This show will feature the latest gadgets, the best restaurants, the most happening spots, the coolest travel destinations, the best real estate investments, and anything and everything that will spice up your life! Follow AJ and others on their journey to living the life that they deserve!

And so present to you, the pilot episode of Mi Vida: Live the Life You Deserve!

Mi Vida: Pilot Episode from AJ Matela on Vimeo.

Mi Vida: Pilot Episode from AJ Matela on Vimeo.

Can’t view the video? Try it on Vimeo. Vimeo (High Resolution)

Simple assumption, but true. Think about it: it was fun treating your friends to a round of Friday night mojito and eating at the new restaurant on The Block, but what a nightmare if you wake up tomorrow and find out that you don’t even have an allowance for the next five days until the next paycheck comes.

Money is a good source of security and family harmony, it can definitely make our lives better - but only if we manage it well. This is what we learned in the  “Money and Your Family” monthly forum sponsored by Verdana Homes of Alveo Land at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Greenbelt 3 recently. The forum convenes parents to discuss relevant issues concerning the Filipino family. It is part of a campaign which is meant to provide a venue for families to strengthen their relationships to each other amidst the blight of “all work & no play” that seems to be common nowadays.

Speaking on the floor was financial journalist Karen Galarpe who shared precious tips on setting aside a budget, savings options to make and planning for the future with a good insurance/retirement plan.

A lot of what Galarpe said was what we’ve known all along, but is better applied in real life. Things like eating out too often, being a compulsive shopper and swiping one’s credit card with impunity can really take a toll on one’s finances. That is why married couples, for instance, should really sit down and talk as well as agree on what budget they can live on, with savings for the rainy day, Galarpe pointed out.

Her money management gems to live by:

1. Don’t eat out so much.

2. Bring “baon” to school/office.

3. Buy in the supermarket or discount stores, rather than in small stores.

4. Buy in bulk for items used a lot.

5. Watch out for sales.

6. Compare prices when shopping.

7. Buy only what you need, no wants.

8. Buy fruits in season.

9.  Use left-overs for another dish.

10. Make your own pizza, cake etc.

11. Take the MRT, bus, jeep instead of your car or a cab.

12. Walk short distances, instead of riding a vehicle.

13. Plan your trips.

14. Carpool.

15. Keep car in good condition. Have regular tune-ups.

16. When buying a car, get a fuel-efficient one.

17. Park your own car.

18.  Swap VCDs/DVDs with friends.

19. Watch matinee screenings.

20. Avoid the mall. Go to a park or zoo instead.

21. Buy used books.

22. Unplug appliances when not in use.

23. Turn off lights and fans when no one’s in the room.

24. Have leaking pipes and faucets repaired.

25. Do ironing in one go.

26. Turn off iron in last minutes of ironing.

27. Clean bulbs regularly.

28. Defrost refrigerator regularly.

29. Use only one credit card, and it should be for emergency use only.

30. Pay off debts. Start with the debt with the highest interest.

31. If you’re on a two-income family, live on one and use the other one for savings.

32. Pay yourself first - live on what’s left.

33. When it comes to savings options, don’t put your egg in one basket, diversify.

34. Put emergency fund in easily accessible account.

35. Don’t keep touching your savings in the bank, compound interest can make it bigger.

36. Know more about personal finance. Read books. Attend seminars.

37. If an investment sounds too good to be true, it’s probably a scam.

38. Look at your debt ratio. Amount allotted for debt payments should not go over 30 per cent of your income for the month.

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Since I’ll be living alone, it will be a small flat furnished with minimalist pieces to give it a modern feel while maximizing my living space. At the same time, it shouldn’t be too small - I love hosting little get togethers with friends and I’m betting that more than one of them will end up sleeping over because they’ve had too much to drink. I wouldn’t want to stay in a condo that resembles a shoebox, either. My place must have a balcony where I can recline and smoke, and the living room area should have large windows for natural light and for watching the twinkle of the city lights at night and the sun rising in the sky at dawn.

Living in an impersonal environment sounds depressing, and I’d love for the high-rise condo to be more than just a concrete jungle where people eat and sleep. It’d be great if there was a common area where the residents can get to know each other or spend time together. And I’m not talking about the condo lobby. I mean a recreational space where kids and the kids-at-heart can play, like a swimming pool. What would be even better is a park or a grassy place with big leafy trees, so I can relax with a book while enjoying the great outdoors. The city’s already dull, gray, and polluted as it is; I’d like to come home to a place where nature is still very much alive.

And maybe someday I’ll have kids (but not necessarily a husband, haha), so I’d like to live in a place that’s family and kid-friendly as well, just in case! That means the high rise condo has to have room for a playground, at least. Added bonuses would be a day care center and other safe facilities that would provide hours of amusement for children.

They say that if you constantly imagine where you’d like to be in the future, your vision of who you are will come true. I really hope that when the time comes, I’ll be able to acquire a comfortable living space that complements the lifestyle I want to have.

Truth is, almost all Filipino families have an overseas Filipino worker in the family, either as close of kin or to the next degree. They are what our government dub as the modern day “heroes” as they bring to our country a profusion of dollars that would boost our economy.

In my travels the past 15 years, with myself perhaps considered a semi-OFW traveling a third of my time to foreign countries as part of my work, I have met a lot of OFWs working in different conditions, some even in countries poorer than ours. Majority of them leave their children either to the remaining parent or to their own parents or siblings for a long period of time, with infrequent vacations back home. Lucky are those who are able to negotiate for a yearly holiday.

I have met nurses, singers, domestic helpers, band members, quality control workers in factories, and many others who work for menial jobs. Some are luckier, like nurses, and other professionals in banks, financing companies and IT firms, but still, they are OFWs just the same, far from their families. They would talk about how lonely they are and how they miss their families way back home. Oh yes, there is the Internet, with all its possibilities, but this is no replacement for the warmth that physical closeness to a family member brings.

Here at Home–The Sad Truth

We are witness to real life stories, watch in movies and television or read in newspapers the sufferings and loneliness of the OFW dependents/families, missing the children’s growing years, milestones, birthdays, anniversaries, religious events, homecomings, etc.

At the same time, we also see how some OFW dependents/families behave. While the OFW parent toils abroad, lonely, bored, and craving for anything Filipino, here is his/her child/ren spending money like as if
money comes in abundance. Some are hooked on drugs, alcohol and drop out of school. Extended family members ask help to finance their needs or solve their financial problems. Because of this the poor OFW spends more than what he/she earns, not telling his/her family the real situation. Loan sharks also thrive where there are lots of OFWs. By the time the OFW is ready to come back home, there is not even any
savings left to start a new business. Because of the social impact of being separated, some become broken families, and the children are left out to fend on their own.

Save Our Modern Day Heroes–Save Our OFWs

These are the very reasons why I have thought of an advocacy—save our modern day “heroes”, save our OFWs and their families/dependents—through awareness, to both sides. It is high time that something be done. Other than deploying our foreign service staff to represent the country and taking care of protocol and workers’ documentation, our authorities can initiate a regular gathering of the Filipino community—to make them aware of the realities that are true to the lives of the Filipino diaspora. To aggressively campaign for a
better life, give them tips and options, open doors to micro-investments, and connect them with their families.

Families/dependents of our OFWs need all the support we can give them—to educate them, initiate support groups and make them aware of the harsh realities of the life of an OFW, be more down to earth, and
be more caring of their OFW parents. This way, even if families were dysfunctional (the absence of one or both parents), the dysfunctionality may be as minimum as possible.

Most people my age get so overwhelmed with the money they earn and the things they can buy with it. Ask any young office worker, and he or she will probably say that the first place they go to after payday is either the mall or the nearest watering hole. I used to spend my money wantonly on clothes and stuff, but lately I realized the practicality of saving at least half of my paycheck for my own place. True, it’d be great to have a closet full of designer clothes, but I see buying my own place as a real step towards independence, responsibility, and stability. A home I can call my very own is the most tangible reward for all the hard work I did and the discipline that went into saving my money. No cranky landlords to deal with, no parents to impose curfews on me, plus I can do whatever I want with the walls and the furnishings!

There are basically three kinds of homes that you can get for yourself. The first is the house and lot type, but these are becoming more expensive in the city; there’s no way I can afford one of those. House and lot units within my price range are located in the outskirts of Metro Manila, which is out of the question as it’s too far from my friends and all the exciting goings-on in the city. Plus with the rising gas prices, I don’t want to live somewhere you can only get to by car. Besides, house and lots are a little too large and domestic for my tastes; I’m a single woman and I don’t intend to get married or have kids any time soon.

The medium-rise condo is the happy medium between the high-rise and the house-and-lot. Located right in the city, these are basically condo units with the family-friendly atmosphere of planned subdivisions. While the city location makes it convenient, I probably won’t get a medium-rise condo since it sounds just about as domestic as the house-and-lot.

A one-bedroom unit in a high-rise condo is exactly what I want. It’s small enough for me to be able to maintain on my own and large enough to hold gatherings with friends. Location-wise it’s perfect, especially if it’s near public transportation. And I can just imagine the gorgeous, panoramic views of the city at night, and how pretty the sky would look when the sun rises at dawn. It’s gonna take me a while before I can come up with enough money for my own condo, but I’ll get there soon enough! The first thing I’m going to do when I get my own place is throw a huge party.

What kind of home would you like for yourself?

But whatever the reason, the Philippines is our Motherland  and images as well as memories of it will forever be etched in our minds - majestic mountains, the bluest seas, unruly jeepneys, summers at the beach,  happy, smiling people and more!

For all its imperfections, there is frankly nothing else  in the world  I’d rather be at this moment.  Perhaps, it is out of a deep-seated sense of loyalty for the country which has not only nurtured me since birth, and now my children as well. Perhaps, because I feel at home in all the familiar and complicated crannies of my homeland. Perhaps,  because I’ve resigned myself to my fate and don’t see the need to get any richer, apart from the old, cramped car I now own.

There is just something about this place that pulls me with its beauty, whether am sipping coffee in an al fresco cafe or watching people take a whiff of the bay breeze amidst the golden sunset. Life is easy here, call it laid-back if you may. But most of all it is knowledge of the fact that this Motherland will always cradle me and welcome me, even it has upset me a number of times, and vice-versa.

To give hope to the Motherland, we should give it hope.

Here are the reasons:

The Philippines is an ever-changing place. What the country was 15 years ago cannot be compared to what  it is now because  the landscape has drastically changed. The Philippines has become a globalized village  where  it is possible  NOT to fly out of the country to get what you want. This is attested to by the rise of cosmopolitan hang-outs, fusion cuisines and other aspects of our life and culture which have clearly become international

But whatever the reason, the Philippines is our Motherland  and images as well as memories of it will forever be etched in our minds - majestic mountains, the bluest seas, unruly jeepneys, summers at the beach,  happy, smiling people and more!

For all its imperfections, there is frankly nothing else  in the world  I’d rather be at this moment.  Perhaps, it is out of a deep-seated sense of loyalty for the country which has not only nurtured me since birth, and now my children as well. Perhaps, because I feel at home in all the familiar and complicated crannies of my homeland. Perhaps,  because I’ve resigned myself to my fate and don’t see the need to get any richer, apart from the old, cramped car I now own.

There is just something about this place that pulls me with its beauty, whether am sipping coffee in an al fresco cafe or watching people take a whiff of the bay breeze amidst the golden sunset. Life is easy here, call it laid-back if you may. But most of all it is knowledge of the fact that this Motherland will always cradle me and welcome me, even it has upset me a number of times, and vice-versa.

To give hope to the Motherland, we should give it hope.

Here are the reasons:

The Philippines is an ever-changing place. What the country was 15 years ago cannot be compared to what  it is now because  the landscape has drastically changed. The Philippines has become a globalized village  where  it is possible  NOT to fly out of the country to get what you want. This is attested to by the rise of cosmopolitan hang-outs, fusion cuisines and other aspects of our life and culture which have clearly become international in standards.

The Philippines is a land of opportunities, if you know where to look for it. It is heartwarming to note that the country is now a growing hub for investments and continues to encourage entrepreneurs to dream beyond what they never thought was possible. These ‘dreamers’ have become the new hope of the Motherland.

With this maiden post, we welcome you all to a taste of the good life in Good News Balikbayan. Your insights, comments and contributions are most welcome!

When I started scouring around for my second home, I wanted a condominium to simplify my lifestyle. When I told my two college kids, they protested that a condominium doesn’t feel like a house. I soon relented to their idea because it is not forever that the kids will live with us. Maybe as they leave our home one day, I can buy a condominium, a smaller place for my husband and I to enjoy. I often say our future “Love Nest” because it will just be the two of us.

Whatever you call it, a house can either be a nest, a den, a cocoon, a hive. Each of these labels represents a different concept of home. While some can say that a nest is an ideal home for a starter family, I still say it’s for a small family. Some prefer a “Cocoon”, a haven that shelters then from the world and a “hive”, a busy place to connect them with other people. Each of us want a home that suits our desired lifestyle. Our choice of this home relies on what we can afford. Who doesn’t want to get the best deal within one’s budget? It is critical to ask ourselves these questions:

• What is I value most? Family? Career? Time for Leisure?

There is no perfect home that meets all our needs. It is hard to find but a good choice is a home that allows us to enjoy the things we value most. Those are within our reach. For me, I valued my family. They came first so I chose a second single detached home for our second home.

]]> http://goodnewsbalikbayan.com/real-estate/buying-a-second-home/feed/ http://goodnewsbalikbayan.com/business-entrepreneurship/wanted-more-pinoy-entrepreneurs/ http://goodnewsbalikbayan.com/business-entrepreneurship/wanted-more-pinoy-entrepreneurs/#comments Wed, 28 May 2008 04:48:34 +0000 annamanila http://goodnewsbalikbayan.com/?p=5 Thirty years ago – maybe more – we have been said to be on the verge of some industrial take off or other. We were up there in the Asian economic totem pole third only to Japan and Singapore.

The take off never happened. Did we run out of gas, suffered a flat tire, got derailed by infighting?

The signposts are alarming. Many of our women still dream of going abroad to be mail-order brides, to be singers and entertainers, or to take domestic and “care-giving” jobs most of the locals — Americans, Europeans, etc. — wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.

Our men possibly fare better, but not too much better. Many train to become engineers, technicians and skilled artisans; but once they get some minimum experience locally, they take off for some job abroad, draining our country of the skilled human resources it needs so badly for its own oft-postponed “take-off.”

The social costs of Pinoys leaving home in pursuit of the American dollar are unquantifiable. We see them all around us — broken homes, split marriages, unsupervised children dropping out of school and turning to drugs and other vices or entering into relationships for which they are not ready.

Many concerned Filipinos have wearied of trying to study what’s wrong with the country or the national psyche.

They just want action — an action plan that is doable or, to use the technocrat’s term, SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timebound).

There may be very few action plans smarter than a national entrepreneurship campaign – a campaign for independent, job-creating, income-producing entrepreneurship — where all sectors can close rank for.

In communities where entrepreneurs abound, the population stay rather than migrate, roads and infrastructures are built, social and educational services are improved, commerce booms, and the quality of life rises. Enterprise begets more enterprise, progress begets more progress.

This is why President Arroyo is trying to implement the “A Million New Entrepreneurs Program” as the centerpiece of her economic agenda. Taking the cue, local governments have set up their own local enterprise promotion programs.

This is also why entrepreneurship subjects have been infused into the curriculum at both high school and collegiate levels.

… and why industry associations, civic clubs, and even religious groups have joined the “small business” bandwagon.

… and why this little corner makes a pitch for entrepreneurship.

And the pitch is addressed to you, kababayan/katoto/kapwa-Pilipino — whether you are a salaried employee, a housewife bored or hardpressed making ends meet, a graduate who can’t find a good job, a retiree, an OFW, or an expatriate Filipino.

The next pieces in this corner will discuss more about the advocacy for entrepreneurship, the entrepreneurial personality, starting a business, improving a business, and entrepreneurial role models.

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