The Efficient Marketing Plan for the 2nd Half of 2009

The Business Process Outsourcing industry has been my bread and butter. As you may all know, the company I work for engaged in accounts that comprises of technical, customer service and sales oriented entities. On a successful call, one can generate a couple of dollars which would cover only the expenses of the operations. The main generation of funds usually would go to up selling the same services for a fee if certain criterion are met like warranty periods, end of life or value added services. There are specific audiences that the company should only get, mostly only those whose interest has been the one they offer. This can be gathered by consumer surveys, on line forms and other means. Getting this without the process of having middle men and all the bureaucracy can be easily serviced by other private companies. Business Sales Leads have long been used by contact centers like ours so a direct connection and sure sale could be established. Not to mention the other services that they can avail after this transaction. This is very good for credit card companies, cable television, satellite transmission providers and businesses that would not want to waste time and directly go to the person/individual that will avail their products. Saves them precious time and money in the process because it would avoid red tape.

The equation is easy, more leads would mean more consumers that would gladly spend for your product. This would in turn generate more income for any company. We can always take our own resources and find clients on our own randomly but that would only take more time to get a single sale because it is like shooting air balls in a basketball court. If the interested ones are tapped, then there would no longer be sales talk events every time. Getting more sales in a shorter amount of period would also convert into efficient manpower usage for any company availing this service. It is the smartest thing a manager would think about doing if he plans to be more than the usual. We did that already, do you want to be left behind?

Drifting and Digital Photographer Philippines 3rd Anniversary

Credits go to Sir Aly Reyes and Sir Jerry Tieng for this HUGE Group HUG!

It was one of the best things that happened in my "photography" life. Hundreds of Digital Photographer Philippines forum members flocked to Fort Bonifacio for not just any event but the 3rd Anniversary of the site. The attendance was huge, not to mention the others who were not able to officially register on the event. I saw some other photographers just going in just for the hell of it. I enjoyed the seminars I attended and learned a lot. Lightroom which is one of the most powerful photo editing software money could buy was also introduced to hundreds of people at that event. I attended it and I was so glad I could get my hands on it. Now it's a cinch to edit my photos with the help of this tool.

Drifting @ Greenhills

Other than that, I was fortunate enough to still go to a late photoshoot at Greenhills for a "drifting" event. Lots of cars were there and I thought I wouldn't enjoy it. It was really an adrenaline rush for me, I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to go back next time. I had several shots that would be exciting to look at since it involves flying tires and colliding cars on it. This was one of the best shoots ever! Nice cars, nice women and nice event... what more could I ask for?!

The Better Choice

I remember featuring an enterprise level chat software a few months ago that made rave reviews around the world because of its awesome features and undeniable superior quality.

Today, I was a bit annoyed in our office because they kept using the pop up service in the operating system we use for work. We are not part of the operations and the notices were much all for the Operations Department, which means every change they have in that side of the world would also bug us while we're doing our work. We have Brosix 3 BETA installed on several computers and it does what the other ones could not do, even better! The chat software made every transaction or personal favors more efficient and fast; which resulted to better communication and fast paced work too. This literally could save us thousands of dollars just to go beyond regular red tape like in any company.

I do not mind if this awesome software replaces that annoying thing built in on our operating system, this is more personal and affordable; because it is free! Anybody in their right mind should never think twice and get this now. I just did!

Upcoming Photo Shoot : Glamour/Fashion at Wildlife

This is the last day of the week and I’m excited to know that there will be another photo shoot in Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife but this time we will have about 2 models. I think they have also reserved the villas in the lagoon. They finalized details of this just now and I am looking forward to this one and the next one planned to be in Ayala. A rooftop photo shoot would be just nice right?! Then if this is going to be on one of the buildings in Ayala, this is surely going to be windy. I love that effect in fashion/glamour shoots. This would really be another great experience!

I'm also looking forward to other photo shoots that will be hosted by D60'rs. That would be really great if we push through with the street photography they planned on Saturday. I missed the other week when they went to Chinatown. There were really a lot of interesting things they got from that place. I don't frequently go there so it was just a huge thing that I missed.

By the way, I still hate the MIS at the office. They blocked most of the image and secured sites. I really hate them a lot! I could not even see my work anymore! Grrrr....
I wish them hell...oh sorry, I wish them well lolz....

The Debt Elimination Plan

The country has been met with a lot of economic problems this past year. With the world tightening their belts for what supposed to be a huge financial crisis, there are only a few who choose to lend money. Those who need it most are the ones at home. Given the situation there are only a few corporations who made the initiative to help considering the world is getting smaller by the day.

I save a lot for rainy days. I plan my finances very well for debt elimination. Since I have the habit of withdrawing a lot from my ATM, I got a lot of savings account from other banks so I distribute what I earn on them. That way, it would be difficult accessing money. I even got some of them on old style bank books so I would not be able to use the cards come crunch time. I guess in some levels I need to outsmart my self so I would not end up poor in the long run. It would be best to follow Dave Ramsey's advice and act on it now rather than waiting for the interest to grow on your debt. Maybe in a few months or years we would be in the safest place to have more investments because we do not have withstanding debt anymore. No one should ever stop you from exercising debtor's rights. Freedom from credit is the way to go. The time to act is now!

OMGWTFBBQ MIS!

I'm still rummaging through thousands of emails on how we can make this work in the office if we do not have access to image hosting sites. I hate MIS for being so inconsiderate. They did not even thing about this or anything in that matter. They just did it because they feel like it. I still hate them.

I talked to one of them this morning about it and they said they will re enable it after I send them an email. Well I did 24 hours ago, and did it go back? NO! Sometimes you cannot deal with unprofessional people. I hate them a lot obviously... I just wish they know what they are doing in the first place because if I explode they would not want to talk to me or their bosses too.

Now that this is out in the open, I'm gonna write to their bosses now so something will be done on this problem. sheesh! Can I just smash my computer and get this over with?
Hahahaa.... well I'll try to do that later...


Peace! prosperity! Take a break first!

Pissed at MIS

I’m not surprised… actually I am pissed because the MIS suddenly blocked some sites including image hosts that we need for work. I hope they know what they are doing because tomorrow I am probably going to file a complaint against them. This is just not right, and they are treating us like ordinary people from operations. I just hope they get our connection back so we would be able to do this in a nice way.



We are all at a point where we need some things and they just go their way and block them just by looking at our logs. This seems to be a privacy issue now. They are looking at our activities already, it is just not right. How far would you go in doing this? They can go ahead and do it on non work related sites, which I don’t care about. But if it is already for related ones, I think the right thing to do is complain about it right? Just wait until I get to work tomorrow. I will get into the bottom of this.

Not in the Mood... But I'll still Blog!

I'm not in the mood right now... I dunno, its just getting to me I guess.... I guess there should be a catalyst between what I should do for other people and what I have to do for my self. Sometimes I get tired, literally and figuratively. Is this depression? I don't think so but if it is, then I'd rather put all my anxieties into my site and let other people read from it instead. This is like my outlet I guess... something to put my frustrations in life... not intentional but it is turning out that way.

Well, I think its okay. As long as I don't end up hurting people I think I'm okay, I believe I'm okay! (repeat to self)...

Well that's that... I grabbed a cup of joe and took a deep breath. I guess I shouldn't drag you with me when going into these things.. we'll all be gonners soon if you are in the same state as I am. Lucky for you you're not! ^^

I just wish this weekend would be better. I'm meeting with friends and of course my new weekly photography buds. I hope they don't find out I'm in this state, otherwise we'll probably end up on a drinking spree hahah.

Hmm.. what happened last week?

It rained a lot... I mean a lot! Flash floods hit Metro Manila, then it suddenly goes soooo hot... the weather is just not in the mood too!
The weekend photoshoot was nice, I had a few landscape shots which I really love...

And this one of a white breasted eagle.. it was so nice taking a picture of it!

And this one of a kid taking his bait and fishing rod at the lagoon... it was nice too!

I guess I'll settle for the good things that happened this week instead of minding the bad ones huh?! what else can I do.... anyway... I'm looking forward to this weekend's shoot and the bonding with old friends... I'm excited!

Get Comfortable!

The Philippines is like Katy Perry, we're hot then we're cold. It has never been easy to live in a tropical country but we manage to literally "weather" the changes each day. We are used to the sweltering heat of the sun in summer and the floods, strong torrential rain in the rainy season. These two weather systems drain what we all have in this country but nobody could stop that. We all just have to live with it... and probably get our selves a little comfy as much as we could.

We can live comfortably in our own homes with air conditioning where we could at least control the temperature. Manila does not have that much professional services in this field and we all know that. Birmingham HVAC Air Conditioning has pioneered this business for a long time and their knowledge on this industry is commendable. You should check their site out so you would get ideas how the experts do this. Make the most out of what you have and try to live this world a little better that when you found it. Make lives easier for your family and find professionals like them to get the best installed air conditioning units for you. I learned something new, I hope you do too!

My 4th Photoshoot: Digital Katipuneros Wildlife Photo Walk

Saturday turned out to be another whirlwind of a day, I had to go to a few places in the Metro that would require me to tire my self a little. Man! It was worth it! I had another great photo shoot with Digital Katipuneros this weekend in Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife. Landscape was a thing that I was doing with my point and shoot cameras when I was a frustrated photographer, so this was like testing the waters for me. It was a nice afternoon too because the weather cooperated. I went to the park exactly at 1PM and lounged around the park because I was expecting everyone else to be late heheh.

I was taking photos in the lagoon when I decided to contact Andy, he was already there too which I didn't know heheh. Sure enough I met with him where the eagles were, and took a couple of shots before we walked some more to wait for the others to arrive. We were only 7 I guess but it was great to take a break from the usual studio shoot, it was very nice indeed to see photography take shape in real wild life... Here's a peek at my shots... Enjoy!

I'm also embedding my previous photo shoot which I made a video of... I hope you enjoy this one too!

The Uncle Spoils His Nephews

I'm meeting my nephews this weekend because my cousins invited a lot of our relatives for their Mom's death anniversary. I know it is not much of a big deal for westerners but Filipinos have this culture of having strong family ties. Not that we do not know how to let go, but we celebrate their good lives... and we remember them together with our families. It is not conventional, but that is how we do things around here.

My nephews are cute, bar none. The two kids even had several photo sessions with a famous guy last year so they could put them into vitamin C ads and labels for kids. It was really nice seeing them on the drugstore counter... if it was needed I could have bought one myself ha-ha!

Well being the good Uncle that I am, I need to probably buy them stuff because we seldom see each other. No, it's not bribery or anything like that. It's just something to remember me by. I remember when I was a kid people did not even give me that much gifts weather it would be my birthday or Christmas. I checked out the latest gifts on line and found personalized children's plates. I know that would really be a good thing to get for them since they would be using it everyday. They also like to go to school too, so maybe getting them a toddler backpack would help them study harder while being the envy of the other kids.

I could also get his baby brother an ezy roller so his folks would not worry about him too much while traveling. I just want the best for them so I should get them the best toys in town. I hope someday, somehow they will remember the Uncle who spoiled them. I in fact remembered mine and that is what I would want to happen in the long run. I'm no psychologist but that really did wonders for me!

What would you get your kids if you were in my place? I'm sure its one of those!

My Friday, June 12, 2009 - Independence Day

It's June 12 today and it's independence day in the Philippines. Whatever it means to you, happy independence day!

I just got my IR remote for Trish, bought it this morning and they delivered it around noon. I'm happy because now it would be easier for me to take self portraits. Although I don't know how I would be able to hide the remote when I take a picture of myself... 10 second delay maybe? Hehehe.

Aside from that, I was in constant stomach pain this morning and afternoon. I barely got enough sleep and almost was late for work. I'm gonna still work my butt off though. Not that I'm complaining, but it would be nice to have a raise of some sort... my tax is getting bigger by the minute but my basic pay is still the same. Same old story huh?! Haha...

I'm angry at some people right now, because they told me they'll pay me back. But its been a few months and no news of that payment yet... how I wish there would be some hitlist I can put them on so they'll be dead the day after... I would really love to sign them up for that! *sarcastic*

I'm happy it's the weekend once again, I would be able to go back to my new hobby again. I'm going to Trinoma tomorrow so I can visit the crumpler store. Probably buy a camera bag for Trish (My Nikon D60) *there I go again addicting myself to bags!* and a tripod, and a lenshood for the kit lens. The list goes on and on! This is getting to be expensive I know, but I'll stop buying stuff somewhere in the middle. Anyway, I haven't got a lens yet for shooting a little far. If someone would buy me a gift, that would be nice! Heheh. It would not be bad too if you guys started donating them spare dollars you know! Hahah!

Something Confidential

I've got a friend who just recently confided his problems with me. It's not that big of a deal really but for him it is something worth his married life. Yes, he is married to a smart and perfect wife and the only thing he can boast about is two things... his good looks and his ability to pro-create. Like any man, he's more into that machismo stuff. Without it, it would be like taking away his MOJO. Do you remember how Austin Powers went to the whole hurrahs of getting his MOJO back when it was stolen from him? It is somewhat close to that but not quite. We have to discount that my friend is not much of a comedian.

Here's the thing, he lost his ability to perform. I do not even know that this could be a reality, that someone that close to me would even be one. It is just surreal to think that he has impotence. It is just not quite the same person as I knew in college where he was often labeled as a ladies man and a womanizer. Times may have really changed because at that time, you would think this would never be his problem. I was wrong, but the need to help him has risen. Given the fact that I am quite healthy at that department should probably be a major factor why he told me these things. Generic Viagra was one thing I could suggest. In this day and age, it should not be too big of a deal anymore. There are a lot of functions enhancing stuff you can get at a fraction of its cost. Like on some on line stores, some have trial packs available so they can test it out first before purchasing big volumes of it. This is one sure way of getting only the effective ones so they would not have to waste money in the long run. They can also try the on line store's discount program (10% off for returning customers, 15% off refills, 2% when paying by AMEX or JCB, free shipping). I'm sure giving him enough information and encouraging him to take actions now would greatly help him. Knowing I was there when he needs me most is enough to make him happy and encouraged to get back into shape!

How to Take Care of Trish (My Nikon D60)

After reading some materials in forums and books, I think it's time to list down what I need for my Trish. I need to accomplish this before the next photo shoots!

My Own Camera Checklist!

First things first...

1.) Get her that UV Filter to protect your lens. (CHECK)




2.) Get a Screen Protector for the digital screen. I saw one in Digital Walker, Greenbelt5 based in Phipho. They will cut it to size and install it for you. (Yeap, they did that when I first bought it!)

3.) Get a camera bag (if it didn't come free with the camera). If you want something cheap, use your own bag but make sure it has proper cushioning. (I do, but I'm planning to buy a Crumpler! ^^)


4.) Get her new cleaning accessories. The rocket blower and the lens pen would be a good start. I've got a lens pen and 3M Microfiber free with the package I bought. I have to find a blower!

5.) Extra battery (get either another Nikon battery or Phottix at almost half the price). I don't have this yet but this would make sure I would never run out of juice.

6.) Diffuser for your built-in flash. Gives subjects a natural tone and removes the harsh reflections on their faces. I bought one yesterday! Yehey!



7.) Nikon IR Remote so I could do self portraits! It's gonna be in my hands by tomorrow!



8.) Lens Hood, which I will also buy from DP... it is a little expensive but I need this so I won't battle too much with natural glare from daylight...9.) Tripod, which probably is going to be bought in CDRKING... it's cheaper there! I need the function and I won't look at the brand anymore! Hahah...

Most accessories of my cam can be bought in Pixelpro (VMall, Greenhills), DigitalWalker (Greenbelt5) or JT (Pasong Tamo) for nearly the same price as in Hidalgo. I would not want to go too much in Quiapo, the place is creepy heheh.


These things are minimum to protect Trish... I'll take good care of her don't you worry!

Vacation Home Furniture Dilemma

I mentioned a few posts ago that I was planning to have a theme for our home in TAGAYTAY, a province just in the outskirts of Metro Manila. Since the ambiance was a little "Country" I was thinking of a way to put in rustic furniture on it. The goal was to at least give it that natural feel since the place was going to be in the middle of a coffee farm and surrounded by big trees and shrubs. It would also have a modern element to it because we mostly want it to be made up of a combination of industrial steel and natural wood. This would be a little hard to provide as an initial concept for design, but that is what my family wants for this small vacation home.

I guess I have to start somewhere to make this a reality. We already have a couple of pieces from our original house that we plan to transfer to the new house. The bed however needs a little replacement because our old one signed up for retirement. It's not infested with termite or something but it just is a little too old for the place. Maybe the bed was just a part of early 60's modern design but looking at it, it just does not fit in the whole picture. It looked like pop art all over again. We would be a laughing stock if we forced that into place. I hope we finish everything before my brother arrives from Ireland. He is going to be upset if that does not happen. I know!

Spending Wisely... Yeah I Hope!

Seems like there is no end to the agony of "spending" heheh. I'm planning to buy a couple of things for Trish (my Nikon D60 DSLR camera), first things first so its going to be a UV filter so I can get the lens protected. After that, a pop up flash diffuser, a tripod and a remote for my camera. How in the world would I be able to take self portraits if I don't have one obviously!

Not that its pleasing to see, I know I look good but I guess I've gained a lot of weight from eating too much. Don't be too shocked, I know how I weigh because I check it every now and then. I just don't have to tell you though... heheh.

Aside from that, I am in the process of editing the photos I've taken this weekend and am learning a lot. Though I have some reservations on what looks good in my photos, some of them are a little bit blurry and not sharp but I guess that comes with the process. I guess even my intermediate skills in photoshop has not gotten me anywhere near what I should see. I'm going to check out some sites later so I could at least learn these things a little bit faster.

This coming Saturday I will be with them again for a photo walk in Quezon City Parks and Wildlife for some nature shots. I don't know how I fared with that when we had some sessions with D60'rs but here's some samples of it. Wish me luck on Saturday! Ayt!