Give Love on Christmas Day, (or Everyday)

In the spirit of Christmas, I want to share one of my favorite songs during the holiday seasons. I do have a soft heart. I do like some mushy songs. But this one has got a great theme: The simple tenet of love. There are times when we simply commercialize Christmas, busy buying gifts and preparing for parties, simply forgetting the true meaning of Christmas, which is, a celebration of the birth of Christ. John 3:16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

Wow, I really have a bible scripture on my blog. I learned this verse ever since I was 5 or 6 years old in my hometown in Ilocos Norte. I will never forget it, as my parents, my pastors, our church leaders drilled it into us over and over and over till we turned blue in the face. It worked. And as a result of my parents and granparents and aunts and uncles forcing and persuading me to go to church, I now impart some their influence to the public. Things happen for a reason, and they slowly reveal themselves to you, as time goes by.

Back to the basic tenet of love. This Christmas, as we buy our gifts, prepare for parties, enjoy the parties, unwrap gifts, eat and drinky merrily, dance wildly or gently, let's not forget that there is a greater community out there, people living in the streets, broken homes and families, sick and hungry children, war-torn villages, oppressed minorities, and the like who are sometimes forgotten by the "busyness" of Christmas. I hope that we remember them as well. Pray for them too.

As we share gifts and give love on Christmas day, I hope and pray that we will remember this love the next day. Giving love should be everyday. Damn it, I'm being to mushy. Here's the song lyrics.

Give Love on Christmas Day

(Verse)
People making lists
Buying special gifts
It's time to be kind to one and all
It's that time of year
When good friends are dear
And you wish you could give more than just a present from a store

(Chorus)
Why don't you give love on christmas day (on Christmas day)
Even the man who has everything
Would be so happy if you could bring
Him love on christmas day (on Christmas day)
No greater gift is there than love

People you don't know
Smile and nod hello
Everywhere, there's an air of christmas joy
It's that once a year
When the world's sincere
And you like to find a way to show the things that words can't say

(Chorus)
Why don't you give love on christmas day (on Christmas day)
Oh, the man on the street and the couple upstairs
All need to know that there's one who cares
Give love on christmas day (on Christmas day)
No greater gift is there than love

What the world needs is love
Yes the world needs your love
Why don't you.....

Give love on christmas day (on christmas day)
Every little child on Santas knee
Has room for your love underneath his tree
Give love on christmas day (on Christmas day)
No greater gift is there than love
What the world need is love
Yes the world needs your love
Why don't you...

Give love on Christmas day (on Christmas day)
Even the man who has everything
Would be so happy if you would bring
Him love on Christmas day (on Christmas day)
(fade out....)

Finally, a Great Waitress in the Philippines

I have been coming in and out of the Philippines for the last three to four years. Six months here. Two weeks there. A month here and there. And I've eaten at restaurants all over Makati and Manila. TGIFridays. Chilis. Outback. Itallianis. Most restaurants at Greenbelt Three. Some restaurants at Greenbelt Two. Some in Libis. Some in Malate. OK OK, everywhere in the greater Manila area. Oh and at Fort Ilocandia, which is considered as one of the better resorts in the Philippines.

And in these past few years, I've never experienced a really really really, and I mean really personable dining experience. It's always the what's-your-order-here's-your-food-thank-you-ma'am-sir-come-again type of service. Usually, it's the raise-your-hand-i-need-you type of service. They never want to talk to you; only when you raise your hand. If I had my own restaurant, I would never want to train my people like that. My employees will not be robots. They will be empowered.

OK, so what's the deal? What's the scoop?

Well, tonight, I had an excellent waitress. The best ever in the Philippines. And you know what? She was shorter than 5'2". And you know what else? She was not mestiza. And you know what else? She wasn't 18-22 years old. See Pinoys. See Philippines, you don't have to be taller than 5'3", meztiza, and 18-22 years old to provide great service. In fact, all the tall mestizas I've dealt with were bitchy wannabe's. No offense to mestizas, of course. It's just my observations. Not all mestizas are like that. I wouldn't want to commit what they call in logic, the fallacy of hasty generalization.

So what made this one an excellent dining experience? Our waitress actually stopped to converse with us: me, my business partner, and my Indonesian friend. She actually took the time to say, "how are you guys doing?" She actually asked us how are experience is so far in the Philippines. She smiled. She was friendly. She was sincere. Our food was brought on time. She kept refilling our drinks. It was warm. It was comfortable. And I saw her as a beautiful human being. Not some robotic server of a waitress. She was actually organic. So sad to say, when I go to restaurants in the Philippines, I always picture the waiters and waitresses are robots programmed to simply take your order and bring your check when your done. I know it's wrong to do that, but perhaps I have also been programmed to think that way.

I know there are some pretty good managers out there who train their employees to be human. But I also know that a majority of them train their employees to be robots. How sad. Next time I go to another restaurant, and I have a robot server, I will tell the manager to eat at Bubba Gumps; he may learn something there about customer service.

Thank you Bubba Gumps Green Belt Three. Thank you Malou. Great job. We'll come back soon. And we'll bring more people with us next time.

It's so Festive here in the Philippines

This is my second Christmas in the Philippines. It certainly is a different feeling when you're away from home during Christmas. But I've made new friends here in the Philippines, and they've become my new family. Last night, one of my best friends invited me to his company's Christmas party at TGI Fridays, and it was a night to remember. People were very happy and friendly, and despite the problems they may face daily, they were all happy to see each other or to meet new people.

Compared to the US, Filipinos celebrate Christmas with a bang. In the US, it seems more commercialized. But here, even the smallest house with a tin roof and unfinished walls has a Christmas decoration of some sort. There are lights everywhere. Then there are parties everywhere. People rehearse their dances, their songs, their performances. It's colorful, it's joyful, it's festive.

I come from a city of lights. Las Vegas. Neon lights everywhere, and the city is always awake. Twentyfour hours, seven days a week, there is always something to see or do in Las Vegas. That means I should be used to the lights by now. Well, I'm still fascinated with all these Christmas decorations I see at the malls, the high rise buildings, houses. I am more amazed in seeing the Christmas lights in the ghettoest part of some areas. This is almost symbolic for me. That despite all the struggles these poor families go through, they have joy in their hearts. They have hope. The lights shine from these humble homes as a beacon of hope.

Merry Christmas Pinoy.

Why do Filipinos in the US Suddenly Become Good Citizens?

I work out at Gold's Gym Glorietta, and every time I am there, some disrespectful, lazy bastard always leaves the weights on the bench and not return them to the racks. Signs everywhere saying to return them to their proper places, but it never works. The bench press always has the weights that the last person used.

I also work out at Gold's Gym, Las Vegas. And yes, there's the occasional weight left on the bench press. Keyword: occasional. Maybe even rarely. Here in the Philippines: Almost Always. Fine, I always remove them and place my own weights according to my strength. OK, where am I going with this? What's my story here?

I'm not trying to make the Philippines become the US. Not at all. We Filipinos have our own identity, which are still trying to figure out, I think. We shouldn't become like any other nation. We should develop our own, if not, find what it is. However, there are certain universal code of conduct that human beings follow. One of them is following rules. Another is, respect. One more, courtesy. Plus, safety. Putting the weights back to the rack, is following rules and is a sign of respect, courtesy, and safety conduct. Obeservation: my Gold's Gym in the US does it better than my Gold's Gym in the Philippines.

Gold's Gym US: There are some Pinoys that work out in this Gold's Gym, though most of them are white. Latino's, and Blacks. Why are Pinoys in the US so different from the Pinoys in the Philippines.

I rarely hear of any hardcore Filipino news in the US. No drugs, no shootings, no political corruption. Well, maybe the occasional crime here and there; and even then, they pale in comparison to the other crimes committed by Latinos, Blacks, and Caucasians. I can't remember a major Filipino criminal in the US. I'm sure there are some; I just haven't heard of any, or remember any. And I'm an avid news and current events television viewer.

So the hypothesis, what happens to the Filipino when they migrate to the US? Some miraculous thing happens over the air. There must be something in the air up there as they cross the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean, whichever way the plane took. All of a sudden, our beloved Pinoys are obedient citizens. They abide by the law, listen to instructions, follow rules and regulations, just like good little boys and girls.

What happened to the Pasaway Pinoy? How was he cured? Possible answers: In the US, someone is always looking at your actions, making you accountable for whatever course of actions you take. In a way, there is a bit more discipline. Here in the Philippines, the keyword is PASAWAY. I need not expound.

I write SINS, not TRAGEDIES.

Starting a Business is long Process here in the Philippines

You'd think that starting a business in a third world country would be really quick since not everyone follows rules and regulations anyway. You just find a space, put your business name on it, and you're in operation. Well, of course, it's more complicated than that. I don't quite remember the specific statistic, but I read somewhere, about a month ago, that the Philippines is 130s of 150 nations surveyed in the expediency of processing business papers. My experiences may tell you why.

SEC: The guy who tried reserving our name didn't know much about corporation, incorporation, partnerships, etc. We got our name reserved, and on the instructions, we were informed to go to CHED.

CHED: We went to CHED and informed them that we were sent there by SEC. CHED people were confused. But we figured it out; we did not need CHED endorsement. They sent us back to SEC.

SEC: I talked to a manager regarding the confusion. She was even more confused. I asked that instructions should not be made if they are not needed. She defended SEC by saying that the IT people who programmed it is now long gone. She was upset that I was calling her on it. A good manager would have thanked me for showing them a glitch in their system.

SEC: A week later, we were told to go back to SEC to turn in final forms; SEC person did not like our wordings. She thought that it should sound like the way they want it to sound. Fine, we retyped and retyped. Fortunately, there were typing services downstairs.

SEC: Thank God. We were final able to get out papers.

Barangay Hall: Told us to fill out paperwork first and come back tomorrow. We went back the next day. Their copy machine broke down. We walked around the area to find one. Hot and humid. We got the copies and turned in all forms.

Barangay Hall: Picked up all the completed paperwork.

Mayor's Permit: I don't want to expound here. But this is where it's taking years and years and years and decades. So much red tape. To make a long story short, we don't have the papers yet. We were bounced around by different departments. From the Business Permit area to the building inspection area to telling us they were going to inspect, to making typos on the paper that we had to fix, to double charging us for one quarter and for forcing us to buy the insurance to going back again to follow up to not yet finished to going back several time to let them know that we're still waiting to the promises unkept to the inefficiency. I could pull my hair out. But that won't be good for marketing.

I'm still alive. I probably aged 10 years since I've been here two months ago. Yikes.

We Discriminate (BLATANTLY) in the Philippines

I don't know where to start with this one. Should I blast at the US corporation first? Or should I go straight into my rants about the Philippines again.

I'll take it easy on the Philippines this time. Let's hit this US corporation, this evil beast they call Wendy's.

I'm not sure if Wendy's America is aware of this situation. Probably not. For if they were, they would definitely pull this job post. In fact, they probably would not have allowed this to happen.

I'm sure y'all know what I'm talking about by now; I shall not be condescending. But in case there is that one person who happened to stumble on this site and has no clue what the heck I'm saying, well it's in reference to this picture. Can you read discrimination all over it? So what's so discriminating about this, some might say? What's so wrong about the job post?

18-22 years old? What about those that just turned 23? Can you say age discrimination? Sure, there will always be age discrimination. We won't allow nine year olds to work in a chemical lab. But 18-22 at Wendy's? I need not expound.

Male and female height requirement? Can you say "little people" discrimination? My 5'1 and a half sister cannot even qualify for this position, even though she's really good workin at fast foods in the US. Ha ha. OK, there's still humor in this. But damn it? Why Philippines? Why do we allow this? Or, why do we do this to ourselves?

2nd year college? Good lord! Who goes to college aspiring to be a Wendy's crew member? I need not expound here.

Can anyone say US lawsuits? Does anyone here in the Phil wanna have a class action lawsuit against this mighty US corporation? This is a major lawsuit waiting to happen.

So, Wendy's Greenbelt One. You better watch out. I'm not done with you.

I'm guilty. I've eaten here, even though I see this poster. Shit. But I make sure I ask the worker that's in front of the register. Are you at least 5'2"? Are you between the age of 18 and 22? Do you have at least 2nd year college experience? If you aswered no to anyone of these questions, I'm reporting you to your manager! If you answered yes to all, I'm still reporting you to your manager. For not having a "pleasing personality." Will sarcasm work? We'll try.

Any US lawyers seeing this post?

-----

If you wanna read more, here's my letter to Wendy's corporate @ http://www.wendys.com/feedback.jsp:

I am from Las Vegas, Nevada. I am in the Philippines, and I visited your Wendy's inside Greenbelt One in Makati.

I am appalled by what I saw. Blatant Discrimination. Discrimination that we would not tolerate in the United States. Discrimination that would be in-your-face illegal.

I need not expound. I have a picture of the Job Posting they have on the glass window of this Discrimination. Can you say lawsuit ahead?

Please take care of this issue immediately. If you wish to see the photo, I already posted it in my blog @.

There's Joy in Sorrow

I've always hated funerals. Mainly because it's so depressing. Also because I don't like seeing dead bodies. I feel such a loss. Some beautiful life has gone and went. Looking at the lifeless body, I feel that life is somewhat unfair, that there should have been more for this person.

My reconciliation is to accept death as part of the lifecycle, regardless of how and when it came. Then I follow it with: There's a reason for everything. And finally, I pray that God will look over the person's soul, and the people he has left behind.

My cousin took her life almost two weeks ago. I have never had a close relative die. No cousin, no uncles, no aunts. Even four of my grandparents are still alive. So this was an overwhelming time for me. I've thought about what I would feel if one of my siblings died, my parents, my grandparents. The thoughts horrified me.

As I look at the faces of my aunt and uncle, and my cousins, I cannot begin to fathom the depth of their despair. She was only 20 years old, leaving behind her twin sister. There are so many dimensions to this story, but I'll focus on how, despite this tragedy, there was some kind of joy in this sorrow.

Intermittently, my relatives were able to smile or laugh on the day of the funeral. Perhaps it was because there's no sense in drowning yourself in sorrow. Perhaps because they were confused with their own emotions. I think it's because there's also a time when things just move on. They must move on. Me, I could not imagine anyone trying to make me laugh. I would just be too much in despair. But then again, I have never been in that situation where I lost my own sibling or child.

They drank, they sang on the videoke, they ate. Stories of the past and what's to be. In the midst of the drinking and singing and eating and telling stories, there was joy. There was a sign that life will move on.

In Loving Memory of My Cousin.

The Good Heart

I just wanted to share this quote I came across reading Filipino profiles across the internet. I am refreshed by messages like this, because I try my darndest to live a life like that. Sometimes I'm vain; sometimes I have too much pride. Sometimes I forget what I'm doing. Sometimes, I just wanna quit. Sometimes, I just don't want to care. But I am glad to come across messages that inspire. I need not explain; it's self explanatory.

"NEVER feel intimidated by people who act as if they own the world.
Regardless of where we came from, what kind of environment we grew up with, or
how small other people treat us, it all boils down on how we look at ourselves.
Social graces and languages are learned. We do not envy people who are full of
such, rather we envy those who despite of not having blessed with material
things in life are adored by many because of their good heart.."

What about you? What are the tenets you live by? What are you principles? Do you stand by anything? Does the world revolve around you? Or is there a higher principle out there that should be the guiding force of our existence?

Filipino Does Not Want my Business

My friend tried to buy a 100 pesos load from this little kiosk inside Greenbelt One, and she turned him down because my friend only had a 500 peso bill. She told him that she did not have change.

My friend asked if she could double check her change, and soon enough, there were four 100 peso bills and some other loose change.

To make a long story short, the girl inside this kiosk said that she was holding that change for the next customers.

What the frick? Holding the change for the next customers? I have never heard of such a thing. Actually, I lied. I have heard of it before. And it was in the Philippines again. The 7-Eleven on Paseo de Roxas corner Dela Rosa. What the hell? Is this the way Filipinos do business?

It happened to me twice. So it's gotta worth blogging, right? Who taught these people that this was proper business practice, holding the change for the next few customers? What if the next 1000 customers had 500 peso bills? Will she keep holding it till someone has a 200 peso bill? Mind you, we don't stink. I'm not the ugliest person in the world. I shower everyday. My clothes are decent. They're washed. I don't think it was me or my friend. This has got to be a Filipino mentality! Right? Or am I just seeing things?

Anyway, I decided to take a picture of this little kiosk, since I had my camera with me. Now, I'm inspired to take pictures of "silly people" and "silly things." and blog about them too. Adds flavors to my stories. Like they say, photos tell a million words. Something like that. So in a way, she inspired me. Ha ha.

My recommendation: take care of the customers right in front of you, and worry about the next customers later. What if you had a patient dying in the hospital. Well, let's save this medicine for our next patients. This is too much for this patient. OK, I know this is a far fetched analogy. Maybe not.

Back from the Dead

I am back from the dead. I am here in the Philippines now, and in the last month and a half, I could not write about my experiences here in the Philippines. I mean, while I was in the US, I was able to reflect on what life was like in the Philippines.

But now that I live here, for some odd reasons, I cannot spill a word. I am frozen. Maybe I am discombobulated by all the things that I am seeing here. I have had so many experiences that make me wanna tear my hair out. But I've also enjoyed so many things. I must say, I love this country more than I despise it. I know there can be a change.

Why did I ever major in Political Science? I am so critical of the government of the Philippines. Inefficienct to the max. If you were to have a relay race between the fastest government employee versus my four grandparents, who are still alive thank God, my grandparents would win by a mile. Slow government. Corrupt government. How much money do you want from me before you start to make things more expedient? Shame on you.

OK, enough ranting.

Ebay.ph, a Reflection of Filipino Culture

Ebay can be addicting. I should clarify, Ebay.com, NOT Ebay.ph. There really is a difference. Mainly, Ebay.com is true auction online whereas Ebay.ph is retail with 5% discount online.

To be continued...brain freeze.

WHOA!!! Did I have a month of brain freeze? I started the two paragraphs above on October 6, and it's now November 9. Actually, I have been preoccupied with so many other things, I just couldn't focus on putting my thoughts down.

I started writing this post in Las Vegas. Now I continue it in Makati a month later. 6000 miles away. My sentiments are still there; I still love my Filipino culture. I still have my qualms. Especially now, that I am completely immersed, there is no escape from the things I love about my Filipinos. I am here in this country, and the only way out, is a ticket back.

Ebay.ph. I shall post only a small tidbit about this now. On Ebay.ph, the auctions are not really auctions, since the prices on the products sold there are so expensive; the prices are almost retail for used items. Ebay.com on the other hand, thank God! Great pricing. I've gotten a $100 Blackberry, $6 Abercrombie and Fitch clothes, $15 Diesel Jeans, and so many more. I guess I'm cheap.

Why do you think the pricing on Ebay.ph is so expensive? How is that reflective of the culture? For me, it's because the Filipinos are not so willing to depart with their items; my friend said that they will use their items to the very end; till it can no longer be utilized. And these items on Ebay.ph? They're not really on auction, he said; they're just there sitting, until the right stupid, auction-impaired, foolish buyer sees it.

Of course, there's a lot of other reasons; I don't intend to list everything here. There's also a lot of culture reflections; to write all of them down here would take days. For now, I'll leave this as a simple reflection.

Fake Filipino DVDs in Phoenix too, not just Philippines

Back home in Las Vegas. My temporary home for now, as I will be moving back to the Philippines in about two weeks. Home is where the heart is, and my heart is with the Philippines, for now. My weekend in Phoenix was a refreshing time for me. I got to visit one of my best friends whom I've known for a little over ten years since my days in Hawaii. It's always great to keep in touch with friends, no matter the distance.

Yesterday, in Phoenix, my friend and I decided to do some culture tripping, Filipino culture there is. We started driving around Saturday night in Glendale looking for a Filipino store so that we could rent a few Filipino movies. Since we were both new to the area, we couldn't find any. It was mostly Mexican supermarkets. So we called information, and we get a Filipino on the other line, working for a call center. She helped us find the location of Philippine Island Store and Manila Oriental Market. The next day, we drove around looking for these stores, but they did not have any movies. Wow, this was becoming an adventure, just to find a Filipino movie; we almost gave up.

We asked one more Filipino restaurant and they recommended another store; we finally found that place, and fortunately they had some DVDs. Lucky us. We rented three movies: Lagot ka sa Kuya ko, Pinoy Blonde, and some movie with Bea Alonzo, John Lloyd Cruz, and Sam Milby; I forgot the title; funny, I remember the stars in it. Thanks to the time I spent in the Manila last year.

To make a long story short, with got 100 percent bonafide Pinoy product. Only Filipinos. Yep, we got pirated DVDs with poor quality. The DVDs played only the first 10 minutes, and when we tried them on my laptop, they played only half way through. OK, OK, it's not just a Filipino thing, but this incident reminds me so much of those DVDs they sell in the Philippines for 100 pesos. The pirated ones. We paid $3.50 for each, so I figured they would at least be quality, the real ones. But no, they were skipping and scratched.

Is this a sign? A reminder that I truly need to go back to the Philippines? I don't think so, but this Filipino thing, whatever it is, just follows me where I go.

Instead, we went to the theater and catch Jet Li's epic movie, Fearless. Great film. In this movie, he learns, succeeds, and falls. But just like the Phoenix, he rises again to claim his destiny. Oh yeah, and the fighting scenes are awesome. One day, I will have those skills. Maybe in a million years.

So renting DVDs for almost 200 pesos each doesn't necessarily mean you're gonna get the real deal. In fact, those 100 peso DVDs with 5 movies in them in the Philippines are actually better. Oh well, things happen for a reason, right?

Taking Things for Granted, Learning in the Philippines

I skipped church today. I'm just really not feeling well. I thought I would have gotten rid of this cold by now, but this virus is more persistent than I thought. I've taken Benadryl, lots of vitamin C, water galore, Tylenol for cold, tomato juice, more liquids, but damn, this thing is just tougher to beat than I thought. What makes the situation worse is that I'm here in Phoenix visiting a friend, and I have tried my best to maintain sanity and look healthy.

He woke me up today at 8 am to get ready, but my body was just saying no. I tried to force my mind to make my body go so my soul can be fed with the spirit, but in the end, my body was unwilling to cooperate. Or maybe it was my mind. Was it mind over matter? All I know is that I really felt like I wanted to sleep more. I was twisting and turning last night because of this pestering stuffy nose and uncontrollable cough. I got up a couple of twice to eject the phlegm that was stuck in my throat. I had to pee as well. Too much information, huh?

I remember being sick in the Philippines last year while I was staying in Makati. Same thing, cold and coughing. I remember taking a lot of Neozep, which zapped me to sleep right away. I remember my throat being so itchy, it was almost unbearable; I wanted to see my doctor. Instead, I weathered it out; it was just a common cold, and I was acting too spoiled. I mean, most people weather it out, and here I was, being a big baby about it.

I clearly remember that first night when it hit me really bad. It was about 10 pm. I frantically searched for a Mercury Drug, but they were all closed in Makati. I walked to Mini Stops and 7-11s, and I settled for one finally. NeoZep. All it did for me was knock me out to sleep. Finding medicine at this time alone was a nightmare. I began to think of the luxuries I had back home. The 24 hour Walgreens or WalMart. My car. My doctor. My warm bed. 24 hr stores to buy soup.

Instead, I was stuck in the middle of Makati. Fortunately, the cold went away in a couple of days, and I could function normally again.

There are so many things we take for granted living in the US. The little things we take for granted because they are in front of us daily. Then we go to an underdeveloped country, and things change dramatically. For me, at least, I began to see how good I had it in the US. I began to be so much more appreciative of such luxuries as 24 hour stores, even my car.

I began to think, how do people live this way. You have to be really strong to make it through a life in the Philippines. Either that, or you really get used to that way of living. I wonder how the poor people get their medicine. Can they even afford it? Do they have any kind of health insurance? Even the workers themselves probably do not have adequate health insurance provided by their companies.

So today, I will just rest my body so that I can get better sooner. I will just reflect on how much tougher I had it back there in the Philippines. I will never forget how it's like to live in the Philippines during those times. I am going back to live there for a while now to start my own projects there. I am very scared, but I know that I have to take this step. This risk. This calling.

Milenyo in Philippines, Katrina in New Orleans, Volunteerism

I did not know that there was a typhoon in northern Philippines when I called my friend. He was at Greenbelt at that time when the winds started to pick up. There were many people stranded as rain began to pour in and the winds carried branches and other debris. I could hear people in the background screaming, not in fright, but in the change of direction of the winds as they tried to look for cover.

This morning, I read that at least 61 people are dead and 61,000 families are displaced.

Rewind. Last year, I was in Manila when hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. it was the worst hurricane the US has ever seen as it flooded the entire city and everyone had to be evacuated. It was a vibrant city full of culture and the arts, but it was ravaged instantly. I saw clips on TV and how people were on top of their houses waiting to be rescued, and how thousands fled to the dome to wait to be airlifted somewhere. Millions became homeless.

George Bush was blamed for the slow response to aid the people affected. There is still a lot of discussion as to whether or not they did the best they could to help these people immediately. But thousands of volunteers from all over the US and internationally flew to New Orleans to help out. There is a great sense of volunteerism here in the US. When I was in college, my Jesuit university placed a strong importance on volunteerism and helping out the community. Noone from my school graduated without having volunteered for a cause. Me, I chose the homeless and impoverished people as my project. I became a coordinator for events for the low-income housing.

Fast forward. I wonder how strong volunteerism is in the Philippines. Growing up, I have been taught that the Filipinos of the past prided themselves on the bayanihan concept, that is, helping one another in the barrio. I remember seeing pictures of men carrying a bahay kubo, which meant to represent bayanihan or cooperation. The last few times I was in my province, I remember seeing the people working together for free to improve their neighborhoods. The barangay council organized a beautification project planting trees and plants alongside the road, building little nipa huts, and general cleaning up.

I wonder if these same people will ever be able to go to the ravaged areas hit by Milenyo and volunteer to help. I wonder if they will be mobilized by other organizations, recruited and bussed to go to help.

What I saw in barrio/barangay, I hope that it will be reflected nationally. There are so many things I would like to do in the Philippines. I hope that one day, I can organize a volunteer group to help the needy, the poor, and the underprivileged. I just have to remain focus. One step at a time. One day at a time.

A break on the topic of Philippines and the Pinoys

I think I will lay off the topic of Philippines and its wonderful flaws for a while. It's causing me unnecessary stress right now. I am so far away from the country, yet I am highly affected by it. Why do I care so much? I think I got my caring side from my grandmother on my father's side. She is such a caring woman that she is always on the side of the poor, the underprivileged, the sick, the needy, and the like. Me, I'm the same. Sometimes this can be overwhelming though.

No matter how much I want to run away from it, to not really care, to just want to do my own thing, to just have fun carelessly, whimsically, freely, to be nobody, to hang out, to chill, and what have you, this I-care-I-should-do-something attitude always follows me. Whenever I see unfairness, injustice, inequity, the rebel in me comes out. I start to grow either a horn and a tail, or a halo, depending on the occasion. Sometimes, I just want to not care. Sometimes, I just want to live my own life, unaffected by the world around me.

It's not that I want to give up on this effort to better the world; I know I can't do it alone. I know that the only way to reach it and be satisfied with it, is to touch a persons life, one at a time. I've heard of those jaded individuals who no longer want to do anything, who chooses to not participate anymore, who decided to join the bandwagon, because they did not see their ideals come true. Too idealistic. Me, there must be pragmatism to all these efforts. I don't intend to change everyone and how they think. My intention is to just change one person's mind at a time. And hopefully, there will be that one person who will make a great difference in people's lives.

So thus, my blog will rest on the Philippine topic for a little bit, till I get fired up again. In about three weeks, I will be back in the Philippines, trying to build my business. I will be there six months to a year, and who knows, I will have plenty of things to write about. I'm sure I'll see something everyday that I can definitely have a comment on.

Note to self: write two posts a day when I'm in the Philippines. One positive. And one negative. Good balance. In life, everyone must find the middle ground. Otherwise, they are either high up on their laurels, in fantasy world, or lacking enough reality.

So yeah, I am going to take a break on the topic of the Philippines. Major headache sometimes. That is what I get from being a political science major and a political activist in the US. I should have stuck to the math and sciences. At least I could have found an lonely office corner somewhere figuring out equations. But then again, things happen for a reason.

War in the Philippines, War on Poverty, War on Crime

Driving home from work today, I saw a yellow Hummer 2 right next to me with a huge sticker on its tinted rear windows just above the spare tires. It read: Today! A soldier died so you could keep your freedom.

My immediate response was: Today! A soldier could have lived so he could enjoy his freedom.

It's ironic that a gas-guzzling vehemoth of a vehicle they call H3 would display something like that, for many people now believe that we're in the war in Iraq for oil and petroleum, and not in the name of freedom. We bomb Iraq and the other Middle East nations just so we could get some kind of control over the oil. After all, the US is the biggest energy consuming nation in the world, not to mention, the most wasteful as well. But as far as that sticker goes, it's partially true, because that soldier can no longer enjoy the freedom he himself was fighting for.

I am a pacifist, as I prefer dialogue and dimplomacy until all those involved turn blue in the face. Unfortunately, if you have power, like the US, war is so inevitable, and we will wield are super police powers over anyone we think is trying to violate what we think is right. But then again, who really is right, right?

I pay respect to the soldiers that have lost their lives in the war, in any war for that matter. Each soldier has face, a family, a brother, a sister, a mother, a father, a husband, a wife...a story. Each story is different. With each story, is a life, a human being. But in the end, the only people that will see the end of this war are the dead soldiers themselves. How unfortunate.

I am not going to attempt to connect this story to the Philippines. The only connection I can see right now is the war within the Philippines itself. It's a war on poverty. A war on corruption. These two wars in themselves make up different battlefields. Battlefields of political corruption. Battlefields of environmental destruction as seen with illegal loggers and death of the inhabitants. Battlefields of unfair employment. Battlefields of dirty streets. Battlefields of homelessness. Battlefields of human trafficking.

Many Filipinos fight on these battlefields every single day of their lives. They are the modern day Jose Rizals. But there are so few of them. There are more corrupt cronies. I am hoping that one day, the nation will wake up, and rise to its potential, where the Filipino people will no longer tolerate corruption, where they can finally say: I am sick and tired; I am going to make a change. This change may not be big. But I am going to make a change one person at a time. One person at a time. That's all it takes.

Filipino Filipino+politics philippines corruption political+corruption poverty crime Pinoy pinay filipina

Evil Land Lord teamed with Evil PLDT, A Force to be Reckoned with

We live in an increasingly globalized society, thanks to the wonderful and innovative technology called telecommunications. Specifically, telephone and internet. Even the most rural corners of Ilocos and the boondocks of the provinces are connected to the world via internet. With the help of laptops and wireless fidelity aka wifi, you can be connected internationally while taking a dump.

Hmm. Break. Gotta eat this chicken pot pie.

Back to telecom. I have a Globe sim card in my Blackberry that is roaming here in the US. Wow, I can receive text messages for free from my friends and family across the Philippines. Though service sucks overall, I guess you get what you pay for. One thought about cellphone service in the PI: Why in the world do people continue to use Globe and Smart, when Sun Cellular has free Sun to Sun phone calls? This is really mind boggling for me. Note to self: When I get back to the Philippines, convince all my friends to switch to Sun or get a new phone with a Sun sim card.

Then there's the monopolistic giant they call PLDT. I'm glad that the cell phone companies are getting in the action. I hate monopolies. So bad for consumers. Are you following my drift? Yes, this post will lead towards the monopolitic evil in the form of PLDT. What's my beef?

I have a friend who just moved into a condo in Makati. One year lease. The unit doesn't come with an AC since the previous tenant took it with her, and the landlord refuses to put in an AC and wants my friend to put his own. Speaking of landlords in the Philippines, they really do live by that name "landlords". They act as if they are the kings and queens of the kingdom called Third World. They are the lords of evil, if you ask me. Fine, not all. But a lot of them, in my experience, have been quite Napoleonistic, wielding power. Talk about power tripping. But that is another blog altogether.

Back to the monopolistic power tripping of PLDT. Actually, I take that back. It's not power tripping. It really is a monopoly, thus real power. So come to find out, the previous tenant not only took the AC with her, she also owed PLDT about 7000 pesos for her telephone line. So when it came to reconnecting the line under the new tenant, PLDT said that balance has to be paid for first. What the fuck kind of policy is this? First, the previous tenant should be held accountable for this, not the new tenant. Thus, the new tenant should not be held back. Second, the landlord should have taken care of it right away when the previous tenant moved out. It's called "deposit." Helllllooo?

So Evil PLDT cannot offer my friend a new line, even though he has all the qualifications, which are two IDs, recent pay stubs, and the lease agreement under his name. Greedy, evil PLDT wants the balance paid, or else my friend will not be connected to the world. What the fuck in hell policy is this? Bayantel or some other companies are not yet connected to this building, which is right across Greenbelt. So two lords have a hold on consumers. PLDT and the Landlord. I wonder if you pit the two evils together, who would win? Does two evils cancel each other out? In this case, they become a bigger force.

So here's the deal; if the lord of the land does not deal with Pucking Long Distance Telephone company, my friend will just move out and find some other lord of the land to deal with. Can anyone say, where the heck is the consumer's group? Consumer watch group? Do people even care about this? Who the heck is protecting the consumers? Where are they? Congress? Senate? President? Petition? Democracy? Watch groups? Watch dogs? Where are these concepts?

When I come back to the Philippines, I will write to the president of PLDT. I will write to my senator. I will write to my congressman. I will find a consumer's group that can help deal with this issue. This is unfair. This is unjust. Because they are monopolistic, and there are no other competition in that area, in the end, the consumer is the loser. That is the Filipino. We keep getting screwed. Time to fight back. Time to let my people go.

Addition:

After doing some research, here's the information for Consumer Welfare in the Philippines. I am including this on my blog now so that I have a reference later when I have problems with products and services in the Philippines.

http://www.bps.dti.gov.ph/ConsumerWelfare_ConsumerAdvisories.php

Filipino Telecom Telecommuncation+in+the+Philippines Filipino+Internet PLDT Bayantel condo landlord Philippines+Internet+Provider Philipppine+Long+Distance+Telephone Telephone Long+Distance

Survivor: Asian Team with Two Pinoys Win Again

This new season of Survivor on CBS is quite provocative. It has been termed as a social experiment on television that has never been done before. It is controversial, yet innovative.

So here's a brief analysis on this so called social experiment.

Asians win again:

These challenges are full of puzzles, and of course, the Asians will dominate the because Asians are known for being intelligent. Great stereotyping here. Can we call this postive stereotype? Is there such a thing? The Asian team is comprised of two Korean lawyers, one mixed Filipino fashion director, one Filipina real estate agent and a Vietnamese. I don't know what he does. He's the odd ball in that group.

Can you say Asians, the model minority? Another stereotype.

Latinos throw the game:

The Latinos purposely threw the game because they felt that they had a lazy person on their team who will only bring the team down. The team was willing to lose a game, instead of preserving their team and helping out one person to perform their job well.

What does this say about that team? Is it willing to sacrifice a member of the group to lose a weak link? Is it not interested in cooperation? Unity? How about helping fellow members out? Are they just so quick to just vote off their weakest link, when they could have had the chance to win and help change this weak link along the process?

Overall analysis:

Are these events reflective of culture? Are they reflective of the Blacks? the Asians? the Whites? the Latinos? Or are these events reflective of the American culture altogether? For now, I see a combination of both. There are certainly cultural factors that come into play. But overall, I see the competitive American. The only deviation for now is the Latinos, who were willing to throw the game; but then again, this is also a very American strategy.

I'm still rooting for the Asians. They are the team to beat. They are intelligent and athletic. And better yet, there are two Pinoys in there.

cbs survivor filipino philippines asian asians win pinoy filipina pinay

Filipino Time, the Best Timing in the World, Almost

I have had the hardest time waking up this week. Yet, I managed to be on time to my meetings. Monday morning, it took me about an hour till i finally decided to shower. Tuesday morning, I had to take a manager marketing to show him the ropes. 8 am sharp. On time. Wednesday, another marketing event with another manager. 8 am. On time. This afternoon, 2 pm marketing with city manager. On time. Well, I lied. That last one, 5 minutes late. It wasn't for the traffic on the freeway, I would have been on time. Damn it. It screwed my timeliness streak.

I get to make it up tomorrow. I have another 8 am marketing event with the fourth manager. He's Filipino. Should I go on Filipino time, and make him wait for me? I'm sure he'll understand if I am there 10 t0 20 minutes later. Maybe even 30 mins to an hour. I just have to let him know that I was stuck in traffic and there was an accident and I had to run errands right before and I was going to call but I got another phone call and I was on my way anyway and he knows I should have been late because just like him I am Filipino.

Yes, I've come to expect this from Pinoys. Late, late, late. Excuses, excuses, excuses. I must admit, I have been guilty of this several times in the past; but I have been much better. I continue to work on it. Is this a cultural phenomenon? I think so. Every Filipino party that I go to, there are always late Filipinos. The caucasian guests arrive on time, and all the Pinoys, trust me, alsmot all Pinoys I know, are late. It's quite annoying. But hey, Pinoys will be Pinoys. And they love to make that grand entrance, so they say.

I think, if you think about it, Filipinos are so bad with timing because they could care less if they are on time or not. They think, the party will be there regardless. And the party will be there regardless of whether I am there on time or not. And the party will not start me without me. I don't care about the host that much. Because if I had a party myself, I'm sure they'll come late too. I'm sure they will take their time and will arrive whenever they want. So why not make it just a vicious cycle, right?

I say stop the madness. My time is important. In the Philippines, people were shocked that I was very annoyed when I waited too long. Friends, relatives, and business associates there would ask me to meet at 8 am. I am at the meeting place by 7:55am. They arrive to meet me at 8:26 pm. Yes, call that anal. But that's 26 minutes past. I could have done other things in that 26 minutes. I placed enough importance on the meeting that I show up on time. I demand the same. To show up minutes, and yes, even hours late, is complete disrespect to me.

What makes it even worse is that people don't call and let you know they are running late. At least have the decency and courtesy to call, or text, that you are running late. When I'm running late, I always make it a point to let the other party know. See, I'm late sometimes, I admit. But I recognize it as a fault, and I'm working to make it better. Oh yeah, and when I'm running late, I call way in advance to let others know. Courtesy. Respect.

So to all the early and on time Pinoys out there, more power to you. And to the better-late-than-never and the i'm-making-a-grand-entrance and the I-don't-really-care-I'm-disrespecting-you Filipinos out there, let's work on this one. Let's not make it a vicious cycle.

filipino time late filipino+time arrival party concept

Church and Politics, the Filipino Excuse

Today is Sunday, my lazy Sunday. Time to rest, time to relax. No church for me today. I haven't been to church since two weeks ago, when I went to Phoenix to visit my friend, and he invited me to go to church with him. In fact, I have gone to church only five times in the last three years. Twice in an an actual service, twice sitting outside the church at Greenbelt three. I don't even know if you can consider that attending church. And once to take pictures of the church that my grandparents and relatives are funding in our province.

In the last fifteen years of my life, I have been so turned off by churches. Note, I'm not necessarily turned of by religion per se, but churches and congregations in general. I grew up literally right next door to a church that my family built, but I never felt good attending. It was a chore. And it was a bore. Then when we moved to Hawaii, my grandparents took us to the church, and it was the longer services I've ever attended. Two hours. Sometimes three. Sometimes four. What the heck? Who has the attention span for that long?

Then there were more rules. Men must wear long jeans, no shorts. Women must wear skirts, to the knees and not any higher. Men should have short hair. Women should have long hair. It's bad to lust. It's bad to masturbate. It's bad to do this. It's bad to do that. Almost everything is bad. I became filled with more questions than answers.

Then there's the topic of hypocrisy. Those that preached the word became the sinners themselves later. Boy, what an example.

I'm not turned off by religion and spirituality. In fact, I embrace it. I am just so turned off by its ambassadors, those who are supposedly chosen to represent the word, to deliver his message.

Though I still have many questions, I am beginning to reconcile myself and Christianity. My relationship with Him is a personal one. That is between God and me. He knows my heart, and only he will be able to judge me.

I will not go around preaching to people about God and Christianity and how everyone must repent and come to church and do this and do that or else you will suffer His wrath and burn in hell and blah blah blah as some people do. Instead, I will live in goodness. I will stand for love. I will stand for justice. And I will live my life in that manner, so that others may see me as an example. Along the way, I will stumble and fall. Blame it on human nature. Blame it on the devil. Blame in on me, for being weak.

Sooner or later, we have to come to speaking about my beloved Pinoys and their love of religion. We've all heard it before, The Philippines is the biggest Christian/Catholic nation in the East, with at least 80% of the population being Christian/Catholic. So the Philippines is such a religious and spiritual country, and one would think that with a collective prayer by the millions, the country would be blessed.

Not so. The country is full of corruption, dirty politics, extreme poverty, rampant discrimination, and blatant disregard of humanity. How is one country that is so reliant and so "churched" on the good teachings of religion and the Christian faith be so backward? How can a deeply spiritual people who learned the tenets of love and care from their religion be so unloving and uncaring towards each other?

I do not have the answer. I only have the views of a Filipino American. But since I also majored in Political Science, and from a religious private school, a Jesuit one, I believe I have a little bit of understanding about the Philippine situation. So here's my theory on the relationship between spirituality and politics in the Philippines.

I do not believe that the Filipino people are as deeply rooted in religion and Christianity as they believe they are. Otherwise, they would be making wiser decisions when it comes to politics and electing their leaders. Instead, they are bought. I go to church on Sunday. Then you can buy my vote tomorrow, OK?

Next, we have politicians who claim to be spiritual, religious, and God-fearing. I think they are spiritually crooked, religiously corrupt, and fear only losing power. Granted some of them are really trying their best to do well for their constituency, but there are just so many of them, I probably shall call them the "Filipino Legion of Doom" from now on. How often do these politicians hold forums for their constituencies to discuss issues that affect them?

In the US, I have shaken hands with Governors, mayors, councilmembers, and other politicians. They serve me. I do not serve them. I am their voice. For they know, that even a Filipino immigrant like me, have a large voice, large enough to call on the masses if they failed to serve me. Thanks to the power of organization and the media.

In the Philippines, conversely, people are expected to kiss the asses of their politicians. Accordingly, politicians think the people serve them, and not the other way around. If I accidentally stepped on the shoes of a politician, I might get shot right then and there. OK, fine. I might be beaten up. But If I stepped on the shoe of an American politician by accident, all I need is a simple "Sorry."

This post is getting hella long. I hope that when Filipinos go to church, they will ask themselves, what is my reason for coming to church?

I go to church today. Will my vote be bought tomorrow? Will I sell my soul to the devil come election time?

Filipino Pinoy Church Religion Catholic Christian Politics Politicians Election Vote Sunday

English Filipinized, Deconstructing English and Constructing Filipino

"Nabasa ko ang komento mo sa isang blog, yung tungkol sa liberalayzeysyon ng Filipino ispeling. Vizit ka sa www.2001revisyon.blogspot.com para maunawaan mo iyon. Ang kwestson ko lang, para sa iyo, alin ang katawa-tawa, ang weird na Filipino ispeling pero TAMA ang pronunsieysyon o perfekt na ispeling pero pilipit ang pagbigkas ng mga banyagang salita?"

My response:

I know I will get some flack for posting this picture, but I think it will help to illustrate my point. You see, I commented on one blog regarding Filipino and spelling. In this comment, I mentioned that we should try our very best to speak and spell either "proper Filipino/tagalog" or "proper English," and to avoid overuse of Taglish, Englog, Carabao English, Barok Tagalog, cono, blah blah blah or any form of vernacular language. I simply suggested that speaking the right usage of English and Tagalog will be more helpful in certain fields, especially now that we are facing globalization, increasingly.

The arguments to be made against the aforementioned statement is whether or not speaking "proper English" or "proper Tagalog" will help or not. (Note, I do not intend to define proper English or proper Tagalog, as that is another debate altogether). I am not arguing that we shouldn't use some English words and spell them as Filipino. I know that there are some English words that cannot literally be translated into Filipino. For example, I don't even know how to say "computer" in Filipino. I know it in Spanish, since I took three years of Spanish (computadora). But in Filipino. Computer? Is it Kampyuter? Kumpyoter? Kompyuter? I have no clue. This is the exception. I don't mind at all that we can take the spelling of Computer and "Filipinize" it to make it our own. Heck, every language borrows from another. 

But for words like People, the transformation into Pipol gives me the eevy jeevies. Makes my hair stand up. Why, because I know that there is a word in Filipino for People. Isn't it Tao? Mga Tao? Something like that. How about Picture? Isn't it Larawan in Filipino? Or Retrato in Ilocano. Foto en Espanol? Pipol, I mean People, please correct me if I'm wrong. I am in the learning process of understanding Tagalog. One day, I will learn it. One day, my friends will no longer laugh when I speak Filipino. Isang araw, hindi na sila tatawa. One day, they will not find my Filipino cute anymore. (Note, I separated the Filipino sentence and not made it Isang day, hindi na sila will laugh.) I would have been roasted by Taglish experts.

From the quote above is the newly spelled word kwestson. I believe that is question, if I am not mistaken. So here's a perfect example. I learned enough Filipino/Tagalog that there is a tagalog word for question. It's tanong. If we were to respell question into a Filipino one, will it be kwestson, kuwestyon, kwistyon, kuwistiyon; In this case, it will take me years, maybe even decades to learn it well.

I repeat, I don't mind new spellings, as long as there isn't a Filipino word for it. But if there is already a Filipino word for it, why do we re-spell it? Are we uneducated? Are we rebellious? Are we uninformed? Are we careless? Is it our way of saying, look, I'm not that smart, so I'm going to spell the best way I know how and i don't care if you don't understand it, because I do, and that's all that matters, so my way is the better way and I'm so smart for respelling it. 

Before this post gets so long, I will just close with remarks regarding the picture above. I am even more confused than the rabbit when I see English words being respelled into the so-called Filipino spelling. Is it whayt rabeet? The kendy? Or is it white rabbit, the candy? Note, I'm not as horny as that rabbit, looking to do whom or whatever; I'm just as confused, if not even more.

Perhaps I'm like the chicken; like someone just screwed me over when I see Filipinized things. Should I just accept? I probably won't accept now, because I'm still trying to learn about it; for now, the best thing to do is discuss, and try to understand why. There's that word again, why?

Maybe someone will explain to me, so I will no longer be the confused rabbit, or the screwed chicken. I digress again.

NOTE: I do not know what these words mean, but silly me, I commented on that quote anyway: pilipit, pagbigkas, banyagang. Help!

Survivor, Asian Team with Two Pinoys Win first Challenge

Go Asians! Go Pinoy! There are two Filipinos in the five-Asian team in Survivor, a Filipina and a Filipino Hawaiian. This year's Survivor is probably going to be the most controversial ever. It is being deemed as a social experiment bordering on dangerous. Why? They have divided he tribes into ethnic groups: Asians, Latinos, Blacks, and of course, Whites.

It was an athletic and intellectual game. Put a boat together. Row to get fire. Row back to shore and put a puzzle together. Climb. And light the fire. The Latinos were ahead, but the Asians came back and won the event. Latinos second. Whites third. And the Blacks last. This is so interesting as it is pitting races against each other.

I'm not going to expound. I'm rooting for the Asians, of course, as there are two Pinoys in there. I hope that they will show the world the virtues of our culture. Hardworking, Intelligence, Patience, Cooperative, amongs many others.

Me, I'm rooting for the Asians for now. I may change my mind based on how people compete and play strategies.

Go Asian team. Mabuhay ang Pinoy.

Survivor Pinoy Pinay Filipino Filipino+survivor filipina+survivor black+survivor latino+survivor hispanic+survivor

Filipino Expectations, Leaving Corporate America

I wonder how many people out there hate their jobs. Who told us we were supposed to work 8 to 10 hours a day, sometimes 12, 40 to 50 hours a week, sometimes 60? And with all the hard work that we do, a majority of what we make for the company goes to the owner or to the underserving boss.

I don't hate my job so much as I am so uninspired by it. What motivates me to wake up every day is the possibility that I am saving money so that I will something I can finally call my own. We slave day in and day out just to make a living; at the end of the day, sometimes, it is not even enough. Lucky for me, I have a decent paying one.

But what is life, what is work, when I could care less about the work that I do. Yes, I'm jaded by corporate America. I do things that help fatten the owner's pockets. It's all about profits. Money, money, money. Money makes the world go 'round. I have finally come to the realization that I need not be afraid to pursue my passions, even if it doesn't involve much money. Otherwise, life would be miserable, as it is now.

As a Filipino American, I grew up with an extended family who all wanted to see me become a doctor or a lawyer. Then they focused on law school for me. I graduated top of my class in both high school and college, and they wanted only the best for me. Then I decided to postpone law school to help my family. So I joined corporate America. One year passed. Two. Then everyone started asking me about law school. It took some time for my family, and extended family, to understand that I don't want to go to law school, that it was OK, that I'm not a disappointment even if I don't become a lawyer. There are more things to life. There are things I wanted to do for myself, not things my family wanted to do for me. I'm glad I'm finally arriving at that point.

In the Filipino culture, there is so much expectation from parents and grandparents and uncles and aunties. I have spoken to so many Filipinos who were told by their elders to become this and become that and do this and do that, just to please them. In the end, they became miserable. We try to do the things our parents tells us because that is what they think we should be. How about what we really want to do?

In about a month, I will give up my corporate, managerial position in place of something I am deeply passionate about: education. I praise all the educators out there, good educators, that is, for helping to help shape a youth's life. They are the ones who can help mold a child into better citizens, and in these days, it's a tough job. Tough, but can be very satisfying.

I hope to open up an institution for learning in the Philippines. I want a school that will challenge the norms and produce students that are liberated. Students that will know how to question authority, question beliefs and traditions, question injustice. Students who will think for themselves. I want them to be openminded. To accept differences. To accept diversity. I want them to be leaders, to have a new way of thinking.

Idealistic, sure. But revolutions of the mind came through ideals. I am ready to take part in this, in the Philippines, as it is truly needed there.

Filipino+culture expectations Corporate+America tradition school

Challenging the Status Quo in the Philippines

Leaving the Philippines. Filipinos would die for the opportunity to leave their beloved country in search of better opportunities abroad. My own family did so. As a result, I am now working for corporate America making decent to good money. And if I worked for Uncle Sam a little more, I will make it high along the corporate ladder. Filipinos would kill for this opportunity. Figuratively, of course; or can that be literal as well?

Me, I'm doing the opposite. I have decided to work for Uncle Boy? Auntie Gloria? Who is Uncle Sam's cohort in the Philippines. I am coming back to the Philippines for my hanap buhay. It took some time for my family and friends to understand why I'm doing it. My grandpa thought I was losing my mind. You see, he was responsible for my family's petition to the US 20 years ago. (Insert the traditional Filipino Grandpa lecture here about coming to America.) I responded with, Where am I needed more?

I don't mean to be big headed. Really, I feel that my skills and abilities are needed more in the Philippines. Yes, the word is "need." By that, I mean in doing that kind of work that I will do there, I am helping more Filipinos advance their lives. What is this work?

Teaching English proficiency and Neutralized American Accent. I'm not a teacher by trade; I'm in sales and marketing. But I have always loved to teach what I know to help others. And now, I get to combine that with having my own business. No more for Uncle Sam and corporate America. And along the way, I hope to infuse my thoughts on philosophies in the lesson plans. I hope that the students of my school will learn to challenge the status quo, ask tough questions, and realize that it's OK to ask why.

The issue of challenging the status quo. Asking tough questions. Asking why. These are three things I hope more Filipinos would do. Too often, we just accept things as the way they are because it's always been that way.

I'm coming back home. I hope to make a difference.

Leaving+Philippines OFW Filipino Pinoy American+Accent

Short Filipino, Tall Filipino, Shortcomings

Filipinos love the game of basketball. Heck, my mom, my sister, my dad, my bros, cousins, uncles, aunts, seriously, make bets when it comes to basketball, especially in the finals. My bros love to play, including me of course. The four of us bros were fortunately blessed with at least 5'9" height so that we can be tall enough to jump for the rebound or at least do some blocks. Fortunately, we got our father's side of the genes because all the male cousins are at least that height.

Pinoys tend to be short. Sometimes I wish I was at least a six footer. Oh well, I've learned to live with my skin, my height. What's up with this height thing and the Pinoys though? I mean, in the US, there are studies that show that taller people make more money (and so do more beautiful people, but that is another blog altogether).

What's really funny is that Pinoys are one of the biggest discriminators (is that a word? heck, I like it) when it comes to height. What makes it hilarious is that short people make fun of shorter people. Short Pinoys making fun of even shorter Pinoys? What a backward country. Upside down maybe? What SHORTcoming! Pun intended.

I opened the classifieds in the Philippines one day, and what I saw got me all riled up. Some of the ads mentioned that an applicant, a Pinoy, must be at least 5'2" for women , for that position. Whoa!!! Did I read that right? Then I re-read the ad. Maybe it was for a flight attendant position? Flight attendants need to be a little taller to be able to perform their duties. Nope. Maybe it was for a play, and the character was about a giant? Nope. Maybe it was for picking mangoes and papayas, and no ladder was available. Nope.

It was for a damn office job. I read another. It was for a damn sales job. What the fuck? I don't normally swear, but what the fuck? OK, down emotions, let logic take over again. That basically eliminates 99 % of the female pool of applicants. Fine, fine, I'm exaggerating about that percentage, but the truth is, this is a blatant form of plain stupidity. What do they do at the interview? Measure your height?

"Please remove your high heels. Step here, with your back against the wall. Oh, and we need you to put down your hair as well."

Whoa! What the fuck!

I know, I get it. Taller women are more attractive, and thus are probably more able to sell. Or the taller secretary is a better view, better eye candy for the boss. Encourages employees to come to work when they see a pretty one.

Shit, even the president then would not qualify for such position.

Philippines, my Philippines. My backward Philippines. My short Philippines. Okay, back to logic. Why doesn't the media expose this? Where are the civil right organizations? Perhaps one of the qualifications for presidency should be height? How about skin color? How about weight?

My ad:

Wanted. Pinoys, male only. Must be at least 6 ft. Must be fair skinned. Must not have missing teeth. Must have light brown eyes. Must be at least 200 lbs. What the hell, this is getting ridiculous.

Who's going to challenge these institutions? I mean, it wasn't on one ad, it was in almost every ad. And must be female! Whoa! That's another subject or blog altogether. How about those ads that mention must be under 30. Holy moly macaroni! What the fuck. Okay, I'm done swearing, damn it! Rambling. Rambling. Stay on topic. Go back to height issue.

Or just end it here before my head explodes. Damn, why do I get so worked up over this. I'll just play basketball with my brothers later to blow off some steam.

short height Filipino weight basketball Fil-Am Pinoy Philippines discrimination

9/11, "The Day we Saw the Face of Evil," A Filipino American View

I was driving to work at 715 am, and I normally tune in to 94.1 and 98.5 to help me pump up my morning. Instead of energy music, I heard the news explaining some plane crash on one of the the Twin Towers in NYC. I thought this was some kind of joke. Something like that couldn't possibly happen in the US. So I changed the station. Same thing. Whoa! My day was going to be a sucky one. Five minutes later, I arrived at work, and the look on everyone's faces, as if someone has just sucked out their very last breath, leaving just enough to live.

I, too, wanted to go after those terrorists. We have never seen an attack of such magnitude on our very own shores. We Americans think we're invincible. We are too great of a superpower for anyone to be messing with us. Think Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Think Cold War. Think Nato. Sometimes, this mentality though, the we-cannot-be-touched-mentality, or the we-are-always-right-mentality, can even make us a bigger target for terrorists.

There is no excuse for what happened on that day. It is completely evil. But this is something that you all have probably read about. There is nothing new to these statements.

Instead, I offer my confusion in these matters. But first, I commemorate and pay respect to those that died in that tragedy, and for the deaths of our brave men and soldier who are fighting for global freedom in Iraq, and for those who have already lost their lives for that cause.

Here's my confusion. 9/11 happened. We went after Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda because they organized this terror. When we couldn't catch Bin Laden, we focused on Iraq. We attaced Iraq because we believed that they have WMDs, Weapons of Mass Destruction. We bombed them. We killed them. They killed us. Then UN reps went in to investigate. Found no weapons of mass destruction. Then we bombed them again. We killed more of them. They killed more of us. Still, no weapons of mass destruction.

Confusion number one. How did we link 9/11 and Iraq? How did all of a sudden, the American people think that for some reason 9/11 and Iraq was connected? News spin? Propaganda? Just illogical association. We were so caught up with our emotions that anything that has any hint of terror in it, near the Middle East, near petroleum, oil, in which we Americans are the biggest consumers of, any hint of terror, we will react aggresively against. Iraq was the perfect link.

Confusion number two. When we found out that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which was the very reason why we went into war with them, why did the American people continue to support this war? What if our justice system worked that way? Let's say we find that a neighbor was suspected of manufacturing coccaine, drugs, or what have you in their house, and we've been suspecting for a while. We smell chemicals; we see irrational behavior, and we have enough evidence to call the cops on them believing there is something fishy going on in there. The cops do a surveillance. They raid the house. Found nothing but dishwashing liquid. Rotting fruits and vegetables. Clorox spilled everywhere.

Do we continue to prosecute? Likewise, do we continue to attack and finish what we started?

I don't even want to bring up the Filipinos and the Philippines in this post. All I can remember is there was a Juan Delacruz, (just looked it up on Google, it's Angelo Delacruz) who was captured and later released in exchange of pulling out the whole Philippine army out. Well I guess I do want to bring up my beloved Pinoy and the Philippines here. It's just fitting.

Sometimes, I don't understand why the Pinoys were there in the first place. Was it to appease their colonial masters? I mean, did they not know that death and captivity was inevitable? Did they think that this was going to be an easy task? It just seems like the Philippines was just there to please their foreign masters. They weren't really fighting for global freedom. Otherwise, they would not have pulled out. I wonder if a Filipino American officer was captured, would they have pulled out? Were the Filipinos ready to sacrifice life going into this war?

In essence, by pulling out, we were succumbing to the will of the so-called threats. We were once again looked at by foreign nations as a wimp, no balls. Just a little trashy island somewhere in Southeast Asia with nothing to contribute to the greater good. We made a big celebrity out of Dela Cruz. We made fools of ourselves. We should not have been there in the first place. Or was that the right move? I am a believer of "things happen for a reason," but I still don't quite understand the reason Filipinos and the Philippines were in Iraq.

After having said all this, I'm glad that Angelo Dela Cruz is alive.

To be honest, I am a pacifist. Dialogue. Diplomacy. Exhaust these options first. I wish the US had not gone into war. But we're in it. For some time, we have to stand behind our soldiers. Solidarity. Support. Patriotism. Then we realize that enough is enough. There is no point anymore.

I love the stories of the People Power Movements in the Philippines. Solidarity. What is our place in this war? What is our story as Filipinos in this war? Where are the modern day Jose Rizals? Who will represent us in a global fight for freedom?

I guess I have more questions than answers. So I guess I am still confused. Am I?

9/11 September+11 Iraq Al+Qaeda War+on+Iraq Philippines Filipino American Pinoy Angelo+Dela+Cruz