Late, I think on Wednesday nights, one can see rooster fighting on TV in much the Philippines. That's generally not the way it is referred to here but I'll use the more polite name. Only in the Philippines might apply in this situation. I'm amazed when they show rooster fighting on TV. Wow, would the people in the USA go crazy over such a thing even happening, much less, showing it on TV. In those fights, one chicken almost always dies. They are not dead at the end of the match but Jessie tells me they always die afterward and many times both do. This is life in the Philippines. It would be totally unacceptable in the USA and many … [Read more...]
Sweet Juliet
September 29, 2009 By 5 Comments
Sweet Juliet Well, not a lot sweet about Juliet. She's a very naughty girl too. She's very jealous, can't stand it when my girlfriend touches me. Juliet, well she acts a lot like a monkey. No, I mean really, like a Filipino monkey cause that's what she is. Those that have followed my articles will probably already know that I'm the proud papa of a 12 pound monkey. I'm just guessing about the weight. When I first got her she was just a little under 10 pounds but she was skin and bones. Very thin and probably close to death. She couldn't maintain her body temperature. She was having chills on a regular basis. She's doing … [Read more...]
Some Filipino
September 22, 2009 By 26 Comments
Some Filipino just don't get it. Well, honestly some humans just don't get it and sometimes all of us don't get it. Recently, a family that lives near me had their lights turned off because their bill was past due. A few couple of days later, their lights were back on. Then the owner came by and told them to get out within two days. Seems the tenant had not paid his bill in eight months! Wow, how did the family get away with that! I'm wondering if the tenant may have paid by depositing money directly into the land owners bank account. Sometimes transactions are completed that way in the Philippines. Though, I think it is uncommon … [Read more...]
The Ber Months
September 15, 2009 By 14 Comments
I've seen articles around the net about what is uniquely pinoy. Today, I read an article in the Sun Star about another uniquely pinoy phenomenon. Its called the Ber months. There are four of them and they start in SeptemBER. What is special about the ber months? Its Christmas in the Philippines! Yes, I know, I hear the groans from the expats. The Filipino however, always looking for an excuse to be joyful and happy, they just stretch it a little further. Today I had the pleasure of spending an excessive amount of time at the Bee, Jollibee's that is. Thanks to the lack of sufficient electrical power in Northern Cebu Province, … [Read more...]
Sounds of The Philippines
September 8, 2009 By 27 Comments
This morning, I was awoken to a sound one doesn't often hear in the USA nor probably any other developed nation. Its not a very pleasant sound. A piglet that is screaming for its life, but to no avail as it has already been selected to serve as someone's lechon. It doesn't take long, maybe five minutes at most. The farmer will cut the jugular and the pig soon bleeds to death. It sounds more scared than in pain. Its sad to hear the life drain out of them, but once they get weak they go fast. Its not a drawn out thing. Pigs Now not everyone in the Philippines is lucky enough to live next to a piggery like me, so don't' worry, you'll … [Read more...]
Curious Combination
September 1, 2009 By 51 Comments
I thought I'd try to write an article that would help the westerner prepare himself for the likely shock of what you will encounter once you're here. I'm not sure I can fully prepare the first timer and I really don't think I want too. Part of the fun was being ill prepared for what I discovered in the Philippines. Now if you're a veteran traveler and have visited other developing nations, you'll likely be ahead of the first timer. My First Moments In The Philippines I was a first timer and the only word I could use was shocked. Now this shock was not totally in a negative way. For there was a lot of beauty and interest in what I saw. … [Read more...]
Freaking Brown Outs!
August 25, 2009 By 52 Comments
A while back I remember Bob wrote a story about how Manila pretty much thinks of anything outside of Manila as the province. In Cebu City, its different. For those living in Cebu, they don't think of themselves as living in the province. They live in the city but everyone outside of Metro Cebu is lives in the province. Living in the Province I live in Bogo, the supreme court removed its City status sometime back but its still the province. I think even those of us that live here think of it as living in the province. I know I do. There are some down sides to that. If Metro Cebu City needs more power, they cut the power to the … [Read more...]
Beautiful but Painful
August 18, 2009 By 13 Comments
I went to Bantayan Island with "Honky Joe" an expat currently visiting the Philippines. I shouldn't have spent the dollars but that temptation thing got me again. Like I said in a previous post, the Philippines are the land of temptation. Joe came through Bogo City and mentioned he was going to Bantayan Island and I just couldn't resist. It also gave me a chance to use my underwater camera. As we were returning to shore, Jessie spotted this creature waiting to give one of us a bad day. It was the first time I have spotted one of these but we went out a good deal further as the tide had gone out before we got our lazy butts out of bed. Actually, … [Read more...]
Minors Cannot Be Locked Up!
August 11, 2009 By 15 Comments
Am I kidding? No! I'm not kidding at all. Now, my read of the law doesn't say that but I've read over and over news paper articles related to crimes in Cebu Province that is how the law is being applied. If the child is under 15 it is absolutely true. If the child is between the ages of 18 and 15 then it appears they can be prosecuted but other provisions of the law seem to make it impossible. Keep reading, you'll learn of a 17 year old rapist and murder set free! Get Out of Jail Free In The Philippines Not long after moving to the Philippines, I read in the paper that minors cannot be locked up. Most people I asked about this didn't … [Read more...]
Land of Temptation
August 4, 2009 By 42 Comments
The Philippines is a wonderful place to live in you can make it work for you. Sometimes its a bit too wonderful. The country is filled full of temptations. The food is just flat out to get me. :-) The only thing more tempting than the food is the Filipina! Let's talk about the bread. The bread often tastes sweet. Sometimes buttery. Don't buy it from the super markets, go the local bake shops to get it. If you can find one that is local to your city that does a good job that's even better. Then again, perhaps you should just stay away from it. SM Mall in Cebu City has a new bread shop and I've stayed out of it. My doctor … [Read more...]
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