My Last Week in the Philippines

I just posted up some new pictures of my last week in the Philippines. It is always so hard to leave, but I did have a great time. After we got back from Bohol, we were still very busy.

I went to the dentist while I was there. There was a dentist office in the same building as the hotel I stayed in. I had heard the dental work in the Philippines was on par with the United States, but a lot cheaper. I ended up getting my teeth cleaned, some cavities filled, and my front two teeth fixed. For the latter, I had previously gotten an estimate of $600 to fix my teeth. In the Philippines, it only cost me $40!

Also, when I was getting my cavities filled, the dentist did not use anaesthesia when drilling. I was very surprised at this. However, I was even more surprised that it did not hurt that much without it. When I asked the dentist why she did not use it, she told me it is helpful for her to know the viability of the tooth she is working on. She said if the patient cannot feel any pain, then she would have a harder time telling if the tooth was viable.

I also had an early 40th birthday party in the Philippines before I left. We reserved a private room at the Majestic restaurant. Glyn's family, including some cousins, aunties, and nephew were there. I think there was about 20 of us overall. The food was plentiful and we had a good time.



It was very hard to leave the Philippines as always, but I look forward to the next time I visit.

Last Pictures from the Philippines

Well, this is the last of the pictures from the Philippines (for now, at least)!

There are pictures from our return trip to Alcoy and Bodo's Bamboo Bar Resort. Unfortunately, Glyn got sick while we were there, but you can't tell by the pictures...she is such a good sport.

There are also some shots (pun intended) of me at Cebu Doctors Hospital recovering from my kidney stones ordeal.

You will also see pictures of the Super Bowl, me getting a haircut, us getting a manicure and pedicure, visiting Casa Gorordo, spending time with Glyn's family, visiting Guadalupe Cave, and leaving to go home.

It was a great time. I miss it so much and can't wait to go back again!

The End of Sinulog

I am still doing some catch-up on the photos I had taken in the Philippines. This is a BIG collection of photos I had taken the last weekend of the Sinulog Festival. On Friday, January 19, Glyn, Coning (Glyn's bro), and I went to Ayala Mall where they had a "Tribal Competition" between groups around the Cebu Province.

On Saturday, we went to the Basilica de Santo Nino to see the arrival of Santo Nino and attended a very special Mass there. The Mass lasted over 2 1/2 hours, so we were worn out (and I actually got a little sunburned) that we missed out on the Solemn Procession later that day.

On Sunday, January 21, we sat in the grandstand at the Cebu Sports Complex to watch the grand Sinulog Parade. It was a great place to watch the parade, because we didn't have to worry about the crowd or the sun so much.

I loved being part of such a unique event. I hope you enjoy the pictures! Look for the pig and Ronald McDonald!

Super Bowl Monday in Cebu

Still recovering from Super Bowl Monday here in Cebu....Yes, that's right, Super Bowl Monday! Because the Philippines is 13 hours ahead of the East Coast of the United States, the game was show here starting at 7:00 a.m. on Monday. So Super Bowl Sunday became Super Bowl Monday here in the Philippines.

I thought it would be fun to watch the game at a bar instead of on cable at the hotel room. American football is shown here in the Philippines on cable on ESPN and Star Sports. I had seen a few games during my visit here. Sunday Night Football on NBC and Monday Night Football on ESPN are shown here live (of course on Monday and Tuesday mornings respectively). However, American football is not really popular here. The American sports that are most popular here are NBA basketball and boxing. Therefore, I knew that finding a place would be a little more difficult than finding a place showing a Manny Pacquiao fight.

After inquiring of where the game might be shown, I found a place called Badger's Sports Bar and Pub. It is not atypical of sports bars that you would find in the United States. They have a large screen TV as well as several other TVs throughout the bar. Learning my lesson from going to the Manny Pacquiao fight in November, I made a reservation for a table near the screen. (For the Manny Pacquiao fight at the Wineshop, we sat at the bar even though we got there early.)

I made a reservation for three. Glyn graciously decided to go. Her brother Ayan, who is a big sports fan knew all about the Super Bowl and who was playing. He talked about how it is the biggest sporting event in the United States. Unfortunately, Ayan had mid-terms to take that morning, so he couldn't go. However, Glyn's brother Coning, hearing what a big event it is in the United States, decided he wanted to come along with us.

It was really strange watching the game. First of all, it was early in the morning. I am used to the Super Bowl being the climax of the day of pre-game festivities, instead of being the first thing of the day. Also, including Glyn and Coning, there were very few Filipinos in the place. I almost forgot for a second I was in the Philippines. I could have easily been in any United States city. Then, there was the commercials, or the lack of commercials. Half of the fun during the big game is watching the various mutli-million dollar commercials that air during the game. In the Philippines, we saw none of them. Oh, we did see commercials, but they were for local programming and products. Nothing too special. (I did later see the commercials on the Internet though iFilm.com. Thank God for the Internet.)

There were many more Bears fans, as was evident from the touchdown on the opening kickoff. However, as the game went on, the Colts fans got more vocal. I was rooting for the Colts. It is hard not rooting for them, even though they are not in Baltimore anymore. (I wore my Memorial Stadium T-shirt—it is dyed from the grass and dirt—as an homage to the old Colts.) Plus, Payton Manning seems like a pretty good guy and needed to get this monkey off his back.

The highlight of the game for me was seeing Prince perform at halftime. To some people, Princeis a has-been and washed up. However, despite the rain, Prince shined at halftime. I know I am a little biased, but it was probably the best halftime show ever for the Super Bowl. Even the rain falling during Purple Rain seemed to be a little too perfect. Maybe Prince has connections from above.

Although, this wasn't a uniquely Filipino experience, watching the Super Bowl in the Philippines was very unique to me.

What a Pain!

I should have knocked on wood a little harder. After nearly 7 years without a problem, it was bound to happen again.

On Monday when I woke up, I felt that familiar pain. From the right side of my back down to my groin...I thought to myself that this couldn't be another kidney stone! For the first two hours of the day, I was hoping the pain would just go away. I eventually told Glyn that I was worried it could be a kidney stone, and if it was, the pain would just get worse and I would eventually have to go to the hospital to manage the pain.

Glyn told me that a friend of hers and her husband (who is from Australia) were on their way over to the condo. I had mixed feelings about it. Of course I wanted to meet her friend and her husband, but I was worried that the pain would get very bad while they were here.

It was good meeting them, but my fears came to fruition. While I was listening to her friend's husband, the pain got really bad. I tried my best to be a good sport and host to our guest. However, I finally pulled Glyn aside and told her that the pain was getting intolerable. So her friends left, and we grabbed a taxi to Cebu Doctors Hospital, which is close by.

Glyn is not experienced as far as hospitals are concerned. In fact, she has never been admitted to one in her life. (Not even at childbirth....she and her siblings were all born at home.) After asking some questions from people around the hospital, she lead me to a doctor's office. There were several people waiting to see the doctor, but my crying and rocking while waiting got me in to see the doctor next. I thought it was weird that we went to the doctor's office instead of the emergency room, but I figured maybe that is how things are done here.

When I got in to see the doctor, I told her that I was certain it was a kidney stone because I had several before. She told me that I should be in the emergency room. So, they got me a wheelchair and moved me to the emergency room. Even though this was not the proper procedure, it might have been the quickest in getting medical attention at the emergency room since the doctor came to the emergency room with me. She told me that they would have waited for her to do anything anyway.

They hooked me up to an IV and told me that they were going to give me an injectable pain reliever. "Yes!", I thought, "The pain will stop soon." However, unlike times in the past when I have gotten injectable pain relief, it didn't work! They were reluctant to give me more medicine until they got my lab results back, so I laid there in immense pain. Whenever I have a stone that is causing me pain, I reflect on what I have heard so many times about the pain of a kidney stone being comparable to the pain of childbirth. I always conclude that the pain of childbirth, even if it is the same pain, has to be better. At the end of childbirth, you end up with a living, breathing human being.

(A few years ago, I was in the hospital with kidney stones, and the nurse sympathized with me, telling me that she too had had kidney stones. Seizing a potential opportunity, I asked her if she has children. I told her that I had always heard the two pains being compared and I wanted to know from someone else--since I would never know personally--whether it was true that the pains were the same. She told me that there was no comparison....the pain of kidney stones was much worse. Three month after having one of her children, she had a kidney stone. She said nothing compares to being down on the floor and throwing up because of the pain.)

Eventually, they gave me another shot and the pain was less, but still not gone. They then moved me into a room at the hospital. In my pain, I had chosen to go to a private room, not really thinking about it. However, compared to home, the price of private room is very cheap (about $35), and I guess worth it.

In some ways, I was glad to get the opportunity to be in a hospital here in the Philippines. I got the opportunity to compare my experiences in the United States to the Philippines. Now, from what I understand, I stayed at one of the best hospitals in Cebu, so it might not be the same at other places here.

Here are some of my observations;

• Food. When food is brought in, they just put the tray inside the room next to the door. At home, I have always experienced them bringing the food right to your bed. Also, I thought it was funny that on the food card, next to Diet Specifications, they had "Foreigner." I took this to mean that they gave me potatoes instead of rice. Don't they realize that all foreigner eat cheeseburgers! :)
• Medicine. They actually gave me the option of purchasing the medicines directly from the pharmacy instead of them providing them for me. That included all pain relievers. The difference is that they would charge me 30% more if they provided it themselves. Thank God that Glyn was with me! She went down to the pharmacy each time more medicine was needed.
• Gowns. At home, they always give you one of those goofy gowns to wear in the hospital. Not only does this make it easier for the doctor to make inspections, it makes it less likely someone will just bolt out the hospital. :) At Cebu Doctors Hospital, I was given no gown. I just wore my own clothes the whole time.
• Payment. I actually had to give a deposit before I was admitted, and I had to pay in full when I left. I know at home, I could get treatment even if I had no money or insurance.
• Nurses. There were lots of nurses on staff. The hospital has a corresponding university, so they had nurses there who were students. The nurses were both men and women. In fact, from what I read, a lot of men take the nursing route instead of becoming a doctor, because the United States actively recruits nurses from abroad.
• Visiting. There were no visiting hours. In fact, Glyn slept on the couch in the room both nights I was in the hospital.
• Cell phones. They are taboo in the United States with signs everywhere telling you that you can't have them on. Here, it was no big deal to carry them around. Even the doctors had them and were using them in the room.

OK, back to the kidney stone. The pain eventually went away. I was given medicine to help the stone move. However, at this writing, I still have not passed the stone. They did an ultrasound and saw that I have one stone in my right kidney and one stone in my left kidney, and one stone in my right ureter. It is the stone in my ureter that was causing me all the pain. Fortunately the stone is on the smaller side and should pass through on its own. I know from experience that the stones that are in my kidneys might remain there indefinitely and might pass through eventually with little fanfare. But then again, they might have a big parade.

I was scheduled to leave the Philippines this Friday, but I am going to try to extend my stay for a few more days. I would hate to board the plane knowing that I could have a recurrence. I would be the passenger from hell if that were to happen. Plus, I really don't mind staying here a few more days. :)

By the way, when I was laying in the hospital in my drug induced state, I kept on thinking on what I should title my post. Bear with me as I give you what could have been (I am still under the influence):

• Pebbles and Bam-Bam
• Oops, I Did It Again
• Rocky III
• I'm So Stoned
• Not Kidney Around
• As the Stones Through My Kidneys, So Are the Days of Our Lives

Viva Pit Señor!

Yesterday was the start of the Sinulog Festival. It cumulates every year in Cebu on the third Sunday in January. (This year on January 21.) It is kind of like Mardi Gras that they have in New Orleans (minus the debauchery). The festival is both pagan and religious in origin. The Sinulog is a dance that the locals danced to honor local idols. After Christianity was introduced to Cebu, the dance was changed to honor the image of Santo Niño (the baby Jesus). These pictures are from the Mass that starts the festival and the parade that kicks off the event too.

What is up with the title of this post? That is what Cebuanos yell out in honor of Santo Niño.

Today we are heading to the Cebu Sports Center to watch some of the Sinulog dance competition.

Pictures from My Birthday

I went to Alcoy with Glyn to celebrate my birthday. Alcoy is about 2 hours south of Cebu City by bus. We stayed at Bodo's Bamboo Bar (Triple B) Resort and went to Tingko Beach nearby. Two days before my actual birthday, we went to the Tinder Box to start the birthday celebration early with a nice dinner, wine, and a cigar (smoked by me of course :) ). Despite the rainy weather, we had a good time overall. Here are the pictures from Shutterfly.

Birthday in Alcoy

Well, my birthday is over. I tried to milk it as long as I could. Because the Philippines is 13 hours ahead, I started to officially celebrate earlier than I usually do. Even when the clock struck midnight here, I still tried to convince myself that my birthday was still going on the the United States. So at 1:00 here in the afternoon, my birthday as over in the east coast of the US. But....there was still the west coast! So at 4:00, my birthday ended there too. I guess it is still my birthday in Hawaii. :)

For my birthday, I wanted to go to the beach. Believe it or not, I have not really been to the beach during the whole time I have been in the Philippines. There are some private beaches nearby, but I really don't like having to pay money to sit on a beach. Of course, the more money you pay, the better the private beach. Back in November, Glyn and I took a hired taxi tour of Mactan Island which is part of Cebu. There are a lot of beaches there, but nothing that was really worth the money in my opinion.

I had heard about a public beach in Alcoy, which is about 2 hours from here. The beach is called Tingko beach and has a nice stretch of sand. We went down on Monday and stayed at a place called Bodo's Bamboo Bar (or Triple B) Resort. Bodo is a German who is married to a Filipina here. The resort was nice and very reasonably priced. We opted for a balcony room with no aircon (how they say air conditioning here). We had a nice view of the ocean (technically Cebu Strait). Air conditioning was not really needed as there is a nice breeze that comes in from the water.

Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate with us. It rained all day on Monday, and on Tuesday it rained on and off. We didn't let the less-than-perfect weather stop us from having a good time as we headed off to the beach anyway. At the beach, there are cottages to rent for the day, so we were able to keep dry during the rain. Heck, we even got in the water when it was raining pretty hard. I guess you can't get more wet than you already are!

My birthday dinner was great. I had some champagne, a nice steak, and a banana crepe Amaretto flame. (Yes, my dessert was in flames!) It is nice to eat at Bodo's because they have outdoor seating where you can get the ocean breeze.

We made our way down to Alcoy by bus. It is a fairly cheap way to travel around the island. It cost the two of us 200 pesos ($4 US) for the trip down. Actually it cost us a little more than that because after checking in to Bodo's we were told that they did not take credit cards. I knew I was a little low on cash, so I asked them where the nearest ATM was. They said it was an hour back north in Carcar. The woman told me that businesses in that area do not usually take credit cards and there are not usually ATMs. I had been so used to being in Cebu City that I did not even consider it. So with little choice, we headed back up to Carcar by bus to go to an ATM. The trip was not all lost because we stopped by a little store in Carcar to get some bottled water for the stay in Alcoy. However, the great treat is that we picked up some banana chips while we were there. We ate them on the bus ride back to Alcoy and vowed to stop back by on our way back up to Cebu to get some more (which we did). They are soooooooooo yummy.


I actually started my birthday celebration on Sunday night. We went to a restaurant called the Tinder Box. It is one of the finer non-Filipino restaurants around. The best part about the place is that you can smoke cigars there. Also, the service is really great. Compared to US standards, the prices are very reasonable. (However, by Filipino standards, it is fairly expensive.) I picked up some cigars when I was there and brought them down to Alcoy to enjoy while I was there.


I will try to post more pictures soon. Shutterfly was doing maintenance when I started this post.

Pasko sa Sugbo

Well, Pasko sa Sugbo (Christmas in Cebu) has been amazing so far. The Christmas season goes until the feast of the Three Kings, which is first Sunday in January.

There is no snow here, no pine trees, and Santa Claus is not very prominent. However, the Filipinos celebrate Christmas in a grand fashion. It is one of, if not, the biggest celebrations they have here.

A lot of their traditions come from when the Spanish ruled the Philippines. Since the Spanish ruled during the same time as Mexico, a lot of the traditions are the same as Mexico today.

It starts formally on December 16. That is when they start the Misa de Gallo, or Mass of the Rooster, which is Mass at dawn. Many churches have this at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning. These Masses continue for 9 days until December 24. Nine is the number for a novena, which is done for special graces. Filipinos believe that special graces will be granted by God on the last dawn Mass.

I only got up early enough on the last day to attend dawn Mass. I was amazed how crowded Mass was for so early in the morning. There was standing room only.

On Christmas Eve, or Noche Buena, many Filipinos attend evening Mass. Most churches around Cebu had Mass at 10:00 at night. Just like the US, the Christmas Eve Mass is filled with a lot of additional ceremony than usual.

We attended Mass with Glyn's brother Coning, sister Jen, and nephew Josh at the Basilica del Santo Niño. Again it was standing room only. There were several altar boys and celebrants at the Mass. The lights were turned off as the procession was made to the altar. After the blessing of the baby Jesus (Santo Niño), the lights were turned back on.

After Mass, we went to one of Glyn's cousin's place to celebrate Noche Buena. It is traditional to have lots of food and celebration. On the way to Glyn's cousin's place, we saw (and heard) many firecrackers going off. This is very typical to do on Noche Buena and Media Noche (New Year's Eve). I had lots of food, beer, and good times there. We didn't leave until 3:00 on Christmas morning.

On Christmas Day, it was more quiet. A lot of people, I am sure, slept in from all of the reverly the night before. Glyn and I spent Christmas at the condo opening presents.

We are going to Bohol to celebrate Media Noche. I will report on how that goes. I am looking forward to seeing how it is celebrated in the provinces here.

Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

Pictures from Christmas in Cebu

Here are more pictures from the Philippines. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! You will see many pictures from the Christmas season here in Cebu. Included are pictures from outside the balcony, at the Mall, at Fuente Osmena, from the Christmas Party we had at the condo, from Misa de Gallo, from Waterfront Hotel, from Noche Buena, and Christmas Day. Happy New Year!

Remember you can also click the link "Pictures from the Philippines" in the Links section.

My Grown-Up Christmas List

Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee;
I wrote to you
With childhood fantasies.

Well, I'm all grown-up now,
And still need help somehow.(can you still help somehow)
I'm not a child,
But my heart still can dream.

So here's my lifelong wish,
My grown-up Christmas list.
Not for myself,
But for a world in need.

No more lives torn apart,
That wars would never start,(and wars would never start)
And time would heal all hearts.

And everyone would have a friend,
And right would always win,
And love would never end.

This is my grown-up Christmas list.

As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree.(wrapped beneath the tree)

Well heaven surely knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal
A hurting human soul.

No more lives torn apart,
That wars would never start,
And time would heal all hearts.

And everyone would have a friend,
And right would always win,
And love would never end.

This is my grown-up Christmas list.

What is this illusion called the innocence of youth?
Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth.
(there'd be)

No more lives torn apart,
That wars would never start,
And time would heal all hearts.

And everyone would have a friend,
And right would always win,
And love would never end, oh.

This is my grown-up Christmas list.

Oh this is my only Christmas wish.
This is my grown-up Christmas list.

Dirty Fingers

When eating any meal out here in the Philippines, I am amazed by the lack of napkins. One of the treats I like to take is going to Jollibee or McDonalds. In the US, usually you can get your own napkins....and I must admit, I take more than my fair share. I guess I don't like feeling that I won't have enough napkins. Well, here, they usually give you one per person.

I guess that would actually be fine if they gave a napkin with the same thickness as I am used to in the United States. Instead, every napkin that I have seen here is tissue thin. It just doesn't cut it when eating fried chicken.

This absence of napkins is pretty bizarre to me given the fact that Filipinos eat with their hands a lot. Many times, instead of using a fork or a spoon, they will just grab rice with their fingers.

The lack of paper doesn't just stop at napkins...When I go to the comfort room (restroom) at a public place, there is usually not paper towels to dry your hands. Sometimes, they have those air hand drier things...but many times, it is nothing.

I have heard also that there is not always toilet paper in the public toilets too. Luckily, I have not had the fortunate to discover this for myself.

Even at Mass, there is no bulletin, no missalette, and no song book...no paper again!

When I think about it, I don't really see the kind of trees here that we have in the United States. You know, the ones that the environmentalists keep telling us we shouldn't cut down. Well, I guess if they saw the lack of napkins here, maybe they wouldn't scream so hard about not cutting down trees.

I guess it is a good thing that Filipinos don't really shake hands.

Pink Stripes

Tonight I was over at Glyn's apartment and watched Catch Me If You Can, a movie starting Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. It is a great story about a guy who pretends he other people and writes fraudulent checks for over $4 million. Supposedly it is based on a true story.

I am not going to write a movie review...I want to talk about the DVD. We were watching the movie on a pirated DVD. By pirated, I mean, it is not the official DVD that was released by the studios. From what I hear, sometimes the movies are shot with a video camera in the movie theater. As I walk down the street in the city here, I see DVDs for sale of movies that I know are still in the theater or just stopped being in the theater. I know then, that these are pirated movies.

Catch Me If You Can was released in 2002. The DVD that we were watching was copied from a preview version of the movie. I assume that movie studios have these previews for the movie reviewers...or for Academy Award voters. My guess is someone gets a hold of them and makes a lot of money on the black market.

Since it is not an official copy of the DVD, the subtitles are the same as you would get. Glyn and her family watch DVDs with the English subtitles, because it helps them understand everything that is being said in the movie. However, the subtitles for this movie must have been added by someone who was not a native English speaker, so in this case, I can't see how the subtitles actually helped.

I laughed throughout the movie, but it was not always from what was being said or done by the actors. The subtitles were cracking me up. Sometimes the subtitles said things that were wrong...different than what was actually said. Now, at times, these errors were minor...like getting the grammar wrong. No big deal. Other times, the errors were getting peoples' names wrong. One of the main characters, played by DiCaprio, goes by a fake name throughout the movie. One of the names that he uses is Frank Connors. However, the subtitles kept referring to him as Frank Connell. This, despite the fact that they show his name several times on a plaque on a desk and on a door!

They also had "system prosecutor" instead of "assistant prosecutor" and "Bonds California" instead of "the Bar in California".

Sometimes, there is no subtitle at all, I assume because the non-native English speaker doing the subtitles couldn't guess what was being said.

My favorite subtitle goof is towards the beginning of the movie. It was kind of a critical juncture in the movie. The father of DiCaprio's character is trying to convince a bank into giving him money. He gets a store to loan his son a suit so he can help him go to the bank. In explaining the importance of wearing the suits the dialog goes like this:

You know why the Yankees always win, Frank?
'Cause they have Mickey Mantle?
No, it's 'cause the other teams can't stop staring at those damn pinstripes.

However, instead of "pinstripes", the subtitles had "pink stripes"....HA HA HA

I could not stop laughing about this throughout the movie. It was such an important point that was being made in the movie...however, most non-native English speakers probably are wondering why the Yankees wear pink stripes! Well, if it helps them win...

Like the tagline of the movie...it is a true story of a real fake!

My 60 cent haircut

Yesterday I got a haircut here in Cebu. I was a little nervous about it because I normally get my haircut by the same guy at home. I don't ever have to tell him how to cut my hair...he just cuts it.

The guy ended up doing a great job...I even got a great shoulder massage at the end of my haircut. What I ended up being surprised about is how cheap the haircut was. I paid only 30 pesos for the haircut. Thirty pesos is roughly the equivalent of 60 cents! At home, I pay $12 for a haircut. This means that I paid one twentieth of what I normally pay!

Afterwards, Glyn and I went and got manicures. Again, they ended up doing a great job. And, again, I was surprised about how much they cost...30 pesos each! (For those who think it is weird for a guy to get a manicure...don't worry, I have no polish on my nails.)

I still have not gotten a massage here, but they are relatively cheap too. A full body massage costs around $4. That's right....4 bucks!

That is how things are around here. Labor is so cheap compared to the United States. I first saw this when I arrived to Cebu for the first time. Taxi drivers were waving at me to give me a ride to the hotel. They were saying it would cost 1500 pesos ($30) for a ride to the hotel. From the airport, it is about a 40 minute taxi ride. From US standards, $30 for a 40 minute taxi ride is very reasonable. However, it was lucky that I did a little reading before I came here. I read that I should go to the metered taxis instead. So, that is what I did. I ended up paying 170 pesos for the taxi ride....which was a little over 3 bucks!

I have learned that many Filipinos will try to get foreigners to pay more since they are used to paying more. One hotel even told me that they have a different rate for foreigners than for locals. So, I get Glyn to do a lot of price negotiation for me.

Excuse me, I have a $4 massage to get to...

New pictures

I have posted new pictures from the Philippines. Included are pictures from around Cebu and from Glyn's birthday party on November 30. Glyn said it was the greatest day of her life. I think she was being overly gracious. You can get to the pictures by clicking on the "Pictures from the Philippines" link under Links, or by going here.

Eggcellent! Unrefrigerated eggs?

It is a sight that I just cannot get used to. Before I went back to the Philippines, Glyn told me that she bought eggs for her apartment. I did a double take and asked her if she really bought eggs, because I know she does not have a refrigerator (which they call a ref here BTW). She said it was no big deal to not have eggs in the the refrigerator.

Now, everything that I have ever been told about eggs says to put them in the refrigerator and keep them there. I mean, you would get sick if you didn't put eggs in the refrigerator, right?

Well, since I have been here the second time, I have seen it with my own eyes. I walk into the grocery store, and instead of the eggs being in the refrigerated section, they are sitting out on a shelf like bread! Are they crazy?? I even saw a truck carrying eggs that was not refrigerated.

I did a little bit of reading on this and it ends up that most of the world does not refrigerate their eggs. I actually have eaten these eggs and they taste just fine and I do not get sick.

Now, here at the condo I am staying in, the eggs are put in the refrigerator. It makes me feel a little bit better to do this, so I am not a complete convert.

Eggciting? Huh?

Cutting in Line

I have experienced an annoying phenomenom here in the Philippines...people cutting in line.

Now, this is not something totally foreign to me. I have had people cut in line in front of me several times in my life. However, this has happened to me many times since I have been here in the Philippines.

I will be in line at the store waiting to buy something, and someone will just walk in front of me and stand in line like they belong there. At first, I thought it was because I was a foreigner. Maybe they think the foreigner won't say anything, so they do it. Recently, I was in a public restroom, waiting for an open urinal, when two guys walked in front of me and went to urinal instead of waiting behind me.

After it happened to me for the 7th or 8th time, I asked Glyn about it. I asked her if it was usual for people to cut in line. She said that it was not uncommon. However, she thinks that it is still rude when people do it.

It really made me think about the way people drive around here too. Cars cut in front of each other with great frequency. There is no road rage or anything like that when it happens. People sort of expect it. I have never seen a taxi driver yell and scream or honk their horn in anger.

I have joked with Glyn about going to the front of a line that we are standing in to see what would happen. I am learning to stand a little closer to the person in front of me...and to take a deep breath when I get cut in front of again. Who knows? Maybe I will try it myself sometime...

The Angelus

Glyn and I were walking through a department store in the mall today. At 6:00 pm, all of a sudden everyone stopped what they were doing. I asked Glyn what was happening. She told me that they were praying The Angelus. It is traditional to pray the prayer at 6:00 am, noon, and 6:00 pm.

The prayer is a devotion to the Incarnation. So over the loudspeaker, the prayer was broadcast. It goes like this:

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

I was amazed to be standing in a public place and see all people stop what they were doing for prayer. I have never known anything like it in my life. I have grown up in a place of supposedly religious tolerance. However, practicing one's religion in public is not really tolerated in the United States.

We have freedom of religion, but what has happened instead is that we can practice whatever we want, as long as we keep quiet about it.

It was also surprising, in a predominately Catholic country (over 80 percent call themselves Catholic), that they have a national holiday for the end of Ramadan, which is a Muslim holiday (only 5 percent of the country are Muslim).

The Pac Man

Remember that game from the 80s? You know, the little character that would eat the dots? They even had a Ms. Pac Man...

Well, I am not going to talk about video games today. Instead I am going to talk about Manny "Pac Man"Pacquiao. Manny is a hero here in the Philippines. He is an actor, a singer, and probably one day will be a politician. Oh yeah, he is also a boxer!

Today, I joined what seems like the whole country in watching him fight Eric Morales of Mexico. The fight was being billed as the Grand Finale to the Trilogy of Morales-Paquiao. (That means they fought twice before...each fighter winning once.)

The fight was being fought in Las Vegas, but Glyn and I headed up the street to a restaurant/bar (they call them restos here) called The Wine Shop (a wine and Spanish tapas restaurant...er, I mean resto) to watch the fight live on the big screen. The fight was also being shown on commerical TV here in the Philippines. However, because of commericials, anyone watching it over "free TV" was seeing it an hour or two behind.

So at 8:00 in the morning, we walked in and sat down at one of the tables. However, we found out that the tables were already reserved. So we sat at the bar to watch the fight. There were a total of 3 fights before the main event. So we had breakfast at the bar and watched all the fights, which started at 10:00 am here.

We even ordered a bottle of wine before the big fight. I know I am going off on a tangent... those who know me well would say that this is normal for me to do...I could not get over how cheap the wine was. The bottle that we ordered was 210 pesos, which is just over $4.00 US. In fact, it is cheaper to drink the wine in the restaurant than to take it out!

Anyway, back to the fight...What a great experience it was. The place was packed! They played the Philippines, Mexico, and US National Anthems before the bout. I was impressed at the great reception the US National Anthem got in the bar when it was played. The crowd was into every punch that Manny threw! They would roar with every good hit, and they erupted at the end of the third round when Manny won on a KO (that is knockout to the uninitiated).

It seemed like the whole country celebrated this victory! The priest even talked about Manny during his homily at Mass. (Hey, he knows how to play the crowd!)

Honestly, I cannot tell you the last time I watched a boxing match, but today it was a real joy to celebrate with all Filipinos the Pac Man's victory.

Here! Here! Blogging from the Philippines

Well, here it is...my first blog post here. I have had this blog for probably a year and a half, but never did anything with it. I guess I didn't have much to say.

Most of you know that I am currently in the Philippines. I have been here since November 1, which is All Saints Day, a national holiday here. Being here is really amazing...I get to experience a different culture than my own for the first time in my life.

I will post some thoughts on what it is like here in the RP, as well as other things that are in my head. Thanks for reading.