You know, I used to keep a diary.

A private, physical one, where I handwrote all my thoughts and my secrets in.

Sometimes I wonder why I blog instead of write in my diary. The thing is, I can write more details in my diary, and say as many bad things about as many a**holes as I want, and fully disclose their names as well.

So why do I choose to blog where I have to censor certain details, instead of letting it all out in a diary.

Heck, why does anyone do it?

In the hopes of getting heard, I think.

Many times, even while I was writing in my private diary, I always thought, wouldn’t my great-grandchildren get a kick out of reading their great-grandmother’s diary? ;-)

I want them to see how I was, that their boring old great-grandmother had a life, had feelings, had thoughts…

We all want to be heard. We want people to know who we are, to understand us, to feel like we’re not alone.

Blogging gives us that.

We may have many readers, or just a few, we may have a lot of feedback via comments or none at all, but putting it all out there on a blog at least let us think that maybe, just maybe, someone is listening to us.

So recently I was offered a credit card from a bank.

Ok, not really “offered”, but the representative asked me to sign up for it since it was free, blah blah blah, the usual sales pitch they do to get you to sign up for credit cards…

I already had one, so I didn’t need another one, but I thought, oh well, why not. So I signed up for it,

The representative said it would take a little while for them to do the basic required background check on me to see if I was eligible for the credit card.

I understood, of course, they’d want to see if I was earning enough money, or if I had any unpaid debts, or etc.

I was very confident that their background check would be very favorable for me, because I earn reasonably well, and I’d *never* owed money to my other credit card provider.

*Ever*.

And I do mean ever. I’d had that card for at least a couple of years, and I’d always paid back every single cent every single month. Not the minimum amount, but the full amount. Every month. Never fail.

I seldom use my credit card, you see, and I put small amounts of credit on it, and I never spend money that I don’t have.

So I was kinda proud of myself, I felt as if I was like a model citizen, always paying back anything I owe. I was so sure that this second credit card company would definitely approve my application.

Imagine my surprise when they told me my application was declined!

I wondered what skeletons in my closet did they dig up while doing the background check that they would decline my application… I really was confused!

Then it hit me!

The exact reason why I thought they’d surely approve me, is the exact reason why they declined me!

They can’t make any money out of me!

Because I pay back every single cent I owe, rather than just the minimum amount, and allowing the rest of it to be subjected to the interest, they can’t make money out of giving me a credit card!

And in fact, I think they might even lose money because they wouldn’t even be charging me for the service! (Because the representative said no charge for first year, etc.)

Those banks are real crooks, I tell you. Not giving me a credit card coz they can’t make money out of me… *sheesh*

But then again, they probably figured I really didn’t need one anyway, and they’re right. LOL!

But they’re still crooks! Think of the amount of interest they charge us when we take loans from them, and then think about the amount of interest they give us when we put our hard earned money in their banks, for their use!

Crooks!

Hmmppphh…

I’ve been really busy the last couple of days getting things done that I should’ve gotten done a long time ago.

It feels good to finally get some of them out of the way, but the more I work, the more work I realize I have!

And as with everything, I need to make a choice. I know I have a lot to do, and not enough time to do them all. I’m not superwoman, that I can do things in superspeed and with super efficiency, or Hiro, that I can manipulate time.

So sometimes I wonder if I should continue blogging, because I realize that I blog mostly for my own indulgence. At the same time though, I think my blogging is important, because it’s an outlet for me.

Then I think again, that I have so many blogs, and surely I could give some of them up? But then again, no, because this blog is important for expressing my thoughts, and my book blog is important not just for expressing my thoughts on books but also because I’ve made so many new friends from it!

Every blog I have, I have for a reason, and I don’t want to give them up. They are worth maintaining for various reasons.

So I think about my studies; obviously, I can’t give up my degree program in Holistic Nutrition, because this is the ‘official’ course I’m taking. I’m also ‘un-officially’ studying religion and spirituality, crochet and knitting crafts, various computer skills, and so many other stuff I’m interested in.

I’ve given up on some of them, *for now*, but even so I still have a lot on my plate, and am not willing to cut down on some of them.

I live for learning, and I live for growth, and I’m loving learning something new everyday!

Do I even need to mention the other stuff I need to get done everyday? My music practice, freelance work, cleaning house, correspondence, etc… 

So yes, I do have a lot on my plate, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Life is fun!

More than a year since I moved to BettyNLone, I decided to move back here.

I weighed my options about moving back here, and I think it’s for the best.

Recently, I re-read some of my old post here at Just Betty, and I miss having and writing those thoughtful (I think) posts. I enjoyed reading back what I wrote and giving myself food for thought that I’d forgotten. I realized that I didn’t really post much over at BettyNLone, and that a lot of the posts were superficial.

The reason for that is because I don’t feel good about ranting on a blog that Lone and I share, because I feel like that blog is supposed to be about *us*, not about *me*, and when I rant, or post stuff unrelated to him, I feel like I’m stealing the limelight away from *us*.

So it ends up being superficial (not a bad thing, just that I miss having an outlet for other stuff), as in we only post about where we’ve gone, what we’ve done, etc. Obviously, we don’t post about our arguments because we mostly settle them as fast as we have them, and we’re not going to share intimate details as those are personal. Watch your Korean drama if you want drama! =P

Anyway, since then Lone and I have gotten married, and we’ve again moved to another blog, The Lone Family, because in the future it’s not going to be only me and him anymore. And no, before you ask, I’m not pregnant, and I’m not planning to be for a while. We just like to think ahead.

The Lone Family blog would also, obviously, be a blog about us and our family, so I won’t be posting my own personal stuff there either.

I thought about posting my personal thoughts over at Betty’s Books instead, but I felt uncomfortable about that too, because it’s where I share my thoughts about the books I read, and I think it would be weird if I also posted negative stuff about the people I know in real life!

Oh, trust me, I’m no saint. I love bad-mouthing some of the people I know in real life! =P

Ok, not really. I don’t really “bad-mouth” them as much as I just tell truths that they don’t wanna face, but even so, I wouldn’t “bad-mouth” them here if I could do it to their face, and trust me, I *have* tried doing it to their faces, but they always shout me down, coz they’re too afraid to see the truth, and I just get tired of getting nowhere.

So I want to write it on my blog, to get it out, but the other blogs weren’t the right place to do it, so I’m back here again. =P

All jokes aside though, I’m really happy to be back! I realize that it’s important, while being part of a couple and of a family, that I hold on to my individuality as well, because that’s what makes me, me.

So I’m back now, and as before, it’s Just Betty here. =)

Hey everyone! Lone and I have decided to move in together!

To a new blog address! (ahem...=P)

Here's the new url: http://bettynlone.blogspot.com

It'll probably take me a little while to move my stuff there, (all my links and stuff on the sidebar....) and I've been exhaustingly busy the last couple of days, but we'll get settled in soon. =)

I've realized that I don't always update here regularly, and pix are posted up very slowly because the camera is always with Lone. So we decided that if we shared a blog, he could post up the pix, and I could write whatever I wanted. LOL! And it would be a whole lot easier to maintain one blog together than two.

So yeah, head on to our new blog: http://bettynlone.blogspot.com and update your links! See you there!

Remember the 'secret' I told you about?

We finally finished it! Wooo hooo!!




Listen to it and tell me what you think! =D And if you like it, spread it around and tell your friends to tell us what they think! Ok, even if you didn't like it, please tell us too, so we can improve.

Like I said before, it's not really a secret, it's just that we wanted to surprise everyone with what we've learned about making our own recording, and of course, *ahem*, our musical skills as well. LOL!

I know the sound isn't really that great, but honestly we did the best we could with the equipment we had. We used a cheap, non-condenser mic, a simple recording software, without even a sound card, which I think we're gonna have to get after this...

So anyway, we did the best we could with the sound and the mixing, but I think the actual music itself is really, really good! =) I'm proud of us, because I really like our arrangement. And I'm especially proud of Lone, coz he did all the music himself, the drums, the bass, the many guitar layers, and he did the mixing really well considering the equipment we have. And trust me, of all the things we had to do, the mixing was the hardest! And part of the reason why we took so much time to do this one song too, because we kept having to re-do some parts becoz of the way the sounds turned out.

I, on the other hand, did all the vocals, the main and a few layers of backup vocals. And *ahem*... if I didn't sound good, I blame it on the mic! LOL!

Ok ok! The truth is, I'm surprised at how different it is singing on a recording and singing live, and how much harder in fact. And as I've said before, I'm no Christina or Mariah, so please do forgive my not-so-good singing, but seriously, the mic does play an important part in the vocal sound quality!

But hey, this is just for now anyway, and it's not like we're recording a CD or anything, this is just to get our music 'on tape', and maybe later when we can afford all the ridiculously expensive but extremely high-quality equipment, we'll record it again. And hopefully by then, I will have improve a lot more on my singing, and then *everything* will sound really good. =D

So tell me what you think!

P.S. Btw, if you're wondering how we got the name Space Blaze, Lone and I decided that we would each think of one word and combine them. We each have personal attachments to our words, and they sorta go together well, don't you think, with their rhyming sounds. =D

I haven't blogged in a while, but there's a perfectly good reason for that. =)

Redemption is BACK!

And BETTER than EVER!

And um... we've been spending a lot of time with them. =) Which means really late nights and sleeping at dawn and waking up after noon.

Not healthy for me, I know, but we don't do it *that* often.... sort of.

Anywayyyy..... Redemption is back! And better than ever! Seriously! They have really improved since the last time we saw them perform, which was more than a year ago.

So if anyone is interested in listening to really good live music and having lots of fun, make sure you head over to Hard Rock Cafe this August. Ok?? We'll probably be there more often than not. =D

We've gotten lots of pictures, but as usual, they're with Lone, so you'll have to wait for them. We also celebrated Charmin's birthday last Saturday in Hard Rock, so you'll see those pictures too. And Ee Won and Jeremy's marriage registration was on Monday, so you'll see those pictures as well!

Did I mention that I'm so thrilled for the both of them?! They make a really great couple and are so soooo sweet. Ee Won has one of the most charming personalities I know! And Jeremy is great fun and really good to her. *Envy*

Ok, not really, coz Lone is really great to me too. =)

Actually, I feel that us girls have been really lucky, because we've got great guys who are really, really wonderful to us, care about us, love us a lot, and give us everything we want and need... We hardly ever complain about them, or if we do it's just for fun, and the best thing is, there's no DRAMA! =P No screaming matches, no third parties, no crying all night, no drama!

But there's so much excitement! Wedding plans, and fun nights out, places to go, and people to meet, wonderful and interesting conversation, games and laughter. So much fun! And no drama!

This is the life! And I am so extremely happy and grateful that Lone loves me. =D

Anyway, EW and Jeremy's wedding is this October. So thrilled, so thrilled!

I was just reading a book about PR, and there was a section about raising the bar; improving yourself and becoming better and better as you go.

People who've talked to me about this before knows what I always say. It doesn't matter if you're 'not as good' as your competitor or your peers or whoever when you start off, as long as you have the attitude of improvement.

What I mean is, you could be the last in your class, and everyone could be well ahead of you, but if they stay where they are, while you keep on moving forward, pretty soon, you'd be well ahead of them!

Life isn't stagnant, it keeps moving, everything in life is progressing, and when it comes to technology and science and those kinda things, we all know it because it can be so clearly seen. But it also applies to personal development, and the problem with most people is that they don't realize this.

How many people you know never grow personally, even as a child to an adult? You see the difference in them as they become less childish and more serious, but that doesn't mean they've grown up. In fact, it probably means they're more immature than ever.

There's a difference between being childish and immature, by the way. You can be childish and yet very mature, and being serious doesn't make you a mature person. I personally, will never stop being childish, because OMG, life is fun! As it should be. =D

Anyway, I digress again.

As I was saying: personal progress, raising the bar, being better than you were before...

Nobody's perfect, and nobody could ever be perfect, and if that's the case, then that means that we can always improve. Everyday, all the time. I've said this before also, that my own personal goal is to be better today than I was yesterday, and be better tomorrow than I am today. It doesn't matter how little I improve, or in whatever department or aspect of my life, as long as I am better than before.

And with this attitude, even if I compare myself with millionaires my age, I know eventually I'll catch up to them, unless of course, they improve too. =)

As I've said, I don't really compare much, just sometimes it's necessary to compare to know where you are, but I never let it get me down if I think I'm not doing as well as others, because I know for a fact, that I will get better.

Some people reach a certain level and they believe they're so good that it's not necessary to improve anymore, some people don't even know it's possible to improve. So they stagnate, and fall behind when others move ahead, but they still believe they're the best because they've fostered their beliefs for so long and it's hard to accept anything else.

I know a couple of people like that. People whom I used to respect, and whom I learned so much from because they *were* the best. Years ago, they were my teachers, my masters, my gurus, my sifus. But I've continued growing, and they've stopped, and as a result they've actually moved backward. So the student has become better than the teacher. But the problem with the teacher is that they are no longer teachers but they can't accept the fact because they've been the teachers for so long, it's hard not to teach anymore.

My problem with them is that I wouldn't mind them continuing to teach, if they had something new to teach, but they don't, and they don't want to improve either, while the world around them is improving.

Imagine that you're using the latest, newest, highest technology computer, and the manual you got with it is for those old computers we used to use 10 years ago. Imagine if the technician insisted that you learn to use your new computer with the old manual.

Things change, the world is moving forward, you need to change and move forward with it, or else you're going to be left behind.

So... raise the bar, keep on growing, keep learning, keep improving yourself, it's a never-ending lifelong quest.

It's not easy trying to keep up with everything, and yet I still insist on doing so.

I could make life easier for myself by giving up on certain things, but I won't, because some things I'm just not willing to give up on.

Of course, sometimes things get backed up, and right now at the moment I have so many things in the pipeline just waiting to be done, and all I can do is take one thing at a time and finish one task at a time.

I think I'm doing pretty well, in fact. As well as can be, considering everything. =)

Lone and I have decided on next year December for our wedding, but we haven't found a venue yet. We don't want hotels or Chinese restaurants. Anyone has any suggestions for us?

Lone and I went for MNY again last weekend. The best thing about it is that once you've participated once, it's free for you to go to again and again, for life, and in anywhere in the world whenever they hold MNY seminars.

As the name says, very literally, it's all about money, and you. It's a three and a half day (full days! which can be tiring but really rewarding in the end) course, where they help you learn more about money and you. Key here being that they *help* YOU learn. They don't teach you, they don't tell you, they just put you in situations and let you figure it out for yourself. And then, they review what you've learned with you.

I think it's a great way to help people learn, because the truth is people remember and understand better when they're involved in their own learning process, instead of just listening to the teacher and accepting (or rejecting) what the teacher says.

So anyway they teach you about money, how to smart with money and business, yada, yada, yada... and I learned some really, really, good lessons from there. And every time I go back for review, I get more distinctions, and also it's a great reminder to me to check if I'm going on the right track.

But I believe, and what everyone else is saying, the most impacting thing you learn in MNY, is all about YOU. As in, you, yourself, your thoughts, your beliefs, your attitude, your behavior....etc.

We all know that we all aren't perfect human beings, and the sad thing is, we know, and we ignore that fact. We don't bother spending time thinking about ourselves, improving ourselves, nourishing ourselves, helping ourselves grow.... and instead, most of us spend a LOT of our time thinking about our career, how to improve our income, growing our business. Or we think about anything as long as we don't have to face the ugly truth about ourselves.

Well, admit it, a lot of us don't know anything about ourselves. And a lot of us don't want to.

This is why I enjoy going to MNY, I meet people there who are not afraid to be honest about themselves, I meet people there who know who they are, who understand themselves, who love themselves, and in extension, they love and understand others.

Ok, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that *everyone* who goes for MNY is like that, because for every 'good' person you meet, there is someone else who is only there to prospect, or to impose, or who are too stubborn or too afraid to learn. Not that there's anything wrong with prospecting or whatever, that's half the reason people attend MNY after all. But there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. We have all met pushy salespeople who don't see us as people but only as dollar signs, who recite all their information at us as if we know what the heck their talking about, and who don't even care that we're not interested.

However, out of every 100 people there, you do get to meet a few really, really, great people. The key is quality, not quantity. Of course, you could introduce yourself to everyone and try to talk to everyone, but you don't build relationships that way. In most social settings where you get to know people for the first time, you make many acquaintances, but only a few actually become friends.

That's how it's like in MNY. The setting there is in such a way that although you've only met that one particular person that day, you're talking as if you've been friends since childhood.

I like making friends. Because friends allow you to go deeper. Friends talk about everything, friends are not afraid of opening up and being vulnerable, friends are not afraid of you judging them or vice versa, friends like you for who you are and not who they want you to be. I love friends.

Acquaintances, on the other hand... Well, I'm incapable of small talk. I don't care about the weather, I don't know anything about the latest fashions, or celebrity gossip, I don't particularly like talking about politics (although it does concern me), and I don't know much about sports.

Of course, I'm generalizing here, because although I don't know anything about any of these topics, some really good friends of mine love talking about them. But as long as they do all the talking and allow me to just listen and don't expect me to come up with an intelligent reply when it comes to these topics, I'm fine. And they're fine too, because they know me, and they allow me to talk about things that they know nothing about either.

But you see, our friendship wasn't built on these topics, it was built on much more solid ground, fed with much love and care. I liken it to building a cozy home, a solid house on a solid foundation, with quality building materials. And when the house is built, you can add all sorts of furniture and decorations in it, even when all the furniture don't match and the deco is all last season. It becomes a warm place, with a lot of of uniqueness and character, and that's what friendship is.

Now, if you tried throwing all sorts of different furniture and deco out in the middle of nowhere, exposed in the sun, wind, and rain, with no home to put them in and no warmth to hold them. Well, that's not a friendship, that's just a lot of furniture out in the dust.

You know what I mean.