All Souls Day 2024

     This is my second time to see the cemetery in town gets crowded by people paying respect to their dead. The crowd is huge which slows down the traffic.

Paying respect to the dead 

     I didn't go down from the car as my physical ability is hampered by the chaotic tombstone layout, only my family did. Sad to remember departed loved ones, I pray for their eternal rest.

The crowded cemetery entrance

The crowded way to the new extension of the public cemetery 

Hawker Foods

     Hawker foods centers are famous in Singapore and Malaysia which provide affordable delicious meals to the masses. Cooking is a rarity among the middle class who are working as they just go the nearest hawker food centers for affordable daily foods.

Almost all the typical dishes are available 

     When I was working in Singapore, eating at hawker centers was economically viable than cooking myself at home since I was alone. Accessible and affordable and delicious, that's how I would describe hawker foods.

     For years, I've been thinking why such concept is not common in the Philippines, and I think these are some of the reasons.

     Majority of the middle class in Singapore and Malaysia work that they don't have the time to cook, hence hawker foods become a constant part of their lives. In the Philippines, many are unemployed.

     Filipinos are finicky in general being influenced by Spanish customs. Thus hawker centers would be considered dirty so they would shy away from eating in such places as Filipinos are used to eating in malls food courts in cities which are air-conditioned and cleaned in mall standard, influenced by US standards.

     In the countryside, majority are jobless and they rely on daily piecemeal jobs. Thus economically, they'd rather cook and eat at home. The economy of the country play a major role in this. I feel that the Philippines as a country, led by the elites who control the government in all levels, is following the US in many areas as benchmark, disregarding the majority poor masses. Before copying first world standard, the Philippines should increase the middle class then it has all the potential to succeed.

Rotterdam

     I had a global marketing meeting once before in Rotterdam, and to make our experience unforgettable, it was held by in a ship anchored in Rotterdam and ran like a hotel. Our global marketing boss opted for this for the experience. It was an experience unmatched in normal hotels.

The ship docked at Rotterdam port permanently 

     A friend who is in the US told me he used to be seafaring in this cruise ship when it was still cruising between Netherlands and America which was then called Holland America Line. It's now called SS Rotterdam, a hotel ship moored in Rotterdam port.

     We spent three days in this hotel ship, we had our meeting inside as well as the meals, ran like a normal hotel inland.

My cosy room inside the ship hotel

Paris

    Eleven years ago today, I was in Paris for a quick trip prior to my global marketing meeting and training in Belgium. It was my one and only solo trip abroad. It was a learning experience for me too. I took a train from Schipol Airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands which took almost four hours if I remember it right. Arriving at the train station early in the morning, I took some time to walk around as my hotel would open only at twelve noon. What happened outside the train station was an eye opener for me. A black girl snatched the iPhone of a Korean tourist who just came out of the station like me. He frantically shouted trying to chase the girl luggage in tow. The police was able to nab the girl, a teenager, and returned the phone to the Korean tourist. An efficient police, I thought.

     For two days I roamed around Paris, traversing famous street such as Rue La Fayette, one mentioned in many novels I've read. I visited famous landmarks such as the the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Notre Dame among others. I searched for Hard Rocke Cafe Paris to buy caps for my American friend who is into collecting HRC caps.

     I did a trip, it was longer out of the city center, to the Louvre Museum, something I only see in movies or read in books. I won't forget this trip.

At the Louvre

     After my Paris sojourn, I had to go to Antwerp, Belgium for our global marketing meeting cum training. Finally, I had to go to Louvain-la-Neuve to our global laboratory for technical training.

Productivity is The Key

     The Filipinos are very poor in world's standard, they don't have enough food to eat, many are unemployed, the countryside is dirt poor. Yet the government is doing nothing to alleviate their misery. Election come and go, and they pass inutile laws that have no significant effect in improving the lives of the common people.

     It's election time next year, and today is last day of filing of candidacy. Looking at the number and the potential candidates, it is utterly discouraging. What the current government has been spearheading is giving out monetary assistance. Palliative it is but it does not uproot the real cause of their poverty and does not aim to alleviate them from the misery. Instead, it teaches them to be dependent on the government and no initiative to work to be able to sustain their life.

Manny Piñol is right

     There is no drive to increase productivity that the masses won't wait for the government anymore. This country is managed by political idiots who kept the masses poor so that they can spoonfeed them with some cash every now and then to be manipulated during election time without them knowing it.

Increase productivity

     The archipelago is huge with a lot of unproductive areas. If the masses are harnessed properly, they can become independent financially leading them to be independent in their thinking. The country needs a messiah to uproot the evils of the wealthy oligarch which control the power everywhere. If all the idle lands are cultivated, developed and planted, the productivity will boost the country's economy. There's plenty to develop in agriculture and tourism alone.

Check Point in the Philippines

     I spent half of my life in Singapore and Malaysia where discipline reigns. Checkpoints are common to make sure drivers are following the basic rules. In the Philippines, it is very discouraging to see that awareness of the people on basic rules for drivers is very low.

     Many of motorbike drivers are without license, and motorbikes are unregistered, without plate numbers, a very common sight in the countryside. So when there is a check point, many of them would just stop by the roadside, in some cases the police check point is visibly nearby and the police can't arrest them.

This is funny but it's the reality

     In Malaysia, vehicles do not go out of the trading shop without the plate number, meaning they are legally registered. I'm not sure how other countries can do this but not here where vehicles are released without proper plate numbers. This is something the authorities should learn how to do it the right way.

Salute, EJ Obiena!

     I salute EJ Obiena, not only as an athlete, but as a person. He knows the essence of respect to parents as a Filipino, I saw him being interviewed in Boy Abunda's My Mother, My Story. He has achieve acclaim worldwide in pole vault although he was unlucky not get any medal in this year's Olympics but he has won in many other pole vaulting competitions before the Olympics putting him as high as world ranked no. 2.

Obiena on My Mother, My Story interview

     Yet, he remains grounded and respects his parents, especially his mom. Parents may not be perfect, they may have shortcomings but it is in the Filipino culture that respect and love for parents is second to none. EJ Obiena is reared to be a respectful son ever.

     I am dismayed with Carlos Yulo,  the Filipino gymnast who won two gold medals in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He has his spat with his mother publicicize after the Olympics, and publicly shown his preference of his new girlfriend, a Filipino-Australian, who is the root cause of this family drama, I believe. I think she is the bad influence in Carlos, although claiming she is the reason for Yulo's Olympic success for being an inspiration. I don't think the same though, Carlos Yulo would have won with or without Chloe in his side.