Final stretch!

Happy New Year to everyone!

Now that it's 2014, I'm facing the final stretch -- one semester left before graduation! I'm patting myself on the back for doing well so far, especially on my finances.

It hasn't been easy working while taking my MBA, but I'm nearly done. I've just gone through a highly stressful quarter of academics - with 12 hours of work a week thrown in - and am highly gratified to earn a near flat 4.0. (Yes, I do look at my grades as a way of challenging myself; anyway, I paid good money for my education! As long as I have actually learned something, I'm fine with an A-. Conversely, I feel bad earning an A on a very easy subject where I learned nothing at all.)

I've spent more than Php 2.3 million of my own money so far on my MBA; it amazes me to have spent so much money! (Imagine if I got my MBA in AIM or Ateneo instead!) I am truly grateful for my scholarship, my part-time library job and my internship; without these, I would be drowning in debt right now or probably not be taking my MBA abroad at all.

I'm spending the holidays with my family in the Philippines, and it has been really good to be back. I was able to score a round-trip ticket for the very low price of $1,330-something, in exchange for arriving home on Christmas Day. Not that I mind that much. After all, I still get to go home. (It's just too bad that winter break this year is so much shorter!)

Enjoy the rest of the holidays, and email me at pinaymba@gmail.com for any questions! (And no, I'm still not saying what school I'm in right now.)