Between the Covers: Stories from My Bookcase

Sunday, October 30, 2011

The Little Red Book of Wisdom

This review is long overdue. I finished reading the book almost two months ago, but I just couldn’t bring myself to write a decent review.

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I received the Kindle version from Booksneeze, in exchange for an honest review. So here goes.

Rather than starting this review with the opening chapters of the book, let me tell you how it ends. He closes by encouraging the reader to think about "and then what?"  To make the best decision anyone can make. To seal his eternal destiny.

Take steps now so that when you come to the end of the dream you know what comes next.

Too often, we live and work thinking that someday there will be time to enjoy all the benefits. Someday, we will be able to relax and enjoy retirement. Do we ever think about what comes after that?

We dream. We work hard for the dream. Then some of us get to live the dream. Then what? This is probably the only time Mark De Moss got too much on the spiritual side. He mentions that we just have to make the best decision anyone can make. That is to accept God and leave everything in His hands. Believe and everything will follow.

The book is no doubt Christian. Some people might be turned off by that, I wasn’t. It is full of gems.. Stuff that can be applicable to almost everyone. There are tips for personal life, and also tips for leaders that they can use in their companies.

Psalm 90 v 12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom” Perhaps it is this verse that resonates the most. De Moss found this on a note in his dad’s handwriting, by his nightstand, shortly after he died. If we all lived knowing that someday we will die, how different would we spend our days?

The Little Red Book of Wisdom has a lot more to offer. I’d love to sit down with a friend and discuss it. Since Christmas is approaching, copies of the book could be good stocking stuffers. Perhaps I don’t have to look further for girlfriend gifts, this book could be it! After all, a good read is a gift that enriches. Smile

Sunday, October 16, 2011

BC Bloggers 2011

Last year, blogger Paula of Mommy Diary posted about building a community of busy bloggers. Welcome are those who want to build links, but don’t really have the time to go hopping around offering link exchanges to bloggers who may not even be interested.

I knew I had to sign up! I’ve met other interesting bloggers through the links I was assigned, and I also gained a steady stream of visitors and backlinks.

BC_BLOGGERS

 

I’ve setup this page where my new list will be published: BC Bloggers

When it’s active, I’ll put up a link to it from my main page Smile So now you’re in on the secret, join us!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Insuring the Future

Is it a coincidence that one day I see a recruitment ad for a stay-at-home writing job that pays a monthly salary, then I am inspired enough about something to write yesterday’s post Create, and then Steve Jobs dies the day after and I am again looking at messages of finding what you love and doing it? (Remembering Steve, on my main blog).

It’s like the Universe is conspiring to tell me something here. I can make a change. I should make a change. But I still don’t have Jobs’ vision and courage. What can I do so that each day is worthy enough to live as it were my last?

It will be a tough journey yet. But all I can do is pray for courage and perseverance to make the small changes each day necessary for me to live the life I dream of. Or to figure out what it is in the first place.

Still on the topic of life and how short it can be, I am reminded of a conversation I had with colleagues at work on Sunday shift. We somehow ended up talking about life insurance and how while we are young we should invest on them. I have one and now I am thinking of getting another policy. A year or so ago when I finished paying premiums, I was thinking how I didn’t need another one. It was an unnecessary expense. Now I realize that it is forced savings for retirement. For a small amount (not enough to invest in business) I can be assured that my family will receive something should I expire earlier than expected. Or I will receive pension in my old age. 

A colleague who already has a pre-teenage daughter doesn’t have a policy yet. We were telling her about giving it a thought. I'm thinking whether to give her our agent’s number, or giving her number to our agent. Of course she could also check for life insurance quotes online

I no longer look at life insurance as morbid. It’s not just about receiving money in case of death or disability, but it’s also about saving up for the future. About having some money saved up so we won’t burden the next generation too much while caring for us. Check out Target2025 for more information on preparing for retirement.

Hay, the things we consider. Is this a sign of aging? Smile

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Create

A few days ago, How Sweet Eats blogged about a day in her life.  Again, it made me think about making a life change. She quit her job a year ago and plunged into a whole new journey. I had to read the posts she linked back to to understand where she was coming from, and I totally get her.

Although I am not even close to being a good writer/blogger as she is, I totally get her. This desire in me to work at home, I think, is also a desire to be creative. I think I used to be a creative person. I wrote, and at some point I felt good at it. I liked doing things with my hands. Creating. My piano teacher once saw me doing some word art and told me that: my hands are good with stuff.

Photo: Zipper bag. I made this in 2006. Click photo for related story in my old blog.

My grandmother crochets, sews, and cooks, among other things. Sewing was her sideline (if I remember correctly), and her home would be full of stuff she made herself. In her later years she also did some paper folding craft. There would always be a tub or a basket of yarn and needles in her bedside. I loved that. She taught me how to crochet. She helped me with my sewing project in highschool. I loved all those too.

But as I grew older, all that creativity, including playing music (guitar and piano), gradually disappeared. The only thing creative left in my life right now are blogging and my (almost non-existent) photography hobby. It’s almost been a year since I’ve last baked up a storm (that’s creating too, right?).

I want to go back to the old me and surround myself with creativity. Or crafts. Whatever.

Maybe that’s where my niche is. If I ever venture in a home business, it might have something to do with any of that.

Honestly, I started this post with the intent of steering it to talk about going into business and how we’re going to need various business tools and software to maximize efficiency and drive success.  Something like Quickbooks Enterprise. On the drive home today we passed by this corner lot near home and the boyfriend commented on how getting it would be a good investment. The house sitting on the lot burned down some time ago. Sad. But since it’s a corner lot and on a busy street, it would be a nice spot for a home, with an attached bakeshop. One of my dreams. A quickbooks enterprise download would be valuable for such a business right? Smile

Anyhoo. I’m dreaming right now. And I will continue dreaming.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

No Other Woman (2011)

We just came home from a jam packed theater. It’s one of those must-see local films – No Other Woman, starring Anne Curtis, Derek Ramsay and Cristine Reyes.

No-Other-Woman-Poster

It was well worth the trip out of the house on a rainy day. The trailer pretty much shows it all, but the full length film has to be seen in its entirety, marami pang pasabog. Smile

Before seeing this movie, I was already thinking about this other great movie about a husband, a wife, and an other woman. A Love Story.  Thanks to the import to Typepad function before Vox completely, closed, I can still link to an old post and reference it here. But No Other Woman is different from that older movie. Oh, the actors are still delicious, yes.

Nakakaasar si husband. Why did he have to be so sweet to his other woman? They were supposed to be two consenting adults just having fun. Why did he have to be so sweet and caring at the same time. He made her fall in love. Pero syempre, it’s the other woman’s stupidity that got her there in the first place. Si wifey lang ang walang sala.

Anyway. It’s a beautiful movie. What else can I say? A lot of good lines too. Si Derek lang yata walang pak na linya. I’d watch it over and over again on Cinema One once they start playing it. You betcha. Haha.

What I don’t get though, is why they give us a preview into Ram and his relationship with his father, but they don’t develop it. They show us that there’s some deep-seated anger there, but they don’t tell us what for (okay, because he left them?). Nor was there resolution. Er. Maybe they should have just completely left it out of the movie. When he said he wasn’t seeing much of his father, okay na yun.

If this happens to me and my guy hooks up with another girl… Hmm. I can’t tell what will happen. Really.

Reminds me of another movie I saw recently but haven’t blogged about.

Shop. Save. and Cinema.

Yesterday’s shopping was successful. Alfred has a new pair of  jeans. I have two new pairs, and two new black shirts as well. We paid cash.

Although it was Day 1 of the 3-day Sale, there weren't many people around at 1PM. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait at the fitting rooms and there were no long lines at the counter. Later on though there were a LOT more people around, so many in fact that there were no more tables in  Banchetto which is one big place to fill up!

The queue for parking was massive too. It's a good thing my office is right there so I had parking space! Having parked at the office, we decided to swing by Banchetto to grab some brownies. We fancied a movie as well as some food so we made the walk from SM to Gateway. We missed the 440PM showing so instead we caught the 650PM screening and had an early dinner at Teriyaki Boy where we got this cute freebie:



It looks just like a Coca-Cola can but it’s a coin bank really. Just when we needed a new one too. Hehe.
Sadly though, because we had time to kill, it meant we had time to spend some more money. This time, we bought pillows. I wish I had the budget for Tempur, but I got what seems to be the next best thing. I’ll post a review of the pillow later on – will it keep me from snoring? As long as it prevents headaches and back pain, it’s money well spent for me if you ask me. You know, it’s like buying ladies thermal clothing, it’s no good if it doesn’t function the way it’s meant to. So the ultimate test will be when it’s being used.So after a few days, I shall do a new post on my new bed buddy. Smile