Blog Your Thoughts

It seems that the blogging community will continue to flourish as more and more people discover the joys, the fun, the excitement, the camaraderie and the freedom from blogging. It’s cool to know that blogging communities are also expanding. When I first started blogging, there was Xanga- now there’s myspace, friendster, multiply, blogger- the list goes on. I’m not sure which one was really first. And now, there is a new blogging community on the web and it’s called Thoughts.

Pretty cool name for a blogging site. As blogging encourages free flow of thoughts and expression, the name will surely create a buzz. Now what does this blogging community has to offer? At Thoughts, you can Create Blog; upload photos, videos, and podcasts; get updated with the latest world news; and even search the web from the site. Yup, you can compare your search results from the three largest search engines on the web- Yahoo, MSN and of course, Google.

Every month, registered members can also win a 6-month Netflix membership to a Thoughts blogger who has successfully referred an active blogger in the community. So if you’re thinking about starting your own blog on the web, you can start one at Thoughts or try blog hopping to get the feel of what blogging is all about.

Panagbenga 2008 - Baguio Flower Festival

Every year, the Panagbenga Flower Festival is held in Baguio city. For the whole month of February, different events and shows are held all over the City of Pines to celebrate its flowers and beauty. Panagbenga is a local dialect (Kankanaey) meaning."a season of blooming" and was first introduced in 1995.

I wasn't able to personally watch the Street Dance and the Parade of Floats as was originally planned, but my niece was there and she graciously took these shots for me. The day started with drizzles which continued until the end of the parade at around 11 am. Still, the slow rain didn't stop the crowd from watching and certainly didn't stop the participants from gracing the streets.

Some Pics at the 2007 Panagbenga Flower Festival Parade of Floats

Let the parade begin. . .

GMA 7 Kapuso's FLoat

Bicycle Man made of Blooms

Street dancers in sunflower costume. . .

Purefood Tender Juicy's Float

Yes, it's all flowers!

Jollibee's jolly face is enough to make anyone smile=)

The People of Smart Marching the streets with their Umbrellas

Kim Chu and Gerald Anderson aboard the ABS CBN Float

Dancing in the Rain!

Facts about Broadband

Broadband

Wikipedia defines broadband as a "relative term" that pertains to the method of transmitting and receiving information. It is usually used to define different forms of internet connections. For instance, a DSL (Digital Subscriber LIne) connection can be considered as a broadband connection.

Bandwidth

Is the term used to measure the speed of the data transfer rate (bits per second) of an internet connection. The higher the bandwidth, the more data will be transferred and at a faster rate, hence a speedier internet connection.


Figures
According to the Radicati Group, 92 million Europeans use broadband while a survey conducted by the Pew Internet Project revealed that 54% of Americans have a broadband connection. Both surveys are for the year 2007.

Strategy Analytics predicts that by the year 2011, about 536 million people worlwide will have a broadband connection.


*If you live in the UK and is planning on getting a broadband connection, visit BT.com and learn more about their broadband products and services. For this month, they are giving away free hub for every broadband package plus a chance to win a vacation package at the Walt Disney World Resort, Florida.

Some Things About Online Shopping Carts

What is an online shopping cart? It is an ecommerce software that merchants in the internet use to provide their customers with convenient, quick and hassle-free shopping.

How does it work? It works pretty much like your shopping cart in the groceries where you take it with you around the store, dump in all the items you want to buy, take it with you to the cashier so that all your purchases can be totaled and you can pay for them all at once. Virtually, the same thing goes when you’re using an online shopping cart.

You can just browse around the online store and if you see an item you want to buy, you can just click on the “ADD TO MY SHOPPING CART” button and browse for more items. When you’re ready to check out, all the items that you “added” in your shopping cart will be shown in the list. You can review the items on your list so you can either delete or add more before proceeding to check out.

Today, people who buy online are so used to using online shopping carts that everyone expects all online stores to have them. But, buying online without this feature would be a lot harder. Imagine, each time you want to buy an item, you have to go back from the beginning and do the same procedure in buying all over again. But surprisingly, there are still online sellers who don’t have a shopping cart in their website and obviously, this can cost them a big loss in their sales.

Shoppers always prefer to shop from online stores that do not only have great stuff to sell and a shopping cart, but a shopping cart that is easy to use and reliable. In fact, the kind of shopping you use in your online store can also add up to your image as a seller. There are many types of shopping cart on the web and Ashop Commerce is one of the leading providers in the market. If you’re an online merchant and thinking about getting a shopping cart for your business, why should you consider Ashop? Here are the top six reasons:

1. Cost-effective. The great news is that the software is priced reasonably and will not break your budget.

2. Easy to use. You can try see this for yourself by visiting the site and taking a test drive.

3. Full customer support. The Ashop customer service team promises to give you the support you need.

4. Search Engine Optimised. Yes, using the shopping cart boosts your sites search engine performance.

5. Design Your Own Shopping Cart. Their shopping carts are customizable to match the look and feel of your site and to perfectly represent your business.

6. Security. This one’s very, very important. Ashop guarantess a 128 bit SSL security including fraud alerts and secured hosting.

Website Names and Domain Registration Trivia

Most expensive domain names
In 1999, Business.com was sold for $7.5 million to eCompanies.
In 2006, Sex.com was sold to Escom LLC for $14 million
Asseenontv.com was sold for $4 million
Wine.com was sold for $2.4 million

Most popular domain name extension
.com was first introduced in 1985 and has enjoyed increasing popular over the years

Longest valid domain name in the world
llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk
This 64-character long domain name pertains to the website of a village (of the same name) in Anglesey Island, Wales.

First domain name ever registered
Symbolics.com which was registered in March 15, 1985

Google.com is a result of a misspelled word
In 1997 Larry Page and Sean Anderson were both thinking of a name for their website. Sean suggested the word googolplex (which means of an infinitely large number) and Larry suggested a shortened version -googol. While looking it up to see whether the name is available, Sean misspelled the word and Google.com was born.


*If you live in Australia, check out Paylessdomains for a domain registration package that comes with free management tools, email hosting, and 24/7 customer support. Choose your own .com, .net, .org, .biz website for as low as $11.95 a year. They also offer web hosting, domain transfers, domain renewals, and eCommerce services. Paylessdomains is accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and The Australian Domain Name Administration (auDA). To learn more about these options, visit their site and send in your inquiry online.

Interesting Facts About the islands of Hawaii

Eight Largest Islands of Hawaii (from northwest to southeast): Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii (the Big Island)

Hawaii officially became the 50^th US State on August 21, 1959

Hawaii is the only US State surrounded by water.

Mauna Kea is Hawaii’s tallest Mountain found in the Big Island.

Maui is the second largest island and is home to Hawaii’s most popular resorts.

According to geologists, all the islands in Hawaii were formed because of a volcanic eruption below the sea.

Honolulu is the State Capital, which is located at the island of Oahu.

According to anthropologists, Polynesians were the first settlers of the islands dating back in 300 AD.

James Cook was the first British explorer who arrived in the island in 1778.

In 2006, statistics show that Hawaii’s population has grown to 1,285,500.

Oahu, is the most populous island.

Pidgin or Hawaii Creole English is the native dialect of the islands. Both English and Hawaiian were declared to be official languages in 1978.

Hawaii is a favorite location of big Hollywood films such as 50 First Dates(my fave), Pearl Harbor, Race the Sun, Waterworld, Jurassic Park, Raider’s of the Lost ark, George of the Jungle, From Here to Eternity, Outbreak, etc.

Lei is a garland of flowers strung together and put over one’s head along with a kiss which is the customary welcome in Hawaii. According to Hawaiian’s, Lei means Love and One “must never throw away love”.

Footwear or shoes are removed before entering the house.

Aloha shirts are popular attire worn by professional and businessman instead of suits and ties.

Japanese-American brides in Hawaii are expected to fold 1,001 paper cranes before the day of her wedding for good luck.

The “money dance” is performed at Filipino weddings where the bride and groom dances as guests pin their clothes with money as gift. It is also a Filipino tradition.

*Would you like to travel to Hawaii? Check out these pages for a list of Maui vacation rentals, Kauai vacation rentals and other Hawaii vacations packages.

Canary Islands Highlights

The Canary Islands is made up of 7 major islands (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma, Gomera, Hierro) and a few smaller islands. Also known as the Happy Islands, some historians believe that the place is once home to the legendary Atlantis.

The Canary Islands is also home to a wide variety of birds and animal species such as the Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Trocaz Pigeon, the Canary, the Canary Islands Chiffchaff, the La Palma Giant Lizard (believed to be extinct but was rediscovered in 2007), and geckos just to name a few.

The Happy Islands also boasts of a rich and wonderful marine life. It is the home to 5 species of turtles (the endangered Loggerhead turtle *see photo*, Green, Leatherback, Kemp’s Ridley and the Hawksbill turtle), different species of sharks, rays, moray eels, the scorpion fish, sea urchin, star fish, sea cucumber, fishes and corals.

Feel the genuine Latin-American ambiance at the Barrio de la Vegueta. Get a renewed sense of art appreciation at the Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno. Travel back in time at the Museo Canario, and learn how the Guanches (the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands) lived.

Other famous tourist attractions are the Museum of Arts, the Museum Pérez Galdós, the Jardín Canario, Palmitos Park, Reptilandia Park, Cocodrilos Park, Roque Nublo, Cenobio de Valerón with about 290 caves, Cueva Pintada and the capital city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Each year about 2.2 million tourists visit these islands. Before flying to the Canary Islands, prepare your hotel reservations online. Visit these websites for a list of Gran Canaria Hotels, Tenerife Hotels, Playa Del Ingles Hotels and Playa de las Americas Hotels.