You are Complaining, Others Are Not

Fed up. Satiated. Tired. Pessimistic as it may seem, I know these are not the right words. Sad but true, whether we like it or not these really happens at some point of our lives. It's like reaching to a point where you get overwhelmed with the things around you.


The office you used to stay is no longer conducive; office-mates don't look interesting at all; the food you eat tastes like a simple dough and it sucks going to and fro the office everyday.

All this stuff sucks, right? While this may be right, I don't agree to a greater extent. Yes I agree that it's considered a suffering. An illness that needs to be healed. Nevertheless, wouldn't you believe that it's not the worst case? Would you?

There are countless reasons to cherish the moment and savor the beauty of life, I realized. And here are some that makes you feel "more" blessed than anyone else.

You may not be Donald Trump nor Bill Gates. But that is quite too far. It's never too late. And I do believe that age is not a restraining factor. All is possible. Being old is a state of mind. Nothing gets old but our minds.

1. We often complain about our job. Imagine the vendors in the public market. They never get tired of their customers. Their shirts are wet with sweat screaming for customers under the bright sun.

Now isn't that MORE exhausting? And you, sitting on your desk facing the computer screen on a fully air-conditioned room. How's that?

2. We mumble with our income. You already gave what you can do. Peak Performance. Excellent results. Yet your boss didn't recognize or simply cannot offer you a promotion. Depressing?

How about a blind masseur. Can he complain why he is blind? Will he be given a chance to SEE just before he falls asleep eternally? While he doesn't have a chance, you do!

3. Self-pity. You don't have much than anyone else. You noticed that your friend went to Paris for a vacation, had shopping and bought a Louis Vuitton bag. Yet you are still holding an old shoulder bag.

The point is, you are comparing just one person. Remember the Pareto's Law, the 80/20 Rule? If translated, that means 80% of the global population owns just 20% of the total wealth. Vice-versa, 20% owns the staggering 80% of wealth! The question is, are you the least-fortunate destitute? I can guarantee, NO!

The fact that you are reading this means you're lucky enough to navigate a computer. Think of Sudan famine. Africa. Villagers are just "skin and bones" yet they still survive.

4. 8 hours of office work plus unpaid homework. Stress! But what about lifting cement bags and hollow blocks? Bending metal bars and shoveling hard sand? Nothing's more energy-draining than being a construction worker.

Yes they only work strictly on fixed hours. But what about the strenuous work? Imagine the energy, electrolytes and muscles bent because of their job. While you, just purely sitting and mind-work.

5. Small house. No improvements yet. Go to the city. Take a look at homeless families. They sleep on streets. Pushcarts. No pillows. Cold. They eat left-overs thru dump-diving. Gross. While you are sleeping comfortably under the roof. Isn't that relieving?

Credits to www.ngpod.cn

How to Use QuickBooks to Track Real Estate Properties

Accurate record keeping helps you to see how well your company is doing, but also is a way to bring in more investors or get loans from banks. How do you track real estate in QuickBooks? Specifically, how do you track properties that are being leased out to tenants?

Using classes to track expenses and income for properties is a great way to manage your business. Here is how you could setup your classes.

Tracking invoices, bills, even line items using classes will help generate specific reports that can help an investor. Classes allow a user to see P/L (Premier can show balance sheet for classes) for each class, this can be invaluable for the investor who would like to see which property is profitable and which isn’t. This is a great way to track property if you are a property manager or you manage property for others. Follow this template to see how to setup your class list:

Name of Owner of Property:

Address of Property:

Unit 1 (2nd floor etc...)

Unit 2

OR

Address of Property:

Unit 1

Unit 2

Setting up your customer list also allows you to pull additional reports and helps during tax time. If you rent properties out, you can structure your customer list like this:

Name Of Tenant:

Address of Property

OR

Name of Owner:

Address Of Property:

Name of Tenant and Unit/Floor #

Vacant and Unit/Floor #

Address of Property:

Name of Tenant

Vacant (this tracks what is spent to maintain house when vacant)

It all depends on your personal preference. Please consult with your accountant to determine what tax information you need to record and track. Using Jobs and Classes are sure fire ways to improve accounting and managing of your company’s finances.

10 Songs that Pump Your Heart Out (PYHO)

When you feel like bored yet something's up to get done, you gotta check out these songs on my playlist. No, this is not limited to just "computer" works. You can listen to these songs that pump you up no matter what you're doing: washing your car, baking, fixing your broken faucet, reading and even intimate moments with your...you know it pumpkin-head!


So here's the list in the order of my preference. Watch via YouTube. Just click the link. Enjoy!

1. Houdini - Foster the People

2. Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People

3. Block After Block - Matt and Kim

4. Sunshine - Matisyahu

5. It's Alright - Matt and Kim

6. Stay - Tully on Tully

7. Helena Beat – Foster the People

8. Life on the Nickel - Foster the People

9. Daylight - Matt and Kim

10. King Without a Crown - Matisyahu

If you are already familiar with these songs then you are a solid Indie artist fan. As a musical fanatic, I really don't mind the message/meaning of any song.

What I'm up to is the BEAT and the MUSICALITY - how the instruments are synchronized in a way that it's pleasant to the ears. When I love the music, it keeps on ringing in my head until I have a Last Song Syndrome (LSS).

I simply like these songs because it sounds so upbeat and funky - it makes you feel like you're on Cloud 9, euphoria and you're butt naturally wiggles without you knowing it. That is my definition of Pump Music.

If you have any suggestions, comment below for us to review your bet!

Continue bangin' your head, music-lover :D

Image Credits to www.turner.com

QuickBooks for Mac

Moving from QuickBooks to QuickBooks for Mac, worth the hassle?

 When you decide to switch your company file from a standard QuickBooks on Windows to the Mac version of QuickBooks, there are some things you need to know:

• Mac 2013 will not have the same features as Pro, let alone Premier and Enterprise. Please review this link before you decide to purchase Mac 2013
• If you do buy Mac 2013, make sure your QuickBooks for windows is no older than two years old.This means if you are using Pro 2010, you have to upgrade to Pro 2013 and then convert the file to Mac 2013. Talk about an added expense.
• Remember that going from Mac to Windows, it has to be the same year.
• Only data files from QuickBooks Simple Start, Pro, Premier, and Premier Accountant can be converted to Mac 2013.
• While the majority of your information will be imported, there are some things that will not
• Any data for multiple currency will be lost.
• Intuit integrated payroll and payroll list items will be lost. (QuickBooks for Mac uses PayCycle and Aatrix Top Pay for payroll services)
• Online banking transactions that were not accepted into the register.
• Online banking aliases
• Customized settings for forms, invoices, estimates, statements, and POs, they can be customized in Mac though.
• Multi User data, such as sales reps info.
• User passwords
• memorized reports
• Business planning, expert analysis and business optimization tools
• Customized price levels
• 3rd party apps are lost (word, outlook, act)
• Merchant services
• Sales orders and back order tracking
• assembly items will be converted into non inventory part items
• budgets created without associated accounts
• workers comp list
• Fixed asset item list
• Multiple ship to addresses, preferred send method, payment info for customer:jobs
• User added columns to list.

There is a lot of info that will be lost during this transition. What would be the best solution? Run a Windows virtual machine on your Mac using VMware or Parallels. This way you don’t have to buy another copy (or two) of QuickBooks. Keep your license number for Windows so you can use it on the virtual machine. This gives you the best of both worlds, you get a Mac and you’re able to keep using vital Microsoft programs such as Office.

THL W100 - Cheapest Quad-Core Phone

Looking for a phone that is worth investing? Last month I bought a smartphone (THL W100) and it took 7 days to deliver the package in the office. As expected, I had it on my hands: a Quad-core, 4.5 inch screen, Android 4.2 phone with 8mp main and 5mp front camera!


For the past months, I've been searching for a jam-packed smartphone loaded with features that suit my needs. What makes the search more challenging is to look for a phone less than Php10,000.

Since this is my threshold, I must not spend more than this else I would toss it up. I thought it's rarely possible. But I was wrong. Mainstream brands that dominate the smartphone industry include Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, Nokia and LG.

If you want a cheaper one there's MyPhone and Cherry Mobile. Yeah, they're not that good but it's worth the price.

A Gem In the Acre of Mud

After a thorough research and reading of reviews, I came to a site that got me upside down. It seemed like I found a gem in the acre of mud!

I was amazed with the bunch of phones that look so good yet the price is really affordable. That was my first thought. However, I did not give in after a second thought. Scam! I cringed.

I almost got away with it but I never did. It seemed too good to be true. And I'll truly hate myself later if I won't take a shot with that deal. So what I did is I read a lot of reviews about the site and the phones they sold.

But what about the delivery? The seller is located somewhere in China! I'm in the Philippines. What, China? Yeah, after a week that phone will be busted!

How could I be so sure that they will deliver my order? What if the phone is defective? What would I do?

It pays to do a research first before you make a deal. So I Google the website and read all the reviews about it. And guess what, satisfaction range is between 95% - 100%!

I often read reviews that says, "Thank you 'Company' for a great product! I received my phone in just 3 days!"

And what makes it more convincing is that the customers are from Europe and US! Also, their products have 1 year guaranteed warranty!

"But that is made in China!", you might argue. So does iPhone! Check out the back cover and you will see. It is designed in California but made in China. "So what could go wrong?", I pondered.

"Why not!?", I thought. So I got up my ass and head to the website to search for a phone. There are really lot of phones to choose from. I was so excited that I nearly told my friends about it.

But I didn't! After a week or so, I finally decided to buy my preferred phone. The brand is THL W100. It costs $160 or simply Php6,400 ($1 = P40). I paid $15 for the shipping thru FedEx so total cost is $175 or Php7,000.

Hassle-Buzzle

After 7 days of excitement, my package finally arrived in the office! Unfortunately I was out on a business trip.

So when my officemate called out that there's a package for me, I requested her to receive it and immediately emailed her the authorization letter. I was relieved. Euphoria!

But suddenly my officemate got an alarming call. She told me I have to pay Php2,500 to FedEx! I almost fell on my seat. She said I have to pay immediately else the package will not be given.

Since she didn't have enough money either, I called the rest of my officemates until it reached Php2,500. Wew, money-pooling!

                                             

When I returned to the office, I didn't open the package yet. Instead, I searched for the receipt to see what P2,500 charge is for. After reading, I learned that the damn charges is for taxes and customs fees. WTF!

I googled about the charges and later I knew that it is really the policy and regulations of Customs here in Philippines to charge taxes and fees of packages received from other country.

However, this practice is NOT applicable in other countries! They don't charge anything at all! Oh, so it's really MORE FUN in the Philippines for Customs!

Anyways, the emotion was gone when I opened the package and held the phone that I waited so long. Full specs is listed below :) Here are the original-size pictures that I got using my phone.

THL W100 Full Specs

• 4.5 inch, 960 x 540, 5 point multi-touch IPS display
• Android 4.2
• 1.2GHz MTK6589 quad-core CPU
• PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU
• 8MP Rear Camera + 5MP Front-Facing Camera
• RAM: 1GB
• Dual-SIM
• 3G: WCDMA: 850/2100MHz
• 2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
• WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n
• GPS
• Bluetooth
• Full support for Google Play
• Micro SD Card Slot
• Proximity Sensor
• Accelerometer Sensor
• Light Sensor
• Magnetic Field Sensor

P.S. Just so if you want to check the website, here's the link http://bit.ly/12iPGkn

P.P.S. I learned from a site that we can avoid/lessen charges from Customs. How? Simply indicate that the package is of NO VALUE. The reason why I was charged is because the seller declared it as a smartphone. Of course, Customs would take advantage of that. But when you declare it as no value, chances are taxes would be lesser or even zero :) Comment here if you have tried this too

Just Right

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

And [they are] those who, when they spend, do so not excessively or sparingly but are ever, between that, [justly] moderate

25. Surat Al-Furqān (The Criterian; 67)

I believe that moderation is different for everyone. Take the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, we know that Goldilocks likes the things that are just right. For her. What's right for Goldilocks, apparently is right for the little bear. Maybe because they're the same age or height and so on. With money, we need to consider a few more things. For example, person A & B both makes $60,000/year but one lives in an expensive city and the other in a suburb with a lower cost of living. What's right for each of them will be very different.

Reducing spending in step 22 and saving money on groceries in step 23 is trying to find that sweet spot with our spending. We cut the things that we can actually live without for a while (or forever). It can be anything, we just have to pay attention to the things we spend on. With food, the main purpose of food is just to keep us alive. If we strip things down to the core of only needs, we will probably only need to fulfill our basic nutritious needs and stop eating Doritos (I can't!). We don't have to go to the extremes. Find what we really need, and budget in what your wants are, moderately.

Like Goldilocks, it's all about in finding what's just right.

It's too small, it's too big, it's just right?

Personal Budgets That Work

Budgets do a lot of good, but you probably heard that already. If budgets do so much good, then why do we avoid them? 

Budgets are like exercise and eating right. We know diet and exercise is good for us. We know diet and exercise will help us be better people. We know the amazing benefits that happens when we follow a diet and exercise. Yet, we don't. It is easier, and more rewarding in the short term to gorge ourselves and sit and surf the interwebs. 

Budgets suffer the same stigma like diet and exercise. We know the benefits, but the discipline and work involved to maintain a budget or dieting or exercise scares us to accept the short term pleasures in lieu of long term success.

How do we make a budget work? If you're single and you have a money spending issue, then get someone who you trust and is responsible. Make them your "sponsor" and submit yourself to their direction and oversight. Some churches offer budget counselors to help in this area. 

Married couples need to be on the same boat. If one person controls the creation and maintaining of the budget, make sure to do weekly budget meetings with the other spouse. The reason is to make sure that everyone is clear on where the money goes during the week. This will prevent one person having all the control and keeping the other spouse in the dark.

The last thing you should do is get a budgeting program. If you read my other posts, you'll  know I'm a fan of YNAB. The cost for YNAB is $60 dollars but you can get $6 dollars off by following this link. While $60 dollars may be a lot of money, just remember YNAB offers a 34 day free trial, and if you follow the rules in YNAB, the money you'll save will  pay for the cost of the program.