Ika 15 ng Abril 2009: My Small, Slim Paycheck and the Big, Fat Bill

A good day for most.... We will receive the fruit of our labor. I will..... for my teaching job. The pleasure will not last, however. The moment I get it, it goes to my numerous obligations. That is what it is like for a lot of the working class. We live a payday to payday existence. As much as we'd like to save, the expenditures keep on eclipsing our earning capacities. Blame it on consumerism.

But when I do my reality check, I ask myself if indeed we are overspending. We don't have an extravagant lifestyle in today's standards. We don't try to keep up with the Joneses. We don't try to keep up appearances. Probably, in my parents' time, our lifestyle could be considered luxurious. But now, we are just one of those living the life of the middle class on what seems like a poor man's budget. Or have we raised the bar on middle class standards? I can hardly feel I enjoy the fruit of my labor when there are so many obligations to keep. At some point, I dread opening the envelopes containing these bills. I actually feel it takes so much out of me..........

On this note, I took to the day like an eagle who soar to face his day. There are challenges and I am ready to face it today as I go to the bank later to settle my credit card bill hoping I'd be able to pay at least the minimum due.....

PS: Nagpagising ng maaga ang anak kong panganay at pupunta daw ng eskwelahan para magpasukat ng uniforme na gagamitin niya sa pagpasok sa proper medicine. Nakakataba ng puso na unti-unti binubuo na ng anak ko ang kanyang pangarap. Limang taon pa ang bubunuin niya. Pero siguro.... isang araw ay susulyapan namin itong bahagi na ito bilang munting mga hakbang ng kabuuan ng pangarap namin.........