Chibilicious

Today is a special non-working holiday. Much as I want to go to several places to go to and relax in new a different surrounding other than in the house, I’m not inclined too because of this annoying case of coughs and cold.

It kills to cough and its hard to breath.

I’m very thankful though I don’t have a fever. With a lot of H20 and rest, I could probably be in shape for tomorrow’s work bringing in a few sniffles and coughs.

So, to my officemates, brace yourselves. An additional source of viral infection (there are already a few officemates coughing since last week) will come in through our air-conditioned rooms. It’s either that or I don’t get in and most of my work will be piled unto you. Lots of love. LOL.

To spend my afternoon here (as I took the morning sleeping my aches and all), I’m now taking on online simultaneous tasks to minimize the load even if my chest is still hurting a bit from all that coughing. I’m now uploading manga scans I did for Aerandria on our server, checking on my social network accounts, researching on my friend’s dilemma over jpop cheering songs for upcoming school competitions, reading on my various feeds on Google reader, letting Village Sims 2 play on the background (I want to complete that game), and now I have to look over a possible sideline for extra income.

Yes, the Internet definitely has taken over my life. Yet, I don’t have much income to sustain my online shopping sprees (rarely though), my infatuation to get hard to find ebooks, my wants to purchase a software for productivity or knowledge, etc. Even with internet providing me access to get opportunities to earn more online, I can’t seem to find one that would really sustain my passion and wants.

It’ hard to think on what I really want to do online besides blogging and maintaining sites. I want to do something of my own. A website revolutionary or at least of great impact it could equal the likes of probogger.com or maybe even friendster (ok, so that’s extreme, but I can dream can I?)

I have tried making different blogs to test my passion on the subject. But I end up later being in hiatus over them. I can’t maintain them as I should. I can’t find the passion to go on with the subject. I’ve tried a blog relating on alternative medicine, online money opportunities, and a blog relating to lists. But I end up in the dumps to find the urge to continue blogging in them even when I have access.

It is my goal now to really study on what niche I would like to blog about rather than test waters here and there. I believe now I know what I’m NOT supposed to blog about so that is a plus in my upcoming task.

NOTE: This may not constitute anything about earning money online but I feel it is very important to realize parts of money mismanagement every hard working individual unconsciously makes mistakes from. With this in mind, I hope that this realization will enforce a better management system for everyone so their hard worked income from online activities will not go to waste. Just a friendly reminder from your geek. ^^

photo credit: Rosemary McKevitt

As I mentioned in a previous post, ”The hardest thing for every financial-freedom looking individual is to keep money.”

Two things I consider very obvious in human behavior to result in money mismanagement.

Envy and Vanity. You find someone of the same status as you and yet you see that person having more of life than you. That person seems to have more time for leisure, goes on trips, gets branded clothes, etc. while you settle for alternatives. You decide to buy something of the same quality, brand or even cost just to show everybody you can have what the other person has. That calls for trouble because you cannot make everybody believe that you are well-to-do as that other person. When you waste your time and money putting up ‘airs’, you may end up working harder that you expected and possibly pay up more debts for loans you got to pay off those ‘airs’.

For people not born rich and are working very hard to make a living, such behavior will not get us anything in the world. We live in a world where we place the ‘elite’ class in a pedestal and run up a false standard of perfection when the majority in principle, forgets that it’s the majority who ought to rule. Many of us forget (including me) that it is wiser to think unto ourselves to regulate our income properly for our needs and save for a rainy day. Rather, we end up buying things according to what society deems necessary when we can live without too much of the costly type.

I, for one, admit I tend to gratify my whim on specific things when the mood strikes. I’ve learned that already but I find it hard to cut down my caprice and vanity. It is a good thing I have friends and special partner, who reminds me of the important things in life and directs me to where my money should land on.

Currently, I’m scouting around for a personal laptop to use for my internet studies, web management and possible future sidelines. I can’t rely too much on the desktop, especially on the income generating side since I’m not the only one using it at home and my dad keeps harping me for the electrical expenses. I asked my boyfriend, who asked one of his close friends working directly with laptop distributors, to look for a quality yet affordable laptop. I didn’t know much about hardware specifications and this will be my first time to have a laptop so I want it to be perfect. Since both of them know my tastes, I let them do the scouting because I’m sure, if I was left alone to roam the mall and check the laptops displayed, I might end up purchasing a laptop which, according to them, may be too expensive according to the laptop’s specifications. I was going for the NEO laptops because they are cheap with high specifications but my critics (boyfriend and friend) said NEO is not advisable to have because it easily heats up. I was thinking about getting an HP since the name already has a high quality standard, but they told me it was only a name and there are other quality laptops than HP.

It’s the same thing with other things in life. You cannot just buy branded stuff just because you’ve heard of their high quality and fashion sense. There are a lot of unheard of brands out there that give the same quality at a lower cost.

At most time, taking care of our things will result to saving up more. Old clothes could last and be used for the next season. An alternative wine could taste better than champagne. A cold bath and a brisk walk a few blocks to your office is more exhilarating and energizing than spending on gym fees you may not continually attend to (I have friends like these.) An evening with family, friends or your special someone is more pleasant than constant partying at a night club costing you more.

Do you think I’m right? Aren’t we all victims of Envy and Vanity? Don’t you think its time to put into good use our hard earned money like investments and such? I’m not saying to be overly frugal that you don’t get something nice for yourself. Just keep in mind, moderation is the keyword.

photo credit: varmazis

I was able to watch the Opening Ceremonies LIVE at RPN 9 last night. I greatly anticipated this event as I love watching grand presentations of any kind in relation to World Relations and culture exposure. It’s like the Miss Universe pageant. Every country roots for their representative to the core regardless if their beauty queen stands a chance or not. Though the pageant initially distinguishes vanity over everything else, it’s the country relation that counts.

I’m getting off topic. Back to the topic at hand, I was lucky to watch the Opening ceremonies on time. I have to admit, despite the lack of interest of people around me regarding the Olympics, it didn’t cease for me to hook up to youtube and be mesmerized by the Olympic music videos created by the stars of China. I was hooked when I first saw the FUWA mascots and I know I will be charmed by their opening ceremonies.

It did not fail me. It is a fact that China is the most populated country in the world. I just didn’t expect for that fact to be quite obvious in their opening ceremonies. Have you seen the number of participants in EACH segment. There are HUNDREDS of them, THOUSANDS I suppose all garbed and adorned according to a rich era of Chinese history. The props, the people, the lights, fireworks, especially the fireworks! Absolutely calculated, mesmerizing and I bet EXPENSIVE.

Everything the production is marked EXPENSIVE. If truth be told, I paid more attention to the special effects and costumes rather than the performance at some point. Don’t get me wrong, the production is perfect. Colorful floating fairies, the gigantic scrolls, the dragon columns reaching to the heavens, great lighting effects and more. They all contribute to a personified cultural eminence and majesty of China. I think, because of this overly input of effects, artist performances became simple and at some point boring. There was this moment wherein a man and a child were in the middle of the scroll, playing on this grand piano and was being surrounded by hundreds of men garbed in christmas like lights. They marched around the duo to proceed into formation depicting a flying dove. I liked the bright formation. I initially didn’t get why they did that. They lost me. @_@

As for the fireworks, I love the 29 giant footsteps gimmick. I can an invisible big giant walking his way to the stadium to bless and watch over the event. It’s a great idea and I bet it awed a lot of people in the world. Continous fireworks happened all over Beijing throughout the opening ceremonies and at times the fireworks happen at perfect timing with a program segment to emphasize the grandeur of the performance. Great concept.

Absolutely love the Tai Chi performance. There is something mesmerizing seeing a lot of people doing Tai Chi in sync. That synchrony of fluid motion does something good to the eye and spirit. I don’t know how to describe it. I just feel it. XD

The technology used was absolutely wonderful. Simulated waterfalls, swimming whales and holographic like scenes flowing across the giant scroll, they take you into another world. Getting technology, lights and effect together cost up to 100 million dollars.

Yet somehow, I think because of too much of a lot of things in the ceremonies, I got bored. When it was time for the athletes to parade their way in to the stadium, I grew sleepy. I didn’t even get to see our country’s pride Manny Pacquiao bear the Philippine flag. Oh well, I relied on Youtube for that. Problem solved.

But as I said earlier, what is important is the harmony of world relations. It’s the spirit of competition and fair game we are implementing here. So let us root for our representatives in the name of World Peace.

Would you like to hear a review regarding the Beijing Olympics 2008 Opening Ceremonies? Here is a CNN segment talking about the level of production and very motivated participation of the Chinese people for this event.

How about you, what do you think of the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremonies?

photo credit: nyki_m

When I went home last night, I was surprised to see our street intersection blocked off by a big ‘tolda’ (tent). Usually, that tent is lent by the barangay hall to residents if there is a big event like a birthday party, a street gathering or a mourning event like a wake. The tolda was being installed when I saw it so I had no idea of what was happening. I learned from my dad later after dinner that our long time neighbor, Aleng Mameng, died.

I felt mildly surprised and later a bit nostalgic when I heard the news. I didn’t know why I felt so mild about it when Aleng Mameng was one of the longest living residents in our area. She was also a friend of my grandmother. I often saw her as a kid, watering the plants outside the house or talking to one of her grandchildren. When I started working, I rarely saw her outside as she was already old and rather stayed indoors. It was a sad realization to think that all of my life, I never really had a long conversation with her. I don’t even remember the last time I exchanged words with her since I stopped playing with her grandchildren before I graduated from elementary.

Now she’s gone and I don’t know what to think about it. Why is it being close to neighbors within the city is harder compared to those in the provinces?

Aleng Mameng, please take your much needed rest now. You have done a lot. It’s time to be with God.