The Value of Branding

Oh look, I'm back :) I know this site of mine deserves so much more attention than it gets but my offline life just gets in the way. This site is one that I really invested a lot of time and effort to in the beginning, after all. I personalized the template (and this was back when Blogger didn't have the easy to do tabs and stuff! and for someone who has no clue what she's doing, it was a big feat!!!) and even worked on personalizing banners and buttons. And let's not forget this is the site that carries my "brand"....yapatoots :)

Branding or personalizing, whether it is a website, a blog, or even a company, is essential. It is through this that your goals, vision/mission and purpose is known, after all. If you were a home based baking business, for example, that specialized on custom food products creating a logo and carrying a slogan that called that out would be very essential. If you branded your products well enough, and had a good visual reference for it, it can help open up many doors for your business.

While word-of-mouth advertising is always a good way to go, it doesn't hurt to have a wide array of advertising options. Nowadays there are so many free options, such as through social networking sites like Facebook. I know of a friend who sells hair bows and accessories for children and what she does is offer promotional items for purchases made via Facebook and according to her, she's gotten a good response.
You can also check out those personalizing websites (such as www.branders.com) that offer promotional products with your site/products names/logos etcetera. They're quite easy to work with and they offer good deals for big or small industries. Nowadays, ordering promotional and personalized giveaways no longer have to be expensive or limited to the big industry! Be it stickers, pens, t-shirts or what not, branding yourself is definitely the way to go. I remember when I started blogging for business, there was this site that did a keychain giveaway with the name of their brand. Hmmm...maybe I should order some "yapatoots" keychains, yes? :)

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Eco friendly schools on the rise, reaping benefits

 The large increase in going green is expanding all over the world today. Schools are proving to be no exception to this rule, as green construction and practices have become increasingly popular in the education system. Faculty members are always looking for what will help their students in the end and many are realizing that eco-friendly schools are putting up some of the best performances in the classroom. With the increase in sustainability and cut on health problems, eco-friendly schools are continuing to become more and more popular.

The sustainability factor plays a large role in the decisions to “green” anything it seems and schools are no different. Even though the initial construction or remodeling costs of a green school may be more expensive, the cut on long term utilities will more than make up for the extra expenses in the building process. These long term utility expenses will directly reflect one of the great reasons in making a school green.

Making a school eco-friendly can also have a number of health benefits with lower cases of environmental health risks to students and faculty. Through new sets of ventilation and filtering, toxins are cut in an eco friendly environment, which often has a direct result of improved health. With improved health often comes higher attendance. With the higher attendance, grades and performance will likely improve as well.

Replacing the insulation of a school with green options has been shown to be a great way to cut down on health risks within the education system. Many older schools still contain asbestos fibers in their insulation (a material commonly related to the disease mesothelioma). With the choice to use green insulation, many of the health risks that may come with toxic insulation are being eliminated in the process. Even without the need for asbestos removal, green insulation provides one of the best ways to increase a buildings overall sustainability and lower utility costs. In the older schools with toxic insulation, a switch to green may prevent some life threatening health problems, seeing as mesothelioma life expectancy is severe (only an average of a year following diagnosis).

These are just a handful of the reasons in which eco-friendly schools are having multiple benefits for students and faculty today. Higher grades, attendance, better utility costs, and reduced health risks are major bragging points. Certainly with the upward swing in green lifestyles and the benefits of making a school green, it wouldn’t be surprising one bit to see eco-friendly schools continue to pop up and become the norm.

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Missing The Theater

When I was a child (despite the fact that I, um, cannot sing or dance to save my life!!!) I used to do theatre performances. I loved productions...I used to play all sorts of roles and yes, even if I was often off-key in singing, I could get away with it on stage, especially since the singing voices were recorded anyway. The acting part, perhaps, is what I really loved. It's funny because to be honest, I am a very, very shy person. However, when I was younger, I would dream of performing in big stages, not just in the Philippines, but more on Broadway and those big theatres like Radio City Music Hall or Madison Square Garden, or even in those stadiums and coliseums that are great venues for productions.

As I grew older, my fascination for theater shifted from wanting to perform in it to being content with watching such wonderful plays like Cats and Miss Saigon, as well as the movie based plays such as The Wedding Singer and Legally Blonde. If only theater tickets weren't so expensive and hard to come by (especially here in the Philippines), I'd watch a play once a month!!! 

One play I would love to catch that's coming to my neck of the woods soon is the Cirque du Soleil: Zarkana. I do hope tickets come my way....but wait, I suppose I gotta find out when and where it will be on first. Haha.

Anyway, what's your favorite theater production? Care to share?

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Fresh Starts

I'm back...

Yes, I  know it's been a while. Sometimes I just run out of steam, I guess, managing everything I have to be managing. But anyway, like I was saying, I'm back :) Or at least I'm trying. Teehee.

I took the past two weeks off from life in general, and today I am ending that little hiatus and well, lets hope I stay on track for a bit.

See ya around peeps :)

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Alternative Sleepwear and More

I love sleeping in very loose and comfortable pajamas. No, I do not like night shirts and lingerie, just jammies. However, when I go on overnight trips and have to bunk with a roomie for the night, I kinda need something that doesn’t look too comfy and err....homey. One thing I have discovered are hospital scrubs. I don't know if you have ever tried them, but they're quite nice to wear.

My friend who is a physical therapist actually introduced these to me. Since this is her uniform and she works with kids, she gets the nice ones with cartoon characters and all but for someone like me who is neither a doctor, nurse or therapist, one of those discount medical scrubs will do.

Nowadays, these medical uniforms are not limited to doctors and nurses anymore. Almost anyone can wear them, in fact. As for me, one reason I like them, besides of course it's inherent comfort, is the fact that I used to wish I were a doctor and so this is as close I get to the profession that I used to want to get into. Haha. And you thought only children played pretend and dress up, huh?

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Looking for Investments

My gosh.

Today gas prices went up again. I tell you living in this day and age is increasingly getting more and more difficult. Add to that the fact that I suck at saving, right? Soooo...maybe this year I should change that. The question is: what to invest in? Real estate sounds interesting, but they say it's not a good time to buy now. Stocks are interesting, but, I'm not much of a risk taker. Gold is a popular choice but I wouldn't know how to begin trying to spot gold deals that are good and what are the going gold prices nowadays.

One reason gold would be a good investment, or so I've been told, is because the price of gold is relatively errr, I dunno if stable would be a right term, but what I mean is though gold prices may dip from time to time, it always can be counted on to go up again.

So, whatchathink? C'mon guys, lets go to one of them mines or a gold spot and stike it rich? haha. Where's that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow when you need it!!!

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iBlog 7: Not Just Part of the Audience!

This will be my third year attending the annual bloggers convention, iBlog, and this year, I have been picked as one of the speakers :)

Yeeeeey.....Yiiiiikes....Egaaaaad.

Talk about mixed emotions haha. Wish me luck

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Ceiling Fans And Dining Ambiance

One of the things I look for when I eat out is comfort. While I may always say that I would pick fashion over comfort when I'm dressing up, when it comes to eating out, I don't like being stuck in a stuffy restaurant. I especially like restaurants that are open and spacious because I truly hate dining in a place where I can't even hear myself think. I particularly like the rustic feel of places that are by the bay or the sea, just like the dining area in my favorite resort (which sadly has closed down already. boo.) Because it's so open and spacious, it is cool and breezy. Sometimes, though, especially during the summer, they need to run the Ceiling fans to get good circulation going.

The one thing I like best about having a Ceiling fan is that it does allow for good air circulation, especially since we all know hot air rises, right? So if it's being moved around from up where the fan is installed, it allows for more movement, thus dispelling the heaviness in the air that tends to build up. At least that's the best way I can describe it hehe.

There are a lot of available types and models of ceiling fans in the market. From really large ones for commercial use to smaller, more home-friendly ones, there is sure to be one that will best suit your needs. Before you go out and get one, however, it is important to do the legwork and read about what's out there. I bet there are good deals to be found, such as from Hansen Wholesale Ceiling Fans among others. Find out who makes the Best Ceiling Fans here!


Happy shopping!

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Rubbabu: Toys and Other Nice Things

I recently was invited to a media briefing about a new toy line that is set to hit the market really soon: Rubbabu toys. They are the cutest things, I tell ya. Alright, granted you've heard that time and again, but just go with it, okay? Haha. One added bonus to the whole Rubbabu brand is that unlike many toy brands out there, this one is almost completely environmentally friendly.

I made a whole list of why this is such a great toy for kids. Please do read about it in my teacher blog, www.theaccidentalteacher.com :)

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Scrubs...Not Just For Doctors :-)

One of the things my friend, who is a physical therapist, keeps telling me is how comfortable it is to sleep in her scrubs. Sure, they're medical uniforms but since she is no longer with the company that issued those scrubs, she uses it for sleeping. Actually, I was laughing at her when she made it a point to bring these scrubs from here when she migrated to the US. I was telling her she really didn’t need it, but she was like, I want it. She says it allows her to move freely and comfortably. I never really thought they could be comfy, but now that I think of it, doctors, nurses and therapists who use scrubs need to be able to move quickly and freely with what they're wearing, right?
Actually, I love how these nurses and doctors scrubs have become quite cute and stylish, especially the ones for pediatricians. They come with cute little characters that are so adorable.From hearts to stars and cartoon characters, these scrubs are no longer limited to plain white, hospital-y looking thingies.They come in all sorts of colors too. I see them when the nannies and caregivers around our neighborhood (yes, scrubs have evolved to being used by so many other professions!). If I were to get a pair for myself, I'd pick a set of  teal green scrubs. That would be so cute I tell ya!

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Back in Business

After another looooong hiatus....I'm back. :-) Wish me luck this time around...I need to keep this blog going. After all, it was the one that kept me company through the long dark nights that I struggled with. It has my inner most thoughts (well, at least those that are available for public consumption teeheeheee) and so I wanna make sure it stays alive.

I do hope you come back and visit every now and then! Even more, I hope I have new stuff for you to read when you return!

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