Online Shopping with a New Shopping Buddy

Shopping is a human need. I know that a lot of people will agree with me, despite the worldwide economic crisis. If anything, the crisis compels us to be more discerning in our priorities and requires us to be better shoppers, more discriminating in terms of quality and cost. With all the stress we are undergoing, we try to find some joy in an inexpensive purchase that brings great returns.

ShopWiki is the place to go online for these shopping indulgences. I never knew that there was one giant shopping portal where you can find anything you want to buy online. ShopWiki is both a portal and a shopping search engine that crawls each and every online shop for you, finding whatever it is you are looking for and presenting you with all available options. It even gives you helpful tips on choosing and using the products you want, including organic health and beauty products and cosmetics and beauty tools.

This is the perfect online shopping partner indeed. It’s just like having your best friend with you to consult with. I’m really liking this place. Okay, maybe even just for window shopping. Unless of course there’s a bargain that’s just too good to pass up, wink, wink.

Google Adsense is Working on the Glitch

Okay, I stand corrected. Google has posted the following on its Adsense Known Issues page:

June 22, 2009: The amount displayed when you generate a 'Since last payment' report is currently incorrect, but our engineers are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Please be assured that this is only a display issue, and that you're being properly credited for your earnings.

Work-around: In the meantime, you can still calculate how much you've generated since your last payment. Generate an Advanced Report for your earnings from the current month and then add the total unpaid balance listed on your Payment History page. Thanks for your patience as we work to resolve this issue.

It's good to know that bloggers and other Adsense users will not be losing income. Thank you, Google!

Exploring Twitter as a Social Media Marketing Tool

I joined Twitter two years ago but never really used it until now. My interest was fueled by an article I wrote on assignment for my freelance SEO writing. It reminded me of how powerful social media marketing can be.

I admit I have been remiss in my blogging and social networking efforts for some time now. I was busy working offline for more than a year. My blog posts were few and far between. Now that I'm working from home again, I intend to renew my efforts online. Learning how to maximize Twitter is one of those efforts.

I also joined Tweeple Pages to connect with more Twitter users. It's a free site where Twitter users are grouped by interests. It's fun to search for fellow writers, fellow romance novelists, fellow moms, etcetera.

Do you Twitter? If so, you'll find me there as ManilaMom or Maia Jose.

Google Adsense Glitches?

I thought I was the only one experiencing problems with Google Adsense. The figures on my Payment History page do not tally with the figures on my Earnings Since Last Payment report. The latter report is lower by about $10.

I searched the web and found many similar complaints on various online fora. I couldn't find a single response from Google, though.

I hope this is just a temporary reporting glitch and that we Adsense users aren't really losing any money.

Happy Fathers Day

The celebrations are coming one after the other. Today we celebrate Fathers Day.

I am thankful for the father of my children, my husband, the love of my life. We are blessed indeed because he is the best father my children could ever have. Their deep love, respect and admiration for all that he is and everything he stands for is the best testimonial to his fatherhood.

I am thankful for my father in law. He is over 80 but still drives his grandchildren to school. He still takes care of all of us.

I am thankful for my own Dad, and miss him so very, very much. He passed away in 2006. For me he was the perfect father. Maybe that's why I fell in love with a man who is so like him in many ways.

Three Years to Be a Golden Girl

It's my 47th birthday today and I feel great. I'm thankful that I'm in good health, and happy with my husband and children. Three more years and I can call myself a golden girl. That's something to look forward to, indeed.

But let's not get too far ahead of the game. I do intend to enjoy the next three years of my 40s to the max before I finally reach that golden threshold. =D

My Parents' in Law's 50th Wedding Anniversary

Wow, my parents in law have been married for 50 years now. Today is their golden wedding anniversary. And that marriage has produced the most important man in my life - my darling husband!

I am so glad that my parents in law met, fell in love and got married. I owe my happiness to that.

I look forward to celebrating 50 years and much, much more with my husband, too. Next year we will be marking our 25th wedding anniversary. Yes!!!

Years from now, I'm sure my future sons in law and daughter in law will happily celebrate the fact that my husband and I met, fell in love and got married, too.

Work at Home Mom: Darren Salkeld Shows the Steps to His Infinite Income Plan

No one wants to risk a lot of money these days. Yet we are all looking for opportunities to earn income online.

For lower than $50, you can launch your own internet home business, one that has already been proven to be a success by many others before you. Better yet, it's automated and will continue to give you unlimited passive income.

Don't worry if you've never run a business before, offline or online. You don't have to be technically savvy either. Darren Salkeld was a factory worker with totally no computer skills when he began to work out his system. It earned him $253,877.33 in less than 90 days, and much, much more in the long run.

Darren Salkeld is now teaching this system in his Infinite Income Plan, proving that it can be replicated by anyone. Many people have actually achieved the same level of success he's had.

There is no guarantee that we will become millionaires overnight with the Infinite Income Plan. To claim that would be preposterous. The plan merely gives us the tools to make that possible. We have to do the work ourselves.

I want a new income stream that can run on autopilot indefinitely. If I can achieve that at this price, I will be happy. An additional passive income stream will benefit each one of us.

Try it at absolutely no risk whatsoever, because Clickbank backs up the 60-day full money back guarantee of the Infinite Income Plan.

Check out this free report on Darren Salkeld's Infinite Income Plan.

Creative Writing Funk

Seems like I've been in a creative writing slump recently. It's not even mental block since I've been generating ideas that were duly scribbled down in my writing notebook. I don't feel inspired enough to follow through, though. The creative spark just isn't there and I'm afraid that if I push it I might create Frankenstein-like pieces instead of genuine works that come alive naturally on the page.

I'm glad I can at least write assignments that are non-fiction, though. The logical side of my brain seems to be the more dominant one these days. Or is it actually that the creative side of my brain is too active in being emotional that it had to be shut down temporarily? Whatever. I'm giving myself a break from fiction.

Work at Home Mom: Earn Global Online with Blog Advertising Network, Paying Post

Bloggers from around the world have another online earning opportunity with PayingPost.com where you get paid to blog.

Paying Post is a blog advertising network. They cater to advertisers by providing a network of blogs for them to advertise in. They also cater to bloggers by providing a variety of blogging opportunities that advertisers pay for.

Bloggers and advertisers alike benefit from such a service. The earning potential for bloggers is obvious. For advertisers, blog advertising is one of the best ways to make money.

Advertising on blogs, especially through linked reviews, is considered one of the most effective advertising methods since blogs have a high level of credibility among readers. The blog needs to have wide readership, though, to be attractive to advertisers.

There are many other ways of blog advertising, as well.

One of these is contextual advertising where the ads correspond to the topic of the blog posts. This is one of the most popular blog advertising methods used by bloggers since even start-up blogs can immediately qualify.

Contextual advertising should not be confused with text link ads where the links are in the body of the post itself, necessarily organic to the write up.

On the other hand, there are direct ads that can be placed on blogs through side texts, buttons or banners. These may or may not be related to the topic and theme of the blog.

There are various payment methods for blog advertising.

The paid-per-impression method pays the blogger for the number of times the ad appears on the page. For static ads, this means the number of times the page it appears on is viewed. There are also arrangements, though, when the ads rotate and only appear on certain page views. In any event, the number of times that the ad is viewed on the page is monitored and used as the basis for payment.

In the paid-per-click method the blogger is paid by the advertiser according to the number of clicks the ad gets from visitors.

The paid-per-action method is the most demanding in that it requires that the visitor take specified actions such as buy a product or subscribe to something in order for the blogger to get paid.

Any of these methods or, better yet, a combination of these methods provide good ways of making money through blog advertising.

At Paying Post, bloggers are given opportunities to do paid reviews. So if you have a blog with a following, why not try to earn global online with it? Drop by PayingPost.com and see if it qualifies.

Work at Home Mom: Birthday Tribute to the Love of my Life

March 26 is the 49th birthday of my real-life romance hero, my hubby B.

Last month, I was commissioned to do a Valentine article for Sense & Style Magazine, Philippines. It couldn't be helped that it became all about my husband. After all, he's my year-round Valentine.

Below is the article.

Beyond Chocolates and Roses

What’s the best thing my husband ever did for me on Valentine’s Day? Treat it just like any day of the year, that’s what. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

In lieu of one day with fancy chocolates and expensive roses, a candle-lit dinner and perhaps some sparkly gift, I get day after day of spontaneous hugs and kisses, solicitous checks on whether I’ve already eaten and whether I’ve had my requisite coffee, gallant chauffeur service (which means I’m sleeping with my driver, hmmm…), neck rubs and back rubs that somehow make the scent of mentholated oils seem sensuous, unlimited talk time at all hours anywhere and everywhere (we never seem to run out of things to talk about), a never-ending supply of corny jokes, and lots and lots of giggles and guffaws.

Not that I begrudge other couples that elaborate Valentine’s celebration – there’s nothing wrong with going through the works, as long as all the other days of the year are covered, as well. We’ve just never focused on that one day of the year as very different from all the others. We did try once or twice to go out and have dinner on that night – with all three kids, of course – and the horrible traffic and crowded restaurants reminded us that we were having more fun when pigging out in the comfort of our home. (Yes, this is a family that loves to eat.)

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not against romance. In fact, I live and breathe romance and have even been writing romance novels since 1991. Great romance for me, though, is not about grand gestures but, rather, the faithful accumulation of loving moments. It’s in the nitty-gritty of being in love and growing in that love while living each and every day together.

Romance novels usually focus on the early stages of falling in love because that is often believed to be the best part of romance. They say it’s the most thrilling and the most passionate. Publishers believe that readers may not be very much interested in romance novels about long-term relationships that have somehow settled into a comfortable rhythm. But does long-term love really mean the death of romance? Do you lose the thrill and the passion when you commit yourselves to the long haul? It doesn’t have to be so.

Keeping the fire of passion burning doesn’t have to be an effort, either. It all depends on what lit that fire in the first place. If it was just lust based on looks or seduced by success, the waning of the point of attraction may, indeed, trigger the cooling of ardor, as well. Then the great plod begins in the name of commitment. On the other hand, passion that stems from a deep love that, in turn, grew from genuine friendship can only burn brighter and stronger with time. It can never get bored because it always nurtures continuous growth and a deeper knowing of each other. It sees sexy in a potbelly, in each added line and wrinkle, in every inch gained or lost. It binds a couple even closer in times of adversity, giving comfort and strength.

So it’s really all about love. Good old fashioned true love. Maybe the problem is that many people mistake lust for love; or awe for love; or mutual satisfaction for love. Actually, I think friendship is the closest thing to love there is. True friendship, like true love, accepts the entirety of the person while nurturing positive growth and transformation. True friendship, like true love, stays and grows stronger through good times and bad. True friendship, like true love, is unselfish and unconditional. Both offer voluntary commitment effortlessly. True love, I believe, can exist only with a foundation of true friendship. The only difference is a deep passion exclusive to each other. True love never loses passion and romance.

But my man is not romantic, some women say. I know he loves me but he knows nothing about romance, they complain. I ask: what does romance mean to you? What do you see as romantic? Perhaps you expect flowers and gifts and don’t recognize the seemingly ordinary little things he does just for you? Or maybe he just needs a nudge in the right direction – show him the way by giving him unexpected hugs and kisses during the day, or sending him sweet sexy text messages, but don’t expect the exact same gestures back if it’s just not his thing. Allow him his own expressions of love for you. Everything done with love becomes romantic. How does he love you? Try to count the ways. Recognize and appreciate them. Savor them.

High romance for me is every hearty laugh my husband and I share with each other and with our three kids. High romance for me was having my husband at my side in the most difficult times of my life, when my parents got very sick and passed away within a year of each other in 2006 and 2007. High romance for me was having the courage to face the raw pain safe in his arms.

You’ll know you truly love a person when he or she is the one you want to be with in both the happiest times and the most painful times of your life. When happiness doesn’t seem to be complete unless shared with him or her. When just being with him or her gives you the most comfort in moments of crisis. And in between those extremes you’ll find that every single day becomes extraordinary when you are with that person.

When you truly love a person, the initial thrill and passion doesn’t wane at all. In fact, as time passes it is heightened even more by your shared experiences. Each day validates your relationship. As love deepens, your desire for each other grows. This is why we still see senior citizens happily holding hands while walking through the mall, or gazing lovingly at each other’s eyes over decaf coffee and sugar-free dessert. I, myself, still sigh and swoon over my husband of 23 years. Our kids and friends can attest to this. And I can attest to the fact that I can still put a naughty twinkle in his eye. Love, passion and romance has no expiration date.

Valentine’s Day honors love. So go on, if you must, have that elegant dinner date, give that special gift. Remember, though, that what deserves celebration is true love that is ageless and timeless, and let it be celebrated with no less fervor each and every day of the year.

Work at Home Mom: Online Earning Opportunity for Writers at Bukisa

I intend to try writing for Bukisa where articles can continue to earn passive income indefinitely based on the number of views it gets.

My target is to try to write and upload as many articles as I can and allow them to build up to a nice income stream.

Why don't you give it a try as well? Go see how Bukisa works.

While Bukisa pays writers from around the world, eHow.com is a similar site only for US-based writers. If you happen to be a US resident, it could be an additional income-earning site for you, as well. Learn the ropes from the ebook How to Earn Passive Income at eHow.com.