My Father's Day Message to All You Young Adults

To my children, nephews, nieces, inaanaks, and to all my young adult friends,

Well, I'm not really into bestowing financial favors because I'm not part of the nouveau riche.  But forty six years in this life I'd say that I have a wealth of EXPERIENCE.  

Part of fatherhood is guidance, so allow me to share with you some of them this Father's Day.

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I started working at 19.  Got married and became a father at 21.  Graduated college at 28.  Really not a good example of the ideal life.  And this makes me an expert---ON WHAT NOT TO DO.

Let me be absolutely be clear---what me and my wife have undergone through 25 years of marriage was not easy.  But we were fortunately blessed with a lot of divine interventions.  We were determined to survive so we did what needed and I believe that our efforts merited us God's attention for some helping hand.  God helps those who help themselves after all.

Bottom line of this write up is that to be unprepared for your life milestones is an invitation to a life of hardship.  If you don't have the stomach to face a hand to mouth existence, I suggest that YOU PREPARE.

Before taking the plunge, partners should emotionally and financially be prepared.  For this note, let me talk about financial preparation.

Whether we like to admit it or not, money makes the world go round.  Gone were the days when we can exchange goods for goods or services.  Now it's cash or plastic please.  So, the NUMBER 1 requirement before you get married is:  A STABLE JOB.

Always think long term.  Bare in mind that married life does not come cheap.  Your income should be able to sustain the lifestyle you want to lead.  When you have kids, you need to prepare for their education.  Again, NOT CHEAP.

Second requirement:  YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR OWN HOUSE.  Long story short---mahirap makisama at mahirap gumalaw sa bahay ng ibang tao.  No matter how much you get along with your in-laws, they will and will always remain to be the master of their own home.  So where does that leave you?

Once you have a STABLE JOB and YOUR OWN HOME, then it's time for you to SAVE UP FOR THE WEDDING.  

If you don't see yourself becoming a spinster or a bachelor all your life, then you don't need to wait to have a boyfriend or girlfriend before you start saving for marriage.  

The wedding is an EXPENSIVE life milestone.  If you want it to become special, then you have to spend.  A nice church, the reception, and the honeymoon.  To my reckoning, mahina ang 250K just to have a semblance of SPECIAL.  

"DAIG NG MAAGAP ANG MASIPAG."  Being prepared for your life milestones is always better than laboring to catch up on needed expenditures.  Masipag ka nga pero patay-patay naman katawan mo kakakayod kasi wala kang naisubi.  Aside from that, you are giving yourself unnecessary stress that might lead to health issues.  We will all die eventually (in God's own time) but for you to be the contributor to your own early demise is utter stupidity.

Enjoy life by being prepared.

Maria Ozawa for FHM Philippines June 2015 Issue

I won't deny that I have indulged in porn at one point (Ok, Ok---many points!) in my life.  I believe all men go through their own porn phase one time or another.  Now, if you were into porn in mid 2005, you should know who Maria Ozawa is. Yes!  She's the Angelica Panganiban look alike! Anyway, she's out of porn already (based on her Boys Night Out interview) and now busies herself managing her bar in Japan.  Good for you girl!  

iHOPing @ Fairview Terraces

For all of you food-trippers out there, here's one of the restaurant reviews that I did at Tripadvisor.  Pictures posted at the site.

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Finally, the long wait is over. I think it was early 2013 that my boss talked about this new pancake house which opened in BGC and wanted our team to try it out. Unfortunately, the opportunity to do so did not come up.

Early 2014, an iHOP sign was put up in what was soon to be a branch at Fairview Terraces. I was Pavlov’s dog again salivating in anticipation of getting my first bite of the famous pancake. However, it proved to be a long wait---until last May 23 when their branch finally opened for business.

I knew opening day would be a disastrous time to go for a visit (besides, it was not payday yet and I’m expecting a big hole in my wallet given iHOP’s prima pancake prices) so I bided my time for the right opportunity. Such opportunity came last May 31, when, during a bookstore run at Fairview Terraces, we found open seats at iHOP and immediately got ourselves a couch. 

I ordered for a New York Cheesecake Pancake (Php 245 VAT-in) with bottomless brewed coffee (Php 95) and my wife opted for a Strawberry Banana Pancake (Php 265) partnered with Iced Coffee Mocha (Php 145). It’s a bit stiff for a coffee and pancake trip but the redeeming factor is that the pancake portion was enough to really fill you up. However, it was not the pancake texture that I want. It kind of reminds me of the pancake plate of Seattle’s Best: big portion and filling but dry and hard. If I’m to score Seattle’s Best’s pancake as a 4, then iHOP’s is a 6. You’d be filled but you won’t really be satisfied. Personally, I like my pancake “soft and fluffy”. 

So, will I come back for second servings of their pancake? No (Unless curiosity would get the better of me to try their Original Buttermilk Pancake.). 

Well, the pancake may not have been a good experience but the coffee was not. First, their coffee is always freshly brewed. Second, it is served in a thermos readily at your disposal (Each thermos contains two coffee servings; so if you’re a real coffee junkie you can always order for another fresh brew for a wait time of two minutes). You can actually trip on their coffee the whole day while you work on an assignment (I’m not sure though if there’s an outlet that you can plug your device into to actually make it through the whole day.). If you’re going to do this, I’d also suggest you bring along a headset to cancel out the buzz of the almost always packed dining area. 

Service is also quite commendable. Very accommodating and genuinely engaging staff. 

Am I looking forward to going back to iHOP again? Yes. I would like to try their Sirloin Steak Tip Dinner and their Specialty Fried Chicken Dinner (I saw a customer order this and got a glimpse of how big the servings were. Looks delicious too!) but it would not be on the immediate future. The timing would be for a special date or when bonus comes. As I’ve mentioned, the bill can be a bit pricey.

http://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/ShowUserReviews-g298574-d7380873-r277756754-IHOP-Quezon_City_Metro_Manila_Luzon.html#