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.

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. 

How Not to Deal with Negativity

You will never completely please anyone. Not everyone will like you. Some people will always have a problem with whatever you do – how you do work, the way you talk and sound, what type of shoes you’re wearing, maybe even the way you breathe in air. This is a consequence of people always having an opinion on just about anything. It doesn’t matter. People will talk and give their two cents about you and what you do – either in your face or behind your back. This is fact of life and the sooner you get over and accept this, the sooner you’ll move on. Simply put, accept the good, reject the bad, and don’t make such a big fuss about it.

To let something as trivial as negative criticism or an opinion you don’t agree with or whatever happenstance that occurred consume you so much is a ludicrous thing. How is this attitude helping you? Why not turn it around to your advantage? Prove them wrong. Get off your ass, stop complaining and do something. It’s your life. It’s your story to write, don’t let others write it for you by riding that negative cloud and allowing it to bring you to No Man’s Land where the only things that exist are doubt, regret, and resentment.

Sometimes the best thing to do is to be indifferent. Just let all that bullshit sail past you and try to remain serene in that peaceful bubble of yours. Try not to care so much. I speak from experience, it really works. Some things are not worth your time. Think about it, if you get riled up by negativity so easily, you are investing energy on something that doesn’t really matter. You could’ve used that energy towards something more positive, something that can churn out good in your life. So in the weighing scale of life which one do you add more weight to?

I’ll be honest, there are times when you need to let the frustration out. I get that. I do that. But make sure that YOU MOVE ON. Don’t dwell on it. If you keep talking about it, keep providing fodder to that infection and allowing it to fester in your mind, you’ll never be rid of it. Find a healthy way of release. Most people do things that require bursts of energy like running or other forms of exercise. If you ask some people, they’ll say they use sex to let that frustrated energy go. Some people meditate. For people that do creative work, they let it out in their art. I write. This is exactly what I’m doing right now. I’m putting my frustration on this particular subject into writing. I use this experience as inspiration. Like I’ve said before, I turned the negative into my advantage; I turned it into my inspiration.

The Trait of Condescension

Panicked Thought #1

An eventful car ride (at least for me) as colleagues and I had lunch out of the office. It is definitive that I was on the car roof handles like hot glue for the duration of the trip from and to the office. I feared, people. I feared.