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 :)

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 :)

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 :)

Fitness: The Honorable Duty of Teaching at Self-Defense Workshops

Human trafficking and abuse are serious issues in developing countries. While criminal activities that fall under these categories tend to involve child labor and slavery to produce goods using cheap labor, the Philippines’ human trafficking issue is alarming due to the nation being a hotspot for cybersex and prostitution catering to pedophiles. It is estimated that there must be at least tens of thousands of children in the Philippines alone that are subjected to cybersex.

Seeing the prevalence of this problem, the Visayan Forum Foundation (VFF) a non-government organization, was established in the Philippines on 1991. Known for its innovations in addressing modern slavery such as human trafficking and domestic servitude, VFF is dedicated to rescuing "survivors" of human trafficking, slavery, cybersex and forced labor.

The girls of Center of Hope are lined up and ready for training.

VFF has saved several survivors of cybersex and abuse, most of them being young girls ranging from as young as 2-yrs old to 25-yrs old. Young girls have unfortunately been preyed upon by sexual predators because they're seen as vulnerable. Realizing that these girls need to learn self-defense, VFF reached out to my company's Muay Thai Club to host Self-Defense Workshops for survivors.

I'm putting on handwraps for the youngest member of Center of Hope in this picture.

I'm part of my company's Muay Thai club. I'm proud to say that right now I'm one of the two representatives of the club. Back in February 2017 up until May 2018, I was just a member. It was during this time that I showed the team what I'm made of, both as a member of the team and as a fighter, by participating in the Muay Thai Club's Self-Defense Workshop with the Visayan Forum Foundation (VFF), one of the club's most ambitious long-term-ish projects to date.

Most of the members of the Muay Thai club. Pic taken after the first self-defense workshop.

An epic shot of one of the girls ready to work the mitts with one of our members.

The Self-Defense Workshops happened every two weeks, starting at February 8, 2018. We equipped the little girls with the proper gears and taught them the basics of Muay Thai: proper stance, punching, and kicking. Since my true forte is boxing, the girls that were under my wing were taught techniques like weaving and bouncing on their feet, which are unusual in Muay Thai.

The training have been extremely successful. Not only did the girls learn the basics of self-defense, the workshops also have: boosted their self-esteem, help them have a healthier lifestyle, and most importantly empower them as individuals. They are always looking forward to the next session.

A swift right hook from one of the girls lands on the mitts!

The Self-Defense Workshop sessions between my company and Visayan Forum have stopped a long time ago, but I will always treasure the moments I've spent in Center of Hope. Teaching the kids have taught me the fulfilling experience of giving back to the community. It's nice to be able to turn a skill that others thought as destructive into something that can protect others. :)

Food & Travel: How to have the Perfect Valentine's Date without Breaking your Wallet

Valentine's Day is here again. As usual, everywhere you go on February 14th will remind you that it's a special day. You'll find posters all around malls and establishments promoting all kinds of heart-shaped pastries and dinner-for-two promos. You'll find double the usual number of flower shops in malls and then there are lines full of couples as far as the eye can see. Single people are suddenly self-conscious about their marital status, while couples (especially the men in the relationships) are suddenly conscious about the state of their wallets.

There's nothing wrong with treating your significant other on the special day, but it's also important to have a bit of self-control. You also don't want your partner to think you're cheap, so you're very likely to splurge on something. Those dinner-for-two promos are nice but you aren't exactly treating your girlfriend on a height of sophistication by eating at Chow King. Movies are great but they're also pricey (I recommend watching Alita: Battle Angel if you're planning to go that route.) The really good cinemas with the La-Z-Boys are especially expensive.

What if I told you it's possible to eat at a great place, and watch a good show, without spending over 500Php? You'd be in disbelief but I can assure you that it is very real and possible to do that.

1. Find a place with performers for free

Chances are since it's Valentine's Day, you'd find places setting up attractions to take advantage of the situation to draw even bigger crowds. The Venice Grand Canal Mall is one of these places. Aside from the mimes and statue-people, Venice hosted a grand performance spanning the whole mall on Feb 14, 2017. Before Valentine's Day, the mall had posters all around the area informing everyone passing by -- like me and my girlfriend -- that there was going to be a show. So we were able to set the time for this because we knew about it beforehand.

Valentine's Day 2017 was the first Valentine's me and my girlfriend spent together so it was quite a magical moment for us when we saw this. Unfortunately, there isn't any extravagant performance in Venice this Valentine's Day, but opportunities are abound in this big wide world of ours. Most likely there are free shows somewhere out there, maybe in a mall near you.

2. Use a Promo like Zomato Gold

I'm a huge advocate of Zomato Gold because they give out such incredible deals. There are other deals that give you 30% discounts for select restaurants, like the Bistro Card, but they pale in comparison to Zomato Gold's 1+1 on food and 2+2 on drinks, which essentially means you're getting 100% off on the other item you order.

I got this hearty meal from Banapple for free. How? By using Zomato Gold :)

In the McKinley Hill area, you have three fine establishments that honor your Zomato Gold membership: Banapple, New Bombay, and 121.

Zomato Gold costs a mere 400Php per year. (Update: due to high demand, Zomato Gold is now 900Php a year.) Does that sound a bit steep for you? I didn't write this post to primarily advertise for my own personal gain, but I can sweeten the deal for you when you use my referral code to obtain your Zomato Gold membership.

Referral Code: TIMS7761

By using my referral code, you can get a discount when you sign up for Zomato Gold. What's in it for me? I just get an additional month to my membership. When I got my Zomato Gold membership, I used a friend's referral code too. Just head on over to their website to sign up for Gold!

Would you believe we got both of these for a mere 280Php? It's possible with Zomato Gold!
Great dishes from Bluesmith Cafe at the 30th

Have you seen any great free shows with the love of your life? Have you taken her to a beautiful place to dine at? Feel free to comment below about great places. Me and my girlfriend would love to check it out :)

Travel: Airbnb rooms, and what it's like owning one

Not too long ago I wrote a blog post about investing in the stock market. That's all well and good and it's definitely a way to put money to work, but I'm always looking for more streams of income. I've done some research and now I want to talk about another thing I got into: Real Estate. Or more specifically, an Airbnb.

Renting out rooms on Airbnb is something that a lot of people like me and you are looking forward to doing. Unlike Uber in the sharing economy, hosting an Airbnb is a lot more passive. So yes, as you may have guessed, it's sweet passive income. It especially doesn't sound like a bad idea here in the Philippines. We always have tourists coming into the country who need a place to sleep in. Since they're travelers, they're normally affluent enough to freely spend their money on things like accommodations.

With this in mind, I'm helping my dad out with our Airbnb venture. We're renting out our spare condominium in the East of Galleria Building at Ortigas, Pasig. It takes some considerable work to get the place into shape. Below are some things I learned during the process:

1. Invest in your Airbnb room; Make it Presentable

You can't just clean up your room and then sign up for Airbnb. A good first step is to declutter and exterminate any and all pests (which is what we did despite how difficult it is), but afterwards you have to go the extra mile once you're done with that.

You need to put some money into your Airbnb. Investing in an Airbnb is much more short-term compared to truly investing in Real Estate like the 1% like Warren Buffet or Robert Kiyosaki does. Investing in an Airbnb also implies that you aren't buying new property completely from scratch; most Airbnb hosts are renting out apartments and condominiums that their sons and daughters used to live in before moving out.

The room is still a work-in-progress, but we've come so far at this point.

When I say you need to invest in your Airbnb, what I mean is you need to spend money to have your room renovated, and refurnished with brand new appealing furniture.

2. Cover the basics and necessities.

We bought numerous items to make our Airbnb look good, but while it's fashionable, we needed to make sure that it's also functional. A lot of shopping for electrical appliances went into the creation of our Airbnb room. We wanted the tenants to be able to make coffee, so we bought a coffee maker. We wanted them to also have tap water they can drink, so we installed a water purifier underneath the kitchen sink.

We also bought electric stoves for cooking, and a comfortable bed for sleeping in. Below is a short list of the items we bought that I can name from the top of my head.

My sister helping me and my dad build the new bed

• A new carpet
• A new coffee maker
• Kitchenware (e.g. knives, forks, etc.)
• Ornamental vases
• Statuettes
• A new bed
• Water purifier

2. Ask yourself "Do I want to live here?"

Even though your tenants will only be staying at your place for at least a couple of nights and a week at most, you should endeavor to create an environment that you yourself would live in.

I like to pretend that we're setting up a new place that we'll be staying in. If ever we have no tenants sleeping in the place for a night, we can actually stay there just fine since it's our own property.

If worse comes to worst, like say, your original residence catches fire, at least you won't lose everything; you still have another place that you can use, and it'll be nice and cozy.

3. You're starting a business, no matter what anybody else says and you ought to be proud.

Some purists don't think you're truly starting a business when you sign up to rent your property via Airbnb, similar to criticisms that people buying franchises aren't true businessmen because they aren't starting from scratch. I humbly disagree with that. At the very basis of it, a businessman/entrepreneur is someone who is willing to put time and money into something, with the belief that it will generate money for them in the future. Airbnb renters -- and franchisees -- fit well into that description. We are merely leveraging on the services available to us.

Our walls have been renovated. You can see the new carpet on the couch.

That's all I can say about setting up an Airbnb room for now. Within the year we'll be having our first tenant, hopefully. We're targeting to have the room rented out during the first half of the year, at best.

What are your experiences about owning property? Comment below and share your knowledge to us millennials and Gen-Z kids that don't know what it's like :)

Entertainment: 4 Uncanny Similarities of Hobbits and Filipinos

Images aren't mine.
All rights belong to their respective owners.

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 :)