El viaje: a day in Sibulan

It's amazing when you take the time to explore new places. You never know that such places exist. It's also a good idea to take a break from breathing the pollution of the city and taking in the fresh cool air of the country side. For me, I had this chance when the team went to Sibulan.

Sibulan is in Santa Cruz, just a bit farther from Toril. The team went there to hand over the donation of sports equipment to Mt. Apo Elementary School. I tagged along to cover the event and to experience work on field.

When we got there, they were celebrating the culmination of the Nutrition Month and also the Indigenous Peoples' Day. Most of the kids are Bagobo Tagabawa and I was indeed blessed to spend a day to see their culture.

As expected in the highland countryside, the vegetables and fruits are so healthy and fresh. You just can't find that sort in the city.

Each grade level presented a number for the Nutrition Month's culmination program. These girls did a puppet show while their teacher narrated the story. I did not understand the story though, but I think it was along the lines of eating healthy.

I just adore their cultural outfit. The authenticity and also the wearer is something to be proud of. The girl was shy when I asked her for a photo with me (I had to chase her around until I cornered her hehe)

Since they were celebrating the Nutrition Month, the kids and their parents whipped up some dishes which was part of their mini- contest. Free Food! Some of the ingredients and dishes were planted and cooked by the kids themselves.

Linotlot- A Bagobo delicacy made of young coconut and chicken cooked inside a bamboo pole. It has an interesting mix of salty- sweet and coconut-y taste.

Later on, we went for a hike. I've always wanted to experience what it feels like to be in the middle of a fog. Sure enough, it was really cool and I couldn't look past through the mist.

I never thought I would be able to experience what I experienced today. I always thought that I would be stuck in the city's concrete jungle. Being in the midst of nature will always do you good.

I also have found my new love for hiking. Now, next stop- camping in the great outdoors.

Getting around your finances when you're fresh out of college

Part of finally getting out of school is of course starting to have your salary and being financial independent from your parents. For me, it was only after college that I got hold of more than 5, 000pesos that I owned. There was the temptation to spend spend spend.

I'm just blessed enough to have read books that taught me how to budget my money.

I am not saying that I am perfect when it comes to my finances. Occasionally I have my slips, spending my set-aside funds for impulsive buys. Believe me, its hard to justify your accounts when you are using your budget on something that you totally did not plan on buying. Times like this, I rise from my mistakes, learn from them, and keep on building my discipline and self- control stronger.

So how do I budget my salary? This is how I break it down:

I got my budget inspiration from Bo Sanchez's books. So what does each section mean?

• LIVE (25%): This is my daily expenses budget. This is where I get my funds for transportation, bills, food etc. Basically what keeps me going everyday until my next paycheck.
• SAVE (20%): This is for emergencies. Good thing I still haven't used them and have not encountered the need to use them. Nonetheless, I have to have this budget, you just never know what will come up. Ideally, the amount in my savings budget should be 3-6 months worth of my salary.
• GROWTH (20%): This is for investments. Making my money grow, not just letting it gather dust in my wallet or in the bank. I have to beat inflation, as it can suck out its buying capacity like a hungry manananggal.
• LEARN (15%): This budget is set aside for education, whether it be seminars, books, short courses of enrolling for a master's degree. This is probably the biggest and most important investment I will make. You have to consistently let yourself grow, learn new things and master new skills.
• PLAY (10%): This is for entertainment and generally to make my self feel good. This is the amount that I can splurge on food, movies, massages, vacations etc. I have read that it's not good to deprive yourself, and having the budget for it will not make you guilty.
• TITHE (10%): This is for reaching out and helping those who really need it. I usually give it to church offering or doing my own little sacrifices. It's amazing and empowering when you have the capability to give and help someone.

When I had my first salary, I immediately practiced my budget scheme. It takes habit and discipline to stick to it. In the long run, you will be thanking yourself you started it early.

Review: Manang's Chicken

Me and my boyfriend were strolling around the mall looking for somewhere to eat. It really takes us a long time to choose a joint because we always consider first if we can afford their menu. We passed by Manang's Chicken (Gaisano Mall- 4th floor) twice already so we decided to give it a try. We were also enticed to enter their joint as their booths and chairs looked comfy and there were not many people who dined there.

A little background on Manang's Chicken:
Ang Bagong Fried Chicken ng Pinoy owned and operated by Giabella Foods Corporation, a 100% Filipino owned company. 

That sweet, salty, crispy, juicy chicken you’re sinking your teeth into has been a staple at our family dining table for the past 20 years. Our beloved cook, affectionately called “Manang,” whipped it up for all of our family occasions and nobody ever got enough of it. Fast forward to 2011 and Manang’s soy garlic chicken evolved from the comfort food of our dining table, to the local weekend market, and finally to a growing chain of fast food restaurants! Manang unwittingly redefined fried chicken for the Pinoy market.
(from Manang's Chicken website- http://www.manangschicken.com/about-manangs-chicken/)

(photos from http://www.manangschicken.com)

I had the cheesy spaghetti (P69. 00) while my boyfriend got the crispy chicken sandwich with chips (P75.00)-I don't quite remember, but it's in that price range.

Their spaghetti meal was nothing special, really. I think that it lacks the rich sweet flavor that the Filipino spaghetti taste has that we're all accustomed to. When I mixed the sauce and the pasta, the color was bland. Jollibee's spaghetti had more rich sauce compared to this. For 69pesos, I should have dragged my bum to Jollibee instead.

I took a bite from my boyfriend's chicken sandwich. I was surprised to find some sort of hash browns  

(or was it mashed potatoes?) beneath the chicken fillet- patty. Im not exactly sure if the hash browns was a win, it tasted kind of strange. It also had some sort of coleslaw, which for me is a plus considering that most chicken sandwich from other fastfood chains are only composed of the buns and the chicken fillet-patty. I'd still go for McDonald's or KFC's chicken fillet sandwich in the taste department.

The chips were a disappointment. I did not get if I was nibbling on potato or kamote chips. What even made it go down lower was that the staff did not even heat the chips. It was a pain eating it.

With all the bad say on the food, at least the customer service department was good.. Their staff was accommodating and polite. When I handed a 500 bill the staff kindly asked me to wait as they did not have enough for my change.

Overall:

Food: 3/5

Ambiance: 4/5 (like I said, the chairs and booths were comfy enough)

Customer service: 4/5

I hope they improve the taste and quality of their menu. It was a bit of a downer, really. They'll have to step up their game if they want to be at par with the big guys.

When the going gets tough

A year has already passed since I graduated from college. My first year in the working world was a whirl of jumping from one job to another, of migraines and dampened idealism. I think I'm not alone with this kind of experience, with this new breed of yuppies who groan at the mere sight of failure or difficulty. There were times that I felt like a zombie rising from my bed and getting to work.  In the midst of all of that I think I lost the reason why I was working.

Most of us are not fortunate to immediately land the dream job that we want. When the real world rears its ugly head, we just cling to anything that can practically answer our needs. For me, I settled with anything that could give me a salary every twice a month. I realized that reason alone is never enough.

When the going gets tough, what is your 'why' that forces you to get up every morning? There will always be good days and bad days. But when sometimes the bad days tip the scale, what moves you to keep going? This 'why' will be your motivator to keep you moving forward, to swallow the difficult and know you will come out stronger after.