Posted on 25 March 2010 by Liza Mae V.
As I stepped out of the plane with my backpack and carry-on luggage, I went through the regular process of going to Chinese customs, picking up my two big luggage putting them on a FREE push cart, and going through no bag checks. The process seemed to flow smoothly, more so than I expected because usually there is always some sort of set back when I travel.
Posted on 22 March 2010 by Liza Mae V.
I’ve been hearing the words of “You’re Crazy!”, as of late because of my defining decision which took the world, my world and everyone surrounding it, by storm. One of the few friends, Bobby, who understands what I am doing said something profound to me which I hold near and dear to my heart.
He said, “Well you are not trying to be normal, so to them ‘Yes’ you are crazy.”
Whenever someone would comment as such I would go back to what he said. I realize I am not my friends, nor am I the majority. It is not that I am trying to distinguish myself from everyone else, for everyone wants the same thing, to be happy. Essentially, that is what my pursuit is and this is my story.
Posted on 09 March 2010 by Liza Mae V.
Monday March 1st, 2010 marks a milestone in my life …
I have mentally prepared and planned this decision to leave my life of the 9 to 5. I woke up Monday morning feeling anxious and terrified for the decision would change my life. My boyfriend was no where to be found and I didn’t know what I should do. Frantically I managed to put a resignation letter together and ten minutes prior to my weekly meeting with my boss, my boyfriend signed online. To my relief he read it over and suggested to change a couple things and he sent his well wishes. He seems to know how to calm me during times like this, thanks babe for being there!
As I walked to my bosses office I took a deep breath and I gave my boss the letter and she was excited for me. She said she would of made the same decision, given that she was placed in my shoes. It wasn’t easy for me to do so because it felt like my umbilical cord had been snipped at that moment. Leaving a place of warmth and comfort to live in the new unknown future ahead. I always envisioned that at that moment I would of gotten in an emotional breakdown but it was quite opposite. I was strong and confident and my fear in me disappeared. I had a defining of moment of … letting it go.
No more mundane Mondays, reporting to a manager, long meetings, etc. I am trading my current life for the hopes that I can successfully start my business and start living my life the way I want vs. what society wants for me. I have always lived my life by social design but for once in my life I decided, enough is enough, it is time for me to take a mini-retirement.
I am not too sure how long my retirement from the typical life style will be but for starters, it is a minimum of 92 days or 3 months. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to retire to have idle time but I want to retire from defined schedules which are designed to make one tired and worn out. Whoever decided that 8-hour days, 5 days a week was the way to go was simply insane. The working hours seem ludicrous to me but let me leave that in another post.
Floating in air, I continued my day in shock of what I had just done. Everything just seemed so surreal to me but my worries went away once my flight was booked, 20 days* until departure. It is not that far away and I have 3 units to rent out before then. It sounds unrealistic but I try to strive for the unrealistic goals, for if I just strive for the realistic ones then I would just be another statistic in this norm.
*Update: 12 Days left and I have rented 1 of the 3 units.
*Update (March 11): 2 of the 3 units rented.
- Liza Mae
Posted on 22 February 2010 by Liza Mae V.
As I dropped him off at the airport today, a trickle of tears ran down my face as we hugged good-bye. At least this time I did not cry a river for I know I will see him soon. The 5 weeks he was here just went by so quickly yet it felt like so many things transpired. It began on a rocky road but things became more smooth between us and stronger than ever. It was a really trying period for us but here we are again. I promised us that we will be together again in less than 4 weeks and hopefully before his big Three-Zero!
So I have contacted my boss and made her aware of the situation and I am hoping to get some unpaid-leave of a minimum of 2 months but if not, I have decided to cut my losses and go with the flow of things. I am quite terrified of doing so because it is like cutting my umbilical cord to my secure life. I realize that doing this will hurt and disappoint many people due to their own personal reasons, but at the end of the day, I have to take care of myself and my partner. The weight of their disappointment is weighing me down and I just feel like I don’t need that right now. I just want support from people but I can’t change their egotistical way of thinking, so be it. I mean it is really selfish for one to tell me to stay back because it makes them happy but what about my happiness? I would never be disappointed in someone because they chased after their happiness but I guess their excuse is that they are looking out for me.
I’ve gone tired of trying to make everyone else happy, that I don’t really care what anyone has to say.
I’m done.
- Liza Mae
Posted on 16 February 2010 by Liza Mae V.
I feel as though my life is moving so quickly that sometimes I forget what day it is. Last year we were partying at his house and now I am planning a house party at my house. By the end of next week, there is a huge possibility that there will be a 3rd house between us. The third one will confirm that we are officially property investors. I never envisioned this ever happening years back and sometimes I pinch myself to see if it is real. I must admit though that without his vision, I would not be here today. I just never looked beyond this linear road that we let society think it should be. This road being …
go to college or university > get a degree > find a career > work 9-5 > find a partner to settle down with > get married> buy a house > have babies > continue working until retirement of 65
It may not be in that order but certainly close to that idea, you catch my drift. I realize that life is not a linear road but a 3D one with many more planes to work with. I choose not to live this life and don’t plan to work until 65, especially for someone else. I just feel there is more to do out there in the world than to walk this typical road.
While I steer away from this path, I come across many skeptics. Everyone is so caught in the fear of insecurity that it hinders one to truly live and love. I mean, we are so caught up with trying to be secure that we close ourselves off to many brilliant ideas. Sometimes we got to take that leap of faith and just trust that someone, be it your partner, friend, family, etc. will be there to catch you when you fall. If you truly believe in yourself, people will start believing in you. When you make your ideas into reality, you will be truly amazed at what faith in self can accomplish. I stop myself and pat myself on my back for having faith and trusting that things will work out in the end. Some may say I am risky but the numbers should really speak for themselves, I calculate my risks and it is not risky at all. It is actually more secure than stocks but more return than a savings account.
I was a skeptic but I seen what my bf has accomplished with little to no security and I am amazed that he got through it with flying colours. When I leaped into my property with little security, more than my bf though, I did not think about it twice. I just took all my money and invested it in to real estate. I barely have any savings right now but I know in a year, I will get everything back. In 2 years from now, I will be profiting from there forward.
“It takes money to make money!”
I can not dismiss the fact that this road also has potholes. I have invested a lot of my time renovating this house, with that comes stress and frustration but most challenging things in life have this. If not, it would not be challenging and everyone would be doing what I have done. I mean we are a lazy society – we want the results but don’t want to work for it. Now that I really look at the big picture, it was only 4 months of grueling work = a years worth of my mortgage being paid by someone else + some profit.
I am not trying to gloat but I am trying to motivate. Things are possible and we don’t have to live this life of the 9 to 5er. I have only been working for almost 3 years (when I purchased a home I was working for 2.5 years) and saved money every pay cheque. I didn’t really sacrifice much, I still went out for dinner and parties. If I did sacrifice more, I think I could of accomplished this much sooner, but I wasn’t thinking about it at the time.
The time is approaching and I am finally seeing the way … I WANT! No need to walk this linear path any longer.
Until then … keep your head up and believe in self!
- Liza Mae
Posted on 18 January 2010 by Liza Mae V.
It is funny how the last month’s events caused me to amplify my thoughts so loudly that I can not stop thinking about the life I want to live versus the life I am living. Those two points are far in between but the gap could easily be narrowed if I … stopped worrying.
On December 26th, 2009, I seen a message on facebook from my cousin that our mutual cousin Paula had died. She was under 40 and had a family (husband and two daughters). She had been fighting cancer for a couple of years and her time had expired on earth as we know it. RIP Paula!
Last week, my brother got in a serious car accident which landed him in the hospital with a broken collar bone and minor lacerations. He could of been seriously hurt or dead but thankfully God gave him another chance at life.
With all these occurrences happening around me it made me think and ask questions within myself. Why is it that I live my life of mediocrity to only want what everyone else wants? Why do I settle for a secure life rather than a happy life? Or if I am so unhappy why do I continue to live unhappily? Why do I have wait until I find out I am dying or had a life/death experience to do the things I truly want to do?
Fear is the biggest monster one has. It gets in the way of many things and stagnates growth and disables one’s abilities to be free. So I’ve decided to make some major changes in my life which will occur in the next 3 weeks. Story will unfold shortly, stay tuned.
Liza Mae
Posted on 02 January 2010 by Liza Mae V.
stomach turns with the thoughts of you
it is like I’ve traveled on a jet plane
that has gone through turbulence
not that it is a bad thing because
sometimes we need to be scared
sometimes we need to live in fear
for it reminds us how alive we are.
I just want to stand on the edge of a cliff
and scream on top of my lungs
let it all out
lose control
for I feel trapped
in my own skin
yell out to the rest of the world
so I can be heard
and I can finally be freed
from the oppression
of this life.
This life which I have created
this life I have destroyed
this life of sorrow and joy.
I just want to … be.
Happy.
I have embraced this life
held it in the palms of my hands
and let it get out of control
more than I wanted
but who am I to dictate
which way water flows?
I am just laying on my raft
staring into the sky
which surrounds me
and appreciating every cloud
hovering above
with my hands interlaced behind my head
just smiling with the thoughts
of us back on the same wave
of existence.
Just a few days remain …
Countdown To James Arrival
- Liza Mae
Posted on 01 December 2009 by Liza Mae V.
Five days of rejuvenation and renovations comes to an end once I wake tomorrow to start another work week ahead. I am not looking forward to it but I am well rested from the stress of my work life.
These past five days have been used to really focus on self and my relationship. As I was planning for this weekend, it didn’t really turn out the way I thought it was going to be and it was better than expected. I planned for a weekend of partying and socializing but it was less of that. I got to spend quality one on one time with three friends and just relaxed half the time. I took three yoga classes in five days, which I would not have time for on a regular week. It was awesome except for today’s yoga class. I realize I like grueling, make every single pore sweat, muscle shake, reach my breaking point, type of yoga, also known as Hot Yoga. I should of realized the type of class it was going to be because 95% of the class was in the demographic of 65 and older. Right now I don’t appreciate this type of thing because my workouts are all high intensity and I like being pushed beyond my limit.
As I looked around the room at all the 65+ retiree’s I thought, I don’t want to wait this long to live that life. I don’t want to work for another 40 years then appreciate life thereafter. I want to experience this life NOW while I am young and agile. These few days, I experienced a mere glimpse of the retired life and I am ready. Mi amore keeps telling me that we will retire before I turn 30 which is in less than four years from now and I really hope so. I keep holding that dream in my heart and mind, every single day. The more I speak about something, it becomes more realistic, no matter how outlandish it may sound. I have the faith to make it happen for I AM a firm believer of my dreams.
Last year, I dreamed to have a house and then I will leave. So I have the house but the latter needs to happen. I am not dissatisfied with my life in Toronto, I just feel like my life has more purpose. I want to help those that truly need and want help. I was given a privileged life to be fed daily, educated, and make an honest living. Some are not as fortunate as I and I believe that God has given me this life, so that I can help others. If I just turn my cheek the other direction, trying to negate reality of the world, am I not being cowardice and ignorant? After watching CNN Heroes it brought me back to the time when James showed me youtube videos of the missionary that he worked for in Mexico called Victory Outreach. It made me inspired to improve the quality of life of someone else less fortunate than myself, and at the same time improve myself. I want to make movements that will not only effect me but someone else. I am tired of being selfish and I am ready to give back. This is the circle of life and essentially I’ve been receiving a lot and not giving a lot. It is time.
For now I will work harder each day to achieve this goal because it is simply worth it.
- Liza Mae
Posted on 06 November 2009 by Liza Mae V.
I read a blog which focused on their house renovations and decided, why not write about my own experiences. I have learned a lot from watching my partner go through this process last December but I didn’t really pay attention to the details. Now that I bought my own house and he is not here physically, I’m finding out that it requires a lot of patience and hard work. Let me rewind to the beginning of the process.
Due to the recession and this false perception of job security, I have come to realize I have to take matters in to my own hand. Watching 1000′s of people being handed the pink slip at my company in one day, one being my boss, made me very weary about this whole job security perception. These cubicle walls box us in to think that they will protect us but really they are constructed with the most poorest materials. So I have decided to invest in property so that I do not have to rely on anyone else.
My name is Liza Mae and this is my house, my security.
I’ll guide you on the process to purchasing a house in Toronto.
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