Cross that out (Part Un)

I have always been a fan of listing down things. From the most mudane everyday shopping lists and to-do lists to the more abstract list of things I must do before  turn 20, 30, etc...

This month, I decided to finally cross out GET A CAR off of that list. This is on my list of things to do before I have a baby. Mike and I have only been borrowing cars from my brothers and his dad before. If we get a baby, I don't wanna go through he hassle of having to borrow a car if said baby decides to get ultra ill at 3 in the morning.

So we have decided -- well mainly I decided, if it was up to the boy, he'd get a big bike instead, to buy our first car.

Let me walk you through the process -- which up to now is still not finished. The important documents/points, I'll italicize.

1. Deciding on the car. First things first. What car do we want. Here were our considerations:

• Carbon footprint - being the pseudo-green that I am, I wanted a car with the most gas mileage. 800CC is currently the lowest for cars,  running at 14-21 km/liter.
• Price - we set our budget at the PhP400K - 500K range.
• From here we decided on either a Suzuki Alto Deluxe or Hyundai Eon GLS

2. Brand new or Second hand? Then we started canvassing suppliers. We just typed the name of the cars we're interested in at Sulit.com and out came a myriad of search results both second hand and brand new. We were initially considering getting a brand new Suzuki Alto at first mainly because it's cheaper and for some strange reason that I trust Japan more than I do Korea.

Until my brother showed me an ad for a second hand Hyundai Eon 2012 GLS with only 33K on its mileage, priced at 345K. A brand new one would cost 498K, so that's already 150K savings. And given it's mileage, we're pretty sure it's used very very seldom. Plus there's the add ons of a back up sensor/camera, leather seat covers and 3M tinting. So yeah, we got sold on that. We met up with the seller, left an earnest money of 15K and advised that the rest will be through bank financing.

3. Finding the bank to finance. BPI had this online facility to apply for an autoloan. Since BPI is our primary bank, it immediately became our go-to-bank. I was really hopeful that they'll approve the autoloan. But they didn't. BPI rejected our autoloan application. I am a little hurt with this; Something about me and husband being with an employer for a fairly short amount of time. Not even considering that my husband was with his previous employer for 4 years.

Good thing there's still plenty other banks out there. I went and applied at EastWest bank and BDO. I applied directly at EastWest, and BDO with a broker.

Eastwest was the fastest one to process, though the lack of support to clients kind of turned me off. They approved the autoloan in a day without asking you for any requirement. Just fillout a form which they sent me through email. Then they replied to my email saying I am approved then asked for the details of the seller to have the car appraised. They'll reply again with a long list of requirements without any explanations. I called them to clarify things, though the loan officer seemed very distant and uninterested in our business.

With BDO, it took a little longer to approve because they ask for the requirements first. Then once approved, they'll ask you to come over to their office in JMT Plaza in Emerald Street (in front of Podium). What I liked about this is that the broker was very accommodating in providing all the details.

Requirements which the bank asked us to submit for approval of autoloan were:

• Latest ITR or Certificate of Employment with Compensation and 3 months' payslips of buyer and co-maker.
• Valid IDs 

This took about 5 working days.

4. Choosing the bank among those which approved. With EastWest, we need to open an account to be able to go through with the autoloan. BDO on the other hand, is our secondary bank and we have a savings account and credit card with them. I had to internally decide on this factoring in the fact that BDO is open even Saturdays and Sundays on malls. That basically decided it.

So me and my husband went to the BDO Consumer Lending Office and there we signed the Chattel Mortgage Promissory Note and was provided the Credit Approval Advice Memo (which will also serve as the guarantee letter to the seller). We then went to a BDO branch to pay the Chattel Mortgage fee and then we provided the Credit Approval Advice Memo/ Guarantee Letter to the seller.

At this stage, they provided us with the second set of requirements which will be needed for transfer of ownership:

• Original Notarized Deed of Sale between you and the car owner
• Stencils of the vehicle Engine and Chassis
• Original LTO OR and CR under the name of the new owner

This took another 5 working days.

5. Transfer of Ownership. Now this, the seller decided to do this part themselves. We offered being there on this process, though perhaps there is a fear on their part of us running away with their car, so they said they'll do it for us but we'll just pay for processes/ fees. We agreed. After all, one off our plate. This is the nity-gritty.

To process this, a Deed of Sale needed to be signed and notarized by buyer and seller. Then, the car must be brought to Camp Karingal for PNP Clearance, Stencil and Macro-etching, though the owners said they just processed everything in LTO Laloma where the car was registered. Then they finally processed Transfer of Ownership to new owner (us) by presenting Deed of Sale, PNP Clearance, Stencils, a TPL Insurance (acquired in LTO under Great Domestic Insurance) and the buyer's TIN ID. 

Another 5 working days. Total days spent, 21 days.

As of today, 6:07 pm, this is what we've accomplished. I'll blog again on the next steps. Part 2 is here.

Rash Story

Dear Phoebe*, 

Yesterday, at the St. Luke's ER "decontamination chamber" I was alone with a guy who also had the "rashes". He came in earlier than me. We were both measles / dengue candidates. He was sitting across me in the room. He had a Herschel backpack. He was wearing a white shirt with what looks like lomo-shots of a surfing community, raggedy straight cut jeans and what seemed like Pumas. He was on his iPhone. He looked at me with a weird stare when I started humming Lorde's A World Alone. He was also reading a Gabriel Garcia Marquez book. When he opened his backpack, a Murakami paperback spilled. He laughed when I tried moving a few minutes after the anti-histamine shot and blurted out loud "Shet, nakakahilo pala yun". We both wore masks (because we're contagious) so I wasn't able to see his entire face but he had an aquiline nose (well at least based on the nose bridge that shows above the face mask). Also, his eyes were light brown and a little bloodshot.

His last name was Solis. That's all I have, doctors called us with our last names only. The doctor asked him if he was from the south; a province from the south -- to which he replied, "yes, Iligan".

I'm so sorry if these are the only details I have, I was groggy as fuck after that anti-histamine shot and was sedated afterwards. I hope you can find him. We were both diagnosed negative of measles and dengue. He had viral infection and with quite low WBC. We were both advised for return check up with an Internal Medicine doc after 2 - 3 days. Maybe you can hangout by St. Luke's around those days?

I just knew I found the boy for you.

Love,

Nay-Yea*

*Names were changed for reasons unknown.

News, Math and Science Over Prayers

Please tell me how this prayer thing works. I've been turned off by non-stop prayer requests from the social media like it's gonna make a difference. Prayer doesn't do anything to you or anyone around you; what it does is it makes you believe that you are doing something, for yourself or for others.

And so I have only been sharing news articles, studies, scientific and mathematical facts on social media. Because if you ask me, I'll take news, math and science over prayers any day.

* * *

I hated math, if its expressed in an abstract form that wouldn't benefit me in the practical, real world -- like numbers and letters combined; I can't solve it. Put it in a form of money, of days, of time, then I'll get a better grasp of it. I function better if given a context. This problem must be solved because that's the only way I can determine if the salary I earned will be able to pay for all my expenses, or if the rate I'm doing this thing is enough for me to finish it by Friday morning.

* * *

I tried praying in a especially difficult exam back in college, but it didn't help. Sure I was studying, trying to solve the equations, then by the end of review time, I pray. When I retook the subject, I tried praying again. No luck. By the third time, I lost faith and decided to work my ass off solving the problems -- over and over again. Memorizing the formulas. Understanding mathematical concepts. Then I passed. No prayers involved.

I guess this is one of the reason my faith fell between 2004 and 2008. But the process wasn't easy. Just like finding faith, losing faith doesn't happen overnight. It involves a series of events that would transpire and make you question your values, logic, politics and the people around you.

Like how could this guy be so religious and yet is a retarded cheater who seemed not to uphold any values or moral code in their body? Or why do the archbishops get big-pimpin' cars from politicians? Why do priests and religious leaders endorse a candidate for public office? Why is the Philippine legislature a  helpless victim of the scriptures? Why can't I find REAL separation of church and State? Why are 'celibate' priests meddling with people's sex lives, if they chose to be chaste, why force everyone else to be chaste as well? Fuck, it's not like we're forcing them to fornicate. Why is the Vatican so god-damned wealthy? Why are our holidays all after Catholicism? Isn't it a form of discrimination? If I were in Buddhist/ Jew/ Hindu/ Pagan's shoes, wouldn't I be offended or confused why are we always saying "the Philippines is a Catholic country"? Why are wars fought in the name of religion? Why are religious groups tax-exempt? When I get really broke, should I start a religion to cash in on 'offerings' and tithes? Could it be that Jesus and the disciples are just stoned when they were saying Jesus walked on water, or the Israelites were high as fuck as well when they said manna fell from heaven? If I'm an all-powerful being, would I waste my time taking note of sins committed and listening to people whine about their stupid choices? Why are the LGBTs being discriminated when it clearly said "Love thy neighbor as thou love thyself"? Why is there too much hypocrisy, too much double standards? Why should I run my life based on one book, when there's millions others to be read?

There are even more questions that I asked. Though I don't real wanna bother you with it.

And this led me to some conclusions. 1) Faith does not equate with religion; 2) Having a moral compass is not directly proportional to practicing a religion; 3) Religions divide mankind; and 4) I can't find myself confined by ancient rules when the whole world is moving forward

So I became agnostic. But I realized that's just me being chicken in calling myself an atheist. I guess I'm an atheist. But I'd rather call it humanist. It was a bumpy set of years following 2008 with me out of faith, a little apathetic and stoic, searching -- researching on what I really am.

Until I discovered Buddhism, which is frankly, the only 'religion' which appealed to me. Though I'd rather call it philosophy. There is no immortal, omnipotent higher power in Buddhism, just a bunch of people deciding on their actions, how they live their life and following a path to enlightenment.

* * *

I hated math, but I love how with math, there is always a method to verify if something is correct. I love science and how we can test hypothesis until we come up with a conclusion. Only Buddhism encouraged that, you don't just follow dogma, you are given a deeper understanding, not spoonfeeding; you are taught Newton's law: For every action, there is equal and opposite reaction -- Karma.

I don't apologize if my choice to be logical and rational is not in congruence with anyone else's. I don't pray, I'd rather read the facts.

“Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future:
It transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology;
it covers both the natural and spiritual; and it is based on a religious sense
aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity."

“If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism."

- Albert Einstein

11th cor 28th

Huwag mo akong
Pagtawanan
O baliwalain

Ang bawat luha na
Pumatak, dumaloy
Ay lilipas din

Ngunit sa bawat
Panahon na iyong
Sasawayin,

May takot na
Namuo, lumago
Sa puso, sa isip.

Aking naaalala
Nakasulat, nakaukit
Nakubli sa ilalim;

Nahihirapan
Takot na lumaban
Baka iyong lisanin.

Kung umiiyak
Pagkat akoy nasaktan
Iyong intindihin

Lahat ay magagawa
Magpapaalila; manatili
Sa iyong piling

Humihingi ng tawad
Sa kamalian,
Paumanhin

Nagpapasalamat
Sa panahong inukol
Sa pakikinig.

Mahal kita higit sa
Sarili, sa buwan
At mga bituin.