Our builders

[JDDavao II]

23 hours ago, hk blues said:

For me, i buy cheap brushes and rollers and throw them away after 1 use.  By the time you buy the cleaner/thinner and clean them etc etc and then misplace them i find it's not worth it! 

I only ever used the good brushes with latex so cleaning was easy. I don't think I'd buy expensive brushes for oil paint, unless I was doing furniture on a regular basis.

[JDDavao II]

2 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

JD... My experience, so far, is that, for some reason(s), Filipinos seem to not respect or care for tools. They will leave them in the rain, drop them on the ground or simply lose them or "loan" them to someone when they will be lost or not returned... They also tend to abuse them for purposes other than the designed usages... It frustrates me and I so I will not loan out tools. If they need some, I will either buy them (for the workers here) or let them find them...

Tommy, I find that's the general rule with everything here and it frustrates me to no end. We were poor when I was a kid. I mean, Welfare and Food Stamps poor. My parents drilled it into our heads that we had to take care of what we had because there wasn't money to replace things.

Here, despite the catchphrase "Pinoy Pride", there doesn't seem to be much pride at all. 

[hk blues]

3 hours ago, JDDavao said:

Tommy, I find that's the general rule with everything here and it frustrates me to no end. We were poor when I was a kid. I mean, Welfare and Food Stamps poor. My parents drilled it into our heads that we had to take care of what we had because there wasn't money to replace things.

Here, despite the catchphrase "Pinoy Pride", there doesn't seem to be much pride at all. 

About the only thing Pinoy Pride applies to is their car, in my opinion.  They drive disproportionately expensive cars (relative to income and house cost)  and certainly maintain them better than they do their houses!  All about show in my opinion. We have the nicest house in our street - i am blowing my own trumpet here, i admit - but as we don't have a car we are the poor family.  Most of our neighbours are dumbfounded that we don't have a car - we honestly don't need one and i'd rather spend my money on my house/travel/stuff.  

[stevewool]

1 hour ago, hk blues said:

About the only thing Pinoy Pride applies to is their car, in my opinion.  They drive disproportionately expensive cars (relative to income and house cost)  and certainly maintain them better than they do their houses!  All about show in my opinion. We have the nicest house in our street - i am blowing my own trumpet here, i admit - but as we don't have a car we are the poor family.  Most of our neighbours are dumbfounded that we don't have a car - we honestly don't need one and i'd rather spend my money on my house/travel/stuff.  

Funny that I was only saying the same thing to Ems as we was walking down the streets, nearly every house has a large SUV behind there gates that is next to the cat and dog sh-t that is all over the place near the plate of rice that is crawling in ants that is next to some sort of washing machine which is near the cloths line that is full of cloths waiting to be washed or have they been washed already , and don’t forget the pile of breeze blocks stacked there too, but a nice looking vehicle.

[hk blues]

50 minutes ago, stevewool said:

Funny that I was only saying the same thing to Ems as we was walking down the streets, nearly every house has a large SUV behind there gates that is next to the cat and dog sh-t that is all over the place near the plate of rice that is crawling in ants that is next to some sort of washing machine which is near the cloths line that is full of cloths waiting to be washed or have they been washed already , and don’t forget the pile of breeze blocks stacked there too, but a nice looking vehicle.

Sounds like you have walked down my street too, Steve...

[Gary D]

You wouldn't believe the number of building projects that have popped up since we started our new house. Now buying the car as well is going to be interesting times for the neighbours. I know saying we are poor isn't going to wash anymore. They don't seem to be able to understand that we no longer have any money because we spent it all on a car and a house.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Gary D

[graham59]

No car, but my garden ornaments always seem to attract attention.  

 

.

 

[Tommy T.]

5 hours ago, hk blues said:

About the only thing Pinoy Pride applies to is their car, in my opinion.  They drive disproportionately expensive cars (relative to income and house cost)  and certainly maintain them better than they do their houses!  All about show in my opinion. We have the nicest house in our street - i am blowing my own trumpet here, i admit - but as we don't have a car we are the poor family.  Most of our neighbours are dumbfounded that we don't have a car - we honestly don't need one and i'd rather spend my money on my house/travel/stuff.  

What you don't mention is that virtually everyone on your street and all around you who is driving a nice car likely has a loan out for P1 mln or more with huge payments they can probably not meet. Let me guess - Toyota Fortuners, Ford Everests and the other huge SUVs that nobody here knows how to drive...? I noticed a long time ago that cars are a huge status symbol here... A product of peer pressure and a bit of arrogance from the few who might have at least some of the value in cash?

[RBM]

19 hours ago, hk blues said:

About the only thing Pinoy Pride applies to is their car, in my opinion.  They drive disproportionately expensive cars (relative to income and house cost)  and certainly maintain them better than they do their houses!  All about show in my opinion. We have the nicest house in our street - i am blowing my own trumpet here, i admit - but as we don't have a car we are the poor family.  Most of our neighbours are dumbfounded that we don't have a car - we honestly don't need one and i'd rather spend my money on my house/travel/stuff.  

Reminds me when I rented a tiny apartment in Cebu during extended holiday many years ago.

There were a family with around  kids, all in a tiny  old studio in mango, outside they had a shinny new SUV washed it daily.

Could never get my head around doing this, now full u der stand Humbog!!!

[JDDavao II]

20 hours ago, stevewool said:

nearly every house has a large SUV behind there gates

My favorite combination is the giant land-yacht running on bald tires.