Leaving Something

I just paid the annual premium for my life insurance. Many think of it as an additional expense, but really, everybody dies sooner or later and it's best that you've taken steps to ensure that financially, your family has means to recover when you are gone. I've started my insurance when I was thirty years old and single, after my father died and I realized how financially draining death is to the bereaved family.

I also realized that you actually get better deals when you are relatively young, life insurance for seniors is more expensive since, understandably, there's a bigger chance for seniors to suddenly exit because of some age related illness. So, yes, in a way, it's an insurance. I'm planning to make my whole life insurance self-liquidating in the future, then maybe take out another one.

Of course, it's also a way of giving some sort of inheritance to my family, since I do not have the resources to leave money or property to my kids at present.

Stay Or Leave?

I don't know if it's just us, but lately we feel that it's a bit more difficult to earn money. The Philippines during my Angkong's (grandfather's) time was a land of opportunity, so there were a lot of people like him who left China to find their fortunes over here. Now the situation seems to be different, reversed somehow, as Pinoys now go to China for jobs. Fortunes do change,even in countries.

But there are even more Pinoys, Tsinoys and Tsinays included, who would rather leave and look for better opportunities in the developed countries like the United States. They look for jobs philadelphia and other places that previously were not really considered by Asians going abroad.

Now, the elections are near, which means more uncertain times ahead. While we currently do not have plans of going elsewhere, we are not totally closing our doors to that possibility if and when the situation would warrant it.

Busy Busy

Additional clinic hours, new sideline, kids getting sick, ME getting, then hubby getting sick. I'm just starting to catch my breath here. I hope that's the last of the sickies around here and I'm really, really back to regular programming. I want to be able to go to work without worrying too much about my kids. I want to stay home sometimes and not have to take on extra clinic hours because the hubby is sick and cannot make it. I want to go to clinic on the days I should.

While I now have much less time to blog, write and to the other things I usually like to do in my me-time, including trying to get back into shape (if somebody gives me free nordic track coupons I might give it a try--if I get the time), I am thankful that blessings do continue to come my way.

Thank you, Lord, for making sure that we always get what we need (though not always what we want).

School Fees

Tuition fees are so expensive nowadays! I'm now paying more than ten times what my parents used to pay for my own schooling. Initially, when I was just starting to ask around, I really startled. I quickly realized that it is the ballpark figure for schools, especially for the ones near our home. I may be able to find a less expensive school, but those less expensive ones are further away from my home. That means transportation expenses will be higher too, so in the long run, the difference is actually not that big.

I am quite afraid of how high college will be. Imagine, if tuition for preschoolers are already this high, how much more of college students? I wonder if my husband and I got enough insurance coverage or if we need to get new insurance quotes in case something happens to us, because if there's one thing we would want our children to have, it's a good education. Unfortunately, here in the Philippines, it really does not come cheap.

Face Value

Times have definitely changed since my grandparents' times. In those days, Tsinoys deal with each other based on "sin yong" (trustworthiness). You can buy things on credit with just a verbal promise of a future payment in lieu of a contract. That's because in those times, people really value their "sin yong" because they know that once trust is broken, it's difficult to rebuild.

Nowadays, we can't work that way. People just don't have the sames about honoring verbal promises. And since loans nowadays may be for non-emergency things like boats and RVs (like the ones offered by goodsamfinancecenter.com), you should really put everything down on your contract, because people just don't value sin yong as much as our grandfathers did.

Sick :(

I'm sick. :(

Timing is so bad because I have a deadline today for my first writing assignment for my new freelance job. With a headache and muscle pains, I'm finding it pretty hard to think. I don't have an appetite either (so I no longer have to look through fat burner reviews, chances are I'd lose weight naturally).

Oh well, the show must go on. I'm almost done anyway, just needs a bit of tweaking.

Additional Job

I just got myself a new freelance writing job and I'm so excited about it! Not only will it give me some extra income, but it's also an opportunity for me to be able to lend my voice to the things I want to educate the general population with, like the common diseases that cause morbidity and mortality to what the best wrinkle cream is.

I already have a whole month's list of assignments and I'm excited about each and every one of them. I hope I will be able to meet expectations -- both mine and my editor's. I just really have to try my best!

Proms

Last week, we had dinner at my grandma's house in celebration of Chinese New Year. One of my aunts was talking about the proms nowadays (since her daughter will soon be attending one) and reminiscing about the time that she had hers. It made think of the proms I attended. In my time, dates were assigned. Not much choices in clothes, makeup and blackhead removal care of mom. Pretty boring when compared to the proms nowadays, actually. Now there are more choices for gowns and dresses. Girls get made up by professionals. And get actual dates and not people assigned to them. And moms as excited as their daughters. (And maybe dads more nervous about their princesses? :P)

My other aunt said that while girls now only had to worry about getting a date and how they would look, her worry that time was actually going to the prom, since she had strict traditional Chinese parents and was an only girl. During her prom, her date was her brother. Hmmm, I guess that makes my prom just a little bit better, but not much.