MY ANNUAL TEN-PESO PROJECT


I posted this pic in my Facebook wall but I originally planned to put it up here first:

Guess how many Php10 coins are there in this pic!?

Around 2006, I noticed that a friend has been saving her coins and thought that it was a good practice to emulate. So around 2008, after I started working, I also began saving these coins. Why Php10? Simply because I do not like it! Have you tried flipping a Php10 coin? It makes such a fake plastic sound so I decided that I do not like it, so I won't spend it, and save it up instead. Ever since, I almost never spend Php10 coins. I got so used to not spending PhpP10 that everytime I see someone use it, my heart kinda breaks. That's just how weird I really am. XD

So for mid-2008 to end of 2009, I saved up to 500 of these coins (so that's about Php5000) and that went in the bank. And for 2010's collection (which is shown in the pic above), I counted 357 of these coins. But when I went to the bank they refused to accept one of the coins cos it was badly damaged, so I ended up with a total of 356 coins, or Php3560. Not bad huh? I was aiming for at least 500 coins/year, but somehow didn't reach my goal. Hopefully I'll reach that mark this 2011. ^____^

AND I CRY FRAUD!!

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to get my own credit card, papers-free and hassle-free. Although I don't use it that often, but I find it convenient to pay for some stuffs using plastic. I've always been careful when using it, and meticulously logs every purchase on my journal so as not to forget. So I was surprised last night when I opened my credit card statement for this month and saw a whopping P12,256.72 billed to me!

Scrutinizing the transaction details, I noted several online purchases charged to me which I never made. In my state of panic, I called up my sister who told me to call up the company's domestic toll free number and report the anomaly. I reached their customer service agent who advised me to write a letter of dispute and she then had my card declared as fraud and had it blocked from any use. I told her I am definitely NOT paying for those extra purchases.

So now I don't have a card. =___=

I know there are a lot of these scams nowadays, but I never expected it to happen to me. I hope this matter will be investigated and will be resolved soon. And I also hope credit card companies will further make the necessary measures to protect their clients.

SPARE ME THE CROCODILE TEARS!


... is what I would’ve wanted to tell the nurse who borrowed money from me. I was already mentally preparing my "little speech" on responsibility and shamelessness since it’s already been 4 days past the date she promised to pay up. But this morning, she told me she was going to withdraw from the bank, and when she came back this afternoon, she secretly handed me my cash.

I tried to appear nonchalant about it, but when I got back to my room, I immediately counted if I got the right amount. It was PhP2000 alright, plus something else. She added an extra 100 bucks! What am I supposed to do with THIS!?! I am no sleazeball five-six loanshark trying to bamboozle off my hospital staff! I immediately went out of my room to return her money but learned that she had already gone home. I’ll just return the money tomorrow.

HONESTLY! Am I supposed to feel better about this!? Is this some sort of reverse psychology!?! Now I seem like some petty corrupt crook! I do feel relieved though that she paid up, and hope against all hopes that she won’t do it again. When she handed me the money, I somehow got the impression that she wanted to wink and say, "SA UULITIN!"

That would really be so darn creepy!!!

TILL DEBT DO US PART


One of the things I’m really good at remembering are DEBTS. Somehow, I just cannot fail to forget who borrowed money from me, and how much money I’ve borrowed from someone else. I guess it’s because when you owe money it involves concepts like RESPONSIBILITY and OBLIGATION. It is like making a PROMISE, and keeping it, and I am not one to turn my back on my word. And I also expect others to do their part.

But more often than not, debtors tend to sway away from you when the time has come for collecting their dues. They make excuses, attempts to postpone the date, or somehow just disappear from the face of the earth. Some even have the nerve to conveniently forget about it. And ironically, with our Filipino upbringing, it feels embarrassing to chase after these people. It takes a lot of courage to bring up stuffs like this, especially when the due date has been pushed off so many times already. It’s also such an effort to run after these people. The tables have turned and instead of getting fulfillment from helping someone in need, you end up frustrated and remorseful for having been duped.

In my workplace, there is a person who has a reputation for frequently borrowing money and not paying it. She’s also known to be irresponsible with funds and cannot liquidate expenses properly. But because she is a person of authority, she sometimes gets away with it. I have been warned by my co-employees several times not to fall into her evil scheming hands. But I didn’t expect it to happen to me.

Last Thursday, she came to me and asked if she could borrow PhP2000 from me because she needed to pay someone. She said the bank was offline that day so she can’t withdraw, but she will pay me the next day since it was salary day anyway. I twitched nervously, and with a poker face told her to just pay the person on Friday since she was getting her salary anyway, but she said the person needs the money immediately. She even added that it was embarrassing for her to approach me and it was her first time to do something like this. I almost rolled my eyes when she said that. I wanted to worm my way out of the situation but I can’t. She knew I had money at hand because I just received my salary, and she knew I still have my money because I don’t have the time to go to a bank. She looked at me self-assuredly and promises to return the money the next day. I had no way to go but to concede.

She was not here the next day cos she had to go to a seminar. She’s not here for the weekend because she doesn’t have work.

AAAAaaaAaaAAAAaRRRRrRrrRrrRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

So right now I’m sitting here feeling stupid, but I really can’t blame myself because I was trapped by her that time. I just hope and pray that come Monday, she will pay me at her own will and that I don’t have to run after her. But if ever she won’t pay up, I will definitely demand for my money. I am not going to feel embarrassed because that’s MY money and MY right. I will NOT be a victim.