As I have said in my previous post, I will be doing a Blogroll clean-up pretty soon. I am still in the process of ‘renovating’ this blog. And one of the projects I am currently working on is some Blogroll Linky Love for my loyal visitors and readers.

I also have a few requests for Blogroll link up. I also need to reciprocate some link ups I got. I will do that when I get back tonight. I am about to go out and accompany my sister somewhere so later would be a good time to do link ups.

Anyway, if you want to exchange links with me, then just comment in this post and I will get back to you tonight.

Later

Popularity: 69% [?]

I was blogging for over four years now. I started with bravejournal, moved to blogspot and then to my everdearest akoni blog. I was already blogging for a couple of months already when I thought of getting my very own DOT COM. And so sasha-says.com was born. It was actually May 8, 2007 when I registered this domain name but my blog went up on the 10th of May. It has been a roller coaster ride ever since. I met a lot of bloggers, became friends with most, lost some along the way and have gained some more. I gained numerous sisters, a tatay, an inay, a mouse(y) friend, a lot of titas and ates and kuyas…

Most of all, I have gained my stability and freedom with this blog.

And oh, the contest and everything new with the blog will be posted on Monday

Popularity: 38% [?]

Like my new blog look? I have wanted to change my blog look again for my 1st Blogoversary but this is not yet it. I am still thinking of a header and will be asking Vanessa to do it. For now, this will do.

Over the next few days, you will be seeing changes in color (perhaps) and other stuff in the sidebar. Notice I already joined Entrecard. I will also be putting my Twitter updates here. I will be cleaning my archives and will make a few changes in the way I categorize my posts.

This blog will now be concentrating more on community/society issues that I deem relevant, blogging issues, wordpress and wordpress themes, coffee talks that simply means conversation topics which I think are better done over a cup of coffee, and of course reviews. I will still join memes but will concentrate on Weekend Snapshot, Litratong Pinoy, Food Friday and That’s My Answer.

And, by the way, my blogroll will change. I will be notifying those I will retain and will concentrate more on those that truly visit. I will be adding a button display corner for those blogs I really like. No more Spott for me. They display porn-type of images. I will rant more about this in one of my next posts.

Okay, that’s it for now. Expect more changes here so pardon the mess if you ever encounter some and again, wait for my blog anniversary contest

Happy Sunday everyone!

Popularity: 50% [?]

Have you noticed the several PR updates that happened across the blogosphere the other day? Well I have! Imagine my surprise when I opened Sasha says and saw the Google toolbar in my Firefox browser went green in the PR side… PR2! Yeah baby!

I immediately checked it with a PR checker and yes, it said 2/10! Boy am I so glad!

God is really good!

Did your blog get an update as well?

After the slap, I was not really expecting an update anymore. But this is really a great gift. I must admit that the slap depressed me a bit when it happened. But hey, I tried to stay positive amidst it all. Hard but doable. And I did it.

Now all I can say is thank you and expect something new from this blog.

Sasha says’ 1st blogoversary will be on the 10th. And I will be announcing a contest by then. Plus this blog will be joining Entrecard very, very soon.

Happy Friday everyone!

Popularity: 49% [?]

Alexa ranking has been acting up for a few days now. It has been erratic in its ranking that most of my blogs have swinging ranks. I know that the rank changes daily. But the swing is really in big numbers. This blog for instance. I have been in the 120K for quite some time now. And then all of a sudden, despite the traffic, my Alexa rank dipped. I went to the 130K ranking. When I opened my blog today, it was already in the 230K ranks! That’s a 100K dip. Wow.

I also checked my other blog, My Own Utopia and the Alexa rank dipped by 300K! Ridiculous!

Have you experienced a big dip yourself?

Popularity: 73% [?]

There has been an ongoing controversy with regards to blogs being used to dish out ‘libelous’ information. I believe this has been an ongoing issue for quite some time now, ever since blogging has been in the spotlight due to its gaining media power. But the Australian Brian Gorrell’s blog about his Filipino ex-boyfriend whom he is accusing of swindling him some $70,000 and being backed up by his high society “Gucci Gang’ friends has put blogging at an even more glaring spot.

Brian Gorrell is spewing mud all over kingdom come with his revelations on certain well-known personalities here in the country. Loathe as I was to admit it, he lends credibility to his revelations through the photos that accompany his blog entries. And he has been very consistent with his entries. Well, personally, as I have read it, that is. I watched Delfin (DJ) Justiniano Ocampo Montano II in Korina Today with his family and godfather when they were interviewed about the controversy. DJ Montano was inconsistent in his answers. There were just certain questions that I believe nailed it for me.

• Why would an HIV-positive man, who sold his property in Australia to be with you in the Philippines and who requires expensive medication in order to survive, squander all that money just to live like a king, as you and your stepfather put it? If he did, did it ever occur to you to stop him, knock some sense into him?
• You claim that Brian is just using his blog to extort money from you. Normally, an extortion act goes like this: the extortionist calls up the, uh, extortionee and demands that if the extortionee doesn’t pay up, he will expose the skeletons in your closet. In his blog, Brian has exposed so much dirt about you that it would make a fertilizer factory extremely happy. Why would he risk his chances of not getting that money from you, if indeed it was extortion?
• And if indeed it was extortion, why threaten to sue him with libel and defamation, and not extortion or some such related crime?

These are just some of the questions that made me think that Brian Gorrell might indeed be telling the truth. You can read Brian’s blog yourself. Just go to this link and see for yourself if he indeed is telling the truth.

Anyway, back to the main issue here. Is blogging good or bad? Why is there a campaign that says people beware of the blog?

Personally, I believe that a blog is a great medium to express oneself. Yes, it can be abused just like any other form of media. But it can be really powerful if it’s put to good use. We should not generalize all blogs out there. Not all blogs are engaged in mudslinging. And bloggers and their family and friends know that. Yes, there are blogs that we should stir clear from. I can name a few (but I won’t). All in all, only a few blogs can be put in the category like Brian Gorrell’s. Most are good and informative.

What do you think on this issue?

Popularity: 69% [?]

I know a lot of you have experienced this at one time or another. I, myself, have been in this situation numerous times. I am talking about a slump in blogging juice. Blog juice stops running through your veins for a period of time.

If you noticed, this blog suffered through the worse of my slump. I was able to schedule posts in My Own Utopia so the entries keep coming in. But this blog had no scheduled posts so all you see for quite a few days now were sporadic short entries and a dose of the paid ones.

What do you do if you are having one of those days when your mind just shuts down and refuses to acknowledge the fact that there are a lot of issues out there that you can write about? Me? I just rough it out and wait until the blog juice comes pouring in again.

*Dad’s birthday today. On April 4 to 7, my whole family will be off to Baguio for a vacation. I will schedule posts so this blog will not look unattended. I will return visits when I get back.

Happy blogging everyone!

Popularity: 52% [?]

The latest version of wordpress, Wordpress 2.5, is now released! For all of you who wants to be using the latest wordpress version, just click on the button below and you will be directed to the wordpress download page.

Popularity: 44% [?]

Still looking for Bank Codes for your Paypal account? Below is the list…

Paypal-Philippines Bank Code List

Allied Bank 010320013
Asia United Bank (AUB) 011020011
Australia New Zealand (ANZ) 010700015
Banco de Oro (BDO) 010530667
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) 010030015
Bank of China 011140014
Bank of Commerce 010440016
Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) 010040018
Bank of Tokyo 010460012
China Bank 010100013
Chinatrust 010690015
Citibank N.A. 010070017
Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) 010590018
Deutsche Bank 010650013
East West Bank 010620014
Equitable PCI Bank (EPCIB) 010530667
Export and Industry Bank (Exportbank) 010860010
Fuji Bank 010640010
Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC) 010060014
International Commercial Bank of China 010560019
International Exchange Bank (iBank) 010680012
JP Morgan Chase Bank 010720011
Korea Exchange Bank 010710018
International Nederland Bank 010660016
Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) 010350025
Maybank of the Philippines 010220016
Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank) 010269996
Philippine Bank of Communication (PBCom) 010110016
Philippine Trust Company (Philtrust Bank) 010090039
Philippine NATIONAL BANK (PNB) 010080010
Prudential Bank 010150018
Philippine Veterans Bank 010330016
Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) 010280014
Security Bank and Trust Company (Security Bank) 010140015
Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) 010050011
United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) 010299995
Union Bank of the Philippines (Unionbank) 010419995
United Overseas Bank (UOB) 010270189

*Thank you, Paetechie Philippines!

Popularity: 68% [?]

Admit it! If you have been away from your blog long enough, you exactly think this way! Hahaha

Popularity: 92% [?]

Hey Matt Cutts, what’s up with the returning PageRanks???

Good news, friends! Apparently, some blogs are getting their PageRanks (PRs) back. Both blogs of tita Liza slapped with a PR0 less than a month of getting a PR4 are now given back their PRs. Ate Ghee’s blog got a +1 in her PR. From PR3 it is now back to PR4. Most bloggers given a PR4 before the big slap where given back their PRs. Again, mostly PR2s. Rach’s, Ate Thess’, Teacher Julie’s blogs got their PRs back. Lucky them!

There is hope, people.

I just wish this blog’s PR will come back one day soon And I wish I know what’s the criteria in getting a blog’s PR back. Oh Google!

Happy Friday weekend everyone!

Popularity: 87% [?]

Had one hell of a webhost transfer! But everything seems fine now. I will just take a much needed shut eye and will be back in an hour or two.

I will make some changes in this blog once more. I will also announce something later.

See you in a jiffy!

Popularity: 66% [?]

I am now going to transfer to a new webhost. This site will be down for a day and will be back up with some changes. Hopefully, this new webhost will deliver.

I have recommended my previous webhost to several friends of mine. Napahiya ako talaga. And for that, I apologize to the friends who are suffering from the erratic server connection of the said webhost. If you need to transfer, just email me. But because of what happened to my former webhost, I will not recommend webhosts anymore. You can email me, especially Cess.

Happy weekend everyone!

See yah in a bit!

Popularity: 51% [?]

Both my Paypal withdrawals, made on January 25 and February 1, 2008, are approved already! Finally, the problem has been resolved. I do hope everybody’s pending withdrawals are completed by now.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

*All the tags and awards will be posted in the next few posts. Thanks!

Popularity: 22% [?]

Here is an update on the issue regarding Paypal withdrawals that are still pending for quite some time now.

Paypal acknowledged the problem already.

We are aware that users in certain countries such as Malaysia, India, Indonesia and the Philippines, are currently unable to complete withdrawals to their Visa® credit, debit or prepaid cards. We are working diligently to resolve this as quickly as possible so that you can access your funds. We hope to have this resolved in the next 72 hours and will let you know once we have more updates.

So there is no problem on Unionbank’s side. Nevertheless, in my opinion, they should still make an official announcement regarding this issue. Some bloggers assumed (that includes me) that the problem lies in their system. Or probably relationship with Paypal. Most of the bloggers who got affected by this withdrawal problem are Unionbank EON cardholders.

Anyway, here is an email sent to Pam…

Due to a technical issue we have experienced starting on January 20, 2008 we have been unable to successfully withdraw funds to your credit card. As we work through resolving this issue you may experience one of the following scenarios:

* Pending status - if your withdrawal is ‘pending’ then we are still working to resolve the issue and complete your request. We are treating this issue with high priority and will update you as soon as it is resolved.
* Completed status - if your withdrawal is ‘completed’ then we have processed your request and the funds will post to your credit card in 5 to 7 days

You should not see any delays on future withdrawals.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused and we appreciate your business.

Yours sincerely,

PayPal

Apparently, there was a maintenance done on January 24-26 causing glitches in Paypal’s system. Some of those who had/are having a problem are now showing Completed in their withdrawal transactions. Good for them! My two withdrawals are still showing a Pending status. Hopefully Paypal will be able to sort this out soon. What’s important is that they have acknowledged the problem and is doing something about it as evidenced by those with their withdrawal transactions completed already.

I would also like to recommend to you guys to use the Withdraw to Bank Account instead of the Withdraw to Credit Card option. I tried withdrawing $100 yesterday and it is already completed as of this afternoon. Ganon kabilis! Hopefully it gets credited to my Unionbank account right away.

As you can see, withdrawing funds to your credit card takes 5 days. 2 days more to get it credited to your bank account. With the other option, it takes a day to get it processed within Paypal and hopefully, two more days to get it credited to my bank account.

Will let you know how long it took to get the funds credited.

Happy weekend everyone! May the following week will bring more luck and love to all of us

Popularity: 24% [?]