Hooray for bloggers like me earning dollars and for the OFWs remitting money! Though when you really think about it, the peso losing it’s power (or more appropriately, the dollar gaining strength) is not good for the Philippine economy. Prices of basic commodities will surely soar again, among other things. But well, regardless of the peso-dollar rate, prices are going up now that it’s nearing holiday season. Better to have more peso when we exchange our dollars, right?

I know, I know… selfish of me! Hehehe

Anyway, another advantage of working at home for me is that there are a lot of things that can divert my attention. TV shows, loud music, a neighbor popping in, a relative calling, a friend sending me a barrage of text messages, newspaper in the morning, a book that I can pick up anytime of the day… A 5-15 minutes diversion can do a world of good to someone like me who gets stuck in what I do if I just go at it for hours.

In a corporate set-up, you cannot simply walk away from your work to take breaks when you want to unless you are from upper management. There are coffee breaks, cigarette breaks and other in-between breaks one take. But can you really pick up a book and then read a chapter when you want to?

Happy Friday and have a great weekend everyone!

Here in Manila, I don’t know if you noticed it but there is just something different these days. A slight change in the atmosphere despite the Senate coup, the botched prayer by Dureza… Or it could be that oil companies are implementing price rollbacks left and right.

Maybe, it’s just the holiday spirit spreading. And it might be it.

Still, here’s hoping the positive feeling will really translate to something concrete soon.

This time, Entrepgirl gave me the Friendship Flower award! Yey!

“And lovely are the blossoms
That are tended with great care,
By those who work unselfishly
To make the place more fair.
And, like the garden blossoms,
Friendship’s flower grows more sweet
When watched and tended carefully
By those we know and meet.
And, if the seed of friendship
Is planted deep and true
And watched with understanding,
Friendship’s flower will bloom for you. “

Thank you, girl!

I will update this post with the blogs I will be giving these awards to

I just love it when my blogs get awards. It makes my day, to say the least. It makes me want to exert more effort in making my blog informative enough for my readers and visitors. Thanks again, Lindsay!

Global delivery company DHL announced Monday that it was cutting 9,500 jobs as it discontinues air and ground operations within the United States.

DHL said its DHL Express unit will continue to operate between the United States and other nations. But the company said it was dropping “domestic-only” air and ground services within the United States by Jan. 30 “to minimize future uncertainties.”
Source: money.cnn.com

So sad. My uncle has two friends working for DHL somewhere in the US. Just imagine 9,500 people will lose their jobs! Thank goodness we are not hearing this kind of news here in the country. Think how many would lose their jobs if say, Airfreight 2100 would close its operations here?

I just wish everything will turn around for the better soon.

Please go and visit Sasha’s Corner. Thanks!

Sorry for the inconvenience.

All posts under Sasha’s Corner is under http://sashashe.blogspot.com for now.

Thank you.

I can really feel the effect of the global financial crisis. Money kept pouring in this time last year. This year, since October, money is hard to come by. Oh yes, I am still earning more than if I am employed by a corporation. But you can just feel how much this quarter is different, especially when I look at my bank statement.

I don’t know if everyone is feeling the financial crisis like I do. Some may be earning more now because they just discovered paid posting. But most bloggers I talked to have the same situation as I am.

The point of this post is to reiterate the value of saving for the rainy days. My savings were mostly spent on vacations with the whole family. I kept on telling myself that I could earn it again easily. But look at me now.

So let me offer an unsolicited advice to everyone… SAVE! Find ways to save even a peso/dollar daily and you will be amazed at how much that peso/dollar can help in times of crisis.

Robbery is rampant in Bulacan these days!

Our relatives are from Bustos, Bulacan. This was a place where we (me, my siblings and my cousins on my mother side) go to in the past and our parents would let us wander by ourselves even at night. The place was safe and people know each other. But it was different now.

Ate Linda, my mom’s aunt, told us that they would often hear their doorknobs being turned slowly in the middle of the night. Family members have their own duplicate key to the house. Ate Linda thought it was just an isolated incident but it was repeated several times since. They have reported the incidents to the barangay but we all doubt if there is something being done about it. Imagine the bravado of the robber(s). They are going to pass through the main door. What if Ate Linda or one of them at home opened the door? I am sure the robber(s) will do something to them! It was really scary.

A block away from Ate Linda’s is our Ate Lita’s home. She is my mom’s cousin. She and her 4 daughters are the only ones at home daily. Her husband died years ago and her siblings moved to another place in Bulacan. They also experienced the same thing. But only once. Another time, she woke up because she heard something downstairs. Do you know that she found half of their window jalousie already off? It really scared them so much they called the police but whoever was trying to get in their house was gone by the time. One morning, her daughter was taking a bath and looked up the ceiling. She found a pair of eyes looking back at her. When they called some neighbors to check, they found a chair at the back of their bathroom wall.

The nerve of these robbers and maniacs who prowl Bustos, Bulacan is really something. They even do their robberies at broad daylight! A neighbor of another relative lost their newly purchased bag of rice a few minutes after arriving home. Another relative lost her coin purse sitting on the dining table.

Scary and very dangerous. We were advising them to lock their doors at night and get some dogs. We can’t rely on local officials and policemen all the time to safeguard our place. We should start by ourselves.

And this should serve as a lesson to us all. Check your locks at night. Check if your doorknobs are sturdy. Check your window jalousie if it’s still intact and make it more secure. Get your family members duplicate keys so as not to expect them knocking at night (and open the door to robbers instead). Double check everything and make sure our homes are safe and secure all the time.