Ruby Loves Adventure

Summary from Goodreads:

Life in the court of King Henry VIII is a complex game. When fifteen-year-old Catherine Howard catches the king's eye, she quickly transforms from pawn to queen. But even luxury beyond imagination loses its luster as young Catherine finds her life - and her heart - threatened by the needs of an aging king and a family hungry for power. Will their agendas deliver Catherine to the same fate as her infamous cousin, Anne Boleyn - sacrificed at the altar of family ambition?

Greetings guys ! I'm testing blogger for iPhone right now. What better way to create a test post than uploading a photo :)

This was taken at iconic Tower Bridge. It was first built in the 1800s and can be drawn up to allow ships to pass through. Oh, and it still works today!

To get there, just hop on a tube and go down at the Tower Hill stop. Its on the District line. The bridge is a short walk from the tube station and you'll also see the Tower of London!

For those looking for London Bridge, ita the next one over! It isn't as iconic or pretty as Tower Bridge though!

It's been a while since I've made an IMM post!!

And oh my gosh, I can't believe I lost a draft version of this - I had a few dozen books I bought for 2011 and I've lost it in my blog :(

So, for this week, I got:

Bought:
Need by Carrie Jones

Borrowed:
The 39 Clues: The Black Book of Buried Secrets
Cahills vs Vespers 1: The Medusa Plot

That's about it - what did you get in your mailboxes :)

I'm a bit annoyed whenever someone tells me that I'm rich whenever I travel: either dreams of going to Europe, US, Australia, or whenever I book airline tickets both local and abroad.

Let me just clear this up: I am not rich. I am a working professional just like you. I earn money every month by working a 9-6 job, I blog for extra money (although I only earn enough just to pay for a lunch ever month), and I am not a daughter of some tycoon where I could ask for money whenever I feel like it.

Let me share to you some of my ideals on how to save money for what you really want. First off, a word of warning: its hard. Getting the discipline to actually save is really, really hard. It took me ages to get the self-discipline!

First off, my profile (for your comparison): I'm currently 20+, employed full time, single, and I don't have to support my parents (at the moment) - I can get to keep whatever I earn without providing x amount of money to my family. I don't like to eat out, and I don't like to watch movies in the cinema. And I abhore hotel buffets.



So, here's how I save money for my trips/books:

1. Less shopping.

I used to be a shopaholic. From 2006 to early 2007, I cannot leave the mall without carrying something out of a certain store. It's true. Case and point: I got addicted to Havaianas and ended up with around 30+ pairs. Talk about a waste. It took me a year and a half to get on the path of shopaholic rehab and stop buying these stuff that I don't need. I always ask myself now if I really need a certain thing before I buy it. And yes, even if its on sale, regardless how big of a percentage it is on sale, I keep asking myself that question again and again.

However, I do have my faults. Why I have the self-discipline to not buy clothes, shoes, bags, jewellery, and gadgets, I have a weakness: books and notebooks. I keep buying books even though I have a few hundred more to read. But then again, I allow myself to keep buying books as a reward to myself (more about that later).

Always categorize a potential buy: Do you need it? Do you just want it? Or is it just an impulse buy? Chances are, if it is just an impulse buy, you'll end up forgetting about that certan thing when you wake up the next morning.


2. Pack food/drinks whenever possible.

As I said, I don't like to eat out. I tried computing how much it would take every single day to buy lunch and dinner and believe me, the amounts could add up. compare the cost of buying food from fast food chains/restaurants to cooking at home and you'll end up being surprised as well. You'll save a lot.

I also don't like buying softdrinks or mineral water from restaurants. They charge a lot more for drinks compared to buying stuff from the grocery store. What I normally do is pack a small 350ml container (which I bought from SM) and fill up with lukewarm water from the office or at home. It's enough to keep me hydrated while I'm out and keeps me from buying water outside.

I also don't like buying coffee from Starbucks or the other cafes. They're really overpriced as well. Imagine if you buy a latte everyday. You'll get to save around P4000 a month if you stop buying coffee and just drink coffee from the free coffee machines you would get at the office. Don't have a coffee machine in the office? Opt for cheaper coffee: buy your coffee from either 7-11 or buy a pack of instant coffee and make your own!

3. Find other means of income.

Get another job (I would say part time), buy and sell stuff, turn a hobby (ie baking) into a profitable mini business - the choices are endless. I choose to blog and to invest to earn additional income. Blogging may not be for everyone though - it takes a lot of hard work as well. I choose my other means of income to be a passive one.
(Nerdy talk: there are two types of income: Passive and Active. Passive income is your ability to make money without working or exerting effort for it. Active income is your ability to make money from your services or from your job). Blogging can be considered as a mixture of passive & active income. Active because you exert effort while you create your blogs, and passive when you get paid every month for advertising space.

Passive income is considred the best because you're making money without batting a finger! I have investments that make x amounts of moolah every month. It's not much, I definitely can't live off it, but at least I'm making a few extra. Do note that before you invest in anything, you'll need to understand what you're investing on and the probable risks involved (hence I am thankful for my banking background cos it gave me an advantage).

4. Sell/trade or re-gift your stuff.

One man's junk is another man's treasure, as they say. If you have something that you don't use anymore, you could try to sell it online (given that it's still in good condition)! I don't normally use this tip. Instead of selling my stuff, I normally just give it away to friends as presents for Christmas or other occassions. Case & point: books. As I said, I can't stop buying books. So, depending on how many books I've read and how many friends I have who love to read, I get a stash of presents for them, ready anytime ;) You could also re-gift stuff if you want to - ie if you get a gift from someone but you don't really like it or you won't need it, you could re-gift it to someone who may make better use of it than you would. Better than it accumulating dust in your closet.

5. Find discounts for your needs

Need something? Scout for deals online using group buying websites. You'll get to save x amount of money, but make sure you'll need it before you do buy it! Need clothes? Wait for sale season before getting anything. Need toiletries? In my personal opinion, the best place for getting cheap toiletries is Watsons. They have these racks of stuff that are buy one take one (if you are patient enough to scout the store looking for the if they have any). They normally don't advertise they have this specific deal so keep scouting ;) Think of it as a game.

Trivia: Whenever I buy toiletries (ie soap, shampoo, etc), I normally compute per oz/g/ml to get the best deal. Not all things in big packages are cheaper than the smaller packages (ie the biggest Cetaphil 427ml bottle is more expensive than 2 250ML Cetaphil).

So,, that's part one of my saving tips :) I don't really have a book review post up done yet or a travelogue done. Year end has been absolutely tiring for me and I have been resting and sleeping most weekends. *Sigh*

Hope this can be of help to you guys :)

Summary from Goodreads: There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori. 

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move. 

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her. 

Summary from Goodreads: Elizabeth Egan’s life runs on order: Both her home and her emotions are arranged just so, with little room for spontaneity. It’s how she counteracts the chaos of her family -- an alcoholic mother who left when she was young, an emotionally distant father, and a free-spirited sister, who seems to be following in their mother’s footsteps, leaving her own six-yearold son, Luke, in Elizabeth’s care. When Ivan, Luke’s mysterious new grown-up friend, enters the picture, Elizabeth doesn’t know quite what to make of him. With his penchant for adventure and colorful take on things large and small, Ivan opens Elizabeth’s eyes to a whole new way of living. But is it for real? Is Ivan for real?
I first came across Cecelia Ahern's books because she is the sister-in-law of Nicky from Westlife. As shallow as I may be, that is one of the main reasons why I was interested in this book. I bought PS I Love You but I never managed to finish reading it. Then a friend gave this book as a present to me and I thought it was just time for me to read it.

A bitter disappointment. The story has no real structure, and is very, very unrealistic and unbelievable. A girl falling in love with an imaginary friend? Puh-lease. Instead of me learning to hope or picking up some new things from this book, I felt like I had just wasted my time trying to read and finish this book. It has no concrete ending as well, which was a bitter disappointment. Kind of like Where Rainbows End (but more about this other book in a separate review).

I don't like the way the author keeps alternating how the story POV was written. It was written in the first person if Ivan was "speaking" and in the third person from the POV of Elizabeth. It's quite confusing that way!

Is this considered chick lit? Is it a love story? I believe, no and no. What I was happy about from the story though was the way that Elizabeth finally changes her beliefs and her attitude towards the end. From prissy, uptight girl to eventually a happy one. That's about it. Her mum and her sister didn't warrant a happy ending for her, and her lovelife was still a big mystery.

I hope that some of the other books I pick up from this author won't disappoint me any more.

Facebook is being a pain and since I promised my friends to post photos and some brief narrative on what I did on my 3 1/2 month stint in the UK, here you go. A month and a half late. Or rather, a few months late.

One thing I ask though - I may not have any watermarks (because mainly I'm too lazy to do it) so please do not get any of my photos without my permission puh-lease!

Anyhoo, it all started with me moving on to a different team at work - and well, the chance to go to the UK for a few months was in the cards. I couldn't say no, I love the UK! :) So, last June, I embarked on a solo backpacking trip around Cebu and Bohol (more of that when I get more time to post) and on June 30th I find myself going to the airport to embark on this happy happy and exciting trip :)

I had a nightmare going through immigration - the immigration officer didn't know the visa I was holding and thought that I needed a POEA permit to continue! (Hello!!! I am not earning GBP and hence am not an OFW so why would I bloody need that stupid POEA permit??) - my head was literally steaming - good thing my friend and my boss helped out with the situation. Stupid, stupid, stupid - I'd rather not deal more about this subject because it would end up with a rant about the Philippines again.

The photo above is a plane model in the business class lounge that's on the windowsill where you could see the planes parked in NAIA1, waiting for the passengers to board!

Back to the trip -I called up HSBC from the lounge. One thing when you're travelling out of the country - you need to call up your credit card company and let them know that you are going out of the country so they won't block any of your purchases when you charge something from abroad.

Then our flight was called - we are gonna board!! :)