Just thoughts.
I have always had an aversion to being called “wealthy” or “rich.” I don’t know why. Maybe because I have never felt that I am. I mean, what is being wealthy anyway?
…Is it the number of things you own?
…How expensive your clothes are?
…The amount of debt you don’t have?
…The size of your paycheck?
Or.. is wealth about perception?
..The number of things people *think* you own?
..How expensive people *think* your clothes are?
..The amount of debt people *think* you don’t have?
..The size people *think* your paycheck is?
I mean who defines wealth, really? Is it me? Or is it other people?
Because I have never, ever thought of myself as wealthy.. not, in the way other people think I am.
Someone once told me that having a lot of money does not necessarily mean you have profit. Many may not realize the difference but I do. It means that even if your business generates revenue, it is not necessarily income. It means that even if you have spare funds, you may also have excessive debt. Outsiders only see the revenue, never the net loss. Only see the spare funds, never the debt. Only the smiling photos, never the sad moments. Only see the trappings of wealth but never the sacrifices. People choose what they want to see. Minds are closed.
Therein lies the problem. Reality versus Perception.
I wouldn’t usually do this but I’m trying to raise funds to pay off some debt. I cleaned out our liquor cabinet and I’m selling some of our Japanese Whiskey.
2 Bottles Yamazaki 12 – Php 7,000
Hibiki 17 – Php 14,000
2 Bottles Hibiki 21 – Php 20,000
Macallan 25 – Php 60,000
Please email me [email protected] if interested. Cash only.
Pickup in Greenhills, San Juan.
Thank you!
Mosaic by the Creek is a special, special place run by wonderful people. We made reservations for a pre-Valentine’s day date and were treated to a fun evening of good food and mosaic-making. It’s not just a cafe.
The mosaic workshop: P880. The very nice lady of the house will give you a quick “how-to” and off you go. All the tiles and glue are at your disposal. It took me two hours to craft my masterpiece (a jewelry box in the shape of a bird). It was a calming, therapeutic experience which enabled creativity I didn’t know I had.
I chose a bird for my mom. She’s been into Chickens, Quail, Turkeys and other Fowl so I figured she might like this.
Here are some photos of me trying to figure out my bird. I wanted to make it blues and whites to give it to my mom. I guess no matter how old we get, we’ll always try to give our handicrafts to our moms. Maybe because we know only they will be the one to appreciate it. Hehe.
Here’s Derrick with his Masterpiece. He Chose a Tray which is nice and functional.
Finished Product! Tada!
Here is a photo with the Grout(the stuff that fills the gaps). Derrick’s came out much nicer I think because he chose more vivid colors that really stood out against the grout.
Picture with Tita, who taught us how to Mosaic!
It is recommended you do this before dinner. Arrive early if you can, around 5pm to finish in time for dinner. It’s a great activity for adults and kids alike. Very young kids need close supervision however since you are working with small pieces.
The Cafe: the perfect way to satiate the appetite you worked up creating mosaics! 
Start with Their fil-mex fries.
For mains I recommend their pink salmon farfalle and Carlo’s roasted chicken. A nearby table recommended a curry dish but we didn’t get to try it. We also heard their mechado is one of the best. A reason to return. 
We also ordered Salpicao.
Cap off your experience with their dessert and coffee. Their calamansi or tablea cheesecake is recommended.
We were lucky enough to meet a few members of the family behind Mosaic. They all have their own areas of expertise. The recipes are all heirloom and have been in their family for years. Tita helms the workshop and decorating, her daughter curates the wine, her son oversees the food. Everything in the cafe is a part of their family which really brings a warmth to the place that I appreciated.
Definitely go check them out and share your experience, when you go 🙂 Happy Valentine’s Day!
Mosaic by the Creek
22 Major Dizon Street, Calumpang Marikina
(02) 508 4099
https://www.facebook.com/mosaicbythecreek/
Unofficial (from my memory) Directions: It is not so far. Easiest way to get there driving is via Katipunan NB, after passing blue ridge and the restaurant cluster, we made a right just before the flyover to Ateneo. It’s a winding road. That’s Major Dizon already, just follow that road, Mosaic by the Creek will be on the left.
Disclosure – Our entire experience came to around P2,000+ (my date paid so I’m not sure exactly the total) which included our mosaic workshop + food.
Tonight, Steph and I went walking in the Ultra Oval Track. We started at exactly 19:22. Shortly after, a crowd began to gather in one corner, huddling over a man lying on the ground. It wasn’t a commotion and we figured he had just been injured. We kept walking.
By the second time we came around, I noticed someone was giving him CPR. Not a good sign. There was someone looking for a stretcher, a guard on his radio. More people gathered, just looking. There seemed to be no panic so while I was alarmed, we just kept walking.
By the third time we came around, the crowd had somewhat dispersed. But situation was pretty much the same. Vigorous rounds of CPR, trying to infuse life into this stranger. Despite the noises in the oval (there were a lot of people working out), it was silent in that corner. Athletes, in various states of sweat and exercise, just standing there, looking at this guy. As we walked by a girl, talking loudly into her phone cuts into the “silence” — “Hindi ako makalabas dito, may patay!”
First. I went cold all over. In a second the cold was replaced by anger at this girl for declaring this man dead so carelessly, without even giving him a fighting chance. Instinctively I made the sign of the cross and sent up a silent prayer.
For some reason we kept walking.
By the fourth time, I stopped. I asked Steph if we should offer this guy a car because clearly no ambulance was coming for him. People seemed immobilized. I heard a man talking to the stranger on the ground “Kaya mo pa diba? Aabot ka pa.” As we all watched, I think we clung to the calm authoritativeness of his voice. I called my driver and just as he picked up, a medic and a stretcher came running over. Finally. 19:47.
25 minutes before he was lifted out of there and rushed to the hospital that was probably only a kilometer away.
I overheard Mr. Calm said that Stranger was from Pampanga but lived in Manila alone. Alone. This guy was all alone. I keep thinking that this was the reason for the crowd’s lack of urgency. Maybe if he had been with a companion or a relative, someone could have taken charge. I can’t shake my feeling of sadness.I did not see him anymore after the ambulance whisked him away. Whoever you are, guy, I hope that you pulled through. You are in my prayers. If anyone has news about him, if you happened to be there tonight also, please do share. I would really like to hear that he was able to make it.Realizations:
— Sports / Fitness Centers should be equipped with first aid equipment.
— I need to learn first aid.
— I should have offered my driver right away.
— I should have offered my driver right away.
— Life is short.
5 things Filipinos need to do to be better people
I love being Filipino. I think we are an interesting blend of different cultures and we have some great positive characteristics. However, it can’t be denied that our society has developed some bad habits in the last few years. I will attribute this to factors like the internet, media and a shift away from traditional values. That said, I’ve come up with my short, simple list on what things Filipinos can do to be better people.
1) Clean up after yourself
Practical Applications: In a Food Court, in a Moving Vehicle, In Any Public Space
What does this teach: Responsibility, Accountability and Cleanliness
We are are a service oriented culture. That’s why we make good workers. The flip side of that is we are also always used to others cleaning up after us, opening our doors, picking up after our mess. But here’s the thing. What if no one does? Then our city would be even dirtier than it already is. My take on it is, if you can be clean at home, why not be clean in public?
“This is not my area, it is the government’s job to clean this, there is a cleaner who will take care of this.” Yes, how about you put your trash away so that the cleaner can actually clean?
2) Fall in Line
Practical Applications: public bathrooms, cashiers, ATMs, in Traffic
What does this teach: Discipline and Patience
The proper way to fall in line in public bathrooms is to have one line for all the cubicles and not a single line for EACH cubicle.
The proper way to fall in line for cashiers is to find the end of the line and no matter how far away it is, suck it up and go to the end. If you do not like this then find another cashier with a shorter line.
The proper way to fall in line at ATMs is to form a single line for all the ATMs and not a line per ATM. (same as the bathroom one). Also, don’t stand so close.
Traffic is one big line, maybe you wanna stay in your lane because switching lanes just to get one car ahead makes no sense at all. And is a waste of gas.
3) Communicate Properly (NO to Jeje-speak)
Practical Applications: In all written correspondence (text, emails, facebook comments)
What does this teach: the proper use of language (both English and Tagalog), articulation, vocabulary, grammar and proper communication skills
Communication is one of life’s most critical skills. We form opinions and impressions on people based on the way they communicate – what they say and how they say it. While some argue that Jejespeak and other newly developed slang such as Bekimon are both forms of language, I feel that people should not forget the formal and proper way of speaking (whether English or Tagalog). Maybe Bekimon and Jejemon can be with your friends but in a professional setting, it is inappropriate and sends the wrong message…literally. Start simple – spell your text messages properly and hopefully the rest will follow. (ex. “aq” or “aku” to Ako)
4) Chill out a little
Practical Applications: Everywhere in Life
What does this teach: Internal Energy Conservation, Zen, Prioritizing more important things
Filipinos are so salty about everything. When anything negative is said about Filipinos (ex. in international Media, TV shows, etc) even in jest, people get all up in arms. Take the Ms. Universe incident for example, we can’t get over how Steve Harvey mixed things up. We just need to brush it off and move on. Filipinos like to dwell. We dwell on every little thing. We get mad about random things and can’t let go.
5) Be curious. (Ask questions, engage others, constantly learn)
Practical Applications: School, Politics (Elections), Workplace, Life
What does this teach (or do): Asking questions gives us knowledge, awareness and enables us to be people that always learn and improve ourselves
Filipinos by nature are generally passive aggressive. My opinion is that we aren’t the curious type. If there’s something that we don’t necessarily understand, we do not let on right away that we don’t get it. We do not question things so much. Take school for example – if the teacher says something, we accept it as fact, we are not taught to challenge (respectfully) our teachers. We are not allowed to engage them in debate otherwise it would be seen as disrespectful. When I went to college in America, I was surprised to find that students were encouraged to engage our teacher and volunteer our own opinions even if they differ as long as we did so respectfully and sincerely.
In the workplace, I noticed here that they will not clarify instructions. Instead they will try to do them on their own and make a ton of mistakes. My first boss encouraged me to ask as many intelligent questions as I needed to get my task done properly. This isn’t done here. If it was though, it would save lots of time and energy.
In politics, we should absolutely 100% be curious about our candidates and future leaders. Listen to and dissect their platforms. Be an informed voter!
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So that’s it! that’s my simple-but-not-so-simple list. If you have any good ones to add, leave them in the comments! I would love to hear from you! 🙂