Tom Graciano's Page

I was born in the Philippines, grew up and was educated in CA, USA, and am now living in Singapore.

I worked for more than 40 years in Southeast Asia after finishing college in 1963. First, as a freelance journalist reporting for TIME magazine, CBS News, UPI, AP, The Melbourne Herald and the Asahi Shimbun, then the largest-circulation newspaper in Japan. I also took pictures for Keystone Press, a British Newphoto Agency. I covered the Oct 1965 abortive communist coup attempt in Indonesia, during the aftermath of which more than 500,000 people, suspected of being communists or having links with them, were reportedly killed. The CIA was alleged to have played a significant role in this bizarre event.

Then I became a public relations (PR) and marketing consultant, working in Jakarta (Indonesia), Singapore, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Manila (Philippines), Bangkok (Thailand) and Hong Kong.

I retired in summer of 2006 and went back to CA. Started writing a memoir, relating my experiences as a newsman and a PR/marketing consultant working throughout Southeast Asia for more than 40 years. The provisional title is "Rubbing Shoulders With Two Presidents." As a newsman reporting for TIME magazine, I got personally close with Indonesia's first two president -- Soekarno and Suharto. Soekarno made me sit on his presidential chair and my girlfriend, who later became my wife, on his wife's chair at the presidential summer palace of Bogor in West Java, about 40 miles south of Jakarta. It went on for two hours while we, along with about 600 other presidential guests, were watching a Javanese comedy show. The president and his wife were sitting among the other guests after saying to me, "You play president tonight." That is why the title of Chapter One of my book is "Playing President." I have written 11 chapters so far. There's still plenty of stories for me to write. I'm slow, because since I got to CA after my retirement I began to get involved in various online programs and businesses that have been taking a lot of my time every day. I'm trying to earn enough money to cover my daily expenses since I don't have any regular income now.

Last year I came to Singapore, to get closer to all the places where I worked before as I need to feel them in order to finish writing my book.

Two years ago I was baptized into a born-again Christian in El Monte, CA, after practicing Catholicism all my life. Since then I have been walking steadily in the ways of the Lord, trying to follow the examples Jesus was showing His disciples when He was still doing His ministry on earth. My faith continues to grow with each passing day. I began tithing without fail since my baptism and gladly present other offerings to the Lord every time I get inspired to do so.

Of all the online programs I have done and am still doing a the moment, I definitely think ALS, the program I'd like to promote through this SUp.Biz site, is the best. It's the most affordable among all gifting programs around and offers features few of them can match. In my humble opinion, gifting is a bible-based activity. Members of the early church practiced gifting to one another, and they were all blessed by God, never lacking anything. That is why my motto in life is "What goes around comes around." All over Scriptures God promises that "whoever sows generously will reap generously." It is quite TRUE in my life. God promised to multiply the faith-seed we sow 30-fold, 60-fold, even 100-fold. This happened many times in my life since I began tithing regularly.

I'm a member of Friendster, FaceBook, Yuwie, Zion5, PerfSpot, YouTube and DirectMatches. But I'm most impressed with this SUp.Biz site, to which I was invited by someone unknown to me by the name of Susan, as the site allows members to promote their businesses in a more direct way to all other members of this social network community At the time of writing this, I haven't really taken a complete tour of the site yet as I'm already overwhelmed by the vast amount of information, advices and tips I came across on the site right after my first visit.

What impressed me more is the fact that one of the first things I saw was a suggestion that I ask the CEO/Founder of this great social network site, Natalie Regoli, to add me as her friend. No other social network sites offers this feature. I was also very impressed by the kindly-worded comments posted to me by many veteran online marketers only minutes after I signed up. May God always pour His abundant blessings on this great social network site, its CEO/Founder and all her staff, as well as all the members.

Friends, would-be gifters, please be aware that I will pray earnestly for each one of you for God to always bless you with abundant, overflowing blessings in return for your faith and generosity in sending any amount of gift to me. And I will not fail to give back to God at least 10% of all gifts I will receive through this program, courtesy of this great social network site.