HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

On Why Quality Sometimes Trumps Quantity

Image from inpirationfeed.com

I've always gravitated to quality more so than quantity. I believe that quality will get your money's worth and that it's not a completely bad thing to spend on good things; you just have to make sure to spend what you can spend and not more than you make.

I've experienced people telling me that I was wasting my money on buying expensive things just because I believed that it was worth it. Disapproving looks accompanied with patronizing sighs were oft directed at me whenever I acted upon an impulse to buy what I deemed "quality stuff". One memory that comes to mind is the time I had bought some rather pricey yet extremely yummy ice cream as a reward for finishing exam week on a relatively okay note. A then friend of mine proceeded to lecture me, almost as if he was questioning my life choices. I remember he said that he could buy a dozen cheaper ice cream with the amount I spent that day on a single cup. 

The thing is, for people who think the way I do when it comes to the practically age-old argument of quality vs. quantity, it's never about how many you can have but the value of what you have. And just because I prefer quality, it doesn't mean that I spend ridiculous amounts of money just to get that; I am well aware of my paycheck's limits. Wanting quality doesn't always mean you are unwise with your money. Admittedly, managing money is difficult but you can always learn from every experience.

I try to save for the things that I want. It is said the quality takes patience, so I try not to balk on biding my time for something I really want. It gets frustrating but in the end it pays of.

Here are my rules:

• There is nothing wrong with spending some money on good, quality food once in a while. Don't let people get you down for wanting to treat yourself with gourmet ice cream as a reward. :]
• If you to buy something of quality and spending your money on it won't directly affect anyone, then gosh darn it you shouldn't get lambasted for doing so.
• Again, never spend more than you can afford. Never let a price tag bankrupt you.
• Also, it is possible to find a cheaper alternative to products without sacrificing quality. It's untrue that quality always means expensive.
• I believe that quality products that  will last a very long time is worth investing in. Think about it for a second. Because it will last long, even a lifetime, you won't have to shell out money for another one for as long as it is functional. I always apply this rule when it comes to shoes, bags, and gadgets.
• Take care of these things. It makes quality go a long way and it shows how you value the things you work hard for. 

On a final note, I would like to say that I do not purvey materialism with this post but I don't believe that it's bad to want things for yourself. If you work for it and your're being wise about it, I see nothing wrong in indulging yourself. But that's me.

This has been a Wednesday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse.

DISCLAIMER: No copyright infringement intended. I take no ownership of the image used in this blog post. Images found on the internet are considered for public use unless explicitly dictated otherwise.

Flashback Friday: A Broken Heart's Thoughts

Poetry, 2005 — The cheesiest and most emo Flashback Friday yet. I'm actually quiet embarrased to post this. 2005, man. It was pungent with teenage angst. Don't judge me, please. I was young and I needed to express myself. 

A Broken Heart's Thoughts

Love has gone away again

And you know your heart would never mend

You built up a wall around yourself

And swore never to be stuck in another love fest

You walk the world with no heart

Keeping yourself and love apart

You speak of no love and no care

But you know you’d love again if you dare

You’ve learned once how hurtful it could be

To love and love regretfully

But if all you’d get is a broken heart

Then you’d rather be alone than play the part

On Tea Drinking

I adore tea. I'd gladly have it as my only drink for the rest of my life. I'm currently trying to grow my tea collection but, unfortunately, variety in tea here in the country is limited. I could always order online but as I am limited to funding as well, I may have to just bide my time as far as my tea collection goes.

Tea can do many things. Many teas have properties that can do various things. Green tea keeps you healthy. Camomile helps you relax. Yerba Mate can be an alternative to coffee and keeps you awake and energized. Lavender tea aids you in finding sleep. Like I said, tea can do a many things.

Besides it's many helpful attributes, I believe that tea is a safe kind of social lubricant. It brings people together, i.e. tea and cookies with friends or family. I like the idea of sitting across the table from someone, sharing conversation over hot tea. It just seems so... homey. Ideally, I'd like to get my closest friends together, have tea with them and just talk but most of friends aren't tea drinkers. One can still hope though.

Tea is my companion. Lemon tea while I'm writing. Camomile tea as I read a really good book. Earl gray with milk as I'm starting my weekend morning. For someone like me who enjoys their own company, tea has become the drink of choice.

This has been a Wednesday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse.

DISCLAIMER: No copyright infringement intended. I take no ownership of the image used in this blog post. Images found on the internet are considered for public use unless explicitly dictated otherwise.

Photo-of-Interest Monday: TOR-TOL

This is  shot is one of the very first photos Farrelly (my DSLR) took the very day I got him. The subject, as you cans see, is one of my turtles. I can never really tell them apart, which is why I call them Thing 1 and Thing 2 and still I won't be able to tell you which turtle is which. 

I chose this photo for today's post because it looks my turtle is smiling at the camera, and I'm always a sucker for shots like this. It's probably just the way the turtle is angled towards the camera but to me that's a smile. I've never managed to replicate this shot ever again, which gives this shot a few more points on the "Why it's special" category.

Turtles are one of my favorite animals. The first pair I got when I was very young and I had to give them up for adoption when the family decided to move back to Cebu. My mother explained that I wouldn't be able to bring them on the plane, but now that I think about it she might've been lying; I'm going to have to look into that.

The second time I tried for a pet turtle ended in tragedy. My lone turtle drowned. How is that possible, you say? Well, turtles aren't supposed to stay too long underwater; my turtle upended it self in the terrarium (of course with water) and was unable to get back up. I found him the next day, and I was really depressed afterwards and figured maybe I should quit on the whole turtles-as-pets thing.

The two I have now are doing pretty good though. They have gotten quite big and I had to get them a bigger terrarium (an aquarium you can fill 15 gallons of water). I don't really know what I'll do when they get even bigger. I'd want to keep them with me, of course. But I f I can't I 'll just have to find them a better home. Maybe a good zoo or animal sanctuary.

This has been a Monday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse. 

Flashback Friday: The One I Want

Prose, 2005 — Another short story for this Friday post. A little trivia: back in 2005, I used the nom de plume First Class Fool. I heard it in a Joss Stone song and I thought it appropriate for my teenage self, being as I was unwittingly foolish at the time with the subject of love. Aren't we all though? Like the previous prose post, this one starts a bit sad but picks up towards a happier ending. I think this was me projecting my want of a happy ending for myself in my writing. 

The One I Want

She hurriedly ran towards their meeting place – that grove in the park where they would always meet back when they were getting acquainted with each other. She ran faster now, knowing that he wouldn’t wait for long. She nearly tripped as she came to a stop by the trees. He was standing with his back facing her. He was looking up the night sky, up to the moon. She didn’t know how to approach him. She didn’t even know if he wanted to talk to her. But she had to do it. She had to talk to him and let him know how she truly feels.

“Richard?”

He turned then, and her heart nearly broke at the sight of him. His blue eyes looked so sad – like he’d lost somebody… like he’d lost her. “Marie?” He sounded incredulous. It was as if he could not believe she was there. He opened his arms wide then and she came rushing into him. They embraced tightly, sinking into one another.

They withdrew from one another, and like before they looked up the night sky and up the moon. There was a peaceful silence then, and for a moment they were content. They were standing with him behind her, still embracing.

He spoke then, “How did it go?”

She stiffened a little, hesitating whether she was going to tell him what had happened. She had gone to a party where her sister and her fiancé, Brian, were the celebrants. She had decided to go to see, if there was still something left in her heart for Brian, to whom she was once in love with, but once Brian saw her sister, Elizabeth, he had clearly fallen love at first sight with her. So Marie stood in the sidelines watching their love grow and feeling so thorn apart about it. Until she met Richard.

Since she met him she smiled more often than not. She laughed. She learned how to have fun again. She was happy. But still there was a shadow of doubt lingering in the back of her mind and in her heart. So she went to the party just to see, and now she was here, with him, ready to take the first step in moving on.

“How did it go?” He repeated.

She was still quiet. He started to let go of her. “Look, if you don’t want to talk about it…”

She turned to him. “I do want to talk about it! It’s just that I –”

“You what?” There was a hurt look in his eyes and she knew she could not deny him any longer.

She placed her hands on his cheeks and lowered his face so she could kiss him softly on his lips. She hugged him tightly and proceeded to tell him what exactly happened.

“I saw them together.” She began. “They were happy and all I could think about was –”
“How you should have been the one with him instead of her?” he supplied spitefully.

“No!” She exclaimed. “That’s not it, Richard.”

“Then what?” He said, his tone rising. “I mean when we first met all you could talk about was Brian and your whole heart ache!”

“No…” She said, placing a hand on his cheek. “I saw them together and all I could think about was you and how happy you make me. All that I’ve felt for Brian before – they are all gone, and all that’s left in my heart is you. I don’t want Brian… I want you.”

He kissed her then. Holding her tight as if he was afraid she would disappear at any moment. “I’m glad…” He whispered. “That you chose me.”

“I love you.” She said. “It wasn’t that hard to figure out.”

“I love you too.” He whispered back.. “Be with me?”

“Forever…” She whispered.

This has been a Friday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse.

On Seeing

Photography by Suren Manvelyan

Most people would argue that our sense of sight is the most important sense that we humans have. And why not? With sight we are able to do a lot of things - read and write, differentiate form and color, recognize the people around you, discern safety from danger, and many more. Our sight is truly a gift that we should not take for granted.

But sometimes I think that being able to see hinders us in a way.

With our eyes we are quick to judge a person by how they look. From the moment we set our sights on someone we'll take into account their flaws or their beauty. People would even judge someone's character through their looks. Tattoos? Criminal or in a gang. Multiple-piercings? A freak. Brightly colored hair? Weirdo. Fat? Unhealthy lifestyle. Let's be honest, this happens more than we care to admit. And sometimes people who look like society's definition of appealing aren't exactly who they seem to be.

I sometimes wish that our eyes could tell who a person really is just by looking at them. Like some scanner embedded in your brain that tells you which people are the real and genuine and which ones are no good. But then the fascination and risk that comes with getting to know people would be gone and I bet life would be less exciting then.

As the familiar adage goes, we shouldn't judge a book by its cover. People are a layered heap of facets; we aren't one-dimensional and we are not defined by our outer selves. Live by not judging people on the way they look but rather on what they do and how they act. You'll find that the best people aren't always the most conventional.

This has been a Wednesday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse.

DISCLAIMER: No copyright infringement intended. I take no ownership of the image used in this blog post. Images found on the internet are considered for public use unless explicitly dictated otherwise.

Photo-of-Interest Monday: All Up the Moon

Back in college, I would always jump on the chance to be part of the annual Stargazing night organized by the Science Club. It was a chance for me to hang out with my best friends in an fun yet educational circumstance and, most importantly, learn more about the heavens.

This shot was taken through one of  the telescope the astrologist brought with him. I was very excited to have one of these shots that I was the very first in line to peer through the telescope. I never forgot the wonder and the awe of that night. I thought, "What would be like up there?" For the rest of that night, as we waited for clearer skies and played cards and laughed, I contemplated on the chance to live on the moon. Of course in my imaginings my inability to breathe in outerspace was irrelevant, the appeal was to be closer to the stars and the planets. 

What if we were all able to just travel through space and visit all those vast and wonderful galaxies? Will all the time in the world be enough to see those places? 

The Earth, even the moon, is just a speck to the vastness of the universe. What less are we? In the face of such greatness, how would you be able to deny that there is something greater than all of us?

This has been a Monday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse.

 

Flashback Fridays: A Song with No Title

Songwriting, 2005 — Aside from writing poems and short stories of melancholic kind, back in '05 I also dabbled into song writing. This is just one of the songs I made at the time. I mostly partnered with a musician friend of mine to create music for the words I write. But I think I never got around to getting some music on this. 

A Song with No Title

Going through my head
Are the words we left unsaid
I know we left things badly
And now it ended sadly

But I know that we can make things right
If you’d give me just one night
If you’d just trust me again
Then our broken hearts could mend

If you could learn
To believe in me again
I promise I will stay
Forever in your arms
Forever in your arms

I can see it in your eyes
You’re afraid I’m telling lies
I’ve missed you so much
I can’t bear that we are apart

All I want is be with right now
I just don’t know how
If this goes on
I might not be able to hold on

If you could learn
To believe in me again
I promise I will stay
Forever in your arms
Forever in your arms

I know we can make it
Our love will grow stronger
But you have to feel the same way
Don’t leave me hangin’

This has been a Friday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse.

Food Escapades: Puto Cheese

After much debate on whether or not to bake (I was feeling lazy, even for baking), the kitchen saw the resurrection of some goodies last Thursday night. I had been craving for some puto cheese for a few days then and, rather than buy, my usual direction was to make them.

 

The recipe is fairly easy to do. All you need is flour of the cake-purpose kind, baking powder, white sugar, eggs, some water and, as I prefer it, a lot of cheese, cut, beforehand, into half-centimeter thick slices. You begin by mixing the dry ingredients together with water in a clean bowl. Once you’re done with that you can get start with the eggs.

 

For the recipe, you will only use the whites of the egg. Separate the egg whites without harming the yolks in any way you can; it’s very important that you don’t get any yolk into the whites. CAREFUL should be the resounding word in your head when dealing with egg yolk and white separation. You can try the basic technique of catching the yolk back and forth with the egg shells, just be careful not to burst the yolk’s protective membrane while doing so. Since I am a failure at this particular technique, what I do is catch the yolk with my hand and let the whites seep through my fingers into a bowl. It’s messy but it gets the job done. 

Once you’ve completed the egg white isolation stage of the recipe, you’ll need an extra bowl, a mixer, and some sugar. Use the mixer the beat the egg whites while gradually adding the sugar. The recipe calls for the whites to be “stiff and fluffy” so you’ll have to keep at beating until so that when you turn your mixer upside down, the mixture holds into stiff peaks. You can learn about beating egg whites here.

 

By now you’re ready to start folding your egg white-and-sugar mixture into the flour mixture from before. Mix them well until there are no more clumps and you’re almost done. 

Place paper liners on your molds (the molds I use are cupcake-like in shape and come in separate pieces, usually made of heat-resistant plastic or metal) and scoop the batter into them then top with the pre-cut cheese; I opt to put as many as the mold will hold without spilling the batter because the more cheese there is, the better.

 

Now all that needs to be done is to steam the puto cheese for a few minutes, let cool, then have at ‘em.

 

This has been a Thursday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse.