I wish I could afford to be in debt.
Let me explain. I have a few classmates in high school who are now paying off houses, cars, or condos they bought with their own money. Some have started their own businesses, and those businesses have done pretty well.
As for me? Well I can't say I'm underpaid (well, not totally underpaid) but I can't afford to pay for some things I had expected I would have had by this point in my life. I cannot even afford to buy a second-hand car for crying out loud.
Some people might be wondering why this is a problem for me. Isn't being debt-free good?
Well yes. But I think it's the "bad kind" of debt that I'd be proud to be free off. But the good kind? I'd love to be in debt if it meant I was paying for my own house (or condo unit). Or even just my own brand new car. Or even a few luxury items I really want but can't afford to pay for (even if it's zero interest one year to pay) like a new DSLR body or a new super-powerful laptop or desktop.
Because if I can afford to pay for those things, it means I'm making enough that I could even consider buying those things I mentioned. It means I have enough disposable income to buy my own place, or my own car (those two are my biggest priorities right now) while having enough money to pay for my family's basic everyday needs.
Here's where I have an issue. Even though I have a wife and daughter, we live with my folks. I use my mom's car everyday to go to and from work. Yes I pay for the car's gas. But that's it. So basically if my wife and I suddenly moved out of the house I'm guessing our lifestyle would take a drastic change to a more spartan lifestyle. Something I don't want to do since I promised myself that I would never make my family experience living on a tight budget.
But facts are facts, and right now my wife and I are thinking of plans to increase our income. Wish us luck.
Out.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Monday, January 09, 2012
Decisions, Decisions
Sometimes going with the flow isn't a bad thing.
Right now I've made a big decision in my life because I went with the flow. I can't really elaborate right now, but in my defense all I can say is that I tried multiple times to remedy this situation before I came up with this.
Or, humor me here for a bit and let my paranoid side shine through, but maybe other forces wanted me to decide this a long time ago. I have no idea. I can't really read people well. People I once thought were friends weren't really friends.
But the time for that is over. It's time to start following up on my decision. Wish me luck.
Out.
Saturday, January 07, 2012
Cooking
I've written about it time and again, I love to cook. And happily, the dishes I've been making lately have been relatively good. They taste well, aren't over seasoned, and other people actually eat them without me resorting to force.
And I think I can continue to get better since I've learned to be more patient now, and I've learned to taste what I cook. Plus I also watch and understand more cooking shows now so I get a good idea of what would actually taste well together and whatnot.
So to this coming new year, I look forward to making more good food!
Out.
And I think I can continue to get better since I've learned to be more patient now, and I've learned to taste what I cook. Plus I also watch and understand more cooking shows now so I get a good idea of what would actually taste well together and whatnot.
So to this coming new year, I look forward to making more good food!
Out.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Regrets
Note: I am not an ingrate. I just feel like writing about some of my regrets right now. I have no idea why this happened a day or two away from Christmas. No, I'm not emo either.
As much as I try to have little to no regrets in life, there are some undeniable regrets I do have. Most of the ones I will mention here are related more to my education, and the decisions I had regarding my education. Come to think about it, my biggest regrets in life revolve around education.
I should have taken my studies a lot more serious than I did. Don't get me wrong, I'm not stupid. In fact, I think I'm very smart. I can learn things fast and there are times I think outside the box. Unfortunately I also have a very short attention span. I get bored at school listening to the teacher, specially if the teacher is, for lack of a better term, "boring" in my eyes.
I also regret not having a direction when I was graduating from high school. Do you want to know what courses I picked when I applied for UP (University of the Philippines)? I chose, and I'm not sure if this is the correct order, Journalism, Anthropology, Biology (a quota course), and Pharmacy. Of course, I passed and was accepted into the Pharmacy course. Something I could have used as a pre-med course had I chosen to be a doctor.
Now, Bio and Pharma are two related courses. But why Journalism and Anthropology? Well, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I graduated college. All I know was I wanted to be rich.
Which was why I chose the following courses when I applied in Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU). I can't remember them all but I believe it was Management Information Systems (MIS), Management, and some other business related courses. Of course, I passed and was top 15% of the entrance examinees. So I got MIS. But then the College sent me a letter saying since I was top 15% they felt I could handle Computer Science (CS). So I shifted to CS, thinking I could handle it.
Wrong. My attitude was not meant to survive ADMU. I got kicked out after my sophomore year because of really low grades. I didn't fail any subject (except a math subject that I passed the second time around) but my "GPA" or whatever was well below the minimum passing.
And that's one of my major regrets. Instead of challenging myself to become a doctor, I decided to go into computers. Instead of taking a relatively simple course that could open so many opportunities after graduating (like management courses) I decided to take a very specific course that could only give me one narrow career path. I believe my reasoning at the time was that since I'd be theoretically graduating by 2002, a lot of programmers would be needed to create new software after the millennium bug hit.
Wait, what?
Yup. I was stupid enough to believe that crap. And because of that I am now a 3D Artist. Because I transferred to Ateneo de Naga University (AdeNU) and it was there where I decided to take up a new course called Digital Illustration and Animation (DIA).
That's not really bad, if you were working somewhere else aside from the Philippines. My salary here is decent, I can't really complain since I am getting paid. But it wasn't what I was expecting.
You see, I never really had any plans to go abroad after graduation. I wanted to grow rich, and grow old here in the Philippines. But with the current career path I am in, that's almost an impossibility.
Do you know that some of my high school classmates are successful corporate people. They own their own houses, or nice condo units. They have their own cars. They can afford to fund any extracurricular activities they have.
And me?
I still live with my parents, even if I have a wife and a kid. I still use my mother's car. I cannot afford to buy the things I want without compromising my monthly budget, and I don't even contribute that much to the household funds.
I should have just taken a course that could have opened me to the corporate world.
This was not how I envisioned myself when I was younger. I always thought I'd have my own house by now. And my own car. And enough money to actually afford me a few luxuries.
But that's not the way it is, not yet. There is still a chance to improve my income and my way of life. There is always a chance. I just have to grab it, so that I won't end up regretting how my life ended up.
Out.
As much as I try to have little to no regrets in life, there are some undeniable regrets I do have. Most of the ones I will mention here are related more to my education, and the decisions I had regarding my education. Come to think about it, my biggest regrets in life revolve around education.
I should have taken my studies a lot more serious than I did. Don't get me wrong, I'm not stupid. In fact, I think I'm very smart. I can learn things fast and there are times I think outside the box. Unfortunately I also have a very short attention span. I get bored at school listening to the teacher, specially if the teacher is, for lack of a better term, "boring" in my eyes.
I also regret not having a direction when I was graduating from high school. Do you want to know what courses I picked when I applied for UP (University of the Philippines)? I chose, and I'm not sure if this is the correct order, Journalism, Anthropology, Biology (a quota course), and Pharmacy. Of course, I passed and was accepted into the Pharmacy course. Something I could have used as a pre-med course had I chosen to be a doctor.
Now, Bio and Pharma are two related courses. But why Journalism and Anthropology? Well, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I graduated college. All I know was I wanted to be rich.
Which was why I chose the following courses when I applied in Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU). I can't remember them all but I believe it was Management Information Systems (MIS), Management, and some other business related courses. Of course, I passed and was top 15% of the entrance examinees. So I got MIS. But then the College sent me a letter saying since I was top 15% they felt I could handle Computer Science (CS). So I shifted to CS, thinking I could handle it.
Wrong. My attitude was not meant to survive ADMU. I got kicked out after my sophomore year because of really low grades. I didn't fail any subject (except a math subject that I passed the second time around) but my "GPA" or whatever was well below the minimum passing.
And that's one of my major regrets. Instead of challenging myself to become a doctor, I decided to go into computers. Instead of taking a relatively simple course that could open so many opportunities after graduating (like management courses) I decided to take a very specific course that could only give me one narrow career path. I believe my reasoning at the time was that since I'd be theoretically graduating by 2002, a lot of programmers would be needed to create new software after the millennium bug hit.
Wait, what?
Yup. I was stupid enough to believe that crap. And because of that I am now a 3D Artist. Because I transferred to Ateneo de Naga University (AdeNU) and it was there where I decided to take up a new course called Digital Illustration and Animation (DIA).
That's not really bad, if you were working somewhere else aside from the Philippines. My salary here is decent, I can't really complain since I am getting paid. But it wasn't what I was expecting.
You see, I never really had any plans to go abroad after graduation. I wanted to grow rich, and grow old here in the Philippines. But with the current career path I am in, that's almost an impossibility.
Do you know that some of my high school classmates are successful corporate people. They own their own houses, or nice condo units. They have their own cars. They can afford to fund any extracurricular activities they have.
And me?
I still live with my parents, even if I have a wife and a kid. I still use my mother's car. I cannot afford to buy the things I want without compromising my monthly budget, and I don't even contribute that much to the household funds.
I should have just taken a course that could have opened me to the corporate world.
This was not how I envisioned myself when I was younger. I always thought I'd have my own house by now. And my own car. And enough money to actually afford me a few luxuries.
But that's not the way it is, not yet. There is still a chance to improve my income and my way of life. There is always a chance. I just have to grab it, so that I won't end up regretting how my life ended up.
Out.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
The Jeep Wrangler in the Philippines
I am also sharing this post in Pinoy Petrolheads.
Ever since I was in grade school I've always had a soft spot for the Jeep Wrangler. Something about it's ruggedness appealed to me. As I grew older and started getting into cars the Wrangler sort of moved into the background. But I always had a thing for rides you wouldn't mind getting dirty.
One of my biggest turn offs for the Jeep Wrangler is the fact that it uses a very thirsty V6 engine. I've always wondered why Jeep does this. Shouldn't they go for the more torque-y diesel engines? Isn't that what's better suited for off-roading Wranglers?
Imagine my surprise yesterday (yes, yesterday) when I saw on the Philippine website of the Jeep Wrangler that they were offering a diesel engine (you may have to click "Expand All" and look under "Powertrain"). Wow. Now Wranglers have a diesel engine, and I am once again "in love" with the car. Too bad it really doesn't make for a good family car. Plus I don't know how much it costs. Yet.
Don't tell me that the Wrangler Unlimited might make a good family car. I don't care if they have diesel engines too. They just don't look right. A four-door Wrangler? Looks too stretched to me.
Out.
Ever since I was in grade school I've always had a soft spot for the Jeep Wrangler. Something about it's ruggedness appealed to me. As I grew older and started getting into cars the Wrangler sort of moved into the background. But I always had a thing for rides you wouldn't mind getting dirty.
One of my biggest turn offs for the Jeep Wrangler is the fact that it uses a very thirsty V6 engine. I've always wondered why Jeep does this. Shouldn't they go for the more torque-y diesel engines? Isn't that what's better suited for off-roading Wranglers?
Imagine my surprise yesterday (yes, yesterday) when I saw on the Philippine website of the Jeep Wrangler that they were offering a diesel engine (you may have to click "Expand All" and look under "Powertrain"). Wow. Now Wranglers have a diesel engine, and I am once again "in love" with the car. Too bad it really doesn't make for a good family car. Plus I don't know how much it costs. Yet.
Don't tell me that the Wrangler Unlimited might make a good family car. I don't care if they have diesel engines too. They just don't look right. A four-door Wrangler? Looks too stretched to me.
Out.
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