MOVING ON

Watch the latest business video at FOXBusiness.com I'm sharing here a rather old vid from another source ( see latest in FoxBusiness ) on freelance work. I'm grateful being able to hack it out doing freelance work , which to most people I meet can be confounding to even listen to, whenever I try to explain myself to them as to how I'm doing work and earning living at the same time. Thank God, I happened to be doing freelance work nowadays, which I have started ever since I came here in the US three years ago (although I did some full time work for some small businesses one time, and gained some exposure locally, but I soon learned I had enough of that, and that's another story by itself). Obviously, hands down, there are no benefits that are similar to what employed people have. There are so many trade offs to think about, but I like to look at my situation as being that of "a glass of water half-full." It could have been worst, you know. I'm just happy am...

This afternoon, my patient Mr Brecht died. I first got the news from a phone call from one of the other caregivers. I then got another call from another caregiver who has taken care of him for over 2 years. We chatted for a long while on the phone. I also got a text message from one of his former caregivers who was instrumental for me to do this gig which I had on a part-time basis for over a year. Life suddenly just stops, without us getting better prepared for its departure. Who really knows when exactly the moment someone dies? I didn't even had the chance to bid him goodbye on my way out this afternoon after I was done with my gig for his wife. I figured out somehow, based on the past few weeks that I was with him that he'd be dying soon; he was simply refusing to eat food. Perhaps, he just had so much difficulties taking in food, this life giving substance that then was turning into a terrible ordeal to ingest. There were other signs. Signs that I recall seeing from my la...

I saw this recent posting on "Jobs" section of Craigslist, that reminded me of one paid gigs I've done nearly two years ago. This time based on the ad copied&pasted here, I couldn't qualify, as the ad excludes those who have had their teeth cleaned within the past 5 years. In my case, as usual, I responded to an ad for a gig posted by a Dentist, whose trying to get himself licensed to practice in New York. He's been a practising dentist for many years before. He had to do this through NYU's Dentistry School (I don't really know why, or maybe because the members of the licensing board uses NYU's facilities). My Dentist's Asian who's born and raised in California. He had his wife assisting him during the tedious process of getting his license here in New York. It's nice to see a couple working together in making a sustained go in their livelihood, I told to myself. I had to go back and forth at least 4 times at NYU's Dentistry Schoo...

To supplement my income from freelance part-time jobs, I'd be doing interesting gigs that I see posted on Craigslist. I tell you, looking into these gigs and jobs on Craigslist New York will give you a better understanding of how people's minds go about currently. I even think I get a better view on the window on how people go about their lives when I read those postings on Craigslist than reading a respectable broadsheet (as they're more up-to-date, just like Twitter or Facebook). One posting for a gig I responded to was about "fine art naked portraits" nearly 2 years ago. I thought I can do a nude portrait gig, as I figured I won't be having this physical state of body I still got 20 years from now. The forces of gravity and demands of daily living will certainly take their toll, as my God-given body will give way to the slow process of nature's ravages, even if I really take good care of myself now. And I needed some dough just to make up for my living ...

I was doing my tasks as Personal Assistant, (a part-time gig) when Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the US. The weather was in the higher 20s in NYC, but I noticed that it could have been colder in DC that day. I could have opted to join and be among the crowds in DC. A friend lives and works in DC, and she has her apartment but she was flying early morning the next day after the inauguration. It would have been far from convenient, so I chose to stay home and do my gigs as a freelancer. That day, I was asked to search for a website at the start of work, so that we could watch the proceedings in Washington,DC, which I found easily through the sites of ABC and CNN. However, when everyone in the house went downstairs to gather for the event towards noontime, the streaming down from internet was failing. We soon were in near panic, as we wanted to be there, be in the very moment while all these proceedings were taking place. But we could not view much from the small...

Watching John Walter's "Theater of War" see parts of it on YouTube! at this year's Tribeca Film Festival brought me a different level of appreciation and understanding on how to better handle the requirements of one of my patients. more about them here! I do part-time caregiving assignments, among other part time jobs as a Freelancer. As such, I'd be doing this mostly on weekends for one of the children of the playwright, Bertolt Brecht, about him here! the monumental theatre figure who was the topic of Walter's documentary mentioned earlier. The movie also brought out much needed perspective on the 2007 staging of Brecht's "Mother Courage and Her Children" in Central Park, NYT's review here! where people lined up to watch Meryll Streep playing the lead role. I accompanied my patient, with his loving wife (herself, an accomplished clothes designer and retailer), son and his family (including 3 small children) to a well attended screen...

Thanks God, I'm able to look and apply for jobs, mainly through Craigslist in its NY site. I have been out of full time work for over a week now. Yesterday, I got to talk with another friend who's based in LA, California. He's been out of full time work along the banking industry for over a month now. He's got reasons why he's decided to give up his work, and get to doing some other things he'd preferred to work on. I figured I can learn from what he's undergone so far. He himself had notable managerial experience in banking, and recruiters are in disbelief why he'd give up the perks of being in a managerial position, and get to start again at the bottom in some other jobs which he thought he could do better. I've figured out that I'd like to have parttime jobs now. This has been the route that I've thought I can pursue even before I got full time jobs here in NYC. Thankfully, I got a response from an employer, and I'm working later today...

I'm writing this to share my thoughts and feelings over what happened early this morning. I finally gave up this new job in a new flower and gift shop in Chelsea, Manhattan. [Mind you, I like the job, but I've learned to hate the ones working with me, particularly in this case, the Boss / Business Owner]. My boss and I have been working on the weekly arrangement for a corporate account that happens to be a restaurant blocks away from the Flower Market District and the Empire State Building. Earlier, the parttime Designer had to leave work right away for an emergency. Then, as usual started a miserable hour with my boss who's also the other half of a couple of owners of this new shop. She was already behaving like she was really pissed off of something really unclear to me (as much as I'd like to figure out, I just prayed & hoped things will turn out well according to God's plan). She asked about what we've done so far. I told her I was just waiting for the p...

Work has got to define how productive each one us can get. As they say, it's what you get from the day that matters most. After a usual day's work (which may happen to define most of us), I have got completely exhausted, and longed to forget it all, at least in the meantime. My eyes show what lies ahead & what keeps my mind from resting, as I go about the works in prepare myself for bedtime. These hours may vary, largely on what schedule we like and decide to follow each day. Dreams that take place during my rest time will then define my quality of rest. Have a restful time at the end of each productive day, everyone!