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.