Folly

Realization hit me again,
slapped me hard on the forehead.


Talked to my mama and
she asked me how my online
'monkey business' was going.


I told her how I was paid
measly for doing schoolkids' essays,
research and other scholarly work.


She said that I was being paid to do what
they should be doing by themselves and
I was not being paid to well.


Well, kids nowadays are a lazy bunch,
one kid did not pay me at all,
one kid paid days after the agreed date,
another paid me just 15 pesos
worth of mobile phone credits
for a reaction paper.


But some were really galante
may nagbigay ng domo-kun
pencil case plus a baller na free shipping pa,
just for 5 very short questions.


I was also trying to market myself as a subcontractor
for article commissions but most of them were
re-writing ones and one does get tired
of writing the same topic over and over again.


I was supposed to submit two 500 word articles
yesterday but I could only submit one and she got mad at me of course.
I am ashamed, yes, because I was not able to
tell her early on about my dilemma.
The payment was supposed to be $1 pitiful dollar
for a 500 word article, around P40 pesos or so.


Writing with sense and excellent grammar,
should be worth more.
And what is it about re-writing articles ?
What good does it do?
I think more than half of all netizens
can discern bullshit marketing
when they see it.


I was also trying to sell
my pre-loved items online.
I admit, I am not really a
business-minded person so I am
getting tired of this endeavor.


I now know, I prefer shopping in person
than online because you get to see and feel
what you are buying.
What most people love about online
retailing is the happiness they feel
upon receiving their items by post.


Look at the items they sell online,
they are dirt cheap, some of them really are,
my supposed Vapur water container
is clearly a copycat of the original one.
I think I might get cancer from using it.


Just the other day, while browsing
on one of the pages that most online sellers
hangout in, I read about the nasty boasting
of this girl gloating about her authentic
MAC cosmetics and brush set that was worth
around a thousand.
I asked her whether they were really authentic
and somebody replied that they were manufactured
in Singapore and not from the USA.
I wanted to comment on her post
about her stashes' purported authenticity
but that would just invite the trolls.


For me, it is better to invest in makeup
that are tested they might be from the same manufacturer
but they don't have the same guarantee.
You might get allergies from them,
worse galis from them hehehehe.


Those people selling contact lenses,
those Korean ones, they usually have defects.
I had one student who got her cornea scratched,
she went blind on one eye for awhile, because
of these fakes.


What about those BB creams and slimming pills?
You do not know what is inside those tubes,
the directions are mostly written in Korean,
Thai or Chinese.
For all we know, they have lead and mercury.


My dorm mate was found unconscious on the stairs
by our matron, (way back in college)
she was taking Bangkok pills then.
I guess nothing changed,
if it is not FDA approved,then be prepared
for the consequences.
If it works then well and good,
if it does not well blame yourself.


Selling clothes, shoes and accessories
 online are profitable though,
you just get what you paid for,
so expectations should be lowered.


Gadgets are expensive and most
people online are scammers anyway.
For every 1 honest seller there are 3
scammers who are just out there
to get your money.


The only useful thing I saw in the facebook market
were the organizers that can be flat-packed.


Well online retailing is not evil in its entirety,
there are honest sellers out there,
most of them source abroad
or buy locally from trusted brands
others join bazaars.


Other sellers, market services
such as catering or baking.
A close friend of mine
bought cupcakes this way and they were yummy.


We agreed that the safest way for
service transactions is to choose
a seller near your place,
that way you can check them
out yourselves or cross-check their
goods with the local gossip mongers hehehe.


One seller may work for your friend,
but may not work for you.
Items purchased online are risky,
they might ship you the wrong items,
bill you more than what was agreed upon,
or you might get the item but the courier
wrecked the thing.

Anyhow, in online retailing

nobody is 100% safe, you are on your own out there.

Just have common sense.