VIEW | My blog posts are not indexed/crawled by Google bots. What should I do?

I noticed that my blog posts here in Manila LifeBox do not show up in search results. And this is probably because Google bots have failed to find (crawl) my articles and index these in their search results. Or is it?

Image Courtesy: Blogger.com

Maybe it is because I rarely post articles here, but usually it only takes one day for my post to be found in the search results. Some bloggers, in addition to my experience, have actually recently found out about such problems. I looked for possible solutions so that I could address this blog crawling and indexing issue.

REVIEW | Skechers Go Run Ride 4 Running Shoes

I recently bought a pair of Skechers running shoes, the Skechers Go Run Ride 4, which was put on sale in a mall somewhere south. I was enthusiastic to try it on, so I did on that same day of purchase. Just to guide some fellow running/jogging friends out there, here is my review of the Skechers Go Run Ride 4 which was released by the footwear company at the end of 2014.

I know this model is a bit outdated, but Skechers shoes are actually rated high by users and experts in RunRepeat (#14, rating of 79) and are up in the rankings with the likes of Skechers GOrun Ultra 2 and Skechers GOrun 4. SoleReview, another ratings website, gives it a 78%.

Here is my review of the Skechers Go Run Ride 4 with great consideration of factors like design, comfort and price.

DESIGN 

I give it an 8/10 as its color palette is really appealing for me. It’s upper body mesh made of synthetic leather somehow disappoints, but the design makes up for it. The midsole made of EVA foam gives comfort to the feet, while its outsole which consists of circular rubber pods allows for an easy sprint. However, the shoes didn’t get the remaining two points since, for me, I feel conscious while jogging. Perhaps it’s the shape that makes it uneasy to jog or run or maybe it’s because I just recently purchased it so I am very cautious when using it.

ALERT | Ongoing Christmas Holiday Sale and Promos

The holiday season, or as some may call the "-ber months", here in the Philippines is indeed a great period both for customers and sellers as this is the time when we're eager to splurge on stuff that we'd like to purchase after saving some cash from our sweldo.

I have found some of the BEST ongoing Christmas/Holiday sales in Metro Manila. These are so much connected to my necessities so I didn't include some shop sales to which I myself won't go.

I won't take so much of your time to give you some of the best till-December sales and promos. Here is the list of Christmas sales until December 2016.

1. BOOKS 

If reading is your passion, go check the Anvil Christmas Sal!

Promo Period: October 26- December 10, 2016

Where to Go: No. 25 Brixton St., Brgy. Kapitolyo, Pasig City

Have your shopping bags ready and buy books for as low as P5!!! Don’t miss out and drop by at No. 25 Brixton St., Brgy. Kapitolyo, Pasig City (entrance is at the West Drive Capitol, in front of Bo Jungle Fitness) from today until December 10, 2016 (except holidays) from 10 AM to 7 PM! See you!

HEALTH | What happens to your body when you die?

It's almost Halloween, a reason why people are now talking of horror stories, employing scare tactics, and joining parties to celebrate it differently. Cool nerds and geeky kids lol out there may want to have a taste of what's horrific and gruesome in this post.

What actually happens to our body when we die? Ano ba nangyayari sa atin kapag namatay na tayo, except for the fact that we return back to dust?

Here are two cool sources for awesome people out there who are interested in knowing the process of human decomposition. Just click to enlarge!

Image Courtesy: Business Insider

So, konting Tagalog-English summary lang:

• In a few seconds, bagsak temperature ng body natin hanggang umabot sa 25 C.
• In a few minutes, dahil hindi na tayo humihinga, bumabagsak oxygen sa katawan natin. Kapag wala ng oxygen, namamatay yung cells at unti-unting nasisira.
• In several hours, mag-popool yung dugo natin sa pinaka-mababang parte ng katawan natin kapag nakahiga tayo dahil sa gravity. Lalabas din poop natin and ihi kasi wala ng muscles na magko-control sa puwet and ari/pwerta natin. Maninigas din katawan natin.
• In several days, mag-aamoy patay na tayo (like masangsang level) dahil may mga chemicals na nagleleak out dulot ng bacterial processes (at ano pang mga ginagawa ng iba pang mga living things hehe). Yung mga enzymes na mismong tumutulong na magdigest ng kinain natin ang mismo na ring nagdidigest sa sarili nating katawan huhu.
• In weeks, mga bugs naman ang makikihati sa katawan natin -- maggots to be specific. Pati earthworms. Mangingitim din tayo or purplish and pakonti-konting natatanggal buhok natin.
• After at least four (4) months, buto-buto na lang tayo with konting parts pa na natitira, if lucky hehe.

Not yet grossed out? Then watch this video provided by Vox.

Video Courtesy: Youtube channel Vox

Hope you learned a lot today, guys! Take good care of your bodies ('cause nobody will take good care of it once we're dead)! :))

VIDEO | How vast is our universe? Where are we in the scale of things?

Soul searching is what most of the 20-somethings do in the world today. Many of us travel to various places to find ourselves. Marami satin umaalis papunta sa mga lugar na hindi natin alam. Sometimes, we just love to get lost and then found, eventually.

Contemplating on the number of places we've been to and thinking about the numerous places in the Philippines or in the world that we are yet to see make us realize how big the world we know is.

But what's more challenging is when we take a look at things on a grander scale -- the universe and where we are in this vast wide space!

Where are we in the scale of things? How vast is our universe? This makes us wonder, is it possible to reach at least 1,000 years old in order for us to experience the beauty of the other places that are literally out of this world?

Gaano nga ba tayo kaliit sa universe na ating ginagalawan? Watch the video below and be amazed at how lucky we are to have won the sperm race and to have lived in this age. What will soul searching be five, 10, 20 thousand years from now? Enjoy!

Video Courtesy: Youtube channel morn1415

FUNNY | Not everything is what it seems. Here's a case of mistaken identity. :))

Some of us visit art galleries and museums out of curiosity. Others will do so just to ease away the boredom. A few would do better than what's expected.

In a local art gallery in Australia, a young man and his friends went to appreciate the artworks and displays, but there was this one piece which left them baffled -- an exhibit piece showing a stuffed animal on a gray blanket that was actually frequented by the visitors.

TJ Khayatan, the young man in this story, could not quite figure out what was so special about this piece. For his youthfulness and creativity, he came up with an idea. To test the visitors' openness, he and his friends placed a pair of eyeglasses on the floor.

Screenshot from Twitter user @TJCruda

LMAO WE PUT GLASSES ON THE FLOOR AT AN ART GALLERY AND... pic.twitter.com/7TYoHPtjP8

— teejay (@TJCruda) May 24, 2016

And lo and behold...

Screenshot from Twitter user @TJCruda

It did caught the visitors' attention. Some were trying to decode what this artwork meant.

Screenshot from Twitter user @TJCruda

Even this photographer was so amazed at the wonderful display!

Screenshot from Twitter user @TJCruda

Snapshots of the pranksters' "exhibit" went viral on Twitter. Hope you had a good laugh!

SCIENCE | Letting babies cry themselves to sleep is fine.

Waking up in the middle of the night due to your baby's cry? Let him/her cry to sleep, a study from Flinders University in South Australia suggests. The research concluded that it's okay to let your babies gradually cry themselves to sleep as it does not cause any emotional harm or stress in the long term.

Image Courtesy: www.preciouslittlesleep.com

The habits of 43 pairs of parents troubled sleeping due to their infants' waits were analyzed. These parents have babies aged six to o 16 months old. The babies were left to cry for increasing period of time within three months. And it found out that leaving them be allowed babies to fall asleep 13 minutes faster on average than those who were attended to.

So, ano nangyari? What was done in the study?

Basically, the parents and their babies were divided into three different groups: the crying-it-out group (or graduated extinction), the bedtime fading group (where parents stay until their baby falls asleep), and the control group (no sleep training).

And the results? The graduated extinction group got better benefits vs the bedtime fading group in terms of the time taken to fall asleep by 3 minutes on average, the frequency babies were waking up in the night, and the total sleep time.

The babies' cortisol (hormone associated with stress) levels were taken. And it was found out that there was no significant difference in terms of baby stress levels. Also, the parents did not report increased stress or differences in the level of parent-child bonding.

Do note though that graduated extinction does not mean leaving a baby alone crying for hours on end, but rather slowly raising the amount of time a crying baby is left alone--that is, from 2 minutes to 35 minutes within the week. 

Read up on the study published in the Pediatrics journal here.