Network Marketing Business With Nutricentials/NSE Philippines

So here I am writing a blog for one of my 3 blogs that I maintain, 2 of course coming from blogger.com and the other one is in multiply. I just have to blog, otherwise, I’ll implode from hiding those things that have to be said.

Anyways, I’m doing a network marketing type of business. I know that a lot of people have this ugly preconceived notion about the business. I personally, at first have the same misconception but it changed. It all started when my former boss from that consulting firm asked me to make a research about Multilevel Marketing. So I did the task, tried to make an outline of the topic, got articles and made a report out of it. As usual, my boss found it average, personally I do agree with it. I just felt that it wasn’t as deep as it should be but he still ok-ed it, so that works. He just asked me to research some more of those. Fast track to 3rd week of November, I got invited to attend this appointment to see the business and then everything started from there. There’s only one thing going on in my head during the talk, it was how much would I shell out cash. It turns out I have to shell out Php12,600.

They have a good way to alleviating the shock of the money: Think of it as a franchise/business investment. If you do, that amount becomes unbelievably small. Of course, it does. I mean, franchises are very expensive, they range for about Php21K to Php5 million, there are stipulations on down payment and other financial matters that just escapes me to the point of utter confusion. If it was a business venture of some sort; that money would have been very little, considering you have to start from scratch, from the infrastructure to the complex system of the business and everything in between, not to mention that it takes five (5) years to recoup your investment.

Anyways, I decided to give the business a shot and risked the money I saved for masters, as much as I hated it, but you know…no risk, no return. I know venturing a business, regardless whether it’s a conventional franchise or network marketing, entails risks of some sorts. I mean, I risk my money for this, not knowing whether it will come back or not. There’s a good assumption I’m kind of following in almost all investment-type of endeavors, assume that the investment is lost. It makes me want to prove that mantra wrong, almost.

3 weeks later, I am still doing the business, I earned a less-than-a-thousand profit and I’m looking for both long-lasting customers and dedicated business people (downlines). I’ve had my heart broken a bit in the business because I had to trade-off important appointments for this, but I guess that’s the compromise. Writing about my accomplishments, as minimal as Francisco Costa’s designs for Calvin Klein is, make me somehow a little bit proud that I’m on my way recouping my investment of Php12,600. I guess Php929 is better than none at all. Meaningless to say, I have to earn Php11,671 more, to recoup my original investment.

To be honest, I don’t have any idea as to why I did it in the first place, apart from combating boredom at home. My previous misconception about the business is no longer here although I am very skeptical about the business, as promising as it sounds…and how it was presented. But I have to say, I have no intentions of abandoning this business…at least not until I have:

1.) recoup-ed my initial investment
2.) bought some things that I want to buy, and
3.) saved more money for my masters

Just because I did this business doesn’t mean I’ll forgo my masters. I still want to pursue may masters, although I’m not very vocal about it, but I really want to pursue it. I plan to teach, it’s what I love to do AND better yet, there’s a demand for it. I can still do masters and at the same time do my business, I don’t think I could be faulted with that right? I can do empirical research stuffs, hold international finance classes and at the same time, sell skin care lines like pancakes to those who desire to be perpetually beautiful.

Anyways…I’m doing the business part-time because I love time for myself, but it doesn’t mean I just limit myself to the usual tasks part-timers do. I’ll try to attain the goals of full-timers while I’m still doing part-time. I love making people look bad don’t I? Just kidding. Besides, right now, I can’t really do those full-time tasks because I’m doing a mall tour with Chamber, I already missed the Robinson’s Galleria leg and will be missing the Century Park Hotel one tomorrow. It sucks but my business has to thrive otherwise I won’t have anything left by next year.

I have to go now, I’ve to meet customers tomorrow so bye!

Zac Posen Pre-Fall Fashion Show 2009

Zac Posen Pre-Fall Fashion Show 2009

Fashion is about fantasy manifested through fabrics, abstract concepts concretized via high quality sewing. Zac Posen aimed to inspire everyone by showcasing this collection heavily inspired by the 40s.

Zac sent out a collection of mostly dresses, cocktail frocks embellished with swingy fringe and body-hugging knits. For daywear, there were trumpet-skirted suits in sober wools, and also came in eel-skin trench and leopard dress. For evening, the gowns were simplistic, as opposed to previous seasons of theatrical influences.

The world, by now everyone knows, is in a serious recession that surpassed even the Great Depression according to the analysts. The latter’s problem was solved around the 1940s, and in relation to that, Zac Posen thought of inspiring these economic times by showcasing a collection inspired by the era that saw the end of the Great Depression. I personally think that it’s awfully nice of the designer to bring sunshine during these bleak times. This collection was kind of retrospective but in a good way just because the 40s era epitomized a classic glamour that became iconic through the years. One thing noticeable in this collection was that the theatrics was restrained, especially in the evening gowns. That could have been a strategy to make the looks viable for red carpet occasions but at the same time, it made it a little bit less Zac Posen.

This mint green dress with a black hat (PICTURED) is one of those ultra classy looks that is very 40s, though not as theatrical. In a way, it reminiscent of Giorgio Armani SS07, probably because of the hat and the elegance it exudes.

For the entire 22 looks, click this link:
http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/2009PF-ZPOSEN

Sean Opry - Another Crush of Mine

Here's Sean Opry, or in this video, Sean O'Pry, though he said it was Opry. Either way. He did ads for Gianfranco Ferre, Giorgio Armani and Dsquared to name a few. He's also in the Men's Spring Summer of Alexander McQueen, which also featured his Resort Collection for the Womens.

He's hot, especially those piercing blue eyes. He's straight because he dated a fashion model by the name of Diana Moldovan (coincidentally, she has blue, piercing eyes too:) )

Enjoy the video





Fendi is food? Now that's new...but he's forgiven :) Wouldn't you eat with him in a Fendi Cafe, should Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Fendi decided to open one in Milan or Paris?

Sean Harju - New Crush

Here's another (new) crush of mine, Sean Harju (pronounced Har-you)

He's a high fashion model who's walked for the likes of Dolce Gabbana, Neil Barrett, Salvatore Ferragamo, Burberry and Enrico Coveri to name a few...

He's mine...



New York is all about suits and commercial and Milan is fashion-y? Wait, has he been to Paris?

Indulgences, Yet Again

Today I’m blogging, out of fun and since my bosses aren’t around anyways.

To start the fun, I have finally filed my resignation 2 weeks ago. I just have to.

There’s only so much respect I can leave for myself. It’s in this company I learned how to discourage myself, with all the indifference to acceptable outputs and critical satire on mistakes. I also learned how to procrastinate by epic proportions, miss deadlines consistently and the most infamous of them all, that there is life other than finance.

That’s the true reason of my resignation, because I feel like I am not worthy of the position I applied for, that I am incapable of menial finance-related tasks and that I cannot even speak straightly. My stint here was but a whirlwind of events, from me believing in myself that I can do great things with proper guidance, to developing a sense of self-doubt in everything that I do. Yes, in 14 months of my stay here I learned how to doubt myself and convince myself that I cannot do anything right, that I am bound to commit mistakes not even a stupid person would do. That I am beyond stupid…I am a horrendous employee…I am worse than an illiterate person in finance, ironic how I finished a degree in the same field, only to be considered illiterate. I even learned to dislike myself because of this job and that I am no less than dumb.

But there is a glimmer of hope in me, a part of me that doesn’t believe that I’m stupid, I’m a bad employee, that I maybe in the wrong industry. That’s why I left, before I virtually succumb to my inner demons, I need to find myself, and find out what I’m meant to do, what my true strengths are and what I can do to improve that and share it to others. I may have learned to hate myself and distrust my own capabilities in 14 months, but I’m taking a firm stand that I can recover what I’ve lost before, my drive, my vision, my dream, my very essence. That’s my temporary mission, to find myself and when I do, I’ll give back to those who helped me found my way. In due time, I will find my way, I will begin to believe in myself, I will scrap all the wrong habits I picked up from work. I will find myself, with the help of God because none of the things I want to do will happen if I don’t get my strength from God, he’s the energizer that jumpstarts me. When I become successful, first credit belongs to Him.

So much for self-loathing and on a lighter mood, yesterday Dad gave me an IPOD as gift. Even if my birthday is until next month, he gave it in advance. I’m more relieved than happy because at least it isn’t another Bulgari Pour Homme fragrance that he keeps shoving in my throat. I don’t wanna be rude but I’m not fond of its smell, I like Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue fragrance. I’m not saying Bulgari smells bad, it’s just that I like Dolce more. I mean, who does he think I am, Kate Moss? Jessica Stam?

Anyways, he didn’t really buy the Ipod from some techhie store in Glorietta or Anson but he bought it from my (proxy) godfather (and not finagling it from some dubious supplier, thankyouverymuch…). The Ipod was normal size, unlike my mom’s silver nano ipod which I dig so much. I’m not the person to complain where my gifts came from, I appreciate it, even if it’s that darn Bulgari he gives to me. I liked it at first but getting another one for my birthday gift, I mean come on?! I’d have appreciated if he gave me like…Gucci or Armani, or even Givenchy. Forgive the digression of thoughts, going back to the Ipod, because my godfather got to use it first, it had a lot of tunes in it, from Cyndi Lauper to Sam Milby. I gotta say, that’s what I call diverse.

I actually was expecting for a gift the following:

A Balenciaga teal top with ecru and black twisted detail (I think my Whoops black pants with white-wash detail on the legs in front would work better) for daywear look

For cold days, this Egyptomania-inspired daywear look from Sophia Kokosalaki might come in handy (I can't use another gold for the shows, it's just too much, black gladiators will do)

A demure gradient of dark coffee brown chic bubble band dress from Herve Leger (I could probably use some heels with a demure but statement-y colored pumps (say purple or raspberry red) for cocktails

For my everyday look, this white shirt and emerald green shorts with python details from Prada will be my outfit. (I'd like to pair this with a raspberry Mary Jane pumps from Marni but I feel like it will be too Christmas-y, maybe during December?)

Raspberry Pumps form Marni

And lastly, for my evening wear, I'd like this pistachio t-shirt gown from Emanuel Ungaro (This maybe one look that can be accentuated by a pair of gold stilettos)

Those are what I want for my birthday, Christmas is another thing ok?

Muse-sings

Like what I promised, an update. I didn’t win the bidding because my mom was using the (family) laptop at around 10pm and I can’t ask her to step off because she was playing. I lost it to this lhordpaolo guy…too bad. Then again, I guess I don’t have to shell out Php1200 for that top, it isn’t too pricey for me but the thought of paying something like this may not be worthwhile in the long run, since this top is trendy, not a classic wardrobe. I guess back to Top Man then.

Last Saturday, I rehearsed with our Church’s band for the performance the following day. It was rather different, in that there were seven (7) songs, rather than just six (6). The rehearsals went pretty well, although on my part, I was thinking and thinking of violin in-between intermezzos for all 7 songs. That is NOT easy, especially because some of the songs sound alike, has the same key signature and as if just part of one big song sang with different lyrics. Tough, but I weathered it out, by promising to brainstorm on it that night. What I like about this rehearsal was that I got a real violin solo part during the first song, I like it like that but those times are rare, unless some songs part of the repertoire have interludes like that. Anyways, during the rehearsal, I was pressured to think of references I can base my interludes, at the end of the day, it all boiled down to The Corrs. I tried alluding Bond but to no avail, Bond is too classical to fit in Christian Pop. After the rehearsal, I went to megamall, ate lunch in Bubble Tea, my new Tokyo Tokyo (albeit more pricey) circa 2004. As far as ubiquity is concerned, that train of indulgence ended when I lost twice in a row in Soul Calibre, and I was using my 2 top guns, Kilik and Seung Mina, guess you can’t win them all. Bad luck spilled through the Samurai shodown arcade, the arcade itself was broken, the joystick to be exact, and because of that, I can’t move the character, making me end up with this futuristic successor of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Yoshitora, kinda hot, but is actually like those Asian Pop stars turned anime (ergo, exaggerated looks). I made it to Sankuro but never got past him (duh, Mina’s the only one who can beat the hell out of that cheating character, like I would rather lose to Yumeji than him).

Come Sunday, the actual performance day, we had a little rehearsal form 7-8am, right before the start of the service (which is like the equivalent of a mass). We kinked a few verses left and right and then we were ready. We usually perform before the service proper, which is the lecture/homily. The performance went well, from my point of view, but it wasn’t a stellar performance, I don’t think the band has ever given a remarkable performance, in my perspective, not that it matters anyways. So after our mini gig we went to a small room and had our breakfast, yes, some of us just go to the church after taking a bath and fixing ourselves up, without eating breakfast because they serve breakfast there. During the breakfast, the other players were talking about certain things, like this previous drummer who will be flying off to Cambodia, then to China, I think. Ok, so I don’t know anything about that, so I’m mum on that. One player told us EVERY Sunday, after the service they go to Rockwell and eat, one player says Rockwell is small and that there aren’t very many choices to eat there, unless you want to eat in Cibo, Kaya, or whatever fine dining restaurant, Ok, I agree that Rockwell is small and I disagree that there aren’t very many places to eat because at the ground floor, they have a lot of restaurants and cafes there, from Jollibee to Delifrance.

Probably the most interesting thing I heard was that one player said that the back-up singers don’t back-up the lead as much as they should be. I concur, I barely hear them when the lead singer belts it all out, and the lead’s voice is kind of thin and as if gasping for air at times so she throws it to her back-up, so she can rest a bit and of course share the spotlight. The back-up don’t know what to do, too bad. It’s like playing volleyball where the server puts the ball in play, receiver gets it but tosser didn’t set the ball for play. I personally noticed this but I was mum on it because, the hell I know about them. As long as my interludes are heard I’m cool with that.

I realized that whenever I play in lower notes, I don’t hear myself, it drowns out in the entire band. When I play higher notes, I float, sometimes, because the guitar solos and at times, riffs are really loud, and I know exactly why. Its microphone is plugged in the instrument itself, did I mention it was an electric guitar? Funny how in the rehearsal I sounded so dominating but in the actual performance I kind of got saturated. Some players were saying maybe it’s like that there but in the “house”, it’s mixed already. Well Ok, that’s fine but my instincts tell me that if I don’t hear myself on the monitor, I am NOT heard. I’ve had experiences with this. DLSU Chamber, on their major concerts, microphones are tested and checked if we register on the monitor, and if both are positive, the mixing is considered. I guess the same thing goes there in Wordcom. I understand blending but to the point of dissolving? Well, I could be wrong. I did, one time hear the recorded performance and my theory is right, lower notes (those notes played in G and D string first position) aren’t very audible, higher notes steal the show (wahahahahaha). One of these days I’ll prove that by uploading or embedding (how am I gonna do this?) the video my parents took.

That has been my weekend, its mundane but its great. Until next time, au revoir!

Updates...

So what has been up with me?

This coming Saturday I will be rehearsing with our Church’s band the songs to be performed this coming Sunday and the repertoire are as follows:

Come Now I s The Time To Worship (D)
Hear Our Praises (A)
Blessed Be Your Name (A)
We Worship You (C or D) ... edited
I Worship You Almighty God (G)
Oceans Will Part (B)
Shout To The Lord (chorus only) (B)

The letters indicate the key signatures of the song. If you’re a musician, you pretty much know what key signature means. Surprisingly, there are seven (7) songs, but I don’t mind; more songs, more time to shine, more opportunities to play for God. My issue regarding this is, even if I have heard almost all of the songs, I’ve only managed to come up of violin riffs for one song, and that is Come, Now Is The Time To Worship, argh! 6 more…but I guess I have the entire Saturday to rehearse and come up of riffs, ay it’s better than riffs, parang violin mini solos, which don’t become mini once I belt them.

Tonight, probably after my exercise, I’d have to finalize on the things I’ve practiced, apart from what I plan to come up for the other songs. I wonder what kind of influence should I bring in? Français a la Larusso? François a la Midnight Garden by Bond? Pachelbel? I guess it depends…who knows, it could be Tchaikovsky or Astor Piazzola, you never know, it just pops like a bubble.

Another thing that has been me is that I am currently bidding for this sportswear top and the bid is at Php1,160.00, courtesy of moi and this lhordpaolo guy in multiply. See, the said auctioned apparel was already bought but by a sudden change of thought, the original buyer backed out, therefore, the seller planned to auction the item and…as they say, the rest is history, online history. If ever I do win the auction, I’ll post here the picture of the outfit, and hopefully I can get it before Sunday because, of course I wanna wear it, styling would come much later, knowing me, I could probably pull of a Bottega Veneta look or Miu Miu feel or those overrated Asian fashion trend, which doesn’t suit my taste either. Anyways, I guess I need research on how to make something sporty chic; like something Miu Miu into something Michael Kors, or Bottega Veneta, actually Miu Miu IS sporty chic.

This bidding kind of reminded me of this financial, or rather economic term called “asymmetric information”. It means one party knows more than the other and he uses that to his advantage. For instance, in stocks, there are numerous stock brokers bidding for the price of one stock. As usual, the highest bidder gets the stock, the seller gets the most profit out of that. Now, let’s go into the anatomy of bidding; first of all, before any bidding takes place, one has to ascertain the quality of what he is bidding; what makes this thing so unique that you’d place a sum of money over its head (figuratively) and so on. When that is identified, further information is searched for so to bolster that quality’s je ne sais quoi-esque feature.

Ah fudge…why am I alluding finance once again? Let me use this predicament as an example: I like the piece, it’s chic to a certain extent and sporty (but ain’t Michael Kors) and when you normally see these kinds of apparels, their price ranges from Php2K-Php3K, and they’re not even French Connection, nor Armani Exchange. Since the starting bid was at Php480, which ballooned to Php1,160 because of me and lhordpaolo guy thankyouverymuch, I guess you can say that we know certain qualities about this top that we think is valuable enough, that we bid it at such Eiffel Tower-esque prices.

You can also say we’re just too desperate to find chic clothing at cheap prices (Cheap and Chic Moschino? Ahahahahaha). You can also surmise that we’re just caught up in the hype of bidding, this ain’t even close to Marc Jacobs, and I’d rather spend my cash on Marc’s than this…

Anyways, I realized I’m not into finance anymore, I want to bid Finance, au revoir, adieu, and where to hello? I don’t know…fashion? Well, the closest I can get to fashion is through retailing, it’s not like it’s a walk in the park when you want to become a fashion editor, even something subordinate to that. I guess making a career in finance is out of the question, I should resign yes? I don’t even bother to read anything about finance, the word is like a cuss to me now, ugh!

I am into reading the Cut Blog in New York Magazine website. Their posts are great, from The Hills (eww) to Paris Haute Couture Fashion Shows (aah). I love it actually, but I didn’t read their entry on this reality show The Hills. I am not interested in that, some reality stars wanting to perpetuate their fame by doing fashion, which is a complete abhorrence to the field. Lauren Conrad released her own line, very department store-ish but priced kinda like Gucci. Heidi Montag has her own line too, affordable compared to Lauren’s but it’s slutty all animal prints, at least Lauren’s isn’t Stella McCartney circa 2002 (her own line). If Stella McCartney became a hit after improving her hoe-ish playboy obscene debut, lackluster Lauren can do something better, oh wait?! Stella studied fashion (ergo, she has a degree) Lauren studied Academy of Art University for 5-6…months, then transferred to Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. Stella became Chloé’s chief designer from March 1997 to 2001, Lauren interned at Teen Vogue for a year. Hmm…so who’s better, Lauren or Heidi Montag, as if this question was worth raising (though I’m routing for Lauren, Heidi Montag just proliferated the sleaze animal prints have, sluts are never fashionable, not even in Dolce Gabbana’s (look) book). Forgive the digression of thoughts but yes, the Cut Blog is amazing.

Well that has been me, adieu finance, bonjour façon (fashion).
After rehearsals tomorrow I’m planning to play the arcade, Soul Calibre and Samurai Shodown…whew! They’re cool! I finished those games! I like Kilik and Seung Mina though in Soul Calibre, their weapon (guan dao and staff, respectively) is good for middle-range attacks. Ivy’s snake sword is cool too, if you know how to use it. In Samurai Shodown I used Mina because she’s an archer (I am too – DLSU?) and her attacks are really good, for long-range attacks. I was able to beat that stupid Sankuro Yorozu, wielding a huge mallet as his weapon which really takes a lot of your life point when you get hit by it. Charlotte’s pretty cool too, she’s French, you know, Couture and stuff, but she’s more Joan of Arc than haute couture model. Her style is fencing, her rapier is cool. Ukyo Tachibana rocks too, very Battousai, his iaijutsu technique is so model-esque.

That's it for me, Ciao!