Entertainment: 4 Uncanny Similarities of Hobbits and Filipinos

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Fun fact: I'm one of the few people in the world who have never seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It's tragic, I know. I've never actively disliked the movies, it's just I never got around to sitting down and watching them.

Fortunately, I did see the Hobbit trilogy, but many hardcore fans online have said the original movies are so much better, kind of like how the original Star Wars trilogy is better than the prequels.

Since it's considered a classic tale (I feel obligated to read classics) and I'm in the mood for a long epic adventure, I've decided it's about time I dive into the hefty story. Instead of watching the movies, I downloaded the Lord of the Rings ebooks and I've been reading them whenever I find the time. I'm only halfway through the first book, the Fellowship of the Ring, and I'm really liking it so far.

Tolkien wrote an entire treasure trove of lore for his epic saga, even if those bits of information don't add up to the story in any sort of way. One example would be the entire culture of Hobbits. Tolkien didn't have to specify that Hobbits called their museums "Mathoms", nor did he have to say that there were slight physical differences between hobbits from the north south, east, and west, but Tolkien wrote meticulously about it anyway.

I learned a lot of things about Hobbits, and I can't help but relate their culture to my own culture in the Philippines. Below are just some of the similarities between Hobbits and Filipinos that I saw.

1. We are short

The Philippines is one of the countries with the shortest average heights (Source). The average height for Filipinos and Filipinas are 5'3 and 4'11 respectively (Another Source). It's ironic that we're a nation obsessed with basketball; we have to play smarter and harder just to be good at it because we don't have any height advantage whatsoever. In Lord of the Rings, Hobbits are really short, standing at an average height of about 4 feet tall, compared to the 6-footer races, the Elves and Men. Dwarves are slightly taller and stouter than hobbits, but just slightly.

2. We love to eat

Saying that Filipinos love to eat is an understatement. We normally have five meals a day:\

1. Breakfast
2. Lunch
3. Merienda (Snack Time)
4. Dinner
5. Midnight Snack

This is second to none except for the fictional hobbits, who have six meals a day:

1. Breakfast
2. Second Breakfast
3. Elevenses
4. Lunch
5. Afternoon Tea (which is basically Merienda)
6. Dinner/Supper

Need I say more?

3. We like to gossip

During their time in the Shire, Bilbo and Frodo had expressed how much bad gossip and rumors have spread about them and their wealth, supposedly that it's ill-obtained. This is also very common in the Philippines, as gossiping is often considered a national pastime to deal with stress. Gossiping is common in other parts of the world too, but it is on an entirely different level here in the Philippines. If ever you physically stick out for some reason, or you did something weird at one point, Filipinos will keep talking about you behind your back.

4. We are not built for war

It's sad but Filipinos have lost just about every war that they've participated in. Sure, we have Manny Pacquiao who is burning with a fiery fighting spirit, but as a whole we are not fighters. We're not very confrontational. We have a "save-face" attitude that prevents us from embarrassing ourselves in public from direct confrontation.

This is similar to the typical Hobbit, who would rather sleep and eat and stay at home, instead of taking part in violent bloody fights.



That's all I have to say about the two races. I know the list I've given is not very complimentary to Filipinos nor Hobbits, but look at it this way. Despite all of our mutual shortcomings, Hobbits have become the heroes of the Lord of the Rings universe, surprising the "higher" races of Elves and Men. We as Filipinos should aspire to do just that. With grit and determination, we can do amazing things and lead others in the real world.

What other similarities do you see between Hobbits and Filipinos? Let me know by commenting on this blog post :)

Reflection: 4 Big Misconceptions when Investing

Did you know that less than 1% of the Philippine's population have invested in the stock market? That's less than 1 million people, in a country populated by 100 million people. (Source) If you already have some money in stocks, then congratulations, because that makes you different from most of the people in the country (the whole world, actually) and you're actually thinking about the future.

If you have some money in the stock market and you're actually making money, then that's even better, because that doesn't happen often in our economical climate. Most people buying stocks won't admit it, but they're actually losing money in the stock market. Why is that? Because risk is a very real factor in the stock market that a lot of people either don't understand or tend to underestimate. They mostly treat the market as if it's one giant casino to gamble your hard-earned money into, as if any stock you choose has the same amount of chance of making money. That's not a very good mindset to develop.

Traders like to use terms like "bulls", "bears" and "death cross" to make their lives sound more exciting.

I know stocks sound boring, especially for a blog titled "Escapist Adventures", but it's always been something that I'm very fond of because I believe that being responsible with money is the key for us to live free and adventurous lives. I've been investing for a couple of years now, hoping that the money I put in will pay-off in the far-future.

Most stock market gurus will tell you that there's a lot of learning and discipline involved when you get into the stock market. Obviously that's true, but what I don't like is that they don't try to expound any deeper than that. I'm fed-up with all these so-called stock experts refusing to go into detail on the learnings that a beginner to the stock market would find useful.

So with that said, I've listed down some misconceptions I had that I corrected once I got more experienced with investing:

Misconception 1: When you buy a stock, the Gain/Loss percentage you see at your port will start off as 0.0%

This is false. It sounds like it makes sense because theoretically when you buy a stock and as long as the price doesn't increase or decrease in value, then you'd have made no profit nor loss. That's reasonable logic, but what most people don't know is that online brokers tend to include their broker fees when you buy a stock. So unless the stock rises in price, you're more likely to see a red negative percentage after you've clicked buy.

It's not a very big percentage; it would be around -1.0% if you buy the bare minimum. Seeing the red number is kinda discouraging at first, because it has a psychological impact on your brain and you assume that you've made a mistake. It honestly stops becoming a big deal when a) you know that it's just your broker's commission, and b) you've done your research and you're confident the stock you bought is going to gain much more than that in the future.

Misconception 2: Investing has little to no risks compared to trading, and putting your money into stocks and never taking them out will allow your wealth to constantly grow upwards and increase in value

This is only partially true. Investing is less riskier than trading, but there are still some risks involved when you invest. In the long-run, investing in stocks will indeed increase your wealth, but the short-run will have moments where your stock will be plunging down and you begin to question if you made the right choice. It's very hard to not let your emotions get the best of you. I can speak from experience that there are times when I get so frustrated and irritated at how low my stocks have gotten.

A glimpse of my port back in November 2018. It's red with all the losses I've accumulated.

Regardless of your decisions, the stock market will go through some ups and downs -- just like life itself. The beautiful thing about stocks and life is that when we're prepared for the downfalls, they become manageable and their impacts don't look so bad. It's also a nice thing to know that time and time again the stock market has proven that it can always rise higher and better in the long-run. Maybe the same is true for life itself?

This is my portfolio in January 2019. It's clearly looking greener than it did last year.

My stocks are in the green right now, but I'm mentally prepared for my portfolio to bleed red all over again once the market goes into another crash. I'm prepared because I know that the companies that I invested in won't stay down for long, and the crash is just a sign that the stocks I want to buy are on bargain sale.

Misconception 3: As long as you invest in Bluechip stocks, you'll start to see profits in a few months

Stock picking is a lot more complicated than that, and investing takes much longer than that. But when I was still a beginner in the stock market, I was naive enough to assume this misconception. I bought MEG and DMC in my first year of investing. I didn't hold onto them for very long because every week I was looking to see how much I gained. I was running out of patience because my gains were so small -- less than 1%, and I didn't understand just how long "long-term investing" really is.

It turns out I bought the stocks at a bad time when the market was going sideways after an upwards trend. Eventually the prices sunk and I sold all my shares because of disappointment.

Misconception 4: Stocks have compounding interest aka "interest on interest" that turns $1000 to $1,000,000 in 20 years

I used to hear so many fairy tales pertaining to investing wherein if you invest $1000, you'll get $1 million in 20 years thanks to compounding interest. These stories are very misleading, because the truth is it's almost impossible to find an investment vehicle that will constantly give you 5% and upwards per year. It most certainly isn't true in stocks. If your starting investment in a stock is 25,000Php and you don't touch it for 20 years, you won't get compounding interest. The closest thing to compounding interest in stocks is when your dividends are reinvested, which is what Mutual Funds do for you automatically.



Aaaand that's about all the time I have for this topic without getting too boring. There are probably some other things I've learned that I could talk about but nothing comes to mind that I want to extensively write about like I did with the 4 items I just mentioned. It was my own experience and time that taught me what was right and what was wrong in the stock market, but I also want to thank the book The Intelligent Investor for showing me the right path. It might not be the right path for everyone per se, but it's the path that works for me. Warren Buffet wasn't joking when he said it's one of the greatest books on investment ever made.

What are some misconceptions you had with stocks that you've overcome? Let me know in the comments below. What you learned can save a newbie from making a big mistake :)

Fitness: Boxing is All the Exercise you Need

I've always wanted to write a post about Boxing. It's become an integral part of my lifestyle and there's so much I want to say about it, but I don't actually know where to begin. I can write endlessly about how awesome it is to practice the sport, to wear cool gear like gloves and handwraps, and to teach other people self-defense. I could write about whatever came into my mind about boxing, but then my thoughts would be really unorganized because there are just so many aspects of the sport that I can delve into.

One of the great things about Boxing is you can practice it anytime and anywhere. My video above shows what I mean. It's a video of me and my sister doing mitts work in our living room. You can't practice like that with other sports because they require a wide spacious area to practice, like basketball, or football. You also need to get more than a couple of people to free their schedules so they can join you, which is a hassle for everyone.

I titled this blog post the way it is because I wanted to emphasize how beneficial boxing is for those people who want to get fit and toned. I've been practicing the martial art -- and adhering to exercises relevant to the necessary conditioning for the sport -- for nearly 5 years now. I can easily say that it does a great job at keeping my body toned and my spirit confident, as I've shown here. I've listed down some very nice features of boxing that might lure others to be a fellow practitioner of the sport.

1. Gear and Gym Rates are super affordable

Boxing is one of the cheapest sports around. The Philippines is a nation full of people tight on budgets, so affordability is a heavenly characteristic. The bare minimum you have to invest in are a couple of boxing gloves and handwraps, which would cost no more than $40. Your handwraps and gloves can last a couple of years even if you're rough with them (and you will be rough with them; you'll be throwing punches the whole time you're wearing them.)

Boxing gyms like Elorde and Elite are incredibly cheap compared to places like Fitness First and Anytime Fitness. The latter two gyms I mentioned charge you membership rates on a monthly basis. The boxing gyms? They charge you cheaper membership rates per year. You save up so much money by working out at a boxing gym instead of overpriced places like Fitness First and Anytime Fitness.

2. You can practice it anywhere, even if you're alone

Like my video above showed, you don't need a lot of space. More space is good so you don't hit any walls or people while you're doing your thing, but obviously you don't need an entire basketball court to box.

You don't even need anyone else but yourself, per se. It's always nice to have a partner to do mitts work with, or a coach who can whip you to shape (that's of venerable importance to athletes who are aiming to be professionals) but when it comes down to it you can just box by yourself. More specifically, you can shadowbox by yourself, which is a fundamental workout for all practitioners of boxing, regardless of skill level.

3. Boxing exercises your body, mind, and soul

When you box, you use every inch of muscle in your body. Obviously, you use your arms to punch, but punching requires more than that; it takes back and hip muscles to throw punches packed with power. A lot of people underestimate boxing because it doesn't have any kicks involved, but these people don't know that the footwork required in boxing will make you use your legs to their fullest extent, because you always have to be on your toes. Your abs will also get a lot of workout, because a good core is important to quickly slip and dodge incoming fire.

Boxing requires your mind to be sharp so you can see the punches coming, and react accordingly. You also need to train your mind to stay focused (even if you're exhausted!) so you can throw your own shots with precision and accuracy. Boxing also has strategy. You need to fight your enemy with a plan in mind so you can exploit his weaknesses and vulnerabilities while protecting your own.

Finally, boxing is good for your "soul" because it's an immensely cathartic experience. We live in an age of stress and anxiety. Our bodies were designed to react to stress with fight-or-flight responses. Depriving ourselves of the physical outlet in which we can let our bodies do what they have to do eats away at our souls. Boxing lets our body release all the adrenaline it's producing, so we come out of the ring with a better state of mind; destressed, confident, and free.

So there you have it! That's all I'll say for now. Thank you so much for sticking around until this part of the post. Maybe in the future I'll blog about more specific things in boxing, like who are my top 5 favorite boxers lately, the times when I taught young girls self-defense, or about the different Boxing Gyms I've been to and which of them do I think is the best. There are really a lot of things to talk about in this exhilarating sport.

What do you think of boxing as a workout? Leave a comment below and let's talk :)

Travel: 5 Things to Bring to Make the Long Line for Passport Renewal as Painless as possible

On December 27, 2018, my passport was due for a renewal. A month prior to this day, I went online to schedule an appointment for passport renewal for me and my family at the Department of Foreign Affairs near Mall of Asia. I managed to schedule an appointment for 3:00pm. We arrived at the DFA complex at 2:45pm, but I wasn't able to actually begin the renewal of my passport until halfway past 4:00pm, and then I was finally able to go home at 6:00pm.

Is there anything that we as citizens can do to speed up the process? Probably not, but here are some tips to survive this peculiar bureaucratic process:

The people behind me are in the same line as I am; It just stretches so far, making twists and turns, like a snake.

1. Bring an umbrella, even if you scheduled an online appointment


Scheduling your appointment online doesn't mean you get served at the specified time. Not at all. It just means you'll be able to get into the building. No appointment, No entry. When you get to the DFA, you'll see a long line that stretches from inside the building to outside; it's like lining up for an amusement park ride. Since this is the Philippines, we already expected there'd be a long line.

Rain or shine, bring an umbrella (and maybe some other items like a hanky or a mini-fan) to protect yourself from the outside weather. The sun was shining bright on the day of my passport renewal, and it's a good thing I was prepared to deal with the scorching heat.

2. Bring something to pass the time; you'll be in line for hours

More specifically, you'll be in line for 3 hours. I always carry an ebook with me wherever I go. Fortunately I brought Lord of the Rings, which is a fairly lengthy book. I probably read through about 100 pages of it during our time at the DFA. My sisters brought their Nintendo DSs and video games to kill time.

At the DFA, you'll be sitting, standing, then sitting again. Outside, inside, then outside again.

3. Bring some money; there's a shop you can buy snacks from inside

Someone had the idea to set up a shop within the DFA to capitalize on the long line. So if you're feeling thirsty or hungry you can take advantage of that. It's a typical sari-sari store so they don't serve much apart from bottles of water, soda, and some small bites to eat. There's a restroom right next to it too so you don't have to worry about any accidents happening in the line.

4. Bring a friend, or a family member; someone has to save your spot when you leave the line

When you actually do go to the shop to buy something, or if you have to go to the restroom, you will also have to inform someone to save your spot in the line. The last thing you'd want to do is to have to go all the way back just because you used the toilet.

They'll punch a hole in your passport to invalidate it.

5. Bring a pen and a piece of paper; if you get bored of waiting you can write a complaint

When you finally get to the counter to get served for your passport renewal, they'll punch a hole in your old passport to invalidate it. What this means for you in your long and arduous journey around the DFA complex is that you're 50% done with the process. Then they'll send you up to the 2nd floor so you can wait in line some more to get your picture taken. During your time up there, you'll see a complaint box. You'll be waiting in line for a while so you have plenty of time to think of all the ways the DFA could be serving its customers better.

Writing a complaint was exactly what we did. We made it as constructive as possible.

And I suppose that's all there is to bring to make the process much less infuriating. After you get your picture taken, you'll get a receipt with the date on when you can claim your new passport, then you're free to go home. We came prepared with all of the items I listed above out of sheer luck, and we left the DFA not completely bothered by how long it took.

As a bonus, here are some additional tips that will save you some hassle:

• Bring a photocopy of your passport. Instructions aren't very clear. They say you can bring a photocopy of any government ID but once you get to the counter they'll ask you for a photocopy of your passport and they don't accept any alternatives. There's a photocopy machine in the building.
• When you get to the 2nd floor, you need to get a queuing number. Instructions aren't very clear on this one. You can get it all the way from across the room. We wouldn't have known about this, but thankfully someone who's also in line for passport renewal informed us.

(This blog post didn't cover the documents you have to bring for the passport renewal. Is that what you were looking for? You can find that info and more here.)