On March 2 of this year, our then company President and CCO Leigh Reyes sent an agency-wide email that we would be undergoing a preparedness simulation from March 11 to March 13 to make sure we could keep the business going even if we couldn’t come in to work for an extended period of time, following news reports of other agency offices having to enforce work-from-home because of COVID-19. The supposed simulation then extended into real life work-from-home scenario that we thought would be back to normal come April. April came, and then May, June, July, August... Days have blended into each other and turned to weeks, to months. October is almost here, and we are nowhere near the end.

When things were still normal, we had Work Anywhere Wednesdays where we were free to, well, work anywhere, so long as we finish our deliverables for the day and we didn't have scheduled face-to-face meetings to go to. I didn't like that set-up at that much because I always ended up taking a nap, having deluded myself into thinking that I needed an office set-up to motivate me to work. Now that we have been doing this for more than six months now, I realized that all I needed were discipline and deadlines I set myself.

I had to let go of the place I was renting in Makati and move back in with my family. I liked that I didn't have to torment myself in deciding what to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, but at the same time I miss the way I used to spend my me-time eating alone at my spot at The Sandwich Guy in Century City Mall or Tien Ma's. I love that my support system a.k.a. my family is always readily available but hate that my other support system a.k.a. my boyfriend is living in the other side of Metro Manila, two expressways/ toll gates away from me. 

I miss my office desk and all the little accoutrements and knick knacks it has accumulated throughout the years, but there is no sense crying over spilled milk. It's a sh*tty situation we'd been thrusted into, and we got dealt some pretty sh*tty cards. Anyway, seeing that my back had been aching and my legs had been riddled with bed bug bites from my old chair, my boyfriend, the wonderful human that he is, got me a new chair. It is pink and pretty, and I love it very much.

Yes, I put lipstick on for these photos. I miss putting makeup on and dressing up, so I compensate with cute and colorful pajama sets or coordinates as well as my fluffy house slippers. 

My work-from-home desk is a bit neater than usual here, but it always contains the following: my laptop and bamboo laptop table, my Essentials notebook and colorful pens for jotting down and crossing off my to do lists, my hydro flask so I don't have to keep on getting up to get water, and my Nintendo Switch Lite so I can squeeze in some gameplay during breaks. 

If we are friends in real life and/ or in social media you would know that I've been caught hook, line, and sinker by Animal Crossing: New Horizons since I got it in June. J got me a yellow Switch Lite and a copy of the game for our fifth anniversary, and it's been an endless source of joy and delight since then.

How I wish I put up an Animal Crossing-dedicated blog when I was just starting out to mark all my game milestones, but as it stands I didn't really have the energy to do anything else aside from work and play Animal Crossing. The state of this country and the way we are [inefficiently] dealing with the pandemic is enough to drain me, and I couldn't muster enthusiasm for things I enjoyed doing in the past, like reading, writing, baking, watching movies and TV shows, endlessly scrolling on Instagram, and yes, even blogging. There were things I said yes to but had to back out of because I couldn't for the life of me Do Any Thing.

Things have been slowly turning around, and look, a new blog post here in months! I guess I just have to take things easy and remember that I do not have to carry the burden of worrying about things that are beyond my control.

Now we go to things I CAN control, like my island. 

Days blended into weeks into months, and before I realized it, it is September. Hi, folks, how are you? 

I spent the past few months paying off my home loan to Tom Nook and prettifying my island Soliantu. I am talking, of course, about Animal Crossing: New Horizons. My boyfriend gave me a yellow Switch Lite and a copy of the game on our fifth anniversary and it made coping with this pandemic much more bearable.

In more personal, serious news, we purchased a lot IRL. We are going to build a house on it in two years' time, and I am very excited!

Are you looking into properties too and wondering about the different jargons involved? Well I have an article here that might be helpful if you are just starting to research whether a reverse mortgage is right for you. Whether you’re close to going ahead with a final decision or not, some of the terminology involved in the process can be a little daunting. In this article, some key terms are explained more clearly. As you know, it is essential to understand everything in detail in order to know what you’re taking on.

What’s the difference with a reverse mortgage?

Reverse mortgages are specific loans that enable people 62 and older to take out a loan against the equity of their home during retirement. The big difference with this type of loan is that the borrower does not make a monthly payment; instead, they are simply responsible for paying taxes on their home, taking out property insurance, and managing repairs and maintenance. The essence of reverse mortgages is that they enable the borrower to continue to live in their home, but freeing up some precious cash for their retirement years.

Make your calculation

Reverse mortgage calculators provide borrowers with an outline of the setup fees, interest and loan terms they will be bound to if they go ahead with this type of mortgage. The calculator also establishes the applicant’s eligibility, and assesses the value of the property. From this, it is possible to see how much cash will be made available for your retirement.

What about Proprietary Reverse Mortgages

In simple terms, PRMs are private lenders that do not come with the assurance of the Home Equity Conversion Mortgages. With this assurance, borrowers are covered by FHA insurance to protect their mortgage. That said, both types of loan are fully regulated in terms of how much can be borrowed, as well as how much can be borrowed.

Other options

Another benefit of a reverse mortgage is how you receive the proceeds (i.e. the difference between your mortgage equity, and your house value). It’s possible to receive the payment as a one-off lump sum. Alternatively, you can access the funds at your convenience as a credit line from the bank as and when you need it. Lastly, perhaps the most popular option is receiving the funds by way of a regular monthly direct debit into your bank account, while the rest of the money stays available for drawing down as required.

D-Day

Default on reverse loans is a very different situation than the worst-case scenario if a standard mortgage is defaulted. In traditional mortgages, default often leads to the borrower being forced to leave their home. But defaulting on reverse mortgages is different, since the borrower does not make monthly payments. In this scenario, you have nothing to pay on a regular basis, and the balance of the reverse mortgage is only payable as a result of your death or if you decide to sell up your property. The only financial obligations the borrower has are to maintain and improve the property as they see fit, insure it, and pay the appropriate taxes on it. Everything else is taken care of, and the idea is that the remaining finance that is made available is then yours to spend, and enjoy, as you please in your twilight years.