Month: April 2020

In Scarcity We Became Abundant

Kia ora! I hope you’re all well. I hope everyone is doing great in these desperate times.

As for me, I’m doing well. There’s not much to do though because of the lockdown and it feels like everything stood still. I’ve decided to check my drafts and was saddened by my thoughts during the start of 2020. (https://juanajuander.home.blog/2020/04/08/wastefulness-as-by-product-of-gratitude/)

It wasn’t that long yet when everyone’s so festive and joyous. When music, laughter and the smell of good food filled the air. It feels like it was still yesterday.

Today, we now have less than what we have before but we still have enough; needs and wants are really subjective. People realized now that they can live without having “milk tea” everyday, that life still goes on without having to travel, that the latest gadget won’t help us get by, that relationships matter, and that generosity, kindness, patience and love are essential to help us survive.

We may have less now but we became bigger persons than we were yesterday. We have learned to share everything that we have including our time, thoughts and prayers. In giving we do not become less but more.

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill

Kia kaha, folks! He waka eke noa! (Stay strong! We are all in this together!)

Wastefulness as by product of Gratitude

Ironic, isn’t it? How could being wasteful a result of gratitude? As ironic as it may sound, that’s usually the case in the Philippines during the holiday season.

Christmas season which starts from the “ber” months and ends in January brings a very festive atmosphere in the country. It is in these months when the people are extremely joyful and of course, the best way to express the Filipino joy is through food. The Filipino’s idea of celebration revolves around three (3) F’s: Family, Friends and Food. Thus, all of those 3 together, spells FUN for everyJuan!

So here we are now, after a whole year of hard work; it is rightful that on this joyful occasion, it is more than okay to splurge. Every household had prepared for this. A huge chunk of the bonuses has been set aside for this event. As soon as December starts “Christmas Parties” are being held here, there and everywhere. What comes with party? Yeah… FOOD!

The problem doesn’t come from the Filipino’s love for food but from the its definition of “food”. For a typical Filipino household, a dish for 1 pax is not food at all -that’s just merely a snack. The Filipinos idea for food is feeding the multitude because sharing is caring right? So every household prepares huge quantities of the same dishes as what their neighbors, friends and loved ones prepared and sort of exchange “specialties”. Different presentation, but same spaghetti, adobo, crispy pata, kare-kare and sweets. 😅

What happens then? Everyone has more than what they can consume and would just end in the trash. That’s just so sad. It’s been running in the society for centuries. It’s time to end this now. We can still be grateful without being wasteful.

-January 3, 2020