For The Future

When you got your first job, what's the first goal in your mind?

I grew up with my parents who has never ending debt. Means we 'borrow' what we eat, spend every day and pay them on my tatay's payday. Usually dad's paycheck is gone after 2-3 days by paying all our debts we made throughout the cut-off. What's left is our surviving money for the next days til next sweldo. Sometimes, sweldo is not enough so we borrow money again to others or pawn my tatay's payroll ATM card and other stuffs to pay so we can have credit again for the next 12 days and so. That's how the money in our family flows. With God's grace, my older sister got a chance to work abroad, helped me to went and finish college, had our home in Cavite renovate, helped pay our bills on time and also help kamag-anak in province whenever they asked to (but not all the time). Although my sister is well-pay abroad, I dunno but my nanay still have utang. It won't go. In fact, until now. Even my cousin who already has own family, she pawns her husband's payroll ATM card to survive til next payday of his husband. One I asked her, why you keep doing that, she answered me like sangla or pawning atm is inevitable, it happens normally like trials in life. Kalokohan. So when I had my first job, I swore to myself: This never ending utang won't happen to me. It will not happen to me.

Then I read these books:

:

Boy, I am grateful that I have read these. These books taught me to budget and save money every payday and I did. I had P10,000 on my savings account before the 2013 ended. Until now, I follow this formula:

Income - Savings = Expense

I have one goal: To have my own house and lot. I am 25 years-old now and hopefully I can achieve that by my mid-30s, but with this money on my savings account is all I have, I dunno, with its low interest annually, It'll take me ages before I can save millions of peso.

I'm a Cosmo girl, though it's not obvious but I do buy and read Cosmopolitan magazine every month. It's their money article that I always look forward to so I learned about investments from reading the magazine. While browsing thru internet to learn more about it, I stumble upon this great financial website called The Wise Living (which is by the way, a perfect financial blog for people @  their 20s) and I contacted the blogger since she offers FREE financial consulting. I reached to her, who's name is Lianne, through Viber and she was very patient and nice to teach me brief information about investment which is what I needed. 

Now I have VUL, which is an insurance + investments product (which is I think is really great because you're investing AND you are covered by insurance in one. Ha. Cool, eh?) of Sun Life Financial. Ms Lianne now stands as my financial advisor (very cool. I sound like a person who has lot of money she don't know what the hell to do with those)

I'm just very glad that I did this, that I've start investing so my future self will thank me. This is so good and I thought, why can't everyone just do this investing stuff. I mean, it's a win-win situation. You help not only yourself but also our economy, right? More investments, great economy, yeah? This is just what I think, but I know I'm right. I tell about this to my friends, but they seem don't believe me.  Or I am not just an effective seller because I can't discuss these stuff to them, I am no good teacher so I just tell them, you may want to visit this site or contact this person but they still don't have interest, so I don't insist. Now I wanna know more about investment. As in more. If I can have more investment in the future. As of now, I'm planning to go to financial seminars to help me.

Hey, if you don't have what I've mentioned above yet, investment and insurance, or you wanna know more about those, please do visit this site:

This site is a big help for you specially to those people @ 20's. like what I've mention. Ms Lianne is really friendly, nice and very accommodating, will surely help you out. She is young. Younger than me. She is so cool that she knows alot about finance at the very young age who graduated from nursing. So cool. Again, consultation is free.

This is essential. I mean, you should REALLY get your insurance and invest NOW. I mean, really, really.

Relaks,Pag-Ibig Lang yan, Parang Kagat Lang ng Langgam

I'm not talking about love here, I'm no Papa Jack here. I'm talking about a planner! A very cute and funny planner! And an affordable one. 

So the year is about to end, and I am now working (yep, jaysus I need a lot of updates here), I do carry a small notebook inside my bag for jotting down anything like budget,plans to-do, diary etc. I thought of buying myself a planner. My first choice was BDJ, I already planned to buy, so chick, I thought it's the one I need... I so wanted it I even made it to my wishlist for our Christmas party at the office until I saw this one:

(Grabbed from Witty Will Save The World FB)

It's a funny and clever planner, although at this stage of my life I don't cry-cry over love cos I'm sorta blessed with this area (Chos yabang. But its true. hehe). Pero naging tanga rin sa love, of course. (sinong hindi?)

I contacted Witty Will Save The World to place my order kasi it's only Php450.00 free shipping pag sakanila umorder while it's Php490.00 sa bookstores. With such luck, my colleague had this planner and sell to me with discounted price. Mas bet nya SB planner.

It's small hard bound planner. Easy to carry sa bag!

Things I only bought for MYSELF this December.

A fill in the blank letter for your Ex. I don't have somebody's name to put here so, si Shane Filan na lang. Yep, feelingera.
(Grabbed from Witty Will Save The World FB)

Every month may horoscope. May guide na 'ko.
(Grabbed from Witty Will Save The World FB)

I found out mas maganda planner nila for 2013. Too bad I missed it. I hope I don't miss any planner from them from now on.

So you can get yours here:

(Grabbed from Witty Will Save The World FB)

Liam and Lala

A week after meeting Liam Hemsworth at the SM Mall Of Asia, finally our photograph together is now posted on Bench official Facebook. It would've been better though if they posted the ones where we both looking at the camera cos as far as I remember there were like 3 or 4 cameras we were posing to and yet you released the one we're unaware of. Ugh. Still thankful though cos like I've said on the previous post, I am very lucky to have this opportunity, I owe it to Bench.

I'm getting this framed ^_^

Confession: I'm obsessed with Miley-Liam lately

I follow their romance because I’m obsessed with Liam and to be frankly speaking, I’m actually happy with all those break up rumors cos I’ve been hoping for it from the start. They’re too opposite, Miley loves to be center of the attention, Liam is a humble kind of laid back guy which is very sexy of him and no, they’re not from The Notebook movie, although they’re complete opposite they can’t be crazy for each other. Rumor has it Liam is fed up with Miley’s transformation, rushing herself to get old. And when she gets old, she’ll surely spend her dimes to stay young. The irony. I met Liam and he’s effing sexy, it was last week Friday and I still couldnt get over with it and I dont think I would. His aussie accent still ringing in my ears. And all those photos of Miley smoking weeds? That’s just too stupid of her to post it on the internet, then blames media for not having her privacy. Btw, I adore Miley Cyrus fashion until she turned herself into a rebel punk bleached haired wannabe.


UPDATE (Dec 15, 2013): YES! THEY'VE BROKEN UP! THEY'RE SOOO DONE!!! HAHAHAHA! *evil laughs*

Long Distance Relationship

UPDATE: This is myself a year ago. I was outta my mind, being mellow dramatic and all. This is stupidly embarrass but I decided not to delete this one. Just to remind myself, nope... I was that stupid, don't go back in there. LOL And yep, Cavite-Taguig is NOT an LDR


——————————About You 

1.  What is your name? Lara
2. How old are you? 24
3. Where do you live? Cavite, Philippines
4. What do you look like? morena. with eyeglasses, prescribed. slim.

———————
About Them

1. You have a significant other, right? Yes
2. What’s their name? Rey
3. How old are they? 30
4. Where do they live? Taguig
5. What do they look like? Taller than me, kinda hairy person, has beard, slim but musculine. 

———————————- About The Relationship

1. Since you’re taking this, it’s a long-distance relationship, right? Yes
2. Did you meet through the internet? Nope
3. If not, then how did you meet?  We used to work at the same workplace.
4. How often do you see them? 3-5 times a month
5. How long have you been together?  5 years now

————————————————-When Was The Last Time You …

1. saw them? Today.
2. kissed them? Today before he went back home
3. hugged them?  Today
4. talked to them? A couple of days

———————————
Some Other Questions

1. What made you decide you wanted to be in a long-distance relationship? Nobody wants to be in this kind of relationship. Do you? As if we had an option. We moved here in Cavite and he got a job in Taguig, probably 5hours ride away. Although we're apart, ending our relationship never crossed our minds. 
2. How does it usually make you feel? At first it is really hard for me cos we spent our 1st year we were together 7 days a week so when this LDR started, I was dying missing him. There was even a time when we never heard of each other for a month which probably the hardest point of our relationship. Later on, we planned to meet after 2-3 weeks, we don't wanna get through a month without seeing each other. Mostly, he comes to me to visit or sometimes we go out.
3. Are there any songs that remind you of them? Whenever I miss him, I could relate to any love songs.
4. Ever feel unable to believe you’re in a real relationship because of it?  Distance is nothing. I'm in a real serious relationship and we both know it.
5. Do you ever feel angry or stressed because of the distance? I did, during the first months.
6. Do you ever take it out on your significant other? Not really
7. Are you ever jealous of local couples? Sometimes, yeah. 
8. What are the advantages of a long-distance relationship? Your love for each other grows fonder. Everytime we see each other, it's one of the amazing.
9. What are the disadvantages? Some nights you wanna cuddle but he's absent or sometimes when you're feeling down or something amazing happened, he's not there to talk to.
10. Do people have less faith in your relationship because of the distance? I dunno to them. I don't really care. Well they see us how we spend time together.
11. Do you know when the next time you’ll see them is? As of now, no. Due to his job.
12. How do you usually talk to them? We never lasts a week without talking on the phone.
13. Has the distance helped your relationship at all? Yes, of course. 
14. If so, in what ways? It proves to me how faithful he is to me and i am to him. That we could fully trust each other.
15. Do you find it hard to trust your significant other? I trust him completely.
16. Have you, or your significant other, ever taken advantage of the distance and lied? He never lied to me as far as I know.

———-
Future

1. Do you ever hope to live with your significant other? Yes
2. Do you hope to marry them? Yes.
3. Do you hope to have kids with them? I already named our future children
4. Do you think it’d be strange to finally have them with you, permanently? No, I've known him for years now.
5. Do you think there’s a chance of this happening? Yes, we're planning for it.
6. How often do you cry over it? I dont cry over it. I'm used to it.
7. Would you ever break up with them because of the distance? NO
8. What keeps you from ending it all? Love.

————- Finishing

1. Overall, are you happy you’re in the relationship? Yes
2. Any advice for others in your situation? Believing in your relationship is the key. Trust. Love. Communication.