I know, it’s a little slow to be posting about my 2008 plans. People usually post them up on the first week of New Year. I’ve been quite busy on the personal front and coupled with the fact I’m the queen of procrastination, today is about right. I’ve not really put down my plans in detail yet, but generally I would say I plan to start another 3 website. Not blogs. Hell, no more blogs.

At the moment I am just running 3 blogs. That is more than enough for me to do an acceptable job. It’s just too easy to start a dozen blogs but then when the issue of quality vs quantity comes up, I’ll put my money on quality anytime. Yadda, yadda there are bloggers out there running 2 dozen blogs, I salute them. The issue is not what others can do, it’s finding the right balance and limitations what I can do best. Afterall, it’s about me. Not others.

So, what’s the difference between blogs and websites? If you want the right definition, look up Wiki. My personal definition which incidentally may not be ‘technically’ correct in a global sense is this. Blogs I need to update constantly. Website is something I take more time to set-up, provide more in-depth information on the related topics and that’s it. No constant updating like blogs.

Will embark on my little project after the Chinese New Year in February, and then I’ll try to update on my progress here from time to time. I reckon though it’s more work in the initial phase, but in the long run I’ll reap the benefit of having more time to update on my blogs.

Just got back from IZEARanks. The first thing on my mind is should I bare all for the world to see? Realrank is especially unforgiving when it discloses all your stats and numbers collected from your blog for everyone to see. Your blog is literally strip naked from the number of unique visitors to pageviews.

You see, ladies use tons of concealer to hide those dark eye circles, foundation to make our face flawless and we wear dark colors to hide all the bulges around our body. For what? To give the illusion of perfection. To show the world the good side. Then comes IzeaRanks. Every inch of imperfection and flaw is scrutinized under the harsh fluorescent light. It can never be flattering. But then, it’s the truth. Can’t exactly argue that.

I asked myself why on earth would I want to hide my stats?

I guess the only answer I can come up with is ‘pride.’

Right, I will look at the optimistic side and be frank… the fact is, what pride is there to talk about when I dare not even face up to the truth? If my blog is not doing as well as it should, then hiding behind false pretence is not going to make me improve.

So, I’ve made up my mind. My blog and its stats can stay bare for the world to scrutinize. Let’s call it good old motivation to better my blog.

How long have I been blogging? 2 years? 3 years? I only started monetizing my blogs in July 2007. In the beginning, I started searching every money making site I can find to look for tips. Everyone goes through that phase. Now more than half a year down the line, every money making tip sounds redundant. Correction. It IS redundant. But then the inquisitive nature in me cannot resist even now whenever I see some bloggers ditching out free money making advice over their blogs, I will take a look.
The same thing happened last night and I came across a local blog supposedly teaching new bloggers how to make money. I’ve no high hopes of getting anything new, but I went in and check-it out anyway.

So, what’s the big secret?

The post is a joke. You know, to be impressionable, you either have to be very good, or you have to be very bad. Either way, you’ll make an impression. This blogger definitely made an impression. (I’m not naming the blog) The secret to making money is… *drumroll* Start 10 blogs on free WP hosting.

If you’re blogging long enough, you’ll know how crap the advice is. Correct me if I’m wrong. If you’re doing paidposts on those free WP domains, WP will suspend your account faster than you say ‘paidposts.’ The irony is, this guy (I supposed he’s a guy..) is telling people to just register 10 free WP blogs and start writing for money.

OK, this post is not about the dumb guy who dishes out bad advice. It’s about whether should I be the busy-body and comment on his post? The rule of thumb is of course if you have nothing good to comment, don’t. But then I’m so free , I’m looking for trouble.

Would you comment to say that is BAD advice?

Every year, the bank my father has account with, gave him 2 diaries. This year it’s no exception. The last 2 years my father gave one to me and one to my husband. Giving diaries to the most unorganized person aka me is a little ironic. I always swear I’ll make good use of it but in the end, it ended up empty. All those promises about getting my life organized are just pure BS. It’ll definitely take more than a diary to make me get a grip on my life…

A million thanks to Beth from afrogtokiss.net, I won 1,000 Entrecard points. It’s a great way to start the year and trust me, I am not the luckiest person when it comes to contests or gambling. That is why I don’t go casinos. I don’t have the luck. But this time, I strike it.

And the event went directly onto my virgin diary entry!

I just got back from a blogging buddy’s blog and he posted about something that has been on my mind for the past week. I wanted to write about it initially, but I kept putting it off because I thought I’ll deal with it after the New Year. The question I ask myself is, should I continue to keep my blog knowing I’ll never ever again get PR from Google?

Maybe not exactly never ever but then let’s be frank, the chances are slim, OK? This blog is about 6 months’ old and it got slapped by Google with PR0 last month. It was a PR2 then. When I started this blog, I wanted to write about my blogging journey and the obstacles along the way. So I guess this is the place I ought to bring it up. It’s one big obstacle now when I got penalized for doing paidposts.

I’m not going to rant about injustice for what is done is done. It’s the future of this blog I’m looking into. Should I continue to persevere knowing I’ll never get PR no matter how much hardwork and love I put in?

OK, before anyone tell me in the face I’ll make it easy for you. I’ll say what some of you would probably say,

“Aren’t you blogging for yourself? Why would you care for Google’s PR? PR is crap.”

Yep, you’re probably right. But then the scenario is like this.. say you’re doing something you love. You are happy doing it but then other people get paid and get recognition for doing the same thing. You’re not. You get the job satisfaction but not the whole deal. Along the line, you ask yourself why am I just contented with the sense of satisfaction when I can actually have it all?

I do have another new blog which I’m working on. I’m keeping a clean slate and will try to disassociate all my paidpost blogs from it. Call me paranoid, but Google is just as guilty. There are blogs out there getting penalized with PR0 just because the blogger has done paidposts on their other blogs. So, I’m playing safe.

As for this blog, I’ve yet made up my mind. Like I say before, this is a new blog and it is just easier to start from scratch than try salvaging and apologizing to Google. The fact is, getting PR is easier than getting traffic.

What say you?

I’ve put my Entrecard for the past few weeks and so far I’m happy with it. Tons of visitors? Not exactly, but for something that is free, I think I got my returns. Heck, it’s free.

Now, for those who think their blog space is their commodity and every inch of empty space on their blog is as valuable as those Beverly Hills prime properties, OK, you can forget it. Please continue to blind your readers with countless paying ads by all means. For the rest of us who got plenty of blog space to spare and appreciate a little linky love and curious visitors, come join the cult.

The Coolest Girlie Geek from Ramblings of an Undisturbed Mind is having a little contest. She’ll be giving away 2000 Entrecard credits. Hey, don’t confuse credits with money, OK? You can read up more about the contest rules from her blog and feel free to join in.

Why would I want those credits?

Since when enough is enough? I’m only human….

You know when I first started blogging few years back, everybody was tagging everybody every other day. It was total madness and good fun. Then fine day, words like link baiting/PR leak and all came into the picture, coupled with the fact everyone started monetizing their blogs, the tag word got a bad rap. Most of my blogging friends no longer oblige and worse, won’t write anything unless they’re sponsored. It didn’t help either one big paidpost company don’t accept tags/memes as interim posts, so tags are so dead.

For me, it’s been a long time since I was last tagged. This reminded me of those good old days and dang, I feel brand new.

This is a tag from mcangeli…

Now, here are the guidelines for this meme:

1. Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back to them.
2. Copy-paste the traits for all the twelve months (see below).
3. Pick your month of birth (see below).
4. Highlight the traits that apply to you.
5. Tag 12 people and let them know by visiting their blogs and leaving a comment for them.
6. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve done it!

My birth month is October and I’m going to bold the attributes that fit me:

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

THE MONTHLY FLAVORS, WHICH ARE YOU?

JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

OK, the sad part ahead…. I don’t take rejection that well, so I’ll play safe. I won’t tag anyone, but feel free to do this tag if you want to and let me know, OK?

This post is inspired by an email I received this morning from an ex-colleague. This ex-colleague somehow still feel compelled to update me on the happenings in my old office. The truth is, I’m not interested anymore. There is a good reason why I walked away from the working scene and everyday I count my blessing I don’t have to put up with much of the nonsense I had to face back then. I faced head-on in the past because I am paid to do so. Now that I’m not, I seriously cannot be bothered.

The truth is, difficult people are everywhere. It’s not just one office, it’s all office. There are bound to be difficult individuals and no global warming is going to make this species go into extinction. So, live with it or understand their mechanics. Understand what motivates them to be difficult.

1 . Ego (I am important so please kneel down and worship me kind)

OK, everyone has ego but some more than others. Much more. Some people like to feel they are the central of attention and the world revolves around them. These are the ‘know it all‘ and will not hesitate to correct you should you make the slightest mistake. Most of the time these people are not stupid. They just have this massive need to prove they are important. So important they can create problems for others. Most people like to avoid confrontation with this type of individual and in the end, this just motivates them because they interpret other people’s avoidance as being ‘better than others.’ In their puny mind, they think they are the star and each time their star status is reinforced when people put up with their difficult behaviour.

2. Control (I need to exert some kind of control in my sad life to justify my existence kind)

People like to feel in control. While most people are not control freak, they do relish the sense of control. The truth is, many people are predictable and act certain way if provoked. A person being difficult and creating problem is in a sense controlling those around them. The difficult person like to create situation where it gives them a sense of manipulation and control. Say if you are a person who cannot hold your temper, the difficult individual will act on this and provoke you to lose your temper. That is a kind of manipulation and it fuels their sense of control. Oh yes, these people do not care whether the reaction is negative… any reaction from others will do.

3. Inferiority Complex (I am not great so I have lots to prove kind)

This kind is the opposite of #1, the ego freak. While the ego freak thinks they are the star, this no.3 thinks they are not and has this annoying need to prove themselves all the time. These people have this compulsive need to show themselves and others they are worth something. Personally, this kind is not really lethal, but then they’re just downright annoying.

Off hand these are the 3 common varieties I can think of. The bad news is, these 3 are not limited to the office environment. They do strive and multiply as well in the blogosphere. Having said that, it’s a whole different ball game when your encounter with these people happen in the blogosphere. Unlike in the office where you have to learn to overcome them for your sanity and livehood, you don’t have to care about them in the blogosphere. There is a vast difference encountering these difficult people in real life and on the net. The good news is, I can say they are 90% less effective in the vacuum of the internet.

NUTS

Paypal is driving me nuts. I had successfully withdrew money to my Visa credit card account the last two time. My blogging buddy sent me an email asking me about the card verification thing so I logged into my account and found out last week Paypal now requires me to verify my credit card before I can withdraw. Honestly, I’m stumped. I had previously successfully withdraw money without this verification hassle and now I’m told I have to verify?

Well, I left it at that and 2 days ago when I thought of verifying my credit card, I was surprised it’s no longer required. I can just withdraw money into my credit card like I did previously. Not only that. I added a debit card and I’m not asked to verify at all. I’m allowed to withdraw money into my debit card without verification. Huh?

I’m not complaining though. I’m just stumped. Well, maybe some things are best left at that. I don’t want to lose sleep over this.

Talking about Paypal, that brings me back to reality. I’ve not been working at all for the past 2 weeks writing anything sponsored. I thought I’ll lay it off a little while and I did not even log into 3P to look for ops. Well honestly speaking, not that I’m littered with offers anyway since big G graciously awarded me a pagerank zero. I do prowl the 3P forum without fail though, because it’s one hell of an interesting place and plenty to learn.

I never thought I’ll say this, I do find myself missing those paid posts. Holy crap, I never thought I’ll see the day I actually say I like to write those posts. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. Well, now that I’ve get that straight, I think I’ll buck up and start bidding some opportunities. Yeah, the extra income is not too bad either.

This morning when I tried to reply comments on my blog, I was nicely greeted with the Error 403 message. By now, it’s already wide spread in the net because obviously I’m not the only soul blessed with this message. But, early this morning when I got Error 403, I was flabbergasted.

As usual, I started to do some soul-searching. Dang, that message accused me of great stuffs you know….. from illegal activities, spamming to hacking. Wow, I don’t know if I should be flattered. It’s always in my darkest dream to be a famous hacker. Blame it on the 80s movie called Hackers. I watched it then and I was inspired.

It’s surprising what influence movies (even crappy ones) hold over a young and naive mind back then.

After asking for help everywhere, my claim-to-fame as an alleged hacker came to end. I get Error 403 because the Bad Behaviour plugin running on my WP is having issues. If you’re faced with this problem, take it easy. Just upgrade the Bad Behaviour plugin and you’ll be fine.

Honestly, I can laugh about it now. When I first got the message, I was worried my blog was hacked. I always complained about having to back up my data and today is one of those days, I appreciate the importance of backing up my stuffs for ‘just in case days’. In view of that, a friendly community message… Back up those Data!