blogging here a lot.

Another thing (yet again?) that bothered me with Blogger was the small blog post screen that you can’t adjust no matter how much you zoom in your screen. I wish they can add that feature on there where bloggers can choose the post editor box size they want. It’s just too tight that I ended up writing my posts on Wordpad first then I transfer them to Blogger. With Windows Live Writer, this is no longer a problem.

Here’s a screenshot of my screen while I was writing this post: (click on it for a preview)

 
See how big the blog writing screen is? What I love about Live Writer is it inherits all the properties of your blog such as the background color, the text and link colors, and even the font. So, while you’re writing your blog, you’re almost seeing how it would look when it gets posted! Great, huh?!?

And I was able to insert the image above very easily. You can even rotate or edit the images.

And did you see the bottom of the screenshot I posted? I can easily add categories/tags/labels for my blog, too! You can also spell check your blog posts.

You can even save your blog drafts if you write your blog offline and you want to publish it later. OMG.

Now, let’s try lists…

• This is an unordered list.
• List item #2
• Hmmm…. how will this appear after I publish it?!

Next up, blockquotes….

Wow. It even used my set blockquote properties, well, except for the padding on the sides, top and bottom. But, that’s okay. So, I’m seeing 95% of how it will look when I post it. 5% will be for the whole blog layout and items I got on there.

Okay… I’ll be posting this now to see how it will look. *crossed fingers*

OMG. It published the post just like how I see it on my screen. I’m really loving Windows Live Writer!

The only thing that bothers me is that space on top of the list and the blockquotes’ padding can’t be adjusted.

But, still, this is an amazing app for bloggers like me!

So, if you wanna try Windows Live Writer, go ahead and download it from Windows Live Writer official website. The installation is pretty easy so you can get it running in no time!

Can’t wait to blog some more! Yay!

50 Heroes of Newerth Beta Keys Giveaway!

Are you still looking for a Heroes of Newerth Beta key?!

I'm giving away 50 Heroes of Newerth beta keys on my blog about how I make money online.

Don't worry, you won't be paying anything. Qualifying for the Heroes of Newerth beta key giveaway is absolutely FREE.

To read the details, click on my banner below:

Heroes of Newerth Beta key Giveaway

Auction & Bid for Free Stuff Online!

I haven't given my brother any gifts yet for his graduation day and his birthday. The only thing I gave him was a scrapbook page that I designed for him. I know he appreciated it but I really wish I could've given him something he really wanted. But, with the budget I'm in now, I can't afford to buy him the Macbook he's always wanted. LOL. Maybe soon, bro.

On his birthday, though, I told him I'm giving him $20 to spend online. I've got funds on my Paypal account so I told him I'd treat him to anything not higher than $20 and can be bought using Paypal. He tried to look for stuff he could buy online with that budget but I guess it was just too hard when he's eyeing for gadgets that are worth $100+.

While I was doing some searching to try to find him something nice within the budget, I found this very interesting site that offers free stuff online.

It's Listia.com. Their site works like this - no cash is involved, people only auction off items that they no longer need and people "buy" them or bid for those items using their earned credits from the site.

Now, how do you earn credits from the site? Well, you earn 50 credits upon signing up and confirming your registration. Then, you get 50 credits on your first item listing. You also earn 50 credits for sending your referral link to your friends to join Listia. Then, you earn 50 credits PER member sign up.

Another way to earn credits is to connect or link your Facebook and Twitter account to Listia for 50 credits each. And, of course, you earn all the credits from all your item listings or auctions.

While I was looking, I forgot that I was supposed to look for something for my brother. All that free stuff got my attention so I signed up and browsed around.

Here are a few items currently on auction that I liked:

Yes, that's right. A Panasonic 37-inch LCD HDTV, Iomega Gigabank 6GB Flash Drive, and an unlocked Blackberry Curve 8320 are just 3 of the items you'd see that are being auctioned off at Listia. No cash needed, just use your credits that you've earned from the site. Cool, huh?!

So, what are you waiting for? Check out Listia and sign up now! It's completely FREE!

Kenneth, Good Luck with your Nursing Licensure Exam!

My only sibling, my brother Kenneth graduated a month ago with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Our Lady of Fatima University in Valenzuela. If you think he's done studying, think again.

In about 10 days, he and his friends will be taking the Nursing Licensure Examinations (NLE) to finally be Registered Nurses (R.N.). And I cannot imagine how stressed and how much pressure he's experiencing right now.

I am confident that he would do good with the upcoming NLE. I believe in his capabilities. And what I'm praying now is that he'll be confident and strong enough to handle all the stress. I know it's a make-it-or-break-it kind of deal for him because, of course, who wouldn't want to pass their board exams, right?

I haven't really told him this but I admire him for everything that he has accomplished as a Nursing student. I CANNOT (and I don't think I ever will) take all the stress he and his Nursing friends had experienced in all their years of studying Nursing. Just thinking about all the things that they need to study, understand and memorize, and the patience and compassion they need to overcome all the difficulties of taking care of other people, makes me want to faint. It's REALLY DAMN HARD! This is why I have HIGH RESPECT for all Nursing graduates and practicing Registered Nurses out there, my Nanay included. I don't think I can handle all that physical and mental work, really.

My brother did really exceptional as a Nursing student, if you ask me. He's not the studious type. We don't do that. We're natural geniuses. Hah! Alright, let me try to downplay that. He doesn't study as much as everyone. He's used to cramming because that's what works for him (and for me, too). He doesn't want to study for hours straight. He believes that his brain cells need some stress-reliever from time to time, which I completely agree with. He's had a crazy life, I can tell you that. He's not the ideal good son to my nanay and he's not the ideal good brother to me either BUT he's the kind of brother and son that we love and won't replace with anyone else in this world. I just LOVE him so much!

I want to continue bragging about him for a second. First, he got the Top 9 position for their TCAP exam (it covered all the things they learned from their first to fourth year in Nursing). Here's a photo he took of the announcement.

When I found out about this, I cried in glee. I'm so proud of him, really. I knew he can do it but to actually see the fruits of his hard work is just an amazing feeling.

Before his graduation, though, he took another exam. It's like a pre-board exam, pre-NLE exam. He wasn't able to study well for that. I think he felt like he kinda neglected studying for that exam so God shook him up by disappointing him for not being on top. But, he was the Top 12 so I'm still proud of what he's done. It's just saddening to see him discouraged by it RIGHT BEFORE his graduation day. I tried my best to cheer him up but I guess his ego got the better of him.

After his graduation, he was asking for something to cheer him up and God answered him. When he went to get his Transcript of Records (TOR or his grades), he was shocked by what a professor/coordinator told him - that he was supposed to be the ONLY Cum Laude in their batch if only he didn't get a 2.50 from ONE of his subjects. Take note, just ONE subject. I know, it was still not completely good news for him but I think it kinda boosted his spirits a bit. My nanay and I were so proud of him after we heard the news. But, I didn't really think it made my brother happy.
My brother's extremely sensitive nowadays especially when the NLE is about to happen in 10 days. He had some petty arguments with our nanay but they made up immediately. My nanay sometimes can't hold her tongue and jokes around without thinking about the effect of what she says. I guess after the last argument, she knew she'd better shut up and not talk about anything about the exam. I told her to put all her faith in Kenneth and not to stress him more by asking him if he's studying for the exam or what. I told him he knows what he needs to do so let's just pray and be supportive.

I really hope and pray that my brother will pass the NLE. Wait, scratch that....

I really hope and pray that my brother will have the self-confidence and self-trust for this upcoming NLE. I am deeply hoping he'd loosen up and not let it stress him. I hope God will guide him for the exams.

To all the Nursing graduates who will be taking the November 2009 Nursing Licensure Exam, GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU!!

Kenneth,
Whatever happens, please keep in mind that Nanay and I, even Tatay, will always be here to support you, no matter what you've seen or heard (especially from Nanay hehehe). You know we love you so much. We're SO proud of you. No matter what happens, kapatid, andito lang kami.

Stop stressing yourself. Everything happens for a reason. And always ask for God's guidance. Remember that he won't let us experience anything without a lesson to learn from it.

I know you can do it, kapatid! I believe in you! Good luck po! I love you so much!

View Thumbnails Faster on Windows XP

I am a Digital Scrapbook freebie addict and because of this, I've got TONS and TONS of Digital Scrapbook supplies in my computer. Right now, I've got about 50GB of them. Imagine that! And I'm not yet done downloading the freebies from the past 2 days. Hah!

The Digital Scrapbook supplies I got are of high quality ready for printing, thus, their file sizes don't go lower than 2MB, especially the 12x12in papers I got. And this caused me a lot of problems organizing them. I have tried to categorized them but it's pretty difficult when my computer hangs up on me because the thumbnail previews of all the Digital Scrapbook supplies are too much for it to handle, especially when I got about 4,000+ in one folder.

I needed to tweak how my computer handles thumbnails so I can organize my Digital Scrapbook supplies faster. So, I did some tinkering and found a solution - editing Windows registry. And, I want to share this with you. This will be extremely helpful also for those who want to organize high-quality/resolution photos on their computer:

• Open up Registry Editor.
  Start button -> Run -> type in regedit and enter.
  
  
• Navigate to the following key:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
  
  
• New Entry: ThumbnailQuality
  Click on the Edit menu and click on New. Choose DWORD Value.
  For the new value, enter ThumbnailQuality for the name and press ENTER.
  Double-click on ThumbnailQuality and set a value for the quality of the thumbnails you want to use. It can be from 50 to 100. I set mine to the lowest value of 50 for minimum memory usage.
  
  
• New Entry: ThumbnailSize
  Click on the Edit menu and click on New. Choose DWORD Value.
  For the new value, enter ThumbnailSize for the name and press ENTER.
  Double-click on ThumbnailSize and set a value for the thumbnail size you want to use. It can be between 32 and 256. I chose 32, again for the minimum memory usage.

That's it! After I entered those new Windows registry entries, viewing my Digital Scrapbook supplies on Thumbnail mode is a breeze! Yipee! Can't wait to organize them now.

Officially, This is a U Comment, I Follow Blog

While playing around with my template (I'm working on the new layout), I found out that my blog was set on NoFollow on default.

*NoFollow = when someone comments or adds a backlink, they won't get any link juice or Google juice from my blog.

It was a revelation to me (I know, I know, why didn't I think of that earlier?!). So, I decided to finally remove it. Well, it wasn't really an easy decision for me. I was weighing the cons and pros of removing the NoFollow tag completely. Based on my reading....

PROS:

• I can help my visitors, who are kind enough to leave a comment, get some link juice... or Google juice, as most call it. They get more links to their site and they get better ranking.
• I know it will bring more traffic to my blog since more people would be inclined to actually read my blog posts and leave a comment.

CONS:

• I have to turn on comment moderation on my blog. I kinda didn't want it on in the beginning because I don't want to moderate or accept comments to my blogs everytime. I feel like it's going to take much of my time.
• I might get more spam because of this. Thus, requiring more time for me to actually filter them out of the picture. 
  

Sorry, I only thought of 2 things for PRO and for CON. But, those were the only ones that I really considered before making this decision to make this blog a You Comment, I Follow blog.

Now, if you check on my sidebar, I now have a badge saying that. As of this writing, my blog is officially a U Comment, I Follow blog. So, comment away!

Before I end this, let me share with you something funny that I found. While I was searching for a badge that I could use here, I found this post on U Comment I Follow parody badges. I love "U Comment Or Else" and "U Comment, I Don't". LOL

Cebu Pacific 50% Off only until November 13, 2009!!

After the frustrating Piso promo a few weeks ago, Cebu Pacific is now offering 50% off on ALL domestic & international flights.

HURRY before it's too late because the sale is only until November 13, 2009.

The good thing about this promo is they didn't say how many seats will be allotted. So, all seats for their January 15 to March 15, 2010 flights are 50% OFF!

Well, I have no use for this promo anymore, I guess. *sigh*

Want to Pre-Purchase Heroes of Newerth?!

February 16, 2010
NOTICE: I am giving away 45 Heroes of Newerth Beta keys over at my blog about how I make money online - Pinay Online Money Maker.
Read and follow the instructions/mechanics carefully.

If you post a comment anywhere here on my blog or on my chat box begging for a beta key, you will be disqualified FOREVER.

Dilemma: As much as you want to pre-purchase Heroes of Newerth, you can't because you don't have any money to spare... or you simply don't want to use your hard-earned money for a game.

Well, how about this... start making money online and earn that $30 to pre-purchase Heroes of Newerth.

Okay, this post is to advertise my new blog about how I make money online:

You might not believe me but I made money online through Paid to Click (PTC sites) and all the other money-making programs I featured on Pinay Online Money Maker.

I already posted some payment proofs there but it's not yet complete. Well, actually the blog is not yet complete as I still need to finish a few more articles/guides. So, you might see some supposed-to-be links there that don't link to anything yet but here are a few stops for you in case you want to get started:

Complete List of Trusted Paying Online Money Making Sites
Tips and Techniques
Payment / Income Proofs
Sitemap (a list of articles currently available on this blog)

And for Pinoys:
My Pinoys Guide to Making Money Online

I hope I can convince you to join as my referral with the different online money-making sites/programs I featured there on my blog.

FACT:
For Pinoys, you can use Paypal money to pay for online game load through DigitalMartian. That's where we buy our monthly game load for Ragnarok Online. Hehehe.

And for Heroes of Newerth addicts, here's a screenshot of the Pre-Purchase payment options you'd see on the Heroes of Newerth Pre-purchase page:

Yes! You can pay through Paypal! So, why don't you join any of the online money-making programs I featured on my blog (Complete List of Trusted Paying Online Money Making Sites) so you can start earning your $30 so you can pre-purchase the game?!

If you're from Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia or the Philippines,

you cannot pre-purchase online.

I was only able to pre-purchase 1 account before this.
I hope they'll bring back the Pre-Purchase option through Paypal for these countries.

Here's a message from S2 Games...

Purchasing for the following countries will be handled through a South East Asia affiliate, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Phillipines. Look for more information in the near future.

HOWEVER, you can purchase a Gift account and just send it to yourself. You can still use Paypal so go ahead and check out my blog about how I make money online - Pinay Online Money Maker.

Right now, I can actually pay for 2 Heroes of Newerth pre-purchased accounts but my partner and I are still deciding if we should pre-purchase 2 or just 1 account and we'll just share. Hmmm.... anyway, I've been working on my new blogs so I might not have time to play anymore. But, hey, I'm still interested in pre-purchasing the game.

Anyway, go ahead and visit my blog - Pinay Online Money Maker - and I hope you can join as my referral. I'm thinking about giving out my remaining Heroes of Newerth beta keys to anyone who'll sign up as my referral on any FriendFinder website I featured on my blog. What do you think? Hmmm...

If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment there on my other blog. I'll answer your questions, I promise.

30 Heroes of Newerth Beta Keys Sent!

Want to PRE-PURCHASE Heroes of Newerth but you don't have the money to do it?! Read this:
Want to Pre-Purchase Heroes of Newerth?!
You can earn that $30 online... and I'm not kidding! S2 Games is accepting Paypal payments for pre-purchasing!

Alright, I'm not yet done sending them but I'm almost halfway in sending all the 30 beta keys. Yes, I'm sending 30 beta keys!

Update: I'm done sending all the 30 beta keys! Go and check your emails now. If you didn't receive an email from me, sorry but better luck next time! There were about 3 chosen posters who failed to subscribe to my blog so I had to give it to others who met the requirements. Check the bottom of this post to see the complete list of winners.

Thank you to all who participated. There were a couple that were really interesting. Scroll down to see some of them.

By the way, to those who think that people from my country, the Philippines, have more chances of being selected, you're wrong. It doesn't really matter. I only wanted to know how many from other countries and from the Philippines are visiting my blog for the HoN beta key. I chose the winners based on their answers to the question.

Now, I still got a few more beta keys (thanks to my friends and to 2 of my visitors who gave me their beta keys) but I decided to give them away in a different way. I'll post an update here later PLUS some entries of the winners.

Keep posted!

---

Alright, here are a few of the entries that I enjoyed and were chosen to receive the beta keys:
The question was...

If you were to fall off a cliff, which would you prefer?
Fall face up or face down?
Explain your answer.

These 2 entries made me laugh:

 Well for starters, I should mention I'm terrified of heights, so just thinking about it gives me shivers hehe. But if I were to choose face up or down, I would definitely go down with my face up, in hopes of surviving. I think that there is still a small chance that I would survive, and if I would survive, I would go do all the things I wanted to do in my life and would tell everyone I know not to go on the same cliff as I did lol. - Anton

Face down, otherwise I'll get motion sickness. I don't want my lunch to fall down and hit me in the face after I'm dead. - Adde

The following were chosen because they were hopeful in the face of death... nice!

My answer to the question is that I would rather go face down. I have just read the part in the Deception Point (written by Dan Brown) where the characters fell from a glacier cliff. In my imagination, I see them as falling face down. Well, that's just to add up to my 'face-down' reasoning. But the real reason is that there might still be a chance to survive when you see what's ahead. Maybe you might be able to grab a part of the cliff or something else. Probably you have something with you like a rope that you can use. So it might be more reassuring when you fall face down. - Anonymous

If i were falling i will face to the up and try to hold something .at least i got a chance to survive .i think everyone will looking a chance to survive even there is only have 10% but u still have the chance to hold something to climb up. - Fung

This one made me imagine actually being on a cliff, about to fall... didn't really think that my question was that morbid 'til I read these entries. Hehehe.

I suppose I would prefer face down. Because cliffs tend to be quite high xD. So I would choose a quick death over lying there dying with broken legs and who knows what more... Brrr I really hope no one will ever have to face such an end. And I don't care about my looks cause I'm already ugly xD

I prefer with face down in 1,2,3 and face up 4
1. If I fall in a wather and live I get fucking good filing of adrenalin
2. If I fall in wather and die my deat will be quick so i whan't fill how my legs get in my neck
3. If I fall on ground and die it same like 2
4. If I fall on ground and live faster i'll sacrifice my legs than my head

Among all the entries that I've chosen, this is the one I like the most. This is very close to my answer to that question. I want to face my death. I want to know when it's coming.

 I would fall face down because I don't want to hit my end ignorantly. I want to know exactly what will happen and when it will happen. I can also accept my end while I'm falling rather than looking up, closing my eyes, pretending this wasn't happening.

And I just want to answer this one:

Hi Mhel! Again its me, its my second time posting in your great blog. Why? because you're the one who gave me an idea to gift my girldfriend a present out of a letter ala scrapbook which you also gave to your partner with her birthday if I'm not mistaken. And after the first time I got a HoN beta key, I always read your feeds. I'm glad your Myoma has been removed safely also with your mother's. - Ronaldo

Thanks for the concern. My myoma and my mom's weren't removed 'coz the doctor said it's too small to require surgery or removal. And I'm glad I was able to help you with an idea for a gift to your girlfriend. I usually design scrapbook pages for my loved ones on special occasions like their birthday or my friends' anniversary. It's personal and creative. Wish I can see what you made, though. Did you design it? Or you had someone else do it for you? I wanna see it! Email it to me or something. :)

---

Here's the list of the email addresses of those who were chosen. If you don't see your email on the list, sorry. Just wait for my next giveaway. I guess this isn't the final giveaway after all.

 dota.ichigo@gmail.com
mittinmils@hotmail.com
tentacolboy@gmail.com
ran.rojo@yahoo.com
aaronarulrudge@yahoo.com
crime_minister02@yahoo.com
anton_midi@hotmail.com
pkhailes@hotmail.com
afterlife0614@yahoo.com
nmfdelacruz@yahoo.com
mindlessramble@gmail.com
eisenheim08@gmail.com
fungmiew2004@hotmail.com
rashmartinez@yahoo.com
reddragon_258@yahoo.com
stefanhofn@gmail.com
benjaplant@gmail.com
ejat_collin@yahoo.com
benjie_jerald014@yahoo.com
emosanitary@yahoo.com
Marcus_sacrifar@hotmail.com
lalaquin@hotmail.com
konz3n13413y@yahoo.com
mile047@gmail.com
mush_prince04@yahoo.com
jonas361@gmx.de
Ivo.b111@hotmail.com
lurry_dragon@yahoo.com
hu_u21@yahoo.com.ph
boxecon130@hotmail.com


Thank you to all who participated! I enjoyed reading your entries!

---

Our finest leather jackets for women and discount designer handbags are really a very captivating outlet. You can easily get access to our best letterman jackets for girls and trench coats for women with quality product. We provide a complete set of anniversary gift ideas here.

Heroes of Newerth Final Beta Key Giveaway on my Blog!

Want to PRE-PURCHASE Heroes of Newerth but you don't have the money to do it?! Read this:

Want to Pre-Purchase Heroes of Newerth?!
You can earn that $30 online... and I'm not kidding! S2 Games is accepting Paypal payments for pre-purchasing!

This Beta Key Giveaway is now CLOSED.
Comments are now disabled. If you don't receive an email from me within 24 hours, your entry was not chosen. I'll post the names/emails of those who won once I'm done sending the keys out. Thank you all for participating!

To everyone who were able to send in an entry for this giveaway, beta keys will be sent out shortly. I had difficulty selecting which ones should win because some answers were almost the same. Sorry for the delay.

Since S2 Games sent out free invites again to current Heroes of Newerth beta players, I will be giving out my 3 invites plus my friends' who won't be using them anymore. I was the one who helped them get a beta key ucf3et6ifk55gr8 so they willingly gave their latest beta keys to me.

Right now, I have about 20+ beta keys to give away and I might have more in the next 2 days. All the Heroes of Newerth beta key giveaway winners will get a beta key EXCLUSIVELY to their email. 

So, this time, the requirements would be kinda tougher. To be eligible to win a beta key, you need to do the following:

1. Again, subscribe to my blog by entering your email address into the feed form on the right sidebar. Make sure you confirm your subscription by clicking the verification link ingqggx5cs71cs9 on the email that will be sent to you.
   If you already subscribed before, make sure you have confirmed your subscription. I will check if you're on my subscribers' list before I send you the beta key.
   
   
2. Post a comment entry on THIS blog post ONLY.
   I hate beggars. So, stop begging for beta keys to my email, through the comments section or my other blog posts. You have to earn the beta key.
   
   
3. Include the following info on your comment entry:
   - What country you're from
   - Your EMAIL address
   
   
4. Answer my question below:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   If you were to fall off a cliff, which would you prefer?
   Fall face up or face down?
   Explain your answer.

   If you don't answer this question, you will not be qualified. I'm not kidding!
   
   
   
   
   
   

I'm giving you Heroes of Newerth wannabe beta players until Saturday, my brother's birthday, November 7th, ONLY to post your comments.

Good luck!

---

If you have a friend or you already have a HoN account jnyhf17wa912vhl and you're wondering how to send invites or get a beta key for your friend, here's how:

1) Go to http://beta.heroesofnewerth.com and login using your current account username and password.
2) Once you're logged in, click on the Invites button on the upper 0dl871wqt9vt2f8 right side of the page.
3) On the Invites page, just enter your friend's email address or your email so you can get the beta key through that email. I suggest you use a Gmail account so you can get it right away.

---

I have a confession to make. I'm not sure if these beta keys were already given away. I think some of these were given to me by those who received a beta key from me before and I didn't take note if they were already used or given away. But, please, try them if they're still working. And, please, if you were able to create an account using one of these accounts, post a comment below and mention which beta key you were able to use. Thanks!

wo1n70hxggmsfaq
v740609ep5ehbwd
ubel93leu9ldd2h
ps2dkrybkmdf4l7
eqsblw7k5ueem03
zizx3sty0ctfzz6
a53r4vl0ser8n8f
be54fg3mvf4zxpl

The 20+ beta keys I'll be giving away are all new ones so if you didn't get to use one of the beta keys I have posted on this blog post, then, send in your comment/entry to this final giveaway.

How to Convert to Globe ImmortalTxt - Extended!

While Mai and I are miles away (I'm still in Manila, she's back in Cebu), our usual means of communication now are through texting, Yahoo! messenger. I'm not really a textaholic and I don't like texting or even phone conversations (wait, I did work in call centers before, right? Okay, that's a different story). I have no choice, though, because that's our only ways to communicate. And so far, it's been expensive.

Okay, we don't actually call each other and spend hundreds of pesos on text messaging but for us, it's a big deal that we have to spend Php 50 almost every 4-7 days to text each other. We're both using Globe sims and I didn't really pay attention to Globe promos until today.

My bro actually informed me about this promo weeks ago and I didn't bother to learn more about it so I thought it's only for 1 day (I think he did explain it but I wasn't paying attention), and I might use the load to call someone and won't be able to because I converted it to ImmortalTxt. But, since our texting expenses is really off the charts (okay, for our budget, that is), I decided to look more into this.

Globe ImmortalTxt promo works like this - you convert Php 10.00 load to ImmortalTxt and you get 50 texts to Globe and TouchMobile #s PLUS 10 texts to OTHER networks. And, wait, there's more!! There's NO expiration date! How great is that?!

I know, I know, I'm way too late in availing of this promo. I say, it's better late than sorry. Heehee!

Alright, here's how to convert your Globe prepaid load to ImmortalTxt. Note that this is only available to Globe Tattoo and Globe Prepaid subscribers.

1. Make sure you have at least Php 11.00 remaining balance:
   Php 10.00 to convert to ImmortalTxt
   Php 1.00 as maintaining balance
2. Text IMMORTAL10 to 8888.
3. Wait for the confirmation message that your Php 10.00 load has been converted already.

That's it! Hurry and convert or register now because the promo was only extended 'til November 30th! (See updates at the end of this post)

Now, here's the catch. Actually, there are 2. Although there's no expiry date for ImmortalTxt, you still have to load to maintain your SIM's validity. Secondly, if you use up the Php 1.00 maintaining balance (for instance, you used up all the Globe-to-Globe/TM but not the texts to other networks), you won't be able to use the remaining ImmortalTxts you got left until you load at least Php 1.00 again to your sim.

If you want to find out how much ImmortalTxt you got left, you can text IMMORTAL<space>BAL to 8888. Take note, though, that you'll be charged Php 1.00 when doing this.

So, I'm off to converting at least Php 20.00 to ImmortalTxt so I can text away! I'll now take advantage of all promos I can get. Woohoo! (lolz)

Update: This promo has been extended til January 2010. So, hurry! I've got about 300+ ImmortalTxts remaining hehehe.

A Simple Act of Thoughtfulness Goes a Long Way

I just had to blog about this!

I had breakfast earlier (Tinolang Manok, yum!!) and afterwards, I walked back to my room. Our teen housemaid/helper surprised me and greeted me a "Happy Birthday" and handed me this....

...a birthday card designed by her.

I thanked her and was really surprised to receive something from her. It's 2 days after my birthday but I still appreciate the effort and the thought she put into the card she gave me. My brother didn't even make me one! LOLz.

This made my day, really. And it kinda made me remember that I'm not always bitchy. I'm kind. I'm caring. I respect people and their feelings. I'm not trying to convince anyone I'm all that but I know I am. And that's another reason why I feel I'm blessed or lucky - because I get to touch people's lives. I know I have this certain aura or effect on people that makes them wanna be a better person. Gosh.

Okay, going back to the letter, I know exactly why she made that. She's a nice kid. She's actually our past housemaid's daughter and we hired her to help us with the household chores in the weekend. She's very caring. I think she heard about my condition and she asked me twice already if I'm doing okay. I mean, we're not close. I barely talk to her unless I needed to. Plus, I've been away for more than a year. But, I guess what pushed her to give me that card was because I was also nice to her. I smile back at her. I reply to her questions or whenever she talks to me. I respect her as a person. And I saw that spark that made me realize that she saw that I'm sincere. I'm real.

Alright, I'm making a big deal out of this simple birthday card. Wait, let me rephrase that. It's not a simple birthday card to me. She actually thought about the design, how she'll phrase her thoughts or what she wanted to say to me and she even thought carefully about the exact time she'd give it to me.

I'm deeply touched. She really made me smile. Thanks, Mane! As if she can read this blog post...

Mango Brown Betty Recipe

This is the first time that I posted a recipe here on my blog. But, since Mai and I are setting up our own food blog really soon (with the help of my bro, of course), I decided to post this recipe here as an introduction (naks!). I'd be posting maybe 2 more in the next days. A friend requested this recipe because she saw a photo of this on my Facebook page.

This is so easy to make. My bro made this using a microwave and all the ingredients were conveniently available at our kitchen. I so love it, especially the filling. And I love the crunch. Just look at the photo on the right. That's how the filling looked like. Yummy!

This recipe was from my brother who made it for me. So, enjoy!

Mango Brown Betty

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups of mango slices (long cuts)
  
• 4 cups of bread crumbs (read steps #1-2 to make your own)
  
• 1/2 cup of butter (or margarine, whichever is readily available)
  
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder

PROCEDURE:

1. To make homemade breadcrumbs, bake some bread (my brother used leftover pan de sal) in a microwave oven at high for 4 minutes, or until they harden.
   
2. Use a blender or food processor to crush the bread into your desired texture for the bread crumbs you'd want to use. Make sure you have at least 4 cups of crumbs.
   
3. Combine the 4 cups of breadcrumbs with 1/2 cup of butter.
4. Now, we'll use this mixture and the mango slices and layer them up to 4 layers (or if you want more or less, it's up to you).
   First layer should be the breadcrumb mixture. Press it to make sure it's flat or evenly layered on a pan or bowl.
5. Add the mango slices on top.
6. Combine brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon powder.
7. Sprinkle the sugar mixture on top of the first layer of mango and breadcrumbs.
8. Then, add another layer of breadcrumbs, then mango slices.
9. Sprinkle with the sugar mixture just like step #7. 3 – 4 layers would be enough.
   The top layer should be breadcrumbs with no mango slices. Just sprinkle the sugar mixture on top)
10. Bake in a microwave oven at HIGH for 12 to 15 minutes.
11. Let cool.
    

That's it! Easy, right? My bro's a very good pastry "chef" and he loves preparing different kinds of pastries for us. He loves cooking in general and that's one of the things I really miss about him.

Anyway, I'll be posting his recipe for his version of Chocolate Mousse Cake. It's soooo good. The cake reminded me of KFC brownies and the white chocolate, the choco mousse and the choco strips mixed so well. It'll really make your mouth water. It took me about 5 hours to finish a slice 'coz I can't get enough of it and I knew I still had to control my cravings. Gosh!

Here are photos of his Chocolate Mousse Cake. I'll post the recipe next.

Funny, when I finished editing and publishing this post, the Google Adsense ad at the bottom of the post page is "5 Tips to Lose Stomach Fat". So, the Adsense crawlers think that's related to my post, huh? Heehee!