• Adulting, to the next level. This was the month wherein I was so busy answering calls and submitting requirements here and there because I was in the process of doing a major purchase. I was extra OC about this because I didn't want to miss anything. I was just so happy that the people I was working with were very prompt and proactive with their tasks. It somehow lessened my stress levels. 😊
• Participating in an online yoga session. As part of my subscription on Rebel Coach, I was able to attend an online group yoga class. I was a bit self-conscious at first (because my video cam was in a weird angle lol) but later on I got the hang of it. However, it felt so different compared to face-to-face yoga class in the studio. I was only able to participate in this class before I decided to cancel my subscription altogether. I guess the schedule and the setup just didn't work for me.
• Joining the @masarapba's Zoom call. This was such a random moment. An IG account that I was following, with the handle name @masarapba, posted an IG story that she was holding a Zoom call impromptu tonight because she just felt like it. Well I said why not, and so I dialed into the call. It was so fun! There were other people there and the topic was just all over the place. I was just in listener-mode (shy ako e haha) and was just laughing at how @masarapba hosted the call. It was already getting late so I just dropped out of the call, Irish style. It was indeed a very interesting experience. I hope she does it again and I hope I could be a more active participant when it happens. 😉
• Getting a confirmation that really hurt me. 💔It was really not surprising, I saw it coming already, but it's something different when you see the proof that yes, it's real. I think at this point forward, I started to realize why things happened that way, and the purpose and lessons that I needed to learn along the way. 
• Attending church for the first time in recent years. This was also a very curious experience. We attended the early morning mass at 6AM. It was my first time to see how the church operates their Facebook live streams: there's a "tech person" on the side managing the powerpoint and the cameras to be displayed on the stream. This strikingly reminded me of the duties of a "tech host" in Toastmasters meetings, and I believe we'll have to adapt a similar setup once the meeting goes hybrid also. 
  I forgot that I had an alarm set at 6:30AM, even on weekends. My alarm went off during the mass (OMG! 😲) To my relief, my alarm sound is birds chirping that starts with a low volume. When I heard that familiar sound while the mass was ongoing, I quickly snatched my phone (like my life depended on it) and quickly solved the Math equations to disable the alarm. 😅
  
• Listening to the homily and getting teary-eyed. I think most church attenders zone out during the homily.😜It's been a while since I listened to one so I guess that was why I was able to really listen during the mass. The priest talked about the prodigal son parable. After retelling the story, he asked: who was worse -- the older son (the one who stayed) or the younger son (the one who returned)? The older son, upon learning about the feast his father held, he said:
  
  "But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!" (Luke 15:30)
  
  He said "this son of yours", instead of "my brother", which really showed the older brother's disdain towards the other son. And it really hit home for me. Let's just say, during my darker times in the past several years, I have said these exact statements also. And during that moment in church, I realized the faults that I have done. Fortunately, I'm in a better situation now, and the relationships have been restored. 
  
  The priest also shared a poem, which he stated was from C.S. Lewis, which upon googling, was a common misconception. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful poem:
  
  There is someone I love, even though I don’t approve of what he does. 
  There is someone I accept, though some of his thoughts and actions revolt me.
  There is someone I forgive, though he hurts the people I love the most.
  That person is me.
  
  
• Visiting the office for the first time in 2 years. I had to claim some personal items in the office as per instructions of our HR. It felt surreal seeing the office since after the pandemic. It was my first time going there ever since the first lockdown in 2020. It was also my first time to ride a Grab so I was a bit anxious throughout the trip. Fortunately, everything went well and I was able to go home after a few hours (well I had to, because I had to attend some unexpected stuff at home 😅).

• I won first place (again!) in the Table Topics contest, Division level. It was another surreal moment. I loved how I prepped myself a few minutes before logging into the Zoom meeting to ease my nerves -- I hopped on WeSing on my phone and sang my favorite songs. Singing made me less nervous (because I guess it helped me slow down and control my breathing) and I just felt all positive after. I didn't know how I got to deliver the best speech amongst the contestants, but I was grateful for this adventure. Onto the District Level! 🎉
• I finally turned the dream into a reality 🚗. All those years of dreaming, and now it's here. Thank you Universe for guiding me in this decision. ✨
  
• I'm receiving unique opportunities again through the blog. Thank you again Universe. ✨

• Whey protein. I have started to like working out this month (which might be an after-effect of my Thetahealing session last month?). One of the things I have read online is that protein helps the muscles recover after a workout. I discovered this product on BeautyMNL. I got the salted caramel variant. What's fascinating was that I actually got motivated to exercise because I knew I was going to drink the protein shake afterwards. It felt like a reward because it tasted that good. I made a note to also try their other flavors.
• Spot-on medicine for cats and dogs. I'm a newbie in terms of being a hands-on furmom, and so discovering these different treatments was a wonderful experience for me. We had to buy some spot-on treatment to manage our pets' fleas, and I must say it was very effective! 😽🐶
• Vacuum cleaner. I have been contemplating on buying one for some time now. I finally made the decision to purchase one after realizing that this is an essential tool in cleaning the car. Also, it would make house cleaning easier (and as of current writing, I must say that it was worth getting one 😉).
• Yakult + Sprite + Soju combo. It feels cringy writing this now, but yes back then, it felt like a game changer for me. I felt so exhilarated when I discovered this recipe. It didn't taste like alcohol at all. Let's just say that I enjoyed this drink too much too often, which I always regretted doing after.  
• Journaling. I know I have been doing this for a while, but this month I found new ways to approach this activity. I bought a digital astro journal which has prompts for every new moon and full moon cycle. Then there's also the Prompted Journal and Three Good Things apps on Android. It really feels therapeutic writing down my innermost thoughts. It helps me in processing my feelings and also makes me more aware of my emotions. I highly recommend this activity! 📝 

• Let's continue powering through.
• It hurts when your most trusted people don't trust you back. 😞
• Let go of things that no longer serve a purpose for you.
• Listen to your mentors.
• There are moments wherein life teaches you lessons in the most unexpected way -- I thought I was the one giving, but apparently I was the one who is receiving.

• Choose banks that you are already a long-time client with. This was what I experienced-- I got approved faster and with a rate even lower than their published ones. 
• It's okay to decline a pre-approved auto loan.
• Most banks require a minimum down payment of 20% of the total loan amount (car's SRP). If you can afford, make a higher dp and a shorter term period to have optimal savings on the overall value that you will pay.
  
  Choosing a 20% down payment means that you will shoulder and pay 20% of the car unit price to the car dealer, and then 80% of the price will be paid by the bank to the car dealer. You will then pay back the bank the 80% amount through the monthly amortization of the auto loan.
• If possible, choose to avail the auto loan and insurance from the same bank. Usually banks have promos for their insurance when you also avail the auto loan from them (I know this because I did get a promo for mine 😉).

1. Cash - if you have enough cash to pay the car's SRP in full, then good for you since you will pay the price as is, and save more actually because comparing it with a loan, you won't need to pay any interest rates.
2. Bank PO (Purchase Order) - the buyer is the one that applies for an auto loan from a bank and once it gets approved, the buyer just forwards the Bank PO to the car agent. Loan interest rates are lower if you go this route compared to in-house financing.
3. In-house Financing - it's technically still a bank loan but it's the car dealer that applies the auto loan to a bank. This is the route that some buyers use either because they have difficulty in being approved by their banks or they just don't want the hassle of applying for an auto loan themselves. This is the easiest fastest way to purchase a car because it is the agent who does all the job. You just need to give the agent some form of identification and they will do the rest. This option doesn't require a high cash out (I've seen offers that only require at least 15,000PHP cashout) but in the end you will pay a higher total value because of the high interest rate.

• Finding a car agent can be done in parallel with applying for a bank loan since approval for the bank loan might take time. 
• Joining car groups for a specific car model (i.e. on Facebook) proved to be very useful during this time. Car agents also join them to post their car quotations so they can make a sale. Because of this, it was very easy to contact car agents to inquire about quotations. I posted a "Looking for car quotations for this car model", and in less than an hour, I received tons of DMs of car quotations from agents. 
• By default, car agents send you quotations for in-house financing. Their quotation usually includes:
  
  monthly amortization
  LTO registration (3 years)
  car insurance (comprehensive)
  TPL insurance
  tint
  other freebies
  
  The quotations vary from agent to agent because it's wholly up to them to design their quotation that would make their offer marketable. Make it clear to them from the very start that you are paying via cash or bank PO instead. Almost always when you mention that, they will say that the freebies listed are not applicable for bank PO or cash.
• You can choose not to avail the insurance from the car dealer. I got mine from the same bank I got my auto loan from.
• The agents' goal is to make you purchase the car from them so they will do their best to make their offer enticing. One way is to list lots of freebies. However it's a bit misleading because some of the items that they include in their "freebies" list are not really freebies but rather standard inclusions in the car purchase.
  
  Common examples that I saw in car quotations are:
  - FREE spare tire
  - FREE jack and tools
  - FREE seat cover and matting
  - FREE rust proofing
  - FREE warranty booklet
  
  Again, these are the standard inclusions. Legit freebies that an agent can give you are:
  
  - Free LTO registration 3 years
  - Free TPL
  - Free Tint
  - Free Umbrella
  - Free Rain Visors
  
  Since the agents have control to modify their quotations, you can negotiate with them on what freebies they can include for their offer.
• Ask for a formal quotation. They will give you a PDF copy of their offer.
• There are hoax car agents online, so be careful. One way to identify legit ones is when they use their company email address when sending the formal quotation to you.
• As long as you have not closed the deal with the car agent (i.e. you have not paid for the downpayment), you can still transfer the approval to other agents. One reason why you would opt to do so is when your agent was not able to fulfill their assurance that they will be able to give you the unit within a certain period, or you just found a better offer from another agent.
  
  I learned this happened to other people as I read about their experience in the Facebook group: the agent assured the client that they will have a unit available in around two weeks, but client was already waiting for months (there was a high demand for this car unit, but not enough stocks being shipped to the country).
  
  I also did it myself. Initially I was in contact with this agent located at the nearest car dealer from us. I was ready to accept his offer because why would I bother to check other branches when this is already the nearest and most convenient location? Well the bank branch manager who was arranging my auto loan gave me this tip: canvass for other quotations from car agents so I could choose for the best deal. This was where the idea of posting on the Facebook group landed on me. And truly, I got a better deal. Although I had to travel a bit further to the location of my new car agent, I still got to save some money because I got the LTO registration, TPL, and tint for FREE. I had to pay all of that from my original agent. I think dealer branches have sales quotas to meet so the agents are really competitive with their offers to potential clients. Plus, my new agent was way better because he was so proactive and responded very promptly (even on weekends!). Compare that to my original agent who took 2 days to respond to my single inquiry. So yeah, thankfully, I found myself a great agent!

1. Budget
   With just this criteria, your options would extremely be trimmed down. Don't just look at the suggested retail price (SRP) of the unit. Have a budget range that is still flexible because you will still need some leg room for other car expenses like the car insurance. Based on my budget plan (thanks to YNAB by the way!), I got to determine the budget range that I can afford to buy a car.
2. Type of Car
   It was clear as day that I didn't want a sedan. I want my car to be midrange in size. My dream car is actually a Ford Ecosport. But it was beyond my budget range so I knew this cannot be in my options. I also didn't need a 7-seater because I would mostly just use it for going to the office or around the city (sometimes province) with my parents. If my siblings would come along, well they can just use their own cars. 😁
3. Features
   I want an automatic transmission car (mostly for the convenience of my knees 😉) I want my car also to have high ground clearance (because that was the cons of a sedan, from what I have learned from using my sister's car). Also, I want a wide trunk space so that my parents can conveniently load their groceries and wet market essentials or other stuff from the province when we visit.

Now that I have locked in my decision to buy a car, my next step is to do my research on the car options that I have based on the criteria that I have set. It was a grueling process but I'm excited to share all my learnings with you. Stay tuned!🚗💓