my mind is blank

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I have been staring at the screen for a long time, writing and rewriting a few lines but none seems to be right. Happy that I was given lots of tasks but I can’t think of anything to write right now.

I’ll just redesign my other websites first. Just to clear my mind. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish all my pending jobs later.

God is watching us

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There are days when I feel depressed. I usually can’t pinpoint the cause of the said depression in most days. Two days ago I was feeling so down and felt like crying without any known reason. I was doing my hardest to feel happy so I was just thinking happy thoughts and not allowing myself to have a “free time”.

I was helping my sister prepare the malunggay leaves for lunch. Look what I found…

… a heart shaped malunggay leaf. This I know is from God telling me that I shouldn’t fear anything because he loves me. That I should always be happy.

And because of that leaf, I felt better.

summer activities

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I try to squeeze in as much fun activity on RJ’s daily schedule this summer break. He has guitar lessons and he’s also learning how to ride a bike. Because of too much pollution in Manila, it’s much better for him to do it, learn how to bike, while were here in the province. Air is more clean here.

If he can have his way, he’d rather play computer all day long. But because I’m worried he might destroy his eyes and wear reading glasses this early, I have to look for more activities that he can do in lieu of sitting all day long in front of the computer.

I ask him to help me do the laundry. He paints and draw when he’s in the mood. I also let him use my camera, with a clear warning not to drop and put scratches on it, so he can learn photography. We take pictures of birds and leaves and spiders and caterpillars.

A mom has to be creative but I’m running out of ideas. Help!

BPI’s My e-Prepaid MasterCard

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I’m not a fan of credit cards. In my 35 years of existence on this planet, I only had one credit card in my possession. Never renewed it again. By the way Citibank, you still owe me a few pesos since I overpaid.

I first heard of BPI’s My e-Prepaid MasterCard on twitter. Last week, I received an email from BPI with a link to the card application page. Of course I had to check the card fees first. The Php500 processing fee is not that heavy-on-the-pocket since the card is valid for 2 years. Unionbank’s EON Visa Debit Card charges an annual fee of Php 350. 

So how does My ePrepaid MasterCard differ from a debit or a credit card?

Unlike a credit card where you will be billed for your purchases after a certain period, you will need to load your My ePrepaid MasterCard with funds first before you can use it to pay for purchases. A debit card is linked to your savings account, every time you pay using your debit card, your savings account balance will automatically be deducted with the amount of your purchase. Since prepaid cards are not linked to your savings account, your purchases won’t affect your savings.

 

In case you’re wondering why I’m comparing it to Unionbank’s EON card, it’s because you can verify your Paypal account using a My ePrepaid card. Paypal questions, please read on below.

• Can I use My ePrepaid in PayPal? Yes. You can link your My ePrepaid Card to your PayPal. 
• Can I withdraw my funds from PayPal transferring funds to my card? No. You can only use your My ePrepaid Card to fund your PayPal account for purchases, but not to withdraw PayPal funds.
• How do I link my card to my PayPal account? When linking your My ePrepaid MasterCard to PayPal, please make sure your card has at least Php 150 load. PayPal charges $1 to link your card to your PayPal account, and Php 100 when you confirm your card. After successfully confirming your card, PayPal will return the Php 100 to your PayPal account in the form of PayPal credits.

I applied for a card because it can be used to purchase airline tickets from PAL. Although the card has a maximum allowable amount of P10,000 load, it’s already good with 1 or 2 local airline ticket purchases.

Click on the link to find out how to get one for yourself: BPI Prepaid Cards Application Page

It's More Hot in the Philippines

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Some people loves to bask under the heat of the sun. Not me. And I'm not loving this summer heat we're experiencing right now. The humidity level has also increased tremendously since the start of the summer season. I have to take a bath 10 times every day! I can't wait for the rainy days.

Swimming pool owners must be the happiest, not to say more rich, these days. They get to save on electricity since they don't need to turn on their pool heater. Aside from that, resorts are always fully booked these days so their cash registers are always full-to-the-brim-with-cash as well.

 

But I'm not a resort owner, I don't get as rich as them during summer months, so I'm not the happiest during summer season. I already said it and I'm saying it again, I can hardly wait for the rainy season.

Are you cheap or frugal

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I'm a frugal person and I'm proud to be one. I value the quality of everything that I buy because money doesn't grow on trees, right? I make sure that I set aside a portion of what I earn every month. Sometimes I put it in my savings account and sometimes add it to my stock market investment.

Every time I go grocery shopping, I bring a list of things that I need and don't just grab anything that I fancy from the shelves. I compare the price and quality of different brands. I don't exactly buy the cheapest and not the most expensive either. Expensive doesn't necessarily mean the best and cheap doesn't necessarily mean the best value.

So I'm frugal but I'm not cheap. Like for clothes, appliances or furnitures, I don't go for the brand but I go for the quality. If for example I buy audio racks, I won't buy the cheapest if it looks like it's made of low quality material. If it's the most expensive but looks like it's worth the price, that's what I'll buy. I prefer buying expensive clothes because it lasts longer than cheap clothes made with cheap material.