The Game of Powerplants

I recently tried Philippine Stocks Exchange online game and virtually bought shares of AP (Aboitiz Power Corporation) and EDC (Energy Development Corporation). Having my husband in the energy industry, I somehow know the trends of these two.

Note: In my opinion it's better to invest in the energy industry since its trend will not be affected by epidemics (EBOLA). Instead for buying Meralco (MER), which is just the distributor, go for the producer.

EDC recently secured certification of commerciality from Department of Energy to operate the largest wind farm in Southeast Asia. I understand it's current price per share does not move up as fast as AP but it is actually rising. Especially that it just had its independence as a private corporation, used to be under the wings of Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC), a government owned and controlled corporation.


EDC's wind farm has more wind mills compared to Bangui but the latter looks more attractive to tourists since they are not scattered----they are aligned.


The giants in Burgos, Ilocos Norte

Someday, I'll take a picture of my self with a bunch of wind mills at my back under a blue sky like this:


Majestic. No filter.

AP on the other hand has long been established as a private corporation and with stable investors. They promote "cleanergy" or renewable energy.
 

Song of the Month: Blackbird

This reminds me of my last 2 years in Iloilo when I really wanted to finally finish college. Calculus had a tight grip on me. I felt like I was the Blackbird.
I prefer this (Sarah McLachlan's) version to Beatles, Maybe when I get more mature I'd love both.

So this is for my second pregnancy...

With my first pregnancy I told my husband that I should do things that would stress my brains out...I told him the more difficult the activities the better. I have read somewhere that 'positive' stress helps the brain development of the unborn offspring. So aside from my house work (laundry, cooking, groceries, etc.) I had 2 jobs side by side -writing articles and teaching English to Japanese, both online. 

This time, I only have my house work and online writing (I work for a Virtual Assistant, which makes my job not just limited to writing) since I can't accommodate the teaching anymore (especially with my super active toddler in the background always).

I thought I would busy myself making a lot of dolls, but I couldn't. I don't know...You know dolls need to be loved so they come out beautiful.

But these days I'm more focused on helping my daughter in her transition of becoming the elder sister. Dolls can wait.

I just couldn't believe that construction management would come my way. Right now, I'm involved in construction management, the third time. First was our firewall, second was a renovation project of 2 rooms for rent, and third, renovation of a studio type apartment. (This is for family by the way)

You know, it might sound easy to manage people, but no it's not. You're always in between the interest of the workers and the interest of the owners. I have learned that I have to be an independent party, merely a channel who can decide.


But when you're pregnant,

hormones try to take charge and you have to fight for yourself.


This could be good for me and for #2. I just hope I made good judgment/s today. I'm still on my 5th month, 4 months to go and what could possibly happen?

Because of Star Wars Episode 7 Speculations...

We watched Star Wars Episode 1 today just because Mr. Lucas wanted to watch it again. Comparing to other episodes I think it was the one which felt like dragging the whole story. I mean, they should have made it shorter..but 2 hours?

However, I enjoyed seeing Natalie Portman with her 'then' chubby cheeks. I was also interested to watch it again just to compare her looks with Keira Knightley (decoy)..I was fooled the first time by Padme.

And of course, Liam Neeson looked really young as well as Samuel Jackson and Ewan McGregor.

Done with all the episodes and I'm looking forward to see Harrison Ford again in the 7th. His appearance in The Expendables 3, which was by the way so surprising, was probably part of the 7th's promotion.

I shall sleep now. Good night. 

Waiting

It's almost 2AM and I'm still awake waiting for Mr. Lucas to arrive from Bicol (another site visit). His flight was cancelled due to "bad" weather conditions. Well, Philippine Airlines is always like that, they uphold safety so I shouldn't murmur. The weather is unpredictable these days and I kind of used to delayed or cancelled flights.

That smoke is coming from...

He and his companion opted to go home by land (bus). At 11AM yesterday he told me he'd be home by 1AM. That was the last message I got from him since his phone's battery died out. Hope everything's fine. Still waiting.

...this! Perfect cone.

Chain reaction

It was in September when Mr. Lucas started getting site visit assignments which required him to be away from home for several days. His first destination was Dumaguete City in Negros Island. You might have heard of it because of Silliman University, or because it is where you take ferryboats to go to Mindanao (through Dipolog City), well at least in my case.

Mr. Lucas brought home sweet and delicious Silvanas and Brazo de Mercedes from the famous cake and pastry house Sans Rival. I couldn't eat all of the Brazo de Mercedes or else I would get diabetes (psychological diabetes). He brought me a large box of  brazos.

He came up with the idea to give some to our neighbors. That was a great opportunity since we didn't know them that much. At first I was hesitant because I was shy. I was afraid they would think I was just pretending to be nice. But I told myself that it was a leap of faith. I knew it was the right thing to do and my pride to be misjudged shouldn't get in the way.

Exchanges of hi's and hello's aren't enough if you want to make real friendships.

It was Sunday morning and we were in a hurry so we wouldn't get late for church service. I came knocking on their doors with some slices of Brazo de Mercedes.

They were very surprised to receive something from me, especially because they don't see us that much; only when buying groceries or going to church. I survived that morning. I felt good; certain that they didn't see the gesture as pretending.

After two to three weeks, one of them gave me pieces of dried fish and guava from Banate, Iloilo. It was a delight! I knew those dried fish were clean, since they were from the province, near fishing areas. That was also the time I learned that the family came from Iloilo. The bond was established since I also lived in Iloilo for a few years.

And this afternoon, another surprise knocked on my door. The other neighbour gave me a plate of spaghetti and a slice of sandwich; from her sister's birthday. It was really delicious, topped with some dried pepper leaves. And of course, I knew the offer was sincere.

I couldn't believe such act suggested by my husband would have a chain effect among us. If I turned back and became a coward, I wouldn't have enjoyed good morning talks with them. The ice was broken and we have to keep each other warm.

Influence

My daughter woke up early today (before 8am) so we strolled a bit. I met my neighbor who is 8 months old pregnant with twin boys. When the three of us got back near our apartments, I saw some scribbling on their wall. It said "E-5 Ybanez" and some caricature under.

The scribbles were still visible even after being painted white to erase them. My neighbor said it was done by her eldest child who is 12. My heart was pricked.

(I posted our house number with surname under it near our door last week. It was made of some old fabric and magazine cutouts. I had to do it because mails and billing statements don't get straight to us. PLDT's courier claimed that our house couldn't be located easily. This alibi resulted to a disconnection notice of our phone and internet.)

That boy wanted to have the same thing on their house so he scribbled, hoping that it would look great. I bet those young hands need more experience, yet the desire is there so he still did it. I  wonder how much scolding he got before finally erasing the scribbles.

I realized that every little thing that you do can influence someone in any way. It was just my luck to learn such powerful lesson from him, and that the example I made wasn't bad.

I have to be careful with my choices and actions because little ones are watching. They may not be family but each example that they see from you would have some effect. It has to be good always.

Online alarm clock

So this is what happens when you lost your phone.

We don't have an alarm clock at home, just a basic one so now I had to rely on the PC to make sure I could wake up early tomorrow. Gotta do a lot of chores since we're having visitors. Thanks to KUKU KLOK.

It claims that it can still work even when the internet is down as long as you have already set the time.
Just don't forget to change the settings of your computer when it comes to sleeping and hibernation. You surely don't want to get up late.

Good night! 

Talking About Online Jobs

This post is for my friends who are interested in working online. I'm sorry for the delay. It took me almost 2 months to write this.

I take care of my baby alone, do housework, and at the same time juggle part-time jobs. One of those is working online. Much of my work online are spent on writing, but I have already illustrated, too. 

How much do I earn? 

Pay the bills and a little extra.

I always encourage moms to try working online because:

• You don't have to spend for transportation toward an office/workplace.
• You don't get taxed. Well unless you are a community manager or a virtual assistant who earns real big.
• You work at your own pace, time, and comfort. (sorry for being real sleepy at times boss)
• You don't have to put on some make-up and wear fancy clothes. Low maintenance izz...

In short, you get what you earn. No deductions.

There are disadvantages though:

• You get to spend most of your time in front of the computer without actually doing something productive. You tend to think that you are doing work when you are just browsing social networking sites.
• You forget to socialize personally. You end up just liking and liking posts in Facebook.
• You rarely go out of the house. You miss sunshine.
• No exercise. Become bigger.
• Body clock changes especially when you are beating deadlines.

But overall, it's a good way of earning for me because I get to cuddle my daughter and attend to her needs all the time.

You can find almost all types of jobs in the internet. You can work as a writer, an illustrator, tutor, auditor, manager, etc. The most important thing is you get the job that fits from a LEGIT site. There are a lot of scammers out there, so be careful.

Below are websites recommended by GMA network:

www.OnlineJobs.ph

www.oDesk.com

www.Freelancer.com

www.199Jobs.com

You can also try:

www.elance.com

www.designcrowd.com

Where do you start?

1. Get IDs. Check samples.

2. Get a Tax Identification Number (TIN). This is a pre-requisite when getting an EON card.

3. Apply for an EON card from Union Bank (P350). It is a debit card which you can use to get a    PayPal account or instead of a savings account.

4. Get a PayPal account. Almost all online jobs pay you through PayPal. Click here for more info.

5.Sign up for the websites listed above. Create a comprehensive profile. Let your potential clients know what you got. Post your portfolio, too!

Good luck!

Babies nowadays

I went down to prepare my baby's food and left her on our foam bed. We didn't want to get a real bed yet, since we have a plan to move to a new home soon. I left our laptop (open), as I was still working on an article for my part-time job, while my girl was busy playing with her toys.

It is I and my husband's routine to chat each other while he's at work (don't worry he's allowed to do it).

About 3-4 minutes later, I found a chat message sent to my husband from me.

It was really funny because our 8-month-old baby did it. And she even sent more than one. I guess babies nowadays are really different. I can't imagine how she figured out where ENTER was.

It was pure coincidental I know. And I guess some moms have experienced it, too.

 

I can write even UPSIDE-DOWN

When I was in elementary, a college student was featured on TV for writing upside-down. He said he worked hard for that skill because most of his classmates would copy his answers during exams.

 

He was a smart student, a real target for those who were 'brain-hungry' exam-takers who failed to prepare well, for whatever reasons.

 

And so he succeeded with his plan shooing off those classmates. He would turn the test paper upside-down and answer it that way.

 

I just can't remember if he wrote in cursive.

 

I recalled the story in high school and tried to do it. (But am not that a brainer!! I just wanted to) And in college, kind of mastered it. Was able to use the skill effectively in teaching English to Koreans (one of my part-time jobs)

Teaching English to Koreans. Sitting face-to-face.

 

 

Due to some hearing issues, I decided to quit teaching online, but I can't stop my passion for teaching. In summer I and my husband accepted students for English and Mathematics. And now even though summer is over, we still got lessons, special request by parents :)

 

I still use my skill of writing upside-down, and here's the result:

 

 

 

 

My kid also want to do it. I let her be since it's also a good brain exercise.



And days ago I decided to make my upside-down handwriting into a real font. Follow this link if you want to download. It's free.

I want music!

Okay, I can't stop myself but write about how I feel. (I'm supposed to be writing. Sorry boss +eunice )

 

I was reading some technical reviews today, and bumped into music minutes ago. I just remembered the day my dad bought me a Yamaha keyboard when I was about 9 or 10 after being serious with my piano lessons at age of 8. But things got difficult and I had to voluntarily pawn it for P500. Years went by and we weren't able to redeem it and I let go of music.

 

College came and I enrolled in a free piano class for a semester. All of the students were lent a keyboard. I would play even late at night that my board mates were annoyed.

 

Anyhow, the last time that I played an acoustic piano was about 5 months ago. Someday, I'm going to have my own. I will teach my children to love music and fill our home with singing.

Sun in the Night -YUI

I just love the idea of open caskets. However, such is not allowed in the Philippines for sanitary reasons. Maybe because our embalming process is not that good.

I hope I will not be sued by YUI.
I don't own these photos:

I wanted to become a doctor

The night when I felt really sad for having lost friends because of differences, I thought I was the most horrible person. I thought that it was all my fault why it happened. And then I came across with a neurosurgeon's blog. I realized I should fight the sorrow that I felt. I should be thankful and happy that I'm alive and can still do my best for my child.



This neurosurgeon may have become famous for his family (All valedictorians in the family) as featured in Jessica Soho, but it's how he fulfills his duty which made me follow his blog.




Here's the entry that made me think twice:

http://ronibats.ph/2013/incomprehensible-losses/

Honesty

The world tells me to be this and that, but I don't want to follow.
The world will end, all its pride.
It will go down, deep down to the pit.

I am not of the world for I am she.
I listen not to the world. I create.
The world is full of lies and deceit.
It hates honesty and humility.

I will not be of the world. I will not.

Kite Flying 1

I wrote this 5 years ago for our college publication--the accounts

Sa dami ng nais isulat, hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit ito pa.
Wala nang magniningning na tala sa aking gabi.
Wari parang lata ng sardinas na kinalawang sa pag patak ng ulan.
Kaya mang punuin ang bote ng iba, ngunit hindi ang boteng may takip,
sarado, kinalawang na ang takip, mabuti pang basagin o wala.
Gaano kaya kalayo ang mararating ng bawat patak ng ulan sa malihim na ilog?
Ewan, hindi ko masundan, napakalayo, ako’y maliligaw, matarikang daan, masyado nang pagod ang aking mga paa.
Sa bawat papel na napupuno ko, kasama ang mga erasures at doodles, nasisiyahan ang kamay ko.
Sa wakas nakarami rin ako.
Marunong pala akong magsulat. 
Ngunit hindi lahat ng mga salitang nailapat ay buhay.
Hindi lahat ay totoo.
Marahil kulang pa ang laman ng bote o kaya’y masyadong pang matarik ang daan. Hindi ko maidiin ang labi upang halikan ang bahaghari.
Masyadong malayo, masyadong makulay.
Hindi ko talaga siguro maabot.
Maghihintay na lamang ako ng sampu pang bukas ng pag-ulan.
Ang bahaghari’y kailangan kong abutin.
Ngunit napakalayo.
Masyadong makulay.
Kinalawang na ang takip ng bote