I have used Excel before in College to tally the data gathered from the survey results for our thesis and since then I have not expanded my skills on this software aside from the basic inputs and mathematical conversions.

The encounter this year is quite a hardship for me as I was assigned to create and automated system wherein for every data input and submitted is automatically tallied in a separate sheet. I basically know the idea and steps but implementing it in the software is that I am still discovering.

It is the third day already and I have not yet figured it out. I am searching for tutorials online which have not yet produced fruition, not to mention that our department has limited internet access. I resorted to the mobile data but it seems that Globe has a weak signal in this part of the city.

After a major sorting of the situation, I then finally conclude that it will really need a custom program system to achieve all of these functionalities. I resorted to making a tally sheet with sort function for options needed in the data to be tallied according to.

Easter with the tradition of eggs, bunny, resurrection, and stuff. These are just one of the many things that we Filipinos observe and practice on this special day. For me, I will just enjoy the scenery and maybe look for a few Easter discounts or sale in malls in the city. The commercial aspect is just there, waiting to be taken advantage of.

Looking forward to the week, it is going to be quite tough and busy. Busy in the sense that I will be thoroughly learning the latest methods for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to achieve our goal of a Page 1 rank on Google. There are various procedures that I have learned before, but if implemented incorrectly, they might backfire and hurt our rankings.

I had a refresher on marketing and promotion stuff when we attended the PLDT SME seminar in Sarabia Manor hotel a few weeks ago. The guest speaker described the importance of Social Media in selling your products or services, and he even discussed (with a few slide presentations and graphs) the trends of online presence since the start of the popularity of Facebook. After the discussion were a few exercises on how we could determine the flaws of a certain online business or advertisement, and also how to improve its online presence. I had learned a lot at that time, and I am thinking of implementing it on my client’s websites.

As I write this blog post while listening to a Stevie B song, I keep wondering if I will be able to accomplish the tasks on time. Do I need an inspiration? I am not sure. Did someone inspire me lately? Maybe *smiles*. I just think that I have to do what I am assigned to do. The correct steps , though, are yet to be finalized. I am thinking of planning it tonight, but then it is my day off so I might as well just enjoy it. I guess I’d stop overthinking stuff, as there is a specific time for that.

My laundry is waiting, and there is a room that needs cleaning, so I will just wrap this up by greeting you guys Happy Easter. Thanks for reading this rant, and until the next blog post about Mtg, life, or whatever.

*cover photo from CCGHouse Playmat

Website security is one of the major things to handle when we are starting to advertise our business website online, whether it’s a simple online store or a corporate website. Due to the popularity of CMS because of its easy use, it is common that hackers and spammers will find a way to breach those sites. A lot of plugins are being created to handle these threats, though we should know that simple practice of WordPress security “takes just five minutes”.

Curious on what I’m saying? I’ve found this post from a Twitter friend about making your WordPress more secure with super-simple actions. Here is one

Move your wp-config.php up one level

We know that the wp-config.php file is the only location of all your WordPress configuration information and settings. It is where the usual attacks happen as hackers could recode this file to inject malware into your website. The bad thing is they might delete all of your content with just a few lines of code. Moving it up, usually above the public_html file lessens the chances of attack.

To know more on how to do that, and the other tips, just visit this page.

Health habits

1. Exercise 30 minutes every day. Especially if you don’t do much movement while working, it’s essential that you get some daily exercise. 30 minutes every day are the minimum recommended for optimal health.
2. Eat breakfast every day. Breakfast is the more important meal of the day, yet so many people skip it. Personally, I like to eat a couple of toasts in the morning along with a fruit beverage.
3. Sleep 8 hours. Sleep deprivation is never a good idea. You may think that you are gaining time by sleeping less, when in reality you are only gaining stress and tiredness. 8 hours are a good number of hours for most people, along with an optional 20 minutes nap after lunch.
4. Avoid snacking between meals. Snacking between meals is the best way to gain weight. If you are hungry, eat something concrete. Otherwise don’t.
5. Eat five portions of fruits and vegetables every day. Our body and brain loves getting vegetables and fruit, so I highly recommend eating as much of them as possible. Five portions is the dose that’s usually recommended by many health associations.
6. Eat fish. Fish is rich of omega 3 and other healthy elements. At least one meal per week of fish should be enough for getting all these nutrients.
7. Drink one glass of water when you wake up. When you wake up, your body is dehydrated and needs liquid. Make the habit of drinking one glass of water after you wake up in the morning. Also, drink more during the day.
8. Avoid soda. Soda is often one of the most unhealthy beverage you can find. Limit your consumption of soda as much as possible and you’re body will be grateful for that.
9. Keep your body clean. I don’t advise spending your day in front of the mirror, but a minimum of personal care does never hurt.
10. If you smoke, stop it. There’s no reason to smoke anymore, and quitting is easy.
11. If you drink, stop it. Same as above. Don’t think that alcohol will solve your problems. It never does. The only exception is one glass of wine per day during meals.
12. Take the stairs. This is just a hack that forces you to do a minimum of exercise. Instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs.

Productivity habits

1. Use an inbox system. Make the habit of keeping track of all the ideas and things that comes to mind. You can use a notebook to do this, and then sync everything on your computer.
2. Prioritize. If you have a list of things to do, where do you start? One way is to prioritize your list. If you are in doubt, ask yourself: “If I could only accomplish one thing today, what would it be?”
3. Plan, but not too much. Planning is important, and you should decide in advance what you are going to do today or this week. However, planning for more than a few weeks is usually inefficient, so I would not worry too much about that.
4. Wake up early. Waking up early in the morning is a great way to gain extra time. I personally like to wake up at 5 am, so that by 9 am I have already accomplished what otherwise would have taken me many days..
5. Check your email only twice per day. Email can easily become an addiction, but it’s usually unnecessary to check it every 10 minutes. Make an effort and check your email only once or twice per day, see if the world will still rotate as before after you try this.
6. Eliminate unimportant tasks. Being busy all day does not mean you are doing important stuff. Eliminate every activity that’s not important, and focus on what really matters.
7. Clean off your desk and room. Having a clear room and desk is important to maintain focus and creativity.
8. Automate. There are a lot of tasks that you need to perform every day or every week. Try to automate them as much as possible.
9. Set strict deadlines. When you do something, decide in advance when you’re going to stop. There’s a rule that states that you will fulfill all the time you have available for completing a task, so make an habit of setting strict deadlines for maximizing your productivity.
10. Take one day off per week. Instead of working every day, take one day off per week (for example sunday) where you are not going to turn on your computer. Use that time for doing recreational activities like going for a walk.

Personal Development habits

1. Read 1 book per week. Reading is a good way to keep your brain active. With just 30 minutes per day you should be able to read one book per week, or more than 50 books per year.
2. Solve puzzles. Quizzes, word games, etc. are all good ways to exercise your brain.
3. Think positively. You are what you think, all the time.
4. Make fast decisions. Instead of thinking for one hour wherever you are going to do something, make your decisions as fast as possible (usually less than 1 minute).
5. Wait before buying. Waiting 48 hours before buying anything is a tremendous money saver, try it.
6. Meditate 30 minutes per day. A great way to gain clearness and peace is through meditation. 30 minutes are not a lot, but enough to get you started with meditation.

Career habits

1. Start a blog. Blogging is one of the best way to put your word out. It doesn’t have to be around a specific topic, even a personal blog will do.
2. Build a portfolio. If your job is creating stuff, building a portfolio is a great way to show what you are capable of. You can also contribute stuff for free if that applies to your work.

On one boring afternoon here in the office, I decided to record a mix of the previously downloaded tribal house. Its not that perfect but I think its worth the share. Just click the link below.

Click Me

Enjoy.

10. Never walk without a document — People with documents look like hardworking employees headed to important meetings. People with nothing in their hands look like they’re headed for the cafeteria. People with a newspaper in their hand look like they’re headed for the toilet. Above all, make sure you carry loads of stuff home with you at night, thus generating the false impression that you work longer hours than you really do.

9. Use computers to look busy — Any time you use a computer, it looks like “work” to the casual observer. You can send and receive personal e-mail, chat and have a blast without doing anything remotely related to work. These aren’t exactly the societal benefits that the proponents of the computer revolution would like to talk about, but they’re not bad either. When you get caught by your boss — and you will get caught — your best defense is to claim you’re teaching yourself to use new software, thus saving valuable training dollars.

8. Messy desk — only top management can get away with a clean desk. For the rest of us, it looks like we’re not working hard enough. Build huge piles of documents around your workspace. To the observer, last year’s work looks the same as today’s work; it’s volume that counts. Pile them high and wide. If you know somebody is coming to your cubicle, bury the document you’ll need halfway down in an existing stack and rummage for it when he/she arrives.

7. Voice mail — Never answer your phone if you have voice mail. People don’t call you just because they want to give you something for nothing — they call because they want YOU to do work for THEM. That’s no way to live. Screen all your calls through voice mail. If somebody leaves a message for you and it sounds like impending work, respond during lunch hour when you know they’re not there — it looks like you’re hardworking and conscientious even though you’re being a devious weasel.

6. Look impatient and annoyed — According to George Costanza, one should also always try to look impatient and annoyed to give off the impression that you’re always busy.

5. Leave the office late — Always leave the office late, especially when the boss is still around. You could read magazines and storybooks that you always wanted to read. Make sure you walk past the boss’ room on your way out. Send important e-mails at unearthly hours (i.e. 9:35pm, 7:05am, etc.) and during public holidays.

4. Creative sighing for effect — Sigh loudly when there are many people around, giving the impression that you are under extreme pressure.

3. Stacking strategy — It is not enough to pile lots of documents on the table. Put lots of books on the floor, etc. (thick computer manuals are the best).

2. Build vocabulary — Read up on some computer magazines and pick out all the jargon and new products. Use the phrases freely when in conversation with bosses. Remember, they don’t have to understand what you say, but you sure sound impressive.

1. MOST IMPORTANT — DON’T forward this to your boss by mistake!

Its 2:30AM here. I’m currently taking a sip of my coffee and staring at the PC monitor pondering what to write for today’s blog update. I was thinking of writing a Zendikar Standard constructed deck but words and idea won’t pop in my head. I better switch to something more interesting…..
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30DC…. Yes, I remember now.

It has been weeks or probably a month ago since I took the Thirty Day Challenge training by Ed Dale. It is about setting up your first affiliate online business and learning the right stuff that goes with it. I’ve learned on finding good niche, keyword research and getting the right domain name. The problem though is that most affiliate networks doesn’t cover the Philippines as its supported country. Also, it requires capital to engage on it to buy stuff, softwares, etc. Yeah you have to spend to get the good stuff.

The most important thing I’ve learned is the power of content. Yep, content is really a big factor in ranking your sites in search engines. This means more talk on my blogs from now on (which I’m currently doing in this post. lol) and I’ve got to practice and enhance my writing skills.

I’m currently implementing my training on two new blogs I’ve setup with the niche I’ve wanted to promote. I had to work more on its contents because of the lack of traffic it gets despite of the optimization I’ve made. I’ve tried a content generating software but it wasn’t enough. I guess competition for the first page is getting tougher these days. *Sigh*

Better finish this coffee and get back to work. Thanks for reading and see you in the next post.

Yes, I’m currently bored. Not because its Friday but because I’ve got no client again. It was sudden and unexpected and he got no other choice. Oh well. Its been a week since my last task. The good thing though is that it gave me time to update my blogs, do some research and somehow update my ears with the latest Electro and Funky house music.

Here’s what I’m currently listening to as of the writing of this post, Funky House Music London. Enjoy and happy weekend all!

Juice 20

JUICE – Sexy Funky House Music UK

This is a repost but I think it is important to share this again with you guys as I know you’ve also experienced it. Original post dated December 28, 2008.

Lately, I’m feeling like being sidetracked and getting confused on my priorities. I can’t get myself to just focus on one task or goal. Things are just coming in so fast that its really hard to know which one is right and I always ending up doing something useless and waste a lot of my time.

I think I need to rearrange my thoughts and priorities and start on which is most important (work/career? courting the girl? magic cards?). I decided to look for solutions at Google and here’s something I found which I think would be a great help. It’s from Simple Productivity Blog dot com and it is entitled 5 Ways to Get Back on Track. I’ll quote below the 5 ways suggested.

Awareness
The first step to getting back on track is to know that you are off track. Usually if I am in the middle of something, I will take a deep breath and ask myself if this is what I am supposed to be doing at that moment. If it isn’t, the awareness can be enough to bring me back to where I need to be.

Wrap up in X Minutes
After I realize that I am sidetracked, and I am fairly close to being finished with the task that distracted, I tell myself I have 5 minutes to finish. I then set a timer. The timer keeps me honest, and puts a deadline on that allows me to finish quickly.

Wrenching Away
If I don’t realize that I have been sidetracked, and I have proceeded to use large chunks of time on something unplanned, I generally force myself to drop it where it is and move on. I also find that in order for this one to work, I must physically remove myself from the site of the distraction. For example, if I went to the computer to print out a list and 2 hours later I find I have spent the time surfing, I will stop, turn the computer off, and go to another room where I have something that needs to be done. This is not a gentle method, but I find it necessary to combat large amounts of lost time.

Write Up, Move On
In the case where I find myself doing something that has value, and would not be easy to get back to, but would take more than 5 minutes, I make some notes at the physical location I am at, and then walk away. For example, if I got sidetracked inventorying the freezer, I leave a sticky note on the freezer with the shelf I left off on. I can then go back to it easily after I have completed my other tasks.

Go With It
Sometimes (rarely), I will realize that I’m distracted, but the thing I am doing has value. I will assess what I need to do between the time and bed, and how much work I have to do. Then, if time permits, I will allow myself to go with the distraction. This method works well for me on weekends or days when I have large amounts of free time, and few must-do tasks.

I hope I can get myself to practice and apply this one. *Sigh*