The Irony of Complaining About Expensive Onions While Overspending on Unnecessary Stuff

It's already a new year and I want to harshly greet people with a lot of debts a "Happy New Year" (read here). I'd like to write this one because of this cartoon from The Manila Times emphasizes the irony of the situation. Last Christmas season, I raised the issue of whining about inflation because of the need for lavish celebrations (read here). What do you expect from people whose spending is poorly prioritized? If you're living paycheck to paycheck then why are you wasting the paycheck? That's the question that I can irritatingly ask because of how payday traffic can be so bad. The check arrives? They shout, "YEHEY!" They start to spend here and there, and if they can't afford it, they add credit to credit!

Why do you think they're complaining about the prices of onions? The cartoon from The Manila Times would reflect the irony. The person may have been too busy buying stuff that they don't need now (like I don't need the latest iPhone or video game console), buying luxury brands, and spending for the sake of it. It's like during payday when some people decide to do a barkada (peer) blowout at a very pricey place. I can't determine the prices of the items since I hardly buy designer clothes.

What I could assume is that the person who was crying, "Ang mahal ng sibuyas!!!" ("The onions are so expensive!!!") isn't complaining about the price per se. I think the person has run out of money from buying all the unnecessary stuff. In short, by the time the person remembers he has to buy onions, he has no more money to buy onions. The cost of onions at PHP 600.00 per kilo wouldn't be so bad if the person forgone buying all the unnecessary stuff first.

I guess all the whining that happened last Christmas was because of an overspending lifestyle. The paycheck arrives and they waste the money on what they don't need. By the time they need to buy onions, they end up realizing, "I have no money to buy onions anymore!" That's why they end up whining about onions being expensive. What may even be funnier if such people are also against importation of agricultural products during times of shortage (read here).

Wanting Wealth WITHOUT Financial Discipline

Many people want to be rich, but not so many people want the discipline on how to be rich. Isn't that the plain hard truth ? As I do this sideline blog , I contemplated whether I should write another post after writing several posts years back, or when I wrote about Venezuela as a cautionary tale . Back on topic, I thought about how financial discipline is something often overlooked. It's easy to talk about Christmas since that's probably the most wonderful time of the year to be spendthrift , only to find out that one's broke by the New Year . The cycle of reckless financial habits tends to restart in January, even when January becomes that time of reckoning between debtors and creditors! January 2026 will end, February 2026 comes, and then the cycle of financial recklessness continues. It's the same cycle over and over! Last Christmas, I remember how DTI Secretary Christina Roque spoke about the PHP 500.00 noche buena, for a family of four . I called it tactless b...

The Philippines will NEVER Get Richer by Blaming Its Richer Asian Neighbors

Gemini AI Updated: September 27, 2025 It would be nice to talk about the typical blame game in the Philippines. I could remember that, as a child and a teenager, I had this habit of blaming people I disliked for my failing an exam. The reasons are mostly imagined. What I remembered in my later college years was when I met a couple of super irresponsible students. They had this attitude to say something like, "My parents don't care if it'll take me 20 years to finish my bachelor's degree." Some people even say something like, "It's the fault of the rich that we are poor." It was a backfire when I told such people, "Isn't it any wonder why your finances are down? It's because your parents don't even value the money when they don't care if it'll take up to 20 years to finish college!" Understanding the blame game and why it feels so good Psychology Today presents this on why some people will always blame others . These fin...

Venezuela as a Cautionary Tale on #SahodItaasPresyoIbaba, Nationalistic Pride, Welfare State Economics

The Sunday Guardian Years ago, I wrote about Venezuela's pride and protectionism , under a more "formal" style of writing compared to my latest posts. I decided to use an even "less formal" and "less academic" tone since I'm not writing a term paper. Instead, it's like how a professor and a student discuss the thesis using first person over third person, using contractions, etc., while the thesis doesn't use such tones. Back on track, I thought about the arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro can spark debate. Was it a violation of sovereignty? I'm no expert on international law. However, Venezuelans can be seen celebrating Maduro's arrest. Right now, I'm using Gemini AI and Google search to help me find some sources for this blog. It's because I don't want my blog to become another gossip central, but a place to discuss facts with my own personal opinions (making sure they don't derail the facts). I used Venezuela ...

Helping Others is Good But Not to One's Own Expense

I advocate for helping others. I believe in helping others but there were times I overdid it. One time, I gave up so much that I had to be stopped. I was told, "If you gave everything now, how can you help others later?" I would donate some sums here and there, without thinking much. I'm not going to write them all. Some of them left me good while others left a bad taste (and a bad record) for me to endure. Sure, I want to help people but I tend to overlook the consequences. Some of the bad habits I had in the name of helping others are like: Being too generous with buying with credit. Eventually, I lost a lot of money which was never recovered . Some seasoned entrepreneurs may admit their own falls including the credit trap pitfall. Being too willing to give a discount without thinking about how it'd affect profits. Sure, a cheap price can draw people near. However, there are times when the prices of goods and services need to be raised to keep a business running. I ...

Hussam Middle Eastern Restaurant: A Trip Into Authentic Syrian Cuisine At Ayala Center Cebu

The last time I ate at a Hussam Middle Eastern Restaurant branch last year, I couldn't give a good assessment. I haven't been to Hussam's main branch at Il Corso, so I didn't formally meet its owner, Hussam Alfakeh Alkourdi. The branch I ate was in Ayala Center Cebu instead. This is the interior of the restaurant. Ayala Center Cebu has Persian Palate on the third floor, above Timezone. Hussam is near one of the entrances of Ayala Center Cebu--near a Chinese restaurant. Persian Palate was my entry point to Middle Eastern cuisine. Hussam serves authentic Syrian food. There are dishes similar to those from the Persian Palate. They serve Syrian bread, different from my favorite Pita bread served at Shawarma Gourmet (read my review here ), a Lebanese restaurant. So far, I tried their mixed meat platter with Syrian bread. My second dish there was actually baked Arabic rice with grilled beef kebab. I love their tomato sauce (which I mistook for ginger sauce) and garlic sauc...

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