Cracking the Confidence Code

September 17 12:05 pm ,
Confidence, female style

Confidence, female style

For two years I’ve had in my arsenal of books “The Confidence Code.” It was given to me by a friend on impulse – because he was supposed to give it to someone else – and I took it with loving gratitude.

I then buried it in my personal library, there where I could see it but dismiss it. I have given up on self-help books at that time. I thought them boring, limited, would confuse my understanding of the world. There is no one size fits all. And if I would still have to separate the chafe from the grain – it is useless to me. I simply had no time for chaf-ing and grain-ing.

But then I was confronted with a crisis – a confidence crisis – not mine but of someone very close to me. So I had the urge to know more about it, know more about the science, and to see if the book could give me an idea of how I was able to build up my own, so I could share my story, so I could ease her pain. This fall into the abyss of self-doubt – it happens to all.

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Posted in: Book Review, Life Stories, Personal Development, Positive Thinking, Random, Random Thoughts , Tagged: , , , , , , ,

The visible and the invisible

December 4 1:43 pm ,
The Wall

The Wall

Under the Pacific Ocean, hidden by miles of depth and darkness that swells, there is a wall. It meanders through the breadth of two opposing poles, straddling a line that alternates between the visible and the invisible worlds.

I found it once upon a time.

Someone did too.

Look at this video.

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Posted in: The Beginning

On Steve Jobs and his books

October 13 1:39 pm ,
A view from the Self-Realization Fellowship at Encinitas, California

A view from the Self-Realization Fellowship at Encinitas, California

Despite my recent views on money, it is still necessary. One needs to work within the parameters of this world as it currently is, and that is still the currency (literally), the vehicle to get around.

So we still have to look at the pros (and I mean the professionals, those who made it) and their best practices.

There’s Warren Buffett, the superstar of personal finance.  We don’t know how he managed to thrive and survive the many financial meltdowns suffered by his generation (a clarification: it is ours too). His life is a testament to the reliability of having a process (look at the financial statements line by line, even the explanatory notes), following the process meticulously (buy, hold-for-a-long-time, sell), and then living simply. This guru/genius/chief, if it is to be believed, still lives in the house he bought in 1958. Isn’t that a wonder!

One other is Apple’s former CEO, the late Steve Jobs (1955-2011).

More than his acerbic nature (if it is to be believed) and his quotable quotes (stay hungry, stay foolish), very intriguing were the books that he read.

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Posted in: Book Review, Financial Education, Random Thoughts, Spiritual Abundance, The Secret , Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Money

October 11 1:46 pm ,
Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona, Spain

I have changed my mind about money. Which is counter-intuitive. After all, this blog was founded on that whole idea.

I knew there is a formula for making money and I was determined on finding out that formula.

Somehow, it was the secret of life that I found.

It concerns it, but it is not money.

Sure, money helps, but there’s a more basic truth/secret that everyone should know.

Money – it is man-made. It is not natural. It never used to exist.

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Posted in: Advocacies, Financial Education, Random Thoughts

From mind to the wild

October 10 1:25 pm ,
The Forum

The Forum, Rome, Italy

When do ideas leap from the mind, to paper, and into the wild?

I was thinking this thought while I gazed at Ancient Rome. Though garbed in traffic, pollution, noise of the now, nothing can mask the fact that it has laid bare to all – it is gazing at us with very old eyes. Eyes that have seen it all – a different culture, a different way of life, a time when a ton of stone was but a plaything to regale a population.

An idea that was realized. A creation that withstood the test of time.

From the mind, to paper, and into the wild.

And then, preserved.

By accident, by design.

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Posted in: Travel , Tagged: , , , ,

Channeling ze inner goddess

November 28 12:20 pm ,
Nurtured

Nurtured

Hubby went away. Will be away for 20 days. He is the resident cook. Heck, not just the resident cook. He is cordon bleu, a cooking superstar, with legendary chef-like prowess.

Many have passed through our door, the invited – and those who invited themselves – testing him, and finding themselves impressed. Always.

So I was naturally apprehensive. With him away, we might grow hungry.

In panic, I sat down to list all the places in Vancouver we could eat at. Then I stopped. Frowned. Led to a different path by my thoughts.

I started to list down all the food I loved to eat as a child, food my mom would cook, food that I missed. Food from a time long ago, comforting, heart-satisfying. From memories that have not been a part of my recent life.

The life starred in by the hubby-chef.

As I listed down my favourite food from my childhood, I was seized by an idea. Why not cook them while hubby is away? With no one to critique my cooking, I should be okay.

Right?

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Posted in: Food, Life Stories, Recipes for Frugal Nights , Tagged: , ,

No More 9-5 – Alternative Careers for Millennials

November 24 2:22 am ,
Which way to go?

Which way to go?

Guest post

In our world of unpaid internships and ever increasing property prices the number of millennials wanting more diversity, flexibility and most importantly satisfaction from work is growing. A work/life balance is becoming more of a priority, with many starting to reject the post-college prescribed life of the 9-5 commute. Young people are wanting to put more emphasis on quality of life than resign to the ‘one size fits all’ approach to building a successful career, the result a surge in so-called ‘alternative careers’.  Whether it’s flexible working hours or a sense of gratification, let’s look into the best alternative careers to get you dreaming of a life free from the mundane Monday mornings.

Go Freelance

In your current career, is there any way you could go freelance? Many industries (from set design to marketing to recruitment) not just accommodate but rely on freelancers, so if you’re looking for more control over your working hours then it may well be worth considering whether there’s any scope in your current profession for you to go freelance. Benefits vary from diversity of work to exposure to different people, with the gratification of being able to take ownership of your own career rather than working under someone else’s terms. For instance, if you’re a graduate of English or Journalism then you might want to consider freelance writing as a viable alternative career. Start by identifying your niche and putting together a portfolio. Take a look online to see if any established freelancers in your field offer any advice, or even free of charge courses to help you get started.

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Posted in: Advocacies, Financial Education, Financial Planning

So you wrote a book

November 18 3:33 pm ,
Five Stars! for As Above So Below: Veil Over Atlantis

Five Stars! for As Above So Below: Veil Over Atlantis

No, I did. I just did. Okay, some moons ago. But not that long ago. And I promise I will tell you all about it. Some journey it was.

Before I go on, because you guys have been amazing and have supported me since forever, you can have my book for zero dollars (for a limited time only) at Smashwords. Here’s the coupon code KX95W. My only request is that you leave me a review. Please 🙂

And what was I saying? Oh yes, a journey! An exciting amazing journey full of potholes and rainbows. Yes, they could go together.

I had it published via Amazon Kindle – and I did it via their KDP Select, which was the best thing I ever did. But it did not seem so in the first few days, weeks, months. In fact, I was convinced I made a mistake. Big mistake. Big. Huge! (channeling you know what)

And yes, I will tell you more about this in the days and weeks to come.

In excruciatingly detailed accounts.

Because you need all the support you need when you are publishing a book.

Because publishing is not for sissies. It’s tough. More so for first time authors. More so for first time authors who have great dreams for their book.

Like you. Like me.

Authors who want the most amazing experience without spending a gazillion dollars. Yes, it is possible (you have to be married to a great graphic designer but…)

But let’s start somewhere in the middle. Where my book had this wonderful review from Sarah Stuart of Readers’ Favorite:

As Above So Below: Veil Over Atlantis by P Milisande is a very different YA thriller. It’s a challenging novel for teenagers to read with its mix of past and present, scientific fact, Greek myth, and fantasy, but they will be able to empathise with the lead character. Maia leads such a normal life, touched by sadness when her friend, Elle, loses her mother to cancer. The religious aspect is intriguing, hinting at an affinity between Maia and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and yet the prophesy carved in stone spells danger. “For to journey within is to heed the call but to find the path means to lose it all.” Illustrations keep the focus on Google Earth: the device used to drive the plot and tie the threads together.

 

“In the beginning… the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” Beneath the sea lie the caves where the seven sisters play. Thrilling fantasy at its best may be found in As Above So Below: Veil Over Atlantis. The story opens with mischievous Maia using magic, forbidden in their game, to tease her sisters. Their father believes in living life to the full, and the reader is plunged into the twenty-first century; fourteen-year-old Maia is learning to fly a Cessna, but her instructor’s name is Noah. Curiouser and curiouser… yes, this book enchants the way Lewis Carroll’s Alice stories did, and still do. P Milisande has given us a future classic: unique and stunning.

Reviews like that, it simply makes one glow. And want to go on. (thanks, Sarah)

So yes, it is possible for anyone – anyone – to write a book. So you wrote a book. It can be your story. And I will tell you how.

Soon.

 

 

Posted in: Canada, Publishing , Tagged: , , , , , , ,