• Random

    {Adulting} How to Not Waste Your 13th-Month Pay

    December 20, 2019

    As Christmas season kicks off, nothing better excites me than my 13th-month pay. The 13th-month pay is something that I was looking forward to. I recently received my 13th-month pay. In the past years, I plan on the things I wanted to buy. I spend my pay lavishly treating myself with new gadgets and buying presents for family, godchildren, and friends. I know I am not supposed to spend all of it, but that is the only time I can take advantage without sacrificing other obligations. I cannot help but reminisce those years.

    Am I using my pay wisely? The wisest are the ones who take their 13th-month pay as a chance. I have not thought of that until recently that I struggle financially. My savings were not enough to save me. I am a generous giver, but this time I need to help my self first. The best gift I can give myself is a peace of mind knowing that I plan to secure my future.

    It is very tempting to spend, especially during this holiday season. But it does not have to be that way this year. Why waste my 13th-month pay if I can spend it on more important things.

    Before fully spending,

    Plan on how to use it.

    Set a clear percentage for savings, debt payments, and investments, among others. Allocate at least 20% on savings and 50% on debt. It is also necessary to have a portion spent on leisure;  we have worked extremely hard for a year-round.

    Pay off debts.

    Remember that interest rates are skyrocketing- 3.5% a month for credit cards. Debt is one of the major roadblocks to financial freedom. It is now the best time to settle all dues. Although it is not enough to clear up all the debts, it may reduce the interest.

    Save for now if you are still undecided.

    The smart way to manage money is to set up a savings account and decide what to do later.

    Spend according to priority.

    It should be a personal decision, a well thought decision. You decide which ones are so important and should become a top priority.

    Put your money where you feel it is going to serve you best. Think carefully and decide on what to do with it. Make sure not to splurge. What you do with your money defines you in the future. Remember to always save and invest for the future.

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  • Random

    NikkaShem.com Version 2.0

    December 17, 2019

    The day I decided to get back to blogging was the day I wanted to go back to why I started blogging in the first place. Back in the early days, blogging was a little different; it was like a daily journal where you could write whatever you liked, free of judgement. You know how much I love writing anything under the sun.

    I am making a comeback because I miss the old days of blogging.

    It has been a while since I posted. I was supposed to leave this site and would no longer be renewing it. Renewals are way too expensive for me to even afford. But then, I decided to try it again. I am telling myself to write more. I started looking for a free or really cheap deal on a domain and hosting.

    Today I transferred to Hostinger. I have seen a great deal in the last four years. Isn’t that amazing? Very timely! 4 more years of having me here. I just could not leave the memories I have had in the past years and tear them apart. This is my home. So this is where I will be for the next few years.

    Welcome to NikkaShem.com Version 2.0!

    I waited way too long to blog again, and I am sorry for that. BTW, I have deleted all of my old, boring blog entries. I am going to start from scratch. It is like starting a blog for the first time, amazing yet intimidating, in the old, old style of blogging.

    These are the reasons why I need my head back to blogging.

    Work is exhausting nowadays.

    (Excessive) Stress at work has a tremendous effect on our health. Sorry to say that, Boss. I consider blogging, other than shopping and traveling, as the best stress-reducer. I gave up all my other hobbies; blogging has been my release. Blogging, for me, is fun. It is like a playground where I play with words and ideas to practice. In almost too many ways to count, it has changed the way I look at stress.

    I feel inspired again.

    One of the reasons I did not get back earlier was that I was feeling uninspired. I can not seem to find a topic that I am passionate about and enjoy sharing and talking about.

    I want to get better at writing.

    The more you write, the better you become, right? Blogging allows me to compose my thoughts in English. It is such an excellent method of practice. Since I am not a conversationalist, I learn new vocabulary words and grammar rules and even spelling each time I write. The only way to get better is to write more and practice more.

    I want to improve my time management skills.

    Aside from having my planners, blogging allows me to maintain that discipline, aside from having my planners. Although I can not promise to put out regular updates, I will somehow feed you posts from time to time. So stay tuned and hit that notification. I am going to try to set aside time to write a day’s worth of thoughts every day.

    That’s it! After years of on and off love affairs, I am finally here. See you around.

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  • Life Lately,  Random

    Things I Miss About Working at Pagecom

    April 1, 2019

    One day, I caught myself smiling. Out of the blue, I realized something was missing. A part of me was missing. I miss hanging out and working with fun and bubbly people. I miss talking about non-sense stories. It has been ten years since I left, but the memories remain. I miss you guys!

    There are still many things I miss about working at Pagecom, but I narrowed it down to ten.

    Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, and Dinner

    You name it. I got to enjoy my work because of food. Kuya (I can not remember his name) cooked and served the best food. My favorites were Pork Sinigang and Sinampalukang Manok, to name a few. Aside from that, management loved to order pizza.

    Hard work should be rewarded with good food-Ken Follett.

    Long Birthday Celebrations

    I am not exaggerating it. Seriously, we celebrated my birthday for about a month, though we took turns buying ice cream and snacks. We celebrated Herlene’s for a month, too.

    Training Center

    The Documentation Team was housed in the Training Center, a kilometer away from the office. I do not know why we moved there. We were suddenly instructed to pack our things. And TADA, to our haven. More quiet time for the Documentation Team.

    Show me the money

    Angela choreographed our dance number for our Christmas Party presentation. In two weeks of practice, I learned more about my colleagues: our differences, strengths, and weaknesses. Unfortunately, I was not able to perform that day because we had to attend a meeting outside the office.

    Staying Late

    The longest time I worked was 72 hours, with only 4 hours of sleep. Work was stressful in those days. There is no time for social life and love life. Hello there, eye bags and pimples.

    Work Load

    Our team had to finish around 63 projects in 3 days. I can not imagine how we (Leanne, Herlene, and I) managed our time. Can you imagine how overworked we were?

    Photoshoots, Picture Taking

    When the bosses were away, even when the bosses weren’t away.

    Site Visits

    Going out of town is really fun with these people. Photo ops before heading to the site.

    Super Bubbly and energetic staff

    I got to enjoy work because of the people around me… my co-workers Sir Jo, Sir Beddie, Reyner, Leanne, Herlene, Menerissa, Maricar, Kaizel, to name a few. Without them around, I would not have lasted about a year. I was blessed with excellent and trustworthy colleagues.

    Out of Office Bonding

    This is what I really miss. Even if we have hectic schedules and lots of workloads in the office, we never fail to miss Friday and Saturday after work. Up to now, we have found time to see each other once in a while. Right, Herlene and Leanne?

    So what do you (or would you) miss most about working at your previous company?

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