Literally.  Because we took it a notch.  Er, notches. Family and I – we just moved to Canada.  A country an ocean away, separated from us by 13 hours of flight time. A country of rugged beauty, incessant rains, warm winters (8 degrees is warm for them), trees with breadth longer than an arm [...]

Cross-post from MoneyDoctors Blog. Pampanga. The birthplace of many chefs extraordinaire. So it is no wonder that there are some great restaurants in the province. But only some. Hubby and I wondered about this and surmised that because every other Kapampangan is a cook, every Kapampangan is a food critic. I mean, the standards are [...]

The Chinese New Year has been flitting in and out of the edge of my culture and consciousness as kaleidoscopic images of round red lanterns, tikoy, dragon dances and loud firecrackers.
I remember tikoy (Chinese New Year’s cake made of glutinous rice) and my dad dipping it in just-beaten egg yolks and egg whites, frying it on the pan until it gets golden brown all throughout. We would gather round the table and get it from the plate while it is still hot, our hands getting sticky and oily and sticky again, while our tongues seek and taste the gooey center where the goodness is until there is no more.

… Please click on the title to read the full article …

We broke the bank.

Of course we did not. But, well, the day was certainly not one of our frugal days. (we try to be frugal some of the time and fail some of the time)

It was my birthday and usually, we go overseas at this time. But, as they say, a baby changes everything (everything) so this year, we had to stay put. I am not complaining, though. I am so in love with baby. With him in tow, we headed straight for Hotel Dusit Thani for their Sunday Crossover Brunch.

We love buffets and are partial to Sofitel’s Spirals. But we were ready for a change. There were rave reviews about Hotel Dusit’s brunch. It was a restaurant tour concept and there were four cuisines we can feast on – Thai, Japanese, Italian and an-around-the-world offering. It all sounded very appealing.

… To read the article, please click on the title …

At Christmas time, the mall is particularly stressful. I mean the crowds are massive and stifling, the parking is horrible, the merchandise is overpriced.

Christmas never used to be this way. It used to be special. The glittery, dreamy, new-clothes-new-shoes-lots-of-gifts-and-sparkles kiddy kind of special.

(Or is it because, then, I was not in charge (and not spending)?)

But I have grown up (as I must) and now it is my turn to make it special for my brood.

(And I wonder, was it stressful too for my mom and dad, or is it more stressful now because the world has become more fast-paced, more guilt-ridden, more material-focused?)

So ever since the countdown for Christmas began, I have been on the lookout for other alternative ways to give or buy gifts without breaking the bank or losing my sanity. Here are some of my picks:

… Please click on the title to continue reading the article …

Everyone feels it.

The earth is no longer young. Its resources are no longer inexhaustible. Temperatures are rising. Entire species are disappearing.

Just yesterday, everyone cavorted in clean, sparkling water, drenched themselves in sunshine, fished an abundant ocean, breathed air that is fresh, harvested a generous, bountiful earth.

Something happened between the space of yesterday and today

Mother earth was taken for granted, and overtaken (over taken) by human greed.

… To read the full article, please click on the title …

I should have joined.

On 10-10-10, a marathon was sponsored by the ABS-CBN Foundation. It was no ordinary marathon because it was ambitious, its main aim being the rehabilitation of the Pasig River, a major water artery choked with human refuse that traversed the countenance of the once clean, once beautiful, Metro Manila.

… To read the full article, please click on the title …

I look at my daughter and I see an entrepreneur. Okay, it is all in my head, but I want it with all my heart. Because entrepreneurs are the ones who find their passion, do something about their passion, rake in all the money and success and (have the potential to) make the world a better place.

I want that for my daughter. So I transferred her to another school.

It was a summer and I was learning about and loving finance, and the idea of a different school for my 9-year old daughter kept growing (gnawing) in my head – an entrepreneurial school that would give her a love of finance and help her find and inflame her passion. The next day, I started interviewing other schools. She was, at that time, enrolled in a traditional school – rigorous daily classes, heavy assignments, a bag with wheels that would make her shoulder stoop, teachers that taught but did not really teach. She had the burden to understand concepts that were taught to her in 30 minutes or less, and the burden to ask mother for help, yes, me, while I also tried to remember and understand concepts that I already buried in the annals of my memory. We were a mess. Well, me mostly.

… To read the full article, please click on the title …