My Opis Kras is Leaving =( … plus how you can help
build a better Philippines! ^^
Yesterday night was saddest.
Because my opis kras is leaving. She’s bound to another
side of the planet and yesterday was her last day in the office.
Sad but true.
To put it in context, let me first define to you what
an "opis kras" is as used in this blog.
It’s the person in the office that when
- You see her, every stress vanishes.
- When she smiles, every energy is restored.
- And when she talks to you, everything else disappears!
^^
Now you see why you would never ever dream to be in my
present situation now.
Good thing I’ve been trained to look at the brighter
side of things. So I focus instead on its fourth criterion:
- With no serious intention of pursuing
though :P
HAHA.
Well, at least I was able to bid final farewell to her.
It was a short statement typical of me: “I
am so sad you’re leaving, but I am happy for you”.
It was actually such a huge move for a person like
me.
You know, I can force myself to be the most confident person at the middle
of the crowd, cracking the norms and doing some bold (sometimes too awkward)
moves, but put me beside my kras and I suddenly become like a newly
manufactured white bond paper – BLANK.
To add, I’m a very logical and rational person.
That’s just another way of saying I’m not really that
good in handling emotions.
My strategy has been to be totally honest with
myself. If I feel happy, I will rejoice. If I feel sad, I will mourn.
And I believe
that people should be like that - to celebrate life regardless of the type of
your situation. Happiness in life after all, as I recently learned, has nothing
to do with the absence of problems, but the way you embrace things that happen,
with burning and renewed hope after every fall.
So allow this blog post to mourn with me this time in the reality that in the coming
days, there’s no more a person in the office who’ll be my instant fountain source
of kilig, with whom I can try my best of best pick-up lines, and who can recharge everything in me with her slightest moves.HAHA
While we have not really become the best buddies,
(because she’s in a different team), the thought that at least I met her is
already comforting to end this story.
Besides, I’m not really putting serious
thought into being in a committed relationship right now.
I’m very happy with where
I am now, and really excited going where I want to be. I am thrilled meeting
new people and going places.
I just have to accept again this time that in life, people indeed do
come and go. Even the human Jesus did. I think it’s one of the painful
facts of life.
HAHA. Sorry for
being too talkative about that.
But what is a story like that doing in a finance blog like
this?
What’s the connection between that kras syndrome and
your investments in the stock market?
Well, first, because of this unfolding of events, I
wouldn’t be able to update this blog as often as before. I have to let myself
heal first for some time. HAHA.
More seriously, this is only to remind you that you can
help in building our own stock market, and ultimately our country.
As you know, only less than one percent of the entire
population of the country are market participants in our stock market. A recent
news even revealed that “in the National
Capital Region, only less than one percent of Filipino households have
investments in stocks, government securities, other securities or mutual funds.
In areas outside NCR, the percentage of households that have investments in
these instruments is near zero”.
Compare
that with two-digit percentages that exist in our neighboring countries like
Singapore, Japan, etc and you’ll stop wondering why we’re left behind in terms
of national financial economic development.
With the lots of good news coming out in the local and
international channels and arena highlighting the good position Philippines
currently has, Filipinos have now more reasons than ever to be investor of
companies in the Philippine stock exchange.
The only missing link here, I think, is the unfortunate
lack of information Filipinos have, plus the fact that horror stories about
stock investing could have stopped some to even try it out. If they only knew
that investing could be fun and profitable with just proper mindset and strategy,
they’d surely go for it.
Agree???
You can actually help in propagating the same.
You can
write or share a blog like this, or change your office lunch discussion from
complaints to investment discussion like this.
You can start by sharing your
own story of how in the world you did become an investor (and a millionaire in
the future). Not only can you diminish the negative aura occupying your pantry,
you’re also helping your bosses and friends to empower their finances. You can
always have your own way.
Big or small, it can ultimately help build a better Philippines.
Like what happened in our office.
Last year I shared lessons about investing in the Philippine
Stock Market with my own officemates. It was like the typical team meeting in a room.
Even some managers joined it.
I also
shared to them my book specifically designed for beginners right after. They loved the talk and the book but I loved more
their eagerness to learn. While some definitely didn’t enter into stock market investments
right after, some had enough bias for action and opened their trading account
after few days.
That second batch is the same set of people who should be wearing
big smiles now given the spectacular performance Philippine stock market recently
had since the start of 2012.
Moments and opportunities like that are actually more
rewarding than any monetary profit I can get in stocks.
I am thankful to God for being a channel of His love
and blessings to others. And I pray that it will always be, whether an opis
kras is around or not :P.
Have fun and millions investing!
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