A Consequence of Adobe's Subscription Model?!

As I look at this video, I don't regret not opening an Adobe account. I used Adobe Photoshop back in college--back when I could borrow someone's CD and install it on my computer. However, paying thousands of PHP monthly is ridiculous for a casual user! Why would I pay thousands of PHP just to produce artwork that I'm not even selling? Back then, I used Photoshop mostly to relax during semestral breaks in college. What happened to the good old days?

As I listened to this video, I was disgusted at how Adobe could be a "Get Rich Quick Scheme" against its customers. Instead of selling Adobe Photoshop (or any service) outright (that's until the newer version arrives), they decide to use the subscription model. I could understand if Adobe offers a subscription model for intensive work that requires intensive power. Meanwhile, Adobe could offer a one-time purchase of any of its software for non-professional use.

This reminds me why relying on past successes isn't good (read here). Adobe had a long streak of success. Photoshop became the thing that could do much more than what MS Paint, couldn't do. Now, Adobe seems to act like it still owns the market. Why hasn't this disgusting policy changed? Do they think their past success is a license to this overly done blunder? Hmmmm... and honestly, I feel this may fall hard on their faces like the current Snow White movie by Disney.

A lesson that needs to be learned is that the free market will always have competition. Adobe needs to face that there may be more alternatives to their software coming out. Serif Ltd. created the Affinity trio namely Photo, Designer, and Publisher. There may be more alternatives that would be a one time purchase.

When the Education Cares TOO MUCH About Grades, Schools Produce Idiots Instead of Intellectuals

During the pandemic, I was left in limbo thinking about my poor performance under K+10. It was something to think about that a classmate of mine who was both a summa cum laude and an honor student, ended up posting on his wall, "Students cheat because the education system cares more about grades instead of learning." The class salutatorian of our batch even commented about the good old days. I always had that feeling of insecurity and envy towards people better than me. But as Warren Edward Buffet would say, "Don't hate successful people. Learn from them instead." One of them is currently a teacher and the other is in Canada. I thought about my insecurities especially when I used to believe I was descended from a fine scholar and my family was a family of scholars. I remembered the time I was taking MBA and got conned. I was asked, "Is that what MBA taught you?" I got touchy and ended up admitting, eventually, that I was only taking MBA for the presti...

Why I Feel "Play-to-Earn" Games are Too Good to be True

I've been running into ads that promise the "play to earn" games even before the pandemic. Some of them featured a game that all I needed was to merge this and that or pop bubbles and boom--I get money! I remembered finding ways to make money online and they encouraged gambling. There's always the rule of thumb in finances--if it's too good to be true then run from it. It reminds me of how I get irritated by those fake game ads and now these new fake game ads? It's already bad enough I was duped into downloading Gardenscape with the fake ads. Now, these fake ads are probably the worst offenders over mobile demos that irritate us with annoying display of stupidity. Any gamer who probably owned a Playstation 3 or an XBox 360 (or any seventh generation console) would remember having to buy credits to buy extra content. A buyer may have had to buy Playstation Points (or the like) to purchase additional content. Later, there's the pay to play online which a p...

The Lesson of "Bad Genius" is More Than Just "Cheating Never Pays Off"

Sometimes, much truth can be told in fiction, right? Talk about how the great Jose Rizal revealed much truth in his fictional novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo . The digital age today would create more entertaining media. I may encourage book reading over movie watching. However, some movies may do more than entertain. They can also address a real issue. It was said that a cheating scandal in China inspired the producers Jira Maligool and Vanridee Pongsittisak to create the film Bad Genius . Right now, there's even a TV series presumably because a movie can't always deliver the message one wants. How does the whole thing go? I was inspired to watch this film because of comments from a Facebook friend's post. The post also talked about how students cheat because the system cares more about grades than learning. As the world becomes more global, exposure to Thai cinema is definitely not surprising. Sure, one can talk about the South Korean wave or the increasin...

Bacolod Sugarcane's Industry and Its Massive Business Opportunity with Japanese and Taiwanese Investors

Trying the delicious Okinawa Milk Tea from ITealicious makes me think of the delicious Okinawa brown sugar. I thought about researching Okiwana brown sugar on how it's made. Certain details reveal why the Japanese product is used by certain milk tea establishments around the world. The method of making the Japanese brown sugar is described by Dore by LeTao as follows: Can you guess the origin of this Brown Sugar? Yes of course it is from Okinawa! It is from sugarcane that is grown in Okinawa. Okinawa is famous for their beautiful place, beach, and their longevity. It is well-known that Okinawa’s climate is perfect for sugar cane. W ith strong southern-island sunlight and minerals delivered by the ocean spray, make Okinawa perfect for growing healthy sugar cane ! Production begins with a healthy sugarcane crop then continues to a slow cooking technique to process the sugar cane juice (this method is referred to as kokuto). This method makes them healthier than the usual brown...

#ThrowbackThursdays: Recalling Filipino Monikers for Indian Food That I Ran Into Before

TripAdvisor I was thinking about how Cherry's the Spice won awards for the best Indian restaurant. So far, three branches have opened in total from its first place in Talamban, its second branch in Lapu-Lapu (which I believe will make good seafood masala), and the third branch in Busay. I remembered how difficult (at times) it can be to memorize foreign names. It becomes a simple solution among Filipinos to give monickers or nicknames to Indian food for easy reference. So far, some waiters and waitresses can easily get it unless there's a variation of a certain dish. These might be very common especially if the dishes can be "close to home". I still feel Cherry's the Spice similarity with Bicolano food might be why Filipino customers are so abundant there. Now let's get down to these dishes... Goat samosa from Bharat Spice Samosas were often referred to as empanadas. Samosa, like an empanada, is fried dough with filling. I've observed Filipino customers te...

How Pinyin Helped Chinese-Speaking Investors Get Their Business Permits Around the World

As summer hits, it's normal for me to want a cup of cold tea. One of the many things that could revive interest in Mandarin learning is not just Mandarin shows resurging on paid digital subscriptions. It's the rise of Taiwanese MNCs around the world. In my case, as a coffee and tea person, Taiwanese tea shops are practically my alternative to coffee shops, even if both tend to cost just as much (read why here ). After Chatime, I'm going to use Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea. You can see the use of Pinyin, English, and Chinese calligraphy. Taiwan may still teach zhuyin as part of its tradition. However, I believe that Pinyin is truly the bridge between Chinese speakers and non-Chinese speakers in this Asian century (read here ). I may have my criticism about the lack of tones in the Yi Fang. However, I could really appreciate how the use of Pinyin makes it easier to get a business permit. I find it stupid how we were still using zhuyin over pinyin to learn phonetics. These days, I...

Cherry's the Spice's Hyderabadi Style Cooking from the Heart

Sugbo.PH I remembered driving across Talamban sometime before the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the restaurants that caught my curiosity was called The Spice or Cherry's the Spice. The letter "i" is shaped like chili to give you this note that the restaurant is targeted towards people who enjoy spicy food. Yet, it has become very popular among Filipino customers. Cherry's the Spice was another one I was curious about but not ready to anticipate the different regions of cooking. It's pretty much cooking in Region V - Bicol Region is different from Region VII - Visayas. This restaurant had a cottage-like feel. This restaurant has won the best Indian restaurant award from Sunstar Cebu . TripAdvisor The type of food here is similar yet different to Bollywood. Bollywood is pretty much North Indian for most of its cuisine. Cherry's the Spice focuses on Hyderabad-style cooking which I compare to the Bicol region. If I'm not wrong, some of its food has fresh coconu...

Weakened PHP and Why Economic Cha-Cha Regarding FDI Restrictions is URGENT

Dubai OFW The recent peso devaluation had happened in 12 years . Should it be a call for panic? It was a few days ago and I feel I didn't want to blog about it immediately. As said, I'm no financial adviser or the like--I'm just another guy who's writing on the Internet to help spread the knowledge of others. The current USD-PHP exchange rate is PHP 54.265 which makes me think about inflation. I feel like it might be time to evaluate car-buying policies in order to reduce traffic and how no garage-no car policy should be implemented. I checked Singapore's gas prices and they're even more expensive. I think it would be more ideal to take public transportation in Singapore than to own a car. That's why I believe people need to learn to ride public transportation. Some entrepreneurs ride the jeepney or bus (when needed) without being ashamed about it. Powerful economies with currencies weaker than the PHP Before panicking--I think it would be good to take a lo...

I Believe Social Media Gossip is Why Some Enter into Cryptocurrency

It would be interesting to think about how people got into cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. I watched the documentary Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King on Netflix, (read the review here ). The documentary really showed this one fact--social media gossipers make poor financial advisors (read here ). The trend to join stuff like the Quadriga-CX scam or how Ruja Ignatova (who's still missing and probably still alive) got a huge following. BBC News also shows how Ignatova's Bitcoin following was developed by social media gossip : Why have so many people continued to believe in OneCoin, despite all the evidence? Investors often told us that what drew them in initially was the fear that they would miss out on the next big thing. They'd read, with envy, the stories of people striking gold with Bitcoin and thought OneCoin was a second chance. Many were struck by the personality and persuasiveness of the "visionary" Dr Ruja. Investors might not have understood the...

You're Complaining About PHP Devaluation But Do You Know Some Asian Powerhouses Have WEAKER Currency?

Social media comments can be very toxic, aren't they? Sure, I didn't vote for Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. However, I can't blame him for anything beyond his control. The late former Philippine president, Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III, had nothing to do with the prices of gasoline being lower. Neither does former Philippine president, Rodrigo R. Duterte, have anything to do with the prices of gasoline. We find that the US Dollar (USD) is definitely getting stronger in proportion to the Philippine peso (PHP). Yes, it could reach up to PHP 60.00 or even higher. I remembered experiencing this during the time of former Philippine president, Joseph M. Ejercito aka Joseph Estrada . I really blamed Estrada back then for it even when it wasn't his fault either. People can start panicking over the devaluation of the PHP. There are plenty of crude comments on Facebook I wouldn't bother screenshotting them all. Instead, I decided to finally write this economi...

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