Credit Card Trap
I don’t think I have to spell out how and why owning a credit card (or credit cards) can be a cause of real trouble. The temptation to purchase things you don’t really need for amounts you can’t really pay in a credit cycle can sometimes be just too much to fight against. First, you’ll get excited with the notion that because you’ve been approved by a credit card company and they provided you with a decent credit limit, you’re somewhat a little more special now. Now you have privileges not all people are lucky to have. You’ll look at the things you’ve always been wanting to have but you previously felt to be mere luxuries more than necessities, and then think again. You buy through credits, then you pay on time. Because you’re such a reliable borrower, the credit card company increases your spending limit. You’ll get giddy all over again and might become more bold in purchasing more extravagant things. The next thing you know, your bills are piling up and you find your self neck-deep in debt. Month after month, you pay the minimum amount for credit card balances that sometimes is almost as much as your finance charges. In short, your credit card balance decreases slower than an ant can travel from the Philippines to Singapore. That is, if you’re able to pay any amount at all. To do some credit repair, you might think of applying for a bank loan with advertised lower rates, thinking the installment scheme is a smarter way to improve credit. But that may work but only if you cut the source of your woes, bad credit cards, in the first place. You cannot improve credit score otherwise. The rule here, as anywhere, is, when you get a second chance, don’t mess it up. It’s bad enough to spend all your hard-earned money paying loans; settling credit dispute is a potentially messier and very unattractive prospect.
Light Fixtures
When my sisters and I watched Lea Salonga’s concert My Life On Stage at the PICC a few months ago, I was so fascinated by the lights on the ceiling of the lobby. I don’t know if it’s just because it was so dark outside and we just came from a really great show that I was just too happy to take pictures of the ceiling light fixtures there. It was so grand and rather dramatic. I’ll post some pictures here later.
I imagine such light fixtures on a really large venue will take long to install. It must cost a fortune, too. Home lighting may be easier to find, especially if you’re not really into chandeliers and other extravagant stuff. You can even buy such things online. Well, I really need just one energy-saving lamp for my room. The one I have now, I bought two years ago and is still working fine. I wish I have a bedside lamp, though, for use at night.
Cars and Cabs
Whenever I get home late from work, which means 2 a.m. and beyond, I always make it a point to call for a taxi service. It may not sound so impractical if I don’t live about 20 minutes from our office; however, I’d shell out extra cash everytime than to risk rubbing elbows with the bad elements out there prying on the night-wandering public.
Actually, I also feel entitled to it. After working too many overtime hours, I am just too tired and too cowardly to commute. Last Friday, I was able to finish my work at about 3am and called the cab company I usually depend on for this but found out that their numbers have all been disconnected. Thankfully, I was able to contact another taxi service. During the drive home, I learned from the driver that the owner of the first company I called is now selling his car units because the drivers went on strike and they were not able to reach a deal. Too bad. For the owner, the drivers, and the clients/public.
The next day, a car on the side of the road with a “For Sale” tag caught my eye. I thought it still looks great for its price (Php160k); I would have been more than interested if I know I can afford it. Just the figures in auto insurance quotes online are enough to take away any excitement I may have felt.
Under Construction
I wasn’t able to access this blog for almost two weeks because my hosting provider suffered server malfunction. Their Windows server, which is where this site is hosted, was apparently attacked by hackers and crashed. It was such a frustrating time for me because it wasn’t too long since they had a problem with their Windows server. My hosting fees are uber cheap (PhP 50/month), so I tell myself that I shouldn’t be surprised at the poor service, but still I feel like I bought a car with a power steering rack but doesn’t have an engine. Now I have to reconstruct some posts and sidebar items that I’ve lost because of the database and account files transfer. Stay tuned.
The Right Way to Read and to Watch TV
Is by NOT doing them while lying down.
I’ve been wearing contact lenses for years now and I didn’t know that I have astigmatism on one eye and none on the other. I mean, my glasses and contacts have a grade of 200 and I thought all it meant was that I have bad vision. While I was shopping for reading glasses, I underwent the standard “vision test”; they show me this chart with lines originating from a center going outward to form an illusion of a circle, and I have to identify if all lines look to have the same density. My left eye said no, while the right one said yes. So I asked the optometrist if that can still be corrected and she told me that I have to correct my bad habits as well – reading and watching TV while lying down. Now, I’ve been told that since childhood and I never really listened. I usually only watch TV before I go to sleep and, besides, I don’t have a comfortable sofa or chair in my apartment. Well, I guess my small, wooden study chair will do for now. I’ll just imagine that I’m watching my favorite TV series or movie in a huge plasma TV inside a home theater seating system, with all high-tech sound system and stuff.
iPhone 3G
I’ve been going to the Globe center in a nearby mall for the past few weeks to pay for some stuff I bought online (through G-Cash). Naturally, the iPhone 3G on display will always attract my attention no matter how many times I’ve circled around it. I’ve gotten myself flyers, too, but never an application form. It just costs too much! The 8 GB model is still around Php 37K and the 16GB model is almost Php 44K. And don’t get me started with the available plans. Anyway, my phone still works and I’m still happy about it, even if I realized I’m not really into PDAs. The iPhone can wait. I can wait (until the price drops to about one fourth of that).
The Tennis Saga
I’ve been reporting the progress of Roger Federer at the U.S. Open in my other blog. I can only wish that he’ll cruise all the way to the finals so I won’t have to write an entry if he’ll fail to defend his title. He’s been the champion at Flushing Meadows for the past 4 years and is looking to prevent Nadal from having a better year (3 Slams, 1 Olympic gold) than he managed in the first 4 years of his absolute dominance.
I was watching the 2005 U.S. Open final last night and noticed the difference in Federer’s movement and shotmaking abilities then. I think the key is confidence. He lost a big chunk of that which used to give him an air of invincibility; thus, he plays tight and is prone to more errors. But that’s just an assumption. Another thing I noticed is how much older he looked after 3 years. I’m pretty sure it’s just the stress and possibly his bout with mononucleosis earlier in the year (at Wimbledon, he even had a scar on his right cheek from a boil that got infected), but he lost that freshness and boyish charm as well. Well, it’s not as if he needs treatments for acne or anything, I’m sure he’ll bounce back to his old self (no pun intended) with a few rest and with his 5th U.S. Open trophy in hand.
Drive
While I was pushing a grocery cart in the packed SM Hypermarket (now I know why it’s prefixed with “hyper”) last Sunday, I was imagining if driving a car would be as easy as maneuvering a push cart. Of course, that’s a silly idea. I did try to learn back when I was in high school, a couple of years shy of the legal age allowed to drive. We had this owner-type jeep and I remember that my father allowed me once or twice to take the driver’s seat, in the main roads of our province no less, with a few nervous passenger friends who didn’t want to say anything so as not to hurt my feelings. I know that was foolish, and although our old vehicle didn’t have and probably didn’t need online car insurance then, I was confident that I wasn’t risking anybody’s life in that few minutes of my own personal thrill. (How did I grow up to be such a nervous wreck?) But I was deemed careless, unbalanced with speed, and incapable of controlling the gears, besides the fact that I can’t make a turn, so I didn’t try again even when I was a lot older. It makes me wonder if I can start learning to drive again one of these days. Maybe when I am finally capable of actually getting myself a car, I’ll go down that road.
Dexter
My sister was urging me to watch this new TV series she bought a DVD of - Dexter. It’s another one of those wonderfully weird shows from Showtime (well, that’s only judging from Californication being from Showtime, too, and it’s quite weird. Good show, but in a very controversial way). I didn’t think I’m up for gruesome, crime stories, wherein the main character is the one perpetuating the crimes, albeit only against hardened criminals. But the first episode proved to be intriguing and I think I might stick around to watch the entire first season. Plus, Michael Hall (Dexter), David from Six Feet Under, is a really great actor. Here he plays a forensics expert by day who analyzes blood-splatter patterns, and a heartless killer by night, preying on those criminals who got away from law and justice.
There’s a reason why I stay away from crime shows, CSI, for example. I used to watch documentaries about real crime stories and they give me nightmares. But the whodunit scenarios are always compelling and the use of modern technology in investigations is quite interesting to learn about. The use of PCR, for example, to determine the identity of possible suspects and, in more extreme cases, it’s even curious how they use dental fragments to identify the victims. It must really pay to watch your oral health, if only to have dental records, then. No, really, a charlotte cosmetic dentist is maybe what you need while you’re well and hoping to do some oral reconstructions, but the former is a technology I fear we don’t have here in our country yet (or do we?).
Anyway, we’ll see if I’ll be able to go through season 1 without being squeamish about all those blood.
Laughlin
The last I heard of Sarah McLachlan, my favorite singer/songwriter/musician, is that she gave birth to her second child. She hasn’t been making new music lately and has been rehashing some of her biggest hits in compilation albums. As much as I’m hoping for her to create something in the vein of her Surfacing album, I’m only glad to hear that she’s releasing (make that re-releasing) Fumbling Towards Ecstacy as a 15th Anniversary Deluxe Edition. It includes the original Fumbling Towards Ecstasy album, Freedom Sessions, and a DVD loaded with live performances, music videos, behind the scenes footage, and more.
I’m still a bit surprised to find entries on Sarah McLaughlin online, as if such a big star shouldn’t have her name misspelled. I think maybe some people do have last names like that. Other people. All I gathered is that there is a place called Laughlin in Nevada, and if you’re coming there for a visit, you might want to check out the list of laughlin hotels the city has to offer.