Merdeka Malaysia

     Happy independence day, Malaysia, my second country. I worked in Malaysia the first time I went  abroad for the proverbial greener pasture. Today is the national day, as they like to call it, not dissimilar to the independence day enjoyed in the Philippines on June 12, something very American, I believe.

Happy National Day Malaysia

     Malaysia was colonized by England and became independent in 1957, and they've made progress to development, build a society that is more equitable. The Philippines has been independent since 1898, but look where we are? Because after the Spanish colonization, the Philippines was ceded to the Americans who colonized us briefly, after brainwashing some local elites and made sure their genetic imprint has been planted in the educational system so that Filipinos come out of school with the American psyché in the guise of democracy, declared our fake independence while many think we are truly free. The Americans cooperated with some Filipino leaders who they think would look at the masses, without considering they had the Spanish mentality, keeping the poor poorer because it's easier for them to manipulate in many aspects. That's the root of the disgusting predicament of this country.

Basketball World Cup

     It's a clear case of dreaming to be what we cannot be, even if we rely on localized foreigners with Filipino parentage. We qualified for the FIBA, basketball federation, World Cup 2023, the Philippines being one of the three host countries, and the hype prior to the  games was over the top.

The Philippines lost all the 3 round robin bouts

     Three nights I patiently glued myself to the live coverage on TV, but all on the three occasions the Philippines came out at the losing end. What a sad outcome. The worst part is that coach Chot Reyes had been confidently pronouncing prior to the games to judge him after the world cup, since he was bashed earlier for many losses the team incurred pre-World Cup tournaments.

Exciting US Trip

     Six years ago, I was on a frantic trip to Houston, Texas to attend a global marketing meeting of my American company which was on the last minute changed to Atlanta, Georgia due to hurricane Harvey in the Houston area. I was stranded a bit in Manchester, UK then when it was finally decided that our flight to Houston was improbable, I had to discuss with my global marketing boss and it was decided that I changed my itinerary to Atlanta.

At Manchester airport waiting for further instructions

The airline accommodated us in a Manchester hotel

     After a good night sleep in Manchester, we were accommodated by a flight to Atlanta where we had our marketing meeting in a hotel inside Georgia Institute of Technology. Then on my return to Singapore, which was originally from Houston, I managed to change to San Francisco, California so that whole trip gave me a rare opportunity to go around the globe, something I won't forget 

Adventure Seeker

     I am an adventure seeker that when I worked in Malaysia, I did activities that would pump up my adrenaline. I climbed mountains, I went spelunking, and I went sky trekking, if that's the appropriate term. My one and only experience with sky trekking was in Malaysia.

Sky trekking in Malaysia

     The stroke has rendered me physically unfit thus I can't do this kind of activities now. No doubt I miss them. I got hooked up with such kind of challenges when I worked in Malaysia. I remember growing up I didn't do such things. I was focused on my studies, when there were sports competition in school, I normally would be the organizer of the year-level team. I was a mere spectator. Then in Malaysia, I got introduced to mountain climbing which started my interest in outdoor adventure. I climbed many mountains in Malaysia but I have never ever climbed any Philippine mountain ironically.

Putrajaya, Malaysia

     Putrajaya is part of the federal territory of Malaysia, which became the seat of all government's national offices in 1995, the development of which I've seen until I left Malaysia for good, while Kuala Lumpur remained as the capital city. Whenever I had visitors then, I would tour them around Putrajaya, proudly showing the efficiency of the government and how it is less corrupt than the government of the Philippines as demonstrated by the development of such government center.

The uniquely designed Finance Ministry office with my last car in Malaysia

     I love this photo of the Ministry of Finance, with my blue car conspicuously parked at the curb, in one of my many trips to the administrative capital of Malaysia showing to my visitors, mostly from the Philippines, how Malaysian government embraced modernity while infusing in their building designs with Islamic touch.

     The idea of concentrating all government offices in one location is admirable, very much possible with government will and the availability of land and funds. If one has things to settle with the government, only one place to go and all the offices are neighbors. 

Kalanggaman Island

     A friend in the USA, an ex-colleague, heard about Kalanggaman Island and asked me if I've been there. Of course, I've been there ten years ago with my high school classmates. I went there when it was not commercialized as today, we had to erect our own tents to camp overnight. There was still no electricity. It was so basic then, an outstanding break from the urban business. The long sand bar which appears during low tide is such an enchanting sight in this island.

Kalanggaman Island

One with a long sand bar

Idyllic island in the west side of my province

Persona Non-Grata

     Pura Luka Vega, a drag queen whose real name is Amadeus Fernando Pagente, has been declared persona Non-Grata in several cities and provinces in Luzon,Visayas and Mindanao, for singing the "Our Father" in one of her performances which is considered blasphemous by many in this devoutly Catholic country. 

Pura Luka Vega in her blasphemous getup

     Many of the proponents of the non-grata label have considered her performance as purely irreverent with no regard to the sentiments of a predominantly Catholic population. While he claims his performance meant no disrespect to the sacredness of the prayer, saying it was art, the Catholics definitely cannot accept whatever explanation he says now. What have I done wrong, he asked.

     I don't have a strong position for or against her performance. I strongly believe he should have taken some prudence into her performance knowing that such backlash would have been expected. I am not sure though if this is real or his way to become popular as she is now treading the headlines. In the Philippines, the media hype would die down eventually, just like many other issues in the past, strengthening my belief it's her ploy to become popular.