Parang Kausap Ko Lang Sarili Ko Ah

It's been an annoying habit of mine. Well, to some people that know me, it is a bit annoying. But to me, it makes sense.With the current oil crisis, it makes more sense now than ever before.Disclaimer: I won't tell you to do it.

For those that know me and taste of movies, the title itself is a pun on 500 Days of Summer.This is the social dilemma that we are in right now - kasya nga ba ang 500 pesos for Noche Buena?But I think we are asking the wrong question. Rather than ask kung kasya, isn't it better to ask how much should we be spending for it. Or better, how much should you spend to make it a good Noche Buena.Quick disclaimer: this episode won't dip into the political side of things.

The baduy stuff matter.For a 43-yr old like myself, anything baduy I will take it.Any piso, I will take. Coz I know that in this part of the world, saving for a rainy day is something that most people laugh at.Explore the reason why I am this and how I do it.Malay niyo, masimulan mo rin itong ganitong habit.Disclaimer: I am not going to sell you a financial solution in this episode.

Is a lazy voice being confident, living in your comfort zone or just being literally lazy?There is in fact a psychology to it, or so I say.Having a lazy voice is a good indication of what you do and why you do it that specific way.

I am never mentioning who I voted the last time. Not in this episode. Not in this lifetime.I instead will mention my ideals, aspirations and anything corny and cheap.Coz that is what matters - the small stuff. You vote for something better.

AI is a blessing nga ba?We've been hearing AI taking over some industries and how it already made some functions faster, but is it making things better?Artifical Intelligence is doing things on behalf of humans, but is it the solution to all problems?Disclaimer: this caption isn't generated by AI.

I guess, without asking, we ALL want to be that! 500 Million Peso Lotto winner! Just the mere thought of it can make anyone dream of having all the luxuries in life. What can 500M pesos give you? How will you spend it? Tara, pagpantasyahan natin ang pagiging isang 500 million peso lotto winner!

Are the things we do and have because of timing? How can intent influence the timing of things? This episode explores the idea that one should be at the right place and at the right time to achieve something. Intent is one but the timing is another.

Two time Olympic Gold Medalist! In our lifetime, we are lucky enough to witness the achievement of a Carlos Yulo. And because it is once in a lifetime thing, why cant we just give the moment to him? Ah, I remember, we are a third world country and we find joy in other peoples miseries. But rather than just me acting as the only anti-social being, join me as I get to talk about it.

You have one, you are one, and you've seen one. Fathers and their love for coffee. Bakit kaya synonymous ang kape with being the head of the family? Disclaimer: this is in no way gender discriminating ha. To learn more, listen to this episode.

It is the trend of the graduation season in the Philippines! People flexing their money by making a garland out of it. Some say it is just flexing, others say it is yabang. Ano nga ba talaga?

We have the most interesting fascination towards world records, both in breaking them and setting them. And by its own sense, it is not just about being one, but digging deeper, there is more to it than just setting or breaking them. The aesthetics part of it. The face value of what we do more than the function of it. Ang hilig ng Pinoy sa ganun. Tara, iexplore natin.

Hindi kalat! Hindi basura! Hobbies are everywhere! Technology and the proliferation of equipment made it easy to start something. But it isn't just about tech and resources. It also is about the intentionality of it all. Aanuhin mo ang resources kung di ka rin naman magye-yes to start something new.

Are you even worth the price, is a better question. Often in life, we are faced with dilemmas of finding our true worth. Trabaho man yan man, business man yan or any simple task. It's often a reminder or a question to tell yourself kung gaano ka kaimportante sa ibang tao. Eh syempre, ganun naman ang buhay. Minsan, kailangan mo lang makita from the perspective of the people around you how they see you to know your worth.

Richness is relative. Not the joke about if you are rich you have lots of relatives. Let's be serious for once - people have different ideas of true genuine happiness. Some think it is being rich. I cannot blame them. For me, happiness is having abundance thru being complete. Lalim ano? Pero hinde. Tunog malalim lang siya. Let's explore.

No, this isn't a title to an upcoming action movie. This is what happened last Tuesday night, March 5. But rather than focus on the system glitch, let's focus on the things that we learned, if there were. Narealize mo ba na may buhay ka pala outside of social media? Or kinabahan ka ba? Baka kaka-cellphone mo yan, so the saying goes. Regardless, it made you learn a good lesson in life. Ano yun? Let us find out.

If you are old enough, you would remember this controversial chocolate. And yes, if you aren't old enough, a company in Europe called their chocolate FILIPINOS. Now why is this my choice of topic? Coz Filipinos (the people, not the chocolate) easily get offended, but never realizing they are worse at discriminating. Until today, we still use terms like ne**o to refer to anyone dark-skinned, bu***y to refer to anyone from the country of India or South Asia, or Ching******** to refer to anyone with small eyes. It's still a social dilemma up until now because people laugh at it like it is normal to discriminate people based on their appearance, like skin color is a good measure of someone's intelligence or capability. It is not. It can never be.

It's frustrating - knowing I can no longer run like before. I used to be good at it, finishing marathons and half ones. Never very good, but good enough to consider myself a full-pledge runner. But times have changed and I got older. What I used to consider a luxury that everyone must have I now treat as a necessary part of a routine.

Let me be the first to say it - should engagement rings be expensive? I mean I get it - Pinoys are very symbolic of things. From religion to traditions to politics. But a ring that is but a very small aspect of the intent to get married being expensive? Parang may mali.

There are some traditions that are better off not being observed. But there are a few that need to continue. These traditions are supposed to excited us. Like Christmas. This year, it wasn't as joyous and colorful as before. Bakit kaya?

It's a social dilemma, this. Parents using their kids as their own insurance plans. When they get old, their kids will take care of them, whether they like it or not. Let's explore what's causing this and see if we can stop it from bleeding into the next younger generation.

He is probably the most famous Filipino to ever hit the international scene. But these days, his name isn't in the level of Manny or Jake Cyrus or any famous Pinoy out there, and I think it is because of a good reason. He has made Don't Stop Believin' number 1 in the Billboard charts a few years after it became a number 1 song), made Journey more famous than before (and not that they aren't) and has given himself a platform to highlight his God-given skills. His "journey" started with 5% luck (Neal Schon searched for YouTube videos of cover bands), but the remaining 95% was all up to the legen that is Arnel Pineda.

Virtual Wallets, automated government transactions, checking in and out of hotels. These are some of the stuff we expect to have seamless processes. Why is the country struggling to establish an ease of doing things? Bureaucracy? Too much politics? Culture? Tara, pag usapan natin.

It's not just about nostalgia, or being nostalgic. Traditions are what make us more human. Traditions are both good and bad. It's how you benefit from them that will make you want to continue doing it or otherwise. But maintaining a good tradition speaks more about your discipline than the tradition itself.

Bakit nga ba di mo pa nakikita phone mo sa panaginip mo? Is it because hindi pa or hindi mo lang maalala kung nangyari na nga ba siya? Subukan nating guluhin sarili natin with this episode.

No need to know who the guy is. This episode is a very intimate one, coz it has to do with a guy that the 99.9% of the world population doesn't know. But it's okay that way. Listen to know the guy, is all I am gonna say.

It's the first time in my podcast's history! I was able to talk to Lord! Not the Lord, but Lord Gen, a good friend who thinks he travels in the same bandwidth of thoughts as I am. Who am I to think otherwise? It's the first time ever to invite a guest for an episode or any episode at that. In this episode, we got to talk about why gravity is similar to running or managing your own shit in life.

"Ang ganda ng Pilipinas!" "Para kang nasa ibang bansa!" The most stupid advertising idea embedded in tourism campaigns, or in our own culture. Why can't we just promote the country like it's the only beautiful place on earth?

I admit, I am fond of tackling social dilemma. Pinoy social dilemma at that. Call me anti-social, but there's fun in talking about why Pinoys behave this way or that way. This one, is one of the many Pinoy social dilemma that need to stop. When something that's happening doesn't make, Pinoys don't tend to support it, coz it doesn't make sense to them. Like saving, exercising, getting insurance or even the smallest act of being on time. How to end it? Play your part.

Crab Mentality, Crab Theory, Crabs in a Bucket, or Crab-Bucket Effect. Admit it, one way or another, you were part of this social dilemma. It is so dangerous of a social dilemma that we associate it with helpless crustaceans. That's how stupid this human behavior is. I mean, crabs don't deserve this association with them. But unlike crabs, we humans have a way of stopping this social problem.

Ted Lasso's a personal favorite. It came at the right time - when the pandemic was at its worst. The show is a feel good show, but it doesn't intentionally make itself one. It tries to make the characters suck at winning football games, Ted Lasso isn't born to coach a soccer team and that even the team owner hired him so she has someone to blame for the struggles of a losing team. What it doesn't do to make itself a feel good show it does well in terms of its quirkiness and wit. This episode will try to make you watch the show. Or play soccer. Or both.

This is a confession. I hope it's a good one. Not gonna convince you to watch 'em, but allow me to talk to myself and tell me/you that Client Eastwood shouldn't just be known as a Wild West Action Actor, but as a successful director as well. So successful that a number of films he directed are box office worldwide. Allow me as well to tell why Client Eastwood directed movies are soooooooo good.

It's an age-old dilemma - malas ka nga ba or swerte? Often, we think we are unlucky just because things in front of you are not to your own liking. Malas, ika nga, coz they happen the way you don't want them to happen. But often as well, we only get to see the malas when it happens coz we were too busy being happy when we were not malas. This episode tries to help you solve this age-old problem so that the next such things unfold, you either see it as a result of a mere choice or that it just has to happen out of the naturalness of life.

New Year, New Me! Charot. Syempre, new season of The Useless Podcast lang. Episode #19 is Episode Number 1 of Season 2! Yahoo! It's the issue of the year for this new year, the Donnalyn Bartolome issue. Shots fired, I would say, but some of the shots are victims of a phenomena that we have yet to fully understand - QUITE-QUITTING. So rather than debate about her comment, why can't we just dig deep into this and try to see if it can help us lessen the toxicity of the for and against.

Music Stamps - my own term when I want to refer to songs that make me remember an event in the past. Kind of like while you are washing dishes, mapapangiti ka na lang pag naalala mo something that happened before. Nostalgia. Reminiscing. Just going back in time. Call it anything. I simply consider them bookmarks of past events. You can have yours, too. Psychology says there's a good reason why you have to have them.

Have you ever had those moments of realization where you wanna do something yet find more reasons to not do it than the reasons for doing it? Most of the passions, dreams and endeavor we want happening in our lives have one showstopper - intentionality. From exercising, to learning how to play an instrument to just being good at something. The culprit is the person within. This episode teaches you - or so it claims - to finding the reason within.

Imagine this, for once - you wanna become good at something. Which would you prefer to have? Passion or skills? I know it sounds so elementary, but people tend to think being passionate is being skilled, or the other way around. This episode gets to tackle that one important balance to have to be good at something. And, just wanting it might not be enough.

We're all guilty of this at least once in our lives - that we are not healthy enough or that we don't exercise enough. Hectic schedules, pressures of life, not enough time to do other stuff other than the more important priorities - just some of the showstoppers we have. Would you rather do it now while you are still young than do it when you get old, when your katawang lupa will no longer allow you to do it? That's where the 5K run comes in. It doesn't ruin your hectic schedule. It is SO doable that you can do it right after work.

It's the biggest showstopper of any Filipino's dream, decision and aspiration in life. When people tend to factor in first the opinion of other people before doing something, that's where everything is ruined. The Filipino culture is sooooo dependent on impressions and opinions of people. Not exactly a bad thing this social dilemma, but it is the only consideration you have before starting an endeavor, then you have a big problem ahead of you.

It's the most underestimated hobby or profession. People want quality, yet they pay cheap. There is a reason why photography is expensive, and why you pay big to get the services of a professional photographer. And it is not just the fact that we have expensive equipment. A full frame camera can cost around 100K. That's just the tip of the iceberg. This episode gets to show you why you pay quality to get quality.

The day July 27 2022 is a day to remember. It's the day North Luzon experienced the strongest earthquake in the Philippines for 2022 or in most recent memories. What made it very scary and interesting at the same time is that unlike previous earthquakes where you only get one or two aftershocks, this one had hundreds in the same day; sources say they counted more or less five hundred. Bakit lumilindol is a question to ask. But rather than sound scientific, why don't we just explore what message it gives us when a disaster of this sort happens?

The 11th episode of this podcast and the second one in this 5-part mini-series Finding Your Passion in this Pandemic. Passion is a tricky one. You think you have, but sometimes you mistake income with passion. The Sales Industry or a sales job is an exciting endeavor to find that kind of passion that can help you achieve more. This episode talks about flexible time, variable income and more to find the right balance between doing what you need and finding time for what you want.

When we were younger, we were made to believe that to be successful in life, you need to follow this pattern - graduate from college, find a job and stay there for as long as you can. But we were not taught to create an imaginary safety net. A safety net is one that provides a buffer in case you run the risk of losing your main job. Don't worry, this isn't your fault or anyone's fault. It's how society was built and it was what society taught you. If there is a chance to do it again, would you have created a safety net? This is a MINI SERIES with five episodes to talk about how you can create this safety net and maximize the opportunities in front of you, without any fear of the unexpected.

The biggest dilemma in life is choosing between pursuing a high-paying job or going after a passion. As kids, we were made to believe we can be anyone. But as we grew older, we tend to weigh a good job based on the salary than on potential. This episode revisits the kid in all of us and see if we can get a job that can have both passion and payslip. Kaya nga bang pagsabayin? Let's explore.

Picture this: you are given two choices - to be on top of a tall mountain, you either climb it or get a rope and ask someone to pull you up. Same outcome, two different ways. Question is, will both be of the same equal gratification? Often we are faced with many things and tasks requiring us to either do it the hard way or the easy way. This episode tackles the routines we face and the choices we make. Note: there's a bit of grogginess in the voice due to migraine and a few Advil.

Being creative is a gift. To become creative is a talent. Not all of us are born creative, but we can become one. There are five crucial factors needed to get the squeezing started.

Loyalty to an idea. Loyalty to each other. Loyalty to our nation and culture. Our sense of nationalism isn't just about pledging and uttering it thru words. It's more than that. But if you think you need to be patriotic to be nationalistic, think again. No revolution of some sort needed, but there is definitely a need to reevaluate how we see it. Funnier part is that this argument becomes easier if it is a YES OR NO question. Are we Filipinos nationalistic? This episode will try to be cerebral, but in all honesty, gusto ko lang kausapin sarili ko.

If there is one thing that we care less but has a big impact on how we live our lives, it's this culture of nakasanayan. Things we do as human beings, as workers or as mere friends or acquaintances are avenues where this culture of nakasanayan manifests. Let's discuss how this can be either good or bad or both.

Unto my fourth episode of The Useless Podcast. I'm tackling a dilemma that cannot be considered a social dilemma yet but is looking like one. Dati, pag active ka in Social Media, you gain lots of acquaintances and friends. Now, it's becoming sort of avenue for faked ideas, faked identities and filtered faces. Pun intended on the filtered faces. It begs the question tuloy, may nakukuha pa ba tayong maganda when we are social media active.

May kasabihan - when we are happy we enjoy the song, but when we are sad we understand the lyrics. Our love for music isn't a shallow one. We weep with a sad song and we rejoice with a happy one. But what if the lyrics or the song is not what it seems? What if the songs you grew up listening to have more stories to tell? Ang episode na ito, ipapakita nito kung may kuwento nga ba sa likod ng mga sikat na kanta.