Nostalgia - The Ilocos Norte Version

So I was rummaging through my old files in my Jurassic laptop when I came across the pictures taken at Ilocos Norte sometime last 2010. I automatically felt nostalgic and all, wishing that I can go back to that place soon. 

It was my Bebe and I's first ever travel escapade as a couple and the most memorable so far. I was the one who made the itinerary, which I think, made this trip extra ordinary. Forgive me for the amateur shots, I'm just using a point-and-shoot camera here! :P

Ladies and gentlemen, I present you - Ilocos Norte!

• The Malacanang of the North. This abode is the official residence of the Late President Ferdinand Marcos, hence called the Malacanang of the North.

• Cape Bojeador. Cape Bojeador is one of oldest lighthouses in the entire country. What fascinates me was the fact that until that day we visited the place, the lighthouse is still pretty much working.

• Bangui Windmills. Famous for Senator Bongbong Marcos' election campaign ads some years ago, the Bangui Windmills is truly one of the Pride of the Ilocanos.

• Blue Lagoon, Pagudpud. Known as the Boracay of the North, Pagudpud is a must-see destination. I was dazzled by the fine white sands, lush tropics around the beach, no clutter (yes! the beach is clean!) and mind you, the crowd is very, very limited! If you seriously need a vacation and you long for a getaway at the beach, then this is the right place for you.

• Patapat Viaduct. 

These are just some of the awesome places that we've been. The food is great (I suggest you try Bagnet at Cafe Leona and the Sinanglao at the Hidden Garden in Vigan. ) If you opt for some shopping, check out Calle Crisologo (this place is extremely lovely at night!). You might also want to try home-stay in Saud instead of checking in in a hotel if you are travelling on a tight budget. Trust me, you'll love the hospitality of the Ilocanos!

Did I mention that I am an Ilocano myself? :)

Update.v1

I've named this post as Update.v1 for the following reasons: 

• One, I've changed my blog title from The Blogless Blogger to The Infinity's Haven, and; 
• Two, I've changed the blog URL as well, from thebloglessblogger1983.blogspot.com to imaygalinato.blogspot.com. 

So why the change? 

First, I would like to explain why I got the name Blogless Blogger. When I started out as a blogger some 4 years ago, I never managed to start a blog of my own (I know, it's weird). The main reason is that I blog for somebody else, that is, I write for other blogs and they get to pay me for that. Since I'm a mother of two kids, I never really had the time to write for my own. And so I know the name suits me very well.

Until recently, I realized that the name is no longer applicable to me, and it actually makes me laugh about the redundancy. I'm no longer blogless these days! In fact, I've already joined the bandwagon and created a website for myself!

Another reason is that, I've noticed that there are lots of "blogless" bloggers out there. And there's this particular blog that says, "I'm the original blogless blogger!" Seriously though, in respect to those who claim to be the "first" "the original" and so on blogless blogger, yeah, I'm dropping the name. No hard feelings. :)

The Infinity's Haven

I've always been fixated with the word infinity ever since I heard of that word when I was in my 6th grade. I guess that goes to show my being optimistic, as I believe that life has limitless possibilities. FYI, this is just the reincarnation of my very first attempt to write a blog years ago (sadly, I deleted that blog because I thought I won't have any use for it).

As for the blog URL, well, I think it only fits to just change it to my real name. Same reasons. 

So yes, welcome me again to the world of blogging as The Infinity's Haven! :)

On Learning WordPress

Some people say that neccesity is the mother of invention. I didn't quiet understand what that phrase means until I decided to work on my website ALONE.

I was a bit astounded by the thought at first, but then I delved on to learning how to code head first when I realized that hiring a developer to work on my website will cost me a couple of bucks. Since I was determined enough (and cashless, mind you!) I told my husband that I will do it ( and I literally crossed my fingers as I've said this!)

So then it began. I was forced to work double time when Hubby bought the domain and its hosting at NameCheap.com. I was confident enough that I will pull through WordPress, as I have experienced setting up a blog in one of my previous projects months ago. But it turned out that WordPress.com is way too different from WordPress.org! Crap!

I told myself that I need to be resourceful, so I resorted to online tutorials. Lucky for me though, www.w3schools.com was there to my rescue. I was able to understand a bit about HTML and CSS (yes, I don't claim to be a pro). Another good thing was that I was able to choose a flexible theme called Responsive Theme created by ThemeId.com. It's pretty much easy to customize and I'm very much thankful to Mr. Emil Uzelac for patiently attending to all the questions posted by their users (that includes me!). Oh, did I mention that the theme is for free? Yup, so you might as well take advantage of that!

I still have a long way to run on learning WordPress. Sometimes invention out of neccesity is an advantage. In my case, it is.

Oh, by the way, my website is halfway done. :)

Change is good!

Yes, change is good, especially when you have all your loved ones backing up on your plans. :)

I've been a bit busy lately, thinking and planning on how to get a chunk of the $35M revenue that Google is eyeing some years from now (this is one of the things that is very well retained in my mind during the gPhilippines event a couple of weeks ago!) It's so enticing, really, that it caught my attention automatically. I've been dying to carve my own sweet place in the internet world and now, I think that it's mighty high time for me start the ball rolling!

So how exactly I'm going to do that?

Nothing fancy, I think. I'm planning on offering my skills as a content writer and a SEO specialist. I'm planning of building my own team. :)

Rainy Day Thoughts

It's raining the whole weekend. My Bebe and I actually planned to watch Batman last Saturday, but Typhoon Ferdie had been a bit nasty.

The only thing that I get to enjoy this weekend was the late-night snuggling and chatting I had with my Bebe. It really makes me laugh everytime I look back to the time when we just got started. Our love story didn't go the same getting-to-know blah-blah that most couples had. We only dated once, talked about us giving a shot on this relationship (which we did after a couple of days) and on our next date, we are already calling "us" a couple. Easy breezy!

Good morning! :)

I woke up pretty early today (that's 3:30am) to finish my SEO report for a wine store based in US. Me and my three friends (I call us "seofemmefatales") did their on-page and off-page optimization for more than a month now.

Wish I could show some stats here regarding the site's progress, but that's not allowed. Sad.

Anyways.

Happy morning to all of us! Keep safe and may God bless the Philippines.

xoxo.

Crossing my fingers for Analytics

After quiet some time, I finally figured out how to include Google Analytics tracking code here at my blog. I just hope it will work!

Here's one of my guides: http://www.bloggersentral.com/2012/01/how-to-install-google-analytics-on_4555.html

Check it out too, if you need some help with the Analytics.

=)

Still waiting...

It's been 4 days since I got this email from my hubby regarding the 1st Annual g|Philippines which will take place on the 3rd and 4th of August, 2012. I immediately registered myself without hesitation.

I very much excited to join this event not because it's Google that's hosting it, but this is the first ever in the country. I would definitely love to be a part of a history.

I registered for Day 1: Business,Marketing, and Entreprenuer Day. The Day 1 Agenda looks great, it actually suits my job and my interest in SEO. Though one of my bosses commented that it's just the basics, my interest never waned.

Like I've said, I am just waiting for the sweet, sweet confirmation from the Google peeps. Period.

Interested? Click here.

Hope to see you all there! =)

The Simplicity that is Home

It's been 1 year, 1 month and 13 days since we moved in here in our place. It's been that long since I started calling myself a city girl. Still, I long for the simplicity of my rural life back in our hometown.

Yes, I am one of the many residents of Metro Manila who chose to migrate here in the city (not that it's me who actually chose to live here, but Hubby said that it will be the best for us, since he's working here.) There is no denying that I am from "the province". I am proud that I am a Novo Ecijano.

Site Revamp

I've been used to seeing and hearing this word ever since I tried to learn SEO. Site revamp. Whenever there's a website that hungers for ranking but is hindered by the physical make-up of the site, making it somehow unfit for indexing. Yes, site revamp could be the best bet for that scenario.

Oh, c'mon! It's not that I want a revamp for myself. :D

I want a revamp for this blog. A colleague of mine actually told me a while ago that I need it because my blog looks dry. And I think I agree.

So this is a part where I need some ideas. Care to share your thoughts?

=)

Umbrellas and Raincoats

"Rain, rain go away,

Come again another day..."

I heard myself silently chanting these lines this morning, as I woke up to the sound of the heavy rain pouring on the roof. I silently watched the weather news as I ate my breakfast. I told myself I'm gonna have a not-so-good day today. 

I took the tricycle to get to the office just so I can save myself from getting wet. To make things more depressing, I already planned to wear a dress for today. And I did. I wore the sexiest one I have even if it doesn't suit the weather. Oh, whatever!

Dilemma, Part 2

Like I'm expecting for this part 2 thing.

See, I entitled the previous entry as part 1 because the moment my youngest daughter got that nasty virus, I know it will strike the whole family. And I was right. After my little one, Hubby caught it and stayed in sickbed for three days.

And now I guess it's my turn. My week-long lack of sleep took its toll on me. The writer is down with flu and yet she still manage to cave in to her overwhelming urge to blog. Right.

Dilemma, Part 1

Oh yes, you guessed it right. I'm in a middle of a "serious" health problem - this thing that doctors called Systemic Viral Infection.

This seemingly common infection causes a lot of trouble to my family. My youngest daughter caught the virus first, suffered for almost a week with high grade fever, before she hand it over to her Dad. And now, my husband is suffering (as I have seen it) even worst than what our baby had.

Daily Dose of Learning

Life is all about learning, so they say. We learn everyday, either by experience (which, they say, is the best teacher) or vicariously (which, in my own point of view, is the better teacher). Anyhow, what I'm trying to say is that, everyday is always an opportunity to learn new things - new concepts, new ideas, new tasks, discovering new interests, gaining new knowledge, and learning new sets of skills.

On Being an In-house Writer

Long before I went out of college, I already told myself that I will be my own boss. I will have my own time, work at my own pace, deliver my own output. Sounds like a plan.

After a few years, 6 years to be exact, I find myself working in as an In-house Web Content Writer for an upcoming E-commerce site called expresso.ph. So why the change of mind?

The Blogless Blogger's First Entry

Yeah, I know it sounds a bit confusing but hey! I call myself "The Blogless Blogger"!

I don't have a blog of my own. Until today, though.

You see, I finally got the guts to set up my own blog. I've been writing for the web for almost 3 years now (to tell you honestly, this has been my bread and butter and it still is, until now). 

Well, maybe I just don't have the time.

But now, I will definitely find time for this.

Catch you all later! :D