MiG-29C

If I'm gonna have it my way, I'd go for passion anytime knowing that I'm gonna excel in that field - me at my very best. I tend to think of it as not a job but a calling. I'm a believer in this Confucian saying that goes, "Find a job you love and you don't have to work a day in your life." Some are willing to settle for lesser pay because they love and enjoy what they do. It's not just about money.

For some, however, it's between that or a cold hard place. Practicality comes to play and you'll have to compromise. Ever wondered why a lot of people opted to work in Call Centers instead of practicing their line of expertise? 1) There are limited openings in their field (always a possibility); 2) It's financially rewarding compared to their previous job, that they're willing to put up with the stress and stuff - read: Financial Security; 3) Job security.

In the long run, regardless of the choices or career options you make, there's no such thing as an easy ride. The only easy day was yesterday. This is just my opinion.

The Real Problem with Network Marketing and Multi-Level Marketing (MLM)

From Scott Allen,Your Guide to Entrepreneurs.

HINT: It's not the business model itself

It never ceases to amaze me the extreme polar views on the topic of network marketing and MLM. Some people are passionate about it in the extreme, and there are even top celebrity authors like Robert Allen, Mark Victor Hansen, and Robert Kiyosaki doing it and advocating it. Yet, in many circles, you might as well declare yourself a leper as admit to being in network marketing.

So, what is the problem with MLM and network marketing?

Maybe it's the pyramid structure? But you can't really take issue with the tiered compensation structure—almost every large sales organization in the world has that. Salespeople get commission, and sales managers get overrides or bonuses on top of that, and sales directors on top of that, and VPs on top of that.

Or maybe it's the fact that you have to pay to participate in it?

But that can't be it—that's a standard franchising model. And I assure you, the franchise fee of most traditional franchises dwarf the sign-up cost of any MLM program by comparison.

Now certainly, there are illegal pyramid, or "Ponzi", schemes. This is where the money is all being made off of signing up other people, with little or no real product ever being delivered. But in spite of whatever perceptions people may have, the fact is that Amway, Excel, Meleleuca, PrePaid Legal, USANA, and many others have sold millions upon millions of dollars of products to happy customers, many of whom are NOT also reps. So, there may be a perception problem here, but if so, the perception is out of line with the reality.

But surely the bad rep*tation MLM'ers has some more basis in fact than the occasional illegal pyramid scheme?

The real problem with MLM is not MLM itself, but some of the people it attracts. Network marketing is just a business model, and it really amounts to "micro-franchising". Its upside is that it has a very low cost of entry, with the potential for exceptional revenue, and there are those who achieve that.

But those same things that make it attractive make it attractive to many who are NOT really qualified or prepared to become business owners. The salient characteristics of MLM make it attractive to people who:

1)have not done well in their business or profession and have little money saved up to invest

2)have no previous experience owning or running a business

3)have no previous experience in sales

4)have little or no experience developing business relationships other than that of employer/employee/co-worker

5)are not satisfied with their current level of income

6)have unrealistic expectations of the amount of work involved compared to the revenue realized

Don't get me wrong—I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with any of these things, or that this describes even a majority of network marketers—only that it describes a disproportionate number of network marketers, and that many of them never do anything about it.

As a result, many network marketers end up:

1)over-selling the opportunity

2)inappropriately discussing business in social situations

3)coming across as desperate

4)over-focused on new recruits and neglecting existing customers as a result

5)being either inaccurate or deceptive when talking about their business

Again, I'm certainly not saying that this describes a majority of network marketers, but it does describe enough of them to tarnish the rep*tation of the rest. To pre-judge someone based on the basis of a small minority of people in that group is horribly unfair, but we must realize that most prejudices have some basis in reality, even if it has been distorted.

So what's the solution?

There's a first time for everything. And network marketing/MLM is a great opportunity for people to have their first business, their first sales role, etc. My point is this—recognize it for what it is: it's a business, and you are a business owner. And if you've never owned a business before, if you've never done sales before, if you've never networked before, you need to learn about how to do so, not just from the network marketing/MLM experts, but from established experts in those fields.

Network marketers who are serious about building a business should be reading and learning about business fundamentals, the latest sales and marketing techniques, strategies for networking and business development, etc., not just swapping tips at your team's weekly or monthly meeting. Act like a small business owner, and people will treat you like one.

With Globe Telecom recently increasing the rates of their Unlimitext Services from P20/2 Days and P50/5 Days to P20/Day, I'm switching to Sun Cellular for good. Just because tinanggal ng Smart yung unlimited texting promo nila, puwede na i-monopolize ng Globe ang consumers by increasing their rates.

I don't have a prob with SunCell's coverage. Di naman tayo nakatira sa liblib na lugar para maging concerned about signal coverage and network congestion. Do the math, mas tipid pa rin mag 24x7! I'm just being practical. Will just keep my Globe sim for back-up in case mapunta ako sa isang lugar na walang SunCell coverage.

Shift back to Windows only on MAC????

 

TheGeneral is it right for me to think that you are unhappy to be running on MAC OS X?

 

Am curious to know why SIR?

***

Reply:

I could only speculate but I guess he's having a hard time looking for Mac-compatible applications, softwares and the like. I hate to admit this but there are certain Windows-based applications that don't have any equivalent in the Mac, and he probably needs them badly for work.

For me, it's definitely Hell Week. Seven days of gruelling physical, mental, academic torture and verbal abuse with only 2-3 hours of sleep. On the 7th day, we culminated the training with an 18 kilometer march to the beach in full BDAs and carried 7.62mm M14s. By sunset, we had formation by the shoreline, held a small ceremony and were declared as graduates, full-pledged Naval ROTC officers. Damn glad I was given my dream assignment: the Marine Honor Escort and Rifle Silent Drill Company, where I held the position of Company Commander for 2 years. Not the most sought after position in the Corps (everybody was aspiring to be a Corps Commander), but it's about being a part of the most well-disciplined, well-trained unit in our Regiment. Corps Commanders, like other senior officers, may have had the credit and the glory, but it's the enlisted men, the company grade officers and those down the line who actually run the show. Semper Fidelis!

I usually notice the lips first, the eyes second. Plus points if she's got pouty lips and/or a dimple.

My current work in progress...

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ AM2

Asus M2R32-MVP or MSI K9A Platinum motherboard / Crossfire ready (yet to buy one, depending on which is better)

Kingston 512MB x 2 DDR2 800MHz RAM (to be upgraded later to 2.0GB)

Seagate 160GB 7200rpm SATA HDD

Sony 1.44MB floppy drive

Sony internal card reader

HP DVD-Writer with Lightscribe

Sapphire ATI Radeon X1600XT 256MB / 128-Bit GDDR3 PCI-E (Crossfire ready)

Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Extreme Music sound card

MAG 19-Inch LCD display monitor (5m/s response time)

Altec Lansing GT5051R 5.1 speaker system

Logitech Classic Keyboard Plus PS/2

Logitech MX518 optical mouse

CNET 56k v92 PCI internal modem

ATX CPU chassis with 500W / 12V PSU

Windows XP Professional Edition with SP2 (will try Project OSx86 to see if Mac OS X will dual boot with Windows XP)

Add-On:

HP Photosmart C3180 multi-function printer

CH Products Pilot Pro yoke

Saitek X52 joystick

Run Mac OS X on your Windoze PC! Works well with Intel and AMD 64-Bit Platforms. Now's the time for harvesting Apples. Wana take a bite?

<click here>

If the break-up was done in good faith, no big deal. You're still friends probably. No hard feelings. If you split because you caught the other cheating, ang sama ng break-up nun so panigurado you're pissed. If by chance nagsalubong landas nyo, simple lang solution: Stay calm and act cool in such a way that it would appear you're better off without her. Parang kanta ng U2... With or without you!

Whoever got her pregnant, he better take responsibility for his actions. Yeah, love's not the hurting kind but it doesn't mean you're gonna be a martyr forever. Pay the price. That's what I'd do if I caught my girl cheating.

I dunno if this attitude is common only to Pinoys but here's another thing I noticed:

Bakit yung ibang tao dyan, pag in-love, sa syota lang nakasentro at umiikot ang mundo? Pag yayain mo kumain, umalis, isama sa lakad or gumimik, karamihan ang sagot... "Sorry, di ako puwede eh. May lakad kami ni TOOOOT."

Pero pag may malaking problema, nag-break or cool off, nag-LQ sila ng syota nya, manghihiram ng gamit or uutang ng pang-date sayo... aba naalala ka bigla!

Hehe! Maybe it's none my business but I can't help but wonder. Of course we know our priorities but don't you think it's a bad idea to neglect or forget about our friends? After all, when the sh*t hits the fan, they're we got and kung iisipin mas matagal mo na silang kakilala at nakasama. We've been through thick and thin tapos ganun na lang?

Ill wait for the 2nd Gen / Revision. Hopefully, they'll come up with the signature white version like the iPod. Para bagay sa white MacBook 2.0GHz. Hehe! Pagpapantasyahan na naman ng mga snatchers yan.

@ UnprettyWoman

Hello! Nakabili ka na ng Office 2004 for Mac? Or you decided to wait for the forthcoming 2007 version which is universal? How was it?

guys, i need help... can anybody tell me where to get a corel draw for mac? pleeeeease? i badly need it. thanks!

***

Reply:

Is there a Mac version of CorelDraw? If none, you might wanna consider installing BootCamp so that you can dual boot and run Corel through Windows XP. Another option is to run 2 operating system alongside each other thru an emulator such as Parallels. You can then use a Windows-based version of Corel on OS X with Windows XP running in the background.

For me it's video games. I've been hooked since the Atari days and until now in the age of the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation, I'm still into this. For me, it's a great stress reliever and playing video games keeps me on the edge. Makes for a sharp hand-eye coordination, which I certainly need at work.

are you pessimistic and fatalistic? miserly and grudging? I am! I'm a Capricorn!

***

Reply:

Am I pessimistic? Not really, but I'm a realist. I based my decisions and actions on real-world experience. Not dwell on false hopes and unrealistic expectations.

Am I a fatalist? Maybe. For me it's do or die. All or nothing.

Am I miserly? Not quite. I'm just practical.

Grudging? Hell yeah! If someone betrays me, betcha the trust is gone forever. I forgive but I never forget.

I am a Capricorn.

Count me in! Born January 1976!

Kindergarten = 1st Honorable Mention

Grade School = 2nd Honorable Mention

High School = Nah! I'm beginning to hate Math so I got mediocre grades.

College = Nah! Same reason like in high school, but I did well in everything else (including Naval ROTC of which I got a "1.0")

Post-Grad = Ranked No. 1 Pilot Trainee, first to fly solo (Class 99-Bravo) - siyempre dream ko 'to, pagbubutihan ko talaga!

In high school and college, I faired better in English although my grades in Filipino were good too. I had a hard time with the pronounciation and the Filipino way of spelling certain words with no Tagalog equivalent. Some words are queer and "malalim" too. For example:

chair = salumpuwit

stateside = esteytsayd

Basta my only Waterloo back then was Math. Inaantok ako! Hehe!

When I was a kid, I wanna be a Naval Aviator but unfortunately I'm not a US citizen, and the bases at Subic and Clark closed down back in the early '90s after the Philippine Senate decided to cancel the extension of the RP-US Bases Treaty, dashing my chances of getting a shot at it. Here are my dream schools:

1. United States Naval Academy

2. NAS Pensacola - (for Aviation Preflight Indoctrination)

3. NAS Corpus Christi - (for Primary Flight Training)

4. NAS Kingsville - (for Advanced Flight Training / Jet Training)

5. NAS Fallon / Naval Strike & Air Warfare Center - (for Strike / Fighter Flying)

6. NAS Fallon / Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Course - (TopGun Instructor)

I collect various ammunitions from .17HMRs, .22s, .32s, .380s, 9mms, .38Supers, .38Specials, .357Mags,, .357SIGs, .40SWs, 10MMs, .45s, 5.56mm, 7.62mm, .30-06 up to the big bore stuff like the .50BMG. I even have an empty shell of a 105mm howitzer. Hehe!

I got a few cats at home, but a new puppy will be coming soon too. Guess what, yung kids with pets tend to grow up later as more mature, responsible adults.

During my college days I never tried living in a dorm or an apartment because our house is just a few blocks away from school. But if ever, I'd pick a small apartment anytime. Mahirap na pag yung roomie mo kleptomaniac, magulo, maingay, tamad, burara at nanggagalaw ng mga gamit mo or nanghihiram ng walang paalam. At mamaya, magdala pa ng ibang tao yan sa pad nyo, pag may nawala you'll never know who took it.

At least when I'm on my own, everything's gonna be clean and organized. Pag may hinanap ako, I know where to find them and it's placed right there where it's supposed to be.

For me, it's the Honda NSX. I like the sleek lines and aerodynamic shape. If you can't afford a Ferrari or McLaren, get this. But for all-around general purpose and utility, a World War II vintage 4x4 Willis Jeep will suit me just fine.

My sport is competitive shooting, also known as "practical shooting." I shoot both in IPSC (run-and-gun) and IDPA (tactical) formats using either a Colt 1911A1 .45 or a Glock 17 9mm pistol. Pinapawisan ba ako? Definitely a "yes" because especially in field courses, we shoot on the move, jump over barricades and run for cover.

Basically I'm into this sport/hobby not because I want to win medals, trophies or cash prices. I partcipate in these events to sharpen my skills and maintain my profeciency with my chosen sidearm, which I think should be in the minds of responsible gun owners out there. Owning a firearm is not a right, it's a previlege. Let's make sure that we are deserving of this previlege.