Other than blogging and surfing the internet, what do you do when there is nothing else to do?

I play with my daughter.

Take naps with her.

Just stare blankly at the wall. Ha ha.

[source: That's My Answer]

When I wrote my Payperpost entry promoting SocialSpark, I registered for an account with the latter to learn more about this latest offering from Izea. I wondered how the process works seeing that it is not only a paid blogging site but a social networking site as well.

As soon as I got an account, I received email notifications from fellow bloggers who would like to network with me by increasing “props” (which means a good feedback; an opposite of “drops”). “Props” help increase the blogger’s popularity within the program, which is favorable in getting more ad opportunities.

The system of getting ads to work on is different. There should be an open slot for the ad and if no slots are available at the time, the blogger can queue or request for a slot to be opened.

From what I gather SocialSpark is pretty much driven by blog traffic unlike other paid ad programs that are driven mainly by PR or Alexa ranking. This means that despite a zilch PR ranking, you can still grab opportunities so long as the ad suits your blog theme and that you are quick enough to reserve them. Yes, the ads run out fast!

The people behind Izea surely are very creative and innovative. With the success of Payperpost and now SocialSpark, I wonder what they will come up with next. Maybe a paid blogging cum social networking site where you can also share video clips and music within your blogging network, well, who knows?

Right now, I’d just really like a ____________.

good full body massage!

[source: That's My Answer]

I like hosting lunches and dinners at home. Never mind the efforts in cooking, preparing desserts and cleaning the house to make it presentable. It is the joy of having good conversations with good friends over good food that makes it worth it.

It is also nice to cap a heavy feast with a good cup of coffee or tea. Even though my husband and I are not avid coffee fans, it might be worth investing on coffee or espresso machines. I definitely need help in whipping up good coffee that our friends will enjoy.

One thing I terribly miss in Singapore is my access to beauty treatments. In every mall there, there is at least one salon and beauty care center. I used to go to Leonard Drake for my facials and acne treatments and I miss it terribly.

Eventually I have to find a good facial care centre here in Sydney. I may not be able to go as frequent as I used as I’m pretty sure it is expensive but a once-a-quarter treatment should be fine.

What is the oldest thing you own? What is the newest?

The oldest thing I own is a pair of pants and shoes from 5 years ago. I still love wearing them! The newest thing I own is a foot spa kit, a gift from my husband.

[source: That's My Answer]

In the US, one of my family’s favorite activities during Thanksgiving is shopping. I was told that most (if not all) stores go on sale and people arrive in malls in droves to avail of the huge discounts. I think they have something similar to that here in Australia called Boxing Day which happens in December.

One can imagine how it’s like to shop during crazy-day sale like this, but what if there is an alternative to shopping during “Black Friday” or day after Thanksgiving Day? Wouldn’t it be nice to avail of the huge discounts without joining the rush and the long queues? One can zero-in to the store and get the products they really want to purchase instead of spending a lot of time checking items from store to store. The answer to that is black-friday.net.

This online website lists the participating stores like Target, Toys R Us, Macy’s, Babies R Us, Costco and a lot more. There are direct links to these stores where you can see and choose the products you want to purchase. They send newsletters about the sales that are sent way ahead of Black Friday compared to the usual Thanksgiving Day newspaper ads. When you select the store, like Babies R Us, the items listed show the discount percentage or the actual price.

The site is a big help if you’d like to maximize the discounted shopping opportunity.

Ako ay nangangarap na nakaupo sa tabing dagat
kung saan banayad ang pagdaan ng hangin
kasabay ang pagaspas ng mga ibon sa kalangitan.

Kung mapapahinto ko lang ang oras
para manatili ako sa ganitong pakiramdam
di alintana ang mga nangyayari sa kapaligiran.

Ngunit hindi posible sa totoong buhay
tuloy-tuloy palagi ang laban
mabuti na lang madaling balikan ang ganda ng kalikasan.

… It’s the next best thing to be.

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When was your last vacation? Where did you go?

I had my last vacation in November to January this year. We stayed in the Philippines that long as part of our transition from Singapore to Sydney. Barring any problems, we are all set for our holiday trip to the Philippines in December. We just need to pick-up the tickets!

[source: That's My Answer]

Decorating your home or office can be a challenge if you want to use real flowers and plants. Aside from the required efforts in keeping them healthy and growing, the costs incurred in buying fertilizers and gardening tools, there is a potential health hazard (in the form of allergies) in keeping real flowers or plants indoors.

Buying flowers for special events like anniversaries or weddings, especially on popular months, can burn holes in your pockets. From my experience, fresh flowers form a big chunk of the wedding expense.

Now there is an option to use real-looking, artificial flowers and plants. The company is called articialplantsandtrees.com, which specializes in planters, topiary, plants, flowers and trees, too. They use the finest materials including silk to create natural looking greens perfect both indoors and outdoors.

The company also offers free consultation and they guarantee a virtual guide on your decoration requirements. They have a toll free customer hotline and orders can be made online. They have been in the business since 1998 and this assures customers of the company’s good reputation.

Using artificial greens is also perfect to beautify gardens. The crafted silk plants will look the same no matter what the season is. There is less maintenance efforts needed and your surroundings will remain green and natural looking.

We were on our way home from the Sydney Fish Market when I spotted a row of colorful low-rise buildings. Even though they are pretty common here in Sydney, I still enjoy looking at these old structures. The vibrant colors put life to an otherwise boring street.

Do you see colorful buildings in your area, too? Have a good week everyone!

Click here to see more Weekend Snaphots.

On a sliding scale of 1 (wide awake) to 10 (already snoring) how tired are you today?

I slept past midnight last night and woke up very energetic. It might be because it’s the weekend and I’m at my happiest on weekends! I’ll definitely feel sluggish come Monday. So my scale is a 1. Yes a 1! Hee hee.

[source: That's My Answer]

When I was a kid, I admired men in police uniform because they automatically command respect. Nowadays, police uniform come in different styles and colors that you can’t immediately tell whether they are traffic police, the “real” police or security guards even. Some wear long pants and others wear 511 Tactical Shorts, I guess the latter is more for comfort and civilian wear.

I haven’t been holding (or rather using) my camera for nearly two weeks. We weren’t able to go out last weekend save for our church service and grocery shopping. This weekend looks even less promising because of my red eye. A vein in my left eye ruptured which caused a red patch to surround the eyeball.

It looks really bad. It’s like someone or something hit me in the head causing my eye to turn blood red. I was relieved though when I first read about it on the internet that it is not a cause for alarm and the doctor today also confirmed that it’s nothing serious.

But they all say that this could last for a week or even two. I miss going out with the family. Weekends are my favorite part of the week and I’m sad we’ll be trapped again at home this weekend. I miss taking pictures!

(Sago’t gulaman is one of my favorite Filipino refreshments. This refreshing drink made of shaved ice, cold water, caramelized sugar, sago pearls and jelly is a perfect treat during summer.

This is my interpretation of this week’s theme. Bow.)

Ang sago’t gulaman ay isa sa paborito kong inuming panlamig sa Pilipinas. Ito ay binubuo ng yelo, tubig, arnibal, sago at gulaman na bagay na bagay tuwing tag-init.

At ito ang lahok ko para sa tema natin ngayong linggo. Bow.

If you could work for any company in the entire world, what company would you want to work for?

I’ve always dreamed of working for the United Nations. I guess that dream went out of the window when I moved to the Information Technology field and worked as a SAP consultant.

[source: That's My Answer]

It can be challenging to rely heavily on bus tours while on a major vacation. It is because you are tied to be at a certain place and a specific time and going in huge groups can somewhat be bothersome.

In this case, it is best to rent a car. You can move around anywhere at anytime without the hassles of group tours. Usually, car rental companies have special offers that will give you big discounts on selected vehicle types.

Whether you are traveling in small or big groups, it is the flexibility of being mobile that makes renting a car a better choice when on tour.

Why do women need to carry so much stuff in their purses? Whatcha got in there?

My husband asks those questions ALL the time. Ha ha. I have my wallet, a small comb, 2 cellphones (one for use in Australia and the other to send SMS to the Philippines), a lipstick and chapstick, sweets, tissue pack, hair clip and my passport (only until I get my driver’s license converted)!

How about you, what do you stuff your purses with?

[source: That's My Answer]

If you are looking for a good deal on laptops or Macs, check out laptopbroker.com. They have a wide selection of items that are branded and brand new but the prices are really low compared to what is offered in the market.

The company’s website is pretty straightforward. You get all the required shopping buttons lined up at the header. The product description and specifications are quite thorough and apart from that they offer “Live” customer assistance just by dialing a toll-free number. I also like it that there is a customer review function available. This is good for those who would like to purchase but would want to first read customer feedback.

They also provide good Manufacturer warranty or Laptop broker warranty that assures buyers that the items bought does not leave their warehouse without one.

The company’s selling point is the price. Like the Macbook Pro that sells at $1,899.99 compared to $2,299.99! That’s a $400.00 savings that you can use to upgrade or purchase other Apple products.

If you check out their site, these cheap laptops are reviewed by their Expert Review Team. There are four technical guys who go through each product and make sure they only give you the most comprehensive reviews.

The guys behind this company are doing a pretty good job running their business. If I only have the budget to purchase my own MacBook, I’d definitely check out their site.