Managing Your Finances

Ever since I moved out (see: The Highs and Lows of Moving Out ), I have learned the value of money. And since I am close to reaching my Save Big Challenge (read post here: The Save Big Challenge), I thought I'd a post an entry on what steps I took to reach it.

I started working after I graduated and I know that liberating feeling of knowing that you have your own money to spend however you like. After all, you worked your ass off and you deserve to reward yourself with a little something, right?

Sure, but the question is how little is that something? Is it going to slash a huge chunk off of your paycheck and spend the rest on your everyday expenses? Then whatever is left goes to your savings?

During the years I have worked, that’s how I managed my finances. I was able to save a small amount but that didn’t bother. I foresaw no huge expenditure that I would need to spend my money on. And until I got hospitalized. I am not a sickly person, I barely get sick and if I do get the cough and colds, it’s just usually for two to three days. I have never thought that I’d be confined and in a matter of days, all money I have saved went down the drain. I have come to a point wherein I had only Php 250.00 (almost $5.00) to my name until the next paycheck. I had to resort to borrowing money in order to pay for my daily expenses. And that’s something I never want to go through again.

15 Things A Bookworm Will Understand

Do you love to read? Do you spend hours curled up with a good book on hand? Do you inhale every word that's written on every page?

Yes, yes and yes!

Then here are a few things you can definitely relate to:

1. Spending hours inside a bookstore deciding on what to buy.

I want this! And that! And ooh those too!

Let's Museum Hop!

I have always loved museums. There's this magic in them that let's me feel good about the world and what it has to offer.  I'm a frustrated painter so I am always left in awe when I see paintings and murals with intricate details, raw emotions, and incessant energy. One of my dreams is to visit famous museums and galleries across the globe like the Louvre in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, and the Mauritshuis in The Hague in Netherlands. And since I need a bit lot of saving up until I visit them, I frequent museums that are a little closer to home and within the metro. Here are a few. 

Chicken Tinola

It's the monsoon season and it's been raining a lot for the last few days. The weather has been turned a bit chilly now. I love rainy days (See: Pluviophilic.) It's the perfect weather to curl up inside my book reading fort with a mug of hot chocolate or watch my favorite series with a hot bowl of soup-based dishes. So I took advantage of the weather to cook one of my favorite Filipino food, Chicken Tinola. And here I am, sharing the recipe.

The Diorama Experience

How's everyone doing?

Last time I studied Science through the Mind Museum (See entry here:A Day Inside Mind Museum ). This time, I took up History, Philippine History to be exact. ♥
Remember when I visited Jana Benitez's exhibit in Ayala Museum? (Check it here: Life Force by Jana Benitez) I also visited the museum's Diorama Experience which takes up the entire second floor. The exhibit itself was completed in 1971. Carved by highly skilled woodcarving craftsmen from Paete, Laguna (a province known for their excellent woodcarving artistry), the exhibits uses miniature statues, infrastructures, and scenery which are then encased in glass showcases to depict the major events in Philippine history. The exhibit also comes with an Audio Diorama Guide available in iPods which can be rented.

Please take note that these are some of the displays I liked best and NOT the entire exhibit.

Gettin' Down and Dirty at Phillip's Sanctuary

Hi!

How is everyone?

After months of planning, our team building has finally commenced! Yay!

Our team decided to go to Phillip’s Sanctuary which is situated at Pestaño Farm in Antipolo, Rizal. The sanctuary covers several hectares of land and different kinds of trees dot the tranquil scenery. It took us about an hour and a half to reach the place. The first thing I noticed is that cell reception in the area is not good. I had no bars by the time we arrived at the sanctuary so if you’re planning to go there, it’s best to give a heads up to those may be trying to reach you.

Entering Phillip’s, we were greeted by fruit-bearing trees and the scent of dried leaves (very rustic). The trees were labeled with their local name, English name, and their scientific name. Time in was 11:30 in the morning and settled in our cabana. It was spacious and clean. The main area serves as the dining room, two large bedrooms that have four big bunk beds. There’s also a veranda that overlooks the pool and the mudslide pitch. But our cabana only has one bathroom to accommodate all eleven of us. 

Welcome to the Narra Cabana!

A Day inside The Mind Museum

Are you a museum lover and a Science buff? Then take time to check out the Mind Museum in Taguig.

My two closest friends and I (See: Summer Sunshine in Bolinao) went out to celebrate Jo-e's birthday. We usually watch a movie after dining out but this time we decided to deviate from our normal routine. 

Life Force by Jana Benitez

Hey everyone!
Hope you're all doing fine.

Have you heard of Jana Benitez? She's a US-based Filipino artist who made her debut at the young age of 12 and had her first exhibit at Ayala Museum. She grew up in Manhattan's Upper East Side, not surprising being the daughter of  Jose Conrado Benitez, president of PWU and Joanne De Asis, a New York investment banker. She's an alumna of Brown, a prestigious Ivy League university, she graduated Magna Cum Laude in Visual Arts. She's been to Chile, France, China and New Zealand to name a few. And now she's back in the Philippines to display her new work entitled "Life Force."

Jana Benitez
Photo By: Nelson Matawaran

Fresh Light in Champagne Pink

Hello!

How's everyone?

Anyway, here's another post to prove that I am a spontaneous weirdo. Haha!

After my friends and I watched Lucy (Scarlett Johansson movie, in case you're wondering), I spotted a cutesy hair color in the department store. It's called "Schwarzkopf Fresh Light Champagne Pink". It's also called "Blythe Hair Color" because they use Blythe Dolls as models on the boxes.

Don't be a Writer with Jessica Zafra

Hi everyone!
Been a while ne~?

I mentioned on my previous post, I am a fan of Jessica Zafra. I like her wit and humor, not to mention her writing style. Imagine how happy I was when Ayala Museum was able get her to conduct a talk about writing. I was beyond ecstatic! Her talk was entitled, "Don't Be a Writer." Though title sounds a discouraging, it tackles the challenges of the writing process and being a writer as well as the eventual rewards from it.

Spicy Garlic Butter Shrimp

Hello!

How is everyone?

Guess what? I finally have another adventure entry to post but I'll post it tomorrow. (Haha!)

For now, here's another foodie post. ^__^

On my way to work, I passed by a Shrimp Shack construction and I have been craving shrimp since then. I badly wanted to eat Garlic Butter Shrimp but not one food joint near where I live is serving them I wanted to go to Dampa but all my friends were either busy or on a diet (just kidding!). I decided to cook the dish myself but I didn't know how to make it so I consulted the best Spicy Garlic Butter Shrimp maker I know: my mom. Haha!

I consider myself lucky that I grew up with my mom who makes super delicious Pinoy dishes. I texted her and she replied promptly. So here I am sharing the recipe I have loved since I was a little girl.

Tuna Pesto Fettuccine

Hello!
How's everyone?

Remember Dee? From the Quickie, a Threesome's Short Getaway . Well, she wasn't able to eat my fried spring rolls (Check out the recipe here: Spammy's Spring Rolls) when I brought them to work so she requested that I cook pesto pasta. (I felt bad so I obliged. Lord, I am such a pushover. Just kidding. Lol!) No, I just realized it's been a while since I've had pesto and now that she mentioned it I craved for it. Haha! Anyway, since I decided to cook it for her, might as well post the recipe. So here it is. ^__^

Spammy's Spring Rolls

Hey there!
How's everyone doing?

I haven't had any time offs to go on a long weekend adventure so I've been occupying myself with books and food. :)
My friends requested that I bring some food and since I got great feedback on it from my officemates, here's another food entry. It's called "Lumpiang Shanghai" or Spring rolls. It's a staple food present in birthdays, fiestas, anniversaries even small get-togethers! Being a fan of fried foods, this is a must for me. According to an interview, even model-turned-actress Cameron Diaz loves this dish. So here's my own version of this crunchy Filipino favorite.

Spicy Tuna Penne

Hi ho!

How is everyone's week faring?

One of my friends just celebrated his birthday so I decided to whip up a small birthday snack. Since he liked my Dynamite (Chili Cheese Sticks) recipe. I opted to cook another spicy dish for him. I call it Spicy Tuna Penne. It's really simple to cook. ^__^

The Collective Experience

Aloha everyone!

How was your weekend?

My weekend plan of going back to Baler was shot down because my vacation leave was not approved. I was feeling bitter because most of my college buddies get to go. Fortunately, my good friend Nika invited me to go with her to The Collective in Makati.

Located along Malugay St, it is just a stone throw away from Central BBQ Boy. The Collective is like a mini art district that houses different shops, restaurants and galleries. Formerly a warehouse, it is now the home of visual arts sprayed on the walls. Very cool!

CCAP Color Dash

Hi everyone!

Got any weekend plans? :)

Time for another flashback. Here's a late entry about the time my officemates and I joined a 5K fun run, The Color Dash. It was organized by the Call Center Association of the Philippines. It's called Color Dash because you get lobbed with different colored powder at every stations. Though it has the word "dash" in it, it's technically a fun run so it's up to the participant whether they'll make it a timed event or just simply walk it off and have fun. Luckily, it was my rest day so I was able to take part in it. Many of the BPO companies in Manila participated in it. Some of the participants wore color coordinated bandannas to recognize their company. Some of them wore colorful baller IDs. There was one who even brought his Shitzu with him. How cute! I even saw people I knew from my previous company. It was very cool!

^__^

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Hello!

How's it hanging?

It's been a while since I've posted about a book. So after re-watching LOTR and The Hobbit. I decided to reread them. I first read them when I was in high school but I never owned a copy. When two of my friends and I failed to watch The Amazing Spiderman 2 in 4DX at the Bonifacio High Street Cinema (they were sold out for the day and it was just the second screening, boo!) we headed, or I dragged them, to Fullybooked. I ended up buying The Hobbit and The 50 Year Anniversary of Doctor Who. Got a discount too because my friend has a discount card!

My own copy finally!

Wicked Oreos

Hey there!

Here's another food post because I've been craving this stuff since last week. They're called Wicked Oreos though I don't know where exactly the term came from. It's basically fried Oreos. I eat this when I'm craving something sweet but needs a little more panache. It's quite easy and very yummy! A must-try for those who are a fan of Oreos and have a sweet tooth.

Taking up Yoga

Hey there!

Having a great week so far? :)

The reason I'm writing this post is because I miss doing Yoga with my friends (Hi Ann and Denise!).They are actually the ones who persuaded me to try Yoga. It's one of the classes our office gym offers and it's twice a week. I wasn't really keen on trying Yoga because I know in myself that I am not flexible and I was scared that I'd pull a muscle or something. But Ann and Denise made me agree to at least go to one class.

Channeling Dora the Explorer

Hello! What's up?

My friends have been asking me what got me started backpacking. If you've reading my previous posts you know when but if not, here's the story: Summer Sunshine in Bolinao

Anyways, since I enjoyed backpacking so much I decided to do it whenever time permits me, accompanied or not. I've been asked a lot if I don't feel scared at all. Of course I do. Unfamiliar place, strangers everywhere and a lot of things that could happen that you had not accounted for. Life is full of surprises and you have to hope for the best but also expect the worst.

Homemade Milk Tea

Howdy everyone?

This year's summer has been, by far, the hottest and the most humid I have ever experienced!

Goodness! Leaving your fan's side is a mistake and though turning up the AC greatly helps, it will also greatly rack up the electric bill!

I'm seriously considering locking myself inside the fridge. O__O

So what to do to beat the heat? Indulge in yummy cool treats, of course!

Ice cream is good but I prefer cold drinks. I place it on my bedside table while I read. :)

My drink of choice? Milk Tea!

I love milk teas from Gong Cha, Serenitea, Moonleaf and Dakasi. But a large milke tea can cost up to Php 100.00 to Php 120.00. It can get really costly if I drink them everyday so I decided to try and make my own.

Siomai ala Spammy

Halu everyone!

This is a verrrrrry late post (I accidentally deleted them on my phone so I had to scour my hard drive for it. lol).

Anyway, as mentioned on my last food post I'll be cooking siomai, so here it is. Siomai is a kind of dumpling. Siomai in the Philippines can either be eaten as a snack or served with rice. 

Summer Sunshine in Bolinao

Hey there!
What's new with you? :)

Anyhow, this travel post is actually from last year. Why only now? Well, aside from the fact that I only started this blog last December, this trip is actually what inspired me to go backpacking. Don't worry, I had friends with me. ^__^

It all started with me resigning from my previous work. My close friends there and I do meet up from time to time but we realized that we haven't traveled out of town together. We all pitch in on which places to go and what to do. Either it was too far, too expensive or the place has already been visited by one of us. Out of desperation, we randomly picked a place from a website. So off to Bolinao we went.

Backpacking in Baler

Hey there! How is everyone?

Last April, I channeled my inner Dora the Explorer and went to Baler, Aurora (Actually, I went to Baguio City, Cabanatuan City then Baler all in a span of 6 days!)

I was alone again, unfortunately. Sadly, my friends' requests for a vacation leave were not approved. But not wanting to have my vacation leave go to waste, I decided to have another solo adventure.

Paint the World with Words

Hey yo, how's it going?
Hope everyone is doing spectacular. :)

As a form of practice (and fulfill my Carpe Diem resolution of writing more), I'll be starting a separate blog for my writing. You can check it here: A Blank Canvas.
 

I'll be creating short stories based on different writing prompts.

I will be using some writing prompts found at AmandaOnWriting, Josgal, Heather Hammel

My friends asked me what got me into writing fiction, I don't know exactly when I started writing ( Initially, I wanted to be an astronaut but by sixth grade I found out I sucked at Math so that kinda shot down the horse in the face. lol) But I always loved stories. I thank my Dad that he read to us every night. I literally will not go to sleep until he tells us a bedtime story. Then I discovered books and started reading books when I was four. Oh the wonder of it all! One book I was a princess, a brave soldier on the next. It's a different world, like TV inside my head but much better. 

A Sweet Orange Kind of Day. ♥

Haluuuu~
Howdy everybody?

As I mentioned in my last post, it's already summer here.

And the heat is unbelievable! Let me cite an LOTR reference, Frodo and the Fellowship were better off dropping the One Ring here instead of Mount Doom. Lol.

Seriously though, I feel sweat dripping from my forehead down to my chin like every five minutes. I had to keep my long (and very thick, as in really thick) hair up. I couldn't take the blasted weather anymore. So I decided to have a haircut. But then I thought, since I already resigned myself to chop off my locks, why not have a complete hair make over?

So after I had my haircut, tadaaaaaa! Hair color!

Etude House Sweet Orange

Quickie, a Threesome's Short Getaway.

Hi! Been a while since I've updated this blog. 
Anyway, how's everybody?

It's summer here now and by golly, it is hot (and very humid!)
What better way to cool off the summer heat? Swimming, of course!

Dee, Drei and I (in a drunken stupor, lol) decided to go to Burot Beach in Batangas.
So away we went! ~ ♥

Dotted by trees, Burot is a beach located in Calatagan, Batangas. Just a few hours from Manila, Burot beach is a great choice for those who are looking for a quick getaway. The beach is carpeted with cream-colored sand and kissed by calm blue waters and lined with rock formations.

The Book Dilemma

As I continue on with my Save Big Challenge, I discovered a huge setback while I was doing my monthly budget plan. I am -wait for it- an impulsive book buyer! *gasp*

I have a budget for buying books, of course, but what I haven't realized is that I tend to buy every time I enter a bookstore. It dawned on me that I never leave a bookstore without buying one. *gah!*

So what's a book junkie supposed to do? Never enter a book store again? It's like asking me to shoot my own foot! (And quite frankly, I'd rather shoot my foot than be denied access inside a bookstore. j/k.)

My Beach Body Challenge

Hi! What's new? 

Remember my Carpe Diem Post? (You can check it here: Carpe Diem My Friend) Well, I just got told off by our vendor manager to start hitting the gym (just kidding Scott! ^__^) . I've been on hiatus because I had a lot of errands to take care of these last few weeks. So I decided to get started on my Beach Body Challenge. (We only have two seasons here in the Philippines; the summer and the rainy season. Summer here in the Philippines starts in late March.)

Creamy Carbonara Recipe

What's up Ketchup?
Hope your weekend was swell! 

Anyhoo, I'll do a short food recipe post today. ^__^ ~ <3

Last week, my friend requested that I cook and bring carbonara to work and I happened to be craving pasta at the time. So I obliged (and he still owes me Graham Cake. :p)

The One With the 30 Day Slim Down Challenge

Hi! How's it hanging? Hope you all had a great week!
For a while now, a lot of people are asking me what inspired me to hit the gym. I didn't actually know that I would get hooked with working out. 

The Save Big Challenge

Hey there!

A post from Kuripot Pinay went viral during the last week. It outlines a weekly saving plan that will allow a person to save more than 60,000Php by the end of the year. (Check it here: Kuripot Pinay) There is also a similar post from Minimum Compliance that follows the same outline but breaks it down to different amount selected (Check it out: Minimum Compliance) which allows you to save from 27K up to 137K.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Last December, whenever my friend and I go (actually I have to drag or guilt him to come along with me. haha!) to the bookstore, I always grab this book but I always ended up buying a different one instead. So last January 1st after our New Year Nomo (just 4 bottles, honest. 0:]), I dragged him to the bookstore so I can check out new titles. As usual, I grabbed this book but started browsing other books again. He grabbed the book from me and lined up at the counter (his usually strategy to end the book hunt early. Grrr.) He reasoned that it was the last copy and he doesn't want to hear me whine again because I lost a book I wanted to read. And that's how I ended up with my copy of STEELHEART.

Wanderlust

Heeeeeey yo!
What's up?

As promised yesterday, I'm posting my travel bucket list (hopefully, haha!) for this year.
I wish I have a 6 month vacay leave...twice a year! heehee~
These places are not arranged in order but just the ones I've been thinking about since last year.
And of course, I'll surely post about my adventure. ^__^ ~ ♥

Carpe Diem My Friend!

Happy New Year! *fireworks*

How time flies, ne?

It's 2014, another year to live life to the fullest and I intend to do just that.

2013 has been a whirlwind of emotions for me. I laughed until my tummy hurt, cried until my head pounded, ate thrice my size, travelled to different places, lost, ended and made new friends, and above all, learned lessons I will keep in my heart. I will charge all the negatives, the heartaches and the bad choices to experience in order for me to start this year right. So "thank you" to those who had left and taught me a lesson, "thank you" to those who had stayed and made me feel loved.