Wednesday, December 31, 2003

HAPPY NEW YEAR?

Dear Mouse, bLAM, ZIP PRAK, TOK PRING kABlam ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ thisisthepopularwhistlebomb. coveryourearskids....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. plok Happy New Year to All T h e C a t

cath_cath banned by Admin.Registered: Jun 2003 Location: USA

Dear Mouse, The Karinderia owner wrote the ff. questions re my banning. 1.will the cat mention the name of the forum? No, I won't mention the name of the forum. PEXman. totoo yan. 2. Can I get banned in the same forum Answer : it depends if you stoop to their level 3. and can I do it in a shorter time Answer: definitely What will get you banned in said forum? Now let me see, the words that start with f, b, s, and bs and ad hominems galore. Let me copy some of my responses: For the "B" word, I did not write bastaxx.. nor bullshxxx...nor buwakanXX But this was what I wrote. Dear Mouse, For a professor, this human being should have appreciated the use of the quotes and the bibliography. This indicates that the 1.research is not purely a product of imagination 2. it is not plagiarized from some sources3. it is based on some findings that have shown validity or nullity Now be a good human being, go to the library and get that Methods of Research book and look for the chapter in proper footnoting for a start. By the way, what do you teach, Bullshitting 101? or asskissing 102 ? The CAT Dear Snake, Pedophilia is a crime . One pedophile in Makati does not make phedophilia a culture of crime for Filipinos. To consider this crime cultural to Filipinos therefore is idiotic. Are snakes idiots? The CAT Dear Mouse, You can find a lot of cheats, scammers and counterfeiters in the USA and other countries but it does not necessarily mean that it is their culture.IT IS THEIR LUST FOR MONEY. Basain ang buhok ninyo, baka umabot sa utak, lumaki ng kaunti sa dilig. The CAT Dear Mouse, There are humans who write without thinking. Drink milk, may be you will get free brain from the milk carton. The Cat ahahaha Dear Mouse, The college instructor, pretending to have a title of a professor to which he is not qualified yet, does not know the meaning of soliloquy.Tell him the meaning mousey, or else I will give him a grade of F, oops a G. G is a tagalog word for i-d-i-o-t. The CAT Masyadong pikon ang mga tao. Magbebehave na nga ako, bukas.

Tuesday, December 30, 2003

Cost cutting-2

Dear Mouse, Ahem, and when I was trying to be an intellectual, my classmate-VP hired (sweet-talked me, that is more like it, i allowed him naman eh kse guwapo saka "giggle ng klase".) to look into his pl and bs. (profit and loss and balance for you, humans)to apply the theories that were cramming my notes, (that is according to him to get my service gratis) Parang practice daw. He got to present a healthier budget. So feeling like a real consultant, I started burning the candle to pore over the detailed expenses and l tried to diagnose what was ailing the company. Ahaaaa, office supplies expenses were unbelievably high. What were these people doing with paper clips? Eating or linking them to make a chain...to strangle their boss in case...How old were the children of these employees? Before a lawyer shouts "RELEVANCE"---let me go to the sidebar your honor, it is like this... busy parents who do not have the time to get by a bookstore but still managed to be ideal when providing their children with needed school supplies..whisper...whisper...whisper.... How many of the employees are studying. ARAAAAAY...kalyo ko...ooops may natapakan ba ako ? (a classmate of mine used to pass assignments in worksheets with logo that I asked her if she has already changed her name.to..)(supply the name of the co.) But the surprise of it all is that, I traced the bulk of the expenses to the monthly consumption of toilet papers. YES, YES, YES, toilet papers. You see, that was a company which 90 per cent of its manpower were women. So, I felt that I have to look into the root of this problem. I went to the ladies restroom and observed. Wow, just listening to them roll, I was able to get ideas, how much they consumed on the average per visit. Knowing that the toilet papers were of high quality, there was also a tendency to roll more and keep them in their pockets for kleenex substitutes. Now do the math, if there were 2000 employees, there really was a need for big cartoons of soft/doubly ply toilet papers. Alternative solutions: 1. Do not put rolls of toilet papers. Allocate one roll per employee per month. Magtipid sila. 2. Install those hand drying machines 3. Buy the lower quality toilet papers as long as there are no skid marks. And as I was waiting for my classmate to give me the recommendation, his staff floated an idea about the musical toilet paper holder. Whenever you roll the paper, music plays. If you cannot get the message of this blog, there is nothing wrong with you. It is me, incoherent again. . It is an offshoot of me getting banned in a forum for rebutting to one Filipino's posts whose brief stay in the foregin country makes him think that people who do not buy his idea of solving a problem like the Philippines by cost cutting are idiots. This is the same guy who thinks that his Phil. passport should go to the crapper. HAAAH. Inuubo na naman ako ang my biorthym shows an exceptionally high emotional level while my intelligence is critically low.(as in floor level?) The CA t Dear Ca t In response to your question if we have them in the US, yes,The Chinese Stores carry them, Cat. In fact, next time I will look for the beetle nut and lime so I can chew them on the halloween and give the children a scare when they do come treat- or-tricking at home. W

Cost cutting

To the women's lingo, it is a nip and tuck to trim the fats. For finance wiz, this is going over the many expense accounts that are depicted in the graph as two towers; one being taller than the two other. If the what was is taller than the what should have been, then the difference in the height should  be axed, decapitated or cut (pag nabuhay pa naman yan) in order to come up with a shorter one to be labelled as so what is going to be. If you think, I am talking French, no babes, it is my way of explaining to some people who are shocked by drawings that looked like the shadows of tall and short buildings but are far  more effective in describing what happened ? show me the money...show me the bottomline. not in read...please...uh uh uh. Corporate giants, as of late came up with more permanent solutions, outsourcing--sending  jobs to China, India and Philippines where they will pay less wages, no work compensation coverage, no insurance and other benefits that add up to overhead. These people see only one goal and that is profit --the one that can quench the thirst of the investors, the ROI satisfaction. This cost reduction eliminates the pesky labor cost and other related overhead. It leads however to job attrition and unemployment. Unemployment gives lower disposable income for the people. Lower disposable income leads to less consumer spending. Less consumer spending woud mean less revenues from sales. Less revenues mean less profits and the circle repeats. Along the circle however, there is a tiny loop.This is the only economic recovery that does not bring job creation and does not lead to full employment. Ah, mousey an opportunity of one is a misfortune for another. Sino man ang nagsabing walang opportunity ang Pinas, he does not crunch numbers. Mahirap mag-isip. Inuubo, ako lalo. For my ubo, I am wont to heed the advice of a friend. The CA t Dear CAt, Well, I have to play herb Olaryo if you want to get rid of it minus the drugs. The leaves that go with "nganga?" not the tobacco chew but the green leaves and green onion leaves. You steam them and extract the juice. It is a must to be in front of the mirror to drink at least two teaspoonful. If you catch yourself with undescribable look you'll never forget while drinking the extract, you will effectively get rid of that nuisance of a cough. I did it the last time and it worked. Now, when I have researched apt words to describe my face, I will tell you. LOL! W Dear W, Are you serious ? Do we have it here? You're kidding. The Ca t

Sunday, December 28, 2003

The CAT in the Karinderia and the Catfish that spies

Dear Mouse, This CAT is in the menu in the karinderia. Go and check under pansit bihon. Uhhhmm, shall I color my tail with achuete? This CATfish that spies however is in the spy museum exhibit. In 2000, the CIA built a catfish it calls "Charlie," a remarkably realistic swimming robot. One outside scientist consulted by The Associated Press said the catfish robot was so realistic - except for pectoral fins made slightly too large - that it might be eaten by predators while on its cloak-and-dagger missions. "A lot of things in the wild like to eat those," said Jimmy Avery, an aquaculture professor at Mississippi State University who watched the video at AP's request. Mental note: I will never order a to-go-catfish cooked in a miso from the Filipino store just to wow my friends that I CAN cook too. bad cat. This news answered a question in my mind some months ago when I saw a pigeon crossing the street-- you guessed it right...walking. Why would this bird walk and not fly? Is it one of them ? hehehe The camera must be small but the batteries are not. The pigeons' missions remain classified, made possible only after the CIA secretly developed a camera weighing only as much as a few coins. An earlier test with a heavier camera in the skies over Washington failed after two days when the overburdened pigeon was forced to walk home. Poor pigeons, and I had just asked the Buildings guy to install a bird-deterrent- gadget when two of these birds had taken residence outside my office window. Good decision, I might say, not because, they might be CIA spies but could be corporate spies. You know, corporate secrets. On the second thought, we do not have secrets. Must be another building which is a hotel. hmmm. So warning friends, if you see an oversized dragonfly, butterfly or a bee (splaaat) darn that insect....(huwcumitisflashingalthoughitisalreadycrushedtodeath?) check if batteries are included. Bad cat. The CA t

Ninos Inocentes/the blind-as-a-bat-CAT

Dear Mouse, This is the April's Fools Day for the Philippines. This is the day when DA KING HEROD decreed that all first born babies be killed after the THREE KINGS did not return to give a feedback on their search for the REAL KING OF THE UNIVERSE. Up to now, I haven't had the explanation why it is a day to fool or play a trick on anybody. Is it because the THREE fooled the DA KING of promising to come back or is it because of the word inocentes. Whatever it means, this post of mine is not meant to fool you. Cross my heart and hope that bulldog in my neighbor dies. ooppps. bad cat. This one is a bad CAT The spokesman said,Penning was initially arrested for burglary, but charges against the blind-as-a-bat felon were later dropped by a judge who cited English common law that makes it "impossible for a man to steal his own property."The bungled heist, which took place in broad daylight, was a far cry from the exploits of Penning's younger days. In his heyday in the 1970s through the mid-1990s when he was known as "The Cat," he is believed to have committed as many as 600 successful burglaries The CA t (not-the-blind-as-a-bat-CAT/burglar

Cop-blogger gotcha

Dear Mouse, Now that explains, mousey. One time a friend asked me what is he going to do with the traffic citation that he received for illegal parking.. He said that it was not only impossible and improbable that his car would be parked in a place 45 miles away from his residence and 30 miles away from the office. All that time, his car was in the parking garage and there was no way that it would be driven out. Behind his car were several rows of vans, compacts and sedans that any valet inspired by the Ferris Buehler movie would take more than an hour to move and drive them back to be able to get his car out. We checked the plate number several times, hoping that there was a mistake but there wasn't. Anyhoo, I helped him draft a letter disputing the citation with the receipt from the parking garage enclosed. My friend should have done more by questioning what is evidently not a computer error. Going back to my first statement, a cop's blog explains why there were citations for violations that were not committed at all. Excerpt of his blog about bogus tickets: "So I have come up with a better way of writing tickets. I just write down the plates of the cars that cut me off the the [sic] parkways and I send them a bogus parking ticket in the mail. The person will then have to deal with the Parking Violations Bureau and not me. Problem quickly resolved. So, in other words, be careful who you cut off on the road. They might be an off-duty cop and they could write your plates down and write you a $150 parking ticket. Have a nice day." But he is not only unto writing bogus tickets, there are more misconducts that are serious enough to make him lose his job. Read more here. So if you receive a citation and you are sure, you did not have any traffic violation, there is one word for you, DISPUTE. The CA t

Saturday, December 27, 2003

Missed laneous

Dear Mouse, Pinaupong errm pinabisaklat na manok I cooked. Yes, you gotta believe me (sounding like Michael Jackson in his song "I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus). Using the Sassy lawyer's recipe of pinaupong manok, I felt blessed that I have that lone whole chicken sitting in my fridge . Consumers practically swooped down on almost chicken products from a store nearby...whole, breasts only, chicken wings and drumsticks after that mad cow disease news hit the newspapers some days ago.. I followed the cooking instruction to the letter until the point when the chicken is placed in a casserole sitting down without touching the metal. This time, I missed the words breast side down. I was thinking of a chicken in a sitting position on its buttocks. So sue me. I was used to buying lechong manok and roasted chicken in stores when I feel like eating chicken. The chicken would fall on either side hitting the metal portion of the pressure cooker. The cover would not close. The chicken is too "tall" sitting down . Besides, the garlic and the whole onion slid from its insides that I thought, it " laid an egg" posthumously. I put back the stuffings and then retried making it "sit" but it won't. Stubborn chicken!!! There is only one way by which I can make it sit and stay seated, pulled the legs apart and spread them to make a balance. It worked. My own recipe. Pinabisaklat na manok, yum. Wang wang wang In the Us of A, the wang wang is used by the 911 ambulance, by a police car responding to a life threatening emergency or pursuing the "bad guys" in a getaway car. The wang wang is most abused in the Philippines. The senators, congressmen, cabinet members? seem to be afflicted with kidney problems. They are always in a hurry to get through the traffic that they use wang wang in order to clear their path of the turtle-like moving cars inching their way to the traffic. But what if the user of the wang wang is just a presidential wannabe ? The article of Rodil Rodis tells how the followers of this candidate who is being packaged as shy, humble, gentleman and not a trapo sidelined them in order to give way to the convoy of the DA KING ? Only in the Philippines JUDGE Ron Quidachay and I were in a car headed back to Manila from Calamba, Laguna along the South Expressway when we heard a police siren behind us. We were on the left side of a slow-moving two lane highway when we saw the vehicles behind us and ahead of us in our lane all move to the shoulder on the left while all the vehicles on the right side moved over to the shoulder on the right to allow a convoy of cars, with police patrols in the lead, to pass us in the middle of the road. Imagine Moses parting the Red Sea and you get a picture of the sight of all the vehicles in the highway making way for the convoy right down the center. It is a sight you will never see in the U.S. or anywhere else in the world. The Judge looked at the license plate of the central vehicle in this convoy to determine the identity of the beneficiary of this parting of the highway. The license plate read: “DA KING”. We asked our host who this “king” was. “That’s Fernando Poe, Jr., FPJ, the popular movie actor who will likely be the next president of the Philippines,” was our host’s reply. In a kingdom, where the king rules, the jester's role is to humor the king. If DA KING will be elected as the President, the jester is the adviser. The CA t

Friday, December 26, 2003

Earthquake

Dear mouse, The number of fatalities in Iran earthquake is growing. Among the disasters, earthquake claims the most number of lives because of other disasters that it causes like tsunami and fire. World history shows that Egypt had the biggest number of lives lost in 1201 temblor. While Iran, China and other earthquake -prone countries record similar devastating disasters centuries apart, it is interesting to note that after that killer earthquake, there was no more record of a repeat of the disaster in that country. What had it done? Japan built-earthquake resistant infrastructures while the State of California required its old buildings retrofit to make them earthquake-proof. The structures that collapsed in Iran were fortresses built from mudbricks similar to those in Intramuros . If I can still remember my Philippine history, the cohesive agent that made these bricks stuck together were the egg whites that the housewives donated to the government. But before I digress, mousey, let me give you the stats for disasters for earthquake only Year Location Dead Disaster 365 Crete 50,000 Earthquake 856 Iran 200,000 Earthquake 893 India; Iran 330,000 Earthquake 1138 Egypt; Syria 330,000 Earthquake 1201 Northern Egypt 1,100,000 Earthquake 1268 Cilicia (now Turkey) 60,000 Earthquake 1290 Northeastern China 100,000 Earthquake 1556 Central China 830,000 Earthquake 1667 Caucasus (now Azerbaijan)80,000 Earthquake 1693 Sicily 100,000 Earthquake 1703 Honshu, Japan 200,000 Earthquake 1730 Hokkaido, Japan 137,000 Earthquake 1731 Beijing, China 100,000 Earthquake 1737 Calcutta (now Kolkata), India 300,000 Earthquake; tornado 1755 Lisbon, Portugal 60,000 Earthquake 1779 Northern Iran 100,000 Earthquake 1783 Southern Italy 50,000 Earthquake 1868 Ecuador 70,000 Earthquake 1908 Sicily 75,000 Earthquake 1915 Central Italy 29,970 Earthquake 1920 Central China 200,000 Earthquake 1923 Tokyo-Yokohama 142,800 Earthquake; fire; tsunamis 1927 Central China 200,000 Earthquake 1932 Central China 70,000 Earthquake 1935 Western India (now Pakistan) 60,000 Earthquake 1939 Central Chile 30,000 Earthquake 1960 Western Morocco 12,000 Earthquake 1962 Northwestern Iran 10,000 Earthquake 1968 Northeastern Iran 11,588 Earthquake 1970 Western Peru 66,794 Earthquake; landslide 1972 Nicaragua 5,000 Earthquake 1976 Guatemala 23,000 Earthquake 1976 Northeastern China 240,000 Earthquake 1978 Eastern Iran 15,000 Earthquake 1980 Northern Algeria 5,000 Earthquake 1985 Central Mexico 7,200 Two earthquakes 1988 Armenia 25,000 Earthquake 1990 Northwestern Iran 40,000 Earthquake 1991 Southern Bangladesh 138,000 Cyclone; tsunami 1993 Central India 9,750 Earthquake 1995 Japan 5,500 Earthquake 1999 Northwestern Turkey 17,000 Earthquake 2001 Western India 20,000 Earthquake The Ca t

Sign or punishment

Dear Mouse, I am sorry mouse, if I write about depressing news--must be a hangover of my flu. If you are stuck in the house on a Christmas day, sneezing, coughing and your muscles ached all over with nothing to read but disasters, you can't expect me to sing joy to the world. Disasters galore. In an old movie of John Wayne where he starred as an American consul, a governor of Japan told him that disasters are brought by progress. According to him, gods punish the mortals for destroying what they have provided them. For doomsayers, calamities of these nature are signs of the coming end of the world. St. Paul had prophesied this end, cults have warned their members to prepare for rupture and the Chinese guy in the downtown area is paid to carry that board that has bold letterings, The End of the world is near, REPENT. A sign or a punishment? More Than 5,000 Killed in Iranian Earthquake Ancient City Devastated; Death Toll Expected to Climb AP TEHRAN (Dec. 26) -- A devastating earthquake struck the ancient Silk Road city of Bam in southeastern Iran on Friday, killing more than 5,000 people and injuring thousands of others, Iranian news agency IRNA said. Soldiers search for bodies in Bam, Iran, after Friday's earthquake. Initial estimates suggested 5,000-6,000 people died in the earthquake which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, the official IRNA news agency quoted a senior official as saying.Mohammad Ali Karimi, governor of Kerman province, where Bam is located, was said to have given the figure in a telephone conversation with President Mohammad Khatami.Iranian television said about 70 per cent of the buildings in the historic city, a popular tourist destination some 600 miles southeast of the capital, Tehran, had collapsed and many people were feared trapped under the rubble. 200 feared dead in landslidesPosted: 10:49 AM (Manila Time) | Dec. 21, 2003 Agence France-Presse AT least 200 people were killed or feared dead in the series of landslides that hit the central and southern Philippines over the weekend, civil defense officials said Sunday. They said 77 people were confirmed to have died while another 123 were still missing and feared dead after heavy rains triggered flooding and landslides in the central island of Leyte and the southern island of Mindanao since late Friday. Chinese describe escape from toxic gasBy AUDRA ANGASSOCIATED PRESS WRITERCHONGQING, China -- Villagers were preparing for sleep when the gas well burst with a bang. Then came choking fumes. Families dashed out of their homes in terror, struggling to breathe in the searing cloud.Survivors and state media gave harrowing accounts Friday of the disaster that killed at least 191 people in China's southwest, forced 41,000 to flee and left a 10-square-mile "death zone" strewn with bodies lying in fields, by the sides of roads and in homes. 4 dead in California mudslides; rescuers search for at least 12 others believed missing ALEX VEIGA, Associated Press Writer Friday, December 26, 2003 (12-26) 14:57 PST SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) -- Searchers slogging through waist-high muck found four people dead Friday and looked for at least 12 others missing after mudslides engulfed two camps in the San Bernardino Mountains in a terrifying torrent of soil, boulders and tree trunks. The missing included nine children, ages 6 months to 16, who had been at a Greek Orthodox youth camp. The mudslides were set off on Christmas Day after as much as 31/2 inches of rain fell on hillsides that had been stripped of vegetation by wildfires in October and November. With nothing to hold the soil in place, trees and rocks went roaring down the hillsides, along with the dark-brown mud. I can not even greet you happy new year. The Ca t

Wednesday, December 24, 2003

Christmas Wish

Dear Mouse, Two parties yesterday and now I am sick. I cannot attend the Christmas party to be hosted by an American friend with his domestic partner. The partner lived in Baguio for three years as a Peace Corps so that he can speak to me in little Tagalog. Kumesta ka? Kumein ka na? The glaring difference between the Filipino party and the non-Filipino is the food. The party in the office for all staff was very austere compared to the Filipino party, I attended in the evening. Its all pica-pica like toritos, thin biscuits, fruits, cakes and some carrots, asparagus and cauliflower with Spinach dips. The Filipino party however had lechon, kilawen, pancit, chicken, shrimp, steamed fish and many more. The dessert consisted of fruits, ube, cassava cake, suman, bibingka and puto. Burp. We had a choir and a sing-along. Typical Filipino gathering. The exchange gift was fun too. There were Korean and Taiwanese guests(friends of some guests) who also participated in the gift-grabbing. I got a comforter and and the next to me grabbed it. I have to choose another gift. A foot spa. yaaaayy, I got two already. It seems the gifts brought by some guests were recycled from bridal showers and weddings. hehehe The conversations were purely about new house acquisitions, new cars and children. Whooo, I felt out of place. They are working 16 hours a day, 7 days a week and it is all because they pay for the house, for credit cards and for children's education. (Do I sound like sourgraping?) What about me? Ow, I work 8 hours a day, spends two hours in the internet (yong totoo, okay three, yong totoo sabi...sometimes four) and I sleep a lot during weekend and work on how-to-do-it- book. In short, I got a life. But there are times when I wish umulan sana ng pera kagaya sa Japan. Mystery money man rains cash on Japanese street A man who wanted to share his stock market winnings with the public tossed one million yen (about ˆ7,500) from the observation deck of a tower in central Japan today, causing a scramble for the money in the streets below. “I have too much money. I don’t need it,” he said. “I wanted to give some back to the world.” The unidentified man grabbed wads of notes from two shopping bags and threw them through an open window of the room at the TV Tower in Nagoya. The room is 330 feet above the street. The money rained down on the pavements and streets, where people scrambled to collect it. The man told NHK television that he wanted to give away some of his profits from playing the stock market earlier this month. But my Christmas wish really is to have peace and love on earth. (grin like Miss Congeniality). Merry Christmas, mouse and to one or two who read this blog.(three including myself). The CAt

Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Fwd:Fwd

Dear Mouse, I found her name among those cc'd in the forwarded e-mail by a friend . 'Tis a small world after all.(cliche, cliche, cliche). But my friend does not know her. TO cut the story short, I e-mailed her and she wrote back. That was a few weeks ago. After two mails, it stopped. I remembered her saying that she would be traveling. She was my classmate in high school, my close buddy. When I was undergoing that growth phase of rebelling without a cause, I made her agree to accommodate me in their big house. They were just two siblings of a single parent. Her mom was a Shakespeare fanatic that she named them Romeo and Juliet. If I were her mom, I would have called her Snow White. She got fair skin, so white that when she was in our white uniform, she was like an apparition of the White lady who decided to appear to the mortals in the broad daylight. Our classmates pinched her legs to see if she powdered them. I, on the other hand is very brown So we were labeled, kape at gatas, sino ang asukal ? She was old fashioned and lady-like while I was tomboyish. She got long hair that was always neatly tied with a long ribbon. I had boy's bob with bangs--a permanent fixture in my face ever since I became conscious that the guys would first notice my a helipad-like forehead before my other facial features.heehee Then a week ago, I received an e-mail. She was in the neighborhood and she would like to see me during her brief stopover. She was on her way to London. (to visit the Queen). So after hugs hugs, kisses, kisses , we ordered Pacific bass with some garlic, herbs, I swear, I do no tknow them but it looked good. Then came the bread with that thing that looked like a crushed Chinese sausage swimming in an oil mixed with vinegar.Fats, fats, fats. She did not change a bit. She still has long hair tied with a ribbon(this time it is shorter). She still wears that old fashioned thick lensed prescription glasses. (Didn't she try contact lens or laser treatment? ) She was no longer in uniform of course and her boy's shoes were replaced by a pair of smart-looking leather knee high boots. Wow. Her product, she said. Double wow. I, on the other hand is now wearing glasses (no contact for me...so lazy to put them on...stiill considering laser...but I like the aura that my small glasses give me...a nerd cat). So what had she been doing aside from staying single...(that word hurts...argggggghhh) And ow is that British twang real? Yes, she finished her AB LIT in London, England. Cat: But I thought, you were in UP ? di ba sabay tapos tayong pumasa? F: For a while yeah. One semester. Eh ikaw din, di ka rin pumasok. Cat: Baka raw maging free thinker ako, sabi ng mom ko. F: Bakit mga kapatid mo? Cat: Kasi naman may scholarship sila ano nong pumasok. So free lahat. Uy, marunong pa siyang magtagalog. F: Ikaw nga marunong pang magtagalog. Cat: Oo naman, di ba tayo ang makabayan daw noon? So bakit ka sa England nag-aral. F: Kasi bumalik ang dad ko after many years na inabandona kami, tapos si mommy naman gusto siyang kupkupin dahil may sakit na siya. So, nagrebelde ako at lumayas. Cat: Noong balak kong lumayas sa amin dahil palagi akong napapagalitan dahil palagi kong namimiss yong curfew, sa bahay mo lang ang destination ko, ikaw sa London. Yo.. F: Grant yon, iha. My mother's grant. hehehe Cat: Oh, I see. pero bakit sabi mo, shoes mo product mo.Eh Lit ang tinapos mo? F: Ang business daw either tinatayo o minamana. Mana ko sa mommy to. Tapos nagdagdag ako ng shoes. Pinagagawa ko sa Marikina. My label. Cat: Very enterpising. Tapos tinutulaan mo ? F: CA-tawa ka pa rin. Hindi, nagtayo pa ako ng new religious congregation? Cat: Ano, ala El Shaddai. Jesus is...ano ngayon? F: no, maliit lang, it is just a small community. Cat: Oo nga pala, ikaw nga pala ang Protestante na nagtapos sa Catholic school. SO nagsesermon ka? F: Hindi, I take care of the business of the congregation. Mayroon akong trained pastor. Cat: Interesting. Si L pala, kumusta. Kamag-anak ba siya noong nakakulong sa Veterans? F: Yon kumuha ng Foreign Affairs? Ayon, nagtrabaho sa Belgian Embassy, hindi naging consul pero nag-aasawa ng consul. (Both mimicked the Nanny's laughs). Cat: Eh si A. F: Yong genius sa atin na bordering to schizo.Pag may long exam tayo, tapos mag review the whole night, pumapasok ng may gumamela sa buhok at sasaway sayaw na tila si Sisa,pero siya ang pinakamataas ang grade sa exam. Ayun natuluyan na. Cat: Paano si Antonio na tagahanga niya? F: Oy, ang tiyaga noon. Ilang mental breakdown, nandoon siya pero noong may dumating na balikbayan na US Cit. bigla siyang nagpakasal. Cat: Ay...gusto rin palang maging green kaagad. F: Got to go...hindi natin napag-usapan ikaw. Cat: its okay, mas masarap mag-usap tungkol sa ibang tao. Ano nga pala ang gagawin mo sa London? F: Wala, magbabakasyon lang. Saka malay mo makakuha ako ng may British accent. Feeling ko British ako in my previous life. SO we hugged and we kissed and she was gone. The CA t

Monday, December 22, 2003

Merry Christmas ?

Dear mouse, Nothing beats Christmas in the Philippines. So if you see that the plane ticket going home has jumped to almost double of the regular fare during " low season", it is because Filipinos would not want to miss merry Christmas in the truest sense of the word. Filipinos in the Philippines dream of white Christmas--- white snow, snowman, real pine trees adorned with the multi-colored lights, Christmas balls,bows and angels, boxes of gifts,stockings,wreaths and mistletoes. Filipinos in the US dream of puto bumbong, simbang gabi, malling up to wee hours of the morning, visiting relatives and enjoying the noche buena. Yes, noche buena, whether it is just a hot chocolate or coffee with hot pan de sal with matamis na bao or suman sa ibos with mango or arroz valenciana, the joy of eating it with loved ones is indescribable. The Christmas eve is the most awaited moment where families get to together after the misa de aguinaldo. The Christmas day is the day when children in their best dresses visit their ninongs. Just like children here during Halloween trick and treating, at the end of the day, they compare their loot, their stories about their godparents, who are cool and who are not. Christmas eve in the US is lonely, quiet and uneventful for many. For some, holiday is only up to December 25 and the following day is a working day. For many hardworking Filipinos, Christmas is even a working holiday. Sayang daw ang 50 per cent. Kaya, they have no time for the noche buena. Now, the whole nation is on yellow level alert. Now Christimas has added colors. Green, red and yellow. The CA t

Sunday, December 21, 2003

Caregivers

Dear Mouse, Caregivers may be licensed nursing assistants or simply elderly sitters. Families of the patients either hire them directly or thru registries. Some work in skilled facilities while others go to the private residence of the patients. This is a good paying job that even those 9-5, 5- days a-week moonlight as caregivers during their free time. There is this husband-and-wife who are both caregivers. The husband works in a hospital where he receives benefits while the wife works with a private patient. One Christmas, the wife received a brand new car from his patient as a gift. Aside from the three houses they own in the US, they have rows of apartments for rent in the Philippines. Lucky them. Some are not as lucky though. A friend of a friend of a friend (that means I do not know her personally) received $ 200,000 when her patient died. Afraid of the tax consequence of that windfall, she deposited it to her daughter's account. The daughter used it to pay for the downpayment of a house, to buy a new car and to get married. The poor woman is left in the old apartment with big IRS problem. It seemed that her bank account was frozen until she can pay back taxes for "under the table" income from her caregiving services. No one has advised her that she could not get away from taxes since the patient's family estate will be claiming the caregiving wages as expenses. Another couple who came to the US as tourists worked on their papers thru the help of a benevolent old black man. Aside from the generous monthy salary, the wife got a car and a unit of their own from the several apartments that the old man owned. No one had advised them that the petition for caregivers takes a while and the death of the sponsor invalidates the application for adjustment of status. I haven't seen them lately but they may still be among the invisibles in the neighboorhood. The cinderella story of a caregiver was one that ended with a marriage of the Filipina to the old patient. She is not a looker but the family did not want to lose her due to her immigration status.Now, she is a rich widow driving a Benz visiting her friends-caregivers. Remember Christopher Reeve who declared to the world that he is going to move heaven and earth so that he can keep his Filipina caregiver ? What about the star of Back to the Future Michael J. Fox. The moneys that change hands from patients to caregivers may have produced nurses and other professionals but the caregivers continue to work until the day when they could no longer lift their arthritic arms to transfer their patients to chair from bed and from chair back to bed. In their desire to get more from their salaries, they forego the Social security coverage, medical insurance and dental insurance. Many of them are still working past their retirement age . The SSI is not even enough for a small room while the beneficiaries of their "scholarships" enjoy the bounty of high paying job of nurses. Life is not fair; who said it is ? The CA t

Saturday, December 20, 2003

Christmas parties

Dear mouse, I attended three Christmas parties already, if you can call lunch with some office associates, a Christmas celebration. The first party was with a circle of close friends and the recent one was with my old lady friend. The invitation from the posh residence of old rich people was a surprise. It came from the activity center whose activity director is completely stranger to me. I did not expect the old lady to give my name and address. she no longer has the capacity to remember names of people even those close to her. I did not miss the event as I promised her that I would come. She did not even know what is the celebration for. Despite her age, she is still beautiful. Her face glowed when she saw me. I last saw her a day after Thanksgiving and to her it seems it is already years. While she could hardlly recognize her nurses, (she thinks that they are just ladies who happened to come by in her room by mistake), she welcomed me with open arms. The nurse from the desk asked me to go to the station to sign the log book. She was new in the facility. Other nurses just allow me to visit without all those formalities. I escorted her to the social hall where "residents" were already gathered. I was amused when the new nurse asked me how long have I known the lady because she said that she heard that I am an old time friend. She must be doing her math since most of the lady's contemporaries are already deceased or are already wheelchair-bound. Another reason may be is because I am a Filipino. She has that baffled look in her face. I, am a friend of the gracious lady ? hmmm. When the " residents" kept pouring in, I gave up my seat beside her but I assured her that I will be around. Except for the caregiver of the old lady who is German, all the nursing assistants who came by with their patients are Filipinos. One was a childless Filipina who has been working as a caregiver for more than twenty years. She is sending her nieces to college taking up nursing in the Philippines. Another is a gay caregiver who has a beautiful lady as his patient. The "resident's" son with the new wife came and handed him an envelop. Must be a token of appreciation. I know of one caregiver who was given a car by her rich patient as a Christmas gift. (But this will be a subject of another article about caregivers). The party was simple. A choir was invited to sing Christmas carols. Refreshments were served---apple cider, cranberry punch, cakes and cookies. Outside, the caregivers, employees and family guests feasted on pasta, pasta and pasta. Ow, they came in different forms...flat, shell-shaped, long and thin and thick and round. After the party was over, my old lady friend decided to stay in the table where she chatted with some fellow residents. She introduced me over and over that the German caregiver said that I must be the lady she is always talking about. I bid adieu with a promise that I will call her first hour in the morning. The other "party" was just a lunch for the ladies in our department. We are a diverse group, Vietnamese, Hispanic, African, Chinese Americans, natural US born and a Filipino----cat. The tete-a-tete was about kids, grown-up kids, celebrations of Christmas for the non-Christians and the holidays--corporate Holidays on Dec. 26 and January 2nd. yay... This is the only time when we did not talk about numbers. We will worry about that at the end of the month and at the start of the year for year closing. There will be three more Christmas parties next week. But nothing could compare with my Christmas parties in the Philippines where aside from food, we enjoy parlor games. This is one celebration when even executives above 40's rolled up their sleeves not to work but to become children one day of the year. Executives who are fond of yakking surely do not win the egg relay contest. They could not close their mouth for one long minute. The CA t

Friday, December 19, 2003

Now What, GOD?

Dear Mouse, There must be a virus that afflict all RP presidential aspirants for 2004. This is the messianic complex syndrome virus. The latest who caught the virus is the President herself-a reelectionist. But it is more than messianic-- she is playing god herself. She would like to forgive and grant amnesty to political prisoners and people facing charges for kleptroracy, corruption and treason as well Is she serious? Now, what God? The CA t ****** Dear Mouse, I am confused. I thought, our schools are better when it comes to values formation of the youth. I read this 15 year-old's blog. He is from an elite school and yet he uses the F word in his writing. If he thinks that the F word is common to children his age in the US, he is right. But it is only for the ghetto dwellers and low- rated public school students. Schools are rated in terms of their peformance. The school that is rated low is a type that is populated by confused, troublesome and dull students. A private school student of his calibre will be made to watch his language or suffer a day being grounded. The way these young Filipino-bloggers mouth errm write the F word to describe their disgust made me think that they are getting the wrong idea about the sub-culture of university-educated students in the US of A. In a polite community such as workplace and classroom, F is not a word for disgust. That's not cool man. The CA t

Thursday, December 18, 2003

Don't run

Dear Mouse, A doctor discouraged the loony candidates to run for President while a national artist F. Sionil Jose whose speech about the reason why Philippines is poor became a hot debate item in several forums, does not want FPJ and Noli de Castro to run because they could not argue in English. In that speech he delivered in a seminar, he compared how Indonesia overtook Philippines in terms of education, infrastructure and economic development. I doubted if at the time he made the speech, he had gone to Indonesia and if he did, he must have seen only Jakarta and its multi-level highways built by Filipino engineers or must have met Indonesian diplomats and executives educated in Philippines' universities for their graduate degrees. A year or two, after he made the speech, trouble erupted in Indonesia causing the migration of several intellectuals that were afraid for their families' safety. Many expats were recalled to their headquarter offices or were relocated to other Asian countries where safety is more assured. Corruption, poverty and tyrannical government caused the downfall of Suharto's rule. I do not expect Jose to be a seer but even an average journalist with no award in his name could see that Indonesia may look progressive but inwardly there were more serious issues that could cause it to erupt like a volcano anytime and it did. Now, he is at it again, writing an article about ability to speak English as a prerequisite for running as a President. My US educated professor in English would have blurted out...MY goodness shakes... When I started working in the US, I avoided using big words in correspondences. My training was to use biz terminologies such as cost efficient as against cost effective, threats, opportunities, risk management, leverage, systems analysis and operations. I used to write kilometric sentences peppered with bullets, numbers or letters. Now I write short sentences, preferably one liner to send the message across. In the Philippines, even a lowly clerk has a college degree. In the United States, where academic qualification is not required even for managerial positions but only preferred next to hands-on experience, the person you may be talking to may not be able to spell the word that he is using in speaking to you. He may be an immigrant himself who cannot understand big words. When everything is available in the internet to be able produce impressive-grammatically correct resume (curriculum vitae for you) who needs the general education subjects. If the message of his article is more than the ability of speaking a foreign language, then there is no need to remind him that the Chinese prime minister cannot speak English; so is the Prime Minister of Japan. even if Italians and French can speak English, they won't speak the language in their own country. If you are in their country, speak their language, if you are in the United Nations Assembly, use a translator. Do not get me wrong mousey, I am for English as a medium of instruction in the Philippines. When everything goes global, the employability of a job hunter is greater if he can speak more than one language. But to consider speaking English as a reason to discourage one to run for presidency is simply idiotic. I dislike Erap not because he cannot speak English but because of his vulgarity and corruption despite his education from an elite school. I do not like FPJ not because he cannot argue in English but because I do not want to ride in a car with a student driver being directed by a back seat driver. The CA t Dear Cat, But you are no longer riding in a public utility such as a jeepney. The Mouse Dear Mouse, To be a driver of a jeepney in the Philippines, you should be a math wizard, one with a photographic memory (not to consider pornographic too) heeh heh heh and a multi-tasker. Where in thw world will you find a driver who can give you an exact change for your money, listen to people who are making paraaaaaaaaa mama, while oggling a beautiful young lady in the sidewalk and listening to a deafening hip hop music from the stereo? Here in the States, a bus driver is spared from troubling himself with change. Exact fare is a must, monthly passes are not even checked, destination and reminders are automated voice machines. Nakakabobo di ba? The CA t

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

Wish list

Dear Mouse, The wish list is getting longer. Do not confuse this with the wish list of gifts, mousey. This is the "wish to become the President" list. Aside from Bush, there were a dozen more who came forward to "save" the Philippines. Elly Pamatong, a former immigrant specialist in the US (isn't he a US citizen or a green cardholder?) promised US visas for Filipinos, days after he is installed as President of the Republic of the USA errm-Philippines. I "like" this guy, mousey. At least he is honest to tell the people that after he is elected he is going to deliver the republic to the USA and pledge allegiance. Sarap kurutin...ang sarili ko. God must have loved the Philippines so much that HE is sending his emissaries to rule the country. Rigoberto Madera Jr., 56, signed his name as "N. N. N." and listed his occupation as "Messiah." He said he was a six-star general whose real name was Nanjnaaan Nallalasnkeyjgodn Narmannahaisn. He said he was also "Ace Diamond Commander-in-Chief on Earth," sent by God to unite the people. Welcome him mousey to Planet Earth. AFTER the "Messiah", "Jesus Christ" arrived at the Commission on Elections on Tuesday, to file his candidacy, this time, for vice president, GMA Network radio station dzBB reported. Alfredo Ahulaya, 66, from Baguio City was quoted as saying that he wanted to be the running mate of movie actor Fernando Poe Jr., who will run for president in 2004. Ahulaya, erm Aleluya... The CA t

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Compassion or insanity

Dear Mouse, In a family of nurses, two sisters, and two "scholars" I find this news disturbing. Nurse Who Claims Killing Dozens Charged With Murder By TOM BELL, AP SOMERVILLE, N.J. (Dec. 16) - Investigators are poring over reopened patient records in two states following the arrest of a nurse with a checkered career who told police he fatally drugged up to 40 terminally ill people under his care. Charles Cullen, 43, told authorities he administered drug overdoses to put ''very sick'' patients out of their misery over the last 16 years in nine hospitals and a nursing home in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.''The evidence that we have indicates that may very well be the case,'' prosecutor Wayne Forrest said. Cullen was charged with one count each of murder and attempted murder, but more charges could follow.Investigators are examining records at facilities where Cullen worked as they try to document his claims about the other killings. If Cullen's contentions prove true, it would be one of the biggest hospital murder cases in U.S. history.During a court appearance Monday, Cullen stood and told the judge, ''I am going to plead guilty. I remember one nurse in the family mentioned about his anquish over the child that he attended in the emergency. He was bluish in color and was dying. He cannot hate the family for not bringing the baby in the hospital earlier. They are an undocumented Hispanic couple. Surrounded by pain, death, sorrow, a nurse of mental instability can succumb to resorting to mercy killing due to compassion. I remember a movie of Kathy Bates. It was about a nurse who held an author as hostage in his own home. She too had killed several children out of compassion ? or insanity. That was just a movie, a fiction but trite may it be, but isn't truth stranger than fiction? The CA t

Freedom from religion or freedom of religion

Dear Mouse, I attended a school where prayers are said before the classes start. I was used to attending conferences where observing a moment of silence was the first order of the day. Some expats/critics/wannabe writers make fun of the Filipino way of invoking God's blessing for every endeavour, big or small that we plan to undertake. They are short of saying, we are hypocrites because despite the prayers, people are still corrupt. Prayers or no prayers, God or godless, people can be corrupt. I do not claim that I am a saint or a religious person but even the recitation of passages of a poet has a calming effect to one's spirit. They do not do it here in the States, I mean praying in classes. An atheist successfully had this practice banned long time ago. She died a few years ago but her spirit lingered. A judge was removed for allowing the Ten Commandments displayed in the court's premises due to complaints of some citizens who found this against the right of freedom of religion. Every little thing that suggest about praying or community worship is discouraged. But they celebrate the Burning Man every year somewhere in California. It is claimed to be an expression of faith, of religion, of belief. haaaah. I got this from my e-mail. STATEMENT AT A FOOTBALL GAME This is a statement that was read over the PA system at the football game at Roane County High School, Kingston, Tennessee, by school Principal, Jody McLoud. I thought it was worth sharing with the world and hope you will forward it to all your friends. It shows clearly just how far this country has gone in the wrong direction. "It has always been the custom at Roane County High School football games, to say a prayer and play the National Anthem, to honor God and Country." Due to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, I am told that saying a Prayer is a violation of Federal Case Law. As I understand the law at this time, I can use this public facility to approve of sexual perversion and call it "an alternate lifestyle," and if someone is offended, that's OK. I can use it to condone sexual promiscuity, by dispensing condoms and calling it, "safe sex." If someone is offended, that's OK. I can even use this public facility to present the merits of killing an unborn baby as a "viable means of birth control." If someone is offended, no problem. I can designate a school day as "Earth Day" and involve students in activities to worship religiously and praise the goddess "Mother Earth" and call it "ecology." I can use literature, videos and presentations in the classroom that depict people with strong, traditional Christian convictions as "simple minded" and "ignorant" and call it "enlightenment." However, if anyone uses this facility to honor God and to ask Him to bless this event with safety and good sportsmanship, then Federal Case Law is violated. This appears to be inconsistent at best, and at worst, diabolical. Apparently, we are to be tolerant of everything and anyone, except God and His Commandments. Nevertheless, as a school principal, I frequently ask staff and students to abide by rules with which they do not necessarily agree. For me to do otherwise would be inconsistent at best, and at worst, hypocritical. I suffer from that affliction enough unintentionally. I certainly do not need to add an intentional transgression. For this reason, I shall "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's," and refrain from praying at this time. "However, if you feel inspired to honor, praise and thank God and ask Him, in the name of Jesus, to bless this event, please feel free to do so. As far as I know, that's not against the law----yet." One by one, the people in the stands bowed their heads, held hands with one another and began to pray. They prayed in the stands. They prayed in the team huddles. They prayed at the concession stand and they prayed in the Announcer's Box! The only place they didn't pray was in the Supreme Court of the United States of America - the Seat of "Justice" in the "one nation, under God." Somehow, Kingston, Tennessee remembered what so many have forgotten. We are given the Freedom OF Religion, not the Freedom FROM Religion. Praise God that His remnant remains! Celebrate Jesus in 2003! Jesus said, "If you are ashamed of Me before men, then I will be ashamed of you before My Father." If you are not ashamed, pass this on, but only if you mean it. The CA t

Monday, December 15, 2003

Outsourcing

Dear Mouse, Remember this, mousey? Here is a news item that is related to the job outsourcing practices of US companies that make unemployment problem in the US worse than before. IBM Offshoring Nearly 5,000 Software Jobs By Jay Lyman TechNewsWorld December 15, 2003 "We will be seeing [outsourcing] spread across all IT services segments," IDC program manager Ned May told TechNewsWorld, adding that offshoring is likely to spread beyond current limited areas that include call-center help and custom application development. In a move that falls in line with analyst predictions about offshore outsourcing , IBM (NYSE: IBM) plans to move nearly 5,000 software programming jobs to India and other foreign nations beginning next year. What does this mean mousey? Not so long ago, IT people are very in demand in the US that the Silicon IT conglomerates lobbied in order to facilitate the hiring of programmers from other foreign countries such as China, India and Pakistan. Aside from nursing and physical therapists, the programmers were included among those job titles that are waived to secure labor accreditation. The protectionists raised a howl. These Indian, Filipino and Chinese techies are competing with the locals in IT job market. So a law was passed requiring the corporations that hire foreigners to pay a corresponding sum of money that will be used for job training of a local to acquire the same skills. In the meantime, a univesity in China was graduating IT for export while the "patriotic, whining Filipino critics " were mumbling about OFWs being exported like commodities. Even after the Silicon bubble burst, programmers are still needed by legitimate technology developers. This time, they thought of a way to enjoy both worlds, that is to hire highly trained tech people at a much cheaper cost. Job outsourcing. The loss of the US is the gain of the third developing countries. China welcomes this opportunity while Philippines may lose to China because of too much destabilization attempts from disgruntled politicians.Left leaning groups would condemn this to be an imperialist agenda of abusing poorer nations. haaaay, kakapagod umisip. The CA t

Bush, running for RP President?

Dear mouse, Now, I am one of them, a sensationalist to attract readership. Great...and I am not even tracking who they are. My blog is not as interesting as other prolific bloggers. This is just a blog to speak my mind. But what distinguishes marketing people from power makers ? Nothing but capitalization on the personalities' popularity. What distinguishes marketing people from power makers and newspapermen (erm I mean journalist) ? Nothing. They all use "recall" in order to realize their goal of reaching out more people. If the name Bush did not come up with the list of those people who filed candidacy for the presidential election next year, I would not bother to look at the news. What distinguishes Poe from this people? Nothing but the glaring fact that they are inadequate and unqualified to run for a position that does not require good intention only to assume the helm of " a sinking ship" full of rotten politicians. (Wow, and I bowed never to talk about politics again because it gives me heartburn). The list of the presidential aspirants includes one Salve Ruiz-Bush who claimed that she is "engaged" to U.S. President George W. Bush. When questioned about this claim, she said that they have some mutual understanding. I do not mean to ridicule the former HK OFW. Many educated and brainy ladies think the same way about their love interests. Para ba yong, boy friend na niya pero hindi alam ng lalaki.(sandali, bakit ba akong naging Dave Barry). Another aspirant is named Bellarosa who said she is a devotee of the "White Santo Niño of Navotas" and believes that she will win through prayer and miracles. Was she the same woman who run in 1998 because GOD assured her that she is going to win. STOP it mousey, I can also hear ...........................................my alarm clock. It is late, I have to run. The CA t

Sunday, December 14, 2003

Because of a dream

Dear mouse, Congratulations to my sister. My sister was in her last semester in her BSN when she got married and became a full time housewife. Last year, she dreamt of our mom encouraging her to finish her BSN. She did. Today, she is one of those who passed the Nursing licensure exam. She got kids and a degree-- in that order. My other sister is a nurse too. She finished her BSN from UP, made it to the top ten, worked in PGH and migrated here in the States. She got a degree and a kid--- beautiful four year old boy..in that order. My new-nurse sister is sickly when she was a baby. She had asthma; so severe that every week she was in the hospital. When she was in high school, she would come home weak and sick. My mom paid extra attention to her. But when my grandfather had a stroke, I saw her how she took care of him. She fed and washed him until he died. She was never afraid to touch him. It was then that I thought, she would be a good nurse. My mom and grandfather must be very happy up there. My sister told me that she had classmates in the review school who are already doctors. They took up nursing so they can come to the States and work. I am wondering how come some Filipinos scoffed at people who want to enhance their employability by changing career. Some self-acclaimed political analysts blame all but themselves for the Filipinos' penchant of pursuing careers that are in demand abroad. Given also the chance, they would not hesitate to take any job just to stay here in the States for good. I know of some people who disparage some of our department store sales people in the Philippines as nothing but college graduates without employable skills so that they are willing to accept a measly wage for an eight hour- stupid job. I read one blogger who has impressive credentials but took the same "stupid" job in the retail in the US because even his credentials from a State university would not give him a 9-5 job desk and yet he still looks down on Filipinos who are merely trying to eke out a living, back home. Some of these "US relocators" are humbled; some blurt out to whine and some merely disappeared from the cyber world. One wrote that she avoided traffic and found traffic here worse in some areas. Yes, Virginia, you will not apprecciate an ugly pair of shoes not until you see a man without feet. The CA t

Saturday, December 13, 2003

Christmas Party

Dear Mouse, Last minute, my friend, the mother of the"boy from hell" decided to attend the party. The case was resolved with the voluteering of the father to attend anger management class. She is happy. Its her birthday gift yesterday, Dec. 12. So we carpooled because she did not know the way. They came late. The travel time is more than 30 minutes. The boy was in the car, poking her one -year old sister until she cried. The mother told him to stop. He started kicking the front seats while I tried to drink my canned coconut juice. I told him to stop---but the more he rocked the car seats at the same time banging the biscuit's tin can. I looked at him in the eyes and warned him that if he is not going to stop, we are going back home and leave him to his dad. He stopped but he looked at me straight to my eyes without blinking. I did not blink and said BOO. My friend planned to "ship' him out" to the Philippines. He is out of control. He shoplifts, bullies all kids he meet, quarrels with his classmates in the special class. And he is barely three feet tall. The house was in a gated community. We circled the area and found the house just a few feet away from the gate. It was a small party. The gang is complete. The friends' old mothers were there too to babysit the babies while we enjoyed the sumptous meal of roast beef with baked potato, caesar's salad, pasta, spicy chicken wings with wine in crystal goblets. No styrofoam, no paper cups and no plastic fork and spoon. Ahhh, hindi ako nabusog. Oh yes, it was very American until I brought out the Pilipino bistek and the baboy and tokwa. The ube cake was also a hit. wow, they thought that I was a good cook. Thanks to the oriental store that sells Filipino cooked food.(So that was my dream about the carinderia). That is weird, the beef steak is exactly the way I saw it in the dream. The sing-along was fun. The magic mike's rating is biased to people who can sing loud and follow the highlighted word to a t. Despite the Unemployment club, inc. that was extemporaneously organized by the husbands of my friends who joined the ranks of the recipients of EDD unemployment checks recently, the group's morale is still high with the unwavering emotional support that we have been giving each other for the past Christmases. The kids have their gifts. We decided to give clothes instead of toys and made a pact that toys and clothes that have been outgrown would be loaned among children who are next in age. They will be returned to the original owner once the borrowers have outgrown them too. The toys are mostly learning toys and are not easily broken except when subjected to extreme torture by the "boy". After the gift-giving by "Santa Claus", the youngest baby, all but 5 months old cried. She is being pestered by the "boy". I know my friend did not enjoy the party because the friends were lukewarm to her because of her kid. He knocked the baby walker down, tinkered with the bike-exerciser, hid the cellphone under the stairwell that we have to call the number and searched where the ringing was coming from. hay..too much stress. And yet, my friend was set to attend another party, so after more Christmasses greetings. we drove away... We missed the next exit that we have to get off the freeway and go back where we came from. Then the boy saw Mc Donald. He said he is "humpry" and he likes Mc nuggets. We headed to the drive thru and made the order. In between the ordering and paying, he asked for burger with coke...okay no problem, she made the additional order as she paid...In between the paying and the claim counters, he said, he did not want a soda, he wanted juice. The mom went back to the counters. The moment, he got the meals, he looked for the toy and put away the burger, the nuggets and the juice. grrr. Now I know why the boy is rotten spoiled. The mom cannot say no. The CA t

Dream 2

Dear Mouse, Since this is Saturday, I went back to bed after posting my first blog about dreams. Then I dreamed again. Dream 4 I was in a conference. A lady from another country is seated facing me. What a seating arrangement!!!. The program came to a close and I do not even know what it is about. The lady was waiting for her husband when I saw her palm. I took interest in the palm that I read it for her. hehehe..(Now, I am palm reader) I saw that her palm has stars and map of an island. Parang geogpraphy. hehe. This is my palm reading. She is stubborm because her lifeline is very much separated from the heart line. The stars and the island symbolize power. She must be a daughter of a military or a politician from her country. When I asked her if it is true. She said yes... I was contemplating already to wear a turban and computing the fee where I will have a gross margin of 65 per cent after deducting the rent, lights and props for a palm reading business, when the telephone rang. Kj naman. Meaning of the dream: Palm A legacy or an unexpected valuable gift is likely to follow a dream featuring the palms of your own hands or those of others. Sheesh And I bought cheap gifts only because that is what we agreed on for the Christmas get-together. Meaning of Foreigner To dream of a foreign place or country indicates that the realization of your heart's desire is closer than you imagine; persevere and have patience. A foreigner in your dream, whatever the nationality, is an auspicious omen if he or she was friendly. Let me see, she was aloof and left me when the husband came. Now what, CAT.... Meaning of Clairvoyance You are likely soon to be contemplating a change of occupation if your dream featured the possession and/or use of psychic powers. Consider carefully, but don't make the change unless there is some means of ensuring it will be for the better. It is all the fault of W. He hinted that investigation may be a good profession for me after reading my blog about the poor lady scammer. Ow and also the dream of having clairvoyance power, I was contemplating on becoming a palm reader. I saw that in my dream. hehe. The CA t

Dreams

Dear Mouse, Dream 1 - Driving I dreamed that I was trying to learn how to drive. An instructor left me in the car that I started to drive at moderate speed. My car would turn to a big bike when I get past narrow alleys and then back to car again when I reach the main road. I consulted the dream dictionary and here is the meaning. Drive However, drinking from a bottle indicates an unsatisfactory romantic experience. You'll have a stroke of money luck if someone else was driving you, but if you were driving yourself, it is a warning to avoid gambling and be cautious in money matters for the next few weeks. Drinking from a bottle-naahhh I don't even drink. water yes, soda yes. Avoid gambling- Does it mean, I will not buy a lotto ticket. This is my interpretation. I am a flexible person. Dream 2 There was a program going on with Arnold Swars(whatever) was the master of ceremony. The guy misspronounced the names of the people I would like to thank. Meaning: If your dream involved meeting actors or actresses, be careful not to repeat gossip or you could lose a friend. See mousey, do not tell a soul about what I am writing here. This must be related to what I am going to do today. I am attending a Christmas get-together with my friends. It has already been a tradition to meet before Christmas, pot luck style, sing-along and exchange gifts. Two have kids aged two and three years old; one has a six month old baby and I am not going solo this time. I am bringing my "student". She may prefer to stay at home and talk to her friends in friendster but this is her first Christmas here in the States and I know it is not that merry compared to the Philippines. If she is missing her family back home, I would not know. She texts them every day. Dream 3 Carinderia Restaurant This is a dream of contrast in meaning which relates to your personal circumstances. If the restaurant was, by your standards, very posh and/or ostentatious, it is a warning that temporary reverses or a sudden extra demand on your resources will entail a need to economize; if the restaurant was of the type you would normally patronize, it signifies pleasant social activities connected with business; but if the restaurant was in the cheap, greasy-spoon category or a counter cafe kind, you can expect an increase in your income soon. Carinderia is a greasy-spoon type. he he he. The CA t

Friday, December 12, 2003

Bakit ?

Dear Mouse, Kailangan tagalugin ulit. Baka may maligaw na Puting daga. Kasalukuyan akong nasa gitna ng pagpigil na mapalaot sa dako pa roon(Pasensiya na kayo, kababasa ko lang ng mga blog sa Tagalog) nang pagpikit ng mata at pagdilat dahil sa aking antok. Katatapos ko lang tapusin ang assignment na industry analysis ng aking kaibigan para sa kaniyang kursong Financial Management(ipadadala raw niya ang grade sa akin)nang magulantang ako sa lakas ng boses ng isang security sa amin at nagsabing, Can I borrow you for a second? Ano ako ,stapler (na madalas palpak) na hinihiram? Sikyo: May babaeng matandang Filipina sa baba. Sabi niya nasaktan daw siya ni G (Puno ng IT dept.) ng kaniyang RAV4. Pusa: Ano nagulungan? Buhay? Patay? G: Buhay siya at noong isang Linggo pa nangyari yon. Pagparada ko sa parking, nakita ko siya sa likod ng aking sasakyan, nakasalampak sa lupa. Sabi niya, naatrasan ko raw siya. Nanaginip siguro ako pero hindi naman ako umatras nang magpark ako. Pero tumawag ako ng sikyo na tumawag naman ng 911. Ayaw namang magpadala sa ospital dahil okay naman daw siya. Pusa: Ngayon, bakit siya nandito ? G: Nanghihingi siya ng pera para daw sa ginastos niya sa ospital, sa gamot at sa doktor. May dala siyang tabletas. Iyon daw ang gamot niya. May nakasulat ng $400. Pusa: Anong tabletas yon. Anong kailangan ninyo sa akin? G: Hindi siya nakakapagsalita ng English, eh ikaw lang ang Filipina dito. Pusa: Gusto mo Spanish pa. (wink) hehehe. Pusa: Lola ano ho ang nangyari ? Lola: Eh sinagasaan ako niyang kasama mo. Pusa: Lola, kung sinagasaan kayo, sumalangit nawa na sana kayo ngayon. Lola: Ineng, nasaktan ako kaya pumunta ako sa ospital. Eto may dala akong binigay ng doktor. Pusa: Pero bakit hindi kayo sumama doon 911 na tinawag nila? Lola: Natakot ako eh. saka di ko pa naramdaman ang sakit noon. Pusa: Ano ba itong gamot ninyo. (Burado ang sulat pero halatadong sinulat lang ang presyo). Hindi ho sa sakit ito. Vitamins ho ito at galing ho ito sa public hospital. Libre ho. Lola: OO, binigyan ako ng Vitamins dahil nanghihina ako dahil sa aksidente. Pusa: Ano ho ba ang nasaktan sainyo? Hinawakan niya ang ulo niya. Pusa: Ibig ba hong sabihin, Ang natumbok, yong ulo ninyo? Lola: Hindi sumasakit ang mata ko dahil sa aksidente. Ala DA ako ngayon kung magtanong. Pusa: Saan ho ba kayo natumbok? Ah. Bakit naman kayo nasa parking area eh exlusibo ho yon sa mga nagtatrabaho dito. Lola: Naghahanap kasi ako ng kubeta? Pusa: Saan ho, sa likod ng mga kotse. (Hindi naman siya nakasaya na tulad matanda sa Pilipinas na nakatayo kung umihi. (excuse me. hahahahahahaha) Sige balik interrogation. Pusa: Ano ho bang gusto ninyo at sasabihin ko. Kasi gusto rin niyang tumulong sainyo. Lola: Gusto ko lang namang humingi ng pera. Dahil pag idenemanda ko siya mas makakakuwartahan siya. Pusa: Lola, ang abugado ba ninyo eh madalas may hawak ng bote na may retrato ng anghel at ng demonyong nag-aaway? Lola: Sobra ka naman, anong akala mo sa akin yagit. Hooooy, may bahay ang aking anak. May kaya sila. At bakit ka ganiyan, imbes na tumulong ka kumakampi ka pa sa Puti. Pusa: Hindi ho siya Puti. Latino ho siya. Saka hindi ho natin pinag-uusapan kung may kaya o wala ang inyong anak. Ang tinatanong ko ho kung ano ang kailangan ninyo para masabi ko sa kaniya. Lola: Gusto ko ng pera. Pusa: Magkano ho naman ang kailangan ninyo? Lola: Yong nakasulat sa lalagyan ng gamot at yong sasabihin ng doctor kung magkano ang singil sa akin. Pusa: Meron ba kayong resibo. Lola: Bakit kailangan pa yon? Sige kahit dalawandaan, tatanggapin ko. Pusa: Thought baloon.(Nagddrug kaya ito..pero siguro hindi naman dahil mahigit sitenta na...baka nagpapanggingge at natalo? sagot sa sariling tanong? baka. Pusa: Lola, gusto ninyo ng pamasahe? Nakakahiya ho ang ginagawa ninyo. Nakikita ba ninyo yon sa may garahe? (Tinuro ko yong ilaw an korteng kamera). Lola: Ano yon? Pusa: Kamera ho yon. Nakikita ho kung anong nangyayari. Talaga ho bang nabunggo kayo o sumalampak lang kayo sa likod ng sasakyan?(patawarin po ninyo ako sa pagloko sa matanda na kamera yong ilaw, magkukumpisal ho ako, promise). Lola: O sige uwi na ako. Pusa: Gusto ninyo ng pamasahe? At siya'y umalis ng alang lingon-likod. G: ¿Ahora qué CAT? Pusa: Nada, se parece que el dolor está ido con esas vitaminas. G:Gracias. Estoy dispuesto a ayudar aunque sé que ella lo está haciendo para arriba. Walang anuman. (Isip lang)Kung hindi mo naintindihan, pahinog ka. G:se-le-met seyo. Trying hard pa siya. The CA t

Thursday, December 11, 2003

GAP store -2

Dear Mouse, When I told the story to my friend who has been in the States for quite a number of years (but with the accent that would make you think that she just recently flew in), she advised me not to play the role of a concerned citizen for profit-oriented stores. She said that its high price is inclusive of insurance paid for loss for whatever causes..shoplifting..fire...snow? The thieves are mostly drug dependents. It is not due to poverty that they rob the stores in broad daylight. They may be poor but they get the basic needs from non-profit agencies mostly funded by the state thru grants. Its for their "private fund" for drugs. Sometimes, they operate in groups but most of the time, they go solo. Ayaw manghati. The victims are mostly the stores that are lax in security and the displays arrangements are attractive to the thieves. The store thieves go inside the store, assess the security and the possible exits then they move at calculated precision that people who witness the incident swear that they thought they must have seen Clark Kent metamorphosed into Superman in a fraction of a minute. They do not pick up one item only. It is not worth their time. They get the whole batch that are in the display racks by simply holding the items by the hangers and run away with five or more items ,especially leather outer coats. Then they hawk them in the sidewalk or bring them to the fence.( You know people who are not fond of fencing but are willing to take the merchandise at prices lower than the initial bid in e-bay. If you see beautifully dressed ladies perpetually ordering food and drinks to be able to linger in fastfood restaurants near the shopping malls or areas, look for recycled shopping bags from known stores such as Macy's, Neuman and Bloomingdale underneath the tables .Some of them are filled with merchandise that they buy from these people at very low prices. Interesting ? Some of them are enterprising old matron -looking Filipinas. They are bejeweled and they can pass off as your friendly neighbors' rich aunts from the islands. Shame on them. They buy items from perfume to lingerie, from toys to trinkets and even a simple votive candle. One time, I was at the bathroom of the fastfood and some girls offered me a box of perfume for one third of the price. I said thank you. Thought baloon...kung RL pa yan siguro...ay mali. Fragrance-free nga pala ang workplace namin except for the white flower that I smell from time to time and other Chinese pain- soothing balms scents coming from one's desk. The CA t

Love????

Dear Mouse, My friend, the mother of the boy from hell called. She was ranting. Her request to allow her husband to see the kids fell on deaf ears, so she said. She told the sw that her husband missed the children so much that her other half would like to come to the house. The sw explained to my friend the procedure for a supervised visit. It is not the father coming back to the house for a brief visit but for them coming to the sw's office and meet. The wife made the alibi for the husband too...that he cannot make it because he got a job. Sheesh, if he wants to see the children, he will find time. He found time to bring his friend to the airport. He told his wife that he really did not want to stay in US. He agreed to be petitioned as a fiancee because he thought all along that she got a lot of money. (what the !@#$%^). Didn't somebody tell him that having a car in the States is not a big deal. It can be leased for a number of years and purchased after the lease expires. After a few weeks of working in the housekeeping of a convalescent hospital, he planned to leave my friend for a nurse. The latter is willing to reimburse my friend's expenses in getting him here in the States. Ano yan binibili ? argh, gulp, eeek. My friend must have loved him so much that she fought for him..ngipin sa ngipin, mata sa mata, paa sa paa ? Kung ako yon sasabihin ko, o kunin mo na bibigyan pa kita ng Krispy Kreme. Case closed. Natanggal ang nurse sa ospital. Lumayo raw.( Pakitingnan nga sa sulok sulok). Nagsama ulit ang mag-asawa but the guy cannot look straight to my eyes. Tinataasan ko siya ng kilay na may kasamang subtle na tse. My "student" who is getting tsismosa rin asked me why is that? What is why is that? My friend's blind love? Naku, kailangan ko bang eexplain sa kaniya na dito sa mundo, dalawa lang tao. Isang niloloko at isang nanloloko. Marami ang naloloko sa pag-ibig. (halatang may galit sa pag-ibig. oops). Late na siya sabi ko...alis na. (halata bang umiwas?) The CA t

Talaga naman

Dear Mouse, Masakit ang aking kaliwang braso. Parang matatanggal pag aking itinaas. Maraming nakatambak na trabaho sa aking mesa. Marami ring reports ang hindi pa naibibigay sa akin ng maraming katrabaho na wari ay kailangan pang batukan para lang lumabas ang nakatagong utak. Ring nang telepono ang gumising sa aking diwang nakikipagtampisawan sa mga numerong tila sumasayaw sa aking paningin. Kahit siya ay Puti, kailangan kong tagalugin ang aming usapan. Puti: Mali pala ang ginagamit kong titulo para sa mga gastos na aking inuulat buwan buwan. Pusa: Ano bang gastos yon? Puti : Ano ba ang numero noong makinang ginagamit ko? Pusa. Ang numero ng makina at ang titulo ng gastos ay magkaiba. Ano ba ang gusto mong palitan? Braaang...bagsak ang auditibo ng telepono. Parang bumagsak ang langit sa lupa(kunting drama pa) Araaay Pusa: Bakit may mga bastos na tao. Kasamang Asyano rin: Talakang kaniyan yan. Akala niya di tayo runong salita Ingles. Isa pang Asyano: Baksak din siya sa akin telepono, pero di ako ngawa. Pusa-Ikaw di ngawa o pero ako memeow. Di puwede baksak siya telepono (sandali pati ako hawa rin sa insik). Pasok ang isa pang Puti na amo. Tinatanong niya bakit daw hindi yata maintindihan ang tanong ng Puti Uno. Pusa: Kasi ang sinasabi niya bayabas pero ang tanong niya guava ehe.. Puti na amo: Hindi lang kayo nagkakaintindihan. Pusa: Hindi man kami nagkakaintindihan, wala pa rin siyang karapatang magbagsak ng telepono. Telepono ba niya yon. ehek, mali na naman. Puti na amo: Naiintindihan na ba ninyo siya? Pusa: Dapat siguro, hindi ikaw ang magpapaliwanag dito sa amin kung hindi tawagin siya at sa harapan ay tanungin kung burger ba o hotdog ang pinag-uusapan. Isang Asyano: OY bosing yon. Pusa: Kahit bosing siya mali ang banat niya. Pinagtatanggol niya ang mali. Kinahapunan, dumating ang nagbagsak, may dalang bulaklak. Nagtaka ang mga kasama kong Asyano at Puti. Anong nangyari? sabi ng isang Asyano. siguro naman hihinto ka na nang pagngawa. Pusa: Hindi ako nagngawa. Nagmiyaw ako sa dapat ngiyawan. Meow...Mga tao nga naman. Buti na lang pusa ako. The CA t

Wednesday, December 10, 2003

Shopping

Dear Mouse, Last night, I was outside a GAP Store, making a "crucial" decision in my life whether I will buy that colorful sweater on top of a red Volkswagen that is parked inside the store as part of their Christmas display. I developed a shopping conscience lately; that is do not splurge on non-essentials that would contribute to the clutter of my world or buy an item because it just pleases my five senses, sight, smell, touch, hearing and humor. Admittedly, I do not need another sweater. The urge to buy was for aesthetic sense. If I am not struck by my short term lapses, I could wear it for the holidays before it joins the unworn stuff in my already cramp closet. I added a sense of humor because, would you believe it, I bought this small Christmas lights, so small that its battery case is bigger than the whole stuff itself. What is funny with it? I sewed the lights in my black beret and oh boy, do I look like a walking Christmas tree. he he he. This is my gimmick this year. Last year it was a pair of red and green socks with bells. Everytime, i walked, the bells tinkled. The people started looking for a Ca t with a bell. I digressed. Going back to GAP store, I saw a black guy entered the store, picked up a bundle of sweaters tied with a big red ribbon and skated out of the store, all in few seconds. He did it very quickly that the customers were left awed by his boldness. There were no sales associates around, not even a house security. Not even a mouse? It must be my cluelessness or simply my stupidity that drove me to look for the security to tell her what has happened. Pakialamera talaga. I was ready to blurt out..hoy tsisimisan kayo ng tsismisan, ninanakawan na kayo when I found them huddled in the corner giggling. I approached the security and narrated what I witnessed. She started the investigation and I pointed to her a lady who was seated near the entrance. She was Hispanic. She barely can speak English. Then a thought occurred to me. What if this lady was a lookout and she saw me reported the incident to the security? Dumb, dumb, dumb. I quickly got out of the store and walked briskly away from the store. Me and my Sherlock Holmes' instinct. The CA t

Monday, December 08, 2003

Dreams

Dear mouse, I added two humans in my link; one is a queen and the other one is an angel. It is worth reading their posts. Another link is the meaning of dream. The Bible as well as as other great books of historical and religion showed substantial beliefs in dreams. Joseph saw eleven stars bowed to him and the visions of fat and lean cows saved Egypt from hunger for seven years. History books revealed to us that some tragedies could have been aborted if the messages of the dreamers were not ignored. For ages, dream interpretation transcended superstitious beliefs. I started taking note of my dreams after my father died. I had that dream of seeing him in the dark. The next morning, my mom told me that she too had a dream, that of one of my father's assistant telling us that my dad was in the hospital. She knelt to pray but someone was blocking the altar. I intimated to her that I had that strange feeling that it was going to happen. My father was out of town at that time. We were expecting him to be back two more days. That morning, we were about to finish the breakfast when one of my father's crew came knocking. My dad was in the hospital. My mom knew that it must be serious, otherwise, my dad would not agree to be brought to the hospital. The dream of blocking the altar must be a sign that prayers would no longer help. Before coming to the States, there was a recurring dream of me being alone, lonely and abandoned. I was crying and my dad appeared in my dream. My dad's apperance in my dream is always a message of hope and help. Then he showed me a hill. The meaning of a hill is obstacle. In my dream, I was looking up from the hillside. I realized that there are two meanings of the dream of hill. It was an obstacle I surmounted in my relocation. Almost everyone who uprootd themselves have hills to climb. I climbed mine. Another meaning is the location. Just like the sassy lawyer and the boondock queen, my house is also on a hill. Dream away humans and click for the meaning in the links. The CA t

Saturday, December 06, 2003

Away na...yeheyy

Dear Mouse, politics update... Congressman A-CAT-pito Aquino, a tOP official of the Laban ng Demokat-ikong Pilipino (LDP) called on Senator EdcATdo Angara to take a leave of absence as party president to avoid a break-up of the largest opposition party in the country. He urged Angara to take momentary leave to ease tensions over the choice of the party standard bearer. EdCATdo supports Ronnie Poe-sa while A-CAT-pito supports Panfilo CAT-son. ==== The CAT-holic Bishops Conference of the Phils was outraged by the Ma-CAT-pagal abrogation of her previous moratuoium on the execution of death convicst. The strong CBCP accused Ma-CAT P-pagal trying to appease the Chinese community to boast her Cat-didacy for election 2004. CAT-uwa talaga ang Puliti-CAT The CA t

Sub-culture?

Dear Mouse, Found this in my mail. Interesting. Wait till I print a news item related to this. By JAMES HOOKWAY Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNALMANILA, the Philippines -- Marvin Luna calls it the Breakfast Club. Every Friday morning, he takes off his telephone headset and heads to a bar for pizza and a round of beers with his work chums. Mr. Luna, 23 years old, spends nights answering calls from people having trouble with their computers 12 time zones away in the United States. Dawn is when his day ends. And as he and his friends swap jokes about Arnold Schwarzenegger, the morning traffic builds up in the streets below. "It's like living in a bubble," Mr. Luna says. "Often, I don't see my family for days." It's a very American bubble. The Philippines' growing share of the multibillion-dollar call-center market is creating a subculture of Filipinos with American accents, tastes and time-zones. That's not a great leap to make for the former American colony, a country that worshipped Gen. Douglas MacArthur and thrilled to images of Imelda Marcos dancing with Ronald Reagan. President George W. Bush came here for a brief state visit and was welcomed by crowds of people, most waving American flags, but some burning them, too. One group, made up of a few dozen mostly elderly Filipinos in combat fatigues calling themselves the United Soldiers for America, or U.S.A., demanded that the Philippines formally become a U.S. state. The Philippines is full of people who appear more American than Asian. On remote palm-fringed islands, schoolgirls typically don majorette outfits and twirl batons to the beat of marching bands. In cities, business leaders and politicians cut deals at Rotary Clubs. So handling payrolls for U.S. companies or doing paralegal work for the Justice Department doesn't seem all that odd. "For a century, the Philippines has been sending professionals to work in the U.S.: architects, doctors, nurses. In a way, this is just the next wave," says Jim Franke, president of one of the biggest call-center operators in the Philippines, eTelecare International, which provides customer support for computer maker Dell Inc. and American Express Co., among other companies. There are 30,000 people answering phones and e-mail queries in Manila, doing work -- for $600 to $800 a month -- that generally pays better than bookkeeping in a bank or similar white-collar employment. That figure could double over the next couple of years, call-center operators predict, creating a middle class that actually stays in the Philippines rather than one that must emigrate to work overseas, as millions of Filipinos have done. At 2 a.m. on a recent Saturday, Sherylyn de la Santos bit down on a microwaved cheesedog on the steps of a 7-Eleven store. Her friend Gabriella Manalo held her Coke. It would be a midafternoon break in Baltimore, but in Manila it was time to hit the booming all-night cornershops for some refreshment. "We get to hang out for half an hour or so," Ms. de la Santos says, applying mustard to her sausage and gringo lingo to her speech. Trisha Canapi, a human-resources manager at a Manila call center , says her staff isn't just talking American these days. "Some of them dye their hair a lighter color and wear baggy hip-hop-type clothes," she says. Some employees have been virtually conditioned into thinking that theirs is prestigious work. "They're like: 'Hey, look at me, I talk to Americans,' " Ms. Canapi says. Drive around Manila's financial district at certain hours of the night, and hundreds more call-center employees -- or eReps as they are sometimes called -- can be spotted drinking Slurpees or puffing on Marlboros during their breaks. A few wear L.A. Lakers or Philadelphia 76ers basketball jerseys over their sweatshirts. The U.S. acquired these islands in the South China Sea almost as an afterthought to the 1898 Spanish-American war and set about remaking this Spanish colony in its own image. Despite a brief but bloody war of resistance, the U.S. largely succeeded in its goal. Boatloads of teachers introduced democracy, a rule of law and a modern education system. Frustrated that many Filipinos weren't exactly up in arms over being ruled from afar, the Philippines' first president, Manuel Quezon, once complained: "Damn the Americans! Why don't they tyrannize us more?" The call centers now mushrooming across the Philippines are reinforcing these historical ties as well as filling an important niche in the global economy. Recognizing that the fast-growing outsourcing business is a valuable cash cow, the government in Manila has recently reinstated English as the language of instruction in schools and universities, putting local languages such as Tagalog out to pasture. Bong Borja, president of People Support, which employs 1,500 people at several sites in Manila, is relieved about that. He doesn't have to coach his young university graduates how to speak like an American. "There's no need. Filipinos adapt very quickly," he says. "There's no lengthy assimilation process -- we already get it." Mr. Borja's only worry is whether the nation's universities can continue churning out English-speaking, hip-hop-savvy graduates to feed the call centers' voracious appetite. So far, there is no shortage of people who want to work on U.S. time -- companies such as eTelecare and People Support get as many as 200 applications a day, thanks in part to an unemployment rate of nearly 13%. But those who get jobs often find it difficult adapting to "the bubble." Che Che Montero has been working in a call center for nearly a year. "Most of the time I feel isolated," she says. "You can't tell your old friends what kind of day you've had because they are either sleeping or at work." Staying awake is less of a problem, the 25-year-old physical-therapy graduate says. "I don't get sleepy at the office. There's a lot of irate callers to keep me awake at night." For others, there are things to do while everybody else is going to work. Outside the 7-Eleven store, Ms. de la Santos and Ms. Manalo made plans for when they clocked off later that morning. "First a big breakfast, then stay up late to watch a movie," Ms. de la Santos said. The first showing at the nearest cinema was at 10.30 a.m. The two women examined a newspaper to see what was playing. "What do you think?" Ms. de la Santos asked. " 'Freddy vs. Jason' or 'American Pie?' " The CAT

Thursday, December 04, 2003

Karera ng mga Daga at pusa

Dear Mouse,

Sws survey shows that Poe-sa is leading in the karera ng daga at pusa. If you think that you are the only one who has a celebrity media cousin, wait 'till you hear from Mangahas, a cousin of the leader of the pack Poe-sa, why the latter made a big jump from the fourth place, to the first.

It is also interesting to know that the survey was commisioned by a firm headed by a relative by affinity by a vice presidential candidate Loren LeCATDA, a rumored favorite for the vice-presidential slate of the LDP banner.

Noli de CAT-ro, a strong contender in both presidential and vice-presidential positions may go for vice-presidential where his chances of winning is higher. So if he runs for vice-president, he will be battling another media Giant, Loren LeCATda. Woe to the ABS -CBN whose support to the two TV giants will be divided but as Bobo-wit would say, kahit saan ang taya, panalo pa rin. Wala ng kasalang magaganap. aleluya.

The good presidential materials were ranked low by the respondents of the survey such as Rat-ul Roco, Glo Macatpagal. (I wonder who the respondets were, how were they chosen and how was the sample size validated. In a research, the scope and delimitations would inform the readers of how far the survey can be taken as valid and conclusive. The margin of error is easily adjusted with the confidence level adopted)

It boggles my mind how can an opinion of 1,200 reflected that of the whole nation. One respondent represented how many hundred thousands of the population?

Angel questioned the result of the survey too.

Surveys influence peoples' opinion especially those with bandwagon mentality. Sabi nga ni Angel, ang saya-saya.

MaliCATyang Pasko.

The CAT

Poe-sa and Bobo-wit

Dear Mouse, Your country cousin is at it again interviewing celebrities. This time, I read that he just interviewed the presidential candidate in your cheese eeermmm I mean sheessshh republic. It is in Tagalog because the interviewee is a "nationalist". You know some intellectually challenged people believe that nationalism is is manifested only by speaking the national language. aghhhh Bobo-wit: Bilang kandidato para pagka presidente, maari po bang malaman ang inyong opinyon tungkol sa malalang suliranin sa kahirapan (poverty) ng bansa. Poe-sa: Ito ay isang problemang kailangan ang kooperasyon ng maihihirap. Kailangan maghigpit sila ng sinturon. (kilala siya sa mga short dialogues sa pelikula). Bobo-wit: Ang ibig kong sabihin, ano po ang gagawin ninyo para mabawasan ang kahirapan. Poe-sa: Bibilhan ko sila ng sinturon. ======== Bobo-wit: Anong masasabi ninyo sa kidnapping ? Poe-sa: Mali ang kidnapping. Dapat ihinto. Bobo-wit: puwede bang sssplika ninyo. Poe-sa: Kasi kidnapping ng kidnapping ang sabi nila eh hindi lang naman mga bata ang kinikidnap. Dapat adultnapping. Bobo-wit: hindi naman kayo komedyante ano? Poe-sa: Action star kaya action kaagad ako sa kidnapping. Bobo-wit: Magaling, ano po ang gagawin ninyo ? Poe-sa: Bubuntalin ko sila ng sunod sunod na kagaya nito. (tat tat tat tat ) Bobo-wit: Pero nag-iisa lang kayo. Poe-sa: Eh kahit nag-iisa ako tumba lahat ang kalaban. Bobo-wit: pero sa pelikula lang yon. Poe-sa: Para ding pelikula ang buhay di ba. May bida at kontrabida. Yong kontra bida naukulong sa huli. ------------------ Bobo-wit: Sabi ng mga kalaban ninyo, kaya daw sinusuportahan ninyo ang kaibigan niinyong si Poe-sa ay para tulungan kayong lumaya. E-rat : Mga baliw lang ang nagsasabi niyan. Paano nila sasabihin yan any di ko naman siya nakakausap dahil nakakulong nga ako. Disclaimer: Si bobo-wit po ay kathang isip lang. Kung inaakala ninyo na ito ay corny, sumulat po at padadalhan kayon ng isang taong supply ng pop corn. The CAT

Wednesday, December 03, 2003

The Boy from hell (again)

Dear Mouse, My friend called. In-between sobs, she told me something terrible happened. Her husband is restrained from seeing his family. Naughty and hyper as he is, the boy stumbled and his face hit the side of the door. He got a bruise and a small cut in his upper eyelid because of the accident. This did not deter him from running around that irked his father. A man with short fuse, he allegedly hit him with a face towel that left a triangle impression on his cheek. As if nothing happened, the mother was too eager to bring him to the special school of children with development disabilities and hyperactivism the following day. Then came the teacher and the social worker. The boy was asked about the triangle imprint, the bruise and the cut. At his age, he would not lie, so he told them it was his father who did it. He also told the truth about the bruise and cut. Then came the issue of alcoholism. The boy said that he is being hurt by the father especially when he is drunk. The social worker got a restraining order. He would not be allowed to see the children. My friend was advised not to violate the order or else, they are also taking custody of the younger baby. The lab test came out and the authorities did not believe it was merely a face towel. They were also requiring the mother to bring her boy for x-ray to find out whether there are internal unjuries like broken bones. Although, I find the boy too mischievous that any person would be harrased by his antics, I do not condone harsh punishment that bordered to child abuse. I had a disciplinarian aunt who would spank my cousins on their buttocks for a mischief of one. She never hit any part of the body though especially that human anatomy near the brain and eyes. She believed strongly in the spare the rod and spoil the child dictum.. I advised my friend to talk to her boy. He should be made to understand the reasons for the father's inability to see them until the case is resolved. At this time he is confused, so he is going to believe whatever he would hear from other parties. To the father, let this serve as a lesson to him. He should deal with his anger management and drinking problems. Nothing good comes out from being alcoholic. Besides, there is no reason for being a slave of the wine spirits; he has a beautiful family, a wife who loves him so much :( ; he got a job amidst the unemployment. It was galaxy different from his bum life before his marriage to my friend. Let me finish this, mousey, with a prayer for quick resolution of the case. The CAT