Femme Power

Ma. Venus Raj, the 22-year old Bicolana who represented the Philippines in the recently concluded Ms. Universe Pageant 2010 in Las Vegas, deserves to be lauded for grabbing the 4th Runner Up spot.  She may not have provided the smartest answer in a “major major” way but folks, let’s give her credit for the honor she brought to the country.  Her achievement of bringing home a crown after a decade (since Miriam Quimbao’s victory as 1st Runner Up in 1999) far more outweighs her answer when asked during the Q & A portion, “What is one big mistake that you made in your life, and what did you do to make it right?”

Venus replied with confidence, “You know what, Sir, in my 22 years of existence, I can say that there’s nothing major, major problem that I’ve done in my life because I’m very confident with my family, with the love that they are giving to me. So thank you so much that I’m here. Thank you, thank you so much!” she said.

As expected, people flooded the internet with negative criticisms about how the beauty queen answered the question which, some speculate, may have cost her the Ms. Universe crown.  Fine. Enough said.

Venus achieved what many others failed to do in many years.  Slamming her is such a shame.

Venus, being tough, chooses to laugh the side comments off.  Cheers to another display of femme power.  Kudos to you, Ms. Venus Raj!

If you want to monetize your blog aside from placing Google Adsense, Nuffnang ads, or Adgitize,  try writing paid posts. I’ve been writing paid posts for two years now and I could say it has helped a lot in augmenting the family income. Link From Blog is a new program that gives bloggers great opportunities to write sponsored reviews and earn from them.  The moolah here comes faster and bigger than what you get in Google Adsense unless you have hundreds or thousands of traffic everyday.

It’s a good feeling when you get to do what you’re passionate about and get paid for it.  In my case, writing makes me high.

Honestly, I don’t easily jump the gun when it comes to signing up on a program like this.  I make sure first that it’s legit before I join the bandwagon.  In this day and age, it’s crazy to entrust your personal information to websites that could only be phishing, for all you know.  Hence, I do my research first if there are negative reviews about the program especially from bloggers who have signed up and never got any payment.  So far, I’ve never been scammed (and hopefully never will be).

Link From Blog is also a haven for advertisers who want to reach their target market online. Also, you can earn $50 referral fee as well as get two free e-books from LinkFromBlog,”How to make $1000 a month by working at LinkFromBlog” and “Tips For Successful Blog Advertising.”

I’ve signed up as a blogger.  When will you?  Click on any of the links now and start getting tasks!

If you’re a huge fan of the Twilight saga, then I guess you’re gonna enjoy its spoof, Vampires Suck, which will be shown in theaters starting August 18th.  Just watching the official trailer gave me the laughs.  At least in this flick, I won’t despise Bella for being so clumsy, lol!

You raid a woman’s closet and chances are you’ll see a good number of clothes that just lie in there forever, especially dresses that have outlived their season or fad.  Since it’s not everyday that a regular woman receives an invitation to a formal dinner or a cocktail party, it would be wise to choose classic designs and neutral colors in buying dresses so that they’re safe to be worn again in other appropriate occasions.  But if you have the moolah to actually accumulate dresses of all shapes and sizes, i so envy you lucky you! Lol!

But for those who are in a budget like me, don’t fret because there are actually elegant dresses that won’t cost us a fortune.  Elegant Mart features a wide array of evening dresses that suit any body type and style preferences at affordable prices.  (Read: Prices start at $45.88 now that they are on sale so take advantage now.) Plus the website is easy to navigate since the items are well-categorized.

I feasted my eyes on their catalog where I spotted a lot of favorites.  One of them is this little black dress (Tony Tonal Cocktail Dress) that’s simple yet classy, it’s a must-have for any woman’s wardrobe.  It’s made of an elegant shiny material so even though it’s black, it’s not gonna drown in the crowd.  It has a fitted waistline and a skirt that glides on fully to give you that hourglass look.  Perfect for those with not-so defined waistline and with narrow hips.

You may have heard it many times over from fashion experts that you can never go wrong with a little black dress.  It’s so versatile, you can wear it to a formal dinner, a prom night, a concert, a play, or what-have-yous. You can even pair it with a blazer and wear it to the office then for an after-office ensemble, just spruce it up with accessories like a pair of dangling earrings and you’re good to go.  And the best thing about it is that it’s on sale too!

Click on the link above to avail of the huge discounts at Elegant Mart.  Shipping is free for purchases worth $100 and above.

Spa Essentials ran a contest via Facebook last month which I luckily won by simply posting what my favorite spa treatment is and why.  Spa Essentials is a brand name trusted for using 100% pure and natural essential oils in their products.   They have a wide array of massage oils and linen sprays that promise to relieve stress, energize, and even promote better sleep (which I desperately need!).   I can’t wait to try their products once they reach my doorstep.  As a huge fan of stress busters (be it about spa products, relaxation techniques, or what-have-yous) I intend to make an honest review on some Spa Essentials massage oils and linen sprays once I’ve tried them myself.  But I can say that after winning the contest, all the stress I felt have magically disappeared, lol!

Spa Essentials is exclusively found in all SM and Watsons stores nationwide.

Backpacks are still one of the most preferred bags in school today due to their affordability, versatility (can be used for school supplies or for extra clothes during games, field trips, etc), durability and style.   I myself had a penchant for backpacks during my school days (Forget the number of years that passed, lol!).

So with my daughter possibly getting infected with my being bag-crazy, she asked me to look for a cute kids backpack that she could use for her dance rehearsals.  One that’s dainty and soft, she’ll want to carry and hug it.  With not much time to scour the mall for such a description for a backpack, I chose to check online if something fits the bill.  Indeed I found a stephen joseph backpack that’s cute and colorful, quilted and soft.  It’s 100% made of cotton, no worries about scratching my daughter’s skin on the bag’s edges unlike her previous bags.

This backpack can be personalized by having your child’s name embroidered on it.

I also found a nap mat that’s perfect for sleepovers and picnics as well as for daycare, preschool and kindergarten.   The good stuff? It’s foldable into a bag for easy storage, and it’s machine-washable.

After the successful releases of the books GoNegosyo 50 Inspiring Entrepreneurial Stories, GoNegosyo 50 Inspiring Stories of Entrepreneurs (Celebrity Edition), and GoNegosyo 55 Inspiring Stories of Women Entrepreneurs, comes another promising book by Joey Concepcion, as written by Dean Pax Lapid and Ping Sotto — 21 Steps on How To Start Your Own Business.

Unlike the first three books that focused mainly on the success stories of Filipinos who battled the odds to become today’s big names in business like Henry Sy (SM), Socorro Ramos (National Bookstore), and Dr. Rolando Hortaleza (Splash Corp.), among others, this latest GoNegosyo book will guide you through in setting up your own business.   Not only will it inspire you and rekindle that fire to pursue your long-forgotten dreams but it will also tell you how.  It has activity worksheets for you to write and draw on so you won’t be limited to just reading, you’ll be asked to work on it!  Plus the book is packed with snippets of success stories of Filipino entrepreneurs to add more to your inspiration.

If you have that fire in you to put up even a small business to start with, I recommend that you read this book. I got mine at National Bookstore.