Ten Years of Blogging!

Happy 10th Blogversary to me!

Wow! 10 years, 777 posts and countless friends made just by sharing glimpses of my life...or as I called it in the beginning, my blabbers and thoughts.

I Have My Reasons

It's been a year since my last post?! Whoops! My bad. However, I do have a valid reason why I've been on hiatus this long. Well, two reasons actually.

If you read my last couple of posts, you'll know that I was pregnant then, and ergo, I gave birth. And everyone knows how having a baby keeps you busy and tired. So much that even though you have a nanny to help, all you want to do when you have free time is sleep, right? Well, right now is one of the rare moments when I pushed myself to stay awake and update this blog while the little prince is sleeping and this laptop isn't being used, so here I am 😊

A Rant and Reminders from a Mom Who Blogs

I am very angry!

A picture I took and shared in this personal blog of mine was used without my permission. And what’s worse, it was my youngest daughter’s UAE Residence Visa and the one who used it was a man advertising his company’s visa processing services!

That’s the thanks I get for sharing helpful information, huh?!

Hiatus Break

Hi everyone! I'm back! Well, not quite, though.  This post is just to update you guys that I'm still here, but I've just been really, really busy.  Well, at least you can be sure that when I do find the time, I'll have a lot of things to blog about, right?

Why have I been quiet since February?  Well, first there were the preparations for Caila's 7th birthday, then Hubby's side of the family visited for 3 weeks.  Of course during that time, there were places to take them to.  Then there was the excitement of getting my photo taken with the Bae himself!  In between of course, there have been the plannings of the monthly KFC activities.

A week after the in-laws left, my side of the family arrived, and they'll be here for a month.  Mama's 75th birthday is coming in a couple of weeks, and we're planning to give her the happiest birthday ever.  So again, life is busy, busy, busy!  Still, it's all good.

Versatile Blogger Award

Woohoo! I'm an awardee! Thanks to Lou-Ann of Live, Love and Lou for nominating me the Versatile Blogger Award! I’m honoured you noticed Glimpses of Pam. I know it’s been a while since the nomination, but well, better late than never to do the challenge, right? Anyway, thank you!

Ok, first the rules (can be done in any order):
1) Nominate 15 other bloggers that are relatively new to blogging.
2) Let the bloggers know that you've nominated them (either through email or comments).
3) Share 10 random facts about yourself.
4) Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.
5) Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your post.

Video of My Fresh Adventure with Barakat

Remember my post last month of My Fresh Adventure?  Well, here's the video of the journey we had that day.

Looking back, I really had fun and I learned a lot.  It was definitely a wonderful opportunity to discover new things about Barakat.

Glimpses of Pam

Goodbye, Blabbers & Thoughts...Hello, Glimpses of Pam!

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I wanted to make some changes with this blog.  I needed to make changes.  And I've done the first few (baby) steps.

I changed the blog name, blog address, and my Twitter username (@glimpsesofpam) to make them all the same, and I tweaked the blog layout a bit...just to make the change obvious.

I'll probably lose a number of readers because of the new blog address, but I'm sure I'll regain the same after a while.

I hope you like the new name and look, and please update your bookmarks.

Baby Steps to Changes

image source

If you remember, I mentioned in an earlier post some of my dreams for this blog. Well, I decided to do something about it.  Nothing drastic yet, though.

Baby steps first to prepare myself and this blog to make our mark on the blogosphere.

Here's what I plan on doing:

● Change my Twitter username.
@gutzytower is ok, but I want it to also be the same (or similar) to my blog's name for easy association.
I'll probably change it over the next couple of days once I've chosen a new blog name and username.  Thank goodness existing followers won't be lost when I do this.

● Change my blog title.
Instead of creating a totally new blog, I decided to continue with this one so that anyone can easily read my old posts whenever they want. As I said previously, I want to change it to a catchy name, one that can easily be understood and remembered.

● Change my domain.
It will take a while for me to study the steps and options on getting my own .com domain, as well as migrating to Wordpress (if I decide to do it).  Most probably, I'll hire a professional because it looks really complicated.
In the meantime, I'll first change my existing one to the new name I'll be giving this blog (under .blogspot.com, of course).

● Create a new e-mail address to fit my (new) blog title.

I'll be tweeting all the changes this blog goes through so that you'll be in the loop and won't end up looking at a screen saying that the site you entered doesn't exist anymore.  So if you haven't yet, follow me on Twitter at @gutzytower and be updated.

What do you think?  Is there anything else I need to do? Or if you know professionals that can do the migrating and/or explain in layman's terms, I'd really appreciate it if you could send me their details.  Please feel free to share similar blog-changing experiences you've had.  I need all the advice I can get.

Free Time and Blogging

It's been a while, I know.  There are so many things I want to blog about but I still haven't organized my thoughts and photos.

Obviously, so many things have been happening, one of which is that Yaya Jovy had to take her leave 1 month earlier because her father passed away unexpectedly.  Devastating news of course. And since she hadn't gone home even once since the first time she came to Dubai 6 years ago, you can only imagine how much she regret not spending time with her family.

Fortunately, my bosses understood the situation and allowed me to take my leave early.  So here I am now, a fulltime housewife and stay-at-home mom for the next 3+ weeks.

Of course I don't have as much free time as I want (taking care of two little kids isn't easy), but at least I can plan and gather my thoughts now that I'm not pressured with work...although I am still getting calls from the office every couple of hours by the lady who's taking care of my tasks during my leave.

Anyway, one of the things that I'm contemplating on is being more serious with blogging, because, let's be honest, it can bring some bucks or freebies or event invitations.  Although that wasn't my aim when I started,I must admit that it did catch my interest when I found out that the really good bloggers earn so much that they don't need a regular 9 to 5 job.

To start with, I'm thinking of migrating to Wordpress, since I heard it's better (in what way, I have no idea) than Blogger/Blogspot. Naturally, it comes with a price tag so I need to know if it really is worth it.  

Another point I'm considering is my domain, to make it a .com one or not, and subsequently my blog name. Blabbers & Thoughts is ok, but I want one that is unique and catchy, but will still be about me.  After all, I will still be blogging about personal stuff.

Of course there's the option of just creating a new blog, but then when I look back at all the posts I've done here, parang nakakapanghinayang.

Plus, if I really do want to become a serious blogger, I need to invest in a DSLR camera to take quality pictures. I cannot use my phablet all the time. And we all know the really good cameras aren't cheap.

So, there. I'm really confused on what to do and how to do them and how much all these will cost and if I can afford everything.  And if I do push through with them, I need to make sure I set aside time to blog regularly.

Decisions, decisions.

To the bloggers out there, could you please enlighten me? I'd really appreciate your advice, suggestions and recommendations.

HELLLOOOOOOOOO?!?! Anybody there?

I know, I know. I’ve neglected this blog…again. For the nth time.

But I’m still here.

I won’t bore you with all sorts of reasons to justify my silence.

So let’s just move on and forget that I didn’t post anything here for the past 3 weeks.

Okay? Okay! =) 

source



 

Back in a Bit

I know, I know…except for a couple of photo posts, I haven’t updated this blog in a while. Well, I was on vacation for 3 weeks, and when I went back to work, the pending things I had to do were endless; occupying most of my free time during the early morning and breaks which I normally use to sneak in posts.

I read somewhere that after taking a long leave, it’s recommended to use the first few days back as time to slowly adjust and catch up on what’s been happening. But in my case, after my temporary replacement and line manager had endorsed everything to me, I realized almost 90% of the pending issues were urgent…forcing me to get back to my working mojo ASAP.

It was a good thing my first day back was Saturday (a weekend for most) so I wasn’t that stressed; and the next day was a public holiday, so I had the chance to relax again for a bit.

Don’t get me wrong. I like my job. There are just some times when it makes me crazy. Still, it’s ok. A little craziness is fine to bring some excitement once in a while, right?

Anyway, so that’s my explanation for my hiatus.

To those who have passed by and keep passing by this blog, thank you very, very much! Your visits and comments and personal messages are greatly appreciated from the bottom of my heart. I promise to start blogging about hubby’s and my Germany getaway soon…once I’ve sorted out all the photos and kwentos, that is =)

music monday: this is me

Ever since the idea of improving this blog entered my mind, I’ve been constantly trying to come up with names that will fit. I haven’t decided on anything yet but I’m sure the inspiration will hit me one day. All I know is I want the name alone to be able to tell a first time visitor what this blog is about.

While I was thinking this morning, I heard my daughter play this song by Demi Lovatoon Tisay. And since then, I can’t get it out of my head. Yeah, LSS (Last Song Syndrome).  I know it’s an old song, but it sends a beautiful message that we shouldn’t be afraid of who we are and just show the world that we are special in our own way.

And in the same way, I want my blog to say that…this is me.

 

I've always been the kind of girl

That hid my face

So afraid to tell the world

What I've got to say

But I have this dream

Right inside of me

I'm gonna let it show

It's time to let you know

 

Chorus

This is real, this is me

I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now

Gonna let the light shine on me

Now I've found who I am

There's no way to hold it in

No more hiding who I wanna be

This is me

 

Do you know what it's like

To feel so in the dark?

To dream about a life

Where you're the shining star

Even though it seems

Like it's too far away

I have to believe in myself

It's the only way

 

You're the voice I hear inside my head

The reason that I'm singing

I need to find you, I gotta find you

 

You're the missing piece I need

The song inside of me

I need to find you, I gotta find you

a quick hello and daily memes

Hi there! Yes, I’m still here. Sorry for not updating this for some time. You see, I haven’t been blogging because of several reasons. Well, a few actually. Not that I need to explain myself, but since I haven’t posted anything in a while, I guess I owe it to this blog and my readers (naks!) to fill the space with words para hindi sayang yung pag-visit nyo.

Ok, first reason: Blogger’s Block. I simply couldn’t think of anything to blog about. Sure there were a few things that came into my mind from time to time, but as soon as I looked at the screen, I just couldn’t find the words.

Another reason for my absence was I was on a short leave from work from the 14th to the 18th of November. Hubby had been on local leave (he had to use up all his leave credits otherwise they would be forfeited) and I wanted to join him so that I could also spend time with our daughters for the last few days of his leave. We weren’t busy, but of course I wanted to just relish the free time we had. And as expected, when I returned to work on Tuesday, there were several e-mail messages I had to read and countless tasks and requests to take care of which continued until yesterday.

And since news circulated the world of the damage that Typhoon Yolanda left behind in the Philippines, I just lost the enthusiasm to blog. Practically everything I read or saw focused on this subject. It was depressing. We did what we could (donate, participate in fund-raising activities, pray), but of course to avoid being labelled as inconsiderate, minabuti ko na lang na wag muna magblog. Nakakahiya nga naman magkwento ng kung ano-anong bagay while our kababayans are suffering from the calamity.

But fortunately, the survivors are slowly but surely picking up the pieces and moving on with their lives. Thanks to practically the whole wide world in helping out. As I watched the videos and pictures of the memorable things people and countries did for the Yolanda survivors, I couldn’t stop my tears from falling. Nakaka-touch di ba? Nakakatuwa. In the midst of the hatred, fighting and wars going on, the world united to help the Filipinos stand up again.  At least something good came out of this disaster.

So as I mentioned earlier, I was on leave for a few days. With so much free time in my hands, I just enjoyed the lack of having to doing anything. In short, I enjoyed being lazy. Oo na, hindi maganda yun. Eh minsan lang naman. But while my body was being a bum, my mind tried to think of ways on how I could improve this blog. You know…the design and layout, the posts, traffic feed, how to get sponsors, even the name. I know one of the first things to do is to register my own domain name to put this blog “out there,” and I would definitely want to do that; but at this point in time, I don’t think I’m ready yet.  There's so much I want to do, but...

Anyway, in the meantime, I’m starting with baby steps and try to be more masipag with my posts. And one way of doing that would be…memes! Ok, not everyone looks forward to reading or doing memes; but if you appreciate at least one of them, well, that’s enough. What’s important is my blogging frequency and style improves and you, my dear readers (paninindigan ko talaga na meron) are entertained at least a bit.

So here are the memes that I’ll (hopefully) do each day. They’re not complete, though. I’ve been wracking my brains and the net for ideas for Tuesday and Saturday but I can’t think of any suitable memes for these days. If you know of any or if you have any suggestions, I’d really like to hear from you.

• Selfie Sunday – not only of me, but of whoever will use Tisay (my Galaxy Note) and neglects to delete their pictures (heehee!)
• Music Monday - all about songs and music
• ? Tuesday - any suggestions?
• Want-it Wednesday – things I want to buy or own, or experiences I would love to try at least once in my life (so that my family and friends know what to give me on Christmas and my birthday *wink*)
• Thankful Thursday – whatever big or small things that I’m just grateful for
• Photo Friday – another reason to post photos of anything that catches my interest
• ? Saturday – any suggestions?

Ok fine. I’ll be honest. Please don’t expect me to do these every single day. These are just to motivate and inspire me when I’m stuck with the desire to blog something but can’t think of anything. I will try to do them, but not constantly. Basta, bahala na. And if you’d also like to do these memes on your blog, let me know and forward your link to me so that I can mention it here. It’ll be fun.

Let’s make it fun! =)

photoblogging

Let’s face it, we like taking pictures, whether of objects, animals, food, people, ourselves...which is most probably why sites like Pinterest and Instagram are so popular. Many people like to share their photos; the ones that we find strange, memorable, amusing, cute, beautiful...the list goes on. I’m one of those, although I admit that I’m no photography expert. I barely know how to adjust most of the settings in my camera. But still, I like to take pictures...and be in them too (although, that’s another story).

However, I don’t have an account in any social networking site. None at all. Well, unless you count this blog as one, and my husband's Facebook account that I sometimes use if I want to know what our friends are up to. And so far, I haven’t found the need to open an account elsewhere.

Which is why I decided to use this blog to share my photos as well. So you can expect to see posts of random pictures (edited with Photo Grid and Paper Artist, and all those other apps) that contain minimal or no texts from now, because as the saying goes “a picture speaks a thousand words,” and I’d rather the photos speak for themselves. Not all the time, though. Just whenever I capture things I would like to remember because I found them interesting...or whatever.

i'm back...sort of

Dear BnT,

I know I’ve neglected you for a few weeks. I’m sorry. During my week in the Philippines, I just didn’t feel like blogging. Almost all of my days were spent out of the house and in the nearby malls just to escape the summer heat.

As for the second week of my leave which was back here in Dubai, well, I was just enjoying the free time I had with my family, making up for being away from them for 7 days.

But finally, I’m back...well, not completely, I'm afraid. There’s so many things I want to share and tell you about, but these will just have to wait because I'm still swamped with reports and pending tasks that I need to do.

Not to worry though. Just give me some more time and I’ll be back to blogging again. I’ll try to sneak some bits of kwento in between. Sorry!

Anyway, whatever happens, I WILL update this blog. I promise. The deadline I’ve given to myself for the next post is this coming Saturday. If I don’t have anything by then, I’ll...err...hmm...uhh...basta! Sure ako that I shall return =)

Catch you later!

Pamela

PS. Thank you for being so patient and understanding.  And thanks for accommodating whoever drops in to see if I've updated you.  I really, really appreciate it.

meeting donna

The day after Easter and on the first day of my stressful workweek (sorry, I just had to mention that) was the same day Donna and I met up. Donna is the winner of my birthday giveaway and the lady behind the blog More Than Meets the Eye.  Days before, we exchanged e-mail messages and agreed to have coffee at Tim Horton’s in Deira City Centre on Monday at 6:45pm. We both arrived promptly (thank goodness!) and our meet-up began from there.

meeting sandier pastures

Before going home last night, Hubby and I passed by a pharmacy and supermarket to buy some things. As we were walking back to our car, I saw a familiar face and, although I knew she didn’t know me, I wanted to stop and say “hi” to her. So I did. And I finally met the woman behind Sandier Pastures, a blog about the life of a working mom in Dubai.

everything sharice

Just like what I did for Caila, I created a separate blog for my second daughter.
She just turned 2 months old, but there's already so many things I want to blog about.
I’ve already posted the (sort of) journal I made during the time I was pregnant...and there will be more things I’ll be jotting down about her as she grows up.  Things ranging from her smallest accomplishments to what she likes, her reactions, what she may find interesting at some point in her life, her habits, and anything else.
The blog will simply be Everything Sharice.

bnt turned 2

This blog turned 2 years old and I completely forgot about it!

That’s what happens when anniversaries and special occasions happen in the same month.

Oh well.

Belated Happy 2nd Birthday, Blabbers & Thoughts!

Thanks for helping me keep my sanity by letting out my insanity =)

i'm still here

So much has happened since I last blogged anything here and the reason I haven’t blogged about any of them yet is because I’ve been so busy. My line manager is leaving soon and we’ve hired a new one, plus our DGM and our Engineering General Manager left yesterday, so of course there were so many things I had to take care of (cancellations, meetings, handovers, etc) before they officially left our office. And then new Japanese managers are joining us beginning the 1st of April, so of course there’s a lot of preparations that need to be done prior to their arrival to Dubai.

Usually the Saturdays when we work aren’t really busy, so hopefully I’ll be able to at least draft some posts this coming Saturday. On the other hand though, that day is also the last day of our Fiscal Year so there’s a lot of reports I have to prepare, have checked, and send to Japan. Oh well. We’ll see.

In the meantime, I’ve just got to grin and bear the stress I’m going through. Stay happy everyone!