Quickies

My mom showed me pictures of the work being done to my room in Manila. They're cementing most of as termites were infesting a good portion of it. That part of the house was just an extension to the original design of the house.

It's way overdue. Termites destroyed my precious comic collection some months ago and prompted me to get a blog just to vent. Since then I've been venting out on other things.

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A couple of interesting reads went around through email: Jim Paredes' blog post and John Gokongwei's Commencement Exercises speech. (The latter I can email to you from work, if you want)

It's interesting how you can effect change just through experience and words.

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Phoenix Suns are unstoppable! And fun to watch as well. Now THAT is how basketball is played.

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I've finished reading Good Omens recently. It took me quite a couple of train rides and sit-down sessions (you know) to finally be done with it. It's quite funny in a twisted blasphemous sense.

So now I'm off to another book, High Fidelity, as recommended by my lovely friend, who thought I'd like it a lot. I'm enjoying it so far. I haven't seen the movie, so I've really got no idea how this one plays out.

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Ok, I've got the consumer sales in Singapore all figured out. All the other people here probably know about these quarterly events already. But it goes:

March: IT Show
June: PC Show
Aug/Sept: Comex
Nov/Dec: Sitex

Additionally,
May - July: The Great Singapore Sale

So plan your visits and let's meet up ;)

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I'm planning my trips this year:

Feb: Bintan
Dec: Manila

If I get a U.S. visa,
June: San Francisco, Las Vegas, Houston, New York

Or else,
March: Hong Kong
2Q/3Q: Australia

And scattered trips around Southeast-Asia if finances allow (but it probably won't be)

I hope it happens for me this year. It's nice to plan, then life would get in the way but you keep trying anyway.

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I recently signed up for Last.fm. To check what sort of junk I'm listening to, click here.

Tell me if you've signed up already and let's connect.

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Yesterday, we took a free introductory course to kickboxing. It's an active aerobic exercise, and I got easily winded (because I'm out of shape and overweight!). I'm thinking about continuing, which will cost me a good $20 per session. I mean, I just got a bike for $100 already.

Microsoft Money, tell me what to do!

A Liking to Biking

I've found another anti-spending measure, and not to mention, it's quite healthy too.

The bike taking a break from my ass at Bedok Jetty.

Last Saturday, we went to the East Coast Park, rented a couple of bikes, $5 for two hours and biked away on the trail. It's good exercise and nice to do every now and then. In fact I'm getting a bike myself (wait, what about that thing on not spending?). The apartment is just two kilometers from the East Coast Park and there are park connectors to and fro, made for pedestrians, joggers, skaters and bikers.

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Today is the day I start to anal-retentively track ALL my spending. Let's see how this one goes.

Or it will consume you

I was walking inside Ngee Ann City and Wisma Atria earlier. Both establishments sit atop Orchard Rd. The commercial stretch frequented by tourists and casual shoppers alike and where it is very apparent that Singapore equals shopping.

I had been drawn a couple of times out of my way to check out good deals on some products

G2000 long-sleeved shirts: $19 (~P603.00) each
Giordano grey shirt (just the way I like it): $39 (~P1240.00)
Empire Magazine Feb 2007, Optimus Prime cover: $16.50 (~P525.00)

Sale here, sale there. "End of Season sale", "Final Sale"...

It's very difficult to resist some bargains or just plain good products. And it's very easy to pull out the plastic, and sign away the purchase into the next statement date.

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Well, you've dreamed about this since when you were a kid and you couldn't buy that toy that you've always wanted.

At least I did.

And now after a couple of hours a week, sitting down and "applying" myself, I get paid every month. With that, I get to buy whatever the heck I want. The trick, of course, is not to get crazy with the spending. Because the more money you have, the easier it is to get carried away.

Starting next pay day, every expense is going into this nifty Microsoft Money program installed in my laptop. That way I can track spending and forecast cashflow (or so the program says). I also need to set up another account, maybe a time deposit or a unit trust just to have a place for my money to sit in. I've been advised to look into more long-term investments next year probably. Property and such. But that's still too far ahead.

Don't work for money; make money work for you.

Resolutions Reminders for 2007

• Track spending / budget
  
• Plan trainings
• Work hard
• Leave credit card at home every once in a while
• Invest savings
  
• Get a hobby
• Exercise regularly /Bulk up
• Look after health
• Avoid alcohol
  
• Make more friends
• Travel
• Enjoy life
• Blog :)
  

I should put this permanently somewhere in this blog.

2006: The Year of Change (Part Two)

Career started to take off. Made a lot of new friends. Reconnected with old ones. Strengthened existing ones.

The trip to London was extremely memorable. A lot of firsts. First business trip. First time in Europe. First time to miss a flight. It proved even more that I was capable of a lot of things, and in many aspects.

Singapore was a blast. For the first time in my life, I was able to do whatever I wanted provided I just take care of myself. And with this newfound freedom, I was able to focus more on myself and what I can do.

[I don't usually spills my guts out here, but anyway...]

And so that has been the theme for 2006: The change in me. It's not where I am, where I go, how much I'm making, what I am spending it on... but rather, what I make of myself, where I'm headed, and how I get myself there. How melodramatic. But that doesn't make it less true.

I've been through a lot last year. A LOT. Goods things and bad things. Of careers, friends and loves. One of the lessons I've learned was that you should take all these things, swallow them, and become better. Never try to forget or escape. Always be thankful for everything.

I've been given a blank slate for 2007. It's all up to me.

2006: The Year of Change (Part One)

The year started with angst and ended with optimism.

Travel: Was it more of going away or going back home?

After months of staring into my then blank passport, I was able to save up for a trip to Hong Kong. It was a foreshadowing perhaps, of the travelling I would be doing for the next couple of months.

But first, a I made few trips to appreciate how naturally beautiful the mother land is. First off, the wonderful and oh-so-near to Manila, tropical paradise of Puerto Galera.

Subic...Zambales...Fontana...Batangas...

And then there was the BIG move to Singapore in the middle of the year.

Coming up next...

Because Internet connection here is so slow...

Future posts:

• Manila Trip
• 2006: The Year in Review
• 2007: What's Next
• Resolutions
• Pictures!
• and many, many more...

Happy New Year! :D