oDesk: Changing How The World Works For Freelancers

"The distribution of talent around the globe has never matched the distribution of jobs." -- Gary Swart, CEO, oDesk Corporation

In tough economic times like these, more and more people are looking for ideal ways to make money. People like me, realize that having a regular, low paying job is not enough to get the pampering you want, let alone cover up those staggering monthly expenses. Most of the times, we find ourselves struggling to make both ends meet. It's not just the way to live the lifestyle we want for ourselves. We get through, yes. But just barely.

Early last year, I've realized what an online job can do for me; how much it can provide for my needs and wants. After getting sick and tired of receiving fixed income regardless of my productivity, I think of ways on making more money. Since I hate boring and routinely jobs, the phrase "How to make Money Online" came to mind. Armed with hope and determination, I immediately search the web for legit ways to make money using the internet as a medium. I stumbled upon e-bay, affiliate marketing, paid surveys, etc. But I had my eyes laid on the words online job. Since there are hundreds of bogus online jobs on the net, I made sure to look for legit ones to start with. So After an hour of searching, a very legitimate website came up: The On Demand Global Workforce - oDesk

So why oDesk?

Why not? With more than $6 million dollars of work performed this month alone, oDesk is the largest marketplace for online work. Period. Why is it that tens of thousands of employers and hundreds of thousands of top professionals choose oDesk?

This is because workers around the world are seeking new ways to leverage their existing talents while gaining flexibility in their lifestyle. They are focusing their skills and seeking jobs that best showcase their particular talents, all while being mindful of the many pitfalls and false promises contractors often face.




So how do you get started?

Simply create an account and follow the video tutorial after sign up. Build an impressive resume to attract prospective employers. There are hundreds of thousands of jobs available. All you have to do is apply for the job suited for you and outbid other contractors to land the position.

The beauty of an online job is that you can work anywhere and even from the comfort of your home with just the aid of an internet connection. You what the secret to online job success is? Consistency. That, coupled with patience and determination. Why? Because you will be encountering hundreds of fellow contractors competing against the job postings. Just remember this, hard work pays off in the end.=)

2012's Rants and Raves Overload

I was busy blogging the other day when I remember the "Rants and Raves" post that I did in my former blog. As I was reading it, I've realized that it's already been a year since then. So much has changed. So many things have happened. So many lessons I've learned. All for the best, though. Anyway, clip notes version, my new "Rants and Raves" post is a lot different from the last. So here it goes....


Rants

1. Procrastination
Why am I ranting about procrastination? I am so guilty of being a chronic procrastinator, that's why! And I totally hate myself for that. It's only until recently that I started doing something about it. Though, I'm already seeing improvements, I still have a long way to go.

2. SOPA and PIPA
"F*CK SOPA, F*CK PIPA!" Who, in the world, wouldn't rant about it? Okay, let me rephrase that. Who, among the internet users, wouldn't rant about it? If those abominable bills will be passed into law, we may as well say goodbye to free knowledge. This means there'll be no Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and a whole lot social media sites. What's worse? You can no longer download or copy any content from sites which have intellectual property rights on it. Unless you want a lawsuit right at your doorstep.

3. Financial Problem
Actually, I shouldn't rant about this since it's my fault why we're having financial problems at the moment. Lazy ass, anyone? Oh well, moving on.....

4. Graft and Corruption
Wait, I think I spelled "government" wrong. Hahah. The local government is so f*cked up, corruption is everywhere - from the barangay officials up to the house of senate. And who knows what the President is really doing behind his desk? Now, don't let me get started on the police enforcement.

5. Destruction of Mother Nature
I may not be a passionate environmentalist but I am an advocate of mother nature. And I simply cannot stand its destruction. Look what it brought upon us in retaliation? Thousands of death due to flash floods. Unnecessary loss of life and desolation of properties. Completely disturbing.=(


I have so many things to blab about but I don't want to come off as whiny so enough with the Rants, let's move on to the.....


Raves

1. Blogging
I just ♥ blogging! Not only am I able to express myself freely, I am also able to reach a humongous market base - the internet. The possibilities that blogging can offer are just plain awesome. Granted, that Blogger won't shut your blog down. Eeep!

2. Damon Salvatore
I used to root for Harry Potter, but then I grew up and met a ridiculously gorgeous BAMF -Damon Salvatore. For me, he's the hottest vampire that ever graced the television screen<<---insert drool here--->>. Those magnetic piercing eyes, so notorious for eye-sexing. And that devilish grin, so hot! Loves him. *sigh* Marry me, Damon!♥

3. Internet Marketing
Seriously, what's not to rave about internet marketing? The results are tremendous. The opportunities are endless. It's like a vast pool of possibilities waiting to be tapped. It's practically overwhelming. Though I'm getting little to no support from everyone I know, I'm confident as hell that I can do this!

4. The Future
Each day, I wake up looking forward to what the future has to offer, of what is in store for me. I may live in the present but I definitely strive for the future. And by the looks of where I am heading to and the rate that I am going, it looks very bright.

5. Losing Weight
The last but not the least in my list. Last year, I raved about having a healthy lifestyle, about being a vegetarian. Turned out, I can't really eliminate meat in my eating habits. I mean, who am I kidding? I love meat! Hahah. Anyway, the healthy lifestyle did pay off. I've lost 40lbs. of weight since then. Though I've already entered the threshold of normal weight, I still need to burn 5-7lbs to achieve my ideal weight. And I'm giving myself two months to completely shed it off.


Life is indeed full of blahs and whatevers, nonstop whining and plaintive cries. But as long as you know how to handle it, everything follows; what the hell, right? Just let it out and enjoy life! So how about you? What are your Rants and Raves? =)

Rage Comics Presents: Burning Love Handles The Groovy Way Part II

And the saga continues...

Meanwhile at Roselle's house...

So, off to Apozaga we went..

Okay, I think we've established by now that we're really bored. Now what?

Then go straight to the point!

Let's light up the dance floor and party like a rock star...

And so the night ends. Hahah. Just kidding. Making a rage comic out of every scene is kinda hard and time-consuming. So let's leave it at that for now.

All in all, it was a great night. I had a blast and I burned a day's worth of calories. Needless to say, I was too spent and too exhausted to work on my articles. And again, it brings us to the age-old question: What else is new?

Rage Comics Presents: Burning Love Handles The Groovy Way

I'm suffering from a bad case of blogger's block. I can't seem to find the right words. And since I wasn't able to take pictures of our night out yesterday, I'll use rage comics to blog about the events. Enjoy!

Characters:

Perlito as Derpton
Roselle as Herpina
Yours Truly as Derpina


It was 5:00 in the afternoon yesterday and I was busy updating my blogs when....

Two hours later at Remi Field.....

Meanwhile at the other side of the tracks....

The reason why I came in the first place...

The night is young and so are we..

Crap! It's already 2:00am and I'm already sleepy. So...

Spice Girls: One Of The 101 Reasons the '90s Ruled

Can I just say, the Spice Girls ROCK? Duh, they practically ruled the music of the 90's (well at least for an avid Spice Girl fan like me)! You just gotta love them..

Why not? With their chart-topping hits and fabulous outfits, they catapulted into stardom and won the hearts of their fans around the world.

I remember singing and dancing to their songs during my elementary days, "STOP" being the most-played song on my casette tape. I even used to sing the song shamelessly in front of the class, with all of my classmates cheering me on, which ultimately led me to pursue my "singing" career...

Okay, I'm just kidding. I actually suck at singing. Hahah. Anyway, I still ♥ Spice Girls and know the lyrics of their songs by heart. I hope they make another reunion concert tour and get a chance to perform here in the Philippines. Surely, I wouldn't miss that for the world..=)

Delusions Of A Hopeless Romantic

"Don't worry about losing in love. If it is real, it will happen. The main thing is not to hurry. Take your time and take it easy. The right one will come along eventually."

It's already 6:00pm and not a single minute was given to my priority list. Yes sir, procrastination at its finest! Oh well, the sooner I finish this, the sooner I get back to my regular programming...

When I was a child, I used to believe that fairy tale romances do exist in the real world. That there are many real-life princesses who found their prince-charmings and managed to be swept up from their feet. My illusions unleashed the love junkie in me. I would imagine myself as a princess in a far away castle waiting for my handsome prince to come. At times, I would wear a tiara in my head and wrap a blanket around me, channeling a royalty. I was so caught up in my make-believe world that I became a sucker for fairy tale weddings....

As I grew up, my unrealistic view on love began to subside. Though it didn't completely change, I came to accept the fact that fairy tales don't exist in the real world. So to make up for the loss of my delusions, the love junkie in me learned to feed on romance novels. I could go on for a day, reading pocketbooks in my Mama Helen's house. I was only 12 years old at the time. As a result, I transitioned from a fairy tale junkie to a hopeless romantic. For every pocketbook that I read, I fell in love with the perfect man I came across with....

Then, I would often dream of meeting that perfect man in the real world. From adolescence to adulthood, I strongly believed that a man like that really existed. Oh boy, was I wrong. And it took a couple of "reality bites" before I was truly enlightened. I was introduced to the real-life love and romance. My eyes were opened to the real deal. So I experienced my fair share of heartaches, shed a tear every now and then. I lost some, won some. If truth be told, I don't really consider myself lucky in love. Either I like the guy but he doesn't like me, or he likes me but it's not reciprocated, or we like each other but it didn't happen. The end result: forever alone.

Hahah, just kidding! I don't believe I'm that hopeless. I mean c'mon, I'm only 24 yrs. old. I'm barely an old maid. And it's not like I'm in a hurry to find love. Honestly, I don't mind not having a boyfriend for a while, or till next year, or the year after that. I can't say I'm exactly happy with being single, I'm just content with it. And it's my prerogative. And based from my experience, it's best to remain single than to go for a guy whom I'm not really into. I've been burned before and I don't want to go through that again. Honestly though, those past experiences shaped me into being sensible and realistic in love. No longer was I imagining a prince, a knight in shining armor, or even Mr. Right. Fantasy and reality are two different worlds and they will never combine. Because if I choose to continue with that pretense, I would probably end up looking like this.....

And so to all the girls out there looking for Mr. Right or Mr. Perfect, I suggest that you stop looking. Because THERE IS NO SUCH THING. Hahahah. Oh, I'm not being mean here. I'm just stating a cold, hard, and proven FACT. Now, deal with it or be forever alone. Why don't you ask your guy friends and see for yourself? They will just probably laugh at you and tell you to GTFO....

As for me, I've long abandoned the search for Mr. Right. Oh, I'm still romantic, but not hopeless anymore. I still read romance novels every now and then, watch romantic comedies and fall in love with the ridiculously gorgeous leading men. The only difference is that I'm still very much rooted to reality. Though I would still prefer to meet Mr. Nearly Perfect (if he ever exists) one day, I have no qualms in ending up with Mr. Regular guy or Mr. Just-The-Right-One for me.. And I'm in no hurry to find him either...=)♥

"You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly." - Sam Keen

Of Lessons Learned and Quest for Change

“You change for two reasons. Either you learn enough that you want to or you’ve been hurt enough that you have to.”

2011 hadn't been good to me, career-wise. For the most part of the year, I was stuck in a rut. Why, you say? Well, I've always been a procrastinator and lazy-ass. I was always procrastinating, wasting time on worthless things, and doing minimal work. I think lazy is an understatement. I was a couch potato! Though I didn't spend the whole year doing nothing. I just lost momentum during the latter months. And I'm not proud of it. But before we get into that, let me tell you my story....

The first quarter of the year saw me getting down from the corporate ladder to the online job route, on March specifically. I resigned my post as the Corporate Secretary of this network marketing company and left Manila to go back to my hometown - Olongapo. It was also the time that I got serious in trimming down, which turned out to be successful since I did shed a great deal of weight. (But let's talk about that some other time.) Anyway, I was more than relieved when my mom told me that it's time to leave the ill-fated company and settle back in Olongapo. Boy, was that the happiest day of my life (LQL.) It was really a relief since that company did nothing but bring lots and lots of tears. It was that company that really exposed me to GRAFT and CORRUPTION. Yes, folks, corruption doesn't solely exists in the government. It is everywhere. And sad to say, we fell victim to it.

The 2nd quarter didn't immediately see me concentrating in online job. I spent the couple of months getting back to direct selling - the H&B. It was fun at first, but I came to realize that direct selling is not my cup of tea. That's when I started to become a freelance writer in The On Demand Global Workforce - oDesk.

3rd quarter came and I felt great. For the first time in my 24 years of existence, I earned serious cash without relying on my mom's efforts. I was on a roll during the first few months. Every week, I withdrew money from my ATM card and happily handed them over to my mom. She's in charge of the budgeting after all. It felt really good to be able to share on our daily expenses. I was beaming with pride. I mean, that's an accomplishment in itself. But then, some good things in life never last. In this case, my persistence and dedication.

And there goes my only source of income on the last quarter. Don't get me wrong. I earned a couple of bucks, but not enough to make both ends meet. From being a provider, I got demoted to being a dependent. That's the time that I started procrastinating and doing unimportant stuff and spending money on worthless things. Oh, I'm aware of it. That I'm sure of. Enough for me to feel ashamed of myself, but still not enough to take proper action.

So I procrastinated, and procrastinated, and procrastinated even more. A week would pass without me doing anything. And when it did, all I could do was shake my head and blame my idleness for it. Coincidentally, our financial woes were piling up at an all-time high. The whole time I sat, feeling so stupid and still doing nothing. The consequence? I lost a total of six job offers, all of which pay pretty well.

Some of life's lessons are learned at the worst times. And most of the time, we only change because the situation is already painful enough to bear. True story! Christmas and New Year came that the only gifts I managed to buy are for my immediate family. And it took desperate measures to do so. And so this year, 2012, I got a hold of myself and picked up the momentum I threw last year. I've finally realized what I wanted to do all along - brave the world of Internet and Social Media Marketing. And that's my quest for change!

Internet marketing can be a little intimidating. And it's a pretty big world out there. But I intend to succeed. I'm willing to take baby steps because I know it will lead me to where I'm supposed to go. As the fortune cookie says,

"Don't be afraid to take that big step, Success comes from taking calculated risks."

And I'm not afraid. In fact, I'm really excited and I'm very much ready to take on the world of IM. But there's still a big room for improvement. And I have so much to learn. With the right attitude, mindset, and hard work, I know success is just within my reach!

With that, I'll share these words,

"You gotta hurt in order to know. Fall in order to grow. Lose in order to gain. Because most of life's lessons are learned in pain."

I hope you learn your lessons and find that quest for change just like I did! =)

Life With A Jar And A Cup Of Coffee

Every once in a while, I see inspirational stories and words of wisdom from 9gag. Yep, you read it right. 9gag, a highly popular comedy website known for having funny trolling posts, also provides serious stuff every now and then. Though, my take is that those posters were bloggers from Tumblr (that blogging site is notorious for being cheesy and mushy.) And they visit 9gag to spread their emo-ness or whatever you call that.

Anyhow, here is the inspirational story that I want to share with you....

"When life seems to be too much to handle, just remember two things: a jar and two cups of coffee."

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty jar.
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He, then, asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full.
The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table
And poured the entire contents into the jar,
Effectively filling the space between the grains of sand.
The students laughed, "Our life is just like this jar."

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided,
"I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things
- your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions
- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.
The sand is everything else -the small stuff.
If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled,

"I'm glad you asked.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
There's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Become A Master of the Internet and Social Media Marketing

Marketing has come a long way - from traditional to the internet. And when it comes to internet marketing, social media is a convenient platform to use. Social networking sites, blogging sites, social bookmarking sites, and what-have-yous.

Indeed, the advent of the internet taught us how to maximize our profit potential and realize our promotional skills. With years of experience in the internet, I have learned so many strategies and techniques from numerous successful internet marketers and have incorporated them in my endeavors. I would love to share them with you.

Whether you're a newbie or someone who wants to be successful in braving the world wide web, you can visit my blog to get some useful tips and effective strategies to grow your online horizon. You can check the social media specialist to find out.

Let's hear from you..:)

A Happy Happy New Year: Cheers to 2012!

Okay, maybe It's already 5 days late. But, so what? We're still in Page 6 of 366. So before I start with my regular blogging, let me greet you a very very

Don't you just love Christmas and New Year? I do! 'Tis the season to be happy and celebrate life all the more. I did go through the holiday season with an empty pocket and zero love life, alright. But, who cares? I spent the best holiday season with the people I love the most. What's there to be sad about?



The official 2nd Christmas Party of our wacky barkada!=)

The only Christmas picture I have. What a bummer! Hahahah..

Celebrating New Year's Eve with my crazy family: priceless!♥

The best things in life are free, so they say. In this case, moments. I hope you had a very fruitful and meaningful holiday season just like I did. Happy New Year and Cheers to 2012!!!


xoxo

Madeleine