a wonderful 2009

every new year, i look back at all my plans and activities of the previous year. unlike in the past, i'm not going to count the misses this time. there are so many things to thank for and to look back with a smile that it's a waste of time to always give credit to the mistakes (especially if you already learned from them). so, here it goes...

2009 was a very blessed year for me. and why not? if you got a job with the salary you want and nice fellas around, there's nothing else you could ask for.

i went five times to the philippines on the first half of the year. in may, i visited kota kinabalu which was a so-called attempt to assault mt. kinabalu but ended up basking in the sun at manukan and mamutik beaches. in june, my brother and i gave a travel treat to our whole family in coron, palawan. and how can i forget our phuket trip in november which brought me a refreshing short break after resigning at sony.

my most awaited event, the standard chartered marathon, came in december. a feat i almost made myself believe was impossible to achieve had i listened to people who doubted that i can finish the 21km half marathon. but i did. and now, i have the full marathon to look forward to this year. nothing is really impossible if you believe that it's just within reach.

i've got two more passive incomes that come from the business i set up in the first quarter and the one i am still learning the ropes on. both are doing well in spite of the global recession and the rising inflation. another side business is coming up this year and the other one i'm starting off is due in three years time.

after being immersed in data warehouse design and development project, i'm back to making friends with .NET. it's an old plan that somehow lost its way for four years and finally came back after a long time.

four more months and i'll be paying up in full the entire estate i acquired three years ago. hopefully, i could turn it into a three-unit apartment that could generate income for my parents once i get married.

i joined a christian cell group who i meet every friday. it's such an entertaining yet spiritual bunch of crowd that makes me feel God's love more and i couldn't help but to love back. this is the group i look forward to be with every week, and i pray that every friday no one will call or sms calling off the friday meet-up.

God is really good. and with all these, i praise Him.

life is a passover

father john paul said, "life is a passover". so, what is a passover? in jewish tradition, it is a commemoration of the passing over of the angel of death and the hebrews escape from the slavery in egypt. part of the celebration is when the jews take a pilgrimage to the temple of jerusalem where they offer a tithe of their produce and worship the Lord.

the same way in life, in which we are all pilgrims, journeying through ups and downs, through sorrows and joys and as we recount them often, through sufferings and hatred. as we age, we are exposed to the different tastes of life that make us whole and more human. we learn from one problem to another, like passing over from a stage before we can take a more challenging one.

as christians, we are not excluded from the daily temptations in life. and though most of the time, much is expected from us, we are but people susceptible to sins and failures. we own no guarantee that our lives will be free from storms, that we will not go through trials. only that, Christ will be with us no matter what. the hope that we can weather everything through Him who strengthens us. a testimony of His faithfulness that stood the test of time.

write anyway

i decided to write anyway despite my ineptitude to write well. even when my struggle is stronger than my will to try again. i cannot give up that easily when in the first place i am not made to surrender without giving my best.

i have to write until i got back the old passion that i buried some months ago. i have to write for the love of what had enlivened my dreams in the past.

because i believe that deep in me, there's still a tiny glint of hope waiting to be untapped.

it's christmas when...

baked macaroni and roasted chicken are served for free and were done without any effort from me :P

there's a hoegarden in the fridge waiting to be consumed by a non-alcoholic type.

a feel-good movie is being played at a cinema nearby.

an indian chicken curry and a thai's tomyum create a fine twist for dinner.

reading a good read book.

a friend keeps in touch after the whole year's busy schedule.

undies with ruffles like that of a baby are received as a gift from a cousin who's turning big because of a happy pregnancy.

a hot chocolate drink and cookies are served in bed in the early morning of the holiday.

love is in the air and there's got no time to wonder about any other things except the magic it brings.

the one who looks at my future and not at my past

he is the one who accepts me warts and all. after one broken promise to another. after my dark past and the truths that only him does know.

he is the one who puts up with me despite my sinful heart and desires. who showers me with love despite my wayward thoughts.

he sees my strengths, sets aside my weaknesses and believes that i am precious though i have flaws.

he is the one who does not look at my past. but sees through me a being that i can be in the future.

he is my Lord.

there's nothing more i could ask for.

tragedy at christmas time

my friend lost her dad the other day due to stroke. she's living here with her husband and kids, and yeah, with her mother. it's painful when the one who passed away is a directly related kin and whose later life was spent away from you. had you been given a day more, you would have indeed thought of spending more time with him and knowing him more.

i just imagine, what if one day, i lose my mom or my dad, the two people who've seen me grow and have known me despite my geographical distance to them. i dreamt of this many times and the awful feeling is seriously unbearable. i couldn't bring myself into that day i would have to face that fateful event and no matter how i prepare myself for it, the pain of losing someone so dear to me is completely unthinkable.

hence, life must really be spent to its fullness because time is always a constraint that no one can go against with. and so, love more and never go easy on anything. because chances are, we will not be given another turn.

leveling up my financial IQ

if there is one thing where discipline is so hard to apply, it would be on the aspect of our finances.

i have learned a lot in life. but it's only two years ago when i started minding seriously about my money. had i not had a terrible mistake of lending someone in the past, i wouldn't have learned how important money is . probably, i would still be living a big-spender life, giving away every cent of my hard-earned income on whatever goods and services my eyes laid upon. some mistakes can really be so expensive and at the same time so mind-blowing.

after enough drama, i gathered myself again, analyzed my finances and read books on how i can manage my savings well. i couldn't believe that after excelling in the university, i would be this idiot when it comes to my own money. but the lesson seriously started when i finally accepted my real face value and that was, if i were to be suddenly out of job, i wouldn't have any penny to bring back home to my family. i was hurting at the thought of it. i don't know if it's pride that made me realize more my fault or the fear that i wouldn't have anything after all the blood, sweat and tears of working overseas.

fortunately, i'm still young and have more years ahead of me to correct my mistakes. i began saving up for my emergency funds and invested in real estate. i also capitalized on mutual funds and tried going into stocks, which both did pretty well. i ventured into rice business with my mom and hopefully, we can expand it more in the coming year or put up another one. i came to know government and corporate bonds, forex, ETFs, options and other derivatives. i became obsessed with macro finance and how the market reacts to a certain stimulus in the economy.

i may still be a little farther from my dream of financial freedom. but i know i am already on my way there. and yes, there may be times, it's just tempting to splurge my money on perhaps, a Kindle for christmas or a fine dining eat-out with friends, but i am in no way compromising my future need to any instant gratification i could give myself at the moment.

i am much wiser now.

prologue

after several months of being in hiatus and deleting this blog account, i found my way back and write again! writing might be in my blood. but along the way, its quality has deteriorated till it reaches the point where i can hardly contain how dull it has become. thus, the only escape that remains is to bring it to a halt, or i die reading the awful sentences. even so, there are moments like this which brings me back to try again, rather than get stuck up in the rut, hoping that by this time i can do better instead of running away and giving up the skill.

i used to write most of the time when i was younger. being a semi-anti-social that i was, writing became my outlet to express myself. it was glorious every time i sorted out my arguments which can only be won through written words, and that perhaps is the same delight that i am missing for months now.

so here i come in retaliation for the times i had given up the very skill that had molded my childhood's courage and to bring back whichever is lost in time.

my cheers to the first post of my many first posts :)