Mauie Flores

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I'm always mobile nowadays that I only get two days in a week to stay at home and work on my writing and editing tasks. That's why I'm so happy when my husband finally bought an iPad2 las March for the family to use. It definitely helped me in keeping up with my deadlines.

I don't know if you noticed the Blogsy icon at the bottom of some of my posts. Blogsy is the iPad app that I bought for blogging. It sold on Apple App Store for 4.99 USD but I do not regret investing such a small amount for the convenience it brings.

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On November 22, I and the other mommy blogger members of the Pinay Mommies Community will have a Grand Eye Ball. It's actually the 2nd year of the Grand EB but I wasn't able to join the first one because it coincided with an important family event. This year, I made sure that I'll be there because I want to meet the faces behind the mommy blogs that I have been reading. We have already been interacting with each other in Facebook that it feels that I already know them for a long time.

I've got a small problem, though. I still don't know what to give them. All of us were asked to bring tokens for everyone, if possible. It's already 10 days before our EB and I haven't prepared anything yet. If only I had a bigger budget, I could have already oredered from the online flowers site orderflowers.com. But since I can only afford Php 30 for each token, I might just have a some customized button pins made. Anyway, we have agreed that it's the thought that counts.

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My son has already been blogging since 2005 but has been preoccupied with a lot of things that he seldom gets to update his blog more often. The husband, on the other hand, has been thinking of having a blog but I doubt that he can ever manage writing regularly since he's busy with work, too. Thus, OurFoodTrip.com was born in October last year. I designed it to be a collaborative writing project for the three of us. I serve as the site admin and they contribute their food reviews when they're available to write.

Hope you can visit us at OurFoodTrip.com.

Nine months and 24 posts after, our food blog has now achieved Page Rank 1. It was a delightful surprise, actually, considering that we don't get to update the blog as often as we want to. I'm now more inspired to write more mouth-watering posts. I may also share recipes from the books I kept all these years. Who knows, I may impose on myself a cooking challenge ala Julie/Julia Project.

The only downside to all this cooking and eating will be my health and my weight, I know. So, most probably, I'll be cooking and the boys will be eating. Then they'll be the ones to hunt for the best diet pills in the world! Haha! Sweet revenge, don't you think?


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LOL Emails. This is what I call hilarious emails that I have been receiving every now and then. And guess what? I get these LOL emails from posts that I write here and on my other blogs. One example is about the "over-priced vacuum cleaner" that I wrote about in February of this year. I think I received a dozen emails offering me more "affordable" vacuum cleaners. Thing is, they'll be coming from half-way across the Philippines! I bet the shipping fees will cost more than the unit, LOL!

I think there is a system that scans the web for relevant write-ups and feeds the info to online merchants. I'm not that familiar about the techie stuff but I know I read about this before. Maybe I should start selling stuff like plantation shutters, 'no? Then the tables will be turned and I'll be the one sending these LOL emails, hahaha!

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Photo credits: Jennie of KikayCorner.net

One of my latest photos which was shot during the Olay Total Effects media launch a few weeks back. Maaaan! I am getting huge by the minute, darn! To add insult to the injury, a cousin of mine tells me how big my arms are, waaah!

Do I feel bad about how things are going with regard to my weight loss goals this year? Yes. Do I feel like a total failure so far? No.

After years of witnessing how the needle in my weighing scale go left to right and vice versa, I am now getting more realistic with life. Yes, I can still lose all these unwanted pounds. But for the meantime, let me use this opportunity to have a plus-sized beauty and fashion blog, LOL! Yeah, turn one bad thing to a good thing. That's what I'm good at nowadays.

I will be writing about my stylish and affordable plus-sized fashion finds. I will also be sharing my reviews on the different beauty products I'm using. I may also write about effective weight loss pills sometimes. Well, who knows? By the time this new blog reaches PR3 status, I might not be plus-sized anymore!


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I just registered 2 new domains for blogs that I will be launching in the following month. I have been wanting to set up these blogs before but I wasn't able to find the time to do so. Now that my work schedule is lighter, I figured that I can now appropriate a few hours of my day updating them. One of these blogs is a food blog; the other one, I'm keeping a secret until it's live in the web already!

What's different about this new venture is that, although I also registered the names here in Blogspot, I will be using Wordpress this time. This also means that I will need to find affordable webhosting plans. Aside from asking referrals from my blogger friends, I am also reading web hosting reviews so that I can compare prices versus the features and freebies first.

Blogging can be so addicting, you know. And when I started buying my very first domain in 2008, there was no turning back. I've also had my share of web hosting horror stories so I'm being extra careful this time around.

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In this week alone, I attended two beauty product launches. I was surprised to be invited because I don't usually get invited to these media events. Normally, I would get invites to health product launches or anything that has to do with parenting. Then again, I do appreciate these PR companies and in-house marketing people for the consideration. I really am flattered.

Should I make a beauty and fashion blog and start writing posts like bridesmaid dresses reviews? Actually, I was thinking of something along the same train of thought but I still haven't got the time and resources to buy the domain and up the site. It wouldn't be the usual beauty and fashion blog. Ooops, I think I'm spilling the beans already! Just wait until I finish conceptualizing the theme and content.

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During my early blogging years, I chose to host photos on Photobucket. It's a free photo hosting service and I saved most of our digital photo files over there as online backup. A few months ago, I bought myself a Flickr Pro account and saved my high resolution photo files over there.

Most of my blogger friends who have their blogs hosted over at Wordpress use Flickr to host their photo files. Before, I thought that it would be impractical for me to buy a Flickr Pro acount just so I can save more photo files than usual. Now, I believe that I made a wise choice. Compared to Photobucket, Flickr saves photo files and stays true to their original photo quality. Actually, I think Flickr makes my photos even look brighter and more vibrant.

So, there. Flickr wins... for me at least. Having Flickr Pro makes the choice even more perfect.


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My trusty Lenovo Y330 just turned one year old! I am so happy not only because it proved to be a trusted work buddy through the first year but also because the day also marks the end of my 12-month installment payment period haha! Finally, I can save up for other things. I am thinking of buying a 1 terabyte external hard drive. We badly need one to store our high resolution photos. Plus, we can't always trust DVD-R's.


By the way, you know why I call my laptop Mc Lelen? Well, that's the name my brother called me before when I fix our broken appliances. I'm a huge Mc Gyver fan and I love tinkering with gadgets. I initially wanted a Mac but my budget last year did not permit me to have one. Now, I don't have a Mac but I have a Mc Lelen(ovo). LOL! At least, I won't have to spend for expensive mac memory upgrades, hehehe.


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As of this writing, I am drowning in my writing assignments which include 6 articles for my writing project, 6 exam reviewers for my son, and 3 post-event write-ups for the blog events I attended. Not to mention the fact that I occasionally leave my desk to oversee the laborers working on our kitchen and dining area renovation project. I also have photos in my SD cards to transfer to my hard drive which need to be sorted out and uploaded in Flickr and Facebook. I am also helping out in organizing our high school reunion. I am really one busy body as of press time.

I am so sorry for not being able to update my blog as often as I would have wanted to. But I will make it up to you, my dear readers, in no time. But for now, I have to go back to the writing assignments I haven't finished last night since I attended the Sun Life Financial blog event. Nope, they did not give us life insurance quote but instead showed us the importance of investing money in sound financial investments.

Bye for now and see you in a few days!

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Yay! My husband has finally decided to join me in my blogging adventures. Could it be that he wants to join me in blog events? Hahaha, I'm not really sure. But I'm all happy and excited at the same time that he showed interest in blogging.

My husband is smarter and more creative than I am and I know he'll have lots to write about. Since he's still new to blogging, we're planning on having a writing project that we'll work on together. I think it would be a "he said she said" format but I'll also give each of us solo posts where we can write about things that interest couples like us. He can probably write muscle milk reviews or whatever he wants to write about. Sounds exciting, don't you think so?

I'm still thinking of a domain name for our future site. Do you have any suggestions?

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I never knew I'd be as excited as I was this afternoon when my boy and I reached Enchanted Kingdom. You see, in the five years that we spent living in Santa Rosa City, I've only been in the park twice. The first time was right after we moved in and the last was weeks before we got relocated back to Manila. I guess I really missed Enchanted Kingdom so much that I took so many pictures of the place. Rap and I were lucky to be part of the 50 bloggers who spent Valentine's Day at Enchanted Kingdom. We were brought there to witness the park's Enchanting Hug-a-Palooza event. Too bad my husband had to be on duty in the office today and had to miss all the fun.


We rode the bus provided for us by the Enchanted Kingdom guys and arrived at the park a few minutes before 3 in the afternoon. The heat was unbearable, I tell you, but I wasn't able to resist my boy who pulled me to go and try the rides immediately.
But while our special pink wristbands gave us ride-all-you-can access, I wasn't able to muster enough courage to ride these...


Nevertheless, we enjoyed the bump cars, the Wheel of Fate, Up, Up, and Away, and the mini-train ride before the Hug-a-palooza program started.


We were up in the giant ferris wheel when the lion dancers danced around the park in celebration of Chinese New Year. Belly dancers also wiggled their bodies in one part of the park.


By the time we got off the Wheel of Fate, it was only a couple of minutes before the Hug-a-Palooza program started. So we decided to have snacks and refreshments at the foodcourt using our complimentary Wizard Money.


After our snacks, we chanced upon the other bloggers who were lined up for shots in the photobooth.


The band played lively music to everyone's delight!


At 6 pm, all of the rides were stopped to give everyone the chance to witness the program. Young and old; families and lovers; the EK staff, traditional media men, and us bloggers; were all gathered in front of the stage to witness the incredible feat of having the largest number of people hugging each other all at the same time. The program was hosted by the owner of the park herself with Mr. Tirso Cruz III.


At exactly 7 pm, music was played and it cued the official start of the Hug-a-Palooza. Fireworks lit up the sky, too!


Families with the most number number of members present at the event were given special pins and other prizes. Other park attendees, that means us included, were showered with chocolates and candies. We also got free sampler bottles of Colgate Plax. Before the program ended, it was announced that more than 6,000 people attended the event that day. Therefore, Enchanted Kingdom's aim of bringing families close to each other this Valentine's Day was a success!


It truly was a happy Valentine's Day for me and my boy even when we missed having our Dadijun around. Thanks to Azrael Colladilla and Enchanted Kingdom for giving us a chance to be part of this wonderful feat. By the way, this is just the first as Enchanted Kingdom will be holding Hug-a-Palooza every Valentine's Day starting tonight! Special thanks also goes to Mikco Maiquez of Enchanted Kingdom for taking good care of all of the bloggers who participated in the event.

You can view more of my Enchanting Hug-a-Palooza shots HERE.


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Last December 14, 2009, I was invited to be a part of a group of bloggers who visited Glowcal Manufacturing Corporation's factory here in Cainta. Glowcal is the maker of KSA Magic and other beauty products such as Kojic and Sutla. The event was also an intimate meet-and-greet with KSA Magic's celebrity endorser, Ms. Gladys Reyes.


Ms. Reyes spoke about how KSA Magic products keep her skin smooth and flawless. She's really pretty and flawless, as you can see in the photo above. She's sweet and charming, too.

She and Glowcal Manufacturing Corp. owner, Ms. Elizabeth F. Perez de Tagle, introduced us to the real deal about KSA Magic. KSA Magic soaps are manufactured through the cold process method. Soaps made using the cold process method are better than the commercially-manufactured soaps because they retain the herbal extract oils and glycerin added to it. Glycerin is the ingredient that is vital in keeping moisture in the skin therefore maintaining its softness and suppleness. Plus, cold processed soaps do not need chemicals in order for them to maintain a longer shelf life.




As you can see, KSA Magic is made with all-natural herbal extracts from lemons, calamansi, and coconuts.


Special thanks to Iris of Pinay Ads for inviting us to this event. Please visit the Glowcal corporate website for more information about KSA Magic and business opportunities with Glowcal Manufacturing Corporation's products. You can also read more about the event from these posts:

• 'KSA Magic Skin Care' Unveils New Products
• Discover The Magic of KSA Magic Skin Care
• KSA Magic Products
• Merry Christmas From KSA Magic

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I didn't even notice that this blog has already achieved PR3. When I started blogging in 2005, all I intended was to have venue to write about my daily experiences. And when I bought my own domain, it was just to achieve a personal dream of having my own dot com.

So a few days ago, I received an email from an American who wanted to hire me to write for a blog he was setting up for his website. He specifically instructed me to write blog posts that will give his blog PR3 rank just like mine. That's when I discovered that my blog already has a PR3 ranking.

I was ecstatic and surprised at the same time. After that, I was like "So, what now?" I can't see any more advantages beyond having the badge to brag about it. It appears that online marketers need to be most searchable in search engines or have the highest page rank possible for them to profit from their products. They employ search engine optimization specialists to generate profitable keywords and submit their sites to site directories. Some buy a software dedicated to automatically submit their sites to directories like what http://onewaytextlink.com has.

I politely declined the job offer and honestly told the email sender that my page rank is just a coincidence and may be the result of my 400+ blog posts. I know I can't promise his newly started blog to have a PR3 ranking two months just like how he wants to.

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