not your average Juan

Falling for Tinuy-an Falls

It was on a Holy Tuesday when we decided to embark on a long long drive going to Bislig, Surigao del Sur from Cagayan de Oro City.

Located at the eastern coast of Mindanao and facing the Philippine Sea, Surigao del Sur is considered as one of the surfing capitals of the Philippines.

But aside from the surfing waves, locals also troop to this province for another natural gem. That is the Tinuy-an Falls.

The Tinuy-an Falls is one of the main tourist attractions in Bislig City – also known as the Booming City by the Bay.

The falls is approximately 95 m wide and 55 m high and being considered as the Niagara of the Philippines.

Bislig City can be reached via a bus ride going to Mangagoy from Butuan City. Butuan City can be reached via a plane ride from anywehere in Visayas and Luzon. Mangagoy, Bislig is 4 hours away from Butuan City.

Since we came from CDO, we decided to go on a long whole day drive using my friend’s vehicle. We left from CDO at around 10AM and arrived in Mangagoy, Bislig City at around 9PM. Yes, it was that long. Although there were no streetlights along the road and it seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, it was still fun. We arrived at Mangagoy at around 9pm and we stayed at the De La Salle – John Bosco College Pension Inn for the night.

The next morning, we went to the Tinuy-an Falls as early as we can. It was a 5 minute ride from the city proper.

The Entrance — Entrance to Tinuy-an Falls

When we arrived at the place, the falls was just simply breathtaking. It was my first time to see a giant waterfalls and it was amazing. It was so huge and you can hear the lashing of the water that falls from the top.

The Breathtaking Tinuy-an Falls — Amazing Tinuy-an Falls

Luckily, there weren’t a lot of people when we got to the place. The entrance fee is 95 PHP and cottages can be rented out for 350PHP.

Right after we placed our things in our cottage, we immediately got our cameras and took snapshots of the falls and ourselves. It was a good thing that my friend brought a waterproof camera.

After taking shots at the foot of the waterfalls, we decided to go to the top of the waterfalls. There were stairs that were built leading to the upper part of the waterfalls. There, we enjoyed the cool waters of the Tinuy-an falls and took more pictures.

Steps that lead to the Upper level of the Waterfalls — Steps Leading to the Top of the Waterfalls

After 3 hours, we decided to leave the falls and head to the Enchanted River – another tourist spot in Surigao del Sur.

Seeing this majestic and natural beauty is truly an experience that I won’t forget. I can’t wait to return and be mesmerized again. I just hope that the local government of Bislig takes good care of the place and practice responsible and sustainable eco-tourism to preserve the beauty of this waterfalls.

It's Just Truly Amazing — Picturesque Tinuy-an

Steps Leading to the Top of the Waterfalls

The Voice: If I Ain’t Got You

This has got to be one of the best battle rounds in NBC’s The Voice.

Both battling for a spot in Christina Aguilera’s final 6 team, they each gave Alicia Keys a run for her money.

Anthony Evans and Jesse Campbell just nailed this song right on the spot and it’s so sad to see one of them go.

But I definitely agree with Christina on Jesse. His ‘b-b-baby’ just stole everyone away right in the middle of their performance.

P. Diddy even tweeted that he wants to give both of them a record contract as a duo.

That’s how good this performance was.

LED’s Sharp It Up

I do not own major appliances ever since I started living in Metro Manila.

It just never occurred to me to invest in major appliances when I am still renting a place that I consider as a temporary dwelling place.

Another thing is I used to rent a place with several friends and because we were many, there is only enough space for us to keep our personal things.

So when I moved in to a new room/apartment, I really did not bring a lot except for my clothes and a few bags of archived documents. Good thing that the place I have transferred to already have several appliances left by the previous owners. Well, I personally know them because they are my friend’s family and it was really very kind of them to leave some of their stuff behind after they moved out of the place.

But there was still one thing missing. I had no television.

I am not a major couch potato but I would say watching TV and movies/tv series is in the top 5 list of things that I do on my own spare time.

So last March 4, I decided to buy one.

I, originally, just wanted to buy a cheap CRT television. But it turns out that CRTs have the same price with some brands of LCD/LED TVs. Actually, I think it’s harder to buy appliances right now like television sets. You have a myriad of options already when you go to appliance stores. Almost all brands are offering the same thing. So, you can just imagine the dilemma that I had when I was in the SM Appliance store.

I was down to three brand choices. The first two were Xenon and Skyworth LED TVs. Xenon is a brand owned by Pioneer, famous for their audio equipment. Skyworth is a brand that was previously handled by Devant. The third choice was Sharp.

After much thought, I decided to buy the Sharp 22″ Aquos LED TV. I preferred Sharp over the two because it’s the most known brand among the three and should the TV require servicing, it would be easier to find a Sharp service center and Sharp TV parts. And it has 2 years warranty on parts and services and no need to bring to the service center because it will be home serviced. Pretty cool.

Good thing that the SM appliance center offers 0% installment options. I had mine staggered to a 6-month payment term, which is more manageable for my budget compared to paying the over-all amount upon purchase.

Now that I have a LED TV in my room, I can now watch some of my favorite shows on TV. I tried plugging in an indoor antenna to get local channels but it cannot detect any channel at all. So I am subscribing to Skycable’s 280/month cable TV. I hope it would be worth it. I just need my weekly dose of American Idol in Star World and some movies during weekends. Local news TV channels will already suffice every weeknights.

I’m now looking forward to hibernate in my room every weekend and just watch my favorite shows on cable TV or watch my favorite TV series on DVD. 🙂

Here are some of the features of the 22″ Sharp LC22LE520MBK AQUOS LCD LED TV:

• 22″ FULL HD LCD Panel
• 1080/24P Signal Input
• D-sub 15 pin terminal for PC and analogue RGB
• 3W + 3W Speakers
• Built in TELETEXT
• Cabinet Color: Black – Black color LCD Cabinet
• Ecological Features Such as Advanced OPC (Optical Picture Control) – Features that control the brightness of images according to the lighting in the room so as to reduce power automatically
• LED Backlight – Uses LED backlight to sharpen images and reduce power consumption
• High sensitivy tuner – TV Tuner strong sensitivity to capture a weak signal wave
• corresponding to Hotel Mode – Features that can select the channel to broadcast, specifically for the hotel program, specifically for the hotel program
• 176 Degree Wide Angle Rewind – Can be viewed with the angle 176 degrees horizontal
• 3 HDMI with the D-sub 15 pin terminal for PC and analogue RGB signals
• Remote Control

Despicable Ba-nana

This trailer got me laughing out loud from start to finish.

This has got to be one of those hilarious movie trailers out there. Too bad this won’t be in cinemas until 2013. Some joked that they won’t be able to watch it anymore by that time because the world would end already on December 2012. LOL

I was able to watch the Despicable Me part 1 movie. I was not at all a fan of the first movie. But because of these ‘minions’ singing to the tune of Beach Boys’ Barbara Ann, I am hyped up to catch the second installment of the cartoon movie.

The Despicable Me franchise is from Universal Pictures, which I think is Pixar’s competition in computer-animated films.

Here are the lyrics as transcribed by one Youtube user:

(ba ba ba ba banana ba ba ba ba banana) Bananaaaaaa Potato naaaaa Bananaaaaaa Tokarino potato li kani malo mani kanoti ca (ba ba ba ba banana ba ba ba ba banana) Yo plano poo laqua nolotu ma banana La kanupi ta lamu (ba ba ba ba banana ba ba ba ba banana) Potatooooooo Tokarino potato li kani malo mani kanoti ca ba ba ba ba bananaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh…

The Day I Fell in Love with Bellarocca: 2

Finally, we were already at Bellarocca after more than 9 hours of travel. Yes, we did it the ‘hard’ way. But it was worth the experience, not to mention we saved more than 1,500 PHP in transportation cost just to get to Marinduque.

First Day Frenzy

On our first day, we explored the entire Bellarocca island. A hotel staff drove us around in a golfcart and gave us a tour of the different places within the island.

Best Villa — One of the expensive villas

Right after the tour, we went for a dip in the hotel’s lap pool where we can see our room balcony. We swam in the pool like little kids playing in the water.

Lap Pool 2 — This makes you want to dive in

Smile at pool — The pool is a reason to smile

Kids at play — Kids at heart playing at the pool

After wadding in the lap pool, we went to the resort’s infinity pool. This was topnotch. From the pool area, you can see the mountains of Marinduque which is shaped like a female’s body in sideview. Here you can enjoy the natural beauty of the resort and also think peacefully and just be one with nature.

After a long day, we decided then to try the karaoke room in the evening and belt our hearts out. This is also free to use for all guests.

Second Day Sweet Escape

We woke up early the next day and decided to try the kayaks and snorkel after. The equipment were all free, as well. We were amazed at the richness of aquatic life surrounding Bellarocca. We saw a lot of schools of fishes and sea corals underneath. It was also enjoyable to do this early in the morning because it was not too hot yet. I also tried windsurfing though it was a little hard for a beginner like me, but it was really fun.

Windsurf — Attempting to windsurf like a pro

For the rest of the day, we just enjoyed the infinity pool and the other resort facilities like the Game Room and borrowed some DVD movies to watch in our room. We celebrated our last night with a hearty feast. We ordered a seafood platter and a kare-kare dish.

Closer Look at Seafood Platter — Grilled Seafoods

Third Day’s a Charm

On our last day, we woke up early again and decided to catch the sunrise in Bellarocca. Afterwards, we hiked to Bellarocca’s viewing deck and saw the marvelous ocean beyond Bellarocca.

We checked-out at around 10AM and was very thankful to all the hotel staff. They all treated us very well and their customer service is really very commendable.

We left the island feeling lonely that the vacation had to end but, at the same time, happy about the overall experience. It was truly a memorable trip and we cannot wait to go back again this coming August 2012. We got another deal online. This time it’s from DealDozen and it’s a bargain to die for. I cannot wait to be back there and fall in love with Bellarocca one more time.

Steps to Viewdeck — The steps to the viewdeck

Viewdeck bench — Benches at the viewdeck

group pic — We all fell in love with Bellarocca

xxx

Bellarocca Island Resort & Spa
Barangay – Tungib – Lipata, Municipality of Buenavista
Marinduque, Philippines

The Day I Fell in Love with Bellarocca: 1

I have always dreamed about what Santorini in Greece might look like and how it feels like to be there. I believe that was where the Mamma Mia movie was shot. If only this was close to the Philippines, then I would not think twice of going there.

So when DealGrocer offered a Magnificent 3D/2N Mykonos Package for 2 deal in their group buying site, me and 3 of my friends did not think twice in purchasing it. It was originally valued at 37,788PHP but was sold at 50% off with the price of 14,995PHP. Bellarocca does not get any lower than this anymore because the regular rate of a Bellarocca stay can range from 20,000PHP to 100,000PHP, depending on the type of accommodation that you are getting.

Each voucher includes a Complimentary daily set breakfast for 2, Roundtrip land and sea transfers (Marinduque Airport – Resort – Marinduque Airport), Access to the resort’s range of exclusive facilities and recreational activities (2 main swimming pools, Tea House, Meditation Sanctuary, Fitness Gym, Library, Entertainment Room), Use of non-motorized marine sports equipment (such as snorkeling gears, kayak, windsurf) and a spacious hotel deluxe room, with its own private balcony, that can accommodate 2 persons.

Since the voucher deal was only valid from May 1 – December 15, 2011, we decided to book our luxurious vacation last December 4-6, 2011.

How We Got There

Since December is a peak season for air flights, we had difficulty getting cheap tickets. Only ZestAir flies from Manila to Marinduque and vice versa. Their flights are also not on a daily basis and there were no flights going to Marinduque on December 4. It was also too late for us to change our booking because almost all rooms are already booked for the month of December. The only logical option that was left for us was to travel by land.

We decided to ride a bus from Buendia, Makati going to Lucena on the night of December 3 via JacLiner. JacLiner has trips going to Lucena everyday. Since we need to arrive at Lucena’s Dalahican Port before midnight to catch the ferry going to Marinduque, we left Manila at around 8PM with a bus going directly to the Dalahican Port. It was a steady bus trip. Most of the time, we just slept until we arrived at Lucena’s Dalahican Port at around 11:30 PM. The bus trip cost us around 220PHP per person.

When we got to the Dalahican Port, the ferry was not yet loading. We bought our ferry tickets at 340PHP per person. The trip was going to transport us from Dalahican Port to Cawit Port in Marinduque. It was crucial for us to catch the 12MN ferry trip because the next trip going to Cawit Port will be at 4PM on the next day. So when we arrived at Dalahican Port and saw that the ferry has not yet left, we all let out a sigh of relief. The ferry is operated by Montenegro Lines and this is the only ferry with the route of Dalahican Port, Lucena to Cawit Port, Marinduque.

The ferry left at around 12:30 AM. For approximately 3 hours, we cruised through the silent sea. We could not see anything because it was at the middle of the night. We just slept in monoblock benches throughout the whole trip.

When Luxury Started

We arrived at Cawit Port in Marinduque at around 4:00 AM. There was already a van that was waiting for us to transfer us to the Bellarocca island from Cawit Port. We thought that the transfer would just be short but it took us one hour to get to the island’s mini-port.

Simi and me — All geared up for Bellarocca

It was close to 5:00 AM when we got to the mini-port. We were each given lifevests and had to get in the rubber boats to get to Bellarocca island. It was a short 5-minute rubber boat ride to the Santorini-inspired island.

It was too early when we got to the Bellarocca hotel. Since the normal arrival time of their guests was between 9AM – 11AM, because that was the arrival time of flights from Manila, there were not a lot of hotel staff yet. But even if it was still very early, they still gave us utmost customer service. Each of us were given a hot coffee, as well. There were 2 other groups of guests that were with us, who also took the land trip from Manila down to Marinduque. We filled out a check-in form and one of the hotel staff gave a brief orientation and officially welcomed us in the luxurious Bellarocca island.

Check-in form — Bellarocca check-in form

Hot coffee — Cups of hot coffee for early birds

Luckily, we did not have to wait until 12:00 NN to get to our room. In less than 30 minutes, we were led to our respective rooms in the hotel. The hotel room was amazing. It has a glass-walled bathroom, which is perfect for honeymooners. It has a queen-sized bed with goose-feather pillows to die for.

Glass-Mirrored Bathroom — See-through Bathroom

View from the inside of the bathroom — View from inside the bathroom

To top it all, the view from our balcony was enough to make me realize what luxury means. The hotel’s lap pool was overlooking from our room’s balcony and the display of the Marinduque mountains and sea was just breathtaking.

Swimming pool right below — Balcony overlooking hotel's lap pool

View from balcony — Left side view from room balcony

After we settled our bags into our rooms, we were then off to experience what Bellarocca has to offer.

to be continued…

xxx

Mamma Mia, How Can I Resist You?

Not a lot of people know that I dig musicals. Probably, it stems from one of my biggest frustrations in life – being a theater actor starring in a major play. I, once, was cast in a grade school production… as a back-up dancer. Then I was cast as a CHAIR in a major college one-act play. But never the lead. I think I’m just not the mainstream type. I’m more of indie material. LOL

: Mamma Mia the Musical poster

My love for musicals started after I began working. I was also largely influenced by some of my friends who are fond of going to musical productions. So, when me and my friends learned that the Mamma Mia Musical international cast was coming to Manila, we did not hesitate to buy tickets for one of their limited shows (from Feb 1-19 only).

: Mamma Mia the Musical ticket

We booked for the February 6 (Sunday) Gala Show at 8PM. The musical was staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Main Theater (Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo), Pasay City.

We arrived at CCP at around 7:30 PM. The place was packed with a lot of people including celebrities and media personalities. We saw Julius Babao together with Tin Bersola and their daughter.

Our seats were at the fifth and sixth rows of the right lower box of the theater which cost us 3000PHP per pax. I personally thought that it was a good bargain considering that we had a good and clear view of the stage even if we were seated at the second floor of the theater. Also, my friend told me that our tickets were originally sold for 5000PHP but they bargained it to 3000PHP. It would have been even nicer though if we got the first or second row since you can already see the stage right in front of you.

: View of the stage from where we’re seated

The show opened at exactly 8PM. It started with Sophie singing Abba’s I Have a Dream and reading her mom’s (Donna) diary, finding out Donna’s juvenile love affairs with three men. She invites all three men to her wedding and that’s when trouble ensues.

Similar to the Mamma Mia movie which starred Merryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried, the Mamma Mia musical production did not disappoint the crowd in their rendition of Abba’s classic and timeless hits. From the catchy tunes of Mamma Mia, Money Money Money, Dancing Queen, Honey Honey, Super Trouper, Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! and Voules Vouz, to the sentimental melodies of Chiquitita, The Winner Takes It All, Slipping Through My Fingers and Thank You for the Music among others, the Abba fans were treated to nostalgic performances of these all-time favorites.

The musical production cast was also a hit. You can really see that they are pros in what they do. Not only do they sing good, but they act very good as well. The stage design was just simple but they were able to maximize it very well. They used a wall that showed the outside of Donna’s hotel at one side and when turned, it showed the inside of Donna and Sophie’s house. It was very creative.

The musical lasted for two hours. When the show ended, the audience was treated to a mini-Abba concert with all the cast dressed in 80’s costume. It was so much fun to watch them perform with those colorful outfits.

Me and my friends were really happy to be able to catch this Mamma Mia’s international tour in Manila. It was quite expensive but it was worth the watch.

When we were leaving CCP, we saw a poster of the Phantom of the Opera. And much to our excitement, we are already planning to watch it this coming July when it comes to Manila. From what I heard, this is one of Broadway’s and West End’s most-loved and popular love story musical productions. This will surely be a hit, the way Mamma Mia conquered Manila.

xxx

Stock Smarts

I have always been intrigued by the stock market. I admit, I have little knowledge about it. I just know that people buy stocks from companies and they trade on a regular basis. I know some people get rich just by trading stocks everyday. One of the most famous and richest stock market investors in the world is Warren Buffet. He has made his fortune just by investing his money in company stocks and from there, built his Berkshire Hathaway empire.

One day, a good friend and colleague invited me to one of his stock market seminars. I had little hesitation because it has an expensive registration fee. I haggled my registration fee and got a discounted fee. So with not enough reason anymore to decline and as a gratitude to my friend who invited me, I joined the Money Talks: Stock Smarts Seminar last January 14, 2012 at the MSE Penthouse in Makati City.

The speaker, and also a former work colleague, was Marvin Germo. He is a certified financial planner and has five years of experience in stock market trading and investing in the Philippine stock market.

The seminar was entitled Stock Smarts: Learn the Basics of Trading and Investing in the Philippine Stock Market. This was well-suited for a newbie like me. True to the seminar’s title, it was indeed a basic course in starting to invest in the Philippine stock market. There were around 40-50 participants who were all dying to learn how investing and trading in the stock market work.

The seminar was divided into 2 sessions – morning and afternoon. The morning session was led by Marvin and he discussed the basic principles and terminologies used in stock market trading and investing. He shared with us his industry knowledge on how the stock market operates and how common people can buy and sell stocks and build a stock portfolio. Interestingly, only 0.1% in the Philippines engage in the stock market while Singapore has 33%, Japan has 25% and Malaysia has 18%. Major players in the Philippine stock market are coming from foreign funds and financial institutions. That is the reason why the Phil. stock market plummeted a bit during the 2000 recession because majority of the foreign funds and financial institutions were hit by the US recession. If only the Philippine stock market has more common Filipino people investing and trading in it, then our economy will not be majorly affected even if foreign funds withdraw their investments in our country.

There is a common perception that only rich people can invest in the stock market. That was true before. In the advent of the world wide web, stock market trading can now be done online also. There are already several online stock brokers that cater to individual investors like Philstocks and Citiseconline, among others. Initial investment is 5,000 PHP and you can already start trading online.

The afternoon session was more about stock analysis. There are two stock market analysis – Fundamental Analysis and Technical Analysis.

Aaron Say, a registered CPA and stock market investor, discussed how to evaluate stocks and companies based on Fundamental Analysis. Fundamental Analysis is getting back to the basics of evaluating how a company is doing. It involves looking at financial statements of the company including its quarterly and annual business and financial reports, balance sheets, cashflow statements, and other financial health documents of the company. Based from these documents, an investor can paint a picture if the company has been earning profits for the past months or has been incurring too much debt already. From this data, stock investors can make an informed decision on whether or not it is wise to invest in the stocks of the company.

Marvin, on the other hand, discussed about Technical Analysis. Technical Analysis uses different tools to assess how a company is doing. It uses graphs, charts, moving averages, trends and patterns to evaluate if the company is going bearish or bullish. It takes into consideration the movement of the company stock’s price over a period of time and uses the price patterns of the stock whether it is predicted to go up or go down in the future. This analysis is more visual and preferred by many because it is visually readable. One just has to know the technical analysis concepts and principles to make a sound analysis of how a stock is doing.

The seminar lasted until 530pm and it was worth the time and effort in a Saturday. I learned a lot and it made me more enticed and encouraged to invest in the stock market now. I am thinking of doing a conservative investment first and once I get the hang of it, I might consider investing more. One thing to put in one’s mind is that there will be risks involved in stock market investments. The higher one is willing to risk financially, the higher the gain financially. The less risk, the less gain. One just has to manage the personal risks involved and learn along the way.

I Dream of an F

Several nights ago, I had a very unusual dream.

I was in one of my college classes again and was awaiting for a test result to be handed back to our class. Later did I realize when I woke up that this class course was one of the difficult college classes that I had way back in college. I was a Computer Science major in my college university and this was a required elective for us to take. As I was waiting for our professor to hand us the corrected test sheets, I was feeling uneasy and jittery. This was one of the elective classes that I need to pass so that I can march and graduate from the university. Slowly, the professor advances to my seat and hands me a familiar white piece of paper that had my name with my familiar handwriting. I could barely look at the topmost part of the paper. I immediately settled my gaze on the center and bottom part of the test paper. There were several red markings of a check and a circle symbol beside each numbers. I could not contain myself anymore and decided to look at the top right portion of the paper and found out that I flunked the final exam. Suddenly, I felt like crying but there were no tears. It’s more of frustration and the shattered sense of success and being able to graduate from university.

Right after that, I was fast-forwarded to where I am right now, in my dream. Since I am already working, I started questioning whether or not I had surpassed college and really graduated. I started questioning whether I really finished my degree and wondered why I was able to work if I haven’t done so. Then, I woke up.

This was the first time that I had this kind of dream. It felt unusual at first and then I started asking myself, “Is there something that my subconscious wants to tell me?”

Then, I looked for some answers from Google. And found one, from Yahoo Answers, that I think resembles what I might be feeling:

“To dream that you are taking a test indicates that you are being put to the test or being scrutinized in some way. If you fail the test, then it suggests that you are feeling inadequate or insecure about some aspect of your waking life. If you ace the test, then it means that you are prepared and ready for the task at hand. There is also the notion that if you visualize success, than[sic] you will achieve success in your real life. Thus, this dream may be a “practice exercise” for you to visualize success.”

True enough, I have been under tremendous stress in work for several months/years already trying to complete a project that has been going on for like ‘eternity’ already. I feel like I am inadequate to complete the project and inexperienced enough to deliver it. This has made me question myself in terms of my ability to produce good results for the past few months. I have thought of quitting and abandoning the project but did not have the guts to do so. I still remain hopeful that I will be able to deliver this successfully and move on to my next project or role. I think I need to visualize more the success that I need to have for this project. The more I visualize it, the more it becomes realistic everyday.

Overall, I think the dream was a reminder for me that I can make things work if I want to make it work. Challenges will always be there but these should not hamper the human will to still deliver and reap success, no matter what the obstacles are.

12 for 2012

It’s that time of the year again when old and bad habits are remembered to be replaced by better habits. Yes, it’s New Year’s Resolution time again.

I have never been fond of making this list annually. One, I find it difficult to enumerate one by one the things that I want to do. Sometimes, I just want to be or try to be spontaneous and carefree.
Second, 8 or even 9 out of 10 people that I know do not fulfill their resolutions at all. They start it on the eve of the New Year and excuse themselves on the 2nd day of the new year until the second to the last day of the next year. To me, it becomes a fad that people try to do but never doing it anyway. So my thought always is, “Why bother?”

Then, why bother now?

Well, I’m trying to make some things in my life change. And what better way to start it is by planning how I would want to experience and live in 2012. Yes, I call it my life plan for 2012. Just like in building a house, you have a blueprint of how you want your house to look like. I want to see a blueprint of how I want my life to look like in 2012. And it starts in my ’12 for 2012′ list (not arranged according to priority).

1. Read more.
I love reading books but haven’t been able to do regularly for quite some time already. Thus, I will do my best to read at least 2 books per quarter in 2012. That’s a total of at least 8 books in 2012. I originally planned to only have 1 per quarter but wanted to do a stretch goal. Thus, the 8 target. Aside from fictions, I will try to diversify my book reads to include self-help books, leadership and management books and spiritual and inspirational literature. This will feed my mind to learn more about life in 2012.

2. Save more.
2011 was a year of many buys for me. 2011 was the year when I had several purchases – from gadgets to meal vouchers to travel deals. I am quite amazed that I am not in heavy debt right now. Haha. Thus, I resolve to consider saving more of my hard-earned money instead of thinking where to splurge it. I am aiming to have at least 50,000 PHP more added to my current savings. That would mean less eating out for me and less new clothes and gadgets in 2012. Personally, I would like this more than having more material things but less savings in the long run. I need more savings to help me achieve my next goal for 2012.

3. Invest more.
Contrary to the many purchases that I had in 2011, I had very minimal investments in 2011. I only had my PECA monthly savings, which is our company’s savings cooperation for employees and retirees. I only have a very conservative amount to save every month from my pay and because of that, my total PECA savings has yet to reach my desired savings which is 500,000 PHP. Apart from PECA, I am paying for the monthly installment of my SM Light Residences condo investment. I’m still on my 36-month 20% down-payment period until the end of 2012. The planned turnover is on 2013 and I am planning to sell it right after at a much higher price than when I bought it. I got it at the pre-selling price so I am expecting a 25-30%, at the least, increase in its value when I decide to sell it already. This 2012, I am planning to get more investments and venture into mutual funds and passive stock market trading. I already have a mutual fund agent. I just need to make up my mind on the mutual fund plan that I will get for myself and also learn basic stock market principles to help me achieve this goal in 2012. I am not getting any younger already that is why I need to be more aggressive in planning out my investments in 2012 and in the next years to come.

4. Learn more.
In 2012, I promise myself to educate myself more. Either by reading more books or attending a real classroom class, I plan to enrich my knowledge more in 2012. Enrolling for an MBA degree is one of my plans for 2012. I am also planning to get some real swimming classes as I plan to make this a weekly exercise routine for me.

5. Exercise more.
I know, I know. This 2012, I need to exert more effort to stay healthy and keep myself fit. Thus, I will try my best to exercise every week by doing weekly 2-hour swims every Saturdays or Sundays. This will help me stay in shape and monitor my weight to its desired value for my height and age.

6. Be a budget traveler and travel more.
Last 2011, I was able to travel to 16 places outside of Manila. 2 of these are international trips and the rest are domestic travels. I am actually quite surprised that I had this many trips in 2011. For 2012, I plan to continue seeing my country and the world. I believe that you learn more about yourself and your world when you travel. I just need to practice how to be a budget traveler and also a light packer. These are always my weaknesses whenever I take trips. I sometimes overspend and have a hard time fitting my clothes and accessories in a 15-kg luggage.

7. Volunteer.
Being a ‘corporate-slave’ sometimes saps the life out of you. And you sometimes feel the need to have a relevant role in the society in alleviating poverty, fighting corruption and what-have-yous. This 2012, I want to remember again how it feels like to serve other people and see genuine smiles on people’s faces after you have given them food, clothed them from cold and helped them build their lives. I need to get involved again in socio-civic activities and feel the spirit of volunteerism.

8. Learn to take risks.
I am a conservative risk taker. I rarely risk anything not unless I am 101% sure that I am winning in the end. I think most people are. This year, I want to learn to make more calculated risks. The operative term is ‘calculated’. Of course, we still want to win in the end. If you end up losing still, then it’s something that you can learn from. The best part is not limiting yourself/myself from getting what you want/your goals no matter what the obstacles are. Great people from history have all taken big risks in their lives and because of that, they became who they are.

9. Spiritual maturity.
This is something that I really need to work on. Actually, this should be my first priority in this list. Everyday I wake up and sometimes forget that the reason why I live is because He gave me another day to experience my life in this world. Too preachy but it’s the truth. Sometimes, I feel guilty that I seldom give time to invest in enriching my soul and spiritual relationship with my God. This year, I want to make myself closer to my God and make ways to praise Him more. Last year, I was introduced to Bo Sanchez’s The Feast and ever since then, I became a follower. This year, I hope and I will try to step it up further and join a ministry in The Feast church (silently hoping it’s the Music Ministry even if I sing like the infamous William Hung).

10. Try to be more friendly and sociable.
This is always my waterloo. I always think of myself as a social ‘mimosa pudica’. Some people think that I am difficult to approach because I seldom smile to people that I haven’t been introduced to yet. Also, sometimes I do not want to be extra close to someone who I have just met for the first time because I do not want to make them feel uneasy and brush them off the wrong way. This year, I will try my very best to be a social butterfly. Probably not the life of the party yet but enough to not make other people feel uneasy when around me. There’s nothing worse of a feeling than when almost all of your floormates have gone out for lunch while you are eating alone in your desk because no one invited you out.

11. Write more.
Honestly, I think I am a terrible writer. During my Comm 1 college class, I always tried hard to earn a 1.0 grade in our weekly journals. But I never did get one. I think I am a lousy writer. But you have to start from something, right. I think some of the great writers of today have written boring pieces of literature at one point in their careers. They just furthered on until they became the best writers that they are today. Thus, I will not be discouraged even if I write too long and sometimes boring stuff. I will push forward just like what these great writers did. At least, I am just writing for myself and not for a living. There’s nothing to lose for me. Albeit, I have a lot to gain especially documenting my thoughts, travels and my life. And I think WordPress and Blogspot will help me do that.

12. Work harder and focus more.
Career-wise, I have yet to experience how it feels like to be really recognized for a great work that have been done. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had small victories every now and then but I thirst for a major triumph in my career. Last 2011, it was just a pretty steady career ride for me. There were definitely ups and downs and changing careers and resigning from my current job have sometimes crossed my mind. Sometimes, I think I am in the wrong industry. But still, I am here. This 2012, I pray for a more rewarding career for myself. I have already achieved my dream of working in my current company (one of my dream companies to work for). In 2012, I want to have the opportunity to be recognized in what I have done and in contributions that I have made. I will do my best to focus more in my work and balance everything that’s happening in my life including my family, love and relationships and of course, my career path.

2011 has been a blast. Here’s to a better 2012 to everyone around the world!

Happy New Year 2012! Cheers everyone! 🙂