About me

Hi! My name is Thelma, I live in San Pedro, Laguna (a Metro Manila suburb and the first province going to south). I originally come from Pampanga known as the culinary capital of the Philippines, which explains why my blog includes the “I love cooking” category.

I also love talking about the Roman Catholic Church, I am pro-life, I support the Canonization of Blessed Pope John Paul 2, I am following the Vatican Radio and of course Antonio Luis Cardinal Tagle. One of the most recent exciting moments I’ve had on the net was witnessing the white smoke come out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

Oh! Okay let’s talk about me…

I’ve been a professional for more than 30 years, with the degree in Bachelor of Science in Commerce major in accounting; I am also a CPA before I became an employee.

It made me realize that having the degree and license is not guarantee to land a good job much more a position without the necessary skills and experiences. And that really prompted me to work hard and continue learning in order to achieve my goals.

I started at the bottom of the ladder, as an accounting clerk…and I had one of those bosses who was really strict and smart. I felt then that she thought of me just a typical and ordinary employee not worthy to be considered for a higher position. She treated me with a cold shoulder, no appreciation, no encouragement, not even a pat on the shoulder.   But that did not discourage me or given up my desire to prove my worth. I did my very best to do my job, accomplished and delivered results on time.

And it was also during those time that I fully understood and became aware what accounting is all about and its importance, why are things done in the manner and why do you need all those attachments and so on and so forth. It made me understand the flow of the business and what is happening behind the scenes.

We usually have six months probationary status, but on the third month that same boss gave me an early assessment and I was elevated to the bookkeeper position and since then she’d always ask me to work with her closely. And by the time she resigned, she recommended me to take her place.

And that was the start of my career in finance and accounting. I have more than 25 years of experience, held various positions in six companies I’ve worked with, mostly finance and accounting and partly administrative task.

Being the Head of finance and accounting, my responsibilities were not limited to preparing Financial Statements and reports. I’ve had a lot of participation in the decision making and supported the different department in achieving their goals.

I’ve also done private practices assisting small to medium businesses in securing permits and licenses, bookkeeping, preparation of financial statement and reports, feasibility studies and business plans and assistance in taxation.

In the last company I’ve worked with, I could say 80% of the job was done virtually which includes; bookkeeping, preparation of feasibility study and marketing plan for possible business expansion, email management, answering to on-line queries, listings in different online market sites, Web site maintenance, booked travel & accommodation, power point presentation and simple graphics.

I’ve engaged in restobar business with an Australian partner, when he passed away I decided to close the business.

That’s the time I thought of going for an online or offshore employment. It’s not easy though because the internet is full of spams and illegal sites that would ask for money without assurance. Going over the net I am convince that Home sourcing is very challenging and very demanding that will require you to have various skills out of your comfort zone.

Luckily, I’ve stumbled upon Sacred VA Institute (training Filipinos aspiring to be virtual assistants) on facebook and I decided to join the group. And yes I am now a student!

As an accountant, I can provide various services:

• Bookkeeping
• Cost accounting
• General Accounting
• Financial Accounting and analysis
• Feasibility Studies
• Business Plans
• Preparation of Financial Statements and Reports
• Auditing and Taxation.

Other skills and services:

• Quickbooks
• MYOB
• XERO (beginner)
• Net Suite (beginner)
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Other MS Office tools)
• PDF files (creation & format)
• Photo editing
• Simple graphic designs
• Email and chat management, Answering queries online
• Social Media and Blogging

At present I am undergoing training at Sacred VA Institute for Personality and professional development, various skills for virtual assistants and other home sourcing jobs.

Being a well-rounded individual I could bring into the organization my key competences, traits and characteristics

• Expertise and experiences
• Flexibility – I can work independently and can work and blend in a team.
• Efficient and highly organized
• I pay attention to details
• Innovative, Creative and resourceful
• Enthusiasm and passion for learning