Saturday morning. It was already raining when I left home, heading towards Divisoria. I knew there was a typhoon coming but I thought it would just be a minor hindrance to driving and work. Good thing I decided to bring along our old Isuzu Highlander (1997 model). It was raining nonstop as I drove across Nagtahan and Mendiola, but the roads were still clear. I was planning to finish my errands early and go home before lunch.
The usual street peddlers and side-walk stalls along Juan Luna were missing. Salesladies were excited to go home early, since there were no customers anyway. Store owners were busy fighting a useless battle with rainwater creeping into their bodegas, destroying their inventory. I finished work around twelve and was ready to go home. But the rain got worse. There were a lot of people waiting to get a jeepney ride, but there were no jeeps.
I grabbed a quick bite at McDonalds and prepared to drive back home. I got on the Isuzu and drove pass Jones Bridge and City Hall. By the time I arrived at City Hall, the roads were already flooded knee deep. Traffic was building up as drivers struggled to maneuver their vehicles across the rising floodwater. Strangely, the underpass in front of City Hall was flood-free and I managed to drive the Isuzu to the other side.
More flood waters greeted me as I drove up to Luneta. Traffic was building up as jeeps, buses, cars, and trucks struggled to drive through the rising water along Taft Avenue. I was about to reach U.N. Avenue when I saw the intersection was already Knee deep. By then the smaller private cars had given up and parked along the elevated portions of Taft. I made a U-Turn, heading back to City Hall. And it was a big mistake.
The floodwater had increased from knee level to waist level. I pressed on the gas pedal and drove the Isuzu across. Floodwater was gushing through the hood of the car, reaching out to the window. The car made it to higher ground and I managed to make my way to Roxas Boulevard.
I weighed my options and decided to drive through Roxas to go home. Makati Bunedia must be flooded by now, as well as La Salle Taft. So I decided to drive to Mall of Asia and make my way through EDSA.
It was 230pm when I arrived at Edsa. Traffice was in a standstill and there were piles of cars stretching out to Edsa Baclaran and Pasay. I waited on the same spot for almost an hour, wondering what lie ahead of Edsa. I thought I made the wrong decision. Perhaps I was better off at Manila. So I drove back again to Taft and decided to hang out in a mall (hoping that the rain would stop and the flood would subside).
Four pm and I was back in Manila. I stayed at Robinson's Place for an hour and a half. Good thing I met Nick (from NWA) at National Bookstore. He was stranded in the mall, figuring out how to return home to Sta. Mesa. I invited him to join me on the drive home, thinking that the added company would help soothe my nerves.
We left RP around six and tried going to U.N. Avenue. Unfortunately the road was now impassable. It was the same situation at Quirino. Nick and I then had dinner at a Filipino restaurant near a Caltex gas station. We waited another hour before trying out luck at Quirino. Unfortunately the waters in Quirino were almost chest deep, but I managed to drive my car through that level of water (to the intersection) and back.
After weighing our options, we decided to camp out for the night. I parked my car in front of the National Library and we slept until 230am. We spent the few hours driving through Ermita, checking if the waters in U.N. Avenue, Taft, and Quirino had receded. Eventually we managed to drive across Pedro Gil and pass Taft... only to encounter more flood waters in the Paco area.
We spent the early morning driving through Paco, checking out the routes. I spoke to some of the pedicab drivers and cops, asking them the road conditions. It was chest deep at Quirino, waist deep in U.N. Avenue. The situation sounded hopeless. If we'd pass these roads, we'd still have to contend with the neck-deep waters in Sta. Mesa.
One of the cops suggested that I drive through Roxas and go through EDSA (the original route I had planned). He told me the traffic there had cleared up (which Nick confirmed as well). So we drove back through the floodwater pass Taft Avenue (again) and proceeded to Roxas.
It was 7am when we arrived at Blue Wave (Macapagal Blvd). I wanted to gas up the car but the station ran out of diesel fuel. Nick and I bought some breakfast food and drinks before making our way through EDSA. After a night of floodwater and traffic, I was expecting the worse.
But our luck changed for the better. EDSA was clear. I drove the Isuzu pass Pasay, Makati, Guadalupe and Crossing in around half an hour. Since Sta. Mesa was impassable, Nick decided to stay at Fandom Cafe. So I dropped Nick at Cubao and drove back to San Juan.
I arrived home around 8am. The Isuzu highlander was still running, despite the road torture. Good thing I managed to get back home in one piece. From what I heard from the news, a lot of people are still stranded in many parts of the Metro.
More Arcadia Wyld Hunt Cards
Last weekend, I bought a second hand set of Arcadia Wyld Hunt cards. The entire 230+ set costs 400 pesos.
This set has six character cards, namely:
1 Female Troll
1 Nymph
1 Female Sidhe
2 Female Recaps
1 Female Naga
It's a good bargain since the original price of the set probably costs around 1k or more.
This set has six character cards, namely:
1 Female Troll
1 Nymph
1 Female Sidhe
2 Female Recaps
1 Female Naga
It's a good bargain since the original price of the set probably costs around 1k or more.
Millionaire Next Door
I've been regularly reading Frugal Pinoy's blog and her latest article caught my interest. It's her review on Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Dank's book "The Millionaire Next Door".
There are a lot of interesting points that were covered in her review. Here are some that I found interesting:
A. Wealth is not the same as income
Having a high-income job does not equate to being wealthy. There are a lot of people who work in jobs that pay a lot of money, but they are not exactly rich. They cannot survive if they lose their job.
Most millionaires don't even look or act like millionaires. Based on my experience, this is true. I've seen a lot of millionaires who dress like people from the lower class, but they are filthy rich. Most of them don’t even have an MBA degrees, nor did they inherit their wealth from their parents.
B. Common traits of millionaires
The authors made a survey among American millionaires and found several common characteristics that they share (which probably explains how they managed to acquire their wealth).
1. Millionaires live well below their means. That's probably the reason why they are rich... they only spend a small tiny fraction of their money.
2. Millionaires allocate time, money, and energy in building wealth. They are goal-oriented people who are able to manage their money well and aim to become financial secure and independent. This means they can live well without regular employment.
3. Millionaires believe financial independence is more important than displaying social status. Having a lot of fancy stuff does not equate to being rich.
4. Their parents did not provide economic outpatient care.
This means that they did not rely on rich relatives or inheritances to get rich. They earned their money by themselves.
5. Their children are financially self-sufficient. Millionaires make sure their children can support themselves.
Now that I've finished reading the review, I'm thinking of getting a copy of the book. Financial independence is always one of the things I want to achieve, but somehow I find it difficult to do or actualize. I think this book would help me develop the right attitude with regards to savings and investment.
There are a lot of interesting points that were covered in her review. Here are some that I found interesting:
A. Wealth is not the same as income
Having a high-income job does not equate to being wealthy. There are a lot of people who work in jobs that pay a lot of money, but they are not exactly rich. They cannot survive if they lose their job.
Most millionaires don't even look or act like millionaires. Based on my experience, this is true. I've seen a lot of millionaires who dress like people from the lower class, but they are filthy rich. Most of them don’t even have an MBA degrees, nor did they inherit their wealth from their parents.
B. Common traits of millionaires
The authors made a survey among American millionaires and found several common characteristics that they share (which probably explains how they managed to acquire their wealth).
1. Millionaires live well below their means. That's probably the reason why they are rich... they only spend a small tiny fraction of their money.
2. Millionaires allocate time, money, and energy in building wealth. They are goal-oriented people who are able to manage their money well and aim to become financial secure and independent. This means they can live well without regular employment.
3. Millionaires believe financial independence is more important than displaying social status. Having a lot of fancy stuff does not equate to being rich.
4. Their parents did not provide economic outpatient care.
This means that they did not rely on rich relatives or inheritances to get rich. They earned their money by themselves.
5. Their children are financially self-sufficient. Millionaires make sure their children can support themselves.
Now that I've finished reading the review, I'm thinking of getting a copy of the book. Financial independence is always one of the things I want to achieve, but somehow I find it difficult to do or actualize. I think this book would help me develop the right attitude with regards to savings and investment.
Congratulations! It's a....
Jen is now on her fifth month of pregnancy. The two of us went to the clinic last Monday to have her ultrasound.
This was the baby's first ultrasound and we were looking forward to seeing the baby's face for the first time.
Our parents and friends have been guessing the baby's gender for weeks now. Each of them had their own reasons why the baby is a boy or a girl.
The doctor did the usual examination and showed us the baby. We were happy when the doctor told us that the baby appears healthy -- with a normal size and weight of a five month old fetus.
Unfortunately, the baby was asleep and it's back was facing the ultrasound device. We could not get a glimpse of the face or the sex of the baby. The doctor tried massaging Jen's tummy, hoping that the baby would move to a more exposed position. But the baby was still asleep.
Oh well. At least we know that the baby is fine and well. There will be another ultrasound session in the next two months. Maybe we'll find out the baby's gender by then.
This was the baby's first ultrasound and we were looking forward to seeing the baby's face for the first time.
Our parents and friends have been guessing the baby's gender for weeks now. Each of them had their own reasons why the baby is a boy or a girl.
The doctor did the usual examination and showed us the baby. We were happy when the doctor told us that the baby appears healthy -- with a normal size and weight of a five month old fetus.
Unfortunately, the baby was asleep and it's back was facing the ultrasound device. We could not get a glimpse of the face or the sex of the baby. The doctor tried massaging Jen's tummy, hoping that the baby would move to a more exposed position. But the baby was still asleep.
Oh well. At least we know that the baby is fine and well. There will be another ultrasound session in the next two months. Maybe we'll find out the baby's gender by then.
Reviving My Old Pentium III-800
Disposing old computer parts. I guess everyone encounters this sort of problem whenever they upgrade their home computers.
Ever since I got a new Dual Core (2GB Memory and 160 GB Hard drive) PC, I've put away my old computer and placed into the closet of "old items to be donated or thrown away". Honestly, I find it hard to get rid old electronic equipments.
It would just be wrong to dump the unit outside the road, for the garbage man to collect. The computer is still working and it is not considered as worthless junk, yet.
Donating the computer was another idea that crossed my mind. I made a list of schools/institutions that might need the unit. Unfortunately, the system has no operating system. I am using my licensed Windows XP on the new PC.
I thought of selling the entire unit, but buyers rarely purchase 2nd hand computers, unless the units are sold super cheap (like maybe 1k or less).
Jen suggested that I still keep the unit for Aaron and the other baby. She thinks that the equipment can still operate for two or three more years. Aaron could use the computer to watch videos and play toddler/educational games.
So now I'm unpacking my old computer and trying to set it up again for my kids. Hopefully the unit would still run (slowly) and make itself useful once again.
Ever since I got a new Dual Core (2GB Memory and 160 GB Hard drive) PC, I've put away my old computer and placed into the closet of "old items to be donated or thrown away". Honestly, I find it hard to get rid old electronic equipments.
It would just be wrong to dump the unit outside the road, for the garbage man to collect. The computer is still working and it is not considered as worthless junk, yet.
Donating the computer was another idea that crossed my mind. I made a list of schools/institutions that might need the unit. Unfortunately, the system has no operating system. I am using my licensed Windows XP on the new PC.
I thought of selling the entire unit, but buyers rarely purchase 2nd hand computers, unless the units are sold super cheap (like maybe 1k or less).
Jen suggested that I still keep the unit for Aaron and the other baby. She thinks that the equipment can still operate for two or three more years. Aaron could use the computer to watch videos and play toddler/educational games.
So now I'm unpacking my old computer and trying to set it up again for my kids. Hopefully the unit would still run (slowly) and make itself useful once again.
Cabinets and Bed
In preparation for the next baby, we've been adding new fixtures to our small house. Jen and I have hired two carpenters to assemble three sets of hanging cabinets -- one in the bathroom, one in the living room, and another in the bedroom. These cabinets would maximize the limited floor area we have, by converting the open ceiling space into storage area.
Aside from the cabinet, we also told them to build a pull-out bed. We're planning remove the crib and have Jen and the new baby sleep on our current queen-sized bed. Aaron and I would be sleeping in the pull-out bed.
I'll be posting pictures of the cabinets and bed later. For three thousand bucks, I think the carpenters did a good job. My parents were kind enough to shoulder some of the raw materials, which cost around seven thousand.
Aside from the cabinet, we also told them to build a pull-out bed. We're planning remove the crib and have Jen and the new baby sleep on our current queen-sized bed. Aaron and I would be sleeping in the pull-out bed.
I'll be posting pictures of the cabinets and bed later. For three thousand bucks, I think the carpenters did a good job. My parents were kind enough to shoulder some of the raw materials, which cost around seven thousand.
Mat Kearney acoustic performance
I've been listening to Mat Kearney's songs for the past few days. He's one of those artists recently featured in one of the local radio stations. I got hooked to his music and lyrics. It's a mix of Country/Christian Contemporary music.
So far he's released a couple of albums - Nothing Left to Lose and City of Black and White. Thanks to YouTube, I got to sample most of his songs from both albums. His voice reminds me of Chris Martin from Cold Play.
Here are some of his acoustic performances:
So far he's released a couple of albums - Nothing Left to Lose and City of Black and White. Thanks to YouTube, I got to sample most of his songs from both albums. His voice reminds me of Chris Martin from Cold Play.
Here are some of his acoustic performances:
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