Back to school?

September 8, 2011 by · 2 Comments

I was very studious back then. Something my mother always tells to her friends’ children. Like I’m some kind of a model student. It’s embarrassing because it’s been 7 years since I got my degree and until today, it’s the same old story that she tells neighbors and relatives. LOL. She’s a proud mama. Now, this is not to say that I’m the brainy kind of student. As a matter of fact, it’s the opposite. I needed to study harder to cope up with lessons and other school requirements.

After college, I wanted to enroll in PNU (Philippine Normal University) for further studies. At the time, I felt teaching was my calling. But maybe it wasn’t because I always had reasons to postpone my plans of getting a certification in TEFL. I was busy and I couldn’t leave my job. Then I learned about Online Degree Programs that offer plenty of courses including teaching English as a foreign language. I planned to save for those expensive online schools. But before I was able to save half the price of the tuition fee, I lost interest.

Today, I am no longer interested in becoming a teacher. I just have an inkling that it’s not for me and that my two-years stint in teaching preschoolers is enough. I had a “taste” of it and I enjoyed it a lot so that should be enough. What interest me now is designing web pages. The problem is I don’t have the required skills in Photoshop and coding. I am confused if I should enroll in a real school or in online degree programs in art. I saw a $29-worth e-book that promises to teach everything about PHP, graphics and web customization.

I want that e-book! Although there are tons and tons of tutorials in the internet, I’m so tired of searching for the right solutions to my coding problems. Aside from searching is tiring, it’s also time-consuming. You see, between photoshop and coding, the latter is very difficult. At least, for me. Maybe for you it’s a piece of cake but for me it’s really “brain-crashing.”

Anyway, I saw this link hours ago: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. The headline says “Get help paying for college.” It made me wonder if such offers are available for non-US citizens? Because I want to send my application. LOL. I wish there was a way to learn web customization without fees and charges. But it seems that I will have to pay for everything including templates, pdf tutorials, graphical elements, etc. Sigh.

Filed Under: a career booger?, a discontented booger, blogging career, buying things i really don't need, Consider This, exploring the world, future plans, in the name of money, money desperate, money well spent, products and services ·

Why visit Rimini, Italy

August 11, 2011 by · 1 Comment

When I think about Italy, the first thing that usually comes to my mind is Venice and its gondolas. I’ve seen it probably a hundred times in movies, books, magazines, websites and blogs. But there is another interesting place in Italy which I recently discovered. As you can see, I’m using again Entrecard for blog hopping and because of that, I’ve discovered a whole new world of amazing bloggers who are friendly enough to visit back to my blog :D I am interested with travel blogs and thankfully, the blogosphere has a lot to offer.

Going back to Italia, I saw plenty of blogs about traveling to Europe. I saw pictures of Rimini and it piqued my curiosity. I read lots of materials about Rimini and just like Rome, Bologna and Venice, it is also a primary tourist destination in Italy. If you are looking for beach resorts with fantastic restaurants and nightclubs, Rimini is the place to go.

During the day, treat yourself to a nice thermal spa or bathe in the heated salt water pools. Evenings will not bore you as nightlife is another reason to visit this Italian city. It is teeming with bars, restaurants, nightclubs and pubs which are also open at nights. Finding a grand hotel rimini is also not a problem. You can hire a travel agent to do the research for you or you can do it yourself. There are many websites in the internet offering reservation and booking services.

Guidahotel.com is a good example.  The website makes use of the Italian or Spanish language, not sure, so I suggest to browse it with Chrome. You will be asked if you want to translate it to English, just click yes. Besides beach resorts and the irresistible night spots in Rimini, the city is also an art center with many historic sites, temples, old churches, museums and theaters.

Filed Under: Amour-finding adventures, exploring the world, products and services, travel with empty wallet ·

Meet random people

July 11, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Having access to unlimited internet connection is almost cool. It would have been 100% cool if Smart Broadband’s connectivity is not too slow :) But, yes. I think that I’m so blessed to have my own computer with internet. There are so many things that I can do. I can watch movies, play games, make money online, and meet random people from the web.

Before I was hooked with blogging, I was busy with online dating sites. Speaking of which, I suddenly feel embarrassed that once upon a time I joined such websites. I don’t know why. To tell the truth, I wouldn’t discover the beautiful world of blogosphere if I didn’t join online dating sites. Innocent Angel. Yup. That’s the name of the website that I joined. It wasn’t like a chatroulette where people are randomly paired for webcam based conversation.

In IA, the people are fake. This the reason why I think the website has stopped its operation. Hehe. Fake as in the profiles are only made up by the admin. I have no evidence, though. It’s just my theory. A good looking guy from NY contacted me and we exchanged emails for a couple of months. Weird. My instinct was telling me that the admin (who happens to be a girl) and the man are just one person :)

First off, the tone of his messages doesn’t sound like a man. It feels like I’m reading a message from a girl. IDK. As I’ve said, it’s really weird. Another thing is that, I believe that Americans don’t speak Tagalog unless they have visited the Philippines or have a Filipino friend. Anyway, his last message was very mysterious. Words like “na” and “lang” were inserted at the end of the sentences.

Yeah. It could be just a typographical error. But I was curious so I asked him if he knows Tagalog. Since then, he didn’t reply anymore. Instead, another guy from Germany started to send me emails asking for friendship. Weird. The NY and German guy sound like they are just one person. So, the girl admin and the NY guy and the German guy sound like they are just one person. How could that be?

I asked the German guy if he knows Mr. NY and he said yes. They met through IA. IDK. Maybe it was just me who was very suspicious or crazy. LOL. After that, I lost interest in the site. But in my mind, I really believed that the admin was faking up profiles so that more girls will be encouraged to join her website.

Filed Under: Amour-finding adventures, exploring the world, in the name of money, unforgettable memories ·

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 ·
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