Bisdak Babbles

Today marks my third month stay here in Singapore! And what have I obviously earned? Two and a half more weight and a bouncier belly. I have started running weeks ago but all that came to an end when I got bored running alone. I don’t want to implement a huge cut on my food consumption so I started running to even it out. But now, it seems like I don’t only need physical activities but a natural appetite suppressant would surely come in handy. I have gone through some information in the internet and there are good appetite suppressants that could cut back one’s craving and at the same time makes the metabolism faster. While I still can tuck my belly in, I really need to do some serious running.

At various points in my life, I have collected things that are supposed to be thrown away or left as it is. When I was about nine years old, a friend and I collected sea shells. We had boxes of them but I could no longer remember where we placed them. I just hope we put them back into the sea shore. During my highschool days, I tried collecting stamps, then shifted to stationeries until college. I had rare stationeries like from the movie Cassablanca and Romeo and Juliet. But when I went to Japan after graduation, I don’t know what had become of them. I had a box full of my precious stationeries and losing them still makes me sad. Just a few years ago, I started collecting cardboard displays and boxes of sweets from Japan. I still have loads of them in my cabinet at home in the Philippines. I still don’t know what I’ll be collecting next but maybe more of those cool paper bags?

Aside from the news about swine flu, TV Patrol is filled with reports about rallies, corrupt government officials and charter change. I think corruption in the Philippines is really getting worse. Yes, those corrupt government officials have a major role in the worsening state of the country, but before throwing stones at them, we Filipinos need to look at ourselves first.

Majority of the foreigners who have visited the Philippines say that Filipinos are really hospitable, and that’s very nice to hear. But when it comes to treating our fellow countrymen, we get a failing mark. Last Saturday, I went to Lucky Plaza, a hub for the Filipinos in Singapore. Something urgent came up and I need to send money to my family in the Philippines. I usually send it through Metrobank but it was really urgent so I approached an ML Kwarta Padala agent to inquire about the fees, etc. The Filipina behind the counter grudgingly answered all my questions. I thought it was just her nature of speaking but her tone was completely different when she chatted happily to her colleagues! Hey, I’m a customer for crying out loud! Really disapponting, eh? Even those employees at the Philippine embassies act as if we have to bow before them so that they would offer their services.

Why can’t we just treat our fellow Filipinos with respect as much as we treat the foreigners?  Still, no one could beat the Japanese people in how they treat their customers.   I hope we can just learn from them just a little bit.

Iligan City is a small place but I think it already had telephones and a cable TV company in the 1980s. I could still remember tagging along my mother to one of her friends’ house in the “city” to receive a call from my father who was in Saudi Arabia. Our house is about 30-45 minutes jeepney ride away from Iligan City but telephone lines didn’t reach us until late 1990’s, and so did a cable company. Unfortunately, we found the cable fees very expensive so our parents did not get a subscription. So, we grew up watching only the local TV shows and a few foreign TV shows.

When I went to college, it was the first time I heard about HBO, MTV, AXN, etc. Until now, I’m still not that familiar with cable TV shows because we often just tune in to TFC. So, when I saw this video, I didn’t have any idea who Howie Mandel was! If I were in the U.S., I’d easily fall prey to the show’s pranks. Anyway, just imagine being asked by Howie on items on sale at Buy.com. But it would have been better if he was wearing one of his disguises.

More than two months of stay here and I still keep on babbling about Japan. One of the things I miss most is food. I miss even those food that I can possibly cook, like the tonkatsu (deep-fried breaded pork) and tempura (deep-fried breaded shrimp). Most of all, I miss sushi and sashimi! So when I found this sushi restaurant in Tampines 1, I was like a moth drawn to light. The restaurant’s name is:

Guess what, they have guru-guru sushi/kaiten sushi! Yep, those sushi on plates going around through a conveyor belt.

Their sashimi and the sushi sprinkled with mentaiko (marinated roe of pollock) tasted good, close to the ones in Japan.  It also had the melts-in-your-mouth feel.  And the best way to conclude the meal? Macha ice cream!  It is not as creamy as my favorite brand, but I was still glad I get to eat macha again.

You could occasionally hear the staffs greeting customers with “irrasshaimase”, but in Singaporean accent.  One reminder though.  Open only one of those wet tissues when you really need one coz when I checked my bill, I was charged I think around 30 cents for that.  Also, I don’t think they serve green tea for free.They also have ramen but will try that maybe in December when the weather is cooler (I hope).

It is so good having babies and children around. My father’s death has become more bearable for my mother because of my little Shaynna and my niece, Kiera. At times, they get so moody but they are such great blessings. So sad I have never come to experience and witness Shaynna growing up. Soon, she will be five years old but I have never really immersed myself into being a mother. If only circumstances were different, I could have gotten one of those baby announcements when she entered my life. If only I have the capacity to take her with me, I would in no doubt give up spending my free time watching anime to play with her. Below is Shaynna when she was still 5 months old.

We have TFC here in the apartment but most of the time, I avoid watching TV Patrol.   It’s so depressing to hear the same bad news again - proven corrupt but never punished government officials, robberies, accidents, swine flu, etc.  But I’m glad I tuned in to TV Patrol today because…

1. I learned that the Philippine Dragon Boat team won in the 8th World Dragon Boat Championship held in Australia. The team don’t have much financial support that they had difficulty raising the money to defend the title this year in Prague. Good thing the sports stepped up to pay for the airfare. Last year, they even brought rice and canned goods in Australia because they don’t have enough food allowance.
2. Six year-old Stephen Rome Pangilinan of Milo Checkmate Philippines, won first place in the Susan Polgar under eight-year-old division.

I salute you guys for still doing your best despite the circumstances, and for bringing glory to our country!

I am guilty of leaving the country to look for greener pastures.  But I think this shouldn’t stop me and the rest of the OFWs for doing something for the Philippines.  Every Filipino, no matter where he may be, always has an opportunity of showing his love for the country.