Where is the Real Value In Value?

I’m all for Capitalism and looking out for yourself. After all it’s a nice feeling to reap the fruits of your hard work. Creating something of value so it can be used in the market has long been the pursuit of craftsmen and artisans alike.

Capitalism has been around as long as humans have; from the first barter traders who traded their tools for food. Unfortunately today, many aspects of capitalism are so mutated that it seems to make a parody of itself. Never has the art of putting value on worthless crap been more widespread. Capitalism disproves the old saying: “You can’t polish a turd”

Ever since the abandonment of the gold standard, a time when money had any real value. People have been thinking of ways to put value into worthless sh*t through speculation. Don’t get me wrong, speculation has been widespread even in ancient times when merchants would ramp up food prices due to forecast shortages caused by war or weather.

Now the shining example for speculation is the property market. To be honest, the house and land you are living on isn’t worth a damn. It’s just a piece of land, with some structure attached. I heard it’s used by people to dwell in. The problem with these pieces of turf isn’t with the insane neighbors or the idiot urban designers who made them. The problem is they are too overpriced. The only thing keeping them overpriced is the current job market. Take away the jobs and you have property that is slightly worth more than snot.

The promise of jobs entices people to buy land at ridiculous prices and this perpetuates the cycle as more people jump on the bandwagon. Eventually when the property bubble bursts; you are left with a possession that you are still paying for at last decade’s prices. It’s is made even more ridiculous because the money you are using to pay for your worthless property is all credit! Speculative money!

With credit comes spending power and with reduced credit, many businesses are finding ways to stay competitive. Might as well take advantage of turning useless crap into gold with the power of hype!

Even though credit is essential at times, over reliance on it creates a false confidence on your wealth and value. After more market bubbles bursts, even credit becomes impossible as no one would lend to filthy bankrupt economic leeches.

Luckily the cycle is further perpetuated because countries lend money in fears that by not doing so; might lead to an economic meltdown. With an economy based on numbers and credit, of course it will implode sooner or later. It’s only a matter of time and until we find more excuses to simulate and renew the economy. Stimulate with what? More borrowed money? We might as well stimulate it with toilet paper…

Hands On in Outsourcing

I’m getting buried under paperwork again and vendors following up on things that I thought I had settled.

I knew it that I should’ve duked it out with that BPO firm in Cebu. Oh well. As they say – sh*t happens. One seemingly okay concept turns out to be a nightmare. An idea that you thought you had worked out well from the beginning turns out to be the exact opposite of how you wanted things to turn out.

Well, so much for saving a few bucks!

I hate to admit it but things were actually better organized when I had Val to assist me.  You see, I tried out this Virtual Assistant concept as referred by a few associates I met in Singapore. I was immediately sold to the concept of having someone on-line, do things for you and work on the nitty-gritty daily.

Things were already doing great for almost 8 months until my neighbor talked me out of it.

She advised me to try out another VA at a price surprisingly cheaper than what my previous provider had given. So I finished my contract with Val, then jumped in the bandwagon with this new VA from a “supposedly up and coming company”.

Big mistake.

Not only is the new VA disorganized, she is frequently absent due to whatever reason. I appreciate what the call center (where Noreeen the new VA worked for) did for me – they found replacements whenever Noreen was not around at a drop of a hat. However, it just became ridiculously annoying for me to have to train the new girl what to do over and over again.

I decided to terminate the services more than a month ago. Then I realized it’s just like getting out of the fire and into the frying pan!

When I contacted Val, my former VA, she is currently under a new client. Lucky bastard!

Other VAs were offered, all colleagues of Val. But I didn’t bite and said that I’ll just wait until she’s available again. Oh well. here’s keeping my fingers crossed and hoping the other guy ends his contract.

I need an appointment setter right now. Hopefully I can get a good one.

This time, I tried something very different. I took an active approach instead of going through a call center. I posted an opening here in Cebu BPO Resume. So far so good. It’s been a week already and I’ve had a good streak of interviews with the applicants.

I should’ve thought of this before. Maybe I’ll get better results this time! Before I get buried completely!!!

Google Apps for Business.

Are you just starting and in need of basic office tools? Look no further. Google Apps provides robust package to get your business up and running swiftly. It has email, calendar, office applications and web-messaging service so you and your employees can get down to business and seal that important deal quickly.

The good thing about Google Apps is portability. With your favorite browser, you can create or access office files such as documents and spreadsheets using Google Docs — anytime anywhere. Google Calendar is another important tool which does not only allow you to plan ahead, but lets you remember an important event or meeting via SMS to your mobile phone.

Google Apps isn’t only for start-ups. Many businesses have come to see the benefits of cloud computing in Google Apps for company-wide or even client collaboration. With Apps, the document or spreadsheet always stays current, and your team and clients are rest assured that important modifications were entered in the right version. Thus, Google doesn’t only let you work faster but also smarter.

Google Apps is unbeatable in cost-savings. It requires no special hardware or software and requires minimal administration, giving businesses huge savings in terms of time and IT expenditures. Research also shows that “Google Apps is as little as 1/3 the total cost of competing solutions.”*
Downtime and data loss can be very costly not only in dollars but also your company’s productivity. Google Apps gives you the confidence that you are always up and running 99.9%** all the time and the peace of mind that your data are secured and kept by world’s trusted Google datacenter.
Best of it all, with Google Apps, it means you never have to upgrade all the time. Plus, as leader in cloud computing, Google never fails to give you something new every single day of your business.

Learn about Philippines Business Process Outsourcing.

 

Voiceville Communications, Inc.
Philippine Call Center
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* http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/details.html
** Available in Google Apps Premier Edition

A Man Needs His “My Time”

Yes, as much as I don’t want to dwell on it, the statement remains true. A man always need his alone time where nobody is breathing down his throat or someone nagging from all corners. No man wishes to bury himself in paperwork. Nobody, not even those who claim that they have control over their work. In reality, it is work that has control over men. I’m not sure why men have demands to keep up with this fast-changing world but we are left with no choice. We are expected to prove our manhood and the power of hierarchy; so on and so forth. But you know what? A man deserves a break too.

Last night I was reviewing some of my paperwork while sipping cold coffee and making such a long-winded financial report. A few years back, I thought I could get a good sleep every night while I work my ass during the day. But now things aren’t just the way I expected it to be. Good thing someone noticed my dismay because I had a good advice coming from a good associate of the company I work in. He made mention of taking advantage and with that thought in mind I made sure that it was the right solution. The deal was unimaginable and I was hesitant that I did not deserve any of it. But it was the best solution yet. The solution for businessmen even. If you ask me, my birthday does not happen till a few months from now but I am already receiving presents. Anyway, this solution offered a one month free trial and it’s not like any solution you see out there. It is like getting your life back once and for all. I’m pretty confident that I will have a good and stable life. I just tried it and now my life is back to normal.

We also offer this service to businessmen and the like. You do not even have to spend a fortune for you to have it. You just have to have an open mind. Trust me, it’s worth every penny.

Love Struck

Last week, I attended my nephew’s parent association meeting in place of his mother, my sister, because she got to fly out to Atlantic City to meet with a very important client. So there I was stuck in a meeting I wasn’t really ready for, topics ranging from helping your kids get through adolescence and how to help them excel in school and sports. I sat there feeling slightly miffed about the whole thing. Then towards the end, they called in a speaker to which I would not have paid much attention to except that when she came in, the room became brighter and more alive. She had this cute curls that framed her perfectly heart shaped face and little pout red lips that looked absolutely edible. When she spoke, her voice came out a little husky and she had that adorable throaty laugh that was as contagious as her smile. I was enthralled. Mesmerize, I stood up out of the blue and raised my hand, interrupting her speech on advocating for the protection of the environment. She looked at me, and I, at loss for words, merely stood there, looking very much like a love struck fool. Everyone turned to look at me and I gathered what little self esteem I had and started walking towards the exit with all the dignity I could muster.

I could not believe myself and so could my nephew who had taken to not talking to me until we got home. I then told him what caused my temporary insanity and he merely laughed and told me that it would be best if I found a way to talk to her. I resolved to find a way to apologize for my weird behavior. I made an appointment with the principal and asked for contact details of the speaker because I would like to volunteer for her cause and such. That night, I went online and search for anything that could help me get through an entire day with Sandra without losing grip or worse, looking like a fraud.

Big day. I dressed in plain blue shirt and pulled up the less tattered jeans amongst my possession. We met in the lobby. She ushered me to my seat and to my surprise, we were seated next to each other. She smiled. I smiled. I then started talking to her about some of the things I had learned after spending a sleepless night studying. She wasn’t out right rude but she seemed a little bored. I guess I was giving too much numbers. Then I started telling her about something called Koopons. Her face finally started to show some interest. I told her how it could help the environment by less paper wastage. How Koopons is on the fast track to becoming the new face of coupons. It takes advantage of our mobile phones. She asked about the process and I told her how easy it was. You just have to log on to http://carryoutdirectory .com and look for deals on your favorite restaurants and key in your mobile number. After you receive the text message you have the option to use it or forward it to your family and friends. Easy, convenient and 100 % hassle-free.

Now, we are on our fifth date and every time it gets better.

Deceitful Ways

It happens to a lot of people. In fact, it happens to both those innocent and not so innocent people. Deception can happen in various ways and it too can appear friendly because its purpose is to manipulate, lie, and cheat. I need not paint a bigger picture. Clearly, we all know what deception is. The reason why I’m pointing it out is because I must share a very valuable lesson that comes with being deceived. It’s all a matter of history; people who find satisfaction in the downfall of others will always be mischievous wherever you put them. Basically then, you can spot them immediately. I had a brief experience where I was downright deceived and trust me it was ugly and it can get uglier for some.

After that experience of mine, I realized that I was too trusting because sometimes when people appear this way—they end up being the opposite of it. I should have learned that a long time ago; long before I started investing since trust was a crucial matter and nothing could possibly be more painful than losing the good will in me. However, I must say that it taught me more than what I expected. It’s a lot different when it’s first hand indeed. But I wouldn’t want to bore you with the details.

Anyway, there is so much to talk about but I’d rather hope that if it doesn’t stop, at least people can handle situations that require them to be wiser. The best advice I can give is to always keep an open mind. It can be anyone; it can even be the ones closest to you. It can happen in the most unexpected manner. The only way to get pass an event like this is to avoid making yourself vulnerable because when they know that you have opened up to them, they will take advantage and they might just destroy your life like how they destroyed their victims’ lives. Allow yourself the security but don’t fail to give them the benefit of the doubt. Trust but trust with careful consideration.

Being a Capitalist is Not So Bad

When I asked a group of people if they were in favor of capitalism, some said it is a bit selfish and others said it is necessary for an economy to grow. In response, I said that both ideas are true but understanding capitalism is more than just breaking it into two parts. Capitalism is a principle, if I may say. It is a principle because every successful businessman out there is driven to develop their skills in business through the “capitalist approach”. Thus, it is divided into 10 or more concepts.

Although we find Capitalism “selfish”, my view regarding this argument is contrary to what most people think. Everything, in my opinion, has the ability to be selfish and to claim that every capitalist in this world is unjust is in itself an accusation with no support. You see, defining the idea of capitalism is relatively essential to Darwin’s theory: survival of the fittest. Times are changing and without smart solutions, failure is inevitable. Therefore, capitalists make smart solution and that is why they don’t suffer when there is inflation or recession. Again, it’s only a matter of having the right knowledge.

Many would say that capitalists have a strange way of dealing with money because they just make money and money just keeps growing. On the other hand, the non capitalist groups of people are tied in strings where escape is a hideous thing. That is because they are going in the wrong direction. There idea of sustainability is too narrow and they resort to submission. I will say this again, being a capitalist is not so bad because capitalists have the knack for financial independence and I don’t blame them. Money is not a problem to them because they have found a solution and once a person starts to think like this. He develops the initiative to think for himself not through sabotaging other people’s lives but to prove a point. To prove that we are capable human beings and we don’t have to be caught up with economic crisis. In the event that people will finally realize their goal in this matter, they will see themselves as great men in such hard times. Ever wondered why these people (capitalists) are still breathing now?