Online Income Opportunities

Recently I have been busy with some online earning programs that have given me quite a good amount in spite of starting with the sites for less than a month. These online opportunities may require you to spend a few minutes to an hour depending on the activity required for you to earn. Some may give good earnings, while some may give you just a few cents. But still, even if it is just a few cents it still adds to your earnings.

One of the online earning sites that is giving me weekly and sometimes daily payouts are PTC sites. PTC or paid to click sites are sites where you will click on advertisements in order for you to earn. Some sites have a high payout minimum, while there are some that have low payouts so you can cash out daily. The low payout sites that I am currently into are Slobux.com and Paidtoclick.in.

Then there are the writing sites. Mylot is one forum site where you can get paid for posting your views on the issues posted by members on the site. The key to getting good earnings is to post quality comments. You can also earn from tasks posted by Mylot members too.

So far these sites have given me decent amount of earnings in my Paypal account. You just need to be diligent in visiting these sites everyday so that you can earn.

Wish List

My birthday is coming up a few days from now. I have always celebrated my birthday going on out of town trips. I would always be alone, but I enjoyed this "me" time enormously.

I started my out of town trips when I started working at Pizza Hut. I don't enjoy parties, hate cooking and cleaning afterwards so I would disappear for a few days before and after my birthday.

My getaway back then was in Subic, Zambales. August is off season for beaches so I would have entire resorts by myself. I would go down early mornings and watch the sun rise while small schools of fish would swim at my feet. I would be in a world far from stresses of daily living. I would go home feeling refreshed, ready to take on the world again.

When I started working in the call center industry, that was the time that I was able to go to Baguio. I fell in love at once. Every year since 2003, I would always make a trip to Baguio either alone or with co-workers.

But since my mother was diagnosed with cancer I had to put off my yearly trips because I could not leave her alone. I don't have a maid and my mother refuses to get one, so when I leave the house she left all alone by herself.

So part of my wish list for my birthday is to get away, even just for a day. Just for a day to renew my energy. Just for a day to forget everything.

Local Sugar Free Snacks

We Filipinos love sugar so much. This is evident in the products that you will see on supermarket aisles. I am writing this because I did my grocery shopping today and wanted to buy sugar free snacks for my mother who is a diabetic.

There are sugar free cookies available in the supermarket. The only problem is that these are not locally manufactured, hence the price is five times more than your average biscuit. I don't know why our local biscuit manufacturers are not tapping into this, when there is a large demand for these type of products.

Sugar free products do not benefit diabetics alone. It is a good alternative for people who want to live healthy lifestyles or are trying to modify their diets. I guess its in the culture of filipinos that biscuits have to be super sweet. I hope one day, there will be local brand sugar free biscuits or snacks that will be available with prices that are also affordable.

Addicted to Scratch Cards

I decided to do another blog entry. I just want to write about my new addiction, the PCSO scratch cards. I have been betting on Lotto since 1995, but have never won anything besides P40. A week ago, I decided to buy some scratch cards because it gives me winnings of more than P40.

These scratch cards can be bought from regular lotto outlets. You just have to scratch the protective cover and match amounts. if you get three of the same amount on your card, you win that amount. Let's say that the reason for my addiction is that I have won a big amount recently, enough to buy my medication for asthma.

One problem though, is that it is becoming addictive for me. I cannot resist buying a pack or set everytime I pass by lotto outlets. There is a consolation though with my addiction, I do get to win even P100 or more in a set of five cards.

So, this is my new addiction. I only hope and pray that I get to win the jackpot next time I buy a set of scratch cards. It would be a very nice birthday gift for me.

It so Hot and Humid Today

After the onslaught of rains the past few weeks, it has been sunny for the past few days. I have no problem with that; I can do all the laundry that I could not do when it was raining. I don't own or use a dryer. I prefer to air my laundry and dry them out naturally in the sun. It is more eco-friendly and economical. I don't have to use electricty to bring the sun out and dry my clothes.

The downside of all this dry weather is that it is also very hot and humid. My asthma is acting up because of the humidity and just watering my plants has left me breathless. I hope tomorrow is not as hot and humid as today. Otherwise, I would have to use my nebulizer again.

Second batch of cheaper meds

This mornings' news announced that the Department of Health is looking into the second batch of medicined that will be discounted. It includes anti-asthma medication. I wonder if any of my meds would be included in this second batch because my anti-asthma medication costs asa much as P4000 for one months' supply. Just my wishful thinking for the day.

My Cattleyas are Showing flowers

It has rained non-stop for the past two weeks. Because of the mild weather, my orchids are starting to bloom. I used to think that I could grow an orchid farm, but growing orchids is no easy task. They seem to be more delicate than they seem to be. But yesterday I inspected some pots and have found that about six of my cattleyas will bloom in about a week or so, just in time for my birthday.

Cheaper Medicines, Death of an Icon, and GMA dines for P1M

So much has happened these past few weeks. I have started writing again,after purging myself of my emotional baggage. But it seems that even if I am able to resolve inner conflicts, those that I cannot control start to aggravate me again.

First, there is the "cheaper" medicines act which our president GMA has so openly bragged that it will help millions of filipinos because some medicine brands will be sold at half price. Take note of the word "some". It has been passed into law and should take effect on the 15th of August. Three days ago, my mother ran out of her maintenance medication for her diabetes and hypertension. Even with her senior citizen discount, the bill came up to close to P5,000 for half a months' supply of medicine. While waiting for the pharmacist to fill up my order, I glanced on the list of medicines that would be "discounted". None of my mothers' medicines are in the list or have ever been part of her medication. I asked the pharmacist about the anti-asthma meds because according to the news there should be anti-asthma meds included. The pharmacist replied that they will only discount whatever is on the list. So this means that the cheaper medicines act will not be of any help to me, who has asthma, or my mother who is a basket case of ailments.

Which comes to my second topic, death of an icon. Cory Aquino died on August 1. She has been diagnosed with colon cancer and has fought a brave fight. I have never been a Cory fan, but the outpouring of support from millions of filipinos during her wake made me realize how much the filipinos loved her. It also made me compare her with the present administration and those that succeeded her. I can say that Cory was indeed a president who thought of the people first before thinking of her own needs. How I can say this is because she embodied a filipino trait that I have not seen with other presidents which is a strong faith in God. During the wake, I could emphatize with Cory's children as they saw their mother being overwhelmed by pain. Then their comment that their mother's treatment was so expensive, an ordinary filipino could not afford it. This statement is so true and brings me to my first topic of the cheaper medicines act.

The cheaper medicines act include some anti-cancer medication. But even oncologists or cancer doctors have stated that these discounted medicines are of little benefit to cancer patients. Because these are only part of the protocol. They do not include those that are regularly given or given in combination with the medicines that have been discounted. Those that have been discounted are the anti cancer medicines that are already cheap. I should know because my mother's chemotherapy session costs P200,000 per session.

Which brings me to my last topic, GMA's infamous million peso dinner. She was in NY the week that Cory died, part of her state or working visit to the United States. While the whole country mourned for an icon of democracy, GMA was dining at Le Cirque restaurant in NY which is one of the expensive restaurants in NY. The NY Post reported that the bill came to $20,000. That is close to a million in pesos. So while people die from not being able to afford medicine, she is spending a million for just one night. It does not matter if its her personal money or that the entourage split the bill. Where is your "delikadesa" madame Arroyo? This is a time of recession where people are losing jobs, going homeless and dying of hunger. The greed of Mrs Arroyo becomes more and more transparent and she even bragged during her SONA that if its' being extravagant, other politicians lifestyles should be checked and not hers.

So this has been a whirlwind of events, from brief elation that medicine costs will go down (only to find out that it will not help), to grief and loss over the death of an icon of democracy, to the greed that is so prevalent in our government. Mrs Arroyo I used to believe in you. Now I can see your greed and it disgusts me.

Dealing with this Depression

It's been 20 months since my mom was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma. She was diagnosed on December of 2007. Since then my life has been a roller coaster of emotions.

All of my brothers live and work abroad. One works in Qatar, the other in the United States. When my mother decided to go home to the Philippines after staying with my brother in the US, she decided also not to go back. She is old and sickly and cannot keep up with my neice and nephew whom she has to take care of while staying with my brother.

I live alone, with the exception of my mother. I am also single by choice. This makes me an ideal candidate to take care of my mother when she got diagnosed with cancer. No problem, it is my duty as a daughter to care for the person who gave me life and carried me in her womb for nine months.

Since the start of her prognosis where we were in and out of the hospital, I had to be strong physically and emotionally. I don't own a car so we have to take a jeep ride (the only mode of transportation here in my godforsaken subdivision) to have her admitted for her chemotherapy. So this means that I carried all our things for our overnight stay.

And I had to go to work. Impossible as it may sound to Filipinos who have relatives working abroad, I don't get anything from my brothers, nor do they send me any. At the time that my mother was diagnosed, I had to pay for my house's mortgage. My other brother working in Qatar instead of helping me pay for the house bought another house instead. To add insult to injury, the house is in front of mine.

There were days where I was awake for three days straight because I have to get my mothers' things ready for our overnight stay in the hospital. Plus I have to get her admitted. Then I will also be the one to settle the hospital bill. When we get home, I have to tend to her and the house since she refuses to get a maid. This went on for eight months.

My work suffered immensely. I was still able to perform but I was a walking zombie. So I decided to quit because my health was already suffering too. And no one will take care of me when I am sick since the only person living with me is my mother who is also sick.

I lost my house because I was no longer able to pay my mortgage. I was earning but i could not spend all of my earnings on my personal needs because I had to chip in with my mothers' medical expenses.

So I lost my house, my job and my identity all at the same time. I am severely depressed but can do nothing about it. So many times I am thinking of suicide just to end my misery. My friends always say that I am a very strong person. But all of this is a facade. I am very weak, vulnerable even especially now.

It hurts the most when I show my vulnerability that the person that I am counting on to be my anchor abandons me. How cruel fate seems. This happens everytime. I guess when they see that I need caring, they feel the need to discard me. Because I have always been the one who listens to their every fear and problem. And when the time comes that I need them the most, they are gone.

I am depressed. I don't know if I can make it.

Raw Carrot Juice Diet- The basics

A friend emailed me and was amazed with the diet that I am giving my mother. She is already considering to try it out. My other brother is also thinking of trying out this raw carrot juice diet regimen.

First, let me state the facts that I did not start this, nor did I see this on any advertisement online or on TV. The book was given by a friend whose father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. They just followed the diet and her father is now cancer free.

Now, on to the raw carrot juice. We now consume about a kilo and a half of carrots a day. If you see a lady who is picking out all the carrots in the produce section of Shopwise in Cubao, that would be me. I pick the carrots that are deep orange in color and free of bruises. Then I would wash them with water (I know, for those super cleansy-weensie people. I don't soap them or wash them in veggie wash because dear friends, those are chemicals). Then I would chop them into wedges and into my handy Philips juice extractor it would go. For about ten carrots, I get a pint of raw carrot juice.

Channel surfing the other day, my mother and I watched the Jack Lalane juice extractor being advertised on home shopping TV. This machine would eliminate the hassles of chopping and indeed it will give more juice. Why? Because if you chop the carrots, there are small bits left in the pulp that is not being extracted. But this machine is a no-no for us because it is too expensive.

Now for those who want to try this diet, you have to drink about a cup or glass of the juice every two hours. Also, you have to eliminate all sugars and starches. One of the blessings I found in the book is that coffee is allowed. Yes, coffee. The blood that runs through my veins. LOL.

I wish that my friend who asked me about this diet will be able to follow the diet. It may be hard because she is working and when we work, most of the time we grab the most fatty, heart congesting meal that we can lay our hands on because we don't have a choice. Being healthy and disease free in these times is not a choice. It's a lifestyle.

Cancer Fighting Foods

Since I started my mother on raw carrot juice, I was able to browse online for this alternative medicine. It seems that in other countries such as the United States and Australia, they have groups or communities that promote the raw food diet.

Let me give you an update first on my mother's condition. It has been three weeks since we started on raw carrot juice and since I cannot remove raw food from her diet abruptly, we just increased her intake of raw veggies and fruits. She is very much well and no longer has her "down" episodes. Also, the hair on her nape is growing black! My mother is 68 years old and it seems funny that at her age, the hair that is growing is black instead of white, as we have grown accustomed to.

I don't know if there is a community here in the Philippines that supports or caters the raw food diet. Shame that if ever we don't have any because our country is so blessed with fruits and vegetables that can be grown all year round. And we don't have to rely so much on pesticides because our climate or weather promotes beautiful plant growth. I should know because I have a small garden in my house.

One of the problems that I see why Filipinos are not into these kind of diets is economics and culture. Economy wise, a poor Filipino will spend his P10 on instant noodles, rather than a bunch of kangkong or other veggies. Filipinos also love the taste of salt. That's why they would choose the MSG laden flavoring of instant noodles over the iron and protein rich kangkong which grows in abundance here.

Culture also plays an important part. Filipinos always have an inferiority complex, owing from our three hundred years of Spanish colonization. If it's not imported, its not good. Ask any child what they would like to eat, the answers would be the same: Jollibee (hamburgers), or any fast food in that matter. Never have I experienced where I would come across a family with a toddler in tow that would not beg their parents to eat in these fast food chains.

I have nothing againts these fast food chains. They give our economy it's much needed boost. I also worked for eight years in one of the known food chain brands. It's just that by culture, our food is carbo laden. Once, I tried looking and comparing different fastfood menus to check if any of them had anything that had less carbo or sugar. I ended up in the supermarket where I grabbed a bottle of water and some fruit.

If there is a group out there that supports the raw food diet, please let me know.

Fighting the Big C with another C

My mother has liver cancer. It in fact has metastasized to her bones. Since there really is no cure for liver cancer, she opted to save the money to be spent on chemotherapy and just enjoy her life drug-free.

For those who may be wondering, no she is not an alcoholic. In fact I have guzzled more wine and beer than she has in our shared lifetime. One probable cause for her liver cancer is the number of medication that she has to take everyday. She is also diabetic and hypertensive and takes more or less a combination of ten different tablets or so in a day.

The liver functions as a sieve or filter for our body, hence anything that we take in, it will pass through our liver. A doctor who promotes healthy living said that one should limit medication intake to no more than four tablets a day. So that makes my mother a very likely candidate of someone who abuses their liver with the toxins that they pile up inside their bodies.

Someone gave me a book about the Raw Food Diet. The Raw Food Diet consists of taking more than a pint of raw vegetable or fruit juice combined with only raw food as the sole source of nutrition. One of the wonder foods advertised was raw carrot juice.

I did a little research on my own and have found numerous articles about raw carrot juice and its ability to cure cancer. I need not go far to ask if it works because the father of my friend who gave me this book was cured of his prostate cancer after taking the raw food diet.

So now I am trying this diet of raw carrot juice with my mother. I have not removed cooked food from her diet for now because I fear that she may get weak. But I will keep you, my dear readers posted if ever this works.

Faith Can Certainly Move Mountains

For the past few months, I have been accompanying my mother to the healing sessions of Father Joey Faller. My mother has been diagnosed with hepatocelllular carcinoma or liver cancer. Since traditional medicine has not been able to help, she decided to attend Father Joey Faller's healing masses.

For those who may not know Father Joey Faller, he is a healing priest and he holds regular healing mass every first wednesday of the month in Megamall. He also holds his healing mass at TV stations every first Sunday of the month.

Wonders never cease me whenever I see people who are not able to walk for a period of time walking down the chapel aisle after Father Faller has prayed over them. As they say faith can move mountains. When people have little or no hope, they can ask for strenght in prayers to a Supreme Being that can give them the strenght that they need in order to go on.

Father Faller's healing masses do not require you to pay him for anything. There are no Stampita or towels or hankies that you need to buy from his staff in order to attend his healing mass. But he does require the people attending to have faith and pray during the healing session. What purpose would one have or what good would it do if you just attend the event to be touched by a man who has made many small miracles and not believe in what he does?

God bless people like Father Joey Faller. He may not really heal everyone physically, but he can certainly give peace to the weary souls of the people who attend his healing mass.

Here Comes the Rain Again

A lot of people were surprised by the sudden onset of rain these past few weeks. When most of us were bracing for hot summer months, what we got was cold, rainy weather. This may have dimmed the hopes of people planning to spend their summer by the beach or swimming resorts. But for most people, the transition to a milder weather was welcome.

For my part, I braced myself and my mother for the sweltering heat by buying an airconditioner. I had it installed around the first week of April in preparation for the summer heat. The appliance cost me about half of what I usually get as my net pay working in a call center. But I said that paying for that amount will be worth all the comfort once the summer heat sets in.

Now that the rainy season has come early, I was only able to use the aircon for two nights. Sometimes when I am bundled beneath my blankets, relishing the cold night air after the rain, I wonder if I may have bought the aircon in a bad time. With the mild weather we have never used the aircon again after those two nights prior to the onset of rain. Talk about bad choices.

The weather forecasters have not yet announced the end of the summer season. For them the rains are just abnormal occurences brought about global warming. One thing is for sure, that the rains have come again here in the Philippines.

Expressing my Outrage

Was watching the evening news today. If you're from the Philippines, you should be familiar with the Subic Rape case. Now for those unfamiliar with this case, this is about a Filipina who was raped by an American serviceman back in 2006. The reason for my outrage is that it seems that the American serviceman who was convicted in our courts got acquitted. Not only acquitted, but was able to slip away from Philippine soil without a trace.

My outrage comes from the fact that this person may not have been in custody at the US Embassy as we were all led to believe. There was even a press statement with the photograph of this person with a known Philippine official verifying that he is still in the Philippines. The US government refused to turn him over to be incarcerated in our jails when he was first convicted in 2006.

When the press checked our aiports and immigration, they were not able to find any documentation that the said American serviceman left the Philippines yesterday as soon as the American consulate was able to verify that he was indeed acquitted, as they claim.

I feel sad that our own government cannot control people like these just because he is an American and that holding him accountable will sever ties with the American government. I express my outrage for those rape victims and women exploited by foreigners because they are poor. Not only was the filipina victim raped, but so was our justice system and the public trust. We trusted the word given by the American consulate here in Manila that the person was still in their custody. Now how can they explain that the person has no documentation that he left the Philippines? Does this mean that being an American, they can just come and go as they please?

First there was Spam, Now comes BACN

Yep, you've read it right. Spam and BACN. No, I've not misspelled bacon and I'm not referring to food here. BACN is the new technical term for those marketing emails that gets to your inbox. Spam is when you get unsolicited emails that flood your inbox and may contain harmful files.

Now with BACN, you subscribe to these spam emails. It is when you fill out a form or join a forum or website that you will subscribe to a newsletter or agree to receive updates. It's those small checkboxes usually at the bottom of the registration page that you either disregard or unclick in order not to receive any marketing emails.

Basically they're both marketing or advertisement emails, the only difference is how it gets to your inbox. With spam, the advertising companies pays another third party company to get a list of email addresses that they can use. With BACN, you submit your email address to the advertising company by subscribing to a service or registering.

Writer's Block

Am supposed to finish a ten page article that is due tomorrow evening but nothing seems to make sense with the words that I am typing. Allow me to blame it on the pain that I have endured during my dentist appointment and I am now suffering from post traumatic stress. Just want to blame someone (or something) for my inadequacy to write. ^_^

Disappointed with my Dentist

It's been some years since I last visited a dentist. I just found a dentist who holds her clinic next to the clinic of my mothers' cardiologist.She was endorsed by my health care plan provider so I set up an appointment. I asked to have a simple teeth cleaning and the doctor examined my enamels.

The dentist decided to fix my front teeth. Now I have two front teeth that already have ceramic fillings. These teeth fillings were made by a cute dentist thirteen years ago and was crafted so beautifully that no one ever guessed that there are fillings on my front teeth.She was able to point out a small dot of black in between my teeth that had the fillings and said that these also needed to be fixed. I agreed. I asked what kind of filling she would use, she replied that she would use the one that is the same color of my teeth.

So I sat there for an hour with her drilling away at my front teeth, enduring the pain. My pain treshold is quite low and I had to ask her to stop quite a few times. When she announced that she was finished, I sighed with relief and was ready to run out of the dentists office. But something made me sit for another thirty minutes in that dentist chair.

When I closed my mouth it was nothing like the ones that I had thriteen years ago. I could not close or bite because the fillings were too thick. The dentist knew immediately what was wrong and asked me to sit back while she tried to fix it. Many times she asked me to bite, gnash, bite, gnash. In my frustration and pain, I just said that it was ok and went out in order to end my painful ordeal.

Looking back, the dentist who made my teeth fillings thirteen years ago was incomparable with the dentist that I visited today. I no longer know his name, but if I did, surely I would go back to his dental office and have him do whatever needs to be done with my teeth. He drilled almost half of one tooth, but as far as I can recall there was little or no pain and the work that he did was so great that it looked as if it was not a teeth filling but part of real teeth. And they were very smooth.

Now when I run my tongue over the teeth that have the new fillings, they are rough. When I got home, I examined them closely and I could see the bump of the fillings protuding from my teeth. Worst of all, I had to pay this dentist P1200 for her work on top of my dental insurance.

So for those who have regular dentists who do great jobs on your teeth, always remember their name, their clinic, and their number in case you need to have work done on your teeth again. It was a mistake on my part not to get a regular dentist. Now I have to pay the price for my folly.

Where to live?

Because I've quit my job recently to take care of my mother who is old and sick, I may have to give up my house. I have failed paying for the mortgage these past few months, not because I don't have the money to pay, but because I want to have a certain amount in my bank account in case of any medical emergency for my mom. I don't want to go through the same stress two years ago where I had nothing in my bank and she got sick. The company I was working for then could not enroll her as my medical insurance dependent because she was overage.

I live in a quiet village just a few kilometers away from the city. I chose to live here because i was sick of the noise and dirt and pollution of the city. It's a bit rustic and public transportation can be difficult sometimes, but it has been my haven for the past three years.

My brother is now urging me to get a condo unit within the city area. But I don't want to. I still prefer a small house or townhouse where I can do a little gardening and can paint my walls purple if I want to.

Searching for the right one

I may have mentioned in my first blog entry that I started writing again about four months ago. This was my prelude to resigning from my stressful night job as a call center agent. So far, the sites that I have joined as a freelance writer were not scams and they were able to pay me. But the rates are really low and they were only good for reloading my internet prepaid account.

Now I am looking for freelance writing sites that can give me a decent amount of money. Again, not too much but enough for me to survive. I know that my writing skills right now may be poor, but I do know that I can write articles and essays that are informative with little or no grammar issues.

I don't want to resort to getting another night job as a call center agent. Don't get me wrong. I respect and hold in high regard fellow call center agents who brave late night shifts and not so good callers. It's just that I am no longer as young as I used to and my health is failing me as I worked night shifts.

I hope that I can find the right writing site. Before my patience (and funds LOL) run out.

I'm Gonna be Writing my Blog

I quit working a few weeks ago and am now spending most of my time at home, taking care of my mom. Since she is a certified couch potato and is constantly glued to the TV set, I get to watch whatever it is that she is watching.

When I was working nights, I never paid attention to what was being said or shown on TV. For me it was a comfortable noise to keep me awake and drag my butt out of the house and go to work. But I guess when you're not doing anything, you tend to notice almost everything that gets said and done on TV.

I love watching cooking shows. But recently I've noticed that the hosts or chefs of these cooking shows have a phrase or word that they love so much. In fact, they cannot start cooking without uttering this word. It seems to be a staple in their cooking. Nope it's not a gastronomical term that you have to google. The word is....GONNA.

I've no problem with chefs speaking in our native tongue. But when they start saying the word gonna, my mind tries to dissect what they are trying to say. I can't claim that my English grammar is perfect. But you will never hear me say (or write) the word gonna or use it in a sentence. In fact this chef starts her show by saying," We're gonna start cooking."

I don't know if these writing shows have writers who could at least make sure that the grammar of their hosts is correct. But having these chefs use the word gonna does not make me stop watching their cooking shows.

This is all for today. Cause I'm gonna start on another article. LOL.

Created my Blog...finally!

I'm no stranger to the internet world. In fact I've been surfing the net since 1999. I am still able to use my first yahoo email id. But I have never created a blog. Friends keep asking me if I have a blog, and when I tell them that I have not created one, they never believe me.

I guess it's because they know that I love writing. It's a way to keep my sanity intact. I am currently earning dimes and pennies from my freelance writing gigs. I know it's not much, but it will be enough to sustain my internet connection bill.

First entry. Whew.