Mukhang Pera

I am currently reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I've read until chapter two. And while reading the book, I actually thought that I was the one being described when the author was telling in the book about the poor. Mejo swak kasi sa akin yung descriptions, and I feel guilty and, at the same time, sad about my pathetic personality and life. But alas, meron din namang tumugma sa akin na description ng rich. Sabi nga sa book, "it's not how much you make, it's how much you keep." That's so me. At least, being kuripot is not that bad after all. Oha, I am a step closer to being rich. Haha.

I usually highlight the lines from the book that I find significant or just nice. But since I just borrowed the book, I just took note of some of the quotes, which I know I could lose in time. That's why, I am sharing it you guys and maybe remind me of these lines one day.

"My dad used to say, 'if you want something, work for it.' We wanted things, but there was not much work available for 9-year old boys."

"Opportunities come and go. Being able to know when to make quick decisions is an important skill." (This I really have to learn. Being with a very conservative father, in terms of tradition, values and in business, I have grown to be a very decisive person.)

"Most people want to change everyone else but themselves. Let me tell you, it's easier to change yourself than everyone else."

"Assets put money in your pocket."

"If you find that you have dug yourself into a hole, stop digging."

Nga pala, how much money do I really keep now? The answer... barya na lang ang natira. Hehe. Nagastos ko na kasi yung perang inipon ko all my college life para sa dSLR which I consider to be an investment. Asset, ika nga ni Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I, at least, think of it as one. Sana lang, it would really turn out to be an asset someday.

Wishlist Update

Dogs are faithful and they do not lie because they cannot talk.

-The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon.

~~~

Alam ko hindi na Christmas... Hahaha but it's never too late. Kaya kung may balak kang tuparin ang hiling ng isang tulad ko (*beautiful eyes*), go lang! Hindi kita pipigilan (*beautiful eyes ulit*). Heto ang mga hiniling ko nung pasko hindi ba? Ngayon, mejo kumonti na lang siya dahil sa mga may mabubuting puso at tumupad sa aking munting kahilingan.

Before

After:

1. DSLR
2. Wrist Watch
3. Eheads Concert CD (courtesy of Gale, salamat sa pagpapahiram)
4. Planner
5. Rich Dad, Poor Dad (hindi ko pa nahihiram from a friend hehe)
6. Curious Incident of the dog in the night time (courtesy of Gale also, salamat sa pagpapahiram)
7. iPod Nano, 3rd Gen
8. Cellphone (Nokia E66)
9. Purple Sandals from Artwork (baka maphase out na ito. Pero ok lang. haha pwed)e namang palitan ng iba eh
10. Clean & Clear oil control film (xmas gift from Cots. Salamat!)
11. Water-Resistant 4gb USB (actually, nasabi ko ito dahil sa online contest. Pero since amazing naman talaga siya, nagustuhan ko na rin)

ChristianPF gadget giveaways!

Even though Christmas has passed by and that none attempted to make at least a wish come true for me (Well, a friend actually volunteered to lend his "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" book after reading the list. It's just that I haven't gotten the book yet.), my hopes still continue and grow and are being fed by contests like this one.

Yes, this is another entry for an online contest by ChristianPF that will be giving the following prizes:

8 GB iPod Nano. I'd love to have this one!

1 GB iPod Shuffle.

6 months subscription to NeoBudget.

Silicon Scrapers from Pampered Chef. I'd like to have this one too! Even if I don't have oven at home that I could use for baking, these scrapers or spatulas might as well push or inspire me to add an oven on my wishlist too!

H&R Block Taxcut Premium 2008.

C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce Audiobook.

The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets by Peter Schiff.

"Overworked, Overwhelmed & Underpaid" book by Louis Barajas. I'd probably need this one when I get a job. First jobs are usually a nightmare. I hope mine won't be like that.

Yes. I've been fed up by too much dreams and generous people. But I won't keep dreaming. I won't keep posting wish lists for people to have an idea of my ideals. I'll work hard, real hard for them.

How much more will I wait to get a job interview? o_O

Books on my shelf

I was just checking and updating my Shelfari account when my eyes laid on one of the books on my shelf, Baby Farm. I was second year high school when I read this book. So it's more or less 6 six years ago.

I could not really remember the ending of the book. Haha. Well, I don't really remember the ending of most books I've read. What I remember on this book was that babies and pregnant ladies are being kidnapped for some reason I already forgot.

This I guess is one of the first few suspense novels I've read. I really loved it. I remember that I could not really put down the book even if it was already late. I just wanted to know what would happen next.

What made me try to read the book? Well, it was actually for a book report for my English subject. And my teacher suggested that we could choose from the books donated the previous year so that we don't have to buy from bookstores.

Yes, the book's one of those donated. It was actually donated by my classmate. She was even shocked to hear that I loved the book, because she just bought it from a book sale just to have something to donate.

Speaking of book sale, National Bookstore's having a book sale the past few days. It was just sad on my part that I didn't really go through the books on sale, 'cause I was really broke last week! I really don't know if they still have it. But it's okay... There's still next time! Let's start saving our money!

***

Anyway,

Book Update:

>>>Didn't finish Dean Koontz's Life Expectancy. I know I'm such a quitter. The book is a bit dragging and boring although it was funny. The book promised to discuss 5 major events that the main character will be experiencing. Well, I was halfway done already, yet the author hasn't finished telling the first event. So I gave up and just returned the book to the library.

>>>I'm reading Twilight now... You know, the one by Stephanie Meyer... The one everybody's talking about! I've heard of the book months and months ago, but I was just convinced last Saturday by my high school friends. Their wide eyes, dropped jaws and giggles just made want to read the book. :)

Good in Bed, Jennifer Weiner

It’s a chick lit. It’s up to you if you’d take it as a compliment, but for me, it’s a disappointment.

It was the ‘chick lit’ and being the author of ‘In Her Shoes’ and the humor that the reviews have been saying that made me buy the book. Contrary to the entertainment and the laugh-out-loud experience that I was expecting from the book, I find it as a chore to finish it, especially when I asked it as a ‘pasalubong’ from my Uncle who’s based in the States. But I have to admit that there’s a part in the book where her humor effected on me. It’s where she said that she dreamed that both of her breasts were rolling away from her due to the pain she was experiencing being pregnant. The rest of her humor, however, was hard to understand and I guess wasn’t a ‘universal’ one.

Another, I don’t know if the author wants to make an impression from the readers to have mastered vocabularies from the dictionary. She has this thing on using deep synonyms than using words that are easy to understand. Along with the chore of finishing the book, I also had to bring a dictionary with me in order to understand words I’ve never encountered before.

It was a surprise to me that the book talked less on the romantic part, which was the first thing I want from a chick lit, and talked more the issue of being a larger woman. The main character, Candace or Cannie Shapiro, was also a pathetic one during the climax. Giving a premature birth to her daughter served as the character’s turning point, but she chose to face it the rueful way, doing beyond normal activities. The author, I guess, wanted to appeal to pity from the readers, wanted to make the readers say their ‘awwws’ and cry. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the effect on a stone-hearted reader like me (sarcastic)!

Three Weeks With My Brother

I bought this book thinking that I would get entertained by both the memoir of Sparks family and Micah & Nicholas' trip around the world. Although the brothers' trip around the world didn't amuse me as a traveler, I could say that the book is still worth to read. It's not a total disappointment.

We've known Nicholas Sparks as the author who would really melt every reader's heart with his fictional stories. With this book, you'll know that even his real life is one kind of a drama.

Books Before Boys

I was surfing the net and came across a book review on a newly released book by a newbie Filipino writer we will call RJ Ledesma. For those who do not know, the author is said to be the "Royal-Tru-Orange" TVC guy. So, was that like a decade ago? No offense peeps, but the name doesn't ring a bell to me.

Despite that I do not know the guy, RJ Ledesma's Lies My Yaya Should Have Told Me actually got my attention. With the menacing look of RJ Ledesma's picture on the front of the orange-covered book, I have considered myself to put it on the list of the things to buy. The book is actually a compilation of essays on his insights on dating, courtships and the like. The review I read cited some of RJ Ledesma's witty wisecracks from the book, which made it all special to me. =)

*****

Marketing Insight No. 2

In desperate need for a tripod for my 360degrees panoramic shot in my ADRAPHY (Advertising Photography) class, I went impulsively to SM Manila to buy one. Before leaving the mall to proceed to the photoshoot, I saw an attractive store I haven't seen since my last visit in the mall, which was just last month.

It wasn't just the strong color of the signboard, but the store name itself puts strong impact on the passerby people. BUY-THE-BOOK is obviously derived from the famous phrase "By the book." Aside from the homonym/spoof strategy on the brandname, it even asks.demands on the people to purchase the books it's selling. With this, BUY-THE-BOOK is able to attract and draw interest from the people and even make it possible and easier to act on purchasing its products since the price of their hardbound purely English books is very much affordable. Evidently, it made me want to buy "Feng Shui Detective" first before "Lies My Yaya Should Have Told Me."