Taking on the 52 weeks money challenge

Here's to my first post in 2014!

At present, I am taking on the 52 weeks money challenge! It sounds fairly easy enough when you start it, saving less than a 100 in the first 10 weeks, but it's bound to get more difficult after. On searching for checklists I can use though, I only find guides in doolars. Thus, I'm doing this without any regard for the balance with increments of P 10 rather than P 1. If this proves quite successful a challenge, I might just consider doing this annually, and increasing the increments if I'm able to. Being blind to the end balance means, I'll only find out how much I've actually saved at th end of the 52nd week.

If you feel like starting your own challenge, it's always a good idea to start with a small amount. Set a day during the week when you'll be setting aside your money challenge dues. If you're the type who gets motivated seeing your savings grow, by all means, recycle a clear bottle to serve as your personal bank. If you're going traditional, choosing a coin bank is always a good option. You can also create a checklist for yourself if you're really more into visual motivation, or you can make use of technology and set a 52-week long reminder on your smartphones, tablets or any gadget you use.

There are many wyas to go about it, but at the end of the day, it'll always be exciting to take on new challenges that make you a better person and help teach you about saving and budgeting. Come to think of it, this is actually quite a good exercise to teach kids!

Dealing...

I always tell myself I would blog more, write more, dream more, think more and put whatever I feel like out there... But as always, that doesn't seem to be the case. I always end up finding myself writing when it gets too crowded emotionally or mentally that I somehow need to vent. True, venting out to friends seems to be the thing best to do, but there are just simply times I appreciate the pseudo-anonymity the internet provides.

So how is it possible that I survived far more pain in the years of past without the need to write it all down, and yet, the pain I suffer in silence currently has begged me to put it all out there? I can't help but wonder if the strength I had stocked up on in the trying parts of life had somehow been depleted tremendously that I am left with the need to vent out, in my typically vague manner, of course.

Either way, I feel a bit better, though I know this is far from over. But reality and responsibility beckons, and I must heed their call for I am not a super woman, nor do I consider myself extraordinarily gifted with inhuman abilities to juggle everything without need for some emotional reprieve.

A Poem A Day 04

I stumble today
And lost the hope I held yesterday
But I cannot let this sway
The decisions I made to go my own way

It is but a sudden block
But won't keep me from trying my luck
Till time has not run out of the clock
Ambition shall remain unlock

I shall rise on my feet again
To brave another chapter despite the pain
There is much to be gained
But none if I choose to remain

A Poem A Day 03

The dreams of yesterday
Intrude on the thoughts of today
The memories flood anew
Bringing with it a sense of something new

Hidden in its depths
Lies the answer that you seek
To understand that you are blessed
And take the chance to share and speak

The world is not set against you
Perhaps that is your clue
To redefine who you are
And put a stop to what you lost so far

A Poem A Day 02

In memories you flit in and out
And I can't help but wonder what it's all about
You've been part of my life
Though it is filled sometimes with strife

I long to know why
My curiosity piqued so high
When the next time we meet
Will the answers I seek be complete?

My mind had venture to unknown territory
Perhaps a reflection of what could have been our story
If you had stayed true to your heart
Then maybe we will not have part

A Poem A Day 01

Life seems to pass
Quite unseen through the looking glass
The pain of tomorrow and today
Soon to shadow the pain of yesterday

Without a sense of foreboding
Nor a hint of warning
We trudged ahead
And thus made our bed

Emotions rubbed raw and bare
Unseen by all who profess to care
I struggle deep within this hateful abyss
Waiting for the day I shall attain eternal bliss

Personal Thoughts: Writing and Reading

I didn't realize fully how I missed writing. Whether it's a song poem, a story or song, as long as it was something that I made wholly for myself. Being in the business where writing press releases, marketing and advertising copies, sponsorship letters, regrets and appreciation, it can get to you in time and you will eventually lose sight of why you are considered a writer in the first place.

True, nowadays, people find the drive or motivation to write in a more monetary rewards, and I will admit I myself had been drawn to be just like them. Unfortunately, despite the many pics that I took with my phone regarding the places I've been to, food that I've sampled, events I had attended, I never can seem to stay put and write about it. Guess I really am one of those people who rather write about themselves or their thoughts, than write for the recognition of others, and hopefully the recognition of brands as a potential source of online advertising.

Reading had used to fill my time, along with other hobbies. And without realizing it, reading had in some ways taken a back seat to other pursuits and finding the joy reading once again via the use of my devices, I had recaptured the excitement it brings me. The agony of having to put down an unfinished book in other to go about your daily tasks, the constant wondering about where the story is heading to next, the frustration at having come to a cliffhanger of a series and the next one isn't out yet, and the emotions as you are drawn to the story. The feelings that reading a book can elicit... oh how I missed it so.

It's lame, true, to share my passion for the craft and the hobby, but there are days in the life of everyone they just need to vent, plain and simple.

Personal Thoughts - Past and Present

Meeting or simply talking with someone significant from your past can bring to mind so many of the things you thought long buried. Every emotion felt then rushes to the forefront and you can't help but wonder how you managed to delude yourself into thinking you're okay, when in reality, there's so many things left unanswered.

Having had that experience myself today, I am too confused to sort out how I felt about this development yet in my life right now. This year gets weirder by the day, and sometimes, I just wish time will stop so I can take my time figuring out how I feel. But of course, the world wouldn't stop just because you want it too. So there's much left to do except figure things out.

So how do you deal with it? How do you deal with the person you knew then being totally someone unexpected know? How do you deal with the feelings they evoke? How do you identify what it means?

Sadly, there is no guide in life on how to deal with this kind of confusion. But logically, you're suppose to consider these things as nothing more than temptations and distractions from your life, but emotionally, can I really say I am not affected? That this incident didn't make me rethink what I'm doing with my life. Temptations and unexpected encounters do have a tendency to show up when you're in the middle of thinking you're life is okay as it is and bringing things you're not satisfied with into focus.