Vacation Update

This is just a quick update of our vacation so far. But first I'ld like to apologize for not updating my blog for the past few days. Putol kasi yung phone connection sa bahay kaya walang internet. Ngayon nakikigamit muna ako at may time na rin kasi lie low na sa shopping. First week, e puro shopping ang ginawa nag mag-ina ko. Sa Gateway, SM, Greenhills, Makati at 168. Talagang shop to death sila. Ako tagabitbit lang ng mga pinagshopping nila.

Enjoy naman dito at maganda ang weather. Hindi masyadong mainit at hindi naman maulan. Although at times, medyo maalinsangan, kaya kailangan maligo nang two to three times a day. Highlight of our stay so far was when I attended the Pinoyz2nz meeting at Megamall last 24th Sept. Kinakabahan talaga ko nung nag-speech ako. Wala kasi akong praktis. Very friendly ang mga members and organizers ng meet. To all of them I wish them all the very best.

I was quite impressed with the improvements in traffic sa metro manila compared to what it was 5 years ago. Very efficient yung LRT at MRT. Yung mga malls dito grabe, super laki at ganda. Mami-miss namin ito pagbalik sa NZ.

For now, I really miss updating my blog and blog hopping. I'll be back in NZ on the 9th Oct. Until then...

Pssst!

Alam niyo ba na may isang kasuotan sa katawan ang madalas hindi sinusuot ng mga Kiwi? Presko raw kasi sa katawan kapag wala nito. Minsan nga di ako nagsuot nito. Haay! Masarap nga rin pala. Kaya niyo bang hulaan kung ano ito? Clue: Ito'y sa bandang ilalim ng katawan sinusuot. Basahin ang sagot dito sa Pinoy Atbp.

Adopt a Smilee Heart on Your Site Today!

Smilee Heart now comes in different background colors. Thanks to Kadyo for his time and creativity in designing the original VFS logo as well as these ones.



And if you're still unhappy with any of the colors there's one designed by Tanggerz with a transparent backbground, at may kurap effect pa! The logo and the HTML code are available at the VFS website.



Give "kurapsky" a home on your site today! Support the cause for peace and friendship in the Blogosphere.

Crab Mentality??

Isa sa parating dinadahilan kung bakit backward pa rin ang Pilipinas ay ang tinatawag na “crab mentality”. I used to think of this social concept negatively until someone from one of my Yahoo groups came out with a rather opposite interpretation of it. I was quite impressed it convinced me to look at “crab mentality” in a different light. And here is what he said summarized in my own words.

“Crab mentality” is used to describe our apparent cutthroat behavior of pulling others down in our quest for success. It likens this behavior with how the talangka in their desire to climb out of a hole try to pull those on top in order to get ahead of the rest.

Yan nga naman ang usual na observation natin sa mga talangka. But once you take a few more minutes to observe these amazing crustaceans you’ll notice that eventually almost all of them are able to climb out of the hole. Isn’t that amazing? Lahat sila nakaahon! Since the analogy is between us and the talangka, therefore it follows, may pag-asa pala na tayong lahat ay makakaahon din sa butas ng kahirapan.

Isipin natin papaano ba nakaahon ang mga talangka? Simple lang, nagtulungan sila. At first ang akala natin yung nasa ibaba hinihila nila yung nasa itaas pababa. Actually baligtad pala dahil yung nasa itaas ang siyang humihila doon sa mga nasa baba para silang lahat ay makaakyat. Teamwork at mutual support ang ginamit nila.

This same behavior, we observe among our kababayans everyday. Tutulungan ng magulang at ng mga kapatid ang isang kapatid para makapag-abroad. Once settled na ang kapatid kukunin naman nito ang mga magulang at ang ibang kapatid at kamag-anakan. Very typical hindi po ba?

The challenge for us now is to go beyond our immediate families in helping others. Magtulungan at magbayanihan para sa ating bayan. One of the organizations that have been meeting this challenge is Pinoyz2NZ. This is a group of Pinoys wishing to migrate to NZ. Some of them have just started applying for residency, some waiting for the results of their applications, some have already been granted visas, while some may already be living in NZ. I was very impressed with this group because of the unselfishness of its members in sharing their experiences, knowledge and tips about the application process to other members. By acting collectively, they provide moral support and encouragement to others. By sharing information they help newcomers avoid common mistakes and thus increase their chances of success in their applications. Unaware of it, each of them is behaving like crabs but in a positive way.

I’m proud to be associated with this group. To the members of Pinoyz2NZ, I’m looking forward to seeing you all in your 8th Philippine Meet on the 24th of September at Megamall. Mag-iispits pa nga raw ako. Ano naman kaya ang ikukwento ko? Mga kabalbalan namin ni Don Atoy? Bahala na basta huwag niyo akong pag-barongin or americana. Di bagay sa akin.


Pinoyz2NZ: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pinoyz2nz/


Pinoyz2NZ 8th Phil Meet - 24 Sept 2005 (Saturday) 10am to 3pm
Mega Trade Hall Function Room (beside Wedding Library)
5th Floor SM Megamall - Mega B Building

For entrance fee and further details, please email pinoyz2nz@yahoogroups.com

"The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend." - Abraham Lincoln

This morning while driving on the motorway on my way to work, a truck suddenly swerved and cut in front of me. I was caught by surprise because the truck didn’t even indicate and in my surprise had to step on the brakes quite abruptly. In my younger years I would most probably have retaliated. I’ld probably stepped on the gas to overtake this lunatic and in the process give the driver the dirty finger.

But I’m older now and wiser. I’ve realized retaliation and violence can only lead to more violence. Being more mature, I’ve learned to contain my anger and have better self-control. I wasn’t like this before. I remembered having fits of tantrums when I was angry and would vent my ire by cursing and swearing for days. Now I’ve mellowed and changed. This came about when I’ve finally grasped the meaning of free-will.

Not many people fully comprehend the power of free-will. Many of us still let our actions be dictated upon by our emotions. When someone makes us angry, we hit back on that person. When we’re hungry, we eat. When sleepy, we sleep. When in love, we love. There’s nothing wrong with that so long as the emotion is a neutral or a positive one. But if the emotion is a negative one, for example anger or hate, this is when we should exercise our God-given right to free-will.

Free-will is about choice. In everything we do we have a choice. When someone upsets us and makes us angry, we have a choice on how we’ld react. It’s either we let our emotions take control of us and we retaliate and hit-back or exercise self-control and do something that is non-violent and reconciliatory. Most people do the first one because it is more humanly natural, although it is not really the right thing.



For myself, I’ve made a conscious decision to follow the second option. As a blogger, I’m exercising my right to freewill not to retaliate on anyone. To signify my decision I’ve decided to put a stamp on my blog and announce to all visitors coming in to my site that this site is a VISITOR FRIENDLY SITE. It is my promise to anyone who comes in to my site, leaves a comment or message, either it be good or bad, for or against my views, that I am willing to listen to them and that if ever I’m offended with what they’ve written that:

• I will not react violently at them.
  

• I will not reply back in a menacing tone or manner or use foul language or swearing.

• I will sort out our differences with them privately and discretely and refrain from quarreling or bickering in public.

Most people blog and read other people’s blog to find small relief from the stresses of everyday life. I believe it’s unkind to add any more stress to people by involving them in personal quarrels and animosities.

This is a crusade to restore and maintain peace and harmony among fellow bloggers. My appeal is for everyone tired of the in-fighting and the negativity in the BlogoSphere, and share the VFS views of open-mindedness, reconciliation and non-retaliation to join this crusade by displaying the VFS icon on their sites.

I've made my choice to treat all visitors with courtesy and respect befitting a true guest and friend, the VFS way. How about you? What's your choice?

Paano Nagumpisa ang Empire ni Ka Uro

Napanood ko nung isang gabi ang The Apprentice. Yaman talaga ni Donald Trump ano? Ilan billion kaya ang halaga ng Trump Empire? Marami ang di nakakaalam, meron ding Ka Uro Empire. Paano ba ito nagsimula? Ano ba ang naging unang trabaho ni Ka Uro? Magkano ba ang sweldo niya sa kanyang first job? E nung makarating siya sa NZ, ano ang unang trabaho niya at magkano ang sweldo niya? Gusto niyong malaman? Pwes basahin niyo sa aking artikulo "First Job Never Dies" sa Pinoy Atbp, at i-share na rin ninyo ang mga hekspiryens ninyo sa first job. Totoo lahat ang sinabi ko, except itong tungkol sa aking empire. Magkakatotoo lang ito pag tama ko sa lotto sa Sabado ng $14.5 million.

Feeding your Kiwi Guests

May request sa akin si Senyang na mag-sulat tungkol sa mga gustong pagkain ng mga Kiwi. May mga bisita kasi siyang darating from NZ.

Actually madali lang naman i-please ang mga Kiwi. Mas madali ngang i-prepare ang mga pagkain nila. Hindi tulad ng mga pagkain natin na de-putahe at preparation pa lang aabutin na nang siyam-siyam. So here are some tips on what to prepare and also what to avoid if you want to impress your Kiwi guests.

Breakfast
Kung tayo mahilig sa heavy breakfast na may sinangag, fried eggs, tocino, fried fish, kamatis, etc., sila hindi. The simplest breakfast you can prepare is what they call continental breakfast. Pinaganda lang ang name pero actually, cereals lang at fresh milk. Pwede mo rin dagdagan ng toasts at butter. Kung medyo galante ka bacon, ham and fried eggs idagdag mo. For drinks, coffee or tea or orange juice. Yung mga Kiwi, they like to add milk to their tea. At ang milk nila dito sa NZ yung fresh milk. Hindi sila gumagamit ng evap na nakalata.

Lunch
Madali din mag-prepare ng lunch para sa mga Kiwi. Usually, light lang. Hindi heavy na tulad natin. Sandwiches lang okay na. Kaya lang yung sandwiches nila dito malalaki at maraming sahog na salads na tulad nung mga tinitinda sa Subway Restaurant. Para mas madali, dahil alam ko naman na mahal din ang mga fresh salads sa atin, pwede na rin ang hotdog sandwich. Fried, grilled o kahit na-microwave na sausages lang tapos tinapay na pinahiran ng spreadable butter okay na. Yung iba gusto rin samahan ng fried onions at lagyan ng ketchup. Nga pala, try the Heinz or Del Monte ketchup. Huwag yung UFC. Matamis kasi yung UFC at hindi sila sanay doon.

Kung gusto mo pwede rin magluto ng french fries (chips ang tawag nila dito). Make sure damihan mo kasi yun ang ginagawa nilang kanin. Yung isda kung magluluto ka tanggalin mo ang ulo at tinik. Ayaw nilang nakikita ang ulo ng isda or any animal na tulad ng lechon baboy. Cruelty to animals yon para sa kanila. Very gross para kanila yung ugali nating sinisipsip ang mata ng isda. Kaya kapag isda usually fillet na.

After lunch, offer them some desserts and coffee or tea. Usual desserts nila could be cakes, ice cream, fruits or fruit salad. Ang fruit salad nila, sari-saring chopped fruits (watermelon, melon, oranges) na pinagsama-sama lang. Hindi tulad sa atin na may gatas at pinalamig pa.

Dinner
Eto ang pinaka-heavy meal para sa kanila. If you want to serve some starters bago yung mains you can start with soup. Corn soup or seafood chowder soup are common. For the mains the safest to prepare is anything meat that is grilled on the barbecue. Slices of pork, beef, chicken or lamb or sausages. Hindi mo na kailangan tuhugin, extra work lang yon. Kailangan lang malalaking slices. And if you're going to marinate the meat, huwag masyadong maalat, matoyo o matamis. Bland ang panlasa nila di tulad sa atin. Kung chicken, I suggest lutuin mo muna slightly sa oven bago mo i-barbecue. Kasi kung barbecue lang hindi maluluto ang loob. Sa steak naman, yung iba gusto yung rare o medium rare na mamula-mula pa ang gitna. Better ask them first how they like their steaks.

With the meat, gusto nila ang fresh salads na may dressing na nabibili naman sa mga supermarket. Magbukas ka rin ng corn at green peas na nakalata to add some color on the table. If you want to serve rice, okay din. Otherwise dagdagan mo ng chips and bread and butter.

The other variation from barbecue is roasted beef or pork. Roast the meat in the oven. Then slice it into thin strips na parang ham to serve. In the oven, mag-roast ka rin ng buo-buong patatas, kamote, at gabi. Kahit di balatan ang patatas at kamote okay lang basta hugasan mo lang mabuti. When they eat the patatas and kamote, they sometimes like putting some butter on it.

With their dinner plates, they normally use fork and knife. Yung iba nga di marunong gumamit ng spoon.

If you’re feeling sosy, magbukas ka ng wine. The rule of thumb is white wine kung white meat like chicken, fish or pork ang ulam. Otherwise red wine kung red meat tulad ng steak. Make sure you use proper wine glasses. Hindi kasi magandang tingnan kung may wine ka nga tapos ordinary drinking glasses or plastic cups naman ang gamit mo.

After the mains, serve the usual desserts then coffee, or tea.

Eto naman ang mga dapat tandaan especially if you’re serving Pinoy dishes. Nasabi ko na sa itaas yung fish na dapat walang ulo. Don’t serve any exotic Pinoy dish like dinuguan, pinapaitan or anything with animal internal organs. Avoid serving anything that is fatty or high in cholesterol. For example yung pork chop na makapal ang taba. O kaya ang bulalo na may lumulutang pang utak at mga buto-buto. They are not used to anything na may buto-buto. Dito kasi sa NZ, yung mga buto-buto na ginagawang bulalo sa Pet Food Section ng supermarket kang nabibili. Avoid soup dishes like sinigang, tinola or nilaga. They are not used to eating rice na binabad sa sabaw. You can serve lumpiang shanghai and pancit. Alam nila ito. But try to avoid adding shrimps kasi some Kiwis are allergic to it. Huwag din lalagyan ng mga atay at balumbalunan. No, no yon. Tahong very common dito. Kaya pwede itong isang putahe.

Merienda
Madali lang, coffee or tea at biscuits lang. Anything heavier than that is already a main meal.

I hope I've given you an idea of what food Kiwis like at makatulong ito sa pag-entertain sa iyong mga guests. Kung nahihirapan kang magpakain sa kanila, dalhin mo na lang sila sa Mcdo o KFC o kaya umorder ka na lang ng pizza.

Useful Tip from Air Milikay

Salamt sa tip ni Air Milikay, it is now possible to trace anyone's country and ISP basta alam mo ang IP address niya. All you have to do is go to the following website:
http://www.formyip.com/ipcountry.php

Then type the IP address, for example, the IP address 208.181.68.167, then click a submit button. You’ll find out that this IP address is from someone writing from Canada. At ang ISP niya is TELUS Communications Inc.

I tried my office IP address: 202.27.76.2. Tama nga. New Zealand and ISP is Datacom Systems Ltd.

I tried the IP address of a fellow blogger from Saudi which is 212.138.64.176 and correct din. From Saudi Arabia. ISP niya is Internet Service Unit.

So next time when someone leaves you nasty comments, verify niyo muna kung saan galing. Or you might end up falsely accusing some innocent people. Thanks Air Milikay.

My Two Cents

A few observations of some public officials here in NZ.

1. The prime minister doesn’t have a dish washer at home. In fact, last year lang daw siya nagkaroon ng microwave oven sa bahay.
2. The police officers who accompanied the prime minister in a motorcade were being charged for over speeding for driving over the speed limit.
3. A minister of parliament riding a bicycle on her way to work.
4. A minister of parliament riding a skate board on his way to the parliament building.
5. A minister of parliament resigns from her post for being caught drink driving.
6. The prime minister without any body guards goes to the supermarket where Jean works, tapos kinamayan pa siya.
7. A former minister gets imprisoned for using public money to pay for her children's private education.

Hanga ako sa mga officials dito. Their dedication to the office, simplicity in lifestyle, moral and social integrity (most of them) are well above board. Those who violate and abuse their positions are meted punishments just like anyone else. In effect, graft and corruption is low. Public officials are looked up as role models. What’s good about this is that there is no added stress to the ordinary people on the streets because they don’t feel abused by those in power.

When a society is divided between a ruling class and the masses, and the ruling class is perceived as corrupt, abusive and dishonest, disharmony and friction among the people proliferate. Everyone tends to be distrustful of one another. Respect for authority and the law wanes. Governing the masses becomes more difficult and eventually could become impossible, but with an iron fist.

This dysfunctional relationship between classes causes a gradual accumulating strain on the people. Some termed it as a “social volcano”, because of the swelling pressure. Each person has ways of relieving the pressure. Some do it by taking the path of “if you can’t beat them, join them”. It’s sad to think that a lot of good people slowly gets suckered into being corrupt themselves. Some, with resignation gives up hope and leaves the country to find refuge somewhere else. But for those who stay put, if things don’t change for the better, the collective pressure could mount at levels beyond containment. That’s when the volcano could erupt. I dread to see that day.

Any eruption can be prevented by reducing the tension between social classes. The ruling class and the institutions that they use to rule can start by regaining at least some of the respect of the masses and the middle working class. The masses are not hard to please anyway. All they want is a fair deal in life. Ang hanap lang naman nila patas na labanan. Walang lamangan, mahirap o mayaman, mahina o makapangyarihan. And they are waiting. NOW!