friendillion

Step 1: Quit your job 👋 Step 2: Launch side projects 🚀 Step 3: Become profitable in 1 year 💸 In this picture is Justin. A Full Stack Developer based in San Francisco. I used to collaborate with him and frequently asks techy advice (mostly back-end coding & deployment) from him back in the day. Justin was working in an established software company where he gets $120,000 per year (plus equity & benefits). It is a job every web developer always wanted. Working in Silicon Valley and getting all the perks in the company. What more can you ask for… But Justin resigned from the company that he’s been working for several years. It is so weird to find a guy leaving an association which gives a stable and promising career. According to Justin, the high salary always comes with a price. Companies that hire skilled workers like Justin would always squeeze every bit of time, energy, and patience from them. Therefore, leaving their employees not only drain and ti...

Two months ago, I called up my former neighbor in Cityland Pasig to offer my Chocolate products for my Tree Planting project. Monica now has a family with 2 loving daughters. I get to see her whenever I get around her area in Taguig. So I called Monx (her nickname) and told her that we are selling our chocolate products and the proceeds will go to planting Cacao trees in the province. She immediately said Yes and ordered multiple boxes. Then Monx asked me the one thing I won’t ever forget… “Do your products have sugar on it” ? Monica has gone berzerk and has completely become “Sugar-Free” ! If you go visit her place, you won’t find any type of sugar in her house. Open their refrigerator and you won’t find any Coca-Cola in sight. “Damay-Damay na” (Everyone will be affected) is what Monica said to me. Even her kids are not permitted to take any sugarly products. It took her daughters and a great amount of time to adjust to their new diet but now has completely adapted to it knowi...

Foreigners from different countries visit the Philippines to witness the beauty of our country. I happen to meet some of them (mostly from Europe) and they immediately ask me for what places to visit. Tourists always like the famous touristic places but I always give them another option if they want a memorable experience from my country. Instead of them going to El Nido, I tell them to stay in Port Barton instead. If they want Boracay, I give them an alternative itinerary that is outside the norm of the regular tourist. Up north, I advised them to take Batad rather than Banaue. Having traveled to most of these places, I make it a point that these tourists will enjoy what I encountered during my past trips. Then came another tourist from Belgium. He visited me in Manila for a few days and said that he will go to Pampanga to see the local tribes. Then go up to the mountains of Batad after. I was impressed that this guy did his research. He is one of the few tourists that didn’t re...

Happy New Year everyone! How did your holiday go? I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. During the break, I took the time to pause, reflect, and give thanks on the thing that was good to me. My project… my Friendillion. What started as an itch for writing, ended up as gaining more than what I expected. I gained new friends during my 1st year with Friendillion. Learning from these individuals and picking a slice of inspiration on their success stories. During that process, I happened to get Free accommodation, Free Lunch and Dinner, Free Chocolate cakes, Free Tour, and yes… some of that micro influencer earnings. During that long Christmas break, I did some soul searching if I was still to proceed with the program. Make no mistake, it was more than beneficial but I feel that I haven’t really given inspiration to my readers and followers. I feel I have more to give. More stories, more inspiration, that hopefully could change or uplift the lives of the people. ...

How many languages do you speak? 1 or 2? I, on the other hand, would want to learn a new language as much as possible. To me, studying a foreign language feeds my brain. It helps me develop strong cognitive skills and improves my social interaction between peers (locals or foreign alike). International travel is made easier and more pleasant through knowing their country’s language. Instead of doing some dull things like posting selfies on social media, I spend more time acquiring new knowledge such as the potential of being a “Polylinguist” ! So, without further ado, here are my spoken languages… ENGLISH: With the Philippines being colonized by the United States for almost 50 years (1898-1946), English has become a natural 2nd language to most Filipinos. In fact, me and my kids speak more English fluently than our local dialect. I have to say that we are in some way fortunate since we don’t have to study English that is the actual “Universal Language” . It is one of the...

I want to do something good to give back into this world. I want to be humanitarian to our Mother Nature who has been genuine to us from generations to generations. So I decided to go Tree Planting. Hoping that in this way I’ll be able to “Boost Climate Adaptation” . I choose Cacao Tree above the rest because according to study, most experts fear there will be a cacao shortage by 2050. And it is more than mandatory to do engage in this battle to save the world’s favorite treat… Our beloved Chocolate! So me and my wife got some cacao beans. Made products made from the said beans and did Dark Chocolate bars, Protein Balls, and Vegan Brownies. Some were borderline satisfactory edible and some were pretty amazing. The plan is to sell these products and the proceeds of those would go to the tree planting project in my province in Balayan Batangas. Our assumption was if one was to buy 1 box then they get to adopt 1 cacao seedling named after them. It was a great plan! So our first ...

Tomorrow is my birthday! December 1 to some people is about “World AIDS Day” . Some are feeling excited because it’s the first day of Christmas month. But tomorrow, I’ll be giving more attention to another more special occasion… the day my Youngest Sister passed away. When I was young, it was all about receiving gifts and goodies. As I grew older, it turned to parties, booze, and yes more parties. But since last year, I had a different perspective on celebrating my birthday. Although, I will be celebrating my birthday with my loved ones, close relatives and friends… deep inside, I’ll be reminiscing the life of my sister. She died at an early age of 26. We never got the chance to see her full potential using her skills and talents. Her angelic singing voice, her baking skills, and the “Cheeky Bone” smile that melts everybody’s heart. To those who are not aware, my sister Roberta Marie Martinez, was an accident. She is not planned to be born in this world. My Mom was past he...

Steve Jobs ($10.2 billion), Bill Gates ($96.4 billion), Mark Zuckerberg ($3.9 billion). What to do they have in common aside from being ridiculously rich? All of them are College dropouts. And they are not the only ones who became financially successful in life. If you look around in your area or neighborhood… you will see some dude who’s more than financially secured who didn’t even finish one semester. It’s either these people are great or our traditional school is lagging behind in education. So in order to get an analysis on this, I asked a few of my classmates in La Salle on how far did they go after school. Some did okay, while some are struggling. But only a few of them really made it big time. It really got me into thinking… where should I enroll my children? After knowing that our traditional school graduates are not getting the jobs that they want. It bears down on us with a lot of uncertainty. Is there any other option??? Then I saw my cousin Frannie… She’s...

“EAT OUT TUESDAY” Name of Restaurant : Spoon eat + drink Location : 319 Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes Parañaque City Best Seller : Osso Buco, Roast Chicken w/ smoked paprika grapes What makes them unique : One of a kind ambiance It’s a different world out there. Our ever-changing and chaotic world has made people always on the go and in a rush. They basically don’t have time to savor the beauty of what we call life. That also applies when they go out and dine. Customers just go to a restaurant, eat and leave. I mean, what’s the point of going out anyway if you’re just there to munch your order like a vacuum machine sucking up all the food in a matter of minutes. Why don’t we be like the French or the Spaniards? When they go out, they want to get the best quality of life by slowing it down. And when they slow down, they enjoy each and every experience they encounter. Sadly, the restaurants here in the Philippines are jampacked with hungry and noisy customers and that...

There are 2 countries that me and my family almost considered migrating in… Australia, and the country that I am highlighting today… The Great White North or also known as the country of Canada! Yes, we almost did. In fact, we picked the place that we want…. in Sudbury Ontario. 3 years after, we remained here in the Philippines and the thought of migrating has turned from a concrete decisive plan to just a past reflection. Still, we haven’t lost touch to all of our friends and families who are now living in a place full of “Skis and Snowboards” . Toronto, Brussels, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal, Barrie, and even Whitehorse. I talked and communicated to each one of them and asked for advice about their place, work environment, the weather, cost of living, and even their most popular cuisine. Canada has been the top destination for our fellow Filipinos to work and migrate in. On average, Canada received about more than 20,000 Filipino immigrants every year… making their c...

The Philippines is running out of farmers. It doesn’t matter if we are blessed with different kinds of bodies of water, lands that are lush and fertile, and a climate that is favorable in growing various valued crops, livestock, and farm animals. All of that is worthless… without farmers, all of us will be dead soon…. in a matter of speaking! The country’s food security is at risk as millions of farmers and fishermen are getting too old (average age of 57) for what is back-breaking work and their children are not keen on taking over. The younger generation, who saw their parents grow old and poor in farming, do not see agriculture as a lucrative career. They would rather go to the cities or migrate abroad than continue the farming tradition. When a new generation refuses to farm, who will feed the people? In comes the new batch! In a small municipality in the province of Batangas lived these cute little girls. They stay most of their time on their farm. These twins go rov...

The long Semestral break vacation is almost over. My two boys are starting to feel the end of it. Petrified of getting back to reality…. the act of going back to school. No matter how hard I tried to persuade my kids that school is satisfying and commendable, their desire for a long vacation often beats my persuasion. They are like the rest of the normal kids…. dreading for homework, assignments, projects, and exams. I don’t want them to grow up afraid of Mondays and so eager to get to Payday Friday. So I need to do the unthinkable and do something unique and different but at the same time effective. People often say that a way through a man’s heart is through his stomach. Maybe that could do the trick. My wife always does the cooking and my kids often love her dishes. But this time, it’s my turn to put on my magic sleeves. I want them to be not afraid of school, Mondays, and make every weekday as happy as their beloved long vacation. So I went to market early in the morning ...

Imagine yourself taking a vacation in a serene place where there are lots of trees, favorable weather, and all the organic food that you can eat. Later that evening, the forest insects will make the night chirping sounds that will be your lullaby to sleep. Then suddenly, somebody will intrude your sleep and wake you at 2:30 am. Crying, mourning, and begging you to come out to the tree that he is pointing at. You then followed his request and make your way towards the tree. From there you will see a lady underneath the branch of the tree… hanged by the rope she tied that same night. Death by hanging… Creepy isn’t it? Well, that exactly happened to me a few years back in my province in Batangas. Our staff, who were a couple, had a fight the night before the suicide, and the wife just gave up on life and hang herself. Trust me, with all the Scary Train rides and Horror Houses that I’ve been in… nothing came close to this one. A real human being, with her eyes wide like she is almost...

Our world is filled with love through our creator, our immediate family, our friends, and even our furry little creatures we consider as pets. Animals play an important role in many people’s lives. They provide us companionship with emotional support. Our pets reduce our stress levels, our anxieties, and help us with our self-esteem and create a positive emotional development. Humans and Animals have always been interdependent but somehow we tend to forget them. We put them in cages and chains. From a family member to an abandoned beast. I see a lot of animals that are maltreated, abused, neglected and treated as a house decor to impress their incoming guests. God created them for a purpose. Let’s make them worthwhile. Here’s why we should give more value and time to our forgotten furry friends… 1.) THEY LOVE YOU MATTER WHAT => Try not to attend to your friend’s birthday party. What do you think the outcome would look like? Pretty bad, isn’t it? Your friend would probably...

Kids of this day and age regular past time are going to concerts, uploading Instagram stories, and spending a lot of time on their phone like their life depends on it. And as normal parents, we let our kids do some of those. We have to let them lose and allow them to join this so-called group that they adequately call the “Z Generation” or the “iGen” . But us Dinosaurs want to present our kids of things that are a little bit extinct to their “Millennial Mind” . Things like playing the musical instrument, the outdoor Patintero, and spending time with nature. We the Prehistoric ones grew up playing in the sand & the mud while the iGen kids now play Candy Crush, Temple Run and other phone games. So we implanted some of what we have to our children’s everyday routine. We have to bring in more History, Moral Fiber, Integrity, and getting to know the Origin of where did they belong. That is why I decided to bring my kids back to the Source. The place of my Grandfather and his ance...

People think Love is about kissing their spouse regularly, buying their children everything that they want, visiting their old folks, and treating their laborers like family. Family always comes first. They are the reason why we live. They are our lifelines. The ones that complete us. After all, they are God’s gift to us, as we are to them. My hats off to all of you. You demonstrate and present love to your loved ones and the people important to you. But nobody gets credit loving those people who dearly loves us. That part is so easy. It’s automatic with not quite a challenge. So in theory, we are all just categorized as… “Ordinary” ! And when we die and go to Heaven, we will get our pass through the gates and be reunited with those who went before us. Then we will be called… “Ordinary Souls” ! My friends from France are completely different. They choose to be not Ordinary. Her name is Pauline. And the guy’s name is Johan. She is a Real Estate Broker while He is a Life Guard. She...

Do you wanna be a Doctor? A Lawyer? A Software Engineer? or even a Nurse? How about Teaching? May I see your hands… No takers? Why, Why, and more Why? Being a Teacher is conceivably the Hardest, Most Underrated Job today. They are Underappreciated and Underpaid almost in every corner of the world. What makes it worse is Teachers experience high levels of daily stress (especially in public schools in the Philippines). The Teacher-Student ratio is ridiculously absurd. And they carry this colossal obligation on graduating their students. It’s really a very tough job! Come to think of it, why are we paying the Educators of our Future Generations less when they do “SO MUCH” ? It’s totally unfair! And with the rise of Smart Machines, New Media Literacy, and everything being Globally Connected. You’ll see multiple new sets of skills that never existed in the past. Bums making “Big Bucks” just by uploading videos on YouTube. Single Mom’s making a big splash in sellin...