Unstoppable Opportunities

Families are dear to our hearts. We were taught and we saw it from our parents, specially from mom and dad Valencia, that we can always have a reason to spend time together as a family. This tradition we continue to uphold. Last Wednesday, we invited the Geronimo and San Diego family for lunch at the Max's in Roces Avenue. We specially welcome Edwina, Allan's mom, who resides in Los Angeles. She's here for a Christmas vacation and to be with Allan and Monica and hold in her arms for the first time, Xander, her precious grandson. We enjoyed each others company. The food was, of course, delicious and filling. Thanks to the Geronimo family for the opportunity to host them for lunch. Hopefully, it is not the last but the start of many more time together. Going forward and unstoppable, Jimmy P.S. Blessings to Edwina as she goes back to LA next week. May the Lord, who has healed you, continue to give you the grace to go on and the strength to o

Hi there. I wish you a Merry Christmas today. You know what? It's really a merry, merry day because we remember and celebrate the birth of a Saviour, Jesus, who came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. This wonderful "life" was stolen from us in the garden but God, our Creator, has a plan so perfect that one day He will redeem us from our sinful life to become the person He created us to be. His only plan was to send His one and only begotten Son, Jesus, who became like one of us to redeem us. In behalf of my family, we greet you well and may you have a meaningful and precious Merry Christmas. Your unstoppable friend, Jimmy P.S. I received a gift from my daughters + son-in-law today. A pair of "Sanuk" Shoes. One that I have been dreaming of using one day. God knows our needs indeed! Thanks Rache, Steph and Nica+Allan.

Having an extra cash is something we always want. More so if you're already retired. People in this category usually look for ways to earn. Normally it is by working at home. If you scan the web, there are plenty of these jobs being peddled. Some are true, many are not.  How do one know which is real? The offer is so good, one can't help but take the bait. This is what happened to Pat Colucci (see article below).  I too, have considered working-at-home. Earning passive income by blogging was a real option I considered. The question was: How?  A friend of mine introduced me to Bo Sanchez , a Catholic lay preacher, who has about 12 income streams mostly internet-based like Truly Rich Club . Bo talks a lot about Jomar Hilario , his online marketing mentor. That's when I got involved with Jomar.  Knowing who your mentor helps a lot in achieving your goal. There is no short-cut to earning extra cash and being financially stable. It requires a lot of work. I started b

I am posting this article from one of my favorite author/speaker, Francis Kong. The only reason why I am doing this is because I am challenged by the story of the soldier, who was rejected by the father. Many times I reject people simply because they are annoying to me or they bother me. I feel sad about this. If I truly have the love of God in my heart, I must change. I must love others unconditionally like Jesus loved me. I know it will be easier said than done but I must love the way Jesus loved. I pray that you too will be inspired when you read this as I have been.  Here's the blog by Francis Kong: Here is an old story. I have used this in my radio program and I would like to share this with you. A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. "Mom and dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve a favor to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring home with me." "Sure,"

Face of tyranny I appreciate this article so much. It presents what is really behind our President P-Noy's reason why he is lambasting the Arroyo appointed Justices of the Supreme Court. What they decide on affects all our lives, none exempted. I like what the author said: " When government issues a patently unjust decree, the people may challenge it and bring the case to court. When the Supreme Court makes a patently unjust ruling, what can anyone do about it? What can the flight attendants do after the Supreme Court decided to reopen a case it had ruled upon with finality three times in their favor because of a letter from Estelito Mendoza importuning it to do so? Legally at least, the flight attendants know that the resolution of their case—if it ever comes to that— rests on the same Court that has been screwing them." This is indeed tyranny to the highest level. Who can challenge the Supreme Court? It's a good thing we have a president that does. I hope an

Pictures speak a thousand words. Whenever we go on tour, cameras will always be part of it, an important part of the tour. Today’s technology makes it easy to record events and actions on digital cameras. Here are some pictures I took about our staff at Uno Overseas. These are unique and they deliver a message. Whenever I take pictures, I always look for a theme and there is a story behind it. So let me share my story with you.  This is my favorite. All three ladies in their best form, promise. Berna is the professional one, the favorite photographer of the group. Dez is the chronicler of the group. I think she took pictures of all the things we did. Joy is the only one who was using a video to record every movement the group makes. Looks like she is having a hard time focusing. Tony knows how to make himself seen. El Jay is surely taking photo of his darling, bet you. Mercy is not to be left behind. Take it easy Candy.

It was just an idea. The prospect of travel for the staff of Uno Overseas was just an idea. Sometime in August this year, the company also gave us a treat. We went to Boracay for a week of vacation. But this time, we thought of traveling  to Hongkong. Why not? At the Hong Kong Airport on our arrival So it was just an idea that became reality when out of the blue, our lawyer, Atty. Lucy Labad, told us of her tour to Hongkong. That was the clincher. So, we booked ourselves, on this tour that will take us to Hongkong, Macau and to Shenzen, China. Maritess posing with the lady from mainland China in her native dress As I am writing this in our hotel here in Shenzen, I can’t help but thank God for the blessing. My wife and I are grateful for the chance to travel together with the wonderful staff of Uno. We had fun together traveling on MTR (Metro trains) in Hongkong, shopping at Mongkok,  and ending our exciting time in Disneyland. The last leg was traveling by train to Sh

It has been said that problems are blessing in disguise. But who wants problems? Many trials have come my way. Various trials and difficulties, I have experienced many of them. Does it mean I am different from others? I don't think so. We all go through various trials and difficulties. The difference lies in how we see these trials. Perspective. Currently, I am going through a trial of a bigger magnitude. It's shaking my faith and foundation. The enemy within is so strong that if I will listen to her voice, I will give up my hope, be in fear and give up. Were do I go for help? More than seven years ago, a land-grabbing syndicate tried to take over our subdivision. It was a very tense situation, they had guns and goons. We, the officers of the homeowners, have only our faith in the justice system of our land. Fortunately, our Barangay Captain at that time was there to support us. Personally, I was torn inside and out. Fears overwhelmed me. Where did I go for help?

Last week, Maritess and I decided it's about time to order the Kitchen Cabinet to be installed at my sister's unit at Berkeley Residences in Katipunan, Quezon City. We were excited after getting approval from her to go ahead and buy the kitchen cabinet first from a well known supplier of CONDO items that FITS all sorts cabinets, which has an outlet at SM North right under the parking lot at the back of THE BLOCK. What would you feel if they suddenly change the terms of the quotation saying that if we didn't order the "whole lot" the prices will be increased and that's because they have an internal memo about it? Exactly. I felt betrayed and the worst thing was the manager insisted she was right because she just told me about it when I clarified the issue. She bang her hand on the table saying she knows what she's saying! I have been in sales and marketing for a long time. That's not they way to deal with a customer. It would have been better

This week has been challenging for me. My car, a Toyota Corolla -1994 model, broke down. It has been at Exalta, a car shop in Banawe, which is owned by my friend, Ruel Larrosa and Edna Cuntapay. It has been there since Tuesday. I had to take the public transport while my car was being fixed. During this time, I was able to get a better view of what people go through rider the public transport. I talked with the drivers of taxi and Jeepney that I rode on going to my office in Espana in Manila. Most taxi drivers I talked to avoided taking me to my place of work because of the huge traffic build up happening daily at the corner of Quezon Avenue and Araneta Avenue. The DPWH is constructing an underpass in that area. Yesterday, one taxi driver impressed me so much. When I asked to be taken to my office in Espana, he GLADLY said yes! He was also the only driver that greeted us "Good morning" when we rode his taxi from Commonwealth Avenue. The fare to my office amounted to P

Golf by Accident I was hooked to playing golf by accident. It was in 1985 when I first tried my hands on golf. My boss, Loy Nadal, was playing at the Fort Bonifacio Golf Club. He invited me to come with him and so I did. I had no plan whatsoever to play or did I consider it a bit as my hobby. So I went with him through the 18 hole game! Boy, did I get tired? You bet. But honestly, deep down inside I was beginning to change my perception of the game. When our Japanese expat returned home, he talked with me and gave me his golf set. What? His golf set. It wasn't new but I was so excited to have one. However, that golf set did not bring me to the golf range immediately. Months have passed and nothing was happening. The Golf Shoes Did it One day, I went to visit the range in Fort  Bonifacio. It was just a plan to have lunch there and after that go back to office. As I was loitering around, I found myself inside the shop and looking at this golf shoes that was really good looki

This week has been very stressful for me. My BP went up to as high as 140/100. I felt my heart pumping hard. Many times I wake up early in the morning because I felt my heart was pumping real hard. This episode went on for about a week. Went to see my doctor and she did an ECG on me because through her stethoscope, she felt my heart was skipping. She requested for an immediate ECG. There I was lying on the clinic bed believing God for a good result. My doctor couldn't believe what she was seeing, the printed result says my heart was normal! She said, I must be stressed. Yesterday, my wife and I went to a drugstore at 3 am to buy the medicine prescribed for me. I couldn't sleep because my BP rose to 140/100. Nowadays, my normal is 130/90. I need to lower that to 120/80 says my doctor. So she prescribed a beta blocker to help me do that. Back to my sleep, finally I was able to sleep at around 4 am after taking the medicine we bought. Woke up at 8 because we need to atten

What is it with blogging?  As I read more about bogging, I find there are many ideas and even contradicting ideas which makes me wonder who to listen to.  Why I am blogging I started blogging about six months ago. I thought to myself, that I need something to do when the time comes for me to stop working. In my age, many would probably think of retiring and  live on their pension. But the last time I was at SSS, I learned that I would be receiving a measly P8,000 a month pension. With the rising cost of living, that amount would not be enough to support me and my wife. I thought of doing something that will give me additional stream of income and build on my retirement fund as I go along. Somebody told me to try blogging.  My motivation for blogging The main reason why I chose to blog was when I saw a young man, whom I call my mentor, make P500,000. He set up a blog which features news items and it was earning from AdSense. It was earning a lot that when he sold it, h

130,000 Filipino nurses face job loss due to ‘Saudization’

"There is no such thing as security on this earth, there is only opportunity". This is a famous quote from the legendary Gen. Douglas MacArthur. He was the one who said, "I shall return." His promise came through when he liberated the Philippines from the Japanese invasion of our beloved country during the second world war. http://www.flickr.com/photos/brettlider/68953352/sizes/m/in/photostream/ This quotation is one of my inspirations why I am blogging today. I can't stop because I know many opportunities await me. Blogging have given me the chance to explore the cyberspace and I tell you, I am happy with what I am seeing and experiencing. I'd rather innovate than stagnate. I have learned to write articles, like this one, straight to the post. Before, I write them first on paper to be edited by my wife before I post it here. Now, I'm bolder. That's a big improvement as far as I am concerned. If I can do it, you too can do it. http://www.flick

Yesterday's headline of a local newspaper was about the row between the homeowners of a subdivision and the noted, notorious land grabber (according to Vice President Binay). Immediately my mind traveled back to the time this same group attempted to grab lands in our subdivision. During that time, it seems there was no end to our struggle to defend our subdivision from these men. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonycunha/4278434497/sizes/m/in/photostream/ I felt the spirit and power of fear coming over my being as I read the news story. My mind begun to imagine negative scenarios that might happen, if... See that word "if"?  The fear of the unknown damages and blocks our mind to think positively. I caught myself wallowing in the quagmire of doubts and negativity. I have to literally tell myself to get out of this stinking thinking and begin to focus on the ability of God to deliver me and be my shield. I recall to mind what the Lord did for us during the attempted t

I am blessed with friends who have encouraged me, specially in times of difficulties. Today is the start of many wonderful things to write about in my own life. For one, being able to write in this blog is a miracle in itself. I used to fear the thought of writing something like this. When I started, I wrote a draft and then have it edited by my wife, Maritess. She is good in editing, her mother being an English teacher. So, for a time, I wrote articles about many issues and particularly about being debt-free.  As the months go by, suddenly I found myself writing directly on the "post" and now here I am. As I go on my God-given, blessed, wonderful life, I would like share with you my thoughts, experiences, and invite you to journey with me- and together discover how exciting life is. May the Lord bless you and keep you. Jimmy P.S. through the days and months since I started writing on my blogs, I have met people who have helped me and taught me about blogging. To t