Discover Philippines

One television commercial made me realize one thing - that I have a lot more places to visit and discover here in my home country.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, try watching the boobtube. I am talking about the new TV commercial by Smart, in cooperation with the Department of Tourism. The one where Regine Velasquez sings the Biyahe Tayo song.

A church inside a cave-like structure. Well, firstly I am not sure if it really is a church. But I did see what looked like church pews in one shot. And it seems that it is located inside a spacious rock-formation.

Zebras and giraffes running in the wild. I am not talking about Manila Zoo animals here. The shots of these animals suggest that they are freely roaming around in the wild.

A very picturesque lighthouse. I think I know where this one is located 'coz I remember watching a TV feature on that particular lighthouse. Can someone please verify if this is the one located in Ilocos' northern-most tip?

The raging waters and the waterfalls. I have seen quite a few waterfalls here in the Philippines. But I don't think I've been to that one shot in the commercial. It doesn't look like a high waterfall, but it is a wide one with the power of the raging waters making it look like a small Niagara falls.

The old baroque church with a facade which looks like it is made up of reddish clay. Our Bisita Iglesia itinerary this coming Holy week includes those old churches around Laguna de Bay. I am not sure if we would pass by this one. But I do hope that I get to visit that church some time soon.

Windmill power genarators. It is such a shame that when I saw the windmills, what came to my mind was San Francisco. 'Coz they looked exactly the same as the windmills that one passes by when taking a drive from LA to SF. But this one definitely is in the Philippines.

Help me out here, blogmates. If you know any of the places shot in the commercial, please let me know thru the comments section. I would surely want to visit those places in my lifetime. There is nothing like discovering new places in you very own country.

I promise to share pictures with you if and when I get to visit any of these places.

Tuition Tees

Back in the late 80’s, a shirt thought up by a group of graduating seniors from my university had this rather braggart print (and we wonder why people call us elitists, duh):

FRONT:
This shirt cost my parents P 48,742.85

BACK:
…and I am worth every cent of it.

It was a time when a semester’s tuition fee from the other colleges and universities would only cost around P 1,000 to P 2,000. Looking back, what the hell was I thinking by asking my parents to let me study there? We were just a common middle class family with both parents working their butts off to be able to send their children to school. But I guess being a member of a very small family with only one other sibling has its advantages.

Fastforward to the present. I just learned that to be able to send a child to grade school in an exclusive school here in the Metro would mean shelling out around P 60,000 a year just for tuition fees alone. Whew! How fast time flies. And how fast tuition fees increase.

I have already made the computations long ago. With the current rate tuition fees hike up every year, it is a fair estimate that they would double up every six to seven years. And I have been fairly accurate with my estimates. I graduated from college with my last semester costing my parents around P15,000. That was 14 years ago. From what I heard last year from a friend who teaches there, a semester’s tuition fee already costs P60,000 easily.

So if I would have a child born today, I should prepare myself to cough up roughly P 250,000 to P 400,000 a semester for his college degree.

Funny, that shirt will surely take on a totally different meaning 20 years from now.

Stwictly Speaking

Nilaro ni Leroy ang relo ni Lorena
Nilaro ni Leroy ang relo ni Lorena
Nilaro ni Leroy ang relo ni Lorena
Nilawo ni Lewoy ang welo ni Lowena

I have a friend who has a hard time pronouncing the letter R. If you guys remember Dranreb Belleza, my friend is a lot worse than him. It's not just the hard, vibrating R that my friend can't pronounce. When you listen close enough, you will find out that it is as if he replaces his R's with the letter W.

Here's how a typical conversation with him goes.

Me: Tine-text ka namin kagabi, di ka naman sumasagot.

Friend: Sowi pawe, late na ko nakauwi galing Gweenhills eh. Pull out kasi kagabi, dami twabaho. Kaya di na ko naka-weply.

M: So kelan ka na manlilibre?

F: Anong libwe?

M: Treat mo dahil birthday mo.

F: Siwaulo ka pala eh! Anong tweat sinasabi mo?

M: Lagot ka sa mga girls pag nakita ka. Di ka man lang daw nagparamdam nung birthday mo.

F: Yawe na naman ako nito!

M: Anniversary ng T-bar next week. Dun ka na lang magpainom.

F: Ahh.. anniversawy ba next week? Sige twy ko.

M: Sige, tutal may utang ka pa sa amin, aliwin mo na lang muna kami. Try saying this na sunod-sunod: 'Idol ko si Ren-Ren Ritualo at si Ravishing Rick Rude.'

F: Tawantado!

Super Boxing Sunday

In the spirit of the Super Bowl Sunday tradition, my wife and I hosted our very first Super Boxing Sunday earlier today here in our humble home. The big event? The Pacquiao – Morales boxing re-match.

We invited our friends over. Call time was set at 10AM. But considering that most of us attended a birthday party the night before, most of the guys started coming in at around 11AM. But it was okay, it was still early since the Paquaio – Morales match started past 12 noon as aired by ABS-CBN on a slightly delayed basis.

There was barbeque, the staple food in any Super Bowl gathering. But unlike the usual Super Bowl Sunday, there was no beer served earlier. We’ve had enough alcohol from the night before. Barbeque food, a wide screen TV plus a couple of friends – those were all we needed for this Super Boxing Sunday.

Everything was going smoothly as we ate lunch while the match started. That was until our cellphones started beeping. You could actually guess the messages coming in one after another. These are the killjoy A-holes who want to spoil your viewing pleasure by informing you of the results of the match. Maybe some of them had pay-per-view. Maybe some of them watched it at Rockwell or at the SM Cinemas. Or maybe some of them had relatives from the States who texted the results to them. I don’t really care. I intentionally did not read my text messages for more than two hours coz I knew I would receive those kinds of messages.

Some of my friends weren’t so lucky. They unwillingly knew the results from text messages from people they knew. One friend of mine even got the text from a priest friend. Can you actually believe it? A priest doing the spoiling for you?! Oh, men. Thankfully, my friends didn’t spoil it for us. They still watched the match with us, just keeping quiet while the rest of us shouted and rejoiced for every punch Pacquiao connected.

And some weren’t contented with text messages. Our landline kept on ringing. Talk to the busy tone, you insensitive prick. I’m unhooking that phone line for the remainder of this match.

Thankfully, Manny Pacquiao won the match via TKO on the 10th round. And I was very satisfied with the way the match was fought. But for the spoilers of these events, I’m still a bit confused. What kind of satisfaction do you get by spoiling the excitement of a very good boxing match by informing others of the results while they are still watching the match unfold? I don’t get it. Really.

Personal Finance 101

My parents never had credit cards. Not even to this day. Maybe it’s like the old people’s fear of technology that they never relied on having that piece of plastic for their purchases.

I became the very first member of our family to own a credit card. I got my very first card under my own name when I was 21. And ever since my first credit card bill came up, I have always made it a point to pay the whole amount that was due, down to the last centavo. I never availed of the Pay Easy Plan Minimum option that credit card companies offer.

No one taught me to do it that way. I guess being a business/economics major made it second-nature for me to compare options using computations when making financial decisions. I knew about interest rates and how these credit card companies make money from people who enjoy paying the minimum amount.

Watching a local late night TV show a few days ago, where a financial expert gave advises on personal finance, made me realize that there are a lot of people out there who are in deep financial mess due to credit card bills.

I do not claim to be a financial expert but I decide to use this entry to give out two basic tips on personal finance. If I can save at least just one being reading this blog from a future financial blunder, then that would make me so glad.

1.) Always pay the whole amount due on your monthly credit card bill. It is doable no matter what your monthly income is. And if your credit card payments are starting to squeeze hard on your cash flow, it doesn’t mean that you should completely abandon this exercise of full-payment. It just means that you are probably spending more than you can afford. Cut down on your spending (or find extra means of income) until you achieve a level of payment that would again be easy on your cash flow.

2.) When making financial decisions (like purchasing a new appliance), always write down your computations. Do the spreadsheet analysis. Never rely on guesswork. And never ever base your financial decision just on the reason that it is magaang (easy) or hindi mo mararamdaman. Those easy installment plans that some companies offer often come at a price. And it is a very expensive one if you do not do your homework. It is called interest rate.

Personal finance is just like a game. To win, you must always have a plan – a thoroughly-computed plan that you must follow. Do not rely on your feelings or gut feel. Coz if you do, you will most probably end up losing the game.

Shame On You

As if it’s not shameful enough that your whole household had to live with no electricity for a few weeks because Meralco, thankfully, caught you stealing power. And you even found it as an opportunity to brag about your daughters who are working in the States by saying that the penalty Meralco was asking from you (which was about Php300,000) was manageably payable since that was just equivalent to a few hours of work of your daughters as nurses. How come it took you a few weeks to raise the money then?

As if it’s not shameful enough that the hookers you hired made some scene out in the streets of our ordinarily peaceful village prompting your concerned neighbors to call the authorities, only to find out that you double-crossed those bar girls on your agreed upon rate for the services they rendered, thus they ended up raising hell on you. I wonder if your wife, who was then out of the country to visit your daughters in the States, ever knew about it.

As if it’s not shameful enough that you had to do a door-to-door campaign to support your call for a recount of the votes during the previous homeowners’ elections, only to find out that the total votes you really got was two. Yup, two, dos, dalawa, deux. Let me take a wild guess who those two were. One was you, of course. And number two was Mister B, your bestfriend and future mental institution cellmate. Whatever happened to that campaign? I’m just curious if you even found a third ally.

And now, how dare you turn back on an agreement witnessed by several neighbors, village officers plus an MMDA officer that you would readily foot the bill for the repair of the damage caused when your jeepney smashed on my Tatay’s parked vehicle? Of course, you can claim that you are already a senile senior citizen causing you to forget certain things and make senseless decisions. But then, how could you forget that you even signed a memorandum of agreement on your responsibilities on that said accident. It’s all in black and white, mister. And wherever court of law we reach in this dispute, that agreement shall hold ground. Trust me on that.

Shame on you, Mister A.

The Chicken and the Clueless Chick

We were in the meat section of the supermarket last weekend. My wife was choosing some cuts of chicken meat while I was holding our cart, looking for some peeled shrimp (food for Darna) at the adjacent seafood section.

A lady, probably about our age, lackadaisically pushing her cart, approached the chicken meat section. She was busy chatting on her cellphone, oblivious to the people around her. She positioned her cart right between me and my wife so we couldn’t help but overhear what she was saying.

"Late na nga rin ako nagising kanina eh," she was telling the person on the other end of the line. Judging from her smiling sweet voice and lovestruck eyes while chatting, she was most probably talking to her boyfriend.

Turning her attention to the guy tending the chicken meat section, she asked, "Anong part ng chicken ang kailangan ko para isama sa macaroni salad?"

"Breast po ma’am," the guy politely answered her.

The lady paused for a while, thinking while staring at the chicken breast cuts in front of her.

"One kilo kasi yung macaroni ko eh. Tama lang kaya yung one kilo na chicken breast?" she again asked the guy.

I swear, my jaw dropped upon hearing her question. And I tried to look for my wife’s reaction because I was quite certain she heard it, too. And I saw that she was suppressing a smile.

Now, I never claim to be an expert on anything with regard to preparing food, cooking and other kitchen stuff. But, men, I’m not that dumb not to be able to estimate that a kilo of chicken breast is obviously too much to mix with a kilo of macaroni to prepare macaroni salad. Has this girl ever stepped inside their kitchen before?

I wanted to tell her, "Are you sure it's not tinola you intend to prepare? Coz you can buy the papaya from the fruits and veggies section just right there. Choose the not-so-ripe one."

But this lady seemed to be too proud to ask help from friends or relatives regarding things she is obviously clueless about. Or maybe she just likes discovering things for herself. So, let's just let her be.

And so, the guy from the chicken section answered her politely with her inquiry, telling her that it actually depends on how much she wants to put into the salad. And the girl decided to go ahead and buy one kilo of chicken breast.

She then immediately went back chatting on her cellphone.

"May binibili lang ako dito sa grocery para sa ipe-prepare ko para sa 'yo mamaya," she told the person on the other end, then paused again.

"Basta, surprise," she said in an infatuatedly-giggling-teenager-kind-of-way.

Yeah, to whomever it was she was talking with on the cellphone, you’re in for a surprise.

Starstruck

I have never been so starstruck in my whole life until yesterday.

Gary V, Piolo Pascual, Kristine Hermosa, Luis Manzano, Toni Gonzaga, Anne Curtis, Iya Villania, Nikki Gil, Zsa-zsa Padilla, Kuh Ledesma, Vina Morales, Rica Peralejo, Nina, Nyoy Volante, Pido, Bamboo, Sarah Geronimo, Rachel Anne Go, Sheryn Regis, Mark Bautista, Christian Bautista, Donita Rose, Pinoy Big Brother cast (except for Sam, to my wife’s disappointment) Carlos Agassi, Bernard Palanca, John Pratts, Carol Banawa, Andrea Del Rosario, Aubrey Miles.

The list can go on if I only knew all their names. And I still can’t believe that I saw all of them. And I didn’t only catch a glance of them from afar. I was able to watch them from a spitting distance, literally. Thanks to CVV, the Tita Cory of ABS-CBN, one of the gods for the actors wanting to get the break. Thank God for connections like her, we didn't even have to fall in line like the rest of the audience.

Never mind that my view of these stars sometimes got blocked by the studio cameramen and their assistants. Or that the floor director chose to issue directions right in front of me. Or that a fangirl, who had the nerves to wear Havaianas even if she had dead pinky toenails, often distracted my view while shooting pics. Those were the small annoyances I had to contend with for being in the front row of the studio audience.

I know I’ll get endless teasing from my male friends when they know about this latest excursion they classify as kabaduyan. But I also know that deep inside, most of you wish you were also able to see a goddess like Kristine Hermosa mesmerize you with her aura. Or hear the powerful voice of diva-slash-foxy-momma Zsa-zsa live. Or watch the trio of Rica, Aubrey, and Vina gyrate right in front of you. Eat your heart out, guys.

And I've got two words for you.

Nyeknyek n’yo!

Thank You So Much

While channel surfing last weekend, we chanced upon one of those Sunday noontime variety shows. On screen were the twin male hosts of the show. The more popular among the two was reciting his litany of people to thank. This is how I recall what he said.

I'd like to thank everyone who watched Mulawin. Thank you so much. And to all the fans who keep on supporting Mulawin mula nung nasa TV pa lang ito, thank you so much sa inyong lahat. To Direk Mark Reyes and Direk Dominic Zapanta, thank you so much. And thank you so much din sa mga co-stars ko sa pelikula. Thank you, thank you, thank you talaga. Thank you so much for all the support. To GMA management, thank you so much for this project. And thank you so much din sa GMA Films and Regal Entertainment. Para sa mga hindi pa nanonood ng Mulawin The Movie, showing pa po hanggang ngayon. Hope you watch it. Again, thank you so much to all of you. Thank you talaga sa lahat ng suporta. Thank you so much.

What can I say? Thank you so much to you, Richard G (as in Grateful Gorgeous Guy). Because of you, I have another blog entry. Thank you so much.

Gi-ne-bra! Gi-ne-bra!

"Grabe!"said my wife who was still somehow in a state of shock.

"I know," was all that I could initially say.

We just got off from the parking lot along Roxas Boulevard near the Cuneta Astrodome. My wife and I just witnessed the fiercely contested basketball game between Ginebra and Red Bull for the second semifinals berth in the PBA. Ginebra won.

"And I thought the jeering during the Ateneo – La Salle ballgames were mean enough."

"Apparently, these Ginebra fans can take jeering to another level."

"Did you hear what they called Valenzuela of Red Bull?" she asked me.

"Yup, they called him Diego." I answered her.

"Uh-huh. I didn’t get it at first. That’s why I had to ask the fan beside me. And it turned out it was in reference to that pambansang bading dude from Bubble Gang," she explained.

"But nothing would beat their shouts whenever Torion would get the ball. The whole gallery would yell ‘Adik! Adik! Adik!’ (addict). That was really mean and below the belt," I told her.

"I know. The guy behind me was one of those shouting his voice hoarse. I wanted to tell him, ‘Look who’s talking’. He looks more like a solvent sniffing addict than Torion does."

"I know. But the Red Bull fans wouldn’t go without a fight. Do you remember when Caguioa was taking free throws? They shouted ‘Caguioa pango! Caguioa pango!’ But Caguioa would just play along with them and even point to his nose after making the free throw. That was funny."

"Grabe! Those Ginebra die-hards are the most loyal, most fierceful, most vocal, and most fearsome group of fans I’ve seen," she related.

While the game was definitely an exciting one to watch, it was the sidelights which stuck to our memories deeper.

The best part of it was that we were able to watch everything live from the lower box for free. Thanks to my wife’s friend, Inna, and her connections.

The worst part of it, however, was that we are not sure if we want to do it again. Even if it were for free. The shock of being in the same coliseum with those Ginebra fans was just too much.

Battle of the Sexes

During the holidays, my friends and I played Battle of the Sexes. It’s a fun-filled, kinda-educational board game that is best played during parties among couples. And the whole idea of the game is to see which among the players knows more about the interests of the opposite sex.

From one deck of cards, males are asked questions about fashion, cosmetics, dining etiquette, and other girlie stuff. While from the other deck of cards, the ladies are asked questions about sports, automotives, alcohol and other guy stuff.

I am not sure if my wife was proud of me that I knew stuff such as exfoliation, Chanel Number 5, the proper way of holding a glass of white wine, and even the description of the empire cut. But our friend Chinky was definitely showing violent reactions for every correct answer I made.

"Sister, I don’t know how your OC husband knows all these things. And I don’t know if I’ll be impressed or what. Could this be your influence? I bet he reads all of your fashion magazines," Chinky tells my wife.

First of all, my dear friend Chinky, I am not OC. So what if I want all of the cards arranged properly before playing the game?

And secondly, I didn’t get knowledge about all those stuff from my wife’s magazines. I’ve said it before here in this blog – I’m a closet metrosexual.