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. 

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.