Most are listing down their resolutions for the year. I’m listing down the habits I want to break and create good ones.

I’ve had my fair share of resolutions and noticed I don’t accomplish most of them because of excuses. Does this sound familiar to you? – “I didn’t get to do my new year’s resolution from x years ago because (fill in the blank with excuses).” Perhaps the resolution or goal was never accomplished because we were yanked out from our euphoric state of the new year’s celebration and back to the usual grind of daily tasks.

This 2012, I’ve decided to create new habits instead of making a list of resolutions. Hold on, let me think about this again. Okay, that sounds like a resolution to me, so I’m going to have this one. Not a list, but just one simple goal.

It will not only achieve one resolution but many.

Being less of a perfectionist
Everyone who has worked with or for me, close friends, and family can attest to this. Perhaps it was because I was told to “do it right the first time”. Nevertheless, this is one thing I need to work on.

Being a perfectionist is a double-edged sword and it has done me more harm than good. It has taught me fear. That’s not good considering that my closest friends have told me I was fearless.

It stunted my growth, ideas didn’t push through, I failed to create, I (almost) became a “pleaser” and worst of all, it didn’t make me happy.

By creating this habit, it’s going to be easier for me to let go, learn to lower my expectations, be comfortable with uncertainty, love surprises, connect with more people, and live life as it’s supposed to be.

What habit are you going to break or create this year to get more of your resolutions done?

Image: kongsky / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Seeing the post about “Juan Time, The New Filipino Time” by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Science and Technology Information Institute, I instantly took a great interest in their campaign. At first, I thought, “Is Philippine Standard Time (PST) going to be only synchronized within the country? How about the world, considering we are all connected through the Internet?” My questions come from the fact that I base my time utilizing an atomic clock to ensure I’m synchronized with everyone in the world.

I had to do a little bit of research and compared the time between the clock found on the Pagasa DOST website and The World Time Server. Definitely good news. They are synchronized!

We can now all use the tool to check the right time. Better yet, why not change the time now on all your clocks and watches in the household. The link on the DOST website might not be java based, like other websites, but it works. You only need to click on the Philippine Standard Time link and a pop-up window will appear to show you the time.

I do, however, know that changing the time is just at tiny step to break an old habit of people thinking Filipinos are always late. But, it’s a start.

Imagine the effects of being on time! My favorite? Productivity.

So, what time is it then on your watch?

I was instantly hooked and spent about 2 hours just listening to the people discuss about Google+, some proposed an arranged marriage, some just dropped by and was quiet most of the time, and it also came a point where people had a chance to introduce themselves. What made it interesting was that it was a mix of people from different backgrounds and cultures. There was really no moderator and the conversation was free flowing. It was indeed a worldwide public video chat room of 10 people (max capacity of Hangout at this point).

Watch a live stream of the Hangout from here and if there is a free slot open, go right ahead and join the Hangout session.

Picture this. Log in to one account then log out. Log in again to another then log out. Maybe open 2 browsers so I can have a couple of them open at the same time. If that doesn’t make you feel stressed, I don’t know what else will.

Things have changed recently and I’ve found several tools that I now use to start my day. I’ve found that using these tools, I spend less time going through the information chaos and I don’t miss an email (even the menial ones).

I’ve moved to Rockmelt and this has been my default browser since it launched. It gives me a pretty good snapshot of what is new from my feeds, tweets and Facebook notifications in one interface. I can also update my status and tweet from one window. No need to move to another tab and log in separately.

I love the “Share” button, which makes it easier for me to share any web page and post it on Facebook and tweet it (yes, in one interface).

The best one yet, is the “View Later” feature. I find an article but don’t have time to read it, then I just click that button. A great bookmarking tool!

They are constantly adding more applications and just found that they’ve added Tumblr. I think I’ve said it enough, “Yes, all that from one interface.”

Threadsy is next and it is a big time saver. It pulls all your emails into one interface. It also has the ability to show a stream from Facebook and Twitter.

What’s great about this tool is that I can respond to an email, tweet or Facebook thread from just one interface. I can search through all my emails with the use of the search bar.

Any changes I’ve made – like sending emails or moving messages to folders – will be reflected in the original account.

The only downside with Threadsy is you can’t search through old emails since it only pulls new and unread emails.

Lastly, Postling. This tool is great if you need to manage several brands and use social media and blog to several communities. Well, it is useful even if it’s just managing one brand, say your company or personal presence on the web.

Postling states, ” it’s the easiest way for small businesses to use social media,” and I agree! It rocks! I have several blogs that I need to maintain and each has its own unique community. Apart from that, managing my conversations with my business contacts have been a challenge until I opened an account in Postling.

I can add several communities to the account and check whether a comment has been made and I can easily reply to it. It tracks all comments made to my status updates. We’ve all experienced old posts getting buried by new Facebook posts and we forget old conversations. Now, I can go back to it and just click on the “Comments” tab so I can scroll down and add to the thread, if needed. This includes blog comments as well.

The stream or comments can also be shared as a blog post, which makes it easier to share and add your two cents in one interface. I also love the keyword tracking tool where you can have it check whether these have been posted or are being talked about. Great stuff for brands!

The only downside is the reviews tool. It uses Yelp, which is only for the U.S.

All these tools have one thing in common – managing social media. Do I get confused on what tool to use when engaging a conversation? Not really. If I’m checking my email, I can then see the stream from Threadsy and manage it from there. If I’m browsing, then Rockmelt is used. When I’m writing, I go for Postling.

I’m hoping one of these tools can include an email marketing tool. Can you imagine having all your contacts, start an email campaign and manage social media in one tool? If you’ve seen or using one, let me know ASAP!

Now on its 7th run, it will be staged at the CCP Little Theater from February 18 to March 13, 2011. This run promises to be full of surprises, starting with a new set design done by Gino Gonzales and new cast members to play the role of Dodong, Didi and Queen Femina.

Eula Valdez reprises her role as Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah and Tuxqs Rutaquio as Ada. Pinky Amador will be playing Queen Femina alternating with Kalila Aguilos, Gabe Mercado alternates as Didi, and Dodong’s role will be by Rocky Salumbides or Red Anderson with a few performances by Prince Stefan.

This show wouldn’t have been dubbed as Tanghalang Pilipino’s award winning and longest original musical comedy if it weren’t for Carlo Vergara, who created the heroine and published the graphic novel, “Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah” in which the play was adapted from.

Looking into buying tickets for the February 26 (8PM) and March 13 matinee shows? Then you’ve come to the right place. Tickets for these two shows are being sold here. If you tried going to Ticket World or Tanghalang Pilipino, you’ll end up here as well.

To purchase or reserve tickets, head on to the Zaturnnah 2011 ticket page.

You can also watch the Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzical 2011 press conference videos (Excerpt 1, Excerpt 2 and Excerpt 3).

Here is a preview of the new stage design for this year’s run. Photo courtesy of Gabe Mercado.

For inquiries, questions or clarifications, feel free to contact me at:

Email: jmayeronline [@] gmail [dot] com
Landline: 400-9550 / 376-7040
Mobile: 0929-6759214

Uncertainty. A word that I used to dread. I was the type of person who would make sure everything goes exactly as planned. Any changes to the plan would make me anxious. Recently, I’ve managed to learn how to accept uncertainty and look at it at something positive rather than destructive. I now welcome it with open arms.

With this new found attitude, I looked at the big vase I have at my office that served as my piggy bank, which is now full of coins. Regardless of the amount, I’ve religiously placed coins in it, knowing that one has to “save for a rainy day”. Most people would advise me to deposit it in my account and start all over, probably even in a time deposit account so it can grow. The old me would definitely do the same, but things have changed.

Looking at the pile of coins that I’ve neatly organized on my desk, I decided to do the unthinkable. Not knowing how much it is, I’ve decided to start a new tradition. My piggy bank was not going to be for me, but its purpose is now to help educate the less fortunate or those who need it most. I’ve been blessed to have the resources to keep on learning through countless mediums. Not everyone has the luxury of what I have.

This brings me back to the good old days when I enjoyed training people and how I’ve always been frustrated with our educational system. This brought back memories of when I decided to leave the corporate world and pursue a dream that involved educating people, to help inspire them and be a better person. It reminded me why I started my virtual events (webinar) business in the first place.

As I continue to count the coins, I’ve decided to save to give education to others. I have yet to think of how to do this, but one thing for sure I’m going to do this every time my vase is full or when it is needed, whichever come first. It might just be enough to buy a couple of textbooks or an hour of tutoring, but it will definitely be geared towards education.

Photo courtesy of Am-a’s photostream.

The topic for that day was “Why Businesses (Entrepreneurs) Fail?”, where we discussed a few reasons why we fail in our businesses and how training can help bridge that gap. It being a broad topic, there wasn’t enough time to discuss it in length. I’m hoping that whoever was watching during the live show learned a few things.

Good news is that they are inviting me back sometime November for their show on “Virtuality”. This one I’m excited about since it is in line with my business. I’m hoping that the questions would showcase what we have to offer.

Thanks again to Boom San Agustin and Alvin Tan, the hosts of the show, for giving me the opportunity to guest on their show.

As soon as the iPhone 4 was released by Apple, I couldn’t resist to visit their website and learn more about the new features.

Retina Display
The highest resolution on the iPhone is just amazing! Watch videos, display your pictures, browse through websites and reading emails is going to be one of the best experiences you’ll have when using the iPhone 4. Being a fan of crisp and crystal clear images, this made me drool.

FaceTime
Video calling at its finest! The phone has two cameras, one on the front and the other at the back. With a touch of a button, you can show and share what’s happening on the other side. Their advertisement just blew me away and admittedly brought tears to my eyes. My favorite was when a soldier, far from home, witnessed his wife’s visit to see an ultrasound of their unborn child. You can’t beat that. But, wait! Video calling through the mobile network? I was relieved to find out that you can use this feature over WiFi!

There are more features that isn’t new to an iPhone user, but to me, being someone who has watched at the sidelines and because of FaceTime, is ready to invest on this beautiful piece of hardware.

Hearing the news that it’s coming to the Philippines very soon (sometime late September or October), I visited the Globe website and asked around whether I can reserve a unit. Imagine the big smile on my face when I found out Globe is accepting pre-registrations! Take note that submitting your information doesn’t mean you’ve reserved a unit. It allows Globe to contact you when the units have arrived and send details on how you can order. Fair enough.

I’ve registered my interest and I can’t wait to get a hold of the new iPhone 4. To my pleasant surprise, my hubby wants one too! FaceTime here we come!

We don’t plan to continue developing Wave as a standalone product, but we will maintain the site at least through the end of the year and extend the technology for use in other Google projects.

I, for one, is disappointed with this update. Yes, it’s not a perfect product. There are times when your images don’t show up or documents being uploaded can’t be previewed or it’s too slow. Despite its limitations, I’ve learned to ignore them because it helped me organize my work. It was easier for me to click on “next 1″ (which brings you automatically to the latest post within a wave) and read the comment within a project cycle than browse through my inbox, trying to look for the email thread (especially if the subject has been changed several times).

I’ve read comments and posts from Wave critics, stating it was a hodgepodge of existing tools which is why it didn’t work. Maybe it was, but knowing how to use it properly and for its intended purpose (like project management or brainstorming), it’s a great productivity tool.

So, as I say goodbye to Google wave, I look forward to what the team has to offer when they merge this with other Google projects.

Time to research for the next new shiny toy…

Despite the numerous projects that I’ve worked on, there is a pattern to all this chaos and this has always been my focus since. A few things stuck out and one is blogging (or writing as others would prefer to call it). My passion to share knowledge to those who care to listen has always been there from the start. I’ve been very fortunate to have been given the chance to do so through this medium.

With this being said, I’d like to take this opportunity to share what I’ve done in the past and projects that I’m working on. Probably a little bit of history would be good too.

Humble History

It was 2002 when I first tried writing about my life online. The blogosphere was scarce and there were only a couple of platforms being offered. LiveJournal was my first home but eventually moved to Blogger. After a few years, I found Squarespace and this is when I decided to move to the next level and talk about my professional life at Call Center Blurbs and closed my Blogger posts to the public.

My first stint as a professional blogger was when Know More Media’s COO offered me a job to contribute to one of their blogs within their network - Call Center Script. I gave it a shot and this is where I got formally trained, met a lot of great writers and learned the business perspective of running a blog network. Despite the stressful lifestyle in the BPO industry, I wrote in the weekends and earned extra money. I even tried contributing to BizToolBelt, but my schedule didn’t quite fit in. Unfortunately, the KMM team had to part ways due to financial reasons.

My Projects Today

Fast forward to today, I’ve started and revamped niche’ blogs as a medium for me to continue sharing my knowledge. WordPress is my platform of choice and have been using it since.

Call Center Blurbs still exists and when KMM ceased operations, some of my readers moved here. I’m thinking of how to continue on and provide more content to my readers.

I’ve always been an advocate of providing excellent customer service and Philippine Customer Service serves that purpose. I have so much content in my so called “writing den” that hasn’t been published yet. I’ve invited Paolo Reyes to be my co-blogger in the site, being someone who shares the same passion I have to elevate service in the country.

A Throb of Knowledge has been a hodgepodge of topics and was more of a placeholder for posts that don’t fit in any of my blogs. Originally called Knowledge Pulse, it was supposed to be focused on things I learn and discuss my new and shiny toy discoveries.

Philippine Webinars was born out of the need to connect it to my business. The world of webinars specifically for the local market.

One would think it would end there but I’ve just started a new one called Social Games Broadcast, a video blog site that showcases social games from different developers. I’m currently in the midst of adding more content but I’m seeing a lot of traffic already. This was born out of my experience from my current writing career within the gaming industry.

With so many blogs, managing my business, and planning to launch other projects (yes, there are more but not blogs), I am only one person. I’ve been branded as a “super woman” but we all know that super heroes need help from friends too. If you’d like to join in the fun, you know where to find me.