Blessings of the Month: August

With the month nearing its end, I was trying to think the other day about what my blessings for this month were. It seemed like there weren't any major stuff, but there were after all! So here goes...

• Just that the month of August is over, and we made it...woot! Infinite always finds a way...what can I say? =)
• My awakening and my whole new perspective on financial management...Finally got some answers to my concerns about the future.
• Superb thanks to a friend's tip on how/where to get side projects..something to look forward to...yayyy!

Employee Appreciation Day

I missed last year's Employee Appreciation Day by a week, but I got to participate in this year's event. As a company that always puts its employees' welfare first, the company I work for holds an Employee Appreciation Day every year (this year's was only the second, though). In our US offices, this would be celebrated in the form of picnics and stuff.

Well, picnics aren't quite feasible in Metro Manila, especially in the middle of the Makati Central Business District, so we just had dinner and some program at a rented function room. The theme was Filipiniana, and of course, we were all encouraged to dress up. There would be awards for the best dressed. The thing I appreciate about our company is that these kinds of things are never mandatory. Those who want to dress up can do so. It's no big deal, though, if you don't want to. What I've noticed is that the same people usually love to dress up and participate in things like this. Majority, of course (myself included), wouldn't even bother.

For this occasion, they just provided sombreros or whatever they're called and bandannas to be tied around the neck. This was to still have the Filipiniana feel despite not dressing up. The food was superb, of course (also having the Filipino theme), and a surprising twist was that the managers were the ones who served the food! Our VP and General Manager served as bartenders, serving sago gulaman (a Filipino beverage with tapioca and gelatin). I felt kinda sorry for them :P, but they were all sport about it.

We had games and stuff. Everything was pretty much impromptu. Another thing I like about our events is that we don't fuss much about preparations or programs. Those who want to perform may do so, but there's no pressure for anyone to do anything.

There was some silly Q&A for the Best in Costume, and as with any pageant, there was a "Hoh, my Gawd" moment (Gee, I miss James! =) ). One was asked what he/she can contribute to the company should he/she win... to which the person answered, "World peace!" Yeah! :))

Overall, it was a fun event. Although our team still isn't familiar with most of the other teams, I somehow felt I belonged. I guess that's a good sign, and as always, I really appreciate how much our company values its employees and how "pampered" we are.

Something to be Proud of...

I've recently participated in our company's Employee Stock Purchase Plan just because it was an incredibly good deal for us employees. I know I haven't been most enthusiastic about my job, but I read something from Yahoo! Financials that makes me really happy to be working here.

"...the shares are poised to rise with an expected cyclical recovery, due to the company's exposure to the architecture and engineering vertical that he thinks is starting to recover economically.

- Israel Hernandez, Barclays analyst

"He said he expects the company to increase its earnings guidance 'as we move through a recovery' in fiscal 2010 and 2011, and said the shares' low valuation is also appealing."

This just makes me proud to be working for a company that develops top-notch quality software. This also motivates me to work harder and makes me appreciate my role in the company better. This is probably why my main SME is so meticulous of everything -- as in everything! Well, maybe I should be more tolerant of her :P

The Case of the Opening/Closing CD Tray

I was watching movies on my PC the other night when my CD tray suddenly started opening and closing by itself. It sorta frightened me during the first few times it did that, but since I didn't get any goose bumps and neither did my hair stand on end, I dismissed it as some hardware malfunction.

As I meant to, of course I asked for help/ideas from Master Job. I was, however, surprised that he made a joke out of it -- insisting that it must have been a ghost or something. Ugh! And I never thought I'd hear something like that from this no-nonsense guy. I expected real help.

So finally, I got to get him back to his "no-nonsense" self, and he helped me uninstall the CD ROM in question, but the problem stayed the same even after restarting my PC. Anyway, Master Job, unable to defend his supernaturally-inspired theories, finally attributed the problem to a virus.

Out of desperation, I tried to Google (when did Google become a verb??? Why don't we say we Yahoo something?:P) it and voila, it turned out to be a pretty common problem!

Its causes are either: 1) when the button (for lack of a better term) used to open/close the CD ROM is sunken or when the spring inside that button has become loose; or 2) a virus.

One of the sites/forums I came across suggested using Cwshredder.zip and Spybot-Search and Destroy. It also recommended using SE Adaware, but the first two were enough to solve my problem. Well, actually, Cwshredder didn't find anything wrong with my system, so it was Spybot-Search and Destroy (did a double take on this...sounded like a movie title at first :P) that did the trick. Apparently, the virus was more like a malware that infected browsers; thus, the opening/closing of the CD tray started when I opened a browser (didn't matter what).

Cwshredder and Spybot-Search and Destroy are both very user-friendly, so I won't include boring instructions on how to use them. Won't include the links for downloading them either, for tomorrow those links might be dead. You can simply Google -- or Yahoo!, or Bing? -- them. These three applications are absolutely for free.

My Five-Day Break

Just got back from a five-day break. Not that I really needed the break, given that my life is pretty stress-free right now in terms of work. In the past years, I always looked forward to breaks in order to rejuvenate -- physically and mentally.

This time, the break was -- more or less -- just a chance to get away from it all. LOL. Yeah right, as if I went anywhere. Well, I just stayed holed up at home. But I guess this time gave me a chance to do other things that are different from what I usually do (I can hear Merl and Job exclaiming, "Facebook???" Well Facebook is relatively new to me, and I did a bunch of other things, too, so there :P) and to think of things I don't usually think about.

I tend to think a lot. Even while I'm multitasking, I'm still thinking about other things. Well, I was still thinking a lot during my so-called break, but at least I was thinking about other things.

Some of my realizations:

• Stop thinking too much. Sometimes it's okay to be impulsive and just do something. No holding back.
• I don't have to know everything. Maybe being surprised -- pleasantly or otherwise -- is good. Maybe sometimes ignorance is bliss.
• Distancing ourselves from things helps us better see things in perspective.
• In time, all the puzzle pieces will fall into place.
• God will always take care of me :)

Well, while the five-day break was quite fun and restful, I was starting to get bored, and although I find my job quite boring too, prolonging my break any more would probably start to drive me crazy. So I'm glad to get back to work, with my energy back to full bar.

Going with the Flow....?

Friends always give me the advice to go with the flow, to play it by ear, or to wait and see. But what does it really mean to go with the flow? Does it mean just being at a standstill and waiting for what happens next?

I never believe passivity. I sorta get turned off or disappointed with people who don't drive their lives and who just wait for whatever comes. Reminds me of the Parable of the Talent. If you just keep and bury your talents then yes, you preserve them, but you don't advance or improve either.

I may not be a church goer (still trying to be one!), but I have great faith in God. I trust Him with my life, and I believe that whatever I have now, or wherever I am now is because of Him. However, there's also a saying that goes, Help yourself and God will do the rest. No matter how much faith you have, your dreams won't just fall from the sky or magically appear in front of you. You have to make them happen.

Whenever I pray, I don't ask God to give me (something) or make (something) happen. I pray that He gives me the strength and perseverance to achieve something, or that He gives me the guidance so that I may make the right decision in order to make something happen, because at the end of the day, it won't be God or anyone else who'll do things for me but myself.

I hope I don't sound preachy, but I really don't understand what going with the flow means, or how it is to wait and see. Does it mean not doing anything? I asked a friend how it is to go with the flow, and he said something like, "If you don't already know then I can't tell you" (???). Another friend I asked couldn't tell either.

I was talking to yet another friend recently, and I think she got the impression that I'm taking matters into my own hands, that everything has to be up to me. And yes, of course, I take matters into my own hands and have to decide on everything, because really, only I am accountable for myself. Although I have steadfast faith in God, He has gifted me with free will so that I can run my life the way I see fit. I can only pray for guidance and hope that I correctly understand God's message so that I may be guided accordingly.

I recently saw the movie Serendipity, and I thought it was pretty silly or shallow (No offense to those who love the movie). I believe that you should go after what you want or believe in and not wait for destiny to make it happen for you, especially when the opportunity is already right in front of you.

I'm not a believer in destiny. I believe that we are the ones who make things happen. Although I agree that destiny does intervene sometimes and makes things happen that are beyond our control, I still think that we should take a more active role in steering our lives where we want to go.

Oldies and Freebies (What's on My Ipod Part IV)

This is the last installment for the What's on My Ipod? entries. These ones are mostly greatest hits albums and some not-so-new ones, which I got as freebies from the BMG website and from my dad :P

Blink 182 (Greatest Hits). Listening to this album transports me back to the early 2000s and makes me remember how things were then. Hmm, this is not really a sentimental album, but I guess Blink 182 was one of the firs rock bands who got into the emo thing. I was never really a fan and never bought an album during their heydays, but this one's a great collection of their hits, some with heartfelt lyrics and some just plain silly and funny :P

Coldplay (Parachutes; A Rush of Blood to the Head; X&Y). It's great listening to Colplay's hits, but I can't stand listening to them for hours at a time. I find their albums to generally be snoozers -- definitely not something I'd want to listen to if I want to perk myself up. Of course, this is still a good addition to my collection, and it's a good listen especially when you're in relaxing mode.

Green Day (American Idiot). Sure, I liked a lot of Green Day's songs, but I'd never dreamt of owning or even listening to an entire album just because I found them sorta "scandalous" or vulgar in their music style and messages. Jesus of Suburbia (the song and the video), for one, left me in a state of shock (so-to-speak) for a long time. But then my dad told me he had this album of Green Day, so I was, like, if my dad actually digs Green Day then why can't I? So I asked for his copy of this album, and surprisingly, I really liked it! Not as bad as I thought -- not at all...

Paula Abdul (Greatest Hits: Straight Up!). Yeah, I really loved Paula Abdul's music back then. Unfortunately, I could no longer find a lot of my albums after the 1990 earthquake (our house was a mess after that -- another story entirely LOL), so I was glad when I saw that I could get this album for free from the BMG website. All my faves are here. I was especially delighted that it includes the song Will You Marry Me, which I don't think was in the albums I had of her. I found this song cute then, and I still found it cute, now :P (And I can almost hear Merl giggling :P)

Roxette (A Collection of Roxette Hits). Another one of my old favorites and another one lost in the rubbles after the quake. Just great to go back to the good old days :)

Tiffany (Greates Hits). Hmm, I think she was the Cristina Aguilera of her time (Debbie Gibson being the Britney Spears of her time :P ). I really loved her then, and this album's just a great addition to my collection. Too bad the BMG site didn't have a Greatest Hits album of Debbie Gibson, though. I would've liked to have that more! :)

Deciphering Messages

Words are meant to be used in effective communication, but sometimes, even the simplest words are subject to interpretation. "No" can actually mean yes, and "yes" can actually mean no.

I may be quite gullible, but when it comes to "serious" (another subjective word!) stuff, I try not to take people's words at their face value. I try to delay reacting until I get more information. When someone says it's OK, I assume that it's really not OK until I get sufficient "proof" that it's really OK. Paranoia? Distrust? I don't know, but I know that more people are more comfortable with lying, omitting information, or sugarcoating the truth than saying outright what they really mean.

Say what you mean, and mean what you say. This has always been my mantra. As an advocate of truth and honesty, I believe that being direct with our messages help keep things simple and clear, and help prevent misunderstandings and misconceptions. For this, I am often labelled as too blunt, frank, even aggressive?

Well, I'm not a people-pleaser, and I believe that you can always say what you really mean without being rude or crass. However, some people still take offense even when the message conveyed is true.

I always try to be upfront, and I somehow expect the same from others. In this particular predicament, I wish I could just get the message the way it's really meant. Oftentimes, people hide their messages behind nice words for fear of hurting or offending, but I think it's doing more damage when I keep thinking of what was said versus what was really meant.

Messages can have so many facets. They're often not what they seem at first, for when I try to analyze the message, there are so many possible meanings based on different scenarios. Now it's just causing me confusion.

Most people see bluntness and directness as sorta mean. I say it's the kinder way of conveying a message.

Not Giving Up

I finally got some answers to some of the questions that have been playing around in my mind recently. I finally mustered enough courage to ask, and now I understand more. The answers were neither positive nor negative, but they brought some clarity somehow. Mostly, though, they just made me see more the hopelessness -- or helplessness? -- of the situation.

Acceptance was a great lesson imparted to me by a friend. Acceptance of things as they are. Acceptance of who people are. Acceptance of situations -- that some things just can't be. But one thing I will never be able to accept is failure when you haven't even tried. When you accept that things just can't be just because of the possibility that things can't be or will never work out. When you'd rather accept failure and give up on something you really, really want just because you fear getting hurt if you don't succeed in getting that which you desire.

It's times like these when my stubbornness kicks in. When I truly believe in and strongly feel about something, I just can't take no for an answer. I just can't give up without a fight -- and this is something I'm willing to fight for. I knew from the start this was something I'll fight for and that hasn't changed.

However, I can't make it alone. When someone else is involved in an endeavor, that other person must be willing to fight for it, too. It saddens me that my teammate in this endeavor may have given up already.

I have some answers now, but surprisingly, it wasn't learning the answers that makes me feel at peace. I think that I'm more at peace now because I was able to at least air my side, and I think that helped clear a lot of things. Now, no matter what happens, I won't have what ifs about not letting myself heard.

I've passed the ball, and now the ball is on the other side of the court.

Longing for Change

I finally got some time from CC. After reassuring me that I shouldn't hesitate in going to him for advice, I poured out my thoughts and my seemingly unending questions about life to him, which he carefully pondered upon over cups of coffee. As usual and as expected, he again gave excellent advice, and instantly I felt enlightened. It seemed like my cloudy skies became clear and again I had the clarity of mind.

One thing he asked me, though, that I kept mulling about was that if I was indeed ready for the change I speak of, which might mean leaving the life I know now. Surprisingly -- maybe even irrationally -- my answer to that question is yes.

For some reason, I feel so strongly about it. Based on past experiences, such strong feelings and urges can mean only that it is the right thing for me to do, the right path to follow. Maybe it's also because, for some time now, I've had this great longing for change. Not just a change in the mundane, but something major. Maybe a change in location, a change in looks (???), a change in lifestyle?

I consider myself to be really boring. Back in my younger years, I always just focused on school. When I started working, I just focused on work. I never change my hairstyle. I still dress the same way as I always have. I don't travel to places unknown. I stick to what I'm good at. I don't take many risks. In short, I always play it safe.

So maybe now I'm starting to get tired of my usual routine -- of the predictability of things, and now I feel a restlessness amidst my peaceful and safe life. I long for something new and different.

In answer to CC's questions and concerns, I don't really see the change as leaving everything I know behind. I think it will be more like enriching my life -- adding new experiences to my very small box of experiences, being that I have had a very sheltered life.

Besides, it's not like changes are irreversible. I like having contingency plans in everything (part of my play-it-safe mindset), so I think that taking steps toward change doesn't necessarily mean I can't go back...or does it? Well, I'll make sure I can go back somehow -- sorta my own personal Undo button :P

So now that I'm all geared up for change, I just have to take that first step toward change, which might mean another battle entirely. I have first to determine where I'd like to introduce change in my life and have the courage to overcome my fears over the uncertainties that come with it.

Change is a lengthy process, but I think I should start it now -- little steps, one day at a time.

Facebook Mania

A friend recently encouraged me to be more active on Facebook. She actually "jump started" my Facebook experience by suggesting common friends and by showing me the ropes. Until then, I was really lazy to explore Facebook. I could hardly keep up with my emails as it is, and my Friendster account is awfully neglected. Another friend complained that I hadn't accepted her invite on Friendster. I think she sent another invite, but I have yet to accept it (sorry!).

Anyway, I now understand why the craze about Facebook. Now I kinda wish I'd joined sooner. It's much more interactive than other social networking sites, but what I love most about it is that it makes it so much easier to keep in touch with old and distant friends/colleagues. I'm surprised to be hearing even from colleagues from two jobs back.. wow!!!

It still takes time, though, for it to become fun and worthwhile. And now it seems kinda confusing because I got status updates on Twitter and status updates on Facebook. Then I've got people commenting on my blog on Facebook and then on Blogspot! It's becoming a tangled web of information :P

I generally like things to be simple and uncomplicated. Although I can be quite maarte (fussy), I usually prefer things to be simple and straightforward. This prevents confusion, and with all the daily nitty gritty of life, I don't want to add any unnecessary confusion to it.

Admittedly, all these social networking sites confuse me, so I never really got into them. But since I've got plenty of time on my hands and for the sake of keeping in touch with all my wonderful friends, I'll do my part to keep the lines of communication open.

Wealth Management Seminar

The company I work for is holding a series of wealth management seminars this month. We just finished the first one this week, which was conducted by WFMAI (World Financial Marketing Alliance, Inc.). At first, I thought it was just going to be another sales pitch, but it turned out to be very informative and not very product-centric. For the first time, here's insurance talk that I liked and which I might even buy into. By the way, WFMAI isn't an insurance company but a brokerage firm for insurance companies.

What interested me were the variable insurance and the mutual funds. I always thought of life insurances as something only your beneficiaries will enjoy as you have to be zapped out first before your loved ones can claim the insurance. However, with variable life, you can still enjoy your earnings if and when you reach your retirement age. I think that mutual funds are also nice because they're more of an investment than an insurance and you can potentially earn more than just saving your money in the bank.

Here are some lessons that I've learned:

On Saving. Saving calls for discipline. When we get our paychecks, we should pay ourselves first before we pay our other bills to ensure that we save a portion of our salaries. It also helps to think of our savings as a monthly bill and one that we must regularly pay.

Additional Income. When we get additional income from part-time jobs or side projects, we should use it to pay our debts and again save the rest instead of using it to incur more expenses. They said that our goal should be that we are debt-free (from credit cards, mortgages and other loans) by the time we retire.

Rule of 72. We can use this rule to determine how much time it takes for our money to double. According to the speaker, this rule/formula was created by Albert Einstein. Anyway, this rule says that

72
-------------- = number of years your money will double
interest rate

For example, your money is P100,000.00 and the interest rate is 4% then

72/4 = 18

meaning that your P100,000 will double only every 18 years. This is sort of a wake up call because most banks offer only a 1% interest per annum, so 72/1=72. This means your money will double only every 72 years..OMG!

Do note that this formula can be used regardless of the amount of money. It can also be used to determine how much time it takes for your debts to double.

Formula for Computing Wealth:

Money

+

Time

+/-

Rate of Return

-

Inflation

-

Taxes

--------------------

WEALTH

Where to Save:

Banks. Banks earn 8-12% from the money we deposit and they give us 1-4%. Hmm..no fair!

Insurance. Insurance companies earn 8-12% from our money and they give us 4-6%. Slightly better...

Professionally managed money. These companies earn 8-12% from our money and also give us 8-12% in return. I'm not very sure what these are, but I guess these are the stocks, mutual funds and the like.

Six Steps to Financial Management:

I won't bother to explain each of these, as I might get them wrong, so just read on:)

1. 
   
   Increase cash flow.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Manage debt.
   
   
   
3. 
   
   Create an emergency fund.
   
   
   
4. 
   
   Ensure proper protection (in case you live too short LOL).
   
   
   
5. 
   
   Build long-term asset accumulation (in case you live too long:P ).
   
   
   
6. 
   
   Ensure your estate.
   
   
   

Well, WFMAI offers free seminars or whatcha-macall-'em to anyone who's interested to know more about these things and the products they're selling. And just because I was pretty impressed with their "seminar", here's their address for those who'd like to inquire:

3/F A&V Crystal Tower

105 Esteban St., Makati City

Tel Nos. 812-11-88 loc 115, 118, 124

Was That It?

Okay, so I've done it -- err, I guess. It was very subtle. Was I understood? Anyway, I didn't really get a clear answer, or am I just in denial and can't accept what the answer was? But was that it? The single determining factor to everything?

Well, after pining for days over it, I find that I'm still no closer to the answers I seek, and now I'm torn about which way to go.

Untitled

My weekend was bathed in melancholy. I hadn't been that sad in ages, and I couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was because Infinite would be away, or maybe because of what Dawn said. Or maybe it was because I missed my nephew's birthday celeb due to a change in plans. Or maybe because I was under the weather. Was catching the colds, which fortunately didn't develop into full-blown colds (for lack of a better term?). Or maybe it was the dread of going back to a boring a job after a couple of days. Or maybe it was just that time of the month. Or maybe I just need to go to church more often. Letlet was teasing me that I was turning into a non-practising atheist...no way!

Or maybe it was all of the above? They say that an idle mind is the devil's playground, and with my awfully boring job and with nothing much to do over the weekend, it all just came crashing on me, I guess...aargh!

To try to cheer myself up, I tried to watch some feel-good movies. I finally got to start on the stash of movies Letlet has copied to my external hard-drive and I downloaded some more sappy stuff. Hmm, didn't really help much, but it was fun watching movies nonetheless. For some reason, my DVD player isn't working (need lil bro to look in on that), so I made do with watching on my PC.

But I think the culprit was mainly what Dawne said and advised. Sound advice, though pretty hard to implement. Once again, I'm overwhelmed by uncertainties of the future and what they entail. Following that advice is sorta like the "moment of truth" but I guess it's better to face the truth now than later. It also just emphasized more what the situation was and what it called for. Dawne's advice is the logical path to take, but it just scares me to death! Well, I guess I'll have at least a few days to muster the courage.

Blessings of the Month: July

• Things are good with Infinite again. Woot!
• My mom came to my rescue. Thanks, Mom! :)
• The solution to something came in the form of text messages. Now I have options :)