The “Game of Life” seems so undefined in so many ways …
ok this aint no picture of him, my camera is on infinite charge mode….
yesterday, i’m waiting all day in the only pair of shorts i have… all my dirty laundry being held by ‘labander hub’ who doesn’t pick up the phone all day yesterday. after many txt messages, i quit on leaving the house with these filthy shorts.
today, saturday, i send an SMS over to ‘labander hub’ at about 0900hrs.. they apologize for not bringing the laundry due to the rain storm. OK – no problem. They also say delivery man is coming within the hour – OK great, I can finally leave the house and take care of things! waiting all afternoon, many SMS messages sent, no reply..
this is damn hard work. this must be pakistan or something - i did not take this picture - but it makes the philippines look more developed than the USSA
1500hrs rolls around. I really want to get to Recto. I really really want to leave my house. I really really want to get away from the Internet! Finally, I call and say, “mare saan laundry ko? gusto ko sa laundry na?, she says” mamayana sir, later sir, is this american eric?”, I say, “OPO! yes! kelan nmn po? (when is it coming), can i come get it now?”, she replied, “YES sir come get it now.”
So then, I get ready to take a shower, and shazam! here’s Alain the laundry guy!
Good thing I didn’t go down there.
Oy WordPress, thank you for letting me rant! The walls do not talk back and neither do you! 
This morning I arrive on time, 1000hrs; to a scheduled appointment with a client.
Aside
Over the past nine months, I’ve been working with this guy and he absolutely insists he knows Manila and the Philippines very well. Needless to say – I waited till 1200hrs to discover he still hadn’t figured out how to use a Philippine Cell phone nor did he know how to tell a taxi driver or ask Security Guards how to get to ‘The Fort’. The Fort is one of Manila’s most hyped-up developments because streets are paved and you dont step in raw chemicals while crossing streets. There are no sights of lovely jeepneys, no vendors who you can buy cigarettes by the single. No Sari-Sari stores you can get phone credits in an instant, No Buko Juice Vendors. In other words it lacks everything I love about this country. Funny, in this developed, “New Manila” you can not see the pure unfettered capitalism in action. You only see ‘controlled capitalism’. I’m getting way off topic here. Maybe I’ll write on that topic later.
Back to Title
So, I’m waiting for my client to show up. I’m sitting outside, in the smoking area of the Tea Coffee Bean Leaf in the Fort,
(which by the way the coffee taste like Bathwater, but it’s the only place in the fort open prior to 1100)
and this older gentleman, well dressed, tall, but looking confused, scared and lost takes a seat at the table next to me.
A brawny European accent directed at me, “Hello do you have the time?” – I notice he has a watch on. I bark back in my accent, Ya It’s 1030.
He then asks me, “So do you like this Country? Whats the biggest thing you dislike about this country?” I’m intrigued, so I answer, “Nothing. I love it here.”
Sweedish Guy: ” Yes, the people are very hospitable, ”
I’m thinking, what the hell happened with this guy, this is the usual bullshit of everyone is hospitable, of course they are. The people of the Philippines are world renowned for being hard workers, hospitable Catholics.
Sweedish Guy: “You know what I don’t like, my Sweedish Mobile provider Telia does not roam here to the Philippines.”
Me: “Oh yeah? Didn’t you check it before you left your country?”
Sweedish Guy: “No, I only came here for 10 days because the best friend of my wife is Filipina. She is a doctor and she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen?”
Me: “Oh yeah? Thats cool!”
Sweedish Dude: “Where is Ortigas, I have to get there? Can I walk?”
Mind you, we are in the middle of Tropical Storm Seven
Me: “Well, it’s definitely a long walk, and man it’s raining hard. Go walk that way (pointing) and get a taxi, they all know where Ortigas is, it’s 45 minutes max in this traffic”
Sweedish Guy Looking disappointed and Worried
Me: “Whats up man? Please come have a seat.”
Me and Sweedish guy start talking about everything under the sun. What am I doing here, What does he do back home. Economic and Political News about Sweeden and Europe, differences between Americans and Europeans, talking about friends he has from America, friends I have from Norway and Switzerland. Then he corrects me to tell me Switzerland is not the same as Sweeden. I tell him most Americans are pretty ignorant towards Europe. We laugh.
Cut the small talk, the real problem comes to face. He states he’s going to Ortigas to the Visa Credit Card Regional Office because his wallet and credit card went missing. Add another five minutes of small talk, he reveals he left it in the taxi in the hurry to get out of the cab without getting wet. I ask him did you file a police report. He says yes, but then quickly asks, should I? I ask him again did you file a police report? He asks, does anyone ever return things here? I say hey man, you leave that amount of money ANYWHERE you are lucky you will see it again. To me it sounds like he can’t even afford the cab to Ortigas. He reveals he is a postmaster in Sweeden, loves his job, makes good money, and his wife needs to send him $4000 western union.
I recommend Xoom.com…
So I pull out my train card and tell him he can take the train. Show him the map on the back of the card. He incessantly worries it is not safe for him. I say, “come on man they have security, they check all bags and people for bombs and weapons.” He says, “I don’t have weapons!” I say, “Come on dude, It’s for your peace of mind – to make sure no one else has weapons” He now is look relieved. He asks me three times, ” how much is the ride to Ortigas?”. It’s getting clear this old honest man is in a jam. I give him my train card and ask him where is his umbrella. He says, “well, this morning i had a 69 peso burger at mcdonalds, and i forgot my umbrella there. I went back in and it’s gone, everyone is a thief here, I’m never coming to Asia again!”. I’m like, “Dude relax, this has happened to me at least three times, and it can happen anywhere, you need to keep your guard up, anywhere you go Mr. Postmaster.” I take a look at Old Man Hill Sweeden and he’s got goosebumps all over, this poor bastard. I pat him on the back a few times and notice I’m already late for my next meeting. People are strange, but I’m glad to help, and I hope he changes his opinion of this country because it is really lovely.
As he’s walking away, he asks “Why do they call it Market Market? Why isn’t it just Market?!? Why do they have to say it twice?!?!”
Man I had a good laugh on that one.
Peace
This is written by my ex-father-in-law, a great man with infinite Honor – Nelson Laguerta. I had asked him if I could publish and share his article titled, “Yes, Erap can Run and Win”. I’m not one to get involved in Filipino Politics, and nor do I have a vote.
Here it is:
Yes, Erap can legally run and win!
Yes, Erap can run legally in the 2010 elections!
Not only this. He is at a striking distance to win the presidency once more considering the fanatical quality of support his backers give him. The most likely scenario of seeing at least five candidates in the running would make him on the better edge.
He is one of the top five co-equals in the Pulse Asia survey conducted a year before the Elections Day takes place on May 17, 2010.
But among them, he is the only one who enjoys fanatical confidence from those who prefer to vote for him. His voters are people who would go for him, come hell or high water. That is because despite his having been convicted of plunder, a thievery of at least P75 million, still they talked to Pulse Asia surveyors with deep pride.
Those who prefer Vice-President Noli de Castro, Chiz Escudero, Sen. Manuel Villar and Sen. Mar Roxas are likely to shift with still a little less than a year to the E-Day.
What made his âimprobable journeyâ back to The Palace is the fact that he has slowly transformed his image from one of banditry and immorality to one that may be a renewed hope of prosperity and tranquility with him as the President.
His backers I know are taking high sense of pride in their arguments that the lessons in the past give Erap the edge in terms of expectation of a better presidency.
First, they say, he has learned what not to do and what to do.
Second, they believe firmly in his vow to redeem his failed leadership for he has pledged this repeatedly by his ageing mother.
Third, the people are more of anti-Gloria Arroyo now that they are willing to accept the idea that the âeruptiveâ English speaker is far better than the highly-educated petite woman who use intelligence to corrupt and deceive.
Fourth, the people are more likely to agree to give vindication a chance to give justice to the victims of stealing the Presidency not once but twice.
They say she fooled the people power backers into believing she was the best answer to the cry for the ouster of Erap and the burning desire to save the country from the quagmire of corruption. It turned out a damn fluke. Then, she manufactured one million votes to beat Erapâs buddy, Fernando Poe Jr., which accusation she has denied with âI am sorryâ despite the strong evidence to the contrary.
The only issue left for Erap is: Can he legally run considering the almost uncontested thesis that the Constitution bars him from running again?
My take is he can run within the bounds of the Constitution.
How?
The answer is based on the higher principle that says: The voice of the people is the voice of God, in the Latin legal maxim it is: âVox populi vox dei.â This is a restatement of the basic principle in a democratic country that sovereignty resides in the people.
By âsovereignty,â we refer to the power or ability to impose the peopleâs will; such that if the will is done or carried out successfully the sovereignty is not offended.
But how can we determine the sovereignty of one country?
Sovereignty roots from each individual. Our case laws refer to the will of one person as a âparticle of sovereignty.â And because there are millions of individuals in one country, there is also equivalent number of millions of âparticles of sovereignty.â Each personâs sovereignty often collides with each otherâs sovereignty. Each of them has different opinions, beliefs, needs and wants.
But there is a need as to what would be the national will or national sovereignty or, better yet, âthe peopleâs sovereignty.â To resolve this problem of clashing desires, we have invented a means on how to determine overall sovereignty in one country and we do it by the rule of majority. For purposes of convenience and order, we have to abide by the will of the majority and let the minority who dissent follow the rule.
But how can the rule of majority be determined? This we do by asking all to express by means of their votes on any issue presented them through election, referendum or plebiscite. The winning choice is then what we call as the will of the majority.
As to the matter of establishing one countryâs Constitution, we submit any proposed fundamental law to the will of the majority by means of asking them to vote âyesâ or ânoâ in a plebiscite.
Now, a constitution is a set of basic laws that should guide the Congress composed of senators and district representatives, the Judiciary composed of justices and judges, the Executive composed of the President, the Vice-President, the Cabinet Secretaries, the bureaus and agencies and all other offices, and the military and civilians as to what to do, what to respect, and what to prohibit.
Among the laws contained in our constitution now is the prohibition for any elected president to run in any future election for the same position of the President.
Actually, reading this provision gives an immediate impression that Erap, for having been elected once to the highest position in the land, cannot run anymore. And this impression is correct, legally and constitutionally speaking. And I submit that he cannot really run again for the position of the President.
So how then he can become president?
Simple.
Erap should file a certificate of candidacy for President.
Then he should convince the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to put his name in the ballots so that he can be officially recognized as one of the candidates.
And to be able to convince or compel the Comelec through a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Highest Court, Erap has to argue that his case is peculiar and novel, that it is still unclear whether a President who was booted out of office can run again for the same post, that it is the better school of thought to allow Erap to run and let the Supreme Court judiciously settle the question in a full-blown trial because it is the only body authorized by the people to say what does the law men.
If Erap loses the election, the decision of the Supreme Court is anticipated to be ruling that the prohibition is absolute.
And if Erap wins, the Supreme Court will be compelled to rule that he can run.
The justification is not found in the Constitution or any law. It will come from the higher rule: The voice of the people is the voice of God.
As the higher rule, the peopleâs voice composed of the majority of the will at that time constitutes an amendment of the Constitution only with respect to Erap.
I hope ordinary minds get what I mean.
at one time, the philippines was the wealthiest country in asia…
This has been us the past month. Startup mode going full force not seeing any obstacles. I had to post a link to this, as he writes it well… Kevin Leversee – Startup Woes Boiled Toes
Although, it is a native root to South Asia, one cannot locate turmeric in Manila supermarkets… Does anyone know where?
TurmEric
ok 24 hours with plurk, –first impressions are sometimes misleading!
someone summon plurk a witch doctor, @papadimitriou .. is absolutely right – it’s an enthralling interface, but critically lacking essential features.
/eof
Waking up today, the sky was already looking like that giant wall of water was heading my way..
My Cannon Powershot battery was dead and wouldn’t charge properly via usb… she was just crying to get home and be with her typical charger ;].
wishing it was charged though… you are missing out on awesome nature…
i arrive in guadelupe, makati jumping off the back of a jeep, you can feel the rain is coming.. (guadelupe makati is one of the more densely populated areas with open air markets fruits fish vegetable light-sabers and buko juice) …
i’m wearing a makati city chapter baranguay shirt, got my laptop in one bag, and my business attire with $300 shoes in the other, crossed around my chest feeling like Rambo strapped…
and all of a sudden, boom , the rain falls down, hard like bullets, and like a jar of marbles being emptied, people are running all over the place in 50 different directions seeking shelter..
i take shelter for a second under a kind fruit vendors umbrella.. thinking what the hell should i do know, i can neither afford to loose my dress shoes or my laptop… clearly within 30 seconds i and my equipment would be completed drenched and ruined..
so i say to myself, go, go, go, — with slippery flip flips i’m running cross the way thru jeeps and and umbrellas threatening to poke my eyes.. hey joe hey joe what are you doing?!?! i’m hearing, and i just run about 250m to the escalator I THOUGHT was the MRT TRAIN…. ends up being guadelupe mall, where the power is completely cut, there are no generator lights, and it’s the only way to get to the train without getting soaked…. walk thru here, and there are people congregating against the walls.. and you can’t see a thing!!!
up to the train… to my stop, take it to the end of the line,… coming off the train it’s still pouring rain.. then two water vendors fighting each other over who gets to sell water bottles on that bus – and almost getting runover in the process! haha very funny, then the more dominant vendor is laughing, smacks him on the back and runs away to the next bus….haha that made me laugh…
another day in manila, never gets old and it’s a pleasure to be here…
mabuhay filipinas.
ok it’s official.. it was tropical depression FERIA ..
i’m migrating my blogs to this new site… for the meantime you will see me digging back and smacking up content to fill the site…. in the near future i will start blogging regularly…
from Sat 11/29/2008
it started like this… i’m on a bus from maganelles station in makati, outbound to the skyway south to alabang… stuck in rush hour traffic, the skyway is literally a parking lot… i’m jotting down notes of things to get done and ideas to execute, and all of a sudden a man stands up in the front of the bus with a guitar strapped along his chest… hahaha.. not a bomb!
anyway, he starts a familiar sounding christmas tune and sings along to it, the only competing sounds are the loud beep beeps of the buses anxiously trying to cut one another off… he sings in english and switches back to tagalog as if they are the same language… people near him in the front are even singing along.. i don’ t know this track….
it was quite relieving with walmart stampes in the U.S., mumbai pools of bodies and blood, and bangkok’s airport getting taken care this week, that this week in the Philippines Christmas is coming and everyone is happy!!!!
i’m also happy to report that mr. guitar made a couple hundred pesos as everyone had their hands out to donate to him all 60+ of us!
god bless the philippines!