Two months after I moved into my new place, I noticed a small restaurant across the street called Pasta Plate. It is located along Taft Avenue, beside La Salle University. It was lunch, I was famished – and the little cozy nook called Pasta Plate seemed to be calling out to me.

 

 

As I entered the small restaurant, I noticed the almost-diner-inspired tables, the simple menu board, and the warm smiles behind the counter. I ordered a Cheesy Chicken Pesto Pasta and an order of churros with chocolate dip.

 

 

The Cheesy Chicken Pesto Pasta came with a glass of iced tea – and it was worth PhP130, something I was willing to pay for a good plate of pasta. When my order came, I was surprised not to see pesto on the spaghetti noodles. Apparently, the pesto was inside the chicken, which tasted like Chicken Cordon Bleu, but with pesto. The chicken was tasty, which explains the bland pasta; it would have been overkill otherwise.

 

The churros were delicious as well, but perhaps I needed a sweeter and thicker chocolate dip. But yes, it did whet my appetite for sweets. My companion ordered pizza, which did not taste as satisfying as their pasta. However, the pasta was good, something worth trying when you are within a stone’s throw from La Salle Taft.

 

I should have ordered something to go, now that I’ve lost the gusto for cooking. Next time, I’m trying another plate of pasta, hoping for something equally satisfying… or perhaps even better.

 

*Pasta Plate is located at 2338 Taft Avenue, Manila, beside La Salle Avenue.

As a blogger, you have to get a lot of websites to link back to you if you want your PageRank to improve. Improving your PageRank means getting a higher rank on the roster of websites. That way, when someone searches for something you have written about, the chances that you will appear on the top search pages of a search engine (such as Google and Yahoo!) will be much higher. I then found a list of forums with dofollow tags.

Register and place your blog’s URL in a comment – and make sure you use the right anchor text. That should earn you enough points to be “searchable” on Google.

The list of forums is staggering, so I’m planning on posting the forums with a PageRank of 0 (zero) first. Already, there are almost 500 forums under PageRank 0. Here’s the list of forums with do-follow tags. Go crazy and build on your backlinks.

NOTE: Sometimes, you have to visit the MAIN PAGE of the websites below. The list is too exhaustive for me to edit them and give the link to the main page. But you get the drift.

URL followed by PAGERANK:

 

http://action4liberty.info/cuhq/index.php 0

http://affluenttargetmarketing.com/forum/index.php 0

http://allbannermakers.com/ 0

http://alliedpavingequipment.com/forums 0

http://alumni.smu.edu.ph/ 0

http://atlantafalconstalk.com/index.php 0

http://autobacklinkbomb.com/forum/ 0

http://azpathfinders.org/SMF/index.php 0

http://balkantv.comxa.com/forum/ 0

http://bargainclicks.info/forum/index.php 0

http://bellumracing.com/discussiondirectory/ 0

http://bharathautos.com/forums/ 0

http://bigdeadplace.com/SMF/index.php 0

http://bijakpantas.com/index.php 0

http://bikaisoftware.com/forum/index.php 0

http://bretjohnson.us/forum/ 0

http://bridgitmendler.org/forums/index.php 0

http://brownsbees.com/smf/index.php 0

http://campstages.org/forum/index.php 0

http://carwee.com/forum/index.php 0

http://castingnewyork.com/forum/ 0

http://chaparralparkgeneralstore.com/forum/ 0

http://charlottebergmann.com/smf/ 0

http://chataboutcars.com/forum/ 0

http://cheapatvstore.com/forum/ 0

http://christianhangsuite.com/instantforum34/ 0

http://clubbersgay.com/forums/index.php 0

http://coasterspot.com/ 0

http://commissionedwriting.com/Forums/index.php 0

http://communityplaces.net/talk 0

http://completelol.com/forums/ 0

http://compu-wise.com/mybb/index.php 0

http://concotax.net/index.php 0

http://cowxp.net/forum/index.php 0

http://crystalrpts.com/index.php 0

http://cslash6.com/smf/index.php 0

http://daboardroom.com/smf/index.php 0

http://dakrew.com/forum/index.php 0

http://danielandjohn.com/forums01/index.php 0

http://darrylrunyan.com/smf/index.php 0

http://deathzpk.com/forum/ 0

http://delineinstitute.net/mybb/ 0

http://demo.3dev.org 0

http://detodounpoquito.net/ 0

http://dev.ilrinc.com/forums/ 0

http://dev.turanjanin.net/forum/index.php 0

http://developer.fellowshipone.com/index.php/forum/ 0

http://distorteddesigns.com/ 0

http://dojohints.com/forums/ 0

http://dota-autoscript.com/forum/ 0

http://dreamaiken.com/smf/index.php 0

http://druutopia.com 0

http://easy-finda.com/smf/index.php 0

http://eddjss.com/forum/ 0

http://emperorschildren.net/smf/index.php 0

http://emptyset.heritagewebdesign.com/~abnut334/forum/ 0

http://enemysoft.com/index.php 0

http://envisionteck.com/ 0

http://eprobe.in/forum/index.php 0

http://erinmopeekiti.com/smf/index.php 0

http://escuintlafriends.net/foro/index.php 0

http://exoticwalkers.com/forums/ 0

http://explodingdekunut.net/forum/ 0

http://fearlessrp.net/ 0

http://fflivewire.com/forums/ 0

http://fictionlovers.org/mybb/ 0

http://fireballministry.com/smf/index.php 0

http://fitnessxpressu.com/forums/index.php 0

http://fjriders.com/forum/ 0

http://forum.4ngiefest.com/ 0

http://forum.beats365.com/ 0

http://forum.brooklynaquariumsociety.org/ 0

http://forum.dialhelp.org 0

http://forum.dimuka.net/index.php 0

http://forum.dynamicsaxtraining.com/ 0

http://forum.ebaumsworld.com/ 0

http://forum.gameznetwork.com/ 0

http://forum.gsmkerala.com/index.php 0

http://forum.h10epic.com/ 0

http://forum.hey0.net/ 0

http://forum.houston-streets.com/member.php?780-leasefunders 0

http://forum.hsuresearch.com/ 0

http://forum.latin42.com/ 0

http://forum.multi-unlock.com/forum.php 0

http://forum.naphill.org/index.php 0

http://forum.necrocock.com/ 0

http://forum.niceaxe.com/ 0

http://forum.oraclebux.net/index.php 0

 

I’ve posted 100 forums with dofollow tags. I’ll post more in the days to come. I have thousands of forums, all sorted alphabetically and according to PageRank, so do check back for the next list.

There can only be so many search results.

 

In the end, the search results that people eventually choose are the ones that make it to the first page – in the virtual world, that is. Put in enough keywords, give a web page enough sites linking to it, and it becomes a winner in search engine results. And maybe that’s the same in the real world, where keywords like family, trust, money, and life are all used to get others to search for you more.

 

People relate to others based on what similarities they hold. Do they have similar family backgrounds? Do they belong to the same financial bracket? Do they trust each other? Are their lives intertwined in more ways than one? If there was a search engine for every single memory we had, I bet that people with similar keywords and search phrases would be drawn closer to each other.

 

And then we break the rules – to hell with our own built-in search engines. We search and search all our lives for the perfect house, the perfect job, the perfect partner, the perfect life. No, it doesn’t exist. There will only be search results that are most similar to what you’re looking for. You can use one search word and many results will come up, but when you click on that top search result, chances are, what you’re looking for is not all there.

 

People who have great search engines in real life find the best results and get to play their cards right. But when your search engine doesn’t use an algorithm that really gets the best results, you just might end up regretting your choices in life.

 

I wonder, what’s wrong with my search engine? Am I using the wrong one? Or am I simply typing in the wrong keywords? I better brush up on SEO – in real life, that is.

I can’t wait to meet the puppy.

 

Tomorrow, a young Chihuahua is coming to visit. His name is Topper, and I can’t wait to welcome him to my home! I’ve always wanted to care for pets. I don’t know why, but my mother’s instincts are focused on pets, not babies. (In other words, I don’t have baby fever unlike a lot of other women I know.)

 

I love animals. They are like kids, since they can be quite innocent and transparent. They can also be naughty at times, doing something mischievous just to press your buttons, and just like kids, they can be disciplined to be good pets. It’s always a pet owner’s responsibility to make sure a pet gets the care he needs, which includes discipline and rewarding good deeds.

 

I know, I sound like a prude when it comes to having pets. But having a pet is a commitment that nobody should take lightly. An animal’s life is to be placed in your hands, the value of which should not be underestimated.

 

Tomorrow, a young Chihuahua is coming to visit. I’m preparing my own cat by making sure he has an escape route, trimming his claws, and I also have a leash prepared for the dog. I expect them to meet each other tomorrow, but I don’t expect any real mingling just yet. Slowly but surely, I say.

 

My pet cat, taking a nap on my pillows

and using my blanket.

Tomorrow should be an interesting day. Pets are always welcome at my home. I know, I should have been a veterinarian instead of a doctor.

My cat likes watching TV and listening to music. Yep, sometimes he stays on my bed and perches on the edge while looking at my TV, or he sits right in front of the television, then he drifts off to sleep.

 

My cat, watching TV while lying on my pillows.

 

I’ve been wondering what kind of music my cat would respond to, or if cats like music at all. I then searched for articles on cats and I saw one on Catchannel about ringtones that cats respond to. True enough, when I played the ringtones, my cat went leaping into my room, trying to locate the source of the ringtone.

 

If you have a cat who loves playing cool and doesn’t react to your calls to him, try playing these ringtones:

 

Cat Ringtone 1:

Cat Ringtone 2:

 

Just try not to keep playing it or your cat will eventually figure out that you’re trying to fool him. And if you find actual songs that cats respond to, tell me so I can share it with my cat!

Not so very long ago, there live a dog named Pipay. She believed in unconditional love. She was a hopeless romantic…

And there was Akiro, silently admiring Pipay from afar. He was smitten. But he did not have the heart to tell Pipay…

Alas! When will their paths cross? Stay tuned!

~ To Be Continued ~

I’m not much of a cook. I have one hard-anodized nonstick pan, one steel pan, and one steel pot. I don’t have vegetables in my fridge, not different cuts of pork or beef. I have enough canned goods in my cupboard to last me a year if Armageddon comes anytime soon. These, sadly, are the signs and symptoms of someone who does not cook.

 

But a few days ago, I decided to make my very first pinakbet, which others also call pakbet. It’s a Filipino dish that every household knows to prepare. My mom, who happens to be a great cook, rolls her eyes whenever I mention that I know nothing about cooking vegetables. The only cooking I ever do is frying and boiling – and I’ve survived years living alone with just fried meat, fried vegetables, and fried rice.

 

I know, yuck. I’m thin, yet I’m not fit. That’s something I blame on my rather very sedentary lifestyle and also my diet. So, with my ear glued to my cellphone and my mom on the line, I made my way through the aisles of vegetables in the supermarket and bought the ingredients to my very first attempt of cooking pakbet.

 

 

I asked for instructions from my mom. She made it sound easy. It took me ten minutes to wash and prepare the vegetables. It took me another ten minutes to cook the dish. And when I finally tasted the pakbet…

 

Someone slap me! Aye caramba!

It tasted like… pakbet!

Yippee! It was a huge success! My first attempt at cooking pinakbet was not a failure, contrary to what I’ve been expecting.

 

 

“Hi, I’m Stef. I can cook pakbet!”

 

I ate my first pakbet with gusto. It had a broth base of bagoong (fish paste), with amapalaya, eggplants, sweet peas, okra, gabi, onions, and tomatoes. I used cubed pork to flavor. I was happy that I cooked pakbet today. My tummy was glad I stopped feeding it fried whatevers, too.

 

Oh, yeah. I can see myself becoming a chef a year from now. Watch out, poser chefs! Stef can cook pakbet!

Stanley Chi’s Suplado Tips book launch last May 21, 2011 was a hoot. And believe me, that’s an understatement.

 

A lot of people came to attend the Suplado Tips Book Launch. It was unlike any other book launch I attended – that’s because I actually had a laugh or two. It was far from boring, that’s for sure.

 

Look at the turnout! I sat in front to take pictures.

 

That’s me seated in front. The book launch was about to start.

 

Someone was taking pictures of me taking pictures of the book.

 

 

Again, I’m taking pictures. I believe in documenting everything through pictures!

 

Chatting with the mental assassin Justin Pinon and the man of the hour, Stanley Chi.

(I can’t remember what on earth we were talking about.)

 

People were clamoring for autographs from Stanley.

Yeah, he probably felt like a supahstar!

 

Stanley Chi and Ramon Bautista signing books and posters. The crowd was a little overwhelming, I had to take a step back!

 

Sandwiched by Stanley Chi and Ramon Bautista. Two suplados = too much!

 

It was my first time to meet Mr. Ramon Bautista. He made a few quips

that made me feel like I had a bone to pick with him – nice guy, but

I have a score to settle with him (a friendly one, mind you).

 

And the day wouldn’t have been complete without pictures with Mr. Suplado himself, the man behind the brilliant suplado campaign, Stanley Chi. He has gone so far, and I know he still has a long way to go – which is a really, really good thing.

 

It was the book launch to beat, setting the bar high for other book launches to follow. Stan has become a force to contend with. In the world of comedy, his cunning and success are no laughing matter.

 

Okay, I’ll let the pictures do the talking for now. The story is to follow. Check back soon if you want to know what made Stanley Chi’s Suplado Tips book launch such a hit. I wonder though, does the postponed end of the world (which was “scheduled” that day) have anything to do with it???

And in case you haven’t heard yet, my name is in the book! If you have a copy, try finding my name. Clue: it’s somewhere in the first few pages. You might also want to find out why I’m in Stanley Chi’s Suplado Tips book!

 

PS Thanks to Rene Ramos for some of the pictures in this blog post.

I live for funny signs. Here’s one that made me do a double-take. I took this picture inside UCC:

 

The little sign says, “Wasabi Kitkat Mouse.” Oops, sorry, I never knew mice were edible… my bad. o_O

 

Here’s another funny sign, check it out. I hope I see more in this already funny, fevered life of mine.

A few nights ago, I got the chance to get behind the DJ booth and put a “spin” on things:

 

It was a fun night! I just wished I wore heels that night… but that’s another story.

They say home is where the heart is. But without a house, where exactly is home? I accompanied my friends to Portofino, where we went looking at houses. After a lot of photo ops (and believe me, I took advantage of every single one), we went swimming. When it’s this hot, there’s nothing sweeter than getting all your fingers wrinkly from soaking too long in the pool.

 

 

Unfortunately, my friend Muriel misunderstood the whole thing. Both of us ended up not bringing swimsuits. Yes, I know, I really should kill her…

 

 

Yep, I didn’t have my swimsuit. It was a warm day, and all I could do was watch in envy.

Portofino seemed like a wonderful community. The houses were beautiful – and I could just imagine how pretty the entire village would look like once it’s filled with houses. I’ll be uploading more pictures of my stay at Portofino, so check back soon!

I found a blog that welcomes contributions from health writers and health bloggers. If you’re looking for blogs where you can post your health articles, this just might be the site for you: Natural Pain Remedies.

The blog offers natural pain remedies and other natural remedies to different conditions. However, aside from mentioning common household remedies, most of the remedies they offer are based on science and medicine, not mere anecdotal accounts.

Contributors get one or two linkbacks, which is great for your blog or website’s SEO. Hmm I’m thinking of contributing and getting those links back to my blog. There’s also an author bio right after your post, which I think most writers and bloggers would love to include in their blogging portfolio.

If you have other writing and blogging opportunities, do share!

I was at the mall a few days ago and I found a sign that disturbed me:

 

 

Buy One… Free One? You can see why this sign really confused me. I mean, okay, what exactly are they selling, birds and butterflies???

 

There’s one more funny sign that I saw inside UCC café, check back soon and tell me which one’s funnier.

Preparing to leave someone is like dragging your nails through a blackboard. You have to find records of passwords you share, start thinking of what to say to common friends, and begin the process of detaching yourself from the rest of his life. Saying it’s not a walk in the park is a gross understatement.

 

It’s also an eye-opening thing to do, something that serves like a catharsis of everything toxic that you were forced to hold on to before you made the decision to put and end to it. Although it feels really bad, you know it’s the beginning of something really good.

 

Of course, you have to prepare for weight changes, whether they be lost weight or added pounds. Your wardrobe will go through some degree of transformation in a few weeks, depending on whether you lose your appetite or if you start binging on chocolate cake.

 

Anyway, where is my blackboard? I’m ready to drag my nails through it.

I want a cigarette.

 

It has been ten years since I last craved for a cigarette. Maybe today reminds me of days in the past, making me crave for something which I actually hate now. Cigarettes. The idea of smelling one – ugh.

 

Which is why I don’t understand why I want to light one again after all these years.

 

A tarot card reader told me last night that there will be major changes in my life that might make me lose my mind. I took that with a grain of salt, but I personally thought it was funny. I am not the kind of person who would go insane.

 

(That’s because I’m already insane, in a sane way.)

 

But yes, I can feel it. That thing Atlas feels when he carries the world on his shoulders. That thing that makes you say, I’ve had it, may I please shrug now? To hell with the world if it rolls down my shoulders and falls apart.

 

I am at a crossroads. I am not ready. I think I want out.

Ladies, listen up! How many times have you felt – and known – that you are being short-changed by your partner? Evolution has done its job because at the end of the day, women are born with the capacity to sense that they are getting the short end of the stick. And in terms of how men treat you, here are a few telltale signs that he just doesn’t care that much about you:

• He does not want to be seen with you. Men like being seen as “the guy with all those women.” Every guy loves being seen around women because this does wonders to their male ego. So, if your partner doesn’t mind being seen with other girls but would rather show up alone to a major event where he expects to be recognized than be seen with you, he probably does not care about you – and you’re just some dirty little secret he wants to play with when he’s bored.
• If he does get seen with you, he introduces you as his “client”. Men, in general, love being rumored as ladies’ men, whether or not it’s true. If he brings a gorgeous girl to a party, he will probably introduce her with as much pride as a boy with a shiny new toy. So, if your partner introduces you as his client or his publicist or as something else equally impersonal, he probably doesn’t care about you. Listen up: if he cares about you, he will have no second thoughts about introducing you in a way that won’t make you cringe in disbelief.
• He remembers to log on to Facebook – but forgets to ask you how you’re doing. A study by psychologists revealed that a person’s concern about you is best echoed by short-term impulsive displays of affection rather than long-term recall. In other words, if he forgets to take out the garbage despite the fact that you’ve told him a million times, don’t fret – he still cares; he’s just not that responsible. At the same time, if he sees something in the supermarket which he knows you might like and buys it for you, he does care; it’s the kind of impulsive thoughtfulness that best shows how much he cares. Of course, the opposite is also true: if he remembers to check his Facebook and Twitter but forgets to send you a short “how are you” message when you’ve already told him you’re sick or dying, too bad. It’s a sign that he just doesn’t care that much about you - at least, not as much as he cares about his Facebook wall feed.

It goes without saying, however, that you should take the above signs with a grain of salt. There are many other signs to show that he doesn’t care that much about you. Trust your instincts and always listen to your gut; it’s your mind’s way of telling you what you already know.

If you can relate to any of the above signs that he doesn’t care that much about you, perhaps it’s time to push him out the door and tell him to talk to the hand. And if you like everything that drips with sarcasm (like this blog post), you might want to get a hold of Stanley Chi’s Suplado Tips. It will teach you to show everyone that you couldn’t care less, either. And if you’re a guy, you might want to find out if she’s the one – read this and see if she fits the bill!

So, you’re a fashion blogger. You have your own fashion blog and you’ve been updating it regularly. Well, I happen to be looking for fashion bloggers.

 

Fashion bloggers wanted here! If you want to get paid for blogging about fashion, please read the requirements for this task:

• Please leave a comment, stating your blog. I want to see if the blog checks out and meets the requirements.
• Email me at unorthodoxie AT yahoo DOT com and tell me that you want to be paid as a fashion blogger.

 

Good luck! I’m looking for many fashion bloggers, so if you have more than one, tell me about them all!

 

“Fashion is not only about

spending on clothes.

It’s also about

earning from them.”

A lot of fashion bloggers are wanted for this task, so please tell your blogger friends about it. Thanks!

Justin Bieber fans, I’m expecting a lot of flack from you after this post. But I came across this bit of news and I knew I just had to blog about it. Apparently, Justin Bieber acted like a jerk during the taping for C.S.I.

 

According to Yahoo! news, Justin Bieber slammed his fist into a cake on a table. He locked a producer in some closet as well. All this information was provided by Marg Helgenberger, one of the cast members of C.S.I. Of course, Justin Bieber replied on Twitter. I don’t know, but there’s something about his tweet that didn’t seem to deny the allegations:

 

 

So maybe he did those things! Aha. Of course, I’ll never really know the story behind it. I just hope the young star doesn’t go down the path that other equally popular celebs have taken (think Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears).

 

Or maybe the news bit that Justin Bieber is a jerk during the CSI taping is just some marketing executive’s idea of promoting his concert? Justin Bieber is having a concert in Manila today, May 10, 2011. I think the tickets are sold out. Not bad for someone being accused of being a jerk, eh?