Hello, Hive! I'm Lavie

I have been here for quite a while now and I have been enjoying my journey here in Hive. I discovered this wonderful community through my husband @marcusen. For years, he’s been sharing with me how cryptocurrencies are changing the world through decentralization. A few months ago, he introduced me to the idea of decentralized content creation and social networking. I checked out Hive and I was immediately interested since I have always wanted to blog again.

To be honest, it took me a while to navigate the Hive network. Although I am not new in the crypto-space, it was my first time managing my own keys. (My husband used to do that haha) It also took me some time to understand how this blockchain works. Thankfully, there are a lot of really helpful beginner guide posts out there and @purepinay has been very accommodating with my questions even though I am just a stranger on the internet. Again, thank you, Gilaine! The network was a little confusing but I am very thrilled to be part of this Web 3.0.

Anyway over the past few weeks that I have been here, I have learned that I should introduce myself. Properly and creatively.. Since first impressions last. So, here is my best shot at introducing myself and what I plan to share in this blog. It actually took me several revisions and a lot of hesitations since I am not very arrr-ticulate at talking about myself.

For those who have read my previous posts, you would have guessed that I am a crypto-market enthusiast. I have been a trader for more than a year now and I have been investing in the financial markets for four years. I actually started my financial journey in the Philippine market but I have shifted my focus to the crypto market so I can grow more gray hair. Loljk. Really it’s just that there are now more opportunities in crypto than before… and there’s just so much to be excited about the space.

Aside from being a crypto nerd and a trader, I am also an adventurous foodie, a budding plantita (or should it be plantmama??), and the mother of an adorable little toddler.

I was born and raised in the Philippines, in the province of Laguna known for its eponymous lake. But I pretty much stayed in the suburbs of Manila for almost most of my life.

Growing up, I was shy and nerdy. I loved to read novels and watch dramas. My favorite books back then were Harry Potter and Jane Austen’s novels. As for dramas, I was addicted to K-dramas. I used to be a fangirl who would lurk in soompi and K-drama blogs just to feed my addiction. But I also enjoyed some geeky US series such as Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. I was always cooped up inside my room so my brother gave me the moniker, mongha. That means monk in English.

Aside from reading and watching, I have always enjoyed writing too when I was younger. I actually used to write for our school newspaper and I did have a blog way back in time. In our school paper, I wrote both news and features articles. As for my blog, it was a personal blog on tumblr filled with angsty musings of a teenager and a couple of fanfics. Nothing to be proud about really, haha.

Sadly, I did not choose a profession related to writing. My high school self back then was drunk on the Filipino dream of living abroad so I took up nursing. But, that didn’t last long. After two years, I soon realized that it was not for me.

Anyways, I took another degree that I haven't been practicing for a few years now. It had led me to a job in the food industry wherein I worked mostly in the laboratory and in the manufacturing plant. When I got pregnant last 2019, I realized that I wanted a job that I can do at home so I can look after my daughter. Yes, I was thinking of changing my career once again.

• • Thankfully, I had been slowly developing a passion for the financial markets. I think I finally found the ‘one’ (sorry @marcusen 😅). While working in the food industry, my ex-boyfriend (now husband 😅) had been working as a financial adviser and a mutual fund adviser. He was also heavily investing in cryptocurrencies. He got me started on my first investment and I set forth on my journey towards financial freedom. I invested actively in various aggressive investment products in the Philippines. Aside from that, I also joined my husband in his seminars and training hosted by the insurance company. I got so interested in the financial markets that I would even fake sickness at work so I could attend.

As for cryptocurrencies, I was initially hesitant to invest in them. Bitcoin, litecoin and other coins sounded like a scam to me back then so I would discourage my husband from investing. However, over time, the market kept proving me wrong as I kept seeing different coins doubling, tripling, quadrupling in value in just a few months.

Around 2019, I started taking cryptocurrencies seriously. I joined my husband in crypto meetups and we started investing significantly in a crypto trading firm. We attended their talks every week and I even convinced my mom to put in some money. For a few months, we were earning money we never thought we could earn in a month. We were already picturing a lazy life filled with Netflix sessions and travelling. However, after a few months, the head of the firm declared bankruptcy. Instead of earning anything, we ended up with a huge loss since we never got our principal investment back.

Anyway, instead of cursing cryptos and trading after that, we doubled down on it. We decided to trade. In hindsight, it was a good decision but at that time it sounded all sorts of reckless. The good thing though is that we decided to handle our money on our own from then on.

My husband traded cryptocurrencies while I tried both cryptos and Philippine stocks. It was an odd time for me to learn about trading because I just gave birth. Trading during the initial stage of motherhood spells a lot of mishap. Traders out there would know that trading is less about strategy and more about keeping your emotions in control. I was going through the most emotional part of my life at that time, to be honest. Motherhood was more difficult than what I had expected. I cried a lot of times and I was stressed everyday due to sleepless nights and endless frustrations on how to satisfy my child’s needs.

That was when I started to write again. The trading groups I joined recommended that keeping a trading journal can vastly improve my stats. As for me, I also used the journal in airing out my woes and wins on motherhood and life, in general. True enough, keeping a journal significantly improved my mood and trading execution. Aside from writing in my journal, I also started writing my so-called market analysis on a trading website in the Philippines.

I have been trading for more than a year now. To be honest, I have enjoyed it much more than investing. They may call it the most selfish job in the world but no job has ever made me know myself more. And because of that, I have striven to improve myself everyday.

Aside from trading and writing, I spend most of my time raising our adorable little one with my battered husband. Our daughter is roughly two years old now. She has given me the worst headaches I ever had but also the heartiest laughs I ever laughed. I am grateful for every day that I spend with her. As for my husband, I’m not sure why he believes he’s a battered husband. Am I battering him with so much love? Lol

Anyway, we’re both having the time of our lives being freelancers while taking care of our daughter. It was a blessing that we can do our work at home and see her everyday. At the same time, we can pursue all our dreams. I can be a writer, a trader, an investor and a self-proclaimed market analyst. As for him, he is a gamer, art investor, axie manager, writer and streamer. And possibly so much more.. All thanks to the power of the internet and cryptocurrencies!

As for my hobbies, cooking and gardening are keeping me busy during this new phase of my life. My husband and I are foodies. We just love to eat and try out new food. And we cook to relax ourselves from this busy life.

As for gardening, I am a complete newbie. To be honest, I didn’t immediately jump on the plantita trend this pandemic. I actually hated it at first since it made pots and plants unreasonably expensive. One day, though, my sister gave me two pots of tomato seedlings as a gift. And I watered them every day only because I am grateful for her thoughtfulness. Soon, I was saving our rice washings every day so I can use them to water my two growing tomato plants. Every morning and afternoon, I would look at them and they would strangely make me happy. That sprouted my passion for gardening. I started asking for plants from my grandmother and my sister. I even bought plants from nurseries.

See my little garden now: I have tomatoes, pandan, basil, rosemary, butterfly pea, paco ferns, oregano, and many more. I am focusing more on herbs as of the moment as I like cooking pastas but I am planning to acquire more ornamental plants soon.

Anyway, it has been a long intro post. Thank you very much for reading this far and I hope you will love my upcoming posts. See you and I am excited to read your content too!