A new year has just kicked off and I’m sure you’re thinking of the things you want to achieve this year. Before I make my 2017 bucket list, I’m recollecting the things I’ve achieved from my 2016 list. I hope this will help you in preparing yours too.
- Got a passport. The first thing I need for my ultimate travel goal- #Budapest2020. Hopefully, I’ll have international trips in between (fingers crossed).
- Had a family vacation. Right after my brother’s college graduation, we went to Baguio with two of my mother’s friends. We just had 2 days since we have to go back for the university graduation. We were able to go to the Lion’s Head, the Mansion, Wright Park, Mines View Park, Burnham Park, Camp John Hay, Botanical Garden, Good Shepherd, Bell Church, La Trinidad strawberry fields, Ben Cab Museum and the Philippine Military Academy. Yes, that was a lot but I still want to go back to try strawberry picking. I wish I could blog about the trip but this was before I started blogging and I wasn’t able to write the details in a journal. On our next trip, maybe?
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One month after the Baguio trip, we also had a staycation at the Light Residences, all complete including my father. We also spent Christmas till New Year’s Eve together. Family time is really the best time for me. Hoping for more family time in 2017!
- Started investing. I need to grow my money for the #ultimatetravelgoal and for the future. I feel this is going to consume much of this space, but since this post isn’t about financial investing, I’ll just give you an overview of how I started my financial journey.
A. Enrolled in an Easy Investment Plan (EIP) for a Unit Investment Trust Fund (UITF) which made me save P1,000 per month. You can set the amount and frequency of your contribution to the fund of your choice (e.g., Money Market, Bond, Equity, etc.), depending also on your risk appetite. Of course, you can invest your money right away, but investing small portions of your money regularly can give you the benefit of cost-averaging. To know more, you can ask me personally or Google it, for your convenience. B. Opened a Mutual Fund account. The main difference between a UITF and a mutual fund is that UITFs are offered by banks while mutual funds are their own companies. Learn more about it here C. Opened a COL Financial account. While the advantage of UITFs and mutual funds is that they are professionally managed by trained and experiened investment managers, I also wanted to choose the specific companies that I invest in, companies which I believe will prosper in the long term. Stock market investing is not very complicated. If you’re interested, you may click the link below to get a free e-book and watch an inspiring video on how to transform your financial life. - Got a camera. It’s the Fujifilm X-A2 that I bought using my last pay from my first employer. I’m very happy with this purchase even if I got the pink instead of the mint green color. It lets us take selfies a lot easier with its LCD screen that flips up 175 degrees. I also got it with P2,000-worth of Forever21 gift certificates as part of their promo. What’s more, the store gave me a stylish camera strap as a freebie!
- Got an iPhone. It was time for me to re-contract my postpaid plan and so I got myself an iPhone SE in rose gold. For a while, I got the latest iPhone before the release of iOS10 and iPhone7. Well it didn’t really matter to me as I’m not trend-conscious and I prefer iPhone SE for its size, design, longer battery life and affordability.
That’s 5 out of 8 on my list, not bad. The three will have to form part of my 2017 bucket list. And hey! There were unplanned things that materialized in 2016.
1. I started a blog. When I was down, I thought of the things that I was good at, and writing was one. So tada! Vivir y Aprender was born and became a venue for me to share my thoughts on everything as I’m not really good at something specifically. I’ve written about events, travel, food and I’m planning to write about books, churches and experiences. Fashion and make-up are very interesting topics but I’ll probably not write about it (yet).
2. Participated in a Pilgrimage. Read about it here
3. Watched a play. Really unexpected, and costly but definitely worth it! I got the ticket from a colleague who could not make it due to an important trip. Les Miserables Musical, which starred our very own Rachelle Anne Go, was a breathtaking spectacle!
4. Watched my favorite love team up close. No one’s too old to be a fan! I got to see my favorite love team, get freebies from the sponsors and make a new friend!
I’m excited to know your bucket list as well. Feel free to share in the comments section below. Always remember that what you conceive, you can achieve!
I am grateful to God for all the people, things and events that He has blessed me in 2016. Though my 2016 has its share of negative and stressful moments too, I am hoping that 2017 will be better and brighter as I embrace it with positivity and an open heart. Cheers to a happy and prosperous 2017! 🥂
Vivir y Aprender 