- Etching Words Inside My Brain -

Best Choco Mint Coffee Experience

2008-12-17T01:53:00.000-08:00

A coffee lover and drinker is what I used to describe myself. I find the taste of coffee pleasing to my taste buds at the same time it gives me the kick to stay awake specially during my graveyard shift work. My past time always includes exploring different coffee shops and tasting there own specialty mixtures. I do admit I am a huge fan of Starbucks coffee but I have my own best coffee experience by just making my own favorite coffee recipe at home.

I am an Andes mint chocolate fan. Andes mint are the best chocolate for me. And because I have the knack for mixing drinks, so I went on brewing the Barako coffee I bought, placed it in my cup and dropped some pieces of Andes mint chocolates to it, stirred it and made sure that the chocolates have melted and without any hesitation I sipped my coffee right away. My goodness! It blends so well and tasted marvelous that it can't get a hang of it. The measurements are not exact as I allowed my taste buds to find the coffee and chocolatey texture and flavor to my liking.

Because I love coffee and mint chocolates, mixing them in one hot cup is surely the best choco-coffee experience that I had in my entire life even if I had lots of good coffee experience before yet nothing can really compare to this.

You can also have your own combinations to unravel. I bet combining favorites can make great discoveries placed in just one cup. Homemade fancy coffee is enjoyable than spending much in some rather expensive coffee shops.

A night that sent me off to euphoria

2008-12-03T03:01:00.000-08:00

Time drift so fast and we hardly seem to know it, being idle for a while seem to make me ponder on the things that have gone past. 2008 is fast finishing and it was really a bittersweet year that I ever encountered. Innumerable events took place, some were painful, devouring to death and some were extremely beautiful giving me hope and purpose, but mostly it was a combination of both.

One event in my life that I thought would never come to reality was seeing my favorite band “Incubus”. I have been addicted to this band ever before since high school, from their evolutionary music to their unique approach in musical arrangement, not to mention the powerful and meaningful lyrics that the artistic and good looking rock star, Brandon Boyd with his pen as pistola was writing since 1995, with his vocal chords perfectly pitched.

There Pacific rim tour concert in was a blast! I sang all there songs all throughout their play though I got a terrible voice and I admit that I am a frustrated singer. The amazing concert went off too quickly but it gave my spine the chills and have elated me so much. It sent me off, calm me down and blew me away. The feeling was indescribable and it was the best!

Seeing Incubus was the best night of my life. Seeing Brandon's art exhibit is what I am dreaming to see someday. Dreams do come true, I truly believe. I am hopeful that fate will smile at me, hoping to see another concert from them and a new album to listen to. Cheers to Incubus and to my ever dream guy Brandon Boyd! I officially demand another Incubus Concert this 2009!

The passion for collecting is an art of displaying

2008-11-11T07:57:00.000-08:00

The fondness for collecting things are seen in most people. Aside from my passion for collecting coins and bills of other countries, I also have the interest for keeping stamps, paintings, photos, decorative items, hand-made candles, Egyptian paper and certain objects that are inviting to my eyes - denoting sense of time and age.

The art of collecting is enhanced by the way objects are displayed. Most collectors finely illustrate their compilation of collectibles, most of which from the kitsch to the curious to the valuable and antique.

Studies in the visual arrangement of objects exhibits a history of display through character exploration of enthusiast collectors who are accordingly classified to the collected items, which serves as the basis of interest and inspiration behind the collection. The art of display shows how one groups objects, texture, contrast and themes. Collections mark the personality, taste and preference of an individual. Moreover, it can also be a form of self-expression of concealed dreams and passions.

My hobby can turn me into a Millionaire!

2008-11-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

Each and every individual may have a hobby of their own. Others may love to collect toys, books, dolls or some may love to keep a collection of various butterflies species and preserve them. Hobbies may depend on a person's pursued interests.

And because I love history, collecting coins and bills from other countries that come my way are one of my alluring hobbies. And are truly a valuable collection worth a lot in the near future aside just from just giving me pleasure in my spare time. This kind of hobby has been for centuries, giving me a piece of history of every country in the world.

My fascinating hobby may sound expensive to some but hey it isn't because I did not buy them and I did not spend a dime to invest on it. It all started when a special someone in my life handed down his precious collections to me as a present which his deceased father's heirloom who was working was Chief mate in an international vessel since he was young. Which I consider as one of the cherished gift I have received. Most of the coins and bills that I have collected are more than 135 years old, older than my living grandmother who is presently 86 years old who have witnessed World War II.

With that, I started to develop keen interest in coin and bill collection. Which I don't have plans yet selling them on eBay even if they worth big bucks because they are honestly difficult to find and expensive to obtain, I'd rather keep and preserve them until the time that me and my special someone will have children of our own someday.

How did I continue my fantastic hobby? I would ask most of my relatives and friends who are overseas workers to give me a bill or a coin as a souvenir of the country they have visited. Definitely this was the cheapest way to start my collection.

One great thing about coin collecting is that it's not merely a hobby, but it can be a good and lucrative investment because they are currencies which appreciates in value as it ages particularly if the coin is rare and is not being produced nor circulate anymore. Imagine, some people may bid thousands of dollars in auctions for a coin that worth a single cent during it's first release. This is the kind of hobby that I would continue for life and will never wane my interest.

A smile can make you live longer

2008-11-02T07:21:00.000-08:00

The simplest way to reduce stress is to smile. Smiling is one of the key to wellness and now is the right time for you to start on a new road to to a merrier, healthier, and stress-free kind of life. It simply takes a smile to be on your way to feel better and appear youthful.

According to medical researchers, stress helps cause a lot of health troubles which such as ulcers, headaches, backaches, high blood pressure, mental problems, asthma and tiredness.

Understanding the crazy boss and survival tactics

2008-11-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

A crazy boss adheres to a long and noble tradition, giving you a terrible review of your performance. They are veterans of the career game having tyrannical, unpredictable, making near-impossible demands and often in nerve-wracking behavior that can be a difficult task to face, burdensome to those who wish to survive in a world filled with the impressive variety of sick senior officers. There is no shortage of crazy bosses in the IT industry.

All you need to do is to learn how to deal with frustration, navigate a war zone and determine the best approach to incorporate to a crazy boss to be able to manage upwards.

Just do your job. In these tough times, competence has always been the best defense. Especially if your work can directly affect many clients, you have possessed a good power that goes beyond the vagaries of a crazy boss, particularly the one who answers to a number of crazy bosses himself.

Try to break the cord. The single most powerful weapon of the crazy boss is your emotional dependence upon his authority. Most of the time, we do tend to demand the kind of parental support that this person is simply not capable of delivering. Bear in mind that crazy bosses self-destruct eventually. Simply they are in pain and feeling empty leading them to over drink and work too much. Over time they will eventually melt down, blow up, thrash up become thoroughly dysfunctional and go away. The crazy boss becomes a more tough obstacle to be handled when that need is eliminated – not a tough psychological opponent with untold power over your personality.

Remain as cool as you can. One thing is for sure, a crazy boss has almost no control over his emotions that rages within him. The reason that you on the other hand should remain cool. Allow the boss to get crazy and colleagues lose their patience. Never let yourself be carried away by the tide. What can separate you from the rest is the ability to stay calm and analyze the situation. In the grip of all menace from within, chill out, identify a day-to-day strategy and live within it. By comparison, the saner you are, the crazier your boss will appear. Having not lost your control like your crazy boss, you won't be part of the blame.

Better confuse him. Learn that a crazy boss' mind is his most vulnerable spot! Well, every bully has fears. Identifying these fears and making them worse can make sure that he won't have enough reasoning power when he needs these to act on problems.

Stay out of his way. Upon noticing that darkness is upon him, try to immediately build psychological and emotional distance if you should remain in physical proximity to the boss who is in killing vein. Zip your mouth and just speak softly and tactfully whenever necessary or you're spoken to. It is not definitely the time for self justification and honesty.

Ease his troubles away. With no professional interest, sometimes it also good to take any small attempt to ease his troubled way. Give good compliments. Offering a little bit of comfort on the hard road can be effective.

As what the business humorist, journalist, novelist, columnist, Bing Stanley has said, “Work hard, keep your wits and your feelings about you, and never despair. Crazy people win the battles. The war is often won by the good guys.”

The Art Of Traditional Philippine Courtship

2008-10-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

The Philippines is known to have a rich source of courtship rituals. In the Philippine culture, courtship is far more indirect, conservative and subdued. Because of the Western influences, a lot of traditional ways of courting are no longer observed nowadays. However there are still people particularly in the rural areas who practice the art of Philippine courtship.

Given the affairs of the heart, Filipinos are very romantic and passionate. One of the most popular forms of courtship is serenading which is basically a Spanish influence. It is a complimentary performance of vocal or instrumental music in the open air at night, as by a lover under the window of his lady. Usually, the guy is accompanied by his friends for moral support or acting as back-up singers.

Aggressive or too presumptuous suitor is a unacceptable to a Filipino lady and her family. A suitor should be discreet, friendly and a gentleman. Friendly dates along with a group of friends are oftentimes the starting point of courtship. When couples are in a relationship, it is customary that the family and friends have to be informed.

It is important and appropriate that a suitor must visit the lady of his affection and his family, formally introducing himself. This signifies that the suitor is true to his intentions. A suitor is always expected to show himself to the girl's family. For the guy to be acceptable to the girl's family, it is customary that he has to bring presents the time that he visits her family's house. For a Filipina, securing family's approval is essential. Traditionally, the courtship is extended to the family as well.

If the lady accepts the guy's invitation for a date, it provides a clue that the lady likes her. Going out for several dates can mean that the lady getting to know more about his suitor until she formally accepts the man's love. Normally, parents would allow her daughter to have a date if only with a chaperone, so as to avoid temptation at the same time curfew is set by parents indicating the lady should be back home early.

Playing hard to get is expected in a Filipina since it is appropriate behavior in the traditional courtship. She should be modest, shy, well-mannered and with good upbringing. Flirting is a considered a taboo in the Filipino culture, concerning courtship. She must not immediately show that she is also in love with a guy. And must not go out on a date with several man. A man has to work hard to win her affection at the same time she will measure the sincerity of her admirer. During those times, some courtships could last years before the woman accepts the man's love.

Writing love letters or poetic writing pouring out the heart's desire using a pen and paper, is certainly the sweetest way of winning the heart of a girl. The art of love letter writing was proven to win the heart of many women as he shows the sensitive side of him, which the woman greatly appreciates to see from him.

Even with persistent Western influences, fortunately there are still those who practice the traditional Filipino art of courtship.

Evident worst things you can do in party

2008-10-27T04:21:00.000-07:00

Here are simply the numerable worse things you can do in a certain social gathering.

Acting like a hungry animal from a deserted island. Never come to a party so hungry you go straight for food and eat everything you fancy. Try to have light snack before you leave home.

Falling asleep is quite a rude thing to do at someone else's party. It is like telling your host that his party is such a bore. Get yourself home if you can't keep your eyes open.

Talking about negative topics can just sour the party's mood. It's party time, so what are you doing there talking about employee dissatisfaction, decrease in sales and the rest of the office worries. Better give yourself and the others a break from all the worries of life. Partying means having fun, in case you have not read in the papers. So, avoid negative topics for it will just drive people away and discourage them to talk to you.

Over drinking can dangerously do harm to yourself and to others as well. It is often succeeded by careless words, brash comments, silly antics, old grudges, hurt feelings, remembered hatred, quarrels, and haply violence, which makes not a few parties ending up in a real brawl due to some drunk twerps.

Becoming a wallflower sulking up yourself in just one corner is no point of attending a party. Partying means socializing with people. Never think of yourself as a poor your yoke who can't stand up to other people. Or some big man that you don't deserve the crowd's company. If you hate meeting people or are just afraid to be in crowd, forget attending a gig.

Piling leftovers is truly worse. Imagine the troubles and worries your host have undergone in food preparation, just so you could make a pile of leftovers. Be sure to finish up the food you place in your plate. Leaving the food unfinished is truly impolite and can indicate you don't appreciate the food served in front of you.

There are rules governing socially acceptable behavior, and ignorance of these can cause some embarrassment. Yet, basically not everyone is made aware of social etiquette. An individual's outward bearing; a way of speaking and treating others reflect on a person's cumulative education and observation. Social consciousness exists in human race but the depth and notion of it varies from one person to another since different people observe different measures.

How to achieve job satisfaction

2008-10-26T04:58:00.000-07:00

Stress can be mounting when work is no longer gratifying. Everyone of us dreams to have an ideal job in which one can feel inspired, motivated, respected and well paid. But what can make you burn out and and at risk for losing that interest at work?

Losing enthusiasm in your job can will keep you harder and harder to get through the workday and that simply means stress is already mounting. Take a look at the tips on how to amplify job satisfaction and reduce stress:

Take an interest in your job. Do it to the best of your ability. Find out all you can about it. Everyone may encounter good days and bad days at work. Learn from your mistakes. Making mistakes at work does not mean you are a failure. But the problem for most people is that they recognize failure as defeat. Remember, in life there are no failures, only lessons to learn from. So, do not let failure defeat you, try again and put your best foot forward.

Think of the final results of your job. Imagine people owning them and being proud of them. It feels more rewarding if your work done is highly appreciated.

Try to excel in your work however humble or difficult it might be. Excellence cannot go long unnoticed, and promotion will bring its own rewards not only materially, but in terms of satisfaction and achievement.

If your job seem to be boring sometimes then find ways to beat the boredom! Make an effort to break up the monotony by taking advantage of your work breaks. Reading and listening to music, or going for a walk may help a lot in combating work consisting of repetitive tasks.

Considering the features of a healthy lifestyle can help you ward off stress, keep the energy, remain with a positive viewpoint turning you productive.

It is by being positive that one can make the best of difficult situations. By doing so will help you manage stress and experience the fruits of your labor. If cultivation of these attitudes fails to make you like your job, think seriously about changing it.

Music takes melancholy away

2008-10-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

Music is the best form of art, the language of all languages, an influential tool-altering consciousness. I was born naturally attracted to music, a dose of my favorite music can move my slothful soul, keeping me inspired and exhilarated. From the beat of the drums to the strum of the guitar, its striking lyrics can make me begin to interpret, unravel my concealed emotions as I associate it with life's experiences. Music is intentionally and intrinsically, created to touch someone's heart, as well as served with myriads of purpose much more in dealing with emotions, enhancing learning, building self-esteem, reducing stress, expelling diseases, supporting physical exercises and facilitate health-related activities. Some form of music can send us off nor calm us down. Music has equally destructive and detrimental potential when negatively used but can virtually save lives mentally and physically when used at the right context.

A day without wine is day without sunshine....

2008-10-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

Red wine is agelessly renown to be have full health benefits when used in moderation. Aside from having the effort to understand the 'French paradox', on why French people consume fatty foods but do not develop heart ailments. Wine invigorates and evokes four of our five basic senses, including our human spirit.

It is originally a product of soil, geography, climate, vintage conditions, grape diversity, production technology and aging regimen whereby it can extend more variations and possibilities for sensual appeal than perhaps any other stimulus.

Wine's chemical composition makes it as a natural accompaniment to numerous foods. It's mild acidity contrast with the oily or fatty content. A food or a wine alone may taste good but complementing and contrasting them together can even create a better tandem in your taste buds.

The best thing about red wine is the composition of flavonoids, a type of polyphenol having antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties; also helpful in maintaining health of small blood vessels and connective tissues. It also contains one of the most studied antioxidants called resveratrol, which comes from grape skins and seeds. Free radicals are prevented by antioxidants from causing damage to cells. In addition, antioxidants are good cancer preventative agents and stimulates the burning of body fats.

Wine is a psychotropic drug since it contains ethanol like all other beverages. As the alcohol's quantity in the blood increase, its toxics effects become more pronounced. Too much alcohol can be unhealthy for the mind and the body. The reason why proper serving of wine should be importantly considered to avoid overindulgence.

To fully receive the benefits of red wine, it must be taken in moderation like up to 1 - 2 glasses a day, and regularly. If you ask whether alcohol helps, the alcohol in wine is basically helpful in the production of good cholesterol. Studies have shown that red wine can prevent common cold and can increase life span by 80 percent. Not only that, it limits the damage of unhealthy fried foods and heightens cardiovascular benefits.

The moderate consumption of red wine is good for us. Life can be interestingly healthier, longer and most of all enjoyable when a dinner is served with a pleasurably glass of red wine.

Why Wikipedia consistently rank so well?

2008-10-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

Indeed everyone knows about Wikipedia. As an online researcher, Wikipedia is so visible in each, every or any of my search query - ranking them so well in Google. Because it consistently ranks in the top 10 organic search results, I find it hard to ignore it. And this does not only imply to starters.

I come to wonder why the site ranks so well, when its entire articles, millions of its articles are completely written in English alone. Where does it derive its success? And how it ensures success? Then, I clearly thought that its credibility, valuable information and the links it extends determine its existence and persistence in the top Google search engine ranking. The visibility of Wikipedia is eminently drawing attention to get pageviews. And of course, with pageviews evidently come marketers.

For an exclusively different reason, Wikipedia has implemented a no-follow rule, pointing out that outbound links should not be followed by search engine spiders. Yet this action has not spoil nor slay the interest in Wikipedia's value to the SEO populace. Turning so much advantage on the original purpose of a link or securing traffic can be somehow favorable or preferable than just securing pagerank.

Highly referenced, accurate, up to date content as well as its overall impact to the viewers are Wikipedia's best line of defense among competitors vying for a good position in the search engine rankings. It has been a consistent winner for any search query. Simply because it is playing everything safe, playing a healthy competition.

Will quality-rich content reign supreme?

2008-10-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

It is content that is filling up the entire web. Of course there are other entities as well, like links, videos, audio files, and shopping carts. But what really gets you there is the content. Its the thing that persuade you to take action, to attract online visitors to watch and to listen and to turn viewers as paying consumers and moreover to drive sales.

Writing, online research and link building have been my favorite cup of tea these days. And I admit I like to write content for my readers. Directing me to a high-quality and relevant web content in response to my search query is the best search experience I can get on the Web. But there are other pages that direct me to another page, serving as a doorway, tricking search engine into offering invaluable, redundant and inappropriate content.

If you have business online, then you must know how essential content is to your overall marketing strategy. Copywriting, article marketing, syndication, self-publishing, and the likes are the wide variety of angles you can consider to drive exposure across numerous platforms.

Internet marketers however, define content as text. Most websites rely heavily on weight and popularity. Now, I am not entirely sure if Google uses links and content to identify relevancy. Content and text are the latest controversy search engines are facing. Even if SEO strategies and linking schemes have been very tweaky and intensely diversified, there are Internet experts who mastered the tricks and break the code on how to rank high in Google search page even without the use of quality rich content. Now, Google has been a game.

Social media marketing is sweeping the Net. It is now the best way to market. However, Internet marketers use them for aggressive promotion tactics, successfully and swiftly getting them well-positioned on the search engine ranking. The danger here is that success can be short lived. The risk to face are getting blacklisted and banned out of the search engine. However those who know to do it right will excel.

Quality content may leave only the page rank hurdle and success is surely lasting. To a content SEO, page rank does not matter. What is important is good content as this can provide value, invite engagement with a prospective client, improve your sales and the brand presence online.

Desidarata's timeless & inspirational words

2008-10-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself to others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the the world is full of trickery. But let not this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all it's sham drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Desiderata is an inspirational poem with timeless words, can amazingly shift us positively, promoting a sense of inner peace. This poem became famous in the 1960's and was wrongly attributed to an anonymous writer. Now it has been established that it was written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920's.