Exploring Baguio City by Foot

Exploring Baguio by Foot... I remember the day when I realized I badly need to  exercise. hehehe

Walked along the cold streets of Baguio. From Burnham Park to the Cathedral and then to our transient house.

Hmmm I wanna do this again. I may not have the same people with me, but I'd love to reminisce the cold streets of Baguio...alone.

I'll be heading Manila Feb 14, 2011 and yes I'll be all by myself. I need a new set of memories of Manila and Baguio and I guess this is it. I have been wanting to start and learn backpacking skills since then and traveling solo this time is quiet an adventure for me.  hehehe

Five Simple Steps to get fit and Stay Fit

You saw a sexy lingerie, two piece bikini or that very sexy underwear that you wish you could wear flaunting your sexy and fit body on the beach or just simply look good in front of your partner. And you have that great imagination of a happily ever after . Your almost ready to pick that pair and head to the cashier only to wake up in a reality that this great piece won't fit you. And then there was silence. 

Yes reality bites, many people not only ladies wish to have that sexy and fit body. You dig in to weight lose books and weight management plans, spend time, money and effort on it, only to end up failing. We set these ambitious goals and then fail. When we fail we get disappointed and end up gaining more than what we used to have. Thinking it never worked and never will, for you or to any body else. 

So how can we be successful in getting fit and staying fit? Here are five tips that we need to keep in mind to be fit and stay fit;

1. Set a realistic Goal. Often times people tend to set goals that are too ambitious to attain. Most of us set goals that is to impossible to accomplish in a very short time and we ended up being disappointed not meeting it. Set short term goals, know what you can do , once attained then move to a higher goal. Take one step at a time. 

2. Decide what plan to take. Whether you'll do an exercise at the gym, brisk walk, walk the dogs or do your own exercise at home or go for a food diet. Choose an activity that you'll enjoy. A task is easier to perform when your having fun doing it, right? Remember that you will doing it repetitively so it has to be something that you'll enjoy and you'll love doing over and over again. Change your eating habit, low carb diet is a good choice.

3. Let go the bad habits, and that includes thinking habits.  One fitness plan may work for your friend but it may not work for you. If one plan is not working stop thinking about that plan. However, if your given a plan that should work but you keep on telling yourself that you can't do it, then it  never will. So be positive about your fitness plan, instead of thinking that it won't work for you, keep in mind that you will. Nothing bits being optimistic. 

4. Talk to yourself. Ask yourself what you want and what's in it for you if you will do it and if you won't. Your main goal is to be fit or to fit in to that sexy lingerie. Think of the things that you can possibly do when you meet that goal. Think of the what if's. What if I get fit and stay fit? What's in it for me? Think of your own satisfaction and think of what you would like to feel? If you are satisfied with your own answers then ;

5. Take Action! A plan will never be realized if you won't act on it. A plan will always be a plan unless you take action. You won't get fit, if you'll just lie on your bed and keep on dreaming all about the what if's. Act on your goals. Make your goal a reality by acting on it. By simply doing your short term goals repetitively, little by little you will reach your ultimate goal, and that is to be fit and stay fit. 

You can change your life and be at your best, if you act on it now. Remember it's all in the mind and everything will come into place.

Xy-Za Y. is a Freelance Virtual Assistant/Blogger/Social Media Marketer working from Home. She is residing in the Philippines. She has experience working with the Business Process Outsourcing - Call Center Office Environment. Certified Microsoft Customer Service Representative and QuickBooks Certified User. To know more about the services she offers, you may visit http://lindle323.blogspot.com.

How to Get Rid of Credit Card Debt Legally and Efficiently?

Everyone wants financial freedom, the ability to have their money work for them not only today but also into the future. Unfortunately many people have one big obstacle sitting squarely in the way of achieving this goal. Bad credit card debt, which in essence refers to just about any type of credit card debt, takes the control of their money and turns it over to their creditors through outrageous interest rates and fees that seem to pop up at the discretion of the credit lenders.


So how do you get out of the overwhelming trap that is bad credit card debt? How do you stop those annoying phone calls that come at all hours of the day? You go on the offensive and take the necessary action needed to do something about the problem because if you look at it logically it is not the credit card company's fault you spent all that money you didn't have, though they did make it easier.


Step one is to take responsibility for your own financial future by taking back control of your money. Don't let your creditors dictate how you need to spend your money no matter how much they threaten or cajole you or your family. This does not mean you will not pay back that which you owe; it means that you will pay it back on your terms in such a way that allows you to reach your monetary goals.


There are several things you can do to start this process of dealing with your bad credit card debt.

1. Call the credit card company to see what your options are is a good place to start.

Many companies have programs in place to help those who need it. Fee waiving programs, interest rate reductions, or even lower payments can be found but you have to take action and ask them what your options are and find the one that works for your budget. As long as you keep sending them something you'll be surprised at how they will work with you.



2. Find ways to pay down large chunks of those balances is another great strategy, but you will need to be willing to sacrifice not only some of your stuff but maybe also some time. Garage sales, e-Bay, and Craigslist are great ways to get rid of any extra items you have taking up space around your home. You may be amazed at how much you can make off of stuff you no longer use or need.



3. Get a second part time job delivering pizza at night or waiting tables. An extra thousand dollars/or pesos a month can make short work of that debt and expedite your journey to achieving financial happiness. A part time job is not something you need to do long term either. It is a way to make some extra quick cash and get your debt problems back under control.



Taking action and attacking your bad credit card debt head on is the strategy that millions of people have used to get out of debt. Controlling your money instead of it controlling you will work every time, but you have to take responsibility for it and the future it can provide by doing so.


Have you experienced having a bad credit card debt? How did you resolve it? Care to share?

 Xy-Za Y. is a Freelance Virtual Assistant/Blogger/Social Media Marketer working from Home. She is residing in the Philippines. She has experience working with the Business Process Outsourcing - Call Center Office Environment. Certified Microsoft Customer Service Representative and QuickBooks Certified User. To know more about the services she offers, you may visit http://lindle323.blogspot.com.

Happy Birthday Brother!

 My brother is such a nerd – or a dork, geek, whatever. He just loves tinkering stuffs – both making and breaking (unfortunately). Anyways, it’s his birthday in two weeks’ time. So I asked him what he wants as a birthday present. And his reply was: “Oc830m, 1 aa battery fiber illuminator for hobbies, and 0.5 gpm inline aerator. Love you much.”

Huh? He’s talking Greek again. I have no idea what he’s up to again. But being the good, dutiful big sister that I am to this spoiled not-so-little brother, the first instinct was to google these stuffs. As a non-techie, I absolutely have no idea what I’m looking for exactly. But good thing I found this great website which apparently sells a huge range of products – automotive, magazines, food and drink – name it, they have it!

And so for the three items he specifically asked – oc830m, 1 aa battery fiber illuminator for hobbies, and 0.5 gpm inline aerator – I found them all here. Aha! Now there’s one happy birthday to you, dear brother.

Three Steps to Set Freelancing Goals You Can Achieve

Taken from : http://freelancefolder.com and added some of my thoughts on it in RED. :D

by: Laura Spencer

Are you frustrated because you can never seem to get your freelancing business to where you want it to be?
If you don’t determine a destination, you probably won’t arrive anywhere. This is true for travelers and it’s also true for freelancers.
Most freelancers understand that it is important to set goals for their business. What most freelancers don’t understand is how to set goals in such a way that they can actually be achieved.
It is possible to set your freelancing goals in such a way that they can easily be achieved. In this post, I’ll describe one such method that you can adapt to your own freelancing business.

Step 1 Set Your Overall Goal

Not surprisingly, the first step in achieving your goals is to have goals. You can’t meet your freelancing goals if you don’t know what they are.
So, sit down and determine what your goals are. Be realistic and honest. Be specific. At this point, it is not wise to overwhelm yourself by setting too many goals at once. Pick one or two goals that are the most important to you and focus on them.
Here are some goals that many freelancers set for themselves:

• Increase my income by x amount - hmm maybe x2 or x3 than my current earnings.
• Increase my time available for personal (non freelancing) activities by x hours each week. - can I say 20 hours per week?? :D
• Increase the visibility for my freelancing business by establish (pick one) a blog, a social media presence, a local advertising campaign
• Gain x additional clients - 2 more clients definitely

Of course, you will have your own goals for your freelancing business, which may (or may not) be similar to those shown above.

Step 2 Determine What It Takes to Get There

Once you have selected one or two goals to focus on, it is time to examine what tasks you will need to complete in order to achieve your goal. You should also examine any barriers that are keeping you from performing those tasks and explore alternative ways to reach your goal.

For example, if my goal were to increase the local visibility of my freelancing business a logical step might be to advertise in the local newspaper or telephone directory. However, a barrier to my taking that step might be the high cost of placing such advertisements.

Because of the barrier, I will need to look for alternative ways of improving my local profile. An example of such an alternative to placing a paid advertisement might be to volunteer to give a presentation to the local chamber of commerce or at a local community college.

Once I have identified some tasks to move me towards my goal, I need to plan and schedule those tasks in such a way that they are most effective. As an example, if I were to speak at the local chamber of commerce I would want to make sure that the meeting would be well attended and that I had handouts and business cards ready for any prospects that I might meet.

For goal #1: I need to accomplish goal #3 to attain it. And for me to accomplish goal #3 I'll start replying and accepting JO's from the Online hubs looking for Freelance Providers.  Then for goal #2 I have set my working hours and will try to stick to it and maybe be flexible when needed. 

Step 3 Take Action

The final step towards achieving your freelancing goal is to take action on the steps that you have identified above. A surprising number of freelancers know what it is that they should be doing to better meet their business goals, but never actually do it.

One way to make sure that you accomplish what you’ve set out to do is to schedule time for achieving your goals on your calendar in the same way that you’d set aside time for a client project. Often, if you don’t schedule time for something, then it won’t happen.

Determine a deadline for taking action and stick to it.

Making action plans could be one of the challenging part. Now I'll identify them offline. :) and Hope it will work. *crossing fingers*

Wrapping It Up

At the end of your specified timeframe, you should re-evaluate your freelancing goals.
Ask yourself the following questions regularly:

• How close did I come to reaching my goal?
• What could I have handled differently?
• Is my goal still appropriate for my freelancing business, or should I select a new goal?
• Should I adjust my efforts towards reaching this goal?

Depending on your specific results, you may need to examine additional issues as well.
Then, keep on heading towards your goal. Persistence is a big part of success.

Revisit the goals and action plans quarterly to determine if the action plans are working or need to be revised. 

What About You?

I’ve shared my method for how to set goals and work towards them. What are your tried and true tips for reaching your freelancing goals?
Share your methods in the comments.


 

Like the post? Would you like the author to make more of these? Care to Donate! A little amount goes a long way. Thank you!