The Tango and Memories of My Father

When I was a teenager growing up in the 3rd class town of Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, Philippines, My father used to teach us (me and my cousins) how to dance the tango, paso doble, the rumba and the waltz. This music does reminds me of my teenager days. This is one of the many reasons, why my favorite TV shows today are Dancing with the Stars(DWTS) and So You Think You Can Dance(SYTYCD).

I hope you enjoy the following video(s) and related music as much as I do.
Do not forget to view the related videos in this set. I recommend the Tango with the La Cumparsita music. This music was the first tango music my father used to teach us. Pleasant memories indeed!

Handel's Hallelujah and Merry Christmas to All

University of the Philippines Student Catholic Action Choir, 1952
This song reminds me of my student days at the University of the Philippines in the early 1950's. This song is one of the songs the University of the Philippines Student Catholic Action Choir sang in the 1952 Concert. Both Macrine and I will never forget those memories of our student days in UP, Diliman, Q.C., Philippines from 1951-1955. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!

Maximize Your Earnings from your Adsense Account

Photo from adsenseblogforbeginners.com

The following is a reprint from article written by Kevin Sinclair for ezinearticles.com I hope it works for you, since it does not work for me!

When you know what to do - Adsense is quite easy to master. When I want to make about $30 to $35 daily on each site, I follow these Google Adsense tips:

Tip 1: Place Ads Above the Fold

When a page loads, what you see is called the fold. It is important to make sure that Adsense ads are visible without a person having to scroll down. The majority of people surfing the Net won't waste their time with this and often do not scan below the fold.

Tip 2: Do Not Exceed Four Ads For Each Page

This tip does not refer to ad blocks, as I am speaking only about ads. Google has a knack for situating the best advertisements at the top of a page so the fewer ads you display, the more you will receive for each click.

Tip 3: Select Medium Rectangles

When showcasing three ads, I suggest using a rectangle that measures 250 x 250. You may also split test a larger rectangle, but I have found that the best results come with a rectangle of medium size.

Tip 4: Don't Ignore the Power of Blending

You've probably already heard this before, but people are becoming increasingly blind to ads. If something looks like an advertisement, it has a good chance of becoming ignored. This means that your ads need to blend in with your website. I suggest using the same background color and the same size font. Also, blend in borders into the background. And:

Tip 5: Make Links Blue

It doesn't matter what your text or background color is - Adsense links are blue. People view the color blue as a sign that a link is present. The whole point of this entire process is to get people to click on your links - especially when they are attached to Adsense.

Tip 6: Channel Set-Up

When possessing more than one ad unit for each page, make sure to set up a channel for each unit, but also remember not to exceed more than four ads per page. If there is only one ad unit on a page, create a channel for each. Channels are a good way to monitor which ads are making a profit and which ones do not.

Tip 7: Monitor CTR Progress

CTR (Click Through Ratio) is rather important to consider, as it showcases the amount of clicks that are divided by the number of page views. This number is then multiplied by 100. If one of your pages possesses a lower CTR than the rest, you may want to consider altering the content on the page. When following the before-mentioned suggestions, you should have established at least a 5 to 10% CTR. If this is not the case, you may want to reorganize your site.

Tip 8: Constantly Check Adsense Ads for Content Relevancy

At times, some irrelevant Adsense ads will make an appearance on your pages. If so, it is highly recommended to investigate the issue. Some people have found that they had to switch meta tags, while others learned that a single word in the content was influencing efficiency and effectiveness.

When I want to make at least $30 per site on a daily basis, these are the tips that I follow. While I can't promise you that this will generate as much money as I make -I do know that it would be foolish to overlook these easy Adsense tips, as you stand to miss out on making a lot of money.

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of Be Successful News, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business.

Personal Note: I have followed the 8 tips above, But I am lucky if I earned 25 cents a day. Perhaps it is the contents of my blogs that do not attract page views. Correct? Any one dare to comment?

The Life of Jose Rizal

Time for a good movie about a Filipino hero on this rainy day here in Northern California.

Governors and Representatives to Congress of Marinduque, Philippines

The article on Gregorio Nieva, (brother of Juan Morente Nieva-my wife's grandfather) that I reposted yesterday in my blogs reminded me of my posting last year on the list of Governors and Congress Representatives from my second home-the island of Marinduque, Philippines from 1898 to the present. Enjoy if you are a history enthusiasts!

Juan M. Nieva, Lt. Governor, 1907-1916. Macrine Nieva Jambalos Katague( my spouse) grandfather on her maternal side of the Family.

The following is the list of Governors and Representatives to the House of Congress of Marinduque from 1898 to the present. This was published by Eli Obligacion in his blog marinduquegov.blogspot.com about two years ago. I am updating it for this year 2013.

I found it very informative and interesting because it showed that Marinduque is not exempted from the Philippines' Political Dynasty Syndrome. Most of the old names sound very, very familiar to me even though I was not raised in Marinduque. But the three names that I have familial association with are Calixto Nieva ( Macrine's great grandfather, Juan Nieva ( Macrine's, my wife, grand father) and the Celso Preclaro ( Macrine's uncle) who was the governor in 1963-1967.

Engineer Preclaro (from Santa Cruz) was the late husband of Macrine's aunt Tita Ponti( (Faustina) Jambalos from Laylay. Tita Ponti is the older sister of Macrine's Dad, Bernardo Jambalos, Jr of Boac. I used to visit their residence in Sampaloc, Manila, when I was courting Macrine in mid 1950's. Here's the list that is still not complete according to Obligacion.

GOVERNORS OF MARINDUQUE

1898-1901 MARTIN LARDIZABAL Politico-Military Governor
(Appointed Military Governor of Marinduque with Eduardo Nepomuceno as Delegado de Justicia, Tomas Roque as Delegado de Hacienda and Calixto Nieva as Delegado de Policia. Lardizabal was Commandant of the Marinduque Revolutionary Force during the Philippine-American War in Marinduque).

1901-1902 RICARDO G. PARAS, SR.* Provincial Governor of
Tayabas and Marinduque
1902-1904 RICARDO G. PARAS, SR.* Lieutenant Governor
1904-1907 RICARDO G. PARAS, SR.* Provincial Governor
(Paras was delegate to the Malolos Congress in 1898; appointed provincial governor by Pres. William H. Taft from 1901-1902, then as lieutenant governor from 1901-1904 and provincial governor from 1904-1907)

1907-1916 JUAN M. NIEVA* Lieutenant Governor
(Nieva was appointed lieutenant governor; became the municipal president of Sta. Cruz; campaigned hard for the extensive planting of coconuts throughout the province; all the towns of Marinduque were first connected during his term through the installation of telegraphic lines)

(Act No. 1649 May 17, 1907, declared that all of the territory comprised in the Island of Marinduque to be the sub-province of Marinduque, forming a part of the Province of Tayabas. Section 1 of said Act provided for a lieutenant governor for the said sub-province to be appointed by the Governor General with the advise and consent of the Philippine Commission.)

1916-1919 PEDRO MADRIGAL (elected) Lieutenant Governor
(Madrigal’s name was associated with the Philippine-American War in Marinduque; also former municipal president, he established the first drug store, “Botica de Boac”.

(Act No. 2354 Feb. 28, 1914 was passed making the office of Lieutenant-Governor elective in the sub-province of Marinduque, Tayabas)

1919-1920 VICENTE TRIVINO (elected) Lieutenant Governor

(Trivino was aide-de-camp of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and participated actively in revolutionary activities during the Philippine-American War; was first appointed provincial governor under the Marinduque Charter (1920). Act No. 2880 Feb. 21, 1920, separated the sub-province of Marinduque from the province of Tayabas)

1920-1922 VICENTE TRIVINO (hold-over) Provincial Governor
1922-1925
1925-1929 DAMIAN REYES Provincial Governor
1929-1933
1933-1936 PEDRO DEL MUNDO Provincial Governor
1936-1939
1939-1942 JOSE L. BASA
1942-1945 JOSE L. BASA (hold-over)
1945-1946 RICARDO NEPOMUCENO, SR.*
1946-1947 CESAR NEPOMUCENO*
1947-1951 CESAR NEPOMUCENO
1951-1955
1955-1963 MIGUEL M. MANGUERA
1963-1967 CELSO PRECLARO
1967-1988 ARISTEO M. LECAROZ
1988-1992 LUISITO M. REYES
1992-1995 LUISITO M. REYES
1995-1998 JOSE ANTONIO N. CARRION
1998-2007 CARMENCITA O. REYES

Carrion served as Governor of Marinduque from 1995-1998 and 2007-2010.
2007-2010 JOSE ANTONIO N. CARRION

Reyes served as Assemblywoman from 1978 to 1986 (Martial Law period), Representative of Marinduque from 1987 to 1998 and 2007 to 2010, as well as Governor from 1998 to 2007 and 2010 to present.
2010-2013 CARMENCITA O. REYES
2013---Carmencita O. Reyes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The current Pork Barrel Scandal has named our Congress Representatives as Representa thieves or TONGressman or TONGresswoman

Members of the Philippine House of Congress ( Philippine Legislature)

Marinduque had no representation from 1907-1922. GREGORIO NIEVA of Boac was appointed, however, as Secretary of the House in 1910. Gregorio and Juan were brothers.

1922-1925 RICARDO NEPOMUCENO
1925-1928 RICARDO NEPOMUCENO
1928-1931 RICARDO NEPOMUCENO
1931-1934 JOSE A. UY
1934-1935 JOSE A. UY

Commonwealth Government
1935-1938 CECILIO A. MANEJA (Maneja was defeated by Jose A. Uy in election contest decided in 1937)
1938-1941 JOSE A. UY
1941-1946 CECILIO A. MANEJA

Republic of the Philippines
1946-1949 TIMOTEO RICOHERMOSO
1949-1953 PANFILO M. MANGUERA
1953-1957 PANFILO M. MANGUERA
1957-1961 FRANCISCO M. LECAROZ
1961-1965 FRANCISCO M. LECAROZ
1965-1969 FRANCISCO M. LECAROZ
1969-1972 FRANCISCO M. LECAROZ

Martial Law Priod
1978-1986 CARMENCITA O. REYES
1987-1992 CARMENCITA O. REYES
1992-1995 CARMENCITA O. REYES
1995-1998 CARMENCITA O. REYES
1998-2001 EDMUNDO O. REYES, JR.
2001-2004 EDMUNDO O. REYES, JR.
2004-2007 EDMUNDO O. REYES, JR.
2007-2010 CARMENCITA O. REYES
2010-2013 Allan Jay Velasco
2013-2016 Regina O Reyes still being question by Allan Jay Velasco?
Any news on the status of the Regina Reyes and Allan Velasco fight for Marinduque's lone district?

Life and Achievements of Gregorio Nieva of Boac, Marinduque

 A very informative article on the achievement of  Gregorio (Yoyong) Nieva. Gregorio is the brother of Juan Nieva -my wife's grandfather. Gregorio is the grandfather of Veronica Nieva Ettinger from Chevy Chase, Maryland.

AKO'Y KASAYSAY $@ISLA DE MARINDUQUE: REVISITING THE BOAC WATERWORKS SYSTEM AND THE GREG...: REVISITING THE BOAC WATERWORKS SYSTEM AND THE GREGORIO NIEVA PUBLIC FOUNTAIN IN BOAC TOWN PLAZA ON THEIR 100 TH YEAR Th...