Taking charge of my retirement

That is really, really sad. A disgruntled police officer holding tourists hostage and eventually killing 8 of them. The reason: his being dismissed from service and not being eligible for his retirement benefits. He was demanding to be reinstated and his benefits assured.

I am no employee, neither a government or private one and certainly no police officer. I cannot relate to retirement benefits aside from what I probably would get from contributing to SSS and Pag-IBIG because I am self employed. But even if I were an employee, I would have made steps to ensure a source of income for my retirement years and not just rely on a pension. It's difficult to be dependent on some other entity to take care of you in the time that you would probably not be able to earn actively.

That's why I'm also trying to educate myself on the various investment instruments. I think that it's a great idea to buy gold bullion and maybe sell them later if the need arises. As we all know, gold prices generally go up in the long term. If I buy now when I have the capacity to earn a little extra for my investments, chances are prices would likely increase by the time I retire, which is a good twenty years from now. I admit I'm a newbie at this, so anybody could correct me if my statement is wrong.

One thing I'm sure of is this: We should take responsibility for our own future. Not depend on something or someone else. Not even our own kids, who will have their own problems and responsibilities in the future. Things change and the only people we can really count upon is ourselves.

Holiday confusion

My son's school calendar states that September 9 is a holiday. However, I have yet to hear the official announcement from Malacanang.

While this may not seem like such a big deal, to me it is. We have a team building activity on the eighth and ninth of September, and it's supposed to be an overnight thingy. I do not know if we can bring the kids (I hope so). And even if we can't, there's the problem of bringing my eldest to school. We'll have problems doing that if we're away at the team building affair.

Another problem is that we'll have to cancel other clinic schedules in order to accommodate the team building activity. A holiday would mean that we don't really have to cancel too many clinic skeds since some of our other clinics are closed anyway.

Such are the dilemmas of working parents.

I hope P Noy decides soon. He's been really slow in making decisions. I hope it's because he's still not used to his job, and he's still in the adjustment period, and that this is not reflective on how things are going to be for the rest of his term.

Gold

My family has great belief in the intrinsic value of gold. In accordance with Chinese custom, my father's family gave my mother gold jewelry during their engagement ceremony. My mother's family, in turn gave my father a gold watch.

Tradition aside, gold is really a good investment. It's a finite material, but it does not easily break down or lose its value. There is no special care needed to store gold, unlike, say, paintings. It is not destroyed by Ondoy-like floods (you could lose them though, if you haven't kept them carefully).

That is why I am strongly considering investing in certified gold coins. While jewelry does contain gold, I have no idea how much of the compound is gold and, heaven forbid, if I get a less-than-honest vendor, I might be fooled into getting something useless. Which is a waste of my money.

There was a time when it was difficult to look for such coins. I still don't know if there's a source right here in the Philippines, but at least now there are online sites where you can make a purchase. Do check out usgoldbureau.com if you're going to make an investment in gold. It looks like a reliable site.

Pagbabago

It was barely a month after my wedding when the news came.

My uncle and his family were enjoying their Christmas vacation in Thailand when the deadly tsunami struck. This disaster claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of lives, including those of my uncle and my 2 young cousins (they were only aged 44, 13 and 10 at the time) plus 2 other members of their party.

My brother went to Phuket to take care of things while we all waited for any updates. At the time, the youngest daughter (my cousin) was still struggling for her life in an ICU. She eventually succumbed after almost 3 weeks, a few days after her 10th birthday.

Imagine. We were still at the height of the euphoric honeymoon cloud that we were riding in when we were rudely brought back to reality. My mother was very depressed that her youngest brother and the 2 young children were so abruptly taken away from us.

With all that was happening, I initially did not realize that there were already changes occurring in my body. I started to get food aversions. I thought that I just did not have an appetite given the extreme situation that we were in at that time. There were only a few things that I could tolerate, and the Goldilocks mamon that my mom's friends brought over was one of them.

Then we began to suspect that my lack of appetite and food aversions were due to something else.

2 pink lines. A new life. Hope.

We told my mother the news that she is going to be a grandmother. I believe that this was the point when she started to slowly get out of her depression.

9 months after we lost our loved ones to the fury of Mother Nature, we welcomed another life into the family. My husband and I were so excited that we excitedly shared the news to family and friends. A lot of them came over to visit. We served them goodies from Goldilocks like ensaymada and mamon and tetra packed juice.

I realized later that my son came at just the right time. He is my mother's first apo, and while she may not be a totally indulgent lola (she can actually be strict at times), she loves him very, very much. We now celebrate life, after death claimed our loved ones.

Life has again changed.

In about 2 week's time, it will be his fifth birthday. We're having a simple celebration at home. No party this year, just a simple family salo-salo, but for sure there will be a cake (from Goldilocks!) and misua. It's been a roller coaster ride the past 5 years, but life goes on, through all the ups and downs, through all the challenges, through all the PAGBABAGO (changes).

Solmux may gamot diyan promo

Here's a promo by Unilab. It's the rainy season and while we don't want to get sick with cough and colds, sometimes it's inevitable. So it may be wise to stock up on Neozep and Solmux. Not only do you get ready for the season of sipon and ubo, you may just win a brand new car!

Click on and zoom in the poster for further details!

One!

My little girl just turned one yesterday!

We had a very simple celebration at home. I had Manang Conching cook traditional Chinese birthday misua. I also ordered some food from Mr. Sun Moon and a cake for Conti's for dinner. We sang the birthday song and her Kuya E "helped" in blowing out her first birthday candle.

My mother gave her an "ang pao" (red envelope with money inside). There were no other guests and no other gifts yet, because the "real" party would be tomorrow. It's a McDonald's party. We've decided to hold it in the morning, which is different from the usual afternoon children's party.

I would have loved to a buy gold bullion coin for her today and for each of my children's birthday. That was what my father started to do when he realized that we have outgrown the desire for toys. He thought that it was a very practical gift -- and it was. It was a very good investment. While the toys we received as kids were already gone, the gold coins are still very much around. We have the assurance that if we need money, these can be easily exchanged for cash. Their value is also very stable. I haven't gone around to restarting this tradition because of budget constraints, but I have done some research on it. The US Gold Bureau seems to be a good source. Still, I do need more research -- and more money.

While I can't give much by way of material things, I do try to be the best mom that I could be. I do hope that she will grow up to be a decent person with all the right values. I know that her dad and I have the big responsibility of seeing that that happens. For now, we are cherishing the moments that we have with her.

Happy Birthday, my little baby!

My little boy goes to big school

Today is E's first day in La Salle Greenhills.

It's not his first school. He used to attend preschool at ICBB. But big school's a totally different story.

My husband and I both took leaves from our clinics so that we could accompany him to school.

He told us that he enjoyed school. We are glad. (Big sigh of relief here). Hoping that he'll continue to enjoy school.

The biggest drawback is the heavy heavy traffic in that area! We didn't have that problem when he was still in small school. We do have to make adjustments...soon. Let's see what happens in the next few days.

Geminis all

There are so many birthdays this month for my side of the family. There's my grandma, my daughter, my uncle, my niece, my cousin-in-law and me.

June this year is especially significant (and busy) since there are 3 milestone birthdays -- two first birthdays and a 90th birthday!

Happy birthday to all of us!

I like this type of house

You Should Live in a Rustic House

You are a traditional person with old fashioned values. And you're only looking to impress yourself. You think it's important to have as comfortable a home as possible. You want to feel cozy. You are in touch with nature, and you appreciate a beautiful view. You appreciate the simple, basic things in life. You can be happy just from seeing it snow.

What Kind of Home Should You Live In?

Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything

Certainty in uncertain times

People are really getting jittery nowadays, what with the looming elections. What will the future hold for this country?

One thing is for sure: we do need to secure OUR OWN future. We can't always pin our hopes for a better government who will give us MORE, because it's pretty difficult to say who will win or what will happen when the new president takes up his duties.

My brother is very serious about going abroad. I am of two minds. It is not a simple matter for me, because unlike my brother who is single, I have to think about my husband and 2 small kids. Although both my husband and I are doctors, who may be on the priority list for "needed" professions in Canada (which means we have a greater chance of getting approved), so many things are holding us back in the meantime. Sigh.

So now what I want to do while deciding is to invest. Clinch the pag-ibig loan so we can pay our condo unit and have it rented out at the soonest possible time. Put more money in our mutual funds once we have the extra cash. Learn about other investments. Maybe try forex. Maybe buy gold bullions. Something easy enough that I can understand. Something that requires only a small investment -- read: what we can afford. Something that is easy to sell. Something that can easily be passed on to my kids. Something that can be verified internationally and something that will not lose its intrinsic value over time.

How should I deal with stress?

You Should Play Some Music

Part of what's stressing you out is that you can't stop thinking about your problems. Whenever you try to relax, you can't stop your mind from racing. The best thing you can do is crowd out your thoughts. And there's no easier way to do this than by cranking some music. Dancing is optional but highly recommended. Give yourself a break from your stress and really let loose. Or put on some of your old favorite music (happy music only though!). Sit back and remember what it was like not to be so overwhelmed.

How Should You De-stress?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

World Malaria Day

Five years ago, Reyster Langit, the son of noted broadcaster Rey Langit, went to Singnapan, Rizal, Palawan to investigate a mysterious disease that was supposedly killing off members of the indigenous Tau’t Batu tribe residing in the area.

Tragically, Reyster and his companions also contracted the disease and died from it. The mysterious disease turned out to be malaria.

Here is the article that I wrote for thepoc.net regarding this disease:

Malaria: The Flying Scourge

My yayas are leaving....

Yayas (nannies) are essential for a working mom like me. I have a very active four year old boy and a 9 month old baby girl who is starting to stand up and try to walk. I try to attend to their needs as much as possible, but I do need help because I have to work too, both outside the home and in the home.

However, they have both expressed their desire to leave. My boy's yaya of more than 2 years said that she wants to take a breather from yaya duties and wants to go home to her hometown. My little girl's yaya for the past 9 months said she wants to go back to school.

It's certainly a pity, as I have gotten used to them. I was even thinking of inquiring about night classes for them so that they can have another career outside of domestic help when they leave us. Something they want, like maybe a secretarial or IT course or maybe a beauty course (of course, nothing as sosyal as a cosmetology school in Minnesota coz I can't afford that for them), something basic that they can use for furthering their own lives. Now the cosmetology course would be very useful if they want to set up a business in the near future. Persons wanting to have a haircut/hairstyle change or manicure/pedicure or makeup would always be around, whether it's in the countryside, the big city, or even if they decide to go abroad.

But for my yayas, that's all moot because they are already leaving.

iBlog6

I've been wanting to attend the Blogging Summit for the longest time, but there's always something else that I have to do. Big sigh. This year, I've marked it on my calendar, told hubby about it, and set aside Saturday so I can at least attend on one of the 2 days. I can't on Friday since it's a work day.

I am really looking forward to going!

Update (April 17, 2010): Wasn't able to attend on Saturday either. :( Still not meant for me, I guess. Maybe next year....

30 Questions

Since it's April Fool's Day, you'll have to wonder which of the answers are true and which are not!!! Got this meme from here.

1. Where is your cell phone? Table

2. Describe your boyfriend/girlfriend? Married!

3. Your hair? Brown

4. Your mother? Traditional

5. Your father? Gone

6. Your favourite item? Computer

7. Your dream last night? Elections

8. Your favourite drink? Juice

9. Your dream car? Functional

10. The room you are in? Bedroom

11. Your ex? None

12. Your fear? Hell

13. What do you want to be in 10 years? Successful

14. Who did you hang out with last night? Husband

15. What you're not? Model

16. The last thing you did? Nap

17. What are you wearing? Stripes

18. Your favourite book? Sheldon

19. The last thing you ate? Lunch

20. Your life? Interesting

21. Your mood? Confused

22. Your friends? Worldwide

23. What are you thinking about right now? Back

24. Your car? Toyota

25. What are you doing at the moment? Typing

26. Your summer? Home

27. What is on your TV? Nothing

28. When is the last time you laughed? Today

29. Last time you cried? Today

30. School? History!

World TB Day

Today is World TB Day. Knowledge is power, especially in beating this centuries old contagious disease. This is a series of articles that I wrote for thepoc.net regarding this disease.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4 (watch out for it!)

Adventurous Soul?

You Are Adventurous... Sometimes

You like an adrenaline rush as much as the next person. You like your thrills in small doses. You're generally pretty calm and level headed. But sometimes you have to go wild and have a crazy adventure. You're up for extreme sports, as long as you know you'll be safe. You don't mind taking the risk. When it comes to thrills that truly risk your life, you may be tempted... but you pick safety instead.

Are You a Thrill Seeker?

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

Keeping Fingers Crossed

Pardon my lack of posts.

I've been very busy lately.

The good: new clinic hours, new freelancing job. I wish I had enough money after these to buy gold bars. US dollar is weak, so I don't really get a lot from my "rakets". I know I have to invest, and now is a good time for us to do so with gold, since these are really more stable investments. I've heard that the gold prices have actually increased over the past two weeks! And there are predictions that prices will be going up even higher! Too bad we weren't able to invest in it because of...

The bad: kids getting sick, me getting sick, hubby getting sick :(

My baby was also hospitalized hence our savings were again decreased. Which highlighted even more the fact that we need to save for that rainy day and invest for the future.

I will just as soon as we get enough money for investing! Keeping our fingers crossed.

Today is World Glaucoma Day

Today is World Glaucoma Day.

I did a series of articles for thepoc.net . Here they are. If you want to know about glaucoma, read up on it here:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Playing Catch Up

7 blogs to update (what did I get myself into...:P), kiddos and hubby getting sick (daughter was admitted last week), clinic, tons of photos to download -- I think I need a 1tb hard drive to store them. I also got a new writing gig, which I'm excited about. Oh, and new orders for my small biz.

While my multitasking is difficult, I'd like to think that I actually thrive under pressure. More often than not, I do surprise myself to what I can accomplish under pressure. I am also grateful for opportunities that come my way. So here I am, trying to play catch up online once again!