Amaya – The Filipino Epic Story

July 5, 2011 by · 7 Comments

Caution: I only watch shows in GMA 7 and QTV 11 so for the purpose of not sparking World War III, don’t read this if you’re a Channel 2 fan :)

First, I really think that the team behind this soap opera is brilliant. I loved Encantadia, Mulawin, and Dyesebel. Those TV programs are the best. And now I am currently hooked with Amaya. Not only me but the whole family and the entire neighborhood as well. Yup. Even my neighbors are watching Amaya.

  • Story – definitely not boring. The writers are really creative. From princess to slave to a great warrior. There are a lot of scenes to look forward to. We feel bad every time there are commercial breaks but we do understand that the show needs advertisements. Hehe. The twin-snake makes the show more intriguing.
  • Dialogue – I appreciate that the characters converse in traditional/old Tagalog with bits of Visaya and Muslim. Actually, I don’t know what kind of dialect they are speaking but it’s interesting to hear again the words which I’ve almost forgotten now. Like tagna for prophesy, balay for house and many other words which are pure Tagalog. I also learned new words such as bai for princess, uripon for slave, etc.

Credits: pep

  • Cast – if I’m not mistaken, a lot of them are theatrical actors and actresses. I’m quite sure I’ve seen them in Sarzuelas and theater shows before. Anyway, Marian Rivera is very pretty. She’s half Spanish, so not exactly a Filipina beauty. But her acting is more than okay. She’s perfect for the role. It’s disappointing that Raymond Bagatsing’s role was short. He has a superb talent in acting. Same with Gardo Versoza and Gina Alajar. I also like Sheena Halili. She’s so cute.
  • Costume – amazing, fantastic, excellent. Need I say more? Haha! I read somewhere that the bahag attire is an insult to the Filipino people. The writer said it would be humiliating for other countries to watch Amaya and see us wearing almost nothing. That made me laugh. From what school are you from? Filipinos really wore that outfit hundreds of years ago. For me, the costumes that they are wearing in Amaya are beautiful. Not only the clothes are colorful, they also represent our culture. This is how our ancestors dressed in the past and there is nothing shameful about that.
  • Parental guidance – I’m not sure if Amaya is recommendable to grade school kids. The show is a reflection of the Filipino culture but it contains violent scenes so I don’t know. It’s up to the parents if they would allow their child to see it or not.

To wrap things up, Amaya is one of the best Filipino soap operas in this genre. It’s 100% Pinoy. It’s already tiring to see dramas which are influenced by the western culture. So Amaya is like a breath of fresh air to me.

Filed Under: Consider This, family matters, movies and flicks, talking booger ·

Brave but not stupid

May 6, 2011 by · 2 Comments

As I’ve said in my other blog, many things are happening in my life right now. Still no love life, though I’m crushing on someone, but I’m still very happy. Life’s almost perfect if not for the wound on my left leg. Eczema :( I can’t believe I’m going to have scars at this age. Yay!

So anyway, it’s raining opportunities, literally. Somehow, I’m already confused on which among these offers to grab. First off, I’ve come to realize that there is really no “asenso” in being an employee. Specially in my case: always best in tardiness, never the employee of the quarter. Haha!
What I’m trying to say is that if I can’t be a role model office staff, then maybe I can be something else. Like a full-time freelancer, maybe?

Since last month, I’ve been sending my resume to companies and offices in Makati. I never intended to work in that place because they said that the people there speak in fluent English and that they are really “sosyal” and all. Not that I’m intimidated. I just feel like I don’t belong there. Joke. Drama! Nothing. In fact, I think Makati is not that glamorous, contrary to popular beliefs. My dream working place is Paris! So, Makati is “so-so” for me. LOL.

Kidding aside, I was invited to 8 job interviews for the position of Copy Writer | Web Content Writer | Content Writer | Online Marketing Writer. Basically, I want to work as a writer in a big company that pays me a minimum of 36K a month. Am I asking for too much? That is the amount that I can earn in a month if I’m going to work full-time in my online jobs. So, if I’m going to work in a company in a full-time basis, they should be able to exceed that amount, right?

Out of those 8 invitations, I went to just one and the rest, well, I was tied up with lots of writing commitments, I wasn’t able to attend anymore. Funny, when the employer asked about my expected salary, I said 18K. LOL. I was too shy to say my real expectation. I was scheduled for another interview this morning but I have writing assignments in Odesk, so I decided not to go.

I am thinking, why do I need to apply for jobs in Makati when I already have a lot of writing gigs online? And I can have more if I wanted to. If I really really wanted to. If I had more time. If I had no full-time job to think about. If only HMO, SSS, PAGIBIG, etc., were not important to me, I would have given up my office job long ago. Freelancers don’t have such benefits. That’s the main problem.

I’m confused. Which is better? To work at home or to work in a company? Hmmmm … I’m single. I have very few responsibilities. I’m renting a small place. My electric and water bills do not cost that much because I’m alone. I eat a lot but I’m happy with Jollibee meals, I mean no fancy restaurants for me. In other words, I only need P500 or $12 a day in order to survive. That’s all I NEED. But I WANT more money for my caprices. Hehe.

I’m currently looking at my options. I can work full-time in my office job and be a part-time freelancer. Or, quit my office job and work full-time in freelance writing, where I truly belong. If I could earn $50 dollars a day, then I’m going to resign now! Haha! But I’m going to work really hard for that huge amount and definitely, it’s not going to come from only one source or just one contract. I’ll need at least 3 long-term contracts in Odesk.

As of now, I have 2 fixed-priced assignments, both employers told me that if my performance passed their standards, they’re going to give me more projects ;) I also have 4 hourly-based contracts and they’re not giving me much tasks but I’m not complaining. I’m able to earn $75 a week for a few hours of writing and editing. Okay, they said there are tons of work to do and that we need to discuss it via Skype. Problem is, I’m online when they’re offline and vice versa. Apparently, the Phillippines and the US have a 12 or 13 hours time difference.

So, do you think it’s possible? Or should I wait for things to be stable first? I can earn 12 dollars a day and more than that. But I doubt if $50 dollars daily is feasible. Haha! My plan is to stay in my full-time job while I’m doing freelance jobs. But holy smokes, I can’t serve two masters at the same time. Eventually, I will have to choose and that time is now. I have to make a decision.

Presently, my target is just $50 a week but if I’m going to work full-time in this online industry, I can raise my target income to $100, that’s $400 a month. What do you think? Well, I think that it’s too small for an amount. Haha! I’m really ambitious. I want to earn $1000 a month. That’s $250 a week. That’s $50 a day. Question is where will I get that $50? I have ideas but I’m going to kill myself writing and blogging. Maybe I should be contented with $100 a week and that’s just 20 hours of writing :)

one more thing, if I’m going to work full-time in Odesk, then maybe I should start accepting very low job offers like this one?

Or maybe I should still accept a full-time home-based job! How about this one?

It’s one my most wonderful job offers. They asked me to submit a sample and until now I haven’t written it yet because after office hours I still need to meet the deadlines in my writing gigs :( Sayang. But I’d still submit my sample article about Korean festivals even if it’s already late. Just so they wouldn’t think that I disregarded them. And then I’ll ask if there is a part-time position as well. Hehe.

Filed Under: a career booger?, a discontented booger, Amour-finding adventures, blogging career, Consider This, exploring the world, future plans, health and body, I'm Just a Human, in the name of money, living life!, money desperate, personal thoughts, talking booger ·

My recent activities in Odesk

April 24, 2011 by · 7 Comments

I am a small time freelance writer. My asking rate is just 5 dollars per hour but most of the jobs that I am accepting offer me only 3 dollars per hour. It’s not much but it’s “something.” It minimizes my idle time during weekends so, in other words, it makes me feel productive. But here’s the good news, last night I applied for the position of Web Content Editor in Odesk and when I woke up this morning, it’s such a surprise that I got hired! The rate is 5 dollars per hour, 15 hours a week. So, today is really a happy Easter Sunday for me ;)

It’s really a perfect timing because my other contract, Article Writer for Green Tea, has just ended. This particular job was offered by Mr. ST from UK who employed me last March to write for a toys website. He decided to employ me again because he thinks that I am courteous, prompt and my articles are of high standard.

Another contract that I won last Holy Friday was the Sen Content Writer. In case you’re curious, the rate is 3 dollars per hour, maximum of 20 hours per week. Please allow me to share the story on how I got this job. Well, the employer was looking for someone who is knowledgeable with Magento. It’s an open-source software which is used by online stores. So, if you want to build a website that sells products like shoes and bags, you will definitely need Magento.

Anyway, I didn’t know Magento before I applied for this job posting. It wasn’t specified in the job’s description that it’s a requirement. Here is a screengrab of our conversation:

You see, Odesk is like a big online jungle where only the bravest and the fiercest contractors survive. I was crazy enough to take a job that is outside my area of expertise. But I will learn, that’s for sure. There are a lot of tutorials in the internet. I just have to READ! So, I’m learning and I’m not afraid to learn new things. Anyway, they can always terminate the contract in case I turn out to be useless for this job. But I doubt if that will ever happen. Hehe. I’m going to give my best!

In a slightly disappointing news, my application for the job posting “Looking for an Outstanding Blog/Article Writer” was declined. MMmn … it’s okay. I’m not outstanding, anyway. I’m just one of the best, if not the best. But I was never outstanding ;) And what about the invitation for a job interview that I received? I ignored it. For some reason, I can’t work with just 2 dollars per hour. I have $2.70 per hour contract but that’s just it. In the next few months, I plan to raise my asking rate from $5 to $10 dollars per hour. Why not? I’m one hell of a hardworking freelancer I deserve to get paid according to how much I feel right. But before that happens, I will have to work harder on my portfolio.

Truth is, I’m not very much active in Odesk. It’s just recently that I started sending applications again because I’m so inspired by my online friends who are making it big in freelancing. I am more active doing jobs for direct employers and I also write for TCA. I love TCA, though the rate is very low, at least I don’t have to apply or bid for a certain project. I just have to log in then start writing. But, because I presently have 3 active contracts in Odesk (1) Web Content Writer 5 dollars per hour, (2) Sen Content Writer 3 dollars per hour, and (3) Article Writer / Researcher 2.70 dollars per hour, I think I will spend more time in Odesk from now on.

Happy Easter!

Filed Under: a career booger?, a discontented booger, blogging career, Consider This, exploring the world, future plans, happy sterndal!, in the name of money, memories, money desperate, personal thoughts, Portfolio ·

Pretty Blog Designs by Design Me Pretty

April 18, 2011 by · 2 Comments

For me, designing your blog’s theme is a rather daring thing to do. You have to be well-versed in HTML, PHP, CSS, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc. Add the fact that you also need ideas, skills and of course the talent in order to come up with a unique blog design.

Funny, when I started blogging, my idea of designing a blog was to download a ready-made theme from the web, install it in my blog’s template and tadaa, it’s done. Months later, I learned that it’s not appropriate to say that I designed the layout by myself simply because it’s not mine. Talk about copyright and intellectual properties, eh?

Since then, changing themes has become my favorite passtime. I wish I could design my own theme but my knowledge about these technical stuff is limited and although I can do HTML tagging, it’s still very little and very poorly. But hey, this is exactly the sort of thing that I am interested in learning how to do. *Wink

Anyway, I’m so happy to find this website that offers pretty amazing WordPress and Blogger blog designs :) Design Me Pretty is a newly launched site that promises to make your online journal / website/ home page look prettier at such an affordable price.

I’ve just visited the Portfolio page and I must say that it’s pretty impressive to know that the owner has just started a few days or weeks ago, but she already has a set of pretty blog designs to show off :) Coolest! On top of that, she does not only offer blog customization but blog coaching and training as well!

As a matter of fact, there are a lot of services being offered and the best thing about these offers is that they are pretty affordable and among the cheapest in the Web Design industry. So, whether you are a newbie blogger who wants to get noticed or a person who is involved in online business, hiring the services of Design Me Pretty is really a great investment.

Filed Under: Consider This, future plans, Portfolio, products and services ·

Re-considering Google Adsense

April 2, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Blogexplosion is a website I frequent when I want to get free traffic for my blogs. It’s been months since I last logged in and I thought my account was already suspended. Good thing, I was still able to surf and earn some points. What I really like about surfing is not the possibility of them visiting my site too but the possibility of reading cool blogs which are mostly written by American bloggers. I’m learning a lot. I like the way they write and the way they choose the right words and their slang expressions. I even met someone from NY, can’t say he’s a friend, but he shared some of his money-making secrets which I doubt if I can possibly do. Aside from his day job (he’s working in a search marketing agency), he also blogs for money. I asked him if he is earning from the Adsense in his sidebar. You’d be surprised he said yes, in fact, a few hundred dollars a month. With just a few thousand visitors a month, I’m sure his traffic is not that much, it makes me wonder how is he able to do that? I mean hundred dollars means a lot of money, right? He said with the help of email marketing and some traffic from Blogexplosion, he is able to earn from blogging. Wow. Why can’t I do that? I tried Adsense two years ago and I didn’t earn anything from it except for the 11 dollars which Google didn’t send to my paypal address.

Filed Under: Consider This ·
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