Richard So: Outreach with iLearners and Bantay Bata 163

January 30, 2010 the day after work, I was still inviting office mates to volunteer and come with me to Carcar for the iLearner feeding program during Bantay Bata 163's medical mission. But most of my office mates have plans already for the day except for my supervisor and friend Richard So or (Ochie).

I've known TL Ochie for almost three years already, I never expected that he is interested in volunteering and outreach activities. So, he came with me to Starbucks Ayala because that was the meeting place. And it was really a surprise because he knew the iLearner President Doyzkie Buenaviaje, Ochie said they were classmates before.

We left for Carcar at 8:30am, it really felt that it was a long and bumpy ride because I don't have sleep yet. We arrive in Carcar around at 10am, the venue was already full of people availing to the free medical services sponsored by Bantay Bata and Philippine Air Force.

TL Ochie and I gave moral support (hehe) to the Maayong Buntag Kapamilya host Catherine Gabronino, who helped cook the shamporado that we are going to serve to the children later. When it was cooked we help gave the shamporado with stick O and juice to the children who were there. I saw that the children were enjoying the treat, the smile in their faces also made me smile. I also saw that TL Ochie was enjoying the activity so as the Convergys agents who were also there helping.


Unfortunately, TL Ochie went ahead of us because he has important matters to attend to. But before he left I asked him if he enjoyed the activity, he smiled at me and said "Yes". When TL Ochie left, we facilitated games for children and gave prizes. We left at around 2pm, and since TL Ochie already left I ended up riding Doyzkie's Car back home. We were caught in the traffic for one hour because of the Fiesta, but it was okay I enjoyed all his boyband songs. (no wonder he looks like a boyband member hehe).


I can really say that day was a good day for me. I realized that TL Ochie is not only a good supervisor, he is also a good person, who is willing to give a bit of what he has to the children who needs it most.

Also a bonus of that day, I met alot of new friends who is also active in reaching out ...Maayong Buntag Kapamilya host Catherine Gabronino, Corporate executive Ryan, Convergys agents, Sykes manager Malot and many more.

Post Article Ending

So, i arrived home tired but happy. Took a shower laid down, fell in a deep sleep... But was awaken by a text msg from Ramz Jauculan, asking me what were my night out plans for that night. I tried to reply but I have no more load and was too tired to get up, fell asleep again....Was awaken again by a phone call from RJ Malcampo, still asking me about my plan for that night, I answered "I have no idea. I went to Carcar and helped in the feeding program, I'm really tired but happy and I think my day is complete." RJ sounded like smiling on the phone and answered "okay next time."

Yeah, really tired but really happy...my day was complete...


Thanks to my iLearner family

Thanks to TL Richard So for donating and coming with me to the charity event

Doyzkie Buenaviaje

EJ Jusa



All photos in this article are courtesy of Doyzkie Buenaviaje and iLearners

Cherry Mae Bartolata: Up Close and Personal

If someone ask me three words that will best describe Cherry Mae Bartolata, I'll answer beauty, brain, and talent. I met Cherry through common friends, at first i thought she was just a regular chick that has a diva-liked voice when she sings. I was wrong, Cherry is more than meets the eye.


Aside from a call center agent, she is also a business woman who personally takes care of their store and online shop Glam Factor. Cherry and partner Vijay Lo (also a call center agent) started Glam factor last year. Glam factor is a whole seller of cosmetic and other beauty products, which includes perfumes, lotions, and ready-to-wear clothing. I was surprised with the growth of the business in just one year. Now they already have clients outside Cebu and was able to set up a store in the IT bazaar.

I can also say that Cherry is the epitome of a modern woman, smart and independent. She knows what she want and has her own ways of doing things to get what she wants. I asked her if she considered herself as a strong personality, she answered with no doubt "Yes". Definitely Cherry knows where she stands right now, and knows where she is going to be in the future.


At age 23, she already knew that life is not as simple as "study + work = success", especially if you have big dreams. She believed that one must exert extra effort to earn money outside of work, because being a call center agent is just temporary.


And during bad times, she implied that one must find the strength within and believe that all the challenges will be overcome. Just like me she always anticipate the future and learn from the mistakes in the past.


Talking with her about her struggles, plans, and success in life really made me realized that she is indeed a strong person. I asked her if she cries during bad times and challenges. She answered "Yes". But she added that after the crying moment, she will move on and will be back to business. Then, I smiled at her, because at the back of my mind i can relate to the things that she said. Just like her, I don't have time for grief, anger or conflict. Those things are just hindrance to the things that I'm going to do which are prerequisite to my success in the future.


Knowing Cherry Mae Bartolata up close and personal, made me realize that i need to hurry up to start my own venture and focus more on the future where there will be no Stream. Cherry has Glam Factor already which is fast growing, she even revealed that they will be opening a boutique near SM. I would not be surprise if Cherry will open another Glam factor boutique near you.


To Cherry more power and more success...

check Cherry's online shop

http://glamfactor.multiply.com


Preview of what's next


The Fil-Australian hottie Dominic Montenegro


While doing this article, I ran out of words so I went out and met Dominic in JY. I asked him if I can feature him here. At first he said no, but I finally made him say yes. It was easy though because he is a good friend of mine and we've known each other for a long time already.

Jason Ivler: The Artist behind The Shooter

While waiting for the right time to get the info of the freelance model that I'm going to feature here, I was watching TV and learned that Jason Ivler was caught. Ivler is the prime suspect of the shooting of Renato Ebarle Jr, son of a Malacañang undersecretary.

His profile and personality caught my attention because he is not just nobody. He already got a certain level of fame and celebrity factor before all the violent incidents he is involved right now. Ivler was part of the second batch of teens cast in the 1997 GMA-7 youth-oriented show, “Thank God It’s Sabado (TGIS),” where he played a Fil-Am boy named Bullet alongside his fellow co-stars Dingdong Dantes, Antoinette Taus, and Anne Curtis.


Ivler also recorded a rap album in 2006 titled “JsIn In The Philippines,” which features all the angry and violent songs he wrote. Since then, Ivler has been apparently expressing his rage and anger through music. This is not surprising, as music is in his blood. Ivler is the nephew of Filipino folk rock legend Freddie Aguilar. His mother, Marlene Aguilar Pollard, is the sister of Freddie and also sings occasionally at The Hobbit House in Manila aside from writing books.


Here are the lyrics of one of Ivler's songs in the album:

"Like 50 Cent, many men want me dead
They got a price on my head
But I stay in the club like I don’t give a f--k
The Department of Justice is trying
to bust this case in my face
And trying to keep me in one place

So now I’m getting prosecuted
This s--t is highly disputed
The Bureau of Immigration and the
National Bureau of Investigation got your man Jason
Try and get me, I’m gonna fight this
Y’all acting sh---y like a laxative
I told y’all it was motherf---ing accident."


As you notice, the song is good, its rhymed and contained story of his true-to-life experience. He could have been a good rapper and song writer. But what could have been on his mind when he shot the son of the Unsec, or when he fought the NBI agents to resist arrest. I cant imagine too much violence in mind. Could it be a result of a dark past experience? It could be that he has post traumatic stress as a result of his Iraq war experience, where he served as a US soldier. But the album was created before he enrolled in the US military. So, it could also be a result of a dark traumatic childhood experience.

Still, I can say that Jason Ivler is a wasted talent and personality. If he had proper counselling he could have been someone big. Now, it's a waste because he is going to Jail.

I understand that people go through traumatic experience at least once in their lifetime. I even have my own dark past that gives me nightmares until now, but that was not enough for anger and hate to consume my whole existence.

...Based on the lyrics of his song, I still believe that Jason is a good rapper and song writer. If his album "JsIn" will be released Im still going to buy a copy of it (hehe)


"I dont believe that there is a person who is natural born killer, Im sure it's a result of how lives surrounding that person opened his consciousness"
-Ej Jusa

Robert Kiyosaki's teachings

Knowing Robert Kiyosaki was a life-changing experience, his teachings changed my mindset and made me a better person financially and emotionaly. Here, I highlighted excerpts from his book RICH DAD POOR DAD, that might also change your mindset.

FINANCIAL LITERACY

If you want to be rich you need to develop financial literacy. Even the difference between an asset and a liability is often confused. An asset earns you money and a liability burns your money. When you put money into assets such as stocks, bonds and investment properties you can earn money or income from them. Poor dad saw them as liabilities.

Liabilities are things that cost you money. A car loses 25% of its value the day you drive it off the lot. In addition, you have many other expenses such as loan repayments, insurance, registration, running and maintenance costs.

The rule is that if you want to get rich, put your money into income earning
assets. This doesn't mean not to buy a home or car - just think don't think of them as assets.

Lets look at the cash flow of the rich, middle class and poor. The poor tend to spend all of their money on living expenses, (food, clothes taxes etc) regardless of what their income is. Everyone has living expenses but the poor spend all of their money on them. The middle class tend to spend most of their money on liabilities such as credit card debt, personal loans and mortgage repayments. While the rich also have living expenses and liabilities they focus their money on purchasing income-producing assets.



MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS

Most people who continue to struggle financially rely on their weekly paycheque. Job security is now a thing of the past and shouldn't be relied on. You have to start minding your own business. By this I don't mean throwing in your day job, but start building assets.

In my early days I worked on a commission basis at Xerox selling photocopiers. I used the money I made to purchase real estate. Within 3 years the income I was earning from real estate was greater than what I could earn selling photocopiers

The rich focus on increasing their assets while everyone else focuses on increasing their income. But when your income increases so do your expenses and liabilities. Most people rush out and purchase expensive consumer goods, home entertainment systems, cars, clothes, holidays� as soon as they can. The rich deliberately delay doing this until they have a good portfolio of assets bringing in a steady income.



THE RICH INVENT MONEY

Self confidence is one of the biggest things that hold us back in life. Boldness is the thing that gets us ahead, financially and otherwise. And we all possess at least some of it. If you want to succeed to financially we need courage to take risks and not cling to what we think is secure.

The more we develop our financial IQ the more options we have available to us. For example, in the early 1990s the economy in Phoenix was terrible. People were going bankrupt. Houses that were once $100,000 were going for $75,000. In the bankruptcy courts I was able to pick up these same houses for $20,000 or less. I would quickly resell these properties for $60,000 making a $40,000 profit. I did this 6 times and made $190,000 in profit and the total amount of time it took was only about 30 hours.

Think about how long it would take to save $190,000 out of your income and how much it would cost you in taxes to save it. This proves that no matter what the economic climate you can always succeed if you have good financial intelligence. This is just one example of the many different transactions I made on the way to financial success.


GETTING STARTED

These are the steps I suggest you follow to awaken your financial genius

1.

You need a big dream. Some thing that is strong and will drive you to success.
2.

Use the power of choice. For example, you could sit at home and watch TV all day or you could take a course in financial planning. The choice is yours
3.

Choose your friends carefully. Choose people who have great personal characteristics that you admire.

4.

Keep learning. The world is changing rapidly. What may have worked yesterday might not work today.

5.

Pay yourself first. Spend money on assets before you do anything else with your pay cheque.


*****Hoping that i was able to give you a nice food for thought***

My Blog Your Story

I conceptualized this blog to feature interesting personalities working in a call center. Here, they will be in the spotlight where they can share their stories.

I knew those stories will be interesting and colorful. I already have many names in mind whom i going to feature soon. I already asked many office mates and they agreed
to be featured in the blog. Well, my basic idea is to feature these kind of people agent/model, agent/businesswoman, agent/musician, agent/hotshot, agent/athlete, agent/photographer agent/single mom and many more.

But i realized that the possibilities are limitless. Im also gona write about what they do to relieve stress and rejuvenate. Feature where they party, travel, eat, shop, and anything under the sun.


Just like what i said the possibilities are limitless. Two personalities already caught my attention: one agent/single mom and the other is agent/business woman. Both of them are charming and smart. Although i can sense deep sadness in their personalities. I wonder what are their stories...I cant wait to talk to them up close and personal (hehe). But before them; I was told by one of my followers, and soon one of my featured friend, to write something about myself as the observer. and i cant say no.


My name is Ericson "EJ" Jusa, some call me partyboy. A person who dont want to be in a hot seat and dont want too much attention. During and after college i was in to writing, I was the editor-in-chief of a university press, I also became a Cebu Daily News Correspondent. My course has nothing to do with writing, but i was trained by well known local writers before like Januar Yap, Mike Obieneta, Palanca awardees Rolando Salvalña and Ulyses Aparace. I used to remember how they criticized my writing and manuscripts, put red marks on wrong grammars, spellings, and punctuation usage. I used to be disappointed and demoralized about it because it always happen during a seminar panel where everyone get to criticize your work.

But for me it doesn't matter anymore im a Call Center Agent and of course a blogger. As long as the writing flows and all of you can understand and enjoy everything here, that's enough for me.


Aside from writing, im also a gamer, i played Ragnarok, RF Online, Magewar, Magic the Gathering, and Dota Allstars-until now. (God, i miss being God-Liked there). I'm also a financial broker who has stock account and mutual fund. Im also a member of iLearner Inc, a charitable organization that help fight rural illiteracy here in Cebu, by helping poor children and schools.

So, enough about me. What's important is your story and that's gona be my blog.

Birth Months of Billionaires

Forbes.com released this article before that makes me think i can be wealthty:

Consistent with the rest of the population, more American billionaires were born in the fall than in any other season. However, relatively few billionaires were born in December, traditionally the month with the eighth highest birth rate. This anomaly holds true among billionaires in the U.S. and abroad.
More than 20% of the 292 of the self-made American billionaires on the most recent list of the World's Billionaires have either never started or never completed college. This is especially true of those destined for careers as technology entrepreneurs: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, and Theodore Waitt.

Billionaires who derive their fortunes from finance make up one of the most highly educated sub-groups: More than 55% of them have graduate degrees. Nearly 90% of those with M.B.A.s obtained their master's degree from one of three Ivy League schools: Harvard, Columbia or U. Penn's Wharton School of Business.
Goldman Sachs has attracted a large share of hungry minds that went on to garner 10-figure fortunes. At least 11 current and recent billionaire financiers worked at Goldman early in their careers, including Edward Lampert, Daniel Och, Tom Steyer and Richard Perry.

Several billionaires suffered a bitter professional setback early in their careers that heightened their fear of failure. Pharmaceutical tycoon R.J. Kirk's first venture was a flop--an experience he regrets but appreciates. "Failure early on is a necessary condition for success, though not a sufficient one," he told Forbes in 2007.

According to a statement read by Phil Falcone during a congressional hearing in November, his botched buyout of a company in Newark in the early 1990s taught him "several valuable lessons that have had a profound impact upon my success as a hedge fund manager."

Several current and former billionaires rounded out their Yale careers as members of Skull and Bones, the secret society portrayed with enigmatic relish by Hollywood in movies like The Skulls and W. Among those who were inducted: investor Edward Lampert, Blackstone co-founder Steven Schwarzman, and FedEx founder Frederick Smith.

September Birthdays:

Of the 380 self-made American tycoons who have appeared on the Forbes list of the World's Billionaires in the past three years, 42 were born in September--more than in any other month. Maybe that's because September is the month the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans is published.

Tech Titans Who Dropped Out of College:

More than 20% of the self-made American moguls on the most recent list of the World's Billionaires never finished college. Many of them made their fortunes in tech. Among them: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, (Oracle) and Theodore Waitt (Gateway).

Goldman Sachs:

A stint at investment bank Goldman Sachs is a prime credential for becoming a finance billionaire. Of the 68 self-made American billionaires that derive their fortunes from finance, at least eight cut their teeth in Goldman's investment banking, trading, or asset management divisions. The company's crown jewel: its "risk arbitrage" unit, which launched the careers of billionaires Edward Lampert and Daniel Och, as well as former billionaires Tom Steyer and Richard Perry.

Guess what month i was born...December


article from Forbes.com

My iLeaner Ms Cebu 2010 experience -- The Choice I Made

Sunday Dec 13, 2009, at 5pm still wondering what shirt to wear for the Ms Cebu 2010 Candidates' Christmas Party and iLearner charity event. Trying to create a good impression for the people who are going to be there, specially to my iLearner family. I did five spray of my favorite Eternity perfume that i only use during special events.

On my way there, in the cab, still thinking about my L2 Karlo Manto asked me. He asked me why did i join the organization. Then i asked myself why? Why im on my way to Fuente, when in fact, this day is my Etel Team's Christmas party. Could it be for self fulfillment, or for the people or friends that Im going to meet there. Still in a delimma that I think time can only answer.

So, I was there, In fact i was already there before the program started. But i was alone, no iLeaner members yet.Then i asked myself again could this be the right venue? I was about to panic...God knows Im gona cry if no iLeaner members show up there...I saw alot of Kids, they say those kids are street children. I observed them, I knew they were eager for the program to start. Then thoughts, questions came in to my mind...are they expecting gifts later? or are they going to be happy after this? Again, only time can tell.

Then i saw Jhade, Doyskie, and other colleagues, and the program started. After about 40 minutes of being there, it was the time to give gifts/foods to the children. Yeah, most of the kids were happy especially those who received the pack of food. But i noticed one small boy who only got a small piece of food in his hand. I looked at him and he smiled at me. He was actually happy with what he received- a small piece of food in a plastic. And i smiled back at him.

At that point, i realized that it was the answer to my question why I was there. I was not there because of Ms Cebu 2010 candidates, or the people that Im going to meet there.

I was there to help give foods/gifts... was there to make the children smile... was there to give a bit of joy to the children who need it most. I was there to give a little of what i have that matters alot to the child that smiled at me.

Thanks to iLearner for giving me this experience...!