Ridiculed Because of My "ANCIENT" Phone



Not a "DUMB" Phone to me

My phone has been criticized many times by my coworkers: 

"You should donate your phone to Smithsonian"

"You should sell them to an antique dealership. You'd get a lot of money"

Yada yada

I would laugh with them,of course. Weirdly enough, I'm not hurt or anything when they make fun of my phone. I guess when you have the right mindset, peer pressure wouldn't get into your nerves.

I would jokingly answer them: "FYI, I am not a zombie like you guys, going with the crowd or going where the noises are." 

But still, jokes are still thrown at me for being so cheap.

Should I b**ch slap them with my investment portfolio? Or should I say it on their faces that if I want to I could by 10 iPhone 6 at once? 

I'm joking, of course. But most of the time , Filipinos  judge you with what phone you are holding rather looking at the big picture. Maybe I should give them The Millionaire Next Door book. Hmmmm.

If your happiness is having the latest phone out there so be it, but please don't make fun of those who chose not to have one, coz honey, you can't measure a person's success or person's net worth with what phone they are using.

To each his own, I guess.

Reader's Question Answered: Thoughts about Gifts and Vacations

I received an awesome e-mail asking me about my thoughts on gift-giving and vacations. It's a timely question given that it's September, the start of the "ber" months, which means it's Christmas already in the Philippines! Ang saya and, at the same time, nakakalungkot especially for us OFWs.

Her email is copy pasted below:

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Hi Maria :)

 I have a reader question that I would like to hear your thoughts on a blog post entry perhaps. What do you think about gifts in relation to goals of saving / investing and being frugal? Christmas gifts - especially that the season is nearing. Birthday gifts, Valentine's gifts, etc.

Also, would you have considered coming home to attend a special occasion (not death related) while on your OFW contract? We all know how expensive "vacations" considering ticket costs, pocket money (of course, one does not just go home without spending money on transportation, communication, food, etc)

I would just want to know if you have stories related to these situations.

Still reading your blog.

Hope you are having a great weekend.

Ms. D.M.

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Ahhhh, vacations...


I have been abroad almost half a decade and I never been back home ever since. Sounds like a crime punishable by banishment, but first, do hear me out.


For me, working abroad is just a temporary venture- I set that in stone and blurted it out before being officially labelled an OFW. I'll figure that I'll just suck it for a while, that means no vacations back to the Philippines whatsoever. I am single with no children, so I figured that it was kayang-kaya!

Growing up, my cousin, who works and still works in Saudi Arabia, would go home for a vacation constantly. I would overhear him ask money to my aunt coz he didn't have money left to come back to Saudi Arabia. Now that I am an OFW myself, that scene plays on my mind once in a while, and I promised myself that it wouldn't happen to me, that I won't end up asking for money to anybody.

My original plan was just 3 years of "sucking it up" abroad then go home after. ( It didn't happen, though by now, you already know or might have already figured the reason why. HINT: too many responsibilities).

The first year away from home was a torture. I was homesick like crazy. I got depressed and would often cry. I missed my niece ( my cousin's daughter, who I literally saw from birth, right when she was about to pop out from her mother's you know. When you see that miracle happen right before your very eyes, it will change you ! I used to say that I won't have kids forever and ever, but when she came out, she changed me. Parang ako lang ang nanganak,no? I often babysat her coz her mom was a teenage mother. Long story cut short, I became involved with the baby, pitched in the second name and fell in love with her). I also missed my grandmother who constantly tell me that I should come visit before she'll die. Filipinos are emotional, I know, and I am one of them.

I was ready to go on a vacation no matter how much it was, but take this, I changed my mind at the end because of this: informal survey.

Armed with a pen and paper, I talked to my Filipino co-workers and my Filipino barkadas who regularly comes home for a vacay. I asked them how much they usually spend and how much should I expect to be spending. The results shocked me!

I asked 23 OFWs.
Expenses ranges from $ 8,000-$15,000 ( more or less PHP 350k - 600k ). One even once spent close to a million pesos! Whaaaat?!

I asked them what the heck they were spending it on, answers were (as far as I can remember):

• Shopping coz cheap daw doon ( Hello, we have Goodwill here where we can find legit,branded and, most of the time, unused clothes)
• Eating out basically every meal, including snacks.
• Sa mall daw naka standby kasi maiinit! (What did they expect? It's the Philippines!)
• Pasalubongs
• Magpapa inum ( Fiesta everyday ang drama?)
• Magpapa Belo
• Nose job and other beauty related stuffs

At that time, I was still dumb with finance and I wasn't expert in the art of saying no. I thought there was no way around it, that you can't help but spend when you come home for vacations. I figured that since I was purely going home for a visit, with no intentions of going shopping or doing Belo stuffs, I would be spending $5,000 max ( more or less Php 200k; $2,000 back and forth ticket fare, $3,000 spending money). I was determined to save $5,000, but in the middle of all of that, I was introduced to the whole personal finance thing. I abandoned the idea of going home for a vacation and carried on with my original plan. And at the same time, I mastered the art of saying NO to all their money requests coz, by then, I realized that I wasn't helping them by giving them money all the time. (See post here)

Thoughts on gift-giving:

Ahhh, balikbayan boxes!

I used to assemble balikbayan box/es, put it by the door and just throw in stuffs that I got on sale, then rearrange it so I can send it to the Philippines when it gets full. Pinoy na pinoy 'yan! When that whole personal finance awakening smacked me right on my face, I changed my strategy on gift giving. I seldom send packages anymore  (though I sent packages that contains my stuffs for my for good moment, with an instruction not to open them until I get home). I just give them money (Php 1,000 each) when it's Christmas time ( or birthday,etc.), plus a little extra for noche buena and stuffs. It saves me a great deal of money and saves me time,too, considering the time I spent looking for sales to be put in the package/s all the way to sending it to them). They were okay with it coz I told them that sending my brother to college and sending my two nieces to school are also gifts, plus the monthly remittance I send to them are also gifts!

Yah, I have been accused of being too kuripot.

 Telling them your plans and telling them why you are tightening your belts would surely give them the reason to understand you. We aren't going to be OFWs forever, and there surely is no place like home. 

Totally Getting Their Drift...

My employer hosted a Rosh Hashanah dinner party and I attended. I just got settled in my bed with a full belly. Jewish food are delish! Challah and rugelach all the way!

While at the table, after a long trail of words and merrymaking, the conversation went to economy and the stock market, and my ears perked up! I was just listening to them intently. I was proud of myself for knowing what IMF is, who Ben Bernanke is, Isis, Putin, etc. They basically talk about economics and I'm all totally getting it! Wohooo!


They then talked about  ASEAN integration and the whole Southeast Asian countries, and when they mentioned the Philippines, my ears perked up even more!

They asked me about the Philippine economy, they actually said that Philippines is getting a lot of attention internationally now ( that's what they said!). Somebody asked me about SM, JFC and SMC stocks. Of course, I told them what I know.


I learned a lot from listening to them. I wish I had a group of friends who talk stocks and economy like they do. The conversation really tickled my brain!

Going to bed with a full stomach and a full brain.

Ciao!

You Know You're a Newbie in Stock Investing/Trading When:

• You get so excited with 1% gain.

• You get so bummed with .5% loss.

• You now consider Warren Buffet as "the" rockstar. You  post qoutes said by him in your Facebook wall all day errday.

• A month after you officially invest in the stock market, you want to tell every single soul ( including your pet cat) how awesome the stock market is.

• When you buy your first ever stock, you then post and brag about it in your social networking site/s, "Hell,yah! I just bought 20 shares of SM stocks!"

• When that certain stock goes up, you tend to brag about it, "Yes! the stocks  I bought yesterday are now valued at PHP 12 per share."

• When you made your first official "sell", you post it in your wall again, " I sold my SM stocks. I made a profit! I told you stock market is awesome." To you, you sound like so "sikat" and so intelligent! But to others, they are probably rolling their eyes!

• When your portfolio is going down, you tend to panic and blurt how you feel about it through posting it, of course, on your Facebook wall, "Oh,no! My portfolio is all bloody and is now taking a nosedive. The economy is going nowhere. The end of us!". By the way, -1% loss is not really a nosedive, and you haven't really lost anything unless of course you already sold it at a loss. But then, you remember Warren Buffett's words, " Be fearful when others are greedy, be greedy when others are fearful". That will calm you down.

• At the mention of the word "investing", you tend to hold your head a little higher, coz you feel so awesome than 99% of Filipinos who doesn't  invest.

• You now feel the need to "give back" and  do some personal finance advocacy thing. You want to pass the personal finance awakening torch to the 99% of the population who doesn't invest. You feel like you are the missing link on the whole personal finance movement. You want to be the change and bring the change.

No offense to those who consider this post "spot on". Been there, done that. I used to do things that were mentioned above. Looking back, I just shake my head and roll my eyes on how silly it was, especially on that posting statuses on Facebook. I just cringed! Facepalm!

Can you add something on the list? Katuwaan lang! :)

 

Happiness at PHP 5 Million?

 My friend, who reads my blog and knows me personally, commented: "Man, if I accumulated 5 million pesos, I would be totally happy right now!", in which I smiled and replied,"that would not be the case, dude. If you have 5 million right now, I bet you'd want another 5 Million. Trust me... I know"

When I wanted to buy a house, I remember telling myself that once I'll get, I'll finally be happy.

When that day arrived, boy, was I happy! But sadly, the happiness I felt on owning a house outright in a young age of 23 was short-lived. I moved on to another "man, if I have a this and that, then I would be happy."



Am I greedy? Maybe... But all I know is it's just human nature to "want more".


Imagine if people were satisfied with what they have, Magellan wont be sailing the high seas in search for island/countries to colonize, Dubai would be just one of the deserts in the UAE, Las Vegas wont exist, SM wont be one of the "giants" because Henry Sy was just satisfied with his small store named ShoeMart.

Economy grows because people want more.

Foreigners come to the Philippines to expand their businesses, which in turn helps our economy.

Filipinos go abroad in search for better life.

It is human nature, alright.


Alas, "want" is never ending, I am glad to have come to realize that at a young age.

We move on from one want to the other want. We keep telling ourselves that we will finally be happy, but I know that it's not the case.

When is enough... enough? You may wonder.

When you'll have 10 million in your name, then you will be happy?

What if you'll get there? I bet you'd want another 10 million.


Such is human nature, my friends. If you don't put a price on your happiness, then you would forever seek the elusive unicorn named Happiness. If you can't identify what makes you happy, then you would just be one of those people who just exist for the sake of existing, who just work for the sake of working and making money.


As Jeff Yeager, the Cheapskate Next Door said: "Learn how to slay your Enoughasaurus and decide when enough is enough"


Deciding when enough is enough should be everybody's mantra. You may have all the money in the world but you lose your family and your values in the process, then it is not worth it. It would be beyond me if in our deathbed, we would ask to be surrounded with money and assets we accumulated instead of people we loved.


Such is life.


Do you know "what/when enough is enough" in your life?

Spending: How it Can Help Boost Economy

How can spending boost an economy? Let's get back to basic.


Juana, the shirt and Bench Store

Let's say Juana bought a shirt at a local store called Bench. She wore it the next day. Since Juana is one of the popular girls at school, everybodys notice how gorgeous the new shirt was. So the girls asked her where on earth she got it from. That afternoon, the girls marched to the same store where Juana got her shirt, and bought the same exact shirt that Juana has!

Spending and Job Creation

Since Juana and several of the girls bought the shirt at Bench, the store benefited from the money they made on selling the items. Not only that, it keeps the business running. When business is up and running, jobs are being kept ( cashiers, sellslady, janitors, managers, etc.). What if Juana is uber famous and girls in her town saw her with the same shirt, then they ran and bought the exact same shirt at the exact same store?

Bench needs to make sure that the demands are all met. Maybe they have to hire more workers just to keep up with the demands, from buying the cloth and the thread to make the shirts, to hiring workers who will make the shirts.

See how spending can potentially lead to job creation?


Job Creation and Spending

When jobs are being created because of the the demand of the shirt-thanks to Juana, Bench pays the workers in the form of salary (bi-weekly or monthly). When salaries/wages are being paid to the workers, workers then spends it on goods and services (food, housing, utilities, etc.). When they spend- it can then potentially lead to job creation ( same story as Juana, only replacing Juana's name to "workers").

OFW Remittances and Spending

Ever wonder why OFWs are the country's hero? Because OFWs send money to the their family in the Philippines. The family of the OFW, who recieves the money, spends it in who knows what ( goods and services). And when they spend, you got to remember that it can keep businesses running which in turn can either keep or create jobs. When jobs are being keep or created, spending follows because people have wages to purchase goods and services.



Spending and GDP

70 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) is composed of consumer spending. While some say it is not accurate and some say it is, no matter who you believe, the fact of the matter is, consumer spending is the largest component of GDP.


So, What's in it for Us?

Identifying where people spend their  money could give you an idea where to invest, be it in your own business or the stock market. Example: real state in the Philippines is booming, therefore, there are high demands for furniture makers, interior designers, architects, etc., and any business that deals with real state could also be a profitable business.

According to the reseach, millenials are mostly spending their money on travel, gadgets and houses. With this in mind, maybe you can formulate a business ideas or invest in a company that focuses on travel, gadgets or real state.




To all you spendthrift out there, remember:  you are our true heroes. Haha! Kidding! :)



This post is a newbie's attempt to understand the whole economy thingy. For detailed explanation, click here.

21 Years Later, I still Dream About Him

A wound that will never heal.

A hollow space that will never get full no matter what.

After all these years, I am not yet over him, and I don't think I would ever get over him.

He still visits me once in a while... not physically, though I wish it's possible.

As long as I can remember, I often dream of my father. Last night was one of those blissful nights I had with him. 

I hugged him so tight coz I knew he was going away. He asked me what's wrong and I told him that I just missed him so bad. 

In my dreams with him, I was always a little girl just like when he left. 

When I was turning 18, I remember waking up with tears in my eyes. In it, I saw him carrying me. I fell asleep in a couch, he carried me up so he can put me to bed. In that dream, I woke up because he kissed me goodbye and I don't want him to leave just yet.

Whenever he comes in my dreams, I get to hugged him so tight I can smell his usual "manly" scent. At that very moment, I'd be happy... I'd be complete. I want to stay in that dream a little while longer. I don't want to wake up just yet.

Sometimes, I forced myself to wake up coz dreams seem so real it's as if my father is just there.

Of course, whenever I wake up and realized that all was just a dream, I would begin sobbing. I'd beat myself up for waking up. A sad realization.

He comes when I am in the lowest point of my life.

Was it just the subconscious part of me that's creating those vivid dreams of him? 

Was it because I am down and the little girl in me needed a father?

Was it just bad spirit pretending to be my father?

Bad spirits give you nightmares. When he is in my dream, I feel so comforted. I get to hugged him so tight he'd end up complaining.

Or is it really him extending his fatherly love to me from heaven?

I miss you, Pa.... more than anything. 

If time machines are real, I'd give up anything... everything just to have one. I'd go back to the days when you were still around. I won't be maldita to you, I swear. I'd say yes to a million showers and not throw stones at your back just because I don't want one. I swear. I swear.

Reader's Question Answered : Health/Life Insurance? Truly Rich Club? Trading?

A seaman's wife e-mailed to ask questions. She was nice enough to let me post her questions here.

I only copy pasted her main questions not the whole e-mail, because she actually mentioned a lot of personal things ( hubby's salary, etc.).I just want to respect her privacy. Here it is:

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• just want to ask you sis, did you invest in a healthcare before you started your investment in ___ and ____? ( Note: I left it blank)
• how about life insurance? do you have one or u think there's no need since u have grown your investments and emergency fund?
• did u invest in col/ stocks thru the truly rich club of bro bo?
• do you do buy and sell or you just add in your investments regulary? 

She also added this:

• hi sis it just crossed my mind, i dont know if you already heard of IMG, International Marketing Group, that's where my friend who introduced me to the feast invited us (with my husband) to attend financial education talks. that's where we got our healthcare plan(kaiser). their products are long term healthcare, term insurance, mutual fund, real estate.i just thought that you can be a good advocate of the company. the sister of my friend who works as a chemical engineer in kraft resigned and is now fulltime with IMG because her passion is also to teach people to be financially literate. 

- W.R.

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In my post "Commandments to Follow Before Investing," I stated: "Thou shall not invest without any kind of health protection." It's not a good idea to invest without any health insurance. You don't want to pull out your investment prematurely just because you or one of your family member got sick. Plus, when you have health insurance, the peace of mind knowing that you are protected is priceless. 

I am lucky enough to have health insurance paid by my employer. I am glad W.R. has health insurance, too.

• how about life insurance?

I don't have life insurance. I am single with no children. My only "dependent" is my mother. I already set up a WILL so whatever happens to me, all my hard-earned money and assets all goes to my mother, with all the conditions stated in the will, of course ( I'll explain more about this in a future post)

• did u invest in col/ stocks thru the truly rich club of bro bo?

I did not, though I tried their "service" for a month. I liked the idea of "stock suggestions, free e-books, free downloadable talks, free newsletter, etc..." but I feel like it really didn't do much for me partly, because  I was reading and studying tons of investing books already, and I am just a regular investor who invest in a "giant companies" (though I have 3 "basura" stocks). Besides, how can I learn to do "fundamental analysis" or analyze a stock if I know I'd get "spoon feed" with stock suggestions every month. Maybe the TRC is good for people who are super busy but, for me, I love learning new stuffs, and I have all the time in the world!

• do you do buy and sell or you just add in your investments regulary?

I was using Peso Cost Averaging (I explained it here), since I already reached my targeted amount of PHP 2 Million, I quit adding to my Philippine stock investment.  I am now aggressively contributing to a US Index Fund while I still can/while I am still here.

Trading?  If you read this post, you would know I suffer from "analysis-paralysis". I still have to improve on the "selling" side. In all honesty, I only sold twice. One was when I was barely a 6- month-old investor. So, I bought JFC stocks for PHP 70.00 per share, few months later, it grew to Php 80.00+ per share. Sold some of it and by next few days, it climbed to PHP 90.00+! Since I wanted to learn how to trade fast, I got burned. haha! It wasn't a costly mistake, though and I was glad! The other one was one of my "basura" stocks, (won't name it, don't want to be accused of "pump and dump"-er), bought it at Php 3 per share, climbed at Php 12 per share, sold some of it and was happy. That said, still need to improve the "selling" side.

• hi sis it just crossed my mind, i dont know if you already heard of IMG, International Marketing Group, that's where my friend who introduced me to the feast invited us (with my husband) to attend financial education talks. that's where we got our healthcare plan(kaiser). their products are long term healthcare, term insurance, mutual fund, real estate.i just thought that you can be a good advocate of the company. the sister of my friend who works as a chemical engineer in kraft resigned and is now fulltime with IMG because her passion is also to teach people to be financially literate.

 I mentioned in one of my posts that I was once addicted to Istorya.net. I first encountered  the IMG thing there. I also read it in Bo Sanchez' books. Seems great but I don't see myself building a career around personal finance. I am not good at talking to other people I don't have personal relationship with, because I am an introvert.

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There you have it, sis!  I hope I answered all your questions. Feel free to comment/e-mail me back, if you like.

Thanks so much for the support and the nice verse you gave, by the way. It really made me smile! I hope to meet you in The Feast someday. Good luck and take care..

Reader's Question Answered: Why I THINK Credit Card is A Trap ( Life WithoutCredit Card)

A reader emailed me asking me to explain why I think credit card is a trap. He is probably referring to this post: Penny-pinching Tips for OFW.

Note: I am not trying open any debate about the pros and cons of having credit card or persuading anybody on changing his/her views about this matter. This idea is mine and mine alone. We might not have the same views about it, that's okay. To each his own.

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Hi!

I started reading your blog only now via my friend JF ( Note: I didn't ask the sender if I can post the full name of the person he is referring to ) who also happens to be my financial planner, and I was intrigued by your statement, "No to credit card. It's a trap." ( Emphasis added)

I have quite a number of credit cards and most of them were given to me without applying for it. I only use 2 credit cards and I always pay them in full and on time as I know how high finance charges and penalties can go.

Can you shed more light on your aforesaid statement.

Thanks and God bless!

- rclionheart

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I avoid debt like the plague.

Modesty aside, I never had problems with debt. In fact, I don't use credit cards. Never had it and, hopefully, never will. Why? You might ask.


Studies have shown that paying with "plastic" increases spending because, when you pay with plastic, it takes away the emotional pain associated with handing over your hard-earned cash. It rings true to me and, it is also true with debit cards. I use debit card but, whenever I use it for everyday purchases, I tend to overspend that's why I only spend in cash.

Debit card or check card acts like a credit card but, you can't spend what you don't have, otherwise, the bank will charge you hefty overdraft fee. Personally, I don't use it regularly, only for bills or whenever I want to shop online. I withdraw cash good for one week as my allowance. (If you want to know more about this little trick of mine, click here.)

Why complicate my life with credit cards? Because, duh, you can get free stuff, free plane tickets, free meals, etc...

The fact that you have to spend money in order to avail that airline ticket doesn't make that ticket free. Why would I overspend just to score few perks? Why? It doesn't make sense to me! I'd rather have a lot of cash than a lot of perks!

You might say: I can totally manipulate credit card companies in my favor.

Last night, I watched a documentary entitled Maxed Out - how two college students committed suicide because of insurmountable credit card debts, how an elderly woman drove her car into the lake because her husband was about to find out her "secret life full of debts", how people wanted bigger houses.... on credit, how credit card companies target low-income people. Truly an eye-opener on how too much debt could ruin lives. If you have the chance to watch it, I highly suggest that you do.

If you can truly manipulate the credit card in your favor then congratulations! You are one of the few! For me, I'd rather spend my time doing stuffs that interests me than crowd my mind with schemes to outsmart credit card companies.

Besides, I wonder if rich people got rich because of credit card perks? Was it part of their "game plan" while on their way to being rich? Hmmmm, curious!


If going home for good while everybody wants to go out of the country isn't weird enough, having no credit card while everybody has one or three is equally weird!


Well, I'd rather be weird than broke.

.

When Plan Fails: "For Good" Decision Put on Hold

It's Labor Day today. I decided to take off from work and just chill. My co-worker wanted to borrow money from me coz one of her relatives in the Philippines is sick. She needed the money so, I told her to take over my work today instead. It's a holiday and that means there is incentives for those who'll work today ( double pay). Instead of letting my co-worker borrow money from me, I'll just give her my shift. Gives her extra money coz she needed it and, I get to have another day off! Had a sweaty, 8 mile run this morning, by the way and I love it!


It's September already, my "target" month for my "coming home for good", for those of you who have been following my "for good" journey. I already sent packages containing my stuff 6 months ago all the way to the Philippines (halatang excited!). Suitcases ready and all. I officially turned over my resignation last month. My employer talked to me about it few days after.

Summary of our conversation:

Boss: I knew this day would come. You are young and driven. I can see it in you......
Me: *blushing* Errr, thanks a lot!.....
Boss: The only problem is, I can't let you go just yet. I understand that your contract is almost done but, can I just make a request? Can you stay a little bit longer coz I needed to find somebody to replace you. I needed to train him/her....
Me: *thoughts racing and super kinakabahan*
Boss: If you can just extend 3-6 months or until I can find somebody, that would be a big help. I won't let you sign a contract. If ever I'd find somebody sooner, I would let you go right away or whenever you want.
Me: *dissecting everything that she said* I'll think about it and would get back to you in an hour.... Thanks a lot...

An hour of painful thinking:

Geez, she can't let me go. I am good employee, that's why (haha!)She said no contract signing, that means I can just leave with or without her permission but, I owe her whatever I have... She helped me, why don't I just help her back with this. But, she said "3-6 months or until I'll find somebody" does that mean it could be longer than 6 months?.....

An hour later:

Me: I've reached a decision. You have been so good to me.I thank you for the opportunity to be able to work with you. I can help you out with finding somebody and training him/her.
Boss: *big smile*... Thank you......

Been Counting the Months since September 2012 :(
Written in my Dream Journal

Yah, I licked her butt too much (not literally though!). She helped me when I was starting out isn't it right to help her, too? All the money that I have came because I am working for her. I should be able to give back and lend a little help,too. Don't you think?

So, there you have it. For good decision is put on hold for now. What's another few months here compare to a rest of my life there?

Because of this,it gave me the reason to say hello to a new laptop and a GoPro! Heck, I would be staying here for a few months beyond the targeted month, might as well buy something I really need (new laptop coz I explained it here) and a  want (GoPro coz then, I can attach it to Red so I can take videos of the places I have been as a form of "walking down the memory lane" down the road, especially now that autumn is coming. I get to take videos of the awesome fall colors!)

Sigh.