First thing – a bathroom in the Philippines is usually called a CR, or Comfort Room. If you ask for the restroom or bathroom, a lot of people might not know what you are talking about. For our British visitors, the WC or Washing Closet (right?) will be unheard of! Just ask for the CR […]
Where do you stand?
OK, ok… before I get started on this article I have to admit something. I might as well get it out in the open, before I make a fool of myself. Normally when I am writing an article for this site (or any of my other sites), I try to choose a topic that I […]
What a dinner!
What a great dinner it must have been! Only the best, you know. What? You think I’m talking about some dinner that Feyma and I had at a local restaurant or something? Nope! I’m talking about Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s dinner that she had while in New York recently. President Arroyo went to the […]
Putting it to use
For years, I would try to speak to Filipinos in English, because that was the only language that I knew. I mean, English is a “second official language” of the Philippines, and almost all Filipinos can speak English, right? Funny thing was, though, that many times I found it difficult to have a meaningful conversation […]
What is your middle name?
My name is Robert Charles Martin. Robert is my first name, Charles is my middle name, and my last name is Martin. There are a few differences in the way names work here in the Philippines, though. Let’s have a look. First thing, what we call your “last name” is not called that here. They […]
A nude awakening
Did I type that right? A nude awakening? Isn’t the old saying supposed to be a “rude” awakening? Read on, and you decide. I live in a kind of mid-level neighborhood. Oh, it’s probably slightly upscale by Philippine standards, probably a little downscale by US standards. Most of the people who live in my neighborhood […]