On a Rainy Day watching trains go by

It's very tempting to watch trains go by, either for a day, or for the rest of one's life.  Losers do it all the time.

But when one is semi-retired like me, watching trains go by, becomes acceptable. Even watching birds fly onto my window sill, or watching the five dogs in the household mangle each other for food or for playtime become A-okay, specially on  a rainy day.

We were planning to watch the new Bourne movie but the on-and- of- again rain ruined the day's plan.

Which brings to mind that summer in Canada is winding down whilst the rainy season in Manila has just started its reign. 

During summer in Toronto, we did what true blue Canadians did - stayed out in the sun.  Indoor malls were deserted during summer, except for visitors and some Asian families who protected their skin from the ravages of UV rays.

We never enjoyed backpacking, though.  Nor pitching- in tents in some woods for weekend camping.
We were traditionalists; we loved long trips, stopping at restaurants, arriving at destinations for rest and recreation which included souvenir hunts.

We love cottage markets, open flea markets, outlet stores, museums, parks, old churches, summer jazz, cook-outs,  I-Hops, and hotels and motels on the roads.

In Manila on summers, we love driving to the beaches up North or down South.

But wet Manila makes one lazy.  The cool breeze brought by rains makes it ideal for napping.

On a rainy day, I can watch imaginary trains go by, and let my memories rekindle events of long ago.

 

The Terror of Ordinary People.

They  look ordinary.   Ekking out a living, selling properties, selling wares and services, crunching numbers, serving higher ups, a lot are professionals.  They go to church. Worshippers. Church people.

At their beautiful homes, they serve delicious food, wear nice clothes, spend money on friends, on families, and on leisure.  They drive nice cars. They travel.

They are ordinary amidst their own kind of upper middle burgeoning class in  upwardly mobile housing villages. And outstanding amongst those beneath them.

But one thing stands out.  Outside of their ordinary skin, beneath the pores and bones, their hearts beat a different beat.  They breath power.  Their mouths, when closed, and only open to the most inner circle of friends, twitch lies.  Their brain think of money, and how they can spend it to promote themselves.

Yet, they carry their bibles close to their hearts, they kneel at prayers, they whisper "hallelujahs."

They are the terrors amongst ordinary people.  They think they tower amongst their peers and non peers. They flaunt and hide, at the same time.

They are plagues. They make ordinary people tremble at their fakery.

The real ordinary people amongst them laugh at their hypocrisy.

Our Hardworking Pinoy Sisters and Brothers Overseas.

I wrote a piece several years back about The Dentists in general, and Filipinos in particular
( luckycanary.blogspot.com/2009/03/dentist.html).  And one Keith Allen commented:

"Dentists are very nice, there is nothing to be afraid of. I always go to my friend for a dental check up. Filipinos are very nice and hospitable. Their service is good too."

Philippine dentists and other medical practitioners in different parts of the globe are not the only Pinoys heralded for their hard and outstanding work. Filipino workers excel in service and hospitality sectors, in restaurants and hotels, in cruise ships, in educational settings, retail, banking and finance, blue collar jobs and other fields.

In my last work at Canada, our office helped thousands of newcomer professionals train, adapt and find jobs in their new country, and I met hundreds of Philippine-born immigrant professionals and caregivers who got successful either in their own field or in a new career.

OFW's, as they've come to be called, are a unique lot of individuals.  They leave their country for one reason alone: to improve their lot so their families can survive. They face abuse, irregularities, loneliness, ridicule, religious persecution and tons of other difficulties, yet they are able to survive. Of course, there are those, who in their course of working with other culture, succumb to depression and anger, and commit crimes.

But it is very sad that there are some individuals who manipulate and use the cause of OFW's to promote their own agenda.  Some politicians pander to OFW's issues not to help them but to help themselves become popular.

OFW's need not succumb to these hydra-politicos.
 

Hydra, in    Greek legend, is the offspring of Typhon and Echidna (according to the early Greek poet Hesiod’s Theogeny), a gigantic monster with nine heads (the number varies), the centre one immortal.

These local Hydra-politicos attack all issues that confront day-to-day living and promise to solve all of them when elected, without giving specific solutions. They go for drama; voters would, sooner or later, discover they are all FICTION, not real.

What is real and true are the hardworking Pinoys overseas. I'd met them, worked with them, had been under their care.

If Filipinos could excel and be honest overseas, the more that they should do and be in their own homeland. If they can demand from the government officials of their host country, the more that they should in their native land.

When foreigners ask why Filipinos lack the brand of nationalism of other Asians, the only answer I can think of is that they are too embarrassed to be associated with some corrupt and inept officials and law enforcers, and weakened by the too timid approach or non-assertive values taught at home and at school.

The Filipino worker is a world class act. I've seen this many times.

TELL ME A STORY.

I attended a Kerygma Conference one time.  That was in 2014. In one of the sessions I went to, there were five preachers who talked about their style of preaching and talking to a large audience.  In that session alone, (two same sessions ran concurrently side by side) there were at least a thousand people.

All preachers were excellent.  I actually liked them all, in varying degrees. But one preacher stood out for me.  She was the only woman preacher in the crop.

Up to this day, almost 400 days later, I could still recall parts of the story. 

What made her "talk" stand out? She told a simple story; a very tiny slice of her life.

This was the story as I remember it told:
She and her sisters were about to exhume the remains of her late mother for transfer to another site and were debating who would supervise it. Although they loved their mother dearly, they felt queasy having to see her actual bones and all. So they assigned the family driver to oversee.

The preacher then related how her mother used to be very careful about her physical appearance when she was still alive, but now that she'd gone, and just all ashes and bones, all the speaker could remember of her mother were the values she imparted to her and her siblings. She then told a scene in which her son asked for a hotel room with a big tub, and how the little boy said he'd pray for it when she told him they could not afford a fancy room. Her son learned early the value of prayer that she inculcated in him.

Simple story. And simple stories touch the hearts of people.

We do not have to look farther. When we read the Bible, we will discover that it is full of stories. The entire Bible, Old and New Testament, is a STORY.

The Old Testament is the story of the coming of the Messiah, and the New Testament is the story of Jesus, the Messiah.

Jesus loved to tell stories or parables. In all, He told 46 parables.
Parables of Jesus in Chronological Order:
1 New cloth on an old coat 9:16 2:21 5:36
2 New wine in old wine skins 9:17 2:22 5:37-38
3 Lamp on a stand (also see #6) 5:14-15
4 Wise and foolish builders 7:24-27 6:47-49
5 Moneylender forgives unequal debts 7:41-43
6 Lamp on a stand (2nd time, see #3) 4:21-22 8:16, 11:33
7 Rich man foolishly builds bigger barns 12:16-21
8 Servants must remain watchful (also see #44) 12:35-40
9 Wise and foolish servants (also see #42) 12:42-48
10 Unfruitful fig tree 13:6-9
11 Sower and four types of soil 13:3-8, 18-23 4:3-8, 14-20 8:5-8, 11-15
12 Weeds among good plants (Kingdom of Heaven) 13:24-30, 36-43
13 Growing seed (Kingdom of Heaven) 4:26-29
14 Mustard seed (Kingdom of Heaven) 13:31-32 4:30-32 13:18-19
15 Yeast (Kingdom of Heaven) 13:33 13:20-21
16 Hidden treasure (Kingdom of Heaven) 13:44
17 Valuable pearl (Kingdom of Heaven) 13:45-46
18 Fishing net (Kingdom of Heaven) 13:47-50
19 Owner of a house (Kingdom of Heaven) 13:52
20 Lost sheep (sheep as children, also see #29) 18:12-14
21 The sheep, gate, and shepherd ( John 10:1-5, 7-18 )
22 Master and his servant 17:7-10
23 Unmerciful servant (Kingdom of Heaven) 18:23-34
24 Good Samaritan 10:30-37
25 Friend in need 11:5-8
26 Lowest seat at the feast 14:7-14
27 Invitation to a great banquet 14:16-24
28 Cost of discipleship 14:28-33
29 Lost sheep (sheep as sinners, also see #20) 15:4-7
30 Lost coin 15:8-10
31 Lost (prodigal) son 15:11-32
32 Shrewd manager 16:1-8
33 Rich man and Lazarus 16:19-31
34 Workers in the vineyard, early and late 20:1-16
35 Persistent widow and crooked judge 18:2-8
36 Pharisee and tax collector 18:10-14
37 King’s ten servants given minas (also see #45) 19:12-27
38 Two sons, one obeys one does not 21:28-32
39 Wicked tenants 21:33-44 12:1-11 20:9-18
40 Invitation to a wedding banquet 22:2-14
41 Signs of the future from a fig tree 24:32-35 13:28-29 21:29-31
42 Wise and foolish servants (2nd time, see #9) 24:45-51
43 Wise and foolish virgins 25:1-13
44 Servants must remain watchful (2nd time, see #8) 13:35-37
45 Three servants given talents (also see #37) 25:14-30
46 Sheep and goats will be separated 25:31-46

In the Basic Bible Seminars that we run through the Biblical Apostolate at our Parish of San Andres Apostol, participants learn Bible sharing, and they become earnest and eager when it's time to share their personal stories and encounter with Jesus.

I have had also many opportunities to deliver small talks in our prayer meetings, seminars and fellowships.  I always tell stories. 

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY.  I have many to tell.  In this very blog.  By the way, the woman preacher above is Rissa Singson Kawpeng, Editor-in-Chief of Kerygma Magazine.

The Donald. The Newt.

One time while still living in New Jersey, a female acquaintance said that her one big crush in life is The Donald. She was referring to Donald Trump, the mega millionaire then, the billionaire now.

Mr. Trump, who is attempting again to become President of the United States, has not changed his approach, whether in business, politics or in his showbiz stunts. He is the bully, the strong guy.

I like Trump for his business wizardry. The guy is simply brilliant when it comes to real estate development and other business ventures.

But when it comes to his other stints, like his infamous rows with showbiz personalities like Rosie O'Donnel, the Fox' anchor woman, Megan Kelly and his un-popular remarks such as those regarding Mexican illegal immigrants, I simply cannot like.

The guy should just stick to real estate. Leave the Ms. Universe franchise and the Apprentice and other showbiz connections to others.

Don't seek out the U.S. presidency.  You are great being a real estate mogul. Don't cross the line.

Trump's nastiness reminds me of the Newt. Gingrich. He who was responsible for the shutdown  of government services (1995 - 1996) when the Republican- dominated Congress battled with Democratic President Bill Clinton over the passage of the national budget. 

According to wikipedia, "A 2010 Congressional Research Service report summarized other details of the 1995–1996 government shutdowns, indicating the shutdown impacted all sectors of the economy. Health and welfare services for military veterans were curtailed; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped disease surveillance; new clinical research patients were not accepted at the National Institutes of Health; and toxic waste cleanup at 609 sites was halted. Other impacts included: the closure of 368 National Park sites resulted in the loss of some seven million visitors; 200,000 applications for passports and 20,000 to 30,000 applications for visas by foreigners went unprocessed each day; U.S. tourism and airline industries incurred millions of dollars in losses; more than 20% of federal contracts, representing $3.7 billion in spending, were affected adversely^{. "}

President Aquino's 2015 State of the Nation Address (SONA)

He showed his audience, the combined House of Congress and Senate, guests, and the Filipino people that he is an economist by training.

He showed growth figures, and testimonials from individuals who had been aided by projects and programs that his administration had undertaken.

Critics raged that President Benigno S. Aquino attacked the previous administration of Gloria Arroyo-Macapagal again in showing his five-year administration accomplishments. But one has to compare in order to dramatically present the glowing differences.

Aquino won in his SONA 2015 ;  his figures looked impressive. For instance in the education field, his administration wiped out classroom deficiencies almost 100%.

In all other areas, health, energy, road and infrastructures, flood control, local and foreign investments, figures spoke volumes and displayed the country's economic growth, the highest in 40-60 years.

Certain sectors and politicians, and even some people interviewed talked about the wealth of the nation not trickling down to the majority of the masses. Where do they base this assumption?

President Aquino mentioned a Gallup Poll taken just recently which said that the Filipinos are the most optimistic people in the world when asked " how do you feel about the prospect of finding a job?"

I feel that when people who say they belong to the poor class (C/D/E) are asked if they are better off with the Aquino administration, and when they reply that they do not feel the economic growth which the administration boasts of, that these people will say this line over and over no matter who the President of the Philippines will be. And why is that?

The people who are mostly being interviewed are pedicab drivers, jobless people, and those who refuse to work - individuals who do not take advantage of other job opportunities and who refuse to improve their education or experience.

Take for instance a pedicab driver.  This guy would drive the pedicab and pay a boundary (fixed amount) to the owner of the vehicle, and pocket the remaining money. No matter who the President is, this pedicab driver would drive 8 - 10 hours a day, eat the same number of meals, and if he is married, feed the same number of children.  The fare may increase from year to year, but boundary will also increase from year to year, and gasoline will increase or decrease, negating any fare increases.  So basically, the pedicab driver will feel unchanged economically, unless he decides to seek another type of employment, save enough  money to buy his own pedicab so he keeps all income to himself,  or train for another job that will pay higher wages.

The maid who thinks working as a full-time maid (more in demand in the Philippiens) is demeaning and opts to be a stay-out-maid will soon find out that her salary is shrinking, no matter who the President is, because she gets to pay for house, utilities, and other bills that living out requires.

Those who engage in small businesses, (sari-sari store or convenience store, ambulant food operators, and other small scale business owners)  when interviewed said they felt the improvement in their economic situation under the Aquino administration. This is believable because national economic growth spells growth in consumer demand, and all that domino effect comes into play.

Mr. Aquino mentioned about the rising car ownership in the Philippines, which I also noticed months and months ago; young people working in the BPO industry are the avid car buyers. In shopping malls across Metro Manila, one will see car sales almost every month.  The down payments are affordable and so are the monthly amortizations; lending and financial institutions had been easing on their car loans.

Aquino's political opponents will deny to high heavens the accomplishments of his presidency; but growth, statistics

and everyday people's optimism point to confidence in this present administration's successes.

Mr. Aquino said it right, " the 2016 Presidential elections will be a referendum on his administration."
With people's confidence and optimism, I think Aquino's choice for President in 2016 will win.

HAPPY CANADA DAY! July 1, 2015

The End of the Tunnel

It was in the movie " Working Girl," which starred Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford that a business tycoon whose company was being taken over related a story. " At the end of a tunnel, a big truck got stuck and couldn't get out. Many vehicles behind him couldn't move out.  Cops and the driver were running out of solutions, until a small boy spoke, ' why not deflate the tires a bit.' They did and the truck got lower and was able to pass through the tunnel exit.

For many of us, weary travellers in the journeys of our lives, I am sure we have experienced many snags and jams and derails. Thinking of brilliant solutions to emotional, financial and physical situations, a lot of times, lead us to dead ends. But then a simple idea can bring us back to our feet.

Take the story of  Sir Richard Branson , the ultimate poster boy for school dropout turned good.

At 16, Richard Branson, who is dyslexic, left school and, with the help of a friend, founded a magazine for students. He made money by selling advertisements to local businesses and ran the operation out of the crypt inside a local church - the first of many enterprises.

But it wasn't until years later when he was in his late twenties that Sir Branson really started making his mark as the entrepreneur we know and love today.

According to legend, the youngster was on his way to the Virgin Islands to meet a pretty girl, and was impatient to get there.  But he was out of luck - on arrival at the airport he was told flights to the Virgin Islands had been cancelled. 

He decided to charter a private airplane, picked up a small blackboard, wrote 'Virgin Airlines: $29' on it, and sold the remaining seats to other people who had also meant to be on his flight. The idea for Virgin Atlantic was born.

Sir Branson's get-up-and-go attitude is an inspiration to start-ups across the world. It has not always been plain sailing and the billionaire has picked himself up after a number of failures throughout his career. But they have never stopped him.

His Virgin Group now holds more than 200 companies, including the recent Virgin Galactic, a space-tourism company - proving that if you're armed with a can-do mentality, anything is possible.

There are perhaps thousands of other stories which seemed so plain and simple, yet solved many big problems.

Pause. Think.

Ripples of Summer.

Summer is cruel in Manila. At 2 in the afternoon, it boils at 35 degrees Celsius.  It is only towards 6 in the evening when the City and its environs breath a sigh of relief.

Backyard summer haven

Due to unbearable heat, despite air conditioning, waking up at the ungodly hour of 4 am becomes acceptable.  At 4 in the morning, when the dawn creatures such as roosters are the only ones up and running, the weather hovers around the comfort zone. That's the time I decide to get up and brew myself a cup of coffee.

I picture in my mind the great writer Ernest Hemingway in his grand estate in far away Key West, Florida where he hied off during winter and savoured the summer-like weather of the South while he wrote To Have or Have Not in 1939. He must have been up at dawn, sipping coffee outside in the terrace, facing the light house fronting his estate.

Ernest Hemingway estate in Key West, Florida where he wrote To Have or Have Not

Hemingway, who lived and wrote in countless places such as Cuba, Paris Spain and Africa also lived and wrote in Toronto.

In my youth, our family travelled to the countryside during summer. Our house was wooden, of the two-storey type where windows were opened wide day and night. My grandmother's relatives cooked meals for us, the city kids, while we lazily lounged around or ran off to the forest and fields.

Our own version of the western cottage lake is the river in our backyard where village laundry women washed clothes and where native water buffalo called kalabao  soaked their burdened bodies. Here, we waded through, and sometimes took a quick dip.

Parks are everywhere in Ontario. Above, park in Niagara.

Up in Canada where summers are dry and hot, people trek to summer cottages on weekends. The rich own their cottages, while the average Jane and Joe rent cabins, the yuppie-retirees drive RV's (recreational vehicles) and the rest pitch tents in parks.

In Toronto, my dog Shadow used to accompany me in my weekend morning or weekday afternoon walks all throughout summer, spring, autumn and winter. He'd bark at squirrels most of the time.

While relatively new in Sayreville, New Jersey, I had my sister and her family visiting me one Fourth of July. With no close relatives nearby, we spent the evening in a neighbourhood park where we watched the fireworks lit up the sky. There, we felt part of the big family of Americans celebrating a very important day in American history.

Typical fireworks scene across USA on Fourth of July

As kids vacationing on summers, we usually throw pebbles at streams or rivers and watch the ripples produced.

As adults,  we often look back at major steps we've taken which created the life we know. As the Dalai Lama once said, " Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped in the water, the actions of individuals have far - reaching effects."

My Own Take on THE MAMASAPANO MASSACRE

 

 BY GENE FAJARDO PAGKANLUNGAN

According to the U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, a covert operation (also as CoveOps or covert ops) is "an operation that is so planned and executed as to conceal the identity of or permit plausible denial by the sponsor." 

It is intended to create a political effect which can have implications in the military, intelligence or law enforcement arenas. Covert operations aim to fulfill their mission objectives without any parties knowing who sponsored or carried out the operation."

This best describes Operation Wolverine/Exodus which was implemented on January 25, 2015, and unfortunately led to the death of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) officers. These men were executed by Moro rebels during the bloody encounter as shown by video footage in which the SAF soldiers were repeatedly shot even as they laid dead on the ground. 

As of  this writing,  details of Operation Wolverine remain sketchy, gossipy, and blurred. Let's go back to the definition, “ a covert op conceals the identity of the sponsor.”

President Benigno Aquino in the latter days, owned up and took full responsibility for the debacle, after much delay and after enormous outrage from the Philippine citizenry. 

BUT THE TRUTH IS FAR FROM COMING OUT.  It will not come out, in fact.  

WHY?  By its very nature. It is a covert operation, after all.  So Mar Roxas, the Army and those who profess not knowing it, shouldn't  know about it or should not say they knew about it.  

Even the Americans who, people say, were involved in the Op, are not telling you and me. 

Then the proper question to ask is this and what I want to get clarification on -  this simple question: WHY OPERATION WOLVERINE WAS CARRIED OUT?

And it was answered early on.  Operation Wolverine had to be carried out to get Zulkifli bin Hir  aka “Marwan,” the Malaysian Muslim terrorist, and his ally, expert bomb-maker,  Abdul Basit Usman.

 

Marwan was killed during Operation Wolverine

These two men were on the U.S Federal Bureau of Investigation's  (FBI) top list of international terrorists.

Let’s look at the facts how these two men ended up on the America’s MOST WANTED LIST.

Marwan was known as the “Osama bin Laden of Southeast Asia.”  He is believed to head the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), a member organization of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network.

The Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), or Malaysian Mujahideen Movement, is/was a terrorist organisation that supported an overthrow of the Mahathir government and is/was for the creation of a pan-regional Islamic state comprising southern Thailand, the entirety of Indonesia and the southern Philippines. 

KMM is believed to be self-financing and is often tied in correlation to smaller more extremist groups in Southeast Asia.

According to his profile in the FBI, Marwan had used two dates of birth – Jan. 5, 1966 and Oct. 5, 1966. He weighs 120 pounds and is 5 feet 6 inches tall.

Marwan – supposedly able to speak Malaysian, English, Tagalog and Arabic – is believed to have been staying in the southern Philippines since 2003, where he has conducted bomb-making training for the Abu Sayyaf group. He allegedly taught Azahari Husin, known as the “demolition man” who supposedly masterminded the 2002 Bali attack, how to create explosive devices.

According to Philstar (Feb 5, 2015) report,  “ On Aug. 1, 2007, Marwan was indicted in the US District Court, Northern District of California, and charged with “providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, contributing goods and services to a specially designated global terrorist and making false statements.”

In the Bali attack, 202 people were killed.  According to Wikipedia “The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack killed 202 people (including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 27 Britons, 7 Americans, 6 Swedes and 3 Danes). A further 209 people were injured."

Various members of Jemaah Islamiyah, a violent Islamist group, were convicted in relation to the bombings, including three individuals who were sentenced to death. 

An audio-cassette purportedly carrying a recorded voice message from Osama Bin Laden stated that the Bali bombings were in direct retaliation for support of the United States' war on terror and Australia's role in the liberation of East Timor.”

Osama Bin Laden, who founded Al-Qaeda was responsible for the 1988 bombing of the U.S embassy in which hundreds of people were killed in simultaneous truck bomb explosions at the embassies of the United States in two East African cities – Dar es Salaam, the largest city of Tanzania, and Nairobi, the capital and largest city of Kenya. 

Later on, Bin Laden’s A-Qaeda slaughtered close to 3,000 individuals in the September 11, 2001 attack on the Twin Towers, the World Trade Center in New York City.  He was neutralized and finally killed on May 2, 2011 in Pakistan by operatives of the U.S. Navy Seal.

Marwan’s links to Al-Qaeda is clear.  Marwan’s link to Abu-Sayyaf, clearer.  And Marwan’s objective to further murder people is utmost clear. So he had to be neutralized. And it happened in the January 25, 2015 Operation Wolverine.

The real angle of Operation Wolverine has been re-angled by popular sentiment. The focus has set on why the soldiers had to die, who ordered the op, who is to blame, etc. 

The real issue is :  A terrorist being protected by Islamist terrorists had to be hunted down through a covert operation. Those brave SAF officers knew of their mission. They knew of military tactics and covert operations. END OF STORY.

Proud Mary

It was 1969 when the group, Creedence Clearwater Revival,  recorded what became a big hit, PROUD MARY. Today, the song is a staple in karaoke sessions, embedded in song chips. Nice melody and lyrics.

The Days of Wine and Roses.

Frank Sinatra of the olden days and of recent years, Michael Buble. Both are balladeers who dish out the romantic tunes and catch everyone's eyes with the un-loosened tie and impeccable shirt and suit.

Jazz is their genre. Jazz is the sophisticated music. Where the clubs are dimly lit, and the sax player goes onstage or below, and everyone tap their wine glass or hum the tune as the artist plays.

I miss jazz; I miss the  memories around jazz.

The days of wine and roses.

Happy and Thankful

The streets all over the U.S.A could either be quiet or so busy, at this, their Thanksgiving Day.

Many years ago, I used to celebrate American Thanksgiving with my two sisters and their families in Ohio. It was always a  wonderful day.

Thanksgiving in the U.S.A is a not a religious holiday; it is a day to commemorate the first Thanksgiving when a meal was shared between the whites and the native Americans, which is a symbol of acceptance, love and unity.

Today, Thanksgiving is a time to thank the Creator and all the people for having done magnificent things and deeds to us.

So, Thanksgiving, aside from being non-denominational, should also be celebrated globally. In Canada, our Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY TO ALL.

Foreign Beat.

Two Englishmen got into a scuffle with local security at a private residential-shopping complex, because they were skateboarding in a busy area that was off limits to skateboarders.

Bingo. The Englishmen suffered concussions; the management apologized for the local security's mishandling of the matter.

Prior to the fracas, the foreigners said they were first accosted by the local police and told not to skateboard on the busy street and to skateboard at a nearby park, which they promptly did. This is where the private security guards caught them and were told otherwise.

I lived most of my life in the Philippines, although I lived for twenty plus years in the U.S and Canada, and I witnessed how the locals react and treat foreign people. The locals give preference and nicer service and more respect to the foreigners than to the locals - their compatriots.

The locals do this all the time, because they want the visitors to feel special.

I've resented this outlook and action so many times. I'd been a victim of and a voice against this preferential treatment. I just want the same kind of treatment, service, and courtesy.

One time at the International Airport where I drove my sister and my bro-in-law for their trip back to the United States, the private security guards shooed us away as they did the other locals for staying more than the required short minutes at the drop-off area. The manner it was done was embarrassing - like it was a military drill where they held hands as a human chain and swept towards the people so we could immediately leave. Even my prim and proper medical doctor-sister was insulted by the whole scenario, as I blurted out " ano ito Martial Law?" (what is this, martial law?).

Another time, I was driven to the airport for my trip to Canada and the security people rudely asked my wife and daughter not to linger outside the departure area but I saw how the same security tolerated a foreigner and his local girlfriend who were saying the longest, romantic goodbyes right outside the cordoned-off area.

These are examples of the reverse-treatment given to foreigners and to locals, and a lot of times, they backfire, like the recent incident at the Bonifacio Global. Of course, there is the cultural thing, too.

The locals are submissive to foreigners, (years of subjugation by the foreign powers and lack of savvy dealing and talking with the foreigners) and arrogant towards the locals, whom they can bully, because like them, the locals would easily submit.

The locals get offended if a local asserts his/her rights and s/he is called "mayabang."  But when a foreigner demands what s/he is entitled to, the locals give in.

I think what happened at the BGC is this: The local police explained to the British what the skate boarding policy was and they followed it, because they transferred to the park. Then the private security questioned them (again), politely,  I assume, because of the locals' inherent politeness with foreigners. The Brits then assertively told the security guys, back off, police said we can skateboard here. Local security felt "insulted" at the affront way the Brits answered them, reacted and boom, all hell broke loose.

Lesson learned:  Management people: Teach assertiveness to your people. People: Learn assertiveness not aggressiveness.

And apply it to both locals and foreigners, and in whatever situation you are in. In offices, dealing with peers or superiors, in social or church groups, even in families.

Assertiveness is not rudeness. Aggressiveness is.

Passionately Silent.

War rages on in Iraq and Jordan, in Ukraine, in the Gaza Strip. There's also turbulence in many city streets, slums, and ghettos globally.

Another form of turmoil is taking place in Scotland as the Scots will vote in a referendum on whether to break away from UK. In Spain, Catalonia is thinking of leaving the nation.

Why these perpetual chaos and discontent?

Many years ago in India, a man named Mahatma Gandhi waged a war of silence. He used peace to get peace. He employed non-violent civil disobedience to protest against British rule and taxes. 

Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability but above all for achieving Swaraj or self-rule.

Gandhi emerged victorious, because in 1947, England gave India independence.

No lives were lost in this peaceful revolt, except for Gandhi's when an assassin put three bullets into his chest at close range.

 

Purposely Joyful.

When I was five, I always saw myself seated in a plane...as a pilot. Then I grew up.

In high school, I was convinced by a resource speaker that I wanted to study in a University located in big forest town, to take up Agriculture.

But Daddy prevailed, so I took a Science course; after a semester, I shifted to the study of politics, and entered the College of Law at Diliman.

Are you like me and perhaps, thousands of others, who cannot make up their minds when in comes to our life long careers?

Back to my story, I ended up taking a master's degree in business administration, and later on, helped people find training and employment in their profession and trade in the new country in which they chose to live in - Canada.

As kids, most of us dream of becoming big name stars - in business, science, arts and sports.

We see ourselves like our parents, perhaps, or as our idols in the big screen. We often pattern our behaviour and action after our favorite toys and their TV or film personas. Today, tots hold Mega trons, or Ironman, Spiderman, and other comic hero-toys in their hands as if these were real-people playmates and friends.

We also see ourselves as our role models, our teacher, doctor, priest, pastor, fireman, policeman, politician.

But when it comes to really deciding what role to play in our real, mature life, a lot of us become clueless, or just go with what our parents tell us to do, or be guided by the market's employment demand.

The juice or the real dream fades quickly.

To discover your real purpose and real joy in life and BEGIN TO MELD THEM TOGETHER are what will make you really happy in life.

Successful personas followed their hearts and their dreams ultimately, even if at first, some had been derailed.

Bill Gates, although rich to start with, dropped out of college, and built his own company, following what his heart dictated to him.

Babe Ruth, called the "Bambino,"  was sent to a reformatory school at age 7, and rose to become a legend in baseball.

Mother Teresa left her biological family at age 18 and became a nun of St. Loreto, and left this mission and in 7 October 1950 started the diocesan congregation that would become the Missionaries of Charity.

Pope St. John Paul II was an actor, then followed his heart and became a priest, became a Pope and a Saint.

Jesus Christ was a carpenter by trade, but dropped his tools, and followed His heart and His Father, and became Our Saviour.

To become glad and joyful, we all must be honest with ourselves first. We cannot lie to ourselves and expect us to be happy. Think of the job that makes you happy and feel fulfilled at doing, prepare or train for it, and do it.

Of course, criminal activities or illegal jobs are a BIG NO.

If you are happy doing what you are doing, you'd be good at doing it and you'd spread that joy to every person you come in contact with. You infect the world you move in, in your own little way, and maybe later, in a really big way. 

DUI.

I used to have about 7  to  11 bottles of a local beer and still drove home some of my friends to the innards of the City, and arrived home safely. Thank God.

That was when I was younger, and before I realized that drinking and driving don't go together.

Living in Canada and the U.S.A changed my whole perspective in driving.

The first thing I learned seriously was to stop at all STOP signs, whether it's a red light, the octagon stop sign at intersections, even at odd times of the day.

Next was following strictly all speed signs, in the highways and school zones, everywhere.

I took everything that was contained in the booklet of traffic rules and regulations, including reporting minor accidents, to heart.

Last Sunday we hosted a family party, and the guys were drinking alcohol, and like in other instances, I asked whether the ones at the wheel were okay to drive, and then I served coffee.

The drunk driving law (R.A. 10586) in the Philippines had been enforced recently, with cops expected to do random alcohol-level testing. This is a welcome development in a metropolis where the night life (with alcohol served) is vibrant, where the populace is increasing and thus the need for more vehicles, where traffic laws and regulations had not been effectively observed, and where vehicular accidents register among the highest in South East Asia.

Violators face penalties ranging from three months to 20 years in prison and fines of P20,000 to P500,000. Violators also face a 12-month suspension of non-professional driver’s license for the first offense and perpetual revocation for the second offense. For professional drivers, a first offense would result in perpetual revocation of license.

Just recently, a relative of a brother in law, a young man in his twenties, was drunk driving  in a new SUV given to him by his parents. He got into an accident. The person at the front passenger seat died on the spot. The young boy sustained fourth degree burns to one third of his body. Luckily, the back seat passengers had only minor injuries. 

Eat, Pray, Love, Too.

I am watching the Julia Robert movie, Eat, Pray, Love, and she is in Italy and the Italians told her to do nothing and just enjoy the moment.  And then, she's off to India where she attends Yoga classes and gets the message that God dwells inside each person.

Julia's character, Liz, then travelled to Bali where she found another shot at love. 

If Liz included Philippines in her itinerary, she'd start her day at a Charismatic Prayer and Healing to find her peace and joy. The Elder in the community gives her a word of spiritual advice: Accept the Holy Spirit and let It be her guide in life.

Then she'd be whisked off to a street food mall or carinderia to have a taste of authentic Philippine food.

Typical Carinderia or mobile food stall in Manila

There, she'd eat rice and kare kare or binagoongan, perhaps with her bare hands, and also tries to swallow the undeveloped chick in the balut, and succeeds and enjoys the new experience and taste.

Liz' trip was to find joy again in her life, after a happy-gone-sad relationship with an aspiring and un-inspiring New York actor, David.

In Manila, Liz would discover the street beggars and the Navotas harbor where she'd marvel at the tons of fresh fish, and maybe, buy some.  Then, she'd realize how lucky she is being from a First World country, and having great work as a writer.

Balut or duck egg, a Philippine delicacy

She'd be invited to a Church wedding where bride and groom dance to lively rural music while relatives pin money to the wedding gowns and shirt. Liz' Filipino friend tells her that it symbolizes a  wish for a prosperous married union replete with children.

Liz goes to a  barrio fiesta, takes a weekend and enjoy the Boracay sun and sand. She mingles at the wet market, tasting yellow mangoes, duhat or black berries, and rambutan.

Her Philippine trip ends with a walk down the Quiapo church aisle, where she looks adoringly at the Senor Padre Nazareno, and feels an answer to her quest.

The Black Nazarene of the Quiapo Church,  during a January 9 procession

She goes out of the Church and takes a jeepney ride back to her Manila Hotel suite, getting off at the Luneta Park, hopping in and sliding at the skater's rink, and being helped to her feet by a muscled skating instructor. He smiles, she smiles back.

Always, our Pinoy message to ourselves and to others,  is hope.

Scammer's skim.

Scammers don't skim the loot; they scoop it. Everything of it. 

The recent news about Janet Napoles confessing to the Justice Secretary De Lima the involvement of three top Senators in the pork barrel scam  finally revealed what the Filipinos already knew for months.

That the  scammers scooped millions and millions of taxpayers' money into their own pockets.

But  scammers move in almost all tiers of government agencies and even, in quasi-public and some private corporations.

The other day while driving along the new C6, I got surprised by the huge holes along the stretch of the highway. They were not just holes; they were almost like sink holes.

Other holes were big dents while others were almost sunken, and others yet, were holes as big as the full lane in the two-lane highway.  Add to these hazards the slow moving tricycles and cargo bikes,  and bingo, motorists could not go beyond 50 km/hr or about 20 m/hr.

What C6 intended to do in cutting travel time was totally negated by the sub-par construction that went into building C6. Money must have flowed into government scammers.

But hey, even personnel of private firms engage in scamming. Just go deal with utilities men - cable technicians, water meter installers, even bill- delivery men. They would offer extra services and ask customers to pay but sorry, they could not issue an official receipt.  Private bill deliverers routinely ask for Christmas tips and other holiday tokens.

I always give tips to those service guys who don't ask for one, but give good service. Like gasoline boys who clean windshield, put water in the radiator and pump air into my tires.

Or the server who constantly fill my water glass and my cup with unlimited hot tea at Chinese and Japanese restaurants.

At Ikea's, I give boys who help load heavy purchases into my trunk generous tips.  And even those street kids or adults who'd bring my grocery cart back into the cart island; they'd get the dollar or quarter out of the cart I used.

Once, we had a house help who'd never get back her two-peso coin change from vendors.  She was also generous in her tithing to the local Church we attended.

But another house help scammed us with two electric fans and a portable radio while another one ran away with household items and even, tons of my top-of-the-line audio cable.

Construction crew has been known to cart away paint, cement, steel bars, pipes, nails and screws without knowledge of their contractors.

Heat and Meat.

Temperature rose to 32 degrees Celsius yesterday in Manila. The low was 26 degrees. It was a blazing summer day, and we had to be out for a medical stress test, and some important errands.

It was a National Holiday, too, so the Mall housing the medical clinic was teeming with shoppers and those seeking free cooling system.

Breakfast started with two pieces of local roll called pan de sal with cheese, and coffee, lunch was Cuban rice with carne with Spanish coleslaw and banana fritter, and dessert of low sugar yogurt topped with Macadamia and peaches, and dinner was a huge croissant with ham and bacon.

It was a meat day yesterday amidst the summer heat.

And then we found this mega sale of branded sports wear and sneakers at the Mall. Because we needed a pair of sneakers as the stress test required comfortable shoes and we left home with a pair of leather shoes on, we innocently walked in to browse and buy.

Just to get into the aisle of your shoe size required falling in line. The line was horrendously long.

We decided to leave but presto, there appeared infront of us several aisles where shoe sizes were mixed. Lots of boxes were also lying on the floor, perhaps abandoned by frustrated shoppers who didn't want to go thru the long queue into the cashiers.

Voila! We found a simple, black and white comfortable walking shoe, and also bought a black with multi-color stripes for the faithful navigator.

The queue to the cashiers was even longer, and took more than an hour. One guy four heads in front of me was in a sorry state when his purchase was found to be much more expensive than the price tag stuck underneath the shoe. He didn't buy the pair. I guess some loser exchanged the tags, and the poor guy didn't know about it.

We came in time for our stress test wearing our new sneakers.