Best-Selling Toy in the World

Ever wonder, what is the world's best-selling toy? I have always been fascinated by facts and history and as the head of the Toys Department category, I have always thought, the Barbie, a super-hero toy, a Train Set may have dominated the frontier of toys... So I began to read all about toys and I was amazed that people are so fascinated that it sold more than 350 million pieces of this educational piece of toy.  Its the Rubic's Cube or some may call the Magic Cube that has been declared the best-selling toy.

Rubik’s Cube began in 1974 by Erno Rubik,a Hungarian sculptor and professor of Architecture,  he wanted a working model to help explain three-dimensional geometry.  It took him one month before he was able to solve the Cube for himself.  Over 350 million Rubik’s Cubes have been sold worldwide – making it the best selling toy of all time.I have several friends who are really good at playing this cube,  I have to admit, I don't have much patience to learn the various tricks in playing this game.

But I must say, I can't remember how many Rubik's Cube have I bought myself and eventually would have lose it or have given it away to kids as a fun way of making children's learn an educational game such as the Rubik's Cube.

With the proliferation of many kinds and designs of a Rubik's Cube, it has evolved tremendously and catching up with the aficionado's of this toy.  There are indeed many countless ways to enjoy playing this game.  But as for me, it may only turn up as a paper weight in my office as I find the colorful toy relaxing to look at in the same way most people likes to nibble and twist and return the thing to its original completed same side colors. 

Necessary Risk to Increase Profit

In business as in any other endeavours in life, we sometimes have to take the necessary risks to make money.  I remember there are times in the course of my work as a merchandising manager, be it in a boutique setting, department store, supermarket or hypermarket banners, I relatively apply the risk-taking instinct in me in doing my budget calculations and purchases.  Even to some extent exceeding what has been allocated in my budget.

Don't get me wrong but my instinct tells me to take the calculated, well analyzed approach in my risk-taking. For example, there was a year when the crisis in 2003-2004, business has been slowing down but on the world stage there is the war between the US against Saddam Hussein in Iraq, after figuring the events and the prevailing conditions at that time, it does not take a genius to that social sentiments and peoples awareness are about the war that is going on.

Having had to handle several importations, my immediate boss, the owner and vice-president for merchandising gave me a last minute call the night before my flight going to Xiamen, China.  She said to me "Stick to the budget and do not buy anything that is not saleable".

Taking that warning as her way of reminding me that if I do not follow her advice and go beyond my purchase power and budget allotted for the categories I am handling, and if I fail in delivering the target sales for the following sales quarter, I assumed that my head will roll and I could possible be losing my job for neglecting to take her sound advice.

And so during the course of my sourcing of merchandise in China, from Xiamen to Yiwu to Shantou and Chenghai, China.  I diligently went through the nitty gritty work of selection of goods, computing the budgets, visualize how each products will be displayed once they arrive in our retail store, I have to remove those that do not fit or has high costing, I test, scrutinize, check every details of a product, see the product information, make sure there are no damages, is not prone to damage during transport shipping etc.

Even for the tedious tasks I am still exceeding my allocated inventory purchase budget by Php 16 million, so I have to reduce again the quantity for purchase of some stock keeping units (SKU), and there are times when the factory would not accept orders that are less than 10 cartons, to this my only resolve is not to buy it at all.  At the end of my 2 weeks "buying" spree I am still way above my budget by a fraction of 10 million.

So I said, I am sticking by those purchase, I will just need to fixed the budgetary overdraft once the first few shipments arrive in Manila.  42 container-full of various merchandise have been expected to be shipped to the port of Manila in stages of deliveries.  Initially I have to give the go signal for the first 6 containers to be shipped out of China in 2 weeks.

The first six containers has to reach the store shelves within 5 days, thus I have to authorize the receiving department for immediate barcoding and tagging of the goods and must meet the 5 days time-table I have set out for operations to carry out.

I went hands-on in training the salesforce, my front-end staffs that has the day to day interaction with the consumers and listen to their opinions, I have to listen how each customers would react, move, roam around the store selling area.  I have to orient them on the new products that have just arrived.

Amazingly, the first 6 containers sold 40% of the inventories within 2 weeks, and so I have to give the go signal for 18 new containers prior to the depletion of the first batch.

In the end, I not only got to stay for the next several years in my job, but that was the year I beat the highest sales ever made in the 27 years of that company's sales history, a whooping Php 175 million.

Did I exceed my budget, i can honestly admit to my boss that I reneged on her advice, but at the end of that meeting, she told me "I don't know how you did it, but from hereon, i trust you know your own judgment, Just rake in as much money as the company needs, You are really a magician".

And so I was called the miracle magician by my peers for being defiant in maintaining the budget, yet was able to hit the highest recorded sales of the company.  It has been a very satisfying and humbled me in every way that made my skills in retail more masterful by experience

One angle of love

In the countless years of loving, hoping, sharing, caring, giving of oneself...often the word love triangle has always been a possibility but not an option.

One instance of abrupt encounter led to another, that has build up rapport and unravels many new possibilities. One chance encounter that led to constant touch and communication that led to friendship that led to another echelon of relational bonds... an affair.

Despite one party knowing fully well that the person is attached to someone, that one vicious passionate evening became a frequent getting in touch affair... one led to another and a new relationship comes to bloom. One falling down on the abode of heirarchy to humbly bow low and love someone who isn't emotionally free.

Sad as it may, but the real partner doesn't even realize the infidelity going on with his partner and the new "friend". A love triangle that never was, as only two individuals madly fell for a trapping. Not to mention the real partner is going on a distant land in search for new opportunities, leaving a lonely partner scrambling for the touch and constant presence of a partner.

Is it wrong to love someone who is knowingly loved and is loving someone... is it normal to fall and be lost in the whole intellectual and emotional imobility just because its better to play fire than be idly bored with constancy... is it wrong to be intimately drained by the whole affair... is it a grave sin to snatch away the happiness of someone whom you haven't met but is madly inlove with the same man... is it wrong to be selfish... is it plain stupidity or just a case of blindness because of selfishly loving someone...is it really a risk worth the effort and all the loving?

Those question I do not know how to answer...
As loving is not exclusive nor is it quantifiable...
Loving someone isn't a grave offense...hurting someone is...
Loving isn't bound by perfect timing...but circumstances...
Loving isn't chosen by us, but comes along in many mysterious ways...
I don't know where it began and neither do I have an idea where it will end...
Will be it be a happy ending for oneself or a grieveous ending that can never trully bring oneself up again...

Time will tell...nobody can rightly say and judge what the depths and meaning of truly falling inlove as everyone has been strucked by love's sting! I'd break every chain of principles of my life just to be with you. Now a new option of loving without thought of hurting is the ultimate choice for existing.

If loving you is wrong, I dont wanna be right ever again!

I just can't stop myself from loving you!

If only the devil is cuddly!

In these times of world economic crisis, rising unemployment, retrenchments and many stressful news of the hard times ahead has cause many to retool their skills, hone their talents and even take on new challenges in their career so as to continually survive the turns of events.

Sad to note that we also hear news of suicides, self inflicted harms and threats to other people's personal spaces by scheming thefts and even murder. Some have lose their ideals and without conscienciously considering the welfare of others safety... a recent news last sunday of a church preacher being shot inside the church while delivering his sermon to his congregation is outrageously shocking, A kid who commited his life to a gunshot is often inconceivable, a man who is one of the richest men in last year's Forbes list jumping off a railway station is tragic, a rich New York investment banker who put a bullet on his temple and many more tragic stories of sort that will make us wonder, is the present life so wicked!

But many facets of life contributes to each one's thoughts and feelings that undoubtedly a world economic crisis has partly to do with the human morale bankruptcy, which is sad and anyone who still stood for the ideals of hope can only wish there could have something that everyone around those emotional distress individuals could have done to prevent such tragedies.


But we can wish that only if the devil can be just as cute as the ones in the picture above, perhaps, people who have been wretched with much burden could still have afford them a bit of a smile. Unfortunately, the only devil that behooves all of us is our own shadow of self worthlessness and despairing thought of life's beauty and values.

Priceless Treasures

As I have been cleaning my room and arranging some books and stuffs that has cluttered though my comfort zone, I cam across some notes, letters, conference souvenirs, photos and postcards that reminisce the days past.

Remembering those people, names and happy thoughts together makes me ask where could they be by now. As recently I have found a few old friends and even acquaintances through the social network sites, there's a feeling of euphoria and gladness to reconnect with some familiar faces and smiles.

Though many changes have been through all of our lives, we still manage to build up our conversations and mail exchanges with questions of where the other friends may be by now. Alot of people we've lost touch through the years, more than a decade that seems to be a timeless absence from each other's communal radar.

Where everything matters that has encircled our existential lives, we come across countless people and friends along our way towards achieving our fulfillments in life. Nevertheless, our constant blossoming and aim to widen our reach of connections, allies, friends that can readily lend a helping hand in our personal quests and journeys can never replace the bonds that binds us with our old pals.

To the old, the new and the future reasons of friendships we can cherish as keepsakes of our lifetime that brings joy of colors to our own life, a treasure worth keeping to be treasured.

Thank you for all of those priceless GEMS I call friends.