AJGodinho's Lensography

On this About Me web page, I'm going to take you on a tour into the world of yours truly - AJ Godinho a.k.a. Anthony Godinho. You will learn about my journey from one corner of the world (a tiny dot on the map) to another (worlds apart).

We'll talk about almost everything under the sun concerning me like my beginnings, my family, my likes and dislikes, my favorite places and foods, my passion, my hobbies and much more. Oh and of course, what on earth, am I doing on Squidoo (well, now HubPages)?

Writing an "About Me" web page is probably not the easiest of tasks to take on. One of the main reasons being, a lot of us don't like to write about ourselves, me included. My life is a work-in-progress and I'm doing my best to enjoy the journey. Anyway, welcome into my world...

Goa, India

It all began in a small state called Goa, which was once a Portuguese colony on the west coast of India, some 40 years ago. My first name is actually Antonio (yes, it's the Portuguese connection).

My dad passed away over 10 years ago, but I still miss him much. I have a mom, two older sisters and a younger brother - all married with wonderful kids. We're all a very close-knit family and have weathered much, ever since I can remember and I love them dearly.

My parents gave us a good up-bringing, education, taught us conservative values and the importance of love, honesty, integrity, respect, hard work and sacrifice. These character attributes have surely served me well in life.

My dad worked at a government instituition, which focused on meteorology (weather processing and forecasting), but with 4 growing kids and a stay-home mom, making ends meet was always a challenge, so he sacrificed a lot.

I went to an English school and then to university, graduating in Physics at the age of 19. I was never serious about studying, but still managed to get decent grades. Growing up, I liked to draw and paint a lot. I was fascinated by architecture and the beauty of nature. I used to paint a lot when I was younger and then just lost touch - maybe I'll rekindle that hobby some day!

Goa is a beautiful place and a tourist location - it is located along the coastal line, so there are sun-soaked beaches all over. Almost all year round, it's hot and sunny weather - Goa has only two seasons, summer and monsoons (Spring) and it can pour cats and dogs for days on end!

As kids, we spent a lot of time on the beach and outdoors having fun! We played games like cricket, football (soccer), badminton, basketball and sometimes, just plain hide-and-seek!

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

In my quest to help my dad because of all the sacrifices he made for us, in April 1992, I journeyed to Dubai, U.A.E. - it was a long and tough road to get there.

At the age of 23, without much experience under my belt, but a bachelor's degree and some raw skills, I managed to get a job at an American bank working in the Finance department and then moved into Human Resources (HR).

This was the start of my career in HR and I never looked back. In HR, I managed to gain experience in various areas like workforce planning, payroll and benefits, compensation, performance management, training and reporting.

I really enjoyed the field of Human Resources and my career flourished. My job at Citibank was my first and last job in Dubai. I spent just over 6 years there and loved it. So having worked in Dubai, I was able to help my dad in many ways and that felt like mission accomplished.

In Dubai, I encountered Christ through a Muslim convert, whom I met in a very weird fashion. I won't get into all the details, but sufficed to say, my life has never been the same, ever since. It's been a long and challenging journey, but a victorious and fulfilling one.

My spiritual life has been enriched in a way that I cannot put in words. I walk by faith and not by sight - to some this might seem foreign. In simple terms, I've been victorious and successful in everything that I've done, not 'cos I'm smart or anything like that, but because Christ is in control of my life inside and out.

Of course, when I make a statement like that, don't get me wrong, I've had my share of mistakes and mishaps, many times ready to give up, but I stand today, victorious because of Him!

Dubai is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Did you know that each of the emirates has a different color of sand? They sure do, see the picture on the left.

I was fortunate to visit all the seven emirates and able to collect the sand and frame it in this picture - ok, just kidding about collecting the sand. The frame was a gift from a dear friend and I still have it with me ; )

The weather out there is dry and can get really hot during the peak summer season (how about plus 50 degrees Celsius?) - so out there, air-conditioning is a necessity.

1. I like to be very organized, of course, sometimes it's just an organized mess!
2. I almost drowned once, for real...shhhh no one knows about it
3. I like to keep fit - I'm working hard on it!
4. I'm so not a morning person and it's so hard when I wake up
5. I've been called many names, one of them, "skinny bone jones"...ha!
6. I play the guitar, better than Eric Clapton - ok, not quite, just a few chords
7. I pick my nose sometimes - it must be an Indian thing!

I thoroughly enjoyed my 6 years in Dubai, I made a lot of friends there and was doing very well in my career. But somehow, I never felt a sense of belonging there. It was more like a place of transition, so in 1998, I immigrated to Canada.

It was a very difficult decision to make, but one that I don't regret because Canada worked out to be the land of opportunity for me. I started off in Toronto, Ontario where I spent around 4 years and then moved up north to a small town called Thornloe, Ontario.

It was a huge change from 2.5 million people to a tiny population of 200 people. It was a good experience though and I adjusted well. I enjoyed my short time there before I moved to St. Catharines, Ontario (close to Niagara Falls). After spending about 2 years in St. Catharines, I moved to Burlington, Ontario and then finally ended up in Mississauga, Ontario.

I've loved experiencing the diversity, especially of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) - this tapestry that weaves together people from all over the world, with different cultures, languages, cuisines, and so much more. As well, I've enjoyed the beauty of every season, even winter!

Yeah, I know, I've moved a lot, but I've enjoyed experiencing all these different places, cultures and meeting many wonderful people along the way, some of who are still my very close friends. Where next? Well, I'll have to wait and see...but I'm enjoying the ride!

I've worked in the corporate world, in Human Resources, for over 15 years now and spent most of my years working really hard, putting in long hours, working with tight deadlines and major projects. So it's safe to say that it's been quite a stressful experience.

During those years, I was able to accomplish much and mentor many people, which was a fulfilling experience. However, I've always wanted to branch out into something that I could do much more in terms of helping people.

So in late 2008, I decided to take the entrepreneurial route in the health & wellness industry and use internet marketing. It's been a challenging road, but I'm grateful to be have had the opportunity to be able to take this step of faith.

It's made a considerable difference in my life and I'm looking forward to continuing building relationships with like-minded individuals who are interested in living a healthy life and helping people.

I've been out of Goa for over 15 years now, but the Lord has always made a way for me to visit my family, sometimes once every year and sometimes once every two years, and off late, it's been every three years.

Every time I go down to Goa, it's a feast and I enjoy every bit of it - the time just seems to fly by so fast even if I take a 4 or 5-week long vacation. I really focus on spending most of time with the family during my vacations to Goa.

The pictures above are some pictures from my 2007 vacation in Goa with my family. They were taken at my brother-in-law's cottage. It's a beautiful place atop a mountain, away from the hustle and bustle of city life. I was fortunate to be able to go down in Jan/Feb 2010, and Feb/Mar 2013 as well. You can check the video below of my some of my vacation pictures.

Well, sort of...I'm a god-father

I'm still a single guy and am enjoying my freedom...really...ok, it does get lonely at times! But, the closest I've come to being a dad (so to speak) was when I was around 19 years old and still in Goa, when my oldest sister gave birth to her first baby, a beautiful baby girl.

I pretty much lived with my sister and it was one of the most amazing experiences learning to take care of this little bundle of joy, doing everything from changing diapers, to giving her a bath, to singing her to sleep, playing and hearing her say those first words, and seeing her take her first steps and all that good stuff...it was awesome!

I remember the day I was leaving for Dubai, on my quest, she just wouldn't let go of me and made us all cry...it was indeed difficult to let go, even for me...

Today, she's all grown up into a beautiful, young lady and actually in Dubai, completing her university! The beautiful thing is that we've built a wonderful relationship and stay in regular touch. I have 4 other wonderful nieces and 2 nephews, who are all growing up too fast. I thank God for all their lives.

1. Healthy living to me is a lifestyle;
2. I also trade in the stock markets for a living;
3. I was in a car accident once, it wasn't my fault - honest!
4. My favorite food, of course, anything my mom cooks;
5. Some hobbies: art, technical analysis, writing online;
6. I like taking power naps, when I can;
7. It hurts me to see people living in poverty;
8. Fall is my favorite season;
9. My favorite place, home sweet home;
10. I'd like to visit Europe some day.

Writing and Making Money Online

I was introduced to Squidoo by a friend when I was still new to the world of blogging and writing online. I had heard about blogs and I knew what they were and had visited many of them. But Squidoo was so much more. I built well over 100 Squidoo lenses (webpages) on various topics like health and wellness, technology, philanthropy, reviews on various types of products and services, as well as how-to lenses.

I enjoyed my time not only using the versatile Squidoo platform, but also was fortunate to meet some wonderful people who made Squidoo one of the best online communities. Apart from having fun building Squidoo lenses and meeting some wonderful folks, I was also able to make a decent income from my endeavours while giving back to several charities.

Unfortunately, after several years in the online world, Squidoo succumbed to the ever-changing landscape of online competition and was acquired by HubPages. Seth Godin, the founder of Squidoo, made the announcement on August 1, 2014. Squidoo lensmasters were given a couple of weeks to transfer their Squidoo lens content to HubPages.

Like all good things, this was the end of Squidoo, but I come out of this more equipped with knowledge, experience and some wonderful connections with people I met during my time at Squidoo. Also, being a part of Squidoo opened up many other opportunities that I'm still pursuing. So overall, it was a worthwhile experience and I thank God for it. I wish all Squidoo lensmasters, including the folks at Squidoo HQ, all the very best in their future endeavours!

I transferred some of Squidoo lenses to HubPages, while others were transferred to my own blogs. I also have an active YouTube channel where you will find tutorials on various topics. Listed below are some of my web properties:

• AJ's Tech Talk
• Helping Canadians

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." ~ Proverbs 29:18

"The biggest mistake people make in life is not making a living at doing what they most enjoy." ~ Malcolm S. Forbes

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:13

"Know love, know happiness. No love, no happiness." ~ Anonymous

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this; while we were all sinners, Christ died for us." ~ Romans 5:8

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

Hope you enjoyed my little world. It was a pleasure meeting you, but don't just leave. Say "hi" and introduce yourself.