The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.

Hello Gang,

In a nutshell, it's been an interesting week. I've finally completed my first full session of training in the Philippines and I can honestly say I have experienced the good, the bad and the ugly. The good aspect stemming from my students, who are quite the lively bunch. They are very eager to learn and respect me as their instructor. On Friday, I was invited to attend their weekly ritual of attending a live band session at the “Castro” restaurant. The musician (whose name I have long forgotten) was very talented and performed songs from an assortment of genres. The overall experience was stellar and for that I am very thankful. Here’s to you "Manila Crew"!

The bad aspect derived from the experience I had while visiting Fort Santiago in the outskirts of Makati. You know someone mentioned to me at some point not to wonder outside the walls of the Fort. The reason why my colleague cautioned me was due to the fact that many of the locals can be, well let's just say, down right aggressive. I felt a bit adventurous and traveled outside the confines of Fort Santiago. I couldn't resist the beautiful architecture of the Spanish influenced church across the square. Everything for the most part seemed okay until I crossed the street and two rugged individuals approached me. I consider myself a calm and collected person, but these guys got the best of me. They literally wouldn't take no for an answer. They followed me all the way to the doors of the church asking for money and everything else their hungry minds could fathom. I gave them the cold shoulder and hastily entered the church. While inside, I managed to observe a traditional Filipino wedding. To be honest with you it’s quite similar to anything you've probably seen on television or in a magazine. Once I satisfied my religious thirst, I again entered the Hell of street beggars and Jeepney Cab drivers. To my surprise the two hounds from my earlier encounter were still around, SHIT! I looked them both in the eyes and reached into the bowels of my stomach and yelled a guttural "NO"! By this time, the gents facial expressions changed from aggressive to pissed-off. Luckily, I resorted back to my street smarts and informed them that no trouble or fighting was necessary. I simply forgot my wallet in my flat and would come back later, they could find me then. They obliged and let me be.

On a lighter note however, I did run into the softer side of this providence. A small, frail homeless girl approached me, hands-out mumbling unrecognizable words. I promised to give her money if she would allow me to take her picture. I snapped a quick portrait and handed her some change. She was more than excited to receive the 20 pesos and run off to whatever location she called home.

Finally, the ugly being the unsavory behavior of cab drivers in Makati City. Time and time again I have to force the cab drivers to put on their meters. They prey on foreigners because they feel we are not knowledgeable about pricing in Makati and charge you whatever price they deem appropriate. If you are reading this from New York, just think of your typical Gypsy cab driver amplified by ten. I've even heard stories of cab drivers using Chloroform to put passengers asleep while they either rob or rape their victims. Let's just say I will be keeping a vigilant eye on who drives me where and if they wear surgical masks.

This May Be Gross, But. . .

Okay, a simple yet interesting post tonight folks. I had a rather monotonous day. Went to the gym, stopped by the mall, got ready for work. A few hours go by and we order some Chinese food for lunch. I had an odd combination of Sweet & Sour pork with garlic rice. The food was fantastic! After lunch we head back to the training room. A few minutes go by, when nature calls. I venture to the bathroom and do the deed. I wash my hands and notice I am getting quite a few stares from people once I leave the bathroom. I think once again, it's probably the whole American magnetism, so I smile and pay it no mind. I enter the classroom and yet again I receive more attention than normal. My colleague Som Hoe snickers at me and KINDLY, informs me that I have toilet tissue hanging out of my pants! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! This can't be happening. I gracefully pull out the strip (that's equivalent to the length of an extension cord) and discard it accordingly. Needless to say that was an interesting end to my my day of normality. Bummer!

Hey Joe!

Another day has come and gone and I sit here thinking of how interesting it is being in Manila. For instance, I decided to do a little shopping in the PowerPlant Mall located across the street from my Joya apartment. I stopped at a local store here by the name of Brand. Upon entering the store I was swarmed by sales people. "Hey Sir, how are you today?", "Hello sir it is so nice to meet you." If you were ever curious how it feels to be accommodated or treated like royalty, then satisfy your concerns with a trip to Manila. I do appreciate being catered to, but to what extent? Can I not go into a store and simply browse their merchandise or go to 7/11 and notice how differently the cashier treats Filipinos in comparison to myself. I guess ultimately being popular is not always what it's cracked up to be. I eventually picked up 4 t-shirts, 2 belts and some under garments, from a deaf salesman who winked at me (sigh) for a whopping P510.00. That's roughly the equivalent of $19.00. Needless to say I love the power of the dollar and in some sense understand why people are so nice to me.

I ended my day with some beers and a movie. 4 beers, P120 $1.25, Pelham 123 (great movie by the way) P200 $4.00. I have a strange feeling that when I return home, I'm not going to be very happy paying NYC prices. I guess I should enjoy it while the gettings good! On my way home, I ran into a group of construction workers who were no taller than 5'11". I decided to greet them and one replied with "Hey Joe". Normally, I would have taken this as offensive, but it is quite common for the locals here to refer to U.S./U.K. expatriates by this term. To make a long story short, the term originates from earlier times when U.S. G.I. "Joes" occupied the Philippines. Hopefully next time I can challenge them to a 1 on 1 basketball game.

I Had a Dream.

Today was an interesting day. The clouds finally decided to give way and display the hot, humid Filipino sun. Today was my first day at work and needless to say I was a bit nervous. I put on my best threads and set out to claim my free daily breakfast from Figaro, Makati City's version of Starbucks. In doing so, I meet my mentor for the trip, Som Hoe (i know, i know) who was sent here from the Thomson Reuters Singapore office. We traded pleasantries for a few and decided to head to work. We grabbed a white cab (yellow cabs are more expensive) and headed out to work. The trip to work was a 20 minute ride about the economic history of Manila and how the government basically sold all of the traditional lands to a multi-million dollar developer who has torn down most of the town to create a business mecca for Filipinos. Needless to say he was unhappy about this. I was pleasantly surprised at how much Filipinos enjoy Obama and his presidency. They believe he's all about change and they hope he will succeed. After arriving at the office, I bid Hernando the taxi cab driver "good day" and stepped into 3 World Plaza.

Upon entering the office, I some how found away to break my glasses. . .GREAT! Now I am completely blind, in a new office, with new people and I have no idea who I am speaking to. I decided to set -up refuge at an empty desk to begin working. I was greeted by a person named Randy who resides in the seat next to mine. He had a pleasant demeanour and catered to our every need. Practically everyone in the office stared at me as I graced the aisles, to be quite honest, I loved it. It's not to often that you visit a place and you are considered exotic. The typical walking to the copy machine to check the paper with 4 of your colleagues is not common practice but it does make you realize your importance.

At the end of the day, myself and a few others sat in on a group of new hires to answer any questions that they may have. The employees seem to be very excited and eager to learn. Today was a good day after all.

Edit: I took a short nap, had the weirdest dream. I was with friends and somehow we ended up playing the street version of "Booty's Up" but with dirty hand towels, ask me the true meaning of this dream and I would stare at you in bewilderment as well. I also helped rescue a tiny silver firefly with a huge plastic tube for its rear end. Everyone was hell bent on taking this little guy out, but "Ran the Man" saved the day.

Over and out!

First Impressions

Welcome to my first attempt at blogging my experiences in Makati City, Manila. I hope you find the information both informative and entertaining. If you wish to leave feedback, feel free to do so at the bottom of the post.

The flight to Manila (Makati) was approx. 18 hours with lay-over. The airports in both Hong Kong and Manila had a Far East feel like none other. Arriving in Manila at 11PM in the evening is a bit intimidating at first glance. The small houses and dark alleys help you realize how venerable you can be if you happen to wonder off the beaten path. However, when I arrived at my new apartment complex, The Rockwell (http://www.e-rockwell.com/) my concerns of safety were easily relieved. The complex is a work of art. Sporting all the amenities one could want, including fully equipped gym, cleaning services, housekeeping and washers/dryers in every apartment. The view of the city is spectacular 36 floors up. After unloading my bags and resting for a bit, I decided to turn in for the evening and start fresh tomorrow.

What a miserable morning, rain, rain and more rain. I have a bit of a phobia of lightning and the storm was pounding hard against my window, so I decided to rip my fanny off the couch and go to the gym. After a great workout at the gym, I ran into a young girl on the street. She was probably 6 to 7 years old and asking me if I could spare money. Now, before I go on, I would like to state that I am not a person to easily part with his money to strangers. But seeing the pain in this little girls eyes, made me think twice about dismissing her. I past her a few pesos and told her to get something to eat. It's quite amazing how 2 days in a foreign country can force you to reevaluate yourself. The sun is setting now and i plan to do some studying before I turn in for the day. Expect another blog post soon.