A Smiling Dog Contest at Instagram

Smiling dogs are so cute, don't you agree? I found an international dog contest on Instagram and made an entry. 

This is Bailey, our silver toy poodle, being mischievous and tearing up paper. She was kind of smiling as she must have been worried that I would scold her. Caught in the act! "Not guilty, your Honor."

Then after posting this picture, I saw that the user who was giving the contest liked a photo of mine and so I decided to make another entry. 

This is Fluffy, a Wheater terrier, with his jump shot dog selfie. 

Since I have 3 dogs, the puppy is not to be left out of the race! And, it's good to add another entry as with contests, the more entries one has, the more chances of winning. 

To see our Jack Russell smiling puppy entry and find out more about the dog contest, you may want to check out my Instagram account @lpd111 

Learning from Rejection

People have the right to say "no" and sometimes it does hurt - yet when the person who 'rejected' what I had written helped me turn this rejection around and make it an opportunity to learn by telling me why and what was wrong with the book I submitted.

Why I was rejected

In this learning process after the "No", I realized why and was told so. I have been writing online for many years and freewheeling my way around the net, ranking, getting content found, becoming popular, gaining a voice, having followers, establishing credibility and a good reputation... it all is for naught when it comes down to writing "exam-grade" work.

I have become slack. The online world has spoiled me, pampered me, made me succeed. The target audience is easy to reach with tweets and Facebook status updates. The quality of content that I wrote wasn't suffering, it actually became more fluid and got results - and it became second nature to me to write with keywords. To add more content, I place 'fluff' and these additional words do help in getting ranked - but that's all squat when it comes to book writing.

Rejected not just once but twice

You should have heard the comments I got from my family and felt what I did when I got rejected the first and second time. For a few moments, I fancied myself to be like the author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling who got 12 publishing rejections before it was approved. I felt like I was in good company. And the pride inside me raised its ugly head saying, I have a voice, I have a following, I get hits!" And then, I took a deep breath and I had to place both feet on the ground and think of what that guy who rejected my book said...

"You're a good writer. I like that you're determined. Did you have any form of formal training?"

My answer was "no". I have trained myself to write online, got other kinds of training like how to write using keywords and use backlinks, all these things - but to learn how to write? Aside from what I learned in school which was so long ago, I never did seek to learn how to write. I write with a passion and with the dedication that I learned from my grandfather, Jose Villa Panganiban, and what he taught me always comes to mind and then I think about how no one would have ever rejected my grandfather's work. "

After that second rejection, being the determined character that I am, the challenge came to mind:

I will not allow myself to be rejected one more time by that guy. 

The time he had spend talking to me and tutoring me was valuable time. He believes in me and am making me a better person. Improvement always has space in my life and I would be a fool to think that I am the best. I saw my flaws and am learning from rejection.

What I am doing now

I don't like being rejected and for that matter, who does? So right now I am studying, taking formal training on how to write. I must be humble, not bank on what I have accomplished online but strive towards the next "chapter" of my writing career.

Failure is like a toddler falling down while learning how to walk. If the child doesn't stand up again and try, that kid will never learn how to walk. I feel like a toddler and I am grateful for the one who rejected me that offered his "hand" to help me up. 

Diet Tip: Eat When Hungry

What's for dinner? I am making a very simple but delicious dish with a twist. It's called pork steak but instead of frying it with onions, I am boiling the meat to extract the oil that naturally comes out from the fat and then will add soy sauce and calamansi which is the Philippine lemon and then sliced onions and a touch of butter as the finishing with some salt at cracked black pepper. I can smell it cooking and that makes me hungry! I have made this dish with beef too and that also tastes delicious. The food is nearly cooked and I am hungry!

Eating When Hungry 

 As I go by the rule to eat when hungry and lately, I have been eating really late like at 4 pm. It worked for me. If I am not hungry, I usually won't eat as there is no time clock controlling my stomach. I don't eat a lot as a general rule but when I do wait until I am totally starving, I end up having a complete meal with dessert which is, in fact, a normal meal.

Where I Learned this Diet Tip

I have a grand-uncle who lived until the age of 94 and only during the last few month of his life was he no longer moving about. This man was strong with a sharp memory. My granduncle Ambrose smoked like a chimney, swore like a whore, and drove his car like a maniac, often screeching to a stop when he parks his car when he visits us.

To see him so stong, agile, talkative, and full of life was fascintating and yes, he was quite a character. What made me wonder is why he was so slim yet full of energy unlike most people his age and even if he was a smoker, it didn't seem to make him unwell.

During one of his visits as we had coffee, I asked him, "What's the secret to your long life?" and he answered, "I eat when I am hungry and stop eating when I am full."

Quick Cooking at Home

In a notable stint of forgetfulness, I was hungry and in a hurry to cook rice as the meal was ready. The food that my daughter took home was chicken curry and of course, it is best with hot steaming rice. So I went and washed the rice and plugged in the rice cooker. Ah, and I forgot to add water as that should be done up to a level of around an inch above the rice. So, after the time passed I decide to check if the rice is cooked and now it is Crunchy rice! Oops! I am still hungry and can't eat yet as now I have added water to the crunchy Rice and am waiting for it to be cooked and I did hope that it would work - but it didn't! I had to cook a whole new batch of fice.

One of my fave things to cook is corned beef with long green chilis to add some kick to the dish and make me burn calories with the spice. These long green mild chilis make a distinct difference to the taste of food and when I feel like a little spice, the heat level of these green chilis is just right and may be made milder by removing the white parts and seeds. A very simple dish to cook, I just open the corned beef, add a whole chopped onion, and a couple of deseeded and julienned fresh chilis. I place in a little water like around half a cup and allowed the mixture to boil. I add water so I won't cook with oil as corned beef has oil already. When the water evaporated, the dish is cooked!

When I am bored with the food at home like corned beef and would rather not take a lot of effort to cook, and also when I want something salty to go with a heaping of rice for that high-carb meal, I eat dried fish. Dried fish is a popular Filipino preserved product made from various kinds of fish that has been dried in the sun. It can be fried in oil or grilled lightly to cook. This dried fish has an overpowering smell, obnoxious to some who do not like to eat it but mouth-watering to the ones who like it. The ideal way to eat dried fish is by using the hands and dipping it in vinegar that may have chopped garlic added to it. The typical side dish of dried fish is chopped tomatoes. I love it but only eat it once in a while because it is very salty and I end up eating a lot of rice!

Since there are only 2 to 3 of us eating in the house right now, it is much easier and it provides the variety of food to buy lunch. Over here in the Philippines, we have small food stores called "carinderia". The food is in various pots and if the cover is not see-thru, you'll lift the cover to see what's inside. Then, upon making your choice, they will scoop out the measure and pack it. Rice is measure out per cup. I frequent this Muslim carinderia near the house as I like the food and have seen the kitchen which is very clean. What I like is that there is no pork and that gives me the variety I desire as I make a lot of pork dishes at home. Buying food from carinderias a practical choice to make.

This diet rule of mine is easy to adhere to when at home as when out, it's so difficult to diet!

Though I am basically a rice eater, I love potatoes and have to eat these at least once a week. I like all kinds of potato food preparations like chips, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes but most of all I love French fries. In search for the best on among the fast food chains here in the Philippines, I tried McDonalds, Jollibee, and Tropical Hut - among them all, I love the KFC French fries. These are thicker that most and have a special kind of crunch to them as I think they are lightly coated with flour and seasonings before being cooked. I can eat a small mini bucket on my own. McDonald's French fries ranks next for me and once, when it was a Sunday so we went there to have Sundae and the chocolate syrup was drizzled over it and the soft serve vanilla ice cream and French fries to that I had satisfy my cravings.

As, I confess, there's sometimes a food craving that I have and it can't be curbed! Chocolates are good for you once in a while especially the dark kind. But then my food craving hits me the feeling goes no longer considers my having to think if it is good for me or not - I want chocolate and I feel like I am a brat. I want to eat KitKat chocolates and Cadbury Fruits n Nuts, I want to eat ice cream that has chocolate flavor with whatever else that goes into it except for cherries. I am dreaming of chocolate and when it is the middle of the night and unless I order a chocolate fudge sundae from McDonald's... I won't get to eat chocolate until I go to the store. I want chocolate and it such an urge that I can extoll the virtues of chocolate all over the world! It has thiamine that makes one happy and it is a trigger food that brings back the taste sensation pleasant memory. I want chocolate and the other day I saw a post about chocolate chip cookies and that made my mouth water. I want chocolate and even if I keep on writing it, I won't be able to give in to my craving tonight - so I think I will drink the Hersey's chocolate syrup? Bad, bad, bad - but it'll be so good to stream that chocolate topping into my mouth!

What I Drink 

At night, I like to drink milk, just the good white creamy kind. I do like chocolate milk and have tried other flavored milk but it is still plain milk that's best for me especially during those nights that I can't sleep as it is so quiet and it's a good time to write. Milk makes me feel full and relaxed.

I tried making my own sun iced tea before by leaving a tea bag in the pitcher and placing it in the sunlight but that takes long and if I boil the tea bag with water and let it steep, the process takes fast and then I let it cool and add citrus fruit like lemons. Yet, I don't really have the time nor the patience anymore to make my own iced tea so what I do is buy the powdered ones that come in sachet packs that are good for making a liter. This eliminates the need of having to measure out the right amount of scoops. It also is sweetened so I don't have to add sugar. The powdered iced tea I choose must have high vitamin C content and it goes through a taste test and I check to see if the powder mixes easily and after left standing for a while has no particles on the bottom. The foam is also important so when I place the iced tea in the pitcher and add the water, there is a lovely foam top. I like iced tea because if is refreshing and note that I water down the 1 liter mix to make 1 and a half liters as it still taste okay anyway.

Coconut water is so refreshing and so good for our health, especially when it is fresh. Over here in the Philippines, sometimes a coconut is cut in half for the white fleshy meat but when one wants to drink the slightly sweet cloudy white coconut water, it is best to chop one side and make a hole to pour out the wonderful natural beverage that needs no ice nor sugar, thought you may add those ingredients plus some of the scrapped meat to make it more awesome!

Eat When You're Hungry

No use in starving ourselves to lose weight. Eat when you're hungry and eat the right kind of food. When you step out, enjoy the delicious meals, then when you are back home, stay on your diet. Don't let the clock control your stomach, let the natural urge and the hunger the time to eat.

We all eat too much once in a while and there are food temptaions all around us. Prevent this at home buy not buying food and beverages that are fatting such as ice cream and chips. Enjoy these when you eat out, as a treat, and you'll see that you'll lose weight.

If you are working and don't stay at home that often, brown bag your lunch or opt to buy healthy and filling complete meals, avoiding the process kind and chosing home-cooked dishes that you can buy from small stores. When working, there is a set time for your meals, and make the most of that eating time by having the correct nutritional intake.

Drink healthy beverages throught the day. These will keep you full and satisfied. If you have food cravings, do indulge yourself once in a while so you won't feel deprived.

Just remember - eat when you are hungry and stop eating when you are full.

How My Uncle Dealt with Prostrate Cancer

An amazing story of how my uncle never gave up the fight. 

My uncle, Binggoy Dominguez was a

cheerful guy, kind and accommodating. He always greeted us with a smile and would tell us funny stories.

When my Dad, Alonso, broke his hip and was lying down in bed at home after surgery, my Tito Bings, as we called fondly called him, arrived from the US to visit Dad.

"Look at me, Al.", he said. "You had a broken hip but you're not sick like me. The doctors they told me that I have stage 4 prostate cancer and I have had this for years. I became depressed, not wanting to eat, and then I realized - I have no pain!"

I stared at my uncle in rapt fascination as he waved his hands around to punctuate his story. "I heard you rode a bike to work, Tito."

"Yes," he said, with that familiar twinkle in his eye, "I did because I feel no pain. I am doing all that the doctors told me to do as they told me I am sick but I no longer act like I am sick."

And, he stood up and moved to dance. "I just keep cha-chaing." After saying that, he did a couple of cha-cha steps to emphasize his point, then my uncle insisted that my Dad sit up and Dad tried as my uncle held him. They were both smiling their half smiles, as I watched, knowing that my Dad was a stroke victim and had survived two heart attacks and after surgery, felt weak.

When Dad was sitting up in bed, propped with pillows, my uncle went on his next wave.

"You eat, Alon!" said Tito Bings as he was handing over canned ham. "Do you like this?" Dad nodded yes and so my uncle decided to get 2 more cans from the car and placed these on the side table.

"You eat plenty so you don't look sick. Look at me, I eat and eat. And you have to stand up and move."

Dad smiled. We all knew that Dad couldn't. Still, my uncle pushed him. "Raise up your hands to exercise." As Dad raised his hands, my two aunts, my Mom and I were all smiling, knowing that Dad was weak and trying so hard to please his brother who was so encouraging.

When my uncle left, Dad asked us to open the ham and he ate a lot. "Binggoy looks okay." Dad said.

That visit from a man who had the kind of cancer that most men fear - shows that the attitude overcomes any illness and disease - and makes each day one that is lived.

* Since my uncle found out he had prostate cancer in the late stages over 5 years ago, he had followed the doctor's orders to the letter. Last year, since the experimental treatments would no longer work and he was informed that there was nothing anymore they can do for him, he came back home to the Philippines. I asked why he came home and he said,  "I have to fix a few things."

All those years since he got cancer, he lived normally and spent quality time with his family like going to Disneyland. He went to work and rode a bike as he had no pain. He told us hilarious stories of his hospital treatments like how he felt like a guinea pig but won't be paid to be experimented on, and how he saw the med tech did a slingshot move when extracting his blood then missed the vein.

This past month my uncle has been in and out of the hospital and he passed away today. He lived a life that was full and turned his situation around, making it one to encourage others...and after years of battling cancer, he has won the battles in a big way as he had the quality of life.

If life gives you overwhelming situations and you want to overcome, you can do what my Tito Binggoy did.

Just keep cha-chaing.

Clash of Kings Review

There's a war going on! Are you part it? It's a worldwide thing with this new Peer vs. Peer multiplayer game that you can play from your device. 

Free to download and free to play, the Clash of Kings is the war game that requires you to build your castle and defend it. 

With the ease of use of SimCity to build your castle to make it an empire, there are battles to be fought and resources to be gathered from the various areas like farms and forest with auto-collect.

Strategy is required as the other people who you will be battling with have their own strategy, too, of course. It's time to put to use the strategies from the Art of War book and expect the battle to be epic every time. 

Clash of Kings is free to download and free to play. 
You can play the game without buying any additional game items. 

Click this to get your FREE download Clash of Kings 

BoostInsider Review: Make Money Online

Earn with Boostinsider Instead of Bubblews

When Bubblews, the ad revenue sharing site, failed to pay me for 3 months of 2014 and then I was shocked to see that my last redemption which was on Nov. 10 was in the cutoff for their announcement of non-payment before Nov. 11, I got dizzy and decided to make a few complaints and let go of that website. In fairness, when the tide was high at Bubblews, I did make a lot of money - but then as websites go, that one came to an end for me.

I searched online and I don't remember exactly how I did find the site and I signed up for free. Then I didn't know what to do exactly so I waited as advised for them to email me if I was active already. I did get an email and then started promoting my referral link.

Then ad campaigns were assigned to me. These were interesting things to promote such as a remote control that works like a universal remote for many of the devices in a home like to close the blinds and it can be controlled wherever you are in the world.

What I liked about sharing the links on my social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook is that people do respond because of the product. It's not old rehashed items but things that are innovative and sometimes ever free.

When I shared my link, a few of my friends signed up and one asked me why she wasn't earning. I explained that the reason why is that what counts when the link gets shared are the clicks that come from the US. I told her to share these links on Twitter and since she doesn't have a big following to use hashtags such as #Free so that her tweets will be found. That was effective and she started earning.

To boost up earnings on BoostInsider one can use a variety of methods such as writing about in in a blog, sharing the link often, and maybe even create a video. This make money online website has complete tutorials on what to do to earn and the team replies in a timely manner to respond to any of your questions.

If you want to make money online with a low payout of 20 dollars, you can sign up for free for Boostinsider. Start today to earn extra money online in an easy way by sharing ads.

Won a Free Dog Costume for Dino Dog!

 Bailey, the Dino Dog

Bailey, a toy poodle, is a sun worshipper. She would step out daily and go tanning for an hour or so. When it is cold, I make my toy poodle wear dog clothes as these will keep her warm and cosy. 

I do join a lot of contests and love to join dog contest, and when I won at the PriceAngels website the amount of 10 dollars, it took a long time for me to decide what to buy with this coupon as there are hundreds of unique items in their store that has nearly everything under the sun such as cellphones, home decor, and those As Seen On TV products.

PriceAngels had a choice of dog clothes and though the bunny outfit was so cute, after much deliberation, my daughter and I decided to chose this dinosaur outfit made out of plush material. The great thing about this retail website is that it offers free shipping worldwide so I didn't have to pay anything extra for this purchase that cost around 9 dollars using the coupon that I won!

So we waited in anticipation of the new dog costume for our beloved pet. After nearly a month, which seems like forever when I am excited, I got a postal notice that there was a package ready to be picked up. I rushed to the postal office and yes, it was the dinosaur dog costume.

Bailey has worn this to turn into a dino dog quite frequently like when we went to Tagaytay to keep her warm during those cool nights and during a dog costume contest for Halloween last year at Alabang Town Center were we ended up getting a lot of freebies though we didn't win, it was such a fun event!

If you want dog clothes that make a difference, search online for such websites and for sure, you'll be able to buy something unique.