Filipinos love their nicknames. I work with a Pow, Ice, Girlie, Nuj, Kissy, Love-Love, Lovey, Rocky (female), Butch, MM, Cajugs, Ge, Bon, Bong, etc. In most cases, their nicknames have nothing to do with their real first name. Not really a problem, however, IBM uses their real names for their email address book. So you have to know their nicknames and their real names if you need to email them.
One of the big actors here is a guy named Dingdong Dantes. He isn't a comedian, he is the George Clooney of the Philippines. And he selected Dingdong for his nickname.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
I didn't know I had a problem.....
I have discovered something new, I like Buko shakes. Buko is the juice inside small coconuts. They throw some ice in and some coconut and blend it into a shake. They are really good...very sweet. What I found funny is the selling point they put on the cup.
Sorry it is blurry. It says "One buko a day keeps the urologist away". Now, you can quickly dismiss this as a very weird selling point. However, for me it begs the following questions:
1) What is in there that keeps the urologist away?
2) Does this slogan actually raise sales?
3) What marketing research was done to determine this is the best slogan?
4) What slogans were rejected? (might be scary)
5) I have never been to a urologist. Is there something I should be going there for? Is this a problem only for Filipinos? Do I need to go so I can determine if something is getting better?
6) Are the urologists losing business because of this?
There are probably some more. But I laugh everytime I see this.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
I am surrounded by Australians
Hi everyone,
I am having a wonderful time at Brent and I am doing very well in my classes. But at Brent, I have an Australian math teacher, Mr Whalley, who supports Notre Dame and the Texas Aggies, dont know why, an Australian art teacher, Mrs. Pereria, who is very nice and lets us talk and even play music in class, and I have an Australian friend, Mitch Hilton, who supports the Cowboys and Mavericks, and has told, not asked, me to play basketball. But they are all very nice and I love to sit and listen to the way they talk.
Bye, Brennan
I am having a wonderful time at Brent and I am doing very well in my classes. But at Brent, I have an Australian math teacher, Mr Whalley, who supports Notre Dame and the Texas Aggies, dont know why, an Australian art teacher, Mrs. Pereria, who is very nice and lets us talk and even play music in class, and I have an Australian friend, Mitch Hilton, who supports the Cowboys and Mavericks, and has told, not asked, me to play basketball. But they are all very nice and I love to sit and listen to the way they talk.
Bye, Brennan
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Brent The Giant School Wonderland
This place is ridiculous.............. ok there is a link on our blog on the top right so you can see some pics of it. But if you have some disability to click on blog links then type this in: http://www.brent.edu.ph/ ok. Oh what's cool is we get Ninoy Aquino day for holiday next week. WHAT IS NINOY AQUINO DAY???????? Tell me that! If you click on the media center link. This is our giant libraries. Look around on the site. How did you like the grass jelly????? Oh well Comment plz
Things you should know before before moving to Manila
For those of you out there who might be considering moving to Manila or anywhere in the Philippines for that matter, here are a few things that you might need to know.
First and most important in my mind- there are no York Peppermint Patties anywhere in this country. That's right, you heard it here 1st-no York Peppermint Patties. If nothing else, this experience has taught me not only how spoiled I was (still am actually) and how much I take for granted. I guess the taste of mint and chocolate doesn't appeal to people here, but then agin, nothing beats the taste of "purple yam and cheese" ice cream when you have a sweet tooth!
Secondly, blowing the car horn is the most important part of driving in Manila. You blow the horn if a car starts to come into your lane (what am I saying, there are no lanes here), you blow the horn if you wish to change lanes. You blow the horn if you are turning, going through an intersection, if someone near you starts backing-up, if someone near you looks like they might start backing up, if you think someone is thinking about backing-up...if you get the picture just blow the horn.
Pedestrians are a nuisance that need to be put in their place. Cross walks mean nothing, and if you are forced to stop for one, make sure you get the car as close to them as possible, and just sit their staring at them until they get out of your way!
If you want to be left alone to browse a shop in peace and quiet, go to another country! In a country where you must have a college degree to apply for a job in a fast food resturant, and the minimum wage converts to about $1 an hour, there are always more workers than you. I have learned that if you say I would like to look "for a while" they are more apt to let you look, the bad thing is you have to say it over and over because there are so many workers!
The term "for a while" is used in many different contexts, and for many different situations. If you are speaking to a business on the phone and they say "for a while" they are probably asking you to hold. If you ask to speak to someone and they say they are not available "for a while" it means they either are tied up and can't come to the phone, or they are not there and the speaker doesn 't know when they will be back. If you go into a store and ask someone where the milk is, you can assume they don't know, and will ask you to wait "for a while". They will probably go ask someone else who does not know, and then look around till they actually find it, and return to lead you there. Sometimes they tell you there is no milk "for a while", which means, they are out of stock and don't know when they will get more. If you call the cable repair man and he says he cannot come out "for a while", that means you will probably not have cable for at least a week, maybe more!
Yes, does not always mean yes. If for example, you asked an electrician if they could put a new electrical outlet on the wall to hang a tv tomorrow, and he says "yes", it could have several different meanings. He may be saying yes, I can put a new electrical outlet on the wall, or he may be saying that he is able to hang a tv on the wall, or he may be saying yes, I could come out tomorrow, or he may even be saying yes, I will come out and look tomorrow to see if I can put a new outlet on the wall and then I will give you an approximate day that I will come out to do it. You must always ask each question separately, and clarify each part of your request, and then if he still says yes, you can assume that he will come out tomorrow and put in a new outlet and hang the tv. That is your indication that he plans to come out, but then you must call him again the next morning to see if his plans have changed. If he still says yes, you then ask "what time", to which he will usually respond- "either before lunch, or after lunch. Plan to be there the whole day and hopefully you will have an outlet on the wall and a tv hung before the day is through!
First and most important in my mind- there are no York Peppermint Patties anywhere in this country. That's right, you heard it here 1st-no York Peppermint Patties. If nothing else, this experience has taught me not only how spoiled I was (still am actually) and how much I take for granted. I guess the taste of mint and chocolate doesn't appeal to people here, but then agin, nothing beats the taste of "purple yam and cheese" ice cream when you have a sweet tooth!
Secondly, blowing the car horn is the most important part of driving in Manila. You blow the horn if a car starts to come into your lane (what am I saying, there are no lanes here), you blow the horn if you wish to change lanes. You blow the horn if you are turning, going through an intersection, if someone near you starts backing-up, if someone near you looks like they might start backing up, if you think someone is thinking about backing-up...if you get the picture just blow the horn.
Pedestrians are a nuisance that need to be put in their place. Cross walks mean nothing, and if you are forced to stop for one, make sure you get the car as close to them as possible, and just sit their staring at them until they get out of your way!
If you want to be left alone to browse a shop in peace and quiet, go to another country! In a country where you must have a college degree to apply for a job in a fast food resturant, and the minimum wage converts to about $1 an hour, there are always more workers than you. I have learned that if you say I would like to look "for a while" they are more apt to let you look, the bad thing is you have to say it over and over because there are so many workers!
The term "for a while" is used in many different contexts, and for many different situations. If you are speaking to a business on the phone and they say "for a while" they are probably asking you to hold. If you ask to speak to someone and they say they are not available "for a while" it means they either are tied up and can't come to the phone, or they are not there and the speaker doesn 't know when they will be back. If you go into a store and ask someone where the milk is, you can assume they don't know, and will ask you to wait "for a while". They will probably go ask someone else who does not know, and then look around till they actually find it, and return to lead you there. Sometimes they tell you there is no milk "for a while", which means, they are out of stock and don't know when they will get more. If you call the cable repair man and he says he cannot come out "for a while", that means you will probably not have cable for at least a week, maybe more!
Yes, does not always mean yes. If for example, you asked an electrician if they could put a new electrical outlet on the wall to hang a tv tomorrow, and he says "yes", it could have several different meanings. He may be saying yes, I can put a new electrical outlet on the wall, or he may be saying that he is able to hang a tv on the wall, or he may be saying yes, I could come out tomorrow, or he may even be saying yes, I will come out and look tomorrow to see if I can put a new outlet on the wall and then I will give you an approximate day that I will come out to do it. You must always ask each question separately, and clarify each part of your request, and then if he still says yes, you can assume that he will come out tomorrow and put in a new outlet and hang the tv. That is your indication that he plans to come out, but then you must call him again the next morning to see if his plans have changed. If he still says yes, you then ask "what time", to which he will usually respond- "either before lunch, or after lunch. Plan to be there the whole day and hopefully you will have an outlet on the wall and a tv hung before the day is through!
For those that know me too well....
Finally settling in at work. I work in a section of Manila called Eastwood City. Which is in Libis, which is in Quezon City, which is part of Manila. Lots of town, communities and villages within Manila proper. It is a very nice building, maybe a year old. We share it with Dell. 
There are condos all around, a small mall across the street. Including: McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC, Fazoli's, Subway, Starbucks and a Dairy Queen (of all things). So a very nice new area of town.
There are condos all around, a small mall across the street. Including: McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC, Fazoli's, Subway, Starbucks and a Dairy Queen (of all things). So a very nice new area of town.The only issue I have is what is sitting three feet behind my chair, against the wall. Now I know I am 43 years old and I should be able to handle most things that come my way. But this still, after all these years, gives me the creeps.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Moving Day
Friday will be moving day, when we move out of Fraser Place into our house in Alabang. I have placed a link on our page, so you can get an idea of the house. It is 2 yrs old, around 6000 sq ft, with a small back yard, and an even smaller pool. The owner is leaving most of the furniture, so we will only need to get a master bed, a desk, and a couple of couches.
Last weekend, Steve and I went to the local SM department store to purchase the basics- towels, sheets and comforters & I don't think that I have been more stressed out in my life! By the time we left there, minus some $50,000 pesos, I could have cried! Besides the fact that they have you out-numbered 5-1 in employees (all under the age of 25 I might add), they pressure you to buy what they have in stock, whether or not you want them, and try to get you to buy in large quantities. In this instance, knowing they had fresh meat on their hands, they brought out 4 chairs, and placed them in the middle of the floor for us to sit in. Then they showed us our options and colors, different thread counts, and all the while consulting with each other about whether or not they were in stock, and if they could be ordered. The "General" of the sales people, made sure we saw all of their wares, while she sent her minions to the store room to bring out samples. Best of all there was a 250 watt light right above our heads, and after the first 5 minutes of grilling, I was dripping sweat all over her 500ct bed sheets! Needless to say, I agreed with everything Steve suggested, and ran for the cover of the cash register as quickly as I could. Even though I did recieve a free bucket and bowl, it was not a positive experience for me! Since our driver Eddie was off that day, we had to call the Fraser Place for a car, and since a van was $1500 Pesos, and a car was $300 Pesos, we ordered 2 cars, and drove away with our purchases, leaving everyone staring in our wake.
Next trip, we get to buy the dishes and silverware, and just wait until we go looking at furniture!
Last weekend, Steve and I went to the local SM department store to purchase the basics- towels, sheets and comforters & I don't think that I have been more stressed out in my life! By the time we left there, minus some $50,000 pesos, I could have cried! Besides the fact that they have you out-numbered 5-1 in employees (all under the age of 25 I might add), they pressure you to buy what they have in stock, whether or not you want them, and try to get you to buy in large quantities. In this instance, knowing they had fresh meat on their hands, they brought out 4 chairs, and placed them in the middle of the floor for us to sit in. Then they showed us our options and colors, different thread counts, and all the while consulting with each other about whether or not they were in stock, and if they could be ordered. The "General" of the sales people, made sure we saw all of their wares, while she sent her minions to the store room to bring out samples. Best of all there was a 250 watt light right above our heads, and after the first 5 minutes of grilling, I was dripping sweat all over her 500ct bed sheets! Needless to say, I agreed with everything Steve suggested, and ran for the cover of the cash register as quickly as I could. Even though I did recieve a free bucket and bowl, it was not a positive experience for me! Since our driver Eddie was off that day, we had to call the Fraser Place for a car, and since a van was $1500 Pesos, and a car was $300 Pesos, we ordered 2 cars, and drove away with our purchases, leaving everyone staring in our wake.
Next trip, we get to buy the dishes and silverware, and just wait until we go looking at furniture!
Monday, August 4, 2008
We did not drop off the face of the earth
I am pleased to report that they have some of the same concerts here. Over the next month Daughtry, Avril Lavingne, Alicia Keyes, Earth Wind & Fire (more my speed), Sonic Flood, Panic at the Disco (don't know what that means) and for those over 40 (maybe 60) The Letterman and the incomparable Petula Clark will be performing here in Manila. Even Rudy Giuliani was here last week speaking. Unfortunately, there isn't anyone I really want to see, including last week's run of High School Musical on Ice tour. But maybe some day there will be someone here that will get me off the couch.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
" In Your Local Grocer's Freezer."
Very appetizing huh? If you can't read the paper on the (stuff), it says........... Octopus Ball. Yes, they took a big hunk of octopus, rolled it up into a ball, and served it. Beautiful isn't it? That is a beautiful work of art. Unfortunately, it won't be leaving my memory any time soon. It give me willies looking at that picture. Yes, I'm saying random things just to get more room to put another picture. So, I'll just talk more about this picture. We took this picture at SM another local grocery store. I think I was wearing a blue shirt that day. Ok I'll just hit space a bunch.
Alright, I'm only going to say this once..... Fish Lip.
Moving on.
Grass Jelly
I Don't Know.
Grass Jelly Why?
Grass Jelly
Ok let's do some more.
They don't even have paper on them. I dared my dad to touch them. But, dares don't work.
Look at them. That is just nasty. Some people are just like that.
I don't know why.
Fish have feelings too!
Thanks for reading. Please comment and check back all the time for new posts!
Friday, August 1, 2008
My new school's house system
Hi everybody,
It's Brennan, I thought I would tell you about our new school's house system. Kinda like in Harry Potter they have school houses, like Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, there are three houses: Emerald, Gold, and Azure(Blue). Landon and I were sorted into Emerald house. Once in a while there are pep rallies for each house. Also you can earn house points,but I'm not sure how yet. Whichever house has the most points at the end of the year wins the House Cup. I'll post again soon to let you know how we are doing.
It's Brennan, I thought I would tell you about our new school's house system. Kinda like in Harry Potter they have school houses, like Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, there are three houses: Emerald, Gold, and Azure(Blue). Landon and I were sorted into Emerald house. Once in a while there are pep rallies for each house. Also you can earn house points,but I'm not sure how yet. Whichever house has the most points at the end of the year wins the House Cup. I'll post again soon to let you know how we are doing.
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