State of Emergency?

For sure, a lot of the other social/economic issues will have taken a backseat because of the recent political instability in the country. One of the things that is blatantly obvious here, which has also been so in the last years, is that Gloria will do everything in her power, to stay in office. And it really means anything. That's as simple as that.

Jose De Venecia has always had a bad image almost being percieved as the incarnate of the trapo persona. But we see that Gloria is as much a trapo as the rest of them, probably worse. A friend at the office recently commented "Absolute power corrupts absolutely". And I really have to say that on this one, I dont think so. With what I have been seeing for the past years, I am more inclined to believe that she is only what she has always been.

What kind of future do we really see for our country? We have a president that deserves to be booted out of office several times over. We have an inept vice-president who seems to mind his hair better than his job. And then the rest of the usual colorful filipino political community. Should I choose to migrate out of the country like a lot of my good friends have done so? It's a big possiblity. But I will not kid myself in saying that the justification to move to the West is not really because of these wretched politics. I will move there because I see a better life there, and that is primarily related to financial compensation. Who are we kidding here? The single biggest reason is the money. It's not because I love the western culture. It's not because I love their foreign policy... god knows I abhor it. It's not because I think they are a better country. Sure they have some things going for them, but Pinas will and always be my home whether it is in a political turmoil or under the usual coup threat. This is probably the only place where people stil go to malls when a group of rogue soldiers just took a hotel in makati hostage. The first thing I thought about when I heard that was,

"I hope this shit lingers long enough to cancel work next Monday."

In some ways... there is something so pinoy about that mentality that you love. I can imagine how a foreigner would never understand this. It's just pinoy. And these events have just been too common these days. Nothing too special no more. How many rallies have I seen or been to. How many work days have been cancelled? How many presidents have we booted out? How many issues have come and gone?

I know that I will always remember and miss a lot of the simplicities a life in Manila makes possible. The fishball in the street, the stores in every corner, the cheap beer, the cheap cab fare.. relatively of course, the cheap movie tickets, the language, the culture, the people.. The truth is, there really is something so "pinoy" here that is and will always be a part of me. And I dont want to rob that away from my daughter. If there is anything that will be challenging for me and my wife, it will be to try to make that part of her life if she ever ends up having to grow up in a foreign land.

I was in Singapore attending training that time when I saw the report at MediaCorp News that the 10 cabinet secretaries has just resigned. And really... the rest of the news and images as they were presented was quite alarming. So alarming in fact, that I had to call my wife to ask what was going on, and if they were ok. And then you come home and actually see that this will go on for the next year. Yesterday, I got a phone call from my brother in California asking how things were... now I understand why I get these kinds of calls.

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Whatever happened to the stampede issue? Was anyone ever sued? I have always been disgusted when I chance upon watching Wowowee or Kris Aquino's game show where they mask these as benevolent programs that are supposed to be there to help the poor. And the way the show's hosts exploit the poor and old people who go there for scrap of what these big network makes out of having them cry on TV is as evil as evil can get. Sure, I see some businessmen make money from conning other businessmen, but not the media. There is more money to make in exploiting the poor. And if something like the stampede ever blows up in their face... they make it appear that they dont even have to accept responsibility for it. Mga putangina nyo!!!

US Trip

I've recently been told by my boss that they're sending me to Florida for a month or two. They also explained to the rest of the team in Manila that they're not closing the office by June, but merely downsizing and probably moving to a much smaller office because of this. But then a quick count with my fingers reveal something else.

All of the senior guys and managers have been offered to move to Florida for good. The support team will remain but only till June. The rest of the rank and file people have been or will be retrenched this month. Meanwhile myself and another guy who came in just a month ago have been told to go to Florida for 30-60 days. No offers to move there for good yet... Just a visit. And then what? Come back to Manila and be the only 2 people working in the office?

It's obvious that the trip to Florida is supposed to be an assesment or evaluation for us. The rest of the guys have been with company for at least 1 year, so they already know them more or less. And I totally understand the management since I've only been with the company for 2 months, and the other guy for less than 1. I hear that they have rescinded the 2 year bond that was originally part of the deal. Now my colleagues who are moving there are no longer bound to stay with the company for at least 2 years. I also hear that once in Florida, the company will sponsor the petition for a green card for them and their family. Hmmmmm.... it's beginning to look like an offer that will be difficult to refuse.

The irony of it

I am really trying to understand why my wife is so sensitive about our househelp doing anything when she has just finished ironing clothes?! Suddenly, she is not supposed to do anything anymore. She bothers me with going out to buy some stuff when my small remaining time at home would be best spent snoozing for an hour or two just before I report for nightshift. I mean, its not like I'm a lazy bastard or I am a fucking slave driver. I am very good and generous to house helps that we've had, even if some of them have fucking ruined some expensive shirts in the past.

Why on earth is ironing work regarded (at least the physical aspect of it) with such respect? It seems the househelps are not supposed to get their hands wet after that job, but it's ok if I do even if I just changed another goddamn flat tire or whatever manual work that is obvisouly physically more demanding and tougher than ironing some clothes. Ironing isn't a joke. I know this for a fact since I used to do this for myself when I was still single and I'm fairly sensitive about how my shirts and pants should be ironed... but what is so physically demanding about it really? It's boring, yes... and all the standing can probably give you a bit of sore legs.. back, maybe. But not really that much right? Now she cant be sent to buy some fruits 5 blocks away? What the fuck??!!

I just had an 18-hour day here... give me a break dammit!!!

6th Bday

Last Friday, we had a small kiddie party for my daughter's 6th bday at her school in Makati. Nothing fancy, I arranged for 30 pax from the nearby Jollibee. And for the love of me, I cannot really fathom how these teachers do their job and continue to handle these kids everyday. It was nice to see all of them having fun, but then one can immediately imagine the kind of headache it would be to have to do this all year long. Needless to say, the parlor games moved the mayhem a notch higher.

During the palo sebo, there was this 1 girl who caught my attention. She was picking up stuff from everywhere and sweeping them aside to one corner. Obviously, the rest of the kids were simply having a hard time trying to hold all the stuff they got while picking up the rest of the stuff, but not her:

She then systematically collected the loot afterwards...

1 down, several to go

I just figured that it's been 1 year since I started blogging... how time flies. I know that's so cliche but so what... I can't think of any psuedo-intellectual reflection about doing this for a year now except that I've had fun doing it.

So cheers to me and to my few readers... now lets get back to the real reason we surf the internet... porn!

Mr. Know-it-all

I have a colleague here at the office that's quickly becoming annoying. He's one of those guys that seems to always know something about anything. The problem is, he has this tendency to out talk even those who are really into whatever shit we are talking talking about... be it hobbies, history, sports, general info, local IT companies, trends in the industry... every fucking thing. And he is fucking getting on my nerves....

He even argued with me that back in the day he used to be very much into weightlifting that he used to be a very lean 190lb SOB, with only 5% body fat. Heck, pro athletes dont even get to that low, most of the olympians are around 8%. He also claims that he used to do anabolic steroids for 3 years, and some other synthetic crap that I'm sure he only heard from some wild story from god knows who. I told him I used to be into bodybuilding myslef and told him I used to be able to bench press 220lbs for 4-6 reps. He then told me that was light.. and he used to do around 300lb+ easy. The nerve!

I asked him about the program he had, and only proceeds to tell me that he did the whole body. MWF upper body and TTHS lower body. Of course this was beginning to get funnier and funnier. I then proceeded to tell him that his program was crap, and it was obviously overtraining. I told him about my 4 day split program and the importance of working-out opposites muscles in succession like biceps and triceps, etc.

What the fuck am I doing talking to this guy? Goes to show how there is absolutely nothing I am doing at 5:29 in the morning waiting for my shift to finish.... *sigh*

Job Interview

I think the interview went ok. I'm just not too sure if the guy just had a very pleasing disposition earlier this afternoon or if I was really doing that well. I couldn't help but think about the huge salary I would be recieving if I get the job. Made me drool in my mind every 10 minutes or so. Considering the interview went on for about 80 minutes, I'd say that was too much drooling even for that amount of money.

Oh well...

Random rants

Probably the best thing that I have grown to love about working night shifts is the way it has affected my eating habits. Basically, I now have no idea what time I am supposed to eat and whether what I am eating is lunch, dinner or just merienda. So the result is, I have grown accustomed to eating just a small amount of food. If rice is served, I am usually ok with just 1 cup and even in most cases, less. If you know me, you know that that's a huge accomplishment.

I feel I am losing some fat in the process... although subsequent checks with the weighing scale atumotically disqualifies that theory. But fuck the scale, really. I feel the belly has been reduced a bit, and I feel "thinner". Whatever that means...

But other than this, working on GY shift is fucking horrible. I can understand being able to live with this for several weeks or months, if you are a single guy. But a family man cannot survive on this for too long... I don't fucking care if they're paying me this much. I have basically lost my life to this nocturnal work shift. I dont get to meet with friends, I dont get to do activities with my family, and I can't stand trying to readjust back my body clock every goddamn Monday.

My company has announced that the Manila office is closing on June. So it's either you get retrenched, or you get offered to move to the US. 2 of my colleagues have been offered, one of them rejected it and the other one will probably take it. I am still the odd man out. Don't really know why they have held out the decisioin on me for this long... but something's bound to come out. The US offer isn't really that good. Of course I mean this in comparison to the other possibilities that have begun to open for me here. Getting a US Visa is great... plus the fact that you get to bring your family with you, but the compensation isnt really that fantastic. Specially since my "new opportunity" would already allow me to be recieving almost the same amount here in Manila. So in retrospect, if I go to the US, I'd be living a so-so life based on what they offered to keep me, at least contractually for the next 2 years. But if I stay here, I'd be living a very comfortable life based on almost the same salary the US is offering, but now with a different company. Tough choice really...

My final interview for this "new opportunity" is tomorrow afternoon. I have all my fingers crossed for this one. The best thing that can happen is, I get this new job together with the ridiculous salary that I have asked for and then win the 2 projects that I am working on from my previous company. And the chances for both of them are really looking good right now. If we win, I was thinking of buying a new car, but now I know I should buy a house first. Maybe some bank-acquired property somewhere in the metro that has been depreciated. At least get something so I dont have to pay P180K a year for a big apartment that will never be mine anyway.

My wife and I were at the mall most of today looking at some new furniture. Practically, we saw several things we wanted to buy... a new sofa set, a new coffee table, and a new AC for my daughter's room. Everything totalling to about P60K. I almost bought everything right then and there. Good thing I hesitated. I told myself that I'd wait to see how my interview goes first, and then we'll see if I still wanna buy the stupid velvet sofa.

And then we passed by the Lacoste shop again. Funny how having all these money now has changed the way I look at these expensive stores now. I used to cringe in fear whenever I see prices from these designer shops. Last week, I bought myself a pair of Lacoste shoes, and 2 Lacoste shirts. Also bought another pair of shoes from People Are People because it looked to good to pass. Now that I've thought about it, I just bought myself 4 pairs of shoes in the last month. Of course I know that one of the main reasons I indulge myself with these things is simply because now I can. I'm not the snotty little kid anymore... I am swimming with the big fishes now, Dad.