TOPAZ HORIZON

First of all, I'm not angry anymore. After listening to me rant and rave like a lunatic last Tuesday night, my husband wryly told me, "Well, if you handle trash, expect your hands to get dirty."

Indeed. So I won't complain anymore even if I am now a lot poorer because I just paid for some celebrity's new clothes. The company will reimburse the cost so I'm not too upset except that I'll have to watch my spending until the check comes!

On to better news, I will happily share what's making me really excited today:It's an ant killer! It's a poisonous substance that attracts the little critters. It doesn't kill them right away. Instead, it's more insidious, allowing the ants to bring the substance back to the nest and feed the queen ant and larvae ants with the poison. It's fascinating to watch... and a bit horrifying, too, as the ants come out full force to devour the poison. So you'll have to replenish with a drop or two because the ants get really greedy. Then after a few days, no more ants! There are absolutely no ants in the house now!!!This is such a fantastic find! Now if someone can just make a batch of this stuff for that celebrity pest... I kid, I kid!

Terro Ant Killer is available at Handyman for just PHP 149.75.

Wow, what an awful day. Had a shoot with a celebrity today. Celeb's manager asked that we give the entire outfit. When we said no, manager got really angry.

I wasn't there because I was attending a very important advertiser's event but I got so upset because the manager was treating my staff with so much disrespect. Some people take advantage of the fact that the boss isn't around by bullying the staff, and they usually get away with it because the staff gets cowed into submission.

I'm so angry. And I'm really ugly--in every sense of the word--when I'm angry. I just can't believe how some people feel they're entitled. And the celeb brings home millions of dollars (that should be a clue to you) so if celeb and company really wanted the outfit, why don't they just buy it? What's PHP 23,000++ to them?

You know what makes me feel worse? I feel like I betrayed my team by not being there to protect them from these ravenous wolves. I'm angry because my staff were helpless and being taken advantage of and I wasn't there to help them.

In the end, I told Lana to just give them what they want. I don't like fighting over money--it's bad form and utterly tasteless.

Oh, and as long as we were spending money on the star, I guess we should have gotten the star new underwear, too. The star's undies were in terrible shape. Shame.


I'm going to sleep this off now. Comments turned off for this post as I don't want anyone posting their guesses--right or wrong, I won't be able to say! All I can say is tomorrow will be a better day. Good night, folkszzzzz...

I just want to share my favorite new thing. Well, it's not so new since Vince bought it for me soon after our second wedding anniversary. But I just had to share because it's super hotness!

I said I wanted a pink netbook, right? Then I ended up buying a little black beauty a few months ago:

Well, with my darling baby needing protection, I needed a laptop case. I looked and looked and everything was either too big or too small (the HP Mini's screen is wider than most netbooks). And must all laptop sleeves look so horrid? So as Vince and I wandered into a luggage store, this little cutie called to me.
Isn't she pretty? It's a Samsonite Black Label Signat Mini Attache. It's pink. I'm sooo happy! Vince thinks it's so retro cool. And it actually is retro--this is a re-issue of the 1965 design. I learned that from the little leather label here (sorry, my photos are terrible!):
Because it's Samsonite, we didn't think we could afford it. The original price was PHP 11,390 (USD 238) but--wonder of wonders, it was on sale! It was sold for a huge discount--Vince got this pretty pink sweetheart for just PHP 3,970 (USD 83). Unbelievable. Sold!

Ah! Look at that! It's like it was made for my HP Mini! And it has a little compartment for the charger and pockets for my USB sticks and little odds-and-ends. Love it! Thanks, Vince!

Some of you know I love the rain. Some of you know I love shoes. And all of you know I love Vince! Now I'll tell you a little love story.

On a perfect rainy September day ten years ago, Vince took me to Enchanted Kingdom. I had never gone there before and, because of the rain, it was nearly deserted. There were no lines for the rides and we spent the entire day running through the puddles, kissing under the rain, getting soaked on the roller coaster, riding the ferris wheel and thrilled at the prospect of getting hit by lightning. We were young and we felt immortal. It was one of the best days of our life. I paid for it dearly however: I came down with a terrible case of pneumonia and, worse!, my pretty ballet shoes were ruined beyond repair. I never went splashing in the rain since.

Then this pair of cuties arrived for me:This baby is called Rain Skimmers and it's brought in by the same lovely ladies who introduced Plueys here (thanks, Em!!!). The shoes are made of lightweight matte rubber and lined inside with comfy cotton in adorable prints. I love it!!! Mine is the Nola style--a subdued and elegant blue. It's comfortable and simple and stylish. And because it's rubber, I can walk through wet streets, even wade in CCP's fountain perhaps--yes, even with the pond aerators on!--and not worry about ruining these shoes! Just look at it--that's serious rubber, girls.There are three other styles--Audrey (white polka dots on black), Kelly (olive) and Vicki (multi-colored dots). Each pair is PHP 1,450 and comes with a free pair of heel protectors worth PHP 200, but again they throw this in for free! And did I mention how utterly comfy it is? Now I'm singin' and dancin' once again!

Be fashionable this rainy season! Get your own pair of Plueys boots or Rain Skimmers flats here.

Since my Belle de Jour talk on earning money online, I've been getting a lot of questions about how I make money with my online activities. To answer your questions, I'm writing this post.

(That's a bad photo, I know, but it's the only one which proves that I really did give a serious talk--on money no less!)

I earn money through three ways: (1) I have an eBay shop, (2) I'm a member of a paid blogging network, and (3) I have ads placed in my two blogs.

(1) Selling on eBay is very easy. While a ton of girls use Multiply as their online shop platform, I find it easier and safer to sell on eBay. First, because there's a feedback system so I have a better idea of who my buyers are and, second, the tools are already there so uploading photos and item descriptions, answering questions, sending invoices, etc. are a piece of cake.


I highly suggest that if you have a lot of unnecessary stuff at home like clothes that don't fit anymore or if you like making lovely items like gift cards or cloth bags, then sell, sell, sell! You'll be amazed at how much money you can earn from your junk/hobby!

(2) Another way to make money online is to join paid-blogging networks that give you assignments from advertisers. Each post you write for them is a paid post--you are literally writing for money. Some networks ask you to specifically promote or review their product/service. Others just give you a phrase that links to their clients' website.

This latter is my favorite and this is what the network I  belong to is all about. I like it because the advertising is not so obvious and the assignment challenges me to think creatively. For example, how am I going to insert "Pleasanton motorcycle accident attorney" in my blog post? As you can see, it's not always easy!

Because of my paid blogging work, I've been able to buy the coolest film nerd shirts, necklaces, shoes to sell on my eBay shop, and--for my PS3 addict husband--this super rare Sackboy doll that is only available in the UK!


(3) I also have ads placed on my blogs but I'm not earning much from them. They're from Google Adsense and Nuffnang. I've heard of people earning USD 100 a day (!!!) with just the ad revenues on their blogs. How do they do that???

I'm very aware that my online money making experience is not that impressive. I'm a newbie--just started in November last year because, as my credit card was stolen, I was desperate to make money. And my friend Jennie of Marriage and Beyond has been so encouraging and helpful because she earns super duper lots from her blogs.


So it's funny that Belle de Jour actually asked me to tell the BDJ girls how to make money since they ended up teaching me instead! If you have any advice at all, please help--how do you earn from your blogs? Because, as much as I love my magazine, I'd really like to start working from home one day!