Second Wind

Revisiting College Life with New PerspectiveToday

2011-07-28T15:06:00.000+08:00

Today, after more than a week of class observations at the Southville International School and Colleges, I was made to do my demo teaching to Psychology Majors (juniors), and observed by no less than the Chairperson of the Psychology Department and the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and Education.

Of course, it was pressure enough to teach a Development Psychology subject, but to be observed and evaluated by the top officers of the school in front of college students put a lot more pressure on me.

I was only given 1 day to research on my topic -- The 5 Laws of Attraction.

I had a whole day of preparation for my powerpoint presentation and gathering of some materials for activities. Being a department head at the office helped as I was able to juggle my time between meetings and doing my school stuff.

I was given a "Very Good!" by my teachers-supervisors in the feedback sheet.

After which, I was invited to the College Dean's office where they verbally communicated they elation on my first demo teaching. I was given a few tips on getting insights from students which I really appreciated -- coming from seasoned professors. The clincher for me was when the Dean told me that I will be a very good professor/lecturer. I was even tipped on a possible slot to handle a Psychology course.

I will have my second and more rigid practice teaching from Monday onwards initially teaching the subject "Intelligence," a General Psychology course for non-majors.

I am really excited about this Practicum course as it has opened me to something which I love to do -- teaching -- but did not have time to do all these years.

44th Birthday Video Gift

2011-04-26T17:45:00.000+08:00

My 44th Birthday Gift from my kids....

I love you guys! :)

The Multi-Millionaire Next Door: My 2-cents on How to Become One

2010-11-11T17:27:00.000+08:00

You are the multi-millionaire next door. And you probably don't know it.

We know of Henry Sy and Lucio Tan. But who is Philip Ang? The 3 of them are in Forbes Magazine's richest list in the Philippines. Henry Sy is worth 5 billion dollars, Lucio Tan is at 2.1 billion dollars while Philip Ang is at the "bottom" of the 40 Forbes Magazine-listed richest Pinoys, worth 50 million dollars. Many probably know that Henry Sy and Lucio Tan own conglomerates. But little is known about Philip Tan because he's in the field of mining (with holdings in Taganito Mining and Nickel Asia).

It's safe to say that the 3 gentlemen are of Chinese descent. But that doesn't automatically make them multi-millionaires (actually, billionaires!). The question is, "how did they do it?" And the next best question would be, "can I do it?" Yes, you can.

To be one, think like one.

The mind is one heck of a powerful engine of humans that if they are just able to tap 10% of its capability, then a lot can be achieved. Your brain is so powerful that it can command the other body parts to do what it tells them to do. Thus, what the mind can conceive, the body can achieve.

Have a multi-millionaire mindset. As my old friend John Calub would say in his seminars, be a "Money-Magnet." People attract what they want to attract. So first, you'll have to think and believe that you will be rich. Tell yourself everyday that you will get rich. This is the subject of the book and film titled "The Secret."

When I was little, I knew in my heart that I would someday be a successful entrepreneur of sorts. We weren't well-off then. But I wanted to have those cool toys my rich classmates had. I had a pair of used penlight batteries as toys way back then (boo-hoo). In my mind, I saw myself as a rich and successful entrepreneur. I had to start somewhere so I practiced. I started when I was in grade 3. I started a small comics rental business after school hours. I sold Choc-nut to classmates and family. I even went around the campus collecting soda bottles to claim "deposit" at the canteen. I eventually graduated to selling magazine subscriptions in high school and jewelry and retailed eggs in college. Today, I have a media consulting enterprise and some billboard rentals on the side. I also do seminars on starting a business with no capital. :)

Even if you pray daily for financial blessings, but you are not truly convinced that you can have these riches, then you won't have them. That's how it works, my friend.

Don't be afraid to dream.

Never believe when others say,"only in your dreams" that you can achieve and be who you want to be. If you don't dream, there's nothing to come true, right? Be concrete and specific on what you want to have and be. Have a Dream Board. Also called a Vision Board or Dashboard, this is a collage of pictures and affirmations of your dreams or visions. Like a dashboard, a dream board is supposed to be some kind of a control panel which is in front of you all the time. It helps direct you towards your destination or goal. Affirmations such as Ï am Healthy, I am Rich, I am a Pilot, I have a large Farm, etc. are key to having an effective, besides a picturesque, board. Place it somewhere you can see everyday -- when you wake up and just before you go to sleep. The Dream Board will help you maintain your focus. I placed a Tagaytay House and Lot in my 2010 Dream Board last December. I bought a nice property right beside the clubhouse last April. :)

Stay Away from Negative People

The company you keep defines who you are. Many years ago, I was bent on fulfilling my dreams. I wanted to build my own house as a promise to my wife. In my haste, I didn't take time to assess the people I dealt with. Their negativities affected my dealings. Eventually I closed all my businesses with them and just pursued my consulting and corporate job. Today, I only keep positive people within my circle. They provide the sunshine despite some storms that come.

Save and Invest Properly.

Put away at least 10% of your net income (after taxes) in banks and financial interests that earn a decent return. A decent return is defined as something you're comfortable with and not putting too much risk on your savings. There are many financial instruments available besides the basic savings account that only earns 1% interest per year. Ask your bank what they have to offer. There are those bundled savings with "free" insurance, mutual funds, and others tied to the stock market. Of course, you have to calculate and decide the acceptable risk on your part such as purely stock trading. Stay away from forex trading unless you have a real expert to help you out with. Read books and the newspaper for insights. My basic investment instruments are: property (especially with rental opportunities), gold and cash (all kinds of stable currencies like Hong Kong Dollars). If you are an OFW recipient of U.S. Dollars, put some of your money in U.S. Dollar-denominated mutual funds to safeguard your money from erratic exchange rates with the Peso.

If you know of a financial adviser, much better. They are the experts in handling money and making them grow. If you don't know one or can't afford one, then be one. Read up on investment subjects. Just make sure they appeal to you and are comfortable with them. Also make sure the types of investments are applicable to your situation or location.

The best investment I would recommend is a business. It's more long-term and fun. No need to depend on retirement financial plans. If you're looking for the safest investment haven, buy gold. :)

Be an Entrepreneur.

Everyone has a knack for business. Only in the Philippines will you find Sari-Sari Stores in almost every street.You have probably noticed food kiosks sprouting almost everywhere commercially possible. There was the Litson Manok, Shawarma, and Zagu phenomena. Today, it's Double Burger and Scramble.

We just don't know it, but anyone can sell something. The most basic is selling ourselves. If we can't sell ourselves to anyone, we won't have any friends or relationships, right? Besides, everyone has some kind of talent and interest. Discovering what talents and interests we have is the first step in being a successful entrepreneur. Remember that entrepreneurs do not work a day in their lives. They simply do what they love to do -- whatever it may be. They simply add a lot of research, hardwork, and faith to what they pursue, and they're off!

You can be an entrepreneur. Believe it. Work on it.

Learn perpetually.

No one is too old to study. You have to continue learning new things and to keep abreast of technology. Improve on your skills. These are the great enablers in life. If you fall behind, you will miss out on a lot of opportunities.

In 1995, when the Internet was just starting to become commercially applicable, I was blessed to be part of a publishing company that was launching digital versions of its products. We were "forced" to learn this new technology which introduced links to the World Wide Web. Two years later, I was employed as an "expert" in Internet advertising by a travel website that made 25 thousand dollars in banner advertising in its first 3 months of operation. It was surely unheard of in those years, especially when I sold advertising spaces in the Philippines -- during the Asian Crisis!

Today, having studied basic web and graphic design, and having been in digital media ever since, many consider me a veteran (not old, huh!). Well, only a few people like Janette Toral (one of the authors of the E-Commerce Law) and my good friend Jovel Cipriano (Pinoydelikasi.com) can claim to be digital media veterans and experts. We have continuously studied trends and have branched out into separate niches: Janette into blogging, Jovel into e-commerce safety, and me into social media and digital marketing consulting.

Don't be lazy to learn. Learning is freedom.

Be the Millionaire Next Door.

You are a certified millionaire when you have a million pesos in cash stashed somewhere. Whether it's in the bank or in some financial instrument like mutual funds, as long as it's cash, then you're liquid.

When you have earned your first million, keep your head down. Maintain a low profile. Be humble. This attitude keeps you frugal and thus, maintains your liquidity. Of course, you have to enjoy your money, too. Just don't spend beyond your "investable" means. You can spend from your earnings but not on your principal.

Avoid spending on flashy cars unless you can truly afford it. Cars depreciate in value over time. But if you're really looking into a worthy automobile, buy a Mercedez Benz. The Benz doesn't lose its value much over time. Parts are available and don't cost a fortune. Japanese-made cars like the Honda Civic, CRV or Odyssey, or Toyota Altis are also considered investments based on dependability and availability of parts, without spending top dollar.

One last thing.

If you're "in the market" for a long-time partner, find someone who will complement you. Find a teammate. I may be a good salesman and business developer but I couldn't have saved and invested properly without my finance manager and lifetime partner, my Sweetie. I tell her my plans. If she disagrees after much convincing on an investment opportunity, I don't go for it. Your partner has to be the person who is on-the-outside- looking-in. This gives you a different perspective when finding the right financial instrument, investment or savings. And believe it or not, my Sweetie holds the so-called key to the vault and my ATM (haha). That keeps my hand away from the cookie jar. :)

The Challenge.

I want you to be the next Multi-millionaire Next Door. When you do, share your blessings in whatever way you can. Remember that we are just stewards. We are only passing through. Let us leave this world better than we found it.

======================================================

HOMER NIEVERA
Business Development. Social Media. Digital Marketing.
http://homernievera.net

Purgatory: a Cosmic Concentration Camp?

2010-11-02T16:35:00.002+08:00

Purgatory: a Cosmic Concentration Camp?
-Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

Today, we pray for our brothers and sisters still undergoing purification and spiritual maturation in Purgatory.

In 2 Maccabees 12:38-46, Judas Maccabee discovered that the soldiers killed in the battle were hiding pagan amulets and so had violated the Law of Moses by trusting more in amulets than in God. Judas then ordered that prayers and sacrifices be offered for their souls that “they might be freed from this sin.” In other words, Judas and his people strongly believed that prayers and sacrifices can help those who died in sin. And neither Jesus nor the apostles contradicted or corrected this belief.

Due to popular belief and fantasy, nourished by Dante’s Purgatorio and paintings of some medieval artists, a horrible picture of purgatory sticks to the mind of many Catholics. Therefore, it is necessary to first of all “purge” the image. “Holy souls in Purgatory” actually refer to the souls assured of heaven but are in a temporary state of purification, a kind of “remedial class” for heaven-bound souls.

St. Catherine of Genoa once wrote, “I believe no happiness can be found worthy to be compared with that of a soul in Purgatory…and day by day this happiness grows as God flows into these souls more and more, as the hindrance to His entrance is consumed. Sin’s rust is the hindrance, and the fire burns the rust away, so that more and more of the soul opens itself up to the divine inflowing… As the rust lessens and the soul is opened up to the divine ray, happiness grows…”

And the fire? Here St. Augustine gives us consoling information when he writes, “Many faithful have to undergo a purifying suffering by being subjected to a symbolic or metaphorical fire, probably at the moment of death.”

The Feast of All Souls, therefore, should not cause us worry and anxiety but encourage us to assist our brothers and sisters in their process of purification and maturation so that they may soon join the saints in their eternal joy. And we also should not be afraid of Purgatory because it will help us one day to be made ready to join the Lord in heaven.

Reflection Question:

Do I pray for the souls of the departed, not only on All Souls Day but regularly?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for taking away those frightful, man-made ideas about Purgatory. Listen to my prayers for my loved ones who have left this world that they will soon be with You forever.

Prayer to Release 1,000 Souls in Purgatory

2010-11-01T21:36:00.006+08:00

Saint Gertrude showed tender sympathy towards the souls in purgatory and urged prayers for them. She is therefore invoked for souls in purgatory.

To all Catholics around the world, it will only take you one minute everyday to say this prayer of Saint Gertrude to release 1,000 souls from Purgatory and for living sinners as well.

Here's the Prayer of Saint Gertrude:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus Christ, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, for those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

Video of St. Gertrude's Prayer:

U.S. Visa for Sale?

2010-10-26T16:03:00.004+08:00

(reposted from Yahoo!)

Citizenship for Sale?

by Daniel Gross, Yahoo! Finance
Monday, October 25, 2010

Every day investors around the world choose to put their hard-earned cash into the U.S. Billions of dollars flow in the form of foreign direct investment, as when a group of Brazilians bought Burger King, and foreigners purchase hundreds of billions of U.S. stocks and bonds, as measured by the Treasury's TIC data.

But a small number of investors show up on these shores drawn by something more valuable than financial returns: the prospect of U.S. citizenship.

Related Video

Aaron Task and Daniel Gross discuss the visa program on Tech Ticker.

You can't simply purchase an American passport (at least not legally). But since 1990, foreigners with as little as $500,000 in cash have been able to invest their way to a quick green card, putting them on the path to citizenship. Quick, somebody call Lou Dobbs!

Yes, the U.S. government lets people with cash to jump the line for a green card through the EB-5 program.

Starting in 1990, 10,000 visas have been set aside each year for the EB-category. The program was designed to encourage foreign investors to create jobs by starting a new business or preserve jobs by investing in money-losing businesses. If they agree to invest $1 million, foreigners can get a visa, apply for green cards, and become conditional permanent residents.

After two years, provided they've made good on their promise to invest, created 10 jobs (family members don't count), and the business is still an ongoing concern, they can apply to have those conditions removed. And after five years with a green card, holders can apply for citizenship.

Of the 10,000 visas in the program, 3,000 are set aside for "targeted employment areas" -- rural areas, or places with an unemployment rate that's 150 percent or more of the national average. For these visas, the threshold is lowered to $500,000.

Another 3,000 visas are set aside for investments in "regional centers" -- areas or industries designated by states. (A full list of regional centers can be seen here.)

Some organizations, professional service firms, and companies promote the program as a whole, or market investment in particular projects as appropriate for EB5 aspirants, such as a ski resort in Vermont. Other entrepreneurs having a tough time raising cash are now seeking to use the program to tap into new sources of financing. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that developer Bruce Ratner is seeking to use the program to help raise funds in China for his massive, controversial Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Now, many may view the prospect of giving favorable immigration treatment to investors as problematic. The phrase "bring us your moneyed investors yearning to breathe free" doesn't have the same poetic heft as the inscription about the tired, poor, huddled masses etched on the Statue of Liberty. From its inception, the price of citizenship has traditionally been a willingness to leave behind the old world and work hard -- not write a check to support the construction of a bunch of ski-in, ski-out condos.

But I happen to think this is a very good thing. If it were fully utilized, the EB5 program would bring at least $7 billion annually and create or preserve 100,000 jobs per year. It's not much in the grand scheme of things -- there are currently about 130 million Americans with payroll jobs. But given the trauma inflicted upon American workers in the past three years, every little bit helps. And this is something the U.S. should be doing more of.

One cure for the vast overhang of excess housing would be to offer expedited citizenship to people willing to purchase vacant homes in places in like Las Vegas or Detroit.

In fact, it's surprising that more people don't take the U.S. up on its offer. Consider the changing shape of the world's economic geography: We've got American companies with lots of cash that are reluctant to invest at home because they see better prospects abroad. Thanks to that same dynamic, millionaires are being minted by the millions in China, India, and Brazil, and elsewhere.

Unfortunately, the EB5 program has never come close to maxing out. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, in 2009, just 1,028 people applied for EB5 status and 966 were approved, up from 776 applications and 485 approvals in fiscal 2007. Applications and approvals rose sharply in fiscal 2010, to 1,727 and 1,271, respectively.

I'm guessing the lackluster numbers can be chalked up to a failure of marketing rather than the limited attraction of the underlying product, or of its expense. In fact, the investment-related green card should probably be priced higher. Here's a thought experiment: Ask how much you'd have to be paid to give up American citizenship for you and your family and assume that of a randomly chosen foreign country. Something tells me the bidding would start at a point much higher than $500,000.

Daniel Gross is economics editor and columnist at Yahoo! Finance.

Follow him on Twitter:

@grossdm. Email him at grossdaniel11@yahoo.com

Leaving all, Giving all to God

2010-10-11T17:28:00.001+08:00

Leave all and give all to God.

That is the very essence of being a true servant of God. When He asks you to follow him, God expects us to give our all — not just what we can, but everything we are. This is what I learned during our Senior Leaders Retreat at the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) over the weekend. The Couples for Christ-FFL seminar was the first of its kind in the District of Paranaque wherein some of God’s core army south of Metro Manila were immersed (read as: reminded) on the need for servant leadership. This indeed was a welcome blessing to us who have been weary of years of battle and mission.

The six power talks were delivered by power speakers, brothers all: PFO head Gary Faustino, Metro Manila head Lachie Agana and senior leader Oca Oblefias who never ran out of humorous punchlines. Bro. Oca also was last night’s game master and fellowship night emcee.

In all, the 2-day retreat was very encouraging. It allowed us to refocus our priorities on what matters most — God’s work and the need for us to lead the frontlines despite our own personal spiritual battles. It was also a welcome respite from our daily work to see our brothers and sisters from all walks of life to re-affirm our commitment as enlisted servants in God’s army.

The retreat’s pictures summarize the fun and camaraderie:

DAP Garden

Our accomodations @ DAP

Sta. Rita with a Song & Dance

Group of the Chief State Posecutor (Bro. Claro)

Bro. Roy serving soup

Las Pinas Team

Bros. Oca & Lachie and participants

Bro. Narcing & Sta. Rita Team

Bro. Jojo with group from Paranaque District

The Food Line

Lunchtime with Sta. Rita Vicariate

A-OK for these participants

Bro. Jojo Dunglao

Listening to the Talks

Seniors Class 2010

Viaje de Descanso a la Casa San Pablo

2010-10-03T15:39:00.000+08:00

What an excuse to get away.

The Friendster Team went on a team-building activity in Casa San Pablo, San Pablo City in Laguna. Having teen-aged kids, I took my sweetie along for the trip. Well, I needed help in case the kids (the Friendster team, that is) went rowdy and needed a mom…haha.

Living in the south has its privileges. We didn’t need to wake up so early since San Pablo City was only an hour-and-half’s drive from my place. We met the rest of the team at Seattle’s Best in Caltex, just before the Sta. Rosa exit of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

There are actually two ways going to San Pablo City from the Calamba exit. One is through Calauan via Pansol in Los Banos, Laguna. The other, which me Sweetie took, was via Sto. Tomas in Batangas. Coming from Sto. Tomas, Casa San Pablo is at the right side of the street where the main Puregold entrance is located.

Casa San Pablo was formerly called “Kay Inay”(Mother’s). “Inay” was the endearing term for the grandmother of Boots Alcantara, Casa San Pablo’s owner and resident manager. The place is almost unnoticeable from the main street except for its old steel gate with a security guard. Casa San Pablo covers a huge tract of land in the city. The Alcantara family used to own that one-hectare property before selling it to Puregold recently.

Upon entry, the security guard shall guide you to the parking lot. Walking through a path, the swimming pool is the first refreshing site you see. Crossing a small footbridge over a creek, you’re guided to the main reception area which is like your old grandparents’ lanai where old furniture abound.

The rooms are strategically spread out in almost cabana style. Boots said that the rooms were originally designed by popular potter Ugu Bigyan of Tiaong, Quezon, who’s a an old friend. “That was before Ugu decided to concentrate on doing pottery,” Boots confided with a smile.

Trellis entrance

Old iron marks Room 8

Other rooms

Lanai, Lounge area

Sweetie

Casa San Pablo in itself is art. Besides its interiors and furnishings, the paintings and little works of art abound. From the red paper mache horses on the small study table in the living area to the old Lambretta scooter somewhere at the back of the dining hall, everything’s worth a camera shot.The rooms have their own personalities. One was even decorated with Boots’ collection of Matchbox cars. Many paintings and sketches were done by the famous Saturday Club (of artists) who meet Casa San Pablo once-in-awhile for their sessions.

Our Room

Hammock break

The boss is working

Bric-a-brac

There are hammocks tied to pine trees in the garden. At night, candles in small bottles light the place, making it almost surreal. The big garden leads to the Alcantara’s residence where Mommy Vinya lives. Boots jokingly told us that, “My mom is Casa San Pablo’s official guest relations officer.” Indeed, she is. Mommy Vinya was the first to greet us when we arrived. It’s as if you came home to your Lola’s house.

Ýummy food!

Working

Just pictures

Dining at Sulyap

Sweetie & I @ Sulyap

Dining area @ Sulyap

Old stairs

What’s Casa San Pablo without the food? Again, the home-made cooking will always remind you of your grandparents in the province — with a touch of San Pablo’s style and taste. And when I meant the food was super “sarap,” this meant all meals. It’s even as if Lipton’s hot tea tasted more delicious there.

During our brief stay, there was a retreat being conducted for the Southridge School. Our host Boots said he even gave a talk. Interestingly, the rooms and dining halls of Casa San Pablo can be arranged to fit small and big groups alike. Our room was even turned into a honeymoon suite!

Sweetie with Mommy Vinya

Alcantara residence

A pose with Boots

A Lambretta scooter

Besides retreats and seminars, there are many other activities that can be done in Casa San Pablo: videoke, frisbee, stargazing, billiards, and in-room or group massage. For those wanting to catch up with the outside world, there’s free wi-fi. (Yey!)

Scenic Sampaloc Lake

Sampaloc Lake & Mt. Banahaw

The Boatman @ Sampaloc Lake

Since Casa San Pablo is part of the Viaje Del Sol chain of suggested tourist places to go in the south, there are a number of spots to visit, and use Casa San Pablo as your home for a few days. Nearby is Sampaloc Lake, Sulyap Restaurant and Ugu Bigyan’s House.

In all, Casa San Pablo was worth the trip. We went there to re-charge. And re-charge we did.

Day Trip to Tagaytay Highlands

2010-10-03T15:37:00.000+08:00

Captivating.

That’s how I’d describe the exclusive enclave of Tagaytay Highlands Golf and Country Club. It’s a for-members-only paradise disguised as a golf and country club. But thanks to Henry Sy, Sr.’s major investment in the venture, his executives get to sample the lifestyle of the rich and famous.

: Buying goodies at Good Shepherd Convent

: Good Sheperd Convent Garden

: View from Good Shepherd Convent

: Fishing Area

: The scenery from the Cable Car Station

: The Cable Cars

: Our hosts: Tito, Mina and their kids

: Waiting for the Cable Cars to arrive

: The pool area shot from a Cable Car

: Exclusive villas

: quick family pic

: One of the club’s gardens

: More mountains

: Mountains at the back

: The view of Lake Taal from Tagaytay Highlands

: Picture-perfect moment

: Jacuzzi Time

: a quick pose during chit-chat

: Squid balls

: Hamburger steak

: Pork chops

: Pizza!

: Yummy halo-halo

: The waterfalls

: Cottages on the hills

: Entrance to Highlands main building

Tagaytay Highlands is easily accessible via the Sta. Rosa exit of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX). Once you get to the top of the main highway overlooking Taal Lake, turn left towards Picnic Grove. You will pass Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), part of which has been converted into a Bed & Breakfast inn. I suggest you drop by Maryridge Good Shepherd Convent, just after DAP, on the right side of the road. There’s a sign telling you what you’ll buy: Ube Jam. Besides the super-hit ube jam, sample their halo-halo, lumpiang ubod, and chicken empanada. Don’t forget to take home Tawilis sardines, atchara (papaya and veggie varieties), and the to-die-for sweet-and-spicy dulong!

Now, off to Tagaytay Highlands, which is about 3 minutes away from the Good Shepherd Convent.

My good ole-buddy Tito and his gracious wife Mina were our hosts. They made sure we toured the place, sampled the delicious and affordable food, and relaxed in the club’s jacuzzi and pool.

As guests, we first went to the administration office to fill out a form and get our day pass. There’s a consumable amount of PhP1,800 plus a one-time entrance fee of PhP200 for the whole party. The office is located at the main club where the main dining area is also situated. I believe this is where the golf tee-off is also located.

By car, we went to the where the cable cars were. This is where the fishing area and pool facilities are also located. We first rode the cable cars which could accomodate four adults and one child for each car, which comes in threes. The cable car will take you across the the hill where below is a forrested ravine dotted with banana trees that seem to be untouched. The cable ride ends at the main building where the administration office is. Take some pictures. Frameables are: the view of the golf course, the mountain ranges, exclusive cottages and of course — the Taal Lake and it’s little active volcano.

After a lot of picture-taking, we headed back to the pool area via the cable cars.

You will need to sign-in and get your own lockers. Since the male and female locker reception areas are connected, you can just register in either and get your towels, soap and shampoo. Each person will be charged about PhP250 for use of the pool, jacuzzi and its facilities. Food can be ordered at the pool area where a cool covered space serves as dining-ala-cabana area. There’s always a waiter to serve you in the pool area, so go ahead and indulge. The kids enjoyed the food and the cool water in the pool where a man-made waterfall fit perfectly into the scenery. As for me and my buddy Tito, we squeezed in a 30-minute meeting in the pool area while our wives chit-chatted and the kids explored the place.

Going on a weekend, especially on a Sunday, means going home at about 5:00 p.m. to catch the 5:30 p.m. mass at the Catholic church near Picnic Grove. Tito’s family saw this as more convenient than hurrying home to Las Pinas City and catch the late night mass. As for Sweetie and I, since we already heared mass on Saturday evening, we took time to but fresh flowers along the road towards Sta. Rosa. It’s been relocated from along the main Tagaytay highway to the place where there’s a long billboard at the corner of the Silang-Sta. Rosa highway. Oh, and we bought three dozens of pink Carnations for only PhP350. In Manila, that would have cost PhP450!

Places to stop-over for snacks and quick-buys would be the fruit stands along the road (towards Sta. Rosa), Rowena’s for buko (coconut) and mango pies, mango and ube tarts, and those yummy cream pies, and Mr. Moo for cow, carabao and goat milk products and cheeses.

We usually make a stop-over at Nuvali’s Solenad place for dinner at either Pig-Out, Yellow Cab Pizza, David’s Tea House, or Brother’s Burger. In our many trips to Tagaytay. Have coffee after at — where else? Starbucks.

Back on SLEX, it was a fast and easy ride. You can have a quick- stop for gas or rest at a Shell or Caltex station, where in many of our Tagaytay trips, we’d dine at either Pancake House or Jollibee (at Shell) or KFC (at Caltex).

Exiting Filinvest, it is unusually traffic so we instead take the main Alabang exit where the snag is usually below the flyover where vehicle and pedestrian traffic converge near the wet market.

Nearing our home, the kids are still snoozing and probably dreaming about our day trip to the exclusive paradise enclave that is Tagaytay Highlands.

Scam Alert! Anna Marie Velasco SMS

2010-01-30T13:46:00.000+08:00

“An angel crying for help.”

Wow, what a tag line! This SMS scammer should have been a copywriter for the advertising industry. It pinches the heart, doesn’t it? Then again, beware!

I received this text (in Fiipino) through my Globe number last January 25, 2010:

“Pued po b akong humingi ng 2long sa inyo? I’m marie, 21yo fresh grad po from Bacolod City. Gagawin ko po ang lahat ng kapalit na gusto nio, ma2lungan nio lng po akong makapunta sa mynila.My job hiring n asana po kc ako jan sa san mig-ortigas, syang po kc kung madissolve lng..Im willing to take the risks ng kpalit na hhngin nio. Un nlng tlga pgasa ko na mkluwas kgd pra mhbol deadline ko po. My pic & supporting docs po ako sa http://www.mariebacolod.tk – marie”

In my terms, it was “tagos sa puso.” I worked for San Miguel before and was sure this was indeed a great opportunity for new grads. If you had the money to give for fare for the sake of charity, why not? Forget the part “she’ll do anything in exchange” as it is so un-Christian. So I checked her site and read it. I researched on the web and alarm bells already sounded. It was a scam.

A few days later, this is the text I got:

Name: Marie Velasco
Age: 21
Birthdate: Feb 21, 1987
Height: 5'7"
Complexion: Fair
Vital Stats: 35-25-36
Hair: Long and straight
Other: joined some provincial pageants for allowance
Course: BS Information Management (Computer and Accountancy)
School: DOST Scholar in University of St. La Salle – Bacolod
Parents: Anna and Mario Velasco (both deceased)
Picture: www.mariebacolod.tk

So I just played along and texted back and asked how I could help and this was “her” initial reply:

“My deadline na po sana kasi ako dis coming Feb 1 po.. 9am sa San Miguel ITServices department pos a ortigas. Junior IT Specialist po ung position na inaapplayan ko.. Sayang po tlga kc dhl related sa course ko.. Final briefing nlang po sana..”

Then I asked how much money was needed for fare, “her” reply was:

“Depende po kung saan nio ko pasasakayin.. Barko o eroplano po? Ung boat fare sa superferry is 2,350 po with 4 trips per week. Monday, wed, fri and Sunday po. While ung plane po is 3,268 with 3 flights EVERYDAY po”

By this time, it was obvious that this scammer has cut-and-paste answers. The actual fares were really cheap. The deadline was supposedly February 1 so the option of taking the boat was out of the question as it will take 2-3 days to get to Manila from Bacolod City. Besides, the fact that it takes the texter between 12 to 24 hours to respond means that “she” is not really that desperate and changes SIM cards, the one being used to scam not a permanent one.

Here are the websites the scammer built for a tinge of legitimacy:

www.marievelasco.tk
www.mariebacolod.tk
www.avelasco.cjb.net

This text scam dates back to June 2008 from the first time a blog about it was posted and many other earlier posts on the subject. It has been active the whole of 2009 till this year as per my personal account.

Be careful out there my good-hearted friends. Wolves abound.

-Homer

Some links to other posts on the Anna Marie Velasco Text Scam:

http://makeuseoftime.blogspot.com/2009/03/annamarie-velasco.html
http://docmnel.com/2008/06/04/anna-marie-velasco-another-scam-in-the-making/comment-page-1/
http://menardconnect.com/2009/08/01/sms-scam-marie-velasco/comment-page-1/#comment-2417
http://kokoro15.multiply.com/journal/item/35
http://bluemaldita.livejournal.com/13298.html
http://blog.richardorlino.com/2009/12/the-anna-marie-velasco-scam/
http://www.filipinowriter.com/marie-velasco-mag-ingat-sa-manlolokong-ito

Renovation of Marketing - by Joyette Perez, Business Mirror

2009-02-27T11:18:00.000+08:00

(An Article from The Business Mirror, December 23, 2008)

There are many cool scenarios offered on how our lives will change when computers and ground and satellite-linked networks become commonplace in the home. Households will find it easier to make product choices and place orders for goods and services. They can look up product descriptions on Web sites or monitor comments or carry on conversations in chat rooms. They will visit the sites of information middlemen providers for product information and comparisons. They will use intelligent agents who will learn their preferences in music and film and will make new suggestions, and who will review their e-mail and eliminate junk mail. They will be able to obtain advertising and programming on demand. They will use push technology to keep them informed of various interests.

In an interview, Admax Network business director Homer Nievera stressed that the Internet as a whole has evolved into a truly customer-centric medium probably influenced by its massive reach. Heavy competition composed of traditionally big and so-called garage-based businesses has given birth to niche markets.

“The flood of information and dizzying offers of products and services has led customers to be careful and choosy such that customer service, branding and delivery have been tricky for business owners. Blogs, for instance, have given customers their own bull horns that can make or break businesses. Thus, the key elements for success in the online space is composed of, but not limited to: a strong brand, excellent customer service, effective delivery and innovative technology,” he added.

For consumers, new media will provide easy access to more options. Stress and information overload are likely to increase. While digital channels are now mass targeted, they can easily be targeted, allowing for singular interactions with consumers. New media, including social networks, games, mobile and other digital formats, will continue to attract even larger audiences. Consequently, marketers will shift more of their activities to these channels, using them as one-to-one channels, not as “mass” media.

According to Nievera, Admax Network provides advertisers with a simple and effective digital delivery system to connect with consumers. “The key to our success lies in our network of more than 200 specialty-content Web sites. This audience can be finely segmented—not only by demographics, but also across the more than 20 content channels served by our network or down to the individual site. Thus, not only do we help give the best ROI to advertisers, but also give Web site and technology owners—big or small alike—a fair chance to make advertising money off their properties. In the process, both advertisers and Web sites win.”

Companies must fundamentally recraft their approach to marketing around the features of the new media and digital marketing. While basic marketing principles—such as positioning and segmentation—will remain, digital channels will extend and accelerate how marketers engage consumers.

“Mobile advertising and placing TV commercials online [also called ‘in-frame ads’] through Admax’s network system must be explored and exploited by advertisers. As broadband connection becomes cheaper and wider in reach, convergence of digital media into one single device is not far ahead. This device may likely be the mobile phone or some similar gadget in the near future,” Nievera explained.

Will all companies heed the call to evolve their marketing to improved approaches? Probably not. After all, new thinking requires flexibility, and some find it hard to change. Plenty of marketers would rather go back to the time when traditional media was all that was needed to convince consumers about their products.

But no one can stop the march of progress. Marketers must be ready to face new media with winning plans if they hope to come out on top. In discussions his group had with some advertisers and ad agencies, they said media budgets such as in print are being scaled to be used in digital media in 2009. Besides experimenting with the new medium, they are confident of delivering a better ROI for their advertising money with metrics they can track in real time. Should advertisers capitalize on online and mobile media for 2009, things will definitely look better for the advertising industry.

“Today, to get ahead of the game, education is key. More and more clients are asking their ad agencies to tell them more about digital media. Some answer with creative executions that merely wow but do not involve much strategic positioning. They sometimes forget the science behind much-needed reach and frequency or the power using the right media at the right time. Fortunately, technology has driven digital advertising to a realm where even the consumers’ online behavior toward an ad can be tracked or measured—in real time,” he explained.

No doubt traditional media will still play an important role for years to come. However, the shift to new media is not a short-term trend; it is the inevitable result of a series of deep, long-term structural changes. Consumers’ personal preferences and configurations will be known to marketers at a variety of touchpoints. To be successful in this environment, you will have to be ready to make a step-change; small experiments will no longer suffice.

Nievera has been recently appointed as business director of Admax Network in the Philippines. He has moved from sister company Impaq Interactive, where he has led the team in growing the Microsoft advertising business. He brings 20 years of advertising expertise with specialties in strategic marketing and communications, guerrilla selling and business development.

The company’s diverse network of more than 400 Web sites connects brands to over 47 million consumers targeting 15 different content categories, including business, travel, autos and more. Launched in 2006, Admax Network, a subsidiary of Digital Marketing Solutions Group, is Southeast Asia’s leading site representation and advertising network of local and international Web sites, with operations in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam

Life Isn't by Chance

2008-11-22T11:40:00.001+08:00

Purpose. This is what life is really all about.

If you haven't found yours yet, don't be so hard-pressed in finding what it is. It will come to you. Purpose in life is sought out or sorted out. It simply finds you wherever and in whatever state you are.

I was five years old when I had this sudden feeling of panic. I was so young then but when I gazed upon the setting sun through a window of our small Makati City apartment, it hit me -- "What am I here on earth for?"

The sun, so big and majestic on it's heavenly place, represented the mighty Creator. It seemed to look down upon me. I imagined the billions of people on earth who might have thought the same. The sun looking upon each and every being on earth. Amazing how God saw us on an individual basis!

If that was so, would life unfold just by chance? Could we really do anything and not be noticed? Not a chance for sure!

Everyone and everything that we do MUST have a purpose. Even the people we meet and make part of our lives have a reason.

There are no mistakes in life. They normally are planned bumps on life's road or in many instances, detours. Happy victories are not because of our individual circumstances or by coincidence. They are part of the plan. You see, if you believe in a Supreme Being who has created each and every cell in your body, then you should wonder "for what purpose?" He has a plan -- an individual plan, that is.The only thing that will make things go "wrong" is when we defy "the plan."

I have always believed that the most important thing created in us is the heart. This is where the "will" resides. The "will" is both God's will and our own that drives us to our direction. I believe that God's plan and timing are ALWAYS PERFECT. Nothing He does will be by accident. So we are definitely not here by accident. We just need to examine our heart more to know of our purpose. Remember, God resides in and speaks through the heart. Listen.

Our conscience is our compass. It is not connected to our brain but is wired to our heart. It works on a database of experiences and learnings. Thus, if we just meditate and pray for wisdom and discernment, we will definitely know where and when to go. As timing is also crucial, this bit has to be specifically prayed for as well.Just remember that prayers are always answered. We just have to accept the answer even if we don't agree with it.

Choices. Why are we always faced with crossroads? This is the exciting part of life. This is also a gift that God has given us. We are free to choose what door to open or what road to take. Scared to choose which door to open or which road to take? Pray. Listen to your heart. Besides, even the angels had their choices, right? One chose to be king and above the Creator and was given the key to hell.He should have stayed loyal to His Creator instead.

So life which resides in all of us isn't by chance. Let's not wait till we're in mid-life to ask ourselves "where to?" but instead always pray and seek your heart on "where to now?"
It's the "now" that's really important. Yesterday ended last night and tomorrow may never come.

Throw the dice away. You don't need it.

That Joy You Bring

2008-11-12T22:12:00.000+08:00

Joy is the word I would describe
The way I feel about you.
It might be because of your charm
That accompanies your smile,
Or the way you do your hair
That captures me to a constant gaze.

You astonish me with your wisdom;
And the strength of your soul
Encompasses my world,
As nothing in me and within me
Escapes the aura of stillness and calm
That you bring into my life.

I am enchanted by your inner being.
Happiness rules your life.
Your faith and will are impregnable.
Your naive but complete honesty
Betrays the innocence of your heart.
There lies the strength of your character.

Tomorrow may bring sadness,
But surely it will never overcome
The joy you continue to bring into me
For there will always be more days
Of sunshine than rain
Knowing you’ll always be around.

(a poem for Jinky during our anniversary 2006)

The 10 Commandments for Those Over 40

2008-11-02T13:48:00.000+08:00

1. Focus on enjoying people, not on indulging in or accumulating material things.

2. Plan to spend whatever you have saved. You deserve to enjoy it and the few healthy years you have left. Travel if you can afford it. Don't leave anything for your children or loved ones to quarrel about. By leaving anything, you may even cause more trouble when you are gone.

3. Live in the here and now, not in the yesterdays and tomorrows. It is only today that you can handle. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may not even happen.

4. Enjoy your grandchildren (if you are blessed with any) but don't be their full time baby sitter. You have no moral obligation to take care of them. Don't have any guilt about refusing to baby sit anyone's kids, including your own grandkids. Your parental obligation is to your children. After you have raised them into responsible adults, your duties of child-rearing and babysitting are finished. Let your children raise their own offsprings.

5. Accept physical weakness, sickness and other physical pains. It is a part of the aging process. Enjoy whatever your health can allow.

6. Enjoy what you are and what you have right now. Stop working hard for what you do not have. If you do not have them, it's probably too late.

7. Just enjoy your life with your spouse, children, grandchildren and friends. People, who truly love you, love you for yourself, not for what you have. Anyone who loves you for what you have will just give you misery.

8. Forgive and accept forgiveness. Forgive yourself and others. Enjoy peace of mind and peace of soul.

9. Befriend death. It's a natural part of the life cycle. Don't be afraid of it. Death is the beginning of a new and better life. So, prepare yourself not for death but for a new life with the Almighty.

10. Be at peace with your Creator. For... He is all you have after you leave this life.

When nothing I did worked

2008-10-26T16:51:00.000+08:00

(an email from Perry Marshall)

Did you ever have some relative or teacher or parent or grandma
or grandpa or friend who would always say, "Buddy, you're
really gonna BE somebody. You're gonna make it. You're gonna
make a big dent in the world. You're going to be successful some
day. I believe in you."

They would make you feel so good, so confident, so inspired.

Then later on....

You wake up one morning - or maybe you receive some
phone call or orange envelope from your bank - and say
to yourself, "What on EARTH was he talking about? I am
getting absolutely NOWHERE!"

You look in the mirror and say to yourself, "I'm good
enough, I'm smart enough, and people like me"

...and then you think to yourself "This is total BS. Who
you kidding, pal?"

Until I was almost 30, very little that I attempted
to do in business ever really worked at all.

I got to experience my first of many firings at age 21 (someday
I'll tell you that story, it's very funny, it's funny NOW but
it wasn't funny then)... there was the whole Amway saga,
which never made me any money - despite superhuman
persistence including 118 NO's in a row.

After college I went into engineering, designing car
speakers. And yes while I designed speakers for the
94 Ford Probe, the 95 Acura Vigor, the 95 Jeep Cherokee
and the 96 Honda Civic, none of my "really interesting"
projects - the ones I truly put my heart into - ever saw the
light of day.

For example the speakers I designed for the Civic were
actually really crappy speakers because Honda had
these rigid requirements and they rejected this super
cool design that I cooked up for them.

The only reason they were even buying from us at all
was some law about foreign vs. US parts content in the
cars.

Most projects I worked on got shelved. Eventually I
got laid off.

Then I went into sales and my boss Wally said "Now this
guy Perry, this is a sales guy waiting to happen." Wally hired
me right away. Super great guy. And Wally waited... and waited...
and waited....

Every single major deal I worked on failed to close and
finally 2 years later Wally gave up on me.

It's pretty depressing when every item on your resume is,
truth be told, a dead end story with no real results to brag
about.

Every time I'd walk in the door at 9:30 in the morning
and tell Laura I'd been fired again, she'd encourage me
and tell me she believed in me and I'd march out into the
raging blizzard of life one more time and try again.

Man did she ever put up with a lot.

This eventually forced me to do some pretty serious
soul searching. I was a square peg trying very hard to
shove myself into round holes.

See, the thing was, everything I was trying to do was
ALMOST right. It was ALMOST a fit.

Just not quite.

I started looking real hard at what about be a perfect fit.
I didn't need no sex change operation; just a reshuffling of the
details:

-I needed to be in a place where my writing ability was
put to good use. None of my jobs had ever had any place for it.
-I needed a sales job where my technical skills were an asset,
not a liability.
-I needed to be able to use marketing as a tool to position
myself as a problem-solver instead of a peddler trying to
schmooze purchasing agents.

I got real clear about those things and started looking for a
spot that would satisfy those criteria.

You know what? When you get super clear about what
you want, it gets real easy to ELIMINATE all the stuff you
don't want. You've gotta get ruthless about not compromising
on that.

I'm not saying be a prima donna. I'm saying, be willing to
WALK AWAY from situations where you know you're just
going to be a square peg in a round hole all over again.

A few months later, the right opportunity presented itself.
It just FELT right. And it matched the criteria.

Suddenly it was easy to sell stuff because I was positioned
properly and not fighting my own nature anymore. The very
first commission check was the biggest I'd ever gotten.

The negativity was suddenly reversed. A positive spiral
began that continues to this day.

This did NOT instantly solve all of my problems, but the
texture of everything was different after that. My assets
were no longer liabilities. They were assets.

I couldn't possibly overemphasize how important it is to
really know yourself. Because you know what?

The things that have gotten you in the most trouble are
probably the very things that make you successful. The
things that annoy people the most about you are the things
that are most impressive about you.

When you're in "the zone" you create mischief.

Or...

When you're in "the zone" you create magic.

Mischief and Magic, they're usually two sides of the same
coin.

One works against you, the other works for you. I cannot
overstate how big the difference is.

You wouldn't be reading this email if you weren't a misfit like
me. If you were a happy little conformist you'd be blithely
involved in some bureaucratic meeting, performing your
assigned role. Not reading this email.

The reason you're out on the Internet working to find your
fortune is because you're a geek and a freak and a misfit
just like me.

Only a misfit would still be reading this email right now.

Be proud of it.

Know thyself, and: Harness your talent for creating mischief.

Don't apologize for who you are or what you're trying to
become. Just become MORE of what you already are.

Be more of who you are and find the people in the world
who want that.

Seize the Day.

Can We Be Real Friends?

2008-10-18T00:48:00.000+08:00

I always ask myself this question whenever I invite or get invited to be a friend with someone I’d “virtually” meet online. I have more than 600 friends in Facebook, more than 300 in Linkedin and a couple more in Friendster. I’d say, of almost 1,000 friends – social or professional – I have personally met only 100 of them. Is that a bad thing?

Technology has driven the way we communicate and associate with people. When what was supposed to create more time and space for us to be “free” has actually caused us to cram more things into our lives. Now, our lives are so cluttered that we don’t even have real time for real people.

Time is a valuable commodity. Sadly, it’s not renewable. We can’t even buy it. No matter how much money or connections we have, we simply can’t influence time. True to the old adage, time waits for no one. Thus, given just a few minutes to socialize, we meet, greet and keep our friends in online space. Then again, are they real friends?

We have used the online social and professional networks to connect and reconnect. We’ve found former classmates, officemates, friends, and maybe even lost loves. With photos and albums galore, we have found a way to share our lives to others. We have found virtual space to share our trials, triumphs, notes, journals, status, availability, ability, faith and hopes. These are the things that remind us of our needs as human beings.

I love coffee shops. They were made for personal conversations. They were created so we can just sit around, enjoy a cup of coffee and watch people and the world go by. Like the coffee that warms your lips, coffee shops make you feel the warmth of people around you. Friends that you make over a meal or a cup of coffee are seemingly for real. Yes, they can also break your heart. But they’re for real. What you see is what you get.

What about my online friends – are they for real, too? I’m talking about friends whom I have never personally met in my entire life. It’s either I invite them or they invite me. After which, I say a casual “hi” or greet them on their birthdays. I also comment on their notes, blogs, journals or status. I just want to somehow interact with them, even if it will only take me a few seconds or minutes of my time. As long as I have shared a bit of my time with them, I consider them as friends. Well, I am for real. I don’t really care if they aren’t.

Guess what? I have made some real friends online. I have even been invited to their birthdays, weddings and family gatherings. I’ve even godfathered some in their weddings and children’s Christenings.

Technology may have changed the way we interact with others today. What hasn’t changed is the need (read as: urge) to genuinely connect. Hopeful that every human being we meet online is the real deal, we’ll never stop connecting and reconnecting. We were wired to be social beings. That’s who we are. So, I guess it won’t really matter if my online friend is genuine as long as I know I am. That is my nature. Maybe even human nature. That is what really matters. I have a conscience. I have a heart. Most of all, I have a soul. Now that's for real.

Discover 90/10 Principle

2008-07-24T21:46:00.000+08:00

(I forgot where I got this, but it's something worth sharing...)

Discover the 90/10 Principle.

It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations).

What is this principle?10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react.

What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%.

The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%. How? By your reaction, you cannot control a red light, but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.

Let's use an example. You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just what happened. What happens next will be determined by how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close tothe edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit. After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 (traffic fine) away, you arrive atschool. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home. When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter. Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning.

Why did you have a bad day?

A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is D. You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.Here is what could have and should have happened: Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "It's ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You and your spouse kiss before you go to work. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.

Notice the difference? Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different.

Why? Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction. Here are some says to apply the 90/10 principle.

If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive?

Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it. You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job.

The plane is late -- it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger.

Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse.

Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it.The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle. The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache. There never seems to be a success in life. Bad days follow bad days. Terrible things seemto be constantly happening. There is constant stress, lack of joy, and broken relationships. Worry consumes time. Anger breaks friendships and life seems dreary and is not enjoyed to the fullest. Friends are lost. Life is a bore andoften seems cruel.

Does this describe you? If so, do not be discouraged. You can be different! Understand and apply the 90/10principle. It will change your life.

The Making of a Salesman

2008-04-27T19:56:00.000+08:00

Some of my friends call me Homerun.

Besides having "Homer" as my first name, they have coined the term as a recognition of my sales career. Having had numerous hard-won victories in my long sales career, companies hire my services when a heavyweight batter is needed to create and push sales teams. Advertising has been my home stadium though some industries such as IT and recruitment have hired my services to create and make their organizations conducive to sales homeruns. At 40, I think I've seen it all. I mean I have been able to profile who would be great salesmen and sales managers. I have spotted them and have been able to coach and mentor many mavericks.

This leads me to what many have asked me through the years: "Are supersalesmen born or made?" Let me tell you my story.

I believe I wasn't born into sales. I didn't even recognize the gift of gab. As a kid, I wasn't talkative or even had the trappings of a young politician. I never networked. I had a handlful of friends or playmetes and that was it. I used to write poems and believed I was a loner. But living in a small rented apartment near a squatters area in Makati City, this little kid had big dreams.

Finding a Personal Need or Want

I used to play with penlight batteries replacing toy soldiers which I didn't have. I once picked up a plastic toy cyclist on the street and had it as my first favorite toy. It was the mid-70's and a small plastic red helicopter I fancied was worth 80 centavos. My dad didn't want me to buy one though. Maybe we couldn't afford those extras or maybe he simply wanted me to just concentrate on my studies. I also wanted playcards known as "tex" but I didn't have an allowance to save up with. We were studying in private schools but I believe all our money went into our "privileged" education in Don Bosco Makati.

One day in school, I saw kids claiming deposits for bottles of Yes Cola softdrinks and Vim Chocolate drinks they bought for recess. "Hmmm," I thought. We had some old Vim bottles at home hidden under the old sink. A lightbulb lit up in my little kid's brain -- "maybe if I claimed deposit on them, I'd get some money." I did.

That single incident sent me into motion. I searched for bottles in school and at home to sell. Well, I was able to buy that red plastic helicopter. But I didn't stop there. I bought the playcards as well.

Lesson learned: find your personal need or want. What drives you towards finding a way for you to satisfy that need or want? It may be a car or house you've been dreaming of having. Or your new born baby whom you want to provide the very best.

My bosses have always given me or my teams sales targets or quotas. I give my sales teams dreams to fulfill. I usually would ask each sales person what would s/he want to buy or have by the end of the year. Whatever answer I get, I'd tell the sales person that that would be his or her target in terms of commissions or incentives s/he would like to earn. Simple enough, huh?

So when I promised my wife that I'd buy her a house and two cars before I was 30, I worked hard to make sure I kept my promise. I was into media sales for a global publication and I was 27 when I made that promise. In two years and at age 29, I fulfilled that promise.

My practical advice? Dream big. Make it happen.

Being Enterprising

I loved Choc-nut when I was a kid. Since I didn't want to blow all my earnings on toys and chocolates, I tried to think of a way to make more money. An aunt once told me that if I bought Choc-nut by the box at a store near the wet market, I can save 80 centavos per box. I asked my friends, classmates and even our househelp if they would buy Choc-nut from me at a lower price than the store's. Of course they said yes. Thus, everytime I bought Choc-nut, I literally ate my profits -- 80 centavos worth of Choc-nut. At 5 centavos each, I ate 16 pieces per box, then replenished my stock. I was now both filling a want or need by buying and selling Choc-nut. I moved a notch higher and became enterprising.

But since I wasn't making real profits as I ate them, I had to find a way to increase my money. I found a way through renting out comics.

I noticed that many students in Don Bosco were being fetched 2 to 3 hours on average after dismissal in the afternoon. Some were into sports and games while many more were bored waiting for their "sundo." I laid out about a dozen comic books one time and rented each for 10 centavos. On the side, I played tex. Each week, I replenished my stocks since my parents bought us kids (we were 3) new comics every Sunday. Inventory replenished weekly, in about a month, I was able to earn 400 pesos. That was big during those years when a jeepney ride was only 10 centavos. As an entrepreneur, it is always important to learn about inventory, cashflow and target market.

Lesson learned: be enterprising. Find what others need or want, then fill them. I believe that we will never run out of needs and wants as we create new ones each day. Technology and media are two of the most influential sources of these.

My practical advice? Be creative but grounded. If you can find opportunities in problems, then you're well on your way.

Salesmanship + Entrepreneurship

In high school, I sold subscriptions to Reader's Digest and World Executive's Digest. It was by chance that I saw an ad soliciting community representatives to both magazines. Besides my fancy in reading those magazines, I found out I could earn extra by just sharing them with others. I stumbled upon the basic concept of being a salesman.

At first, I used my basic network: family friends, relatives, and co-workers of my parents. I asked for referrals and those referrals gave me their own referrals. Soon, my network grew -- and so did my income. But you know what? I loved it more when my network of friends and acquaintances grew. It's as if I broke out of my shell.

By college at the University of the Philippines (in Diliman), I was organizing rock band concerts and contests, selling jewelry, and wholesaling eggs.

I wanted to be a musician but didn't have much interest in the long hours needed to practice the guitar. I thought of going one step higher -- I produced the shows myself. So, together with some friends, we organized campus rock concerts and band contests. Some projects failed but we carried on. It was fun anyway!

One day, I stumbled upon an ad in the classifieds looking for young people who might want to sell a new line of fashion jewelry. The concept was direct selling under the master trainer Harry Pound (who I would be working with again 18 years later). I was 18 then. I invested a few hundred pesos and pushed on to be become the youngest sales supervisor in the company's history.

On the side, I also wholesaled eggs which came from an over-production at the Magnolia Farm. It was a short-term opportunity. I hired a salesman -- our houseboy -- on commission basis. Making the rounds of the community "sari-sari" stores and the small public market outside our village, I was able to make good money for more than a year.

What was good about my venture into the eggs business was my having trained our houseboy into a being a salesman than as a full-fledged entrepreneur. From selling commodities in the Zapote Public Market, he now grows, manages and sells cut flowers in Dumaguete City. He uses a one hectare land of the seven hectares my mom owns. This was my first mentoring and coaching experience, just before I graduated from college.

In my sales ventures, I was refused a lot of times. However, I was relentless instead of frustrated. Whenever I got a "no," I always found ways for my prospects to say "yes," may it be for me to simply repeat their name and ask them if I was right. Somehow, those little "yeses" moved closer and closer for them to say "yes" to my sales pitch. Also, I had to make sure that I got to present to more people till I got a "yes" so as to lessen the impact of the number of "nos" that I received. As I always say, "sales is a numbers game." The more pre-targeted prospects you have, the better your success ratio becomes.

Lesson learned: salesmanship with entrepreneurship is about managing your frustration levels creatively and with determination. Failures will always be part of the sales process. It's not how many times you fall, but the number of times you get up is what matters. Be strategic. Pre-target as many prospects as you can before making the actual call. Also, success is sweeter if you've been able to learn from your previous mistakes.

My practical advice? Work smart, instead or working hard. Do your homework. Learn about the product or service you will need to sell before hitting the streets. Know about your target market. Go first for niches.

Years of Learning and Practice

Right after graduating at the University of the Philippines with a Communications Research degree, my first job right was again selling magazine subscriptions and book sales, though this time to both corporate and individual clients. I even won a silver award in my rookie year, besting the veterans. I practically did building sweeps besides getting endless referrals. I also began to understand the need for targeted or niche prospecting. Instead of doing a shotgun approach to finding prospects, I did them by industry. This technique I still do until this day. I refer to it as a street-by-street and block-by-block guerilla sales approach. Traditional, but still massively effective.

Wanting to try my hand at advertising, I cut short my sales work and got into McCann-Erickson Philippines, the top ad agency at that time. After two years learning the ropes in both media and account management for the San Miguel Beer account, I was taken in by San Miguel Corporation's Magnolia as it's very first Media Coordinator. Both experiences have opened the doors for me to learn more about strategic marketing techniques from my mentors Ting Jarme (my former boss and Account Director at McCann) and the late great marketing genius Bert Anido (my former boss and Marketing Director at Magnolia).

I realized that if you wanted to learn how to do strategic selling, you've got to learn marketing. I did not only learn basic marketing, but I attended lots of seminars, read numerous books and practiced what I learned. I even fell in love with marketing communications as a sub-specialty. This, I acquired due to my love of media.

As a media coordinator at Magnolia Nestle Corporation, I had four ad agencies who supported my team of three. Four media managers were at the forefront of these hot agencies of the early 1990's servicing our account namely Emma Deloso of J. Romero & Associates, Bing Aragon of PAC/BBDO, Jon Gatbonton of Ace/Saatchi, and Suzanne Capistrano of McCann. I loved my support team. They were my mentors, especially Emma who was so patient with a 22-year old media head as a client. Candidly, she taught me a lot. Both Bing and Suzanne were to move onto the supplier side while Jon was destined to be Saatchi's top media honcho. Emma would later be a media consultant.

My work allowed me to meet a lot of media suppliers. One particular TV blocktimer, whom everybody fondly called Tita Glo, became close to me. I even made her a godmother in my wedding. One day, she asked me a favor. She wanted me to go with her to meet rock n' roll great RJ Jacinto. She was offered to market his FM radio station in Manila. Politely turning it down, Tita Glo told RJ if he instead wanted to hire me. RJ offered me the job right there and then with a big smile on his face. He gave me the terms privately and I accepted. That was the start of my media sales career.

Now armed with a media and marketing background, I plunged into advertising sales for DZRJ-FM as marketing director. I was 24.

When I arrived at the RJ Ventures office in Makati Avenue, I was a bit shock by the adhoc nature of the sales and marketing organization. There were two freelance marketing agents and I had to build the team from scratch. I had to bring in a fresh team of young and good-looking guys and a lady who looked as if she came out of a fashion mag. I got my college friend Will Maligalig from the radio station of GMA-7 to lead the team as Sales Manager. We had a formidable team. I got Robert Velhagen (who eventually became ABS-CBN Marketing Director), Jude Garcia (who went on to become Aliw Broadcasting VP for Marketing), and two others -- Paul and Claire (forgot their last names). Eventually, Anna Cawaling, one our freelance marketing agents, left to set up Target Marketing with my friend Winnie Baling, selling cinema spots. Only the veteran Marsha Cacho, the other freelance agent, helped my young team market RJ.

In 6 months, we were able to turn the company around. We helped build the station into a 6-station network. Admittedly, Will was a big factor in pushing the sales promotions into unprecedented heights. We had back-to-back movie premieres in Silence of the Lambs and Robinhood Prince of Thieves. From a rock n' roll format that was shunned by advertisers, we were able to create a funky niche in our "Good Times" slogan. Ramon Jacinto's DZRJ and Bistro RJ became a hit among the oldies and the yuppies.

Lesson learned: go to a field that you will come to love and enjoy working in. Along the way, study your craft more than what's required of you to learn.

My practical advice? Don't learn the tricks of the trade, learn the trade. Find a mentor.

Sales as a Passion

When I was hired by the Asian Sources Media Group (now Global Sources) to be the Country Sales Manager for the publications World Executive's Digest (a.k.a. WED) and Trade & Travel magazines, I believe that's where I found my passion in sales.

When my old friend Bernia Jiao, then WED Marketing Manager, asked me if I would be interested to be the sole sales rep for the magazine, I was excited. I have been a fan of WED since college. I sold subscriptions of the magazine and knew its readership profile. However, I was to pick-up ad sales from a 15-year marketing arm. "Tough act to follow," I thought. Sales were also in the red. A reversal of its trend. In my mind, it's another turn-around task. This time, it's a tougher industry -- publishing! I was also up against regional and global sales managers as WED was now part of a global publishing group. Oh, and I was alone. The stakes became higher indeed!

Resorting to fervent prayer more often, I geared up for an uphill climb. I was relentless in my calls and forged partnerships with some high-value clients for long-term deals. After 4 years, I looked back and saw a 500% increase in sales. We were also already in the black and I was eventually awarded a Sales Person of the Year Award besting other nationalities. As far as I know, I was (and still am) the only Filipino who got that award. I also realized that 80% of my sales came from 20% of my clients -- the Pareto principle!

Having moved into various media including that of dotcoms, billboards, TV, and even a stint in recruitment sales, I realized that success comes with passion. It is waking up everyday embracing the prospect of a deal. This is where the adrenalin rush comes from. It's in the negotiations and crafting of proposals where the mind works more than the tongue. It's when after each presentation, faith sets in.

Lesson learned: many sales persons lose the game when they lose the passion. If you can spring back into action despite a setback, that's passion. If you're mind races into imagining solutions while the client is briefing you on their challenges, that's passion.

My practical advice? Be genuinely concerned in helping a customer or client find a solution to their challenges. See through those challenges as opportunities. In the end, it's how you got to closing the sale is what matters. This is where learnings come from. You solve a client's problem, you got a sale for your company. Think win-win -- genuinely.

Trail of the Boomers

2008-04-24T09:41:00.000+08:00

Born in the last trail of the boomers,
When flowers were equal to power,
And everyone feared a nuclear shower,
Has the world changed for the better?

When television was in black and white,
Or ideals were either left or right,
Letting the big boys pick a fight,
Have we changed the value of might?

As rock and roll was being aired,
And Hollywood was being bared,
As many mothers’ teary eyes stared,
What price for blood was really paid?

Many more were born after us,
But there’s still division inside a bus,
We nurtured love of wealth as a must,
Now where’s the culture of trust?

Counting the silver and grey hairs we see,
Many more dreams that could never be,
If only fifty more years had we,
Can the captive nations truly be free?

Watching leaders and nations rise and fall,
We’ve always seen the writing on the wall,
We can still make our final call,
And be the generation that did our all.

Multiple Streams of Income

2008-03-14T15:12:00.000+08:00

A few years ago, I stumbled upon author and speaker Robert Allen's white paper on the Internet titled "The 7 Secrets of Extremely Wealthy People." Also the author of "Nothing Down" and the "One Minute Millionaire," Robert Allen has contributed to my renewed perspective on making money so money itself will work for you.

I've gone back to corporate life after 7 years as a business development, marcom and publishing consultant. It was during those times that I've practiced Robert Allen's techniques as provided in his book "Multiple Streams of Income."

Somehow, I had "Filipinized" some of his views and translated "Multiple Streams of Income" into "pagbubukas ng maraming gripo" (opening many faucets or sources of water). This, I used as a basic coaching term for those seeking to improve their cash flow and income.

Internet-Based Business

Robert wrote about creating income through the Internet. I immediately created my own website. Admittedly, I got some consulting work from it and still receive some calls until now, though I'm so busy in my day job that I just offer free service for charities today. The key is to be an "Infopreneur." As Robert said, anyone can make money 24 hours a day through an Internet-based business. I agree.

Gather as much information as you can and are interested in. See where you can specialize. Create a business from there. Get paid for trading information or goods. A good friend of mine and a high school classmate, Jovel Cipriano, who owns Pinoydelikasi.com, earns huge sums from trading Filipino delicacies online. I was once meeting with him in Seattle's Best Coffee at the Greenbelt (in Makati City) when he paused for awhile to facilitate an order in the U.S. via email. Done in a minute! Whew! Another former elementary school classmate, Alain Villanueva, trades toys through E-Bay. He says he makes good money out of it in his own time. Knowledge indeed is equal to money.

Network Marketing (or MLM)

Another source (or faucet-wallet) is being involved in network marketing. Many have shunned this route due to pyramid scams. A word of wisdom: pyramid (or ponzi) schemes do not sell any tangible products. True MLM's (multi-level marketing) carry tangible products that are worth your investment. Candidly, the rule of thumb is 200% return on investment (ROI) on your first payment. You invest $100 and they give you $200 worth of products or benefits -- on the spot.

MLM is basically a home-based business. You can earn 2 ways: through selling products yourself or recruiting a network of sellers so they can sell the products for you. MLM is a form of direct selling. It is simply a way to distribute goods or services to the end consumer. I advice my friends going into network marketing or networking to check if the products are manufactured by the company or simply distributed. When the products are simply distributed, there's a danger that stocks will run out without a definite replenishment date. When this happens, the network becomes disgruntled as they are the end consumers anyway. The network then dies a natural end.

A company I recently joined is the Royale Business Club. It has strong products and a fantastic business plan, combining franchising, direct selling and binary recruitment. I am currently building a strong network which is destined for riches -- doing this in my spare time! Whoa!

OPM (Other People’s Money)

Money begets money. What if you don’t have money to start with? Then, go to someone who has!People with lots of money naturally want to have more. They can’t have enough. We will always have our reasons for wanting to accumulate money but for those who don’t have much to start with, then tap the one who has. You may have a skill or knowledge that when put into a business plan can potentially make loads of money. You may need an investor initially, but if your idea is presented correctly, then you can be partners. The key to this is an arrangement that both (or several) of you agree on. Some may opt for investing then divesting later, while some want to put money on the long haul. What’s also crucial is the type of relationship you may want with your investor/s. One word of advice – put your friends on the bottom of the list as potential investors. You’d rather keep your friendship than lose it someday if the venture fails.

The Commissioner

I have a knack at knowing what people want and need. This puts me in the middle of transactions. I connect them and I earn a commission. This, I can do, in my spare time. You can sell real estate, insurance, or anything that you can be an agent of. Just make sure you price your commissions based on industry standards. The key skill needed in this situation is to know the value of your connections and information. Keep informed. Keep connected.
Sell Something

Babies sell their need to be carried or fed by crying. When you apply for a job, you do everything in your power to get that job. You sell yourself to employers. Thus, no one can say that he or she hasn’t sold anything.

There are a lot of things that can be bought and sold. You can make something then sell it or buy something at a low price then sell it on value. That’s what car dealers do. They negotiate for a low price on someone selling his car, fix it up, then sell it with a neat mark-up. Think of something you can that you’d love to sell based on your knowledge or love of it. I used to sell magazine subscriptions and ads because I loved to read. I felt I was simply sharing my passion – and I got paid for it!

Doing What You Love

We dream of working on something that we are passionate about and get paid well to do it. This, I believe can be done if we seek in our hearts what is that that inspires us. When I do volunteer or evangelization work, I get fired up. All my communication and management skills are put to work for good causes. Do I make money on them? The work is for free. But by having a job that gives people jobs (I'm in executive/people search!) is truly empowering. When I recently joined Royale Business Club, my aim was to bring more people into their own business or at least have extra income. I have a friend who recently had a heart bypass. He's 60+ years old but has money to invest in a business. I told him I'd "partner" him with someone who can work on his network but doesn't have the money to spare. They share the profits. (This is also a variation of OPM)

Find what you love to do. You love books and coffee? Open a coffee shop with a bookshop. You want to the outdoors? Sell camping equipment. You love cars? Open a carwash business.

Everyone has his or her own passion. Make money out of it!

Hopefully next time, I’d be writing about the MONEY TREE. Tah-tah!

Paskong Pinoy

2007-12-26T12:20:00.001+08:00

Heto na’t malamig na ang simoy na hangin sa gabi hanggang sa madaling araw. Ang tunog na Top 40 sa mga mall ay napalitan na ng mga Christmas Carols. Puro “Sale” na ang nakikitang karatula sa mga tindahan dito. Ang mga tindero’t tindera ay hanggang tenga na ang mga ngiti, inaantay ang iyong pagbuhos ng inipong salapi. Kumukutikutitap na din ang mga parol sa mga bahay at lansangan. Narito na nga ang Paskong Pinoy.

Buhos na din ang trapik sa buong kamaynilaan. Lalu na yung malapit sa mga paliparan dahil sa pag-uwi ng mga kamag-anak na nasa abroad. Ang mga palitan ng dolyar sa mga mall at Ermita ay mahaba na din ang pila. Di man naka-uwi ang iba, pera na lang ipinadala. Dagsa na din ang mga mamimili’t mandurukot sa Baclaran at 168 sa Divisoria.

Sa tulad kong kayod marino sa pagtatrabaho ng isang buong taon, ang inaasam na 13^th month ay ubos na. Naikasa ko na rin ang mga perang nakuha sa mga raket. Kaya hayun, yung suweldo na pang-Disyembre ang ibabakas sa panggastos sa Pasko.

Ang sabi nga ng mga tusong negosyante, tuwing piyesta at Pasko nga lang gumastos ng todo ang Pinoy. Kahit pa katayin na ang kaisa-isang baboy sa bakuran at limasin ang ipon sa tukador at banko, makapag-handa lang sa okasyong ito. Tama nga!

Bakit nga hindi? Minsan lang sa buong taon ang tumodo sa gastos para lang maranasan ang lubos na kasiyahan sa pagbibigay kesa ipagdamot ang kita. One day millionaires daw tayong mga Pinoy. Siguro nga. Hindi kasi tayo likas na madamot. Masayahin at matulungin dala ng pagiging maka-Diyos at maka-pamilya.

Sabi nga ng asawa ko, over-quota na daw kami sa budget sa Pasko. Madaming regalo ang naipamigay at maraming beses na ding nagbalik-balik sa mall at grocery para sa iba’t-ibang handaan. Bukod pa yun sa Noche Buena ha!

O sige, baka makalimot tayo sa tunay na diwa ng Pasko. Ito ang pagsilang ng Panginoong Hesus na nagbigay ng bagong buhay sa atin. Ito ay ating ipinagdidiwang sa kapaskuhan. Ang bagong buhay na ito ay ating ipinadadama sa lahat ng ating mahal sa buhay. Maging kapamilya, kapuso, kabayan, kabagang, kakosa o ka-anu-ano pa natin sila.

Sa bispiras ng Pasko, kabi-kabila na ang mga concert ng mga kabitbahay ko! Kanya-kanya na ang mga hari at reyna ng videoke. Bumabaha na din ang San Mig Light at Pale Pilsen at Duty Free na alak.

Sa di kalayuan, naririnig ang pagtawag ng simbahan para sa misa. Naglalakad na ang mga taong naka-pustura. Karamihan ay kulay pula at berde ang mga suot na damit. Dagsa na rin ang mga nagtitinda ng tradisyunal na puto bumbong at bibingka na lumaki ang kita mula ng magsimula ang simbang gabi. Salamat naman.

Pagtungtong ng alas dose, sabay-sabay na ang pamilya sa Noche Buena. Lahat ng klaseng pagkaing naka-ugalian na ang nakahanda. Ang importante’y magkakasama-sama. Kuwentuhan, kantahan, at walang humpay na kasiyahan. Hanggang kinabukasan yan. Lahat ng reunion pinipuntahan huwag lang magkatampuhan. Ang mga namamaskong kabataan, pinagbibigyan. Parang trick or treat sa Amerika. Iyan ang Paskong Pinoy. Minsan lang maging magarbo. Todo ang gastos, todo rin naman ang saya.

Lord, salamat po at ako’y isinilang Niyong Pinoy.

The Call

2007-11-18T20:46:00.000+08:00

Choosing to Be a Father
Budz Nievera

Tito. Brod. Kuya. Kapatid. Dad.

These are just a few titles I’ve been called by my friends and loved ones. Though these days, though I’m still called “all of the above” titles, I love being called “Dad” most of all.Among the vocations I was thinking of getting, there were actually two that I short listed when I was in elementary school. Amusingly, both had one ultimate description: Father.

Yes, I wanted to be a priest. But I also wanted to be a Dad. Both are called “Fathers,” right? One is head of a church while the other heads a family. Both calls were towards serving God’s children anyway.

The First Call

I spent my elementary years at Don Bosco in Makati City. Coming from a lower middle class family, it was quite a struggle for my parents to send the three of us to private Catholic schools. We took the opportunity to study in exclusive schools. We studied hard and even reaped honors as sort of repayment for our parents’ efforts.I went through ordinary stages in my elementary years. I studied hard and played even harder. I had a lot of friends. The school was residence to priests and brothers under the Salesians (as the congregation was called). Our religion teachers were brothers or priests. Our rector was of course a priest. Even our sports and scouting heads were brothers.

During dismissal, there was this particular priest we kids were very fond of. His name was Father Roozen. He was Caucasian, wore dark-rimmed glasses, and had a ready smile and hug for us. I saw him as a father and a teddy bear at the same time. I guess all of us kids had at least at one time hugged Father Roozen. He was very accommodating and had an aura of holiness around him.

Given that environment, when there was a call to join the Junior Aspirants Club, I joined. The JAC was a first call to those who felt they were being called to be a priest. I was in grade 5 then. We had various activities which included a camp to Calatagan, Batangas. We just hang-out and enjoyed each others’ company. Through all our activities, we were always accompanied by either a priest or a brother.

I really can’t remember what happened but I simply lost interest in the priesthood going into grade 6. But guess what? My best friend, who wasn’t interested in the priesthood, was the one who eventually entered the seminary. He’s now the head of the Marian Missionaries, Rev. Fr. John Ma. Cordero, who is also Youth Today’s spiritual director.

The Path I Chose

The realization of wanting to take another road in choosing my vocation came sometime in mid-high school. I believed that there was a role God wanted each one of us to take. I took note of this when I joined a Catholic renewal group in our parish. I tried to discern God’s plan for me early on and thus, chose to have an advertising profession and eventually marry and yes, be a Dad.

I studied hard in high school and even graduated with honors. I knew that this will be my foundation when I got to college to hone my skills further. Eventually, I graduated with a Communications Research degree from the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

I soon specifically chose to be a professional communicator and have a stable God-centered family.

Meeting My Match

In order to accomplish God’s plan for me, He also chose a match for me – the woman who would eventually be my lifetime partner and be the Mom of my children. Her name is Jinky.

I truly believe that Jinky is God’s gift to me and to our three children. It was a mutual decision for us to bring up our children in the Catholic faith. This, we believed, would bring our family closer to each other with Jesus Christ at the center. We even decided to join a religious organization (Couples for Christ) to strengthen our faith, bringing our children into the greater Catholic community.

Living My Chosen Vocation

I never regretted having chosen to be a father. My children are my flock. I enjoy being their shepherd. I feed them and protect them against the world’s wolves. Despite the challenge of being the sole breadwinner, the hardest role a father has, I believe, is making sure that our family sticks to the faith. This, I also believe, is the greatest challenge that priests have for their flock. We are then, the same.

I double time in my prayers now that my own children are fast growing up. I want them to be guided when they start choosing their vocations. Whatever their calls will be, I will be there to support them. In the end, they are free to choose. This is what God, our Father, has also given us out of love. Who am I to do otherwise? I am just their steward. But I sure love to hear it when they call me “Dad.”

Second Wind: Time to Consolidate

2007-11-17T23:45:00.000+08:00

I'm back to "Blogger" -- and Blogging
Homer "Budz" Nievera

After a 12-month hiatus, I'm back to writing for my "Blogger" blog with a new title. I wanted to consolidate all my posts into one blog site, so here it is. This will represent my e-journal.

For this purpose, I had to have my two laptops repaired. One, the Redfox Navigator, was overheating while the other, an older Toshiba Satellite A20, needed a new board -- and so I thought. Miraculously, the Redfox Navigator only needed to be cleaned while the A20 didn't even have something wrong with it! Hmmm, really strange, most especially for the Toshiba A20. Two years ago, I sent it to the Toshiba Service Center (Tricom Dynamics) and they said it needed a new board. That would've cost me 33,000 pesos! I only paid SST (the generic service center in Alabang) 400 pesos! So, I bought a brand new Asus wireless LAN adapter for only 750 pesos. Another blessing since everything else cost 1,500 pesos and up. Voila! Am back to blogging.

Late last year, I went back to formal corporate life after 7 years in consulting and being an entrepreneur. I turned over the advertising business to my wife Jinky and the events company to my able partner Arman. I "quit" the consulting business to pursue a new career that hopefully leads me into stuff that will bring me more challenges.

Life begins at 40, they say. I'd say it's the new 20's wherein you re-direct your life into seemingly unchartered territories. The excitement is doubled as you see things more clearly since you've had 20 years of experience -- both failures and successes.

I'd say those past 7 years were well spent for my family. It was a long sabbatical after a successful run in advertising. I admit I burned out too soon, as an effect of peaking in my career too soon as well. The experience was worth it. I can say that I've seen my children grow in those 7 years. They're growing up so fast that my eldest ( a son) is graduating from high school and will join the next batch of would-be nurses next school year, while one of my daughters moves up to high school from grade school. Time flies so fast.

It's time to consolidate.

The year's almost ended. It's been more than a year since I joined Manpower Inc. (Philippines). The road has been bumpy but it's been leveling the past quarter. A new career, a new industry. What a way to start your 40th year.

I still do free consulting for start-ups and foundations. I'm still writing for the Foundation for Christ-Love Asia as editor of 2 magazines. I just finished 9 units for my march to a teaching certificate (and a masters degree in education) from the University of the Philippines Open University. I've also recently accepted a Chapter Head assignment for the CFC-Foundation for Family & Life. Whew! What a way to consolidate your life.

I have more than 20 years ahead of me yet. Life may be short but I want to make sure that I make it worth my time on earth. Keep healthy, work hard, play harder, pray longer! This is my second wind. Pull up the sails!