TOPAZ HORIZON

Based on recent blog posts, it looks like I'm swimming in money. So I guess it's kinda strange when I start talking about how baby stuff are so expensive, I don't want to spend on baby clothes, and all my gasps and exclamations over the cost of having a baby. Well, I'll tell you a secret: I really set aside a budget for everything!

I'm not an impulse buyer. I will sleep on something I saw in a shop window for days, weeks, even months! If I really want it, I take out envelopes and mark them: "Topaz Ring," "Maternity Dresses," "Sunglasses," "Eyeglass Frames," etc. So, for example, my budget for maternity dresses is 10K. Every pay period, I will slip in 1K or 2K or P500 in that envelope, whatever amount I can set aside after paying the bills. When it finally reaches 10K, BAM! Off to the stores I go and so it looks like I went on a wild shopping spree!

Then when I say, "I don't have money for that breast pump!", it's kinda true. I just mean the envelope marked "Breast Pump" isn't ready yet. 

Here's another secret: When I go on a spree, I don't bring the cash. I usually charge it to the card so that I collect points. I don't despair because I actually already have the cash to pay for my credit card purchases—they're just in my little envelopes. And I always pay the balance in full to avoid fees and other charges. Of course, I can afford to do that because I've already spent a lot of time saving up for it!

I also usually don't get money from my salary. I use the money I earn from blogging, eBay and writing projects. The money that comes from the paid blogging network I belong to is the best because I feel I get it for free. I just write posts and I get $5 for each blog post. It's a small amount but after a month or two, it really adds up. That's how we buy our Threadless shirts from the US and film nerd tees from London. Blogging money!

So though I might appear I'm throwing away money, I'm not. I scrupulously save every extra peso (emphasis on "extra"!) so that I can shop! It takes a lot of discipline and patience but the reward is oh so sweet!

It was the deadline week of OK!. The last week is always deadly for me and my staff but I made it more stressful by penciling in my OBG and facial appointments, too.

The pregnancy is going very well and my OBG prescribed these new vitamins that are so frakkin' expensive but are supposed to have all the vitamins and fatty acids and minerals my baby and I need. Then I also have to do birthing classes, a 4D ultrasound and the usual lab tests. Drain my blood away now, why don't you? It's a good thing the hubby and I have jobs!

So even though I'm already spending a lot on this pregnancy, I went shopping! Bought three dresses from Tango, a dress from Warehouse, sandals from Celine, new eyeglass frames (they're red!) and yet another dress from Kamiseta. It's so adorable! But I have to bring it to the seamstress because the shoulder straps are too long. Will have a decent photo taken as soon as that dress is ready.

Oh, and I bought a new cellphone, too, from the Big Sony Sale. It really is a big sale! I love my new phone. Had to buy a new one because my old Sony Ericsson is more than 5 years old and it's dying on me. Will write about the phone soon.

Oh, and I finally put the Facebook Like button in my blog! It's soooo cool! If you wanna know how, let the Third World Nerd teach ya...

And you can also join my Facebook fan page. I'm meeting a few "likers" tomorrow--they won my FB Fan Page raffle. So fun!

I found two really cool gadgets online today (scroll below). And this reminded me of another issue concerning us Filipinos--our energy bills.

I've been keeping quiet about my electric bill even though every Filipino I know is raising a huge fuss about theirs... and with good reason. The bills people quote are shocking! How on earth did their bills get that high?? I just nod and agree and say, "Yeah, my bill doubled, too." What I don't say is, "My bill doubled from P900 to P1,900." Yup, I have shoes and dresses that cost more than my spiked bill.



I know why my bill went up--it's because my energy consumption went up. But Vince and I have always been energy-savers so what we consume is probably less than the average Pinoy household. Here are just a few things we do:

• All our appliances are energy-efficient. They cost more when you buy them but they really do pay for themselves. Every month, I see the proof in our electric bill.
• All our light bulbs are energy-efficient, too. 
• Our window panes are tinted to decrease the strength of the hot hot hot sun. When that fails, we have triple-lined curtains to block the sun out. These curtains cost more than regular ones but they instantly cool the house.
• We open our windows. There's no need to turn on the A/C or even the fans because the winds that flow around a high rise are quite cool and powerful. We just open the windows a crack and the entire apartment is like a wind tunnel.
• We turn off and unplug everything in the house when we're not using them (except the ref!). It's an extra step when we do want to watch TV, use the computer, etc but we think every little thing helps!
• Oh, and baby powder helps big time! I'm usually powdered everywhere because the heat is unbelievable but baby powder saves me from getting sticky!

Another tip I can share--though this isn't mine--is to call an electrician and have your meter and wiring checked. My parents used to get huge electric bills no matter what they do. When they finally called in an energy auditor, they found out that there was a "ground" so the appliances were continually using energy even though they weren't in use. The electrician fixed the ground and the bills went down.



In this terrible summer we're all experiencing, it's really difficult to think of saving energy when the heat is enough to drive us insane. To be honest with ya, I've been turning on the A/C almost every night. It's just too hot! But energy can be saved--invest in new energy-efficient gadgets, find ways to cool the house without using electricity, dress in light clothes and use baby powder!

Photos and product descriptions from FastCompany.com's article: Can Designers Save the World?

I mentioned in this blog before that some bloggers earn a ton of money from their blogs. Their secret is an understanding of search engine optimization. I have no idea what that means. Well, I do know that it means using words and phrases that makes your blog appear high on the list of search engines. And for me, that's just cheating. I've been to some blogs that have manipulated the SEO and, gee, their blogs are boring.  Why would anyone want to read a blog like that? But because they're clever, they've learned how to cheat the system so that their blogs go up, up, up on the search.

Well, they may be boring but those blogs earn cold hard cash! Well, mine does, too, but not so much so I'm glad I have a job that makes me really really happy, both monetarily and in everything else! 

SEO also means having a lot of links to your blog, which is time consuming to say the least! That's going to dozens, even hundreds, of other blogs and making friends with them so that they'll visit your blog, maybe like it and then link your blog to theirs. You see, the more links your blog has, the more popular it is, and obviously that would make it climb up the search engines. There are some people who bypass this process by using a directory submission service, but I personally prefer making friends, however time consuming that may be!

Of course, since I'm a very busy woman, I really don't have the time to do this! I usually spend my weekends browsing blogs and leaving comments. I've made friends this way (ladies, you know who you are!). But since getting pregnant, I'm sleepy all the time! So thank you for still visiting my blogs and linking up and leaving your darling comments here. You are appreciated! I may not earn a lot of money from my blogs but I've earned friends. And that is priceless.


*image from the web. can't say which website really since several sites used it!

I'm feeling much much better! Been sleeping and eating all day, just resting and getting stronger by the day. Thank you to everyone who wished me well and prayed for my Jelly Bean. If it's not too much to ask, please still include this little boy in your prayers, just a quick little breath of blessing as he's only halfway through his journey out my tummy and I wish him all the love of the universe--yours!

So just a tiny update on the preparations for the little one! One sentence: We've just about depleted our savings for him! While we haven't bought anything for the nursery yet--no crib, no changing table, and definitely no toys like foosball tables --we did splurge on these:
Li'l blue Mazda 2 that Vince named Zoom Zoom. It's blue! Vince can't wait to take his son for a spin in the blue car he bought the little guy. 

An Eames RAR rocker. Its curved runners are made of really hard wood that our parquet floors--made of softer wood--get marked! Hence, the rug underneath it. I guess we ought to replace the floor. Sigh.

The hospital bills. Another big sigh! Thanks so much for all your concern, folks. I do want to say that TMC wasn't such a disaster--I am, after all, better so they did their job well. It was just the pulmo and the health insurance that caused us pain.

We've also finished furnishing the house! Well, maybe we need to replace that old sofa, but for now it will do. Here I am, organizing my magazine pile. Vince is very keen on getting the house in order for his son's arrival so, aside from the cleaning, he's also bought pieces of furniture that have finally made our house cozier than ever.

Vince and I really wanted the house to be complete before the baby arrives. Everyone warned us that when the kid's here, it's all going to be about him so we kinda rushed to make sure we've gotten everything we wanted. And now everything's ready!

Well, we haven't started with the nursery. We figured we'd wait till we meet the little guy first. After all, what if we decorate his room baby blue, then he arrives and turns out to be a brooding no-nonsense creature of the brown and black sort? Yep, we'll wait till we meet him!

I'm sure you've already seen it if you've been reading my blog long enough (I wrote about the Real Living feature here). But if you want better photos, head on over to the newly revamped Female Network to see!

The photos are kinda old, though, as the house looks a lot different. We have a whole wall of shoe cabinets now, the Louis Ghosts and a new elegant love seat, a bigger flat screen computer monitor to replace Vince's tired one, a Chinese porcelain stool... The house is now more home and, ya know, though we've visited nice hotels over the years, nothing beats coming home to our lovely apartment. So it's kinda scary with all the devastating earthquakes happening lately. Do you think we should ask around for home insurance quotes? Is your home insured?

Here's a better photo of my gorgeous Prizmic & Brill writing table. Vince gave that to me for Christmas 2008. I told ya he's absolutely genius when it comes to giving gifts. The cream stuffed teddy is very very old. His name is Mozzarella and Vince gave him to me for my 27th birthday--that'll be 6 years ago! I love that bear to bits and I'll tell you why soon--that bear deserves his own blog post!

Been veeeeery busy these past few weeks preparing for two weddings of two very good friends. So I've been neglecting my blogging work from PayU2Blog and that's money down the drain! So I'll be blogging a lot this week to catch up.

Anyway, I want to know what you guys do to earn money through blogging. I know blogging is supposed to be just an online diary, an outlet of thoughts, but I'm a writer and I write for a living. I gotta get paid whenever I write! So even if this is an online diary, if I can earn from it, I will!

When I went to the Nuffnang Awards in Singapore last October, I met many bloggers who are literally earning thousands of dollars through their blogs. They told me about selling ad space on your blog and manipulating the best SEO tools (SEO means search engine optimization) so that you earn a lot from Google Adsense. Like I said, these people earn thousands of dollars from their blogging!

Me? Let's see... I've earned about $750 from the paid blogging network I belong to and P5,000 from Nuffnang. That's from months and months of being a member so divide that up and that's really just pocket money for me (about 3K-5K a month). From Adsense, not much at all, around $60, which I haven't been able to cash out because they'll only send you the money if your earnings have reached $100. Clearly, I have no idea how Adsense and SEO works! If you know of any class or seminar that will educate me on this, drop me a comment below!

When Vince and I went to London for our honeymoon, my biggest regret was not setting aside an entire three days for the National Gallery. We spent just three hours instead and then we had to catch the plane to Manila. We missed our plane but you can read more about London here (although back then, my posts were mostly written in Taglish).

Anyway, I took a few courses in Renaissance Art in college since I've always been fascinated with it when I was a kid. So when we entered the National Gallery and I saw the works of Da Vinci, Van Gogh, Titian, Holbein, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Monet... I completely lost it. I just cried! Seeing those paintings has got to be one of the most amazing things in my life and I will go back. And I will spend an entire hour staring at this:


This is a huge painting. It's bigger than my house, I think. This depicts the tragic conclusion of the life of Lady Jane Grey, Queen of England for a mere nine days. She was the grandniece of that notorious Henry VIII (he of the six wives) and though she was royalty and had the best life had to offer, she didn't have her parents' love. Their ambition was her undoing.

I won't do a history lesson here but I just wanted to say that this was my favorite painting in the precious few hours we spent at the National Gallery. Vince and I stood before this painting transfixed. It is absolutely stunning--the alabaster of her skin, the satin of her gown, the way she fumbled about for the chopping block, the gentle way she was assisted to her death, the distress of her maids, the calm of her executioner. And she was but 19 years old. Poor thing.

The painting is magnificent and Lady Jane truly does inspire some of the most remarkable art. WendyB, my gorgeous blogger friend who I admire and adore, has created a pendant inspired by the tragic Lady Jane.

Within the rock crystal teardrop are rubies, symbolizing blood and tears. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. And I want it! I'll have to earn tons of money to afford it, however, but I've already put that photo on my dream board and whatever I put on that board, I get!

UPDATES:
1. Interested in Jane's story? WendyB has a fun and easy post about her. Click here!
2. The necklace is about PHP 300,000.

*painting photo from Wikipedia, pendant photo from Wendy Brandes

Last night, our friend Neil had a few beers with Vince here at home. Neil has three fabulous kids and he was telling us that kids are a great joy... and a great pain in the neck! Harhar. So he was urging us to go and have adventures now, while Jelly Bean is still not around to take over our lives.

Well, that's been exactly how we're feeling so I've booked a nice weekend at 8 Suites, this lovely new boutique hotel in Tagaytay.

We're also spending another weekend in Cebu at Be Hotel, which is a lovely place but I think they went overboard with the pastel colors.

Then I want to go see Disneyland in California (regular readers know I love Disneyland!) but Vince wants to go to Vegas. And we also want to go to Singapore to buy that camera I was telling you about, the one Vince now wants to buy for the baby. It isn't available here (boo!) but Singapore has it so we're thinking of flying there to check. Then I also want to visit my friend Kat in NYC but I'm waiting for summer to decide since I hate the cold.

While we have our nice matching Echolac luggage (we bought them for our London honeymoon), I've started browsing travel accessories sites for Samsonite luggage. I really like my little attache case and I was wondering if there was a matching suitcase.

I think it would be sooooo cool to have pink bags. For one thing, they'd really pop out on that conveyor belt. But don't worry, Vince (I know you're reading this!), I won't buy new luggage. It's enough you agreed to go on a travel spree with me!  

My blogging friend, Teeyah, asked me this question and the only answer I can come up with is "Have enough money to pay for the baby!" But that's kinda dumb because Vince and I already have enough saved up for the baby. So what we really need to do is find ways on how we can make our money work for us. Our savings are all in the bank but we know there are other ways to make money grow faster, like stocks, bonds, treasury bills, time deposits, etc. But we're not well-versed in matters like that so, for 2010, our financial goal is to understand what money-growing tool we should invest in... and invest in it!

We're also thinking of buying medical insurance and pension plans and college education plans. But maybe the college plan is dumb because what if the kid doesn't want to go to college (I don't believe in college)? As for life insurance plans, we already have those--we bought policies when Vince and I were in our mid-20s, which means the life insurance rates we pay are really low. I suggest that you buy a policy, too! Mine is the Sun Milady Plus from Sun Life and I pay just P3,000++ every 3 months. So affordable!

How about you? What's your financial goal this year? Leave your answer in my comment box and you can win your very own Sun Life Daily Organizer!

You have until January 15 to join this contest and win that planner. Five readers get their very own planner delivered right to their doorstep!

This is out of Teeyah's generosity, by the way! Thanks, T, and I promise to announce the winners of my OK! contest this week!!!

I think I'm finally out of a depression. Regular readers, you know I haven't had a good November. Now, I think I can finally explain what happened. A huge opportunity was offered to me the day before my birthday. It's so huge--in terms of prestige and money--that I was, and still am, reeling from it, so dazzled and flattered was I.

This is a good thing, right? Well, it is. But even as I thought about and then finally accepted the new opportunity, I began wondering if I made the right decision. It wasn't actually a done deal yet--I still had to go through some processes--but as I went through each step, I began to get restless. The littlest things upset me. I had a hard time sleeping. I would often find myself sighing and crying quietly but regularly like the maddening dripping from broken kitchen faucets.

I went on shopping sprees (will blog about my new vintage finds soon!). I became more tired than usual. I stopped doing my chores. My clothes and papers started piling up, my mess started creeping from my desk and my side of our bed to the living and dining areas. Vince, very neat and organized Vince, kept quiet but offered gently to help clean up, and I'd say, "No, no, I'll do that myself." But I won't. At work, I projected my happy self. But inside I was feeling unsure and stressed, and couldn't find pleasure in the job I love.

The few who knew about the offer (except OK!'s managing editor Lana and our ninong sa kasal who thought the brand was a dinosaur) was just as dazzled. They said, "Take it! Take it!" And I did! I felt like I grew shinier in their eyes. But as the final interview ended and the Americans said they were "very impressed," I ended that overseas call with a heavy heart, wiped my tears away and looked through OK! magazine and realized I just can't leave it. Not yet. I also wasn't ready to spend 24/7 doing something new--I'm like that: When I'm involved in a new project, I forsake everything else. When my mother died, I haven't seen her in almost 2 months, because I was that busy. I don't want to be that busy again.

So yesterday, after exactly 5 weeks of incredible highs and crushing lows, I turned down the offer. The night before, I alarmed Vince by sobbing my explanation: "I'm happy where I am now. I want to be grateful, not greedy." I think Vince was confused--being a man, he is the conquering type and thought the offer would be a great challenge, which he knew I liked. He also liked the money. Hell, I did, too. But I've always followed my heart, and look where my heart brought me--OK! magazine, my lovely home, and most wonderful of all, my darling husband Vince. My heart told me I wasn't ready to rock this boat. In the end, Vince assured me that he supports my decision. And I know he does, although I think he got frightened by my crying!  

I know I'm crazy to refuse so don't leave comments telling me I'm stupid. I already know that. There's still that ambitious part of me that's screaming in my head in absolute fury. I know opportunities like this don't come traipsing along every day, and I'll just have to live with this decision for the rest of my life. But now that it's done, my agony is over, my insomnia is cured, my world is again at peace.

Maybe now is not the time. Maybe in the future, something just as big will present itself again. Or maybe this means my time in a glamorous job is nearing its end and I should do something else--something not glamorous at all. Whatever the future holds, I only know that what I choose will always be the one that, in the words of that timeless song, will need all the love I can give, every day of my life for as long as I live.

Of course, I'm still thinking about the money I could've gotten. But I'll just have to make more money some other way. Kindly click on my ads then and buy shoes from me!

My birthday's coming up and I feel like sharing my blessings by selling these fantabulous shoes for a low price! Each is brand new and still in their boxes. All are imported from the US of A. That means they aren't available here! But because I'm feeling magnanimous, I'll sell them to you lovely ladies for a bargain price. Plus, free shipping! Wouldn't you like to buy a pair or two?



Email me at frances@topazhorizon.com if and only if you're buying! I accept PayPal, G-Cash and deposits to my BDO bank account. Be fashyon and drive your friends crazy when they ask, "Where did you get those shoes?!" and then you say, "Oh, this is one of a kind. I'm the only one in the country who has these babies!" Love it. Buy now!

Last Saturday, I joined some Nuffnangers on a visit to Sunshineville in Las Pinas. Sunshineville. You gotta love a place named like that! And you know what? The people who live there truly are filled with sunshine. And look at how they decorate their windows! I was just so delighted!

Sunshineville is a community development project of the Gawad Kalinga Foundation. The place used to be an ultra-low income neighborhood. In today's PC terms, informal settlers. In other words, squatters. But through the efforts of Gawad Kalinga and many corporate sponsors, these people are now living in their own homes (they pay Php500 a month!). They all have a sense of ownership and belonging. And these can do wonders to the soul!

Going around the colorful neighborhood and talking to the people, I was amazed at how confident they are, at how proud and happy they are. Many times when I meet people, they regard me with resentment--insecure and ashamed of how different they are from me. And I'm not even talking about poor people--some people who are so fantastically blessed can be angry just because your skin is lighter or you're thinner. Or they look down on you because of the same shallow reasons. I can't understand this!

In Sunshineville, I felt none of that nonsense. In Sunshineville, they didn't make me feel like I was better than them. I felt like I was with equals. And I truly was! The people at Sunshineville not only are paying for their mortgage, they also built their houses. They also have a livelihood that gives them self-worth (I'll talk about this livelihood later!). No one talked about how many cars you owned or what new fitness fad or diet pill you're taking or what designer brand you just bought. What we talked about was our work and how wonderful it is to work!

It is a most beautiful thing to witness how an honest day's work gives people dignity. I'm so inspired! Can you imagine if the entire country was transformed like this? Now I want to put up a business so I can give people jobs and make more people happy!

*for more photos of Sunshineville (especially the people! Haha, sorry, was so fascinated by the windows I forgot to take pictures of the people!), click here!

I'd like to thank Leyda DC, Jenny S, Rorie C, Lana C and Carmina S for donating cash and to the many ladies and one gent who bought products to raise funds for Mio's chemotherapy (if you want to buy beauty products, click here!).

Anyway, I'll be posting more products on my beauty blog this week as we need to raise more funds. If you wish to donate, you can send your gifts to my PayPal email address: prettypeddler@yahoo.com.ph. You can also deposit your gifts to this account: Charisse F. Espinar, BDO-SM City, Savings Acct # 0670 385 018. Charisse is Mio's godmother.

God bless you for your generosity!

I asked my readers to pray for little Mio who is suffering leukemia. And I'm happy to report that many of you have not only opened your hearts but also your wallets! In the 3 days since I asked for your help, we've raised PHP 8,000! Someone in faraway New York sent dollars and some bought beauty products (shop here), the proceeds of which will all go to Mio's chemotherapy.

Thank you! I've always believed in the goodness of man and the kindness of strangers and I'm grateful to you for affirming this.

Anyway, I'll be posting more products on my beauty blog this week as we need to raise more funds. If you wish to donate, you can send to my PayPal email address: prettypeddler@yahoo.com.ph. You can also deposit your gifts to this account: Charisse F. Espinar, BDO-SM City, Savings Acct # 0670 385 018. Please address checks to Charisse Espinar.

God bless you for your generosity!

My dear readers,

I am storming the gates of heaven for a little boy I hardly know. His name is Jose Emilio, or Mio, he is 5 years old and he is fighting for his life.

I know his mother, Jasmine Mendiola. We used to work together--she's the former fashion editor of Total Girl and she's a makeup artist so we've been at a couple of shoots in the past.

Jasmine is a fighter, very tough and very strong. I only hope her beautiful child inherited some of her strength because he's going to need it in his fight against leukemia. Mio has acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), a cancer of the white blood cells. These cells fight infections. When a person has ALL, his body has a harder time fighting infections.How does one even explain to a five-year-old kid that his body has rebelled against him? The diagnosis was made just this week so we are all just reeling from the shock and praying, praying, praying. Jasmine has started a blog--it's very raw and emotional and reading it is heartbreaking. I can't even imagine what she is going through as she writes:

"He knows he’s sick and yet he remains thankful to God in our evening prayer for the toys he receives, for the nurses and the medicine that will help his 'owie' go away. I have yet to give him the world I promised him.

I think you’ll all agree when I say that Mio deserves this army. His childhood is the war I wage. I’ve always thought I had forever with my little boy and I used to just want it to pass us by so he can be a grown man, the kind who is everything good, smart, healthy and handsome.

I’ll have to put that on hold and fight this battle NOW... I have nothing but your love and support although I hate being over-bearing. But like any parent, I will beg, borrow or steal. But we are good people with kind hearts. I can only ask for you to rally the gates of heaven so my son—and all the other children in the world unjustly suffering this illness to have a chance at a normal and yes, dramatic life."

At this point, we all don't know how to make this mother's pain go away so I will very humbly ask my readers to help Mio fight his leukemia by donating whatever amount you can to help finance his chemotherapy. We will appreciate anything you can give at all!
If you wish to contact Jasmine, please visit her blog, The Enemy in Mio's Body. And please keep Mio in your prayers. We need those most of all. Thank you!

DONATION UPDATE: Gosh, the PayPal donate button isn't working. Sorry! (Thanks, Rowie for telling me about that!) While I try to figure out how that works, the PayPal email address to send your donation to is prettypeddler@yahoo.com.ph. I'll coordinate with Jasmine on how we can make donating easier--I know some of you prefer G-Cash or bank transfers. Again, thank you! Please spread the word!

ANOTHER UPDATE: I'm selling beauty products to raise money for Mio's treatment. Go to my beauty blog (click here) and please shop! Thank you!

all photos from Jasmine's Facebook account