Losing Dell and Google at the same month!

Gee, when it rains it pours. Things like this just happen. One day it's same old boring thing, the next  day you'll get news that your account is being closed because of uncontrollable reasons. Geez!

Dell, for which I've worked for for the last 3 years, has finally decided not to renew it's contract with Teletech. Just like Kodak and Chase before, Dell will just be another memory for Teletech, Novaliches. R.I.P. DELL.

So what will become of the 130 something employees working for Dell. Well, Teletech has acquired a new account, T-mobile and will have job openings for more than 300 positions that will be available. We are asked to choose which account we'd prefer and then take qualifying exams and training for that account so that Teletech can assimilate us. This was terrible news for some but most of us actually look forward to this since we were all planning to resign anyway. Why not just move to a different account and enjoy the same pay and benefits like we had before?

My first choice is a Broadband/DSL account that caters to Australia. I think it'll be tough since I'm not so used to hearing the Australian accent. I chose it anyway since it was the morning shift because Australia is almost the same timezone in the Philippines. After 3 years of being a vampire, I've longed to sleep like a human again. So that's that.

As if a practical joke of fate, my Adsense account was suspended indefinitely for vague reasons! Geez, and I was scheduled to receive payment next month. So much for that. Now I have to start from scratch and work double to pay my debts.

They say you learn more from your failures than your successes. I guess I haven't been failing enough that's why I'm not yet very successful!

Last night was also my Mother-in-law's birthday. My mom gave her a nice water heater. I feel bad I couldn't give her anything though since I'm in a tight financial crunch right now.

So here's to a new start! Gambatte!

Sands of Boracay

So I spent the weekend in Boracay. It was my grandparent's Golden Anniversary and my uncles decided to take us all to Boracay for the celebration. It was my wife and kids' first time to ride a plane so it seeing their reactions during flight was priceless.

It was my first time in Boracay. I was sick the week before that. I'm wondering if I'll still have a job when I get back on thursday. Not coming to work for 2 weeks can give you a kind of foreboding feeling that you'll surely be fired. Anyway, I've got all my papers in check so just in case.

Boracay was everything I expected it to be. A resort Island, fine sand, lots of scantily clad foreign tourist, everything was expensive. Yup, everything it's everything I expected it to be. except for the mountains and hills. I  was actually expecting the island to be smaller and the airports in Caticlan to be bigger. Anyway, it was all good.

The celebration was terrific. Lots of tear jerking moments especially during the speeches. My mom cried a lot.        My kids were running everywhere and my wife got sunburnt. Hahaha! I didn't like to swim so I stayed out of the sun and the water most of the time. I wish I could've taken a dip at the pool at the Hotel we stayed on though.

We stayed for 3 nights in Alta Vista. It was a subdivision-like hotel. They had like a dozen buildings each with about 30 rooms. I've never seen a hotel setup that way. It was very interesting. It was setup on the highlands of Boracay and you could see the ocean from two directions. The Rooms were great and still looked new, unlike the older interiors of the some hotels in Manila.

The most interesting part of the entire trip was that I was great possibilities for business in that place. We interviewed some people and they said there was only like 2 months of off-peak time for the business and that  business in booming the whole-year round. I wonder if there's more profit in malls or in that island. I guess I'll have to look into that.

The beach was great too. I of course did not swim too much but I loved playing in the sand with my kids. It was also their first time in a beach. The view was breath taking. I saw some signs saying "It is illegal to take home the sand" What's up with that? Some of my uncles took some anyway. Before leaving, I thought to myself that Boracay would be an awesome place to live in. There are schools, there are houses for sales. Lots of opportunities to make a living. Everything you'll need to survive.

On the way home I found out that you can take a bus from Cubao all the way to Caliclan. I guess I'll be back to Boracay sooner than people expect. But the next time it might not be just for a vacation. Hehe!

I feel I'm getting too old.

I was having with my wife's classmate. He was an anime enthusiast like I was, and I was recruiting him to be a content writer in on of the blogs that manage. He's a great kid. We started talking about anime and all that cools stuff, then I told him my favorites live EVANGELION, MACROSS and BLEACH.. He's hear of bleach but was a bit clueless with Macross and Eva. I was surprised, because these two were supposed to be some of the most popular ones and are even legends in the anime industry having several sequels and remakes.

He then asked, "when were they shown?"

I thought for a bit and told him a rough estimate and told him sometime in the nineties..

His answer surprised me. "Maybe I was too young when it came out.."

I was shocked. It was just like yesterday when I started enjoying these shows. I then realizes it's already .2010. The kid was just 16 years old so he was probably in pre-school when those shows came out. I was like, Whoa!

I then came to the realization that the anime enthusiasts of today are being exposed to a different style of animation. I always thought anime was for all ages, but right there and then I suddenly felt a generation gap. Man I'm getting too old. There's a surplus of anime nowadays. An explosion of media that keeps piling up every season. Once in a while an anime with a good story will come up and will become the new craze like Macross and Eva was.

I bet this is what the fans of VoltesV and 80's anime felt like when they approached the 90's with Ghost Fighter and Flame of Recca. I'm going all nostalgic again.Hahaha!

A heart -warming Father's Day story.

A man came home from
work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old
son waiting for him at the door.
SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"

DAD: "Yeah sure, what is it?"

SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"

DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?"

SON: "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "If you must know, I make $100 an hour."
SON: "Oh! (With his head down).
SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow $50?"

The father was furious.

DAD: "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $ 50 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

DAD: "Are you asleep, son?"

SON: "No daddy, I'm awake".
DAD: "I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier. It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $50 you asked for."

The little boy sat straight up, smiling.
SON: "Oh, thank you daddy!"

Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

DAD: "Why do you want more money if you already have some?"

SON: "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do.

"Daddy, I have $100 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

Selling Real Estate... Whoa Boy!

As anyone at work would know, I'm not the best seller around. Sometimes I don't even get to make a sale. But there comes a time when you have to realize that the only way to financial freedom is to be a better seller. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series may not be the BEST WRITTEN books but they're definitely the BEST SELLING books. Willie Revillame's personality and reputation (even his singing) may not be the best, but he sells himself to the crowd better than anyone else that's why he has such a large paycheck. Dell Computers may not be the best computers around (as anyone at my workplace would know) but the way Dell sells it's computers are the best in the US, even I will admit to that.

So now I've finally decided to start selling. Selling Real Estate seems like a great idea since I'm not really good with selling things people don't need. Everyone needs a home. A place to live. A quite peaceful place to retire or raise kids. I sure would like to have one. 

So if you're looking for a new home or a rental property you would like to invest in. Give me call. I might just have the perfect home you're looking for. I might even be able to help you find a way to afford it! 

Like boss Jed always says, "Don't be shy!" 

Making music with your face

How do you make music with your face? Here's one idea..