Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Thank You!


The Gift

When we say "The Gift" we often think about "things". This blog post is another reminder that a gift doesn't always have to be that way. I guess this post came a little bit too late since Christmas is over.

The best gifts are those which last a lifetime and yet cost none to produce. Take for example Susan Boyle's gift. She has the gift of singing. and is now turning that gift into more concrete terms and financial means.

If she was given  the choice to choose between that and let's say a Kindle Wireless Reading Device, she'll probably choose that before any thing else.

As humans our ability to give gifts such as the one that Susan got is severely limited by our own capabilities, hence here is where our own material limitations come into play.

Thus, we can only gift others as much. We can give a kindle for $139.00 or maybe an iPad for $549.00 but never the gift of singing or being able to draw such fine pieces of art.

The Future


Maybe a future would be possible where we could give those gifts ala "Matrix" style. Instead of eBooks on how to sing, maybe we can give the gift of talent by uploading and downloading these to the benefactors minds.

Such a technology may soon be in the offing with scientists dashing madly to develop brain technology. From what I understand, they are able to interpret electronic signals that the brain emits but not yet manipulate or totally understand them.

Commercialism


How many times have you seen people giving money as a gift to people? A blank check, a winning lottery ticket, an education plan, a get out of debt free card, etc are all in the fancies of people nowadays. It has laid a firm grip on the ever fragile and ever insecure mentality of people.

Media has played a major part in this as well as marketers.

"You are insufficient" is a message that bombard us like the rays of the sun.

You are fat.
You are broke.
You are not complete without a partner.
You are poor.
You are not safe.
Your future is in peril.
You are ugly.
You are sick.
You are.......

Lest this post gets overwhelmingly long, I should conclude with a defiant statement:

You are....

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Demand Media IPO

Disclaimer: I am just a small time businessman and a small time writer. In short, I don't really know much about this stuff.

CNN ARTICLE: Demand Media IPO Stalls Amid Accounting Questions [LINK]

As an amateur freelance writer, I usually earn about $3 every 500 words.  But lately, I've seen interest in freelance writing growing. That brought me to ask the question of whether hiring or subcontracting writing work was feasible. I know of several writers who did this and I'm not entirely sure as to the outcome of their endeavor.

Initially, it seems that the best model for the particular business niche I am in could be in the form of Demand Media which owns eHow.com and LiveStrong.com - both prominent sites on the web. DS currently has in its roster 13,000 active freelancers and about 2 million articles and videos.

CNN and Allthingsd reported this,

"What the added information boils down to: Demand doesn't expense the cost of paying its writers upfront. Instead, it spreads those costs over five years, which boosts its bottom line.



Demand's rationale is that the writers' content will generate revenue for the company revenue for multiple years, so it shouldn't have to recognize the costs upfront. It estimates the "average useful life" -- meaning the amount of time it will make money -- of its content to be 5.4 years."
How long will it take before those 2 million articles will pay off? 

5.4 Years...


Wednesday, December 22, 2010

ResortVille Christmas Party

The ladies are preparing the giveaways



Ann is scratching her shoulder

Ate Glo

Mirror Shot


I don't know who that is.

Martin is trying to find the snake that Anthony saw


25 Plastic bags + Minor Prizes

Tables are ready.

Oh, little Christmas tree.

Children Singing.

More Children Singing.

Yet more children singing.

Lara and Company.

Crowd is beginning to grow.

Little Kiddies

Ok, time to begin. Tito Joey leading prayers.

Opening Prayers

Kids... Pls Behave...

Miriam doing Emcee work.

We're bored...

Hep...Hep.. Hooray!

Still Playing

Me, me, me...

Can I have one? Can I have one?

Add caption

When is it going to be my turn?

Ka Pinong calling their numbers.

Old ladies sitting.

Aw, it's our turn!

Add caption




Crowd overwhelms Ka Pinong.

All in all there were 250+ children.

Thanks to
Interchemex for the Vitamins
Tito Joey for all the help

God for everything 

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Getting Busy in Resort Ville

Now where do we put these logs?

Hehehe, you guys worry about those logs, I am happily
mowing the grass! Mowing the Grass! Hihihihi!

December 8, The Two Maria's Celebrating their Birthdays

Can You Spot Ka Martin?

Maria Concepcion bidding farewell to Alex.

Kids with Maria Concepcion and Ann

December 17, 2010. Cleaning the Verandah

The glass table

Ka Martin with Anthony. 

December 18, 2010. Barangay Tangway, Lipa City Children
Practicing their Christmas Carols

My beautiful wife and Alex teaching the kids

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

The Crazy Art of Time Management

It's been a tiring day and sometimes I think that having three jobs at once is quite crazy. To be honest with you, working as a Building Administrator is not a full time job. I only go to the building if:
  1. there is a problem
  2. I have to collect
  3. I have to pay business taxes
As a resort manager I delegate the manual tasks to the workers. I am a hands off manager in that sense since I am not really trained in the hospitality industry. Sooner or later, I would have to hire a professional to do that for me.

Right now the resort is unoperational, but it still requires a lot of upkeep. 

Most of the time was spent writing for Ben and so far I am still able to keep my promises and that's 7 articles everyday. 

As I expand my business operations, I would have to hire people I could delegate tasks to. 

I make it a point to always play Red Alert 2, after work and after blogging.

Did Obama Really Kick the Door?






No he did NOT

Monday, December 06, 2010

Getting the Job Done

This tree is a dead one. Its branches fall whenever it rains. 

Can you spot Ka Edwin?

I think I see him over there.

Look there he is!

He's going to chop off the branches first.

Hello!



Vantage point

Lop that big branch off. It's as big as his torso.

A ladder made of bamboo

Ka Martin Trimming the Grass

After 1 hour. There goes the first big branch.

Now the trunk.

Cutting a tree makes a lot of mess

Would've been nice if you could sit on top

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