Friday, February 29, 2008

Church Fees for Weddings Are Just Too Much.


I sometimes pretend that I am Steven Spielberg and do video coverages for my friends’ weddings. (Channeling Quentin Tarantino wouldn't be a good idea.) Now, if its one thing I notice is that these churches sure charge a hefty fee for the event. Imagine having to pay something like Php 15,000-35,000 (i.e. USD $400-900) for the event just for the church expense alone (at least here in Metro Manila).

Let’s do the math. There is at least one wedding for weekdays. On weekends, there would be about three for each Saturday and Sunday. That means that churches here in Metro Manila could be making as Php 200,000 per month (about USD $5K) or Php 2.4M a year (about USD $60K).

Hot diggity man, I'm in the wrong business.

All I can say is that I thought matrimony was a sacrament like baptism, communion, confirmation and confession. By logic, since I have to pay for weddings, does this mean that I have to pay for my baby to be baptized into Catholicism, for each time I receive communion and for each time I confess to a priest how many times I cursed in the past month?

I guess what I am appalled at is the prices that these churches are charging for weddings. I could probably take paying at most up to Php 4,000 to cover for the paper work, labor, electricity and the re-used flowers that the church incurs for my red carpet two-hour life event. I don’t see the justification in charging above Php 15,000 and all the more Php 35,000.

This is just too much to pay for a sacrament.



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Guiness 9-Ball Asian Tour 2008


Today's the start of the Guiness 9-ball Asian Tour 2008. See various nationalities play the "alternative golf". Watch as players apply analytical geometry and skillfully putt a ball-with-chickenpox into fruit-colored round objects until they sink into a hole.

Show your support for our Filipino players by watching (and cheering in spirit). First leg is at Chinese Taipei from Feb.29 to March 2. Last year's first prize per leg was USD 15,000. (Now, that's a lot of dough to make in just three days of competition.)

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3rd UPDATE: Joven Bustamante of the Philippines made it to the finals. He fought back from trailing Ko Pin Yi of Taipei to win 9-7. He will face Chang Jing Lun of Taipei for the title of the 1st leg.

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Final UPDATE: Chang Jing Lun won the first leg of the Guiness Asian 9-Ball Tour. He won with a score of 11-5 over Joven Bustamante of the Philippines. We still have 5 legs to go. I hope a Pinoy wins one of the legs this year.



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Thursday, February 28, 2008

Amazing Race Asia and Philippines Tourism


I enjoyed watching the second season of Amazing Race Asia. It was because of this show that I now know how beautiful Prague looks and it is now definitely on my future must-travel list. This weekly show turned into my Discovery Travel channel which I unfortunately do not get on SkyCable.

What I am disappointed about is why of all the things or places to show in the Philippines they had to show the contestants eating Balut, riding jeepneys, putting together bicycles and sticking their legs in muddy rice paddies. This was our chance at promoting tourism in our country at a show that definitely has a regional if not a global following.

If they wanted to just stay within Metro Manila or Luzon, they could have used Corregidor instead. It could be something like “Corregidor was the last bastion of freedom …” where at least there was world history significance. If they wanted to show a “sport” (i.e. putting bicycles together), they could have used billiards being that we hosted the World Pool Championship the past two years in addition to it being one of the unwritten national sports. Our Filipino players are among the best in the world.

As I said in an earlier post, Balut eating should only be shown on Fear Factor and jeepneys are not vehicles you would want to be promoting to a world audience. In addition to being old and decrepit menaces on our roads, they run on diesel and discharge a tremendous amount of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere.

If the producers wanted to show water sports, we could have shown Subic. If they wanted cable cars and races up a hill, they could have shown Tagaytay Highlands.

My point is why do we keep screwing up these opportunities for promoting tourism to the Philippines. I sincerely don’t believe that the Philippines is just all about rice paddies and eating Balut. I know that but the viewers in other countries don’t know that.

Just like the recent World Pool Championship that was held last November 2007. The PAGCOR banner was in the middle of everything facing the main camera. The organizers forgot that this was an international event viewed on ESPN for a straight two weeks. If I was a TV viewer not from the Philippines, I’d be saying “What the F is PAGCOR?”

The Department of Tourism missed a lot of brownie points with these two shows. I hope they would keep a better eye out for the next one… assuming there would be a next one.

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"C'mon. You've Got To Try This ..."


Time and again I will always hear that some colleagues of mine brought the visiting boss from another country to some Gerry’s Grill or similar restaurant to feed the sorry bloke our world-famous and tasty yet disgusting looking delicacy known as the Balut.

C’mon guys there is a reason why this dish has become a mainstay on the reality show Fear Factor. Let us not think that we are doing him a favor by introducing him to a 17 days old hatchling literally fresh from the duck (or chicken).

There is an overused old saying that goes by “Do not do feed unto others what you wouldn’t them to feed unto you.” Just because the typical Filipino is pretty adventurous in his dish selection doesn’t mean that your American boss or Australian colleague is as daring.

May I suggest though another dish which I have observed to be always a hit with the foreign guests? It’s equally as deadly (cholesterol-wise) but not nearly as revolting in its appearance. Next time let them try the “chicharon bulaklak”. In my experience, a single order isn’t always enough.

Just don’t tell them what it is until after the meal is over.



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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

The Average Pinoys + Airplanes = Noise-Canceling Headphones


Summer is just around the corner here in the Philippines and it’s that time again to head to everybody’s uncle Jun or aunt Baby in the US. Plane seats are quickly filling up and not too few mileage points are being quickly converted to upgrade certificates. Would be visitors are getting their yearly dental appointments and their haircuts done. The yearly summer vacation trip to the US is something a lot of us look forward to with glee.

People will never go without ensuring to have with them their "pasalubongs" (i.e. presents).

In my case, I would definitely not forget to bring my Sony noise-canceling headphones for the flight.

Nope, it’s not so that I can get great quality sound for the onboard movies (the airlines take care of that for you unless you fly PAL). It’s for the ever present high decibel voices of some fellow pinoys on board who think they are the only ones on the flight.

Many a tourist trip have I unfortunately been on where the American beside me is quietly reading, the Japanese in front of me is playing his Sony PSP, the Indian across me is writing; and the twenty Pinoys behind us are proving to each other that they can be cast on American Idol or the Last Comic Standing.

(I'm not too concerned about the Chinese except to just be sure to let them off the plane first during disembarking lest you risk getting trampled upon. I never really understood what the rush is all about.)

All I ask is to please pipe down a bit because not all of us want to be on a live "Wowowee" show the entire 12-16 hours flight.



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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

"For without them, this wedding would not be possible …"


A Filipino couple’s wedding preparations are never without the proverbial list of godparents or in reality – the wedding sponsors.

The typical Filipino wedding in Metro Manila would have anywhere between 8-12 pairs of sponsors while weddings outside of Metro Manila (also known as provinces) would have up to 20 pairs or a whopping 40 sponsors!

One of the motivations for such a practice, apart from name dropping the neighborhood general or city mayor, is monetary logic. A wedding self-financed thru the generous contributions of its sponsors will indeed make it easier on the pocket for the lucky couple.

A typical contribution for a single sponsor can range between 10K-100K Philippine pesos (i.e. USD 250-2.5K). Multiply that by forty individual sponsors and the couple will have the capability for a really grand wedding. Quite a blessing considering the usual wedding requires you to invite the entire city -- lest you risk the spite of the grandma of your aunt’s third cousin.

The irony of all this is that if you need to raise that sum of money for your wedding, then you can’t afford yet to get married. It just gets worse (i.e. more expensive) from thereon. The best way to prevent such illusion of richness is to spend for your own wedding and to keep the number of godparents down (i.e. between 2-4 pairs). This will definitely keep the wedding solemn and prevent it from turning into a circus.

Trust me. There is nothing like the feeling of spending for your own wedding and choosing your sponsors not according to the depth of their pockets or their status in society.

Let the wedding sponsors revert back to the more meaningful role of godparents whose responsibility is to impart wise guidance on the growth of your kids as well as to be back-up parents in the event the couple cannot be around.



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Monday, February 25, 2008

“I just want the sandwich, not the combo meal.”


I’m not sure how it is in the other countries but I have noticed that around here in the Philippines, the smallest unit of purchase seems to be the “value meal” or the “combo meal.”

Last weekend, I once again gave in to my hamburger craving at a famous outlet of a grilled burger franchise. Once again, the same type of conversation occurs between me and the sorry guy across the counter.

“I want the Whopper sandwich with no onions.”

“Okay sir, what size of fries would you like with that?”

“No, I just want the sandwich not the value meal.”

The guy just stares at me in horror as if I said something sacrilegious.

“Okay sir. Just the sandwich it is. What type of drink would you want with your value meal?”

“Dude, you’re not listening. I said I’m just getting the sandwich not the value meal. But I will have a large orange juice.”

“Okay sir. One large orange juice and one Whopper sandwich. Hindi po ‘yung value meal. (Not the value meal.)”

The Whopper sandwich was good as always. It was a filling lunch. The French fries were kinda soggy though…



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"State-sponsored students or the 'Scholars ng Bayan' should watch their mouths"


Once again student activism is alive at the University of the Philippines (UP) because of the ZTE broadband scandal and all. There is nothing wrong with expressing one’s opinion and taking it to the streets. My only caveat with this is that students taking their studies at a state university should have some shame in joining any protest towards the same state that is paying for their schooling.

If the government were to have some sense, they should just stop spending anymore money into schools with ungrateful pupils. If the students don’t like the comparatively low tuition fee they are already getting, then they should just look for another school.

As the old saying goes “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”



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“Ay wala.” (“Shucks, we don’t have it.”)


There sure is a big difference between retail conversations in Japan or the US versus here in the Philippines.

How many times have you been replied with the ultimate answer of “Ay wala” to every product you are looking for in a hardware store or a computer retail store?

Before you can even open your mouth, this person in front pretending to go out of his way to be helpful already has the words “ay wala” in his head. In fact so many times, these “retail specialists” actually back pedal and find out that they indeed have the product you need. What the ?*!*? If I were the store owner, what am I paying you for? Are you just dang lazy to check out what models or stocks you have?

What is worse is that is where the conversation ends. In Japan or the US, a typical conversation would go like this –

“Do you have a 1280 x 800 CRT monitor?”

“I’m sure we do. Let me check. Which brand did you have in mind?”

“I want to check both Samsung and AOC models.”

“Okay. We have both models in stock. The prices are …”

In the Philippines, the same conversation would more often than not go like this ---

“Do you have a 1280 x 800 …. ”

“Ay wala.” (said of course with a whimper-ish face.)



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“People got to eat man.”


I was recently speaking out my thoughts to a colleague of mine about the unfortunate brain migration of IT consultants from the Philippines to other parts of the world.

I voiced out some concerns mostly pertaining to why they are not even trying to make it here in the Philippines. I observed that almost immediately after college, people start applying for immigration visas.

This silly colleague of mine, obviously siding with the “immigrant-wannabees”, simply muttered “dude, people got to eat.”

Just short of acting out my imagination of slapping the back of his head and saying “Moron,” I simply smiled and nodded then left.

“People got to eat?” (I thought) or more specifically “IT people got to eat?” IT resources have one of the highest salaries here in the Philippines and you’ve got the nerve to imply that they can’t afford to eat or live in the Philippines. For a typical IT guy to have been in the industry for about 3-5 years, he would already be making at least anywhere between PHP 40-60K a month. Even at 40K a month, one can surely live an acceptable life. Any higher than that and it’s a bonus already.

I don’t have any qualms if the reason these gifted individuals (IT brains have a good blend of logic and creativity) leave is because either NASA or the US Armed Forces hired them. God knows one’s chances of making it as an astronomer or working on the navigation module of a Stealth Fighter here in the Philippines.

I guess it’s safe to assume that the reason most of the middle class decide to uproot themselves is because of the environment or just plain greed (i.e. an offer of 3x your salary). But c’mon guys, you will never ever really be an American, or an Italian or Londoner. You were born a Filipino and will always be a Filipino. You have a duty to at least try it out here in the Philippines and not immediately drop everything you're doing to leave only because your green card got approved yesterday.

We are a democracy and one of the recipes for a successful democracy is a strong and growing middle class. Otherwise, the cycle of entertainment, both figuratively and explicitly, in Philippine politics will just carry on.



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“Hey Enzo … you make padyak na and make langoy na towards meee-ahh …”


The subject line was a conversation heard from a father speaking to most probably his kid while both of them were in a swimming pool.

What the?!? Dude, that is some screwed up language you got there. As my language professor always says (and I agree) – “If you’re going to speak in English, just use English. If you’re going to speak in Filipino, just use Filipino.”

And since when did “me” become two syllables?

If one hangs out in the quieter and more refined malls in Metro Manila, one has a higher likelihood of chancing upon these creatures of entertainment. That’s okay… I still prefer tranquil establishments over every-hour-played-on-the-mall-speakers' fruit songs.



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“Tsurururut… tsurururut …”


Why do these malls have to be playing music so freakin’ loud? Doesn't the typical Filipino get enough noise already from one's neighbors' Magic Sing?

I swear that if I had a noise meter and stuck one in each of the 80-90% of the malls here; it would be off the charts. Some say it’s the pinoy way of forgetting one's troubles temporarily. That's okay at times but temporarily forget your troubles every single day?

Sometimes a good self-introspection (which requires a quiet environment) is beneficial to one's future planning. Lets all make time to think off higher mental material like the philosophical aspects of life and forget about learning how to dance fruit songs.



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"Malayo... Malayo.... "


What is with these parking attendants here at the malls in Manila? If you always need help with your parking skills, you don't deserve to have a driver’s license. What is so difficult about backing up into a space?

To me, it’s like it’s an implied "you don't know how to park so you need my help... and of course, I'll be expecting a tip afterwards because you couldn't have done it without me."

I'm always whispering to myself - "dude, if I needed your help, I would ask for it."

Is it an ego-trip for some drivers? It just might be considering some of our other countrymen love the "Mayor" (pronounced MAH-YOR) feeling.



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"Brewed or Decaf?"


This is the typical question I get even from some established restaurants or hotels. For a typical consumer this would pertain to either asking for caffeinated coffee or decaffeinated coffee. But this is a misnomer. "Brewed" is a method of preparing coffee while "Decaf" is a 'type' of coffee. Brewing is the method referred to when you use your typical percolator or average coffee maker that you have at your homes.

I'm sure that what these waiters are trying to find out is if you want caffeinated coffee or not. The more appropriate question to ask though is if you would like "regular or decaf?” Last time I checked, I am quite sure that this is at least mentioned in hotel and restaurant management 101 courses.

But if what these hotels are referring to is if you wanted "regular brewed" or "instant decaf" then I say shame on them for offering instant decaf. There are at least some premium expectations when one goes to a have a meal at a known hotel or restaurant and anything "instant" especially coffee is not on that list.

I suggest that one should always check the price of the said decaf coffee. It’s okay if the decaf coffee is more expensive than the regular coffee but if its "instant decaf coffee" then you are being screwed. Instant coffee only cost about three Philippine pesos (PHP) or USD 0.08. If the drink menu says PHP 85 for regular brewed coffee and PHP115 for decaf coffee, always ask first if it is instant or brewed. If the waiter says it’s instant, I suggest you stand up and walk away.



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