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A Careless Noche Buena as the Red Death to One's Holiday Finances

It's the first day of December. Right now, I don't even feel like celebrating Christmas. Cebu is still in a state of calamity overall. I don't even look forward to Christmas parties. I'm glad some churches have canceled Christmas parties, to divert the fundraising (such as paying PHP 500.00 per head or family) to convert them into relief goods purchases instead. However, some people can have a callous mentality that's akin to the Masque of the Red Death . Boomers may have tried seeing the film Masque of the Red Death starring the late Vincent Price. The story of the Masque of the Red Death had Prospero trying to deny the terrible plague called the Red Death, choosing to hold a lavish feast instead of helping his citizens! Lessandra The typical  Noche Buena can be high in cholesterol and the like. As I thought of DTI Secretary Christina Roque's rather tactless (but probably badly needed) statement that PHP 500.00 is enough for a Noche Buena of a family of four. T...
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Having the BADLY NEEDED Tenacity to Hold My PSEi Related Investments During INEVITABLE Paper Losses

I decided to do a portfolio review, especially because Christmas to New Year is around the corner . I thought about checking my AXA Chinese Tycoon Fund. For the sake of confidentiality , I wouldn't give out the exact loss. I was tempted to sell my AXA Chinese Tycoon Fund (which was at a paper loss , not an actual loss) and go for cryptocurrency . However, after looking at the ghost of Quadriga-CX Crypto Scam  made I said, "I need to stick to what Warren Buffett said about the stock market." Buffett's advice doesn't require an MBA or even a PhD in business administration to understand them. Instead, I was looking at these lessons that Buffett such as: If I'm not willing to open to own a stock for 10 minutes, I shouldn't think of owning it for ten years! Definitely no day trading for me! The stock market is a device that transfers money from impatient people to patient people. I have to be more patient as the stock market inevitably corrects itself, unless t...
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External Validations, like Masters and Doctorate, Mean NOTHING with a LOUSY Education System

I have the tendency to use my MBA as a license to avoid criticism. It's a real problem that some people use their credentials and/or academic achievements to try and win an argument. One incident I wrote about was Rep. Raoul Abellar Manuel flexing his "smarts" by using his cum laude degree to win the argument . It was all about how I would often say, "You're the moron because I have the MBA and you don't." There are times I felt like taking an MBA would make up for my "moral shortcomings" during high school when I was barely passing (and the passing rate was 80% , which is rather high), that I wasn't having honors, and that there was this saying, " Thou grades shalt determine thy future! " That, of course, has led to the reality where cheating is prevalent .  I wanted to make a review. I took my MBA in 2011 and graduated in 2014. I always felt that the MBA program was what I needed to become "invincible". It was also at ...
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Unpopular Opinion: DTI Secretary Cristina's PHP 500.00 Noche Buena Remark May be an Overdue Christmas Eye Opener

I expect people to backlash on me. However, I feel I need to publish this harsh opinion. Maybe, DTI Secretary Crisina Aldeguer-Roque failed to do some necessary steps . For one, the term Noche Buena means "Good Night". One could ask, "What's for Noche Buena?" I have seen some people post the simpleng handaan as "Noche Buena" on Facebook. Somebody could say, "We bought hanging rice, grilled pork belly, and made a vegetable salad for greens." Perhaps the person only spent PHP 500.00 for the noche buena, given that the vegetables were based on availability from the time one went to the grocery.  As I read through the November 29, 2025, update  (written by John Eric Mendoza, Krixia Subingsubing, Logan Kal-El M. Zapanta), I noticed some violent reactions are from anti-reform people like the IBON Foundation and Kilusang Mayo Uno : Sonny Africa, executive director of economic watchdog Ibon Foundation , believes that even the agency knows it’s not re...
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Don't Complain About the PHP 500.00 Noche Buena Remark While Supporting the Filipino First Policy

It's that stupid  when I read the remarks of DTI secretary Cristina Roque made a really tactless remark . Sure, the remark had people angry because, in reality, the whole noche buena at PHP 500.00 for a family of four will not match, given these ingredients: ham, P170 to P945; fruit cocktail, P61.76 to P94.41; all-purpose cream, P36.00 to P72; “nata de coco,” P52.50 to P62.50; “kaong,” P76.50 to P84; “queso de bola,” P210 to P470; cheese, P16.50 to P310; and mayonnaise, P20.40 to P245.85. /dda As I read through the list above, I'm reminded of how much I don't like December because it's the season of abounding toxic positivity . The song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is in full blast, even after Andy Williams died of old age in 2012 . I tend to drive the road and when traffic hits, I always think about the problem of last-minute Christmas shopping , and scream it, "Isn't it any wonder why the Philippines doesn't improve?" It...
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Alice Guo's Conviction Should NEVER be a Call to Shut Down Constitutional Reform

The Alice Guo saga seems to have come to an end, right? That's, unless of course something happens and she escapes again. This always made me laugh when I realized that, as I was writing my articles, I came across a Vietnamese girl named Ha Thi Thu Trang, aka Ha Trang, who resembles Alice. Right now, Ha Trang could come to the Philippines for a vacation and not get mistaken for the same person. Back on the topic, I would like to point out that I actually wrote a post on whether or not using Alice's controversy should be a call to shut down constitutional reform . Alice's now in jail, what's next?! I would like to let people know in advance, I'm not here to demolish Senator Maria Theresa "Risa" Baraquel-Hontiveros' efforts in getting Alice arrested. In fact, I feel grateful (in part) that Risa managed to expose Alice's lies, along with Senator Sherwin "Win" Ting Gatchalian in exposing Alice's dubious records. However, I'm going to...
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Teaching About Jobs and Profession in Mandarin Chinese

For Chinese language courses, one of the best ways to teach basic HSK-1-3 Chinese is by introducing jobs and professions in Standard Chinese (華語). One may remember the Sesame Street song,"Who are the people in your neighborhood" song. The exercises should be done with vocabulary (matching up the Chinese to English), followed by sample conversations (question and answer). For example: Question:"接待員的工作內容是什麼?"(Jiēdài yuán de gōngzuò nèiróng shì shénme?) Translation: "What is the job of a receptionist?" Answer:"前台接待員的工作是預訂房間和查詢空房狀況."(Qiántái jiēdài yuán de gōngzuò shì yùdìng fángjiān hé cháxún kōngfáng zhuàngkuàng.) Translation: "The job of the receptionist is to make reservations and check for availability." My sample conversation is probably too long, and may fit the HSK-3 level instead. However, one may look for shorter answers then give longer answers progressively. 
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