One Tip to Avoid Over Eating

Yesterday, I and my friend were supposed to fly to Kuala Lumpur on tour.  Unfortunately, we were offloaded.  The reason was, we might not come back to the Philippines! Absurd! We spent time, effort and money for this trip! I was extremely devastated.  

This morning, I woke up thinking of what happened.  I do the usual routine in the morning and had my breakfast.  As I feel lazy to get another plate, I ate from the bowl of rice my sister left.  I was pondering of what transpired yesterday during the interrogation done by the Immigration Officer.  As I was contemplating, I keep on putting food into my mouth! The bowl of rice was full! What's left? A spoonful of rice.  I ate a lot without noticing it!

My tip: DON'T EAT WHILE IN DEEP THOUGHTS.

Ang Kasakiman Ni Jonel Gallardo: Jonel Gallardo's Greed former Sales Manager of Harmony Homes San Pedro, Laguna

Note:  This blog is all about Jonel Gallardo, former Sales Manager of Harmony Homes Inc.  San Pedro, Laguna /Lica Land Inc.

Photos taken from Harmony Homes San Pedro Office

Taong 2015 nagpasya kaming magkakapatid na kumuha ng bahay na huhulugan sa Harmony Homes San Pedro Laguna.  Nakausap namin si Jennifer Stefany Cordero.  Nagkasundo kami sa bahay na kukunin at sa presyo.  Nagkapirmahan at nagkabayaran ng reservation fee na nagkakahalaga ng Php 15,000.00.

Makalipas ang isang buwan, nabalitaan namin na nag resign si Jen Cordero sa  indi malamang kadahilanan.  Sa kanyang pagreresign, nag take-over and Sales Manager na si Mr. Jonel Gallardo.  Maayos siyang makipag-usap. Magalang at malumanay magsalita.  Nagtiwala kami sa kanya.  Sabi nya, sa kanya daw magbabayad ng monthly installment ng equity ng bahay since wala pang opisina ang Harmony Homes sa San Pedro, Laguna.  Tiwala kami, so sa kanya kami nagbabayad buwan-buwan ng monthly equity namin na nagkakahalaga ng Php 20,000.00.  Hindi kami nakakalimot na humingi ng resibo buwan buwan.  May mga pagkakataon na binibigyan kami ng acknowledgement receipt pero the next month o same month ay ipinaaalala namin sa kanya ang resibo.

Sa pagpasok ng 2016, nagkaroon na ng opisina ang Harmony Homes sa Harmony Village Mall.  Pinayuhan kami na magbayad na lang sa banko sa account ng Harmony Homes.  Na siya naming ginawa.

Buwan ng Pebrero 2017, nakatanggap ang kapatid ko ng tawag mula sa Residential Project Manager ng Harmony Homes.  Sinasabi na ang aming account ay hindi updated ang monthly payment. Na kulang kami ng 13 buwang hulog.

Hindi nagre-remit ng pera sa Lica Land si Mr. Jonel Gallardo.

Dahil sa andito ako sa Pilipinas, tumawag ako sa main office ng Lica Land Inc. sa Mandaluyong.  Napag alaman ko na may kaso si Jonel Gallardo.  Ayon sa nakausap ko, tumawag ako sa opisina ng Harmony Homes sa teleponong 8022962.  Nakausap ko ang Sales Admin at pinatunayan nya na hindi na nga konektado si Jonel Gallardo sa Lica Land Inc.

Bigla ako nanlumo at napaiyak sa pangyayari.  Paano na ang aming pinaghirapang magkakapatid? Mawawalan ba ng saysay ang aming pagsusumikap na magkaroon ng sariling bahay?

Ang opisina ng Harmony Homes ay nagtakda ng pagpupulong sa opisina ng Harmony Homes San Pedro, February 9, 2017.  Pinadadala sa akin ang mga resibo at ang iba pang papeles na may kaugnayan sa pagbili ng bahay.

Ang project manager na si Ms. Marj ay isang istrikto, marunong at masayahing babae.  Maayos ang aming paguusap.  Isa-isa niyang inanalisa ang mga resibo,  Kapag-kuwa'y sinabi.  "Wag po kayong mag-alala, wala po kayong babayaran, hindi kayo ang hahabol kay Jonel.  Kami ang hahabol sa kanya."  Nabunutan ako ng alalahanin. "Salamat sa Diyos!" aking nasambit.

Nabanggit din nya na sa isang kliyente ay Php 700,000.00 ang nakuha at hindi nai remit na pera ni Jonel Gallardo.

Ako ay napapaisip lamang, bakit nagawa nya ang ganitong panloloko at kasakiman?  May asawa at anak siya na pwedeng magtamo ng kahihiyan dahil sa kanyang ginawa.  Isinakripisyo nya ang kanyang magandang trabaho dahil sa easy money.  Hindi ba ito ay isang katangahan, sobrang bobo, ganid, iresponsable at makasarili.  Wala siayng problema sa akin, pero ang ilagay sa alanganin ang kumpanya niya at ang mga tauhan nito ay isang malaking pagkakamali.  May tatanggap pa bang kumpanya sa kanya? Maaring wala na. Sinira nya ang buhay nya sa pera na madaling maubos.

As for Jen Cordero, pinapirma siya nio Jonel ng resignation letter. Pinagtulungan siya ng mga tao sa opisina pra mawala sa Harmony Homes.  Marami siyang sales.  Ang komisyon nya ay nakuha pa din ng Jonel Gallardo na ito.  Ngayon ay pinabalik ng general manager si Jen Cordero sa Harmony Homes.

Mag ingat po tayo sa pagbibitiw ng pera.  Kakilala man natin o hindi.  Lage dapat may resibo at kasulatan.  Maigi na po ang nagiingat.  Hindi natin napupulot ang pera, Pinagiipunan at pinaghihirapan natin yan.

The 10 Best Countries for Women: Source- Fortune.com

According to a new study, these countries are succeeding most at closing the gender gap.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) released its2014 Global Gender Gap Report on Monday—and, among the top ten countries, the U.S. is nowhere to be seen. In fact, the country ranks a paltry No. 20, dragged down by a painfully low political empowerment ranking.

The places to top the list this year out of the 142 countries analyzed? The unsurprising Nordic contingent of Iceland (1), Finland (2), Norway (3), Sweden (4) and Denmark (4), famous for their holistic approaches to citizens’ personal and professional lives.

The report measures gender-based disparities across four key areas: health, education, economy and politics. “No country in the world has fully closed the gender gap, but all five of the Nordic countries have closed more than 80% of it,” reads the report. The study, now in its ninth year of publication, focuses on “whether the gap between women and men in the chosen variables has declined, rather than whether women are ‘winning” the ‘battle of the sexes.'”

By focusing on gender equality progress, the study allows less wealthy countries to sometimes trump those with larger GDPs. This year, for instance, Nicaragua (6), Rwanda (7) and the Philippines (9) ranked higher than the United Kingdom (28). Nicaragua gained ground in the health and survival category, where it scored first. Rwanda received high marks in political empowerment. The Philippines had success in the educational attainment and health and survival categories.

The study didn’t always feature Iceland in the number one spot. In fact, the country started in the No. 4 spot eight years ago and has since climbed the rankings. At the time, Sweden reigned supreme, overall (while the U.S. placed 23rd).

As the graphic below shows, the ten countries below are excelling in some areas—and, despite their high ranking in this study, have some other areas that could use serious improvement. The WEF gathered the data through a series of indexes, including information from the International Labour Organization, the UNESCO Institute for Statistic and the World Health Organization.

The overall score for a country is calculated with “an un-weighed average of each subindex score,” according to the report.

“Some of the most compelling findings regarding the benefits of gender equality are emerging from companies,” according to Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, in the report’s preface. “For example, companies that include more women at the top levels of leadership tend to outperform those that don’t.”

“As this Report shows, good progress has been made over the last years on gender equality, and in some cases, in a relatively short time,” he added. “Yet we are far from achieving equality of opportunity or equality of outcomes.”

Different Women I Met in the Middle East

Lives abroad of women, sometimes amusing, sometimes irritating.  You'll take pity on some.  As for me, I just get irritated to Filipina women who chose to sleep with men from any race, married or not.  The reason I got from my observations are: those ladies need money and they want material things, for a free ride if the man has a car, for company, and for sex.  Why I get irritated?  It is because all men from different race thought that the vagina of Filipino women are for sale!

I have here different stories of women I met in the Middle East.

Ate Gloria, Filipino, a nanny of triplets, her employer are Qatari.  We got a chance to have a short conversation at school.  " I am not allowed to go outside the house without company.  If I am with my employer, I am not allowed to buy recharge for my mobile phone.  I am not allowed to call my family in Leyte.  I don't know their reason. But they are kind. They never hurt me physically.  I just pity the triplets because they are sickly.  If you noticed, they are always absent."  Ate Gloria added;  " Please buy me a recharge card.  But do not give it to me directly, insert it inside the water bottle of Hassan."

Photo: Google Images

Si  Pen, pinay, may asawa at anak sa pinas, guro, kasama ko sa accommodation at nalulungkot sa Gitnang Silangan. Nahilig sa WeChat.  Minsan may pinakiusap sa kin over the phone na isang Egyptian.  kinausap ko naman out of pakikisama kay Pen pero sa isip ko hindi ako papatol dito.  That is the end of the Egyptian's story because Pen is eyeing someone else.  

Nakilala ni Pen si CD through WeChat. Si CD ay isang Pakistani, poging pogi, yummy pa, at educated in Malaysia.  I asked Pen if they've kissed.  She laughed merrily and said 'yes'.  I never judged her.  It is her life.  But then, came this Syrian man that Pen met through her cousin's chatmate. They hit off in an instant. She make it a habit to sleep with this Syrian guy on Thursdays.  Pen will only be home on Saturday morning.  I told myself, this is not getting better.  Her Skype duty to her husband back in the Philippines was neglected.  That lead the husband to ask from me where her wife is.  We had confrontations.  I was just cool.  She was the one nervous, crying and almost shouting.  We never spoke from then on.

Google Image

Ms Layn arrived from the Philippines, she is a teacher, married and she has a son. She is loud.  Pen and Bayn became good friends.  There is a saying, 'Birds of the same feather flock together.'  Just after two weeks of arriving in the Middle East, she found her temporary 'husband' who is also married.

Gras, separated, she got two grown up kids and she's a teacher too.  She was once burnt by a flaming relationship with her husband.  She promised herself never to fall in love again.  Unfortunately, she met a persistent Filipino guy named Dia.  She fell in love with Dia not knowing that this man is not really separated from her wife back in the Philippines.  I saw how devastated she was.  I saw every single tear.

Photo from Google Images

Ms. Germaine, South African, a librarian, married for the second time.  She just oh, so love Filipino food especially adobo and pancit. We always had a good conversation and laugh everything out.

Ms. Pat, an American, a teacher, in her fifties and she is married,  She got a boyfriend, an Egyptian.  She always use her mobile phone inside the classroom and rely only on youtube  when teaching her pupils.

Jassy, Jessy, Feliz, Karol, Natie, Ms. Jay, Julz, Ms. Jacqui, Mary Ann, Pinky, Mafe,  Myles and Ms Nelline my awesome friends,   They're fun to be with.  

And Lav, hey that's me!  I've realized many things.  I've realized that my horizon is endless.  I can do many things not just confined in one corner.  I've realized that travel is important in one's life.  I've learnt a lot.  I've learned about people, culture and how to handle things differently in a different perspective. I've come to know myself. I tried to conquer my fear one at a time. I've became stronger than before.  

Of Being Unstable

I've been half awake for two years

And yet still dreaming

not of bed and roses

not of hugs and kisses

but of half cooked bread and pastries.

Vivid images of what transpired the last couple of years

lurking in my mind.

Hidden tears and hidden smiles

I've kept on my monstrous side.

Though trembling with uncertainty and fear,

Excitement and happiness never left my enormous heart.

My cart and its wheels though it took the less bumpy road was shaken to near destruction. 

My garage shelters and comforts the cart and its wheels.

My Break-up Thoughts

Inner peace materialized,

Long suffering impossibly disappearing but, Lord of impossible it is now gone!

Vengeance I seek,

Heaven please forgive,

I maybe weak..but not too weak to see u crawling under my feet.

Scavenging for the Right Business

My siblings and I are searching and researching for the right business that will generate good profit.  The internet provided tons of information until I stumbled on Security Bank's UITF.

A Unit Investment Trust Fund (UITF) is an open-ended pooled trust fund denominated in peso or any acceptable currency, which is operated and administered by a trust entity and made available by participation. Each UITF is governed by a Declaration of Trust (or Plan Rules) which contains the mechanics for investing, operating, and administering the fund.

I guess this investment option can help us but I still have to talk with the bank.

Invest with some of the best performing UITFs in the market

• 7 options targeting various risk appetites
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• Subscribe and redeem your investments online in our internet banking platform

  Choose among our diverse range of investment options:

  SB Peso Money Market Fund	SB Intermediate Term Peso Bond Fund	SB Peso Bond  Fund	SB Peso Asset Variety Fund	SB High Dividend Peso Equity Fund	SB Peso Equity Fund	SB Dollar Bond Fund	SB Tax Exempt Bond Fund*
  Investor Risk Tolerance
  Conservative	Moderate	Moderate	Balanced	Aggressive	Aggressive	Moderate	Moderate
  Recommended Investment Time Horizon
  3-6 Months	1 Year	1 Year	1-3 Years	1-3 Years	1-3 Years	1 Year	1 Year
  Minimum Investment
  Php10,000	Php10,000	Php10,000	Php10,000	Php10,000	Php10,000	$1,000	Php100,000
  Minimum Additional Participation
  Php5,000	Php5,000	Php5,000	Php5,000	Php5,000	Php5,000	$100	Php50,000
  Holding Period
  7 days	15 days	30 days	30 days	30 days	30 days	30 days	None
  Trust Fees (p.a.)
  0.20%	0.70%	1.00%	1.50%	1.50%	1.50%	0.75%	0.75%