OFWs: A Little Appreciation, Please?!

I am one of the millions who is sending remittance back home. When the Philippine economy crashes, remittances from OFWs keeps the economy afloat. According to World Bank Center, remittances from 10.5 million OFWs all over the world are equivalent to about 10 percent of  the gross domestics product. OFWs are called heroes, so they say.

Heroes? How can we be heroes, even our immediate family, who is directly receiving remittance, don't call us that?! Instead of saying "Salamat" (thank you), all they say is "Kagamay" ( this is too little). Really? Ouch! I mean, really?!

How many times I've been accused of being stingy towards my family. It does hurt that me supporting them financially is not being appreciated. They don't know that my expenses is not even 5 percent of what I have been sending to them despite high cost of living here. I am scrimping like crazy and all I hear is "this is too little". Really?!

I demand a thank you. I would "jokingly" ask for a "thank you" and I know I deserved a "thank you".

Maybe I gave them too little,maybe not. Maybe I am really a stingy, selfish b*t*h, but being selfish and not giving them "all" my money and all they want is a way of telling them that they should take responsibility. They should know how to learn to stand on their own feet. I don't want to steal their hunger to be successful. 

Selfishness is neither good or bad- it depends on the way we are selfish as to whether it nourishes or injures.

- Jean Chatzky ( Money Rules: The Simple Path to Lifelong Security)

I am giving them a tough love.

Life in a Day

I am a docu-addict! I've watched countless documentaries! I am into   old times like Medieval period, Renaissance,  knights and anything history related. I am also into travel documentaries, Egyptology ,Greek Mythology, and plagues that once hit humanity, stuffs like that.

I just finished Life in a Day, and I can't help but marvel on how beautiful this documentary is. It is a feature-length documentary shot on a single day- July 24, 2010 and people from around the world submitted their videos. 

This is different from any other documentaries I've watched that's why I am in awe. It's amazing to see different people from different places all over the world doing different activities in a day. It was beautifully edited,too.

One of the best documentaries I've seen so far.

Exhilarating and refreshing.

Rainin' , Complainin' and Murphy's Law

It has been raining nonstop for 5 days now. I consider myself a positive person and I mostly look on the bright side of things , but people around me are complaining about the weather that it got into me and I found myself pouting and wishing that rain would stop soon.

Last week, it reached 90 degrees and people around me complained that "it's too hot and it doesn't feel like fall" yada yada. Now that rain is here to cool things down, people are still complaining. Yah,  crazy weather is so first world problem!

I worked until 11:00 pm last night and it took me a while to get a taxi.The storm was crazy and a lot of streets had been closed down because of  the fallen trees and strong winds.  I started to get worried but I was glad  that I got home safe and was tucked in and snoozing on my bed by 11:40 PM. 

I woke up ready to start my morning run and found out that it was still raining. I settled back on my bed while listening to a podcast and the lights went out. It was still raining and I decided to  walk  to the bank and swing by the  library to dropped off DVDs and book that I borrowed and to pick up Star Wars and Back to the Future DVDs that were put on hold but found out that library was closed coz the power was down. Hahai, talk about Murphy's Law -  anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

I didn't let Murphy's Law get the best of me. I walked for 6 miles and ,when I saw that rain kind of stop, I hit the trail for a 3.5 mile run. I went home thankful that Mother Nature gave me time to run before it rained again. Alleluia!

I baked cookies and had a nice lunch. I am currently reading an ebook I borrowed from the library's website:

John C.  Maxwell
Ethics 101

Right now, as I am comfy cozy under the sheets, I realized that I should try and not listen to other people's negative views in life. I am blessed with more than enough,  I should be thankful always. Bad weather is not the end of things and Mr. Sun would be smiling on me before I know it.

Dictator Movie & Filipino Comments

DICTATOR

I borrowed Dictator from the library earlier and it was hilarious!

 You should be open-minded or else you will get offended. There are a lot of racist and offensive comments in the movie and some scenes that aren't advisable for youngsters. I laughed so badly. Again, you should be open-minded while watching to enjoy the movie.

Filipino was mentioned that's why I'm making a blog post. Here it is:

General Aladeen: Okay, I'll do Filipino. I like to work, I like to talk. 

[pulling eyelids backwards]
General Aladeen: I like the shit, I do the kids. 
Nadal: [Pulling Aladeen's hands off] Stop that! Your Filipino is the same as your Chinese!
General Aladeen: Now who's being a lacist? You're being lacist now!
Nadal: I'm not being racist! Right now, we have to get on this helicopter and we have to act like true Americans. 

Aladeen was clearly referring to all hardworking Overseas Filipino Worker around the world. We love to work, yes! We like to talk, yes! We take on any odd job just to earn. I am not offended by his comment in fact, I laughed so badly coz it's true.

We have been stereotyped a lot of times and I just laugh it off but the thing that got me is the comment that Filipinos eat dogs!!  In which I would answer, "My friend, we don't eat dogs, we eat human" Comprende? hehehe

Cinderella Man

I slept late last night. I was watching a movie entitled Cinderella Man. Admittedly, I cried. Such a very nice and inspiring  movie with great actors,too.

The movie is about the boxer James J. Braddock who went through Great Depression. He lost everything, from stocks to his taxi business. He broke his hand and resorted to an odd job as a laborer in the port. He gets second chance as a boxer in a time when America needed a hero. It was the saddest time in the history of America. Poverty was everywhere. 

It made me think what if we go through Great Depression, are we able to survive? Since I am investing in the stock market, it made me think that stocks could plummet next to nothing  and what's next? It made me think that Great Depression could happen anytime and we should put that possibility in the back of our mind.

Guys, watch the movie and be moved. It will surely make you realize that no matter how unfulfilling your job is , you should be thankful coz at least, it put food on the table.

A great movie worth watching. While watching,put a box of Kleenex next to you, you would reach for it,  for sure.

Update: Aman Futures Group Scam

Manuel Amalilio
Photo from ABS-BCN

Recent News, read here:

DOJ recommends new syndicated estafa charges vs Amalilio

I have been following the developments of this issue because I grew up in Pagadian. Victims of this scam includes my relatives and former classmates as well as people familiar to me. I know too well the people involved, like the former mayor and his wife.

I first knew about the scam when my high school classmate messaged me in Facebook. She knew that I have been investing in the stock market, and she told me that she saw my aunt lining up to invest in Aman Futures Group. I asked her what business is Aman into and she said "stock market", and she said it promises 100 percent gain in just 2 weeks! I told her right away that it is scam and that she should pull out the money before it'll collapse. She said that "daghan na nangadatu" (many became rich) because of that investment. I was so cocky and said straight to her that it was a scam. I know, I know.. bragging.. bragging.. blah blah blah..  Forgive me, but I was so proud of myself because I spotted right away that it was a scam, thanks to all the reading and studying that I did before dipping my toes into the world of investing.

Upon learning about that scam, I was posting statuses in Facebook, posting in forums and all to let Pagadianons know that it's a scam, but no one would listen. I did my share and I talked to my relatives to pull out there money before the pyramid will come crashing down, but no one would listen. I even emailed SEC and ABS-CBN, but my emails weren't answered.

Three months later.... all I can say was " I TOLD YOU SO".. I was so sorry to brag like that because too many suicide was happening left and right because of that scam. A retired teacher committed suicide coz all her retirement money was in the scam. My uncle's 1 million was all gone (he took out loan against his house so he can invest in Aman), retirement money of my aunt, our family friend who did not go through a necessary operation for the heart coz all the money was gone and a lot more sad stories up until now. I am so devastated coz I feel like I did what should be done and warned them, but they won't listen.  I guess it's hard to teach old dog new tricks. Sigh.

Here's hoping that victims will get their money back even without interest or, if worse comes to worst, even 80 percent of their money. I hope PNoy will help Pagadianons as Aman Futures Group scam is the biggest scam in the history of the Philippines yet. I hope the government will implement teaching financial literacy to school....

I hope....