My sister and I talked via chat and voice call for six hours or more. Can you imagine that or, rather, can you beat that? Since we were young, it’s been our habit to talk for longgggg hours, until dawn. Now that we are overseas apart, our world is made smaller by the Internet. We still talk nonstop.

Now, we are talking about financial freedom.  If before, we loved to talk about intellectual things or things that would make us brilliant, our minds now have undergone a different path. We love to talk about money, business, and retiring young.

Financial freedom. This is the freedom that enables us to move from one place to another, the freedom that enables us to buy what we want, the freedom that would make our present more enjoyable and comfortable, and our future secured.

The school system won’t teach us about financial literacy. Some schools would do that during the tertiary years, but not during the primary years or secondary years, which are crucial for the youngsters in developing their financial quotient (FQ). While some people are lucky enough to learn how to be frugal, and how to have entrepreneurial spirits at an early age due to their upbringing or their exposure to the world of business, others learn the hardest way before they learn how important it is to be financially free.

The other night, my sister and I were previously talking about our life paths, the directions that each one of us is tracking. I remembered mentioning a lot of interests. Although I already have determined what I really want from life, I still mentioned a lot of things on the side. I can multitask, that’s what I was thinking then.

Today, when we talked for longer hours about the true sense of financial freedom, that is, minding just one thing at a time before entertaining other things, to be able to maximize a person’s true potential. She narrated to me about what she read in the magazine on the wealth of our very own world renowned boxing champion, Manny Pacquiao, 30, I couldn’t just…BREATH…US$20Million dollars annually! Whoa. Some would say it’s luck that brought him the fortune. But whoa, it’s about focusing on that SINGLE thing, which is his STRENGTH – his boxing skills.

FOCUS. How important it is for us to know at an early age THAT ONE THING that would make us unique, that one thing that would make us stand out from the crowd, that one thing that would translate our skills to money, and eventually, think of ways for that maple money to have multiplier effects!

On a related note, I read the other day the CEOs around the world, who are so successful in their endeavors even without college diplomas! Do we need college degrees to be very successful in life? Do we need much higher education to do that? Uh-oh. I am very much attuned with my intellectual pursuits. I won’t make a comment on these questions I am posing here. But one thing I say now, I am very much determined to establish my financial freedom.

At this stage of being a new mommy, I am equally determined to teach my child the value of financial literacy. At 0 age, I am already saving money for her, which I would teach her to continue, when she reaches the age of two..three..and counting.

Thanks to that awakening chat I had with my sister.

I’m a new mom, and I love being one to my baby. It’s been almost two months since I delivered her, and finally, my tear has already healed.

For the past few days, my mind was undecided over taking a scholarship next year or finding a new job elsewhere (here in this foreign land we are in) or via telecommute. This means that if I take on the latter, I would work by next month; and, if I take on the first option, I would just be a full-time mom for 1.5 years. During the course of my 9-month pregnancy, I decided to be a full-time mom and wife for two years; but, after childbirth, there are occasions wherein I am tempted to look for a job or a scholarship.

Two days ago, I enrolled in an online class in preparation for the scholarship I shall be taking. However, my mind is nowhere. Surely I would read the lessons but not much with proper concentration. My mind is focused on my baby. We can hire a full-time nanny; but, I can’t guarantee that that nanny would give the best of care that only me, as a mommy, can give my child. Read the rest of this entry »

Last night, my husband and I walked/shopped for almost six hours. He was complaining of not being able to breath properly. He said that it might have been the effect of too much vomiting after he was food poisoned. He exerted much effort in vomiting such that the muscles were stretched out. When we reached the mall, he was still complaining of shortness of breathing. When we reached home, he watched a movie until 2:30a.m. (I ate my midnight snack at 1:30a.m. in preparation for the 8-hr fasting).  I told him to stop watching movie. He told me that he could not properly breath, and watching the movie was his way to cope. Off he went to bed with me. Later after a few minutes, he immediately got up for shortness of breathing again. I was alarmed. I told him that there must be a lot of elements that were lost from his system due to excessive vomiting brought by the food poisoning he had the other night. Since I usually keep my mobile phone (with WIFI) under my pillow, I immediately contacted my other bestfriend in this place we are in, Mr. Google (my first bestfriend is my collection of books). Read the rest of this entry »