A Blog That No One Would Probably Read!

You Are Not Who Your Parents Were

2011-05-23T23:45:00.001-07:00

A lot of you may be living the life you had planned out for yourselves. Many of you didn’t have to struggle to get away from the shadow of your parents. Maybe most of you never had to bother with who your parents were, that you just slipped in easily to who you are right now.

However, some of us had to live up to our parents’ expectations. Some of us had to struggle with the pseudo ghost of our parents’ accomplishments and reputations. I know for a fact that some of us have to subconsciously fill big shoes that our parents prepped for us. But most of us also want to be our own person with our own identity.

Why shouldn’t I be allowed to be me?

Here are 4 points that will help you find yourself:

Know thyself – Most of us never leave the shadow of our parents’ success or failure for one simple reason. And that’s because we haven’t found out who we are yet. While most of us are really struggling to find ourselves, some of us have simply developed a case of complacency that eats up our identity every single day.

Embrace thyself – Consider this your “point of origin.” This is the acceptance stage. And don’t get me wrong here. You and I must start somewhere. Denying who you are or what you are won’t get you anywhere. Once you’ve realized who you are and what you’re capable of, embrace it no matter how close (or unclose) your sense of self is, compared to your parents.

Develop thyself – By now, you should be under the impression that you are UNIQUE! Even if your parents are doctors, you don’t have to be one, IF YOU DON’T WANT TO! But now that you know who you are and have accepted your traits and abilities, develop it! Enjoy your abilities and use them. Sharpen those skills that are rightfully yours. Who cares if your dad is the best drummer in the world? If you love math, blaze away through all those algebraic expressions! Who’s to stop you from doing that?

Share thyself – The first three pointers definitely help boost your confidence. When you share who you are, and what you’re made of, with family, friends, community and everyone else -- fulfillment occurs. After experiencing this, more revelations about who you are will start to appear. Then you’re back to the first step!

As easy as it may sound, implementing such a process is not. There will be objections from parents, friends, family members, lovers, spouses and yourself. And the reason they object is because they only want the best for you because they “know” you. But if you let them know, feel and understand that you “KNOW” yourself more than they do you, then it will be easy for you to overcome these objections.

Remember, you are not who your parents were. And you only have one life to live. Live it!

- Paco Arespacochaga

My Commitment

2011-05-23T23:38:00.001-07:00

At the very least, I promise to update my blog as often as I update my weekly column.

How to Be a Failure in Life!

2011-02-14T19:39:00.000-08:00

We’ve probably read news articles and even self-help books on how to succeed in life. We’ve probably bought and downloaded various self-help audio books as well.

We’ve attended seminars and have vowed to even follow through with what we’ve learned. Yet, somehow, there are still a few of us who are unable to really succeed in life.

Maybe, there are some of us who really don’t want to succeed. Maybe, some of us really want to fail. If you want to fail in life, I’ve listed some tips on how you can be one.

Don’t Listen or Pay Attention – Keep doing what you think is right and NEVER listen to anyone for advise. If you get an undesired result, don’t change what your doing. Keep doing it the same way so that you always get the SAME undesired result. The key is consistency.
Don’t Prepare – This is a key component in achieving failure status. When going on a vacation, you do not want to prepare for the trip. When you’re working on a project, you do not want to do some preparatory research. When going on a sales call, you do not want to do pre-planning. In order to FAIL, you have to take the first step REGARDLESS of direction. It’s important to NOT understand the value of “preparedness”.
Make Everything All About Yourself – In order to fail, you MUST learn the art of alienating people. Your friends and supporters are a hindrance in your quest for the ultimate mastery of failing. These people, who go out of their way and of their day, only give you words of wisdom. Words of wisdom have NO PLACE in the world of failure.
Dwell On the Past – Another important element one must master in order to be a failure is the ability to dwell on the past. You must internalize all the disappointments you’ve experienced over time and dwell on them. Don’t let go of these disappointments. You will need to cling on every bad experience in order to help you develop the fear of moving on. You should not let go of the past. If you do, you will lose the foundation of being a failure.
Do Not Blame Yourself at All Cost – Never put the blame on yourself. You are NOT responsible for anything. You must blame your parents, friends, relatives, government, church, dog… anything or anybody! But never blame yourself. If you ever feel tempted to acknowledge any mistake… your hopes of becoming a failure will be in vain. Blame it on the rain!
There are Only Excuses, Not Solutions – Failures know these by heart and live by the dogma that excuses rule their lives. You must understand that Solutions are mythical and do not exist in the world of Failures. Successful people invented Solutions during the war between “Success and Failure” before the dawn of time.

As you journey toward the road of fail, don’t bring a map. Do not even attempt to know where it begins or where it ends. However, if you do reach the ultimate status of failure, know for a fact that you’ve “succeed”!

Good luck on your journey…

If You Think It’s Good Enough, Give It Away!

2011-02-08T00:53:00.001-08:00

I may have said this before but I’ll say it again, nevertheless. If what you have is good enough, and you’re confident other people will appreciate it, give it away and let them try it “risk free”.

I’m not talking about “free estimates” or “free consultations”. I’m talking about an actual product or service that you are willing to give away or let your potential clients try out, RISK FREE! Okay, this is the part where most of you, businesspeople, are going to go “what!?!”

But hear me out here. Unless, you’re the only one in the world carrying a certain “widget” or “service” that people are willing to die for, you’re going to have to stand out against your competition, bad boy! And if you’re the new kid on the block, why are customers going to risk trying you out?

The goal of giving “it” away is to take away the risk factor. The goal here is to create a non-defensive attitude. The goal is to get your potential clients in the door. People in business call this the “loss leader”. And it is. And yes, there is a great benefit for having a “loss leader” in whatever it is that you do. You want people to latch on to something without them losing anything, except time. If your product or service is good enough, they will stick and stay with you.

So what does this have to do with people who are not in business or who do not have anything to sell? A lot! As a matter of fact, as cliché as it sounds, this practice falls under the “it is better to give, than to receive” category. And rightly so, marketing consultants have seen its value during the recession.

And because this article comes out in time for Valentine’s day, don’t we all do this to our significant others? Don’t we give them something… risk free? Don’t we pay for this and don’t we spend for that? Yes we do! And always, we get something BETTER in return, whether we expect it or not.

It doesn’t matter if it’s business or personal, if you believe that what you have is good enough, give it away! Don’t hold back! It might look like a “loss leader” but the return on investment will always outperform the initial cost of providing that “loss leader”, hands down.

Think about it and have a great day.

7 Reasons Why Your Business Needs an Online Presence

2011-02-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

7 Reasons Why Your Business Needs an Online Presence

I’m No Genius But This Is Pretty Obvious

2010-04-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

By Paco Arespacochaga

When the iPad launched early this year, people were divided about its value and usage. There were those who saw its purpose from the “get go” while there were also those who felt that it was a waste of their money. And then of course, there were those who simply got excited about it because of the fashion statement it was going to create.

Although I still don’t own one, I am leaning toward purchasing the iPad. It just simply makes sense! And I’m no genius to see the importance of what this appliance/device can contribute to my simple daily life.

Let me name a few:

Consolidated Magazine & Newspaper Subscription: If you want to go green and save the planet, imagine how many trees can be saved by simply converting all of your magazine subscriptions on this nifty device?

Online Bill Pay Made Easier: While most of us have adapted the habit of paying our bills online from our desktops and laptops, the iPad has made it easier to pay our bills “on the go” without having to SQUINT at the little smartphone lcd screen.

Virtual Book Library: All your Sweet Valley High, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Tom Clancy, Dan Brown or whoever author you have in mind, and all their catalogue in the palm of your hand. Read whatever, whenever… WHEREVER! Imagine the amount of space you can reclaim at home. I heard that major publishers are releasing their catalog to the iPad.

Virtual Audio Library: iTunes. I don’t need to explain this. *wink*
Movies On the Go: Bring your “digital copy” movie wherever you go. If you need more movies, there’s always iTunes!

Apps, Apps and More Apps: Who isn’t amazed and amused by new apps, paid or free?
And I only scratched the surface of what it is and what it can do.

Now here’s the twist of everything I’ve written. I am not only excited with the iPad from a consumer standpoint. Instead, think about what the iPad, as a digital platform, can do to bring your business/personal brand in front of millions of people.

Now should be a good time to be talking to your marketing team about your online visibility and online reputation. You want to get in now and take as much market share as you can.

This isn’t going away folks. Embrace DIGITIZATION or be ready to lose market share.

Guitarist Series - Otchot Cortes

2010-04-12T17:22:00.001-07:00

Otchot Cortes
by Paco Arespacochaga

What would have happened to me as a musician if I hadn’t encountered Otchot Cortes in my life? Maybe, I really wouldn’t be into music the way I turned out to be. I don’t know.

One thing I do know, Otchot thought me how to appreciate music for what it is and for what I could do to alter it. Alter it? WOW!

Otchot Cortes influenced me intellectually. I didn’t care much about his guitar playing style. I was more interested in “why” he came up with a certain part for a certain song. I was more intrigued with his philosophy. I wanted to pick his brains out. He encouraged me to fill my intellect with its own philosophical approach so that my thoughts can permeate through my music, releasing the hook of the song. He was always good at creating the hook!

Every now and then, whenever I think of writing an interesting song or an interesting blog, I simply ask myself… “What would Otchot do?” And from that answer, the choice is mine to follow or go against what his thought process would have been. The results always make me smile!

The Series

2010-04-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

by Paco Arespacochaga
photo by Tune Jardinazo aka Clickrhappy

Here I am in Dallas TX trying to figure out what to do with my downtime and it occurred to me that I should write another blog!

Now, for those of you who have been following my blog on Twitter and Facebook and elsewhere, you know that I've been writing about topics that make us realize what we can do to be better. I appreciate the fact that you've liked what I've written.

To pay it forward, I'd like to start a tribute blog to people that have made an impact in my life. I'll call them the "Series". They could be broken into:

Family Series
Friends Series
Guitar Series
Co-Worker Series and whatever I Can think of.

I'll tag each "series" entry so that you can read it, link it or do what you want to do with it.

Today, I'll start with the Guitar Series

To Fish or Not to Fish

2010-04-11T11:19:00.001-07:00

I’ve been helped and have helped. I’ve helped other people and have been helped by other people as well. I’ve benefited from all of the help I’ve received and I’ve felt blessed being able to help others that are also in need.

However, the one thing I’ve found to have been really beneficial to both me and whomever it was that’s helped me was the time spent to have taught me how to fish. And I’ve had quite a handful of “life fishing” lessons from people who took the time to show me the ropes and have taught me the rudiments to fish for my own food and to be able to be good at it so that I can then teach other people how to “fish” till they get good at it.

However, like many of you who have loved ones, we can get crazy and passionate in helping them that we tend to “fish” on their behalf. Instead of showing and teaching them how to cast a net, we set out to sea ourselves and feed them with our own catch. And there's no problem with that... until you're taking away from your own family's catch. But that’s our "nurture" instinct, specially toward other people who also matter to us. But does it truly help them? And does it truly help you?

Most of the time, the people who've ask for help and support aren’t the most sensitive about issues their "fishermen" are having. For example, in the past, I’d go ask for help from any of my aunts without conscious regard if they were capable of helping me or not at that specific moment. And sometimes, I'd feel bad if they couldn't spare me a "fish" or two. (how selfish!)

I would remind whoever that was helping me that they “committed” to fish for me! (was I even entitled?) I didn’t even care if that person was even in good shape to “fish” for me. It was all for my benefit at the expense of other people. It was their fault if they disappointed me. (how absurd!)

Falling face flat on the ground a decade ago made me realize that I had to learn how to fish for myself. I had to be a fisherman and not a mere consumer of someone else’s catch. I realized that the more I “set out to sea” to acquire my own catch, the more other “fishermen” were willing to help me out.

It wasn’t long until I had “seasoned” fishermen teaching me better principles on HOW TO FISH and how to multiply my catch exponentially. I earned the respect of others and I felt good about myself. I counted my blessings and have shared them as well. And it has been better, both for me and the person that I've helped. The result always yields a different kind of pride.

Now stop for a moment and think about where you are in the sea of life. Are you by the shore, waiting for the fishing boat to set in so that you can ASK (not buy) for some catch. Or are you out there with the rest of the fishermen, casting your net and taking home your own catch no matter how little… no matter how great?

Enjoy the week!

----------
Photo by Andy Zapata Jr.

Are You a Player or a Spectator?

2010-04-08T00:24:00.000-07:00

By Paco Arespacohaga

At an early age, I learned that only 10 people (max) could play basketball at any given time. The rest will have to sit in the sideline or on the bleachers. They’re called spectators. The people on the court are called players. My dad, who was an avid sportsman, would always ask me if I was a player or a spectator. I remained silent. Playing sports wasn’t my thing. I did play sports but I was mediocre at it. I was better off being a spectator. But I had to please my dad.

In my mind, his question reverberated my thoughts… repeatedly I asked, “am I a player or am I just a spectator?” I was nobody at school. I was certainly not Mr. Popular. But I really refused to be a spectator. I was determined to find my voice, to find my calling, to find what I was good at and to really be good at it!

People close to me were really pigeon holing me to be a spectator, to remain on the sidelines. I REFUSED! (So should you if you’re in this place right now!)

I found refuge in music. I knew it was what I wanted to do. I told my parents I was going to pursue it and be a “player”. It was my calling! They gave me their blessing. As a matter of fact, my mother tried to be in every show I ever had up until the day she died. My father supported me in silence. After he passed on, I learned from a lot of people that my father would keep stock of my CDs in his car, randomly asking his peers or friends of his peers if they knew a musician named “Paco Arespacochaga”. Whether the answer was a “yes” or a “no”, he’d proudly hand over a poster of my band and a CD and claim, “the drummer of that band is MY son!”

I made a living being a musician. I was a player. I was in my playing field and I played the game well. I had many spectators. Moreover, they were called supporters or followers. They supported my body of work and I showed them how grateful I was. I still am!

But the lesson I learned from my father’s question was priceless. It became the gauge to whatever endeavor it was I was trying to achieve or accomplish. In everything I did, the question was clear, was I going to be a player or a spectator?

As a lover, as a father, as a husband, as a brother, as a musician, as a friend and as a person, I have to be a PLAYER. I can never just sit in the sideline. I HAVE TO PLAY!

Make it a great day!

The Summit of My Life

2010-04-05T01:05:00.000-07:00

By Paco Arespacochaga

38 pushing 39 is a verbal statement running around my head. It can be depressing though. And while I try to smile at the minute accomplishments under my belt, pride fully engulfs me when I am reminded that I am married to the most beautiful woman in the world and am the father of two of the brightest kids in world. All of a sudden, the world becomes a better place again.

And it really is! But then I realize that I may just be at the summit of my life. Or maybe I’ve passed it. Or maybe, I’m way beyond it… the summit of my life. I don’t know and I don’t want to know. I do want to hope. I do want to hope that I live long enough to see my children have children of their own. I want to live long enough to enjoy life with my wife and just laugh and smile at the joy that is while watching the sunset beyond the horizon.

And though everyday seems to be a struggle, everyday remains a blessing, an opportunity to right what is wrong. And to take one step closer to ones dream. And like most, I do have a dream!

Like most nights, when all is asleep and I am the only one awake in the quiet of my living room, I am reminded once again that I am 38 pushing 39, fervently hoping that I am not as close to the summit of my life.

Don't Beat Your Goose to Death!

2010-03-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

by Paco Arespacochaga

Remember the story of the goose that laid golden eggs? His master got greedy and impatient and wanted the goose to lay more eggs in one day, he thought that he would just go ahead and open up the goose to get ALL the eggs. He did just that and killed the goose and discovered NO EGG!

Instead of ending up with more, he ended up with NONE!

And this holds true in life as well, no matter who you are or where you are or what you are, you have a GOOSE in your life that lays GOLDEN EGGS for you. Think for a moment who this is or what this is? Once you've determined it, ask yourself how you've been treating this person or object or intangible possession that has been continuing to give you wealth.

We may not no it but we often beat the heck out of our "goose" in a rush to get more "golden eggs"! Why? Greed perhaps? Ignorance maybe? Why?

Some companies treat their employees this way. Management make them work to the point of breaking their morale. There are managers who are guilty of this as well, for lack of management ability perhaps? Or maybe from upper management pressure brought down on them, we'll never know. Sales people are also guilty of the same "sin". They take every last ounce of revenue they can take from their clients.

We do this to our loved ones too! We take... and take... and take some more! And take again! And when the "goose" is dead, we're lost.

Stop for a moment and appreciate the people that have been crucial to your success. Stop for a moment and give them a hug or a note that says "thank you". Stop for a moment and look at that masterpiece that is giving you residual revenue. Be thankful for your intellectual property. Be proud of it. How about that talent of yours that got you to the top of the charts? How are you valuing your talent? Are you abusing your body?

Relax for a moment. Be thankful and learn to appreciate what you have and be patient. Love the goose that lays your golden egg and you will be wealthy for the rest of your life. Beat it to death and you die with it.

Have a great day ahead. No one can make it miserable without your permission!

Thinking of Embarking on an Unknown Journey? Go!!!

2010-03-23T23:15:00.000-07:00

by Paco Arespacochaga

But don't fool yourself. It won't be easy. Yet it will always be fulfilling.

The mere embrace of taking the first step toward the "unknown" is always admirable, most often envied. And the people who dare brand you as "foolish" should look at themselves in the mirror and admit to themselves that it is them who is foolish for not taking the first step... for not taking that leap of faith.

What to Expect When Embarking on an Unknown Journey...

Expect the unexpected. And it will be plentiful. Be ready. It will be a roller coster ride. Have fun. Smell the roses along the way. It will be long. There will be hills. There will be days where you wish you hadn't taken that first step. But there will be rewards as well. There will be trials and challenges along the way. There will be thoughts of discouragement but persevere.

Everyone who is successful had persevered, probably more than you and I. And that's why they are where they are. While you and I were contemplating, they were doing. While you and I were complacent, they where moving. While you and I were experiencing instant gratification, they were creating their long term satisfaction.

There Is No Fail-Safe Switch!

The methodology of embarking on an unknown journey is to disable the "fail-safe" switch in your mindset. You cannot go on a journey with the thought that if you ever fail, there will be something to fall back on. You cannot fail! It's should be a one way street. And the reason why failure will never exist on this path is because you will be better than you were the moment you take the first step. You have to move forward and win! You have to strive hard to succeed.

How can you fail when every step you take forward is a step ahead of whoever remains still? Ooh! I like what I just wrote!

Appreciate the Journey

Sometimes, what's at the end of the journey is not what we expect it to be. Don't feel let down. It was really the journey that we were meant to experience. The destination always becomes the point of origin of the next unknown journey!

Live life!

The Power of Social Networking

2010-03-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

By Paco Arespacochaga

Anybody who thinks Social Networking sites such as Facebook, Linkedin, Myspace, Twitter and others like it will go away sometime soon are in for the biggest shock of their lives.
Social Networking Sites and Social Media Sites serve a very important purpose, which is the ability to connect the right type of people with other people, products and services. Yes, social media does this so effectively, it would be suicide for an individual and a business owner to not take advantage of it.

News travels almost instantaneously in the social media domain that it is both effective and scary. Come up with the next best invention and in less than 5 minutes, your “followers” or “fans” or “friends roster” know of the news right away. Commit a major blunder and you’re all over the wire in a heartbeat as well.

However, part of the hurdles of why some people refuse to get on with this new medium is because of its learning curve. Well let me tell you that developers of famous social media sites have made sure that their sites will let most of us experience a steep learning curve, which means we learn how to navigate through the site in the least time possible.

If you haven’t started, go ahead and get your feet wet. Try it out! Meet you people and promote your products and services. It might be the next big push you’ve been looking for.

It's Not Always About You

2010-03-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

by Paco Arespacochaga

Don't even think that life revolves around you. Don't even think that YOU ARE THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE. With or without you, life goes on. When something goes wrong and when you think life is unfair to you, think again? It may not be the case.

The fact that you're reading this blog means life has been good to you! You're breathing while someone is on his deathbed clinging to life. You're connected to the web while other people haven't even seen a computer. You've got reading skills while others are being taken advantaged of because they don't know any better.

In spite of all of these, the world is NOT you!

Yet you can make a difference by touching lives. And the even better news is, you've got your whole life to do it! Start with your family... wife, husband, son, daughter, and then move on to your "middle circle".

Let other people lift you up. Your job is to lift them up.

If you embrace the thought that it isn't always about you, then you'll be able to see life differently and appreciate it even more.

...but I can only speak for myself!

Paco In the House - the Community

2010-03-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

By Paco Arespacochaga

Paco In the House is a venture I am truly proud of. Looking at the vision of what it could be as opposed to the visibility of what it currently is, I am even more excited. I know that someone with more resources and a deeper pocket may take the idea and run away with it. But I’m not scared. Competition is healthy. Besides, I do have differentiators that make Paco In the House stand on its own despite its “indie” status.

So what is Paco In the House all about? It’s an Internet show that’s part Talk and part Reality. I would lean on the part Talk part of the show because the Reality part is simply a byproduct of the show concept.

The goal of Paco In the House is to entertain its audience through interviews and behind the scenes of anything and everything, and where the audience can participate as a future guest or a constant commentator. As vague as it may seem to be, the focus of the show is actually defined. In essence, I would like to create a platform where everyone is given the opportunity to share what they have to say or offer to the rest of the community. In this case, it’s the Paco In the House Facebook community.

As of this writing, the community is 155 strong. Not much compared to other Facebook pages that are out there but it’s growing!

How does joining benefit you?

You get FREE video “shout-outs” from me, for one thing. And if you think there is no value to a shout-out, why do you think talk show hosts are doing it?

You get to come be on my show where I interview you about YOU and about WHAT YOU DO. This is huge! Not because I’m in it… who cares, right!?! It’s HUGE because now you have this video of YOU, that’s informative, which you can post on your site, your facebook page and wherever you want to post it. No porn sites please! And you get to do this ROYALTY FREE!
If you believe what you do will benefit a lot of people, yourself included… send me a note or a message at pacointhehouse@gmail.com and let’s see if we can come up with a something that will benefit YOU!

How then do all these benefit ME? It’s simple. My helping you succeed gives me the opportunity to succeed. My helping you gain credibility gives me the opportunity to become credible, eventually. My helping you to become a “household” name gives me the opportunity to be one too!

If you haven’t joined the Paco In the House fan page, you can do so by clicking this link.

Thank you for the opportunity!

Choices. And More Choices

2010-02-09T00:10:00.001-08:00

by Paco Arespacochaga

It’s Crazy But It’s True
By Paco Arespacochaga

A time will come when you will have to make a choice. It will be a life changing decision that will require wisdom, a lot of wisdom. It will also require understanding, a lot of understanding from you and for you on most part. The bottom line is that there is no cookie cutter route to this. A friend of mine calls this the moment of being “caught between a rock and a hard place”.

So what do you do when you’re up against the wall, pressed to make a decision? What do you do when you know that this decision will not only impact your life but the lives of people around you? What will you do?

Personally, I would pray and seek guidance from the Lord. I would meditate and spend some quiet time. I’ll fast if I must. Other times, I just jump in headfirst and deal with the consequences or the rewards afterwards.

The point is, at some point, you have to come to terms with yourself. You will have to be comfortable being uncomfortable. You will have to learn how to avoid pleasing everybody. At some point, you will also have to learn to stand up to what you believe in!

I learned to stand up behind my “life changing” decision-making, the hard way. Yes there were memories and opportunities that were given up. Yes, there were lives that were affected by my decision at the time. And yes, there have been rewards as well.

The one thing I am most proud of is my family, or what I define to be my family. I know it’s not perfect to some of you. But make no mistake, it may be crazy but it’s true, I have the perfect family.

I am proud of who I am surrounded with. I am even prouder to be part of their lives however big or small. Go make it a great day!

2010-02-08T23:56:00.001-08:00

Paco In the House - episode 4

2009-12-24T03:07:00.000-08:00

By Paco Arespacochaga

Getting Marc Tupaz to guest on my show, Paco In the House (episode 4) was indeed a “no brainer” for both of us.

When Marc visited me in Los Angeles late in November of 2009, we both knew that I was bound to spend my Christmas holiday with my wife and kids in the Philippines. Of course, as crazy as we are, we initiated to maximize my stay in Manila by creating a concert.

My expectation was that Marc was going to get everything up and ready by the time I flew in on December 9, 2009. I was wrong! We decided to get everything up and running and ready a couple of days ago. Fortunately, there were a lot of friends and loved ones that were willing to see this show come to fruition.

Another good friend of ours, Drummer Bryan Elazegui, coined the title of the show “One Night Stand… with Paco & Wency” Featuring Shamrock. Now I do not have any problems with any show title however, when I saw the poster and tickets, it had a photo of me in a suit! What the heck was that all about!?! I am not Richard Poon! But anyway, it doesn’t matter.

Now, taping for the show was a fun. First of all, this is the first time the cast and crew of Paco In the House had gone out and shoot on location. We were at Dezato Café in Quezon City Philippines. The people at the café were very gracious enough to accommodate us and even participate as “studio audience”.

Overall, the vibe of Paco In the House episode 4 is light and loaded! Feel free to watch it on:

www.introvoys.tv and my facebook accounts.

Paco In the House - episode 3

2009-12-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

By Paco Arespacochaga

Doing an episode of Paco In the House is always fun. And I mean “fun” in every way! First, it’s very spontaneous. Second, it’s very spontaneous and third…did I mention that it’s very spontaneous? I guess you pretty much get it!

Every episode of Paco In the House is unique in a sense that the show is evolving as it moves along. On episode 1, I was just ranting about what I witnessed on HBO’s 24/7 showing of Pacquiao-Cotto. It generated enough page views on www.introvoys.tv to make me want to do episode 2. Episode 2 featured Indie Model, Jomar Yrastorza and photographer, Tune “clickrhappy” Jardinazo. It turned out to be an “okay” episode that I began receiving email comments (pacointhehouse@gmail.com) in regard to an episode 3. It took awhile to follow up the show with episode 3 but last week, we aired Paco In the House episode 3 with an unlikely guest, my son Heaven Arespacochaga.

I mentioned early on that every show is spontaneous. When I asked Heaven to guest on my show, he candidly said, “yes” without any clue of what we were going to talk about. Just like what I did on the previous episode, I simply hit the “record” button and off we talked we did! And boy was I proud of every word that came out of my 13-year-old boy’s mouth! Forgive me for the nepotism slant but my son was an awesome guest on the show!

My audience was impressed! I was impressed.

Needless to say, I decided to “can” as many episodes as I possibly can. We just wrapped up episode 4 featuring Marc Tupaz of the band Shamrock and episode 5 featuring Geneva Cruz.

Again, I am inviting all of you to stay tuned and feel free to send in your comments all day long so we can deliver the show quality you want!

Winning... A New Perspective

2009-12-10T02:51:00.000-08:00

by Paco Arespacochaga

I had a very engaging conversation with my 13 year old boy, who was really hell bent on trumping my point of view with his. And so I let him be. No wait! I was getting impatient and ticked off. I was viewing him as being too imposing and cocky. He was provoking my thoughts with his insights. Yes, his viewpoint on the matter was correct. And he was making sure I knew that. And I did! I even acknowledged it. However, when I started talking about my own point of view about the subject matter we were discussing, he would intentionally not pay attention. He would cut me mid-sentence and at times, go on a tangent.

Of course I wasn’t really intimidated by him because I can always use the “I’m your daddy… and I’m right!” card and end the conversation immediately but that would be unfair! However, I needed him to understand an important aspect of interaction. I wanted him to understand that being right doesn’t make another person wrong. I wanted him to realize that there are multi-layers of understanding and perspectives. I wanted him to fully understand that hearing someone else’s opinion will benefit your own opinion ten folds!

This is what I want you to understand. You are in competition with yourself. Period! Let others compete with themselves. Listen to what they have to say and try to learn from their perspectives too.

Winning doesn’t have to be a lonely “I am the only one!” scenario. Wouldn’t it be nice if everybody can be a winner at nobody’s expense except one's own experience? Think about it...

follow me on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/arespacochaga

The Mayonaise Jar & Two Cups of Coffee

2009-11-28T14:12:00.000-08:00

by Mary Lynn Plaisance

When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle. When 24 Hours in a day is not enough. Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 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 mayonnaise 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 then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed 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 empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'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 - family, children, health, friends, and 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, house and your car.

The sand is everything else --The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

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

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your spouse. 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.'

On Sanrio Redulla and People Like Her...

2009-11-25T10:30:00.000-08:00

by Paco Arespacochaga

Don't we all love Facebook and every social networking site that gives us the opportunity to catch up with old friends, pretend that we're friends and wish we could have "them" as friends? Well, personally, I don't have any problem networking with other people. Most of the time, I have had no problems "accepting" friend requests. However, once in a while, a cocky bastard simply comes your way and you just have to deal with it accordingly.

And such is the case of a comment on my wife's status on OUR facebook page. To be honest with everyone reading this blog, I have been very vocal and obvious about the fact that I share my facebook page with my wife Tiny, hence the Paco-Tiny Arespacochaga name. And why wouldn't I share my account with her IF that's how WE want to do it?

Anyway, when someone leaves a comment like "DI KA PALA SI PACO DAPAT NAME MO kahit asawa ka pa para di ma confuse he!he!he! duh unsay labot og nangabot na mo TOK BIG LAH!" on our page, it just pisses me off bigtime!

I, nor my wife, have time for these kind of people. Don't get me wrong... this doesn't happen often. Most of the people that request to be part of our roster are patient enough to understand that we don't live, breathe and eat Facebook all day long and THEY GET IT!

But for Sanrio Redulla and people like her... I hope they learn proper social networking etiquette and use "best practices" when it comes to stuff like this.

Oh... one more thing... if you just want to be part of my "me" network without the wife and kids, I do have a FAN PAGE... but why bother?

Surrounded By Family & Friends

2009-10-17T02:29:00.001-07:00

My wife celebrated her birthday party among family and friends. I would consider the event to be sorta like "low key" "high energy" fun! Observing her tonight placed a smile on my face. It was my wife's day!

It made me realize that everyday should be HER DAY!

That's it!

Review of New Beginnings - INTRoVOYS album

2009-09-24T02:22:00.000-07:00

---- blog owner's note: before you begin to read this review. i would like to personally thank Meo for writing such a well written review. please feel free to chime in. and if you don't have the album he's talking about, now would be a good time to purchase it at www.introvoys.net - paco arespacochaga

Here it is...

=============================================

Review for New Beginnings
by Romeo D Garcia

The album is still Introvoys in sound and in spirit. But this time, I think its more mature, with more grit, toughness, and definitely more rock.

I particularly like the new versions of Just A Dream and Calling All Nations. These two songs are supposedly, even in their original versions, an upbeat song. The New Beginnings version gave more meaning and truthfulness to the song because of the extended use of guitars.

I think Tell Me Why is better here than the original version. As far as my ears can hear it, this new version was sung by Jonathan, while in the original, it was Paco on vocals. Sorry Paco, but I like the new version. This new version removes the stereotype that comes along everytime I hear the original version, which for me lacks the maturity and seriousness, more like a teenybopper song. Another song which I feel is better here is More than a Friend, for almost the same reason as Tell Me Why, the new version is more adult, mature, and serious.

Two of the songs in here are from the album A Brighter Day, the first album not to be released commercially in the Philippines . In A Little While is a nice song, although I think the lyrics is not tough enough vis-à-vis the beat and the guitars (I may be wrong, I barely understood the lyrics, hehehe). Meanwhile, Desire is like a feel good song with a spice of rock and alternative music. Still sounds distinctly Introvoys though, but no longer the eye-candy Introvoys, but the real musicians. Kudos guys for Desire… I love it!

As for the other songs, I’d take the original of Di Na Ako Aasa Pa over the New Beginnings version. Why? Because I felt that Di Na Ako Aasa Pa is not meant to be tough and rock. I like the balance of guitars and keyboards in the original version, whereas the new version has more guitars. Secondly, I think being a staple Introvoys song, my music databank in the brains just can’t be more objective, and tend to favor the original. Now for the song Living my Life, what I particularly miss was the guitar adlib of Vic Carpio, although the song is still good. Having said that however, the new versions of Line to Heaven and Kailanman are just all right.

Overall, the album simply wants to introduce a more mature, rock-oriented Introvoys, geared towards adult listeners rather than teenagers, which I think is better and only epitomizes your evolution as musicians. Hope you would commercially release new songs (albums) in the Philippines , and re-introduce yourselves in the Philippine music scene. We are tired of revivals coming from the modern musicians in RP.

=======================================

Paco, it is not an expert's review, just a few cents worth of opinion from a music listener.

Regards,

Meo
ROMEO D. GARCIA, MPA
Research and Advocacy Manager
Employers Confederation of the Philippines

Different Types of Advertising and Which of Them Benefits Your Business

2009-09-21T22:09:00.001-07:00

By Paco Arespacochaga

There are so many mediums of advertising ranging from TV all the way to Internet Video. In print, you have the newspaper on one end and the direct mail on the other. Radio and podcasts have their place in today’s business marketing environment as well. Rounding them up, there are different types of advertising but not all mediums truly benefit your business. What I will share will you should give you a “bird’s eye view” on where you should allot your advertising budget to.

Depending on what industry you’re in, different advertising mediums come out more effective than others. Take a moment to find out what makes a potential customer, patient or client seek your service or product.

I would assume there is a “need”.

Now take a moment to simulate where a potential customer, patient or client will go to make a purchase of your service and product.

I’m assuming it would be the Internet, the Yellow Pages, the Penny Saver or something similar.

And lastly, be ready to answer why a potential customer, client or patient will choose YOU over your competition when he/she is ready to make a purchase of your service and product.

Perhaps you had been successful in creating an effect Top of Mind Awareness (TOMA) campaign that made a potential customer, client or patient remember you and what you have to offer.

Balancing your media mix gives you more opportunity to reap the benefits of your campaign in the form of a higher ROI (return on investment).
On the other hand, putting all your advertising dollars in one medium is like giving money away!

In this example, I will share with you how an effective advertising mix can be beneficial to your business.

Acme Carpet Cleaners began operation of its carpet cleaning business in the neighborhood. They started printing flyers and hired someone to go door to door and leave the flyer at a resident’s door, gate or mailbox. The flyer had a very good ad message (copy write). It introduced their business grand opening and a “2 room get the third one FREE!” promo. They also purchased a solid Direct Mail campaign from a reputable company like Idearc, RSVP or Valpak to drive the message across a larger targeted area.

They also invested some advertising in the LOCAL newspaper and Penny Saver.
On top of all of these, they advertised on Online Directories such as Superpages.com & Yellowpages.com and also did some Pay-Per-Click campaign.

And speaking of directories (phone books), when people are ready to make a purchase, they only go to the Internet and their local yellow pages. It’s a good thing Acme Carpet Cleaners had some presence there too!

And when they were done with the job, they were prepared and creative enough to leave a refrigerator magnet, with their phone number, with the client.

Now, do you think their cost of investment is costly? The answer depends on how the advertising budget is being looked at. The smart way of answering the question is to determine the number of NEW clients and ad campaign like the one above will generate. Also, the Average Value Order (AVO) should be determined to see if the number of clients times the AVO can bring a decent to significant return on investment (ROI). Getting a 5:1 return at the very least is a good thing!

And let’s not forget that carpets do get dirty again! So if you did a good job the first time around, you’re bound to get another phone call from the same client and that, my friend, is when real money is made!

PI vs RP… Does It Even Matter?

2009-09-18T22:30:00.001-07:00

By Paco Arespacochaga

I was at a client’s place of business today, going over his marketing program. After our business transaction, our conversation shifted to a more informal tone and mode. My client, Atty. Charles Gangloff, commended me of my command of the English language. He inquired if I spoke English the way I did. I said “no”. As a matter of fact, I am quite insecure of my capacity to speak in English – writing in English is a different skill altogether.

Our topic brought us too many digressions. At the end of my visit, he thanked me for actually referring to him as “Atty. Gangloff” or “Mr. Gangloff” as opposed to “hey Chuck!” He is 82 years old, by the way. Anyway, he shared with a story wherein he and his wife entered a restaurant and was greeted by the host with something like this… “Hey GUYS! Whadya havin’ tonight?”

The man studied law and has a Phd. He has been practicing for the last 30 years. He goes to a restaurant and the waitress calls the couple “GUYS”. First of all, Atty Gangloff’s wife isn’t a “guy”. That’s me being sarcastic. The point I’m trying to get across is that; please call somebody by the title they wear. And when in doubt, please refer to them as “mister” or “miss”. Remember, this man spends countless hours and probably sleepless nights reading books and learning how to become what he is… a lawyer. Give him the title by showing some respect.

“Hey man! I’m going to the P.I. (or Philippine Islands) for Christmas!” is not an uncommon statement among Pinoys abroad. However, the correct and formal name of the Philippines is in fact R.P. (or the Republic of the Philippines.)

Filipinos, who live in the Philippines, don’t really appreciate anybody referring to the Philippines as P.I. because that term has long gone. It was a name used by the Spanish Explorer, Ruy Lopez de Villalobos – Las Islas Filipinas, back in the day. But this was during the Spanish era. The Americans translated the name in English, hence the term Philippine Islands. But you see, the Philippines isn’t JUST a group of islands anymore.

We’ve fought hard for our freedom and independence. We’ve established and re-established our own form of government and constitution. We’ve fought hard to make the Philippines a sovereign nation. We are far from being called Las Islas Filipinas.

This being said, it’s just like the story of Atty Gangloff. I say, give credit where credit is due and call it as it is.

The Philippines is a sovereign nation with a people proud of where they are. We’re more than mere Philippine Islands (P.I.)

We are the Republic of the Philippines!

In These Day & Age, I Could Care Less If People “File Share” My Songs

2009-09-16T10:55:00.001-07:00

By Paco Arespacochaga

Over the years, I’ve worked hard to create songs that people have come to love and grow up with. I’ve read great (and some not so great) comments on different blogs and youtube channels about how my songs have touched lives and began romances among the youth of the time. That to me is very inspiring!

A couple of months ago, a friend of mine brought to my attention the fact that INTRoVOYS’ songs are on Limewire and other Internet file sharing sites. He thought I was going to be disappointed about the news. Instead, I quickly asked him how many songs where uploaded? He was kind of surprise that I was excited about it. And why wouldn’t I be?

I would love to get my music on everyone’s iPod or mp3 player! Giving people access to my body of work regardless of whether it’s free or not really isn’t the point here. It’s all about getting my body of work to as many people as possible.

At the end of the day, if my body of work is worth a damn thing, people are going to have to compensate me one way or another. How?

They’ll probably want my band to do a concert in their neighborhood and it ain’t gonna be FREE. They’ll probably want to book the band on their program… and that ain’t gonna be free either. They’ll probably want to use my body of work in a movie, TV or indie film their producing and that’s not going to be FREE either. Copyright laws do govern.

But if I don’t give them access to the song in the first place, and if I don’t let them share the song with their friends and if I don’t allow their friends to share the song with more of their friends, how the heck am I going to get my body of work to more and more people especially now that I’ve gone INDIE?

Oh I know! Pay someone on radio thousands of dollars to get airplay… did someone say “payola”? Oh, grease some marketing dude on a major network with thousands of dollars to push the song. Maybe, pay a “song placement” company a couple of hundreds to BLINDLY solicit my songs. ABSURD!

I’ll just throw it out to the general public and let everyone be the judge! I believe that if people believe that my body of work is any good, they will support it. And I believe that most people are smart enough to compensate me monetarily for something THEY LIKE and SEE VALUE IN.

For now, if they want a copy of any of my songs, I’ll give the one they like the most FOR FREE if they email me at introvoysmusic@gmail.com and if they want to buy the songs, they can go to www.introvoys.net and purchase the whole album.

But hey… I can only speak for myself.

Patrick Swayze Died Today

2009-09-14T23:11:00.000-07:00

By Paco Arespacochaga

When I read the news about Patrick Swayze being diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer back in March of 2008, my heart sank. Although I didn’t know Swayze personally, I personally knew the disease that took his life today on Sept 14, 2009. As a matter of fact, 18 years ago the same disease claimed the life of the woman my heart loved first… my mother.

Swayze was someone I was cheering on. I wanted him to live! I wanted him to find and experience the cure. I was telling myself that if pancreatic cancer was Mount Everest, I wanted Patrick to reach the summit. Although he didn’t, I am lead to believe that he did his best live through the disease and I admire his courage and will continue to do so.

Before his death, Patrick Swayze cried out to Congress for help. And he wasn’t just crying out for them to help him, he was also crying out on behalf of the people that have been diagnosed with cancer and for the people that will be left behind.

As I bring it home, I am reminded of my mortality and of the time that I have left to spend with my family. After all, I’m not going to get out of this life alive. I will experience death. But that’s not a concern of mine. I’m more concerned about the people I love…my wife and my sons. Will they be left in good hands? Will they have fond memories of our time together?

I’m not fond of reading obituaries. I’m not a big fan of the grim reaper. I know that living forever is boring but so is living a short life. However I look at it, I am compelled to say that the beginning and the end of my life doesn’t really mean anything if I don’t live my life to my fullest capacity.

Today, I am thankful that I have “today”. As far as I know, it’s all I have. And I will take good care of it.

Because someday, a time will come when someone will write a blog entitled:

Paco Arespacochaga Died Today

In a Marketing Campaign, the Budget Must Reflect the Business

2009-09-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

By Paco Arespacochaga

In today’s business environment, a business owner must be well equipped with ways and means to maximize his advertising and marketing investment. Yet, one question still brings back different answers.

“How much should I invest in advertising?” usually generates responses such as:

5% of your desired gross profit

10% of your desired gross profit

5% of the gross profit you made the last fiscal year

10% of the gross profit you made the last fiscal year

Don’t spend anything more than necessary

Don’t spend anything at all

And there are many more. All these answers are true to some extent because there really is no “one absolute” answer. In marketing 101, we were taught that a business should spend 10% - 15% of what they wanted to gross in revenue. So if a business wanted to make $150,000, it should set aside a budget of $15,000 to $22,500 just for advertising and marketing expenses alone.

The sad truth is that many start up business owners perceive advertising as a necessary “evil” as opposed to a business necessity. Feel free to call it business suicide if you must because that is what it is.

In a marketplace where everything is all about perception and perceived market value, taking no action in effectively positioning your products and/or services doesn’t mean you’re not you’re protecting your business equity. It is quite the contrary. This is because your inaction is giving leverage to your competition, which is doing the opposite of what you are doing.

Your advertising budget reflects the type of business you have. Invest in your advertising. You don’t wait to make money before you begin advertising. Begin advertising to MAKE MONEY!

Next blog… Different Types of Advertising and Which of Them Benefits Your Business.

A Nice "Thank You" From a Good Friend

2009-09-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

I am humbled and privileged to have had some influence on this man's life. Thank you for your acknowledgement Donnee!

I read Marc Tupaz' note on Facebook and he talked about two people that have somewhat influenced him and his musical career path. Reading it made me smile. I hope it makes you smile too!

Fellas... read on below!

Twist of Fate and Contrasting Mentors
by Marc Tupaz

Those who have known me for a long time know that i started my singing career as a soloist. Little did i know at the time that two contrasting personalities would shape my career in a weird twist of fate. As a soloist, there were many words one could use to describe what i was as a singer. Sucks, Lost, Raw,Talentless,Stubborn,Lazy were all among the equation.

Rockstar number 1: I met rockstar number 1 one night at Bedrock in Malate. My 1st impression, What a jerk! hahaha but if there's any truth to the saying 1st impressions last then it is very untrue in this case. You could see right away that he was very good with his craft and enjoyed the limelight very much. He never ran out of ideas and wether some good and some are bad, he had enough talent to make it work.

Rock star 1 is better known as INTROVOYS drummer/ Actor, Paco Arespacochago or Enrico as we call him. Most people would say that he is a love him or hate him kinda guy and i love this guy like a brother. I was starting out my band at the time that i met him i think way back in 2001 and when he heard i was planning to put up my own band it almost seemed he was more excited than i was. Always vivacious and full of life, Paco always offered advice whether or not i wanted to hear it. The hardest thing for a young singer at the time was to be told what your flaws were but without saying it straight out, i knew what he was saying. Instead of telling me that our set was bad, he would tell me that there was something wrong with our lineup. Instead of saying that i sucked, he said music is hard and there's alot to be learned. But i knew what he was talking about. With Paco i learned to have a controlled amount of angst.. just enough for my personality. He enjoyed music so much that he wanted me to feel that joy for myself by pushing me with encouraging words. If he ever had anything bad to say about my singing or performance at the time i would never hear it. Instead he would break down what i can improve on future performances. With Paco i learned to be confident, and with a guy like him he had alot of confidence to spare hahaha no pun intended. Paco didnt mentor my singing but he mentored my feelings and outlook. Under his tutelage i can say i was half ready to take on the showbiz world. Best Paco Arespacochaga quotes: " Kahit nagkakamali ka na sa stage kailangan pogi ka parin!" 2. " Ang galing natin kanina Donnee. and of course my favorite quote.. 3. Harald and Paco having a conversation: Paco-" Harry, drumming is like having sex. You have to look sexy doing it. Kinda like having sex with a woman." Harald- "........." Paco- "You have had sex right?" Harald- "uh.. no" Paco-"......." " How about masturbation? Do you masturbate?"

Exodus: It was Paco's bday and there was a party at the famous compound. (Paco's apartment compund). Everyone was drinking including yours truly. I met Ira Cruz for the first time and everyone was either loud, rowdy or drunk. Then i was introduced to Rock star number 2.

Rockstar 2: Was quiet, cool and calmly drinking his beer when i was introduced to him. This is Wency Cornejo as Paco introduced me to the quiet intimidating man drinking his beer. I said, I know him. He's the singer of After Image i told Paco. Paco bit confused asked me.." How do you know After Image when you grew up in the states and not know Introvoys songs till you met me?" " I don't know" was my answer but i did know because i heard After Image songs in the U.S. Wency mentioned to Paco that he needed a backup band for his solo gigs because Color It Red was abroad so Paco offered my band. Wency in many ways is different from Paco and he would probably add that they are very different. We backed up Wency for a couple of his shows and during the drinking sessions after the shows i saw it as my opportunity to ask away my heart's desire better ways to improve myself. Unlike Paco, Wency rarely offers advise unless asked and ask away i did. During countless drinking sessions, I learned more about the quiet man who was oozing with talent and his songs, how he writes them,the meanings,the heart and experiences that make this quiet man as loud as he can be onstage and or when writing songs. It's funny how most of wency's advice contradicts whatever i learned from Paco. Confused as i was i slowly realized that music in all aspects is a contradiction that's why it's so wonderful. I learned how two different people as Wency and Paco are in the extreme, can make things work their own way. This is the point in my life when you could throw out the word "lost" from the list of words to describe me as a singer.Wency in a weird twist of fate completed what Paco started especially now with Paco living in the U.S. My favorite wency quote will always be " I'm proud of you." For a man of few words when it comes to those kind of things, It was worth a million words of encouragement.

My two brothers, two mentors, opposite sides of the world now. Without either of you, There will be no Marc Tupaz of Shamrock. Your legacies in the music industry will always be remembered. But your impact on me will never be forgotten. Sucks, Lost, Raw,Talentless,Stubborn,Lazy may or may have not been totally removed from the equation, but thanks to these guys and my bandmates atleast i know i improved and still am improving. Cheers to you guys! Shamrock's latest unreleased album is now part of your legacy also.

Philippine Government Officials and Employees Should Be Paid MORE!

2009-09-03T05:55:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wonder why the middle class in the United States can't afford live-in housemaids? It's because they CANNOT AFFORD TO HIRE A HOUSEMAID FULL TIME! The average salary of part time house maid is 18,000 US dollars a year! And the only major services you're going to get are laundry and house cleaning.

A "yaya" or a nanny's average annual salary in the US is roughly around $34,000 a year. And that's only for 8 hours a day taking care of the baby you brought into this world, while your at work making a little bit over the same amount of money! In the Philippines.

These people are in the business of making your life more convenient. As such, they should be compensated for making it so. People who cannot afford these kind of convenience LEARN how to complete tasks such as cleaning their own room, their own house, cooking their own food, washing their own clothes, ironing and folding their own laundry. These traits translate to developing a better YOU. Why do you think Juan Tamad couldn't live outside the Philippines? I've never heard of "Joe Lazy".

And if you haven't heard or read it, there is a popular quote that states "a lazy mind is devil's workshop".

I digress.

I do believe, however, that giving our government officials and employees a "middle class" kind of income will somehow veer them away from the temptations of corruption. Everything begins with respect. People want to be respected or at least that's how they want to "feel". A more than decent salary becomes the beginning of this. There shouldn't be any shame for a police officer to be able to afford to live in a nice house, in a nice neighborhood all because his salary has permitted him to. Remember, his life is on the line a third of his day. Always. The same pay increase should be given to Postal Office, Fire, Utilities, Secretaries of... and their department employees and to everyone in government! This will keep corruption low!

In regard to corruption: I've always wondered why we haven't given enough to our public officials?

Don't get me wrong, corruption will always be around. It will always reside in the mindset of people who have lived it.

But when we give enough to a government employee (president included), it would really make it embarrassing to catch them cheating on taxpayers' money.

Take for instance the starting salary of being a police officer in the Philippines, which is about P14,265 per month inclusive of allowances or roughly around P171,180 a year. That's $3,804 a year! Why would I put my life on the line for $3,804 a year!?! In the rural parts of the US, where there are more trees than houses, a new police officer earns P142,500 a month! Or roughly over a million pesos a year! And that's the starting pay. Not convinced? Google it!

No wonder our cops find other creative ways to make more money. For the love of God, a call center employee in metro manila makes around the same amount, IF NOT MORE, when they start their job!

I don't want to know how much our government admin employees make. And our president's salary, which is only P60,000 a month, is a joke as well!

But then again, the question is "where are we going to get the funding to pay our leader, goverment officials and government workers REAL salary if the money is being funneled elsewhere by means of corruption?"

The answer is in all of us. Change in mindset then becomes the ultimate solution to this problem. Now, every new politician, rich or poor... can invest his time, money, intellect and efforts on making his country and its people better and still be able to go home and feed his family.

At this level, if you pay someone enough for PUBLIC SERVICE and he steals more money, then we, the Filipino People, can truly call that Government official a SELFISH BASTARD!

INTRoVOYS Video

2009-08-18T02:25:00.000-07:00

My bandmates really made it easy for me to pick up the guitar. Then, there's Tim de Ramos, who is also a good musician.

I just want to thank my bandmates for being patient with me. And I'd also like to thank Steve Guadiz and Jonathan Manuel for giving me some pointers on how to play guitars.

a Baby to a Boy… a Boy to a Man… a Man to His Legacy

2009-07-19T22:57:00.000-07:00

by Paco Arespacochaga

I am blessed. As I look back to celebrate another year of my birth, I am reminded of what brought me here and am humbled by those who brought me here. And as I look forward to many more fruitful years, I am delighted to be surrounded by my wife and 2 boys.

I had the privilege of spending a month long vacation with my 13 year old son, Heaven. We talked, we laughed, we argued, we fought, we reasoned, we joked, we teased, we learned and we bonded. More than ever before, I am glad to have had the opportunity to spend quality time with him and share with him some insights. I am also grateful for the knowledge he had shared with me. Our music appreciation is intensely the same. Our type of music is different.

In between our time together, an 11 month old baby forces his way into our “bonding” time. He didn’t want to be left out. And neither I nor Heaven wanted to leave the little boy out of our bonding time either.

Caelen is Heaven’s younger brother, the last Arespacochaga from my Grandfather’s bloodline. He, like his brother before him, is also utterly inquisitive. Together, the three of us make one another laugh and smile in our own little way.

Looking at my two boys, I couldn’t help but feel proud that I was given an opportunity to be part of their lives.

As I watched Heaven play with Caelen and vice-versa, I was smitten and saddened by the thought that this year is their “turning point” year. As Caelen (11 months old) wrestled and interacted with Heaven (13 years old), there was sincere interest among both of them. And yet, their life agenda is very different.

For the next few years, Caelen will be on the road to discovering what it is like to be a boy. He’ll be learning how to interact with other children. He’ll be taking his first baby step pretty soon without anybody’s help. He’ll be putting words together to form his first sentence. He’ll cry less and talk more or maybe do both. He’ll master the art of walking and then learn to run. He’ll bruise his knees and challenge my authority. Soon, he’ll discover and learn what it’s like to be a boy.

Simultaneously, Heaven is walking the road to adolescence. Not yet a man, yet no longer a boy. He’s asking third level questions! He wants straight answers. He even knows the answers to his questions and only asks you to see if you know the answers too! He’s smart enough to play “dumb” yet still catches himself learning new things everyday. He likes girls now. He is aware of peer pressure. He now has more defined goals. College is something he wants to pursue. Playing video games, though still appealing, has now become a controllable urge. He can stay on the phone for hours talking to friends about “stuff”. Physically, he’s now taller, faster and more “manly”. He is also getting more conscious about his appearance, smell and overall look. Soon, he’ll discover and learn what it’s like to be a man.

Someday, all of these will come to pass. Still, I continuously pray that I be given the opportunity to be around my boys and their children. I, too, have a lot to learn. And in spite of what I’ve learned over the years, the fact remains that I do not know much.

One thing I do know now is that my legacy need not be based on the personal awards and accomplishments that I have achieved or will achieve. Nor has it been based on my financial net worth. I look at my two children and in them lies my legacy. How I raise them inside with principles and how those principles manifest in them will determine how long I shall live even after I am gone. And nothing is more important than equipping my children a lasting positive impression that will carry them wherever they go and whoever they’re with. I have come to realize that above my dreams of becoming this and that, I already AM… a husband and a father!

Drop Beats. Not Bombs.

2009-06-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

Need I say more? - Paco A.

INTRoVOYS @ Annual Philippine Independence Day Celeb

2009-06-08T00:24:00.000-07:00

Photos were take by Mark Anthony "Clickrhappy" Jardinazo on location in Carson CA on June 06, 2009

INTRoVOYS 2009 Left to Right: Tim de Ramos, Paco Arespacochaga, Jonathan Buencamino, Steve Guadiz, Jj Buencamino & Raincrowd.

Paco Arespacochaga bonding with the rest of his bandmates.

Jonathan Buencamino getting ready to get on stage. Behind him are some of the members of INTRoVOYS.

More pix to be posted on Facebook... if I can figure out how to upload photos!

How Can I Be So Blessed?

2009-05-29T01:26:00.000-07:00

It's 1:27 am on a chilly Friday as I lay down on the right edge of our queen size bed. On my left are two of the most beautiful people on the planet, my wife and my son. As they sleep peacefully by my side, I am wondering.

Sometimes, we tend to forget what we have until we lose it. Most often, we wrap ourselves all over something trivial. Well, I'm letting everyone know right now that I choose to keep my family together and enjoy them until the day I am called by God or when my little one decides to leave the nest.

What really inspires me everyday the love and dedication that comes from my wife. How she holds everything together amazes me. How she cares for our son and myself is beyond comprehension. And as I glance at her right now, I am still in awe that I am hers and she is mine and that the little bundle of joy that is co-sleeping on our bed is OURS!

And so I say a little prayer of thanks and sheepishly wonder... "How can I be so blessed?"

Coffee

2009-05-14T00:23:00.001-07:00

Iced coffee without cream nor sugar sure taste great even if it kinda
doesn't.

Everybody has their own preference when it comes to their java. And everyone has a different way of ordering their morning cup. I, for one, am entertained by people in line at the local Starbucks. "Can I get a mocha chocolatta - yah yah!" or how about a "a double shot espresso with whip and a pinch of brown sugar...oh... And make that a Red Eye!"

Well, different strokes for different folks. I'm no different. But hey... it's coffee.

Follow Me

2009-05-11T08:05:00.001-07:00

Paco's twitter link is
Http://twitter.com/arespacochaga

Even the Saddest Story Should Have a Happy Ending

2009-05-07T23:17:00.000-07:00

My life isn't perfect!

Yet, I have the perfect life! And this is clearly by choice.

In spite of everything that had happened in the past, now is when they all come to fruition. Changing any one component of the past will alter my "now". Why would I want to do that? Fortunately, and unfortunately, changing my current "now" will alter my future "now"! Now I may want to do that!

I say this because even the saddest story deserves a happy ending. I guess the question is whether you become the main character that everybody cheers on or the villain that everybody wishes were dead or driven away.

Still, at the end of each story... hope and high spirits must thrive.

Another Day, Another Opportunity

2009-05-06T16:45:00.001-07:00

Everyday, we're presented with an opportunity to win and a choice to lose. And everyday brings with it the opportunity to get better!

Even in stress filled environments, having a conscious outlook that tomorrow is always better often times, take away the stress of the day.

This being said, take the time to remind yourself that tomorrow is always a better day!

Why Should Martin Nievera Apologize?

2009-05-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrow to this whole hoopla that Martin Nievera should apologize for singing the Philippine national anthem because he messed around with the cadence and added his own interpretation to it.

I DO NOT think he messed around with the national athem. I thought his rendition was AWESOME!

But what really irked me about the whole "trapo" (traditional politician) whining was the fact that not one of them can sing better than Nievera!

Once again... CRAB MENTALITY at it's finest has been shown again!

Stop Over: Solvang, CA

2009-05-02T05:54:00.001-07:00

On the way to San francisco, we decided to stop by Solvang and hang out a bit as family before continuing our trek.

Did INTRoVOYS Sell Out?

2009-04-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

No.

I wish answering the question was as easy as saying “no”. However, some records need to be set straight every decade or at least at some point within a new decade or else it will distort INTRoVOYS’ legacy.

I went straight to the Internet to get a definition of “Sell Out” that is in context to what I want to set straight. Here is what I got. Selling Out is defined as “to give up or surrender in exchange for a price or reward”.

I was 15 years old when I started INTRoVOYS with my friends. We all had one goal in mind and that was to write and play the music we liked and EARNED a living doing it! And guess what… we did it! And then what happened, pundits accused us of SELLING OUT!

I’ll tell you what. People around the time we were starting out wanted us to be something we didn’t want to be. We decided to be stubborn and moved on. Even our then manager, Tommy Tanchanco, had the same goal at the time. He, too, was accused of SELLING OUT!

Clear evidence of us doing what we want to do was the fact that we decided to call it quits when we weren’t enjoying what we were doing anymore. HAD we continued to perform against our will or simply because of the money, then we would have conceded to SELLING OUT.

Until then, I will not bow down to anybody that accuses me or any of my bandmates of selling out. The fact of the matter is… people who say this about us are STUCKED UP – but that’s another definition in another blog.

Have a great day!

It's Better to Just Walk Away

2009-03-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

At some point in your life, you will find yourself at the crossroad between desperation and compromise. While others may say that the latter is a direct result of the former, and that may hold true in most cases, I still believe that such a crossroad exists.

At this crossroad is where you are most weak… vulnerable and at times irrational. It is at this crossroad where regrets are birthed and consequences are severe. It is at the crossroad of despair and compromise that one feels emotionally violated, which ever road is taken.

Why?

It’s because that at this road, we rely on our principles. At the crossroad between desperation and compromise, it is our principle that we wager. We justify everything with reason on why need to take this road or that. In this case, there is no high road.

In this situation, it is better to just walk away. And there will be neither regrets nor consequences. And I will guarantee you that you will gain in strength in character and confidence in yourself. And people will respect you for that.

Happy Birthday to My Son, Heaven

2009-03-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a poem for my son, Heaven, who is turning thirteen on March 17, 2009

Thirteen
by Paco Arespacochaga

No longer a boy
Not yet a man
A heart of a lion
Showing everyone you can

You’ve had your share of ups
Of doubts
And fun was a word
You can define and understand

No longer a boy
Not yet a man
Full of hopes and dreams
Showing everyone you can

And slowly you’re claiming
Silently we’re giving
Soon the boy will cease
Giving way to the man arriving

Thirteen is the gate
To a whole new world
For the boy will soon be a man
Another voice to be heard

On your special day
I beam with pride on the things you’ve done
Happy Birthday my Heaven…
My boy… my son!

I love you!

Stop Right Now!

2009-03-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

Benjamin Franklin said that "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

Embrace this quote and life will be better! Maybe out of complacency or habit, we tend to do things the way do things and get frustrated in the end if we don’t like the end result. Guess what? Do it again the same way you did it earlier and you still get the same result!

However simple, most of us don’t get. We blame our partners, co-workers, family and friends for our failures and frustrations but the reality is WE ARE TO BLAME!

Think about it for a minute. Instead of putting the blame on someone else, own up to the situation and change what needs to be and see if you still get the same result. In a relationship, instead of the typical “me first”, tweak it to the “you first”, see what will happen. You might just be surprised with the result.

At work, it’s the same thing. Your desk is a mess. You’re behind the eight ball on deadlines and you’ve got an unfinished presentation that’s due “yesterday”. Try changing your work habits! Maybe coming early or leaving late may bring in a different result.

Are you over weight? Yeah, keep eating that 50,000 calorie steak and see if it helps you lose the excess. However if you change your eating habits… yeah you get it!

The quote written on top was something I was fortunate enough to embrace. I was on a self proclaimed downward spiral when I chanced upon this quote.

After making it a commitment to better myself, beginning with humbling myself before God, I started on a journey to find small ways and means to avoid doing the same thing that caused me to be in a downward spiral to begin with.

It doesn’t take 24 hours to experience minute or tremendous results. And it doesn’t take a lot of encouragement either to get that momentum going.

Here’s the challenge. We know that we cannot be better people with using the same mindset that made us who we are right now. This being said, what then can we do to make ourselves better people?

Have a nice day!

What If You Only Had Today?

2009-03-09T17:21:00.000-07:00

What If You Only Had Today…

Would you forgive the people who have done you wrong?

Would you ask for forgiveness from those you’ve done wrong to?

Would you appreciate life more?

Would you spend time dwelling on the past or would you embrace what you have left?

What would you do if you only had today?

With friends dying every year since 2005, I am loudly reminded of my mortality. And as such, I have begun to reflect on my life’s current state and where it is headed if I am given the opportunity to live it longer than today.

First out my “character” door is the proverbial trait… the Mañana Habit. If something important needs to get done, it has to be done as soon as possible. And if I don’t think it’s that important, maybe I shouldn’t waste my energy and time stressing about it. But all of these are subjective and relative to ones own lifestyle. In this case, mine.

I’ve come to realize that what matters most to me is my family. With God being a given priority, my wife and two children come before anything else. This is immediately followed by my passion, which are the creative arts (music, film making and goofing around). I will stop here. It’s really irrelevant to add more to this because everything important really falls under God, Family and Passion.

With God being the center of my life, it should be a given for me to make sure I feed my spirit daily with His Word. Doing so equips me with renewed mental and spiritual strength needed to face the world every morning.

Why should I get up every morning? When I was younger and had parents, I could care less of what went on with the world or with anybody. As long as Mom & Dad provided, I was good! You see, back then, it was all about me… Me… ME! Of course that changed over time. Being orphaned and eventually having a family of my own had everything to do with the need of waking up early every morning. A man’s got to hunt to feed his family. In the 21st century, we call it… 9-5!

And because my family comes after God, and the need to be able to find ways and means to provide food and shelter for them are bare necessities. And because my wife and children mean everything to me, I want to give them more than the basics in life. And I want to secure their future in every aspect.

What father in his right mind wouldn’t want to be around to share insights with his kids and to have relaxing conversations with his wife? I want to be available for my kids when they need me and to be around for my wife when she needs me. I also have to find a way to sustain my provision for them financially, emotionally, spiritually and mentally. This means I need to be both aggressive and creative. And while I would rather be doing this my means of my passion, I must be able to be flexible and provide for my family any which way I can.

However, not sharpening my own saw can lead to a “dull” me. In order for me to cut through the ever tangling trials of life and succeed, I need to be sharp! I need to replenish my inner and outer self. I need to rejuvenate my inner soul!

And I do this by immersing my self in songwriting activities, film editing and scoring or simply reading a book or take on a project.

All these things make me who I am and what I can be.

Who knows? I might write the next hit song which will then give me the opportunity to earn good revenue to provide for my family and their family. And when people begin to ask me to whom I give all the credit to, I’ll humbly say “To God Be the Glory!”

It Could be Something Good!

2009-02-11T05:55:00.000-08:00

Awhile back, I talked about the three big C that one should have in order to succeed. Today, I am in a plane, seated beside my buddy Mitch, talking about change. And you know what we said in conclusion? “It could be something good!”

“Could be” is a good phrase. It actually can be a bad phrase too. It really depends on how you look at it, if you ask me. And when we look at our lives today, a quick look back in reflection will reveal to us that we are were we are because of CHANGE.

And while other people enjoy change, there are some who actually dread it! In Dr Spencer Johnson’s best selling book “Who Moved My Cheese”, he validates our feeling and fear of change but also gives us insight on what we need to do in order to thrive is the face of an ever changing environment.

Today, we are on a plane to Texas on a business convention. We don’t know what’s ahead of us but we were told to expect change. And what did we say? We smiled and said… “Hey! It could be something good!”

The World is Watching!

2009-02-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

Less than 10 years ago, you had to pay an arm and a leg to buy airtime on TV to share to the world what you have to offer. Well, you may still have to pay an arm and a leg to really get on free air and cable TV. But with the rise of YouTube and other video sites… the world has now become your audience.

Now, you can produce and star in your own show. You can create your own music video, infomercial, variety show and whatever you want! You can even embarrass yourself or make yourself matter to thousands up to millions of people all over the globe. And with this soiled economy, we all have to get ingenious to make residual income for ourselves and our family.

And one way to do this is through the Internet.

If you’ve been dreaming of a career like Jay Leno or David Letterman, fire away! Your 15 minutes of fame may be just around the corner. But how do break away from the pack of millions of people who all want to do the same thing online?

Here are some tips.

Be unique! Don’t copy someone else’s work online. For starters, that’s plagiarism and that’s illegal.

Get creative. If you can’t be unique, spin off someone else’s work. Make it yours by adding the “you” element to it.

Know who your audience is. Catering to an audience is better than creating an audience. Offering something informative, creative and entertaining to a certain market demographic is like cutting your workload in half! They’ve already come…now BUILD IT! Of course the opposite would be… if you build it, they will HOPEFULLY come.

Be prepared. You will never know if what you have to offer to the world will take off or not. If what you have to offer suddenly succeeds, will you be able to sustain it? Remember, the BIG THING means there is the NEXT big thing waiting in the sideline for you to fall. And if you fail, be prepared to try something else. Which is why…

NEVER QUIT! Keep trying and keep tweaking your ideas until they fly! Keep flapping those wings. My mentor and trainer, Scott Kaplan, told me that if I felt I’ve done everything I could, I should give it one more shot just to make sure “I’ve done everything I could” because that “last shot” may just be the BREAKTHROUGH you’ve been waiting for.

If you have any other suggestions, feel free to chime in by adding your comment.

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Paco Arespacochaga is an artist/songwriter who shares his passion in blogging. Read more of his blogs at www.zyncopado.com

STOP! Think Twice Before You Post That Pose.

2009-02-04T21:36:00.000-08:00

Is it a 50D or a D50? Is it a Canon or a Nikon? It must be a camera phone! I must be a simple Sony Cyber shot camera. It could be any brand and it could be any model however one thing remains common among all mentioned. That is all these cameras are DIGITAL!

So what?

Because of the ability to render photos without going to processing store, a lot of people have become more daring to pose in front of the camera. I kid you not, I’ve seen photos of my “friends” on Facebook, Myspace, Multiply and other social networking site and would be surprise for the simple reason that I don’t see them that way in REAL LIFE!

I’ve seen posted photos of friends in SLUTTY photos! Some are tastefully done while others were simply amateur shots. Here is the NEWS girls and boys! Think a million times before you post your daring pose online. Again in caps… THINK A MILLION TIMES BEFORE YOU POST YOUR DARING POSE ONLINE!!!

If you throw a photo of yourself on cyberspace, other people can download that specific photo and scatter it wherever they please. If it is your intention for that to happen, then go ahead. But if you think that your photos are private and you want it to remain that way. Put it in a safe place and keep it unknown to people.

Point , Click and Shoot!
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Paco Arespacochaga is an artist/songwriter who shares his passion in blogging. Read more of his blogs at www.zyncopado.com

Don't Be Afraid to Ask WHY.

2009-02-01T22:08:00.000-08:00

Most of us may have had an upbringing wherein our parents told us what to do and we weren’t allowed to ask any question. If you are one of people, we cruised on the same ship. However, after age 16, my parents suddenly had a change of heart and began encouraging me and my siblings to ask them why they were making us do what they wanted us to do.

It was the beginning of a healthy dialogue and communication within our family. All of a sudden, chores became responsibilities. We, their children, began to feel like “stock holders” of the corporation called FAMILY. We began to take ownership of the task that was… ENTRUSTED… to us.

Entrusted, as opposed to ordered, is a stronger word. The military special ops unit is required to carry orders without any questions asked. A military general is entrusted to ensure that the mission must succeed. He knows what the mission is because he is able to ask.

At work, at home, wherever you are, when you encounter someone giving you orders or when someone is reading out a memo to you… ask what it’s all about. Ask because understanding what is required of you will give you a better picture of WHY something needs to be done and accomplished.

People who know WHY and know HOW are more likely to succeed than people who only know HOW or only know WHY.

The next time someone tells you to do something. Ask why. For all you know, that person may not know why he/she is making you do that specific task. Then WHY the heck should you be doing that “something” anyway?

Have a great week ahead of you! WHY, because it leads to a more relaxing weekend. And because you deserve it.

365 Days of Prudence

2009-01-31T21:36:00.000-08:00

Yes it is the season of the big R. This recession has led more that hundreds of thousands of people to lose their jobs. And those who still have their jobs are struggling. Yet there are those individuals who are thriving in spite of the recent economic downward spiral. How do they do it?

It takes a combination of a whole lot of effort, some sacrifice, calculated risk and restraint to survive tough economic times. But because of our “I want it now!” attitude, we unintentionally put ourselves in a harmful compromising financial situation, situation where the collateral damages are overwhelming. The good news is that it can be averted.

Whether you’re single, married or married with kids, what I will share to you will work. All you need is 365 days of prudence. Before I tell you why, do you remember the saying “don’t count your chicks until they hatch”? This is what we are going to follow. Again, it will take 365 days of prudence seasoned with whole lot of effort, some sacrifice, calculated risk and restraint to survive through tough economic times.

Let’s begin.

Whether you’re single or part of a family, an open communication is significantly important. The goal to succeed must be communicated as to why it is important. Maybe it’s because you don’t want to die of an anxiety attack. Or maybe you simply want to enjoy time alone or with your family without having to worry about your finances. It could be anything. But everything must be communicated openly to everyone involved otherwise, the “flight plan” will be confusing and you will never get to your “destination” or your goal.

Once everything has been communicated that you want to commit yourself being financially sound, you must make the first step. Credit card debts need to be paid off as soon as possible. The interest rates on those bad plastic cards are slowly killing you! High interest rates are like Trans Fat! They slowly take the life out of you!

Credit card debt must be paid ASAP however, they must be paid AFTER you’ve paid yourself first. By the way, why did you incur credit card debts in the first place? Was it because you began spending more than what you were making? That paradigm MUST shift! This is where we must make some sacrifices and apply restraint on our Wants. Take a look at your credit card bills, 80% of them were used for vacation expenses, a flat screen TV, a game console, clothes, dine-outs and other trivial things. For the next 365 days, you will spend on wants if you cannot immediately afford it in CASH!

Like what companies are doing these days, you too must “trim the fat” of your household budget. They have to be as lean as it can be for the next 365 days. Put yourself in recession mode before the economy does. So say you’re taking home pay is $2,000 a month after taxes, the goal is to try to live on $1,500/month! It can be done! Remember, you MUST TRIM THE FAT! See what has to go. If you’re living in too much house and paying too much rent, scale down. Again, find ways and means to “trim the fat.” I keep saying this, it should’ve been the title of article.

In 365 days, you would have set aside $6,000 if you were able to save $500/month from your take home pay of $2,000/month. And because you were able to bring your monthly expense down to $1,500, the $6,000 that you now were able to save has become your four months worth of savings! That doesn’t sound like a lot but guess what, 365 days of prudence has given you the opportunity to make $6,000 to buffer you through tough economic times.

If you’re one of those people that collect a decent tax return from the US government, what should you do with the money that they refund to you? Keep it! Don’t spend it on anything. Again, the more money you have, the better it is for you to be able to find a good investment opportunity if you have job security.

365 days of prudence should move you further away from living paycheck to paycheck. If you’re on a Salary + Commission pay plan, I would strongly recommend that you live of your salary during the first year of being at your current position. What you are going to do with your commission, you may be wondering. You are going to save it! Then add it to your base pay for year two and that will be your constant pay increase. Here is an example:

Say your base pay is $2,500/month. That equals to $30,000/year. And say you make a boat load of money in commission for the year 2009 which amounts to $120,000. When 2010 comes around, your base salary will still be $2,500/month right? The beauty however is that NOW (2010), you are going to be able to give yourself a pay increase of $10,000/month without any fear of being short because you know for a fact that you’ve already made this money the year before (which was 2009).

Again, save some money for a rainy day. Rainy days do come.

That’s a fact!

Be prepared.

Less Talk, Less Mistakes

2009-01-27T23:30:00.000-08:00

How about “Talk and have the balls to back it up or else shut up!” the latter being pretty straight forward. Well some people can’t take straight talk. They take it personally. I can’t blame them. I used to feel that way. As a matter of fact, and laugh if you must, I lean more toward having a non confrontational attitude and approach. Until of course it back fired against me.

You see, to be on the safe side, applying the “less talk, less mistake” approach is king, especially if you aren’t comfortable with the topic of discussion. This is where it is best to just listen, stay agnostic and talk less.

However, this approach doesn’t apply when you know your principles are being compromised. You shouldn’t allow your fear of making mistakes hinder you from speaking what is on your mind or in your heart. Remember, if you feel a pang of conviction in you, speak up! Chances are you aren’t making a mistake.

So, in what situations can you apply the “less talk, less mistake” approach? Here are some, to name a few…

Caught in the middle of a husband/wife domestic dispute: This is one big NO! NO! Never should you involve yourself in a husband/wife affair even if you are close to both of them and know that one of them is trying to squeeze information from you. Chances are, you really don’t know the whole situation so shut up!

At your ex’s wedding: Be glad you got invited. Not everyone gets invited to their ex’s wedding. Now when you sit down together with people you don’t know… SHUT UP! Don’t go on a trip to memory lane and solicit sympathy from the people around you. Remember, they attended to share memories with the couple, not you.

On a sales call: The customer has agreed to your proposal and is ready to sign the contract. You let him sign the contract and shut up. Unless he asks you a question, your job should be to move forward with the close.

When you’re wrong: Most of the time, it’s better to admit one’s fault than to talk defensively. Women particularly hate this attitude in men.

On the other hand, there are times when we should trash the whole “less talk, less mistake” approach and allow ourselves to speak straight from the heart. Here are some situations…

At a rally: Hey, you signed up to voice your opinion. Go for it!

In a town hall meeting: If they open the floor to concerns and you have one that really affects a big chunk of you and/or your lifestyle, take to the floor! This isn’t the venue to apply for “martyrdom” or “sainthood”.

At a club: You see a lady or a gentleman you fancy. He/she doesn’t seem to be with company, go ahead and make your smooth and polished move! A simple “Hi” or a sweet smile may do magic. The goal is having a mindset to express yourself when the opportunity arises.

The whole idea here is for you to be able to determine when to keep your mouth shut and when to speak up. Yes you will make mistakes finding that sweet spot and yes practicing this application may take you to rough waters in the beginning. However, when everything comes to fruition, you’ll be amazed as to what you’ve become. People will learn to respect and trust you. They may also come to admire you for your steadfastness and diplomacy.

Remember, making mistakes are okay as long as a lesson is learned from it.

When You Think You Can... YOU CAN!

2009-01-27T00:07:00.000-08:00

I once heard someone said that when you think you can, YOU CAN! And when you think you can’t, YOU’RE RIGHT! If you haven’t figured out what that statement meant, I’ll give you 5 more seconds to figure it out.

Time’s up!

Over the past couple of years, I’ve encountered acquaintances and friends who seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders, going as far as saying that if they didn't have to carry all those burdens, they would've achieved their dreams. I will not deny that for quite a while in my life, I carried the same world on my shoulder too! Hence, I was always able to empathize with them and condone their state of mind. It always seemed that the problems they would unburden on me were similar to the problems I carried! In situations where friends would come to me to release their frustrations, I would simply listen. I became a temporary relief! I was glad to be of help. However, I realized that what I had to offer was merely a “fix” for me and them! It wasn’t a real solution to the burdens they had because after a day or two, they'd revert back to the state of mind they were in before we sat together.

Now, I’m no councilor so I don’t have the savant and formal degree those people have. However, being a student of the University of Life and of self improvement books, I can say that I’ve become savvier than a 5th grader to figure out how to come up with simple solutions to my own problems.

I’m not going to attempt to turn this article into a book chapter. However, I will commit to leave you with a thought that may get you to your own “A-ha” moment! Let’s begin.

Self-doubt, frustrations, lack of confidence, being too cautious, shyness, etc. are some of the reasons why you aren’t getting what you deserve. Or maybe you are getting what you deserve? Remember what I said in the beginning of this article? If you think you can’t, YOU’RE RIGHT!!! Give yourself a pat on the back for finally getting it!

Think about the previous paragraph thoroughly. You are who you are because of your attitude. And if you disagree with me, which you have every right to, chances are you’re blaming someone else for what has become of you! By the way, blaming other people is an attitude that keeps you in the rut you’re already in.

Tony Robbins said that “emotion comes from motion”. You don’t believe me? Try laughing from ear to ear! I bet you’re going to feel better. However, without the “right” attitude, you’ll throw this valuable thought nugget out the door. Again, it all boils down to your attitude!

Here is your little road map. After reading this blog, examine yourself and ask yourself honestly if you are where you want to be. If you are, how did you get there? Was it by chance, luck or the alignment of the planets or was it because you had the desire, goal and an action plan to get there?

Now if you’re one of those unhappy human beings in this world who is still chasing after his/her dream, ask yourself what is preventing you? Check your attitude! How is your desire level? What Action steps have you taken to kick off your dream? What’s going on?

You see, with a positive or a negative attitude, if you say you can, YOU CAN! And if you say YOU CAN’T? YOU’RE RIGHT!!!

7 Ways to Stay Remembered.

2009-01-26T21:06:00.001-08:00

I have encountered different types of people in my life. From those who are full of themselves all the way to those who would rather forget who they are to the more normal “in betweens”. In spite of the kaleidoscope of personalities I have encountered on a day to day event, it is important to know that leaving an impression, a good impression, can go a long, long way.

Why? Because no man is an island! As cliché as it may sound, embrace it and engrave that proverb in your heart. A time will come when you will need some sort of inter-personal interaction in your life be it emotional, relational, financial and even trivial. Who will you turn to? It would be kind of embarrassing to simply “pop” into someone’s life or schedule without any relational foundation, would it? How do we avoid such a thing from happening? Here are 7 ways.

Keep In Touch. In this day and age, there is no excuse for not staying in touch with friends and loved ones. Yes, you may be too busy to meet for coffee. It doesn’t exempt you from not being able to call to say “hello”. Still too busy to give someone a call to make him/her feel important? Text ! Email! Open a facebook, myspace or twitter account. Like I said there is no excuse not to keep in touch.

Remember Special Dates. Nothing melts a person’s heart more than a thoughtful greeting. Send a birthday card or an e-card (if you’re on a budget). Call to congratulate if some good news reaches you about the person. It doesn’t matter if the news is a month old. Call as soon as you get the message.

Call For Nothing. For no apparent reason or better yet, for no reason at all. Simply call people to say “hello”. In this day and age of cell phones, we all have an electronic “rolodex” at our disposal. Write your own code. For instance, label names in your phone address list as 1, 2, 3 and 4. One means you will call that person at least once a year for nothing. Two means you will call that person twice a year or semi-annually for nothing. Three means you will call that person three times a year or every four months. Four means… you should know what it means by now.

Break Bread From Time to Time. If you’re not the type of person who loves to cook, invite a friend out to coffee, lunch, brunch, dinner, breakfast or midnight snack. Catch up. Talk about “stuff”. Update yourself on what the other person is up to. Listen. Listen. Listen. You want to know more about your friend.

Offer a Helping Hand. You’ll never know when your turn will come. Investing in your friends is one of the best investments you can ever make. Yes, just like some blue chips on Wall Street, there will still be friends that will let you down. But don’t let this prevent you from offering a helping hand.

Be the Garbage Man. Yes, I know it can be stressful to hear close friends and acquaintances rant at you about their issues. Handle enough. The bottom line is helping them unload their burden. Be there for them. Most of the time, you’re not required to find a solution. They just want someone to empathize with what they are going through at the moment.

Be Sincere. This is where I warn you that “faking it till you make it” will not work. You really have to sincerely want to care, remember and honor the people you want around you. In other words, you have to take care of them, of the relationship you’ve established with them.

My father wasn’t the richest man that walked the Earth. He wasn’t even the smartest. But he was one of the most sincere human being that walked the Earth. He taught me this when I was growing up. I witnessed its full potential when he died. People from all walks of life up to my country’s Vice-President paid their last respect to somebody who made them feel important because to him, they really were.

We, his children, are still reaping the benefits of his legacy.

Where Is the World's Wealth?

2009-01-26T11:27:00.000-08:00

There's a whole lot of water on Earth! Something like 326,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons (326 million trillion gallons) of the stuff (roughly 1,260,000,000,000,000,000,000 liters) can be found on our planet. This water is in a constant cycle -- it evaporates from the ocean, travels through the air, rains down on the land and then flows back to the ocean. – taken from howstuffworks.com

Now I would assume that if water simply goes into another state e.g. solid to liquid or liquid to gas and vice versa, it never leaves the Earth’s jurisdiction. In other words, it just gets allocated somewhere on the planet but it is still here, right?

What about wealth? I am assuming that, inflation aside, the world’s wealth is similar to what it was years ago, right? Except now, its allocation simply changed. Yesterday’s wealthy is today’s poor. If this is the premise, then yesterday’s poor could be today’s wealthy.

Think about it. As crazy as this may sound, there can never really be a global collapse! There can be a global power shift because he who has wealth… controls! Now the argument can be looked at in many different ways but the fact remains, there is financial wealth on this planet. It’s just a matter of who it belongs to right now.

Your thoughts?

How Would You Like to Be Compared With Someone Else?

2009-01-26T09:13:00.000-08:00

I was at a Barnes & Noble bookstore sipping coffee while reading a literary piece when some jewish kid approached me and asked me if I could keep an eye on his back pack while he used the rest room. I obliged and continued reading. Of course, my peripheral vision kept a watchful eye on whoever might want to take a beat up back pack. But I digress.

A couple of minutes later, the guy arrived to thank me. I mentioned that it wasn’t a problem at all. Then he asked me what I was reading. I told him that I was reading some book on how to sell by Jeffrey Gitomer. Of course he asked if I was a sales person. I gave him a revelation. I said “Just like everyone else in this world, so am I!” Intrigued, he sat down across from where I sat and asked me to expound on what I had just said.

I told him that I got paid to be in front of people. I told him that in my line of work, I looked for solutions to problems concerning small to medium size businesses. In other words, I am a consultant… a media consultant. And yes, I encourage clients to buy my solutions. Throwing back the question at him, he said that he helped out in his parents business and had just graduated from collage. He shared that his parents ran a vending machine business. He also mentioned that his parents had been running the business for the last 15 years and it had paid them handsomely! They did live in Beverly Hills.

Casually, I asked him if he was going to take over the business. His facial expression fell and quickly he said NO. When asked why, he simply said that it wasn’t what he really wanted to do. I asked him then what he wanted to do and with that he revealed that he was inclined to pursue anything that dealt with Neuro-Science and History. I asked him what was stopping him. It was his parents. And surprisingly enough, his answer didn’t surprise me but I prodded on. I found out that he has been very discouraged because his parents always compared him to other people.

“Why can’t you be like _____ who is now a doctor?”

“Why can’t you be like _____ who is now running the family business?”

“Why can’t you be _____ who is now an architect?”

I was all ears while he was pouring out all his emotions. Then after listening to everything he had to say, not knowing if he wanted me to react or not, I said something that made both of us reflect.

I told him that he had every right to feel bad about the fact that he was being compared with other people. No child wants to feel “second best” in their parents’ eyes. Let me say that again…

NO CHILD WANTS TO FEEL “SECOND BEST” IN THEIR PARENTS’ EYES!

I hope that was loud enough.
I then went on to tell him what I noticed about the business owners that I’ve come to meet over the years as media consultant. I told him that most of the successful business owners I’ve shook hands with are in the industry their in because it was what they wanted to do! It was their passion that brought about their career which ended up paying them handsomely!

I told him that if he loved science and history, there are many things that he can do. I even challenged him. I told him that I would like to see his “name in lights”, that I would like to watch him on the Science Channel or the Discovery Channel or even on NatGeo one day!

His face lit. I told him I was serious about what I said. He smiled. We talked some more about his passion. He shared some of the things he read on Albert Einstein and Pasquale and the historic time line of significant discoveries in Science. Then he stopped and looked me in the eye and asked…

“How about you… are you doing what you really want to do?”

I looked down and forced a smile. I took a deep breath and excused myself from the conversation.

In my head, I knew he had struck a chord in me. If he only knew who I was and what I had accomplished in my past life. If he only knew.

Take the First Step... ASAP!

2009-01-25T21:27:00.000-08:00

Have you ever thought about doing something for the first time knowing it will benefit you and yet you've always given in to procrastination? We've all been guilty of it at one time or another. Why do we still keep doing it? Because we don't want to get out of our comfort zone. Think about it?

We know that every successful endeavor always requires an investment of commitment and action. And that's only the first step. You also have to put in the time! You can't get from point A to the finish line cutting corners. That's a big NO!

For instance, if you want to have lots of money in the bank, wouldn't it be wise to start saving? Put some money aside. Pay yourself first. A friend of mine wanted to know how I was able to pay off my credit card debt. I told him I took the first step in wanting to consciously eliminate my credit card debt. It began with a commitment and an action plan. My wife and I pinpointed which card was charging the highest interest rate. That's where we placed most of our credit card payment budget.

Let me give you an example:

Let's say you have 10,000 dollars in credit card debt. And every month, you have a total budget of 1,500 to pay the minimum amount required on all your cards plus the principle. What I would suggest you do is to find out the card that has the highest interest rate. Pay all the other cards the required minimum amount and nothing more. If that totals to 800 dollars, you have 700 dollars left to put into that card with the highest interest rate! Once you're done with that credit card, don't use it again! Pay down the card with the next highest interest rate.

You have to do the TIME! Which means you have to be patient. It may take a year or a couple of years to accomplish this endeavor but it can be done and will pay off handsomely.
If you want to learn of other ways to get rid of your credit card debt, do some research online. Bankrate.com offers a variety of ways on how to save money, budget your finances and make money. But you know what? You must take the first step... ASAP!

There Should've Been a Better Way to Read That Inauguration Poem

2009-01-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

I was glued to my TV to witness history unfolding right before my eyes as my 5 month old baby slept like... a BABY!

Watching ex-presidents, the current one and the soon-to-be president all in one historic location was itself a sight to behold! Icing on the cake were performances by Yo Yo Ma and Co and Aretha Franklin. I was told that Charisse Pempenco was going to be there. My bad! She was at the Inauguration PARTY. Anyway, I was also anticipating poet Elizabeth Alexander, who was being raved at by different bloggers and different publications. I also read that during Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, she was there, being a year old and on her father's shoulders listening.

When they called her to read her poem, I kinda felt insecure about my ability to appreciate poems. Don't get me wrong. I like poems! As a matter of fact, I liked her "Stravinsky in LA" poem! So imagine my dismay when she got behind the pulpit to read her Inauguration Poem like a GPS asking a driver to "turn right" or "turn left". Where was the passion and emotion in her voice? I wanted to feel it but I wasn't. Half way through her poem, I had to force myself to appreaciate her poem delivery the way I used to force myself to swollow a tablespoon of COD liver oil!

*sigh*

I probably just expected much from her, I suppose.