Angelo Reyes sets a good example

Image is from the Inquirer website (full story)

Remorse, it's something that is non-existent in this country. We always try to justify the wrongs that we have done. Whether his actions were pushed by remorse or if he simply did not want to face the consequences of his actions*; we will never know. In any case, he did set a good example for his colleagues. So why don't all you corrupt people in government just kill yourselves? That would be the best service that you can do for your country.

* Death penalty is the highest form of punishment in society. Does this mean that he feels he deserves it?

How many monkeys have you seen today?

Brainless Monkeys – This is how I see most of the people I encounter everyday. Again, I am saying, just MOST, not ALL. Their majority easily makes up my community. My hometown community. My office area community. The communities I frequent and pass-by. Heck! Even my Fiancee's. May God Help us all.

I was an 80's baby. Life was different then. It's much worse now. I grew up seeing all kinds of garbage on the streets, hearing and seeing crimes through different media- from petty to grave to political. I've seen how good we are at procrastinating, and how pathetic some of our best efforts are. This is the stereotypical Filipino life. Living like animals and mediocrity. Sad to say, I thought this was okay. It felt so normal. Maybe because almost everybody else is doing it. That even after everything I've learned from home and school on how to live as part of the community, I didn't care that society is self-destructing as long as I save myself.

And it was like this for 27 years.

Then an opportunity came to me. I was sent to another country to work for two years. I was lucky, I guess. The first time I set foot off the plane and laid eyes on my new homeland, it was like a bang to my head. “We are so f*cked up” Sure I've seen better places on tv, paper and cyberspace before. But I didn't realize a country so ideal in almost every single way, really exists. And this is the first and only foreign country I've been to(yet, hopefully). There's a pretty big chance that there are other places way better than this. That made me feel even worse about my true homeland. As f*cked up as it is, it is still my home. It is my loved ones' home. The people and places I care about are there. This is the reason why I started to take notice of the countless brainless monkeys that actually put our country into deeper sh*t year after year. I threw-up in my mouth. I've sworn to myself that when I get back, each and everyday, I would watch out for them. Even if it stresses me out and even if it ignites me. So as to be able to live nothing like them. In the hope that maybe other people would take notice and follow suit. After all, you cannot teach animals new tricks by telling them, but by showing them. It is even easier by rewarding them for every correct move, or by fear or pain for every bad one, but I hope we won't come to that point.

And so there it is. I've been observing everyone ever since I came back to manila. It was hopeless to count so I just recorded every idiotic move they make in my brain. I am not perfect. I maybe a monkey too for all I know but I'm sure is not a brainless one.

Its about time to stop making excuses and start changing from within. Before looking for dirt outside, we should clean-house first. If we want the world to stop looking down on us, we should stop the whine and prove that we are not inferior. If Pacman can achieve god-like status in boxing, then we have no excuse to live like a healthy society should. He is a Filipino and he has done the unthinkable in and outside the ring. How can you compare the effort needed to just live a responsible life to that?

...

It feels good to find someone else like me. It makes me feel hope is not yet lost. We thought we were alone then. Now we are two. Our original plan worked. Soon we will outnumber them too.

-Caloy

The next chapter

This blog was started in January 2010 as an outlet, a place where the writer vents out his frustrations with regards to society. It was left dormant after very few posts due to busy schedules and lack of content to put in.

2011: The original writer found an old friend who shares the same frustrations and posts them on his facebook page. They have agreed to team up in providing fresh new materials for this blog.

Ang trabaho mo, gawin mo!

It is a very simple statement, but sadly, most of us cannot do what we are paid to do. When I was just a fresh graduate, I found work at one of the many call centers here in our country. I had fun, training was great, I found the job relatively easy, the pay was ok. I even got an award for being one of the best agents. I left in less than 6 months.

Why? 2 departments were not doing their job. The 1st one was the operations desk. My schedule got shuffled every week. I got very random schedules wherein I would get 4 days off and 10 straight working days on 3 different shifts in 2 weeks.

The 2nd department that pissed me off was the helpdesk or what they call level 2s. Most of these guys acted like they are gods, they crucify you for asking questions on matters that slip your mind. They are there to "help" the agents who are in contact with the customers, not to scold them. Pardon me for random lapses of memory at 3am. Ever wonder why it is called helpdesk? Ours was more like a confession room or spank-the-dog session.

To this day, I still see a lot of Filipinos who cannot do what they are getting paid for. From the highest ranking government official to the simple salesperson that you see around malls or supermarkets.

JT to Ace Hardware saleslady: Ate meron pa ba kayong Terro ant bait?
Saleslady: Ay hindi ko po alam sir, teka tanong ko lang.

I saw the ant baits when she left because she was actually leaning on it and was covering it. Maghapon na syang nakatayo dun hindi parin niya alam yung laman ng aisle?

Incompetence is also seen in restaurants, not just the sit-down restaurants where waiters always seem to mess up your order, but also fast food chains. I once went to Wham! burger at Edsa Shangrila with my son to get merienda (oo ganun kami katakaw, malaking burger ang merienda). It was 3pm, we were 2nd in queue, and we waited almost 10 minutes before we could order. Napakatulin nung cashier sobra!

Currently, we are in need of some tables and chairs for some upcoming events. I never thought that a very simple task of acquiring tables and chairs could be so stressful. If I had known, I would have set this timetable to 2 weeks instead of 2 days to complete.

JT to table and chair rental company: Mag iinquire po tungkol sa tables and chairs nyo, yung monobloc.
T&C co: 10 pesos isang upuan, 40 pesos isang mesa.
JT: Gano po kalaki yung mesa?
T&C co: Yung standard na monobloc.
JT: Standard? Ano sukat nun?
T&C co: Yung standard.
JT: Marami ho kasing sukat ang monobloc na mesa.
(syempre alam ko yun kasi nag research ako, check nyo to: http://www.uratex.com.ph/
T&C co (galit na): Basta yung standard!
JT: Ahhh ok, sige salamat nalang.
(hindi ko na nga naitanong kung anong klase yung upuan nila kasi napakabobo (at maangas pa) nung kausap ko)

Auto repair shops deliver your car in a much poorer condition if you do not stand there and watch their every move. Kahit casa madalas na pumalpak ngayon. Government employees always seem angry when they provide you the service that is due to you. Offices you call do not give an F about what you called them for. Rank and file employees spend most of the day chatting or doing stuff on Facebook. Police officers... do I even need to elaborate on police officers?

People here just want to get things over with, watch the clock, and go home. Well, not necessarily "home", its more like leave the office and have fun. No wonder our country is in such deep shit, everyone is just too lazy to function. Parents should probably teach their kids the value of hard work more often.

Sinungaling na salamin!

Malabo ba? Mas malabo pa sa basag na salamin? Oo malabo nga dahil marunong na magsinungaling ang salamin ngayon.

Kung kayo (or ang inyong GF/misis/nanay) ay mahilig mag-shopping ng damit sa mall, subukan ninyong pansinin ang mga salamin sa mga tindahan ng damit. Mukha kayong matangkad at payat dito. Sa aking palagay ay sinasadya nila ito upang magmukhang maganda o bagay sa inyo ang kasuotan na kanilang tinitinda. Magugulat ka nalang pag harap mo sa salamin ng fitting room or kung saan man at masasabing "Wow! Mukha akong payat/sexy/macho dito!".

Akala ko noon ay sa tindahan lang ng damit na pambabae nangyayari ito ngunit pati pala sa panlalaki ay ganoon na rin. Kahit sa gym ganoon din! Magugulat nalang kayo pag nakita niyo na ang mga litrato galing sa mga camera dahil ang inyong nakita na magandang anyo sa salamin ay hindi pala ganun ka-ganda.

Mayweather = duwag.

Kung ikaw ay isang Pinoy, sigurado akong nakatanggap ka na ng ganitong larawan or isang larawan na katulad nito sa iyong email. Pero bakit nga ba siya tinawag na duwag?

Kumpirmado nang hindi matutuloy ang laban dahil sa kaartehan ng kampo ni Mayweather. Napakaraming hinihingi, ihi, dugo, dugo ulit, dugo nanaman bago lumaban, dugo pagkatapos lumaban, at kung ano ano pa. Kapag pinagbigyan ni Ginoong Pacquiao ang kanyang kahilingan, pustahan tayo hihingi pa yan ng karagdagang kung ano mang maisip nya. Pati balat, dura, ebak, at bigas na kinakain ni Manny mapag-iisipan pa nyang ipa-suri. Ang punto ko lang dito ay wala nang katuturan yung mga hinihingi nya.

Kung totoo yung kanyang pagmamayabang na napakadali daw niyang matatalo ang ating pambansang kamao, bakit medyo nag-iinarte sya ngayon? Mabuti pa ay mag-retire nalang siya ulit.

Ganito na ba katigas ang ulo natin?

"PARK FACING WALL"

Napakahirap ba? O baka kinequestion nyo kung bakit kailangan mag park na paharap? Simple lang yan kapatid; ang tambucho ng sasakyan ay nasa likuran. Kapag bumuga ang iyong tambucho at tumama sa puting pader, mangingitim ang pader. Maawa ka naman sa maintenance dahil mas madaling pumarada na paharap kaysa mag kuskos ng pader.

Sa ibang balita:
May nasagasaan nanaman daw sa ilalim ng pedestrian overpass sa Commonwealth. Ika-siyam na siyang naging biktima ng ganitong insidente.

Eto medyo seryoso ito, buti nalang hindi namatay yung tao. Kaso bakit ka naman kasi tatawid sa ilalim ng pedestrian overpass? Para saan ba yung overpass na yun? Marahil ay mangangatwiran kang may mandarambong sa taas at baka ikaw ay ma-hold up. Marahil nga meron, at baka swertehin ka naman at wala. Subalit, ako ay nakasisiguradong mayroong hindi kakaunti sa limang rumaragasang sasakyan sa ibaba na hindi inaasahang may tatawid. Ngayon, sa iyong palagay, saan mas ligtas dumaan?