Thursday, September 10, 2009

Paypal Donation button on your blog

A Donate button is now very visible in most blogs. Bloggers are hoping that someone kind hearted enough might stumble on their blogsite, and will be willing to  donate a little amount, which can be sent directly to a Paypal account. That amount can be used to maintain the blog. If you would like to install your own Donate button on your blog, just follow the steps below.


First and foremost, you need to have a Paypal account. It is a requirement. If you do not have one yet, sign up here.




1. Log in to Paypal. Use your Paypal email address.




2. Go to the Merchant Services tab. Click on the Donate option.

3. For the box that says "Accept Payments For", just select "Donations". And, for the Organization/Service, you may enter anything in there. As for, I entered the word "Blog", as the donation will be for my blog. You may then scroll to the bottom of that page.


4. Click on CREATE BUTTON.
 
 5. Paypal will then give you a code. Copy the complete codes, and paste it into your blogsite's HTML. If you are using a Blogger account, just log in to your account, and do the following: Dash Board>Layout>Page Element>Add Page Element>HTML>Paste the codes, and save.
 

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Medical Exam at St. Lukes for K1 visa

I would like to share to you my medical exam experience at St. Lukes, this will be applicable to those who will be applying for a fiancee or a spousal visa. I will give you relevant information so you yourself will be ready when taking the medical exam.

Before you even plan to go to St. Lukes, you need to make sure that you have all the requirements ready, else you will be wasting your time there as either they will not let you in, or you may have to complete the procedure some other day. Also, you have to be there by yourself, they will not allow anybody else to get in aside from the patient/applicant. If your mom or sister is with you, better let them stay at the hotel or let them wait in a shopping mall because they will not be allowed to get in.

Requirements:
Photocopy of your Passport (first and last page)
Proof of payment for K1 visa (you can go to BDO and purchase the form for $131.00. Make sure it is validated)
2x2 Picture (white background and write your name at the back of it)
Appointment Letter from the US Embassy
Ballpen
Money - you will pay on your first day, and the costs of the medical exam will be approximately US$213.00 (adult).
NBI Clearance

*tips: be sure to sleep early before your first day of medical exam so you will not be stressed out, and your medical results will be good. eat healthy foods, and vitamins as a food supplement.

DAY 1:
Wake up early, take a shower, and be sure to eat because you will not be allowed to bring any kind of foods inside St. Lukes. You may however, bring a candy with you, but  make sure to keep it in your pocket, and do not show it to the guards as they might reprimand you.

1.Go directly to St. Lukes, be as early as possible. First come first served. (I arrived there at around 6-7am, there are people ahead of me when I get there.)
The guards on the front door will check your requirements. Be sure to have it ready.
After that, they will give you a form to fill up, and will let you in.

2. Fill up the form as accurate as possible, because it will be your permanent record, and it will be forwarded to the US Embassy as well. There are chairs inside the ground floor of the building, so keep yourself comfortable.

3. Once you are done filling up the form, go to the designated room for picture taking. It's in the ground floor still, the room to your left when you are facing the main door going out.

4. Go to the reception area, fall inline, and pass the forms, and other documents. They may ask you some questions regarding your medical or health background.

5. Pay to the Cashier. Make sure your money is ready.

6. Go to the 4th floor, and submit your papers. Wait for your name to be called, and here you will undergo a urine test, blood test for HIV. If you get confused, you can at anytime ask the nurse that will be assisting you. Once done, get your papers and proceed to the 3rd floor.

7. Submit your papers again, and wait for your name to be called and be ready for an XRAY. You need to take off your shirt and bra, then wear their lab gown. Dispose it on their trash bin after using. Wait for your name to be called, and get your papers. Proceed to 5th floor.

 8. Submit your papers to the USA counter for physical checkup. Just wait for your name to be called. They will check your height, weight, vital signs, and a doctor will call you up, ask you to get inside a private room, and get undressed. Yes, you read it right. It is a strict requirement by St. Lukes so the doctor can examine your body properly.

9. Go to the second floor, and pass your paper. You will be interviewed so the doctors will know what vaccine shots you already have, and don't have. The most common question they will ask you about is your first day of menstruation, so be sure to take note of it. The doctor will let you know how many shots you need. Once done, get your papers.


10. Go back to the 3rd floor, and submit your papers at the check out counter. They will inform you to come back the next day for  your vaccination. They will hand you a receipt which you will need to present to the guards the following day.


I was able to finish at around 12:00 noon.

DAY 2:

1. Go back to St. Lukes. Bring all necessary papers/documents/requirements. Do not forget to bring the receipt given to you by St. Lukes the other day as a proof that you are now ready for the shots.

2. Present your Passport to the guards on duty.

3. Go to the second floor, and pass your receipt. Wait for your name to be called. It's pretty quick. I was called, went to the immunization room, and had my four vaccine shots! ouch! but it's all worth it.

4. Once you are done with the shots, you will be asked to sit and rest for about 15 minutes because you will feel dizzy after the shots.

5. Proceed to the ground floor, and go to the releasing area. Wait for your name to be called. Once called, provide requirements they will ask of you such as a Passport or a 2x2 picture. They will give you a copy of your XRAY results and your vaccination sheet. You need to bring both when you go to the USA.

St. Lukes will be the one to forward your medical exam results to the US Embassy.

Done! Done! Done! I was able to finish at around 10 am.


Hotels near St. Lukes
Cherry Blossoms Hotel - nearest to St. Lukes and Robinsons Mall
City State Hotel - this is where we stayed

Adding META TAGS on Blogger

What are META Tags? Meta tags are HTML codes that are inserted into the header on a web page. It is a tag that describes the content of your website or blog.

Putting a Meta tag codes on your site can help your page show up in search engines, and therefore would be visible to Internet users.



If you are using a Blogger account, you can use the following META tags codes, and paste it on your HTML dashboard. Make sure to paste the codes just right below the code.


Below is a sample of the code I use for my blog:

 
You may also use an automatic Meta tag generator. Just click on this link. 


Sunday, September 6, 2009

How to secure a Linksys wireless router using WEP.

1. Access the router's Setup Page. On your computer, open a browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.), and on the Address bar type in the numbers 192.168.1.1, and press enter. (Tip: temporarily disable your pop up blocker so the log in box will appear on your screen and if incase you already have your own router log in Password, just use it to access its page).

2. Click on its Wireless tab, then go to the Wireless Security sub tab.

3. If you would like to secure the router using a WEP code, just select WEP on the Security Mode option.

* There are two kinds of WEP code, on is a 64-bit encryption, and the other one is the 128-bits.
A 64-bits encryption requires a 10 digit code. That means, you need to create a 10 digit code on the router's page. It can be a 10 digit number such as your phone, or it could be all letters such as your name, however, for the letters you can only use letters A-F. . You can also create a combination of numbers and letters but then again, you have to limit it only up to 10 digits. Nothing more, nothing less.

* If you will select a 128-bits encryption, the same rule will apply, however you have to create a 26-digit codes. That means, 26 numbers, or a 26 letter word, or a combination of both.


4. Passphrase. In the Passphrase field, there is where you type any word you prefer, and hit the generate button. It will automatically, generate either a 10 or a 26-digit codes, depending if it is a 64-bit or a 128-bits encryption. But, I personally advice that you leave it blank so you can then create your own preferred wireless password.

5. Click on Save Settings.

Congratulations! Your network is now secured.

How to configure a wireless Linksys router using Cable connection

This procedure applies to most Linksys routers such as the following models:
WRT100
WRT110
WRT120N
WRT150
WRT150N
WRT160N
WRT160NL
WRT300N
WRT310N
WRT320N
WRT330N
WRT350N
WRT400N
WRT51AB
WRT54G
WRT54G2
  and a lot more

*Be sure that you have an Internet connection direct from the modem before you configure the router.

1. Make sure that the physical connection of your devices are correct. Take a cord or the RJ45 Ethernet cable, and plug it to the router's Internet port, plug the other end of that cord to the modem. Take another cable, and plug it to one of the router's four numbered ports, then plug the other end of the second cable to your computer's Ethernet or LAN port.

2. Press and hold the router's reset button (which can be found at the router's back panel) for 30 seconds.

3. Let go of the reset button.

4. Power off (unplug its power adapter) the router for a minute. This is also called as a power cycle.

5. Make sure that the router's Power led is then stable. If it is, you are now ready to access the router's page and configure it.

6.  Access the router's Setup Page. On your computer, open a browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.), and on the Address bar type in the numbers 192.168.1.1, and press enter. (Tip: temporarily disable your pop up blocker so the log in box will appear on your screen).

7. If it will ask you for a log in, just leave the User Name, blank, and type the word admin (in lower case) in the Password. Press Enter.
You should then see a Setup Page similar to the image above.
8. On the Setup tab, make sure that the Internet Connection Type is set to Automatic.
9. Click on the MAC Address Clone sub tab. It is the tab, right beside Basic Setup. Click on Enable, and click on the button that says "Clone my PC's MAC", and click on Save Settings. (refer to the image below.)
 
10. Click on the Security tab, and make sure that the option "Block WAN or Anonymous Internet Requests" is not selected. Save the changes. (refer to the image below.)
11. Your router's settings is now properly configured. For the changes to take effect, do a complete powercycle.
12. Restart your computer. Power off the router, then the modem. Wait for a minute. Power on the modem, wait for its led lights to be stable, then power off the router.
You may open a new browser, and enjoy surfing the net.
You can do the following procedures for almost all types of Cable ISP such as the following:
Comcast
Cox
Charter
Cable Vision

Chitika