Spending Wisely

They say there are only two things in life that’s certain – these are death and taxes. But come to think of it spending may be added as well. Besides, it is where taxes will come from.

Since the dawn of civilization or at least when people started using money, spending by people for things they both need and want has been as predictable as clock work. Of course with the infamous wealth distribution pyramid, the outflow of money differs from one social class order to another. Fairly, everyone (i.e., rich, middle or lower class) has their own set of financial worries – The Ayalas may worry what Cadillac color to get, The average Juan Dela Cruzes worry which one is a good bang for the buck – Vios or City, while the less privilege worry when the next jeepney fair price hike will happen. All are worries nevertheless. Parang patas, pero hindi (Looks fair yet not).

But before I fully transform (though I truly wish) my blog into something like Francis Kong’s business article, I’d like to share some of my tips with regards to spending wisely – at least I believe so.

·         Obsolete items have to go. The unstoppable electricity bill made me decide to sell (another of my online selling adventure) our old air conditioner and replace it with a new one that has a timer so it can switch the electric fan at a specified time without me having to perform a half-sleepwalk just to reach and turn the air con off.

·         Be on the lookout for best 2^nd hand (used) deals. My wife showed her haggling talent and got a 5-month old Canon IXUS 70 at 25 percent less than the original price - Not bad. But I banned her on my ebay’s buyers list – I can’t handle such hagglers.

·         Drive as if you’re participating in Petron’s Extra Mile challenge. Been doing it lately and I’m seeing an improvement both to my sanity and fuel economy. It’s also one way to discourage your friends from riding with you – who wants to be in a new car without an air conditioning on? Hahaha. Just kidding.

·         Watch only good movies (Catch the bad ones in HBO). Last week we watched “What Happens in Vegas” and we quite had a good laugh at it. Cinema: P240, Watching Aston Kutcher and Cameron Diaz: Priceless.  

·         Read restaurant reviews before dining in. This is what we learned with Fish & Co. where I read in some forums that even those known rich people find it overpriced. Too bad I read about it late enough. Last week was a different story; we had our sweet revenge in Bollywood. I enjoyed our dinner (but my wife didn’t) in this Indian cuisine restaurant and that made me dream of going to India to savor more of their foods. I’m wondering if there’s any other way we can commute there other than their trains – I have some “issues” with it. If there is, Bombay, count me in.

·         Pay and download only the music you like.  When I heard about it from my wife, I immediately agree with the idea; rather than buying a full CD (single artist) and feeling shortchanged later on after learning that your favorite artist himself has actually only one favorite song in his own album. Ti abi. But then again, I’d like to emphasize that this is not a reason to patronize pirated music. Buying pirated materials is not spending wisely. It is stealing. Period.

·         Grab every chance to join a raffle or contest. My wife got her pair of limited edition Havaianas 7 Waves for free after being included in the first 70 entries for their contest.  That will keep her from buying another Spartan enemy…for now. I’m thinking if I can sell this pair in ebay. Shhh.

 

There’s a rule to having a successful diet – do not deny yourself of your cravings as doing so will just make you binge in the end. Instead, eat everything (those obviously not hazardous) in moderation. Spending is no different. Cutting every expense out at once will have its repercussion. It is better to moderate it at first and depending on the availability of resources – i.e., money – try eliminating the unnecessary ones one at a time. Good luck.

 

 

Busting Smash Lab

If there’s one cable TV channel I instinctively choose to partner with our couch (and my unconscious effort to gain weight), it would be The Discovery Channel. Over the years, I’ve come to love the programs it has been showing.  I can even endure re-runs played the nth time and still get awed and surprised every time I see it. I don’t call it short memory retention; I just consider it both an entertaining and learning experience.

Discovery has been like a drive-thru movie (we see of course only in the movies)that my wife and I loves whenever we’re home. It’s like a subliminal message has been planted over our brains that whatever mood (yes! Whatever) we’re in, we just appreciate the fact that we’re in front of the boob tube absorbing whatever show it feeds us. It is in this channel that we come to love the mood swings of the Teutuls of the Orange County Choppers, learned the art of survival with Bear Gryll’s Man vs. Wild, realized why the king crabs are such pricey meals after watching Deadliest Catch, understand how ordinary things came to be in How It’s Made and of course, how can I forget the Mythbusters.

Considering me as a fan of conspiracy theories, urban legends and of any myths around, the Mythbusters has been like a How-To book to me. It is TV’s version of howstuffworks – you watch it when you want to confirm something. You watch it when you want to know if one myth is plausible or busted. I once told my wife that I’d prefer it as my background while at home over the FM radio stations. MB is just like music to my ears.

And finally after weeks of anticipation, after all the hype and the wait for another new Discovery channel show that will complement my favorites, Smash Lab debuted this week.  And despite still lacking sleep (coming from a graveyard shift) together with the cool rainy weather outside, I was able to resist the call of our comfy bed to stay stuck to it. Instead I glued myself in front of the TV to welcome the show Smash Lab.

But like any myths in Mythbusters, I was soon like Adam calling it busted just as the myth is told. I was nowhere in the middle of Smash Lab premier when I saw myself in the mirror yawning not because of the lack of sleep, but because of sudden realization that the show is a total bore. Other similarly predictable boring series suddenly began playing inside my mind:

·         Lost – what do you expect but lost people who get to wear new set of clothes every episode.

·         Prison Break – want a clue what this is all about? Duh!

·         Numbers – I hate this show just as I hate math. I would even kneel wherever I am if I one day I will read in the papers an FBI/NBI investigator plotting complex mathematical calculations to pin point a criminal. Until that time comes, this show for me is Zero.

·         Sex and the City – It’s nothing but promiscuity advertised. (But frankly, I get turned on just by the sight of Sarah Jessica Parker.)

So that’s how I got lost in Smash Lab – watching it reminded me of the other shows I hated and it reminded me to include it in that list. I find it a total waste of budget, talent and not to mention concrete. The premier episode is about stopping cars using aerated concrete added to existing barriers and lane dividers – which all of the experiments ended in a pathetic and pretentious shout of success. The show just fall short of convincing Mythbusters fans (like me) to pack up and let Adam, Jamie, Grant, Kari and Tory be a thing of the past. As for first impressions, which could last, this show is BUSTED.

 

House For Sale?

No I’m not selling our house, yet. Lately though, I’ve been scanning and mentally tagging – with or without approval from my wife - some items that I might sell online.  Signs of the times? Well, it could be, it could be not.  But don’t be alarmed as we’re not at that level of need, at least for now; I’m just following one of my golden rules that say, “Practice makes perfect”. In this case it’s practicing to sell.

And my wife couldn’t agree more with that. In the past I’ve sold items that I know got her disapproval not to mention irritation. A few years back I sold my mountain bike for only PhP 2500 which I initially got for approx PhP 17000 just after 3 years of having it. What followed next was my 1-year old Playstation 2 for only PhP 5000 over the original price of around Php 15000. The last one was our old car. I sold it for only PhP 50000 (in my defense, the Kia’s resale value is really low) just almost after 4 years with us. We got it for PhP 128000.

Frankly speaking I felt a bit sad having to let go of those items. But then, selling and getting a payment every time for each transaction gave me some sense of accomplishment; of course not until I later get to tell my wife about each sale. Every time I tell her, “The buyers were so happy… I had a good deal”, her raised eyebrow tells me she couldn’t agree more – that’s agreeing with the buyers being happy but disagreeing with me having a good deal. I wonder when she’ll get a court hold order for me to stop selling.

In my quest to perfect the trade, I started asking some friends around while embarrassingly telling the stories of my recent non-profitable activities –their shaking head and looks of disbelief and regret (for not buying it instead) confirm my wife’s opinion. I likewise checked the web for some tips and eventually re-activated my ebay account (like a cocked gun ready to be used).  Luckily, I also reached the site www.claimspages.com that has an item depreciation guide which could be a big help to me whenever I decide for an item’s selling price. The list made me realize that not all items have 10% depreciation over a 10 year period. I must have been busy pestering my seat mate during our 4^th year high school accounting class. Ti abi.

My eagerness to start selling some petty items again started when we bought a multi-function printer. This item immediately made our existing scanner obsolete – although it has been rarely used.  Just the perfect reason – an item for disposal which is still too good for freecycle. And so just a couple of days after I posted the item in ebay, I got a deal with someone. He bid for half the price – not bad for electronic gadgets. A few emails and SMS later, I received the payment (thru GCash) and I shipped the scanner in return. It was an exciting experience – my first ebay sale and my first time to receive payment thru GCash. Now, I’m really selling. Happy buyer + Happy seller = Happy wife.

How long will it take me to take our room TV out of its mounting? Now I wonder…

Being a Gas Miser

It seems that gas price hike will be here for quite a while for reasons that the average person like me will never really know. Factors such as the Middle East’s peace and order situation; the US recession which until now Dubya haven’t directly accepted to be happening; China’s sudden demand for automotive as most Chinese got tired of riding bikes - it’s a pity but sooner or later obesity will be as common as dumplings in China; locally, we can blame our government for deregulating the oil companies – but this is debatable. These are just a few of things that caused the soaring oil prices.

So while we are busy thinking and picking who’s supposed to be blamed other than ourselves, it may be just right for us to start looking at the mirror and check if we’ve done our part to alleviate the effect of this situation which is way out of our control. Not only that we get to save our pockets and wallets, we also get to save our sanity and most importantly, our environment.

And so today, as I’m lazily surfing the web, my mouse led me to Ecomodder.com which has this article, “104 hypermiling / ecodriving tips …” And guess what? I’ve been doing most of their tips already. And so I grabbed my own top 10 so that others may learn as well.

1) Drive less. Avoid driving if you can. Just think about the heavy traffic you’ll encounter on your way and this will help convince you.

2) Track your fuel consumption. Take a conscious effort to track your fuel mileage. Our Honda City’s digital Trip A and Trip B meter is a big help when it comes to this. By the way, please, track your consumption when you get home. You don’t want to run over pedestrians or other cars while fiddling with your calculator.

3) Leave early and don’t rush. It’s funny but I’ve been thinking of doing this yet. Having a car makes most of us think that we can hit the snooze alarm a couple of times in the morning with the assurance that we can beat time to work by driving like a crazy Takuma Sato. But this shouldn’t be the case I realize just now. This is a No-Win situation: You get irritated because you expect everyone to rush just like you do, and you get to pump unnecessary gas in the process.

 

4) Note your transition points. Ecomodder says, “If you regularly travel the same roads, make a conscious effort to note (memorize) the points along the way where transitions occur that maximize efficiency”. By doing so, you can actually plan where to safely coast (if I remember it right, I read that it is illegal to coast in some states in the US), anticipate turns and brake points.

5) Avoid drive-thrus. This is to avoid idling. Save on gas. Save on fast foods.

6) Windows up. This is a no-brainer in the Philippines. Here spitting is not a crime. Do I need to explain further? Hahaha. Just my reason for driving windows up, but it has something to do with aerodynamics/wind drag which has an effect on the gas mileage; and of course back to the spitting thing.

7) Heavy traffic: play the accordion. Ecomodder says, “If faced with worst-case “stop & crawl” traffic conditions, leave as much space ahead of you as possible and continually “accordion” that space to keep your vehicle moving near a constant speed while the cars in front of you stop & start.   

Yes, some people will cut into the space you create ahead of you. Deal with it. 

Note that this may aggravate following drivers who can’t absorb the big picture, and that must be taken into account.” Well, I’ll try to deal with it. No promises though.

 

8 ) Minimize air conditioning use. Ecomodder says, “Air conditioning requires a lot of power. Use it sparingly”. Once again, AC on or off, don’t forget to keep those windows up. Believe me; you’ll thank me for this tip once you get to drive here in the Philippines.

 

9) Be smooth. I think I qualify as one. Just don’t ask the jeepney drivers I’ve honked at which brings me to my top 10.

 

10) Don’t keep up with the Joneses. Ecomodder says, “It [sic] easy to be competitive when driving. Resist knee-jerk retaliation to other drivers’ aggressive actions. Don’t let other drivers lead you astray from your driving style.” Now this is more like a test of my character rather than a test to save gas. The pinoy Joneses are the hari ng kalsada (king of the roads) – your “friendly” jeepney/tricycle drivers. I guess I’ll be able to keep up with this tip if I leave home early to work.

 

There you go. Let’s save gas the rational way and please stop sending me emails to boycott the giant oil companies – it’s foolish, it’s temporary and it just won’t work.

reference: Ecomodder.com

 

A Gold Fish and An Iron Man

The recent gas price hike didn’t keep us inside our house on a weekend.  It’s not that we’re rich (but I WISH we really are) or never really cared if a liter will cost us around Php 50.00 (>USD 1.00), it’s just that we craved for Indian foods since the start of last week. And Sunday was like a much awaited day and when it finally arrived, we were so raring to go.  In fact, I was so excited that I once again met up with Hana and had my red collared shirt pressed.

Originally we were headed for Bollywood restaurant in Greenbelt 3 Makati. After attending mass however in the Shrine of Jesus church, we decided that maybe the giant Mall of Asia (MOA) will have some Indian foods to offer. And after less than 10 minutes (which most of it was from cueing at the exit and letting some pedestrians pass) of driving from one parking lot to another, we were already inside the mall.

Just like any visit we had in MOA, the mixed feeling of excitement and confusion enters my mind as soon as we came in. The mall is so huge that it has a dizzying effect especially if you don’t exactly have a plan in mind to where your destination may be. Or maybe I’m just not the window shopping expert yet that relaxes at the sight and thought of the numerous stores ahead.

And since it was already lunch time then, we immediately checked the stores locator. Bingo! We spotted an obvious Bollywood replacement . The name itself shouts I’m an Indian food restaurant. The place is Prince of Jaipur. I likewise noted Fish & Co.’s location. I got hungrier with anticipation.

Disappointingly, when we reached our first choice, the place was deserted.  It was as if a police caution tape has been placed around it that only the surrounding restaurants had flocks of patrons whom some are even eating al fresco (by choice or not). For whatever reasons, none were inside Jaipur’s and in the food business the mutual rule, “eat where there is a long queue” is a surefire rule of getting good food. Although my wife and I are the type who willingly try any food around, the emptiness inside the Indian restaurant on a lunch time is not a good sign. Maybe our second choice is good.

Fish & Co.’s place was enticing. Once we got inside the restaurant, the smell of the place tells me, this one is a hit. The place is almost packed and by the look at the tables, it looks like everyone is enjoying their meal. Happy customers mean good food. And just as we got seated the menu was promptly laid in front of us. And that’s when I smell something fishy when I glanced on the price list. But since my mind was conditioned to have anything Indian, the word curry convinced me to order the Seafood curry. My wife picked the Prawn Fettuccini.  

 

Gladly, the foods were served in no time. The presentation was just like in the menu book. So far my two senses – smell and sight – agree that I got the right stuff. But just as the two are feasting on what’s on the table, my taste buds tell me that I’ve been robbed. So as not to be judgmental on the first bite, I kept on eating. I even tried if my wife got better pasta than she ever had. Unfortunately, the ummmhs and the ahhhs never came. Both foods didn’t deserve a round of applause. And by the way, the clam chowder is a shame compared to Don Henrico’s (theirs is the best so far). We’ve been robbed indeed. I can’t say, “Curry $14, Pasta $10, having Sunday lunch at Fish & Co. priceless”. This commercial tagline just doesn’t fit in.  The food is overpriced, period.

Next time, we’re eyeing MOA’s Sakae Sushi. Doesn’t buffet ring a bell?

 

 

 

***

Good thing we got our ticket for the 1:20 PM showing of the Iron Man at Centerstage – at least we got a reason to scram out of Fish & Co. (and I’m never buying anything from there, if you ask me).

As I’m never an avid reader of marvel comics, I’m just going to give my pros and cons of this movie just the way I see it.

Pros:

·         I dozed off at the first part of the movie…errr, this must be in Cons.

·         Setting aside Mythbusters , I find the effects such as the transformation and Iron Man’s flight great (I’m a sucker for anything that flies – except flies).  We never knew if such technology will someday come to reality and to quote “it’s all funded by the military”. Amen.

·         The sound effects are overwhelming. Hearing the Jericho blast out of the missile pod made me smile. The sonic boom Iron Man created is just as remarkable.

·         Gadget’s and cars galore!

·         The humor lines are perfectly delivered.

Cons:

·         Story is a bit dragging at first plus the fact that someone invited something sophisticated inside the cave is just lame.

·         Surgery and implants inside a crude environment - cave. I just wonder if anyone will survive for days. I could be wrong though, I’m no medical expert.

·         Stupid villains are a thing of the past. And by the way, somewhere in the Middle East, an anti-Iron Man movie sentiments is brewing, I’m sure.

·         Gwyneth Paltrow’s character is pathetic…hmmm, must be the talent fee that convinced her to still do it.

Overall, this movie is great if watched with a couple of friends over a bottle of beer (paging cinema owners) just to kill time. And remember, always forget about the Mythbusters prior to watching the movie.

 

Photo credits:

Fish & Co website

Iron Man - Yahoo movie site