At 75…

i love Nanay dearly. 

she is my beacon, inspiration and light. she is THE biggest factor for what i am now and what i still hope to be. there are many things i love and adore about her, except one thing: FINANCES.

 
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An Ouch on the Crunch

once upon a time, only the ‘Pinipig Ice Cream’ has so-called crunch. and once upon a time, i get excited everytime i get a chocolate with crunchy tidbits.

now, the term CRUNCH has taken a new perspective. a rather bleak and negative perspective.

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DREAM HYPE ‘09

i am yet again nurturing little seedlings of DREAMS.

and mind you, these are not the so-so DREAMS, but something rather outrageous and eccentric. AGAIN.

sometimes, i catch Myself saying to Me: ‘when will you ever stop?’ 

and Me would say: ‘try to stop me.’

it’s a dare, an overconfident statement. once again, i am taunting the gods for these seemingly impossible dreams to produce results. the inertia is dragging me so fast in a beat, and i couldn’t keep up with the adrenaline rush.

that’s what happens to Me when dreams get upstream.

2009 LIFE GOALS

• BUILD THAT HOUSE. i need at least P3M to build the ancestral house. years ago, the house had a nice blueprint, and sadly, the blueprint remained such to this day. what a waste of time! a lot could have happened for the better had we risked more for the house. i am initiating the cause and asking the full support of my siblings on this one, not only for us but more importantly for our parents’ sake.     

• GRADUATE STUDIES. i want go back to school. i wanna learn more things, and i need to move further up in my career. the problem and a really glaring truth about my current position is that the path tend to plateau at a certain level. but since i cannot (and will not) stop progressing, i have yet to learn management skills to thrive in this business. aside from that, being an entrepreneur requires more management know-hows. and so, i’m going back to school this year. (yipeee!!!)

• GO ON WITH THAT TRIP!  passport on the way… i’m just waiting for my first trip out of the country aboard that plane… ALL EXPENSES PAID. so what if there’s an economic crunch? i guess i deserved that trip, after all the efforts, hardships and sacrifices.

• DRIVE MY WAY OUT OF BLUES.  now that there’s a car, it’s about time i learn how to drive. my family loves travelling and we find roadtrips extra fun! but first, i gotta get a driver’s license.

• EXPAND MY PROJECTS & MY NETWORK. i have a lot of business(es) in mind, those that i know i’m good at. after all business without passion tend to get stuck in the middle. so i’d drift into something else that i know i will enjoy doing such that it won’t feel like ‘work’ at all. apart for the business prospects, a healthy list of clientele is essential. with the right tools and a good talent, everything will work out well.

let me also share you one of the secret i learned from my mentor: you have to invest at least 1 hour a day for your dreams. that means, 364 hours a year may have been enough time for something to happen. getting that dream requires a big chunk of investment in TIME. 

what i have written in each of these webpages will remind me of things to hope for, and things to accomplish in 2009. it doesn’t matter how fast (or slow) things will turn out, what matters is that i have laid down the first step— the blueprints— of these dreams.

“Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.”

~ Danny Kaye 

The Year That Was

sorry for the long lull. it took me a while to post this since i had to regress a little bit and had to do a rundown of mental, emotional, psychological scrutiny so i’ll be able to gauge my growth and/or stagnation for the year that was…

2008 had been a blessing year for me! whatever things i learned, whatever obstacles i faced, and whatever trying moments i had as an individual, i embraced them with all my heart. NO REGRETS. life is ought to be lived without a single regret.

Kung Fu Panda, my favorite film for 2008, sums up a lot of my learning for this year. amongs the most important lessons taught in the animated film is that ‘there are no accidents.’ in these moving tides, i know that God meant for me to be where i am at the moment. and so i make the most of what i am and what i have in every opportunity. after all, that’s how we must live life: a day at a time.

so, here you go. as promised… 

YEAR IN REVIEW - 2008

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

Become an ENTREPRENEUR!

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t make resolutions so I don’t keep them. I just make life goals which I have written down.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Des Lu-Paras gave birth to yet another baby girl!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Yes, my Auntie Lia, Nanay’s youngest sibling died…

;’-(

other tragedies:

Buching, my first cat died…

and also Beauty, our baby pup was ran down by our own car…

5. What place/s did you visit for the first time?

Taal Vista Hotel, Tagaytay during our business planning.

Board Meeting at Crowne Plaza, Ortigas

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

• Graduate studies (an MBA)

• Driver’s license (and driving experience)

• Passport

• Trips abroad and more travel!

• Deeper social consciousness

7. What date(s) from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

October 18, 2008 – the day we ramped the car off at Nissan Mantrade!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Getting that car!

Trust and confidence bestowed upon me by my bosses and members of Top mgt.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not fulfilling the FAT bankbook goal for 2008.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Thankfully, NO.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

A BRAND NEW CAR!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration for 2008?

Luigi, my partner, lover and friend…

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

My nephew, Ivan.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Investments in the car rental business.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Getting in the car rental business and thinking of sales strategies, expanding our network for more opportunities.

Thinking of other BUSINESS prospects; making use of my inherent talents and skills for the business opportunities.

16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2008?

LOW by Flo-Rida

Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

• Healthier? Fatter doesn’t mean healthier…
• Wealthier? Ahuh!
• Prettier? I don’t feel prettier this year due to stress…but my friends say i have better aura this year…
• More successful? Absolutely!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Writing on this blog…

traveling… reading…

exercising the body, mind and spirit…

having a more conscious and proactive social responsibility.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Guilty of 2 out of the 7 Deadly Sins:

• Glutonny = pigging out
• Avarice = greediness

and stressing myself out!

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Reunion at Jalapit house with the whole family.

Enjoyed the games: ‘Hep2-hooray’ and ‘Pinoy Henyo.’

Singing all-night long!

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?

I fell in love with CATS (once upon a time i hate ‘em). 

22. Did someone fell in love with you in 2008?

Zero. Nada. Zilch.

23. What was your favorite TV program?

Pinoy Dream Academy, My Girl

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Thankfully, none.

25. What was the best book(s) you read?

Deception Point by Dan Brown

Angels and Demons

26. What/Who was your greatest musical discovery?

It’s a who: Bugoy Drillon

27. What did you want and get?

A CAR!

28. What did you want and not get?

PSP slim; a desktop at home.

29. What was your major ‘high’ this year?

Supposed HK trip with my bosses!

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

Kung Fu Panda

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Had mass at Baclaran church… Celebrated birthday with my youngest child, Troe Psalm. Turned 34 last April 19.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

Status quo from 2007.

33. What kept you sane?

Writing… reading from my mentors…

Getting in touch with friends… PRAYING.

34. Who did you miss?

Sidney Sheldon and his bestsellers!

35. Who became VERY close to you?

Isha

36. What perfume did you particularly love wearing this year?

Remembrance by Bench.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.

Dreaming and getting a dream is not impossible. There is no single perfect concoction but there are some steps to guide you:

1. Visualize your dream. Envision it, smell it, feel it as if it exists. Believe with every cell of your body that your dream is achieved.
   

2. Dream audacious dreams. It pumps up your system and gets you rearing to go through life exhaustively. Common dreams make us complacent, puts us to sleep.

3. Write your dreams down. This is the blueprint of your future. Doesn’t matter if you write it on a piece of paper or on your blog, JUST WRITE IT.

4. PRAY FOR YOUR DREAMS. Every second, every minute, every day, pray for it and thank God as if you have achieved it already.

5. Give back to God what is due Him. Glory is His, not yours.

Only the persistent persist.

All the things you value in life are not yours for the keeping. So make the most of what you have while it is still in your hands. Always give your best shot at everything and anyone you know, and do it everyday.

38. Favorite Bible Verse for 2006:

Psalm 23: Only goodness and mercy shall follow me all of my life.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

I believe in the impossible
If I reach deep within my heart
Overcome any obstacle
Won’t let this dream fall apart
See I strive to be the very best
Shine my light for all to see
Cause anything is possible
When you believe

~ I Believe by Fantasia Barrino

40. Share Major Milestone/s in your life in 2008.

It’s our 10^th Anniversary!

Chloe turned 10 as well…