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How To Register With the BIR As Self Employed Professional, Freelancer, or Consultant

The question that hounds online freelancers, aspiring self-employed professionals (without a PRC license), and consultants is this: "How do I register with the Bureau of Internal Revenue?" or, "How do I pay my taxes". etc.

As an SEO/Online Marketing Consultant for an Australian firm, these same questions disturbed me for WEEKS. It's because I have absolutely NO IDEA how to approach BIR and register myself as an individual taxpayer and be eligible to pay my own taxes.

You're about to find out how I got my Certificate of Registration from the BIR in just 2 hours and 15 minutes!

Before I show you the EXACT process I went through to register, let me credit two important resources on the internet which provided me good information on how to register with the BIR as self employed. The first is this blog post from Three Things Baby and the other one is from Freelancepinoy.com.

The info within the above resources has been very helpful. However, my registration experience with the BIR has been slightly different. HERE IS HOW I DID IT, STEP BY STEP:

FIRST PHASE -- "THE PREPARATION"

Step 1:  Know Your RDO Number/Code

Do not leave this to chance. It's very important! Your RDO (Revenue District Office) is where you are registered as a taxpayer. This doesn't necessarily mean the closest BIR office to your house, but sometimes this is the case.

That's why YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE.

Call 981-8888, which is the BIR Hotline. There is a commercial ad just before the voice prompt. As soon as you hear a live human being on the line, just ask:

"Hi I just want to verify kung saang RDO ako currently registered. My TIN # is__________"

Make sure you ask where you are currently registered. Some people ask "what is the nearest RDO closest to my house.."..etc. This is wrong, as they will simply give you the nearest RDO. You have to know where you are registered exactly.

NOTE: If you don't have an existing TIN, just skip this step. If your RDO is located out of town, I'm sorry...you have to go there, and request to transfer to an RDO that is closer to your location -- by filling up the BIR Form 1905.

Step 2:  Prepare the required forms and documents

Here's what I prepared:

1. BIR Form 1901 - Print at least two (2) original copies. This is the registration form for professionals, sole proprietors, estates and trusts. Make sure you cross out the box "professional" as it is the one that applies more to your online occupation.

2. Existing Contract With A Client - The BIR officer referred to this as a "company certificate". This is any written agreement you have with a client of yours, which states that you are working for them on a consultant/freelancer basis. If you don't have any contract, I guess you need to request this from your client.

3. Birth Certificate and Any Proof of The Nature of Your Work - In the absence of a company certificate, you need to show any other proof of your status as an independent freelancer. Birth certificate would help establish your identity (although I prepared this, my RDO did not request this from me, surprisingly!). As for proof, you can show them any email, online job offer, or written terms of your agreement with a client.

4. Proof of Billing Address - This could be a Meralco bill, credit card bill, or internet post paid bill. Barangay clearance would also be accepted.

5. BIR Form 0605 - This is the payment form. Print three (3) original copies.

SECOND PHASE -- "THE ACTUAL VISIT"

Now that you have your documentary requirements, put on your battle gear and visit your RDO. Attack! Follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to your RDO at 8:30 am or earlier!

Do yourself a big big favor. Avoid going to BIR at noon. Be very early.

Also, avoid dates like the 25th of the month (filing of VAT returns) and 20th (filing of percentage tax returns), as the BIR hall will be very full packed.

Step 2: Go straight to the OFFICER OF THE DAY and show your 1901

Instead of asking the guard, numbering system personnel, and other random BIR staff, go straight to the officer of the day!

The officer of the day is the one that ANSWERS QUESTIONS FOR CONFUSED INDIVIDUALS like us.

The officer is also the one who will assess your application and recommend the proper tax types.

I suggest this: Bring all your requirements, fill out your forms in advance, then approach the officer of the day. Ask something like this:

"Hello magpaparegister po as self-employed professional, form 1901."

Make sure you use the word SELF EMPLOYED PROFESSIONAL. That is the phrase they understand. They don't understand freelancer, home based, online editor, internet marketing, etc.

At this point, they will probably ask: "May business name ka na?"

You have to quickly and constructively DISMISS that notion. I said something like this:

"No I don't have a business name po. I work independently po as a CONSULTANT and yung work ko po is online based (insert your line of work here -- writer, marketing, blogging, etc). Gusto ko po magfile ng taxes kase wala akong employer, client lang."

The keywords are: 1) no business name, 2) independent, 3) consultant, 4) online based 5) walang employer, 6) may CLIENT

This way, they will know what tax category you are in.

Step 3: Request the Officer to check/fill out any boxes in the 1901 and 0605 which you might have missed

The officer of the day is your friend. He/she will correct your form 1901 and 0605, verify your documents, and let you know of the next step:

Step 4: TIN Verification

I was asked to get a number, then go to Counter 1 for "Tin Issuance". Just tell the person behind the counter: "For TIN verification daw sir". Then give your accomplished 1901 form, client contract, and billing statement copy.

"Anong nireregister?"

I said: "Self employed professional / consultant".

*STAMP, click*.

Step 5: Pay the registration fee via Form 0605

Go to an accredited agent bank of the BIR. In my case, I paid the P500 registration at the Landbank branch within the same building of my RDO. If you're not sure where to pay or what to write in the form, ask the officer of the day.

Accomplish the Form 0605 in triplicate. It's just like depositing in a bank.

Step 6: Photocopy your "received" or stamped 1901 and 0605 forms. One copy each. Make it two copies just in case.

Step 7: Return to the guy at TIN Issuance and give your stamped 1901 and 0605, plus your documents/requirements.  If your RDO has a "COR" counter personnel, you can go there instead! He will then compile all your documents, then ask you to buy a documentary stamp tax.

Step 8: Buy documentary stamp (they'll show you where to buy for 15 pesos), then return to the guy/girl at TIN Issuance (or COR counter, if your RDO has it). After stamping and compiling, he will then endorse your application to another staff who will then be in charge of printing your Certificate of Registration (Form 2303).

When you see your application being endorsed for printing, rejoice!!

THIRD PHASE -- ACCOUNTING BOOKS and AUTHORITY TO PRINT

After half an hour of waiting, the Certificate of Registration (COR) will be released (that is, if you have a cool RDO like mine). 

Along with the COR, you will receive an "Ask for Receipt" signboard and a taxpayer's guide. The next steps after receiving the COR are these:

STEP 1: Go to the Counter where they serve "Books of Accounts". Show them your COR. They will then recommend what accounting books do you need based on your tax type. Don't hesitate to BUY their recommendation on the spot. Sure it's somewhat more expensive than the accounting books in the National Bookstore, but it helps you know what type of columnars they require. You are a first timer. So you need to go by the basic rules. :) They will then stamp/sign the books, which means, you are now authorized to use them.

STEP 2: Go to the counter where they serve "Authority to Print (ATP)". Request for BIR Form 1906. This is an application for printing of invoices or receipts. This is easy to fill up because most of the required fields are in the COR anyway. Upon filling out the ATP form, ask the counter personnel if he/she knows a good printer (printer as in, a BIR accredited person or company that prints invoices/receipts). 99.9% of the time, the personnel will say YES and fill out the remaining part of the 1906 for you. They will ask you to write your contact info at the bottom of the form 1906 so they can call you when your receipts are ready.

Mind you, the minimum job order is 10 booklets of receipts, which will cost you around Php 1,000 upon pickup of the receipts. So be prepared for this expense!

That's it! You are now registered!

ADDITIONAL TIPS AND GUIDELINES

1. Avoid asking too many "noob" questions. If you ask too much, BIR will think you have no idea what you're doing, and so they will also think your documents and requirements are NOT complete. Instead, ask questions only to proceed to the next step. For example, instead of asking "What should I write on this Form?", just ask "Please verify if I missed anything on the form". Be sure of yourself. 

2. Know if you are VAT or non-VAT. Generally, if your expected gross yearly income is less than Php 1.9 Million, you are non-VAT. That means, you won't pay 12% VAT but you will only pay 3% percentage tax monthly. Moreover, if your income is in dollars, you are VAT exempt.

That being said, good luck on your BIR application! For any questions about registration as self employed, just put in the comments section.

Why exercising individuality takes courage

We hold this truth to be self evident -- that all men (and to avoid sounding sexist -- women) are created UNIQUE. Yet oftentimes, majority of us fail to exercise this uniqueness, because deep seated in human behavior is the desire to conform to the crowd, be just like everybody else, sulk back in a corner, and just agree with whatever universal opinion or culture exists.

first i am thankful that I belong to a free country, where there is freedom of belief or preference, where people cannot be forced to do whatever stuff is being forced them to do. but the sad thing is that despite this freedom, many free people VOLUNTARILY relinquish (or give up) this freedom. Even Christians voluntarily give up this freedom because of fear and want. ---  
I want to fit in. 
I want to to be liked. 
I fear my officemates or classmates will think less of me if i dont do something which they like.
i might get labeled a weirdo if i get too biblical or say, I'm attending a Bible study session tonight.
i might get embarassed if I refuse to get drunk with liquor.
I might be laughed at if I confess I dont believe in premarital sex.
I dont want to be labeled a killjoy, so I'll laugh at a really stupid joke just because everybody's laughing.

anyway, this blog post is not about religion or rules or regulations -- it's about being an individual. what I'm saying is that there is nothing to fear and to be ashamed of by standing up to your personal preferences and beliefs. Because that's an inalienable right and constitutional. because it is honored in a free country.

when you embrace this uniqueness, this individuality, this open confession of being just YOU, then and only then can you have genuine friendships that last for a lifetime.then and only then can you live with yourself, because finally, you can face the world without a mask.

But it takes a lot of courage.

Motivation and Frustration -- the two sides of the coin

i personally think that there are two primary emotions that cause people to act the way they do. one is motivation, and another is frustration. motivation is the force that allows men and women to achieve great heights. it sets them on fire and propels them to heroic fulfillment. this all-needed motivation stems from various sources, but the strongest kind of it springs from the thought and prospect of achieving the impossible. put the sleepy, timid and wandering soul in front of a seemingly insurmountable task and fire his desire that it can be done (though it has never been done before), and the fire will be ignited, hope will spring eternal, miracles will happen...

on the other hand, there is such a thing as frustration, and this one stems from the realization that the impossible cannot be done by individual human effort alone. the motivated person may be fired up to achieve the impossible, he may be the greatest optimist who has walked this earth, but when the limitation on human ability finally becomes apparent and one realizes it, the acquired strength from strong motivation can turn into an equally strong (or stronger) frustration..

the key, then, is to understand the two sides of the coin. for if you dwell only on the heads side of motivation, you run the risk of being an idealist, not being wary of your own limitations and always setting expectations that defy gravity, analogous to literally believing that people can fly. but if you dwell on the tails side of frustration, you run the risk of becoming the doom and gloom harbinger that good things, great things CANNOT be done under any circumstance. a frustrated man doesn't see the silver lining, that split second moment of opportunity that makes the seemingly impossible possible. and the path, this writer believes, that leads to achievement of set goals and objectives is one that's unencumbered by unreasonable motivation (daydreaming) and premature frustration (giving up too soon when things might be starting to pick off).

so flip the coin, but never dwell on any one side. Even God is a realist who knows how limited we are, yet performs miracles through vessels of clay. ;) 

by: V. Cutar
10/17/2013
6:33 PM

Thoughts On Opportunity -- (how to spot them and grab them)

as a web marketer, i had the lucky privilege of working with a startup company, from the first day of its operations up to its present stage of nationwide growth. when I decided to make the decision to commit myself to a fledgling firm, not a few people began to show concern on whether I was making the right call, simply because the instant thing that comes to mind is the possibility of failure for startup companies. is this concern valid?

i believe the fear of being involved in a startup company arises from man's subtle need to be part of something big. we all despise being "just a face in the crowd" but deep inside we are programmed to follow institutions and well established systems. we are often "wowed" at the sight of huge organizations and our herd mentality instantly identifies with those who are part of something big.

my personal view, however, is that the bigger the organization, the more institutionalized you become. the more institutionalized you become, the less you think for yourself (because the system and structure thinks on your behalf). the more you become a mindless zombie, the less potential you exert and the less fulfillment you feel.

let me assert that fledgling organizations are the cradle of multi-talented people. this is because the people who are part of such enterprises operate on a higher work ethic. they don't work for prestige. they don't work just for money. they don't do things just because the system told them to do so. Instead they operate on initiative because they already understand the rules of the game. their level of business acumen is not too far behind their genius business owner, and they strive to build the business AS IF they are stakeholders of the enterprise. high level employees turned businessmen that come to mind are Michael Dell, the late Steve Jobs, WARREN BUFFETT, the list goes on and on!

furthermore, people who commit themselves to a startup enterprise have the world's greatest quality --  HOPE. In effect they also get to enjoy the world's greatest benefit -- FREEDOM. when they have the freedom to express their individuality in the workplace, they also radiate the world's best attitude - LOYALTY. look at all the succesful people who ever walked this earth, and you'll find that they are the ones with hope, freedom and loyalty.

most people fail to realize a true opportunity when they see it. a real opportunity is something you can grab almost without hesitation, because the potential for success is so great and you have the privilege to be part of that major move when it finally happens. as a trader and investor of stock securities in my off-hours, I learned this valuable lesson of sticking with the not too popular but has the strongest potential for growth. this, in my opinion, is the best kind of opportunity that any man or woman can take.

by: v.cutar
10/10/2013

REPOST: Employment Law About Social Media At Work

There has been a huge upswing in employees' use of networking media such as FaceboOK, LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube etc.

Some of these sites present marketing opportunities for businesses, but there can be down sides. The production hours lost can be serious. Additionally, employees' use of the media to make disparaging remarks about their employer creating negative perceptions can cause pain and damage. Once posted on the internet, the comments are then in the public domain. And there is the cost of internet bandwidth consumed.

If Employers fail to put a policy in place forbidding such behaviour (in either the employment agreement or an employee handboOK) and bring it to the Employee's attention, there will be weak justification for taking disciplinary action against the employee concerned. Correct procedure may not be enough. We recommend a policy and a sign off as well.

A typical policy would contain at the least the following:

Set the Company's Overall Policy e.g. The Employer's computers/devices for business use only otherwise written approval required and the Employee must comply with all policies and procedures.

The Company's Position on:

Personal use of the Employer's computers, communications or mobile storage devices, email, internet is prohibited, without the Employer's prior written approval.
Connection of non-work devices to network
Statement that usage is monitored.
Software download policy statement
Restrictions on updating computer configurations
Unauthorised and/or inappropriate or illegal email /browsing/other communication /risk of introducing viruses etc
Passwords privacy policy
Unlawful copying, downloading, uploading, or file sharing any licenced or copyright protected software or material

While it is relatively OK for some employers to have their staff checking their social accounts during office hours, there are specific industries wherein this habit can impede overall productivity. For example, if a person is working in the accounting department, it is necessary to stay focused with balancing the calculations on an ongoing basis. Having a divided attention can lead to lots of human errors and compromise the integrity of financial statements. People who are working in the technical support field should also be on the loOKout for new issues and tickets that are forwarded to them, and so they should not be checking any personal social media accounts during work hours. As a general rule, the lunchbreak is a good time to log on to FaceboOK and personal emails just to check for messages, but is never ethical to aggressively use social accounts when in the office.

This article was originally published from:  http://www.employers.co.nz

Exclusive viral photo / movie marathon cut short / jogging plans

Good morning! Finally had a chance to post again here on my long lost blog. I think I've spent more time the past few months writing in other people's websites that I barely have time to write on mine.

Anyway, as I write this it's March 3, 2013, and it's 1:03 in the morning. I'm lying down on my bed, which is spread right on the floor in front of my laptop...I have an ear muff, err...white ear plug..whatever you call it, and it's pretty snug here  if you ask me. If you're finding it hard to visualize me in this state, here's a live photo to illustrate:

I took this photo about 30 seconds ago. Probably got tired at looking at my old blog posts which contains zero pics. Might as well utilise Bluetooth while it's still not obsolete. (Next time, I'll try to post more meanigful pics than this one though. :) ).

So What's Up

It's a weekend now and obviously I'm away from my busy office life, basically just doing nothing. I was scouting for some new Gospel songs earlier to teach to our choir, then I ended up watching some boxing videos, then in an effort to fall asleep, attempted to watch Jango Unchained, but my attention span tonight isn't much to finish a 3 hour film.

So there, I finally resorted to this blog post, and that's how you got stuck here. ;)

Jogging Plans

Earlier today after looking at my chubby face and abs, I finally had an inkling to go jogging again. Plans to dominate the Malacanang jogging space instantly came to mind. I was hoping to begin tomorrow (or technically, later..which is Sunday morning).

This probably came as a direct result of watching the Rocky Balboa movies again. Oh no.

Plans are now set! But reality sinks in...is jogging a joke or a reality? Probably the former, but let's see. ;)

You Fell Into The Trap

So obviously, this post appeared like I was about to say something, but now you can;t escape the fact that I have nothing to say tonight and I'm just bored and I posted that pic to invade your personal life and that this blog post is just an effort to kill time and will probably won't make it viral in cyber space but the thing is I am sleepy now and this blog post served it's purpose well of lulling me to sleep and I hope it did for you too.........

Talk to you again in a few months!!! :)

Shameless war predictions + Major aircondition fail

 9:52 PM - Manila Philippines (desk is not mine)

===============================
MY PERSISTENT WAR THOUGHTS

"If each one of our citizens spit, then the whole Philippines will drown".

That's a comment from the CHINESE press (paraphrase is mine and mine only). Now I'm not going to spark a war on this blog (owing it to the fact that I personally know a lot of Fil-Chinese people and they are really good well meaning friendly people that I know and who knows me and what not).

Anyway, this led me to a "what if" moment wherein I thought along this lines:

....What if the Philippines find themselves in the brink of war...and the state calls on its able bodied citizens to TAKE UP ARMS and serve in the military as enlisted soldiers....

The constitution has that provision. If we ever go to war, then all BOYS who are eighteen and above are REQUIRED to go to war in defense of the state.

What if?

I think any of the following COULD HAPPEN:

1. The state decides I'm not able bodied (for lack of abs and excess of flabs in the wrong places), in which case I am not required to go to war (lol)
2. The state runs out of M-16 rifles, in which case they'd let guys like me hide behind the hills.
3. P.Noy surrenders the Philippines to the Chinese, in which case there is no bloodshed and we'll all get transported to Shanghai.

And in case they really do spit on us, I just hope we have some sort of saliva-proof gear to defend ourselves.

Gross.

 ====================

AIRCON BREAKS DOWN, EMPLOYEE BREAKS LOOSE

Question. What happens when an office centralized airconditioning system suddenly breaks down?

ANSWER: Then a guy like me is suddenly given a choice to stay at home and do all his work without going to the office.

And that's what happened today. Here am I sipping a cup of coffee for the umpteenth time, working my daily routine tasks, communicating to my co-workers and bosses through Skype. What a day. :) All because I was given the permission to NOT go physically to the office and instead complete all my tasks at HOME. Yipee.


A mixture of stress and fun. Workaholism and spinning my wheels. Procrastination and meeting today's deadlines. And I admit, a little bit of work and play. :)

And the good thing about it? No Makati traffic (which, I do have to face tomorrow again). lol

Past tense.

summary of albert einstein (a lame attempt) [HD]

So it's Labor Day today, so it's practically a day for people to work and for mothers to give birth. Not exactly. To me, it's a day to get laid back and just be the happy-go-lucky guy that I never was. lol.

In my search for something worthwhile to do, I said, hey why not catch up on my reading and learn some new stuff. Its been a while since I've really fed my mind with some academic stuff. Mind boggling jargon that make people sound smart.

 Of all the topics out there, I chose Physics and Albert Einstein just for fun. Why? Because it's the high school subject I never really loved but my teacher was really patient and kind and considerate so I got a passing grade. And aside from Albert's fashionable bushy white hair, I never really knew a lot about him and his theories. Really.

Reading Einstein material was supposed to be fun, except the part when terminologies came up which can barely be deciphered, stuff like (with my own definitions in blue):

Space-time continuum - It's the theory they're using to build a time machine.

Theory of relativity - I think what he's saying in this text is relevant to each other. I mean, somehow, they're all connected.

E=MC2  = A code phrase for dropping nuke bombs. 


So I think we can all sum up Einstein's views in these statements and definitions. That's great, we all learned something today! (although I'm not sure if physics professors would agree, lol)

On a serious note, I found a quote which is really interesting. On his 70th birthday, Einstein said the following words:


"Now you think that I am looking back at my life's work with calm satisfaction. But, on closer look, it is quite different. There is not a single concept of which I am convinced that it will stand firm and I am not sure if I was on the right track after all:"

So you see, all the work he did for his entire life, he eventually questioned them. he was never really sure if he was correct, or he was never really convinced if what he did was truly meaningful.

Proof that no matter how smart you are and no matter how much you know, there is no guarantee of satisfaction or happiness.

I just wished he found God, and knew him.


Oh, well, let's leave the physics stuff to the physicists. :) I'm officially retired as a physicist now, after two hours. lol

Weekends are gold (thoughts of a burnout ex-bum)

Four or five months ago, I was the idealistic person who just finished college and ready to take on corporate life. Today, I am the burn-out employee who wishes there are more hours left on his weekend.

You can't blame the job though. You can point a finger on the Metro traffic, which eats up at least two hours of "work" each day, and if you add up all the hours I spend every day which are NOT for my personal entertainment or relaxation, you could say I'm pretty much worked up AT LEAST 12 hours each day.

12 hours?

Full time job = 8 hours.
Traffic and getting there = 2 hours total back and forth
Doing homebased freelance writing/marketing projects = 2 hours per night.

This is the life I've always dreamed of (Not). *With some sort of dry sarcastic humor there so loosen up.

To some this might sound like I'm complaining but the truth is that I'm thankful that I realized just how valuable weekends are. Weekends are gold. Prety soon though, I'm hoping to switch things a bit and spend more time with myself and the things/people/activities I love.

After all, I adore peopl like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet and Robert Kiyosaki who barely even touched a timecard, or in modern times, time-in biometrics. These are folks who have time on their side.

My fellow citizens in the workforce, do we have time on our side?

I doubt it.

I doubt it severely. :)

- VPC

Finding A Job Is A Full Time Job (part 1)

So I thought of re-visiting this blog because this one was built almost exactly a year ago during the Holiday season. Funny how times and seasons can really activate your mind about things you built a few months back, which really didn't really take off so to speak - in other words, an epic fail.

As I write this, I'm stuck in a drowsed state but somewhere in between sleepy and wanting to be sleepy, but not so sleepy to write a blog post, which, according to a recent buzz phrase in the writing industry, is a thing called "free writing", if such a word actually exists or holds merit.

You may have heard (or not) about how I closed the curtain on college a few weeks back but it seems as though college doesn't want to close the curtains on me, having all those requirements and submissions and fees that I need to bring to the table. I needed a one month break from all that. However, there's this PE professor, a badminton one, that wants to make his subject seem more important that it really is:

* Made me write a research paper about badminton, history, rules, parts of the racket, where the racket or the shuttlecock materials came from (clue: it's from the skin of an exotic animal..dont wanna get into that)

* Anyway, I still haven't got the grade for this badminton thingy.

But despite the slight delay on T.O.R. release requirements, I decided to kill the time and apply for jobs in smothered rooms they call offices, that belonged to companies. So I applied.

Sure enough, after being a freelancer, a free person for the past 7 years of my adult life...this is a rare moment wherein I'm actually entering establishments and practically issuing a demand that goes like: "hey, put me in your payroll".

First company:

A dimly lighted office located on the uppermost floor of a 31-story building. Position is Web Content Writer. HR made me take an exam. Could't find the CR afterwards. 1 week later , was invited for a final interview with the manager, who happened to be a cool guy who liked me (or seemed to). Interview went kinda like this:

Verniel: Hey pal, I used to be an intern in HR so I have a pretty good idea of what you're gonna say next. GOtcha

Manager: Really..uhh...(really intimidated)...do you think I suck at interviewing?

V: Honestly, yeah.

Manager: Way cool pal. You're shorlisted.

* Of course the conversation didn't really go like that. it's just a summary. This application is waiting management's decision on Dec. 17. Huh! That's like, in 3 days!

Second company

This one is in a building which I won't reveal to you..it's called Burgundy Tower. So I came with this killer corporate attire and tried to become the Golden Boy of job interviews (or let's just say the Pacman, whatever). I was determined to become the SEO analyst for this company. hey, this is it....

I reached the office on the 9th floor..oh sorry that's the 14th..I almost forgot. And I was stopped by a guard who seemed to assume that I am in the building for some evil reason. I said hey dude I was invited by Miss Cherry for an interview..to which he replied by giving me a long form which looked like a midterm exam questionairre...and duh I had to fill up personal details again. What's my resume for?

When I entered the office proper...I asked the receptionist.."Im looking for miss cherry"..to which I got the reply..."ANDYAN LANG YUN SA TABI TABI". Fine, proper, and polite. ;) So I waited there and lo and behold I saw an internet cafe..no it was an office! there were chairs and cubicles..and each small cubicle is further divided into two "micro" cubicles, making it appear as though the company wants their employees to kiss each other involuntarily on the cheek while working...*sigh*

On top of all those chairs and tables and cubicle divisions was one (1)...yes...one electric fan that kinda ventilates the whole room.

That;s ok with me. But look..everybody's wearing shorts! i came in long sleeves...

"Hey mr. Cutar, you have to take this exam"...Cherry was glaring straight at me..the HR who was supposed to take care of me. So I was taken to a micro cubicle.."You need to finish this writing exam in exactly one hour". I said, 'no problem!"

I was wrong, there was a problem. The computer aint working. Hello, is there an IT guy who can fix it? It seems as if I'm alone here! No one is around. HELPP!! No, it's not one of those ghost stories wherein the victim screams helplessly in the end...but it's pretty darn close.

I stood.

I looked for the nearest HR personnel (who was playing some FB game at work) and said: "Thank you very much for inviting me, I appreciate all this..but I need to withdraw my application. Thank you so much".

Discrimination aside, I just didn;t see myself working there..so I just withdrew. I wish the company luck though!

And those were the first two companies I applied with. Will post other job interview stories I had during the past few weeks, and how I found the right one (that's the good part, hey).

To be continued...

Blogging Is Sweeter The Second Time Around

What would be the reason why a blog owner would suddenly show up and write a post after more than a month of absence? I guess it has to be the love for writing (or the lack of it..whichever works for you). For the past month, I've been a non-writer -- immersing myself in activities which make a person "normal" in society. I forgot that WRITERS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THAT.

Writers are supposed to be like this:

* Eccentric
* Weird
* err...Couch Potatoes?
* Moody
* Sarcastic
* Inquisitive (in short, mtanong)
* Reflective
* ERRATIC (a weird word which came up after one of my erratic moments..so I learned it)
* Solitary

As a self proclaimed writer, and as someone who has written more for others than for myself, I can say that I have at least...ALL of the mentioned qualities above. LOL. And each time I start becoming a "normal" person in the most stereotypical sense of the word...I lose the flair for writing.

And I found out...BLOGGING is not meant to record daily activities. I tried that. It was stressful! Blogging is a sort of catharsis (a cliche' word which actually means, a process of expressing pent up feelings and emotions).

Emotions must pile up throughout days and weeks before you can start writing something that makes sense.

Anyway, for the past two years, I have written a bunch of articles which aim to entertain target audiences all over the web. Sure I earn from these articles, but it wouldn;t hurt if you take a look. Have fun:

CLICK HERE TO SEE VERNIEL'S ONLINE ARTICLE PAGE

eternal 1 hour / more Bruno Mars comparisons / sighs

When you're waiting, minutes seem like hours!

Look at me. It's 2:30, just 30 minutes away from my next class but it seems like forever.

That's what happens when your accounting professor is absent.

And that's what happens each time you're waiting for something...whatever it is....it takes forever!! (ok, no need to elaborate the details on that..lol)

***********

Anyway, yesterday someone did a CRIME. Again. The crime is telling me that I look like Bruno Mars. lol! What's with the Bruno MArs comparisons? I started hearing that a few months ago. Rumors, please stop!! haha. I mean, I'm flattered but I like myself just the way I am!! (yup and just the way you are)..lol

*****

When you're undergoing emotional stress and things get rocky..all you can do is SIGH (physically. because some people will argue and tell you to pray. but that's a given).

SIGHS!!!!


Ok, I'm fine.

don't get too happy YET...

In my experience, it is better to limit your celebration when things are going well in your life. Why?

Because nature has its way of robbing happiness away. If you get too happy...the next thing in line for you is..well, some kind of sadder event. hahaha

If you earn a salary and you get too happy about it, you won't save a single penny. Gagastusin mo lahat yun.

If someone tells you that you look good, and then you reacted with extreme happiness, it's easy for the other person to say, JOKE LANG.

So I think the right kind of happiness is "controlled happiness". lol. It is also called "delayed gratification".

Limit or delay your celebration if something good happens to you. Place your successes in a box until a quieter time (as the Dave Matthews song goes.)

There's another side to this, and it is sorrow.

Remember that if you're experiencing too much sorrow right now...keep in mind that the next thing in store for you is joy, happiness, success, triumph.

It's true.

I'm starting to think that this is what the Bible means when it is written, "Sorrow is better than laughter". I think sorrow speaks of good things ahead. But present laughter (I mean, too much of it) leads to future grief.

So I think the pattern of nature is this:

Cry before you laugh.
Fail before you succeed.
Pain before gain.
Practice before perfection.
Work before play.
Rejection before approval.


I've found that if you turn this pattern around, in most cases you end up losing in the end in some way.

Kaya pala si FPJ pabugbog muna. hahaha.

I mean, I admit this is not true 100% of the time. There are exceptions. But if you're experiencing minor successes right now......don't give your class A celebration yet. There are greater things ahead of you!

Good day.

if you have a cat, read this. :)

Just a few days ago, I have been reading a magazine article, and one writer wrote about an interesting attitude that all cats have in common.

Now, I'm not sure if this is 100% real, but I just feel like blogging about it. lol

Research has shown that when a cat enters a room full of people, the animal usually approaches the person who has the most amount of indifference (in other words, kung sino yung taong pinaka-hindi namamansin sa pusa...yun ang lalapitan ng pusa..haha).

This attitude is hard-wired and automatic in cats. To prove if this idea is true, I tried it on our cat, Blessing. When he entered the room one morning while everyone is having breakfast, I didn't call him or throw him any food. I acted as if I didn't see the poor cat. After a few minutes, I can see the cat (through my peripheral vision) approaching me slowly! Then he started to play with my foot, trying to get my attention.

Confirmed.

Anyway, the research also found that the same trait or attitude of cats toward indifference ARE PRESENT IN MANY HUMAN BEINGS! lol

But don't bother trying this on people. Do it to your cat first!!! hahaha.

Why the Bible and my iPod go great together.....

Most people today equate the Bible with religion, rules, and worse yet, superstition. (To us apostolics, it's a different story). On the other hand, people associate iPods with pop music, technological advancement, keeping up with trends...

In my opinion, the two can be used together for worthwhile personal purposes...if you know how.


For example, just recently I downloaded the audio version of the King James Version of the Bible on my Apple device. Thank God for modern technology (well, it's not exactly a new technology, but I'm just happy about it). Now I can listen to the Scriptures everywhere I go, and "encode" the Words of Truth in my heart and mind on a much greater scale.

By listening, I am able to see a new perspective of the Bible that I've never had before. For example, in the book of Proverbs, I usually just read on and on for a long time, and have trouble grasping the meaning of each verse when I start feeling sleepy. But when I began listening to the audio (thanks Steve Jobs!), the book of Proverbs is clearer to me now. :)

By the way, you can use the "Audiobooks" feature of iTunes to start syncing Bible files in your device. If you want to know how to do this and where to get te files, let me know at 09162275715. You can do this at absolutely no cost.
"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God". (Romans 10:17)

But of course, I still believe in reading the Bible! If you already do read yours, keep it up! But if you could add AUDIO to your spiritual menu, that would be better.

So let me ask you, what's in your iPod? :)

Don't lose the opportunity. Put the Greatest Book in History inside the best gadget of the modern age.

*** *** ***



(Happy birthday to my brother, Charis, who's celebrating his 27th birthday today. God bless you bro!)

new year's eve / overflowing food / beef or sugar?

Please don't ask for videos. I'll post them later. (Or I might, depends on the mood).

So........

I made it to 2011!! As I played Kenny G's version of Auld Lang Syne on my iPod minutes before 12 midnight of Jan 1, I felt like having a toast (soda only) with my brothers and cousins for such a wonderful year that has passed. I mean, lots of people didn't even make it! So thank God we're here.

Food was, well..."overflowing" was an understatement. Up to the last minute of 2010 I was hoping that I could at least lose a few inches off my bulging tummy...but to no avail. Why did they ever invent New Year celebrations?? It's just a way for people like us to fall for all the yummy recipes being offered. :)

Kidding aside, I had an awesome N.Y. celebration. What better company to have than family, right? And besides, I have no choice. They have no choice too, they're stuck with me...so hey we might as well celebrate together and drown in food. :)


Just before midnight we found time to kneel and pray and just thank God for all His goodness.

Gifts were cool. I got a new towel, new socks, and a piece of yellowish paper with Ninoy's face printed on it. :) (they said I could use that paper to buy things from the store. What are stores???)

Traditionally, we celebrate New Year's eve with lots of family members, in-laws and relatives. But this year, it wasn't possible, so here are the only people present:

We decided not to participate in any "firecracking" or fireworking..but we did make noise by the sound of the DRUMS...lol. I'll try to post videos of that. I also took video clips of fireworks from our neighbors.

AFTERMATH: Today, January 3, 2011...I woke up at 6 pm and couldn't stand up. My thighs are numb, my muscles are weak, and I couldn't move! I thought I was going to go lame (which is a lame theory)......thank God I'm ok now. They say it's because of too much sugar I took the past few days (soda, chocolates, fruitcake, rice, pasta, etc......). Others say I had too much BEEF (bulalo, beef steak, meatballs).

So which one is the culprit? Beef or Sugar? Post comments. :)

Hectic But Happy Holiday Season 2010......

For me, the best way to END the new year is to START a new blog. :) Now I'm not going to tell you the good old "it's been a crazy year" sort of thing. But let me start off by saying, this is quite a busy holiday season. I thought I'd have the privilege to doze off and sleep for two weeks straight, but nah. It's all good, though! I'm not complaining.

Year End Family Sunday at HCJC - Dec. 26

December 26, was our Year End Thanksgiving service and Family Sunday in church. I wish I started this blog three days ago so I could have posted a separate blog post about the Family Sunday. Don't listen to me...just view the pics. ;)

 

 Ongka Family and Sis. Jhoy 

 With Miralles Family

 

HCJC Music Team

There are so many pics of this event. I'm just too lazy to post them. I have pics with more families than you can imagine, and even lots of pics of me playing the piano (you'll get tired of it). Let me say that the whole-day affair was succesful in the sense that God honored it with His presence. And of course, everyone went home with full stomachs..and large intestines...and probably full toilets too, but that's beside the point. ;)

Wedding Gig With Sheena Rios - Dec. 28

I've had the privilege to play piano on the wedding of Sheena Rios' friend and co-teacher on Tuesday the 28th. This was held in Chattel Elysse in Bicutan. Finally after a whole month of practice, we were able to pull it off (in fact, it was just three days of practice..spread four weeks apart..lol). Sheena and my brother Charis sang there. Anyway, I was glad to see the bride and groom happy on their wedding, even if I just met them that day. Pics again:

 

Sis. Janette Ong's Birthday  /  Final Wednesday Service Of The Year - Dec. 29

It was a funny though slightly embarassing story. Our friend, Janette Ong, invited us to a lunch treat for her birthday a few days ago. I was sure to come, but when I woke up on the morning of Dec. 29, I thought it was only Dec. 28. In short, nakalimutan kong may lunch pala nung araw na yun. I thought bukas pa. hahaha. After receiving bunches of text messages from them, I finally realized my error and "took courage" to catch up with them. So here, happy birthday to our friend, Janet (wearing yellow below, not the baby): Sorry for being late! lol. Here's a pic of us at Mr. Kabab in West Ave. : (don't ask what time I arrived..lol)

After this we went straight to our choir practice at 5 pm. I'll post a video of our choir practice soon. It was such an uplifting practice session for the entire worship team. The service that followed afterwards was a blast as well. We had a mighty move of God, and it was such a great way to end the year (the final Wednesday church service of 2010). 

All in all, I'm thankful for having many people around me, lots of blessings, and lots of opportunities that God has given. As I slowly see the curtain closing on the year 2010, I counted my blessings...and FAILED! Because God's blessings are countless!

And let me add, I've had five straight days of overflowing FREE FOOD. Imagine that. That's why holidays like these are so cool. ;)

V. Cutar

 5:44 am