Thursday, January 12, 2012

Hard to be a Pinoy!?

A few days ago, I saw a BBC documentary about the toughest place to be a bus driver. Well, guess what ... they chose Manila --- the most densely populated city in the world! That wasn't from me ... that was really how they described Manila.


Josh, a London bus driver went to Manila and tried driving not a standard bus but our very own JEEPNEY! He also had to stay in the house of a Pinoy jeepney driver, Mang Rogelio. Josh is one giant man who drives a humongous double decker bus. See the look on his face when he saw Mang Rogelio's tiny jeepney.


The main point of the show was to compare the job of a London bus driver to that of a Manila jeepney driver. But the program showed more than that. Poor housing,  population problem, and hunger were presented  throughout the show.


While watching, I've read some comments ... mostly from my fellow Filipinos. Some felt embarrassed.  Many blamed the government and its corrupt officials. Many pitied the people featured on the show. One Filipino commenter said the people in the show overacted so that western people would pity and give them help. As expected,  he got a lot of criticisms from our fellow kababayans


I wanted so badly to comment but I had too much to say so I saved my thoughts for this blog.



In the introduction, of all the things one would know about our country, Josh said  he only  knows about  Imelda Marcos' 200 pairs of shoes!!

The jeepney driver that the show chose is not the poorest of poor but he is, like any other struggling Pinoy, works hard everyday to provide shelter, food and other needs for his family. He strives to make ends meet. As a Filipino, though small and strange looking, Mang Rogelio's house is quite decent. Of course, Josh thinks otherwise. He doubts the house's foundations and stuff. We Filipinos are smart and we have a way of improvising. The house might not look as pretty and presentable but I think it's strong enough. 

It's quite funny when Josh described our tricycle as a half bike-half tin can!!! For a giant man ... he's ridiculously funny yet very endearing. 

Aside from just jeepney driving through Manila traffic, other issues, such as our family planning system and the sad reality of PAGPAG, were also discussed ....

Anyway, Josh, though struggling, was able to accomplish his mission ~~ to drive our very own JEEPNEY ... (bravo!!!!) 

When I'm in a jeepney, I never really bother thinking about the driver's hardship, I usually complain because half of butt is almost falling or my change is 50 centavos short.

I have a renewed admiration to our jeepney drivers  ... (in fact, my father also once tried being a jeepney driver and so is my father in law) .... (Salute! Salute!)

To my fellow pinoys, who are struggling to make our lives richer and more comfortable, just continue what you're doing ... we'll get there .... eventually .... 



sOuNd TrIp ThUrSdAy

I got nothing to do so I opened youtube and went surfing for COVERS like crazy ...

Here are my favorites ...

I'm currently loving Were the Perfect Two by Auburn. Actually, I can't get it out of my head 'coz it was sis-in-law's ringtone and I heard it too many times during the holidays ...

I love this cover  the most ... I like the ukulele effect ...


I came across Sungha Jung again ....  I really adore him ....

 (really loving ukuleles ... hehehe)

 I'm a Cathy Nguyen fan ... so .... I wish she'd do more videos ...









Sunday, June 19, 2011

Daddy Moments

A late post for :

mommy moments

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers ...

What makes Bea's Papa special? Here's HIS story ...


My husband agreed to be a house husband after our daughter was born for about 2 years . It was a decision he had to make for our daughter. He was brave enough to swallow his pride and ego for her.

When I was pregnant, he quit his job and started a small business. During my pregnancy until I gave birth, the business was just barely doing okay. It was not as successful as we expected it to be. I was supposed to be the one staying home, but when Bea was 2 months old, I was offered a job, one with a better position and a better salary. We had to be practical, but at the same time, we couldn't entrust my daughter to anyone else. We both decided that I go back to work and he give up the business and be Bea' s daddynanny!

In our society, men staying at home were frowned upon. My husband had to deal with that and at the same time he had to deal with his own insecurities. Even if I say it was okay 'coz he has a job -- to take care of our princess ...  he still felt bad for not bringing in some money in our family. Yet he was able to cope with it and did a pretty good job. 

My daughter grew up well ... she was never sick ... she only went to the doctor for her vaccines. The Obsessive Compulsiveness of my husband came in handy .... 

His patience finally paid of after 2 years when he was given an opportunity to start his own business. This time it was something that he really likes -- motorcycles!! And thankfully for 2 years now his motorcycle shop is doing well. ( I guess ... hehehe)

So thankful for the sacrifice he did for us ... I don't mind that my daughter's first word was actually "papa" ....

here are my treasures ...


Saturday, June 11, 2011

Messy-Go-Around 2 -- White Forest Mess!

This is my daughter's favorite cake:


This is her making a white forest mess::


This is the cake after:



I also love this cake. I think, this is the best white forest cake I've ever tasted. 
It's one of the best cakes here in Baguio. 
It's not too sweet.. The cake is really soft. 
And it's quite cheap, too (around 280 Php for a 10inch cake).
It's available at the bakeshop of Holiday Supermarket (Bokawkan Road, Baguio City).
I also like their banana bread (it's only 100 Php for one big loaf)


Friday, June 10, 2011

MM: Love You Papa

I haven't had time to write something for 

mommy moments

for quite sometime ... 
I've been a bit busy but I'm glad to be back!

Here's my share for this week ...

My daughter can't write letters yet, 
but if she could , 
I think she'd make a note like this:


plain and simple but extremely sweet!

That is how I would describe my daughter and my husband's relationship

PLAIN 
SIMPLE 
SWEET



I'm super amazed that my daughter got a lot of her habits 
(even the quite annoying ones) from her father. 
They're so similar .... oh well, I guess that's why I love them both, plain and simple!




Monday, May 23, 2011

Happy Birthday Ate Wil!

This is for my sister, Wilma. I'm so happy to know that she reads my blogs. I know she's my number 1 fan. What she doesn't is that I'm her number 1 fan, too.

I think she's about 15 years older than me. I won't go deeper on the details 'coz that would reveal her exact age and so as mine. 

We haven't really spent too much time together because she had to go the US when I was 9. We had few memories together, too few that I could even use my fingers to count them, but all will be treasured forever.


  • I was there when she graduated. I was 6 or maybe 7 years old. I think we ate at a Chinese restaurant called Star Cafe (It's family tradition --- birthdays, graduations or any other special day ~ it has to be Star Cafe). That time, I didn't know what graduation meant. I just had to go to the crowded Burgos Gym of SLU and wait for my sister's name to be called. 
  • After passing her exams, my sister had to work in Manila. For me, that meant waiting and expecting Goldilocks cakes (brazodemercedes) and sweets (pulvoron) every time she comes back to Baguio.
  • She came home one day and she had bandages all over her nose. Worried and concerned little me asked her what happened and she said she had an accident! Now, older and wiser me knows the truth! (your secret is safe with me ... heheheh)
  • When she had to migrate to the US, I was so excited because that was my first time to go to Manila, stay at a hotel, go to SM Megamall, go to the airport, and visit Nayong Filipino. Later, I realized that her leaving the country meant I wouldn't be seeing her for years.
  • She had a vacation when I was in the 6th grade. I felt kinda cool in school 'coz I had a troll whose eyes lit up when you push its belly button and I was the only one who had a big bulky colorful Trapper Keeper!
  • She got married in the US (without us) and she came home when I was in college with my then li'l cute niece, Michelle. It's strange but I can't remember a lot about that vacation except that she was so patient with Michelle. When the li'l miss cried out loud, my sister would put her on the stroller and push it around the garage/garden until she stops or falls asleep!
  • She came back to have a church wedding, with a bit bigger and much more talkative Michelle and her husband, Kuya Jun. It was during this vacation that she met my then boyfriend, now husband, Chard. She was the first person in my family to meet him. The dinner we had with her will always be a much treasured memory of me and my husband. 
  • The next time I saw her was the saddest event of our lives. It was when our father died. I was the one who broke the news to her. My husband and I were the ones who fetched her from the airport. On our way home, she told me she's glad I turned out all right. She said that she can't believe I'm all grown up with a  husband and with a daughter. She said, in her memory, I will always be that li'l 9 year old she left years ago. 
She may not have been there while I was growing but she has always been a sister to me ...

Happy Birthday ate Wil! I wish you'd win the lotto so that you could come home and build a house here and then we'd be neighbors!