I wanna be Billy Crawford!

I have been taken into watching You Tube and I stumbled upon Billy Crawford's video list. I know my title insuiates that I want to be a man or something. Actually, I want to be Billy Crawford in the sense that the man is one proud Filipino. And I am proud of that he is a Filipino. I am inspired to be like him in a way that he is not ashamed to let the world know that he came from a third world country or part Filipino technically. Believe me, I know some people denies their nationality due to shame or something.

I fell in love with this video and he greatly reminds me of the duels back in our Spanish time. Hope you like it.

Thou Shall Not Covet

These words are very much engraved in my head as a "rule" given by God. Thou shall not covet other people's things, Thou shall not Covet other people's wife. In short, Huwag kang inggitera! (Don't be envious!).

I have abide by the rule as much as I can. But then, I realized that we should not take God's word very literally. I believe that He created the rule as a way of saying that we should be contented for what we have and be happy for others. Envy is not really an entirely bad emotion. Too much of it does and how you use that emotion.

Personally, I have used that emotion to advance myself. To get what I want on a positive way. If its a thing, I think of ways how could I earn to buy that thing. If it is success, I politely try to learn his or her secret how did she or he did it. I always say to myself, "They did it, why can't I?"

Some may agree with me, some will don't. I fully understand that. Please do tell me what you think. It'll be quite interesting.

Father Killed His Own Daughter

Last week, a news break out about a 3 year old girl being lost on a mall while with her parents. Apparently, the girl just disappeared from the her mother's side and the mother thought she just went to her father's side. The incident was flashed on the news about three days earlier. Lost: A missing three year old girl. The screen shows a beautiful smiling three year old girl. My heart just broke. The mother exclaims, "Sana binalik na lang nila sa akin. Ba't nagkaganyan?" (They should have just returned her to me. Why did this happened?). A very sad sight. I couldn't imagine what trauma a mother could possibly endure while looking for her lost child and then finding out your precious child is already dead.

Then the tragedy didn't stop there. The father confessed. He killed his own three year old daughter.

I couldn't write anymore. I'm not yet a mother but I also believe that the man is a beast.

You could read more about the story here, here, and here.

Abbie's World

I am just another girl on the face of planet Earth.
I create my world.
I don't evolve around the world, the world evolve around me. I just think differently.
I have a genie on my mind that has unlimited wishes to grant.
What I need comes to me.
My world as a canvas or a journal to which I am the author.
I am a rock but a mallows at the same time.
I blend with time but yet still one of a kind.
I do things like everybody else with a little twist.
I like being alone but company is always welcome.
I am a dreamer by nature even when the time gets tough.
I am an eternal student, as learning is a second nature for me.
I write about what I think, some intelligently and sometimes even disturbed.
I am my father's joy.
I am Abbie.
Welcome to Abbie's world.

Are You Financially Literate?

Being a graduate of BS Accountacy, I thought I know about money. Wrong! Actually, I know I have been brainwashing myself with that lie but deep inside I know I am incompetent nincampoop! What I know is to record, analyze and think but no action. I even don't have a first hand experience with it.

Until I got my first experience in so called business big time (at least for me). We were so overwhelmed by the emotional complication of accounting for our business that we ignored accounting for it all together! Then after a few months, we found ourselves in debt. Luckily we only have debts up to our waistline.

I have thought of running away from it (bad girl!) but I thought better. In the future, I will need the credit lines I have acquired. And I have turned the experience into a learning process, an expensive one but just as well effective.

So far, I realized that I have a very poor financial quotient. I began thinking ways on how I could learn. From the MLM that we got involved, we took their best advice, "Learn from the Masters". But where I could find one?

It began on a journey for answers. I am a bookworm and actually don't have enough rich people on my COI (circle of influence). I was ready for new suggestions or ideas. I actually been praying to God to show me something. I said "God, please show me the best book I can read". Then on the shelves are books that I haven't seen open to bookstore visitors' reading but often of the best seller bookstand.

I read to my heart's content. I am broke but out of pure instinct, I know I got to own these books. I love the book because its the first time I heard about it from a fellow Filipino and the standing of getting rich on a Christian's point of view was clearly defined here. The idea is the same that I have developed through out the years but sadly, these ideas are so radical for our conservative teachings at my old Catholic School that I distanced myself from it and went on my own having only one on one relationship with God.

Anyway, I know I its hard but I have to be strong. I began analyzing my financial position. Here some of the steps I have done.

1. Reconstruct loans - Stop using that credit card! Freeze it! I found out that my bills are higher than my monthly pay. I can't afford it. I looked for some credit cards that offer "balance transfer" which allows you to pay your bills on a much lower monthly payment with a fixed amount. From the usual credit card interest of 3.5%, you could pay your bill for fixed 1 year with only 2.5 %. A little bit high still but you have saved your self from the dreaded invisible interest expense.
2. Cut on bills - I began using my cellphone less and less. I have installed yahoo messenger on my computer ( I am online always at work) and just send important messages via YM. I also began bringing lunch boxes at work. That way, I also control my voracious appetite and stay away from certain foods by cooking healthy recipes at home.
3. Read financial literarcy books - Read people! Through Bo Sanchez's 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich, I was introduced to Larry Gamboa's Think Rich Pinoy and Grow Rich Pinoy. And I got to finally understand why I've been seeing Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki is constantly on bestseller bookshelves.
   
4. Pay myself first - Its a hard thing to do especially when the bills are filing up. But if you read Rich Dad, Poor Dad, you will see the better light of the concept.
5. Find the best mentors - I am still looking for the best person for this one. I have inquired so far (actually just yesterday) and so far, none have still answered so far. I have to keep looking still.
   
6. Practice what I have learned - I am still on this process. So stay tuned. :)
   

I finally acknowledged that I am a financial illiterate. But I am proud to say, I am soon on my way to become one of the best financial adviser. This is my contribution to the First World Philippines.

How about you? Are your Financially Literate?