My librarian's page

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Scroll down for a listing of articles on a Pinoy expat's journey to finally owning a property back in the Philippines while he toils in a foreign land. Do browse through this mini-library where you will find a catalog regularly updated by our Pinoy expat's librarian -- Ms. Tapia.

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Ang pera ko at ang presyo ng bilihin
Inflation rates in the Philippines next year are projected to be milder than in 2008. Must be good news. But what do I care? You and I should at least keep track of this economic indicator once in a while. We may earn in currencies that when converted give us loads of pesos, but when inflation rates are red-hot, we lose. Okay, lemme listen to the pea-sized economist part of my brain.

Don't ask me how to save money
Now I know how important it is to save up way before you actually buy a house or go around scouting for one. Tell me I sound mega-clueless. Well, I knew since ages ago that anyone who wants to invest in a property or buy one has to have saved a significant amount. But it's not easy when there are so many things that you want to have -- things that you've always

My librarian's page
Scroll down for a listing of articles on a Pinoy expat's journey to finally owning a property back in the Philippines while

Buying a condo is unwise?
Blogging has sparked in me an interest in checking out other blogs on related topics and this has led me to sites that I think would be useful to people mulling investing in property. I wish I had come across some of their blog posts prior to deciding on buying my own condo unit, but I've no regets really. Sometimes it's just reassuring to know what you think you should know before you make an

cyber-clippings (dec2708)
Most of us who work away from home are most likely in a situation that does not allow enough time to keep ourselves updated with news that we cannot afford to miss. I'm just lucky though that my job involves mining the Net for information, so let me gather from time to time some tidbits that I guess will be useful reading for you guys. The items below are clippings from websites that I believe

Got extra money but expenses have soared
Finally, I’ve finished writing my second report for the month, the second one that will earn me extra money to help make ends meet. The two reports will bring in an additional 5,500 pesos. I promised to write four such reports every month and I do hope I will be able to succeed in forcing my brain to think of topics that the bosses will find agreeable – four every month, wow. If I succeed in

An ATM talks
let me forget my own woes and worries today and give you instead links to some sites and blogs that talk about the trials and travails, and successes, of pinoys working overseas:
liham ni amer: melodramatic ang dating pero katuwa pa rin basahin lalo na kung ikaw'y ofw at pakiramdam mo tinuturing kang ATM ng mga kamag-anak mo sa pinas. storya ni ramona: isa siyang caregiver sa US na maituring mo

When liempo is truly sinful
And I thought we’d be having less than sinful meals to cut costs. But today we had grilled liempo and stir-fried chicharo for brunch, and pochero (the genuine one, according to Ilocanos) for dinner. Sarrraap. How exactly are we going to truly cut costs if we keep this love for delicious food? I don’t know. I enjoy a meal of tuyo (dried fish), but I can’t possibly have it twice a day or five times

Poor guy signs a cheque for 4m++ pesos
Signing cheques for the first time gave me the creeps. Having to sign one for close to five million pesos is something that freaks me out. But this is something that I have to contend with right now. The developer’s finance office, the broker says, wants me to sign another cheque, one for close to five million pesos instead of the one that I’ve issued for less than three million pesos. Yup,

I bought a house
I’m still incredulous at buying a house a few days ago in the Philippines. Okay, I’m actually scared. The Contract to Sell that my wife and I signed says the condominium unit costs 3-point something million pesos. That’s the net contract price. Add up the interest and … well, let me just mention the lower figure, it makes the future easier to imagine for now. The unit is on the 20-something