The Benefits of Oregano

Oregano (Scientific name: Origanum vulgare) is also known as Wild Marjoram, Mountain Mint, Origanum, Wintersweet and Winter Marjoram.

Hand of Hope: Samuel Alexander Armas

A picture began circulating in November. It should be "The Picture of the Year," or perhaps, "Picture of the Decade." It won't be. In fact, unless you obtained a copy of the paper, you probably will never see it.

Tracey Connelley, Baby P's Evil Mom, Shows NO Remorse

I have never been affected by any story as much as Baby P's story has affected me. Yesterday evening, I found myself sobbing twice! I just can't get over the sheer horror of the story.

Baby P's Murderers -- Why Are They Being Protected?

In my country, it has never happened before that the media and the people have been forbidden to actually reveal the names and faces of TC and SB, the murderers of Baby P.

That Winter The Wind Blows Finale: Did Oh Soo Die?

Over the holy week break, I spent the entire four days just watching the 15 episodes of this Korean show. Yes, I am a self-confessed Korean drama addict. I already have my favorite actors and actresses; albeit, I don’t know their names.

Jun 7, 2008

Insecurity

Insecurity is a feeling of general unease or nervousness that may be triggered by perceiving oneself to be unloved, inadequate or worthless (whether in a rational or an irrational manner).

A person who is insecure lacks confidence in their own value and capability, trust in themselves or others, or has fears that a present positive state is temporary and will let them down and cause them loss or distress by "going wrong" in future.

I've been accused of this.
It was a curious statement which made me laugh actually.
Ironically, my irritation combined with pity was mistaken for insecurity.
How can I be insecure when I won?



Jun 6, 2008

Dona Nobis Pacem

This is Mimi's project.

I think my Blogblast for Peace globe says it all --


Jun 5, 2008

Pinoywriterz Made Up for It

A big dilemma -- what will you do?

I was working for Pinoywriterz. I resigned after I was informed that I was not going to get paid for 3 days worth of articles. I was furious. I kept receiving files and I kept submitting files and apparently, they were reassigned. I did not sleep for those days. Admittedly, I was late but I kept updating and they kept updating for status. Paige was sick. My fault was that I kept accepting files although I was way behind with the previous topics. But I thought they understood my problem. Anyways, that's all under the bridge now. I've resigned.

I even posted a rant yesterday, but I deleted it after I calmed down. Now, my problem is that after I was informed that I was not going to get paid for 3-days worth of articles -- 25 articles all in all. I decided to post those articles online. I submitted them to ezinearticles and hubpages and posted some on my blog.

The project coordinator of pinoywriterz offered to give me "help". Help? Was I that pathetic? Probably. I was making such a huge ruckus about the salary -- meager amount. But that was not the point. Anyway, I did not say yes or no. I just said that if he did send me the money, I'd regard it as "payment" for the articles. Through this exchange of messages, I was the Doubting Thomas. I was thinking, "Send money? Yeah Sure!" -- with snort.

I posted all the articles yesterday night.

Today, I received payment. I do not regard it as help but payment. Although the project coordinator said it's "help". Now, I feel honor bound to remove all the articles I posted. But I don't know how to remove them from hubpages and ezine. And even if I did, Google has already crawled the articles and would credit them to me.

What do I do now? I did not expect to receive payments for all articles -- only for those articles I did not post. So, I think I'm going to send back the extra money. I can't risk legal issues here.

Anyway, I have to give credit to them for making amends. That was professional of them. And for accepting that they made a mistake about the whole thing. I posted the articles because I thought I was not going to get paid for them. Honestly thought they wouldn't pay anymore. Now, I have to find a way to give them back the money -- or rather to send back the money to the project coordinator.


Jun 4, 2008

A Guide to Starting a Catering Business

Are you wondering what is required when you’re starting a home base catering business or just starting a catering business? Well, catering is certainly a profitable business. So, it is not surprising why you are considering starting up your own business. Catering businesses abound all over the country.

Catering as a Business

Often, people would resort to catering as a solution to food problem. Businesses holding conventions or seminars would pay for catering. Parties – even children parties – are catered nowadays. Catering has also become a symbol of affluence. Not surprisingly, if you’re successful at it, you could earn a lot of money. There are a lot of events that needs catering services – lunches, meetings, parties, and wedding receptions. Caterers would even find themselves catering a candlelight wedding proposal dinner!

As a caterer, you could earn as much as $160,000 a year. Well, this is what you could earn if you’re a city bound catering business. Not bad, right? That is pretty good enough reason to say goodbye to your 8 to 5 day job.

“But I’m living in a small town in Minnesota!”

People who live in small town America can also earn half as much as a caterer in the city. Of course, if you’re only doing it part-time, you can earn as much as $20,000 a year. Indeed, the opportunities for caterers abound. Not surprisingly, many people are wondering what they need in starting a home catering business.

Starting a Catering Business – Steps to Follow

Make that decision. This is crucial to starting a catering business. You need to have the passion for it and the dedication to your goal. Like most businesses, you’d meet problems and setbacks along the way, but as long as you stick to that decision, you’d make it.

  1. Apply for licenses. Your local health department will come to check on your business to make sure that you are complying with the health requirements for businesses. You should also prepare to show your certificate of occupancy, tax license and business name license.
  2. Create a work plan. You should make sure that your work plan is reasonable and doable.
  3. Know your business accounting. Yes, you are going to pay taxes. You might as well learn the financial side of your business. You need to know the basics of bookkeeping so you’d know how the money is moving in and out of your operations.
  4. Purchase your catering tools. Purchase the necessary cooking utensils. Also, get tables and chairs. Obviously, you’d need them for catering. Get a supply of decorative props – table cloths, napkins, vases and so on.
  5. Promote your business. Like most businesses, you need to invest money on marketing and advertising. You need this to jumpstart your business. Some caterers start with their families and friends and then they’d cross their fingers. You would get more business if more people know it exists!
  6. Learn as much as you can about catering. If you would like to learn about your business, you should get hold of a book that will help you understand the ins and outs of starting a home catering business.

What You Need to Know about Starting a Catering Business

Are you considering starting a home catering business? Who can blame you? Catering is a feasible, doable and profitable business. This is the perfect career for people who love cooking and pleasing people with their food. The job of a caterer revolves around pleasing your customers. Otherwise, your business will not survive. You need to ensure that you present the perfect meal, desserts, appetizers and drinks. The food that you present can either kill or create a perfect occasion for your customer. This is especially true if you are catering a wedding or a conference.

Starting Your Catering Business

There are a lot of things that you need to consider before you start a catering business. You would have to consider your capital or start-up cost. If you don’t have the capital, you also need to consider your source of financing. Perhaps, you need to get a loan. You need to secure all the necessary licenses. A catering business needs appropriate catering equipment. You need to prepare a budget for marketing or advertising.

You need to consider the type of catering service you are going to put up, the type of events that you are going to cater to and the types of marketing strategies you are going to adopt. You may need insurance. All these things require that you create a business plan.

Learning Business Management

In starting a catering business, you need to learn how to manage your business. Like most businesses, you’d come across problems and stumbling blocks. You need to learn the technical side of your business – handling employees, accounting books, inventorying, et cetera.

You also need how to manage events. This is crucial to your business operations. You are basically going to manage an event from start to finish. You need to make sure that everything is perfect. You need to learn how to estimate the quantity of food you are going to prepare. Make sure that the food is enough but not too much. You also need to secure partners or contacts for decorating services since a catering business may require that you also provide the event’s décor. You might also need to get in touch with people who can provide you with entertainers if your customers request for this additional service.

Staring a Home Base Catering Service

If you’re thinking of cutting back on startup cost and you’re considering a home base catering service, do not let people discourage you from pursuing your dream. A home base catering service is actually easy if you are prepared to handle the possible setbacks.

The first thing that you need to do before you even purchase spoon and fork for your business is to make sure that your business is legitimate in your state. There are states that forbid home based catering businesses. You couldn’t possibly get a license if your business is illegal in the first place.

When starting a business, you might need all the help you can get. If it is home based, you’d probably start with small dinners and birthday parties. You would need someone to help you with the cooking. If you can’t afford a couple of employees, perhaps, you can get a friend or a family to help you out.