Thursday, March 28, 2019

Entertainment: Starbucks Arts and Crafts

I originally intended for the Entertainment category of my blog to be about stuff like movies and video games (prime example is this post of mine), but just recently I had a really entertaining experience with my girlfriend at a Starbucks. Below is the product of our creativity.

Cute and wholesome, right?
Actually, she did most of the work while I just took pictures. My hands aren't as crafty as hers. She has a habit of crafting origami cranes whenever she gets her hands on anything soft and foldable, like a piece of tissue. She seems to do this with her brain on automatic-mode, and I'm kind of envious of that. I need to apply myself more to create an origami sculpture that doesn't look like a ball of crumpled paper.

Here's a video of the above scarecrow being made.


She created several other things besides the Scarecrow too, like a bunch of paper people from the receipt.

Six paper people

We made them worshippers.

I'd worship someone ten times bigger than me too.
Obviously you don't have to be at Starbucks just to do this. I remember I used to make smiley faces on a plate using ketchup from McDonald's when I was a kid. I wonder if the employees cleaning up tables find any of this impressive.

What kind of creations were you able to produce in your spare time at a place to eat? Let me know in the comments below :)

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Other: Trying out Dip (aka Chewing Tobacco) in the Philippines

This is what a tin of Grizzly dip looks like.

I love trying new things. Whether it be food or some exciting activity or just something to spice up the day like taking a different route in my commute,I'm up for it. I believe life ought to be full of many awesome experiences.

It's inevitable I'd end up trying dip one day. Why would I pass up the chance to try something that's not easily accessible here? I managed to get a hold of the stuff thanks to my cousin, who works as a bartender. A cowboy soldier stopped by his bar and asked if we have any dip in this part of the world while he was drinking. We said that kind of stuff isn't popular around here, so he was happy to give us some (for $5.00...) so we can savor a new experience.

Thanks Cousin!
Before I get to it, here's a bit of an introduction on my nicotine intake habits. I'm not a smoker. I've tried smoking numerous times whenever my friends hand me a stick from their packs, but I've never really been addicted to it.

I drink lite beer more than I smoke, at least once every two weeks, but that's a different story.

So with all that said, I was feeling ballsy enough to try dip, and I don't think I'll get addicted to it. As one of my friends said back then, I have a will of steel when it comes to these addictive things.

One more thing I'd like to add before I get to my experiences is that Filipinos like to smoke and drink, but we can't handle too much. Hard drinks like whiskey and vodka are taken sparingly. Filipinos prefer the minty and light Marlboro cigarettes (the ones you "pop" first) over the ones with the red butts and stronger tobacco levels.

As of the writing of this post I've already tried dip twice. The first time I tried it, I diapered it in tissue for extra precaution, the second time I did it I was in the office at work, and I dipped it the way it was meant to be done; with no tissue at all.

Warning
Dipping is dangerous to your health. Much more dangerous than smoking. I talk about it in detail here but I implore you to understand the risks before you think about trying it.

Below are some things I found interesting about dipping.

This is what dip looks like when you open the tin.

1. It's called chewing tobacco in some parts of the US but you don't chew it at all.

Doesn't matter what part of the US midwest you're in. Nobody chews dip. The stuff is moist and juicy so if you do chew it you're squeezing out all of the juice it already has. Not even the toughest cowboys can take all the juice of a pinch of dip all at once with a straight face. You take a pinch from the tin and put the stuff in between your lower lip and gum.

2. You'll feel a slightly acidic burn between your lip and your gum

This slight pain that dippers feel might turn off Filipinos from trying the stuff. Your lip and gums feel this way because the nicotine from the dip is entering your blood stream through the tissue in your mouth. It only hurts at the start, but after a few minutes, the pain will start to subside.

The video below was taken while I was at a province in the Philippines called Pampanga. So basically I was taking dip in the countryside and I never felt more like a cowboy than I did at that moment.


3. Suck, spit, and... soothe yourself.

I let the wad of tobacco sit in between my lower lip and gum. I occasionally suck at it to get some juices out for some flavor. The juice isn't meant to be swallowed so once it builds up I spit it out in a cup. Do this enough times and you'll -- as the cowboy put it -- enter a state of euphoria.

I got high and the tension in my muscles disappeared. It's a lot stronger than any sort of chemical effect I got from smoking regular cigarettes. I got so high it made me nauseous I had to take a time out from work.

4. Once you're done, spit out the tobacco.

On average, dippers keep the wad of tobacco in their mouths for about 45mins. Smokers can keep a stick alive for a mere 5mins. 10mins at most. Once the wad of tobacco has already been exhausted, I had to spit it out otherwise I'd vomit (the same with the spit that built up in my mouth; if I swallowed it then I'd be puking). I did spit out my wad, but it broke apart in my mouth so I accidentally swallowed some bits and I puked anyway.

So there you have it. My experience with dipping. It was one helluva experience. I got loose, high, and nauseous. I also puked. Will I do it again? Absolutely. I have a feeling I'll be dipping again some time soon. Does it mean I'm already addicted to it? I hope not. Even if I was, I only have one tin with me. Once it's fully consumed I either have to track down the American cowboy who gave us a tin in the first place, or travel halfway across the world to get my fix. Neither of which are going to happen soon.

I don't see this getting popular in the Philippines anytime soon. I tried introducing my officemates who smoke to it, and they just found it weird. Not everyone is ready yet to try out new experiences like me.

How about you? If you had the chance to dip, are you willing to try it despite the possibility of puking and feeling sick? Let me know in the comments below :)

Monday, March 11, 2019

Travel: Stereotyping the 4 Classes of Filipinos and what Malls they frequent

I was inspired to create this blog post after hearing about this reddit thread from my sister. If you haven't seen it yet, you should go check it out. I was both aghast and entertained by the audacity of the posts. It's a... peculiar way to look at the society in the Philippines. The first one is still my favorite and it's what motivated me to do some research.

During my research on the different classes of people in the Philippines, I found this very interesting e-zine post that does the job expressing what I wanted to do by writing my own blog post. It's entertaining and on point but the more I read it the more I notice how outdated it is. The author wrote about CD players, cheesy slang, and cable TVs, all of which have been rendered obsolete by the year 2010. Where's the mention of Netflix, first world problems in a third world country, and social media?

The articles listed a bunch of Jologs words. Who talks like this in this day and age?

This will not stand. We are long overdue for a post that mocks the widening gap between the classes in an era powered by smartphones and memes. I would happily create this blog post solely for the sake of fun.

Warning:
Sincere apologies for those who are easily offended. I'm sure what I write down is going to sound judgmental to some people, but keep in mind this is just a joke based on my observances and I don't actually mean any of it seriously. Take the list below with a grain of salt, but at the same time, take heed of it because Stereotypes are based on some level of truth.

I've included the malls the different classes frequent so you can see what they look for yourself.

1. Class A (Upper Class)

The 1%. These are the kind of people that most definitely studied in Ateneo or De La Salle University. They're most likely born rich. These include the most powerful family names like Villar, Sy, Ayala, Tan, and then some other clans in the Philippines that own family businesses. Although Class A enjoys the benefits of having so much money, some of them live tumultuous lives prone to scandals that the public eye loves to see.

We're talking about billionaires who have money to last a dozen lifetimes. They live in gigantic mansions, and they probably own a pet albino tiger. I've met a Filipino billionaire at his own home before and I'm not exaggerating when I say their wealth seems immeasurable.

Class A people are too rich to casually talk about investing in stocks; they're more interested in Real Estate. Most of their focus goes into running the empire that they own.

Gamers in this class play with state-of-the-art toys, e.g. VR Headsets like the Oculus Rift, and the hottest new video game consoles like the Xbox One, PS4, and high-end PCs. They play pricey AAA games (For non-gamers, "Triple A Games" are the kind of games made by big corporations with millions of dollars in budget) like God of War, Grand Theft Auto V, and Overwatch.

They normally have Chinese or Western features, i.e. their skin complexion is on the light side, and either their eyes are squinted or their nose is pointed. Rich people in the Philippines tend to talk in hushed tones, instead of being really loud in public places. They wear clean and simple clothing that tells little about their actual net worth.

The youth of Class A loves to party. They prefer nightclubs and hotel bars. They aren't afraid to do a bit of dirty dancing.

A couple of pictures of Okada. This was the last mall I visited that I took some pics of so here you go.


Malls they frequent: Casinos like Okada, City of Dreams, and Solaire. Greenbelt. Shangri-La.

2. Class B (Upper-Middle Class)

Class B people aren't very different from Class A people in terms of clothing or mannerisms. Both classes are comprised of people who have a sense of subtle, elegant fashion, and they talk in Conyo. Their sentences tend to lean more on English than Filipino, and their English grammar is always impeccable. Even though they're Filipinos, they will struggle with Filipino words e.g. if you ask them what day it is, they'll tell you it's Friday, instead of Biyernes.

Although Class A people are born rich, Class B people are the kind of people who rose up from the lower class. These are the people who worked rigorously up from Class C through financial discipline and responsible work ethic. Thanks to their hard work, they live comfortable lives with just enough money to not worry too much about financial stress, and they aren't interesting enough to the public to be swarmed by the media.

Kids under this class are capable of entering expensive schools like Ateneo and La Salle, but out of interest of saving money, not every parent in Class B will find it necessary.

Class B people will invest in stocks and real estate, because they have the funds and they normally think in the long-term.

This class is up to date and savvy enough to download Netflix and Spotify on their phones. They are willing to actually pay for their entertainment as opposed to the more cost-efficient lower class.

Millennials in both Class A and Class B experience First World Problems in a Third World Country. They are troubled when the cafe they chose to spend the afternoon in doesn't have Wi-Fi. They also have problems with taking a bath when the water hasn't been heated.

When it comes to gaming, both Class A and Class B people have the privilege of owning the latest video game consoles. They also play pricey AAA games. In the end, Class B people tend to play more games than Class A people because the 1% has other things to do than play video games.

Malls they frequent: Robinsons Galleria, Megamall's Mega-Fashion Hall, Podium

3. Class C (Lower-Middle Class)

Most Filipinos fall into this class. A large portion of these people are living paycheck-to-paycheck thanks to the rent and bills they have to pay. They're also probably under an ever-growing mountain of debt, or they have kids, which are either way insanely expensive in the long-run. The numerous, giant billboards advertising products with cheeky puns and local celebrities are targeted at these kind of people.

Their skin complexion tends to cover every shade of brown. They generally aren't as tall as the classes above them, but it's no surprise if someone from this class manages to be of the same height as class A or class B people.

The Class C speak in Taglish, which differs from Conyo because it leans more on Tagalog than English. People in this class and below also count in Spanish. Moreover, when these people talk, they have a distinct palangkera or palangkero voice, which is fairly loud and diverse with intonations.

Class C people wish they could put some money in stocks, but they never actually get around to doing it. Some Class C people manage to get an account with an online broker started, but they end up trading -- not investing -- in our volatile markets so they're essentially gambling, and it incurs more losses than gains.

The people in this class love to post their selfies on Instagram and Facebook. Instead of using Spotify and Netflix, they'll pirate their movies and songs.

Gamers in this class typically play mobile games like Mobile Legends, or they play timeless classics like Dota II or PUBG in poorly furnished PC shops. If they do happen to play AAA games, they'll go out of their way to pirate the game and get it for free, instead of paying for an expensive disc.

When it comes to drinking, this class likes to spend their hard-earned money at resto-bars, ordering buckets of beer filled with San Mig and Red Horse. Afterwards they hit the karaoke place and sing to their heart's content.

Malls they frequent: SM Fairview, Fairview Terraces, Lower levels of Megamall

4. Class D (Lower Class/Below Poverty Line)

This is where we can categorize the squatters that live under bridges. Beggars, Jeepney drivers, and shabby fishball stand owners make up the bulk of the occupations of the people under this class.

They speak absolutely no English whatsoever. They have the darkest complexion of all the classes. They probably don't mean any harm (emphasis on probably; petty crimes are rampant in the Philippines), but their mere presence on the streets make the place feel unsafe.

They partner rice with condiments like ketchup and mayo because meat is too expensive.

Unfortunately, people that can be found below the Poverty Line are beyond hope. Although there are fairy tale stories like that of Manny Pacquiao where he rose from rags to riches, those kind of stories are literally one in a million.

Basically you get the point of this class.

Malls they frequent: StarMall or Ever Gotesco. They can't afford to go malling elsewhere, but Pedro Gil in Manila is a good example of a street infested with them.


So there you have it, a lengthy overview of the different classes of the Philippines in the year of our lord 2019. For the lower classes, you should strive to be a part of the class above us :) Are you already Class A at the top? Then congratulations because you literally have it better than most of the people in this country. If you're one of the people from the upper class, then you ought to show some humility for those that aren't as fortunate as you.

What do you think of my list? Let me know if you have any comments or violent reactions :)