Why does it seem every flight to and from the Philippines is so early in the morning? Caught a few hours sleep before waking up at 5am to head to the airport. The funniest thing i have seen here that i haven’t yet run into in other travels is the male urinals along the side of the road……but hey….i guess …
Guns Legal in Philippines – But Illegal in China
Bet that title caught your attention! Today I took a trip to the City Hall in Quezon City – it felt like a scavenger hunt going from different department, getting “revenue code” booklets (one office didn’t have them, another did – go to the 10th floor, and then go to the 3rd floor, etc) A funny thing I noticed was …
The Buck Stops Here – Just Making Things Work
So many times we are told “sorry sir, but what you are asking for is not possible”….or other forms of “no”. Our job in life is to turn no into yes! MAKE IT POSSIBLE. MAKE ANSWERS, not questions. In this blog title, i quote Harry Truman in his famous quote ” The Buck Stops Here” – Harry Truman I read …
I have to admit – Its Scary Sometimes….
Just left angeles city….had dinner with bas and tess and headed to bus station….they helped me figure out which bus to take….no ticket booth, just a ton of buses lined up with signs of their destination city in the front window. Cubao city is the closest one to my destination – quezon city – as per text messages between me …
Weekend Visit with Charlotte, my goddaughter
Since arriving to the Philippines Friday morning, its been an intense, high energy few days…..first of all, I didn’t sleep the night before since I had an early morning flight I figured I would just work straight through and go directly to the airport…..definitely a rockstar style….and I caught some ZZZs in the airplane (but only a 2 hour flight!). …
Upcoming Travels to Philippines
Only a few days back in Shenzhen, and already preparing to head out to the Philippines again, this time to take care of some more detailed items at the new home office call center for nightly calls, banking flow, setup some computer and workflow procedures. Will definitely be a much more business trip. And I will be traveling to a …
When I learned I had to do things on my own – SOLO
As I prepare for my travels this week and next month, I wonder how I got into this habit of being able to go off alone to these different places with no idea what to expect! Of course there were some milestones like leaving home for college out of state….and before that going to catholic high school not knowing anyone …
Travel Tips I should follow
Man, I guess EVERYONE out there has been worried about the way I travel these days….my friend Lammy sending me a private facebook message, my friend Yuki in Shanghai telling me I need an assistant to travel along side me (of course, Yuki volunteered for that role, so long as I paid her and paid her travel expenses, not a …
Back from Thailand – Government Protesters Freaked me Out
Again, I feel spoiled (fortunate!) to be an American….seeing these political and economical troubles still shocking to me…..Bangkok, Thailand is such a beautiful city, yet there is political unrest. I am not at all an expert on the political conditions, nor do I want to study them that deeply, but basically there is an uprising in the people about the …
Leaving Philippines You wonder people are so frustrated….
the flight day is always hectic and stressful, but man…in philippines its a nightmare….and i feel for the people who have to deal with it each day….. The island of puerto galera is pretty far from metro manila, so i had to wake up at 6am to catch a 3pm flight!! Didnt bring my suit bag to the island, left …
Philippines – So Beautiful yet such political + economical problems
Last full day in Philippines, next step is Thailand. It still amazes me, Philippines is such a beautiful country…and the people are generally so nice and friendly…..how is it possible its under such difficult political and economical conditions…. for example, our beach house this morning didn’t have power for a few hours….and this is a normal issue. Another issue is …
Snorkeling in Puerto Galera Philippines
Finally have a bit of destressing on this trip. Many think this is like a vacation to me, but really the past couple weeks traveling have been almost purely business!!! And the stressful preparations for the Xiamen internet show, and booth, was really insane. Not to mention dealing with website problems for some ecommerce stores and warehouse systems along the …
International Business – Forcing things to work
Writing this at 5am walking down a sides street in makati, manila, Philippines from my mobile phone…..still blows my mind the drastic changes in climate, economics, and culture in 1 country or region to the next,,,,,and makes me realize how sheltered i grew up in safe and secure us of america! but really, like i title this blog, business is …
Still Feel I’m holding myself back
Another day in Xiamen, visited some ecommerce and sourcing people, hoping to grow some connections here and get to know the city more. Most of the others from the trade show left on Sunday, almost immediately after the trade show ended…..not giving one extra day before or after to see the city. Maybe I used to be like that, short …
In Xiamen – SMX Internet Trade Show
Arrived in Xiamen yesterday, Jojo booked me a flight at 7:40am – so I arrived here bright and early to prepare for today’s Chinese Search Marketing Expo. This year I prepared a booth and a speech – about how to sell directly in the USA market. As chinese companies need to become more competitive in today’s difficult economic environment (falling …