an end and a beginning

so the year is about to end and i figured we had better give it a proper tribute on this site as well. hmm, i'm not sure if this will be a worthy end-of-the-year post but here goes!

i did my financial accounting voodoo yesterday. mind you, i never took an accounting subject so i kept it pretty simple and just added and subtracted a few digits.  the verdict?

i went overbudget!!! by around 3k. considering all my expenses and my income (sidelines included), i saved just a little little less than half of my salary.  oh well, i'm still learning, you know? and some people might say that i was unnecessarily generous at several occasions, which isn't entirely a terrible thing, right? i'll just need to compensate for that.

this coming year, my contract will end at my current place of employment.  i have 2 months of (somewhat) predictably stable income before i have to get a new job, a better one!  and having decided that the compensation does not solely determine what constitutes as a great job, i am facing the possibility of earning even less (read: minimum wage), especially should i choose to work for an NGO or the like.  and what does this mean, exactly? new New Year financial resolutions!

now, i'm not doing this to try to compensate for some guilt of overspending.  i admit that i did overspend a bit during the past year but, guess what, it was worth it in one way or another.  i either helped someone or learned a lesson as a result.  money well-spent, if you ask me.  but for this year, it's time to apply what i've learned and what i believe in.  i believe it is possible to live contentedly, even with very little.  and i also believe that you are never too poor to help someone out. 

this year, after having analyzed my every expense, i'm resolving to:

1. buy less clothes and shoes.  and if i do buy, they have to be practical needs.

2. reuse and recycle even more.  that means more DIYs too, and more garage sales.

3. lessen my dependency on material objects.  even more garage sales then! and i'll be giving away "presents" to friends who want them, i guess :)

4. make my money work for me.  i'll be spending (both time and money), albeit still wisely, on three things: fostering relationships and helping those in need, further learning, pursuing my dream/mission

i'm really excited for the new year!!!! the possibilities will be even more exiting than they were in 2010, i just know it :D

btw, i made my first New Year/Bday/Dream purchase (yes, this will be placed in the 2011 report :P ) i sure hope to make the most out of this one.

Merry Christmas and a Happy Happy New Year to you all!

less is more (and a side comment on The Rider)

once again, i read a wonderful article yesterday about a couple who decided to wean themselves from most of their material possessions after having realized that they weren't taking much satisfaction and happiness from these.  i'm finding more and more of these stories during these times.  i especially enjoyed the one about people living in ridiculously small but adorable houses.

these days, we work our asses off just so we can afford that next new thing--whether it's yet another hi-tech gadget that you don't even really need, an incredibly wonderful pair of shoes that would just get ruined in the rain anyway, or even a lavish trip (which, more often than not, is wholly aimed at gaining extra bragging points on Facebook).  we're trying to plug this emptiness in our lives with as many possessions as we can.  but it ain't the right fix, so that giant hole is never truly covered and we end up wanting and wanting, buying and buying, trying to hide and camouflage all the things that are wrong in our lives.

they say that the consumers are wisening up, learning to really plan their purchases, discerning which ones will give them more value--not just in terms of money, but also in terms of the experiences they will gain through the purchases being made and the relationships being formed.  i say, this is still a tiny percentage of the population.  maybe it's because the financial meltdown hasn't made that much of a difference in our lives here in the Philippines (we were already messed up even before the 2008 recession).  maybe the problem needs a greater intervention.  i don't know.  i'm neither well-read in Psychology nor in Economics.

well, as you all know, i have my Project 365, right?  and the very existence of this blog is based on the belief that there are more important things in life than money; that you can be happy with less; that money should be used to bring joy and goodness to this earth and its inhabitants, rather than destroy it.  i'm really grateful for having read this article at a time when i'm itching to buy yet another pair of shoes (100 days down, 265 days to go) because it reaffirms my convictions.  even if it is hard to control the flight of the plastic card, i know it'll pay off in the long run.

this weekend, i will start sorting my clothes and shoes and bags yet again.  i'll be donating them to a friend's garage sale, the proceeds of which will be used to pay for the expenses incurred due to her dad's funeral.  my under-used and under-appreciated belongings will be better off there, helping a family get back on its feet after the death of its patriarch.  i plan on slowly cleaning out my wardrobe until i have 100 or less items in it (excluding underwear though).  maybe i could organize a garage sale on September too, to get rid of all the stuff we have in our aunt's store.  we'll use the proceeds for our room's renovation :)  or a really good cause--maybe sustainable education or livelihood, a library, or even an arts program for the youth--which i have yet to find (please help me with this one, if you can).

it all comes down to this: will it make you truly happy?

**on a side note (totally unrelated), i saw a female driving a motorbike today.  she had a scarf under her helmet, probably to keep her hair nice, and she was wearing 4-inch heels!!! gawd! how did she do it? no idea.  but it got me thinking, if i can't buy a car, would i rather continue commuting or get a motorbike instead (provided that i knew how to ride one--i can't even ride a bike)?? what would you choose?

Beauty tips that won't cost you a thing

ound some great tips on various sites and compiled them here. hope you like!

1. Exfoliate (but don't overdo it!) to slough off those dead skin cells faster.  i exfoliate 1-2x a week using Artistry exfoliating scrub. it cost like P1.5k but you only use a little bit and it's meant to last really long.  my sister and i have been sharing the tube for 2yrs now! that's like P375 per person per year on a really good product.

2. Steam your face once a week! it stimulates the blood circulation to your face and helps clean it. Steps: Clean your face. Fill a bowl with hot, steaming water. Lean over the bowl for 10 minutes with your face a foot above the water, and drape a towel over your head to create a tent.  Rinse face with lukewarm water, and follow with a facial mask then finish with toner.  i actually don't do this often but resolve to do so from now on; maybe it will help me keep my hands from pricking my zits and popping the blackheads.

3. Get physical!! when your blood gets pumping, a flush occurs on your cheeks naturally. it also keeps you feeling fit, strong, and happy! (remember Elle Woods' endorphins?) i'm planning to really go through with my workout wednesdays. i went jogging for 15 minutes last week, preceded and followed by stretches and lunges.  i also did a few (literally few) push-ups and crunches.  i WILL do the same today.  i also want to try to enter a ballet class, if my budget permits. hope it works out!

4. Sleep and destress.  apparently, the body works harder to renew your skin cells or something when you sleep. so, the next time your mom gets mad at you for oversleeping, just tell her you're doing it for your skin! haha. just kidding. 7-8 hours will do for every night, while it's also important to take a few minutes for yourself when you're feeling stressed to avoid it showing on your face. creases and furrowed brows are expensive to repair so might as well just prevent it.

5. Eat healthy! a well-balanced diet is good for both the inside and outside of your body. check this out!

6. Do good!  doing something for other people, especially the less fortunate or perhaps a very important cause, always brings about a different glow.  trust me, the most beautiful people i know don't have perfect skin or bone structure, and some of them are always dressed in just a shirt and jeans.  but their beauty radiates from within, and you can really sense that whenever you're around them.  my greatest aspiration is to be beautiful in this way too.  for some ideas, contact me or check out Hands On Manila.

to end, i would like to leave you with a poem often quoted by the most beautiful woman who ever walked upon this earth (my personal opinion):

For attractive lips
speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes
seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure
share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair
let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise
walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People
even more than things
have to be restored
renewed
revived
reclaimed
and redeemed
never throw out anyone.
Remember,
if you ever need a helping hand,
you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older
you will discover that you have two hands
one for helping yourself
and the other for helping others.
-Sam Levinson

Sources:
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/makeover/8-natural-no-make-up-necessary-ways-to-look-and-feel-glowingly-gorgeous-1361806/#photoViewer=2
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/makeover/what-to-eat-for-gorgeous-glowing-skin-1268136/#photoViewer=1

deadlines

sorry for the total lack of posts lately; i'm afraid i'm caught between several deadlines right now (and a few more last week):

1) i'm writing a summary matrix of the health agenda of the presidential candidates. we really need to finish asap so we can release it in time for people to actually read it and use it to help them decide on the vote on May 10

2) entries to literary contests.  i've given up on the Carlos Palanca one for now.  the deadline is tomorrow and, aside from the fact that i've only written 1 1/2 pages of the short story i planned on submitting, there are also some papers that need to be notarized, sent thru post, etc.  on the bright side, there's still hope for the Philippine Star "My Icon, My Hero" essay contest.  770 words down, 430 more to go.  it's also due tomorrow but, thanks to the internet, i think i can (and should) make it.

wish me luck!!

GOO: Gluttony, Obesity, and the Outback

so, i guess my dad pitied me a bit and we ended up having dinner at Outback in Libis with my Tita Jona and cousin Sheina instead of at Shangri-La.  also, ate Con offered to split the bill, which was good for me! anyway, she needed to make 10 transactions on her HSBC card this month so she can get a free Timex watch. cool huh? and the best part is, there's no minimum! so i advised her to go to the grocery every now and then, and buy something worth a P100. haha.

during dinner, Charlie kept teasing me that he'd get all the expensive dishes to maximize the (rare) treat from yours truly.  good thing he didn't, although we did order a bunch of desserts. yummy!  ate Cla ordered a drink though. take note people: if you want to save on dinner, skip the shakes and other juices.  they're the items in the menu with the highest mark-ups! my dad's Coke Zero in a can cost something like P106, while ate's four seasons shake cost P150.  of course, feel free to splurge every now and then, especially if it's something you've never tried before.  denying yourself all the time is never good, trust me.  i know someone who does so, and now she either regrets it or blames everyone else for her doing so.  or both.  but remember, gluttony is a sin. hahaha. and it makes you fat and unhealthy and then that gives you low self-esteem and a bunch of other problems. moderation is key.  just think of the Spice Girls singing "Too Much" and you'll have a much easier time of keeping your intake in check.

if i have to hear people complain how fat they are one more time, i might go berserk!  i have a confession to make. one of my top pet peeves is gluttony.  i think the obesity crisis that has beset a huge part of the world is due to gluttony and selfishness. and frankly, i am annoyed that there are so many diets or exercise routines or counseling sessions devoted to this.  if people would just know when to stop and give the rest of their food to the needy, they wouldn't be having this problem anymore! they'd be helping other people and themselves in the process.  but the problem is, we live in a world that teaches us to want, want, want and to buy, buy, buy.  so, hear me out when i say "drop that 10th cookie!"

oops, sorry for the ranting.  i don't hate people who are overweight, mind you.  some of the kindest people i know are.  being overweight is not purely a problem of the gluttons too--many people experience it.  people with hormonal problems, people who were just born with those set of genes, the list goes on.  but there are some people, not all, who are overweight because they overeat.  i hope you hear me out.  the next time you're on the verge of getting that shake probably loaded with corn syrup, or the next time you order something because it looks yummy, even though you're already full, think of all the people who are starving in our country and across the globe.  your not eating surely won't do them any good, but maybe you can pool your savings and figure out a way to help them out.

i come across a lot of people everyday who say they don't have enough resources to help the impoverished.  but i believe that that is never true, not even for the lowliest and humblest of us.  we just need to ask ourselves what on earth we are here for.  are we here to have fun, to eat, play, and be merry all the time?  or are we here to lend each other a helping hand, and find happiness in that?  your stomach will only be full for some time.  but your heart and your soul can be full for a lifetime.