self-improvement

“Too Good to be True” (and How to Spot Scams)

October 3, 2019 by Ray L. 5 Comments

Tagalog Version (Click Here)

Some time ago my mother discovered a real estate investment opportunity. A luxury resort was accepting investors, so for the price of around P200,000, you can own a room at the resort and get a share of the profit whenever you rent it out. In my opinion, it sounded like a decent deal. It was somewhat risky as we don’t know how much business that new resort will get and the location might not be that good.

I had my doubts especially when they didn’t immediately send us the terms and conditions of the contract and they only gave us a brochure, but our family did have money for it. After my mother sent the first deposit and she started asking about the full terms, the representative finally told her the details. We’ll get to use or rent out a room… for one week every two years. We’ll also need to pay some maintenance fees every month.

That’s no investment. That was a scam! It was WAY different from the “own a resort room and rent it out” deal that the first promoter said. It was blatant false advertising. Although my mother couldn’t withdraw the initial P18,000 deposit, we were glad to have exited that scam before things got worse.

Well, that was just one example of a scam. What does it mean when something seems “too good to be true”? Let’s talk about the most popular kinds of scams here in the Philippines next.

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Tatlong Maikling Aral Tungkol sa mga Ibinibigay sa Atin ng Buhay

August 15, 2019 by Ray L. 1 Comment

English Version (Click Here)

Ang mga self-improvement at self-help books ay madalas naglalaman ng mga napakahalagang aral, at may isa akong naalalang tula na ilang beses tinalakay sa ilang libro. Ito ang tulang “My Wage” (“Ang Aking Sahod”) na isinulat ni Jessie B. Rittenhouse, at ito ang tatalakayin natin ngayon.

*Ilalagay ko ang Tagalog translation sa ibaba.

“My Wage” (Ang Aking Sahod) ni Jessie B. Rittenhouse

I bargained with Life for a penny,
And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store;

For Life is a just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.

I worked for a menial’s hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have gladly paid!

Pagsasalin sa Tagalog:

Nakipagkasundo ako kay “buhay” para sa barya,
Pero wala na siyang idadagdag sa aking sahod,
Kaso nagmakaawa ako sa gabi,
Noong kinuwenta ko ang kakaunti kong nakamit;

Si “buhay” ay isang amo,
Na nagbibigay ng gusto mo,
Pero kapag itinakda mo ang gusto mong sahod,
Aba, kailangan mo itong panindigan.

Nagsikap ako para sa mababang sweldo,
Para lang malaman at ikalungkot,
Na ano mang sahod ang hilingin ko mula kay “buhay”,
Ay ikagagalak niya palang ibigay!

Sigurado akong naintindihan mo ang aral na ipinapahiwatig ni Jessie. Ibinibigay naman ng buhay ang mga gusto natin, kaya hindi natin kailangang babaan ang ating mga pangarap. May isa pang kasabihan na nagtuturo ng aral na iyon, at mahahanap mo ito sa biblia:

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3 Short Lessons About What Life Gives Us

August 15, 2019 by Ray L. 1 Comment

Tagalog Version (Click Here)

Self-improvement and self-help books usually contain some incredibly valuable lessons, and I remember one from a poem that I’ve seen in several of them. It’s called “My Wage” by Jessie B. Rittenhouse, and that will be the subject of our lesson today.

“My Wage” by Jessie B. Rittenhouse

I bargained with Life for a penny,
And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store;

For Life is a just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.

I worked for a menial’s hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have gladly paid!

I’m sure you were able to understand the lesson that Jessie has been trying to teach. Life gives us what we ask of it, therefore we shouldn’t limit our dreams. There’s another very famous quote that illustrates that lesson and you can find it in the bible:

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Kapag may Problema, Magdasal para Maging Mapayapa

May 22, 2019 by Ray L. 4 Comments

English Version (Click Here)

Namomroblema nang husto ang pamilya ko nitong nakaraang buwan dahil sa ginawa ng isang korporasyon malapit sa aming bahay kaya nakikiusap kami sa mga abugado at government offices para humingi ng tulong. Nagkakasakit na ang aking ina dahil sa pagod, at hindi kami makapagpahinga dahil sa pagaalala.

Sa mga panahong ganito, naalala ko tuloy ang isang simpleng dasal na natutunan ko sa dati kong kolehiyo. Ito ay ang “Serenity Prayer” na isinulat ni Reinhold Neibuhr (1892-1971).

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When Facing Problems, Pray for Serenity

May 22, 2019 by Ray L. 6 Comments

Tagalog Version (Click Here)

My family has been going through some trouble lately because of a certain corporation and their attempts on our property and we’ve been running around talking to lawyers and government offices to ask for help. My mother has gotten sick due to the stress, and we haven’t been able to rest well due to worry.

For times like this, I suddenly remembered a simple prayer I learned from my old college. It’s called the “Serenity Prayer”, written by Reinhold Neibuhr (1892-1971) long ago.

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