Cheat n Save

It was payday last Friday. The only thing work-related that I look forward to these days. It’s only Sunday morning and I am nearly broke because of bills!

A couple of weeks ago, I was planning a trip to Greenhills so I could buy this thing that I’ve been obsessing about. I sort of changed my plans as soon as I finished calculating payables for this pay period. A bit depressing but it’s not like I’m not used to it. Besides, I really went overboard with my shopping last month.

It’s been ages since I shopped for myself. One of my goals this year is to manage my money so that I could afford to treat myself. I must say that I am doing well with the “treat” element. Managing my money is the tricky part, and I can’t really say that I am successful.

I am auditing my purchases and I just realized I got too much stuff:

black strappy sandals
brown slip-ons
cheetah print flats
beige flip flops
leather thong slippers
jeans
two work trousers
three bags
at least eight tops
one 100 ml bottle of Ralph Lauren

This list doesn’t even include my beauty products, DVDs, magazines and the little unplanned purchases. No wonder Denver’s credit card is maxed out.

I have this other goal. I want to zero out my credit card debt. I am almost done paying off my BPI credit card but I’ve been using Denver’s plastic. I know it must seem like I’m cheating but I swear that I am more dependable when it comes to paying Denver’s credit card bill compared to paying my own. When it’s my bill, I am too stubborn to even think about the finance or late payment charges.

Because of my recent indulgence, I am prolonging this trip to Greenhills until I am, uhm, financially better? Maybe next pay day then.

I recently read this article about saving. It says that you should delay buying something that you really like for at least two weeks. After that period, the desire to obtain this thing would have decreased (or it would be out of stock, haha). That’s what I’m going to do and I hope it works for me. If it doesn’t, at least I’ll fulfill my heart’s desire.

Kolehiyala Noon, Eh Ngayon?

I’ve been reading this stranger’s blog for a few days now. I can’t seem to get enough of it. I find it refreshing to see how much this person enjoys her friendships.

She reminds me of myself when I was younger (like eight to ten years ago-younger). That was a time when I was so caught up in myself. My life was all about just me and my friends. Breakfast at McDonald’s Greenbelt, lunch break at T.G.I.F. or Area Café Glorietta, night walks at the S.L.V. park, parties at Zu, Fashion Café, Hard Rock, afternoons at Starbucks 6750, movie premieres at Louie's THX, FAB nights… kolehiyala drama. We did everything together back then, and oh, how I loved every minute with my friends. We’re still in touch. We still have so much drama in our lives (does it ever go away?). Things are so much different now. It’s nice to look back at a different me, but I love my life now. Now is difficult, but I love it anyway.

Someone close to me made a comment a few days ago. That person said that I never enjoyed my money ever since I started working. True. I worked because my family needed my support. Not like my peers who work to spend for enjoyment. I admit that sometimes, I wonder how it feels to splurge all my earnings on myself, but I never regret working hard to put my brother in school, to keep my family in an apartment and to place food on the table.

I may never enjoy the feeling of buying a brand new car, but I don’t think that can replace the joy of taking care of my family. I could only sympathize for that person who made that comment. Responsibility is such a challenge for him. I am sad to say that he would be eating my dust if we were in a race. Laughable, but still sad.

I was immersed in "fun with friends" at one point in my life. Like I said, now is different, now is difficult, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery-Shepherd And Besuto Prawn Crackers

Denver and I watched the last two episodes of Prison Break Season 2 today. I must say that I didn’t like how it ended. I’m not going to spoil it for my “PB addict” friends, but after the last scene, I couldn’t help but ask… that’s it? Oh well. It kept me excited for weeks and I am still a big fan even if I did not particularly enjoy the season ender.

Anyway, I feel kind of relieved because Season 3 will not air until August. That means I get to be normal for the next few months, unless I find something else to obsess about. My cousin suggested Lost, but I’m really not into that. But then again, I also didn’t think I would enjoy Prison Break, and I did, so we’ll see. Right now I just want to finish Grey’s Anatomy. I don’t lose so much sleep over it. I try to watch just one or two episodes whenever I feel like it. I think I’ll watch some more tonight since I’ll be on my off and Denver has work. He usually falls asleep whenever I’m watching Grey’s. Typical male.

I like Addison over Meredith. I know that Meredith is the victim being the clueless girlfriend, while Addison is the bitch for having an affair with her husband's bestfriend. I like her best for admitting that she was the one who cheated on her husband and not the other way around. I just admire Addison’s sincerity (not to mention her desperation to win back her husband).

Now that I am pondering over Grey’s, I want to go home and start a marathon. I must remember to get more Besuto Prawn Crackers if I’m going to pull off an overnighter. We've run out since I have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I can't get enough of it.

Animal Sightings

I’ve been meaning to buy Ipanema slippers but I told myself I would hold off spending at least until next payday. Well, I’ve managed to avoid gourmet coffee for the last two days (mainly because of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday shop closure). Congratulations.

Yesterday, I had to take a very necessary trip to the mall because I just had to buy animal print flats for my aunt. My balikbayan cousin told me her mom wants a pair of leopard print shoes. I obliged myself to find them for her. After all, I am her favorite niece.

I pity Denver for having to trek all of Shoemart with me to look for animal prints. I think I ended up getting cheetah prints instead of leopard print flats. Until now, I can’t tell the difference. I am not like my fashionista friend Rache, who could distinguish species by spot size and color. I remember reading about her fondness for animal print in her blog. I never imagined myself being bold enough to wear anything that makes animal statement, but guess what? I went home with a pair for myself.

I’ve always thought of myself as a conformist, not wanting to look different in any way, which is why I normally stick to basic and boring styles and colors. This time I’m daring to wear something loud. Just on my feet though. You’ve got to start somewhere right? I don’t know what came over me. This decision to be quirky is probably an excuse to spend, but I think it looks pretty cute with jeans. I guess I won’t be getting Ipanema slippers for a while. I have new animal print flats and charcoal slippers bought on impulse. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

String Of Knocks

It’s already April and every Starbucks I’ve been to still does not have the 2007 planner in stock. What a disappointment. Tonight, I finally gave my own Starbucks planner to my Tita Dahl. Every time we see each other, she would ask if I already have her planner, and I would have to give her crap about having a reservation. She was so happy to get it even if it had my name written on it. Good thing I have been too busy all year to sit down and write something on the actual days! I should have given it to her months ago.

Since I have already delved into disappointment, I’d like to share that I hate the 29th floor. Yes, it is spacious, but my mobile has no signal most of the day. I am not getting all my messages and I can’t hear anyone on the other end of the line. Oh, and have I mentioned that it’s a hell hole in here? Someone mentioned that ceiling fans should be part of the office. When we first moved to the 29th floor, I had to wear socks during my shift because it was so unbearably cold. I even bought mittens because it gets difficult to type in the morning as my fingers chill overnight. We learned that the AC was screwed up to begin with and now, for some reason, it doesn’t get cold anymore in our side of the building. We now have industrial fans spread out all over the production area. The damn vents are emitting heat! In addition to that, we have to bear with the annoying sound of concrete drilling at the 28th floor. The people in charge of facilities in this company are really stupid for scheduling the construction during our peak hours. These guys should be fired for being brainless.

Yesterday, my boss asked me to issue a cite form to one of my team members. One of our customers sent an email to report this rep for making her (customer) feel “rushed and nervous.” She complained about the rep being rude to her. I really don’t like the idea of suspending anyone in the team so I decided to listen to the recorded call. I wasted my time on this forty two minute call. I can’t believe that this customer had the audacity to make those claims. She was the one impatient the whole time. I had to transcribe some parts of the call to prove her lying ass. If I had been too lazy to validate her complaint, I would have ended up suspending a guiltless rep. Some people just have nothing better to do.

White Chocolate Dream

Today I am enjoying two cups of café mocha in my Starbucks tumbler... Not! I am at work pretending that coffee from the new pantry is really good. For some reason, the café mocha at the 29th floor has a different flavor. I’m too lazy to run down to the 21st floor, where the café mocha is just more bearable.

I’ve been daydreaming about taking a trip to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf since this afternoon. I am still trying to control the urge because I really need to cut down on my spending (at least until next payday).

Last night was fun. Sony and I chose to bond over coffee and trinkets while our husbands were at work. I took her to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf since I knew for a fact that she preferred it to Starbucks. “Magpaka-lasing daw kami sa kape,” and that’s exactly what we did. I had a White Chocolate Dream Ice Blended Drink and a White Chocolate Dream Latte. It’s her favorite drink and the name just got my attention. Doesn’t White Chocolate Dream sound delicious? And it was heavenly, that’s why I tried the hot drink after tasting the Ice Blended version.

And the Pistachio Sansrival was a treat too. You can say that food has replaced my nicotine craving. It’s healthier that way. Hehe.

Anyway, at a thousand words per minute, Sony suggested a trip to a store where we can buy “kikay” stuff. It was 1:00AM and I could only think of Mercury Drug. We were at the drug store peering at labels, bottles, tubes and boxes. Body wash, shampoo, lotion, shaver, moisturizer, lip balm. She thought I was no fun when it came to “trinkets” because I only took a single bath soap from the cosmetics section. She loaded our basket with lots of beauty products and I started picking up pace when we are at the food section. I ended up bringing home our midnight snack.

At home we watched Ippo sleeping while eating Besuto prawn crackers dipped in vinegar. At some point, Sony managed to shut up and we both fell asleep.

Tonight I learned that Sony won’t be extending her vacation. She flies back to L.A. on Sunday. So that was that. I was hoping she’d still be here on my next day off. I’m going to miss her terribly but I know she’ll be back very soon. She has a destination wedding here next year! That gives me a year to find a green dress I can fit into.