Cheapskate meals

I have tried to live a non-financially dependent life since the beginning of my existence as a cog in the great machine. I would describe my day-to-day activities, in terms of Pesos spent, as miserly.

It would be best to define what I think a cheapskate meal is: it's basically any meal (lunch or dinner) below 100 Pesos.

Today however, was an exception. I actually spent around 300 Pesos (200 on Food 100 on the cab ride).

I wanted to talk about the food. I was surprised at how Pizza Hut has now become a viable alternative to the Jollijeeps that are scattered in Makati, the innumerable fast food chains, and building housed food courts. Thanks to Google Search for coming up with this blog that served as the source for the image of a jollijeep.

Pizza Hut has a 99 Peso meal for 1 and a 198 for 2 with an additional serving of garlic bread. Let me be clear, the food was good but it won't blow you away. What surprised me aside from the awesome price was the fact that they served it ten minutes or less. So Pizza Hut instead of being a pizza place has now transformed into a quick lunch or dinner place. And at 99 Pesos per person only too! Needless to say my co-worker and I spent an additional 100 or so for some more food.

Another place that I found interesting was Blessings & Prosperity a food court along Ayala Avenue. It's a very small, cramped space, with Lilliputian seating too boot. I have been there only once however, and would like to visit again just for the wonderful Mexican themed kiosk there. It was a good meal at around 90 Pesos it seems expensive but its good nonetheless.

The other places I've been to in Makati wouldn't really qualify as cheapskate dining. So that means I'll have to explore that jungle of concrete for more cheapskate nooks.

Financial Magic!

By next week I would have embarked into another great adventure.

As I am currently living and breathing like an employee (I look forward to the 2nd and 4th week). I would like to not spend all of my hard earned money by buying something mundane. Sure I might spend a little to watch a show or eat at a nice place, but I wouldn't want to immediately blow all of my money on a material thing. Experiences, for me, occupy a different rung on the hierarchy of needs.

Moving on, I intend to plunk down my cash into fancy financial thingamajigs that the banks and other institutions are currently offering. I might not be able to invest, yes I like stressing that word, anything beyond the minimum participation but then everyone has to start somewhere.

I am considering investing in those Mutual Funds and UITFs just to get a feel for it. I don't foresee any pressing need for me to draw on the funds I will put in anytime soon. So I intend to let it rot there and see if it makes me some more money.

I have read some of the literature on the topic and it seems that there will be risks but I also noticed, in my limited learning, that if you invest in it long enough the risks can and will be absorbed by the gains.

Decisions, decisions.

I'll make a follow up post about it next week.

A Culture of Integrity

It seems that integrity, or the lack thereof, can make or break your enterprise and your person.

Read this article in the NY Times Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs.

As a slave to a gigantic machine I feel the same way as the author. Luckily for me, my first month and a half can still be considered the honey moon phase of my work. I'll write more on this later, so read up!

Globe: The Starscream of Telecoms?

Dear Globe Telecom:

Good evening!

I am writing about you in the dead of night because your unreliable internet connection is making me think of switching over to smart.

Unfortunately for me, your stick came free with my trusty laptop. Fortunately for you, it bothers me to carry my laptop downstairs to plug it into the ultra-reliable PLDT DSL connection (compared to your service).

Should SMART offer me a free internet stick/dongle/thingamabob with the assurance that it can and will provide me a reliable and fast connection I will drop you in a heartbeat.

I have been a Globe subscriber for the past 12 or 13 years. You haven't given me free stuff (aside from that overpriced Moto RAZR). My old Globe Sim has turned from a pleasing blue to a swam in the toilet yellow. I don't think I even know you anymore Globe.

Sincerely,

A Subscriber

Things that I would like to have

Speaking of desire.

Here's a link to the Sony Experia S, something that I am thinking of getting for myself.

Either that or a nice leather bag for all my "important" documents.

The Sony Experia S is still listed as coming soon as you'll see if you checked it out. Thanks to a scoop by TechLokal's Alora we have a ballpark figure of PhP28,500 for it. I'll wait for the reviews before going all crazy for it.

Alas, for the bag I do think that a Bally bag is still way too much for me, but it's just so serious looking. It would look great for those Florsheim shoes I got for, wait for it, PhP 2,300, yes that is correct, down from PhP8,800.

Oh well let's wait for the next payday and hope for the best.

Boredom and Desire

There are fewer combinations more dangerous than boredom and desire.

I would like to propose that boredom be defined as the feeling of despondency that a person has when he or she does not do anything productive. Desire should be defined as the feeling of wanting something that one does not have.

So boredom is when you do not do anything useful and desire is when you want something that you don't have.

A person bored is a person who has nothing to do. The longer a bored person remains bored the harder it would be to get him to do something useful. Boredom begets boredom. It usually takes a vigorous invitation from friends to break this cycle of boredom (a symptom of a deeper problem called laziness)

Thus a bored person has more time to be bored than the normal not bored person. It means that he has more time to ruminate on his desires, (the things, position, status or prestige he does not have).

The more time spent on desiring instead of actually getting increases the discomfort of a bored person. He is made to face demons he cannot conquer (because he is lounging about and not doing anything about them).

A New Post and New Books.

Today, I will write on my blog because of extreme boredom.

Various forms of social media have interfered with my ability to write on my blog. So now I am attempting to form a coherent set of sentences in order to rid myself of boredom.

I have managed to amass several (and by several I mean two) new books. One book has been with me since last year by Jean-Jacques Rousseau entitled The Social Contract. I haven't read it yet, as I claim that I do not have time. The other book is Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville. I just feel that having things to read aside from work stuff helps round out the entirety of my being.

Despite this view of mine I still buy books that will make me look smart, shallow human that I am.

I'll try to write again soon.