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Friday, August 24, 2007

Why I Live In the Philippines ...

This is lifted off an email I received from my High School yahoo groups but it is so, SO TRUE ...

Subject: Big Why????? YYYY
Why I live in the Philippines
When I travel people often ask me why I live in the Philippines.

Well here it is, the only place on earth...

…Where every street has a basketball court.
…Where even lawyers and engineers are unemployed.

…Where doctors study to become nurses for employment abroad.

...Where students pay more money than they will earn afterwards.

...Where school is considered the second home and the mall considered the third.

...Where call-center employees earn more money than teachers and nurses.
Where mutineers get elected senators.
…Where luxury cars are being destroyed.
…Where the press people are the most powerful.
…Where the priest knew everything about politics
…Where everyone has his personal ghost story and superstition.

...Where mountains like Makiling and Banahaw are considered holy places.

...Where you can buy school diploma on the street.
…Where everything can be forged.

...Where Starbucks coffee is more expensive than gas.

...Where flyovers bring you from the freeway to the side streets.
…Where people cross the street under the overpass and not using the overpass.

...Where crossing the street involves running for your dear life.

...Where the personal computer is mainly used for games and Friendster
…Where protesters with anti-American sentiments are wearing a pair of Hanes and Levis.
…Where street protest is 12/7 activities and considered a living.

...Where colonial mentality is dishonestly denied!

...Where 4 a.m. is not even considered bedtime yet.

...Where people can pay to defy the law.

...Where everything and everyone is spoofed.

...Where even the poverty-stricken get to wear Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger

...Where the honking of car horns is a way of life.

...Where floodwaters take up more than 90 percent of the streets during the rainy season.

...Where everyone has a relative abroad who keeps them alive.

...Where wearing made in the Philippines clothes makes you baduy.

...Where even the poverty-stricken have the latest cell phones.

...Where insurance and educational plan do not work.

...Where the government makes the people pray for miracles.

...Where fast food is a diet meal.

...Where traffic signs are merely suggestions, not regulations.

...Where the definition of traffic is the 'non-movement' of vehicles.

...Where the WWII fighter planes are used for military engagements, and the new fighter planes are displayed in museums.

...Where cigarettes and alcohol are necessity, and where the lottery is a commodity.

...Where soap operas tell the realities of life and where the news provides the drama.

...Where actors make the rules and where politicians provide the entertainment.

...Where people can get away with stealing billions of pesos, but not a thousand.

...Where being an hour late is still considered punctual.
…Where late departure (ferry or plane) is considered normal.

...Where the squatters have more to complain (even if they do not pay their tax) -

than those employed and have their tax automatically deducted from their salaries.

... and where everyone wants to leave the country!

According to Manila businessman, there is so much wit in the Philippines because '. . .
we are a country where a good sense of humor is needed to survive.
This is the reason why amazingly Filipinos are one of the happiest people in the world.

We have a 24-hour comedy show here called the government and a huge reserve of comedians made up mostly of politicians and bad actors.

Now I ask you where else in the world would one want to live?

A Really GOOD Tagalog Song

After the breakup of Eraserheads I thought it would be difficult to find Filipino bands with considerable songwriting talent. I have to admit that I am a very big fan of the E-heads because of the melodic prowess of both Ely Buendia and Raimund Marasigan.

Then again Rivermaya, minus Bamboo, had a few respectable songs, some of good enough to break the regional divide (I saw an MTV of "You'll Be Safe Here" in Singapore).

But this song really caught my attention. I wonder why...
(Thanks to kumanta.com for the lyrics)

Wag Ka Nang Umiyak
by Sugarfree

Wag ka nang umiyak, sa mundong pabago-bago
pag-ibig ko ay totoo
ako ang iyong bangka, kung magalit man
ang alon, ng panahon, sabay tayong aahon

[chorus]
Kung wala ka nang maintindihan
Kung wala ka nang makapitan
Kapit ka sa akin, kapit ka sa akin
Di kita bibitawan

Wag kang umiyak, mahaba man ang araw
uuwi ka sa yakap ko
wag mo nang damdamin kung wala ako sayong tabi
iiwan kong puso ko sa yo
at kung pakiramdam mo’y wala ka nang kakampi
isipin mo ako dahil puso’t isip ko’y
nasa yong tabi

[repeat chorus]

…di kita pababayaan

Kapit ka, kumapit ka
(para sa buhay ng buhay ko)

Watch the MTV here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19L3yVbiAic

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

My 80s Movies List Part 2

Teen movies!

1. Some Kind of Wonderful
2. Gleaming the Cube
3. The Wraith
4. Pretty in Pink
5. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
6. Say Anything (Remember the boombox scene? With John Cusack playing Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes")
7. Teen Wolf

and do I dare mention the 80's teen movies from the Philippines?

1. Bagets (1 and 2)
2. Hotshots
3. Ninja Kids

Next: Horror Movies

Monday, July 23, 2007

My 80s Movies List Part 1

I now have some of the movies that I enjoyed thoroughly when I was a kid in my portable hard drive. Don't ask me how I got them ...

I daresay that when you're a kid growing up in the 80s the sense of wonderment with movies on the big screen is always present, never taken for granted. I say this of course in reference to the proliferation of DVDs that have minimized the need to beg parents to see the new movie in movie houses. (Just wait for the DVD anak ...)

My first list covers sci-fi movies targeted for kids. I don't think I ever grew up because seriously I still love watching them until today.

1. Krull
2. The Last Starfighter
3. Labyrinth
4. Ghostbusters (not Ghostbusters 2. The sequel sucked big time.)
5. Flight of the Navigator
6. Return to Oz (a bit on the eerie side though)
7. D.A.R.Y.L.
8. Flight of Dragons
9. The Rainbow Connection
10. Innerspace
11. Cloak and Dagger (still looking for this one)

A lot of sci-fi/fantasy stuff on that list I admit. I'm sure a lot of other people would add the following:

1. Neverending Story (never watched it)
2. Princess Bride (too mushy for my taste)
3. The Boy Who Could Fly (mushy-ER!)
4. The Dark Crystal (only watched it recently)

Plus of course the inevitable Star Wars (which I love), Star Trek (which I never got around to like) and Back to the Future.

Next: Teen Movies

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Where The Points Don't Matter

My wife and I are avid fans of "Whose Line Is It Anyway" (I can't get the rather high-brow jokes on the UK version so we watch the US version). In tribute (?) to their "points don't matter" attitude here's my own list ...

So as Drew Carey would introduce it: "Welcome to Whose Line Is It Anyway, the show where everything is made up and the points don't matter. That's right the points are like:


1. Pedestrian lanes in Manila
2. Sidewalks in Manila
3. Elections in the Philippines
4. 3G for mobile phones
5. Gravy containers in KFC (just give us the whole pot!)
6. Security guards in malls and hotels and the whole shenanigan of checking the car chassis!
7. Electronic TV Guides (I'd rather exercise my thumb and surf through channels 2 to 99)

I remember having a longer list ... I'll add more to this in a few days time.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

One Cruel Exercise Machine


We tried riding a pedicab from Tutuban Mall to 168 Mall (all of probably 300 meters) because we had no intention of walking in 35-degree heat and 90% humidity. This was a first for me.

Did you ever consider how difficult it is to power it, especially if you have two grown adults riding in the sidecar (combined gross weight of 300 lbs.)?