Author: larswrites

A frugal wanderer. Agriculturist. Lover of life and people. Adventure seeker. A typical human being who tries to live a healthy life and is occasionally lost in time and space.

My budget-friendly watch collection

The first watch I remember having was a pink Baby-G that my mom gave me when I was 7 yo but lost in a typhoon. And, I guess that when I started liking wearing one. It took me some years before I finally had money from my own pocket to buy a decent one. Can you guess which one?

Above is the image with all my watches. I do not have a high-end watch yet because I cannot afford one. LOL. They are all below $200, and the most expensive and treasured one in this collection is the big automatic SEIKO. Let me list from the one closest to my hand down my arm:

1. Citizen Women’s Watch

I could not find the model number. LOL. But this is originally my mom’s. She bought one for me and one for her. Mine had already broken, and then she gave me hers. To date this has been with us since 2008.

Years with me: 16

Size: 20 mm

Pros: Durability. Versatility. No battery needed.

Cons: Not waterproof. You have to wear it often so you keep it running well.

Price (in Ebay): $100-200

2. Timex Indiglo

The second-hand second mid-brand watch I bought with my own money. I love the leather wristband that makes it versatile in a formal or casual outfit. Bought this a year after I graduated from my undergrad online for $35.

Years with me: 10

Size: 21 mm

Pros: Versatility. Light feature of Indiglo when you are in a very dark place.

Cons: Not easy to find leather band. Not waterproof. Needs battery every 3-5 yrs.

Price (in Ebay): $22-50

3. Seiko Women (SWR053)

My recent buy. Got this one month ago because of the Cartier Tank that slapped me in the face that I cannot afford it. HAHA. This is the perfect alternative, and it costs only a fraction of the Cartier. So elegant and classy. You can wear it in a dress or even in jeans.

Month/s with me: 1

Size: 18 mm

Pros: Versatility. Very light weight. Dupe of Cartier Tank without breaking the bank.

Cons: Needs break-in for the leather part. Requires battery.

Price (in Jomashop): $109

4. Fossil (f2)

My most used and had the highest ROI. My first watch to buy with my own money before graduating from my undergrad. I used this everyday. Got this wet while washing the dishes and I even accidentally wet this in the shower and in the beach but still working perfectly fine!

Years with me: 12

Size: 19 mm

Pros: Versatility. Duarability.

Cons: Needs battery. The gold tone will fade if it always gets wet.

Price (in Ebay): $35-50

5. Seiko Automatic Silver Dial Men’s Watch (SNKL57)

This is my favorite and treasured watch in my budget-friendly collection, you are right! It is given to me by my late father. Very versatile boyfriend watch from casual to dressing up!

Years with me: 7

Size: 38 mm

Pros: Does not need a battery. Versatile. Water resistant.

Cons: If you are not using it for some time, you have to wind it a bit again to make it work again.

Price (in Jomashop): $129

6. Casio BGD140-1A Women’s Baby-G Black

Because I miss my Baby G watch I had when I was a kid and I lost my Timex IRONMAN (which I highly recommend because it is very durable and not very big for the wrist compared to this Baby-G), I had an excuse tp buy this one. Used it in all the harsh weather locations.

Year/s with me: 1

Size: 42 mm

Pros: Very durable in the snowy, hot, and rainy conditions. Has light for dark settings.

Cons: Very dark dial so it is difficult to see the time. Difficult to clean. Needs battery.

Price: $70-100

7. Daniel Wellington Classic Sheffield

There was a year that this watch was very popular and as a bandwagoner, I had to get one. LOL. It was a good buy. Brought this in my very first trip abroad in 2018 and it served me well in all my outfits.

Years with me: 6

Size: 36 mm

Pros: Durable. Versatile with different outfits despite the size.

Cons: Leather band needs breaking in. Needs battery every 3-4 yrs.

Price (on the site): $199

8. (Not in the photo) Apple Watch Series 3 38 mm

I am not a big fan of digital watch and was not planning to get one til I found this one with the perfect size and did not break my bank (bought this second hand for $87). It helped me get back to my exercise habit but still I will not buy this brand new unless gifted to me. LOL.

Years with me: 2.5

Size:38 mm

Pros: Water resistant. Easy to charge. Reduces time to use phone.

Cons: Needs charging everyday.

That’s it! Over the years, I had several other watches, midbrands, unbranded ones, and a Swatch that was gifted to me and lasted for 3 years. I learned that investing in a quality watch pays in the long run, especially if you wear a watch everyday. A quality watch does not always equate to breaking the bank. Yes, I cannot afford a ten grand watch but each mid-brand watch I have had served me well for years, and most of them are still serving me during formal or casual days.

English names of the vegetables mentioned in the “Bahay Kubo” song

My most viewed entry in my blog has always been the scientific names in the song “Bahay Kubo.” Recently, a new segment on Showtime, “Throwbox”, asked for the English name of sigarilyas, which I agree is difficult, especially for vegetables we do not commonly consume. So, here is my entry to learn the English name/s of the vegetables in the song Bahay Kubo.

Lyrics

Bahay-kubo, kahit munti
Ang halaman doon ay sari-sari
Singkamas (Jícama, Mexican yam bean, Mexican turnip, or Spanish jícama) at talong (Eggplant, aubergine)
Sigarilyas (Winged bean) at mani (Peanut)
Sitaw (String bean), bataw (Hyacinth beans), patani (Lima beans)

Kundol (Wax gourd, white gourd, winter gourd, winter melon), patola (Sponge gourd, silk squash), upo’t (Bottle gourd) kalabasa (Pumpkin, squash)
At tsaka mayro’n pang
Labanos (Radish), mustasa (Mustard leaves)
Sibuyas (Onion), kamatis (Tomato), bawang (Garlic) at luya (Ginger)
Sa paligid-ligid ay puno ng linga (Sesame)

——

The vegetables in the lyrics are rich in nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, and antibacterial properties. Eat veggies to strengthen your immune system.

Jalapeño poppers recipe – my take

I just had yummy jalapeño poppers from Pal’s brewery and my friend’s dad’s house. But back in the Philippines, we do not usually cook this, so I looked into recipes. The easiest recipe I found involved stuffing the jalapeño with cream cheese, wrapping it in bacon, and baking it. And as a self-acclaimed innovator, I did mine with a little twist. Can you guess what I did differently?

I love bacon, but it is not very healthy, so I vowed not to eat it unless it was free or part of a recipe from a restaurant’s menu. So, my jalapeño poppers had spam instead (free from the university pantry), plus I added ground meat and topped it with shredded cheese.

Ingredients:

1 bar of cream cheese

6 pcs jalapeño

1 cup ground meat sauteed in 1 tbsp oil with 1 tbsp garlic and a quarter of onion (optional)

12 thin strips of spam

1 cup shredded cheese (optional)

Procedure:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425F.

2. Slice each jalapeño into half, giving you 12 halves of it. Remove the middle part and all the seeds.

3. Fill the middle part of each half jalapeño with cream cheese and ground meat (optional).

4. Top it with cheddar cheese and a thin slice of spam.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Note: if you do not like it very spicy, you can opt to use small bell peppers instead of jalapeño.

Random thoughts I do not want to forget

#1 What if a multiverse is HERE? On this very planet that we live in. What if it is in the context of the lives of different people? Maybe each of us is a world, and the collection of us is the multiverse. And, what if the life you have imagined for yourself from another Earth is just a life being lived by someone else here? What if each of us is a universe and together we create the multiverse?

#2 You are not lucky. You are kind. It is not easy to be kind. The world is cruel, but the world knows how to reward people’s kindness. If respect begets respect, I guess kindness begets goodness in life. When things go easily your way, we feel like we are lucky, but this luck is a gift for your kind soul. Always choose to be kind. It will later be rewarded, and if not, being kind is something you will never regret choosing.

#3 When your heart desires something, do not stop it. Do not forget it. Let it scream what it wants. Do what is now, but never brush off your heart’s desires. Keep it. Work for it. The universe does not only hear. It listens carefully. The universe does not only see. It keenly observes. So, when you suddenly have something that seems impossible to achieve, write it and plant it in your heart until it reaches your soul. It will be exuded out. It will create a way to meet and ask the universe. And when the generous universe meets it, know that it will granted. Be more specific when asking something. Get the details on paper, and engraved in your heart and soul.

#4 Just keep working on your goals and give your best. If you are hurting now it is ok. Keep going. We can cry, feel, and grieve later. But we should not stop putting our life on hold. The clock is ticking. It will not stop for you. Keep the faith. You have been in this situation before and we will survive this again stronger and wiser.

#5 To the girl who owns this page: you fell in love with science in highschool specifically plant science. Look at you, still doing it even when you are always in doubt whether you are on the right track. I hope you find your way of getting to your full potential deeply happy and sacrificing knowing that bigger rewards await.

HabitQuest: using Duolingo as a model to create a habit

If you ever came across with one of my posts about how I always break my habit of learning a new language through Duolingo after 90 days of streak, then, I am glad to say that I am on my 420-day streak! Woohoo! *insert confetti here* it was not easy but I am seeing a strategy of how I can build new good habits through what that platform is doing.

Here are some strategies that I would like test with:

1. No more than 2-days of not doing the habit.

In Duolingo, you usually have two freeze power for any two days you did not do the lesson for some reason that you usually made *ouch* and I am guilty with that. This is about that principle of not doing any habit for more than 2 days will cause you to lose that habit. So, I will try not to idle my habit for 2 days.

2. Allocating even 2 minutes of your time on doing that habit.

Each lesson in Duolingo if you chose the correct level of your literacy will not take more than 2 minutes of your time. It looks like the combination of the 2-minute rule and accumulation of small things consistently resulting to greater achievement. Because, usually, the most difficult thing about building a good habit is starting it and being consistent on doing that specific habit.

3. Do the habit everyday before midnight as much as possible.

We all have 24 hours in our day. Imagine that you are Cinderella trying to beat that 12mn deadline for that habit but the difference would be Cinderella’s stuff go back to their original form but you will not if you will allocate some time before you sleep for that habit. In Duolingo, you have until midnight to do the lesson everyday so why not do it in that new habit?

4. Find a way to see your progress.

It is easy to imagine that you have been doing the habit for 10 consecutive days but tracking it will hit differently. Duolingo will shade the days that you did your lessons and notify you of your streak which for me was rewarding. Writing your progress is empowering so whether it is weekly, or yearly in digital or physical form, track it. Document your progress and be empowered.

5. It is now or never, stop making excuses.

When you start your journey of learning a language in Duolingo, in the first few days your brain will trick you by telling you to go back to your old habit by telling you several excuses like ‘I am too busy to get a lesson today’ or ‘I will just restart tomorrow but then again, 2-3 minutes of your time will not take your half day and tomorrow is not promised.

6. If you lose your streak, go back and prove that you are worthy to pick up where you left off.

Before I got into my 420-day streak in Duolingo, I went through #5 – making up excuses or always telling myself that I will do it later until I get to several days of not doing a lesson and losing my 200+ days streak but the app allowed me to get back that streak by doing a long lesson which I did but I do not recommend getting to this point especially with habits.

7. Repeat 1-5 and try your best to not go back to #6.

Once you get the boat starting, you will just keep sailing. At this point, it is easy for me to get my phone and do a lesson in Duolingo everyday and feels like something is missing in my day if I do not. Building a habit is like getting out of an addiction. It takes blood and sweat. It does not happen overnight. It is a result of a cumulative and consistent effort going back and forth from tactic #1 to #5.

Omaha Zoo 2024

I have visited Omaha Zoo thrice and it still amazes me how beautiful and diverse the animals in this zoo – from reptiles to nocturnal animals from across the world will leave you in awe.

The cost of the ticket for adults (ages 12 and above) is $31.95. Because I grew up in a low-cost country, this price is too expensive for a zoo entrance fee. But, then, remember that this is in the US, particularly in Nebraska so it is for me relatively cheaper if compared to other high-cost of living states. If you visit Omaha, Nebraska by any chance and have a day or even half of a day, you will need to go to this zoo!

The best part of the zoo for me is the aquarium and butterfly house. But, then, I love the ocean and butterflies so this is bias. LOL. You can also get to touch the stingrays by paying an extra $5.

If you do not like the heat, although you will see more animals, do not go during the peak of summer season because it may be very very hot. But if you do not mind, you will get to witness more animals especially those that like heat. But, I will highly recommend early spring or early autumn. The chilly weather makes it enjoyable to walk around. Close to Christmas time, although very cold, they have this light shows at night that is very entertaining (but you have to buy a different ticket for this).

I do not want to spoil you if you bumped into this post but below are glimpses of the zoo:

Say hi to Patrick star!

Fly! Fly! Fly! Like a butterfly!

Flamin’ flamingo.

You can bring food and drinks inside. There are also stalls that sell food and ice cream that get very very busy during lunch time and you will have to wait in line for 10-20 minutes so make sure to plan your day well.

Kidney for sale – the saddest sale

“Wow! May bago syang iphone! San mo binenta bato mo?” (“Wow! You have a new iphone! Where did you sell your kidney?”). It used to be a joke amongst us friends 10 yrs ago and I thought it will remain as joke until I saw the latest story of KMJS, it made me sad that it is no longer a joke. Kids sell one of their kidneys for the purpose of buying material things like an iphone or motorbike.

If you are someone desperate for money, selling your kidney is so attractive when they promise and show you an instant $3500. And we cannot blame these people. Most of them are in dire need for money and need instant money, or unaware of other ways to get what they want, or kids not having proper guidance.

I hope people considering to trade their kidneys for money would think 1000x times and eventually realize that money although not easy to earn can be earned with work but losing a kidney is something you will never earn again once lost.

Mostly people in the poverty line give in to this kind of deals. And it is sad. But, can we blame them when they have an empty stomach calling them to grab that instant money? Or, when they want to go to school and that’s the only way for them to pay the tuition fees? Or, when they only want their loved ones to get attended in a hospital but have to pay an enormous amount and got into a huge debt?

Poverty is tough. Aside from chronic hunger you will experience, it also will encapsulate you in a metaphorical bubble where you rarely see hope and just keep faith to the supreme being – a life that is thought to be lived with no choice. This bubble is stronger especially if it has been generations of being poor. It feels like a never-ending cycle and you would end up doing things like selling a kidney to get instant money to feed your starving family or get that iPhone that you thought unattainable unless you sell your kidney.

It is not easy to escape the cycle of poverty especially if you grew up in this bubble and no one could enlighten you unless you found a way to enlighten yourself and get out of this bubble.

Being poor is tiring. I wasn’t the poorest of the poor but I had the glimpse of it. I experienced it but not to the extreme level. But, the thought of selling my kidney never occurred to me. Having only one kidney is scary and here is why: my tatay had chronic kidney disease brought by diabetes and hypertension. He did dialysis 2-3x a week. And it was tiring to the patient’s body and emptied our bank. It felt endless of working but not getting what I want because we have to prioritize the hospital bills. Back then, although tiring, I did not care about my money spent on my tatay’s medication. I only cared for tatay to heal or prolong his life. Our family got into a huge debt that seemed impossible to pay for me. And this was not true. I realized money will come and go and you will eventually pay all of your debts but your health once gone will never come again.

So, I hope if you are thinking of selling your kidney, consider other legal options to get money. Be very scared of having just one kidney. And please, do not sell your kidney for the sake of getting an iPhone! You can have this eventually without sacrificing your health. It took me 7yrs for me to get a second-hand, base model iPhone 6S locked to a network and 10yrs to get out of debt due to hospital bills.

Just keep working on yourself and your goals and keep those kidneys of yours healthy.

What if we don’t really die?

What if we don’t really die?

What if we just sleep on our deathbed and then wake up as a newborn baby in another family?

What if there is no hell or heaven?

Or maybe hell is like being born into the poorest community where you can barely eat for a day?

And maybe heaven is being born into the richest family?

What if what we do on Earth in a single lifetime will make or break our next life?

When they said no one can choose the family we are born with, maybe somehow, we can.

Maybe our life’s decisions now decide how our next life will become.

It is difficult not to speculate these things when you want to see the world fair for everyone.

Maybe the world is not unfair.

Maybe the world is round because each life is a cycle and, in each cycle, we always have a choice.

We get to have a rich family, do bad things, die, and be born again in the worst conditions.

And then be good, die, and be born again into an unproblematic, happy, and well-off family.

Because if that’s not the case, heaven and hell (if they exist) will be full of souls.

Heaven not having a problem and hell having all troubles sound boring.

Imagine your life not having a problem or having endless struggles.

It looked like doing the same thing over and over either way.

This life on Earth seems more interesting, you decide what your day will be.

Those decisions impact others and so our lives now and in the future.

I used to believe that we would become stars at night shining brightly if we lived wisely.

But I guess we are just souls traveling from one life to another.

So, make it the best life for your next life to have the best life.

2 Great life lessons I learned in the past 3 years

The past three years have been life changing for me. I had a chill and relaxed life for the past 2 decades of my life and a single step I made to get outside my comfort zone changed my life.

Here are the 2 main lessons in life I would cherish for the rest of my life that the past three years had taught me:

1. Just say yes even if you’re scared or unsure.

When opportunity arrives grab it. I hope it would be a success for you but do not worry, if you fail it will give you an experience you won’t know if you did not take that chance. Expect to fail but you should expect to grow as well. Please do that thing that you are most scared and you won’t regret whatever would be the result of this.

2. Change is not achievable overnight.

I have been stagnant for years and it became a habit and eventually a bad routine. You would notice in my past posts that I was trying to change this bad routine into a better one but it was not easy and I couldn’t change overnight. It takes time to change but acknowledging that we need to change into better person is a good start. We just need to be kind to yourself and work everyday to be the person your future self would thank you.

Everyday is an opportunity to learn and I hope we see this each time we get to wake up the next day and let this create good growth in us.

I got scammed: 5 telltale signs it is a scam (that I missed)

I got scammed thrice and the biggest amount was in 2020 that amounted to PhP 12,500.00 ($250). I repeat, THRICE! The first one was PhP 8000 ($160) but not really a scam but an insurance I was forced to get while the other one was an online purchase of PhP 3250 ($65) but I got it back so not too painful for the other two.

So, here’s my most heartbreaking scam story. The scammer introduced herself as Jo Ann. These scammers steal identities of real good people so be careful on that part when accusing someone.

1. The offer is too good to be true.

I wanted a Samsung Note which was being sold for PhP25-30K ($500-600) second hand at that time. I have been buying from this website (OLX now Carousell) for so long even online and was never scammed that when I saw this posting of this phone at PhP12.5K, I was like…OMG! I found a good deal, I would save half the price! And it was too good to be true but I gave in!

    2. They will try to build your trust.

    I texted the seller shown on the screenshot. She told me she was studying medicine in the one of the most prestigious universities for medical students in the Philippine. She used kind words and even added me on Facebook. I saw that she has 2000 friends and had been to several medical missions and there she gained my trust. She even sent me IMEI of the phone and it was searchable!

    3. They do not want to do a meet up.

    But, the amount was too big for me not to do a meet up. So, I asked her if we can meet even at her place if she was too busy. But, she said she was on a medical mission far away and the phone was with her so she will just ship it. And, because she gained my full trust already, I said yes. At this point I still didn’t have any clue that this was a scam.

    4. It uses urgency tactic.

    I was so happy I found a good deal for the phone of my dreams. The scammer messaged me that she was packing the phone already but would want to get the payment first. She told me that the medical mission would move to another island with no connection nor a shipping courier so she said if I can send the payment. Of course, it was a very good deal I couldn’t afford to lose so I gave in again to the urgency. She sent me the details where I would send the money. And a photo of the shipping label on the “box of the phone”. And that was the beginning of a mistake. I sent the money — PhP 12,500! Half of my one month’s salary!

    5. You will be blocked after the transaction.

    I sent the money and then she told me she will ship it immediately. I was so happy and looking forward to that parcel that never came. The next day, I messaged her asking if she already sent the package and she never replied and I couldn’t access her Facebook account which apparently because I got blocked. And, it dawned me, I got scammed.

    Our family was financially struggling at that time and I cried for a month for being so stupid. I couldn’t talk about it and I just let myself feel what I was supposed to feel.

    If you are going through this, I am telling you, it will be ok soon. You may feel dumb at that moment and it is completely normal. You are not dumb, you just got blinded. And in time, your heart will heal and the universe will give you double if not triple of what you lost. And I hope that the lesson you learned from this experience will make you wiser and not fall again into the scam trap.

    Forgive yourself. This is out of your control now. Focus on what you have control over with.

    These days, there’s a lot of scamming technique I am just witnessing from other people like:

    • pretending your bank is calling you to access your details, never give your bank details especially the three digit number at the back of your card.
    • text message that you won and you have to click the link to give your details.
    • a message that your parcel was stuck in one of the places and the only way to get it moving is for you to pay a small amount using your card and therefore allowing scammers to get your bank details.

    Bottom-line, do not give your bank and personal details on the phone or a link sent by an unknown number. As much as possible if you are buying an expensive stuff, do a meet up and go with someone during that meet up.