Alexa Train.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

I got tagged by Jean, a fellow postie. Hopefully this will increase our traffic!!!

~Start Copying Here~

Alexa Redirect Train by Carl Ocab.

Rules:Put anything you like above this list “ Chit Chat, talkies, introduce what this is. Something like that.

Start copying on the ~Start Copying Here~ and copy all the things listed without removing the links. (Of course, the train would be no use without those links.)

Move all the sites labeled "Newcomers" to the list labeled "Oldies".

Add 5 sites that you want to include in the train and make their link like this: http://redirect.alexa.com/redirect?www.example.com then invite them to join the train.

Visit all the listed sites! (That's not much work! Remember, if you plant good seeds they will also grow good) and look at your high Alexa ranking next week!

Newcomers:
Andrea
Litzie
Jenny
Jacq
Amore

Oldies:
Aggie
Cherry
Nyree
Mai's Digiscrap Blog
Joyce
Mai
Amanda
Che
Leah
Lutchi
Jean
Julai
MWP
Yatot
Kookie
Era
Mich
Francesca
Yen
Marie
Dangkin
Cess
Ann
Liz
Bambi
jho
Glenn
Kev
Jake
Ems
Louis
Carey
Eli
Dimaks
Fingertalks
Female Gamer
Garry Conn
Pinoy Seminars
Sasha@Akoni
Bookmarks
Cafe Romanza
Blog About Money Online
Manila Mom
ScottPot
How to earn money online?
Quasi Fictional
Make Money Blogging!
Make Money Online 2.0
Nate Whitehill
Jozzua
Grow your Writing Business
CultureShiok
Gary Lee
Smart Wealthy Rich
TechZi
Make Money Online with a 13-year Old
Erik Karey: Internet Entrepreneur
Tjantunen.com
Hate The Grind
Earn Money Blogging
Sasha
Ate Ghee
Mousey Ju
Cai
Karen/Malaya
Devilicious


~End Copying Here~

Let's do this guys! This will help increase our site's traffic. :D

DS No. 79: Mount Sea 2.

 

As promised, here are the pictures of our summer outing and teambuilding activity last March 22-23, 2007 at Mount Sea Resorts in Tanza, Cavite. Looking at the pictures alone, you'll already know how fun it was with all the activities that we did: formal business discussion, games such as obstacle course & group sack race, basketball, trampoline, all-night videoke galore, non-stop chit chats, swimming, camwhoring and of course, eating! Actually, those are the 2 weaknesses of our group...food and camera. :)

Credits:
Visual Stories Squared by Katie the Scrapbooklady by Katie the Scrapbooklady
Digital Dates by Meryl Bartho

Window Blinds.

My mom has recently changed the drapes in their bedroom. It could have been just fine but I didn’t like how the floral pattern fuses with the bright-striking designs of their bed linens and bedspreads. I suggested why not drop those old-fashioned looking drapes and try out Window Blinds for a change. I told her to visit terrysfabrics.co.uk and scour the comprehensive range of window blinds. They offer various types such as Roller, Roman, Venetian, Vertical and Wooden Blinds. My mom particularly liked the style of Roman Blinds and she specifically chose the Buffalo Roman Blind. Crisply pleated into neat horizontal folds, Roman blinds have the pared down, functional look that's just perfect for their room. This type uses very little fabric thus, it’s economical.


My mom is still contemplating if she’ll give this a try. I hope she will because I’m so excited to see their room transform with these blinds.

DS No. 78: Mount Sea.

 
Our fun company outing and teambuilding last March at Tanza, Cavite. We drove for about 3 hours and upon arriving at the resort we chilled over a yummy burger snacks then right away settled for the serious teambuilding proper. Along side with the serious talks, all of us fondly pose the cam's way.

Credits:
Visual Stories Floating Frames & Squared by Katie the Scrapbooklady
Flower by Carrie Stephens
Flower vine by Christy Lyle
VHF Arrows by VickieHF

Bulgaria.

My UK-based friend has mentioned that her family will have a one-week summer vacation in a nearby European country, Bulgaria. It is a country in Southeastern Europe which has long been a summer tourist destination, as well as offering popular winter resorts. Its summer attractions include the scorching Black Sea beaches in the summer.

Bulgaria has been drawing not only tourists but property buyers from US and nearby European countries this is because property prices are much lower than other destinations in Europe. The most demanded of which is the Albena property.

When my friend gets back I will ask her to recount their vacation and ask how enjoyable their Bulgarian experience was.

DS No. 77: Sweet Treat.

 

Journalling:
Ingredients for Polvoron
4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup powdered milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter

Procedure:
Toast flour in the broiler, or in a frying pan, until light brown. In a bowl, sift the toasted flour, powdered milk and sugar. Add the butter and mix thoroughly. Put mixture in standard polvoron mould and press out moulded. Wrap individual pieces in rectangles or circles of multi-colored thin papel de japon or plastic wrapper. May be stored in a dry container or served immediately. Candies or m&ms may also be sprinkled on top.

Credits:
All A Flutter Paper by Eve Recinella
Posh petals tab element by Eve Recinella
Heart element by Amber Clegg
Bent photo template by Nancy Comelab
Alpha by sharonk
Photo Corner by Corina Nielsen
Idea from Katie the Scrapbook Lady's February Amazing Months of Memories Class (Feb as Snack Food Month)

Car Insurance.

If you have a car, it is advisable and it is wise to get a Car insurance. This insurance will protect not only your car in cases of accidents but medical expenses as well for injuries caused by a car accident regardless of fault. There are a lot of car insurance policies being offered that caters different needs. Should you need auto insurance quotes, try accessing it easily online via SecureInsuranceQuotes.com. There you will find the most reasonable and cheap car insurance rates and other helpful articles.

DS No. 76: Sagada.

 

Some pictures my sister took during their Sagada Trip some time in 2004. One of the captivating spots they visited was the Banawe Rice Terraces, 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains by ancestors of indigenous people in the northern part of our country. The scenery is truly breathtaking and I would also love to here in the near future.

Credits:
Template by Teresa Ferguson for SSD's Cookie Decorating Challenge 02.14.07 using Karen Wong's Elephant Layout
Papers by Vera Lim, Ashley Olson & Anne Langpap
Fill-a-bets Alphas by Katie the Scrapbooklady

Wanna Date Mirelly?

Are you fancying a date with a Hollywood celebrity? Check out the free videos at GoFish.com and see for yourself how easy it is to snag a date with none other than hot and sexy Mirelly Taylor who has starred on movies such as Kiss Me Again and Serving Sara and television shows including “Punk’d” and “Numb3rs”. She also appeared and has shown her comedic skills on NBC hit show “Las Vegas”.

Seduce a Celeb is an online first! The online audience actually becomes part of the program through the submission of user videos. First, watch the introduction to the Seduce a Celeb promotion. Mirelly will explain how the promotion works. Second, watch Mirelly's videos with 3 specific calls to action and create a video for each one. Be as creative as possible; now is the time to separate yourself from the competition. Third, upload your videos and you will be entered for a chance to win a date with Mirelly Taylor! How cool and easy is that? Grand prize includes a roundtrip coach-class airfare to Los Angeles, three days and two nights accommodation at Chateau Marmont Hotel and celebrity dream date package at a premier West Hollywood restaurant with Mirelly.

I’ve checked out the recent submissions and I was cracking up when I saw this one. I wonder if he has what it takes to be voted by viewers, judges and of course by Mirelly to be the lucky dream date package winner.

DS No. 75: My Star.

 
My friend, Rogeena, on her visit at MJ's homecourt, the United Center in Chicago. She was sent by the company for an onshore duty in Chicago for 3 months. During her days off, she shopped and visited famous places like this to unwind.

Credits:
Template by Teresa Ferguson for SSD's Cookie Decorating Challenge 02.01.07
Idea from Katie the Scrapbook Lady's February Amazing Month of Memories Class (Feb 17's Michael Jordan's birthday)
Be Inspired Collab Kit by Gina Miller and SSD Designers
Digital Dates by Jamie Rouselle
Star element by Misty Cato

TripWiser.

Summer break is almost over here where I hail from but have you had that grand vacation yet? If not, and if you’re up with a great adventure, check out TripWiser - social trip planner for the USA and Canada. It is a new social trip planning and itinerary building site with awesome functionalities. Head on to their site and experience yourself the drag-and-drop feature for rescheduling. Watch out for additional resources as a whole interactive encyclopedia will also be up. What’s even cooler is that everything will be free.

DS No. 74: Dream Big.

 

My cute little niece lulled to sleep. Such a darling and charming little princess.

Credits:
Spin-a-lift of Robin Carlton's I Love You *pjs4love*
Be Inspired Collab Kit Elements by SSD Designers & Gina Miller
Neopolitan Summer Paper by Amber Clegg
Accents paper and elements by Anne Langpap
Paper Tear by Stephanie Krush
Stitch by Debbie Fisher

Business Cards.

Being a Purchaser, I have already collected a stack of business cards from our vendors, whom we more likely consider as our Business Partners. These cards are really a big help since business information about an individual or company comes in very handy as the need to refer or to call them arises.

They may seem to be just a small piece of paper but they are just more than that especially for those who have businesses. It is the professional image that is advertised thereby, attracting sales for the business. Professional image means that the cards should be exquisitely printed like those quality prints by ProfessionalBusinessCards.com. Head on to their site and choose from their wide design selection which you can browse by style or by profession. They offer pricing for as low as $3.95 for 100 cards. What I like best about their services is that you get professional, inexpensive and fast results. You can even design your own business cards using their templates. Thus, you don’t need to be a graphic artist to customize, personalize and make it your own.

DS No. 73: Stupid Love.

 
DH and me on one of our wacky moments together.

Credits:
Scraplift of Those Three Words by Gina Miller
Floral Design Day Prompt (Feb 28) from Katie's February Amazing Month of Memories Class
Posh Petals paper and flower by Eve Recinella
Elements from Be Inspired Collab Kit by Gina Miller and SSD Designers
Collage Floral Alpha Elements by Robin Carlton
Neopolitan Summer Papers and Elements by Amber Clegg
Intricate Border Element by Jamie Rouselle
Heart Doodles by Angie Briggs
Flower Accents by Anne Langpap
Flowers by Anna
Flower Vine by Carrie Stephens
Swizzelstick Flower by Debbie Fisher
Felt Flower by Jenny Limayo
Speech Bubble by Nancy Comelab
Shakespeare Canvas Clip by Marcie Reckinger
Pewter Alpha by Doris Castle

Shopping With Coupon Codes.

I have tried several times purchasing items from online stores. But it’s only now I learned from a friend that I can save some bucks when I purchase online using coupon codes. I was actually searching for a Basketball Backboard which I am planning to give my hubby on his birthday on the 14th. She directed me to try out Dunham Sports deals since they are currently offering 15% discount on the entire order.

I scoured their site and I am eyeing to purchase the Lifetime 79910 Shatter Guard 50 Inch Basketball Backboard & Rim Combo.


This basketball combo is composed of steel-framed acrylic backboard and an arena-style Slam-It Pro rim. It also has a backboard pad which provides added protection against injuries. I’m sure my hubby will love this.

You might also want to shop online using coupon codes. Try out Couponchief.com and you’ll find the best deals from merchants like Target, Best Buy, Amazon, Dell, Best Buy, Gap, etc. They have recently made scanning coupons easier and provided “how-to” screencasts for some of their top merchants.

DS No. 72: Always With You.

 

My one and only and the love of my life.

Journalling:
I've fallen in love many times..always with you.

Credits:
Shakespeare Canvas Paper by Marcie Reckinger
Paper Border by Marcie Reckinger
Flip Cardboard by Linda Gil Billdal
Lots O Dots by Seebee
Frayed Hearts by Jenny Limayo
Star Bazar Ribbon by Linda Gil Billdal
Alpha by Doris Castle
Love Stencil by Toni Berman
Film Strip by Jen Wilson
Love & Riveting Ribbon by Natalie Braxton
Cardboard Heart by Vera Lim
Charmtag by Michelle Coleman
Ribbon by Anne Langpap
Golden Heart Element by Kim Liddiard
Zigzag stitch by Angela Miner
Wireframe by Miles and Barb Derksen
Doodled Hearts by Kate Hadfield
Paper by Shabby Princess

Mom's Day.

In a week’s time, the whole world pays tribute to all Moms out there. It’ll be a special day where we take time to honor and express our gratitude to the person who sprang us out into this world.

Have you thought already how will you celebrate or what to give your Mom on this significant day? There are a lot of special ways to let your mom or your wife feel that they are acknowledged and honored on this day.

Here are some activities that you can do for Mother’s Day:
1. Plan a picnic
2. Send Mom off for some pampering in a spa
3. Dine out with mom
4. Surprise Mom with a meal especially cooked by you
5. Let Mom rest on this day and do all the chores that she usually does
6. Buy Mom her favorite perfume, make-up, clothes, etc.
7. Create a scrapbook of unforgettable memories that you and your mom shared
8. Give her a gift based on her hobbies and interests
9. Treat Mom to a breakfast in bed
10. Send her a greeting card with your own handwritten message or note
11. Send her a bouquet of Mothers Day roses.  Not sure where to buy the finest roses? Check out 1800therose.com and send out the best rose there is.
12. Look for unique and creative recipe books to add to her collection
13. Setup a website or blog for her
14. Hang around with her all day
15. Spend a movie day with her

However you’ll gonna celebrate this, take time to realize the real meaning of why there is a special day like this. No force can amount to the sacrifices and the maternal love that a Mom has for her child. With that, show her, not only on this day but everyday, how much she matters to you, how thankful you are to her and how deeply you love her for all of your life.

DS No. 71: For Life.

 

Two of my favorite wedding pictures of ours shot outside the church right after the ceremony. I just love how our photographer captured the "blown away" effect of my veil.

Journalling:
What greater thing is there for two human souls
Than to feel that they are joined for life.
--George Eliot

Credits:
Idea from Katie the Scrapbook Lady's February Amazing Month of Memories Class with February as a Wedding Month
Template from Katie the Scrapbook Lady's Visual Stories Template Set - Floating Frames
Heartitude Kit by Bren Taylor-Boone
Stitched Tags by Kim Christensen

Upload for an I-Pod.

I’ve always been a Youtube user if there are videos I would like to upload and share with my friends and family. Also, if I missed my favorite prime time TV shows, I catch up by searching and watching it through youtube.

Actually, a number of video-sharing sites have sprouted recently, each having their own innovations and unique features to offer. One of them is Aapka Video, a free online service for Indians and for those who are into Hindi movies and music to watch, upload and share their favorite bollywood videos, and other videos such as crickets, TV shows, MTVs, trailers, user-generated videos and a lot more. It is totally free but you just have to register an account first before you can access the features. All video file types are acceptable for upload with a maximum file size of 100 MB. Functionality is the same as those of other video-sharing sites for uploading and sharing. But what makes them unique is their latest feature which lets you shoot and upload directly from your mobile phone. What’s even more exciting about the them is that they have on ongoing promotion where the most favorite or most viewed video wins an Apple Ipod, now how cool is that? Go and get those cameras start rolling.

Katie's New Shop.

It’s time to do some CT (Creative Team) duties here. It is NSD today and it’s also the grand opening of Katie’s new shop at The Digi Shoppe. Katie the Scrapbooklady, as she is known in the community, is the Queen of Digiscrapping prompts with the Amazing Month of Memories Classes that she sells in her shop at ACOT where inspiring ideas can be used for your digiscrapping interest. She also has new kits and papers lined up and up for grabs at TDS with a very huge discount. Check out her shop now and avail of her 35% off deal.

Excited.

We’ll be having an out-of-town adventure next weekend. In celebration of my hubby’s and my Mother –in-Law’s birthdays on the 14th and 16th respectively, plus, with the Mothers’ Day celebration on the 13th, plus, with the non-working holiday also on the 14th, the whole family will drive to Subic for an overnight, short-but-relaxing vacation. Right now, we haven’t decided yet whether to stay in a hotel or just rent a villa for the whole family. Personally, I would prefer the latter so the whole family can relaxingly bond and enjoy the summer heat by the beach. We can also cook food by ourselves since there is a fully equipped kitchen with a full size refrigerator, gas stove, dishwasher, toaster, microwave oven and vast variety of pans, pots and cooking utensils. Further, we have done a little canvassing, and it seems renting a villa appears cheaper than booking 3 de luxe hotel rooms. I’m just not sure if the villa we’re eyeing to rent has a private pool like those of Puerto Vallarta vacation rentals offered by VLBO. It would be nice having an option whether to go wading in the pool or in the beach. But whatever our lodging will be, I’m definitely looking forward to this exciting trip with the whole family.

National Scrapbooking Day.

Four days to go ‘til the National Scrapbooking Day!

Just a backgrounder, it was started by a well-known supplier of photo-safe scrapbooking products, Creative Memories, and this is being observed since 1994. For years, scrapbookers worldwide celebrate their passion for scrapbooking (traditional and digital) on this day.

I can’t wait for what the digiscrapping sites have in store for all the digiscrap enthusiasts like me. I’ve scoured my favorite digiscrapping sites and I got these teasers.


**A Cherry On Top (ACOT): Crop around the Clock for NSD! May 4 -6, 2007

They’re offering 52 hours of cropping: games, challenges, bingo, classes, hundreds of dollars in prizes on National Scrapbooking Weekend.



**Scrapbook-bytes.com (SBB) - Watch out for these:
1. Crop Freebie

As posted on the Forum, this will be broken up into several smaller files and given out throughout the crops that will be hosted on NSD on May 5 and 6! Come to ALL the crops and get the WHOLE thing! Over 80 pieces all by our fabulous SBB Designers!

2. Virtual Sleepover
A slumber party from May 5 to May 6, 2007




**Digital Scrapbook Place (DSP): May 5 - A full day of fun-filled chats, forum challenges, and amazing prizes. Here's a preview of one of their giveaways.

More buzzes to come.  I will also begin stuffing my shopping cart.  I'm pretty sure there will be huge discounts and nice deals for this celebration.

Online Back-up.

Browsing through my gallery, I am surprised, at the same time, pleased to know that I have accomplished a lot with my digital scrapbooking craze. Despite not having the luxury of time, I am nearing my hundred mark already. Well, it might not be that much considering I’ve been into digiscrapping for exactly a year but I’m still fulfilled since doing a layout, and moreso, doing it with all your heart takes a lot of time.

Of course, all these layouts are precious to me and I would definitely keep these “stored memories” cautiously. All these are uploaded in two of my favorite online galleries, in my hard disk and also stored them in a CD for a back-up. Just like an artist, I would surely keep my works protected. I might be overly protective but, in fact, I am also planning to store all these as well my important files with an Online Backup service provider. There’s IDrive-E where I can freely store my files up to 2GB. Isn’t that cool? It is the leading online backup service provider that offers encrypted online backups for free and unlimited storage services at a very nice, cheap deal. As they tag their site, they offer free automated backups without any catch. They have no backup and restore restrictions as well as bandwidth limits or file type restrictions. It is easy, secure, reliable and even offers high-end features such as versioning, incremental back-up and mapped drive back-up.

I am sure you also have important files that you want to be secured. Go back it up using this amazing find.

DS No. 70: L-O-V-E.

 

Hmmm..yep, I am feeling a bit of mushiness here again that's why I am posting this layout of me and dear hubby during our pre-nuptial shoots. I stumbled upon this quote on the web and it such nicely fits this wonderful moment, isn't it?

Journalling:
Love doesn't consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction
-St Antoine de Exupery.

Credits:
Katie the Scrapbooklady's Visual Stories Template Set - Floating Frames
Katie the Scrapbooklady's Fill-abets Fillable Alphabets
Abrasive Earth Colors Papers by Lisa Carter

New Gadget-Review Site Discovered.

I have been blogging about my desire to buy a new DSLR camera or a semi-DSLR for months already and yet, here I am – still, empty-handed. While I’m waiting for good deals from our local stores for huge discounts and good credit card installment promos, one thing’s prolonging this plan is that I’m still not decided which to buy.

There are actually, a lot of good digital SLRs out there, all of which have nice features and advanced functionalities to offer. Basically, there goes my problem. I’m clueless and not adept with understanding photography terms since I’m just a newbie and would just love to have better and higher quality photos for my digital scrapbooking pursuit. Although, who knows, I might also get myself drawn further into photography as a hobby in the future.

I’ve been searching for review sites to help me decide and luckily, I stumbled upon Testfreaks.com where reviews are offered including Canon and Fuji digital cameras. Through the reliable testimonials and comments from professional sources, forums and actual users, I was able to trim down my choices into two: the Canon Powershot S3IS and the Fujifilm Finepix S6500 fd. Now I just have to inquire from our local camera store if they have great deals with these models.

Testfreaks is a new gadget-review and testing site offering professional reviews for electronic products such as Camcorders, cell phones, mp3 players, TVs and many more. It is still in a Beta version but is in the process of developing and building the best consumer information site on the web. At this stage, they are inviting electronics and gadgets enthusiasts to join their web development process and take part in building the biggest consumer information site prior to its official launch in a couple of months.

I can’t wait for the launch and I’m looking forward to its full functionality. I’m sure many consumers will benefit from these testing and review guides.

DS No. 69: Things That Make Me Smile.

 

Okay, here's another layout where I am sharing a lot about myself. Often times, just thinking about these simple things would definitely make your day less troubled. Try also thinking of the simple things that make your smile today for some upliftment.

Journalling:
Things That Me Smile
* Paul’s morning hugs and kisses * digiscrapping * chocolate mousse * surprises * Nicholas Sparks’ books * fully stuffed fridge * weekends * our wedding pictures * pay days * KFC * sunny days and clear skies * white sand beach * Holidays * Balikbayan boxes * Starbucks Mocha Frap * pasalubongs * ice cream * reunions

Credits:
Rustic Autumn Kit by Marcie Reckinger
Black Sanded Chip Alpha by Lauren Bavin
Paper Tear by Stephanie Krush

Person.com - Get Addicted.

Chatting, probably, is the easiest way to gain new friends nowadays. Then, online dating sites have also sprouted on the web targeting those who are searching for their “heart” partners. Way back college years, I used to be addicted with chatting using the mIRC platform. The features were just limited and it was quite unsafe because of the easy transmission of virus-infected files. Then, Instant Messengers were also introduced with a bit more impressive features.

I was searching for a new and good chat facility when I stumbled upon Person.com - webcams, chat, personals. Yes, you read it right. It’s actually my first time to see such a cool web-based instant messenger where you can view hundreds of amateur live shows. You can even browse personals, join a chatroom and participate in a discussion, read forums, rate photos, play “Play and Flirt” Game and a whole lot more. It’s a sort of all-in-one friendship and online dating site and the best thing about this is, it’s absolutely free. So hop in there right now and meet some of their 2,975 online members at the moment.