I've been playing "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" on my player for days.  I can't believe how much of an impact it's made that I have taken the effort to:

• Get my own copy of all three Acts,
• Extract my own songs from the iTunes Downloads,
• Transcribing my own lyrics to all the songs from all three acts, and finally-
• Blogging all about it.

In case you haven't seen it yet, I recommend you check it out.  Joss Whedon, creator of TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly has teamed up with brothers Zack and Jed, together with Jed's fiancee, Maurissa, to come up with an internet musical which they called "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog".

Supposedly, the idea for the whole project came about at the peak of the Writer's Strike earlier this year- the whole fiasco was just dragging on, and everyone just wanted to get back to writing somehow.

Then they enlisted the support of people they've all worked with- including actors Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day.  The result: an internet musical masterpiece that broke down their servers, and quickly became the most downloaded TV show (it was classified under 'TV shows') on iTunes.

They came up with three acts of about 15 minutes apiece- which put together, is about as long as any regular TV episode.  You have to see it for yourself- after all, would you know of any musicals featuring super-villains?

Neil Patrick Harris stars as Dr. Horrible, and you can see that he's put his theater training into good use here.  Nathan Fillion plays the role of the semi-cheesy and borderline juvenile beefcake Captain Hammer, nemesis of Dr. Horrible.  And of course you have Felicia Day as our ingenue, Penny.

Sing along to your other favorite Dr. Horrible songs by checking out parts 1, 2 and 3 of my Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Songbook, right here on another blog of mine (which you can really, now sing along to as well...), My Thoughts In Stereo.

Check out Part 1 of the Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog Songbook here, featuring the songs

• "My Freeze Ray",
• "Bad Horse (The Application)",
• "Penny's Song", and
• "What a Man's Gotta Do"

Check out Part 2 of the Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog Songbook here, featuring the songs

• "On The Rise",
• "Bad Horse (The Phone Call)",
• "Keep Your Head Up", and
• "Brand New Day"

Check out Part 3 of the Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog Songbook here, featuring the songs

• "So They Say"
• "Everyone's A Hero"
• "Slipping" and
• "Finale/ Brand New Day (reprise)"

Again: don't forget to check out the official Dr. Horrible website, and show your support by downloading your own copy from iTunes.

Cheers, everyone!

As a paying customer, I fork out a regular monthly amount to get a service I should be getting with no worries and no fuss.

Unfortunately, it seems that even satisfactory customer service is too much to ask for these days. So let me share to you my story on how terribly disappointed I am with Globe, and how my Globelines internet sucks right now.

My Problematic Globe Broadband Connection

Now here's how this story goes: I fly in from Los Angeles earlier this month and come home to an internet-less apartment. As far as I'm concerned, my payments have been current, but my girlfriend- kickass that she is- had already taken the initiative of calling up Globelines- my current broadband internet service provider- to figure out what's going down with my connection, and why I supposedly have problems with my Globelines landline and internet.

Looking back, I've had problems and connection issues with Globe before, and I'll admit that Globe had been fairly reliable and prompt in dealing with my phone/internet issues.

Until now.

These past several days, it's been a stressful cycle of getting assurances from Globe, calling up the 919.8888 customer service hotline, waiting for some miracle to happen, filing yet another complaint at the Globelines payment center, getting yet more false assurances- this crap has been going on long enough.

What do I have to show for it so far? The contact center Globe has employed to run their customer service/tech support hotline (Alorica, I believe, is one of two) have nothing to give but generic, pre-fabricated spiels- I don't think most of these agents even get the urgency of the situation.

Even their stories don't match: the customer service reps in the Globelines Center in Greenbelt were already beseiged by a number of irate clients hurling invectives and cursing Globe to high heavens for various reasons. This was what I observed when I came over to file yet another complaint- my third one- last 06 July 2008.

I was curious to know why there was this sudden influx of more-than-dissatisfied customers, so in between tirades, I managed to ask a Customer Service Rep why this was all happening.

There was a shortage in service personnel, was what they said. Ever since the last typhoon that hit, Globe technical and customer services had already been spread thin.

Understandable, I suppose. But I also noticed that the customer service desks also have to call their own Customer Service hotline- 919.8888- to facilitate customer concerns. They were also waiting for several minutes, and given the same song-and-dance- a service I could subject myself to from the comfort of my own home, if I wanted it.

To the CSR's credit, they got my number and apologized (the contact center's personnel were on lunch break), and assured me that I would be getting a call from them for an update. Which, again to their credit, I got later that afternoon. Aura of Globelines Greenbelt informed me that I was on their priority list (like it really means anything), and that some crewperson would be checking out my connections- something the call center relayed through them, no doubt.

Completely inefficient, aren't they? So reflective of Philippine bureaucracy. And you wonder why we can't have anything done in this country?

Once More Into The Fray

Fast forward to one week later: It's been 12 days that I've gone without internet at home- 12 fracking days! Now how the frack am I supposed to get any work done?

Another call goes to the Globelines 919.8888 hotline: navigating through the irritatingly artificial voiceprompts, I finally get through to a customer service rep after 15 minutes of being on hold.

Angel was this CSR's name. I was given the same song-and-dance on how there was "ongoing network restoration" and crap. What a spiel-monkey.

I was already pissed off by this time, and insisted on speaking with a supervisor. No, it was not OK to wait- but I really have no choice, do I? Seems like you couldn't do anything done around here if you don't speak to a supervisor or a manager. Useless, inutile spiel-monkeys, all of them.

I was waiting for said supervisor while blogging this very post- and the idiot Angel didn't even put me on hold (with the cheesy repetitive crappy music), so I could hear the call center chatter from my end. The bitch totally left me hanging, didn't she? And you can hear her fellow CSRs' horseplay- how typical of Philippine contact centers at their lowest.

An hour goes by. Seriously, an hour. Are Globelines supervisors and managers really in the habit of making paying customers wait for an hour? I know I was relatively calm and composed- you can just imagine how many more angry customers there are out there.

Special shout-out to Globelines CSR Angel: Look, I know how underpaid and terribly 'overworked' you are. But if you couldn't do your job right- i.e. putting the phone on hold properly so your managers can clean up the messes you make- then by all means resign, and let somebody else take that monthly salary of yours and put it into better use. You give Philippine customer reps a bad name.

I give the Globelines 919.8888 number another call. This time, Jeff picks up after 5 minutes of waiting. Once again, I give my obligatory subscriber information. I ask him to find out who the supervisor/manager on board is.
He comes back after a few minutes and begins to rattle off some pre-prepared spiel on how busy they all were. I cut him off to tell him that all I want, really, is the name of the supervisor-on-board.

Jeff tells me "Marami sila (There are many)". I asked him exactly how many supervisors there really are.

Jeff reveals the staggering number: Three.

Three supervisors. So what are their names? Surely he could easily tell me three names.

Jeff then informs me that I couldn't get the name of all 3 supervisors. And why not, I wonder? What seems to be wrong with that? Jeff adds that the supervisor will identify himself when he takes my call. You could've told me that in the first place, Jeff. Tsk tsk.

Fair enough. But before I chew on a supervisor's head, I just had to ask poor hapless Jeff a few more questions.

I asked him how many agents they have on the floor right now. 40 CSRs, is what he answered. I asked another question: how busy are they all right now? Very busy, was what he answered this time (of course they were!).

While Jeff had been relatively polite and calm, I realized this conversation was going nowhere, so I asked him to patch me through to his supervisor now. Which he did.

After three minutes, someone named Lindsey Dizon identified himself as the supervisor. He was apologetic and sounded rather sincere- he went on to give me a quick review of what had been going on, based on my connection logs and incident reports. He also proceeded to tell me what steps they'd be taking with all this information, etc.

Do I really need a supervisor to get anything done around here?

With some more questioning, he told me that my case was an isolated one, meaning most other connections originating from the same Globe cabinet have reported no trouble- just mine.

He also assures me that he'd be personally updating me with what's going on until my issues get resolved.

We'll see about that.

It's been Day 14 so far. The inconvenience of going to free wi-fi places and hooking up from friend's places can be tiresome real quickly.

Curse you, Globe. You give me another reason to hate this country, and want to move to another.

The Lesser of Two Evils.

Inept as Globe customer service is, PLDT is so much worse. My girlfriend often complains of intermittent connections, and sometimes, days without any internet signals at all. On top of a customer service system that truly sucks.

So if you're thinking of switching to PLDT, keep in mind that you might be just digging yourself out of one hellhole into another- vexingly more hellish- hole.

It's the story of the Philippines, really. Both broadband/DSL providers- Globe and PLDT- suck. They suck, that's the bottom line. Unfortunately for us paying consumers- all we can do is choose the one that sucks less.

Seems that once companies like Globe and PLDT have our money, and sucked us into their flawed systems, it's all that really matters to them. Customer service? Fuck that. Technical support? Screw you. We have your money- we'll work on your problems when we feel like it.

Exactly the kind of culture that not only makes the rich richer, but also the kind that drives this country down.

Now that's truly, truly sad.

I took EVA Air for my trip this time, and I have to say: EVA has done a spectacular job as an airlines company- they're always on time, the customer service is a lot better than what I expected, and the flight accommodations were actually rather pleasant.

Even the Economy class on EVA Air is alright- they call it the Evergreen Deluxe- which really is a premium economy type of accommodation.  Still, it has a little more legroom, slightly wider seats (which is great for larger dudes like me), as well as individual video screens- which comes in handy for longer international flights.  The food was alright as well.

According to Wikipedia, EVA Air is a Taiwanese airline based at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei, Taiwan.  It operates both passenger and dedicated cargo services to international destinations in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America.   In addition, EVA Air is an affiliate of the shipping conglomerate Evergreen Group, and is the largest privately owned Taiwanese airline.

As far as international flights go, I would have to say that EVA Air is definitely right up there with the best of 'em.  In fact, I totally recommend you booking a flight on EVA Air whether you're traveling to other Asia destinations, or to the United States.

Given how many horror stories I've heard about other airline companies- here's something for your peace of mind: fly EVA Air.  It's a great deal for an international flight, you have very capable (and very cute) flight attendants, comfortable accomodations, and top-notch service.

Let's get this out of the way: if you do have plans of coming over to the United States and starting a new life here- which is a plan worth pursuing, btw- do things the right way.  I will also go as far as saying that I do not support any move that requires you to sidestep laws or even bend them to your liking- you don't have to do those things at all.

Laws exist for a reason, and if you want to fully enjoy a shot of making it big here, then by Bob, do things the right way.

That being said, I now know first hand why so many people want to move here: even in a recession, there's just so much business going on- much more so compared to our lousy Philippine economy.  More on that later.

Better business means so much more opportunities for professionals and entrepreneurs.  You don't have to be a caregiver.  Or a nurse.  Don't get me wrong, I think they're noble pursuits- but just about EVERYONE wants to be a caregiver or a nurse.  Supply and demand, man.  Plus it ain't my calling.  Not a field I know I could excel in.

Around here, services are huge.  If you know how to fix stuff (cars, electronics, computers, houses, etc.), or good at manual labor (carpentry, massage, gardening, etc.), or have just about any talent worth making money with (cooking, tutoring, pet-handling, etc.), then you might actually have a good chance to make some cash around here.

Even better: professionals.  If you know how to wire up a network for a home business, or rig up power cables, or neuter dogs, or run a forensics lab, or create programs from scratch, then you can really make yourself a more-than-decent living.

Same can be said for people who can run a business- if you got enough savvy, then you're aware of what people are looking for and can therefore, address a specific need.  Keep in mind that in order for you to run a successful business here, you're going to have to build your network from the ground up.  Even if you have a massive network of suppliers and resources from, say, the Philippines, it doesn't mean that you'd be able to bring all those into play here in the United States.

Anyway, I did consult with an Immigration Lawyer- who also turns out to be from the Philippines, and handles a lot of Pinoy cases- and after a nice chat, he gave me my options.

1.  I can have an employer sponsor me for a particular job-role, but it assumes that he's tried to find other suitable candidates but couldn't.  This means that it wouldn't be a simple matter of getting some relative or family friend to hire you- because the employer will eventually have to show proof that he tried to get others, but found you the most qualified for the job offer.

2.  I can set up a business, or even better, buy out an existing business.  With market conditions swaying unfavorably for all kinds of ventures, there are actually a lot of SME's around that are closing down (but it happens in the Philippines too, so no biggie, really).  Doing so means you're providing others with a means of employment as well, which would make you look good when the Immigration Board reviews you for a change of status.

3.  Marry someone with a green card, or even better, marry a US citizen.  Strangely enough, there are a lot of shady dealings involving women marrying themselves to some dude with a citizenship in exchange for cash- so they too can get a green card.  That's just so wrong on so many levels.  If you choose to do marry someone, do so for the right reasons, please.

At this point for me, I could pursue all three options.  But option 2 appeals to me the most.  Option 3 will eventually happen, but why wait when I can have my green card sooner?

If you do have plans of moving to the United States, I advise you to consult with an immigration lawyer, and get your facts straight.  Never completely rely on hearsay, or stories from families and friends.  Options vary from case to case, and you might actually have more feasible courses of action available to you.

More later on as the story continues.  Cheers, everyone.

So naturally, I get asked all sorts of questions about the Philippines- what's there to do, what's going on, anything new worth checking out, how much are such-and-such things, etc. I realized one time that, even if I've been living in Metro Manila for the past 30+ years, I still need to get my facts straight somehow- which means going online to various sites just to validate my information and maybe pick up something new.

There are quite a few websites and blogs on the Philippines already as it is. Some more useful than others, others completely in need of some updating. One of the more useful sites I ran across was FilipinoVillage.com. The site has announcements of all kinds, just like a billboard, on pretty much all things Filipino. It also has some articles and links to other resources on the Philippines.

You can even buy a few things off the website, learn to send money back to the Philippines, and even pick up a tip or two off their various sections. If you have your own company and you'd like to promote your products, services or events, you could add your Filipino event and have it posted on FilipinoVillage.com.

So when you're doing your research on your trip to the Philippines, you might want to drop by FilipinoVillage.com- you might find something you like.

Cheers, everyone.

Still, I'll tell you this now- I miss the fact that you could head off to a spa every other week, or at least every month and enjoy a nice long leisurely massage.

Aw yeah.  Thinking about it now makes me realize how stiff my neck and left shoulder feels right now.  I could sure go for one of those Swedishes in either Suriya or Blue Mountain right now.

It's one of those things I haven't appreciated so much until now- as the Philippines is still a developing country (third world, man!), the cost of labor is still relatively cheap.  Definitely way cheaper than here in the United States.

Which means you can get away with great massage packages for under US$30.  It also means you can take cabs just about every day, have laundry done by just dropping them off and picking em up when they're done, and have a haircut (or your hair done) whenever you want.  All under US$10.

I also miss the fact that you don't have to wait in line at restaurants- I mean, you might, but definitely not have to wait for half an hour to get seated.

I miss my kitties.

I miss my moldy old bed.

I miss the fact that I can hook up with my friends any time I'd want to.  I mean, I'd be able to do that here in LA eventually- but in order for me to do that, I need gainful employment, my own car, and a working knowledge of the LA streets and highways.  I'll have to work on that next.

But not as much as getting that massage.  Man, that's gonna be the first thing I'm going for once I recover from my flight back.

Cheers, everyone.

Yes, it is a title of a song from the marginally successful 80's pop group Wang Chung (of "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" infamy), but for today's purposes, it is also the title of this blog post.

I've been in Los Angeles for a little over two weeks now. Last time I was in town, here in L.A., I never had the chance to appreciate what this place had to offer- was only here for a few days, we all had to take care of Dad, and it was really spending as much time as possible with family, rather than going around to do your own thing, you know?

Fast forward to five-and-a-half months later (today), this feels more like a vacation of sorts. Well, it is, since I haven't had any for over a year. Compared to my life in Manila, this is all pretty laid back, and I'm all for that. I could do all my work-at-home endeavors here, and it's a great place to raise a family, and make some money. Truly a land of opportunity.

I've done quite a bit since I got here.

1. I've been able to get me a brand new DSLR- a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi, as well as a brand new PC.

2. I've been able to try out some good restaurants in the area, thanks to my Mom and my sister. But there's a whole lot more food places worth visiting, and it seems like every day is a new chance to try out something new.

In fact, the whole Los Angeles experience had been inspiring enough to start a stand-alone food blog.  I love eating and dining out anyway, and armed with a brand new digital single-lens reflex camera, I'd say this would be a great time to practice digital photography while writing about food and travel all at the same time.

3. I've been able to do me some cooking. Got the chance to check out Whole Foods (been wanting to check it out since we've been watching Top Chef), but there's lots of great stuff in Fresh & Easy, Ralph's, and even some neighborhood Asian Specialty stores and Farmers' Markets.

It's a big deal for me because you have not only lots of fresh ingredients to play around with here, you also get introduced to a whole new set of herbs, cooking components and other great food items not usually available back at home in the Philippines. Great for anyone who'd like to work on their kitchen-craft.

4. I've been able to make me some cash.  Gotta give credit to Mom for hooking me up with a few projects.  It's a start- not much, but just enough to have some money in my pocket while I'm here.  Mostly freelancing stuff- writing jobs, setting up basic websites, a little buzz marketing- imagine how much more I could make if I actually took on real work?

5. Opened a bank account.  I love the guys over at Wells Fargo.  I have to say, the level of customer service was far more than I expected.  So I opened up my very first savings/checking account in the US with them.  And then linked it to PayPal.  I say we're all set to get some business done.

6. Did more work-at-home stuff. With my trusty new PC, and a rather quiet home by day, I've started setting up my new home office. Still needs some work, but we're getting there. Did quite a bit of job hunting online, and got a fairly good idea on how business goes down around here.

7.  Also did a fair bit of traveling.  More of Mom's idea, actually. Was able to spend a weekend in Las Vegas, and then another weekend at the Hilton checking out nearby Pasadena.

Over the course of a few more weeks, my Mom and sister took me around to some really great spots in and around Los Angeles, among them a place called Silver Saddle Ranch- which is a two-hour drive away from where we live- right through the Mojave, but is way worth the trip and definitely worth a longer visit next time.

8.  Consulted with an immigration lawyer. Gave me my options on how to get myself a social security number. As well as a green card. Plan B is that I continue being my girlfriend's bitch until she drags my ass to get married in Vegas- which really isn't a bad idea :D

There's still so much to do and so much to see around here.  Even if I do have less than two weeks before I go back home to the Philippines, I know that I'll be back here soon anyway, so there's no rush, really. That just means a lot more things lined up the next time around.

Los Angeles is a great place for Pinoys who would like to try out living in the United States: great weather, proximity to a lot of other Filipinos and Pinoy-friendly establishments, a a whole lot of opportunities to make money, travel, and live a much more fulfilling life.

You would do well to consider moving to Los Angeles, if you're planning to move out of the country at all.

As for this blog entry, I suppose it needs some expanding. As I write more about all what I've been doing here in LA, I'll link them all up to this entry.  So more about it if you'd like to know more about what I've been up to in Los Angeles.

Cheers, everyone!

I can't believe the amount of telemarketing calls I've been getting since I got here.  You get cold calls for just about everything- magazine subscriptions, satellite TV services, credit review, timeshares, discount programs, home business pitches- it seems that this house probably gets about 5 to 10 of those calls in a day.

Back in the Philippines, I used to run my own unit of customer service reps and sales reps doing the exact same thing, calling households in the US and in the UK.  And for various campaigns as well.  So, in a way, I'm rather curious to know how it is to be on the receiving end this time.

Here's how I see it: all these telemarketing calls is simply an indication of a potential for good business.  For companies to invest so much in time and manpower and have people continuously call households to pitch something just means that it's probably worth all the effort.

Other interesting observations: most of the calls still originate from within the US (I can tell from the way they talk and respond).  Many are now calling from home- which means there's an increase in work-at-home setups.  Some calls are legit, and some are rather dodgy- hoping to catch you off-guard with a quick series of questions or attempts to bluff you.

And it works both ways too: watch TV, listen to the radio, pick up a newspaper or a magazine, or go online- there are 1-800 numbers everywhere- which means there are a whole lot of other service reps out there positioned to take in millions of calls from all these sources.

In a way, having been in this kind of an industry has given me an appreciation on how things work- a greater appreciation of the whole world of business by phone.

So be nice to your telemarketers.  No need to be rude, although yes, they really have some bad timing when you're having a real bad day.  A simple 'not interested' will do, if you don't want to hear what they have to say- so we don't waste each other's time.  Or, sign up for your local Do-Not-Call list if you really have no patience for it.

Cheers, everyone!

It's really that time of the year when you all compare notes and check out which ones were actually good deals. After all, going to a much-raved summer spot might just be better than that crappy resort you just stayed in the last month.

Understandably, expectations run rather high when anyone plans a vacation. Not only do you work your ass off to get that much-deserved vacation leave (and not leave work hanging) of even just a few days, you also save up for it. And needless to say, it doesn't come cheap at all- more so if you plan a rather ambitious overseas trip with hotel stays and all that.

I can't help but notice that this year isn't a good year for Cebu Pacific. From the online stories alone just these past few weeks, I'd say there's a lot going on that leaves a lot of customers not just unhappy- but irate enough to write about it and tell other people how bad their experiences were.

Take for example these recent incidents posted online for all to read:

• Here's Lattex's blog entry on how unsatisfied he is with Cebu Pacific's new Navitaire system. Read the rest of his blog for other Cebu Pacific stories.
• Aileen Apolo's blog tells of her going so far as writing the Bureau of Trade Regulation and Consumer Protection, apparently frustrated that Cebu Pacific hadn't answered to her original complaint letter.
• Here's Jason Magbanua's experience and a number of other experiences from unhappy Cebu Pacific customers.
• Fruitcaked has this to share on her Multiply- let's just say she's not very happy about her own Cebu Pacific experience.
• Rai of PinoyTux Weblog had this to say about Cebu Pacific.

Now that's not even counting the stories from my friends who don't blog. This unfortunate friend of mine booked a vacation to Bangkok with her friends last week, and had the most horrendous experience with Cebu Pacific.

Here's what I think: I know Cebu Pacific positions itself in the budget airline category- an alternative to Philippine Airlines- but even if you are a no-frills, low-cost airline, it doesn't give you a license to have terrible customer service. And at a time when word-of-mouth spreads so much easier because of blogs, online discussions and social networking? This is the time to get your act together, right?

Whether it's a vacation or a business trip, everybody deserves to have a worry-free flight.  And we're talking about the whole experience- from booking your flights online, getting your e-tickets, to moving through the airports, and the actual flights.  At the rate things are going, I wouldn't mind paying a little extra just to avoid the stress of going through what the others have been through.

But then again- is it really too much to ask for decent customer service?  Shouldn't great customer service be expected from a company that- I dunno- blows millions in advertising and promotions just to get people to try out what they're offering?

So yes, I am worried about Cebu Pacific. I've flown in several Cebu Pacific flights in the past, and while I've been fortunate enough to not have had any major problems, I simply can't ignore what my friends have gone through recently, or what I read online.

I'm leaving for the US in May, but I'm coming back on July with a whole slew of relatives coming over, and I'm tasked to take everyone around. I really hope Cebu Pacific can get straighten things out by then.  In the meantime, it might not hurt to consider other airlines.

Cheers, everyone.

See, when a mobile phone can out-shoot your own digital cam, it's probably time to get new hardware. Which is why I'm really out to find myself a nice little dSLR. On another blog of mine, I actually featured some of the cameras I looked up, and since then, I've been scouring the internet for the best possible deals as far as a dSLR goes.

It was then that I found this cool online site for people looking for cams (just like me!)- Camera World Auction. Turns out, it's an online venue that aims to hook up anyone who wants a camera with people who have em. So it seems to me a great place to look for that Canon EOS 400D I want for myself- great camera for people stepping up from a compact digital to a dSLR, btw.

The site has other great stuff worth checking out- not just cams. And another cool thing is an ongoing promo where you can sign up and register to win a new iPod shuffle at Camera World Auction.

So go check it out, and don't mind me scoping out a good deal for that Canon EOS 400D I want (pictured just above), with all kinds of lenses and accessories. Time to get my Cybershot a bigger brother.

Cheers, everyone!

I am taking a trip to the United States once again (in May) to carve out a new life for myself (and for my fiancee).  I'd like to get some business done, check out how the properties are doing, maybe even continue my education, or at least pick up a new skillset or two.

And while I do have family there, the ultimate goal really is to be as independent as possible.  All these years of living on my own has actually done its job to give me that needed boost of confidence and a strong belief that I can handle this without breaking a sweat.

So everything now is geared towards preparing for that trip in May.  I've taken a more active effort in stepping up my activity online- because online assets can be managed anywhere in the world- so long as you have a trusty laptop and a decent internet connection.

For me, that means taking in more writing jobs, managing more blogs (clients' and my own) , dabbling even more with internet marketing, and dipping my fingers into e-commerce as well.

I have to admit: for a while there, I was really iffy about relocating somewhere else, mainly because I saw my personal network of contacts, suppliers and business partners as a key strength, and something that couldn't come into play if I move to, say, Los Angeles.  Now I realize that, that network of mine can still very much work out for me- if I look at it through entrepreneurs' eyes.  Especially with the internet and the ease of travel and communication- you just have to look at it differently now.

With that, I start organizing my stuff, deciding which ones I take with me, ship out, store elsewhere, stash away for safekeeping, or just give away.  I've been converting all my songs, TV shows, games and movies into digital media- so I could take a couple of hard disks with me instead of a whole slew of CDs and DVDs.

So much needs to be done, but I'm happy I'm doing this.

Cheers, everyone!

I'm actually thankful for the opportunity to have immersed myself in the frontlines, build up my network, and learn about real-world skills every time I had the chance.

Then again, after a while, you get to realize that, while it has all been very rewarding, maybe it's time to move on. Maybe it's time I had a say on exactly what kind of life I want for myself, and not have to conform to the dictates of, say for example, a traditional family-run corporation.

It all boils down to answering a simple question: what exactly is it you want for yourself? For me, the answer was simple. I want control. I'd like to do whatever I want lifestyle-wise and work-wise without having to worry about what people think about how I manage my deadlines and deliverables. I'd like to do the kind of work I want to do- to give myself a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, rather than giving that to another corporate entity. I'd like to spend time with the ones that matter most to me- my family, my friends, and myself.

But can it be done? I'm sure there have been a lot of other people out there who want to get out of the proverbial rat race. I've asked myself that question several times before, but it isn't until now that I've had that perfect moment of clarity, and that I can answer "Yes, it can be done" with a strong sense of conviction and passion.

Yes it can be done.

The path of the entrepreneur is not easy. But it can be done, and it can definitely be very rewarding. Fortune favors the brave, it has been said. So if you want to seize the day, you have to take a leap of faith.

I've stared down that precipice several days ago. And I jumped. I have to say, I've never felt so liberated in my entire life.

This is the day I walk a new path.

And you're all welcome to walk with me.

Cheers, everyone.

I find Saturday mornings as a perfect time to catch up on my blogging.  As you all know, I probably have at least 5 active blogs going on right now, all on a particular topic.  I realized that, looking through the  'Manage Posts' tab, it turns out that I tend to amass quite a number of unfinished drafts.  This blog alone has five entries that need some finishing.  So it seems I have my work cut out for me today :).

Days like these are great for reading other people's blogs too.  Thanks to PageFlakes (and thanks to Andrian Lee of AsiaPay for so recommending it), it's so much easier to keep track of all my favorite blogs.  I can be really all too focused on work on weekdays that I tend to miss out on some noteworthy events that may have transpired over the week- and a quick review of blogs serves as a good way to bring myself up to speed.

For instance, while I've been busy at the radio station, there seems to be some activity on Multiply on a post of mine on Yahoo's 10 Top Recommended Restaurants in Metro Manila.  I like it when friends of mine and friends of friends take time to drop in and give me their two cents' worth.  And from the discussion on that post, it seems I'll go try out a couple new restos this weekend- Sala in J. Nakpil is probably worth checking out, and maybe this Chocolat in SM Mall of Asia, or Conti's in Serendra.

So I'll probably end up working on my backlogs for a couple hours before heading out to the gym and get some chores done.  Oh the usual- groceries, pet supplies, laundry- nothing too exciting.  Cristina and I have ourselves the rest of the afternoon/evening to go visit a spa, watch a movie and have a leisurely dinner.  Then I'll meet up with my friends much later in the evening to just hang out.

And yeah, I'll most likely write about those too.  So check you all out soon.

Cheers, everyone.

Anyway, last night was the first time I've visited NBC's Saturday Night Live website in a long while.  See, we don't get SNL in the Philippines, so I get my fix of the latest comedy bits online.

Well, there used to be a cable channel that showed some episodes of the last three or four seasons, but they've been re-running the same episodes over and over again, and some sketches have been taken out of several shows- and I particularly hate it when these local cable channels try to dumb everything down- which is another topic altogether.

Anyway, ever since the Writers' Strike has been resolved, everyone's already back to work- which is a very good thing for everybody.  More importantly for fans like myself- we finally get to see our old favorites back on TV (or the internet).

There was a time when I frequented YouTube for these SNL clips, coz there was a time when NBC had its own channel with all the cool promos for other shows on top of clips of Conan and SNL and everything else- but now you can find them on the NBC website, and later on I suppose you could find more when their new video-on-demand services, Hulu and/or NBC Direct, launches.

So I've been keeping myself busy catching up on Conan and SNL.  In fact, I've been blogging about it on one of my other blogs.

I've started to keep track of all the SNL Digital Shorts- being a huge fan of The Lonely Island boys.  So I got "Lazy Sunday" here, the Ariel and Efrim sketch here, and the latest ones with Ellen Page, "The Mirror", and Amy Adams with Jason Sudeikis and Andy Samberg, "Hero Song" here.  Definitely more of that coming up until I get the whole bunch of SNL Digital Shorts collected on that blog, "Too Much TV!"

Cheers, everyone!

From there, I'd go to check on my usual websites- check out some entertainment news, or the latest music chart movements, or the latest news in gaming- or do some online business like pay some bills or something.

The rest of my day will be spent blogging, and linking references into my blog, or checking out any other variety of social networking and social bookmarking sites from YouTube to Technorati.  I've gone to the point of actually spending more than 8 hours a day online- including the time I spend in front of the PC after work- which is to say I'm either playing World of Warcraft or doing even more blogging.

I suppose this is all really about putting some much-needed order into my life.  There's just so much going on already, and there's probably much more going on later on, so I suppose I'll have to make way for new stuff coming through.

So the first order of business is to set this blog "The Life and Times of The Renzie Man" as my home page.  Let's see how that works out.  Gonna work on getting this blog just a little bit more functional: at least as far as we can fine-tune it- the free version of Wordpress doesn't seem to support some of the things I'd like to have just now.

Gonna put more link lists, and RSS feeds and widgets on the side.  Just to make this an easier springboard to get into other sites. It also means more updates from time to time, probably on a more daily basis.

Let's get to it, shall we?