Metro Blogger First Night Out!

One of the many things that we should be thankful for in life is the gift of acquaintance. Meeting new people excites me most because I got to discover things I don't know yet, and I got to share my own story too. 

Mr. Ong Pang Seng, CEO, Rapid Cloud Singapore and Mr. Jess C. of Metro Blogger for an Instagram-inspired photo.

Passionate writers from lifestyle, fashion, travel and food joined Metro Blogger's first night out held at Gramercy Skypark on 22nd of October 2014. 

It's nice to know that most of the bloggers met each other just that night! Now, that's what made the night significant for all of us.  

Metro Blogger is a social circle of bloggers around the metro that aims to be an avenue to disseminate information, event invitations, new products and services campaigns that are of great interest to everyone. Check them out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroBlogger.Org

The lady bloggers of Metro Blogger.

The event was made possible with the help of our dear sponsors:

Rapid Cloud Singapore - a top Singapore Web Hosting and E-Business Consulting Company specializing in Domain Name Registration, Dedicated Server Hosting, Website Design, Website Development and Application Programming. Rapid Cloud Singapore is a company that delivers results; other SEO Services includes Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click or Search Marketing, Directory Submission, Link Popularity Building and Social Media Marketing.

 

​Mr. Jess C. and Ms. Ana of Metro Blogger with Mr. Ong Pang Seng of Rapid Cloud Singapore and Ms. Fion Lee of Emerge Systems.

HAWK Bags - a brand that has long been recognized for its craftsmanship and quality. The brand has a wide range of bags suited to match every lifestyle delivering high quality products with the finest materials available, superior craftsmanship, durability, innovation and exceptional design with practical functionality.

Slimmers World International - the Philippines’ foremost name in Slimming, Health, Fitness and Beauty with over 35 years of excellent service in providing great bodies & great skin. Slimmers World currently operates in twenty three (23) centers in Asia. Slimmers World will be celebrating their Mr. and Ms. Great Bodies 2014. For more details and ticket inquiries call 536-3333 | 091-SLIMMERS.

Thank you also to Emerge Systems Sdn. Bhd., iTWORKS and Kingdom Magazine for gracing the event by being our sponsors too. 

​Mr. Simon Miller, Managing Partner for iTWORKS Global Solutions

Ms. Fion Lee, Head of Sales for Emerge Systems Sdn. Bhd.

​Representatives of Kingdom Magazine.

Event Freebies:
Metro Blogger Notebook

Metro Blogger Pin

Metro Blogger Pen

Slimmers World International Gift Certificate

Emerge Brochure

Getting Over Your Circumstances

Are you prepared to face the truth about your discomfort?

Just few days ago, a friend of mine asked me straight questions that most of us would ask upon having an unbearable event of life. I pondered for few seconds and asked her this: “Why have you thought about those questions?” It seems like hope is impossible for her to believe and as if faith doesn’t exist. Has time come for you to think that there’s no way to go over your unpleasant situation? My Dad went up to be with the Lord in 2011 and the succeeding events have been a surprise to me. I had to face difficult decisions that I was never prepared for. In my pursuit for answers, I have come to realize essential ways that can lead us to overcome the struggles we are in.

Begin with yourself.
What your mind and heart have entertained and embraced becomes the truth. You may come to a point that you think there’s nothing good about you anymore just because a lot of people have fed you of what has been wrong. On the other hand, sometimes, even the nicest words from a love one or close friend won’t really matter. We are trying to understand yet our human intelligence is limited to the vastness of life’s entirety. We have to realize that change will start from within us. Begin with being honest of yourself. Accept that you are in a deep situation and regain your confidence by going back to the ‘goodness’ on you. This isn’t easy and will never be. But, when we begin to see ourselves as unique and significant, you start to appreciate yourself, something better will rise within you. I was filled with tons of disappointment. Almost every decision I made contributed to the pile of such discomfort each day. I have decided to talk to my inner spirit and became honest of what I feel. Though the most difficult person to convince is my own self, I really need to challenge my discomfort and begin to pull up what has been good.

Take a sweet escape.
Being in a different environment opens the door for personal reflection. Perhaps, your ears are tired of listening to regrets, disappointments and dissatisfaction. Few days of solitude, away from your normal world, will help you see your present circumstance in a different way. Mingling with new friends breaks the silence you have kept for several days or months. It’s also true that you have to face the issues but a sweet escape can help you determine the ‘real issue’ you are in. While writing this post, I’m in a national convention of a huge organization for their team building in Subic, Zambales, which is almost 4 hours away from Manila. I am part of a fantastic group of event organizers which I had a chance to know each member for the first time. It was a delightful experience. It ignited something inside me that says, “Hey, there’s always a brighter side of where you are now.” When you want to hear yourself clearly, go to a place where you can be honest about yourself, away from the voices you hear every day.

Live refreshed.
Once you have done the first 2, you need to sustain the freshness you got. How? This won’t be too easy but it’s important. You have to change the way you speak, think and act. Is that simple? No. Think that your temperament and ways were unpredictable. You have been into devastation. (Figuratively speaking) It’s very unnatural for someone who is passing through a dark tunnel to act like there’s nothing wrong in life. And there you are, so refreshed, so renewed and so happy facing your life’s challenges. To maintain being refreshed:
- Be firm with the change. It must be consistent.
- Be aware of your actions. It must be inspiring.
- Be good to others. It must be admirable.
By the grace of God, you can do what’s difficult. By His strength, you can do all things. Remain in faith and you’ll live life refreshed.

I always believe that nothing happens accidentally. Each puzzle piece of life is essential to our character building. There are a lot of inspirational quotes out there but you must experience the change within in order to believe what others are saying about overcoming your unpleasant situation.

You may find yourself being consumed by your circumstances. You think you are still the person you used to be but unknowingly you are already changed, sadly, not for the better. It’s not easy to get over your problems but you can begin to step up till you reach the top of the mountain.

The 4 Valuable Things in Starting a Business

Anything that fills your daily life with exuberance is truly valuable. It could be work, hobby, gadget or a friend or love one. No matter what or who they are, you simply enjoy the day with them. However, its lost can bring (extreme) pain and longing.

Being a start-up entrepreneur is no joke. I am used to early morning travels and evening meetings, seeing wonderful people and creating value to the business I am in. Yet, when I decided to take the path not everyone is willing to pass through, there are things I found so valuable.

PEOPLE
The people I used to talk with. Friends who are waiting for me in the office so we can have our morning coffee together and chat for few minutes. The mentors who are willing to spend time uplifting my spirit to be excellent in personal and professional life. The friends whom I go out with for lunch and talk about life at work. Sometimes, we enjoy the job not just because we earn but because we have friends. Having my own business made me realize that I can have the luxury of time meeting people while, unfortunately, my friends are stuck in their 8 to 5 world, less of travel time. I end up alone, waiting till someone is available. Having someone to get to know about your journey helps you feel lighter because as you share your story, you'd find yourself inspiring the person you are talking to.

MONEY
On the road to entrepreneurship, money is an integral thing. Being employed secured me for monthly earnings that I can use to pay my bills. The truth is, the bills for home utilities continue each month but my income is still unpredictable. When things turned around, it takes faith and determination to be able to raise up funds and spend for monthly expenses. As an employee, I used to complain about the salary I am receiving. Now, as an entrepreneur, I am being trained and disciplined to be happy with every single money that comes from real hard work.

BOOKS
Learning is an investment that anyone should not neglect. I took advantage of the huge sale of books recently and grabbed expensive titles for half of their selling price. It's important for me to learn new things and acquire success principles I would be needing while I'm establishing the business. It's an honest confession that I don't know everything but I am very eager to learn new things. Most influential people I know personally - C.E.O.s, General Managers, Managing Directors, Presidents are investing on books. Why shouldn't I?

EXCITEMENT
It's easy to get excited about the new business. It's fun to say I am on my own and do things my way. Yet, the ultimate challenge is how to sustain that excitement. Losing that butterfly in my stomach will consume the dream I am building. Just when I feel that excitement will subside, I'll talk to friends - those who are have their own business and share the passion, those who are in need so I'd feel I'm not alone in a struggle and those who are fun to be with so I can laugh out loud. I hug kids too to feel I'm not getting old enough.:)

The value you offer to your customers is directly proportional to the value you create for yourself. This famous saying reminds us that we must be committed to add value to people, including ourselves.

ProTips + YOUnique: Discover your Unique Professional Potential

Looking for an event to boost your potential? Here's a FREE event for you!

Protips + YOUnique: Discover Your Unique Professional Potential featuring speakers Maloi Salumbides and Jayson Lo on June 14, 2014, 2-6pm at Powerbooks Greenbelt 4.

This learning opportunity aims to equip you for success through discovering your unique potentials and committing to pursue excellence and become key players in the marketplace.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Maloi Salumbides is a broadcaster, motivational speaker, author and life-long learner. She has exemplified in her life the value of excellence as she encourages her readers and listeners to “be a blessing in the workplace” through her best-selling ProTips books and radio broadcast. Her featured book for the seminar, ProTips: As You Enter the Race, “GETs you ready for the workplace with a winning mindSET that will make you GO with confidence, influence and excellence!”

Jayson Lo is a public speaker and adviser to companies, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations. He desires to help people achieve their fullest potential. He also authored the best-selling book YOUnique and its youth version, YOUnique Youth.

As practicing professionals, both speakers understand the challenges and demands of the workplace. Their willingness to share their expertise and experiences through this seminar stems from their desire to create positive influence and promote godly values in the lives of individuals.

For more information, you may email partners@csm-publishing.com, call 852-7301 to 04, or visit www.csm-publishing.com.

See you there!

Why people succeed?

Why people succeed?

When this is asked, a lot of words pop up: Determination. Patience. Leadership. Hard work. Intelligence. Strategy. Vision. All of them contribute to the success of a person. Their work performance beats others easily. But, have we ever asked ourselves why some people perform better than the others?

Here's an interesting fact...

Having a high IQ alone may not necessarily equate high rate of success. Other "intelligent" factors such as self awareness, impulse control, persistence, self motivation, being able to build and sustain inspiring work environments as well as engage others through empathy and positive relationships are qualities which set apart leaders who excel.

Increasing emotional intelligence makes individuals more efficient, productive and successful. Organizations can become more productive by hiring emotionally smart people and by offering opportunities to enhance these skills in the workplace

Success is defined as your ability to set and achieve your personal and professional goals. Let's take a look at how the IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and EQ (Emotional Quotient) matter to the success of an individual:

IQ’s relevance to success is estimated to be low (According to Sternberg (1997) 4 to 25 percent, may be no higher than 10 percent)

EQ’s relevance to success is estimated to high (According to Stein & Book (2000) estimate 27 to 45 percent of job success)

It's important that everyone, especially the working professionals, should be aware of their emotional quotient to be able to workout in what particular area they are weak at. A salesman's top performance in numbers won't guarantee that he can be an effective manager and team leader. His ability to manage people is highly important.

“If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self-awareness,if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can't have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.” — Daniel Goleman

To learn more about EQ-i 2.0, email Center for Creative Learning and Leadership Development: cclld.eq@gmail.com and eqff.cclld@gmail.com

Light A Candle: The Metro World Child Story

As a little child, Pastor Bill Wilson was left at a corner street in Brooklyn, New York City by his alcoholic mother in summer of 1961. Hoping his mother would come back for him, he waited there patiently - without food, water and shelter. After three days, someone reached out to him for help. It was then when he believed that even a single person can make a difference. In 1980, he founded Metro World Child.

It's nice to know that there are existing organizations who are working unselfishly for the sake of the next generation, just like Metro World Child. It is a global faith-based, humanitarian organization serving nearly 100,000 children each week with after school programs, Sunday School services, child sponsorship, special programs and personal home visits.

Pastor Bill Wilson went to the Philippines with a mission in his heart to reach the poor, unreached, inner-city kids of Metro Manila. Metro World Child has grown to over 40 partner churches in over eight different provinces including Metro Manila, Davao and Palawan. Currently, it has reach over 20,000 children on a weekly basis.

On March 8, 2014, Metro World Child started Sidewalk Sunday School in Barangay San Dionisio, Paranaque City. More than 200 kids participated in the program. During the program, the kids are taught about God's love and Bible stories.

The children enjoyed singing songs.

Had fun-filled games and lots of gift surprises.

At the very young age, the children are taught how to pray.

After the tiring but wonderful activities, snacks are being served.

In my personal interview with Pastor Bill Wilson, what he said about "recruitment of people" struck me. "The advertisers are spending millions of dollars just to communicate effectively to the young generation. They know that if they would invest in the youth, they are planting a bountiful harvest of brand recall and market share for the next generations. Same as each group of individuals who are recruiting people everyday - gangsters, fraternities, rebels, criminals, etc. Why not we do something to snatch them from being the problem of the society? We can't afford to lose a generation of righteous leaders who will walk with integrity and fear God most. Are we going to curse the darkness or simply light a candle?", said Pastor Bill.

To know more about Metro World Child, please visit www.metroworldchild.org.ph. We don't need fame or gold to be able to make a difference to the lives of many. We can help by giving, sponsoring a child, praying and volunteering at Metro World Child. It's a call for us to light a candle and give these young ones a hope for a better future.

Move your cheese

Change is somehow a word that we are tired of hearing almost every day.

“For a change...”
“Change for the better.”
“Why won’t you change yourself first?”
“You’ll never change!”
“I want to change the way I think about myself.”
“Please, keep the change.” (Just kidding.)

It’s also a tough decision to make because change has never been easy. Just imagine if you are asked to give up drinking coffee for 30 days when you used to drink at least 2 cups a day. Difficult? Of course.

(Image source: dianecossie.com)

In embracing change, we must undergo a process that will help us realize the importance of the change we are going to make and how it will affect our daily lives. Start by asking yourself these questions:
- How will I benefit from this?
- Will I be significant to others?
- What’s the long term effect of this change?
- How sure I am for this change?
- How long will this change take?

I gave up working full-time for a change. It was not an easy decision. In the course of waiting for opportunities, many things are infiltrating my head: missing everyday travel to office, chatting with colleagues, generating reports, defining sales targets, meeting clients, staying at home is boring, monthly bills arriving and so forth. Because most people are used to working from 8 am to 5 pm daily, they think I belong to a different tribe of working professional. Some are wondering that I am just wandering around. When change is obvious, people either respond or react on it. Dye your hair with red and you’ll become the talk of the town.

What are you planning to do? In this life, it’s either you change yourself or people will make you change. Don’t wait till someone moves your cheese for you. If you really want a "real" change, make it happen.

Winning is addictive

There are many things that are very addictive. Coffee. Chocolates. Sweets. Text messaging. Movies. Many more. Even love.

Silently, there's one thing that we can be very addictive of and we are normally unconscious about it. Would you believe that you can be addictive to winning?

It's nice to win an argument. It's fantastic to win in a contest. It's terrific to win over an opponent. It's great to see people celebrating with you on your winning moment. So memorable.

Think about this: When you are addictive to winning, there's a chance that you won't see failure and defeat as something that can mold your character.

When Manny Pacquiao was knocked out by his rival Juan Manuel Marquez, it revealed his true self. He has World Boxing Titles in 8 divisions. The world loved him- advertisers, fans, politicians...everyone. Manny understood that winning and losing is part of the game. He didn't take it personally. So, what if he lost? His achievements are already chronicled anyway and no one has done the same thing yet.

How many of us would think we must win at all times? Well, winning is good. After all, we will do our best to win. We spend time studying and practicing to win, get a medal and plaque of excellence. Yet, let not winning mold us and dictate what we should become. Let losing be an experience that can reveal our true self and reflect what went wrong. Remember, we can't win all arguments. Jus let the winners enjoy their moment of being a star. They deserve it.

I tell you, no one will listen to you if you are a loser. So, take that chance to think of what you have really won by losing. You may have lost in a battle, but you may have gained much of a character. By doing your best, trying hard, sweating a lot, you are already a winner.