In 1999 my house was completed on a mountain in Bataan, and we moved in. I was heading to San Francisco to be assigned to a new ship. The USNS San Jose (T-AFS) which was tied up in Singapore so I had to fly back across the Pacific to SFO and back to Singapore all within two weeks gaining and losing days each way making my head spin, that was the downside to any job, but then the company did pay the airfare. (Trans-Pacific in business class)
The day I was flying out to the United States, or the land of the big PX. I’d left $1,500.00 (The year was 1999) with Mayang to buy a Honda Generator and I included a list of specifications for it. A month later we were pulling into Darwin Australia as we were assigned to work with Australian Navy for 60 days to bring food and supplies to East Timor (Plus many pallets of beer) We opened a case of Vegemite just to give it a try, that only happened once and we all went back to Peanut butter straight away. We sampled the beer and found it somewhat acceptable, but then it was Fosters.
So between trips to the island and back to “OZ”, I phoned my wife (Mayang) and she told me about a Typhoon that struck our area. There was no damage but the power was out for six days. Now the secret is out of the bag, she had used the money for the new generator to have a mahogany dining room set built. It was handmade, exactly the way she wanted it. A true thing of beauty, but useless at providing electricity I asked when will the power be back on? She had no idea, so I suggested that if she needed power to just plug it into the new table! I was so pleased that I was sitting in a pub in Darwin so far away and she was in Bataan!
So for the next 10 years during our many, many brownouts I would walk to the Mancave flip a breaker or two, turn on the gas, and choke, one pull on the starter rope and the mighty Honda would spark to life providing elow to light our way. (And our daughters could watch TV)
The generator was somewhat limited, as it could not operate the big pump to my well. But because of my two water tanks, the power would have to be off four days before that was a problem.
I could (With proper planning, run the entire house like the power was on. To run the bedroom Air-Con (Just one of them) I had to unplug the freezer and the Hot-Water on demand unit in the shower. Heating coils will overload any generator.
We also recharged the Purok’s cell phones during long power outages.
One neighbor complained about the noise, but it came down to him Yak-yacking or me having my having Air-Con, BTW my Air-Con won hands down. Did I mention that the idiot had more than forty roosters in his yard that I never said a word about? I’ll assume it was because I was never jealous of his roosters was the reason why it worked out like that.
Then it happened one brownout the mighty Honda fired up, but no electrify came forth, oh it was burning gas and running fine. But up the road lived Tony, he was a small engine mechanic who worked for the company “Luck C” that sold me the Honda and Tony installed it. With that knowledge that we lived on the same street, we entered into an arrangement, Tony would become my go to guy on all things generator, all service calls, tune up, oil changes and stuff he did at full factory prices, but on Sundays and nights if needed. We eliminated the middle man or Lucky C. Who BTW went bankrupt last year! Was it Tony and me???
So Tony rushes down and finds that the Motor is fit as a fiddle, but the spinning coil that makes electricity has ceased to function. Do you know the outrageous cost of just that one part? Well, I don’t either! In the Philippines, there are talented people who will take it apart and rewind it. Of course Tony knew the guy, and four days later it was reassembled and making spark-trisity and working well. Total cost: $175.00.
Into each life a little rain must fall (Quite a bit during the monsoons), a few months before the rainy season, Tony stopped by to say goodbye, it seems that if he moved back to his hometown (He told me the name of the town but I’m over 70 now, and memory will fail me sometimes.) And his Uncle was setting him up with his own shop. I can’\t blame him for that and I hope he will do well. But what the hell about me!!! (LOL)
But you know what happened, my generator shat the bed last week, a complete failure, I was dead in the water, SOL! Panic reigned supreme! Oh my, what was I to do? Mayang looked at me and said. Toni’s son… I remember him at as a tike always with his papa on service calls. Later his dad gave him a pile of motorcycle parts and the rascal built his own transportation, at 12 years old with no seat and a plastic gas can as his fuel tank and no mufflers, he was racing around the purok like a Tasmanian Devil, 18 years old now, he stayed in this area vice moving to Tooley Junction with his dad where he knew no one. He appeared at my gate on his jazzed up new motor and his tool bag; He brought new oil, a new spark plug (Yes the correct one) One hour later it was purring like a Honda. I took his cell number and declared him as my “New Guy” I told him to say hi to his papa next time he visited him. Bless me the young man is talented, but smatter in one way. He charges more! I laughed and gladly paid him.
If this isn’t the greatest place to live, then the Lord must have kept that place up in heaven, but even if second best it is fantastic!
Let there be light, and he found it to be good!
Rhooo… You don’t like vegemite ? In Switzerland we have something like it, called Cenovis… I grew up on that stuff… Secret ? More is Best’s enemy 😉 A small ( and I mean it… SMALL !!!) amount spread on a thick buttered slice of bread, for me… It’s just plain Heaven !!!
I have an old Promate generator, something like 6Kw I think… Anyway… It is like me, old… And regularly needs some fixing… But when brown-out strikes, it’s always up and running… Luckily, here, in Barretto, we have less and less brown-outs… And my neighbour also complains, in between to drunk karaoke sessions (and there is nothing worse than to have to listen to a totally drunk pinoy meowing in the mike at night…) ! So I just told him to F… off ! ha ha ha
Patrick;
The greatest pleasure I get is when the drunken karaoke (Meaning lack of talent) party’s end and they start dropping in place. Is two hours all the kids wake up and punish the drunks by starting to sing? I dance with glee!
My old Honda just had its 18th birthday and still runs like a Rado Watch (I’ve owned a couple of Rado’s) our brownouts are less, but not gone forever.
Don;
My generator has to compete with the five rooster farms on my street, so it is never silent here, it is typical Philippines. My Generator is in the back yard in a separate house (My drinking, tool shop, stowage area.) sit in my front yard and you won’t notice it. I’m jealous of all those roosters they have so we’re even.
I would imagine the neighbors complain cause they are jealous. Have no electricity while you do. Must be quiet during the brownouts, except for the generators.
Hilarious as usual Paul.
James;
It’s a funny world we live in, just stop and find the humor and you’ll never have a bad day!
Very true indeed Paul. Hope your now in good health as well as good humour.
Regards.
Jim.
Jim;
All is OK under my new normal, I’ve adjusted and now just move a tad slower! (lol)
It is so surprising just how talented everyone is here. I have run into something also.
Luke;
While working with Filipinos on the ship, they would accomplish jobs in a manner that never would have crossed my mind. But that is the way it will always be done even if there is a better way. Once I understood that, we were fine.
What you ran into? Write it down and send it to Bob.
Hello Paul,
Smart move making the table comment while safely across the ocean!
We shipped a generator here from the States. So far, haven’t even fired it up. The typical brownout here doesn’t last long enough to make it worth it. May yet need it if a typhoon knocks things out for several days or more. Probably ought to unpack it just to make sure it still works. Would probably only hook up the fridge and a fan or two up anyway.
Take care,
Pete
Pete;
I have no way of predicting the duration of the brownouts, so I read for a half hour on my always charged E-reader, then spark off. the Honda, now that my daughters watch TV at their own houses. (LOL)
Another humorous article.. I love the line about the neighbor with roosters, Mr. Paul T. You should have told him an old Aussie saying, “You can be a rooster one day and a feather duster the next.” 🙂 Have a good week there in DinBat.
Jose
Jose;
My brother-in-laws see him at the cock fights and tell me he never wins, maybe he sells feather dusters?
Hi Paul,
Did a man from Brussels, who was six feet four and full of muscles, give you that Vegamite sandwich? Just curious. Very good article! Many Filipinos are very resourceful and can take things that others think are FUBAR and make them work like new, remarkable!
Peace
Jay
Jay;
My first Vegemite I ate was on a ship between the Port of Darwin and the Island of East Timor (What a garden spot that is!)
But you might have gotten on that me; I didn’t know that Vegemite was popular in Brussels? I’d only heard about it from our friends in Australia. So proving, I don’t know everything!
Yes the Filipino’s ability to remove an item from the FUBAR list by jury rigging it back to life is simply amazing to me. I never throw anything away because I know someone here can fix it.
Yes the Filipino’s ability to remove an item from the FUBAR list by jury rigging it back to life is simply amazing to me. I never throw anything away because I know someone here can fix it.
Hi Paul,
My man from Brussels reference was an allusion to a popular 1980’s song from an Australian band called Men at Work the song was “Down Under”. The song was very popular and people in the US became curious as to what a Vegemite sandwich was and tasted like. I have not tried a Vegemite sandwich myself.
Peace
Jay
Jay;
I both know the group and the song, but I guess I should have paid more attention to the words (LOL) I’ll pull it up on You Tube and check it out. Wow you had me going with that, but thank you, again: Learn something new every day is one trick to life, and today I just did. As I said I Tried it …just once!
Paul, since you have resided in the Philippines for long periods without much break, perhaps you can help me with this query?
I have permanent 13(g) visa stamped on it. I been living in Philippines for several years and have not left the country. My passport is about to expire. So I am going to renew. My acri-I card is valid (I renewed it last year). Do I need to transfer the 13(g) stamp in my “about to expire passport” to the new passport as soon as I get my passport renewed and have it also input electronically into the ACRI-I card? I do not know the process what is
involved and what I should do. Can this be done at any of the major provincial BI offices such as Cebu or Davao or one has to go to Manila for this? Any inputs would be appreciated.
What did you do when your passport got expired, and you renewed it and got sent a fresh one?
Blue Boy;
Since I dealt with this when my passport expired this is what I know. After dealing with the US Embassy (BTW it can be done during a Embassy outreach if they visit your area check online for info)). Keep the expired passport with all the stamps, and bring it all to the Philippines BI office to have them transferred over to your new passport, bring your lunch, a hammock, your sense of humor and money, and it all should go smoothly. I’m promising nothing because I have no idea who the head person is this week and what rules he has set forth. As for coming to Manila, I had to because of where I live. You will have to check with the local BI Office where you
Renewing the US Passport is easy Peasey, then it gets a little different!
Thank you so much Paul for the info provided.