The Black T-Shirt from the “UK” that Brought Abundance and Joy to Many

The Lifelong Impact of the Two Shirts that I Dearly Treasure Part 2

In my previous post, I shared about the orange shirt I received as a love gift. I mentioned in my reflection that:

The true beauty of a shirt doesn’t come from its brand but rather from the values of the person who gave it and the person who wears it. Remember, the qualities that make us divine truly make us stand out, not the labels we wear.

The Orange Shirt

Reflecting on my two impactful shirts, the second one reminds me of God’s faithful provision.

The second shirt was like an enchanting “genie” that brought abundance and happiness to me and my family after we endured trials and challenges. Let me narrate why.

Shirt No. 2 – The black shirt from the “UK“

To those unfamiliar with it, you might think I have a costly black shirt from the United Kingdom, but I don’t.

“UK” is a coined initial from the word “Ukay-ukay” (oo-kai-oo-kai), a type of second-hand store in the Philippines that sells clothes, shoes, bags, and other items, usually imported from Europe, the USA, and other first-world countries, at a low price.

The term “ukay” means “to dig” or “to sift or rummage through” because the ukay-ukay items, like clothes, were placed in a heap for customers to sift through and select the item they wanted to buy.

New or near-new items, especially those with popular brand labels, are classified and organised well and often hang to ease sighting.

So, to make it sound fashionable and expensive, Filipinos started calling items from “ukay-ukay” as “UK.”

I’ve visited these “UK” stores looking for imported but cheaper clothes and shoes. It is like visiting an Op Shop (opportunity shop) here in NZ. The only difference between “UK” shops and Op Shops is that the latter are more organised.

In 2009, a church member who was an “ukay-ukay” items reseller gave me a black cotton shirt. I bought some items from her, and she gifted me the shirt despite my offer to pay for it.

The black cotton shirt readily became my favourite shirt. Its soft cotton texture felt gentle on my skin, and its unique cooling effect made it perfect for wearing in the Philippines’ hot and humid weather. I found myself reaching for it repeatedly, as it provided comfort and relaxation when I wore it at home.

In 2009, I was in my fourth year working at a university in the Philippines when, in mid-2008, the new university president bullied and intrigued me intolerably. I faced the grim reality of resigning and moving forward.

Each day, I confronted the reality of quitting my job to escape a workplace environment I no longer enjoyed. Resigning wasn’t easy because I was uncertain about getting another job, and my wife and I had a toddler to support. We prayed for the Lord’s intervention and provision.

One day, as I changed from my office uniform to my favourite black shirt, I paused to admire its prints.

Since I got the shirt, I’ve noticed the prints, but it didn’t carry any significance. I believed this black shirt was simply a second-hand shirt that comforted me after a tiring work day.

However, despite being tired that evening, I became curious and researched the words or phrases on my black T-shirt. I wanted to drift into something else rather than think of my work day and difficult situation.

The shirt’s front features the “SEO Inc.” logo at the upper left and the phrase “Search Engine Optimization” underneath it.

At the back, it says,

“I TOOK THE SEO INC. CHALLENGE”
“WWW.SEOINC.COM“

The research led to my initial exposure to search engine optimization (SEO), which opened up the opportunity to start an online marketing business through the Upwork platform (formerly oDesk).

The Lord provided me with kind and generous clients who helped me grow my SEO knowledge.

One of my first clients, a Software and English language coach living in Kent, taught me SEO techniques, best SEO practices, and Google Analytics. He also shared the SEO metadata-gathering software he and his colleagues developed.

Amazingly, the black shirt I got from the “UK” led me to someone in Kent, England (the genuine UK), who taught me Search Engine Optimisation. 🙂

I was so excited about my newfound knowledge and skills that I took a six-month leave without pay to learn more about SEO and online marketing and expand my clientele. Also, the six-month leave was a temporary respite from my toxic work environment.

Because I stayed at home most of the time and only went out in the morning for a walk and basketball games, some thought that I became depressed, much to my amusement.

My expertise in SEO helped me secure more online work opportunities. After taking a six-month leave without pay, I resigned from my CPU position.

A Canadian employer had contracted me to work 40 hours a week with his company for online marketing of car dealerships in Edmonton, Canada. The work kept growing, and he eventually hired my wife and some friends.

From two car dealership websites, our online marketing work grew to marketing 14 Canadian car dealership websites. I worked with three others in the Philippines, my wife, a former school paper editor, and a lawyer based in Baguio City.

I wanted to share the blessings I received through my black shirt. In 2010, I conducted a “Future of Work” seminar workshop to teach some young professionals online marketing and encourage them to work online in their areas of expertise, such as article writing, web design, editing, and web content writing.

I have trained several individuals who have become experts in online marketing. During the training, I emphasized the significance of honesty and integrity in succeeding in an online job.

I also advised them to be cautious and avoid being deceived by online scams, particularly the Bitcoin multi-level scams.

The impact of the black shirt I got from the “UK” has continued until today. It has a far-reaching effect because my family and a few others benefited.

My online marketing skills, which began with those words on a black shirt, have enabled me to work full-time and part-time since 2009.

I don’t wear my black shirt anymore. As you can see in the photo, it is worn out, the colours are faded, and tattering is evident.

Notwithstanding, I preserve the black t-shirt in grateful remembrance of God’s provision and faithfulness. It has brought abundance and happiness to many. Thank you, Lord!

PHOTO CREDIT: Ukay-ukay store photo courtesy of Elaine. Used with permission.