Posts from — June 2008

With a wide range of online transactions which are now available in the internet, it may be safe to say that a huge number of web users have at least it once. Whether it is a simple application form (e.g. creating a web based email account) to doing internet banking or making online purchases using a credit card, the information that we send certainly needs further protection. Let’s face it, there are a lot of potential dangers in sending these ‘personal’ information. If these go to the wrong hands, then you are looking at more serious situations such as theft… whether identity theft or monetary theft.

As a parent, I do allow my kid to use the internet and I guess that opens up a possible security loophole as kids may be less suspecting when it comes to randomly popping websites or windows. I have setup a parental protection software in my machine as a precaution so that these potentially unsafe sites will be warded off. I have since encountered Shop Shield. It presents a new technology that offers complete protection against identity theft and fraud when shopping online. From login information (such as passwords) to bank accounts, credit card numbers, or even email addresses, Shop Shield promises a better online experience for all. And to top all the features, this service comes for free! The benefits are probably countless! Think about enjoying the conveniences of online shopping (yes this will be a convenience considering the rising petrol prices) if we know that we can do it safely. So go ahead… Visit Shop Shield® and Learn More

When we talk about freedom (or trying to capture the concept of freedom in a photo), we may quickly think of beings being restricted in movement. It could be a dog, bird, fish, etc.  I realized that the concept of freedom may be applied to other things as well.  I saw this interesting flower which appears to be seeking ‘freedom’ from being behind the fence! Indeed freedom is difficult to explain. It may mean differently depending on who you’re referring to. I wonder what freedom means to this flower?

Kapag pinaguusapan ang kalayaan (o sinusubukang maisalarawan ang konsepto ng kalayaan), mabilis naiisip ang pagpigil sa malayang pagkilos. Ito’y maaring aso, ibon, o isda.  Napag-isipan ko na ang konsepto ng kalayaan ay maaaring tumukoy din sa ibang bagay.  Nakita ko itong bulaklak na animo’y naghahanap ng ‘kalayaan’ mula sa pagkaharang ng bakod! Tunay na ang kalayaan ay mahirap ipaliwanag. Ang kahulugan nito ay nag-iiba depende na kung sino ang tinutukoy. Ano nga kaya ang kalayaan para sa bulaklak na ito?

If my memory serves me right, we should have bought at least 5 strollers… for 2 kids! It’s not that what we have bought are less sturdy. It’s just because of the inevitable fact that most strollers are easily outgrown, either by design or functionality. Well I guess parents (and parents to be) will surely go out there to find that dream stroller.

I have encountered 2 new strollers from Mutsy which will surely catch a mom’s eye. If you’re in a hunt for a stroller, I suggest you check out the Mutsy Slider and the 4Rider “Next” Cargo. These ones will definitely be a hit for moms as they certainly rank high in both design and function. They feature cool, chic and sporty designs which are coupled with a compact and light-weight body, a definite ‘must’ when parents look for strollers. What’s interesting with their strollers is that they all come with both bassinets and seats. That means that these strollers will span time from newborns up to a few years up. As a mom-driver, I certainly like the fact that these strollers feature a modular design and have a car seat adaptor which will make traveling a breeze.

How I wish I have seen these strollers before. To those looking out for one, I think you should check these out as they promise to be the quintessential stroller!

It’s a long weekend here at Sydney with the Queen’s Birthday being celebrated today, 9th of June. However, the weather wasn’t too fabulous with light showers falling over most of the time. Needless to say, we got stuck inside in the house from day ’til night. Though really, we didn’t mind as you can call us ‘home buddies’. Anyway, as the sun was setting, we thought of doing something a bit special to wrap up the long weekend. We thought that nothing is going to stop the good old barbecue! Rain or shine, it is a promising ingredient to a great weekend!

It is getting colder and colder each day in this part of the world. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a good sip of hot chocolate drink to keep us warm?

Ingredients:

¼ cup cocoa powder, sifted

¼ cup caster sugar

4 cups low-fat milk

½ tsp vanilla

Mini marshmallows

(Serves 4)

Combine cocoa and sugar in a jug. Gently whisk in milk and vanilla. Transfer mixture to a saucepan, cook on medium heat, stirring for 6 to 7 minutes or until almost boiling.

Pour into mugs. Top with marshmallows. Serve.

View my other recipes here

As one song goes “It only takes a spark to get the fire going”. This line is particularly true for bloggers like me in building huge networks with other users and bloggers alike. SocialSpark will certainly be an important ingredient in getting blogs ablaze!

Upon entering the site, you’ll immediately notice the simplicity of how it works for both blogger and advertiser. The colors are particularly interesting as it depicts what fiery drive that the site has. But I guess the key element in getting this system to work is the concept of a profile. So what is a profile? A profile is simply a summary or sketch about the blogger. It would generally show a write-up and other information such as the blogger’s interests, among other things. These information would allow other bloggers to connect with bloggers in the same space. As an example, I like what it allows me to do when I created my profile at SocialSpark. I would consider it simple and straightforward. The layout of information makes it clear for another blogger to have an idea about what this blog is all about. I like the avatar, too. It allows me to be creative and again present an image of me and my blog. In my case, it is a series of R’s representing my family, meant to look like we’re taking a pose (with one hand on the hip!) for a ‘snapshot’ (on manillapaper). That seals the picture readers will get when looking at this profile.

This SocialSpark sponsored review is my first in the ‘Rated PG’ category in Reflexes. Do watch out for more reviews (kids movies, tv shows, etc.) on this space!

Wendy and Joy shared this to me.

Help spread the awareness on the Breast Cancer Awareness month of June. Please help convey the importance of regular examination and early detection of breast cancer in order to catch this disease when it first erupts, maximizing the chance of survival and recovery.

These are the some information/symptoms that I’ve got upon searching the net regarding Breast Cancer.

• A change in how the breast or nipple feels
• A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area
• Nipple tenderness
• A change in how the breast or nipple looks
• A change in the size or shape of the breast
• A nipple turned inward into the breast
• The skin of the breast, areola, or nipple may be scaly, red, or swollen. It may have ridges or pitting so that it looks like the skin of an orange.
• Nipple discharge (fluid)
• Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain. Still, a woman should see her health care provider about breast pain or any other symptom that does not go away. Most often, these symptoms are not due to cancer. Other health problems may also cause them. Any woman with these symptoms should tell her doctor so that problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.

Source: MedicineNet.com

Help spread awareness. You can help the lives of many women by spreading the word about The Breast Cancer Site. If The Breast Cancer Site receives 8 million clicks on the pink button in June, their premier sponsor -Bare Necessities- will donate $10,000 for more free mammograms. CLICK the pink button today!

Tagging Only the Good Stuff,  Revolution Motion, When Silence Speaks, Pinay Mommy Online and Mga Muni-muni.

Thank you for helping.

Catherine shared this tag to me. Here is my Six Word Memoir + Five :

“As For Me and My House,…

…We Will Serve the Lord.”

from

Joshua 24:15 (New International Version)

Marriage is not the wedding. It is the lifelong commitment of a couple to love each other whatever the circumstances may be. The wedding vow would state the promise to love through thick or thin! I caught this bird couple moving around a puddle. It is interesting to watch how they stick together… even in this trying time of finding food right after the rains. Some may probably perceive that they’re having some sort of a fight… well, I’ll tell you they’re not. Though I guess most couples will have to go through those times. What’s important is, again, that they continue to love despite some differences.

Ang pag-aasawa ay hindi ang kasal. Ito ay ang panghabang-buhay na dedikasyon ng mag-asawa na magmahalan anuman ang sitwasyon. Ang pagsumpa sa kasal ay naglalaman ng pangako na magmamahal sa hirap o ginhawa. Nakita ko ang magkasamang ibon na ito na paikot-ikot sa tubigan. Nakakaayang panoorin kung paano sila nanatiling magkasama… kahit na sa panahon ng pagsubok sa paghahanap ng pagkain pagkatapos ng pagbuhos ng ulan. Ang iba sa inyo marahil ay mag-iisip na sila ay nagkakaron ng kauntin alitan… sa katunayan, hindi. Pero sa palgay ko halos lahat naman ng mag-asawa ay daraan sa mga ganung pagkakataon. Ang mahalaga ay, muli, sila ay patuloy na magmahalan sa gitna ng bahagyang pagkakaiba.

I have previously written about the potentials of SocialSpark in establishing a network with readers as well as other websites such as blogs. I hope product advertisers can realize this huge opportunity that is available to them. The fact that most blogs have specific class of readers (e.g. parenting sites like mine would mostly have parents or moms as the main readers) give further advantage as they can target specific audience for their advertisement.

For example, I think that photography gadgets will well suit advertising in Reflexes through SocialSpark.com. Why? It is because most parents now would probably possess a camera to capture their children’s growing years! It is almost an inevitable parenting tool nowadays. It sure would be great to have big names in photo gadgetry (such as Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony) sponsor my blog. Of course it is also a perfect spot for online photo gadget retailers to advertise as they will readily reach out to their potential customers. I certainly it does make perfect sense. As an added bonus, this site also participates in photography-related forums. That simply means that photo enthusiasts (maybe many of which are parents, too!) do regularly visit this site. On the other hand, it also translates to me visiting other websites who participate in the forum… and it would be interesting to find other SocialSpark based photo ads in those sites as well.

God is good all the time. Let us all praise and thank the Lord our provider.  Everyday we are blessed with a lot of things!  Though as these ‘regular’ supply come, we may have the tendency to think that they just happen naturally.  There are big things… and small things… all of which are blessings from the Lord.  Having seen this tree bearing fruit in the backyard just made me thank the Lord for blessing me with the chance to experience eating such a fresh lemon.  It certainly can’t get any fresher than that!

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
Genesis 1:29 (New International Version)

This is the seventh of the series Capturing Genesis1.  

I realized that an important element of blogging is building social networks. Besides writing and presenting interesting topics, a blogger’s next challenge is to continuously build-up regular readers. Yes, you can probably phone all your relatives and ask them to regularly visit your website. But then, you’ll figure out that there sure is a faster and better way to expand social network. For example, for me to reach out to other people who may be interested in sharing thoughts and ideas about parenting, I need not wait for my niece to get married and be a parent someday!

I have recent found SocialSpark. It enables a blogger to build community, drive traffic, and last but not the least, monetize the blog. While other paid blogging opportunities are well focused on posting advertisements, SocialSpark gives an extra by providing means to develop social networks. In fact, what makes it really different is that it gives importance to your success in building your social network rather than page rank. In Social Spark terms, this is ‘measured’ as prop (positive vote) or drop (negative vote).

What more can I ask for? SocialSpark presents a code of ethics that benefits both blogger and reader:

• 100% Audit-able In-Post Disclosure
• 100% Transparency
• 100% Real Opinions
• 100% Search Engine Friendly

Social Spark is backed by Izea, a company that is surely a leader in its field. That gives me the assurance that the system will continue to be well supported and even presented with further innovation. Even though I am new to paid blogging, I know I joined a great community when I signed up for SocialSpark.

Caught these group of birds migrating to another location. Actually, they’re not the first ‘batch’. I must have seen 3 to 4 sets passing by before I was able to pull my camera out of the bag. I was thankful there was another group that followed else I wouldn’t have caught this wonderful sight.

That’s literally hundreds of birds on the move! They’ve probably set their flight plan to a place that’s warmer than Australia. It is interesting what these birds can do. With winter well upon us, it seems like a good idea to be able to just pop over to another place to enjoy nice warm weekends. If I can do that, then I might just end up with more weekend snapshots!

I love coffee so much that I bring my travel mug (filled with coffee, of course) whenever we go to church on Sunday mornings.  This is partly because we have to be at church on time and thus, would need to have breakfast on the go.  Yesterday was almost just another Sunday.  What made it different though was the fact that I left my coffee mug somewhere!  I do hope that I can get it back.  But without taking any chances, I felt I needed to have a replacement mug.  Interestingly enough, LA Police tactical gear has a pretty interesting product. They call it the LA Police Gear Tactical Caffeine Unit. That is indeed a cool name for a hot product.

Leah gave me this pretty sparkling rose. Thanks!  

To keep this meme going, I’m tagging 5 of my blogger friends:
Christine, Sheen, Rachel, Dette and Richiela.

For

Glitterfy.com - Glitter Graphics

 So friends, tag 5 featured friends for the week,

inform them of the tag to keep the ball rolling.

A simple appreciation and a sparkly badge would be a plus.

Again, thank you very much. I hope you can particapate too.