Category Archives: Money Watch

SCTEx

What is SCTEx?

SCTEx is this: Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway which runs from Tarlac up to Subic or SBMA and back of course.

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Well paved roads. Lush green country side. Peaceful ride. Almost isolated expressway (for now I guess) where thinking about having an engine trouble is not an option. Sure, one needs to pay extra (we paid Php112.00) and travel extra kilometers from the usual route but that would not matter because travel is really pleasant.

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No need to navigate through road with vehicular and foot traffic. I shudder to think about the trees and the mountains that they have to cut in half just to make this happen.

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Traveling at night it was a different story. We traveled through a heavy downpour. Zero visibility. Fog was thick. It was eerie but it was still fun. The photo above was taken as we were approaching Clark, hence lights on the road.

Another post about this can be viewed here.

Litratong Pinoy : Malungkot

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Malungkot. Ngayon ay Mayo Uno, Araw ng Paggawa. Sad. Bleak. Depressing. Today is May One,Labor Day.

Sa loob ng mga magagara at maliliwanag na mga gusaling iyan, naririyan ang mga mangagawa. May mga sumasahod ng mas mataas sa minimum. May magagarang damit, celfone at sapatos. Mangilan-ngilan ay may kotse. Masayahin. Ngunit tunay kayang sila ay masaya? May ngiti pa bang mamumutawi sa kanilang mga labi sa taas ng presyo ng mga bilihin, bayarin sa kuryente, tubig, gasolina at pamasahe at ang trapikong araw-araw ay kanilang kinakaharap? May ngiti pa bang makikita sa mga mata ng mga taong ginagawang araw ang gabi at gabi ang araw, upang sumagot sa mga reklamo ng mga tao sa telepono? Oo, karamihan sa mga diyan sa mga gusaling iyan, nandiyan sa gabi para magtrabaho, nabubuhay sa kape at nikotina. Yan ang dahilan kung bakit marami pang ilaw sa mga gusaling iyan.

Inside those grand and brightly lit buildings are employees. Most of them probably earn a little above the minimum wage. They have nice clothes, nice cellphones and nice shoes. Some even have cars. They are happy. Or are they really happy? Would a smile still play on their lips especially now that the prices of food, electricity bill, water bill, gasoline, public transport fares are so steep? Not to mention the monstrous traffic they have to endure, going to work and coming home when they workday is done. Can they still smile, these people who make the nights their days and the days their nights, just so they can answer complaints and queries on the telephone from irate customers? Yes, most of those who work in those buildings work at night until the wee hours, energized by caffeine and nicotine. Why do you think the buildings are still so bright even if its obviously late?

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Malungkot ang kalagayan hindi lang ng mga manggagawang Pilipino, kundi pati ang kalahatang kundisyon ng bansa.

It is a sad plight not just for the Filipino worker, but for the overall condition of the country.

But still…

Anuman ang gawain, mataas man ang tungkulin o tila isang abang manggagawa, dapat ito ay ginagawa ng tama at may karangalan.

Whatever kind of work, whether in a top rank or in a lowly position, work should be done correctly, rightly, and with dignity.

Mabuhay ang mga manggagawang Pilipino!

P.S. Sige na nga, masaya na tayo kasi walang pasok. Pero ako me turo pa rin, ok lang yun sa akin, huling hirit ko. Iiwan ako ng 4 na studyante, pupuntang New York ang isang pares nang magkapatid at magba-Bahama cruise naman ang isa pang pares na magkapatid. Ako ang malungkot. Konti lang ang kita ko ngayong Mayo 🙁

The British in Debt?

Debt that the British had incurred for the last decade has been astonishing $2.8 trillion or 1.4 trillion pounds, according to that New York Times article.

Spending more than one can earn is dangerous. Being in debt is not a good thing. So how would one pay for those debts? With used designer shoes? With foreign holidays already consumed? With used designer clothes? I don’t think so. As if there is still value with these goods that were purchased through credit.

People have things so easily these days, it seems. Children having their own cellphones or laptops. People getting trendy cars and designer clothes and tech gadget that get out of style after a few months. Whatever happened to delayed gratification? Whatever happened to working to earn to be able to buy what one needs or wants?

However and whatever people spend their money on, I think, in my humble opinion, it is better to pay in cash than pay with a plastic card where you end up paying more. Or swimming in debt.

Formula to Success

This is what parents hammer into the minds of their children when they are growing up.

But with today’s unconventional ways of living, people do not really rely on having good education to have that dream job to be able to have some form of purchasing power.

A lot of the parents now are probably a product of this kind of philosophy which they got from their parents. I am sure this line of thinking is what exactly they are telling their children who go to school.

Sure, it is a comforting thought to have a solid educational background to up the resume. Who wouldn’t want to hire someone with an MA or MBA or PhD? Who wouldn’t want to hire someone whose GPA is somewhere near 4.0? More often than not, these people are highly qualified to apply to a job that would need their expertise. But are they up to the challenge to maintain that status they so want to achieve?

There is NG. He is currently having his second (?) MA degree. He studied hard, got good grades and found a job. Another job, another job. He never seem content and he doesn’t look successful. In fact, he is dissatisfied is and proverbially looking for the right opportunity. As what should happen when that formula has been achieved.

There is JM. He finished college. He was able to work with a multinational company, traveling all over the world. When he was about to be promoted, he refused a top spot that will make him even more successful. He declined and resigned to put up his own company. Though the company has had more downs than ups, still, he persevered or rather is persevering to make his mark in the fast-paced and ever changing business he decided to join.

There’s JAS. He did not finish his studies but was able to join the corporate world of high technology business, traveling to different places and doing well. Now, he went back to school to finish his thesis which was rejected at first because the professor can’t seem to understand the high tech language he used. He has a hard time simplifying terms and objectives suited to the university level, I think, because he has experienced the “real” world of work. Whatever his reason for going back to school must be very motivating because he finally relented.

With the varied opportunities to learning new skills, improving one’s craft and learning to adapt to the ever-changing trends, one still needs to study hard, get good grades and get a job. Or maybe not in that order.

Come to think of it, it is not bad to have a diploma to fall back on when the adventures to “search the meaning of life” and “searching to find your own place under the sun” are foiled. But that doesn’t mean that that diploma may not be one’s ticket to be a successful person.

Drive. Hard work. Dedication. Right opportunities. Calculated risks. These are some of the formula to have the success one wants to achieve.

Paper Boxes

Paper boxes anyone? Paper boxes are great for organizing knick-knacks around the house or in an office, just label the boxes according to what’s inside and one would not have a hard time looking for what is needed. These can come handy too for gifts, just add a big ribbon or glue some embellishments and a card.

Great for a business venture too.

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No, they don’t know I am blogging about them.

These paper boxes are available here -> He Cares Foundation