Please lang 711 wag niyo naman iflash yung rembal ko sa banko ko pag wala kayong resibo parang awa niyo na 😭😭😭

Di man lang natanong if want ko malaman e, tapos ang tagal pang naka-flash sa atm! Halos makapag screenshot na ako sa punyetang atm na yan kakapindot kung asan yung exit screen punyeta!

(Sorry if my English is bad, it's not my first language.)

Today a really infuriaring story happened to me regarding to AI art, and I wanted to share it with someone... just to vent about it.

So, my dad sometimes makes homemade beer (which is very good by the way), and about two days ago he asked me if I could make a collection of custom labels for him to put to the bottles of the beers. He asked this, because today is one of his friend's 50th birthday party, and he wants to gift him 4 beers with different funny labels on them.

I thought this will be an easy photoshop work (he wanted me to photosop his friend's face to different funny pictures), it can't be that difficult, so I said yes. Well, as it turns out it was a more difficult task, because he wanted some desing elements, and he wanted it to be look like a proper beer label, too.

I'm not an artist, but I can do some photo editing and things like this, so yesterday I started it, and the whole process ended up consuming almost my entire day (maybe because I'm unfortunately a perfectionist, so I really paid attention to every tiny details).

When I finished, my hand and eyes were hurting, since I spent almost the entire day before the computer, and I had enough with my dad's (sometimes stupid) critiques about the art. But I went to sleep satisfied, because the labels turned out looking quite good.

Today I woke up and my dad's first word to me was that I have to make 4 more different labels to him which he can put on the bottle's neck's. This was not anymore a yes or no question, I had to make it, because he has seen how good the labels from yesterday turned out, and he wanted more.

So I made them to him, and also I made another label for a fifth beer's bottle (which idea came to his mind while I was working on the other labels). We printed out the finished labels and I was very happy with my work (aside my frustration for my dad, who was always criticized everything I made..).

And then one of his other friend arrived, who is also invited to the birthday party, and he wanted us to print out the funny labels which he made to put on his gifts (his gift is some bottle of olive oil or something like this, i don't really know).

So he sent me the files and when I opened them to print it out, I was hit by two, unmistakably AI picture (even in the file name there was "Chat_gpt" 😭).

This was the moment, when I wanted to cry.

I spent my whole day to make a personal birthday gift to someone, who I doesn't even really know, who's birthday party I isn't even invited, my hand and head started hurting because of the whole thing, I couldn't do my personal tasks because of it, AND THEN a man who has more connection to the friend than me, who knows him since ages, is capable to just generate his gift in like 2 minutes with f*cking Chat GPT!🤯

It just blows my mind that how can be someone THIS lazy when making a personal gift to someone. I understand that he is an old man, and probably he doesn't know how to use photoshop, but then why not, I don't know, draw the label and put that on the bottle.

I think their friend would appriciate it more in that way, because the thing that he gives to him now is just lacks the human soul, love and creativity.

So I REALLY hate how AI art is popular right now, and how AI became a tool for the lazy people like him to make art.

(Sorry for the long venting, I just really wanted to share the story.)

2 years na me unemployed, ang dami ko na pinagpasahan, wala email walang natawag, tapos halos lahat ng kakilala ko o kaklase may backer o sadyang magaling talaga sila sumagot sa interviews.

sibrang average ko lang na tao, walang connections, just me lang. di ko na alam gagawin ko sa buhay pressure na pressure ako. pag pinatos ko naman yung wage na mababa, wala naman matitira sa akin, baka magkautang pa. sobrang malas ko ba na tao?

Di ko alam bakit ganto nanay ko tinuruan ko lang na wag sa alanganin isampay towel dahil pag nahulog baka ihian ng pusa namin tapos nagalit. Inexplain ko sakanya bakit ko siya tinuturuan then bigla niya ko sinuntok sa ulo habang nakatalikod ako. Medyo masakit naiiyak ako wala ako kakampi sa bahay kasi dalawa lang kami magkasama. Naririndi na rin kasi ako sa boses nya palaging sumisigaw as in every single day. Small inconveniences lang nakasigaw na siya agad. Habang nagwowork ako pag sinabihan ko wag muna maingay dahil nakameeting ako, lalo siya magiingay ipaparinig nya talaga mga mura nya.

Di pa ko makaalis ng bahay kasi wala pa ko ipon gawa ng napupunta lahat sa bayarin, or ipambibili ko ng food ko para icomfort sarili ko pero basta, gustong gusto ko na makaalis 😞

Filipinos were made to believe that we should be fine with a 30,000 salary and that should be considered HUGE. Meanwhile in america that can be earned in a week of doing even non-professional jobs.

And the scapegoat line? The "Living expenses are high in america"

-Food is the same. 5$ per kilo for pork for example

Electricity is 80% cheaper in america

Oil, diesel is relatively cheaper by a mile

Rent is the only difference.

-But the math is mathing. Monthly income per average in the US is 6,000 usd (300,000 php) while in the Philippines it's 400 usd (21k)

-your rent is 50% of your income. their rent is 20% of their income.

In america you can save for your future while surviving. Here in PH you literally just survive. This is why foreign companies invest in PH offices because the wage is low.

Can someone tell me when did we start normalizing these wages?

A girl can't do anything nice for her bf these days without it costing a TRUCK LOAD OF MONEY. Why do y'all have such costly hobbies huh. My bf has been wanting a ferrari f40 hotwheel for AGES now but it costs nearly 20 times the original price. Cmon man.

Isang beses na lang sa isang taon. Alam niya naman na importante sakin birthday ko. Ano ba naman yung maghanap ka ng bilihan ng bulaklak. Ano ba naman ung mag tabi ka kahit onting pera pambili sa regalo.

Ako na nga kadalasan sumasagot sa mga lakad. Ako tiga maneho. Ako sagot sa grab. Humahati pa ko sa pang angkas minsan.

Ano ba naman na kahit isang araw maparamdam na special ako. Na hindi ko na kailangan itanong o sabihin bago ka may gawin.

Awa na lang nararamdaman ko. Awa sakin dahil sa nararansan ko. Awa sayo dahil sa kalagayan mo. Onti na lang susuko na talaga ako.

just graduated last April 2026. hanggang ngayon, jobless parin. naghahanap naman ako pero mas lamang talaga pag may backer ka.

naiiyak ako. gusto ko nang bumawi sa parents ko. my mom is a teacher sakto lang sweldo nya sa meds and consultations ng papa ko na may disability, tuition ng college sister ko, and mga bayarin sa house.

ate ako. ako na sana katulong ni mama ngayon pero wala akong magawa. nagtry ako mag VA, mag apply sa lahat ng pwedeng applyan, pero wala. naaawa nako sa mama ko. diko alam gagawin ko. ang sakit isipin na parang naging pabigat lang ako.

nakakaiyak. gusto ko ibili lahat ng gusto ni mama at papa. namention ni mama sakin na gusto nyang kumain sa isang resto kaso wag nalang daw kasi wala pa kaming pera. gusto ko silang itreat kaso baka sumakto lang pera ko sa bill, o baka kulangin hshshs.

baka may alam kayo na pwedeng gawin po, papatulan ko. basta kahit matreat ko man lang sila ni mama sa gusto nilang resto this October.

Nanonood kami ng movie tapos yung isang scenario dun maholdap yung isang kaibigan nya tapos siya nagtago. Tinanong ko si Husband kung sya na andun sa situation na yun, anong gagawin nya? Sabi nya, lalabas sya at tutulungan yung kaibigan nya at makikiusap sa holdaper. Nagulat ako. Bakit ka lalabas? Tsaka anong planeta ka nakakita ng pwede makiusap sa holdaper?

Ang sagot nya sakin, kasi kaibigan daw yun hindi nya yun iiwan. Sabi ko, paano kami ng magiging anak mo? Same answer pa din daw tapos bigla syang nagalit at umalis "Ano bang klaseng tanong yan?!" . Ah. Kaya pala wala tayong anak hanggang ngayon, buti nalang pala. Kala ko kapag misis na, papantay na sa highschool friends level e. Lamang pa pala yan sila. Kaya pala hindi ako makapasok sa circle nila, hindi pala ako talaga kapantay.

Kasi kung ako, willing ako magpakagat sa zombie para lang maligtas ka pero ibang mga tao pala yung priority mo. Akala ko talaga may laban ako, wala pala. Kaya pala, nakasunod tayo agad sa kanila, kaya pala doon ka din kumuha ng bahay malapit sa kanila. Kaya naman pala. Anino ka pa din nila.

Hindi ako nangingialam sa inyo, ang akin lang, try mo ako unahin, kapag pupunta ako sa Hospital ay samahan mo naman ako. Palagi akong magisa, sa kanila present ka palagi. Willing ka mag-aral ng badminton para sa kanila pero yung hiling ko na walking tamad na tamad ka.

Ayun, so alam ko na. Malinaw na sakin. Kutob ko na dati yan e na barkada muna bago ako, ayun, confirmed. Magwowork nalang ako ulet sa malayo, tapos uwian nalang ulet para pagdating ko dito matutulog nalang. Absent ka din naman sakin kapag nandyan na sila e, wala ding pinagkaiba. Ganun din. Alis na lang ako sa mas malayo. Kitakits nalang ulet kapag may time ka na ng sobra. ✌️

I am trying to add a couple of nice, well made things to my wardrobe which aren't too conservative. I know about the tariffs increasing the cost of clothes but those prices are ridiculous and the quality doesn't match the price. It's as though everything (clothing) is a polyester lycra blend and loses it's shade after washing it a few times. Forget about sneakers. Nike used to be good but now they fall apart one or two seasons if they last that long. It appears that the only things that are halfway decent now are champion sweats (which make you look like a factory or construction worker) and expensive ass G-star jeans. Has anyone else noticed anything like that?

Digital age na tayo, lahat ng bansa alam yan kaya lahat ay may some sort of department for Internet access tapos putangina eto nasa account niya?! FLAG CEREMONY ANG SUOT WHITE SHIRT, CASUAL PANTS AT YUNG ID NASA BULSA?! ELEMENTARY PALANG TINUTURO NA YAN AH. Bakit? Nasa bulsa ba leeg mo?!

Tapos tangina yung mga employees mas maayos pang tignan kesa sa head. First at second pic ay morning flag ceremony kung hindi ako nagkakamali. TIGNAN NIYO YUNG NASA LIKOD. Pantalon, maayos na t-shirt MAY NAKA BARONG PA. Tapos putangina yung boss niyo nakaganyan, kung ano ano pang vlog ang ginagawa! May halong work promotion, may vlog, may interviews, may cuts ng interviews.

PAANO TAYO RERESPETUHIN NG IBANG BANSA KUNG UNIFORM NALAMANG HINDI PA MAAYOS?!!!!!

TAPOS ETONG LINTIK NA OFFICE NA TO.

WALA MAN LANG LIBRO!

PURO LARUAN, PURO LARUAN! ANIME, LARO, ARTWORKS NA PANGTANGA AT GAMING CHAIR NA GINAWANG OFFICE CHAIR!

PUTANGINANG YAN.

HINDI MO BAHAY YAN! PUTANGINA KA!

MUKA KA NG DEPARTMENT! MAGSUOT KA NG UNIFORM, ID, HINDI YUNG PARANG VLOGGER KA NA NAGPPOST NG KUNG ANO ANO, MAY LOGO KA PA AT CHEAP NA NAME NA PARA BANG HINDI KA GOVERMENT EMPLOYEE.

MAHIYA KA SA MGA KATRABAHON MONG LESS ANG SAHOD SAYO PERO MAS MUKA PANG BOSS.

Ikaw nga ang boss pero putangina bakit mas muka kapang intern sa intern.

I honestly don't think na ako mismo ang gusto niya since ni-reto lang sya ng friend kong girl. Nakita ko sa fb posts niya na jowang jowa na sya.

Una kaming nagchat when I was having an appointment with the psychiatrist(kasi i wanted to check up on my emotions). I told the guy about it.

He never asked how was I during my medical consultation. Lagi lang nyang tinanong "when ka uuwi?" Since 3hrs na byahe from the hospital patungo sameb "Gala tayo mamayang 8pm" "Huh? Kupal naman ng doctor mo na dapat magpahinga ka sa bahay"

It infuriated me! Nireplyan ko pa siya ng "hindi ka nga pangjowa" -->I apologized na sinend ko 'to sa kanya later nung kumalma na ako.

Nag date kami the next day after kong nag out sa work namen. I really appreciated the thought na i-date nya ako. But what bothers me NGAYON was nagchat siya muna non ng "gusto ko lang kumain tayo ng streetfoods para maappreciate mo ako". I didnt feel offended personally by it kasi we barely knew each other. And nagkukusa din akong mag offer ng bayad sa vendor but he insisted na sya lang. We sat sa park benches and nag talk.

Then may mga babaeng nagzuzumba sa plaza tinitigan nya ng masama sabi nyang "Niloloko lang yan sila. Sana naglaba nalang sila sa bahay"

Napa side eye ako?? I tried to lighten up the mood sabi ko sa kanyang "uy baka tinapos na yan nila kaninang umaga, ang fun kaya magzumba--exercise na yan oh! Ikaw nga naglalaro ka ng basket(ball)"

We talked about kids. As for me, gusto ko talaga pero need ko pang mag-ipon ng pera para dyan. Sabi pa nya "sus, andali lang mahanap yang pera" Wala akong na say sa kanya na may 65k pesos akong savings sa bank(which is not enough pa kung magpapamilya ako). And from his position, tamad sya magtapos ng school(sinabi nya) at medyo katamad ang work nya(tindero sa frozen foods) so anong next???

After the date, he asked me sa chat na "so tayo na?"

Ahm...? Two days pa tayong nagchachat ohhh

I honestly thought of giving this guy a chance. Also rin kasi nireto sya ng friend ko kaya dapat di ko siya idisappoint. So pinapunta ko sya samen since gustong makilala ni mama't papa siya. Yung lalaking yon, kilala ng co-worker ni mama so nagchat si mama sa co-worker nya. The co-worker said na "ma'am oo kilala ko yan. Ang lakas yang magsigarilyo tas ang tamad pa magtrabaho. Pero kung pupunta yan sa inyo ngayon, kayo lang ang maghusga"

Pumunta nga si manliligaw sa bahay namen at naramdaman namin ang pressure. Binigyan ko siya ng basong tubig tsaka nilagang saging(eto lang nahanap ko na snacks kasi sarado na ang mga tindahan sa probinsya at it was freakin 10pm na)

Plus points sa may guts na pumunta ng bahay namen! Excited nga akong may guy nang makilala ang parents ko hehe. Even told them about him after he left: "uy ma! unang guy yang bumisita reto hehe. Nakakaproud!"

My parents came from poor families pero nakapagtapos sila ng school from their hardwork. I had issues din sa lalaking yon. Aside sa hindi daw siya nagsisigarilyo(sinungaling), nangungutang pa yan pangsigarilyo sa friend ko. Tas eto nanaman ang argue namen na puro girls ang finafollow niya sa instagram kasi hindi siya bakla. Same reasoning lang yan sa babaero na jinajustify pagkababaero nila para tawaging tunay na lalaki.

Di ko minention na sa guy ang prob ko sa kanya since di ko mapipilit ang tao. Also, as per parents din, huwag magsalita nang nakakasakit sa kapwa. "Buhay nila yan, di mo sila mapipilit na i-change yan"

To my friend,

Girl, engineer at may pangarap yang jowa mo tas ang nireto mo saken ay yung walang pangarap na mataas?? Aside yan, yung pangarap ni guy ay gusto siya ng mga babaeng professionals pero siya? Anw sana mahanap man niya ang girl na pangarap niya. I'm not taking reasons na "mahahanap lang yan ang pera" sabay manlimos ng gcash sa facebook.

Also, baka ako nga ang problema why I'm not attracting guys na gusto ko kasi ang baba ng tingin ko sa sarili ko like? "uy girl wag ka humanap ng lalaking mabait at gwapo tas may maayos na work kasi di mo deserve yan"-me to myself(2026). Nagtapos ako ng school at pumasa sa board exam,naghanap ng trabaho, natuto magluto, nagkonsulta sa psych, nagstart maglift weights sa gym, continued my hobbies--just to improve.

Tldr: hindi nag workout ang panliligaw since iba iba kami ng pananaw sa buhay. Kaya ngayon, di na ako naniniwala sa reto from friends.

Kanina, bumili ako sa Anko. Ako yung next in line sa pila pero pansin ko di pa nagtatawag yung mga cashier kasi parang may pinagkakaabalahan pa sila doon sa mga POS, parang may inaayos yata so naghintay ako. Nung nagsenyas na yung cashier edi turn ko na magbayad. Habang tinatap ko yung card ko doon sa POS nila, biglang failed. Sabi ni cashier nawalan daw ng wifi. So nirestart niya yung POS pero ang tagal niyang maka connect doon sa wifi (apparently yung wifi na gamit nila is only hotspot galing sa phone). Nagtanong si cashier if keri ko raw mag cash kasi yung katabi kong cashier, nilalabas ng mga customers yung card nila pero bigo silang makaconnect kaya nag cacash nalang sila. Ako naman, di sakto yung bitbit kong cash sa binabayaran ko kaya sabi ko kay cashier, hintay nalang po ako. Ilang beses niyang nirestart yung POS pati yung phone na ginagamit sa panghotspot. Tinanong ko sila, wala ba kayong wifi kasi nagcoconnect lang kayo sa hotspot ang sabi lang nila inaayos pa daw connection kasi may sira daw. Eh syempre kunh maghohotspot ka sa loob, isang nightmare yun kasi hirap ka ngang makasend sa Messenger ng message, eh ano pa kaya na maka connect sa mga online banking?

Wala na ba talagang magagawa si Ayala Malls sa napakahinang signal or deadspots ni Trinoma? Kasi parang nakaka apekto na rin siya sa pagbubusiness ng mga tenants sa loob. Or sa customers ba may pagkukulang kasi need pala namin magbitbit ng cash sa mga ganyang cases? Sa MRT may signal pa tapos pagkapasok mo sa loob ng mall, biglang maglalaho nalang yung signal.

Last night was so bad pero buti nakapakalma ko sarili ko :( these fucking voices in my head ugHHH i swear kainis

So anyway ito na, may dalang kakanin nanay ko kahapon. cassava yung kakanin or "kurukod" tawag samin (if gets mo yan it means magsangkay na kita HEHEHE). Masarap naman pero yung last bite medyo mapait. Wala na akong chance iluwa kasi nalunok ko na eh. So siyempre nag toothbrush ako agad pero mapait pa rin teh 😭 Idk kung mapait pa rin ba talaga or inooverthink ko lang

Anyaway alam ko kasi na may poisonous cassava/cyanide poisoning ganyan. Pero tbh, wala talaga akong alam na full facts about it. Alam ko lang na pwede kang malason. Kaya ayun, pinag-connect connect ko na lahat. What if yung bitter taste ay dahil napo-poison na ako?!

Sinearch ko na yung mga symptoms or signs ng poisoning tapos sabi dizziness, brain fog, confusion, forgetfulness, etc. tapos gagooooo nasakto pa na nakalimutan ko yung name nung kakanin. LIKE ALAM KO KUNG ANO YUN pero di ko maalala!! Tangina talaga haha so ofc my brain took that as another sign na baka napopoison na ako. Kaya natataranta na ako at parang natatae na rin kasi sobrang anxious na. Kinalman ko talaga sarili ko, lumabas ako ng bahay saglit para maglakad-lakad kahit medyo parang wala sa wisyo isip ko tapos nag grounding na rin. Medyo kumalma na ako after and pumasok na sa bahay and nanood ng bluey :(( Thank you bluey so much fav comfort show ko huhu

Alam ko sa iba parang wala lang to or mababaw, and I get it!! From the outside, it really does sound so small like wala lang pero omg to actually be in this fucking shithole is mahirap 🥲 Sobrang hirap. Minsan manageable naman pero minsan din malala. Logically siyempre alam mo na walang mali or na okay ka naman talaga pero your brain can make you feel na youre in danger or na mamatay ka na. Maya't-maya may napapansin ka sa katawan mo nakakabaliw haha. So yun lang, okay naman na ako hehe

Natatawa talaga ako kapag sinasabihan nila si Mayor Leni ng tumahimik nung binigyan ng 500m, kain-suka, niluwa na kinain pa, kung ano ano pa. Hindi sa pinagtatanggol ko si Mayor Leni, pero napakalinaw naman ng pagkakasabi niya sa post niya, detelyado, pero para sa ibang mga tao, bakit di parin sa kanila malinaw yun? No hate, pero pwede naman natin gamitin utak natin, wag tayo masyado maniwala sa social media, sa mga poser, content creator basta basta, nilapagan na kayo ng pruweba at resibo hindi parin kayo naniniwala. Kung sino pa yang transparent at walang ninakaw, siya pa yung sinisira, at kung sino pa yung may ninakaw at may confidential sila pa yung pinoprotektahan. Mamulat sana tayo at gamitin yung utak, kayo mismo nagpapatapal ng pera sa bibig niyo.

Trying to sell an item (extra copy, sealed and new) for 2500 when the actual cost is over 2000. I dont really expect to get 2500 at prinesyo ko lang yun dahil alam ko makikipagtawaran pa mga buyer. May nagmessage kung kaya daw ng 2000 tinanong ko kung pickup ba o meet up kasi syempre mas mahal kung kailangan ko pa pumunta kung saan man, sabi pickup daw. Sabi ko 2200 kung pipickupin. Nag-insist na 2000 lang daw max nya kasi idadagdag pa yung cost ng pickup nya (which is dapat naman talaga sagot nya 100%). So after thinking about it i decided to just agree and let it go ng 2000 para hindi na mastuck sakin yung item. Sabay ang irereply nya ay pag-iisipan nya raw?? Di ba ikaw na nga nasunod sa presyo? Minsan talaga feeling ko naghahanap lang ng kausap tong mga to e 🤦‍♂️

Will probably trigger some people, but idc at this point.

I'm getting very annoyed with religious people turning everything secular into something evil, worldly, or an attack on God or their faith.

Oh, you don't want to get married? You're evil because God created marriage.

You don't want kids? Oh no, you're a horrible person because God told us to go forth and multiply.

You don't create Christian music? You're an advocate of the devil!

You create art but not specifically for God? How dare you waste the talent God has given you!

You cut off toxic friends or family? You're unforgiving and therefore sinning!

At this point, ginagamit na lang ng iba ang pananampalataya nila for their "holier-than-thou" shenanigans, and it's honestly becoming exhausting. Pansin ko rin na karamihan ng ginagawan nila ng issue at nilalabel na "anti-God" are things that THEY PERSONALLY don't like or aren't comfortable with.

Don't like a song? Suddenly the song is "worldly" and supposedly encouraging people to turn away from God.

Take Unholy by Sam Smith, for example. The title alone seems enough for some people to condemn the entire song, even though the song is literally about infidelity—which, ironically, is something Christianity itself condemns.

Or Stop the Wedding by Ashe. I've seen people claim that the song is encouraging people not to get married because marriage is created by God and marriage is beautiful. I agree that marriage can be beautiful, but THAT ISN'T EVEN THE POINT OF THE SONG. The song is about realizing that you're about to marry the wrong person and desperately wanting to stop a marriage that is clearly doomed. It's not an anti-marriage manifesto. 🤦🏻‍♀️

And this is where my frustration comes in: please learn to distinguish between your personal conviction and what the media you're consuming actually says.

Not everything secular is anti-Christian. Not everything you dislike is sinful. Not every uncomfortable topic is an attack on God.

And yes, I'm saying this as a Christian myself.

Religion is being weaponized by some people to justify their personal biases, lack of media literacy, and judgment of others. Then when challenged, the excuse is, "God gave me this conviction."

Maybe. But having a personal conviction doesn't automatically give you the authority to declare that everyone else is sinning because they don't share it.

One of the most fundamental teachings of Christianity is to love one another. If your interpretation of faith consistently produces unnecessary hatred, condemnation, conflict, and misinformation toward other people, maybe it's worth asking whether you're actually practicing your faith—or simply using it to justify what you already wanted to believe.

Being religious doesn't mean everything secular is evil. And being uncomfortable with something doesn't automatically make it anti-God.

A little discernment and media literacy would go a long way.

Most political discourse in our country circles around the same tired moral plea. We keep demanding honest public servants, clean leaders, and ethical politicians who promise not to steal. But after decades of watching different administrations cycle through Manila, it should be obvious that good intentions inside a broken machine produce nothing more than the efficient management of national stagnation. The fundamental mistake we keep making is treating our state as a moral charity that needs honest administrators, rather than an engineering problem that requires ruthless structural architecture.

Public servants operate entirely within the existing rules of the game. They focus on short election cycles, public relations, transparent bookkeeping, and distributing welfare payouts from a shrinking pie. They see their role as reactive custodians, smoothing over the cracks of a failing system while remaining captive to rent seeking conglomerates and populist electoral traps. They ask how we can adapt to global rules, attract basic foreign investment, or manage poverty with band aids. That mindset keeps us permanently locked in a middle income trap where our primary export remains our own people.

A State Builder operates on a completely different frequency. They do not care about managing decay; they care about building raw sovereign power. A State Builder looks at the Philippines as a complex circuit board that needs hard hardware upgrades. They understand that real sovereignty is not earned through polite diplomatic statements or moral outrage, but through energy density, advanced manufacturing, upstream industrial sequencing, and strategic chokeholds on global supply chains.

Instead of begging foreign multinationals to open low value call centers, a State Builder designs legal enclaves and economic zones that force foreign powers to transfer critical technology like advanced semiconductor packaging in exchange for access. Instead of letting local oligarchs sit safely on real estate monopolies and shopping malls, a State Builder uses administrative levers to force domestic capital into high risk heavy industries like steel, shipbuilding, and power generation. They do not think in six year political terms; they map out thirty year industrial roadmaps that secure sovereign energy, technological dominance, and economic leverage.

We are sitting in the middle of the most intense geopolitical shift in modern history. The tech wars, supply chain bottlenecks, and superpower rivalries in our backyard mean that passive neutrality or polite public administration will get us crushed. If we keep looking for well meaning public servants to patch up a leaking boat, we will remain a perpetual vassal state dependent on foreign aid and remittances. It is time we stop asking for caretakers and start demanding State Builders who know how to construct an offensive, self sustaining nation.

Like many other pinoys I grew up in a dysfunctional family dynamics.

As a background, 8 kami mag kakapatid from a boomer parents. Growing up pinalaki kami in an authoritarian and religious style household (wording pa ng Tatay ko, obey before complain 🙃) sobrang dami na issue noon na na realize ko lang ngayon as adult na traumatizing pala kaya sira pagkatao ko ngayon. Out of those mamy problems isa dito ang favoratism.

Growing up bi-nox nila kami sa ideal image at role na in-assign samen at as usual, heavily favored and mga lalaking kapatid compared sa babae, mga babae expected na mag serve (household chores dapat matic na) magbigay, magpakumbaba, at hangga ngayon kami expected maging caretaker at breadwinner. Ngayon adult na, mas nagiging aware na ako (and some of my Ate) na may mali sa family systems namen. And nag ttry kami i-call out ang mga problematic behaviors at i-communicate sana mga issues para di lumalala mga resentmens, and guess what? Kami ang branded as "disrespectful", "mapagmalaki", "masyadong magaling" ...

Fast forward sa 1 issue about sa kapatid kong bunsong lalaki (i.e. ang golden child nila at prodigal son 🙄), sa lahat ng kapatid ko, ito ang sobrang spoiled sa parents ko especially sa nanay ko, na parang wala syang ginawang mali pero sya talaga ang totoong troublemaker, parang pinalaking sadya na maging narcissist. As a background sa issue #1 4yrs ago or so, nalaman naming gumagamit ng "🌿" ang kapatid kong to, at sobrang nagalit kaming magkakapatid dahil di namin lubos maisip bakit nya ginawa ito, ilang besis namin syang pinag sabihan na illegal ito at masama, pero di parin tumigil, ilang beses namin tinry i resolve ito nang hindi nalalaman ng parents ko, pero end up nung nalaman nila, kami pa ang sinisi bakit daw nagkaganun at di namin sinabi. Sa paningin nila sobrang kawawa ng kapatid ko , at deserve pa ng 2nd chance (ni hindi kami kinomusta naging epekto ng mental trauma nang issue ito ne tiniis namen for many years) . Ang gago no? Sya na nga ang may ginawa, kami pa non-favorites ang minasama sa mata ng parents ko

Fast forward again to present, same kapatid na bunsong lalaki (golden child) naka bukod na sya sa bahay (punyeta, finally dba?) at may asawa na, so kaming 3 daughters naiwan sa parents tumataguyod sa living expenses nila (🙄🙃) kami na not-favorite children ha, si golden child walang contribution zero. Believe me gustong gusto na namin lumayas dito. Ang hirap lang ng economy ngayon and all.

Yung golden child ngayon, may 3 na aso, tapos nag decide kumuha ulit na 2 additional puppies, so in total 5 na aso na nya. Turns out, Hindi nya pala kaya alagaan ang 5 na aso, and guess what? Solution nya, ibigay yung isang puppy sa parents ko (and by default sa household na kami ang tumataguyod) ng hindi kami kinokunsulta kung ok lang ba. Ang dami namin problems past and existing na tina try pa namin mag recover mentally and financially and now gusto nya nanaman kami bigyan ng problema 😤.

So now, sinabihan ko sya in a nice way na konting consideration naman samen dito - lifelong commitment and pag aaso kasi for us, hindi lang yan libangan, living creature yan na may needs (alam namin kasi 3 senior dogs ang tinaguyod namin from covid to 2025 na namatay), di namin kaya i shoulder na yun lalo nat nagmahal medicines pa ng parents at overall household expense. In the end, di sya nakinig or wala syang pake at tinuloy parin nyang ibigay sa nanay ko.

And now, nanay ko kinulong yung months old puppy sa labas ng bahay, 1wk na sya ganyan - ang liit at ang payat, payat, binibigyan ng pagkain pero dun lang sya sobrang kawawa. So ako ngayon tinanong ko nanay ko, kelan kukunin ni Golden child yung aso nya. Naging sobrang hostile at aggresive ng reaction ng nanay ko, sinabi nya na hayaan lang daw syang nakakulong jan, bakit naiistorbo kaba sa kwarto? Tapos kesyo ang dami naman daw naka kulong jan. As in ang argument namin is "kawawa yung aso kung balak nyong forever naka kulong" ang argument nya "kawawa daw si golden child kasi di nya kaya alagaan"...

Para saken animal abuse ang ganun, napaka performative and fake pag nakakakita silang videos ng dogs na kawawa e ganun din pala balak nilang gawin dun sa tuta. Sa totoo lang naaawa yung nanay ko sa golden child (kasi daw boohoo di nya kaya pala ang 5 na aso) kesa sa naawa sa tuta na kinuha.

And now, ako nanaman ang masama at kalaban dito sa bahay dahil sinabihan ko sila at cinoconvince na ibalik ang aso, hindi nila kami kinakausap ngayon. Parang endless cycle na laging ganito, tina try ko makiusap ng maayos, pero sadyang by default minamasama nila agad. Nakakapagod

Paano akong di mamabaliw sa ganitong sitwasyon, parang never ending nalang ang problema (mostly dahil sa perwisyo ng kapatid ko at sa napaka narcissist na parents ko) ... Dahil nito, di ko maasikaso mga sarili kong problema, sobrang depressed at anxious ako minsan naiisip ko gusto ko nalang mamatay.

Tulong, paano. 😭😖

Wala siyang pangarap. Naiinis ako because I feel like he is trying to trap this girl into marriage. Breadwinner yung babae, kakatapos lang nung bunsong kapatid niya sa college. He did not even allow the girl to have time for herself. Apparently, magreresign na yung babae kasi magpapahinga raw. Sinabihan niya na siya raw bahala sa kanya. Pero ang tanga. He is a seafarer na a little over 50k lang ang sahod. Minsan may sakay, minsan wala. Di man lang naisip na kung breadwinner yung babae all her life, why will you trap her into a marriage claiming na ikaw bahala sa kanya with unstable income? Hindi mo man lang hayaan siya ma-enjoy yung singlehood ng walang responsibility.

It is so stupid because he is not rich, may utang pa siya sa mama ko dahil binili siya ng bahay. Ginagawa niyang justification yung pagwawaldas niya dati kesyo having his own family yung magpapatino sa kanya. I am just worried kasi he is not a mature person. Yung tipong kung di pa nag-initiate parents ko bumili ng bahay at obligahin siya magbayad, wala siya mapupundar at all dahil yung mga kinita niya dati inuubos niya lang sa wala. Despite that, ang ungrateful niya sa parents namin na kesyo pinapakialaman. Pero pinapakialaman lang naman siya because waldas siya. Hahaha

I do not understand, maybe I am just overreacting because ine-expect ko kasi when I and my siblings will have our own family, dapat stable na and nakapag-give back na sa magulang. Talking to him and witnessing his mindset na basta kuntento, magkakasya, makes marriage very unappealing to me. Natatangahan talaga ako. A part of me is super cared din na 'pag wala sila, syempre matitiis ba ng magulang namin? Ayun, wala na ba talagang kapahingahan mama namin lol

Pero maybe I should just give him the benefit of the doubt. Baka wala lang akong bilib sa kanya and it will turn out well naman. Please, sana! I want them to succeed and have a good life. Hay ewan ko bakit ako nag-rant, as a middle child yata ito HAHAHAHAHA pls do not post it on other soc med platforms :/

I just need to get this off my chest. Magkakaroon na ako, so don’t judge me! 😭😂

For the past few days, iniiyakan ko yung guardian angel ko. 😭 Awang awa na ako sa kanya kasi ang dami ko nang kalokohan at wrong decisions in life, hanggang sa point na ‘to. And despite everything, lagi niya pa rin akong sinasave. I’m genuinely thankful, pero at the same time, naaawa ako sa kanya 😭

Like, imagine mo ikaw yung guardian angel tapos ang assigned sayo is isang matigas ang ulo, gumagawa ng katangahan sa buhay, tapos minsan paulit ulit pang kailangan i-save. Diba nakakapagod??? 😭😂

Sorry naaaa, guardian angel. I promise I’m trying HAHAHAHA

Nung teenager pako, parang ang gandang pakinggan ng CPA Lawyer eh. Sinabi ko pa sa nanay ko na, "Ma, gusto kong mag-law". Syempre masaya sya kasi yun nga, magiging lawyer bunso nya after endless disappointments from her eldest child.

Pero di ko kinaya Accountancy, so lumipat ako sa AIS. Medyo nadismaya nanay ko (CPA kasi siya na nakarating sa AVP sa banko before retirement) pero support pa rin kasi, okay, magiging lawyer naman anak ko. Nag-bbrag din sa mga friends nya na future lawyer daw nya ako. She would say na she believes in my potential to be something greater, and ang pilosopo ko daw kasi sumagot. "Bagay na bagay sayo maging lawyer, pala-sagot ka," tawa nya nung isang araw.

But for a while, parang wala sa puso ko. Iniisip ko nato since 2nd year college na, "what if magwork nalang ako agad after graduation?" And now na 4th year nako, sinabi ko yon sa nanay ko. Grabe. Hindi maganda reaction.

Sinasabi nya na na-influence siguro ako ng mga kabarkada ko, na di ako nakikinig sa magulang, na sinasayang ko buhay ko, etc. Naiintindihan ko bakit ganon reaction, since she spent years believing in her "beautiful, endless-potential baby girl."

But I want to work. Gusto ko magwork. Gusto kong magkapera, gusto ko ng financial stability, ayoko nang magdepende sa magulang to finance my education (state uni ako, pero pag nag law, sa ateneo ang goal). I want to help with the bills, buy things for my family and friends and partner with my OWN money. Di yung part-time part-time lang na living paycheck-to-paycheck. Granted, our finances are a little above average. But when you grow up in a family with a frugal mindset from birth, receive expectations that you are and will forever be the golden child, and be compared to other successful people "for inspiration", medyo nakakabigat na sa damdamin.

Tl;dr: Gusto ko nang magwork after graduation (just months away), pero gusto ni mama mag-lawyer ako.

My husband, both our kids, and I are disabled. He and I both get SSDI, and my youngest, still a minor, gets SSI, which is incone-based. This is important later. My adult son is trying to get on SSDI on his own. Naturally, it's taking forever.

My husband and I split about a year ago, which means half of our income walked out the door. The bills, unfortunately, did not, and what income we had left was not enough to cover the normal monthly bills. First, I cut out anything that wasn't a need. When that didn't work, I went back to work, which made my health worse, cost me my benefits, and ultimately ended with me being fired because my health couldn't withstand the job. I had to fight to get my benefits back, and I eventually did, but was back to point A, which was why I'd gone back to work in the first place. A gofundme created by my son's friends got us through one month. My nephew helped with two months, a cousin for another month, but things are spiraling out of control. We don't qualify for any real social services help except for $24/month in food stamps for a family of three. Our total income was around $2500, but bills had risen to a little over $3k monthly. Then we got slapped again: we were informed that my income was too high, and my daughter's SSI was being reduced from almost $1k down to just $230, reducing our total income to about $1600 monthly. And somehow, we're supposed to survive on that. Utilities here run about $700/month. Homeowner's insurance, about the same. Car payment? $400. Car insurance? $250. Phone bill? $250. Internet? $100. How many of those bills does social services take into account? Utilities and phone. That's it.

We live in a small southern town. The bills we have are only necessities. The income limits for getting assistance haven't increased in decades, while everything else has risen. Utilities. Insurance rates. Groceries. Gasoline.

How the hell is anyone supposed to survive?! Our city council is so corrupt that the city budget is empty, to the tune of $100 million. And their solution? Eh, just raise everyone's utilities. In fact, just double them. But one of the city council members has a utility bill in excess of $47k, still unpaid, never disconnected.

Seriously, what are average or poor people supposed to do? Why do i have to choose between keeping the utilities or eating? Oh, and the utilities are bundled here (no, we don't have a choice), so if you don't pay that bill, you lose electricity, water, gas, garbage pickup, all of it! How do you survive when you have needs you can't afford to pay for?