Rusty Ferguson’s Cebu Experience

I have not had an about me page on this website because I didn’t think it was needed. Now I’ve learned that it is needed so I will do it.

Rusty FergusonI’m a little over 50 years old and I’ve lived in the Philippines since February of 2008. Though I have several websites about the Philippines, this is by far the most active and complete that I have. I live in the province of Cebu and have for the entire time I’ve been in the Philippines.

After three years, I’ve learned much about the Philippines and though I’m now confident in most of my opinions I certainly don’t claim to know everything. There are still things in the Philippines that I have experienced first hand. Other things I have experienced only a little and some things I have a great deal of knowledge on.

I have a pretty causal approach to life and I think a pretty casual personality. I’m not one for formalities and I’m not good at social graces. So you’ll have to forgive me if I fail to do something that is normally expected and carried out by most in social settings.

I grew up and lived in the Southern USA where I did most of the kinds of things that Southern boys and men do. Fishing, camping and hunting were big on my list of things to do. In the mid 80′s I became fascinated with computers. I thought I’d have it all figured out in three months. Wow, did I ever “misunderestimate” these beast.

I went to Millsaps College in Jackson Ms. where I got a very good education. I majored in accounting. I graduated with a 3.15 grade point average where English was my nemesis. Really, I beat all the odds by pulling  this off. A former high school drop out to regularly on the Dean’s List at one of the elite schools in the South and really the entire USA within education circles. I got married my first year in college, had a baby soon after and owned a home before I was 22. I worked up to three jobs while going to school. I was sick all the time and just thought I was tired. I believe I destroyed my health during those years. It was just too much but I had to, there was just no way I could allow myself to fail. I was driven and I was stubborn. I suppose I have reason to be proud that I pulled that off. However, few people really know what I put myself through to achieve it. It took me an extra semester to finish school as I took a light load due to my work schedule.

After college I  was proud when I was hired as a revenue agent for the IRS. I preformed audits, mostly on small businesses in North Mississippi. After I left that area, I learned the accountants referred to me as a bulldog. Because once I had a hold of something, I wouldn’t let go. In the 90′s I continued to work for the IRS but was based out of Memphis, Tn. During the mid 90′s I changed from an auditor to a computer analyst. My health was falling apart and I could no longer handle the travels required of a revenue agent. I should have sought disability but I was partly in denial.

Sometime around 2003 or so I did finally seek disability and it was approved. Five years later I moved to the Philippines. I have been very happy most of the time that I have been in the Philippines. No it is not paradise but the love a fantastic woman makes it very close for me.

Luckily I’m allowed to work under the Civil Service Retirement system. I can work, I just can’t do it on a schedule.  I have to work and live my life on my own schedule. I never know when I’ll be awake or when I’ll be asleep. Sometimes I stay up all night and I actually work best at night.

Besides my sites in the Philippines, I am beginning to branch out into affiliate marketing and even teach a bit about what I have learned. I’ve been building websites since 1996. I spent most of my time goofing off the web like most others. Playing games and chatting. I even managed to turn a chat room into a money making business for several years.

I finally learned though that to make money on the web, I need to rely on myself and not be bound to a certain platform. So I returned to websites and everything that is required to make a site perform well. I’ve learned quite a bit over the years and now I’m applying it. Writing is not easy for me though and for that reason I’m slower at it than most.

I’d say my biggest strength is honesty but sometimes I carry that to a faulty level. And that even relates to my biggest weakness. Not knowing when to shut up. I don’t see morality or much of anything else the way most do. That has left me though with a fairly objective view of the world, something that was required and re-enforced in my work as an auditor. It also helped me to learn that one must constantly re-evaluate what they believe and what they think they may know.

If you’re interested you can visit my Google Profile.

Now you know a great deal more about Rusty Ferguson that I really think is necessary. However, web authorities like to see this kind of information revealed so now I’ve taken the time to do it.