I don’t know if it has something to do with the difficulties of life or people are just becoming smarter everyday. Have you observed how a nouveau riche scam becomes more and more complex as time goes by? Before, in the Philippines, what we have was the budul-budul gang where a person would call a household to tell whoever answers the phone, most of the time it will be the maids, that the homeowner had an accident and needs money badly for the hospital. I don’t know how they do it but most of the time they will go and give the money to the suspects. A few years later, another nouveau riche scam came into light better known as pyramid scam. How it works? Hmmm… First, the founder recruits a certain number of people. He/she will introduce a product and will make it appear as if the member will earn by commission if the member will sell the product. So for you to sell the product, you need to shell out a certain amount from 5,000 to 10,000 as starters. The founder gives a kit to the member so that the member will start selling the product. And then the founder would say you know what, why don’t you recruit at least two members. So that, you can earn more for you will also get commisions on their sales. And if your two members will be able to recruit two each, you and your two recruits will get commission on whatever their recruits sells and so on and so forth. But the pyramid scam that really which I consider the nouveau rich scam of all time, works the same way as the one that I mentioned but the member does not need to sell any product. All the member has to do is invest and to recruit people and encourage them to do the same. What happens is, a member will be asked to shell out at least 10,000 pesos and is promised that his/her money will return in a short period. So surely enough, a check with the promised amount will arrive a few weeks later. And then the founding member will contact you to tell you that you can increase your investment to get a higher commision but you can’t go beyond 100,000 pesos to give way to others who may want to join the company. Since you were able to get a check for your first investment, you go ahead and put 100,000 Pesos more and tell your friends and family members. You give your testimony that it is true and then convinced them to invest money and then… BAM! The company closes down and the founder goes into hiding… with your money of course. Tsk, tsk, tsk… Is it really about the criminal mind going complex or is it plainly our greed that brings us to this kind of situation?
1:27 AM, November 12, 2008. I will be going back to work in 20 hours. Sometimes I feel excited going back to work at times, I don’t feel like woking. Hay… As of the moment, I don’t want to go to work. Sheesh… But a girl has to do what a girl has to do! And besides, if I don’t go tonight, my work will pile up, if it does, the more that I will feel not going to work anymore… Whoahhh….
Nelson W. Aldrich Jr. wrote a book entitled “Old Money: The Mythology of America’s Upper Class” in 1988. The book, at some point discussed how the term nouveau riche has shifted from a derogatory term into a more positive light. He mentioned Ronald Reagan as perfect example of a nouveau riche. So perfect in fact that many believed that he is the embodiment of the nouveau riche of America which was believed to be one of the major factors for his election as the 40th President of America.
Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois on February 6, 1911 to John “Jack” Reagan and Nelle Wilson Reagan. His family moved to several towns and cities until 1919 where they moved back to Tampico where they lived above the H.C. Pitney Variety Store. In 1920, when the PItney store closed, his family moved to Dixon where he attended Dixon High School. After high school, he attended Eureka College where he majored in economics and sociology. In 1932, he finished college and drove to Iowa to audition for a job in a small radio station. His career in the fim industry started in 1937 when he starred in Love is in the Air. This was after a screen test that he took and ended up with a seven-year contract with Warner Bros. It is believed that his political career started when he became the host for General Electronics Theater where he was required to travel to the different GE plants and give speeches which were mostly political and pro-business by nature. He was the Governor of California from 1967 to 1975 and became the President of the US in 1981 until 1989. He was diagnosed with Alzhiemer’s disease on August 1994 and died June 5, 2004.
I was out with a couple of friends last month when a colleague said that I am the new terror on the floor. I kinda laughed at what he said and took it as a joke. But after giving it some thought, I ended up asking myself, is that how my agents see me? The thought of being the “terror” on the floor would be pleasing for some and honestly, I did find it pleasing for a moment. Which made me feel uncomfortable for I believe that people who will find such thought are power hungry people. People who likes to impose their position on other people. I felt uncomfortable with the thought of me liking the idea for this that there is a possibility that I am a power hungry person. I do not want people to fear me. All I wanted was respect the same way as I respect other people’s individuality. But I guess I am not sending the right message across. An agent once told me that I am like the incarnation of her home room advisor is one of those testimonies. So how can I make things better? How will I let them know that what I wanted is their respect, loyalty and trust not fear?
