TOPAZ HORIZON

This week, I got an email from a reader who demanded I stop writing about my satchels (buy one now!) and go back to writing about my glamorous life. Sweetheart, my satchels are part of my glamorous life! Because of my satchels, I can now call myself designer and entrepreneur! That's a lot cooler than the nerdy writer, right?

Sigh. The problem with blogging only about the nice parts of my life is people only see a tiny aspect of me. The so-called glamorous part and then everyone thinks I spend my days drinking champagne, marinating in the salon or the spa, shopping away, attending parties every night, la di da. Ugh, how boring. I honestly don't know why any woman would want to spend her life like that!

Most days, I don't brush my hair or put on makeup.

You know what my life is like? It starts at 5 in the morning, washing the poop off my son's butt. Then I spend the day chained to my desk, writing and editing and approving photos. I'm in meetings talking about circulation figures and ad revenues and how to meet financial targets. I'm hunched over my computer, answering inquiries about my bags, sending invoices, checking balances. At the end of the day, I blog or work on my other writing projects. And most of the time, I haven't brushed my hair at all!

Of course, every once in a while, I'll have to attend meetings with brand managers and advertising clients. I'll have to attend events and product launches. Then I'll have to blow dry my hair, slap on the makeup and put on a nice dress. But while you may think that this is fun, events aren't parties--they're business. So I don't get drunk, I don't throw my hands in the air and dance with abandon, I don't flirt. I just meet the people who can help my magazine, ask what they want from me and my magazine, then go home.

Even when I go out, I choose comfort first.

But I know, I know. That sounds so boring and familiar. You wouldn't want to read about that because it sounds a lot like your day. I guess I just find it strange that people will take my blog at face value. That what you see here is what you think my entire life is all about. There are no books here but that doesn't mean I don't read. I hardly talk about my son here (read about him on my mommy blog!) but that doesn't mean I don't think about him every minute. There's nothing here about our government, divorce, the RH Bill and gay marriage but that doesn't mean I don't have very strong opinions on those issues.

I don't talk about those things because I  confess that I am not a very agreeable person. I am highly opinionated, terribly articulate and have a bad temper. I'm confrontational. I'm reactionary. If I wrote about controversial things, then I'll get into trouble. I've already gotten into trouble actually (mostly over stuff I've said over Twitter and Facebook). So to be safe, I just keep things light and happy here.

But please don't ever think I'm all sunshine. I will continue to talk about the lovely parts of my life because I enjoy doing that but please don't demand things from me. I'm aware that I might've created some sort of illusion but I'm afraid I'm not an escape, a role model, a style icon, a success story or whatever you project on me. I'm just me, and believe it or not, I'm very much like you.

I super duper love this review of Em of Akira and Everything Nice!

A lot of girls shy away from buying my satchel because they think nothing will fit in it. Well, as Em will happily prove to you (click on the link in the first sentence!), the 11" satchel is ready to bring all your essentials and more! Actually, when I saw all the stuff she had, even I got nervous. So I was SO HAPPY all her gadgets, baby stuff and kikay kit fit!

Thanks, Em! You are the second person I know who said she dreamed of the satchel. I think that's amazing that your dream has come true! I also want to thank your hubby for insisting you get the satchel. That makes him just like my hubby. Em, ang swerte natin sa asawa grabe!!!

I've been neglecting the blogs. I said on my Facebook page (like! like! like!) that I ought to have a blogging schedule: M-W-F for Topaz Horizon, T-TH-S for Topaz Mommy and Sundays for Beauty For A Living. Well, even I balked at that!

I do apologize for the lack of regular updates. September was... interesting. That should prompt you to ask, "If it was so innerestin, then why ya not bloggin?" Well, I don't want to say yet although my Twitter followers (follow me!) have guessed correctly the BIG REASON why I've been cocooning myself. If you want to guess, then check out Leona Panutat's blog which featured me as her Yummy Mommy for October. Judging from my recent photos (especially the pink Versace dress), I think you can deduce why I've been hiding: I'm fat. Haha! Actually, there's a reason for the plumpness but let's talk about that another day.

Then there's work, the bag business, and of course, my little toddler who is running around so fast and I just can't keep up. As Leona describes me, "Wife. Mom. Editor. Blogger. Entrepreneur." Whew. I got exhausted just reading that.

And I was actually telling Vince the other day, "I want to add humanitarian or activist or philanthropist!" To which he dryly replied, "You gotta be really rich for the philanthropist part." He also added I'm crazy for wanting to even put more on my already very full plate.

I just can't keep up. That sums up my life lately, I guess. So much is happening and I can't seem to keep up anymore. Everyone is telling me, "Step back. Slow down. Relax." So I am. Wish me luck!

The scary typhoon yesterday really made me think about security. What about you?

This is a sponsored post (thanks, Nuffnang and Philam Life!) but I'm going to confess some really personal things here. This post is going to be about money. And isn't that such a taboo topic?

My regular readers know that I didn't come from a rich background. That made me work really very hard to become someone and earn more money than my parents ever did. I postponed marriage and motherhood because I just wanted to be secure financially before I ever took on such scary lifelong commitments.

Vince always got upset by this fear of mine because, in his world, the men always were such good providers so I guess he considered my fear an affront to his capabilities. I did believe in him, I really did, and Vince has given me a life beyond my wildest dreams (thanks, Vince!!!) but I had deep-seated issues. I saw my mother work herself into exhaustion, suffer and get into serious debt. I saw relatives shunning us and making fun of her and my father. I heard neighbors say awful things about my parents. My parents are good people, kind and sweet and generous. But in this world, apparently that isn't good enough. You have to have money, too.

When Mama died in 2008, it was very sudden. She had no savings so Vince and I, newlyweds at that time, emptied our bank accounts to give her a proper send off. When Papa suffered complications from diabetes and had to have two amputations last year, he also had no savings. Vince and I, new parents to a two-month-old Vito, again emptied our bank accounts to pay for his operations.

The past few months have been terrifying for us, me especially, needless to say. But because Vince and I work so very hard, the money situation is good again. Still, when we look at Vito, happy and carefree, we promised ourselves that we will never let him feel the despair we both felt. We will provide not only for his future but for our future, too, so that Vito will never have to worry about his parents and he can be free to live the life he wants. That's why when Nuffnang invited me to a talk on financial planning, I immediately said yes.


Philam Life has a new campaign called "Anong Plano Mo? Usap Tayo." Its aim is to make insurance easy to understand and not so scary. You see, people always think death and bad things when the word "insurance" is mentioned. I don't understand why that should scare people away actually. That should scare people into action! I'm so bewildered by people who refuse to prepare for the worst!


Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I went to the financial planning talk at Philam Life's super posh penthouse club at the Philam Life Tower in Makati. The talk was started by Larry Cleto, one of Philam Life's registered financial planners. Larry is a very good speaker, none of that annoying loud voice or sing-song manner. He talked to us like he was talking about the weather or traffic or the kids. You know, normal. He didn't hard sell, he didn't sound like a know-it-all. He made finances understandable and cool. He presented sobering facts about people's cavalier attitude towards money and their future. It was very "Usap Tayo" in a light and conversational way!


If you're 25 years old, that should scare you. I know 35 years from now seem like a thousand years away but believe me, it's not so far away. Vince and I bought insurance policies when I was 26 and he was 28. Eight years later, I got benefits for giving birth and Vince is enjoying endowment cash! So you see, insurance doesn't mean death and sadness! Larry also showed us how easy it is to save up for emergencies and retirement with as little as P1,000 a month. That's easy! That's like 10 Starbucks frapuccinos, right? I advise you to get policies now while you're young because the premiums will be cheaper than, say, when you're 40.


One of Larry's slides was about the dreams of the typical Filipino. It really encouraged me because I am living the dream! The only thing we lack is the last one--to send Vito to good schools. In today's fiercely competitive world, good isn't enough, though. We have to send him to the best. And that's going to cost us money. Lots of it.


That pretty girl in the middle is Doerie Caraca. She's 14 years old. She's also lost her father. He died in 2008, the same year my Mama died. He was an OFW and the family's breadwinner so I can imagine how frightening it must've been for his wife and two daughters. But because Mr. Caraca prepared for the worst and got Deorie and her sister, Ginger, Philam Life's Scholar Gold educational plans, his family is taken care of and his daughters are continuing their education, and are even at the top of their class!

Vince and I want that same protection for our Vito. Not just for his education but for his life, in case the worst happens (please don't let that be so, dear God!). So very soon, we'll be getting Vito a good policy to ensure his education and, if we still have the budget for it, we're exploring investing!

So I really had an interesting afternoon learning about financial freedom with Philam Life. I'm really excited to prepare for our future because once tomorrow is taken care of, then you can really live today! Hmm. I should copyright that sentence!

photo by Aileen Siroy Photography

In late July, my partners and I ended the fabulous introductory price of P2,500. The price of our 11" satchel has been P3,500 since then. That already includes packaging and shipping within the Philippines. For an all-leather, handmade bag, that's a really good price, but for some of you, that's astronomical. Girls, astronomical is an Hermes. My satchel, in comparison, is crazy inexpensive.

And so I dedicate this post to all of you who wonder why things cost the way they do. I don't like doing educational posts because my image as a silly, shallow girl gets shattered. Like, totally. But as more and more people deluge my inbox with tawad, I just have to address this topic of cost. I like to imagine you were daydreaming or flirting or napping during your Economics class, you naughty girls! So sit up straight, smooth down your blouse, and pay attention!
Why is my satchel priced at P3,500?

First, it's all about economy of scale. The more items we make, the cheaper the item gets. How is that possible? Well, when Uncle Buck buys leather, he has to go all the way from Batangas to Malabon and back. Let's say one cow hide costs P1,000 and it makes 4 bags, does that mean a bag should cost P250? No. Uncle Buck spent time and money for his trip. And that's a very long trip! So if one trip means he buys a lot of hide, then the cheaper the bag gets.

Same with delivery. Again, that's gas burned to and fro Batangas to Mandaluyong (where I live). So even if Uncle Buck finishes one bag in 2-3 days, we wait for a batch of finished bags before he delivers here. To keep gas costs down, we ask for just one delivery.

But because everything is painstakingly handmade, we can't accommodate huge orders. Believe me, I'd love to sell a thousand bags a month but Uncle Buck can only make a few so there goes my get-rich-quick dream of supplying to SM!

Second, there's the cost of labor and other expenses. Uncle Buck has a very small team of craftsmen making the bags, which are completely cut, tanned, tooled and sewn by hand. No machines at all! Sure it's slower but the bag comes out much better. It's not just their time and talent that you're paying for, however; there's also mine! I spend a few hours each day answering bag inquiries, checking and making payments, wrapping bags, writing thank you notes, sending the bags out. My time isn't free. Neither is my phone bill. Oh and my stationery, my pen, my Scotch tape, etc!

My two partners also devote their time and energy to this business and we don't get a salary from it. My entrepreneurial friends say we should get a salary but we chose not to because that's just going to drive the price way up. What should our salary be? Well, in my case, as a professional writer and editor, I already command a pretty good price for an hour's work. If I charged the bag business my rate, then one satchel will be in the P10,000-15,000 range. That's just my rate; I haven't included the hourly rates of my two other partners!

Third, consider quality. As I keep emphasizing, each bag is handmade. Each bag is the result of backbreaking labor. Those perfectly distanced holes, those perfect stitches, the precision and care that go into each satchel is all human. And the bag is entirely Pinoy--from the cow to the courier! This is Pinoy service at its best!

So you might be thinking (and I actually got this question), "Well then, why don't you just get cheap leather and get machines to cut and stitch the whole damn thing?" Unbelievable.

Because, first, there's no such thing as cheap leather. Unless you're talking about fake leather, which means it isn't leather, right? Second, if we got machines to do the job, then the fabulous craftsmanship of each bag I sell will be lost. Third, if I can produce a million bags (that would be nice!), yes, the bag will be waaaay cheaper but it would have lost its unique appeal. Then what's the point of my bag if it's just going to look like any old fake leather cheapie?

You know, after listing down all my reasons above, I am now convinced that my price is actually incredibly low. As my customers from the United States keep saying: "A genuine leather bag that's handmade and it's only $80?! Are you sure it's only $80?!" Maybe I should raise my price!

My bespoke leather satchel is for the discriminating customer who values hard work, quality and the value of her peso. My customer appreciates style and craftsmanship and is willing to pay for it. If that describes you, then buy my bag!