” Imagine no possession, it’s easy if you try”

Remember that line ? That’s from John Lennon’s song Imagine. Nice try but in this day and age, in your dreams pal. Perhaps 1000 years down our road to enlightenment. For most of us this life is all about acquisitiveness, a lifetime rampage of passion to own things beyond our reach. I’m thinking – what would the world be like of all of us aren’t obsessed with owning things that are for the most part, materials that exceed our needs and meant more to boost our egos? To prove that that this kind self-indulgent behavior is dysfunctional , isn’t it our utmost satisfaction albeit subconsciously, when we know that what we own is beyond the reach of people we know? Therefore, does it mean that the less friends and relatives we have, the less obsessive and greedy we become? Imagine if there are no people to brag to, or everyone can have the same things you own, would you have the same level of acquisitiveness?

Some of us would argue and say, “don’t I have the right to the better and finer things in life ?” Sure all of us do but our problem is identification with ego. Oftentimes we don’t look for the finer and better but the most expensive because it makes us standouts in the eyes of society. We are under the illusion that the most expensive stuff are the best quality when they are not. People who rave for a certain product believing it is the greatest are often hoodwinked by clever marketing hype into thinking that it is. Our egos dictate our brains and influence our decision. We buy a 60 in. flat screen and throw double the money because everybody else has less than 60. We build expensive private schools and exclusive housing subdivisions because we want to put a tag on our identity as members of the elite to separate ourselves from the pack.

People who have been to Cuba, one of the last bastions of communism left in the world today tell me that Cubans cannot easily own assets of substantial value and that even food is rationed by the government, the only employer in the country. The concept of free enterprise does not exist therefore people cannot enrich themselves and fulfill their version of the proverbial American Dream. The country looks like decades behind in terms of infrastructure development, much like the 50’s. Yet when I look at the Human Development Index ( HDI) rankings for 2009, Cuba places 51st amongst the 182 countries sampled, 54 slots higher than Pinas. Cubans might look poor for they can’t own much but they have free health care, free education at all levels, adequate housing and no one is dying of starvation. Contrast this scenario with a densely populated, cramped city like Manila, proud owner of the three of largest malls in the world but surrounded by extreme poverty, unemployment and an unstoppable population growth behaving like a runaway train. All because of our obsession to own and belong leaving the others on the other side of the fence where we think they should be ? Is this what we call the virtues of freedom under a democracy?

THE PLASTIC ROUTE

In a capitalist world, we all know that money is being made in astute and creative ways. For ordinary consumers, what would be more tempting to acquire things without putting money down ? The credit card business made it possible for people to subsidize their way to acquiring things they thought they could never own. Qualification for credit depends on one’s income but lately, card companies had made it a practice to extend credit to the unqualified applicants but at the expense of usurious interest rates. One bank made the dubious distinction of being the ultimate loan shark, charging as high as a whopping 79.9% APR on its credit card. Now, who would subscribe to such a diabolical yet supposedly legal interest rate ? Those who have filed for bankruptcy perhaps ? Gamblers trying to recoup their losses ?

WANNA TRADE YOUR BEEMER ?

Speaking of this Earth of ours being planet luxury, how about trading your BMW for a camera? You bet your behind, this camera commands a staggering price of $42 grand, good enough for a fair swap with a beemer. If you think 42K is quite a strech, how about downgrading to a 50 megapixel version for 12 grand less Now tell me, who would tote around with a 60 megapixel camera taking photos of earthly creatures and things ? Only if you’re crazy to think that a 42 grand camera can auto-magically win you photo contests or you’re one of those filthy rich Pinoy congressmen who take their luxury limos to the local market to attend a barangay meeting with the market vendors. Chances are you’d find one of these babies in the trunk of their Rolls Royces. Look now, this kind of camera works best if used outside this planet of ours I guess owning one would be really out of this world eh ?

My parents told me that I started walking at 10 months and was talking sense at one year. My relatives accredit my woody woodpecker skills to my dad feeding me vagina meat of a roasted pig the moment I started ingesting solid food When I was 2 years old, I went up the stage to claim a prize from Santa. Holding the microphone, Santa asked me to say my name, but I looked at him and said ” why do you have cotton on your face ?” We find children cute because of their pristine innocence that evokes purity – in a sense, something that is amiss in our nature as beastly adults teeming with carnality. Children don’t play mind games and tell things at face value. An officemate told me a joke about a man who while having sex with his wife in the middle of the night woke up his little guy. The tot shouted ” Daddy are we playing horsey-horsey now” ?

We have to be a little careful with what we say when children are within earshot distance. They could become instant moles for all you know, sabotaging your secret plans without your knowledge. I remember a time back in Pinas when we were at the kitchen having snacks and the family was talking quietly about the suitor of my cousin – more on his cons than pros. Incidentally the guy was visiting at the time, and chatting with my cousin at the living room. For some unknown reason, my little niece bolted to the living room and told the guy “ hey, they said ( pointing at us) you’re ugly“. Ouch. She ratted us to the max ! Totally embarrassing, like farting in an elevator full of people. One time when a nosy neighbor came to fetch my little girl to play with her daughter at their house, she nonchalantly asked my wife “ hey, your daughter says you’re buying a new car ?” Huh? We wish. We were checking out the showroom for the newer models. Maybe she heard my wife saying – I want this, I like that. Talk about kids having the tendency to embellish things.

Every week I bond with my little girl when my wife works half-day on Saturdays. Last Saturday we were having lunch at her favorite junk food place, and as I was sipping my coffee, she quietly told me, with her eyes gleaming ” the other night Mommy told me the reasons why she married you“. Huh ? I nearly pulled a Chiquito stunt (sipping coffee, news breaks, mouth spurts coffee all over the place).

Babes can be irritating, stressful and a pain in the you know what but little do we know that what they will become depends on how they see us as parents and guardians. They teach us to know and better ourselves. Unbeknownst to us, we wield tremendous power to mold, uplift or destroy a a child’s life.

“I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized.” …… Dr. Haim Ginott

DINOSAURS – Royal Ontario Museum

( I invite you to view the full screen. Click on View All Images, Original View and Full Screen )

DINING DISASTER

I bet all of us at some point dread the thought of that absolute dining disaster – dropping your tray and spilling all the food on the floor. Well, last Sunday, at a self-serve family restaurant, we saw it happen to a couple and their two young kids. As I was queuing up to pay our orders, the little girl pushing the small cart carrying the food trays tripped, causing the cart to tumble, spilling everything on the floor. They barely reached the dining tables when it happened. The little girl cried but the parents consoled her from the embarassment, telling her she did nothing terribly wrong and that they will buy the food again. A cleaner quickly came to the rescue, cleaning the floor with the mess. My oh my I said. What a bummer. They have to fall in line and spend the money again. After more than 5 minutes we were done with the cashier and took our trays to the dining area and lo and behold, we saw family already eating ! We didn’t see them queue up again. I guess the restaurant told them to sit down, replenished the food, served them at their table. Good for them. What a commendable gesture from the restaurant. It kinda made my day too

What would you do on a dreary and rainy Friday night ? Last Friday night I did something different (don’t laugh now) – I went to a museum. Yes, Friday being a jeans day at the office allowed me to dress casually so at 430pm I took my camera with me, headed about 5 subway stops north and spent the evening at the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). The wifey and the daughter wanted to watch a kiddie movie at a theater but I opted to go on a geeky date with my camera. Overall it was great learning experience for me, both with the exhibits and my camera. Not a bad place to bring your real date I tell you. If she can hang around for 5 hours it means she likes you

The real reason for my going was to photograph the Dead Sea Scrolls which is on exhibit until Jan 2010 but darn, cameras aren’t allowed in the special area where the scrolls are displayed. I was extremely frustrated and didn’t even purchase the ticket for the scheduled show that night. I saw no point for me to see the scrolls unless I took  photos of it.  The best part I enjoyed was the Earth’s Treasures section. I was in awe of the spectacular richness of the earth’s geological structures , the wonderful colors and shapes of rocks, gems and crystals that take takes eons – millions of years to form.  I had fun taking close up pictures of gem stones through the glass displays. The Dinosaur and Egyptology sections were equally interesting. I took the all the shots minus the flash in an effort to capture the shadows and details that defines the objects as they are when you see them. The slide show contains a few photos from the various sections of the museum. I will try to show more detailed pics of the Earth’s Treasures and the Dinosaurs exhibits in my next posts.

THE ROM

To view the full screen, click on View All Images, Original View and Full Screen

TALKING WHILE DRIVING

Tomorrow Oct. 26th marks the first of day of the talking and texting while driving ban in this province. The police will be a little tolerant for 3 months to give the people a chance to get used to the restriction. The fine is quite hefty – $500. To me this sounds like a government sponsored stimulus plan for the cell phone retailers, where people are compelled to fork out cash to fit their phones with Bluetooth and wireless headsets. Do you think this law is fair? I could understand the silliness of texting while driving but a phone call ?? Is it really unsafe ? What if it is an emergency call ? Or someone calling you for an urgent matter at the office? A job interview ? Or someone returning your call for a date ? Opportunity only knocks once they say.

THE ORGANIC HYPE

Are you one of those folks who have jumped into the “organic” bandwagon and pay a bit extra for your veggies ? I’m not yet a convert because I’m not quite sure if the stuff I’m buying are really organic. For all I know they are not but these days the marketing hype for anything healthy rocks and people are willing to pay money for anything that will lengthen their life span. Last weekend we went for snacks at a sandwich shop and since it was a bit cold, I ordered a healthy sounding soup made with “organic potatoes and mushrooms”. The order came topped with pea sprouts and my wife took the first slurp from it. She grimaced complaining that the taste was so “earthy” and the smell reminded her of the gumamela flowers she chopped when she was a little kid playing cooking game with the neighborhood girls back in Pinas. I thought maybe, the stuff was indeed organic

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Do I need a Netbook?

My answer is a resounding YES. But I already have a laptop – why would I need at netbook ? Well, here’s a simple guide to differentiate a netbook from the traditional laptop. It may clear the cobwebs for most people.

I need a netbook because it is so darn easy to lug it around. The fact that my computer activity outside the office is 90% internet browsing, a netbook perfectly fits the bill for my need. Put a G3 wireless stick on it and you’re wired to perfection, totally mobile and internet ready. But more importantly , I need a netbook that works – fast, no disconnects, no freezing, no stalling and you know where I’m getting at – retrofitting the netbook’s brain with something that really works and that means discarding the fickle and overrated and Windows for the leaner and meaner Ubuntu operating system. I just bought a Dell mini 10v netbook with Ubuntu OS in lieu of Windows XP and saved 70 bucks in the process. Shipping was free and yes, I saved more money by not requiring anti-virus software. Since Ubuntu runs on Linux , it isn’t susceptible to viruses and although not totally immune, it is much harder for hackers to infiltrate and gain control of the system and inflict serious damage. Therefore I don’t have an anti-virus system twiddling its thumb in the background depleting my memory resources causing the system to stall and freeze.

Ubuntu being an open source system can be downloaded for free, including all software that runs on it. My netbook came with version 8.04 which is certified for the Mini 10V. It has Open Office Suite – totally inter-operable with Microsoft Office. It also has slew of games, entertainment, productivity and educational software – all free ! What do I need Windows for ? With Ubuntu, you don’t pay for software and subsequent version upgrades except for customized applications .  Ubuntu support is free whereas with Microsoft you pay an hourly fee. So what’s the catch ? Windows can be compared to gas powered cars. You keep on making them because it keeps oil refineries pumping and the assembly lines running – but not for long though. Sooner or later people will start buying computers but download all software for free. I’m already thinking of partitioning my other laptop with dual OS – Ubuntu and Windows.  I’m sure there are consumers out there who think like me, wanting to ditch Windows permanently.

You can also resurrect your old Pentium PC with Ubuntu.  Its applications aren’t memory hogs so you don’t require a truckload of memory to run them. My wife plans to buy a netbook here to ship to her nephew. With 40 bucks more, you can get a 6 cell battery which could last for 6 hours. Charge and use it for 6 hours. Perfect for those who don’t want to get ripped by the blood sucking Meralco who charges the most ludicrous power rates in Asia. So my new netbook found its parking spot in my daughter’s bedroom. The size is just perfect for her. She doesn’t have to remember crtl-alt-del. I could have spent six times more to buy a Mac, but then, we all could be queueing up for our turn, never wanting to use the Windows laptop any longer.

KARATE – ANYONE ?

My 8 year old daughter goes to a karate class. Hard to think that a little girl who couldn’t swat a fly and craves nothing more than a sleepover with her friends or a new giggly monchichi would be interested in going the way of the dragon, learning flying kicks and slamming people to the floor. It was kinda difficult for me to assess the benefits of karate lessons other than having fun with 4 of her classmates who will be in the same class. Alright, I gotta think social skills this time. They say karate fosters self-discipline and respect for others. She also gets a kimono with the fee and time to hang out with 4 of her pals. I told my wife that if it teaches her how to deal with bullies and not becoming a bully herself then fine. Last Saturday it was my turn to take her to the karate school. I was greeted with a handshake and a bow by the receptionist, a lanky guy who speaks with a slight French accent. What’s with the bow anyway?? Do I look like Shintaro Katsu or Bruce Lee? It felt awkward but when I saw him doing the same routine to every parent who came to drop their kid I realized it is part of the script. They should have put someone believable like some Asian guy in kimono and it didn’t matter if he looked like Max Alvarado . The more mean looking the better.  It gives the club a bit more authenticity.

So what did the kids do? Well, there was a TV monitor that showed what the class was doing. It looked more like a stressful version of calisthenics session to me but its rather early and the moves may show up a few lessons later. I just hope other parents aren’t expecting their kids to beat the crap out of Darth Vader once the lessons are over. My expectations ? Frankly none. Zilch. I just hope she has a good time. When she came back from the lessons today I asked her ” so how many people did you beat up today?” . She replied “ Dad……” I quickly said ” .. just kidding

Many years ago when the pastor of the church I was attending announced that he would be preaching about the apocalypse of St. John in the Book of Revelation , the congregation had mixed feelings of anticipation and perturbation.  People seem to get carried away with anything the deals with apocalyptic predictions, be it prophecies from our very own faith or astrological conjectures from soothsayers of old as well as self-professed seers of our generation. The end of the world – lights out, disintegration of all living things is the most horrifying thought to most people. When we  experience natural disaster, drastic climate change, terrorist attack, war and famine we treat them as tell-tale signs of the end times,  an impending apocalypse.  For thousands of years we envisioned these repetitious cycles of tribulations as doomsday in the horizon threatening to drop like rain from a heavy dark cloud but so far it hasn’t fallen. When will it happen ?

This present generation made a bold prediction of the actual date of doomsday – December 21, 2012. The date comes from the ancient Mayan prediction of galactic alignment, the day when the sun is at the center of the galaxy, perfectly aligned with our earth.  Scientists confirm that the Mayans, amazingly astute astrologers in their own right, were correct in their calculation.  Strangely, the Mayan calendar ceases at this date, an implicit suggestion that time will come to a full stop.  So what will happen on Dec 21, 2012 ? Some say that the solar maximum(sunstorm) event anticipated by scientists to happen in 2012 will occur during this day , causing the earth’s magnetic field to weaken thus accelerating the magnetic reversal of the earth resulting in severe climatic upheavals. The movie Knowing was one that dramatized the Dec 21, 2012 doomsday scenario. Except for the ET-like ending of aliens rescuing Nicholas Cage’s son and his friend before the fateful event, I thought the movie retrogressed from serious science fiction to fairly tale. Methinks the producers didn’t want the audience to take them seriously  Others predict that nothing of cataclysmic nature will occur but a severe financial crisis would wreck economic havoc to the world resulting in panic and chaos. Some say it will be the dawn of a spiritual rebirth for mankind- whatever it means I’ll not be seeking the answer.

My problem with most predictions is aye sayers try their darnest best to correlate a prediction to an event that fits  the prediction scenario. Hurricane Katrina may have been not that cataclysmic compared to other events in history but the fact that  Nostradamus predicted in his cryptic quatrains  that the city of Orleans ( France) will be ” shaken by the land and seas” , people were quick to dovetail the great flood of New Orleans caused by Katrina to the fulfillment of the prophecy.

Our earth has been around for so long, some 4.5 billion years and no one knows how many natural facelifts, permutations, reboots it has gone through. The continental drifts, plate tectonics, polar shifts are real and whether we like it or not, islands and continents will move, glaciers will melt, climates will change, species will become extinct and new species will emerge. There is only so much we can do to control our environment to make them work to our advantage.  We fear doomsday yet oblivious to the fact that we humans  are perfectly capable of immense destruction and annihilation of our planet, with the massive amount of nuclear arsenal sitting ready in our underground silos, ready to be fired at the flick of a switch.  Our sun will be around for another 6 billion years before it extinguishes and dies so who knows, the earth could hang around for that long barring a collision with an asteroid. Will the end times happen in 2012 ? Nostradamus predicts year 3797.  Stand by and stay tuned.

It is Thanksgiving long weekend here (Canadian) and it is customary for people to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with roast turkey dinner amongst family and friends. It is always a two day celebration for us – one with family and a potluck dinner with our closest friends. It’s that time of the year when I’d be bringing turkey sandwiches for office lunch the entire week. Yep, I’m that lead vulture in charge of recycling left over scraps from the fat bird

It is also an opportune for me to be thankful for this blog being chosen as Best Pinoy Blog Abroad Award in the recently concluded PBA 2009 contest. I’ve always said before that I never won anything for free in my life. It seems that in anything I have won in the past, I had to break sweat. No raffle nor lottery wins for me. It always had to involve some decision making on my part. The fat lady never sings the blues nor smiles in my direction and I have admitted this to be my fate until the next 7,000 year polar reversal cycle completes and reboots our planet I have to greatly thank the blog friends who nominated me – yes, there’s more than one of them and I had to accept only once I also like to thank my blog friends who I rub elbows in cyberspace almost everyday, some of whom have been with me for many years, others since the inception of this blog. I greatly value your friendship.

The irony is, since I am blogging anonymously, a handful of people and I mean it literally – not more than a 5 finger count – know my true identity, name and face alike. Therefore I take this accolade and gloat literally under my hat coz I am not prepared to go gung-ho with bragadoccio and take the 5 people out to a Carribean cruise

I’ve always said before that this blog is never about me but my thoughts and I strive to endeavor to express them as they are and I hope, without getting obnoxious. The greatest thing about the virtual world of cyberspace is you can experience that seemingly limitless freedom of virtual existence and at the same time achieve virtual greatness. The last time I verified the definition of “gloat” in the dictionary I got this : gloat – to look at or think about with great or excessive, often smug or malicious, satisfaction… hahaha. I would be cautious to use this word in the real world next time. For now it’s fine. I’m ready to face the charges for virtual gloating

Thanksgiving is a time to recognize that God has put a smile upon our faces each passing day. We say ‘thanks’ for the most precious gifts in our lives – our family, friends and loved ones.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE !

The recent news of the Canadian government fast tracking immigrant applications of Pinoys who were affected by typhoon Ondoy wasn’t exactly received with accordant approval by the locals and various immigrant communities in this country.  Many doubt the sincerity of the humanitarian act, for more severe  natural calamities and conflicts of a global scale displaced  so many people in the past but Canada did not step up to the plate to make a similar announcement.  Some call the humanitarian gesture as contrived and nothing more than the Conservative Party’s posturing for  political points for the 2010 elections.   The news story comments at the bottom of the article gives a barometer of what people think about the announcement. For me, the comments in reaction to the news gives me a sense of perspective as how the Pinoy is viewed in this country.  As expected, plaudits and pundits alike aired their share of conciliatory and dissenting views on the issue.  Some are straight up to the point in their comment – why give such preferential treament to Pinoys ? Some were equally scathing with sarcasm with their remark ” I’d prefer 10,000 Pinoys to 1 terrorist. Let them come ” .   The ultimate kicker would be this question  “If the Filipinos are such hard workers and resourceful why is their country such a mess?”

What people don’t understand is with this announcement, Canada isn’t accepting refugees or displaced people in dire need of life support. These are legit and qualified applicants in the family reunion and independent immigrant classes who pay up to get here. In most cases, they are vouched for by their immediate relatives who sign an affidavit of support, a legal document that guarantees financial support for 10 years. This means that for 10 years, these new arrivals cannot apply for government welfare subsidy if for some reason the aren’t able to support themselves. An of course, all of them should be spring chicken healthy because health care is free in this country and the government is not eager too put too much stress on the health care system. It’s still the game of admitting an asset versus a liability. Moreover, the fast tracking is only for those applicants who can prove that typhoon Ondoy had damaged their homes and affected their lives.

How many applications does the government plan to fast track? 10,000? 5000? They haven’t given any figure. Say 5,000 for the sake of argument, about 2% of the annual immigrant quota of 250,000. How much will these people get charged to be processed ? Let’s assume that 40% are adults and 60% children below 22 years. Children are the more important demographic variable because they are expected to reproduce hence contribute more to the population growth rate of the country. We also know that these people will be valuable taxpayers of the future, who would be paying a third of their earnings to the government for the right to live here.

Adults = 2,000
Children = 3,000

Adult application processing fee = $550
Adult landing fee upon granting of immigrant visa = $490
Children application processing fee = $150
Children landing fee = $0

Total adult application fees = 2,000 x $550 = $1,100,000
Total adult landing fees = 2,000 x $490 = $ 980,000
Total children app fees = 3,000 x $150 = $ 450,000

Total fees = $ 2,530,000

To those people who think that the Canadian government is doing one heck of a favor to the victims of Ondoy better think twice. Collectively, these folks would fork the equivalent of about 101,000 million pesos in fees to get here. And if we were to talk about greatest good for the greatest number, that kind of money could have done much more if spent on rehabilitating the flood damaged areas. Canada donated $5M to the flood relief fund and looks like they might recoup half of it with the fast tracking announcement. All of a sudden the political posturing conspiracy theory might not be such a bad speculation after all because the announcement in my view lacks the merits of a true humanitarian proposition.

SCRAPPING FOR THE LOONIE

 I am always fond of the Pacific Mall, the largest indoor Asian mall in North America. It is predominantly Chinese and hosts an amazing array of very reasonably priced Asian restaurants and fast food joints. But when I get to this place, I always get that get a sense of being thrown in a different world. Right at the huge but often full parking lot, I perceive a slight breakdown of people’s driving decorum, where basic driving courtesy somehow takes a back seat and people seem to think that they are playing the game of musical chair when seizing a parking spot. If you fall in line at the ATM kiosk or just queuing up on a fast food stall, people could jump the queue on you. I don’t know what is is – Chinese or Asian adrenalin for competition when everyone else looks like them. This also the place where you can haggle with the price at your liking for there doesn’t seem to be any price control concept of any sort. Everybody tries to one up each other. Heck, I even get the feeling that if slip fall on the floor, no one is going to help you get back to your feet.

Last Friday, about an hour before closing time, my wife passed by a rather trendy shop and got interested with a jacket that looked perfect for the fall season. In the end she ended up trying to buy a couple of jackets and a couple of blouses and after haggling with the attendant came to agreement for the price of $130 down from $155. I then told the attendant I’d be getting the money from the ATM, and within a few minutes came back to hand her the $130. Then she asked my wife for 3 dollars more for the ” slight miscalculation” . She got the 3 bucks and then said, “ oh no, you only gave me $133. I’m expecting you to give me $153″. What an ass. To make the story short, my horns grew stiff and smoke came out of my ears and I told her ” Don’t bloody lie. Give our money back. I don’t want your stuff anymore. I am calling security right now”. My wife was more composed and took control of the situation and got the stuff. The attendant tried to pull a fast one on us but failed. It could have been worse if she denied that we gave her the money. Strictly cash. No taxes. No receipts. No proof of payment. You can’t return nor exchange. No consumer protection for shoddy products. You’re back to horse trading like the medieval ages. This is what you get when you try to make the buying game a scrap for the almighty loonie.

In my lifetime I’ve read and heard countless of rags to riches stories that gave me that pleasant feeling of joy and mild inspiration. After all, who wouldn’t be happy to hear about success stories of people who overcome overwhelmingly difficult challenges, especially those who come from the under privileged class. On the other hand, there are those born privileged, with a silver spoon in their mouth and by some twist of fate, lose their stature and wealth and fall from riches to rags. Just as the wind turns into a gale without warning, life is the same – utterly unpredictable. But I guess the worst kind reversal of fortune one could go through in this life is one that goes full circle – from rags to riches and back to rags. This is often the case where you hear of people blowing their brains out in total despondency and despair. One stint at the gutter is enough. A second trip is hell itself.

When I was a young lad growing up in the Visayas I remember a family that was a classic case of the rags to riches story. With hard work the enterprising couple who were barely making 3 square meals a day were able to acquire land and engaged in real estate. The success was gradual but steady and the couple were able to acquire haciendas, moved to a very large house and bought cars, sent their children to private schools. Money was a plenty and life was great. I remember the man of the house having a haircut lying sideways on the hammock, occasionally dozing off , keeping the poor barber on his toes all the time, unsure whether he cut both “patilyas” properly. He would switch sides to get the other side done. If I was the barber I would f-off in a jiffy but he was da man and a great tipper so you got to do it his way. When you were a kid you didn’t think much about it but remembering it now makes you realize what a moron the guy was and I would rather cut a baboon’s hair than doing guesswork on a head that’s filled with what looked like curly pubic hair. When you got lots of money you get things done your way and people won’t complain. To make the story short – the kids went to school but none of them finished college, the family was embroiled in a nasty and protracted court case that depleted their treasure chest, the sugar industry suffered a paralyzing recession. The family lost everything and went back to the gutter. They went full circle. Sad indeed.

CASA LOMA

Behind the splendor and opulence of this elegant mansion named Casa Loma lies a tragic story of a reversal of fortune. Imagine yourself living in this majestic 98 room mansion on top of a hill with a stunning view of the city. One day the city officials drop by and confiscate the house because you owe the government a substantial amount of unpaid real estate taxes. Such was the reversal of fortune for the illustrious businessman and industrialist Sir Henry Pellat and owner of the famous Casa Loma. He lost all his wealth so badly that he was forced to live at the house of his chaffeur until he died because he had nowhere to go. The man who was once so filthy rich and reportedly owned as much as 25% of Canada’s economy never for once thought that he would lose everything he owned. A series of business misfortunes and the effect of the Great Depression of the 30’s that crippled the North American economy contributed significantly to his fall. The majestic house doesn’t belong to his heirs. In his time, no one could afford to buy the house. It is now a tourist attraction. It is indeed true, that the higher you soar, the harder you fall.

(click on pic for full screen view)When I took these photos, the front part of the house was under renovation hence the partial shots. I wouldn’t call this house a castle because it isn’t fortified as castles ought to be. The materials used in the construction of the house is best in class, including the furniture which had been very well preserved. The house features an underground tunnel which leads to the garage with its own gas pump, horse stable and the pottery room. I went up the towers but darn my camera battery dried up and I had to charge up at the basement where they have a Druxy’s restaurant to serve patrons. The in door pool was never finished. Sir Henry also had a secret door from his study to the wine cellar that holds 1800 bottles of his select wine. There is also a private museum on the third floor. I took photos of some of the rooms and there were many of them. I couldn’t quite remember the names of the rooms correctly.

SEMANTIC PROBLEM

The other day a Pinoy friend told me a funny story. A newly arrived Pinay immigrant phoned her supervisor and left a message in her voice mail, that she couldn’t report because her tooth that recently had a “pasta” was aching. “Pasta” of course is Tagalog for tooth filling. She also left a voice mail for a colleague saying the same thing. That day some of her colleagues phoned her at home and left a message on her voice mail inquiring if she was okay. She went back to work the following day and one of her colleagues asked her ” oh, how is your teeth now ? Did you break it because you bit some uncooked pasta? ” Another colleague later on asked her ” hey, how are you feeling ? I heard you passed out yesterday”

I’ve been monitoring this 2010 Presidentiables website and noticed the frequent changes of the personalities that seek to vie for the most powerful job in the nation. At this early juncture, the list is dynamic as political parties jockey and strategize, changing candidates depending on polls and survey results. Some candidates are incumbent politicians who have been endorsed by their respective political parties. Others are religious leaders who feel that their self-avowed righteousness is the antidote to the plague of corruption that could avert the social and economic atrophy that threatens the disintegration of the nation. Party-less as these two religious leaders are, I am amazed at their audacity. I have thought all along that in a democracy, the executive power of the president complements the legislative and judicial powers in the governance of the nation. Minus the political machinery that backs the president in the upper and lower legislative houses, how could independents Villanueva and Velarde possibly survive the presidency should one of them win? Is the Pinoy president an autocratic ruler, some kind of emperor whose subjects are beholden to his eminence and expected to acquiesce to his every behest?

And of course, the ultimate embarrassment to the Filipino race is the name of convicted plunderer ex-President Joseph Estrada who has the gall to run for the presidency. In a complete turnaround after his pledge not to run for public office as condition for President Arroyo’s imprudent pardon from his sentence of reclusion perpetua, Estrada is back on the campaign trail, trying to  reclaim  the throne that once was his. His name is back in the headlines reeking with more controversies as his political enemies dig more skeletons in his closet to smear his credibility. Lawsuits are being filed left and right – again. Haven’t we gotten enough of this vampire already? Why are we wasting time with a convicted felon who equates the presidential pardon (granted due to his frail health) as exoneration from his crime ? Worse, there are those among us who believe that Erap is the comeback kid, reminiscent of his movie exploits, and is on his high horse seeking to exact revenge on those who mauled and left him for dead

The recipe for a consummate disaster for the nation would be an Erap win. It might be unlikely, but not mathematically impossible. Should it happen, it will be the triumph of poverty – both intellectual and spiritual. As Pinoy writer F. Sionil Jose aptly said ”

“We are poor because we have lost our ethical moorings. We condone cronyism and corruption and we don’t ostracize and punish crooks in our midst. We allow their practice because our loyalty is to family or friend and not to the larger good”

The 5 Grand Burger

Remember that GMA $20K dinner expense brouhaha during her last U.S. trip that caused a lot of stir in the media ? Interestingly, I caught a glimpse of the restaurant bill in one of the websites that wrote a damning criticism of GMA’s apparent extravagance on her business trips and her administration’s poor stewardship of the country’s treasure chest. The tab was mighty long and one needs a calculator to sum up the charges. Gloria could have done it much simpler. She could have just taken a select crew of 3 and gone to Mandalay Bay Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas and ordered four Fleurburgers. The burgers don’t don’t come with sodas but each with a 1990 Chateau Petrus bottle of wine. The tab would have been much simpler – 4 x Fleurburgers combo = $20,000  She could also invoke a cop out and say “ holy shit, I didn’t know it was that expensive. We were just trying to have burgers ”

Last week I had the most irritating experience that left me gnashing my teeth in anger. Although I wasn’t involved, the incident made my horns grow large and stiff and smoke almost came out of my ears. At one point I wished I was involved but then I’m not a knight nor must I pretend I could solve world hunger so I told me ” self, why don’t you just f-off since it’s none of your goddamn business”. And I did. The incident happened inside Canada’s Wonderland, as I was queuing up to buy the luscious funnel cake for my daughter and my two nieces. We were at the theme park to treat my sister’s family who came to town for a long weekend visit.

There were two queues at the funnel cake house as the workers were busy churning up cakes by the minute to keep the line moving. The 20 something woman immediately behind me,  who was talking on her cell phone like she was standing in the middle of a meadow all by herself, abruptly told the staff who was sprinkling icing sugar at the cake base “ hey, that cake looks stiff . It doesn’t look  freshly baked ” . The staff, without batting an eyelash, threw the cake into the garbage bin, took a freshly baked one, sprinkled icing sugar on it,  a cup of strawberries and topped it with hefty scoops of ice cream. As she was about to hand her the finished cake , the girl quipped “ that cake looks really fluffy, like it’s not cooked properly”. Visibly incensed, the staff threw the entire cake into the garbage bin and prepared a new one, gave it to the girl and went to the back of the kitchen.  Now the line was edging slowly towards the cashier and I heard the girl on the phone telling the person on the other end of  line ” I think this cake is burned. I see black spots on it”. Oh no, not again. She then called another staff, a guy this time, to change the cake !  I turned around and gave her the look of an angry bull. The male staff told her the cake looks perfect and they had a bit of an argument. I moved on to the cashier to pay and ignored them because at this point my blood was boiling in anger . The staff finally gave in an trashed the cake for the 3rd time and gave her a new one. I just nodded my head wanted to shout in the open “ how can you allow this stupidity to happen ?”

I have seen the most ridiculous and impossible instances of people returning stuff after using them. At one instance,  I saw a mother arguing with a department store customer service clerk who refused to accept the return of her son’s rubber shoes that reportedly broke apart while he was playing basketball.  The shoes looked like it gone to war, donned by a marine on a tour of duty in Afghanistan. People here abuse the rather generous return policy that is aimed to protect consumers from faulty and shoddy products.

Back to the funnel cake. My anger subsided a bit when I realized that perhaps these  theme parks deserve an occasional kick in the crotch for the way they rob their patrons with the astronomical cost of everything they sell inside the park. With pop drinks going for as high as $2.50 and sandwich combos for $11 it is highway robbery. This is true with all theme parks – the modus operandi is the same. They frisk your bag right at the gate  and will not allow you to bring food inside the park. If you brought food, leave it in your car to be eaten later but don’t forget to have your hand stamped for re-entry. The girl dinged them with 3 funnel cakes with strawberries and ice cream for the price of 1 ( $12 including taxes). Looked to me like she knew she could get away with it and was getting back at them. Maybe she was a staff they fired in the past. One thing I know though. I don’t think I could ever handle jerks in a face to face customer service job. If I happen to be the one servicing this girl, I could have gored her

A DAY AT THE RIBFEST

Last weekend we went to the Oshawa Ribfest and spent the entire afternoon and evening to just relax and have fun at what you may call a community bbq party. The city of Oshawa , Canada’s motor city, where the largest General Motors plants are located, is about 20 kms east from my place and the ribfest was held at a large park by the lake. The ribfest was very well attended and we had to park our car at a parking lot a couple of kilometers away and had to take the free shuttle service to the event. Entrance was free and proceeds from the event were donated to charity. People were encourage to vote for the best ribs and the best sauce but amidst the frenzy I couldn’t care less for the voting The ribbers looked like they knew what they were doing but I went where I could get the fastest service and heck, they all tasted the same anyways I was there for the ribs, the beef ribs especially and to take some home for the fridge It was a fun day for sure.

Here’s some of the pics I took at the ribfest.