Reseach before invest

My husband tells me that their relative (I forgot how they are exactly related) was almost scammed. He was given an offer to invest in gold bullions for a “bargain” price.  He was shown a bullion “sample” and told that they were doing diggings where that came from and there were more of those.  The problem is that they needed more funds to finance the digging.  Fortunately, he didn’t have enough money at the time, and relatives refused to lendhim the money since the whole scheme really sounded fishy.  So the deal didn’t go through.

I found this article online, and I was pretty taken aback.  The modus operandi sounds similar to what my husband’s relative went through.  Really, crooks are everywhere, and they think of “creative” ways of scamming people out of their hard earned money.

That’s why if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.  Do enough research before plunking down hard earned cash.  I’m now researching the US Gold Bureau.  I’m looking to invest and this seems like a legitimate site for buying and selling gold.  I’d go for a certified gold instrument over fake “gold” anytime, and a reputable seller who is backed by the right certifying bodies.

I’ve had my share of being taken for a ride, and I’ve become a bit more wary through the years.

My satisfying life :)


Your Life is Deeply Satisfying


You live a satisfying life even when it’s not easy. You are dedicated to being happy.

You make sure to what you’re passionate about. You don’t waste any moments.

You surround yourself with people you cherish. There is a lot of love in your life.

You are thankful for everything you have. You don’t take anything for granted.

How Satisfying Is Your Life?
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Fortune cat

My son used to be fixated on a “beckoning cat”. You know, the little golden kitty often seen at Asian stores with a paw that seems to be waving? The one with a bell around its neck and holding a gold coin with its other paw?

It’s called “Maneki Neko” and is a representation of a real feline.  It was said that a cat adopted by the monks in an impoverished temple lured wealthy patrons into it.  This has since become a favorite decor of shopkeepers hoping to lure more shoppers into their shops.

It was also said that the Sanrio character “hello Kitty” is another representation of this kitty.

While it’s still best to rely on ourselves to earn by both working and investing (in different instruments like the regular stocks, bonds and other instruments like gold), a little luck in the wealth department certainly wouldn’t hurt at all. :P

Busy happy

Right now, I’m feeling the tightness of my schedule.

I’ve put my online store on semi hiatus since I am having a difficult time scheduling a purchase.

I haven’t gone to any of the blogger events that I’ve been invited to.

A patient texted me to change her follow up schedule and I needed to think long and hard before I can reply as to what arrangements need to be done.

Some of my blogs are not updated the way I want to.

I haven’t finished doing my homework.

I need a long sleep.

But surprisingly, I’m pretty happy.  My kids are healthy right now.  They look so happy when I get home in the evening.  I don’t see them for a whole day, but our “reunions” in the evenings are happy, happy events because they’re so excited to see me.

Sigh.  Lately, I’ve become happy with such simple pleasures. :)

Birthday coming up!

In a couple of weeks, Ethan turns another year older. I can hardly believe it! My little baby is growing up — fast!

When I was asking about what he wanted for his birthday, he replied that he wanted a strawberry cake and strawberry ice cream. Hmmm. These are pretty simple wishes to fulfill. I know Cookie Corner has a strawberry shortcake — maybe I’ll get that. And maybe strawberry ice cream for Arce. I shouldn’t forget to put his name on the cake — he wants that too. And birthday candles, of course.

The next part of his wish is more difficult. He wants to have a celebration in class, much like what we used to do when he was still in ICBB. The thing is, birthday celebrations are not allowed in LSGH. Sorry, Ethan, you’ll just have to make do with just us. :)

For gifts, well, one thing good about him is that he is not a “bilmoko” (Buy me) boy. He could request for something but if you cannot give it to him, it’s really no big deal. He also has some pretty weird requests. He would like a water fountain and a motorcycle which he could drive by himself. Sorry again,baby. While it’s true that what you want are way off our budget, they are also something that we couldn’t really keep in our house, given the small space that we are allotted. The motorcycle is also pretty dangerous. I’d probably not let you ride one even if you turn 18. :P

I wonder when we could start giving him gold coins. I do not think he can appreciate them at this age, but these are pretty good gifts as they would last a lifetime.  But maybe when he’s a little older.  My dad used to give us a gold coin for our birthday when we reached tweenhood and could understand their value.  This tradition stopped for a while, I’m not quite sure why.  But I think it’s a cool idea.  It’s like keeping something for them, something they could use even in later life.  I’ll probably start this tradition when he’s old enough to understand.

Shameful

Right now, I am hanging my head in shame after what happened last Monday.

We have a person who felt wronged.  Nothing wrong with trying to get justice for a wrong done to you.  What’s wrong is involving innocent people (the tourists) in such a violent manner.  From hereon, Captain Mendoza will be remembered not for his being an ten outstanding policemen awardee back in the eighties, not for being a multi awarded cop, but for being the instigator of this bus seige and for killing eight tourists.

We have a police force which lacks competence in handling this sort of situation.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe they should have proceeded carefully, negotiated wisely and get as many people out of harm’s way as possible.  And don’t further anger the man who held more than 20 lives at stake.  Maybe the timing was off.  I do not think that they should have arrested the brother at that point in time, especially since he’s watching.

We have a media who do not know when to stop.  I don’t know, aren’t there guidelines to this sort of thing?  It does seem like the fact that he witnessed the arrest of his brother on TV triggered the chain of violence.

We have leaders who were absent during the 11 hour drama.  No statements from them, no stepping in.  It was already turning into an international event, for goodness’ sake!  We need higher ups to step in at this point.  The highest official I saw was the vice mayor of Manila.

We have people who treated this as just a show, a free movie, a drama.  Uzis, please remember that real lives are at stake.  This is no action movie that at the end of this all, the hero always emerges victorious.  Especially since we do not really have one right now.  Please just stay out of the way.

I know that this is probably ranting from an amateur observer.  There may be excuses as to why the whole incident happened and why eight people died.  But EIGHT PEOPLE died.  Eight people who came to enjoy the Philippines.  Eight people who could have extolled the Philippines for their wonderful experience, if they had one, that is.  Eight people who are somebody’s parents, siblings, children.  Eight people who died not in some remote barrio, but in bustling Manila, the capital!

It’s so shameful.  It’s so wrong.

Not my day

A sprain and a stalled car.  Those are what happened to me yesterday.  Haaayyyy.

I was crossing the street yesterday, when my foot suddenly gave way and turned.  Good thing it was already near the curb.  I guess it was because there’s a depression in the road, but I am not quite sure how it happened.  I didn’t completely fall since there was a support beam just beside me and I was able to hold on to it.  I slowly pulled myself up and finding that I could actually still walk, did so and went to my Masters class.  There was already a huge lump forming when I reached the classroom but since I only had to sit down, it was no biggie at that time.

I was able to walk back to the clinic after my class.  It was a pretty long walk, it usually takes me about 15-30 minutes but now it took even longer.  By the time I was back in the hospital, it was noticeably more painful.  A colleague saw me and convinced me to have it looked at, just to be sure everything’s ok.  I went to the clinic and put some ice on the swelling.  Thankfully, the swelling decreased a bit.  I was deciding on whether or not to go to the ER (since by that time there were no available ortho consultants) but decided that since I was already in the hospital, that was the wisest thing to d

The ER consultant on duty happened to be a former intern.  He requested for x-rays, which fortunately, turned out to be negative for fractures.  I paid my bill and went to the parking to get my car so that I could go home.  Good thing, my injury was on my  left foot and my car is an automatic one so I just needed my right foot for the pedals.

On the way back, my car started to overheat.  I wanted to attempt going to a gas station, but I didn’t make it.  I stopped at a bad place, near the corner of an intersection.  Cars behind me were honking their horns, angry at me for causing an obstruction.  An MMDA officer approached me after a while and asked to see my driver’s license.  I freaked out, saying this is something that I did not expect.  He assured me that I was not being slapped with a violation…yet.  They had mechanics available and they would be able to find out and fix what was wrong with my car.  They pushed my car to a location where it be less of an obstruction to the other motorists.  After they assisted me in getting water, cooling my car’s motor and filling the reservoirs with water, my car was ready to go.  By this time, my husband had arrived.  He thanked them and gave them a token of appreciation for their assistance.  And we then went on our way, me driving my car and my husband following me.

It was not my day.

Right

Sometimes it’s so difficult to do the right thing.  Sometimes while doing something which I know is right, I get the feeling that I’m not doing the smart thing and making it easier.  Easier and smarter, but not right.  And in the end, my conscience still will push me into doing what I know is right.

While I do not really expect payback for doing the right thing, I do wish that other people just won’t make it difficult for me.

Quarrel at the MRT

Tempers inevitably flare when you’ve been waiting and standing in line for a long while.

A group of ladies, after sitting in the LRT for quite a while, were being told by the security guard that they have to stand up to give way to a mother with a kid since that section is only reserved to people with kids.

One of the ladies protested that they actually lined up elsewhere but they were directed by another security guard to line up at the front of the train where moms and dads with kids and pregnant women were supposed to sit.

I think the security guard could have worded it better — but that time, he kept reprimanding the group that they shouldn’t be there, that they should stand up because the others had kids etc etc.

The lady in question answered back (nagtaray) and there was an exchange of words.  I do not think I would act the same way, but I’m not so sure.  I could, I suppose, if I’m tired enough of queueing and I’m ordered to stand.  I mean, I will stand (and I did, when I saw a pregnant lady), but being singled out for a reprimand was a bit too much.

Oh well.

Mothers and kids at the LRT

Lately, I’ve been riding the MRT/LRT system more often, especially when I feel that driving is not very convenient.

It’s actually very interesting.  I get a lot of insights just from observing other people, and I find it more entertaining and thought provoking to be observing real people rather than watching soaps, which I really do not have the time for.

Like yesterday, I witnessed a beautiful bonding session of 2 mothers who probably met each other for the first time.  One is a Pinay with a baby boy about 10 months old, the other is a Chinese woman (I heard her speak, and since I’m Tsinay, I can tell that she’s not the Chinese who’s born and bred here) with a baby girl who looks like she’s a bit older than the little boy.  They came in at different times but ended up sitting next to each other.  Their kids took a liking to each other and played with each other.  Although there was some difficulty in communication, the mothers managed to enjoy their kids, letting them play with each other, at one point the little girl even had the younger boy on her lap.  Words were not enough to describe the scene.

Throughout the chaos at the LRT, that was truly beautiful to watch.


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