Millionaire by thirty?

On a whim I bought myself a copy of Doug Andrew's book "Millionaire By Thirty: The Quickest Path to Financial Independence." Despite my hobby-slash-vice of car modification, I am interested in trying to make my money grow.

I'm almost halfway through the book, and he does offer quite unconventional advice. Never have I heard of actually embracing a select amount and type of debt to make money. Unfortunately most of the tips the Andrews offer -- Doug shares writing credits with his two sons -- seems more applicable to the US than the Philippines. I have no idea, for example, if his suggestion of getting a mortgage is as tax-deductible here as it is in America.

Because of that, my feelings toward the book are mixed. Great tips, yes -- but I have no idea if they'll work here.

When vitamins fail your lonely ass...

There's only one major drawback to living in a place of my own.

What's going to happen when I get sick?

That's a rather big concern. I succumbed to ridiculous levels of fatigue last week, ultimately crashing down with the flu and taking three days off work. Within that span of time I was pretty helpless.

The obvious recommendation would be to avoid getting sick, but there really are days when you just can't avoid coming down with some ailment or two. Regardless of what people say, vitamins aren't absolute insurance against sickness. Not even eating an orange a day prevented the flu from coming my way.

The next major challenge awaiting me

My dad laid down the gauntlet for me and Bianca at the dinner table. The two of us are no longer young, yet we're still living with our parents, basically as freeloaders. By comparison, he'd moved out of the family home at sixteen or seventeen.

He was daring me to leave my comfort zone, to learn to live all by myself without househelp. Without anyone to clean up after my mess. Without anyone else to wash my car, wash the dishes, prepare packed lunch in the morning. I've gotten used to all this going on without my lifting a finger, for so many years. My beloved Yaya Cora, who has basically raised me since birth, is now an old woman and deserves her rest.

Suddenly I felt guilty for turning away all those real estate agents congregating in the parking level of the mall right next to my office. They gave away fliers as most agents do, trying to sell condominiums or townhouses. For the longest time I thought I wasn't their target market. What would I do, I thought, with a condominium when I had a perfectly functioning home to go to?

Apparently I was; I just didn't know about it.

Perhaps I'd been spoiled for far too long. My parents never mentioned it outright, but I guess this is as good an ultimatum as any. I envy the friends at work I have who've got their own places. Chielou's boyfriend Niku had just taken possession of an apartment or condominium recently. His very own pad. Gee. For the longest time, I never thought I'd be able to do that. I guess I can...or should I say I must?

I realize how misguided my priorities were. Saving for car modifications? I should have been saving up for a house. I should save up for a house and all its bills: water, electricity, phone/DSL. I should forego a number of luxuries I've gotten very used to. Suddenly I want to ask PJ and Zaldy and everyone else how they managed to live independently---PJ especially as he just got married and had a baby.

Planning has never been one of my strong suits. If there's anything I learned from work, however, it's that a plan should be dynamic and flexible to account for bullshit encountered along the way. Perhaps this new challenge is one worth planning for. I should move out and be self-sufficient within two years, before I get married, before I turn thirty.

A scary proposition, surely. But I plan to do it without losing or neglecting my Jazz. Perhaps my aibo will receive its planned modifications much later on in its life---especially that Bride Digo seat I've saved up for so fervently these past few months, and the new tires it needs. But it needs the dreaded 40,000 km tuneup soon, too. Crud. I'll make it work, somehow.

Yes, I'll make it work...somehow.

2007: Maybe it hasn't been so bad...

Trying to tread the thin line between being appreciative and thinking about this thing too much isn't always easy, but I'm surprised how well I've been doing.

I guess I've gained some serenity over a 2007 filled with moments of disappointment, heartbreak, stupidity and living life dangerously. I've managed to stare my vices and evils in the face, indulge in them to see how far I can go, and come to some semblance of sanity and temperance.

Next year, perhaps, should be my full return to innocence. As much as I still seek the state of being "stupidly happy," I've come to the age where living stupidly with any other emotions attached cannot be tolerated.

I do not need to please everyone; I please enough of the people that matter. I do not need companionship as much as I thought; I have learned and have yet to learn to enjoy being lonely, being by myself.

This year has practically been put to bed, its heartbeat ebbing away in its death throes. From its dregs comes a new year, a chance to bet my life again.

"Grant me the courage to change the things I can, serenity to accept the things I cannot, and wisdom to know the difference."

Amen.

Because I'm not writing as much as I used to...

I really should write more often. There's a lot on my mind that unfortunately has not been put down on paper. Since it's pretty late, though, I'll keep this short.

My friend Mao is unfortunately ending her blog. I've always been fond of her way of writing and how profound it is. She's always been a better writer than I ever was. Now that she's left for America I fear I won't have any means of checking how she's doing. But if this means she becomes "personally independent" then I am nothing but glad for her.

The last book I bought was Ha Jin's novel "The Crazed." Ha Jin is at it again, with his bleak prose and simple situations, this time illustrating the failures of an academic mind trapped in 1989's China.

Try as I may, I am still having difficulty living my day-to-day life with my brains and emotions detached. If only that were realistically possible, things could be so much easier. But no, there's gotta be something for my character here somewhere. I should stick this out and see what happens.

My biggest consolation is I've made a new friend. I took the chance to get to know her as a human being and I am delighted with what I have discovered so far.

Celine was right when she told me over lunch that the best relationships are those that are effortless to begin and maintain. This is precisely one of those cases.

I am young and still have a lot ahead of me. I should stop wasting my time and punishing myself for things I can't do anything about.

Independence, girl.

Independence, girl.

I am so, so proud of my old friend Beia.

It's been a long while since we last saw each other. She's found her "calling" as a teacher, living independently, finished her thesis and enjoying every minute of her independent single life.

She recently wrote a post (first of a series, she told me) about independence for female fresh graduates. While I am not in any way female, her post was a very very good example to follow for me. She mentioned budgets, mostly, and she's got it all down pat, even counting the occasional luxury or two from Mango. Oh well, girls will be girls. There's even a friend of hers who lived on a meager salary of PhP7,000 a month.

If I ever decide on jumping off the family residence to go solo, I'll follow her example to the letter.

Unfortunately I can't imagine living without a car---probably my singular biggest regular expense.

I am a pathetic little worm.