AUTS: Thank you Merlion.. Until Next Time

I could still remember 11th of March last year, Carl, Rhy and I were very nervous to pass through the NAIA Terminal 3 Immigrations. Lucky enough, the IO just asked if I am working on one of the projects advertised on the said terminal. Whew! Ang hirap magpretend pero super easy ng tanong niya and dahil sa kaba, hindi ko man lang naisipang pansinin ang mga ads na sinasabi nya. Haha!! That time, I have resigned already from DMCI and Carl and I are planning to go here in Singapore to hunt for a job. And it would definitely be not a good idea to tell the IO the truth. Sorry Lord for lying. And that's the start of me being a part of the OFW family.

Carl and I very happy to got through the immigrations

I have been thankful for having surpassed the trials and hardships of staying in a foreign land for already a year. One year and twelve days up to this day to be exact. I can still remember before I left, my mom used to tell me her dilemmas about me working abroad - how am I gonna cook, how am I gonna wash my clothes, who will take care of me when I have a fever? OMG, mothers talaga!!! I really love you for taking care of me. And of course to my ever supportive family and boyfriend who always tell me that I can do this and I can do that! Without them, I wouldn't be able to make it here that far and it was also them who also made me realized that I couldn't enjoy the life of an OFW. 

Kudos to all the OFWs who made it this far while they're away from their families and friends. The start of my life being an OFW was also the start of me being independent and I feel that was not really what I wanted. I was not yet ready to be independent, I suppose. I am still my family's baby girl. Haha!! Sa tanda kong toh.. But really there were a lot of moments that I realized that I still couldn't live far away from them. God is still very great to have me realized a lot of things. I know God wanted to instill in me the things I wouldn't know if I didn't try to go abroad.

I have been thankful for a lot of things I learned while I'm here. And these are:

1. To wash my clothes - Even if we have a washing machine that already washes, rinses and dries the clothes when you put it there, I would still call it as washing clothes. Lols! I only need to put the detergent, fabric conditioner and hang the clothes. Ang dali diba? We also have the same washing machine at home but my mom still prefers to hire a labandera and pay her to manually wash our clothes.

2. To cook - It is here that I learned how to prepare and cook our food. I was used to just eat what our helper cooked for us at home. I can cook but I only know how to fry eggs, fish and meat but not to prepare soups like Nilaga and Sinigang. Rhy, marami na akong alam. Thanks to Panlasang Pinoy. Hahah!!!

3. To eat vegatables - Yuck! There were really vegetables that I hate to eat and this would include beans, bitter gourd or ampalaya, lady finger or okra and eggplant except when it is torta. I only eat squash, potatoes, cabbage and pechay. Haha! But now, I already eat ampalaya and beans and I even cook them for our baon. :)

4. To save and budget - Jusko! Dito pa ako natuto magsave ng bongga! Haha! I admit that I was used to have money back home all the time but with minimal savings. Kung kelan naman tumaas ang sahod, doon natutong magipon at hindi gumastos. Noong mababa ang sahod, hindi nagiipon at todo gastos. Or dahil sa baba ng sahod, hindi nakakapagipon. Haha! But saving and budgetting are really two of the things I am grateful to have learned while I am working abroad. Maybe because there were things that I am already paying like a condo at Taguig, investment in the stockmarket and the 10-20-70 savings strategy which I learned from Bo in his article, "How to Enjoy Your Wealth". 10% allotted for what you give back to the Lord or you may include your wants in this category, 20% allotted for your savings and investments and 70% for your personal expenses and what you give to your family. Also remember the formula: Salary - Savings = Expenses. At first, if you're not used to this strategy, you'll encounter some difficulties like not buying stuffs you want but only the things that you need but eventually, you can control yourself and you will be surprised that you are already used to this kind of strategy.

• Let's say you're in the Philippines and you're earning a net income of 30,000. But of course, the bigger your net income, the more you are capable of saving. ;)
• 10% or 3,000 is for the church and wants. This depends how you divide among the two.
• 20% or 6,000 for your savings and investments. As for me I make this 30% but this depends on how you wanted to allocate to the two. 
• Lastly, 70% or 21,000 for personal expenses or for family. But you see, 70% is very big for me so the extra money I saved from this portion I put in my savings. 

So there, having learned some useful things in my stay here at SG, I would still be applying them in my lifestyle when I go back to the Philippines.

Of course, apart from the things I learned, I am excited for a lot of things including: (Napansin ko, mababaw lang talaga kaligayahan ko. Lols!)

1. To be with my loved ones again - family and Rhy
2. I get to work on what I love to do - design and supervise (while trying not to be an employee)
3. I get to be with my dogs - go and exercise with them, wash them and feed them
4. I get to spend my vacation with my loved ones - birthdays, summer, Christmas, New Year, or even go with them on the long weekends
5. I can simply hang out with friends  - those who are still in the Philippines
6. I get to eat at the restos that I love - Jollibee, Mang Inasal, Greenwich, Chowking haha!!
7. I get to drive my car - yeah! Road trip with Rhy or friends
8. I can simply go shopping or strolling without converting and paying for too much and just enjoy the life with family and friends :)
9. And last but not the least, hindi nako mahohomesick at lovesick. Weeh! :) 

I'm so excited to go home already! Wish me luck on my new career and lifestyle guys! 

XO! Tata!