Technology: The 2 Things Stopping Filipinos from Investing in Bitcoin

Everyone wants to make money. Most ways to make huge amounts of money are hard such as starting a successful business or getting a stressful high-paying job. People who look for relatively effortless ways to make money turn to investing. There are a lot of investment vehicles out there, and some are better than others. The best performing asset as of 2020 is cryptocurrency. The most well-known cryptocurrency is Bitcoin.

 In the Philippines, not a lot of people trade nor invest in cryptocurrency. There aren't a lot of investors nor traders in the stock market neither but there are definitely more Filipinos who've dabbled in the stock market compared to cryptocurrency. So what's stopping Filipinos from taking a shot at the best performing asset of the year?

1. The Concept

Crytpocurrency, Blockchain, and Bitcoin are all still alien terms to the Filipino salaryman. They still don't understand what a decentralized public ledger means. Investing in gold is unusual in the Philippines, so it's hard for them to wrap their heads around the idea that Bitcoin is the new gold either. Cryptocurrency is hardly ever talked about in the local news, so the public never really learns about the important updates going on with the blockchain system such as forks. The news doesn't even talk about the wild fluctuations in price that Bitcoin goes through, so investor and trader interest doesn't grow in the country at all.

2. The Steps

Investing in cryptocurrency in the Philippines is complicated work. It's not the most difficult thing ever but there are a lot of hurdles to go through if you want to own some bitcoin. It's not as simple as buying stocks wherein you just set up an account at an online broker and click buy or sell on a website. Buying cryptocurrency involves moving money through digital wallets around a lot, and there are several tedious security checks to deal with. Buying bitcoin presents a steep learning curve that requires some tech literacy and the ability to follow multiple step-by-step instructions.

I believe that the concept can be overcome so long as the Filipino strives to educate themselves on the topic. Having more resources readily available for the Filipino to reach can prove immensely helpful in this regard. I also believe that the steps can be mastered with some perseverance because once you understand the concept, you know the steps are ultimately worth it, but at the same time developers simplyfing the steps to buying cryptocurrency will also make investing in bitcoin more of a possibility for a large number of Filipinos.

Entertainment: 9 Tips for Gamers to Save Money in the New Normal

We may be living in the new normal, but some things never change: gaming can be an expensive hobby.

As of the writing of this blog post, Sony's PlayStation 4 is selling at a retail price of $299.99 (17,700Php in the Philippines). The Nintendo Switch also costs $299.99 and so does Microsoft's Xbox One S at $299.00. The price of a gaming PC varies depending on the specs but they usually cost much more than consoles.

Whatever your hardware is, getting into video games now is going to put a $300 dent in your wallet. If you're not careful, buying the video games for your platform is going to exacerbate that dent.

Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic forcing people to stay indoors, gaming is quickly turning into a recreational activity that more and more people are getting into. Some time around April, the World Health Organization recommended video games as a pastime to stop the spread of the coronavirus. And it's working! The numbers don't lie; the video game industry has been making a killing during the pandemic. 

I've been playing video games since I was a kid. Now I'm an adult and I'm still gaming as a way to kill time. Naturally I picked up on some budget-friendly tips and tricks and I'd like to share them with you in this blog post.

Whether you're someone new to the gaming scene or you're a veteran gamer looking for ways to save your wallet, here are some tips on saving money related to gaming so you don't break the bank.

1. Wait for price drops

If you're on a strict budget, buying a video game as soon as it's released should never ever be an option, no matter how excited you are to get your hands on it. Whether you're buying physically or digitally, a brand new video game normally costs around $59.99 (2,900Php). Generally speaking, the retail price of video games tend to drop significantly after six months have passed since its release date. Waiting even longer -- let's say a year -- will cause the price to drop even further. Some games go as low as below half of their original retail price.

There isn't a fixed time period on when games slash their prices. A good rule of thumb is the better a game performs at its launch, the longer it will take for its price to go down, so patience is the key. A terribly rated game like Fallout 76 can go from $59.99 to $39.99 (1,934Php) in a couple of months, while a critically acclaimed game like God of War stayed up at around $59.99 for a good long while.

Protip for Nintendo Switch and DS owners: Nintendo has a policy of NOT dropping the price of their exclusives. So you may be wondering why that Mario game you've been waiting for is still around $59.99. Unfortunately waiting won't do you much good in terms of budgeting if you're a Nintendo gamer.

2. Buy secondhand games

Want to know what's even better than waiting for the price of a video game to drop? Waiting for the price of a video game to drop, and then buying it secondhand! Secondhand sellers will never sell a game above its current retail price. I once bought Fallout 3: Game of the Year edition, which cost $59.99 many years ago, for just around $10.00 (483Php).

Your means of finding secondhand sellers will depend on your location and nationality. For me, websites like Carousel and Facebook groups are how I find out about people near me who are trying to sell their video games. You can even opt to trade games with people even if I don't recommend that.

3. Sell your game after you're done playing

If you bought a video game physically, you can sell the disc/cartridge to someone else once you're done with the game. Since you'll be a secondhand seller, you'd want to price your video game below the game's current retail price to attract buyers.

If you weren't able to follow the first tip on this list i.e. you succumbed to the temptation of buying a newly released game because you just had to have it right away, then this course of action can get you some of your hard-earned money back easily once you're done with the game. I say "easily" because newly released games are still popular so it's not hard to find a buyer. Trying to sell a game that has been out for one or two years already is much more difficult.

Let's say you bought a newly released game for $59.99. A couple of weeks pass and you've beat the game. Congratulations! You go back to the video game store and find out the game is still selling at $59.99 a pop. You can take advantage of this opportunity and sell your disc at around $44.99 (2,177Php). Once you've sold your game, you'd have technically only spent $15 (726Php) on it.

4. Finish your game

This is one of the more interesting tips because it tackles the mindset of a gamer.

Some players tend to play through games only until halfway through the story before losing interest and buying the next big thing. This is a bad habit that has to be curbed if you want to save money. A game with 80 hours of content isn't maximized if you only get to around 40 hours of gameplay, meaning you will look for and buy another game sooner than anticipated, burning yet another hole in your pocket before you have a chance of fully recovering from your initial purchase.

Sounds like an unnecessary waste, doesn't it? Completely finishing your game isn't just the practical thing to do, it's also a satisfying thing to do. You feel more accomplished after experiencing a great big adventure. It's almost the same feeling as reading a book up until the last page.

5. Buy games 150+ hours long

If you want to be a thrifty gamer, you'd want to develop a taste for massive and immersive video games.

Do your research and read some reviews to find out about popular titles in gaming that can keep you occupied for more than a hundred hours. Games that last this long usually belong to the role playing genre, like Witcher 3, the Fallout series, or the Persona games. These games are great choices because they can tide you over for weeks or even months depending on how frequently you play.

6. Replay your games

Once you've beaten your game, you might want to check and see if it's something you'd like to replay. Most games nowadays have a new game+ feature which lets you play the game all over again while keeping your latest progress, such as player level and equipment, intact to keep it interesting. Other games have alternate endings which make giving the story another go worth it just to see them.

By replaying games fully, you manage to double the lifespan of your game. A 30-hour game that you can replay will last you about 60 hours in total. Yes, this also means that a 150-hour game can keep you entertained for a whopping 300 hours if you replay it!

7. Take advantage of online sales and freebies

Keep your eyes peeled and your ears opened for any news about games going on sale or are being given away for free.

Physical shops like GameStop and Datablitz don't normally go on sale, but sales happen all the time in the digital world. All you have to do is go to your console's eshop, or for PC players, Steam, to find out about amazing deals.

Games that go free and yours forever is a rarer occurrence, but it does happen. EA made Sims 4 free for a limited time in May last year. Sony made the Uncharted: Nathan Drake collection and Journey games free back when the coronavirus pandemic just broke out. Ubisoft made Assassin's Creed Unity free for a moment to bring awareness to the Notre Dame fire that happened last year.

8. Take advantage of sales... but DON'T buy games you aren't going to play

While it's a good idea to take advantage of sales, you have to make sure you buy games that you're actually going to play. The infamous Steam sale is notorious for making PC gamers buy dozens of video games that they're never actually going to pick up. Isn't it ironic to end up losing all your hard-earned cash when prices are actually lower? When we play our cards right, a sale can actually save us money.

The trick here is to have a target, a game that you actually planned on getting, and buying only that.

9. Don't be fooled by free-to-play games

Free-to-play games seem like the best choice for a gamer on a tight budget, right? After all, it's free, and they're normally multiplayer games so they can provide hundreds of hours of entertainment. There's nothing wrong with playing free-to-play games like Warframe, Fortnite, or Valorant as long as you steer clear of microtransactions.

Microtransactions are a way for the developers of free-to-play games to make some money. They usually do this by selling exclusive weapons or armor in-game that can only be purchased with real money.

Cosmetic items like a fancy hat or a weapon skin are flashy but they can be easily ignored as you play. What's difficult with some free-to-play games are the ones that are "pay-to-win". In these types of games, skill can only get you so far. You're essentially forced by the video game to pay up some real cash just to get an advantage over your opponents. Clash of Clans is an example of a game like this. Sure, microtransactions don't cost a whole lot on their own, but collectively they can total more than $60.00 if you're not careful.

Fitness: My Boxing Gym Workout Regimen

There are a lot of different types of gyms. The most common type of gym is the kind that hones one's general fitness. This type of gym normally has a treadmill, a bench press, and a set of dumbbells that comes in varying weights along with a few other pieces of equipment. A boxing gym is different from your regular gym and for this blog post I'm going to show you my workout regimen when I put the gloves on.

A boxing gym is much more spacious than your regular gym.

Before I start with my workout regimen I want to tell you how different a boxing gym is from the ubiquitous kind that I mentioned a while ago. A boxing gym has all sorts of different equipment that you won't ever see in your average gym. In the boxing gym I go to, Elite Boxing Gym, these are:

• Heavy punching bags (obviously)
• Double-end bags
• Speed bags
• Wall Bags
• Kettle Bells
• Lightweight dumbbells
• Jump ropes
• A Spar Bar
• A boxing ring (I think that counts as equipment)

I don't utilize all of the equipment listed above; I usually ignore the wall bags and I just casually toy with the spar bar from time to time. The rest of the equipment I use though, and they're great for improving one's technique and form in boxing just as much as they're useful for breaking a sweat.

A boxing gym will typically have a boxing ring and a timer.

Now that I've painted a picture of what the boxing gym has to offer, let's get right to my workout regimen:

1. Jogging - 3 rounds

That's right my first exercise doesn't include any of the equipment I listed down. Not yet. I jog around the gym for 3 rounds. For those of you who don't know a boxing round is 3 minutes in length with a minute of rest in between each round. 

When I jog I try to jog at a pace that's near sprinting speed. I avoid jogging leisurely to keep the blood pumping. The jog serves as a warm-up after all.

2. Jump rope - 2 rounds

Once I'm all warmed up from the jog, I grab a jump rope and start skipping. Naturally, I go into the Boxer's skip for this exercise. If I hit the rope while skipping that's alright, I just carry on my way like it didn't happen. To prevent the exercise from getting monotonous, I like to incorporate a view tricks and moves into my skipping. I must admit I only do 2 rounds of these because I want to save up my leg energy for the other exercises that are yet to come.

3. Shadowbox - 2 rounds

Before I start shadow boxing, I wear my hand wraps. This takes a while so I get more than my fair share of 1-minute rest from the previous exercise. This is when I try to get into the rhythm of boxing. I'm more focused on form, technique, and defense in this exercise than working a sweat.

Ideally, the first round of shadowboxing is done with lightweight dumbbells in my hands and the second round is done without any dumbbells to improve my speed, but sometimes I just do both rounds without any weights at all.

4. Mitts Work - 3 rounds

This is where the fun begins. My trainer puts on the boxing mitts, I put on my boxing gloves, and then we begin our combination drills. Focus and concentration are of utmost importance in this exercise. There is a delicate balance between speed, power, and soundness of technique. My trainer critiques my performance if I'm not boxing properly. I try to keep the quality of my punches consistent throughout all 3 rounds without showing any signs of exhaustion to improve my stamina and endurance.

5. Heavy Bag - 3 rounds

What comes after 3 rounds of punching? Even more punching! And there are more punches to come after this exercise too. A heavy bag is a simple tool that's made to be punched, but it's important to not neglect technique when using this equipment. The aspects of boxing that I take into consideration the most when I use the heavy bag are distance, range, and accuracy. The bags in the Elite boxing gym have a logo at eye-level so I like to make that my target when I work the heavy bag.

6. Double-End Bag - 3 rounds (and beyond)

This is my favorite tool to use in the boxing gym. I'm only required to use this piece of equipment for 3 rounds but I aim for 6 rounds with this. It develops good habits, speed, and hand-eye coordination. The double-end bag instills the rhythm of boxing into the individual practicing on it. I make sure to work my head movement and footwork when I use the double-end bag.

7. Mitts Work again - 2 rounds

My arms are already tired by this time in the workout, but that's when my endurance and stamina start to improve. I focus on keeping my hands up at all times while I do my combination drills.

8. Speed Bag - 3 rounds

Although it's called a speed bag, it doesn't actually improve speed, per se. It hones my rhythm and -- given how exhausted I am by this time -- it improves stamina and endurance even more. This can get repetitive just like the jump rope exercise so I like to mix it up by alternating between punches from ones to twos to threes.

9. Ab workout - 2 sets of 5 different exercises

This is the most difficult part of the workout because my body barely has any energy left to complete this set of exercises. It's also the last one. I try to do 2 sets of several different ab exercises like crunches, planks, Russian twists, burpees, and so on.

That's about it for my average workout regimen in the boxing gym. If you tally the number of rounds from each exercise, excluding the ab workout, we have about 21 rounds in total, which roughly translates to 63 minutes of exercise. Sometimes when I'm feeling really energetic, my coach likes to add in other exercises in what he calls circuit training, which is a hundred times more difficult. Circuit training is for another blog post. Sometimes my coach puts me in a sparring session, which I already made a blog post about here.

Food: Ranking 5 Burger Joints from Worst to Best

Recently I've been craving for good burgers. So much so I've tried several different burger joints in a relatively short span of time. Not all of them are good, some are better, and only one of them is the best. When I try a burger, taste is king. Second most important thing I take into consideration is the size. Third thing that sways my opinion is the overall price of the burger. Without further fluff, let's delve into the five burger joints I've tried on a near-consecutive basis :)

Note: I'm not saying these are the top 5 best burger joints I've ever tried. I'm sure there are some really good burger joints out there that I won't be mentioning, like 8cuts.

5. Zark's Burger

Zark's Classic doesn't taste super delicious (the patty is oily yet dry at the same time...) but it's kinda big for its price. Nevertheless, this burger joint is still in my "bad" category -- I might have offended some fans of this burger joint but that's my two cents! You get what you pay for.

4. Shake Shack

For a burger joint with so much marketing behind it, I have to say I'm somewhat disappointed when I tried their actual product, the Shack Burger. The taste is fine -- nothing like the taste of pure Angus beef patties --  but it's just so incredibly small for its price; no one would argue the price is expensive. I might be hurting some fans of this burger joint but for me, this burger joint falls under the B-A-D bad category!

3. Burger King

Burger King's signature Whopper is juicy and packed with ingredients. My only criticism is that they go overkill on the mayonnaise on their burger. Out of all the burgers I tried, this monstrosity probably packs the most calories. Its price is justifiable by its size so the rest is all good. A decent all-around burger joint.

2. Army Navy

Technically not a full-blown burger joint but burger is one of their specialties. It's a bit on the pricey side but the size is right and the burger is deliciously flavorful with all sorts of ingredients; if you like the taste of onion then you've come to the right place. On a side note, service in Army Navy can take a while because the burger is made-to-order. A great burger joint.

1. Pound

Once again on the pricier side of the spectrum, but still not as expensive as a Shack Burger. The serving size of the Pound Burger is slightly small but what it lacks in size it makes up for in taste. Pound lets you tell the waitress how you want your burger. Delicious meaty juices ooze at the medium-rare levels, and they top it off with crispy caramelized onions. A high-end burger joint that deserves the term "high-end".

Reflection: Getting Through Thanatophobia

[Death Anxiety] Also referred to as thanatophobia (fear of death), death anxiety is distinguished from necrophobia, which is a specific fear of dead or dying people and/or things; the latter is the fear of others who are dead or dying, whereas the former concerns one's own death or dying. - Wikipedia

I've been dealing with some less-than-happy thoughts lately. These unhappy thoughts have been plaguing me for months. Yes, my feelings are related to the quotation above. I've been having Death Anxiety. I'm scared about death and the process of dying not just for myself but for every one of us that has to go through with it eventually. It's driven me mad for the longest time but I think for now, I'm able to stop myself from spiraling out of control, hopefully for good which is why I'm writing about it. I'm no longer afraid to open up about what's really on my mind.

I started having Death Anxiety (or Thanatophobia if you want to get romantic) about a couple of months ago when I had to take care of my lola at her place. Nothing bad happened to her. She's still fine and healthy as of the writing of this blog post. But regardless, it was during that time I realized that life would not go on forever. I'm already 24. I'm no longer a kid. My parents are getting older and so are my sisters. Time is ruthlessly marching forward every second and we have to make every moment count. It was truly agonizing for me to learn of this because I've reached the point where I just want time to stop; I'm perfectly happy with where I am and my family are in life.

A long life is something we all desire (well, all of us that aren't suffering from feelings of depression anyway) but no matter how long we can make our lives be, it will still come to a dreadful end. And how dreadful it is when you think about it! Eventually, we'll all face a fate that I don't think any of us are ready for. None of us on planet Earth have been dead before except for the very few people that went through some sort of near-death experience. They may recall what it feels like to die, but even then we can't rely on their accounts of what happens because technically they haven't been truly dead yet.

I think my mental health medicines really worked me over. Instead of having suicidal thoughts, I've been afraid of death like it was a corona virus plague. Being dead scares me, and the process of dying scares me even more. Who's to say we aren't eternally trapped in suffocating blackness when we die? We'll be taking our last breaths after all. What does it feel like to slowly lose our senses over our bodies? At best there is an afterlife, but what if there isn't? Hopefully death feels like an eternal slumber if there is nothing that comes after death.

This lengthy blog post doesn't have to come to a grim end. I've learned a lesson from all my overthinking over this matter. For now I keep all these terrible thoughts buried away by keeping busy, and by keeping my Faith. At least these thoughts have motivated me to live my best life while I still possibly can. Be good to others, be great in what I do. I still think life would be so much more fun if it didn't have a deadline, but it does so we might as well enjoy it to the fullest while we still can.

Other: Rest in Peace, Lulu

About a year ago I wrote a blog post about the growth of my girlfriend's desk cactus. Seeing it grow was quite the journey. Sadly, the crested bunny ears cactus -- affectionately called Lulu -- has finally perished. I know this isn't a big deal for most people because it's just a plant, but I'm a sentimental guy so even the smallest of goodbyes mean a whole lot to me. I intended to write this within the week I heard the news of Lulu's departure but I wasn't able to find the time except for now.

One of Lulu's ears fell off :(

After Lulu's ear fell off, the rest of her started to crumble away. It seems cacti of this species has a lifespan of about a couple of years. My girlfriend isn't neglectful when it comes to taking care of Lulu. She watered the cactus every day she was at the office so this isn't a case of mistreatment. Nevertheless, Lulu's time has finally come. She had a special way of brightening up the office with her light shade of green. We may replace Lulu with a different cactus but that doesn't mean we will forget the uniqueness of Lulu.

R.I.P.

March 2018 - December 2019

Travel: MERALCO Christmas Lights

If you're looking for a nice place to visit in the holidays that's absolutely free then you've come to the right place. The holidays are over but it's still nice to keep in mind this one place for future plans.

The headquarters of MERALCO in Ortigas opens its doors to all visitors during the holiday weeks. The electric giant has been doing this for several years now. There are numerous attractions in the area to bedazzle the whole family, the largest one being the light show that plays over the facade of the main building. This plays every 30 mins starting at 6:00 PM and ends at 11:00 PM, I believe.

Apart from this, there's also this giant sculpture of Joseph, the Virgin Mary, and baby Jesus made out of copper wires. This attraction is always on display every time MERALCO lets visitors in.

There's also a small train that annually chugs along a small railway, but when we visited it this year it was broken so I didn't take any photos of that.

Another attraction that's great to have a selfie with is the Tunnel of Light. I believe this attraction is new.

And there are a plethora of other attractions and light spectacles.

I wasn't able to take any pictures of the food stalls but they also have a small Bancheto-like area in the vicinity so if you want some snacks during your leisurely stroll with your loved ones you can go right ahead and get some.

I wouldn't say MERALCO's headquarters is the best place ever to spend your holidays in, but it's free and nothing beats the low low price of $0. Touring the entire place takes more or less an hour. I recommend making the MERALCO headquarters one of many Christmas light displays to check out in Metro Manila during the holidays when other buildings and offices are also showing off beautiful light shows like the Ayala Triangle.

What other places nearby do you know are also letting in tourists for free during the holidays? Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments below :) Thanks for reading!

Reflection: 2020 New Year Essay

Almost everyone has been posting their end-of-the-year essays on social media so I thought I'd write my own even if it's a couple of days late. If you're one of the people who wrote about their experiences with 2019 then chances are I've seen your essay on my news feed. I've noticed that depending on who you ask, 2019 was either a good year or a bad year. It was a good year for those who were able to achieve great things within the year, and it was a bad year for others because they lost loved ones. My condolences goes out to those who lost their loved ones in the last year.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, 2019 for me was a year that was full of ups and downs. So much so that the ups and downs balance each other out. That's not entirely true. What I said was a very broad generalization that doesn't even begin to cover what I've witnessed in 2019.

I've experienced hurt, joy, depression, anxiety, love, stability, instability, freedom and a dreadful feeling of oppression in 2019. Not necessarily in that order. The highlight of my year happened around August, ironically when I was sent to the psych ward. While others would call that a bad event in my life, I actually think that it was a blessing. Not only was I able to curb my awful behaviors stemming out from my deteriorated mental health after I got out of the psych ward, but I was also able to meet people just like me who showed me I'm not alone during my time in it.

My lowest point in the year happened prior to my incarceration in the psych ward. I blame my troubled mental health for causing such misery on my part despite being fortunate enough to be financially stable. I was seeing everything through dark-tinted lenses; it was so difficult for me to look at the bright side of things because I couldn't see any bright sides at all.

If I was to graph my experience with this year, I would say that the months of January-May are tumultuous but generally reaching very high and very low points, while the days from June-July is my lowest point, and then the days from July-August are the highest point. The rest of the year sort of plateaus in the middle.

Despite all this, I can fortunately say that 2019 has been a year to remember happily for me. The more I think about it objectively, the more I look at the year in hindsight through the pictures and videos stored in my Google Photos account, the more I see that there are far more good things that happened that outweigh the bad. I'm thankful for all the great things that happened and I hope that more great things will come in 2020!

A Happy New Year smile from me, my mother, and my sister! :)