It's An Epiphanie!

So when I finally got my first DSLR, the first thing I thought was, I need a new bag. And I don't want those bags that scream "Camera bag, steal me!" No, I want one that could carry to school, to work, and to meetings. Practical enough to protect my expensive gear, and pretty enough for me to want to carry it around all the time.

After searching online, I had an Epiphanie! I found this, and I want it. Gotta have it.

This is the perfect camera bag for women. And guess what? Epiphanie is giving away a brand new Canon 5D Mark II or a $2500 gift certificate to Southwest Airlines. Click here for details.

And again, I know exactly what I want. I think that's the beauty of Epiphanie, the creator, Maile Wilson knows exactly what you want.

Chalk and Pebbles

I've been a bad blogger, I know. But today I couldn't resist sharing about Pebbles Inc.'s metallic chalks. I love using Pebbles Inc's chalks; specially love their chalk eraser. No fear of making mistakes with that thingy. But metallic chalks, my-oh-my, look at them goodies.



And you get a chance to win 6, yes, 6 sets, if you visit their blog and just spread the good news.

A New Love

After much deliberation, I finally took the plunge - I am now a certified Postie. A Postie is someone who writes paid reviews for PayPerPost. As many of you know, I have taken to writing sponsored reviews on my blog. It's something I do quite well (if I say so myself) because I love to blog and write my opinions about anything under the sun. So why not earn while doing it as well?

How did I discover PayPerPost? Well, I simply googled "paid blogging" and there it was. PPP is among the top avenues to make extra money from your blogs. Well, I certainly need that, specially now that I have experienced the joys of ebay. Haha. There is no stopping me now.

I know most of you love scrapbooking, too, and we often want more stuff. There is no denying and ending it. We will always want more. :-) So why don't you just sign up yourself and write a review and make extra money. It's an honest living and it’s really very simple. You do it through something that you already do anyway, grab one or two of the many available opportunities, post and GET PAID! Review and GET PAID… it's that easy. All you have to do is sign up at PPP but do remember word of mouth ethics, you have to disclose to your readers that you accept sponsored posts. I do this in my blog, if you'll notice. Thank you so much.

Budget Travel Itinerary

With 3 KiDS and two adults, all paying full fare, there is no other way to travel. If we want to be able to do a lot of sight-seeing or stop at the prerequisite Toys 'R' Us (and of course, Michaels and Joann's for me and Barnes and Noble for DH), we have to find the best bargains in terms of air flights and hotel accommodations. So I'm glad I stumbled on this site which guarantees the lowest hotel rate publicly available on the internet for U.S. hotels.

While we have friends and family in L.A., it's sometimes better to stay in a hotel so we can come and go as we please. Besides, not everyone is ready for my KiDS' rambunctiousness. Planning to stay in Los Angeles hotels seems just the ticket to spare everyone from extreme guest fatigue. :-) I'm sure the KiDS will enjoy visiting the La Brea Museum and Universal Studios again.

I have always told DH how much I enjoyed San Francisco when I last visited, and I'm sure he and the KiDS would, too. I particularly enjoyed the relaxing drives outside the city to Carmel, Monterrey and Tiburon and I would love for them to experience those. Unfortunately, my roommate from college has since moved so we would definitely have to book a San Francisco hotel if we were to visit there.

And who says there's nothing much for children to do in New York? Well, my KiDS are geeks so I'm sure they'll enjoy the museums. Will have to make sure we go on free days, of course. Hehehe. Then there's the zoo in Central Park. We really have to find cheap New York hotels because NYC can be expensive. Maybe I'll visit my old office (well, it's an official landmark that I can showoff to the KiDS) and try to get free lunch from my former bosses. Wink- wink.

Oh, well, all this planning makes me want to go right now, but I know I will get better deals if I pre-book online first. Everything should be planned perfectly. And in the cheapest manner possible. (Must leave money for scrapbooking stuff.)

Do You Have the Look?

Are you young and beautiful? Want to be a model but don't have the money to hire an agent? Scared about joining beauty contests because of the question-and-answer portion? Well, here is your chance to be seen and discovered through a unique online beauty contest. Get the chance to win $10,000. And even if you don't win, who knows? A bonafide agent for a modelling agency might spot you and sign you up. So go on now, have a look at http://www.lookoftheyear.com

Ride the Wave

Chances are, you are a blogger like me. We spend much time writing down our thoughts and opinions for people to read. We also enjoy surfing the web and reading our friends' blogs. We receive and give out so much information just sitting down in front of our computer, so why not make some extra money while we are at it? Try Bloggerwave a site which gives you opportunities to do what you do best - read, think, form an opinion, and share it with others through your blogs. Opportunity waits for no one, so let's get started.

Second Chances

When my youngest brother who is now based in Florida migrated, one of the first things my oldest sister helped him with was to get credit. While Nani never owned a credit card here in the Philippines, my sister advised him that it was crucial for him to get a credit card in the U.S. to build his credit history. If plans go smoothly for my brother, soon he will be applying for a car loan and a housing loan for his family. The first thing banks and creditors will look at is his credit history.

My sister firmly reminded Nani to take care of his credit history or he will never be able to get another loan in his life. While it's good advise to take to heart, it is not exactly true. There are companies who do still give credit to individuals with bad credit history. I hope that this never happens to Nani, but in case it does, there are bad credit loans that he can avail of. But since he will be working to rebuild his reputation (so to speak) and his confidence, he would need advise on the best options he has for credit cards, car loans, and housing loans. He will need assistance in comparing the pros and cons for every bad credit loans he receives. If ever the unfortunate happens and he has no other recourse, it will then be my turn to advise him to look to such informative sites as this one.

God bless him, and I hope he is not getting into debt because he is buying scrapbooking stuff for me. Although I must confess I sometimes borrow his credit card to shop online. Shame on me. :-)

Card Games and More

I think it's safe to say that I first learned my mathematics from the neighborhood tambayan. I used to play 41, Black Jack, and Pusoy (poker) with other kids. Although maybe I was the only one in school to say an "A" is equal to 11, and the "people" (King, Queen and Jack) are always worth "10s".

I am by no means a card shark but this penchant for card games held me in good stead when I first entered my first casino (and yes, I was carded but I assure you I was legal by then.) At least, it looked like I knew what I was doing when I played the games. However, I couldn't quite focus on the cards at hand because I was afraid to be seen by anyone I knew inside a casino. I'd keep looking around and ducking under the table each time I thought I saw someone I knew. I was embarassed to be seen there actually. And also, after a few hours, the noise, from the slot machines and other players, the piped-in music, can be too much for me to bear.

That is why, in this day and age, people appreciate that there are online casinos like that they can visit in the safety and relative quiet of their own homes -
click here to see - choices that suit the gamer in you.

Shopping Convenience

I curse the day when I discovered online shopping. Well, at least my DH curses it. I never realized it could be so easy! You just put your selected merchandise inside your shopping cart and because you do not see things physically piling up, you keep on clicking only to get the shock of your life come check-out time. The new shopping cart sofwares make this so simple for the merchandiser and the buyer. I cannot believe the ease by which I am divested of my money by ecommerce software! If all the transactions go smoothly, then I keep on coming back for more. (So, if you are a merchandiser thinking to build and online store the shopping cart software should be your top consideration). Not good for my budget. But then again, when my scrapbooking stuff finally reaches me (after months at sea), I couldn't be happier. And I feel a slight twinge of regret that I didn't click more. Hmmm...I think that would make a good scrapbook LO about my addiction to online shopping..."Just keep on clicking..."

It's History

A few years back, DH applied for a mobile phone line with Globe, and much to our surprise, he was declined. When I asked the sales representative the reason why, she informed me that DH had a negative credit rating that popped up in their system. DH couldn' think of what could be causing that and I could hardly believe it myself because in that year alone, we had been approved for a housing loan and then an auto loan with BPI, which is owned by the same conglomerate as Globe. I couldn't help but ask the sales representative, we were approved for millions for a housing loan and then another million for an auto loan, but we couldn't get an P800 peso per month phone subscription???

But it was then that reality set in that if you had a less than stellar credit history, it will be more difficult for you to get credit cards and loans. But, there are available resources that could help you still get bad credit loans. With a little research and awareness, you could compare offers that you receive and choose the best ones for your circumstances. To help you gain a bit more confidence as you get on your feet, qualified experts provide credit counselling from resources such as these.

In the end, I had to get the mobile phone subscription under my name. It's a hassle, but then since the bill is addressed to me, I can open it (without feeling like a snoop) and review the calls that he makes. :-)