0127F: Charting the Future

Sort of in line with my personal goals for the year and to some extent my trying to plan for contingencies in case the BPO industry radically changes, I thought it might be a good idea to spend today's blog just trying to document and plan what I want to do. Sort of like brainstorming / mind-mapping, but in blog form. Or just me thinking out loud, as it were.

The biggest goal for the year is definitely our goal of finding a house. We've been talking about it on and over for the past few years, especially around the time of our contract renewal. And while I doubt we will be able to make an actual purchase this year, I think we should aim to finally find a house that works for us and get the financing in order. It may meant that we start paying for the place even before we get to move in a few months later when our present lease comes up, but that's a risk we'll just have to take.

At this point, I think this is our primary criteria for the house:

  • Working Budget - I think it's safe to set our budget at about P5M, which I understand to be at the lower end of the spectrum, I know. But I think this is just at the limit of what we can comfortably afford given our present finances and despite our stubbornness not to opt for a condominium or a cheaper residence outside the city.
  • Preferred Location - Before I'd always say Cubao since it's a really nice place to live in, and I think it's still fair to say this is pretty much the nicer goal. Then again, I actually work in Makati and Tobie's job entails period trips down south as well so maybe a house further down south may work. I'm still not comfortable going beyond the toll gates though.
  • House Features - Most town houses come with 3 bedrooms, and I think that's more than enough for us. We'd need a garage for Tobie's car and enough wiggle room for a dog kennel should we decide to have a pet. And I'll need some sort of a provision for laundry and the hanging thereof. I'd rather not hang the laundry in the garage since the car will be there a lot. And then the usual no flooding rules and things like that.
  • Transportation - Until I learn to drive or hire a driver (haha!) I'll need steady access to commuting routes. Walking distance from MRT is the ideal target of course, but then I've lived with being a few jeep / trike rides from the MRT, so that should not be a major issue. The odd hours I keep are the only real concern and the place needs to be secure / safe enough even at night.
  • Other Silly Items - I'd love to remain near a Shopwise branch since I love their rewards program the best, but I'm still amendable to the likes of WalterMart. Their program is pretty good too. It's fun being right next to Araneta Center, I have to admit, but I don't think it's an actual requirement to be near a major shopping location. Being near a BPI Family Bank would be good too.
As much as I want to stay in QC, I think I need to be a bit more practical by casting my net out a lot further. That will mean a lot more legwork trying to schedule oculars and visits and maybe even consider locations a lot deeper in the metro (thus away from EDSA), but we'll see how things pan out. It's not easy but it's a good goal and one that really needs to happen.

The other goal that I really need to get started is expanding my writing beyond blogging. It's great that I've become pretty regular in my blog posts across this blog and the Geeky Guide and Tobie and I generate a fair amount of content for Baduy Pride to boot. So those aspects are all covered and taken cared of.

It's my creative writing that really needs to get a  major kick in the 'nads this year so that I can finally get myself published in the Kindle Store and perhaps start a good alternative carer myself should my writing go in any particular direction.

My biggest challenge beyond the need to create new stories is finding time to write. A lot of our spare time is certainly accounted for by blogging, gaming and watching cool geeky TV shows - and no complaints there for sure. But I really, really want this to happen. And if that's the case, then I really need to hunker down and get some actual writing done.

I have to admit it was a lot easier when I still had access to Google Docs and Google Sites at the office. But now those sites have been restricted, I'm forced to think of alternative means of getting in some writing time between activities. 

Of course there's the bigger question of what to write and how exactly I should go about things. I'm forever torn between writing what I feel deserves to be written - such as the stories that have been bouncing around my head for years. Or should I first foray in what might be read more - which means potentially trashier, simpler stuff that is more commercially viable in the ebook market. The whole genre of LGBT fiction deserves better books and perhaps I can contribute to that sphere in a meaningful way. Or I could just try to make as much money as possible - either way could work, right?

I have to admit that I'm looking at this as a possible sideline / back-up career. One day it may take off, which would be cool. Or it may languish for years and I'll just keep on trying. Either way, I need to face my fears, beat back the instinct to delay and procrastinate and focus on getting it done. I want to become a published writer. (Repeat 3x daily).

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