hanubers: Marriage, Globalisation and Citizenship

So, ganito nga, inaayos na namin yung lahat ng papers papunta Amsterdam at Spain. Naloloka ako ng slight, kasi naman si mister ay aalis na next week, at ewan ko kung paano magkaka uga ugaga sa pagse schedule ng mga bagay bagay:

1. Dahil 'spouse' status sya at student ako, kelangan naming magsabay ng apply sa Holland Embassy para hindi na mas mahal yung bayaran namin at nang hindi 'family reunification' chervaloo ang drama (study-papa lang. hahaha).
2. At dahil aalis sya at sa bandang Agosto na kami magkikita ulet, at aalis na naman sya, kelan kaya kami makakapag apply ng visa nyan?
3. Panu ang 'Sweden project' na dapat ang time frame namin eh before Oct (Nov na kami ulet magkikita yata, after August. syet) para ma-present namin sa Prague.
4. Madami dami na akong taong naaway sa phone, dahil lang sa tono ng pagsasalita. Humihingi naman sila ng pasintabi after masita, yun daw talaga ang speaking voice nila. rude. :D
Naiinis ako at parang ngayong babalik na ako sa pag eestudyante ulet, parang nde nako empowered to complain or something. Para bang hindi ko na pwedeng sabihin na 'who's your immediate superior?' o 'Magkano ba ang halaga ng oras mo?' ganon ba. May mababait namang tao na ever helpful.
5. Kaso ang hindi ko ma-dig eh ang iba't ibang papers na kelangang lakarin, lalo na't I'll be studying in two countries and two schools for my first year. Josme. Ang Spain ay gusto ng police report, ang Holland ay gusto ng....pera. haha. joke. It kinda makes me see things in a very international scale (waw), na lahat ng agencies at individuals ay may kanya kanyang interest.
6. Ngayon, ang kasayahan ng lahat ay naglalaho kada may documentation na kelangan ko pang i-legalise. Hinihimatay ako kada naririnig ko ito dahil:
a) wala naman ako sa Pilipinas
b) takte, alam mo bang 2,550 pesos ang kada document na ile-legalise ng Holland Embassy sa atin? Bago nyan, magbabayad ka pa ng 500ish sa DFA, at kung NSO certified yung document mo, edi pati yun. Josme! Para bang ang pag aaral talaga ay para lang sa may kayang magbayad. Buti nalang at maibabawi ko itong mga gastos na ito sa September, pero lekat...naiiyak ako at naghihirap. :(
7. NGAYON...baket ba kelangan ng ganitong procedures? Ang kadahilanan nito ay yung tinatawag na Hague Convention on Legalization of Foreign Public Documents.


Hindi kasama ang Pinas sa mga assignatory dito, at ewan ko kung bakit. Andun naman ang China, Brunei. Kahit Aruba, assignatory. Why ah? Im really beginning to feel that my citizenship is this huge barrier to go wherever I want to go. Im no student of International Law (hmmm), but really. Anu naman kaya ang kadahilanan?

engrish so powderful oredi

You've probably heard about this game called 'Just Cause 2', and this character Bolo Santosi whom now everyone calls the the most annoying voice-over for a female character in a game? Well, the first time I heard her, she sounded very...familiar.

Singaporean lah. And what's so funny is that among the very negative reviews , the citizens of lala land are not owning up. They said it's very different from their Singlish mah. How can be, er? Someone sabo (sabotage) them liddat (like that)?

Oh well. I dunno, but I believe from the countless church lectors I've heard so far, colleagues who've introduced/presented and dramatized in events...it's no joke. That's an educated Singaporean woman without the fancy British accent. Spot on!

Na-exxag daw? Weh. :)

Sabi nga ng isang gamer na kausap ko: 'Hearing her, parang gusto mo talagang pumatay'. :P

Nakakapagod din

Kanina, sa balita:

Sanggol, tinago ng 17 year old nyang nanay sa washing machine, 'under a pile of clothes'.
Ni hindi nalaman ng nanay ng dalagita na buntis at nanganak sa 'toilet bowl' ang kanyang anak.

Noong New Year's Eve party sa Sentosa, babae minolestiya ng 'mga foreigners'.
'Eh, ginusto nya yun eh, magbi-bikini bikini sya (sa beach party), tapos lalapit lapit sya sa kanila na tila nag eenjoy'.
'Ayan, yan ang nagagawa ng mga 'foreign talent' sa atin'.

Sabi nang amo ko minsan:

'It's different here. This is not like where you came from. We work differently, unlike where you came from'.

Actually, this is already a repeat. Pangalawang taong nagsabi sa akin. Nagbitiw ako sa trabaho nung unang nangyari ito. At wala ako nasabi. Pangalwang beses na. Natawa lang ako. Masyadong mabilis ang mga pangyayari eh.

Sana sinabi kong 'I don't really have much work experience from 'where I came from'. I worked in Singapore, my whole career life'. Na tama naman. Straight facts.

Sana binigyan ako ng gift of gab at quick thinking sa mga panahon na ganito. May part sa akin na gustong magsalita kasi ng masakit, o mamersonal. Kaso hindi naman naman ako ganon. Hindi ako magsasalita ng basta basta. But not all people are like that.

So. Kamusta ang buhay mo?

Ivler's mother and some unimportant 'me-news'

Pumasok ako sa opisina ngayong umaga. Natulog ako sa bus ng papunta. Walang pakialam kung naghuhumampas ang aking mga kamay sa ere sa bilis ng patakbo ni uncle driver. Antok na antok, na tila pagod na pagod. Lumampas ang sinasakyan ko sa aking ‘usual stop’. Sinadya ko ito, nang maiba naman. Naglakad ako mula Raffles Hotel, nagpumilit makipag patintero sa mga sasakyan, napaalalahanang walang ikabubuti ang pag gamit ng ‘short cut’. Dumaan sa McDonald’s para sa 2.50 dollars na McMuffin with coffee (good deal ito, pramis) ‘for take away’. Nagtaka kung bakit halos walang tao sa opisina. Kumain ng umagahan sa mesa. Nag bukas ng talapindutan (computer, bagong kaalaman, o-ha), nang lotus notes at mozilla.

Sabay galing sa email ni Emma (Williams. Sorry, it had to rhyme eh): Schmap Barcelona Ninth Edition: Photo Inclusion .

http://www.schmap.com/barcelona/activities_guided/p=83143/i=83143_119.jpg

Aba. Sino ang mag-aakala?

Magandang umaga.

--00--

In other news, ang nanay ni Jason Ivler ay masyadong paimportante. Sa kanyang palagay, na set-up daw ang anak nya, dahil sa kanyang sinulat na libro (‘Warrior of Heaven’) kung saan binabatikos nya ang Amerika at ang kanilang “killing machine”. Hindi ito matarok ng aking pag iisip, na parang gusto kong paulit ulitin ang Singaporean small talk phrase na “ Reee-li? How come ah? Sure or not?” Hindi ako magtataka kung sa huwebes man ideklara na magugunaw na ang mundo, aaminin ni Ginang Ivler (na kapatid ni Ka Freddie Aguilar, at Marlene Aguilar sa totoong buhay) na modus operandi lang ito, para takutin sya, at the expense of the whole world.

Now, about that nose…

According to her website, she’s a very accomplished arts publisher and literary icon of some sort, garnering praises from well known people. Lookatdat!

Sige sige

Unbelievable talaga ang admin/HR dito sa opisina ko. Ang labo, men. Ilang buwan na nyang dine-delay ang payroll ko, tapos ganito:

Dahil kada a-singko ng buwan ay dapat nai submit na ang forms daling sa nakaraang buwan, para makuha mo ang sweldo mo sa katapusan (na hindi pa nangyari sa buong buhay ko ever), nag-submit ako ng forms nung Biyernes. Time sheet ito, kung saan araw na ginawa ng diyos ay isusulat mo kung ano ang silbi mo. Ngayon lang ako naka-encounter nang ganito bagay, at sa totoo lang, malala pa pala ito sa pinapasulat sa amin nung Theology teacher ko sa uste na 'good deeds/bad deeds list' na kulang nalang ay ipakulam nya ako, nang meron akong maisulat.

Imagine. Araw araw. Sabi nila, madali lang naman yun, copy paste lang at recycle. Wala--hindi talaga ako naging kumportable sa bagay na ganito--yung tipong para kang bata, kailangan isulat ang ginawa mo nung summer vacation.

Ngayon, mabalik tayo--itong si miss maganda ay lagi nalang bumi bingo sa akin. Hindi ko alam kung bakit. Galit kaya sya sa akin? Nang aasar lang? Kada magsa submit nalang ako nung time sheet (AT isa pang time sheet, this time wala nang detalye ng mga pinag gagagawa ko), may bad news sya. Kesho mali daw yung binigay nyang deadline. Mali yung sinulat ko, o wala nang time. Kung pwede ngang isulat nalang nya na ayaw nya, gagawin nya eh. pramis.

So ang naging mga resulta ay--2 buwang delayed na sweldo, pag hihirap at stress.

Tapos ngayon, nag submit nga ako nung Biyernes (ika-2). Ang tapos ng Sept kasi ay nung Wednesday (ala namang mag submit na ako nung forms nyan, eh hindi pa tapos ang araw. Hindi naman ako nambobola ng timesheet noh), at may sakit ako nung Thursday, so ang tanging panahon na lamang para mag submit ay nung Biyernes. Tama naman, diba? Oct 5 ang deadline eh.

eh wala pala sya ng Biyernes. (face palm here)

So ngayon, na wala akong pasok, magse send sya sa akin ng email na mukhang hindi aabot ang documents ko for the deadline.

eyng? Hindi ko na gets. Panong hindi, eh ngayon yung deadline? Nag submit na ako, nung Biyernes pa.

Eh kasi daw, ise send nya ng internal mail sa Finance, at aabutin daw yun ng 2 araw pa.

So--baka sa katapusan nalang daw ng November ko makukuha yung sweldo ko from the month of September.

Ano daw ang masasabi ko.

Sige.

sige na nga.

hindot ka,

pero sige.

Ano ba

Nagpadala kami ng isang piraso na papel papuntang Pinas nung isang linggo. Ito yung certificate of employment ko, na kelangan daw to process our loan. Mahaba na ang kwento tungkol sa loan na yan at saka ko na uuriratin at baka lalo ako mainis. Ang gusto kong ireklamo ngayon ay ang nuknukan na corrupt na customs natin, pati narin ang Philippine post office. Nagpadala kami ng isang pirasong papel via EMS na inabot ng kamahalan, with the thinking na mai-dedeliver ito agad, at mata track ko kung nasaan na ito. Pinadala namin ito ng Sabado, at pinaliwanag sa amin ng post office dito na baka abutin ng mga Friday 'the most' bago ito makarating. So fine. Aba, lunes na, wala parin ang papel sa pinadalhan namin. Hindi naman bundok tralala ang lugar na papadalhan, nasa kalagitnaan ito ng EDSA. Nag check tuloy ako via tracking t lo and behold--nasa customs ito. CUSTOMS. Nung isang linggo pa. Ano ang ginagawa nya sa customs? Ang sabi sa tracking ay HELD BY CUSTOMS AT DESTINATION.

(click to enlarge)

May isang Blythe mommy na nag blog tungkol sa malaking kaululan na ito--her experience I call the 'wig travesty' . Ngayon, tumawag na ako sa tatay ko, at mukhang sya na nga ang mag aareglo. Ang una nyang tanong ay: 'So ano ba ang laman nun?' Sabi ko ay papel. Second question ay : 'So, hindi ba yung pinadalhan nyo na ang dapat kumuha nun?' Pinaliwanag kong mabuti ang EMS sa kanya, pati narin ang mga bagay na ni-EMS ko before. Ewan ko, sana walang involved na suhol ito, kasi talaga namang hell hath no fury like a woman extorted.

randomness is good (and i want to be a cage manager)

cage manager.

ako, while discussing the future with jay... 

ako: (out of no where, butting in) pag may opening nga sa hotel eh, gusto kong pumasok, para maiba naman

jay: o? (wtf look)

ako: oo, gusto kong maging part nung future integrated resorts (excited). Parang napaka saya at promising.

jay: ano naman gagawin mo dun?

ako: nakita ko sa ads nila--cage manager.

jay: ah..ano ginagawa nun?

ako: edi nagma manage ng cage. anubah.

kamusta? cage manager pala ha... (image credit: adventureblog )

--

cake.

(narrating this is an irony, because it's a conversation between me (rica) and a friend (rica). yes, I actually have 2 friends named rica (not counting myself, anubuh).

on being a barely there, struggling academic in Singapore...

ako: para kasing ano eh, parang yung meron ka ngayon eh--parang cake. 

rica: ha?

ako: cake. eto yung cake na andyan, pero busog ka na.

rica: at ano naman yung other side of things?

ako: walang cake. haha

rica: hinde---yung kabilang side eh gutom na gutom ka, hindi madaling makuha yung cake, pero pag nakuha mo, masarap.

ako: aiyoh. tama. (nag isip pa) parang ano eh...

rica: ako, feeling ko this thing happening--is like an all day party. pero walang masaya.

ako: syet. 

---

i heart ben folds.

You Don't know me (with Regina Spektor)

I wanna ask you - 
Do you ever sit and wonder, 
It's so strange 
That we could be together for 
So long, and never know, never care 
What goes on in the other one's head? 

Things I've felt but I've never said 
You said things that I never said 
So I'll say something that I should have said long ago: 

(You don't know me) 
You don't know me at all 
(You don't know me) 
You don't know me at all (at all) 

You could have just propped me up on the table like a mannequin 
Or a cardboard stand-up and paint me (paint me) 
Any face that you wanted me 
To be seen. 
We're 
Damned by the existential moment where 
We saw the couple in the coma and 
It was we were the cliché, 
But we carried on anyway. 

So, sure, I could just close my eyes. 
Yeah, sure, trace and memorize, 
But can you go back once you know 

(You don't know me) 
You don't know me at all 
(You don't know me) 
You don't know me at all (at all) 

(You don't know me) 
You don't know me at all 
(You don't know me) 
You don't know me 

If I'm the person that you think I am (Ah ah ahh) 
Clueless chump you seem to think I am (Ah ah ahhh) 
So easily led astray, 
An errant dog who occasionally escapes and needs a shorter leash, then
Why the f**k would you want me back?! 

Maybe it's because 

(You don't know me at all) 

Ahhh ah 
Ahhh ah 

(You don't know me, 
you don't know me.) 

Ahhh ah 
Ahhh ah 

So, what I'm trying to say is 
What (What?) 
I'm trying to tell you 
It's not gonna come out like I wanna say it cause I know you'll only change it. 
(Say it.) 

(You don't know me) 
You don't know me at all 
(You don't know me) 
You don't know me at all (at all) 

(You don't know me) 
You don't know me at all 
(You don't know me) 
You don't know me at all (at all) 

What? 

---

ayun.

balitaan ko kayo pag cage manager na ako. :)

it's been a rough day, and this is what you get

(images not mine, snatched from eeblet and adam via flickr)

Madaming mabaho dito (or is it jas me?). there, I said it. at hindi ito namimili ng okupasyon or okasyon, for that matter.

Akala ko minsan naglilihi ako, kasi lalong na-heighten ang aking sense of smell. Eh hindi naman pala, so palagay ko ‘lumalala’ lang ang degree of smelliness ng—well, mababahong tao dito (disclaimer, baka kasi nde naman pala lahat mabaho (hindi ko pa naman naaamoy lahat), so Im not ready to make sweeping statements). Dati ay pinipilit ko pang intindihin na baka sa linya ng trabaho nila, kaya ang ibang tao ay may angking powers. Kaso madaming beses narin na napapahiya ako, lalo na pag may nakakasabay akong mukhang tagahalukay ng lupa pero smells like ‘Irish Spring’ ang lolo mo. Kabaliktaran ito ng mga taong posturang postura sa unang tingin, kaso talagang hindi lang amoy hindi naligo, hindi pa nagsipilyo (at hihikab pa, gedemet!). Dati rin ina-associate ko itong amoy na ito on certain parts of the day. Pero tinalo ang hypothesis kong ito, nang ilang mga umaga na hindi talaga candidate for ‘good morning’ dahil tila kakagising lang nga katabi mo sa bus, at di man lang nagwisik (matapos nyang mag-ehersisyo sa kanyang panaginip, take note). Sino ba naman ang gaganahang pumasok ng maaga nyan?

buti pa si lolo, panigurado.

Madami dami na yata akong naisip na catch phrases in my ‘trying really hard’ to describe how the ‘experience’ is:

‘Parang isang araw na naisipan ng sambayanang wag munang maligo. Ng walong taon. At year three na.’
‘ …pero naisipan din nilang mag-jogging sa init ng araw maghapon’.
‘…suot suot ang sakong dating sisidlan ng kambing’.
‘…na tinutulugan (DIN!) nila sa loob na ng 3 mahabang taon’.
‘…at naisipan mong I-review ang batas, kung meron bang nakukulong dahil mabaho sila’.
‘…at kung baket sa loob ng limang taon na andito ka, nabibigla ka parin pag may moments na ito’.
‘…at minsan di maiwasang mag isip—kung pwedeng manakit ng mga taong amoy kilikili, maasim at kinulob na itik na tatapat pa sa aircon vent para magpalamig.’
‘…or kung may namatay na ba nang sa kadahilanang ‘nabahuan at nainis’’.

Ewan ko ha, sabihin nalang natin na…kung may isang pagkakataon na kinailangan kong magbigay ng ‘gift’ para sa bansa na ito, ang ibibigay ko marahil (nang may buong pagmamahal!) ay ito…

TAWAS CRYSTALS.

in other news...

NB: Probably once a month, I'll be blogging about tidbits on this wonderful place Im currently located. It's called Singapore. I don't think Ive blogged enough about it, for the very reason that Im not your regular tourist guide whose into--well, touristy things. But then again I thought I should write about things as they are--'going local', as the now-cliche calls it: where to get cheap finds, where to go (non tourist hang outs, probably for the tourists (oh hey!) and non tourists) and where to find your regular items (more useful for those tourist-turned-something else). Some posts are what I'll call categorically good, some bad and some are open to debate. I won't go very political or anything--just notes-- catty comments and observation. Just like the old dyowsa.blogspot.com days. Yes, I never learned my lesson.

Pinaiiyak ako ng Flickr Uploader for Mac

Naiinis na ako sa Mac. or sa Flickr. or sa ewan. 

Ayon sa mga online usyusero, may bug daw yung flickr uploader for mac.

I've been using this app for quite some time now, at hindi naman ako minamalas.

Ngayon lang. Well--2 days ago lang.

Nakakainis, kasi mga limang beses na akong nagpaulit ulit ng gagawin: ia-upload, then check kung okay, then edit info.

susme, yung unang beses mga tipong 3-5 of the same picture yung lumalabas. the second time, I had to edit out the info I posted, as 5 of the same thing (typed words) appeared.

Tapos, hindi na mag appear sa flickr yung ni post ko, pero andun naman--I can see them whenever I log in.

Tapos after so many modifications and thinkering, ang lumalabas lang eh screen na may static chenes. 

AT! nde parin sya ayos. (now Im attempting to upload manually)

Nako. Ililipat ko na nga lang ang mga ito sa multiply ko. ngrr.

bawal ang badtrip

alam mo ba kung gaano pang-asar yung matatapos na nga lang ang araw, mag iisip ka pa--

kung paano ka kakain ng hapunan, paano yung mga taong kasabay mo sa pagkain, ano ang kakainin nila, paano ka makakatipid sa halagang pang isang tao lang na pang-kain, paano mo iindahin ang gutom na halos lamigin ka na sa grocery kasi wala ka nang ma-generate na body heat sa gutom? iisipin mo, bakit kaya hindi ka nalang kumain mag-isa sa labas, magbibilang ka nang pera, at makukunsensya ka--paano naman sila? bitbit ang iyong mabigat na dala na pinag isipan mo pang mabuti--'masustansya ba ito? magustuhan kaya nila?', uuwi ka at magsasalang ng bigas at kawali. kumakalam na ang sikmura mo, at hindi na maipinta ang iyong mukha. 

sabay babanatan ka ng paunang 'badtrip ka?'

kung malas malas pa-- 'gagabihin ako nang uwi'.

so bukod sa gutom na gutom ka na, at yamot na yamot sa sarili mo-- bawal ka pang ma-bad trip ngayon. 

sabi nang ninang ko, ganyan daw yung feeling nang magulang na nagbibigay ng libreng pagkain at tirahan at pera sa mga teenager nilang wala namang pakialam. sabi nya lang yun, ewan ko kung totoo.

Ish it jas me?

Ewan ko ha, pero feeling ko lahat ng Filipino ngayon gustong maging chef.
I mean, I have nothing against them, but really--for some time I thought people think that the solution to world hunger is by becoming CCA-certified. Or kung kanino man--Henny Sison? Jopa Sison..Marco Sison...
Naisip ko tuloy, since madami nang ganyan, hindi ba dapat nag iimprove na ang panlasang Filipino? Hindi na panay matamis, mataba, mamantika, o may ketchup?
Sabi nung katulong na Pinay nung kaopisina ko, matapos syang mahuling numinenok ng asukal para ilagay sa ulam, 'Ma'm, that is Filipino taste'.

Parang ano rin yan--magpipiktyur,
Ngayon, lahat ng tao piktyurera na.
Im not even referring to the point and shoot type,
but the slrs and what have you.
I mean, I can debate for and against capitalism,
pero ang akin lang naman eh--ewan ko...
nagtataas parin ang service fees for these type of so-called 'hobbies'.
Kumbaga, nagmamahal parin ang pa-kodak, ang pagawa ng pagkain (mula sa chefs)..
samantalang ang dami dami nang taong may camera. at may CCA-Henny Penny degrees.
Asan ang Economies of scale, diba?
At nasan na ang masarap na pagkain, at art for art's sake (and not merely for investment)?
may gudness.
mainit lang siguro.

Nako, dont get me started with our oversupply of nurses and the irony of the Philippine healthcare system. Pang-conference paper na yan.

iPucha

Kagabi, meron akong ginawang bagay na hindi ko pa ever nagawa sa buhay ko.

Tengkyu Jay, at kinunsinte mo ang kahibangang ito. :) winner ka talaga.

--0---

Feeling ko overrated ang iPhone.

Isa syang iPod na may call features. Yun na yun.

Like the iPod, wala syang bluetooth, kaya connectivity-wise, it felt inadequate.

well, may bluetooth pala sya (ayon sa online forums)--pero for making calls lang. Eyng?

Para saan pa ang iSync ng Mac, kung di mo rin naman pala magagamit sa iPhone, diba?

Buti pa yung N95 ko (aptly named Tibs, or Tiburcio), nagagamit mo with the iSync.

With iPhone, kelangan mo pa nung chord. Paano kung magpapa print ka sa picture kiosks?

So tama nga ang hinala ng iba--the product has been based poorly on a mobile backwater site, which is the US.

Baka walang picture kiosks dun. ehehe.

2 mega pixels lang ang camera nya--so in short kelangan mo pang bumili ng mas maayos na camera. Unlike Tiburcio, na halos magpasasa ako sa kakakuha, kahit night mode, meyn!

Pero, unlike Tiburcio na nabili ko at the cost of an arm and leg, mas mura sya.

At unlike (almost) everyone, wala pa akong iPod (as if an iPod shuffle counts. really)

At...ang pinaka nakaka frustrate--nde ko magamit si Tiburcio sa malawakang wifi escapades. Ang screen nya kasi ay parang tanga, at super may-i-use the key pads ang scrolling.

Kaya hoping naman akong mag improve man lang ang product market regarding this feature.

Anyway, sa matagal na pagmumuni muni, naalala kong kelangan ko nang mag renew ng kontrata with my telco.

Naalala ko rin yung first time na bumili ako ng phone (2004)--yung T16 ng ericsson. Halos 200SGD yung tinamaan ng magaling na yun!

Ngayon, sa mas mababang halaga--

pwede na 'to siguro. :) (i think the 2 mega pixels thing is not that bad, anyway)

Timing lang talaga.

--0---

Ang utol kong si Charles ay malakas mang-asar.

Kaya naman itong picture na ito ay para sa kanya...

what???

I've just browsed through Globe's iPhone Plans--Singtel is yet to release theirs. This is one of the biggest ruckus I've ever heard of. Anu yan, mac book?? ginto?? If the fixed plan surprised you, you should check out the prepaid arrangements at a whopping 41K at the least.

Then, there's this news about hackers 'upgrading' to the mac OS. Tangina naman kasi, nauso pa yang mac na yan. nagmura nga, dissolving its point and essence. Masyado nang commercialised. kaya ngayon ang daming taong nagrereklamong yung mac daw nila hindi useful. Bumili dahil uso, ngayon rekla relamong hindi makapag laro, hindi maka-ganito..hay nako. My advice: ng learning curve kse, i-respeto noh. pakers.

Ngayon, paano ko ibibili ang utol ko ng iPhone, eh parang nagbihis nako ng wedding entourage ko sa presyong ganyan?

You gotta be kidding me..

I can’t believe the Manilenyo mentality.
After undergoing a certain bank’s security check over the phone...
Caller: Are you Filipina?
Ako: yes.
Caller: Ma’m, Filipino po ako. Kamusta po? (as of the accent is not obvious!)
Ako: No, hindi ko kelangan ng card nyo,
Caller: Ma’m, taga saan po kayo sa atin?
Ako: (entertaining mood) sa Laguna
Caller. Waw, ang layo.
Ako: ah, okay.
Caller: Ma’m, yung bosses nyo po kasi hindi parang taga probinsya.
Ako: (papatulan ko na to) eh taga city ako eh. May city naman sa Laguna.
Caller: Oh. Hindi ko alam yun ah—para kasing yung accent nyo po, pang-Manila. Parang hindi taga---
(BLAG!)

Ibig sabihin ba non, eh pag taga probinsya ka, ‘iba’ ang English mo? Maganda ba yon, o hinde? (Im casting my naiveté here) Ibig sabihin ba nun, eh basta taga Manila ka, magaling kang mag-ingles, at kung taga probinsya ka, nasa ‘sub standard’ ka lang? Sa totoo lang, kung pwede lang sabihin dito, everytime they ask me ‘Where are you from?’ instead of saying ‘Manila’ (kasi, haller, dalawa lang ang lugar sa Pinas na kilala nila—Manila o Davao), I’d say ‘Laguna’. As if being proudly from the ‘cuidad’ is even a good thing. Sige nga, give me something you Manilenyo’s are so freaking proud about? Intramuros? SM Malls (na meron din kami)? Glorietta? (Again, in the norm that Manila means Manila, Makati and Quezon City) English nila? Bleh. Pwidi bah.

I was born in Manila. I lived in Manila. I even studied there. But Laguna raised me. I grew in Laguna. And darn proud of it!
And yes—I get that ‘anung ginagawa nyo pag weekend? Nangingisda?’ question all the time.
So no insensitive, geography ignoramus can’t comment on my English.
Pakers.

Says DFA Sec Romulo: Filipinos with new passports get better treatment at ports

By Cynthia BalanaPhilippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 19:18:00 05/30/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- Filipinos who hold the new machine-readable passports are no longer segregated at airports or discriminated against globally, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said this started after the DFA began issuing the new passports and implementing the e-passport project.
Romulo assured the integrity, validity and security of the machine-readable passports being issued to Filipinos here and abroad. More than a million Filipinos have already received the new passports.
"As a result of the DFA's machine-readable passports, our kababayans (compatriots) now have greater travel security, confidence and convenience all over the world," he said, without making any reference to the number of Filipinos who still have the old passports.
Romulo said that all of the actions taken by the DFA to implement the shift to the new type of passports were consistent with the law and government rules regarding acquisition of equipment and services.
He said the new passports were produced in full accord with the Government Procurement Reform Act (R.A. 9184) and other relevant statutes and regulations, and are more secure, globally accepted and compliant with standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The DFA said that despite their enhanced security features, the machine-readable passports do not cost the public more than the old, manually scripted green passports.
The regular price for a machine-readable passport remains P500, the same as the old green passport.

Seryoso? Pray tell, Mr Romulo-- how does one use these new passports as official entry requirements to countries that require 'signed' travel documents, when the greatest guffaw of all this cheerleading is that you forgot to attach a page that shows the bearer's signature? Opo, walang signature page. Dyosko.

Effort!

Super natawa ako. Was cleaning when I noticed that someone actually sneaked in a banner on my shelf which says 'GO CRAZY OVER JAY'. It was cheap trick, I tell you--the intruder snipped it from Jay Chou's newspaper ad. Hindi pa pantay pantay yung pagkakagupit, like the person was in haste (well obviously!). But then again, funny. Things started to get funnier when I imagined how a person actually goes CRAZY--yun naman ang nasa banner, diba? :)
So there you go, Mr Banner Guy.

Gee, you should be touched with my efforts as well.

Can I just punch your face?

Ewan ko ba,
people who point you to websites for info 'in another context' are somewhat annoying.
Not that I dont do that(point to websites, not annoy), but I only do so after being asked the proverbial question 'saan mo nakuha yang info na yan?'
then I direct them to websites.
Or if I sense that such person is not using the internet regularly, then I'd say 'na check mo na ba sa website nila, internet?'

What I would like to point out that although it's not yet a given, there might be a bit of courtesy involved if you'll ask the person first--'ni-google mo na ba yan?' lightly. of course.

another thing which i find offending is when one directs you to a weblink obvious enough not to really solve your problem, which you have already specifically asked for a 'specific' answer

case number 1:
ako:how does one get there, really?
mukhamopretty:well, this (website--okay...lets call it streetdirectory.com--whf!) is helpful. here's a link to the place...blah blah...helpful...blah

ngayon, bibigyan moko nang website, na very likely na alam ko. It contains a map, and categorical directions on how to get there. I can actually take a bus (i know!),and take a 2 day trip to get there. I mean, helloo---nde ba obvious, Im asking for a 'localised' direction, something which you yourself will take.
toink toink.
Dont you think its easier have you just commented on which is the nearest mrt station, and what bus to take from there?

Does your freakin' website tell you which is the nearest mrt station?? hinde. (gigil)
it gives you a map--like you want to go there on foot.
as if you own a freakin' car,and that as if you and your freakin' car will want to go there, really.

Then again I wont forget how I supressed all that gas and laughter when a certain someone gave me advise on how to 'get scholarships' (for pete's sake)

He said: Ganito, type mo 'to... 'www.google.com' tapos may search bar don, yung rectangle na may blank...'

Bawal tumawa.