tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286157512024-03-18T23:40:42.007+08:00TOPAZ HORIZONa working woman's journalFranceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03762850601924680898noreply@blogger.comBlogger1555125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-21294201617900624042024-02-10T18:20:00.026+08:002024-02-10T18:30:11.823+08:00I'm making the Year of the Dragon a happy year!<p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Xīnnián kuàilè! Kung hei fat choi! Gong xi fa cai! Happy New Year to all my Chinese readers! In the photo is me and my kids at Binondo, the oldest existing Chinatown in the world. That was yesterday, when <a href="https://mommyginger.com/" target="_blank">Mommy Ginger</a> and I and our families took the Pasig River Ferry and got off at Escolta to go exploring old Manila. </span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQaRcedSVmp7MVxvRhWEnlF4AHzFrLJFyrzzsTeHDuw9YztYMQp7WOfJOijFZFVt4hEq_v_60bfsWpSVOgs_WkzUvrHwxNDtnIg_3NoSzh-slWiXi_-yc-ckSu6Z-htMmeTcJqwiVwI4F50fVzLmDJGQvB-R-bUfLV95RWpTbfcLIB3t3LC_z/s1080/More%20wealth,%20health,%20&%20power%20to%20all%20of%20my%20dear%20loyal%20readers!.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQaRcedSVmp7MVxvRhWEnlF4AHzFrLJFyrzzsTeHDuw9YztYMQp7WOfJOijFZFVt4hEq_v_60bfsWpSVOgs_WkzUvrHwxNDtnIg_3NoSzh-slWiXi_-yc-ckSu6Z-htMmeTcJqwiVwI4F50fVzLmDJGQvB-R-bUfLV95RWpTbfcLIB3t3LC_z/w640-h640/More%20wealth,%20health,%20&%20power%20to%20all%20of%20my%20dear%20loyal%20readers!.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />It's the Year of the Wood Dragon and I'm a Dragon! Well, I'm a Fire Dragon so it's not EXACTLY my year but I feel a lot of good energy this year anyway. I'm not Chinese and so I don't really follow the horoscope but let's humor ourselves. <br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The predictions say that industries with wood in them will prosper this year. So I guess it's time to publish my second book (paper)! I hope I can get your support again. I still can't thank you enough for the success of <a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-Book-Experience-Kit-(with-signed-copy)-i.111012447.6095281232" target="_blank">my <i>Not Invisible</i> book</a>. Let me know what you want me to write about next, although I already have book plans for 10 books! Ambisyosa! But I know I can count on you so thank you!</span><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The predictions also say, however, that it's not going to be a good year for Dragons. Oh, what irony haha The advice is to <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/chinese-zodiac-predictions-2024-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank">keep a low profile and don't spend money</a> (oops, there goes my book!). Also, health won't be good. I'm already taking steps to take care of that since last year, my body was going crazy and so this year I just want to prioritize my mental and physical health.</span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Last year, I didn't feel too well. I was down and unhealthy and didn't feel positive about anything at all. There was this massive cloud of doubt, anxiety, and despair all over me. I promise to blog about it and I'll do so this week. I'm just glad that that's over.</span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This year, actually, around December last year, I felt that terrible cloud dissipating and then finally disappear. So I feel really good about 2024. I'm excited and happy again. For me, the new year actually starts on February, or whenever Chinese NewYear starts. It's true! January always feels like an extension of the previous year - I'm still paying bills for stuff I spent during the holidays, I'm still cleaning up last year's mess, and this January, I had to do something I've not done in a decade - I had to do an evaluation of my performance as an employee. So January 2024 was still all about 2023. </span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So today, a new year has officially begun not just for the Chinese community but for me! And despite all those negative predictions, I'll just do what I usually do. Live one day at a time! I think this year is already better because I'm not depressed anymore. I don't need to make any career changes or succeed or get rich or whatever. As long as I'm not struggling with that awful cloud anymore and my health is okay, I'll be okay.</span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">After all, there's horoscopes and astrologers and fortunetellers. But I have God to see me through. And that's more than enough for me! It will be a good year, a happy year. And you'll be with me so it's already off to a good start!</span></p><p>Happy New Year, everybody! Praying for blessings of health and love and purpose for all of us!</p><p><br /></p>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-8435479303624322822024-01-13T16:43:00.002+08:002024-01-13T17:33:52.244+08:006 Tips for Establishing a Strong Online Presence for Your Next Job<p> Whether you’re a fresh graduate from college or a veteran professional, a solid online presence can do wonders for your career. Many professionals have begun to rely on digital interactions to scout for jobs and, on the flip side, many recruiters are also utilizing the web and social media to get to know viable candidates. In a survey by The Manifest, 98 percent of businesses surveyed admitted to using search engines and social media platforms to perform a background check on job applicants to their companies.</p><div>If you haven’t already established a noteworthy online presence for yourself, now’s the best time to work on it. Way before you get interviewed, you’ll want to communicate to the professional world that you are a tech-savvy individual who isn’t afraid to showcase their potential and who cares about the impression they’ll make on their prospective employer.</div><div><br /></div><div>To that end, here are some tips for establishing your online presence and attracting the attention of headhunters and recruiters for <a href="https://www.mynimo.com/davao-jobs">Davao jobs</a> or jobs based in other major cities in the Philippines:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>1. Assess your current online presence.</b></div><div><br />Back then, it may have seemed embarrassing to “Google yourself” and to see what kind of footprint you may have already left on the web. But times have changed, and if you want to guarantee a good impression for those who’ll be looking up your credentials or professional history online, you should already expect to take this necessary step.<br /><br />Be ready to conduct a thorough audit of your existing online profiles, including those on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or even your personal blogs. The idea is to look for inconsistencies, outdated information, or any content that might not align with your desired professional image. This is the first step you should take towards building a more polished and authentic online persona—one that will be instrumental in your pursuit of a successful career.<br /><br />As you assess your current online footprint, ask yourself the following questions:<br /><ul><li>Does your online presence accurately reflect your skills, experiences, and aspirations?</li><li>Are there any areas that need improvement or updating?</li><li>Are there any beliefs or aspects of your personality that you’ve outgrown and that might get in the way of your job-hunting prospects?</li><li>What kind of information about yourself should you leave public, and what kind of information is best made private?</li></ul>Taking the time to answer these questions will guide your efforts in refining your online image.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>2. Consider creating a personal website.</b></div><div><br />While this does not apply to every job and industry, having a personal website will often give you an edge over your competition. In the survey mentioned above, 80 percent of employers said that a personal website is important when it comes to evaluating candidates for a particular position. As such, you should consider creating one to showcase your past work experience and to declare your skills and interests in particular fields, for example, <a href="https://searchworks.ph/web-design/">web design</a>.<br /><br />For content writers, photographers, and designers, in particular, a personal website will be a powerful tool for consolidating one’s portfolio, expertise, and personal brand. Think of your website as a digital business card—a centralized hub where potential employers or clients can freely learn more about you.<br /><br />If you’re thinking of building one, design the website to reflect your unique style while also keeping it professional, visually appealing, and easy to navigate. Next, include sections highlighting your professional achievements, a portfolio comprising your best work, and a brief bio that encapsulates your philosophy for your career. Ultimately, a well-crafted personal website will enhance your credibility and provide you with a sufficient platform to express your individuality and professionalism.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI68GZNWYycU5bm11g5xfJ-RgE0jSTcGKgs5m1AnCYTwvQzBVAXVqMxqAmlhUMMEMOcN64GOKtZTcDLzqwqeWwFPTKDzYpTJLxpDIEZBQ2_AL2gkHYlb0W06uPt__8qfF5YArdz9rn7sRcTyjYFRWS9kR37BNSstRhZb5kjc0Ebr_K7O9jJwU3/s807/blog%20online%20presence%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="786" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI68GZNWYycU5bm11g5xfJ-RgE0jSTcGKgs5m1AnCYTwvQzBVAXVqMxqAmlhUMMEMOcN64GOKtZTcDLzqwqeWwFPTKDzYpTJLxpDIEZBQ2_AL2gkHYlb0W06uPt__8qfF5YArdz9rn7sRcTyjYFRWS9kR37BNSstRhZb5kjc0Ebr_K7O9jJwU3/w624-h640/blog%20online%20presence%201.png" width="624" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have a website just for my work! I should update it. See why in #4!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>3. Level up your LinkedIn profile.<br /></b><br />In the past decade, LinkedIn has emerged as the go-to platform for professional networking. There are currently 67 million companies listed on the platform, and more than 1 billion members seeking to make professional connections. For these reasons, any professional based in the Philippines should optimize their LinkedIn profile so that it can ably support their online presence.</div><div><br /></div><div>Is your LinkedIn profile as good as it can be? You can level it up, starting with a professional photo—one that exudes confidence and approachability. Next, craft a compelling headline for your profile that succinctly captures your expertise and aspirations.<br /><br />Take the time to fill in each section of your profile, as recruiters and headhunters would love to learn more about what makes you a good candidate for a certain position. Leave enough detail about your work experiences, and emphasize the accomplishments and skills you’ve attained.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWal3_haqGO_W08JI8zhImlYeCnyibs-cxF3_X4pWdJNBf_sNNjByccS9zYaknKETaTZlxF6EedwgNvDzPCI46sjgjKq8VCsCwkdyjp605Xh39wiD5PwhaIEg1HX0M_a2k_PtTU9E2k9eBILJKTJ-UnQQOsuU6vWnp-bTFI1dFNMlgRhV98oiq/s1001/blog%20online%20presence%203.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="1001" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWal3_haqGO_W08JI8zhImlYeCnyibs-cxF3_X4pWdJNBf_sNNjByccS9zYaknKETaTZlxF6EedwgNvDzPCI46sjgjKq8VCsCwkdyjp605Xh39wiD5PwhaIEg1HX0M_a2k_PtTU9E2k9eBILJKTJ-UnQQOsuU6vWnp-bTFI1dFNMlgRhV98oiq/w640-h294/blog%20online%20presence%203.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have a day job (the one that matters to companies) but I decided to keep "author" as my real work.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><b>4. Update your online information.<br /></b><br />Keeping your online information up-to-date is a perpetual task that will directly influence your professional image. Outdated information can create a negative impression on potential employers or collaborators. In that vein, you should regularly revisit your online profiles to ensure that they accurately reflect your current skills, experiences, and achievements.<br /><br />Consider setting a schedule for updates, either on a monthly or quarterly basis. It depends on your preference or availability. You could also make changes to your profiles as you hit significant career milestones, such as closing an important deal, getting promoted, or being assigned important projects.<br /><br />As you grow professionally, your online presence should evolve with you. Treat your digital properties as dynamic representations of your career journey, always staying true to the growth you continue to achieve.<br /><br /><br /><b>5. Optimize the online content you put out there.<br /></b><br />Content optimization is not just for companies looking to boost their presence on search engines. You can use a similar strategy to enhance your individual online presence and build an audience for yourself even before you secure your next career opportunity. For instance, you can share your expertise for a particular field or niche online through various channels, like blogs, videos, and social media posts. Create content for a community that also involves fellow moms, artists, aspiring entrepreneurs, yuppies, and the like.<br /><br />After creating and posting content, optimize it further by incorporating relevant keywords, using engaging accompanying visuals, and maintaining a consistent posting schedule. The goal is to position yourself as an authority in your field or someone worth listening to. This will make your online presence a valuable resource for anyone seeking insights into your expertise and what you stand for—including the people who could be considering you for a job.<br /><br /><br /><b>6. Separate your private and professional social media.</b><br /><br />While your personal social media can offer a glimpse into your personality, it's essential to draw a clear line between your private and professional online presence. As soon as you can, adjust your privacy settings on your personal accounts and curate visible content to maintain the most professional image.<br /><br />Potential employers often scrutinize social media profiles, so you’ll want to do your best to present a polished and focused online persona. According to a survey by CareerBuilder, 70 percent of employers check the social media profiles of potential candidates, and 54 percent of companies have taken candidates out of the running based on their social media content.<br /><br />If you haven’t done so already, it’s a smart idea to create separate accounts for your professional networking and personal interactions. This way, you can freely express your personality on your personal channels while keeping your professional profiles tailored to industry expectations.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBnkEpOFgIJ6RmJw-Eb1YEGeVC5UtLd1o_QKc897sM4suuY1989sgB73Mi7Wd7f5msLDc4XBuAHQlnM3cTLqCoeI8tIzV4V3ZAe9gjNpGRc7P5CieV5kSuzw5IrH9sziSujb9ZMsGUe-ePiY1FKoVlYd5tW_t-I_Q2F3CfdNUezTT6VkMSVtF/s900/blog%20online%20presence%202.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="592" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBnkEpOFgIJ6RmJw-Eb1YEGeVC5UtLd1o_QKc897sM4suuY1989sgB73Mi7Wd7f5msLDc4XBuAHQlnM3cTLqCoeI8tIzV4V3ZAe9gjNpGRc7P5CieV5kSuzw5IrH9sziSujb9ZMsGUe-ePiY1FKoVlYd5tW_t-I_Q2F3CfdNUezTT6VkMSVtF/w420-h640/blog%20online%20presence%202.png" width="420" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've changed my Instagram from mom lifestyle to a writer/editor/reader theme.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />A strong online presence is a necessity, especially now that companies are looking for candidates who know their way around new technologies and who are well-versed in “netiquette.” Use your online presence to show potential employers that you understand the roles they need you to play—and that, by way of your credentials and personal comportment, you are an exceptional candidate for the position they have open.</div><div><br /></div><br />Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-86215833225020889632024-01-12T23:30:00.061+08:002024-01-13T20:43:38.805+08:00When we were all together<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbm7PnE4ReXBzJwgWpzT7_ZlfdX3h0gWg3GaaxzvQ1p0rFXT6n-DaRfzDvzu8-f_Bx907TmFTLzv62VQsUM3yMOuKMA9dCVXOzy84oEYQd4C_iewFv4TPjFt-cYeyWDUUM_BvpSHKqEFKuMr_vBXkfn5oSCWo1dTw8Z3ESN3mYq5cAZFC6e86-/s4608/IMG_20200324_113412.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbm7PnE4ReXBzJwgWpzT7_ZlfdX3h0gWg3GaaxzvQ1p0rFXT6n-DaRfzDvzu8-f_Bx907TmFTLzv62VQsUM3yMOuKMA9dCVXOzy84oEYQd4C_iewFv4TPjFt-cYeyWDUUM_BvpSHKqEFKuMr_vBXkfn5oSCWo1dTw8Z3ESN3mYq5cAZFC6e86-/w640-h480/IMG_20200324_113412.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first family photo in quarantine</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As I was hanging the laundry to dry with my youngest son helping me, he said out of the blue, "Mama, I liked quarantine." </p><p>We both agreed we didn't like the reason for it, but staying safe at home with the people we most love in the world was the best time. It was a magical time when it was just the five of us. When we were all at home. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyoO33-blaizLuby5_CJtlM4e7DuBZi5MvbRapSQPtE3aA9UhSHo5udXoxcFnfiwgcmvS_TQPoe3S0L4TelscjNWPv8NuyKFn4FlblnEIZxSsID91nG0FjqRpz4HpJB65al5y01DOSgFhyodhvOLE2plqyPWcaXmaeWvq10laK9SotFyMRqg4/s4608/IMG_20200506_131223.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyoO33-blaizLuby5_CJtlM4e7DuBZi5MvbRapSQPtE3aA9UhSHo5udXoxcFnfiwgcmvS_TQPoe3S0L4TelscjNWPv8NuyKFn4FlblnEIZxSsID91nG0FjqRpz4HpJB65al5y01DOSgFhyodhvOLE2plqyPWcaXmaeWvq10laK9SotFyMRqg4/w480-h640/IMG_20200506_131223.jpg" width="480" /></a></p><p>I'm going to just fill this blog post with photos from 2020-2022. They're not related to what I'll blog about, though. My journalism training says the photos should always support the text. But today we'll disobey. I just want to share pictures of those years when we were all together and write about the year we went off to do our separate things.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlvzkK8-I_6CXZf7TB9ajVhgO_u3OCMqP_6DNN3jI4Crn66bwp8b2ryIvIzE5hnk2rYyNAJMjjtJ1lLoBuLVn2RdFVU5JkmWcKWR85DPM4V17c9OvHqf4VXTdOBNgZcZNgvLpmkag2nw4T_6qAJJzz31alKvDvwm8CbvmwYN9rBxPJXLBoX45/s4608/IMG_20200714_105855.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlvzkK8-I_6CXZf7TB9ajVhgO_u3OCMqP_6DNN3jI4Crn66bwp8b2ryIvIzE5hnk2rYyNAJMjjtJ1lLoBuLVn2RdFVU5JkmWcKWR85DPM4V17c9OvHqf4VXTdOBNgZcZNgvLpmkag2nw4T_6qAJJzz31alKvDvwm8CbvmwYN9rBxPJXLBoX45/w640-h480/IMG_20200714_105855.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>When we were all together. This will never happen again. Have you realized that, too?</p><p>My boys have all gone back to school. I've gone back to the office. This is why 2023 was so exciting and so excruciatingly heartbreaking for me. So many massive changes as we all returned to a world I wasn't quite ready to go back to. If I had my way, I want us all to stay home again. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfO-zNoiYbLj-_IShiCi_W_-scJDjsbgtYW5bXM1qi3HG_teeNu_55NI-5LywhRINtzFjIhGyw8LFwniWPXr8wa0DzUXJQAqTE5LqCoewdkYxCj7cPvpuJ1hon7l4pCWbjNe-eHHYPjKihycOG3vkUvSCA9KDX589mKUdYhs5x6xQ52Va_nDE/s4608/IMG_20201105_163720.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfO-zNoiYbLj-_IShiCi_W_-scJDjsbgtYW5bXM1qi3HG_teeNu_55NI-5LywhRINtzFjIhGyw8LFwniWPXr8wa0DzUXJQAqTE5LqCoewdkYxCj7cPvpuJ1hon7l4pCWbjNe-eHHYPjKihycOG3vkUvSCA9KDX589mKUdYhs5x6xQ52Va_nDE/w480-h640/IMG_20201105_163720.jpg" width="480" /></a></p><p>I could actually. I was earning well, just not regularly - when you're a freelancer, it's so hard to collect! But that was okay because homeschooling made education so affordable. It also made me realize that I am an awesome teacher. There really was no need for them to go to a brick-and-mortar school. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRv-u3DTlCVIv1ZtKKexZqHH6nPl8qNuSk1lagPJ4odU9h47unjmaGBcsC4eKN_xAJ6Es_0U5e4nOhzloCGu8BcCQ1eK2jJfwkYi21X3JobGyeE1b55UuYMcSPf3HRk0YalTDCKbs4rLsRXNWza4MMxSJRGUt-joWQBJob2cT9SgiVk6leaJB/s1580/IMG_20200820_101239.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1580" data-original-width="1579" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRv-u3DTlCVIv1ZtKKexZqHH6nPl8qNuSk1lagPJ4odU9h47unjmaGBcsC4eKN_xAJ6Es_0U5e4nOhzloCGu8BcCQ1eK2jJfwkYi21X3JobGyeE1b55UuYMcSPf3HRk0YalTDCKbs4rLsRXNWza4MMxSJRGUt-joWQBJob2cT9SgiVk6leaJB/w640-h640/IMG_20200820_101239.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>But in 2023, I had to go back to work. I may want us to stay home forever, but my kids were oh so ready to get out of it. They wanted to see new places, meet new people, learn new points of view, and make friends. And they wanted this every day. They wanted to go to school. And tuition is so expensive so off I went back to earning a regular salary.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-qkk_Hkh0GQOi0mVa9z-t46OxH5kAadmwiL4E_F6PxWDhwslk6kQj8PPQGHwT62Cj_geHXFY0WzQTA9ltFGsKZKFuMSZcQkSJLBMDVyw_bWeaMd_wnWBbuS451rhzAyxOKSqDfI7vLN-9JbdI2NL4Bz-t5yBj23f4WEihQe8N-qkayu3wdlm/s762/IMG_20210218_110448.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="762" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-qkk_Hkh0GQOi0mVa9z-t46OxH5kAadmwiL4E_F6PxWDhwslk6kQj8PPQGHwT62Cj_geHXFY0WzQTA9ltFGsKZKFuMSZcQkSJLBMDVyw_bWeaMd_wnWBbuS451rhzAyxOKSqDfI7vLN-9JbdI2NL4Bz-t5yBj23f4WEihQe8N-qkayu3wdlm/w640-h640/IMG_20210218_110448.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>It's not so bad. It's actually a good thing! I'm very grateful, make no mistake. I love that my kids are healthy and happy. They have new friends. They're doing so well in school. I love that we can give them a good life. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocgWeNDqod2ciBkw3xOvjudf8dVwEY39Q-5eCbwrI6_LXQJMpBBw58mCA06qjUrYruFyCmW6nNvIg2iveWW3XnmeNNz2U12Ry8bblOYrEzJFqUdGw_TvtVsJBxRoB57YrfSkpYyn9Q5CbGI4GoCmLLGY2v9LEQCZV0M45Etz2D1q_Iuq1JsSa/s4608/IMG_20220109_150212.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocgWeNDqod2ciBkw3xOvjudf8dVwEY39Q-5eCbwrI6_LXQJMpBBw58mCA06qjUrYruFyCmW6nNvIg2iveWW3XnmeNNz2U12Ry8bblOYrEzJFqUdGw_TvtVsJBxRoB57YrfSkpYyn9Q5CbGI4GoCmLLGY2v9LEQCZV0M45Etz2D1q_Iuq1JsSa/w480-h640/IMG_20220109_150212.jpg" width="480" /></a></p><p>But I also loved it when it was just us. It was so simple and sweet. We were all safe and sound. I got to know my husband and sons thoroughly because that's what happens when you're together all the time. </p><p>Now, we're all running around. Busy busy busy. We're all so tired. I feel like I'm losing them. I feel like I'm losing me. So I have to work harder to make sure we don't become strangers. And that's so exhausting, too, you know?</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLG-KwN3uyOlhM6rmWKNTOfsUDkFz9sRaMvisZN9sHcy3smRXB7Ca_R6JOHDmhvYqqpFjYNUGpZgSro8N7JDB82rZrQdv49Fk2KSrtJeko3PyGcYgyJYky3qQufD7-V6b9cZDRqZAQ3yQA7q9D5ufOWCQ9uSSNhv3NEErxQ2yuOPDUzGCCHq-G/s4608/IMG_20201215_144122.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLG-KwN3uyOlhM6rmWKNTOfsUDkFz9sRaMvisZN9sHcy3smRXB7Ca_R6JOHDmhvYqqpFjYNUGpZgSro8N7JDB82rZrQdv49Fk2KSrtJeko3PyGcYgyJYky3qQufD7-V6b9cZDRqZAQ3yQA7q9D5ufOWCQ9uSSNhv3NEErxQ2yuOPDUzGCCHq-G/w640-h480/IMG_20201215_144122.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>It's okay. It's inevitable. </p><p>Besides, it wasn't meant to happen, those nearly 3 years indoors. But it did and we came out of it okay. I was so scared all those years because of the pandemic but I was also so happy. So very happy. I was with my most favorite people in the world. What more could a mama want?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifegpMLtHGSCfwu2G0_Zb1DQ4m_lm_Dcxtf65pupd-vc78Z1Uqv8tLoTlPbnD8dWP2RZSsraee2fj1xUiRnk1TFMjmQ84HWvDJGw56hgpnO_k_co8l-UoUd4N70DCucYhTexCou5GfUtFiQaLaBP7zlXAfzlgYOwQN2ZU8PLyfHlcz-q3rBy45/s1506/IMG_20220609_130859.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1506" data-original-width="1505" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifegpMLtHGSCfwu2G0_Zb1DQ4m_lm_Dcxtf65pupd-vc78Z1Uqv8tLoTlPbnD8dWP2RZSsraee2fj1xUiRnk1TFMjmQ84HWvDJGw56hgpnO_k_co8l-UoUd4N70DCucYhTexCou5GfUtFiQaLaBP7zlXAfzlgYOwQN2ZU8PLyfHlcz-q3rBy45/w640-h640/IMG_20220609_130859.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They had to learn how to dress up again because it was finally time to go outside.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-65960108579962318862023-12-29T08:49:00.005+08:002024-01-14T11:39:49.765+08:00Tips for Choosing the Right Coworking Space as a Digital Nomad<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhij8ee3kzjlPTs3W0Vpt4LZql8httS6_KcG4FecpaKrmsyL2TNai_BqzJ8NBWOhelgzLd8a92HF6b7z0LG8mIZc8boX8d8U4er9GG6QX1vfAh2bY4YdNKgv6Czv7mjJCs9Ul6jiZVn2kuB1wLhGOsrYDFNXMcpdzUQ9WvEbjs0VvGO8VS_WTyH/s1080/blog%20office.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhij8ee3kzjlPTs3W0Vpt4LZql8httS6_KcG4FecpaKrmsyL2TNai_BqzJ8NBWOhelgzLd8a92HF6b7z0LG8mIZc8boX8d8U4er9GG6QX1vfAh2bY4YdNKgv6Czv7mjJCs9Ul6jiZVn2kuB1wLhGOsrYDFNXMcpdzUQ9WvEbjs0VvGO8VS_WTyH/w640-h426/blog%20office.png" width="640" /></a></p><br />Now that modern technology has begun redefining the nature of work beyond the traditional office-based 9 to 5, the life of a digital moment is becoming increasingly appealing to many people. Embracing this lifestyle gives you the freedom to work from anywhere in the world and to choose spaces that maximize your productivity. The quest for the right coworking space is akin to finding a second home whose environment is conducive to doing your best work.<br /><br />Of course, it’s no walk in the park to find the ideal coworking space. You want more than just a workspace that looks pretty—you’ll need an environment that aligns with your personal working style and also meets your professional needs. This choice becomes especially important when you consider the amount of time you’re likely to spend in your chosen coworking space. Fortunately, this handy guide offers some expert tips for choosing the right one.<br /><br /><b>1. Consider Your Internet Needs<br /></b><br />The internet is an indispensable lifeline for workers in pretty much any industry today, but it’s especially important for digital nomads. A fast and reliable internet connection will make it that much easier to complete your tasks and communicate with your clients and colleagues. Hence, making quality internet one of your foremost considerations when choosing your coworking space is imperative.<br /><br />While most coworking spaces boast high-speed Wi-Fi, it's always prudent to test the connection yourself. Additionally, consider supplementing the coworking space's Wi-Fi with your own mobile internet solution. In this regard, you’ll need to choose the right <a href="https://weiwei.sg/plans/with-devices">postpaid mobile plans</a>. These plans can provide a backup for when Wi-Fi is less reliable, or you find yourself working from a location where the coworking space's internet doesn’t reach. This is to ensure that you always have a seamless online experience that allows you to work without interruptions or connectivity issues.<br /><br /><b>2. Choose a Conveniently Located Coworking Space<br /></b><br />Ideally, you should choose a coworking space that’s situated in a convenient, accessible, and secure area. Think about how you will commute there. Can you reach it easily by public transport? Is the area well-lit and safe if you find yourself working late? Proximity to essential services like cafes, eateries, and even leisure spots can also enhance your workday experience by providing opportunities for breaks and informal networking.<br /><br /><b>3. Look for a Workspace Environment That Suits You<br /></b><br />The ambiance and environment of a coworking space can significantly influence your productivity and well-being. Different spaces cater to different work styles: some are buzzing with activity and collaboration, while others offer a more serene, focused atmosphere. It’s important to consider what environment makes you most productive. Are you someone who thrives in a lively, social setting, or do you prefer a quiet corner where you can concentrate without distractions?<br /><br />Try to visit any coworking spaces you’re considering before committing to a membership. This gives you a firsthand experience of the noise levels, the ergonomic comfort of the workstations, and the general vibe of the place. Some coworking spaces also offer additional amenities such as standing desks, private phone booths, or outdoor areas which can contribute to a more comfortable and versatile working experience. Remember, the right environment can fuel your creativity and motivation, turning the coworking space into a catalyst for your success.<br /><br /><b>4. Consult Reviews and Recommendations<br /></b><br />When searching for the perfect coworking space, don't overlook the power of reviews and recommendations. These can provide valuable insights into the experiences of others and help you gauge what to expect. Look for reviews on independent websites, social media platforms, and coworking space directories. Pay attention to comments about the internet reliability and the atmosphere, as well as the responsiveness of the management team.<br /><br />You can also expect to get equally helpful information from word-of-mouth recommendations. Reach out to fellow digital nomads or local online communities for their experiences and suggestions. They can offer unfiltered opinions and practical tips based on their own usage of the spaces. While a coworking space that works well for one person might not necessarily be the right fit for you, understanding others' experiences can guide you in making a more informed decision.<br /><br /><b>5. Check for Flexible Membership Plans<br /></b><br />Adaptability is essential for digital nomads, whose work locations can change frequently. Therefore, it's important to find a coworking space that offers flexible membership plans. These plans can range from day passes to monthly memberships and provide the freedom to choose based on your current needs without the commitment of a long-term contract.<br /><br />When evaluating membership plans, consider the cost in relation to the amenities the space provides. Does the plan include access to meeting rooms, printing facilities, or complimentary beverages? Is there a provision for accessing the space during weekends or outside of standard business hours? These factors can greatly affect your daily working experience. It’s also worth considering if the coworking space has multiple locations. It can be a huge advantage if you travel frequently, as this provides you with a familiar environment in different cities.<br /><br />In conclusion, the journey to find the right coworking space is as unique as the lifestyle of a digital nomad. It's about balancing practical necessities with personal preferences to create an environment where your productivity and creativity can thrive. Hopefully, the tips above should provide you with a solid checklist of things to consider when choosing a coworking space that fits your needs.<div><br /></div><div><i>*photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@jasongoodman_youxventures" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jason Goodman</a> from Unsplash.</i></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-7933306285221492142023-12-28T23:43:00.004+08:002023-12-28T23:51:21.992+08:00Scenes of Christmas past<p>As I was very busy with my day job, all the holiday prep, and parties - these on top of all my usual chores and daily tasks, I totally forgot to put up my Christmas tree. Loyal Readers know I always have the tree up on my November birthday. This year, December 20 arrived and the house was not at all Christmasy. And my kids finally noticed.</p><p>"Mama, when are we putting up the tree?"</p><p>"Soon..."</p><p>"Mama, I took out the boxes of Christmas stuff so you can start putting up the tree."</p><p>"Thank you. Tomorrow, I'll do it."</p><p>"Mama, we need the tree for all these gifts."</p><p>"Yes, we do but I'm too tired."</p><p>And finally...</p><p>"Mama, can we do the tree today?"</p><p>"YES!"</p><p>And so they did. </p><p>And they busied about happily, making lots of noise and mess, chatting about everything and nothing, and I glanced up from my laptop (this time, I was checking emails from their teachers), just to quickly check on how my baby boys were doing.</p><p>My eyes went to where I expected them to be - near the bottom of the tree, with chubby hands trying to grasp slippery glass balls, fascinated with glitter on tiny fingers, and their eyes alight with wonder, their toothy grins wide with excitement.</p><p>Instead, I had to look up, my old, weary eyes sliding up higher, higher to watch my boys now nearly as tall as the ridiculous pink tree my then-new husband gave me as a first-married-Christmas gift. And our boys were now surrounding it, hanging the little trinkets they made from Christmases past, no longer needing our help to lift them up so they could place a sparkling star on the very top.</p><p>They can do it on their own.</p><p>And I burst into tears. And my boys looked at me in surprise. And I blubbered out some silly melancholy sentimental nostalgia and they looked at each other awkwardly like teens and tweens do. And I cried harder and they started chuckling and they patted me on the shoulder. </p><p><i>There, there. It's okay, Mama.</i></p><p>Does the heart ever recover from this dizzying mix of joy and sadness, pride and longing? No? Never. And this will be my Christmases forever. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKYfYSZFHJNXVQ8SRMuFcbi68LW86uY8y8XgO0yXPg1gzPhFy46EcnBD6AnIMbOlWGpfIKp3ANzp8HL90S8kvjMFt-To0rSaUz1oJIRChwY_Ymx7peEOtXczJMgjraMBjc8gWGeLttHvuf4XN2lhAQxcEPreehOdqOVEBjbTAL7aSaWKQ6-MW/s1080/Screenshot_20231227_220107.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1080" height="639" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKYfYSZFHJNXVQ8SRMuFcbi68LW86uY8y8XgO0yXPg1gzPhFy46EcnBD6AnIMbOlWGpfIKp3ANzp8HL90S8kvjMFt-To0rSaUz1oJIRChwY_Ymx7peEOtXczJMgjraMBjc8gWGeLttHvuf4XN2lhAQxcEPreehOdqOVEBjbTAL7aSaWKQ6-MW/w640-h639/Screenshot_20231227_220107.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6GtCfl5dHB4_SKQLbuZPMrmoDxy_pUwN3A5e_jhuUGv_kEeYc3E-e3y_JBgosO22jxbrqO-jTQ-YoSDKydV2qIMrjLLX0zlilj77uZ193WmHlNcJSwiH3ZLWth4lYiNfcIVCbBX6nQ2tXp-Kip_SKWMl6mFTTZNwGC975ch-YybPNwHzKnma/s1080/Screenshot_20231227_215822.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1080" height="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6GtCfl5dHB4_SKQLbuZPMrmoDxy_pUwN3A5e_jhuUGv_kEeYc3E-e3y_JBgosO22jxbrqO-jTQ-YoSDKydV2qIMrjLLX0zlilj77uZ193WmHlNcJSwiH3ZLWth4lYiNfcIVCbBX6nQ2tXp-Kip_SKWMl6mFTTZNwGC975ch-YybPNwHzKnma/w640-h634/Screenshot_20231227_215822.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsq0ib-4m_w1r0mUtgD9H1F_s5FZISqL4nKFVkko40Yy5MoqaVOHV1u_qJysAQngFi2R79phXlQTU9LfojWeALhvXzA8vXDcq0YXpQ5JjvBvsLmtyDW5iDuvVbIiJLlyQlUkwDGHsy8SZJTdyjac8YKQuuwUjrP70oJLMCjDP0zfVUCD6H4c5U/s1080/Screenshot_20231227_215840.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1080" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsq0ib-4m_w1r0mUtgD9H1F_s5FZISqL4nKFVkko40Yy5MoqaVOHV1u_qJysAQngFi2R79phXlQTU9LfojWeALhvXzA8vXDcq0YXpQ5JjvBvsLmtyDW5iDuvVbIiJLlyQlUkwDGHsy8SZJTdyjac8YKQuuwUjrP70oJLMCjDP0zfVUCD6H4c5U/w640-h632/Screenshot_20231227_215840.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3Gyp6W-Wsdjngmzyjep_dFmFnAHlEd1UXKxhtnRYPLztQsxS4dqi9ZxTagnVP3gfGegZBKltqBF9lkGMAcmd_DhB8u3r-B3FVtHtJpFP9kgKHMeHRh0w66FaiPec_sAsoIGkjevxA361cy1OeC-LLpdwokAU7Y-Jdnt2FQUsgXwb6bDFW3Oc/s1080/Screenshot_20231227_215855.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1080" height="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3Gyp6W-Wsdjngmzyjep_dFmFnAHlEd1UXKxhtnRYPLztQsxS4dqi9ZxTagnVP3gfGegZBKltqBF9lkGMAcmd_DhB8u3r-B3FVtHtJpFP9kgKHMeHRh0w66FaiPec_sAsoIGkjevxA361cy1OeC-LLpdwokAU7Y-Jdnt2FQUsgXwb6bDFW3Oc/w640-h634/Screenshot_20231227_215855.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Sk9tqmQ3wsHcCp7_9zIjDexmfnDCpThj1qlJw_QS1MvBJBsFMzt4ESBSOvpLlOqCHZb-gHFkYQ-t8wi8AUN2MsvpktQpvP7GTmiAOhWWzuWVb4m2_t0h1zbBydOWAOPuBG1r2425tq6iy__VQX8M2wRNFH0zRrgpMGoLHCTEOFjYhzE9Ufyn/s1080/Screenshot_20231227_215911.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1080" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Sk9tqmQ3wsHcCp7_9zIjDexmfnDCpThj1qlJw_QS1MvBJBsFMzt4ESBSOvpLlOqCHZb-gHFkYQ-t8wi8AUN2MsvpktQpvP7GTmiAOhWWzuWVb4m2_t0h1zbBydOWAOPuBG1r2425tq6iy__VQX8M2wRNFH0zRrgpMGoLHCTEOFjYhzE9Ufyn/w640-h636/Screenshot_20231227_215911.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbxrUoZGvTbCemsSBOZc9-cePZumE7cWFeJATbCCKVVWpQLmEhrJZgh2NGpPitOW5nT2TijeRo9CefOKY16HCwvOH4lFWjOisykcM0uw7jIcKkXw37BsdgUlbM65vAS7CNTjSyu5X_0zlnLaLoggtghxQeKPgcxhJhZnNNMyNDgl5TWjpiw01/s1080/Screenshot_20231227_215927.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="1080" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbxrUoZGvTbCemsSBOZc9-cePZumE7cWFeJATbCCKVVWpQLmEhrJZgh2NGpPitOW5nT2TijeRo9CefOKY16HCwvOH4lFWjOisykcM0uw7jIcKkXw37BsdgUlbM65vAS7CNTjSyu5X_0zlnLaLoggtghxQeKPgcxhJhZnNNMyNDgl5TWjpiw01/w640-h636/Screenshot_20231227_215927.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8p3iPcxPYD6J15jbf_5hXTJz5azA9p49oXOyXeTVjgn6p6ItrKu4GtFyBmCBNmgizFS5qFeY7HcMYoqvvdq13h47xt1HbfLfcUP4hWRuRczMx2KbVcKSE2yZIepU8LeblFRl2xzXOovDSoGKEUZ8BaDU5t21TPdpABydZgknxPLnDDxim04V4/s1080/Screenshot_20231227_215940.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1080" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8p3iPcxPYD6J15jbf_5hXTJz5azA9p49oXOyXeTVjgn6p6ItrKu4GtFyBmCBNmgizFS5qFeY7HcMYoqvvdq13h47xt1HbfLfcUP4hWRuRczMx2KbVcKSE2yZIepU8LeblFRl2xzXOovDSoGKEUZ8BaDU5t21TPdpABydZgknxPLnDDxim04V4/w640-h636/Screenshot_20231227_215940.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, my heart!</div><div><br /></div><div>Merry Christmas, mamas. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div><p><br /></p>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-54779310685643139912023-12-27T20:33:00.004+08:002024-01-14T11:40:07.159+08:008 Wedding Planning Tips During the Holiday Season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihw7hRnDn4FY9il1zw61oZTec683rkSVx9tT3IMO0zlNRsHQCwShg1acZSYFld7-2y3NosIhqKz1HVsATfD2YPDFZWHxcowzqh1Ah-1CaVhIb7vlZVKOdd2-OFQhWSRrifh5mK7_nnlQCfV6cYTaPhhwjzSv_wDa9QPic9SVbk2AOZOtJqhTwW/s1080/wedding%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="1080" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihw7hRnDn4FY9il1zw61oZTec683rkSVx9tT3IMO0zlNRsHQCwShg1acZSYFld7-2y3NosIhqKz1HVsATfD2YPDFZWHxcowzqh1Ah-1CaVhIb7vlZVKOdd2-OFQhWSRrifh5mK7_nnlQCfV6cYTaPhhwjzSv_wDa9QPic9SVbk2AOZOtJqhTwW/w640-h424/wedding%201.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />The allure of a holiday season wedding captivates many couples and might even compel them to plan their weddings during the most wonderful time of the year. Imagine saying "I do" surrounded by the twinkling lights of December or during the fresh start of a New Year. Indeed, the yuletide season offers a magical backdrop for a wedding.<br /><br />However, tying the knot between December and January in the Philippines comes with its own set of challenges. From competing with holiday events for venue bookings to navigating the whims of the chilly weather, planning a wedding during this time can seem daunting. <br /><br />But don’t fret! If you and your partner have decided to wed amidst the bustle of the holidays, you can achieve the perfect wedding through thoughtful preparation and embracing the season's unique opportunities. With the tips below, you can orchestrate a celebration of your love that resonates with the warmth and splendor of the season.<br /><br /><b>1. Book Your Venue Early<br /></b><br />The holiday season is synonymous with parties and other large gatherings, making it a peak time for venue bookings. So, for your wedding, start your search early and make your reservations as soon as you can to ensure you get your dream location. Popular <a href="https://www.nustar.ph/meetings-and-events">wedding venues in Cebu</a> and other large cities should be booked a year or more ahead, especially during prime dates like the holidays. To further avoid the holiday rush, consider booking midweek days as they offer more availability and lower costs.<br /><br />Booking early also allows you to send out save-the-dates sooner, which is crucial for a holiday wedding when guests might already have other plans.<br /><br /><b>2. Plan for the Cold Weather<br /></b><br />In the Philippines, the holidays are often marked by cooler weather, intense rainstorms, and sometimes even typhoons. While the country doesn't experience the freezing temperatures of a typical winter, the weather can still pose unique challenges for December, January, and early February weddings. If you’re considering an outdoor ceremony, it’s crucial to have contingency plans. Consider venues that offer both indoor and outdoor spaces so you can quickly move your celebration inside if a sudden downpour occurs. Providing umbrellas or raincoats can be a thoughtful touch for guests moving between different parts of the venue. <br /><br /><b>3. Budget Wisely <br /></b><br />Budgeting for a wedding during the holiday season requires extra attention as prices for venues, catering, and other services can be higher. It’s better to be transparent with your vendors about your budget and look for creative ways to maximize it. For instance, your venue might already be decorated for the holidays, offering a festive atmosphere without the additional cost. Also, consider the timing of your purchases. Buying decorations or attire off-season can lead to significant savings.<br /><br /><b>4. Confirm Vendor Availability<br /></b><br />With the Christmas season being a busy time for everyone, it's essential to confirm the availability of your vendors long before your event. These include caterers, photographers, florists, and entertainment. Be clear about your expectations and their ability to deliver on time, especially around peak dates. It's also wise to have a list of backup vendors in case of last-minute cancellations or changes.<br /><br /><b>5. Ensure Your Guests Are Informed and Comfortable</b><br /><br />It's essential to inform guests about the wedding details well in advance because, as mentioned, many of them may have pre-existing holiday plans. Consider creating a wedding website or sending information cards with your invitations months before the wedding so they can prioritize your event. Make sure to include details about accommodation options, transportation, and any planned activities. <br /><br />To enhance guest comfort, especially in colder weather, provide amenities like blankets or a hot drink station. If your venue is remote or is prone to be affected by the weather, consider arranging transportation to ensure everyone arrives safely and on time.<br /><br /><b>6. Embrace Holiday Decor and Seasonal Colors<br /></b><br />The holiday season naturally brings a palette of rich colors and festive decorations. You can integrate these elements into your wedding theme to create a harmonious and spirited ambiance; doing this can also help you save on decor costs by utilizing the venue's existing decorations. <br /><br />For something more unique, think beyond the traditional reds and greens; consider winter whites, blues, silvers, and gold for a sophisticated twist. Use lighting to create a warm, inviting atmosphere: fairy lights, candles, and lanterns can transform a space into a winter wonderland. Remember, the goal is to complement, not compete with, the holiday décor.<br /><br /><b>7. Capture the Holiday Magic in Your Photos</b><br /><br />Your wedding photos are a cherished keepsake and a holiday wedding offers opportunities for breathtaking photographs. Collaborate with your photographer and take advantage of the holiday magic in the air by reflecting it in your photos. From snowy landscapes to twinkling lights, these elements can add a magical touch to your photos. Consider a mix of daytime and evening shots as well to take full advantage of the varied lighting during the holiday season. Don't forget to capture candid moments of guests enjoying the festive atmosphere—these spontaneous shots often become the most treasured ones. <br /><br /><b>8. Anticipate and Plan for Delays</b><br /><br />The holiday rush can affect everything, from vendor deliveries to guest arrivals. Communicate with your vendors about contingency plans for late deliveries or other unforeseen events. If guests are traveling from afar, remind them to plan for possible travel disruptions. This foresight eases stress and ensures that your special day runs smoothly.<br /><br />With these 8 tips, it should be easier for you to plan your wedding during the holidays. It's everyone's season to celebrate love and joy, and that includes your wedding! <br /><br />Your special day is a joyous occasion that can be magnified by the enchanting background of the yuletide season. While it can be challenging, the hurdles you might encounter when planning a holiday wedding are mere stepping stones to creating an event filled with warmth, love, and cheer. Follow these tips to help you weave the season's charm into your special day. Your holiday wedding can be a beautiful blend of romance and holiday spirit, leaving you and your guests with memories that will sparkle for years.<br /><div><br /></div><div><i>*photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@jeshoots">JESHOOTS.COM</a> from Unsplash.</i></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div></div><div><br /></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-24367043290668534282023-12-16T00:00:00.002+08:002023-12-17T21:18:47.806+08:00Our LEGO haul from Rustan's!<p>Whether it's summer time or school time, sunny or rainy, day or night, it's always LEGO time for my family! And when it comes to gifts, I can't emphasize enough how amazing LEGOs are to give! Here's my gifting spree to my boys at Rustan's Shangri-la! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1imB1e079VN_5Qv9nssssgS-wDF8wV2rcHHSJOpcW8MBCcRba5MDUBj-uY69BrEojbQZXmlY5MFLhF_ySDSFdSKbMhPnBBsd2THIHrnp1MtxAUAmQtRIRK7ZAJzXz8iS5yzype7mLQvu59SH-P2H4HBW0sVM0MjKT1Je8VNRS1qRLK5FqxNw/s3264/IMG_20230513_160703.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1imB1e079VN_5Qv9nssssgS-wDF8wV2rcHHSJOpcW8MBCcRba5MDUBj-uY69BrEojbQZXmlY5MFLhF_ySDSFdSKbMhPnBBsd2THIHrnp1MtxAUAmQtRIRK7ZAJzXz8iS5yzype7mLQvu59SH-P2H4HBW0sVM0MjKT1Je8VNRS1qRLK5FqxNw/w480-h640/IMG_20230513_160703.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Piero fell in love with the Super Mario sets. We watched <i>The Super Mario Bros. Movie</i> and it's really fun and entertaining. And I speak from total ignorance of the game. I thought I wouldn't like it because I have no idea what it is. But I loved it. So imagine how much my boys LOVED it! Naturally, when Piero saw the Luigi LEGO sets, he grabbed them immediately.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-D5T9zs2xbevmCSwj_1Ow5Nt8LJrb3IYtiplao1SOmekfu5arSJwS4kazw8SCTddWxNO_UHwL9_NpSRog8gDN4lx2yg_MEN3EUIPTm_fRD8Q_gY5TfWSyyxp6ZW65U81mdPqEpZIMaxQKSr0uwlU98Na9NkRzm-rqDeAQuSLfJ8apsNlsmgj/s4608/IMG_20230513_160131.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-D5T9zs2xbevmCSwj_1Ow5Nt8LJrb3IYtiplao1SOmekfu5arSJwS4kazw8SCTddWxNO_UHwL9_NpSRog8gDN4lx2yg_MEN3EUIPTm_fRD8Q_gY5TfWSyyxp6ZW65U81mdPqEpZIMaxQKSr0uwlU98Na9NkRzm-rqDeAQuSLfJ8apsNlsmgj/w480-h640/IMG_20230513_160131.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another movie the kids enjoyed this year was <i>Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse</i>. I'm not a fan (all the flashing lights and the malikot na paikot-ikot gave me vertigo and a headache) but my husband and sons LOVED it. So Vito just had to have this Miles Morales spidey.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwi9QA6oakNOwi2Ns6fxNggP-X0sG-yov1lYeXgLs_OStDl30Xnbs70EwOMpVYrZYmd82-ooCeQCpBSfbxTzRQDpVsZXEt7EBzwgXNjZ0aA6VKM1wBiEaf7R-zwG99vWIOwQ69QhnQ71cTS6pKFytPd-4LmWQpkKAc5-ir2NS1P80zsw3wZojK/s4608/IMG_20230513_155955.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwi9QA6oakNOwi2Ns6fxNggP-X0sG-yov1lYeXgLs_OStDl30Xnbs70EwOMpVYrZYmd82-ooCeQCpBSfbxTzRQDpVsZXEt7EBzwgXNjZ0aA6VKM1wBiEaf7R-zwG99vWIOwQ69QhnQ71cTS6pKFytPd-4LmWQpkKAc5-ir2NS1P80zsw3wZojK/w480-h640/IMG_20230513_155955.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Iñigo had a harder time choosing what he was going to get. There are SO MANY kinds of LEGOs, you see, not just TV and movie merchandise. Although he did end up getting a Harry Potter Hogwarts set anyway hehe</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_kEBOxpYABcSpKQGE0A4AumzZ2sU6Sg-Pg2zmsutZWeKSk3Yg13PqTifypxJuxNgDO-DcRGhlhvOoGCAozoBR2jwD37KvfbPHwnBSH4RwfAMnxoycueQW_7UwJrkIiHmJtTdItKqqdRaXdl5OAmITdBbZywaAdxTBMJEul6uoKOJ8is1eYEtC/s3264/IMG_20230513_161545.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_kEBOxpYABcSpKQGE0A4AumzZ2sU6Sg-Pg2zmsutZWeKSk3Yg13PqTifypxJuxNgDO-DcRGhlhvOoGCAozoBR2jwD37KvfbPHwnBSH4RwfAMnxoycueQW_7UwJrkIiHmJtTdItKqqdRaXdl5OAmITdBbZywaAdxTBMJEul6uoKOJ8is1eYEtC/w480-h640/IMG_20230513_161545.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;">Here's another movie haha Yep, we just couldn't get enough of our favorite movies in our favorite toy! And our absolute favorite place to shop for LEGO sets is at Rustan's Shangri-la. My husband and kids always head over to the toy section to check out what's new whenever we're at Shang. So while I'm picking out clothes, socks, undies, and shoes for the boys, they're just a few steps away fully immersed in all things LEGO!</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIPU5Pwfu3sIW9lyWtuHt-1xRq4ttNMdN3bXSiPYTVCiwbEflAxiFUHahhVvR1a57iJTejSr6JfiBHgkBP4PIaxps7QwNnoRo1i9Qr_YsJPeenBEc5E0QHBZwI6VCb711XGPXMqmXImeo_x9tdO6X3ZHgBVL4zhv5AGi96PG69bXIxF3cTVtu/s3264/IMG_20230513_162051.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIPU5Pwfu3sIW9lyWtuHt-1xRq4ttNMdN3bXSiPYTVCiwbEflAxiFUHahhVvR1a57iJTejSr6JfiBHgkBP4PIaxps7QwNnoRo1i9Qr_YsJPeenBEc5E0QHBZwI6VCb711XGPXMqmXImeo_x9tdO6X3ZHgBVL4zhv5AGi96PG69bXIxF3cTVtu/w480-h640/IMG_20230513_162051.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicM6fU_9MEKBZrcCg2Ph5oiXQdAkvueZ-SOXWzsv1vT9_SHpn6nx940w0VT7c7hILCAZ3-wNlfLNeNqcKYDRr8cioDq54qvoOycdxdSRRmIwvdOkx3vf-sa0qw1l81E8yHKeSvGmnF0W0lO2eiTPuhTbe82Z_PR1YByX8m0GS8SmkzBHBY6nk/s4608/IMG_20230513_162939.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicM6fU_9MEKBZrcCg2Ph5oiXQdAkvueZ-SOXWzsv1vT9_SHpn6nx940w0VT7c7hILCAZ3-wNlfLNeNqcKYDRr8cioDq54qvoOycdxdSRRmIwvdOkx3vf-sa0qw1l81E8yHKeSvGmnF0W0lO2eiTPuhTbe82Z_PR1YByX8m0GS8SmkzBHBY6nk/w480-h640/IMG_20230513_162939.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also love how Rustan's has the nicest staff. They're so helpful and great with suggesting sets we might like. But they don't hover. They even obliged us when we asked for a family photo! Moms and dads, buy your LEGOs from Rustan's! Ganda ng stock nila and mababait pa ang mga tao. We've been buying LEGOs from Rustan's Shang for a decade or so!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYXydmwWiAFA3uQXY6oWKX0_VthG5RyMHWppwrSmjMhCHEqmiSJPq09gaFlN1F2cpY1hyshdHPr8OlvrhW57quf5GerUNI36jKs5-LkU2s_8vOZeg37hBet7CkHln7T-0Xsdw54KpfjVJahFGzJwhAignAC_pBmrp6g4yNB2T4PaYKeOgtpDL/s1728/IMG_20230519_221219.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1727" data-original-width="1728" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYXydmwWiAFA3uQXY6oWKX0_VthG5RyMHWppwrSmjMhCHEqmiSJPq09gaFlN1F2cpY1hyshdHPr8OlvrhW57quf5GerUNI36jKs5-LkU2s_8vOZeg37hBet7CkHln7T-0Xsdw54KpfjVJahFGzJwhAignAC_pBmrp6g4yNB2T4PaYKeOgtpDL/w640-h640/IMG_20230519_221219.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Anyway! Before I go, here's a little peek at the LEGOs my kids got:<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqMsPpThvue0OjmeCt7w6XYbDjN_BNSI7-IJRvThnQKitakYvYJVufL6Mx-zJKeooG9dkM3XJI2BDy0F8ofcmWnt-u2zF9nS1MeC5C0NrRMJSV7MsASFnohNLMap4sCCbxxhtg4OAnuhZt4-e0ppKLbvhzpzFgzB5Y1CSyhRagSxK_TgcQQ/s4096/346110173_3373073969621388_3887970036843063635_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqMsPpThvue0OjmeCt7w6XYbDjN_BNSI7-IJRvThnQKitakYvYJVufL6Mx-zJKeooG9dkM3XJI2BDy0F8ofcmWnt-u2zF9nS1MeC5C0NrRMJSV7MsASFnohNLMap4sCCbxxhtg4OAnuhZt4-e0ppKLbvhzpzFgzB5Y1CSyhRagSxK_TgcQQ/w640-h480/346110173_3373073969621388_3887970036843063635_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFqfmvPzZmkFejN65Qtbaw12LghbYcoZAd9fy-OyRuesvKNUnKKPx1sXadz4l2OZEkeHzxbs_FaA8dJW1gwQN7iAQu4T6q9KZXnPsVWHHA3PdFqRZZC8NeB7QhNMkwiYpOybmbTb9Xj1Hg26ayw4J1LmFVmKTgG-EeN_If7NJHRsf48Ocdw/s4096/346124976_1269160464034765_2564852944152297908_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFqfmvPzZmkFejN65Qtbaw12LghbYcoZAd9fy-OyRuesvKNUnKKPx1sXadz4l2OZEkeHzxbs_FaA8dJW1gwQN7iAQu4T6q9KZXnPsVWHHA3PdFqRZZC8NeB7QhNMkwiYpOybmbTb9Xj1Hg26ayw4J1LmFVmKTgG-EeN_If7NJHRsf48Ocdw/w640-h480/346124976_1269160464034765_2564852944152297908_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGm7emGb-W-CYF_uZiLE9-SS4dB04gw0VK-EN8JWoWjk6niyE2GIWJNn2HGng3x_phFUmGqJxbv0KvdL4uP03Rk38oI2QqZmgywyFl4qjeCkNDUDz2F2wQlMPJRCDWUUP1ylesEppBazl0N2UHugjOreiUcr7OdgIkDTrjrQzsqnfO-lSJw/s4096/346113174_634315341504275_1265300847029783264_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGm7emGb-W-CYF_uZiLE9-SS4dB04gw0VK-EN8JWoWjk6niyE2GIWJNn2HGng3x_phFUmGqJxbv0KvdL4uP03Rk38oI2QqZmgywyFl4qjeCkNDUDz2F2wQlMPJRCDWUUP1ylesEppBazl0N2UHugjOreiUcr7OdgIkDTrjrQzsqnfO-lSJw/w480-h640/346113174_634315341504275_1265300847029783264_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmf-MKbFRsg1Pg5VSnSeKxC-9u5cn_FZRuk5OBo00Cb5C3XQXU7VL9mHCZfn6FwyQZN_1QqbDusEPe2WtFOHDER8_X-gwBVULgx44WKQQcZ_RR71VnPSPUH-XH-GhUPlMta3E7pXZBVq_Z-xxFwAeEaZ7ywaVO1vrj67BK22BzIFLy_OPbA/s4096/346122802_236162729031188_2408230719629575645_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmf-MKbFRsg1Pg5VSnSeKxC-9u5cn_FZRuk5OBo00Cb5C3XQXU7VL9mHCZfn6FwyQZN_1QqbDusEPe2WtFOHDER8_X-gwBVULgx44WKQQcZ_RR71VnPSPUH-XH-GhUPlMta3E7pXZBVq_Z-xxFwAeEaZ7ywaVO1vrj67BK22BzIFLy_OPbA/w480-h640/346122802_236162729031188_2408230719629575645_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxpMTuhRBvKTndjsHGUjpllO74HMQjZQMgoKH4RqWgBTaa3WyrJkzj5g370ZJYIDn1EUS5oKyFXAIpdI_KrwwmFnptDWHQ-6Sd0jmAG_ajKsEMcmlV7dzKuY1l0XknU4KyMLCvm3VIgJcKXBPKbZgs_8DogbCakEa4rrAwKFovYZPIIZezg/s4096/346115888_163503443353749_4229704286200530122_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxpMTuhRBvKTndjsHGUjpllO74HMQjZQMgoKH4RqWgBTaa3WyrJkzj5g370ZJYIDn1EUS5oKyFXAIpdI_KrwwmFnptDWHQ-6Sd0jmAG_ajKsEMcmlV7dzKuY1l0XknU4KyMLCvm3VIgJcKXBPKbZgs_8DogbCakEa4rrAwKFovYZPIIZezg/w640-h480/346115888_163503443353749_4229704286200530122_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yeah, I should show more pics but my kids won't let me borrow their sets long enough! So anyway, if you're still looking for gifts to give your sons and daughters, nephews and nieces, grandkids, husbands, brothers, and boyfriends, grab them some LEGOs!</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><div><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div></div></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-50708441348416120362023-10-30T20:57:00.011+08:002024-01-14T11:40:26.246+08:00How to pay off your credit card and other useful tips<div><br /></div>It's Halloween but you know what's scarier? My credit card bill. <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmdVdqwmCJGU4gTtz7BhJ92KQXqDPvvkouPNtqa35AihoIOOT87FXMcO5DtXBe5L7_ywuxDilOKiXdJsZKFm_iB9tnxdFzcZVtM-NT1QO7XKsBbNQaL7Uhl4WXkL-I8sSLhiPTI7gYAvp6fqN-IwhzUMC3V088xvtBNa02sWxa99S3RN6k-R-/s993/credit%20card%203.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="993" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmdVdqwmCJGU4gTtz7BhJ92KQXqDPvvkouPNtqa35AihoIOOT87FXMcO5DtXBe5L7_ywuxDilOKiXdJsZKFm_iB9tnxdFzcZVtM-NT1QO7XKsBbNQaL7Uhl4WXkL-I8sSLhiPTI7gYAvp6fqN-IwhzUMC3V088xvtBNa02sWxa99S3RN6k-R-/w640-h450/credit%20card%203.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><div>I'm about 5 digits in debt. It's actually not that bad but considering my history with credit cards (read: <a href="https://www.smartparenting.com.ph/life/money/i-was-a-credit-card-aholic-but-marriage-saved-me-a270-20160416-src-fn-lfrm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I Was a Credit Card-aholic But My Marriage Saved Me</a>), I have really painstakingly made sure I always paid my bill in full. But I didn't have an income late last year and then this year wasn't good for me, mental health-wise, so I slipped and charged a lot of food orders on my card to buy some happiness. And so here we are - fat and in debt!</div><div><br /></div><div>Again, it's not that bad, but with all the things I pay for, I still can't pay off the full amount every month. A friend told me to take out a loan with a smaller interest rate because our credit cards here in the Philippines charge an astronomical rate of 3% interest a month. I'm still considering it. </div><div><br /></div><div>I found this useful tool online called Calculator.me when I was looking for help on how to manage my credit card bill. And the <a href="https://calculator.me/credit-cards/" target="_blank">Credit Card Payment Calculator</a> told me if I'm very, very good and very, very disciplined, I'd be able to pay off my debt in 9 months. </div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiw9grgCBRS_hiFz-SVqeIKmiexRt0FQqOCH26T0hYVHWN8bBZggp2qgJF5F_hBR-hICvoHfNl8_mHrQPl1qyePktxmBWzDwZsssgEcFiR3IRALsqZjZfX7CBK7WSnW96-dyAH8U2E1qBIfpluRPshckBsa-DWOY2fg1smOAu1BCwDtLv4QW74/s887/credit%20card%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="797" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiw9grgCBRS_hiFz-SVqeIKmiexRt0FQqOCH26T0hYVHWN8bBZggp2qgJF5F_hBR-hICvoHfNl8_mHrQPl1qyePktxmBWzDwZsssgEcFiR3IRALsqZjZfX7CBK7WSnW96-dyAH8U2E1qBIfpluRPshckBsa-DWOY2fg1smOAu1BCwDtLv4QW74/w576-h640/credit%20card%201.png" width="576" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy62xrMM71-j81iXllgMZ7iVVPa7Gqx9yidcJYRGgliXHxTXlpA3XM-JSY9yIiVopEWV28IPC4Hl8T3o_nPPGKu-6vPhZ5y0ur1exBpnyH-8p7OGGkcKxk5aSztdFDCiAX5yY6DRrkhg-meNaWsdlO19-jq1c8TwxPxHuCEAgkkdoKR4Ob-CDO/s792/credit%20card%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="792" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy62xrMM71-j81iXllgMZ7iVVPa7Gqx9yidcJYRGgliXHxTXlpA3XM-JSY9yIiVopEWV28IPC4Hl8T3o_nPPGKu-6vPhZ5y0ur1exBpnyH-8p7OGGkcKxk5aSztdFDCiAX5yY6DRrkhg-meNaWsdlO19-jq1c8TwxPxHuCEAgkkdoKR4Ob-CDO/w537-h361/credit%20card%202.png" width="537" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Nine months. Gosh. That's a long time. Not a whole year thankfully, but still a long time. I need to make more money so I can pay this credit card debt sooner!</div><div><br /><div>To empower me with this daunting task, I asked my dear Loyal Readers for some credit card advice. I've collected them all into a list. Hopefully, if you're in the same boat as I am, you'd find these tips on how to pay off your credit card debt useful, too!<div><div><div><br /></div><div>1. Acknowledge Your Debt Situation</div><div>Before diving into debt repayment strategies, understand your current financial situation. Whether it's due to unforeseen circumstances or a history of credit card misuse, recognizing your debt is the first step toward financial freedom.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. Explore Debt Consolidation Options</div><div>Consider consolidating your credit card debt with a loan that offers a lower interest rate than your credit cards. This can help reduce your overall interest payments, making it easier to pay off your debt. Like what my friend advised, I should explore options for loans with lower interest rates in the Philippines.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. Utilize Online Tools</div><div>Online tools like Calculator.me can be incredibly helpful. The Credit Card Payment Calculator, for example, can estimate how long it will take to pay off your debt with disciplined payments. Knowing your timeline can be motivating.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. Set Clear Goals</div><div>Establish specific and realistic goals for paying off your credit card debt. Determine how much you can afford to pay each month, and create a timeline for becoming debt-free. Having clear objectives will keep you focused on your financial journey.</div><div><br /></div><div>5. Cut Down on Credit Cards</div><div>Consider reducing the number of credit cards you hold to prevent further accumulation of debt. Having only two credit cards is a manageable approach, ensuring you can handle your expenses without relying on multiple cards.</div><div><br /></div><div>6. Choose Fee-Free Credit Cards:</div><div>Opt for credit cards that don't charge annual fees or waive these fees if you meet certain monthly payment criteria. Saving on annual fees can help you allocate more funds towards debt repayment.</div><div><br /></div><div>7. Negotiate with Your Bank</div><div>If you've been a responsible cardholder, contact your bank to negotiate annual fee waivers or lower interest rates. Banks often reward loyal and responsible customers.</div><div><br /></div><div>8. Leverage Reward Programs</div><div>Use credit cards that offer rewards for your spending. Accumulating rewards can provide some financial relief or extra perks while you work on paying off your debt.</div><div><br /></div><div>9. Create a Budget</div><div>Establish a monthly budget that covers essential expenses such as groceries, utilities, and phone bills. Stick to your budget to ensure you have enough funds for debt repayment.</div><div><br /></div><div>10. Pay More Than the Minimum</div><div>Always pay more than the minimum amount due on your credit card bills. Paying only the minimum prolongs your debt repayment and increases the interest you owe.</div><div><br /></div><div>11. Opt for Interest-Free Installments</div><div>When making significant purchases like appliances, choose installment plans with zero interest. This way, you can spread the cost without incurring additional charges.</div><div><br /></div><div>12. Prioritize Debt Repayment</div><div>If you have multiple credit card debts, prioritize paying off the one with the smallest balance or the highest interest rate. Focus your efforts on one card at a time.</div><div><br /></div><div>My goal for 2024 is to wipe out my credit card debt. I've stopped using that card and I plan to pay more than the minimum. Hopefully, that would lessen the time Calculator.me estimated it would take for me to be debt-free. Their <a href="https://calculator.me/planning/" target="_blank">Family Budget Calculator</a> can also help me with managing my finances, and soon maybe I can start saving again (their <a href="https://calculator.me/savings/" target="_blank">Savings Calculator</a> is cool, too).</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Wish me luck! </div><div><br /></div><div><div>P.S. Thanks to Pam, Cecile, Kat, Ela, Nikki, and KC for the tips!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>*Wallet and card image from <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/wallet-credit-card-and-gold-coins-isolated-on-blue-background-money-saving-concept-3d-rendering-with-clipping-path-0OxGmiF6SZU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Unsplash</a>.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div><br /><br /><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-85981933944164837262023-09-15T21:00:00.030+08:002023-10-30T21:01:39.525+08:00Review: The End of All Skies by Vincent C. Sales <p><br /></p><p>This weekend is the Manila International Book Fair! That means it's the anniversary of <i>The End Of All Skies</i> by Vincent C. Sales! Here are a few pics of us at his book signing today at SMX. Plus, I'm finally making a book review... after one year!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRsjgtPY9lZO8GtndsVNBtb-1M1_XxAKbKLYSLrsj8jsG0l0ffQ97BQJ4f5gswsG-fM7rA8cdnvrYUZtVQfjqw4nd7AB4ZpolNU0Sv0CCCnGuJFACPyfk1KgdZcHaQoJrfPq0TOcTRXzXHQA7QXrOzw7i7hVdBJsT7vMRiS42-5u8sGDxgmQi/s1728/IMG_20230915_104647.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1727" data-original-width="1728" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRsjgtPY9lZO8GtndsVNBtb-1M1_XxAKbKLYSLrsj8jsG0l0ffQ97BQJ4f5gswsG-fM7rA8cdnvrYUZtVQfjqw4nd7AB4ZpolNU0Sv0CCCnGuJFACPyfk1KgdZcHaQoJrfPq0TOcTRXzXHQA7QXrOzw7i7hVdBJsT7vMRiS42-5u8sGDxgmQi/w640-h640/IMG_20230915_104647.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZaubX6syUvkS1PiE7zw3PdcfyNDCUAXdl6_bgDeaxRWFo7SdhSAnZeydweNT6OpqCJ48tRwA_7E74awd-LnsdgR_674lHeaGJVG0iCGOwPqlkSc-QSpcfkBiNd78KwZMt1fm9DblzZ0BnC-pUabtHyzEalLP2mssjllt0sYbard_ijDIRbv2L/s1727/IMG_20230915_153040.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1727" data-original-width="1726" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZaubX6syUvkS1PiE7zw3PdcfyNDCUAXdl6_bgDeaxRWFo7SdhSAnZeydweNT6OpqCJ48tRwA_7E74awd-LnsdgR_674lHeaGJVG0iCGOwPqlkSc-QSpcfkBiNd78KwZMt1fm9DblzZ0BnC-pUabtHyzEalLP2mssjllt0sYbard_ijDIRbv2L/w640-h640/IMG_20230915_153040.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">One year ago, the entire family trooped to SMX, and even while we were still clutched in the claws of a pandemic, we all decided that this book launch was such a monumental event, that we all had to be there. When a dream comes true, you have to bear witness! Here's a couple of photos from that day a year ago today:</span></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Cwfc_wvBLnmkEUMlVj4CHR3IL7w3heXmOol89jpCdMqUOnKivSg3oMPzeePqX20fhziYE6H0nkqGZtw-oDoZfKhuHcnTkAQ-xKFqqUPsesd2JpXNymBLO7dNATQR1IVp7fMT8kUskgeANY9k95rk4HCb-qJ6V3bDDvCBCDZ5kuW92Fejkrs7/s920/allskies%20blog%201.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="920" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Cwfc_wvBLnmkEUMlVj4CHR3IL7w3heXmOol89jpCdMqUOnKivSg3oMPzeePqX20fhziYE6H0nkqGZtw-oDoZfKhuHcnTkAQ-xKFqqUPsesd2JpXNymBLO7dNATQR1IVp7fMT8kUskgeANY9k95rk4HCb-qJ6V3bDDvCBCDZ5kuW92Fejkrs7/w640-h460/allskies%20blog%201.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys were still so small! In just one year, they're nearly as tall as me!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EukYo54P2jlbCXKZASHfKkR7PAQiErO7iOKSZpc6IaYO0Ri0_fAZ8a35RGOtV29P0d5UE-jF2eK5gak34OhKeMgUiW_pTkIzzY4h0Ai7CzPrDafiOrcO5gHgIcE16OKzKal32vtUpKAJFHLLheCq0Ul0Qj0zCq74QTlwRrVIkfqN5PqbWTaM/s903/allskies%20blog%202.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="903" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EukYo54P2jlbCXKZASHfKkR7PAQiErO7iOKSZpc6IaYO0Ri0_fAZ8a35RGOtV29P0d5UE-jF2eK5gak34OhKeMgUiW_pTkIzzY4h0Ai7CzPrDafiOrcO5gHgIcE16OKzKal32vtUpKAJFHLLheCq0Ul0Qj0zCq74QTlwRrVIkfqN5PqbWTaM/w640-h636/allskies%20blog%202.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vince getting interviewed by the NBDB</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I wanted to share this joyful event with you, my dear Loyal Readers. This was such a happy day. It took Vince years to write his Filipino fantasy novel. It took years of shopping it around. It took years of prayer! And how wonderful that when the fullness of time came, his novel was published by the biggest publisher in the world, <a href="https://penguin.sg/book/the-end-of-all-skies/" target="_blank">Penguin Random House</a>! </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfMad7wShKX2ZhCxMPpH8TMRhoiTfzLn1kzLdH--IeNjcDoy8TPR1WOeBXye9ZeGaXryDNZnbay3Gqy2efvm5Qqz1OHtzONu58bW0APRc00Th43X0eSCp6ThhUGzxbgrFdsGHHU6aJXLD2-G9__j8ynl38fqPBnMuzNv1jtfEjAuPUQ-r3P8f/s812/allskies%20blog%204.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="801" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfMad7wShKX2ZhCxMPpH8TMRhoiTfzLn1kzLdH--IeNjcDoy8TPR1WOeBXye9ZeGaXryDNZnbay3Gqy2efvm5Qqz1OHtzONu58bW0APRc00Th43X0eSCp6ThhUGzxbgrFdsGHHU6aJXLD2-G9__j8ynl38fqPBnMuzNv1jtfEjAuPUQ-r3P8f/w632-h640/allskies%20blog%204.png" width="632" /></a></p><p>Vince's publishing journey is not my story to tell, however. I can only tell some of it and only from a wife's point of view. </p><p>So I'll do a book review instead!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhT7XQwuKX9bWrH4lew3w6rTgwwlkT_HDj55hdtEW7WIp9wuJLrwClhAGE5mhDBeTSTTuL0so04_CBWL1ioR3BLI7fXdHFvfgXFDVzGsqfN__izZ9PTlTA_YOTZbk1jSqM6a5p1EM-SKifmBN4zV1lsNAj4yLaVc6pVfBfT6Pq1qKd07-CKsU/s851/allskies%20blog%203.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="806" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhT7XQwuKX9bWrH4lew3w6rTgwwlkT_HDj55hdtEW7WIp9wuJLrwClhAGE5mhDBeTSTTuL0so04_CBWL1ioR3BLI7fXdHFvfgXFDVzGsqfN__izZ9PTlTA_YOTZbk1jSqM6a5p1EM-SKifmBN4zV1lsNAj4yLaVc6pVfBfT6Pq1qKd07-CKsU/w606-h640/allskies%20blog%203.png" width="606" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I read the book while waiting outside our youngest boy's chess club.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><i>The End Of All Skies</i> is a unique novel. The world building is gorgeous and it takes time to do this so be patient at the start. It's unlike any fantasy world but it's not wholly invented because if you remember all the alamat (myths) we studied way back in elementary school, it's our ancient Filipino stories, our mythical creatures, our old gods. This is why it felt spectacularly imaginative and yet familiar for me as a Filipina, but I think global readers will find it all very new. </p><p><i>The End Of All Skies</i> is about how dreams big and small dreamt by people big and small can achieve something great and terrible. It's told from many points of view and the ancient Filipino names are hard to remember and there are many. It's best to read it in one sitting so you can follow all the stories. And there are many! </p><p>The destruction of the city Sun Girna Ginar is coming and we see it unfolding from all these characters affected by this great and terrible sultanate and the cruel tyrant who rules it. Whose story is real? Whose story matters? All these stories, vignettes of many lives, all fuse in the middle of the book and then, with the settings and characters established, the plot now moves very quickly. In the end, I realized each story is important because each one, no matter how short or fleeting, contributed to the downfall of Sun Girna Ginar.</p><p>The story resonated with me deeply as a Filipino. I think people who were colonized, who struggled with dictators and corrupt governments, who dealt with an alipin (slave) mentality, and who have forgotten their greatness will have a more profound connection with the story. </p><p>I was moved to tears a few times, when I read about heroes who believed the people are worth dying for, about the downtrodden who finally realized they too have power inside them then rose up and overthrew a powerful tyrant, about ordinary people who cleverly faced mythical creatures like tikbalang and gigante to achieve their goals. </p><p>It's a fascinating read! A few reviews said they found it challenging to get into, especially when they're used to just one point of view. I also think people who've never been in a position where imperialists and traitors stole everything from your country will find it fantastical. Sadly in the Philippines, this is still a frighteningly true and relevant story.</p><p><i>The End Of All Skies </i>is worth reading if you're up for something new and different. And powerful and true. </p><p>The language is so beautiful, too. I am a lover of words and the words are so gorgeous, almost poetic. Sometimes I would pause and reread the sentences because they're just so pretty.</p><p>I highly recommend! Proud of this #FilipinoNovel. Proud of the Filipino story. May we #NeverForget who we are!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61349982" target="_blank">More reviews here at Goodreads! </a></p><p>If you're going to the book fair this weekend, all Penguin books are at 20% off at the giant Fully Booked booth! Buy 5 Penguin books and you get a cool Penguin umbrella!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOueQoGbBrKFAGoxqfFQ4Oun88chbUzGuDSmuAC8muGTi_9FjJfYYtlIIHjGUS7sy4AI8Pm1h-_lxHwZrbO7GdZSBtc9elDbe6sBcc4cplMDxBF6tIMMws-hAe5WH6PlnxQ9BqGOzLBEyDy-dl_1zaWk_f3adPEhXhHhI5aPPjlAU1fVI6IF7T/s4608/IMG_20230915_115400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOueQoGbBrKFAGoxqfFQ4Oun88chbUzGuDSmuAC8muGTi_9FjJfYYtlIIHjGUS7sy4AI8Pm1h-_lxHwZrbO7GdZSBtc9elDbe6sBcc4cplMDxBF6tIMMws-hAe5WH6PlnxQ9BqGOzLBEyDy-dl_1zaWk_f3adPEhXhHhI5aPPjlAU1fVI6IF7T/w640-h480/IMG_20230915_115400.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/vince.sales/" target="_blank">Follow Vince on Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VinceSalesAuthor" target="_blank">like his Facebook page</a>!</p><p>Buy <i>The End Of All Skies</i> by Vincent C. Sales from Fully Booked bookstores and <a href="https://www.lazada.com.ph/products/the-end-of-all-skies-i3521974405-s18143155502.html" target="_blank">Acre</a>'s Lazada. It's also available on<i> </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/End-All-Skies-Vincent-Sales/dp/9815017829" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/End-All-Skies-Vincent-Sales-ebook/dp/B0BJVXFL81/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-end-of-all-skies-vincent-c-sales/1141695212" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>, <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/9789815017823" target="_blank">Waterstones</a>, <a href="https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-End-of-All-Skies-by-Vincent-C-Sales/9789815017823" target="_blank">Blackwell's</a>, and other global booksellers. </p><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-51539096563455885412023-09-04T08:51:00.009+08:002024-01-14T11:41:08.206+08:007 Essential Financial Skills Every Aspiring Small Business Owner Should HaveLast week, a co-worker asked me what I was doing before I joined the company. I said, "I'm still doing it. For the last 10 years, I worked as a professional blogger, freelance writer, and editor. It's a real BIR-registered business. And she was surprised because apparently, she doesn't know anyone who owns a small business. And it was my turn to be surprised because Filipinos have an entrepreneurial streak, especially when the pandemic hit. Online sellers, freelancers, sari-sari store owners, etc etc. So she asked me <a href="https://www.topazhorizon.com/2023/07/dos-and-donts-sa-iyong-unang-small.html" target="_blank">how to start a small business</a> and what are good <a href="https://www.topazhorizon.com/2020/04/home-based-business-ideas-make-money.html" target="_blank">home-based business ideas</a>. Click the links to find out!<div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0zzZw5s8na5Y0_b0IuEV57sBDsYy9AYCd70Sk8MMaqMdpAgDlpyTjJn8P2Vr1irBF3hHLZBKmkq9VvVNoxKqcaT23Kz-xZy_QpGkKFx1QYmSt9GwbAGvYIk-x8BQYU_6n7YUcdj-Hbo6CN4HhobfB1HOrBumi0MPPW7E86jT8jS3GZU1TR0W/s640/IMG_0299.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0zzZw5s8na5Y0_b0IuEV57sBDsYy9AYCd70Sk8MMaqMdpAgDlpyTjJn8P2Vr1irBF3hHLZBKmkq9VvVNoxKqcaT23Kz-xZy_QpGkKFx1QYmSt9GwbAGvYIk-x8BQYU_6n7YUcdj-Hbo6CN4HhobfB1HOrBumi0MPPW7E86jT8jS3GZU1TR0W/w640-h480/IMG_0299.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My small business is writing! I enjoy being a writer and interviewing celebrities.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Meanwhile, I also think aspiring entrepreneurs in the Philippines are facing a dynamic business environment that demands a solid understanding of financial principles. Don't just start a business without thinking of the financials! To maximize your chance of success in such a competitive environment, soon-to-be business owners like yourself need to develop sound financial skills. <br /><br />A clear grasp of different financial processes and best practices empowers you to make well-informed investment decisions and confidently negotiate with clients and stakeholders. If you're thinking of starting your own small business or startup, here are seven essential financial skills you should hone to build a strong foundation for your ventures and increase your chances of long-term success and sustainability: <br /><br /><b>1. Debt Management <br /></b><br />Understanding debt management is vital for an aspiring entrepreneur who may need to apply for a <a href="https://www.maya.ph/business/flexi-loan">business loan</a> to start their venture or support its growth. Developing this skill enables people to assess their borrowing needs, choose suitable financing options, and manage debt responsibly. <br /><br />In a business context, effective debt management helps entrepreneurs avoid overleveraging, minimize interest expenses, and maintain a healthy credit profile. A startup company, for instance, might be presented with the option to apply for a business loan Philippines banks are making available to their commercial clients. <br /><br />A startup or small business like yours may find a good fit in the Maya Flexi Loan, a business banking loan that offers low fees and enables entrepreneurs to divide Php 2 million worth of funding into separate loans. Someone with excellent debt management skills will be able to use this flexible financial product to grow their venture and create a repayment plan that aligns with their business's cash flow.<br /><br /><b>2. Budgeting<br /></b><br />Aside from being able to manage business banking loans well, aspiring entrepreneurs should also aim to develop strong budgeting skills. Knowing how to budget your finances and the funds that you’ve received through loans allows you to effectively plan and control your resources. <br /><br />If you know how to create a well-structured budget as a small business entrepreneur, you can estimate your income and expenses, allocate your resources strategically, and avoid overspending, thus ensuring your business remains financially stable. You’ll also be able to identify cost-cutting opportunities, make informed decisions about investments and marketing campaigns, and set realistic financial goals for your organization. <br /><br /><b>3. Financial Forecasting<br /></b><br />Financial forecasting refers to your ability to predict future revenue and expenses based on historical data and market trends. When you master financial forecasting (a skill I have sadly not mastered, hence here I am, an employee again - sigh!), you can anticipate potential challenges and opportunities and make proactive decisions to stay ahead of competitors.<br /><br />Business owners who’ve developed the skill of financial forecasting can play a pivotal role in creating strategies, setting achievable targets, and guiding inventory management. It’s possible to build up this skill by analyzing historical sales data, conducting market research, and employing financial modeling and scenario analysis to project different outcomes.<br /><br /><b>4. Cash Flow Management<br /></b><br />Effective cash flow management is essential for the survival and growth of any business. If you master this skill (again, a skill I failed at because of the pandemic), you’ll likely always have cash on hand to cover daily operational expenses, manage debt, and seize growth opportunities. <br /><br />The skill of effective cash flow management also helps entrepreneurs avoid shortages that may lead to missed payments or disruptions. During periods of positive cash flow, on the other hand, this skill enables businesses to invest in equipment, hire skilled employees, and fund marketing campaigns.<br /><br /><b>5. Record Keeping<br /></b><br />An accurate and organized financial record should serve as a solid foundation for your business decisions. It’s a must, then, for aspiring entrepreneurs like you to make a habit of keeping clear records of all your business transactions, including profits, accounts receivable, and the loans for businesses that the establishment has acquired. Doing so will allow you to get a clear overview of your business's financial health at any time, thus enabling you to assess its performance in the most accurate manner. <br /><br />Proper record-keeping simplifies financial statement preparation and supports evidence-based decision-making, and it also facilitates smooth audits and financial reviews. Consider learning how to use accounting software to streamline record keeping and ensure that your business always has consistent and accurate records. <br /><br />It’s also a sound habit to regularly reconcile bank statements, receipts, and invoices. If you aren’t confident about your current abilities, invest in financial training or hire an accountant to ensure that your records are accurate and up-to-date.<br /><br /><b>6. Pricing Strategy<br /></b><br />Pricing strategy refers to the ability to set the right prices for products or services, and it’s also something aspiring entrepreneurs should learn or pick up. Business owners who are able to master this skill can maximize their profitability and maintain their competitiveness. This is because a well-crafted pricing strategy can attract customers, create perceived value, and boost sales. <br /><br />You’ll be able to determine optimal pricing schemes by understanding production costs, competitor pricing, and customer demand. Boost your capability to optimize pricing, and strike the right balance between profitability and customer satisfaction, by conducting market research, analyzing competitors' pricing strategies, and considering customer feedback. <br /><br /><b>7. Financial Analysis<br /></b><br />Lastly, entrepreneurs should also be able to assess the profitability, liquidity, and overall financial health of their businesses. This skill is called financial analysis, and it allows business owners to gain valuable insights into their venture’s performance. <br /><br />Financial analysis informs decision-making by helping entrepreneurs identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. In a business setting, this skill aids in evaluating investment opportunities, measuring financial efficiency, and formulating growth strategies. Go into your new business venture with the desire to improve your financial analysis skills over time. <br /><br /><br />By developing these skills, entrepreneurs can create strong financial foundations for their businesses, make the most responsive business decisions, and navigate future financial challenges and growth opportunities with confidence. Knowing that continuous learning and applying these financial skills will be instrumental in achieving long-term success and sustainability for your business, aspire to hone these in your journey as an entrepreneur.</div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-86710723547792140582023-08-21T17:23:00.011+08:002023-08-21T18:07:23.417+08:00Questions you should ask at your job interviewHi, mommies who are looking to go back to work after years as a homemaker! Yes, I've been getting your questions about what it's like to jump back in the rat race and I'm taking my time to respond. I'm not ignoring you! I just really don't know how to answer the question because my experience is wholly mine - the industry, the salary, the hours, the coworkers, the way I'm adjusting, the way my family is adjusting. <div><br /></div><div>There are so many aspects to being employed again so it's a complicated question to answer. What matters to me may not be important to you. What makes me unhappy may be something you're praying for. So since my experience may not apply to you, I don't know how to navigate the subject. I'll write a blog post about it once I figure out how I feel.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyaAJitMD50QU4V3Vnj5FX4FZcdOf_FaOT9Gr12IJHo3G9V_oE9Nz0gVXh4OzyLtsb0y6-oKY7OMyUjwfW-wZImo2-OiS3fyTBiCUhS7EoXvAwkhAR_9QD0PA8QveP8A-JD0u4w6FUEso-9U7i5joVPXz1wQ5OneK8k9QOqfl66ATkMf8tWhVf/s4608/IMG_20230722_164059.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyaAJitMD50QU4V3Vnj5FX4FZcdOf_FaOT9Gr12IJHo3G9V_oE9Nz0gVXh4OzyLtsb0y6-oKY7OMyUjwfW-wZImo2-OiS3fyTBiCUhS7EoXvAwkhAR_9QD0PA8QveP8A-JD0u4w6FUEso-9U7i5joVPXz1wQ5OneK8k9QOqfl66ATkMf8tWhVf/w480-h640/IMG_20230722_164059.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've always been a working mom, but for the last 10 years, <br />I was a work-at-home mom with my own business. <br />Working for a company is a whole different animal.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div>So you asked me 3 questions: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"What's going back to work like after all these years?" No answer yet. </li><li>"Where do you work?" I know <a href="https://www.topazhorizon.com/2023/02/im-back.html" target="_blank">I promised to reveal my new job</a> as soon as I get regularized, but I just quietly decided that I want to still be known for my work as a <a href="https://www.francesampersales.com/" target="_blank">writer, editor</a>, <a href="https://www.ukiyotophilippines.com/product-page/not-invisible-a-memoir-1" target="_blank">author</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/leaninmanila" target="_blank">Lean In co-founder</a>. My job isn't a secret. I just don't think my day job needs to be broadcast.</li><li>"How do I answer the interviewer when they say, 'Tell me about yourself'?" Answer below! And I'll add tips on how to ask questions, too! </li></ul></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b>Company: Tell me about yourself.</b><br /><br />I'll be honest. Every time I hear this, my first reaction is, "Did you not read my CV?!" My HR friend said they scan dozens of CVs so, no, they don't recall anything about you at all. So a succinct introduction helps them mark your application as a go or a no.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's how I answer: </div><div>1. I give them a brief background of what I've been doing,</div><div>2. I talk about something I'm passionate about,</div><div>3. I list a few of my skills and strengths that are relevant to the position,</div><div>4. I say what I hope to achieve in my career, not necessarily in their company but it helps if you can connect them.</div><div><br /></div><div>So here's an example: </div><div><br /></div><div>"Hi, I'm Frances. I'm a writer and editor. I've contributed to and edited content in magazines, websites, and e-commerce sites for the last 20 years. I do this very well and quickly, too. I live for deadlines! I have also led teams, and managing people is something I'm good at and truly enjoy. Even my hobbies are about writing and people. I wrote a book about marriage and motherhood. I also have a blog where I try to empower and inspire other moms like me because I'm passionate about helping other women. That's why I co-founded Lean In Manila, which supports women in their work. That's also why the communications manager position you have open interests me. Not only is communications my specific skill set, but I also know your company has helped thousands of Filipinas improve their lives and I want to see how I can be part of that." </div><div><br /></div><div>That's tweakable. Like I said, I just say what's relevant to the position. Now go, try it out. Write down your answer and rehearse it a bit. It's not so hard because you're talking about yourself, but you want to write it down so you won't ramble. </div><div><br /></div><div>But what about if you didn't work at all because you're a homemaker? Own it! Don't be ashamed. I always tell companies that I'm a mom. It's my most important job! Here's a good article: <a href="https://community.thejobnetwork.com/mommy-gap-resume/" target="_blank">"How to explain the mommy gap in your resume"</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, another tip. Be relatable. If I'm speaking to a Filipino, then I speak in Taglish. I know I have to be professional but I also want a friendly vibe. Check also how the person interviewing you is like - are they friendly, nice, kind? Or are they short, condescending, rude? That already tells you a lot about that workplace! </div><div><br /></div><div>I also talk about myself in a happy, proud way because, yes I need a job, but I also want them to see that they need someone skilled, talented, and great to work with - me! That's a first impression you want to make. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>You: So tell me about your company.</b></div><div><br />Yes, mama. Return the favor! Ask them why <i>they</i>'re a good idea. Remember that this job is taking you away from your family for at least 9 hours a day. Is this a place you want to spend that much time in? My work, for example, requires us to be at the office for 10 hours. </div><div><br /></div><div>TEN HOURS. </div><div><br /></div><div>My youngest boy told me last week, "I did some computing, Mama. You leave at 7:15 and then come home at 6:40. Sometimes even later. That's almost 12 hours you're away. You spend more time at your job than with us." </div><div><br /></div><div>💔</div><div><br /></div><div>Yeah, mamas. I'm doing a lot of thinking. Please pray for me.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>😞</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Back to the topic. Job interviews are very much like speed dating and you shouldn't forget that you need to get to know who you're going to spend the best hours of your day with. You have power, too, mama. Don't ever let any HR person make you feel desperate.<br /> <br />So when they start winding down the interview and they ask, “Do you have any questions for us?”, please lay them all out!<br /> <br />Ask the important questions!<br /> <br />Here are a few: </div><div><br /><i><b>Why is this position open? What happened to the person who used to hold this job?</b></i></div><div>Very important! Was the person fired - why? Did the person quit - why? They actually won't answer this honestly, unless it's "The previous manager was promoted to director. In our company, good work is recognized and rewarded." </div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Why is this a good place to work in? Do you like working here? What's keeping you here?</b></i></div><div>This is you exploring the work culture and the benefits they offer.</div><div><br /><i><b>Where is the company headed in 2 to 5 years? </b></i></div><div>You want to know their plans and see if these align with yours. Remember, you're a mommy. Things change with every stage of the kids' life, so you want to gauge if your family life will be affected by the company's future plans.<br /><br /></div><div><i><b>What kind of employee are you looking for? </b></i></div><div>Red flag if they say someone who's willing to work beyond their hours!</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>How is conflict handled? </b></i></div><div>Always, always ask this. Sigh.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>How do you retain employees? Is there an annual merit increase? How is the promotion process like?</b></i> </div><div>You want to know if the increase matches inflation. You also want to know how they promote employees - is there tenure required, for example, or will you be required to take on projects that aren't in your job description, or will they ask you to work extra hours?</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>What are the KPIs?</b></i></div><div>Don't ever forget this! We all think when we see the job description, "Oh, this is right up my alley. I'll be promoted in no time!" Then you find out your KPIs on your first day of work and you realize they set you up for failure.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>What are the next steps?</b></i></div><div>You want to know if they're going to tell you if you got the job or not, especially if it's a not. Some companies just never let you know.</div><div> <br />What else? What else? Let me know in the comments! There’s a lot more, depending on what matters to you. For example, if you're a mom of just one kid and he's old enough and he's doing well in school and has great friends, then maybe spending 10 hours at work isn't such a big deal. But when you have 3 kids and the youngest says he still needs his mama, then...</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvi97Guxrg32IDjdxN7UYmCgGvyfDAZ84QCSfMj0vUgTokV32EMa3524jORA8Yl6fgsPZ9x2RGd11mCxaeiJP0Gtec3jQaYhA1xnk4Z1OwZoutXX3t4luiRHfM5pUrHd_m_e71H0EFxv7fpGg4d0y_o0Kezn80bA8uruWLnTwYUWKmkUkltYC1/s1626/IMG_20230424_194406.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1625" data-original-width="1626" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvi97Guxrg32IDjdxN7UYmCgGvyfDAZ84QCSfMj0vUgTokV32EMa3524jORA8Yl6fgsPZ9x2RGd11mCxaeiJP0Gtec3jQaYhA1xnk4Z1OwZoutXX3t4luiRHfM5pUrHd_m_e71H0EFxv7fpGg4d0y_o0Kezn80bA8uruWLnTwYUWKmkUkltYC1/w640-h640/IMG_20230424_194406.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes, when I get home and I'm not so exhausted, I cook! My family misses my cooking.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In my case, I asked about medical benefits because I have 3 kids and <a href="https://www.topazhorizon.com/2022/11/blood-books-boys-and-my-birthday-busy.html" target="_blank">I got sick last year</a>. Suddenly, health benefits became a priority, which is the second biggest reason I went back to the rat race (the first is regular income - running a business was hard during the pandemic). I liked what the company offered - it was a really good HMO package! - but joke's on me because when I finally got regularized and qualified for HMO, all our family doctors and dentists said they were not affiliated with the particular HMO of our company. So that really, really sucks. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some questions should be asked as soon as they come up in conversation. You don't have to wait till the end of the interview to take out your list! But, yes, write down your questions and let them know you want answers. This lets them know you're serious about the job and yourself. </div><div><br />Remember, a job is a relationship. You're not a slave and your employer is not a dictator. Ask your questions because you need to know what you're walking into. Yes, you want to make a good impression but they need to impress you, too. Will they actually be honest with you? I dunno. But trust your gut.</div><div><br />And then even after all the questions and answers and you finally get hired, you walk into the office and meet your coworkers and you get that sinking feeling in your tummy. "Oh shoot. I've made a mistake." That's okay. There's a probation period of 4-6 months for you... and the company! Yes, you should work hard and give your best, but keep your eyes and ears open and see if the company is giving its best to you, too. </div><div><br /></div><div>Good luck with your job search and interview! <br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div></div></div></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-23140265823313265182023-07-31T21:42:00.004+08:002023-08-03T06:57:10.497+08:00Many, many things<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheR5KpHXRkLT7R0yq_iXdIFvpVl22RM04ScaUYEo-XPH4YTPaipeElz1xD3y9086sOG89An43pD1n5LfywCaOWWfvSZj_rg3WDM34IZqsdF-Og8MUhKxRGlSHjk38ITaJB7prpBHcAnIpJii_j_uWwqMWEvfNp1At-5s9vi40Urwrc8zyqR6Rj/s1587/IMG_20230715_103154.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1587" data-original-width="1586" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheR5KpHXRkLT7R0yq_iXdIFvpVl22RM04ScaUYEo-XPH4YTPaipeElz1xD3y9086sOG89An43pD1n5LfywCaOWWfvSZj_rg3WDM34IZqsdF-Og8MUhKxRGlSHjk38ITaJB7prpBHcAnIpJii_j_uWwqMWEvfNp1At-5s9vi40Urwrc8zyqR6Rj/w640-h640/IMG_20230715_103154.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Oh, look, I'm wearing heels again! As a stay-at-home mom, I've been either barefoot or in sneakers. Then I went back to the office this year but since I commute, I'm still in sneakers. I wear the footwear my role requires. So these heels are for when I met a fascinating group of amazing women for Lean In Manila. <p></p><p dir="ltr">I've been so many things. Church receptionist. Preschool teacher. Creative writing for kids teacher. English teacher for Koreans. Senate slave. Speechwriter. PR girl. Writer. Magazine editor. Blogger. Influencer. Business owner. Speaker at women's events. Co-founder. Author. Book editor. And now communications manager at a thoroughly corporate corporation.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Every step into a new world was painful. I sound so casual about it, but I always cry and cry whenever I leave a job because, it can't be helped, I begin to identify as the job - always a bad idea, my long career experience will say. And leaving a job, getting fired (yes, I got fired for being honest!), getting laid off, is always shitty.</p>
<p dir="ltr">When I was a kid, I vowed I will be just one thing all my life. My mother was in Meralco forever and she said that's the dream - one company till you retire. Like a marriage, I guess. But my resume says I've not been one thing at all. </p><p dir="ltr">My sons argued, "But you have been, Mama! You've always worked with words." </p><p dir="ltr">"It's the only thing I'm good at."</p>
<p dir="ltr">It's been interesting being many things, meeting many kinds of people, jumping into things I know absolutely nothing about and just going, "Well, if I fail, then next!" I owe this confidence to Vince, by the way, because he catches me. And I catch him.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Anyway, I don't have a point. Just a story to tell. That life is interesting. And people are interesting. I just need to be curious and willing to say yes to new adventures, especially those I swore I'm not brave enough to do or know. Like new careers, marriage, children, people I thought I'd never be friends with, God. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I'm 46. I know I'm only just warming up. Whether that new world requires sneakers or heels, I'm still so excited to see where I'm going next!</p><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-49678354738333908622023-07-12T22:45:00.016+08:002023-08-03T06:56:41.439+08:00Do’s and Don'ts sa iyong unang small businessI'm a sole proprietor of my writing and editing business. I had no idea how to start a small business but thanks to my friends in Taxumo, they helped me. So if you're dreaming, hoping, and wanting to start your own negosyo, research, ask around from entrepreneurial friends, and take the leap! Here's a guest post that I'm sure will be of help!<div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6ypiz4rhhyc1R55OD99W78HH0VHJoDXWxveQom1B5HsFvdSL-csgdn4Kh9S76lm7QpbmqEAwYuUQGHq3PL4bvSV9SsbCgE-lsqWXdAUNJtB9u_AuyQNC_aATamJwKh_LLR8Rvo9eMclvOTknUjcJHJ1FFs5B2_jcsIYFwM79zBOFSDDxj_zO/s1077/small%20business%20idea%20online%20selling.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="1077" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6ypiz4rhhyc1R55OD99W78HH0VHJoDXWxveQom1B5HsFvdSL-csgdn4Kh9S76lm7QpbmqEAwYuUQGHq3PL4bvSV9SsbCgE-lsqWXdAUNJtB9u_AuyQNC_aATamJwKh_LLR8Rvo9eMclvOTknUjcJHJ1FFs5B2_jcsIYFwM79zBOFSDDxj_zO/w640-h426/small%20business%20idea%20online%20selling.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let your money grow!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div>Ikaw ba ay nagpaplano na magbukas ng iyong <a href="https://www.smartsari.com/stories/small-business-ideas-120869" target="_blank">small business ideas</a>? When it’s your first time starting a business, it is better to start small. Lalo na kung limited lang ang iyong puhunan, magandang panimula ang small business ideas para matuto sa paghandle ng iyong negosyo.<div><br /></div><div>Kung ikaw ay desidido na magbukas ng iyong small business, ito ang mga tips at mga do’s and don’ts when starting your small business! <br /><br /><b>DO: Research your market<br /></b><br />Ang pinaka-mahalagang step when starting your business is to research your market. Mahalagang alamin kung ano ang wants at needs ng iyong mga customer. Ang mga tanong na mahalagang sagutin ay “Sino ang iyong target market?” “Ano ang mga kadalasang needs at wants ng iyong target market?” at “paano mo maaaring punan ang mga pangangailangan na ito?”</div><div><br /></div><div>This first step is the important part when making the decision on whether to open your business, what services or products to offer, at kung ang iyong posibleng branding. <br /><br /><b>DON’T: Skip business planning<br /></b><br />Never skip business planning! Mula sa market research, ang sunod na step ay to plan your business and have an outline. It is important to specify your goals and vision for your business, para rin iyong malaman ang possible steps and methods kung paano mo aabutin ang iyong mga goals. <br /><br /><b>DO: Get your business permit<br /></b><br />Common misconception sa mga small business owners na hindi na kailangan ng permit para magsimula ng negosyo. Pero alam mo ba na mahalaga itong step para sa iyong negosyo?</div><div><br /></div><div>Bukod sa makakaiwas ka sa komplikasyon dahil legal ang iyong negosyo, isa rin itong mahalagang factor para mapalago ang iyong negosyo sa future. If you want to expand your business in the future, kailangan mo ang mga permit na ito to get your loans and fundings sorted out. <br /><br /><b>DON’T: Be shy when promoting your business<br /></b><br />One of the traits you should have is confidence and trust in your business. Huwag ka dapat mahiya na ipakilala ang iyong bagong negosyo sa iyong mga kamag anak, kakilala, at mga kaibigan! Sabi nga nila, ang tunay mong mga kaibigan ang siyang susuporta sa iyong business venture.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mahalaga rin na gamitin mo ang social media to promote your business. Hindi mo agad kailangan gumamit ng paid ads, mahalaga lang ay alam mo ang kiliti ng iyong mga customer. <br /><br /><b>DO: Keep track of your financials <br /></b><br />A small business is still a business. It is important to respect your hard work and your goals by keeping track of your finances. Make sure to take note of what goes in and out of your finances. Dito rin makikita kung tunay na mabenta ang iyong mga produkto, malaki ba ang losses, o kung anong specific products and services ang pinaka gusto ng iyong mga customer. <br /><br /><b>DON’T: Give up easily on your plans<br /></b><br />Owning a business is no walk in the park. May mga panahon na hindi mo mare-reach ang iyong goals, o may challenges na makakasalubong. Pero ang mahalaga ay maniwala ka sa iyong goals at ang iyong pangarap. Do not give up on your small business dreams!</div><div><br /></div><div>Are you ready to start your small business? Milk tea business man iyan o <a href="https://www.smartsari.com/" target="_blank">sari-sari store</a> business, your first negosyo is the start of your big dreams!<br /></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@micheile" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Micheile Henderson, Unsplash</a></span></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-59681742634930783942023-06-25T23:04:00.008+08:002023-06-25T23:07:43.668+08:00Life is so full, I can barely breathe<p>Photo dump! Today's blog post will be a catch-up because my last time here was April 30. That was almost 2 months ago. This has got to be the longest I've been away from you all. I missed you! </p><p>The last 2 months were packed to the brim - no, it was overflowing! - with sooo many things happening, I could barely breathe. Here are a few:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzc8jniSQ7achP8BbBrYb4vFDWmkqo76xhQQLLtK-kKtMg_E37xm-lxivdRo_0tRn132OQ1gIeFHZOi-UC6q83KAB-H_TD8eGgJzm26B6nrTz0xDLfQjw71vYBBYyAjXyswPLH88DAApn9I6_9xPC3dXUyHjho5V2nAZfAjEbUoLEWQg6wQw/s3942/346116710_546756120739260_5016434697643679916_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2957" data-original-width="3942" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzc8jniSQ7achP8BbBrYb4vFDWmkqo76xhQQLLtK-kKtMg_E37xm-lxivdRo_0tRn132OQ1gIeFHZOi-UC6q83KAB-H_TD8eGgJzm26B6nrTz0xDLfQjw71vYBBYyAjXyswPLH88DAApn9I6_9xPC3dXUyHjho5V2nAZfAjEbUoLEWQg6wQw/w640-h480/346116710_546756120739260_5016434697643679916_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mother's Day!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqgSdmkjedkRXcqYqeg3ItFBUro34VwMicl5QQ6fny-LDZbhg0OvI4WeaQkd2aadChhzF6y6-mWkNS6gOdsP6VHdlA-5HVy2LqMU-LVm177jmgOUwAW2evBKjRowST_pLMWZDsMGppZhK6BuX7oQ9u1kyswVpXCyuxNXJM2ST6oBlMlJIIUD0/s4096/346074464_971460763889217_146916932197534440_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqgSdmkjedkRXcqYqeg3ItFBUro34VwMicl5QQ6fny-LDZbhg0OvI4WeaQkd2aadChhzF6y6-mWkNS6gOdsP6VHdlA-5HVy2LqMU-LVm177jmgOUwAW2evBKjRowST_pLMWZDsMGppZhK6BuX7oQ9u1kyswVpXCyuxNXJM2ST6oBlMlJIIUD0/w640-h480/346074464_971460763889217_146916932197534440_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iñigo's birthday! More pics in another post soon.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsApXJhQGd8BUwdr9cwcrgfeXhRw9yk0Ip5GJE_1pvvS1aFXc4EDDE90fIbDCwDcVUw-y4IUQak3iyGyRwOygiT7ZIk0FQkHqBEMf5P6MeBSZ3ta1L-9OdjY_DWApBVQl8XImIp2C7S50MyFiXNKuOPM2P_6R8sjueKNp24oB48s1eURpVA/s1728/344557664_255786967023158_6804768834562332054_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1726" data-original-width="1728" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsApXJhQGd8BUwdr9cwcrgfeXhRw9yk0Ip5GJE_1pvvS1aFXc4EDDE90fIbDCwDcVUw-y4IUQak3iyGyRwOygiT7ZIk0FQkHqBEMf5P6MeBSZ3ta1L-9OdjY_DWApBVQl8XImIp2C7S50MyFiXNKuOPM2P_6R8sjueKNp24oB48s1eURpVA/w640-h640/344557664_255786967023158_6804768834562332054_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vito's spiritual retreat was his first ever time spent away from us. I had dreadful separation anxiety. But I'm so glad he had a good time and he was a lovely boy, being all appreciative of his family.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikqI_fTe_mg34ddoX1PGyH088oAcSuHCVAzbblhWOnKhYwxnVMm8jbzfcjahzuGsS_kZvQIkNilxND7fBEK6RmsTUXyYslALb6nUh4OHAC8wlIxJPRikSL7C4z4sd3nTD0j65YPA4xjA4JTYgJUkzwtD5gZpE3dlOnKjcsmVsJeW0xzRUSw/s3841/351096615_807758713881055_7555903405685778465_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2881" data-original-width="3841" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikqI_fTe_mg34ddoX1PGyH088oAcSuHCVAzbblhWOnKhYwxnVMm8jbzfcjahzuGsS_kZvQIkNilxND7fBEK6RmsTUXyYslALb6nUh4OHAC8wlIxJPRikSL7C4z4sd3nTD0j65YPA4xjA4JTYgJUkzwtD5gZpE3dlOnKjcsmVsJeW0xzRUSw/w640-h480/351096615_807758713881055_7555903405685778465_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vito's graduation!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GeKloD2-ypDYkJUbLJAOl31mOulb7Euiq-wgKSoeC64bEZpC_SopKqV-NP78nQ7PwSsQNNL87gxsvGd_h_IjL9nwVZNQ8JjZ3Ii4rms6ZCqI-NdDL6E6xk1yBVtYPZaUu-xD3dzFAsn7lH5JTQdzcjOEDmd1rgK-Gjpi5916CN_Du0jsFQ/s3158/350628691_753934153127807_366155850924901201_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2369" data-original-width="3158" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GeKloD2-ypDYkJUbLJAOl31mOulb7Euiq-wgKSoeC64bEZpC_SopKqV-NP78nQ7PwSsQNNL87gxsvGd_h_IjL9nwVZNQ8JjZ3Ii4rms6ZCqI-NdDL6E6xk1yBVtYPZaUu-xD3dzFAsn7lH5JTQdzcjOEDmd1rgK-Gjpi5916CN_Du0jsFQ/w640-h480/350628691_753934153127807_366155850924901201_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He won 2 awards, too!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzu1PgSogp9xOnZm9tBB6yhQY3A7WxrRHrhCxwM-6jgVt7u6v8oEwq4qRnK0iBVfY9tKuQ1Ese1PHOiGTOFrh6c8ChMW9x2kF_hFDq2rWEfCiDnNl-02ril2IxWb6mqphwwhLx5mLov5IeMuUkVk2hr4rySQUIr2Ualzpl7cG-CR4Qsz30A/s4096/351271754_640410034306652_1811724795400319153_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzu1PgSogp9xOnZm9tBB6yhQY3A7WxrRHrhCxwM-6jgVt7u6v8oEwq4qRnK0iBVfY9tKuQ1Ese1PHOiGTOFrh6c8ChMW9x2kF_hFDq2rWEfCiDnNl-02ril2IxWb6mqphwwhLx5mLov5IeMuUkVk2hr4rySQUIr2Ualzpl7cG-CR4Qsz30A/w640-h480/351271754_640410034306652_1811724795400319153_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm so thrilled!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtJ8iFJ7tiH6PAo5CB39dOilyxpBM4deyDJy3pZ18LX3AvpvgAFG3WJgdHSir7xhCEOSA0nPUP2yo7s3CqP5ln61VF3OxSAKLqI8liLXGNSi7eDqiPuU0yozs3wg_Lo6edi7fARfmfju-2NUJh87-9sqorahhT0r3Aw4StRoRV9U4IYf2ew/s4096/350834037_974039930308821_6088442126897185720_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtJ8iFJ7tiH6PAo5CB39dOilyxpBM4deyDJy3pZ18LX3AvpvgAFG3WJgdHSir7xhCEOSA0nPUP2yo7s3CqP5ln61VF3OxSAKLqI8liLXGNSi7eDqiPuU0yozs3wg_Lo6edi7fARfmfju-2NUJh87-9sqorahhT0r3Aw4StRoRV9U4IYf2ew/w640-h480/350834037_974039930308821_6088442126897185720_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my two big boys</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZ9kH-eGCFisjysDN4jNclGJYr4wWDYhrI6ReBmqpXk0jla2P7WvaJu0bRioX3Gg4a7e98b-0oQfYNeXEiPibh472euwQMRRKugi4WoR68efz-U1CPvTtQXAabo4_zLZjUaGGIma5osufCc0Dge8R_No7VMo1mAFJxlIRvoLDsZ6wHv5DIw/s4096/350871227_639557634358298_424505715601299178_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZ9kH-eGCFisjysDN4jNclGJYr4wWDYhrI6ReBmqpXk0jla2P7WvaJu0bRioX3Gg4a7e98b-0oQfYNeXEiPibh472euwQMRRKugi4WoR68efz-U1CPvTtQXAabo4_zLZjUaGGIma5osufCc0Dge8R_No7VMo1mAFJxlIRvoLDsZ6wHv5DIw/w480-h640/350871227_639557634358298_424505715601299178_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here's my husband with our littlest boy.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lots of stuff I haven't been sharing! Here are more photos from the past year!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSjhvklo4xytHVQDT6GZVTuemk2iEHzxKoN1d6fNHt4Umipiuy7Jpv6BEcvc-Z_iKJjClMuafBOJORcWrLE__gsOSotDTGrm6JpkIDZMnSkuqWWu52_lE-aZN2WXWS7PySCnwJc6i-T6IRLnQDqpgSqoO2OJR42dfaukW1rmRW3PpPnuul3Q/s4096/328308952_649687723575945_4263331716011704661_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSjhvklo4xytHVQDT6GZVTuemk2iEHzxKoN1d6fNHt4Umipiuy7Jpv6BEcvc-Z_iKJjClMuafBOJORcWrLE__gsOSotDTGrm6JpkIDZMnSkuqWWu52_lE-aZN2WXWS7PySCnwJc6i-T6IRLnQDqpgSqoO2OJR42dfaukW1rmRW3PpPnuul3Q/w640-h480/328308952_649687723575945_4263331716011704661_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the sea wall. The kids haven't seen the sea in forever so I found it amusing how amazed they were.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfAtfNXL4P83eIAgdkONoj--LBJ648vR68aPqULI2i6R5JobEhzujsFIb11a83uyeYTjmP3JFTU1PHNG3WOPRJIy32oPSjHLc3e4Z0ZnVtTorJMUa7haBvbpp_YehTRYU0EmXsv3rWBocVcZ0DO30K8lvSBGHOc4f28yyBVMot-ntRLaM1w/s2048/325584089_1374815216662964_7578371640334075214_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfAtfNXL4P83eIAgdkONoj--LBJ648vR68aPqULI2i6R5JobEhzujsFIb11a83uyeYTjmP3JFTU1PHNG3WOPRJIy32oPSjHLc3e4Z0ZnVtTorJMUa7haBvbpp_YehTRYU0EmXsv3rWBocVcZ0DO30K8lvSBGHOc4f28yyBVMot-ntRLaM1w/w480-h640/325584089_1374815216662964_7578371640334075214_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piero joined a chess club.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRdpdtn7_L0BTR3-jphGdKOVPhJoLQbWqwapCUQxMf7hzO3EhFYP0DH25VLXeiASxz_Vqv0EoxqVXUibvKgChQwcfdZ_FxQ1CCz9es4g85klTs2YZKwHNCMScke7LMw88aSSiuKdZxHD-Geiu5J947vEZ8Ef6bqmjYDefY6-4zwXsCZtx0Q/s2048/337170432_138455022282081_3591606164937056044_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRdpdtn7_L0BTR3-jphGdKOVPhJoLQbWqwapCUQxMf7hzO3EhFYP0DH25VLXeiASxz_Vqv0EoxqVXUibvKgChQwcfdZ_FxQ1CCz9es4g85klTs2YZKwHNCMScke7LMw88aSSiuKdZxHD-Geiu5J947vEZ8Ef6bqmjYDefY6-4zwXsCZtx0Q/w480-h640/337170432_138455022282081_3591606164937056044_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids also visited the dentist and all's good!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqa9DX1kOl6u3CPwJlCFNcit03T0eQFauAYiuLavLNYEHtu0BGcVFQdnXkjabhrYl8LnFFoVBLJYIrCrHaYw1Oa6AvIRJtYW99sS-Bikx22Elbt1M1sK5aKeg-SdhofPpCHaQABPdTaQGFhQMeKZrkXw08ZMaFu_2_L0o1GBPlTrHp768NsA/s1344/337331150_1646104769158177_8985381758668644476_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="1344" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqa9DX1kOl6u3CPwJlCFNcit03T0eQFauAYiuLavLNYEHtu0BGcVFQdnXkjabhrYl8LnFFoVBLJYIrCrHaYw1Oa6AvIRJtYW99sS-Bikx22Elbt1M1sK5aKeg-SdhofPpCHaQABPdTaQGFhQMeKZrkXw08ZMaFu_2_L0o1GBPlTrHp768NsA/w640-h640/337331150_1646104769158177_8985381758668644476_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dessert date with the boys!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsVrgnj-JYaNpzy64f-o93oKLnUoNvqi7knNfBgfjcczGSoCRRJNUcgCEoRvXzFDacJWfNfM6DhORL_hA0VUVz_dfMyQMsuy8aXwSi7k5h_rQivBxVTAHjoXq_svktXV-WHwkzx5L3Mu9s_J61376bRuBnv2TcCmnEqHJ86q2QhCWfoPt2D9t/s762/Screenshot%202023-06-25%20225551.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="683" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsVrgnj-JYaNpzy64f-o93oKLnUoNvqi7knNfBgfjcczGSoCRRJNUcgCEoRvXzFDacJWfNfM6DhORL_hA0VUVz_dfMyQMsuy8aXwSi7k5h_rQivBxVTAHjoXq_svktXV-WHwkzx5L3Mu9s_J61376bRuBnv2TcCmnEqHJ86q2QhCWfoPt2D9t/w574-h640/Screenshot%202023-06-25%20225551.png" width="574" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiVRISXEaspS-WH022H4fGP3Q8oytdmVMQAzGkqkznTb6bLy4cSLfI-jHJjPhQwLbKRJUfQXLk8eg-TUri2vvVqW75BmwleYp9oraJA9G7fhdRTKy9WGYw5eExbtJOuK76jlqaqbgk6hDmH_HT1tPjCAjR0X4xTzCXDR2lTWaViK5Xt4yy95a/s909/Screenshot%202023-06-25%20225533.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="909" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiVRISXEaspS-WH022H4fGP3Q8oytdmVMQAzGkqkznTb6bLy4cSLfI-jHJjPhQwLbKRJUfQXLk8eg-TUri2vvVqW75BmwleYp9oraJA9G7fhdRTKy9WGYw5eExbtJOuK76jlqaqbgk6hDmH_HT1tPjCAjR0X4xTzCXDR2lTWaViK5Xt4yy95a/w640-h604/Screenshot%202023-06-25%20225533.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vince had a book signing at the Philippine Book Festival and his book was sold out!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh, I have soooo many more photos and stories but work - my day job + my real job as writer and editor - has been a LOT so I haven't been able to update you. Really just wanted to drop by and tell you life's been overwhelming. I'm overwhelmed, to be honest. Like I said, sometimes I feel I can't breathe. Sunod-sunod kasi talaga! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But I'm not complaining. I pray to God, "Lord, give me strength, give me more years. Everything is tiring me out but I want the whole human experience. I don't want to miss out because I only have this one chance to live the abundant life You promised." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Abundance! Claiming it every day. Thanks for still being here, dear Loyal Reader. May God grant you endless blessings and favor!</div><div><br /></div><br /><i>“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10</i><br /><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-21881487664626477522023-04-30T00:00:00.004+08:002023-05-01T16:48:55.898+08:00I like to imagine<p>Over the last few years, some dear Loyal Readers dropped messages in my inbox asking if I was ever going to talk about Papa because I said I would. I promised it in "<a href="https://www.topazhorizon.com/2019/04/when-peace-is-complicated-thing.html" target="_blank">When peace is a complicated thing</a>," and maybe you should read that first because it will help you understand this post. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0DVSd20WGT4DW4ycX4dZnGlnVZRfcdyieBllFtUNW-28Lbr2ajI6zt-Q1zLLVHw9fPvvCaaie57sGFipY3PrvGztKQGLxQlwX8JDu3Q0W_EkLIEgiGuLjLkaZAMV1iL5MPW_rqTq3F-IK9puLyE5QBazwLQZuk7N3fWtULmNsLyJ9rG8qw/s1200/PapaWeddingVeil.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="1200" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0DVSd20WGT4DW4ycX4dZnGlnVZRfcdyieBllFtUNW-28Lbr2ajI6zt-Q1zLLVHw9fPvvCaaie57sGFipY3PrvGztKQGLxQlwX8JDu3Q0W_EkLIEgiGuLjLkaZAMV1iL5MPW_rqTq3F-IK9puLyE5QBazwLQZuk7N3fWtULmNsLyJ9rG8qw/w640-h428/PapaWeddingVeil.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Papa died in April 2019, and while I had peppered my blog with stories of how Papa and I had drifted apart in the last two decades of his life, I still thought I would feel his loss. People told me that I would regret our distance. That I would regret not trying harder. </p><p>But I'd already tried. Talked, gave (how much I gave!), forgave, tried again. I was always trying because I felt that I owed that to him because he was my father, and that I owed it to Mama, who also always tried till the day she died. I found out later from my aunt that Mama regretted trying to make it work all the damn time. So that informed my decision to walk away later on when the straw finally broke the camel's back. </p><p>That was the day when I visited him yet again with my little baby boys, and he just kept watching TV. Nakwento ko na ba ito? Anyway, there was a basketball game. He loved basketball. But I was there, and with his grandsons, too! Surely he loved us more? So I said, "Papa, look at your apos. Play with them. Or play the guitar. They love music! Get to know them. We're only here once a month, and they grow so fast." And Papa, without looking away from the TV, said, "I don't have to. I know all I need to know from your Facebook posts." </p><p>I was shocked, but not surprised. I guess the shock was him saying that in front of my kids. I tried again. "But you know Facebook is just the highlight reel. Don't you want to know how we really are?"</p><p>And still not taking his eyes off his stupid basketball game, he said, "I'm okay with Facebook."</p><p>So I let him be okay with Facebook. He shared my sons' photos with gushing updates and his 5,000+ friends liked and commented, "You're such a great lolo! So blessed!" They never knew he never asked to see my sons, never even asked about them. Kahit text man lang na "Kumusta na ang mga bata?" wala. He went out of his way to see friends and relatives na mas malayo pa sa bahay ko, but my sons? No. Ni ha, ni ho, wala.</p><p>I can forgive anything done to me. But it's a different story when it comes to my kids. If you're not making an effort to get to know my kids, then they don't need to know you. It took me a long time to learn that I shouldn't force myself on friends, guys, jobs, situations. Kung ayaw, eh di huwag, diba? </p><p>Why then should I force my children on people who don't care about them? My sons don't deserve that indignity. I say this with no anger at all. I'm over it frankly. Papa and I had forgiven each other before he died. Tapos na yun. But people ask what happened and here is the story. Now you know. It's sad. Some people say, "Para yun lang." It's not "yun lang" for me. Reject my kids, I reject you. Any good parent will do the same to protect their children. Even then, believe it or not, I have no anger or hate at all. Not even disappointment. I expected it after all. </p><p>People still ask sometimes, "Do you miss him? Do you regret not having a relationship with your Papa?" And I know they want me to say I do. And you know what? I also wish I could say I do. </p><p>Listen to this song. Remove the romance aspect of the lyrics and that's how I feel about Papa. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/yYchF3OLkm4" width="480"></iframe></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcftJ8Jg2HSmuMrHZPbcJF-hiG6f6gLA-VZ5uKLw5ksuAs9uZ2eDRuRN4TCsYrpJPPw6JOdiuNEkyZD_A8zlXT4P1WkdNkbMFTAen3Y-Wyf8uMvlDHEdUV_McMCYzUaCi4uuF2ppG1oNH6YaYqaNJUTZQjebkKo12kFlpdxdDLFqs2wHI0jQ/s1728/IMG_20210216_132531.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1728" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcftJ8Jg2HSmuMrHZPbcJF-hiG6f6gLA-VZ5uKLw5ksuAs9uZ2eDRuRN4TCsYrpJPPw6JOdiuNEkyZD_A8zlXT4P1WkdNkbMFTAen3Y-Wyf8uMvlDHEdUV_McMCYzUaCi4uuF2ppG1oNH6YaYqaNJUTZQjebkKo12kFlpdxdDLFqs2wHI0jQ/w400-h256/IMG_20210216_132531.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbrpRpGcMpuQzLJx1YZlw8eHyiYxVGLa0Ix8VhNe2BUw3UWcCVUaetY5k5sCpd5CRiFAHh4nhNNZ_yslZbNqB7gItX-_JS-tk-e08OjSl2rk4eCAxPmJ6RExetQfgAVEEqwXP5ToqkD9TJCff0TiY5NYPCXd9HTmfUMU6fgFj9zkaRrRKVQ/s1728/IMG_20210216_132517.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="1728" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbrpRpGcMpuQzLJx1YZlw8eHyiYxVGLa0Ix8VhNe2BUw3UWcCVUaetY5k5sCpd5CRiFAHh4nhNNZ_yslZbNqB7gItX-_JS-tk-e08OjSl2rk4eCAxPmJ6RExetQfgAVEEqwXP5ToqkD9TJCff0TiY5NYPCXd9HTmfUMU6fgFj9zkaRrRKVQ/w400-h255/IMG_20210216_132517.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjibGqhjRDyffTvJ50ihXiGl0rKB5LasR5zE0cHmUiyQePH5De3TqrUloLqvmEsYshA3mGG3DgPF6iGfOSL1ac0Lj-9fS-zcgPhbhyL0AvdWyXdELXKJgOeJ2wYoNuoUzW7L5F3Y4PVC8TE6wKvR3PBIlaV6aSRaTr0OolPp7gjkdhD9mvg/s1728/IMG_20210216_132503.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1728" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjibGqhjRDyffTvJ50ihXiGl0rKB5LasR5zE0cHmUiyQePH5De3TqrUloLqvmEsYshA3mGG3DgPF6iGfOSL1ac0Lj-9fS-zcgPhbhyL0AvdWyXdELXKJgOeJ2wYoNuoUzW7L5F3Y4PVC8TE6wKvR3PBIlaV6aSRaTr0OolPp7gjkdhD9mvg/w400-h249/IMG_20210216_132503.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixIgExFWHpprN8nBIa4SAp6hZyMcE8C6xqFTaV9L62Cbp9VKWhKcU8LCtv35G-SNfF4VXxFsotDMCM2NqwD499ppl0KmK_pv_pKhi5RKSSASVo5TUpwP1r9RfAUvhHoDPT8wmMV_dsinWmcXjiHswX3MFr8D8uJTsGfRSDn66NuBZuFe_yw/s1356/IMG_20210216_132439.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1356" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixIgExFWHpprN8nBIa4SAp6hZyMcE8C6xqFTaV9L62Cbp9VKWhKcU8LCtv35G-SNfF4VXxFsotDMCM2NqwD499ppl0KmK_pv_pKhi5RKSSASVo5TUpwP1r9RfAUvhHoDPT8wmMV_dsinWmcXjiHswX3MFr8D8uJTsGfRSDn66NuBZuFe_yw/w400-h319/IMG_20210216_132439.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOMdP4_cJnG09KcH7wNKBzWZFEdosLtX4wy0TP-ckPyyuigAoFI3_DWWb9agPag47BN1ODcJSYmOV1rdOii5p16-tZRz5XWVdXiJw08rWHnKGTPLVaZCgGCgm4g1e6H4fRDJqH33faN8mkIsDhtGm9tZz3dOkXlarB7--Io6yN3e-BN67Jg/s1086/IMG_20210216_132402.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1085" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOMdP4_cJnG09KcH7wNKBzWZFEdosLtX4wy0TP-ckPyyuigAoFI3_DWWb9agPag47BN1ODcJSYmOV1rdOii5p16-tZRz5XWVdXiJw08rWHnKGTPLVaZCgGCgm4g1e6H4fRDJqH33faN8mkIsDhtGm9tZz3dOkXlarB7--Io6yN3e-BN67Jg/w400-h400/IMG_20210216_132402.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGWAbods-fWq1fewW13fvDiolh4H9o6rFnf_IRDsSk82zKWscWuXqmdTPN1QYIBXqNobQv5oRTWbS9tmmquKyQ4zB7_zEduvxhAfxP_xYTDKyFV0ERzDU_VXzNBQnxNUHC0aEVf3_h80fOWHoHgOWCAYflVh3utreMO4cVAitRFkg1kY6GA/s1728/IMG_20210216_132604.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="1728" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGWAbods-fWq1fewW13fvDiolh4H9o6rFnf_IRDsSk82zKWscWuXqmdTPN1QYIBXqNobQv5oRTWbS9tmmquKyQ4zB7_zEduvxhAfxP_xYTDKyFV0ERzDU_VXzNBQnxNUHC0aEVf3_h80fOWHoHgOWCAYflVh3utreMO4cVAitRFkg1kY6GA/w400-h236/IMG_20210216_132604.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisx2vsjvRdfEWfeZ7mC-rlYDBNKlfVc5BL_7bwjLdqAyo0vXWOVgywpxSfz0sUI3R2fc-mCcJc3ZL5ug0lVC-kHP_TnliHjNUJpP1I6uLcK1U3o-8xD0L2U6hhEMFOw8gW84Kqw5syD7JlrQt877eFbWKvgJLJauzvxcBJqt9PJYIj5xxsmg/s1081/IMG_20210216_132337.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisx2vsjvRdfEWfeZ7mC-rlYDBNKlfVc5BL_7bwjLdqAyo0vXWOVgywpxSfz0sUI3R2fc-mCcJc3ZL5ug0lVC-kHP_TnliHjNUJpP1I6uLcK1U3o-8xD0L2U6hhEMFOw8gW84Kqw5syD7JlrQt877eFbWKvgJLJauzvxcBJqt9PJYIj5xxsmg/w400-h400/IMG_20210216_132337.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I want it to hurt. I want to hurt so badly because that would mean I lost something so vital, it hurts to breathe. <div><br /></div><div>When Mama died, it truly felt like someone punched a hole through my chest. Until now, I whisper sometimes into the void, "<a href="https://www.topazhorizon.com/2013/09/my-mothers-answered-prayers.html" target="_blank">I wish you could see me now, Mama. You'd be so proud of me.</a>" And I'd tell her about Vince, our perfect boys, my imperfect ways of mothering. I'd ask her did she feel as lost or as amazing as I do. I'd tell her my heart breaks when I realize she didn't have money many times, and I only understand the despair and fear now as a mother, too. And I come from a place of having enough when she raised us with barely enough to get by. I still talk to her, and for 15 years she hasn't talked back. I think I'll do this until we finally catch up in heaven.</div><div><br /></div><div>But with Papa... I remember only one time when I cried. I was in a taxi. This was a few months after Papa died, still before the pandemic, and I was stuck in traffic. I saw another taxi idling by the curb on the other side of the street, the driver helping an old man load suitcases into the trunk. A young woman hurried to him with another bag. They both hugged like they'd never see each other again, and I knew she was flying off to work in another country. The taxi drove off (it wasn't traffic on that side of the road) and the old man stared after it for a long time. And that sad, longing, proud-parent smile broke me.</div><div><br /></div><div>I never had that with Papa. When I left home, when I got married, when Mama died, when he left to live in Leyte, when my kids were born. Nothing. He was like, "Hey, this is it. So good luck." No joke, guys. Talagang wala lang talaga. I got more emotion and support for my life events from you, my blog readers, than from my own father. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't hate him. I'm not even angry at him. After our talk at the hospital as he hovered near death, I realized he didn't know what to do with me or act around me. He felt inadequate as a man, a husband, and as a father. He was ashamed. And he was afraid. That's why he never even tried. I came away from our talk reeling because Papa was one of the funniest, smartest, incredibly charming, and unbelievably talented men that walked this earth. And he had a beautiful wife! And beautiful, talented children and grandchildren! How could he not possess the confidence and grace of one so gifted? </div><div><br /></div><div>I still feel this immense sadness for him, for Mama, and for my siblings. All the pain we went through! Sana nagalit na lang ako kasi I know how to deal with my anger. Kahit na ano pang laki ng liyab ng galit, nauubos din ito. But sadness is like the sea. And my sadness for this poor old man who lived his life in fear of disappointing everyone and so ended up disappointing everyone, who was so afraid to give so he took and took... My God, how my heart aches with sorrow for Papa! </div><div><br /></div><div>But does my heart ache for him? </div><div><br /></div><div>You know, I wish I missed him. I do. He doesn't occupy my thoughts unless people ask, and that so rarely. I miss <i>the idea</i> of a father. I see Vince being so involved in our sons' lives. I see Vince's dad swooping in when we need help. I see my friends doting on their daddies and their daddies still doting on them - note that my friends are middle-aged women like me! I read about God's provision, protection, and care for His children. And I miss that kind of fathering. And yet how can you miss something you never really had? </div><div><div><br /></div><div>So sometimes - not all the time, and only when I stare long enough at fathers being daddies - I like to imagine that things were different. </div><div><br /></div><div>I like to imagine that Papa cried at my wedding and gave an embarrassing speech that made everyone laugh and cry. I like to imagine he was there all the times I was pregnant, getting emotional that his daughter was now a mommy. I like to imagine loud Sunday lunches and my boys around their Lolo and his guitar on his knee and him singing to them in his wonderful voice. I like to imagine him giving me advice when I found marriage, motherhood, and life overwhelming and he'd say stuff like, "I wish your Mama could see you now. She'd be so proud of you."</div><div><br /></div><div>I like to imagine he was proud of me.</div><div><br /></div><div>The mind is a malleable thing and maybe my imaginings will turn into memories, which, though false, will be something I can hold on to. And maybe then I can finally grieve.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"I still love the people I've loved, even if I cross the street to avoid them." </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Uma Thurman</i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div></div>Franceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03762850601924680898noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-49882615232485008862023-04-14T18:00:00.004+08:002023-04-27T19:08:13.025+08:00Twilight Photoshoots: Adding a Touch of Magic to Your Real Estate Portfolio<p>During the pandemic, I amused myself with dreams of moving out of our condo and living in a house far, far away from the crowded city. That means I spent a lot of time on property websites. So when I got a request to share this article on twilight photoshoots to improve the look of your real estate, I just had to do it, in case you guys are in the middle of selling your house and are thinking of ways to make your property look more appealing. </p><p style="text-align: center;">* * * * * * *</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsOB8Kh0JzJrXp-LKJaRwoNJStAsJ1gdubYIv5ARM_icuXCEHPCR2eCJCsmS_C0_bfEtI_yf8Kru1c0XoqOVQopTZ-CW1uLkZPQmWZVErnrdN6MO7A8KqCK6FOzKWzYbzXk2eUmlXXPfHCBHDQr-TzMI3qHJDpbgxAcKzh0IkIAvMT5o3H4c/s6720/roberto-nickson-b650UcXvYUk-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6720" data-original-width="4480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsOB8Kh0JzJrXp-LKJaRwoNJStAsJ1gdubYIv5ARM_icuXCEHPCR2eCJCsmS_C0_bfEtI_yf8Kru1c0XoqOVQopTZ-CW1uLkZPQmWZVErnrdN6MO7A8KqCK6FOzKWzYbzXk2eUmlXXPfHCBHDQr-TzMI3qHJDpbgxAcKzh0IkIAvMT5o3H4c/w426-h640/roberto-nickson-b650UcXvYUk-unsplash.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Venice Canal. I first fell in love with it because of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/whitneyleighmorris/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the tiny house of Whitney Leigh Morris</a>. But she's moved to a farmhouse in France now. Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/de/@rpnickson?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Roberto Nickson</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/b650UcXvYUk?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>As the sun goes down the horizon, the sky creates a magnificent palette of colors, casting a warm and enchanting glow on the surroundings. This magical time of day, known as twilight, provides the perfect setting for captivating real estate photos that can set your property apart. </p><p>This post will explore <a href="https://captivly.com/virtual-twilight/" target="_blank">the benefits of a twilight photoshoot</a> (click this link for gorgeous photos!), the secrets behind capturing stunning images, and how to incorporate them into your real estate portfolio effectively.</p><p><b>The Allure of This Photoshoot</b></p><p>1. It sets your property apart</p><p>In the highly competitive world of real estate, standing out from the crowd is essential. Twilight photography has gained popularity among real estate agents as it showcases properties in a unique and memorable light.</p><p>2. It harnesses the power of emotion</p><p>When people browse through property listings, they look at a home's features and specifications and imagine themselves living there. Twilight photoshoots create an emotional connection with potential buyers by highlighting the beauty and charm of a property in a way that daytime photos simply cannot. The golden dusky hues of the time evoke feelings of comfort, serenity, and romance, transforming a house into a dream home in which buyers can envision themselves.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsNuQMad2EMPhkdi3EeOxko4c0VWgV3cKyQy6Q6twCpKcdiC9AEAAXnHZL_mucbnRETS3WhFTVMeFaFnyAZuN6Hb7cBTYadbwNVS1SFqTrjQpKW3Gtb5v1Wz0fTays8e9mQf4SGUqJg89TWwKJC5jGfYS9p_ymXoNcrcuxqWYl3V3GSxVzpE/s6720/roberto-nickson-oQ56kobbYLM-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6720" data-original-width="4480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsNuQMad2EMPhkdi3EeOxko4c0VWgV3cKyQy6Q6twCpKcdiC9AEAAXnHZL_mucbnRETS3WhFTVMeFaFnyAZuN6Hb7cBTYadbwNVS1SFqTrjQpKW3Gtb5v1Wz0fTays8e9mQf4SGUqJg89TWwKJC5jGfYS9p_ymXoNcrcuxqWYl3V3GSxVzpE/w426-h640/roberto-nickson-oQ56kobbYLM-unsplash.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This definitely makes people want to relax - the perfect emotion you want prospective buyers to feel! Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/de/@rpnickson?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Roberto Nickson</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/oQ56kobbYLM?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>The Secrets to Capturing Breathtaking Images</b></p><p>1. Timing is everything</p><p>The key to capturing the perfect twilight image lies in timing. The optimal window for such photography is typically 20 to 40 minutes after sunset when the sky is still illuminated but not too bright. During this brief window, the sky's colors are most vibrant, and the artificial lights from the property create a harmonious balance with the natural light, accentuating the home's features.</p><p>2. Preparation and staging</p><p>Before the photoshoot, preparing and staging the property to showcase its best features is crucial. This includes turning on all interior and exterior lights and accent lighting. Ensure that the lawn is well-manicured, and consider adding seasonal decorations or outdoor furniture to create an inviting atmosphere.</p><p>3. Camera settings and techniques</p><p>Using a tripod is essential for such photography, as it allows for longer exposures and sharper images. To achieve the desired depth of field, use a smaller aperture (higher f-stop number), and adjust the ISO settings to minimize the image noise. Bracketing multiple exposures and blending them in post-processing can help retain details in both the highlights and shadows, resulting in a more dynamic final image.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUygnyRchNdl4aJdKQIi8EGA4cG7RrkEkGm-xufk1oCEsLNdWz_nmY0EznPKxwzWSRJC6hm15qMen2UH_g9__S0WpnQjV-F94S--N7mvZsvkX8sg5xV3icz9-IygZdBI2ewwf8ngjRGJ6K_-AmSEFQtuG331hcypIByWX3IKl-tFjaoQKqXk/s4032/davide-colonna-DZrZhVd_wR0-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUygnyRchNdl4aJdKQIi8EGA4cG7RrkEkGm-xufk1oCEsLNdWz_nmY0EznPKxwzWSRJC6hm15qMen2UH_g9__S0WpnQjV-F94S--N7mvZsvkX8sg5xV3icz9-IygZdBI2ewwf8ngjRGJ6K_-AmSEFQtuG331hcypIByWX3IKl-tFjaoQKqXk/w480-h640/davide-colonna-DZrZhVd_wR0-unsplash.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light and shadows add drama to an otherwise ordinary living room. Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@dsc?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Davide Colonna</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/DZrZhVd_wR0?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>Integrating Twilight Images into Your Real Estate Portfolio</b></p><p>1. Selecting the best images</p><p>Once you have captured a range of images, it's essential to select the best ones that showcase the property's unique features and create a strong emotional connection. </p><p>2. Enhancing your marketing materials</p><p>Twilight images can be a powerful marketing tool when used strategically. Feature them prominently in your property listings, social media posts, and print materials, ensuring they work harmoniously with your other marketing efforts. </p><p>3. Tracking the impact</p><p>To understand the effectiveness of incorporating twilight images into your real estate portfolio, monitoring key metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, and inquiries from potential buyers is crucial. Analyzing this data can provide valuable insights into the performance of your marketing efforts, allowing you to refine your strategy and make informed decisions about future investments in this photography. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fKa2EnTSpwqvC2KFY8DEIDU1ZG14hNAOP_fhs8J3sOGZbI-lFAtUk50OPbIHm5LH0sRmaOGNL5OF0BnbBdiNmsyD9_KiFYOg1mNJGGe1S7ZJOAH5Gsu7dEo6BQrjKgJ_UtPJacbP-usT9rqiyK9iPJ9SAxh5beRH3wauNaS0M1HrJQktTsQ/s4896/gus-ruballo-h5QNclJUiA8-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="4896" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fKa2EnTSpwqvC2KFY8DEIDU1ZG14hNAOP_fhs8J3sOGZbI-lFAtUk50OPbIHm5LH0sRmaOGNL5OF0BnbBdiNmsyD9_KiFYOg1mNJGGe1S7ZJOAH5Gsu7dEo6BQrjKgJ_UtPJacbP-usT9rqiyK9iPJ9SAxh5beRH3wauNaS0M1HrJQktTsQ/w640-h426/gus-ruballo-h5QNclJUiA8-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A plain-looking house can benefit from sunset lighting because it invokes the idea of coming to a comfortable home after a stressful day at school or work. Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@gusruballo?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Gus Ruballo</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/h5QNclJUiA8?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>A twilight photoshoot can transform your real estate portfolio by adding a touch of magic and enchantment that captivates potential buyers. By understanding the benefits, mastering the techniques, and strategically incorporating twilight images into your marketing materials, you can elevate your property listings and stand out in the competitive world of real estate. </p><p>*article written by Olivia Wiley</p><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-89401551241406280032023-04-04T11:38:00.149+08:002023-04-16T12:22:20.441+08:005 ways to support your child’s dreamsI got an article advising parents on ways to support your child's dreams and, being a mom of 3 myself, I decided to share it with my mama readers. I'll insert a few personal comments (in italics!) so watch for those. <div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">* * * * * * *</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx310EvKTj1IUhF792hb202nTZbZYTNIAbeVY4XRMbctLKsELElm0v5E8wB8Hy0dj1phJe93aYBS-MVrdBsiHdGDYlM3ZkMbQEL6yR_5TzNiRSTuUGBB_478bP56Dprv572rx9LC6qxD4ybRBjMxQHQpS5NJlwsPr6Dkd8AW4BJPQ7a6la6g/s4608/IMG_20230318_103254.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx310EvKTj1IUhF792hb202nTZbZYTNIAbeVY4XRMbctLKsELElm0v5E8wB8Hy0dj1phJe93aYBS-MVrdBsiHdGDYlM3ZkMbQEL6yR_5TzNiRSTuUGBB_478bP56Dprv572rx9LC6qxD4ybRBjMxQHQpS5NJlwsPr6Dkd8AW4BJPQ7a6la6g/w640-h480/IMG_20230318_103254.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boy in white is mine! Chess club is his passion!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>No two children are exactly alike. While some might share common interests or hobbies, their personalities and set of skills and talents are unique to them. One child may be talented in athletics, while others may be more inclined toward the arts. <br /><br />Parents have the power to create an environment that will allow their children to discover their talents and interests. Parents can encourage them, help them grow, and direct their steps so they can reach their full potential through these 5 ways.<br /><br /><b>1. Pay attention and provide hands-on experiences.<br /></b><br />Studies show that learning is enhanced when children are given the opportunity to select what they want to pursue. One way to spark a love for learning is to help your child discover and explore activities that interest them.</div><div><br />Expose your child to different experiences and use that moment to discover what he or she loves. Take them out to see a play, to a mom-and-me baking session, or even to visit an aquarium or zoo. You’ll be surprised to discover new things about your child just through these simple activities.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>This is true. While I would love for my kids to follow my dreams (haha), I resolved very early on that it's their life, their interests, and their purpose I will support. I'm here to guide them and be alert to their talents and passions. That's the first thing I'm supposed to do as a mama of a future whatever-he-wants-to-be, fully realized man!</i><br /><br /><b>2. Provide resources to hone your child's talents<br /></b><br />Once you have discovered your child's inclinations, providing the necessary resources will help them grow to their utmost potential. <br /><br />If your child is talented in photography, you can nurture his or her gift by letting them experiment with a toy camera or by trying out phone photography. Enrolling in a summer course may also help as your child will receive further guidance from a professional while making good use of their free time.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Sometimes, what your child wants isn't what you want. How many of us have horror stories of our parents forcing us to take up hobbies, classes, and courses we abhorred? Well, I almost became that parent, too. Remember when I blogged about <a href="https://www.topazhorizon.com/2021/09/when-i-made-my-sons-dream-come-true.html " target="_blank">how I made my son's dream come true</a>? His dream was to become a gaming and coding vlogger. I didn't approve. But I paid for coding classes and helped set him up his YouTube channel. His Papa bought him his own laptop, too. Now he's taking advanced coding drawing classes. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>I don't really understand it but I've realized that sometimes I don't have to understand my child's dream. I just need to support it. Understanding may come later. It doesn't matter. What my child needs is my support.</i><br /><br /><b>3. Reinforce talent through praise and encouragement<br /></b><br />Acknowledging your children’s talents gives them a sense of self-efficacy and encourages growth. By using praise, you are motivating your child to think positively about what he or she has accomplished. You are helping your child learn when they do well, and when to be proud of it.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Like I said, I don't understand but I fully support my kids' dreams and passions! Chess club? Okay! Piano? Okay! Books? Okay! Video games? Well... fine, I'll support it and I hope this makes you money one day haha. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Of course, we don't just buy them everything they want. I've told them again and again that we will provide as long as they work hard. It's not enough that they're interested. I mean, I was interested in watercolor painting, too, during the pandemic. Bought paints, brushes, special paper. One month after my supplies came, I lost interest! So with my kids, I agree to buy them materials or classes but only after they've convinced me that this is more than just a passing fancy.</i></div><div> <br /><b>4. Know when to push and when to hold back<br /></b><br />One of the most challenging things for parents is witnessing a child on the verge of giving up on something they love doing. Honing your child’s skills takes a lot of time and effort, and sometimes it could also put an unnecessary burden on your child to be good at it right away.<br /><br />Know when it’s time to encourage more and when it’s time to let go. If you feel your child is undergoing great amounts of stress and frustration, it could be time for you to assess and take control of the situation. After all, no pursuit of talent and skill should ever come before your child’s emotional and mental well-being.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>I'm more relaxed at this compared to my husband. But I do push when time has passed and I see no improvement in skill. While I agree that no hobby, passion, or training should harm anyone's mental health, remember that I let them choose this. I didn't pressure them into something they didn't want so I expect them to show mastery or at least some progress in the activity they were certain they wanted to pursue. So I will let them have mental health day offs, but it's important that they don't give up. <br /></i><br /><b>5. Prepare for and secure your child’s future<br /></b><br />Every parent has an important responsibility to provide for their children's future and to encourage them to pursue as many of their interests and skills. Apart from the guidance they get at home, education plays a crucial role in honing your child. But sometimes, financial stability becomes a challenge in providing for your child’s educational needs. This is where planning ahead is important, not just to secure funds for tuition fees, but more importantly, to ensure that your child’s future is protected should anything happen to you.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>We're done with this! As soon as we had babies, we made sure each of them had an insurance plan that will help them if something bad happens to us, if they want to use that money for a business or for a wedding, or if they choose to claim it for early retirement! <br /></i><br />One of the ways to prepare for your child’s education is to invest in a comprehensive insurance plan like MyLifeChoice for Education, a flexible insurance and investment plan from the leading insurance company, AXA Philippines. <br /><br />With this plan, you can build your child’s education fund while having peace of mind with the plan’s life insurance coverage that lets you customize up to 25x your basic premium. It also comes with the Bright Rider Plus feature that provides yearly lumpsum payouts should you pass on, which can be used to co-fund your child’s tuition and other educational expenses.<br /><br />It also comes with built-in accident coverage and a waiver of premium benefits, which means that you will receive cash benefits when you encounter injuries caused by an accident. In the event of permanent disablement, future premium payments will be waived so you can just focus on your recovery.<br /><br />MyLifeChoice for Education also allows you to choose from a variety of professionally managed local and global funds that let you create a personalized portfolio that matches your investment profile. On the first day of your plan, you will also be rewarded with an additional investment amount via the Start-up Bonus, which is equal to 70% of your first-year basic premium. Potential gains will be added to your savings at the end of policy years 10, 15, and 25 when you invest in the long term with no withdrawals, missed payments, or payment breaks. <br /><br />“As with all caring adults, education is a crucial stage to develop a child's interests and build them up for their future careers. While this may take time and substantial resources, this is where your trusted insurance partner, AXA Philippines, comes in. Through our MyLifeChoice for Education product, you are empowered to pursue your goals and those of your children with peace of mind,” said Nandy Villar, AXA Philippines Chief Customer Officer.<br /><br />For more information or to get a personalized quote, visit <a href="http://axa.com.ph/mylifechoice/education">axa.com.ph/mylifechoice/education</a>.<br /></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div></div>Franceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03762850601924680898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-64660279476444735982023-03-31T22:01:00.026+08:002023-04-16T11:25:50.879+08:00Celebrating ME!Happy Women's Month! It's been a very busy month for me - as a wife, mommy (this role is neverending), sister, working woman, and biological woman (yep, went to see my gynecologist!) ❤️ <div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDZZQ7MQH2RaTagoWthDZkR-hgB4q-0SIWRZ2SnCzmEu-POpS57Y1vkU2oxFZZO9al1H3d3DkSu41PiuJW_SScHbT1TUvz1lcFq_YhVY9IAiFoT-GMLzta4f99RLYhLkdj_Y9yi6qACea9DcA4P0gWOenVbIJqqAmiyVDUe-FEpQYcnrc4g/s2304/IMG_20230309_080518.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="1728" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDZZQ7MQH2RaTagoWthDZkR-hgB4q-0SIWRZ2SnCzmEu-POpS57Y1vkU2oxFZZO9al1H3d3DkSu41PiuJW_SScHbT1TUvz1lcFq_YhVY9IAiFoT-GMLzta4f99RLYhLkdj_Y9yi6qACea9DcA4P0gWOenVbIJqqAmiyVDUe-FEpQYcnrc4g/w480-h640/IMG_20230309_080518.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 AM selfie at the office!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />All month I've been seeing special women everywhere being celebrated. The important kind of woman. You know, CEOs, presidents, big positions with big bucks attached. And yes, I fully, wholeheartedly agree women like that need to be visible and celebrated so that little girls and young women can aspire to be more and older women can appreciate the power and influence a woman can achieve and yield. This is important. <div><br /></div><div>But I also want to honor women who aren't big guns, but are making small and great changes every day with their marriages, children, families, workplaces, and communities. You know, women like me! And you! I want to honor and celebrate me. And you! For getting up every day, even though there is no public acclaim for the invisible work that we do. Except on Mother's Day!😜</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not putting myself down by saying I'm unimportant. That's not true. I'm very valuable. Just ask my husband and kids! I've made a difference in many people's lives. Just ask my dear Loyal Readers!</div><div><br /></div><div>In fact, I'm very proud of myself. I never thought I'd end up here - with a loving husband that I adore and with three incredible sons who adore me! I have a career rooted in words, and with a blog and a book that have influenced many, many women. It's not a huge career. I'm still not filthy rich. I'm still not famous. Then again, superstar, super rich and famous was never the goal so I know why that hasn't happened. Yes, I believe if I really wanted that, I could achieve it but that has never been what I wanted. What I do have now is more than enough, more than the little girl that I was ever imagined.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I realized in the middle of this month for women that I'm the kind of woman my younger self looked up to. I may not be what a lot of people like - I can be too much, I can be not enough - but I'm what 13-year-old me, 18-year-old me, and 22-year-old me hoped to know and wanted to be. Ain't that grand? And I'm just so happy knowing I didn't disappoint those young girls that I used to be. They were searching so badly for a role model and because there were none (hence the importance of celebrating women achievers!), I molded myself into the woman I always wanted to be. And I turned out even better than all the versions of me hoped and dreamed!<br /><br />Oh, wait. Okay, fine. Not one of the younger versions of me wanted to be a wife and mommy! They'd writhe in horror if they knew, but have I got a story to tell them! But I won't tell young me. Some stories need to be lived. Some lessons need to be learned. Some destinies need to be stumbled upon. And sometimes the path you avoid is the path that leads you to where you're meant to be 🥰</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm a happy, fulfilled woman. And yet I know that I still haven't reached my full potential. It's not that I'm unsatisfied. I've done more than young me ever thought I was capable of! But the older me, the me now, knows I can still do more! </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm only 46.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm already 46. </div><div><br /></div><div>More books to write? New roles to take on? New paths to discover? I'm so open to the possibilities!</div><div><br /></div><div>It's so exciting to be in a marriage, in a time, and in a world that I created so painstakingly, that allows me to withdraw and expand myself whenever I need to. So many women - in this day and age - still don't have choices. </div><div><br /></div><div>And I hope women like us - women who broke free of generational curses, women who broke the mold we were placed in, women who fought to be what their younger selves dreamed to be - can keep telling our stories and claiming our spaces. We may not be hugely successful in the eyes of the world but we overcame so much to be where we are today. And we need to celebrate that!</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy Women's Month! May you be the woman your younger self will want to be!</div></div></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-8644162951492561262023-03-06T23:55:00.006+08:002023-04-16T12:26:13.374+08:006 Best Luxury Hotels Recommendations in Sentosa IslandI have many happy memories of Singapore. It's possibly my favorite city in the world after Manila. It's like London (my third favorite city) but tropical like Manila. And everything is just a thousand times better when the weather is summer all year round! And, like, Manila, the food and shopping is sooo good! That's Singapore! I still use the pewter bowl I made at Royal Selangor as my catchall for my everyday jewelry. Every time I take off my earrings and rings, I remember Singapore. So now that my boys are vaccinated against COVID-19, I'm hoping we could go to Singapore soon! <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnPcCUwU0MLQGDAA5_6QdfFeZ7ej58Z-gj2ASEv3c9oQ-w95WWyfZt2QQA23p18oarXkMdmo8X3RPYaBEbbrxhBm6ktsVBXcLaiM16TOz-463bpKNK5KGJrAQ1M2MToKuEXzzG8N25x8XN9FN14TGmjs5o5lyG0U0poMAPtmbksDbi4hudA/s707/Singapore%20Pewter.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="707" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnPcCUwU0MLQGDAA5_6QdfFeZ7ej58Z-gj2ASEv3c9oQ-w95WWyfZt2QQA23p18oarXkMdmo8X3RPYaBEbbrxhBm6ktsVBXcLaiM16TOz-463bpKNK5KGJrAQ1M2MToKuEXzzG8N25x8XN9FN14TGmjs5o5lyG0U0poMAPtmbksDbi4hudA/w640-h640/Singapore%20Pewter.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />So here's a thorough guest article on Singapore hotels in Sentosa. Sentosa is a 500-hectare island located off the south coast of Singapore and a very popular tourist attraction. Previously, Sentosa was a British military stronghold tasked with protecting the port of Singapore. After the Japanese Occupation in World War II, Singapore returned to British rule, and the island was named "Sentosa" which translates to "peace and tranquility".<div><br />If you want to enjoy nature tourism, you can visit Siloso Beach and Palawan Beach. Here you can relax or play on the beach at a very affordable cost. Apart from that, you can also visit Fort Siloso which is a war fort built in the 19th century. Here you can see various war equipment used at that time and get to know more about the history of Singapore.<br /><br />Don't forget to visit the Sentosa Merlion, one of the famous symbols of Sentosa Island. Here you can see the Merlion statue which is located right on the beach with a beautiful view. Apart from that, you can also visit Tiger Sky Tower, one of the largest amusement parks on Sentosa Island. Here you can climb the tower which is at a height of 110 meters and enjoy the beautiful view from the top of the tower.<br /><br />On Sentosa Island, there are also many accommodations such as hotels and resorts. You can find many <a href="https://www.traveloka.com/en-sg/hotel/singapore/city/sentosa-island-107866">Sentosa hotels</a> that offer great services and facilities. Below are recommendations for several hotels on Sentosa Island that you can try. Check out the full reviews below.<div> <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Hotels For Holiday Trip in Sentosa Island</b></div><br /></div><div><b>1. Resorts World Sentosa – Hard Rock Hotel<br /></b><br />The first hotel recommendation on Sentosa Island is the ideal luxury hotel, <a href="https://www.traveloka.com/en-sg/hotel/singapore/resorts-world-sentosa---hard-rock-hotel-1000000504686">Hard Rock Hotel Sentosa</a> Singapore, the right choice for travelers like you.<br /><br />This resort is directly integrated with Sentosa Island. It's also close to Universal Studios, Jurassic World, aquarium attractions, and so on. The facilities provided at this resort include spacious and comfortable rooms, an outdoor swimming pool, a spa, a fitness center, and a restaurant serving international cuisine.<br /><br />Around this resort, there are also many entertainment venues, such as playgrounds, maze parks, and water parks. In addition, this resort also provides water sports activities, such as jet skiing, water soccer, and so on.<br /><br />Address: 8 Sentosa Gateway 098269 Singapore</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.traveloka.com/en-sg/hotel/singapore/resorts-world-sentosa---hard-rock-hotel-1000000504686" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="1597" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlHAogZUKlse0ivY2iZ3p2rR5sOiGEwmU2fA7L314NBsX5Q-tnb0ViWr_DziH2_xd5C9lVhncl60zyXqlJdAPNvv1VxGjceP6S1oHzQvP-7ajyMOf1VshZ5wgGJKYv1E8QTnBizNO6ZbRZqNSJTMzlxPQuL5s0BU4iy9VWmXdlYIFM7lpEw/w640-h326/Singapore%20Hotel%20Hard%20Rock.png" width="640" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>2. Shangri-La Singapore</b></div><div><br />This beachside resort will enliven your vacation even more. The rooms at this resort are elegantly designed, comfortable, and equipped with the best facilities. You can choose a room with a sea or garden view, according to your preference.<br /><br />At this resort, you can also enjoy various interesting activities such as snorkeling, jet skiing, or fishing. You can also enjoy the nightlife on the beach, or try delicious dishes at the restaurants in this resort.<br /><br />If you want to enjoy a quieter atmosphere, you can visit the spa at this resort. Here, you can enjoy various treatment packages that will make you feel refreshed after having a great holiday.<br /><br />Address: Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa, 101 Siloso Road. 098970 Singapura</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.shangri-la.com/en/singapore/rasasentosaresort/" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="1137" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWb5v8eJfwsmbHaRCx2TaMpKK3XmM2mHgIh_TXzJDjVeMtdfickZpNvf9GJT5B2igCSYeX2xmA6K-N8V4CcKL-PIZEY2AdVdvKC2h7iQAc5bCU-qxEeVTgFTO9HquUcPesfd-bhm6sF-sR4Qg6wMQf119gsfhFeydKUQ5mYIM0A5RKMbrrQ/w640-h308/Singapore%20Hotel%20Shangrila.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>3. Capella Singapore<br /></b><br />Guests staying at this 5-star hotel will be offered a choice of comfortable and luxurious rooms. There are standard rooms, suite rooms, and executive rooms which are all equipped with the expected amenities.<br /><br />The hotel also has fun recreational facilities, such as an outdoor swimming pool, spa, and fitness center. For dinner, guests can enjoy delicious food at the hotel's famous restaurant with international cuisine.<br /><br />For those wishing to hold a business event, this 5-star hotel also provides spacious meeting rooms complete with presentation facilities. In addition, guests can also enjoy free wifi service throughout the hotel.<br /><br />Address: 1 The Knolls Sentosa Island, Sentosa Island, 098297 Singapura</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://capellahotels.com/en/capella-singapore" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1486" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqRrZfX0QyWudsOqOI5VHyHEPHm336uzY15xK89KBWNEB-LMxYntPOAYmLOgqFkxoSo2MedpkeXV7b5nYebdtkpQ0hQD0g9Hj4EtBmUnGZtGtNvo49gNYXivXLrHGKDWAABonASCDFs_CAQlQ8YkOdMaqp-zxR7LOnul81EVGpEbGSliJuQ/w640-h352/Singapore%20Hotel%20Capella.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>4. Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa<br /></b><br />Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa is a 5-star hotel offering beautiful views of the South China Sea. In addition, this hotel also provides spa services that will pamper you after a day of work or relaxing at the beach. The rooms at this hotel are also quite spacious and so luxurious, and equipped with modern facilities such as a flat-screen television and speedy internet access.<br /><br />If you want to enjoy the beauty of the sea, you can visit the beach around the hotel which is famous for its fine white sand. You can also enjoy water activities such as snorkeling.<br /><br />Visit the shopping center which is located not far from the hotel. In addition, there are many tourist attractions that can be visited around the hotel, such as Universal Studios Singapore, S.E.A. Aquariums, and many more.<br /><br />Address: 2 Bukit Manis Road, Sentosa (Sentosa Island) 099891 Singapura</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.sofitel-singapore-sentosa.com/" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="1567" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoD0TA_PNz_k260pUtpjOfkiCJeyMUtDy5wd_FZO9BGy2r4rSGq5MlBf6iU179pzxexeNCTbaEyAiI5uUdFEtIQNUqt1zGEZ3x1a6zHhGdX7GRZ4xTY1_S12AMncHGQMKraN1EyPv8RNimBJIfvRRdXfHJ6uMD12CD5CUHnHFXDWLOffsmA/w640-h268/Singapore%20Hotel%20Sofitel.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>5. Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa<br /></b><br />The next recommended resort on Sentosa Island is Amara Sanctuary. This hotel has the best service and facilities for every guest.<br /><br />The facilities available at Amara Sanctuary are a fitness center, spa, restaurant, and outdoor swimming pool. You can also enjoy the beautiful scenery around this resort from the rooms that are open to the entire resort.<br /><br />This resort also provides a wide range of stay package options, from weekend packages to honeymoon packages. If you are looking for a romantic place for a vacation with your partner, Amara Sanctuary can be the right choice.<br /><br />Address: 1 Larkhill Road, Sentosa, Sentosa Island, 099394 Singapore.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sentosa.amarahotels.com/" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1525" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPjpbecy09sphY8KxHzoG4_Ox5PrCLeUyQckEsbhfi3PibvW59AI1Bs1UGCaaVUfzfrOb0274C--Vdbi61Z_l49n2Jsc44Xudnv7UNgtPVBeHJRFNcX6g0V3-TFy0rgB_TeA4pIphMrKkEceNgIx6S8C_ibp1eQBiFCmRIujcXLib6N0sLQ/w640-h308/Singapore%20Hotel%20Amara.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>6. Oasia Resort Sentosa By Far East Hospitality Singapore</b> (formerly Le Méridien Singapore)<br /><br />This 5-star hotel has many facilities ranging from a fitness center, and swimming pool, to a restaurant. Not only that, but Oasia Resort Sentosa also has spacious and comfortable rooms and is equipped with complete facilities such as a flat-screen TV, internet access, minibar, and so on. Guests staying at this hotel will also be pampered with friendly and professional service from the hotel staff.<br /><br />Oasia is perfect for tourists who want to enjoy their holidays with luxurious facilities and services. In addition, the hotel's location close to tourist attractions makes this hotel the right choice for tourists who want to explore the area. So, if you want to stay in a hotel that has the best facilities and services, then this hotel is the right choice for you.<br /><br />Address: 23 Beach View, Sentosa, Sentosa Island, 098679 Singapore<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.oasiahotels.com/en/singapore/hotels/oasia-resort-sentosa" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="1453" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPO-NNtKZCzleMHTv2b_wVJAlACrwjQ8GXPBI0wVauStdAzkD_wTgoez7nbXJ19kOWhBKvOETPw0XBwp3yGGopvy9Hy4KiYYXIbQE76CnGRKcjOrzg11M5osOBTqS-lhOjLfJjBgaYL8IUEL30mQrLIGmbeyk5z_XCPchCVmW-vFpetFW0Fg/w640-h284/Singapore%20Hotel%20Oasia.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Those are some recommendations for star hotels on Sentosa Island. Find various other hotel options on Traveloka. On Traveloka, you can also find recommendations for tourist attractions on Sentosa Island. Visit Traveloka now to get various attractive promos and discounts.<br /><br /></div></div></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-86494375826329862552023-03-05T22:29:00.003+08:002023-04-16T12:26:50.262+08:00Job hunting tips for moms going back to the workforce<p>A stay-at-home mom DM'd me asking how it was looking for a job after 10 years as a work-from-home mom, and I was honest. I said it was disheartening.</p>
<p dir="ltr">There was one HR person who kept asking me what my college course was and how it was relevant to the editing job they advertised. And I said, "Look, I'm 46 years old. College was a lifetime ago. In college, I wrote erotica. That's sex stories. I wasted my time and my mother's money. But I have more than 20 years' experience as a writer and editor, even when I was - as you like to bring up - unemployed. That wealth of experience is what you should be asking me about."</p><p dir="ltr">Don't let HR discourage you. They ask from a list of questions. That list also told me they didn't even read the CV and sample work I sent. So just keep emphasizing your skills and experience. Downplay whatever flaw they find (in my case, being a devoted mommy was my flaw). </p><p dir="ltr"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY23TKgR4jxJe_7Aw5Ob9BYmrwhYE0ZWRTvo0JsCCFbl47F-FyecEv8eeVhPF1bMt8p9nRis0kAOAoC26-NGnzoZ1AV2-t7MofvEIyllcGSH33T9OWhJx93MJCh6jqvQfNCM2Te8_qDJ3ZeYJvzy3pOAr813wb-QOsiDo15bFzyzOxBPZQMg/s1080/Screenshot_20230305_222502.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="1080" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY23TKgR4jxJe_7Aw5Ob9BYmrwhYE0ZWRTvo0JsCCFbl47F-FyecEv8eeVhPF1bMt8p9nRis0kAOAoC26-NGnzoZ1AV2-t7MofvEIyllcGSH33T9OWhJx93MJCh6jqvQfNCM2Te8_qDJ3ZeYJvzy3pOAr813wb-QOsiDo15bFzyzOxBPZQMg/w640-h638/Screenshot_20230305_222502.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />And don't be desperate, I guess. It's hard not to feel desperate and discouraged but it makes you panic and not think. I was getting really sad! Then I remembered my self-worth is not tied to any job. So I just opened myself up to anything! And now I have a job in an industry I'd never been in! <p></p>
<p dir="ltr">Oh, that job earlier? I got the job. But I turned them down because of the low offer. Because I was "unemployed" for 10 years, even as I insisted I earned more money as a freelancer than any job ever (including my current one) 🙄</p>
<p dir="ltr">So, yeah, job hunting sucked but I'm happy with the job I did get. So if you're looking for a job, just don't quit. Tell people you're looking. Don't be shy. People will help but they need to know you need help.</p>
<p dir="ltr">And, yep, I'm still working as a freelancer and blogger. Still getting offers to write and edit. And do other things I've never done before! And I'm in the middle of 2 books, too. Exciting! </p>
<p dir="ltr">So getting past HR can be tough (I really wish they come in AFTER the department manager shortlists you), but don't be discouraged.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Tell everyone you know you need a job. Don't be ashamed to say it. I was, for 3 months, and so I bounced around unhappily. The minute I posted on Facebook that I needed a job, my inbox was flooded with offers to help. People want to help. Just ask for it 😊</p><p dir="ltr">Good luck!!!</p>
<p dir="ltr">"You have not because you ask not." James 4:2</p><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-16525515396019323702023-02-22T21:43:00.018+08:002023-04-27T19:09:47.297+08:00Tuition fees are going up. Good luck to our budget!I went back to the corporate world this year after 10 years as a freelancer/business owner and I got asked a couple of times if I got tired of the hustle culture. Partly yes, but mostly because I have 3 kids to educate and tuition is crazy expensive and needs to be paid quarterly. Unfortunately, when you’re a freelancer, the income is erratic. Sometimes, it pours when it rains. Most of the time, it’s dry season. And that's the real reason I got a regular job with a regular income. It allows me to create a budget for their education. <div><br /></div><div>I wrote an article for Wyeth ParenTeam, <a href="https://www.wyethparenteam.com.ph/preschooler/5-steps-save-your-childs-college-tuition">5 Steps to Save for Your Child's College Tuition</a>. It has an equation there that predicts tuition years and years from now. It’s all estimates but you get a good idea of how much you’re going to suffer and for how long hahahaaa huhuhu.</div><div><br /></div><div>The equation goes: Current tuition multiplied by 1 plus Interest [P x (1+I)] raised to number of years (N).</div><div><br /></div><div>In my article, the financial expert I interviewed said, “On your phone, just type 300,000 x 1.10 then press the equal sign 8 times. We have just projected that if tuition fees increase by 10% a year for 8 years, then Php 300,000 today will be around Php 644,000 in 8 years, or around Php 778,000 in 10 years.”</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AsZaRw1O8iX_lrGLSpEED1uvsMZvZ6xnRIiF0WRqXdZiqf3835XcLfGvIpglEN6uiqQcP8vb7GAUrALWgeyhjtBlqFna50kS6fSrnQ_lhl5pxW24zlOC1T6s2-AdfKImGM2_Mq25WDORorsVDbhjnV-3bC1KEdPIOhr5cVqreDI_wP3XKg/s952/up%20palma%20hall.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="781" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AsZaRw1O8iX_lrGLSpEED1uvsMZvZ6xnRIiF0WRqXdZiqf3835XcLfGvIpglEN6uiqQcP8vb7GAUrALWgeyhjtBlqFna50kS6fSrnQ_lhl5pxW24zlOC1T6s2-AdfKImGM2_Mq25WDORorsVDbhjnV-3bC1KEdPIOhr5cVqreDI_wP3XKg/w526-h640/up%20palma%20hall.jpg" width="526" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's where I spent 4.5 years of my life, the College of Arts & Letters<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Boy. Almost a million pesos for one year in college. <a href="https://moneymutual.com/">A short-term financial solution</a> is to get a loan. My mother got tuition loans from her job all the time so she could send our eldest brother to school. My and my younger brother’s education was free (thank you, Philippine taxpayers!) while my younger sister’s education wasn’t that expensive either. All our college was subsidized because we went to that state university in Diliman (thank you again, Philippine taxpayers!) so Mama didn’t have to borrow so much anymore.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some schools accept credit card payments but that’s something I want to stay away from because <a href="https://www.smartparenting.com.ph/life/money/i-was-a-credit-card-aholic-but-marriage-saved-me-a270-20160416-src-fn-lfrm">I was a credit card-aholic (but my marriage saved me)</a>. Plus, credit card interest rates are jumping this March! College tuition is just too big an amount to put on a card.</div><div><br /></div><div>I’m not going to think of college because we already have a college fund for them (that’s another solution: invest in a mutual fund or an insurance policy with regular endowment payouts!). Also, I’m hoping my boys go to my alma mater and be a scholar like me.</div><div><br /></div><div>So let’s just compute for high school since my kids are 12, 10, and 8. Let’s do my eldest son’s tuition. So his Grade 6 tuition now is Php 150,000. So if tuition increases by 10%, I’ll need to pay Php 165,000 for 7th grade. That means my tuition budget is Php 13,750 a month for a year. Doable!</div><div><br /></div><div>But then I have 2 more kids. That means Php 495,000 a year. That’s okay. I just need to set aside Php 41,250 every month. Thanks to my new job, this is still doable.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now my kids go to a school near our place so we don’t spend a lot of money on the school run. Not a lot of time on the road either. It’s a big deal because they used to go to another school just 5 kms away and the school bus service cost me an additional Php 9,000 a month (or Php 90,000 a school year). Plus an hour and 2 hours in traffic, morning and afternoon respectively. Transferring to a nearer school made such a huge difference in time and money saved!</div><div><br /></div><div>But then here comes the crazy part: We’re thinking of sending our boys to that boys’ school in Katipunan. We have our reasons although they pale after I tell you this: That school is almost 12 kilometers away from our home and difficult to get to because traffic to and fro is hellish. Since my husband also has a full-time job, he won’t be able to do the school run (he can do this now because our current school is very near).</div><div><br /></div><div>So if the boys go to that boys’ school, we’ll have to get them a bus service. I asked my friend who lives near me how much she pays for her son’s bus service from our city to that school. A whopping Php 10,000 a month! That’s Php 100,000 x 3 = Php 300,000 a year just on the school service!</div><div><br /></div><div>I don’t think I can afford Php 495,000 tuition + books + uniforms + baon + Php 300,000 bus service, mommies. It's just illogical. </div><div><br /></div><div>So we were prepared enough to save for college but I don’t know if we can even get them there because grade school and high school are so damn pricey! </div><div><br /></div><div>Lots of thinking to do.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@katfernndz?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Kat Fernandez</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/At8w6-cAHWA?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></span></i></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-22821061498697945662023-02-18T09:21:00.034+08:002023-04-16T11:26:42.459+08:007 reasons he’s pulling away just when things are getting seriousYou’re thrilled at how things are going great with the guy you’re dating. He’s funny, thoughtful, and cute. Best of all, he seems really into you! But just when you think he might be “the one,” he becomes distant. Now you’re thinking if the reasons why he’s pulling away are your fault. (Note: Don't you ever blame yourself for his problems!)<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnpry4oa412duSoV4mK8hmnBCGks-CRg5VnB6sfVT9oanH8MQAkVKQe5fJL9Ag5v_Jnp9pvlnslQhMQKtD9Ct9coJdXWKhfvwJ_ZC-vDIS9u3wHpG8rgd9Qc41PJ8Tx07EzjMxzuxHptMea5B5irzM4FYW3KcrlfopFEjmAzAsvOAnl0g1Q/s5298/zhu-liang-eoy0fuzH5ss-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3532" data-original-width="5298" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnpry4oa412duSoV4mK8hmnBCGks-CRg5VnB6sfVT9oanH8MQAkVKQe5fJL9Ag5v_Jnp9pvlnslQhMQKtD9Ct9coJdXWKhfvwJ_ZC-vDIS9u3wHpG8rgd9Qc41PJ8Tx07EzjMxzuxHptMea5B5irzM4FYW3KcrlfopFEjmAzAsvOAnl0g1Q/w640-h426/zhu-liang-eoy0fuzH5ss-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/it/@paradite?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Zhu Liang</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/images/feelings/sad?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Before you get worried about these reasons, take a deep breath. Maybe he’s just busy at work, tired from a trip, or spending time with family and friends. After all, he has a life, too. Remind yourself from this day and forever that people - family, friends, significant others - are allowed to have a life separate from your relationship. This is a good time for you to focus on your friends and interests. If it’s only been a few days of him acting distracted, then it’s probably nothing to worry about.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, if he’s acting withdrawn for a week or so and he’s not telling you why or reassuring you, then you may be onto something. Here are 7 possible reasons why he’s pulling away:</div><div><br /><b>1. He’s feeling rushed.</b></div><div><br />The good news is he’s realized he’s falling in love and he’s reeling from the intensity of his emotions for you. It’s all new and scary for him and he needs to slow down and take it all in. Be patient.<br /><br /></div><div><b>2. He’s scared of getting hurt.</b></div><div><br />Maybe he’s putting the brakes on because his heart’s been broken before. Be gentle and show him he can trust you. <br /><br /></div><div><b>3. He feels he doesn’t deserve you.</b></div><div><br />You’re everything he’s ever dreamed of… and he thinks someone as amazing as you might be better off with someone better than him. Okay, insecurity is a possible red flag, so reassure him of your admiration but watch out for constant low self-esteem. Believe me, you don't want to be with someone with low self-esteem.<br /><br /></div><div><b>4. He’s afraid of losing himself.</b></div><div><br />He could be wondering if he’s still the same person if he’s only doing things you like, wearing outfits you picked out, eating your favorite food, watching your favorite Koreanovela when he hates those shows, and so on. If you’re controlling everything you do together, give him space to be himself. <br /><br /><b>5. He needs a break.</b></div><div> <br />You’re simply spending too much time together. His friends want to hang out with him, his family misses him, or he wants to play the videogame he bought months ago. Let him have fun without you!<br /><br /></div><div><b>6. He’s wary of commitment.</b></div><div><br />Your relationship started as just fun for him but now he’s thinking if this is serious enough to lead to marriage and kids. Maybe he’s not ready for that yet. If you’re willing to wait, assure him you’d like to take your time, too.<br /><br /></div><div><b>7. He’s losing interest.</b></div><div><br />Ouch! Don't waste your time. Just move on.</div><div><br /></div><div>Everyone reaches a point where they take stock of their relationship. If he seems distant, don’t worry about it too much since all he needs is time to process how he feels for you. He needs to do this on his own so give him space.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let him work through the reasons why he’s pulling away. If he breaks up with you, then it’s not meant to be. But if he comes back, then you know he’s serious about you. Now it's up to you to decide if he was worth the wait. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">* * * * * * *</div><div>P.S. I wrote this as a test article for a job I applied for last year (it didn't work out because stuff were piling up in my life). It's such a waste to not use it so I published it here but edited it so it sounds more like me and not like the website I wrote it for (they didn't publish it and I retain all rights to this article). Gosh. All the test articles I've written over the years! All the job search stories! Maybe I'll do a story on my job search. Let me know if you'd like that!</div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-86506946351440366992023-02-11T16:59:00.004+08:002023-04-27T19:10:10.254+08:00Calculating what I need to save for emergencies, college, and retirement! We're done with homeschooling this 2023. We had to choose homeschooling during the pandemic but now that the boys are vaccinated and the world seems safer (fingers crossed!), we're going to send all of them to a brick-and-mortar school again. Meet new people, learn different world views, learn to navigate society. It's very exciting!<div><br /></div><div>Of course, homeschooling is much more affordable than school-school. That's why I went back to the corporate world so we can pay the tuition and save money for college.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxsmdFFRZGB60YyXL2ZqeMZkoXN2fLbecBV_rK7avsObH5lbzaliagsJ1kBms8NVMYIBedhsxbO13YsCGRr-ACfQKXOXWVfA9qvalvq5kU3GUuadZ2NKDMO8jps4UfH54wO6GdU5GV7lnOCKBivFiv90OpzvdqSMfNBBE6om4PuG3fWPv4Q/s1728/IMG_20230211_173723.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="1726" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxsmdFFRZGB60YyXL2ZqeMZkoXN2fLbecBV_rK7avsObH5lbzaliagsJ1kBms8NVMYIBedhsxbO13YsCGRr-ACfQKXOXWVfA9qvalvq5kU3GUuadZ2NKDMO8jps4UfH54wO6GdU5GV7lnOCKBivFiv90OpzvdqSMfNBBE6om4PuG3fWPv4Q/w640-h640/IMG_20230211_173723.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I've been doing a ton of calculations recently because a good education in the Philippines is so expensive. </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, it doesn't have to be. I'm proud to say that half of my education was spent in public schools (thank you, Filipino taxpayer!). And I just want to put this out there: many people I know who studied in exclusive private schools have atrocious grammar. My fellow public school classmates? Never made a grammar mistake. It's not the school. It's the student. I'll leave it at that.<br /><br />So why am I intent on giving my kids a private school education? For the connections? The prestige? The hope that going to an international school will give them a foot in the door to a life out of here? Sigh. I'm still figuring it out. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I've been playing around with these tools on <b><a href="https://www.savingscalculator.org">SavingsCalculator.org</a></b>. They have a calculator for savings goals, college savings, and retirement planning. You can change the currency. The site says that the calculation for figuring compound savings is the same almost everywhere, especially as their calculators allow different compounding frequencies. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I tried them out. They look like this:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.savingscalculator.org/goal/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="958" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8xiUwFu0C_1gNdPhoKTD4eL4sUM8pdJ4YVQ1spq3lcQIg6DVH2hYKfJLRZaf8Jga9KmSqalIUArlDmhgppphnc96MiAK3r_93OpB6NLvS-3hLgvfyBXqcj_fqFbppVQjkMp29Ev81JoAMD-66fLw1oK39r7WWPgKo_yL3XTqL3OdXdN54A/w640-h536/savings%20calculator%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I want to save 500K just for, well, nothing. I just want it there. For emergencies like medical (I had to have surgery last year, remember?) or deaths (both my parents' deaths were a surprise expense). The <a href="https://www.savingscalculator.org/goal/" target="_blank">saving goals calculator</a> says I need to set aside just 8K a month. Doable!<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.savingscalculator.org/college/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1131" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUtcn4g5AEXzZjDLWxF6nYFduWyaXu_lH44cQ6vNVISZR6uSYAhAUvhPNESzHciUJFA7UFbCzhYFhNkAI5WPoZrxye0HkWAKOobRzxNJI8ye1tdlNBkhxwwAi3ynQm5f8WpgcdOV0557wDSlho-ae8eTA6v7mjcokKlSAV8VDMwlaUXCpmQ/w640-h476/savings%20calculator%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Hehe sorry, this <a href="https://www.savingscalculator.org/college/" target="_blank">college calculator</a> is empty. I can't show you my figures! But I also realized I didn't have enough information like the annual school costs inflation rate and the tuition fees of the colleges I hope my kids will go to. Well, I want my kids to go to just my alma mater, UP Diliman. And since it's a state university, it's very cheap! </div><div><br /></div><div>We actually have insurance policies for their education. So college is pretty much in the bag! </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.savingscalculator.org/retirement/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1138" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbRHNGQ0tKk-q6oFomxLF5cQ0Gq0tkPaZsT86kMZPR6lv0Rka2Kv6eCFlUYuz3UlVZuENtv9PWETxMe0qvHPY9f4Zp1ASKhPUDuybQLYHFYGSQMohrMvrSFzZKWm2GxkD-cBXaHf9VbGjVDQsGtNbLdMSnxre6tBjlDSuJU5b9c7sXYAgTg/w640-h376/savings%20calculator%203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>We're also already setting aside money for retirement via insurance policies. But I still wanted to try out their <a href="https://www.savingscalculator.org/retirement/" target="_blank">retirement calculator</a>. I made a mistake and wrote 3% as our inflation rate. But actually, it's...</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkmgU4W61VviRpumhX-xCKPBdZ12dh97_DToIZpjrsMeoUAbyjKUubzeUxHMvubo3tWKaljMst_usyvG19djJl-7A32i-OtJc5XoiZw7Xb8veqnF5DFmVIklnrxd5kd_goLpHGmnX9OORKOywPgoADQf3BN-gyA8ZF_2ApSycdSRTy72BBRg/s932/savings%20calculator%204.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="932" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkmgU4W61VviRpumhX-xCKPBdZ12dh97_DToIZpjrsMeoUAbyjKUubzeUxHMvubo3tWKaljMst_usyvG19djJl-7A32i-OtJc5XoiZw7Xb8veqnF5DFmVIklnrxd5kd_goLpHGmnX9OORKOywPgoADQf3BN-gyA8ZF_2ApSycdSRTy72BBRg/w640-h314/savings%20calculator%204.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good luck, Pilipinas!!!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Anyway, if you're in the mood for figuring out the future, check out <a href="https://www.savingscalculator.org">https://www.savingscalculator.org</a>! It's helped sober me up haha Boy, I should stop buying books and ordering food! There's a lot of money we need to save!</div></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-51943736831514244622023-02-10T16:09:00.002+08:002023-04-27T19:10:27.018+08:00Frances Finds: A game on managing a grocery store!<div>I've been using our grocery trips as part of our homeschool lesson. It's math, home economics, social studies, and health! Plus, I think they're old enough to learn how to feed themselves. And they should know about the prices of the food they eat and so they'll not waste food. So to make it more fun, we've made grocery shopping a game! Like I'd tell them "Here's your budget. You have 30 minutes. Go!" They love it!</div><div><br /></div><div>With all the skyrocketing prices on just about everything, however, let me tell ya that it's not been fun to go grocery shopping lately. Having to see my kids' faces when they go, "These cookies are more expensive than those cookies if you compare them by weight!" is just sad. But it's also gratifying when they go, "Let's buy this brand of fresh milk, Mama. They all taste the same anyway!"</div><div><br /></div><div>Teaching kids about life. What an experience!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5H41QG0-AhT1s8mva_PBeKveMAWV-AX28BDkXxFU88yPkMYcKzgBZksJ8D8o6VokPOaEK2KSH0FJaUpL6XLA8LZvgIBzD5kUSakVZf3FVyRTSmY_7XXYMLsPWahDxO9Nx4Dpuqw6NwwpEUtX_XPXkw-Q4yKS4Qo_fzLdfrHUeXf3U80PKHA/s1638/IMG_20230211_161250.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1638" data-original-width="1636" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5H41QG0-AhT1s8mva_PBeKveMAWV-AX28BDkXxFU88yPkMYcKzgBZksJ8D8o6VokPOaEK2KSH0FJaUpL6XLA8LZvgIBzD5kUSakVZf3FVyRTSmY_7XXYMLsPWahDxO9Nx4Dpuqw6NwwpEUtX_XPXkw-Q4yKS4Qo_fzLdfrHUeXf3U80PKHA/w640-h640/IMG_20230211_161250.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GOWsQgpFuZOsDc4-SKvxCkg1P88kFpGPgTAZA8kJWtRPUihY7UDepjAHtYc125DUG0rKxbNgguE2vzZAa6E7sn4hwfYt14zhzzjOVTRaFVxuFYDf0zJXng9Bvzek9vnThWEZE1zwnBDTvLIw7uCQRrx-lJRbwVYiUKm10gpr8T7raaoIkw/s1728/IMG_20230211_161136.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="1726" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GOWsQgpFuZOsDc4-SKvxCkg1P88kFpGPgTAZA8kJWtRPUihY7UDepjAHtYc125DUG0rKxbNgguE2vzZAa6E7sn4hwfYt14zhzzjOVTRaFVxuFYDf0zJXng9Bvzek9vnThWEZE1zwnBDTvLIw7uCQRrx-lJRbwVYiUKm10gpr8T7raaoIkw/w640-h640/IMG_20230211_161136.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>So when my boys saw me playing a game called <b><a href="https://www.mortgagecalculator.org/money-games/tap-supermarket/" target="_blank">Tap Supermarket</a></b>, they were intrigued. "Are you doing the groceries, Mama?"</div><div><br /></div><div>"Nope. I'm managing the supermarket!"</div><div><br /></div><div>And that's how my boys took over my game and learned about supply and demand, customer service, replenishing stocks, making money, and figuring out what to do with that money! </div><div><br /></div><div>Check it out:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWX_Mg51zYut3oEzaajS8pqTjISNjftuy2ylcD-9Hyf9O5QxmSLB0JXnjfozTzS1If4lp76UanfV9uJILZE2RYFJ98ph_4XV03-cnwSgqawQNFU0aKz2JBlJxk-eJhTuJF4Pog0sGgllP9KWHWbEtJX8bgy5-wkGw82WHc8F006QSiwa29g/s1581/grocery%20game%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1581" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWX_Mg51zYut3oEzaajS8pqTjISNjftuy2ylcD-9Hyf9O5QxmSLB0JXnjfozTzS1If4lp76UanfV9uJILZE2RYFJ98ph_4XV03-cnwSgqawQNFU0aKz2JBlJxk-eJhTuJF4Pog0sGgllP9KWHWbEtJX8bgy5-wkGw82WHc8F006QSiwa29g/w640-h344/grocery%20game%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So this is basically what it looks like. You have a supermarket and you have 1K and half the store stocked to start.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8T4YZOaEo2zwGS7j-QMdPYfY_3fEiTKYk6SE9TcSV91C1FWEa6fbniwwnZGAtt1LOcI3MP0l9ZuD0HOLl8UPWXFuw93ZskP5QcVrtv5DwvukxH4FOy0GwJQ0wjCPXkjvVGyrnKFJf324VkPUrwCPnyXuOWKsXfhfMvKc9e8Cg_Khee3i8g/s1587/grocery%20game%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="1587" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8T4YZOaEo2zwGS7j-QMdPYfY_3fEiTKYk6SE9TcSV91C1FWEa6fbniwwnZGAtt1LOcI3MP0l9ZuD0HOLl8UPWXFuw93ZskP5QcVrtv5DwvukxH4FOy0GwJQ0wjCPXkjvVGyrnKFJf324VkPUrwCPnyXuOWKsXfhfMvKc9e8Cg_Khee3i8g/w640-h342/grocery%20game%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>It's super simple. You need to make sure the shelves are stocked well and the lines at the cashier moving. But it may be simple but it gets really complicated!</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJSShXtj5O2cV0QtXoYGCpxw4lVRP7epvW1m_QR4TU3UpHONXH4uMhx1mqQJ-BcRpPnJQKIoeKVyEheuIdxL-VeIjs7Mpsv-jNBtdnoDC_GtuIRQ1s6LkoJbU6MOiEt5QA95xUj21CHMCBfHAr0Sn6S_wqneHKU9pkZbaMM-jdd_iP1lwgQ/s1601/grocery%20game%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="1601" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJSShXtj5O2cV0QtXoYGCpxw4lVRP7epvW1m_QR4TU3UpHONXH4uMhx1mqQJ-BcRpPnJQKIoeKVyEheuIdxL-VeIjs7Mpsv-jNBtdnoDC_GtuIRQ1s6LkoJbU6MOiEt5QA95xUj21CHMCBfHAr0Sn6S_wqneHKU9pkZbaMM-jdd_iP1lwgQ/w640-h368/grocery%20game%203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>You have lots of customers coming in, they're emptying your shelves, demand for new products is going up, and you're understaffed --- ahhhhh!!!<br /><div><br /></div><div>My kids LOVE it! </div><div><br /></div><div>Depending on your attitude, it's either so exciting or stressful haha</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.mortgagecalculator.org/money-games/tap-supermarket/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="915" data-original-width="1440" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhavMeK0teefzV91elZQ_0NkyugRVJl56MBkdWTlhalCBjmDKkp9f0BPexccvjl5qaPUZKCMirllJVXuceyvvUBu--U7yoSsz1Oft7VC8UjE4v57Uz7E2hBo9CSq782zCHGJ56MRTzclX7nRuZvnIpr-SU9h0Nd13n_5AAS3SYqh8t6nuWKlA/w640-h406/online%20game%20tap%20supermarket.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div> </div><div>There are lots of other games on this <a href="https://www.mortgagecalculator.org/money-games/" target="_blank">online games site</a> if Tap Supermarket proves to be too exciting for you. It's a money and finance site and they use fun games to make money and finance more fun and not so intimidating. I was quite impressed with my kids' mental math skills!</div><div><br /></div></div><div>Here are a couple more games we like to play:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.mortgagecalculator.org/money-games/lego-city-adventures-build-and-protect/" target="_blank">LEGO City Adventures Build & Protect</a> teaches the kids about running a city by collecting taxes! They don't understand why we need to pay taxes and I always say, "Well, the streetlights need electricity, the roads need to be maintained, the garbage needs to be collected. We pay for those with our taxes." This game illustrates that practicality well.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.mortgagecalculator.org/money-games/lego-city-adventures-build-and-protect/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1642" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwmDJdlTRRFZZlfEz-PxGA_6EPi5WkYAUCjCz1g_aDxo4g3lRAjjM-705QB3RdsP1gcQeeZWF8ZNHIuP4hm68Q2_Ws6LRx_kcjMDaiwwXng_1pfbfILwiLA310P6jVSdSLiyXJh8SDALdQtgetZX2VCh0bcZbeOodsiGWiBfUjifXVfSJaw/w640-h348/online%20games%20lego.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.mortgagecalculator.org/money-games/lego-city-adventures-build-and-protect/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1827" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjULno012HOzY76coNVOAlabBHpJXTmlcfCug16FZfrdPx7IlGA_9B0z6gKdm_RHE65NLXponcaU7lsjkOzyI79M65bmyGHfE70Hg20q3mz2kHWyBj6VPwsrRaWC4RnFmgLtyFkh7TllCYLJ85mU7xyIorB5Ol9AbhChV7HCfmrfb_gNUmjRQ/w640-h316/online%20games%20lego%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.mortgagecalculator.org/money-games/mahjong-solitaire/" target="_blank">Mahjong Solitaire</a> is a great memory and matching game. Plus, the mahjong tiles show famous landmarks all over the world, like the Eiffel Tower, the Hollywood sign, Mt Fuji, Merlion, Stonehenge... and I'm ashamed to admit I don't recognize the others!!! </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.mortgagecalculator.org/money-games/mahjong-solitaire/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="1378" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2_sVCcF8Xz3CoWCp4l6nco-euro3bn75hByh4LNQMIek2bx_lkbEkYkqoIFvtjZ_5aTRbojL29kQid9WJO9A82Qf3UQ-qwnzEOS2rHiNbfiq7L4xWi_5tNGa99QMxj2dDA4qMqAWHheviKuwU-y18UqnJseyhFm9172mOyzKXs-pN2Qm3A/w640-h344/online%20games%20mahjong.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, if you aren't doing anything this weekend or you'd like your kids to play online games that will teach them about math and money, check out <a href="https://www.mortgagecalculator.org/money-games">https://www.mortgagecalculator.org/money-games</a>! Happy weekend of fun and learning, mamas! </div><div><br /></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615751.post-86121418050358007402023-02-09T23:22:00.014+08:002023-02-10T02:16:24.578+08:00I'm back! <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzNnKJFGKHjD3T4R5gfQkx1_xwS62xgsduZm68yxX49fGjcDWAts-vaobumyyOdmAc3tdevISicEXJwLJzaXSO5bGxxoNFBuXxccUwrb1qrcjnP6QZG0oMcgYX3iblVIEoMoEJI1JsSVryF983nIUYdeFJ4MlmueryWLo73rJ6czITs5kkg/s2047/IMG_20230209_231946.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="1534" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzNnKJFGKHjD3T4R5gfQkx1_xwS62xgsduZm68yxX49fGjcDWAts-vaobumyyOdmAc3tdevISicEXJwLJzaXSO5bGxxoNFBuXxccUwrb1qrcjnP6QZG0oMcgYX3iblVIEoMoEJI1JsSVryF983nIUYdeFJ4MlmueryWLo73rJ6czITs5kkg/w480-h640/IMG_20230209_231946.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />Hello everybody! I'm back. That's the longest I've not blogged, I think. So let me tell you what's been happening. <p></p><p>Today marks my one month at my new job! I'm not announcing my job yet because I'm still on probationary status haha so I'll do a job reveal the second I get regularized. </p><p>My job is very busy. Lots of writing! But I breathe writing so no biggie. Lots of meetings! Which badly drains introvert me. But since everyone is so nice, it's okay.</p><p>My biggest adjustment is working in a cold office. Yeah, surprisingly, I adjusted quickly to not being with my sons because the first three days of me at work saw me crying and saying I miss them. But my kids, bless their hearts, they said they don't miss me and, well, I suddenly didn't miss them that much, either 😅 Joking aside, I think they do miss me. They just didn't want to see me crying and so they did me some tough love. Those boys.</p><p>Anyway, I had asked HR at my initial online interview if the office is cold because that's, like, my dealbreaker. Cold pala is relative because she said it's not cold at all but here I am, freezing every day. But one month in and I'm better. I've decided to not be stylish and just bury myself in ugly but warm clothes. Plus, I commute. I go against the flow so it's an easy and super-fast commute, but ugly sneakers is the way to go. So no office OOTDs then!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13VNK1Zefk5e5PLCxf4lPwmY2MGBUDxQ27HHLvD-D8EFR12e_Z9xZXPPK5FsMm6q_RAiEhZdz1LC5j4KOPkMSW-SrdRNb3-wi9_HHetUdHA9DzF6i0hggHqmdlunVvRFMSTNRwY5fOQ5xtWd55VS1_FSWB1Liq2m6Prpjp-7LLFURaLcfXw/s1625/Screenshot_20230209_232739.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1625" data-original-width="1069" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13VNK1Zefk5e5PLCxf4lPwmY2MGBUDxQ27HHLvD-D8EFR12e_Z9xZXPPK5FsMm6q_RAiEhZdz1LC5j4KOPkMSW-SrdRNb3-wi9_HHetUdHA9DzF6i0hggHqmdlunVvRFMSTNRwY5fOQ5xtWd55VS1_FSWB1Liq2m6Prpjp-7LLFURaLcfXw/w422-h640/Screenshot_20230209_232739.jpg" width="422" /></a></div><p>I've also adjusted to my big neon, lime-green desk. I toned it down with a lot of industrial black and livened it up with a few touches of pink and a plant I named Chantelle. And since my youngest boy said he loves that shade of green, he helped me choose my desk stuff and so more of that green! I haven't put up photos of my husband and kids yet. Because seeing their beautiful faces makes me miss them and I don't want that.</p><p>The plan is to stay in this job till I retire - 14 years from now! Of course, plans change. I planned to be a magazine editor-in-chief till I die and <a href="https://www.topazhorizon.com/2012/12/best-worst-of-celebrity-and.html" target="_blank">look at what happened to that</a>. Well, one month into this job and I'm optimistic. So let's see where this goes! </p><p>I work in corporate communications. It's a big local company. We help Pinoys, Filipinas especially. I cry every time I watch videos of the women whose lives the company has changed ❤️</p><p>The team is cool. So capable. And hardworking. And terribly young. Today I told one of them when she was talking about her dad, "Gosh, I just realized I'm almost as old as your dad. You're young enough to be my kid." </p><p>My husband told me to embrace being their mommy figure. So I will. I guess that says it all. I'm matronly 🥰</p><p>And yet, look at little old lady me. I have a new job. When you're 46, it's not easy to go job-hunting. It's so disheartening really, all the rejections. Then this came along because a former colleague referred me and now I'm doing what I do best and still learning more. My learning curve is slow in this industry that's so different from all my previous jobs. I'm always asking for explanations and clarifications (corporate lingo is a foreign language!). But everyone's been so patient because they know I've not worked for a corporation for a decade.</p><p>I didn't think I would get this job, to be honest. Those 10 years of being unemployed kept being mentioned during my interviews. I explained I wasn't jobless. I was working hard all that decade as a blogger, writer, editor, PR consultant, etc etc. I've never worked so hard in my life, these past 10 years. Then pregnant, breastfeeding, taking care of little ones pa! With no household help!!!</p><p>And that's why I went back to corporate. I got tired of the hustle. The endless prospecting. The chasing of checks. The working alone. </p><p>The last 10 years was amazing. Best decade of my life! I learned a great many things and achieved what I never thought I would. </p><p>Business owner. </p><p>Influencer. </p><p>Speaker. </p><p>Newspaper columnist. </p><p>Book editor. </p><p>Co-founder. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56663622-not-invisible" target="_blank">A frikkin' author!!!</a> </p><p>I still plan on continuing all I've done. I'm in the middle of writing a novel and a book of short stories. Yes, two books! We have big plans for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/leaninmanila/" target="_blank">Lean In Manila</a> (yes, we'll be back with that, too!). I quietly started a Facebook group called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/masayangmenopause/" target="_blank">Masayang Menopause</a>. I'm now a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" target="_blank">bookstagrammer</a>. And I'm also cooking up some stuff that's so exciting! </p><p>So, yes, the last decade as a hustler will still continue but at a more relaxed pace now that I have a regular income. I can now focus on my passions! Oh, 2013 to 2022 was the best fun. But I'm old haha. I want to relax... by going back to being an employee in an industry I've never been in! What?! </p><p>Life is full of surprises. </p><p>I'm grateful. I've lived many lives. Here's to a new one!</p><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="color: #ffa03e; text-decoration-line: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhcKyY6VuOgpHTE2XDi0gkOaG9m9iR9qZ5eA44GTF6zFv3ar3nS2y1HvCFfSQPCbS9UiPRCwCPuT4bAi3NZFuSyh_YNZixRR74MWuPfTWyHSEJaK6GTfKL-2dOC7RYLy2KPQA7pajUWu6vQ0ClbTaWWyfcWZ_YyOlVfZGxYOaf8676DTzrNLYuaGIzc97HHoQ=s0-d" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 3px;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://shopee.ph/Not-Invisible-A-Memoir-by-Frances-Amper-Sales-i.111012447.7280742701" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy my book, Not Invisible</a> </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TopazHorizonBlog" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Like my Facebook page, Topaz Horizon Blog</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/francesampersales/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Instagram, @francesampersales</a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesASales" rel="nofollow" style="color: #e69138; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Follow me on Twitter, @francesasales</a></i></span></div>Frances http://www.blogger.com/profile/05508516856092504047noreply@blogger.com3