--=Ana's Cyber Retreat=-

So, what is it exactly? Well, a lot of people are still in a controversial debate about how it should be defined or which definition it falls under. As a matter of fact, Viktor Yuschenko is one of the Ukrainian politicians who have argued that famine may have been designed as an attack on Ukraine; so therefore, it should fall under the legal definition of genocide. Anyway, from how I understand it, I learned that it is about the many millions of Ukrainians, Russians, Kazakhs and other nationalities in the USSR that starved to death. It all happened when Joseph Stalin was in power. You see, he designed a policy called "collectivization of agriculture" that required peasantry. The Communist governments of the Republics of the Soviet Union caused millions of farmers to lose their lives by being starved to death and being thrown out of their homes and out in the cold to die. Starvation was their punishment for not being submissive. Indeed, with those who resisted Stalin's idea did not make it alive; they were even tortured in an effort to disclose hidden grains. Imagine that, so in the process Stalin's regime literally mass murdered between 7,000,000 to 10,000,000 innocent men, women and children to be able to support his ineffective policy and also to terminate the Ukrainian nationalism-which was more likely out of his paranoia, according to some people. My! What a brutal and selfish man he was. To many, the famine is not in any way a natural catastrophe but man-made considering it as being a crime against humanity and should never be tolerated, which is why people should be aware of what holodomor (formerly known as golodomor) is about. Let us educate ourselves on world history, so such catastrophic event may never happen again. Violence and doing what Joseph Stalin did and others alike cannot be tolerated.

We are currently still feeling under the weather. The cold weather here in Michigan gets us down every year, which makes me wish we can move to some place that is warm. I miss the warm weather because, you know, we used to reside in the West Coast particularly in California, but had to move due to a job situation. Now we are wishing we hadn't moved because we are not so good with handling the cold weather, especially when we have small children. They get sick so often and it is a drag. Sometimes I ask my husband to think about looking for a State where it is warm all year long. And perhaps Arizona would be a good place for us to consider since his sister and niece live there. They have been inviting us to visit them as they recently moved there and each bought lovely houses. I personally wouldn't mind living in Arizona for its warm weather and the fact that it is closer to California where we used to live. Now if we ever move again, it's nice to know that looking for a house to buy is not so hard. You see, we already know where we can find one as there are these Scottsdale Fine Properties just waiting for interested buyers. I am always willing to move across country because it is exciting. I just hope that if we do so, it will be somewhere nice and warm and close to the ocean.

That's right, if you have what it takes to join the World Traveler Internship and win it, you can travel the world for free! Indeed, through the courtesy of the STA Travel-the world's largest student and youth travel company. Now if you are someone who loves traveling you should see about it. You just never know that you might get lucky and be chosen for one of the two interns needed to video blog a trip around the world. It will definitely be an adventure of a lifetime for you if you are chosen. You can explore the beauty of the world and experience what the different cultures have to offer. Then, share all the fun you had with the STA Travel Community or other Youth/STA Students. Wow! Imagine how fascinating it must be to be able to see what the rest of the world is like. And, of course, meet new people from all over the world. So, there you go, if you crave for adventures and fun you should check it out because you could be chosen for one of two world traveler interns 2009! Joining is easy because you just need to make a video of yourself explaining why you should be the traveler intern for 2009. Now if you are convincing enough, for sure, you will earn an intern spot and get to live it up! Just think that you can travel the world without having to worry about paying for anything. Who could possibly pass that up? It is really a once in a lifetime travel opportunity. By the way, everyone will be a winner, but that is if they make it to the top ten because there are prizes for runners up, too. For more information though, please be sure to visit STATravel.com and perhaps get the details about all the prizes in case you make it to the top ten. Good luck!

This is just a short entry for me to post today. I only want to wish everybody a "Happy Valentine's Day". I hope you are enjoying your day. Life is fun if you have someone to share it with. Ah...yes, as long as you and your partner are not on each other's throat that is...LOL. As for us, we are very much home bound at this time since our children have gotten sick with a cold. So we couldn't really go anywhere. Anyway, this is the day we like to let our loved ones know how much we care about them more than any other time. It is a special day for all of us. Okay until here for now. I am kinda busy with preparing our dinner. Hugs and kisses to all...muah!!! Kind regards as well...wink.

Happy Valentine's Day Glitter Graphics

I have always been interested in having my own website or blog, only I don't know a lot about how to customize my layout. I am not exactly a computer savvy, which is why I can only go as far as finding a pre-made layout and template that I like to use on my blog. If I have to say though, I would really like to be able to customize my layout to my liking. Now I learned that it doesn't have to be that complicated anymore if I have access to these premium wordpress themes that are available today. It is actually good news to all the wordpress users because now they can customize their chosen templates with no trouble at all. I think that is a great improvement with wordpress because I found it to be impossible when I edited my layout before. I only ended up wasting my time. Imagine that even if you have no knowledge in HTML or XML you are able to create a website in minutes. You can do so through the visual editor which you will find convenient to use. It will definitely save you time and money since there are thousands of quality wordpress blog templates and layouts for you to choose from. By the way, you won't only save money having those new wordpress remix themes but also make money by joining the wordpress remix affiliate program. You can actually earn 50% commission for every sale you generated via your referrer link, and get paid at the end of the month, of course. So, you would not want to miss that since you can make money while you sleep.

Internet dating is very popular nowadays for people from all over the world. It is quite effective because there are more and more couples who met online that are living their dreams. You see, it is much more convenient to meet online because you get to find the ones that share your interests. There is no wasted time especially if you find a website that caters to people's specific hobbies and interests. Well, just take this equestrian cupid website, for one. I have come across so many dating sites but never a site where people who love horses can meet. It is definitely a website unlike any other sites out there that you can find. Now if you are someone who loves horses, enjoy country living and single you may want to place your ad there. The best thing is, it is free for you to place an ad and you can take all the time you need. Everyone is welcome to place an ad there for a lifetime. You certainly can't often find any better deal than that! Indeed you get a FREE sign-up and be able to browse through the website for a possible mate and for as long as you wish. It is really a unique website created just for you!

You've gotta have your suit jacket on in your office if you are a conservative republican and the president! That is apparently an issue now with the new president. That reminds me of my fellow Filipina who attacked me for not doing what others are doing. I can't be different; I have to adhere to the tradition. Sometimes it doesn't work though because we are all so different that we can't generalize. As for Mr. President Barack Obama, I see nothing wrong with him making himself comfortable in his office-it's his office after all. He is still decent, it is not like he doesn't have his shirt on, which by the way would entertain those who think he is charming, of course! Maybe it bothers him to have his jacket on considering that his job is stationary. Is it just him, or, is he actually among the many jacketless presidents before? I know I wouldn't feel so comfortable with it because it would make me feel like I have a heavy coat on. It gets uncomfortable to be fully dressed with a heavy suit on when you are working all day. I think people need to lighten up there and not make such a big deal over something like that. However, for others it is follow the leader; keeping the tradition going even if it means some people are uncomfortable with it. There are those who walk the extra mile to show their respect, honor the founders, etc. Well, with me I will only do so if I see it fit. And I tell you, it makes me glad I wasn't born in places where people keeps their traditions going even though they are utterly painful-actually senseless to some of us. I couldn't see myself doing something foolish and painful for the sake of keeping a tradition alive...ew! Not me anyway. I am different and couldn't take things as is and...as if I couldn't see and think for myself. It'll never happen. I am not much of a follower, I'll tell you that. It goes to show that my birth numerology is right that "I am not so good at taking orders because I am better at giving them"...LOL. Alright this is all for now. As for the photo below I am not sure if it is Barack Obama because it could have been edited using a Photoshop. But I thought it is interesting. Our new president is definitely daring enough to make his fashion statement in the Oval Office. The former president George W. Bush Jr. (Ahah! Look who else is talking!) made it a rule to keep your suit jacket on-I read, but it is all changed now. Take your new dress code from Barack! He knows what works; I mean really he looks fine to me.

First off, I transferred my favorite blog template here. It's simple yet modern and I like the design. I think I will keep my new template here, at least for a while. Anyway, I actually spent some time just editing my blog and categorizing my posts. I found it such a hassle since I posted almost 800 posts already. What a headache and it took me to stay up late to get most of my posts sorted out. I am finally done though... Whew! The categories are not exactly very well thought out, but I think they'll have to do because I am not willing to redo my work. Well, not unless I get bored again:). I had to think small and simple to make my work easier for me. I am making my blogs as simple as possible. By the way, I should not waste my time talking about nonsense here. I'll have to find something better to write about. I have to consider my fans, too, you know; este the audience pala...LOL.
Oh...yeah, another thing. I am also in the process of editing my posts for countless grammatical errors and wrong abbreviations-not to mention missing words. Goodness, my English needs a lot of work! I could not believe how silly I sound with all the LOL I used. So, while I was doing my corrections I realized that I really need to take ESL. My English skill is really poor and my vocabulary is too limited. I will have to take time to learn English. Speaking and writing English correctly is important to me, especially when I am a freelance blogger. I want to be able to speak English fluently and write correctly-it is actually part of my goals. Now since I learned my common writing mistakes I am trying hard not to over abbreviate my sentences and double my phrases that mean the same. I heard it pays to go to school and get a good education. I wish I can be a nurse or an engineer someday. That is so far just a wish. Perhaps I am only dreaming. It seems impossible because it costs a lot of money-thousands! I dream big don't I.

I tried to apply for a job around our area here but all to no avail. The economy is badly weakened that nobody is hiring. In fact, a lot of people lost their jobs. Almost everyone I know is desperate with finding a way to make some money somehow. With me, it would be nice if I can just stay home since I have small children and still make some money. Now do you know that it is not far fetch? It may seem like it is unreal but right now I found another way for me to make some money. And let me share how I am doing it. Well, if you haven't heard of blog advertising yet, you ought to see about it because you can actually make money online. I am not kidding I tell you. It is easy money when all you have to do is make a post and get paid for it. Now isn't that convenient? Imagine that if you are a mother like me, surely you would want to stay home for your children while they need your constant presence and guidance. Wouldn't you rather be with your children and keep a blog where you can earn extra money? I think it is the most ideal way for stay at home mothers to make money because they are able to attend to their children as well. If you have a computer, you should get a blog and make money blogging just like me. I like it a lot and if only more opportunities would come along. I have made thousands of dollars already and I am hoping to make some more in the coming years.

This is it; the day that the American Dream finally came true. Let freedom ring! We are all free at last!!! I am proud to be an American and to be a part of this history. This is the day that Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about in his "I have a dream" speech. Indeed, this is not only an inauguration day but also a sort of like an independence day for the people of color. It means a lot to everybody not only here in America but throughout the world. The whole world was watching today and is proud of what has transpired here in the greatest nation on earth. Now it is official that the American dream came true. No one is left out because the RACIAL BARRIER has been BROKEN. It means FREEDOM and EQUALITY for all... Yahooh!!! No matter what others say about this latest presidency, it is undeniable that the history of racial prejudice played a big part. Well, for one let's look at how it makes all the people of color so happy and relieved. Many thought this DAY would never come. It is still very unreal for some of them to believe that Mr. Barack Obama being the new president is for real. They even had to go all the way to Washington D.C. to get the feel and glimpse that it is really happening. America like what it is today is how it should be that this "nation will rise up and live up the true meaning of its dream". America is the nation of all nations, at last! Wow, if only Martin Luther King Jr. were alive to see this day in which his dream has been fulfilled. It is what he risks it all for. Mr. President Barack H. Obama made that dream a reality. Congratulations to the new president and more power to him in making a change this country needs. Nothing is no longer impossible to achieve for everybody here in the United States of America. This is a great moment that everyone should appreciate. Oh, I am so happy to see almost everyone being so proud and happy to be an American. Hurray!!!