Case of Double Standards

Heard it over the radio yesterday that NZ Immigration is encouraging the British, Irish and Welsh rugby fans who are now here in NZ for the All-Blacks versus Lions rugby matches to find employment here. Naisip-isip ko kung mga Asyano kaya ang mga fans na ito, e-encourage din kaya sila na maghanap ng trabaho dito?

NZ Immigration won’t admit it, but most Asians feel, that applicants from Europe are more favored than Asians. May pagka hypocrite din itong Immigration pagdating sa pagtanggap ng mga immigrants. In their policies they pretend not to discriminate. But if you look closely at the requirements for migration, mapapansin mo na mas mahirap makapasa ang Asyano. Katulad na lang ng English test (IELTS) na yan. Masyado nilang tinaasan ang passing score. Pero yung mga applicants from English-speaking countries hindi na kailangan kumuha nung test. E kung tutuusin mo, siguro mahigit pa sa kalahati nung mga applicants sa UK babagsak sa English exam dahil marami sa kanila mahina sa spelling at grammar. Isa pa maraming trabaho ang hindi naman nangangailangan na maging fluent sa Inglis. Kung fair sila dapat i-base and passing score sa propesyon mo. Tapos ang mga Pinoy kailangan pang pumunta sa Bangkok para sa interview. Silang nasa UK, phone interview lang!

Mahirap na lang mag-complain at baka paginitan pa ang ating mga kababayan. Dahil kahit papaano, pumapangalawa naman ang mga Pinoy sa mga nationalities na nabigyan ng pagkakataon na mag-apply. Eto ang statistics as of June 23, 2005. (Source: www.immigration.govt.nz).



Good luck na lang sa mga kababayan natin na nag-apply na for migration to NZ.

Hello, Goodbye

Isang diborsiyada si Marsha. Iniwanan siya ng kanyang lover na isang actor. Nakatira si Marsha, together with her only daughter sa isang apartment. Without her knowing it, pina-sublet nung Ex niya ang kanyang apartment sa isang kapwa actor, si Richard. Kaya ayun walang choice si Marsha but to share the apartment with Richard.

After awhile of living in the same house together, Richard and Marsha fell in love with each other. Una pinigilan ni Marsha ang damdamin niya na ma-inlove uli sa isa pang actor. Ayaw na ni Marsha sa mga actor dahil alam niya na unstable ang propesyon ng mga actor. Parating umaalis, iniiwan ang partner and never to come back. It has always been the story of her life. Parati siyang iniiwan. Pero lubhang makamandag ang pana ni cupido. This time Richard seems different. He promised not to leave Marsha.

But promises are meant to be broken, ika nga. May acting job na na-receive si Richard at kailangan niyang umalis. Richard can’t refuse the offer. It was a chance of a lifetime, so umalis din siya. Bagamat nangako siyang babalik, in Marsha’s mind alam niyang hindi na ito babalik like her past lovers.

This is a very memorable film for me. Neil Simon’s “The Goodbye Girl”, na napanood ko sa Quad Makati nung panahon pa ng kopong-kopong. Starring Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason. Masaya siyempre ang ending dahil bumalik din si Richard as promised. Nagyakapan sila, naghalikan, The End. Sabay pasok ng background music ng sikat na kanta ni David Gates with the same title.

All your life you've waited for love to come and stay
And now that I have found you, you must not slip away
I know it's hard believin' the words you've heard before
But darlin' you must trust them just once more... 'cause baby

Goodbye doesn't mean forever
Let me tell you goodbye doesn't mean we'll never be together again
If you wake up and I'm not there, I won't be long away
'Cause the things you do my Goodbye Girl
Will bring me back to you.

I know you've been taken, afraid to hurt again
You fight the love you feel for me instead of givin' in
But I can wait forever, a-helpin' you to see
That I was meant for you and you for me...so remember

Goodbye doesn't mean forever
Let me tell you goodbye doesn't mean we'll never be together again
Though we may be so far apart you still will have my heart
So forget your past my Goodbye Girl
'Cause now you're home at last.

Life is a chain of hellos and goodbyes. Karamihan ng mga hellos masaya. At karamihan naman ng goodbyes may luha at lungkot. Kung pwede nga lang sana (borrowing the words of LWS) puro hello na lang; wala nang goodbye. But such is life. We have to contend with both. Siguro kaya malungkot ang goodbye para maging mas matamis at masaya ang inyong susunod na hello.

Goodbye Dabu! See ya soon.

Mahiwaga ang Buhay ng Tao

About 4 years ago meron akong nakilalang super-yaman na Pinay dito sa NZ, si Mrs L. Those who know L considers her to be the the richest Filipino in New Zealand. Na-invite kami sa birthday niya sa Whangarei which is about 2 hours North of Auckland. Hanep sa laki ang bahay niya sa Whangarei. Nasa taas ng isang hill. Wala kang makikitang kapit-bahay. Dahil kapag nandoon ka sa bahay niya, lahat ng natatanaw mong lupa sa paligid, pag-aari niya. At hindi lang yon ang property niya sa Whangarei. Meron pa siyang farm ng hindi ko matandaan kung ilang daang baka meron. Isa lang yon sa kanyang mga businesses. In fact, parang hobby lang niya yon. Ang major source of income niya galing sa airline insurance at hotel business. Aside from a house in NZ, meron din siya sa US, England, hotel sa Canada at Cook Islands.

What is truly remarkable was how she became rich in the first place. For she was once but a DH in Hongkong. Eto ang kwento niya. Sa HK may nanligaw sa kanyang isang matandang biyudo na Kiwi (New Zealander). Nagkagustuhan sila and to make the story short nagpakasal. Pero lingid sa kaalaman ni L, eto palang Kiwi ay isang bilyonaryo. Hindi pinaalam ng Kiwi kay L na siya ay mayaman dahil gusto niyang malaman ang tunay na loobin ni L. In fact, tumira lamang sila sa isang maliit na apartment at hindi binanggit ng Kiwi ang anuman tungkol sa kanyang mga business.

Then after a few years, na-diagnose yung Kiwi na may tumor, cancer sa brain. Natigil mag-trabaho ang Kiwi at inalagaan siya ni L. Isang beses, nag-volunteer si L na bumalik sa pagiging DH para makatulong sa mga hospital bills. Hindi pumayag ang Kiwi pero di nito pinagtapat kung bakit. Inilagan ni L ang Kiwi hanggang sa kanyang mga huling sandali and without knowing that her husband was very rich.

Then parang Hollywood movie, nung basahin ng abogado ng Kiwi ang kanyang last will and testament, halos lahat ng kayaman at mga businesses ng Kiwi pinamana lahat kay L. Yan ang kwento ni L kung paano siya naging multi-millionaire.

Bagamat milyonarya na si Mrs L, very humble and down to earth pa rin siya. Hindi siya nagbago ng ugali. Nung una namin siyang ma-meet, she was wearing a very ordinary pink track suit. Hindi Nike or Adidas. Walang brand name. She wasn’t wearing any makeup or jewelry. She was very simple that if you happen to meet her on the streets, you would not have any hint that she is a very rich woman. She was driving an ordinary Toyota Previa. Her house in Whangarei which she inherited from her husband is a mansion, but had no extravagant furnishings. Kapag pumupunta siya sa airport at sa mga business meetings, nagta-taxi lang siya o kaya bus.

One time pinalabas pa siya ng manager ng isang sikat na department store. Parang yung eksena sa "Pretty Woman" ni Julia Roberts. Kasi pinupuno niya ang trolley niya ng mga mamahaling goods. The manager who obviously didn't know her rudely asked her kung kaya niyang bayaran lahat. So L took the store manager to the nearby bank and introduced him to the bank manager. The bank manager told the store manager that if L wanted, she could buy the whole department store chain! Pahiya yung manager at hindi magkanda-ugaga sa pag-apologize at pina-free delivery lahat ng pinamili ni L.

Tunay na mahiwaga ang buhay ng tao. Hindi lang pala sa mga children's fairy tale books nangyayari ang mga ganito. Meron din pala sa tunay na buhay. Kung minsan may mga bagay-bagay na nangyayari sa ating buhay na wala sa original plans natin. They just happen.

Some call it karma, that good things happen to good people. Some call it destiny, guhit ng palad, kapalaran, tadhana, or God’s plan. Do we have control of our future? Or is the future pre-determined? Is there really such a thing as destiny? Here’s what my favorite TV series has to say about it.

Young Caine: 'As we stand with two roads before us, how shall we know whether the right road or the left road will lead us to our destiny?'

Master Po: 'You spoke of chance, Grasshopper, as if such a thing were certain to exist. In the matter you speak of, Destiny, there is no such thing as chance for whichever way we choose, right or left, it must lead to an end. And that end is our destiny.’

Hate Letter Against Pinoys - a hoax

I recently received an email from a friend about an article presumably written by a radio host from Nevada named Art Bell. The article’s title was “Filipinos make me puke”. The email is definitely a hoax. Any email that contains the following words “Pass this” or “Please pass”, or “Forward this” should not be taken seriously.

The article contained in the email is a hate letter against Pinoys. You can read the entire text from this link. Ewan ko sa iba. Pero sa akin wa epek ang mga sinabi dito. I’m not boiling mad compared to others who reacted violently against this article. Para sa akin childish masyado ang laman ng artikulo. I think someone was trying to make Pinoys mad para ikalat ang email.

I’ll dissect the last part of the article, so you’ll see why this article should not be taken seriously.

From The Article	My Comments
To the filipino people	Thank you, thank you
Please recognize your ROOTS!	Sure, 'lang problema.
You come from the Third World!	Alam ko yon. Di mo na dapat banggitin pa.
Your country is a disgusting and filthy place.	Opinyon mo yan. People who only see a glass half empty will never see it half full.
Most people there live in poverty!	That’s true. Can you help us then?
Your culture has MUCH MORE SPANISH influence than chinese, and absolutely no JAPANESE influence whatsoever.	Actually, much more American influence, not Spanish. So what if we have no Japanese influence. Just because we don’t doesn’t prevent us from liking Japanese goods.
People in Japan and China, do not act like you.	Why should we expect them to?
They do not constantly talk about sex and they have a MUCH HIGHER level of RESPECT for each other.	Oh Really? As far as I know mas maraming porno stars ang Hapon and Tsina. Eto ang giveaway kung bakit alam mong hindi si Art Bell ang sumulat ng article dahil kung susuriin mo dapat nakakaintindi siya ng Tagalog para masabi niya ito. Dahil kung totoo man na we “talk constantly about sex” I’m sure hindi sa wikang Inglis.
There is NO WAY that you can connect yourself to Asia other than location.	Asia is not only China and Japan.
Your culture and technological advancement does not even come CLOSE to What Chinese people have done in the past and what Japanese and Korean people are doing now!	Sure, agree ako dito. We can use them as our models, then.
Everything you do is distinctly Filipino.	Maraming salamat at napuna mo.
You cannot take credit for Japanese cars, video games, or Hentai! It's not an "asian thing" it's, an "American thing"	We have no intention of taking credit from anyone. Basta, type lang namin ang mga made in Japan.
You have no concept of culture...no concept of asian ideas or asian philosophy! Can you demonstrate how you use Confucianism or Taoism in your everyday life?? You can't. And you will NEVER be able to.	Sorry mate. Hindi ko makuha ang gusto mong palitawin dito. Most of us Pinoys are Christians, kaya ang philosophy namin sa buhay base sa Biblia.
I understand that you are trying to create an identity for yourselves as young people... but it is NOT related to Asia. Your Identity is Filipino. That's all you are. Just Filipino. Think about what that means...	Tama ka, Pinoy kami. May sariling identity na iba sa mga Hapon at Intsik. Though we come from the continent of Asia like them, we have a different history, different struggles, different religion, different land, different climate. But we’re not JUST Filipino. We are proud to be called Filipino.

If I could...

TeacherSol tagged me to answer 5 questions. Sa totoo lang nahirapan akong sagutin. Mahirap kasing mag-isip. Para nga naman nung high school tayo at pagagawan tayo ng composition ng titser sa English. But anyway eto ang mga sagot ko sa mga “if I could” questions mo mam. Pasensiya na kung late ang submission ko.

If I could be in one place right now...
It would be in Ayala Greenbelt the way I remember it when my esmi and I used to date there couple of decades ago. Buhay pa ba ngayon ang Greenbelt?

If I could give something of myself to my friends...
It would the love for simple things, simple and uncomplicated life.

If I could take some people somewhere...
I would take them here in New Zealand to share with them the beauty of the place.

If I could make one dream come true...
It would be to erase everything that’s bad (nangunguna na ang mga politico) in our country and make it a happier and more prosperous place to live in.

If I could do real magic...
I would make people love one another more (without making more babies, hehehe).

Mam sol, pasado na ba ako?

Saan ba mas magandang mag-migrate sa Canada o sa NZ?

Hindi ko masasagot ito kasi di pa ako nakapunta ng Canada. But someone who's lived in both countries might be able to give anyone thinking of migrating to either of these countries some valuable insights.

May isang very informative post si JAP doon sa backpack-newzealand tungkol sa issue ng Canada vs NZ. Hanapin niyo lang yung mahabang post ni JAP dito sa link na ito.

Although hindi na ako masyadong tumatambay sa forum na yon kasi pinagbawal na ang magpost ng tagalog, nirerekomenda ko pa rin na pasyalan ninyo kung may mga bagay kayong gustong malaman tungkol sa NZ. Pero kung may mga katanungan kayo, mas maigi kung sa pinoyimmigrants.com na lang kayo mag-post. At least doon pwedeng tagalog, kapampangan, bisaya, at kahit inglis-barok tulad ko.

Jeepney Magic

"Jeepney Magic"
Showing sa Discovery Channel this Tuesday, June 21, at 3:30 PM. Para sa mga Pinoy na narito sa NZ. Napakadalang ng mga palabas tungkol sa ating bayan dito sa NZ, kaya don't miss this one.

Speaking of Jeepneys, naalala ko yung isang TV/Movie personality nung nasa Pinas pa ako bandang 80’s and 90’s na ang screen name niya ay “Tisoy”. Black ang skin color niya at short and kinky ang hair niya. Mostly sa mga comedy shows siya gumaganap. At ang patentadong move niya yung winawagayway niya ang dalawa niyang kamay sa may ulo niya at medyo nakatingala sa bawat sambitin niyang dialog. And his famous words were “ano ba yan?” habang winawagayway ang dalawang kamay. There was even a famous joke na namatay na nga raw si Tisoy. Kasi sumabit sa jeepney. At nung papara na sumigaw ng “para, para” while shaking both of his hands on the side of his head. Kaya ayun nahulog sa tumatakbong jeepney. I hope people here still remember that character.

Naisip ko lang ito dahil sa mga nangyayari ngayong kaguluhan sa bansa natin. Parang nakikini-kinita ko ang sarili ko. Ako si Tisoy at sinasambit ang famous lines niya. “Ano ba yan? Ano na namang kaguluhan yan?” Hay naku! Sigh.

Miss kita, kaibigan

Who finds a faithful friend, finds a treasure. -- Jewish Saying

Kaibigan, natatandaan mo pa ba ako? Magsasampung taon na ngayon nung iwanan kita sa LA dahil ako’y kinailangan lumipad patungong NZ. Oo nga’t maiksi lang ang ating pagsasama noon. Less than 2 years lang. Pero dahil araw-araw tayong magkasama kaya’t naging malalim ang ating bond.

Malayo-layo din ang ating pinagsamahan. From Glendale to Anaheim, araw-araw tayong naglalakbay. Ang masasabi ko lang, tunay kang maaasahan. Kahit mainit, malamig, ma-araw, ma-ulan, malapit o malayo man ang ating paroroonan, andun ka pa rin. Hindi mo ako pinahiya ni minsan. At hindi rin naman kita kinahiya di ba?

Bagamat may ilan kang kapintasan, (at alam kong alam mo rin yon), lahat yon aking binalewala. Naintindihan ko naman na marami ka nang pinagdaanan at marami na rin ang gumamit sa yo. Tingnan mo nga ang itsura mo. Tanggapin mo na na hindi ka na guwaping na katulad nung una kang lumabas nung 1979. Ang ina mong si Toyota at ako na lang siguro ang tanging may pagmamahal pa sa yo.

 (Note: not the actual photo of my car. look alike lang. actual has no mags, kupas na ang paint at may yupi pa ang front)

You may look tired and aged but never was I ashamed of you. Natatandaan mo ba nung mag-attend tayo ng Christmas party ng company namin? Sa isang isang sikat na Japanese restaurant sa LA ginanap ang party. Sakay mo ako at ang mag-ina ko. Naka-americana ako at formal dress naman is misis na parang mag-aatend kami ng Oscar awards. Nag-convoy pa tayo ng boss ko na naka-BMW at ang iba kong mga opismeyts na may mga mamahalin ding sasakyan. Pagdating sa restaurant, hinanap natin ang parking lot. Walang parking lot kasi pala “valet parking”. Huminto tayo sa tapat ng pinto nung magarang restaurant. Bumaba kami at binigay ko yung susi sa parking attendant habang tahimik akong nagdasal ng “Diyos ko, iligtas niyo po ako sa kahihiyan. Paabutin niyo po sa parking lot ang aking Celica”. Ganoon pa man, hindi kita kinahiya.

Di ba’t marami ka ring eccentricities? Yung isang gulong mo sa hulihan Michelin nga pero may ga-karayom naman na butas sa side wall kaya unit-unting lumalambot. Ayaw naman i-vulcanize dahil sa side daw. How about your aircon? Mainit na hangin na ang binubuga, kaya pinakargahan ko ng freon, di ba? Okay na sana pero bakit ba kapag naka-tigil tayo sa trapik at naka-apak ako sa brakes, hindi pa rin lumalamig? Lumalamig lamang kapag naka-apak ako sa accelerator. E nung muntik tayong banggain ng isang bus? Natatandaan mo ba yon? Bakit naman kasi yung busina mo may boses lang kapag naka-hinto tayo, pero kapag tumatakbo, na-tyo-tyope? At yung pintuan mo sa passenger side, sa labas lang pwedeng buksan. Sabagay safety rin yon lalo na kapag mga bata ang sakay.

I endured and tolerated all your eccentricities. Kapag pinagtatawanan ka nila, dumudugo ang puso ko. Kaibigan kita e. Di nga ba’t isang beses habang tayo ay namamahinga sa isang park may lumapit na Mechicano sa atin at gusto kang bilhin ng $1500? Bagamat $800 lang nung una kitang kunin kay Doc, hindi kita binigay dahil hindi matutumbasan ng dolyares ang ating pagkakaibigan.

Sana nakuha mo na akong patawarin ng kita’y karaka-rakang iwanan nung 1996. Kung mabibigyan ka nga lang ng visa dito sa NZ isinama sana kita. Pero alam mo namang bawal dito ang kaliwete (left hand drive). Panalangin ko na lang na sana ngayo’y may tumitingin at nagmamalasakit sa yong kaibigan na katulad ko.

Ang nagmamahal mong kaibigan,
Uro

What we remember from childhood we remember forever - permanent ghosts, stamped, inked, imprinted, eternally seen. ~Cynthia Ozick

Some nights ago, may napanood akong documentary ng isang robbery na naganap dito sa NZ. Very elaborate ang planong ginawa ng mga robbers. Matagal nilang ni-plano ang lahat. At nakailang dry-runs pa sila para siguradong perpekto ang execution.

Apat na katao ang gumawa ng krimen. Una, successful ang ginawa nilang nakawan. Almost 2 million ang nakuha nilang halaga. Pero gaano man sila katalino, bobo pa rin sila dahil in two weeks time, natunton sila ng Police at isa-isa sa kanila ang nahuli at umamin ng kanilang involvement sa krimen.

Nung mahuli sila, ewan ko ba kung bakit naawa pa ako sa isa sa kanila. Yung isang magnanakaw, pagkatapos niyang makuha ang share niya, imbes na magtago at mag-lie-low muna, ang ginawa nagpakasaya ng todo. At alam niyo ba kung papaano siya nagpakasaya? He spent the whole day enjoying all the rides at Rainbow's End (an amusement park in Auckland)! May mga souvenir photos pa siya.

When asked why he did what he did, he simply said that he wanted to experience the things he never had the chance to do when he was a kid. Actually, naiyak ako sa sinabi niya. Here is person who became a criminal because he simply wanted to be a kid for one day!

I know what he and his cohorts did was wrong and nothing whatsoever can justify their crime. But I understand too that people are not inherently bad. Sometimes because of a difficult childhood, some people become vulnerable and it becomes easy for them to be swayed into doing criminal acts.

I think as parents it is our duty to teach our children good moral values. Teach them what’s right and wrong. But more than that we also owe it to them to make them happy by allowing them to enjoy their childhood. Para pag laki nila masabi nila that they had a very enjoyable childhood and that they would not change it for anything else.

Belated Happy Independence Day

TeacherSol had a post about the Philippine national anthem, “Lupang Hinirang” in her blog. Dahil katatapos lang ng ating Independence Day, naisipan kong sumulat din tungkol dito.

The following is from TeacherSol’s post:

The present generation does not seem to have the same devotion to country that we, as children, learned from our parents and teachers. At home and in school before the war, we were taught to love the Philippines as the land of our birth and "the child of the sun returning" as the English lyrics of the anthem then proclaimed. The soldiers who fought in Bataan must have gathered strength and courage from the strains of that sacred song as they resisted the alien invader, many of them to death.

Some may say that our anthem is not as martial as the Star Spangled Banner of the Americans or the Marseillaise of France to whip the blood to thoughts of glory. The Filipinos are not a bellicose people. Our "Lupang Hinirang" sings of peace, the beauty of our hills and seas and the azure skies, and the treasured liberty we will defend with our very lives. We should all rise to hear those gallant words.

I then wrote the following comments on her post. I thought I’d reproduced them here, with a few minor revisions.

What's in a song if it does not evoke any feeling?

In my view our anthem was most relevant after the World Wars. Back then, there was that sense of rebuilding and being victorious against powerful alien forces.

During the early years of Marcos' New Society era, the "bagong lipunan song" was inspiring.

may bagong silang,
may bago nang buhay,
bagong bansa,
bagong galaw,
sa bagong lipunan.
magbabago ang lahat,
tungo sa pag-unlad,
at ating itanghal,
bagong lipunan!

The song evoked a feeling of advancement and progress.

Then during the darker days of the Marcos era, the song "Bayan ko" made us feel the martyrdom of people like Ninoy who fought the dictatorship.

Quote:
Our "Lupang Hinirang" sings of peace, the beauty of our hills and seas and the azure skies, and the treasured liberty we will defend with our very lives.

For the younger generations today, what feelings do those words evoke? How would the youth relate to those words? It's becoming more and more difficult. What has happened to our hills, seas and skies? How can we defend our country when there is no visible enemy, but corrupt and incompetent people within that destroys it?

Perhaps our national anthem has become irrelevant. We can do either of two things. Change it, or change ourselves.

Six o'clock Swill

I learned something interesting from my daughter’s assignment in Social Studies. They were studying NZ history in the 1950’s. Instead of learning it through books, their teacher taught them to learn history first hand by interviewing at least two New Zealanders who were old enough during the 1950’s and ask them what their thoughts were about certain events that occurred back then.

In one of the interviews, napagusapan yung "6 o'clock swill". Eto yung nangyari noong 1950's kung saan ibinawal ng gobyerno ang pag-inom ng alak at beer sa mga hotels at bars pagtuntong ng 6PM. Kaya raw ginawa ito para umuwi ng maaga ang mga lalaking Kiwi at nang makatulong sa mga gawain sa bahay at sa pamilya, at hindi na lang puro inuman with the mates.

In theory okay. But in practice ang nangyari ganito. The Kiwi men drank as much alcohol as they could in a short period of time (between 5pm when work ends up to 6pm) so much so that by the time they got home they were already too drunk to do anything useful!

Moral of the story: Huwag pigilin ang pag-utot at baka ang lumabas tae! Hehehe.

After being in NZ for 10 yrs now, do you consider yourself a kiwi?

Good question, Jinkee. Sa previous post ko, I was explaining the different meanings of the word “kiwi”. That it could refer to a bird, a fruit or the people. In this question, Jinkee was using "kiwi" to mean the people of NZ.

Nabigla ako sa tanong at napa-isip, because I’ve never thought of it before. I guess the reason being that we never made any conscious effort towards assimilating with the kiwi culture. For some of us, when we decide to live in another country, we just live there and make the country an extension of our own. There is no deliberate attempt to change one’s personality from Pinoy to something else. If part of me has become kiwi, it would have happened at the subconscious level.

I’ve learned to like NZ food. Beef and lamb, cooked bland with a pinch of salt and pepper. Fresh, raw oysters (sarap!!!), green salads, mussels but cooked our Filipino way. Sandwiches ang baon ko sa lunch instead of rice. But given a choice, I’ll settle anytime of the day on sinigang, nilaga, adobo, asado, paksiw, piniritong isda o baboy, tuyo, tinapa na may sawsawan na kamatis at patis at bagong saing na kanin. Kamayan at taas pa ang isang paa. Sa dessert naman, yung pavlova nila sobrang tamis (parang yung brazo de mercedes sa atin). Mas type ko ang leche-plan o kaya yung sans-rival ng Pampanga.

I follow NZ sports like rugby and cricket, but still can’t appreciate their netball. Basketball pa rin ako. NZ history, I know very little of. It’s not as eventfull as ours anyway. In arts, their Maori dances are impressive, but ours, in my opinion are more graceful. I liked the kiwi films Whale Rider and LOTR but I still miss Filipino movies.

We only have very few kiwi friends. It’s still Pinoys we mostly mingle with. (Come to think of it, maybe it’s time we should actually make an effort to mix with more kiwis).

So that’s about how kiwi I am. Kaya siguro nagkaroon ng mga salitang “Kinoy” at “Piwi”, (terms we used over here to refer to Kiwi-Pinoy at Pinoy-Kiwi) because for most Filipinos in NZ, we always think of ourselves as Pinoys and that we can only be 50% kiwi at the most.

So Jinkee, yan ang long answer ko sa tanong mo. My short answer is: No, I’ve never considered myself a kiwi. Sa pasaporte lang ako kiwi. Sa isip, wika at gawa, Pinoy pa rin. Maging sa pagtulog, mga panaginip ko sa Pilipinas pa rin. And that probably won't change even in the next 50 years.

It's in the context

In NZ, the word “kiwi” could refer to a bird, a fruit, a person, or the country.

The kiwi bird is a flightless bird, kasi walang pakpak. It is native to NZ and is a national symbol of the country. Actually, sa zoo lang ako nakakita ng kiwi bird. It is very hard to spot these birds in the wild because they’re nocturnal. Sa gabi lang gumagala.



The kiwi fruit is an egg shaped fruit (parang chiko, mas maliit lang at medyo oval shaped) with a fuzzy brown skin. Inside, the fruit is color green. The fruit is sweet na medyo maasim kaya rich in vitamin C. Nowadays, meron na rin tinatawag na Kiwi Gold which looks just like the green variety on the outside pero yellow ang laman sa loob at hindi maasim katulad nung green.


“Kiwi” can also refer to a person born in NZ or someone who’s lived in NZ for a sufficient amount of time. When used as an adjective, the word Kiwi can also refer to NZ as a country. For example: The Kiwi flag.

Ang tipid naman nila sa salita ano? Using the same word for different things. Nakakalito tuloy. One has to derive the thing being referred to from the context of the conversation. I know I’ve used the word “kiwi” lots of times before. If you are unable to derive it’s meaning from the context, huwag kayong mahihiyang magtanong. For now I will be the one to give you a simple test. Tingnan ko kung talagang attentive kayo. Can you guess what I am referring to when I ask: “nakatikim ka na ba ng kiwi?”

Confession of an Amateur Criminal

Sa nakaraan kong post nabanggit ko yung isa sa aking mga criminal offenses. This time I would like to confess to something more serious. Something I've never told any living person before. (Yung isang sinabihan ko, patay na!). My other crime aside from jay-walking was shop-lifting.

I was in college then. My friends and I, when we go to a shop or a restaurant, we liked to pinch small souvenir items. Baso, tissue holder, kubyertos, anything na may tatak ng store. Tapos idi-display namin sa aming mga rooms as though they were prized trophies. Katuwaan lang. Pasikatan kami ng mga items na nakokolekta. The more items a person collects, the more admiration he gets from the barkada. It was peer pressure at its subtlest worst.

Then from pinching small items just for fun I advanced to pinching books. This time not just for the thrill but more to satisfy my desire to read mystery books and novels. Marami-rami na rin akong nakolekta. And the more books I collect, the more na lumalakas ang loob ko. It got to the point na kahit may kamera ang store tumitira at nakakalusot pa rin ako.

Until...justice caught up with me. My last caper was one of Isaac Asimov's Black Widowers mystery book. I put it inside my baggy pants. Nakalabas na ako ng bookstore nung may dalawang mama ang humawak sa aking magkabilang braso at sabay turo sa aking pantalon. Dinala ako sa kanilang opisina. Di naman ako sinaktan. Sinabihan lang ako na bayaran ko daw ang libro ng double the price. That was fine. I didn’t panic. But on the way to the office, I could see some of the sales ladies looking at me. Narinig ko pa yung isa sabi: “sayang guwapo batang-bata pa naman”.

I realized then and there what was happening to me. Para akong dinagukan at ginising sa katotohanan. Sa isip-isip ko, ano nga bang kalokohan itong pinaggagawa ko? Wasting my life away. I suddenly realized the thrill wasn't worth it and from then on I stopped pinching anything. So that was the end of my criminal history.

Looking back, I now appreciate how lucky I was that my budding career in criminality was cut short with my reputation still intact. I mean, things could have gotten worse, kagaya nung nangyari sa isang Pinoy PMAer, Army 2Lt. Rolly Joaquin. Class valedictorian siya sa Philippine Military Academy, class of 2004, but he was caught shoplifting in the US and was deported. I thank my guardian angel for setting me back on the right course.

Sometimes we forget what’s right and wrong. What at first we think are seemingly innocent petty acts are transgressions that could actually lead to more serious offences. It takes someone or the system to punish us to remind us of what’s good and bad, right from wrong. Then we learn from the experience and become a better person... Hopefully.

It is the highest form of self-respect to admit our errors and mistakes and make amends for them. To make a mistake is only an error in judgment, but to adhere to it when it is discovered shows infirmity of character. - Dale E. Turner

Fugitive Ako

Nasa second year college ako noon at sa Sampaloc pa kami nakatira. Sa Espana, harapan ng UST main gate doon ako sumasakay ng bus papuntang Diliman. One time, tumawid ako ng Espana kasama ang ilan ding mga estudyante. Hindi kami gumamit ng overpass. In other words nag-jay-walking kami. Eksatamente pagtawid namin may naka-abang nang mga pulis na naka-civilian clothes at hinihingi ang aming mga ID dahil nag-jay-walking nga raw kami. Pagkakuha ng ID pinasasakay ang mga nahuli sa isang jeepney.

Duda na ako, mukhang hindi naman sila mga pulis at sa aking palagay balak lang makihati ng mga buwaya sa mga baon naming mga estudyante. Kaya nung hingin sa akin ang ID ko, sabi ko wala akong ID, cedula ang binigay ko. Naisip ko, anyway, madali naman kumuha uli ng cedula. Pagbigay ko ng cedula, pasimple akong nakihalo sa maraming tao at nung hindi na nakatingin yung pulis sabay karipas ng takbo papalayo.

Kaya ayan po, pinagtatapat ko na. Ako’y isang fugitive. Kasalukuyang pinaghahanap ng Manila Police.

Ngayon, tuwing tumatawid ako ng kalye, lumilingon muna ako sa kaliwa at kanan para sa mga dumarating na sasakyan. Tapos sa harapan kung may naka-abang na pulis. Nag-reserba na rin ako ng extrang cedula, just in case.

Long Weekend

Last week,long weekend sa Tate. This week it's our turn naman. Walang pasok sa Monday kasi Queen's Birthday daw. Queen of England. Actually, hindi naman talaga bertdey ni Queen Elizabeth ang June 6. Pero dito sa NZ, every first Monday of June, celebrated nila ang Queen's birthday. I think yung ibang Commonwealth countries tulad ng Australia, meron din silang Queen's Birthday holiday at ibang date din. Ewan ko nga ba bakit tinawag na Queen's birthday holiday. Di ko alam kung bakit. Basta ako masaya na ako at may extra akong araw na pamamahinga. Sa bahay lang naman kami, kasi panay ang ulan ngayon dito sa Auckland kaya kakatamad lumabas.

On Prayer

What is your favorite prayer? Mine is the prayer by St. Francis.

Make me a channel of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me bring Your love,
Where there is injury, Your pardon Lord,
And where there's doubt, true faith in You

Make me a channel of your peace,
Where there's despair in life let me bring hope,
Where there is darkness - only light,
And where there's sadness, ever joy

Oh Master, grant that I may never seek,
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be understood, as to understand,
To be loved, as to love with all my soul

Make me a channel of your peace,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
In giving to all men that we receive,
And in dying that we're born to eternal life

I like this prayer because it is personal and sincere. Every word in it, I could honestly relate to. It is a very unselfish prayer because it asks God not for material or worldly things. Instead it asks for love, forgiveness, faith, hope, joy and understanding, and not for oneself alone but for sharing with others. It’s saying: “God, I offer myself to you. Use me for your glory”.

How I wish all prayers are this way -- a personal communication between self and the Creator. I grew up as a Catholic. And now, I know Catholics will hate me for saying this. But frankly, I can’t understand why some Catholics (and that includes me) pray in emotionless, repetitive, almost mechanical fashion. I also say some, because, I’m sure other Catholics put deeper meanings to their prayers.

I can only speak for myself. Whenever I pray the rosary for instance, it feels impersonal and detached so much so that I think of it as just a waste of time. I truly can’t understand the need to repeat Hail Mary 50 plus times. In Catholic School, they taught us that when praying the rosary, one should be thinking of the mysteries (Glorious, Joyful, Sorrowful mysteries). One mystery for each decade of Hail Marys. Well, I tried doing that but then I realized that if I have to meditate on something, then I shouldn’t be thinking of the words I’m uttering. Which means that the Hail Marys are there simply to fill the time while meditating on a mystery. So why can’t we just be silent for 5 minutes for each mystery? Why can't the prayer being uttered be about the mystery itself? That way it has more meaning and is easier to meditate on. I wonder.

I feel like a rebel to my religion, expressing my gripes on Catholic prayer. But how can I help it if that’s how I feel. All I long for is to discover an intimate way to talk to Him. Like a son to his father. If my prayers lack sincerity and feeling, then who am I fooling? Isn’t it better for me then to simply not pray than pray pretending that I’m praying?

Buhay sa Opis

May nag-request sa akin (sori, nakalimutan ko na kung sinoman ikaw) na sumulat daw ako tungkol sa office culture ng mga kiwi. Mahirap mag-generalize kasi iilan pa lang naman ang napasukan kong opis dito. Ang maibabahagi ko lang yung sarili kong ekspiryens sa IT company na aking pinapasukan.

“Relaxed” is the best word I could think of to describe my everyday office life. But depending on your presonality, you can also say “boring”, “routine” or “stress-free”. To illustrate, let me recount to you my typical work day.

Dumarating ako between 8 and 9 AM. Walang fixed na oras. “Flexitime” kung tawagin dito. Pwede akong pumasok anytime, basta kailangan lang maka 8.5 hours (7.5 hours work plus 1 hour break) a day. Kapag late akong pumasok, late din and uwi and vice versa. Madalang pa sa patak ng ulan akong mag-over-time.

Dun sa dati kong pinapasukan, parati akong naka long sleeves with tie. Pero dito sa bago, long sleeves lang, no tie.

Kapansin pansin ang malaking pagkaka-iba ng mga opis dito kumpara sa atin. Hindi magulo kasi kokonti lang ang mga empleyado. Sa team nga namin, anim lang kami, kasama na doon ang manager. At majority ng mga empleyado namin over 30 years old. Siguro dahil may idad na ang karamihan, ang mga kilos nila pormal, hindi kilos bata. Bihira ang naghahagapakan sa tawa at nagkukwentuhan at nagbibiruan ng malakas. Taboo dito ang kahit anong green jokes. Umiiwas lang at baka ma-accuse ng sexual harrassment.

Mahirap makilala sa itsura o pananamit kung sino ang bossing at hindi. Wala rin nagtatawagan ng Boss, Mam o Sir, lahat by first name basis lang. Ako, ang mga binabati ko lang yung mga malapit sa mesa ko at yung mga kasama ko sa team. Bihira akong makipag-tsikahan sa iba. If ever, short chat lang. Ang usual na tsika namin ganito:

“So how’s your weekend?”
“Not too bad, and you?”
“Same-o, same-o”
“See ya later, bye”

Tapos ang usapan. Ang hirap yatang mag-Ingles, ano? Bakit ko pahihirapan ang sarili ko, di ba?

Pagdating sa opis, diretcho ako kaagad sa sariling cubicle na may L-shaped na mesa, sariling telopono, computer at mga drawers. Magla-logon sa computer at umpisa na akong magtrabaho.

Wala din oras ang breaktime dito. Anytime pwedeng pumunta sa kitchen. May libreng cape, tsaa o Milo. Lunch time is anytime after 12 noon. Yung iba bumibili sa canteen o kaya kumain sa labas. Yung iba, hindi mo man mapapansin nagla-lunch. Dahil isang mansanas lang pala lunch na sa kanila. Ako, pinagbabaon ako ni esmi ng dalawang sandwich, na may kasamang saging at isang apple. Kung suswertihin pwede rin may kasamang muffin, cake o chocolate bar para sa snacks. At sa aking cubicle lang ako nagla-lunch. (Paalala nga pala, bago ko malimutan. Kung magbabaon ng rice, siguraduhin lang na hindi maamoy ang ulam, at baka kapag ni-microwave umalingasaw ang sangsang. Kakahiya yon!).

Kung ikukumpara ko nga sa naging opis environment na dinanas ko nung ma-assign ako ng ilang buwan sa Pilipinas, masasabi kong boring ang opis layp ko sa NZ, dahil sa Pinas may action, drama at comedy. Showbiz na showbiz.

Sa Quezon City ako na-assign upang turuan ang pagkadami-daming computer programmers na noon ay nag-po-program ng computerization ng driver's licenses sa Pinas. Pagdating ko sa opis ng bandang 8AM andoon na rin ang karamihan ng mga programmers. Mostly mga bagong graduates pa lang sa college. Siguro average age nila nasa 25 years lang.

Dahil halos puro mga kabataan, masisigla sila. Pagdating sa umaga, tsika-tsika. Meron na diyan magkukumpulan, magkukwentuhan at magtatawanan ng malakas. May mga magkasintahan na maghaharutan at mag-iiyakan habang ang iba nama’y magtutuksuhan. May mga pa-sosy na parating may bitbit na Starbucks coffee cup na walang alam pagusapan kung hindi yung mga gimmick nila nung nakaraang weekend. Sgurado ring may alaskador sa grupo at meron din naman yung peborit na ina-alaska.

Alas nuwebe na wala pa talagang nauumpisahang trabaho. Mag-start lang ang tunay na trabaho kapag dumating na ang mga bossing. Alam mong may dumating na bossing kasi mauuna yung security guard bitbit yung laptop ni Sir o ni Mam. Si Sir o Mam darating, naka-isputing. Naka-skirt si Mam with matching blazer. Si Sir naman naka barong tagalog o kaya puting long sleeves with tie.

Papasok ang mga bossing sa mga sariling kwarto. Yung mga assistant ng bossing may mga sariling cubicle. Kami namang mga programmers, halos nagkakasikuhan na, na nakahilera ang mga computer sa isang mahabang mesa.

9:30 breaktime. Pagbalik sa trabaho roronda na yung aleng nagtitinda ng lunch para kunin ang aming mga order. Bago mag alas-dose, darating ang in-order na lunch na naka styrofoam at may kasamang softdrinks lulan plastic na may straw. Lista muna yon. Sa sweldo na ang bayaran.

Pagkatapos ng pananghalian, papatayin ang mga ilaw para makapag-siesta ng kalahating oras. Ala una, back to work na naman para mag-merienda uli sa alas-tres ng hapon. 5 pm normally uwian na, pero kapag maraming trabaho, over-tawad, kaya kung minsan gabi na ang uwi. Kapag nagtawag ka ng meeting, asahan mong half hour bago makompleto lahat ng attendees.

Nakaka-miss din ang opis layp sa atin. Yun bang magulo na masaya. Organized chaos kung baga. Ang isang tunay na kapansin-pansin sa atin, ang mga Pinoy mas-palangiti, masayahin.

Some Blogs About NZ Migration

Sometime ago I found Jesse's Blog. He has an entry on how to apply for NZ residency via the Skilled Migrant Category. Kumpleto pati estimate ng gastos, ng time, at may checklist pa ng requirements.

Ang isa pang useful site ay yung kay Jinkee. Marami siyang post sa actual experiences niya sa pag-apply.

May mga posts siya tungkol sa proseso ng pag-apply, pagkuha ng medical examination sa peralta clinic, at mga tips for the actual interview.

Bisitahin niyo si Jesse at Jinkee sa blogs nila, tapos sana bisitahin niyo rin ako kapag nandito na kayo.